The Indian Panorama

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  • India’s PM Narendra Modi in a major reshuffle drops 12 senior ministers and inducts a younger team

    India’s PM Narendra Modi in a major reshuffle drops 12 senior ministers and inducts a younger team

    I.S. Saluja

    NEW DELHI (TIP): In a balancing act and to refurbish the image of the government, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, reshuffled his ministry, dropping 12 ministers and inducting 15 cabinet ministers and 28 junior ministers.

    The exercise is believed to have been necessitated by the upcoming elections in a few States, the most important being Uttar Pradesh, a State which plays a decisive role in the fortunes of political parties and the federal government. Modi’s government has faced sharp criticism for the chaotic rollout of a nationwide immunization campaign that experts said had worsened the impact of the second wave, killing hundreds of thousands.The official death toll after a surge in COVID-19 infections in April and May passed 400,000 last week.

    More than half of those reported deaths – the third most of any country – occurred during the past two months as the Delta variant of the virus tore through the nation and overwhelmed its already strained healthcare system.

    Experts believe the actual number may be much higher and there are fears of a third wave soon. Millions remain unvaccinated.

    The reshuffle also comes after the defeat of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in April elections in the key West Bengal state.

    Modi will face another major test of his popularity in state elections in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand states in February and March next year, which may prove to be a bellwether for his party in 2024 national elections.

  • Dr. Anupama Gotimukula is the New President for AAPI

    Dr. Anupama Gotimukula is the New President for AAPI

    ATLANTA (TIP) July 5: Dr. Anupama Gotimukula assumed charge as the President of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), during the 39th annual Convention of America’s largest ethnic physician organization in Atlanta on July 4.

    During a solemn ceremony attended in person by hundreds of AAPI delegates from around the nation at the Omni Atlanta, outgoing AAPI President Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalgadda passed on the gavel to Dr. Gotimukula.

    “I am happy to declare that AAPI is stronger and is going to be in safe hands, as I pass on the traditional gavel to Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, the new President of AAPI,” he said.

    “We came to the US pursuing the American Dream,” said the fourth woman President of AAPI in it 39 years long history in her inaugural address, noting AAPI helps “to elevate the voice of Indian Americans everywhere.”

    “Through hard work and a bit of luck, most of us achieved that dream and have become successful and caring doctors who play a crucial role in the American healthcare system, “she said.

    “We serve patients. Raise money for local causes. Contribute to our education system and improve the lives of millions of Americans,” Gotimukula said.

    “We joined AAPI to socialize and meet others like us and in that journey learned that through this wonderful organization, we were able to make a bigger impact with the many academic, philanthropic and social initiatives.”

    Acknowledging and thanking “our founding members and all the past leadership of AAPI who contributed to the growth of the organization,” Dr. Gotimukula said, “We stand on the shoulders of our predecessors.”

    They “fought the good fight in bringing AAPI to where we stand today; vibrant, strong, healthcare heroes being recognized and valued by our peers, communities and most importantly the patients.” Healthcare professionals have made a significant difference in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Gotimukula noted.

    “AAPI and our members have been on the frontlines serving patients, working with local public health authorities donating and distributing resources such as PPEs, critical hospital supplies as well as most recently providing much needed oxygen concentrators and ventilators in India.

    “You are truly healthcare heroes who stood up and risked your lives to serve when it was most needed. A value that is not just American but also something we brought along from our motherland of India,” she said.

    Dr. Gotimukula has a new Executive Committee, consisting of Dr. Ravi Kolli, President-Elect; Dr. Anjana Samadder, Vice President; Dr. Satheesh Kathula, Secretary; Dr. Krishan Kumar, Treasurer; Dr. Kusum Punjabi, Chair, Board of Trustees; Dr. Soumya Neravetla- President, Young Physicians Section; and, Dr. Ayesha Singh, President, Medical Student/Residents & Fellows Section.

    Dr. Gotimukula will lead AAPI as its President in the year 2021-2022, the largest Medical Organization in the United States, representing the interests of the over 100,000 physicians and Fellows of Indian origin in the United States, serving the interests of the Indian American physicians in the US and in many ways contributing to the shaping of the healthcare delivery in the US for the past 39 years.

    “As we look forward to the future beyond Covid-19, we at AAPI have so much more room to grow and serve,” Dr. Gotimukula said outlining her vision to make AAPI a premium healthcare leader, primarily focusing to improve and reform the current healthcare system.

    I challenge myself, my Executive Committee, and you all, my AAPI colleagues, to rise up to the task of building on our accomplishments and successes over the last several years. My team and I have defined several goals for this year to further AAPI’s mission, along three key dimensions.”

    “As one of the biggest stakeholders in the current healthcare system, there is an urgent need for Healthcare & Societal Reform, she said. “We need to be a part of the change we want in our healthcare system.”

    Dr. Gotimukula urged AAPI to “improve health equity; get rid of discrimination; fight South Asian racial bias; reduce physician burnout; and improve the career trajectory of the younger generation of Indian American doctors who will be taking care of us as we age.”

    A resident of San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Gotimukula is a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist, practicing since 2007, is affiliated with Christus Santa Rosa, Baptist and Methodist Healthcare systems in San Antonio.

    After graduating with distinction from Kakatiya Medical College, NTR University of Health Sciences in India, she did Residency at University of Miami & University of Illinois, and Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology at University of Michigan.

    A resident of San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Gotimukula is a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist, practicing since 2007, is affiliated with Christus Santa Rosa, Baptist and Methodist Healthcare systems in San Antonio.

    Dr. Gotimukula urged the AAPI fraternity to “participate. Get involved. Get engaged. Lend a hand. And stand up and be heard. To all the team members, I want to thank you for your efforts thus far and for the next year ahead. Together we will all make AAPI the community standard bearer for a better future.”

    “My hope is that this year will bring us all back together to see the warm smiling faces from region to region across the country. Let’s move forward and achieve great success together.”

    Earlier, in his farewell address, Dr. Jonnalagadda enumerated several programs AAPI had undertaken under his leadership in the past one year.

    “AAPI has been coordinating several efforts, including tele-health to patients and Doctors in India,” he said. “AAPI will continue to be an active player in crafting the delivery of healthcare in the most efficient manner in the United States and India.”

    “We will strive for equity in healthcare delivery globally. We will be able to take AAPI to stability, unity, growth and greater achievements,” the out-going President said.

    The concluding day of the convention had the usual pomp and show displayed in music and dance by the local organizing committee of the Convention headed by Dr. Sreeni Gangasani.

    (Based on a press release)

     

  • Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu interacts with White House fellows

    Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu interacts with White House fellows

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Founded in 1964, the White House Fellowship is a non-partisan programme that brings young leaders into the federal government to provide first-hand experience working at the highest levels of government

    India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Thursday, July 1, interacted with White House fellows and discussed with them the intricacies of diplomacy and the relationship between the world’s oldest and largest democracies.

    Sandhu, in a tweet, said “an enjoybale and substantial interaction” with the White House fellows at Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is part of the White House complex.

    “Covered wide areas ranging from diplomacy, India-US relations, regional developments, health care, energy, environment, IT and education with this group of young emerging American leaders in different fields!” he added.

    Founded in 1964, the White House Fellowship is a non-partisan programme that brings young leaders into the federal government to provide first-hand experience working at the highest levels of government.

    A key element of this unique fellowship is the education programme in which prominent leaders from across society meet the fellows.

    In the past, the fellows have heard from dignitaries like Colin Powell, the former secretary of state.

    Sandhu was the first one to be invited under the Biden administration to this interaction.

    In the past, several Indian-Americans have been selected for the prestigious fellowship. Prominent among them include Dr Sanjay Gupta of CNN, Rajeev Venkayya, EVP Vaccines, Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

    Indian-American Priya Dandiya from Florida is a White House fellow for the year 2020-21.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar has died at 98

    Legendary Indian actor Dilip Kumar has died at 98

    I.S. Saluja

    MUMBAI (TIP): Dilip Kumar, the Bollywood icon, hailed as the “Tragedy King” and one of Hindi cinema’s greatest actors, died Wednesday, July 7, in a Mumbai hospital after a prolonged illness. He was 98. “Dilip Kumar will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

    “An institution has gone,” Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted. “Whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written, it shall always be ‘before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar’.”

  • History this week: July 9-15

    July 9

    July 9, 1868 – The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The Amendment defined U.S. citizenship and prohibited individual States from abridging the rights of any American citizen without due process and equal protection under the law. The Amendment also barred individuals involved in rebellion against the U.S. from holding public office.

    July 10

    July 10, 1943 – The Allied invasion of Italy began with an attack on the island of Sicily. The British entry into Syracuse was the first Allied success in Europe. General Dwight D. Eisenhower labeled the invasion “the first page in the liberation of the European Continent.”

    July 10, 1973 – The Bahamas gained their independence after 250 years as a British Crown Colony.

    July 10, 1991 – Boris Yeltsin took the oath of office, becoming the first popularly elected president in Russia’s thousand-year history.

    Birthday – Theologian and founder of Presbyterianism, John Calvin (1509-1564) was born in Noyon, France.

    Birthday – American artist James Whistler (1834-1903) was born in Lowell, Mass. He is best remembered for his portrait Whistler’s Mother.

     

    Birthday – French author Marcel Proust (1871-1922) was born near Paris. “Happiness,” he wrote in The Past Recaptured, “is beneficial for the body but it is grief that develops the powers of the mind.”

    Birthday

    Arthur Ashe.

    Tennis player Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) was born in Richmond, Virginia. He won a total of 33 titles including the U.S. men’s singles championship and U.S. Open in 1968 and the men’s singles at Wimbledon in 1975. As a pioneering African American athlete, he fought against racism and stereotyping and was arrested numerous times while protesting. In 1992, he announced he had likely contracted HIV through a transfusion during heart surgery. He then began a $5 million fundraising effort on behalf of the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and campaigned for public awareness regarding the dreaded disease. He died from pneumonia in New York, February 6, 1993.

    July 11

    Birthday – John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) the 6th U.S. President, and son of the 2nd President, John Adams, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. After serving just one term as President, he served 17 years as a member of Congress. He died in 1848 while in the House of Representatives in the same room in which he had taken the presidential Oath of Office. He was the first president whose father had also been president.

    July 12

    July 12, 1943 – During World War II, in the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history took place outside the small village of Prohorovka, Russia. About nine hundred Russian tanks attacked an equal number of German tanks fighting at close range. When Hitler ordered a cease-fire, 300 German tanks remained strewn over the battlefield.

    July 12, 1994 – Germany’s Constitutional Court ended the ban on sending German troops to fight outside the country. The ban had been in effect since the end of World War II. The ruling allowed German troops to join in United Nations and NATO peace-keeping missions. On July 14, German military units marched in Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, the first appearance of German troops there since World War II.

    Birthday – British pottery designer Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was born in Burslem, Staffordshire, England.

    Birthday

    Henry David Thoreau

    American philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was born in Concord, Massachusetts. At Walden Pond he wrote, “I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.”

    July 13

    July 13, 1787 – Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance establishing formal procedures for transforming territories into states. It provided for the eventual establishment of three to five states in the area north of the Ohio River, to be considered equal with the original 13. The Ordinance included a Bill of Rights that guaranteed freedom of religion, the right to trial by jury, public education and a ban on slavery in the Northwest.

    July 14

    July 14, 1789 – The fall of the Bastille occurred at the beginning of the French Revolution.

    July 14, 1791 – In England, the Birmingham riot occurred on the second anniversary of the fall of the Bastille. Mob rule lasted for three days, targeting controversial scientist and theologian Joseph Priestly’s home and laboratory as well as the homes of his friends. Priestly, who had expressed support for the American and French revolutions, fled to London with his family and later moved to America.

    Birthday – American folk singer and social activist Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was born in Okemah, Oklahoma. Best known for This Land Is Your Land, Union Maid, and Hard Traveling.

    Birthday

    Gerald R. Ford 

    Gerald R. Ford, the 38th U.S. President was born in Omaha, Nebraska, July 14, 1913 (as Leslie King). In 1973, he was appointed vice president following the resignation of Spiro T. Agnew. He became president on August 9, 1974, following the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. He was the first non-elected vice president and non-elected president of the U.S.

    July 15

    July 15, 1918 – During the Battle of the Marne in World War I, German General Erich Ludendorff launched Germany’s fifth, and last, offensive to break through the Chateau-Thierry salient. However, the Germans were stopped by American, British and Italian divisions. On July 18, General Foch, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied troops, launched a massive counter-offensive. The Germans began a retreat lasting four months until they requested an armistice in November.

    Birthday – Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was born in Leiden, Holland. Best known for The Night Watch and many portraits and self-portraits.

    Birthday – The first American saint, Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was born in Lombardy, Italy. She was the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and established Catholic schools, orphanages, convents and hospitals. She was canonized, July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII.

  • Toyota won’t donate to election objectors after company was targeted by anti-Trump PAC in ad

    Toyota won’t donate to election objectors after company was targeted by anti-Trump PAC in ad

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The announcement came after an anti-Trump PAC said it would target companies that donated to lawmakers who refused to certify the election. The decision backtracks on Toyota’s previous donation stance. Toyota Motor Corp. will no longer donate to members of Congress who voted against certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in January, the company said Thursday, July 8. “Toyota is committed to supporting and promoting actions that further our democracy. Our company has long-standing relationships with Members of Congress across the political spectrum, especially those representing our U.S. operations,” spokesperson Edward Lewis told The Detroit News via email.

    “Our bipartisan PAC equally supports Democrats and Republicans running for Congress. In fact, in 2021, the vast majority of the contributions went to Democrats and Republicans who supported the certification of the 2020 election. We understand that the PAC decision to support select Members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders. We are actively listening to our stakeholders, and, at this time, we have decided to stop contributing to those Members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election,” the statement continues.

    The decision backtracks on Toyota’s previous stance on funding members of Congress who voted not to certify the election. In April, the company told The Detroit News that it did “not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification.”

    Between then and now, the motor company has donated more than $55,000 to Republicans who opposed certifying the results — more than three times as much as the next biggest donor, according to an analysis by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

    More than 140 Congress members voted against certifying the 2020 election, all Republicans, baselessly claiming fraud. On Jan. 6, the same day as the certification, pro-Trump rioters, emboldened by widespread misinformation about the 2020 election, stormed the Capitol aiming to stop the formal counting of Electoral College votes.

    Toyota’s first donation to an election objector after the Capitol siege was made on Feb. 4 — less than a month after Jan. 6 — to Rep. Alex Mooney, R-WVa.

    “In the months since, corporate and industry interests have had to choose whether to do their part to uphold our democracy by turning off the flow of corporate donations to these members, also known as the Sedition Caucus, or to continue to support them in order to seek political influence,” CREW reported. “Many have failed this test, some reneging on a promise to change their giving while others made no commitment and are giving like nothing ever happened.”

    Toyota’s decision to cut financial ties with election objectors came after The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump political action committee, announced it would release a series of ads targeting companies that continued to donate to lawmakers who refused to certify Biden’s 2020 win. Toyota was the PAC’s first target.

    “Toyota vehicles feature safety detection systems, smartphone integration, and more white nationalism than you might’ve expected,” The Lincoln Project tweeted Thursday alongside its ad targeting Toyota.

    After Toyota announced it would cease donations to Congress members that voted against certification, The Lincoln Project tweeted that the company “put democracy ahead of transactional politics.”

    “We hope that the rest of Corporate America will follow their lead,” the tweet reads.

    (Source: USA Today)

  • US will not immediately lift travel restrictions: White House

    US will not immediately lift travel restrictions: White House

    WASHINGTON (TIP): The Biden administration will not immediately lift any international travel restrictions, even as it faces growing pressure from US business groups and lawmakers, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday, July 7. In June, the administration launched interagency working groups with the European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico to look at how to lift restrictions and eventually resume travel. “While these groups have met a number of times, there are further discussions to be had before we can announce any next steps on travel reopening with any country,” the White House official told Reuters. “We have made tremendous progress domestically in our vaccination efforts, as have many of these other countries, but we want to ensure that we move deliberately and are in a position to sustainably reopen international travel when it is safe to do so.”

    (Source: Reuters)

  • Former President Donald Trump announced he is suing Facebook, Twitter and Google

    Former President Donald Trump announced he is suing Facebook, Twitter and Google

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Former President Donald Trump took his fight with three massive tech companies to court, filing lawsuits that legal experts say are all but guaranteed to fail – even as they rally Republican voters, fundraisers and donors. Trump revealed Wednesday, July 7,  that he is suing Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as their respective CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai, in class-action lawsuits.

    Trump, who has a history of threatening legal action but not always following through, made the announcement at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, alongside two leaders from the America First Policy Institute, the pro-Trump nonprofit group that is supporting the lawsuits.

    Shortly after the news conference wrapped, Trump’s political entities started sending out fundraising messages that touted the lawsuits in their appeals for money. One such text message, written as if it were coming from Trump himself, includes a link to his joint fundraising committee Save America, which also raises money for other Republican political initiatives. The lawsuits were unveiled just over a month after Facebook decided to uphold Trump’s ban from using the platform until at least January 2023. Twitter, Trump’s preferred social media outlet throughout his one term in office, permanently banned him on the heels of the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters. The lawsuit against Pichai also names as a defendant YouTube, the video-sharing website bought by Google in 2006. YouTube indefinitely banned Trump in January. “We’re not looking to settle,” Trump told reporters at Bedminster when asked about the lawsuits. “We don’t know what’s going to happen but we’re not looking to settle,” he said. The three related lawsuits, filed in federal court in Florida, allege the tech giants have violated plaintiffs’ First Amendments rights. The suits want the court to order the media companies to let Trump back on their platforms. They also want the court to declare that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a piece of legislation that stops tech companies from being held liable for what users post on their platforms, is unconstitutional. As president, Trump railed against Section 230 and repeatedly called for its repeal. He even tied the issue to a crucial round of stimulus checks at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the passage of an annual defense spending bill. Legal experts doubt whether Trump’s latest attack on big tech companies will succeed.

  • Rajasthan High Court cancels Adani group’s land allotted for solar park near Pokhran

    Rajasthan High Court cancels Adani group’s land allotted for solar park near Pokhran

    By Dr Yash Goyal

    JAIPUR (TIP): In a serious setback to the ambitious solar energy planning of the state government, Rajasthan High Court has cancelled the allotment of land measuring 1452.13 Bigha made in favour of the Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan Limited (AREPRL) in village Nedan in Pokhran on the reasons that it is the ‘public utilities’ land of farmers and villagers.

    On a joint petition of 23 Khatedar Tenants led by one Barkat Khan of village Nedan, a Division Bench of High Court justiceRameshwar Vyas and Justice Sangeet Lodha (rpt Sangeet) have cancelled forthwith the possession of 1452.13 bigha land by respondent-AREPRL whereof it has not been handed over the Adani firm.

    In its 56 pages judgement made on June 29, HC has asked the state government that it shall conduct survey of the lands allotted to the respondent companies in all the three villages and if any part of the land allotted is found covered by public utilities, the allotment of the land to that extent shall also be cancelled.

    HC further ordered that the allotment of the land surrounding the lands of the petitioners, other Khatedar Tenants and the land of public utilities made in favour of the respondent-ESUCRL (Essel Surya Urja Company of Rajasthan Ltd) in village Nagnechinagar and Ugras, and in favour of AREPRL in village- Nedan shall also be reviewed by the state government so as to ensure that on account of allotment made in favour of the respondent companies, ESUCRL and AREPRL the rights of the Khatedar Tenants and the inhabitants of the aforesaid villages to the beneficial use and enjoyment of their properties and public utilities are not infringed or adversely affected.

    HC categorically asked the state government that the entire exercise pursuant to thisorder shall be completed by the State Government within a periodof six weeks from the date of receipt of certified copy of this order.

    In 2018, the then District Magistrate of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan has allotted a total of 6115.06 Bighas of land in Nedan village for setting up of a power plant (1500 MW), and of which the HC has now cancelled part of the land (1452 bigha) in the very village.

    Villagers ran from pillar to post against allotment of 3 land casessince 2018

     Entire legal matter deals in the allotment of three land cases:  one belongs to Adani’s AREPRL at Nedan in Jaisalmer district, and two to Essel’s ESUCRL in Jodhpur district. Villagers have run from pillar to post against the allotment of their lands for which they are called Kahatedar Tenants and Cultivator for 40-45 years.

    Villagers contended that they are entitle for regularisation of their old possession. They also stressed that their families residing in their Dhani constructed in village Nedan, and their exists schools, temple, water tank, pond, Oran land etc, but while allocating the land this fact was ignored.

    Petitioners had challenged the legality of order dated 11-1-2018 issued by the Jaisalmer district collector allotting the land measuring 6115.06 bighas of revenue village Nedan in favour of AREPRL for installation of 1500 MW Solar Park.

    Similarly in second case, Khatedar Tenants and cultivators for 40-45 years of agriculture land comprising various ‘Khasras of village Nagnechinagar in Jodhpur district assailed the legality of order of Jodhpur Collector on 23-3-2018 allotting the lands measuring 70.08 bighas in favour of ESUCRL for establishing Solar Park.

    In third land allotment case too, Khatedar tenants challenged legality in the allotment of 2045.11 Bighas in revenue village Ugras by Jodhpur collector on 23-3-208 in favour of ESUCRL for installation of 450 MW Solar Park.

     Earlier on 27-11-2019, the Single Bench of the Rajasthan High Court had ‘dismissed the three petitions’ filed by scores of Khatedar Tenants and villagers on a number of legal grounds and references. The petitioners had strongly alleged that the allocation of land by district collectors of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer would curtail their  public utilities such as Pond, Talab, Graveyard, but the Single Bench Judge had justified, “Such places of civic rights has not been handed over to AREPRL and they would not insist for handing over possession or allotment of such land, possession whereof has not been given”.

    Single judge opined that the petition preferred involve host of dispute question of facts, which cannot be gone into the Court in exercise of the writ jurisdiction, and thus, the petitioners were heard only qua the prayer clause (a) of the writ petition i.e. with respect to order impugned therein dated 11.1.2018 issued by the District Collector, Jaisalmer allotting 6115 Bighas 6 Biswas land comprising various Khasras of village Nedan in favour of AREPRL.

    Then petitioners have moved to the DB of HC where special appeals and consequently the writ petitions are partly allowed, and the judgement was made in their favour.

    HC’s SUO MOTO interest on Solar Park on land nearbyGreat Indian Bustard arc

    The DB of Rajasthan High Court also stepped into a land allocation case in favour of ADANI’s AREPRLfor Solar Energy Plant near Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Arc area in village Rasla in Jaisalmer district.

    Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Photo : courtesy Pinterest.com

    DB in its same order stated, “Indisputably, the land allotted to the respondent AREPRL near GIB Arc area relates village Rasla, which is not subject matter of present special appeals, and therefore, we have the Question regarding legality of the said allotment to be dealt with suo moto PIL (DBC Writ Petition No. 825/19) pending consideration before this court. Let the copy of this order be placed on the files of said writ petition”.

    Reaction on HC judgement related to solar projects

     Rajasthan, the biggest state in the country, has a vast potential for solar and wind energy in Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts with an installed capacity of 5002 MW in Solar and 4337 MW in wind energy, respectively.

     

     

    (Photo R 3 here)

     

    When asked for his reaction on the HC judgement, Rajasthan Energy and PHED Minister Dr B D Kalla told TIP here that of course there would be a hurdle in new investment plans and employment generation in the area sand desert of the state. It is the judicial matter, which is not my concern, Dr Kalla said adding, “Rajasthan has presently 4702 MW of solar power generation, and it has planned a solar energy target at 30,000 MW in years to come.

     

    Recently, the GoR has signed an MoU of 5000 MW with NTPC, and another 5000 MW MoU was in the pipeline with another company (SECI: Solar Energy Corporation of India), he discloses.  And Rajasthan Power Generation Corporation would set up 810 MW solar plant in next 2 years, the Minister said.

    In a new plan put up in the state Budget 2021-22, Rajasthan Power Distribution Corporation will set up a Green Corridor of 6.3 Gigga Watt to enable new projects of Renewable Source of Energy covering Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalore, and Jodhpur districts, he added.

     

    JVC

    Adani Renewable Energy Park Rajasthan Ltd (AREPRL) is a 50:50 Joint Venture Company (JVC) incorporated by Adani Energy Park Ltd (AREPL) and Rajasthan Renewable Corporation Ltd (RRECL), Government of Rajasthan, under the Companies Act, 2013. The JVC has been formed under the provisions of MNRE Scheme for development of solar parks and UMPPs 2014, wherein both the parties hold equal shareholding, quoting AREPRL web site, an official said here.

    An MoU has been signed with RRECL, the Government of Rajasthan’s nodal agency for the development of non-conventional energy sources, to develop solar parks with a cumulative capacity of 10,000 MW in a phased manner. As a part of the first phase, AREPRL is developing a 500 MW capacity solar park Bhadla, Jodhpur and 1500 MW capacity park in Fatehgarh, Jaisalmer.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Eric Adams Wins Democratic Nomination for NYC Mayor; Garcia and Wiley Concede

    Eric Adams Wins Democratic Nomination for NYC Mayor; Garcia and Wiley Concede

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): The city’s Board of Elections released updated preliminary numbers Tuesday, July 6, —now counting absentee ballots—which show the Brooklyn Borough President leading over former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia with 50.5 percent of votes after eight elimination rounds of Ranked Choice Voting.

    It may be mentioned here that The Indian Panorama was among the first to endorse Eric Adams.

     The city’s Board of Elections released an updated preliminary vote count Tuesday, July 6, in the city’s primary election, showing Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams leading over former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia with 50.5 percent of votes after eight elimination rounds of Ranked Choice Voting. Garcia and Maya Wiley, who placed second and third respectively, both conceded to Adams on Wednesday.

    The new tally, which included absentee ballots, put Adams ahead by 8,426 ballots over Garcia. While official election results won’t be certified for another few days, Adams’ lead was enough to prompt the Associated Press to declare him the winner and Democratic mayoral nominee.

    Some affidavit and cured ballots still need to be tallied, but likely not enough to shift the outcome of the primary race. BOE officials said Tuesday that 942 ballots are eligible to cure—a chance for voters who filled out their ballot incorrectly to fix and resubmit them—and are due back by July 14, at which points election results will be certified and an official winner declared.

    “While there are still some very small amounts of votes to be counted, the results are clear: an historic, diverse, five-borough coalition led by working-class New Yorkers has led us to victory in the Democratic primary for Mayor of New York City,” Adams said in a statement Tuesday night. “Now we must focus on winning in November so that we can deliver on the promise of this great city for those who are struggling, who are underserved, and who are committed to a safe, fair, affordable future for all New Yorkers.”

    Adams is expected to face off in the November general election against Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, the presumed Republican primary winner, who had 68.1 percent of his party’s votes in Tuesday’s preliminary count, beating out rival Fernando Mateo. Democratic voters greatly outnumber Republicans in New York City, meaning Sliwa will face an uphill battle in the race for City Hall this fall. Should Adams win as many anticipate, he’ll become the second Black mayor in the city’s history. Garcia, who campaigned as a government-savvy fixer and who had 49.5 percent of votes in the BOE’s most recent preliminary count, addressed supporters at a press conference in Manhattan Wednesday, where she congratulated Adams but noted that his win was “only by a razor-thin margin.” “For 400 years, no woman has held the top seat at City Hall. This campaign has come closer than any other moment in history to breaking that glass ceiling,” Garcia said in her speech, in which she urged other women to run to elected office. “We cracked the hell out of it, and it’s ready to be broken.”

    Maya Wiley, a former de Blasio administration lawyer who positioned herself as the more progressive Democratic candidate in the race after Dianne Morales’ left-leaning campaign was consumed by staff complaints about working conditions, also conceded the race during a press event outside the Lucerne Hotel in Manhattan, which has been the scene of a bitter fight over where and how the city should house New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.

    “Though the City has continued its inhumane policy of moving men out of hotels back into congregate shelters, they aren’t giving up their fight. And neither will I,” Wiley said in a statement following her concession speech. “I didn’t run for Mayor because I wanted to be a politician and sit at a big desk. I ran because I have a mission—a mission to make the City we love more fair, more just and more affordable.”

    In an earlier statement, Wiley—who after Tuesday’s updated preliminary count trailed Garcia by 12,367 votes in the seventh round of Ranked Choice Voting before being eliminated in the eight—criticized the BOE’s handling of the initial primary count.

    “It would be an understatement to express dismay at the BOE’s administration of this election,” Wiley said in a statement, referring to last week’s bungle when the board released its first batch of preliminary ranked choice primary votes, only to retract them hours later, saying they’d mistakenly included some 135,000 test ballots in the initial tally.

    State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has pledged to hold hearings in the coming weeks to explore how to reform the beleaguered agency.

    (Source: CityLimits)

  • MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR PORTER ANNOUNCE ACADEMIC RECOVERY PLAN FOR PIVOTAL SCHOOL YEAR AHEAD

    MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CHANCELLOR PORTER ANNOUNCE ACADEMIC RECOVERY PLAN FOR PIVOTAL SCHOOL YEAR AHEAD

    $635M historic investment to jumpstart academic achievement for every student 

     NEW YORK(TIP): Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, on July 8 announced their academic recovery vision for New York City’s public schools and students in the wake of the pandemic. The bold, rigorous framework will guide school communities and support students during the 2021-22 school year and beyond, stressing six critical areas of focus: early literacy for all, developing students as digital citizens, preparing students to be college- and career-ready, investing in special education services, building a rigorous and inclusive universal curriculum, and investing in social emotional supports for every student. In addition, each focus area includes dedicated supports for multilingual learners and immigrant students to address their unique needs and support their academic progress and language acquisition.

    “Our kids deserve the best that New York City has to offer. That’s why we’re rolling out the NYC Universal Academic Recovery Plan when schools open their doors this September,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “It’s not enough to only get our kids back in the classroom. We have got to close the COVID achievement gap. And we will do that by reaching every child and supporting them—academically, emotionally, and socially—every step of the way.”

    “This historic, high-impact investment in the academic growth and success of New York City’s students will allow us to come back from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than ever,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “This fall, we will welcome our students back to schools that are prepared to support them academically and emotionally after all they have been through – that’s what the Universal Academic Recovery Plan is all about.”

    Early Literacy for All – $49M in FY22

    This administration will redouble its commitment to early literacy by investing in screening and intervention for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade, with a singular goal of all students reading on grade level by the end of 2nd grade. To accomplish this, schools will use a universal literacy screener for all K-2 students. The screeners will identify risk for dyslexia, as well as other challenges and print-based disabilities, and schools will implement intervention plans based on the results.

    The Department of Education (DOE) will support schools through the literacy intervention process by:

    Targeted class size reduction achieved through hiring approximately 140 teachers in 72 higher need elementary schools.

    Bringing the number of Universal Literacy reading coaches to approximately 500 to provide all early childhood and K-2 classrooms with a literacy coach, and training K-2 educators to provide literacy supports to students in need.

    Training ENL, bilingual and content area teachers to track student progress and provide targeted supports for multilingual learners.

    In addition to the $49M investment, the DOE is providing funds to all schools to use for targeted supports for students, such as tutoring, extended day, and enrichment activities.

    Devices for Digital Citizens – $122M in FY22

    The pandemic led to an unprecedented investment in technology, with over 800,000 devices purchased by the NYCDOE and schools. The Academic Recovery Plan leaves remote learning behind but builds on this technological advancement by guaranteeing all students have access to a digital device and ensuring all students become fully fluent digital citizens for the new economy. As part of this commitment, the DOE will:

    Guarantee a device available for every K-12 student by delivering 175,000 more devices.

    Expand access to the City’s rigorous Computer Science 4 All initiative to 400,000 students by 2024.

    Train over 5,000 educators in advanced computer science.

    Launch a technology capstone project for all 8th grade students to demonstrate digital literacy skills.

    Preparing Students to be College- and Career-Ready – $10M in FY22

    As the City recovers from the pandemic, preparing students to graduate college- and career-ready is more important than ever. The Academic Recovery Plan will ensure every student, whether heading to college or a career, is best prepared for the next step in life. It makes multiple investments that benefit every high school student, including:

    Free, afterschool, personalized college counseling for every junior and senior.

    Universal College Financial Aid Guidance to help navigate the application process, available in multiple languages.

    48 new remote AP college-prep courses.

    College Now restoration to serve 22,000 students from all high schools in dual enrollment, college-credit courses across 18 CUNY campuses.

    Immigrant Ambassador Programs across 30 high schools that match immigrant DOE students with college students to foster mentorship and early college awareness.

    Student Success Centers for 34 high schools to ensure post-grad plans for all students and expanding the Postsecondary Readiness for ELLs Program (PREP), to be facilitated by a select group of school counselors and educators.

    Special Education Investments – $251M in FY22

    The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on our student with disabilities. The Academic Recovery Plan will make every resource available to better support students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It extends from the DOE’s youngest learners to students preparing for graduation by:

    Launching afterschool and Saturday programs for all students with IEPs to receive additional instruction and related services.

    Adding 800 preschool special education seats by fall 2022.

    Expanding Committees on Preschool Special Education to expedite evaluations and IEP meetings.

    Providing eligible students ages 21+ with continued instruction toward receiving their diploma or other exit credential, or to receive consultation to facilitate post-secondary plans for college and career readiness.

    Expanding family workshops and information sessions through our Beyond Access Series, which supports families of students with disabilities.

    Universal Mosaic Curriculum – $202M in FY22

    New York City will develop a rigorous, inclusive, and affirming curriculum by fall 2023 – the Universal Mosaic Curriculum. Currently, there is no single off-the-shelf curriculum academically rigorous and inclusive enough for New York City’s 1,600 schools and one million students. This curriculum will be built on Literacy for All, accelerate student learning, and free teachers from time-consuming curriculum development.

    The DOE will create a comprehensive ELA and Math curriculum that engages all students and prepares them for success in school and life by:

    Providing an unprecedented infusion of books into every classroom for next school year that reflect the variety of histories, languages and experiences that make up the City.

    Providing schools with dedicated funding to purchase texts in home languages and build home language libraries to support multilingual learners.

    Developing brand new training and support materials for the Arts, ELA, Math, Arts, and more, in partnership with New York City educators, beginning next year.

    Launching new targeted professional development lessons for teachers.

    Social Emotional Supports for Every Student (Funding Previously Announced)

    Children in every community are carrying trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a successful academic recovery can only happen when the emotional and mental health needs of students are taken care of. As previously announced, the DOE is significantly investing in every student by:

    Hiring over 500 social workers and other mental health support staff to guarantee that every school has resources to support students who may be in crisis.

    Adding over 130 new community schools to provide expanded social, emotional, academic, and extracurricular services to students in the highest need communities.

    Conducting wellness checks and social-emotional learning support to identify multilingual learners and their needs, particularly in transitioning to full time in-person learning. Using a social emotional screening tool to help identify students in need and quickly match them with services.

    The academic recovery vision demonstrates the DOE’s commitment to lifting up New York City’s school communities beginning as early as September 2021, and ensuring they have the resources to recover stronger than ever from the impacts of the pandemic for years to come.

    “New York City’s Academic Recovery Plan is a significant investment in the full set of tools children need to succeed. This program is made possible by the American Rescue Plan, an unprecedented commitment of federal funding to help schools reopen safely, meet students’ social, emotional and mental health needs, and address disparities in academic opportunities. The American Rescue Plan provided school districts with the flexibility to design and implement the programming that works best for them. With the Academic Recovery Plan, New York City will welcome students back this fall with a vision that will empower communities to help students thrive,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

    “Chancellor Porter and Mayor DeBlasio are showing tremendous leadership by ensuring that federal and local dollars are working to assist the tremendous investments needed in student learning. Their surgical efforts to promote best practices to support students is a shining example of how we must continue to be urgent and tactical in doing all that we can to invest in children,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman.

    “COVID-19 has placed a tremendous strain on students and educators who have faced unfathomable challenges during this public health emergency,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “As our city reopens and prepares for the upcoming school year, it remains vital that we work to address and remove the roadblocks that students, families and teachers faced and ensure that we implement the most inclusive and accessible programs as we work to build back better and put our students on a path toward achievement and success. I commend Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter on today’s historic announcement and look forward to continuing my efforts at the federal level to ensure New York City students and families have the support needed during our recovery and reopening of the school year ahead.”

    “As a former educator, I know the difference that investing in our schools and students can make. I’m very proud of the funding we were able to bring home to New York City through our federal covid response legislation, including the American Rescue Plan. I look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor and Chancellor Porter on bettering education for all of New York City’s students,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney.

    “As a parent advocate, I welcome the city’s universal academic recovery vision with great hope. It is critical for students in communities like the district I represent, who face significant educational and economic challenges, to be fully supported in their public school classrooms. Today by providing a roadmap for this $630M investment, the city is moving in the right direction. There is much more to be done with the increased state and federal funding to meet the priorities and needs of parents, teachers, and students—especially around reducing class sizes—but this plan puts us on the path to the brighter future our children deserve,” said Senator Robert Jackson.

    “The Mayor and Chancellor are advancing a bold vision for NYC K-12 students, an idea made possible by our state budget finally accounting for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity ruling”, said Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “Equitable funding across our state and fair funding across our City will ensure that school children have access to strong education programs and wrap-around services in the coming year and many years after that.”

    The pandemic has left an indelible mark on the education of our scholars. With remote and blended learning being a challenge for so many families in so many ways, we must make all strides necessary to regain ground that many of our students may have lost. The comprehensive wraparound services being planned under the universal academic recovery vision are not only laudable, but they are critical. Everything from providing digital toolkits and hardware to the investment of the social well-being and health of our students will have an impact and must be implemented in a manner that meets students and administrators where they are. I commend Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter for putting forth this initiative and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that every student in SD 14 can have full access to these resources,” said Senator Leroy Comrie.

    “The transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed systemic flaws and inequities in our education system that have been present for decades. This historic investment in our schools is crucial to create an education system that is equitable and ensures that all students are college-and-career ready, regardless of their background or location. I look forward to working with Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter to ensure that all of our students are supported and have the resources to recover stronger than ever from the impacts of the pandemic and succeed,” said Senator Alessandra Biaggi.

    “By funding our schools, reducing class sizes in elementary schools, adding literacy coaches, and investing in technology for K-12 students, we can ensure more equitable academic outcomes for young New Yorkers,” said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. “I applaud the Mayor and Chancellor Porter for this bold seven point initiative as families plan for the transitional year ahead and reintegrate to fully in-person learning. By investing in our schools, we are investing in a more just and fair recovery for our city.”

    “The COVID-19 pandemic deeply impacted students in underserved communities, including my own in the Bronx, causing increased academic and mental health struggles. I thank Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter for their commitment to ensuring that our students receive the resources necessary to get back on track and placed on a path towards academic and career success,” said Assemblymember Kenny Burgos.

    “I applaud Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter for focusing on improving student literacy and investing in social emotional supports for students in this post-COVID era.  Reading disabilities go undiagnosed or unaddressed in most communities, but the issue is particularly profound in communities of color.  Every child should be screened for dyslexia and learning disabilities because early identification will allow us to target interventions before kids fall behind to ensure successful educational outcomes and break the school-to-prison pipeline. Literacy is a matter of social justice, and access to digital support devices is also critical to successful learning in a modern era,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, a former special education teacher who currently holds state bills on dyslexia and learning-related disabilities.

    “The Academic Recovery Plan recognizes that our students’ mental health is as important as their physical health; that they need support well outside class hours; that early intervention will make a lifetime of difference; that digital devices have gone from a luxury to a necessity; and that we must provide our special needs students with special resources. I also applaud the critical support this plan gives to multilingual learners, which will help children from immigrant communities succeed in America. After our students endured more than a year of distance learning, today’s plan will put them back on a track for success,” said Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar.

    “After a difficult year-plus of remote learning, I am grateful that our young scholars will be supported with the social, emotional, and technological resources they need for a safe and productive school year in the fall. The pandemic taught us a lot of lessons, particularly as it relates to the needs of students of color. I appreciate the efforts of the Administration and the Department of Education to collaborate with the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus and educators and parents of color for the past several months to create a more diverse, responsive, and forward-thinking curriculum. These new initiatives will serve to create broader historical awareness of the contributions of people of color and provide for the culturally sensitive instruction we have advocated for over the past several years,” said Council Member I. Daneek Miller, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus.

    “New York City’s students need all the help and investments they can get after the tough year they had learning from home and dealing with the effects of the pandemic,” said Council Member Ben Kallos. “This academic recovery plan which focuses on early literacy and making kids college ready will hopefully be successful at helping students claw back some of the academic losses they faced over the last year. Thank you Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter for this truly impressive investment and plan to help our kids get back to learning.”

    “From technology access to literacy rates, the pandemic laid bare the glaring inequalities in our city’s education system. As we recover, I’ve strongly supported increased investments into our school communities and classrooms. The Academic Recovery Plan is an important step forward, and I commend the Mayor and Schools Chancellor on their work fighting for students, teachers, and families,” said Council Member Keith Powers.

    “These new financial investments and bolstered curriculum will make a huge difference for New York City students of all ages and backgrounds. I look forward to working with the Mayor’s Office and DOE to ensure these programs are effectively implemented and that we continue to push for additional support in and out of the classroom for our children,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera.

    “If we are to build a true success path for children’s future, we need to ensure that as a City we are putting in resources that reflect the diversity and needs of our communities––from tackling the digital divide to investing in mental health, and more. This academic recovery plan is a step towards educational equity so that every child, no matter their background or circumstances, has the opportunity to truly thrive,” said Council Member Francisco Moya.

    “I have always said that education is the most important tool we can provide for our children to succeed, and I am grateful to Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Porter for their universal academic recovery plan. I am confident that this investment in our city’s learning infrastructure will help our young people pursue their educational and career goals while receiving the extra support they need to excel. It is important that we continue to empower our young people with essential learning resources and opportunities that provide education equity to underserved students, and I am a strong supporter of initiatives that will achieve this noble goal,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene.

    “I am pleased to learn of the New York City Department of Education’s proactive Universal Academic Recovery Plan to guide our school communities in the wake of the pandemic. As a former educator, I am especially pleased that this plan strategizes and builds supports to help students both communally and individually. Today, more than ever, an investment in education is of the utmost importance,” stated Council Member Alan Maisel.

  • Tropical Storm Elsa slams East Coast; at least 1 dead in Florida and 10 injured in Georgia

    Tropical Storm Elsa slams East Coast; at least 1 dead in Florida and 10 injured in Georgia

     

    July 6,2021

    ARLINGTON, Va. (TIP): Tropical Storm Elsa powered its way up the East Coast on Thursday, July 8, an unrelenting weather system that has claimed one life, injured at least 10 people and flooded parts of New York City. About 27,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the eastern U.S. on Thursday, July 8, and flooding was a concern as isolated areas could see up to 8 inches of rain before the storm passes.

    A flash flood watch was issued for tens of millions of people along the East Coast because of the threat of heavy rain. The National Hurricane Center issued the tropical storm warning as far north as Boston and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

    In New York City, pictures and video on social media showed flooded subway stops and shut down highways and roads. The NYPD had to rescue several motorists from rising waters, they said on Twitter. As of 11 p.m. EDT Thursday, Elsa was centered about 65 miles north-northwest of Norfolk, Virginia and 170 miles southwest of Atlantic City, New Jersey, moving northeast at 25 mph, the hurricane center said. The storm has strengthened slightly, and sustained winds howled at 50 mph.

    Elsa was expected to gain speed over the next couple of days, pass near the eastern mid-Atlantic states by Thursday night and then edge near or over the Northeast on Friday and Friday night, said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the hurricane center in Miami.

    The system should move over the Atlantic off Canada by Friday night and Saturday, Beven said.

    Hear from real people who had Hep C and got cured. Today’s treatments have high success rates, so don’t wait to take the next steps. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more.

    The storm, which killed three people last week as it swept across islands in the Caribbean, caused flooding in parts of Florida the past couple of days. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue reported that a tree fell on two cars Wednesday, killing one person. Rescuers pulled a person from a car swamped on a flooded street.

    Possible tornado strikes Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base

    In Georgia, a suspected tornado touched down at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, injuring about 10 people, commanding officer Capt. Chester Parks said. Multiple recreational vehicles in the base RV park were damaged, along with some buildings, he said.

    “I want to thank all of our first responders and Camden County first responders for their quick actions,” Parks said. “Their quick response most certainly helped.”

    Sergio Rodriguez, who lives near the RV park, said he raced to the scene, fearing friends staying at the park might be hurt. The area was under a tornado warning Wednesday evening.

    “There were just RVs flipped over on their sides, pickup trucks flipped over, a couple of trailers had been shifted and a couple of trailers were in the water” of a pond on the site, Rodriguez said.

    New York City could see flooding

    The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for New York City, starting at midnight Thursday and lasting until noon Friday.

    Although heavy rainfall will be possible as early as Thursday afternoon, the greater chances for this will begin Thursday night, the weather service said. Total rainfall from Thursday afternoon through Friday is expected to range from 2 to 3 inches, and higher amounts are possible in areas.

    “Damaging winds are the primary threat from these storms,” NYC Emergency Management warned.

    Boston in danger of feeling Elsa’s wrath

    Incredibly, the tropical storm that smashed through the Caribbean a week ago is now a threat in Massachusetts.

    A tropical storm warning is in effect through Friday evening for coastal parts of Massachusetts as well as parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Heavy rains could bring localized flooding to parts of Boston.

    “Main threats are damaging winds, isolated hail & locally heavy rainfall which may lead to street flooding,” the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency tweeted.

    South Texas sees flooding from separate system

    A separate area of tropical storminess brought showers and thunderstorms to South Texas on Thursday. “Although development of this system is not anticipated since it is expected to remain over land, heavy rainfall and flash flooding will be possible along the Texas Gulf coast over the next few days,” the hurricane center said.

    In Corpus Christi, Texas, more than 100,000 gallons of domestic wastewater overflowed as rainwater overwhelmed the city’s wastewater pipelines.

    Elsa made landfall Wednesday in Florida; 9 missing after boat capsizes

    Elsa made landfall around 11 a.m. Wednesday in Taylor County along Florida’s northern Gulf Coast, the hurricane center said. Earlier, Key West streets had turned to roaring rivers, and Tampa was blasted by high winds and heavy rains.

    Tuesday, July 6,the Coast Guard and a good Samaritan boat rescued 13 people off the coast of Key West. Coast Guard officials said the group was among 22 that left Cuba on a boat that capsized in waters churned by the storm. Seven men and two women were missing.

     

     

     

     

  • Indian Overseas Congress (IOC, USA) Condemns the custodial death of Father Stan Swamy

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Indian Overseas Congress (IOC, USA) has expressed shock on the way Father Stan Swamy was treated inhumanly without basic facilities in spite of his fragile health in police custody resulting in his death.

    The President of Indian National Overseas Congress Mohinder Gilzian expressed outrage at the death of Father Stan Swamy under custody and said that the Indian Government should punish the people responsible for foisting false cases on the activist, his continued detention and inhuman treatment. He urged the intervention of President of India to hold accountable those responsible for the detention, inhuman treatment and death of Father Stan Swamy. He said that the UAPA/Sedition act is being misused and used against people for political reasons.

    Vice Chairman George Abraham said that it is a dark day for democracy in India, and the national leadership and members of the judiciary should hang their heads in shame. He said that Father Swamy’s detention and treatment in prison that led to his death is a blot on the consciousness of the nation and a travesty of justice. He said that he will be organizing a meeting to pay homage to Father Stan Swamy and celebrate his life which was spent in service of the poor and helpless people.

    Secretary General Harbachan Singh said that he was saddened by the death of Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest & tribal rights activist, who died in Indian custody under charges of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He said that the Indian Government should respect the vital role of human rights activists in healthy democracy.

    The National General Secretary Rajendar Dichpally has said that the NDA Government should be held accountable for the death of a man who has spent his lifetime in service of the poor and tribal people. He said that the Modi Government has been twisting the judiciary as one can see how bail was given to Pragya Thakur (BJP MP) and Arnab Goswami (Founder of Republic TV) and the same denied to Father Stan Swamy. He said that this is a black mark in Indian Democracy. He expressed his deep condolences to the family of Father Stan Swamy.

    Washington DC IOC, USA Chapter President Johnson Myalil said Father Stan Swamy’s custodial death is the result of high-handedness of NSA, indifference of the judiciary, and the failure of political leadership. Government of India should allow the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incarceration and death of Father Stan Swamy.

  • Indian Overseas Congress, USA Vice-Chair George Abraham condoles Father Stan Swamy’s death in custody

    Indian Overseas Congress, USA Vice-Chair George Abraham condoles Father Stan Swamy’s death in custody

    NEW YORK (TIP): The custodial death of the Jesuit priest Stan Swamy in Mumbai, India has sent shock waves across the world. The Indian panorama received a number of calls from readers condemning the Indian government’s total disregard of the basic human rights of people. Some have sent their written statements of condemnation.

    George Abraham, a community activist and vice chairman of IOC USA has sent the following statement which we are publishing without editing.

    “It is a dark day for democracy in India, and the national leadership and members of the judiciary should hang their heads in shame,” said George Abraham, Vice-Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, USA who was reacting to the death of Stan Swamy, who dedicated his life to serving the poor tribals in India. Father Swamy’s detention and treatment in prison that led to his death is a blot on the consciousness of the nation and a travesty of justice,” said Mr. Abraham.

    Father Stan Swamy was held in detention under the draconian law called UAPA, which is supposed to be a tool against terrorists. It is pitiful that a country that professes to broadcast to the world about its cultural and human virtues would treat a frail, old man of 84 years old who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease this way! He even needed a court’s intervention to receive a straw to drink water, and the delay to his request to move him to a hospital due to Covid by the judiciary that may have cost him his life.

    Is India anymore a country of equal justice under the law? It is about time to reexamine the path it has chosen in the past six years that has witnessed the undermining of Institutions and devaluing the lives of ordinary people across the nation. Freedom of expression is becoming a thing of the past as the Government appears to be clamping down any criticism of its hierarchy. Father Stan Swamy dedicated his whole life defending the marginalized and the oppressed people who didn’t have a voice of their own while facing the onslaught of corporate lobby fully backed by vested interests and dissenting voices were routinely branded as anti-nationals charged with colonial-era sedition laws, and Father Swamy himself became another victim of this nefarious scheme.

    It is also time to remember many other human rights warriors who are still in prison, such as Sudha Bharadwaj, who is said to have been facing health risks of her own. We can only hope the passing of Father Stan Swamy may reopen the mindset of those in power to release those on bail while awaiting charges.

  • SAI Temple Baldwin Celebrates 20 years

    SAI Temple Baldwin Celebrates 20 years

    Inner view of the temple with devotees in prayers.
    Consul General Randhir Kumar Jaiswal speaks. Seen in the picture, from L to R: Kamlesh Mehta, Publisher of The south Asian Times, Dr. Abha Jaiswal, Consul General, Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori and Dr. Subhadra Nori.

    I.S. Saluja

    BALDWIN, NY (TIP): Sai Temple, Baldwin celebrated 20th anniversary July 4. Consul General of India at New York, Randhir Kumar Jaiswal was the chief guest. He was accompanied by his wife Dr. Abha Jaiswal. Dr. Gaddam Reddy, Chairman, Hindu Temple was the guest of honor. He was accompanied by Mrs. Reddy.

    On the occasion, special prayers were offered. An 8-page supplement on the institution was also released.

    In his brief address, Consul General spoke of the huge following of Sai Baba. He took out of his pocket a memento from Shirdi Sai Baba while telling the gathering that he himself has great faith in Sai Baba who recommended simple living and having patience and faith in Sai Baba.

    Mr. Jaiswal commended the services of Dr.Dattatreyudu Nori and his wife Dr. Subhadra Nori, and wished them all success with their projects to come.

    Dr. and Mrs. Nori honored the Consul General and his wife. The guest of honor Dr Reddy and Mrs. Reddy too were honored, as were some more for their association with and services to the temple.

    Earlier, Dr. Nori spoke at length about the setting up of the Sai temple at Baldwin 20 years ago. He said since then 2 more Sai temples have been added. One in New Jersey and another, recently, in Hicksville. A short video was also screened.

    About Nori Foundation

    Nori Foundation USA Inc. was started by Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori and his wife Dr. Subhadra Nori in the year 1998, as a modest gesture in memory of his parents, Late Sri. Satyanarayana Nori and Late Smt. Kanaka Durgamba Nori. The charitable trust serves the needy in the fields of medical relief, education, and community services. Nori Foundation has established Sai Mandir in Baldwin, New York in the year 2002. To fulfill the requests made by several Sai Baba devotees, SaiMandir USA  Hicksville NY was started in 2020

    Since their inception, both the centers have been serving the community and standing as a source of inspiration and tranquility and peace to all the Sai devotees. The places have evolved into a sacred Shirdi for the USA East Coast region and facilitate worship services similar to that in Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir in Shirdi, India. The main objective is to promote the gist of his teachings and philosophy of Sai Baba, Shraddha (devotion) and Saburi (patience).

    Nori Foundation Inc, in addition to community service, also promotes harmony among all cultures, promotes human values and provides sanctum for everyone. Nori Foundation stands as a model on how to accomplish collectively and with integrity.

  • The death of Fr. Swamy

    The death of Fr. Swamy

    Denial of bail to under-trials must come up for national debate

    Stanislaus Lourduswamy or Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest, was born in Tiruchirappalli, worked in Ranchi for the rights of forest dwellers and died at the age of 84 in Mumbai as an under-trial prisoner, exemplifying the undying spirit of rebellion against the State power and life-giving kindness for the meek. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed that he was a Maoist and a key conspirator in the Bhima-Koregaon case, but it did not, even for a day, seek his custodial interrogation after it arrested him on October 8, 2020. The NIA just wanted to keep him in jail. The FIR of the case goes back to 2018 when the NIA raided Fr. Swamy’s residence first and he was questioned too, yet he was not arrested till 2020. Obviously, the NIA did not consider him a flight risk. Then, why did it keep a Parkinson’s patient in jail during a raging pandemic?

    Fr. Swamy’s lawyer has sought a judicial probe into the incarceration of an ailing man leading to his death; and the least that the Bombay High Court can do now is to order one. After all, it failed in assessing the need for interim bail to Fr. Swamy when it agreed to shift the priest to a hospital of his choice. The conduct of the NIA and jail authorities, which denied him a sipper to drink, should be scrutinized to stop the misuse of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act to deny bail to the accused. In Fr. Swamy’s case, the NIA court invoked chapters IV and VI of the Act to detain him. These provisions pertaining to terrorist activities and organizations should not have been used in the case of a man who never picked up a weapon.

    The greatest misfortune of our criminal justice system is its propensity to allow the misuse of the judicial process to punish the accused rather than awaiting verdicts dependent on evidentiary merit — be they enemies of the State or the moneyed. Fr. Swamy’s death should trigger a national debate on the denial of bail to under-trials. Let his suffering not go in vain.

    (Tribune India)

  • Goodbye, Dilip Kumar

    Goodbye, Dilip Kumar

    The passing of Dilip Kumar, the king of melancholia on the silver screen, signals the final break from the early days of Hindi film ‘talkies’, when actors were beginning to shed the exaggerated theatricality of stage drama and learning to love the camera. In the 1930s and 1940s, Ashok Kumar, Motilal Rajvansh and Balraj Sahni were among the handful of actors taking pioneering steps towards natural, realistic acting. They were eschewing the preceding style that — with its hand-waving, over the top gestures and facial expressions — seemed affected and artificial. Then came Dilip Kumar, the Pathan from Peshawar, who went a step further, deep into the skin of the character he was playing. He didn’t make a mark in his earliest movies, but collaborating with Nitin Bose in 1946 proved a turning point. He began to develop the finer nuances of his craft and, in his own words, ‘evolved a method’ — a method actor without training.

    Through the 1940s to 1960s, in a newly-independent country brimming with hope but grappling with new challenges, Dilip Kumar played an impressive range of characters — a dapper young man in Andaz, a farmer in Mela and Naya Daur, an unbounded adventurer in Azaad and Kohinoor, the prince in Mughal-e-Azam, a dacoit in Ganga Jamuna. But the role that epitomized his ‘Tragedy King’ persona was as Devdas in Bimal Roy’s film of the same name in 1955. Deep-diving into tragic characters caused him to be depressed, and the light-hearted, swashbuckling roles he played in the mid-1950s were part of efforts to cheer his spirits.

    By the 1970s, with Dilip Kumar in his 50s, his charm as the leading man began to fade and he made an impressive transition into character roles — the most memorable role of this phase was as a police officer in Shakti (1982), in which he is clearly the giant among Amitabh Bachchan, Smita Patil and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. His brooding style, however, began to seem dated by the time he did his final films. He long outlived his two foremost rivals and friends, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand — but at 98, it is time for the finest actor of his time to take the final bow.

    (Tribune India)

  • BJP does balancing act to check dissidence

    BJP does balancing act to check dissidence

    By Radhika Ramaseshan

    “Barring stray individuals, the core team remained unquestioningly loyal to the BJP through thick and thin. But the BJP’s recent enlargement and the induction of defectors from the Congress and regional parties etched their own fault lines. Added to this trend is the over-centralization of authority in identifiable power centers ensconced in Delhi which ride roughshod over the regions and the provincial satraps who werelaw unto themselves in the years when the nucleus was less strong.”

    The tension between adhering to the RSS’s ideology and executing its divisive agenda and maintaining the power balance among a motley group of new inductees is one aspect of the New BJP.

    The BJP has reasons to applaud and raise a toast to the success that came its way over the past seven years. The party’s website commemorates every milestone there is to celebrate. The BJP is the world’s largest party with 11 crore members, it rules at the Centre and over 18 states and union territories autonomously or in conjunction with allies, and has an unassailable grip over Parliament with 301 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha and 95 in the 245-member Rajya Sabha. With its rapid spread in the east and the north-east, the BJP has shed the tag of a party confined to the north and west of India. The south stands like a parapet against the unbridled expansion and the core beliefs enshrined in the BJP’s versions of nationalism and Hinduism.

    Power carries a price tag despite generously rewarding the BJP. The cost entailed in maintaining and retaining defectors from the other parties — variously labelled as imports, turncoats, opportunists and weathervanes — is enormous. These are men and women who did not enter the BJP to embrace its ideology and imbibe the RSS’s bible. Their entry was a derivative of the party’s rise to a pole position where it held out the promise of a supreme patron handing out the loaves and fishes of power in much the way the Congress did in the decades gone by. There are two significant differences: the BJP was birthed by an ideologically motivated RSS, albeit out of expediency, when the Sangh needed political and parliamentary presence to lobby in crises and was part of a large family with equally ambitious progenies desirous of sharing power. On the other hand, the Congress spawned off-springs such as the Sewa Dal and the National Students’ Union of India that were always subservient to the parent. Second, the BJP or the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in its previous incarnation was on the political periphery until 1989 but the party organization was put together by dedicated founders who never swerved from the original political objectives and built a corps of workers, initially drawn from urban India, with the RSS’s help. Barring stray individuals, the core team remained unquestioningly loyal to the BJP through thick and thin. But the BJP’s recent enlargement and the large-scale induction of defectors from the Congress and regional parties etched their own fault lines. Added to this trend is the over-centralization of authority in identifiable power centers ensconced in Delhi which ride roughshod over the regions and the provincial satraps who were law unto themselves in the years when the nucleus was less strong.

    A recent manifestation of the post-2014 features was in the leadership changeover in Uttarakhand, seven months before the assembly elections. The BJP anointed its third chief minister in four years. The first, Trivendra Singh Rawat, went out on account of his ‘unpopular’ decisions, one of which upset the powerful Hindu clergy. His successor, Tirath Singh Rawat, a Lok Sabha MP, had to quit ostensibly because he could not meet the deadline set for his election to the legislature. The view from inside the BJP was that the leadership was afraid for Rawat to contest a by poll in case he lost. If this reasoning is even partially true, it shows that despite the Congress’s failure to step up to the plate, the BJP is unsure about its prospects of returning to power. The choice for the third incumbent fell on a relatively younger Pushkar Singh Dhami, who like his peers in Himachal Pradesh and Goa, Jai Ram Thakur and Pramod Sawant, enters through the by now established route of the ABVP and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. If demography were a determinant, nothing explains why the leaders could not have chosen the 45-year-old Dhami over the senior Rawats in the first place. Except that Uttarakhand has a line-up of CM aspirants, consisting of the BJP’s originals as well as the migrants who are reportedly miffed at being passed over thrice and could work against the official candidates in their districts in the elections. Over to another state, Tripura, that was trumpeted and showcased as a bang-up win in 2018 after the Left Front government was ousted, because the event marked the victory of ‘nationalism’ over ‘communism’. Two years hence, the BJP government, led by Biplab Kumar Deb of RSS provenance, was up against intra-party dissensions led by seven legislators, all from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Before the elections, the BJP lacked a viable functioning organization and candidates. However, realizing the groundswell of anger against the Left Front government, the BJP pressed its traditional attributes, like campaigning and propaganda dissemination, to advantage and channelized popular disenchantment into an offensive against the former CM, Manik Sarkar. The Congress and the TMC were ineffective counters. Seeing the wind blow in the BJP’s favor, their leaders and rank-and-file switched allegiance and filled in the human resources vacuum. However, under Deb, the trust deficit between the originals and the outlanders never closed. They were mutually suspicious to the extent that Sudip Roy Burman, a former Congressman who became a minister, was dropped for allegedly “conspiring” against the CM.

    In Madhya Pradesh, when the BJP candidate was convincingly defeated by the Congress nominee in the Damoh Assembly by poll in May, the axe fell on Jayant Malaiya, a former BJP minister and a heavyweight at that, on the suspicion of sabotage. Rahul Lodhi, the candidate, came to the BJP from the Congress in the en masse defections that precipitated the downfall of the Kamal Nath government. In this instance, a BJP old-timer paid the price for allegedly getting back at a Congress defector.

    Goa, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are the other states that exemplify a system stressed out by the pulls and pressures of power and possibly, of overreaching its ambitions. The tension between adhering to the RSS’s ideology and executing its divisive agenda and maintaining the power balance among a motley group of new inductees is one aspect of the New BJP. Undergirding the unwieldy growth is a powerful and cohesive center in the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who so far have demonstrated an uncanny ability to hold together the contradictions. It’s not just about enforcing ‘discipline’.

    (The author is a senior journalist)

  • Darkness at noon, felled by the judiciary

    Darkness at noon, felled by the judiciary

    By Ajit Prakash Shah

    The most flagrant abuse of the UAPA, and constant rejection of bail applications of those accused as a means of silencing opposing voices, can be seen in the Bhima Koregaon cases, including Fr. Swamy’s case, as well as the cases pertaining to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), where mere thought is elevated to a crime. In multiple instances, evidence is untenable, sometimes even arguably planted, and generally weak overall. But as a consequence of UAPA being applied, the accused cannot even get bail. Courts cannot go into the merits of the case due to the Supreme Court judgment.

    It has been 81 years since Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon was first published. The novel is set in the backdrop of the Great Purge of the late 1930s in the Soviet Union under Stalin. This period was marked by, among other things, political repression, police surveillance, general suspicion of the opposition, imprisonment, and executions. Decades on, thousands of miles away, darkness fell at noon in India too, when Father Stan Swamy passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai on July 5. Ominously reminiscent of the macabre world Koestler had drawn, Fr. Swamy’s death is much more than the death of an activist accused of terrorist activities. It is the result of a systemic abuse of majoritarian authority and disregard for the rule of law.

    His life in a nutshell

    For many, Fr. Swamy will be remembered as an inspiration. A Jesuit priest, he chose to make the upliftment of marginalized communities in Jharkhand his life’s work. He lived and worked in a single room, prolifically writing (over 70 books are credited to him) on dispossessed people. He was an activist for most of his life, and used the legal system to fight for the rights of those who were being unfairly targeted, and thought that the Constitution would help in securing justice, even moving the Jharkhand High Court in a public interest litigation on undertrials. When doing all of this, surely, he would never have imagined that his fate would be decided by the very system he used and believed in.

    It started in August 2018, when the Pune police raided Fr. Swamy’s single-room home, seized his computer, cell phone, books and some classical music cassettes. Another raid took place in June 2019. Finally, on October 8, 2020, Fr. Swamy was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the 16th to join a roster of professors, activists, writers, and public intellectuals, as a suspect in the Bhima-Koregaon case. Fr. Swamy, aged over 80, remained an accused, in the custody of the state, till his death. Besides being arrested for what many believe to be improbable causes, and being possibly the oldest person ever accused of terrorism in India, the most tragic story is how his detention was handled by the state, by the police and worst of all, by the courts.

    Fr. Swamy was arrested on flimsy evidence of some propaganda material and communication with other activists in the field, such as Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao, who were also arrested for similar charges. The authenticity of some of the allegedly indicting documentation, including a key report, has been questioned by international forensic data experts. But the state defended its arrest arguing that these issues must be gone into only during trial, and that the accused — i.e., Fr. Swamy — should remain in jail until then.

    Pointer to judicial decline

    This is the outcome also of the problematic Watali judgment, which I discuss in subsequent paragraphs. Repeated pleas for medical assistance by Fr. Swamy were consistently ignored or dismissed. Medical reports taken on record clearly showed that Fr. Swamy had the degenerative Parkinson’s disease, and could not even do basic tasks, such as holding a spoon, writing, walking or bathing. Indeed, the court noted that he had a severe hearing problem, and was physically very weak. But even that did not move them. Every regular bail application that was filed by his lawyers was unequivocally rejected. When he applied for medical bail, the court kept adjourning the matter, and merely offered him the services of a private hospital. In my opinion, this demonstrates a lack of sensitivity on the part of the judges, which is deeply saddening.

    The series of events that led to Fr. Swamy’s eventual and tragic passing is testimony to the judicial decline that we have seen in recent years, which coincidentally or not, appears to be coterminous with the current political regime in India.

    Why is the political establishment, and the police, so emboldened to pursue cases under UAPA against individuals like Fr. Swamy? A key reason, undoubtedly, is the weak judiciary we have today. Indeed, our judiciary today suffers from a great many flaws besides mere weakness. In Fr. Swamy’s case, the judges displayed apathy of a shocking order. It is perplexing when, on the one hand, the Chief Justice of India grandiloquently states that personal liberties and fundamental rights must be protected, and courts do precisely the opposite.

    A weakened central principle

    It would not be too bold to suggest that the idea of the “presumption of innocence” — a central principle of criminal law and procedure — is on a terribly weak footing these days in our country, and this should worry all of us greatly.

    The source of this worry is the Supreme Court of India itself. Its April 2019 decision in National Investigation Agency vs Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali on the interpretation of the UAPA has affected all downstream decisions involving the statute. This decision has created a new doctrine, which is that effectively, an accused must remain in custody throughout the period of the trial, even if it is eventually proven that the evidence against the person was inadmissible, and the accused is finally acquitted. The illogic of this veers on the absurd: Why must an accused remain in jail only to be eventually acquitted?

    According to the decision, in considering bail applications under the UAPA, courts must presume every allegation made in the First Information Report to be correct. Further, bail can now be obtained only if the accused produces material to contradict the prosecution. In other words, the burden rests on the accused to disprove the allegations, which is virtually impossible in most cases. The decision has essentially excluded the admissibility of evidence at the stage of bail. By doing so, it has effectively excluded the Evidence Act itself, which arguably makes the decision unconstitutional. Bail hearings under the UAPA are now nothing more than mere farce. With such high barriers of proof, it is now impossible for an accused to obtain bail, and is in fact a convenient tool to put a person behind bars indefinitely. It is nothing short of a nightmare come true for arrestees.

    This is being abused by the government, police and prosecution liberally: now, all dissenters are routinely implicated under (wild and improbable) charges of sedition or criminal conspiracy and under the UAPA. Due to the Supreme Court judgment, High Courts have their hands tied, and must perforce refuse bail, as disproving the case is virtually impossible. As a result of this decision, for instance, a High Court judge can no longer really adjudicate and assess the evidence in a case. All cases must now follow this straitjacketed formula of refusing bail. The effect is nearly identical to the draconian preventive detention laws that existed during the Emergency, where courts deprived people access to judicial remedy. If we want to prevent the disasters of that era, this decision must be urgently reversed or diluted, otherwise we run the risk of personal liberties being compromised very easily.

    The most flagrant abuse of the UAPA, and constant rejection of bail applications of those accused as a means of silencing opposing voices, can be seen in the Bhima Koregaon cases, including Fr. Swamy’s case, as well as the cases pertaining to protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), where mere thought is elevated to a crime. In multiple instances, evidence is untenable, sometimes even arguably planted, and generally weak overall. But as a consequence of UAPA being applied, the accused cannot even get bail. Courts cannot go into the merits of the case due to the Supreme Court judgment.

    An issue for the judiciary

    When courts do go into such matters, as in the instance of the Delhi High Court granting bail to three young activists accused in a conspiracy relating to the 2020 riots in Delhi, the Supreme Court uncharacteristically decides to weigh in. The Supreme Court reportedly expressed “surprise” and dissatisfaction at the High Court’s decision, giving the direction that the decision will “not to be treated as precedent by any court” to give similar reliefs. Specifically, the Supreme Court reportedly said that “in a bail application, a 100-page judgment discussing all laws is surprising us”, perhaps forgetting that the case that started it all, i.e., the Watali judgment of the Supreme Court, was itself a judgment in a bail matter! This seems to imply that only the Supreme Court can hold forth on matters of statutory interpretation, and that High Courts — which are constitutional courts in their own right — may not? By extension, if statutes ought not to be examined at all by High Courts, does this mean that individual arrestees must languish in jail till, say, the constitutional validity of the statutes under which they are arrested are decided? Surely, this would be completely irrational.

    Posterity will blame the judiciary for the incarceration and unfortunate death of Fr. Swamy, and the continued imprisonment of so many others like him. But voices will continue to rise in protest. As Fr. Swamy himself said, though, “we will still sing in the chorus. A caged bird can still sing.”

    (The author is Former Chief Justice, Delhi High Court and Former Chairperson, Law Commission of India)

  • THEATRE WORLD CELEBRATES 75

    By Mabel Pais

    • SPECIAL EVENT CELEBRATES 75 YEARS
    • LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT FOR ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS, PATTI LUPONE
    • EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR AUDRA MCDONALD

    SUNDAY, JULY 11 @ 7 PM

     

    Theatre World Awards Logo (Photo / theatreworld.org)

    The Theatre World Awards, Dale Badway, President, in association with Tom D’Angora and Michael D’Angora present the star-studded line-up of this year’s “Theatre World Awards: Special Event Celebrating 75 Years!!” Each year The Theatre World Awards presents 12 awards to outstanding debut performances on and off-Broadway. After a year of no debuts, The Theatre World Awards, the oldest American award for debuts in theatre in New York, will return for a one-night virtual benefit gala honoring Broadway legends André De Shields and Patti LuPone with the 8th Annual John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in The Theatre as well as presenting Audra McDonald with the Dorothy Loudon Special Award for Excellence in Theatre.

    Directed by Tom D’Angora and Michael D’Angora, the star-studded benefit gala will feature performances from past Theatre World Award winners.

    The special event will be hosted virtually by BroadwayWorld.com on Sunday, July 11th beginning at 7pm. The free event will stream exclusively on BroadwayWorld.com

    The event and accompanying fundraising campaign are being produced by Tom D’Angora, Michael D’Angora, and Tim Guinee. The trio are donating their time to the Theatre World Awards project. The event is produced in association with The Theatre World Awards Board of Directors.

    The Theatre World Awards relies on the support and contributions of its alumni and donors. Tax deductible donations may be made by visiting the Go Fund Me link at gofund.me/cf2604da.

    In what has become a highly entertaining and often touching tradition, 12 previous winners serve as the presenters, and often relive moments from past ceremonies and share wonderful stories rarely heard at other theatrical awards. Many people feel that this is the most fun and enjoyable awards show of the Broadway season! This special gala presentation will celebrate past and present honorees showcasing the historic heritage of the organization.

    For additional information about the Theatre World Awards, visit

    www.theatreworldawards.org

    www.facebook.com/TheatreWorldAwards/

    www.twitter.com/TWAwards

    ——————————————–

    PLAY-PERVIEW BENEFITS RAICES

    By Mabel Pais

    PRESENTS STREAMING OF“LIVING AND BREATHING”

    BY MANDO ALVARADO

    DIRECTED BY JERRY RUIZ

    NET PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT RAICES

    (REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND LEGAL SERVICES)

    STREAMING BEGINS SATURDAY, JULY 10

    “Living And Breathing” Poster. ( Photo / play-perview.com)

    Play-PerView’s next streamed event benefits RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services).

    Featuring Tony Award winners and a constellation of stars from the worlds of Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and television, Play-PerView, a new live-streaming theater initiative founded by producer Jeremy Wein (NYC PodFest, Kevin McDonald: Alive), will deliver unique, one-time-only, live-streamed theatrical events and original series into the homes of theater fans around the globe.

    On Saturday, July 10th at 7:00pm EST (on demand through July 14), Play-PerView will stream a LIVE performance of “Living and Breathing” by Mando Alvarado (“Vida,” “Greenleaf”). Directed by Jerry Ruiz (Mala Hierba, Basílica), the cast will feature Chris Gardner, Thomas Mejia, Jose Joaquin Perez (“We Need To Talk About Kevin,” “Person of Interest”), and Johnathan Tchaikovsky (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Bull”).

    In “Living and Breathing,” when Todd purchases a ‘living sculpture,’ the controversial piece of art causes a rift with his old college friends Michael and Jeremy that leads to a hilarious and incendiary examination of the nature of their lifelong bond through a conversation about race, friendship, and art in today’s America.

    Proceeds from all events will be directed to arts organizations impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Play-PerView’s producers Jeremy Wein and Jen Campos Productions, have raised close to $0.5M to date in support of arts organizations and other charities across the country impacted by the COVID-19 virus through 48 major live-streamed events and additional auxiliary programming.

    Tickets are “pay what you can” and are available at eventbrite.com/e/play-perview-living-and-breathing-live-reading-tickets-152845417759.

    For additional information on these and future events, visit Play-PerView.com or follow @Play_PerView on Twitter and @Play_PerView on Instagram for updates, trivia, contests, and more!

    PLAY-PERVIEW

    Play-PerView is an organization that believes in the power of community and highlights the ways in which artists can support one another both in times of triumph and crisis with love, joy, and innovation in the digital age. Play-PerView programs present a variety of one-time-only events — including play readings, non-scripted series, panel discussions, and more — as well as a desire to bring live theatrical experiences to audiences outside of the major hubs of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles — this initiative will raise funds for arts organizations and other charities such as The Actors Fund, Broadway Cares, not-for-profit institutions, and theatrical unions who are helping to relieve those in need of financial assistance due to job loss, medical bills, and other essential needs. To learn more, visit play-perview.com

     CREATIVE TEAM

    MANDO ALVARADO (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright/screenwriter from Pharr, Texas. He is currently a Supervising Producer on “Brand New Cherry Flavor” for Netflix. To learn more, visit mandoalvarado.com

    JERRY RUIZ (Director) is a director, producer and new play aficionado. Having directed several plays in New York theater, he has developed work at Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep., The Public Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Playwrights Realm. Currently, Jerry serves as Head of Directing at Texas State University. To learn more, visit jruizdirector.com

    JEREMY WEIN (Producer) is a producer and director based in Brooklyn, New York. He is the founder of the New York City Podcast Festival, which he produced from 2013-2018. He recently produced the debut EP for The U.S. Open (featuring Shawn Randell, William Jackson Harper, Steven Boyer, Diana Oh, Jeff Biehl, and Bobby Moreno), which will be released later this year. Follow him at

    Twitter: @ThisMyShow

    Instagram: @JeremyWein90

    JENNIFER CAMPOS PRODUCTIONS (Producer) JC Productions was founded to promote diverse and inclusive theatrical productions across the country. Ms. Campos has worked as an equity stage manager with several off-Broadway theater companies including The New Group and Primary Stages. Most recently, Jennifer was an Associate Producer for The New Group Off Broadway production of “Waiting for Godot” with Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, and Wallace Shawn. She can be accessed at linkedin.com/in/jennifer-campos-9386075

    RAICES (REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND LEGAL SERVICES)

    RAICES is a nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. With legal services, social programs, bond assistance, and an advocacy team focused on changing the narrative around immigration in this country, RAICES is operating on the national frontlines of the fight for immigration rights. We defend the rights of immigrants and refugees, empower individuals, families, and communities, and advocate for liberty and justice. Watch the video – youtu.be/7YTmuSkgsWY

    To learn more, visit play-perview.com and raicestexas.org

    (Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)

  • Birthday Horoscope- July 12 to 18, 2021

    Shri Ganeshaya Namah!!!

    By Astro Friend Chirag – Son of Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla

    July 12

    Your day will begin with a lot of surprises, sparkles and smiles. You will have the best day looking after the people you love. Eventhough as the day goes on you will have a lot of chores to do, you will enjoy the best today and you will realize how fulfilling your day has been today.

     

    July 13

    Today is a favorable day for you to start your own enterprise. There will be an inclination on your part to start a venture or setting up an agency that will take up quite a bit of investment but on the whole, it will be successful. You will only make life more difficult for yourself today if you indulge in eating foods you know you’re not supposed to.

     

    July 14

    You will have a very positive day today. You will get what you’re trying to accomplish by practicing gratitude and staying content, a feeling of gratitude and love will be consistent throughout the day.Get yourself more time to sleep to relax, rejuvenate, and recharge. Your body needs rest, and you need to give yourself some time off from the work and stress that you have been experiencing all along.

     

    July 15

    Today is the day it all starts getting better and then goes on to be better than you could have ever imagined. Luck will provide you with a lot of positive outcomes that you deserve today. If you do not let the stress and anxiety of the busy life get to you, you will have the best day today.

     

    July 16

    You will experience an exuberant day today. Which is relaxing easy and full of love for you? Your partner will be very supportive of you throughout the day today and will do all that is required so that you can have some time for yourself. Use this time to recharge and rejuvenate.

     

    July 17

    Your business will take off on a new level just because of a single person in your team. You will reach new prospects due to this one person. Relaxing by meditating and doing what you love will be very important for you today as well as appreciate your business partner that is doing your business this good as they are the reason why your business is doing so good.

     

    July 18

    You will experience a minor yet significant profit that you have made, which will fill your day with joy today. You need to remember that there is work that needs to be done today and not spend the whole day celebrating the profit you have made today. To avoid overspending, investing all of your money immediately will be a great idea.

     

  • Weekly Horoscope- July12 July to 18, 2021

    Shri Ganeshaya Namah!!!

    By Astro Friend Chirag – Son of Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla

    Aries – This week you will enjoy living your life and relaxing because you will have the time to do what you love instead of slogging off constantly which you have been doing since quite a while now. Make sure you’re focused on yourself this week and not on other people. As you spend your time in new adventures and exploring nature throughout the week you will learn more about yourself this week than you have in the last few weeks.

     

    Taurus – Your health trouble you this week. You will feel a discomfort in your body, most likely your stomach, it is a sign that you need to stop eating poorly and irregularly. If you ignore the pain and discomfort, it will progressively keep getting worse, so you need to be disciplined in terms of eating well.

     

    Gemini – You will come across a lot of people this week you will help you better your love life. This week is full of love and peace for you. This week is a great week for your love life as well. It would be good to love and most importantly be kind towards your partner this week.

     

    Cancer– Youwill do great this week. Material security is on your way this week. This week you will realize the importance of your family as you will have gone through something very challenging and difficult in your life this week itself. Make sure to express your gratitude to them and apologies for your past mistakes genuinely.

     

    Leo – You will have the time, space and finances to follow your passion this week. You will gain a lot of profit in your business this week which will set a positive mood for the week. Your quality of work will significantly improve as you have invested a lot of time in learning new things. Your focus towards your goal as well as your patience is very commendable.

     

    Virgo – You will look at the world with a unique new insight this week. You will notice that if you look out for the little good things that keep happening throughout the week. Life might be a little bit tough this week but you will realize that you are tougher than any circumstances or challenges that you come across you this week. You will be a force to reckon with in the face of adversities that you face this week and everything that you do in life will be an inspiration to all those around you from this point onwards.

     

    Libra – Your business will seem to be improving this week as new clients arrive, and it is gradually improving in your favor. Discipline in your work must be maintained for you to see significant positive changes in your work. Your business will work out on its own with only a small amount of supervision needed from you. Outsourcing has worked in your favor, now all you need is management skills and discipline, patience, responsibility.

     

    Scorpio – You might be feeling fit and fine mentally and even elated by the love that is being shown to you but physically your health with be like a leash to you which prevents you from having fun and living life to the fullest this week. Even though the trouble that you have in your health this week is quite temporary and won’t go on to bother you as much as it does this week in the next few weeks but this week might be a slightly tough week for you.

     

    Sagittarius – The positive aspect of your life this week is that you will learn to stand up for yourself and say no when you do not want to do anything. Standing up for yourself will help you to live life to the fullest this week. You will come across a lot of people this week; you will help you better your love life. This week is full of love and peace for you. This is a great week for you overall. It would be good to love and most importantly be kind towards everyone this week.

     

    Capricorn – You may need to be a little pragmatic as you seem to be so overwhelmed with love, you need to think about taking the next step now. You also need to accept that both lovers are never similar hence deal with your differences with compassion and kindness. If you focus all your energies on the goal which you have set for yourself, you are bound to get success. During this time, you will do well in your professional life as financial abundance is in your sign’s favor this week when comes to your business.

     

    Aquarius – Your passion will shine through in everything that you do this week; You need to be fearless and bold in following your dreams this week. The risks that you took this week will work out in your favor this week. You will have the most fun this week more than any other week.

     

    Pisces – You will come across someone you will be very interested in unexpectedly this week. Venus is in your favor this week. You will have wonderful adventures with your partner this week. You will need to put some effort to please your partner. But all in all, this will be a great week for you and your loved ones.

     

     

  • Wimbledon ends in tears for injured Serena

    Wimbledon ends in tears for injured Serena

    LONDON (TIP): Seven-time champion Serena Williams’ hopes of claiming a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon ended in tears as the American quit with an injury early in her first-round match against unseeded Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The 39-year-old needed treatment off the court when leading 3-2 in the first set and was clearly in distress on her return before being forced to retire at 3-3. “I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” Williams wrote on Instagram.      

    Source: Reuters

  • England-Pakistan ODI at Lord’s approved for full capacity

    London (TIP): The one-day international between England and Pakistan on July 10 was approved on Friday, July 2,  for a full capacity crowd of 31,100 at Lord’s. It joins other sporting events such as Wimbledon and the European Championship in a British government research program studying the effects of fan attendance as Covid-19 restrictions are eased.

    Wimbledon opened at 50% capacity across the All England Club and will be allowed to have a full crowd of 15,000 at Centre Court for the men’s and women’s finals on July 10-11.

    Wembley Stadium is expected to host at least 60,000 fans for the upcoming European Championship semifinals and finals.

    Lord’s was permitted to host fans last month for England’s Test against New Zealand, beginning at 25% capacity.

    Ticket-holders for the ODI must show proof of either full vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. They can also be admitted with proof of immunity — from a positive test in the past six months though not in the previous 10 days.

    The Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord’s, said on Friday it confirmed receiving government permission for full capacity at the home of cricket. “In addition to being at full capacity, the COVID restrictions will be disapplied to Lord’s during this match, but risk-mitigation measures will still be in place including test and trace, hand sanitization and face coverings worn when moving around the ground,” the MCC said. MCC chief executive Guy Lavender added: “To have England men’s first ODI at the home of cricket in almost two years and in front of a capacity crowd, will be truly memorable.”    Source: AP

  • Monsoon destinations in India

    Monsoon destinations in India

    Monsoon is one of the best times of the year to experience the beauty of every exotic part of India that offers ecstasy, beauty, and heavenly pleasure when you are vacationing. Although people may not find it very safe to travel during monsoon, rains have the magical spell to change your fear to become a little more adventurous. The lush greenery in the mountains, the lakes getting overflowed with sparkling water, driving around the waterfall, create a heavenly scenery that is too hard to resist. You will find a list of top gorgeous places to visit in monsoon in India that looks even more spectacular during this time.

    Shillong, Meghalaya

    When it comes to best places to visit in monsoon, Shillong, also known as the ‘Scotland of the East’, is considered one of the top travel destinations in India during this season. The captivating beauty becomes even more mesmerizing when the entire hill town gets drenched in rains. Misty clouds, with lush green everywhere and rumbling waterfalls with a beautiful view, can surely be the best reason for visiting Shillong, Meghalaya. Road-tripping around the hills and staying at nearby cozy hotels with gorgeous views, visiting the Elephant Falls, and the Spread Eagle Falls, trying out the local delicacies, are what you need for a vacation. Both the nearest airport and railway station are in Guwahati (Assam), at a distance of 149 km.

    Goa

    Goa is surely a major attraction point for any time in the year, but the Monsoon in Goa will make you spellbound. The land of beaches becomes gorgeous during Monsoon with the never-ending view of the sea and other picturesque sceneries. Ideal place for all nature lovers during the rainy season, you can go for trekking, heritage tour, shopping, birdwatching, etc. Road-tripping from Mumbai to Goa is the ultimate adventure you need. Apart from that, you can go there through Goa international airport in Dabolim.

    Coorg, Karnataka

    The dense forest is covered with a wide variety of flora and fauna which makes it an even more romantic destination during Monsoon. The enchanting waterfalls, lakes, vast coffee plantations, and delicious cuisines to treat your taste buds are the reasons to consider it as one of the best places to visit in monsoon. Trekking, bird watching, horse ride, coffee plantation tour are a few options you can indulge in when you are in Coorg. The 5 hours road trip from Bangalore (~270.4 km) is surely a great idea especially if you want to enjoy the mesmerizing view in rains, however, the nearest airports are Mysore at 120 km, Mangalore which is 135 km far and Bangalore at 260 km.

    Munnar, Kerala

    South India looks heavenly with lush greenery and witnessing it getting drenched in rain surely makes it one of the best places to visit in rainy season. And Munnar will surely offer you a great view with all of that, with silvery mist, vast tea gardens, hills, etc.

     This hill station has become one of the favourite tourist places in India during monsoons because of its beauty. The crowd-free Munnar is famous for trekking trails, sight-seeing, tea gardens, getting hypnotized by the natural bliss, and indulging in delicious Kerala cuisine. It takes nearly 3 hours via NH49 route from Cochin, and the nearest railway station is Aluva and Ernakulam, and the nearest airport is Cochin at 110 km and Madurai international airport which is 140 km away.

    Mahabaleshwar

    With the greenery, calm surroundings, the beauty of the Sahyadri range, which is a part of the Western Ghats, Mahabaleshwar becomes one of the most romantic places in India, especially in the rainy season. Pratapgad is a beautiful place to explore if you’re in Mababaleshwar, along with Lingamala waterfalls and The Elephant’s Head Point is another major attraction among tourists that make a captivating sight during Monsoon. Mahabaleshwar is definitely one of the best places to visit in rainy season which is very close to Mumbai and Pune. A road trip (120 km from Pune and 250 km from Mumbai) is the best idea in the rains.

    Udaipur, Rajasthan

    During monsoons, this place flourishes with more greenery around the lakes and palaces making it a breathtaking view drenched with rain and majesty altogether. The beauty of the Fateh Sagar Lake becomes extra captivating during this time. Boat riding in rains with your partner sounds romantic around those royal architectural properties. For heritage lovers, monsoon is pleasant weather to visit all the spots like City Palace, Monsoon Palace, Lake Palace. Udaipur railway station and Maharana Pratap airport in Dabok make it easier to reach the main city.

    Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh

    Spiti Valley is one of the most unusual places in India to visit during Monsoon, and have become quite popular among people who like the calm and mystical vibe of the “Little Tibet”. Definitely a great place for camping, and wildlife viewing, and rains make it even more magical. The Lhalung monastery will give you a calming effect if you are looking for it. The nearest railway station is in Shimla and the nearest airport is the Kullu airport at Kullu.