Consulate General of India, Vancouver www.cgivancouver.gov.in
Vol. 02, Issue No. 40 October 05, 2018.
India in Vancouver Weekly Newsletter
India Perspectives India Perspectives is the flagship publication of the Ministry of External Affairs. Richly illustrated, this magazine provides our readers with an insight into India’s culture and tradition along with elements of contemporary India. Click here to read more‌. Ministry of External Affairs, India
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Vol. 02, Issue 40, October 05, 2018.
Consulate News
Mahatma Gandhi's favourite devotional song 'Vaishnava Jan To' has gone global with artists from over 124 countries having contributed musically in paying homage to him through the 'bhajan'.
Garlanding Ceremony at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi, Burnaby (Oct 02, 2018) Garlanding Ceremony at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi was celebrated by The Thakore Charitable Foundation, Institute for the Humanities and The JS Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities at Simon Fraser University on Oct 02, 2018. Consul General Mrs Abhilasha Joshi paid homage and garlanded the Mahatma Gandhi statue. Earlier in the SFU Library, the fusion video of "Vaishno Jan To" featuring artistes from 124 countries was screened which was much appreciated by those present on the occasion.
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Vol. 02, Issue 40, October 05, 2018.
Books Presentation for India Corner (Bharat -Ek Parichay) to The Library of Simon Fraser University Consul General Mrs Abhilasha Joshi gladly presented books for India Corner (Bharat -Ek Parichay) to the Library of Simon Fraser University on occasion of Gandhi Jayanti Celebration organized by The Thakore Charitable Foundation, Institute for the Humanities and The JS Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities at Simon Fraser University on Oct 02, 2018
September 28, 2018
Fond farewell to Consul and Head of Chancery Mr. Jasbir Singh on completion of his tenure at CGI Vancouver.
Words are inadequate to express our gratefulness and appreciation of the incomparable work performance and attitude you've displayed during your tenure with CGI Vancouver. Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to someone who has been such a valued team member. We wish you all the best.
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Vol. 02, Issue 40, October 05, 2018.
Dhai Akhar International Level Letter Writing Campaign Dhai Akhar International Level Letter Writing Campaign is a campaign organized by Department of Posts to promote the art of
letter writing. The theme/topic of the Dhai Akhar Letter Writing Campaign is “Letter to my motherland / मेरे दे श के नाम खत” inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s “Amar Desher Mati”. 2. The letter can be written on plain A-4 size paper with a word limit of not more than 1000 words and is to be sent to Assistant Director General (Philately), Department of Posts, Room No. 108, Dak Bhawan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi - 110001. Only handwritten letters posted by 31-10-2018 will be accepted. A scanned copy of the letter can be submitted on the MyGov portal by 31-10-2018 (23:59 IST); however, it is compulsory that a hard copy of the letter bearing dispatch postmark of not later than 31-10-2018 be sent by post. Letters uploaded on the MyGov portal on 31-10-2018 but bearing a postmark after 31-10-2018 will not be entertained. 3. All Non-resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin living outside India can participate in the International Level Dhai Akhar Letter Writing Campaign. 4. Prize to be given in each Category at International Level: First Prize in each Category: INR 50000/Second Prize in each Category: INR 25000/Third Prize in each Category: INR 10000/The last date of submission is 31 Oct 2018. Click here to read Terms and Conditions. Please visit information.
https://secure.mygov.in/task/dhai-akhar-letter-writing-campaign-national-and-international-level/
for
more
For any contest-related query, write to: Mr. Abhinav Pratap Singh Assistant Director General (Philately) abhinavpratap.singh@gov.in
Important Trade Fairs in India – To know more, click on Government of India - Ministry of Railways Research Designs & Standards Organisation Manak Nagar, Lucknow -226011 (INDIA)
Corrigendum no. 1 to GLOBAL Request for Proposal Notice no.: CT/EF/Policy/Global RFP/HP Pad dated 26.07.2018 Last date of receipt of application for the above RFP ‘‘High Performance Rail Pad” for short-listing the products for considering Field Trial on Indian Railways as per details appearing on RDSO website is extended up to 01.11.2018. Interested firms are requested to see the details in RDSO’s website www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in at HOMEPAGE under ‘EOI’ appearing in Blue. Further, corrigendum on the above RFP if required shall only be uploaded on RDSO’s website. All concerned are requested to follow the RDSO’s website www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in for any further changes in this RFP.
ICCR Scholarship Scheme for Dance & Music ICCR administers ICCR Scholarship Scheme for Dance & Music for propagating Indian classical forms of Dance and Music amongst foreign nationals by providing them a chance to learn these ancient art forms in India under the Guru-Shishya Parampara. 2. ICCR has provision for 100 scholarships under this scheme on an annual basis. This particular scheme is open for students across the world without any requirement of age or specific qualifications. It depends entirely on the Guru to whom the student applies who makes the selection. The scheme serves students from all backgrounds ranging from fresher to practicing artists in the respective arts forms. Since this scheme is under Guru-Shishya Parampara there is no fixed time by when students need to apply. 3. Like other ICCR scholarship schemes the candidates can apply for this scheme through ICCR’s Admission-to-Alumni portal (http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in/). A list of empanelled institutes offering dance/music courses under guru-shishya paramapara is also available at the same portal. 3|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue 40, October 05, 2018.
Cultural Heritage - Festivals of India Dussehra Festival (October 19, 2018) The festival that signifies the triumph of good over evil, Dussehra, is one of the most noteworthy Indian festivals. It is observed on the tenth day of Navaratri. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Lord Rama over the demon Ravana. This holy festival is the occasion to hold in the highest regards, the virtues of Lord Rama, who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (The ‘Presever’ god in Hindu Trinity). Dussehra strengthens the vows of devotees to follow the path and deeds of Lord Rama. Legend behind Dussehra Festival The pious Hindu epic Ramayana unfolds the legendary tale of Lord Rama winning his beloved wife Sita, who was abducted by demon Ravana, the emperor of Lanka. According to Hindu mythology, Shoorpnakha, the sister of Ravana, fell in love with Rama and Lakshmana (Rama’s younger brother), and wanted to marry any one of them. After being refused by both, she threatened them to kill Sita. Lakshamana, in anger, cut her ears and nose. This led to Ravana abducting Sita in order to take revenge of her sister. To rescue Sita, Rama and Lakshmana fought a battle with Ravana in Lanka. Lord Hanuman and an enormous army of monkeys helped the brothers. There is also a reference associated with the celebration of Dussehra festival in the great epic Mahabharata. With different unique weapons, Pandavas fought with several evil forces. These five brothers abandoned their weaponries and left into oneyear exile. After returning from exile, they found their weapons under the Shami Tree under which they had buried them before going off for exile. Pandavas worshipped the tree before their battle in which they emerged victorious. This legend is also memorialized at the time of Dussehra Festival. (Source: https://www.tourmyindia.com/genral_information/fair_festival/dussehra.html )
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Vol. 02, Issue 40, October 05, 2018.
News from/of India 1. PM Modi gets UN's 'Champions of the Earth' award Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded with the UN’s highest environmental honour, bestowed upon five other individuals and organisations, for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single use plastic in India by 2022. Six of the world’s most outstanding environmental changemakers have been recognised with the Champions of the Earth Award, the UN’s highest environmental honour. “This years’ laureates are recognised for a combination of bold, innovative, and tireless efforts to tackle some of the most urgent environmental issues of our times,” the UN Environment Programme said. Read more… (Business Line, Thu, 27 Sep, 04:25pm)
2. India is world’s most-preferred destination for starting business India is a land of contradictions. While Indian government programmes like “Start-Up India” failed to support startup ventures in the country leading to more startup failure then success we see, a latest study has something otherwise to say. A latest study conducted by SEMrush, an online digital marketing suite, has revealed something opposite to the popular belief that India is not a perfect place for starting a venture. According to the study, India happens to have become the most-preferred destination in the world for starting a business, if one goes by the number of people searching for the best place to set up shop. India leads the Top 10 globally most searched countries online for ‘starting business in’, revealed the study. Read more… (India Web2, Tue, 02 Oct, 03:22pm)
3. India to emerge 3rd biggest economy surpassing Japan and Germany by 2030 Recently, India overtook France to become worlds 6th biggest economy and is expected to surpass the UK very soon to emerge as world’s 5th largest economy. With India’s economy predicted to grow aggressively, the country is predicted to take the third spot by 2030, overtaking Japan and Germany, according to a report by HSBC Holdings Plc shared with Bloomberg. India was seen as “among the most striking” gainers in the bank’s long-term rankings, overtaking Germany and Japan mainly due to economy’s accelerated growth and a rising working-age population that’s the envy of ageing advanced economies. Read more… (Eur Asian Times, Sat, 29 Sep, 03:30pm)
4. India’s focus on solar power may earn it a place in the sun by 2022 India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer after the US and China, is working to meet 100 GW solar power target by 2022 as part of its global climate change commitments. The sun’s shining bright on India’s solar energy plans. The world’s third largest consumer of energy after the US and China, India has crossed 25 GW in terms of total installed solar capacity, and is moving closer to the 2022 target of 100 GW. In the first half of 2018, about 5 GW of solar capacity was installed across the country including both large-scale and rooftop solar. Solar energy capacity has gone up from 2.63 GW in 2014 to 22 GW currently, an eight-fold increase. Last year, India attained the fourth position globally in installed wind power, with capacity increasing from 21 GW to 34 GW in the past four years. Renewable power installed capacity has already reached over 70 GW, taking the country to the 5th rank globally; another 40 GW is under construction or has been tendered. Read more… (Shruti Kedia , Your Story, Sat, 29 Sep, 03:47pm)
5. India’s government launches a vast health-insurance scheme The one thing everyone knows about insurance is, read the fine print. Indians should take heed as Narendra Modi, the prime minister, rolls out what he is trumpeting as the world’s biggest health-insurance plan. Ayushman Bharat, meaning Long-Life India, aims to install a safety-net for the poorest half-billion of India’s 1.3bn citizens, which is to say, for a big portion of the poorest people in the world. From now on, the government promises, any family that fits broad criteria of need will be eligible to receive nearly $7,000 a year in hospital expenses without paying a penny themselves. Instead, the state will pay premiums to private insurers; eligible patients can seek treatment at any institution, public or private, that has joined the scheme. Read more… (The Economist, Fri, 28 Sep, 04:25pm)
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