NEW DELHI (TIP): The Modi government has made it clear it would not open the doors for FDI in multi-brand retail in India. Commerce minister Nirmala Seetharaman said in Rajya Sabha on August 13 that the BJP government was voted to power on the basis of the party’s election manifesto which clearly said it is against FDI in multi-brand retail. “The mandate given to government is on the basis of our manifesto … we do not entertain FDI in multi-brand retail,” she said.
The government though is yet to initiate any move to scrap the UPA-II government’s decision to allow FDI in the same sector. She said FDI flows have not been consistent in the past few years. “During the last three years FDI inflow has fluctuated. FDI inflow decreased by 26.33% in 2012-13 and increased by 6.12% in 2013-14,” she said.
FDI flow is dependent on the business environment and how decisions are made, she said, adding it has been skewed in favour of Mauritius which accounted for $80.809 billion out of $222.89 billion that came to India between 2000 and 2014. “We are using FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) to carry out check (on investing companies),” she said. Even in sectors where FDI is allowed under automatic route, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) scrutinises the funds flow, she said.
RBI and department of revenue, through FIPB, scrutinise investments coming into India, she said. “Under the liberalised economic environment, investment decisions of investors are based on the macro-economic policy framework, investment climate in the host country, investment policies of the trans-national corporations and other commercial considerations,” the minister said.
Month: August 2014
-
Govt say no to FDI in multi-brand retail
-
NEPAL HIKES INSURANCE FOR SHERPAS AFTER EVEREST AVALANCHE
KATHMANDU (TIP):
Foreign mountaineers will have to spend more for the insurance cover of their Sherpa guides to climb any Himalayan peak in Nepal including Mount Everest, the government said. Wedged between India and China, Nepal is home to more than 1,300 Himalayan peaks – 414 of them, including Mount Everest, are open to foreign climbers who turn up in hundreds every year.
An ice avalanche on Mount Everest in April killed 16 Sherpa guides in the biggest disaster in the history of the world’s tallest mountain, highlighting concerns that the Sherpas were paid too little compared to the risks they take in guiding their clients on the dangerous slopes of Mount Everest. Dipendra Paudel, a tourism ministry official, said the insurance cover for the guides would be raised to $15,000 from $10,000.
Medical insurance for each guide has also been increased to $4,000 from $3,000. The new rates, to apply for all mountains including the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) Everest, will come into force from next month, Paudel told Reuters. “The hike will address to some extent the demand by Sherpas for better compensation,” said Dambar Parajuli, chief of the Expedition Organisers’ Association, said on Friday.
Following the Everest avalanche Sherpas criticised the government for doing little for their welfare compared to the hefty amount of money it collected from climbers as permit fees. They also called for a climbing ban out of the respect for their fallen colleagues forcing 334 foreign climbers to call off their attempts to scale Everest this year. The government said their permits would remain valid for five years as authorities moved to encourage climbers to return. Sherpas earn up to $7,000 or more every year — 10 times Nepal’s per capita income. -
Oil prices up on reviving Middle East supply fears
SINGAPORE (TIP): Oil prices rose in Asia on Aug 12 on reviving fears of supply disruptions in the Middle East, analysts said. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for September delivery rose 14 cents to $98.43, while Brent crude for September gained 19 cents to $105.60 in mid-morning trade. “We haven’t seen signs so far that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East could cause disruptions, but those concerns are still there at the back of investors’ minds,” Desmond Chua, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, said.
-
McDONALD’S SALES DECLINE IN JULY, HURT BY US, ASIA
NEW YORK (TIP): McDonald’s says a key sales figure fell 2.5 per cent in July, dragged down by persistent weakness in the US and the impact of a food safety scandal in China. The world’s biggest hamburger chain says the global decline included a 3.2 per cent drop in the US and a 7.3 per cent drop in the unit encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Its China division took a major hit in late July when a TV report showed workers at one of its suppliers repacking expired meat. Many McDonald’s restaurants in the country were left without beef and chicken supplies as a result. Even as McDonald’s restaurants get back to serving the full menu, sales are likely to continue suffering given the sensitivities around food safety in China. Yum Brands, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut, says it did not rely as heavily on the supplier in question. But it has nevertheless been ensnared in the scandal as well and has seen its sales drop significantly.
McDonald’s Corp., which has more than 35,000 locations around the world, has warned that the scandal put its global sales forecast for the year “at risk.” The company had previously said it expects sales to be relatively flat. Back in the US, McDonald’s has been unable to boost sales amid heightening competition and shifting eating habits. Chains like Chipotle, for instance, are gaining favor by touting more wholesome ingredients and the ability to customize food.
McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson has also noted that the lower-income customers that tend to go to McDonald’s are struggling more financially, making it more difficult to get them to spend money on eating out. Thompson has also said the company complicated its menu and slowed down service by introducing too many items too quickly. He said the company is working on getting the basics rights — such as improving service. The one bright spot in July was Europe, where sales at established locations edged up 0.5 per cent. -
Freedom and Liberty: Are we true to its creed?
By George Abraham
“The biggest challenge India is facing today is the majoritarian view of democratic governance. Unfortunately, a large segment of the voting public along with a significant section of the NRIs seem to be either antagonistic or apathetic to the very notion of an open society where the freedom and liberty of every citizen of the country is respected regardless of their caste or religion”, says the author.
Dwight Eisenhower, the former President of the United Sates once said ‘only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free’. The question to ponder on this August 15, as we celebrate the Independence of India from British colonialism is whether we are losing faith in that hard fought victory of freedom with the blood, toil and sweat of our founding fathers. Some may argue that my skepticism is rather unfounded as democracy has taken deep root in India, and freedom and liberty are ingrained in the psyche of the nation’s conscience.
While that assertion may ring true in a larger sense, one needs to be concerned with eroding civil liberties and increasing threats to the basic rights of all citizens. The preamble to the Indian constitution reads as follows: “WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION”.
In 1995, the Supreme Court has upheld that the preamble is an integral part of the constitution. The Jeffersonian definition of freedom always referred to release from despotic restraints, whether it is freedom of religion or of the press or any other freedom. It has been said that a free conscience is indeed the beginning of freedom. Conscience is a difficult concept to study because of its abstract nature. However, freedom of conscience is without equal in a democratic society, as all other rights flow from it.
The idea of choice is borne out of it. A free conscience is, indeed the beginning of freedom. Freedom of conscience is innate; it is godgiven and nobody has the right to trample on it. There is an inherent yearning in every human being to be free. In other words, people wish to live and behave towards each other in a way in which each serves the community, which in turn provides for and looks after its members.
The United States declaration of Independence spells out the basic essence of that iconic document without any ambiguity: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’. – Perhaps no one sentence in American history has had such a profound impact than these powerful words written by Thomas Jefferson.
During the march in Washington in 1963, Martin Luther King, recited these words, and challenged the nation to make good on this promise. A year later, President Lyndon B. Johnson fulfilled that promise with the signing of the landmark civil rights legislation that transformed the nation once and for all. One hundred years earlier, Abraham Lincoln in his famous Gettysburg address insisted on the proposition that all men are created equal. About 166 years later after Independence, the office of war information released a poster that added the following to that declaration: ‘we are of one mind – Hitler, Mussolini or Hirohito shall never take from us the freedom for which our forefathers sacrificed our lives and fortune’.
United States today, despite many of its current shortcomings, still remains a beacon of freedom to the rest of the world. . On the eve of Independence in 1947, India’s first Prime Minister in his historic speech said the following: ‘Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.
A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance’. Undoubtedly, Pandit Jawaharal Nehru remained a valiant defender of the freedom of every citizen, as enshrined in the constitution, of which he was a co-architect, till the very end. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation said “I do not expect the India of my dreams to develop one religion, i.e., to be wholly Hindu or Wholly Christian or wholly Mussalman, but I want to be wholly tolerant, with its religions working side by side with one another’.
India’s founding fathers had a dream to create a just society based on the values of that preamble, and they strove to create Institutions that would seem to protect that hard earned freedom and liberty. It is indeed our responsibility as succeeding generations, to safeguard those cherished principles. However, the constitution cannot protect our rights if we do not protect the constitution.
If we display a cavalier attitude towards those who violate the constitution, we would very likely be accomplices in undermining our own rights and ultimately the freedom of the entire nation. The biggest challenge India is facing today is the majoritarian view of democratic governance. Unfortunately, a large segment of the voting public along with a significant section of the NRIs seem to be either antagonistic or apathetic to the very notion of an open society where the freedom and liberty of every citizen of the country is respected regardless of their caste or religion.Without fully committing ourselves to this essential creed, we may never achieve the political tranquility that is required for economic development and prosperity of all its citizens. -
Murdoch reboots internet play in India
MUMBAI (TIP): Media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has charted a fresh investment plan to tap into India’s fast-growing consumer internet story more than a decade after he took bets on domestic digital properties like Indya.com and Baazee. The media giant is rebooting tactical investments as part of a strategy to aggressively expand the group’s digital play in markets like India, sources aware of the development said.
Murdoch’s comeback coincides with euphoric investor sentiment around India’s recent billion-dollar internet and digital startups. News Corp’s senior vice-president for strategy Raju Narisetti is leading the media giant’s investment interests in India, a source cited earlier who did not want to be named said. The New York-based media giant, which split its publishing and broadcasting units last year, has been making “targeted investments” into digital assets in south-east Asian markets recently.
“Because it is widely known that News Corp has no debt and started its new journey with $2-billion plus in cash, I am constantly and relentlessly pitched by investment bankers on potential deals. If it makes strategic sense, I tend to take a closer look and from that point of view, most of Asia, including India, will always be on the radar,” News Corp’s Narisetti said. -
ANTI-AGEING SOLUTIONS FOR WOMEN OF EVERY AGE
You must have heard a zillion times that anti-ageing solutions are mostly for women in their 40s and 50s. But how often have you walked in to a beauty store and been prodded to start applying antiageing creams and lotions in your 20s? Sure, it can get confusing at times with the wide range of anti-ageing solutions available for women in the market, but understanding your skin’s needs is crucial.
It is also not about your age alone, but also the kind of lifestyle that you lead, the work that you do and how much of physical activity do you have in your everyday life. Apart from your everyday beauty regime, you also have to start eating healthy to ensure that your skin retains its glow and youth. More often than not, it is because of the kind of food that you eat, that your skin starts losing its elasticity and radiance. Including lots of fresh and seasonal fruits and green vegetables in your diet will ensure that your skin stays soft and supple. Drinking lots of water will help the toxins flush out of your system, thereby making your skin smooth.
For women in their 20s
Night creams and serums are heavy on the young skin. So, women in their 20s should ideally not apply these if they have a problem-free skin. Says beautician Shahnaz Husain, “If you have sensitive skin, it’s best to stay away from serums because they might make your skin oily and prone to breakouts. However, for others, there are various brands that offer anti-ageing creams which can be easily applied during the day.” Your skin is at its best during this phase because your skin is healthy and the production of collagen is great and your skin is supple.
For women in their 30s and 40s
In your early thirties, you shall notice a few fine lines in and around the corner of your eyes and lips. But there’s nothing to panic about. This is the phase in your life where the signs of ageing begin to appear. A proper skincare routine along with a healthy diet will ensure that the lines reduce, but don’t expect it to diminish all at once. Says Puja Taluja, beauty and make-up professional, “An anti-ageing night cream is essential, even if you do not wish to apply a serum at bedtime.
But make sure that you apply this on an everyday basis so that the skin stays healthy and nourished.” While for those in their forties, you will realise that the production of collagen and the elasticity in your skin has visibly reduced, thus, apart from using a cream and serum, you will also have to start applying a cleanser and a daytime moisturiser which provides anti-ageing solutions. An occasional anti-ageing facial, like a de-tanning or a one that helps bring back the elasticity in your skin is essential.
For women in their 50s and above
Surely, by now you must have noticed the loss of elasticity in your skin. But one of the major concerns for women in their 50s and beyond is pigmentation marks that are left because of exposure to the harmful UV rays of the sun and discoloration of the skin. Further, menopause can also cause skin problems at this age. It is advised that you visit a dermatologist at least once a month to get your skin tested so that you can keep it healthy. Further, facials and firming treatments are advised during this phase to help tighten the pores of your skin. Though when you are going in for any sort of facial treatment, always opt for one that aims at tightening the pores of your skin. -
INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY
By Dr. Vinayshil Gautam
Technological independence has to emerge as an important element of the national axiom.
“A nation’s skill formation on technology handling cannot be mortgaged to another nation’s need for technology transfer and their need for technological growth”, says the author.
The 1960s saw various services emerging, notably data in many forms. This included video-text, telex and facsimile. Carried over telephony and telegraph networks, infrastructure became the focus. Gradually telex and video-text waned while telephony, data, data-derived services and facsimile thrived. Now, email is well-established as a derivative of data services and numerous other variants have been developed.
Email is an important factor because, for some time now, it firmly marks the convergence of communication and computing. Telecomderived data networks are used, and so also are computer-based networks. Computer-based networks use local and wide area networks to the stage at which their information flows can be readily handled by the same switching technique that handles telephony information flows.
The emergence of multimedia services has followed. The emergence of mobile telephony has made portability both a ‘weapon’ of action and social incoherence. Access to networks is an important component of this transformation. Convergence with the entertainment industry has caused further decline of some professions – and industries – and the rise of new forms. These continually demand fresh purchasing and upgradation of capabilities.
The rules of investment have had to be rewritten as technologies have to be phased out sometimes even before the break-even period is completed! In many ways, transition of telecommunications from a service ethic to business ethic has altered the work desk situation. Ownership and control also seems to be migrating from Government agencies to business interests. This is an important dimension in management of governance. Good governance requires a perceptive understanding of shifting issues.
These shifting issues operate in the framework of international manoeuvring, and grow in the context of contextual, traditional capability. Happy times, when slogans like “greatest good of the greatest number” could carry acclaim because of ambiguous formulation, no longer give guidelines of sustaining public euphoria. Not long ago, debates on trans-national enterprises focused on their capital contributions, their impact on balance of payments and employment of home and host countries.
Today, one has to factor in the effects of technology on national industrial structures, competitive abilities and income distribution. Striving for technological independence is as important an element of the national axiom as the need of recognising the imperatives of technological interdependence. Those who sloganeer the wastefulness of ‘rediscovering the wheel’, need to be reminded that R&D is necessary even for absorbing technology. As the technological contribution of some TNEs become increasingly questioned, the need for emancipated regulation has become more insistent.
There is a great need to have methods of examining alternatives of regulating the transfer of commercial technology. The prospects of such methods need to be examined in a scholastic mode. The future of effective governance may be determined by the deftness of the ways in which this issue is handled. The ambit of technology transfer has to be widened from the broad sense of industrial design, product design, and process design to include other factors.
These would inter alia cover managerial systems; technical skills required to establish and efficiently operate industrial facility. With the permeation of information technology, the dangers of trespassing have grown and become real. There are no new issues of technology transfer. There are only new possibilities of technology breaching many traditional defences of Government systems. Clearly, there is a need to have a framework of governance suitable to the high tech era without necessarily forsaking some of the moorings of the past. There is an urgent need to re-understand the concerns of technology transfer.
The journey which began with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-1(1964) needs to be revisited. The focus on capital goods, intermediate goods, human labour and information remains. What is new, is the need to study the cusp of IT and human skills which is a noman’s zone. Decoding traditional decision making patterns may give the key to the inscrutable problem. A nation’s skill formation on technology handling cannot be mortgaged to another nation’s need for technology transfer and their need for technological growth. -
Freedom, not just Independence
Independence is a sweet sounding word. However, mere political independence does not guarantee freedom. The constitution may enumerate freedoms available to a nation’s citizens, yet they may not enjoy them. That’s what precisely has been happening in India during 67 years of independence. We are on August 15th entering the 68th year of independence. But freedoms elude the laege mass of India.
Going by the statistics, India has developed and made progress. Politicians in India do not tire repeating that Indian economy is one of the most stable economies, growing at a reasonably good rate despite global recession. They keep telling the people of the country that it is a matter of pride for India that she will be one of the three major economies of the world by 2050. Nobody will dispute that India’s GDP has shown remarkable progression and that Indian economy has survived the scare of global recession.
India has wealth, no doubt. But this wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small percentage of the Indian population. Benefits of national growth have not percolated down to the common people. It is the unequal distribution of wealth that is the bane of India. India’s claim to democracy will be a hollow claim if India cannot reach the benefits of growth to every single person. In the absence of means of sustenance, freedoms enshrined in the Constitution have no real worth, no meaning, and no relevance.
On the 67th anniversary of India’s independence let each Indian ponder how each Indian can have real freedom which means freedom from hunger, from ignorance, from exploitation. One of the worst enemies of freedom not reaching people is the corrupt system obtaining in the country. Hordes of scandals involving politicians, businessmen, government officials are an indication that our society is sick. There is a mad race for amassing wealth. There is a wanton desire to have power.
Gandhi Ji who prized means so much must be an uncomfortable soul in heavens to see the “by hook or by crook” approach being adopted by the people of the country he rid from slavery to a foreign rule. He must be very uncomfortable that no body had the vision he so much cherished to wipe every tear in every eye. Let him have peace. Let us resolve to annihilate the corrupt people and the corrupt system and ensure the people have not independence but freedom.
The sooner the better it will be for all. Prime Minister Modi will do well to speed up the pace to bring about the change the country is crying for. We will well be reminded of an Urdu couplet which reads: “Kaun rahata hai teri zulf ke sir hone tak”? which means who can wait for all that long to happen. Happy Independence Day, nevertheless. -
Opposition to installation of Bapu’s statue is wrong
“His (Gandhi’s) message of love and nonviolence has become more important than ever before in our fractured world. Peace can only come when world leaders start to follow Gandhi Ji’s ideals. His statue will reminds us of his contribution to nonviolence and a peaceful coexistence. Those who attempt to denigrate the memory of Bapuji, in fact do the same for humanity itself and this cannot be allowed to happen”, says the UK based author.
Iam saddened by the reaction of a few misguided fellow Indians who are campaigning against the statue of Mahatma Gandhi which is to be erected near the Houses of Parliament in Britain in recognition of his immense contribution to the free world. Their protest is unwarranted and unnecessary and above all, counterproductive. If Britain wishes to acknowledge the contribution of a leader who was also the architect for bringing an end to the British rule in India, then it surely speaks volumes about the great man.
In fact, I shudder to think what our future would have been if it wasn’t for Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle for our independence. This is not the way to show gratitude to someone who put our interests above his own. How many people do we know who can give up everything for a cause that they believe in? Gandhi Ji was well educated and could have easily continued to live a comfortable life like most prefer to do. However, he instead rose to fulfil the needs of a nation which needed clear leadership and that too in a way which was in keeping with the peaceful psyche of its citizens.
He gave up his personal comfort and wealth for the sake of freedom for his countrymen and today there are a few misguided individuals who choose to mock and belittle his great achievements. History shows us that there are only a handful of such people to have lived and served in this way and Mahatma Gandhi was one of them. Condemning or criticising our own leader, who is revered the world over, by finding faults in him is detrimental to our future as they are trying to tarnish our memory and the teachings of a great soul and we cannot take his wisdom forward to our future generations. We cannot blame Gandhi Ji for the breakup of India.
Had some Muslim leaders, unlike the Sikhs not opted for a separate homeland for Muslims, then partition would not have taken place. The modus operandi of an imperial power was very clear; first to ‘Divide & Rule’ and then to ‘Divide & Run’ and leave a sting in the independence and the call for a split to the country to separate some of the communities served this end. Today Britain is no longer an imperial power and its approach has changed completely hence the acknowledgement of our great leader.
The statue of someone who renounced violence and spoke of civility many decades ago, when violence is still being perpetrated today on minorities by majorities on a daily basis, will act as a great symbol of peace and harmony. His famous saying, “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” would serve us well today. It serves to show us that an ideal can be achieved through peaceful remonstration and on the merits of the cause. In fact, he once said, “Strength does not come from physical capacity.
It comes from an indomitable will” This was the basis of the peaceful Quit India movement which brought India independence. Mahatma Gandhi’s wisdom and respect for his principles have spread the world over. In Britain, apart from the British monarchs, no other person in history has had stamps issued to honour him as many times as this great man and over 50 countries have issued postage stamps to honour our fellow Indian. This must be a matter of pride for us and the benefits from his leadership are now being enjoyed by over 1/5th of mankind. Mahatma Gandhi was known affectionately as “Bapuji” meaning father in Hindi).
Bapuji was not only an Indian leader but a universal icon who inspired people across the globe with his ideals. The shape of the world as we see today owes him a great deal. The civil rights movement in America under Dr. Martin Luther King was a direct result of Bapuji’s inspiration. The struggle against apartheid in South Africa by Nelson Mandela is yet another example with both Bapuji and Madiba holding strong beliefs on non-violent approaches to social change.
History is littered with leaders who fought for their independence with arms which resulted in the death and destruction of millions of innocent lives but Gandhi Ji on the other hand advocated a peaceful and nonviolent freedom struggle based on true Indian values. He knew that violence would generate more violence which would result in the loss of hundreds and thousands of innocent Indian and British lives to achieve the ultimate goal of freedom.
The loss of even a single life was very precious to him whether Indian or British. He knew that once people become violent, then their character would change forever and they then would remain violent even after their objectives had been achieved. We can still see such behavior in people in certain countries where leaders have encouraged violence to achieve their objectives; their gains are often temporary as violence becomes ingrained in the culture as a way to achieve your objectives and the spiral of violence continues.
Bapuji was a visionary. Where some leaders opted for a religious state, Bapuji opted for a democratic and secular country. He knew that no country could move forward by keeping a section of its own population behind by systematically discriminating against them on the basis of their religion or caste. The result is in front of you. You can see how India is surging ahead whereas religion based countries are in turmoil.
Leaders in religious countries always keep their citizens down in the name of religion just to cover their own failings. This is the reason Indians are shining across the globe because they are the product of a democratic and secular country and as a result can easily integrate in any society quickly. Bapuji was unique in many ways. He had no desire to rule people. Instead, it was to serve them selflessly.
We see leaders like Robert Mugabe who put their personal interests above that of their people and bring the people of their countries to their knees for their own selfish gains. His message of love and nonviolence has become more important than ever before in our fractured world. Peace can only come when world leaders start to follow Gandhi Ji’s ideals. His statue will reminds us of his contribution to nonviolence and a peaceful coexistence. Those who attempt to denigrate the memory of Bapuji, in fact do the same for humanity itself and this cannot be allowed to happen. -
LIGHT & FRESH: BODY MISTS
Invest in this dual-purpose product to save time, space and money. If you’re among those who love light, subtly scented skin, body mist is your go-to product. Body mists are light, airy and have a fresh appeal about them. Most mists contain a low concentration of essential oils or are not concentrated at all and have a higher percentage of alcohol and water.
This is why the scent is mild Flora and usually evaporates Mist, an hour after applying. Thus, frequent applications are necessary, which is why a bottle of body mist will not last you as long as a perfume. But many women love their body mists regardless of this. Moreover, these are quite reasonably priced as compared to perfumes. Prepare to ap ply the body mist immediately after towel drying, post a shower.
When you apply the mist at this time, your pores are open and they will retain the scent for a longer duration. Slather either an unscented lotion or a lotion with the same scent as your mist liberally over your body, especially where you t will apply the body spray. Pay special attention to pulse points . (throat, wrists, inside the elbows and behind s your knees).
Allow the body mist to dry completely before you dress up. Spray the body mist lightly on a hairbrush and run it through your hair to infuse a light fragrance to your , mane. How to make your own body mist: What you need: A cup of water, 4 drops of any essential oil (lavender, ylang ylang etc.) and a mister spray bottle Method: Just fill the bottle with 4 drops of the essential oil. Add a cup of water. Shake well before use. -
SwaasthIndia Web Portal Launched
CHICAGO (TIP):
There are over 100,000 Indian American physicians in the United States and several hundred thousands across the globe. They want to contribute to their Janmabhoomi, India, by sharing their expertise, skills, knowledge and resources with those in need of their services in India. However, they are not familiar, how and where they will begin providing these services to those who would benefit from them. Often without an infrastructure and a method to reach out to the needy, they are unable to be of help to the needy patients back “home.”
Now, under the leadership of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), a new initiative, SwaasthIndia Portal has been officially launched with the mission to provide a platform to connect Government of India’s health related requirements with medical expertise of physicians of Indian origin globally and to ensure a seamless and easy online interaction for users of SwaasthIndia, ensuring a comfortable, efficient and productive experience.
“SwaasthIndia seeks to achieve a web based two way communication system to help identify and coordinate a two way need based system, for medical educational and service delivery to the people of India,” says Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, president of AAPI. “This system functions as a “match maker” between various public and private medical and paramedical institutions in India and any healthcare provider from around the globe who are willing and wanting to provide such service for their Janmabhoomi.” Swaasth India is collaboration between the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Government of India), the American Association of Physicians of India origin USA (AAPI), Global Association of Physicians of Indian origin (GAPIO), the British Association of Physicians of Indian origin, UK, and the Apollo Hospital.
The Government of India, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health, India, has pledged its full support, Dr. Jahagirdar confirms. On June 28th 2014, the SwaasthIndia Portal was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, during AAPI’s Annual Convention. Describing the many userfriendly features, Dr. Jahagirdar says, “In this system, there, will be an input from both sides, the Central and State Governments, as well as private organizations and hospital systems in India that will identify and upload all forums like meetings and Conferences, medical camps and workshops from the India end.
From the Global side, the healthcare provider currently limited to physicians, will Register onto the website with their individual details. Similarly institutions worldwide can also offer their services through AAPI.” Dr. Seema Jain, president-elect of AAPI, says, “Swaasth India provides an online platform, offering information and requirements of government or NGO run health and wellness programs in India to physicians of India origin from around the world, enabling them to enroll and support healthcare needs in villages, districts and states of your choice in India.” AAPI is the apex body that will manage this portal first for two full years.
AAPI, in its special E – Newsletter to all its Members last week has informed and is urging them its members to register and participate in this well planned and meticulously presented initiative. If you work for the government and are responsible for health related issues, you can post your requirements on the Swaasth India website. These requirements may include health screening camps or capacity building programs. These posted requirements will be made visible to the Indian origin physicians from all around the world, who may apply to offer their services in order to support these programs. Information shared on this website is processed in a highly secure and confidential manner.
Only physicians, with approved profiles, would be able to access government’s health related requirements. This is to prevent misuse of your information and to ensure a seamless, secure interaction between the government and the physicians offering these services. Anwar Feroz, Honorary Advisor to AAPI (USA), who has been associated with it since its inception, considers this to be “a very positive collaboration between various associations representing physicians of Indian origin from several countries, which makes it easier to identify, register and sign up for opportunities to support either training, skills development or clinical programs in various locations throughout India.”
The success of this initiative is up-to every physician of Indian origin residing in any part of the world and has a desire to help and contribute, by effectively utilizing this forum. The genesis of Swaasth India was during the Pravasi Bharitya Diwas (PBD 2010) in Jaipur, India. Most physicians of Indian origin are passionate about doing something meaningful, about contributing towards the continued growth and advancement of India.
Swaasth India is expected to enable physicians of India origin residing globally to support the Government of India’s objectives to improve the standard of living and health status of the Indian population in a coordinated way. “The goal to be achieved is a direct and organized involvement by healthcare providers globally to help provide a highly desired universal high quality and affordable healthcare delivery to all people of India,” Dr. Jahagirdar summarizes. For more information and to register,
please visit: www.swaasthindia.gov.in. -
SECRETS TO STAYING SLIM FOREVER
Most people struggle with weight. You may eat healthy and exercise regularly but there may be another problem. For too long, people have lived under a ‘clean your plate’ mentality. From a young age, people are trained to eat everything before them, whether they fill up or not. Overeating is a serious problem, but you can put an end to it with ease. Along with avoiding uttering the phrase ‘super-size’, there are measures you can take to stop yourself from eating too much. It may seem difficult, but with a few simple tips you can trick your brain into stopping yourself. You may think this will prevent you from feeling full, but it is quite the opposite. The mind is a powerful tool, and your grumbling stomach doesn’t stand a chance.
Small sips
When drinking anything other than water, sip slowly, and sip small. When drinking large amounts of liquid at once, people don’t realise how much they are drinking. Sure it’s a liquid, but they have calories too. Some of the biggest offenders are orange juice, beer, soda, and those ‘healthy’ drinks like vitamin water.
Savour the ‘odours’
Now, don’t rummage through the garbage for food. Find something with a powerful fragrance. The olfactory glands play a big part in your appetite as well as how your brain reacts to things. In a study, people sat in rooms with varying intensities of vanilla smell. Then they were offered vanilla custard to eat. The ones who smelled it the most already, stopped sooner. The point is when your nose gets a mouthful before you do, you will feel fuller, sooner. Try this with odorous cheeses, vegetables, and seasonings.
Contrast your colours
Mashed potatoes are delicious and you will want seconds. But that may be because you ate off a white plate, and couldn’t tell how much you ate. If you eat food off a plate that is very different in colour, you notice yourself clearing space. Your brain takes this as a sign of how much you really ate. It will alert the stomach sooner that you are full, before you gorge.
Use a smaller plate
A large plate will appear to fox you of how much food you got. A small plate with the same portion will naturally seem like much more; in some cases, too much more. It’s simple as that.
Dim the lights, turn down the tunes
Studies have shown that restaurant atmospheres actually stop people from eating too much. This is to produce a turnover of customers. If it works there, why not try it at home? -
Humanitarian Assistance Operations Near Sinjar, Iraq continue
TAMPA, FLA (TIP):
The U.S. military conducted, August 12 night, a sixth airdrop of food and water for thousands of Iraqi citizens threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Mount Sinjar, Iraq, a press release issued by the State Department. This airdrop was conducted from multiple airbases within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and included two C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together dropped a total of 108 bundles of supplies. U.S. fighter aircraft in the area supported the mission.
The two C-17s dropped 80 container delivery system bundles of fresh drinking water totaling 7,608 gallons. In addition, the two C-130s dropped 28 bundles totaling 14,112 meals ready to eat. To date, in coordination with the government of Iraq, U.S. military aircraft have delivered nearly 100,000 meals and more than 27,000 gallons of fresh drinking water, providing muchneeded aid to the displaced Yazidis, who urgently require emergency assistance.
The United States military will continue to work with the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as international partners including the Government of Iraq, the United Nations, and non-government organizations to assess the need for additional humanitarian operations in Iraq going forward. -
USIBC Convenes Industry to Support the Defense Trade & Technology Initiative on the Occasion of Secretary Hagel’s Visit to India
WASHINGTON (TIP):
On the sidelines of U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s visit to India, the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) convened several high-level industry meetings to clarify and implement the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). USIBC also met with key stakeholders in the Secretary’s delegation. The industry group hosted the Honorable Frank Kendall, Department of Defense Under Secretary for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, who is the U.S. co-chair of this important initiative which offers new areas for cooperation geared towards enhancing bilateral defense trade and technology transfer.
During Secretary Hagel’s visit, Minister Arun Jaitley announced India’s Ministry of Defence counterpart to the DTTI, which will be filled by the position of Secretary, Defense Production in India’s Ministry of Defence. “Secretary Hagel’s visit marks an exciting new chapter in not only our bilateral strategic relationship, but in laying the foundation for greater defense industrial cooperation,” said Diane Farrell, USIBC Acting President.
“The net benefit of the DTTI will be felt on both sides, with American companies eager to partner more closely with Indian industry while harnessing India’s vast manufacturing, research, engineering, and knowledge base,” Farrell said. During the Secretary’s visit, defense industrial cooperation was featured significantly on the agenda of both Governments. USIBC will continue to support both U.S. and Indian stakeholders across Government and industry alike, and congratulates Secretary Hagel, Defense Minister Jaitley, and the new co-chairs of the Defense Trade and Technology Initiative on a successful visit.
Formed in 1975 at the request of the U.S. and Indian governments, the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) is the premier business advocacy organization advancing U.S.-India commercial ties. Today, USIBC is the largest bilateral trade association in the United States, with liaison presence in New York, Silicon Valley, and New Delhi, comprised of 300 of the toptier U.S. and Indian companies. Ajay Banga, President & CEO of MasterCard, is USIBC’s Chairman. -
DESSERTS WITH LESS THAN 160 CALORIES
Hogging on desserts negatively impacts your health due to their richness in added sugars and solid fats, such as butter and margarine.
Your craving for a slice of store-bought chocolate cake may contain 235 calories and that of a slice of cheesecake can have more than 1,000 calories! There is no substitute for this hunger, but you can choose healthier alternatives and tweak your age old dessert recipes that can lower the amount of empty calories you consume.
We unveil some healthy desserts with less than 160 calories, provided you eat them within responsible portions! -
Attorney for Indian National Congress Party opposes appeal by the SFJ in 1984 riots case
NEW YORK (TIP):
Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra, on behalf of Indian National Congress party, filed opposition in federal court to the appeal by the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). He has opposed an appeal filed by a Sikh group that challenged dismissal of the 1984 rights violation case against it, saying the group does not represent the victims and US courts cannot rule on cases involving an incident that took place in India 30 years ago. SFJ had in May challenged the dismissal of the 1984 rights violation case against the Congress party saying that the case “concerns” the US and it has “institutional standing” to seek judgment on behalf of the Sikh community.
Batra said US federal judge Robert Sweet was right to dismiss SFJ’s case in April since the rights group is no victim and neither does it represents the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots .He argued that US courts must “honor India’s sovereignty in a matter that arose 30 years ago in India by and between Indians,” and so it must be dealt with in India alone. Batra said that the Indian National Congress (INC), as a legal corporate entity and not a natural living breathing person, is incapable of extra-judicial killings or torture.
“SFJ’s cases seek mere publicity and not justice, as SFJ cannot legally be a plaintiff, and a genuine victim, precious to the law, deserves a better champion,” Batra said. Batra also criticized SFJ for “making noises” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to the US and said the group had improperly sued former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also last year, “despite his head-of-state immunity.”
SFJ has launched an online petition campaign urging President Barack Obama to cancel invitation to Modi for the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat. He said SFJ’s actions are “unbecoming, and at worst an exposure of SFJ’s unlimited hunger for publicity while it indiscriminately dishonors India and all Indians in these United States without cause.” The US Court of Appeals has granted SFJ time till August 22 to file its brief against Congress party’s arguments. -
The Counter-insurgency in North Waziristan: A Discussion with Ikram Sehgal
NEW YORK (TIP):
East West Institute Board Member Ikram Sehgal led a discussion on the serious security situation in North Waziristan, Pakistan on August 7, 2014 here in New York. During an hour-long discussion, Ikram Sehgal spoke about security threats and opportunities within North Waziristan, Pakistan.
He began by noting that Pakistani public opinion is united around the current military campaign in the region to combat the ever present Taliban forces in the area. He claimed that terrorism in Pakistan is no longer about ideology but rather economic gains and mentioned that groups within the country have gained financial support from the private sector, adding to their power.
To fight terrorism, Sehgal pointed to four key steps:
1. Destroying terrorist safe havens
2. Eliminating terrorist groups
3. Restoring the power of the Pakistani government
4. Shaping a suitable environment for sustainable development.
Additionally, because terrorism within Pakistan is not a country specific problem but rather a regional one, a regional counter-terrorism force should be implemented. There is not likely to be an end to terrorism in Pakistan anytime soon due to its long-standing establishment within the country and the weakness of Pakistan’s army. However, there are other options moving forward.
China is now one of the largest players within Pakistan, investing in Pakistan’s compromised energy sector and helping with development. Sehgal ended the discussion optimistically, but stressed the need for continued cooperation both with China and the U.S Ikram Sehgal is the Chairman of PATHFINDER GROUP, comprising two of the largest private security Pakistani companies, with 15,000 employees in over 50 cities and towns in Pakistan, supported independently by electronics security and facility services companies. -
SYNTHETIC SPERM PROTEIN TO TREAT MALE INFERTILITY
In a new hope for couples affected by infertility, researchers have come up with a method for treating male infertility using a synthetic version of the spermoriginated protein known as PAWP. This protein is sufficient and required to initiate the fertilization process, showed the finding that promises to diagnose and treat cases of male factor infertility where a patient’s sperm is unable to initiate or induce activation of the egg to form an early embryo.
“PAWP is able to induce embryo development in human eggs in a fashion similar to the natural triggering of embryo development by the sperm cell during fertilization,” said Richard Oko from Queen’s University in Canada. “Based on our findings, we envision that physicians will be able to improve their diagnosis and treatment of infertility, a problem that affects 10-15 percent of couples worldwide,” Oko added. The results of this study highlight the potential clinical applications of sperm PAWP as a predictor of infertility treatment.
Since most human infertility treatments are now done by injecting a single sperm directly into an egg, supplementation of human sperm with PAWP protein may potentially be used to improve the success rate of infertility treatments in the future. “The results of our study set the stage for further investigation of PAWP protein as a molecular marker for diagnosis and as a factor for improvement of infertility treatments,” Oko added. -
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to host Special Event at New York’s Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK (TIP):
The Indian American Community Foundation will host India Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a special event being held on September 28th, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in New York. This will be Mr. Modi’s first visit to the United States since his election in May as India’s newly elected Prime Minister. The Madison Square Garden event looks to provide Prime Minister Modi a platform to officially address the Indian-American community in the United States.
The program will also include various cultural performances, Special guest speakers and many surprise guests. Dr Bharat Barai, President of the Indian American Community Foundation said “It is a great honor for us to be able to host Prime Minister Modi during his first official visit to the US as India’s Prime Minster. Indian-Americans across the US are very excited following the unprecedented and historic victory of him and the BJP party.
We know his schedule here in the US is very busy but the time he has set aside to be a part of this event and interact with the Indian community here is a true indicator of his character and why we are so proud he is our new Prime Minister.” Mr. Modi is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly and hold bilateral talks with world leaders on the sidelines of UNGA.
He will also hold high level India US summit talks with President Barack Obama in Washington. Mr. Barai also mentioned that “while additional details are still being planned, we urge individuals to visit www.pmvisit.org for the latest updates and information leading up to this grand event”.
About Indian American Community Foundation:
Indian American Community Foundation based in New Jersey is a newly registered not-for-profit organization. The purpose of the organization is to provide non-political, non-religious and broad based platform for all Indian American organizations, associations to celebrate Indian culture and bring awareness of issues effecting Indian communities domestically and internationally. -
SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS ISSUE
|| 1 || Pause || His Value cannot be estimated; He is the Vast Ocean of Excellence. O most fortunate ones, join the Sangat, the Blessed Congregation; purchase the True Word of the Shabad. Serve the Lord, the Ocean of Peace, the Supreme Lord over kings and emperors.
|| 2 || I take the Support of the Lord’s Lotus Feet; there is no other place of rest for me. I lean upon You as my Support, O Supreme Lord God. I exist only by Your Power. O God, You are the Honor of the dishonored. I seek to merge with You.
|| 3 || Chant the Lord’s Name and contemplate the Lord of the World, twentyfour hours a day. He preserves our soul, our breath of life, body and wealth. By His Grace, He protects our soul. O Nanak, all pain has been washed away, by the Supreme Lord God, the Forgiver.
|| 4 || 12 || 82 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: I have fallen in love with the True Lord. He does not die, He does not come and go. In separation, He is not separated from us; He is pervading and permeating amongst all. He is the Destroyer of the pain and suffering of the meek. He bears True Love for His servants. Wondrous is the Form of the Immaculate One. Through the Guru, I have met Him, O my mother!
|| 1 || O Siblings of Destiny, make God your Friend. Cursed is emotional attachment and love of Maya; no one is seen to be at peace.
|| 1 || Pause || God is Wise, Giving, Tender-hearted, Pure, Beautiful and Infinite. He is our Companion and Helper, Supremely Great, Lofty and Utterly Infinite. He is not known as young or old; His Court is Steady and Stable. Whatever we seek from Him, we receive. He is the Support of the unsupported.
|| 2 || Seeing Him, our evil inclinations vanish; mind and body become peaceful and tranquil. With one-pointed mind, meditate on the One Lord, and the doubts of your mind will be dispelled. He is the Treasure of Excellence, the Ever-fresh Being. His Gift is Perfect and Complete. Forever and ever, worship and adore Him. Day and night, do not forget Him.
|| 3 || One whose destiny is so pre-ordained, obtains the Lord of the Universe as his Companion. I dedicate my body, mind, wealth and all to Him. I totally sacrifice my soul to Him. Seeing and hearing, He is always close at hand. In each and every heart, God is pervading. Even the ungrateful ones are cherished by God. O Nanak, He is forever the Forgiver.
|| 4 || 13 || 83 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: This mind, body and wealth were given by God, who naturally adorns us. He has blessed us with all our energy, and infused His Infinite Light deep within us. Forever and ever, meditate in remembrance on God; keep Him enshrined in your heart.
|| 1 || O my mind, without the Lord, there is no other at all. Remain in God’s Sanctuary forever, and no suffering shall afflict you.
|| 1 || Pause || Jewels, treasures, pearls, gold and silver – all these are just dust. Mother, father, children and relatives – all relations are false. The self-willed manmukh is an insulting beast; he does not acknowledge the One who created him.
|| 2 || The Lord is pervading within and beyond, and yet people think that He is far away. They are engrossed in clinging desires; within their hearts there is ego and falsehood. Without devotion to the Naam, crowds of people come and go.
|| 3 || Please preserve Your beings and creatures, God; O Creator Lord, please be merciful! Without God, there is no saving grace. The Messenger of Death is cruel and unfeeling. O Nanak, may I never forget the Naam! Please bless me with Your Mercy, Lord!
|| 4 || 14 || 84 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: “My body and my wealth; my ruling power, my beautiful form and country – mine!” You may have children, a wife and many mistresses; you may enjoy all sorts of pleasures and fine clothes. And yet, if the Name of the Lord does not abide within the heart, none of it has any use or value.
|| 1 || O my mind, meditate on the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. Always keep the Company of the Holy, and focus your consciousness on the Feet of the Guru.
|| 1 || Pause || Those who have such blessed destiny written on their foreheads meditate on the Treasure of the Naam. All their affairs are brought to fruition, holding onto the Guru’s Feet. The diseases of ego and doubt are cast out; they shall not come and go in reincarnation.
|| 2 || Let the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, be your cleansing baths at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage. Your soul, breath of life, mind and body shall blossom forth in lush profusion; this is the true purpose of life. In this world you shall be blessed with greatness, and in the Court of the Lord you shall find your place of rest.
|| 3 || God Himself acts, and causes others to act; everything is in His Hands. He Himself bestows life and death; He is with us, within and beyond. Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of God, the Master of all hearts.
|| 4 || 15 || 85 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: The Guru is Merciful; we seek the Sanctuary of God. Through the Teachings of the True Guru, all worldly entanglements are eliminated. The Name of the Lord is firmly implanted within my mind; through His Ambrosial Glance of Grace, I am exalted and enraptured.
|| 1 || O my mind, serve the True Guru. God Himself grants His Grace; do not forget Him, even for an instant. || Pause || Continually sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord of the Universe, the Destroyer of demerits. Without the Name of the Lord, there is no peace. Having tried all sorts of ostentatious displays, I have come to see this. Intuitively imbued with His Praises, one is saved, crossing over the terrifying world-ocean.
|| 2 || The merits of pilgrimages, fasts and hundreds of thousands of techniques of austere selfdiscipline are found in the dust of the feet of the Holy. From whom are you trying to hide your actions? God sees all; He is Everpresent. My God is totally pervading all places and interspaces.
|| 3 || True is His Empire, and True is His Command. True is His Seat of True Authority. True is the Creative Power which He has created. True is the world which He has fashioned. O Nanak, chant the True Name; I am forever and ever a sacrifice to Him.
|| 4 || 16 || 86 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: Make the effort, and chant the Lord’s Name. O very fortunate ones, earn this wealth. In the Society of the Saints, meditate in remembrance on the Lord, and wash off the filth of countless incarnations.
|| 1 || O my mind, chant and meditate on the Name of the Lord. Enjoy the fruits of your mind’s desires; all suffering and sorrow shall depart.|| Pause || For His sake, you assumed this body; see God always with you. God is pervading the water, the land and the sky; He sees all with His Glance of Grace.
|| 2 || The mind and body become spotlessly pure, enshrining love for the True Lord. One who dwells upon the Feet of the Supreme Lord God has truly performed all meditations and austerities.
|| 3 || The Ambrosial Name of the Lord is a Gem, a Jewel, a Pearl. The essence of intuitive peace and bliss is obtained, O servant Nanak, by singing the Glories of God.
|| 4 || 17 || 87 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: That is the essence of the scriptures, and that is a good omen, by which one comes to chant the Name of the Lord. The Guru has given me the Wealth of the Lotus Feet of the Lord, and I, without shelter, have now obtained Shelter. The True Capital, and the True Way of Life, comes by chanting His Glories, twenty-four hours a day. Granting His Grace, God meets us, and we no longer die, or come or go in reincarnation.
|| 1 || O my mind, vibrate and meditate forever on the Lord, with single-minded love. He is contained deep within each and every heart. He is always with you, as your Helper and Support.
|| 1 || Pause || How can I measure the happiness of meditating on the Lord of the Universe? Those who taste it are satisfied and fulfilled; their souls know this Sublime Essence. In the Society of the Saints, God, the Beloved, the Forgiver, comes to dwell within the mind. One who has served his God is the emperor of kings
|| 2 || This is the time to speak and sing the Praise and the Glory of God, which brings the merit of millions of cleansing and purifying baths. The tongue which chants these Praises is worthy; there is no charity equal to this. Blessing us with His Glance of Grace, the Kind and Compassionate, All-powerful Lord comes to dwell within the mind and body. My soul, body and wealth are His. Forever and ever, I am a sacrifice to Him.
|| 3 || One whom the Creator Lord has met and joined to Himself shall never again be separated. The True Creator Lord breaks the bonds of His slave. The doubter has been put back on the path; his merits and demerits have not been considered. Nanak seeks the Sanctuary of the One who is the Support of every heart.
|| 4 || 18 || 88 || SIREE RAAG, FIFTH MEHL: With your tongue, repeat the True Name, and your mind and body shall become pure. Your mother and father and all your relations – without Him, there are none at all.
TO BE CONTINUED -
PM Modi May Speak Extempore In First Independence Day Speech
NEW DELHI (TIP):
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to speak extempore when he makes his first Independence Day speech at Delhi’s Red Fort on Friday. If he does, he will probably be the first prime minister to address the nation on August 15 without a script. Modi is expected to reach the Red Fort at around 7.20 am. After a Guard of Honour by the armed forces, he will unfurl the national flag. His speech, which is likely to last 45 minutes to one hour, is set to break new ground in more ways than one. For the first time, seating is being prepared for more than 10,000 people to attend.
The Prime Minister has asked four ministers to help him with his speech. (Young Ministers Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal on PM’s Independence Day Speech Committee) Modi, 63, is used to making long speeches without prepared text and is seen by many as a speaker who can keep his audience engaged. Sources close to him say a prepared speech or a teleprompter would take away from his natural ease at connecting with people. But officials have voiced concern that an unscripted address in Hindi would be lost on foreign diplomats.
The PM’s idol is former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, the BJP veteran known to be one of the country’s best orators. BJP leaders believe Mr Vajpayee’s Independence Day speeches missed his sparkling wit as he read from a text. Modi, who led his party to a stunning victory in the national election, reportedly wants his first Independence Day speech to set a benchmark.
He is likely to outline his government’s priorities in broad strokes but avoid specifics. On August 14 last year, Mr Modi had challenged that his Independence Day speech the next day in Gujarat, as chief minister, would draw as much attention as that of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s from the Red Fort. He later criticised Dr Singh’s address as uninspiring and disappointing. Many BJP leaders had then wagered that Modi’s next Independence Day speech would be at the Red Fort. -
Insurance Bill sent to select committee of RS
NEW DELHI (TIP):
Giving in to opposition pressure, the government on August 14 referred the controversial Insurance Bill to the select committee of Rajya Sabha. The House adopted a motion in this regard after finance minister Arun Jaitley moved it while informing members that the panel has been asked to look into the Bill and submit its report on the last day of the first week of the next session. The Committee will have Chandan Mitra, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Jagat Prakash Nadda (all BJP), Anand Sharma, BK Hariprasad and JD Seelam (all Cong), Satish Chandra Misra (BSP), KC Tyagi (JD-U), Derek O’Brien (TMC), V Maitreyan (AIADMK), Naresh Gujral (SAD), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Kalpataru Das (BJD), P Rajiv (CPIM) and Rajiv Chandrasekhar (Ind) as its members.
The government had to buckle under the opposition pressure after it failed to convince an adamant opposition to get its support for the first major economic reform initiative of the new government. Cutting across party lines, major opposition parties had joined hands on the issue demanding that the Bill be sent to the select committee. The bill, which proposes to hike FDI limit in insurance sector to 49 per cent, was caught in logjam with the Congress-led opposition insisting that certain new provisions incorporated in the bill required a fresh look and expert consideration.
Though government was confident of getting the bill passed in Lok Sabha, it was wary of its passage in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA does not enjoy majority. Though government had earlier listed the bill in Rajya Sabha, it was deferred and, strategically, not listed later as it continued consultations with various parties for support. With a view to gaining support, the government has made it clear that it is open to amendments in the bill. Congress, which had supported a hike in the FDI cap when it was in power, wanted the bill to be referred to a Select Committee for threadbare examination of the issue since the government has brought some amendments. -
No proof against CAG, can’t nix appointment: HC
NEW DELHI (TIP):
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to quash the appointment of Shashi Kant Sharma as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), saying no material has been brought on record to substantiate the plea questioning the “integrity” and “competence” of the CAG. “Thus, neither on integrity nor on competence, is there any material to substantiate the plea of the petitioners that the respondent No. 2 (CAG) was not eligible for appointment as the CAG,” a bench of justices B D Ahmed and Vibhu Bakhru said.
In its 74-page judgment, the bench considered the fact that there was no criminal case against the CAG and moreover, no “disciplinary proceeding” is pending against him. “There is no disciplinary proceeding pending against him. There is no criminal case pending against him. There is only a supposition on the part of the petitioners that as he had dealt with defence procurements in his various capacities in the past, there might be a conflict of interest when he prepares audit reports in respect of the defence procurements.
This is merely a surmise, conjecture and presumption on the part of the petitioners insofar as the audit report in respect of purchase of helicopters is concerned,” it said. It dismissed two separate PILs, filed by former Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami and eight other eminent persons and by advocate M L Sharma in personal capacity. It said Sharma, a 61-year-old 1976-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, has an unblemished service record and his “appointment does not violate the principles of institutional integrity nor was the appointment arbitrary”. -
308 communal incidents till June: Govt
NEW DELHI (TIP):
Even as the Congress party tried to corner the BJP-led NDA government on communal riots, fresh data showed that the country witnessed 308 communal incidents this year until June, with Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka topping the list. An analysis of two sets of statistics provided by the government over a period of one month also showed that there was a surge in communal incidents in the two months of May and June with 113 cases compared to the first four months of the year, which reported 195 incidents.
The government placed the statistics in the Rajya Sabha through a written reply on Tuesday on a day when Congress forced the government to discuss the “need for more effective mechanisms to deal with communal violence”. The Congress has been alleging that there is an increase in communal riots in the country after the new government took over on May 26. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that 600 communal incidents took place after the Modi government took over, an allegation vehemently contested by the BJP.
Kharge’s claim could not be backed by any official data and when countered, he himself cited the figures for May and June. “Why are these incidents happening now? What is the reason? Who is behind these? These have increased in the last 2- 3 months since the new government came. This is not a good sign,” Kharge said in the Lok Sabha. As per the fresh figures, the Union Home Ministry said Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of communal incidents this year at 56 followed by Maharashtra at 51 and Karnataka 44.
Telangana, which came into existence on June 2, has already registered one case of communal incident. Interestingly, almost half (27) of the communal incidents (56) in UP took place during May and June while the 20 in Maharashtra took place during the same period. In Karnataka, 11 incidents took place during these two months. Gujarat reported 26 incidents out of which 11 happened in May and June. In these two months alone, 15 people were killed and 318 injured. Last year, the communal incidents numbered 823 while in 2012 it was 668. In 2010, it was 580. Except for 2011, Uttar Pradesh topped the list.