Consulate General of India, Vancouver www.cgivancouver.org
Vol. 02, Issue No. 16 April 20, 2018.
India in Vancouver Weekly Newsletter
Follow us for latest updates
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
Follow us on:
Vol. 02, Issue. 16, April 20, 2018.
Consulate News
1|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 16, April 20, 2018.
127th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Dr. B. R Ambedkar (April 13, 2018) The 127th Birth Anniversary of Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar was celebrated by the Consulate General of India in partnership with the Chetna Association of Canada in the consulate premises. Consul General Mrs. Abhilasha Joshi, greeted the members gathered on the occasion and paid tributes to the life and achievements of Dr Ambedkar. Mr Bill Basra, President of Guru Ravidass Sabha and Mr Jai Birdi of Chetna Association along with Dr Gandesha of SFU and Dr Murphy of UBC addressed the gathering and highlighted the role played by Babasaheb in uplifting the weaker and marginalized sections of society. Nirmata, an Indian international student at Kwantlen Polytechnic performed a song on the occasion. The Sabha and Chetna Association also recognized two prominent members of the community Mr Toora, a home designer and Dr Dabri, a veterinary doctor, for being role models for the community. The Consulate presented books on Dr Ambedkar and on India to the speakers. The program ended with light refreshments and interaction amongst the gathered guests.
2|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 16, April 20, 2018. Sankara Jayanti Classical Music Concert (April 14, 2018) The Carnatic Classical Music Concert by Sri Kunnakudi Balamurali Krishna (vocal), Sri Raman Iyer (violin), Sri Nirmal Narayan (mrudangam), and Prof Sri Ravi Balasubramanian (ghatam) on April 14, 2018, organized in celebration of Sankara Jayanti, was very well attended by an audience of over two hundred. The Consul General of India, Mrs Abhilasha Joshi attended the concert and graced the occasion. She appreciated the effort taken by the community to bring Classical Music artistes from India to perform in Vancouver.
Important Trade Fairs in India – To know more, click on
Consul General conveyed Baisakhi greetings at Khalsa Diwan Society Ross St at the Nagar Kirtan in Vancouver. (April 14, 2018)
BHEL Tender for " Supply of EPR Insulated LHLS sheathed Instrumentation cable for M/s.NPCIL - KAPP & RAPP projects (Tender Ref: SBA0000321)" BHEL has floated open tender for " Supply of EPR Insulated LHLS sheathed Instrumentation cable for M/s.NPCIL - KAPP & RAPP projects (Tender Ref: SBA0000321)". Please visit any one of the following websites (www.bheledn.com or www.bhel.com) to download the tender Documents and other details. Last date and time for submission of tender is 11th May 2018 upto 13:00 Hrs Please click here to download the tender document.
Admission notice for foreign nationals/OCI/PIO/NRIs (“Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management” at Indian Institute of Forestry Management, Bhopal for the academic year 2018-19) M/o Environment, Forest & Climate Change intimated that w.e.f. the academic year 2018-19, Indian Institute of Forestry Management, Bhopal - an autonomous Institution of the M/oEF is offering admission to foreign nationals/OCI/PIO/NRIs to its flagship programme “Post Graduation Diploma in Forestry Management" which is approved by AICTE and is equivalent to Masters Degree on the Self Finance basis. 2. A total number of 24 seats are available for foreign nationals/OCI/PIO/NRIs and for Children of Indian Workers in Gulf countries as per details enclosed. The candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA awarded by any recognised University. 3. The last date of receipt of applications at IIFM, Bhopal is 30/5/2018. Please click here for details of admission criteria, fees etc... For more details please visit: www.iifm.ac.in/admission 3|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 16, April 20, 2018.
Cultural – Heritage Tourism in India Qutb Minar and Its Monuments, Delhi Qutb-Minar in red and buff standstone is the highest tower in India. It has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and about 2.75 m on the top with a height of 72.5 m. Qutbu'd-Din Aibak laid the foundation of Minar in AD 1199 for the use of the mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shamsu'd-Din Iltutmish (AD 1211-36). All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honey-comb design, more conspicuously in the first storey. The Qutb Minar and its Monuments entered the UNESCO world heritage list in 1993.
News from India 1. This is where India has beaten not only China but rest of the world since 2015 “Services exports recorded a robust growth of 16.2% during April-September 2017-18, with a turnaround in some major sectors like travel and software services,” the Economic Survey 2018 noted. And, moreover, the survey also predicted that India’s service exports are going to improve further in 2017-18. “Good performance of sub-sectors like Tourism, Aviation, and Telecom, robust services trade performance with even growth of major services like software returning to positive territory,” it added. The provisional data mapping the growth of India’s services export seems to back the survey prediction. Between April 2017 and February 2018, India’s services export registered a growth a whopping 17.6%. Read more… (FE Online, April 17, 2018 3:30 PM)
2. India's leadership acknowledged, the United Kingdom formally joins the sunshine alliance Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the United Kingdom joined the International Solar Alliance. The UK is the 62nd country to formally join the alliance. The announcement was made an event held at the London Stock Exchange as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 (CHOGM). The United Kingdom’s International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said, “The signing of this treaty is a momentous occasion for the UK and demonstrates our continued commitment to providing the very best of British expertise to the renewable energy sector.” The International Solar Alliance, promoted by India together with France, is a partnership to bring together countries, particularly those from the global south located between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, with high solar resource and low levels of energy access. The alliance has set a goal of enabling setting up of 1000GW of solar energy capacity by 2030 across its member countries. Read more… (ET Bureau, Apr 17, 2018, 05.40 PM IST)
3. India is finally moving to tap the wind energy potential on its seas India has taken the first major step towards setting up offshore wind power farms. The government-owned research and development agency, National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), has sought expressions of interest (EoI, pdf) from wind power companies to set up an offshore wind farm with a capacity of around 1,000 megawatts (MW) in the Gulf of Khambat, off the coast of Gujarat. Read more… (Sushma U N, Quartz, Fri, 13 Apr, 02:08pm)
4|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 16, April 20, 2018. 4. PM Modi bats for responsible energy pricing by oil producing countries At a time when global oil prices have been on the boil, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has asked oil-producing countries to adopt “responsible pricing”. “We need to move towards responsible pricing that will balance the interests of producers and consumers,” Modi said in his inaugural address at the 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) in New Delhi on Wednesday. Transparent pricing of oil and gas was necessary to serve humanity, as a large number of people still had no access to energy, he said, adding that artificially distorting the price was self-defeating. Read more… (Shine Jacob, New Delhi, April 12, 2018 01:21 IST)
5. Indian Railways garners Rs 1.65 lakh crore from highest-ever freight loading Indian Railways has posted its best ever freight loading in FY18, allowing it to post a total traffic earnings of Rs 1.65 lakh crore, an increase of Rs 10,000 crore over the total traffic revenue of FY17. Railways has earned Rs 1.17 lakh crore through freight loading in the last fiscal, a rise of Rs 8,000 crore over FY17. The passenger revenues stood at Rs 48,000 crore, compared with Rs 46,000 crore in FY17. Read more… (Rajat Arora, ET Bureau, April 05, 2018, 09:04 IST)
6. Ayurvedic dengue cure: Indian scientists create first of its kind drug to treat the disease Indian scientists have formulated an Ayurvedic drug to cure dengue, claimed to be the first in the world, and the medicine is likely to be available in the market by next year. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR’s, regional research centre in Belgaum in Karnataka, have already conducted pilot studies which have proved the clinical safety and efficacy of the drug. Read more... (Press Trust of India, Hindustan Times, Wed, 18 Apr, 01:15pm)
7. India’s tough woman commando trainer who is also a doctor As Indian women continue to break social stereotypes, Mumbai-born Dr Seema Rao, 49, is perhaps one of few who have multiple firsts to their credit. The only woman commando trainer in the country, she is also the highest-ranking woman instructor in the world of Jeet Kune Do — Bruce Lee’s martial art. .... A pro at venturing into different terrains — from scorching hot deserts, to ice-clad mountains, rocky landscapes and dense forests, she has conquered all. Read more… (Nilima Pathak, Gulf News, Mon, 16 Apr, 07:36am)
8. 9-year-old Kashmir kid invents 'Counting Pen' Nine-year-old Muzaffar Ahmad Khan from Gurez valley of the state has invented a 'counting pen' that while writing, keeps a count of the number of words written. "It is a pen with a casing attached to its rear. Once someone starts writing, it keeps a track of the word count, which is displayed on a small LCD monitor attached to it. It (the word count) can also be displayed on one's mobile phone through a message," says Muzaffar....A prototype of the pen has been kept on display at the Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, organized by National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Read more… (ANI, Business Standard, Mon, 16 Apr, 02:06pm)
9. Commonwealth 2018: A Look Back at India’s Journey in Gold Coast The Commonwealth Games 2018 has been historic for India in more than one sense – the nation landed its 500th medal at the event, had a fine run in the Games with 66 medals (mostly gold), and finished third in the medals tally. India’s performance at the 21st edition of the CWG pretty much establishes what Commonwealth Delhi had signalled: the hitherto lifeless sporting culture in the country may be finally coming to life. Read more… (News18.com, April 17, 2018, 5:53 PM IST)
10. The Indian monks’ dance, flowering with the aid of women In the West, our idea of monastic ritual involves prayer and quiet reflection. But there are monasteries in Assam, in the far reaches of northeastern India, where prayer has always been, and continues to be, expressed through dance. The monks in these communities, or sattras, perform with and for each other, and for the deity. Sattriya, as this dance form is known, became one of the eight official classical dance forms of India only in 2000 — since then, its visibility has grown beyond the monastery walls. This weekend, a group of monks who live at a remote island monastery in Assam will perform an evening of Sattriya at the Dancing the Gods Festival at Symphony Space, part of the World Music Institute’s performance series. Read more… (MARINA HARSSAPRI, New York Times, Wed, 18 Apr, 04:59pm)
11. The world’s only floating national park An ancient lifestyleOut on Loktak Lake in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur, the 21st Century recedes. Lone fishermen balance in canoes, casting nets by hand. As the sun sets, the silence is only disturbed by the occasional splash of an oar against the still water as the fishermen work to conceal bamboo fish traps, their design unchanged in centuries.....The world’s only floating national parkPhumdis are crucial to life on Loktak Lake. Fishermen manipulate the masses to form circular enclosures to farm carp and perch. Read more… (Ben McKechnie, BBC, Thu, 12 Apr, 03:03pm)
5|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 16, April 20, 2018.
India in Vancouver News or advertisements under this section is/are/may be third party(ies). Consulate General of India does not modify any third party(ies) content. CGI circulates the contents in newsletter based on request of concerned third party(ies).
*************
6|P a g e