New Delhi (TIP)- The Supreme Court’s verdict in the contempt case against fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya also directs his three children to return a total of USD 40 million which were transferred to them through trusts in 2016. The apex court has termed the transactions “void and inoperative”.
The question that may be asked after this verdict is how the order would be implemented and whether assets belonging to children can be used for repayment of loans.
In its 2017 judgment, the Supreme Court held Vijay Mallya guilty of contempt of court. The court had noted that Mallya violated the 2013 orders of the Karnataka High Court barring him from “transferring, alienating, disposing or creating third party rights in respect of movable as well as immovable properties belonging to them until further order in these petitions”.
The Supreme Court had also noted that Mallya failed to give full details of all assets, accounts, and funds owned by him, despite orders from the top court. The bank account in the Edmund de Rothschild Suisse Bank in Switzerland, where USD 40 million were received in 2016 from Diagio Plc, was not disclosed, the court had said.
The USD 40 million were then transferred into three trusts, created through gift deeds, in the name of each of Mallya’s three children. Mallya’s lawyers had argued that the funds are no longer in his possession since he has no control over the trusts. It is in this scenario that the Supreme Court has held that the transaction of receiving the money, and the creation of trusts in the name of Mallya’s three children — Sidhartha , Leena and Teena Mallya — were “void”. The three children as “beneficiaries” of the illegal transaction have been directed to repay the money to the loan recovery officer of the banking consortium. The court has also directed that if the amount is not repaid in four weeks, the recovery officer can take other steps including the appointment of a forensic auditor to trace the money and assets belonging to the Mallyas so that further debt recovery proceedings, such as asset seizure, can be conducted. The court has passed the order to allow Mallya to “purge the contempt” and “reverse the contumacious transaction”. However, legally, the issue is a complicated one and the verdict could be difficult to enforce.
Thiruvananthapuram (TIP)- A man who returned from the UAE has tested positive for monkeypox in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday, July 14. He landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Tuesday and is “quite stable, with all vitals normal”, she said.
The central government has sent a team, which has experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to assist the state. “There is nothing to worry about or to be anxious about. All the steps are being taken and the patient is stable,” the state minister told news agency ANI, sharing no further specifics about the patient. She said his primary contacts have been identified — his father, mother, a taxi driver, an auto driver, and 11 fellow passengers from adjacent seats. She had said hours earlier that “a person who returned from abroad” is admitted to a hospital with symptoms of monkeypox. His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology.
Also earlier in the day, the central government wrote to states to take precautions. Concerned over cases in Europe and America — monkeypox is rarely reported outside Africa — the government had in May issued guidelines about isolation and contact-tracing.
The virus causes fever symptoms besides distinctive bumpy rashes. That is usually manageable, though one of two strains is more dangerous. The Congo strain causes death in up to 10 per cent of the patients. The West African strain is milder, with a fatality rate of around 1 per cent.
It was first found in monkeys in 1958, hence the name. Rodents are now seen as the main source of transmission. It spreads through close contact, both from animals and, less commonly, between humans. Two months ago, scientists were alarmed after a few cases of monkeypox — which hardly occurs outside Africa’s western and central regions — were reported or suspected in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain.
It puts virologists on alert also because it is in the smallpox family. Smallpox was eradicated by vaccination in 1980, and the shot has since been phased out. But that vaccine also protects against monkeypox, so the winding down of vaccination could be behind new cases, experts have said.
What is Monkeypox Virus?
Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild and is endemic in parts of the west and central Africa. It is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easily contained through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene. Most of the cases reported so far have been detected in the UK, Spain, and Portugal.” The vast majority of reported cases so far have no established travel links to an endemic area and have presented through primary care or sexual health services,” the UN agency said.
Monkeypox Risk, Moderate? WHO Explains Why
WHO expert Dr. Rosamund Lewis, in a video shared by the world health body on Saturday, explained why the risk of the Monkeypox has been said to be “moderate”. Lewis answered various questions related to the disease and also assured that it causes mild illness.
“Most people who contract the virus do not become seriously ill. However, the risk has been described as moderate because it’s spreading to locations where it has never been reported before. So this new pattern of spread is concerning. So WHO aims to identify where the risk may be, and who may be at risk. This is the message we’re sending – If you know your own risk, you can lower your risk,” she explained.
WHO Quells Fears, Suggests Guidelines to be Followed
WHO talks in favor of home assessment when deciding to isolate and care for a person with suspected or confirmed infection with the mild uncomplicated disease in a home setting. It also says that symptoms in mild cases should be constantly monitored as well as a patient’s mental health. Extra precaution should be followed while handling cleaning linens, and household surfaces and during waste disposal recommends WHO.
All patients should be advised to abstain from sexual activity until all skin lesions have crusted, the scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath”, the guidelines note.
Patients at high risk for complications namely young children, pregnant women, and those who are immunosuppressed or with severe or complicated infections should be admitted to the hospital for closer monitoring and clinical care under appropriate isolation precautions to prevent transmission.
Newborns of infected mothers should be constantly monitored, and “infant feeding practices, including whether to stop breastfeeding for a mother infected with the virus, should be assessed on a case-by-case basis”.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, July 14, arrested former managing director of National Stock Exchange (NSE) Chitra Ramkrishna in an alleged case of money laundering and illegal phone-tapping to snoop on employees. After allowing the arrest, a special court in Delhi allowed the ED four-day custodial interrogation of Ramkrishna.
She was produced in the court from the Tihar Central Jail, where she is lodged after being arrested in the case by the CBI, on a warrant issued on a plea filed by the ED. The ED arrested Ramkrishna on the ground of non-cooperation in the probe and asked the court for her nine-day custodial interrogation. The court allowed four. According to the ED, between 2009 to 2017, former NSE CEO Ravi Narain, Ramkrishna, executive vice-president Ravi Varanasi, head (Premises) Mahesh Haldipur and others conspired to cheat the NSE and its employees. A company called iSec Services Pvt Ltd was engaged for illegal interception of phone calls of employees of the NSE in the guise of studying “cyber vulnerabilities”. iSec was represented by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey. The firm illegally intercepted calls of its employees by installing an illegal machine without seeking the requisite permission from the competent authority as mandated under law.
Kyiv )TIP): A Russian ammunition depot was apparently targeted by Ukrainian forces overnight, resulting in a massive blast captured on social media. The Ukrainian military’s southern command said the rocket strike targeted the depot in Russian-held Nova Kakhovka, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) east of the important Black Sea port city of Kherson, which is also occupied by Russian forces. Video on social media showed a massive explosion. The nature of the strike suggested that Ukrainian forces used US-supplied multiple-launch High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, to strike the area. Russia’s Tass news agency offered a different account, saying that the target was a mineral fertilizer storage facility that exploded, and that a market, hospital and houses were damaged. Some of the ingredients in fertilizer can be used for ammunition.
Ukrainian authorities also said that Russian fire struck the southern city of Mykolaiv on July 13 morning, hitting two medical facilities and residential buildings. Four people were wounded in the shelling attack, Mykolaiv regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram.
Air raid sirens sounded early Tuesday morning in the western city of Lviv and other areas of Ukraine as Russian forces continued to make advances. According to a Tuesday intelligence briefing from the British military, Russia is continuing to make “small, incremental gains” in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where heavy fighting led the province’s governor last week to urge its 350,000 remaining residents to move to safer places in western Ukraine.
Yet many in the Donbas, a fertile industrial region in eastern Ukraine made of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, refuse — or are unable — to flee, despite scores of civilians being killed and wounded each week. The death toll in a Russian rocket attack that struck an apartment building in eastern Ukraine on Saturday has risen to 34. The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, PavloKyrylenko, made the announcement on social media, saying nine wounded people had been recovered from the building in ChasivYar.
The British intelligence briefing said Russia had seized the Ukrainian town of Hryhorivka and continued to push toward the Donetsk province cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
“Russian forces are likely maintaining military pressure on Ukrainian forces whilst regrouping and reconstituting for further offensives in the near future,” the intelligence briefing said.
However, Russia may be relying more heavily on private forces, like the Wagner mercenary group, to avoid a general mobilization, the British said. AP
London (TIP): London’s Heathrow Airport is capping daily passenger numbers for the summer and telling airlines to stop selling tickets as it steps up efforts to quell travel chaos caused by soaring travel demand and staff shortages. Britain’s busiest airport said July 13 that it’s setting a limit of 100,000 passengers that it can handle each day through September 11. The restriction is likely to result in more cancelled flights even after airlines already slashed thousands of flights from their summer schedules. UK aviation authorities demanded that airlines ensure they can operate without disruption over the summer, with carriers not punished for not using their valuable takeoff and landing slots. Even with that allowance, Heathrow, which had warned a day earlier that it may ask airlines to cut flights further, said it still expected more passengers than airport ground staff could handle. “Some airlines have taken significant action, but others have not, and we believe that further action is needed now to ensure passengers have a safe and reliable journey,” Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said in an open letter to passengers.
Airlines are expected to operate flights over the summer with an overall daily capacity of 104,000 seats, or 4,000 more than Heathrow can handle, the airport said. Only about 1,500 of these daily seats have been sold to passengers. “So we are asking our airline partners to stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers,” Holland-Kaye said. Booming demand for summer travel after two years of Covid-19 travel restrictions have overwhelmed European airlines and airports that had laid off tens of thousands of pilots, cabin crew, check-in staff, ground crew and baggage handlers amid the depths of the pandemic.
Heathrow has said it started a recruiting drive in November and expects security staffing to be back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of July. “However, there are some critical functions in the airport which are still significantly under-resourced, in particular ground handlers, who are contracted by airlines to provide check-in staff, load and unload bags and turnaround aircraft,” making it a “significant constraint” to overall capacity, Holland-Kaye said. AP
London (TIP): Britain’s government will hold a confidence vote in itself on July 12, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s political spokeswoman said on Wednesday, after blocking an effort to bring one by the opposition Labour Party after ministers objected to its wording.
Johnson has said he will step down once the governing Conservative Party chooses a new leader, but the Labour Party wanted a vote of confidence against both the government and Johnson to try to force him to leave earlier.
The government blocked Labour’s attempt saying Johnson should be left out of any confidence motion. Conservative lawmakers – even those critical of Johnson – have said they will vote to support the government, given the prime minister has said he will step down. “We’re tabling a motion which gives the house (of Commons, lower house of parliament) the opportunity to decide if it has confidence in the government,” Johnson’s spokeswoman said, adding she believed it would be debated on Monday. Asked why Labour’s motion was blocked, she said a motion of confidence in the prime minister personally was not a good use of parliamentary time, and said Labour was “playing politics”. “However, we are now upholding the underlying constitutional principle that the government of the day must always command the confidence of the house,” she said. Reuters
Tokyo (TIP): Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on July 14 blamed inadequate police protection for the death of former leader Shinzo Abe, who was shot while giving an outdoor campaign speech.
Abe, one of Japan’s most influential politicians, was assassinated last Friday in western Japan, shocking a nation known for its low crime rate. Photos and videos of the shooting show the gunman was able to come close to Abe. Officials at the National Public Safety Commission and National Police Agency are investigating what went wrong and will come up with measures, Kishida said. “I urge them to fix what needs to be fixed, while also studying examples in other countries,” he said. Kishida also announced plans to hold a state funeral for Abe later this year, noting his contributions at home and in boosting Japan’s security alliance with the United States.
A smaller funeral ceremony was held at a temple in Tokyo on Tuesday for Abe, whose nationalistic views drove the governing party’s conservative policies.
A suspect was arrested immediately after Abe was shot on Friday and is being held for questioning. Police and media reports say he told investigators that a rumoured link between Abe and a religious group the suspect hated was the reason he killed the former prime minister.
The suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, served briefly in Japan’s navy. He was reportedly upset because his mother made large donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted the family.
The assassination of Abe has shed a light on links between the governing Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church, which is known for its conservative and anti-communist beliefs and its mass weddings. The Japan branch of the South Korean-based church confirmed on Monday that Yamagami’s mother was a member and that Abe was not. Abe has appeared in video messages to groups affiliated with the church. AP
Kyiv (TIP): Renewed Russian artillery barrages across Ukraine killed at least five civilians and wounded another 18 in the past day, the office of Ukraine’s president reported on July 13 as Moscow attempted to expand and consolidate its gains in the country’s east. Most of the deaths occurred in Donetsk province, which is part of a region where pro-Russia separatists have fought for eight years and the Kremlin is intent on capturing. The city of Bakhmut faced particularly heavy shelling as the current focus of Russia’s offensive, Donetsk administrative chief PavloKyrylenko said. In adjacent Luhansk province, which Russian and separatist forces have all but conquered, Ukrainian soldiers battled to retain control of two outlying villages amid the shelling, Gov. SerhiyHaidai said. Luhansk and Donetsk together make up Ukraine’s Donbas region, a mostly Russian-speaking region of steel factories, mines and other industries vital to the economy.
The Russians are “deliberately turning Donbas into ashes, and there will be just no people left on the territories captured,” Haidai said.
Russian artillery also rained down in northeast Ukraine, where a regional governor, Oleg Syniehubov, accused Russian forces of trying to “terrorize civilians” in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. With Russia’s sights set on the east, the Ukrainian military has tried to reclaim captured cities in the south. The Ukrainian military claimed Tuesday to have used missiles to destroy a Russian ammunition depot in occupied Nova Kakhovka, a city east of the Black Sea port of Kherson.
The precision of the depot strike suggested Ukrainian forces had employed US-supplied multiple-launch High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, a type of weapon for which the government in Kyiv repeatedly appealed.
Russia’s Tass news agency said the reported blast occurred when a mineral fertilizer storage facility exploded. Some of the ingredients in fertilizer can be used for ammunition. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and Russian officials are expected to meet face-to-face Wednesday for the first time in months.
Military delegations from the two countries and Turkey plan to hold talks in Istanbul on a potential deal to get grain out of Ukraine’s blockaded and mined ports. United Nations representatives also were involved in the talks. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s invasion halted shipments, endangering food supplies in many developing countries and contributing to higher global prices.
In other developments:
The leader of a Moscow-backed separatist government in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province said foreign fighters convicted of terrorism and trying to overturn constitutional order for working with Ukrainian troops have appealed their death sentences.
If the appellate court in the separatists’ self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic rejects the appeals, two British men and a Moroccan could face a firing squad. Rebel leader Denis Pushilin said about 100 members of Ukrainian National Guard battalion captured after the fall of the city of Mariupol were scheduled to appear before a court soon.
The United Nations refugee agency reported that most Ukrainian refugees want to return to their country but plan to wait until the war subsides. Nearly two-thirds plan to stay put in their host countries for now. The vast majority of refugees from Ukraine are women and children. The UN agency’s findings came in a survey based on 4,900 interviews with refugees in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Just under one in 10 of the Ukrainian refugees surveyed said they planned to move to another host country within the next month. AP
Karachi (TIP): In a gruesome incident, a Pakistani man has allegedly killed and boiled his wife in a cauldron in front of his six children here in the country’s Sindh province, a media report said on July 14. Police on Wednesday found Nargis’s body in a cauldron in the kitchen of a private school in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area of the city after her husband boiled her on Wednesday, Geo News reported.
According to the police, the woman’s husband Ashiq from Bajaur Agency worked as a watchman at the school and lived in the servant quarters of the school that had been closed for about eight to nine months. The police said the victim’s 15-year-old daughter called them after Ashiq fled with three of his children following the harrowing incident.
District East Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdur Rahim Sherazi was quoted by Geo News as saying that the police had the custody of the other three children.
“They are shaken and traumatised,” said SSP Sherazi. The police took the deceased to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities, said Sherazi.
The official said the preliminary investigations and the children’s statements suggested that the suspect strangulated his wife with a pillow before boiling her in the cauldron in front of them.
One of the woman’s legs had also been severed from her body, he added. The reason behind the incident is yet to be determined. However, it was speculated that the husband forced his wife to engage in illicit relationships and then murdered her when she refused to do so, the report added. A case has been registered and raids are being carried out to arrest the suspect. The shocking event brought back the horrific memories of a similar incident that occurred about 11 years ago when in November 2011 police arrested a woman for killing her husband and attempting to cook his body parts after he planned to marry another woman without her permission, the report said. (PTI)
Colombo (TIP): Sri Lankan President GotabayaRajapaksa has resigned, Parliament Speaker MahindaYapaAbeywardena officially announced on July 15, after a week of dramatic developments and massive protests against the government for “mishandling the economy” that bankrupted the country. The 73-year-old leader on July 14 emailed his resignation letter to the Speaker soon after he was allowed by Singapore to enter the city-state on a “private visit”.
On July 15 morning, Speaker Abeywardena formally announced that President Rajapaksa had resigned. In a brief press statement, the Speaker said Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe would act as President until a new leader is elected. He urged public to allow peaceful environment for all lawmakers to take part in the process which should finish within seven days. The Sri Lankan Parliament will meet on Saturday.
The Speaker had received the resignation letter from Rajapaksa through the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore on Thursday night. However, he wanted to make the official announcement after the verification process and legal formalities, his media secretary IndunilAbeywardena had said. On Saturday, Rajapaksa had announced to step down on July 13 after thousands of protesters stormed his official residence, blaming him for the unprecedented economic crisis that has brought the country to its knees. He, however, fled to the Maldives without resigning from his office. From Maldives, he went to Singapore on Thursday. A spokesperson for Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Rajapaksa had been “allowed entry into Singapore on a private visit”. He had not asked for asylum and neither had he been granted any asylum, the spokesperson said, adding that Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum. Rajapaksa was the first person with the army background to be elected as Sri Lanka’s President in 2019. (PTI)
Tibet (TIP): Amidst a rousing reception by Ladakhi students and other people in Jammu, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on July 15 raised the issue of autonomy of Tibet. The Dalai Lama who is scheduled to take a flight to Leh, if weather permits, tomorrow said he was not seeking independence of Tibet, but a meaningful autonomy within the Republic of China. “More and more Chinese people now realise that the Dalai Lama is not seeking independence but a meaningful autonomy and preservation of Tibetan Buddhist culture within China,” the Dalai Lama said while talking to reporters outside the hotel where he will stay. His month-long stay in Ladakh will start tomorrow, two days before India and China are likely scheduled to meet for their 16th Corps Commander level talks that will reportedly focus on easing tensions along Line of Actual Control (LAC). Asked about China’s objection to his visits in Ladakh earlier, he said this was usual. “This is usual. Not Chinese people but some hardliners there consider me as a separatist and reactionary. But now more and more Chinese are showing interest in Tibetan Buddhism. Some of the Chinese scholars realise Tibetan Buddhism is a scientific religion. Now things are changing,” he said.
A large number of Ladakhi students and other people gathered in front of the hotel where the Dalai Lama will stay today in Jammu. The spiritual leader waved at them from inside his car.
The Dalai Lama’s visit to Ladakh after four years has filled people of the region with enthusiasm. Tight security arrangements have been made in the northernmost Union Territory of the country for the visit. He will go in one-week isolation after reaching the cold desert and will deliver religious sermons in the Choglamsar area of Leh district thereafter. (TNS)
TORONTO (TIP): The Consulate General of India, Toronto, has expressed hurt at the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vishnu temple in Richmond Hill. In a tweet, it said, “We are distressed at the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vishnu temple in Richmond Hill. This criminal, hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We are in contact with Canadian authorities to investigate this hate crime.”
WASHINGTIN, D.C. (TIP): Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has introduced a legislative amendment in the US House of Representatives, seeking a waiver to India against the punitive CAATSA sanctions for its purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia, underlining that this will strengthen the US-India defense ties and deter “aggressors.” CAATSA is a tough US law that authorizes the administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defense hardware from Russia in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections. The law was brought in 2017 and provides for punitive actions by the US government against any country engaged in transactions with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors. In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defense missile systems, despite a warning from the then-Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.
“While India faces immediate needs to maintain its heavily Russian-built weapons systems, a waiver to sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) during this transition period is in the best interest of the US and the US-India defense partnership to deter aggressors in light of Russia and China’s close partnership,” says the legislative amendment moved by Khanna, the Democratic lawmaker from California.
“The historic amendment will strengthen the US-India defense partnership and ensure that India does not face crippling sanctions at a time when we need to build the alliance,” Khanna told PTI, a day after introducing the legislation. It is an utmost significant and urgent initiative to bolster the US-India relationship, he said. The legislative amendment says that India faces immediate and serious regional border threats from China, with continued military aggression by the Chinese government along the India-China border.
Noting that India relies on Russian-built weapons for its national defense, the legislative amendment says that the United States should take additional steps to encourage India to accelerate its transition off Russian-built weapons and defense systems while strongly supporting India’s immediate defense needs. The US has not yet made any decision on potential sanctions or waivers to India under CAATSA law, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April. The Ministry of External Affairs has said that India was pursuing an independent foreign policy and its defense acquisitions are guided by its national security interests.
Dr. Reddy with performers.American Telangana Society (ATS) and Telugu Association of Greater Chicago (TAGC) with the support of TANA, NATA, NATS, NRIVA, NCAIA, IAGC, FIA, TDF, CHITA and invited guests.
CHICAGO, IL (TIP): Tens of families from Chicago suburbs witnessed the felicitation of acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer, guru and 2022 Padma Shri awardee, Dr. G. Padmaja Reddy, at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago by American Telangana Society(ATS) and Telugu Association of Greater Chicago(TAGC) with the support of TANA, NATA, NATS, NRIVA, NCAIA, IAGC, FIA, TDF and CHITA, on Friday July 8th. Padma Shri award is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India.
The evening started with the president of the Hindu temple, Bhakshish Rawal and entire team welcoming Padma Shri Padmaja Reddy and all the Indian Origin community leaders of prominent Indian associations in Greater Chicago area. The event was Kick started by Kalyan Anandula, Founder Trustee of American Telangana Society(ATS) welcoming all the guests to the event and highlighting the motive behind this felicitation. The classical Kuchipudi performances by students of renowned Kuchipudi gurus Sobha Tammana and Mahalakshmi Varadhan stood spectacular and cherished the audience. Later on, Past-President of ATS, Satya Kandimalla, General Secretary of ATS, Venkat Manthena, President Narender Chemarla, Treasurer Ramchandra Reddy Ade and chairman Karunakar Madhavaram acknowledged and admired Dr. Padmaja Reddy’s love, sincerity and commitment for promoting arts, most specifically Kuchupudi, by not her just training tens and thousands of students through thousands performances world wide but also for many other reasons that Dr. Padmaja Reddy stood for identifying the challenges of the girl child community challenges from many areas across India and chose to promote to end such challenges via Kuchupudi in her 40 years of vast career, despite no one from her family and friends in the dance field.
Prominent community leaders, TAGC President-Elect Parameswara Reddy Yarasani, Venkat Gunuganti, Ranga Reddy Lenkala, Vinitha Podduturi and several others from the above mentioned NRI community organization felicitated by individually addressing, acknowledging, and emphasizing Dr. Padmaja efforts for her 4 decades of efforts and dedication which was a take home for many youngsters who were present at the event.
The event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of many volunteers.
The launch of the book in London by Akshay Kumar ( 6th from the left)Noted film critic Murtaza Ali Khan who translated Ajit Rai’s book into English
NEW YORK (TIP): Prof. Indrajit Saluja, Chief Editor / Publisher, The Indian Panorama and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Tirlok Malik congratulated noted Indian critic Ajit Rai for his groundbreaking book ‘Hindujas and Bollywood,’ about the evolution of Bollywood and the role that the Hinduja brothers played in making it a global brand, which was recently launched in London by the Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar.Prof. Indrajit Saluja and Tirlok Malik also congratulated renowned Indian film critic Murtaza Ali Khan who has translated Ajit Rai’s book into English. Akshay, who was last seen in ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ has several films in the pipeline including ‘Raksha Bandhan,’ which is slated to hit the screens on August 11, was the chief guest at the book launch event organized at the Institute of Directors in Pal Mall, London.
‘Hindujas and Bollywood’ recounts the untold story of the ubiquitous popularity of Hindi classics like ‘Awaara,’ ‘Sholay,’ ‘Guide,’ ‘Sangam,’ etc. Today, Bollywood is widely recognized as a global brand and it’s almost synonymous with India in the global arena. But not many people know that around seven decades ago, the Hinduja brothers started this global journey of Hindi films long before the moniker ‘Bollywood’ got attached to the Hindi film industry. That they helped produce countless films long before NFDC came into being and long before banks started lending money to the film producers. Sharing his thoughts about Ajit Rai’s pathbreaking book, Murtaza Ali Khan said, “I am eternally grateful to Ajit Rai for trusting me with the responsibility to translate such as important and scholarly work of cinema history into the English language. In my decade and a half long career as a film journalist, I have seldom read something as riveting, compelling, and eye-opening written about Indian cinema. And, it is nothing less than a masterclass in film history. I hope the readers of this book will be able to gain some valuable insights about how Bollywood first started emerging as a global brand, a journey that began in Iran almost seven decades back.”
‘Hindujas and Bollywood’ is now available on Amazon for online booking.
After independence, Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, had set the concept of appointing Advisors in motion when he named JJ Anjaria as the country’s first Chief Economic Advisor in 1956. Among those who followed JJ Anjaria was Indira Gandhi’s pick Dr Manmohan Singh who remained country’s Chief Economic Adviser from 1972 to 1976.
By Prabhjot Singh
Appointing Advisors by spending huge sums of public money for soliciting expert advice to facilitate the formulation and improve the quality of public policy is nothing new in liberal democracies. Ever since Independence, both the central and state governments have been making use of experts from outside the gambit of the available political or administrative machinery for their advice on matters of public interest or welfare. The governments have been using consultancies, think tanks, academicians, and technocrats, to obtain expert opinion or advice while formulating plans.
After independence, Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, had set the concept of appointing Advisors in motion when he named JJ Anjaria as the country’s first Chief Economic Advisor in 1956. Among those who followed JJ Anjaria was Indira Gandhi’s pick Dr Manmohan Singh who remained country’s Chief Economic Adviser from 1972 to 1976.
The central government has since come a long way and now it has several very “powerful” Advisors, including the National Security Advisor, a position, though outside the purview of the Constitution, that has been shared by superannuated diplomats and policemen. The Chief Economic Adviser continues to be drawn from amongst the economists.
In 1999-2000, the Union Government also appointed the country’s first Principal Scientific Advisor in Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. It is pertinent to mention that Dr Manmohan Singh (Chief Economic Advisor) and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam (Principal Scientific Advisor) rose to be the Prime Minister and President of the country, respectively. The appointments made on the basis of professional acumen and competence, generally remain free of any controversies. However, when the Advisors are appointed out of sheer political compulsions, they invariably get mired in controversies.
There is a lot of ambiguity in the choice and classification of Advisors. There is a category of Advisors who are serving bureaucrats, technocrats, financial experts and are hand-picked for “plum” posts that generally fall in the category of ex-cadre posts.
The second category is of political appointees as Advisors. These appointments, if made for office for profit slots, need legislative approval.
Chandigarh Administration is an example where serving bureaucrats hold the position of Adviser to the Administrator. The practice started in June, 1984, coinciding with the launch of Operation Bluestar in Punjab. K Banarji, who was the last Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, became the first Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh. Since then, 18 Advisers have served the Administration.
This category of “official” Advisers have their pay packets and service conditions protected by the civil service rules.
There is another subgroup of these Advisors who are superannuated bureaucrats, including diplomats, and financial wizards. Most of the Central Government Advisors belong to this group.
There are no fixed norms like pay packets and service conditions for the political category of Advisers. Depending upon the status or clout of the appointee, his or her perks are fixed.
It depends upon the State Governments or the Central Government to decide how to make best use of expert advisors in the policy process.
The recent controversy about the appointment of Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha as Chairman of an Interim Advisory Committee has political implications. The Opposition parties are using it as a major tool to bash the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party for subjugating the interests of the State. The appointment has been challenged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the plea that an “outsider” has no locus standi to hold a position in a policy making body of the State.
Punjab has a long history of being ruled by Advisors. Since the State had the longest spell of President’s Rule in 80s, it had a number of superannuated bureaucrats, defense personnel and policemen as Advisors to the Governor or as members of the Governor-in-Council.Some of these Advisors, including JF Ribeiro, TS Baroca, Dr SS Sidhu, SL Kapur and others served for terms from one to three years. The Governor-in-Council virtually performed the role of the State Cabinet and used to take all major policy decisions.
Other than these Advisors, the discretion of appointing Advisors was frequently used in the post-militancy era by almost all Chief Ministers, including Parkash Singh Badal, Beant Singh, Capt Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi. And most of these appointments were made either under political compulsions or to oblige people close to the affluent political families of the State.
Instead of the State getting benefitted from the expert advice, these appointments are generally a big financial burden on deteriorating fiscal health of the State.
Though no one disputes the rights and privileges of the elected government to appoint Advisors to seek their expert opinion on various aspects of administration, including finances and governance, yet no provisions have been made to hold the Advisors responsible for advice that went against the interests of the State. Accountability clause is still not a part of terms of service conditions for the Advisors. There is no mechanism in place to judge the quality of the advice and the likelihood of it being accepted and implemented for the welfare of the people.
The mechanisms to make external experts or Advisors as active participants in the formulation of policies , and related factors or considerations influence the ability of governments to accept expert advice and incorporate it in their policy decisions are still to be worked out.
Now when the AAP Government wants to use the expertise of Raghav Chadha to improve the fiscal health of the State, no one is talking about the role and work of the previous Financial Adviser, VK Garg, a retired bureaucrat appointed by the previous Congress Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. Intriguingly, in 2017, when Captain Amarinder Singh named six of his party legislators as Political Advisors by according Cabinet Minister status to five of them and Minister of State status to the sixth, Bhagwant Mann was one of the frontline critics of the move saying it would put unnecessary burden on the State exchequer.There is no continuity in the expert advice or its continued implementation in the State.
(The author is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows. For more in-depth analysis please visit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)
Mr. Prem Bhandari honoring Nidhi and Kripa and their guru Bina MenonA view of the gathering
NEW YORK (TIP): Rajasthan girl Nidhi Ladha and her companion Kripa Patel cast a magic spell with their Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi dance performances at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City last week. Nidhi and Kripa are disciples of Bina Menon who runs the famous Kalashri School of Arts in New York. Jugal Ladha and Dipak Patel, parents of Nidhi and Kripa respectively are NRIs, and they are very supportive of their daughters. Mr. Prem Bhandari, President of Rajasthan Association of North America was the chief guest. He presented to Bina Menon a citation from the Mayor of New York. He also honored the two performers. Among the 600 guests who packed the room, were Swami Avadheshanand Giri and V Muralidharan, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs. The two were highly appreciative of the talented dance guru Bina Menon and her disciples Nidhi and Kripa. Indian American community leaders Mr. Albert Jasani and Mr. Rajiv Bhambri presented to Nidhi and Kripa certificates of appreciation.
Chicago DestroyersMujeeb Ahmed receiving the Player of The Match award
CHICAGO, IL (TIP): The most awaited sporting event in Chicago, Chicago Premier League 20/20 tournament, kicked off with much fanfare on Thursday. Skokie Sports was lit up with new LED lights on six light poles. The cricket pitch had ample of light in the middle, which eliminates an issue that most players face when they bat on any of the grounds in Chicagoland. The players and team owners were absolutely thrilled at the new addition to infrastructure which has been overlooked by many organizers. CPL owner Adil Azeem Khan said, “This is just the beginning of better cricketing infrastructure in Chicago and that he has planned several more improvements along the way to wow the Chicago crowd.”
Chicago Phantoms and Chicago Destroyers opened the 2022 Chicago Premier League (CPL) season. Phantoms won the toss and elected to bat first. Usama Farqaleet and Jasim Sajjad opened the innings but were marred by the quick fall of Usama to Yash Mehta’s bowling for 5 runs. Mujeeb Ahmed stepped in for Usama and not only did he hold his wicket down till the last over but made a spectacular 110 of 62 balls before he succumbed to Vineet Sinha’s quick pace and a poorly executed shot. Rest of the team contributed little in terms of runs but nevertheless rotating strike so Mujeeb could continue with his onslaught of the Destroyers offense. Phantoms set the target to 175 in 20 overs. Vineet Sinha was the best bowler on the offensive side with 4 overs, 19 runs, 2 wickets and an economy rate of just 4.75, Shaheer Hasan was the most expensive with an economy rate of 16.00. Fahad Babar and Zohad Hussain opened the innings for Destroyers and with the exceptional batting line up did not have any pressure while they continued to destroy the bowling attack of the Phantoms. The fall of the first wicket came at the total score of 90 in the 10th over with Zohad succumbing to Umama Azmi. Shaheer Hasan took on the role of keeping the wicket on one end and continued to chip at the total but could not get a partnership going with falling wickets on the other end. Phantoms exerted pressure on the batters and got Fahad Babar, Venkatesh Naidu, Yash Mehta out within a span of 20 runs. The loss of wickets at frequent intervals slowed down the onslaught of Destroyers and put both teams on an even keel.
Destroyers failed to recover their momentum from the fall of Yash Mehta in the 14th over. The game came to the wire in the last over and Phantoms held the Destroyers back by 4 runs to win the season opener by a 4-run margin.
Mujeeb Ahmed was awarded the Player of The Match award for his contribution with his bat. He also collected the award for his century in the innings.
(Photographs and Press release by/ Asian Media USA)
NEW YORK (TIP): The number of likely monkeypox cases in New York City has once again doubled in a week. And the demand for the monkeypox vaccine is far outpacing the supply, causing frustration for many New Yorkers who say they can’t get an appointment to get a shot. As of Tuesday, July 12, 267 people in the city have tested positive for orthopoxvirus (see below) and all likely have monkeypox, according to the city’s Health Department. That is up from 111 cases on July 5 and more than quadruple the number from a week prior to that. “There are likely more cases that have not been diagnosed,” the Health Department said on its website. “Most of these people have not been hospitalized and have recovered on their own.” The current outbreak is among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, the Health Department said, but anyone can get and spread monkeypox.
Monkeypox town hall
Health officials are looking to work with organizations, representatives, and advocates from LGBTQ community to share resources, answer questions, and get feedback. Dr. Mary Bassett, the state’s health commissioner, and Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner, hosted a joint virtual town hall to update the public on the monkeypox outbreak.
Health officials with the city and the state said they are looking to work with organizations, representatives, and advocates from LGBTQ community to share resources, answer questions, and get feedback.
Dr. Mary Bassett, the state’s health commissioner, and Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner, hosted a joint virtual town hall on Monday evening to update the public on the “evolving monkeypox outbreak.”
Monkeypox Symptoms
Monkeypox begins as a rash or sores that can look like pimples or blisters. These bumps can appear all over the body — including your face, hands, feet, mouth, genitals or anus — and can become infected.
The symptoms usually start between a week to two weeks after exposure but may not appear for up to 21 days. The sickness can last from two to four weeks with flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, headache, and body aches and pains — like a weaker version of smallpox. “If you have a new or unexpected rash or other symptoms of monkeypox, contact a health care provider,” the Health Department states. “A person is contagious until all sores have healed, and a new layer of skin has formed, which can take two to four weeks.”
Monkeypox Vaccination
Vaccination involves getting two doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which the FDA has approved to prevent “smallpox and monkeypox disease in adults 18 years of age and older determined to be at high risk,” the agency states. The doses are administered four weeks apart.
Demand for the vaccine has been high and supply has been low, which prompted New York City to request more shots from the federal government last week.
Appointments filled up very quickly when the Health Department opened more slots on Tuesday. Many people reported getting error messages when they tried to book an appointment online, the Health Department said. “This is just further proof that demand is very high, and we will continue working to make vaccine available,” DOH said in a statement. “We apologize for the frustration caused and are working to build stable appointment infrastructure as we roll out more appointments as vaccine supply increases in the coming weeks. We look forward to receiving more doses in the near future to provide to New Yorkers.”
What Is Orthopoxvirus?
Public laboratories in New York state test patient samples for orthopoxvirus, the genus, or group, of viruses that cause monkeypox, smallpox, and other diseases.
“Cases that are confirmed positive for orthopoxvirus are considered probable monkeypox cases because of the rarity of all orthopoxviruses, generally, and the presentation of symptoms, in confirmed orthopoxvirus cases, being consistent with monkeypox,” the New York State Health Department states on its website. “Confirmed orthopoxvirus cases, or probable monkeypox cases, may be further confirmed as monkeypox through CDC testing.”
BRAMPTON (TIP): Punjabi-origin MP from Brampton West Kamal Khera got married to Jaspreet Dhillon in Canada. Kamal Khera was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Brampton West in 2015 and has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. Minister Khera is one of the youngest women ever elected to Parliament. A registered nurse, community volunteer, and political activist, she is passionate about improving the lives of those around her. Prior to entering politics, Khera worked as a registered nurse in the oncology unit at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, where she gained a deeper understanding of the issues that impact people’s health and well-being every day.
JALANDHAR (TIP): Indian-origin and former Punjab badminton player Rohan Kapoor has once again made Jalandhar proud as he bagged the gold medal in the Perfly Nations Cup 2022, which was held at Schiltigheim (Strasbourg), France recently.
The tournament was played between the European Countries and Rohan represented England in the tournament. Hailing from Adda Hoshiarpur Chowk here, Rohan has been staying in the UK for around three decades now. He comes from a family of badminton players. His brother Rohit Kapoor has represented Punjab in the national badminton championships and had won a silver medal in the tournament organized by the School Games Federation of India in Dhanbad.
His father Raj Pal Kapoor and sister Heena Kapoor were also associated with the sport. Both had represented India in various national-level championships. Raj Pal Kapoor said: “It was a proud moment for the family seeing Rohan competing in France. He had earlier also won gold in the Open Badminton Championship held in England.”
He said Rohan’s team managed to beat Ireland, Switzerland, France, Holland, Germany and Denmark and took the trophy home. “On call, Rohan told me every single detail about the cup and how wonderful his experience was. He told me that England’s triumph in the Nation’s Cup was the result of a team effort,” he added. He further said his son was now gearing up for the European Championship, which would be held from August 7 to 13 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Talking about Rohan’s past achievements, Raj Pal Kapoor said, “Before migrating to the UK, Rohan used to play for his native city Jalandhar. He has won the senior Punjab open badminton championship four times. Besides, he had won junior and sub-junior Punjab open badminton championships”. He said his son completed his studies in 2000 from DAV College here and represented Punjab in the national badminton championships for over 10 years. He also served the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board for three years between 1998 and 2000 and won multiple badminton medals for the department.
DALLAS (TIP): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has named Arun Agarwal, Indian American philanthropist and the CEO of a Dallas-based home textile company, to the Texas Economic Development Corporation’s (TxEDC’s) Board of Directors. Governor Abbott tapped Agarwal, along with eight other Texas executives, to market the state nationally and globally to relocate a business and create new jobs. “Their efforts will be instrumental in amplifying the success of TxEDC in promoting Texas as a premier business destination,” Abbott said in a statement. Agarwal is the CEO of home textile company NEXTT. “This is a tremendous honor for the Indian American diaspora in the United States,” said Agarwal. “The Governor realizes the tremendous power our community holds in this country as the hardest-working, highest-earning ethnic minority, and, together, we hope to make Texas the most successful hub for small and large business owners globally,” he said.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian American Naureen Hassan will join as the President of UBS Americas and CEO of UBS Americas Holding LLC. She will succeed long-time UBS Americas chief Tom Naratil on October 3. Hassan is currently the first vice president and chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. “I am delighted to welcome Naureen Hassan to UBS,” said Group CEO Ralph Hamers. Hassan, who will also serve on UBS Group’s Executive Board, will be “responsible for driving client relationships, promoting cross-business collaboration, navigating the evolving public policy landscape, and ensuring sound regulatory and reputational risk governance,” the company said in a press release.
UBS Americas is the subsidiary of the Zurich, Switzerland, -based UBS Group AG, the world’s biggest wealth manager. Hassan, who grew up in south central Pennsylvania and earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, will lead UBS’s “strategic growth and digital initiatives in the Americas region, including the transformation of the firm’s Wealth Management Americas Platform, expansion of digitally customized banking services, implementation of the Wealthfront acquisition upon closure, and the rollout of UBS Circle One in the region,” the release said.
In another major personnel change, Iqbal Khan will become the president of UBS’ Global Wealth Management division. Khan, a Swiss national, has been co-president of the division, along with Naratil, since 2019. As the first vice president, Hassan is the second highest-ranking officer at the New York Fed and an alternate voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets the U.S. monetary policy. The New York Fed is the most influential among the 12 equal Federal Reserve Banks, and, therefore, considered first among equals. It is the largest Federal Reserve Bank in the country in terms of assets and most active by volume. It is also the place where the U.S. monetary policy is implemented. Prior to joining New York Fed, Hassan served as the chief digital officer of wealth management at Morgan Stanley. Before joining Morgan Stanley in March 2016, she was an executive vice president of investor services, segments and platforms, at Charles Schwab Corporation. Hassan started her career at McKinsey & Company, as business analyst and associate principal. Hassan’s parents are immigrants from Kerala, India. Her father, Javad K. Hassan, is a prominent technology leader based in the Washington, DC, area. Javad Hassan, a former senior executive at IBM and former president of Global Inter Connect Systems at AMP Inc (now TE Connectivity), is the chairman of the McLean, VA, -based NeST Group.
Punjab and Haryana have already been locked in unending battles over various contagious issues, including future of Chandigarh, sharing of rivers water, transfer of Punjabi speaking areas, bifurcation of Punjab and Haryana High Court, introduction of Central Pay scales for employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and bringing Panjab University under central control.
By Prabhjot Singh
Growing concerns over continuous felling of trees and shrinking green cover notwithstanding, the Chandigarh Administration on directions from the union home minister, is all set to allot a huge green strip of land adjoining KalaGram on Chandigarh-Panchkula Road for construction of new Haryana Vidhan Sabha complex.
More than an animated debate that has been set in motion over the announcement of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it has also stirred a hornet’s nest as ecologists and environmentalists, too, are up in their arms to protest against allotment of a green patch of land. Amit Shah made this announcement in Jaipur during the Northern Council meeting late last week.
Needless to reiterate, this “provocative” action of the BJP leadership has prompted various political parties, especially their Punjab and Haryana units, to launch their fresh political tirades over one of several inter-State issues evading solutions for a long time.
Punjab and Haryana have already been locked in unending battles over various contagious issues, including future of Chandigarh, sharing of rivers water, transfer of Punjabi speaking areas, bifurcation of Punjab and Haryana High Court, introduction of Central Pay scales for employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and bringing Panjab University under central control.
Some of these long-standing issues are at different stages of adjudication at various forums. The rivers water issue is pending before the Apex Court.
The demand for separate High Courts for both Punjab and Haryana has been in the boiling pot for more than a decade now. Same is the case with transferring control of Panjab University to Centre. Interestingly, Panjab University is technically already under central court as the Vice-President of India is its ex-officio, Chancellor. Though Panjab University owes its roots to Lahore, now in Pakistan, it got its new campus in Chandigarh after the 1947 partition. As a part of the Reorganization Act, 1966, its status changed from a state university to a partial central government monitored university. In the case of State universities, the Governor is the Chancellor. Speaker of Haryana Vidhan Sabha Gian Chand Gupta had been raising the demand for more space for Haryana in the existing Vidhan Sabha complex that forms a part of the Capital complex.
His argument has been that a portion of the complex allotted to Haryana was far short of the agreed upon ratio of 60:40. Issue raised by him was nothing new as Haryana had been demanding for a long time a separate Haryana High Court against the present set up of a joint Punjab and Haryana High Court. Now the demand for allotment of land for construction of separate High Courts has also gained momentum. Latest to join the separate High Courts chorus are incumbent Chief Ministers of the two States. A couple of months ago, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced the implementation of Central Pay scales for employees of the Chandigarh Administration. At the time of reorganization, it was suggested that till the time the future of Chandigarh was decided, it would draw its employees from Punjab and Haryana in the 60:40 ratio.
However, in late 80s and early 90s, the Chandigarh Administration at the instance of the Union Government went ahead with its plan to create a Union Territory cadre thus gradually diminishing the share of employees on deputations from Punjab and Haryana.
A stage has now reached when UT cadre has grown to a strength that employees on deputation are not required any more. Earlier, the employees were mostly getting Punjab Pay scales. There were times when the Chandigarh Administration employees also got Central Pay Scales but whenever Punjab announced its revised pay scales, the UT employees would agitate and demand Punjab Pay scales. But now when the Central Government pay scales offer better wages and 60 years as retirement age, Chandigarh employees’ demand for central pay scales was conceded by Amit Shah to the great dismay of the Punjab government.
The SYL issue cropped up in recent months after an AAP MP from Delhi said that Haryana would get its share before the next Assembly elections in the State.
The Northern Council meeting, where all northern States participate and raise issues agitating them, especially those pertaining to neighboring States, has now once again revived jurisdictional issues. After Haryana welcomed the announcement of Amit Shah, Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, too, joined the issue demanding a similar allocation for both Punjab Vidhan Sabha and a separate Punjab High Court. At the Jaipur meeting, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar also made another announcement that his State would go for delimitation of its Assembly constituencies before the 2029 assembly elections. Once delimitation is notified, the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituencies would be redefined suggesting that the number of both Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha members will go up from the present strength of 10 and 90, respectively. After delimitation, the State will send 14 members to Lok Sabha and will have 126 as Vidhan Sabha members.
The demand for new Vidhan Sabha complex was made on the plea that the present complex was also congested for the existing 90 members and once the number of members goes up to 126, it will need a bigger complex.
“There is not enough space available in the existing building to even accommodate these 90 MLAs. Not only this, but it is also not possible to carry out the expansion, because it is a heritage building. It is, therefore, requested that sufficient space may be given in Chandigarh for the construction of a new additional building for the Vidhan Sabha,” Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said in his statement. The Haryana Speaker held a Press Conference in Chandigarh to support his demand. “We have been trying to get land for the last one year. The Chief Minister has a big role to play in taking the matter to Lok Sabha speaker, Vice President, and Union Home Minister.
“The present building doesn’t have space for ministers and Vidhan Sabha committees. Once we get the site, we will soon start the construction,” Gian Chand Gupta said.
Both Manohar Lal Khattar and Gian Chand Gupta have been categoric in maintaining that land for a new Vidhan Sabha complex did not mean or suggest that Haryana would leave its rightful share in the existing Vidhan Sabha building. Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of Opposition, Punjab, went a step ahead suggesting that if Haryana wants its separate Vidhan Sabha building, it should build it outside Chandigarh and preferably in Panchkula.
(The author is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows. For more in-depth analysis please visit probingeye.com or follow him on Twitter.com/probingeye. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)
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