Consulate General of India, Vancouver www.cgivancouver.org
Vol. 02, Issue No. 06 February 09, 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. 06, February 09, 2018.
Consulate News
(Page 20)
Asian Studies Day 2018, Langara College (6 Feb 2018) Consulate General of India, Vancouver participated in the Asian Studies Day hosted by Langara College on 6 Feb 2018. Mr Jasbir Singh, Consul and Head of Chancery represented the Consulate on this event along with other officials of the Consulate. A booth featuring various cultural, educational and tourism aspects of India was set up for disseminating information about India to the student body of Langara College. Dr Lane Trotter, President & CEO Langara College welcomed the guests. Consul Singh interacted with the students and encouraged them to keep in touch with Consulate and also register on the Madad portal of GOI. Promotional videos on Incredible India, Yoga, Make in India as well as Cultural Heritage of India were played during the event. Students were also given books and tourism material on India which was greatly appreciated by all present. CGI Vancouver thanks Langara College for this initiative and all those who attended the event.
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Vol. 02, Issue. 06, February 09, 2018.
Consulate General of India, Vancouver Swachh Bharat Kosh – Contribution of funds by NRI/PIOs With a view to achieving ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ Government of India has established ‘Swachh Bharat Kosh’ to mobilise the required funds. NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin are requested to generously contribute to the ‘Kosh’ to achieve the purpose of making India swachh. 2.The contribution can be made either online or through cheque/DD/electronic transfer. Societies can also contribute to the Swachh Bharat Kosh through the same channel. Bank details for transfer of funds to Swachh Bharat Kosh are given below: Account No: Bank Name: Branch Name: Branch Code: Address: Email: IFSC Code: MICR No: SWIFT Code: PAN No:
34215500587 State Bank of India Central Secretariat Branch 00625 North Block, New Delhi 110001 sbi.00625@sbi.co.in SBIN0000625 110002014 SBININBB373 AAPTS3635L
3.In case any clarification is required, Shri Rajeev Ranjan, Administrator, Swachh Bharat Kosh, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India can be contacted. His coordinates are: Phone: +91 11 23095679 & Email: jspfs-doe@gov.in or Shri N.K.Sinha, Director, PF C.II: Email: nk.sinha@nic.in ……..
The State Government of Punjab has launched the “Connect with Your Roots" (CYR) Programme for Young Boys and Girls of Punjabi Origin settled abroad. The Programme would provide an opportunity to the youngsters settled in different parts of the world, to visit the places from where their families hailed or where their ancestors were born, or where they themselves spent their early years. 2. This scheme will be part of Friends of Punjab Garima Gram Yojana scheme and will be financed from this scheme only viz.–06Friends of Punjab Mukh Mantri Garima Gram Yojana – Plan Scheme NRI-2. Likely Expenditure for a group of 15 NRIs on a ten days tour would be Rs 3.00 to 4.00 lac. In all 6 to 8 groups would visit the state of Punjab in a year. 3. The proposed scheme could be open to young boys and girls in the 16-22 years of age group as there is a lot of curiosity among Indian-Origin youngsters settled in others countries to know about their ancestral home. The proposed Scheme would open to Young Boys and Girls of NRIs Parents living abroad, a platform to go back to their roots and connect with their roots and discover their identities. The visit would also give these youngsters a chance to learn and speak their native language. It would also enable them to learn about their family background and the culture to which they belong and also to build an emotional bonding with the Country of their roots. In the long run this programme will enhance the NRIs engagement at the level of the Youth, who can be a vital engine in the State’s progress to achieve social harmony, modernity and all-round development of its youth living abroad and in Punjab. 4. The dates of programme can be scheduled to align with the academic calendar and school/Collage vacations of the participants. We can also try to link the dates with the traditional Punjabi festivals and auspicious days, such as Lohri, Holi, Baisakhi, Gurupurabs and Diwali etc. Initially, the programme will be open to youth from U.K, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, U.S.A and Canada. See the brochure: https://issuu.com/indiacomsec/docs/connect_with_your_roots For more details, please visit: http://cyrnri.punjab.gov.in/ 2|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 06, February 09, 2018.
Cultural – Heritage Tourism in India Agra Fort (1983), Uttar Pradesh Agra Fort is located (270 10’ 47’’N & 780 1’ 22’’ E) on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the most important and robustly built stronghold of the Mughals, embellished with number of richly decorated buildings encompassing the imposing Mughal style of art and architecture. It was constructed by the third Mughal emperor Akbar on the remains of an ancient site known as Badalgarh. Sikandar Lodi (1487-1517) was the first Sultan of Delhi to shift his capital from Delhi to Agra. After Sikandar Lodi who died in 1517, his son Ibrahim Lodi held the fort for 9 years until he was defeated and killed in the battle of Panipat in 1526. Several palaces, wells and a mosque were built in the fort during the Lodi period. When Babur sent his son Humayun to Agra, he captured the fort and seized a vast treasure, which included the world famous ‘Koh-i-noor’ diamond as well. Babur built a baoli (step-wall) here. Humayun was coronated here in 1530. Nazam, a water-carrier (saqqa), who had saved Humayun from drowning, was crowned here as an emperor for half-a-day. After Humayun’s defeat at Bilgram in 1540, Sher Shah of the Sur dynasty occupied Agra fort and garrisoned it. The fort entered the UNESCO world heritage list in 1983.
News from India 1. Energy security, infrastructural investments top on agenda during UAE visit: PM Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India's energy security and infrastructural investments from the UAE will be the key topics of his discussions with the Gulf nation's top leadership this week. The investment from UAE to India exceeds USD 11 billion. A number of initiatives taken during his earlier visit to the UAE in August 2015 and during the visit of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed last year when he was the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day celebrations have come to fruition, he said. Read more… 2. 'Pariksha Pe Charcha': PM Modi To Interact with Students Next Friday Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has authored a how-to guide on handling exam stress, will interact with students on February 16, says a letter sent to schools across the country. Students from Class 6 to 12 have been asked to watch on Doordarshan, All India Radio, YouTube and all government websites the telecast of what has been dubbed the "Pariksha Pe Charcha (discussions on exams)" - a twist on his famous "Chai Pe Charcha" campaign during the 2014 elections. Senior students of Class 9 or above can ask PM Modi questions live at a town hall in Delhi. Read more… 3. India's 2018 budget aims to lift millions of rural farmers and workers out of poverty Hundreds of millions of poor rural Indians will be helped out of poverty, under plans announced by Narendra Modi’s government – spreading the benefits of the impressive performance which the Indian economy is experiencing. The International Monetary Fund recently projected that India would grow at grow at 7.4 per cent in 2019 and 7.8 per cent in 2020. If achieved, this would leave India as the fastest growing of the major world economies. 15.7bn will be spent on rural infrastructure and poorer households and raising the price of rice and other crops. Farming remains an important sector of the Indian economy, representing a quarter of GDP. (Sean O'Grady, Independent, Fri, 02 Feb, 05:07pm)
4. Indian female writer Kamala Das honoured by Google with a sketch doodle The internet search engine and technology giant Google on February 1, honored the noted Indian female writer Kamala Das with a sketch doodle. The doodle on Google's home page shows the sketch of Das at the position of the second 'o' of the logo of Google. The rest of the letters of the logo are in cursive in usual colors with flower sketches around them. Along with doing literary pieces of high caliber, Das also wrote on the subjects related to women, gender, sociology and power politics with great depth and she won a number of international awards for her works. (Dr. Lalit Kishore, Merinews, Fri, 02 Feb, 04:58pm)
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Vol. 02, Issue. 06, February 09, 2018. 5. Success stories of 21st century Indian women entrepreneurs “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on with it, and the perseverance to follow it.” –Kalpana Chawala Going by the sense of being independent, here are the women you should know about, who following their passion engendered their entrepreneurship skills to the task: Pooja Dhingra, founder and owner at Le 15 Patisserie; Nina Lekhi, founder of Baggit; Richa Kar, Zivame; Shubhra Chaddha, Co-Founder Chumbak Designs; Aditi Gupta, Menstrupedia. Read their stories… (Priyachy, The Indian Wire, Sun, 04 Feb, 03:43pm)
6. India successfully test fires advanced variant of nuclear-capable Agni-I missile India successfully test-fired nuclear capable surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) Agni-I from a defense test facility off Odisha coast for an extended range proving its robustness. The missile with better re-entry technology and maneuverability was launched at about 8.30 am from a road mobile launcher placed at the launching complex-IV located in Abdul Kalam Island. The test was conducted by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army with logistic support from the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for a range of about 900 km. (Hemant Kumar Rout, New Indian Express, Tue, 06 Feb, 12:32pm)
7. Indian scientists develop world’s thinnest material with novel technique How thin can the thinnest material be? It can be as thin as 100,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper. You may not be able to imagine or see with naked eyes such a material, but this is what a group of Indian scientists have done. They have synthesized a two-dimensional material of just one-nanometer thickness using a novel method. The nanosheets synthesized by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, using Magnesium diboride – a compound of boron – represent a two-dimensional material that has never existed before. Such a material can find a range of applications – from next-generation batteries to ultraviolet absorbing films. (DINESH C SHARMA, The Hindu Business Line, Tue, 06 Feb, 07:21am)
8. Three Indian startups win top awards at Global Cleantech Open This year's Global Cleantech Innovation Award has gone to Saathi Eco Innovations, an Ahmedabad-based startup, for developing a technology to make fully biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads made from waste banana tree fibre. NavAlt Solar & Electric Boats from Cochin that runs India's first solar-power ferry in Kerala won in the Global Category Award for Renewable Energy. Aspartika Biotech from Bengaluru won the Global Category Award for Waste Beneficiation for using discarded silkworm pupa to produce Omega-3 fatty acids for enriching poultry feed. (ET Bureau, Economic Times, Sat, 03 Feb, 01:02pm)
9. India to offer free health insurance to half a billion citizens Indian finance minister Arun Jaitley has announced a new ambitious new health insurance scheme that will provide 100 million poor families, or approximately 500 million individuals, with a health cover of INR500,000 ($7,850) for free treatment of serious ailments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plan, called the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS), is expected to cost the government $1.71bn annually. It is estimated that the premium for insuring each family would be approximately INR1,100 ($17.15). (Verdict Staff, Verdict, Sat, 03 Feb, 12:04pm)
10. Cyclist on pan-India peace tour to set Guinness record Fifty-year-old Dhondi Ram from Maharashtra, who has just concluded his Uttarakhand leg of Cycle Yatra, is all set to proceed further to complete the Bharat Yatra and set a Guinness Book of World Record. Dhondi Ram, a villager from the Jawale village of Sholapur district in Maharashtra, started his cycle journey from Shrinagar in February 2017 and now wants to go up to the southern end -- Kanyakumari. "I am campaigning for the peace and harmony in the country," he told UNI. (Bhupen Singh, UNI, Mon, 05 Feb, 11:51am)
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