NEW YORK (TIP): Dr. Prakash M Swamy PhD (USA) has been a senior journalist for the past 40 years having worked in senior editorial positions at The Hindu, India Today, Press Trust of India, Ananda Vikatan, India Abroad USA to name a few. He used to continuously write for Asian Tribune too Prakash M Swamy.
He is an accredited diplomatic correspondent to the United Nations for the past 10 years and serve as a senior journalist in Chennai and New York. He has a penchant for investigative reporting and studied as a special subject as part of his journalism degree in University of Florida. He worked closely with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein the architects of investigative reporting in the US.
Returning to India, he broke the news of first human belt bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for The Hindu with forensic and scientific evidence that became global scoop of the decade, He was also mentioned as a fearless journalist by The New York Times and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York.
As part of his assignment, he is working on leads to probe into the death of a non-resident Indian -Mr Sainath, a top executive of a multinational Pacific Basin in Hong Kong. In the process he is gathering relevant information from the deceased’s parents, wife Gayathri Sai, his colleagues and friends.
It appears that Mrs. Gayathri Sai, 45, of Chennai, a movie group dancer and a former model, did not seem to appreciate Swamy following the leads and had directly and indirectly prevented him from pursuing the story.
When everything failed, she has gone to the social media to accuse Swamy, 63, of alleged sexual misconduct and flooding the social media with abusive contents such as video and audio recordings – all cooked up – with a view to preventing Swamy from pursuing his investigative story which she feared may implicate her.
Dr. Swamy has asked for evidence and solid proof from Mrs. Gayathri Sai like CCTV footage, building security register and verifiable independent proof of his misconduct. Without providing any of these and continue to level serious charges to damage his reputation and character on the social media without providing any credible evidence is a dangerous trend.
In the absence of any evidence, we are forced to conclude that these charges are motivated and an attempt to silence the senior journalist from discharging his official duty. Such assault on the freedom of the press can’t and won’t be tolerated. Dr Swamy says the criminal gang had asked for ransom money to keep quiet and no police action was taken despite complaint to Cyber Crime in June this year.
In the past, adversaries of the media used to send auto rickshaw with weapon slashing goons, throw acids on the face and now opponents take the easy way of digital terrorism to silence the media voice. We urge the Central and State Governments to ensure that the media persona is safeguarded against any kind of attacks that could be construed as brazen attack to silence the media.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday, October 8, called for a thorough and open probe by Washington’s ally Saudi Arabia into the disappearance of journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi.
“We call on the government of Saudi Arabia to support a thorough investigation of Mr Khashoggi’s disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation,” Pompeo said in a statement, after President Donald Trump voiced concern for Khashoggi, who vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week.
Turkish officials have alleged Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate, but Riyadh denies those claims and says he left the compound on his own.
“We have seen conflicting reports on the safety and whereabouts of prominent Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi,” Pompeo said.
State Department senior officials have spoken with Saudi Arabia through diplomatic channels about the matter, the top US diplomat added.
Khashoggi, a US resident for about the past year, has written articles critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On the eve of his planned marriage to a Turkish woman, he entered the consulate Tuesday and has not been seen since.
NEW YORK(TIP): The former parent company of beleaguered Newsweek ran a $10 million fraud scheme, tricking lenders into loaning out large sums to pay for high-end computer servers they never bought, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.
The magazine’s former owners, Christian Media Corp. and IBT Media, and its executives instead diverted the money to pay for day-to-day operations and past financial obligations, Manhattan prosecutors allege.
The indictment comes nearly 10 months after investigators with the Manhattan DA’s office raided Newsweek’s offices for information about the magazine’s computer servers.
A few weeks after the raid, Newsweek sacked its editor in chief and deputy editor and targeted for firing three reporters who were covering the DA’s investigation and a sexual harassment scandal at the magazine.
Those fired included former Daily News reporter Celeste Katz, who co-wrote an expose in Newsweek about its parent company that ran in February, months after she was fired.
“As we were reporting this story, Newsweek Media Group fired Newsweek Editor Bob Roe, Executive Editor Ken Li and Senior Politics Reporter Celeste Katz for doing their jobs,” an editor’s note atop the story read. “Reporters Josh Keefe and Josh Saul were targeted for firing before an editor persuaded the company to reverse its decision.”
The fraud indictment names IBT co-owner Etienne Uzac, former Christian Media CEO William Anderson and Oikos Networks, a computer company that falsely claimed it had sold Dell servers with price tags ranging from $130,000 to $180,000 to the magazine.
In fact, Oikos provided fewer servers than it had claimed, and those servers “were of inferior quality to the high-capacity servers called for in the financing agreements,” the indictment alleges.
Uzac and Anderson created a fake auditing firm, Karen Smith, LLP, complete with a website, a phone number and a Staten Island business address, to gin up false financial statements to trick lenders into thinking the magazine was financially healthy, the indictment alleges.
Uzac on Wednesday said Manhattan DA Cy Vance ordered a “very aggressive investigation” because IBT published a story that “uncovered that the Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. declined to press charges against Harvey Weinstein after his attorney paid Vance money.”
“The firestorm that ensued badly bruised the DA’s office, led to his office to be investigated by the New York Attorney General and almost cost him his reelection,” Uzac wrote in a statement on IBT Media’s website. “Within 60 days of IBT publishing the story, the DA ordered that our server room be raided.”
Newsweek’s former parent company, Newsweek Media group, split the magazine off from IBT, according to a statement last month.
“There will be a brief transition period during which all of Newsweek operations will transition into a new company,” the statement reads. “As of September 14th, 2018, the Newsweek brand will be operating as a stand-alone separate entity under the leadership of CEO Dev Pragad. The remaining brands, including International Business Times, Medical Daily, Latin Times and Player One, will be operated separately under IBT Media Inc, with Johnathan Davis as CEO.”
NEW YORK(TIP): At least 15 Saudi journalists and bloggers have been arrested over the past year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Wednesday, October 10, following the disappearance of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
“In most cases, their arrests have never been officially confirmed and no official has ever said where they are being held or what they are charged with,” RSF, which defends press freedom around the world, said in a statement.
Cases included that of Saleh al-Shihi, a journalist whose arrest was only confirmed in February when his family learned he had been sentenced to five years in prison, RSF said.
He disappeared in December 2017, but his detention was not revealed until his conviction and sentence were announced in the kingdom, the organisation added.
Economist and citizen-journalist Essam al-Zamel was put on trial this month for criticising the government’s economic strategy in a series of tweets and reports. It was only then officially confirmed he has been in jail for the past year.
Another journalist and commentator, Turad al-Amri, has been missing since November 2016 after protesting in a tweet to a clampdown on Saudi media, including the blocking of an online newspaper for which he had written.
Fayez bin Damakh, another reporter and poet, has also been reported missing since September 2017 when he was about to launch a TV news channel in neighbouring Kuwait.
Local press reports suggested he was abducted and taken to Saudi Arabia, though this has never been confirmed.
“The traditionally opaque methods used by Saudi Arabia to silence critical journalists constitute grounds for fearing the worst in the case of Khashoggi’s disappearance,” said Sophie Anmuth, head of RSF’s Middle East desk.
Khashoggi, who lived in self-imposed exile in the United States, vanished on October 2 after entering Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul to obtain official documents ahead of his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.
On Wednesday, Turkish television released CCTV footage of him entering the consulate.
Saudi authorities have said the journalist left the building after his visit and rejected Turkish police suggestions he might have been killed there.
RSF is calling for an independent international investigation to determine his fate.
A total of 25 to 30 professional and non-professional journalists are currently believed to be detained in Saudi Arabia, which is ranked 169th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2018 World Press Freedom Index, the organisation also said.
“We need to save our Republic, to remain “Exceptional” and “American.” If we do that, harness SM to spread equality and fairness, then the politicians who weaponize mere majorities will fall, and the Supreme Court will not be called upon to settle Political or Societal disputes, and merely abstain as it gloriously did for almost two centuries”, says the author.
Elections matter; Lindsey Graham is right about that observation. The party that controls the White House gets to nominate; and the party that controls the Senate, the “Cooling Saucer” as George Washington then-correctly noted, gets to “Advise and Consent,” an act between Constitutional “partners.” Only in times when a single party is controlling both White House and Senate, that Separated Powers’ dissent-benefit is reduced – as in President Obama’s First Term and now in President Trump’s First Term.
It’s on Harry Reid and Barack Obama that the Senate Rule of 60 for judicial confirmation was abandoned, and by so doing hyperpartisianship was allowed to affect the noble bench as the Senate became the “boiling pot” it now is, kept red hot by the disintermediating Social Media (SM) and each party having its own opinion-supporting media outlets. That, perhaps, is the worst of all: as the SM & Partisan Media-Genie may never go back in the bottle!
We are now a nation sharply divided, as we were before the Civil War – but for very different reasons; one structural (SM), and the other temporal: economic (as for too many Americans, the American Dream has become impossible to achieve). Dealing now only with the structural – our representative form of government – aka a Republic – its very structure was designed to cool off, at each circuit breaker-level, “hot” public sentiment and prevent induced-Mob Rule. Mob Rule doesn’t mean the guillotine during the French Revolution, but rather to avoid the insufferable tyranny of simple majority – something tried and failed over 2000 years ago in the City-State of Athens during the time of Socrates. As termites can destroy the wooden structure of a house, social media is destroying our Republic, with each side fueled by their own media, and converting our Constitutionally-cool “representatives,” be it the president, senators or representatives, into “warriors. “Representatives” are expected to sit, talk, deliberate, and together make bipartisan deals as our Constitution was designed to do with the Separated Powers regime & cherished-Dissent, enshrined in the First of all Amendments and core of American Exceptionalism. Political “Warriors” have weaponized politics, make war and bipartisan coming together for the greater public good be damned. We all just saw in horror the Kavanaugh Confirmation, a scandal worse than what occurred 30-plus years ago or the emotional self-defense by a nominee to the most powerful bench in history, let alone its most powerful swing seat.
What happed between then-teenagers, Dr. Ford and Justice Kavanaugh only a trial, without a statute of limitations’ bar, could have proven – with presumption of innocence and cross-examination, the perfectly balanced Ying and Yang core of American Rule of Law. What we just witnessed was the grant and imposition of Presumptive Innocence without grant of the Constitutional full & free right to Cross-Examine – before an independent & impartial jury and judge. Senator Collins’ historic confirmatory speech contains a core farce – as no Prosecutor could ever win a single case in similar setting, as the accused and his supporters imposed a straight-jacketed on the Prosecutor/Accuser by denying their Constitutional right to cross-examine and present all witnesses – let alone before an independent jury and judge. Transplanting “Presumption of Innocence,” without granting right to Cross-Examination and presentment of all relevant witnesses, and that too without an impartial Judge deciding what is relevant, and a verdict to be rendered by an impartial jury: believe 100% certain Accuser-Ford or 100% certain Accused who denies. Before a doctor transplants a heart, there has to be a full body into which the transplanted heart can beat. Here, the “heart” was made to beat without a body that included an impartial judge and jury.
While the Senate isn’t a trial, as it lacked both an impartial & independent jury and judge, but their grant of presumptive innocence while denying the Prosecutor/Accuser right to cross-examine and present all witnesses was fundamentally un-American and fatally unjust.
That said, I supported J. Brett Kavanaugh – as what he was alleged to have done with Ford & Ramirez, his own age group as over-zealous frolicking students can (very different from a fiduciary-Priest sexually assaulting a child), is perhaps of no moment to him and unworthy of memory; while the same event had a very different effect on the “girl.” A point made sharply by the different effect on Ford, as compared to Ramirez from two different allegations: in high school and at Yale. This is a societal issue for all of us together to be address: sensitizing our children (and adults) against Sexual Assault. I expect Justice Kavanaugh in his opinions will rise to champion survivors of sexual abuse. It would be poetic justice.
On September 20th, I tweeted: “Dr. Ford do NOT become Anita Hill – UNFAIR2 daughters/mothers; reject @Chuck Grassley KindOffer. It’s a fair4some: J. Kavanaugh ought not be held2TeenError.”
The 50-48 Confirmation by a boiling, not cooling saucer, Senate is our larger problem as it robs us all – both sides – of what since 1776 we have rightfully claimed to be the very best in Humanity – well past the Magna Carta.
Upon his confirmation, I tweeted: “Godspeed Mr. Justice Brett Kavanaugh – we wish your better angels to help guide you to find true & compassionate justice with logic for most of the distance and faith for the balance; and deliver on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Covenant of Govt FOR the People”
We need to save our Republic, to remain “Exceptional” and “American.” If we do that, harness SM to spread equality and fairness, then the politicians who weaponize mere majorities will fall, and the Supreme Court will not be called upon to settle Political or Societal disputes, and merely abstain as it gloriously did for almost two centuries.
(The author is a New York based attorney. He can be reached at ravibatralaw@aol.com)
The last couple of years have been an unending barrage against the freedom of the press and the practitioners of this noble trade.
From being called “liars,” “fake,” and “sick” by irate politicians to enduring capricious and punitive tariffs that are an existential threat to newspapers, the landscape for journalists today may be as inhospitable as it has ever been in the 242-year history of this great union of ours.
All this while the public at large seems unable to break free of the social media echo chamber. We retreat there to endlessly bicker with those who don’t agree, or to bolster the confidence of our own positions by seeking solace from those who do.
We’ve devolved into a nation of people who simply don’t want to hear it.
And that’s incredibly dangerous.
The bipartisan testimony of 20 members of Congress last month before the International Trade Commission in opposition to tariffs on Canadian imported newsprint is a good indicator a lot of talk about journalists being “enemies of the people” is utter hogwash. These men and women know the importance of community newspapers and their imperiled status in modern culture where too many marketers prefer digital analytics and too many readers prefer daily affirmation.
They know the men and women who work at the local paper are most definitely not the enemy — nor the problem.
But in a society where talk of the wicked media is hurled relentlessly on Twitter or cable “news” channels, all of us who take part in the honorable, constitutionally protected trade of reporting news and ferreting truth get amalgamated into a cynical act of political theater that’s threatening to the very fabric of democracy.
And that’s what this Is really about.
We’re arguing over political philosophies and cultural divides — not about whether news is biased. I bet you a week’s pay and a dozen doughnuts the people who use the argument that news is “fake” don’t any more believe that than they think the Space Force is coming soon to a quadrant near us.
But the damage is being done. We as a nation are beginning to give a collective shoulder shrug the fundamental freedoms in the Bill of Rights.
And we’ve got to snap out of it.
We’ve got to accept that not all news is happy or affirming. We’re not always
going to get what we want. I vaguely remember being taught that as a preschooler.
Aaron Blake, a correspondent for The Washington Post, asked in a recent column if the media should go to war with the President.
“Trump seems to want a war with his ‘enemy,”‘ Blake wrote. “But should the mediaoblige him? And if it doesn’t, isn’t it unilaterally disarming?”
No, we should not go to war with the President. But It’s long past time to end the navel gazing and stand up for what we do. It’s our job to provide the best obtainable version of the truth and to champion the freedoms of the First Amendment.
Thomas Jefferson — who had a notably tempestuous relationship with the press — was a president who still often rose to defend it.
He once wrote while serving in Paris as Minister to France: “The people are the only censors of their governors, and even their errors will tend to keep them true to the principles of their Institution…
“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.”
If we’re unwilling to accept news that upsets us, or if we’re indifferent to differing views simply because we don’t want to deal with them, we’re essentially giving up on the notion we can ever truly be “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
I know it’s ironic, but l don’t believe we’ve given up because I don’t want to believe it.
(The author is executive director of the Mississippi Press Association)
Kathleen Parker, a columnist for The Washington Post wrote: “In decades of writing about politics, I have run across few with Haley’s innate talents. She is a natural with people, whether crouching with children on the ground in Africa—reminiscent of Princess Diana on similar travels—speaking to leaders in the tense theater of the United Nations.
Ambassador Nikki Haley sitting by President Trump in the White House oval office announced her resignation. The event was followed by a press conference. The story was a stunt and received the widest media coverage for a couple of days. First, I must congratulate Nikki Haley for her modus operandi and political skills in getting President Trump and the public to listen to her story from the oval office. Never before, a resignation of a cabinet official has received such importance. The exchange Nikki Haley had with Trump proved that they have the best rapport and cordial and professional relationship. Perhaps, having refined her diplomatic skills at the United Nations, she emulated them at the White House.
Nikki Haley, 46 started her political career 14 years ago as State Senator in South Carolina. At the end of her third term, Nikki Haley ran as a Primary candidate for the Governor of South Carolina. This was a tough fight and she won. She won the Governor’s race with a wide margin. Her performance as Governor enabled her to win her second term in 2014. President Trump appointed her as Ambassador to the U.N. in 2017. Thus, Nikki Haley became a durable political timber and unchallenged national leader.
PERFORMANCE AT THE U.N.
P stands for Performance and R stands for Reporting in Public Relations. Nikki Haley’s performance as Ambassador was extraordinary and outstanding. When she took up the job, everyone underestimated her and she prove them wrong. Nikki Haley developed the best diplomatic relations with China and Russia. This helped her to get their consent when the U.S. imposed severe sanctions against these countries and also Iran and North Korea. She represented the USA and President Trump admirably and commanded the highest respect at the United Nations.
She came to the UN post without previous foreign policy experience. The position often thrust her into the spotlight and enabled her to win favor among conservatives for her staunch defense of Israel and sharp criticism of Iran and Russia.
For a time at the UN, diplomats saw her as the face of U.S. foreign policy, noting differences between Trump and then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. She made a point at the UN to project the impression that she was close to Trump and that she “had his ears,” one diplomat said.
WHY DID NIKKI HALEY RESIGN? IS SHE SHOOTING FOR THE PRESIDENCY AFTER TRUMP?
In 14 years, Nikki Haley has accumulated substantial political experience by representing South Carolina as a State Senator and Governor, and as Ambassador to the U.N. She has proven legislative and executive experience. Everyone is speculating about her future potential, that is unlimited. Nikki Haley is very popular. Quinnipiac Poll gave her 75% approval rating by Republicans and 55% by Democrats. President Trump sent her to Sudan and other African countries and India. Ambassador Haley was well respected and received by one and all. When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s resignation was imminent there was speculation that Trump was considering her for the Secretary of State. When the reporters asked Haley whether she would be running for President in 2020, she said she would not be running but would be supporting Trump. As a conservative Republican woman with seasoned experience one can say she has the necessary credentials to run for President in 2024. There is speculation that Trump may fire Attorney General Sessions after the Mid Term elections and was considering Senator Graham of S.C. If so, there is a possibility that Nikki Haley could be tapped to finish the term of Senator Graham till 2020, and get reelected. Senator Graham may also be interested in the U.N. Ambassador’s job. There is also speculation that Trump may want a woman as his running mate in 2020 and could offer the V.P. slot to Nikki Haley.
There is also a report that Nikki Haley may be interested in private industry. Her personal finances are not that strong and she could very well serve as C E O of a Fortune 500 corporation. Such an assignment could give her multimillion dollar salary. Thus, she is in demand.
Kathleen Parker, a columnist for The Washington Post wrote: “In decades of writing about politics, I have run across few with Haley’s innate talents. She is a natural with people, whether crouching with children on the ground in Africa—reminiscent of Princess Diana on similar travels—speaking to leaders in the tense theater of the United Nations. As Governor, she led the legislature to remove the Confederate battle flag from the statehouse grounds, while also guiding South Carolina through the shock and grief of the 2015 church massacre in Charleston. It won’t serve her presidential aspirations well to stay out of politics for long, as Haley surely knows. Thus, the burning question—what is next?—has only one certain answer: WHATEVER SHE WANTS?”
The New York Times editorial wrote: “Ms. Haley, who is expected to pursue the presidency one day, may eventually find herself having to defend facilitating some of President Trump’s worst policies and instincts. But she will also be able to point to more constructive roles she played. Indeed a replacement in her mold may be the best to hope for from Mr.Trump.”
(The author based in Scarsdale, N.Y is Chairman, Asian American Republican Committee (founded in 1988). He can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)
As skeletons tumble out of MJ Akbar’s dark closet with alarming frequency in the form of his former women subordinates narrating harrowing tales of sexual harassment, he may well turn out to be the Harvey Weinstein of the Indian media industry. Already, nine of his former colleagues have taken the #MeToo route to call out his sexually predatory behavior as editor. The common thread running through the explicitly hellish stories is one of a powerful boss misusing his position. He would pick on young professionals, lure them with jobs and plum assignments, summon them to posh hotels for interviews and try to force himself on them even as they had little redress to fall back on during the 90s. That being a known writer he was looked up to by wannabes with awe only traumatized them more as his true colors came to the fore.
Nemesis has finally caught up with him and more such offenders in the media and entertainment fields. Emboldened by the relatively supportive and sympathetic #MeToo movement, India’s victims of sexual misconduct are also baring their old scars to expose the men who had earlier escaped unscathed in the oppressively patriarchal setups they created. It seems to be the beginning of “time up’’ for such predators even as society scrambles to find ways — both legally and socially — to deal with this newfound aggressive non-tolerance by women to the assault of their private space comprising both body and mind. Significantly, in cases of sexual transgression, shame is now being directed at the perpetrators rather than the hapless victims. This is an encouraging trend. It needs to penetrate every section of society for true emancipation of women from regressive social shackles.
Then there is the added impetus of both the judiciary and the government actively promoting women’s causes. In such circumstances, it is morally incumbent upon the beleaguered ‘Super Editor’, now Minister of State for External Affairs in the NDA government, to take a call on the demand for his resignation as the flood of charges shifts the onus of proving his innocence on him.
NEW YORK(TIP): Ford’s reorganization could include upwards of 24,000 job cuts, NBC News reported Monday, Oct 8. The automaker has not provided hard figures on the number of employees it will let go, but its leaders have said President Donald Trump’s tariff war with China could impact the company’s overhaul.
The NBC report cited a Morgan Stanley analysis that estimates a 12 percent reduction in Ford’s global workforce, resulting in the loss of roughly 24,000 workers. Bob Shanks, Ford’s chief financial officer, described the cutbacks as a “redesign” that would include its 70,000 white-collar employees.
With sales lagging well behind its domestic competitor General Motors, Ford has launched a $25.5 billion reorganization plan. It began in earnest in May 2017 when then-CEO Mark Fields was removed.
The company has previously announced it would drop production of its sedan, wagon and coupe models — save for the popular Mustang — and concentrate on SUVs and trucks.
Meanwhile, Ford has found itself regularly at odds with the president. As a candidate, Trump threatened Ford with tariffs when it proposed building a plant in Mexico. The company backed out of those plans and opted to expand in China instead.
The main blow from the Trump tariffs have delivered to automakers has been in the cost they have added to many of the parts they import from China.
PANAMA CITY(TIP): At least six people were killed by the most powerful storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in recorded history. Officials warned Thursday, October 11, that the number was likely to rise as search crews struggled to gain access to ravaged areas and sift through the piles of debris.
Utility companies said more than 1.3 million customers remained without power from Florida to Virginia on Thursday evening as Michael — still a tropical storm more than a day after landfall — remained dangerous, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach, Florida, on Wednesday just shy of Category 5 hurricane strength, with winds gusting at 155 mph. While the storm weakened through the night as it passed over Georgia, it still proved deadly.
“Unfortunately, in these types of things as we go through and sift through damage, ultimately those who didn’t heed warnings, particularly around the Mexico Beach area — we typically see deaths climb, unfortunately,” Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said on CBS on Thursday.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Thursday morning: “This hurricane was an absolute monster. And the damage left in its wake is still yet to be fully understood.”
NEW YORK CITY, NY(TIP): Asia Society honored Indra Nooyi, the barrier-shattering chairman and former CEO of PepsiCo, as 2018 Game Changer of the Year at the fifth annual Asia Game Changer Awards. In a dazzling ceremony held Tuesday, October 9 night in lower Manhattan, the India-born Nooyi, who served as PepsiCo’s chief from 2006 until her retirement earlier this month, was recognized for her transformative stewardship of the iconic American company.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton presented Nooyi with the honor, recognizing her work to steer Pepsi toward healthier products in spite of investor pressure not to.
“Yes, she’s my friend,” Clinton said. “And I’d be here under any circumstances. But she’s the real deal.”
PepsiCo Chairman and former CEO Indra Nooyi delivers an acceptance speech. Photo / Courtesy Jamie Watts- Asia Society
Under Nooyi’s leadership, PepsiCo experienced remarkable financial success. But in her acceptance speech, the pioneering executive cited achievements that transcended the company’s bottom line. “I believe that a company has to be more than creating value for shareholders, but for society as a whole,” she said. “I ran a company that championed women, sustainability, health, and wellness. A company that lifted people up and built bridges. A company that did well by doing good. These were the values from my first days in India to my last days at Pepsi. They’re also the values of the Asia Society.”
Lulu & Anthony Wang Asia Society President & CEO Josette Sheeran delivers welcoming remarks at the 2018 Asia Game Changer awards. Photo / Jamie Watts – Asia Society
In addition to Nooyi, Asia Society recognized eight other individuals and groups on Tuesday: Wang Shi, the Chinese real estate developer and great advocate for environmental sustainability; Mira Rai, child soldier turned champion distance runner from Nepal; Munjed Al Muderis, a doctor who fled Iraq only to become a pioneering surgeon in Australia; the founders of Koolulam, a musical initiative buildings bridges through song in Israel; the remarkable, award-winning Afghan Girls Robotics Team; heroes who saved lives during Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster; the incomparably brave and determined White Helmets of Syria; and, in their first-ever appearance on American soil, survivors from this summer’s incredible rescue at Thailand’s Tham Luang caves.
Adul Sam-on, one of the 12 Thai boys whose rescue captivated the entire world, was joined on stage by Ekkapol Chantawong, the boys’ soccer coach, and Naronsak Osatanakorn, the local governor who coordinated the international group of rescuers with efficiency and grace.
“I hope this experience inspires people to start living for others,” Osatanakorn said. “That would be a game changer for the world.”
It was a night to celebrate remarkable women from across Asia. Nooyi, a daughter of India turned celebrated leader of U.S. corporate giant. Rai, an internationally celebrated runner from a country, Nepal, where athletic opportunities for girls and women are scarce. And the Afghan Girls Robotics Team, a group of remarkable young women who overcame tremendous obstacles — and personal tragedy — to thrive in competitions around the world.
Speaking on behalf of the Afghan girls, Roya Mahboob, founder of the Afghan Citadel software company, said: “We need to cast aside the misconceptions of the past and embrace the potential of Afghan girls and women to succeed.”
The Asia Game Changer Awards was also an occasion to recognize those who have braved extraordinary risks to save lives. Syria’s White Helmets, a group of volunteers pulled from all walks of life, have rescued many thousands of innocent civilians trapped in the country’s civil war. The heroes of Fukushima worked tirelessly in the desperate days after the 2011 earthquake to contain a crisis that threatened Japan. And Dr. Al Muderis, who fled Iraq and endured many trying months as a refugee in Australia, pioneered a surgical procedure that has given injured men and women the gift of mobility.
“I dream that one day we’ll wake up and not spend money on war machines, but [rather] foresting the desert and managing the earth’s large population,” he said.
All the Asia Gamechangers from the class of 2018 pose for a group photo. Photo / Courtesy Jamie Watts- Asia Society
But before the 2018 class of Asia Game Changers parted ways, they made time for music. Koolulam, whose sold-out concerts in their native Israel have created a sensation, convened their first-ever performance outside their homeland. As Koolulam founder Or Taicher directed proceedings from the stage, the assembled guests, native to dozens of countries from around the world, stood and, in unison, clapped their hands, danced, and sang. It was living proof that, as President Clinton said a few hours before, “our differences make life interesting — but our common humanity matters more.”
Congressman Tom Suozzi recommends Stronger US India relationship
HICKSVILLE, NY(TIP): Mrs. Vandana Sharma, Regional Manager of Air India was hosted to a warm send off by the Indian American community here, October 8.
Congressman Tom Suozzi presenting a Congressional Recognition to Mrs. Vandana Sharma, Regional Manager-Americas, Air India, October 8
The dinner co-hosted by Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, Publisher/Editor of The Indian Panorama, Attorney Ravi Batra and his wife Ranju Batra at Antun’s in Hicksville , was attended by over a hundred community representatives and officials, which included Consul General of India in New York , Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty who was accompanied by wife Taruna Chakravorty, and Congressman Tom Suozzi, besides leaders of various community organizations, officials from different sectors, and friends.
Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul General of India in New York had all praise for Mrs. Vandana Sharma
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty recalled the tremendous work done by Mrs. Vandana Sharma to take the Indian national carrier Air India to new heights. He mentioned how Mrs. Sharma played a leadership role in times of emergencies and set an example of customer care. He congratulated Mrs. Sharma for her achievements and wished her well in her new position.
Ambassador Chakravorty also spoke about the ever-strengthening relationship between India and the US and said much more needed to be done. He appreciated the large Indian Diaspora in the US for their contribution to ever growing relationship between India and US. H e mentioned briefly the enormous contribution of Indians in various spheres in the US.
Congressman Tom Suozzi extended his good wishes to Mrs. Sharma and presented her a Congressional Recognition for the great work she did as Regional Manager of Air India.
Congressman Tom Suozzi spoke at length about his long and happy relationship with the South Asian community, of which Indian American community is a large segment. He said he represents New York’s Congressional District 3 which includes the largest number of South Asians in a District in the whole of US. He spoke about how the Indian American community has been growing in his district both in numbers and in strength, economically and politically.
Speaking about US India relations, the Congressman commended both US and India for having worked in close cooperation in various fields. He said there was need to not only keep up the pace of cooperation but also to accelerate it. He referred to growing ambition of China to “dominate” the world “economically and militarily”. It is in the interest of both the US and India to come together to counter China’s growing power, he said. He called upon the Indian American community to continue their effort at strengthening the close cooperation between the two great democracies of the world.
Mr. Suozzi also recalled his memorable visit to India where besides meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi (The Indian Panorama had published the news report) and other leaders including India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he went for sightseeing. He grew nostalgic about the Taj Mahal in Agra in his mention of the places. He said he found India a great place and Indians a great people.
Referring to the contribution of the Indian American community (which he never fails to do), he observed that the community has done well and is influential. However, he suggested that the community should get more involved in the political system.
All through his address, he repeatedly returned to Mrs. Vandana Sharma, praising her as a fine person and as an efficient administrator of India’s largest airline Air India. He wished her “continued success and 8happiness in your future endeavors” and presented the Congressional Recognition which said “I thank you for spending your time, talent and treasure with Air India-Americas. Your sincerity and dedication to those you serve has not gone unnoticed and is appreciated. Best wishes for continued success and happiness in your future endeavors”.
Attorney Ravi Batra, a co-host of the send off dinner, dwelt on how important it is for the Indian American community to intelligently define their relationship with the country of their adoption.
Attorney Ravi Batra spoke about the tremendous contribution in refurbishing the image of Air IndiaRanju Batra recalled how Mrs. Sharma helped her at every step in her effort to have the Diwali Stamp issued.
Ranju Batra who introduced Vandana Sharma, spoke very highly of Mrs. Sharma, describing her as the finest human being and a true friend. She recalled how Mrs. Sharma had extended all cooperation when she was waging a relentless struggle to have the Diwali stamp issued.
Mrs. Vandana Sharma expressed her gratitude to the Indian American community for their cooperation and loveMrs. Vandana Sharma surprised all with a soulful playing on Violin
Mrs. Vandana Sharma was visibly emotional while speaking to the gathering. She thanked the community for their cooperation and love during her 3 year stay in New York. She said she had received immense love from all quarters- he colleagues, customers, and community. She invited the gathering to Delhi where she said she would love to receive them with all warmth and live over the happy days spent in New York.
Prof. Indrajit S Saluja extending a word of welcome
Earlier, Prof. Indrajit Saluja extended a word of welcome and mentioned how Mrs. Sharma endeared herself to all with her affable nature. He described Mrs. Sharma is a pleasant person who will be deeply missed. However, he said, most people land at Delhi airport while visiting India, and since Mrs. Sharma is taking over as Deputy General Manager, Delhi Airport, it will be easier to look her up.
The presentation of bouquets to guests was ably handled by 7-year-old Kabir Raj Beri, Prof. Saluja’s grandson.
Mrs. Vandana Sharma with community leaders who penned down their good wishes for her on a Card which was presented on their behalf to Mrs. Sharma by Prof. Indrajit S Saluja Photos / Mohammed Jaffer-SnapsIndia
Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, presented, on behalf of the community a good wishes card signed by over 100 persons present in the room.
Kolkata based Sarod virtuoso Apratim Majumdar and Tabla Player Amit Chatterjee cast a magic spell on the audience
Kolkata based Sarod virtuoso Apratim Majumdar and Tabla Player Amit Chatterjee cast a magic spell on the audience. Apratim is the most thinking and creative Sarod player, a composer of a very special quality, and a brilliant performer.
Amit Chatterjee is a highly gifted Tabla player who received training from the famous internationally reputed Tabla Maestro Pandit Sankha Chatterjee.
The two were joined by another gifted artist- Suresh Kumar Ketwaroe who was not only incredible with his Guitar, but also entertained the gathering with superb rendering of Hindi and Punjabi songs.
Mrs. Purnima Desai, Founder and Director of Shikshayatan and Sriniketan- the two institutions dedicated to promoting Indian culture and classical music and dances, who had only last week organized a two-day International music concert in which around 50 eminent artists participated, was kind enough to invite all three to the send off dinner to Mrs. Vandana Sharma.
Pratibha Goyal who gave a superb performance of KathakA view of the gathering
Another extremely talented artist present and performing was Pratibha Goyal who gave a superb performance of Kathak. Mrs. Gunjan Rastogi, President of India Association of Long Island discovered the artist for the occasion.
The author says that the market for polymer and plastic products is growing steadfastly in India. Yet, India seems to be lagging in accepting new inventions and products for a variety of reasons.
After studying nanocomposite polymer system during PhD at university of Cincinnati, the first opportunity I had with product development in real life applications was coatings to support 3D printing. It was an independent invention at the end of my doctoral studies in collaboration with another graduate student in lab across hallway, Brad Ruff, an expert in mechanical engineering who introduced me to the world of 3D printing along with problems it faced. I was excited to be part of this entrepreneurial project as 3D printing is one of the latest advancements in material science still in its infancy and India is yet to catch up in this application. The problem was that the first layer of any object should stick to a surface while it is being 3D printed, but once the object is made, it should be easily released. There was no such product till 2014 that was made specifically for this application, and a deep understanding of polymers is necessary to innovate such a product as adhering and releasing are two opposite phenomena that should be exhibited by a single product. Once we had porotypes’, we went live on Kickstarter with our coated substrate plate “Geckotek” for 3D printers which was successful with initial seed funding raised to $60,000.
As the product began to be sold commercially, I obviously took this product to India to share with various companies involved with 3D printing. Although the product received a great appreciation yet there was hesitation to adapt such technology. The first road block was the pricing and currency exchange rates as production was being done in USA. Secondly, production in India would not make it cheap as ingredients used in making Geckotek coating were highly specialized and engineered that were not available in Indian market and had to be imported from USA or European countries. Thirdly, Indian 3D printing manufacturers are focused on making big production scale 3D printers for mass manufacturing while in USA there is big group of 3D printer hobbyists who love to try new designs and products. The first generation of Geckotek coatings was not meant for manufacturing scale 3D printers and was more for hobbyists or small scale jobs, but the bigger picture was that Indian Entrepreneurs were not interested in spending resources on developing a new substrate for large scale 3D printers, as they were content with conventional way of 3D printing such as ABS slurry of kepton tape which are often inefficient or unsafe. While Geckotek coatings were appreciated and well received in American market, it was perceived mostly as a “geeky” innovation in India. That made me realize how these two countries operates so differently when it comes to market for materials. In spite of having cutting edge research Institutes like ICT and IITs we often are not able to launch new products due to non-willingness of market to change which in turn is due to mindset of end consumers and restricted spending habits (which is good in a way). On the other hand, in USA, not only resources are available for research, but market is also open to try new ideas and test new concepts. Thus, one can make a co-relation, for any country to be technologically advanced, an open market provides fertile conditions where new inventions and innovated products are accepted.
Another important application for polymeric material is baby diapers which is a huge global market and India is one of the fastest growing markets in baby care while USA is approaching stagnation. With the help of polymeric materials, we have come a long way for baby diapers from using milkweed leaf, animal skin, moss, linens and other natural resources to cloth diapers and to super absorbent breathable disposable diapers.
The most important properties for baby diaper users are leakage prevention and design features that enhance the fit and perceived comfort of baby diapers. Most of the ground-breaking research occurred in USA as evident by numerous patents issued to American companies. Scientists worked diligently on several aspects of diapers manufacturing to ensure that a) the back sheet does not leek but is porous enough to allow passage of air b) elastic tab should be stretchable just enough to fit baby’s waist without being very tight, and they should have strength to survive in case mother over stretches them, c) A lot of non-woven are used in diapers which are again polymer coated fibers to provide comfort and softness to baby’s skin.
All of above-mentioned research took place primarily in USA because the consumers were ready to accept a new product decades ago while Indian consumers at the time were not ready to spend money on something like diapers and the practice was to stick to traditional ‘langot’ type diaper made of cloth. According to report published by Research and Markets in Indian Diapers Market, 2021 “In India, of late, the hygiene industry is experiencing an unprecedented growth as hygiene products are being adopted into the lifestyle of the masses. With the increased awareness and increasing purchasing power, customers are fast shifting from cloth nappies to baby diapers. Consumers today are looking for baby diapering solutions that go beyond the basic benefits of dryness and go the extra mile to incorporate value-adding features such as softness and caring for their baby’s delicate skin.”
The market for polymer and plastic products is growing steadfastly in India. Plastic industry is usually associated with non-biodegradable material that is not good for environment, but it is equally important to understand that plastics are making extraordinary human achievements possible through applications in aerospace and satellites due to light weight designs. They are making everyday life better by preventing food wastage through applications in Food Industry for packaging and preserving. Plastics are the most sought out material for production as the processing of these material is highly efficient and sustainable requiring less energy and natural resources and generates fraction of greenhouse gas emission compared to alternative materials – metals or ceramics. It also increases efficiency for transportation and freight due to light weight vehicles in ground transportation and aviation. Moreover, with the advancement in polymer technology, these materials can be designed to have desired properties that has added convenience and luxury to our modern life.
However, at the same time the non-biodegradable waste that is associated with single-use plastic also needs to be addressed. Plastic pollution has emerged as a global phenomenon over the decades of accumulation that requires global and comprehensive solution. India is visibly one of the countries that is affected badly by plastic pollution in spite of having lower per capita consumption of plastic compared to other developed countries. About 300 million tons of plastic is produced globally each year, out of which roughly 6% is produced in India. Out of total plastic produced in India, 80% is discarded as waste, and due to lack of awareness and proper protocols to discard plastic waste for recycling, most of it goes into landfills and oceans. Govt. is taking strong steps to reduce plastic pollution for example banning of single use plastic in Maharashtra, but this is not going to be enough as plastics are used almost everywhere from a wallet in pocket, wrist watch and eye glasses, plastic bottles and packaging material to bikes and cars. Moreover, the consumption of plastic is increasing at a drastic rate in India due to increased buying power of middle class. With increasing demand and consumption of plastics, there need to be more cognizance about proper disposal of plastic waste for efficient recycling. It is a responsibility not only for the government but also the plastic manufacturers and eventually end consumers to spread awareness and tackle plastic pollution strategically and boldly. Else our luxury today will become a burden for our future generations.
(The author is a Polymer Scientist, earned his Doctorate in Material Science from University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is co-inventor of Geckotek, a specialty coating that is used in 3D printing. He is active researcher in application of polymeric material in health and hygiene sector.)
Disclaimer – The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.
Have you ever heard or imagined opening ceremony of Olympic Games being held outside a stadium! Buenos Aires is all set to create history by holding the opening ceremony of the 3rd Youth Olympic Games on Saturday. The ceremonial start to the World Youth Games organised by the International Olympic Committee on the pattern of summer and winter Olympic games will be a celebration like no other. Downtown of Buenos Aires, the second Olympic city of South America – after Rio that hosted the 2016 summer Olympic Games – will have its streets bursting into life with a display to complement gender equality, inclusiveness and Argentina’s Latin spirit.
On Saturday, October 6, the ceremony will begin outside the confines of any Olympic Stadium Instead the organisers are throwing an enormous street party. The festivities will take place in downtown Buenos Aires at the famous Obelisk landmard, with all members of the public welcome.Believe me the event is free and all are welcome.The opening ceremony will involve 2000 people, including 350 performers, technicians and musicians from Argentine theatre company Fuerza Bruta. More than half a million spectators are expected to line the Avenida 9 de Julio, with millions more following on TV and online.
Incidentally, Buenos Aires will be the first Olympic event ever to feature equal number of male and female participants.This equality will be reflected in the opening ceremony, where a man and a woman will light the cauldron together. Nearly 4000 athletes have already arrived in Buenos Aires who will compete in the city’s venues over the following 12 days.
The innovative event is designed to capture the audiences’ imagination with displays that awaken the senses.
Once all 241 events in 32 sports have been completed, the closing ceremony will then be held on October 18 in the Youth Olympic Village.
The 2018 Games in Buenos Aires will be so much more than a festival of first-class sport.The Argentine capital is also known as the Paris of South America due to its diverse culture, culinary delight and European history..
You must have heard a lot about Tango.In Buenos Aries it is seen as a lifestyle, not a hobby. African and gaucho styles Fast-forward to modern times and the seductive dance enjoys global popularity with every race and class.The original areas have stayed true to their routes and tango dancers can be seen entertaining and taking photos with tourists on the streets today.For something a little more authentic, you can visit a milonga and enjoy some live music while watching or partaking in the tango with a local dancer.
You cannot think of Buenos Aires or Argentina without football. The city has produced one of the game’s greatest ever players in Diego Mardona , who wore the famous blue and yellow of Boca Juniors and led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory in 1986. Boca’s iconic La Bombonera stadium is famous for its electric atmosphere, especially when arch rivals Plate are in town for the Superclásico. Intense football rivalries are a mainstay of the Argentinian top division, where 8 of the top 20 teams hail from the capital.Despite not being as popular as football,polo is also a highly-revered sport in Buenos Aires with a rich history – demonstrating perfectly the cosmopolitan nature of the city. Fun fact: Argentina won polo Olympic gold at Paris 1924 and Berlin 1936. Eva Peron’s story was given worldwide recognition when Madonna played her character in the Hollywood film Evita. The Argentinian First Lady was the nation’s spiritual leader, working tirelessly for women’s rights and helping sick and poor Argentinians.Maybe this is part of the reason why the streets and monuments of Buenos Aires. Puerto Madira neighbourhood are almost exclusively named after women.She famously addressed the nation from the presidential headquarters in Buenos Aires, the Casa Rosada which still retains its distinct pink colour today.Her grave can be seen in the opulent La Recoleta Cemetery, which features hundreds of hand-carved mansion tombs. Parillas or Barbeque grill restaurants are everywhere in Buenos Aires where cooking steak is an art form.If you like your beef slow cooked in coals, served with minimal seasoning and washed down with affordable, first-class red wine… you’re in luck.If steak is too much for your pallet, why not try a tasty empanada or two. These are small, baked pastries with a variety of different fillings and are available on most street corners.And for pudding? Buenos Aires shows its strong Italian influence with his many gelatos serving delicious ice cream by the kiloBuenos Aires has more book stores per capita than any other city in the world.There are at least 734 shops, providing the ideal escape from the city’s bright lights.Elsewhere there are approximately 300 theatres catering to every taste: From popular musicals to independent underground shows.Buenos Aires has also become a global hub for some of the world’s best street art. A mix of international and local artists have turned the streets of Palremo, Colegiales, Barracas, Montserrat and La Boca into colourful open-air galleries.
Plan International USA’s NYCLC to Hold Second Annual Fundraiser
Special Guest Honored: Journalist Tim Swarens
By Mabel Pais
The NYC Leadership Council
The NYC Leadership Council is a women’s volunteer group of passionate New York City and tri-state business owners and professionals who support Plan’s global gender equality initiate, Because I am a Girl, designed to ensure girls everywhere can learn, lead, decide, and thrive. They know that the potential of girls in developing countries is far greater than the poverty they are born into.
This year’s theme is “Girls Belong Here: Let’s Change the Future for Girls,” celebrating the potential of girls globally.
Plan and the NYC Leadership Council believe girls belong in school, on corporate boards, and as government leaders, anywhere and everywhere boys or men belong.
These women have dedicated themselves to raising awareness and funds to
Salons:NYCLC hosts small gatherings in private homes with Plan International USA’s program experts to spark discussion and inspire learning.
International Day of the Girl Celebration: Observed on October 11, the International Day of the Girl is their largest fundraising event. This year’s event takes place on October 10.
Corporate women’s groups:NYCLC partners with corporate women’s groups to increase awareness and expand the network of advocates for girls’ rights.
For more information on the NYCLC, their projects or to join, visit www.planusa.org/nyclc.
Plan International USA
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan believes in the power and potential of every child. Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
For more information, visit www.PlanUSA.org.
“The world is better when all girls can learn, lead, decide, and thrive no matter what course they choose in life or where they live”
– Dr. Tessie San Martin, President & CEO of Plan International USA (PLAN)
The UN’sInternational Day Of The Girl(IDG)observed on October 11, will be hosted and celebrated on October 10 in New York City by Plan International USA’s (PLAN) New York City Leadership Council (NYCLC).
Plan International USA’s NYC Leadership Council hosts its second annual fundraiser in celebration of the International Day of the Girl. Plan’s theme this year is “Girls Belong Here: Let’s Change The Future For Girls.” This is a celebration of the potential of girls around the world!
This event honors special guest journalist Tim Swarens, who will also speak at the event.
Too often, girls are prevented from realizing their basic rights like learning, leading, and deciding when and whether to marry and have children. They are silenced and excluded from the choices that shape their futures. But NYCLC and PLANUSA say, “Girls belong HERE!”
Girls belong in schools and in leadership roles. They belong on an even playing field with boys. Supporters of their project can help them get there!
“I fell in love with Plan’s work….. after attending the Youth Leadership Academy (YAB) in 2016 and wanted to get more involved with the organization……. in order to voice youths’ opinions and speak up for those who can’t”.
– Fatima, Youth Advisory Board Member, PLAN
Girls Belong Here: Challenges and Triumphs
Hear about some of the issues girls around the world face every day—obstacles that keep them out of school, forced into marriage too young, or sold into sex trafficking—and the solutions and inspiring stories you can be part of.
The event also features a panel discussion about the challenges girls face around the world and how these barriers can be overcome. The panelists will be moderated by Craig Geddes, Senior Program Manager for Education and Protection at Plan.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $95 – $500
Location: Grant Thornton, at 47thand 3rdAvenue, New York, NY
Theme:Girls Belong Here: Let’s Change The Future For Girls
Program
Wine reception, food, networking, and silent auction to benefit Plan International USA’s project to protect girls from sex trafficking.
Tessie San Martin
Opening Remarks:Dr. Tessie San Martin, President & CEO, Plan International USA
Dr. San Martin is a seasoned executive with 30 years of experience working in international development, focused especially on economic growth and political reform.
Her work has taken her all over the world, where professional initiatives have involved supporting disenfranchised populations, a significant number of which are women and young girls.
Tim Swarens
SPECIAL GUEST HONOREE & SPEAKER:
Tim Swarens, Journalist, Indianapolis Star
A columnist with the Indianapolis Star, Tim Swarens recently completed a 16-month-long project on child tracking called EXPLOITED. The 10-column series was published across the USA TODAY Network, reaching more than 5 million readers. His commentary has been published in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. He has also appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and the BBC. Tim was also the editor or writer on projects that in recent years have won awards from Sigma Delta Chi, National Headliners, Scripps Howard, American Society of Newspaper Editors, and Robert F. Kennedy Excellence in Journalism. He was the 2016 recipient of the Eugene C. Pullman Fellowship for Editorial Writing.
Craig Geddes
MODERATOR:
Craig Geddes, Senior Program Manager of Education and Protection, Plan International USA.
Craig Geddes has worked in non-governmental development programming, as well as in government relations and advocacy in Washington DC, spending the majority of his career overseas, most recently in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Geddes is responsible for overseeing education and child protection projects funded by Plan International USA donors around the world.
Fatima
PANELIST:
Fatima, Youth Advisory Board Member (YAB), Plan International USA
Fatima has been a member of Plan International USA’s Youth Advisory Board for about two years. “I joined Plan’s Youth Advisory Board because I strongly believe in its mission to achieve children’s rights and equality,” she said. “After attending the Youth Leadership Academy in 2016, I fell in love with Plan’s work and wanted to get more involved with the organization and share my passion for girls’ empowerment and quality education. Most importantly, I joined the YAB in order to voice youths’ opinions and speak up for those who can’t.”
Jenny Lewis
PANELIST:
Jenny Lewis, Vice President, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation
Jenny Lewis is Vice President of the Kimberly-Clark Foundation. She leads the Foundation’s efforts for global strategy, governance, and financial oversight. Jenny and her team lead K-C’s global CSR agenda, with an emphasis on delivering innovative solutions to systemic issues facing underserved communities, while also delivering business results. She is based at Kimberly-Clark’s world headquarters in Dallas.
Antonie deJong
PANELIST:
Antonie deJong, Former Director of Resource Mobilization, United Nations
Antonie “Ton” de Jong served as the Director of Resource Mobilization on the Strategic Partnerships Division of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), a position he held from 2010 until his retirement last year. Over his career, he worked for organizations including the United Nations Development Fund for women, the United Nations Population Fund, and the UNAIDS joint program on HIV/AIDS in Haiti. Mr. de Jong also served as a diplomat in the Foreign Service of the Netherlands, working in the Dutch Embassies in Lagos, Nigeria, and Bogotá, Colombia.
IRVING, TX(TIP): On October 1, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial of North Texas (MGMNT) celebrated Gandhi’s 149th birthday at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in Irving, Texas, during which many participated in the “Gandhi Peace Walk,” wearing white t-shirts and caps.
According to a press release, Wipro CEO Abidali Neemuchwala along with his wife Hassena, were the Guests of Honor at the celebration while Irving City Council Member Allen Meagher and Texas State Representative Matt Rinaldi were Special Guests.
While MGMNT Secretary Rao Kalvala welcomed the gathering, MGMNT Treasurer B.N introduced all of the board members of IANT, IAFC, MGMNT and the guests.
MGMNT Co-Chair Kamal Kaushal said that Gandhi’s deeds will last for generations to come as he sacrificed his life for a valuable cause, which is why we are still celebrating him today.
MGMNT Board of Director Kuntesh Chokshi thanked the community and Irving City for their support and introduced Representative Matt Rinaldi, who told the audience that it was heartening to see Indian Americans come thousands of miles away from their homeland and still celebrate events like these, also appreciating the contributions of Indian Americans toward the development of Texas.
Irving City Councilmember Meagher said that he was delighted to attend this event for the second time in a row and was pleased to see more and more Indian Americans contributing to the economic development of the city.
In his remarks, Neemuchwala congratulated MGMNT Chairman Dr. Prasad Thotakura and his team for visualizing and executing in building the largest Gandhi Memorial in North America, adding how it was an honor for him to stand in the shadow of Gandhi as he was a peace icon and an inspiration to many world leaders.
“If everyone can adopt at least 10 percent of Gandhi’s principles, the world will definitely be a better place to live in. We all need to remember his famous quotation ‘be the change you wish to see in the world,’” he said, according to a press release.
“We are all proud to celebrate the 149th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi this year and are extremely excited to celebrate the 150th, next year with big fanfare. Though Gandhi spent most of his life in the Indian freedom struggle, his message and philosophy made him a citizen of the world. As Indian Americans, our responsibility is doubled now. We all need to rededicate ourselves for the better society in India and a stronger community in the U.S. Thus, it is our civic responsibility to go out and vote for our voice to be heard,” Thotakura added, encouraging the community to register to vote by October 9.
In addition to the “Gandhi Peace Walk” and speeches, a yoga session was conducted while 10 white doves were released into the open air as a symbol of spreading peace across the world.
Tributes were paid to Gandhi by offering flowers and breakfast was served to all of the attendees.
By Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla Contact: 08141234275
Aries: Ganesha says your mind is razor-sharp. Your exchanges with others are quick and to the point. You know what they want from you intuitively and you know you can deliver. You are alert and savvy. This is a favorable period for all kinds of commercial transactions. You are shrewd and cunning and strike the best possible deal. You could even be ruthless and run the risk of being unethical too. You sight money and short cuts to get where you want.
Taurus: You could be firefighting all period depending, of course, on your personal chart. There is some tension between your personal needs and your professional duties, and you are pulled in several directions. Sometimes you may even feel that the foundations you had built are breaking. You may get emotional over it and downsize all rationale. On the flip side, you could seize this period and channelize the inherent tension into one of achievement.
Gemini: ‘Life is involvement. Where there is no involvement, there is no life,’ says Sadhguru, today’s popular mystic. There are expenses along with windfall deals. This is a lucky period and you get what you want. There could be international travel, rewards and awards, accolades and applause, money and honey. You are the toast of your peer group. You have the Midas touch. Nothing goes wrong in your life. In fact, everything falls in place according to plan. Life is smiling at you and inviting you for the first dance.
Cancer: You are canny enough to sight success and what needs to be done to achieve it. You roll up your sleeves and get down to the hard slog. You resemble Chris Gayle in his many blitzkriegs in the IPL. You bat on the front foot, and like him, send the best bowlers packing. You simply cannot go wrong. The cards are in your favor. You are the favorite child of the gods. Ganesha is happy for you.
Leo: There is stability, continued success and big money. You live and love large. You don’t believe in half measures. There are expenses, but you consider them business investments. Your love life is flamboyant. You wear it on your sleeve and boast about your conquests. Those with steady partners bond ethereally. You meet with people from all over the world, and new vistas open.
Virgo: You have struck a purple patch. You are the lion in Serengeti with scores of lionesses to do your bidding. It is an easy life. Fortune smiles on you. You realize this and are generous to a fault. Your philanthropic instincts are aroused and you help out in old-age homes and with the less fortunate. You could take to activism and win laurels for your efforts. Your ego rides high and you perceive any affront as a challenge to your authority.
Libra: You take step back and examine your goals and expectations from life. You look at what has worked for you and what needs to be ejected from your life. You separate the grain from the chaff and decide on what to nurture and what to drop. You do a SWOT analysis. You engage with friends, family, loved ones and the larger society. You get the views of others to reach on objective conclusion. You try your best to keep subjectivities, prejudices and preconceptions out of the reckoning. You want to evolve and grow, and you are prepared to do all that it takes.
Scorpio: Your money mind is everywhere, even in the remotest swathes of the Sahara. You are moving in several different directions all at once like a giant eel setting out from a meal. Unless you harness the mind and give it direction, nothing of consequences will be achieved. But inaction is also a kind of action. Watch our mind and you know where you are headed. ‘The pessimist sees difficult in every opportunity. You live them all one by one. Ganesha holds your hand.
Sagittarius: You are in communication mode using every bit of technology to advantage. You want to reach out to the world at large and this is exactly what you do. ‘the ones that will create the new culture that is needed are those that are not afraid to be insecure,’ said Pema Chodron, the monk. You get out of your comfort zone and traverse uninhabited trails. You listen to your inner drummer and break all the rules. There are maudlin moments, and you feel insecure.
Capricorn: There is more stability in this phase and you indulge in different kinds of activities. You assert yourself without offending others. You call a spade a spade, but you are also politically very correct. You are direct, even brutally honest, without being abrasive. There is balance between your need to be an individual and your need to relate to the world at large. You are charming, friendly and agreeable. You still manage to do your thing, but no one takes offence.
Aquarius: This is the period when you make new discoveries, encounter new people and open new windows to your world. You are filled with energy, gusto and zeal and want to explore life. But, at the same time, you could be too rigid, and that can break the momentum of your plans and actions. But this is also a period of many revelations and startling new ideas. Life opens up in several new dimensions. There is fun and entertainment and bizarre expressions of your individuality.
Pisces: You are basking in the arms of amour. Your desires are aroused and you play the field. Those in committed relationships take ecstasy to new heights. There are fun times and parties as you meet up with old friends and lovers. This is a gregarious influence and you just love being the center of attention. You love the spotlight and it loves you too. This is a good time too for artistic activities as creativity bursts through your pores. Children bring joy, but it is tinged with sadness, as they may be fleeing the coop.
‘Westinghouse, chemical weapons watchdog OPCW and FIFA were targeted’
WASHINGTON (TIP): The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday, October 4, indicted seven agents of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency as part of a joint crackdown with allies Britain and the Netherlands on a series of major hacking plots attributed to Moscow.
The U.S. indictments were announced as Dutch security services said they had thwarted a Russian attack on the global chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, and after Britain blamed the GRU for plots that notably targeted the U.S. Democratic Party and world sport’s anti-doping authority
John Demers, U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security, confirmed that known attack targets included the OPCW, sports bodies including FIFA and the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA), as well as U.S. nuclear energy company Westinghouse.
“Nations like Russia and others that engage in malicious and norm-shattering cyber and influence activities should understand the continuing and steadfast resolve of the United States and its allies to prevent, disrupt and deter such unaccountable conduct,” Mr. Demers told a news conference.
“The defendants in this case should know that justice is very patient, its reach is long, and its memory is even longer,” he said.
The indictments include charges of money laundering, using virtual currencies like bitcoin, wire fraud and identify theft.
Mr. Demers said the operations “involved sophisticated, persistent and unauthorized access into the victims’ computer networks for the purpose of stealing private or otherwise sensitive information.”
While the latest case did not arise from Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election meddling, it overlaps with it — including the identity of the individuals charged, Mr. Demers said.
In July, Mr. Mueller indicted 12 GRU officers, accusing them of interfering in the U.S. polls in 2016.
Canada confirmed on Thursday it believes itself to have been targeted by Russian cyber attacks, citing breaches at its center for ethics in sports and at the Montreal-based WADA.
Cyber aggressor
“The government of Canada assesses with high confidence that the Russian military’s intelligence arm, the GRU, was responsible” for these cyber attacks, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) termed Russia’s GRU a pernicious cyber aggressor.
GRU, Britain said, was almost certainly behind the BadRabbit and World Anti-Doping Agency attacks of 2017, the hack of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in 2016 and the theft of emails from a U.K.-based TV station in 2015.
“The GRUs actions are reckless and indiscriminate: they try to undermine and interfere in elections in other countries,” said British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Though less well known than the Soviet Union’s once mighty KGB, Russia’s military intelligence service played a major role in some of the biggest events of the past century, from the Cuban missile crisis to the annexation of Crimea.
Though commonly known by the acronym GRU, which stands for the Main Intelligence Directorate, its name was formally changed in 2010 to the Main Directorate of the General Staff (or just GU). Its old acronym — GRU —is still more widely used.
New York, October 2, 2018 – New York based hip-hop recording artist Shiv and world renowned music maestro AR Rahman joined forces to create a breakout hit single, Hayati, for legendary director Mani Ratnam’s blockbuster multi-starrer Chekka Chivantha Vaanam.
The lyric video garnered 1 million YouTube views in 24 hours, and now stands at 3 million views in just 7 days (at print). With Shiv’s quick flow and original lyrics, Lebanese- American singer Mayssa Karaa’s fluid vocals, and AR Rahman’s unique Arabic trap music production, Hayati has also rapidly climbed up the charts into the iTunes Top 10 of various countries. As an artist, Shiv has been honing his craft for over 15 years and has independently released 4 albums (as the lyricist and artist) just in the past year and a half on all music platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, and more, all to positive reviews.
Known for melodic hooks, harmonies, and intricate lyrical content, Shiv delivers a variety of tones housed within a unique signature sound, tying together to create a unified message of good intentions & easy living; the artist’s philosophical MO. For more on Shiv’s upcoming productions, visit ThoughtsForNow on Instagram, www.beatjnkiemusic.com or e-mail info@beatjnkiemusic.com.
EDISON, NJ (TIP): J P Nadda, India’s Health and Welfare minister, was hosted at a community reception at the TV Asia auditorium in Edison, NJ, on Sept. 24, by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), TV Asia and the India American community.
Nadda was welcomed at the community interaction by H R Shah, TV Asia chairman and CEO; Krishna Reddy Anugula, OFBJP president; Jayesh Patel, past-president of OFBJP and Dr Sanjay Gupta, president of American Pain Association.
Himachal-born Nadda, who was inducted as a minister in 2014 and is also a lawmaker from Rajya Sabha, is currently spearheading Narendra Modi government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission.
During the interaction with members of the community, Nadda spoke fluently in English and Hindi, peppering his speech with easy-to-understand statistics.
J P Nadda speaking at a community reception at the TV Asia auditorium in Edison, NJ. Others in the photo, from left, are, H R Shah, and Krishna Reddy Anugula
Nadda thanked the Indian American community for their diligent work in enhancing India’s image in the US. While the Modi government, he said, was specially committed to uplifting the marginalized in India, there had been a gradual transformation in the political culture in the country. “Since the Modi government took over, we have seen a shift from political paralysis to political transparency,” he said to a thunderous applause from the audience.
He said it was imperative that the world saw India as a country with the inherent strengths of “Democracy, Demographics and Demand.”
“The stock market does not always necessarily indicate the health and wealth of a country,” he noted. “The real indicators are how the poor live and what the government is doing to uplift them into prosperity.”
Nadda laid down his government’s achievements, including the many schemes that have been launched to expedite participation in the banking, social security, insurance and healthcare sectors in the country.
A section of the audience. Photos /Gunjesh Desai
Explaining the newly-launched “revolutionary” Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission by the Modi government, Nadda said the new scheme will bring a paradigm shift in the country’s health sector. Under the new scheme, health insurance up to Rs 500,000 for every poor family in the country will be totally cashless and no registration will be required. “The poor people will not have to pay money for hospitalization,” he said during his speech.
A “golden card” will ensure their cashless treatment, he noted. In case a person does not have a card, he or she will be treated in any one of the 13,000 hospitals, which are part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, after taking the person’s thumb impression, Nadda said.
“In short, Ayushman Bharat will bring mega health reform in the country as it will cover 10.74 crore families across the country,” Nadda said, adding it was “a unique scheme which will eventually cover all poor people of the country.”
Asserting that the world was keenly watching the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Nadda said, “It is a historic moment as a big leap in the health sector.”
Ayushman Bharat rests on the twin pillars of Health and Wellness Centers for provision of comprehensive primary healthcare services and the Prime Minister’s National Health Protection Mission for secondary and tertiary care to 100 million families.
Nadda said India firmly believed in the objective of attainment of the highest possible level of health, a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
“Moving toward this objective, we have adopted the National Health Policy 2017 with the aim to provide affordable healthcare for all,” he asserted during his speech.
He said that under the BJP government, 98 new government medical colleges have been built just in the last four years. The central government pays Rs 250 crore to each medical college in the country.
Nada also pointed out that the Health Ministry had started a unique initiative called AMRIT Deendayal, an acronym for Affordable Medicines; Reliable Implants for Treatment – Centers that provide medicines for cancer; cardiovascular diseases and cardiac implants at significantly reduced prices.
The government had also opened Jan Aushadhi (peoples’ medicines) stores to make available quality affordable essential medicines to people in need, he said.
“India has always supported regional and global public health issues whether it be advocacy, technical collaboration, research and development, partnerships or improving the accessibility and affordability of health services and high quality essential medical products,” Nadda added.
While welcoming Nadda, TV Asia’s H R Shah said TV Asia was built on the premise of helping the community and it was always there to assist in way possible. He called on Indian Americans to help the motherland and ensure the Modi government was elected for another 5 years, “for 5 years were not enough for any government to fully implement or produce results.
OFBJP’s Krishna Reddy said it was imperative for every Indian American to work to re-elect the Modi government if India had any chance to become a global leader. He also mentioned that NRI voting may soon become a reality.
Dr Jayesh Patel of OFBJP thanked all 21 chapters of OFBJP in ensuring NRIs and other countries were plugged into India’s progress.
Toward the end of the event, a plaque commemorating Kumb Mela and the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, scheduled in Varanasi in January 2019, was presented by the guests to Minister Nadda.
More than 300 guests, including several prominent members of the Indian American community, attended the event.
After the event, Nadda was interviewed in a special segment to be aired subsequently on TV Asia across the US.
PERTH(TIP): A Punjabi-origin entrepreneur and educationist has won a major legal case in Australia that allows him to run his institution, Unique International College, besides making him eligible to receive a payment of 26 million Australian dollars (Rs 136.32 crore) which was withheld pending the court case.
He is also eligible to get legal costs of another AUD 4 million (Rs 20.97 crore) from the commonwealth of Australia.
The entrepreneur, Amarjit Khela, had won the case last week after a long battle in which he braved racism, defamation and several accusations, including that of unfair practices to attract students to his college. Khela has remained in news because of his phenomenal rise to become an educationist and an entrepreneur. He had gone to Australia as a student when he was 19.
He belongs to Sajawalpur village in Nawanshahr district. Ninder Ghugianvi, media and cultural coordinator, Punjab Kala Bhawan here, in a statement, hailed the court order as the victory of Punjabiyat. “Khela fought for the rights of Punjabis to grow in the foreign land. His book titled “I don’t lie” described his struggle in Australia,” he said.
He worked in restaurants and did menial jobs and later became the first Punjabi to own a college in Sydney. His college ran into controversy when the Australian Consumer Commission and a watchdog agency accused him of malpractices, including giving free laptops and other gifts to students.
“My victory is the victory of truth and against racism and certain individuals who were against the rise of Punjabis or Indians in Australia,” he told The Tribune over the phone.
As per the copy of the court orders, the Full Federal Court found that Unique International College did not engage in a system of unconscionable conduct in enrolling vulnerable students in diploma courses. Khela had lost the case in a lower court last year.
The case had hogged limelight as the Australian consumer watchdog claimed to recover $140 million paid to the college under the Commonwealth funding scheme.
1,350 medical packages, 23 specialties and an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh will benefit 10.74 crore underprivileged families.
Is Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY the healthcare scheme that India has been waiting for?
Much is at stake for the BJP-led NDA government as it keeps a close watch on the progress of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna (PMJAY), the world’s largest health-protection scheme rolled out nationally last Sunday. Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Jharkhand’s Ranchi on the eve of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the scheme aims to finance hospitalization of 10.74 crore underprivileged families (50 crore people) to the extent of Rs 5 lakh annually.
These families are the ones defined as “poor and vulnerable” in the Rural Development Ministry’s Socio-Economic Caste Census, published in 2011 and updated in 2015. To this extent, PMJAY is an entitlement-based plan that won’t invite enrolments and will have a pre-determined set of beneficiaries. The scale of the plan is massive as it seeks to cover 40 per cent of the national population promising them cashless, paperless and portable access to hospitalization through a network of empaneled government and private hospitals.
The hospitals are not allowed to charge patients for any procedure. The arrangement is simple — the Centre and states (in the ratio of 60:40) will reimburse hospitals the cost incurred on treating beneficiaries. Exactly 1,350 medical packages across 23 specialties (oncology, ophthalmology, urology, general surgery and orthopedics included) have been identified and their package rates fixed. Hospitals are bound by these rates and are allowed to raise claims based on the packages the government has decided in consultation with various stakeholders.
Execution and results
Within a week of its launch, PMJAY has started to deliver. As of September 28, 18,258 beneficiaries have sought hospitalization under the plan and healthcare providers have submitted 13,108 claims to state governments for reimbursement. The maximum claims came from Gujarat (5,777), followed by Tamil Nadu (3,837), Chhattisgarh (2,193) and West Bengal (1,198).
The Tribune has learnt that these claims involve procedures that cost hospitals Rs 25.22 crore with ophthalmology emerging the top sought specialty at 731 claims. As the scheme progresses, timely settlement of hospital claims will be its top challenge, lest hospitals quit for want of money. However, Dinesh Arora, Deputy CEO of Ayushman Bharat, the banner body for PMJAY, says the government has created systems for timely settlement of hospital claims.
State health societies have been mandated to clear claims within 15 days unless a fraud is suspected, in which case the deadline is one month. “If the claims are not settled within 15 days, the state will invite weekly penalty amounting to one per cent of the cost involved in the claim the hospital has submitted,” Arora says.
Out of 30 states that have signed MoUs with the Centre to run PMJAY, only seven have opted for insurance model, while the rest have decided to run the scheme through state health societies. The trust model is that of CGHS. Identification of beneficiaries and stabilization of IT platforms, developed to run the plan, pose equally pressing challenges to PMJAY managers. Every beneficiary must have, what the Centre calls, a “golden card” to avail of cashless services. In the first five days of the scheme rollout, the government has issued golden cards to 33,529 persons. PMJAY is meant only for hospitalizations. It does not cover the cost of OPD care.
Who is a golden card holder?
Ayushman Bharat CEO Indu Bhushan explains, “A golden card holder is the beneficiary whose data points — QR code and identification — have been matched with PMJAY’s IT systems and one who is ready to avail free services at the hospital. In the first stage of plan’s rollout, 10 crore beneficiary families under the SECC through village-level drives have been identified. Then, we sent each family a letter bearing their QR code. In the third stage, beneficiaries will get golden cards once they reach the hospital for care, approach the Aarogya Mitra stationed at each hospital, match their QR codes with identification cards to authenticate themselves with the name registered in the software. Once that is done, the beneficiary gets the golden card and is ready to avail of the service.”
But what if a patient’s access to treatment is delayed on account of the above-mentioned authentication procedures? Ayushman Bharat managers say that won’t happen. Emergency protocols under the PMJAY say the empaneled hospitals are dutybound to treat emergency patients without waiting for authentications.
Check for flaws
As many as 97 fraud alerts have been installed in the PMJAY software, including “indiscriminate procedures” or “unexplained patient visits to a certain facility”. Dinesh Arora explains, “We will have cause for suspicion if a patient visits a certain hospital repeatedly when there is another hospital close to his residence. In this case, middlemen might be herding patients to a given facility for some illegal benefits. It would also be unnatural for one hospital to submit a large number of claims.”
Hospitals perpetrating frauds will meet with severe penalties, including de-empanelment and blacklisting, besides financial fines that go up to 16 times the cost of procedures for which they submitted inflated or false claims. That said, the stabilization of PMJAY softwares remains a cause of concern for the Centre. The reason government launched a pilot in 22 states to test these softwares before the September 23 launch. It was to prevent the GST-type glitches.
The Centre is now training Aarogya Mitras to be stationed at every hospital empaneled under the PMJAY to help beneficiaries access care through IT systems. So far, 14,000 Aarogya Mitras have been trained in these softwares. More are under training.
So far, 27,000 hospitals have already applied for empanelment under the scheme and 13,273 have met the criteria. Of these, 7,097 are private and the rest are government hospitals. Medanta, Gurugram and Apollo, Tamil Nadu are among private facilities empaneled with the PMJAY.
The idea behind the ambitious plan is to prevent 70 million Indians from slipping below the poverty line annually due to catastrophic health expenses.
At stake is the health of an entire nation
Why PMJAY: The latest National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) found 85.9 per cent rural households and 82 per cent of urban households had no access to healthcare insurance/assurance. Catastrophic healthcare-related expenditure pushed families into debt, with more than 24 per cent households in rural India and 18 per cent population in urban areas meeting healthcare expenses through some form of borrowing.
To know more: Visit the website mera.pmjay.gov.in or call 14555 or 1800111565
Package rate includes: Room, bed charges, nursing care, diagnostics, procedure cost and physician fee, consultation and diagnostics pre-hospitalization, two-week medicine, stitch removal, follow-up consultancy for two weeks post-discharge
The procedures covered: One beneficiary family (average size five members) can avail of cashless hospitalization up to Rs 5 lakh annually for any of the 1,350 medical packages covered under 23 specialties.
Breakup of packages — General surgery (253 packages covered), orthopedics (101), cardiology (38), cardiovascular surgery (21), ophthalmology (42), ENT (94), urology (161), obstetrics and gynecology (73), pediatric medicine (100), neonatal care 911), pediatric surgery (35), pediatric cancers 912), medical packages (69), neurosurgery (82), intervention neuro-radiology (12), oncology (112), mental health disorders (17) and emergency packages (4)
WHO endorses PMJAY
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently called PMJAY a “turning point” and a “bold, ambitious and courageous move”. He said, “As a nation, India has changed the way it plans things. India has decided to stretch itself to a breaking point to succeed in the health sector and that’s what I call a plan. I have always felt that the best way to plan is to target blanket coverage rather than piecemeal coverage. A plan that’s easy to achieve is not a plan.”
FORDS, NJ(TIP): Kim Kumari was crowned as Miss India New Jersey 2018, while Esha Kode was crowned as Miss Teen India New Jersey 2018 and Ruchita Modi Shah was crowned as Mrs. India New Jersey 2018, at the 2018 Miss India New Jersey beauty pageant held on Sunday, September 30 at Royal Albert’s Palace, in Fords, NJ.
The 37th Miss India NJ 2018 was officially powered by Albert Jasani from Royal Albert Palace, with State Director Shobhana Patel.
The celebrated beauty pageant is the premier platform to promote women empowerment and Indian culture, in New Jersey. Showcasing compassion and connection, the event celebrated Indian American women and their identity through talent rounds, ramp walks, question/answer segments, and more.
Kumari is a trained Bhangra dancer who has had the opportunity to dance with Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan.
She is the co-president of the International Human Rights Club at JFK Memorial High School, where she is a senior and actively works to serve the local community.
Kode loves be onstage and has been trained in classical as well as Bollywood dancing. She has also performed at various Bollywood events and desires to pursue a career in the medical field.
Shah is an IT Professional who is currently working for the New York State Department. She is trained in Indian Classical music and loves cooking, Do-It-Yourself crafting, photography, digital arts and travelling.
Organizers with Dia Mirza. Seen L to R: Albert Jasani, Dia Mirza, Shobhana Patel
The evening consisted of 45 contestants with 12 in the Miss Category, 11 in the Miss Teen Category and 22 in the Mrs. Category, all of whom dazzled in their ethnic wear in the first round and kept it simple yet elegant in their evening gowns in the following round.
The third round featured the talent of the top seven contestants in the Miss & Miss Teen category, and top five contestants in the Mrs. Category.
The contestants then went on to Question-Answer round, where each was given a different kind of question to answer.
Talking about the essence of the pageant, Shobhana Patel stated that, “Miss India NJ provides a place to these young girls and women in which they can truly empower each other and see beyond beauty.”
Community pioneer Albert Jasani has supported this event whole heartedly every year saying that, “We want to bring more women to the forefront and have them succeed in whichever manner they look at success.”
Panel of Judges
The judges’ panel consisted of entrepreneur and State Director of Miss India Connecticut Sumathi Narayanan, physician & cosmetologist and wellness advisor Kavita Payyar, founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee and CEO of Touchdown Media Rahul Walia, actor Javed Pathan, Bollywood fashion designer Deepali Shah, entrepreneur and Mrs. India Worldwide 2017 Sarita Patnaik, classical dancer Bina Menon and promoter of Bollywood shows in the U.S. Kanu Chauhan.
At the beginning of the third round Bollywood star Dia Mirza walked the Miss India New Jersey ramp for the first time, to join the judges for the remainder of the show.
Mirza also crowned the winners of the Miss India New Jersey 2018 pageant.
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