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Prof JagdeepChhokar

IIM Ahmedabad (Retd.)

Founder Member,

National Election Watch, Association for Democratic

Reforms

+91 99996 20944

‏Verified account @nw_nicholas

Prof TrilochanSastry

IIM Bangalore

Founder Member,

National Election Watch,

Association for Democratic Reforms

+91 94483 53285

trilochans@iimb.ernet.in

—

Association for Democratic Reforms

T-95, C.L. House, 2nd Floor,
(Near Gulmohar Commercial Complex)
Gautam Nagar
New Delhi-110 049

M: +91 8010394248

T: +91 11 41654200

F: 011 4609 4248

Eubiq India, No short Circuit, No fire, No wire, No Eddy current

ON APRIL 18, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Designed in Singapore, Eubiq is the only electrical system in the world that have won multiple design & innovation awards. The list includes Singapore President Design Award, International Design Excellence Award(IDEA) & many more.

Eubiq India Pvt. Ltd in service of health care

We thank you for the support and the opportunities that you have provided us during the last several years and we do hope our paths cross again and again in future. Yong Choon from Eubiq is out to literally “empower” the employees – by redesigning the way the whole office obtains its electricity.Design for Work

We spend so much of our adult waking hours in the office. Yet, a well-designed workspace that enhances productivity and user comfort is often a bonus instead of the norm.To beat the daily grind, an architect, a graphic designer and industrial engineer have set out to reinvent the workplace.

For Healthcare Industry, we manufacture “BedHead Panels” which is now manufactured & assembled in India (Under Make In India Vision ) now our Bed Head Panels are very much cost effective.

In Last 15 Months we have successfully executed more than 20 projects across india and installed over 3000 bed head panels. Below are some of the hospitals projects we have successfully completed :

1. Believers Church Medical College Hospital ,Thiruvalla, Kerala.

2. Shalby Hospital , Indore

3. Asian Bariatrics & Cosmetics , Ahemdabad

4. Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, Bengaluru

5. Manipal Hospital , Bangalore

6. Apollo Hospitals, Gandhi Nagar , Gujarat

7. Apollo Hospitals, city centre , Ahmedabad

8. CHARUSAT Hospital , Changa , Gujarat

9. SAL hospital , Ahmedabad

10. Sunshine Hospitals , Secunderabad, Telangana

11. Yashoda Hospitals , Hyderabad

12. Shanti Mukand Hospital , New Delhi

13. Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai

14. Gleneagles Khubchandani , Mumbai

15. Command Hospital , Udhampur

16. CIMS Hospital , Ahmedabad

17. The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) , New Delhi

18. VARDHMAN MAHAVIR MEDICAL COLLEGE & SAFDARJUNG HOSPITAL , New Delhi

We request you to give us an opportunity to meet you in person for product presentation and to discuss our aggressive price plan for upcoming project in India.

We would appreciate if we setup a meeting which will be at a convenient time for you.

Looking forward to hear you at your convenience.

With Regards,

Eubiq (India) Private Limited

Eubiq (India) Private Limited (Registered Office)

LGF-1(Lower Ground Floor), Building No-2

Sector 17 & 18 Dividing Road

Next to Pasco Body Shop

Gurgaon-122001, Haryana

India

Contact Person:

Mr. Saurabh Saggar

Tel:+91 124-4233816

Mobile:+91 9971155003

Email:saggar@eubiqindia.com

Eubiq (India) Private Limited (Ahemdabad Branch Office)

B711, Titanium City Center,

Next to Sachin Tower , 100ft Anand Nagar Road,
Satellite , Ahmedabad 380015
Gujarat

Mr. Saurabh Saggar

Tel:+91 124-4233816

Mobile:+91 9971155003

Email:saggar@eubiqindia.com

TREMENDOUS SALE OF GOLD TODAY ON AKSHYA TRITIYA

ON APRIL 18, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

GOLD TRADE RECORD 25% INCREASE IN BUSINESS TODAY

During current wedding season having Akshya Tritiya today people across Country made extensive purchase of gold not only in major towns but even in semi-urban and rural areas as well treating Akshya Tritiya a pious day for purchasing gold. According to an estimate of the Confederation of All India Traders(CAIT) the gold sale today record an increase of about 20 to 25 percent business in comparison to other days. Since morning people thronged jewellery shops across Country. In last ten years traders made good business on Akshya Tritiya today. Gold quoted Rs 32200 per ten grams & Silver stands at Rs 40100 per kg today.

CAIT Secretary General Mr Praveen Khandelwal said that in a period ten years from 2008 to 2018, there is an increase of 166% in gold prices which indicates the fact that people still believe Gold as a most reliable and secure investment. It’s a currency of the world which can be encased anytime across globe and therefore it remains an attraction for investments always.

Mr Pankaj Arora, National Convenor of Jewellers Federation of India said that as per an estimate today gold sale was of about Rs 2000 crore as against Rs 1400 crore per day. In past ten years people have become more inclined towards purchase of gold . Previously it was restricted to Metropolitan cities but with change of time it has extended to Metro cities and small towns and large number of shops have opened across Country. He further said that purity campaign of the Govt has contributed much in pursuing People to opt for gold purchase and that is why now people prefer to purchase Hallmark gold.

Mr Khandelwal said that Govt should promote Gold Stock Insurance Scheme among traders and on the other hand schemes like Gold Metal Loan should be more intensified and small traders should be given representation in Gold Board.

Launch of International Gender Equality Day

ON APRIL 18, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Launch of

International Gender Equality Day

&

Oxxy Girl Child Development Program

Rs.11,000 Fixed Deposit for Every Girl Child Born In India

International Gender Equality Day and Oxxy Girl Child Development Program were launched today in New Delhi, India in the presence of representatives from different countries like Brazil, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Pakistan, Guyana, Ethiopia, Republic of Korea, Maldives etc.; professionals from multinational companies like Alibaba, Amazon, Microsoft, PwC, Pepsi and members from organisations like World Parliament & WFIT were also present.The event took place in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi

Oxxy, the Largest Healthcare Network in India, offered a solution to combat the problem of Gender Inequality in the country by facilitating “Rs. 11,000 Fixed Deposit to every Girl Child born in India”*.

The launching of “International Gender Equality Day” and “Oxxy Girl Child Development Program” and a day long conference held at Vigyan Bhawan demonstrated through concrete evidences and data the pervasive nature of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. Discussions were held on topics like Equal Economic Opportunities, Gender Mainstreaming, Reservation for Women and Violence Against Women.

The panels examined issues related to gender inequality and shared ideas on best practices for reducing the gap. Topics of gender based reservation and measures needed to prevent violence against women were raised. They formulated recommendations to increase women’s participation on national level, sharing fair practices and empowering women to increase their economic participation.

Despite progress in the last few years, it is estimated that countries around the world still have some discriminatory laws in their legal framework. These range from laws that prevent basic rights like education, right to work, dressing up or driving a car. The conference was focused on highlighting inequalities and challenges faced by women; identifying gaps and opportunities for gender equality in 2030 agenda for a progressive and healthier world.

Abhay Deol along with the cast of ‘Nanu Ki Jaanu’ in New Delhi

ON APRIL 18, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Abhay Deol along with the cast of ‘Nanu Ki Jaanu’ witnessed in New Delhi for promotions!

Nanu Ki Jaanu: An upcoming Horror comedy flick is near to its releasing day, 20th April 2018. Therefore, the leading actor of the film Abhay Deol along with actress Patralekha was witnessed in Nation’s Capital for its promotions. Along with them the director of the film Faraz Haider and Manu Rishi was also present to grace the press conference which was held in PVR Plaza at Connaught Place.

Talking about the movie with media peeps, the entire enthusiastic cast shared several thoughts and views for the same. On asking Abhay about the movie as well as his connection with Delhi, he stated, “Delhi is a second home for me, not personally but yes I have always been here for my work. My most of the movies are shot here. I have many great memories. Delhi people always welcomed me warmly.” About the film he added, “Nanu Ki jaanu was also shot in Delhi. It’s a great film. And I am confident that people will like this horro comic concept. It’s quite a mass film, with a friendly concept. Being a mixture of horro and comedy Nanu Ki Jaanu is really tragic and funny.”

On the other hand, the leading lady Patralekha seemed confident about the same, on asking about her experience, she added, “I chose this film because I am myself portraying ghost. This movie follows a great script, specially a story of a lovable ghost. I really had lot of fun with the entire team while working for this film.” Whereas, director of the movie Faraz Haider told media, “Yes the concept of the film is supernatural, but the entire film is realistic. You will also find emotional impact in it. Along with horror moreover you will laugh while watching Nanu Ki Jaanu. I am sure people will like this film.”

Well, the movie is a remake of 2014 Tamil movie Pisaasu. Featured under the banner of PVR Pictures and Inbox Pictures Pvt. Ltd., Nanu Ki Jaanu is written by Manu Rishi and produced by PVR Pictures, Sajid Qureshi. It also stars Brijendra Kala, Manu Rishi, Rajesh Sharma, Himani Shivpuri along with Sapna Choudhary as special appearance for trackTere Thumke Sapna Choudhary.

Philip May’s Company Benefits From the Syria Strikes

ON APRIL 18, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Philip May now works as an investment relationship manager for the Capital Group.

Capital Group has amassed over 360,000 shares in the company, up over 11 percent on the previous quarter, which may have contributed to a hefty rise in BAE’s share price, which currently stands at around 600p.

Philip May’s Capital Group was linked to the Paradise Papers scandal in 2017. News and current affairs magazine, Private Eye, suggested at the time that Philip May’s company used offshore law firm Appleby to devise investments in tax havens.

When asked at the time of the scandal about her husband’s role, a spokesperson for the UK PM told reporters: “Mr May is involved in the development of Capital Group’s retirement solutions. He is not an investor but consults with other Capital associates on retirement products and solutions for clients.”

Philip May, husband of the UK prime minister, works for a company that is the largest shareholder in arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, whose share price has soared since the recent airstrikes in Syria.

Capital Groups ties with the American global aerospace, defence, security, and advanced technologies company, now called Lockheed Martin, are as strong as ever. Currently, Capital Group owns around 10.39 percent of Lockheed Martin. So, while UK Prime Minister Theresa May supports Trump and Macron’s military action in Syria, she is also helping her husband’s investment firm to make a killing.

The Syria air strikes that took place on 14th April, 2018 saw the debut of a new type of cruise missile developed by the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

The JASSM was produced at a Lockheed Martin plant in Troy, Alabama, and has a low radar cross-section that makes it difficult to detect. The air-launched cruise missile is designed to penetrate as far as 200 miles into enemy territory. The extended version, which destroyed the Barzah Research and Development Center located in the greater Damascus area, can fly more than 500 miles.

The Pentagon suggested after the raids that 17 of the 19 JASSM’s, fired from B-1B bombers outside Syrian air space, were effective.

Capital Group, another entity is also the second-largest shareholder in Lockheed Martin – a US military arms firm that supplies weapons systems, aircraft and logistical support. Its shares have also rocketed since the missile strikes last week.

Many believe, BAE Systems has done very well out of the UK-US-France allied airstrikes on Syria, which were sanctioned by Theresa May. It has been reported that the UK’s contribution to military strikes was to fire eight ‘Storm-Shadow’ missiles at an alleged chemical weapons facility, each of which cost £790,000 ($1.13 million) – totaling £6.32 million ($9 million). The missiles were manufactured by BAE Systems.

FCA refuse to investigate #HSBCfraud. May’s husband’s company is a major shareholder in HSBC.Theresa May’s husband’s company (Capital Research & Management co.) is also a major shareholder in HSBC, as well as its clients BAE Systems.

Media agencies

Visual Politics of the (New) Silk Road

ON APRIL 18, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

CPR Invite

Apr

CPR is pleased to invite you to a public talk on
Re(b)ordering the World: Visual Politics of the (New) Silk Road
Prof Marina Kaneti, Phd, Fellow, China India Scholar-Leaders Initiative, India China Institute, The New School, New York

Wednesday, 25 April 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

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About the talk:

At a time of “thickening” of borders across the West, is there an “opening” of borderlands and territories in the East? In replicating the land and maritime connections of the ancient Silk Road, is the Belt Road Initiative (一带一路) bound to reshape our understanding of territory, space, and mobility?

In this talk, Prof Kaneti shares her preliminary research on the ways in which the symbolic use of images of the Silk Road serve a dual purpose: to generate a vision for global interconnectivity and affirm the legitimacy of the Belt Road Initiative (BRI). Using an interpretative analysis of maps, public slogans, and museum exhibits, the speaker argues that visual representations of the (new) Silk Road redefine understandings of modernity and prosperity, center and periphery, inclusion and exclusion.

About the speaker:

Professor Kaneti’s main specialisation is in global politics and political theory, with a thematic focus on migration, state policies and economic development. She received her PhD from the New School for Social Research, USA in 2016; and was the recipient of the 2016 Hannah Arendt Dissertation Award. She also holds an MPhil in political theory from the New School, as well as MS in Social Enterprise Administration and BA in East Asian Studies from Columbia University. Marina recently accepted a tenure track Assistant Professor in Global Studies position at the Grand Valley State University in West Michigan. She’s also China India Scholar-Leaders Fellow at the India China Institute, The New School, New York.

Her current research studies the intersection between trade agreements, migrants’ networks, and urbanisation dynamics in the context of the Chinese New Silk Road, also known as the Belt-Road initiative. She will be spending the summer researching the “Belt” part of the Silk Road. Her most recent publications include “(Re)branding the state: border control and the moral imperative of state sovereignty”, co-authored with Mariana Assis in Social Research (2016) and “Mêtis, Migrants, and the Autonomy of Migration” in Citizenship Studies (2015).

Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org

There’s No Consistent Measuring System For Space, And It’s Hurting Astronomy

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

There’s No Consistent Measuring System For Space, And It’s Hurting Astronomy

One physicist has a proposal for fixing this.

MICHELLE STARR

18 APR 2018

There’s something sorely lacking in the scientific fields of astronomy and astrophysics. As it turns out, we’re still lacking logical consistency in how we measure what goes on in space.

Writing for the journal Astronomy & Geophysics, retired physics professor Keith Atkin of the University of Sheffield says that our current global “system” – if one can even call it that – is an absolute omnishambles (paraphrasing).

“Many of the units used by practising astronomers constitute an unfortunate confusion of imperial, old CGS (centimetre-gram-second), SI, together with a number of entirely redundant units peculiar to astronomy,” he writes.

If you follow space news at all, you’ll probably be familiar with the measurement mayhem.

Most of the world tends to use SI (the International System of Units) or metric units for day-to-day life – based on litres, grams, metres, and Celsius or Kelvin.

However, the US is still using Imperial measurements, such as ounces, fluid ounces, feet and miles, and Fahrenheit.

“The US,” Atkin notes, “represents about 4 percent of the population of the Earth.”

The UK is also problematic – the country is undergoing a long, slow conversion to metric, which means that while schools teach the metric system, the imperial system is still well in practical use.

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“Students who have learned their physics using SI units and start to take an interest in astronomy will, on joining an astronomical society, commonly find people talking about “six-inch” telescopes or hear enthusiastic descriptions of spacecraft travelling at “thousands of miles per hour’,” says Atkin.

“Professional astronomers are not immune to this muddle as the astronomical unit (au), the light-year (ly), and the parsec (pc) are widely regarded as respectable and useful.

“In actuality, these units are redundant and serve no useful purpose. My bête noire is the megaparsec – a clumsy and ugly fusion of an SI prefix and a non-SI unit.”

This means there’s mental effort involved in trying to think and conduct experiments in another system, or learning to convert on the fly – effort that could be better spend on other pursuits.

But it can cause other problems, too – for every new calculation introduced to a work, there’s another opportunity for an error to be made, no matter how simple the calculation might be.

And if equipment is involved, that can be costly.

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This was spectacularly demonstrated in 1999, when NASA lost a $125 million Mars orbiter partially due to a conversion mishap, using Imperial measurements when the Lockheed engineering team who built the spacecraft had used SI.

Atkin proposes that we make a move to basing all astronomical distance measurements on the metre, using the SI prefix system, and speed measurements as kilometres per second.

Mass could also be expressed in kilograms instead of using the mass of the Sun, also known as Solar masses or M⊙, as a baseline.

This would be easy to standardise. The megametre (106 metres) could be used for planetary scales, the gigametre (109 metres) and the terametre (1012 metres) within the Solar System, the petametre (1015 metres) and exametre (1018 metres) for inside the Milky Way, and the zettametre (1021 metres) and yottametre (1024 metres) for the farthest distances.

Likewise, the Sun’s weight could be expressed, albeit using a currently unofficial prefix, as 1.98 besagrams – that’s 1033 grams.

As with all changes of this nature, it may be difficult to implement – and certainly very time consuming.

“As a colleague recently observed: ‘Andromeda will be a good deal closer to the Solar System than it is now, before we read of its distance in zettametres’,” Atkin writes.

“However, even if only some of these changes can be made, this will surely benefit understanding and communication within astronomical circles and between astronomy and related sciences.”

The paper has been published in Astronomy & Geophysics.

Monaco symbolize fine art of hospitality

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

With truly exceptional luxury hotels by the sea in french riviera, the Principality of Monaco, continues to symbolize fine art of hospitality and irresistible charm, offering, better than ever experiences for every guest!

With the most iconic hotels, the seaside destination is a constant favourite amongst the travellers from the world. From Palatial Hotels like Hotel de Paris, Hotel Hermitage and Metropole Hotel to Luxe Hotels including Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, Fairmont Monte Carlo, Hotel Port Palace, Monte Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort, Le Meridien Beach Plaza, Columbus Monte-Carlo and Novotel Monte Carlo; offer hospitality that is sure to leave you mesmerized with effortless opulence and comfort.

To experience a majestic holiday for cherishing memories, Hotel de Paris has redesigned and laid a benchmark for Diamond Suites, with exceptional elegance each having wide-eyed and unparalleled views of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. These spacious Diamond suites, with modern touch, marble and brass furnishings, seamlessly, add to the classic French decors. Hotel de Paris continues to pamper your senses with timeless architecture, such that, you end up falling in love with the Seaside luxury even more.

A symbol of luxury and charm, the Suite Carré d’Or at the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, offers a very unique experience. Located on the top floor, the exceptional apartment composes a spacious living room, large bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and voluminous marble and gold bathroom. An amazing private terrace offers unrivaled views of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, its gardens and the Mediterrane n Sea.

Monaco is the epitome of pure relaxation with a unique selection of suites with hi-end Jacuzzis and balmy wellness mantras. Whether it’s an intimate family get-together or a romantic holiday with your partner, the Double Sunshine Suite at the Monte Carlo Beach Hotel welcomes you from March to October. The quite yet tranquil, Sun Lounge offers you a luxurious haven to sunbathe in complete serenity. For a deep relaxation experience, the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo awaits your stay in Hotel Hermitage. Ease yourself in the heated seawater pools with hammam and sauna or just opt for the special beauty corner “The Salon bleu”.

Hotels in Monaco are blessed with luxurious settings beyond what you can imagine! With seven storeys built on the sea, the Fairmont Monte-Carlo Hotel is designed with the ethos of a luxury Mediterranean Cruise, its interior design delivers plenty of natural light and ocean views at every corner. A stay here is so unique that you might never find a reason enough to venture out! Ideally located in the centre of the Principality is the Novotel Monte-Carlo, offering contemporary setting, combining modernity, simplicity, comfort and well-being. With approximately 200 rooms Novotel Monte-Carlo is most suited for shimmering views of the Harbour and the famous Rock of Monaco. Take a step away from the casinos and shopping galleries and step into Hotel Port Palace. What can be better way to immerse yourself into the luxurious stay at “Grand Corner Suite”, 5 grand suites perfectly designed for a family getaway. You can also choose to revel at Hotel Le Meridien Beach Plaza, featuring the suites with contemporary designs and spectacular views from the private balcony are ideal for taking a feel of sun downers or simply enjoying a moment of magic. Equally exceptional are the Riviera suites of the Columbus Monte-Carlo.

Let yourself indulge in the cosy vibe and luminous queen size beds for an instant feel of the French Riviera, beyond the seas.

Monaco is a country with breathtaking views, luxurious hotels, glamorous lifestyle and a plethora of indulgent activities to make sure your holiday experience is every bit as memorable as youve imagined.

***

While in Monaco…experience the ongoing top events, popular in Monte Carlo and far beyond its frontiers!




Spring Arts Festival The distinct taste for the diversity of artistic expression, symphonic music, recitals, opera, film projection, theater, poetry, dance performances, with the greatest artists.The event contributes to making the Principality a place of choice in springtime, for all those that arts and music bring together. (16th March to 29th April 2018)		Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 11 courts, 8 days of play, 100,000 spectators and 56 champions who battle it out on Monegasque soil (14th April to 22nd April 2018)

***

About Monaco
Welcome to Monaco. A Riviera Gem. An international cultural center for ballet, opera, music, theatre and exhibitions. A place where great minds meet for business at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. Experience heart-stopping sports action at Monaco’s F1 Grand Prix and Tennis Masters and at the tables of the Casino de Monte-Carlo… or retreat to our luxurious spas (Les Thermes Marin, ESPA, Les Cinq Mondes, Willow Stream). World-class hotels (including the Hotel de Paris, Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo, Fairmont Monte Carlo, Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel, Le Meridien Beach Plaza, Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel, Port Palace Monaco and the Hotel Hermitage) host the world’s most discerning guests.

Press Contact:
Ruma Gupta | Public Relations Manager
Monaco Government Tourist Authority | TRAC Representations India Pvt. Ltd. |+91 11 23730136 | pr@tracrep.com

To download highres image just click on image

T-Series Stageworks ‘CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE’

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

PRESS INVITATION

INVITE: Att. the Prestigious Launch of upcoming venture of T-Series Stageworks ‘CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE’ Guests: Tulsi Kumar, Khushali Kumar, Mrs Sudesh Kumari, M K Raina, Sanjay Vidyarthi, Nayanika Chatterjee, Gaurav Ghawri & more other prominent personalities At 1:30 Pm on 20th April 2018 (Friday) @ A- Block Administrative building, Campus 1, Galgotias College of Engineering & Technology, Knowledge Park-2, Greater Noida

T-Series Stageworks cordially invites you to attend the Launch & to share with you the uniqueness of their upcoming venture.

‘CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE’

(Having made the journey of many young aspirants at T-Series StageWorks from Students to Stars, now its time for search of finding raw talent to grass root level and that is how after successfully unflagging its first Centre of Excellence in MMU, Ambala, T-Series StageWorks launching its second Centre of Excellence in Galgotias University, Greater Noida.)

To be addressed by:

Tulsi Kumar (renowned Singer/Director T-Series StageWorks)
Khushali Kumar (Eminent Fashion Designer, Model turned actress)
Mrs. Sudesh Kumari (Managing Director T-Series)
M K Raina (popular Theatre professional & Bollywood actor)
Sanjay Vidyarthi (Music Director)
Nayanika Chatterjee (Super Model)
Gaurav Ghawri (Winner of TV Dance Reality Show)

And more other prominent personalities!

Time: 1:30 pm

Date: 20th April 2018 (Friday)

Venue: A- Block Administrative building, Campus 1, Galgotias College of Engineering & Technology, Knowledge Park-2, Greater Noida

“27th Shukla Day Coin Fair 2018”

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

www.mintageworld.com: World’s 1st Online museum for Ancient & Current Coins, Stamps & Currency Notes participates in the “27th Shukla Day Coin Fair 2018” at The Expo Center, World Trade Center from 20th to 22nd April 2018 with more than 500 new & interesting offerings

Visitors, Collectors & Hobbyists will get detailed information and a virtual access to more than 81,500 Coins, 2300 Currency Notes & 5000 stamps from Worldwide at the :www.mintageworld.com site
Tailor made individual albums of Currency Notes from 16 different countries, An exclusive album of a collection of Currency notes from 25 different countries of Asia & A detailed collection of 100 notes from 31 different countries in the world will also be available at nominal rates at the fair
Various historical rare Coins ranging from Ancient, Medieval, Colonial India and of ancient Roman Empire in Individual Coin Cards with the original coin, its make, ruler, denomination weight & a brief history will also be available for sale at an affordable cost
A wide range of accessories for Coins (Albums, Capsules, Holders, Sheets, Binders), Currency Notes ( Album, Box, Sleeves, Pockets) & Stamps (Stockbooks ,Ring Binders, Protective stock sheets) and many more of various sizes & combinations can be bought at the fair by the collectors to preserve & restore their valuable collections
www.mintageworld.com is the first Online Coins, Currency notes & Stamps museum with free access by registration and has currently more than 1,32,000 members & 4,13,504 facebook followers globally & all the above mentioned products can be ordered Online from the site as per your convenience

Mumbai,April 19th ,2018: Launched with an objective to impart and share knowledge and create interest for general public, students, scholars, collectors, hobbyists, buyers, sellers & investors. It’s being initiated with a purpose of reintroducing the joy and fun of coins, currency notes & stamps collection to the current millennial & youth in India & globally.

www.mintageworld.com is a wonderful way to educate contemporary India and the world about theirrich historical heritage, tradition & culture. This online museum imparts rare information such as detailed catalogue of global stamps, coins and currency notes all under one roof. Fascinating & interesting history section on coin issuing authorities, dynasties and rulers is one of the major highlight of this site.

The sole vision behind this initiative is to provide a single point of access to seek and share information and knowledge of these three fields along with its global updates. It brings together experts and researchers to share their experience with the lovers of these rare collectibles. This initiative will help reemphasize the glorious history, arts and cultural legacy of India and put our country on the global map of collectors.

What makes Mintage World credible is that it has a strong team of in-house researchers, experts & curators with decades of experience in this sector. Every bit of information on it is thoroughly cross verified with the best reference materials & technology available. Mintage World has a strong team and the implementation of the latest technology solutions for verifying and collating authentic information for this one-of-its-kind digital platform.

Every coin in this online museum is uploaded with well curated important aspect like mintmarks, inscription details, emperor, weight, metal, denomination, date of issue etc. Similarly you would also find crucial insights of stamps like the issue date, type of stamp, perforation, value etc. Information about notes is updated with signatory details, motif description, denomination, date of issue, type of note etc. Apart from that, the news section that keeps you updated with the most recent happenings, latest releases and topical news from worldwide along with the respective images in all the 3 sectors. A Unique event calendar gives you prior notifications about the various events, auctions, seminars and forums held worldwide in this sector.

Collectors & Hobbyists can also get their prestigious collections photographed by us in a high definition studio setup, which they in turn can upload in their profile in a “ My Collection” section for their peers to watch and compare. One can also order Birthday Notes & Lucky Notes for themselves as well as for gifting. Insightful books on Bank Notes & Coins from eminent experts can also be ordered from www.mintageworld.com online

ADR: Crime against women

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Analysis of MPs/MLAs with Declared Cases Related to Crimes against Women

Dear friends,

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch have analyzed4845 out of 4896 election affidavits of current MPs and MLAs. It includes 768 out of 776 affidavits of MPs and 4077 out of 4120 MLAs from all the states of India.

For complete report with details of IPC sections related to crimes against women declared by sitting Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha MPs and Members of Legislative Assemblies, please refer to: https://adrindia.org/content/analysis-mpsmlas-declared-cases-related-crimes-against-women-1

Summary and Highlights

Out of 1580(33%) MPs/ MLAs analysed with declared criminal cases, 48 have declared cases related to crimes against women.

Among these 48 MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to Crimes s against women, 45 are MLAs and 3 are MPs.

327 candidates analysed who had declared cases related to crimes against women, were given tickets by recognized political parties.

118 independent candidates analysed with declared cases related to crimes against women had contested for Lok/Rajya and state assembles’ elections in last 5 years.

Among these candidates, 40 candidates were given tickets by parties for Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha elections. Various recognized parties have given tickets to 287 candidates with cases related to crimes against women for state assemblies’ elections.

In the last 5 years, 18 independent candidates with declared cases related to crimes against women contested in the Lok Sabha/ Rajya Elections. Similarly, 100 independent candidates with declared cases related to crimes against women contested in the state assemblies’ elections.

Among the states, Maharashtra has the highest number of MPs/ MLAs i.e. 12, followed by West Bengal with 11 , Odisha and Andhra Pradesh each with 5 MPs/MLAs who have declared cases related crimes against women.

· Among the states in the last 5 years, Maharashtra has the highest number of candidates i.e. 65, followed by Bihar with 62 and West Bengal with 52 candidates who were given tickets by political parties even though they have declared cases related to crimes against women in their affidavits.

· Among various recognized parties, BJP has the highest number of MPs/ MLAs i.e. 12, followed by SHS (Shiv Sena) with 7 and AITC (All India Trinamool Congress) with 6 MPs/MLAs who have declared cases related crimes against women.

· Among the major parties in the last 5 years, 47 candidates with declared cases related to crimes against women were given tickets by BJP. The second highest number of candidates, i.e. 35 who had declared cases related to crimes against women were given tickets by BSP, followed by 24 candidates from INC who had declared cases related to crimes against women who had contested for Lok/Rajya Sabha and State Assemblies Elections in last 5 years.

· Following are 3 MLAs who have declared have declared cases related to rape :

Gonuguntla Suryanarayana from TDP who has won from Dharmavaram constituency in Andhra Pradesh (2014)
Jethabhai G.Ahir from BJP who has won from Shehra constituency in Gujarat (2017)
Gulab Yadav from RJD who has won from Jhanjharpur constituency in Bihar(2015)

· In the last 5 years, recognized parties have given tickets to 26 candidates who had declared cases related to rape.

· In the last 5 years, 14 independent candidates with declared cases related to rape have contested for Lok/Rajya Sabha and State assemblies’ elections.

Recommendations of ADR

All major political parties give tickets to candidates with cases of crimes against women especially rape and therefore hindering the safety and dignity of women as citizens. These are serious cases where charges have been framed and cognizance have been taken by the courts. Hence, political parties have been in a way abetting to circumstances that lead to such events that they so easily but vehemently condemn in Parliament’. ADR and NEW strongly recommends that:

· Candidates with a serious criminal background should be debarred from contesting elections.

· Political parties should disclose the criteria on which candidates are given tickets.

· Cases against MPs and MLAs should be fast tracked and decided upon in a time bound manner.

Contact Details

National Election Watch/Association for Democratic Reforms

Media and Journalist Helpline

+91 80103 94248

Email:adr@adrindia.org

Maj.Gen. Anil Verma (Retd)

Head

National Election Watch,

Association for Democratic Reforms

011 4165 4200,

+91 88264 79910

adr@adrIndia.org,

anilver

10th INDIA INVESTMENT CONFERENCE

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

India Investment Conferences 10 th Annual Meet
Assochem at Leela hotel Chankyapuri N Delhi

Image may contain: one or more people, people sitting, table, living room and indoor

Image may contain: one or more people, indoor and text

Session on Impact on Private Equity.Ease of the process of Acessing Funds.Affecting the Growth of New Startups.Implementation of the AIPAC Reports are session for day conference.

Today world News

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

Sagar Media Inc Florida Trump and Abe trade talks to surge the growth. The global growth to be 3.8%..Tourism surge in Asia with Chinese out bound tourist and low price airlines. Chogam meet today UK India jt staement.Trump say US NKorea talk to be successful. NASA Tess for alien world.

Voice of Europe

Sixty percent of French ‘unhappy’ with Macron as protests grow.

Sweden to tax more fifty percent of immigrants are unemplyed.

London council election next month. UK Stabing incident every 90 minutes more police in action.

Philipines President ask for tourist out of bound for six months to tourist spot island with alternate jobs.

Nation wide General Election in Pakistan in July 2018.

Turkey snap polls

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24th, bringing them forward from November of next year.

Erdogan made the announcement on Wednesday after meeting with the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, Devlet Bahceli. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and Bahceli’s MHP are seeking to forge an electoral alliance.

Erdogan argued that the country’s politics should have more ability to make decisions and get things done as the situation in Syria changes.

Turkey has been continuing military operations in that country.

Presidential powers have been substantially strengthened through constitutional amendments following a referendum in April of last year.

The snap elections are expected to be officially decided after parliamentary approval and other procedures.

Some observers say if the governing camp wins the elections, Erdogan can step up his authoritarian approach.

Others say the elections will affect ways to address the flagging economy and diplomatic policies, especially relating to the Middle East.

Currency shortage dwells in excess of loans

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

4 Yrs Banks Credit Growth Services 43%, Personal Loans 83%

April18, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

There is massive currency shortage at this time. The sectoral deployment of Credit is X-Ray of Economic Progress.

The main cause of it is the Too Much Credit Flows to Services and Personal Loan sectors which currently is almost 48% of gross credit. Since Services and Personal Loans are ‘Low Value Addition Sectors’ too much credit was UNDESIRABLE.

GoI announced so many policies but credit to ‘Manufacturing’ is Negative in four years.

Credit growth to Farmers is not important because it mainly Short Duration CROP Loan.

Credit to Industry and Manufacturing is Practically ZERO and Negative as Population growth in four years is 8%.

http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/content/docs/PR2586SD28032018.xlsx –http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/content/docs/IEPR2535SD0614.xls – http://rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/Content/DOCs/PR2316AN310316_I.xls

2 Years UPA-II vs 4 Years NDA-II

Sectoral Deployment of Bank Credit in Rs. Billion

Sectors	24-2-2012	24-2-2014	2 Yrs	15-2-2015	19-2-2016	17-2-2017	16-2-2018	4 Yrs
Gross	41797	55193	32%	59954	65779	66867	73737	34%
Agriculture +	4968	6511	31%	7544	8564	9330	10168	56%
Industry	18545	24648	33%	26058	27455	26014	26272	6.6%
Manufacturing	2271	3725	64%	3695	3759	3562	3703	0000
Services	9827	12884	31%	13779	14970	16120	18405	43%
Personal	7609	10159	34%	11532	13749	15403	18544	83%

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Chouhan.Kochar lead day two

ON APRIL 19, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Om Prakash Chouhan and Karandeep Kochhar share the lead at halfway stage of Paramount GolfForeste Delhi – NCR Open Golf Championship 2018

Delhi, April 18, 2018: Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow and Chandigarh’s Karandeep Kochhar share the halfway lead at seven-under-137 at the inaugural Paramount GolfForeste Delhi – NCR Open Golf Championship 2018.

While Chouhan shot a three-under-69 in round two to move up two places from his overnight tied third, Kochhar came up with an even-par-72 to gain one spot from his overnight second on an extremely windy day at the Noida Golf Course.

Kolkata’s Shankar Das (70) occupied third place at six-under-138 while Honey Baisoya (69) of Delhi was a further shot back in fourth position.

The cut was declared at three-over-147. Fifty-nine professionals and one amateur made the cut.

Round one leader Naman Dawar of Delhi slipped to tied 10th place at two-under-142 after a round of 78.

Amateur Simarjeet Singh (72), also occupying tied 10th, was the highest-placed among the Noida-based golfers. He was also the only amateur to make the cut.

Delhi’s Manav Jaini fired the day’s best score of four-under-68. He closed the day in tied 34th place at two-over-146.

Om Prakash Chouhan (68-69) didn’t strike the ball as well as he did in round one but enjoyed a good day with the putter. His four birdies came as a result of conversions from 10 to 12 feet.

Chouhan said, “I’ve been playing well since the Pune event last week. I recently made some changes to my swing and those weren’t working out so I went back to my old swing. That seems to have made the difference to my game. Scoring well in the tough conditions today added to my confidence.

“I feel I need to improve more on my hitting if I have to stay up there on the leaderboard this week.”

Beyond the Clouds

US Tech restricted to Huawai and ZTE

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

U.S. regulators tighten the leash on Chinese technology companies, citing concerns over security. New rules proposed on Tuesday would bar U.S. telecommunications companies that receive Federal Communications Commission subsidies from procuring products from foreign companies with security concerns. Targets have yet to be named, but a senior FCC official said Huawei and ZTE are expected to make the list.

The announcement followed Monday’s announcement by the Department of Commerce that it would in effect ban American technology exports to ZTE for seven years.

ZTE on Wednesday postponed the release of quarterly earnings, saying it needs time to assess the impact of the U.S. moves. Huawei and ZTE are headquartered in the southern city of Shenzhen, the “Silicon Valley” of China. The two Chinese industry leaders have been expanding their presence around the world — another reason for the latest moves by U.S. authorities, who also fear American businesses being overtaken by China in the tech race.

ZTE agreed last year with the Commerce Department on $1.19 billion in penalties for illegally exporting communications equipment to Iran and North Korea from the U.S. between 2010 and 2016. This week’s announcement arose from the revelation that ZTE had made false statements on multiple occasions to U.S. authorities after the agreement.

asia.nikkei.com

Leo Varadka launches bid to overturn abortion restrictions

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has urged his country to show compassion as he launched a campaign to overturn some of Europe’s strictest abortion rules.

Irish PM said today that Ireland’s May 25 referendum on whether to lift a constitutional ban on most abortions is an opportunity to put compassion at the center of the laws.

Abortion in largely Catholic Ireland is legal only in rare cases when a woman’s life is in danger. Thousands of Irish women travel each year to get abortions in neighboring Britain.

Voters will be asked whether they want to retain or repeal the constitutional ban. If it’s repealed, parliament would be responsible for creating new abortion laws

PM Modi Message on Earth Day

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to work together to mitigate the menace of climate change. In a tweet on the Earth Day today, Mr Modi called upon people to reaffirm the commitment towards creating a better planet for the future generations.

He said, it will be a great tribute to the beloved Mother Earth. The Prime Minister complimented all individuals and organisations working towards promoting harmony with nature and ensuring sustainable development.

Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said, Earth is the only planet in the universe where life is possible. He called upon people to save earth and save natural assets to keep life going.

Earth Day is celebrated worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. The day was proposed at the UNESCO conference in 1969 and the first Earth Day celebrations took place in 1970. The campaign theme this year is, ‘End Plastic Pollution’.

President :Government to review pension reforms

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega has said his government is willing to review the pension reforms that have triggered violent protests since they were approved on Wednesday. Mr Ortega appealed for peace and invited the opposition and the private sector for talks.

At least 10 people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters. Government buildings have been damaged or set on fire, and troops have been deployed in several cities.

Peaceful demonstration will be held who support the accused

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Justice Sodhi should also probe corruption, Rs 129 crores liability

And reason for seeking bank loans byDSGMC together with molestation complaints.

Peaceful demonstration in front of the residences of office bearers and members-DSGMC will be held who support the accused.

New Delhi- 21 April While addressing a press conference here today, Bibi Harmeet Kaur Walia, President, Woman Wing, ShiromaniAkali Dal Delhi said that the DSGMC has appointed Justice R.S. Sodhi (Retired High Court Judge) to inquire intothe complaints of molestation and misbehaviour against General Manager and Deputy General Manager filed bya woman. She said that although, President and General Secretary-DSGMC had already formed separate inquirycommittees, which are investigating the matter. She reiterated that investigation by the police in the matter is inprogress in that event department inquiry by Justice Sodhi will be an attempt of G.K. to save the skin of hisfavourate employees. She further said that the Sikhs demand that Justice Sodhi should investigate that how inthe last five years the DSGMC owed liability of Rs 129 crore? whereas in February 2013 the DSGMC was inprofit and the reasons that compelled to take loan from banks? And who is responsible for gross corruption in thecommittee?Bibi Walia said that Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi has been repeatedly cautioned the Sikhs through media about thewomen employees being sexually exploited by the officials of the DSGMC and members of the Badal Dal, whichnow proved true. She said that the way anticipatory bail applications of these accused officers are rejected by thePatiala House Court despite furiously defended by the DSGMC legal Cell (Advocates) which defamed theDSGMC world over. She said further that history has witnessed that Sikhs had rescued women and girls from theclutches of Afghan invaders but it is disgraceful that today women employees and job seeker ladies are not safein the Badal Dal ruled second largest religious institution of the Sikhs. She reiterated that after defamingDSGMC, Badal Dal members have left with no rights to continue in the committee and should resign immediatelyfrom their positions.Bibi Walia challenged that if the office bearers and members of the DSGMC will not stop supporting the culpritsof criminal acts against women, the workers of the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi, women wing will be constrained tohold peaceful demonstrations in front of the residence of such membe

Intech holding talks on Spiritualism

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Naresh Kumar Sagar

Intech holding talks on Spiritualism from the Corridors of Sri Aurbindo Ashram talk of intellectual spiritualism bu has not attained iota of spiritualism. Laughs Crescendo and acoustic needs more Chasity of His Grace.

Production of a Space of Memory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Local Conflicts and Illegalisms in the Production of a Space of Memory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

by Nicolas Bautès

On Tuesday, 24 April 2018 at 3:45 p.m.

At Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research

P.C. Nicolas Bautès

This talk is about the various social and legal strategies adopted by different actors in the context of urban restructuring in the Port zone of Rio de Janeiro, with focus on the particular case of landmarking Pedra do Sal, an Afro Brazilian historical and religious monument located in this zone. By narrating the different strategies used in this complex set of conflicts around social recognition, demarcation of a place of memory and heritage making, I will try to situate these in the socio-political processes accompanying the ongoing urban reforms, Porto Maravilha (Operação Urbana em Consórcio, municipal law 102/2009), launched in 2009 with the aim to promote local restructuring, by extending, forming and re-qualifying the region (Concessionaria Porto Novo).
I will discern such strategies through the claims of inhabitants who have faced the consequences of historical injustice as well as the current urban reforms. Through their voices, and based on a series of interviews conducted with several stakeholders, from local shopkeepers and activists to members of drug dealers’ movements, I will show in which ways informal power games, social pressure and intimidations permeate the harbor district as it undergoes profound structural changes, and operate decision making processes, influence speculation and promote economic benefits through producing and marketing heritage.

Learn more

For further information, please contact: Olivier Telle (CSH) at telle.olivier@gmail.com, Marie-Hélène Zerah(CPR) at marie-helene.zerah@ird.fr

Free entry, no registration required.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Regards,

Prof. Nicolas Gravel

Director of CSH

EAM reach China

ON APRIL 22, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Beijing on Saturday on a four-day visit.

she will hold talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and take part in the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Swaraj is due to meet Wang on Sunday.

Wang is elevated as state councillor last month which makes him the top diplomat of the country in the Chinese hierarchy. He also continues to be foreign minister.

media agencies

Magic of Kathak

ON APRIL 21, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Keeping alive the magic of Kathak

Dhriti Nritya Academy, a Delhi based organization is on a mission to keep the India’s oldest dance forms alive. The academy in its flagship event UDYAM tries to take Kathak to a larger audience with a mission to involve more and more people with the beautiful art form which is Kathak. In an event held yesterday at CSOI, with the theme of showing different shades of Kathak, Acclaimed dancer and Kathak exponent Smt. Vaswati Misra graced the occasion and appreciated the efforts being made by the founder of the organization Smt. Smiti Negi. Vaswati ji said “ Smiti is not only my talented student but also like a daughter to me”

She also added that “ I am so glad that she swam against the tide and left her successful corporate career and have come back to world of dance, which in itself is so fulfilling”

Also, present at the event was eminent tabla maestro Debashish Adhikari who praised the efforts laid by the young and energetic girls of the Academy. He said “I have travelled across world and I can proudly say, Smiti Ji is one of the very few who has wholeheartedly dedicated to teaching Kathak with lot of pride and passion. I always look forward seeing Dhritian’s dance as they carry lot of energy and pride ” .

Thirty Dhritians presented various compositions of Kathak and won everyone’s heart. Living upto this year’s theme ie, Shades of kathak, students showcased the vertical, horizontal and spherical growth.

Starting from basics of Kathak to the various displays of Teen Taal, Jhaptaal, Chakkars, Thumri and Tarana.

As Smt Smiti mentioned “Kathak means display of a story or Katha. Definition itself makes it a liberating dance form which does not restrict the dancer to display any story, emotion or format. My Dhritians can do anything with Kathak”. True to her words, her disciples mesmerized the Audience when they did Kathak with Basketball and martial arts in a blend of Western and Arabic music with various Kathak tukde.

DNA this year also awarded “Inspirational Youth Award” to Mr. Akash Yadav, an Animal Philanthropist for his exceptional work in protection of endangered Indigenous Indian cow breed of Sailwal. Mr. Akash emphasized on Parent’s and family support required when their Child finds his calling in non-conventional field. He was also in awe with the show, He said “ What a Show! I never knew Kathak can be so enthralling. I know how much dedication and hardwork is required to chase a dream in non-conventional field and I am so honored to be recognized today and would like to Thank Smiti mam and Capt. Rahul sir for recognizing my work”.

Capt. Rahul Negi, Husband of Smt. Smiti and Co- founder of DNA said “ Over the years while running academy, we realized apart from giving quality Kathak education, it is not only important but our moral duty of ours to set right inspiration of next generation and as a little effort this year, we identified a youth inspiration for our Dhritians.”

Marquee event of Udyam was “Spirit of Dhriti” where Kathak was done in Shadow dance format with fog effect took the audience to dreamy sequence. “Once more” chant from audience was in itself the biggest compliment to performers.

Show ended with celebration of Springs in Basantotsav, which is also a celebration of joy of human emotion symbiotic to nature.

ReNew Powe PPA

ON APRIL 21, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

ReNew Power PPA Rs.5.45/U, Present Bids Rs.1 to Rs.2.80

April21, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

While there are raids on so many Renewable Energy project promoters on trivial grounds – Kochhars & Shrivastavas, there is undue favors to Sumant Sinha promoted ReNew Power.

Scores of high value PPAs have been cancelled all over India but ReNew Power swiftly managed even Supreme Court Endorsement for PPA @ Rs.5.45 Per unit for 25 years and ReNew Power shall pocket Rs.1025 Cr in 25 years whereas recent bids for Rs.2.80 Per Unit which shall be paid –Rs.525 Cr for identical configuration.

International Solar Power bids are as low as Rs.1 Per unit – Saudi Arabia for example range from Rs.1 Per Unit to Rs.1.50 Per unit.

http://aptel.gov.in/judgements/Appeal%20No.279%20of%202013.pdf

Similar Matters in the past had been referred to ‘Appellant Tribunal for Electricity’.

Since Solar Panels account for 80% of Cost – they are deployed just 2-3 months before Commission like Fans & AC or Geysers in a new building – in public interest Supreme Court should have directed revision of PPA to match Solar Bid Prices in Sep2017.

Supreme Court judgment admits there were over 100 Bids but only one ReNew Power who had no land and couldn’t commission the 51 MW Solar project in stipulated time. Either –

Ø Supreme Court should have Ordered ReNew Power to accept prevailing much lower Unit Rates or

Ø Let other 100 Bidders to MODIFY THEIR BIDS for 300 MW Program and get similar state support.

But my concern is that ‘Real Cost of ReNew Power to consumers could be Rs.10 to Rs.20 Per unit to Urban-Rural Consumers.’

Obviously in view of high Technical Losses in HT to EHT to HT and to Distribution Feeders High Cost SolarPV ought to have been located at or close to Consumption Area or Rooftops.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Bollywood Actress

ON APRIL 21, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Bollywood actress Nushrat Bharucha Graced the Ramp for Designer Kavita Aggarwal

The beautiful actress of B’town industry Nushrat Bharucha sizzled the ramp for designer Kavita Aggarwal and look beautiful in designer’s outfit for the 10th season of India Runway Fashion Week held in DLF place Saket, New Delhi.

Kavita Aggarwal’s collection was Ode to Pietra Dura an ancient decorative art form, often referred to as ‘paintings in stone’, Pietra Dura was once fostered by kingdoms as far apart in time and location as Romans and Moghuls. Her bridal collection is a tribute to Pietra Dura’s vivacity and a captivating look into the new application for this age-old art form.

The embroidery in her ensembles is a replication of Pietra Dura motifs – not so much in technique as in aesthetics. As crossover fashion doesn’t merely adorn a wearer, it transforms her, she dedicates this Indo-western fusion to the modern Indian woman, who is rooted in traditions, yet open to fresh explorations.

Disciplines in Gurudwara is must

ON APRIL 21, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Media briefing at Rakabgunj Gurudwaras, the Speakers after speaker spoke of serene and discipline in Gurudwaras. Those identified for indulging in gender teasing and gross misbehaviour are being ultimately given management patronage which is chief cause of indicipline and moral turpitude surge.

Sikh Gurudwara women Wing called press conference to voice threatening of growing indicipline in Sikh Sabha of Gurudwaras Rakabgung of national importance. Discipline committeee and other office bearers failed to quell the miscreants attitude towards girls, women and ladies.

‘Local Conflicts and Illegalisms in the Production of a Space of Memory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’

ON APRIL 21, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

CPR-CSH Workshop on ‘Local Conflicts and Illegalisms in the Production of a Space of Memory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’

NICOLAS BAUTÈS

TUESDAY, 24 APRIL 2018

3:45 PM

Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research

RELATED PROJECT:

CPR-CSH Urban Workshop

I will discern such strategies through the claims of inhabitants who have faced the consequences of historical injustice as well as the current urban reforms. Through their voices, and based on a series of interviews conducted with several stakeholders, from local shopkeepers and activists to members of drug dealers’ movements, I will show in which ways informal power games, social pressure and intimidations permeate the harbor district as it undergoes profound structural changes, and operate decision making processes, influence speculation and promote economic benefits through producing and marketing heritage.

Nicolas Bautès is working in the field of urban studies, social and political geography. His main domains of interest are: the local fabric of urban politics, conflicts, illegalisms and informal politics, social movements and activism; the politics and contestations of heritage.

On leave from his permanent position of senior lecturer at the University of Caen-Normandy (France), he is currently Research Fellow at the Department of Social Sciences of the French Institute of Pondicherry (UMIFRE 021 CNRS), where he recently started a research project on the “political economy of cultural production in South India”, starting to focus on the “forgotten creative industries” and the politics of heritage in Pondicherry and surroundings in the context of the recently launched Smart City scheme.

This workshop is free and there is no registration required. Find all the available videos of our previous workshops, here.

Re(b)ordering the World: Visual Politics of the (New) Silk Road

ON APRIL 21, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Apr

Wednesday, 25 April 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Browse our top search product categories:

About the talk:

About the speaker:

Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org

World-Class Houseware and Home Textiles Events in Hong Kong

View this online


World-Class Houseware and Home Textiles Events in Hong Kong 20-23 Apr 2018 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Enrich Your Sourcing Mix for Home by Seeking Out Quality Suppliers on the Last Fair Day

As the HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair and the concurrent HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair wind down, make the most of the final day of this world-class event to source premier products from some 2,600 global exhibitors, build connections with leading manufacturers and prepare for next year’s trends with top industry experts. Take in trend displays and anything that you’ve missed on the last day of this incomparable one-stop home design platform!

Hong Kong Houseware Fair

The House Always Wins at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair

Featuring 2,300 leading exhibitors from 25 countries and regions, the Hong Kong Houseware Fair is a tradition in itself. The 33rd edition of this world-class event presents the ideal platform to source from premier suppliers and learn about emerging trends to stay one step ahead of the competition. Expand your network, explore a fascinating product range and make the most of your business opportunities today!

Household Sponges
Abrasive Technologies LLC
Booth: 5C-D11

Napkins
Paw Sp. z o.o.
Booth: 3F-D15

Candle Holder
Ganeshi Lal Jwala Prasad
Booth: 3C-D21

Dinner Set
Kung Kai Hong
Booth: 1B-D02

Basket
Derangedsign Company
Booth: 5D-A23

Paw & Nose Balm
Mrorganic Limited
Booth: 5B-E25

An Inspiring Theme on “L.I.F.E”

The Fair’s main theme continues to be “L.I.F.E” which stands for its four major themed zones : “Lifestyle”, “Interior”, “Feast” and “Enrich”, creating an easy-to-navigate setting and superior sourcing experience for buyers.

“Based on our research and analysis on the sociological and marketing trends, we have developed the four key trend concepts for spring/summer 2019, namely ‘Colonial Chic’, ‘Vital Vibe’, ‘Magnetic Mix’ and ‘Super Solarium’, to highlight the Hong Kong Houseware Fair’s main theme ‘L.I.F.E.’, which stands for its four major themed zones: Lifestyle, Interior, Feast and Enrich respectively. ‘Colonial Chic’ represents the most sophisticated and luxurious theme. ‘Vital Vibe’ is all about eco-friendly and natural concepts. ‘Magnetic Mix’ is a design theme that shows how technology can bring nice solutions into the home. ‘Super Solarium’ mixes things together to play with colours and shapes. I am happy to see that the HKTDC has interpreted the four main trends and captured the key messages in such a nice way and presented interesting exhibits in the four trend concept displays.”
Léa Czermak, Senior Creative Project Manager, Home & Luxury Department, NellyRodi, France

Step into a world of bold and experimental vision at the Enrich Zone with the daring theme of “Super Solarium.” In a first-time collaboration with renowned Paris trend forecasting agency, NellyRodi, the “Super Solarium” is an ode to excess, originality and character with products and interior design themes that express a party-like contemporary vibe balanced with ethnic influences. Check out the trend display outside Hall 5B for a range of eclectic designs!

Creating a Dream Home @ World of Building & Hardware (Hall 5E)

Tools, materials and supplies are the foundation of the home design industry, and there is no better place to see the finest examples than at the World of Building & Hardware! This popular zone showcases top building materials, hardware and equipment, DIY tools, fixtures, sanitary ware and much more for professionals and dedicated home builders. This exhibit is an ideal platform for interior designers, architects, engineers, contractors and builders searching for top-shelf raw materials, while DIY homeowners will also find everything needed to build their dream home.

Non-combustible Decorative Board
Gemtree Building Products (Hongkong) Limited
Booth: 5E-B24

Multi Power Tools
Innoview Co Ltd
Booth: 5E-B29

Kimbo High Tack
Kimbo International Holding Limited
Booth: 5E-D30

Titanium Screw Set
Seiko Screw Metal Manufactory Limited
Booth: 5E-C28

Smart Lock
Smart Technologies & Investment Ltd
Booth: 5E-E20

Staining and Mould Prevention Sealant
V-PRO Construction Material Limited
Booth: 5E-A30

A Cuddly, Booming Global Industry @ World of Pet Supplies (Hall 5B)

The global market for pet products and supplies has been steadily rising and shows no signs of slowing down. As pet care remains a booming industry, head to the World of Pet Supplies at Hall 5B and check out the latest in premium food and treats, bedding, training equipment, toys and a whole lot more for our beloved pets at home.

Junior Aquarium Box
Sealand Holdings Company Limited
Booth: 5B-E02

Collars
Top Grand Industrial Limited
Booth: 5B-E22

Feeding Bowl
TS International Holdings Co Ltd
Booth: 5B-E01

Get Smart @ Startup (Hall 5D)

Home to bright ideas of today, head to the Startup Zone at Hall 5D and explore a range of investment opportunities and next-gen innovations that will redefine the future of home lifestyles!

Jet Pump Brush
Koo's & Company
Booth: 5D-A15

AR Furniture Shopping Platform
Pixofy Limited
Booth: 5D-A16

Artifical Flowers
Rongsheng Artificial Flowers Factory (HK) Co., Limited
Booth: 5D-A06

A Global Home @ Group Pavilions (Halls 5B-D & 5E)

With great international support, be sure to explore some of the Fair’s dedicated international pavilions where top countries exhibit some of their leading companies and organisations to provide a slice of culture to the event.

Suction Cup
Ferro Carbon Enterprise Co Ltd
Booth: 3E-B13

Roller Mop
Fratelli Re s.p.a.
Booth: 3E-A11

Interior Decor
Guan Yuan Industrial Co., Ltd
Booth: 3D-D34

Shower Head
Korea New Tech Co., Ltd
Booth: 3D-D23

Only the Best Will Do @ Baby Products (Halls 5B-C)

When it comes to our children, quality products is a must. With a vast selection of baby toys, home safety devices, skincare and healthcare products, feeding and nursing items and more, the Baby Products zone at Halls 5B-C taps into top products that earn the trust of parents everywhere with dedicated displays from the global.

Teepee Tent
Dongyang Quanxin Hometex Co., Ltd
Booth: 5B-F05

Toy Organizer
Huizhou Raytop Industrial Co Ltd
Booth: 5C-A25

Baby Changing Table
Karibu Baby Limited
Booth: 5B-F01

Pamper Yourself with Wellness @ Bath, Beauty & Healthcare (Hall 5C)

Health and wellness products are booming markets as we learn how to take better care of ourselves across the world. Explore a fine selection of Bath, Beauty & Healthcare products that promote clean living and healthy practices while raising the quality of life in modern living.

Bath Sponge
Fancy Smart Industrial Limited
Booth: 5C-A14

MEO Face Mask
Healthy Breath Limited
Booth: 5C-B12

Plastic Standing Mirror
Terra International Industrial Limited Booth: 5C-B01

Clean Living @ Home Cleaning & Laundry (Hall 5C)

Home hygiene, expert organisation and efficient cleaning supplies play a massive part in maintaining the quality of our homes. Explore the world of Home Cleaning & Laundry for a selection of tools and accessories that provide comfort in a tidy, healthy home.

Hook
Global United Trade Limited
Booth: 5C-C04

Cleaning Mitts
Maxi Support Sdn Bhd
Booth: 5C-C02

Shower Rail
Stextun Industrial Co., Ltd
Booth: 5C-C20

More Bright Ideas @ Homepedia (Halls 5B & 5D)

Household chores are crucial to a comfortable life, but they don’t have to be chores! Instead, they could be tasks that can be enjoyed as Homepedia presents a range of smart appliances and innovative tools that contribute to an enjoyable home life. Visit the display at Halls 5B & 5D for elegant solutions in modern living!

Wall Art
Decor Channel
Booth: 5B-D09

Tie Rack
Hugogate Limited
Booth: 5D-B07

Ultrasonic Pest Repeller
Mail Order Source Limited
Booth: 5B-D14

Plant a Peaceful Hobby @ Outdoor & Gardening (Hall 5E)

For a top-shelf selection of tools for a green-thumb lifestyle, head to the Outdoor & Gardening display at Hall 5E and get started on a relaxing hobby that literally grows every day!

Garden Decoration
Giftland Creation Ltd
Booth: 5E-C08

Outdoor Furniture
Grand Art Enterprises Limited
Booth: 5E-F14

Solar Light Decor
Morn Enterprises Co Ltd
Booth: 5E-D09

Get Organised @ Storage Solutions (Hall 5C)

Like many other urban centres across the world, space in Hong Kong is at a premium. Source a range of products that make the most of our space at the Storage Solutions display and start organising your home life today!

Plastic Storage Boxes
A Plus Houseware Limited
Booth: 5C-F01

Storage Drawers
Foh Foh Co. (Pte) Ltd
Booth: 5C-E06

Umbrella Stand
Fuhuiyuan Products Co., Ltd.
Booth: 5C-F19

Furnishing our Lives with Furniture (Hall 5E)

A house does not become a home until we fill it with furniture, designs and objects that reflect our tastes. From comfy chairs to productive desks, cabinet systems to a selection of surfaces, explore the latest and greatest in home furnishings for the modern dream home at Hall 5E!

Sofa
Panan Tongda Gift Company Limited
Booth: 5E-D15

3 Tier Bathroom Ladder Shelf
Vietnam Housewares Co Ltd
Booth: 5E-A12

Lantern
Zhejiang Passion Industry And Trade Co., Ltd
Booth: 5E-D20

Discover Other Aspects of L.I.F.E.

Lifestyle Zone – Colonial Chic (Hall 1A-E)

Elegant Solutions @ Hall of Elegance (Halls 1D-E)

Visit Hall 1D-E and step into a world of elegant solutions and beautiful products for today’s dream homes.

Aroma Set
Aromate Ind Co Ltd
Booth: 1D-D18

Cookware Set
Happycall Co., Ltd
Booth: 1E-A09

Wall Hanger
Pin Jang Ent Ltd
Booth: 1E-D11

Interior Zone – Vital Vibe (Halls 3B-E)

Look to the Inside @ Interior Decor (Halls 3C-D)

Explore a range of interior decoration ideas and expertise at the Interior Décor display at Halls 3C-D, and find out which design ideas are growing into global trends.

PVC Floor Tile
Ever Health & Beauty Enterprise Co., Ltd.
Booth: 3C-F39

Honeycomb Assembly Shelf
K Long Industry Company
Booth: 3C-E34

Glass Terrarium
Mplus GP Ltd
Booth: 3C-E13

Artificial Plants
Oriental Fine Art Co Ltd
Booth: 3D-C35

Feast Zone – Magnetic Mix (Halls 3F-G)

A Cup for the Morning @ Coffee Alley (Hall 3 South Concourse)

Coffee has become so popular that it has developed its own culture and ways of appreciation. For the best coffee makers, cups, grinders and related equipment dedicated to one of the world’s most popular beverages, head down to Coffee Alley and enjoy a cup of brew now!

Thermal Coffee Plunger
Intercon Trader Ltd
Booth: 3E-A12

Coffee Cream Frother
Profit Charm Star Electrical Appliances Limited
Booth: 1C-E42

Coffee Grinder
T.D.C. Group (H.K.) Co Limited
Booth: 1B-F02

Media Hot Picks

It’s the first time I come especially for this show and I must say it’s a nice surprise. You can not only find what you need but also a lot of suggestions in decoration, healthcare, pet care and hardware. They are classified very clearly and easy to identify. The buyers can immediately find what they are looking for and attracted by all these different items which can also help them to find plenty of new ideas to complete the sourcing for their business. What I really like is the lifestyle "feeling" I found everywhere and it makes the fair so pleasant to visit.

Philippe Mechin, Reporter, BM2C Media (France)

Plastic Chandelier
Fuzhou Nicrolandee Art & Crafts Co., Ltd.
Booth: 3C-A08

Crystal Teapotwith LED lighting system
IgGENE Limited
Booth: 1A-C32

Storage Box
Homecosy Inc.
Booth: 3D-D36

This is my first time here in the HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair and it surprises me. I found a lot of interesting products and original ideas. I appreciate the Startup Zone where I have seen a lot of products that are connected with technology.

Monica Sposito, Journalist, Casatile (Italy)

VENERE Cooking Pan
Domo S.p.A. (Italy)
Booth: 3G-E02

Piozio Lamp
I2M Co., Ltd (Korea)
Booth: 3D-D29

The HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair is a very interesting exhibition. There are many innovative and user-friendly products, for example, the outdoor water bottle and cosmetic cooler.

Wachira Atiprasertkul, Senior Content Writer, Builder News (Thailand)

Outdoor Water Bottle
Mochic Household Products Co Ltd (Chinese mainland)
Booth: 1B-E18

Cosmetic Cooler / Mini Fridge with LED Display
Shenzhen Freecool Science and Technology Co Ltd (Chinese mainland)
Booth: 3G-S51

Hear What Exhibitors Say

“In business for 20 years, Abrasive Technologies is a leading manufacturer of kitchen sponges, cloths, wipes and other household cleaning items in Russia and the CIS. Russia has been our main market. As Hong Kong is a trading hub in Asia, we think the Hong Kong Houseware Fair is a good place for us to meet with buyers from around the world. That’s why we are exhibiting here for the first time to look for distributors and buyers and to develop international markets. We have talked to new buyers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who have shown their great interest in our products and already asked for our quotations. Some of them may become our distributors.”
Sergei Ershkov, Export Sales Manager, Abrasive Technologies LLC, Russia

“Kam Wing has more than 10 years of experience in manufacturing welding machines under our MITECH brand and we are also one of the distributors of BOSCH power tools and measuring tools in Hong Kong. This is the first time that we are promoting our MITECH-brand welding machines and BOSCH products in the World of Building & Hardware at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair. We have received many enquiries about our welding machines from Indian and South American buyers. We have also connected with more than 10 new buyers who are very interested in BOSCH products. For example, a Russian buyer plans to buy 5,000 sets of power tools. We are happy with the results so far.”
Tony Yen, Owner, Kam Wing Hardware & Tools Limited, Hong Kong

“This is our first exhibition in the Startup Zone at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair. The Startup Zone provides a cost-effective way for us to promote our new products. At the fair, we are introducing our home-based healthcare products and household products such as Bicit mini gym bikes, palm-sized massagers, smart ceramic cups and portable air coolers.Buyers from Japan, Taiwan and the US are very interested in our gym bikes and portable air coolers. In addition, the Startup‧Smart Launch session arranged by the HKTDC provides an interactive platform for us to present the concepts of new products to international buyers. Buyer traffic in the Startup Zone has been quite good. We’ll join again next year.”
Andy Yeung, Product Designer, Maxcare Trading Limited, Hong Kong

Hear What Buyers Say

“Shoppers Stop is one of the biggest department stores in India. Currently, we have 83 stores and we’ll open three to six more stores this year. I visit the Hong Kong Houseware Fair regularly because there is a good mix of branded products and OEM manufacturers. The fair also provides a good place for me to look for design ideas. At this year’s fair, the trend concept displays outside each exhibition hall are very interesting and give me lots of design inspirations. I am here looking for new brands and OEM manufacturers for our own brands. Up till now, I have identified about 10 potential suppliers of glass bottles and containers, kitchen linen, table linen and bathroom accessories. I’ll place orders soon and our order size is at least one container.”
Shalini Tandon, Customer Care Association & Category Manager – Home, Shoppers Stop, India

“In business for more than 20 years, Adil Grup is one of the biggest wholesalers of building materials and hardware in Turkey. There is a strong demand for building materials and hardware in Turkey because many hotels and apartments are under construction. This is the first time that I have come to the World of Building & Hardware at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair to look for hardware. I have found about six suitable suppliers of torx drives, mosquito nets and hand tools. I plan to buy 50,000 pieces per order. ”
Fatoş Durukan, Sales Coordinator, Adil Grup, Turkey

Celebrate Fresh New Ideas from Design Talents

The "Hong Kong Smart Design Awards" (HKSDA), organised by The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association, has successfully reached its 7th edition in 2018 with funding support under the CreateSmart Initiative (CSI) of CreateHK. The Awards has motivated local manufacturers as well as exporters to enhance their business strategy in attaining the ultimate goal "Design x Strategy x Technology = Smart Business". In addition, it had successfully introduced and nurtured young talents into the creative market. This year, the Awards have attracted over 300 participants of both Corporate and Conceptual Group.

Also, a new award of “Outstanding Packaging Awards” is added to encourage top design of Gifts and Home & Houseware Categories, which use the best packaging outlook design techniques, together with Technology Awards, Green Awards and Smart Aging Awards to all buyers. Come and get a glimpse of the awarded products at Booths 1CON-021 during the fair period.

Winning Product of Bronze Award and
Outstanding Packaging Award

A wooden-puzzle designed in the form of an owl, it is both a night lamp at bedside and an art deco at home. The structure and its unique USB LED module are patented. It is easy to assemble without tools and glue. Its primary material -- eco-friendly Beech wood, also makes it paintable. Start creating your own unique owl lamp. It is your perfect guidance at night!

Winner: Starlite Visual Communication Limited
Company website: www.greentanet.com

Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair

With some 300 leading exhibitors from 8 countries and regions in 2018, the 9th HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair remains a must-attend event on the industry calendar. Featured at the Fair are global pavilions, including first-time participants from Pakistan, as they display a premier selection of textiles and furnishings that balance tradition with contemporary flair. Source efficiently from this world-class platform and discover top-shelf products and expertise that will define the industry for years to come!

Coir Mat
Fibre World
Booth: 3B-D09

Classic Embroidery Cushions
Hangzhou Beiming Textile Co., Ltd
Booth: 3B-D22

Tablecloth
Paramount Manufacturing Group Ltd
Booth: 3C-A01

Essential Oven Mitt
Rise Max Industrial Limited
Booth: 3C-A19

PP Mat
Sapana Polyweave Pvt.Ltd.
Booth: 3B-F27

Interior Zone – Vital Vibe (Halls 3B-E)

A Glamourous Life with a View from the Top

Step into the gorgeous Hall of Glamour and see the very best that the industry has to offer in the world of home textiles and furnishings. Featuring top-shelf companies of acclaim from around the world, explore this premier display at Hall 3B and source from leading companies that enjoy a view from the top!

Burma Sumak Floor Rug
Craftex India
Booth: 3B-D02

ALMAC Flame Proof Curtain
Grand Island Holdings Limited
Booth: 3B-C07

COOC Comfort Mat
I&S Co., Ltd
Booth: 3B-D06

Kilim
Niryatak Handloom Cooperative Society Ltd
Booth: 3B-B08

The Finest from India @ Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) Pavilion

Representing India’s finest handcrafted traditions, the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) Pavilion features some of the country’s leading and most trusted companies in the spectacular world of hand-woven textiles.

Green Living and Professional-Grade HORECA

During your travels across the fairground, be sure to keep an eye out for booths showing a “Green Products” or “HORECA” sign for a range of eco-friendly products or professional F&B industry products. Demand is rising across the world for eco-friendly textiles and furnishings, while the modern home entertaining industry has also become hugely popular with a flourishing market for HORECA supplies in professional hospitality.

Table Placemats
Hung Hang Shing Industry Co., Ltd
Booth: 3B-F10

Fiber Mat
Kerala Balers Private Limited
Booth: 3B-B02

Hear What Exhibitors Say

“PT Indah Jaya is showcasing our quality towels at Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair for the fourth consecutive year. This fair offers an exceptional platform for us to gain exposure and promote our Terry Palmer brand to international customers. As a leading towel manufacturer in Indonesia, we are keen to expand our business and grow the sales of Terry Palmer collections in Europe, USA and Asia. Last year, Terry Palmer successfully made entry into the Korean market with the first-ever trial order. We are now shipping the brand’s collections regularly to meet customers’ demand in Korea. We also concluded OEM orders with some new customers from the Philippines and the Chinese mainland at last year’s fair. The buyers’ response has been even better this year. Some new buyers from Argentina and Brazil looking for hotel-related textiles have expressed interest in sourcing our towels. Samples are being delivered to them and further negotiation will be conducted. We will continue to exhibit here to pursue more business development opportunities.””
Irene Irawati, Marketing Manager, PT Indah Jaya Textile Industry, Indonesia

“Hung Hang Shing specialises in the production of yarns and fabrics in Taiwan. In business for over 30 years, we are committed to providing high quality fabrics for various applications. This is our debut presence at Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings fair to promote our eco-friendly PE coated mesh fabrics and TPE elastic mesh fabrics. The fabrics are durable, waterproof, breathable, toxic-free, PVC-free and plasticiser-free, and can be used for making indoor and outdoor furniture. An international brand uses our fabrics to make table placemats. The exhibition response has been positive. Many buyers from different places like India, the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia have expressed sourcing interest. This is an excellent fair with exceptional service. The business matching service enables effective and fruitful exchanges with serious buyers.”
Tim Yang, Vice President, Hung Hang Shing Industry Co., Ltd., Taiwan

Hear What Buyers Say

“Samsung C & T is establishing its home furnishings operation in Korea to tap business opportunities in the growing market. In a franchise cooperation with Swedish lifestyle brand Granit, we are looking to set up a 15-store home furnishings chain in Korea. The first four stores are expected to come into operation by the end of 2018. Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair is a solid platform to source bedding, cushions and home textiles items. Hong Kong Houseware Fair also offers interesting products like kitchenware and bathroom items. I’ve got in touch with a number of potential suppliers from the Chinese mainland, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and New Zealand for different products. The amount of orders will be subject to product specifications and further negotiation. I’m pleased to be here meeting so many new suppliers so as to enhance our sourcing capability for business development. In anticipation of a rising demand for home furnishings in Korea, we also hope to open a retail network under our own brand eventually.”
Mia Hwang, Manager, Overseas Merchandising Division 2, Samsung C & T, Korea

“In business for 14 years, IP Lasitsa is a retailer of home furnishing products in Kaliningrad in the western region of Russia. We operate two retail stores and a showroom. At present, we source mainly from suppliers in Poland. This is my first-ever visit to Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair to find new sourcing opportunities. So far,I’ve found three new suppliers for various items. One of them is Korean exhibitor Decowin Textile who provide well-designed blinds that block sunlight. Talks are also underway with a Chinese mainland exhibitor for carpets and waterproof mats and an Indian supplier for a selection of towels and home textile products. This fair is well organised and easy to navigate. Staff has been very helpful. I’m very satisfied with the results.”
Andrey Lasitsa, Chief Executive Officer, IP Lasitsa, Russia

“In business for 18 years, Neowin is engaged in the retailing business of home furnishings in Singapore. Through sister company JunWe Design, we supply interior textiles and furnishings items for hotels. Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair offers a lot to see and choose from. This is our first-ever visit and we’ve found something interesting to purchase. Negotiation is underway with Korean exhibitor Decowin Textile for blinds in different styles and a Taiwanese exhibitor for table placemats made of special fabrics. This is a good fair. We hope to visit the exhibition again to find more suitable products.”
Esther Tan (left), Director, and Simon Neo (right), Director, Neowin Trading, Singapore

“Softhome specialises in the provision of curtains, blinds, wallpapers and solar films for customers in Singapore. We help individual homeowners and commercial clients to match different designs of home furnishings to ensure interior harmony. At present, we source products mainly on Internet with major suppliers from Japan, Korea and Turkey. I am visiting Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair to explore new sourcing opportunities. I’ve established contact with Korean exhibitor Decowin Textile and found its roller blinds very suitable for our customers and I will place orders soon. This is a well-organised exhibition offering a diversity of products. The visit yielded good results.”
Quak Yong Sheng, Owner, Softhome, Singapore

Happenings at the Fairs on 22 April

SME IDOL 2018 - Sponsored by OSMEP and SME Bank – Opening Ceremony on 20 April

Buyer Forum – Opportunities in India & Myanmar

Ms Shalini Tandon, Category Manager, Shoppers Stop, India

International Kitchenette

Guest chefs presented excellent dishes using the quality kitchenware from exhibitors.

Testing, Certification and Inspection Services for Houseware Products

Mr John Wong, Technical Services Manager, SGS Hong Kong Limited

Mr Sammiel Li, Manager, Central Chemical Laboratory, Intertek HK

World of Building and Hardware Product Demo & Launch Pad

Hay Nien Company Limited
Booth: 5E-A20

Paintworks Company Limited
Booth: 5E-C31

V-PRO Construction Material Limited
Booth: 5E-A30

Latte Art Performance

Appreciate some coffee arts!

Happy Hour

VIPs, industry leaders, exhibitors and buyers had a relaxing time at the happy hour to conclude the fruitful sourcing day.

Buyers Lucky Draw

Free Gifts For You

Diatomaceous Earth Mat

Aroma Block

Mobile Phone External Storage OTG (Day 2 & 3 only)

Redemption Points
Step 1: Get a stamp Buying Mission Service Counter (3B-C42, Hall 3)	Step 2: Get a stamp Visitor Promotion Counter (3G-D32, Hall 3FG)	Step 3: Gift Redemption Visitor Promotion Counter (5E-F30,32, Hall 5E)
Redemption Date and Time
23 April, 9:30am - 4:30pm

* Souvenirs are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Each eligible buyer is only entitled to one redemption. Souvenirs cannot be redeemed in conjunction with other HKTDC promotion including Asia Miles. Souvenir photos above are for reference only. In case of any dispute, the decision of HKTDC shall be final and binding.

Trade Buyers:
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Sourcing on the go

•	Cleaning Equipment
•	Drinkware
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HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair Official Magazine:

Check out full exhibitor list and latest product trends

HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair Official Magazine:

Check out full exhibitor list and latest product trends

HORECA e-Magazine

Latest sourcing trend and updates

FREE GIFT - travel packing bags

Pick up your gift at our “Free Sourcing Service” counter at the fair.

To redeem, simply visit our “Free Sourcing Service” counter at the fair, and contact 1 exhibitor/supplier on HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair Exhibition Online website. While stock lasts.

Enjoy Bonus Sourcing Opportunities

Harbour City All in One: Shopping, Dining,
Entertainment and Sightseeing

Harbour City is a one-stop shopping paradise with over 450 shops, 60 food & beverage outlets, gallery and 3 hotels all under one roof. With the “Star” Ferry Pier, it is home to cruise liner berths, maritime history and fabulous harbour view – all at its doorstep. It is easy to see where the mall drew the inspiration for its name.

Located at the rooftop of Ocean Terminal new extension building of Harbour City, the Observatory Deck named “Ocean Terminal Deck” is now open to the public for free. It is a five-storey complex situated at the end of Ocean Terminal and surrounded by the sea with its prime location extending to the centre of Victoria Harbour.

Enquiry

Customer Service Hotline: (852) 1830 668
Enquiry via email: exhibitions@hktdc.org

Clara Hung
Manager, Marketing Communications
Exhibitions Department

© 2018 Hong Kong Trade Development Council. All rights reserved.
38/F, Office Tower, Convention Plaza, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Customer Service Line:(852) 1830 668

Email: hktdc@hktdc.org

香港灣仔港灣道1號會展廣場辦公大樓38樓
客戶服務專線:(852) 1830 668

電郵: hktdc@hktdc.org

You are receiving this trade promotion information since your contact resides in the database of HKTDC. Please do not reply to this email directly as this address is unattended. For enquiries or more information about this email, please contactexhibitions@hktdc.org

To unsubscribe or manage your HKTDC e-subscription, please click here.拒絕接收推廣信息或更新您的香港貿發局電郵訂閲，請按此處。

Delhi Needs ‘Chief Technology Officer’ Not Political Advisers

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

April23, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

CTO in all Multinationals ensures seamless Technical Progress, IPR Creation & Advanced Tech Product Development. Indian companies and Government largely have no CTO. Development is FREQUENTLY hindered, Derailed & Hijacked.

Nehru had ‘Director General of Technical Development’ or DGTD for short. Every project private or PSU was cleared by this office. DGTD was gradually corrupted and then dismantled. Planning Commission didn’t take functions of DGTD in Planning Matters – Limited itself to Financial Management and even this was dismantled in 2014.

India is not able TAKE CRITICAL decisions – To Have Strong Patent Office or Lame Duck Patent Office, Water Storage in Dams or Johads,Food Processing at Farms or Distant Factories, Grains Storage at Farms or with Urban Traders, Canal Water for Drinking or Tube-Well,Hydro Power or Thermal Power, Pithead Power or at Load Centers,Rooftop Solar or Mega Solar Farms, Electric Buses or Battery Buses,Broad Gauge Metro Interconnected With Main Lines or Standard Gauge Independent Tracks, 24 hour Water Supply No Home Storage & Pumping or 1 hour Water Supply, CNG Buses or Euro IV to VI Diesel Buses, Call Centers in Gurgaon or Delhi, Wholesale Markets or Sabzi Mandi in Old Delhi or all Pin Code Areas, Schools within 1-2 kilometers or No Policy, High Tech Industries or Polluting Factories,Open Sewage Drains or Sewer Lines, Car Parking On Streets or Within Homes, Raw Foods Retail or Clean Foods Delivery, Streets Cleaned By Brooms or Washed Weekly & Vacuum Cleaning, Solar Water Heating or Electric Geysers, Potable Water Supply or Water Purifies in Every Home, Free Entry to Colonies or Restricted Entry during Day Time, Public Consultation or Contractor Driven Decisions —-.

Some Colonies may have 50 Saloons, 100 Banks, 20 Dental Clinics, 50 Coffee Shops & Restaurants but No Fruits & Vegetable Shop or Too Few Halwai Shop or Organized Retail and all Shops, Offices & Businesses are without Parking.

Home Consumers are BASE LOAD [24×365 Hours] of Electricity Distributors, Shops 9×310, Offices 6×280 hour of use. Fixed Cost Per Unit for Home Consumers should be zero – 200% for Shops & 300% for Offices. But recent DERC Tariff Order increased Fixed Cost to Domestic Consumers manifold.

Delhi may resume DESU Policy – separate Light & Power Connections – Billing. Zero Fixed Cost for Low Tariff for Lights, Fans, Desert Cooler, Refrigerators, TVs, Computers etc – High Tariff for ACs, Geysers and Maximum for Lifts Operated for 30m to 2 hours Per day in Domestic/Office.

Storage Dams on Yamuna is 1st Priority for Sustained Potable Water Supply.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Hamdard Bonanza Lucky

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

On behalf of Hamdard India, we would like to invite you for the Lucky Draw event by Hamdard tomorrow. Attached is the media invite for your perusal and below are the details:

Event : Hamdard Bonanza Lucky Draw – Phase 1 – 2nd Dec 2016 to 25th Jan 2017 and Phase 2 -15th Feb 2017 to 31st March 2017

Hamdard Bonanza is an innovative customer loyalty programme for Hakims/Doctors/Vaids/Unani & Ayurvedic Outlets has now become an iconic scheme. There has been an overwhelming response from Unani fraternity with more than 3500 participants from across the country. This event is a culmination of Hamdard Bonanza (2016-2017) and will see a lucky draw to identify more than 200 lucky winners of prizes, including Bumper prize of a Maruti Alto Car.

Geography of Sarasvati & Aryavrata

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

APR28

Geography of Sarasvati & Aryavrata per Vedic Ritualistic Manuals

· Hosted by Srijan Foundation Trust

Saturday at 16:00–18:30
Intach Delhi Chapter
71 Lodhi Estate, New Delhi 110003

India has the ability to combine ancient and modern religious traditions

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

India has the ability to combine ancient and modern religious traditions says H.H. The Dalai Lama.(Rahul Bali, Senior Correspondent, Sagar Media Inc)

During a talk on the theme of “Role of Culture and Ethics in Promoting Peace and Harmony”, a programme organized by Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad (ARSP) and The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library. H.H. The Dalai Lama, a world renowned spiritual leader aged 82, a student of Nalanda university spoke about Buddha`s teachings. He said Buddha was a great thinker and practitioner of compassion, love, and human values and reasons. Buddha always emphasized on reason. Buddha said: O` my followers, scholars, preachers “Be a light unto yourself”. H.H. The Dalai Lama argued that there is no problem in any religion but problem lies in religious institutions and homegrown difference in religious traditions. He said India has tradition of compassion, love and secular-respect for all religions. According to H.H. The Dalai Lama, the era of feudalism is outdated; time of Kings and Queens are over, now time is for Democracy.World is interdependent. Citing an example of trade between Pakistan and India, he said both countries in trade terms are interdependent. While advising to the Indian Diaspora, the H.H. Dalia Lama emphasized on building Indian towns at par with China towns by Chinese. In a lighter vein, he said Chinese are hardworking and Indian are lazy people. Indian people need to be hardworking. At the end of his talk, H.H. the Dalai Lama emphasized that change will come by action not by prayer. He said that his mission is to revive ancient traditions.

Ambassador (Retd) Virendra Gupta, Former High Commissioner of India to South Africa and President of ARSP spoke about the Indian Diaspora in South Africa. He apprised that during colonial times, Indian Diaspora followed different trajectories encompassing indentured laborer to business entrepreneurs. Today, Indian Diaspora has solid presence in South Africa. The members of Indian Diaspora have achieved milestones in different fields such as commerce, education, health, and infrastructure and their contributions have promoted India` image at the international arena.

Shri Shakti Sinha, Director Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML), New Delhi spoke about Guru- Shishya tradition. He said that despite destruction of Nalanda University Chela(H.H. The Dalai Lama) is spreading the teachings of Guru- The Great Guatama Buddha.

ARSP has been building bridges with the Indian Diaspora since 1978 and its work and service across the globe is commendable.

Oxxy announced 11,000 Fixed Deposit for Every Girl Child Born in India

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

And launced International Gender Equality Day and Oxxy Girl Child Development Program were launched today in New Delhi, India in the presence of representatives from different countries like Brazil, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Pakistan, Guyana, Ethiopia, Republic of Korea, Maldives etc.; professionals from multinational companies like Alibaba, Amazon, Microsoft, PwC, Pepsi and members from organisations like World Parliament & WFIT were also present.The event took place in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi

The Royal baby on way

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Duchess of Cambridge has gone into labour with her third child.
She is with the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, central London – the same hospital where Kate gave birth to Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

No scan, Kate and William did not ask if they would be welcoming a son or daughter opting to be surprised, Middleton due to give birth she will no doubt make the most of her final weekend with Prince William and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte ahead of the arrival of Royal baby.

Kensington Palace announced that the Duchess was admitted to the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in central London on Monday morning.

Further Kensington Palace said the Duchess traveled to the hospital by car and was in the “early stages of labour”. Royal watchers will be expecting a swift delivery.

Skilled in ODISHA – a WAY FORWARD

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Alumni Website Hosting done.

Mr DK Singh Principal Secrearty Panchayati Raj depptt Odisha gave welcome address with skill progress in the state.

Mr GB Mathur most skill of industries are fast changing we need to keep pace and we are 6% skill compare to SKorea 96% so scale are quite high.

Smt Nidhi Dua of Marks & Spencer said we must give dignity of skill to each skill as each are important in its own right.

Odisha is house of Sun Temple, Konark temple the people of the state has genitical skill thus need training for right skill keeping in viw of demand.

India-Uzbekistan Buyer-Sellers Meet

ON APRIL 24, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

India-Uzbekistan Buyer-Sellers Meet

FICCI; New Delhi, India

Tuesday, 24 April, 2018, 2.30 pm onwards

I am pleased to inform you that FICCI in association the Embassy of Uzbekistan, New Delhi is organising India–Uzbekistan Buyer-Seller Meet on Tuesday, 24 April, 2018 (02.30pm onwards) at FICCI (Federation House, 1, Tansen Marg, New Delhi 110001).

The visiting Uzbek delegation representing/interested in the areas of pharmaceuticals, ICT, agriculture products & food processing, textile, leather, wellness & herbal products, chemical (polyethylene products), tourism and medical tourism among others, would be interacting with their Indian counterparts to assess new business opportunities and trading.

Keeping in view the importance of the meeting, may I invite you to kindly join and discuss business opportunities with Uzbek companies. The details of the program will be shared shortly.

I look forward to receiving your kind confirmation which may be sent todebasmita.chakraborty@ficci. com.

Looking forward to receiving your confirmation of participation.

Best Regards,

Brief summary of the State Budgets

ON APRIL 24, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Brief summary of the State Budgets

The state governments have announced their annual Budgets 2018-19 making allocations in important areas relating to socio-economic welfare. A summary of the state budget highlights is given below:

1. Jammu & Kashmir

The budget of Jammu and Kashmir 2018-19 has been designed in order to promote all round development in the state. Various reforms have been set for meaningful public policy interventions. The fiscal deficit previously estimated at around 9.5 % has actually turned out to be around 5.7%. The state government will provide freight subsidy to the industrial units located in the State and transporting their manufactured goods beyond 1000 kilometres outside the state. The government will also make available refund of SGST to all the industrial units, which were hitherto eligible for VAT exemption.

2. Himachal Pradesh

The budget of Himachal Pradesh 2018-19 has been designed to in order to promote an all inclusive growth. The major focus of the state budget is on infrastructure, education, health care, crops relief, irrigation, renewable energy among others. The state government has allocated Rs 50 crore under Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana. In the education sector the state government announced that school bags will be provided to the students of 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th class under the ‘Atal Vardi Yojna’. Skill Development Scheme has been given an allowance of Rs 100 crore. Grant-in-aid of Rs 110 crore will be given to the Himachal Pradesh University.

3. Haryana

The budget of Haryana 2018-19 ushers in a new era of balanced growth. The state majorly is focusing on raising expenditure in key sectors, including farm, education, health, industry, skill development and infrastructure. The budget proposed to reduce the rate of value added tax on sale of natural gas from 12.5% to 6%. The state government has proposed a budget of Rs. 1,15,198.29 crore. The state government has not proposed any new tax for 2018-19. The state government has proposed to allocate Rs 100 crore, for the construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. The government has proposed an outlay of Rs. 3,222.21 crore for irrigation and water resources in 2018-19. For health and family the government has proposed to allocate Rs. 4,769.61 crore in 2018-19. A total outlay of Rs. 13,978.22 crore for education (Elementary, Secondary and Higher Education) in BE 2018-19 has been proposed.

4. Gujarat

The state budget of Gujarat 2018-19 has focused on farmer welfare, agriculture, youth employment, irrigation, water supply, social justice, education, health, nutrition, traffic management and infrastructure. The budget size for FY 2018-19 is Rs 1,83,666 crore. The state government has proposed a total provision of Rs. 6755 crore for agriculture, co-operative and farmer welfare department, in which a provision of Rs.1101 crore for Pradhanmantri, Fasal Bima Yojana, farmer accident insurance, price stabilization etc has been allocated in order to cope with the risks of agriculture.

5. Chhattisgarh

The budget of Chhattisgarh 2018-19 has focused on welfare of farmers, development of agricultural sector, prosperity of labourers and the poor, female empowerment, welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, rural development, infrastructure and good governance. A major provision of Rs 13,480 crores had been made for the agriculture sector, Six new agricultural colleges would be set up at Jashpur, Korba, Chhuikhadan, Kurud, Gariaband and Mahasamund. For promotion of agricultural graduates to become entrepreneurs, new scheme called “Chalo Gaun Ki Or” has been launched through agriculture university.

6. Punjab

The budget of Punjab 2018-19 has focused on the farmers of the state as the policies on agriculture and rural economy have been centered only and only on the welfare of farmers. The state government is committed to providing free power to the farmers and for this purpose an allocation of Rs. 6256 crore has been provided. The state government has allocated Rs. 400 crore to Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), in order to draw up and execute a comprehensive agriculture development plan taking into account the agro-climatic conditions, natural resources and technology so as to ensure an inclusive and integrated development of agriculture and allied services. An allocation of Rs. 25 crore is proposed for support to extension services (ATMA), and Rs. 10 crore for National Food Security Mission (NFSM). A fish Brood Bank and hatcheries in private sector will be established in order to give boost to the fish seed production.

7. Madhya Pradesh

The budget of Madhya Pradesh 2018-19 has majorly focused on agriculture, health, education and employment sectors. A provision of Rs. 37,498 crore has been laid for Krishi budget. Under Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme an amount of Rs. 2000 crore has been allocated. Rs. 1158 crore has been allocated for horticulture department and Rs. 300 crore has been allocated for Micro Irrigation Scheme under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana.

8. Andhra Pradesh

The state budget of Andhra Pradesh 2018-19 has focused on increased allocation towards socio-economic development of the farmers, healthcare and towards establishing a knowledge economy by introducing the latest technology to educational pedagogies. The state government has proposed an expenditure of Rs. 1,91,063.61 crore, with revenue expenditure estimated at Rs. 1,50,271.99 crore and capital expenditure estimated at around Rs. 28,678.49 crore (which includes Rs. 9,351.15 crore towards principal repayment of Public Debt).

9. Kerala

The state budget 2018-19 has focused on austerity measures to control deficit and at the same time growth and development in the state. A package of Rs. 2000 crore is announced for coastal area. The Disaster Management Authority has developed a satellite information and communication system linking all fishing vessels and coastal villages with a cost of Rs.100 crore. Free Wi-Fi connectivity will be made available at every public centre in coastal villages. The state government has embarked Rs.954 crore as food subsidy in the budget. Rs.31 crore is specifically allocated for implementing the Food Security Act. This is mainly for renovation of ration outlets and e-governance. Rs.6 crore is allocated for Council for Food Research and Development.

10. Arunachal Pradesh

The budget of Arunachal Pradesh 2018-19 puts thrust on seven key areas including education, skill development, health, governance reforms, IT and infrastructure. The state government has established a state wide area network for GST implementation through IT department and a sum of Rs. 10 crore has been allocated for this purpose. The state government has launched a new scheme “Chief Minister’s Samast Shiksha Yojana” with a total allocation of Rs. 100 crore for establishing a District Level Education Society. The government has proposed with an additional resource of Rs. 1000 per month and earmark an allocation of Rs. 7 crore for the purpose of mid day meal scheme. Under the scheme Acharya Dronacharya Gurukul Yojana the state government has allocated a total of Rs. 15 crore.

11. West Bengal

The budget of West Bengal 2018-19 has laid emphasis on more welfare schemes for farmers, low income group and women. The state government has announced projects worth Rs. 12,000 crore in order to provide further fillip to the creation of infrastructure in the form of roads, bridges, flyovers, drinking water, power etc. The state government has sanctioned over 3.68 lakhs houses under the Grameen Awaas Yojna. The budget for ‘free treatment for all’ has been increased from Rs. 292.16 crore in 2011-12 to Rs. 857.83 crore in 2017-18. The state government has allocated Rs. 2766 crores to agricultural marketing department and Rs. 339 crores.

12. Delhi

The budget of Delhi 2018-19 is centered on issues related to education, health, electricity, transport including Delhi metro and the pollution menace. The total Budget Estimates for the year 2018-19 is proposed at Rs.53,000 crore. The state government has allocated an amount of Rs. 638 crore for all Local Bodies for various schemes / programmes, specially, in Health and Education sectors. The state government presented its first Green budget for effective containment of pollution in the city. The government has shortlisted 26 separate programmes and projects proposed by 4 departments under Delhi Government – Transport, Power, Environment and PWD for devising a unified system of pollution control, bringing down levels of different pollutants.

13. Assam

The budget of Assam 2018-19 has focused on education, health, infrastructure among others. The state budget has three strands – “EKATRIKARAN’ – consolidation of the policies we have announced and the work we have undertaken in the last two years; “XOMPROXARON”- Expansion and scaling up the ambitions of some of our existing programmes and “UTTORON” – raising the standards of our pursuance. The state government has allocated Ra 1890 crore for bridge over Brahmaputra connecting Panbazar with North Guwahati. The state government plans to set up 10 new law colleges, ten new B.Ed colleges, 9 new women colleges, 3 new polytechnic and a new medical college. To promote skill development in the state, the state government is setting up a Mega Skill City in partnership with ITEES Singapore, to provide globally relevant employment skills to the youths of Assam. Rs. 18 crore separately for the setting up of the Mega Skill City and its associated activities has been embarked upon.

14. Bihar

The budget of Bihar 2018-19 has majorly focused on villages, health, education and agriculture sector.The estimated revenue for the year 2018-19 is Rs 1,580, 52 crores. The Government of Bihar has been allocated a budget of Rs. 153.45 crores in order to promote tourism. The state Government has allocated Rs. 1 lakh to women in this budget and 10,000 students will be provided with solar lights. Rs. 862.21 crores for the state government revenue and land reform, Rs. 4413.58 crores have been provided for city development. Rs. 622.04 crores has been allocated for Department of Industry, Rs.677.15 crores for disaster management, Rs. 10,188 crores for social welfare, Rs. 10.257.66 crores for electricity and Rs. 30 crores for temples.

15. Jharkhand

The budget of Jharkhand 2018-19 is focused on five core areas including doubling the income of the people living in the rural area, creating employment opportunities, development of SC/ST, women empowerment, all round development of backward districts. Apart from this the focus has also been accorded to education, health, nutrition and basic infrastructure, drinking water supply scheme, urban development, linking the villages with roads and providing electricity in every home.

16. Rajasthan

The budget of Rajasthan 2018-19 focuses on rural infrastructure with a focus on health, education and social sector schemes like pension, insurance. The state government has estimated total revenue receipts of Rs. 151663.5 crore for the year 2018-19. The state government has allocated Rs. 766 crore for construction of roads under the Grammin Gaurav Path Yojana and Missing Link Yojana. Rs. 800 crore has been allocated for upgradation and renewal of 5,000kms of rural roads.

17. Uttar Pradesh

The budget of Uttar Pradesh 2018-19 is in the interest of all sections of the society, majorly focusing on farmers, artisans, youth, infrastructure and urban development. The state government will also focus on MSME, roads and power. The budget outlay for this year stands at over Rs 4,28,384.52 crore.

Budgets at a glance (in Rs. Crore)

S. No.	States	Estimated Revenue	Estimated Expenditure
1	Andhra Pradesh	191060	191064
2	Arunachal Pradesh	19261.30	NA
3	Assam	–	–
4	Bihar	181255.34	176990.27
5	Chhattisgarh	83096.13	83179.26
6	Delhi	53000	53000
7	Gujarat	177728	181945
8	Haryana	102732.54	102732.54
9	Himachal Pradesh	38165	41439.93
10	Jammu & Kashmir	64269	80313
11	Jharkhand	80200	80200
12	Kerala	127018	127093
13	Madhya Pradesh	186699	186685
14	Punjab	122922.58	129697.63
15	Rajasthan	212325.11	212274.65
16	Uttar Pradesh	420899	428385
17	West Bengal	195826	195829

PHD Research Bureau, compiled from state budget documents 2018-19

To sum up, majorly all the states have kept the interest of the general public in consideration and have laid focus on uplifting social infrastructure. Social infrastructure is the backbone of every state’s economy and a systematic approach towards uplifting the socio-economic standards at the grass root level will definitely put states’ growth on a higher trajectory in the coming times.

Manufacturing Jobs : Implications for Productivity and Inequality

ON APRIL 24, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Brooking India panel discussion on Manufacturing Jobs.Implications for productivity and Inequality.

Manufacturing Jobs : Implications for Productivity and Inequality
Productivity tended to slow as resources switch from manufacturing to service.Baumol 1967.

less skilled workers traditionally earned higher wages in manufacturing than in service.Helper Krueger Wial 2012.

Policy priorities

Remove barriers to entry and trade in services.

Skill development.

Reforms to boost productivity in all sectors.

Increase tradability of services and skill development are key to manufacturing, productivity and cross country productivity convergence in several market industrie give inertia.

Structual changes since 2000 has given momentum to boost economy -wide productivity growth in Emerging development economies -EMDEs.

Invitation for NMML Book Launch _The Oxford Handbook of India’s National Security

ON APRIL 24, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Invitation for NMML Book Launch -The Oxford Handbook of India’s National Security _26 April 2018_5.30 pm

Nushrat Bhraucha Graced the Ramp

ON APRIL 24, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Bharucha Graced the Ramp for Designer Kavita Aggarwal

Van struck killed nine in Toronto

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Sagar Media Inc

Van rammed into pedestrainers with southwards direction with high speeds mowing scores of people killing nine people and dozen injured in the city of Toronto policed said in media briefing.Furthet said one person is in coutody and investigation are neing done to find if it is an accodent or attack.

Nine people have been killed and 16 more are injured after a white van struck a number of pedestrians in Toronto, police said.

The incident on Yonge Street and Finch Avenue East occurred just after 1 pm local time. The Toronto Police Department said in a press conference shortly before 5pm local time that nine people have been killed and more than a dozen others are injured.

Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital said five of the injured are in a critical condition and another two are in a serious condition. The hospital said on Twitter that its emergency department is on lockdown as an “added precaution.”

Police say they have one person in custody. The investigation is ongoing and the police are appealing to eyewitnesses to come forward..

Eyewitness Alex Shaker told CTV Newsthat the van mounted the curb at high speed before travelling southbound.

“He started going down on the sidewalk and crumbling down people one by one,” Shaker said.

Bystanders have posted images on social media showing the aftermath and a number of emergency vehicles attending the scene of the incident.

Media Agencies.

Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to the son.

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Kensington Palace

@KensingtonRoyal

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 1101hrs. The baby weighs 8lbs 7oz. The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well.

The Royal Family

@RoyalFamily

A notice has been placed on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace following the announcement of the birth of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s third child. @KensingtonRoyal

0:31

Film, “Hamari Paltan”

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Hamari Paltan: the last film of veteran actor Tom Alter, all set to release on 27th April

The veteran actor who will be remembered for his brilliant acting, Tom Alter will be seen in his last feature film Hamari Paltan. The film will release on 27th April. Directed and written by Jainendra Jigyasu. It will be the last feature film where Tom Alter will be seen on the big screen.

As per the sources revealed, everyone’s beloved Tom was totally impressed by the theme of the film. The winner of Padma Shri awards Tom Alter, who was stereotyped as the perennial British man in Bollywood will be seen as one of the pivotal roles in the film.

Well, Movie revolves around children from two separate backgrounds, who become friends through the game. These kids start a movement by getting inspired by a retired professor.

The movie also showcase some brilliant performances by Late Tom alter, Manoj Bakshi, along with some Exceptionally Talented child actors as well. This movie is a humble attempt towards creating awareness about environment protection and the importance of natural resources, through the means of entertainment

Manufacturing Job: Implication for Productivity and Inequality

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Productivity tended to slow as resources switch from manufacturing to service.Baumol 1967.

less skilled workers traditionally earned jigher wages in manufacturing than in service.Helper Krueger Wial 2012.

Policy priorities

Remove barriers to entry and trade in services.

Skill development.

Reforms to boost productivity in all sectors.

Increase tradability of services and skill development are key to manufacturing, productivity and cross country productivity convergence in several market industrie give inertia.

Structual changes since 2000 has given momentum to boost economy -wide productivity growth in Emerging development economies -EMDEs.

Gunman kills four in Nashville.

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Four people have been killed and at least three others wounded following a shooting at a Waffle House in Nashville, Tennessee. A shooter opened fired at about 3:30am local time at the Waffle House on Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch. Witnesses described the gun as an AR-15. A customer managed to take the rifle from the man, who was reportedly naked under his green jacket at the time. Police continue to search for the suspect. At least one of the wounded is in critical condition.

Peace in Korean Peninsula move

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

South Korea has stopped its cross-border propaganda broadcasts to the north, to harmonize with the growing atmosphere of “peace,” after Pyongyang announced a freeze of its nuclear and ballistic programs, ahead of a rare high-level inter-Korean summit this week. “We hope this decision will lead both Koreas to stop mutual criticism and propaganda against each other and also contribute in creating peace and a new beginning,” South Korea’s defense ministry said in a statement.

On Saturday, Pyongyang announced that it was suspending any further nuclear and missile tests and scrapping its nuclear test site, in order to focus on pursuing economic growth.

US President Donald Trump, who is due to meet with Kim Jong-un, welcomed the move, but emphasized that it was “a long way from conclusion” and more concessions will be required.

Attacker in Paris get 20 yrs Jail

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Belgian judge has sentenced Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect in the 2015 Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) attacks in Paris, to 20 years in prison over a shootout with police in Brussels in 2016, Media reports.

Abdeslam’s co-defendant, Sofien Ayari, also received on Monday a 20-year sentence for attempted terrorist murder. The lawyer argued that Abdeslam, 28, should be acquitted because of a procedural error.

Prosecutors had charged him with attempted murder over the Brussels shootout in March 2016, days before his arrest, and called for a sentence of 20 years.

France passes bill to tighten migration process

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

French National Assembly has approved a controversial bill aimed at tackling illegal migration into the country. The legislation, passed on Sunday by 228 to 139 votes, seeks to double the time illegals may be detained by authorities.

The legislature further aims to shorten the deadlines for asylum applications, as well as to introduce jail time and heavy fines for those who illegally cross the border into France. Migration remains a controversial topic in France, which received roughly 100,000 asylum applications last year.

The government argues that more controls are needed to balance the rise of anti-immigration populist parties, the right-wing opposition maintains that the bill is too soft on migrants. Left-wing parties and NGOs view the legislation as repressive. Before President Emmanuel Macron can sign off on the bill, the text has yet to be debated by the Senate in June.

Indian-designed Natural Cooling Startup Awarded UN Environment Sustainability Grant

ON APRIL 23, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Indian-designed Natural Cooling Startup Awarded UN Environment Sustainability Grant

Bangkok, 23 April 2018 – A cooling system inspired by the structure of a beehive and developed in India has won a US$10,000 startup grant from UN Environment. The biomimicry based air cooler was designed by Monish Siripurapu, an architect based in New Delhi.

As a winner of the Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge in the Energy category, Siripurapu will also receive business and marketing training from global experts, and pitch to win an additional US$10,000 prize to bolster his business.

UN Environment’s Director for the Asia-Pacific Region, Dechen Tsering, said, “We are at a tipping point in the energy sector and the shift to renewables is more important than ever. But we can’t ignore the need to reduce our consumption. New ideas like this air cooling system that uses zero refrigerants and a fraction of the power are showing us the value of ingenuity as we aim to make our lifestyles more sustainable.”

The problem Siripurapu set out to solve is massive. The building sector in India consumes about 40% of generated electricity, a proportion that is expected to increase to 76% by 2040. Use of refrigeration and air conditioning systems is a major part of this energy demand. Not only do these units consume a lot of energy, they also employ powerful greenhouse gases, hydrofluorocarbons, to achieve cooling effects.

Siripurapu’s device passes water through earthen cones that facilitate evaporative cooling, using little energy and no refrigerants. The system is inspired by the design of a beehive, but has been customized through advanced computational analysis and modern calibration techniques. A pilot project in Uttar Pradesh recorded a temperature of 36 degrees Celsius around the device, while the external ambient temperature was 50 degrees Celsius. Since the technology is devised from earthenware, Siripurapu is hoping it could also revitalize a fading traditional craft. Workshops are planned for Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and overseas in Abu Dhabi.

Siripurapu said, “Anyone who lives in India knows the heat can be debilitating. We wanted to come up with a cooling system thats affordable, aesthetically pleasing and functional. Since air conditioners consume so much energy, the cost savings from our device are substantial and we are also helping to fight climate change at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.”

About Monish Siripurapu

Monish Siripurapu is the founder principal of Ant Studio based out of New Delhi. He graduated from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi in 2009. He received the prestigious JN Tata scholarship in 2015 for his PG Diploma in Robotic Fabrication from Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Spain. In collaboration with his colleagues, he has won many national and international architectural competitions and has been published in renowned architectural journals.

About the Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge

The Asia-Pacific Low-Carbon Lifestyles Challenge aims to mobilize and support young people with business ideas on how to foster energy-efficient, low-waste and low-carbon lifestyles.

12 winners each receive a US$10,000 to support their business venture focusing on one of three different categories: mobility, plastic waste and energy.

This is an initiative funded by the Ministry of Environment Japan, as part of SWITCH-Asia’s Regional Sustainable Consumption and Production Policy Advocacy Component, the Asia-Pacific Regional Roadmap on Sustainable Consumption and Production and One Planet. This initiative is carried out together with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, The Thai National Science and Technology Development Agency and Sasin Entrepreneurship Center.

***

RAJIV CHANDRAN

National Information Officer

The BP Energy Outlook 2040

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

:nksagar_1@yahoo.com

25 Apr. at 1:02 pm

Apr

CPR Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment is pleased to invite you to the
Presentation of The BP Energy Outlook 2040

Dr. Kaushik Deb

Thursday, 26 April 2018, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

The full discussion will be streamed through Facebook live on CPR’s Facebook page.

BP Energy Outlook 2040 present’s BP’s analysis of future energy trends and factors that could affect them. The Energy Outlook considers the forces shaping the global energy transition out to 2040 and the key uncertainties surrounding that transition considering a range of alternative scenarios. The scenarios have some common features, such as a significant increase in energy demand and a shift towards a lower-carbon fuel mix, but differ in terms of particular policy or technology assumptions.

About the Speaker: Dr. Kaushik Deb is an economist at BP in India where he is responsible for overseeing the analysis of natural gas markets in Group Economics, with a focus on LNG markets. Before BP, Kaushik was a Director at IDFC. He has two decades of research, consulting and teaching experience in a variety of infrastructure sectors, including sector restructuring studies, energy-environment-economy modeling, energy and environmental economics. Dr. Deb holds a D.Sc. in Applied Economics from ETH, Zurich and an MA in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics.

The talk will be accompanied by lunch. Please do RSVP at climate.initiative.cpr@gmail.com so that we can account for your order.

What Need to be Done ?

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Image may contain: 1 person, standing and text

PADHO PUNJAB PADHAO PUNJAB

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

PADHO PUNJAB PADHAO PUNJAB:

PSEB asked to print books worth Rs 7 cr for Edu Dept Chandigarh – Education Department has requisitioned the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) for printing books Worth Rs 7 crore for the ambitious Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab project.

(Rahul Bali, Senior Correspondent, Sagar Media, New Delhi)

The recent slogan “Padho Punjab Padhao Punjab” by the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Amrinder Singh is a positive step. Punjab is a predominantly an agriculture state. In the colonial period, illiterate people from Punjab migrated to the British colonies to work as laborers in railways, mines etc. Those who migrated 60 years back to the British colonies did not upgrade their educational credentials despite abundant facilities in the developed world. Elderly Punjabis settled permanently in England, USA, Canada and in European countries remained illiterate. The current status of education system in the state of Punjab is dismal. In his article, “Socio-Economic Crisis in Punjab” by Ranjit Singh Ghuman” observed that “Education in rural Punjab has almost collapsed. The process started in the 1980s and there has been no resurgence till date”.

The dropout rate of students belonging to marginalized groups in rural government primary schools is more than 85%. According to education department of more than 2667 primary, upper primary schools do not have enough teachers. The shortage of qualified teachers is a big challenge in fulfilling the mission. The transfer of teachers from one place to another place and extra administrative duties has disheartened the teachers. The media reports indicate that the working teachers are utilized by the education department for various political ends by successive governments.

The author conducted an interview with more than 50 government and private primary and higher school teachers in district Jalandhar, Punjab and found that the majority of students want to go to the developed countries such as England, Canada, USA, European countries. Several studies conducted in the past demonstrates that migrated students from Punjab largely end up in doing labor jobs in the western countries. There is need to change mind set of the students of Punjab. In globalized world, only educated and skilled workers are welcome. The government of Punjab must organize workshops in urban and rural areas of Punjab to educate the students and the parents. There is need to sensitize this important issue in the larger interest of Punjab. The time and energy of the working teachers need to be utilized to impart holistic education to the students. Padho Punjab and Padhao Punjab mission can only be fulfilled if drastic changes are made in the education system.

“Semicolonialism, Siam and the Making of a Nation State”

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

cordially invites you to a Public Lecture

on
“Semicolonialism, Siam and the Making of a Nation State”

by
Dr. Prabhakar Singh

O. P. Jindal Global University

at 03.00 pm on Friday, 27 April 2018

in the Seminar Room, Library Building

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

Teen Murti House, New Delhi-110011

All are welcome.

Analysis of MPs/MLAs with Declared Cases Related to Hate Speech

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Dear Friends,

The Law Commission Report no. 267 of March 2017[1] on Hate Speech states that “Hate Speech” has not been defined in any law in India. However, legal provisions in certain legislations prohibit select forms of speech as an exception to freedom of speech. The term “Hate Speech” has been used invariably to mean expression which is abusive, insulting, intimidating, harassing or which incites violence, hatred or discrimination against groups identified by characteristics such as one’s race, religion, place of birth, residence, region, language, caste or community, sexual orientation or personal convictions.

By giving tickets to candidates who have been charged with cases related to “Hate Speech” especially promoting enmity between religious groups and for committing acts that are intended to outrage religious feelings, political parties have been in a way abetting circumstances that lead to events such as communal riots and violence between different groups of people. Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) have analysed the self- sworn affidavits of all sitting MPs and MLAs. Analysis reveals that many of our current MPs and MLAs, who are designated lawmakers have actually declared cases related to “Hate Speech” against themselves. This analysis is based on the affidavits submitted by the candidates and MPs/MLAs prior to the last election they contested.

The Full Report can be accessed here: https://adrindia.org/content/analysis-mpsmlas-declared-cases-related-hate-speech-0

The following IPC and RPA sections deal with ‘Hate Speech’ as per the ‘Law Commission Report no. 267 on Hate Speech’:

Provisions under IPC

Ø Section 153A IPC penalises ‘promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’.

Ø Section 153B IPC penalises ‘imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration’.

Ø Section 295A IPC penalises ‘deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs’.

Ø Section 298 IPC penalises ‘uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person’.

Ø Section 505(1) and (2) IPC penalises publication or circulation of any statement, rumour or report causing public mischief and enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.

Provisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1951

· Section 8 disqualifies a person from contesting election if he/she is convicted for indulging in acts amounting to illegitimate use of freedom of speech and expression.

· Section 123(3A) and section 125 prohibits promotion of enmity on grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language in connection with election as a corrupt electoral practice and prohibits it.

Recommendations

1. ADR supports the following recommendations of the Law Commission Report:

a. The Model Code of Conduct given by the Election Commission of India for the guidance of political parties and candidates should be amended to the extent that effect is given to the sub section (3A) of section 123 of the RPA, 1951. The first part of the Code i.e. General Conduct should expressly provide a provision that prohibits any kind of speech that promotes, or attempts to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate.

b. Hate speech poses complex challenges to freedom of speech and expression. Hence, new provisions in IPC are required to be incorporated to address this issue. Amendments to the IPC, 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 by adding new provisions on ‘Prohibiting incitement to hatred’ provocation of violence in certain cases’ following section 505 IPC, and accordingly amending the First Schedule of CrPC.

2. ADR believes that strict action must be taken against the candidates giving hate speech prior and during the elections, and against the elected legislators even after the elections, if found guilty of indulging in ‘Hate Speech’.

3. Internet is an important tool for disseminating information and opinions however, it also serves as a platform for disseminating unlawful speech. Political parties have been misusing the medium for unlawful statements. Hence, it is recommended that such unlawful statements on online platforms should be monitored and if the person found guilty, they should be penalised.

4. Political Parties must not give tickets to the candidates who have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

5. Cases against MPs and MLAs should be fast tracked and decided upon in a time bound manner.

Summary and Highlights

Ø A total of 58 Current MPs and MLAs have declared cases related to hate speech.

Ø Sitting MPs with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: 15 Sitting Lok Sabha MPs have declared cases related to Hate Speech against themselves. None of the Rajya Sabha MPs have declared cases related to Hate Speech against themselves.

Ø Party wise MPs with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: 10 Sitting Lok Sabha MPs with declared cases related to Hate Speech are from the BJP, and 1 each is from the AIUDF, TRS, PMK, AIMIM and SHS.

Ø Sitting MLAs with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: 43 sitting MLAs have declared cases related to Hate Speech against themselves.

Ø Party-wise distribution of MLAs with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech:17 Sitting MLAs with declared cases related to Hate Speech are from the BJP, 5 each are from the TRS and AIMIM, 3 are from TDP, 2 each from INC, AITC, JD(U) and SHS, 1 each from DMK, BSP, SP and 2 are Independent MLAs.

Ø State wise MLAs with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: 11 sitting MLAs with declared cases related to Hate Speech are from Telangana. 4 MLAs are from Bihar, 9 MLAs are from Uttar Pradesh, 4 from Maharashtra, 3 each from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, 2 each from Uttarakhand and West Bengal and 1 MLA each from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Jharkhand have declared cases related to Hate Speech against themselves.

Ø Political Party Leaders with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: Political party leaders such as Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) and Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF) have declared cases related to Hate Speech against themselves.

Ø Union Minister with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: Ms Uma Bharti, Union Cabinet Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation has declared cases related to Hate Speech against herself.

Ø State Ministers with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech: There are 8 State ministers who have declared cases related to Hate Speech against themselves, their details are as follows:

Name	Party	State	District	Constituency
Patil Gulab Raghunath	SHS	Maharashtra	JALGAON	JALGAON RURAL
Jaibhan Singh Pavaia	BJP	Madhya Pradesh	GWALIOR	GWALIOR
Thanneeru Harish Rao	TRS	Telangana	MEDAK	SIDDIPET
K.Tarakarama Rao	TRS	Telangana	KARIMNAGAR	SIRCILLA
Swapan Debnath	AITC	West Bengal	BARDHAMAN	PURBASTHALI DAKSHIN
Arvind Pandey	BJP	Uttarakhand	UDHAM SINGH NAGAR	GADARPUR
Surya Pratap	BJP	Uttar Pradesh	DEORIA	PATHARDEVA
Suresh Kumar	BJP	Uttar Pradesh	SHAMLI	THANA BHAWAN

Table: State Ministers with Cases Related to Hate Speech

Ø Recognized/ Unrecognized parties given tickets to candidates with declared cases related to Hate Speech: In the last 5 years, 198 candidates with declared cases related to Hate Speech have contested elections for State Assemblies, Lok/Rajya Sabha. In last 5 years, 141 candidates from Recognized political parties and 29 candidates from Unrecognized political parties have given ticked to such type of candidates.

Ø Independent candidates with cases related to Hate Speech: In last 5 years, 28 independent candidates with declared cases related to Hate Speech have contested the elections for State Assemblies, Lok/Rajya Sabha.

State Wise MPs/MLAs with Declared Cases Related to Hate Speech

Figure: State Wise MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to Hate Speech

State	Number of MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to Hate speech
Uttar Pradesh	15
Telangana	13
Karnataka	5
Maharashtra	5
Bihar	4
Andhra Pradesh	3
Gujarat	2
Tamil Nadu	2
Uttarakhand	2
West Bengal	2
Jharkhand	1
Madhya Pradesh	1
Rajasthan	1
Assam	1
Delhi	1
Grand Total	58

Table: State Wise MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to Hate Speech

Party Wise MPs/MLAs with Declared Cases Related to Hate Speech

Figure: Party wise MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to Hate Speech

Party	Number of MPs/MLAs with Declared Cases related to Hate Speech
BJP	27
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen	6
TRS	6
TDP	3
SHS	3
AITC	2
INC	2
IND	2
JD(U)	2
AIUDF	1
BSP	1
DMK	1
PMK	1
SP	1
Grand Total	58

Table: Party wise MPs/MLAs with declared cases related to Hate Speech

[1] Law Commission Report no. 267 – Hate Speech, March 2017 : http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/reports/Report267.pdf

Thanks & Regards

Media and Journalist Helpline

+91 80103 94248

Email:adr@adrindia.org

Maj.Gen. Anil Verma (Retd)

Head

National Election Watch,

Association for Democratic Reforms

011 4165 4200,

+91 88264 79910

adr@adrIndia.org,

Prof Jagdeep Chhokar

IIM Ahmedabad (Retd.)

Founder Member,

National Election Watch, Association for Democratic

Reforms

+91 99996 20944

You signed Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development: Order an in-depth study on male child sexual abuse in India #EndTheIsolation

Prof Trilochan Sastry

IIM Bangalore

Founder Member,

National Election Watch,

Association for Democratic Reforms

+91 94483 53285

trilochans@iimb.ernet.in

—

Association for Democratic Reforms

T-95, C.L. House, 2nd Floor,
(Near Gulmohar Commercial Complex)
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M: +91 8010394248

T: +91 11 41654200

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Web:

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adrindia.org

Child Development: Order an in-depth study on male child sexual abuse in India

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister For Women & Child Development, has responded to the petition: Maneka Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development: Order an in-depth study on male child sexual abuse in India #EndTheIsolation.

Change.org <mail@change.org>

To:nksagar_1@yahoo.com

25 Apr. at 11:45 am

Sagar Media Inc,

Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister For Women & Child Development, has responded:

“Dear people, We are at a crucial juncture where the President has given consent for a historic ordinance for stringent punishment for perpetrators of sexual violence against girls. There shall be no tolerance of any form of sexual violence against…” read more

25 April 2018

See the full response

You can join in the conversation by visiting the decision makers response page and leaving a comment about what you think should happen next.

This is an important step on the road to victory. Congratulations!

– The Change.org Team

This email was sent by Change.org to Nksagar_1@yahoo.com.

Section 138 Make ease of biz

ON APRIL 25, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Section 138 – Make Businesses Transparent, Fraud Free

April24, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

Special session on Section 138 revealed there are over 16m to 25m Check Bounce cases pending in courts and courts on average take 4-5 years for deciding it. This has greatly reduced ECONOMIC ACTIVITY – CRIPLED Companies engaged in litigation.

Way back in 1975 I was responsible for Procurement at BTPS. All multinationals and reputed companies demanded ‘Payment Against Delivery’ or ‘Advance Payment’ but SMEs had to visit BTPS several times to collect tender documents, make bids, be present at the time of opening of bids, collect Supply Orders, Deliver Goods and Collect Payment.

India even today prefer ‘CASH PAYMENTS’ for Salary Payment for Contract or Casual Work or in Small Business or Purchase of Goods and Services in majority of the cases but in –

USA for half a century all Employees Were REGISTERED, WEEKLY salaries paid by Check, all Utility Bills & monthly installments for services paid by Check. For shopping of more than $10 – Credit Cards were used in 90% cases. Banks issued 1000 Checks on opening account with account holders name and address. Even if one forgets to put account number and drops Pay Check in Drop Box Banks would put the money in right account. ATMs dispensed cash so Bank Clients visit the Bank for Opening & Closing of Accounts. These days most transaction made Electronically.

Section 138 in India was being abused for Ensuring Payments for Goods & Services without declaring Goods & Services provided When Buyer Can’t Pay Against Delivery – CHEATING, FRAUDS, MONEYLENDING, MONEYLAUNDERING THRIVED.

Examples – 1.] A Congenital Cheat would Promise to get Rs.8 Cr Loan at low interest rate and demand 5% Service Charge – Collect UNDATED Checks worth Rs.40 Lakh, Present Checks without arranging LOAN – initiate Section 138 Case. 2.] A Person would file IT Return showing 10 times real income – Stand Guarantees for Scores of various Loans. 3.] Take New Loans from NBFC to pay for Pending Bank Loans without declaring liabilities. 4.] Bankers go after GUARANTOR than Borrower in most cases.

IMPROVED Section 138 – With EXPRESS COURTS

1. GOI should MAKE Registration of All Products & Services Delivered COMPULSORY –

2. Product & Service Provider to get his DUES immediately through Electronic Payment or Check Payment or Bank Draft. Introduce WEEKLY PAYMENT Of Salaries.

3. Banks to FACILITATE PRODUCT & SERVICES BUSINESSES TRANSACTIONS than advancing BIG MONEYS as WORKING CAPITAL or BIG LOANS to ‘VERY LOW VALUE ADDED Businesses i.e. Gems & Jewelry, Trade’ which are better served by NBFCs.

4. Points 1, 2 & 3 shall MINIMIZE WORKING CAPITAL requirements, and

5. Banks to Maintain MINIMUM BALANCE IN CURRENT ACCOUNTS OF MSMEs than BULK Advances of Working Capital or LOW VALUE ADDED Businesses.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, Ind

Lucky Draw event by Hamdard today

ON APRIL 24, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

On behalf of Hamdard India, we would like to invite you for the Lucky Draw event by Hamdard tomorrow. Attached is the media invite for your perusal.

Event : Hamdard Bonanza Lucky Draw – Phase 1 – 2nd Dec 2016 to 25th Jan 2017 and Phase 2 -15th Feb 2017 to 31st March 2017

Venue : India Islamic Centre

Date : 24th April 2018 (Tuesday)

Timings : 12.30 PM followed by Lunch

Request you to kindly RSVP by replying on the mail.

Thanks & Regards,

Tanya Chaudhary

Manager – Brand Communications

Trichomonosis

FRACTURED GST IS NOT SUSTAINABLE IN INDIA

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

CAIT CALLS FOR OVERALL REVIEW OF GST

“Fragmented procedures & compliance have greatly distorted the inherent beauty of GST. The experience of about 9 months of GST implementation in the Country requires an overall review of not only the tax rates but even the prescribed procedures as well. Weaknesses, leakages, loopholes of GST needs to be plugged. Correction of error in classification of goods in different tax slabs particularly under tax slab of 28% beside removing anomalies and disparities to make it a simple and good taxation system which may comply with two basic fundamentals of GST i.e widening of tax base & encouragement to voluntary compliance”- said the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

An internal panel of CAIT headed by its National President Mr. B.C.Bhartia has recommonded that now the time has come when the Government should move forward to make GST a stable taxation system by conducting an overall review of GST structure & take remedial measures. No direct communication of the Government with the trading community so far is the root cause for chaos & confusion and as such a permanent mechanism needs to be formed to make regular inter-action both at Centre & State levels-opined the panel.

With GST portal not functioning properly, overlapping of laws, short term measures to provide relief, much lack of awareness about prescribed fundamentals and compliance thereof, variation of tax rates in items pertaining to same vertical, applicability of HSN code for everyone whether big or small, absence of any nodal authority to provide legitimate answers to the queries has multiplied uncertainity about GST and as such it will be appropriate if immediate steps are taken to set the things right.

CAIT National President Mr. B.C.Bhartia and Secretary General Mr.Praveen Khandelwal said that CAIT panels has suggested some immediate measures including abolition of Reverse Charge Mechanism, application of E Way Bill only on inter-state transactions, quarterly returns for turnover upto Rs.100 crores and monthly return for turonver of more than 100 crore turnover, Applicability of HSN Code only on Manufacturers, No tax liability on Purchaser if Seller does not deposit Tax collected by him, Formation of a GST LokPal, Representation to traders in GST Council, Formation of Joint Committee of Government Officials at Centre, State and District level to monitor & regulate GST system, Revisiting 28% tax slab which should be limited to only luxurious & demerit goods, re-classification of goods falling under other tax slabs.

Pune Municipal Corporation hill on roads

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Dear Sagar Media Inc,
“These hills are heart and lungs of the city… there are peacocks, peahens, and many other beautiful birds residing in the forests of these hills” writes Yash Samant about Taljai and Waghjai Hills in Pune.
His petition says, “Pune Municipal Corporation is planning to construct roads through these hills, destroying the wildlife and silence in the area… This roads will cause air, sound pollution”

Sign his petition to stop Pune Municipal Corporation from destroying Pune’s beautiful hills.

Petitioning Yash Sumant

National Wildlife Federation: “Save Taljai hill.” “Save wildlife”. Action against roads through Taljai and Waghjai hills

Petition by Yash Sumant
Pune, India

3,006
Supporters

Save Taljai and Waghjai Hills.

Pune Municipal Corporation is planning to construct roads through these hills, destroying the wildlife and silence in the area. This road would barely save a distance of a kilometre. But there are peacocks, peahens, and many other beautiful birds residing in the forests of these hills. Construction of such roads for electoral benefits will surely disturb and destroy the wildlife. These hills are heart and lungs of the city. PMC should be trying to make these hills more greener instead of destroying them. This roads will cause air, sound pollution. Also will be trouble for many morning walkers who daily go for a routine exercise. Please do think and sign for the sake of Green Pune.

Thanking you,

A aware citizen.

Visit petition page

Tripartite meeting of FM to hold meeting on Syria in Moscow

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Russian, Turkish, Iranian foreign ministers will hold a meeting on Syria in Moscow on April 28, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued Thursday.

“The Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran, the guarantors of the Astana platform, will hold a meeting in Moscow on 28 April 2018,” read the statement.

A series of meetings have been held since Russia, Turkey and Iran launched the Syrian peace process in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

As guarantor countries, the three countries have reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a “lasting ceasefire” in Syria as well as the territorial integrity of the war-torn country.

Supreme Court to vote on Lula case starting May 4

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) is to vote on a motion starting May 4 that could potentially release ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from prison, the court said on Wednesday.

Lula’s defense team hopes to overturn a decision by Sergio Moro, a federal judge and head of a key corruption investigation, that determined Lula had to begin serving a 12-year sentence for accepting bribes.

Lula was imprisoned on April 7, effectively derailing his bid to run for a third term in October elections.

STF judges will have until midnight of May 10 to submit their electronic votes, without having to meet in person to debate the case.

Should all the votes be in before the deadline, the much-anticipated results could be announced earlier.

Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) has said he remains their candidate despite his legal troubles, which it claims have been politically motivated to keep him out of the race.

His lawyers argue that Moro’s decision to have him begin his sentence was premature, since they have not exhausted his appeals process.

PGTI announces return of Feeder Tour after a gap of four years

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

PGTI announces return of Feeder Tour after a gap of four years

Six events with prize purse of Rs. 8 lakh each to be staged this season

New Delhi, April 26, 2018: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) has announced the return of its Feeder Tour after a gap of four years. The 2018 PGTI Feeder Tour season will feature six events with a prize purse of Rs. 8 lakh each.

The PGTI Feeder Tour was last staged in 2014 with six events carrying a prize purse of Rs. 6 lakh each. The 2018 season of the Feeder Tour has thus seen an increase of Rs. 12 lakh (33%) in the combined prize purse which now stands at Rs. 48 lakh.

The Feeder Tour events will have a maximum field of 90 players and will be played over three rounds of 18 holes each with the cut being applied after 36 holes. The winner of this year’s Feeder Tour Order of Merit will earn an exemption on the main tour for the 2019 season.

The Feeder Tour season tees off with the first event which will be played from May 23 – 25, 2018, at the BSF Golf Club in Chhawla, New Delhi. The BSF Golf Club will be hosting its first ever professional event.

The tour then moves to the Aravalli Golf Club, Faridabad, from May 28 – 30. The third event of the season will be played at the Madhuban Meadows Golf Club, Karnal, from June 20 – 22 while the fourth event will be hosted by the Rambagh Golf Club, Jaipur, from June 26 – 28.

The last two events of the season will be held at two different golf courses in Lucknow. While the season’s fifth event takes place at the Lucknow Golf Club from July 4 – 6, the sixth and last event is scheduled to be hosted by the Palms Golf Club & Resort, Lucknow, from July 10 – 12.

Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “We are proud to announce the revival of the PGTI Feeder Tour after a four-year gap. The Feeder Tour has in the past served as a stepping stone for our professionals as several winners on the tour have later gone on to make an impact on the PGTI. We are confident that the Feeder Tour will once again play a role in strengthening the foundations of professional golf in India. The significant enhancement in the prize purse this season will contribute towards making the Feeder Tour even more competitive than before.”

“Transforming India Dialogues”

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Dear Sir/ Madam

This is to cordially invite you to “Transforming India Dialogues‘ being organised on April 27th at 5.00 PM at Seminar Room, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library.

Welcome Address- Shri Shakti Sinha, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library

Speaker – Smt. Radha S Chauhan, CEO, Government e- Marketplace (GeM)

Chair – Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President ICCR, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha & Vice Chairman RMP

Invitation card – Enclosed

Kindly note that the invitation is non-transferrable and entry is by invitation only.

Armenia unrest grows, Nikol Pashinian want power

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Facing growing pressure to hand over power to Nikol Pashinian, the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) said that it is ready to discuss “any issue” with the opposition leader.

In an announcement late on April 25, the HHK also indicated that it will replace longtime ruler Serzh Sarkisian, who remains the party chairman since resigning his post as prime minister this week, with a new leader.

The HHK’s announcement came after party members met with Sarkisian and acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetian to discuss the political crisis in Armenia.

It said that Sarkisian, who served two presidential terms from 2008-18, gave “more detailed explanations” for his decision to step down just six days after being elected prime minister by the HHK-controlled parliament.

It said the ex-president urged HHK lawmakers to make “stability and the country’s security” their chief priority.

According to the statement, the “second half of the meeting” was held in Sarkisian’s absence and focused on the government’s standoff with protesters led by Pashinian.

The participants agreed to declare that “the HHK faction is prepared to discuss any issues with all sides without preconditions,” it said.

The HHK meeting came as Pashinian, who leads the opposition Civil Contract party, held another big rally in Yerevan to demand that the parliament appoint him as interim prime minister and call snap elections

“We demand an explicit and unconditional capitulation of the Republican Party to the people,” he said.

Pashinian warned that his supporters will “blockade” the parliament building and the prime minister’s office in Yerevan if the HHK majority in the National Assembly moves to install Karapetian as prime minister. He accused Karapetian of illegally occupying the country’s top executive post.

“We are saying at this [Republic] Square that the Armenian people have a candidate for prime minister and the National Assembly factions must reckon with this political reality and nominate that candidate by consensus,” Pashinian said, clearly referring to himself. Pashinian urged supporters to continue to demonstrate and block streets and roads on April 26.

HHK’s move to open broad discussions with Pashinian came after the party suffered a blow with the departure of a junior partner from its governing coalition on April 25.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation, also known as Dashnaktsutyun, said in a statement that the parliament should elect a prime minister who “enjoys the people’s confidence.”

An opposition bloc also announced on April 25 that it would officially nominate Pashinian as the next prime minister.

Tens Of Thousands Protest In Yerevan, Other Armenian Cities Against Sarkisian As New Prime Minister in the capital city Yerevan and spread protests in other cities including Gyumri and Vanadzor, according to local media.

Protest leader Nikol Pashinian, after announcing the start of a “peaceful people’s revolution” in Armenia, told the rally in Yerevan that “Sarkisian lacks legitimacy and has earned the hatred of Armenians.”
Protesters are rallies against the government wants to have fair free election and party in rules from last twenty years has not been able to fulfill the dreams of the people. Russian official said we shall not interfere in the velvet revolution of the states.

The demonstrators massed in Yerevan’s Republic Square late on April 17, holding Armenian flags and chanting “Armenia without Serzh.”

Protests continued and spread across the country, closing transport routes without notice. Many protesters have been detained, or dispersed by law enforcement. Due to the unpredictable nature of the protests and heavy police presence, there could be a potential for violence.

Police explicit warnings that they would act to quell the unrest, hundreds of demonstrators blocked streets in central Yerevan on April 17, a day after dozens of protesters were hurt in clashes with police barring the path to parliament.

Yervean’s France Square, a deputy police chief handed Pashinian a notice warning that protesters had violated legislation on public gatherings and that the authorities had decided to stop the demonstrations.

Pashinian tore up the warning without reading it and declared that a campaign of “total disobedience” had begun. Nearby, a group of protesters were camped out in front of a riot-police line on a central street, with rolls of razor wire separating the two sides.

“I declare today the launching of a velvet [revolution], a peaceful people’s revolution,” Pashinian, wearing a camouflage T-shirt, said as Sarkisian addressed lawmakers from the legislature’s podium before a vote that seemed certain to make him prime minister.

“A revolutionary situation is brewing across the country. Demonstrators are blocking streets and…highways in the cities of Gyumri, Ijevan, Vanadzor, Kapan, and Metsamor,” he added. “People are not going to work, mass strikes have begun.”

Inputs from /www.rferl.org

Nicaragua Demonstrations

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Violent protests are throughout Nicaragua, specially in Managua, Masaya, Leon and Esteli. The protests started on 18 April 2018. Street violence has involved tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition, resulting in many serious injuries and at least 10 fatalities. Some Government buildings have been damaged, and troops have been deployed in several cities.

Access to the Managua International Airport and to the area of Carretera a Masaya (where universities, shopping malls and restaurants are located) may be affected. Demonstrations are scheduled to continue until 23 April, however there are reports of escalating violence across the country and the demonstrations may continue longer.

Many students were arrested during anti-government protests in Nicaragua have been released by police, after the protests started on 18 April 2018, in eight days of demonstrations in which nearly 30 persons were killed. The alleged protesters emerged from prison with shaved heads and some of them accused police of beating and torturing them while in captivity. “It was three hours of torture: beatings, kicks, they lined up to kick me,” one of the students, who did not want his name publicised, told Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.

Police said in a statement that detainees had been handed over to relatives and in some cases religious committees in six cities in Nicaragua by Tuesday 8:30am (14:30 GMT), but did not specify how many were let go.

On Tuesday, the Roman Catholic Church agreed to mediate between members of civil society and Nicaragua’s embattled President Daniel Ortega.

In a press conference, cardinal Leopoldo Brenes called on Nicaraguans, as well as the goverment to “avoid all acts of violence, [and acts that are] disrespectful of public and private property”.

Protests erupted in Nicaragua on Wednesday over a controversial reform of the country’s social security system.

Police were criticised for their heavy-handed response to the protests, and accused of using live ammunition against demonstrators. Hundreds were injured, while dozens of shops in Managua were looted amid the unrest.

In a televised meeting on Sunday evening, Ortega cancelled the reforms, but tens of thousands of people marched in Managua on Monday, with many calling for the resignation of their 72-year-old president.

The former Sandinista guerrilla is on his third consecutive term and has been accused of nepotism – his wife Rosario Murillo is the vice president – and for undermining democratic institutions to tighten his grip on power.

Murillo softened her rhetoric on Tuesday when she told protesters there was “faith that we are going to go forward united”, days after coining them “vampires”.

World leaders have expressed their concern over the violent protests.A spokesperson for the United Nations Human Rights Office said, “We are particularly concerned that a number of these deaths may amount to unlawful killings,” Liz Throssell told reporters at a Tuesday press briefing.

AL JAZEERA NEWS

Dr Abdul Majid the lucky winner of Hamdard Bonanza Lucky Draw

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

April 25, 2018: Hamdard Laboratories (India), an over 100 year old Unani and FMCG company in India announced over 200 winners at their Bonanza Lucky Draw held at India Islamic Centre in New Delhi.

Launched in 2014, Hamdard Bonanza an innovative customer loyalty programme for Unani practitioners & retailers has now become an iconic scheme. There has been an overwhelming response from Unani fraternity with more than 3500 participants from across the country. The event was a culmination of Hamdard Bonanza (2016-2017) and saw a lucky draw to identify over 200 lucky winners of prizes, including Bumper prize of a Maruti Alto Car. The other prizes comprised of scooty, laptops & other consumer goods. This event is the culmination of both the phases of this loyalty programme. Phase 1 was from 2nd December, 2016 to 25th January, 2017 and the Phase 2 was from 15th February, 2017 to 31st March, 2017.

Dr Abdul Majid from Hyderabad was the lucky winner of the bumper prize of Maruti Alto Car.

Mansoor Ali, Chief Sales &Marketing Officer, Hamdard Laboratories (India) said, “Hamdard Bonanza is a great loyalty programme that we initiated in the year 2014. We are grateful to the hakims and doctors for their contribution in Hamdard and the society at large. Through this programme, we acknowledge their efforts and positive impact on the Unani system.”

About Hamdard Laboratories India:

Established in 1906 by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed as a Unani company, Hamdard is a progressive, research based, health and wellness organization with a focus on developing innovative and natural solutions for the masses based on Unani system of medicine. Hamdard India has a wide portfolio of over 500 natural and herb based products and is amongst the leading Health & Wellness companies in India. Hamdard India is the manufacturer and exporter of the world’s largest range of Unani medicines; exporting to more than 22 countries across the globe. Hamdard’s area of expertise include lifestyle disease management, weight management, skin and hair care, gastro care, men’s health, women’s health, cough and cold wellness products and Unani medicines. The top brands are RoohAfza, Safi, Roghan Badam Shirin, Sualin, Joshina, and Cinkara. With over 100 years of service to health and humanity, Hamdard has today become synonymous with ‘integrity’ and ‘high quality’ and stands as a mission committed to serve and benefit the society at large.

For more information, please contact:Tanya Chaudhary; tanya.chaudhary@madisonpr.in; +91-9711973138

2nd Martha Farrell Award Ceremony held at Delhi

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

2nd Martha Farrell Award Ceremony held at Delhi -Women empowerment through participation

(Rahul Bali, Senior Correspondent, Sagar Media Inc, New Delhi)

Martha Farrell Foundation has been working among women groups across India since inception. The core activities of the foundation are to empower women through participation and action-oriented programmes.

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Gender inequality has been the curse of all the developing and developed societies since civilization. Patriarchy and subordination of women are embedded in the social system of India. In societies such as ours, it is almost a given that women will spend much longer caring for the home and children than men.

In the 1850s the women groups in the United States of America struggled to include women in the provisions of 14th and 15th Amendments (Extending citizenship rights and granting voting rights). In India, Savitribai Phule opened the first school for girls in 1848 with the support of his husband Jyotirao Phule which allowed the women of marginalized sections of the society to get an education and prepare them to assert for their rights. Education is the only tool through which women and men can achieve social and economic mobility in life.

Patriarchal mindset in India needs to be changed. A girl child is not welcome at the time of birth. Statics reveal that women are vulnerable in every part of India. Public transport is often intermittent, they face harassment en route and late working hours leave them open to greater risk of violence. Casting couch is prevalent in every field of industry. According to 2016 report by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) more than 3 lakh incidents of crime against women were recorded. Such crimes against women belonging to the marginalized sections of the society increased manifold.

India is an emerging economy. Data reveals that only 25 percent of Indian women are in the workforce, while for China it 70 percent. To reduce this gap, inclusive policies need to be formulated and implemented. Women need to develop a scientific outlook for that dogmatism and superstitions should be rejected. Dowry system needs to be annihilated. Social and economic inequality can only be reduced through empowering women. Men monopolization over the mind of women needs to be demolished. They need to be empowered not only at the regional level but also at the national level. The representation of women in Parliament of India needs to include.

Since independence, several initiatives on the part of the government as well private organizations are taken in safeguarding the vulnerable women. Contributions by Martha Farrell Foundation, Society for Participatory Research in Asia ( PRIA) and Rizwan Adatia Foundation in empowering women are commendable and need to be supported by every sensitive citizen of the world.

During the function, awards under different category were given to individuals and institutions. The J&K Government has admitted in the Legislative Assembly while giving a reply that 11,786 cases of crime against women in 2016 were reported. Gang Rape, Kidnapping are common in the state of J& K. In that situation, Nadiya Shafi, a promising individual from Kashmir has been working among marginalized women groups to educate them about their constitutional and legal rights. Malti Sangne of RSCD, Maharashtra received institution category award. RSCD organized several programmes for the empowerment of marginalized women in the state of Maharashtra.

A dialogue took place on the sensitive issues concerning women among the panelists. Rizwan Adatia, Founder & Chairman of Rizwan Adatia Foundation, a visionary, philanthropist narrated his story how he began his journey from a humble background. His mother, a pious woman motivated him to engage in social services particularly for the vulnerable women. From that day onward, he and his family have been working for the upliftment and empowerment of marginalized women. Rizwan said: “There is need to bring about change in the minds and hearts of the people and create awareness in the society towards gender equality”.Sohail has been creating awareness among boys and girls through sports platform. He said: Girls and boys can understand better when they engage in open discussion”. The discussion was moderated by Ms Poonam Muttreja, Population Foundation of India. A song is sung by Tripy Sama, musical band mesmerized the audience. Nandita Pradhan Bhatt, Director, Martha Farrell Foundation thanked the guests for participation.

Italian Movie:Le fate ignoranti by Ferzan Özpetek

ON APRIL 26, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Istituto Italiano di Cultura New Delhi's photo.

APR26

Screening of Italian Movie – Le fate ignoranti by Ferzan Özpetek

Public

· Hosted by Istituto Italiano di Cultura New Delhi

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Today at 19:00–21:00
Starts in about 8 hours · 37° Haze
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Istituto Italiano di Cultura New Delhi
Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, 50-E, Nyaya Marg, New Delhi 110021
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Ferzan Ozpetek’s “Le fate ignoranti” (The Ignorant Fairies ) takes up a more unconventional notion of family regarded as a gender-fluid community of individuals. It is almost a coming of age story wherein a couple will end up knowing each other in a very unique way.

PLOT:

When Antonia’s husband Massimo is killed in a car accident, she accidentally discovers that he has been having a same-sex affair with a produce wholesaler named Michele. Although she’s initially devastated by the news and hostile toward Michele, she soon develops a friendship with him and his and Massimo’s circle of gay, transgender, and straight friends, among whom are a Turkish immigrant, a playwright and a boutique owner. As she gets to know these people and become a part of their lives, the new relationships dramatically transform Antonia.

AWARDS:

3 Nastro d’Argento Prizes (Best Actress: Marghertia Buy – Best Actor: Stefano Accorsi – Best Producer: Tilde Corsi and Gianni Romoli)

Public’s Choice, Image-Nation Festival

Best Film, New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival

Best Film, Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival

One Million R&D Centers – $200 Trillion GDP Gain by 2050

ON APRIL 27, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

April26, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

First time in my life I have Hope on IP Day that India may in near future become a major R&D Center of the world. This alone shall be$200 Trillion Gain to Indian Economy by 2050 at $6 Trillion additional GDP gain annual average. $6 Trillion addition gain annually is just$4000 per capita annual additional GDP gain for 1500m Population.

Agriculture with USA like Food Processing Industries alone shall contribute additional $2 Trillion to Indian GDP annually.Manufacturing too over $2 Trillion additional contribution annually is modest figure – China manufacturing already has achieved $5 Trillion level presently. Services shall easily exceed $2 Trillion additional GDP gain – all by 2050.

Way back in 1974-75 I topped competitions for Birla, Sriram, Atlas, ISGEC, BST, JAL etc and wanted R&D job – none was serious about R&D. In 1975 in letter to JRD Tata offered to improve TRF plant when I found its Coal Handling Plant need better technology.

Soon 1975 I started ‘Inventing Professionally & Create IPR’ – focus on R&D and get parts of products made to order – assemble them at locations near sales outlets saving on packing and offer Quick Low Cost Service also.

My inventions Cover all segments of Economy – Agriculture, Industry & Services. I was inventing in 1975 for Industry, worked at BST, BTPS & CPWD, 1978 was made virtual CEO of a Water Supply Installation on Eve of Morarji Desai visit for few hours when residents were not getting water for a week – corruption resumed like before after went away. 1991 was managing family owned farm – getting much more yield than average – Sowing Sunflower in 2-3 hour when Punjab Agricultural University procedure required 12 days. Maximizing Yield, Minimizing Irrigation and saving time to raise third crop.

All offices & companies from Rashtrapati Bhavan/ Prime Minister or RIL must have Chief Technical Officers. [Other than Unqualified Advisers]

At an even in 1990 I had OBSERVED – ‘India’s GDP Contribution is 2% of World Economy 98% of Economic Activity is outside India – India Should Target Serving 98% Market.’

India need 1 million R&D Centers employing 10m R&D Staff.

1. All Government Departments at Center & State including Honorable President, PM, CMs, CJI, CJ of High Courts – Companies with over Rs.100 Cr Annual Turnover to Have Chief Technical Officers.

2. 1000 R&D Centers with Rs.10 Cr to Rs.100 Cr Bank Support for Developing Products & Services for GLOBAL MARKET – out of 1m R&D Centers for India in 5 years.

3. PSU Banks to STOP LENDING to Low Value add Companies & Businesses, like Gems & Jewelry, Trade – have huge profit margins, Recycle Investment in hours for Vegetable Trade to few days – can afford Private or NBFC Loans. SUPPORT HIGH VALUE ADDED ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES – AGRICULTURE, FOOD PROCESSING, MANUFACTURING, HOUSING, MULTI-PURPOSE DAMS, TRUCK HIGHWAYS, etc.

4. Abolish ‘THEKEDARI SYSTEM’ – All Private & Public Contracts to go to ‘Professionally Led Companies with Proven Track records.’

5. Support Foreign Companies to OPERATE in India in every activity Freely except Defence. Let them build ‘20,000 Km Bullet Train Network’ Purely on Commercial Considerations – No Political Patronage.

6. Allow WALMARTS – India is already investing in DIRECT MARKETING Businesses.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Runway Rising on 4th July

ON APRIL 27, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

We are pleased to announce Runway Rising on 4th July 2018 at The Ashok Hotel, New Delhi.

This one-day fashion & lifestyle exhibition will feature pret & couture fashion, precious & destination jewelery, accessories, gifting, home decor, beauty & wellness and much more. Our aim is to provide a platform to sell your latest . The central location of the event combined with our marketing expertise will provide unparalleled access to Delhi’s elite shoppers.

Coverages
For coverage of previous shows, please see these photos & videos:

Footfall Video – youtu.be/JyOVpgKkH64
April 2018 – photos.app.goo.gl/ ZJA6XGEW7yiQTB4H3
December 2017 – photos.app.goo.gl/ cCNhKe4seBKqlbvR2
April 2017 – youtu.be/-AddTVNCyII
July 2016 – youtu.be/IPP7wld2Wg8
March 2015 – youtu.be/hQZs0FC5Yn8

Peoples’ Convention on Infrastructure Financing

A Peoples’ response to AIIB Annual Meeting

June 21-23, 2018 | Mumbai, India

INVITATION

The 3rd Annual Governors Meeting of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank [AIIB]will be held in Mumbai, India from 24-25 June 2018. This two-year-old multilateral bank is investing in all major sectors, including energy, without robust policies on environmental-social safeguards, transparent public disclosure and an accountability/complaint handling mechanism. Out of the total 24 projects, it has financed, USD 4.4 billion has already been approved. India is the biggest recipient from AIIB with more than 1.2 billion USD supporting about six projects including Transmission lines, Capital City Development at Amravati, rural roads etc with another 1 billion USD in proposed projects.

These data are but a few from among the many that come out periodically which, we are aware, will straightaway affect our democratic systems, land, water, forests, food, livelihoods, structures and the very air we breathe on a daily basis. All these raise our concerns to an alarming level that we are forced to reflect and act on the rapid ‘reforms’ which happen in the guise of development. Unlike World Bank and ADB who claim their development agenda in the name of reduction in poverty and inequality, AIIB never conceals their huge interests in infrastructure financing.

India is AIIB’s second-largest shareholder and is an adored destination for its investments. As many of us are aware, the Indian government, for past few decades, has stressed the need for large infrastructural projects for the country’s development and these projects are being seen as a stimulus to the growth of India’s GDP. These include power projects, dams, roads, urban projects, industrial zones/corridors, ports, smart cities and other mega projects, including the new super-expensive high-speed rail projects. Mega energy projects are perceived as one of the major components and enablers of these infrastructure projects. This aggressive growth for the economic elite and the upper classes will come at the cost of displacing the lives of people who are dependent on land and natural resources for their livelihood and devastating the environment. This also often comes at the cost of displacing farming and pastoralist communities who are pushed to a life of poverty and whose life and livelihood cannot be commensurably compensated by money – in most cases, not even that. The huge projected increases in the energy infrastructure will also demand similarly massive financial investments.

It is critical that we situate the 3rd AIIB AGM within this global, regional and national context. The idea behind the People’s Convention on Infrastructure Financing is to provide a space for social movements, progressive trade unions, academia and civil society from various parts of the country working on urban development, transportation, environmental protection, coastal communities, sustainable energy and equity, against privatisation along with groups monitoring financial institutions and their policies and projects in the country. The Convention will facilitate solidarity in the resistance against the infrastructural approach towards development causing displacement and destruction to the natural resources. It will also be a space to put forward and discuss alternatives for a just and equitable world that are emerging out of people’s struggles.

Peoples Convention on Infrastructure Financing – A peoples response to AIIBwill be held in Mumbai, India from 21-23 June 2018. It will also organize a series of regional meetings in different parts of the country in the month of April and May to bring together civil society organizations for familiarising and updating on AIIB functions, investment policies, and initiating monitoring on AIIB projects in India, with a focused aim to strategize, campaign and demand transparency and accountability in their lending in India. It is an opportune moment to try and tackle the bank, and demand accountability in their financing in Indian projects, when this year India is hosting AIIB’s 3rd Annual Governors Meet [AGM]. Groups from Mumbai, along with other Indian organisations will jointly host the event which will include plenary, self-organised workshops, passing of resolutions, cultural events and press conference.

Please do block your dates and plan to join in this important event. Your contribution will be keenly looked forward to. We are not in a position to pay for your travel expenses though we have some solidarity accommodation arranged. We will try and raise some resources for travel by appealing to organisations to subsidise travel of activists from social movement and hinterland. Please plan to reach in morning of June 21st or 20th night and leave by 23rdJune evening.

VENUE: Plenary at Y.B Chavan Hall and workshops at YWCA and YMCA.

We look forward to being with you in Mumbai on June 21-23, 2018!

With warm regards,

Peoples Convention on Infrastructure Financing – A peoples response to AIIB

For further details, please contact:

Working Group on IFIs |wgonifis@gmail.com

Maju Varghese | 8826249887

Mecanzy Dabre | 9665006429

Himshi Singh | 9867348307

Logistics for the program.

The Convention will begin at 9.00 am on 21stand request you to kindly join us in time. The Convention will have Inauguration which will be plenary and then break for self-organised workshops/seminars at YMCA and YWCA. There will be 20 parallel sessions during the entire two days. The program will end with a conclusion session which will be at Y.B.Chavan Hall.

Self Organised Workshops

Peoples Convention invites organisations to organise workshops on the following themes

Infrastructure financing
Financing Social Infrastructure
Development Finance Institutions –
Policies and safeguards of DF Institutions.
Urban Development
Mass Transport
Port and Coastal Infrastructure
Energy and Energy Finance
Politics and International Financing
Water Sector Reforms
Privatisation etc..

Each self-organised workshop will get spaces for their workshop ranging from 30 -80 people with sound system and minimum infrastructure. We request a contribution of Rs 5000/- Five thousand only towards organising expenses and if the program is co-organised an amount of 3000/- Three thousand only from each co-organiser. We would request self-organisers to organise the travel and accommodation for their resource persons and participants. A contribution of Rs 3000/- (three thousand only) towards the general travel fund meant to subsidise travel of activists from far areas and who cannot support travel.

—

===============================================
National Alliance of People’s MovementsNational Office : 6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 24374535 Mobile : 09818905316
Web : www.napm-india.org |napmindia@gmail.com

Facebook : www.facebook.com/NAPMindia

Twitter : @napmindia

—

Historical Meeting

ON APRIL 29, 2018 BY NARESH SAGAREDIT

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

·

59m

April 29Day of Actions 1. Indian media positive on Xi-Modi 2. China urges U.S. to assess #IPR 3. 1stChina-Eur freight train arrives in #Vienna. 4.Merkel meet Trump WH trade and NATO irks 5.ASEAN meet China be ease. 6.Koreans set peace. 7.Iran Turkey Russia for peace in Syria.

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

·

1h

May campaign tweers its great to be out meeting people in Enfield saturday meeting people. For a local council that keeps taxes low and provides good quality local services vote @Conservatives on 3rd Ma

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

·

13m

Sagar Media Inc Anita Saxena tweets about rape in Madrasa #HangShahbaaza Protests against the rape of 10 year old Geeta ( Name changed) , was taken from her home in East Delhi’s Ghazipur to a madrasa in Ghaziabad and raped there. Y no punishment and y freed culprit.

Spain Verdict Protest

ON APRIL 29, 2018 BY NARESH SAGAREDIT

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

·

Sagar media Inc : Ks protest for 3 day in the streets of #Pamplona, #Madrid, #Barcelona and other Spanish cities after five men were cleared of gang rape of an 18-year-old female and convicted on a lesser charge.Spain Leaders term the peaceful protest rights of citizen

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Umesh Film : 102 Not Out

When AB and RK shot Without Footwear For 102 Not Out!

We all know that Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor are playing father-son duo in Umesh Shukla’s 102 Not Out. And also the fact that their characters are Gujarati.

But here’s something that you don’t know that they had to do while playing these characters. Since their characters are Gujarati, the duo was not allowed to wear footwear in the scenes that were shot inside the house. Well, the fact is that, Gujaratis in general do not wear footwear in the house, hence director Umesh Shukla wanted to make sure that the actors dont wear any slippers inside the house so that their characters get are real as possible.

Talking about the same, the filmmaker says, “We Gujarati’s don’t have the habit of wearing footwear inside the house. So I wanted Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor also to not wear any footwear during the shoot. I was in two minds about if I should ask them or not. However, when I discussed the same with them, they instantly agreed with me.”

Well, now thats the dedication that makes them the actors that they are today.

In the shadow of the Raj by Tasveer

Invitation | Exhibition Preview | ‘In The Shadow Of The Raj’ by Tasveer l Thursday, May 3, 2018 | 6:30

Bikaner House New Delhi

Dalmia Bharat to maintain Iconic Red Fort

Congress on Saturday questioned how a private entity was given the mandate to maintain the iconic Red Fort, days after a corporate house signed an agreement with the tourism ministry under its ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project.

The Dalimia Bharat group, under thememorandum of understanding, would maintain the monument and build basic infrastructure around it and has committed a sum of Rs 25 crore for the purpose over a period spanning five years.

“They are handing over the iconic monument to a private business. What is your commitment to the idea of India, to the history of India? We know you have no commitment, but we still want to ask you,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera told reporters.

Bro Shinde to speak

Bro. C.A. Shinde from Adyar will take lecture in Shankar Lodge at 24, East Patel Nagar, New Delhi on 28th April, Saturday at 6 pm on ‘Types of Disciples’.

DATE	DAY	TIME	TOPIC	SPEAKER	VENUE
28-4-18	SATURDAY	6:00 PM	TYPES OF DISCIPLES	BRO. C.A. SHINDE	24, EAST PATEL NAGAR

Dear Sagar Media Inc,

Women have the power to create real change!

Over the past few years we have seen some incredible women who have brought aboutpositive social change by sheer determination and resolve.

But often women don’t have the right support structure to help them in these long fights.

Sagar Media Inc, have you ever wanted to change something but didn’t know where to start?

Change.org India is launching the third edition of of the “She Creates Change” trainingprogramme.

We’re looking for 30 women Changemakerswho are eager to run amazing and impactful campaigns on any issue that affects women in India - be it health, education, safety.

This year-long programme will impart campaign skills and most importantly build a community of support and collaboration.

You will meet women who face the same challenges and have the same aspirations as you and together you will work on some ground breaking campaigns over the course of the year.

If you have an idea or campaign and are excited about collaborating and supporting other women run their campaigns, click here to apply.

The ‘She Creates Change’ programme kicks off with a 5 day residential Learning Lab which will be held in Bengaluru from the 1-5 August 2018 and is followed by a year long online programme.

During the programme you will learn how to tell powerful stories and use the power of community building to run social change campaigns.

If this seems like just the thing you wanted,fill out this application form and submit it by the 10th of May.

Selected participants will have their course, travel and stay expenses sponsored by Change.org.

If you know someone who may be interested in this programme then help spread the word.

I hope to see you there!

Nida Hasan
Campaigns Director - Change.org India

Nikol Pashinyan nominated PM

Nikol Pashinyan formally gets to his wish for the post of prime minister by his supporters, after two weeks of protests. Nikol Pashinyan asked his supporters to a halt to protests in order to deliberate with all political forces ahead of a crucial vote on Tuesday. He told the massive gathering of his supporters that he was ready for the role. “Looking into your eyes, I can say that yes, I am ready — with a great sense of responsibility to assume the prime ministerial duties,” Pashinyan said.

Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan (2nd-R) attends a meeting with members of parliament in Yerevan on April 30, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Pashinyan,the solo candidate in the running for the premiership with pursuing his leadership can get rid of Armenia of corruption and poverty and conduct free and fair parliamentary elections. Nikol the former newspaper editor need votes from the ruling Republican Party, a majority of seats in parliament to seal his premiership in a vote by lawmakers on Tuesday.

Protesters began a march in the Armenian capital, Yerevan Sunday after protest leader Nikol Pashinyan urged supporters to resume demonstrations and block roads following more than two weeks of street protests. Despite “a certain progress,” the MP called on “non-violent actions of civil disobedience,” Interfax quoted him as saying during a Facebook Live broadcast.

Armenia has been gripped by mass protests since April 13, following former President Serzh Sargsyan’s election as new prime minister. Sargsyan resigned from the office this week, while the ruling Republican party chose not to run its candidate.

media agencies

Putin praises Korean peace talks

Russia will keep contributing to mending ties between South and North Korea, President Vladimir Putin told his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in in a phone call on Sunday, according to the Kremlin press service. The leaders assessed commitments reached during the Friday summit between Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as “positive,” particularly noting the common goal of complete denuclearization on the peninsula. Putin highlighted the “importance of further efforts of all parties involved [in a] political and diplomatic solution.”

Today is May Day!

Today is Labour Day, or May Day, as a symbol of unity of workers worldwide. Here is another round of random reflections for your perusal:

Most Indian cities are crowded and chaotic. Unplanned growth and informal settlements make urban planning quite a challenge. However, Ahmedabad seems to have made these challenges into practical opportunities. The city is clean; its pavements are used by pedestrians; and, traffic on the road does follow some rules. It can be said to have ‘disciplined informality’. As a UNESCO Heritage city, Ahmedabad is living up to its name. How can other cities become so ‘smart’ too?

I have been observing that urinals in public places seem to have no standards. In my visits to restaurants, railway stations, airports, offices, cinemas etc., I find each men’s room has its own design for urinals. I am a man of average height—5 feet 6 inches. But, I find some urinals too high, some too low, some very wide, some not so. Likewise, the partitions between urinals are also of varying heights, designs, sizes and materials. I do not whether such realities exist in women’s toilets, but surely such necessities of life can be standardised?

Much concerns have been lately raised about privacy of personal data on Facebook and other social media. It seems that mere acts of saying hello or clapping result in ‘pulling out’ of all of one’s genealogy, history and mailing lists. Being connected is a huge risk today. Is isolation a solution? Or, we return to hand-written notes through ‘snail’s’ speed, mail system? At least, our private love letters would remain private? And choice of one friendship need not be in ‘sight’ of others?

As a city, London is perhaps the most inclusive place for all nationalities, cultures and foods. It has a certain charming way of combining the old and the new. Many historical sites and neighbourhoods, popularised through English literature over the centuries, have been ‘re-created’ in contemporary comfortable forms. Despite its urban expanding concrete, it has maintained its parks and gardens for access and use by all. No wonder, many young people from around the world gravitate to London.

Many sports have been a part of English life over history. But soccer occupies a special status these days. UK is one of the few places where mechanisms for betting on matches and players are legally well established. One can bet on the soccer ground before the start of the match by simply filling short form and making a payment. One can bet on winners, goal scorers, time of scoring, etc. etc. And, the practice seems to be very popular not only for soccer but for all sorts of events. It is one sure way to reduce illegal betting and associated match-fixing that goes on in other countries like India.

All the very best

Sincerely

Rajesh Tandon

Interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn,

Interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine

1000 – 1200 hrs.: 7th May 2018

Hall No 3 Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra,

15-A, 15B And 15D, Dr.Rizal Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021

CII is organizing an interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine on 7 May 2018 from 1000 hrs onwards at the Hall No 3 Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri.

The objective of Mayor’s visit to India is look for business prospects in the fields of IT, solar energy, and infrastructure projects among others.

I am writing to invite you to join us for this exclusive interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, Mayor of Zhytomyr. The profile of Zhytomyr region of Ukraine can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhytomyr

Please confirm your participation by 3rd May 2018.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Manish

Netanyahu: Here,Iran secret nuclear files.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed what he says are “secret nuclear files” proving Iran covertly pursued nuclear weapons.

Speaking at Israel’s defence ministry, He said thousands of pages of material obtained by Israel showed Iran had deceived the world by denying it had ever sought nuclear weapons.

Iran agreed in 2015 to curb its nuclear energy programme in return for the lifting of sanctions. It maintained that it had only been pursuing nuclear energy.

US President Donald Trump has long threatened to scrap the deal, which was reached under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Speaking from Israel’s defence ministry in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu showed off what he said were “exact copies” of documents obtained by Israeli intelligence from a secret storage facility in Tehran. There were, he said, 55,000 pages of evidence and a further 55,000 files on 183 CDs. “Here’s what the files included: incriminating documents, incriminating charts, incriminating presentations, incriminating blueprints, incriminating photos, incriminating videos and more,” he said.

“These files conclusively prove that Iran was brazenly lying when it said it never had a nuclear weapons programme,” he added.

The files had been shared with the US, Netanyahu said, and would be submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo says Iran is a threat and urges more sanctions.

Inputs rediff. Al jazeera News Channels

The problem of Congress ?

Congress Party, with best of brains the old guard is languishing at the lowest level. But Congress President Rahul Gandhi is working with his youth brigade and the excursive meeting was held yesterday at International Youth Hostel so with trusted workers,professional and executive of the party with continuous training party is preparing its Human Resources for its furtherance of political ideology.

With BJP workers being unsatisfied with no charming offers from the party as chairman and as many workers expressing their displeasure in public.

BJP tightening its belt on ranks with distancing from media, BJP top brass eye on 2109 election. Development plank of BJP with even exaggeration is making sense in Bihar, UP, and North East states whereas in South an uphill task for the BJP to brace for the ensuing election.

In Indian politics one party loss is another gain thus two brands has evenly poised with BJP giving tough competition in Modi Era.

Our researchers has the view:

Rahul Gandhi and 40 Prime Ministers – None Serious:

May01, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

The problem of Congress is that it has 1+40 Prime Ministers – all its MPshave up to 50 years of experience and tons of money – they all dream to be Prime Minister, most have been Union Cabinet Ministers, or Governors or Chief Ministers or held some Constitution Position already like Leader of Opposition.

Even the ones to have lost in 2014 General Elections and returned to parliament through Rajya Sabha still believe they are Cabinet Ministers – live in New Delhi Bungalows or Farm Houses. They are inaccessible and too busy, their Phones and E-Mails are inaccessible.

There are Senior Congressmen in other parties also.

They are well past the age of Struggle to establish in Congress Party – it is picnic time.

When Jan Aakrosh Rally should have passed through entire country at Harvest Time and farmers issues, When Youth Are Seeking Admissions to Schools and Colleges, Seeking Jobs and Contracts as Funds are released from April01 for the year, Peak of Water & Power Crisis – Congress organized a pigmy show at Ramlila Maidan.

Instead of Sweating on Highways of India spend few minutes under a tent.

When Rahul will be away for 15 days on Mansarovar Yatra that too on eve of Karnataka Elections – it shall be long holiday for the party.

Opposition parties have kept Congress out and not keen to partner with it in upcoming Lok Sabha 2019 elections.

Kapil Sibal & Shiela Dikshit – tragedy of Congress who bungled up as Union Minister and Chief Minister then Bungled up on Impeachment Motion and Lost UP Polls were missing from the rally. Also missing were Fake Einsteins – Jairam Ramesh and Sam Pitroda.

No one is serious in Congress.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

\Amber Rudd Resigns

ON APRIL 30, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

UK home secretary Amber Rudd resigns on migrants policy.UK PM Thersia May accepted her resignation. Rudd post is still nit filled her resignation come when Conserves prepare for London County Election May3, 2018.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd resigned Sunday night after two weeks of intense pressure in a wrangle over immigration quotas.

PM office spokesperson said Prime Minister Theresa May has accepted the resignation of Rudd.

Rudd was appointed to one of the key jobs in May’s front bench after former prime minister David Cameron resigned in 2016 over the result of the EU referendum. May had been Home Secretary in Cameron’s government.

The decision will be seen as a bitter blow to May who saw Rudd as one of her strongest allies.

Rudd has faced intensive and continued attacks for several weeks after it was revealed that thousands of people who traveled to Britain in the 1960s from the Caribbean region faced possible deportation over their status, even though they had been granted British citizenship in the 1970s.

It became known as the Windrush scandal, a reference to tag name of the ship that brought the first load of Caribbean immigrants to Britain to help post-war rebuilding.

The wrangle intensified over the past few days over leaked memos purporting to show Rudd was aware of Home Office targets to deport illegal immigrants from Britain.

Rudd faced calls from the main opposition Labour Party as well as other minority parties to quit, but her cabinet colleagues backed her.

She had been scheduled to face what was expecting to be a bruising grilling Monday in the House of Commons over the leaked memos. One of the most damning memos was published in full Sunday by the Guardian newspaper.

North Korean peace move

ON APRIL 30, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Chinese Foreign Minister to visit Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong-un for diplomatic relations and to have glimopse of North – South dialigue for the ensuing US Trump visit.

US official said the North Koreas amicable dalogue to make korea peninsula freee of Nuclear fear is welcome step.

Russian Nuclear Titanic on maiden voyage.

Sri Lanka in debt trap

ON APRIL 30, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Another Asian nation in debt trap with investment of Chinese funding made without any investment calculus ansd it offtake the capital race to the liability instead of capital to its capitalising tendency.

Sri Lanka, which has loaded up on Chinese-funded infrastructure, is sinking deeper into a debt trap as its currency weakens and economic growth decelerates to its slowest pace in 16 years.

Why India is still defence buyer ?

ON APRIL 29, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Indian defence equipment manufaturers except Bharat Electronics Ltd has achieved some indiginious expertise in radars but other Defense Research Design various organisation in DRDO HAL do not match the latest military and services requirements for army air or maritime.with periodic and long drawn of sanctions has also aggrieved the defence manufaturing bonanza.

We are more dependent on Russian India defence deals which has made bare minmium expertise to be in race but the joint venture companies with defence companies of Israel Russia UK France Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Norway, is our utmost need to outreach to get to best indigineous equipment in the sector of Rocket, Avaiation, Cargo fighters, plane, Maritime -Cargo Ships, Carriers ships, Submarines, nuclear missiles, launcher from air – surface misseles with short to long range misseles we are making headways submarines to misseles.

India has been able to see to some important breakthrough but the ministry of defence need to make initiative to make an effort to bring best of technology of defence to our dispoal rather than acting as an ultimate authority for things crawl brawl at their levels the expertise of foreign companies need to be welcomed and nodal officer must visit defence global ehibition to rope in best of technology.

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said April 11 at DefExpo, a biennial defense exhibition that opened in the city of Chennai on the same day.

She later expressed doubts over pushing homemade equipment. “I can’t for a moment imagine that I will prevail upon them that they necessarily buy what is Indian,” she said.

India has the fifth-largest defense budget in the world, yet buys 60% of its arms from overseas. The Defense Research and Development Organization works on Indian-made products, but frequent delays usually render the equipment outdated by the time it comes off the production lines.The speed with which we prepare and make an efforts in traditional way we shall always lag behind fifty years unless Research and Development gets modern outlook with latest technology given priority.

India’s defense industry received $5.12 million in foreign direct investment during April 2002 to December 2017, according to government On other hand the Service sectors and Mobiles or telecommunications industry each attracted $64 billion and $30 billion, respectively.

Red tape delay in decesion lack of experts at ministry desk in the ministry each tech innovation is an opaque commodity needs big bird eye view keeps the defence sector not crawl brawl.Most important is meritocracy must prevail on innovation and research and we must be absolutely free from neoptism.New technoligy ought to given free hand tax holiday and other capital benefits.

Defence deals are subject to government scrutiny but if prices are abnormally high the public scrutiny and Political pay out scams are the order of yhe day.

Political adherrances of defence deals are trust deficit thus the manufacturing and technology cost automatically escalate being big bite. Both public accountability and transparency in defence deals in paramount.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s plan unveiled in 2014 to spend $250 billion on modernizing the military is slow to take off as lack of slow sluggish nature official slumper on decesion added to strict procurement rules, prolonged delays and red-tapism makes policy obsolete.

But ambition of the government is racing to transform the sector with private holdibg of share sales of several state-owned defense companies, including Hindustan Aeronautics and Bharat Dynamics. Last year, Cochin Shipyard, the largest state-run shipyard to publuc India plan exports in defence along with largest imports so as to grow its arms exports to 350 billion rupees, and miilion employment.

To reduce imported bill of the arms, the draft policy is aiming for India to become a production base for various defense products such as fighter jets, medium lift and light utility helicopters, warships, missile systems, land combat vehicles, surveillance systems and electronic warfare systems an ambitious dream but on ground the plan without ant man management to excute tge plan hover in air an ideation of best security for the nation but executers denand creamy cake thus fail to rail.

Dead Zone in Gulf of Oman

ON APRIL 29, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Growing ‘dead zone’ confirmed by underwater robots in the Gulf of Oman

New research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) has confirmed a dramatic decrease in oxygen in the Gulf of Oman part of the Arabian Sea. But the environmental disaster is worse than expected.

The ‘dead zone’ was confirmed by underwater robots called Seagliders – which were able to collect data in areas of water previously inaccessible due to the piracy and geopolitical tensions.

The robots are about the same size as a small human diver, but can reach depths of 1000 metres and travel the ocean for months, covering thousands of kilometres.

Two gliders were deployed in the Gulf of Oman for eight months. They communicated by satellite to build an underwater picture of oxygen levels, and the ocean mechanics that transport oxygen from one area to another.

Where they expected some oxygen, they found an area larger than Scotland with almost no oxygen left.

The research was led by Dr Bastien Queste from UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, in collaboration with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University.

Dr Queste said: “Dead zones are areas devoid of oxygen. In the ocean, these are also known as ‘oxygen minimum zones’ and they are naturally occurring between 200 and 800 meters deep in some parts of the world.

“They are a disaster waiting to happen – made worse by climate change, as warmer waters hold less oxygen, and by fertiliser and sewage running off the land into the seas.

“The Arabian Sea is the largest and thickest dead zone in the world. But until now, no-one really knew how bad the situation was because piracy and conflicts in the area have made it too dangerous to collect data.

“We barely have any data collected for almost half a century because of how difficult it is to send ships there.

“Our research shows that the situation is actually worse than feared – and that the area of dead zone is vast and growing. The ocean is suffocating.

“Of course all fish, marine plants and other animals need oxygen, so they can’t survive there. It’s a real environmental problem, with dire consequences for humans too who rely on the oceans for food and employment.

“Another problem is that when oxygen is absent, the chemical cycling of nitrogen – a key nutrient for plant growth – changes dramatically. Nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than CO2 is produced,” he added.

Computer simulations of ocean oxygen show a decrease in oxygen over the next century and growing oxygen minimum zones.

However these simulations have a difficult time representing small but very important features such as eddies which impact how oxygen is transported.

The team combined their Seaglider data with a very high-resolution computer simulation to determine how oxygen is spread around the north-western Arabian Sea throughout different seasons and the monsoons.

They found that the deadzone moves up and down between seasons, causing fish to be squeezed in a thin layer near the surface.

“Management of the fisheries and ecosystems of the western Indian Ocean over coming decades will depend on better understanding and forecasting of oxygen levels in key areas such as the Gulf of Oman,” added Dr Queste.

‘Physical controls on oxygen distribution and denitrification potential in the north west Arabian Sea’ is published in Geophysical Research Letters on Tuesday, April 24, 2018.

ENDS

EDITOR’S NOTES

1/ For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact the UEA Communications Office viacommunications@uea.ac.uk / +44 (0)1603 593496.

2/ An embargoed copy of the paper is available via the following Dropbox link:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bc8jp1dsvfw9o03/AABFkQX9ntGYL7uKdH5e0fmga?dl=0

3/ The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a UK Top 15 university. Known for its world-leading research and outstanding student experience, it was awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework. UEA is a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science.www.uea.ac.uk

Women Creating Change

ON APRIL 29, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Dear Sagar Media Inc,

Women have the power to create real change!

Over the past few years we have seen some incredible women who have brought aboutpositive social change by sheer determination and resolve.

But often women don’t have the right support structure to help them in these long fights.

Sagar Media Inc, have you ever wanted to change something but didn’t know where to start?

Change.org India is launching the third edition of of the “She Creates Change” trainingprogramme.

We’re looking for 30 women Changemakerswho are eager to run amazing and impactful campaigns on any issue that affects women in India – be it health, education, safety.

This year-long programme will impart campaign skills and most importantly build a community of support and collaboration.

You will meet women who face the same challenges and have the same aspirations as you and together you will work on some ground breaking campaigns over the course of the year.

If you have an idea or campaign and are excited about collaborating and supporting other women run their campaigns, click here to apply.

The ‘She Creates Change’ programme kicks off with a 5 day residential Learning Lab which will be held in Bengaluru from the 1-5 August 2018 and is followed by a year long online programme.

During the programme you will learn how to tell powerful stories and use the power of community building to run social change campaigns.

If this seems like just the thing you wanted,fill out this application form and submit it by the 10th of May.

Selected participants will have their course, travel and stay expenses sponsored by Change.org.

If you know someone who may be interested in this programme then help spread the word.

I hope to see you there!

Nida Hasan
Campaigns Director – Change.org India

Congress in Karnataka

ON APRIL 29, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Karnataka asembly elections are scheduled on May 12 while the counting of votes is to be taken up on May 15.

“This election is also about broken promises of the @narendramodi Govt. Black money didn’t become white. People didn’t get Rs 15 lakh in their accounts. People’s money lost value due to demonetisation. They were made to stand in line to get their own money,” he said in a series of tweets.

“Modi also failed to provide employment and asked job aspirants to sell pakodas and check increase in fuel prices despite international crude oil prices plummeting,” Siddaramaiah said.

Unemployed are asked to sell Pakodas International crude oil prices have fallen drastically but petrol/diesel prices keep increasing. Corruption free Govt was promised, but Banks are being looted,” he further tweeted.

The mission in this election is also to defeat anti-development and communal BJP, besides opportunist JD(S), who are working together and also to protect the Indian Constitution from BJP who have plans to change it, the chief minister said.

“This #KarnatakaElection2018 the mission is to defeat anti-Development & communal BJP & opportunist JDS, who are working together.

Modi most popular world leader on Facebook

Trump may rule the roost on Twitter, but he lags far behind Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook, according to a study published Wednesday.

Modi is by far the most followed world leader on the gargantuan social networking platform, counting 43.2 million followers.

That is nearly twice the 23.1 million who follow Trump, according to a study by communications firm Burson-Martsteller.

Of course, Facebook tends to be more widely used in Asia than Twitter which may also account for the large number of followers for Asian leaders.

Cambodia´s prime minister Hun Sen shot into fifth position after his following swelled nearly 50 percent to 9.6 million people, the study found.

He therefore counts “more Facebook fans than Cambodia has Facebook users (7.1 million), but still (fewer) than the 14.4 million Khmer speakers on Facebook,” it pointed out.

The study, which analysed the activity of 650 personal and institutional Facebook pages of heads of state and government and foreign ministers since January 1, 2017, meanwhile showed that Trump easily counted most interactions on the platform.

The US president counted a total of 204.9 million comments, likes and shares over the past 14 months — nearly twice as many as Modi, who counted 113.6 million, the study said.

It also found that Trump on average posts five times a day on Facebook, which is more than double the number of posts from the Indian premier.

In terms of followers, the study put Queen Rania of Jordan in third place, with 16 million followers.

Wednesday´s study also highlighted the handful of world leaders who actually manage their Facebook pages themselves, instead of handing them off to social media teams.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is particularly active and is one of few who regularly broadcasts live on the platform, from her home and even from her car.

The seven-month-pregnant politician has become the “most loved” world leader on Facebook, the study found, pointing out that 14 percent of her interactions on the platform are love hearts sent by her followers.

Pollution colouring the Taj Mahal.

Supreme Court order the government to seek foreign help to fix what it described as a worrying change in colour at the Taj Mahal.

Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply criticised the government for failing to protect the Taj Mahal, the centuries-old monument to love which has been changing colour because of pollution.

The brilliant marble of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO world heritage site, has acquired a yellow tinge over the years. The colour of the marble “was first becoming yellow. Now it seems to be green and black,” a Supreme Court bench said after reviewing recent photos of the monument.

“It appears that you do not have expertise or you have (it) but do not want to utilise it, or you do not care about (the Taj Mahal),” the court said. “You all appear helpless. Money should not be the consideration…. We need to save it,” court justices said.

The court said the famous tomb, built in the 17th Century from white marble and other materials, had turned yellow and was now turning brown and green.

Pollution, construction and insect dung are said to be among the causes.

Supreme Court justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta gave Modi´s government and the government of Uttar Pradesh state a week to respond.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court has criticized authorities on the issue. In February, it warned that the state government’s “ad hoc” approach was jeopardizing the monument.

Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta examined photographs of the palace submitted by environmentalists and ordered the government to seek expertise from inside India and abroad.

BBC

Jr. NBA Media Invite | LA Lakers Player Brook Lopez

M7.0 – ANATAHAN REG, N. MARIANA ISLANDS

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	7.0
Date-Time	2 May 2018 04:41:15 UTC 2 May 2018 14:41:15 near epicenter 2 May 2018 08:41:15 standard time in your timezone
Location	16.529N 144.817E
Depth	156 km
Distances	176 km (110 miles) NNW (327 degrees) of SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands 205 km (127 miles) SSW (210 degrees) of Pagan, Northern Mariana Islands 341 km (212 miles) N (1 degrees) of HAGATNA, Guam 2071 km (1287 miles) ESE (118 degrees) of Naha, Okinawa, Japan

GST collection surge

Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection in entire 2017-18 stood Rs 7.41 lakh crore, in March the figure was Rs 89,264 crore. “The total gross GST revenue collected in April 2018 is Rs 1,03,458 crore of which CGST is Rs 18,652 crore, SGST is Rs 25,704 crore, IGST is Rs 50,548 crore (including Rs 21,246 crore collected on imports) and Cess is Rs 8,554 crore – including Rs 702 crore collected on imports,” Finance Ministry said in a statement.

The buoyancy in the tax revenue of GST reflects the upswing in the economy and better compliance, it said. However, it is usually noticed that in the last month of financial year, people also try to pay arrears of some of the previous months also and, therefore, April 2018 revenue cannot be taken as trend for the future, it added.

The total revenue earned by Central Government and State Governments after settlement in April, 2018 is Rs 32,493 crore for Central GST and Rs 40,257 crore for State GST, it said.

As far as total number of GSTR 3B returns for March up to April 30 was concerned, nearly 69.5 per cent filed returns. As many as 60.47 lakh as against 87.12 lakh, who are eligible to file returns for March, did the needful, it said.

April was also the month for filing of quarterly returns for composition dealers, it said. Out of 19.31 lakh composition dealers, 11.47 lakh have filed their quarterly return (GSTR 4) and have paid total tax of Rs 579 crore, which is included in Rs 1.03 lakh crore of total GST collection, it added.

TORBAAZ IN BISHKEK

Swede leader not for multiculturalism

Kasselstrand says Sweden’s ‘multiculture is an impossibility and a total failure’. According to him It is not possible to combine widely different peoples in one country and expect good results.

“The historical experience of multicultural societies points to the opposite. Disagreements and conflicts, not a harmonious social life […] is the result of multiculturalism and mass immigration,” he said.

Introducing Metamorphoses by Prof Yochai Benkler

Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre

May

NITI Aayog, India International Centre and Centre for Policy Research are pleased to invite you to the keynote
Introducing Metamorphoses
by Prof Yochai Benkler

Wednesday, 2 May 2018, 6:30 p.m.

Metamorphoses Website

Professor Yochai Benkler will be delivering the keynote ‘Introducing Metamorphoses’ – a series of nine interactions, which will unfold over a year, covering different aspects of the digital revolution. Metamorphoses is a modest effort to try and bridge the gap between digital technologies, which are transforming our lives, and our understanding of their multiple dimensions. The series is a joint initiative between NITI Aayog (the Government of India’s think tank), Indian International Centre (IIC) and Centre for Policy Research (CPR).

The keynote will set the big picture, where Prof. Benkler will talk about current and future technologies and their likely impact on democracy, development, growth and inequality.

Inaugural remarks: Mr N N Vohra, President IIC

Brief opening remarks by Mr Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog; Ambassador Shyam Saran, Life Trustee, IIC and former Foreign Secretary; and Ms Yamini Aiyar, President & Chief Executive, CPR.

Keynote by Prof. Benkler followed by a curated question and answer session with the audience.

Closing remarks by Air Marshall Naresh Verma, Director, IIC

Prof. Yochai Benkler is the Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, and faculty co-director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Since the 1990s he has played a role in characterizing the role of information commons and decentralized collaboration to innovation, information production, and freedom in the networked economy and society. His books include The Wealth of Networks: How social production transforms markets and freedom (Yale University Press 2006), which won academic awards from the American Political Science Association, the American Sociological Association, and the McGannon award for social and ethical relevance in communications. In 2012 he received a lifetime achievement award from Oxford University in recognition of his contribution to the study and public understanding of the Internet and information goods. His work is socially engaged, winning him the Ford Foundation Visionaries Award in 2011, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award for 2007, and the Public Knowledge IP3 Award in 2006. It is also anchored in the realities of markets, cited as “perhaps the best work yet about the fast moving, enthusiast-driven Internet” by the Financial Times and named best business book about the future in 2006 by Strategy and Business. Benkler has advised governments and international organizations on innovation policy and telecommunications, and serves on the boards or advisory boards of several nonprofits engaged in working towards an open society. His work can be freely accessed at http://www.benkler.org.

The talk will be livestreamed on the IIC website; available on Facebook-live on the Metamorphoses Facebook page; and video recordings will be available on YouTube, as well as disseminated through social media channels hosted on the Metamorphoses website. The promotional video for Metamorphoses can be accessed here.

72 killed in severe storm in Rajasthan, UP

Storm played havoc on Wednesday night forty five people have died following heavy rainfall and dust storms across Uttar Pradesh.

Agra registered thirty six deaths, Bijnor three and Saharanpur two, while one death each was reported from Bareilly, Moradabad Chitrakoot and Rampur. Local authorities in each of these areas have issued directions to provide immediate relief and carry out a thorough and full assessment.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of upto Rs.4 lakhs to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for each of the injured.

At least 27 people were killed and nearly 100 injured as a high-intensity squall followed by thunder showers hit parts of Rajasthan overnight, leaving a trail of destruction. Houses collapsed and electricity poles and trees were uprooted as the severe dust storm swept the Matysya region.

‏Verified account @PMOIndia

Saddened by the loss of lives due to dust storms in various parts of India. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Have asked officials to coordinate with the respective state governments and work towards assisting those who have been affected: PM

Polluted Cities – 40 Yrs of TERI & CSE Flop Show Loot

May02, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

WHO report only talked of Air Pollution, Water Pollution is DEADLIEST – ones who can’t afford Water Purifiers drink Contaminated With Bacteria & Heavy Metals, Dissolved Salts, at most places Water Extracted from Ground is Unfit for even Crops we eat.

Air, Water & Foods are all contaminated and harmful to health.

India has Talent but are not allowed to work. Mediocre are engaged for all critical and non-critical jobs. I was not getting Patents, on getting patents after 10 years; was not getting Funds next 20 years; I may get funds for filing patents but not for setting up R&D Center.

India needs A MILLION R&D CENTERS.

India is let down by TERI & CSE for 40 years. India didn’t require a single thermal power plant – has over 200,000 MW Hydro Potential in Himalayas alone. TERI & CSE had failed to promote ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Forget high-tech TERI and CSE couldn’t deliver a good FUNCTIONAL VERY COSTLY Rain Harvest Structure in 40 years- it was basically All Loot.

In 2006 I told at one TERI-CSE event ‘Capital Cost of Yamuna Dams is Rs.10 per Cubic Meter of Water Shall Serve Over 100 Years but a RWH structure Rs.1400 Per Cubic Meter that doesn’t work even for a day.’

TERI has operating since 1974 didn’t deliver a good Kerosene Stove or Wood Burning Stove though managed FUNDING for perhaps over 100 such projects – main cause of pollution in Rural Homes.

In 1975 I offered JRD Tata to improve TRF Coal Handling Plant. What is shocking is that then New Electrostatic Precipitators operated at 99.5% Efficiency but were not maintained properly. >> Way back in 1965 or earlier Fly Ash collection technology was available – Installed at Hitachi 60 MW Power Plant at IP Station.

India could not even ‘Copy Electrostatic Precipitators’ in 50+ years want foreign technology for it.

CSE Opted for CNG for Public Transport in Delhi in 2000 when LPG was cheaper and Freely available – took 6 years to roll out – 6000 Blue Line CNG buses were Scrapped because Bus Drivers were Reckless –gave 5 km per kg of CNG, Marcopolo Buses 2 km or less. Delhi need UBERISED Buses, Autos & Taxis & Strict Parking Regulations.

Joseph Bazalgette pioneered covered Sewer System 150 years ago –Delhi is not investing in Under Ground Sewers but building Flyovers in Open Sewage Channel/Drains.

Delhi can restrict supply of RAW FOODS Like Banana, Pine Apple, Cauliflower that cause 10,000 Tons of City Garbage – Delhi can have CLEAN FOODS.

Delhi-Indian Cities Can Have Clean Air Water and Foods – In Near Future.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091- 8826415770, 9871056471, 9650421857

Ravinder Singh* is a WIPO awarded inventor specializing in Power, Transportation,

Smart Cities, Water, Energy Saving, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Technologies and Projects

Dear Sagar Media Inc,Petitioning to RBI, Governor Urjit

Petitioning Reserve Bank of India, Governor

Dear Sagar Media Inc,
“The tax department wants to extract taxes on ‘services’ that are ostensibly provided FREE to bank customers. What can be more absurd than this? It has happened because we as customers are not taking our protest to the next level or protesting enough.”
“Bank deposits are already taxed at the highest level, how ridiculous is it to dream up taxes for basic banking operations like deposits, withdrawals, balance inquiry and cheque books?”

Sign Sucheta Dalal’s petition to ensure that banks should have fair charges and services for all their customers.

Governor: RBI-Finance Ministry: Stop Banks Fleecing Depositors

Petition by Sucheta Dalal
mumbai, India

2,30,278
Supporters

Dr Urjit Patel

Governor,

Reserve Bank of India

Sub: Unfair treatment of bank customers

Dear Dr Patel,

We, a group of bank consumers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are disturbed at the unfair treatment that bank customers suffer in the form of frequent, arbitrary and one-sided increase in banking charges, or the refusal of banks to automatically pass on contractual benefits such as lower interest to those with floating rate home loans, or the rampant mis-sellling of third-party products such as insurance.

The attached memorandum is the consensus view of a group of knowledgeable consumer activists, policy watchers, bankers, and trade unions, request urgent policy changes to ensure that banks treat bank customers fairly.

Dr Patel, we are confident you will have the memorandum examined and initiate action at the earliest. We look forward to active engagement and a line of acknowledgement from your office

Memorandum

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the banking regulator has been proactive in improving the customer service rendered by banks. However, the RBI has not taken banks to task on the many customer-unfriendly practices that are increasing with impunity.

Over the years, the RBI has remained silent on several anti-depositor actions of banks. The Banking Ombudsman’s rulings also tend to side with banks, making no attempt to observe the pattern of complaints which would amply bring out rampant mis-selling of insurance and wealth management products. We have identified some specific areas and request RBI’s intervention to take corrective steps after engaging with customers.

1. Digital Payments: While the Union Government is pushing consumers into digital transactions, we are not adopting global best practices to protect consumers. On 11 August 2016 (https://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/bs_viewcontent.aspx?Id=3235) the RBI issued a draft circular on limiting customer liability and shifting the onus of proving customer fault on banks. RBI had sought feedback from public before 31 August 2016. However, it has not yet been converted into a Master Circular.

We feel that with the increased use of digital payments post the demonetisation drive, it is necessary to have in place a mechanism or system to protect customers from unauthorised banking transactions. A Master circular/notification by the Reserve Bank on limiting liability in an unauthorised banking transaction will make a huge impact on protecting customers from frauds.

2. Bank Account Number Portability: We feel effective portability of bank accounts is a good anti-dote to several restrictive practices followed by the banks. This has been successfully implemented in the telecom sector and helped consumers. No practical portability option exists at present due to tie in primarily due to standing instructions for both incomes (pensions, annuities, dividends, interest) and expenses (utilities etc.) and the difficulties associated with changing those standing instructions.

Portability of loan exists on paper, but has to be made easier and seamless to execute without imposing fiscal and non-fiscal burden on the consumer.

The Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana now provides interest subsidy to loan taken by eligible households. Allowing lenders to overcharge for such loan consumers is allowing them to appropriate this subsidy provided from taxpayers’ funds. It is the duty of the government and regulators to ensure that the lenders do not appropriate this taxpayers’ money by overcharging the borrowers and create barriers when the borrower wants to shift this loan.

3. Unfair agreements: Banks cannot have one-sided terms and conditions in their agreements with consumers. One-sided loan agreements with details buried in the fine print are bleeding customers. The Reserve Bank, in its communication must be specific about barring the levy of unfair charges otherwise bankers take undue advantage and fleece consumers. A basic model agreement must be prescribed by the RBI to limit banks from harming customers.

4. Charges: Frequent increase in charges and billing customers by stealth through opt-out clauses that are not noticeable must be stopped immediately. For e.g. HDFC Bank started levying charges for an invite only program, which unethically assumes that the customer is already in and willing to pay for it. The levy is stopped only when the consumer notices it and calls the bank to protest, this too is not an easy process.

5. Faulty Systems: Wrong emails being tagged by faulty algorithms of banks and finance companies, are leading to emails being sent to people who have no borrowing or accounts. This is a serious issue that will affect people’s credit history; the use of such faulty algorithms and defeats the purpose of KYC and causes serious harassment.

6. Master Circular Changes: Frequent changes in the Master Circular or Notifications by RBI require banks to make changes in their Core Banking Systems. This leads to high IT costs, which are ultimately passed on to consumers. The RBI must restrict changes in its circulars to 4 times a year to keep costs in check.

7. Consumer Charter: The RBI issued the Charter of Customer Rights on 3 December 2014 recognising five basic rights of bank customers and asks banks to adapt and implement it after their Board’s approval. These are: (i) Right to Fair Treatment; (ii) Right to Transparency; Fair and Honest Dealing; (iii) Right to Suitability; (iv) Right to Privacy; and (v) Right to Grievance Redress and Compensation.

The Charter covers almost every problem that consumers were likely to face. Three years later, the RBI has not fixed timeframes for grievance redressal nor announced penalties for failure to treat consumers fairly, despite repeated appeals by consumer groups. Consequently, the Charter remains a toothless statement.

A Master circular/notification by the Reserve Bank giving teeth to the Charter of Customer Rights with clear provisions fixing timelines for redressal and escalation, penalty for negligent service and interest/compensation to customers for losses caused due to mis-selling is urgently needed.

Yours truly,

Sucheta Dalal , Trustee Moneylife Foundation

Debashis Basu, Trustee Moneylife Foundation

Dhirendra Kumar, Foundation Value Research

Abhay Datar, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat

Sunil Bhandare, All India Bank Depositors Association

C H VENKATACHALAM, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees Association

Harsh Vardhan Roongta, Financial Expert and Advisor

R N Bhaskar, Sr. Editor, Columnist

Yogesh Sapkale, Director, Moneylife Foundation

Dolphy D’souza, Convener, Police Reforms Watch

Mahua Ghose, Consultant

Partha Mansukhani, Public Concern For Governance Trust

Lalita Joshi, All India Bank Employees Association

Raj Vaidya, Central Bank Employees Union

Advocate Bapoo Malcolm

Shubhada Khandekar, Author

A V Shenoy, Rashtriya Matadata Manch

Gautam Mody, General Secretary, New Trade Union Initiative

Macron thanks Australian PM

France’s President Emmanuel Macron may have had le vin rouge on his mind when he thanked Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his “delicious wife” for their warm welcome on his official visit.

Macron and Turnbull had navigated their way through several sensitive diplomatic issues at a news conference in Sydney on Wednesday, only for the president to make the linguistic slip while making closing remarks in English.

He thanked Turnbull and his wife, Lucy, for being good hosts and acknowledged the fine food and wine he had enjoyed on his visit, before exclaiming: “I want to thank you for your welcome, you and your delicious wife for the warm welcome.”

The comment lit up social media, replacing discussion about the leaders’ deliberations on more weighty issues such as China’s growing influence in the region.

But what exactly did Macron try to say?

He may have had the word “delicieux” in mind, which, though sounding similar to “delicious,” would better translate into “lovely” or “delightful.”

While more often used to describe a pastry or a meal, the word “delicieux” can also describe a person, even if it is a somewhat old-fashioned usage.

Dominican Republic break ties with Taiwan

Chinese government has announced that it has established diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, which in turn cut its ties with Taiwan.

Taiwanese media severely criticized China, reporting that the Chinese government pledged 3-billion dollars in loans to the Dominican Republic.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Dominican counterpart, Miguel Vargas, gave a joint news conference in Beijing on Tuesday, disclosing that the 2 countries have formed diplomatic relations.

In a joint statement, the Dominican Republic said that “there is only one China in the world.” It severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan on the day.

Taiwan’s media quoted Taiwan officials as saying that the Chinese government promised to extend 3-billion dollars in loans for developing infrastructure, including railways and highways.

The sum would account for more than 20 percent of the island nation’s annual state budget. Taiwan is severely criticizing the Chinese government for promising such a huge loan package in order to establish diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic.

As a result, Taiwan is left with diplomatic ties with only 19 countries — the smallest number ever. The Chinese government is seen to be applying increasing diplomatic pressure to isolate Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen government.

Cambridge Analytica winds up

Cambridge Analytica, the political consultancy firm at the center of the Facebook data privacy scandal, is shutting down, the Wall Street Journal reports. In March, it emerged that Facebook had exposed the data of up to 87 million users to the firm’s researchers. Last month, the company suspended its CEO Alexander Nix, ahead of investigations to determine whether it had engaged in any wrongdoing.

Explosion at Lag BaOmer,Jewish festive in London

30 people have been injured in an explosion during a celebration of lag BaOmer Jewish festival, in north London late Wednesday.

The explosion was reportedly sparked by mobile phones being thrown into bonfires, which are a tradition for Lag BaOmer, an annual Jewish festive event.

Hundreds gathered in Stamford Hill at the time. Around 10 people are believed to have been injured by the fire, while 20 others injured in the scramble to escape, local media reported.

American detained freed in N Korea

North Korea has reportedly transferred three American prisoners out of labor camps into a hotel, ahead of the planned summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. According to a South Korean activist representing ‘Family Assembly of those Abducted to North Korea’, the three, Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Dong-chul, were moved to the outskirts of Pyongyang sometime in mid-April. The detainees, convicted of “hostile acts” against the North Korean government and people, are widely expected to be freed as a goodwill gesture ahead of the much-anticipated talks.

Moon asks UN verify Kim promise

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has asked the United Nations to help verify the planned shutdown of North Korea’s nuclear test site.

South Korea’s presidential office says Moon made the request by phone to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday.

Moon explained that the North’s leader Kim Jong Un promised at the recent inter-Korean summit to invite experts from the South and the United States, as well as journalists, to verify the closure.

Moon asked that the UN play a role in confirming the North’s commitment to denuclearization.

Probe violence against Rohingya

UN Security Council delegation has asked Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi to guarantee the safe return of Rohingya refugees. The team of UN ambassadors from 15 countries and others arrived in Myanmar on Monday for inspections.
They met Aung San Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyidaw. Myanmar’s government says she repeated that her country is ready to accept Rohingya returnees.

Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, announced that the country’s government will investigate suspected military-led violence against the Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority.

Since fighting broke in August last year between Rohingya militants and Myanmar’s security forces, the United Nations estimates that over 690,000 Rohingya residents have fled from Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine to neighboring Bangladesh.

A UN Security Council delegation comprising ambassadors to the United Nations from 15 countries made a first visit to Rakhine on Tuesday. The group inspected facilities prepared by the Myanmar government for the Rohingya refugees’ return.

At a news conference after the inspection, Britain’s ambassador to the UN, Karen Pierce, said the delegation told Aung San Suu Kyi that the truth about the suspected violence against Rohingya Muslims must be made clear, by an international organ or the Myanmar government conducting a credible investigation.

In reply, Aung San Suu Kyi indicated that the Myanmar government itself will do the investigation, if there is evidence of such violence.

Meanwhile, Pierce pointed out that it would be difficult for Myanmar alone to have the nearly 700,000 refugees return home safely and smoothly. She stressed that involvement of the United Nations will be necessary.

Police & Protesters clash in central Paris continued for hours

More than Ks masked protesters became violent and clashed with riot police during a May Day rally in Paris. 20 Ks labor union members and others had planned to take part in Tuesday’s annual march.

Nearly 1,200 masked protesters resorted to violence immediately after the rally began, smashing shop windows and damaging cars.Riot police used tear gas and water cannon to deal with the rioters. The clash in central Paris continued for hours.
Police say about 200 demonstrators were arrested and that 4 people, including a police officer, were injured.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Twitter that he is strongly opposed to such violence, which is in no way related to May Day.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also posted a message condemning the violent protesters, saying their only goal was to spread chaos.

Afghan Government reassures security of journalists

Afghan government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday described the attack on journalists as a crime against the freedom of press and humanity.

He assured that the government would spare no efforts to ensure the safety of journalists.

“There is no difference between terrorists, no matter if the crime committed by Islamic State, al-Qaida, Taliban, Haqqani network or other terrorist outfit. No matter which group claims responsibility for targeting journalists, it is a terrorist attack and a crime against media men and against humanity,” Abdullah said in his speech at a ceremony here to mark the World Press Day.

The twin deadly attacks in Kabul on Monday killed at least 25 people including nine journalists, and injured 45 others including seven journalists.

The hardliner Islamic State outfit has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Abdullah also assured that the government would spare no efforts in ensuring security of media men and media outlets in the country.

A total of 11 Afghan journalists who used to work for national and international agencies were killed in the war-battered Afghanistan over the past one week.

Earlier on Tuesday night, Afghan National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar chaired an emergency meeting with media organizations and activists here and listened to their concerns, demands and suggestions.

Abe, Netanyahu Talks for peace

Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc UKPM said, Our £1 billion AI deal is going to put UK at the forefront of the artificial intelligence industry. NKorea release US detainees at behest of USPrez Trump.Abe meet Netanyahu in Jerusalem.Swedish Toddler mother gang raped by Afghan migrants.TrumpUK13jul
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has wrapped up his Middle East tour by holding talks with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. The two agreed that dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians is key for realizing peace in the region.
Abe told Netanyahu that Japan supports a 2-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a reference to the coexistence of Israel and a future Palestinian state.
He said the United States has a vital role to play in the peace process.
The Japanese prime minister urged Israel to refrain from building new settlements in the Palestinian territories.
The leaders confirmed their countries will step up cooperation on cyber security — a field where Israel is widely recognized as a leader.
One day earlier, Abe met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Abe said Japan has no plans to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
He said Japan will provide political and financial support for Palestinian statehood.
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc : Global million of datas of FB investigation Camridge Analytica cesease down.Celebrated case to be lasting affect.Mike Pompeo Secretary of state. Met NK pave way for Kim -Trump talk. FA Syria, Iran, NK. Russia talk Iran Turkey on Syria, Armenia to vote for chaos.
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc Ahead of #COP24, UN climate talks have started in Bonn, Germany. Stakeholders from around the world will make their voices heard. But how important are those of the world’s least developed countrie
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc : Metamorphoses Talking Technology Benkler address
Keynote Address by Prof. Yochai Benkler, Co-director of Internet and Society, Harvard University
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Sagar Media Inc Metamorphoses Talking Technology Chief Guest Speaker
Keynote Address by Prof. Yochai Benkler, Co-director of Internet and Society, Harvard University
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Sagar media inc : CEO CPR Yamini Aiyer address Metamorphoses Talking Technology :
Address by Ms Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research;
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar
Keynote Address by Prof. Yochai Benkler, Co-director of Internet and Society, Harvard University
Chair: Shri N.N. Vohra, President IIC
Address by Ms Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research; Shri Shyam Saran, former Foreign Secretary and Life Trustee IIC and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog,Govt. of India

NK Sagar@Nksagar
Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog;
Sagar Media Inc Metamorphoses Talikng technolgy address by Amitabh Kant CEO Niti Ayog
Naresh Kumar Sagar‏ @Nksagar 17h17 hours ago
Sagar Media Inc: -Welcome address by Chair: Shri N.N. Vohra, President IIC

US military plane crash in Georgia

US military transport aircraft has crashed onto a highway in the southern US state of Georgia. The Associated Press reports authorities said none of the 9 people on board survived.

The C130 cargo plane belonged to the Air National Guard of Puerto Rico, a US territory. It crashed on an intersection of a major highway on Wednesday, shortly after taking off from a military base in Savannah, eastern Georgia.

Surveillance camera footage shows the aircraft going into a nosedive, and sending up a large fireball and black smoke after it hits the ground.

Photos and videos taken at the site of the crash show heavily damaged aircraft parts, indicating a severe impact.

Local police say there were no casualties on the ground and no damage to vehicles on the road.NHK

The aircraft had been in use for more than 6 decades, and was making its final flight before being retired. The US Air Force is investigating the cause of the crash.

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

Sagar Media Inc: 9 dead after US military plane crash in Georgia #nhk Abe in Jerusalem meet Israel Netanyahu hold Super for Abe and his wife.Macron visit Australia Turnbull.Trump meet Kim NK in Singapore? Trump Later visit UK 13 July May said.Egypt journo dentained extended.

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9 dead after US military plane crash in Georgia #nhk_world_news

9 dead after US military plane crash in Georgia- News – NHK WORLD – English

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Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

·

Sagar Media Inc Afghan gov’t Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah describes attack on journalists as crime against freedom of press, humanity, vowing to ensure safety of journalists.Chaos in Armenia continue for fair free election.San Suk Chi Myanmar ask UN visit Rohingya for settle

Naresh on Monday

Two passenger trains collide on track in Czech Republic

Fourteen people, including three children, were injured when two passenger trains collided near the town of Cesky Krumlov in the southern Czech Republic, Radio Prague reported Thursday. Emergency helicopters reportedly attended the scene. Around 50 passengers were on board the trains, and most of them were tourists, according to police. The cause of the collision was not immediately clear. The 80km (50 mile) stretch of line between Ceske Budejovice and Cerny Kriz was expected to remain closed into the mid-afternoon, officials said.

Migrant care in Europe

Many of the migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe are seeking refuge from violence and deepening economic insecurity in their home countries, in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

While overall numbers reaching Europe were down in 2017 compared to 2016, the flow of desperate migrants to Spain climbed, and the number reaching Greece surged in the latter months of last year.

“Asylum-seekers arriving by sea to Greece faced extended stays in overcrowded and dire conditions on Greek islands,” the report said.

As Hungary tightened its borders, for example, more migrants are crossing from Serbia to Romania while others move from Greece through Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina to Croatia. Women, especially those travelling on their own, and unaccompanied children remain particularly exposed to risks of sexual and gender-based violence along the routes as well as in some locations within Europe, the report said. EU has launched infringement proceedings against Hungary over its draconian asylum laws, while giving Belgrade far more money to boost border security than to improve conditions in its camps. Serbia insists it is doing its best with limited resources to handle thousands of people who do not want to be here.

German to migrants are to be provided -Anchor refugee centres

Dutch government has accused Italy and Greece of allowing two-thirds of migrants arriving on their shores to slip into the Europe by failing to register them properly as the EU rift over the migrant crisis deepens.

Mark Harbers, the country’s migration minister, made his remarks as he sought to underline serious shortcomings which he said were undermining the EU’s border-free Schengen travel zone. Mr Harbers said: “95 percent of irregular migrants and asylum seekers arrive from other Schengen states.

“This means about two thirds still manage to enter and travel through other member states undetected and unregistered, despite all measures taken to improve registration.”

Because other countries had failed to register migrants making claims for refugee status, EU asylum rules meant the Netherlands was therefore not permitted to return them to the country through which they first arrived in the continent.

Mr Harbers said: “The Netherlands ends up granting protection to large numbers of asylum seekers who consciously refuse to apply for protection in the member state of first arrival.

“Giving asylum seekers this de facto choice of which member state they want to settle in is in itself a pull factor.”

“Only one-third have been registered previously.

Germany’s interior minister has vowed to speed up the deporting of failed asylum seekers after a group of migrants violently forced the police to release a young African man about to be deported. Berlin faces mounting public pressure to toughen its approach towards deportation, especially of young criminals and refugees accused of harbouring extremist views. Angela Merkel is planning to set up so-called anchor refugee centres that will house new arrivals

Regional police statistics show that 56.9 per cent of crime in the German town Sigmaringen was committed by asylum seekers last year. The figures reflect ‘real crimes’ as offences of breaking migration laws were excluded, newspaper Schwäbische reports.

Crime, especially drug-related crimes (+69.6%) and shoplifting (+44.8%), has risen sharply due to migrant criminality. But other more serious crimes increased significantly, as well, such as street crimes (+33.5%), assault (+39.5%) and sexual offences (+14.7%).

Therefore the region’s Ministry of the Interior has now developed a security plan for Sigmaringen, a special group of investigators. The group recently arrested 21 multiple offenders among the asylum seekers.

The massive public consumption of alcohol by some asylum seekers, especially at the station, angers the local residents. As a result, Mayor Schärer has called for compulsory prevention courses for asylum seekers who have repeatedly been apprehended for alcohol abuse.

Swedish government allocates 3.7 million Swedish Crowns (347,000 euros) to the country’s Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU). The budget will be spent among other things, on the production of films in different languages and themes.

Minister Strandhäll says it is “extremely urgent” to inform new arrivals about the sexual and reproductive rights that are relevant in Sweden. According to her, new arrivals ‘have a completely different view of sex’ than Swedes.

“We can find that some of the women in this group of new arrivals come from communities where there are completely different norms, laws and regulations,” Annika Strandhäll told SVT Nyheter.

While Sweden’s government tries to cover it up, the country faces a serious rape crisis since importing hundreds of thousands of Third World migrants.

Statistics from last year revealed that migrants from Muslim-majority countries commit 84 per cent of ‘very violent’ rapes. At the start of this year research showed that rape reports have increased by 400% in Sweden’s capital since 1996.

Another child rape in Sweden, another ridiculous sentence. 12 year old girl was raped in the city of Stenungsund. The police didn’t have any resources to arrest the suspect for a long time, it took many months. Now finally he is convicted – He got 6 months prison.

Orban vows tougher laws on migration, names new deputy PMs

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that his new government would soon bring forward tighter immigration rules. “We are building a Christian democracy,”Orban told public radio. “We will defend Christian culture and will not surrender the country to aliens,” Orban said. He named Interior Minister Sandor Pinter and Economy Minister Mihaly Varga as deputy prime ministers, and gave notice he would take a tough stance against the EU over the bloc’s next budget, Reuters reports. Orban was re-elected in an April landslide that gave his ruling Fidesz party a two-thirds parliamentary majority, enabling it to rewrite major laws.

European migrant crisis,or the European refugee crisis,is a term given to a period beginning in 2015 when rising numbers of people arrived in the European Union (EU), travelling across the Mediterranean Sea or overland through Southeast Europe. These people included asylum seekers, but also others, such as economic migrants and some hostile agents, including Islamic State militants disguised as refugees or migrants.

Most of the migrants came from Muslim-majority countries of regions south and east of Europe, including Western Asia, South Asia and Africa.By religious affiliation, the majority of entrants were Muslim (usually Sunni Muslim), with a small component of non-Muslim minorities (including Yazidis, Assyrians, Mandeans, etc.). According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the top three nationalities of entrants of the over one million Mediterranean Sea arrivals between January 2015 and March 2016 were Syrian (46.7%), Afghan (20.9%) and Iraqi (9.4%). Inputs Wikipedia.

National Museum to host mammoth exhibition on Indian Civilization

National Museum, New Delhi

FRI, 4 MAY. National Museum to host mammoth exhibition

on Indian Civilization. Having all the trappings of an iconic showstopper, an ambitious and mammoth international exhibition is all set to be mounted at National Museum, which chronologically encapsulates the evolution of Indian civilization since antiquity and its interconnections with the outside world through a raft of exquisite artifact from India and abroad.
The exhibition, India and the World: A History in Nine Stories, is an extensively collaborative effort of the British Museum, London; National Museum, New Delhi; and ChhatrapatiShivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai and is actively supported by the Culture Ministry.
Planned as part of commemoration of 70 years of India’s independence and a year of major cultural exchange between India and the UK (UK/India 2017), the nearly two-month-long watershed show at National Museum, which gets underway on May 5, is traveling to the national capital from Mumbai where it drew an enthusiastic response from critics and public alike at CSMVS.
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), will inaugurate the exhibition at 5.00 pm on Saturday, May 5.

Gov enters agreement with World Bank

The government has entered into a legal agreement with the World Bank for a flexible financing arrangement to accelerate research towards early development for biopharmaceuticals.

A Statement issued by the government said the mission has been approved at a cost of 250 million dollars for five years with 50 per cent funding through the World Bank Loan,

The aim is to make India a hub for design and development of novel, affordable and effective biopharmaceutical products.

The statement also said the agreement was executed yesterday between the project implementing agency, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a PSU of Department of Biotechnology, Department of Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on behalf of World Bank.

US warns Beijing

United States has warned China that there will be consequences for its growing militarisation of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter-claims.

The warning comes after Beijing deployed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the disputed waters.

Talking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, the Trump administration has raised the issue with the Chinese leadership.

The Pentagon has also expressed concern over the Chinese military buildup in the disputed region.

China yesterday defended the missile deployment, saying it has indisputable sovereignty over the area.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. It claims almost all of South China Sea.

Twitter urge to change password

Naresh Kumar Sagar

@Nksagar

Sagar Media Inc. Online Media,Theo, MSME- Mentor, Enterpreuner, Fiscal & Hydro Adv, Org, Branding, Social transform,Media, Motivator.Intutive mind.

Social networking Twitter has urged its more than 330 million users to change their passwords, which were unintentionally unmasked internally by a software bug.

The social media site said it found no sign that hackers accessed the exposed data, however, users are advised to change their passwords, to be safe.

The blog did not say how many passwords were affected. But a person familiar with the company’s response said the number was “substantial” and that they were exposed for “several months.”
Twitter discovered the bug a few weeks ago.

Air Asia talks HNA over asset purchases

Asia.nikkei.MAYUKO TANI, Reports :AirAsia discussed possible acquisitions from debt-laden Chinese hospitality conglomerate HNA Group, the founder and CEO of one of the region’s largest budget airlines said Tuesday.

Tony Fernandes said he met HNA co-founder and Chairman Wang Jian and spoke with him about a wide range of possible cooperation, adding that he “for sure” will consider acquiring businesses from HNA.

“We had a discussion,” Fernandes told the Nikkei Asian Review on the sidelines of the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference. “They own a lot of airlines … lots of infrastructure and catering. They are a big boy in the aviation industry. If we can work together, learn from them, why not?”

Asked if he is interested in buying Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express, which are owned by HNA, Fernandes said, “We are always interested in whatever opportunities go our way.” But he said the discussions he has had so far with Wang have not been about airlines in Hong Kong specifically.

HNA, which also owns Hainan Airlines, was an aggressive buyer of overseas property, hotels and businesses. Chinese regulators and creditors are now pressuring HNA, which is hurriedly offloading assets to ease its debt load. The Hong Kong-based airlines are on a list of assets the company could sell.

The cash-strapped company is also considering listing wholly owned unit Swissport International, the world’s largest airport services operator.

On another front, Fernandes said AirAsia Japan is his airline group’s “big priority,” adding that AirAsia Japan’s growth is hindered by country’s the conservative regulators and slow route approval process.”Our expansion could be much bigger and quicker, but we are held back. Nowhere in the world do the [regulatory approvals] take so long,” Fernandes said, describing the process as “old fashioned.”

TASVEER by Derry Moore

(Rahul Bali, Senior Correspondent, Sagar Media Inc, Delhi)

An exhibition at Bikaner House in New Delhi displaying very rare portraits of Indian buildings photographed by Derry Moore, the 12th Earl of Drogheda who made his name photographing the interiors and portraits of European aristocracy, including those of Queen Elizabeth II and the late Queen mother was organized. This exhibition features a selection of colonialism on the fabric of Indian society, customs and life. Derry Moore photographed the architectural work of British and European in the “shadow of the Raj”. These fascinating, eye-catching, highly captivating photographs are the rare masterpiece of art.

Moore was particularly taken with the anachronistic architecture of Calcutta and Bombay which presented palpable, material traces of hybridity that fascinated him. Lovers, connoisseurs from the elite class having a knowledge, passion, and taste for the work of art participated in the exhibition. Mr. Naresh Sagar, MD, Sagar Media Inc and Rahul Bali, Bureau Chief of the Asian Independent UK interacted with Khushboo Talwar, the Tasveer Gallery during the exhibition.

Tasveer began as the first pan-Indian gallery dedicated exclusively to photography, founded by Abhishek Poddar, Shalini Gupta, and Naveen Kishore. The gallery is now the premiere photography venue in India, having a head office in Bengaluru. Tasveer parallels its exhibition programme with other special events, lecture, outreach activities and publications.

Severe Dust storm across North India expected today

Dust storm Alert. Severe Dust storm across North India expected today also. The weather system still prevailing over Western India near Rajasthan. Heavy moisture surge also prevailing in the Eastern coast near Odisha. Heavy rain accompanied by dust storm expected. Stay safe.

Met, Meteorological Department has issued warning of another dust storm in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in the next 36 hours.

The MeT office said Satellite images have shown wind pressure developing in two states.

It said thunderstorms, gusty winds and heavy rain in several districts of eastern, western and Terai regions of UP may occur. In Rajasthan also high-intensity winds and dust storm may occur in eastern and western parts.

Weather office has forecast that thunderstorm accompanied with squall is also likely at isolated places over Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Sikkim and Odisha.

Hilly states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as well Delhi are expected to witness thunderstorm in the coming two to three days.

Talking to AIR, Director General, Indian Meteorological Department, K J Ramesh said Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala and South Karnataka are also likely to witness thunderstorm today and in coming days.

The fresh warning comes even as the two north Indian states are still recovering from the impact of Wednesday’s severe dust storm, which took lives of over 100 people and left a trail of destruction.

The UP government has asked the officials for taking precautions as per alert issued by the Met department. AIR correspondent reports that 74 people from in 22 districts have died and 83 injured in the Wednesday’s storm.

Maximum damage was done in Agra where 45 people were killed and 51 injured. Standing crops in thousands hectares of land have also been destroyed.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the Ministers to visit the affected districts to monitor the relief and rescue operations and provide financial and medical relief to the affected families.

Four Lakh rupees have been provided to families of each deceased and two Lakh to injured who have received serious injuries and 60 thousand rupees who sustained fifty percent injuries.

The government has also asked the officials of the affected district to submit the reports of losses by this evening. The Government has also written to the Centre seeking the monitory help of above 153 crore rupees from National Disaster Relief Fund.

In Rajasthan, the death toll has risen to 39 in the Wednesday’s storm-related incidents. More than 200 have been injured.

In Telangana, at least six persons were killed as heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorm and strong winds lashed several parts across the state.

The untimely rains which struck several parts of the state last evening, also caused traffic snarls, uprooting of trees and electricity supply failures in Hyderabad and other parts of the state.

The authorities have set up two special control rooms in Hyderabad and Warangal to receive complaints relating to electricity supply following yesterday’s rain havoc.

Taipei to create bio tech cluster

Taipei City Government has announced that they have launched a biotechnology industry cluster as a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project in the City’s Nangang District. As per the estimation done by the Taipei Department of Economic Development, the biotech industry will create about 3100 jobs and will give an annual output of USD 1.69 billion.

The project is part of the central governments “five plus two” innovative industries plan and the city’s East District Gateway Project. The city government held 11 forums to consult experts on the project before deciding the industrial layout and strategy. The project would complement missing function in the nearby Academia Sinica and National Biotechnology Research Park.

The East District Gateway Project includes plans to make nearby Nangang stationinto an important transportation hub, providing access to science parks in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City and a link to Neihu Science Park and Nangang Software Park.

Inputs biospectrum.asia

SKoreans Plan investment 35 bn $ medical AI

South Korean government plans to invest 35.7 billion won ($33.4 million) over the next three years to build a homegrown medical artificial intelligence (AI) system that analyzes patients’ medical data to offer personalized diagnostics and treatment plans.

The Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology recently held a ceremony in Seoul to formally mark the beginning of efforts to develop the Korean medical AI system dubbed “Dr. Answer,” which uses medical big data to guide doctors in their diagnosis and treatment planning, similar to IBM’s Watson.

Dr. Answer will be developed to specifically target eight maladies: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, epilepsy, dementia and pediatric rare refractory genetic disease.

The ministry plans to carry out this medical artificial intelligence project over the course of three years, with aims to conclude it by 2020. This year, it plans to inject 5 billion won into the project.

The state-run medical AI project will be led by Seoul’s Asan Medical Center and is to involve 25 local hospitals and medical institutions as well as 19 artificial intelligence tech software developers, including Vuno, JLK Inspection and Kakao Brain.

biospectrum.asia inputs

Lockheed ask Japan to design fighter Jet

MASAYA KATO, YUKIO TAJIMA and MASAMICHI HOSHI, Nikkei writers

U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin has approached Japan with plans for a next-generation fighter jet based on its elite F-22 stealth fighter, demonstrating both Washington’s trust in Tokyo as a defense partner and its eagerness to balance the scales on trade with expensive equipment.

The advanced aircraft would enter service around 2030, when Japan is set to start retiring its fleet of F-2 fighters. It would combine elements of the F-22 and Lockheed’s smart F-35 stealth fighter. Developing a new fighter typically takes more than 10 years.

The Japanese government has pegged the total cost of its next-generation fighter project at around 6 trillion yen ($55 billion). This includes 1.5 trillion yen for development and another 1.5 trillion yen for acquiring around 100 of the jets, in addition to costs such as maintenance and decommissioning.

Tokyo to decide as early as this year whether to accept Lockheed’s offer so that the government can draw up a medium-term defense plan that would begin in fiscal 2019.

The inclusion of F-22 technology in the new jet is of particular significance to Japan. When Tokyo sought to purchase a fleet of F-22s a decade ago, U.S. lawmakers barred the Japanese government from doing so due to concerns about sending information on sensitive military technology abroad. The fighters are no longer in production.

Trade, more than military strategy, seems to have spurred Washington’s change of heart. President Donald Trump looks to score political points by lowering America’s roughly $70 billion trade deficit with Japan, and sees expensive military equipment as a prime tool for doing so.

Part of that reasoning is economic: Fighters cost much more on a unit-by-unit basis than do cars or farm products. Another is political. The U.S. defense sector was shaken by attempts under former President Barack Obama to curb defense spending growth. By bringing contractors new business, Trump aims to fill out his record ahead of what promises to be a tough round of midterm elections in the U.S. Congress in November.

Japan, however, faces a difficult decision over whether to accept Lockheed’s offer. The country has long sought to produce its next-generation fighter aircraft on its own soil. At the same time, the Northeast Asian security environment is in constant flux as China expands its military might and North Korea refuses to commit to abandoning its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. It would be difficult for Japan to turn down an offer of arms from the U.S., its strongest ally.

Lockheed will draw up the details of its development plan for the F-22/F-35 hybrid aircraft as soon as this summer.

“We look forward to exploring options for Japan’s F-2 replacement fighter in cooperation with both the Japanese and U.S. governments,” said Lockheed. “Our leadership and experience with fifth-generation aircraft [such as the F-22 and F-35] can be leveraged to provide innovative, cost-effective capabilities to meet Japan’s future security needs.”

Japan hopes to hand much of the work involved to domestic companies. One potential route would be to have companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries take the lead on development while cooperating with American businesses. Another plan would involve joint development by Japanese and British contractors.

Drawing technology from the F-22 would give the new plane top-of-the-line stealth capabilities as well as the ability to travel at supersonic speeds. Although stealthiness and excellent flight performance are generally seen as incompatible, the F-22 puts them into a single package, earning the jet its reputation as the world’s most lethal fighter. The F-35, meanwhile, has unparalleled network and software capabilities that allow it to communicate with other aircraft and facilities on the ground and share radar data.

Nikkei Asia inputs

The Inside Story of Rohingya

CPR is pleased to invite you to a discussion on
The Inside Story of the Rohingya Crisis: The Road Ahead for Myanmar’s Democracy

A conversation between Khin Zaw Win and Nimmi Kurian

Thursday, 10 May 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

About the talk:

The Rohingya issue has been reduced to a single-issue debate fixated on the security dimension largely concerned with issues of illegal migration, religious radicalisation and terrorism. Despite being intensely debated, the underlying causes and the potential consequences of the crisis are dimly understood.

Join us as we unpack and interrogate the multiple and contradictory narratives of the Rohingya issue in the wake of the UN Security Council delegation’s visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh earlier this week. These will be debated in a conversation between Khin Zaw Win and Nimmi Kurian that will delve deeper into the historical narrative, the complexities of the issue, the challenges it poses, and the possible solutions going forward.

About the speakers:

Khin Zaw Win has decades-long experience as one of the most respected and independent political commentators from Myanmar. He has had a ringside view of Myanmar’s transitions from authoritarianism to democracy including the contested debate on devolution of power and recognition of ethnic aspirations. He is currently the Director of the Yangon-basedTampadipa Institute and works on policy advocacy and capacity building issues. He has previously served in the government health services of Myanmar, and Sabah, Malaysia. He is a former Fellow of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, New York, a UK FCO Chevening Fellow,University of Birmingham and holds a degree in Public Policy programme from the National University of Singapore. He is currently closely involved in addressing the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

Nimmi Kurian is an Associate Professor at Centre for Policy Research and Academic Advisor at the India China Institute, The New School, New York. Her research interests include Asian borderlands, comparative regionalism, transborder mobilities and Indian foreign policy. She is one of the contributors to the India Country Report as part of the Bangladesh China India Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM EC) Joint Study Group, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Her recent publications include: India and China: Rethinking Borders and Security (co-author) University of Michigan Press, 2016; ‘Why the ‘Good’ Refugee is a Bad Idea’, Open Democracy, 30 April 2018; ‘An Uneven Flow? Navigating Downstream Concerns Over China’s Water Policy’ in K. J. Joy et al, Water Conflicts in Northeast India, Routledge, 2017. ‘How Suu Kyi can Change the Rohingya Narrative’, Diplomatist, November 2017; ‘Footnotes of a Forgotten Text: Turning the Page on Myanmar’s Federal Debate’, CPR Policy Brief, June 2018, forthcoming; ‘Addressing the Drought of Ideas on the Brahmaputra’, China-India Brief, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, October 2017.

Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org

Need of Children’s

PARLIAMENTARIANS FROM ACROSS SOUTH ASIA DISCUSS THE NEED FOR STRONGER INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

BANGLADESH/ INDIA, 3 May 2018 – UNICEF is hosting parliamentarians from the entire South Asia region in an effort to increase investment in children and young adults, bringing about much needed change for millions of poor and improving the prospects for healthy economic growth in the region.

The South Asia Parliamentarian Platform for Children being held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 2–3 May 2018 aims to strengthen opportunities for children in the first two decades of their lives. Lawmakers from all eight countries in South Asia will meet to prioritize, promote, and safeguard children’s rights and discuss the prospects for further investment in Early Childhood and adolescent years. Over thirty parliamentarians from eight countries – Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives and India – are participating in the conference.

“While South Asia is home to one fourth of the world’s population, its share of global income is just 4 per cent. This fact underlines one of the biggest challenges for South Asia’s progress on the social and economic front: namely the lack of investment in its largest asset, its Human Capital – and especially the young within the society,” said Ms Jean Gough, Regional Director of UNICEF

South Asia.

Ms Heena Gavit, Member of Parliament, BJP, Lok Sabha from Nandurbar, Maharashtra, Mr Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Member of Parliament, TRS, Lok Sabha from Chevella, Telangana and Professor Azmeera Seetaram Naik, TRS, Mahbubabad, Telangana, represented India at this meet. The three Members of Parliament interacted with the Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament, Ms Shirin Sharmin Choudhury, and parliamentarians from seven other countries.

Speaking on the need for greater investments for children and adolescents, Ms Heena Gavit said, “The children and youth represent not just India’s future but are an integral part of securing India’s present. As the quality of human capital is one of the key determinants of economic growth, it is important for any Government to focus on enhancing child budgeting with an aim to improve healthcare and nutrition for young children and adolescents.

The budget outlays for nutrition in India increased to INR 3,45,238 crore in 2018-2019 BE from INR 3,09,272 crore in 2017-18 RE.[1] The outlay is 1.8 per cent of GDP. An increase in the allocation of National Nutrition Mission and Integrated Child Development Services will address the malnutrition problem of 36 per cent underweight and 38 per cent stunted children in India,” Ms Heena added.

Commenting on the importance of budgeting for children for improved water and sanitation, Mr Konda Vishweshwar Reddy said, “Children are a vulnerable group that unfortunately do not have a right to vote. Politicians need to re-align their political interest with the goals of children, to reap the dividend from these young citizens 0-18 years of age. They represent nearly 40 per cent of India’s population. Clean water, toilets and hygiene is essential to ensure children survive and thrive, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 4.”

Professor Naik, emphasizing that the education of children deserves greater investment, said, “Quality education is the basic need for every child in the country. Education is an important component of India’s national budget. The Government of India has established special schools to increase enrollment of children from marginalized sections such as Eklavya, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Jawahar Navodaya and Mini Gurukuls, To achieve sustainable progress in the sphere of child education, a holistic approach is crucial.”

This year’s meeting focused on the region’s commitment to increased investment in children. 300 million children in South Asia are so-called multi-dimensionally poor with too little to eat, a high risk of falling sick from preventable disease and a very slim chance of ever going to school.

Evidence shows that investment in young people pays strong dividends to society. One dollar invested in quality Early Childhood Development will give a return of between US$6 and 17. If low- and middle-income countries ensured preschool enrollment to half of the country’s children, the result could be cumulative lifetime earnings gains of US$15 – 34 billion. The urgent, timely and adequate investments in early childhood and adolescent years will lead to well-developed brains and a highly productive workforce.

UNICEF South Asia is honored to bring together law makers to discuss the increased need for investment for the most marginalized children.

“There are very good chances for bringing about radical and important change: in most countries

in the region, children and young people make up a large part of society and even smaller

investments now will give good results for children and South Asian societies”, said Ms Jean

UKIndia2017 Premier League Closing Ceremony July 02 at 10.30 AM

Thanks and regards

T +00 91 11 42199000 | D + 00 91 11 41497240 | F +00 91 11 23357709 | M + 00 91 0 9953323952
E angeles.micah@in.britishcouncil.org

British Council India | UKIndia2017 celebrate connect inspire

INVITE FOR BOOK DISCUSSION

INVITE FOR BOOK DISCUSSION ON 8 MAY AT 6.30 PM

Dear Friend

—

Dr.Mahalingam M

Research Fellow

Centre for Policy Analysis

C-17, Second Floor,

Green Park Extension,

New Delhi – 110016

Ph:- 011-26176992

Website: www.cpadehli.org

RBI decides to set up a new system

RBI decides to set up a new system for monitoring foreign investment limits in listed Indian companies

Attention of Authorised Dealer Category-I (AD Category-I) banks is invited by RBI to Foreign Exchange Management (Transfer or Issue of Security by a person Resident outside India) Regulations, 2017 notified vide Notification No. FEMA 20(R)/2017-RB dated November 07, 2017 and as amended from time to time, in terms of which the onus of compliance with the sectoral/ statutory caps on foreign investment lies with the Indian investee company.

Currently, Reserve Bank of India receives data on investment made by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) and Non-resident Indians (NRI) on stock exchanges from the custodian banks and Authorised Dealer Banks for their respective clients, based on which restrictions beyond a threshold limit is imposed on FPI/ NRI investment in listed Indian companies.

In order to enable listed Indian companies to ensure compliance with the various foreign investment limits, Reserve Bank in consultation with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has decided to put in place a new system for monitoring foreign investment limits, for which the necessary infrastructure and systems for operationalizing the monitoring mechanism, shall be made available by the depositories. The same has been notified by SEBI vide Circular-IMD/FPIC/CIR/P/2018/61 dated April 05, 2018 read with Circular- IMD/FPIC/CIR/P/2018/74 dated April 27, 2018.

In terms of para 6 of Annexure A of the circular dated April 05, 2018, all listed Indian companies are required to provide the specified data/ information on foreign investment to the depositories. The requisite information may be provided before May 15, 2018. The listed Indian companies, in non-compliance with the above instructions will not be able to receive foreign investment and will be non-compliant with Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and regulations made there under.

All Authorised Dealer Banks are advised to instruct their clients and respective Indian companies, about the system requirement at para 4 of this circular. Further, upon implementation of the new monitoring system, all Authorised Dealer banks would be required to provide the details of investment made by their respective NRI clients to the depositories in the format as provided by the depositories/ SEBI. In addition, the reporting to Reserve Bank in the existing system, viz., LEC (NRI) and LEC (FII), would continue.

AD Category-I banks may bring the contents of this circular to the notice of their customers / constituents concerned. The directions contained in this circular have been issued under sections 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 (42 of 1999) and are without prejudice to permissions / approvals, if any, required under any other law.

Interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine

Thank you for confirming your presence for the Interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine on 7 May 2018 from 1000 hrs onwards at the Hall No 3 Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra (PBK), Chanakyapuri.

The objective of Mayor’s visit to India is look for business prospects in the fields of IT, solar energy, and infrastructure projects among others. A brief profile of Mayor is enclosed for your reference.

Request you to arrive before 10 AM. In case of anything, please do not hesitate to call/text me at 8860030312.

Looking forward to meeting you on Monday, May 7th at 10 AM.

Important announcements and approvals in Board Meeting of PFRDA

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is established by the Government of India for regulation and development of Pension Sector in order to protect the old age income security of subscribers. PFRDA takes various initiatives from time to time in order to simplify and improve the operational issues in National Pension System (NPS) like new functionality development under NPS architecture, simplification of account opening, withdrawal, grievance management etc.

In this regard, during the recently held Board Meeting some important decisions were taken to improve the operational and regulation issues in National Pension System (NPS). Some of the decisions taken in the Board Meeting are as follows:

· Budget announcement- Rating criteria for investments- Proposal on changing the investment grade rating from ‘AA’ to ‘A’ for corporate bonds was approved. The change is subject to a cap on investments in ‘A’ rated bonds to be not more than 10% of the overall Corporate Bond portfolio of the Pension Funds. This initiative will enlarge the scope of investment for the Fund Managers while ensuring credit quality.

· Introduction of a Common Stewardship Code: The proposal on adoption of Common Stewardship Code, as a measure of good Corporate Governance, was approved. Further, it was also approved that the Principles enumerated in such code shall be circulated to all Pension Funds for compliance and implementation. Adoption of these Principles by Pension Funds will improve their engagement with investee companies and benefit subscribers.

· Modification in Partial Withdrawal rules under NPS: Partial withdrawals will now be allowed to NPS subscribers who wish to improve their employability or acquire new skills by pursuing higher education/ acquiring professional and technical qualifications. Further, individual NPS subscribers who wish to set up a new business/ acquire new business will also be allowed to make partial withdrawals from his contributions. Other terms applicable to partial withdrawals will remain unchanged.

· Increasing cap on equity investment in active choice to 75% from current 50% for Private Sector Subscribers: Presently there is a cap of 50% on equity investment under active choice in NPS. The proposal on increasing cap on equity investment in active choice to 75% from currently 50% has been approved by the Board. However, it comes with a clause of tapering of the equity allocation after the age of 50 years.

Currently, NPS and Atal Pension Yojna (APY) have a cumulative subscriber base of over 2.13 crore with total Asset Under Management (AUM) of more than Rs. 2.38 lakh crore.

CM Haryana visiting Israel and Britain

CM Haryana Mr Mohan Lal Khattar is visiting Israel & Britain to rope in Investment and during questions hours Media asked Is tour on govt expenses on this tour ,CM quickly added we r better than Punjab they are unable to pay salaries to their employees. Foreign tours for exploring collaboration for agriculture ,Water treatment, Security, Aviation, space, security and investment are the the sectors for which the state is seeking collaboration from Britain and Israel.

Badakhshan’s Kohistan District loss to Taliban

Afghan forces on Saturday retook Kohistan district in Afghanistan’s northeast province of Badakhshan, confirmed the country’s Interior Ministry.
Not divulging the details of the military operations, Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said that the Taliban suffered heavy losses and the operation will continue to clear all the district from militants, reported TOLO News.

According to the report, the Commando troops landed in Kohistan district at midnight on Thursday to aid other forces in the area, confirmed Badakhshan Police Chief Abdul Khaliq Aqsai.

The district had fallen the Taliban on Thursday evening.

Women have the power to create real change!

Dear Sagar Media Inc,

Women have the power to create real change!

Over the past few years we have seen some incredible women who have brought about positive social change by sheer determinationand resolve.

But often women don’t have the right support structure to help them in these long fights.

Sagar Media Inc, have you ever wanted to change something but didn’t know where to start?

Change.org India is launching the third edition of of the “She Creates Change” training programme.

We’re looking for 30 women Changemakers who are eager to run amazing and impactful campaigns on any issue that affects women in India – be it health, education, safety.

This year-long programme will impart campaign skills and most importantly build a community of support and collaboration.

You will meet women who face the same challenges and have the same aspirations as you and together you will work on some ground breaking campaigns over the course of the year.

If you have an idea or campaign and are excited about collaborating and supporting other women run their campaigns, click here to apply.

The ‘She Creates Change’ programme kicks off with a 5 day residential Learning Lab which will be held in Bengaluru from the 1-5 August 2018 and is followed by a year long online programme.

During the programme you will learn how to tell powerful stories and use the power of community building to run social change campaigns.

If this seems like just the thing you wanted, fill out this application form and submit it by Tuesday, 8th of May.

Selected participants will have their course, travel and stay expenses sponsored by Change.org.

If you know someone who may be interested in this programme then help spread the word.

I hope to see you there!

Nida Hasan
Campaigns Director – Change.org India

PS: Click here to check out this video from the last edition of the Learning Lab and see what the Changemakers did and had to say about their experience!

Press Conference Invitation

Press Conference Invitation

Dear Sir/Madam,

You are cordially invited for a Press Conference by

Karnataka Election Watch (KEW)

and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) to

release

the

”Analysis of Candidates Contesting the 2018 Karnataka Assembly Elections”

Details of the Press Conference:

Venue:

Press Club,

Bangalore

Date:

th May

, 201

, Sunday

Time:

4 PM to 5 PM

Yours Sincerely,

Quake 6.1 M Luzon

M6.1 – LUZON, PHILIPPINES

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.1
Date-Time
5 May 2018 06:19:05 UTC
5 May 2018 14:19:05 near epicenter
5 May 2018 10:19:05 standard time in your timezone
Location 14.497N 123.931E
Depth 17 km
Distances
58 km (36 miles) NNW (332 degrees) of Pandan, Catanduanes, Philippines
127 km (79 miles) NE (39 degrees) of Naga, Luzon, Philippines
149 km (93 miles) N (8 degrees) of Legaspi, Luzon, Philippines
319 km (198 miles) E (92 degrees) of MANILA, Philippines
Location Uncertainty Horizontal: 7.7 km; Vertical 4.1 km

Two Group of Ministers constituted

Two Group of Ministers Constituted to consider the issues relating to Incentivizing digital payments in the GST regime & Imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST

Subsequent to the decisions taken in the 27th GST Council meeting held yesterday i..e 4th May 2018, two Group of Ministers (GoMs) have been constituted.

The first GoM shall consider the issues relating to “Incentivizing digital payments in the GST regime”. Shri Sushil Kumar Modi, Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar is convenor and other members of this GoM are Shri Nitinbhai Patel, Dy. Chief Minister, Gujarat; Capt. Abhimanyu, Excise & Taxation Minister, Haryana; Dr. Amit Mitra, Hon’ble Finance Minister, West Bengal and Shri Manpreet Singh Badal, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Punjab.

The Second GoM shall consider issues relating to “Imposition of Cess on Sugar under GST”. Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hon’ble Finance Minister of Assam is convenor and other members of this GoM are Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Uttar Pradesh; Shri Sudhir Mungatiwar, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Maharashtra; Shri D. Jayakumar, Minister for Fisheries and Personnel & Administrative Reforms, Tamil Nadu and Dr. T.M. Thomas Isaac, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Kerala. Both the GoMs shall submit their reports within a period of 15 days.

Punjab history is an Indian History

Briefing media Punjabi Intellecuals said the punjab board of education has deliberately made punjab history with tag of Sikh history and has marginalised its ethos of bravery and marshal qualities.Punjab being buffer state with various kingdom has always been rock solid border for invaders to intrude in main land India.

Punjab history is not state history but a proud national history and therefore 12 th class text book Sikh history labeling is not community history but it is chapter of Indian history.Those present VC Dr Jaspal Singh, Ex RS Member Trilochan Singh brought to the notice of media that chapter 22 of text book of 12 class has been removed which is deliberately done to keep youngster ignorance of punjab history which is full of nationalism and love of patriotism. Further added to the media by abridging or briefing the Punjab history is diluting the national history.Punjab lies on North West boder was chiefly instrumental in halting invaders from time to time during ancient and medivial history and is full of praises of patriotism and marshal attitude any step to diluting the Punjab history by its education board is step towards diluting nationalism and patriotism.

Addressing media the spokesperson of Punjabi Intelleucals said it is an interest of all Indians if governments draft monitoring council under Ministry of HRD to get stock of the text book actual blurring from the subject.

Sikh History taught in 11 class in open schools is not right criteria as those students appearing for board examination go for 12 class text books and therefore nefarious design to dilute ot sideline Punjab history in true spirit.

DoT bans multiple SIMs

The new norms came into effect on Friday with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) amending the customer verification norms for mobile phone users.
Scores of subscribers have multiple SIMs with several owning more than 100, a government official said. Telecom companies, desperate to add subscribers, have been lenient in checking multiple connections and do not verify credentials of such users.

Earlier, operators were offering free and pre-activated prepaid connections with SIMs at their company-managed outlets or franchise across the country. According to new customer verification norms, activated prepaid SIMs have been banned as reported by Mail Today on November 3.

The newspaper on October 30 had reported on how security agencies are concerned over growing misuse of SIMs and have asked DoT to expedite the process of forming a mechanism through which database of Unique Identification Authority of India could be shared to verify credential of subscribers.
According to industry insiders, there are almost 25-30 per inactive connections out of the total 94 crore mobile phone subscriber base as revealed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The inactive connections were mostly owned by subscribers who had multiple SIM cards.

While telecom companies have been adding subscribers on an average of over 20 lakh per month, they have reported a fall in customer addition since August this year. During September, there was a drop of 0.2 per cent while it was 2.5 per cent in October

Round Table with Chair IBBI & stakeholders

Round Table Industry Expert Meeting

Issues In Implementation Of IB Code 2016

08th May 2018, Hotel The Claridges, New Delhi.

Round Table Session Chairman

Dr. M.S. Sahoo, Chairperson, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI)

Greetings From ASSOCHAM,

The IB Code 2016 (“The Code”) is a landmark piece of legislation amongst a horde of path breaking reforms brought in by the current Government. This single piece of legislation has allowed us to jump several places in the world ranking on ease of resolving insolvencies. The intent of the Code has been clearly based out of the Bankruptcy Law Reforms Committee Report of November 2015 which laid the foundation for the IB Code. Based on BLRC recommendations, The IB Code empowers the financial creditors / lenders (Committee of Creditors (CoC)) with exclusive rights and privileges in the CIRP and authorizes them solely to decide the fate of the corporate debtor and its other stakeholders such as the unsecured creditors, equity shareholders, employees and workers, etc…. whether revival or liquidation. However, While the BLRC Report specifically highlights the duties and responsibilities of the CoC members and its reasoning’s behind putting all the powers in the hands of financial creditors, the same is missing from the final piece of IB Code or its regulations. Based on last 15 months of the functioning of IB Code, it would help if the Board could issue Regulations providing for the duties and responsibilities of COC members making them accountable for their decisions which they take during the course of the resolution process since they owe a fiduciary duty to all the other stakeholders as well.

To address these issues in the interest of the economic development of the nation and to prevent liquidation of the viable companies, an immediate intervention is required by way of issue of urgent guidelines or regulations to regulate the CAC members.

In this backdrop, ASSOCHAM with Insolvency & Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) is conducting a round table meeting on IBC for discussing some of the major challenges and issues being faced under the IB Code 2016 and a possible alternative plan. The round table meeting will be addressing the concerns over the Ordinance on IB Code 2016, No incentive to Banks, Accountability, IRPs and many other key issues.

Target Audience:-

· Insolvency Professionals

· Banks

· Financial Institutions

· Government Officials and Regulators

· Corporates

· Entrepreneurs

· Real Estate Investors

· Consultants

· Tax Consultants and CAs

· Asset Reconstruction Companies

· Law Firms

Key Areas of Discussions:-

· Proposal for Invoking Personal Guarantee in Insolvency Resolution

· Staggering of MTM Hit

· Ordinance on IB Code 2016

· No incentive to Banks

· Accountability

· IRPs

· Quorum & Voting at CoCs

· Dissenting Financial Creditors

· Payment to Operational Creditors

The deliberations at this highly interactive round table session will serve as a game-changer and help authorities in addressing the apprehensions and issues raised by different stakeholders.

We are pleased to inform you that Dr. M.S. Sahoo, Chairperson, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has very kindly agreed to be the session chairman for this round table meeting.

In this regard, We would like to invite you as per the attached registration form to attend the round table meeting schedule to be held on 08th May 2018 at Hotel The Claridges, New Delhi

Your participation would add immense value to the content of the conference.

We look forward for your kind confirmation.

Sincerely,

Kushagra Joshi

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India

Banking & Financial Services,

5, Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri,

New Delhi – 110021

Mob:+91-8447365357

Phone: +91- 11- 46550624

Fax: +91- 11- 46536481/82

ENERTIA Foundation forum

7th May 2018

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

Sub. : Calling you as a “Special Invitee” to attend theENERTIA Foundation forum Hydropower Forum of India – HyFi & Falcon Media Organized — “9th HYDRO VISION CONCLAVE INDIA 2018” and concurrent “3rdTRANSgrid INDIA 2018”.

THEME :

A) “9th HYDRO VISION Conclave INDIA 2018”

– “Ujwal Jalprawaha + UJWAL Urja for Ujwal Bharat”

– Resurgent Hydro : WaterPower – 100 GW+ by 2027

– Doubling Water Per Capita Availability to 200 Litres per day (includes Overall usages – Agro, Industrial, Government & Domestic Consumption)

– Increasing Arable Agricultural Land from 25% to 50%

B) “3rd TRANSGrid INDIA 2018”

– Power Sector “Issues of Transmission Expansion”

– Grid Integration of Renewable Energy (RE)

– Reliable, Stable, Sustainable & Smart Grid

– Distribution Efficiency & Power System Automation

Day & Date:	Friday, 25th May 2018
Timing:	10.30 am onwards (followed by Luncheon).
Venue:	SCOPE Convention Centre – “Tagore Chambers”, Core No. 8, SCOPE Complex, 7 Lodi Road, New Delhi

GREETINGS to “YOUR GOODSELF” from the Undersignedin my capacity as the President & Chairperson of “ENERTIA Foundation” forums “Hydropower Forum of India – HyFi” & “Grid Smart Forum of India – GSFI”, and Editor-in-Chief of our Official Publication, “ENERTIA – Asia’s Premier Journal on Sustainable Energy, Power & Renewables”, its holding publishing entity, ‘Falcon Media’.

INDIA’s Futuristic Roadmap for bringing back Share of Hydropower Renewable to 25-30% of National Power Generation Mix (NPGM) from the present record low of 12% level. (North Eastern, Northern & Eastern Upheaval for Storage Based Projects including Pumped Storage + Exploiting Fullest Potentials of Medium & SHPs in Western & Southern India) + Indo-Bhutan Hydropower Bilateral Co-Operation in Focus.

INDIA achieved a “Unified Grid” in 2013 when Southern Grid was connected to the “Rest-of-India” and was into a “One Nation – One Grid – One Frequency” and its Sustainability,finally shaping into a “One Price of Power (Electricity)” by 2022 on a National Scale for each separate customer segment namely Domestic Households, Agricultural / Farm, Industrial, Commercial & Government establishments, etc.

It is our pleasure, vide this letter, to announce and extend our cordial invitation to “YOUR GOODSELF” to be the “SPECIAL INVITEE” and preside over the “Summit & Conclave” at the“ENERTIA Foundation” forums “Hydropower Forum of India – HyFi” and “Grid Smart Forum of INDIA – GSFI”along with Falcon Media organized “9th HYDRO VISION CONCLAVE INDIA 2018” and concurrent “3rd TRANSGrid INDIA 2018” being held on Friday, 25th May 2018at SCOPE Convention Centre – “Tagore Chambers”, Core No. 8, SCOPE Complex, 7 Lodi Road, New Delhi (10.30 a.m. onwards followed by Luncheon).

Please find attached the Brochure for the “ENERTIA Foundation” forums “Hydropower Forum of India – HyFi” and “Grid Smart Forum of INDIA – GSFI” along with Falcon Media organized “9th HYDRO VISION CONCLAVE INDIA 2018” and concurrent “3rd TRANSGrid INDIA 2018”.

NB : RSVP : Steffi Iyer, Coordinator – HyFI & GSFI (M : + 91 – 92244 07245) / Poonam Mate (M : + 91 – 90297 88997)

REPA (Renewable Energy Promotion Association) India’s Apex National Umbrella Organization and Sole Non-Profit body for Promotion of Renewable Energy in India, SAARC and Asia at large is the support body (Non-Profit cause) and NDIM (New Delhi Institute of Management) are partnering this“9th HYDRO VISION CONCLAVE INDIA 2018” and Concurrent “3rd TRANSGrid INDIA 2018”.

It is our pleasure, vide this letter, to request of “Your Goodself”to join the discussions as our “SPECIAL INVITEE” at this“9th HYDRO VISION CONCLAVE INDIA 2018” and Concurrent “3rd TRANSGrid INDIA 2018”.

With Warm Regards & Best Wishes

Sd/-

R. Thiagarajan Iyer

Editorial Director – ENERTIA

Convenor – GSFI – Grid Smart Forum of India

M : +91-75887 13573

E : enertiafoundation@gmail.com

ENERTIA Foundation Website : www.enertiafoundation.org

Falcon Media Website : www.falconmedia.co.in

Impact of GST on Business, Industry and Exporters.

The report was widely publicized and appreciated by the media and stakeholders across India.

The report comprises of a comprehensive survey analysis to identify and access the ground level impediments faced by Businesses, Industry and Exporters due to implementation of GST, which revealed some startling results. The reports reveals the true scenario of the implication of GST on business activity of industries and exporters across India.

According to the survey more than half of the respondents revealed that their business sales post-GST implementation has declined.

· Around 43% of the respondents revealed that the technicalities followed by moving on to GSTN are slightly difficult, whereas 29% and 24% responded that they are very difficult and highly complex, respectively.

· On the questions pertinent to refund mechanism, around 55% of the respondents revealed that the refund mechanism under GST is slightly complex but time saving, whereas 35% of them responded that the mechanism is very complex and time consuming.

· Around 38% revealed that the legal cost incurred due to compliance by their business for entering into GST network was greater than INR 1 lakh whereas half of the respondents revealed that the technical cost was greater than INR 1 lakh.

· On the overall transparency scenario in the GST network, majority of the respondents said that there is less transparency in the mechanism. Around 48% of the respondents said that the refund procedure and accessibility of laws and rules are less transparent. Similarly, 43% of the respondents revealed that changes in rules and laws are less transparent.

To mitigate the hindrances created due to the implementation of GST, the report suggested various reforms in the GST regime. These suggestions include filing of returns quarterly instead of monthly; to keep supply to Merchant Exporter under zero category supply; time limit to pay vendors should be removed; GSTR 2 and 2A matching should be made GSTN wise than Invoice-Wise; to bring back all the benefits of 100% EOU companies under GST regime among others.

UN Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018

MEDIA LAUNCH

UN Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018

Tuesday, 8 May 2018, 10.00 a.m.,

at ICRIER Conference Room

(Core 6A, 4th Floor), India Habitat Centre (IHC)

Lodhi Road, New Delhi -110003

……………………………………………………………

Building on steady economic growth, how can Governments in Asia and the Pacific ensure that such performance is sustained over time, is inclusive and has minimal environmental implications? What is the near-term macroeconomic outlook in the region — more specifically the South and South-West Asian subregion — and what are the major current and emerging challenges?

These are some of the questions analysed in the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018; the latest flagship publication of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The Survey will also examine the challenges that rapid technological advancements are posing in terms of job polarization, income and wealth inequalities, along with the impact China’s pursuit of innovative, inclusive and sustainable economic growth could have on the region’s economies.

Every year, the Survey discusses regional economic progress, provides cutting-edge analysis and guides policy discussion on current and emerging economic and development issues to support sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. It is the longest running and only publication by an international organization that covers the entire Asian and Pacific region (53 Member States and 9 associate Members).

The Survey will be launched in New Delhi on Tuesday 8 May 2018 at ICRIER Conference Room, IHC, by Dr. Rupa Chanda, Head, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office and Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati, Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor, ICRIER.

……………………………………………………………

PROGRAMME

10.00 a.m.	Arrival of guests and registration (Tea and Coffee)
10.30 a.m.	Welcome remarks: Representative of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) for India and Bhutan
10:35 a.m.	Unveiling of the Survey by the Chief Guest, Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati, Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor, ICRIER

10:40 a.m.	Presentation of key findings from the Survey 2018, by Dr. Rupa Chanda, Head, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office
11:00 a.m.	Remarks by Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati, Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor, ICRIER
11.20 a.m.	Q&A with representatives from the media/open discussion
12,noon	Closing of the event

****

Short profiles of speakers

Dr. Jaimini Bhagwati is Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor, ICRIER. Dr. Bhagwati was educated at St. Stephen’s College, Tufts University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is also currently chairman of the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) Alternatives and board member of IDFC’s holding company. He was India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and India’s Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg. He has held senior positions in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Dr Bhagwati was Joint Secretary (Capital Markets, Pension Reforms and External Commercial Borrowings) in the Ministry of Finance (MoF). He has worked for eleven years in Washington DC in the World Bank’s Treasury. His responsibilities at the World Bank included bond funding, derivatives transactions and asset-liability management. Dr Bhagwati has authored research publications in ICRIER, at the World Bank and in several books. He is an occasional columnist in Business Standard (an Indian daily newspaper).

Dr. Rupa Chanda is the Head, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office, based in New Delhi. Formerly, she was the RBI Chair Professor in Economics and a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore where she taught courses in Macroeconomics and International Trade across various programmes. She has served IIM Bangalore in various administrative capacities including Faculty Nominee on the institute Board of Governors and Department Chair.

She received her PhD in Economics from Columbia University and her Bachelors from Harvard University, USA. She is a recipient of several teaching awards and distinctions. Before joining IIMB, she worked as an economist at the IMF in Washington, DC. She is a member of several committees and councils in India and was appointed as a member of the WHO’s Expert Committee on International Health Regulations in 2015-16.

She has published extensively in the form of book chapters, books, edited volumes, journal articles, reports and discussion papers in her research areas. She has presented her work at conferences, workshops, andseminars, both nationally and internationally.

RAJIV CHANDRAN

National Information Officer

Putin sworn in for another six years

Putin has been was sworn in for another six years as Russian president.

Mr Navalny, the opposition leader was detained soon after showing up on Moscow’s Pushkin Square.

Standing in the Grand Kremlin Palace’s ornately-decorated Andreyevsky Hall with his hand on a gold-embossed copy of the constitution, Mr Putin swore to serve the Russian people, safeguard their rights and freedoms, and defend Russian sovereignty.

“I consider it my duty and my life’s aim to do everything possible for Russia, for its present and for its future,” he said.

His win was his biggest ever and the largest by a post-Soviet Russian leader, something he and his allies say gave him an unequivocal mandate to govern.

Russia’s main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was barred from standing in the election.

On Saturday, Mr Navalny and around 1,600 anti-Kremlin activists were detained by police during street protests against Mr Putin ahead of his inauguration.Mr Navalny was detained soon after showing up on Moscow’s Pushkin Square.

Singh attack Modi “disastrous policies”

Former PM Manmohan Singh on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government for its “disastrous policies” and “economic mismanagement”, and said the country was facing crises that were avoidable.

Mr MM Singh attacked the government over a series of banking sector frauds, the money swindled almost quadrupled from Rs 28,416 crore in September 2013 to Rs 1.11 lakh crore in September 2017.

“Perpetrators of these frauds meanwhile escape with impunity. The economic mismanagement of the Modi government, and I say this with great care and responsibility, is slowly eroding the trust of the general public in the banking sector,” he said. Two “major avoidable blunders” of the Modi government had been demonetisation and hasty implementation of GST.

He said the losses the economy suffered due to these blunders had severely hurt the micro, small and medium enterprises and resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.

Besides, exports as a share of the GDP plunged to a 14 year low at a time when the global economy was reviving and exports of other Asian nations like Vietnam were growing substantially, he said.

Singh said petrol and diesel prices were at a “historic high” despite a fall in international crude oil prices because the Modi government had chosen to levy “excessive” excise duty.

“Instead of passing on the benefits of low prices to the people, the Modi government has punished the people,” he said.

“Our nation today is experiencing difficult times. Our farmers are facing an acute crisis, our aspirational youth are not finding opportunities, and the economy is growing below its potential,” Singh told reporters.

Houses of 1400 poor Dalit and Muslim families under threat

Houses of 1400 poor Dalit and Muslim families under threat of demolition in Mumbai

No eviction without rehabilitation

Due process of law to be followed before carrying out the demolition drive

Mumbai | 6th May, 2018: Amidst hollow populist claims of ‘Housing For All’ and ‘Affordable housing’, the government-administration of Mumbai is once again threatening to demolish homes of around 1400 poor Dalit and Muslim families.

Two slum areas-Bheemchhaya in Kannamwar Nagar, Vikhroli and Cheeta Camp in Trombay are set to be razed to ground by bulldozers.

Bheemchhaya is a Dalit majority community with 800 households while Cheeta Camp is a Muslim majority slum community with 600 households. The demolition will be carried out by the Maharashtra Forest Department.

Government claims that these areas are notified as forest and needs be free of encroachment. However, without following the due process of law and making enough provisions for grievance redressal, the Forest Department has announced the demolition of Cheeta Camp will be carried out tomorrow and Bheemchhaya on later dates. No notices of demolition have been served to the affected families.

These slums are protected as per Maharashtra Slum Act but the Forest Department has notified these areas as ‘reserved forest’ and is disrespecting the housing rights of the slum dwellers by refusing to rehabilitate the protected slum dwellers.

Heavy police forces are deployed for the demolition drive. Local police station of Cheeta Camp is terrorising Muslim youths and threatening them of dire consequences if they try to resist the demolition drive.

While in Bheemchhaya, Forest Department has issued orders of demolition on false grounds without providing the aggrieved slum dwellers any mechanism to appeal against the order. This action will amount to violation of section 3 of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 which prohibits eviction of member of a Dalit Community without following due process of law.

This government is disregarding the vulnerabilities of the Dalits and minority communities in this country by demolishing their only shelter. This will lead to further marginlisation of these communities.

Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan appeals to the state government of Maharashtra to stop this demolition of homes of vulnerable families with children.

We also appeal to members of civil society, political organisations and concerned citizens of the city to stand up against this injustice. We appeal everyone to visit Bheemachaya and Cheetah Camp to initiate dialogue with members of the community and persuade the state government to resolve matters by dialogue and mutual consent rather than brute police force. The city belongs to everyone and it is the government’s responsibility to ensure housing to all. Instead, for years what Mumbai is witnessing is ‘snatching away’ of homes, life and livelihood by that very state that should protect the poor, vulnerable and marginalised.

We must come together to prevent another gross injustice in the name of demolition that will be remembered as a dark chapter in Mumbai’s history.

Please phone and write to request to stop the demolition:

Sr. No.	Name	Designation	Phone	Email
1.	Shri. Devendra Fadnavis	Chief Minister of Maharashtra	cm@maharashtra.gov.in	Off. 022-22025222, 22025151
2.	Shri. Sudhir Sachchidanand Mungantiwar	Minister for Finance and Planning, Forests	min.finance@maharashtra.gov.in	Off. 022-22843657 022-22843647
3.	Shri. Vasudevan N.	Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest	ccfmmumbai@gmail.com	Off. 022-26591586 Mob. 8879085704

Contact: 9958660556

Seminar on Industrial Growth:

Industrial sector is the backbone of any economy as it fuels growth, productivity and employment and strengthens other sectors of the economy. The plethora of dynamic reforms have been undertaken by the Government for the growth and development of our industrial sector such as Make in India, reclassification of MSMEs from investments to turnover criteria, easing FDI norms, labour reforms, announcement on fixed-term employment to boost ease of business , reduction in corporate tax rates, incentives for Startup India, among others. Significant improvement in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking from 130th position in 2017 to 100th position in 2018 is encouraging and further improvement is expected in coming times.

Presently, industrial growth of our country is reviving, though slowly. The growth in industry output measured in terms of IIP for the month of February 2018 stands at 7.1%. Going ahead, several recent developments such as Draft New Industrial Policy 2017, improvements in Ease of Doing Business & Labor Reforms, recent developments related to trade war between some large economies and regulatory developments such as ban on issue of LOCs/LOUs among others would be crucial for India’s futuristic industrial growth and development and its participation in global economic landscape.

Ukraine nation has cheap labour cost and land is not very expensive and is highly tech nation give Indian companies life time investment opportunities to be part of Europe trade with no tariff or trade charges to be part of european market.

With this backdrop PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organizing a Seminar on Industrial Growth: Burning issues and Way Forward on May 10th 2018 at 10:00 am to 01:30 pm (followed by lunch) at PHD Chamber, New Delhi to deliberate on burning issues and way forward for the growth and development of industrial sector of India.

The Seminar would focus on following areas:

· Draft New Industrial Policy 2017

· Ease of Doing Business

· Labour Reforms /Land banks

· Level playing field

· Trade wars and protectionism

· Impact on industry due to regulatory announcements by Reserve Bank of India such as ban on LOCs/LOUs, Prompt Corrective Action framework for banks, among others.

The eminent dignitaries from the Government, policy makers, international organizations, academicians, industry stakeholders will be deliberating on the focus areas of theseminar. It will offer an excellent platform to deliberate on issues faced by Indian industry and suggestions to push growth and development of industrial sector in the coming times.

Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine in conversation with Indian Industrialists

The Mayor of Zhytomyr, Ukraine Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, deliberated with various industrialist on the feasibility of Indian companies to invest in Ukraine, the country with a population of 4 millions people at the gateway of Eastern Europe with a FTA with the union and is with 3.5% growth is hub of industrial growth with its market in Europe and pan Asian countries.

Ukraine is rich with natural resources for agricultural context with rich and fertile soil with abundance of palatable water and its proximity with ease of business is golden opportunity for the upcoming companies and big companies from India to invest in Ukraine with frugal input cost of Capital and recurring cost thus corporate wish to upscale their business with Europeans countries and wish to export back to Asian countries wish to exports to other countries for their products to be competitive the Mayor of Zhytomyr, Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, explained the government initiative to give Indian companies the cluster or industrial zone with lots of Industrial facilities which they have given to the Chinese companies in the past but the Chinese are more interested in creating the infra structure on transport, Ukraine finds Indian companies present in Ukraine such as Tatas, Ashok Leyand, Mahindras and Sun pharma are doling exceedingly well thus invite more Indian corporate to invest in Zhytomyr, Ukraine . Two countries having trade of 2.1 billion dollar last years look forward for better growth in two nation trade.

The objective of Mayor’s visit to India is look for business prospects in the fields of IT, solar energy, and infrastructure projects among others. Interaction with Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, Seminar on Industrial Growth: Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine on 7 May 2018 from 1000 hrs onwards at the Hall No 3 Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra (PBK), Chanakyapuri.

The best part of the deliberation was the Mr Deepak chairing the session conducted the deliberation in most professional order with an introduction of each Industrialist or support companies and thereby address by the chief Guest the Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine and taking up questions till last for the clarifications sought from Visa to business need were excellently answered by the Mayor and accompanied staff of Ukraine Embassy in India. Indian Industrialist gathered the best glimpse of the country and its ease of business with each delegate cheering grace was visible.

The Mayor of Zhytomyr Ukraine Mr. Serhii Sukhomlyn, showed the film on Ukraine modern industrial and commercial growth happening at glance with an outlook of the nations approach towards its industrialization.

Ukraine is supplier of high tech block-chain to the global market in Nuclear and other technology and is therefore lucrative investment opportunity destination.

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Karnataka Assembly Elections, Analysis of Criminal and Financial Background of Contesting Candidates

Criminal Background

Criteria for serious criminal cases

1. Offence for which maximum punishment is of 5 years or more.

2. If an offence is non-bailable

3. If it is an electoral offence (for eg. IPC 171E or bribery)

4. Offence related to loss to exchequer

5. Offences that are assault, murder, kidnap, rape related

6. Offences that are mentioned in Representation of the People Act (Section 8)

7. Offences under Prevention of Corruption Act

8. Crimes against women.

· Candidates with Criminal Cases: Out of the 2560 candidates analysed, 391(15%) candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves.

· Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases: 254 (10%) candidates have declared serious criminal cases against themselves.

· Candidates with cases related to murder: 4 candidates have declared case related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-302) against themselves.

· Candidates with cases related to attempt to murder: 25 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-307) against themselves.

· Candidates with cases related to crime against women: 23 candidates have declared cases related to crime against women such as Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty (IPC Section-354); word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman (IPC Section -509) and cohabitation caused by man deceitfully including a belief of lawful marriage (IPC Section 493); Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty (IPC Section-498A) etc.

· Party wise Candidates with Criminal Cases: Among major parties, 83(37%)out of 224 candidates from BJP,59 (27%) out of 220 candidates analysed from INC,41(21%) out of 199 candidates analysed from JD(S), 5(20%) out of 25 candidates analysed from JD(U), 5(19%) out of 27 candidates analysed from AAP and 108 (10%)out of 1090 independent candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.

· Party wise Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases: Among major parties,58(26%) out of 224 candidates from BJP,32 (15%) out of 220 candidates analysed from INC, 29(15%) out of 199 candidates analysed from JD(S), 3(12%) out of 25 candidates analysed from JD(U), 1(4%) out of 27 candidates analysed from AAP and 70 (6%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared serious criminal cases including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping etc. against themselves in their affidavits.

Figure 1: Party Wise Candidates with Criminal Cases

· Red Alert Constituency: There are 56(25%) red alert constituencies in the Karnataka Assembly Elections, 2018.

Red Alert constiuencies are the constituencies which have 3 or more candidates with declared criminal cases.

Financial Background

Figure 2: Share of Wealth among Candidates

· Share of wealth among candidates : The share of wealth amongst the candidates contesting in assembly elections of Karnataka is as follows:

Value of assets	No. of candidates	Percentage of candidates
Rs 5 crore and above	447	18%
Rs 2 crores to 5 crores	252	10%
Rs 50 lakhs to 2 crores	442	17%
Rs 10 lakhs to 50 lakhs	600	23%
less than Rs 10 lakhs	819	32%

Table 1: Share of wealth amongst contesting candidates

· Crorepati Candidates: Out of the 2560 candidates analysed, 883 (35%) are crorepatis.

· Party wise Crorepati Candidates: Among major parties, 208(93%) out of 224 candidates from BJP, 207 (94%) out of 220 candidates analysed from INC, 154(77%) out of 199 candidates analysed from JD(S), 13(52%) out of 25 candidates analysed fromJD(U), 9(33%) out of 27 candidates analysed from AAP and 199 (18%) out of 1090 independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore.

Figure 3: Party Wise Crorepati Candidates

· Average assets: The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018 is Rs 7.54 crores.

· Party wise average assets: Among the major parties, the average assets per candidate for 224 BJP candidates is Rs 17.86 crores, 220 INC candidates analysed have average assets of Rs 38.75 crores, 199 JD(S) candidates analysed have average assets worth Rs 20.91 crores, and 1090 Independent candidates analysed have average assets of Rs. 1.58 crores.

· High asset candidates*: The top 3 candidates with highest assets contesting in the Karnataka 2018 Assembly Elections are given below:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Movable Assets (Rs)	Immovable Assets (Rs)	Total Assets (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Priyakrishna	B.B.M.P(SOUTH)	GOVINDARAJANAGAR	INC	8,60,43,87,250	1,60,10,00,000	10,20,53,87,250 1020 Crore+	Y
2	N Nagaraju (M.T.B)	BANGALORE RURAL	HOSAKOTE	INC	4,37,15,64,043	5,78,64,65,309	10,15,80,29,352 1015 Crore+	Y
3	D K Shivakumar	RAMANAGARAM	KANAKAPURA	INC	1,01,31,90,097	7,38,69,76,948	8,40,01,67,045 840 Crore+	Y

Table: Top three candidates with highest declared assets

· Zero assets Candidates: There are 17 candidates who have declared zero assets.

· Low asset candidates: The three candidates with lowest assets( excluding candidates with zero assets) are as follows:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Movable Assets (Rs)	Immovable Assets (Rs)	Total Assets (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Dilip Kumar	B.B.M.P(SOUTH)	BOMMANAHALLI	IND	1,000	0	1,000 1 Thou+	Y
2	M. Lakshmi	B.B.M.P(CENTRAL)	RAJAJINAGAR	Jai Vijaya Bharathi Party	2,000	0	2,000 2 Thou+	Y
3	Sreenivas S	MYSORE	KRISHNARAJA	IND	2,053	0	2,053 2 Thou+	Y

Table: Candidates with declared lowest assets

· Candidates with high liabilities: The top three candidates with highest liabilities are as given below:

S.No.	Name	District	Constituency	Party Name	Total Assets(Rs)	Liabilities (Rs)	Disputed liabilities (Rs)	PAN Given
1	Priyakrishna	B.B.M.P(SOUTH)	GOVINDARAJANAGAR	INC	10,20,53,87,250 1020 Crore+	# 8,02,74,82,214 802 Crore+	8,92,73,737 8 Crore+	Y
2	R Prabhakar Reddy	BANGALORE URBAN	BANGALORE SOUTH	JD(S)	2,27,25,77,671 227 Crore+	2,83,08,40,855 283 Crore+	0	Y
3	D K Shivakumar	RAMANAGARAM	KANAKAPURA	INC	8,40,01,67,045 840 Crore+	# 2,28,27,02,677 228 Crore+	5,80,12,561 5 Crore+	Y

Table: Top three candidates with high liabilities

· Undeclared PAN: A total of 309(12%) out of the 2650 candidates analysed have not declared their PAN details.

· Candidates with high income as declared in the ITR*: The details of top 3 candidates with high declared income are as given below:

S.No.	Name	Party	Constituency	District	Total Asset (Rs)	Self Source of Income	Spouse’s Source of Income	The financial year for which the last income tax return has been filed by candidate	Total income shown by candidate in ITR (Self+Spouse+ Dependent) (Rs)	Self income shown by candidate in ITR (Rs)
1	N Nagaraju (M.T.B)	INC	HOSAKOTE	BANGALORE RURAL	10,15,80,29,352 1015 Crore+	Agriculture, House Property, Business & Other Sources	House Property & Other Sources	2016-2017	1,57,04,29,210 157 Crore+	1,04,41,26,570 104 Crore+
2	B.A.Basavaraja	INC	K.R. PURA	B.B.M.P(NORTH)	1,03,19,48,613 103 Crore+	Business	Husband’s income	2016-2017	27,77,31,712 27 Crore+	27,77,31,712 27 Crore+
3	Mohamad Iqbal Hothur	JD(S)	BELLARY CITY	BELLARY	3,80,98,56,625 380 Crore+	Income from Salary, House Property, Business and Other Sources	Income from House Property, Business and Other Sources	2016-2017	24,96,99,810 24 Crore+	1,04,06,910 1 Crore+

Table: Candidates with high income as declared in ITR

*Total income includes income of self, spouse and dependents

· Sources of Income: 340 (13%) out of 2560 candidates have not declared their sources of income.

Other Background Details

· Education details of candidates: 1351 (53%) candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between 5th pass and 12th pass, while 981(38%)candidates have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above. There are 52(2%) candidates who have declared themselves literate whereas 50(2%) are illiterate. 11 candidates have not given their educational qualification.

· Age details of candidates: One candidate has declared her age as 20 years.849 (33%) candidates have declared their age to be between 25 and 40 years while 1351(53%) candidates have declared their age to be between 41 and 60 years. 347(14%)candidates have declared their age to be between 61 and 80 years while 5 candidates have declared their age to be between above 80 years. 7 candidates have not given their age in their affidavits.

Gender details of candidates: 209 (8%) women candidates are contesting in the Karnataka assembly election, 2018.

For Full Report, Click Here: https://adrindia.org/ content/karnataka-assembly- elections-2018-analysis- criminal-background-financial- education-gender

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Association for Democratic Reforms

Seeking inputs for PHD Chamber’s Exporters’ Perception Survey

NirmalOm news line

In the recent years, India’s trade deficit has widened by 45% to USD 157 billion in 2017-18 compared with USD 108 billion in 2016-17. The year 2017-18 has been a missed opportunity for India to touch an unprecedented growth in its exports, as world economy has shown remarkable signs of growth and major economies like US, EU, Japan are showing rise in their import growth. India’s exports as a percentage of GDP has fallen to its lowest since 2003-04, viz. 12% during 2017-18.

Despite being the fastest moving emerging economy in the world, we are struggling to contribute to the global value chains across the world. The lackluster export performance will have a crippling impact on the growth of Indian economy in the coming years. Various structural and domestic factors such as after-effects of demonetization and teething problems of GST have significantly impacted the potential of exports growth. Many of the exporters are still struggling for their IGST refunds and are out of exports business as their working capital has been squeezed as crores of rupees have been stuck in the IGST refunds process.

At this backdrop, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry is conducting a survey to identify and access the ground level impediments faced by exporters. PHD Chamber’s Exporters’ Perception Survey (EPS) is based on a survey of exporters across different sectors and is used as an indicator to assess outlook of exports performance in India. We therefore request you to kindly share your views by way of answering the survey.

“Get into the mind of the millennial”

Dear Members,

We are pleased to Invite you for a Masterclass on The Psychology to Business- Chapter 1: “Get into the mind of the millennial”

Date: Tuesday, 15th May

Time: 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Address: NASSCOM Startup Warehouse, Plot No 1, Udyog Vihar Phase 1, Gurgaon

Location: https://goo.gl/2eqkdn

Registration Link: https://in.explara.com/e/the-psychology-to-business-masterclass

This is the first in the series of The Psychology to Business Masterclass. The masterclass are designed to:

Bring concepts of from psychology to life for businesses.
Help clients build more science into their talent management programs.
To uncover popular myths and misplaced assumptions that organization use when assessing or modifying behavior at the workplace.

This class answers questions about Millennials- the generation that has us guessing. Get behind the scenes to know WHY millennials behave the way they do – The psychology to it all is quite surprising !

The 4 hour class will weave in perspectives from

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy
Erickson’s Psycho-socialDevelopment Theory
Donald Super’s Career Rainbow

By the end of the class participants are able to

Segment their millennial population into career readiness categories and develop customisedstrategy for their engagement and retention.
Understand their employees/ children better – understand the WHY behind their unique behaviour.

Speaker Profile:

Radhika Bhalla

Organization Psychologist- Quadrangle Consulting

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radhika-bhalla-261a843

The Session is free for Members to attend, but prior Registration is Mandatory.

Best

Chetan Sharma

P.S- Noida Members Please register for the same session in Noida on 18th May*

Movie – La Strada by Federico Fellini

MAY10

Screening of Italian Movie – La Strada by Federico Fellini

· Hosted by Istituto Italiano di Cultura New Delhi

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Thursday at 19:00–21:00
3 days from now · 27-39° Sunny
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Istituto Italiano di Cultura New Delhi
Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, 50-E, Nyaya Marg, New Delhi 110021

CONCERT BY EBONY DUO Tues, 8th May at 6:30 | IIC Auditorium

Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, New Delhi's photo.

MAY8

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Tomorrow at 18:30–20:00
Tomorrow · 24-34° Thunderstorms
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C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium
Joseph Stein Lane, New Delhi
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Dear Friends,
As part of the Hungarian Presidency 2017/18 of the Visegrad Group, Embassy of Hungary and Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre in collaboration with the India International Centre is organizing a piano cello recital by the EBONY DUO from Hungary comprising of Virag Kiss and Sandor Dezso on Tueday, 8th May 2018 at 6:30 pm. PFA the invite for the same. We look forward to your presence.

Piano-Cello by VIRÁG KISS & SÁNDOR DEZSŐ under the flagship of the Hungarian Presidency 2017/18 of the Visegrad Group.

The Ebony Duo
When talking about a classical music concert, the piano-cello pair is always a favorite of the audience.The different sounds and tones of the instruments come together wonderfully. The dense sound and wide range of the piano creates a brilliant unity with the lyric and smooth tone of the cello. The virtuosic characteristic of both instruments always promises an exciting performance.

The artists’ acquaintance dates back to 2005, when they were both studying in Miskolc. Their work together has gathered great interest early on and they have given numerous concerts in the years since then with the help of Philharmonia East-Hungary Non-profit Llc. They have played at the Community Hall of Erzsébetváros, the Klebelsberg Hall of Culture, Cultural Center of Marczibányi Square, the Glass Hall of the Palace of Arts, Budapest, the Törley Salon and many other locations. Since spring 2009 they have fulfilled many invitations abroad, including the Hungarian Institute of Paris, the Hungarian Institute of Sofia, Nagybánya, at the Teleki Home in Kassa, Slovakia, in the Löffler Béla Museum in Kassa, Slovakia. They have also performed in France in the cities of Tours, Angers, Trellieres, St.Florent Le Viel, Mont Louis sur Loire, Fécamp and Amboise. Their professors: Miklós Perényi, Zoltán Kocsis, János Rolla, László Mező.

About the musicians

Virág Kiss, pianist
She studied in Tours, France at the Francis Poulenc Music Academy. She received her degree with honors as a piano artist under the tutelage of Marc Maier and Jean-Marc Cochereau. She stepped into the limelight as a solo artist by performing Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. She received her piano teacher and chamber music artist degree from the Bartók Béla Music Institute of the University of Miskolc.

She utilized her artistic talents as a piano accompanist working for – among others – the Miskolc National Theatre assisting the singers, instrument players and the choir as well. She was the piano teacher of Egressy Béni Music School, Miskolc from 2006, and has held the same position in Járdányi Pál Music School, Budapest since 2009. Her professors: Marc Maier, Margit Kincses, Lívia Rév, Jenő Jandó.

Sándor Dezső cellist
He laid the foundations of his studies first as a student of the University of Debrecen, then later as a graduate of the Bartók Béla Music Institute of the University of Miskolc. In 2005, he won Special Prize on the National College Competition of Bow-instrument Players. Returning participant of the courses held by Jozef Podhoransky. Worked as a cellist for the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Miskolc and he has also worked with the Symphonic Orchestra in Kassa. He has been on numerous concert-tours in Europe: Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, and also in Asia: China, Japan, South-Korea. In 2011, he received his master’s degree as a cello artist in Budapest at the Liszt Academy of Music under Miklós Perényi. Currently he holds a teaching position at the Járdányi Pál Music School in Budapest and is a regular performer at various concerts.

Programme
Sandor Dezso: Sonatina (Hungarian)
Miloslav Korinek: Sonatina (Slovak)
Ferenc Liszt: Love Dreams (Hungarian)
Bohuslav Martinu: Variations on a Slovak Theme (Czech)
Bela Bartok: Rhapsody 1 (Hungarian)
F. Chopin: Grand Duo Concertant (Polish)
Zoltan Kodaly: Hungarian Rondo (Hungarian)

Wari Chapter Four

SAT, 12 MAY AT 19:00

Wari Chapter Four

Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi · New Delhi

You like Instituto Cervantes Nueva Delhi

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Revisiting Satyajit Ray, Conference, Exhibition and Retrospective

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library organizes Revisiting Ray Conference, Exhibition, Retrospective 15th-16th May, 2018 Venue: NMML Auditorium and Seminar Room, Library Building Programme:

1
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
organizes
Revisiting Ray
Conference, Exhibition, Retrospective
15
th
-16
th
May, 2018
Venue: NMML Auditorium and Seminar Room, Library Building
Programme Schedule
Day 1
Tuesday, 15
th
May, 2018
Inaugural Session
10.45 a.m. – 10.48 a.m.
10.48 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.
Lighting the Lamp
Inauguration of the Exhibition
Ms. Sharmila Tagore
11.00 a.m. – 11.45 a.m.
Welcome
Shri Shakti Sinha
Director, NMML
Inaugural Speech
Ms. Sharmila Tagore
Brochure Launch
Tea/ Coffee Break: 11.45.- 12.00
2
12.00 – 1.30p.m.
Session I: Ray and Children
Chair: Ms. Sharmila Tagore
Speakers:
Prof. Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Litterateur and formerly at
Jadavpur University, Kolkta
‘A Writer’s Tribute to Children’s Satyajit’
Dr. Biswajit Ray
Visva-Bharati, Shantiniketan
‘Professor Shonku and Scientism’
Mr. Debraj Goswami
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Baroda
‘In Search of Ray via Feluda’
Lunch Break 01.30 p.m. – 02.30 p.m.
02.30 p.m. – 04.30 p.m. Session II: Ray’s Films Emerging out of Cultural and Social
Churn in Bengal
Chair:
Prof. Debal K. Singharoy
Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi
Speakers:
Prof. Samik Bandyopadhyay
Former Tagore National Fellow, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi
‘Reading the “Renaissance” Cinematically’
Prof. N Manu Chakravarthy
Cultural Historian and Film Critic
‘Ray in Modern India’
3
Mr. Vidyarthy Chatterjee
Author
‘Mahanagar – When Arati and Edith Made Common Cause
of their Struggle for an Honourable Identity’
Tea Break: 05.00p.m.- 5.30 p.m.
5.30 p.m. onwards- Retrospective
Discussion and Screening of Shatranj Ke Khiladi
Dr. Ravi K. Mishra, Deputy Director, NMML in Conversation with Shri Suresh
Jindal.
Day 2 Wednesday, 16
th
May, 2018
10.00 a.m. –
12.30 p.m.
Chair:
Speakers:
Session III: Ray and His Contemporaries
Prof. Samik Bandyopadhyay
Former Tagore National Fellow, Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi
Shri Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Director
Shri Amol Palekar
Actor and Director
Shri Girish Kasaravalli
Director
Shri Suresh Jindal
Producer and Author
4
01.30 p.m. – 03.30 p.m.
Lunch Break 12.30 p.m. – 1.30 p.m.
Session IV: Film Society Movement: ‘Our Films Their
Films’
Chair:
Speakers:
Shri Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Director
Shri V.K. Cherian
Author and Scholar
‘India’s Film Society Movement: The Journey and its
Impact on Cinema’
Dr. CS Venkiteswaran
Film Critic
‘Film Society Movement in Kerala and the Changing
Terrains of “Our” Films and “Their” Films’
Dr. Ravikant
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi
‘Sarthak Cinema and Satyajit Ray in Hindi Print Media’
Shri Theodore Baskaran
Film Historian
‘From Pantomime to Speech: The Transition from Silent
Era to Talkies in Tamil Cinema’
Tea/Coffee Break 3.30 p.m. – 3.45p.m.
5
03.45 p.m.- 05.00 p.m. Session V: Gender Portrayal and Ray
Chair:
Speakers:
Prof. Nabaneeta Dev Sen
Litterateur and formerly at
Jadavpur University, Kolkta
Dr. Shoma A. Chatterji
Film Journalist and Scholar
‘Exploring the Material Universe of Ray’s Interpretation of
Tagore’s Stories’
Prof. Meena T. Pillai
University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram
‘Women in the Home and the World of Bengal Modernity:
A Ray Requiem’
Dr. Rita Banerjee
Jawaharlal Nehru University
‘Ray’s Representation of Tagore’s Women Protagonists
and the Socio-Political Milieu’
Tea/Coffee Break: 05.00 p.m. – 05.30 p.m.
5.30 p.m. onwards- Retrospective
(Details will be updated soon)

Seminar on Industrial Growth:

The Seminar would focus on following areas:

· Draft New Industrial Policy 2017

· Ease of Doing Business

· Labour Reforms /Land banks

· Level playing field

· Trade wars and protectionism

· Impact on industry due to regulatory announcements by Reserve Bank of India such as ban on LOCs/LOUs, Prompt Corrective Action framework for banks, among others.

The eminent dignitaries from the Government, policy makers, international organizations, academicians, industry stakeholders will be deliberating on the focus areas of the seminar. It will offer an excellent platform to deliberate on issues faced by Indian industry and suggestions to push growth and development of industrial sector in the coming times.

Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Chairman, Industry Affairs Committee and Mr. Ram A Poddar, Mr. S K Roongta and Mr. Vikram Agarwal, Co-Chairmen, Industry Affairs Committee solicit your kind presence and active participation at the seminar.

You are requested to be a part of this important seminar and join us as we take a step towards deliberating the growth drivers of the industrial sector and suggestions for a way forward.

A line in confirmation through email to Ms. Surbhi Sharma, Sr. Research Officer, PHD Chamber at surbhi@phdcci.in orsunitag@phdcci.in shall be highly appreciated. In case you have already registered your participation, please ignore this mail.

Eminent Speakers

Dr. Ajay Dua, IAS (Rtd.)
Former Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

Dr. Ram Upendra Das

Head and Professor

Centre for Regional Trade, an autonomous Think-Tank of Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

Dr. Niti Bhasin

Associate Professor

Department of Commerce

Delhi School of Economics

University of Delhi

Dr. Bornali Bhandari

Fellow , National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER)

Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2018

East & North-East Asia

In 2017, economic growth in this subregion accelerated to 4.6 per cent, from 4.2 per cent in 2016, on the back of strong domestic consumption and recovery in external demand. China achieved faster economic growth for the first time since 2010. Consumption grew faster than investment and services faster than industry in line with ongoing rebalancing efforts. In Japan, the unemployment rate declined to a record low. In the Republic of Korea, such export sectors as semiconductors experienced strong growth. Similarly, the economy of Hong Kong, China benefited from stronger global demand, and the gambling sector in Macau, China profited from stronger tourist arrivals. Mongolia’s economy rebounded despite budget cuts, benefiting from non-mining construction, the price hike for coal and stronger external demand for this commodity (partly due to reductions in China’s coal production). While the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea does not release official economic statistics, international sanctions are likely to be having a significantly negative impact on its economy.

In 2018 and 2019, the subregion’s economies are likely to continue benefiting from an improved external environment as well as strong domestic demand, but at a slower pace of 4.3 and 4 per cent respectively. Notably, growth in China is expected to ease steadily as financial stability gains higher policy priority. Japan is expecting continued moderate recovery on the back of supportive monetary and fiscal policy measures; however, a widening primary deficit and very high government debt raise concerns. In the Republic of Korea, the planned increase in employment and social spending are expected to boost household income and consumption. Higher minimum wages will support equity objectives but could weaken competitiveness if there are no commensurate productivity gains. Mongolia remains vulnerable to commodity price swings. A three-year programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in that country is aimed at strengthening the banking sector and improving fiscal policymaking.

North & Central Asia

In 2017, economic growth rebounded to 2.3 per cent, from 0.3 per cent in 2016, led by the Russian Federation, which emerged from a two-year contraction, and stronger growth in Kazakhstan. The upturn was clearly driven by higher oil prices and more stable inflation, credit and employment conditions as countries recovered from the 2014 terms-of-trade shock. In the Russian Federation, prudent fiscal management and bank recapitalization supported macroeconomic stability, while structural reforms, including the reorganization of agricultural business entities, have helped to increase productivity. However, Azerbaijan underwent another year of recession as banking sector problems constrained credit growth, and external stability concerns prompted monetary tightening.

The economic outlook is stable, with growth expected to be sustained at 2.3 and 2.2 per cent in 2018 and 2019 respectively. This positive situation is underpinned by stable growth in the Russian Federation. Growth will ease in Kazakhstan as one-off effects of increased oil

Overleaf……..

Production and fiscal stimulus start to wane. The market integration process driven by the

Eurasian Economic Union is expected to support greater intrasubregional trade and

facilitate stable remittance flows. The 2017 accession of India and Pakistan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation offers an opportunity for the subregion to connect with South Asia along with several regional energy projects, such as the Central Asia-South Asia electricity transmission system, commonly known as CASA-1000. Gas trade with South Asia could be expanded though the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline.

South & South West Asia

In 2017, economic growth decelerated to 6.4 per cent, from 6.6 per cent in 2016. Despite the slowdown, it remains the fastest-growing subregion in Asia and the Pacific. In fact, growth accelerated in all but two countries: India and Sri Lanka. The recently introduced goods and services tax (GST) as well as protracted issues of corporate and bank balance sheet problems pushed the growth rate of India downward. For Sri Lanka, growth moderated further due to severe weather disruptions. In Bangladesh, robust growth has been supported by domestic demand, especially large infrastructure projects and new initiatives in the energy sector. Remittance flows have also started to increase with the increase in global oil prices.

Economic growth is forecast to further moderate to 6 per cent in 2018 before picking up to 6.2 per cent in 2019. Further moderation this year is largely due to Turkey and to a lesser degree Nepal, where the effects of fiscal stimulus and reconstruction are fading; however, growth elsewhere will accelerate. In India, a gradual recovery is expected; private investment is expected to revive as the corporate sector adjusts to GST, infrastructure spending and corporate and bank balance sheets improve with government support. Further growth acceleration is projected for Pakistan on the back of increased infrastructure investment; however, wide fiscal and current account deficits raise concerns. Similarly, while Bangladesh is expecting faster growth, the banking sector has been plagued by financial scams, non-performing loans and weak monitoring problems, which might cause a macroeconomic risk in the near term. Sri Lanka’s exports are likely to benefit from the reinstatement of the GSP+ component of the European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences for developing countries. Growth in the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to pick up slightly, with higher

investment growth offset by lower oil production and limited access to finance.

Pacific

In 2017, Pacific island developing economies collectively grew by 2.6 per cent, up from 2 per cent in 2016, broadly supported by tourism activities, resource and agricultural production and infrastructure upgrades. Economic growth remained highly uneven across economies. Improved agricultural and mineral production boosted growth as did spending in preparation for hosting the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Papua New Guinea, a country which accounts for close to 60 per cent of the total GDP of the Pacific island developing economies. In Fiji, tourism, retail trade, manufacturing, construction activity and infrastructure upgrades supported growth.

Similarly, Vanuatu’s economy benefited from ongoing infrastructure upgrades, as well as from tourism activity. The economies of Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia rebounded, based on higher spending on infrastructure, while growth remained solid in Solomon Islands and Tonga based on retail trade and construction output. The smaller atoll economies of Kiribati and Tuvalu received windfall fishing licence revenue, which resulted in increased public spending and infrastructure projects in support of growth.

Indias 7% projected growth rate amazingly fast: ADB

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said, India’s projected GDP growth of over 7 percent for the current fiscal is amazingly fast and if this momentum is maintained, the size of the economy can double within a decade.

In an interview with news agency PTI, ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada said, India should not worry about not achieving 8 per cent growth but focus on increasing domestic demand by reducing the income inequality.

He said growth is driven more by domestic consumption than exports. Mr Sawada said inequality and poverty reduction would play a very important role in achieving higher growth because consumption can stimulate more production and that can create more employment.

He said tapping the broadening market will be important to achieve higher growth, adding that the services sector too would play a role in pushing up economic growth. ADB has projected India to remain the fastest growing Asian nation with 7.3 percent growth in 2018-19, and 7.6 percent in 2019-20.

Germany, France vow to stick to Iran deal i

Germany and France have vowed to stand by the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers even if the United States pulls out. In a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said, they do not think there is any justifiable reason to pull out of this agreement. He said they will deal with the US decision.

The French Foreign Minister said, France, Germany and Britain are determined to save the deal as the accord safeguards against nuclear proliferation and is the right way to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

US President Donald Trump is to announce tonight his decision on whether to withdraw from the deal. He said in a tweet yesterday. Ever since his election campaign, Mr Trump has described the Iranian nuclear agreement, as bad. The deal, he said, does not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Dmitry Medvedev remains PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has chosen to retain Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister for his new term.

Putin submitted the proposal for premiership to the lower house of parliament, or State Duma, immediately after he was sworn in for his 4th term yesterday.

The Duma is expected to approve Medvedev as prime minister today. Medvedev has held the premiership since 2012 when Putin started his 3rd term as president.

The Russian government stepped down yesterday in accordance with the Constitution after the inauguration of newly-elected President Vladimir Putin.

India signs 200 million US Dollar Loan Deal with World Bank

India signed an agreement of 200-million dollar loan with the World Bank for the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan) for 315 districts across all states and union territories. It would help the government in achieving its goal of reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4 percent to 25 percent by the year 2022. Our correspondent reports that POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year.

A large component of POSHAN Abhiyaan involves gradual scaling-up of the interventions supported by the ongoing World Bank assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country over a 3-year period.

With a focus on improving the coverage and quality of ICDS nutrition services to pregnant and lactating women and children under 3 years of age. The project will include investments in improving the skills and capacities of ICDS staff and community nutrition workers, instituting mechanisms of community mobilization and management of services for better outreach to beneficiaries for nutrition impact.

The project will additionally ensure convergence of all nutrition-related schemes and provide performance-based incentives to states and community nutrition and health workers, facilitating a focus on results.

Average assets increase 184 MLAs in Karnataka Elections

Summary and Highlights

· Average Assets in 2013 Elections: The average assets of these 184 re-contesting MLAs from various parties including independent MLAs in 2013 was Rs 26.92 crores (Rs 26, 92, 34,672).

· Average Assets in 2018 Elections: The average assets of these 184 re-contesting MLAs in 2018 is Rs 44.24 crores (Rs. 44, 24, 28,949).

· Average Asset change from 2013 to 2018: The average assets of these 184 re-contesting MLAs, between the Karnataka Elections of 2013 and 2018 has increasedby Rs. 17.31 crores (Rs. 17,31,94,277).

· Percentage change in assets from 2013 to 2018: The average percentage increase in assets for these 184 re-contesting MLAs is 64%.

Figure: Average Assets of Re-contesting MLAs

· Recontesting MLAs with Assets Increase worth more than Rs. 100 crores

S.No.	Name	Party in 2018	Party in 2013	District in 2018	Constituency in 2018	Constituency in 2013	Assets in 2018(Rs.)	Assets in 2013(Rs.)	Assets Increase/ Decrease (Rs.)	% Increase/ decrease in Assets	Total Annual Income as per last return (Rs.)	Source of Income (Self)	Source of Income (Spouse)	ITR Given	Pan Given
1.	D K Shivakumar	INC	INC	RAMANAGARAM	KANAKAPURA	KANAKAPURA	8,40,01,67,045 840 Crore+	2,51,50,96,329 251 Crore+	5,88,50,70,716 588 Crore+	234%	1,08,93,392 1 Crore+	Salary, Capital gains, Agriculture Income & Other Sources (Such as Bank Interest, Commission)	Rent, Capital gains & Other Sources (Such as Bank Interest)	Y	Y
2.	N Nagaraju (M.T.B)	INC	INC	BANGALORE RURAL	HOSAKOTE	HOSAKOTE	10,15,80,29,352 1015 Crore+	4,70,13,57,248 470 Crore+	5,45,66,72,104 545 Crore+	116%	1,57,04,29,210 157 Crore+	Agriculture, House Property, Business & Other Sources	House Property & Other Sources	Y	Y
3.	Shamanur Shivashankarappa	INC	INC	DAVANGERE	DAVANAGERE SOUTH	DAVANAGERE SOUTH	1,83,22,67,262 183 Crore+	67,89,78,344 67 Crore+	1,15,32,88,918 115 Crore+	170%	7,95,45,608 7 Crore+	Rental Income & Share of Profit from Partnership Firm	Not Given	Y	Y
4.	Priyakrishna	INC	INC	B.B.M.P(SOUTH)	GOVINDARAJANAGAR	GOVINDARAJANAGAR	10,20,53,87,250 1020 Crore+	9,10,98,61,857 910 Crore+	1,09,55,25,393 109 Crore+	12%	88,23,305 88 Lacs+	Business	Not Given	Y	Y
5.	Deshpande Raghunath Vishwanath	INC	INC	UTTARA KANNADA	HALIYAL	HALIYAL	2,15,15,93,731 215 Crore+	1,13,93,46,065 113 Crore+	1,01,22,47,666 101 Crore+	89%	3,15,77,980 3 Crore+	Salary , Dividends, Investment	Rent ,Dividends, Investment	Y	Y

Table: Highest growth in Assets (Top 5)

Figure: Party Wise Average Increase in Assets of Re-contesting MLAs (Rs.in crores)

Contact

Media and Journalist Helpline

+91 80103 94248

Email: adr@adrindia.org

Maj.Gen. Anil Verma (Retd)

Head

National Election Watch,

Association for Democratic Reforms

011 4165 4200,

+91 88264 79910

adr@adrIndia.org,

Prof Jagdeep Chhokar

IIM Ahmedabad (Retd.)

Founder Member,

National Election Watch, Association for Democratic

Reforms

+91 99996 20944

Prof Trilochan Sastry

IIM Bangalore

Founder Member,

National Election Watch,

Association for Democratic Reforms

+91 94483 53285

trilochan@iimb.ac.in

Mr. Harish Narasappa

Karnataka State Co-ordinator
harish@dakshindia.org

Dr. R. Balasubramaniam

Karnataka State Co-ordinator

+91-94480-79611

drrbalu@gmail.com

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Association for Democratic Reforms

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(Near Gulmohar Commercial Complex)
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US Education Spend $1T – India $50b Substandard Education

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f5CDI3Pl8U&feature=youtu.be

May08, 2018 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.com

Last night when IPL match was in final stages I received an ALERT – a You-tube interview ‘Mohandas Pai’s Game Changing Ideas On Education, employment and Public Policy’.

I watched the interview 100% – IT WAS TOTAL NONSENSE.

In 1990 India contributed 2% to World GDP – 28 years later just 3% that too by over 50% higher population – real productivity gain per capita is zero.

What shocked me was that Mohandas Pai blamed on Nehru who died in 1964 – 54 years ago this month and was effectively in control after 1951 general elections.

Infosys ADR Share Price $380 – Present $17.44

Its shares were listed on NASDAQ in 1999 through ADR route. The share price surged to Rs.8100 (equivalent to Rs.25,000 or US$380 in 2017) by 1999 making it the costliest share on the market at the time.

At a TiE Event at Taj Hotel in 2000, months before IT Bubble Burst I told NRIs IT Companies – ‘You Don’t Have PATENTS Not Inventing or Investing in R&D are Basically Service Companies – Invest Your Dollars in Acquiring Manufacturing Units etc.’

http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/data_files/india/Final_PPT_2011_chapter6.pdf

Nehru as per Census (P-6) made 100m Indian Literate almost 50% increase in a decade. In the latest Census when population was three times – 92m were made Literate that too assisted by 29% contributed by Private Schools.

He laid the Foundations of IITs, Management Institutions etc all from meagre Budget. Nehru build BIG INFRA PROJECTS – Dams, Water, Steel, Fertilizer, Insecticide, Pharma Projects, IIS, AIIMS, Agricultural Research, CSIR.

[In last 2 decades there is no increase in Canal Irrigated area as India has to feed 300m more Population – US Population.]

More than 10 years later I topped Tests for Birla, Sriram, Atlas, ISGEC, topped interviews, Offered to Improve Tata’s TRF Plant – none could offer an R&D Job – Birla offered Rs.400 PM and improved it to Rs.600 PM. It is Malicious to blame Nehru who died in 1964 for Indian Industry not doing World Class Research –

– I secured SIX Patents was AWARDED at WIPO EXPO’85 – World Exhibition

of Young Inventors, Plovdiv 1985.

– There is no Protection of Inventions & Bank Funding. India is happy with

BOGUS R&D, Pitroda, CSIR Directors, Secretary file Bogus Patents.

Spending $1000b on 81m Students annually US rank 40th in Maths, 24th in Science.

Two years ago I told him ’60 years old Manipal University Which He Chairs Can’t Even File a Sound Patent’ – he admitted MU is SUBSTANDARD TEACHING FACTORY NOT DOING ANY R&D.

US Constitution Guarantees Intellectual Property Protection, All Top Jobs Go To QUALIFIED EXPERTS who Confirmed by US Congress. Industry HIRE the Best. Industry Serve Global Market.

He admitted cost of education per child is Rs.1 Cr – mainly charged by Private Schools & Colleges, mostly below average to mediocre.

US has 82m in schools – India 23m but USA has 10% children in private schools, India 30% or more presently around 70m-80m but contribute practically nothing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_India

Education USA – $1000b

In 2013, about 87% of school-age children (those below higher education) attended state funded public schools, about 10% attended tuition- and foundation-funded private schools and roughly 3% were home-schooled.

The United States spends more per student on education than any other country. In 2014, the Pearson/Economist Intelligence Unit rated US education as 14th best in the world, just behind Russia. In 2015, the Programme for International Student Assessment rated U.S. high school students No. 40 globally in Math and No. 24 in Science and Reading.

Education India – $50b

Much of the progress, especially in higher education and scientific research, has been credited to various public institutions. While enrollment in higher education has increased steadily over the past decade, reaching a Gross Enrollment Ratio of 24% in 2013. At the primary and secondary level, India has a large private school system complementing the government run schools, with 29% of students receiving private education in the 6 to 14 age group.

Ravinder Singh, Inventor & Consultant, INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTS

Y-77, Hauz Khas, ND -110016, India. Ph: 091

The Inside Story of the Rohingya Crisis:

May

CPR is pleased to invite you to a discussion on
The Inside Story of the Rohingya Crisis: The Road Ahead for Myanmar’s Democracy
A conversation between Khin Zaw Win and Nimmi Kurian

Thursday, 10 May 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

About the talk:

About the speakers:

Khin Zaw Win has decades-long experience as one of the most respected and independent political commentators from Myanmar. He has had a ringside view of Myanmar’s transitions from authoritarianism to democracy including the contested debate on devolution of power and recognition of ethnic aspirations. He is currently the Director of the Yangon-based Tampadipa Institute and works on policy advocacy and capacity building issues. He has previously served in the government health services of Myanmar, and Sabah, Malaysia. He is a former Fellow of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, New York, a UK FCO Chevening Fellow, University of Birmingham and holds a degree in Public Policy programme from the National University of Singapore. He is currently closely involved in addressing the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

Please RSVP at president.cpr@cprindia.org

To celebrate Europe Day

The Ambassador of Iceland,

E-Card# : E-2236

To celebrate Europe Day

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of India

H.E. Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski and Mrs. Malgorzata Kozlowska

request the pleasure of the company of

Mr. Naresh Kumar Sagar & Spouse

at a reception

on Wednesday, 9th May 2018 from 19:00 to 21:00

The Durbar Hall Hotel Taj Diplomatic Enclave S.P. Marg, New Delhi			R.S.V.P. Tel.: +91-11-66781910 Yes-Please click here Regrets Please click here

For security reasons please bring print out of this e-invite and photo ID with you.

Delhi Government braces for storm

The Chief Secretary, Delhi Shri Anshu Prakash today chaired a high-level evening meeting at Delhi Secretariat following the Indian Meteorological Department’s warning about isolated thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds.

The meeting was attended by the senior officers of Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian Meteorological Department,
National Disaster Management Authority, Revenue Department, Environment Department, Health Department, Education Department, Delhi Police, Delhi Traffic Police, Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Jal Board of Delhi Government and all Commissioners of Local Bodies (MCD).

After the high-level meeting, it was decided that Government, Government Aided & Recognized Unaided Schools under Directorate of Education running in Evening/II nd shift shall remain closed on 8.05.2018 (Tuesday) as a precautionary measure. Other schools are also advised to not hold outdoor activities/extracurricular activities during the abovesaid time period.

Whereas in any case of emergency, the citizens of capital can call on a toll-free number 1077 (24×7) of Delhi Disaster Management Authority. The National Disaster Management Authority has issued a Do’s and Don’ts for the citizens for preparedness/Before, during and After.

69th Junior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women tips off in Ludhiana

Ludhiana, 7th May 2018: The 69th Junior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women is underway at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy, Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana from 7th May. The championship is being organised by Punjab Basketball Association under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India.

Tamil Nadu girls and Punjab boys teams are the defending champions from the previous version of the event held in Noida, Uttar Pradesh

DAY-1(Morning Session):

MEN:

Group A:

T.N(Santhosh 17 pts, Arvind 15 pts, Surya 15 pts) bt Chandigarh(Rahul 27 pts, Kawaljit 12 pts) 91-69[29-09, 20-26, 27-18, 15-16]

Group B:

Kerala(Shanazil 25 pts, Chacko 22 pts, Sejin 18 pts) bt M.P(Udayveer 34 pts, Aman 17 pts) 103-86[27-08, 21-22, 26-23, 29-33]

Rajasthan(Rajeev 34 pts, Sumeet 12 pts) bt Delhi(Aditya 23 pts, Nitish 24 pts) 89-88[22-29, 23-16,20-17, 24-26]

Group C:

Telangana(Vigneshwar 29 pts, Dinesh 20 pts) bt Puducherry(Sathyavanan 32 pts, Sai surga 10 pts) 94-58[34-13, 24-19, 15-08, 21-18]

Group D:

Uttarakhand(Riyanshu 22 pts) bt Odisha(Sarat 21 pts) 86-50[17-15, 30-12, 20-07, 19-16]

Chhattisgarh(Salim 36 pts, Rishabh 15 pts) bt Bihar(Raunak 14 pts, Dharmendra 12 pts) 74-52[16-13, 21-06, 15-17, 22-16]

WOMEN:

Group B:

U.P(Vaishnavi 57 pts, Harshita 19 pts) bt Maharashtra( Suzanne 17 pts, Neha 13 pts) 91-83[22-26, 25-13, 23-18, 21-26]

Group F:

Odisha(Pragati 18 pts, Lipramayee 18 pts) bt A.P(Prameela 8 pts) 57-41[19-08, 10-10, 14-07, 14-16]

GROUPINGS (MEN)

LEVEL – 1 LEVEL – 2

GROUP “A”	GROUP “B”	GROUP “C”	GROUP “D”	GROUP “E”	GROUP “F”
PUNJAB	KERALA	TELANGANA	CHHATTISGARH	GUJARAT	WEST BENGAL
TAMIL NADU	RAJASTHAN	GOA	BIHAR	ASSAM	ANDHRA PRADESH
HARYANA	MAHARASHTRA	HIMACHAL PRADESH	JAMMU & KASHMIR	JHARKHAND	KARNATAKA
CHANDIGARH	DELHI	PUDUCHERRY	ODISHA	NAGALAND	MIZORAM
UTTAR PRADESH	MADHYA PRADESH	TRIPURA	UTTARAKHAND

GROUPINGS (WOMEN)

LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2

GROUP “A”	GROUP “B”	GROUP “C”	GROUP “D”	GROUP “E”	GROUP “F”
TAMIL NADU	UTTAR PRADESH	DELHI	HARYANA	CHANDIGARH	ODISHA
KARNATAKA	KERALA	GOA	BIHAR	ASSAM	ANDHRA PRADESH
CHHATTISGARH	PUNJAB	HIMACHAL PRADESH	JHARKHAND	PUDUCHERRY	TELANGANA
MADHYA PRADESH	MAHARASHTRA			WEST BENGAL	UTTARAKHAND
GUJARAT	RAJASTHAN

Schedule

07.05.2018

Court – 1

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-1	KERALA	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	MB	07.00 AM
L-2	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	ODISHA	WF	08.30 AM
L-3	TAMIL NADU	Vs	CHANDIGARH	MA	10.00 AM
L-4	RAJASTHAN	Vs	DELHI	MB	11.30 AM
L-5	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	MAHARASHTRA	WB	01.00 PM
MATCHES COMMENCE AFTER INAUGURATION
L-7	PUNJAB	Vs	UTTAR PRADESH	MA
L-8	PUNJAB	Vs	RAJASTHAN	WB
L-9	TAMIL NADU	Vs	GUJARAT	WA

Court – 2

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-11	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	TRIPURA	MC	07.00 AM
L-12	TELANGANA	Vs	PUDUCHERRY	MC	08.15 AM
MATCHES COMMENCE AFTER INAUGURATION
L-13	HARYANA	Vs	BIHAR	WD
L-14	CHANDIGARH	Vs	ASSAM	WE
L-15	DELHI	Vs	GOA	WC

Court – 3

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-18	ODISHA	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	MD	07.00 AM
L-19	BIHAR	Vs	CHHATTISGARH	MD	08.15 AM
MATCHES COMMENCE AFTER INAUGURATION
L-16	GUJARAT	Vs	NAGALAND	ME
L-17	TELANGANA	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	WF
L-21	WEST BENGAL	Vs	MIZORAM	MF
L-10	ASSAM	Vs	JHARKHAND	ME

Court – 4

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-6	KARNATAKA	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	WA
L-22	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	KARNATAKA	MF
L-20	PUDUCHERRY	Vs	WEST BENGAL	WE

REVISED FIXTURE

08.05.2018

Court – 1

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-23	DELHI	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	MB	07.00 AM
L-24	MAHARASHTRA	Vs	RAJASTHAN	MB	08.30 AM
L-25	KERALA	Vs	RAJASTHAN	WB	10.00 AM
L-26	GUJARAT	Vs	KARNATAKA	WA	11.30 AM
L-27	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	TAMIL NADU	MA	01.00 PM
L-28	MIZORAM	Vs	KARNATAKA	MF	02.30 PM
L-29	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	PUNJAB	WB	04.00 PM
L-30	HARYANA	Vs	PUNJAB	MA	05.30 PM
L-32	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	TAMIL NADU	WA	07.00 PM

Court – 2

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-33	GOA	Vs	HIMACHAL PRADESH	MC	07.00 AM
L-34	ASSAM	Vs	PUDUCHERRY	WE	08.15 AM
L-35	JHARKHAND	Vs	BIHAR	WD	03.30 PM
L-36	TELANGANA	Vs	GOA	MC	04.45 PM
L-37	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	WF	06.00 PM
L-38	JAMMU& KASHMIR	Vs	ODISHA	MD	07.15 PM

Court -4

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-40	UTTARAKHAND	Vs	BIHAR	MD	07.00 AM
L-41	GOA	Vs	HIMACHAL PRADESH	WC	08.15 AM
L-42	TELANGANA	Vs	ODISHA	WF	09.30 AM
L-45	JHARKHAND	Vs	GUJARAT	ME	10.45 AM
L-46	NAGALAND	Vs	ASSAM	ME	12.00 PM
L-39	WEST BENGAL	Vs	ANDHRA PRADESH	MF	02.00 PM
L-31	CHANDIGARH	Vs	WEST BENGAL	WE	03.15 PM
L-43	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	MD	04.30 PM
L-44	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	PUDUCHERRY	MC	05.45 PM

REVISED FIXTURE

09.05.2018

Court – 1

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-47	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	ODISHA	MD	07.00 AM
L-49	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	HARYANA	MA	08.30 AM
L-50	RAJASTHAN	Vs	UTTAR PRADESH	WB	10.00 AM
L-51	TAMIL NADU	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	WA	11.30 AM
L-52	MAHARASHTRA	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	MB	01.00 PM
L-53	KERALA	Vs	DELHI	MB	02.30 PM
L-54	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	GUJARAT	WA	04.00 PM
L-55	KERALA	Vs	MAHARASHTRA	WB	05.30 PM
L-56	PUNJAB	Vs	CHANDIGARH	MA	07.00 PM

Court – 3

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-57	PUDUCHERRY	Vs	TRIPURA	MC	07.00 AM
L-58	ASSAM	Vs	GUJARAT	ME	08.15 AM
L-59	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	MIZORAM	MF	03.30 PM
L-60	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	TELANGANA	MC	04.45 PM
L-61	TRIPURA	Vs	GOA	MC	06.00 PM

Court -4

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-64	JAMMU & KASHMIR	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	MD	07.00 AM
L-65	NAGALAND	Vs	JHARKHAND	ME	08.15 AM
L-66	ODISHA	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	WF	09.30 AM
L-67	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	DELHI	WC	10.45 AM
L-68	TELANGANA	Vs	ANDHRA PRADESH	WF	12.00 PM
L-70	WEST BENGAL	Vs	ASSAM	WE	02.00 PM
L-63	PUDUCHERRY	Vs	CHANDIGARH	WE	03.15 PM
L-62	HARYANA	Vs	JHARKHAND	WD	04.30 PM
L-48	KARNATAKA	Vs	WEST BENGAL	MF	05.45 PM
L-69	BIHAR	Vs	JAMMU & KASHMIR	MD	07.00 PM

About Basketball Federation of India

The Basketball Federation of India or BFI is the governing and controlling body of basketball in India, and is responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. BFI has been involved in conducting camps, clinics, events, and training sessions at its academies for the development of basketball. BFI came into being in 1935 and took complete control over Indian basketball in 1950. Prior to that time, the Indian Olympic Association handled the conduct of Indian basketball championships. Since 1950, the BFI has been conducting various such championships, from the grassroots to senior team participation in international tournaments. In addition, the BFI has been responsible for the establishment of strong sub-junior and junior level programs. The BFI has to its credit produced several international players of repute, among them 17 have been bestowed with the honour of Arjuna Awards. Earlier in June 2015, 19-year-old Satnam Singh Bhamara made history by becoming the first Indian national to be drafted by an NBA team, when he was selected by the Dallas Mavericks. More information at www.basketballfederationindia.org

Press invites of may 09, 2018:
No1 To celebrate Europe Day

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of India

H.E. Mr. Tomasz Kozlowski and Mrs. Malgorzata Kozlowska

request the pleasure of the company of

Mr. Naresh Kumar Sagar & Spouse

at a reception

on Wednesday, 9th May 2018 from 19:00 to 21:00

The Durbar Hall
Hotel Taj Diplomatic Enclave

S.P. Marg, New Delhi

R.S.V.P.

Tel.: +91-11-66781910

No.2 To expose deep rooted fraud in Amateur Kabaddi Federation Of India

To expose deep rooted fraud in Amateur Kabaddi Federation Of India (AKFI) prestigious Arjun Awardee and International Kabaddi Players cordially invite you to the Press Conference which will addressed by:
Arjun Awardee & International Players( Mahipal Singh, S Rajarathinam, Virender Kumar)
Legal Expert(Supreme Court Lawyer Bharat Nagar)
Date & Time: Wednesday, 09th May, 2018, 11.30 AM followed by Lunch
Venue: Press Club Of India, 5A, Raisina Road, New Delhi

No.3 PRESS INVITATION: The policy of uses of devices stents and implants

To,
The Chief Health Reporter,
New Delhi

Sir,

I am sending you the letter for the policy of uses of devices stents and implants in the human body made by Delhi Medical Association and send to the prime minister and health minister and various authorities involving into health policies. Letter to PM is enclosed for your ready reference.

To discuss the same, a press conference is being held on Wednesday, the 9th May 2018 at 1 pm at lunch. You are requested to kindly make it convenient to attend the same.

Regards,

DR.G.S.GREWAL
HONY. STATE SECRETARY

Lebanon to form new government

US embassy in Beirut on Tuesday urged all parties in Lebanon to uphold the country’s policy of disassociation from foreign conflicts, media reports.

Lebanon is forming a new government after Hezbollah and its allies won more than half the seats in Sunday’s election. “We urge all parties to uphold Lebanon’s international obligations, including those contained in UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701,” the diplomats said in a statement.

Sunday’s parliamentary election was the first in nine years. Hezbollah was the winner. The Shia Muslim party with a military wing which is backed by Iran won a small minority in parliament, and dealt a blow to Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is supported by predominately Sunni Saudi Arabia.

Hariri is expected to form the next government, despite his party losing a third of its seats. It remains the largest Sunni bloc in parliament.

The resolutions relate to the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon and the disarmament of all militias including Hezbollah. Lebanon with rampant, Corruption, regular power cuts, town rubbish piling up on the streets, daily migrants adding from Syria are the challenges faced by the Prime Minister Saad Hariri,

Military parade on Red Square

9May: Military parade on Red Square marking the 73rd anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945

Press Conference on Bank QR Code & Cyber Security

The Chief Reporter/Photographer.

New Delhi

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject : Press Conference on Bank QR Code & Cyber Security

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) is launching a nationwide campaign to popularise and encourage usage of Bharat QR (Quick Response)Code for making payments in business and for personal usage. Such a campaign will accelerate the digital payment landscape in the Country.

To brief about the latest technology of QR Code and the campaign, a Press Conference will be held on Thursday, the 10th May,2018 at 11.30 a.m. at Conference Hall, NDMC Convention Centre, Parliament Street, New Delhi.

We shall be grateful if you kindly depute a Staff Correspondent of your esteemed newspaper to cover the same. Please also join us at Lunch after the Conference

Thanking you. With kind regards

Yours truly

Praveen Khandelwal

Deep Rooted Fraud plaguing Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India,AKFI

Single Family controlling AKFI for last 28 years

New Delhi, May 9: Deep routed fraud has been plaguing the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India as the Federation is under control of single family for last 28 years. AKFI is being run as a private property of Mr Janardan Singh Gahlot and his family as they have misused and looted national fund for their personal gains.

‘The Federation stands taken over by one family for a period of over 28 years, firstly by Mr J S Gahlot as President for 21 years, after him by his wife Dr Mridul Bhadauria Gahlot (Full time Gynaecologist in Jaipur) and thereafter by their son Mr Tej Pratap (an engineer by profession),” observed Delhi Court in its order dated January 30, 2018.

“There has never been any election for any posts in the Managing Committee of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and the office bearers have always been appointed unopposed for consecutive terms. Even when National Sports Code of India bars anybody above 70 years to hold any position, Mr J S Gahlot called a Special General Body Meeting and got himself appointed as Life President by changing the minutes of the Association and AKFI Constitution,” Legal expert and Supreme Court lawyer Bharat Nagar said.

“There is a racket flourishing where non-players pay Rs 40 – 50 lakh and are allowed to participate in International Kabaddi events. And people receive handsome prize of Rs 2 crore / Rs 1 crore from the government when the team wins Gold or Silver medal,” Mahipal Singh National Kabaddi player, who filed the petition against AKFI in Delhi High Court.

It is such a sorry state at AKFI where players over the age of 40 are still playing where young players are not given a chance. The records clearly state the date of birth of most of the players at the national level is in 1980s. Even close relatives of the President were allowed to play for India directly in international tournaments without any prior participation in national events.

In its verdict in the matter of BCCI v/s Cricket Association of Bihar, the Supreme Court said that any politician, bureaucrat, who are not concerned with particular game should not be allowed to sit on such posts to control the affairs relating to the game. In this context the affairs in AKFI is really alarming.

M6.0 – NEW BRITAIN REGION, P.N.G.

Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude	6.0
Date-Time	9 May 2018 07:57:55 UTC 9 May 2018 17:57:55 near epicenter 9 May 2018 11:57:55 standard time in your timezone
Location	5.892S 151.796E
Depth	10 km
Distances	191 km (119 miles) SSW (193 degrees) of Rabaul, New Britain, PNG 253 km (157 miles) E (81 degrees) of Kandrian, New Britain, PNG 369 km (229 miles) NNW (344 degrees) of Kulumadau, Woodlark Island, PNG 539 km (335 miles) E (80 degrees) of Lae, New Guinea, PNG 644 km (400 miles) NE (52 degrees) of PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea

IOM DG Marks 3rd Anniversary of EU-China Migration Dialogue Project

Beijing – IOM Director-General William Lacy Swing yesterday addressed European and Chinese stakeholders marking three years of the EU-China Dialogue on Migration and Mobility Support Programme (MMSP), a project funded by the European Partnership Instrument and implemented jointly by IOM and ILO.

The event brought together about 100 stakeholders from European diplomatic missions, Chinese official bodies, think-tanks and other IOM and ILO partner agencies.

Ambassador Swing commended the European Union and China’s commitment to the MMSP project, which brings together European and Chinese migration policy makers and practitioners to share best practices and experiences.

He also congratulated China on the establishment of three new government entities – the National Immigration Administration, International Development Cooperation Agency and Ministry for Emergency Management. All of them are essential for the formulation good migration policies and effective migration management, he noted.

Christopher Wood, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to China, also spoke at the event. He emphasised that migration is an important element of the EU-China relations and outlined the successes achieved through the dialogue on migration and mobility.

During his visit to China, Ambassador Swing, who will step down as Director General of IOM later this year, also officially launched the IOM “WeChat APP”, which provides Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) to Chinese workers migrating to Europe. IOM is committed to ensuring that migrants are equipped with essential information to prepare for their journey before they leave China, and their integration once they arrive in their country of destination in Europe.

For further information please contact Etienne Micallef at IOM China. Email: emicallef@iom.int, Tel:+861059799695

Invitation | Book Launch | ”Great Textpectations”

Invitation | Book Launch | ”Great Textpectations” by Ruchi Vadehra l Friday, 11 May, 2018 | 6:30 P.M | Bikaner House, New Delhi |

Aashka_and_Brent_Dance_with_the_Parade_at_Novotel_Imagica_Khopoli.JPG

Press invites of May 09, 2018:

Press invites of May 09, 2018:
No1 To celebrate Europe Day

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of India

request the pleasure of the company of

Mr. Naresh Kumar Sagar & Spouse

at a reception

on Wednesday, 9th May 2018 from 19:00 to 21:00
Hotel Taj

No.2 To expose deep rooted fraud in Amateur Kabaddi Federation Of India

No.3 PRESS INVITATION: The policy of uses of devices stents and implants

To,
The Chief Health Reporter,
New Delhi

Sir,

To discuss the same, a press conference is being held on Wednesday, the 9th May 2018 at 1 pm at lunch. You are requested to kindly make it convenient to attend the same.
Regards,

DR.G.S.GREWAL
HONY. STATE SECRETARY

5.8-earthquake hit Islamabad

Earthquake tremors were felt in Islamabad along with Peshawar, Nowshera, and Kohat. The tremors were felt at 8:25 AM and were felt for 15 to 20 seconds.

Tremors were also felt in Swat along Malakand division along with Manshera, Dera Ismail Khan, Swat, Abbottabad, and Mardan.

The earthquake magnitude was recorded to be 5.8 on the Richter scale.

MTaI for wider Delhi Government consultation

Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI), which represents leading research-based medical technology companies with significant manufacturing investments in India, welcomed Delhi Government’s initiative to cap profit margins in healthcare but asked for a wider consultation to ensure that a balanced approach is adopted for patients’ wellbeing.

Media reports suggest that a nine-member committee was set up five months ago to suggest the scope of profit margins on medicines and consumables.

The committee comprised of members of Delhi Medical Council, Indian Medical Associations and some bureaucrats in the health department. It is also reported that Delhi government will issue a policy based on the recommendation of the committee in next few days.

The panel is said to have suggested capping of the profit margin for drugs and devices at a maximum of 50% above the manufacturing price or procurement cost, whichever was lower.

The Report of The Committee of High Trade Margins in the Sale of Drugs recommends that profit margin should be the difference between the Price to Trade (the price at which the manufacturer or marketing company sells the drug to the distributor or stockist) and the MRP.

The report adds that “the government should consider capping the overall trade margins, thus, giving a level playing field to every trade channel. Industry should have the flexibility to decide intra-trade channel percentage considering multiple factors of market access and supplies”. The report is currently under the consideration of the Department of Pharmaceuticals.

“This suggestion, once implemented, will significantly reduce MRPs and yet keep innovative, high quality products available for all sections of Indian patients. Moreover, it will allow the companies to continue to do the training they provide to the Healthcare workers on the use of these devices. It will usher in greater transparency in the pricing of medical devices, leading to more accessibility and affordability”, MTaI said.

“Considering the urgency of the matter at hand of the policymakers, we have requested the Health Minister of the Delhi Government to give us an opportunity to explain our views in detail to enable formation of a widely acceptable policy. To ensure lasting success of the policy, the state government should proceed only after all stake holders, including the medical technology industry, have been heard and their contentions have been understood thoroughly,” the association said.

US nulls & void ‘defective’ Iran deal

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States was withdrawing from what he called a “defective” multinational nuclear deal with Iran, adding that Washington would, however, reinstate sanctions against the Islamic republic.

“The Iran deal is defective at its core,” Trump said in a televised address from the White House. “I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.”

He called Tehran the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and decried its influence in the Middle East.

The US president claimed to have proof that Iran had lied about the deal adding that his country had failed to hold Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Iran nuclear deal doesn’t constrain Iran´s destabilizing activities, including support for terrorism,” he said. “The deal has inadequate mechanisms to prevent cheating.”

He further said the deal was supposed to protect the US and its allies, but it allowed Iran to continue to enrich uranium.

“No action taken by Iran has been more dangerous than its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”

Accusing Iran of supporting state terrorism, Trump said the country had caused havoc across the Middle East and beyond.

“If I allow this deal, everyone will want nuclear arms,” said Trump. “It will be a nuclear arms race.”

A senior US official had earlier said it was unclear if efforts by European allies to address Trump’s concerns would be enough to save the pact.

Trump had repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the deal, which eased economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran limiting its nuclear program unless France, Germany, and Britain — which also signed the agreement — fix what he has called its flaws.

Iran has ruled out renegotiating the accord and threatened to retaliate, although it has not said exactly how, if Washington pulls out.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France, Germany and Britain regretted US President Donald Trump´s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“France, Germany, and the UK regret the US decision to leave the JCPOA (Iran deal). The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake,” he wrote on Twitter.

“We will work collectively on a broader framework, covering nuclear activity, the post-2025 period, ballistic activity, and stability in the Middle-East, notably Syria, Yemen, and Iraq,” he added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his strong support for US President Donald Trump’s “bold” decision Tuesday to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, which the Israeli leader has repeatedly criticised.

“Israel fully supports President Trump’s bold decision today to reject the disastrous nuclear deal,” Netanyahu said in a televised address, referring to the multinational accord with his country’s main enemy.

Punjab Men and Women dominate the first day

Punjab Men and Women dominate the first day at the 69th Junior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women in Ludhiana

Ludhiana, 8th May 2018: The 69th Junior National Basketball Championship for Men and Women is underway at the Ludhiana Basketball Academy, Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana from 7th May. The championship is being organised by Punjab Basketball Association under the aegis of the Basketball Federation of India.

Tamil Nadu girls and Punjab boys teams are the defending champions from the previous version of the event held in Noida, Uttar Pradesh

DAY-1(Morning Session):

MEN:

Group A:

T.N(Santhosh 17 pts, Arvind 15 pts, Surya 15 pts) bt Chandigarh(Rahul 27 pts, Kawaljit 12 pts) 91-69[29-09, 20-26, 27-18, 15-16]

Punjab(Princepal 32pts, ) bt U.P(Priyanshu 14pts) 107-49[30-11, 30-16, 31-09, 13-16]

Group B:

Kerala(Shanazil 25 pts, Chacko 22 pts, Sejin 18 pts) bt M.P(Udayveer 34 pts, Aman 17 pts) 103-86[27-08, 21-22, 26-23, 29-33]

Rajasthan(Rajeev 34 pts, Sumeet 12 pts) bt Delhi(Aditya 23 pts, Nitish 24 pts) 89-88[22-29, 23-16,20-17, 24-26]

Group C:

Telangana(Vigneshwar 29 pts, Dinesh 20 pts) bt Puducherry(Sathyavanan 32 pts, Sai surga 10 pts) 94-58[34-13, 24-19, 15-08, 21-18]

Group D:

Uttarakhand(Riyanshu 22 pts) bt Odisha(Sarat 21 pts) 86-50[17-15, 30-12, 20-07, 19-16]

Group E:

Assam(Sanjyapal 18 pts) bt Jharkhand(Sumit 19 pts) 53-51[15-06, 09-12, 15-17, 14-16]

Chhattisgarh(Salim 36 pts, Rishabh 15 pts) bt Bihar(Raunak 14 pts, Dharmendra 12 pts) 74-52[16-13, 21-06, 15-17, 22-16]

Gujarat(Dvij 14 pts) bt Nagaland(kevin 10 pts) 64-24[08-10, 16-06, 22-00, 18-08]

Group F:

Mizoram(Zonun Sanga 19 pts, Ronald 25 pts) bt W.B(Pranay 25 pts) 67-60[21-18, 19-11, 13-16, 14-15]

Karnataka(Pratyanshu 28 pts) bt A.P(Manikanta 12 pts) 68-55[12-20, 20-15, 14-08, 22-12]

WOMEN:

Group A:

Karnataka(Sanjana 20 pts) bt M.P(Asmat 12 pts) 42-35[16-05, 12-06, 6-8, 8-16]

T.N(Dharshini 16 pts, Avani 16 pts) bt Gujarat( Tavleen 16 pts) 71-46[22-08, 22-10, 11-08, 16-20]

Group B:

U.P(Vaishnavi 57 pts, Harshita 19 pts) bt Maharashtra( Suzanne 17 pts, Neha 13 pts) 91-83[22-26, 25-13, 23-18, 21-26]

Punjab(Sakshi 17 pts, Priyanka 13 pts) bt Rajasthan(Ishika 27 pts) 74-56[25-20, 21-17, 14-17, 14-08]

Group C:

Delhi(Manisha 10 pts) bt Goa(S. Nathan 08 pts) 36-16[16-01, 08-04, 05-09, 07-02]

Group D:

Haryana(Heenu 16 pts, Rishy 11 pts) bt Bihar() 49-10[16-02, 19-03, 12-03, 02-02]

Group E:

Chandigarh(Gunisha 06 pts, Simran 04 pts ) bt Assam() 27-05[13-02, 5-2, 9-1, 0-0]

Group F:

Odisha(Pragati 18 pts, Lipramayee 18 pts) bt A.P(Prameela 8 pts) 57-41[19-08, 10-10, 14-07, 14-16]

Telangana(Arya 16 pts, Sudheshna 12 pts) bt Uttarakhand(Saloni 06 pts) 62-24[9-10, 10-02, 20-00, 22-12]

Day-2(Morning Session)

Men:

Group A:

U.P(Prasun 29 pts, Priyanshu 25 pts) bt T.N(Sangeeth 32 pts, Akash 22 pts) 130-116[35-32, 31-20, 31-34, 33-30]

Group B:

Delhi(Abhishek 18 pts, Aditya 11 pts) bt M.P(Animesh 16 pts, Harshavardhan 17 pts) 80-73[26-08, 17-22, 16-08, 21-35]

Rajasthan(Rajeev 29 pts, Sumeet 17 pts) bt Maharashtra(Tanay 29 pts, Faizan 17 pts) 92-74[18-05, 31-24, 22-26, 21-19]

Group C:

H.P(Sukvender 17 pts, Rahul 10 pts) bt Goa(Calvin 25 pts, Antonio 15 pts) 67-66[18-13, 13-12, 12-13, 24-28]

Group F:

Karnataka(Pratyanshu 22 pts, Srujan 21 pts) bt Mizoram(Zonun Sanga 25 pts, Lalrinawma 21 pts) 84-82[24-23, 25-15, 24-14, 21-20]

Women:

Group A:

Karnataka(Harshitha 23 pts, Aiswarya 15 pts, Sanjana 10 pts) bt Gujarat(Tavleen 10 pts, Tanisha 9 pts) 72-41[23-15, 25-11, 23-12, 01-03]

Group B:

Kerala(Sreekala 21 pts, Aparna 12 pts) bt Rajasthan(Neha 30 pts, Yashika 12 pts) 79-58[24-16, 13-15, 23-14, 19-13]

GROUPINGS (MEN)

LEVEL – 1 LEVEL – 2

GROUP “A”	GROUP “B”	GROUP “C”	GROUP “D”	GROUP “E”	GROUP “F”
PUNJAB	KERALA	TELANGANA	CHHATTISGARH	GUJARAT	WEST BENGAL
TAMIL NADU	RAJASTHAN	GOA	BIHAR	ASSAM	ANDHRA PRADESH
HARYANA	MAHARASHTRA	HIMACHAL PRADESH	JAMMU & KASHMIR	JHARKHAND	KARNATAKA
CHANDIGARH	DELHI	PUDUCHERRY	ODISHA	NAGALAND	MIZORAM
UTTAR PRADESH	MADHYA PRADESH	TRIPURA	UTTARAKHAND

GROUPINGS (WOMEN)

LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2

GROUP “A”	GROUP “B”	GROUP “C”	GROUP “D”	GROUP “E”	GROUP “F”
TAMIL NADU	UTTAR PRADESH	DELHI	HARYANA	CHANDIGARH	ODISHA
KARNATAKA	KERALA	GOA	BIHAR	ASSAM	ANDHRA PRADESH
CHHATTISGARH	PUNJAB	HIMACHAL PRADESH	JHARKHAND	PUDUCHERRY	TELANGANA
MADHYA PRADESH	MAHARASHTRA			WEST BENGAL	UTTARAKHAND
GUJARAT	RAJASTHAN

Schedule

07.05.2018

Court – 1

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-1	KERALA	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	MB	07.00 AM
L-2	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	ODISHA	WF	08.30 AM
L-3	TAMIL NADU	Vs	CHANDIGARH	MA	10.00 AM
L-4	RAJASTHAN	Vs	DELHI	MB	11.30 AM
L-5	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	MAHARASHTRA	WB	01.00 PM
MATCHES COMMENCE AFTER INAUGURATION
L-7	PUNJAB	Vs	UTTAR PRADESH	MA
L-8	PUNJAB	Vs	RAJASTHAN	WB
L-9	TAMIL NADU	Vs	GUJARAT	WA

court – 2

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-11	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	TRIPURA	MC	07.00 AM
L-12	TELANGANA	Vs	PUDUCHERRY	MC	08.15 AM
MATCHES COMMENCE AFTER INAUGURATION
L-13	HARYANA	Vs	BIHAR	WD
L-14	CHANDIGARH	Vs	ASSAM	WE
L-15	DELHI	Vs	GOA	WC

Court – 3

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-18	ODISHA	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	MD	07.00 AM
L-19	BIHAR	Vs	CHHATTISGARH	MD	08.15 AM
MATCHES COMMENCE AFTER INAUGURATION
L-16	GUJARAT	Vs	NAGALAND	ME
L-17	TELANGANA	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	WF
L-21	WEST BENGAL	Vs	MIZORAM	MF
L-10	ASSAM	Vs	JHARKHAND	ME

Court – 4

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-6	KARNATAKA	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	WA
L-22	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	KARNATAKA	MF
L-20	PUDUCHERRY	Vs	WEST BENGAL	WE

REVISED FIXTURE

08.05.2018

Court – 1

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-23	DELHI	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	MB	07.00 AM
L-24	MAHARASHTRA	Vs	RAJASTHAN	MB	08.30 AM
L-25	KERALA	Vs	RAJASTHAN	WB	10.00 AM
L-26	GUJARAT	Vs	KARNATAKA	WA	11.30 AM
L-27	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	TAMIL NADU	MA	01.00 PM
L-28	MIZORAM	Vs	KARNATAKA	MF	02.30 PM
L-29	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	PUNJAB	WB	04.00 PM
L-30	HARYANA	Vs	PUNJAB	MA	05.30 PM
L-32	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	TAMIL NADU	WA	07.00 PM

Court – 2

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-33	GOA	Vs	HIMACHAL PRADESH	MC	07.00 AM
L-34	ASSAM	Vs	PUDUCHERRY	WE	08.15 AM
L-35	JHARKHAND	Vs	BIHAR	WD	03.30 PM
L-36	TELANGANA	Vs	GOA	MC	04.45 PM
L-37	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	WF	06.00 PM
L-38	JAMMU& KASHMIR	Vs	ODISHA	MD	07.15 PM

Court -4

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-40	UTTARAKHAND	Vs	BIHAR	MD	07.00 AM
L-41	GOA	Vs	HIMACHAL PRADESH	WC	08.15 AM
L-42	TELANGANA	Vs	ODISHA	WF	09.30 AM
L-45	JHARKHAND	Vs	GUJARAT	ME	10.45 AM
L-46	NAGALAND	Vs	ASSAM	ME	12.00 PM
L-39	WEST BENGAL	Vs	ANDHRA PRADESH	MF	02.00 PM
L-31	CHANDIGARH	Vs	WEST BENGAL	WE	03.15 PM
L-43	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	MD	04.30 PM
L-44	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	PUDUCHERRY	MC	05.45 PM

REVISED FIXTURE

09.05.2018

Court – 1

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-47	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	ODISHA	MD	07.00 AM
L-49	UTTAR PRADESH	Vs	HARYANA	MA	08.30 AM
L-50	RAJASTHAN	Vs	UTTAR PRADESH	WB	10.00 AM
L-51	TAMIL NADU	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	WA	11.30 AM
L-52	MAHARASHTRA	Vs	MADHYA PRADESH	MB	01.00 PM
L-53	KERALA	Vs	DELHI	MB	02.30 PM
L-54	CHHATTISGARH	Vs	GUJARAT	WA	04.00 PM
L-55	KERALA	Vs	MAHARASHTRA	WB	05.30 PM
L-56	PUNJAB	Vs	CHANDIGARH	MA	07.00 PM

Court – 3

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-57	PUDUCHERRY	Vs	TRIPURA	MC	07.00 AM
L-58	ASSAM	Vs	GUJARAT	ME	08.15 AM
L-59	ANDHRA PRADESH	Vs	MIZORAM	MF	03.30 PM
L-60	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	TELANGANA	MC	04.45 PM
L-61	TRIPURA	Vs	GOA	MC	06.00 PM

Court -4

No	Team “A”	Vs	Team “B”	Group	Timing
L-64	JAMMU & KASHMIR	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	MD	07.00 AM
L-65	NAGALAND	Vs	JHARKHAND	ME	08.15 AM
L-66	ODISHA	Vs	UTTARAKHAND	WF	09.30 AM
L-67	HIMACHAL PRADESH	Vs	DELHI	WC	10.45 AM
L-68	TELANGANA	Vs	ANDHRA PRADESH	WF	12.00 PM
L-70	WEST BENGAL	Vs	ASSAM	WE	02.00 PM
L-63	PUDUCHERRY	Vs	CHANDIGARH	WE	03.15 PM
L-62	HARYANA	Vs	JHARKHAND	WD	04.30 PM
L-48	KARNATAKA	Vs	WEST BENGAL	MF	05.45 PM
L-69	BIHAR	Vs	JAMMU & KASHMIR	MD	07.00 PM

‘Raazi’ promoted by Alia Bhatt & Vicky Khaushal in Nations’s Capital!

B’town’s bubbly actress Alia Bhatt along with actor Vicky Kaushal were out here in Delhi for the promotion of their upcoming film “Raazi”. Along with them the director of the film Meghna Gulzar was also there to grace the event. The event took place in Hotel Le Meridien.

“Raazi” is an upcoming Indian period thriller film directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Vineet Jain, Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta under the banner of Dharma Productions. It features Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal in lead roles. The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka’s novel Calling Sehmat, about an Indian spy married to a Pakistani military officer during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. And the film is slated to release on 11th May.

Argentine turn to IMF