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Sustainability Award for Prof. Kamal Bawa Details on page 6
Adjudication process of USCIS flayed Details on page 43
US to import cancer drug from India Details on page 34
Saif in brawl; arrested, bailed out Details on page 24
INDIA POST SURVEY survey@indiapost.com This week’s question
Will outsourcing debate continue after elections? Last week’s result
Indo-Pak trade will ease tensions? YES 88%
NO 12%
VOL 17, No. 911
March 2, 2012
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OBAMA PLANS TAX TO CURB OUTSOURCING WASHINGTON: Stepping up his tirade against outsourcing in the electionyear, US President Barack Obama has proposed to establish a new minimum tax on foreign earnings to discourage large US firms from shipping jobs to countries like India. The proposed move would make it a bit tough for US multinationals to ship jobs overseas and will give incentives to those who bring operations back into the US. Obama's proposal is part of a larger tax plan that is central to his re-election strategy at a time when thousands of Americans are jobless. The Treasury Department said that the US business tax system does too little to encourage job creation and investment in the US and creates too many opportunities that encourage shifting production and profits overseas. Obama is also proposing that companies will no longer be allowed to claim tax deductions for moving their operations abroad. At the same time, to help bring jobs home, the President is proposing to give a 20 per cent income tax credit for the expenses of moving operations back into the United States.
Rao, Holder discuss Mumbai terror Details on page 5
Indian call center collected fake debts Details on page 5
A.R. Rahman song row in Colorado school Details on page 7
Pallone visits facility of Ranbaxy Details on page 20
CONTENTS Bollywood ---------------------- 38-39 Classifieds ------------------------- 47 Community Post -------------- 12-19 Date Book -------------------------- 28 Edit Page --------------------------- 49 HealthScience Post --------- 34-37 Horoscope ------------------------- 46 Immigration Post ------------- 41-43 Life Style ----------------------- 24-27 Philosophy ------------------------- 48
INDIAíS SPEAKER IN PAK: Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar calling on the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, in Islamabad on February 22. (Details on page 7)
Details on page 5
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Publisherís Diary ------------------ 4 Real Estate -------------------- 40-42 TechBiz Post ------------------- 20-23 Travel & Hospitality Post ---- 29-31
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elevised courtroom trial dramas are nothing new in this country, and perhaps hold the status of being the highest rated reality shows, at least since a 100 million viewers tuned in to watch the infamous trial of O.J. Simpson in 1995. Simpson's trial changed courtroom coverage in modern American history and since then Americans have been taking immense 'guilty' satiation in watching courtroom dramas be it the present day Lindsay Lohan drunk driving case or the Casey Anthony trial for the murder of her two-year old daughter, the Conrad Murray trial in the death of pop legend Michael Jackson, or the thriller-style trial and final acquittal of Amanda Knox in an Italian court last year. It may not have celebrity value, but there is already much hype and anticipation over the trial of Indian American Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi in a New Brunswick, New Jersey courtroom which is set to be broadcast live across the US and as far away as in India. Ravi is facing at least 10 years of incarceration if proven guilty on charges of spying with a webcam on his gay roommate Tyler Clementi's intimate encounter with another man in their dorm room, which allegedly led to Clementi's suicide. Innocent until proven guilty, Ravi as of today stands as the national symbol of cyber bullying, which is prevalent on epidemic proportions in schools across this country. Ravi is not the first student to have indulged in this vicarious 'game', which belies teenage intentions; and Clementi is not the first fatal victim of such bullying. But the dimensions of this case take on a national profile primarily because it throws the floodlights on the deep rooted intolerance in American society - be it on the basis of sexual orientation or the color of one's skin. In the trial that will no doubt generate much debate, whether the prosecution establishes that Ravi's actions were based on wanton bias or the defense proves that he was just a stupid prankster, it remains for us as a society to introspect on our own technology-driven voyeuristic tendencies before passing judgments on others.
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Vidya's Lavani After dancing to "Ooh La La" Vidya Balan dons a Maharashtrian avatar for a Lavani number called "Mala Jau De!"
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Cover Story: Outsourcing tax US President Obama has proposed to establish a new minimum tax on foreign earnings to discourage US firms from outsourcing.
Community: Maken in NY India is improving its sports infrastructure, India's Minister of State for Sports Ajay Maken said in New York.
Health: Anti-abortion law Hundreds of women stood mute to protest anti-abortion legislation coursing through Virginia's General Assembly.
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Travel: Jaisalmer The golden city of Jaisalmer, which lies courageously as the western sentinel of India, is a place worth visiting.
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March 2, 2012
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Obama plans tax to curb outsourcing WASHINGTON: Stepping up his tirade against outsourcing in the election-year, US President Barack Obama has proposed to establish a new minimum tax on foreign earnings to discourage large US firms from shipping jobs to countries like India. The proposed move would make it a bit tough for US multinationals to ship jobs overseas and will give incentives to those who bring operations back into the US. Obama's proposal is part of a larger tax plan that is central to his re-election strategy at a time when thousands of Americans are jobless. The Treasury Department said that the US business tax system does too little to encourage job creation and investment in the US and creates too many opportunities that encourage shifting production and profits overseas. Obama is also proposing that companies will no longer be allowed to claim tax deductions for moving their operations abroad. At the same time, to help bring
jobs home, the President is proposing to give a 20 per cent income tax credit for the expenses of moving operations back into the United States. In a statement, Obama said the current corporate tax system is
The US business tax system does too little to encourage job creation and investment in the US and creates too many opportunities that encourage shifting production and profits overseas outdated, unfair, and inefficient. "It provides tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas and hits companies that choose to stay in America with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It is
unnecessarily complicated and forces America's small businesses to spend countless hours and dollars filing their taxes," he said adding that this needs to change. He said the tax system should not give companies an incentive to locate production overseas or engage in accounting games to shift profits abroad, eroding the US tax base. "Introducing the principle of a minimum tax on foreign earnings would help address these problems and discourage a global race to the bottom in tax rates," it said. The Treasury released the President's framework for reforming the US business tax system, which would enhance American competitiveness by simplifying the tax code and eliminating dozens of tax loopholes and subsidies, incentivising job creation and investment here at home and lowering the business rate while broadening the tax base. According to the framework, the President believes it must prevent companies from reaping the
Holder assures cooperation in Mumbai terror investigation India Post News Service
NEW YORK: India has reiterated its request for US cooperation in the investigation of Mumbai terror attacks so the main culprits can be brought to book without delay. Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao met with US Attorney General Eric H. Holder to stress the importance of US cooperation in this regard, at a meeting at the US Department of Justice in Washington DC. Attorney General Holder assured Amb. Rao of all possible assistance as provided within the framework of US law in this regard and underscored the importance the US attached to counter terrorism cooperation with India. Amb. Rao was warmly welcomed by Attorney General Holder at their Feb 21 meeting. Referring to the excellent relations between India and the US, he hoped that the relations would further improve during the tenure of the Ambassador. The Attorney General and Amb. Rao discussed the growing India-US cooperation in diverse fields including Counter Terrorism and mutual legal assistance in crime-related matters. Underscoring the crucial importance of co-
Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao meets the US Attorney General Eric Holder in Washington
operation in the investigation of the Mumbai terror attacks, Ambassador Rao expressed the hope that a few important aspects of the request for assistance in this regard would be fulfilled soon. Attorney General Holder and
Amb. Rao also discussed issues relating to cooperation in anti piracy. Both sides highlighted the importance of continued dialogue in areas of mutual interest and resolved to strengthen their mutual cooperation in this regard.
benefits of locating profits in lowtax countries, put the US on a more level playing field with its international competitors, and help end the race to the bottom in corporate tax rates. "Specifically, under the
He said the tax system should not give companies an incentive to locate production overseas or engage in accounting games to shift profits abroad, eroding the US tax base President's proposal, income earned by subsidiaries of US corporations operating abroad must be subject to a minimum rate of tax. This would stop our tax system from generously rewarding
companies for moving profits offshore," it said. "Thus, foreign income deferred in a low-tax jurisdiction would be subject to immediate US taxation up to the minimum tax rate with a foreign tax credit allowed for income taxes on that income paid to the host country," it said. The Framework would also clean up the international tax code and reduce incentives and opportunities to shift income and assets overseas. Noting that the current tax codes tends to favor shifting production and profits overseas, the President's framework said in addition to the evidence that companies generally shift income from high-tax foreign countries to low-tax foreign countries, there is also evidence of income shifting specifically from the United States to other countries. "Income shifting from the United States to other countries significantly erodes the US tax base and leads to lower corporate tax receipts.-PTI
Case against Indian call center collecting fake debts India Post News Service
sumers using deceptive statements and threats to convince them to pay debts that were not owed or that he was not authorized to collect, the FTC alleged. Thaker also profited handsomely from this scheme, according to documents filed with the court. He has withdrawn tens of thousands of dollars from the American Credit Crunchers and
NEW YORK: A US district court has halted the operation of a call center operating from India for allegedly collecting millions of dollars in fake debts from consumers who did not owe. At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, the court has halted an operation that the FTC alleges collected phantom payday loan "debts" from consum- The FTC charged Villa Park, ers who received millions of collection calls California-based American from India, and that Credit Crunchers, an affiliated since January 2010 the company called Ebeeze, and operation took in more than $5 million from vic- the companies' owner, tims. Varang K. Thaker, with violatThe FTC charged Villa Park, California- ing the FTC Act and the Fair based American Credit Debt Collection Practices Act Crunchers, an affiliated company called Ebeeze, and the companies' owner, Varang Ebeeze bank accounts, the FTC K. Thaker, with violating the FTC alleged. According to the FTC, in tough Act and the Fair Debt Collection economic times, many consumers Practices Act. According to the FTC's com- turn to high-interest, short-term plaint, Thaker obtained informa- payday loans between paytion - often including Social Se- checks. The FTC alleges that incurity or bank account numbers - formation submitted by consumabout consumers who had in- ers who applied online for these quired about, applied for, or ob- loans found its way into the hands tained online payday loans. of the call center operators. Thaker worked with telephone Cont’d on page 7 callers in India who called con-
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Prof. Kamal Bawa conferred international Sustainability Award India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Indian American researcher Kamal Bawa has been conferred the Gunnerus Sustainability Award - the world's first major international award for work on sustainability - by the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS). Professor Bawa is a professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston and faculty fellow at the Center for Governance and Sustainability, home of the Global Environmental Governance Project at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Prof. Bawa is known for his research on population biology in rainforest areas. His span of work includes biological discoveries made in Central America, the Western Ghats, and the Himalayas in India. He is also noted for founding, and serving as president, of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore. Until recently, he held the Ruffolo Giorgio Fellowship in Sustainability Science and Bullard Fellowship at Harvard University. The Gunnerus award is the first major international prize for outstanding scientific work that promotes sustainable development globally, and will be awarded every two years. The award is named after DKNVS' founder, Bishop Johan Ernst Gunnerus (17181773), and is the result of collaboration between DKNVS, Sparebank1, SMN, and the society Technoport. DKNVS has been responsible for the international launch, and the selection of the winner. The selection took place after a jury process in which five internationally prominent researchers had considered a num-
ber of international nominees from many countries. Bawa will receive the Gunnerus Gold Medal and the award of 1 million Norwegian Kronor (about $190,000) at a ceremony in Trondheim, Norway. Bawa's early research on the population biology of tropical forest trees, done in Central America, revolutionized our thinking regarding the ecology and evolution of forest trees, and thereby directly enhanced our ability to
Professor Bawa is a professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston and faculty fellow at the Center for Governance and Sustainability, home of the Global Environmental Governance Project at the University of Massachusetts Boston conserve tropical forests. His discoveries of unusual breeding systems, novel pollination mechanisms, and a diverse array of flowering patterns in tropical forest trees changed the prevailing notions about the population biology, ecology, and evolution of these trees. Bawa was among the first to consider the role of resource allocation and sexual selection in the evolution of plant breeding systems and he advanced new mechanisms for the evolution of almost
every major type of breeding system in plants. His group was among the first to use Simple DNA Sequence Repeats to study gene flow in tropical trees, and this approach opened up the way to extensively examine population genetic structure of tropical forest trees. This work showed that tropical forest trees are widely outcrossed with gene flow taking place over long distances. Of critical importance to biodiversity conservation, the work of Bawa and his students showed that genetic diversity of tropical trees can only be maintained by large populations spread over very large areas, and that fragmentation and habitat loss can therefore adversely affect genetic diversity and longterm viability of populations. Later in his career, Bawa used insights gained from population biology of tropical forest trees to design strategies for sustainable use of forest resources as well as conservation of large tropical landscapes. He pioneered quantitative approaches to the examination of sustainable harvests of non-timber forests products, and combined approaches in natural and social sciences to show under which circumstances extraction of non-timber forest products could be made compatible with conservation and enhancement of rural incomes. His current work on climate change, biodiversity and people in the Himalayas has attracted considerable attention. Bawa's concern for global conservation issues led him to establish new institutions for conservation and sustainability science and new models for international cooperation in fostering sustainability. Among Bawa's most significant achievements is
the establishment of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore, India, in 1996. This innovative, knowledge-based conservation and research organization was designed to scale up models of and approaches to sustainability science. Bawa's deep commitment to raising awareness of conservation issues led him to write an award winning popular coffee table book, Sahyadris, India's Western
Bawa was among the first to consider the role of resource allocation and sexual selection in the evolution of plant breeding systems and he advanced new mechanisms for the evolution of almost every major type of breeding system in plants Ghats: A Vanishing Heritage. He expects to complete a second coffee table book on the Himalayas (Mountains of Life) this year. Bawa has served as the Chair or a member of several international panels, as an organizer of numerous international symposia and conferences, and as a member of the governing councils of several professional organizations and foundations. While President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, he guided development of a
strategic plan for research priorities in tropical biology and conservation for the twenty-first century. More recently, as part of an international panel on agrobiodiversity, he co-authored a plan to identify priorities for research in agrobiodiversity; the panel is part of DIVERSITAS, the international program for the science of biodiversity. Currently he is the Chair of the International Union of Biological Sciences Program on the Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Change, and is developing a science plan for the program. Many national and international bodies have recognized Bawa's contributions. He had the Bullard Fellowship at the Harvard Forest (1972/73 & 2009/10); a Giorgio Ruffolo Scholar in Sustainability in the Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University's Centre for International Development (2009/ 10); received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 1987; and in 2001 was one of ten recipients of the annual Pew Scholar Award in Conservation and the Environment. Bawa has received the highest form of recognition from the two primary professional societies in his field. In 2001, the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation elected him as President of the Association, and in 2004, it elected him Honorary Fellow of the year. The Society for Conservation Biology recognized his immense contributions to conservation biology by awarding him its Distinguished Service Award in 2009. He has been honored twice by his University in the form of Chancellor's Award for distinction in Scholarship and later in Service.
HAF denounces destruction of Hindu artifacts in Maldives India Post News Service
NEW YORK: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) denounced the recent destruction of several pre-Islamic Hindu and Buddhist artifacts at the Maldives national museum last month. According to the museum director, Ali Waheed, 35 exhibits, or 99% of the museum's pre-Islamic artifacts from before the 12th century, were destroyed by a mob of suspected Islamic extrem-
ists. Most of the destroyed artifacts were images and representations of Hindu and Buddhist deities, some dating as far back as the 6th century. "The barbaric destruction of these Hindu and Buddhist artifacts is shocking and reprehensible," said Samir Kalra, Esq., HAF's Director and Senior Fellow for Human Rights. "These types of incidents are unfortunately becoming increasingly common in Muslim majority countries, such as Pakistan,
Bangladesh, and Malaysia, where there are systematic attempts to erase all signs of preIslamic religion and culture." Maldives, a small island nation situated in the Indian Ocean, is best known as a high-end vacation destination attracting wealthy tourists from around the world. It is also a country where Islam is the official state religion, and its constitution prohibits the open practice or preaching of any religion other than Islam. The constitution further restricts citizen-
ship to only Muslims and requires all laws to be in conformity with the principles of Islam. Prior to the 12th century, however, the majority of Maldives' inhabitants were Hindu and Buddhist. Maldives has recently been racked by political unrest culminating in President Mohammed Nasheed's removal from office last week. Media reports indicate that Nasheed's Islamic credentials have come under fire from political opponents and that Islamist activists who are demand-
ing the government implement stricter Islamic policies, may have played a role in his ouster. "The attack is yet another example of the growing religious intolerance and Islamic fundamentalism plaguing Maldivian society," said Ramesh Rao, PhD, HAF's Human Rights Coordinator. "The international community has a responsibility to protect religious freedom in Maldives and prevent it from becoming Talibanized."
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In Pakistan, Meira Kumar talks peace in flawless Urdu ISLAMABAD: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar floored an audience that included her Pakistani counterpart, senior ministers and parliamentarians by delivering a speech in flawless Urdu laced with couplets from Firaq Gorkhpuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. At a dinner hosted by Fehmida Mirza, the Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly or lower house of parliament, Kumar was repeatedly applauded by the gathering as she interspersed her speech with Urdu couplets. As opposed to Ms. Mirza who spoke mainly in English, Ms. Kumar confined herself to Urdu; punctuating her speech with couplets from noted poets and thereby demolishing a widely held perception that Urdu was dead in India. Kumar praised the natural beauty of Pakistan and said: "Your matchless hospitality is famous in India. But after coming here, I have found that the hospitality, in reality, is even greater". The parliaments of both countries, she said, have an important
role to play in fostering better relations between the people. The foundation of relations between India and Pakistan is based on common culture and links, including a shared love for music, films and sports, Kumar said. Indian film stars are loved in Pakistan, while Pakistani musicians and singers have huge following in India, she added. Referring to the passion for cricket in both countries, Kumar said more exchanges in all fields would help send a message of peace to the people. Mirza noted that she had visited India in a "tense atmosphere" in January 2010 to use parliamentary diplomacy to improve bilateral relations. "During the last two years, the world community also witnessed a pleasant change as we both supported each other on numerous international parliamentary and other forums," she said. She said that the two Speakers had identified several areas for cooperation during their talks earlier in the day.
Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar meeting the Speaker, National Assembly of Pakistan, Dr. Fehmida Mirza at the National Assembly of Pakistan, Islamabad on February 21
"I am sure this process will yield positive results by not only breaking the existing myths but also in finding practical ways to solve the contentious issues affecting the growth of our mutual relationship," she added.
A.R. Rahman song row in Colorado school India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Indian music composer A.R. Rahman finds himself in an unlikely controversy, that too in the US. A Colorado high school student apparently said he quit his school choir when students were given a song written by Rahman that contains the lyric "there is no truth except Allah" for a competition. According to Fox News that first reported the story, James Harper, a senior at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, put his objection to singing "Zikr," the song Rahman wrote for a movie, in an email to Mesa County School District 51 officials. When the school stood by choir director Marcia Wieland's selection, Harper said, he quit. "I don't want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but I really don't feel it is appropriate for students in a public high school to be singing an Islamic worship song," Harper told KREX-TV. "This is worshipping another God, and even worshipping another prophet ... I think there would be a lot of outrage if we made a Muslim choir say Jesus Christ is the only truth." Defending the inclusion of the song, district spokesman Jeff Kirtland said, "Choral
music is often devoted to religious themes. ... This is not a case where the school is endorsing or promoting any particular religion or other non-educational agenda. The song was chosen because its rhythms and other qualities would provide an opportunity to exhibit the musical talent and skills of the group in competition, not because of its religious message or lyrics." Kirtland told FoxNews.com in an email that the choir "is a voluntary, after-school activity" and that "students are not required to participate, and receive no academic
credit for doing so." Rahman's song is part of an upcoming concert, in which an Irish folk song and a Christian song titled "Prayer of the Children," are also included. Kirtland also told FoxNews.com that the teacher had consulted with students and had asked them to review the songs with their parents before making a decision to perform them. Rahman, meanwhile, told FoxNews.com the song was not intended for a worship ceremony. In a written statement he said that the song, composed for the movie "Bose, the Forgotten Hero," is about "self-healing and spirituality." "It is unfortunate that the student in Colorado misinterpreted the intention of the song," Rahman said in his statement. "I have long celebrated the commonalities of humanity and try to share and receive things in this way. While I respect his decision for opting out, this incident is an example of why we need further cultural education through music." The song is written in Urdu, but one verse translates to "There is no truth except Allah" and "Allah is the only eternal and immortal." Although the choir sang the original version, Wieland distributed translated lyrics.
India-Pakistan relations have been marked by "missed chances and lost opportunities" and it was "now time to make up for the past", Mirza said. The dinner was followed by performances by leading classical musicians and dancers. Among those who attended the event were Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Law Minister Maula Bux Chandio, former pre-
mier and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and scores of parliamentarians. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani hosted a reception for the visiting delegation headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. He said he shared his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh's desire for peace and maintained that his government was committed to a result-oriented and productive engagement with India. Advocating stronger linkages between Parliaments, he said: "Governments come and go but the love of people remains and your visit will pave the way for strengthening relations between the people.'' Ms. Kumar said the two Parliaments, in which different parties have representation, reflect the will of more than a billion people. Parliament is the best forum to bring people together. Her Pakistani counterpart, Fehmida Mirza, stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy; adding that friendship groups of Parliaments should hold meetings twice a year to increase mutual understanding. Earlier in the day, Ms. Kumar interacted with the Women Caucus in Pakistan's Parliament; many of whom were present at the dinner.-PTI
Case against Indian call center collecting fake debts Cont’d from page 5
Often pretending to be law enforcement or other government authorities, the callers would falsely threaten to immediately arrest and jail consumers if they did not agree to make a payment on a delinquent payday loan, the FTC's court papers stated. Claiming to be law enforcement, such as a local police department, the "Federal Department of Crime and Prevention," or simply a "federal investigator," the callers typically demanded more than $300, and sometimes as much as $2,000. At other times, the callers said they were filing a large lawsuit against the consumer because of the delinquent payday loan or would have the consumer fired from his or her job, according to the FTC. But the consumers did not owe money to defendants - either the payday loan debts did not exist or the defendants had no authority to collect them because they are owed to someone else, according to the FTC. The court order stops the illegal conduct and freezes the operation's assets while the FTC moves forward with the case. "This is a brazen operation
based on pure fraud, and the FTC is committed to shutting it down," said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "Consumers should not be pressured into paying debt they don't remember owing. Legitimate debt collectors must provide consumers with both written information about the debt, and instructions for protecting themselves if they don't think they owe the debt." The case of Mark Merola is typical of consumers the defendants targeted. A caller with an Indian accent reached his wife at home and told her Merola would be arrested and immediately imprisoned if he did not pay what he owed on a payday loan. The caller later said he knew where Merola worked and threatened to send police there to arrest him. Despite not being delinquent on any loan and not owing money to the caller, Merola was afraid of the threatened arrest, so he paid $523.87 to the defendants. Over the last two years, consumers have filed more than 4,000 complaints with the FTC and state attorneys general about fraudulent debt collection calls.
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Amb. Rao reaches out to elite colleges in Boston India Post News Service
NEW YORK: In her first visit to Boston/Cambridge after assuming responsibility as the Ambassador of India to the US, Ambassador Nirupama Rao visited Harvard University, MIT and the Emmanuel College and met with a section of the Indian American community in the Greater Boston area Feb 15-18. At the Emmanuel College on Feb 15, Amb. Rao delivered the prestigious Wyant Lecture on "India's role in a changing landscape in the 21st Century", which was attended by a large number of students, faculty members and scholars at the College. In her lecture, Rao said, "India today represents a unique model of development in the world. Our policy choices for development have been a product of a healthy debate resulting in a broad political consensus. Indeed, as Larry Summers, former Chairman of National Economic Council noted, India's growth reflects the idea of a democratic developmental state, driven not by a mercantilist emphasis on exports, but a people-centered emphasis on growing levels of consumption and a widening middle class. And uniquely,
India's emergence is not regarded as a threat, but, rather, welcomed by the vast majority of nations." On Feb 16, she met with the President of the Harvard University Prof. Drew Gilpin Faust, who had returned from a successful visit to India. Amb. Rao outlined the initiatives being taken by the
In her lecture, Rao said, ‘India today represents a unique model of development in the world. Our policy choices for development have been a product of a healthy debate resulting in a broad political consensus’ Indian government to strengthen education infrastructure in India and opportunities thus generated for enhancing collaboration between India and the US. She further outlined the successful outcomes of the inaugural India-US Higher Education
Summit held in Oct 2011 and invited greater engagement of the Harvard University in forging newer links in education, research and innovation with academic institutions in India. On her part, Faust shared impressions of her recent visit to India. She assured the Ambassador of even greater engagement of the Harvard University system with India. At the Harvard University, Amb. Rao also addressed the Kennedy School of Government on the 'people centric' dimension of India-US Partnership and how this extraordinary people to people connectivity was helping the India-US Global Strategic Partnership to grow from strength to strength. "It is evident that people to people contacts remain at the heart of the India-US partnership. Backed by this extraordinary connectivity at the people level, both sides are expanding their strategic and political consultations on issues of mutual interest and responding to new geo-political and geo-strategic realities," she said. Ambassador Rao also addressed the Middle East Seminar on India's foreign policy and interests in the West Asia and the
Gulf region, jointly organized by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, where she had earlier served as a Fellow during 1993-94, and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the Harvard. Amb. Rao began her visit to the MIT on Feb 16 with a meeting with
At the Harvard University, Amb. Rao also addressed the Kennedy School of Government on the 'people centric' dimension of India-US Partnership and how it was helping the India-US Global Strategic Partnership the President of MIT, Prof. Susan Hockfield, who recalled MIT's long standing commitment and partnership with India beginning with the setting up of IIT Kanpur and IIM Kolkata, and a number of ongoing programs at the MIT to strengthen institutional and edu-
‘Right to reject be included in EVMs’ NEW DELHI: Raising their pitch on electoral reforms, Anna Hazare and his team has demanded that 'right to reject' option be included in Electronic Voting Machines and that two Election Commissioners be given constitutional status like the Chief Election Commissioner. During their meeting with the Election Commission, Team Anna also voiced support for barring candidates against whom a court has framed charges, from contesting elections. Hazare, along with his close associates Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, discussed the matter for about an hour with Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi. The Team raised issues like inclusion of form 49(O), wherein a voter can say he does not want to vote for any of the candidates, use of totalizer in the counting process and barring of candidates against whom courts have framed charges. According to Team Anna, the meeting was "very useful" and the Commission was "very receptive" to their ideas and demands. After the meeting, Hazare told
Indian social activist Anna Hazare (R) along with his delegation leave the Election Commission of India office in New Delhi on February 23
reporters that 'right to reject' was "very important" and that it would help in "cleansing" the electoral scenario. Bedi said there was no need for bringing the right to reject issue in Parliament as it just need an amendment in rules. "The matter is pending with the Law Ministry since 2001. What is needed is a rule amendment. It just needs a notification," Bedi told PTI. To a question on reports about government plans to take the power from the Commission to oversee implementation of Model Code of Conduct, Hazare said it was wrong if the government was planning to do so. "This is wrong. The Election Commission is an independent body. The government should not have any hold on the body. If there is interference, then the body will lose it power. If the government does so, then there is no point in talking about independence of the Election Commission," he said. While the Chief Election Commissioner is constitutionally protected, Hazare said also said the two Election Commissioners should also be given the same status. -PTI
cational linkages with India. Prof. Hockfield briefed the Ambassador on the initiative taken by the MIT of providing access to numerous MIT courses online and how students across the world were benefiting from this unique enterprise. Recalling the Singh-Obama 21st Century Knowledge Initiative announced in 2009, Amb. Rao outlined a number of bilateral initiatives taken recently to deepen university linkages, junior faculty development and encouraging partnerships in the area of S&T, innovation and skill development, and hoped that MIT would continue to expand its collaborative ventures with India. Prof. Hockfield reiterated MIT's commitment in deepening linkages with India in diverse disciplines. Amb. Rao also met with a number of students, interns, faculty members and scholars associated with MIT's India Initiative and MIT's Center for International Studies and exchanged views with them on their ongoing projects and research activities in India. On Feb 17, the Indian Association of Greater Boston hosted a community reception to welcome Rao to the Boston area on her first visit as the Ambassador of India to the US.
Ramlila incident shows trust deficit, says court NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has castigated the Delhi Police and yoga guru Ramdev for the midnight violent incident at the Ramlila Maidan last year and said it was a "glaring example of trust deficit" between the people and the government. A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar said that incident showed might of the state which struck at the foundation of democracy. The bench further observed that the police and the state could have avoided that tragic incident in which one person died and several others were injured. "It is a glaring example of trust deficit between the people governing and the people being governed," the bench said, adding that police action is meant to bring peace but they breached peace themselves. The apex court blamed both Ramdev and the Delhi Police for the midnight crackdown at Ramlila Maidan last year and directed criminal prosecution of police personnel and Ramdev's supporters who had behaved violently during the incident.-PTI
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India seeks additional 5 MT oil 'India decision to import from Saudi Arabia for FY'13 Iran oil a slap on US face' NEW DELHI: Fearing international sanctions on Iran may curb its imports from that country, India has sought an additional 5 million tonnes (MT) of crude oil from Saudi Arabia for next fiscal. "We have sought five million tonnes of more crude oil from Saudi Arabia in 2012-13," Minis-
"Whatever Indian oil markets will require, they will approach (Saudi) Aramco (Saudi Arabia's national oil company) and as long as they can work it out on a commercial basis, we as a government don't interfere in this commercial relationship," Abdulaziz said. The Saudi Minister said his
concerned. We have demonstrated to our friends here today how much excess capacity there is today and how much excess capacity there will be in future," Abdulaziz said. Singh said India's refining capacity is growing up tremendously and "we would need a lot
The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Corporate Affairs, R P N Singh (right) meeting the Assistant Minister for Petroleum Affairs, Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, in New Delhi on February 23
ter of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R P N Singh told reporters here, after a meeting with Abdul Aziz Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister for Petroleum Affairs, Saudi Arabia. India buys 27 MT of crude oil per annum from Saudi Arabia while its annual import from Iran is about 17 million tonnes.
country has a spare production capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day beyond current output of 9.8 million barrels a day. India also sought more LPG from Saudi Arabia to meet growing energy needs. "We've demonstrated to our friends that the market is well supplied. There is no need to be
of additional crude and that is something we look towards Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries". "The two sides discussed the World Oil Outlook, especially the growing demand for hydrocarbons in Asia and India during the delegation level talks," an official statement said.-PTI
'Average pay for CEOs crosses Rs 2-cr mark in India' NEW DELHI: The average annual compensation for a CEO in India stands at over Rs two crore and is nearly 2.6 times the pay package for other top business executives in the country, as per a new study. According to the top executive compensation report 2011-12, released by global management consultancy Hay Group, the average CEO (Chief Executive Officer) compensation has crossed Rs two-crore mark, on cost-tocompany (CTC) basis. A CTC pay package typically includes salary, bonus, commissions, reimbursements, and various other benefits. For the next level of top execu-
tives (excluding the CEO), the average pay package is now above Rs one crore, it added. The study further pegged the average CEO compensation at "larger, more complex organizations" at more than Rs 7 crore. Hay Group said the CEO compensation has seen an increase on a year-on-year basis and the uptrend is likely to continue going forward, as there is a lack of "holistic" CEOs. Besides, the cross-sector employability of CEOs is also likely to fuel the compensation packet, the study said. Hay Group' Rewards Practice Leader Sridhar Ganesan said that the average CEO salary in the
country is now 2.6 times that of the rest of the executive population, in terms of total pay package. While the exact increase in the CEO pay levels could not be ascertained, the government data shows that India's per capita income grew by 15.6 per cent to cross Rs 50,000 level for the first time in 2010-11. It is expected to further cross Rs 60,000 level in the current fiscal, ending March 31, 2012. As per the data disclosed by listed companies, their top-management remuneration grew by 36 per cent in 2010-11, while the rise in overall staff costs was about 18 per cent.-PTI
WASHINGTON: India's deci- tegic partnership with India. "I sion to continue importing Iranian remain convinced of its value to oil is a slap on the face of the both countries and to the new gloUnited States, which is galvaniz- bal balance of power being creing the international community ated in this century," he wrote. to isolate Tehran, according to a "With its unhelpfulness on former US diplomat who was Bush Iran and stonewalling on impleAdministration's pointman on mentation of the landmark US-InIndo-US civilian nuclear deal. dia Civil Nuclear Agreement, how"This is bitterly disappointing ever, the Indian government is news for those of us who have now actively impeding the conchampioned a close relationship with India. And, it represents a real This is bitterly disappointsetback in the attempt by the last three Ameri- ing news for those of us can Presidents to establish a close and strate- who have championed a gic partnership with close relationship with successive Indian governments," former Un- India. And, it represents a der Secretary of State real setback in the atfor Political Affairs Nicholas Burns wrote in tempt by the last three an op-ed in current-afAmerican Presidents fairs magazine 'The Diplomat' today. "India's decision to walk out of struction of the strategic relationstep with the international com- ship it says it wants with the munity on Iran isn't just a slap in United States," Burns said. the face for the US? It raises quesPresidents Barack Obama and tions about its ability to lead," George W Bush have met India said Burns. more than halfway in offering conIndia, which relies on Iran for crete and highly visible commit12 per cent of its oil imports, has ments on issues India cares about, refused to scale it down. he said, adding unfortunately InOnly recently, Burns had writ- dia has made no corresponding ten an op-ed in The Boston Globe gesture in return for the big viarguing that the US should com- sion that Obama and Bush have mit to an ambitious, long-term stra- offered. -PTI
Sonia, PM, ministers 'accountable' for midnight crackdown: BJP NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of the Supreme Court slamming the Delhi Police for its midnight crackdown against supporters of Ramdev, BJP has held Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and union ministers P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal "accountable" for the incident. "Such an attack on peaceful supporters of Ramdev would not have been possible without political clearance at a very high level. The policemen have suffered, but what about political accountability?" BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad asked. He said the BJP holds "not only" Home Minister Chidambaram and HRD Minister Sibal "accountable and responsible" for the incident but also Gandhi and the Prime Minister "accountable" for it. "(That is)...because her party and the government have sus-
tained a campaign against Ramdev, Anna Hazare and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar," he alleged. He said the apex court judgment "reinforces" that the UPA government is "repressive" against those who expose and try to protest against corruption. "The earlier judgment on 2G further establishes that the UPA government is also corrupt...The 122 licenses cancelled were granted through corruption and manipulation," the Rajya Sabha member said. The apex court in its verdict castigated the Delhi Police and the yoga guru for the midnight violent incident at the Ramlila Maidan last year and said it was a "glaring example of trust deficit" between the people and the government. A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar said that incident showed might of the state which struck at the foundation of democracy. -PTI
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Swamy moves SC against trial court order on Chidambaram NEW DELHI: Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy has moved the Supreme Court challenging the trial court order which had held that Home Minister P Chidmbaram did not indulge in any criminal conspiracy in the 2G case and refused to make him an accused in it. Swamy has alleged that Chidambaram was equally culpable like former Telecom Minister A Raja as he also had a role in deciding the spectrum pricing and allowing telecom companies to off-load shares to foreign firms. He had said that the evidence brought before the trial court was sufficient to show that Chidambaram, as the then finance minister, had prima facie committed offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other criminal laws. Swamy's plea was, however, rejected on February 4, by the Special CBI Court, trying the 2G case, which had said Chidambaram did not indulge
Subramanian Swamy
He had said that the evidence brought before the trial court was sufficient to show that Chidambaram, as the then finance minister, had prima facie committed offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other criminal laws
in any criminal conspiracy or derived any pecuniary advantage in the decisions taken with Raja. The trail court had said that Chidambaram, the Finance Minister at the time of controversial allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008, was only party to two decisions--keeping spectrum prices at 2001 level and dilution of equity by two companies--which was "not per se criminal". The Supreme Court had on February 2 left on the special court to decide the plea to try Chidambaram in the case. The trial court had rejected the private criminal complaint filed by Swamy, saying it was without merits. It said Swamy could not bring evidence on record to show that Chidambaram was acting with "corrupt" and "illegal" motive and the case against him was distinguishable from other accused who are facing trial in the 2G case.PTI
Suu Kyi seeks ethnic minority support MYITKYINA, Myanmar: Prodemocracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi hit the campaign trail in the country's conflict-riven far north in a bid to bolster support among ethnic minorities. Hundreds of people greeted the Nobel Peace Prize laureate on her arrival in northernmost Kachin state, where she was to address a political rally as her National League for Democracy (NLD) party gears up for April 1 by-elections. "Aung San Suu Kyi is coming here not only for campaigning but also to bring unity," NLD senior member Win Mya Mya said at Myitkyina Airport where the opposition leader arrived for her two-day trip. Some supporters waved the party's fighting-peacock flag, while others wore T-shirts bearing Suu Kyi's image. The crowds, however, initially appeared smaller than those that greeted Suu Kyi during previous campaign trips. "Suu Kyi is trying to shed her image as a 'Bamar' leader first and foremost, said Myanmar expert Renaud Egreteau, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong, referring to the country's dominant ethnic group. "The rhetoric that she has always used is that of a national
leader who portrays herself as a unifier of an entire people," he said. "But basically Aung San Suu Kyi's positions have difficulty going beyond the simple vague message calling for dialogue and national reconciliation." Civil war has gripped parts of Myanmar since independence in 1948. An end to the conflicts and alleged rights abuses involving government troops is a key demand of Western nations which
impose sanctions on the regime. The regime has surprised observers with a series of reforms, welcoming Suu Kyi's party back into mainstream politics and releasing hundreds of political prisoners. The NLD complained that the fairness of the April vote was also threatened because it was being denied the use of suitable venues for its rallies, but just hours later it said the restrictions had been eased.-AFP
External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna shakes hands with Myanmar Minister for Construction Khin Muang Myint during a meeting in New Delhi on February 22
R2P being selectively used to bring about regime change: India UNITED NATIONS: Citing the nored. example of Libya and Syria, India "Only aspect of the resolution has expressed concern that the of interest to them (international UN principle of "responsibility to community) was use of all necprotect" is being selectively used essary means to bomb the hell to promote national interests and out of Libya," he said. bring about regime change in the Further, in clear violation of the conflict countries instead of sav- resolution, arms were supplied to ing civilians. civilians without any considerIndia's Permanent Representa- ation of its consequences, no-fly tive to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri zone was selectively implemented said that over the last year, re- only for flights in and out of Trisponsibility to protect or 'R2P' has poli and targeted measures were again been invoked selectively. "If this does not Puri said R2P should start change, I am afraid, the with political engagement noble idea of R2P will come into disrepute. In- with the parties concerned deed, the Libyan case and only when an "honest has already given R2P a bad name," he said at and serious" attempt at an informal meeting settlement fails should here. the international Puri said R2P should start with political en- community respond gagement with the parties concerned and only when an "honest and serious" implemented insofar as they attempt at settlement fails should suited the objective of regime the international community re- change, Puri said. spond. "All kinds of mechanisms were "And the response should created to support one party to again be calibrated and gradual, the conflict and attempts were rather than immediate recourse to made to bypass the sanctions armed intervention. committee by proposing resoluSelectivity must be avoided tions to the Council. with respect to situations that the It goes without saying that the international community chooses pro-interventionist powers did to respond to. The principle must not ever try to bring about a also be applied uniformly to all peaceful end to the crisis in parties to a conflict," he added. Libya," Puri noted. When intervening in a counIn Syria's case, Puri said intry facing conflicts, the interna- stead of a simple step to hold the tional community must also be Syrian government to a timetable cautious and mindful of the con- for political reforms, a resolution sequences of its actions, Puri was proposed to impose sancsaid. "We must not end with a situation where In Syria's case, Puri said saving hundreds causes killing of thou- instead of a simple step to sands. The UN must hold the Syrian government act impartially and must not take sides," he to a timetable for political said. reforms, a resolution was Puri said as developments in Libya and proposed to impose Syria have shown, the sanctions principle of R2P is being used for regime change. tions. In Libya's case UN Resolution "President Bashar Assad was 1973 was aimed at ceasefire with declared to have lost legitimacy. the mediation of the African The opposition was discouraged Union (AU), use of all necessary to engage with the government means to protect civilians, no-fly and the armed groups started rezone, arms embargo and targeted ceiving support ostensibly to desanctions, Puri noted. fend themselves," he said. However, he said, as soon as These examples clearly underthe resolution was adopted, the line the problem that the principle "over-enthusiastic members" of of R2P is being selectively used the international community to promote national interest rather stopped talking of the AU and than protect civilians, he said. the bloc's efforts to bring about "The time has now come to look a ceasefire were completely ig- at both sides of the coin.-PTI
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'Delirious Delhi': An expat's 18-month journey NEW DELHI: Expats often face challenges in Delhi but for USbased adman Dave Prager, the joy of living here far outweighed these challenges so much so that he tries to demystify the city by chronicling how he and his wife experienced: isolated, overwhelmed, and loving every minute of their nearly two-year-long stay. "Every expat has different challenges. Some expats have a lot of trouble adjusting to having maids at home and peons in the office. Others have trouble with the pollution, or the heat. For me, my biggest challenge was the traffic, because I commuted from Delhi to Gurgaon every day. But for us, the joys of living in Delhi far outweighed the challenges," he says. Dave was a copywriter working at a Madison Avenue advertising agency until fate offered him the opportunity to spend a yearand-a-half working at the agency's office in Gurgaon. He and his wife Jenny Steeves leaped to spend the next 18 months "immersed in the cuisine of their dreams". And then "Delirious Delhi" was born - a 392 pages book offering hilarious anecdotes, astute observations, and attempted comprehension about what the couple encountered, ate, and stared at while stuck in traffic in Delhi. "Delhi's only going to get more influential in the world economy. That's one reason I wrote the book: as more foreigners come to visit it, whether for business or for pleasure, it's increasingly important to know what makes the city tick," Dave told PTI. . He feels most books about India written by Westerners document an obliga-
tory personal journey. "At first they hate India, but then they learn to love it. At first they're overwhelmed by the chaos, but then the soul of the people shines through. At first they're horrified by the poverty, but then they find spirituality in every speck of dirt. "Many people have talked about Delhi's problems. I like to focus on the positive side of things: the fact that Delhi, in the
face of all its challenges, is still essentially peaceful and prosperous. If you look at history, you find that all of the world's big cities had periods of great problems -- including New York, London, and Singapore. They've all overcome those problems, and I know that Delhi will, too." According to Prager, every traveler should know three Hindi words - 'chalo', 'theek hai' and 'bhaiya'. The couple's trajectory in Delhi
was different. "We loved it instantly and intensively, every bit of it, as frightening and overwhelming and incomprehensible as it was." Expats, according to him, seek "adventure" in India. "But the adventure we seek is not mountain climbing or jungle safari -- It's things like riding in an auto rickshaw or shopping in a spice market. In other words, we fly 20 hours and pay thousands of dollars to do what everyday Indians would consider chores. That's just the expat mindset." Ask about incidents which he and his wife can never forget and he quips, "I can recall 392 pages worth of them. That's why I wrote the book! But when I think back, I remember our Holi celebration and our walks through the Old City. Most of all, though, I think about all the great food we ate. More than anything, our memories of Delhi revolve around food." And his take on Delhi's food and hygiene, "You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't judge a restaurant by its tablecloth. In Delhi, every reward has an equal and opposite challenge necessary to redeem it: which means that sometimes the best food can be found in the not-sobest places." Organized into 12 thematic chapters (like worklife, transportation, and food), "Delirious Delhi", published by HarperCollins, is perfect for expats and locals alike: it helps newcomers orient themselves to this intense and amazing city, and it lets veterans see it through eyes that have never seen anything like it before.-PTI
PORTS AGREEMENT: Director, Maritime Commericial Management, Port of Baltimore, Michael W Miller (2R) and Director, Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone Ltd. Adani Group Malay Mahadevia (2L) are watched as they exchange documents after a signing ceremony in the presence of U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco J. Sanchez (R) and Executive Director, Operations and Business Development, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd.Karan Adani (L) at Adani House in Ahmedabad on February 22. U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco J. Sanchez witnessed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between Port of Baltimore and Mundra Port and later addressed the media
'Women treated worse than animals' in Pak KARACHI: Mutthaida-e- dition," he lamented. Qaumi Movement (MQM), a key He mentioned honor killing, coalition partner in the PPP-led Karo Kari, acid crimes and domesgovernment, has lamented that tic violence and even brought up women are "treated worse than topics like dowry and gender disanimals" in Pakistan as the party crimination which are considered held a massive rally in southern the social norm. Sindh's provincial capital to high"The perpetrators of Karo Kari light the need to empower them. and acid crime should be hanged," Thousands of women and girls Hussain said. in colorful dresses and waving the According to analysts, the MQM flags thronged to the rally in a country where women Bagh-e-Quaid Azam near the mausoleum of Pakistan's founding Thousands of women and leader M A Jinnah. girls in colorful dresses and Addressing the rally waving the MQM flags from London over phone, MQM chief thronged to the Bagh-eAltaf Hussain, who has Quaid Azam near the maubeen in self exile in the soleum of Pakistan's foundUK, demanded more rights for Pakistani ing leader M A Jinnah women. "The world over women are continue to be marginalized poconsidered equals in every sense. litically, was an attempt to attract Unfortunately and sadly in Paki- women from the middle and lower stan they continue to be treated classes in the country to the party worse than animals," Hussain fold. said. He challenged the political and "Women in Pakistan are sub- religious parties "to try to orgajected to treatment meted out to nize a rally of this magnitude". second-or-third-class citizens. "Those talking about revolution Worse, they are treated like ani- should come and see this revolumals. Crimes like honor killing, tion of women," he said at the rally wani and marriage to the Quran with the theme, 'Empowerment to are rampant under the veil of tra- women - a better Pakistan'.-PTI
US lawmaker seeks Congressional Medal for Pak Osama spotter NEW YORK: A US lawmaker 26 cross border raid by US forces has demanded that a Pakistani that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. doctor who led CIA to the world's Rohrabacher has already most wanted fugitive Osama bin earned Pakistan's wrath by introLaden be awarded the Congres- ducing a resolution in Congress sional Gold Medal. seeking self-determination for Dana Rohrabacher, a Republi- Balochistan. can from California, has said that The Republican Congressdoctor Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani who helped lead the CIA to Osama Media reports said that bin Laden last May Islamabad was on the should be honored verge of handing over the with the Congressional Gold Medal and be doctor to US, till ties between made an American citi- the two nations deteriorated zen, New York Times reafter the November 26 ported. The whereabouts of cross border raid Afridi are not known after he was arrested by Pakistan's Inter Service Intelli- man, who leads the House Forgence (ISI) after the highly suc- eign Affairs Sub-committee on cessful hit by US Navy SEALs Oversight and Investigations, on bin Laden at his hideout in has a history of aggressive Conthe garrison town of Abbottabad. gressional action against PakiMedia reports said that stan. Islamabad was on the verge of He recently described Pakihanding over the doctor to US, stan as a "two-faced enemy of till ties between the two nations the US" and tried to limit Amerideteriorated after the November can aid to Islamabad.-PTI
Desi News Mount Prospect honors Indian activist Asian Media USA
MOUNT PROSPECT, IL: An Indian community activist, Jay Patel, was among the ten recipients of Shining Star Awards that were presented at Mount Prospect's 19th annual Celestial Celebration held recently at Bristol Court Banquet Hall. Those selected are deemed to have been exercising positive influences within community. All were honored with Shining Star awards for their good works in ten different categories. A gathering of over 350 residents and guests enjoyed the tropical theme "Prom Night with the Stars" as they attended the gala affair sponsored by the Village's Special Events Commission. Details on page 14
Manav Seva Mandir celebrates Mahashivaratri Asian Media USA
CHICAGO: Manav Seva Mandir (MSM) located in Bensenville, a north west suburb of Chicago, celebrated Mahashivaratri with Vedic tradition on Sunday, February 19. Sixteen couples participated in Mahashivaratri Puja. This sacred evening was attended by over 800 devotees to witness the special evening Puja ceremony. The two hour program was full of devotional activities such as stuties, shlokas and Shiva Dhun. On Monday February 20, over 450 devotees visited the Mandir for Mahashivaratri puja. Puja ceremony was distributed into four sections - Prahars, Brahmas. Details on page 15
SALDEF meets with FBI Director Mueller
COMMUNITY ACROSS AMERICA
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World trainers to help India double Olympic tally: Minister India Post News Service
NEW YORK: India is improving its sports infrastructure to ensure the doubling of its medal tally at the forthcoming Olympic Games, India's Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Ajay Maken said. The Minister was addressing the Indian American community at a reception hosted in his honor at the Indian Consulate in New York recently. Maken said that Ministry was seized with action plans for improvement of sports infrastructure and availability of "World Class Trainers" to ensure that the medal tally is doubled in the forthcoming Olympic Games. He further stated that 29 foreign trainers have been engaged and about 100 high quality training camps have already been arranged abroad for the purpose. The Minister said his Ministry has also decided to set up sports infrastructure in 250,000 villages in India. In consultation with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, it has also been ensured to have one good play-
Ajay Maken
ground with a physical training instructor for each elementary
posed. The Central Board of Second-
In his introductory remarks, Consul General Prabhu Dayal said the minister has initiated many pioneering projects to improve sports facilities in India school in India, he said. Introduction of sports curriculum in schools has also been pro-
ary Education has suggested to all its affiliated schools to ensure that one period per day is dedi-
cated to sports and games for students up to Grade 10 and two periods up to Grade 12, respectively. Preference on admission at tertiary level has also been proposed with sports and games as criteria. All efforts would be made to ensure availability of sufficient funds for the development of sports and games in the coming years, he added. Prominent members of the Indian-American community, which included professionals, community leaders, sports personalities, notably tennis ace of yesteryears Vijay Amritraj attended the function and also availed of the opportunity to interact with the Minister on various issues relating to development of sports and games in India. Earlier in his introductory remarks, Consul General Prabhu Dayal said the minister has initiated many pioneering projects to improve sports facilities in India. Amritraj briefly spoke on the occasion appreciating the approachability of the Minister on matters relating to sports and games. Maken's endeavor to improve sports infrastructure has been commendable, he said.
BharatMatrimony to create the world's largest wedding photo album India Post News Service
WASHINGTONDC:SALDEFmet with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director, Robert S. Mueller III recently to discuss community concerns and encourage outreach to the SikhAmerican community. The meeting was convened by the FBI as part of their outreach to communities who have faced post 9/11 challenges. Leaders of prominent civil rights groups including Interfaith Alliance, Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee were also in attendance.
NEW YORK: In an attempt to set a Guinness World Record, BharatMatrimony, the leading online matrimonial portal in India has set the ball rolling to create the world's largest wedding photo album. Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder & CEO, BharatMatrimony unveiled a miniature replica of the record-making wedding album before the press Feb 14, in New Delhi, kick starting a two-month long run-up to Matrimony Day (April 14), in the attempt to create two world records - one, is an attempt to set a Guinness World Record in putting together the world's largest wedding photo album; and second, to set a world record with 1 million wedding pictures online at www.millionweddingpics.com and create the largest collection of wedding pictures online.
Details on page 16
Cont’d on page 13
India Post News Service
New CG visits Sikh community in New Mexico
Kapil Dev and wife Romi at the launch
Community Across America
March 2, 2012
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Akshay Desai appointed to Florida Republican Committee India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Florida-based influential GOP fundraiser Dr. Akshay Desai has been appointed as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida's (RPOF) Finance Committee, Chairman of RPOF Lenny Curry announced. "On behalf of all of Florida's Republicans, I am grateful that Dr. Desai has agreed to accept this crucial role," said Curry. "In this election year we need the resources for victory, and Dr. Desai's long history of work for the state and our Party make him a proven leader. A.K and I are ready to roll up our sleeves and win." "A.K. is a tireless advocate for Florida and for our Republican party," said Governor Rick Scott. "RPOF will be well
served by his dedication and experience." Dr. Desai is currently the Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Universal Health Care Group, Inc and serves the
Dr. Desai has been a member of the Florida State Board of Education since 2007 and has served on the Florida Council of 100 since 2010. He previously served
"In this election year we need the resources for victory, and Dr. Desai's long history of work for the state and our Party make him a proven leader. A.K and I are ready to roll up our sleeves and win." "A.K. is a tireless advocate for Florida and for our Republican party" health care community through several associations. Dr. Desai served as Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Northside Hospital and Heart Clinic, as well as St. Petersburg General Hospital.
as a Member of the Florida State Board of Governors from 2005-2007 and as Commissioner and Chairman of the Health Committee on the White House Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders from 2005-2008.
Dr. A.K Desai (SnapsIndia)
BharatMatrimony to create the world's largest wedding photo album
Cont’d from page 12
During the event, the celebrity couple cricket legend Kapil Dev and his wife Romi uploaded the first wedding pictures onto the website to officially launch www.millionweddingpics.com. The website opens up an opportunity to all married couples to participate in this momentous occasion and create history. Spread over a period of two months the grand finale of this attempt will be unveiled on April 14, which is celebrated as Matrimony Day across the globe. Speaking on this occasion, Janakiraman said, "Marriage is sacred and it is for a life time; it is an occasion for family gettogethers, celebrations, sharing and spreading joy. This is an attempt to get all Indians to partici-
pate and share their wedding pictures and feature in a record making photo album. We hope to clinch the world record on the auspicious day of Matrimony Day on April 14 when we will unveil the album for verification." Sharing a few words on the oc-
casion, Kapil Dev said, "They say marriage is a celebration of life; it's a life-long journey that two people take together and a memorable occasion that lasts a lifetime. We are happy that BharatMatrimony is creating an occasion that can rekindle these
joyous moments amongst millions of Indians. We are contributing to the event by sharing our pictures for the album and would urge many more couples to participate in this record-making attempt." The final lap of events will be-
gin on March 1 to mark Matrimony Day celebrations. BharatMatrimony has urged readers to drop their wedding pictures at the US office of BharatMatrimony to upload them on to www.millionweddingspics.com.
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Mount Prospect honors Indian activist MOUNT PROSPECT, IL: An Indian community activist, Jay Patel, was among the ten recipients of Shining Star Awards that were presented at Mount Prospect's 19th annual Celestial Celebration held recently at Bristol Court Banquet Hall. Those selected are deemed to have been exercising positive in-
fluences within community. All were honored with Shining Star awards for their good works in ten different categories. A gathering of over 350 residents and guests enjoyed the tropical theme "Prom Night with the Stars" as they attended the gala affair sponsored by the Village's Special Events Commission.
PRASAD THOTUKARA
DALLAS, TX: Rajesh Puli, 25, a student pursuing MS degree at A& M University, (Commerce campus) was killed in a road accident on February 13 in Groveton City, Texas. As per reports, due to rainy conditions his car skidded, went out of control and hit a tree causing his death instantly. Rajesh came to USA in 2009 after graduating from Arora's Engineering
Asian Media USA
A gathering of over 350 residents and guests enjoyed the tropical theme "Prom Night with the Stars" as they attended the gala affair sponsored by the Village's Special Events Commission
Andhra student killed in road accident
Jay Patel receiving the recognition plaque
Jay Patel thanked God, his wife Daksha, son, daughter and all the people who nominated him. In his speech he related a story about his mother when she went for the interview for US citizenship. The message was, anyone can make a difference and everyone has a part to play in making our community a better place to live regardless of how much resources you have. Each year the Mount Prospect Special Events Commission honors individuals and organizations that help to make the community a great place in which to live and
work. The Awards are based on nomination by community leaders, business people, residents, by men and women who work here. A Shining Star is a person or organization that has made a significant difference in the lives of others due to their commitment to a cause or to lift the burden from someone less fortunate and making Mount Prospect a better community. The event was coordinated by Mount Prospect Special Events Commission and Mayor Irvana K. Wilks. They worked very hard to make this event memorable for the guests.
As per reports, due to rainy conditions his car skidded, went out of control and hit a tree causing his death instantly. Rajesh came to USA in 2009 after graduating from Arora's Engineering College, Bhongiri, Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh College, Bhongiri, Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh. Rajesh is survived by parents who live in Sirpur Kagaznagar, and a sister. TANA Team square volunteers Sumanth Reddy, Kiran, TANA Team Square Chairman Anjaiah Chowdary Lavu, Secretary Ram Yalamanchili, Regional Represen-
Rajesh Puli
tative Manjulata Kanneganti are overseeing the logistics. TANA sources said, "It is a very unfortunate and freak accident and on behalf of TANA, we express our deepest condolences to Rajesh's family. The body of Rajesh has been moved to Rahma Funeral Home in Dallas and all formalities completed. We have contacted Consul General of India, Houston and are making all arrangements to ship the mortal remains of Rajesh to reach his family in Hyderabad."
First Veda Sammelan in North America India Post News Service
NEW YORK: The Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation USA has planned to conduct the first ever Veda Sammelan in North America at the Sringeri Sadhana Center in Stroudsburg, PA on April 14. Hundreds of Vedic Scholars and Agama/Sastra pundits from the US and Canada are expected to participate in this one-day event. The program includes a ceremonious procession of the scriptures, recitation of all four Vedas, special Vedic offerings to Sharadamba, a lecture-cum-demonstration of various recitation practices which the Rishis have brought forth to preserve the intricate Veda mantras in an oral tradition, and honoring of the Vedic pundits. The Foundation is the first overseas affiliate of the ancient Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, India. It is situated at the lush green mountains of the Poconos in Stroudsburg, PA. Sri Sharad Peetham, Sringeri was the first Monastery (Mutt) established by Adi Sankaracharya in the 8th Century A.D with
the coronation of Sri Sureswaracharya to the Spiritual Throne. The Mutt excels in its unbroken lineage of Jagadgurus from then on and the present Jagadguru, Sri Sri Bharata Tirtha Mahaswamiji, is the 36th Pontiff of this lineage. With the blessings of the present Jagadguru, the Foundation was incorpo-
Lord Krishna, Veda Vyasa and the Navagrahas. At least 270 Vedic scholars (mostly from India) participated in the 17day long inaugural functions, performed with the utmost adherence to the Vedic tradition. The root of the Sanatana Dharmic tradition is our Vedic Scriptures, which are be-
Sri Sharad Peetham, Sringeri was the first Monastery (Mutt) established by Adi Sankaracharya in the 8th Century A.D with the coronation of Sri Sureswaracharya to the Spiritual Throne. The Mutt excels in its unbroken lineage of Jagadgurus from then on rated in the early 90's and the Foundation built an authentic Sri Sharadamba temple in 2008 on its 70-acre property, which houses Sri Sharadamba (Goddess of Wisdom), Sri Chandramouleeswara (Siva), Adi Sankaracharya, Mahaganapati, Lord Subrahmanya with Sri Valli and Sri Devasena, Devi Bhavani, Sri Hanuman,
lieved to be of non-human origin. Sage Veda Vyasa divided these scriptures into four groups, known as Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. In the original division, the Rig Veda had 21 branches; the Yajur Veda- 101 branches; the Sama Veda- 1000 branches; and the Atharva Veda - 9 branches, totaling 1131 branches. Over
the centuries, many of these branches were lost, and we are left with only 10 branches, and among them also, only two are nearly complete! In an effort to protect the existing branches of the Vedas, and to encourage Vedic learning and the Vedic Priesthood, the Sringeri Jagadguru has been conducting Veda Sammelans throughout India - in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Delhi, Benaras, Calcultta - every year, since 2000. Several hundred scholars participate from these regions every year. However, the Foundation never had the opportunity to conduct a similar Veda Sammelan in North America, even though there are several hundreds of these scholars work and live here. Coincidentally, this is the 100th year of ascension to the Spiritual Throne of the 34th Pontiff of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Jagadguru Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji. Hence the present Jagadguru has blessed the opportunity to conduct this program in the Poconos this year.
Community Across America
March 2, 2012
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Manav Seva Mandir celebrates Mahashivaratri
Priest doing Puja Asian Media USA
CHICAGO: Manav Seva Mandir (MSM) located in Bensenville, a north west suburb of Chicago, celebrated Mahashivaratri with Vedic tradition on Sunday, February 19. Sixteen couples participated in Mahashivaratri Puja. This sacred
mas, Pratah-Mdhyahn and Sandhya. Learned Priest Dr. C. L. Shastri explained the importance of all these four sections of Puja. Importance of participating in Pratah Puja makes the life happy of the participant, Brahma Puja makes the life pious, PratahMdhyahn Puja is that whoever takes part sincerely, it carries no
After first Puja was performed, there was break for Prasad to all the devotees, who thronged in large numbers. Devotees enjoyed delicious Prasad delivered by Jay Hind restaurant evening was attended by over 800 devotees to witness the special evening Puja ceremony. The two hour program was full of devotional activities such as stuties, shlokas and Shiva Dhun. On Monday February 20, over 450 devotees visited the Mandir for Mahashivaratri puja. Puja ceremony was distributed into four sections - Prahars, Brah-
Manav Seva Mandir Deities
sin and Sandhya Puja relates to Sun and Moon and slowly gives fruit to the Lord Shiva devotees. In all there were 16 Hosts to the entire deliberations and 11 Hosts for Arti. First Arti was performed at about 7 pm, lighting 108 lamps all together. Bhajans in beautiful manner also were sung on the occasion. After first Puja was performed,
Devotees
there was break for Prasad to all the devotees, who thronged in large numbers. Devotees enjoyed delicious Prasad delivered by Jay Hind restaurant. In Prasad-there were Sukibhaji (dry potato & vegetable), curd, chevda, badampak (almond) and fruit, which were served along with Thandai as substitute to Bhang. This was merrily enjoyed by one and all. Volunteers and Board of Trustees did excellent job to manage
Contest for short film in Telugu India Post News Service
DALLAS, TX: Telugu Association of North America (TANA) has announced hosting a Short Film Contest on international Mother Language Day to promote and perpetuate Telugu Prasad Thotukara, TANA President said, "It is very important for all of us to remind ourselves how to save our great language from the current waning stage. International Mother Language Day is annually celebrated on February 21 around
the world. The main objective of this observance is to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism," he said 'Telugu people across the globe can participate in this competition. We solicit films made up to a maximum of five minutes focusing on the current status of usage of Telugu Language and its future. The content of the film should be message /solution oriented. The concept is "Mana Telugu Bhasha nu brathikinchu kundam," he added.
Participants can contest by emailing their videos as YouTube film links. There is no entry-fee. A panel of judges chaired by renowned Movie Director Sekhar Kammula will judge the entrees. Best selected films will be shown at the upcoming 19th TANA Convention to be held at Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas from July 4-6th, 2013 and also winners will be awarded on the main stage. Visit www.tana.org or email at shortfilm@tana2013.org if you have any questions.
large crowed during this event. The Manav Seva Mandir is a Hindu religious institution in the greater Chicago land area. Not only is it an excellent place of worship, but it also renders a social atmosphere and a cultural center
that preserves and promotes Hindu traditions and heritage. They have programs such as Bhajan-Satsang, Group Satnarayan Katha, Youth Classes, Children Classes, annual youth camp during the summer holidays, flu vaccinations, health fair and medical facilities. They have Daily Arti such as Mangala Arti, Shringar Arti and Sandhya Arti. Manav Seva Mandir is located at 101 S. Church Road, Bensenville. Upcoming events: Holika - 5:30 pm, Wednesday March 7 Gujarati Comedy Patni Nachave Bhagwan Bachave - 8 pm Saturday March 10 Chaitri Navratra & Ram Navami - 5:30 pm, Friday, March 23 Ramayan Path - March 23 to 31 Hanuman Jayanti - 5:00, Friday, April 6.
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Mahashivratri celebrated in St Louis ASHWIN PATEL
Racist t-shirt designs removed from website
The offending t-shirts Cafe press Petition. India Post News Service Deities at St Louis Hindu Temple.
ST LOUIS: Mahashivaratri Festival was celebrated with devotion and religious fervor in St Louis.
by Laghunyasa Rudrabhishekam at 11pm. Sunday morning 4am, Mallikarjuna Subrapatham was recited followed by
NEW YORK: A Sikh Coalition petition calling upon CafePress to remove racist t-shirt designs from its website has met with early response and CafePress has obliged by removing such designs. The t-shirts which said, "No More Ragheads!" and "No More Towelheads!" prompted
over 4,000 people to sign the petition created by the Sikh Coalition. In addition to removing the tshirts, CafePress issued a statement expressing "regret" for "any problems or concerns caused by the images in question." The Sikh Coalition had issued an open letter to CafePress CEO Bob Marino on February 17. The
letter urged community members to sign an online petition which garnered 2,000 signatures in a day. By February 19, the racist images had been taken down from the CafePress website. The Coalition's open letter also called on CafePress to improve its internal controls to prevent hateful material from being sold on its site.
SALDEF meets with FBI Director Mueller India Post News Service
Devotees participating in Mahashivratri celebrations
Hundreds of devotees attended the celebrations at Hindu Temple of St.Louis on Sunday Feb 19. The temple was open all day and night. Laghunyasa Rudrabhishekam started 9am. Mahanyasa Rudrabhishekam was conducted at 6 pm followed
Rudrabhishekam. Devotees stood in line to offer milk abhishekam for Shiva Lingam. The Temple is planning for Chandramana Ugadi, Sri Ramanavami, and Souramana Ugadi in the upcoming months.
WASHINGTONDC:SALDEFmet with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director, Robert S. Mueller III recently to discuss community concerns and encourage outreach to the SikhAmerican community. The meeting was convened by the FBI as part of their outreach to communities who have faced post 9/11 challenges. Leaders of prominent civil rights groups including Interfaith Alliance, Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee were also in attendance. Jasjit Singh, SALDEF Associate Executive Director, spoke to Director Mueller about the importance of creating a unique category to specifically identify hate crimes against Sikhs, improving training efforts for the FBI and increasing dialogue with the Bureau. Additionally, Mr. Singh cited concern over a story from Des
Moines, Iowa where a Sikh Immigrant was used as an informant at Muslim mosques for seven years. "Our relationship with the Bureau
SALDEF also proposed the adoption and formalization of Sikh American Cultural Awareness and Protocol Training for each of their
Jasjit Singh, SALDEF Associate Executive Director, spoke to Director Mueller about the importance of creating a unique category to specifically identify hate crimes against Sikhs Robert S. Mueller III
has historically been positive, but it is fragile and tactics like this jeopardize our partnership," Mr. Singh said at the meeting.
new recruits at the FBI Academy in Quantico. Cont’d on page 17
Hindu temple opens in Southwest Florida India Post News Service
Mahashivratri celebrations
FLORIDA, TX: A new Hindu temple, Sri Shiva Durga Devi Mandir, has opened in Lehigh Acres in Florida. It will fulfil the longstanding religious and spiritual needs of the Hindus of Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Labelle and
other surrounding communities and provide a place to "worship in peace". Hindus of the area come from India, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Suriname, etc. An organization to build this temple was reportedly launched in 2007. Mandir's mission is: To promote and extend the warm hand of love and comfort. People associ-
ated with this Mandir include Kent I. Singh, Vishnu Hanoman, Leloutie Lilwah, Ramesh Ramrattan, Ramnaprine Behdas and Genmatty Premdas. Lehigh Acres in Lee County (Florida) was settled in 1954. John E. Manning is Lee County Commission Chair while Karen B. Hawes is County Manager.
March 2, 2012
Community/California
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New CG visits Sikh community in New Mexico Dharma community. The Ambassador of Sikh Dharma, Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa, who is also the son-in-law of Yogi Bhajan, played the gracious host to the guests. At a dinner meeting hosted by Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa and Mr. Pawan Singh Dhindsa in Albuquerque, Consul General Parthasarathi assured the Sikh community of full cooperation
all the pending issues with visas for the Sikh community and said that other matters relating to the passport and dependent visas for families on political asylum in USA. Both Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa and Mr. Dhindsa conveyed to the Consul General of the various issues affecting the Sikh community with respect to mistaken identity, racial discrimination and prejudice to-
At a dinner meeting hosted by Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa and Mr. Pawan Singh Dhindsa in Albuquerque, Consul General Parthasarathi assured the Sikh community of full cooperation and help by his consulate office in San Francisco
Left to right: Dy. CG Kumar Tuhin, Sardar K.S. Dhindsa, Consul General Parthasarathi, Pawan Singh Dhindsa and Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa India Post News Service
ESPANOLA, NM: The Consul General of India Mr. N. Parthasarathi visited New Mexico February 13 thru 16th. He was accompanied by Deputy Consul General Kumar Tuhin.
SALDEF meets with FBI Director Mueller Cont’d from page 16
VA and through local field offices across the country, through SALDEF's Law Enforcement Partnership Program. "The benefits of incorporating SALDEF's cultural competency training in the FBI's training program will empower their new recruits and current agents with the appropriate information about Sikh Americans in an effort to better utilize FBI resources," stated SALDEF Chairman and Co-Founder Manjit Singh. "Such training will help in eliminating an incorrect, though, common perception of Sikh Americans as suspicious solely based on misunderstandings of their physical identity as a Sikh." SALDEF will continue to engage with the Director's office regarding the issues raised and encourage increased dialogue with the Bureau.
The visiting dignitaries were welcomed by the Sikh Dharma community in Espanola, New Mexico. There were several events and receptions in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Espanola where the Consul General met with local Indian community and the Sikh
and help by his consulate office in San Francisco and said that his main goal is to reach out to the entire Indian and Sikh American community and do whatever possible as the new Consul General. He assured the Sikh Ambassador and Mr. Dhindsa, a prominent Indian American community activist in New Mexico; that his office was working on clearing
wards the Sikh community in New Mexico, California and the entire USA. The visiting diplomat was visibly impressed with what he saw when he visited the community in Espanola, New Mexico. He also visited the Gurdwara and the business offices of SikhNet, Akal Security and other businesses in New Mexico. Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh shared the story of how Siri
Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji came to America and how he influenced the lives of so many people and started the family businesses which are supporting the community and its activities. The Consul General also talked about the Gadar Movement and assured Mr. Dhindsa and Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh that he and his office would celebrate the event's 100 year celebration in 2013 and will participate with much fervor and said he will give maximum cooperation to all the organizations celebrating the event. The Consul General asked Bhai Sahib Satpal Singh Khalsa to continue to promote the organization and community set up by Yogi Bhajan and offered full cooperation from his office. Members from the American Sikh community founded by the Siri Singh Sahib in the West welcomed the Consul General to New Mexico. These included Daya Singh Khalsa, CEO and President of Akal Security; MSS Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa, Chief of Protocol; Bhai Sahiba Bibiji Inderjit Kaur (wife of Siri Singh Sahib), Siri Sikdar SahibaSardarni Guru Amrit Kaur and many other community members and officers of the Sikh Dharma community and businesses.
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March 2, 2012
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Need to support the Due Process An inspirational evening of Kathak dance Guarantee Act ADEL SYED, CAIR-LA Government Relations Coordinator
LOS ANGELES: On December 31, 2011, President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. In signing the legislation, the president said: "I want to clarify that my administration will not authorize the indefi-
members of Congress recently introduced the Due Process Guarantee Act. The act reaffirms that American citizens suspected of terrorism and arrested inside the U.S. cannot be indefinitely detained by the military as currently authorized by NDAA. The act, sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA)
Congressman Garamendi commented, "Every American deserves their day in court, and this legislation changes existing law to protect our due process rights nite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a nation." It's important to note, however, that the president's statement has no legal standing and does not provide any assurance that future administrations will act in a similar manner. Therefore, some concerned
and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), represents a first step in repairing the damage done to our Constitution, by preserving due process and forcing the government to bring charges against or take to court any American citizens or lawful residents suspected of terror activity in the U.S. In a statement, Senator Feinstein stated, "We must clarify U.S. law to state unequivocally
that the government cannot indefinitely detain American citizens inside this country without trial or charge. I strongly believe that Constitutional due process requires U.S. citizens apprehended in the U.S. should never be held in indefinite detention. And that is what this new legislation would accomplish." In addition, Congressman Garamendi commented, "Every American deserves their day in court, and this legislation changes existing law to protect our due process rights. We cannot allow our basic rights to be lost, and there is no legitimate national security reason to deny any citizen in America a trial. We can both keep America safe and maintain our liberties." It is crucial that we, as concerned citizens, speak up in support of this important piece of legislation. A fundamental tenet of our modern democracy is due process, and the ability to have a fair trial in a court of law. Please take a moment to contact your local representative and ask him/her today to support the Due Process Guarantee Act.
California young Republicans endorse Ricky Gill India Post News Service
LODI, CA: The California Young Republican Federation has endorsed Congressional candidate Ricky Gill, a small business owner and family farmer who is challenging incumbent Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) in the newly drawn 9th Congressional District.
will work tirelessly to ensure younger generations can avail themselves of the opportunities that make this country great." "I'm honored to receive the endorsement of the Young Republicans, who promote the conservative ideals that will secure young
Ricky for California's 9th District," said Sanchis. "We look forward to joining forces with Ricky as he fights to give voters the fresh start they deserve." If elected, Gill would become the youngest member of the new Congress.
"Ricky is the ideal candidate to represent our generation in Congress," said California Young Republican Federation Chairman Joe Sanchis "Ricky is the ideal candidate to represent our generation in Congress," said California Young Republican Federation Chairman Joe Sanchis. "He's not only a formidable campaigner - he's a serious thinker who understands what's at stake for our future. From reducing health care costs to ending reckless federal spending, Ricky
India Post News Service
BELLFLOWER, CA: Shankara Dance Academy, a fresh Kathak learning institution established by Arti Manek, held "An Inspirational Evening of Kathak Dance" at the William and Jane Bristol Civic Auditorium, Bellflower on February 11. With a world renowned guest artist, Abhay Shankar Mishra from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan school of Kathak, London, Arti Manek and Amy Patel's duet and the school's students ranging in age from seven years and up, the stage literally glowed with bright costumes, colorful stage lighting and live maestro musicians. Abhay, a versatile Kathak artist and disciple of Pt. Birju Maharaj, Smt. Urmila Nagar and Pt. Pandey Maharaj demonstrated Kathak art in the three major Gharanas, namely, Lucknow, Jaipur and Banaras. The audience cheered and clapped with joy and amazement at the art of Kathak dancing seldom seen on a stage
AID-LA to celebrate Holi on the Beach India Post News Service
Ricky Gill
Americans' futures," said Gill. "With young Americans poised to inherit unprecedented levels of national debt, it is more important than ever that our generation assert itself in Congress." "We're proud to join other conservative leaders in endorsing
Gill, who has raised more than $1 million to date, also has received endorsements from national and local leaders including South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and longtime San Joaquin Valley Congressman Norman D. Shumway.
with such versatility by a single artist. Then, watching Arti and Amy performing a duet in such unison and synchronization evoked loud and cheerful applause. The group dance by the students simply took the audience's breath away with their coordination and hold of Kathak dancing at such tender ages! The live musicians included southern California's master table player, Ramesh Kumar, his very talented son Neal Kumar at the harmonium, a superb sitar player Paul Livingston and a well known local artist Rupesh Kotech at Santoor. Meera Manek mceed the show. Arti Manek had worked hard to organize and coordinate the whole event. Arti studied Kathak in London at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan under Abhay Shankar Mishra and said, "I am very happy that my Kathak guruji accepted my invitation to travel from London and inspire the Shankara Dance Academy students in the Indian classical art of Kathak dancing!"
LOS ANGELES: Holi, celebrated by millions of people across the world is one of the most colourful festivals of India. Although there are numerous mythological stories detailing the origin and significance of celebrating Holi, the common thread amongst all is the legacy of enjoying, sharing and having fun. The event organized by the Association for India's Development's Los Angeles (AID-LA) chapter on March 3 promises to bring this legacy to the community in SoCal. AID-LA will be organizing 'Holi at The Beach' for the fifth successive year. The venue is Will Rogers State Beach, Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road
(between towers 5&6), Pacific Palisades. The timing will be 11 am to 3 pm. DJ Sukh will be playing the desi rhythms during the event! This is the first in the string of many community events to follow during the year 2012. Each year AIDLA has increasing number of friends and families from the SoCal community join us for a fun-filled day at the beach. Through all the fun and frolicking, the event also hopes to raise funds to promote and sustain development work by various grassroot NGOs that AID supports. AID endeavours to bring communities together to create awareness, gather support and promote change in India and what better way to do this than to 'paint the city red' on the day of Festival of Colours- Holi!
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March 2, 2012
India Post 19
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Community should unite on Lyrita Gomes type incidents
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henever there occurs some traumatic incident or injustice meted out in someone's life, in order to prevent the recurrence of such episodes in future, the responsible citizens of the society get together to discus, analysis and organize themselves to into a team or a forum for finding out solutions for such problems. Usually I conduct the meetings or organize some forums for discussion on regular basis. As a result welfare activities are carried out in churches, temples, hospitals and senior homes, including programs like seminars or talks by distinguished scholars in the fields of their expertise for dissemination of knowledge to people, hold eye donation programs, blood donation programs,
donation of land & property for charity, to mention but a few. I have also been approached by the community at large, for providing productive proposals for the solution to their problems. For instance, a young boy from Chicago, Illinois, who is the son of an immigrant, helped his Muslim friend from Canada in migrating to US in year 2001 when World Trade Centre was targeted. Since that boy was from Muslim community the US government deported the innocent Hindu boy, separating him from his parents. Later, his father left for India to live with his son, leaving the wife alone in US. After eleven years, about two months ago in December 2011, when that young boy got married, his father was able to came back and
Why should NRIs move back to Punjab, India?
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just came back from my trip of two months to India. My village is surrounded by sectors of newly devel oped Mohali aka Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. We are walking distance from Mohali train station, yet we lack the necessary utilities of modern life. We are out of drinking water. The Government tubewell stopped working two months back. The authorities knew about the failing tubewell for the last six months, yet decided not to do anything. So we cannot bathe properly, use toilets or do laundry. They made temporary arrangement with the neighboring village to borrow water after we put news in the papers and made noises. I applied for gas cylinder connection to Bharat Gas Company. My request was denied saying we already have a cylinder. The one we were using is under my nephew's name who moved to city and took his cylinder with him. We had to cook using electric heater and kerosene oil stove like we used to use in 1970s. To apply I had to provide proof of residence and an affidavit which was supposed to have Rs30 stamps. The stamp seller didn't have Rs30 stamps so I ended up buying Rs50 stamp and paid Rs40 for retyping the whole affidavit and Rs40 for having it notarized. Why didn't they just take Rs30 and have me sign the affidavit. My name on the application was changed and misspelled. After I found an influential person, they told me they can issue me the cylinder but when
an inspector goes to check on it and you aren't there, it can be taken away. How can an NRI be at two places in India and in foreign land? What about our parents who cannot travel to agencies' office to sign papers. The rule in India is to make it as complicated and confusing as possible so that you can have middlemen charging and getting it done. I tried to get PAN card for banking needs. The usual cost is Rs90; agents charge Rs200 and get it done without much harassment to you. Do they really want to curb corruption? Electricity goes out at least twice a day. Most of the time we ate dinner in candlelight. There are mosquitoes even in winter; you can't use plug-in repellents as there is no electricity. It was tough winter and I couldn't use heaters due to lack of electricity. We were told in 2008 NRI sammelan in Chandigarh that by 2012 Punjab will be selling electricity to neighboring states. I am usually in Chandigarh in winter but never got an invitation to attend NRI sammelans. I don't know who and how they invite. I had given them my contact info. Same thing with Pravasi Divas. Never hear about it in local media until it is over. Definitely grass is greener on the other side in Punjab. Reality is totally different. A close friend of mine told me they call NRIs 'Bakre' (goats for sacrifice). Thakar S Basati Chicago, IL
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join his wife here in US. There are many people having such problems, but where should they go? To whom should they approach? Most of them are not able to hire competent lawyers because of hefty fees they can ill afford to pay. It can only happen if we as a community get together and organize to help them. We can do it because we do have necessary resources. Collectively we can become a strong pillar of support for many people entangled in such problems. In this case I am just referring to my friend, Austin Prabhu, who didn't sit as a mere spectator in the face of injustice after reading the news of "Lyrita Gomes", but he dared to show his courage in deciding that we must do something in an organized manner. He believes that there are possibilities for further occurrence of such problems in future; hence, he urges members of Indian community to focus towards composition of a concrete system to deal with such problems in an effective manner. I totally agree with his proposal. All concerned members of the Indian community can contribute for a successful operation of this mission. Your presence, proposals and suggestions are very impor-
tant for us in clearing the road for justice to many innocent members of our community so that they could live up to the ideals of the makers of this great country, who endeavoured to realize the ideals of one of the greatest men in history, Abraham Lincoln, who at one of the most critical moments of our history dared to declare that we the people of this country stand by the principles of equality, liberty and fraternity and are committed to the ideal of democracy based on proposition that we all are created equal. It is in consonance with this unwritten promise reflected in the statue of liberty standing ashore the Gateway of America in New York to welcome all those immigrants who come to this country to breath the air of freedom and opportunity to live up to their dreams. In the process they also contributed their intellect, faith and wisdom not only for self development but also to the greatness of the country as is evident from our last four centuries of most buoyant and dynamic growth giving her denizens a life of such comfort, peace and a standard of life never before enjoyed across the world. Dr. Kusum Patel Gayatri Pariwar, Chicago
Tech News Google TV adds a new YouTube app 'Discover'
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oogle is releasing an updated version of its YouTube app for Google TV, which the company says will make it easier for viewers to find videos and channels to watch on their big-screen TVs. The app can be looked at Google's Android Market store, and according to Google's blog post, the update was due to roll out at some point during the next few days. "First you'll notice the app works faster with smoother navigation for a better experience," explained product manager Jurek Foryciarz.
US cloud computing report slams India, China, Brazil WASHINGTON: A US software industry report chided Brazil, China and India for policies it said threatened the future of cloud computing, but also took aim at developed countries such as Germany that did well on its inaugural scorecard. The Business Software Alliance, which represents US industry heavyweights such as Microsoft Corp , said Brazil finished last in its survey of 24 countries, earning only 35.1 points out a possible 100 because of its policies in areas such free trade, security, data privacy and cybercrime.
Cartoon Network HD launches in Southeast Asia
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artoon Network HD has be come the first high-definition children's channel in Southeast Asia, after a deal with GlobeCast to deliver the channel via its capacity on the MEASAT-3 satellite. GlobeCast is providing signal delivery from Cartoon Network in Hong Kong. The channel's feed is fibered to GlobeCast's Hong Kong teleport for uplink onto GlobeCast's multiplex on MEASAT-3 DVB-S2 platform. Yew Weng Soo, Senior Vice President of Sales for GlobeCast Asia, said, "GlobeCast is proud to be the service provider for Cartoon Network HD, the first-of-itskind HD programming for kids in Southeast Asia."
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March 2, 2012
Vice President of Wipro Systems and Technology, Ashok Tripathi (R) and Debjani Ghosh (C), MD, Sales & Marketing, Intel South Asia with Russian dancers at the launch of Wipro e.go Aero Ultrabook conference in Bangalore on February 21
Pallone visits Ranbaxy to highlight need for generic drugs India Post News Service
NEW JERSEY: Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, visited the facility of generic drug manufacturer Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals recently to highlight the "Generic Drug and Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2012." The bipartisan bill introduced by Congressman Pallone establishes two critically important programs at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will help speed the delivery of low-cost drugs and other medicines to patients. Pallone joined Mayor Jim Cahill of New Brunswick and representatives from New Jersey Citizen Action, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey to promote the legislation and the benefits it provides in both patient care and health care savings. "Generic drugs save lives at lower cost, and bringing generic and biosimilar drugs to market faster must be a priority," said Pallone. "This bipartisan legislation will go a long way to giving the FDA the resources it needs to review these drug applications in a timely and effective manner." Generic drugs have provided more than $824 billion in savings
Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) at Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals on February 13. Credit Jennifer Bradshaw
to the nation's health care system in the last decade, but there is a significant backlog of generic drug applications at the FDA. This bill will authorize an agreement between generic drug manufacturers and the FDA that will expedite review of generic drug applications. Based in New Jersey, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals is an integrated research based, international pharmaceutical company producing a wide range of quality, affordable
generic medicines. With this new legislation, companies like Ranbaxy will be able to deliver more low-cost drugs to patients and create jobs in the district. The bill also authorizes the Biosimilars User Fee Agreement, another new FDA program that resulted from a provision in the Affordable Care Act. It will provide funding for the review and approval of new promising medicines, also known as follow-on
biologics or biosimilars, to patients. Biologics are medicines made by a biologic process rather than a chemical process. "This legislation would help lower health care costs for millions of Americans and support local generic drug manufacturers, and I look forward to moving it through Congress." Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, India's largest pharmaceutical company, is an integrated, research based, international pharmaceutical company producing a wide range of quality, affordable generic medicines, trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across geographies. The company focuses on generics research and is increasingly working on more complex and specialty areas. Ranbaxy serves its customers in over 125 countries and has an expanding international portfolio of affiliates, joint ventures and alliances, ground operations in 46 countries and manufacturing operations in 7 countries. Ranbaxy is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. Through strategic in-licensing opportunities and its hybrid business model with Daiichi Sankyo, a leading global pharma innovator headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Ranbaxy is introducing many innovator products in markets around the world, where it has a strong presence.
Improved Aakash at the same price NEW DELHI: 'Aakash', the world's cheapest tablet, will be fully indigenous soon and its improved version will be launched by the government at the same price. Telecom and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said Datawind - the manufacturer of the product will not be associated with it anymore and the Government has roped in C-DAC and ITI in further development of the tablet computer. "There have been some prob-
lem with Datawind I must confess. Therefore, I have got into the act. IT Ministry has got C-DAC and ITI into the act and I am going to ensure that this product is fully indigenous and truly an Indian product," he said. On whether the new tablet will be available within the same price range as that of the earlier product, he said, "Yes that's what we hope. It is to be upgraded." On the possible timeline for launching it, he said, "Well, 2012 should seen the sun... Aakash-II
should be launched. There have been some hiccups in the way. Remember when you do a project of this nature and when your dream is as big as this, things are never that smooth." Welcoming competition from market for development of the tablet, he said the ultimate objective is to give a quality product to the children. "I think it's a great thing if there is competition. Ultimately my objective is to get a quality product in the hands of the children. I have set the
benchmark, it has changed the mindset of the world, I can tell you that," the Minister said. Everybody now wants to produce a tablet which is of quality and which is reasonably affordable, he noted. "So if the whole world wants to produce, I don't care who produces, if ultimately it is produced by somebody for children," he underlined. The Aakash tablet is priced at approximately USD 49 (Rs 2414). -PTI
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BlackBerry finally sets up server in Mumbai NEW DELHI: After much controversy, BlackBerry has finally set up its server in Mumbai following intense pressure from the government to provide a mechanism for lawful interception of its messenger services and Nokia has been asked to follow suit. During a high-level meeting at the Union Home Ministry recently, officials of the security agencies were informed that Canada-based Research in Motion has installed the servers in Mumbai. The servers have been inspected by a team of officers and permission for direct linkage for lawful interception was expected to be issued shortly, a presentation made at the meeting held in the office of the Home Secretary said. About the Nokia Push Mail, the Department of Telecom also prescribed a similar policy as in the case adopted by the BlackBerry, the presentation said. The government and BlackBerry manufacturers were in a logjam over its services in India as security agencies had raised a red flag over its operations citing non availability of method to in-
tercept its messenger service and enterprise mail. However, there was a climbdown by the government on intercepting mail sent through BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES) which decrypts the messages and sends it to email server of the service provider where it remains stored in decrypted form. Then the message is pushed to the BlackBerry device in encrypted form. The DoT secretary informed that currently there are about 5000 Enterprise Servers for BES. Director Intelligence Bureau Nehchal Sandhu noted that these are communications between the employees of the enterprise only and, therefore, are not of "high concern" for security or Intelligence agencies. "However, it was decided to obtain list and location of the servers from telecom service providers," the presentation said. RIM representatives had explained that BlackBerry mobile device sends the encrypted email which is sent to BES located with the service provider. The government had said the onus of giving access to security
Yahoo, Gmail asked to route all mails through servers in India NEW DELHI: Internet content providers Yahoo, Gmail and others would be asked to route all emails accessed in India through the country even if the mail account is registered outside the country. The move comes in the wake of instances where security agencies could not have a real-time access to some emails as they were registered outside the country but were opened in India. During a recent high-level meeting held in the office of Union Home Secretary R K Singh, the Department of Information Technology (DIT) was asked to take up the matter at the earliest with the content providers. During the meeting, director general from CERT-in informed that content provider Yahoo automatically locates all email accounts registered in India to the server in India, minutes of the meeting said. However, Yahoo accounts registered outside India and subsequently accessed from India are
routed through servers outside India, it said. "It was decided to advice Yahoo, Gmail etc that all emails accessed from India should be routed through servers in India," it said, adding that the DIT would take up the matter with the content providers. The need for this was felt after
security agencies failed to access accounts of suspected terrorists of Indian Mujahideen during the surveillance period as the same had been opened in a European country. When the content provider was approached, the sleuths were told that in order to see the mails, which had been accessed from India, a request to a European nation where the server was based, was required, official sources said. PTI
agencies to monitor the information on these smart phones lies with the service providers. According to the licensing conditions, the service providers are liable to put in a mechanism to allow security agencies to inter-
cept any conversation or message of any subscriber whenever required. As telecom service providers like Airtel, Vodafone, RCom, the Tatas and the government-run BSNL and MTNL are offering
BlackBerry services, it is the responsibility of these operators to ensure that the security agencies get access to all services they offer. RIM has its operations in 175 countries. -PTI
Tata Nano to roll out in Bangladesh DHAKA: Tata Nano will soon roll out in Bangladesh with its sole distributor here saying that the first consignment of the vehicles could be on the streets by next month. "Fortunately Nano has been made for the middle income people who want to have a car at a reasonable price (and) I think Bangladesh is the most suitable country for the Nano vehicles," Chairman of Tata Niloy Group', appointed as the sole distributor
of the car, Matlub Ahmed told reporters here. Ahmed said Tata Niloy would import the Nano family cars which could accommodate four people. Meanwhile, Tata Motors India Managing Director Prakash M Telang, speaking to reporters in Mumbai, said: "We have not finalized anything concretely on the Bangladesh entry" Government officials had earlier said that a proposal was pending to allow import of the Nano cars.
Ahmed said the Niloy group planned to initially import up to 2,000 Nano cars. But, it would be raised with the higher demand that is expected to create ground for setting up a Nano assembling plant by next one and half years time, he said. Ahmed said the Nano car was likely to cost around Taka 5,00,000 in Bangladesh considering the existing custom duty and that his company could sell between 500 to 1000 cars per month due to their "low-price, smaller shape and reliability". Currently India's Ambassador and Maruti cars are widely seen on the streets here operating as taxis. PTI
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Foreign bank deposits, paintings, watches to attract wealth tax NEW DELHI: Deposits in foreign banks, paintings, sculptures and expensive watches may come under the wealth tax net as part of the government's drive to unearth black money. The proposal to expand the ambit of the Wealth Tax forms part of the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill which is being scrutinized by a Parliamentary Standing Committee. Some of the proposals are likely to be incorporated in the Budget for 2012-13, pending approval of the DTC. The Wealth Tax, as per the proposal, will be levied at one per cent on taxable assets (specified under Wealth Tax Act) exceeding Rs 1 crore. The current limit is Rs 30 lakh. "For the purpose of levy of wealth tax, taxable assets have been defined to include deposits in banks located outside India in
case of individual, unreported bank deposits in case of others...," the Finance Ministry said in a note, adding this is one of "spe-
"For the purpose of levy of wealth tax, taxable assets have been defined to include deposits in banks located outside India in case of individual, unreported bank deposits in case of others..." cific new measures for unearthing black money". The other assets which would be included for computing the
wealth tax liability are - cars, yacht, helicopters, aircraft, jewellery, bullion, archaeological collections, paintings and sculptures. Watches exceeding Rs 50,000 apiece and cash in excess of Rs 2 lakh would also attract the Wealth Tax. As regards the real estate, the DTC makes it clear that wealth tax will not be levied on residential houses, commercial premises and those immovable property which is rented out for a minimum of 300 days in a financial year. The value of other properties, including urban land and farm houses located within 25 kilometers of any municipal or Cantonment Board will be included while computing the tax liability on this count. . The wealth tax, the DTC said, will not be levied on land property and bullion of former
Govt working on a policy package to help ailing airlines NEW DELHI: With Air India and Kingfisher going through their worst crises, the government is working on a policy package to help the entire cash-strapped industry come out of the financial rut, official sources said. In order to formulate such a package, the Civil Aviation Ministry has asked all scheduled airlines, including profit-making IndiGo, to submit data on their prevailing financial position. Seven scheduled carriers, including Air India, have submitted the required information this weekend, the sources said. The information sought by the Ministry relates to their overall financial situation, the extent of debt with financial institutions and their working capital requirements. A Working Group has been constituted under the chairmanship of Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi, which would examine the data and the problems of the airlines. Consultations would be carried out shortly by Civil Aviation Ministry, the Department of Financial Services and Banks of the Finance Ministry on the issue, the sources said. The discussions would aim at preparing an overall policy prescription for the industry, as the government cannot provide any direct financial dole to bail out the private airlines, they said. Besides IndiGo, the other carriers which submitted the required
information are Air India, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher, SpiceJet and GoAir. Premier aviation consultancy firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation has forecast a record USD 2.53 billion loss for all Indian airlines for the year ending March 2012, with Air India alone likely to account for more than half of it. The government's move came
The decision also came in the wake of a consortium of banks approving a Rs 18,000-crore debt rejig plan for Air India and also agreed to provide fresh cash credit of Rs 2,200 crore. The banks were also in talks with Kingfisher on the issue in the backdrop of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying last November that the government would explore "ways and means" to help the airline industry. He had however pointed out that private sector airlines should be managed efficiently. "But if they (airlines) do get into
difficulties, we have to find ways and means to help them get out of the process," the Prime Minister had said then. Soon thereafter, top honchos of all Indian carriers had called on him and discussed the problems in the industry. The decision also came in the wake of a consortium of banks approving a Rs 18,000-crore debt rejig plan for Air India and also agreed to provide fresh cash credit of Rs 2,200 crore. The banks were also in talks with Kingfisher on the issue. The domestic carriers have been urging the government to work out ways to reduce the huge debt burden they are suffering from and work out a sustainable business model. They are also seeking steps to ensure that the volatility in the rupee and rising price of aviation turbine fuel, a key cost component, do not make their operations unviable. Besides, the airlines are demanding measures to ensure that fuel credit be made available without seeking additional bank guarantees or that the oil companies extend the present credit limits given to some airlines to all of them. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), a representative body, has warned that a "bad operating climate" might compel some domestic carriers to default on servicing their debt, bringing them to the brink of closure.-PTI
rulers of the princely states. The DTC also proposes a "reporting requirement ... making it obligatory on the part of resident
The government is hoping for approval of measures by Parliament in the next fiscal. Pending Parliamentary nod, some of the provisions may be included in the Budget on March 16 assessees to furnish details of their investment and interest in any entity outside India," the
document said. Besides, an assessee's interest in a foreign trust or a company is also proposed to be made taxable assets under the new tax regime, it said. The government is hoping for approval of measures by Parliament in the next fiscal. Pending Parliamentary nod, some of the provisions may be included in the Budget to be presented on March 16. The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2010, proposes to overhaul the over 50year-old Income Tax Act. At present, wealth tax contributes a meager amount to the government kitty. For the current fiscal, the only Rs 635 crore is targeted from this source out of the total tax revenue of Rs 9.32 lakh crore. -PTI
Closing down is not an option: Mallya NEW DELHI: Beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines' promoter Vijay Mallya says he will not shut down the private carrier which struggled to stay afloat after further largescale flight disruptions and resignation of pilots. "Closing down is not an option. It will not happen. Government does not want it to happen. It is not in national interest," Mallya said in his first public reaction to the latest crisis that has gripped his cashstrapped airline. "Why should we give up as long as we get help. Help is not bailout. We have asked banks to consider our proposal to provide more working capital," he said, making it clear that the airline has never asked for a bailout from the government. In the context of getting help, the liquor baron referred to the government's decision to allow direct jet fuel imports by the airlines and permit foreign carriers to pick up stake in them. He had lobbied hard with the government on both these issues. Mallya claimed that the entire issue of bailout was of "media making".
Asked about sudden disruption in Kingfisher flights, the UB Group chief said the bank accounts of the airline were frozen "very suddenly" by the Income Tax authorities over non-payment of tax dues. "The abrupt disruption was unfortunate because our bank ac-
Vijay Mallya
counts were suddenly frozen by tax authorities. I don't deny we have taxes due. .... The bottomline is we requested for time to pay these dues," Mallya said. "It was the very sudden attachment of our accounts that obviously crippled us," he said. Kingfisher, which suffered a loss of Rs 1,027 crore in 2010-11 and has a debt of Rs 7,057.08 crore, posted a Rs 444 crore loss in third quarter this fiscal. -PTI
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Chinese electric auto eying Indian market THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After low-priced mobile phones, toys and plastic plates, it now appears to be the turn of electric auto rickshaws from China to become a hit in markets in south Indian state Kerala. It may be for the first time that autos running on electric battery coming to the auto market in place of auto cabs run on carbon fuels or CNG. Seeking to tap the big market for auto rickshaws, the Shanghaibased company “Romai Electric Vehicles’ is coming up with elec-
CBI on the lookout for financial experts to speed up probe NEW DELHI: The CBI is plan- ahead to engage IRS officers on ning to rope in officers with rel- temporary basis. evant finance background to Some of the crucial cases bespeed up its probe into various fi- ing probed by the CBI include irnancial scams. regularities in the allocation of secSources in the agency said the ond generation (2G) spectrum to need for financial experts was felt telecom companies and other bank after officers, investigating vari- fraud cases. ous scams including 2G, faced cerAccording to sources, the tain hurdles in ascertaining the agency may engage at least three quantum of fraud and exposing IRS officials within a month's time. other financial irregularities. "The CBI conducts regular proThey said the matter was fur- grams for its officers, who often ther discussed with the Depart- come on deputation to the agency, ment of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to explore possibilities of "The officers were facing engaging officers of Indian Revenue Service problems in tackling certain (both of Customs and financial matters. There was Income Tax cadre) on a lack of domain knowldeputation or on probe edge in detecting anomabasis. The DoPT is under- lies in share holding pattern stood to have granted and in audit books. That is its "in-principle" approval to the CBI and why we decided to induct search is on to induct some of the IRS officers on some of the officers on deputation" temporary basis. "The officers were facing problems in tackling certain to upgrade skills and make them financial matters. There was a lack aware of the latest technologies of domain knowledge in detecting at its academy in Ghaziabad. It also anomalies in share holding pattern calls experts of various fields to and in audit books. That is why conduct workshops for its officwe decided to induct some of the ers. IRS officers on deputation," a "But, since the probe in some source, privy to the matter, said. of the regular cases have to be The source said that officers completed in a stipulated time from Indian Audits and Accounts frame, the agency decided to have Service (IAAS) could also be IRS officers," the source said. given place in the agency on depuRecently, the Supreme Court tation basis. had asked the CVC to give the staThe agency usually takes help tus report on the 2G case on the from officers working in Banking basis of investigations being carSecurities and Fraud Cell (BS&FC) ried out by the CBI, Enforcement and Economic Offence Wing Directorate and Income Tax de(EOW) in dealing with cases of fi- partment. nancial fraud. "The department will look into According to sources, since such (induction of IRS officer) rethe sleuths working in EOW and quest by the CBI once it is forBS&FC are occupied with others mally received," a senior DoPT cases, the CBI brass gave the go- officer said.-PTI
I-T may re-open returns beyond six years NEW DELHI: Government may grant the Income Tax department powers to re-open tax returns of beyond six years in specific cases of black money where "foreign assets" are involved. The I-T department needs these powers to pursue the ongoing cases where funds were found to be stashed abroad and these came to light after India received a classified list of bank account holders which include those in HSBC bank Geneva and LGT Bank of Liechtenstein. The department, according to current rules, can only open I-T returns for the past six years if they need to probe hidden income and assets. The recommendation on extending the period was also made by the committee on black money headed by the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is expected to take into account this issue before he presents his Budget next month. "This specific clause is being seriously thought. Numerous instances in the department's ongoing probe in black money cases warrant such a clause as unreported investments date back to many years. The I-T investigations have also asked for such a clause in the I-T Act," a senior Finance Ministry official said. The clause, however, is needed in cases where foreign assets are traced as in these cases we need to prepare a tight case before we approach a foreign country for help under the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) or other relevant treaty, the official said. -PTI
tric tricycles which can be altered to autos by adding roof covers on them. Priced between Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, electric-powered auto is said to be financially more viable than its petrol and diesel counterparts, a top company official said. Mary, International Trade Department official of the Romai Electric Vehicle, was in Kochi, the commercial capital of the state, recently to test the product in Kerala roads. She said her company had large number of products including electric bicycles and tricycles. The company wanted to promote tricycles in the Kerala market as there
are a large number of commoners here who bank on autos for their daily commutation. “The company has 60 volt to 1000 watts tricycles for carrying passengers. We are planning to launch vehicles of 200 watts and more in the state,” another company official said. Around three containers of vehicles and spare parts would be transported from China before the launch, he added. Meanwhile, transport department sources said the launch of the Chinese vehicle could roll on the state roads only after getting an approval from the Transport Officer. -PTI
MUMBAI: Saif Ali Khan was arrested on February 22 night and released by the police on bail after being charged with assaulting an NRI businessman who protested the raucous chatter of the Bollywood actor and his friends in a restaurant at a luxury hotel. The 41-year-old actor and his two friends were booked under sections 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intent) of IPC for assaulting a South African businessman of Indian origin Iqbal Sharma at 'Wasabi', a Japanese restaurant at the Taj Hotel. Khan, however, claimed innocence saying the charge against him was "false" and that it was he who was assaulted and the ladies with him abused. The actor and his two accused friends in their statement recorded by the police blamed Sharma for starting the fracas, according to the Mahesh Vaswani, the lawyer for Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi, who were charged along with Khan. "There was an ugly incident last night where my friend and the ladies with us were abused and I was assaulted. I was hit and I was only defending myself," Khan said in a statement, adding "I don't think any gentleman would have behaved any differently than what I did."
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Saif in brawl; ARRESTED, BAILED OUT “I am confident that justice will be done. I think they (police) have the CCTV footage from the restaurant and that will prove everything�
Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan speaks to journalists outside his house in Mumbai on February 22
"I am confident that justice will be done. I think they (police) have the CCTV footage from the restaurant and that will prove everything. I have seen the interviews given by them (victim) and they look like decent people. I cannot believe that the same people were so aggressive the night before and the lies that they are saying about me with such straight faces," the actor said. Cont’d on page 25
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Saif in brawl; ARRESTED, BAILED OUT Cont'd from page 24
Khan, Shakeel Ladak and Bilal Amrohi were brought to the Colaba police station around 8 pm in a police vehicle and whisked inside through the rear entrance amid a large media and public presence. All three were let off on bail on a surety of Rs 15,000 each after completion of formalities that took nearly two hours, according to police. According to sources, Khan had left his lawyer's office at Gamdevi in his own car but boarded the police vehicle near Nariman Point where he and others were arrested before being brought to the police station. Since the actor was booked under lighter, bailable sections of the penal law, he was granted bail by the police instead of having to approach a court. There was huge security bandobust at the police station which was out of bounds for the media. The brawl broke out a little past midnight when Sharma, seated along with his family at a table adjacent to that occupied by Khan, his companion actress Kareena Kapoor and others, complained to the hotel management about their noisy chatter. According to the complaint, the actor accosted Sharma near the staircase at the entrance of the restaurant and after some heated arguments, punched him on the nose, causing a fracture. If convicted, Saif and others could be punished with imprisonment up to seven years besides fine. Sharma, who is the former Director General and CEO of trade, industry and investment of South Africa, alleged that even his 68year-old father-in-law who tried to intervene was not spared by Khan and his three friends who rained
Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, surrounded by police officials, leaves a police station in Mumbai on February 22
blows on them. Sharma, currently Chairman and CEO of ISSAR Company, later went to GT Hospital for a medical examination and reported the matter to the police following which the complaint was registered against the actor. Khan was present at the restaurant with girlfriend actress Kareena Kapoor, her sister Karishma, actor Arbaaz Khan's wife and item girl Malaika Arora Khan, her sister Amrita Arora and some other male friends, while Sharma's wife and father-in-law accompanied him. Shakeel Ladak is the husband of Amrita. Sharma said security personnel at the iconic hotel were nowhere to be seen when the incident took place. "Our audacity to complain to the management asking them to keep their voice down perturbed him," Sharma said, adding he would pursue the case to the "full extent of law" and that it was "too late for a compromise to be
All three were let off on bail on a surety of Rs 15,000 each after completion of formalities that took nearly two hours, according to police
reached". "We intend to pursue it to the full extent of the law. The criminal process will take its course and then we will consult our attorney and look at the civil aspect, but we will pursue it to the full extent of law," he said speaking at his Chrysalis Building residence at upscale Juhu. Giving his version of the incident, Saif said, "I was hit first. And as shocking as it may seem, the elderly gentlemen hit me. I'm not sure what provoked him. I am look-
ing forward to CCTV footage (inside the restaurant)," he said, adding that the footage would prove that he was innocent. "I certainly got it in the eye...his (complainant Sharma's) nose does not look like broken to me," Saif said. To a query, Saif also said that he was not drunk at the time. The actor also complained that the media coverage of the incident was one-sided. "There is a certain slant in the press," he said. Cont’d on page 27
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March 2, 2012
India Post www.indiapost.com
Keeping the genius of Khusrau alive
NEW DELHI: If one sets about the task of reviving 14th century Sufi legend Amir Khusrau's legacy, his pioneering contribution to the devotional musical art form of 'qawwali' is where much of the work begins. One of the most revered Sufi legends of Delhi - Khusrau is one of the major subjects of the revival and preservation efforts in Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti area, where the qawwali tradition is being discussed, debated and compiled in its purest form. 'Jashn-e-Khusrau' - a collection in book form of the events of a 2010 festival that celebrated the mystical poetry of Khusrau as performed in the genre of qawwali, was released by Minister of Culture Kumari Shelja. The book not only compiles the discussions, debates and lectures that were conducted during the 2010 festival, but also elaborates in detail on the vast repertoire of 'khanaqahi qawwali', with essays on the his-
tory, tradition, and literature of the genre. "We not only should celebrate Khusrau but we also have to take him out to this world. We owe it to the rest of the world to keep him alive.... We should familiarize the world with Khusrau," said Shelja, before the historic monument of Chausanth Khamba came alive with Wajahat Hussain Badayuni Qawwal and his group's rendering of Khusrau's kalam. Shelja said while the commercial aspect of tourism was important, efforts should also be made to link tourism to the desire to share the rich history and legacy of the capital with active participation from the local population. "I feel very strongly that being proud of our heritage, we should be happy sharing it with the outside world," she said while commending the efforts of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to revive the heritage of the area with active participation of the local people. The book comprises of essays that introduce the history, and literature of 'khanaqahi qawwali' as attributed to Khusrau, a beloved disciple of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. It also compiles his Sufi poetry that has been kept alive for over 750 years by the qawwali singers of the Chishtiya tradition, in calligraphy along with transliterations and translations. What also comes with the book are three music discs, that would be a delight to ears of lovers of Sufi tradition. The compilation is part of a larger effort by the Archaeological Survey of India and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to document, revive, disseminate the 700 years of intangible living cultural heritage of Nizamuddin Basti. -PTI
'Jashn-e-Khusro' event was organized in March 2010 by Agha Khan Trust with support from Ford Foundation
March 2, 2012
India Post www.indiapost.com
Star contest offers viewers a trip to Mumbai
India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Star India Plus will be holding a contest for the Star Parivaar Awards March 9, where a lucky winner will be flown to India to attend the awards show, live. Viewers from the US can vote for their favorite international Jodi (on-screen couple), and the selected winner and a companion will win an all expenses paid trip to India to attend the Star Parivaar Awards 2012.
Nominees for favorite couple are Arnav & Khushi (Is Pyar ko kya Naam Doon), Suraj & Sandhya (Diya Aur Baati), Ahem & Gopi (Saathiya), Virat & Maanvi (Ek Hazaaroon Mein Meri Behna Hai), and Akshara & Naitik (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai). The contest will run from February 17 through 26. The Star Parivaar awards will bring together all actors from Star Networks' soaps and serials. It will be a unique experience with spectacular acts, celebrity hosts, and exciting awards presentations.
Saif in brawl; ARRESTED, BAILED OUT Cont'd from page 25
He would have never raised hand at an elderly gentleman, the actor said, but also conceded that the situation "could have been handled differently." "I could have reacted differently. I could have been a little more Gandhian in my approach. But I'm afraid I reacted in a way any gentleman would have reacted. But I'm not proud of what happened. It could have been handled differently. I should have set a better example. I'm sorry that I reacted this way. "People assume that just because you are a film star, you are a spoilt brat...I feel
like I have been aggressed upon (sic)," he said. Saif also said, answering a query, that he had not run, but gone to police station in the morning "after finishing my work. I have full faith in the police, judiciary," the actor, visibly agitated, said. This incident came even as Saif along with Kareena Kapoor began promotions for his forthcoming home production 'Agent Vinod' which will release on March 23, which also brings certain conspiracy theories into play. Iqbal Meer Sharma's neighbor alleged that he and Saif were old buddies and all this was just a publicity stunt for the film 'Agent Vinod'.
27
Datebook
28 India Post
March 2, 2012
www.indiapost.com
NEW YORK
ILLINOIS
Upcoming
Upcoming
Sun March 25
Sat March 3
• Holi Hai 2012
• A Classical bharatnatyam Recital by A Lakshman
Venue: 1 Dag hammarskjold Plaza 47th Street between 1st & 2nd Av, New York Time: 12pm Contact: 212-372-8001
Sun April 22 • Pandit Jasraj: Masters of Indian Music Venue: Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway@95th street, New York Time: 7pm Contact: 212-545-7536
Sat April 7 • Best of the Best 2012 Venue: Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street, New York Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Temple Auditorium, Sri Venkateswara Swami (balaji) Temple, Aurora, Illinois Time: 6pm Contact: 630-844-2252 Highlights: Ms L Subhasri (Violin), Sri N. Gigamani (Mridangam), Sri Sakthivel Muruganandhan (Vocal) & Sri G G Praveen
NEW JERSEY
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Upcoming
Upcoming
Fri March 9
Sat March 3
• Bura na Mano Holi Hai
ï 7th Annual Mumbai Salsa
Venue: Dorrian’s Red Hand, 55 Washington Blvd, Jersey City, NJ Time: 9pm Highlights: Dance Hip-Hop Desi Party, Colors and Friends.
Venue: Avalon Night Club, 777 Lawrence Expressway, Santa Clara, CA Time: 9pm Contact: 408-368-6865
Sat March 31 • Arif Lohar/Sanam Marvi Ensemble
Sat March 24 • Carnatic Ftute Concert Venue: Veluchamy Auditorium, Sri Venkateswara Swami (balaji) Temple, Aurora, Ill Time: 5:30pm Contact: 630-844-2252 Highlights: Avaneeswaran Vinu (Violin), Shantala Subramanyam (Flute) & Melakkaveri Balaji (Mridangam)
Venue: Pollak Theater, 400 Cedar Ave, West Long Branch, New Jersey Time: 8pm Contact: 732-263-6889
Sun April 21 • India Fair 2012
Venue: SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, 465 South La Ciengega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA Time: 4pm Contact: 212-631-7777
Venue: Will Rogers State Beach, Pacific Coast Highway and Temescal Canyon Road (between towers 5&6), Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Contact: 714-269-3081
Sun March 4 ï Kids Art Contest 2012
• Rang De Mujhe Rang De (Holi)
Venue: 525, Los Coches St. Milpitas, CA Time: 3pm Contact: 408-934-1130
Sat April 21 • Yamandu Costa, Classical Guitarist Venue: 8000 York Road, Towson MD, Baltimore, WDC Time: 8pm Contact: 443-296-2247
Sat March 31 • Jashan A celebration
Sat March 3
Sun March 11
Venue: Littleton High School Auditorium, 56 King Street, Littleton, MA Time: 4pm Contact: 617-905-4305
Venue: Art of Living Center Los Angeles, 948 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA Time: 7pm Contact: 310-820-9429
• The Wedding Salon
WASHINGTON DC
• Swar Bahaar
• Art of Living Course
• Holi on the Beach 2012
Veune: Smith Center at Ohlone College, 43600, Mission Boulevard, Fremont, CA Time: 8pm Contact: 510-656-6031
Sat April 7
Fri March 2
Mon, March 19
Venue: NJ Convention & Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Ave, Raritan Center, Edison, NJ Time: 11am Contact: 609-240-2350
Venue: MANTRA Restaurant, 52 Temple Place, Boston, MA Time: 11am Contact: 617-935-9193
Upcoming
Sat March 3
• Ohlone College Smith Center Presents! Sweet Can Circus, dance, theater, live music & acrobatics
Upcoming
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Venue: Pearson Park Amphitheater, 401 North Lemon Street, Anaheim, CA Time: 5pm Contact: 714-368-3424
Fri April 20 • Tadasana Festival Venue: The Tadasana Village 2600 Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA Time: 8am Contact: 415-533-4052
Sun March 11 • Gayatri Mandir Hawaiin Garden Duhleti and Holi
ï Reiki Master Teachers: Practicing Attunements
Venue: Gayatri Mandir, 323 Newland Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 Time: 10am Contact: 562-425-3970
Venue: Manisha’s Home 260 N Mathilda Av, Sunnyvale, CA Time: 10am
Sun March 25
Sat March 10
• Ravi Shankar Celebrating His Tenth Decade
Thurs March 8
• Chinese Medicine Day Veune: The Fremont Main Library-Furkaya Room, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont, CA Time: 1pm to 4pm Contact: 510-745-1401
Venue: Long Beach Covention and Entertainment Center 300 E. Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 Time: 7:30pm Contact: 858-442-1586
www.indiapost.com
T
he golden city of Jaisalmer, which lies courageously as the western sentinel of India, is a place worth visiting. The golden ray of the setting sun draws a heavenly picture on the sands of Jaisalmer. The magnificent wood-and stone-carved mansions and buildings display the love of the Rajputs for the fine arts. Jaisalmer is situated in the westernmost part of the state of Rajasthan, the heart of the great Thar Desert. It has neighboring Pakistan on its western side. On its south, there is the beautiful city of Bikaner. The eastern part of the place is bordered by Jodhpur, another city of color and tradition. The climate of this city is of typical desert character. Population of this city is quite low compared to the other parts of the state. The best time to visit is the winter season (November to February) when the heat becomes comparatively low. The desert festival held during the last winter months of January and February is the most opportune time to visit Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer was founded by Bhatti Rajput Rawal Jaisal in 1156. The history of Jaisalmer also reveals the courage and determination of the Rajputs. The city used to be a major trade center as it was on the trade route of western countries to India. Tourist Attractions: Visiting Jaisalmer itself means a visit to the Jaisalmer Fort. Built over the Trikuta hill, this fort is the biggest and the most beautiful landmark of the city. The fort is occupied by shops, stalls, and a number of other business concerns. This fort accommodates a quarter of the city's population. Just outside the fort is the Manakchowk, the famous marketplace of Jaisalmer. It is a good place for bargaining for local products. Cont’d on page 31
March 2, 2012
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Travel & Hospitality Post
India Post
March 2, 2012
www.indiapost.com
Pilgrimage to Punjab and the 5 Takhts India Post News Service
munity service), washing the Parikrama (periphery), langar (Kitchen) sewa and a host of other forms of sewa. The journey is made complete at the Golden Temple where a dip in the surrounding waters heals the body, cleanses the con-
L
os Angeles based Laxpress Travel has announced its first 2012 Pilgrimage to Punjab and the Five Holy Takhts beginning October 2012. The pilgrimage will be led by Bhai Satpal Singh Khalsa, Ambassador of the Sikh Dharma, Chief Religious and Spiritual Authority of Sikh Religion in the Western Hemisphere, and son-in-law of Yogi Bhajan. Bhai Sahib Satpal has over twenty six years experience in planning Yogi Ji's group tours and yatras to India, and over three decades of intimate association with the Sikh Dharma and various organizations started by Yogi Bhajan. He is a certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher and is involved in spreading the technology of Kundalini yoga, as taught by Yogi Bhajan. This is a unique opportunity to visit Punjab, the land of the Great Gurus, an opportunity to visit the Golden Temple Sanctum Sanctorum Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar and the other holy Takhts in Punjab and Patna Sahib and Nanded. There will be several events, such as
At the Golden Temple in Amritsar, pilgrims will wake up to the melodious chants of the scriptures and Kirtan and begin the day with the Prabhat Pheri. There will be plenty of time for Kar Sewa (voluntary community service)
unveiling photos of Yogi Bhajan at Sikh Museums and honoring the legacy of Yogi Bhajan at each Takht. At the Golden Temple in Amritsar, pil-
grims will wake up to the melodious chants of the scriptures and Kirtan and begin the day with the Prabhat Pheri. There will be plenty of time for Kar Sewa (voluntary com-
sciousness and revitalizes the connection of our spirit with breath, mind and body. Travel between Delhi and Punjab will by luxury bus whilst visits to Patna and Nanded will be by air. Duration: 16 days (complete itinerary at www.theexpresstours.com)
Kedarnath temple to reopen on April 28 Dedicated metro stations for DEHRA DUN: Portals of famous Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath would be reopened for pilgrims after a gap of six months on April 28 this year. The Kedarnath temple would be reopened on April 28 at 0715 hours in the morning, said Anusuiya Prasad Bhatt, Chairman of Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee. The "mahurat" for reopening of Kedarnath temple was decided by the religious officials of the temple on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivrati at Ukhimath area, the wintry sojourn of Lord Shiva, he said. The portals of another famous Himalayan shrine of Badrinath
would be reopened for pilgrims on April 29. The Chardhams comprising the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath,
The "mahurat" for reopening of Kedarnath temple was decided by the religious officials of the temple on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivrati Gangotri and Yamunotri nestling in dizzying heights of Garhwal Himalayas reopen for pilgrims in April-May every year after remain-
ing closed for nearly six months during winters as the area remains snow-bound during the period. Two other shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri would be reopened on Akshya Tritiya. While Badrinath is situated at a height of 3133 meters in Chamoli district, Kedarnath is situated in Rudraprayag district at a height of 3584 meter. Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines are situated at a height of 3200 meter and 3615 meter respectively in Uttarkashi district. The annual Chardham yatra is considered as a backbone of the thriving religious tourism in the state that attracts nearly 15-16 lakh pilgrims every year from home and abroad. -PTI
Centre okays road project to Kovalam THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kovalam beach resort near the Kerala capital has been selected by the Centre for a Rs 22 crore road project as part of the scheme aimed at improving connectivity around important tourist destinations in the country. According to Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram, the decision in this regard was taken at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi. He said the decision would result in bringing about a major transformation in road quality in the Kovalam-Neyyatinkara and Kovalam-Poovar corridors. Apart from boosting tourism in
the area, it would also result in valuable spin-offs for the agriculture, industrial and other commercial sectors, Tharoor said.
The project would cover improving and strengthening 24 km of major district roads in an average formation width of 12 meters "This is an important bonus for Thiruvananthapuram and a reward for my persistent efforts in the past two-and-a half years for the over-
all development of physical infrastructure in the constituency," Tharoor said. The past two years have witnessed substantial allocations. The project would cover improving and strengthening 24 km of major district roads in an average formation width of 12 meters. The proposed road starts from Kovalam thorugh the newly developed KSTP road and passes through Kanjiramkulam to Poovar. The NeyyattinkkaraKovalam road via Olathani, Pazhayakada, Kanjiramkulam and Olathani is the shortest route connecting NH 66 at Neyyattinkkara on NH 47. -PTI
Red Fort, Jama Masjid NEW DELHI: Dodging puddles in the narrow lanes of the Walled City just to catch a glimpse of the imperial Red Fort and the famous Jama Masjid will no longer be a hurdle with both monuments getting dedicated Metro stations under the Delhi Metro's Phase-III project. As part of the project, the 16th century Mughal monument Humayun's tomb in South Delhi would also be connected by Metro and the line is expected to be completed in the first half of 2016. According to Metro officials, setting up of stations near monuments is aimed at ensuring hasslefree travel for visitors and tourists to historically significant places. "The completion of the third phase of Delhi Metro's construction is expected to boost tourism in Old Delhi as the heritage monuments in the area will become connected by the Metro," a Delhi Metro spokesman said. Though Old Delhi already has Metro connectivity, one has to alight at the Chandni Chowk station and walk through the by-lanes of the Walled City to catch a glimpse of Red Fort or Jama Masjid. Both the proposed Red Fort and Jama Masjid stations will be located on the Central SecretariatKashmere Gate corridor that will pass through a number of heritage structures. Phase-III, which will connect another 103 km of the capital
Red Fort
Jama Masjid
through Metro, will also provide easy access to Lotus Temple as it will have direct Metro connectivity from Noida and many other areas of Outer Ring Road. -PTI
March 2, 2012
Travel & Hospitality Post
India Post
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Stars, movies promote states, countries NEW DELHI: Countries and states have turned into brands joining the advertising bandwagon like any other consumer product as stars like Amitabh Bachchan and movies such as 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' become promotional tools. Be it Indian states like Gujarat and West Bengal or foreign countries like Spain and Canada, each of these is a 'brand' now with ad campaigns and ambassadors promoting them. While Bachchan is urging people to spend some days in Gujarat, Shah Rukh Khan will be luring industrialists to West Bengal. The superstar, who owns IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, has been roped in as the brand ambassador of the state and will be fronting a number of ad campaigns to promote it. Bachchan has just wrapped shooting the second series of ads to promote Gujarat Tourism, visit-
ing every nook and corner of the state. He also blogged about the places he visited while filming the ads, some of which are on air already. The megastar was at the centre of a series of ads last year as well to promote tourism in the state.
'Don 2' was extensively shot in Berlin and a special tour called 'On the Trail of Don 2' has been organized for tourists Not any particular state, but Aamir Khan is promoting tourism all over India. He is seen reminding Indian citizens the values of 'Atithi Devo Bhava' as part of an Incredible India campaign, asking
them to be more hospitable to foreign tourists. Aamir has recently been traveling all over the country, including Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir, to shoot for a new ad film. Bollywood films have become great promotional tools for foreign countries as well who are opening their doors to producers hoping for a boost in tourist inflow. Earlier the shooting locales used to become popular after the film became a hit, but nowadays these countries tie up with films in the very beginning. Latest example being 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' and 'Don 2' while the former captured the beauty of Spain on film, the latter gave impetus to German Tourism. 'Don 2' was extensively shot in Berlin and a special tour called 'On the Trail of Don 2' has been organized for tourists to relive the thrills of the film by retracing the trail left by Shah Rukh, who is very popular in the country.
Berlin is said to have become increasingly popular with Indian tourists after the superstar spent 50 days in the German capital to shoot for 'Don 2 - The King Is Back', which was partially funded by Germany. Shah Rukh even attended the premiere of the film in Berlinale despite being ill. Similarly, Spain Tourism collaborated with 'Zindagi Na Milegi...' while it was being shot in the country. The film showed Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan and
Farhan Akhtar taking off on a picturesque road journey through the cities of Costa Brava, Seville and Pamplona. It also made Indian audiences familiar with sports like running with the bulls and festivals like Tomatina, while Spanish dance form flamenco was used in the hit song 'Senorita'. Besides narrating the story involving the lead stars, the film also said how lovely a trip to Spain could be. -PTI
Jaisalmer: The western sentinel of India
If You are looking For the BEST & the MOST AUTHENTIC VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT IN TOWNCome to One and Only One Place Cont’d from page 29
The Jain temple, a place worth visiting, is also situated inside the fort. The temple, made between 12th and 15th century, bears testimony to Rajasthan's unique artistry. Havelis are the mansions built by the wealthy merchants which are still in very good condition. The intricate craftsmanship is beyond parallel. The havelis like the Patwon-ki-Haveli and SalimSingh-kiHaveli are remarkable for their exclusive cutwork, yellow and red stone treatment and the bracket-
shaped decoration of peacocks. Gadsisar Sagar Tank is a famous place for an outing. Earlier it used to be the source of water for the entire city. A number of migratory birds flock to this place during the winter season. Desert Culture Center and Museum is another place that would give the visitor a clear insight of the place. The museum has a number of old coins, different kinds of textile, traditional Rajasthani instruments, and some fossils that were found in the desert. Baba Bagh is an oasis at the bank of a man-made dam. It has greenery all around to give muchneeded relief to the local people. The Jain temple of Lodhruva, which reminds of the glory of the former capital city Lodhruva, is a place worth visiting. Sam Sand Dunes, situated at the
edge of the Thar Desert, is a place gaining tremendous tourist attraction these days. This sandy place is famous for watching sunset and taking a camel ride. Khuri, another place in this glittering golden sand, impresses the tourists with its mud houses and straw roofs. Desert National Park preserves the natural ecosystem of the desert land. Cactus, thorny trees and shrubs can be seen growing easily without being taken care of. It has some vegetation that survives in the dry and arid soil. It also has some animal species like the monitor lizard, desert foxes, porcupines and black bucks, etc. Fairs & Festivals: The most famous of the local festivals is the camel fair that is held during the winter season. Camel dances, camel races, folk dance and music are some of its major attractions. It is also known as the desert festival. How to Reach: Jaisalmer is well connected to nearby towns and cities. The nearest city is Jodhpur. To visit this place by air, one has to take the flight operated by Indian Airlines between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
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Abortion coverage bill advances in WA Senate OLYMPIA, Wash.: Lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that would link requiring abortion coverage to maternity care. The measure was approved by the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee. According to the Office of the State Insurance Commissioner, all health insurance carriers in the state already have plans that cover abortion. However, while there is already a maternity mandate in state law, there is not a similar mandate for abortion. Supporters say the bill would ensure that existing abortion coverage will be preserved once federal health insurance rules come into effect in 2014 under national health care reform. Opponents counter that the measure may lead to more abortions and would prove expensive. The bill awaits a vote on the Senate floor. -AP
Health Science 34
India Post
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March 2, 2012
RICHMOND, Va.: Hundreds of women stood mute, arm-in-arm, forming a human cordon through which legislators walked before the House and Senate sessions to protest a wave of anti-abortion legislation coursing through Virginia's General Assembly. Capitol and state police offic-
bryos as humans and criminalize their destruction, require ``transvaginal'' ultrasounds of women seeking abortions, and cut state aid to poor women seeking abortions. Molly Vick of Richmond said it was her first time to take part in a protest, but the issue was too in-
Property: Keep Out.'' One organizer said the event took root, was organized and publicized almost wholly through Facebook and other social media after the votes on landmark antiabortion bills racing through a legislature dominated for the first time by conservative Republicans.
EPA updates health risk of dioxins
FDA raises safety concerns for Vivus diet pill WASHINGTON: Federal health officials continue to voice safety concerns over an experimental diet pill from drugmaker Vivus Inc., which is making its second attempt to convince experts of the drugs' safety. The Food and Drug Administration previously rejected the diet pill Qnexa in October 2010. Now Vivus has resubmitted the drug with additional follow-up information, hoping for a more favorable review. But in documents posted online, the FDA reiterated concerns about two safety issues: Potential heart problems and birth defects in women who become pregnant while taking the drug. -AP
CHARLESTON, W.Va.: West Virginia lawmakers have resurrected a bill that would require health insurance plans to cover pregnancy care and contraception for insured daughters and wives. Details on page 36
In silence, women protest Virginia's anti-abortion bills
WASHINGTON: A long-awaited federal study on the health effects of dioxins says the persistent contaminants at current exposures don't pose significant health risks. The analysis released by the Environmental Protection Agency was more than two decades in the making. It sets the first benchmark for how much dioxin a person can be exposed to over lifetime without potentially experiencing health effects other than cancer. Those include damage to the immune and reproductive systems, skin rashes and liver damage. -AP
Virginia revives insurance bill for pregnant teens
Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, left, addresses a ìStands for Womenís Rightsî rally at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square in Richmond, Va. February 20
ers, there to ensure order, estimated the crowd to be at least 1,000, perhaps 1,500 at the noon peak of the protest. The silent demonstration was over bills that would define em-
furiating and compelling. On her lavender shirt, she wore a sticker that said ``Say No to State-Mandated Rape.'' Just beneath the beltline of her blue jeans was a strip of yellow tape that read ``Private
``We could feel that there was a lot of outrage and emotion and people talking about these issues,'' said Sarah Okolita, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate student who helped arrange the
morning event. The protest also came after Virginia's highly partisan debate over abortion legislation moved into the realm of comedy and national pop culture when a segment on NBC's ``Saturday Night Live'' lampooned ultrasound bills sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron, RCampbell County, and Sen. Jill Vogel, R-Fauquier. Initially, participants were kept off the interior of Capitol Square. They stood in a queue that stretched nearly three blocks on a sidewalk along the eastern perimeter of the Capitol campus. Later, after many legislators had already taken the 170-yard walk from their office building to the Capitol for their 11:30 a.m. caucus meetings and floor sessions afterward, they were allowed to take up positions inside Capitol Square. Two or three deep, protesters lined both sides of the primary sidewalk from the General Assembly Building toward the Capitol's west door. They flanked both sides of Darden Gardens, a plaza in front of the office building. They stood on the sidewalk along the driveway entrance to the Capitol, ringing the sweeping loop of a monument to George Washington and other Virginia founders, and then back to the driveway entrance, a total distance of about 300 yards. Cont’d on page 36
US to import cancer drug from India WASHINGTON: The United States has said it will import cancer drug manufactured in India to overcome the acute shortage of the medicine used in treatment of ovarian, bone marrow and AIDS-related skin cancer. Exercising its enforcement discretion, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) said the chemotherapeutic drug Lipodox will be imported as an alternative to Doxil.
Doxil, it said, is used in multiple treatment regimens, including treatment of ovarian cancer after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. The drug is also indicated for use in AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma and multiple myeloma. FDA anticipates that the incoming supply of Lipodox will be able to fully meet patient needs. FDA said it has entered into an agreement with Sun Pharma Global FZE, which manufactures the
drug at the FDA-inspected facility in Halol, Gujarat. FDA said its exercise of enforcement discretion for Lipodox is a temporary, limited arrangement specific to Sun Pharma Global FZE and its authorized distributor, Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. "A drug shortage can be a frightening prospect for patients and President (Barack) Obama made it clear that preventing these shortages from happening is a top
priority of his administration," said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. In addition, in response to the President Executive Order on prescription drug shortages, FDA also issued draft guidance to industry on detailed requirements for both mandatory and voluntary notifications to the agency of issues that could result in a drug shortage or supply disruption. -PTI
March 2, 2012
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Prescriptions sought for certain cold medicines OKLAHOMA CITY: Supporters of a proposal to require a prescription to purchase common cold medications such as Sudafed and Claritin-D that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in manufacturing methamphetamine, say they're not giving up despite the defeat of such a bill in a state Senate subcommittee. The bill by Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, failed on a 3-3 vote, but a virtually identical bill by Rep. Sue Tibbs, R-Tulsa, is pending in a House committee. ``I'll look to what's available on the House side,'' David told The Associated Press after the Senate subcommittee effectively killed the bill for this session. ``I won't give up. I'll just look for a different vehicle,'' David said. Neither David nor Tibbs returned phone calls seeking further comment. Opponents of the measure include associations representing doctors, pharmacists and grocers. ``It's a very divisive issue, certainly our physicians up in the northeastern part of the state where this is a problem are concerned about this,'' said Wes Glinsmann, director of state legislative affairs for the Oklahoma State Medical Association. ``We want to be a part of the solution,'' Glinsmann said. ``There's other legislation that's out there that would give us a much tougher law.'' He said the proposal includes a computer system that would share information about the sales of the cold medicines in
Oklahoma and adjoining states to ensure that no one is buying more than allowed by state law. Current sales are entered into a statebased computer system, but the information is not shared across state lines. Edmond pharmacist Lee Gile, despite the pharmacy association's opposition, said she believes that from a business standpoint, requiring a prescription would be simpler.
Trent Baggett saying that similar laws adopted in recent years in the states of Oregon and Mississippi have helped reduce meth manufacturing in those states. Oklahoma passed a first in the nation law in 2004 that banned store sales of the popular medications and allowed them to be sold in pharmacies, where they must be kept behind the counter and sold only to people who present photo identification and sign for the medicine.
R-Sapulpa, told reporters during a press briefing that he has struggled with the proposal. "I think the big issue on pseudoephedrine was the physical impact it would have on people that are law-abiding citizens. For them to have to turn around and go to the doctor and get a prescription, we're throwing the burden on them.'' ``The paperwork we have to do, it would be easier if it was just prescription,'' Gile said, noting that the opposition is due to a lack of access some patients might have to the medicines. ``Someone could be financially strapped and maybe couldn't afford to go to the doctor,'' for a prescription, she said. Supporters of the plan include district attorneys and law enforcement. The Oklahoma's District Attorneys Council plans a news conference in support of the legislation, with spokesman
That law was credited with helping reduce the number of meth labs found in the state from 1,236 labs in 2003 to 148 in 2006, but Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics spokesman Mark Woodward said the number was back up to 902 by 2011. Woodward said the increase is due to the so-called ``shake-and-bake'' method in which a small amount of ingredients, including pseudoephedrine, are mixed in plastic soda bottle. Woodward said meth cooks typically find a way around laws designed to reduce
their access to ingredients, but he said Oregon's law requiring a prescription for the medications, passed in 2005, has proven over time to have reduced the number of meth labs found in that state from 400-500 per year to about 10 per year. ``I think it's they (meth cooks) just don't want to go to the doctor and be examined,'' in order to obtain a prescription, Woodward said. The leader of the state Senate, President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, told reporters during a press briefing that he has struggled with the proposal. ``I think the big issue on pseudoephedrine was the physical impact it would have on people that are law-abiding citizens. For them to have to turn around and go to the doctor and get a prescription, we're throwing the burden on them.'' Activist David Starkey of Claremore, who has pushed for restrictions on pseudoephedrine, compared any burden to restrictions placed on travel following the 9/ 11 terror attacks. ``Just like airport security, you've just got to adjust with the times,'' Starkey said. ``Because things have advanced in the meth-cook market.'' Oklahoma City resident Kanda Ramos said she has ``mixed feelings'' about having to get a prescription for cold medicine. ``I personally don't like it, because I'm not an abuser, and the few times I do need it I have to go through hell and high water to get it,'' Ramos said. -AP
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Dr. Rosenthal highlights transformation brought about by TM India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Dr. Norman Rosenthal recently gave a wonderfully engaging talk on the Transcendental Meditation technique to the medical staff of Northern Westchester Hospital as part of their Health Education program. Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, a world-renowned psychiatrist and author who described seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and pioneered the use of light therapy to treat it has improved the health of millions of people. His latest book Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation (TarcherPenguin, 2011) explores the value of this ancient meditation technique for healing and transformation in today's modern world. Dr. Rosenthal began his talk by highlighting the key themes of healing and transformation brought about by TM, and explained how certain parts of the brain are affected by stress and improved by meditation. He humorously described the conflict that exists neurologically in a stressed mind between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala by using the simple analogy of the CEO of a company and the fire marshall. It made a lot of sense. Everyone got it. Drawing on anecdotes from his best-selling book, Transcendence, Dr. Rosenthal's relaxed narrative style held the audience's attention throughout the presentation. He shared personal stories of how TM had improved the lives of those interviewed for the book, like Hollywood filmmaker David Lynch,
actress Laura Dern, Pulitzerprize-winning journalist Tim Page, neuropsychologist William Stixrud, as well as patients from his own practice. A former NIH researcher, Dr. Rosenthal had looked into, and was impressed by, the volume of scientific research studies on
He told the amazing story of Jim Dierke, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School, and how he had transformed violent, stressed underachieving, low-attending students to motivated harmonious academically successful ones TM in the fields of mental and physical health, education and social behavior. He cited some of these studies, including more recent ones. Dr. Rosenthal also mentioned a published pilot study he had conducted on Veterans with PTSD that showed a 50% reduction in symptoms within two months. He posted an article about it on his blog, along with an emotionally-charged video of one of the Veterans and his mother: The Case for Using Transcendental Meditation to Treat Combat Related PTSD. He told the amazing story of Jim Dierke, principal of Visitacion Val-
In silence, women protest Virginia's anti-abortion bills Cont'd from page 34
Reaction from legislators varied, largely based on party affiliation. ``God bless y'all. You're doing the right thing,'' Del. Algie T. Howell, D-Norfolk, said as he walked past the unspeaking throng. Del. Robert G. Marshall, RPrince William, acknowledged it was ``an impressive crowd.'' ``So there's opposition to this measure. So what's new about that?'' said Marshall, the sponsor of the ``personhood'' legislation that could outlaw all abortions and,
critics claim, some forms of contraception in Virginia if the 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion is reversed. The bill passed the House on a vote of 66-32 and is pending before the Senate Education and Health Committee. Both chambers have passed legislation that requires women to have a transvaginal ultrasound before undergoing abortions. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, a socially conservative Roman Catholic, has said he will sign the ultrasound bill, but has taken no position on Marshall's personhood bill, a spokesman said. -AP
ley Middle School, and how he had transformed violent, stressed under-achieving, low-attending students to motivated harmonious academically successful ones with the highest attendance ever, after he had introduced the TM/Quiet Time program to his staff and students. The program was imple-
rica back in the 70's. "As they say, if you remember the 70's you probably weren't there, but I was there," he quipped, and giggled. Like most of us he was inspired by the Beatles traveling to India to study Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. But, he says, he was over-
Dr. Norman Rosenthal addresses medical staff at NWH
mented and funded by the David Lynch Foundation. A recent article, with a video of principal Dierke, is posted on the TM Blog: Breaking the "predictive power of demographics": SF principal talks about how TM helps his students. Dr. Rosenthal also shared his own story of how he started TM as a college student in South Af-
whelmed with his medical studies and didn't take the time to meditate regularly. He dropped the meditation, yet returned to it decades later after one of his patients recommended he do it based on his own experiences. He went to the local TM center to refresh his practice. After looking into some of the research
studies, and noticing subtle yet lasting changes in his own life, he was convinced that this simple, natural process could really make a difference in people's lives. Dr. Rosenthal swore he would never write another book; it takes too much time and energy, but after seeing how much of a difference TM was making in his life, and in the lives of his patients, he just had to write this one last book. He felt as compelled to write about TM as he had been about his earlier medical discovery. He was also pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable the whole process went, compared to earlier experiences. He felt the joy of being in the flow, of being in the moment, totally engaged in the creative process. He said the whole experience was very rewarding, uplifting and fulfilling. He concluded his talk with the value of groups, organizations, practicing TM together, and the impact that has. As an example he mentioned Oprah and how she chose to give TM to her whole organization, and the amazing transformations that brought about. She wrote about it in her magazine, What I Know for Sure.
Virginia revives insurance bill for pregnant teens CHARLESTON, W.Va.: West Virginia lawmakers have resurrected a bill that would require health insurance plans to cover pregnancy care and contraception for insured daughters and wives. The Senate Banking and Insurance committee has amended and approved the bill. The same committee rejected the measure recently in part because of concerns over the $12.6 million estimated cost for the state to extend the benefit to its own employees. Bill sponsor Sen. Ron Stollings, D-Boone, said the measure was amended to exempt certain types of contraception, such as the ``morning after pill.'' The estimated cost is misleading because it represents three years of state insurance costs and does not reflect any savings to the state's Medicaid program, Stollings said. The cost includes pregnancies of dependent daughters who are under 26 years old. Lawmakers might consider limiting the insurance coverage to dependents under 18. But the federal health care reform law will require coverage of dependents up
to 26 years old and the state would have to reconsider the measure next session, Stollings said. ``I am very pleased that bank-
Lawmakers have debated extending such coverage to teens and young adults through their families' policies for several years ing and insurance reconsidered it,'' he said of the bill. ``Most other insurance are covering this anyway, most of the group and third-
party commercial folks cover that anyway. It's just state employees are not seeing the benefit.'' Lawmakers have debated extending such coverage to teens and young adults through their families' policies for several years. West Virginia is also the only state to see its teen pregnancy rate increase while the national rate dropped. Lawmakers argue it is cheaper for insurance companies to pay for pre-natal care than to pay for the expensive care needed if a child is born premature or suffers from low birth. And new mothers without insurance often rely on Medicaid, which is supported by taxpayers, or subsidized care from health providers. -AP
Flu cases picking up in Wyoming CHEYENNE, Wyo.: The Wyoming Department of Health is beginning to see reports of increasing flu cases in the state. That has prompted state health officials to encourage residents to take common-sense steps to avoid influenza or spreading it to others.
Clay Van Houten is the health department's emerging diseases unit chief. He says the agency has seen more reports of flu-like illness and flu cases recently with a few reported outbreaks in schools and health care facilities in Wyoming. -AP
March 2, 2012
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Robotic surgery grows in availability, popularity DALLAS: As the doctor's racic robotics. ``It's going to be great for hands moved over the controls heart surgery, (but with) thoracic surgery at the oddly shaped console, I think that all chest operations will be four robotic arms across the room able to be done with the robot.'' mimicked every movement with During procedures, the doctor sees scientific precision inside the what is happening inside the patient in a patient. three-dimensional camera image blown Large screens around the up 10 times the actual size. room gave the staff a full view The Heart Hospital has used the $1.9 courtesy of a camera attached million da Vinci Surgical System with to one of those arms as the pathree arms wielding instruments and a tient had only four small incifourth holding the camera since Novemsions open. ber. Robots have been used in Scott Weathersby of Sherman, who surgery since the 1980s, but the has had several traditional operations, technology is now more widely had his first robotic surgery late last year. available in hospitals across Jett performed both a quadruple byNorth Texas, whether they are pass and a robotic procedure to remove used for prostate surgery or a cancerous lung nodule on Weathersby. heart procedures. The 71-year-old is already a convert. The main beneficiaries are pa``Knowing what I went through betients. The high-tech advances fore, I'd be a fool not to let him do this,'' allow doctors to perform comWeathersby said. ``I'll tell you, it makes plex surgeries that are less invaa lot of difference if you do it that way.'' sive and require shorter recovThe da Vinci robot is not the only new ery times. technology at the hospital. The electro``Recuperation is so quick; it physiology department upgraded to the doesn't disrupt your life,'' said Epoch platform late last year as well. Terri Ricketts, 61, who had a roEpoch is the newest version of remote Dr. Kim Jett, a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon at botic ablation to correct an ir- The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, stands amidst the arms of the magnetic navigation; it allows doctors da Vinci robotic assist technology he uses to regular heartbeat. The resident to treat cardiac arrhythmia or irregular perform surgeries. Pic AP of Blue Ridge, in Collin County, heartbeat with a magnet-guided catheter went home the day after surgery. wire. Dr. Kim Jett, a cardiovascular and tho- for years. Dr. Brian DeVille, an electrophysiologist, At the Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, ro- said the computer system shapes the magracic surgeon, said it's a ``win-win situation.'' ``It's better for the surgeon because we bots are now used for some cardiac and thocan see better, we can manipulate better and racic procedures. ``I think that the robot is going to revoit generates a better operation,'' he said. lutionize thoracic surgery,'' said Jett, who is Robotic assistance for prostate and gynecological procedures has been common the Heart Hospital's medical director for tho-
Evangelicals want reversal of birth control rule NASHVILLE, Tenn.: A group of evangelical pastors have joined Roman Catholic clergy who oppose an Obama administration requirement that employees of religiously affiliated businesses receive birth control coverage. Speaking at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Fam-
``This is not a Catholic issue,'' Perkins said. ``We will not tolerate any denomination having their religious freedom infringed upon by the government.'' The signers also object to a requirement that contraceptive coverage include the morning-after pill and other drugs and devices that allow an egg to be fertilized. The mandate does not apply to houses of worship, only religiously affiliated inAfter an uproar about the birth constitutions like universities, trol rules earlier this year, Obama hospitals and nonprofits. After an uproar about the offered a compromise in which birth control rules earlier this insurers, rather than religious year, Obama offered a comgroups, would pay for the contrapromise in which insurers, rather than religious groups, ceptive coverage would pay for the contraceptive coverage. ily Research Council President Tony Richard Land, president of the Southern Perkins said more than 2,500 pastors and Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious evangelical leaders have signed a letter to Liberty Commission, promised to challenge President Obama asking him to reverse the the mandate both in court and in Congress. mandate. ``We are not going to stand by and alWhile most Protestants do not oppose low our God-given rights, protected by the contraception per se, the letter calls the Constitution, to be atrophied, neutered, mandate a violation of religious freedoms. confined and restricted,'' he said. -AP
netic field, which is used to pull a thin, flexible catheter into the patient's heart. Once inside, DeVille uses it to ablate or burn the tissue that is sending incorrect signals to the heart. ``It gives the physician more control over every aspect'' of the procedure, DeVille said. Another set of magnets in the operating table triangulates the location of the catheter to within 1 millimeter, and creates a 3-D map of the heart on the doctor's screen. The mapping system reduces the radiation exposure for the patient and the doctor during the procedure, as there is less need to X-ray to check the catheter's location. Ricketts, who had the robotic ablation procedure done in December, was unaware she had an irregular heartbeat until last April, when she suddenly started fainting and running out of energy. She decided to try an Epoch procedure after other treatments and medications failed. ``I love Dr. DeVille. He's fun and he's so excited about what he's doing,'' Ricketts said. Doctors at the Heart Hospital say they hope the procedures become more common, and they are working on more ways to use the technology, such as replacing heart valves. ``Everybody has a friend that's had robotic surgery,'' Jett said. ``And if you've had robotic surgery, it does impress on you that it's a lot better.'' -AP
TOP TEN HINDI FILM SONGS
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fter dancing to "Ooh La La" as Silk Smitha in "The Dirty Picture", Vidya Balan has now donned a Maharashtrian avatar for a traditional Lavani number called "Mala Jau De!" in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "Ferrari Ki Sawaari". This is Balan's first item song and she spent over three weeks rehearsing for it with a local troupe from Kolhapur. Not wanting to make it a typical Bollywood number, director Rajesh Mapuskar was adamant that Vidya work with authentic folk dancers, who even choreographed the song. A source reveals, "Vidya was very excited as she's never done a Lavani before. She took a lot of interest in everything, from how to wear the traditional sari and accessories to learning the steps correctly." The dancers from Kolhapur have kept the tradition alive by passing it down several generations. "Mala Jau De!" was shot over three days and Vidya didn't take long to get the expressions and movements right. "She is very proud of the song and can't wait for everyone to see it," adds the source.
Deepika goes dark N
ow that it is confirmed that Deepika Padukone will be playing the lady lead in Rajnikant's Tamil flick Kochadaiyyan, preparations have already begun. Tithe actress will have to get several shades darker so as to match her co-star Rajinikanth. Says a source close to the project, "We're applying a special imported technique to the film wherein the actors' looks, including their skin-tone, has to be compatible. In Kochadaiyyan, the demands of digitalized filmmaking are different. Deepika's complexion is many shades lighter than Rajiniji's. When we suggested that her skin color should be suitably modified on screen, Deepika sportingly agreed." Deepika's complexion will be digitally darkened to match Rajni sir's color. Co-producer Dr Murli Manohar said, "The demands and dynamics of the technique known as 'performance-capturing' that we're using for the first time in Indian cinema are different. It requires many adjustments and modulation in the actors' on-screen performance and personality. Deepika has an important role. She is completely in-sync with the unique technique and willing to do whatever is required."
1 Chikni Chameli: Agneepath 2 Hosanna: Ek Deewana Tha 3 Jhoom Jhoomta Hun Main : Players 4 O Saiyyan: Agneepath 5 Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu : Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu 6 Aromale: Ek Deewana Tha 7 Kal Chalna Shuru Tu : Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu 8 Zara Dil Ko Thaam Lo: Don 2 9 Dil Yeh Bekarar Kyu Hai : Players 10 Sharminda Hoon : Ek Deewana Tha
Scary kissing
B
ipasha Basu is one bold actress the Indian industry is proud of. Known for her roles in Jism, race and Raaz, it looks like the actress doesn't fear on screen romance. However, kissing on screen is something the actress is not very comfortable with. "I am scared of kissing on screen. Yes, on-screen kissing nerves me to death and I had a really very uncomfortable experience in 'Jodi Breakers' with R. Madhavan who is a friend," Bipasha said. "I had to kiss him, it was important for the film, so there was no convincing that was required. I knew I would do it but the process is not easy. "Even for 'Raaz 3', it's not going to be easy but don't scare me from now. When it comes to it, we shall see," she added. "I am not dumb because I seek films and kissing is the integral part of sex, romance, passion whatever expression you are trying to show. We watch English films all the time and we watch Hindi films where these things have become regular." "I as an individual find it tough to do. I will do it as it's my work, but I will be very uncomfortable," the 33-year-old said.
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Uncomfortable with items
S
he is just five films old but actor Anushka Sharma has managed to carve a niche for herself in Bollywood. On a visit to Delhi, she was asked about item songs. She replied: "Aap dekhna chahte hai? Nothing excites me enough to do item songs. Others might have done a great job on them, but I'm not comfortable right now." At present she's doing Vishal Bhardwaj's film, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, opposite Imran Khan. She is also doing Yash Chopra's next, with Shah Rukh and Katrina. She has fond memories of Delhi. "I think I have become a star after doing a film in Delhi. I love Delhi, and I think this is a great time to be here." On Valentine's Day, she said, "Love should be expressed everyday to people who care for you, not only boyfriend/girlfriend or spouses but even your family and friends."
Biggest gift
Film on Mika
G
enelia D'Souza knows her priorities pretty well. The actress who recently tied the knot to her long time boyfriend, Ritesh Deshmukh says, now that she's married, her husband and family will be her first preference. However, she is not going to give up her acting career. "Life has become all the more beautiful after marriage. I am excited to be the part of his family. I will continue doing films but now my first priority will be my family. I haven't decided yet whether I will work only with him, or how many films I will do in a year. But I have to adjust many things in life now," she said. Adds the actress, "Riteish is the biggest gift I have had in my life. He is the kind of guy I have dreamt of. He respects me and his family and I feel this is the biggest asset in a person's life. Dating each other for the past eight years was an exciting phase for me. Their upcoming film "Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya" will see the actress play a tomboy who kidnaps Riteish to escape her impending marriage with some other guy.
M
ika Singh will now be the subject of a film - unbelievable as it sounds - by director Shashank Ghosh. Mika says, "I met Shashank three years ago. He found my living style strange. He said he's never seen this with any other star or actor. He asked me why I kept a bodyguard even though I'm not Shah Rukh Khan. 'You're not a big celebrity', he said, 'par harkatein bade celebrities waali hain tumhari.' So I told him my story, how from a cycle of 200, I've now bought a hummer for 1.5 crore. He said people would want to know what kind of a character I am. We're planning the film this year.
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Realty Tidbits
Govt may allow residential projects along expressways
NEW DELHI: The highways ministry is considering to link the development of capital intensive expressway projects with real estate development in their vicinity. The ministry has mooted the proposal to allow residential and commercial complexes to come up close to the expressway alignment and the first such model could be tried on the Delhi-Jaipur stretch. However, while government will acquire the land for construction of expressways and allied facilities along the stretches, private players will have to get land in the vicinity for real estate projects. Government estimates suggest that construction of expressways would cost between Rs 40 crore and Rs 50 crore per kilometer. The ministry put these proposals before top highway developers at a meeting held recently in the capital to push the Greenfield expressway between Delhi and Jaipur. This stretch is likely to be a 230-km expressway and would be completely access controlled. A similar model is being tried by Uttar Pradesh government in the case of Yamuna expressway connecting Greater Noida with Agra. Sources said that considering the high potential of real estate sector in the national capital region (NCR) to generate revenue, this model could work.
„ Adani Group to buy Andheri plot for Rs 300 crore MUMBAI: The Adani Group is acquiring a prime two-acre plot in Andheri suburb of Mumbai and additional development rights on it for Rs 300 crore. The deal, which is in the works and is likely to be concluded in the next few weeks, is directly being undertaken by the promoters of the group as Adani Enterprises has decided to focus on businesses of ports, power and energy., Adani Enterprises had earlier said it will exit the real estate business. Group chairman Gautam Adani said that the family will continue to have an interest in real estate in the future. There was, however, no official comment on buying the Andheri land. The land, with total development potential of 650,000 sq ft of saleable space, is part of a large parcel on which Mumbai-based real estate developer Housing Development & Infrastructure (HDIL) is developing a mixed use project. HDIL also declined to comment.
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Residents accuse Noida officials of partiality NOIDA: Residents who have fallen in line with the Supreme Court order, of reverting to the original land use of their properties, are feeling cheated by the Noida Authority. With the sealing date of March 5 approaching, residents allege that Authority officials, under the garb of curbing all unauthorized commercial activity being conducted from non-conforming areas, are being impartial in their surveys.
Brace for 10-30% price rise & delivery delays in real estate
R
eal estate players have said housing customers should brace for a 10-30 per cent rise in property prices in 201213. Also, delivery delays and speculative price spirals could further pinch the customers' pocket in the forthcoming fiscal, they warn. Mr Navin M. Raheja, Chairman, Raheja Developers, said, "In all likelihood, prices will rise in the
Mr R. R. Singh, Director-General, National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), said that the Government needs to unlock land value to help end consumers. "There is a huge land bank. Government should sell it at cost price to bidders. This will help ease the demand supply issue." Also, he said the Reserve Bank of India's latest notification to
The notification effectively means home buyers would have to arrange for more funds on their own, as banks will not lend for these charges any more medium-term. The cost of land is going up. Funds are restrictive and material cost is also steadily rising. Speculative prices have slowed sales. People with disposable income are also driving up the prices so there is a huge demandsupply issue." Residential Property Residential property accounts for 80 per cent of real estate market in terms of volume, growing at about 35 per cent annually.
banks to exclude stamp duty, registration and like charges while calculating the value of a property they intend to finance, will lead to defaults and also higher price at the consumer end. "The notification effectively means home buyers would have to arrange for more funds on their own, as banks will not lend for these charges any more. This could lead to a further decline in home sales in the lower and me-
dium segments and also put additional burden on consumers," he said. Asked whether the draft Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill, 2011 would help in making the sector transparent, Mr Raheja said the draft was highly disappointing and against developers. "We believe that the regulator could be just another authority apart from local and State authorities, which could lead to delay in sanctioning of projects and be a source of corruption."
Projects Delayed Meanwhile, Mr Santhosh Kumar, CEO-Operations, Jones Lang LaSalle India, said, as many as 63 large residential projects in NCR (accounting for almost 40,000 units) are delayed by over four years. "Out of these, around 10 projects with 9,000 units have been delayed by over six years. This includes projects wherein possession of a small percentage of units has been handed over, while most of the whole project remains incomplete," he added.
Manesar market growing at frenzied pace growing at a frenzied pace ever since several top MNCs moved in here. Rates of commercial properties in Manesar have increased by 35-40 % in the last six months. Residential properties in Manesar have also hopped on to the boom bus, and have witnessed
O
nce a sleepy village of about 1,000 dwellings units on Delhi-Jaipur Highway (NH-8 ), Manesar has now transformed into an industrial and commercial hub. With the availability of all basic services like health facilities, schools, a post office, banks, warehouses and cargo
facilities, IMT Manesar has seen a massive influx of corporate traders, realty players, manufacturers, industrialists, and also MNCs. Only 32km from the IGI airport and 45km from Connaught Place, Delhi, Manesar is well connected to Delhi and Gurgaon. The real estate market in Manesar has been
Thus, the price escalation of property here is bound to be steep. The new developmental plan for Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex has been formulated taking into consideration the projected growth of the city up to 2025. The Gurgaon-Manesar Mas-
The new developmental plan for GurgaonManesar Urban Complex has been formulated taking into consideration the projected growth of the city up to 2025 an excellent jump of 35-40 %. IMT Manesar is projected to have a shortfall of over 6 lakh housing units over the next 4-5 years,whereas the availability of authorized housing will only be around 65,000 units in the same period.
ter Plan projects a population of around 40 lakh by 2020. With infrastructural developments taking place at a good pace, Manesar is all set to become an ultramodern city. Cont’d on page 41
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Senior housing comes of age
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magine India a decade ahead: there will be more senior citi zens in the country given the improved healthcare and decreasing mortality rates. The average life expectancy has gone up from 20 years (1900) to 64 years in recent times. Add to this the low fertility rates and we have the 60+ age group as one of the fastest growing segments of the population. With 100 million senior citizens
creating 'special' spaces for seniors has had an emotional and psychological barrier. Indians pride themselves on their closeknit family structures and values with parents being integral to the 'parivar'. Two factors have broken this age old tradition: the mobility of the working population and the nuclear family preference in modern times. The Bollywood film Baghban
The key differentiators in the residential offering are safety in a gated community with 24×7 security, anti-skid flooring, hand rails, emergency management systems, access to medical facilities and community activity centers now, the numbers will shoot up to 177 million in 2025 and this is set to double in 20 years. Given the fast-paced urban lifestyle with few provisions for needs of the elderly, there is an opportunity to provide good living solutions for the senior population by being sensitive to their requirements. In the West, a wide range of retirement living solutions have been available for over five decades, while in India the need for
(2003) captures the plight of aging parents in India - it shows how financial stability and independent living brings love and respect to senior citizens from the younger family members. While the film may have dramatic impact, it did indeed reflect the reality of the sunset years. Retirement housing is, in fact, bridging this need by creating safe, age-friendly homes where seniors can live with easy access to medical facilities
and have the companionship of like-minded people. Successful senior living solutions in the West are helping India to gear up to meet the growing potential of this sector. According to a report by real estate consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle, only 4,000 units are available in the senior living space with a focus on providing specialized facilities. The key differentiators in the residential offering are safety in a gated community with 24×7 security, anti-skid flooring, hand rails, emergency management systems, access to medical facilities and community activity centers. What really gives value to retirement living beyond real
estate is for the residents to get a sense of security and being cared for. Given the amount of free time available to the community, keeping them engaged and motivating them to remain active can add to the value of the facility. Research among the 55+ age group urban population shows that their vision of an ideal retired life to be with children or living in their ancestral home. However, with the high mobility of children, they are faced with the fear of being alone and being incapable of managing day to day activities. These are the key triggers for them to look at retirement community living where they hope to find a healthy and hygienic environment
along with easy access to medical facilities. In India, senior living has three different kind of facilities: Independent living for those in good health and able to manage their lives; Assisted living for those who need help to manage daily activities Skilled nursing care for residents having physical health or mental disability. Most retirement facilities in the country have units ranging between Rs 25-40 lakh with additional maintenance costs. Resistance to the concept of moving into a senior living facility comes in the form of social stigma. This is an inferred belief, which can be reversed through changing the positioning from retirement housing to an aspirational lifestyle and with the kind of easy access to clubs, gyms, medicare that many of them offer, this is indeed a luxury option for the seniors. As Hartman Jule said of his retirement: 'I'm not just retiring from the company, I'm also retiring from my stress, my commute, my alarm clock, and my iron.' These are the pleasures retirement living provides and will be the engine behind the growth of the Senior living sector.
Manesar market growing at frenzied pace Cont’d from page 40
Praveen Kumar, the administrator of HUDA, Gurgaon, says: "The Haryana government is intent upon building Manesar as a mega education city, along the proposed 135km long KundliManesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, which will connect Sonipat district with Palwal in Faridabad district. The road takes off from Kundli on NH-1 and passes through Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district, the proposed special economic zone on NH-10 and Manesar in Gurgaon district on NH-8 .It will terminate near Palwal on NH-2. The government has acquired 2,000 acres for the education city and is all set to make Manesar a dream destination for education." Rakesh Yadav,the managing director of Antriksh Group, says: "The unique aspect of Manesar is the simultaneous development of residential complexes for both executive and non-executive staff. The HSIIDC acquired 250 acres across the national highway and has allotted it to various units for building staff quarters there." The commercial property in Manesar
offer state-of-the-art office spaces. Already, leading global brands like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Suzuki, etc, are making colossal investments in Manesar real estate. Also, the proposal to build an expressway to Jaipur is adding value to Manesar's real estate. Most of the topnotch builders in India like Reliance, DLF, Unitech, Raheja, Vatika, Orris Infrastructure,
tory. Anil Sharma, the chairman and managing director of Amrapali Group, says: "Manesar will emerge as a Mecca of industry-specific infrastructure, service ancillaries, commercial services, and an array of other essential services. The developing area is a perfect choice for trade towers, corporate offices,
‘The government has acquired 2,000 acres for the education city and is all set to make Manesar a dream destination for education’ Amrapali, Antriksh, etc, have already bought land banks on this stretch to develop townships. The Raheja Group has launched Raheja Navodaya. Based on a high quality urban community living concept, the project is located in Sector 92-95 adjacent to IMT Manesar. The Amrapali Group has launched a commercial-cum-corporate hub, on 6,804 sq meters in Sector 2, IMT Manesar, opposite the Honda fac-
industrial units and shopping malls. A flyover on NH-8, which links the residential zone with the industrial zone, has helped in making the city more alluring to end users." Navin M Raheja, the chairman and managing director of Raheja Group, says: "Raheja Navodaya is aimed at providing internationalquality housing to the residents of the Delhi NCR, including the executives of IMT Manesar and
peripheral industrial areas of Gurgaon and the SEZs. It is a highpotential area for actual usage and investment, as there is really no authorized housing facility available to the over two lakh executives at IMT Manesar. The USP of the project is that only 20% of the total area will be covered while 80% will be open greens." Vijay Gupta, the chairman and managing director of Orris Infrastructure, says: "We can say that Manesar is at the same juncture in industrial, commercial and residential development as Gurgaon, some 10-15 years ago. With a rise
in demand for land, the national capital is facing acute shortage of space and thereby the cost of the land keeps increasing. The development of Manesar as an alternative would address some of these problems and offer a new opportunity of colonization." The place is all set to become a vibrant commercial hub shortly. The NH-8 is being widened to an eight lane expressway, between Gurgaon and New Delhi; flyovers have been planned on this stretch, which will make the road signalfree and reduce the commuting time.
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Highrises in Noida quake-proof, says team NOIDA: In an attempt to ensure that buildings in Noida are being constructed keeping the safety of residents in mind, a technical team from the Noida Authority has been making site visits and providing structural clearances. The team also visited the North Eye project, a 60-storey tower, which is expected to be the tallest residen-
If a developer does not cut corners, refuge floors can be designed at various levels where people can assemble during a calamity. Some elements, such as wide staircases, are designed to facilitate the evacuation of a large number of people," said an Authority official tial building in North India. Besides the Authority's technical team, six professors from IIT Roorkee have also studied the project's foundation and given it thumbs up. "During checking, we ensured that the building has evacuation areas in case of an emergency. If a developer does not cut corners, refuge floors can be designed at various levels where people can assemble during a calamity. Some elements, such as wide staircases, are designed to facilitate the
evacuation of a large number of people," said an Authority official. He added that the North Eye project has completed its pit foundation, which is around 48.5 meters in depth, and a team of Authority officials were keeping a close eye on the project in terms of structural security. The team also checked fire security arrangements made by the builders. "These days, many highrise buildings use fire-resistant material that reduces chances of the whole building catching fire. In some projects, houses are fitted with fire-fighting systems like sprinklers. Since the fire brigade cannot douse a fire on the 50th floor, builders have installed systems such as wet risers. A wet riser is a pipe with pressurized water available at all times. Water is supplied from the wet riser water tank to each floor in case of an emergency," the official informed. When asked if skyscrapers are unsafe during natural disasters such as earthquakes, a team member said, "If an area or city falls in a seismic zone, builders and their architects are responsible for executing safety norms. These days skyscrapers are designed to withstand earthquakes. If an area or city falls in a seismic zone of 3, buildings there should be designed according to zone 4 or 5 specifications. Like in the case of the North Eye project, Noida comes in the seismic zone 4, but the project is designed in such a way that it can withstand an earthquake measuring six on the Richter scale."
115 industrial workers get oneroom flats in Narela NEW DELHI: When Peer Mohd left his village in Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh over a decade ago to support his family, he dreamt of having a home for his wife and children in Delhi some day. He applied for a space that he could call his own under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Scheme in 2007. The five-yearlong wait finally ended when he became one of the 115 industrial workers to get a provisional allotment of a one-room house under the scheme in Narela. In all, 2,229 flats will be allotted against payments ranging between Rs 1.6 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh. As many as 11,059 applications were received in 2007 under the scheme for the flats which range from single-room houses to tworoom sets with arrangement for an independent kitchen and bath-
process of allotment had almost come to a halt as there were reports of the presence of bogus applicants among the 11,059 applications, sources said. A thorough verification process was launched last year. While 941 applications were found ineligible or were rejected as they were incomplete, the remaining 10,118
The provisional allotment letters being registered in the joint name of husband and wife were handed out by the CM, who described it as a "beginning" room. The single-room units come for Rs 1.6 lakh and the two-room unit costs around Rs 3.5 lakh. The Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Corporation is treading carefully in making the allotments as land grabbers are on the prowl. These are being seen as prime real estate in view of the development proposed in Bawana and Narela by various agencies. While the applications under the scheme were submitted in 2007, the
qualified on the basis of documents furnished. However, a physical verification has started revealing bogus applicants. For instance, in case of 480 flats, which offer single-room houses in Narela just 122 applications were received. A thorough physical scrutiny of the applicants threw up only 47 genuine cases and in the remaining cases the ground survey found that the applicants were non-existent.
After the first round of verification, 115 genuine allottees like Peer Mohd - who struggle to pay a hefty rent for a small dwelling space in Badarpur area in south Delhi - were selected for the allotment. To prevent foul play, the allotment of flats is being done through draw of lots in the presence of a committee comprising representatives of the department of labor, DSIIDC and Industrial Association. The provisional allotment letters being registered in the joint name of husband and wife were handed out by the CM, who described it as a "beginning". With the municipal polls slated for April, the allotments are seen as an attempt to build the faith among the weaker sections that also form the traditional Congress votebank. The allotments are particularly important, as the Dikshitled state government in a meeting in January put on hold the allotment of flats to slum dwellers under the Rajiv Ratna Awaas Yojna, fearing slum relocation may leave many homeless. The process for allotment of flats to slum dwellers will begin only after the civic polls.
Need rules on illegal religious structures: HC NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has been told to formulate guidelines to deal with encroachment and illegal construction in the form of religious structures. The Delhi High Court, while adjudicating one such case, gave the government two months for the process. The government also has to apprise the court about the 'thumb rule' and other relevant pointers it has proposed to the Religious Committee to decide on the representations and applications moved by civic agencies or private parties. "The government shall file an affidavit placing on record the guidelines formulated by it for guidance to the Religious Com-
mittee. In case, the guidelines are not formulated till date, necessary steps shall be taken by the government to formulate the same within a period of two months under intimation to the Religious Committee for perusal," said Justice Hima Kohli. Justice Kohli also told the government to file a tabulated statement on the number of applications received by the Religious Committee, both by civic authorities and private parties. "The statement shall also indicate number of meetings held by the Religious Committee in the last one year and the relevant dates and also the number of decisions taken on the references received by it," said the court.
During the hearings in similar cases, Justice Kohli had been informed that the Religious Committee decisions have been kept in abeyance by the Delhi Cabinet till appropriate guidelines are finalized by the government after deliberations in the Legislative Assembly. The Religious Committee was constituted by the Chief Secretary. Meanwhile, the DDA through an affidavit informed that court that till the final guidelines come, "all land owning agencies have been directed to ensure that there is no expansion in these (illegal) construction/structures, and no new religious structures be allowed to come up (on the land)".
In Brief Ga. bill would tweak state laws on immigration ATLANTA: A trio of Republican state senators has sponsored legislation that would bar illegal immigrants from attending Georgia state colleges and universities and would tweak some other state laws having to do with illegal immigration. The bill also adjusts some requirements governing identification requirements for applicants for public benefits laid out in last year's tough law targeting illegal immigration. It makes some requirements stricter and loosens others. -AP
Ind. seeks stay in challenge to immigration law HAMMOND, Ind.: The state has asked a federal judge to stay a challenge to Indiana's immigration law until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar case involving Arizona. The motion for stay in U.S. District Court in Hammond contends the Arizona case the U.S. Supreme Court will hear in April is ``substantively indistinguishable'' from the lawsuit brought by East Chicago-based Union Benefica Mexicana. A federal judge has blocked parts of the Indiana law from taking effect following a similar lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. Critics of the Indiana law contend it gives police officers sweeping arrest powers against immigrants who haven't committed crimes. -AP
Malloy wary of US 'hold' on immigrant suspects HARTFORD, Conn.: Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is responding cautiously to a federal program that would ask state or local officials to hold a suspect for possible deportation. Mike Lawlor, Under Secretary for Criminal Justice Policy and Planning, said that federal immigration officials could begin its Secure Communities program in Connecticut. The program uses fingerprints collected in local jails to identify illegal immigrants who have been arrested. Malloy said the state will respond on a case-by-case basis to requests that immigrants arrested be held until federal immigration officials pick up the suspect. -AP
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Judge delays decision on Utah's immigration law Detials on page 44
Lawmakers question USCIS adjudication process India Post News Service
NEW YORK: Following reports of increase fraud in immigration petitions as well as the increase in the rate of denials of the L1 and H1B visa applications, lawmakers have questioned the adjudication process of the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). At a hearing of the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement on Capitol Hill recently, Chairman of the Subcommittee Elton Gallegly (R-CA) said, "…if there are credible allegations that this is occurring, we have a duty to determine the truth." Such allegations were made by a January 2012, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General report. The report was entitled, "The Effects of USCIS Adjudication Procedures and Policies on Fraud Detection by Immigration Services Officers." The Inspector General found that US Citizenship and Immigration Services adjudicators are not receiving adequate training to uncover fraud in immigration benefit
applications. The IG found that USCIS performance measures favor quantity over quality - this encourages the "rubber stamping" of applications. The IG found that adjudicators feel inappropriately pressured by supervisors and USCIS leadership to approve petitions that don't meet the standards for approval. USCIS leader-
residency or citizenship, are in fact eligible for those benefits. In this context, the Congressman brought up the issue of the dramatic rise in denials of several categories of visas particularly the L1 and H1B categories. "Immigration benefit denial rates obtained from USCIS show a rise in denials in several catego-
"I know that many in the business community are concerned that their petitions for alien workers are being denied and that they are being required to answer excessive requests for additional evidence, known as RFEs. But why did denial and RFE rates go up?” ship seems to favor "get to yes" instead of "get it right." Rep. Gallegly said that while it was important that adjudicators make their decisions in a timely manner it was also important that they have adequate time and support to ensure that individuals who receive immigration benefits, such as a temporary visa, permanent
ries between 2008 and 2010," he said. "Some will argue that this shows that there is no improper pressure on adjudicators. However, this rise in denials may simply be the result of adjudicators following the law. And the increased pressure by USCIS leadership to approve applications may be an attempt to reverse this
recent trend." "I know that many in the business community are concerned that their petitions for alien workers are being denied and that they are being required to answer excessive requests for additional evidence, known as RFEs. But why did denial and RFE rates go up? It very well could be because of statutory changes that were implemented and major decisions that were issued," he reasoned. For instance, the changes made by the L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2004, to prevent contracting out of alien workers, were not implemented at the agency-wide level until 2008. As one would expect, there was a corresponding rise in USCIS denial rates in Fiscal Year 2008. And the January 2010 "Neufeld Memo" on H-1B visas issued by the USCIS Associate Director for Service Center Operations, provided new guidance on what should be considered an employer-employee relationship between the petitioning company and the beneficiary. Cont’d on page 45
Immigrants trickling back to Alabama despite law BIRMINGHAM, Alabama: Ana Jimenez and her husband were so terrified of being sent back to their native Mexico when Alabama's tough crackdown on illegal immigrants took effect that they fled more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) to Los Angeles, cramming into a two-bedroom apartment with more than 20 other relatives. Now they are among the families coming back to cities like Birmingham, as the mass deportations never materialized and federal courts blocked parts of the law. No one knows how many people initially left the state, so it's impossible to say how many have returned. But some illegal immigrants are trickling back, unable to find work elsewhere and missing the place that had
been home for years. Of 18 Hispanic immigrants interviewed by The Associated Press in the Birmingham area, six said they had friends or relatives who had returned to Alabama after fleeing because of the law.
through a translator that not much had changed, though she can't reclaim her job at a McDonald's restaurant because managers are checking citizenship papers. ``Everything is the same. I just can't work now,'' Jimenez said
Republicans who supported the crackdown had said they hoped the tough provisions which made it difficult if not impossible to legally find work and housing, among other things would force people to “self-deport” and move out of the state As for Jimenez, she left Birmingham with her husband, father and brother three days after the law took effect. Now, all except her brother are back. Jimenez said
through a translator. She said the family is living off the income of her husband, who installs carpets and flooring. The Obama administration, im-
migrant groups and others sued over Alabama's law, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to consider arguments about it on March 1. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments a month later over Arizona's crackdown on illegal immigration, which isn't considered as strict as Alabama's. Republicans who supported the crackdown had said they hoped the tough provisions which made it difficult if not impossible to legally find work and housing, among other things would force people to ``self-deport'' and move out of the state. Among those who self-deported were Verenece Flores and her husband. Cont’d on page 45
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Mississippi bills reflect priorities of GOP majority JACKSON, Miss.: Mississippi lawmakers are sponsoring bills to tighten restrictions on abortion, crack down on immigration, expand the use of charter schools and limit the power of the attorney general. Committees now face a March 6 deadline to act on general bills or constitutional amendments filed in each chamber. The House committees will consider House bills, and the Senate committees will consider Senate bills. The proposals that survive committee work will move on for debate in the full chamber. Bills that are moving through the House and Senate, so far, largely reflect the priorities of Republicans who control both chambers. The GOP has controlled the Senate in recent years, and it won control of the House in the general election last November. The House Democratic leader, Rep. Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto, said that about 600 bills had been filed. He said roughly 1,200 to 1,500 general bills were filed in many previous years. ``We're going to have a very trim session, it appears,'' Moak said at a forum sponsored by Mississippi State University's Stennis
Institute of Government and the Capitol press corps. The Senate Education Committee is expected to vote on a bill to allow the widespread development of charter schools, which are public schools that have greater flexibility to set different operating hours or to try different aca-
The House Democratic leader, Rep. Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto, said that about 600 bills had been filed. He said roughly 1,200 to 1,500 general bills were filed in many previous years demic approaches. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said he expects the full Senate to vote on the charter bill this week. ``It is my view that charter schools are not some panacea. They're not going to solve all of our educational challenges overnight,'' Reeves told reporters.
``They are simply another tool in the toolbox to improve education attainment levels in Mississippi.'' House Bill 488, by Republican Rep. Becky Currie of Brookhaven and 14 other House members, would require public schools to determine students' immigration status. It also would allow law enforcement officers to check people's immigration status during traffic stops or other encounters. And, it would require immigrants to carry papers showing that they're in the U.S. legally; failure to do so would be a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine and 20-30 days in jail. House Bill 211, by Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton and 40 other House members, would limit the attorney general's power by allowing other statewide elected officials and appointed state agency directors to hire private attorneys without getting approval from the attorney general. The current attorney general, Jim Hood, is the only Democrat remaining in statewide office. The bill passed the House and has been held for another possible round of debate in that chamber. Among the anti-abortion pro-
posals: *House Bill 857, sponsored by Republican Rep. Alex Monsour of Vicksburg, is called the ``pain-capable unborn child protection act.'' It would ban abortion starting at 20 weeks' gestation unless the pregnant woman is in danger of dying or faces ``serious risk of
It would ban abortion starting at 20 weeks' gestation unless the pregnant woman is in danger of dying or faces “serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment'' substantial and irreversible physical impairment.'' The standard gestation for a full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks. *House Concurrent Resolution 61, by Republican Reps. Andy Gipson of Braxton, William Tracy Arnold of Booneville and Chris Brown of Aberdeen and Demo-
cratic Rep. Tom Miles of Forest, is a proposed constitutional amendment that would define ``person'' as ``all human beings from conception to natural death.'' It is similar to a life-at-fertilization constitutional amendment rejected by 58 percent of voters last November, although it appears to address some concerns raised by opponents last year. The resolution says the new proposal could not be construed to prohibit invitro fertilization, life-saving medical procedures or ``contraceptives or other methods of birth control that do not kill a person.'' *Senate Concurrent Resolution 555, by Republican Sen. Joey Fillingane of Sumrall, is a proposed constitutional amendment that says it would be the policy of Mississippi to ``protect the life of every unborn child from conception to birth, to the extent permitted by the federal Constitution.'' Although Fillingane is proposing the conception-to-birth amendment, he told The Associated Press last week that he does not expect legislators to consider putting it on the ballot this year. He said he filed it simply as a placeholder in case some lawmakers want to debate it. -AP
Judge delays decision on Utah's immigration law SALT LAKE CITY: A federal judge said he will decide within the next few days whether to allow Utah's immigration enforcement law to go into effect or delay his decision until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a similar law in Arizona. If U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups decides to wait, the law created by House Bill 497 will remain on hold for about another six months. It was first blocked by Waddoups eight months ago, 14 hours after it went effect. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments about Arizona's contentious enforcement law in April and is expected to issue a ruling in June. Waddoups said that ruling could provide some guidance about the constitutionality of Utah's law, which would allow police to check the citizenship of anybody they arrest but doesn't require police to check the citizenship of everybody they encounter. Arguments during the lengthy and often technical hearing focused mostly on
whether the state was usurping federal authority over immigration. Civil rights groups also claim the law violates constitutional protections against unlawful searches and arrests. Waddoups pressured state at-
Arguments during the lengthy and often technical hearing focused mostly on whether the state was usurping federal authority over immigration. Civil rights groups also claim the law violates constitutional protections against unlawful searches and arrests torneys to explain how Utah can justify reaching beyond existing federal laws to make it a crime for an illegal immigrant to enter the state. U.S. Justice Department attorneys, meanwhile, were pressed about what would stop the state
from requesting information about a person's immigration status. Justice Department attorney Josh Wilkenfeld said Utah was attempting to trump federal law by mandating that police officers check the immigration status of anybody booked into jail. He said similar laws in four other states Arizona, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina have already been struck down by federal judges. ``Cooperation is on federal terms, not as the state defines it,'' Wilkenfeld said. Utah's law is much different than the Arizona measure because it gives more discretion to police officers and doesn't allow suspected illegal immigrants to be detained indefinitely, Utah Assistant Attorney General Barry Lawrence said. Instead, the law simply reflects existing federal law and is only meant to ensure that the state can account for criminals who are also illegal immigrants, he said. ``This is not anywhere as invasive as people fear,'' Lawrence said. ``The basic goal is to stop people from committing crimes in the state and quantify how many
of those crimes are being committed by illegal aliens.'' About 50 people protested the enforcement law outside of the courthouse, and one person was escorted from courtroom after he held up a sign opposing the law.
The Utah law, signed in March by Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, would require police to check the citizenship status of anyone arrested on suspicion of a felony or class-A misdemeanor, while giving authorities discretion to check the citizenship of The American Civil Liberties Union and National Immigration Law Center sued a week before Utah's law went into effect to stop the implementation of House Bill 497, saying it could lead to racial profiling. The Justice Department
joined the lawsuit in November, claiming the measure usurped federal authority. The Utah law, signed in March by Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, would require police to check the citizenship status of anyone arrested on suspicion of a felony or classA misdemeanor, while giving authorities discretion to check the citizenship of those stopped for traffic infractions and other lesser offenses. Class A misdemeanors include theft, negligent homicide and criminal mischief, while felonies range from aggravated burglary to rape and murder. Herbert has maintained the law will eventually be found constitutional. Utah lawmakers passed a package of immigration bills last year, including HB 497 and another bill that will allow illegal immigrants to live and work in the state if they haven't committed other crimes, have steady employment and pay taxes. That law takes effect in 2013 and the state is working with federal officials in an attempt to secure a waiver. -AP
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Lawmakers question USCIS adjudication process Cont’d from page 43
After that, as the Government Accountability Office noted, companies' petitions were no longer being approved at previous rates. And the "GST" decision was issued by the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office in July 2008. It provided a new framework for adjudicators when determining whether or not a petition meets certain L-1B visa requirements. Both those who support and oppose this AAO ruling can agree that it has had the natural result of increasing subsequent denial
rates in the L-1 category, Rep. Gallegly pointed out. "But whatever may be the cause for denial rates in a particular visa category for a particular year, USCIS's own data shows that the overall denial rate for nonimmigrant worker visas has fallen over 30 percent since President Obama took office in 2009, and that the approval rate for all kinds of immigrant benefits is at an all-time high of 91 percent," Rep. Gallegly continued in his statement. " There is never a legitimate reason to pressure adjudicators to
deny petitions where the beneficiary is eligible for the benefit. And there is never a legitimate reason to pressure adjudicators to approve petitions that do not meet the statutory requirements. But according to the Inspector General, some USCIS adjudicators do feel such pressure. That is why we are here today." Others who testified at the hearing were the DHS Inspector General, the president of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, which represents USCIS adjudicators and USCIS Director Ali Mayorkas.
Immigrants trickling back to Alabama despite law Cont’d from page 43
They sold their home in metro Birmingham and moved with their three young children to Chicago. But the couple, originally from Mexico and living in the U.S. without legal documents, also could not find work, and relatives told them people weren't being deported after traffic stops as some had feared. The family is staying with relatives and doesn't have their own place, and Flores remains ``a little scared'' of the law. But she said she was happy to be back. Flores had lived here for 15 years before the short move to Chicago, and her children are happier and her husband is back working construction jobs. ``I missed everything about it friends, family, the weather,'' Flores said. She knows two more families that left Alabama for Washington State only to return. Estela Fuentes said friends of hers moved to Atlanta because the law required that public schools verify the citizenship status of students, yet they returned late last month after learning courts had
put that section of the law on hold. The family was sad throughout its stay in Georgia, she said through a translator. ``One of their daughters cried and cried because she had no friends over there,'' said Fuentes, who is originally from El Salvador.
“The initial fear about the law was that people would literally be rounded up or you'd be stopped just for being Hispanic,'' said Ferreti. “That has not happened, but people are aware that racial profiling is going on if you are Hispanic” And while there are families returning, some officials say they haven't heard anything to suggest the numbers are huge. Zayne Smith, an immigration attorney with the nonprofit Alabama
Appleseed legal center in Montgomery, said she had been hearing that some people wanted to wait until after the 11th Circuit considers the case in March. State agriculture officials who say the new law led to a chronic shortage in agricultural labor said they haven't seen evidence of large numbers of immigrants returning to the state. Many immigrants worked in the state's poultry processing plants or out in tomato fields, planting and harvesting crops. Gwen Ferreti, a researcher and activist in the Hispanic community, said some immigrants remain wary but are coming back because of their deep ties to the state. ``The initial fear about the law was that people would literally be rounded up or you'd be stopped just for being Hispanic,'' said Ferreti, an anthropologist from the University of Texas who is living in Tuscaloosa, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Birmingham, for her studies. ``That has not happened, but people are aware that racial profiling is going on if you are Hispanic. They are still uneasy.'' -AP
PRADEEP ROY-SINGH B.A. LL.B. M.B.A. J.D. Attorney-at-Law
Former Assistant State s Attorney
Civil & Criminal Litigation Felonies, Misdemeanors, Inc DUI 1 Personal Injury, Business, Divorce etc. 1 Property Tax for Commercial Properties 1 1
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2335 W. Devon Ave., Suite 204, Tel: 773-381-1820 Chicago, IL 60659
Horoscope
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Your Weekly Future by Pandit Parashar
MARCH 2ND - MARCH 8TH (November 23 to December 22)
(March 21 to April 20)
D
Y
ecision will be hard to make as you will be torn between right and wrong but will ultimately make the correct choice. Mind will be relaxed and you will have a great week full of many exciting news. You may take family out for dinner few times this week. Valuable tips coming from totally unexpected places.
our actions will get instant and positive results. All reply will come in positive only. Mind will be relaxed and you will be happy with the progress. You will lay your hands on some real easy money this week. Value of stocks will appreciate too. You will be planning something exciting with children.
(April 21 to May 20)
(December 22 to January 19)
Y
ou will be traveling to a warm area for some business. It will be another fruitful week for brokers. You will gain edge over your opponents and victory also possible in ongoing legal matters. Your actions will make you more popular in community. You will receive some important leads from a very successful person.
T
here will be some interesting developments at work. A dream assignment or promotion is also possible. Too many bills will wipe out bank balance. It will be better to go for settlement rather than prolonging the issue. You will devote some time and money towards a charity. You will take family out for dinner also.
(May 21 to June 20)
(January 20 to February 18)
Y
A
ou will need to be more diplomatic in order to get out of current mess. Another good week for brokers as a big deal can close during the week. Hard work will not go waste as boss is making a note of everything. You will be devoting more time towards a child. You may make up your mind to get out of a relationship.
child may get accepted in a college out of town or state. You will come across few opportunities to make extra money. Value of your stocks will appreciate too. Eat meals on time in order to avoid trouble in stomach region. You may take family out to movies and dinner this week. Even positive changes in career will make you nervous.
(February 19 to March 20)
(June 21 to July 22)
E
M
ven positive changes will make you nervous. You may make an offer on a nice piece of property. Children will do well and may not need your help with home work any more. You will be invited to a social event this week. Cutting corners will help and you will see bank balance growing. Good advice coming from a matured person.
oney coming in plenty and from least expected place. It will be another good week for people in food, grocery or real estate business. Money will be spent on very good reasons. You will plan a short trip with children. You will continue to find good solutions to all problems big or small and may visit a holy place with family.
What the future holds for Basketball Wives stars
(July 23 to August 22)
T
here will be some delay but the outcome will be in your favor in legal matters. You may be getting ready for an upcoming long distance trip. Your courageous actions will confuse your opponents and they will decide not to bother you any more. You will also receive very good advice from couple of matured people. (August 23 to September 22)
E
ye sight may start to give trouble and you may need glasses. Job seekers will be called for second interview. Cutting corners will help and decrease liability. You may try to get in touch with a matured person to seek advice and guidance. Some of you may join a short term program to update your knowledge. (September 23 to October 22)
M
oney wise its a promising week and you will meet all financial commitments on time. Issues involving a property will settle this week. Spouse will become health conscious and make big change in diet. You will start to give more time to a child and help with home work. Response will come after little delay.
(October 23 to November 22)
D
o not make any impulsive move about career. It will be better to hold on to what you have. Financial pressure will increase and you may call some one for some legal advice. You may be assigned another project that requires intensive traveling. New strategy will bring down your expenses and liability.
C
elebrity astrologer Patty Kamson finds out what the future holds for our Basketball Wives stars. Patty Kamson says, "Jennifer Williams is a Virgo with an Aquarius Moon. This tells me that she is a thinker and can detach from her emotions and intellectually process what she may be feeling. Evelyn Lozada is ALL Sagittarius. She has no edit button and will say whatever is on her mind whatever is on her mind whether it's good, bad, or indifferent." She says, "These two Basketball Wives stars have many aspects in common in their astrological charts but there are a couple of aspects that can create a challenge. Evelyn has her Mercury in Capricorn, which can be calculation and Jennifer has her Mercury in Libra which does not like confrontation. The second is their Sun signs with Evelyn a Sagittarius and Jennifer a Virgo this is what I call a working relationship. It takes effort, especially for the Sagittarius." She doesn't think Evelyn Lozada believes in compromise. It's her way or the highway.
Pandit Parashar, CEO & COO Astro Scan USA is also available for individual consultations. He can be reached at: parashar@parashar.com
Jennifer Williams & Evelyn Lozada
Patty Kamson sees Evelyn and Jennifer patching things up to get along on the Basketball Wives show but will not be the best buddies that they were. Regarding relationships, Jennifer is prime for a new love in her life. In fact, she's in a positive dating cycle and will meet a special man this summer. Her new boyfriend may also be from another country. For Evelyn Lozada, she will be getting married this year to Chad Ochocinoc and it should be interesting.
925-833-7170
website: www.parashar.com
March 2, 2012
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Philosophy
India Post
March 2, 2012
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M
ASTER: "You were talking of worshipping the clay image. Even if the image is made of clay, there is need for that sort of worship. God Himself has provided different forms of worship. He who is the Lord of the Universe has arranged all these forms to suit different men in different stages of knowledge. "The mother cooks different dishes to suit the stomachs of her different children. Suppose she has five children. If there is a fish to cook, she prepares various dishes from it - pilau, pickled fish, fried fish, and so on - to suit their different tastes and powers of digestion. "Do you understand me?" M. (humbly): "Yes, sir. How, sir, may we fix our minds on God?" MASTER: "Repeat God's name and sing His glories, and keep holy company; and now and then visit God's devotees and holy men. The mind cannot dwell on God if it is immersed day and night in worldliness, in worldly duties and responsibilities; it is most necessary to go into solitude now and then and think of God. To fix the mind on God is very difficult, in the beginning, unless one practices meditation in solitude. When a tree is young it should be fenced all around; otherwise it
P. D. OUSPENSKY
I
f you practice observation for some time you may notice some strange things. For instance, you will find that what is really difficult in observing is that you forget about it. You start to observe, and your emotions connect with some kind of thought and you forget about self-observation. Again, after some time, if you continue this effort to observe, which is a new function not used in the same way in ordinary life, you will notice another interesting thing-that generally you do not remember yourself. If you could be aware of yourself all the time, then you would be able to observe all the time, or in any case as long as you liked. But because you cannot remember yourself, you cannot concentrate; and this is why you will have to admit that you have no will. If you could remember yourself, you would have will and could do what you liked. But you cannot remember yourself, you cannot be aware of yourself and so you have no will. You may sometimes have will for a short time, but it turns to something else and you forget about it. This is the situation, the state
may be destroyed by cattle. "To meditate, you should withdraw within yourself or retire to a secluded corner or to the forest. And you should always discriminate between the Real and the unreal. God alone is real, the Eternal Substance; all else is unreal, that is, impermanent. By discriminating thus, one should shake off impermanent objects from the mind."
Master's children as if they were her own. She even speaks of them as 'my Rama' or 'my Hari'. But in her own mind she knows very well that they do not belong to her at all. "The tortoise moves about in the water. But can you guess where her thoughts are? There on the bank, where her eggs are lying. "If you enter the world without first cultivating love for God,
you get butter. "Further, by meditating on God in solitude the mind acquires knowledge, dispassion, and devotion. But the very same mind goes downward if it dwells in the world. In the world there is only one thought: 'woman and gold'. "The world is water and the mind milk. If you pour milk into water they become one; you cannot find the pure milk any more.
Do your duty, but keep mind on God Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
‘If you enter the world without first cultivating love for God, you will be entangled more and more. You will be overwhelmed with its danger, its grief, its sorrows’
M. (humbly):"How ought we to live in the world?" MASTER: "Do all your duties, but keep your mind on God. Live with all - with wife and children, father and mother - and serve them. Treat them as if they were very dear to you, but know in your heart of hearts that they do not belong to you. "A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in her native village. She brings up her
you will be entangled more and more. You will be overwhelmed with its danger, its grief, its sorrows. And the more you think of worldly things, the more you will be attached to them. "But one must go into solitude to attain this divine love. To get butter from milk you must let it set into curd in a secluded spot; if it is too much disturbed, milk won't turn into curd. Next, you must put aside all other duties, sit in a quiet spot, and churn the curd. Only then do
But turn the milk into curd and churn it into butter. “Then, when that butter is placed in water, it will float. So, practice spiritual discipline in solitude and obtain the butter of knowledge and love. Even if you keep that butter in the water of the world the two will not mix. The butter will float. Excerpted from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by M. The 176th birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna will be observed on March 6
of being, the state from which we have to start self-study. But very soon, if you continue, you will come to the conclusion that almost from the very beginning of self-study you have to correct certain things in yourself which are not right, to arrange certain things which are not in their right places. The system has an explanation for this.
people explain to us what the third state of consciousness is, we begin to think that we have it. The third state can be called self-consciousness, and most people, if asked, say, 'Certainly we are conscious!' A sufficient time or repeated and frequent efforts of self-observation are necessary before we really recognize the fact that we are not con-
relative consciousness. The fourth state, which is called objective consciousness, is inaccessible to us because it can only be reached through self-consciousness, that is, by becoming aware of oneself first, so that much later we may manage to reach the objective state of consciousness. So, at the same time as self-
We can live in four states of consciousness If you could remember yourself, you would have will and could do what you liked. But you cannot remember yourself, you cannot be aware of yourself and so you have no will We are made in such a way that we can live in four states of consciousness, but such as we are we use only two: one when we are asleep, and the other when we are what we call 'awake'-that is to say, in this present state, when we can talk, listen, read, write and so on. But these are only two out of four possible states. The third state of consciousness is very strange. If
scious; that we are conscious only potentially. If we are asked, we say, 'Yes, I am', and for that moment we are, but the next moment we cease to remember and are not conscious. So in the process of self-observation we realize that we are not in the third state of consciousness, that we live only in two. We live either in sleep or in a waking state which, in the system, is called
P. D. OUSPENSKY
observing, we try to be aware of ourselves by holding the sensation of 'I am here'-nothing more. And this is the fact that all Western psychology, without the smallest exception, has missed. Excerpted from The Fourth Way The 134th birth anniversary of P.D. Ouspensky will be observed on March 5
Human life depends on breathing, which is a sign of disturbance in the universal equilibrium. The state of harmony can be reached by getting rid of this urge for movement. When one is in a state of perfect poise, there is no longer any need to breathe. Anandmayee Ma I experience pain and pleasure, attachment and bereavement just as you do. The only difference is that I don't try to shun pain and sorrow. I abandon myself to them without the least inhibition. -Jillelamudi Amma God is always working through you; the important thing is to become conscious and co-operate. -Mother Meera If the many and the One be indeed the same Reality, then it is not all modes of worship alone, but equally all modes of work, all modes of struggle, all modes of creation, which are paths of realization. -Sister Nivedita Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa
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China's leadership dilemma: development or environment? GUNJAN SINGH
T
he Chinese economy has been developing at a tremendous pace for the last three decades. The level of growth has been touching almost double digit figures. In 2010 China surpassed Japan and became the number two economy in the world. It also managed to lift a large number of its people out of poverty, a feat which is quite praise worthy. Apart from this it has also been developing its military capabilities at a break neck pace. However, this is just one side of the development story. There has been a consistent increase in the environmental degradation, especially water pollution as the regional and provisional governments have been flouting the norms in order to push economic development. This is primarily because it is numbers and growth figures which matter most for the party and especially the provisional leaders when it comes to promotion within the party apparatus. Albeit in the changing circumstance, some developments in the Chinese society are threatening the control of the CCP. In a shocking incident in the southern Chinese city of Hechi, cadmium was released in the Longjiang River, as reported by the Xinhua. According to other media reports, "cadmium pollution in the upper Longjiang River posed a potential threat to the water supply in the downstream city of Liuzhou, which has 3.7 million residents. Cadmium is a highly toxic heavy metal used in batteries, electroplating and industrial paints. Exposure can lead to fatal liver and kidney damage." According to China Daily, 'the level of cadmium was almost 80 times higher than the safer limit.' After the incident, media reports suggest that seven people have been arrested in connection with this incident, and all happened to be executives in chemical companies around the region. According to one official in the Ministry of Water Resources, Chen Mingzhong (quoted in China.org) "Water pollution is very serious in China now. Only about 46 per cent of the 178,000 kilometers of key rivers and lakes monitored by the ministry are up to standard on quality." According
to a 2010 CNN World report 40 per cent of Chinese people are concentrated in the north which is primarily a dry region. It further added that 250,000 people were short of clean drinking water. What is surprising about these incidents is that the government always becomes proactive only after the damage is done. The major problem which China is facing is one where there is a need to balance environmental issues with development. There is a developing tendency in the CCP to push for development at any cost, pri-
ChinaĂs pollution problem
marily because they need the economic growth in order to sustain themselves in power. However if these kind of accidents and negligence continue to happen they might prove to be a major threat to the party's hold on power as there is an increase in the discontent amongst the masses. The sustained increase in the
‘Water pollution is very serious in China now. Only about 46 per cent of the 178,000 kilometers of key rivers and lakes monitored by the ministry are up to standard on quality’ number of protests and demonstrations is a clear indication of this trend. The sheer negligence towards the health and life of the people is also affecting the overall 'image' of the party. The Chinese people are increasingly feeling 'ignored' due to the cost of development. Thus this thin line
between fast pace economic development and environmental degradation is becoming a twosided sword for the party. If they decide to slow down growth it will affect the overall economic situation and may affect the livelihood of the people and lead to further domestic problems. On the other hand, if the government decides to continue the level of growth it affects the people health and environment and thus leads to more antagonism. It leads to further quandaries on what might happen if a number of regions suffer from environmental pollution and degradation at the same time and there is a rise of simultaneous people's movement? Will the CCP be able to sustain itself and will blaming the lower level officials suffice. Till date the central leadership has done damage control by blaming the lower level leaders as being corrupt, inefficient and greedy. However the more these problems continue to persist in addition to the other problems which the Chinese society is facing (primarily, increasing unemployment, rising income inequalities, poor education and healthcare) it may be not be long before that the Chinese people start questioning the legitimacy of the party and the central leadership and start pushing for alternative system of governance. The gravity of situation is clear to the CCP; the larger question is will the CCP choose to ignore or address it? According to China Daily, "Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged to unwaveringly push forward opening-up and reform in the face of current challenges and difficulties, while calling for protection of farmers' rights to vote to improve rural community administration." A clear indication that there is a growing concern within the leadership because of the rise of discontent among the people. If the CCP fails to come up with concrete solutions for the existing problems it may destabilize the party's hold in future. The writer is Research assistant, IDSA. Courtesy IPCS
India Post Reform focus
E
xperts watching the lethargic functioning of the Indian government have been calling out for reforms in almost every field of government activity, viz health, education, infrastructure, power, water, land acquisition etc. Even a US official recently said that commercial relations between India and his country are 'hindered' due to the poor infrastructure of Indian ports. It seems the Indian government is at last taking the message seriously. It is going out of its way to reform the Election Commission, the media, the internet networking sites and all those who question its poor performance. But nothing compares its zeal to "reform" the Election Commission which has been pulling up senior Congress functionaries and ministers for violation of the Model Conduct Code during the ongoing elections to four states. Even Union Law Minister Salman Khursheed has been found violating the code by repeatedly promising a quota for Muslims while campaigning for his wife, who is a candidate in the UP assembly elections. Even though the minister has officially apologized to the Election Commission, he has been quietly working to curb its powers by virtue of the position he holds in the government. In a "secret" agenda note for the meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) on corruption, the secretary of the legislative department has been asked to report on the "progress" made in the matter of giving "statutory shape" to the "executive instructions" of the Election Commission. As pointed out in an Indian Express report, if the government's move is carried through, violations of the model code of conduct will go out of the purview of the EC and will be tried in courts. Reacting to this move, Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi said, "Once courts get the power to adjudicate whether a politician has committed breach of the model conduct code (MCC), the matter will go on for years while the culprit will enjoy the fruits of power." He also lamented that the EC is a healthy feature of our democracy, "something that many countries are trying to emulate. But, here, sadly, we are trying to destroy it." At least three union ministers have denied that such a move is being considered. But the agenda note reproduced by the Indian Express gives a lie to the ministers' claims. If such lies and subterfuge is being resorted to at a top level meeting supposedly called to discuss measures on curbing corruption, the insincerity of the government on such an important issue agitating the minds of people has been exposed. And this is not all. The "reforms" focus of the government has gone all awry. Instead of seriously tackling the obvious shortcomings in governance, it is now wanting to reform the media which has been exposing its misdeeds. Censorship is being sought to be imposed on the social networking sites through court cases to shut out adverse comments on the government. A team of Government officials has been sent abroad to learn how to tackle the media when movements such as the Anna Hazare led agitation against corruption got extraordinary coverage. Even though heading a minority government, depending for survival everyday on the support of its allies, the arrogance of the government's ministers such as Salman Khursheed is unbelievable. The credibility of the Central government has become so low that even its initiative for a National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) has met with huge opposition from the states. They suspect that in the name of terrorism, the new organization will harass people considered inconvenient by the Central government, which in effect they see as a Congress government. Their fears may be unfounded but the history of Congress governments' functioning does not leave any ground for hope.
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