The Indian Panorama

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  • Britney Spears gets nostalgic about childhood

    Britney Spears gets nostalgic about childhood

    Pop icon Britney Spears recently looked back at her childhood and compared it with kids growing up today. The 39-year-old singer took to Instagram today and reflected her hopes that “children realize there is way more to life than technology.” “Nowadays I feel like kids are very protected … there are crazy people out there … but there is a sense of loss and curiosity in children’s eyes cause everything is technology-driven,” she explained.

    Spears commenced her lengthy post by recalling visits to her cousins’ ranch as a young girl, where she and her cousins would play outside and let their imaginations run wild. “If you lived on a ranch in the south growing up … which I never did … most kids play outside !!!! My cousins lived on a ranch and we would usually play outside but of course we always found our way back inside to build playhouses or playhouse for hours with our dolls !!!!” the Toxic singer wrote.

    Although she was born in Mississippi, Britney was raised in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana with her older brother Bryan and little sister Jamie and their parents, Lynne and Jamie. She continued: “I feel like our parents let us roam more freely when we played outside because we all knew each other and it was such a safe area. The whole neighbourhood would hang out at my house … sit on the bar stools lined up playing video games … and most of them were in high school when I was a little and I was always begging for their attention because I didn’t know how to play video games!!!”

  • India logs lowest deaths in 2 months

    India logs lowest deaths in 2 months

    New Delhi (TIP): India on Friday, June 18, registered 62,480 cases and 1,587 deaths due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), taking the caseload and death toll to 29,762,793 and 383,490 respectively, according to the Union health ministry. Nearly 89,000 people recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative figures of recoveries have climbed to 28,580,647 while the active cases have come down to 798,656 and constitute 2.78 per cent of the caseload.

    Friday’s case count is 4,728 less than that of Thursday’s when 67,208 people tested positive for the viral disease. Since Wednesday, the country had been witnessing a marginal increase in its daily tally when 62,224 cases were reported. While on Tuesday, 60,471 people were detected Covid-19 positive, the lowest single-day rise in more than 70 days.

    Meanwhile, the toll on Friday has been the lowest since April 18 this year, when 1,501 people succumbed to Covid-19.

    A total of 387,167,696 samples have been tested for Covid-19 so far of which 1,929,476 were tested in the last 24 hours, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Friday.

    Even though India has managed to gain slight control over the second wave of the pandemic after it had witnessed its worst health crisis in April this year, the possibility of a third and more deadly wave is still lurking. It has been often pointed out that children will be more prone to the viral disease in the third wave in India due to which states and Union Territories (UTs)?have started ramping up their health infrastructure.

    However, a seroprevalence study carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has stated that the possible third wave of the pandemic is unlikely to disproportionately affect children than adults. The SARS-CoV-2 sero-positivity rate among children was high and was comparable to the adult population in the study, which was conducted in five selected sites including Delhi with a total sample size of 10,000.

    In Delhi, 74.7 per cent of the population, comprising both children and adults, were exposed to Covid-19, the WHO-AIIMS study found out. This is much greater seroprevalence than the Delhi government’s survey from January 1 where 56.1 per cent were found to have antibodies against the viral disease, Hindustan Times reported.

    Source: HT

  • Father’s Day: The special day for dads

    Father’s Day: The special day for dads

    Father’s Day is coming up. Though one does not need a specific date to celebrate the special man who is a parent, friend and guide, both children and dads look forward to Father’s Day on June 20. With covid-linked restrictions being gradually eased, may be, you can go and spend the day with your dad if he is living in a different place. If you’re not able to share a meal or watch a film together, still you can celebrate. You can send him a surprise Father’s Day gift or his favourite food. Do you know how and when the tradition of celebrating Father’s Day started?

    The third Sunday of June is celebrated as Father’s Day in most parts of the world. Father’s Day is a celebration of fathers, honouring fatherhood, paternal bonds and the role fathers play in society. This day was first proposed in 1909 to complement Mother’s Day celebrations.

    On this day children acknowledge and appreciate their fathers and father figures, who play an important role in their lives, be it emotionally, mentally or even financially. On this day children understand the importance of the role of a father in one’s life. This day acknowledges the contribution of fathers to their own families and society at large. Children buy or make presents for their father or father-like figure, write and draw cards, spend the day engaging in activities that can be enjoyed with one’s father, be it hiking, fishing or just sitting around watching some television. In India especially, most kids have a closer bond with their mothers, so this day definitely helps forge a closer relation with one’s dad.

    While India follows the US, and celebrates Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June every year, in other countries including Portugal, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Father’s Day is celebrated on March 19. And even though this is a Western tradition started in the United States of America, it has gained a lot of prominence in India in the past many years.

    Traditions of Father’s Day

    The date for Father’s Day changes from year-to-year. In most countries, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. The celebrations recognize the unique role a father or a father figure plays in our lives. Traditionally, countries such as Spain and Portugal, celebrate Father’s Day on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph. In Taiwan, Father’s Day is on August 8. In Thailand, December 5, the birthday of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is marked as Father’s Day.

    How did Father’s Day start?

    According to the almanac.com, the history of Father’s Day isn’t a happy one. It was first marked after a horrible mining accident in the United States. On July 5, 1908, hundreds of men died in a mining mishap at Fairmont in West Virginia. Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a dedicated reverend, suggested a Sunday service in memory of all the men who died in the accident.

    A few years later another woman, Sonora Smart Dodd, again started observing Father’s Day in honour of her father, a Civil War veteran who brought up six children as a single parent.

    Observing Father’s Day did not gain popularity in the US until several decades later when President Richard Nixon signed a declaration in 1972, making it an annual celebration on the third Sunday of June.

    Father’s Day started in the United States (US), however, it has gained a lot of prominence in India in the last few years.

    Father’s Day was first proposed by Sonora Smart Dodd in the USA. She and her five siblings were raised by her dad, who was a civil war veteran William Jackson Smart.

    Looking at her dad’s dedication and support towards the family, she wanted to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. Sonora wanted Father’s Day celebrations to be held on 5 June, which was her dad’s birthday, but due to the time constraints of the Church, the day was finally celebrated on the third Sunday of June.

    The first Father’s Day was celebrated on 19 June, 1910. Later, on 1 May, 1972, the then-President of the US Richard Nixon declared Father’s Day as a national holiday. Therefore, the first official Father’s Day celebration in the US was on 18 June, 1972.

    Does every country observe Father’s Day on same day?

    No, not all countries observe the day on the same date. While Father’s Day is celebrated in India, US and few other countries on the third Sunday of June (20 June) other countries including Portugal, Spain, Croatia and Italy observed Father’s Day on 19 March.

    In Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, Father’s Day is celebrated in the month of September.

    This special day signifies the pivotal role that fathers play in their children’s lives; be it emotionally, mentally or even financially. So, to make their fathers feel special, children on this day shower them with gifts, heart-warming cards and special dinners.

    Many try to spend more time than usual with their fathers. Others who are away from home call their father or visit him.

    Facts about Father’s Day

    –        The idea of Father’s Day was first proposed by Sonora Smart Dodd of the United States whose father, William Jackson Smart, was an American Civil War veteran.

    –        He raised her and her five siblings after her mother died. Thus, Sonora Dodd became an admirer and the idea of Fathers’ Day was proposed.

    –        The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in America.

    –        Later in 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers and declared the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day.

    –        Six years later in 1972, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law.

    –        In some countries, Father’s day is celebrated on June 19 but in most of the countries like the United States, Greece, India, France, Japan, Canada and China, this day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June.

    –        Just like mothers, fathers also play a very important part. Hence, this Father’s Day, thank your father for being your dad and helping you achieve the best in life.

  • 1 billion vaccine doses only a start: IMF chief

    The International Monetary Fund managing director says there’s a moral imperative for the world’s richest countries to back programmes to end the Covid-19 pandemic but the donation of excess vaccines is only the first step.

    Kristalina Georgieva’s comments in a virtual press conference at the Group of Seven summit on Sunday came after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped G-7 leaders would agree to provide at least 1 billion vaccine doses for poorer countries.

    Humanitarian groups have welcomed the donations, but are calling for money, increased production and logistical support to help developing countries where the virus is still raging.

    Georgieva said the donations are a good step but more needs to be done to overcome the hurdles needed to deliver shots into arms.

    “This is a moral imperative, but it is a necessity for the economic recovery to stick, because we can’t have the world split into two tracks without negative consequences,” Georgieva said.

    While almost half of the combined population of the G-7 nations has received at least one dose of vaccine, the worldwide figure is less than 13%. In Africa, it’s just 2.2%.

  • Iran votes in presidential poll tipped in hardliner’s favour

    Iran votes in presidential poll tipped in hardliner’s favour

    Dubai (TIP): Iran began voting June 17 in a presidential election tipped in the favour of a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fuelling public apathy and sparking calls for a boycott in the Islamic Republic. State-linked opinion polling and analysts put hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi as the dominant front-runner in a field of just four candidates.

    Former Central Bank chief, Abdolnasser Hemmati, is running as the race’s moderate candidate but hasn’t inspired the same support as outgoing President Hassan Rouhani, who is term limited from seeking the office again.

    If elected, Raisi would be the first serving Iranian president sanctioned by the US government even before entering office over his involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988, as well as his time as the head of Iran’s internationally criticised judiciary—one of the world’s top executioners.

    It also would firmly put hardliners in control across the Iranian government as negotiations in Vienna continue over trying to save Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers as it enriches uranium to the closest point yet to weapons-grade levels.

    Tensions remain high with both the US and Israel, which is believed to have carried out a series of attacks targeting Iranian nuclear sites and assassinating the scientist who created its military atomic programme decades earlier.

    Polls opened at 7 am local time for the vote, which has seen widespread public apathy after a panel under Khamenei barred hundreds of candidates, including reformists and those aligned with Rouhani. Khamenei cast the ceremonial vote from Tehran.

    There are more than 59 million eligible voters in Iran, a nation home to over 80 million people. However, the state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has estimated a turnout of just 42 per cent, which would be the lowest ever since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. (AP)

  • Rampaging bear in Japan injures 4 before being shot dead

    Tokyo (TIP): A wild brown bear on the lose all night in a city in northern Japan wounded four people, entered a military camp and disrupted flights at an airport on June 17 before being shot and killed by authorities.

    The bear was seen wandering through the streets of Sapporo in the early hours of Friday, triggering a number of calls to police. Over the next eight hours, Hokkaido prefectural police said the bear injured a woman in her 80s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 40s before attacking a soldier.

    Police said the condition of those injured was not known, but the Asahi newspaper reported that the man in his 40s suffered serious injuries to his chest, back and limbs after he was mauled by the bear while walking on the street.

    Footage on local television showed the bear wandering a street in Sapporo. Chased by a car, it crossed a busy road and forced its way into the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Okadama. The bear knocked down a uniformed soldier on duty at the gate.

    The soldier suffered cuts to his chest and stomach, but his injuries were not life threatening, according to the Defence Ministry.

    Next the bear ran through the camp and intruded onto the runway at a nearby airport, causing several flights to be grounded.

    The bear then ran into a forest, where it was shot by local hunters.

    Toshihiro Hamada, an official at Sapporo city environmental department, said the bear’s presence in town was a surprise and officials were investigating how the animal ended up in town.

    “We are sorry that four people were injured,” Hamada said.

    Brown bears roam mainly in Hokkaido forests, but experts say they have been increasingly spotted in inhabited areas looking for food, especially during the summer. (AP)

  • Canada’s first judge of colour in Supreme Court has roots in Gujarat

    Canada’s first judge of colour in Supreme Court has roots in Gujarat

    Ottawa (TIP): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 17 made history by nominating the first judge of colour to sit on the country’s Supreme Court, which has only ever had white justices in its 146-year existence.

    Mahmud Jamal, who has been a judge on Ontario’s court of appeal since 2019, trained as a lawyer and appeared before the Supreme Court in 35 appeals addressing a range of civil, constitutional, criminal and regulatory issues.

    “He’ll be a valuable asset to the Supreme Court – and that’s why, today, I’m announcing his historic nomination to our country’s highest court,” Trudeau said on Twitter.

    Trudeau has frequently said there is a need to address systemic racism in Canada.

    Jamal’s parents originally immigrated from Gujarat. He was  born in Nairobi in 1967, emigrated with his family to Britain in 1969 where he said he was “taunted and harassed because of my name, religion, or the colour of my skin.”

    In 1981, the family moved to Canada, where his “experiences exposed me to some of the challenges and aspirations of immigrants, religious minorities, and racialized persons,” he said in a document submitted to support his candidacy.

    Canada is a multicultural country, with more than 22 per cent of the population comprised of minorities and another 5 per cent aboriginal, according to the latest census.

    “We know people are facing systemic discrimination, unconscious bias and anti-black racism every single day,” Trudeau said last year.

    Jamal will replace Justice Rosalie Abella, who is due to retire from the nine-person court on July 1. (Reuters)

  • France’s Macron brings back customary kisses

    Paris (TIP): French President Emmanuel Macron has kissed two World War II veterans on the cheeks, returning to a tradition that was abandoned at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. French authorities have recommended people to avoid “la bise,” the custom of giving kisses of greeting, to avoid spreading the virus. Macron kissed the veterans on June 18 while wearing a mask.

    The president, who had Covid-19 in December and since been vaccinated against the disease, awarded the Legion of Honour to Leon Gautier, 98, a member of a French elite unite that took part in Normandy D-Day landings in 1944 and fellow World War II veteran Rene Crignola, 99, during a ceremony marking Gen. Charles De Gaulle’s June 18, 1940 appeal for the people of France to resist the Nazis.

    The French government this week announced a relaxation of virus restrictions, including allowing people to forego masks outdoors. A night time curfew is set to end on Sunday. (AP)

  • UK royal Kate sets up new centre to focus on importance of early years

    London (TIP): Kate, Britain’s Duchess of Cambridge, launches a new centre for early childhood on June 18 with the aim of raising the importance of the first five years of children’s lives and seeking to “transform society for generations to come”, her office said.

    The centre, set up as part of Kate and husband Prince William’s Royal Foundation charity arm, will focus on three main areas: promoting high-quality research; working with experts from all sectors to find solutions; and developing campaigns to raise awareness and inspire action.

    “I’ve spoken to psychiatrists and neuroscientists, to practitioners and academics and parents alike, and what has become clear is that the best investment for our future health and happiness is in the first five years of life,” Kate said.

    “By working together, my hope is that we can change the way we think about early childhood, and transform lives for generations to come.”

    Kensington Palace said Kate, who has three young children with William aged from three to seven, had seen first-hand since becoming a royal over a decade ago how issues from addiction and violence to family breakdown and homelessness all had their roots in the earliest years of life.

    To coincide with the launch, the centre has published a report ‘Big Change Starts Small’, written with help from the London School of Economics and The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (Reuters)

  • Pakistan says at times it feels India’s presence in Afghanistan perhaps ‘larger than it ought to be’

    Pakistan says at times it feels India’s presence in Afghanistan perhaps ‘larger than it ought to be’

    Islamabad (TIP): With India stepping up its diplomatic activities in Afghanistan’s peace process as the US prepares for the troops withdrawal, a jittery Pakistan has said that at times it feels that New Delhi’s presence in the war-torn country is perhaps “larger than it ought to be”.

    Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s remarks to Afghanistan’s Tolo news channel comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar’s capital Doha on June 12 and exchanged perspectives on the war-ravaged nation and the region.

    “Obviously, you have sovereign relations and you have bilateral relations and you have every right to have sovereign and bilateral relations with India. You have trade with India. They come and carry out development work there, that’s completely fine with us,” Qureshi said during the interview which will be telecast on Saturday.

    “But at times we feel that their presence is perhaps larger than it ought to be because they…don’t share a border with you,” he said, according to the excerpts of the interview posted by the news channel on its Twitter handle.

    When asked whether India’s presence in Afghanistan bothers Pakistan, Qureshi said, “Yes, If they use your (Afghan) soil against us, it bothers me.” Asked how India is using Afghan soil for anti-Pakistan activities, he alleged: “Yes, they are…By carrying out terrorist activities.” During the interview, Qureshi also sought to absolve the Taliban for the spike in violence in Afghanistan, saying it would be an “exaggeration” to blame the insurgent group for the bloodshed.

    “Again, if you try and create this impression that the violence is high because of the Taliban…again, that would be an exaggeration. Why do I say that? Aren’t there other elements over there who are playing the role of a spoiler?” On a question on the forces responsible for the violence, Qureshi said: “Daesh (the Islamic State), like forces within Afghanistan…who gain from the war economy, who want to perpetuate their power, who are not seeing beyond their nose and just want to hang on to power.” The Taliban and the Afghan government are holding direct talks to end 19 years of war that has killed tens of thousands of people and ravaged various parts of the country.

    The intra-Afghan began as the US and the Taliban signed a landmark deal in Doha on February 29, 2020 following multiple rounds of negotiations to bring lasting peace in war-torn Afghanistan and allow US troops to return home.

    India has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed the peace deal with the Taliban. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains on America’s longest war.

    India has been a major stakeholder in the peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested close to USD three billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country.

    India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

    During his visit to Qatar, Jaishankar on Tuesday met US special envoy Khalilzad in Doha and exchanged perspectives on the war-torn nation and the region. Khalilzad briefed him on the recent developments in Afghanistan.

    The minister also met senior members of the Qatari leadership and discussed the issue of Afghanistan among other matters as Doha is involved in the Afghan peace process.

    In March, Afghan foreign minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar visited India during which Jaishankar conveyed to him India’s long-term commitment towards a peaceful, sovereign and stable Afghanistan.

    India on Thursday said its vision for Afghanistan is driven by an approach of pro-development and pro-democracy and that it is for the Afghan people to judge each of their partners on the basis of past actions.

    In early March, Jaishankar and Khalilzad spoke over the phone and discussed the developments pertaining to the Afghan peace talks.

    In the same month, Jaishankar attended the 9th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, where he voiced ‘grave concern” over violence and bloodshed in Afghanistan and said that there is a need for a genuine ‘double peace’ in and around the war-torn country.

    Jaishankar also said that India has been supportive of all the efforts being made to accelerate the dialogue between the Afghan government and the Taliban, including intra-Afghan negotiations. — (PTI)

  • Fire-ravaged ship sinks, prompting Sri Lankan pollution fear

    Fire-ravaged ship sinks, prompting Sri Lankan pollution fear

    Colombo (TIP): A container ship carrying chemicals sank off Sri Lanka’s capital on June 17 nearly a month after catching fire, raising concerns about a possible environmental disaster, officials said.

    The ship’s operator said the wreck of the Singapore-flagged X-Press Pearl “is now wholly sitting on the seabed at a depth of 21 meters (70 feet).”

    A salvage crew was at the site to deal with any debris and report any spill, X-Press Feeders said.

    The head of Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority, Darshini Lahandapura, also confirmed that the ship had sunk.

    The fire broke out on the vessel on May 20 when it was anchored about 9.5 nautical miles (18 kilometres) northwest of Colombo and waiting to enter the port.

    The Sri Lankan navy believes the blaze was caused by its chemical cargo, which included 25 tons of nitric acid and other chemicals, most of which were destroyed in the fire. But debris including burned fibreglass and tons of plastic pellets have already polluted nearby beaches. There are concerns that a spill of remaining chemicals and oil from the ship could devastate marine life.

    Authorities extinguished the fire last week, but the ship then began sinking and attempts to tow it into deeper waters failed when its stern rested on the seabed. The ship had remained partly submerged until Thursday.

    The government has asked the United Nations and some other countries for help in assessing the damage to the marine environment and coastal areas.

    The country has submitted an interim claim of USD 40 million to X-Press Feeders to cover part of the cost of fighting the fire. (AP)

  • Courts can’t appoint PM, says Oli as he defends House dissolution

    Kathmandu (TIP): Nepal’s embattled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on June 17 defended his government’s controversial decision to dissolve the House of Representatives and told the Supreme Court that it was not up to the judiciary to appoint a premier as it cannot undertake the legislative and the executive functions of the state. President Bidya Devi Bhandari, at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli, dissolved the lower house for the second time in five months on May 22 and announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19. Prime Minister Oli is heading a minority government after losing a trust vote in the House.

    On June 9, the apex court issued a show-cause notice to the Office of Prime Minister and the President’s Office to furnish a written response within 15 days. Furnishing a written reply to the Supreme Court on Thursday as demanded by the Constitutional Bench, Oli said the court could not appoint a Prime Minister as it could not undertake the legislative and the executive functions of the state. The apex court received Oli’s response via the Office of the Attorney General. “The court’s duty is to interpret the Constitution and the existing laws, it cannot play the role of legislative or executive bodies,” 69-year-old Oli said in his response. “Forming governments on the basis of parties is the fundamental characteristic of the parliamentary system and the Constitution does not imagine party-less practices,” he added. (PTI)

  • 1 Indian, 2 Chinese workers killed in flood in Nepal

    Kathmandu (TIP): An Indian and two Chinese workers were killed after being swept away by the flood in central Nepal’s Sindhupalchok district, an official said on June 17.

    The body of the Indian worker was found in Sunkoshi river in Sindhuli on Thursday, whereas two Chinese were found dead in Sindhupalchok, Chief District Officer Arun Pokharel said.

    The victims used to work for the Melamchi Water Supply Project.

    Meanwhile, two Indian and one Chinese worker were still missing, another official said. (PTI)

  • Indian-origin newlywed South African couple electrocuted in shower

    Indian-origin newlywed South African couple electrocuted in shower

    JOHANNESBURG (TIP):  A young South African Indian-origin couple who were married just two weeks ago were found electrocuted in their bathroom here, after the shower tap was allegedly electrified. Zaheer Sarang and Nabeelah Khan had just returned from their honeymoon.

    The bodies of the couple were found on Sunday afternoon. They were buried together on Monday.

    It is believed that the wife was electrocuted when she touched the tap in the shower, while the husband who tried to come to her aid was also killed.

    Police spokesman Capt Mavela Masondo confirmed the deaths but said that the results of postmortems were awaited to determine the exact cause of death.

    The electricity authority in Johannesburg, City Power, has launched an urgent investigation into the incident as outraged resident blamed the daily power outages in the area and the alleged inability of City Power to maintain infrastructure.

    City Power in turn has blamed the spate of illegal connections to the many homes and businesses in the area, which were overloading the system, especially during the bitterly cold winter weather currently being experienced.

    “From Monday morning a team has been busy with a preliminary investigation to establish the facts, and we will provide the details later,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena as he shared condolences with the family of the deceased.

    “It is true that there are illegal connections being made daily in broad daylight in our suburbs,” a neighbor who declined to be named said as he pointed out scores of illegal wires running from pylons to shacks in the area right opposite rows of factories and businesses.

    “We have also heard that there are some residents in the area who have reported receiving shocks when touching taps, but this is the first sad incident of someone dying from that,” she added.

  • APNA BAZAR Inaugurates its 5th location in Richmond Hill, New York

    Singh & Singh Law Offices inaugurated simultaneously

    The new Store is conveniently located at 134th Street on Liberty Avenue
    The head priest of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center offering prayers for the success of the venture.
    The head priest of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the Store.
    Fresh Vegetables in the Store
    Partner of APNA BAZAR Deepak Bharadwaj is speaking with a TV channel. Seen in the picture, from L to R: Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, Jaswinder Johl, Deepak Bharadwaj and Mohammed Farouqui (extreme right)
    Singh & Singh Law offices owners flanked by Japnit Singh (right), a candidate for New York City Council, and a lady (left) (Photos / BJ Video /646-403-7334)

    I.S. Saluja

    RICHMOND HILL, NY (TIP): The famous grocery chain APNA BAZAR opened its 5th location in Richmond Hill June 17th.  The Store is conveniently located at 134th Street on Liberty Avenue.

    The chain which started with a store in Jackson Heights has close to a dozen locations in New York area. Besides, there are more than half a dozen locations in the adjoining New Jersey State. Apna Bazar has spread wings beyond the East Coast and has a couple of locations in Midwest, California.  The Indian Panorama has learnt that there are plans to open a few stores in Texas in the near future.

    A prayer was offered before the inauguration of the new store at 134th Street on Libert Avenue. The head priest of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center offered prayers for the success of the venture and cut the ribbon to inaugurate the store.

    The APNA BAZAR partners Deepak Bharadwaj and Jaswinder Johl, long time buddies were profusely congratulated by visitors and guests.

    Speaking with the media, Deepak Bharadwaj said that APNA BAZAR takes pride in supplying the very best grocery and the freshest fruit and vegetables at the most competitive prices. He expressed the hope that like with other neighborhoods where APNA BAZAR is serving people, the neighborhood around the new location would patronize the store.

    Jaswinder Johl expressed his gratitude to the head priest, guests, visitors and the media for their presence and support.

    Also inaugurated was the Law Offices of Singh &Singh.

    A large number of community members and media were present at the ceremonies.

  • The Indian Panorama announced endorsements for NY City Elections

    The Indian Panorama announced endorsements for NY City Elections

    The publication has endorsed Eric Adams for Mayor, David Weprin for Comptroller, and Jumaane Williams for Public Advocate

    NEW YORK (TIP); The Indian Panorama publisher and chief editor Prof. Indrajit S Saluja has written to Eric Adams, David Weprin and Jumaane Williams conveying to them the endorsement of the publication for Mayor, Comptroller and Public Advocate respectively. Prof. Saluja has appealed to friends and the community to get out and vote for the endorsed candidates who are the best and will prove to be excellent elected officials committed to serving the great people of the City of New York.

     

  • Texas Democrats welcome SCOTUS Upholding the ACA

    Texas Democrats welcome SCOTUS Upholding the ACA

    AUSTIN, TX (TIP): Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, welcoming the Supreme Court ruling on ACA said, “Today’s Supreme Court ruling further shows that the ACA is here to stay. It is shameful that our disgraced Texas Attorney General led the charge to strip millions of Americans of their health coverage during the worst health crisis in recent history.

    “Democrats have consistently fought to defend the health and safety of fellow Americans by making healthcare more accessible and more affordable regardless of pre-existing conditions or a person’s ability to pay. President Biden’s American Rescue Plan further builds on the ACA by extending the enrollment period and reducing health insurance premiums for millions of American families who could not afford it under the original law.“Today is a great day for Texans and all Americans. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and we will make sure it stays that way.”

  • Texas Democrats Celebrate Rep. Rose’s Appointment as Chair of HDCC

    Texas Democrats Celebrate Rep. Rose’s Appointment as Chair of HDCC

    AUSTIN, TX (TIP): Texas Democratic Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, celebrating the appointment of Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, as Chair of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee, said, “On behalf of the Texas Democratic Party, we congratulate a proven Texas leader, state Representative Toni Rose, D-Dallas, for breaking barriers as the first Black woman appointed as Chair of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee. Rep. Rose has for years fought tirelessly to improve the affordability and quality of health care in Texas, including mental health, as well as improving the quality of life for her constituents and those in underserved communities. Her experience and her leadership will be key in identifying key state House districts that will help us turn Texas blue.”

  • US CDC classifies Delta variant as ‘variant of concern’

    US CDC classifies Delta variant as ‘variant of concern’

    The CDC said the Delta variant shows increased transmissibility

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the Delta, a highly transmissible COVID-19 variant first identified in India, as a “variant of concern.”

    “The B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.427 (Epsilon), B.1.429 (Epsilon), and B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants circulating in the United States are classified as variants of concern. To date, no variants of high consequence have been identified in the United States,” the CDC said in a statement on Tuesday. The CDC said the Delta variant shows increased transmissibility, potential reduction in neutralization by some monoclonal antibody treatments under emergency authorization and potential reduction in neutralization from sera after vaccination in lab tests.

    The variant of concern designation is given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Vaccines, treatments and tests that detect the virus may also be less effective against a variant of concern.

    Previously, the CDC had considered the Delta variant to be a variant of interest.

    The World Health Organization classified the Delta variant as a variant of concern on May 10.

    The CDC estimates it accounted for 9.9 per cent of cases in the US as of June 5.

    By June 13, it accounted for 10.3 per cent of cases, according to the website outbreak.info, which tracks variants. The Delta variant could be the dominant strain in the US within a month, the CNN report warned.

    US President Joe Biden and his Chief Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci last week have warned that the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus is highly infectious, which is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom, spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old.

    COVID-19 cases have been declining over the past few months in the United States, but there’s concern that could change as the pace of vaccinations slows and the Delta variant spreads.

    The US, the worst hit country by COVID-19 pandemic, has so far reported 33,498,155 confirmed cases and 600,649 deaths.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Justice Dept. ends a Trump policy that limited asylum for survivors of gang violence and domestic abuse

    Justice Dept. ends a Trump policy that limited asylum for survivors of gang violence and domestic abuse

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Attorney General Merrick B. Garland reversed on Wednesday, June 16, Trump-era immigration rulings that had made it all but impossible for people to seek asylum in the United States over credible fears of domestic abuse or gang violence, marking one of the Justice Department’s most significant breaks with the previous administration, says a New York Times report. His decisions came in closely watched cases where his predecessors, the former attorneys general Jeff Sessions and William P. Barr, broke with precedent to overturn decisions by immigration appeals judges that would have allowed such asylum claims.

    The decisions — applicable to all cases in the system, including appeals — will affect tens of thousands of migrants. Hundreds of thousands of Central Americans fleeing gang extortion and recruitment and women fleeing domestic abuse have arrived in the United States since 2013, and many cases are still being adjudicated, given an enormous backlog in immigration courts.

    In vacating the Trump administration’s stance, Mr. Garland said that the Justice Department should follow the earlier precedent.

    In a closely watched case known as A-B for the initials of the woman seeking asylum. The department’s Board of Immigration Appeals found in 2016 that she was part of a particular social group, saying that the government of El Salvador does little to protect people in violent relationships. That assessment qualified the woman for asylum, but Mr. Sessions overruled the appeals board.

    Attorneys general can overturn decisions made by immigration judges because immigration courts are housed under the Justice Department, not the judicial branch.

    The move is one of the Justice Department’s most significant reversals of a Trump-era policy. Earlier it defended the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, a position that officials had abandoned during the previous administration. The department also sided with unions in a case that could affect restrictions on organizing workers.

    Proponents of asylum seekers cheered Mr. Garland’s latest reversal.

    “We’re really heartened by this decision,” said Karen Musalo, a lawyer representing one of the asylum seekers and a professor at the University of California, Hastings College of Law. “It restores the possibility of protection to those whose very lives are in the balance.”

    Mr. Garland has also continued some Trump administration policies and case positions, prompting some Democrats to criticize him as overly cautious.

    Mr. Garland has defended those moves, saying that it was important to uphold Trump-era positions on cases if they reflected an impartial reading of the law.

    (Source: New York Times)

  • After Nirmal, now Flying Sikh Milkha Singh takes the final holiday

    After Nirmal, now Flying Sikh Milkha Singh takes the final holiday

    By Prabhjot Singh

    In 1958 when the then Prime Minister Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru asked Milkha Singh what he wanted for becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in athletics in the Cardiff Commonwealth Games, the ace sprinter requested a “national holiday” in the country. And 63 years later, on Friday night, he himself embarked upon a long holiday leaving not only the entire nation but the whole sporting world sobbing and grieving.

    He was christened “Flying Sikh” by the Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, after he set the stands of a Lahore stadium ablaze by defeating the local hero, Akhlaq, who was better known as “Ghorra” (horse), in a great sprint contest.

    A victim of the 1947 partition, Milkha Singh, was successful in joining Indian Army at a recruitment rally in Srinagar. Running was his passion, and he would work hard to be the best. And true to himself, his training and his ambition, he remained the best to make sure that there could be no two “Milkhas”.

    After winning a gold at Cardiff, Milkha went on to win a double in the 1958 Asian Games before his memorable record-smashing run at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games where he missed a medal by a whisker. And that remained his greatest regret. Ahead of all his competitors, Milkha, close to the finish line, made a mistake of looking back. And that cost him heavily. Instead of a podium finish, he was placed fourth.

     When the then Punjab Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon asked him to come out of Indian Army and join the State Government in its Sports Department, he reluctantly accepted the offer. Initially, he would travel between Delhi and Chandigarh every day before making the City Beautiful his permanent home.

    In between he had met Nirmal Saini, an outstanding volleyball player, who was working as a Physical Education teacher in a Punjab college. Ultimately, they married.

    Milkha Singh, who by then had become world famous as “Flying Sikh” took control of school sports in the Education Department of the State while Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh was in the State sports department.

    It may be a mere coincidence that the three greats of Punjab Sports – Balbir Singh Sr, Flying Sikh Milkha Singh and Nirmal Milkha Singh – had worked together.

    As luck would have it, Milkha Singh could not attend the cremation of his life partner as at that time he was fighting for his own life at the PGI. The end came five days after his wife had breathed her last at a private hospital in Mohali.

    Known for their robust health and fitness, both great stalwarts were lost to Corona, sad indeed. While Milkha Singh was 91, Nirmal was 85.

    Milkha Singh as Additional Director, Youth Services and Sports in the Education Department, used to take hundreds of schoolboys and girls to Srinagar every year for the summer (off season) coaching camps. That was the reason that Punjab remained at top in school sports.

    A born runner, Milkha Singh was always a sportsman. After retiring from athletics, he took to golf and was an accomplished golfer. His son, Jeev, too, is a star golfer.

    Besides Jeev, Milkha and Nirmal leave behind three daughters – Aleeza (she was with Air India), Dr Mona and Sonia – and their families.

    (Prabhjot Singh is a senior journalist)

  • Terrorizing dissent: On bail for student activists

    HC bail orders are an indictment of attempt to portray Delhi protests as terrorist acts

    Caught between a statutory bar on grant of regular bail and a judicial embargo on any close examination of available evidence at the bail stage, those arrested under the country’s main anti-terror law have been languishing in jails without trial for extended periods. The Delhi High Court orders granting bail to three student activists jailed for over a year for their alleged role in the February 2020 riots in Delhi represent a clear-headed effort to get around such impediments. Sound in legal reasoning and interpretation, the judgments of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani have made a salient distinction between those accused of offences against the country’s integrity and security on the one hand, and protesters or dissenters roped in unjustifiably under the rubric of ‘terrorism’ on the other. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has been invoked by the Delhi Police against activists and others who were among those organizing the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, on the claim that they had also fomented the riots. Under Section 43D(5), there is a legal bar on granting bail if the court is of the opinion that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accusation against those held is prima facie true. Adding to this onerous burden on the accused to demonstrate to the court that the accusation is untrue is a 2019 Supreme Court judgment that bars a detailed analysis of the evidence at the bail stage and rules that bail can be denied on “the broad probabilities” of the case.

    The High Court has ruled that the bail court can look at the available evidence to satisfy itself about the prima facie truth of the case. In other words, there is no statutory invincibility to the prosecution case merely because the UAPA has been invoked. It has found that none of the three — Asif Iqbal Tanha, Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita — was specifically or particularly accused of any ‘terrorist act’, ‘funding of a terrorist act’ or an act amounting to a conspiracy to commit a terrorist act or something preparatory to it. Once the UAPA charges were not seen to be true, it was open to the court to admit them to regular bail until conclusion of the trial. Further, with 740 witnesses cited, there is no scope for early conclusion of the trial. Riots are matters concerning public order, and not the security of the state. The court’s observation that the state, in its anxiety to suppress dissent, has blurred the line between the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest and “terrorist activity”, is a stern indictment of the establishment. The Delhi Police has gone to the Supreme Court on appeal against the verdict, possibly in the fear that the ruling may foil its design to paint protesters as ‘terrorists’. If the High Court’s approach to grant of bail is upheld, it would help secure the liberty of other dissenters held under the UAPA elsewhere without sufficient basis.

    (The Hindu)

  • The Supreme Court confirms it: Time for the GOP to give up on destroying the Affordable Care Act

    The Supreme Court confirms it: Time for the GOP to give up on destroying the Affordable Care Act

    By C Paul Waldman

    The incandescent loathing Republicans felt for Obama and everything he produced has lessened a bit, given that he left office more than four years ago (four years that seemed like 40). The law has grown steadily more popular, which raises the political risks to the GOP of striking it down. Most important, in all its complexity the ACA is woven inextricably into nearly every facet of our health-care system.

    Once again, Republicans have failed in their seemingly endless quest to have the Affordable Care Act wiped from the pages of history, this time with their third defeat at the Supreme Court. If they have any sense, this should bring that shameful crusade to an end.

    The court did what it often does on complicated cases where a sweeping ruling might be politically and practically disruptive: It ruled only on a narrow legal question, in this instance whether the plaintiffs in the suit had standing to bring it in the first place.

    Those plaintiffs were 18 Republican-run states, later joined by two individuals, who claimed that if you cover one eye and hold the ACA up to the light while turning it counterclockwise, it will appear to be unconstitutional.

    But in order to have standing to sue, a plaintiff must establish that they were injured in some way. Seven justices ruled, quite properly, that they had not.

    “Neither the individual nor the state plaintiffs have shown that the injury they will suffer or have suffered is ‘fairly traceable’ to the ‘allegedly unlawful conduct’ of which they complain,” wrote Justice Stephen G. Breyer for the 7-to-2 majority.

    The question revolved around the ACA’s individual mandate, which initially required most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a fine. Congress later reduced that fine to $0; Republicans then claimed that since the mandate now effectively existed only on paper, that meant almost the entire law had to be declared null and void.

    Serious people on all sides found this argument to be preposterous (even if not quite the most preposterous of the legal arguments conservatives had pulled out of the air to destroy the ACA). And the fact that even some of the court’s committed conservative ideologues (Clarence Thomas) and committed Republicans (Brett M. Kavanaugh) joined the majority in turning back this challenge says a lot about the state of the anti-Obamacare crusade.

    This case is different from the prior ACA cases the court considered in an important way: You won’t see too many Republicans tearing their hair out over the fact that they lost, or declaring the conservative justices who voted with the majority to be traitors to their cause.

    The desire to drive a stake through the heart of Barack Obama’s signature legislation simply does not feel as urgent as it did back when Republicans in the House were passing dozens of fruitless repeal bills. There are a number of reasons all of which have to do with the passage of time.

    The incandescent loathing Republicans felt for Obama and everything he produced has lessened a bit, given that he left office more than four years ago (four years that seemed like 40). The law has grown steadily more popular, which raises the political risks to the GOP of striking it down. Most important, in all its complexity the ACA is woven inextricably into nearly every facet of our health-care system.

    That means that if Congress or the Supreme Court snatched it away, the result would be nothing short of a cataclysm, with tens of millions losing coverage and the entire system thrown into chaos. All but the most foolish Republicans know this, which is why every time they fall just short of killing the ACA — with these challenges, and with their slapdash 2017 repeal bill that almost passed — they know they’re better off having failed, thereby avoiding the inevitable backlash.

    So now they have to ask themselves a question: Can they finally just give up and accept the fact that the ACA is, and will remain, the law of the land?

    That doesn’t mean they have to stop advocating for their version of health-care reform (though the truth is that plenty of Republicans would be more than happy to do just that; health care just isn’t a topic that interests most of them all that much). But it would do them, and the rest of us, a whole lot of good if they gave up on the dream of someone swooping in with a giant fist to crush Obama’s health-care law. We’re not going to stop debating health care — not in the short term, and probably not ever. We have what is almost certainly the most complicated system in the world, an assemblage of private and public elements that don’t quite fit together and produce staggering inefficiency and cost. Yet there may be almost nothing in American politics that would be more difficult to achieve than the kind of wholesale overhaul of the system that could fix most or all its problems all at once.

    Which means that we’ll keep trying to expand coverage, to restrain costs, to limit the miserable suffering the system allows, and to generally try to make a bad situation better with piecemeal additions and changes and reforms. Every one of them will probably be the subject of intense political debate.

    But after more than a decade of battles in courts and Congress and state legislatures, the Affordable Care Act has won. It’s long past time for Republicans to accept it.

    (The author is a columnist with The Washington Post)

  • A judicial pushback to a draconian legal regime

    A judicial pushback to a draconian legal regime

    The Delhi court ruling is a way forward in finding a balance between civil rights and the imperatives of anti-terror laws

    By Gautam Bhatia

    “The Delhi High Court’s judgment indicates a pathway forward in the quest for finding a balance between citizens’ civil rights and the imperatives of anti-terrorism legislation such as the UAPA. A position under which citizens can be jailed for years on end just on the basis of police reports and case diaries, with courts precluded from granting them bail, is completely inconsistent with democracy, and redolent of authoritarian or tyrannical states. However, the court’s analysis shows how even within — and consistent with — the terms of the UAPA, there is an important role for a conscientious judiciary to play. By scrutinizing the police case on its own terms, and according a strict interpretation to draconian legislation such as the UAPA, courts can ensure that civil rights are not left entirely at the mercy of the state.”

    The judgment of the Delhi High Court granting bail to activists Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, and Asif Iqbal Tanha — they have been in jail for over a year (without trial) for their alleged role in the 2020 Delhi riots — is significant for many reasons. Most importantly, it brings to a close many months of jail time for three people who are yet to be proven guilty of any crime, something that should be anathema to any civilized justice system. What is also significant, however, is that the judgment represents an important judicial pushback to the authoritarian legal regime under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

    The root of the issue

    Ostensibly designed to check and address terrorism, the UAPA is perhaps one of the most abused laws in India today. The root of the problem lies in Section 43(D)(5) of this Act, which prevents the release of any accused person on bail if, on a perusal of the case diary, or the report made under Section 173 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure, the court is of the opinion that “there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against such person is prima facie true”. It is important to break this down. Broadly speaking, India follows the adversarial system of criminal justice, where two sides to a dispute attempt to persuade the court that their version of events is true. At the heart of the adversarial system of justice is the testing of evidence through cross-examination. Each side is afforded the opportunity to scrutinize, challenge, and question the evidence produced by its opponent; and the best way for a judge to unearth the truth — or the closest approximation of it — is to consider which side’s evidence is left standing, and appears more persuasive, after the rigors of cross-examination.

    Production of evidence, and cross-examination, involves witnesses, recoveries of incriminating objects, tests of handwriting or voice samples, and many other elements. It constitutes the bulk of a criminal trial. In India, with our overburdened courts and creaking justice system, criminal trials take years. In high-profile cases such as the Delhi riots case, where the record is bulky, and the witnesses number in their hundreds, trials can take many years — even a decade or more.

    Importance of bail

    For this reason, bail becomes of utmost importance. If an individual is not able to secure bail from the courts, they will languish as under-trials in prison, for the duration of the case, no matter how many years it takes (in recent memory, there are cases of people being found innocent in terrorism cases after 14 and even 23 years in prison). Bail, thus, becomes the only safeguard and guarantee of the constitutional right to liberty.

    In ordinary circumstances, when considering the question of bail, a court is meant to take into account a range of factors. These include whether the accused is a flight risk, whether he or she might tamper with the evidence or attempt to influence witnesses, and the gravity of the offence. But it is here that Section 43(D)(5) of the UAPA plays such a damaging role. As we have just seen, under the classical vision of criminal justice, truth — about innocence or guilt — can only be determined after the evidence of both the prosecution and the defense has been subjected to the rigors of cross-examination. However, as lawyers and scholars such as Abhinav Sekhri and Anjana Prakash have also pointed out, Section 43(D)(5) short-circuits that core assumption. For the grant of bail, it only looks at the plausibility of one side’s evidence — that is, the Prosecution’s. It binds the court to look at only the case diary or the police report, which has not been challenged by cross-examination, and requires that bail be denied as long as the unchallenged prosecution case appears to be prima facie true.

    One-sided

    The perversity of Section 43(D)(5), thus, is that it forces the court to make an effective determination of guilt or innocence based on one side’s unchallenged story, and on that basis to deprive individuals of their freedom for years on end. In a democratic polity, which is committed to the rule of law, this is a deeply troubling state of affairs.

    The effect of Section 43(D)(5), as one can see, is that once the police elect to charge sheet an individual under the UAPA, it becomes extremely difficult for bail to be granted. Even outlandish or trumped-up cases can sound convincing until people have a chance to interrogate and challenge them. In short, unless the police prepare an extremely shoddy case — that is riddled with internal contradictions, for example — a case diary or a report will invariably make out a “prima facie” case against an individual.

    Finer points of the judgment

    It is here that the Delhi High Court’s judgment becomes important. The Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambani correctly note that even though Section 43(D)(5) departs from many basic principles of criminal justice, there are other fundamental principles that remain of cardinal significance. These include, for example, that the initial burden of demonstrating guilt must always lie upon the prosecution; and also, that criminal offences must be specific in their terms, and read narrowly, to avoid bringing the innocent within their net. On this basis, the court’s judgment notes that as the UAPA is meant to deal with terrorist offences, its application must be limited to acts that can reasonably fall within a plausible understanding of “terrorism”. “Terrorism” is a term of art, and not a word that can be thrown around loosely. Thus, to attract the provisions of the UAPA — the judgment holds — the charge sheet must reveal factual, individualized, and particular allegations linking the accused to a terrorist act.

    The judgment then finds that even if the police’s claims are taken to be true, no such allegations exist. At the highest, the accusations against the activists involve calls for protests and chakka jams (road blockages). There is no act, overt or covert, attributed to the activists that could constitute a terrorist offence. And, importantly, inferences or hypotheticals drawn by the police do not count at the stage of granting bail. Coupled with the significance of the right to protest and to dissent under our constitutional scheme, the judgment therefore holds that even prima facie, a case under the UAPA has not been made out, and therefore, there is no question of the application of Section 43(D)(5).

    The Delhi High Court’s judgment indicates a pathway forward in the quest for finding a balance between citizens’ civil rights and the imperatives of anti-terrorism legislation such as the UAPA. A position under which citizens can be jailed for years on end just on the basis of police reports and case diaries, with courts precluded from granting them bail, is completely inconsistent with democracy, and redolent of authoritarian or tyrannical states. However, the court’s analysis shows how even within — and consistent with — the terms of the UAPA, there is an important role for a conscientious judiciary to play. By scrutinizing the police case on its own terms, and according a strict interpretation to draconian legislation such as the UAPA, courts can ensure that civil rights are not left entirely at the mercy of the state.

    At the time of writing, the High Court’s judgment has been appealed by the Delhi Police to the Supreme Court of India. It now remains to be seen whether the highest court will also endorse this crucial ruling, which restates the responsibility of an independent judiciary in checking executive impunity.

    (Gautam Bhatia is a Delhi-based lawyer)

  • Indian-Origin fashion designer connects North American retailers with Indian artisans

    Indian-Origin fashion designer connects North American retailers with Indian artisans

    NEW YORK (TIP): Keen to connect Indian artisans with top American retailers, noted Indian -origin fashion designer and entrepreneur, Akshay Wadhwa once went knocking on their doors, but soon realized he was not being taken seriously.

    Named one of the top ten designers of Vancouver Fashion Week in 2016 and covered in British Vogue, Wadhwa, then, created BlueRickhsaw.com (BR), a highly curated, digital, B2B, wholesale export platform. To make his dream a reality, Wadhwa joined hands with co-founder Krishan Chandak, whose 23 years of experience in technology and leadership resulted in the formation of the B2B platform, Launched in March, it connects verified small businesses, weavers and artisans across India to small and mid-size retailers, mom-and-pop shops and boutique stores in North America, according to a media release. Banking on the untapped potential of the Indian artisan market in a highly dysfunctional infrastructure, BR aims to provide international opportunities to undiscovered and unexposed talent.

    The new platform helps everyone from small weavers to artisans to manufacturers, to make their products available across the world through a transparent ecosystem, it said.

    Currently, small businesses in the US and Canada are unable to source products directly from India, due to high minimum order quantities (MOQs), trust and reliability issues and, now, strict travel restrictions in place post-Covid, the release said.

    BR will serve as the only tech platform on which smaller retailers can personally select products from verified suppliers across various categories with minimum MOQs, in most cases, just one product per style.

    Since most sellers and buyers are unable to produce or procure volumes during these uncertain times, BR serves as the perfect matchmaking service for these small-to-mid-size businesses looking for alternative avenues, the release said.

    The platform has been built from the ground-up with a focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive filtering of products, so that buyers can ultimately purchase an item in less than 30 seconds, it said.

    The long-term vision of BR is to help the small manufacturers, weavers and artisans of India expand in the international market without having to make investments in promotion or travel, while enabling retailers across North America create an inventory-free model to sell directly to their customers without having to invest in purchasing minimum orders. Other platforms like Etsy or Amazon are either seller-centric or buyer-centric, whereas Blue Rickshaw caters to both segments equally by espousing the values of trust, transparency and timeliness as part of its core philosophy, making it the new leader in tech-based, B2B wholesale export. “We just want to help small businesses get back on their feet, post-pandemic,” says Wadhwa.