MEA

Kenya: The art of Indian classical dance leaves Kenyans in awe

MEA — 12/11/2014 16:35:56

All Africa/by Sahil Gada

Prerana Deshpande and her dancing troop succeed not only in shining a light on the historical art of Indian classical dancing, known as Kathak (dancing art of storytelling), but also in contemporising the art, for it to be appreciated by modern day audiences

Ushered in by the High Commission of India, Nairobi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi and Assistant High Commission of India, Mombasa, Deshpande is an internationally acclaimed creative.

Trained by the great maestro, Guru Dr Rohini Bhate-a doyen of Kathak for over 22 years, Deshpande has developed her own uniquely complete and effortless style. This was witnessed by a large gathering, as she took the stage at the Oshwal Center auditoriumon Wednesdayevening........…[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

After Mars, India space chief aims for the moon

MEA — 12/11/2014 16:38:29

Yahoo News/ by Trudy Harris

India now has its sights set on low-budget missions to land on the moon and study the sun after becoming the first country in Asia to reach Mars, the head of its space agency said Tuesday.

India has been swelling with pride since winning the continent's race to Mars in September when its unnamed Mangalyaan spacecraft slipped into the Red Planet's orbit after a 10-month journey on a shoestring budget.

The mission, designed to search for evidence of life on Mars, sparked mass celebrations which were especially sweet as India also became the only country to reach the planet on its first attempt.

Buoyed by the success, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K.S Radhakrishnan said the agency was .......... [Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

Indian boy, 5, becomes youngest to trek to Mount Everest base camp

MEA — 12/11/2014 16:45:28

Harshit Saumitra, from New Delhi, did his mountaineer father proud when he spent 10 days trekking the 45 miles to reach the South Base Camp in Nepal, fighting through heavy snowfall, in October.

New York Daily News

A 5-year-old boy has become the youngest boy to trek to Everest Base Camp.

Harshit Saumitra, from New Delhi, India, spent 10 days trekking 45 miles to reach the famous camp and is now hoping to register his name in the Guinness Book of Records.

Harshit is already an aspiring mountaineer and has been trekking on difficult terrain since he was just three years old.

"I'm so proud of my son; he has done the unthinkable," said Harshit's father 42-year-old father, Rajeev Saumitra.

"I'm confident his name will get into the Guinness Book of Records. We've sent video clips, pictures and Harshit's birth certificate so fingers crossed."

Saumitra, a teacher and an avid trekker running a private coaching institute, said his son expressed a desire to climb Mount Everest on a family holiday in 2012.

"He kept saying he wanted to climb Mount Everest but I said he was a little too young for the huge mountain. Then I realized he could most probably do the base camp......[Read more]

India becomes Nigeria’s largest trading partner by N1.8 trillion

MEA — 10/11/2014 18:27:56

The Sun/ by Amaechi Ogbonna

There is a gradual shift from the West to the East as India is now Nigeria’s leading trade partner with oil and non-oil exports hitting N1.8 trillion.

The United States of America, which used to be Nigeria’s leading trade partner, particularly in the oil sector, has ceased buying oil from Nigeria as they now produce 8.5 million barrel of oil daily.

The Federal Government, as a result, said it would be expanding its non-oil export base through the Nigeria Export Promotion council, (NEPC) with focus on diversifying its economic base beyond the oil sector.

Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment during a public presentation over the weekend, said government has rolled out an industrial policy that would expand its non-oil base and advance the country economically.

He explained that the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan(NIRP)is leveraging on where Nigeria has competitive advantage, while dropping attention from the oil sector and shifting attention to industrialsiation where Nigeria has comparative advantage.

According to Aganga, "Government through its industrialisation policy has attracted various investments in the country in the last four years. For instance, Dangote investment of $16 billion, Flour mill investment of $1.2billion, Indorama in fertilizer investment of $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion investment in ethanol. GWC $1.2 billion in petro-chemicals”.......[Read more]

Israel, India successfully test advanced missile system

MEA — 11/11/2014 19:28:46

The Times of Israel/by Spencer Ho

Israel’s national aerospace and aviation arms manufacturer conducted the first full and successful test of the Barak-8 air and naval defense missile system on Monday morning, Israel Aerospace Industries announced in a press release.

The test, conducted with the Defense Ministry and India’s Defence Research and Development Organization, validated all components of the weapons system, from radar detection to interception and detonation of the incoming projectile.........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

US, UK and India To Grow Despite Global Economic Slowdown – Moody's

MEA — 11/11/2014 19:32:30

International Business Times/by Rapti Gupta

The United States, United Kingdom and India will continue to post solid growth in the coming two years despite a slowdown in the Eurozone and other areas, according to the rating agency Moody's Investors Service.

In its latest quarterly Global Macro Outlook report, Moody asserts that it does not expect a significant rebound in global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth as the Eurozone still remains in turmoil and the Chinese economy continues faltering........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

India fest in Abu Dhabi

MEA — 07/11/2014 17:19:11

Fifth edition of festival to showcase Arab and Asian dance forms.

By Binsal Abdul Kader/Gulf News

An annual socio-cultural event organised by a prominent Indian organisation in the capital will turn into a ‘mini global village’ this year.

The fifth edition of India Fest next month will be an open air event with more activities representing many countries apart from India, organisers told Gulf News on Thursday.

The Indian Social and Cultural Centre (ISC), the largest social organisation of Indians in the capital, is organising the three-day event from December 4 to 6, which is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors.

The 5,000 square metre ground will have scores of tents and stalls showing art, culture, cuisine and commercial items from various countries. The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City is the strategic partner of the festival, which is held with the support of the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The event used to be organised inside the premises of five-storey building of the ISC is moving to the adjacent ground to accommodate more stalls and visitors, D. Natarajan, honorary president of the ISC, said. "It will be a different experience. Among the more than 100 food stalls, many will be of non-Indian cuisine, giving the visitors an international culinary experience,” he said.......[Rrad More]

India plans to add 5-in-1 vaccine in every state

MEA — 05/11/2014 16:49:16

Vaccine News Daily

Two Indian states will add a new pentavalent vaccine into their routine immunization schedules this week.

The 5-in-1 vaccine protects against hepatitis B (hepB), Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib), and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP).Continuing the Phase One rollout of the vaccine, Madhya Pradesh and Rejasthan will join eight other states currently offering the vaccine for free as part of a project by the vaccine alliance, Gavi. Ten additional states will also begin offering the pentavalent vaccine before the year is over........[Read More]

Celebrations Golden Jubilee of India-Maldives Diplomatic Relations inaugurated

MEA — 03/11/2014 09:58:31

MIADHU/ by Abdul Latheef

Celebrations Golden Jubilee of India-Maldives Diplomatic Relations has been inaugurated.

Friendship Association of India-Maldives (FAIM) in association with the Government of Maldives and High Commission of India marked"India-Maldives Friendship Day” and inaugurated the ceremony to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of India-Maldives Diplomatic Relations. The official ceremony was held on 01-Nov-2014 at Traders Hotel.
The ceremony was officiated by the Indian High Commissioner in Maldives, Rajeev Sahare.
He said that this ceremony is a very important celebration and the activities of this celebration will continue till one year......[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Billions pour into India's e-commerce business

MEA — 31/10/2014 18:39:09

The Daily Star

From Japan's richest man to Jeff Bezos, everyone wants a piece of India's booming online retail sector.

For those without billions to pump into the tightly held firms who dominate e-commerce, the best bet maybe the delivery men.

On Tuesday, SoftBank Corp Chief Executive Masayoshi Son joined Bezos's Amazon.com Inc in pledgingheavy investment in an e-commerce industry worth $10 billion and seen quadrupling in five years. Son'sgambit: a stake in Snapdeal, India's third-biggest online marketplace.

Yet the little-known firms that deliver goods ordered online are already raking in rocketing earnings frome-commerce in a country with the world's third-biggest Internet user base, and they're listed. Shares incompanies like Transport Corp of India and Gati Ltd have surged more than three-quarters this year as industry watchers seek a chance to invest.

"When you see the limitless growth in the e-commerce sector, you do want to get involved," said EricMookherjee, a Paris-based fund manager at Shanti India, whose holdings include Transport Corp. "Thenext Alibaba or Tencent can be created in a country whose population is roughly similar to China. You willget that in India."

Finance house Nomura estimated in a research note in July that India's e-commerce industry could morethan quadruple to $43 billion over the next five years, driven by online retail...............[Read more]

Hyderabad hospital claims to perform India’s first foetal heart procedure

MEA — 31/10/2014 18:42:15

Gulf News

Doctors at Care Hospital in Hyderabad have performed a heart procedure on a foetus of a 25-year-oldwoman, in what is claimed to be India’s first foetal heart procedure.

A team of eight doctors led by K. Nageshwar Rao, chief pediatric cardiologist, said the procedure wasperformed in the 27th week of pregnancy.

The foetus was diagnosed with severe obstruction in the aortic valve, which was resulting in failure ofthe left ventricle to pump blood to the body. It was also showing further damage in the form of leakage ofmitral valve ..........[Read more]

Indian Embassy brings the wonderful spectacle of Diwali to Jakarta

MEA — 31/10/2014 18:46:57

The Jakarta Globe/by Tunggul Wirajuda

The exuberance of the Indian kathak dance on the terrace of the Indian ambassador’s residence inCentral Jakarta enthralled the guests who had gathered there last week.

Lively and well synchronized, the group moved as one to the sounds of the traditional drums and otherinstruments. The following dance was just as lively yet more memorable, as the dancers imitated the bodylanguage of an elephant. The effect of the two dances was enhanced by the lanterns.

"The dances are a form of devotion to Lord Rama, and the second dance is dedicated to Lord Ganesha,”said Acharya Pratistha, a longtime Kathak practitioner who teaches the dance at the Indian Embassy.The sights and sounds of fireworks then filled the night air, adding an extra element of exuberance to theoccasion.

The soiree, attended by dignitaries including Jakarta Acting Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama andHouse of Representatives Deputy Speaker Fadli Zon, was held to mark Diwali, an important Hinduholiday that celebrates the return of the god Rama from 14 years in exile — an occasion that marks thetriumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and the return of hope.....[Read More]

Sharmistha Banerjee named India’s first global links scholar

MEA — 30/10/2014 16:57:05

Market Watch

US Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, Tupperware Brands and Rollins College – launch public-private partnership between US and India

Dr. Sharmistha Banerjee, a Professor of Business at the University of Calcutta, has been selected as the first Indian scholar for the Global Links: Empowering Women through Education & Opportunity program, launching in India. The public-private partnership is an initiative between the US Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, Tupperware Brands and Rollins College.

The innovative program is designed to train female Indian professors in social entrepreneurship. The program utilizes the train-the-trainer model with the goal of creating a pool of students who will support and mentor women in the community in starting their own businesses.

"The Global Links program provides an opportunity for government, civil society, academia and the private sector to collaborate to enhance and expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs. By working across sectors, we can give future generations of Indian women entrepreneurs the opportunity to become leaders in business and throughout Indian society,” said Catherine Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.

As the scholar in residence, Dr. Banerjee will participate in curriculum at Rollins College in the Business and Social Entrepreneurship department and the Crummer Graduate School of Business. The curriculum includes coursework on human centered design thinking, entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprise development. Subsequently, the professor will participate in an externship at Tupperware Brands, where she will gain practical experience, learn the fundamentals of direct selling, market analysis and management......[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Yoga provides jobs and changes lifes in Kenya

MEA — 30/10/2014 16:59:51

Deutsche Welle/ by Tanya Castle

From its roots in ancient India, Yoga has spread all over the world, and is now practised in many different forms. One of yoga's youngest markets is Kenya, where an increasing number of yoga studios have started up over the last few years.....[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Gift of touching hearts

MEA — 28/10/2014 16:38:26

Fiji Times/By Avinesh Gopal

There are many people in the world who are gifted with doing something or the other. But there are very few people who have been gifted by God to touch people's hearts, literally. It is this gift of touching hearts that some have that has given a new life to several Fijians over the years. This new life has been made possible by the open heart surgeries they went through at the hands of specialists from India. However, this new life came at a cost which was borne by the Fijian Government for majority of the patients who had cardiac surgery three weeks ago. While operating on these patients, the team from Sahyadri Hospitals in India also made some interesting findings as far as the heart is concerned. The hospital group's senior cardiac surgeon did not hesitate to reveal what he found in the patients and advice others on how to have a healthy heart.

IT is a very delicate surgery and the person performing it needs to have exceptional skills.The heart is beating and the surgery has to be performed on this important organ as it is.Some patients with very bad medical conditions maybe put on a heart and lung machine during surgery.

But the majority are not hooked onto any such machine — they are operated on while their hearts are still beating.

The surgeon performing the surgery has to do his work while the heart beats and he has to cut and stitch as per the timing of every beat..........[Read More]

Keep your eyes on growing India despite problems and shortcomings

MEA — 24/10/2014 14:17:09

Daily Metro/By Johan Norberg

Just after a few days I realize that my handkerchief is not black when I blow my nose. The smog which was so dense over New Delhi when I was last here is still there, but does not take over everything as before. Many other things have also changed. The roads are wider, and the holes in them fewer. The houses are grander and the city has a subway.

It has been nine years since I was in India. Since then, the average income has doubled and poverty has reduced for an incredible 200 million people. The UN estimates that the proportion of people living in slums has fallen by a third. Malnutrition is high, but has declined by 36 percent since the economy was opened in 1991.

It is important to say this, as most of the time we only hear news about this country when it comes to fights with Pakistan or abuse against women. These are realities, and there is still extreme poverty and social problems. The ancient and formally abolished caste system, which forces segregation from birth, still casts long shadows.

But the upcoming trend is undermining the old authoritarian traditions. Madhusudan Rao belongs to the lowest class in the caste system - he is a Dalit "untouchable". He grew up in a small village where he was doing work no one else wanted to do, but moved to the big city of Hyderabad to look for better opportunities. One morning he heard that a company had a shortage of workers to put down telephone cables, so he promised that he could get hold of 25 workers the same evening. He borrowed money and went to a village and hired young men. The company got the manpower, the men got paid and Madhusudan made more money in one day than he had seen in his entire life.

He got more work and started his own construction company. The untouchable became wealthy and is now raising his children to see individuals and not caste. "In cities no one asks what caste you belong to" he says.

When we talk about the progress in Asia, we more often think of China, but we have should keep our eyes on India. Despite problems and shortcomings, it is a stable democracy with a freedom of speech that its people avidly utilize. In 2030 India will have the world's largest population, and if current trends continue, India will be the world's largest economy in 2050.

It is an achievement in itself that the country holds together. It consists of 29 different states, with 1.2 billion people who speak 17 different major languages and 22,000 dialects. India is "just a geographical term, which does not have more political cohesion than Europe," Churchill declared. Political parties are tempted to play off different groups against each other. But still the country functions. When Indians look at Europe trying to reach across linguistic and national barriers, they sometimes joke that it is about time we learned from them.

(Above article has been translated from Swedish in to English. The views expressed in this article are personal views of the writer)

Indian Company Launches Solar-Powered Self-Cleaning Toilets

MEA — 24/10/2014 18:27:42

Clean Technica/ by Mridul Chadha

Eram Scientific has announced the launch of the innovative "electronic toilet” armed with "state-of-the-art technology to address public sanitation challenges.” This product has been specifically modified for use in schools.

Made of mild steel, the enclosure of the toilet is sleek and aesthetically pleasing, the company claims. The unit is self-sustaining and equipped with internet connectivity for remote access.

A user needs to insert a coin to initiate operation of the toilet. Upon the insertion of the coin, the door opens and a light is turned on. The user is even directed through voice commands. Water usage is also automated in this toilet. The toilets are programmed to flush 1.5 liters of water after 3 minutes of usage or 4.5 liters if usage is longer. All these operations are conducted using solar panels making the toilet completely "off-grid.” The toilets to be installed in schools are expected to be usable free of charge............ [Read More]

(The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the writer)

Indian stock market best in the world

MEA — 22/10/2014 10:14:18

Dagens Industri (Daily Industry)(Sweden)

The success continues for Narendra Modi’s party BJP, which last spring convincingly won the parliamentary elections. This weekend it became clear that the BJP is the winner , both in the state of Haryana, near the capital, Delhi, and Maharashtra, with over 110 million people and in the financial metropolis of Bombay. Bolstered by the election results and the low oil price Narendra Modi honours promises of liberalization. The gas price has increased and price controls on diesel have been removed. Next in line is a tax reform and a further opening of India to foreign investment.

The reforms lifted both energy companies and banks on Monday. Bombay Stock Exchange index Sensex rose by 1.2 percent. Thus, the Indian stock market has gone up by 25 percent this year, making it the best in the world's ten largest markets, according to Bloomberg.

This is a revenge for Narendra Modi, who was criticized for his cautious first budget in July. Subsidies of over 300 billion - for food, energy and fertilizers - weigh on India's budget. With the reforms India should get the budget deficit down from 4.3 to 4.1 percent of GDP.

Board Member of may leading companies Ravi Venkatesan, a heavyweight in the Indian business community, says that India has always had enormous potential, but never really realized it.

With Narendra Modi things are looking better.

"It is the first time in 30 years that a party has substantial majority and power to get things done. Modi is also the first prime minister who understands the business. India has had good leaders in the past but they have not understood or been downright suspicious of the business community,” said Ravi Venkatesan from the board of Infosys.

Recently the OECD raised its forecast for India's growth this year from 4.9 to 5.7 percent."The new government is business friendly. It can provide fantastic five to ten years for India. "

But just three years ago GDP growth went from 9 to 4 percent. As recently as February, the pressure on the rupee was hard. The government also slowed down the Indians' ability to buy gold, a refuge in times of uncertainty.

Ravi Venkatesan makes a comparison with China, which has for long beaten India in the race for foreign capital.

"China started reforms ten years before India. The economy is five times larger and the infrastructure is world class while it is horrible in India. Already when you land, you get a completely different impression. "

Now the Indian government is planning to invest more than 7.000 billion in infrastructure.

"On electricity, roads, railways and ports. It is a massive opportunity for foreign companies, "said Ravi Venkatesan.

The attraction for foreign investors is of course the population of 1.2 billion.

"Half of them are under 25 years old, ambitious, consume more and become steadily richer."

Ravi Venkatesan advises foreign companies to focus on a successful half-dozen states, mostly in the south.

"India is a continent, not a country. Many of the states are bigger than France and Germany. And there are big differences between them, as there is between Portugal and Greece on one side, and Sweden and Germany on the other side of the EU. "

The new Prime Minister is trying to overcome the widespread corruption that is limiting growth.

"People in India are fed up with the bribes. I hope that the worst is behind us, "said Ravi Venkatesan pointing to revelations of briberies in the media and active courts.

The caste system is also preventing development.

"The caste system is old and becoming more and more irrelevant, especially in the big cities but is still important on the country side. India is probably one of the most unequal countries in the world while Sweden is one of the most equal "says Ravi Venkatesan.

Modi’s stock keeps going up

Financial markets continue to embrace India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Rarely has a prime minister been so welcomed by financial markets as when he was elected in May. So far this year, the Bombay Stock Exchange has gone up by 25 percent, driven by a large influx of international capital. The rise has made the Indian stock market one of this year's best in the world.

The rise has also meant that the valuation calculated as P/E ratio is now higher than in Europe and the USA.

The Indian stock market is trading at P/E 17 on this year's earnings, compared to P/E 15 for the New York Stock Exchange and several European stock exchanges. But there is reason to continue to be on the Indian stock market bandwagon. The reason is the Indian economy's huge potential given that the country's per capita GDP is only 40 per cent of China´s.

The key to approach China's level is to get the country's 700 million rural residents to move to more productive jobs in the cities. To succeed, it requires that India be fundamentally reformed.

Financial markets believe Narendra Modi is the right man, and that conditions have been strengthened with the weekend's electoral success of his party in two of India's states.But given that the profits of the Indian listed companies are predicted to double over the next four years, as the country's growth will recover from last year's historically low 4 percent, it is likely to be too early to sell the Indian shares today.

(The above article is an English Translation of an article published in the leading Economic Newspaper of Sweden, Dagens Industri )

India and Guatemala start negotiations for Partial Scope Agreement

MEA — 22/10/2014 16:22:56

PRENSA LIBRE / by Geovanni Contreras

Guatemala and India will start negotiations for a Partial Scope Agreement that may include areas like commerce, economy or agriculture. Since these agreements are flexible they may be adapted to almost any issue.

The Foreign Ministers of Guatemala and India, Carlos Raúl Morales and Sushma Swaraj, held a bilateral meeting on Wednesday, October 2015 in India in which they reviewed the Partial Scope Agreement as well as other five agreements. The Guatemalan Embassy in India was also inaugurated on the same date.

The Guatemalan delegation was led by Morales and it also included Minister of Economy, Sergio de la Torre and eight businessmen that participated in an investment conclave from 16-17 October.

Foreign Minister Morales said that the other agreements, in addition to the negotiations of the Partial Scope Agreement, would be finalized and signed in Guatemala along with another Agreement on Reciprocal Protection of Investments. Swaraj also offered to increase the amount of scholarships slots for Guatemalans.

Morales informed that ¨the Indian Foreign Minister will make an official visit to Guatemala in March 2015, accompanied by an Indian business delegation, and we will take the opportunity to hold a meeting of the India-SICA Political Dialogue to which all Foreign Ministers of Central America will be invited¨.

During this opportunity, they will sign in Guatemala an Agreement on Exemption of the Requirement of Visa to Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports and Swaraj offered USD 200 thousand as disaster relief to deal with the ongoing droughts that have affected families in Guatemala.

The Foreign Minister participated as keynote speaker in a conference at the Aspen Research Center of India and addressed the issue of Reforms to the Global Drug Policy.

(The above article is an English Translation of the Spanish article originally published in the Guatemalan Newspaper Prensa Libre )

The Role of Female Empowerment in World-Class Eye Care

MEA — 22/10/2014 18:08:57

Huffington Post/by Harish Kilaru

The world's largest provider of eye care isn't located in Boston or San Francisco. Situated in the small town of Madurai in southern India, Aravind Eye Hospital performs sixty percent as many eye surgeries as the entire National Health Service of the United Kingdom, with half the complication rate and less than one percent of the cost. Sixty percent of Aravind's surgeries are free or ultra-subsidized, and it still maintains impressive margins. I had the incredible privilege to spend ten days observing in Madurai last June.

Strolling through the pale blue halls of the hospital, there is no futuristic technology separating Aravind from its competitors. The layout and equipment of the clinic appear ordinary, but the striking difference is the employees. Women dressed in vibrant saris (traditional Indian dress) decisively move through the hospital. Each "sister" holds a distinct role, but a persona appears common. Each sari is precisely tied, hair styled in a tight bun, and no jewelry is worn. More prominent than outward appearance is the confidence and purpose carried by each sister. Walking between wards, everything is controlled by these women. They guide the blind, comfort the families, create the glasses, andmonitorpatient flow. The physicians diagnose and operate -- the nurses do everything else........... [Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

IIT Delhi bags top prize at the GITEX competition

MEA — 22/10/2014 18:10:58

Arabian Gazette/by Lavanya Singhal

Indian students shine at the GITEX Technology Week Student Lab competition with their innovative women protection device.

A team of five from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi bagged the top award at the GITEX Technology Week Student Lab competition for ProtectMe, a product which enhances women’s safety by combining a wearable device, control room and mobile app to alert authorities and potentially volunteers when the wearer is attacked, all while recording live audio-visual feeds.

Edging out more than 50 rival applications from universities across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, the Indian students — Paras Batra, Ayush Banka, Avinash Bansa, Chiraag Kapil, and Manik Mehta– won AED 30,000 under their newly founded "Leaf Lab team”............[Read More]

Guatemala and India seek more investments

MEA — 20/10/2014 09:53:33

Diario de Centro America/ By Areli Alonzo

A Guatemalan official delegation has traveled to India from 13-17 October with the intention of strengthening the commercial ties between the two countries, attract more investments and create more formal jobs.

Minister of Economy, Sergio de la Torre, leads the delegation that will participate in the India-LAC Investments Conclave 2014 which has been organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

De la Torre said: ¨It is very important for us to consolidate and increase the bilateral trade with India and attract more investments that create jobs in the country¨.

Inauguration

The activity was also attended by Carlos Raúl Morales, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who inaugurated the Guatemalan Embassy in India that will be in charge of Ambassador George De la Roche.

The Foreign Minister said he is very happy with the bilateral meeting he held with Indian Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj, and that they agreed on the signing of a Partial Scope Agreement.

Trade

According to data from Bank of Guatemalan bilateral trade between India and Guatemala is worth USD 260 million (Q. 1.98 billion). The balance of trade favors India which exported USD 238 million (Q. 1.81 billion) to Guatemala.

India imported Guatemalan products for an amount of USD 22 million (Q. 167 million). The Asian Giant’s exports to Guatemala include textiles, pharmaceutical industry products and rickshaws (Cycle-Cabs).

Minister of Economy told that Guatemala’s exports to India include cardamom, wood, paper, carton, machinery, mechanical devices for electro-technical applications, recording devices, audio players, coffee, and metal waste.

Pharmaceuticals

As per the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry, it has earned worldwide reputation with the production of high quality formulations at affordable prices for millions of people in many developing countries.

According to Bank of Guatemala, Indian Pharmaceutical Industry has invested over USD 115,080,500 (Q. 901,080,315) in Guatemala.

Subrata Bhattacharjee, Ambassador of India to Guatemala, presented on August 13 a Delegation from the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (PHARMEXCIL). Abhay Sinha, PHARMEXCIL Representative, said the delegation included 23 companies exporting pharmaceutical formulations (generics), Active Ingredients (AI), herbal and traditional Medicines.

Sinha told that between 15-20 Indian companies non-based in Guatemala are commercializing formulations through national drugstores. In the field of plastic exports, Subrata Bhattacharjee said that Indian main products are polymers and semi-elaborated products.

India and Guatemala established diplomatic relations in 1970.

The last visit of a Guatemalan Foreign Minister to India took place in 2007 when Ambassador Gert Rosenthal made a 6-day visit to the country. *With information from EFE news agency.

Solidarity for ongoing droughts

India has expressed its solidarity with the most affected by the droughts by giving a donation of USD 200 thousand (Q. 1.52 million) as disaster relief to deal with the ongoing droughts in Guatemala. According to Carlos Raúl Morales, Minister of Foreign Affaris, the droughts have affected 70% of plantations. Government of Taiwan has also joined the efforts and its Ambassador in Guatemala, Adolfo Sun, handed over a donation worth USD 300 thousand (Q. 2.29 million) that would be utilized to assist families that have lost their crops in San Juan Comalapa and San José Poaquil villages of Chimaltenango Department.

The donation was received by the Vice President of Guatemala, Roxana Baldetti, who explained that Taiwan’s donation will be addressed to the purchase of 5,575 food packages consisting of corn, beans and flour to prepare atol (fortified drink); the food packages will benefit at least 1,115 homes.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Guatemala and India seek more investments

India and Latin America strengthen commercial ties

MEA — 20/10/2014 09:57:03

Siglo 21

India and Latin America are seeking to strengthen their ties by celebrating an investment conclave in New Delhi and thus advance towards a historical duplication of their trade transactions during the next five years.

According to the organizers of the conclave, trade relations between India and Latin America and the Caribbean has increased at annual rate of 25% during the last decade but the level of investments between them maintained very low rates during the last 20 years.Because of this, Indian Minister of Commerce, Nirmala Sitharaman, called to further deepen economic relations and improve investment levels which she considers are "modest and very low from their true potential”.

Rakesh Bakshi, organizer of the conclave, said "we have started to walk together, now let us run together”. He also wanted "to tell the world during his address during the inaugural session: We are ready to do business¨.
With his objective in mind, delegates from 350 Latina American countries traveled to the Indian Capital where, today, they will hold bilateral meetings with their counterparts in the Asian Giant.
The activity was attended by government authorities including Nicaraguan Minister of Commerce and Promotion of Investments, Alvaro Baltodano; Haitian Minister of Finance, Marie Carmelle Jean Marie; and Guatemalan Minister of Economy, Sergio de la Torre.

De la Torre said that besides being a politician he is also ¨a businessman¨ and he called for creation of a ¨Joint Committee¨ with Government and private sector representatives in order to identify the business opportunities between the region and the Asian Giant.

The Argentinean Secretary of Economic Relation, Carlos Bianco, highlighted that it is important to take advantage of the ¨synergies¨ that emerge in Latin America like MERCOSUR and the Pacific Alliance with the aim of cooperating and improving the bilateral relations with India.

In his opinion, the only way to overcome this ¨lack of knowledge¨ of each other’s regions is by having ¨high-level government visits and business delegations¨.

Ever since the celebration of the first edition of this conclave six years back, Indian investments in Latin America have become more balanced with 13 different investment destinations over the initial six destinations that India had ten years ago.

Notwithstanding, Baltodano considers that the balance of trade is not balanced enough and he has requested India not to keep its commercial exchange with big countries only and to collaborate with the ¨development of Central America¨.

In order to pursue this and other objectives, New Delhi held several conferences that focused on sectors like infrastructure, tourism and manufacturing.

During this year’s edition, Argentina and Peru were guests of honor of the India-LAC Investment Conclave, they will take part in their own conferences and they will have their own information stands. The conclave will conclude on October 17...[Read more]

Businessmen see potential in trade relations

MEA — 20/10/2014 10:00:31

Diario de Centro America

India and Latin America are seeking to strengthen their ties by celebrating an investment conclave in New Delhi and thus advance towards a historical duplication of their trade transactions during the next five years.

According to the organizers of the conclave, trade relations between India and Latin America and the Caribbean has increased at annual rate of 25% during the last decade but the level of investments between them maintained very low rates during the last 20 years.
Because of this, Indian Minister of Commerce, Nirmala Sitharaman, called to further deepen economic relations and improve investment levels which she considers are "modest and very low from their true potential”.

Business

Rakesh Bakshi, organizer of the conclave, said "we have started to walk together, now let us run together”. He also wanted "to tell the world during his address during the second inaugural session: We are ready to do business¨.

With his objective in mind, delegates from 350 Latina American countries traveled to the Indian Capital where, today, they will hold bilateral meetings with their counterparts in the Asian Giant.

The activity was attended by government authorities including Nicaraguan Minister of Commerce and Promotion of Investments, Alvaro Baltodano; Haitian Minister of Finance, Marie Carmelle Jean Marie; and Guatemalan Minister of Economy, Sergio de la Torre.

Cooperation

The Guatemalan Minister said that besides being a politician he is also a businessman and he called for creation of a Joint Committee with Government and private sector representatives in order to identify the business opportunities between the region and the Asian Giant.

The Argentinean Secretary of Economic Relation, Carlos Bianco, highlighted that ¨It is important to take advantage of the synergies that emerge in Latin America like MERCOSUR and the Pacific Alliance with the aim of cooperating and improving the bilateral relations with India¨.

Rendezvous at Mars

MEA — 21/10/2014 18:05:56

Space News

The Sept. 24 capture of India’s first interplanetary spacecraft into Mars orbit marks another significant achievement for the rising space power.

The Mangalyaan probe, like India’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter that flew in 2008, symbolizes the expanding frontiers and potential of a space program that grew up on down-to-Earth applications like resource mapping, weather monitoring and communications. The Indian Space Research Organisation, which developed Asia’s first successful Mars mission at an estimated cost of roughly $70 million, is to be congratulated.

Perhaps by coincidence, Mangalyaan’s arrival came just three days after that of the latest U.S. visitor to the red planet, NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probe..........[Read More]

In India, there is more than Kareena Kapoor

MEA — 17/10/2014 11:29:40

Al-Youm Al-Sabie/by Amr Gad

Originally published on September 03, 2014

A few days ago, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ambitious program to open a bank account for every Indian citizen to benefit from financial services that are not available to them under normal circumstances. This account provides its holder with a credit and insurance document of about 100,000 Indian Rupees (about 13,000 Egyptian pounds) and another life insurance policy of one third of that amount.

There are two remarks here: first, in the first day of launching the program, about 15 million Indians joined this program which encouraged the government to go on with it. Under this program, the government targets to open 75 million accounts for 75 million families that constitute the poor category of this country whose population, according to the most recent statistics, amount to one billion and 300 million. If the program succeeds, it would elevate the standard of living of the poor category and may even raise it to that of the middle class through investing these amounts of money in successful medium and small enterprises. As for the concerns that such poor citizens may be sent to prison for being burdened with debts, the government have imposed controls to prevent this.

Second: the genius decision makers of India linked the provision of subsidies to this program. The government plans to give subsidy to citizens by transferring the money to their bank accounts. Hence, the government can eradicate corruption in the subsidy system.With these remarks in mind, we can see that the situations in Egypt and India are similar to a large extent. In Egypt, just as in India, the problem of high population growth rates hinders development, especially if it grows at lower rates than that of the population. Some of the economically emerging countries managed to solve this problem by making use of the growing population in boosting the economy. In this regard, the Indian Prime Minister said: "This program will connect the poor with the mainstream of the Indian economy.” Hence, the aim of this program is not to make the poor category a rich one, but rather to raise their standard of living and stimulate their interest in savings. This is similar to what the Egyptian decision maker has done by issuing investment certificates to fund the Suez Canal project.We do not need to be impressed by the Indian films that are immersed in passion, fantasy and superstition. We need only to know that India has become the world’s 12th most powerful economy in spite of the social, racial and political problems it suffers. We used to look at the faults of other people, but not to look at our own faults. Instead, we should look at what other people do to overcome their problems.I remembered this contradiction while I was watching a scene of an Indian film in which the hero managed to overcome 5 men in one strike to rescue his beautiful girl friend who started to dance happily with her eyes full of tears. Seeing those around me so impressed with the scene, I said to them: "This girl does not deserve the fighting of these guys for her.” At that point, a young girl said to me: "She is so cute. How come you do not know Kareena Kapoor?” Appearing as an ignorant, I spoke no more.

This is an English translation of the article originally published in Egypt's Arabic Newspaper (Youm Al Sabae) which can be accessed here

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

20,000 solar pumps to provide drinking water to remote parts of India

MEA — 17/10/2014 17:50:44

Eco-Business

The drinking water and sanitation ministry has set a target of installing 20,000 solar power-based pumping systems in tribal and inaccessible hamlets/ habitation during this financial year to provide potable piped water to the locals.

In such areas, piped drinking water is almost impossible due to non-availability of electricity. As per the plan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan would get 2,000 pumping systems each. Other states that have been identified for 1,500 such pumps are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh while Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana would get 1,000 pumps each............[Read More]

India launches third satellite for regional navigation constellation

MEA — 17/10/2014 17:44:20

Space News/by K.S. Jayaraman

India on Oct. 16 successfully launched the third of seven planned satellites for its Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), which is expected to be fully operational in 2015.

In a nationally televised launch, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off at1:32 a.m.local time from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota carrying the 1,425 kilogram-IRNSS-1C satellite. The satellite was injected into an elliptical orbit with a perigee of 282 kilometers and an apogee of 20,670 kilometers as intended.........[Read More]

India to get first-ever mental health policy

MEA — 10/10/2014 18:54:06

Wall Street Journal/ by Shanoor Seervai

Mental illness in India has grown so much that the government has promised to frame its first national policy on the issue, said Health Minister Harsh Vardhanon Tuesday.

"Unfortunately, society still stigmatizes those who suffer from routine psychiatric problems and so their treatment is either delayed or denied. We need to build up a social movement to change mindsets and focus on the human dimension of mental illnesses,” said Dr. Vardhan in a statement.

The new policy will be launched on Oct. 10, the date that will henceforth be observed as National Mental Health Day across India each year.

The policy is likely to include provisions for more institutions and trained professionals to tackle mental health. India’s universal health insurance program – another of the health minister’s promises — "will also have a focus on mental health,” said Dr. Vardhan in a statement...........[Read More]

India hopes to revive economy with launch of MOM

MEA — 10/10/2014 18:56:50

Guardian Liberty Voice/ by Bridgette Bryant

India began its hopeful economic rise with the launch of its first orbital spaceship, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). After an almost year-long voyage, Indian scientists entered the orbit of Mars for the bargain price of 4.5 billion rupee ($74 million). This reputation-establishing mission may be the first milestone toward the nation’s advancement, particularly due to its cost-effective production, which was only 11 percent of the cost to produce the U.S. Mayan probe.

"History has been created today,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an acknowledgement speech at the Indian Space Research Organization office in Bengaluru. "We have dared to reach out into the unknown and have achieved the near impossible.”

To put into perspective the gravity of the first-run feat, consider that over half of all previous attempts at orbit – 23 out of 41 worldwide – failed to succeed. Prime Minister Modi put the achievement into further jovial perspective stating that, "this mission costs less than it takes to make a Hollywood movie. These are the achievements that will go down as landmarks in history.” The triumph even earned India a technological nod of respect from U.S. NASA, which congratulated them via tweet and welcomed MOM into the elite circle of red planet researchers........[Read More]

Democracy in India and Indonesia

MEA — 08/10/2014 09:45:58

The Jakarta Post/ by Erwin Wirawan

India and Indonesia are regarded as the world’s largest and third-largest democracies respectively. India and Indonesia have many similarities. Both declared independence at relatively the same time and each founding father, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sukarno were co-founders of the non-aligned movement. Both have large populations and social diversity. Both are still developing and still grappling with poverty, red tape and inadequate infrastructure.

The differences are India has embraced democracy since its earliest days, while Indonesia achieved it in 1998 after toppling president Soeharto. In terms of economics, Indonesia under president Soeharto‘s administration was touted as an economic miracle. India’s economic growth has been anemic for decades. Nehru’s legacy was opting for centralized development planning. Amid the financial crisis in the 1990s, India, led by then prime minister Narasimha Rao and then finance minister, Manmohan Singh, started reforming the economy and moving to a market economy.

It is worth noting that in India a state is managed by a party and led by a chief minister. Through economic surveys, each state’s performance is publicly announced. Each party boasts about the best performance of states under its rule. So, before elections Indians have references on a political party’s performance. The party hardly promises anything beyond reality.

In a similar vein, Indonesia has been under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s (SBY) administration for 10 years. The best he gave us was stability in economy and politics. The economy has grown by around 5 percent during his two terms, which brought Indonesia into the G20 as a country shaping the global economy. And there has been no significant turmoil in politics. However, his administration has been tainted with corruption scandals implicating the top brass of his Democratic Party.

Thanks to democracy Indonesia has also given birth to a new leader. To many people, Joko "Jokowi” Widodo was seen as the best choice to replace SBY and bring Indonesians to prosperity. Like India’s Modi, his meteoric rise started from the success in managing a municipality, Surakarta. He made many breakthroughs in the economy, infrastructure and public services through a hands-on approach.

Later, this achievement brought him to lead Jakarta and ultimately to lead Indonesia. To this point, Indians and Indonesians have got the leaders they wanted. However, India and Indonesia have different political systems. Under the parliamentary system, Indians know exactly what party to vote for if they want Modi to be prime minister. And in the last general election, the BJP-led coalition swept the parliament.

In contrast, Indonesia subscribes to a presidential system with the result that legislative elections do not necessarily correspond with the presidential election. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)-led coalition who managed to secure Jokowi’s presidency got fewer seats than those of the opposition coalition. The debacle begins.

Even before the new president is sworn in the opposition is trying everything to show their force in controlling legislation and trying to hamper all the executives’ policies. The amendment to the law regarding the House of Representatives leadership is a case in point.

As an Indonesian, I am very envious of the Indians. In India, the fierce rivalry during the general election has completely stopped as the loser has given way to the winner. And the newly established government has started working with full confidence and support. In Indonesia, the future looks grim and uncertain. The fallout of the presidential election still exists and, sadly, Jokowi’s administration – instead of working to catch up with the progress of other developing nations – has to start quarrelling with the House about many issues for the next five years.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

This article can also be read at:
Democracy in India and Indonesia

India proves that space exploration can be a low-budget affair

MEA — 08/10/2014 15:35:47

North West Georgia News

The sum of $74 million doesn’t go as far as it used to: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earned that amount in just the past two years.

A Los Angeles home once owned by Walt Disney recently sold for $74 million.

In India, however, $74 million is all that’s needed to send a satellite into orbit around Mars.

Determined to explore the red planet ahead of rival China — and to demonstrate its technical prowess — the world’s second-most populous country last month succeeded in delivering its Mars orbiter to the intended destination 420 million miles away.

For $74 million. NASA expects to spend nine times more on its latest (and much more complex) Mars program.

India kept the costs of its space shot low by adapting cheap, indigenous technology, limiting the payload to a modest 33 pounds and using the Earth’s gravity to slingshot its craft out of orbit instead of powering through with a larger, more expensive rocket......[Read more]

Indian state of Rajasthan simplifies regulations to boost solar power capacity by 25 GW

MEA — 08/10/2014 17:16:21

Clean Technica/by Mridul Chadha

India is on a fast-track to boost its solar power capacity, and as the investors flock to its solar power market, no state would stand to gain more than the western state of Rajasthan.

The Rajasthan state government has a policy that dwarfs the national solar power policy itself. While the current national policy aims at 22 GW installed capacity by 2022, the Rajasthan solar power policy targets 25 GW installed capacity over the next five years.The state has about 600 MW installed solar power capacity as of now.............[Read more]

India at the Forefront

MEA — 07/10/2014 12:46:38

El País

The coming to power of nationalist Narendra Modi is implying an increasing presence of India in the forefront of international politics. The biggest democracy of the world –as per number of voters– wants to be considered not only as a huge market or a regional nuclear power, but also as an important technological partner and a key political leader.

It is not surprising that the international tour that has taken Modi to the U.S. –after hosting Chinese President Xi Jingping– has coincided with the announcement that India has placed a satellite in the Mars orbit for barely euros 54 million, a trifling figure in terms of space research. This shows what India is able to do with its human capital. And if it is able to place a satellite in Mars, it could send its nuclear warheads anywhere on the planet.

It is significant that this other Asian giant's main investment item is indeed knowledge. It is the world's largest exporter of computer science intelligence and one of the main suppliers of Silicon Valley. Modi also wants to create 100 intelligent cities in the next years, and has the help from China to build a giant high-speed network to connect those cities with hundreds of technological parks, which will make the country have one foot in the global cutting edge.

But the other foot is on a fragile territory. The shining face of the coin has a dark side of extreme inequality; the prime minister won the elections promising "toilets before temples” in a country where 54% of its 1.2 billion inhabitants do not have a bathroom. India harbours some of the largest pockets of misery in the world, with millions of illiterate and poverty-stricken citizens.

Modi wants his country to be a great power and to act like one. It remains to be seen how the power grows in the inside and what type of power it will project to the outside.

The Spanish version of this article can be read at:
India at the Forefront

A brighter future for the Hornbills of India

MEA — 08/10/2014 17:11:01

NatGeo News Watch‎/by Magnus Lidén

Today, given that fake ”bills” are such a widespread problem, it is perhaps nice to hear that they may play a positive role—in this case, in nature conservation in Arunachal Pradesh in northeast India. However, these aren’t counterfeit monetary notes; rather, they are replacements for bird beaks!

The Nyishi are one of many Tibeto-Burmese tribes that inhabit the valleys and foothills of the eastern Himalayas. The tribe is descended from paleo-mongoloid ancestors and speaks the Tibeto-Burman group of languages...........[Read more]

Festival offers a taste of India

MEA — 08/10/2014 17:21:29

Stevens Point Journal Media

Experience the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of India at the 27th annual Festival of India Saturday at Stevens Point Area Senior High, 1201 Northpoint Drive.

The day will include henna painting, an Indian bazaar of clothes, arts and crafts, games, Indian cuisine and a variety of workshops from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Professional Indian dance groups and a comedian will perform from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. These activities are offered free of charge.......[Read more]

India tapping 7,600 km of offshore power potential

MEA — 08/10/2014 17:26:37

Nikkei Asian Review/by Kiran Sharma

In an effort to harness renewable energy, India has announced its first offshore wind power project along the coast of Gujarat, the political home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A memorandum of understanding for the 100-megawatt Gujarat demonstration project has been signed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and state-run National Thermal Power Corporation and Power Grid Corporation of India.

The pilot project is expected to pave the way for similar projects along India's 7,600 km coast. Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal described this as a great opportunity for Asia's second largest energy consumer after China.......[Read more]

India overcame Poverty and reached Mars

MEA — 17/10/2014 17:19:05

By Fawzi Abdel Moneim

This Article is in Arabic Language. Please Click Here

A renewed U.S.-India partnership for the 21st century

MEA — 30/09/2014 18:43:33

Washington Post/ by Narendra Modi and Barack Obama

As nations committed to democracy, liberty, diversity and enterprise, India and the United States are bound by common values and mutual interests. We have each shaped the positive trajectory of human history, and through our joint efforts, our natural and unique partnership can help shape international security and peace for years to come.

Ties between the United States and India are rooted in the shared desire of our citizens for justice and equality. When Swami Vivekananda presented Hinduism as a world religion, he did so at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago. When Martin Luther King Jr. sought to end discrimination and prejudice against African Americans, he was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent teachings. Gandhiji himself drew upon the writings of Henry David Thoreau.

As nations, we've partnered over the decades to deliver progress to our people. The people of India remember the strong foundations of our cooperation. The food production increases of the Green Revolution and the Indian Institutes of Technology are among the many products of our collaboration.

Today our partnership is robust, reliable and enduring, and it is expanding. Our relationship involves more bilateral collaboration than ever before - not just at the federal level but also at the state and local levels, between our two militaries, private sectors and civil society. Indeed, so much has happened that, in 2000, then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could declare that we are natural allies.

After many years of growing cooperation since, on any given day, our students work together on research projects, our scientists develop cutting-edge technology and senior officials consult closely on global issues. Our militaries conduct joint exercises in air, on land and at sea, and our space programs engage in unprecedented areas of cooperation, leading us from Earth to Mars. And in this partnership, the Indian American community has been a vibrant, living bridge between us. Its success has been the truest reflection of the vitality of our people, the value of America's open society and the strength of what we can do when we join together.

Still, the true potential of our relationship has yet to be fully realized. The advent of a new government in India is a natural opportunity to broaden and deepen our relationship. With a reinvigorated level of ambition and greater confidence, we can go beyond modest and conventional goals. It is time to set a new agenda, one that realizes concrete benefits for our citizens.

This will be an agenda that enables us to find mutually rewarding ways to expand our collaboration in trade, investment and technology that harmonize with India's ambitious development agenda, while sustaining the United States as the global engine of growth. When we meet today in Washington, we will discuss ways in which we can boost manufacturing and expand affordable renewable energy, while sustainably securing the future of our common environment.

We will discuss ways in which our businesses, scientists and governments can partner as India works to improve the quality, reliability and availability of basic services, especially for the poorest of citizens. In this, the United States stands ready to assist. An immediate area of concrete support is the "Clean India" campaign, where we will leverage private and civil society innovation, expertise and technology to improve sanitation and hygiene throughout India.

While our shared efforts will benefit our own people, our partnership aspires to be larger than merely the sum of its parts. As nations, as people, we aspire to a better future for all; one in which our strategic partnership also produces benefits for the world at large. While India benefits from the growth generated by U.S. investment and technical partnerships, the United States benefits from a stronger, more prosperous India. In turn, the region and the world benefit from the greater stability and security that our friendship creates. We remain committed to the larger effort to integrate South Asia and connect it with markets and people in Central and Southeast Asia.

As global partners, we are committed to enhancing our homeland security by sharing intelligence, through counterterrorism and law-enforcement cooperation, while we jointly work to maintain freedom of navigation and lawful commerce across the seas. Our health collaboration will help us tackle the toughest of challenges, whether combating the spread of Ebola, researching cancer cures or conquering diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and dengue. And we intend to expand our recent tradition of working together to empower women, build capacity and improve food security in Afghanistan and Africa.

The exploration of space will continue to fire our imaginations and challenge us to raise our ambitions. That we both have satellites orbiting Mars tells its own story. The promise of a bettertomorrowis not solely for Indians and Americans: It also beckons us to move forward together for a better world. This is the central premise of our defining partnership for the 21st century. Forward together we go - chalein saath saath.

(Narendra Modi is Prime Minister of India. Barack Obama is President of the United States.)

Why Better Ties With India Should Be Among Next Government's Foreign-Policy Priorities

MEA — 29/09/2014 18:44:13

The Jakarta Globe/byJohannes Nugroho

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently in the United States for his first official state visit there. In welcoming him, the US Congress has also designated Sept. 30 as US-India Partnership Day.

While a state visit to Indonesia by Prime Minister Modi is not in the offing yet, it would be in Jakarta’s interest that one be arranged as soon as possible. It may even be wise for the country’s President-elect, Joko Widodo, to make India among the top five countries to visit first after taking office.

The last Indonesian leader to visit New Delhi was President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011. The visit was of particular importance as President Yudhoyono had been invited as the state guest of honor for India’s Republic Day celebrations. It was also hailed as a watershed in trade relations between the two nations as trade and investment agreements worth over 15 billion dollars were duly signed..........[Read More]

Unleashing India's Energy and Drive

MEA — 26/09/2014 10:24:40

The Wall Street Journal/by Narendra Modi

There is a high tide of hope for change in India. This May, across India's immense diversity, 1.25 billion people spoke unequivocally for political stability, good governance and rapid development. India has a government with a majority in the Lok Sabha, our lower house of parliament, for the first time in 30 years. A young nation with 800 million people under age 35, India is brimming with optimism and confidence. The young people's energy, enthusiasm and enterprise are India's greatest strength. Unleashing those attributes is my government's biggest mission.

We will pursue this mission by eliminating unnecessary laws and regulations, making bureaucratic processes easier and shorter, and ensuring that our government is more transparent, responsive and accountable. It has been said that doing the thing right is as important as doing the right thing.

We will create world-class infrastructure that India badly needs to accelerate growth and meet people's basic needs. We will make our cities and towns habitable, sustainable and smart; and we will make our villages the new engines of economic transformation. "Make in India" is our commitment—and an invitation to all—to turn India into a new global manufacturing hub. We will do what it takes to make it a reality.........[Read more]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Is Getting India Going

MEA — 25/09/2014 10:35:53

Jakarta Globe/by Ambassador Gurjit Singh

The new government in India was elected in June and has completed 100 days in office under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The government has emerged with an absolute parliamentary mandate through the hope and aspirations of the people of India and had undertaken to prepare a road map within 100 days for India’s development, keeping in view a new focus on "minimum government and maximum governance.” The slogan of Prime Minister Modi, Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas, or All Together, Development for All, is a new call for inclusive development among people, among states and in the entire country.

In the first 100 days some important initiatives have been taken to bring the economy back on track and put more focus on infrastructure development. The government has introduced a scheme called Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna, which is a comprehensive financial inclusion scheme, which opens bank accounts for all those who are outside the reach of the banking system. So far 30 million new accounts have been opened. The government also works towards reforming the working of the cabinet system through groups of ministers, unleashing the dynamism of the bureaucracy, seeking a replacement for the Planning Commission with a new initiative and has undertaken fast-track diplomacy both bilaterally and multilaterally.

In his first Independence Day address to the nation on Aug. 15 this year, Prime Minister Modi, besides the financial inclusion scheme, also announced an initiative for strong infrastructure to empower India; an initiative for clean India (Swach Bharat) to be launched on Oct. 2 (Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday) as well as initiatives to improve sanitation facilities in schools, to have model villages as well as to empower common people to further realize the potential of India’s youth. A nationwide "Skill India” movement will be initiated to improve skills and increase employment.

From the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day, the prime minister also announced the "Make in India” campaign, inviting manufacturers to invest in India and utilize India’s strengths and capabilities to boost India’s industrial growth. In his view, the Made in India label could become a synonym of excellence and with the current changes in the policies towards foreign investment and joint ventures, this can strengthen the Indian economy. With initiatives to increase investment and to create employment, the growth rate has returned to a positive direction.

Among the efforts made by the new government to improve the growth rate, are measures taken to ease the business atmosphere and also to discourage red tape; some of the efforts are to boost business practices in all of India’s states, industrial licensing brought under the e-biz portal, the process of applying for industrial licenses and the industrial entrepreneurs memorandum has been brought online and the service is now available to entrepreneurs on 24/7 basis at the e-Biz website, without human interface. Visa on arrival for business entrepreneurs is also under consideration.

With greater emphasis on Foreign Direct Investment, the government has allowed 100 percent FDI in the railway sector and 49 percent in the defense industry. FDI in the construction sector is being liberalized particularly to focus on the development of smart cities and to provide affordable housing for all.

By bringing together the manufacturing sector, industrial corridors and smart cities under the Delhi-Mumbai corridors, implementation is being hastened. New cities are emerging in Dholera Special Investment Region in Gujarat, Shendra-Bidkin Industrial Park in Maharashtra, Integrated Industrial Township in Madhya Pradesh and Global City in Gurgaon, Haryana and Integrated Industrial Township in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The Perspective Plan for Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial corridor has been completed and three new industrial cities have been identified for development — Ponneri in Tamil Nadu, Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Tumkur in Karnataka — which are receiving positive attention.

The prime minister is keen to push connectivity with the Southeast Asian region, and the emphasis is now set to shift to how the connectivity corridors, when ready, can be transformed into zones of vibrant economic activity that would benefit both sides. There is keenness to transform these connectivity corridors, like the 3,200-kilometer Trilateral Highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand and the Kaladan Multi-modal transit project — that would link Kolkata port with landlocked Mizoram via Myanmar — into economic highways with special economic zones set up along the way. A new National Industrial Development Authority will take charge of these plans. These corridors will facilitate the manufacturing and service sectors and help to create a global manufacturing and trading hub.

The government will create employment opportunities through these processes. The Indian Leather Development program has emerged as the best skill-development program, training 50 thousand youth in the last 100 days with an employment rate of 83 percent. Due to these various measures, FDI inflow in India in June-July has increased by 74 percent,manufacturing growth has increased by 3.4 percent, growth in capital goods has increased by 23 percent. Twenty-one new industrial clusters have been approved in the first 100 days of the new government and these would have their own supply chains, responsive administration, lower logistic costs, and labor availability, and will provide technology upgradation. These clusters are expected to provide cost-effective productivity gains and give a further fillip to the Make in India campaign.

The Make in India initiative has a raft of proposals designed to get foreign companies to set up business and make the country a manufacturing powerhouse by expanding its global partnership. A partnership between Indian and Indonesian companies could thus lead to positive resilience not only in terms of sales to the Indian market but also further expand India-Indonesia business cooperation. Indonesian companies who are supplying palm oil, rubber and coal to the Indian market could find more opportunities to utilize their experience for downstream business opportunities in India. Indonesian companies in the service sector, particularly in construction, can find tremendous opportunities in cooperation with Indian companies in the increasingly vibrant Indian infrastructure sector.

The government in India has brought a new dynamism and direction which has created a momentum for a vibrant manufacturing sector. In the year ahead, India will fully tap its competitive strengths and continue to build partnerships with friendly countries and tap the business acumen across the board. This is an important time for Indian and Indonesian companies to come together to take advantage of these opportunities. Our bilateral engagements of a trade of $20 billion and Indian investment of approximately $15 billion and strong people-to-people links provide a good framework to create partnerships which could lead to a greater opportunity for Indonesian companies in India as well as Indian companies in Indonesia. Together they could then also look at new opportunities which will emerge through India-Asean connectivity and the Asean Economic Community.

Gurjit Singh is the ambassador of India to Indonesia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Timor Leste.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Is Getting India Going

The U.S. Bets on Modi

MEA — 23/09/2014 10:14:04

Wall Street Journal/ By Daniel Twining

America anticipates an Indian resurgence that could tilt Asia's power balance.

India's Narendra Modi was once subject to a U.S. visa ban for failing to halt communal violence while chief minister of Gujarat. He meets President Obama at the White House on Sept. 29 as an honored guest. Prime minister of the world's second-most populous country, with the biggest electoral mandate of any Indian leader in decades, he can afford to be magnanimous about former slights. The two leaders should embrace an agenda that strengthens their role as democratic and economic counterweights to growing global disorder.

Obama might envy what Mr. Modi has already accomplished: India's stock market is up 30%, growth has surged to nearly 6%, and the defeated Congress Party is so feeble it cannot even lead India's fractured opposition. Mr. Modi makes the political weather in his country, whereas Obama seems a bystander in his own. But their countries' common interests compel cooperation.

India urgently needs American technology, investment, energy and trade to reform a still-statist economy that sputtered badly under the previous government and lacks the foundations for Chinese-style growth. India could also use American support to manage a dangerous security environment featuring a witches' brew of Pakistani-based terrorism, internal insurgency and tensions with a revisionist China driven by what Mr. Modi calls an "18th century expansionist mindset." His recent summit with Xi Jinping was overshadowed by a military standoff along their border.

America anticipates an Indian resurgence that could tilt Asia's power balance in a democratic direction and drive global growth. A thriving India could also uplift the region, including troubled Pakistan. As sectarian violence engulfs the Middle East, India and its nearly 200 million Muslims exemplify relative tolerance. The United States has a considerable stake in India's success.

Refreshingly, Mr. Modi has said all things are possible between India and America—even a strategic alliance. But the two countries still have much distance to travel to create one. An agenda for the Obama-Modi summit should encompass five critical areas for cooperation: defense, energy, trade and investment, the future of Afghanistan and the crisis in the Middle East.

India is the world's largest arms importer. America is its principal supplier of military hardware, and Indians exercise more with U.S. armed forces than with anyone else. It is now time to engage in joint planning for contingencies that impact both countries. Mr. Modi's liberalization of foreign investment in the defense sector and pending renewal of a 10-year U.S.-India defense agreement offer a chance to work together to propel India's military modernization.

India faces chronic developmental bottlenecks from energy supply constraints. The 2008 Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal was designed to help—but Indian liability laws made it impossible to implement. The new team in New Delhi should push through enacting legislation as part of a pro-growth package of reforms. America could also supply natural gas as India opens its energy market to international investment. This would be a bounty for a country overly reliant on risky Middle Eastern suppliers.

And it is surely time for a U.S.-India investment treaty that opens the way to a broader agreement covering trade, technology and knowledge workers; after all, America remains India's largest trading partner in goods and services combined. Messrs. Obama and Modi should clear away the bureaucratic underbrush to make it happen. India's exclusion from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and obstructionism at the World Trade Organization could otherwise marginalize it from the global trading system at a time when almost half India's GDP is tied to the world economy. Integration into global supply chains is a developmental imperative.

India and America have high stakes in preventing Afghanistan from spiraling back into warlordism after Western forces withdraw. Indians recall that the 1999 hijacking of Air India made them—not Americans—the first foreign victims of the Taliban's alliance with Al Qaeda and other extremists. Washington and New Delhi should develop a joint plan to expand training of Afghan security forces and enhance India's stabilizing economic and diplomatic role.

Even more pressing, the victories of Islamic State compel a closer degree of Indo-U.S. collaboration. India's Arab allies—and principal energy suppliers—are all part of the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition; even China is considering cooperating. New Delhi opposed action in Libya and Syria at the United Nations and has taken a hands-off approach to the region. But how can India—home to as many Muslims as Iraq, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt combined—sit this one out?

Prime Minister Modi recently said that modern countries can follow two paths—vistarvad (expansionism) or vikasvad (peaceful development). India and America are aligned in the second camp. Mr. Modi urgently needs to revitalize India's economic fortunes and manage pressing security challenges. For both he could use, and deserves, American help.

Mr. Twining is senior fellow for Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

The U.S. Bets on Modi

Mars Probes from US and India Arrive at Red Planet This Month

MEA — 11/09/2014 11:25:17

Space.com/By Elizabeth Howell

The planet Mars is about to have some company. Two new spacecraft, one from the United States and the other from India, are closing in on the Red Planet and poised to begin orbiting Mars by the end of this month.

The U.S.-built probe, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft, is expected to enter orbit around Mars on Sept. 21. Just days later, on Sept. 24, India's Mars Orbiter Mission(MOM) orbiter is due to make its own Mars arrival when it enters orbit. Both MOM and MAVEN launched to space in 2013.

MAVEN is the first mission devoted to probing the Martian atmosphere, particularly to understand how it has changed during the planet's history. ...[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

Sanskrit, Far from Being a Dead Language, Has Attractions Outside India Too

MEA — 11/09/2014 11:31:18

Latin American Herald Tribune

Far from being a dead language, the ancient Indian tongue of Sanskrit has more and more students outside the subcontinent and there is growing interest to learn it in America and Europe.

Sanskrit has given the world such words as yoga, avatar, guru, mantra and nirvana, and in Spanish, for example, Sanskrit-derived words include colors like blue (azul) and lilac (lila) and fruits such as lemon (limon) and orange (naranja).

"But Sanskrit is not just a language, but also the study of Indian history and culture,” Professor Ramesh Bhardwaj of the University of Delhi told Efe.

Bhardwaj boasted that the university has the largest department of Sanskrit in the world, with more than 500 graduate students ...[Read more]

Iyengar and the Invention of Yoga

MEA — 27/08/2014 12:12:29

The New Yorker/ By Michelle Goldberg

In contemporary yoga classes, teachers often speak of Patanjali’s "Yoga Sutras,” a philosophical text compiled around two thousand years ago, as the wellspring of the practice. This requires an imaginative leap, because the yoga sutras say next to nothing about physical poses; their overriding concern is the workings of the mind. Yoga, the sutras say, "is the restriction of the fluctuations of consciousness.” The total of their guidance about posture is that it should be "steady and comfortable.”

Instructions for postures, or asanas, appeared much later, in medieval tantra-inflected texts, such as the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika.” Even in those works, however, you won’t find many of the positionstaught today as yoga. Fifteen poses appear in the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika,” most of them seated or supine. There are no sun salutations, no downward-facing dogs or warriors. There are instructions for drawing discharged semen back into the penis, so as to overcome death, and for severing the tendon connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth, and lengthening it so that it can touch the forehead.....[Read more]

India: Multifunctional Wonder Herb 'Rhodiola' Found in Himalaya's High Peaks

MEA — 25/08/2014 19:19:12

International Business Times/ by Sarmistha Acharya

Rhodiola can reduce the effects of altitiude sickness and exposure to radiation.

Indian scientists have found a wonder herb which regulates the immunity system, adapts to challenging environment conditions and protects people from radiation, in the high peaks of the Himalayas mountains in southeast Asia.

Rhodiola is a herb found in cold and highland climates, could be the end to the quest for Sanjeevani – the mythical herb that gave life to Ram's brother Lakshman in the great Indian Hindu epic.

Rhodiola is also found in the US and China, where the herb is used in traditional Chinese medicine for combating altitude sickness. In Mongolia, physicians prescribed it for tuberculosis and cancer. Additionally, researchers in Russia studied its impact on athletes and cosmonauts.......[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

India Set to Introduce .Bharat Domain, URLs in Indian Languages

MEA — 19/08/2014 19:39:14

India West/ by Aparajita Gupta

India, with an Internet user base of 243 million, is all set to get a ".Bharat” domain this month, followed by web addresses in six regional languages.

In tandem with its dream of "Digital India” to connect with people across the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is expected to unveil the ".Bharat” domain name on Aug 21. It will also then launch Uniform Resource Locators, or URLs, in six regional languages......... [Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Girls find ways to fight injustice in troubled Uttar Pradesh

MEA — 14/08/2014 18:46:35

UCA News/by Shawn Sebastian

On a bright sunny day, Poornima, a 20-year-old post graduate student traveled from her remote village in Sultanpur district to a town in Raebareli district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Over the next three days, she would share many of her concerns as a teen living in a dangerous environment in a troubled state and would try to find solutions to some of them.

Poornima is part of a group of more than 35 teenage girls from Uttar Pradesh who attended a leadership/journalism training camp held July 31 to August 2 in the state's Raebareli district.

During discussion groups, the teens voiced many of their pressing concerns; growing insecurity, sanitation, education, and ending the practice of dowry, among others. The camp was organized by the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana womens' rights organization based in Uttar Pradesh........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

First Solar announces first development project in India

MEA — 08/08/2014 17:34:27

PV-Magazine/by Christian Roselund

While First Solar has been the single largest module supplier for the Indian market, with the 45 MW-AC project at two sites in the new state of Telangana the company is moving into project development in the nation as well.

First Solar has announced plans to develop a 45 MW-AC solar PV project at two sites in the newly established Indian state of Telangana, which split off from Andhra Pradesh two months ago. The company plans to begin construction of the project by October 2014, with commercial operation scheduled by May 2015...............[Read More]
(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Antenna ready for the Mars Orbit Insertion: ISRO

MEA — 11/08/2014 12:50:06

Brahmand.com

India's Mars Orbiter Mission's antenna is ready for the Mars Orbit Insertion with only 14 per cent of its journey to the Red Planet left to be covered.

MOM successfully completed the characterisation of its Medium Gain Antenna, which will be used for communicating with earth during the critical Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI), ISRO said on Thursday in a post on its Mars Orbiter Mission Facebook page............[Read More]

India-born Psychiatrist elected head of West Virginia Medical Board

MEA — 11/08/2014 12:52:20

India West/by Richard Springer

India-born psychiatrist Dr. Ahmed Daver Faheem, a clinical professor in the psychiatry department at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W. Va., has been unanimously elected to a two-year term as president of the West Virginia Board of Medicine.

The board is the state’s sole authority for the issuance of licenses to practice medicine, surgery and podiatry, for physician assistants to medical doctors; and is the regulatory and disciplinary body for medical doctors, podiatrists and physician assistants...........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

India approves USD 1 million for the construction of Kandahar cricket stadium

MEA — 11/08/2014 12:55:19

Khaama Press/by Ghanizada

The government of India has approved USD 1 million for the construction of cricket stadium in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said Friday that a proposal was sent to the Indian embassy requesting USD 1 million fund for the construction of a standard cricket stadium in Kandahar province.

ACB further added that construction work of the stadium will be started in the near future in Aino Meena city, after the proposal was approved by the Indian government..................[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

‘Mughal painting’: Tiny works tell a story of vast wealth

MEA — 11/08/2014 12:57:49

Seattle Times/by Nancy Worssam

A review of "Mughal Painting: Power and Piety,” exquisite miniature paintings from the wealthy dynasty that ruled India for hundreds of years. At Seattle Asian Art Museum through Dec. 7.

Emeralds and empires, rubies and royalty, pearls and power. In the early 16th century, Muslim invaders from the West swept into Hindu India and established a dynasty that lasted into the mid-19th century. These Mughal emperors became immensely wealthy, enabling them to commission astounding artworks and jeweled adornments.

The small but dazzling collection now exhibited at Seattle Asian Art Museum, "Mughal Painting: Power and Piety,” offers a peek at the lifestyle and history of the Mughal Empire and an insight into the extent of its wealth..........[Read More]

India’s ancient cave monasteries

MEA — 11/08/2014 13:00:05

Financial Times/by William Dalrymple

To the north of Pune lie rock-cut complexes as startling as Petra but completely overlooked by tourists.

The valley was wide and fertile, still green despite the onset of the Indian summer heat. On the horizon, the hilltops were jagged with the silhouetted crenellations of Maratha forts. Below, in the valley bottom, white oxen with blue-painted horns dragged wooden ploughs through rocky strip fields. The second harvest of the year had just been reaped, and the land was being prepared for the fallow months of blazing heat ahead.

The path, though unmarked from the Tarmac road and quite deserted, was an ancient one, rubbed into a U-shaped hollow by the footfalls of generations of pilgrims. It was a steep climb up the old path in the midday sun, and I stopped every few hundred yards to mop my brow. Mynahs hopped chattering around my feet, apparently impervious to the intense heat radiating from the walls of dark rock. Thirty minutes later, finally turning the corner of the cliff, I looked on to the great façade of the building that had drawn so many generations puffing up this hill: the elaborately sculpted portico of probably the oldest intact Buddhist monastery in the world............ [Read More] (The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

India's Royal Enfield going global with retro-cool bikes

MEA — 11/08/2014 13:02:56

Los Angles Times/by Charles Fleming

The entrepreneur slipped on his aviator sunglasses, threw a leg over a gleaming new motorcycle, and roared into the North San Diego County sunset.

At the end of a long day in the saddle, Siddhartha Lal showed no signs of tiring. Wearing riding jeans and a leather motorcycle jacket, he looked like he stepped out of 1960s London.

The son of the Indian motorworks mogul Vikram Lal, Lal, 40, is CEO and managing director of Eicher Motors Ltd., one of India’s largest commercial vehicle producers, and head of the legendary motorcycle company Royal Enfield........... [Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Indian Author Wins American Literary Forum Society Award

MEA — 07/08/2014 19:11:23

India West/by Yoshita Singh

Nikhil Chandwani, a 20-year-old noted Indian author and documentary filmmaker, has become the first Asian to win the prestigious "Author of the Year Award” from the American Literary Forum Society for his novel.

Chandwani bagged the "Conspiracy Novel of the Year Award” for his book "Coded Conspiracy.”

The author has previously won the United Kingdom Writers’ Forum Award for excellence in poetry.............[Read More]

Festival of India in Japan in October

MEA — 06/08/2014 18:46:46

Daiji World

The Festival of India will be held in Japan in October, the two countries' cultural ministers decided Tuesday as they agreed to encourage bilateral cultural exchanges.

Tourism and Culture Minister Shripad Yesso Naik and Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hakubun Shimomura agreed that "friendship between India and Japan has a long history rooted in spiritual affinity and strong cultural and civilisational ties"......... [Read More]

Festival of India in Japan in October

MEA — 06/08/2014 18:49:49

India to invest in electric vehicle industry again

MEA — 06/08/2014 18:52:09

Bike-Europe

The Indian government initiated a US$ 2.3 billion incentive program to the electric vehicle industry and to enhance the adoption of greener and cleaner vehicles.

The electric vehicle industry expects the government to expedite the roll out of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 (NEMMP 2020 plan) intended to aid manufacturers of electric vehicles in India............[Read More]

Bihar soon to become first fully solar powered Indian state?

MEA — 06/08/2014 18:55:05

International Business Times /by Mangala Dilip

Former chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday visited Dharnai in Jehanabad district of Bihar, India's first fully solar-powered village, and praised the Greenpeace's efforts in installing the micro-grid.

Kumar, elated with the unique energy model, upheld it as a crucial step towards rural electrification of Bihar. The micro-grid is now powering the homes, shops, schools and street-lights of Dharnai.

"Solar energy is the only solution and I praise and appreciate Greenpeace for accepting the challenge in successfully installing this everlasting viable solution model," Kumar told the 2,000 people gathered for the public event in Dharnai on 4 August........... [Read More]

Visit From Indian Premier Signals a Political Shift in Nepal

MEA — 05/08/2014 09:37:36

New York Times/ By Gardiner Harris

KATMANDU, Nepal — Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India continued his wooing of the people and leaders of Nepal here Monday by praying at the country’s most important Hindu temple and meeting top political leaders.

Mr. Modi promised not to interfere in Nepal’s internal politics, but his graceful speech before the country’s legislature on Sunday and his rapturous reception by the country’s people and media shifted the country’s political debate.

On Monday, the country’s Maoist leaders, who have made anti-India rhetoric central to their politics, looked decidedly uncomfortable as they praised Mr. Modi after meeting with him at the palatial Hyatt Hotel here........[Read more]

A new page opens in Nepal-India relations

MEA — 05/08/2014 09:46:38

The Himalayan/ by Shyam Sharan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal on August 3 and 4 has certainly hit all the right notes. It has raised very high expectations, not unlike those in India itself, and on their fulfilment, within a reasonable period of time, rests the future of India-Nepal relations.

What were the high notes? In every pronouncement, Modi accorded respect and courtesy to his hosts. This was not an arrogant big brother talking down to a smaller neighbour. This set the right tone throughout the visit. In his speech to the Constituent Assembly, the Indian leader conveyed a categorical and public assurance that India had no desire to interfere in Nepal’s internal affairs, thus reinforcing a similar assurance conveyed earlier by Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. While expressing the hope that the Constituent Assembly would fulfil its mandate expeditiously, comments on the nature of the Constitution were avoided, except on one significant issue. By conveying his respect for Nepal’s ‘Federal, Democratic Republic, as per the wishes of the people of Nepal’, Modi put to rest apprehensions that India under the BJP would not be averse to a revival, in same form, of Nepal’s monarchy. The Indian leader reiterated what had also been conveyed earlier by his foreign minister, that India would be agreeable to ‘the review, adjustment and updating of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950, in order to reflect current realities’.

At the welcome banquet in his honour hosted by the Nepal prime minister, Modi said, "My doors are open, I invite you to bring any suggestions to review the 1950 Treaty, if you so want.” The foreign secretaries of the two countries are expected to meet soon in order to make necessary recommendations in this regard......[read more]

Indian Army in the Ypres Salient 1914-1918

MEA — 05/08/2014 09:56:28

by Dominiek Dendooven

The Indian army.s involvement on the Western front started on 6 August 1914. That day, the War Council in London requested two infantry divisions and a cavalry brigade from the Viceroy's government to be sent to Egypt. The two selected infantry divisions were the Lahore Division (3rd India War Division) and the Meerut Division (7th Indian War Division). Together they formed the Indian Corps. The Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade was added later. On 27 August 1914 the British government decided that the Indian divisions had to be sent immediately to France, as reinforcement of the British Expeditionary Force, which had already suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Mons.....[read more]

Nepal Enthralled by Visit of India Premier, Who Hits ‘the Right Notes’

MEA — 05/08/2014 10:04:32

The New York Times/ by Gardiner Harris

In a visit that has transfixed this impoverished country, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, told Nepal’s legislature on Sunday that its effort to write the nation’s Constitution was a sacred process.

"You are writing a treatise just like the rishis in the past wrote the Vedas and Upanishads,” Mr. Modi said, referring to Hindu sages and the religious scriptures they wrote.

The 50-minute speech, the first by a foreign leader before Nepal’s legislature, the Constituent Assembly, was clearly intended to urge Nepal’s leaders to finish the country’s Constitution, delayed for years.

Perhaps just as important, Mr. Modi avoided suggesting how Nepal’s legislators should resolve their remaining controversies over how to delineate states, whether to empower a president or prime minister, and whether Hinduism should be declared the state religion. Nepal, like India, is majority Hindu........[read more]

Electricity from Sewage in India

MEA — 06/08/2014 15:34:36

Environmental Expert

Waste-to-Wire: Electricity from Sewage

India’s newly elected government’s agenda on sanitation and sewage treatment is intent towards improving the socio-economic spheres of our times. Financial schemes from the central government to build sewage treatment plants, river cleaning programmes and providing clean sanitation facility for all are indicators of enterprising solutions which have been embarked by the Narendra Modi led government.

Sanitation and renewable energy generation

A holistic approach at the micro level – sanitation & sewer – can contribute towards a healthy and hygienic society along with minimising our electricity woes.

At community levels, a centralised collection and waste treatment from toilets answers not only proper sanitation but if treated scientifically, yields renewable energy as well. Adopting bio-methanation the waste can be effectively treated and the biogas thus produced can either be used as a cooking gas or can power a biogas engine for generating electricity.

At many public toilets across India the biogas-to-power concept is getting implemented. There are success stories scripted for generating electricity from the waste generated at public toilets. Many countries are adopting the concept too. A government’s mandate for energy generation from public toilets shall be notable towards meeting our needs and contributing for sustainability; in the form of waste treatment and renewable energy production.

With the rapid urbanisation and increasing population of Indian cities, it becomes paramount to treat the waste generated. The Indian Government’s announcement to develop sewage treatment plant through project funding shall ensure keeping financial challenges at bay. The Government’s fast track implementation of developing sewer networks and connecting to a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) (or wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) at community levels or at a central location shall ensure the implementation of proven ways of sewage collection and disposal. Also, adoption of latest waste treatment technology can be done which serves multi-purpose motives.

One such way to treat sewage by achieving multi-prong benefit is anaerobic digestion . The technology transforms sewage treatment into a revenue generation option. Whilst effectively treating the sewage, anaerobic digestion generates a high grade of gaseous fuel – sewage gas. The methane produced can be utilised for generating electricity – renewable energy – through a biogas engine thereby making the sewage treatment plant meet its electricity requirements. Moreover, surplus power generated can be supplied to the grid.

Massive potential for power from sewage in India

At many sites both in India and internationally, Clarke Energy has executed sewage gas based power generation facilities with long term maintenance contracts intact with the developer using GE’s Jenbacher gas engines.

Such facilities include United Utilities Davyhulme WWTP near Manchester, UK or SA Water’s Bolivar WWTP near Adelaide. However, the sewage gas based power generation plants built are miniscule against the total number of STP’s in India. Guidelines from the government favouring captive power generation using sewage can spur electricity-from-sewage.

Consuming sewage gas, a gas engine can be configured as a combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Waste heat emanating can be utilised for heating the bio-digester thereby facilitating bacterial growth for the sludge treatment. In the CHP mode, the overall plant efficiency increases significantly.

Benefits from the government through project subsidies, availing renewable energy certificates, eligibility for clean development mechanism, production of a soil improver and sustainability through a sewage gas based power plant encourages us to ‘Think & Act’ on the concept.................[Read More]

The promise of Aadhaar, India's identification card

MEA — 30/07/2014 18:33:17

The Straits Times/by Nayan Chanda

In a significant reversal, the Narendra Modi government has laid to rest fears that just to score political points, it would kill a transformational technology for good governance.

Instead of throwing out the unique identification card Aadhaar, created by the previous government, the Modi regime will harness it to directly deliver benefits to millions of recipients, bypassing the sticky fingers of corrupt officials.

The announcement was an important step in fulfilling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) campaign slogan of "minimum government, maximum governance". To take full advantage of this simple but effective tool of governance, the government needs to clean up the implementation of the programme, which has been marred by inefficiency and misuse......[Read more]

(The views expressed are the personal view of the writer)

Lighter than ‘Gravity’: Why the world should take note of India’s Mars mission

MEA — 30/07/2014 18:27:11

RT/by Rajeev Sharma

India's maiden Mars mission, launched in November 2013, has covered about 80 percent of its journey, and is likely to hit the Red Planet after the 540 million km journey on September 24 as slated.

On June 30, in his address after witnessing the successful launch of the PSLV C23 rocket that sent five foreign satellites into orbit from Sriharikota in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Indian Mars Mission had cost less than the Hollywood film Gravity.

"Our program stands out as most cost effective. There is this story of our Mars mission costing less than the Hollywood movie Gravity. I have heard that Mars mission's expense is lesser than Gravity. Our scientists have shown the world a new paradigm of engineering and the power of imagination," Modi said to the gathering..............[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Very positive relations between India and Serbia

MEA — 24/07/2014 17:28:00

In Serbia

BELGRADE – Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic and Indian Ambassador in Belgrade Narinder Chauhan underscored the need on Wednesday for improvement of bilateral economic cooperation, further enhancement of political dialogue and exchange of visits on all levels.

During the talks, Dacic and Chauhan stressed that the two countries share traditionally friendly ties forged in the Non-Aligned Movement, and pointed to the continuity of very positive political relations between India and Serbia, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in its release.

Dacic voiced gratitude on behalf of the Serbian government for India’s principled stand concerning the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo-Metohija, and he also thanked the Indian ambassador for the note of condolences and financial aid India delivered to Serbia after the catastrophic floods which hit the country in May.

Stressing the need for improvement of economic cooperation between the two countries, Dacic and Chauhan agreed that the business cooperation is far behind the level of bilateral political relations and the two countries’ potentials.

The Indian ambassador informed Dacic about the proposition of India for the meeting of the Mixed Committee for Economic and Agricultural Cooperation to be staged soon, as well as her country’s idea for organising a visit of a delegation of Indian hi-tech scientists to Serbia.

Chauhan also emphasised the growing interest of Indian companies in investing in Serbia, including certain major restructuring companies, states the release.........[Read More]

Indian city installs novel ATM-like machines to register complaints against police officers, fight corruption

MEA — 16/07/2014 19:55:37

Vacouver Desi

Indian officials vowing to clamp down on police corruption have installed automated machines where people can file complaints about officers that are sent straight to the senior police chiefs.

The pilot project is being first tested in India’s western Gujarat city of Ahmedabad where the automated complaint machines, which have been described as looking like ATM machines, been set up at the Sanand Police Station.........[Read More]

India Bets On Renewable Energy & Biotech

MEA — 15/07/2014 10:15:10

Asian Scientist/by T.V. Padma

Dashing the expectations of India’s scientific community, the newly elected government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has only marginally increased the annual budgetary allocation for science departments.

The budget for 2014—2015 presented in Parliament this week sets aside one billion Indian rupees (US$16.6 million) for a national adaptation plan to give thrust to the renewable energy sector.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley also announced US$83.07 million for solar power plants in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Overall allocation for the renewable energy ministry is at US$158.4 million, down from last year’s US$254 million..................[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

‘Professional Indian expats enrich our Kuwaiti culture’

MEA — 15/07/2014 10:26:53

Arab Times Online/by Khaled Aljenfawi

According to Arab Times, a recent statistical report by the General Immigration Department published by Alam Alyawm daily shows "the total number of residents has reached 2,413,081; 762,471 of them Indians which represent the biggest percentage in the country followed by the Egyptians with 517,973 and Bangladeshis with 181,265 come in third position.” (see Arab Times July 8, 2014).

Many of our Indian expats work in Kuwait as professionals either in the government or the private sector, and a few numbers of Indian expats occupy domestic jobs..........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Entrepreneurs launch comprehensive health services for elderly parents in India

MEA — 15/07/2014 10:05:25

MedCity News/by Amara Rose

Getting your elderly parents to see a doctor can be tough. "I’m fine,” they quaver, though that "little cough” could be bronchitis — or the spike in blood pressure may signal heart disease. Yet it’s not only a question of persuasion; there’s also the matter of managing a senior’s health when you live halfway around the world.

A trio of college friends who faced these problems in their own families developed a solution: UberHealth. Launched in April, the New Delhi, India-based service offers complete cloud- and mobile-based preventive health care packages for seniors. The initial response has been so positive that UberHealth is already rolling out family health care packages.......... [Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Conjecture Proof Leads to Pólya Prize

MEA — 11/07/2014 10:13:39

Inside Microsoft Research/by Rob Knies

It was almost a year ago, in this space, that you might have learned the astounding news that a team of two researchers from Yale University and one from Microsoft Research had announced a proof of a riddle that had eluded mathematicians for more than half a century.

The Kadison-Singer conjecture, first proposed by Richard Kadison and Isadore Singer in 1959, pertains to the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. At the time, experts suggested that the implications could be significant. That, says Nikhil Srivastava of Microsoft Research India, is starting to come true.............[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Kerala ayurveda hopes to come to Neymar’s aid

MEA — 11/07/2014 10:18:34

Gulf News/by By Akhel Mathew

Brazilian footballers battered on the field by Germany may take a few months or even years to heal their emotional wounds, but Kerala’s ayurveda practitioners feel they can help nurse at least one of them back to physical health: the redoubtable Neymar.

The Kerala Football Association has proposed that ayurvedic treatment be suggested to the Brazilian player who has suffered a spine fracture. The state government is also acting on the suggestion.

Ayurveda is a form of alternative medicine native to the Indian subcontinent........... [Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

India plans to build the world's largest floating solar farm

MEA — 12/07/2014 16:39:24

Engadget/by Daniel Cooper

Solar farms need three things: sunlight, photovoltaic panels and a huge expanse of land. It's the third in that list that's hampering green efforts in countries like India, where space is scarce and therefore very expensive. That's why India is copying Japan's (pictured) idea of building floating solar farms out on the water, saving a fortune in land costs and helping to prevent evaporation in the hottest months........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Watch how solar power is transforming Rural India

MEA — 12/07/2014 16:41:24

Think Progress/by Andrew Satter

Sun-bleached brick and concrete houses dot the landscape. Cows and buffaloes compete with rickshaws, people and the occasional SUV on the only road into town. And when the sun goes down, life comes to a screeching halt. In other words, this rural village in India’s northern plains is an unlikely place for the beginning of a technological revolution.

Yet it is here, as I watch employees of one of the country’s many fast-growing clean energy startups install solar panels on a local villager’s roof — their sixth installation of the day — that I realize I am witnessing something transformational. It is a glimpse into the future of how the world’s rural poor could access electricity: off-grid, distributed, renewable, and most importantly, affordable. It’s happening all over rural India and in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and is turning the entire narrative around energy and development on its head.......[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

India's 'Plastic Man' Turns Litter Into Paved Roads

MEA — 12/07/2014 16:43:18

Businessweek/by Akash Kapur

For as far as the eye can see, there’s stinking, smoking, untreated garbage. It’s concentrated in the municipal dump, in the South Indian city of Madurai, but not contained by it. The surrounding fields are also piled with trash. Stray dogs nibble at mounds of rotting food. The trees are denuded and covered with shredded plastic, the blue and pink and yellow bags like some kind of sinister confetti.

The road to the dump, and beyond it to Madurai’s airport, is like a Hollywood vision of dystopian ruin: lifeless, black, choked with human refuse. And that’s why Rajagopalan Vasudevan’s enthusiasm is so jarring. As he makes his way through the rubbish, he’s like a child on a treasure hunt. "Wonderful resource,” he says, admiring a jumble of plastic bags, jerrycans, and torn food packets. "With all this plastic, I could lay the whole road to the airport.”.......[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

India: Jewels that Enchanted the World. Five Hundred Years of Superb Design!

MEA — 10/07/2014 18:31:27

Yareah

Jewels that Enchanted the World. Until 27 July 2014. The State Museums of Moscow Kremlin,Moscow, Russia.Jewels that Enchanted the World, the most comprehensive exhibition of Indian jewellery ever staged, will be on view until 27 July 2014 at the State Museums of Moscow Kremlin. The exhibition examines the legacy of five hundred years of Indian jewellery,

from the 17th century to the present day. More than 300 pieces of jewellery and jewelled objects generously loaned from over 30 museums, institutions and private collections from around the world have been brought together for the first time to showcase the beauty of Indian craftsmanship, the magnificence of gemstone setting and the aesthetic refinement of Indian taste. Many of the items have never been exhibited before....[READ MORE]

India’s plan to build hospitals in Nigeria

MEA — 10/07/2014 18:36:32

The Sun

The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Ghanashyam Rangaiah, recently disclosed that India is planning to establish hospitals across the six geopolitical zones of the country. The gesture, he explained, was to make India’s medical facilities accessible and affordable to Nigerians in various communities and stop the high cost of travelling and medical expenses paid by Nigerians in India.

This plan by India must have been informed by the exodus of Nigerians to the Asian countryfor medical treatment, the parlous state of the nation’s health care delivery system, which is nothelped by the frequent industrial crises in the sector, lack of requisite equipment, manpowerand expertise in some critical areas........[READ MORE]

Britain to unveil Mahatma Gandhi's statue outside UK Parliament

MEA — 09/07/2014 20:14:40

Global Post

Britain Tuesday said that it would soon unveil the statue of India's independence icon Mahatma Gandhi outside the British Parliament to honor the 'Father of the nation'.Visiting British Chancellor George Osborne announced the news on social media site Twitter, saying that London would "honour his (Gandhi's) memory with statue in front of mother of parliaments" in Parliament Square at the heart of the British capital............... [Read More]

India manufacturing, services sectors growth outpaces China in June

MEA — 09/07/2014 20:16:40

Oman Tribune

Manufacturing and services sectors in India expanded at a faster pace than China during June while emerging market output registered the strongest upturn in business activity since March quarter of 2013, an HSBC survey reported.

The HSBC Emerging Markets Index, a monthly indicator derived from Purchasing Managers’ Index surveys, stood at 52.3 in June, up from 50.6 in May, signalling the sharpest rate of expansion since March 2013.

The pick-up in output growth was reflected in both manufacturing and services, most notably the latter, where activity expansion hit a 15-month high, HSBC said. Stronger output growth was registered across global emerging markets in June, primarily driven by India and China............. [Read More]

Adarsh Credit Co-op Reaches India's Rural Poor With Mobile Tech

MEA — 08/07/2014 11:32:32

Forbes/by Tom Groenfeldt

Mobile phones are a key way to expand financial inclusion to rural areas across emerging markets, as M-Pesa has demonstrated in Kenya. In India, Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society reaches one million members through 800 branches and more than 100,000 financial advisors who travel through villages taking deposits or disbursing money by linking to the bank through their mobile phones.

"The advisors are like walking ATMs where customers can deposit cash or get cash,” said Philips Eapen, an SAP business manager in Mumbai. "They do online and electronic banking and work primarily in rural areas, among the lowest strata of the population who don’t have access to financial institutions.” The amounts customers lend or deposit can be as low as $10 to $50 in a month, or $100 in a year........... [Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Cancer Patient Recovers Completely after Rare Surgery in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India

MEA — 08/07/2014 11:37:19

Virtual-Strategy Magazine

Dr. Lubabatuyakuba Musa, a 32-year-old physician from Nigeria, has survived from cancer, thanks to the competent surgeons in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. The Nigerian doctor was operated by a team of surgeons in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for cancer of the liver and a tumor in the heart. On July 5, 2014, Dr. Musa came to the hospital in Delhi for a follow-up, one year and three months after her surgery, and underwent all important investigations.

Congratulating the Nigerian doctor for fighting cancer bravely, Dr Suresh Singhvi, Senior Consultant Hepatic Pancreatic & Biliary (HPB) Surgery and Liver Transplant in Sir Ganga Ram hospital stated, "All of Dr. Musa’s diagnostic tests are normal and she is absolutely healthy.”........... [Read More]

Indian assistance of Rs 21 m for Budhanilkantha Temple

MEA — 09/07/2014 20:08:57

Kantipur

India has pledged an assistance of Rs 21.76 million for the construction of Mathadhis Building for Budhanilkantha Temple in Narayanthan.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed Monday between the District Development Committee, Kathmandu, Budhanilkantha Narayan Area Management Committee and Embassy of India , Kathmandu, for providing India n grant assistance of Rs. 21.76 million for the construction of Mathadhis Building for Budhanilkantha temple under Nepal- India Economic Cooperation Programme...............[Read More]

India’s mission to Mars ‘cheaper than Hollywood hit Gravity’

MEA — 01/07/2014 19:41:56

Telegraph

India has declared itself the world’s leader in cheap space exploration after its prime minister claimed its Mars mission will cost less than the Oscar-winning science-fiction thriller Gravity.

Narendra Modi, the prime minister, made his claim today at the launch of India’s latest rocket to put a French satellite into the Earth’s orbit.

It is the fifth successful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launch and Mr Modi used the occasion to assert India’s claim to be the world’s cheapest producer of rocket launchers and pitch for a larger slice of the £180 million per year space market.

India has scored significant successes in space exploration in recent years. Despite some glitches, its 2008 Chandrayaan lunar mission discovered sources of water on the Moon and its Mangalyaan Mars orbiter was launched without a hitch in November last year.........[Read More]

India Offers Ayush Scholarship Scheme

MEA — 01/07/2014 19:45:54

Asian Tribune

The High Commission of India announces the offer of eight (08) scholarships for Sri Lankan Nationals under the "Ayush Scholarship Scheme” for UG/PG/Ph.D courses in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha ,Homeopathy and Yoga during the forthcoming session of 2014 – 2015.

The Government of India selects meritorious Sri Lankan nationals for award of these scholarships Selection of candidates would be done in consultation with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Government of Sri Lanka, to pursue higher education degrees in some of the most reputed Universities in India.

All scholarships cover full tuition fees and a monthly sustenance allowance for the entire duration of the course. The scholarship also covers accommodation allowance and an annual grant for books and stationary. Besides, all ICCR scholars in India are provided full healthcare facilities........[Read More]

China invites India to join Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

MEA — 01/07/2014 15:06:11

The Hindu/by Atul Aneja

China has invited India to participate in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) — Beijing’s brainchild to steer development along the ancient "silk route” free from the influence of western-backed lenders such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Diplomatic sources, who did not wish to be named, told The Hindu that China had sought India’s participation during the visit to New Delhi by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi soon after the Modi government assumed office. "It is clear that the Chinese will not tie the lending from the investment bank to non-economic issues, such as human rights, which western-backed lenders have often leveraged as instruments of political influence and control,” the sources observed..........[Read More]

(The view expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Old ties between India and the Gulf are renewed

MEA — 01/07/2014 15:18:36

Financial Times

With the US trying to disengage from intractable wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and the US economy rapidly reducing its dependence on Gulf oil, it was perhaps inevitable that Arab and Asian leaders would begin looking to each other for strategic and commercial support.

India and the Gulf states across the Arabian Sea have trade ties that go back centuries, but their mutual dependence has never been as strong as it is today.The six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council is India’s most important trading partner and provides half its oil, with the UAE in the vanguard. Add in Iran and Iraq, and the Gulf region accounts for 80 per cent of India’s oil needs, a figure expected to rise to 90 per cent in the next decade.

Yet the relationship is not as unbalanced as the oil trade or India’s commercial record elsewhere might suggest. In the 2012-13 financial year, India exported $51bn to the GCC, mostly food, garments, jewellery and petrochemicals, making the Gulf a slightly more important market for India than the 28-nation EU...........[Read More]

NRI alert: More job opportunities to surface in India 30 June 2014

MEA — 01/07/2014 15:22:57

Emirates 24x7: Shuchita Kapur

A number of new job opportunities are expected to surface in India in the next three months, offering fresh prospects to Indian expats who may have intentions to make a move back home at some point.

After a lull before the general elections in the country, India’s hiring landscape is expected to improve considerably, a new survey reveals.

The latest employment outlook survey by job portal MyHiringClub.com shows that Indian companies are expecting the hiring pace for the upcoming quarter to rebound, giving hopes to many jobseekers.

Employers who participated in the poll foresee an increase in the headcount in the second quarter (July-September) of the current financial year. The projected hiring intentions are stronger when compared with the previous quarter........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Waves of news sweep the Indian countryside

MEA — 01/07/2014 15:25:46

Deutsche Welle/by Manasi Gopalakrishnan

Women from India’s poorest regions tell their stories every week on Khabar Lahariya, a local news website. This year, it won the DW Best of blogs (The Bobs) Global Media Forum Award in Hindi.

Kavita was barely 16 when she got married. She was still in school at the time. Her married life was not a happy one. Her husband's family was not very supportive and there was a lot of pressure on her to have children. Kavita was very young and, as a result, most of her pregnancies miscarried.

She decided to end her marriage and get back to her studies. She joined a literacy campaign organized by an NGO in New Delhi called Nirantar. Once the camp was over, Kavita and several other participants said they wanted to continue reading and writing. This is how Khabar Lahariya - which means "waves of news" - was born.

Poorvi Bhargava, Khabar Lahariya's editorial coordinator in New Delhi, recalls the days of the literacy camp. "As part of the camp, they started a small activity where they wrote stories about issues in the village - whatever they felt was close to their hearts. This became quite popular in their community.....[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Journey of Indian ‘barefoot’ master now in Arabic

MEA — 01/07/2014 15:29:36

Khaleej Times/by Sajila Saseendran

Malayalam book on Indian painter M.F. Hussain translated into Arabic, English

The story of India’s modern master Maqbool Fida Hussain is now read in Arabic by thousands across the region with the Sharjah Government publishing and distributing the translated version of a book on the painter written by a UAE-based Indian journalist.

The Department of Culture and Information of the Sharjah Government published the translated version of the book — orginially written in Malayalam by E.M. Ashraf, the Middle East director of News and Programmes at Malayalam television channel Kairali TV.

The department distributed 3,000 copies of the book in various Arab countries along with the last issue of its monthly magazine Arrafid, Dr Omar Abdul Aziz, the chief editor of the magazine, told Khaleej Times........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Indian dancers tell stories to a Staten Island audience without a word

MEA — 01/07/2014 19:48:19

SILive.com/by Michael J. Fressola

Five small dancers, wearing resplendent jewelry, ankle bells and costumes, in elaborate make-up and long braids interwoven with flowers, certainly looked the part Saturday afternoon in the auditorium of the St. George Library Center.The girls were playing goddesses, it turned out, performing a traditional semi-classical Indian dance that has survived largely unchanged for thousands of years.The reason, dancer and educator Raja Rajeswari explained to a full house in the library auditorium, is that traditional dance is still an important part of Indian culture.

"It is always performed at weddings, festivals and religious events," she said.........[Read More]

India's mutual fund investment may double in five years

MEA — 29/06/2014 11:26:50

Wall Street Journal/ by Debiprasad Nayak

The amount of money invested in mutual funds in India could double to more than $300 billion in the next five years, an industry association said, as the incomes of the country's massive middle class grows and it discovers that there are more ways to save than just gold and property.

The amount of Indian money stashed in mutual funds has recently reached around 10 trillion rupees ($167 billion) and that number could double in the next five years, the Association of Mutual Funds in India said at an industry conference it sponsored Thursday.

As the wealth of the Indian individuals and corporations grows they inevitably look for more ways to save. The amount of money managed by stock and bond mutual funds in India has already almost doubled in the last six years.....[Read More]

Empowering Indian women through employment

MEA — 29/06/2014 11:29:16

The Guardian/ by Natricia Duncan

Ela Bhatt, Indian co-operative organiser and activist, on the challenges facing women in the informal economy

Tell me about yourself and why you started the Self-Employed Women's Association of India (Sewa) in 1974

I am a product of India's freedom struggle and have been influenced by the values of Mahatma Gandhi and Anasuya Sarabhai, who started the textile labour union. When I joined that union in Ahmedabad in 1955 it had already achieved some legislative protection for the workers, but women were lost in the industrial progress.....[Read More]

The Learning Tea brightens the future for poor or orphaned girls in India

MEA — 29/06/2014 11:31:50

Christian Science Monito/by By Stell Simonton

Along the rough steep road up the Himalayas to this city known for its tea, a young woman walks bent double under a load. She's carrying rocks in a basket on her back, with a strap over her forehead.

Women will pound the rocks to break them up and make concrete.

In West Bengal, India, girls who are orphaned or whose parents are poor can look ahead to this kind of hard labor. If they are lucky, they might get field work picking tea on one of the many tea plantations for about $2 a day.....[Read More]

Africa to model public-private partnerships on India’s success

MEA — 29/06/2014 11:35:09

Out-Law

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) said it aims to draw on lessons learned from India’s successful implementation of private-public partnerships (PPP) and to use the model to encourage further investment in Africa’s infrastructure.

AfDB said yesterday that it had signed an agreement with India’s government to adopt model agreements and legal documents associated with PPPs in that country to use in African nations.

The AfDB said: "India is one of the developing countries to have successfully received large-scale investment to the tune of $300 billion in infrastructure under the PPP model. With more than 1,000 PPP projects, India is said to have perfected the PPP model, which could arguably provide a solution to Africa’s infrastructural deficit."....[Read More]

Indian Contemporary Literature considered in Iranian Artists Forum

MEA — 29/06/2014 11:37:14

Iran Book News Agency

The Iranian Artists Forum hosted the meeting "Indian Contemporary Literature” attended by the scholar Safdar Taqizadeh, as well as Ehsan Abbaslou, Behnaz Ali-Pour and Elham Baqeri on Thursday, June 26.

Speaking to IBNA correspondent, Elham Baqeri, research secretary of India's Cultural Centre in Iran described the event: "The subject of the lecture by master Taqizadeh, the Iranian writer, translator and critic was "Rabindranath Tagore from the View of William Butler Yeats, the Great Poet of the West.”

Moreover Behnaz Ali-Pour (PhD) presented a brief history about the English language Indian writers and then focused on the works of Anita Desai, the Indian novelist. The other lecturer, Ehsan Abbaslou, translator, writer and the director of Iran’s House of Translation elaborated on the features of modern Indian literature with a focus on the novel ‘White Tiger’ by Aravind Adiga the Indian-Australian writer.....[Read More]

The stars of India

MEA — 26/06/2014 10:23:56

Stuff/ by Danelle Heyns

An increasing number of women who aren't from Indian heritage are now buying saris.

Taruna Mistry, co-owner of Pragma Fashions in Hamilton, says women will come into her store looking for salwar kameez (the loose pants/tunic combo) but end up leaving with a sari.

"There is something just so elegant looking about a sari," she says.

There has been an increase in Bollywood parties among Westerners, says Taruna. "And with so many Indians around now, they might be invited to an Indian wedding and think it would be nice to dress Indian style."

Originally made from cotton or silk, these often heavily embroidered pieces of fabric have kept up with the times. You can now get a sari in chiffon, georgette, or crepe in silk or polyester.

Some women buy the less expensive polyester saris to use for interior decorating, turning them into cushions or drapes. And though this doesn't happen often, some have a ballgown made from a sari - all the beading is already done............[Read more]

(The views express above are the personal views of the author)

35 Rajasthan girls vow to uplift community

MEA — 26/06/2014 11:10:00

Oman Tribune/ IANS

The group of 35 young women from a cluster of villages in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district is perhaps the first in their families who ever went to school, and are now preparing to give something back to their communities by getting trained as primary and high school teachers.

Many of these young women - in the age group of 16-24 years - have parents who work as agricultural labourers and who are more or less illiterate.

These women are being helped by ChildFund India, part of a global child development and protection agency..........[Read more]

Language initiative

MEA — 26/06/2014 11:20:56

Fiji Times/ Shayal Devi

The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji has started a new initiative in the hope of encouraging heightening interest in learning Hindi.

National president Arun Padarath said the start of the Pandit Ami Chandra Vidyalankar has reinforced the Sabha's strong stance on teaching Hindi in its schools.

"It has made it compulsory for all students having studied Hindi in primary schools from Year 8 up to Year 10," Mr Padarath said........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

White House losing Twitter war to India’s Narendra Modi

MEA — 26/06/2014 18:53:33

The Washington Post/ by Swati Sharma

Although he has only been India's prime minister for about amonth, Narendra Modi has already beaten the White House -- on Twitter.

@NarendraModi's Twitter account has reached 5 million followers, beating out the @WhiteHouse account of 4.98 million followers, making him the fourth-most-followed leader in the world.

Even though having a huge amount of Twitter followersin a country that has a median age of 26 with 200 million active Web users seems natural, this is still a significant milestone. In 2009, there was only one Indian politician on Twitter -- Shashi Tharoor, who then had only 6,000 followersaccording to NDTV. Now, he has more than twomillion followers and is the second-most followed politician, behind Modi...........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

Ancient Hindu festival of colour comes to Olympic Park this weekend

MEA — 26/06/2014 18:57:11

Barking and Dagenham Post/ by Freddy Mayhew

Plumes of colour will fill the sky this weekend as the festival of colour comes to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The ancient Hindu festival, known as Holi, has rocketed in popularity and is now a major event on the summer calender for many young Londoners.

The organisers of this year’s London Holi festival began their event in Berlin, Germany, in 2012, the first of its kind in Europe. They have returned this year to the newly opened Olympic Park on Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29.

Last year they brought their colourful party to Battersea, south London, and saw more than 30,000 "colourful and happy guests” take part over two days, said a spokesman........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

How a Local Newspaper in India Is Empowering Rural Women to Write About Their Communities

MEA — 26/06/2014 19:36:10

Global Voice Online

How do you make the voices of women in poor, rural areas of India heard? A hard-hitting community newspaper is a good place to start.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-run rural weekly newspaper produced in the local languages Awadhi, Bajjika,Bhojuri, and Bundeli in the Indian states of Utter Pradesh and Bihar. The paper is distributed to 80,000 readers across 600 villages.

It describes itself as a "local watchdog” and a "weapon of the weak,” reporting on injustices and corruption affecting rural communities that don't normally receive media attention. Launched in 2002, Khabar Laharia became available online in February 2013.

Every year, international broadcaster Deutsche Welle holds a competition for the the best blogs produced over the past 12 months – this year, Khabar Laharia won the Global Media Forum Award. Jury member and blogger Rohini Lakshane called the paper "a shining example that a functioning democracy is dependent on access to information for all people.”.............[Read More]

Portable water contamination sensor developed

MEA — 26/06/2014 20:10:30

Two Cicrles

Two Assam Don Bosco University Researchers of the Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) Department at Don Bosco College of Engineering and Technology (DBCET) have developed an on-the-spot water contamination sensor that can assess whether the amount of metal ions present in water is in the range that is safe for human consumption.

According to Dr. Sunandan Baruah, Head of the ECE Department at DBCET and also the Group Leader of the Nanotechnology group "the sensor works on the principle of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and a change in the concentration of metal contaminants shifts the SPR peak and the sensing solution changes colour”.........[Read more]

Himachal Pradesh nature reserve gets Unesco heritage tag

MEA — 25/06/2014 13:58:14

Gulf News/IANS

The Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (GHNPCA) in Himachal Pradesh, India’s richest biodiversity spot in the western Himalayas, on Monday got the coveted Unesco tag of a world heritage site.

The World Heritage Committee, which met in Doha, included GHNPCA in the World Heritage Natural Site List. It was India’s lone entry.

The previous Indian addition to the Unesco heritage list was Rani ki Vav (queen’s stepwell) in Gujarat’s Patan town.

"It’s a great honour. Now it’s an international site... will get global attention. The uniqueness of the park is that the rights of the locals have been protected,” said Tarun Sridhar, Himachal Pradesh state’s Principal Secretary (Forest).....[Read more]

Will India be Asia's next economic superpower?

MEA — 23/06/2014 18:15:03

Emirates 24X7/ by Sneha May Francis

Dignitaries from India are optimistic that the country is on its way to becoming "Asia’s next superpower”.

With a new government in place in the country, celebrities from the Indian diaspora hope that this is just a reflection of good times to come.

The mood has shifted from "depressed to euphoric”, according to the attendees of the UAE book launch of McKinsey & Company’s ‘Reimagining India: Unlocking the Potential of Asia's Next Superpower’.

Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, unveiled the book last week. "India has technicians, engineers, scientists… India has every kind of brain you can think of,” he said during his keynote address. "The first batch of engineers [to the UAE] came from India, and not from Lebanon or Syria or Egypt.”..........[Read more ]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Solar Power Installed on India’s Clean Public Transportation Terminals

MEA — 25/06/2014 14:07:33

The Green Optimistic

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is one of the world’s greenest, made greener by the addition of its first solar powerinstallation on a DMRC terminal near Delhi International Airport.

People in big cities need to move around, whether for work, school, or play, and everything in between, and Delhi, the capital of India, has some of the worst automobile traffic in the world. Cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and bicycles cram cities streets almost all day long, making commuting a dangerous and dirty proposition. As in most cities, public rail transportation is often smoother and more time-effective. The DMRC public transportation system also happens to be one of the world’s mostenvironmentally-responsible, employing electric locomotives, regenerative braking, and next month,solar power...........[Read more]

Indian Toilet-Cleaners Break Free From Centuries-Old Caste

MEA — 25/06/2014 14:12:33

The Epoch Times/ by Venus Upadhayaya

In a small city in India’s north, a community of illiterate women have broken free from the profession they were born into: cleaning rich people’s toilets. Now, they’re learning to read and write, speak English, and provide for their children’s education.

In the community of Chumars in Rajasthan state of India, these women traditionally had only this single profession. Because they did such filthy work, they and their families had to live in separate colonies.

"Since the age of seven, I started to accompany my mother who cleaned toilets everyday. Just as mothers teach their daughters to do various chores, my mother taught me how to clean other people’s toilets. She said, ‘After you get married this will help you earn a living,’” said Usha Chumar. Usha was married at age ten. She is now 35.

For centuries, people in India like Usha had little choice about their careers. Their birth determined their caste and their caste determined their profession. Thus, the son of a priest became a priest, the son of a warrior became a warrior, and the daughter of a manual scavenger became a manual scavenger. About one in seven Indians belongs to the lowest caste, the "Dalit”—or Untouchables. Among them are people like Usha who clean toilets.........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

Female Activist in Haryana Works Within System for Change

MEA — 18/06/2014 10:37:17

Female Activist in Haryana Works Within System for Change

New York Times/by Betwa Sharma

Over a cup of milky tea some months ago in a nondescript hotel in Rohtak, a dusty town of steel and oil mills, colleges and auto repair shops, Santosh Dahiya reflected on the slow-moving pace of change in the mostly rural state of Haryana.

She is the head of the women’s wing of the Sarve Khap, Sarve Jaatiya Mahapanchayat, an umbrella organization of khap panchayats, traditionally all-male unelected councils in north India that exercise a great deal of social control.

When she was a girl, she used to watch the men in her native village gather for meetings at which clan leaders and village elders would settle disputes: adultery in the family, domestic violence, even murder.

Though many have come to see the councils as oppressive, Haryana is virtually run by them, and Ms. Dahiya recalled marveling at how quickly the disputes were solved.

"The fear of being shamed before your own people is greater than being put in jail,” she said.The diktats of the councils, many say, reinforce caste-based prejudices and impose a stranglehold over women’s freedoms. Some say it has led to honor killings and female feticide, and the state of Haryana has the lowest ratio of females to males in the country.Ms. Dahiya, 45, who had a relatively progressive family and husband, was able to get an education and carve out a space for her activism in Haryana. After receiving a doctorate in physical education, she became a professor at Kurukshetra University in the northern part of the state, where she now works and lives.

In 2010, she was nominated to be the president of the women’s wing of the umbrella organization, and she has used her platform to speak out about atrocities against women.

In Afghanistan, an 18-year-old was shot to death for running away to escape an arranged marriage in May. Weeks ago in Pakistan, a 25-year-old was beaten to death for marrying the man she loved. In September, a 20-year-old was lynched in Haryana and her fiancé was publicly beheaded by the woman’s family because the couple had decided to marry despite being from the same clan, considered a social taboo because members of a clan are regarded as family. Over the years, village councils have reinforced the argument against intraclan marriages, as well as marriages between people of different castes.

The thread running through these killings this past year is that women are chained to family honor, which justifies controlling their lives, said Ms. Dahiya.

"There is no notion that she can have her own thoughts, plans and desires,” she said.Although she is not a clan leader, a position still held only by men, she is able to speak to the news media about women’s issues in Haryana. And though she believes that marriages within the same clan should be avoided, she speaks out against honor killings as a choice of reprisal."I hold meetings with villagers three to four times a month. I tell them that murder is not an option in this modern era,” she said. Ms. Dahiya advises parents that their children must be allowed to leave their village unharmed.

There is some indication that her appeals to logic fall on deaf ears. A community leader in Haryana this year said that same-clan marriages led to the birth of eunuchs......[Read More]

Quality Education for All: How India managed to achieve it

MEA — 17/06/2014 17:04:37

By Ambassador Sanjay Verma/Ethiopian Business Review

India has come a long way; it is now a USD 2 trillion economy and is ranked as the third biggest economy (PPP) in the world. The CEOs of the PepsiCo, Microsoft, Nokia, Deutsch Bank, MasterCard, Adobe Systems, Diageo, DBS Bank, Reckitt Benckiser, Global Foundries are Indians. To this list you can easily add many more COOs, CFOs and Chief Technology Officers of the world’s biggest corporations, many of whom have studied in India.

Measuring success is easy; explaining it is difficult. India’s story cannot be described in past perfect tense........[READ MORE]

India health, wellness hub for UAE and GCC nationals

MEA — 13/06/2014 19:04:16

Khaleej Times/ by Suchitra Steven Samuel

Nationals and expats encouraged to improve quality of life

India has a holistic health care system that is accessible and effective. Experts in the field were in Dubai to support the vision of the Government of India to promote naturopathy and Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) to UAE nationals and expatriates.

The Royal India Wellness Seminar in Dubai on Wednesday served as a platform to share the wellness, health and medical tourism agenda of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The seminar showcased the wellness products and services, world-class medical facilities, luxury spas and Ayurveda therapy for holistic healing and rejuvenation. Specialists encouraged UAE nationals and expats to consider wellness and leisure in India as an option to improve the quality of life.

Different aspects were discussed like holistic wellness (mind, body and soul integration), integrative medical and complimentary therapies, detox (de-stress, rejuvenate), early intervention and prevention, and yoga and meditation. Several leading names shared their thoughts on alternative systems of healing...........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

India's industrial output grows as inflation slows

MEA — 13/06/2014 18:56:15

Wall Street Journal/ by Anant Vijay Kala and Mukesh Jagota

Modest increase raises hopes, but analysts say economic recovery will take time

India reported an increase in industrial output and lower inflation Thursday, raising hopes that Asia's third-largest economy is starting to see some early signs of improvement.

Industrial production, which includes the output of factories, mines and utilities companies, rose 3.4% from a year earlier in April. This was a significant turnaround from the 0.5% decline in March and better than the 1.9% increase that economists had predicted.

Separate data showed consumer inflation slowed in May for the first time in three months to 8.28% on-year. That is down from 8.59% in April and slightly better than the 8.4% inflation rate forecast by economists.......[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

Brain regain in India as medical tourism booms

MEA — 13/06/2014 19:00:57

The National

One of the multitude of Indian emigrant doctors, Paul Ramesh moved to Britain in the 1990s, keen to get the best surgical training and earn a generous pay packet.

Today he is still treating Westerners, but in hospital beds back in Chennai, his hometown in Tamil Nadu state.

"When I came back it was quite exceptional to return. Now it’s the rule,” the 46-year-old said at the city’s Apollo hospital, soon after performing a heart transplant on a woman from the United States.

In Chennai, known as India’s health care capital, medical workers describe a "reverse brain drain” as home-grown doctors return from the US and Europe – at the same time as the city develops as a top budget destination for medical tourists.

While the number of Indian doctors abroad remains substantial, Apollo staff say their national hospital chain now gets 300 applications annually from those working in Britain alone, encouraged by improved living standards and better medical technology at home.

Traditionally drawn to the West to boost their expertise and earnings, doctors also cited tightening salaries under Britain’s National Health Service and increasingly tough US healthcare regulations as factors luring them back.........[Read more ]

India: Jewels that inspired the world

MEA — 13/06/2014 19:08:01

The Telegraph UK/ by Joanna Hardy

Moscow’s insightful exhibition brings together sumptuous Indian jewels spanning over 400 years for the first, and perhaps last, time.

India has always been the world’s gem cornucopia; its colourful culture has been the source of inspiration for western and eastern art for hundreds of years. Until diamond mines were discovered in Brazil in 1725, the Golconda region in south India was the sole supplier of diamonds to the world. Many of the diamonds set in Russian and European royal regalia are probably of Indian origin; cut and transformed by skilled lapidaries into awe-inspiring jewels that have adorned tsars, maharajahs, kings and queens.

Tales of Southern India’s fabulous gemological wealth spread to the far corners of the world, enticing merchants from Rome, Greece, Venice, Arabia, Persia, Turkey and beyond. These agents traded gold, diamonds, beryls, pearls, sapphires, cotton, silks and spices, each one hoping to acquire the best gems on the market. In turn, Indian and European craftsmen were mutually inspired by each other, resulting in an array of sumptuous jewels. Fortunately, a few have survived to tell the tale.........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

India to expand solar program

MEA — 11/06/2014 17:27:57

The Australian/ by John Conroy

India will expand its flagship solar program, with president Pranab Mukherjee saying details of the new government's energy policy will be revealed soon, PV-Tech reports.

According to the website, the incoming Bharatiya Janata Party government has already promised to give every home at least 'one light bulb's worth of electrification' via solar, as well as deploy solar-powered agriculture pumps..........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

India's industrial output likely grew in April—Poll

MEA — 11/06/2014 17:16:24

Wall Street Journal/ by Anant Vijay Kala

Economists expect that Indian industry expanded in April, with production increasing for the first time in three months, helped by rising power generation, a poll showed.

Industrial production, which includes factories, mines and utilities companies, is forecast to grow 1.9% from a year earlier, according to the median estimate in a poll of 19 economists by The Wall Street Journal. It had shrunk 0.5% in March and 1.8% in February. The government is scheduled to issue the data on Thursday.

Data issued last week showed India's electricity output—which accounts for about 10% of industrial production—rose 11.2% in April, its fastest rise in seven months. It had increased 5.4% in March. The government didn't provide a reason for the sharper increase in April.......[Read more ]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

What India's next tech boom looks like

MEA — 11/06/2014 17:20:55

OZY/ by Prashant Agrawal

Over the last fifteen years, India has become the IT outsource destination of the world. Companies based on the subcontinent — Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant and TCS — have all become well-known names inside corporate America. Global IT giants like Accenture, IBM and Microsoft all have a dedicated and substantial presence in India. They’ve created hundreds of thousands of jobs for Indians and Americans alike. One would think, with millions of people working on technology, India would be a hotbed of innovation. But it isn’t.

Not yet, anyway.

India’s Tech 1.0, was all about outsourcing — taking on everyday, mundane, information technology work, such as the implementation of big enterprise software platforms or the maintenance of IT infrastructure. With increased bandwidth, Indian IT companies could place a few people across the world and transfer these activities to India.

India Tech 2.0 is about creating new products and services entirely. It’s about building the enterprise software platforms, not implementing them. It’s about not just mimicking U.S. Internet companies, but also innovating and improving on them. India Tech 2.0 is about creating the next SAP or Microsoft, not just implementing the solutions across Fortune 500 companies.........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Indian equities looking unstoppable

MEA — 06/06/2014 19:07:45

Forbes/ by Kenneth Rapoza

Morgan Stanley did a study that showed how equity markets move post-election in emerging markets. On average, they rise about 2% in the first 100 days. India is becoming an exception to the rule. The Wisdom Tree India Earnings (EPI) exchange traded fund rose 2.65% in one day. And since Narendra Modi’s BJP Party was voted into Parliament by a wide margin, EPI is up 11.56%. That’s better than the benchmark MSCI Emerging Markets Index, better than the S&P 500, and better than Indonesia, which is in the red, and a month away from their presidential election.

India looks unstoppable.

The Modi wave is turning out to be the perfect wave in what too many investors are believing will be an endless summer.

The benchmark Sensex made history on Thursday, closing above the 25,000 mark thanks to foreign investors buying up resource and infrastructure stocks. The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 71.85 points, or 0.97% higher to close at a new peak of 7,474.10. Sure, the latest European monetary policy announced by Mario Draghi of the European Central Bank helped out. But it helped out India equities more than it did any other BRIC market. Even Poland, seen benefiting from any type of European investment, rose just 1.7% on the day.............[Read More]

PM Confirms Modi’s Visit Calling It Historic

MEA — 09/06/2014 10:35:13

The Bhutanese/ by Chencho Dema

The upcoming visit of the newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bhutan will be a historic visit said Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay during a press conference yesterday.

The Indian Prime Minister will be in Bhutan for a two day visit from June 15 to 16. This is his first foreign visit after becoming Prime Minister.

"The fact that Indian PM has chosen Bhutan as his first visit oversea is an honor by itself. So Bhutan will use this opportunity to further strength the already close ties of friendship,” the PM said.

Upon asking what issues will be discussed with the Indian Prime Minister, Lyonchhen said they will also discuss business and talk about the 11th five year plan, the ongoing hydro power projects, economic stimulus plan, reflect on past successes and then work towards the future."But as of now we don’t see any specific issue because we don’t have any outstanding issues to resolve. As far as we are concerned, the main agenda is to further cement our already strong ties of friendship,” Lyonchhen said.

The choice was largely between Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh, although Afghanistan also came up for discussion according to the Indian Express paper in Delhi.

An Indian official team will be coming to capital today to set up the visit and work out the relevant logistics........[Read more]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

India's 'Pink Warriors' take on injustice

MEA — 05/06/2014 10:30:36

Deutsche Welle

An ordinary woman living in a village in northern India saw a man mercilessly beating his wife. Her attempts to intervene backfired and she too ended up with a beating. The next day she returned with a lathi (a bamboo stick) and five other women and gave the man a beating just like the one he had given his wife. News spread and this ordinary woman, Sampat Pal Devi, was hailed as a warrior and her group was soon known as the Gulabi Gang or the Pink Gang. Devi specifically chose the color pink to signify "womanhood and understated strength."

"Women are always treated like dirt by men, especially in rural villages, where most women are illiterate and have no knowledge about their rights," she told DW.

Today, Sampat Pal Devi's group has over 300,000 members spread across the villages in the state of Uttar Pradesh. She has opened schools and training centers for women where they learn to sew, weave baskets, and other skills that can help them make money and become independent........[Read More]

India world’s 10th largest business travel market

MEA — 05/06/2014 17:39:13

Travel Daily India

In its first BTI Outlook for India, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) revealed that India’s business travel sector has grown considerably in the last 15 years, propelling the country from 24th in the global rankings in 2000 to 10th in 2013.

And the GBTA expects that India will continue to move up the rankings in future, and should overtake Italy to become the ninth largest global market in the next five years.....[Read More]

India Ranks As World's Second Largest Textile Exporter

MEA — 03/06/2014 17:14:56

Bernama/by Saraswathi Muniappan

India ranks as the world's second largest textiles exporter last year, ahead of its competitors like Italy, Germany and Bangladesh, with China still retaining the top position, according to data released by UN Comtrade.
Currently, India's textiles exports to the world is US$40.2 billion.
India's share in Global Textiles has increased by 17.5 per cent in 2013 compared to the previous year.
This growth is phenomenal as the global textiles growth rate is only 4.7 per cent compared to India which registered growth of 23 per cent versus China and Bangladesh which registered 11.4 per cent and 15.4 per cent, respectively......[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Passage from India: wheels turn full cycle

MEA — 03/06/2014 17:26:55

The Telegraph/by Anna White

Indian bicycles, a common mode of transport for the 1.2bn people in the south Asian country, are now being peddled in a Soho pop-up shop.

Brand designer Adriano Galardi, 25, spotted a gap in the UK market for affordable push bikes, below £500, and is now importing Indian ones.

Basic in its design, the bicycle was introduced into India 100 years ago by the British, who set up factories to mass-produce them using machinery brought over from Britain, and it has barely changed.

After independence in 1947, and the ban on imports in the 1950s, local businessmen took over the equipment, and they continue to churn out millions of bikes a year...........[Read More]
(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Restoring the lost legacies of brilliant Indian minds

MEA — 01/06/2014 21:05:22

The Sunday Guardian/ Tanul Thakur

C.V. Raman was convinced he had conceived an idea that would win him the Nobel Prize. But he didn't have enough money to buy a spectrograph. He shot a letter to G.D. Birla stating his demand in no less clear words: "Give me money to buy a spectrograph. And if you give me the money, I promise I will bring the Nobel Prize in one year." G.D. Birla fulfilled Raman's demand. Later, Raman published a paper in the Indian Journal of Physics, and sent it to several Nobel laureates — Niels Bohr, Ernest Rutherford and others — along with a terse declaration: "I believe this is a Nobel Prize winning discovery. You must nominate me for the Nobel prize." This scene almost comes unannounced in the documentary The Quantum Indians, which chronicles the lives of India's three celebrated scientists — C.V. Raman, Satyendra Nath Bose and Meghnad Saha — but it compels you to think how much do we really know about them. A lot of us know about the "Raman effect" and its indelible impact on the world of science, but Raman — like other eminent Indian scientists — has mainly been a disembodied figure, alive only through his discoveries, not what materialised them.

We live in times of archival paucity, and this reason alone makes Raja Choudhury's The Quantum Indians a significant effort. But Choudhury didn't just stumble on the stories of these scientists by accident; he gravitated towards them with a tinge of befuddlement and misgiving: "In 2012, when the Boson particle was announced, there was no conversation on S.N. Bose in international media at all. That riled me a little," says Choudhury. "He was being seen as a 'forgotten hero.'" Choudhury also soon found out that Bose's life-story didn't exist in isolation: it was tethered to two other important lives, and their stories coalesced to form a narrative about a bunch of Indians who were working with limited means to leave their imprints on the world of basic science. "There are some moments in time that change history," he says. "And if you look at it, that moment can be pointed out to the Calcutta University in the 1920s, when three people overcame the shackles of colonial rule to leave a lasting impact on the world of science."......[Read More]

India Harvests Sun and Wind to Save Water and Power a Slowing Economy

MEA — 29/05/2014 17:34:06

Circle of Blue/ by Keith Schneider

Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds, was constructed in 1799, here in the largest city in India’s largest state. Made of red and pink sandstone, and facing the street with an ornate honeycomb of open windows, the five-story building could have been named the Hawa Suraja Mahal, the Palace of Sun and Wind.

Though the palace’s distinctive grill work ensured the privacy of royal women, its architect also sized the openings, and determined the building’s precise axis to the sun, to provide moderate winter heating, and produce the air flow and shading demanded by Maharashtra’s desperately hot summers. In a central-west Indian state as large the Republic of Congo, where six of every 10 square kilometers is desert, such understanding of the heating and cooling energy of the sun and the wind is generations old.

"People in this place have been working with nature’s energy, what we now call renewable energy, for a very long time,” said S.K. Mather, a wind and solar energy project officer with the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation. "It’s one of the reasons we’re making good progress with our projects.”.......[Read more]

A teenage girl's campaign for a polythene-free India

MEA — 28/05/2014 18:08:05

Two Circles/by Anil Sharma

The death of a cow after swallowing a polythene bag was the trigger that led Divya Jain, 15, to start a campaign against its use in Rajasthan and beyond. She also encourages people to fabricte water troughs to save birds from the searing desert summer.

Divya Jain, a class 10 student in Chittorgarh, over 350 km from state capital Jaipur, believes in leading by example. Over the last few years, she has herself made and distributed 15,000 cloth and jute bags to the people in the city, famous for its historic fort, in a bid to persuade them to use such bags in place of polythene.........[Read More]

Solar to enable India's new PM to bring power to the poor

MEA — 27/05/2014 18:26:51

The Australian

India’s new government led by Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi has said that it sees solar as a critical part of a plan to electrify every home in India within the next five years.

The country currently has several hundred million people without access to electricity.

Bloomberg quotes Narenda Taneja, convener of the energy division at Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, as saying: "We look upon solar as having the potential to completely transform the way we look at the energy space.....[Read more]

Narendra Modi: India’s strongman

MEA — 24/05/2014 16:50:05

The Economist

Narendra Modi’s amazing victory gives India its best chance ever of prosperity

The most important change in the world over the past 30 years has been the rise of China. The increase in its average annual GDP per head from around $300 to $6,750 over the period has not just brought previously unimagined prosperity to hundreds of millions of people, but has also remade the world economy and geopolitics.

India’s GDP per head was the same as China’s three decades ago. It is now less than a quarter of the size. Despite a couple of bouts of reform and spurts of growth, India’s economy has never achieved the momentum that has dragged much of East Asia out of poverty. The human cost, in terms of frustrated, underemployed, ill-educated, unhealthy, hungry people, has been immense......[Read More]

Change and opportunity in India

MEA — 24/05/2014 17:02:25

The China Post/ by John J. Metzler

An expected, if still extraordinary, political tsunami has swept across India as voters elected a nationalist and pro-business political party to lead this country of over a billion people. Riding a wave of voter anger with ingrained corruption, slowing economic growth and the entitled privilege of the incumbent Congress Party, voters made a break with the past and overwhelmingly chose Narendra Modi's pro-commerce Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

With only a few pauses in continuity, the Congress Party has run India since independence from Britain in 1947. Congress and its dynastic leadership by the Nehru and Gandhi families were identified with "the idea of India,” a democratic, socialist, secular and non-aligned land but with a growing undertow of corruption and poverty. Only in the 1990's, under a more reformist Congress Party, did India begin to change and open itself to the outside world.............[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Indian billionaire Azim Premji wants  to give more

MEA — 24/05/2014 17:24:08

Khaleej Times/ by Sudha Menon

Will India’s bold and the beautiful follow in Premji’s footsteps?

Indian billionaires, barring a handful, have been accused of being notoriously miserly with their money, especially when it comes to charity. Unlike other parts of the world, especially the United States where icons such as Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have donated massive amounts to charity and towards community development projects, Indian billionaires have chosen to keep their assets close to their chest and lavish it on fast cars, billion-dollar homes and other indulgences.

Reclusive Indian tech-billionaire, Azim Premji, the man behind tech company Wipro, has , however, chosen to stand out from the crowd and work behind the scenes at various charity projects, through his Azim Premji Foundation....[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

The Most Important Regional Organization That Nobody Has Heard Of

MEA — 23/05/2014 11:47:13

Originally published on May 12, 2014

The World Post/by Stanley Weiss

Last month, as Indian voters began streaming to the polls to elect a new Parliament and prime minister, India's Bharatiya Janata Party released its long-awaited election platform. Predictably, the document criticized the record of the ruling Congress Party, while stressing the need for greater economic growth and good governance. But buried on page 40 of 42--after the BJP's evolving stance on nuclear weapons but before their sacred commitment to the "Cow and its Progeny"--was the single, unexpected line, "We will work towards strengthening regional forums like SAARC and ASEAN."

Though SAARC--the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation--is comprised of eight nations collectively containing over 1.6 billion people, it's unsurprising that the organization would merit a mere passing mention in the political platform of what is likely to be India's next ruling party. Founded in 1985 to promote regional cultural and economic integration, SAARC quickly acquired a reputation for "much talk and no action." For one thing, decisions among its members--India, Pakistan, Afghanitan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives--must be unanimous. For another, its two biggest members, India and Pakistan, treat each other with the thinly-veiled contempt born of half a century of enmity........[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

Alternative energy biz mega-bullish on India's Narenda Modi

MEA — 23/05/2014 18:46:27

Forbes/ by Kenneth Rapoza

Wind and solar power firms in India are counting on the new government of Narendra Modi to be friendly to alternative energy when it takes up shop later next month. While most of India’s wind turbine manufacturers are private, one large volume company has become the go-to choice to play mean and green in Modi’s India. Suzlon Energy has been trading like a triple levered exchange traded fund, and making every investor happy.

Modi is the main reason for the mega–bullish sentiment on alternative energy.

On Thursday, the Press Trust of India called Modi the country’s "first energy literate Prime Minister” and said industry groups are hoping the BJP party, which won a landslide victory against the incumbent Indian National Congress........[Read more]

Festival of Indian Culture at the Village Museum of Bucharest

MEA — 23/05/2014 18:49:16

Romanian Business News

From Friday, May 23, to Sunday, May 25, the Festival of Indian Culture - Namaste India is set to take place, comprising of Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bengali language lessons, demonstrations of traditional yoga, art demonstration of henna decoration, classical Indian dances - Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam, and Kathak, the history and evolution of the 'sari' over time, mandala, Indian cuisine lessons, tea presentations.......[Read more]

Asian Heritage Festival this Sunday at Baker Park

MEA — 23/05/2014 18:52:22

WFMD/ by Kevin McManus

Foods, games, vendors and live performances will be part of the Asian Heritage Festival taking place Sunday, May 25th at Baker Park in Frederick from 1:00 PM until 6:00 PM.

"May is Asian Heritage Month. So that we wanted to celebrate, and bring our activities, and festivities to share with our Frederick community," says Elizabeth Chung, the Director of the Asian American Center of Frederick.

There will be 12 performances representing six Asian Nations, including China, Japan, Korea, northern and southern India, Thailand and Nepal. There will be the Guzheng performance by the Guzheng Society; Indian Dance; the Joy.......[Read more]

South Florida varsity honours TERI's Pachauri

MEA — 24/05/2014 17:17:01

Two Circles

The University of South Florida's Patel College of Global Sustainability (PCGS) has awarded its first Eminent Global Scholar in Sustainability Award to Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Pachauri, who has served as the IPCC chair since 2002, was given the award in recognition of his extraordinary ccomplishments in advancing the science and understanding of climate change and international policy, in Tampa, Florida.

A 2007 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Pachauri is also the CEO of the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, president of the Asian Energy Institute, and founding director and senior adviser to the Yale University Climate and Energy Institute......[Read More]

French honour to be conferred on Rahul Vohra

MEA — 22/05/2014 16:55:24

Gulf News

Actor-director is being recognised for his contribution to cinema and theatre, said a statement

Actor-director Rahul Vohra will be bestowed with the French honour Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) in New Delhi on Friday.

Francois Richier, ambassador of France to India, will confer the French government’s honour on the noted artiste for his contribution to cinema and theatre, said a statement.

The honour is given to people who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of the arts in France and throughout the world........[Read More]

India Set to Make Bankers Out of its Postmen

MEA — 22/05/2014 16:58:23

Wall Street Journal/by Nupur Acharya

India’s massive postal network may soon start acting as a better bank for the masses as the Reserve Bank of India looks for new ways to get basic banking service to the hundreds of millions of Indians without accounts.

India Post, the world’s largest postal network, may become India’s first "payment bank,” a new classification of bank which will offer payment, savings and remittance services to customers but not loans.

Central bank governor Raghuram Rajan hinted as much in speech this week.

"A payments bank, which will … be constrained to invest all its funds in safe instruments such as government securities, could be very synergistic with other existing services,” Mr. Rajan said in a speech on Tuesday. "For example, the proposed Post Bank could start as a payment bank, making use of post office outlets to raise deposits and make payments.”........[Read More]

India-funded Maldives hospital renovation project begins

MEA — 22/05/2014 10:22:23

Haveeru

State run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) has started a mega renovation project, worth MVR118 million, funded by the Indian government.

No major renovations had been done at the Indian-built hospital which was opened 19 years ago.

In a statement, the hospital said on Tuesday that India’s Renaatus Projects had been contracted to renovate wards, ICU, operation theatres, labour room and emergency rooms, and completely change the roofing, ceiling, fire systems and wiring of the building. Two emergency generators would also be installed, the hospital said.........[Read More]

Images of India

MEA — 22/05/2014 10:30:01

Kantipur

The Sirjana College of Fine Art is presently exhibiting a collection of paintings and photos produced by students, the result of a two-week tour around cultural and historical sites in India

An exhibition of paintings and photographs is currently on display at the premises of the Sirjana College of Fine Art. The show was inaugurated on May 15 by The Ambassador of India to Nepal, H E Shri Ranjit Rae. The collection being shown is the result of a two-week-long visit to the cultural and historical sites around India that was undertaken by students and teachers of the college earlier this year. The tour was supported by the Embassy of India and the BP Koirala India-Nepal foundation.

During the opening of the programme, Ambassador Rae stated that these kinds of events, especially in the field of art and culture, should be organised on a regular basis owing to the fact that such a practice could very well play a critical role in the strengthening of relationships between the two countries........[Read More]

Indian Heritage Centre to feature 250 artefacts

MEA — 22/05/2014 10:32:59

Channel News Asia

A family heirloom of an Indian trading family, a silver deity staff from a temple and wartime publications belonging to former Singapore President S R Nathan: These are some of the 250 artefacts loaned and donated to the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC), which is slated to open early next year.

A gold necklace which is family heirloom of an Indian trading family, a silver deity staff from a temple and wartime publications belonging to former Singapore President S R Nathan: These are some of the 250 artefacts loaned and donated to the Indian Heritage Centre (IHC), which is slated to open early next year........[Read More]

Sustainable Tourism Empowering Children in India to Break Cycle of Poverty

MEA — 22/05/2014 10:15:57

Huffington Post/by Irene Lane

According to a UNESCO report, in India 90% of children from poorer households remain illiterate after completing four years of school, mostly caused by absenteeism. Another report, by US News & World Report states that only 33% of Indian teens finish high school. However, an intriguing new initiative, The Children's College, is providing an environmental and climate-change focused education to Mysore's (in southern India) poorest tribal children, and empowering students to dream beyond becoming migrant laborers to instead, obtaining a college degree.

The Children's College, which is supported by sustainable tourism efforts and direct donations, enables youth who would otherwise drop out and work alongside their parents, to focus on school and develop their talents.

In particular, the school has changed the prospects for Sidappa, whose parents are illiterate and malnourished Adivasi Tribe laborers. They were forced to become migrant workers when the Kabini River dam flooded their traditional homeland. Despite the additional challenges of transiency and rampant disease, Sidappa has a dream that one day he will be a doctor for his impoverished community.........[Read More]

Indian election could see clean energy revolution

MEA — 22/05/2014 10:26:18

PV Magazine

Wind power bosses expect great things if Narendra Modi becomes prime minister. As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi pioneered the introduction of the country's first incentives for large-scale renewables.

Leading figures in India's wind power industry have told news agency Bloomberg they are confident the country's new government will add impetus to renewables development in the nation.

Narendra Modi's centre-right opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a clear majority in the recent marathon general election in India, giving the party a clear mandate for reforming the country's energy market, according to two high-profile figures associated with the wind industry.......[Read More]

India election expected to improve investor sentiment

MEA — 19/05/2014 13:39:00

Wall Street Journal/ by Kenan Machado

The clear majority gained by the Bharatiya Janata Party in India’s national elections Friday will likely improve investor sentiment for the country, say analysts, sweetening a mood that had soured for the incumbent government and its sometimes baffling tax moves and complex processes.

"I think having a single party with a simple majority will speed up economic reforms and accelerate investments leading to broader reform programs in the government and the administration,” said Dhanpal Jhaveri, chief executive of Everstone Capital, an India- and South East Asia-focused private-equity and real estate funds operator.

Given the BJP’s economic agenda—one based on simplifying procedures and tax reform that are both chief concerns of the private equity industry—the party’s ability to provide a stable government for the next five years will augur well, he added.

The new government, largely viewed as strong and decisive, will steer the country back onto investors’ radar amid macroeconomic and microeconomic improvements, said Amit Khandelwal, head of transaction advisory services at Ernst and Young......[Read More]

Postbag: India can teach us a lesson

MEA — 19/05/2014 13:39:40

Bangkok Post/ by Kuldeep Negi

By using the power of the ballot box, voters in India decimated the dynastic hold of the Gandhi family, the corrupt government and its leaders. People got fed up with politics of caste, creed, social classes and rampant corruption. The same can be done in Thailand to oust corrupt politicians and family dynasties.

The Election Commission can learn a lot from the recent elections in Indonesia and India, but only if it is willing. The usual excuse is, as always, "We are different”. Thais have allowed corrupt leaders and powerbrokers to manipulate the system for personal gain. It is the politicians, powerbrokers, commissions and courts which are holding the power against the will of the people......[Read More]

Hindu temple now home to first consecrated idol, shrine in NW

MEA — 19/05/2014 13:40:33

Herald Net/ by Alexa Vaughn

When yellow-robed priests pulled back the burgundy curtain of a shrine inside the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center in Bothell, more than a thousand people who had squeezed into the smoke-filled building let out tears and gasps of joy.

It was the crowd's first glimpse of not just the temple's first formally consecrated idol, but the first formally consecrated Hindu temple shrine in the Pacific Northwest.

Indian craftsmen called shilpis, descended from generations of other temple craftsmen, had spent six months molding the idol's shrine. The deity itself was hand-sculpted in India out of black granite.

Finally, after three days of rituals last weekend called Kumbabhishekam, the deity Prasanna Venkateshwara was brought to life. Related to Vishnu, preserver of life in the universe, the deity will play a key role in formal rituals performed at the shrine.

Witnessing the three-day event is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many Hindus, said Mani Vadari, chairman of the HTCC's board. He said the closest U.S. temple shrine built in the same tradition is in San Francisco......[Read More]

‘Need to enhance ties with Indians for good of country’

MEA — 19/05/2014 16:26:58

Arab Times Online/ by Yousef Awadh

India is like a jewel that is currently in the right path for achieving huge economic progress and development in the global economy in the future. India is not just about the spices as many believe. It is a huge industrial country and has been particularly exporting qualified people in the field of information technology. There are a number of figures confirming that India is one of the developed nations globally. In the field of public health, Indian doctors and nurses are known to be peaceful and trustworthy with excellent and clean security files.

In fact, India exports manpower to most developed countries due to cheap labor and reasonable efficiency in the security, engineering and service fields. India has also been a major source of a number of basic food items notably the Indian Basmati rice. I remember a few years ago when the price of Indian Basmati rice had increased as it was in demand throughout the world. This hike in price was the result of advance requests made by major regional countries due to shortage of required quantity of rice. A number of countries began to search for alternatives to compensate for the lack of rice or to deal with the high prices of Indian Basmati rice.

The Kuwaiti government, according to its statements, had signed agreements with several African countries for the purchase of large-scale farmlands to obtain agricultural products such as rice and import them to Kuwait but those plans never worked. Kuwait and India share a common legacy and relations dating back to several decades. In fact, some Kuwaiti families still live in Mumbai while there are many huge Kuwaiti investments in India. My suggestion is that we have to reconsider the number of expatriates in the country who are working in the security, engineering and service fields. However, we must first study how much the country will benefit from these aspects and then reconsider the number of expatriate laborers from every country based on the public interest of Kuwait......[Read More]

Lessons from India’s elections

MEA — 19/05/2014 16:36:20

Yahoo News Malaysia/ by Sri A.K. Rasa

India has seen a seismic shift in political power, with the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and the Congress party, which has ruled India for the most part since the country’s independence in 1947, given a drubbing by voters.Narendra Modi, the son of a tea-stall vendor, is the new prime minister of the second most populous nation, and the world’s largest democracy.

Are there lessons in the way India’s parliamentary elections were conducted for Malaysia? Certainly, provided we are willing to learn.

India is a large country of many religions, languages, ideologies and peoples. There is always some tension or fight going on, including the constant tension in Jammu-Kashmir state and the battles between government forces and Maoist rebels. To have an election in such a situation is a daunting task.

Add to this the fact that India has 814.5 million registered voters. Can you imagine the immensity of the task of conducting such a humungous election and the security measures that are needed to be in place?

Compare that with the 13.29 million voters Malaysia had on the electoral roll on May 5 2013, when the 13th general election was held.It is a tribute to the efficiency and professionalism of India’s Election Commission that the election process went smoothly, and largely peacefully.....[Read More]

Intercontinental Trade

MEA — 16/05/2014 09:39:51

Prensa Libre Newspaper

Conclave seeks expansion of trade relations between India and Latin America

India-Latin America Conclave will be held in October 2014 in New Delhi and it gathers Indian and Latin American businessmen with the purpose of expanding trade relations between them. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) made a presentation on the Conclave that will be held from 16-17 October 2014 during an event that was attended by representatives of Latin American Embassies in New Delhi. Ambassador of Peru to India, Javier Paulinich, said ¨the slogan of the Conclave is ¨Let us grow together¨ and it comes from the growing interest of India in the Latin American region and vice versa¨. Bombay Stock Exchange or SENSEX has 30 of the biggest leading exchanges in India. The presentation was attended by diplomats from Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador, Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil......[Read More]

(With information from EFE News Agency )

India’s 2014 elections

MEA — 16/05/2014 10:59:00

The Hill/by Reps. Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Ami Bera (D-Calif.)

At a time when democracy is under pressure in many corners of the globe, officials are currently tallying votes in the largest exercise of democracy in the world: the elections in India.

The numbers are staggering. In an election that took place over several weeks, nearly 815 million voters were eligible to vote at 930,000 polling locations. Indians cast their ballots for control of the Lok Sabha, Parliament’s lower house and the body that chooses the country’s prime minister.

To put this in perspective, the number of eligible voters in the Indian election surpasses the entire population of Europe. The number of new voters alone in India exceeds 100 million – just shy of one third of the entire population of the United States. It’s extraordinary to see a country of more than one billion people, that could be the world’s most populous nation within a decade, carrying out another election. The world is truly watching history being made.........[Read More]

India honored with ‘New Frontiers Award’

MEA — 15/05/2014 17:06:16

eTurbo News

Honouring India’s efforts to rebuild infrastructure and its Rural Tourism economy after two natural disasters, Uttarakhand floods (June) and Cyclone Phailin (October) in the North East, struck the nation last year, the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) named India as the as the recipient of the ‘New Frontiers Award’ 2014. The Award is given to destinations that have overcome great adversity to bring much needed tourism back to their shores, and honors the strength and determination of the local people who work tirelessly to rebuild lives and communities following disaster as well as highlighting the crisis management capabilities of local tourism authorities. Devender Singh, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, received the award from Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of ATM, at a special seminar session.

Accepting the award, Singh said, "Tremendous effort is being made at all levels in terms of rebuilding tourism infrastructure in the affected areas, from state government activity to financial support from the Government of India. It will be a long-term process and we have only just started to get back to normal, but we are optimistic for the future.”............[Read More]

India’s electoral spring

MEA — 13/05/2014 20:56:08

Times of Israel/By Jaideep Sarkar

A YouTube video shows a 97-year-old retired schoolteacher walking through snow to vote in a remote hilly region in India. Cricket heroes and Bollywood actors are seen in selfies proudly showing the finger (with the indelible ink stain that is proof of voting). Following a landmark judgement, the sex of 28,000 transgender voters is now categorised as neither male nor female but ‘others’. For the first time, voters have the option of choosing ‘none of the above’ candidates.

These are just a few of the quirky aspects of India’s election process that is slowly winding down after a bitter and hard fought political battle. The results will be declared on 16th May................[ Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

New Rice Variety Developed In Assam For Flood-Affected Indian Farmers

MEA — 12/05/2014 18:44:49

Eurasia Review/by Chandan Kumar Duarah

Climate change not only pushes farmers in Brahmaputra basin to adopt new varieties of crops that can resist vageries of weather but also compels agro-scientists to merge into research works to invent modified better varieties, espicially rice. Recently the Regional

Agricultural Research Station (RARS) of Assam Agricultural University at Titabor has developed a submergence resistent gene in rice variety of Ranjit which will bring good harvest to flood-hit farmers offering great relief to them. RARS is a research institute of Assam Agriculture University in Jorhat and has been devoting for better scientific cultivation and production for years.

Since flooding is one of the major hazards of rice cultivation in Brahmaputra basin areas, tolerant varieties are urgently needed to help protect the farmers from submergence. So as a result of this urgency, the research works to develop new better varieties became a compulsion for the scientists from Assam, a highly climate change

effected state of India. Ultimately they have developed the new variety of the rice last year after a three years research. Though the variety has not been released to farmers yet, it will come out of experimental complex soon, said Dr. Tomijuddin Ahmed , the Chief Scientist of the RARS. Scientists of RARS had started their work during 2010 for the introgression of submergence tolerance gene in the rice variety Ranjit and finally the project was completed last year.............[Read More]

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

‘India Has Potential To Attract Investments From Europe’

MEA — 09/05/2014 18:16:16

InSerbia

The Europe-India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) believes India has a huge potential to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) from the European countries.

In its latest report – titled ‘European Companies in India: Reigniting Economic Growth’, the EICC has mentioned that the European companies has invested USD 198 billion in the South Asian country in the last nine years (2004-13) and they will invest more in the coming days. The Chamber is of the opinion that the FDI from the EU countries has boosted the competitiveness of Indian export, apart from generating employment in the country..........[Read More]

Incredible India honoured after 2013 devastation

MEA — 08/05/2014 17:02:34

Zawya.com

Arabian Travel Market New Frontiers Award recognises country's efforts to rebuild economy and revive tourism demand in the aftermath of a duo of natural disasters

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2014, the region's leading travel industry showcase, has named India as the recipient of the New Frontiers Award 2014 at a special roundtable seminar session held on the third day of the annual event.

Devender Singh, Economic Advisor, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, accepted the award from Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

Last year's recipient, the Philippines, represented by Benito C. Bengzon, Jr., Assistant Secretary, International Tourism Promotions, Department of Tourism, providing an update on sector recovery and the outlook for the industry in 2014, with previous recipient Chile, represented by HE Jean-Paul Tarud, Ambassador of Chile to the UAE and P K Ashok Babu, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of India, also joining the interactive panel discussion.....[Read More]

A lesson in democracy from India

MEA — 07/05/2014 17:29:26

Huffington Post

India is voting. That might not seem like a big deal to many people in the United States. But, it is a very big deal for three reasons:

The size of the electorate in any other democracy pales in comparison to that in India.

The manner in which the elections are being conducted.

The expected participation rate in the elections.

According to the Embassy of India in Washington, D.C., India has 815 million eligible voters. That compares to 193 million voter in the U.S. for an electorate more than four times larger there than here

To address logistical and security concerns, the Indian election is spread out over nine days (phases) between April 7 and May 12. The votes will be counted and the results will be announced on May 16.

The Washington Post reports that to make the election process run as smoothly as possible, approximately 1.1 million government workers and 5.5 million civilian employees will help voters at 1.4 million voting machines in 930,000 polling stations. The Indian election features electronic voting machines throughout the country.

The Election Commission of India is using a coded SMS-based alert system called COMET to do online monitoring of the election down to the polling level on a real time basis. Another interesting aspect of the election is that voters will be able to cast a ballot for "none of the above."

India has a significantly expanded electorate in this election which is the first national election since 2009. There are more than 100 million more voters registered now than then -- an increase of almost 15 percent. Non-resident Indians will be allowed to vote for the first time, but will have to travel to India to do so.

The voter turnout in 2009 was 58.73 percent with an all time high of 61.97 percent in 1998. After the seventh phase of the 2014 election, it appeared that the voter participation in this election may be the highest ever.

If it is, in large part, it may be attributable to a national initiative implemented by the Election Commission called Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP). According to HS Brahma, in the run up to the election, SVEEP did work "on a massive scale to educate voters, especially the vulnerable ones -- illiterate, poor, marginalized -- as well as women and youth."

The Indian elections are a mirror for democracy. They provide a prism through which to examine our own democracy here in the United States.

In contrast to India where the focus has been on expanding the voting pool and increasing participation, here in the United States, of late, there has been an emphasis on restricting and/or reducing participation.

According to New York University's Brennan Center, during the 2011-2012 election cycle, there were over 180 laws passed in over 41 states with this focus. After court intervention, the new rules covered voters in only 13 states. Since the Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act of 1965 about one year ago, five states have tightened access to voting.

It's not just having the right to vote, but exercising that right. We citizens of the United States do a particularly poor job in this regard. On a 2007 international ranking of 172 democracies, the United States ranked 139th in voter participation.

The country is at a critical juncture. America invented democracy. For more than a half a century, our democratic republic has been the envy and role model for much of the world.

That is no longer the case for a variety of reasons. It is time to reinvigorate democracy.

A starting point for accomplishing this would be to take a lesson from India's playbook by putting an effective and efficient system in place to maximize eligible voter participation.

Our current approach is anything but systematic. It is Rube Goldberg at its worst with basically each state doing pretty much its own thing in terms of the electoral process.

At the beginning of this year, the Presidential Commission on Election Administration presented sound recommendations for improving our current system. They include: online voter registration, state of the art techniques to assure efficient management of polling places and, accelerating the conversion to new voting technology.

It is time for action on these and other recommendations that will help bring America's electoral process into the 21st century.

I write this as an American citizen who came to the United States from India at the age of 15 to live in the greatest democracy in the world and to pursue the American dream. I have achieved that dream, and believe that America is still the greatest democracy in the world. I am confident that if we embrace a system now that enhances and enables more citizen participation in determining the direction of our democracy, that will be true throughout this century and into the next.

This article may also be read at:
A lesson in democracy from India

India is credible generics maker

MEA — 07/05/2014 17:32:46

The Statesman

The $34 billion Indian pharmaceutical industry with over 1400 WHO GMP certified manufacturing units will leverage the forthcoming ‘iPHEX 2014’ global exhibition in Mumbai to showcase to over 500 international buyers from over 110 countries, including government regulators from 25 countries that they remain a credible, affordable and sustainable pharmacy of the developing world.

Addressing a Press conference here today, chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), Ashutosh Gupta said besides key buyers and importers from major economies, regulators and government procurement agencies from 25 countries, including the USA and the EU, will be attending the ‘iPHEX 2014’, to be held between 21-23 May.

"In order to build on India’s reputation as a quality, credible and affordable provider of drugs and pharmaceuticals, factory visits of the regulators will be organised.

This aspect will also be highlighted by the industry leaders in their technical sessions at the event which is also being attended by media from different countries,” Mr Gupta added.

He highlighted that officials from the Drug Controller General of India will also be making presentations to buyers from 110 countries, including the EU and the USA, briefing them about the strict quality standards in Indian pharmaceutical units.

While Indian generics reach almost all corners of the world, as much as 55 per cent of the $14.5 billion exports are shipped to highly regulated markets, including the USA and the EU countries. Japan too holds a big potential for the Indian pharma sector.

Business orders worth several hundred crores are expected to be bagged by Indian exhibitors of drugs and manufacturers of drug-making machinery at the three-day exhibition.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry spread across Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and other parts of India has several milestones to its credit.

Globally more than 90 per cent of formulation approvals for anti-retroviral (ARVs), anti-tubercular and anti-malarial (WHO pre-qualified) have been granted to India.

According to Dr PV Appaji, director general of Pharmexcil, ‘iPHEX-2013’ had generated business over Rs 1,000 crore. This year too, it is expected to be a good draw among foreign buyers who are looking for affordable, credible and sustainable source of pharmaceutical supplies.

He said while China is India’s main competitor in APIs, India’s credibility in generics medicines is recognised worldwide.

This article may also be read at:
India is credible generics maker

In India, Women, Youth Turnout in Large Numbers to Vote

MEA — 06/05/2014 17:47:05

Voice of America/by Anjana Pasricha

Women and young voters are turning up in large numbers to vote across India, pushing up polling percentages and possibly giving this election one of the biggest voter turnouts ever.

When Ranjana Kumari, a well-known women’s activist, went to vote in her village in Uttar Pradesh state recently, she noticed a difference. "I saw groups of women walking to the polling booth, with all very beautiful saris and very happy mood," she explained. "This was not the scene earlier also because of the violence and the threat of being intimidated.

"Now with Election Commission taking care of the violence, they have a lot of police personnel posted, so women are also going in large numbers to go and vote,” she added.

Election Commission data testifies to what Kumari witnessed. Propelled by women and young people, so far 110 million more voters have turned up at polling booths compared to the 2009 general election. In the 438 out of 543 parliamentary districts that have gone to the polls in the phased election, the polling percentage has topped 66 percent -- higher than in any previous election.

The Election Commission attributes the brisk polling to a huge voter awareness program (known as Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) it has implemented. Director General at the Commission, Akshaya Rout, who supervises the campaign, said they focused on removing what he calls the "youth disconnect” and the gender gap.

"We have engaged about I think more than 9000 campus ambassadors in all universities and big colleges, so that everyone is enrolled and everyone comes out to vote. We have women specific campaigns, we have got into "live” situations. In some areas there is a cultural tradition that women do not come out to vote, we have worked with the community there and men there and made sure cultural barriers are broken,” said Rout.

The results were evident: in several states across the country, more women than men turned out to vote.

Ranjana Kumari said this reflects the deep desire among women to improve their lives in a country where many people are still poor.

"There is across the country rising aspirations of women, not only in terms of education for their children and better livelihood, but also political aspiration," Kumari said. "They are understanding the value and worth of their vote, they are also looking at the future of the family and their children.”

However, many observers say the greater political engagement is not just a sign of vibrant democracy, but also the result of an extremely polarized election campaign.

The opposition Hindu nationalist party’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is leading a no-holds-barred campaign to gain power. While he is projecting development as his main plank, there is heated, often angry debate among his supporters and detractors about allegations that he is divisive. The ruling Congress Party, which is fighting to ward off defeat, calls Modi a threat to the country’s secular future.

Sociologist Dipankar Gupta said the higher voter turnout is a sign that these are charged times.

"This polarization has led to very strong feelings on both sides for the status quo or against the status quo. There is this great degree of passionate involvement on the sides of the voters who want to see their point of view carried. It’s not a laid back campaign at all, every party, every nook and cranny, there is a lot of excitement, and commotion. When things are not quite settled, when there are issues to be resolved, when there is a chance that your vote might make a difference, that is when people come out to vote,” Gupta stated.

There is no doubt that voter enthusiasm is at a new high. Political observers say this is the first election in which it became fashionable to vote, not just among the young, but also the urban, middle class, notorious for its voter apathy in the past. The proof: hundreds of selfies and photos with ink-marked fingers posted on Facebook and Tweets after each round of voting.

Sociologist Gupta traces the higher political awareness to an anti-corruption party - the Aam Aadmi Party - that made its debut in local elections in Delhi in December. While the party is not getting massive support on the national stage, Gupta said it helped draw out thousands of voters with its message that ordinary people can help change the system.

"That energized a lot of young people, and even older people to come out and vote. It broke that stigma of voting. It is this liberation of sorts that has carried through to this election. Voting is again kind of an "in” thing to do,” Gupta said.

Among those who had not voted in previous elections, but made sure they turned out this year is Raghav Gupta, a resident of Gurgaon near Delhi. The boom years of India’s growth were a great period for senior professionals like him, offering them opportunities for good career growth. But Gupta said that took a hit in recent years due to bad governance and corruption.

"The feeling of, if you work hard you do well in your career changed to saying that not just working hard for your career but also making sure you select right people for the government is important, and so this time it was very important to go and out and vote for the right person.”

Whatever the motivation for voters, for the Election Commission, the large turnout is a cause for satisfaction. They hope by the time the last votes are cast on May 12, India will have witnessed a record turnout.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

This article can also be read at:
In India, Women, Youth Turnout in Large Numbers to Vote

Britain confers top honour on Indian tycoon Ratan Tata

MEA — 06/05/2014 17:49:25

Emirates24x7

Indian tycoon Ratan Tata has received an honorary knighthood from Britain in recognition of his company's heavy British investments and philanthropy, an embassy statement said Monday.

Tata, who retired in 2012 as head of the giant tea-to-steel Tata group, was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.

The award is one of Britain's highest civilian honours, the British High Commission (embassy) said in a statement.

"Tata is the only Indian national to be given this particular award since India became a republic in 1950," the High Commission added.

Under Ratan Tata, 76, the group bought Britain's Corus Group, a steelmaker, for $11.3 billion in 2007 as the Mumbai-based business house spread its global wings.

A year later, the conglomerate bought British luxury icons Jaguar and Land Rover for $2.3 billion as it vaulted into the premium global car market.

Tata has become Britain's largest manufacturing employer.

Ratan Tata, who is now Tata Group chairman emeritus and one of India's most respected businessmen, was presented the award by British High Commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

The High Commission said the award was conferred on Ratan Tata in recognition of the group's British investments and philanthropy.

Ratan Tata's "leadership, vision and integrity will remain the gold standard for generations of aspirational British and Indian business people", the High Commissioner said.

This article can also be read at:
Britain confers top honour on Indian tycoon Ratan Tata

Indian women start ignoring their husbands as voting power rises

MEA — 05/05/2014 16:23:47

Bloomberg/by Rina Chandran and Bibhudatta Pradhan

To avoid upsetting her husband, Urmila Devi told him she’ll heed his request to pick India’s ruling Congress party when their 50-family village votes this week. Once inside the polling booth, she plans to ignore him.

"I’ll vote for a different party,” Devi, 26, said on May 1 outside her one-room house in Galanodhan Purwa village in Uttar Pradesh state, where she takes care of her two children. "I’m concerned about women’s safety. It should be the government’s top priority.”

Devi is among a growing number of women who are eschewing traditional gender roles in India and asserting their voice in elections ending May 16. Higher literacy rates, greater financial independence and a desire to stem violence against women, epitomized by the gang-rape and murder of a student in New Delhi in December 2012, are prompting the change.

"Over the years, we’ve asked women if they voted on their own or if they voted for whoever their husbands or fathers asked them to,” said Sanjay Kumar, New Delhi-based director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, which conducts opinion polls. "Women were reluctant to tell us earlier, but increasingly they’re saying they’re voting on their own, no matter what the men say.”

About 56 percent of eligible female voters cast their ballot in the previous election in 2009, compared with 58 percent of total registered voters, the narrowest gap in data going back to 1991, according to the Election Commission of India. Fifty-nine women were elected to the lower house of parliament that year, or about 11 percent of all lawmakers, the highest percentage in India’s history.

Gender Inequality

The ratio of women voters increased to 883 per 1,000 male voters in the 2000s from 715 per 1,000 male voters in the 1960s, according to data compiled by Shamika Ravi and Mudit Kapoor of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. The data, based on elections in 16 states from 1962 to 2012, shows that female voting has risen while the number of males going to the polls has been stagnant.

"Women have traditionally not been considered a vote bank, but there’s a heightened sense of gender inequality in the country now,” said Ravi, also a visiting fellow at the Indian unit of the Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution, who has studied voting behavior over the past five decades. "That’s bringing more women out to vote.”

Most polls show Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party winning the most seats in elections ending May 16 while falling short of a majority. The Congress party will probably suffer its worst ever defeat as voters punish it for corruption scandals, slowing economic growth and rising prices.

Bill Stalled

Both parties have pledged in their campaign manifestos to increase education, job skills, safety and enforcement of property and marital rights for women.

Women have had the right to vote and contest alongside men since India’s first elections after independence in 1951. Sonia Gandhi, Congress party’s president, ranked 21st last year in Forbes’s list of the world’s most powerful people.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s effort in 2009 agreed to push for a law that would reserve at least half the seats for women at local government institutions in villages and districts. The Election Commission has improved security at polling stations and added toilets to encourage more women to vote.

Even so, in much of India, women tend to vote for whichever candidate their husbands choose.

In Uttar Pradesh, Chabila Verma says she doesn’t know anything about the elections apart from the Congress party’s symbol: an open outward-facing palm. The mother of three relies on her husband, a brick maker, to guide her vote.

‘Small Thing’

"He has more knowledge than me, as he listens to what other people discuss about politics,” the 25-year-old said on May 1 as she took a break from threshing sheaves of mustard in Khajuri village. "I can’t say ‘no’ to him for such a small thing. My father and mother have taught me to obey him.”

India ranks 101 out of 136 countries on the World Economic Forum’s 2013 global gender-gap index, which examines economic participation, education, health and political empowerment. That is the lowest ranking among the so-called BRIC economies, which also includes Brazil, Russia and China.

Women comprise about 11 percent of India’s lower house of parliament, 112th in a list compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union after Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. The Congress and the BJP have pledged to pass a bill stalled for four years that would reserve a third of all seats in the lower house and all state legislative assemblies for women.

Devi, the housewife who’s ignoring her husband’s wishes, says she’s excited to vote and hopes her ballot will bring change to India. Her desire to improve security for women is shared by Pinky Singh in New Delhi, who also didn’t follow her husband’s call to vote for the upstart Aam Aadmi Party.

"My mother voted, but she always did whatever my father told her to,” Singh, a 27-year-old housewife and mother of three, said last month, adding that her decision to vote for Modi’s BJP caused friction with her husband. "We had a few fights about that.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

This article can also be read at:
Indian women start ignoring their husbands as voting power rises

How One Silicon Valley Millionaire Is Using Tech To Spark Change In India

MEA — 05/05/2014 16:35:32

Business Insider/by Jillian D'Onfro

Karl Mehta has made quite a splash in the tech world.

He founded PlaySpan, which sold to Visa for more than $200 million in 2011. He was a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow in the program's inaugural year. He joined Menlo Ventures in 2013 as a partner to focus on finding and funding interesting and world-changing companies. He's writing a book called Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid about the best ways to get financial services to poorer people.

Right now, he's also working on Code for India, a program that he founded to inspire engineers in the U.S. and abroad to use technology to help India's urban and rural poor.

Code for India will be holding it's second hack-a-thon - happening simultaneously in Mountain View and Bangalore - on May 9. This year's event will revolve around the theme of using tech to make India more resilient to natural disasters. Business Insider hopped on the phone with Mehta to ask him a few questions about his illustrious career. Below is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation.

BI: Tell me a little more about Code for India.

Mehta: India already has a large number of tech developers and there's also a large Indian developer community in the U.S. The country has massive challenges, in the public service infrastructure and the government, that need a lot of help. So this is an excellent opportunity for tech developers all over the world to take time to volunteer. We have a very diverse group pitching in, and contributing and building software. Code for India is special because hundreds and hundreds of NGO's in India, and instead of starting another NGO to try to focus on education, or healthcare, or crime, or women's issues, we can cut across horizontally, and provide a technology backbone to dozens or even hundreds of NGOs that are already doing wonderful work.

It's been a wonderful, really open source movement, and we've created some really great apps - over 20 of them so far.

BI: Any particular ones that you want to highlight?

Mehta: One of our apps that gets the most attention is the voting app, I Vote For A Better India. India is going through a massive election - probably the world's largest election - and 1.2 billion people are going out to vote. Tirelessly, through weekends and weeknights, outside their daily jobs, both here in the US and in India, our community of developers and entrepreneurs have developed this app to increase voter registration. Part of the trouble with the democratic process is that the people who can actually make a difference in voting, don't go out and vote, because they think that it's too much of hassle, since even registering requires standing in big lines.

With the mobile devices, and the software that we built, we cut down the hassle to almost nothing. And that made a big impact over the last few months. Our volunteers all over the country were able to convince even the election commissioner to use the app, which is a big achievement. For tech volunteers like us, our ability to take our software and get it implemented in this vast country, and also getting it out there through the election commissioner, is a pretty big deal. It's a big achievement and it's kind of super-charging all the other projects and applications that we're working on.

BI: What made you decide to launch Code for India and how did you get involved with Menlo Ventures?

Mehta: When I sold my company PlaySpin in 2011 to Visa, it was a pretty large, very successful outcome - $240 million in cash - so I almost retired. And I decided that I want to do two things:

First, I want to help entrepreneurs because I had benefitted from being an entrepreneur. So, I think taking on a venture capital role is the best way to keep in touch continuously, either by funding them or mentoring them. But I realized that the venture capital role is not very engaging from a personal standpoint. You're not actually playing the game, you're coaching.

And having been in an operating role, used to working 18 hours a day and 7 days a week as an entrepreneur, I realized that I had a lot more time being a VC. So, the second thing that I wanted to do was give back, and for me the best way to give back is through technology because that's all I know.

I had seen how technology projects worked in the White House, and when I was appointed by Governor Brown to the Workforce Investment Board of the California, so I had a pretty good understanding of the state government and how we work here and some interesting best practices that I could bring back to my native country. Code For India was the perfect way to bring all this together.

I spend almost half and half of my time helping entrepreneurs launch for profit companies that can change the world, as we say here in the Valley, and then the other half goes into helping nonprofit initiatives.

BI: Do you think enough startups are focusing on social good?

Mehta: I think that Silicon Valley gets a fair share of blame for not doing much in the social impact space and I think that that criticism is quite legitimate. I think we still have more companies getting funded that are just solving the first world problems than the second world or third world problems, because typically investors have a short-term horizon and they all want the next Snapchat and Facebook, which is unfortunate. And I think that we're starting to see some big stories where big bets and big risks are taken - like Tesla - that still offer first world products, but help the third world (in Tesla's case, in reducing CO2 or bringing clean energy). But we're still very far away from that in changing the mindset of people to build, take risks, and try to innovate in areas that will really make an impact, instead of trying to make the next photo sharing app.

BI: What do you think are some U.S. problems that could be solved by technology?

Mehta: I think there is a big movement going on now in the education space. That's another area that I'm really excited about. And there has been a surge in the number of of ed tech companies that have been funded in Silicon Valley and in the U.S., and I think that's a really encouraging trend. And several years back, VCs would probably shy away from anything in education because they would think that the majority of that was government controlled and for nonprofits, so there isn't much money to be made. But I think that the thinking is shifting as we are moving more and more towards consumer-centric technology adoption, and that is helping to fund more companies that want to bring more technology to education to improve both the student performance and outcome in K-12 and in higher education. I've seen some technology startups that are pushing the boundaries to bring the cost of education down and the access ability to everyone.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

This article can also be read at:
How One Silicon Valley Millionaire Is Using Tech To Spark Change In India

A sisterly act: Indian nuns care for Holy Spirit Retirement Home residents

MEA — 06/05/2014 10:55:06

Sioux City Journal/by Dolly A. Butz

After morning mass, Marylaila Lakshanathuparampil's face beams with joy as she walks out of the chapel at Holy Spirit Retirement Home clutching a shiny gold tin of unleavened communion wafers.

She says, "I'm so happy to see you. How are you doing?" to men and women seated in wheelchairs and hunched over walkers. They return a wide smile or grasp her petite hands. Sister Marylaila knows all of their names.

"I like to be with the older people, especially when they smile without teeth," she says, giggling. "I like to see them like that."

At the end of the hallway, she gently taps on the door before entering room 106. She crosses herself, places a wafer on the bed-ridden woman's tongue and then offers her a sip of water.

"Take your time. Swallow Jesus," she says softly. "God bless you."

When the 50-year-old from southern India arrived at the retirement home on the city's westside in 1996, she told the Rev. Dennis Meinen that she would help distribute communion to residents who were too tired and weak to attend Mass. The task is one of many duties that Sister Marylaila, a registered nurse, performs. She lives with four other nuns in a brown ranch-style home at the bottom of the hill that the retirement home is built on.

Since 1970, Indian sisters from the Apostolic Life Community of Sisters in the Opus Spiritus Sancti have cared for residents at Holy Spirit Retirement Home. The international missionary community was founded in Germany in 1950 by the late Rev. Bernhard Bendel, who sought to build a new society "that God may be all in all" amidst the destruction of World War II. Bendel's Holy Spirit Sisters also do mission work in Africa, China and the Philippines.

Sherin Vattamattathil (Sister Sherin) and Sheeba Jainamma (Sister Sheeba) are activities assistants, while Mini Poreekkal (Sister Alphonsa) and Therese Maliackal (Sister Therese) serve as certified nurses aides.

Administrator Pat Tomscha said the compassion and leadership that the sisters show on a daily basis at the retirement home should be emulated.

"They have such a mission and such a calling to come across the seas to help us and to help our Siouxland elderly," he said. "They really are role models for the rest of us to follow and to cherish our time with them."

DEDICATED LIFE

Sister Marylaila works from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. as a registered nurse. Then she goes home to catch a few hours of sleep before returning to Holy Spirit Retirement Home at 10 a.m. for Mass.

She and the other nuns, in their early forties, stand out from the other parishioners gathered in the chapel. They wear long chiffon, pastel saris and navy blue blazers for warmth. Silver emblems hanging from their necks bear the image of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

"Wherever we go, we have to follow their dress and their customs," says Sister Alphonsa. Sister Marylaila, who wore the habit for two years during Mass, adds, "It's easy for us to be with (the people) and to mingle with them more deeply, so we can give the Spirit to everybody."

After Mass, the nuns help residents back to their rooms and visit with them and their family members. Sister Marylaila gives communion to those mingling in hallways and to bed-bound residents on the first floor.

At 11:45 a.m., the sisters return to their house to pray -- an act they do together three times a day and several times on their own -- before eating lunch.

Their chapel, which sits just off the back doorway, is concealed by a plaid curtain. Draped in sparkling maroon cloth, the altar is the space's focal point. A cross hangs on the wall above the altar. A statue of Mary, cloaked in lights, sits on a pedestal in the corner.

On a Tuesday afternoon, the sisters encircle a kitchen island covered with cabbage, fried rice and curry-filled casserole dishes. It is Sister Alphonsa's 41st birthday.

They fold their hands, bow their heads and close their eyes to pray. They sing, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice."

Wherever the sisters live and work in the world, they say they will be happy.

As a child, Sister Alphonsa says she told the sisters in her home community that she didn't want to become a nun. A retreat she attended after 10th grade changed her view.

"I felt a little bit of attachment to (the) dedicated life. Then I came to the convent," she says. "Now I like the dedicated life."

Sister Sherin, whose uncle is a priest, and Sister Therese became nuns, like their housemates, because they wanted to help others.

"I like to love God more and help the people and love the people more," Sister Therese says.

Sister Alphonsa admits that it was very tough leaving her parents behind in India at first, but now she says her family in faith is bigger than she ever imagined it could be.

"If I become a housewife I can have only one husband and my own children. But if I'm a nun, I have many parents and many brothers and sisters, and many children. If I'm a nun, I can say, 'She's my child,'" she says resting a hand on Sister Sherin's shoulder. "And you're my sister. That power I have."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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A sisterly act: Indian nuns care for Holy Spirit Retirement Home residents

Children Clothing Brand Bonpoint Director Says She is Inspired by India

MEA — 06/05/2014 10:58:32

Wall Street Journal/byDan Thawley

There are times when the universe of children's clothing brand Bonpoint seems to have emerged directly from a storybook. A romantic charm filters through everything from the crowns of flowers the young girls wear in the label's fashion shows to the company's whitewashed headquarters on Paris's Left Bank, where creative director Christine Innamorato has presided since 2005.

Still, Ms. Innamorato, 48, is adamant that her designs—though often quite precious, and pricey—are grounded in reality. "Luxury is a word that you can't use for children," she said. "It is really too much. I love the wild side of children; they are alive, always on the move." True enough, her wares have a bohemian edge: colorful smocked tunics and jacquard shift dresses for girls; artfully rolled chinos and Liberty print shirts for boys.

The designer, who lives in Paris with her husband and daughter, succeeded Marie-France Cohen, who founded the label in 1975. The women met in the 1990s when Ms. Innamorato's daughter, Litchis, now 26 and a designer for her mother's eponymous women's label, modeled in Bonpoint shows. Under Ms. Innamorato's watch, the company has expanded its global reach, especially in Asia and the U.S.

The next outpost opens on May 6 in New York's SoHo. The 1,900-plus-square-foot store is decorated with vintage furniture, sourced by Ms. Innamorato and her team, some of which comes from Parisian flea markets. The new location will also sell a limited-edition collection of girls' clothing based on pieces in company archives, including a dress that actress Charlotte Gainsbourg wore as a child; a portion of the collection's sales will go to the charity New Yorkers for Children.

Between sips of a Coke Zero at Bonpoint's in-store cafe, Ms. Innamorato chatted about her admiration for Rei Kawakubo, her favorite fictitious muse and the best places to shop for antiques in Paris.

Children should never be dressed in: rigid clothes. We aren't in the 1930s anymore, we are not dressing mini-adults. I like to see children in well-cut, comfortable clothes of good quality, and from time to time, to give them a touch of couture fantasy, like our "fairy" dresses.

My design process always involves: sketching. I am the type of artistic director who actually draws. I carry a Moleskine MSK.MI -1.17% or a Muji notebook whenever I travel.

One of my muses is: the character Eloise from the 1950s books by Kay Thompson. Eloise was an eccentric little girl who lived in the Plaza Hotel in New York and got up to all sorts of mischief.

My design hero is: [Rei Kawakubo of] Comme des Garçons. And I really respect the team at Maison Martin Margiela. I like to add that touch of deconstruction they have to our dresses. I am also a fan of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino.

If money were no object, I would: buy an island, an Aeolian island, to escape.

On weekends I like to: take trips, generally in Italy with my Italian husband. We often head to Siena, Tuscany or the Amalfi coast.

My holiday dress code is: a white Maison Martin Margiela shirt dress with a hat from Bates, Vhernier bracelets and a pair of nude sandals from my Innamorato collection.

The latest novel I read was: Christophe Ono-dit-Biot's "Plonger," a very touching French story of passion pushed to the extreme. I also loved "The Man Who Wanted to Be Happy" by Laurent Gounelle. It's full of simple advice regarding our quest for happiness.

My favorite flowers are: those huge white and cream anemones with the powdery black hearts.

My go-to perfume is: Jo Malone's Velvet Rose & Oud. I always keep it in my bag.

My beauty regimen includes: Françoise Morice's serum, from the spa in the Eighth Arrondissement of Paris. And for makeup, only Chanel.

My favorite cuisine to cook is: Thai food—beef salad or spicy coconut prawn soup. Otherwise I like to cook fresh pasta or head to La Stresa in Paris's Eighth Arrondissement. I like light, fresh food.

My most recent discovery is: green tea. I never used to like it, but I found a Japanese tea house around the corner from the studio, called Jugetsudo, and their green tea is delicious. In spring, I throw myself into detoxing. I shouldn't be drinking Coke today, but I really felt like it.

My home's décor is: not overflowing with exotic carpets and artifacts, despite my taste for India. It is decorated in soft, light colors, and I am a big fan of Danish furniture in blond wood from the '40s and '50s.

On a day off in Paris, I like to: head to the flea markets to hunt for interesting pieces. It's often the case that the best find isn't necessarily the most expensive piece. I also like to visit the art and antiques galleries around the Sixth Arrondissement. My favorite is François Laffanour's [fine furniture gallery] Galerie Downtown.

I find inspiration by: traveling a lot. I enjoy going to India, but my last two inspiration trips have been to New York. It's equally interesting for business as it is artistically. There is so much energy. I like the Bowery Hotel in winter, with its beautiful big fireplace. I find a lot of interesting new shopping in Brooklyn too.

My favorite design period is: the '30s and '40s. I find that time so rich and inspiring for furniture and design. I also find the return to the '80s very interesting.

My go-to websites are: Vogue [Paris], L'Officiel, Crash and Wallpaper, rather than blogs—except for Garance Doré's.

The last fashion item I bought was: the satin Marni sandals with the jewels on the front I am wearing now. They are going to be perfect for my next weekend away.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Children Clothing Brand Bonpoint Director Says She is Inspired by India

2nd Lady lauds India-Africa Craft Design Initiative

MEA — 05/05/2014 17:37:30

Ghana Web

Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur,on 1st May lauded the India Africa Craft Design Initiative at their training site at the Ghana Trade Fair Centre in Accra, where the India government is helping in the empowerment of African women through a unique initiative being undertaken in coordination with the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. "The initiative is helping women in basket weaving to develop and improve their skills in making products they have already been making.

Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur encouraged the participants to take advantage of the training programme and add value to their skills and themselves so as to become marketable and commended the Indian government for helping add value to the work of the participants.

The second Lady Mrs.,after interacting with then said she was impressed at the transformation the weavers have gone through under the project, and encouraged participants to do more and also help others. She said if they are serious and replicate what they have learnt from the Indian initiative well, they would not only get local market but also export and be able to compete with international standards. She made a personal commitment to, from time to time, order for their products and give out as gifts to her friends and guests.

The final in-field workshop and will be offered in April 2014. So far twenty weavers have been trained through workshops in the country and at NID, receptively. A group of approximately 30 weavers are envisaged to participate in the last workshop. As part of the India-Africa Forum Summit-II, held in Addis Ababa, in May 2011, the Indian government offered a major design intervention to women basket weavers in five countries in Africa.

Its thrust is to empower rural weavers in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi and Zambia. A senior Designer a the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Madam Shimul Mehta Vyas, said the project is being implemented by the National Institute of Design, NID, Ahmedabad, under India’s department of industrial policy and promotion in the ministry of commerce and industry.

The Executive Director of Aid to Artisans Ghana, a non-governmental organization, as project consultant, Madam Bridget Kyerematen-Darko said field visits in Ghana revealed that there is a major concentration of basket weavers in the northern town of Bolgatanga, who use elephant grass to weave exquisitely patterned baskets, hence weavers from different craft based organizations based in Bolgatanga were chosen for training under the project.

The project programme comprised three training workshops, a scoping field trip in beneficiary country, and beneficiaries’ trip to India to participate in workshops at the NID, and a final workshop and exhibition in beneficiaries' home country. So far, a range of 30 products have been developed, which span across personal accessories and lifestyle products, with interesting integration of leather and wood as secondary materials, adding further value to the products.

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2nd Lady lauds India-Africa Craft Design Initiative

Indian scientist wins top British research fellowship

MEA — 06/05/2014 10:51:12

Can India

An Indian scientist in Britain has been granted a prestigious fellowship worth 1,068,000 pounds (around $1.8 million) by a top British agency that funds research in engineering and the physical sciences.

Ravinder Dahiya, a senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s electronic and nano scale engineering division, is among the eight leading academics from 10 British universities to be endowed with ‘Engineering Fellowships for Growth’ by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) aimed at maintaining Britain’s research leadership in three areas identified as Great British Technologies — advanced materials, robotic and autonomous systems, and synthetic biology.

EPSRC is a British research council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences at universities and other organisations throughout Britain.
Dahiya, a former lecturer at Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) in Delhi, has been awarded the fellowship to pursue research in robotics stream for the next five years.

In robotics, Dahiya has been entitled to develop tactile synthetic skin that can be printed and used with robots to work in healthcare known as "printable tactile skin”.
In a statement Thursday announcing the research funding, Britain’s Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: "These fellowships will keep the UK ahead in fields identified as part of the Eight Great Technologies with the potential to propel Britain’s growth. We champion and support our leading academics in these areas to realise our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to do and apply science.”

Philip Nelson, chief executive of EPSRC, said: "To provide opportunities for growth, both scientific and economic, it is vital that the UK has a steady supply of academic talent in the physical sciences and engineering. To do this we must support academics throughout their careers. These fellowships will mean we are retaining the leaders we need to maintain our position in synthetic biology, robotics and autonomous systems, and advanced materials.”

EPSRC, based in the town of Swindon in southwest Britain, invests around 800 million pounds a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change.
He has 20 years of demonstrated experience delivering critical applications in a managed services environment, optimising efficiency and performance to meet the goals of industry leaders.

During his career, Kaliani established, coached, and mentored high-performing, cross-functional teams of more than 700 employees.

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Indian scientist wins top British research fellowship

Shoestring theory: India's pioneering budget space probe is halfway to Mars

MEA — 02/05/2014 16:11:49

The Guardian/ by Anu Anand

If the £46m 'Mangalyaan' orbiter mission succeeds in reaching the red planet, it will be a triumph of ingenuity over big spending

On the pitted rural roads running through millions of India's small towns and villages, the jugaad vehicle is a source of peculiar pride.

Often it's a hand-cranked diesel engine crudely bolted on to a flatbed wagon and is used to carry people, steel rods, livestock or sacks of food in places where no public transport exists. It is loud, polluting and not officially roadworthy.

Yet it stands for a quality valued by most Indians: an ability to find a cheap solution to complex problems in a country where infrastructure is poor and technology is still largely unreliable. Jugaad represents a triumph of Indian ingenuity against incredible odds.

India's Mars orbiter, Mangalyaan, is perhaps the country's most audacious and successful example of jugaad so far. A boxy probe built by scientists in just 15 months for the paltry sum of £46m ($75m) – less than the cost of the average Hollywood blockbuster film – Mangalyaan has completed more than half of its perilous journey to the red planet.

It is only a few days behind Nasa's Maven probe, which is propelled by powerful Atlas V and Centaur rockets.

If Mangalyaan enters Martian orbit in September to survey the topography and sniff out evidence of methane, a key sign of life, India will enter the history books as a pioneering nation. It will be Asia's first country to carry out a successful Mars mission. Japan, China and 21 other countries have failed.

At the Delhi offices of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a crumbling government building characterised by the usual profusion of with sprouting electrical wires and urine-soaked stairwells, the head of India's space programme explained that Mangalyaan's success on a shoestring budget was down to factors including reusing spacecraft modules, carrying out fewer but more efficient ground tests, and opting for the longer, cheaper route to Mars in the absence of powerful rocket technology.

"We used the launch vehicle that was available to us to the best of its capability, tailoring the launch time and angle to achieve the correct trajectory," said Koppillil Radhakrishnan, the ISRO chairman. "While Mangalyaan was in Earth orbit, we tested its performance and the instruments on board, so this was another advantage."

Access to India's space programme is severely restricted, but videos posted by ISRO show teams of scientists wearing plastic shower caps assembling the probe and its components at different stages. Unlike at Nasa, India's space programme does not adhere to strict design and review audits, saving money in the process.

While European scientists stick to a 35-hour working week, 18 to 20-hour days are common for Indian scientists, according to Radhakrishnan. "Our wages are less, yes, but the rigour of the design and our reliability are second to none," said Radhakrishnan.

Bruce Jakosky, principal scientist on Nasa's Maven, said: "I'm very impressed by India's mission so far. They sent [the Mangalyaan probe] into orbit around Earth and used a series of small rocket motor burns to get into higher altitude. They used the last burn to break free of Earth's gravity to slingshot to Mars. I thought it was a very clever way to do it."

In the recent Indian elections, voters have been mainly concerned about the flagging economy, inflation and corruption in government-run programmes. In the context of widespread poverty, how can India's £600m space programme be justifiable?

Radhakrishnan said ISRO spent a tiny proportion of its budget – 7% – on pure science, such as the Mars mission. Most of its budget is used, he said, on projects that help India's poorest citizens and fight corruption. "If you look at the Indian space programme, it is primarily for the people; 55% of our budget is used for satellites that help more than 100,000 fishermen find their daily catch. We help the government monitor crops, and ground and surface water. Our satellites have helped millions of people escape cyclones in time and we've even helped develop tele-medicine for people who live too far to visit a specialist," he said.

The agency is also using satellites to monitor whether promised government projects are delivered. "When you have a lot of developmental work on paper in rural areas, satellites can certainly be used to monitor progress in a very major way," he said. "If you look at Nasa, you won't find them running the communications satellites for the entire country. People consider India a role model. [Our space programme] did not stay in an ivory tower."

Despite the success of India's Mars probe, most Indians still identify the red planet with its astrological power, not with whether it ever sustained life.

Radhakrishnan, a classical Kathakali dancer and Carnatic music vocalist, said he did not believe in astrology, but he was not averse to making sure the gods and good luck were on his side: Mangalyaan was launched on a Tuesday, mangalvaar or "Mars day" in Hindi.

And a day before theprobe's launch, he sought the blessings of deities at a local temple. "Every person has their own values and beliefs," he said. "I go to temple, to church and mosque. But what is finally important is the power of your mind to face challenges, because the line between success and failure in space is very thin."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Shoestring theory: India's pioneering budget space probe is halfway to Mars

This belt will help visually impaired walk around easily

MEA — 02/05/2014 16:38:12

DNA/ by Sandip Kolhatkar

Boon for blind | i-ODAN, developed by students of Bharati Vidyapeeth, will help visually impaired walk around easily

Technology to help the visual impaired has developed tremendously over the years. Gone are the days when they’d rely on a white stick to find their way.

Based on sensing technologies such as ultra-sound sensors that are used in unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and human-free intelligent navigation in defence establishment, three students from Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Pune have developed and designed ‘i-ODAN’. This device is a sonar-based 3D obstacle-avoidance belt for the visually impaired.

In simpler words, it is a wearable belt comprising three ultrasonic sensors strategically mounted on an innovative mechanism. Each sensor has a field of detection of about 60 degrees and a four to six feet range. It conducts a 3D scan of the immediate vicinity of the blind person, and if any sensor detects an obstacle, vibrations are felt in the corresponding vibrator attached on the belt. Depending on which side of the belt creates the sensation, one can sense which direction the obstacle lies in front of him.

This innovative device has bagged top honours at a competition held at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). All three students belong to different streams of engineering — Digvijay Singh Raghuvanshi is pursuing his B.Tech Mechanical, Isha Dutt is from B.Tech Bio-medical and Saif Nazi belongs to Electronics.

Speaking about the invention, the project lead Raghuvanshi said that work on this project started by mid-2013.

They initially developed a prototype, which later went through a lot of modifications and improvements. Now, the project is ready and was also demonstrated at several blind schools in the city as well as in Delhi.

The principal and dean of college, Anand Bhalerao said that the demonstration of the belt was done at the Poona Blind School in Kothrud where students found the system immensely easy and helpful when walking around. Bhalerao said the equipment was developed in Bharati Vidyapeeth University College of Engineering, Pune with technical assistance from Robita Corporation, a city-based firm.

About the device

i-ODAN efficiently and automatically scans the entire area in front and on the sides of a user and establish clear communication with respect to how close an obstacle is. It responds through vibrations of varying intensity that is generated by small DC motors. The college is now in the process of filing a patent for the product.

(The views expressed above the personal views of the writer)

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This belt will help visually impaired walk around easily

India ranked No. 3 in US Green Building Council list

MEA — 02/05/2014 16:41:15

Business Line/ by V. Rishi Kumar

The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has ranked India as No 3 among the list of top 10 countries for LEED outside of the United States.

Canada tops the list followed by China, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany and Brazil, among others.

The list demonstrates the global reach of the movement that is transforming the built environment into healthy, high-performing structures that benefit the planet and its people.

"The global community is increasingly recognising the imperative for action as we combat the extraordinary challenge of worldwide climate change,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC.

"LEED’s success in India represents not only a growing recognition of its demonstrated benefits for human health and operational cost-savings, but also its unparalleled potential to be part of the solution to a warming planet and rising sea levels.”

Top 10 nations

According to a statement, the list of the top 10 countries for LEED reflects the global adaptability of the world’s most widely used and recognised system guiding the design, construction, operations and maintenance of green buildings.

To date, project teams in more than 140 countries and territories have implemented LEED in their building projects, taking advantage of its global, regional and local applicability to create structures that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; create healthier indoor environments for workers, students and community members; and lower utility bills for building owners through reduced energy and water use.

LEED-certified space

The ranking of the top 10 countries for LEED outside of the US is based on cumulative gross square meter (GSM) of space certified to LEED in each nation as of April 2014.

India has 11.64 million GSM of LEED-certified space, and in total, it has 1,657 LEED-certified and -registered projects representing 66.22 million GSM.

In June 2013, USGBC had launched the LEED Earth campaign, offering free certification to the first projects to certify in more than 100 countries where LEED has yet to take root. Since then, 15 projects in various nations have earned free certification.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India ranked No. 3 in US Green Building Council list

Four Indians Win Awards at Harvard Competition for Start-Ups

MEA — 02/05/2014 16:44:56

NDTV

Four Indians are among the winners of a Harvard Business School competition that awards prizes worth over USD 300,000 to new and innovative business and social impact start-ups conceptualised by the US institution's students and alumni.

Harvard MBA student Amrita Siagal won the grand prize in the 'Social Enterprise' category at the 18th Harvard Business School New Venture Competition for her venture 'Saathi', which she co-founded with Oracle engineer Kristin Kagetsu.

'Saathi' provides affordable sanitary pads made from waste banana tree fibre to women in rural India.

Siagal and Kagetsu, who both hold mechanical engineering degrees from MIT, received a USD 50,000 prize at the competition, which supports both students and alumni launching new business and social impact ventures inspired by "belief that one simple idea can change everything".

'Saathi' also got the audience choice award through an electronic crowd vote.

The winner in the business track category was the start-up 'Alfred', being launched by Saurabh Mahajan, Marcela Sapone and Jess Beck.

Alfred is a concierge service individuals can use for their daily and weekly tasks, including dry cleaning, house cleaning, groceries, laundry, and more.

The Alfred team also won USD 50,000.

The runner-up in the social enterprise track was 'Tomato Jos' founded by MBA students Mira Mehta and Mike Lawrence.

'Tomato Jos' is a vertically integrated tomato processing company that helps small farmers in Nigeria grow tomatoes that can then be made into tomato paste.

In the business category, 'Booya Fitness' founded by MBA student Pritar Kumar won the runner-up award and a USD 25,000 cash prize.

The venture is an on-demand video platform featuring workouts created by the industry's best boutique gyms and instructors.

The capstone event of the HBS's expansive offerings in entrepreneurship, this year's competition attracted 150 Harvard MBA candidates as well as students from six other Harvard graduate schools.

In addition, HBS graduates from 17 HBS alumni "hub" clubs worldwide participated in 14 regional competitions.

As part of the finale programme, a member of each venture delivered a 90-second pitch to the audience, leading to an electronic crowd vote.

Over the course of the entire competition, which began last fall, more than 200 judges and mentors took part.

Alumni winners were chosen by an online crowd vote by other HBS graduates around the globe, HBS students, and a panel of judges in three categories - most innovative, greatest impact, and best investment.

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Four Indians Win Awards at Harvard Competition for Start-Ups

The West can learn from India's Central Banker

MEA — 05/05/2014 17:14:42

Bloomberg/by Mohamed A. El-Erian

Raghuram Rajan, a highly respected University of Chicago economist who now heads the Reserve Bank of India, is bringing much-needed attention to a crucial issue for the global economy: the spillover effects that the unconventional monetary policies of big Western central banks, particularly the U.S. Federal Reserve, have on other countries all over the world.

His views started attracting a lot more interest a few weeks ago when he had a rather unusual public back-and-forth with another highly respected economist, former Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Rajan's point, elaborated in a later column for Project Syndicate, is that if the spillover effects of the West's experimental monetary policies are better understood, it might turn out that their benefits don’t exceed their costs and risks.

Rajan has no quarrel with the policies themselves as part of central banks’ arsenal, particularly as a way to stabilize financial markets in times of crisis. His concern is that when they become the main way to stimulate economies suffering from debt overhangs and structural problems like those currently afflicting the U.S., the resulting liquidity injection can't all be efficiently absorbed at home. Instead, it is pushed abroad.

Reflecting the overly ambitious expectations that Western central banks have placed on the effectiveness of such unconventional measures, the domestic economic growth response has repeatedly fallen short of their forecasts. In the meantime, other parts of the world have had to deal with disruptions that impair their economic performance, resulting in lower global growth and risking a range of adverse feedback loops. Note, for example, how stocks, bonds and currencies across emerging markets suffered in May and June of last year (and earlier this year, albeit to a lesser extent) as investors fretted about the Fed's plans to taper monthly bond purchases aimed at supporting the U.S. recovery.

As Rajan put it, the West’s unconventional policies can "fuel currency and asset-price volatility in both the home economy and emerging countries,” rather than deliver the intended sizable net benefits. As such, "greater coordination among central banks would contribute substantially to ensuring that monetary policy does its job at home, without excessive adverse side effects elsewhere.”

Bernanke, for his part, has countered such arguments by encouraging a deeper appreciation of the beneficial economic growth impact of the bond-buying program known as quantitative easing. The higher the growth rate in the West, the better it is for international trade, financial stability and, therefore, the outlook for the rest of the world.

Along with other Western officials, Bernanke has also argued that central banks' mandates limit their policy goals to domestic variables and domestic objectives. So, to the extent that there are negative externalities, it is the responsibility of the rest of the world to deal with them. Whenever the spillover issues have come up in multilateral policy discussions, such as the Group of 20 meeting in February 2013, Western officials have prevailed on the grounds that their central banks are rightly focused on their own economies.

Rajan’s insights and policy recommendations are not totally new, and he is not the first developing country official to speak out. Still, he is the first person to openly take up the issue on the basis of an impressive trio of relevant central bank experience in a systemically important developing country, a remarkable academic pedigree and a successful tenure as the economic counselor of the International Monetary Fund. As such, it should be much harder for Western policy makers, and for their representatives at multilateral institutions, to dismiss his arguments.

There is reason to hope that, this time around, an important national and global policy issue may finally command more serious attention from national policy makers, academic researchers and multilateral institutions. It certainly deserves it.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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The West can learn from India's Central Banker

Eradicating polio in India -- PCI and the Core Group Polio Project

MEA — 05/05/2014 17:22:40

San Diego Source

After completing three full years without reporting any case of polio, India celebrated a landmark achievement in public health in February 2014 – the victory over polio. In the global effort to eradicate polio, India has been a success story. For a country which, until 2009, reported more than half of the global polio cases, India has shown unprecedented progress. PCI can proudly say that they have helped aid this success.

Experts predicted India would be the last country to stop this debilitating disease. To find and immunize more than 170 million children — to reach the millions who didn’t even exist on a map — presented itself as an incredibly daunting task. The endemic pockets in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were among the most difficult places in the world to eradicate polio. The combination of poor sanitation, high population density, poor health conditions, and extreme weather conditions created the perfect climate for virus transmission.

Nevertheless, it was a task PCI chose to undertake and believed we could achieve. The Core Group Polio Project (CGPP) was formed — led by PCI and implemented with additional partners. The CGPP continues to operate to ensure that India remains polio free.

The process

Working in the most high-risk districts of Uttar Pradesh, where resistance to polio immunization was previously high, the CGPP has succeeded in doubling levels of routine immunization to above 90% through community mobilization coordinators, health camps where vaccines are provided by the Government of India, and promotion of hygienic practices to reduce new infections, especially in children under 5 years of age.

Children are also recruited to support the effort by participating in rallies, announcing dates of vaccination drives and teaching the adult members of their communities about preventing disease. Citizens who were reluctant to trust health workers have been far more willing to listen to members of their own communities, and children are especially convincing since they are fighting for their future.

Cultural resistance to the polio vaccine

Early on, a pervasive and inaccurate myth circulated, convincing many that the polio vaccine was a government conspiracy designed to make young men impotent to stem the community’s population growth. Muslim community members believed that the vaccine contained a Haraam ingredient (forbidden under Islam), that the program was aimed at sterilizing them, and thus refused to participate. Others asked themselves, "Why are they only bringing us this vaccine when we need so much more?” Thus, they refused to take the drug, thinking it useless.

Mobilizing the community

As a result of the strong initial cultural resistance to the drug (and foreign interference), PCI began to identify and call upon people that could break down barriers within the community – school children, mothers, religious leaders and other influential people – who soon came to be known as Community Mobilization Coordinators (CMCs).

CMCs work hard to build strong human relationships within the community, particularly wherever a family has a pregnant female or child under five. These relationships are not confined only to the polio vaccination round period. Our CMCs work persistently all year long for the welfare of their community. It took one CMC, Reshma, between five and six visits per month over a five year period to finally persuade one family to stop resisting immunizations. Other CMCs, such as Sushma, are polio survivors – which makes their case much more compelling. Sushma says she desperately doesn’t want to have to watch children suffer from the same disease that has debilitated her. The CMCs are truly the backbone of the CGPP – the success of the program would not have been possible without their support and influence.

Children play a vital role as part of the community mobilization program. Acting as agents of change, children would lead large rallies (polio rally, kukro koo rally, bulawa tolli rally), each with their own job- be it chanting a slogan, holding a banner or ensuring the presence of parents. The children are enthusiastic as their role gives them a sense of pride and importance. Between 2007 and 2012 over 5,000 children participated in 29,683 rallies in 44 rounds of polio vaccinations.

PCI has been particularly effective in obtaining the support of influential religious leaders in India’s Islamic communities, who hold the trust of and have a direct impact on the Muslim families. These religious leaders are playing a similar role to other CMCs; countering rumors and misinformation about polio vaccinations that keep some Muslim parents from immunizing their children.

Mothers’ meetings include both mothers of immunized and non-immunized children to increase acceptance of the polio vaccine and routine immunization coverage. Other topics such as personal hygiene and sanitation, managing the common cold, fever and diarrhea and the importance of breast feeding are also covered. Information is shared through demonstrations, charts, games, pamphlets flashcards, and personal appeals.

PCI’s capacity building for female mobilizers is excellent. After gaining the respect of the women in a community, much can be accomplished – mothers will go far lengths to protect their children.

Routine health camps

With the arrival of health camps, villagers saw that doctors were coming to them and giving out medicines free of cost. This, along with the large tents full of beautiful decorations, created incentive for many families to attend the camps. Foreigners and people from further afield, such as Delhi, also held the ability to influence community members, as their presence enforced the gravity of the situation. People assumed they would not have travelled so far unless it was for a good cause. To avail themselves the free medications, families were requested by the CGPP to bring their children with them.

Health camps also include a small stall led by teachers, encouraging visitors to send their children to school. With a better education comes better health and hygiene practices. The CGPP’s approach is multi-faceted. Each step towards immunization compliments the development and progress of a community as a whole.

As well as improving basic sanitation conditions to make the spread of Polio through oral-fecal route more difficult, the CGPP need to give the Polio Vaccine to every child under five. Each child requires 2 drops of the vaccine. After this is administered, the index finger of the vaccinated child is marked with a marker pen, and a record is made of his/her vaccination. Fieldworkers then go into villages to find the children that remained at home and did not receive their dose of the vaccine. Where children have taken the vaccine these houses are labelled P for Polio in the CMC’s register and on the outside of the door. Where they have not, the homes are labelled X. This is either because they cannot be reached (they are brick layers, field workers etc.) or because they have refused the first time around.

A different group of CMC’s return a few hours later to attempt to vaccinate children from the homes labelled X.

Routine Immunization- In addition to the oral polio vaccine, the CGPP strongly encourages the BCG for tuberculosis, DPT for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus, measles, hepatitis and Vitamin A.

A child’s basic immunity needs to be maximized if they are going to be exposed to the polio virus. The OPV may not be enough. Experts claim that if just one case is found where a child has weakness in limbs, it is likely the virus will have entered the intestines of between 300-500 other children.

A celebration in Moradabad -- the district experts claimed would never be polio free

On the 13th March 2014, in a small village in Moradabad (a district in Uttar Pradesh), over 700 men, women and children gathered to celebrate the eradication of polio in India at a jamboree held by the CGPP. The community were honored for the incredible work and continuous efforts they have put towards eliminating polio in Moradabad – an extremely ‘high risk’ town which previously produced the most cases of polio per year of anywhere in India. Children from the community performed songs and dances, community mobilisers gave speeches, and all were awarded gifts for their extraordinary efforts in working with the CGPP. The room was filled with a humble atmosphere of pride and celebration; a reminder of the struggles they have overcome, but also with an enormous sense of accomplishment. Because PCI works with the community, this really was the success of a community.

It was wonderful to see so many female Community Mobilisers, both in the audience and as speakers- the backbones of our program. They spoke with such confidence about the work they’ve done, and continue to do. In this way, it was not only a celebration for the feat over Polio, but also a celebration for the women of Moradabad, for their independence, and for the tightening of a community.

Maintaining polio free India

With as many as 200,000 new cases in 1994 alone, India has now been polio free for over three years. The CGPP continues to work at maintaining a polio free environment, as there will always remain a threat of reinfection from other countries in the region due to migration.

India’s success against Polio is an example to the rest of the world, and one that should be shared as World Immunization Week approaches. In the global effort to eradicate polio, India has been a success story and PCI can proudly say that they have helped aid this success.

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Eradicating polio in India -- PCI and the Core Group Polio Project

Solar surge brings green heat and hope to India's far north

MEA — 05/05/2014 17:28:49

Thomson Reuters Foundation/by Athar Parvaiz

Tsering Nurbo of Leh town in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir proudly explains how the smart design of his new home has eased the hardships he and his wife suffered during the mountain region’s extreme winters.

"Now the hard work - which we had to put in to keep our home warm - has reduced many-fold,” he said. "Before we had to use a lot of firewood and cow dung for generating warmth. Now we are not doing that any more thanks to our new house.”

Nurbo doesn’t know that the house he now owns is called a Passive Solar House (PSH). Neither does he know much about the technology and design that has transformed his life. But he is happy with the way it is working for him.

A PSH harnesses solar energy by trapping solar radiation to heat the interior of a building, through large south-facing windows and insulated trombe walls, ceilings and floors. The houses soak up the sun’s rays on winter days and retain the heat, enabling rooms to stay warm through the night, explained Rigzin Dorje, coordinator of the PSH project run by the Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDeG).

Double walls of sun-dried bricks, with gaps in between for insulation, and double-glazed windows are key features of the homes, which also use environmentally-friendly building materials. Sawdust and wood-shavings are used for insulation, for example, rather than the plastic sheets that are easily available in the market.

The room temperature always remains above 10 degrees Celsius in winter in the solar homes, while it falls far below zero in traditional houses. Temperatures in the Ladakh region drop as low as minus 35 degrees in winter despite the region’s sunny days.

Insulation also keeps the houses cool in summer, when the different positioning of the sun’s rays means they do not capture heat.

GREENER AND HEALTHIER

"This is really wonderful. I like the way we are benefiting from the sun’s energy,” Nurbo said. The new house not only saves his family the drudgery of procuring and burning fuel for warmth but has brought other comforts too. Smokeless heating helps them breathe easier, and taking a bath has become much less of an endurance test in harsh winter temperatures, Nurbo noted.

More than 350 families in the Changthang and Nobra areas of Leh – the capital of the ancient Hamalayan kingdom of Ladakh in India’s far north - have received technical support and construction materials from LEDeG to build solar houses.

LEDeG, an award-winning organisation that promotes sustainable development in Ladakh, has received funding for its PSH project from international NGOs, including GERES India and the Inter-Church Organisation for Development Cooperation, a Dutch group.

"Since Ladakh - being a desert - has no resources of fossil fuels, dependence on these fuels doesn’t make any sense,” said Lobzang Tsultim, LEDeG’s executive director. "Apart from that, using dung and firewood to heat homes has implications for health and the environment too.”

The group has been advising people across Ladakh on how to use solar energy to heat their homes, explaining that it requires less effort and is environmental-friendly into the bargain.

The amount of fuel used for heating has dropped by two thirds, cutting indoor air pollution and health hazards, Tsultim said. Moreover, each household has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by 3.5 tonnes annually.

Due to the scarcity of fuel resources in Ladakh and the abundance of solar radiation in the high-altitude desert, the region’s solar energy network is growing. On top of meeting the energy needs of local people, it could also produce solar energy for other parts of India in future.

BIG AMBITIONS

Jigmet Takpa, project director at the Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency (LREDA) which is working with the Indian government under its solar mission programme, noted that Ladakh has no forests. Fuel wood and timber are transported in from Kashmir, while diesel and kerosene come from other parts of India at a high cost.

But thanks to the $87 million solar project in Ladakh, led by India’s New and Renewable Energy Ministry, this has changed rapidly.

"All the hotels and households in Ladakh are now using solar energy for lighting and water-heating, while many are using solar cookers as well,” Takpa told Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Ladakh "is in close proximity with God”, Takpa quipped, and coupled with the climatic advantages this confers, the region is poised to be a solar energy leader, he said.

"Every square metre of our land has the potential to generate 1,200 watts of solar power, which is the highest in India,” Takpa noted. The region gets more than 320 clear sunny days a year, and the low air temperature enables the solar panels to work more efficiently, he added.

According to Takpa, the Indian government has set a target of boosting solar-power generating capacity to 400,000 megawatts by 2050, a quarter of which is due to be situated in Ladakh.

"We have already installed 137 small solar power plants for remote villagers, monasteries, educational institutions and hospitals,” he said.

SUBSIDIES

The impact of this solar energy initiative on the lives of Ladakh’s people is clear to see. Solar water heating systems perch atop every household and hotel in Leh, while outside lies the solar cooking equipment.

Dependence on diesel, kerosene and firewood has been cut dramatically in this sparsely populated region of some 280,000 people. According to LREDA figures, solar water systems that can heat 1.15 million litres per day have replaced electric water heaters, and kerosene or diesel-based boilers. And 4,500 domestic solar ovens have helped overcome reliance on liquefied petroleum gas and biomass.

The government’s decision to subsidise the solar-energy devices has attracted almost all households to the initiative. Schools, residential homes, hotels and guest houses receive a 50 percent subsidy for solar equipment, while government offices enjoy a 90 percent subsidy for installing solar-powered energy systems.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Solar surge brings green heat and hope to India's far north

One man stops Indian coal mine construction

MEA — 05/05/2014 17:34:07

The Epoch Times/by Morgan Erickson-Davis

This week, the Goldman Environmental Prize was awarded to six grassroots environmentalists from around the world in honor of their achievements. Of these, Ramesh Agrawal was chosen as this year’s winner for the Prize’s Asian region. For many years, he has worked to spread awareness of the environmental repercussions of India’s coal industry to local residents, empowering them with information and speaking out on their behalf. In 2012, his tireless efforts shut down development of a major coal mine, which would have been the largest in the state of Chhattisgarh (see interview below).

India is a country of rapid growth in terms of both population and economy, requiring ever-increasing amounts of energy. Coal is its most abundant fossil fuel, with an estimated total of 293,497 million metric tons of reserve remaining throughout the subcontinent. Beginning in 1774, coal mining has sought to supply the energy needs of the country. In the late 1970s, annual production reached 100 million metric tons, and has surged ever since. Today, nearly 700 million tons of coal is mined in India every year, making it the third-largest coal producer in the world.

However, there are downsides to what India deems "progress.” Mounting public health concerns, displacement of human communities, and environmental degradation are commonplace in areas surrounding coal mines. Air is filled with haze, and air pollution-related diseases are on the rise. A study published in 2013 estimated that, every year, 397,000 people in India die from conditions directly attributable to air pollution. Coal mining also pollutes waterways, and causes deforestation of the country’s already-reduced wild areas.

Not all of India’s coal pollution stays in India. Once mined, the coal is transported to power plants where it is combusted to produce electricity. The emissions from this process contain, among other things, high levels of mercury, which are transported around the world by atmospheric circulation patterns. This mercury eventually precipitates out of the air as rain or snow, much of which ends up in the ocean and accumulates up the food chain, resulting in high mercury levels in many predatory fish and whale populations around the world – and in the people who eat them.

India’s government is known to operate hand-in-hand with the coal industry, allowing it to bypass thorough environmental impact analyses in order to get coal mines and power plants up and running as quickly as possible. Residents of communities in areas affected by coal development are often denied access to information about proposed energy projects, their land appropriated without fair compensation, and their water and air contaminated with toxic mining byproducts.

India’s Right to Information Act (RTI) of 2002 guarantees access to governmental information, allowing individuals to make informed decisions and report legislative misconduct. However, many people in India are illiterate, which makes it difficult if not impossible for them to access critical information. Agrawal, a former social worker, realized that more people needed better access to information, as well as someone to speak for them and their interests. In response to this need, he founded Jan Chethana, a grassroots movement headquartered in a small internet café in his hometown of Raigarh, in the state of Chhattisgarh.

Jan Chethana acted as a watchdog for Chhattisgarh’s rural communities. Agrawal took it upon himself to educate their residents about environmental violations and file RTI applications on their behalf. He encouraged residents to voice their opposition to threatening industry development and helped them file petitions against it.

Jan Chethana’s greatest triumph came in April, 2012, when Agrawal and area residents succeeded in halting development of a new coal mine. Proposed by Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), the new mine was slated to be the biggest mine in the state and produce more than four million tons of coal annually. Starting in 2008, Agrawal organized residents to demonstrate their opposition to mine. Eventually, the permits allowing JSPL to break ground were revoked by government agencies, citing the many violations Agrawal had reported.

A few months later, Agrawal was shot by gunmen allegedly hired by JSPL to kill him. He survived, but with a shattered femur. Still, he remains undaunted, and plans to continue his work as the voice for those who are underrepresented by the government and overexploited by industry.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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One man stops Indian coal mine construction

Contemporary Indian cinema on show for film festival in St Kilda and beyond

MEA — 30/04/2014 17:47:24

Herald Sun/by Julie Hedjes

From Bollywood to the latest art-house films, the richness of Indian cinema is coming to our movie screens.

The St Kilda-based Indian Film Festival of Melbourne opens on Thursday. Festival director Mitu Bhowmick-Lange said while Bollywood was certainly the most popular and common genre in Indian cinema, there was a strong and growing independent film industry with a much more serious tone.

This year’s festival, with a program of more than 45 films, explores contemporary Indian cinema and also introduces a new international competition, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards.

There will be master classes with India’s leading film figures, and on May 4 at Federation Square audiences can emulate their screen heroes and join a Bollywood dance competition to be judged by Malaika Arora Khan, a judge from the India’s Got Talent TV show.

"We hope that everyone who loves cinema comes to the festival – the stories have universal appeal and all the films are subtitled,’’ said Bhowmick-Lange.

The festival kicks off with the Australian premiere of the newly-restored Sholay 3D, followed by a Q & A with the film’s star Amitabh Bachchan.

Since its release in 1975, the spaghetti western-style action adventure film has established itself as a beloved classic of Indian cinema.

Among the international guests visiting the festival is the ”godfather of Indian cinema’’, Amitabh Bachchan, who will be honoured as the IFFM International Screen Icon for 2014.

To celebrate this visit La Trobe University is creating the ‘Shri Amitabh Bachchan’ scholarship and Mr Bachchan will personally present the inaugural scholarship to a student during his visit.

Bhowmick-Lange said the festival’s contemporary stream showcased the new films from India and the subcontinent.

”The program reflects the films coming out of India today - questioning the social injustices, our relationship with our neighbours, gender inequality, while we also celebrate the wonderful Bollywood musicals that we all so love,’’ she said.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Contemporary Indian cinema on show for film festival in St Kilda and beyond

India becomes world's third-largest economy

MEA — 01/05/2014 17:18:10

Al Jazeera

India emerged as the world's third-largest economy in 2011 from being the 10th largest in 2005 in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), according to a new study by the world's leading statistical agencies.

The 2011 International Comparison Program (ICP), which involves the World Bank, ranked India before Japan and after the US and China. The last survey in 2005 had placed India on the 10th place.

PPP is used to compare economies and incomes of people by adjusting for differences in prices in different countries to make a meaningful comparison.

The report has given India's ruling Congress party a short in the arm which has been targeted by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for the country's slow growth.

On Wednesday, the Congress leadership hailed the World Bank report as an 'answer' to the party's critiques (BJP).

"This is an answer to Modi and other leaders of opposition for their false accusations against us," said General Secretary of Congress party, Shakeel Ahmad.

The opposition BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi often launchs sharp attacks on the Congress party blaming the Congress-led government of weak economic policies and development fallouts during its ten year long term.

Ahmad said that India has achieved the feat because of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts.

"This is the result of his efforts that yesterday World Bank has said India is number third," he said.

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India becomes world's third-largest economy

India-made EVMs to be used in Namibia’s presidential polls

MEA — 01/05/2014 17:22:47

Gulf News/ IANS

Ahead of its presidential election, the Namibian government has purchased 3,400 India-made electronic voting machines (EVMs) which have already been used by other countries in Asia to conduct smooth and fair polls.

Purchased at a cost of Namibian $10 million (Dh3.4 million/approx $948,000) from Bengaluru-based public sector unit, Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL), the EVMs will be used in the southern African nation for their elections scheduled for November, top officials told IANS.

Namibia, which had ordered 1,700 EVMs in 2013, placed another order earlier this year, is the first African country to use such machines in any of its polls.

Officials said a seven-member delegation from the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) had visited various polling stations in Karnataka including its capital, Bengaluru, when the Lok Sabha polls were held on April 17 and were impressed by the system.Speaking to IANS, Namibian High Commissioner Pius Dunaiski said: "In the entire Asian region, India is of pivotal importance for us. It’s developing technologies and the high advanced EVMs are a great learning point for us.

"Namibia had sent a few members from the information technology team to familiarise themselves with the functioning of the EVMs.

"A delegation will soon visit New Delhi to understand the vote counting process, including the software which is used at result centres during the announcement of results,” Dunaiski told IANS.

The envoy stressed that the main reason Namibia is keen on purchasing the Indian made EVMs lies in its benefits like faster results, reduction in the number of spoilt ballots, low expenses in conducting the polls, and the elimination of potential avenues of manipulation avenues.

"Newly introduced features like the None of the Above (NOTA) button in order to vote against all the contesting candidates in a constituency, in-built clocks and Braille markings for the visually impaired, are some other reasons that have drawn the officials of the Namibia’s Electoral Commission,” Dunaiski said.

Some other features of EVMs that impressed the commission was that they eliminated the possibility of vote tempering by displaying the time when the vote was cast along with recording the ballot. It also gives hourly polling updates.

A senior official from BEL told IANS that India’s EVMs are "more advanced” than those in the west.

"Our EVMs are more advanced as compared to those used in western nations. The EVMs we manufacture can adopt to any electoral process. Our machines are time-saving, environment-friendly and mobile,” he said.

"These are the reasons why the Namibian government has ordered our EVMs,” he added.

The company, which is six decades old, has provided 850,000 new EVMs to the Election Commission for the ongoing Lok Sabha poll.

Earlier, it had also provided over 3,000 such machines to Bhutan for conducting their polls.

"While the EVMs have already been supplied, their technology won’t be shared with any of the countries,” the official categorically told IANS.

"We are always ready to extend help to other countries in their electoral process, but we can’t share the technology. After all, it is our technology which makes India a leader in conducting smooth polls, despite being the biggest democracy and highly prone to hassles during the electoral process,” he added.

But Namibia is not the only African country who want EVMs.

Impressed by smooth, hassle-free elections they ensure, officials said other countries have also shown interest in purchasing them.

"Other African countries like Ghana, South Sudan, Nigeria and Kenya have also shown interest in the purchase of the EVMs, but everything will depend on the success of these machines in the Namibian presidential polls,” K.N. Bhar, secretary, Election Commission told IANS.

"The delegation has been given a thorough training by the Election Commission regarding the proper usage and operation of the EVMs,” he said.

Although various technologies have been used to automate certain processes in the electoral systems, as of now, no African country has made use of actual EVMs in its election process.

Biometric systems were introduced during the 2013 Kenya polls to streamline the voter registration process, while electronic tallying was used to expedite the counting and tallying process.

According to reports, due to operational and technical problems, both systems failed, forcing the electoral management body to resort to hand counting -- a process that took five days, and threatened to destabilise the entire electoral process.

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India-made EVMs to be used in Namibia’s presidential polls

The Indian elections are becoming a big tourist draw

MEA — 01/05/2014 17:26:01

Time/ by Nirenjana Bhowmick

If festivals like Diwali, Holi or the spectacular Kumbh Mela draw tourists to India, why shouldn’t its vast, sprawling legislative election? With 814 million eligible voters, it’s the biggest democratic show on earth — and with that in mind, tourists from as far afield as the U.S., the U.K., France and Australia have signed up for package tours that include visiting public rallies and meeting party officials.

Among the visitors are curious tourists of Indian ethnicity, like Beijing-based businessman Ratan Singh Chowdhury. He got an Indian tour operator to come up with a tailor-made election-tourism package for him and four of his friends, and together they have been crisscrossing the country since the beginning of April. Their travel plans include meetings with more than 70 people from local communities in the states they have chosen to visit. For his Chinese travel companions — hailing from a country where citizens can only vote in low-level elections that are usually stage-managed — the experience is fascinating.

"India is the largest democracy in the world and our next-door neighbor,” says Pan Liu, 25, a technical manager in a solar company in Guangzhou, in an email to TIME. "Our interest in India is natural.”

Liu is not the only one who has been bitten by the Indian poll bug this year. While there are no hard numbers yet, tour operators say hundreds if not thousands of long-haul visitors will witness the polls firsthand. Some are there because of a professional interest.

"It’s a huge achievement that, for the last six decades, India has been conducting these elections in a free and fair manner, and so there’s a lot of academic interest in the process,” says Subhash Goyal, founder-chairman of the travel company that customized the election package for Chowdhury and his friends. "This is a new segment of tourism that has emerged and we are very happy about it, but we were not prepared for this kind of demand.”

At the same time, there are visitors who just want to soak up the carnival-like atmosphere that generally accompanies the polls.

"Even in the small villages there are decorations, rallies and celebrations [of a kind] seen nowhere else in the world,” says Manish Sharma, chairman of a tourism-development body in the western state of Gujarat and the director of a travel agency.

Sharma tested the waters by offering tours of the Gujarat state polls in 2012, inspired by similar packages in Mexico. His company now offers a weeklong, $1,200 tour of several cities in various stages of India’s general elections. About 800 tourists have already signed up, and he is expecting to sell as many as 2,000 more tours. "It feels like a festival,” says Nirav Shah, one of Sharma’s customers and a 27-year-old IT professional based in the U.S. "It’s been a while since I’ve seen this type of craze for Indian elections.”

The hype is also spurring foreign operators to get in on the act. Companies like U.K.-based Political Tours plan to start election tours of India during the next round of voting.

"India is the largest democracy in the world, and there is huge interest internationally in seeing it in operation,” says Nicholas Wood, the firm’s director.

Chowdhury’s Chinese friend Pan Liu agrees. "We are very excited to see so many people doing nothing but politics,” she says.

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The Indian elections are becoming a big tourist draw

Websites and support groups help Indian cancer survivors find partners

MEA — 29/04/2014 10:26:36

South China Morning Pos/ by Amrit Dhillon

Cancer survivors can rarely find partners in India, but websites and support groups are helping to pair lonely hearts, writes Amrit Dhillon

Binoo George, 33, was diagnosed with lymphoma six years ago and is now in remission. With the illness behind him, his older brother, Balaji, worries that Binoo doesn't have a partner, children, emotional intimacy or a typical family life.

Over the past four years, Balaji has searched their home of Kochi in the state of Kerala, trying to arrange a marriage for his brother.

"The moment any prospective family hears about the cancer, they vanish. But in India, there is no alternative to arranged marriages. You have to get married to have a partner. This is not like foreign countries where you can find someone yourself and go around without marrying," says Balaji.

When he heard about a new marriage website set up by the youth wing of St Mary's Orthodox Parish Church in Kerala last month, his heart soared with fresh hope. He registered Binoo at once.

"I haven't told him, though. I don't want to get his hopes up until I have found someone who might work out," he says.

The website, insightmatrimony.com is the first of its kind in India, catering to cancer survivors who want to share their life with a partner. "After realising that few Indians will accept a cancer survivor as a spouse, we decided their best hope was to find another cancer survivor, through this website," says website co-ordinator Chils Thomas Koshy."The stigma of cancer is still there. People fear a recurrence, the medical expenses. They are scared the children will have a greater chance of getting cancer."Anyone aged between 20 and 35 can register free of charge. Koshy says 180 people have registered since the launch. The figure would have been higher had the website not run into technical problems. A similar impulse was behind a just-launched United States-based website called 2date4love. The site is for survivors who cannot have sex, due to the effect of cancer or its treatment, but who want a companion.

In other countries there is no support for cancer survivors seeking partners. The Hong Kong Cancer Fund, for example, provides no such service at any of its care centres. A spokesman said patients were focused on "treatment and recovery" rather than finding a partner.

If arranged marriages were not the bedrock of Indian culture, insightmatrimony would be unnecessary. People would fall in love, discover the person was a cancer survivor and marry regardless, at least in most cases.

Spontaneous love scorns cost-benefit analysis, but arranged marriages are based on cold calculations. Parents seek to find the best possible mate for their child against a list of criteria and a cancer survivor does not make the shortlist. Arranging a marriage is like shopping. The best deal is sought and no "defective" goods will be entertained.

Most Indians still consider cancer a shameful secret. The only significant recent breakthrough was the brave decision by cricketer Yuvraj Singh to tell the public he had cancer after being diagnosed with a lung tumour in 2011. It was one of the few times a celebrity had acknowledged they had cancer. Singh's honesty has dented the taboo to some extent, but not to the point where cancer survivors can find partners.

Poonam Bagai, chairwoman of CanKids … KidsCan, a support group in New Delhi for children with cancer and their families, and a former cancer patient herself who fights against the stigma, understands the difficulty.

"If I were absolutely honest, if one of my two sons fell in love with a cancer survivor, I'd be fine. But if I had to arrange his marriage and I could choose between a girl who is a cancer survivor and one who does not have cancer, then I would probably go for the latter," says Bagai.

And that is the way it will stay, as long as arranged marriages are the norm, Bagai says. An overwhelming majority of Indians have arranged marriages, partly to please their parents and partly because they like the tradition.

Matrimonial websites are so popular these days that they have become specialised, catering to specific groups: the divorced, people diagnosed with HIV, civil servants, the disabled.

One general website, Jeevansathi, has a section for cancer survivors, but insightmatrimony is the only site that caters exclusively to them. The church was also prompted to create the website because Kerala has the highest number of cancer patients in the country for reasons that remain unclear.

"By marrying another cancer survivor, people will not just be accepted but also understood. They will have gone through the same experiences and emotions that others won't understand, so it's comforting for them," says Koshy.At the CanKids office, a colourful, bustling centre reached through a warren of narrow alleyways, Ritu Bhalla, 23, works as an awareness co-ordinator. She is also the Girl Child Cancer Ambassador of India.Petite, articulate and self-possessed, Bhalla has matured enormously since Bagai took her under her wing years ago. She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of four. After a course of treatment, she recovered. Then, at the age of 11, she was diagnosed with a second cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Since 2004, she has been free of the disease.

Among the young people she works with, most tell her that their parents will hide the fact of their cancer when they reach marrying age. There is no alternative.

Bhalla understands that arranged marriages make this lying inevitable. For her part, she will choose her own partner. Working for CanKids has given her a confidence and social skills that few other girls from her poor background could hope to acquire.

Moreover, she can afford to make her own decisions about her life partner because she is the family's breadwinner, supporting her parents and two younger sisters. "I realise that not everyone can decide to find their own partner," says Bhalla.

"My circumstances are different. I am who I am because of my cancer. It has given my life direction. Cancer is my achievement. But I realise that others less fortunate than me cannot have this attitude and must have an arranged marriage and, for them, this website will be a great help."She and the other young survivors at CanKids often joke that Singh, who is 32 and unmarried, should hurry up and find himself a wife."When a cancer survivor like Yuvraj, who is rich and famous, finds a woman to accept him, that will break down the doors and make it easier for other survivors to find a partner, too," she says.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Websites and support groups help Indian cancer survivors find partners

On board India’s palace on wheels

MEA — 29/04/2014 10:30:02

The Blade/by S. Amjad Hussain

Luxury tourist train provides trip into history

Trains are fascinating. If you have time and patience, train travel is one of the most enjoyable modes of transportation.

On my current tour of India, I traveled through the western Indian state of Rajasthan aboard the Palace on Wheels. It is a luxury tourist train that makes a weeklong excursion through the state.

From the moment I stepped onto the platform at the Safdar Jang railway station in New Delhi to the strains of live Indian music to the time I got off a week later at the same station, I had a journey of delightful sights, sounds, and smells.

The train is a vivid reminder of a bygone era when Indian rulers rode elephants to board their train compartments and travel in the lap of luxury and comfort. They almost literally carried their palaces with them — hence the name of the train.

A train journey such as this one amounts to much more than luxurious staterooms and a well-trained bevy of elegant-looking staff who look after your every whim.

Rajasthan is the most western state in India, adjoining Pakistan. It has a rich history. The Palace on Wheels provides its riders with glimpses of that history, with a backdrop of impressive palaces and forts.

The train stops at Jaipur, in the northern part of the state. Along the way, the train makes daylong stops in the cities of Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Agra, the site of the Taj Mahal.

With imagination, you could still hear the drumbeats of battles that were fought on the plains and hills of Rajasthan an eon ago. Tales of valor and bravery, mixed with a tinge of prejudice, are commonplace.

Each city has a compelling story of epic battles fought centuries and sometimes millennia ago. Some of those stories are part of local myth. One enduring myth is that religion always separated invaders from the invaded.

Chittorgarh, a fortress city on top of a broad hill, was coveted by many invaders because of its strategic location at the crossroads of southern Rajasthan and south Asia.

According to legend, the fortress repelled two attacks by the armies of kings from northern India. But in the third attack, in the 16th century, Muslim Mughal King Akbar, who ruled vast parts of India, conquered Chittorgarh.

Before the battle lines for the third attack were drawn, thousands of women in the besieged fort committed suicide. The legend of these Rajput women killing themselves to preserve their honor and that of their nation has become ingrained in the psyche of the people of Chittorgarh and other places.

A historic narrative defined by sharp religious borders ignores the fact that political alliances often crossed religious divisions. King Akbar’s trusted general, who led many a campaign, was Man Singh, the Rajput ruler of Jaipur.

The architecture of some cities of Rajasthan is breathtaking. Forts and palaces were built at strategic locations, with an eye for the environment and availability of local materials. Because of the colors of the stones that were used, Jaipur is called the Pink City and Jaisalmer the Golden City.

I was surprised to see a young man at every stop we made. A bag slung on his shoulder, he would greet passengers with clasped hands and a beautiful smile. He asked whether we needed a shoeshine.

He had been following this train for more than eight years, eking out a living by providing his services to well-to-do travelers. Even if your shoes do not need a shine, you feel compelled to help this cheerful and hard-working young man.The unfolding panorama you see from the train is interesting and at times poignant. Urban areas — congested, chaotic, and deliciously eclectic — are a far cry from the laid-back days of bullock carts and horse-driven buggies.

The rural landscape, however, has not changed much over the years. An occasional lush green field with sheaves of wheat comes into view, reminding me of Vincent Van Gogh’s series of paintings Wheat Fields. A Persian wheel adds an exotic eastern touch to the scene.

It was a memorable week, and one of the most exciting excursions I ever have had.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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On board India’s palace on wheels

India, wild and wondrous

MEA — 29/04/2014 10:36:26

Philly/ by Marilyn Jones

Far off, there's a sound of panic, low and guttural. The naturalist, explaining the relationship of the common langur monkey and spotted deer to me, a woman from Los Angeles and two women from Boston, suddenly starts speaking in Hindi to the jeep driver and guide.

"Hold on," the guide yells back at us as the driver makes a frantic U-turn and begins racing down the rutted dirt road.

The sound: The warning call of a sambar deer.

The scene: Ranthambore National Park, India.

The objective: to see if the deer distress call is a warning that a tiger is in the area.

Worldwide, there are an estimated 3,200 tigers in the wild; between 40 and 50 live in this park of nearly 100,000 acres. The chance to see a tiger in the wild is what draws people here. Seeing one is never guaranteed.

After several jaw-jarring miles, we come upon a female Bengal tiger lazily resting by a lake. Other drivers of jeeps and much larger safari vehicles jockey for position to allow their passengers the best view of the endangered species.

Slowly she stands and begins to walk toward the deer. Instead of running, they stand their ground, watching the tiger, making sure they know where she is at all times. After only a few minutes, the tiger disappears into the long grass and our driver maneuvers back into the forest in search of more adventure.

India is magical, mystical, and majestic. Sighting this rare tiger is just the beginning. My adventure also includes Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur - one historic site, animal encounter, and shopping bazaar after another.

Delhi

Horns blare. Tuk-tuks and pedicabs travel alongside motorcycles, cars, and commercial trucks. There don't seem to be any accidents as agile drivers snake through traffic. My driver, Ganga Ram, says the key to driving in India is "blow horn, good luck, and good brakes."

Delhi, the capital of India, is home to more than 22 million residents, the second-most populous urban area in the world after Tokyo, according to the United Nations.

The area has likely been inhabited since at least the 6th century B.C., After independence in 1947, New Delhi was declared the capital of the new nation.

As varied as its long and colorful past is, today it exhibits two distinct personalities: New Delhi, with its tree-lined avenues and imposing government buildings, and Old Delhi, a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with crumbling buildings and street hawkers.

I would not recommend exploring alone. I left the driving and the itinerary in the hands of Kensington Tours. As much as I enjoyed visiting the largest mosque in India, the tombs of long-ago rulers, and government landmarks, the most fun - and eye-opening experience - was a pedicab ride through Old Delhi, arranged by my guide.The chaos, color, and sound; scents of unknown spices and street food; and people going about their daily lives in the crowded streets are spellbinding - an inspired vision of India, its people and their way of life.

The Taj Mahal

Although the sun is setting and it is too late to visit the Taj Mahal, I am excited to reach my hotel in Agra, where every room faces this Wonder of the World. The Oberoi Amarvilas is designed to give every guest the same view whether they are in their guest room, the dining room, or another public space.

Stepping out onto the balcony, I see the monument built by Shah Jahan and dedicated to his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to the couple's 14 child. Her death profoundly affected the shah, who built this monument as her final resting place. I remind myself to be in the moment; this is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The next morning I am met by a tour guide and taken by golf cart a short distance where I stand in line for just under a half hour to gain entry. Once through security, we walk through a grand gate where we pause so that I can photograph the Taj Mahal reflected in a still pool of water before my guide explains more of the monument's history.

It's hard to take my eyes from its beauty; perfectly symmetrical and glowing in the early morning sunlight. My guide takes me to an uncrowded area where he explains more about the monument.A beautiful example of Mughal architecture, he says, the design combines elements of Islamic, Persian, Turkish, and Indian architecture. It took 20,000 artisans nearly 22 years - 1632 to 1653 - to build it.

I approach the domed marble mausoleum where the shah and his wife are buried. In a crush of tourists I am swept into its interior, where grave markers are placed several feet above the graves.

For me, in addition to looking at the whole, admiring the intricate inlaid designs made of semiprecious stones (yellow jasper, black onyx, reddish-brown carnelian, dark-green jade, blue lapis, light-blue Indian turquoise, smoky-colored agate, and iridescent mother-of-pearl) is one of my most memorable experiences.

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As I leave, I turn one last time to admire the beauty of this symbol of undying love; a monument to beauty, art, and passion.

Jaipur

Jaipur's history actually starts a few miles away at the Amber Fort and Palace. Built in the 16th century, the fortress of white and red sandstone has many stories to tell of India and its history, and the men who ruled from here.

All the intricate designs remain and show the opulence amid which these men of power and their families lived, including one ruler who designed 12 apartments surrounding a common courtyard to accommodate his 12 wives. (A carved marble screen allowed the harem to look out at the activity of the fort without being seen.)

Jaipur was built in the 18th century as an extension of the fort. It is often referred to as the Pink City. The color originates from 1876 when Maharaja Ram Singh painted the entire city pink to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) when India was under British rule.

Another highlight in Jaipur is shopping.

In the heart of the city are narrow streets lined with craftsmen creating one-of-a-kind treasures, from stunning lacquer bracelets to lovely handmade journals. This is where you can find beautiful clothing and saris as well.

For jewelry though, avoid the street. This is another reason to have a guide. You'll want to visit a reputable dealer.

Block printing is a featured craft in Jaipur. At Shree Carpet & Textile Mahal, I watched the process as well as other artisans weaving carpets. The showroom features such block-printed textiles as tablecloths, wall hangings, clothing, and scarves.

My time in India, with its roaming animals, warm and friendly people, and cultural charm, was dreamlike.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India, wild and wondrous

Fully disproportionate American (FDA) action

MEA — 29/04/2014 12:10:43

Chronicle Pharmabiz/ by D. B. Anantha Narayana

The recent issue of FD 483 (a document issued to pharmaceutical firms audited by Food & Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors from America) to Indian pharmaceutical firms like Wockhardt and more recently to Ranbaxy are in the news. Many of them points to lapses in procedural and paperwork. With Indian pharmaceutical sector having more than 170 US FDA approved plants and exporting a fair share of medicines to US receipt of any FD 483 is news. Positive work done by this sector in contributing high quality pharmaceuticals and medicines do not make any news. It is surprising that based on alleged lapses in procedures and paperwork, the US FDA has announced banning all productions of this company export to US. Numbers of leading pharmaceutical firms in US are known to not even perform complete quality testing of the finished drug products before releasing them into market, ordering recall due to suspected or confirmed potency and quality issues of products so released, marketing drug products for unapproved indications and such lapses are far more serious than lapses in paperwork. One of the lapses pointed out in the recent Ranbaxy case relates to testing of one of the raw material at a very downstream step and lapse in the documentation which may not really have that serious impact on the quality of the final drug produced with this raw material. Compared to this, it is to be recognized that the Indian drug regulator has approved these plants and the products both for procedures, paperworks and more importantly the final product for its quality.

It is often heard that the US FDA respects the management attitude, leadership and action in constantly improving all procedures, paperworks and quality. Managements of Indian pharmaceutical firms are known to take serious note of any FD 483’s and setting focused attention to rectify the lapses and putting in place preventive measures. More often than not, such actions hurt many employees, bringing a bit of de-motivation and in extreme cases issue of transfer or pink slips to some. FD 483’s often use the term procedural/data ‘integrity’. This term gets reflected on the integrity of the management and the employee’s action which is not questionable as intentionally committed lapses don’t happen. While the management focuses on a few areas of identified lapses in paperwork, by the time the next inspection comes up a lapse may be noticed in some other aspect and pushes the management and the employees into a ‘falling into a quick sand like’ experience. No reports have been heard of any management not wanting to set right the procedural lapses. Higher stress on paperwork has been a subject of debate even amongst many Indian regulators who attended training programmes conducted by the US FDA. One such senior regulator told this author "he did not learn any new thing in such training programmes and the stress on documentation was almost questionable than necessary. With such a focus on documentation, an inspector can miss really serious aspect in the premises or aspects that impact on the finished drug quality”, said the regulator.

Indian pharmaceutical companies and the regulators both play greater stress on testing each and number of batches of finished drugs before releasing to market. It has now become common that the Indian regulator rushes to these firms which receive an FD 483, after the American inspectors have visited them and issued notes on lapses. It is also true that the Indian regulator has found no problem with the product quality in these pharmaceutical firms. Isn’t it odd that the stables are closed after the horses have run away? The US FDA inspectors should be asked to ensure presence of an Indian regulator during audits so that the findings do not reflect superiority of one against the other and the inspectors from US also respect the cultural sensitivities of Indians and Indian operations. Would any pharmaceutical industry in US have permitted inspection on a Sunday like the recent one that US inspectors are known to have undertaken by visiting Tonsa factory of Ranbaxy on a Sunday?

Joint inspections should be the way forward for common good and actions of the US FDA is not disproportionate to the so called lapses in paper and procedure. Surely banning of export of products from Indian pharmaceutical firms for alleged lapses in paperwork is not proportionate so long as the final product meets the quality parameters set for the medicines. Both the Indian regulator and Indian pharmaceutical industry do not allow any slackness on this aspect, a fact proven by highest quality of drugs exported to US and other countries from India at costs that are far lower than those produced in US. The quality of drugs produced by Indian pharmaceutical companies has been accepted globally, by World Health Organisation, European Union, Australia and South Africa to name a few.

Proportionate weightages to paper work vis-a-vis quality of final product is the answer and not faulty disproportionate actions.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author. The author is an eminent pharmacist and a regulatory expert)

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Fully disproportionate American (FDA) action

Goldman Prize: Indian Ramesh Agrawal wins top environment award

MEA — 29/04/2014 18:47:47

BBC

An Indian who helped villagers fight a large coal mine is among six environmental activists from around the world who have won the Goldman Prize.

Ramesh Agrawal organised villagers in the central state of Chhattisgarh and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest planned coal mines in the area.
The other winners of this year's award are from Peru, Russia, South Africa, Indonesia and the US.

The winners of the prestigious prize will each receive $175,000 (£103,925).

"With a small internet cafe as his headquarters, Ramesh Agrawal organised villagers to demand their right to information about industrial development projects and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest proposed coal mines in Chhattisgarh," the San Francisco-based Goldman Environmental Foundation said in a press release on Monday.

Mr Agrawal's work earned him powerful enemies and after the coal mine project was cancelled, gunmen broke into his shop and shot him in the leg, shattering his bones.

"Despite his limited mobility, Mr Agrawal is helping villagers to assert their rights as landowners and apply for mineral rights to the coal buried under their properties," the release adds.

The foundation also recognised Peru's Ruth Buendia for "helping to prevent two dams in the Peruvian Amazon", Russian zoologist Suren Gazaryan for "defending protected areas from Olympic development in Sochi" and American lawyer Helen Slottje for "helping to shut down fracking in New York State".

South Africa's Desmond D'Sa has been chosen for "closing a toxic dump site in Durban" and Indonesian biologist Rudi Putra has been awarded for "shutting illegal palm oil plantations in Sumatra", the foundation said.

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Goldman Prize: Indian Ramesh Agrawal wins top environment award

Indian innovation offers cheap and effective test for heart disease

MEA — 29/04/2014 18:53:00

Deutsche Welle/ by Murali Krishnan

Image-free and non-invasive technology is being developed in India to help detect cardiovascular disease. If successful, the device could bring affordable healthcare to India where millions die of the disease each year.

Scientists at the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC) in the southern Indian city of Chennai have invented a friendly device that keeps a check on artery stiffness and gives an alert when issues arise.

The ARTSENS [Arterial Stiffness Evaluation for Non-Invasive Screening] device helps prevent cardiovascular diseases which are becoming more prevalent because of factors like unhealthy eating and stress.

Up until now, image-based ultra sonograms have been used to test the elasticity and structure of an artery. Such conventional ultrasound machines are large, expensive and require very skilled operators.

How it works

Dr Jayaraj Joseph heads the project at HTIC, he told DW that several factors, including age and lifestyle, can affect human blood vessels and in turn could interrupt the normal function of the heart. An ARTSENS machine, Joseph added, assists in identifying premature vascular abnormalities and could assist in preventing heart disease through early diagnosis and treatment.

"This has got tremendous potential in early detection of possible vascular events in the future,” he adds.

The use of a singular ultrasound probe is another great advantage of the ARTSENS machine, Preejith, an electronic design engineer told DW.

The device, which is about the size of a digital television set top box, has been tested in three different clinical trials. All tests found the Indian machine to be on par with the commonly used imaging system.

Timely detection helpful

In comparison to a standard ultrasound imaging machine, ARTSENS’ manufacturers pride themselves on how compact and easily transportable the machine is. The Indian produced prototype costs around 1,200 euros ($1,663), which is a relatively small investment when you compare it to the 20,000 euros cost of the ultrasound imaging machine.

It will not be long before the device is ready commercially, Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, head of the HTIC, told DW.

The research team expects their invention will prove very useful within India’s public health sector as it will allow for mass patient screenings. In a country like India where more than 2.5 million people die every year because of cardiovascular disease, it will be a boon.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Indian innovation offers cheap and effective test for heart disease

Innovative school empowers Indian women

MEA — 29/04/2014 18:56:47

The University News/ by Vivek Gorijala

According to Akshay Sharma, an assistant professor for Industrial Design at Virginia Tech, design is about the process of creatively solving problems. With the help of the students and faculty at the School for Architecture and Design at Virginia Tech, he has helped guide a series of projects that he hopes will improve the quality of life for the poor in India, as well as help empower them to take their lives into their own hands. Many of Sharma’s projects focus on supporting women. These projects and their effects were the focus of Sharma’s Designing Empowerment: Design Thinking for Social Impact talk on April 15, part of a series of talks about design and entrepreneurship.

During his talk, Sharma mentioned that poverty is a major detriment to many Indians. The majority of the people live on less than $2. Sharma, who grew up in India, says that this is a major limiting factor in the quality of life of many Indians. However, his projects aim to raise the subpar standard of living, and help reduce poverty in India.

One ongoing project that Sharma and his students have taken part in is known as Barefoot College. When the college itself was founded in 1975, locals were very involved in the process of constructing and designing the college, and this tradition has continued. The locals are still in charge of operating the institution.

For example, the college’s dental clinic is run by a 50-year-old woman with no formal training or dental expertise. In fact, the woman is actually completely illiterate. Despite these limitations, she is able to successfully operate the college’s clinic.

Another segment of the college is known as the Barefoot Engineers. This is a group led by five women, also illiterate, that have built very delicate, precise solar reflectors. These solar reflectors can boil water, cook rice and perform a myriad of other useful day-to-day functions. Engineers have also built voltage control models and they are now in the process of teaching other women from around the world how to build these devices. However, to overcome the language barrier, a color-coded system was designed to teach the construction of these devices.

Microfinance has been another of Sharma’s projects. He has helped raise awareness about managing finance among women in the rural villages he and his students have visited. This has led to the development of finance meetings, which are held to manage the village women’s finances better.

According to Sharma, the women host the meetings themselves in order to avoid the extremely high interest rates that local moneylenders demand. Sharma gave an example of an exchange with a local lender.

"Let’s say I go to a local money lender,” he said. "The money lender will say that he will lend me the money, but at a rate of 1 Indian rupee per 100 rupees lent per 1 week. This is a total interest rate of 52 percent, and it is being compounded.”

Instead of paying this large rate, the women pool up enough money to go to a bank and request a loan, which saves them money. This allows them to make sound investments rather than becoming mired in debt.

The last project Sharma mentioned was a vaccination registration system. Sharma said that cell phones are vital in India, and that nearly everyone has them nowadays in order to more quickly find job opportunities by contacting friends and relatives. Another use for these cell phones is to help register children on an online database that records their vaccinations. Traveling care workers can use this in turn to verify that children have updated vaccines. Vaccinations are a major health concern as nearly 3 million children die from preventable diseases due to a lack of vaccinations.

In all, these projects and others that Sharma employs a method of immersive research. He first spent time getting to understand the people of India before attempting to help solve their problems. Because Sharma was raised in India, this was easy for him; however, he believes that the same approach can be used in places much closer to home, such as poorer areas of St. Louis.

Sharma believes that the most important thing is to understand the true problems facing people, and to understand their cultural and social values. Once this is done, he believes that the problems can be solved with designs that are easily integrated into the lives of the people in question.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Innovative school empowers Indian women

Ayurveda Herbal Training Offered by the California College of Ayurveda in 2014

MEA — 29/04/2014 18:59:34

PR Web

The California College of Ayurveda is proud to announce its ayurvedic herbal preparation open to practitioners and patients wishing to order churnas (ayurvedic herbal powder), capsules, medicated oils or ghee, and other preparations.

The application of ayurvedic herbs is based on the understanding of the patients constitution and imbalance, as well as the physical and energetic qualities of the herbs. The California College of Ayurveda is proud to announce its ayurvedic herbal preparation open to practitioners and patients wishing to order churnas (ayurvedic herbal powder), capsules, medicated oils or ghee, and other preparations.

Established in 1995, the California College of Ayurveda is the longest running, State-approved college offering professional training programs for the study of Ayurvedic Medicine in the West. The school offers a comprehensive curriculum, as well as workshops and seminars. The school's herbal department is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the West. Ayurveda herbs are discussed in the Ayurvedic Health Educator program (A.H.E) as well as Ayurvedic studies Level II, III, IV.

The Ayurvedic school also offers an Ayurvedic herbal apprenticeship program. The comprehensive training in preparation of herbal medicines includes profound meditations with herbs, knowledge about cultivation and processing from start to finish. Ayurveda is the healing science from India. It has been practiced for over 5,000 years by millions of individuals to assist the body in journeying back to optimal health. Ayurveda uses herbal medicines to restore physical, emotional and spiritual balance and promote well-being. The college's high standards in herbal preparation as well as education allows for a powerful healing and rejuvenation experience that puts clients on their path to healing and harmony.

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yurveda Herbal Training Offered by the California College of Ayurveda in 2014

India votes: A look at the world's largest and most vibrant election

MEA — 29/04/2014 19:02:05

The Week/ by Lauren Hansen

The world's largest democracy might also be its most colorful

India's elections are the biggest democratic exercise in history. With 815 million people registered to vote, the world's largest democracy will likely have more ballots cast this year than were tallied in the last six U.S. presidential elections combined, according to the BBC.

The elections are being held over a five-week period ending on May 12. And while we're weeks away from knowing the results, it's surely not too early to be impressed by the color and diversity of the Indian electorate.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India votes: A look at the world's largest and most vibrant election

Kerala culture: An organic farmstay experience in India

MEA — 30/04/2014 17:43:18

The Daily Meal

"You are most welcome,” says Sinta, an Indian woman dressed in a teal housecoat and saree , as she performs a traditional Indian welcoming ceremony. As camphor burns in a coconut husk, she places a dab of sandalwood dust on my forehead. Another woman appears with a garland of jasmine and places it around my neck, before another offers me a glass of lemon water.

I’m currently at Dewalokam, which means "paradise,” an organic farm and homestay property on the banks of Kannadipuzha in Kerala, India. Sinta is one of the property managers along with her husband, Jose. From the grounds, I can clearly make out the peaks of the Western Ghats. What’s even more prominent, though, is the 12 acres (5 hectares) — although surrounded by jungle it feels like much more — of Ayurveda herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables.

History

The small farm was purchased in 1918 by Jose’s family. His great grandfather — a businessman engaged in the export of spices — lost everything, but was able to purchase the patch of land Dewalokam now sits on by selling his wife’s gold ornaments. Jose’s father began working on the farm in 1922 at the age of eight. He farmed on the land until he was 88, passing the tradition down to his son, Jose, and wife, Sinta. Located in the heart of Kerala’s Spice Belt, fruits and spices naturally flourished on the property. It wasn’t until 2003 when Jose’s eldest brother Fr. Paul Joseph began visiting often from Germany (where he was working at a hospital) with his friends that the idea to add on a guest house was born.

Going Organic

Dewalokam is an organic farm, growing hundreds of spices and everything one could ever need in their kitchen or medicine cabinet: cinnamon, clove, allspice, turmeric, cardamom, ginger, curry leaves, campha, cinconia, lemongrass, frankincense, wrightia inctoria, sandalwood, nutmeg, pepper, chili, drumstick plant, coffee, star fruit, mango, pineapple, eggplant, gooseberries, jackfruit, long bean, cashews, cocoa and even their own beehives to make honey, which is served with breakfast each morning, and farm animals to make buffalo mozzarella, cow’s milk and farm fresh chicken eggs.

"We produce milk and honey, vegetables and fruits, and spices, fish and meat in the farm,” explains Jose. "We try to be sustainable in our farm activities.”

Along with not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, they also forgo tilling the soil, as this can cause erosion. Additionally, they keep cattle for dairy and, from the fermentation of the cow dung use the resulting methane for cooking gas. The slurry coming from the gas plant is used as manure in the farm. From the kitchen, organic waste is fed to chickens and goats and also used for composting. And to heat the water, solar energy is used. This sustainable ideology is what allows them to have such a high-quality spice garden and farm operation.

Hints of these spices are everywhere, even in your room, where you’re greeted with a pitcher of sweet cardamom-spiced drinking water and the fresh scent of lemongrass from the natural cleaners.

A Fragrant Spice Walk

A spice garden tour led by Sinta makes it clear just how large and lush the property is. It takes an hour and half just to go over the main ingredients grown, and I learn a lot about how the plants are used. While black pepper improves digestion and antibacterial effects, cinconia treats malaria. Then there’s allspice, which can essentially be used in place of any lacking spice. While ginger works to combat digestive issues and acts as an anti-inflammatory, cinnamon regulates blood sugar and is effective for menstral cramps and infertility. And for a powerful antioxidant and cancer-blocking agent. Not only are these natural ingredients curative, they also enhance the spice-rich dishes India is known for. Essentially, I’m walking through the world’s most delicious and fragrant medicine cabinet.

"Here, taste this,” Sinta says, cutting a piece of bark off a tree. I never knew you could eat bark before, but if she says so. "What is it?”

The taste seems familiar, although like many of the spices we’ve tasted today I can’t quite place it. I know I’ve had it…it reminds me of Christmas…it’s a little spicy…

"It’s cinnamon,” Sinta smiles, noticing my furrowed brow. "The thumb size branches of cinnamon trees are cut and the bark is peeled and dried. The bark rolls by itself when it is dried.”

It’s also interesting to see how white, black, green, yellow and red pepper all come from the same plant; it just depends what stage it’s in, whether you peel the skin or if you sun dry it.

As my boyfriend is diabetic, the insulin leaves also grab my attention. Apparently, if you eat one leaf a day for a year you’ll essentially be cured.

Cooking In Culture

A cooking demonstration further introduces me to Kerala culture and its delicious dishes. Chef Sudhish starts out by showing the group how to make a Vegetable Makri, which contains about 10+ spices: clove, star anise, cinnamon, turmeric, chili, cumin as well as cashew nuts, green chilies, onion and garlic. He fries these in vegetable oil along with fresh produce from their onsite garden. We’re also shown how to make tandoori chicken, with bone-in chicken breasts coated in homemade buffalo yogurt, ginger, garlic paste, cumin, rock salt and mustard oil before being placed on a giant skewer and stuck into the tandoor oven, set at 480 °C (900 °F).

Natural Immersion

Not only is Dewalokam rich in organically grown produce and aromatics, but also wildlife, namely birds. A leisurely bamboo rafting trip up the Kaliyar River — enveloped by the Udiki Forest Reserve — immerses me giant banana leaves and thick mangroves as well as the calls of the oriole, racket tailed drongo, king fisher, paradise flycatcher and sun bird. On this river there are over 60 bird species, and it’s not uncommon to spot 40 or more in one day.

That night, dinner is enjoyed outside under the stars, where the very sounds heard on the river can be enjoyed over a local meal. It is a feast of Indian flavors: the tandoor-roasted chicken, the spice-rich maki, a refreshing mint chutney, thin roti, flavorful basamti rice and homemade buffalo yogurt as a condiment. For dessert, sticky sweet syrup gowns my taste buds as I bite into a gulab jamun, which tastes like a cinnamon-flavored cake ball drench with maple syrup.

At breakfast the farm-fresh spice-enhanced foods continues with a plate of garden-picked fruits — banana, papaya, pineapple and watermelon — a spicy masala omelette, toast paired with onsite-harvested honey and homemade pineapple jam, and a tall glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. At this point, I feel so healthy and spice fed I probably won’t need to go to the doctor for at least a year.

Becoming Family

Seeing how your food is made with your own eyes really gives you an appreciation and understanding of it. When you see how it’s prepared and know where the ingredients come from, a dish like chicken tandoori goes from "Hey, this is tasty” to "Wow! The locally grown cinnamon gives this a sweet yet spicy flavor while the buffalo yogurt from the very buffalo I pet this morning adds a certain creaminess to the texture.”

The intimacy of Dewalokam — which has eight guest rooms in the main building and three in the main house — helps me make friends quickly. It’s hard to think about saying goodbye, and I sip my OJ with a heavy heart. Over morning yoga in the garden, rafting trips, dips in the river, waterfall hikes and bird-watching excursions strangers become family. And it’s not just with the other guests, but also with Sinta and Jose, as well as their children Tara and Paul, who are always around helping out and making the guests laugh. Dewalokam isn’t a tourist attraction or a hotel, it’s a sustainable, delicious and interactive experience.

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Kerala culture: An organic farmstay experience in India

India's vibrant colours in town

MEA — 30/04/2014 17:50:55

The Himalayan

Cultural exchange is one step that is usually taken by countries to further bilateral relationships and foster and strengthen ties. In the same vein, the Indian Embassy in association with BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation organised an art worshop here for six eminent artists from India. Their works have been exhibited at an exhibition titled ‘Exhibition of Indian Art in Nepal’ at the Patan Museum.

Artists Laxman Aelay, Nagesh Goud, Anand Panchal, Sudip Roy, Asit Kumar Patnaik and Meghna Agarwal have found space for their creations in this historic place.

As the title of the exhibition suggests, one gets a taste of the vibrant Indian way of living in the exhibition where people, surroundings, nature and more dominate as the artists’ motifs.

Goud’s painting is that of an owl against a metallic silver background. However, Goud’s owl is not any ordinary owl — he has carefully used intricate designs on the owl instead of feathers in vibrant colours like black, orange, gold, blue and more. The eyes of the owl seems to have a soul of its own, one that touches your heart and makes it look alive.

Roy’s abstract painting has a mirror in the middle of a huge canvas to give a realistic touch. On each side of the canvas, he has created various patterns in colours like black, blue, orange, green, gold and more. About his work Roy expresses, "Everything is realistic for an artist and using a mirror makes my art realistic as I have tried to capture contemporary time where there will be a reflection of the present viewer.”

Aelay’s work is a realistic reflection of rural life. One of his paintings has a village settlement in the backdrop and the bust of a man and woman in the foreground.

About the reason for the exhibition Abhay Kumar, Head, Press Information and culture of India Embassy shares, "The workshop and exhibition is a chance for Indian artists to explore Nepali traditional art and culture and to get inspired by the beautiful things in Nepal.”

As such Goud was mesmerised by the architectural beauty of Kathamandu.The exhibition that continues till May 1.

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India's vibrant colours in town

India, get ready for the growth mojo

MEA — 24/04/2014 17:51:39

Financial Times/ by Surjit Bhalla

I’m a natural optimist, but there are still plenty of good reasons to be positive about India’s growth, even if May’s election does not go the way polls suggest. Perhaps the best way to appreciate this is just to assume that this is not one of the most important polls in India’s democratic lifetime. What would you expect to happen? For starters: the normal improvements of the business cycle.

This means inflation is set to decline from its lofty and sustained 10 per cent plus levels, down to earth levels below 7 per cent. To put this in context, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signalled a consumer inflation target of 8 percent by December, even though the seasonally adjusted annualised rate for the first quarter of this year is already just a minimal 4.4 per cent.

To miss the RBI’s target, consumer prices will now have to leap by more than 9.2 per cent during the rest of this year. It might happen, but that would go against thirty years of data, and the last decade in particular.

Take government procurement prices of food grains, the major cause of administered food inflation in India, which rise with a one year lag. These rose at an average of 13.5 per cent between 2007 and 2012. But in 2013, they rose at less than half that rate, meaning food inflation is highly unlikely to top 7 per cent this year. As a result, the RBI target will be met comfortably.

Put another way, this means interest rates are now also unlikely to be raised further, moving down sometime in 2014. And there is even better news for the business cycle in terms of industrial production, which has averaged less than 0 per cent over the last three years.

Over the decade to 2010, industrial growth averaged 8.2 per cent; for the previous twenty years, 7.7 per cent. Regardless of rising global competition or worries over emerging markets, India’s industrial slump must have bottomed out — even before accounting for rising global growth, which has returned, if not to pre-2007 boom levels, then to a respectable 4.8 percent, increasing demand for exports.

All of these interrelated factors help to explain why the rupee now sits at a respectable Rs 60 to the US dollar, which adjusting for productivity and inflation, puts it within 1 per cent of its value a decade ago. At that time, global growth had not become exuberant or irrational, and Indian exports and growth were buoyant. So there is little reason to think that the rupee needs to depreciate much beyond this levels for exports (and indeed growth) to get their mojo back.

Simply re-finding that mojo would mean something in the region of 6.5 to 7 percent growth. But all of this is without incorporating any of the possible effects of the new political order that may arrive if polls are correct in forecasting a debacle for the Sonia Gandhi’s Congress-led government — and a victory for Narendra Modi’s economically right-of-centre Bharatiya Janata party.

Assuming this does happen, it remains to be seen whether that new order would be Reagan or Thatcheresque, but whatever happens it is likely to be significantly to the right of the heavily populist incumbents. Given economic policies matter for growth, a reasonable assumption is that firm reformist policies could then add a further 1 to 2 percent to the economy. And this means that India’s actual and potential GDP growth will both be aligned at around 8 percent, after a gap of three years.

Of course, this forecast is dependent on what is euphemistically called a "stable government” — which is shorthand for the Congress getting below 100 seats and Modi and only his pre-poll allies picking up the 272 required for a simple majority. In this scenario, horses will not need to be traded post- election, to tempt other regional parties into a wider, and less stable, coalition government.

Even with India’s under-appreciated underlying economic strength, this is clearly the most favourable scenario — and one that could also signal the end of the Congress party’s ruling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

There is an old adage: "from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations”. Rahul Gandhi is the fifth generation of his family’s line; so, statistically, its end is long overdue. But for Indian growth, it can’t come soon enough.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India, get ready for the growth mojo

Britain should learn from India’s family values

MEA — 23/04/2014 15:35:12

Telegraph/ by Anjana Ahuja

The memories of my first trip to India are vivid – how the sun burnt my skin, how the Delhi dust scratched my throat and how beggars lined the street. And how I spent much of that summer holiday crouched on stone floors at my father’s command, touching the feet of elderly relatives as a mark of respect, in compliance with Indian custom. Only on completion of this ritual, which my parents and brother also performed, could the chai and samosas be served.

Such podiatric reverence was probably not uppermost in Simon Hughes’s mind when he cited African and Asian families as models of how the young should look after the old. Rather than "forcing” the elderly into care homes where their main companion is a television set, the Liberal Democrat justice minister railed, British families should seek to emulate the example of immigrant families who "look after their families to the end”.

It is true that the circle of care, at least in Indian families, embraces all generations. When we speak of family, we do not limit its meaning to spouses and children. By family, we mean the "wider family” that Hughes invoked: parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, even second cousins and in-laws. And, in the pecking order, age is the determinant of veneration.

When I was at primary school, I remember my parents encouraging me to befriend a lonely, elderly neighbour, perhaps out of guilt that I didn’t have any grandparents in Britain. With the impeccable logic of an eight-year-old, I remember thinking that this frail white-haired lady was simply too old to have any family or friends, and so I used to knock on her door once a week on the way home from school, for conversation and biscuits.

Values stated repeatedly in childhood have a habit of creeping unchecked into the soul: when my husband and I moved house in 2009, I remember mentally drawing up plans, quite spontaneously, of how the ground floor could be converted into a granny flat when the time comes. With luck, it won’t be soon: my seventysomething mother is still sprightly enough to babysit our two young children, even though the journey takes her an hour each way (the idea that I could pay a neighbouring stranger to look after them baffles her). My children delight in the fact that they share around 25 per cent of their DNA with her, including the chocolate-loving gene.

One of my closest childhood friends, also from a middle-class Indian family and now a senior figure in the NHS, entrusted the care of her infant children not to a nursery or a nanny but to her retired parents.

This is a simple familial transaction built on the idea of sacrifice. My friend’s parents sacrificed their early retirement to look after their grandchildren (saving her a fortune in nursery fees), while my friend and her husband clawed their way to prestigious, high-earning positions. Every domestic decision was made, jointly, with a view to helping the youngest generation to thrive and be more successful than the generation before. I have no doubt that my friend will return the favour when the time comes.

And the time will, of course, come. The circle of care will need completing; the young will have to look after the old. This is going to be a serious challenge for people like me – the sons and daughters of immigrants who came to these shores in the Sixties.

Our parents are hitting old age and we can’t bear the thought of dumping them in care homes. But we don’t live in cavernous houses in developing countries, where labour is cheap and willing cousins are bountiful. We live in small families in modest homes, in set-ups where often both partners have careers and therefore less time to do any caring at all.

Sometimes, our jobs take us far from our parents. With our children dependent on us well into adulthood, and elderly parents living for longer, it is my generation of British-born immigrants – the sandwiched group in middle age – that is going to find it hard to meet the cultural obligation that Mr Hughes and others so admire.

But an obligation it absolutely remains. So, many of us will opt for what is grandly called multi-generational living. A whole building industry is springing up around this in the US, coincidentally driven by ethnic-minority communities wishing to reside alongside their ageing parents. Fancy new developments boast features such as "in-law suites” and private entrances for each generation, reconciling the competing needs for closeness and privacy.

In this country, where land and property are more expensive, I suspect Indian parents will sell up and plough the money into granny annexes or the purchase of bigger houses, so that generations can live side by side. With a little luck, tempered with love and sacrifice, I hope that when the time comes, we’ll muddle through, with Mum eating chocolate – and the kids respectfully touching her feet.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Britain should learn from India’s family values

Pakistani boy, aged two, saved by vital liver transplant at Delhi hospital

MEA — 24/04/2014 17:56:20

Daily Mail/ byHeena Kausar

For Pakistani toddler Nalain Aziz, who underwent a successful liver transplant at a private hospital in the Capital, the new lease of life was the best birthday gift.

He will return to Lahore to celebrate his second birthday on April 26.

Aziz, incidentally, is also the 500th Pakistani citizen to have undergone a liver transplant in Delhi's Indraprastha Apollo hospital.

Born with a medical condition called 'biliary atresia' in which there is no connection between the liver and intestine, Aziz developed jaundice seven days after birth and had spent most of his life in hospitals.

He was suffering from end-stage liver failure, jaundice and had started throwing up blood, when local doctors advised his parents to get him treated in India.

"We are very happy with the treatment. He first underwent an operation at the age of two-and-half months in Pakistan. Even after that operation we had to admit him to hospital every time his condition worsened. But now he is perfectly fine and will turn two on April 26. We are excited to celebrate the day," said Aziz's father Shoaib, an engineer.

A part of the liver donated by Aziz's mother was transplanted in a 10-hour-long surgery, doctors said.

"Aziz's blood group matched with his mother from whom we took 25 per cent of her liver and transplanted it. Aziz is healthy now and can leave for Lahore. The success rate in such cases is 90 per cent," said Anupam Sibal, group medical director of Apollo Hospitals.

"Biliary atresia is seen in one in 10,000 babies worldwide," Sibal added.

Doctors said that there were no complications in this case and Aziz's parents will only have to send them reports of his monthly medical tests.

"He won't any complications and routine tests will be done for few months. However, like all liver-transplant patients, he will have to be on medication for life," added Sibal.

Doctors said Aziz was the 500th Pakistani patient to have undergone a liver transplant at the hospital.

"We have conducted 500 liver transplants for patients from Pakistan since 2003. Over a hundred were conducted in the last one year," said Sibal.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Pakistani boy, aged two, saved by vital liver transplant at Delhi hospital

In India, election officials brave hungry crocodiles to reach voters

MEA — 24/04/2014 18:08:12

The Wall Street Journal/ by Biman Mukherji and Shefali Anand

Government Goes to Extraordinary Lengths in Largely Rural and Infrastructure-Challenged Country

The midday sun was blazing when Biswajit Roy, a middle-aged Indian high-school teacher, gingerly pulled himself, and two voting machines, into a modified dugout canoe.

His mission: Traverse crocodile-infested mangrove swamps, cross a stretch of open sea and then hike through a jungle to the remote village of Hanspuri so its 261 voters could cast ballots in India's national elections.

"When I got my orders, I was thunderstruck," said Mr. Roy, 41 years old, an election officer in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India is the world's largest democracy, with 814.5 million registered voters. When election time rolls around, the government and its foot soldiers go to extraordinary lengths to make sure that citizens in this largely rural and infrastructure-challenged country can participate.

Put another way, the national elections trigger the world's biggest obstacle course for some Indian election officials.

Nearly six million poll workers, many of them teachers like Mr. Roy or other government employees, are protected by 11 million police and soldiers as they fan out across the country. Their routes take them through the soaring Himalayan mountains of Ladakh in the north and the tiny Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea to the south.

Poll workers travel with camel caravans to reach settlements in the deserts of Rajasthan. In Meghalaya in the northeast, election officials recently had to contend with a herd of wild elephants that blocked the way to two polling stations. Eventually, forest rangers came to the rescue.

"While we are dealing with 814 million voters, there is equal emphasis on one vote," said S.Y. Quraishi, India's former chief election commissioner. Even in a place where there is a single voter, his or her ballot "cannot be ignored."

Election rules say there must be a polling station within two kilometers of every residential community. Earlier this month, in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh, polling officials trekked five hours through a forest carrying a 10-plus-pound polling machine to reach a settlement with just two voters near the Chinese border.

Few territories, however, pose as many challenges as the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, whose more than 550 islands, many of them heavily forested, lie 1,200 kilometers from the Indian mainland. The British used to exile political prisoners here during colonial rule.

Mr. Roy, whose day job is teaching civics to high school seniors in the town of Rangat on Middle Andaman island, said he was shocked when the polling assignments were unsealed on April 9 and he found out he would be leading a party to Hanspuri.

It's "one of the remotest areas in the Andamans," Mr. Roy said. "We were born in the Andamans, but had never been there."

Other election teams had; but because the government rotates their assignments, there is no prescribed route.

From Mayabunder, there are basically two ways to get to Hanspuri. Going overland would require hacking through dense jungle filled with snakes and across the mountain ridges that serrate North Andaman island—all while carrying the polling machines and other equipment in backpacks.

The more practical water route—through the mangrove forests and up the coast—has its own risks, among them: hungry crocodiles and the risk of capsizing. Mr. Roy isn't a strong swimmer and was worried about the seaworthiness of the dugout. Nevertheless, the team pressed on.

So one Wednesday earlier this month, Mr. Roy along with two teachers, a government errand runner and a security team, clambered down the bank below a high concrete bridge in Mayabunder. They lifted their supplies and then themselves into two canoes.

"With a prayer on our lips, we got aboard," Mr. Roy said. "We were petrified."

Election officials don't take the risks lightly. Equipped with rescue boats and other fallbacks, they prepare for all kinds of mishaps, including earthquakes and tsunamis. "We've taken care of every possible eventuality that we can think of," said Rina Ray, chief electoral officer for the Andaman & Nicobar islands.

After a journey of more than three hours across the water, Mr. Roy's overheated team disembarked at a muddy clearing. Phase two of the journey required lugging the two voting machines—a precaution in case one malfunctioned—as well as water, food and camping gear to the village.

On sections of the path carved out in the jungle by villagers, the poll workers and their escorts had to walk in single file over makeshift bridges roughly the width of gymnastics balance beams.

Once they reached Hanspuri, a village of thatched-roof houses and palm trees inhabited largely by migrants from the impoverished eastern state of Jharkhand, the election workers collapsed. Some slept. Later, they set up voting booths for the next day's elections, which would start at 7 a.m.

Among those voting was Abinas Hujoor, 23. He said he had come back to Hanspuri, where he is registered, from Mayabunder, where he worked as a day laborer on a construction site, to cast his ballot.

Although he declined to say which way he voted, he said he wanted a government that would bring prosperity to the area. "I hope this leads to some development in our village," he said.

Sunita Tappo, 30, who moved to Hanspuri around a decade ago after getting married to a local man, wants infrastructure. "They need to give us a road and make it easier for us to travel," said Ms. Tappo, who journeys three to four hours on foot to a market where she sells the lentils and rice her family grows.

Some villagers were skeptical that the elections would change anything. Manohar Topo, a 50-year-old rice farmer, said: "Political leaders always come and promise lots of things, but they do nothing." Still, he said, "Everybody urges us to vote, so we do exercise our right."

By the time the polls closed at 6 p.m., 209 of the village's 261 registered voters, or 80%, had turned out.

Low tide in the evening meant that the polling party had to spend another night in Hanspuri. Policemen stayed up all night to guard the voting machines. The group set out for the return trip at first light.

A few miles into the trip, however, Mr. Roy lost sight of the second boat and ordered his craft to turn back. The boat's propeller had hit something, leaving it adrift. All the passengers had to climb into the single functioning dugout. Overloaded and low in the water, it finally pulled into Mayabunder around 8:30 a.m.

Mr. Roy, a veteran of national polls in 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2009, delivered the voting machines to the district election headquarters with relief. "In all my years," he said, "this by far was the toughest."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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In India, election officials brave hungry crocodiles to reach voters

Lender to Women Leads Push to Get Poor to Banks in India

MEA — 22/04/2014 17:46:16

Bloomberg/ by Pradipta Mukherjee and Anto Antony

Bandhan Financial Services Pvt., India’s first microlender to get a banking permit, said deposits will help lower funding costs as it expands into credit for companies to sustain profits as a bank.

Closely held Bandhan, India’s largest microlender by outstanding loans, could cut its lending rate at least three percentage points by using deposits instead of bank credit to fund loans, Chairman C.S. Ghosh said in an interview.

"When we’re a bank, we can give loans to small and medium-sized enterprises as well as mobilize deposits,” said Ghosh, 53, who’s still forging the new strategy for Kolkata-based Bandhan. "Even if costs of operations go up as a bank, the loan amount will go up, so automatically it will be balanced out.”

Bandhan lends as little as 1,000 rupees ($16.5) at interest rates ranging from 12 percent to 22.9 percent to women borrowers, aiming to help the rural poor avoid exploitation by money lenders in the shadow finance industry. Those risks even prompted a newspaper to reject a recruitment advertisement from Bandhan three months ago, on concern the company may not be a genuine microlender, Ghosh said.

"The biggest challenge Bandhan faces is a lack of awareness,” he said in the April 15 interview at his office. "That perception is changing after getting the banking license.”

Beating Billionaires

The lender this month beat applicants such as companies controlled by billionaires Anil Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla to the license from the Reserve Bank of India, as RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan prioritizes financial inclusion.

IDFC Ltd. (IDFC), India’s largest lender to road projects, also got a permit, the first such approvals in more than a decade. The S&P BSE Bankex index, a gauge of 12 Indian lenders, has gained 14 percent this year, compared with a 7.8 percent increase in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex.

Bandhan’s net income rose 15 percent to 2 billion rupees in the year ended March 2013, Ghosh said. Its current cost of funds is 13 percent, compared with other banks’ base rate of about 10 percent, he said.

"The issue is, how I can reduce the lending rate for the poor?” Ghosh said. "Reaching them is expensive. Bandhan is paying a large amount to banks to borrow the money we lend to poor people. The cost of funds which gets reduced and that benefit I can pass on to my customers.”

The microlender’s loan book amounted to about 62 billion rupees across more than 5 million, mainly female, borrowers as of March, according to Ghosh. The average loan is 10,000 rupees, and 99.5 percent of credit is repaid, he said. Bandhan must become a bank by October 2015 under the RBI’s terms.

‘Financially Viable’

"About 80 percent of our customers don’t have a bank account and the remaining don’t bank regularly,” Ghosh said. "We’re in a good position for a banking license because we already have branches in rural areas. We have already proved that ours is a good, financially viable model. And for financial inclusion, we are in a good position.”

Bandhan was founded in 2001 to help alleviate poverty and empower women, according to the company’s website. Five years later, Bangladeshi microlender Grameen Bank and its founder Muhammad Yunus shared the Nobel Peace Price, boosting the industry’s profile.

World Bank estimates show that more than two-thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people live on less than $2 per day, and just 35 percent of adults have accounts at financial institutions, compared with 64 percent in China.

Group Model

A Bandhan borrower is typically inducted into a group of 10 to 20 female peers, two of whom must sign as guarantors in the loan application along with the client’s husband. The group approach is for "solidarity” and "peer pressure” to ensure repayments, the microlender said.

The group model sanctions loans of as much 50,000 rupees, Ghosh said. Another approach of extending credit of as much as 500,000 rupees to individuals began three years ago, he said. Ghosh said he’s assessing whether the group model will work when Bandhan is a bank.

"Bandhan’s existing branch network will help them to garner deposits,” said Arindam Saha, a Kolkata-based analyst at Credit Analysis & Research Ltd. "But the company will have to go through a structural transformation and set aside money for various statutory reserves. Scaling up infrastructure and revamping human resources will need investment.”

Credit Analysis & Research assesses Bandhan’s ability to repay debt at A+, an investment-grade rating. Saha said that will be reviewed once the microlender finalizes its business model as a bank.

Rural Costs

Bandhan was the largest micro-finance institution in the country in December by outstanding loans, followed by SKS Microfinance Ltd., data compiled by industry body Microfinance Institutions Network shows.

India has struggled to spur the expansion of banking services for the more than 800 million of its population living in the countryside.

Expenses deter commercial banks, with the cost of service delivery as high as 10 to 12 times the revenue potential of the marginal customer, the Boston Consulting Group estimates.

A microfinance company’s cost of operations, such as infrastructure and staff expenses, would surge upon becoming a bank, said Sanjay Arya, executive director at Kolkata-based United Bank of India, a lender to Bandhan.

Branch Network

Ghosh said Bandhan is considering a recruitment drive to attract people with banking expertise and has begun training existing staff to give them the new skills they require.

The RBI in 2013 issued rules that force banks to open one in four of their branches in communities with less than 10,000 people. India has just 11.4 commercial branches per 100,000 people, compared with 35.3 in the U.S. and 47.3 in Brazil, the International Monetary Fund’s Financial Access Survey shows.

"Banks don’t think poor people are credit-worthy,” said Ghosh. "We started as a micro-credit organization. We have a model which is financially viable. Our total operation will shift to banking. We would like to provide all financial services to all our existing customers, and to other customers who aren’t currently our borrowers.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Lender to Women Leads Push to Get Poor to Banks in India

The silicon coast of India

MEA — 22/04/2014 17:50:11

The Financial Express/ by Rajesh Ravi

The formation of a telecom startup incubator in April 2012 seems to have done the magic for Kerala, a state that has so often missed the bus when it comes to investment and technology. Jointly promoted by the Kerala government and private investors, the Startup Village in suburban Kochi is attracting eager youngsters in hordes and one of its projects could well turn out be the next billion-dollar technology company from India. The Startup Village receives more than 150 applications every month, which is a far cry from the status before 2012. The state had only 20 startups in the period 2006-09. The Startup Village has more than 1,500 applicants, of which 532 are supported as on January 2013. The most interesting part is that 188 of these are student startups. Amidst a backdrop infamous for red tape and trade unionism, the emerging scenario is encouraging.

The success of the incubator has surprised many, as the state is known for its bad investment climate and inadequate support system. Youngsters have traditionally opted for academics and took up jobs, as the culture of entrepreneurship was almost non-existent. Things are changing and Kerala is on the cusp of transformation, feels Sanjay Vijayakumar, chairman of the Startup Village. "When we founded MobME (Mobile Media & Entertainment) in 2006, it was the first incubated company in Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram. People thought we were crazy. Things have changed in the last few years and now youngsters believe that they can do something great in Kerala. Maybe develop a world-class company like Google. There is fire in their bellies and the ecosystem is the best,” he says. He adds that two dozen companies in the Startup Village are already funded and ready for the next stage.

Young entrepreneurs are confident and are getting much-required support, which includes mentoring from successful entrepreneurs like Kris Gopalakrishnan and Asha Jadeja Motwani. In fact, Kris Gopalakrishnan of Infosys is the chief mentor of the Startup Village, and Asha Jadeja tells us that everything she has seen about the Startup Village promises to bring an exciting and cutting-edge new culture of entrepreneurship in Kerala.

Abhinav Sree, co-founder of two startups—Innoz (offline search engine) and Springr (platform for artists)—feels it is a great time for entrepreneurs. "There are angels and institutions looking for brilliant ideas to invest in. Right from Technopark TBI, incubators in college to Startup Village and TiE Kerala, we have a great support.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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The silicon coast of India

India leads world, makes CSR mandatory

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:15:39

Eurasia Review/ by Gajanan Khergamker

Just before the world’s largest democracy went to the polls, India made Corporate Social Responsibility mandatory for corporates. Now, corporates in India have to match the efforts of the State and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in initiating activities for the economic growth of the underprivileged and similarly marginalised groups as well as social causes like animal welfare and environment.

From April 1, 2014, it has become legally binding for companies in India to be "socially responsible”. Section 135 of the new Companies Act 2013, reads with the CSR Rules makes it mandatory for companies, meeting certain criteria, to set aside two per cent of their net profits for undertaking and promoting socially beneficial activities and projects in India. To implement this, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) recently issued the CSR Rules, 2014, to implement this legislative mandate, which came into effect on April 1, 2014.

Every company with a net worth of at least Rs 500 crore, or a minimum turnover of Rs 1,000 crore, or a minimum net profit of Rs 5 crore, has to constitute a CSR committee dedicated to undertake initiatives such as promoting women’s empowerment, improving maternal health, education, gender equality or ensuring environmental sustainability.

However, the new CSR regime isn’t as simple as it seems. There are issues which will need to be analysed and addressed before we ascertain the true intention of the legislation.

Areas of doubt in the new CSR Regime

In creating exclusions from net profit, the CSR rules provides the profits of a branch of an Indian company located outside India cannot be merged into the profits of the parent company for the purpose of computing the two per cent contribution. In contravention of the very mandate of Section 135, the exclusion is, to that extent, ultra vires.

Also, the law does not treat foreign companies differently and includes foreign companies doing business in India whether by themselves, or through an agent or even electronically.

The list of CSR activities provided in the rules seems illustrative and not exhaustive. It however suggests the scheduled activities ‘alone’ will be considered for the purpose of CSR. Now, whether or not social activities falling outside the purview of the schedule form a part of CSR activities or not still remains doubtful.

The Act provides that, for CSR spending, a company should give preference to the "local area in which it operates”. This has given rise to another ambiguity. If a company has more than one operational office in the same city or zone, how should it distribute its CSR spending? What will matter in law, the location of its manufacturing unit or the location of its corporate headquarters?

In excluding contributions directly or indirectly made to a political party from the scope of CSR activity, the law has overlooked contributions made to institutions affiliated with one or more politicians or those located in a constituency represented by a politician who has some form of regulatory supervision or leverage over the entity. Also, with regard to entities being under the trusteeship or office of a politician, the law remains ambiguous.

By law, CSR activities cannot be undertaken ‘only’ for the benefit of the employees and their families. Did the legislation mean "primarily” or "exclusively” benefiting employees? Because, if the legislation meant "primarily”, then any activity which benefits one’s employees, and is extended to other marginalised groups cannot be considered as CSR for the said purpose.

In the Direct Taxes Code 2013, where deduction for CSR expenditure in backward regions and districts is concerned, the CSR expenditure cannot be allowed as a business deduction as it is an application of income. Allowing deduction for CSR expenditure would imply that the government would be contributing one third of this expenditure as revenue foregone.

Was A Law Needed?

Look at the Hurun India Philanthropy List which is a ranking of 31 Indians who donated more than Rs. 10 crore (equivalent to USD 1.6 million) in cash or cash equivalent during April 1, 2012 till March 31, 2013.

IT tycoon Azim Hashim Premji emerges as the most generous Indian with a donation of Rs. 8,000 crore in the past year. Education was the most important area for the Indian philanthropists with a total contribution of Rs. 12,200 crore.

It was followed by social development (Rs. 1,210 crore), healthcare (Rs. 1,065 crore), rural development (Rs. 565 crore), environmental cause (Rs. 170 crore) and agriculture (Rs. 40 crore). HCL group Chairman Shiv Nadar is the second highest contributor in the list with a donation of Rs. 3,000 crore.

The Shiv Nadar Foundation, which completed 20 years in philanthropy this year, works towards educational initiatives and expansion programmes, directly benefiting 15,000 students across India.

The Wipro chairman who has personally has donated 8.7 per cent from his personal stock holding in Wipro as endowment for the Azim Premji Foundation and has gone on to pledge more has publically opposed the mandated spending of 2 per cent of a company’s profits on corporate social responsibility (CSR) related activities.

While his primary worry remains that, "the stipulation should not become a tax at a later stage,” he feels "spending two per cent on CSR is a lot, especially for companies that are trying to scale up in these difficult times. It must not be imposed.” More importantly, he insisted that a distinction should be made between personal philanthropy and CSR, which is a company activity.

While India has taken the initiative to the social initiative regime in the world, the concept of social and economic initiatives being a responsibility of the corporates has been gaining popularity all over the world.
And The Rest Follow

The Financial Reporting Council in the United Kingdom is in the process of introducing guidelines for disclosures regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues by a company. These would finally replace the existing ‘business review’ section of annual reports, and companies would be required to provide complete disclosure about their business activities, including social efforts.

The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has approved draft legislation on corporate non-financial reporting that require some companies to disclose information about their environmental, social and employee-related impact, as well as their diversity policy.

The CSR regime in India is in a nascent stage and there will be hitches, and a lot of fine-tuning will be required before we hit the perfect balance. What is commendable is the spirit with which India has made her corporates socially responsible and in that, led the world’s most developed nations.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India leads world, makes CSR mandatory

Why world’s biggest carnival of democracy matters

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:19:10

The Jakarta Globe/ by Manish Chand

The world’s biggest carnival of democracy is in full flow. It’s a carnival in every sense of the word — in terms of sheer drama, spectacle and color, along with all that hurly-burly and exuberant noise, the parliamentary elections in India have set new benchmarks that are hard to match anywhere else in the world.

The statistics are staggering and overwhelm the imagination: 814.5 million Indians in a country of 1.2 billion people are eligible to vote in the 16th Lok Sabha election that is being held in nine phases across India from April 7-May 12. The size of the electorate — every adult Indian who is 18 (as on Jan. 1, 2014) is free to choose his representative — exceeds the total population of the 28-nation European Union the US and South Asia minus India.

Around 100 million people have been added to the voters’ roll since the last elections in 2009. And here are some more factoids that are truly mind-boggling: this year, there are 919,452 polling stations in which 814.5 million registered voters will use 1,878,306 electronic voting machines to choose candidates fielded by over 300 political parties.

The logistics of organizing the elections on this scale are truly awe-inspiring, but the Election Commission of India (ECI), an autonomous constitutional body known for unimpeachable standards of integrity, has more than risen to the occasion to ensure free, fair and credible elections over 67 years of India’s independence. This year, the ECI has deployed around 11 million-plus personnel to ensure the world’s largest democratic exercise goes off without a hitch. The ECI has also been proactive in organizing a string of awareness campaigns, roping in celebrities, to exhort Indians to exercise their franchise "in an informed and ethical manner” and treat voting as their sacred duty in the service of democracy.

The Lok Sabha elections in India, held every five years unless a mid-term poll is forced upon the nation due to compelling circumstances, are without doubt a stupendous blockbuster of democracy, a celebration of argumentative Indians and a veritable feast of pomp and polemics. Above all, the elections, based on universal adult franchise, is a great leveler in so far as all adult Indians above 18, be it a celebrity billionaire or an anonymous penniless bard, have one vote each to decide the fate of their aspiring rulers.

The global interest in the 2014 elections in India is without parallel, and for a reason: given India’s growing diplomatic profile and the country’s increasing intertwining with the global economy, the world has a stake in who gets to rule India and what he or she stands for. The electoral arena this time is qualitatively different, and has come to resemble personality-oriented presidential-style campaigning: competing for the hearts and minds of over 800 million Indians are a former tea-seller turned political star of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the heir-apparent of India’s longest-running political dynasty representing the ruling Congress-led coalition and a maverick engineer-turned-anti-corruption crusader who aspires to change the old status quo politics of privilege that has been practiced in this country for much of its independent history.

One can understand journalists following the Indian elections with all the professional rigor and fervor they can muster, but this time round a new genre of election tourism is shaping up. Touted as the "Kumbh Mela” of the world’s largest democracy, tourism industry impresarios and managers are offering election-themed holiday packages to foreign tourists.

While speculation is rife about possible policy changes by the new government formed after the elections, no radical changes are expected in the arena of India’s foreign policy. Going by the past, by and large an unwritten across-the-board national consensus on the country’s foreign policy has endured, with minor improvisations and modulations.

This consensus includes pursuing a foreign policy based on enlightened national interest, good relations with neighboring countries and extended neighborhood, strategic autonomy, constructive engagement with major powers and emerging powers, promoting a rule-based international border, and vigorously enlarging the country’s developmental options through innovative and pragmatic diplomacy.

Regardless of who forms the government in New Delhi after the votes are counted and the results are declared on May 16, the world can, therefore, expect some predictability and continuity in broad thrusts of India’s multi-layered relations with the world.

In a world where democracy remains a distant dream for more than three billion people, the spectacle of the Indian elections, with its proven record of peaceful transfer of power over more than six decades, should be inspiring and a compelling argument against authoritarianism. Currently, more than 100 countries are technically democracies in so far as they hold elections to choose their rulers. The good news is that with every passing year, more countries are getting converted to the democratic fold.

However, according to a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, only 15 percent of countries enjoy full democracy and nearly a third of the world’s nations are ruled by authoritarian regimes. Against this backdrop, the exhilarating spectacle of millions of Indians voting to elect their rulers should be an exemplar. What’s more, the elections in India, despite the sheer magnitude of the exercise and mind-boggling diversity, have been remarkably free of violence or bloodletting, and have consistently scored high on credibility.

But for all its justly-earned democratic credentials and its enduring belief in an inclusive democratic world order, India is not in the business of exporting democracy — proselytizing is alien to the all-embracing Indian culture and ethos. India has, however, been prompt to render assistance in holding elections or democratic institution-building, but only on request. It may not be an exaggeration to say that the country’s fiercely argumentative and vibrant democracy has emerged as a role model for many countries across the world, ranging from Myanmar and Nepal in Asia to Egypt, Libya and Tunisia in North Africa.

New democracies, especially those born in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, are now looking at the Indian model of democratic development for inspiration. From Afghanistan to Cambodia, India has been happy to send indelible ink, electronic voting machines or polling officers to train personnel in the business of conducting elections.

Indelible ink, repository of democratic dreams, produced in Mysore, India’s southern city, has become the much sought-after charm by established and fledgling democracies. In the last three decades, Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd has exported the ink to 28 countries across the world, including Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria, Nepal, Ghana, Papua New Guinea, Burkina Faso, Canada, Togo, Sierra Leone, Malaysia and Cambodia.

In the near future, India looks set to be the world’s most populous democracy — an honor it will be all too happy to cede to China if the latter opts for electoral democracy. And the parliamentary elections in India will remain a veritable carnival and the keeper of the world’s democratic dream.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Why world’s biggest carnival of democracy matters

New survey shows Indian employers are better than Asian peers in managing work related stress

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:42:29

First Biz

Indian employers are ahead of their Asia Pacific counterparts in developing strategies to manage work-related stress as one in every three employers instituted stress management programmes last year and an almost equal number plan to do so this year, says a survey.

According to the inaugural Asia Pacific edition of the ’Staying@Work’ survey conducted by professional services company Towers Watson, stress is the number one lifestyle risk factor, ranking above physical inactivity and obesity.

A growing recognition among employers is that the workplace experience can both contribute to and reduce employee stress and an increasing number of employers are planning lifestyle change programmes that were not as prevalent as of now.

"Almost 1 in every 3 Indian employers has instituted stress or resilience management programmes in 2013 and an almost equal number plan to follow suit in 2014. With stress being ranked as #1 lifestyle risk factor in India, this number is likely to grow,” the report said."It is noteworthy that Indian employers fared better than their Asia Pacific counterparts in managing employees’ work-related stress,” Towers Watson India Director, Benefits Anuradha Sriram said.

Integrating various initiatives into a comprehensive and robust health and productivity strategy is a gradual process, but the fact that Indian companies have begun taking positive strides in this direction augurs well, Sriram added.

According to Indian employees the top three reasons for stress at workplace include unclear or conflicting job expectations, inadequate staffing (lack of support, uneven workload in group) and lack of work/life balance.

One of the most common solutions adopted by employers to manage employees’ stress is offering flexible working hours as 50 percent of employers resort to this solution.

Other top solutions adopted by employers include organise stress management interventions like workshops, yoga, tai chi and undertake education and awareness campaigns to help their employees manage stress.

Though Indian employers are ahead of their regional peers in managing stress at workplace, only 38 per cent have identified stress management at workplace as a top priority of their health and productivity programs, signaling a vast scope for improvement in this area."In a challenging economic scenario, where companies are stretched to balance costs and maximise productivity, employers need to identify specific triggers that impact employee wellness, engagement and in turn productivity,” Sriram said.

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New survey shows Indian employers are better than Asian peers in managing work related stress

Indian elections: A growing voice for women

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:46:00

Sydney Morning Herald

In the foothills of the Himalayas, on the banks of the holy river Ganges, the city of Haridwar - literally ''Gateway to God'' - is a five-hour drive north of the Indian capital, Delhi.

In a small village outside the city, a white Indian-made Maruti van fitted with a loudspeaker on its roof is broadcasting a message in support of Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya - the first woman in India to rise to the position of director-general of police and a candidate for national parliament.

''Delhi is just beginning, the entire country will follow. Don't forget to vote for your candidate Kanchan Chaudhary on May 7,'' says the male voice blaring out of the loudspeaker.

Inside a nearby courtyard trimmed with sky-blue and white bunting, Bhattacharya is holding a microphone and addressing a crowd of about 60 male farmers and a dozen women. ''I'm here to solve your problems,'' she tells them.

''I'm here to fight for you, to fight the endless circle of corruption, and to do development.''

Bhattacharya is campaigning as a member of the anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party, the so-called ''game changer'' in the elections that some bolder supporters are predicting could be the kingmaker in a hung parliament whose exact composition will not be known until all the votes are counted on May 16.

Out here, the most pressing problems are water drainage - most households dump grey water and raw sewage on to the street - and access to education. But in a country that has been shamed over the past year by international headlines focusing on a series of brutal gang rapes, women's security has become a prominent issue.

''A girl from a neighbouring village was kidnapped and raped,'' Bhattacharya tells the crowd. ''When her captors released her, she went to the police, but, to her surprise, they didn't register a case against the accused. She came to me for justice. And I will get her justice.''

For teenage girls here who want to continue their education beyond primary school, their only option is to travel far away to another village. ''There they are even teased for what they are doing, so I will be working to get an intermediate school here so that those girls need not to travel to another village,'' she promises.

Now 62, Bhattacharya's first introduction to a national audience came in the 1980s when her sister Kavita wrote, directed and starred in the television series Udaan that was based on Bhattacharya's life story. ''Actually, I had a very enlightened mother. A very upfront woman of great integrity and sensitivity. That was a great lead to have. Both my parents were also constantly pushing us.''

Bhattacharya says the turning point for her - the moment that convinced her to dedicate her life to public service - came when she watched her father lose the family home in a property dispute.

''We went through a very tough childhood. I was the oldest and my father, we were turned out of our house, and he was badly beaten up and then we were taken to court. It was when he was in hospital - I took it up from there.

''I saw the police, they weren't being receptive to the matter that I was going to them for, and I wanted to be on the other side of the table and to be respected.''

After her mother sold off the family jewellery to pay for her children's tertiary education, Bhattacharya sat the 1973 entrance exam for the Indian Police Service in her home state of Uttarakhand.

''They told me that only one woman had been an officer in the police service in India, so they told me I could go to another service if I wanted, but I knew I wanted it and I stayed on.''

Later, she completed a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Wollongong in 1989-90 - the two things she loved most about Australia was the sense of humour and the meat-and-three-veg diet - before retiring in 2007 as state director-general of police.

Despite the fact there are only about 500 women candidates among the more than 8000 people standing in this year's national elections, Indian politics is not without its high-profile female leaders.

Chief among them is Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, the daughter-in-law of India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi.If the Bharatiya Janata Party's lead candidate, Narendra Modi, is the favourite to become the next prime minister, he will have to court a trio of powerbrokers known as the ''three ladies'' - Mamata Banerjee, the leader of West Bengal; Mayawati Kumari, the former four-time leader of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state; and Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Chief Minister of the crucial southern state of Tamil Nadu - whose influence will be crucial in building a strong governing coalition. Nevertheless, says Bhattacharya, women remain at a significant disadvantage in Indian society, which is still struggling to accept women who want a career after getting married.

''There is no one biggest problem for women - there are just so many problems we face,'' she says.

''I think, though, that if you were to look at it analytically, I think it's their self view conditioned over many years. It's the fact that they don't think that they are capable of standing on their own.''

And the first step towards broader empowerment for women?

''Oh that's easy,'' Bhattacharya says. ''Education, education, education.'

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Indian elections: A growing voice for women

Sustainable design is a given in India

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:47:46

Wall Street Journal/ by David A. Keeps

"Architecture should be ethical and show empathy toward the human condition,” said Bijoy Jain, whose firm Studio Mumbai received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture from L’Institut Francais D’Architecture in 2009. The Indian modernist—known for blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, and creating oases of peace from local stone and wood—studied in the U.S. and worked on the Getty Center in Los Angeles. He established his practice in 1996, building a compound that houses dozens of the craftsmen he employs near his own handsome but humble residence in the countryside of Alibag, not far from central Mumbai.

Mr. Jain’s home was recently part of "Where Architects Live,” an installation at the global design fair Salone del Mobile in Milan that re-created the residences of world-renowned talents including Zaha Hadid, Daniel Liebeskind and Shigeru Ban. Mr. Jain said he sees his live-work complex as a laboratory for new ideas and a standard-bearer for old traditions. "There’s a lineage of carpentry and masonry, building with high skill and great efficiency that’s specific to India, and I am transferring that ideology to projects around the world,” said the globe-trotting architect, 49, who is working on projects in Switzerland, Spain and Japan and will teach a semester at Yale this fall. Mr. Jain spoke to us about sustainable design, how he’d blow $20,000 and the most beautiful restaurant in the world.

As a child I was obsessed with: water. I grew up in Juhu, on the coast near Mumbai. I was on the Indian national swim team and swam the English Channel when I was 18. One day, I would like to design a public swimming pool like the old Lido public baths in 1920s Europe.A formative design experience was: the yearly road trips my family and I took for two months during summer holidays. I was exposed to such diverse architecture, from Le Corbusier’s modern buildings in Chandigarh to ancient complexes built of granite like the Rameshwaram Temple that was scaled so a ceremonial procession of elephants could walk through it.

In India, furniture is: very foreign. A large part of the country still inhabits the floor. The most common piece of furniture we have is the charpai, a four-legged bed made of wood with a woven net or rope mesh. It’s for sitting in during the day and sleeping on at night.Sustainable design is: a given. In India, a lot of people’s homes are self-built and that’s an ingrained tradition. My projects are driven by location—what materials and building techniques are available locally and what people are familiar with. For me, it’s pure economics and it’s easier to do.

My dream design project is: a school for young children. The school I went to was beautifully designed, without divisions for classrooms, and that influenced my work. There’s a freshness to designing for children—they have fewer preconceived ideas of what a building and landscape could possibly be. It allows you to be free, but not in an irresponsible way.

The most perfectly designed object is: a pencil. It’s light, efficiently designed and very effective. I am fascinated with it as a tool for communication. In some ways, it’s an extension of your mind and your body.

My preferred method for drawing is: by hand. I’m not technologically savvy; I don’t spend endless hours doing work with CAD programs. On my iPhone, I don’t have any apps.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Sustainable design is a given in India

India's beautiful architecture as symbols of love shows it has a heart of gold

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:50:17

Express/ by Jane Memmler

Chai, chai announced the tea seller as he slowly moved along the carriage. Surprisingly, not many were taking him up on his offer, even though it was barely 7am and some passengers looked like they could do with one. No sooner had he passed, then another appeared, with a rudimentary basket slung over one shoulder, offering "chips, chips”. They were obviously more preferable than a hot tea, with many handing over a few rupees.

Therein followed a nonstop succession of floor cleaners, curry sellers and ticket inspectors. All wore the same earnest expressions, with just a hint of self-importance. After all, they are proud employees of Indian Railways; the second largest employer in India, which rewards its dedicated staff with benefits such as pensions and even accommodation.

So with just a 90-second turnaround as a rule of thumb, we had swiftly settled in our first class carriage (with worn leather seats and linoleum floors) of the Shatabdi Express in Bharatpur for the two-hour journey to Agra and the Taj Mahal.

It was not the Indian train journey I’d imagined, with people on the floors sharing platters of curries, juggling both live chickens and lively children, though perhaps this was the case in the unreserved carriage with its barred, open windows.

First class, in contrast, was a markedly civilised, air-conditioned affair with passengers sitting quietly, passing the time snoozing or texting from their iPhones. A landscape of neat fields whizzed by. Occasionally, we spotted women in saris the colours of luminous rainbows, cutting crops by hand, and lone shepherds in traditional dhoti (the sarong-type dress) tending their flocks and squatting under trees chatting on mobiles.

The train was just one leg on an enthralling trip touring the Golden Triangle, India’s most popular northern cities of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. I confess I have had a long, bordering on obsessive attraction to the Rajasthan region. I’ll never tire of the impressive forts, such as the Amber Fort in Jaipur, the Agra and intricate Mughal palaces.

Then there’s Lutyens’s majestic architecture of India’s Parliament buildings in Delhi, the chaotic traffic, the garishly painted lorries, the simple bicycles ridden by wiry, turbanned octogenarians.

Rajasthan offers a glimpse into the soul of India, a place that will seduce you in equal measure with its charm and grandeur and its poverty and rawness. It began in the capital where, deep within Old Delhi’s labyrinthine streets, life continues as it has for centuries.Via rickshaw, we glided silently through bustling shady laneways, under tangled wires crudely suspended overhead which miraculously supply power to the pocket-sized shops bulging with books, saris and tinsel offerings for the temples.

Opposite sits the grand Red Fort and entering it is like discovering a hidden state, one of decadence, with sprawling gardens, elaborate audience halls and harems. By contrast, New Delhi bears the hallmarks of a highly progressive city with modern skyscrapers, imported cars, supermarkets and, everywhere you look, people.

A quiet reprieve is to be found in Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque, built by Shah Jahan, India’s fifth Mughal ruler. The intricate masterpiece in red sandstone and marble was completed in 1656 by more than 6,000 workers who had toiled for six years. Its vast courtyard, which can hold 25,000 people, is thronging with tourists, yet still manages to be resoundingly calm.

So too is another glorious Mughal structure, Humayun’s Tomb, commissioned in the 16th century by Haji Begum, the wife of the second Mughal emperor. Elegant archways, bulbous white domes and gardens punctuated with water channels run a close second to the stupendous Taj Mahal. In terms of cities however, Jaipur, the walled Pink City (painted pink in 1876 for the visit by Prince Albert), is the one that stirs me the most.

Browsing the ancient stalls of the bazaars, the domain of turbaned craftsmen sitting on white mattresses reading newspapers and drinking tea, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Under wooden balconies, shop after shop is stuffed to the brim with bright sari fabrics, silverware, copper vessels and gems.

The peacock feather sellers, the hand-powered sugarcane juice stalls, the turbans lined along rooftops, the pyramids of sweet cakes on wooden carts on busy street corners, not to mention the motionless cows standing in the middle of the road, camel-hauled carts and three-wheelers with their own rules, will enthrall.

Even Jaipur’s City Palace has its own artisan area, sanctioned by the current Maharaja, who resides in one section of it and happens to be mates with Prince Charles. The palace itself isn’t terribly ostentatious, quite the opposite, with neat courtyards and glorious gates. An exception is the Peacock Gate, (one of four), an ornate entrance decorated in a riot of bright, autumn tones.

See the urns Maharaja Madho Singh II made to transport holy Ganges water to England when he came for Edward VII’s coronation in 1902 and the nearby Jantar Mantar, an ancient observatory built by Jai Singh in 1728. Incredibly, it still measures the sun’s shadows accurately today. From grand palaces it was out along the flat and dusty roads towards Ranthambhore, tiger territory.

Butter-yellow tall grasses swayed in the breeze, the heat haze casting a misty veil over the golden landscape. Camels plodded along, hauling gargantuan loads of cuttings barely made secure by hessian tarpaulins. Tractors driven by farmers with large speakers mounted either side of their seats, blasted out Indian pop and shepherds and their flocks stopped traffic as they crossed the highway.

We timed our arrival at The Oberoi, Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore, the fantastic tented camp, just prior to the afternoon’s game drive, so we quickly jumped on an open-top Jeep and headed into the 680sq mile national park. Bouncing up and down over the rocky landscape, the tigers, sadly, appeared to have eluded us. Hardly surprising as their numbers only extend to around 50 nowadays, so our expectations were low. Incredibly, at the beginning of the 19th century there were 40,000 tigers in India.

Suddenly our guide’s mobile trilled. His manner told us he was on to something. We headed off to one of the main gates and there, a mere 200 feet away, lay two of the biggest, most powerful of beasts, Ustad and Sultan. It was the moment we’d come for. So, it seemed, had the other 20 Jeeps crammed with excited visitors. Some jumped off for a closer look. Were they mad? Luckily the tigers were oblivious.

We left Ranthambhore on the Shatabdi Express with some serious bragging material. Now it was time to follow in the footsteps of love. To Agra, its stupendous Mughal Fort and the Taj Mahal. No one can deny this was one hell of a tribute to a love. To see it at sunrise, minarets and white dome glistening, is indescribable.

Poor Shah Jahan. After losing his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth, he spent 17 years overseeing the work of 20,000 craftsmen who carved patterns and placed gems into the pure white marble. For pure beauty and inspiration, no one can argue those ancient Mughals didn’t know a thing or two about love.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India's beautiful architecture as symbols of love shows it has a heart of gold

How a simple van in India can save a mother’s life

MEA — 22/04/2014 18:04:24

Public Radio International/ by Rhitu Chatterjee

In the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, a modest concrete house stands along a dirt path in a remote village called Nanora. Inside the house, Savitri Jatav tends to her family.

"My sons were all born here,” she says. "They were delivered in this very room — all three sons.”

Women have always delivered at home around here, says Jatav, who is in her forties. In the past, it was only women who had trouble during childbirth who went to the nearest hospital. "They would go by bullock cart,” she says. Some would go by tractor. The hospital is only six miles away, but that is a long distance where roads are bad and transportation options few. "It would take a long time,” she adds.

Many women, especially in more distant villages, could not get to the hospital at all. "The majority of women never made it to the hospital,” says Dr. Govind Singh, a senior administrator at the big government hospital in the region, in the district of Shivpuri.

Giving birth at home, it was all too common for women to die during childbirth. "Maternal mortality in this region used to be about 400,” says Singh. "That means for every 100,000 women who gave birth, 400 sacrificed their lives.” He says they often died of preventable causes, like excessive bleeding, infections, or obstructed labor.

But in 2007, the government of Madhya Pradesh, with the help of UNICEF, started a free ambulance service just for pregnant women. Called Janani Express ("janani” means "mother” in Hindi), the service transports pregnant women and new mothers from their villages to health facilities and back.

Receiving a call, sending help

The ambulances are located across the region and are dispatched by a call center based at the Shivpuri hospital. The center is just a small, square room staffed by one person at any given time. The dispatcher takes a call and then finds the ambulance closest to the caller through an online tracking system. He then contacts the driver of the vehicle.

On a recent day, that driver was Suresh Karan. He was at a hospital in a little town called Pohri when he got the call and was told to go pick up a woman in labor.

Karan wasted no time. He switched on his ambulance siren and made his way through the narrow streets of Pohri toward the tiny village of Nanora, where Jatav — the woman who gave birth to her three sons at home — lives. It was her daughter-in-law who was in labor, waiting for the ambulance.

The ambulance wound along paved streets, then made a sharp left turn onto a bumpy mud road, passing farms of golden wheat and green legumes. Soon, the road ended in a cluster of mud and concrete houses. Karan parked in the village square and sent word through some villagers to the Jatavs.

A few minutes later, a group of women approached. Among them was Laali Jatav, 21, a slight woman, hardly five feet tall. Her pregnant belly protruded through the pleats of her sari, and her face was contorted in pain.

Laali climbed into the back of the ambulance and lay down on one of the seats. Her husband, an aunt, and a village health worker filed in after her to accompany her.

The drive to the hospital was far from comfortable. The ride was bumpy due to the rutted roads, and the back of the ambulance was outfitted sparingly, with two long seats on either side and with no sophisticated medical equipment — just a first aid kit under one of the seats for deliveries that might happen in transit.

Laali sat up. Her aunt put an arm around her, reminding her to breathe and reassuring her that she was going to be fine.

Twenty minutes later, Laali reached the hospital and was led to the delivery room. In a couple of hours, she gave birth to a healthy daughter.

Signs of success

When Janani Express started seven years ago, it consisted of just 35 ambulances.

"Now we have this transport network across the entire state, with nearly 1,000 ambulances providing 24-7 services,” says Dr. Gagan Gupta, a health specialist with UNICEF India who helped launch the service.

He says in 2013 alone, one million pregnant women benefited from the service.

"Half of these were from marginalized groups in the country,” says Gupta. "And half of these women used the service between sunset and sunrise, [when] the community and villages suffer the most in terms of transport.”

The service doesn’t just transport women who are in labor. It also brings in women for regular health checkups throughout their pregnancy, so that high-risk patients can be identified early on. Ittransports new mothers and their infants back home after the delivery. And it brings them to the hospital throughout the following year, to make sure the mother and baby get postnatal care.

The advent of Janani Express has led to a dramatic rise in the number of institutional deliveries, says Gupta.

"Previously, three out of 10 women were delivering in hospitals,” he says. "Now nearly nine out of 10 women are delivering in the hospitals, and there has been a sharp decline in the maternal mortality.”

In the two districts where the service was first started (Guna and Shivpuri), as recently as 2007, 262 women died for every 100,000 who gave birth. By 2011, that number had fallen to 181, he says.

The success of Janani Express has led other states to start similar services, all funded by the Indian government. It is part of a broad effort to improve maternal health around the country.

The ambulance service alone is no silver bullet, admits Gupta, but he says it has made a difference.

And people in villages agree.

Back in Nanora, two days after giving birth, Laali was at home, lying on a cot, holding her baby. Her mother-in-law ran around, doing chores while stopping by Laali’s bed now and then to beam at her new granddaughter.

"Times have changed for our daughters-in-law,” Savitri Jatav said, thinking back on the times she gave birth to her sons at home. "It’s a lot more convenient now.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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How a simple van in India can save a mother’s life

India’s Renewable Energy Efforts Poised for Resurgence

MEA — 22/04/2014 18:09:39

Epoch Times/ by Anjali Jaiswal

National elections are underway and dominating headlines and conversations across India. In parallel, the timely release of the second new consensus report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) documenting the impacts of climate change, has confirmed again the current and growing risks to the economy, humanhealth and food supply of India’s communities. This latest warning of the growing impacts of climate-fueled disasters should refocus attention on the country’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

After a bumpy year, India’s renewable energy efforts are offering tentative but promising signs that clean energy is ready for resurgence. But it remains to be seen whether the solar and wind energy industries will work together to learn from each others’ experiences and grow the whole clean energy market. And whether much-needed support for the renewable energy market will increase to enable clean energy to emerge a winner in India.

The recent slowdown of India’s renewable energy industry is well-documented, but with the current peak energy deficit hovering around 9%, it is clear that the status quo dependence solely on fossil fuel is neither sufficient nor sustainable. Renewable energy sources can power India’s future, offering the country a cleaner, more sustainable way to supply its communities’ growing energy needs. In addition to policies that prioritize energy efficiency in the country’s buildings and appliances, clean energy—particularly solar and wind energy—is key to reducing the strain on infrastructure and increasing energy security.

Despite unclear market signals and a dip in India’s investments in renewable energy last year, it appears both the domestic solar and wind markets could be headed toward a more positive 2014 based on recent developments:

India’s Solar Market Offers Promising Signs of Improvement

The solar market is recovering from a rough year of setbacks, including an international trade dispute, reduced investments, slumping solar sales, and delays in both the Mission’s Phase 2 and state solar auction allocations. Despite this, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reported that India added more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar energy to its grid last year, nearly doubling the country’s cumulative solar capacity. With many grid-connected solar projects commissioned by state solar projects coming online in early 2014, the country now has more than 2.6 GW of installed capacity as of the end of March.

Another good sign for solar energy was highlighted by National Solar Mission’s successful bidding process for its first batch of Phase 2 projects in Q1 2014. Bids for these National Solar Mission-sponsored solar projects were more than three times oversubscribed by solar developersfor the 750 MW of available photovoltaic capacity. MNRE also announced plans to auction an additional 250 MW worth of solar photovoltaic power in 2014. Many of these projects are expected to come online in 2015, meaning the country could see another jump in its solar power capacity next year.

Gujarat, the current state leader for installed solar, is increasingly having to share its title with emerging state powerhouses Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, who are receiving strong interest from solar investors. Newer rooftop solar energy programs, like Tamil Nadu’s scheme that is under 6 months old, have received promising responses from developers too.

State Solar Installations in India as of January 31, 2014

Government policies can support this process, especially as the prices of solar energy products continue to decline. The government can work with banks to overcome the persistent perception of risk and unfamiliarity associated with solar financing. Innovative financing and incentives to invest in solar technologies can harness the high level of interest in solar energy present in India and act as the bridges that bring solar investors and consumers together. On this front, our NRDC team and our partner, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), are working with government agencies, developers and financiers to support the growing solar market both on the economic policy front and in overcoming financing barriers.

Stay tuned for our team’s release of a forthcoming series of publications that offer specific findings and recommendations to ease financing for grid-connected and decentralized solar projects in India and bolster local job production.

Signs of India’s Wind Market Reenergizing

Wind power in India has an estimated total potential of more than 100 GW in India, which was slightly less than half of India’s total electricity generation capacity in 2013. Although India already has the fifth largest wind generation capacity in the world at 20,000 MW, recent policy shifts have temporarily slowed wind energy’s momentum.

To reverse this trend, MNRE recently announced plans to launch aNational Wind Energy Mission (NWEM). The NWEM will operate differently than the National Solar Mission. Rather than inviting bidding for projects, MNRE will play the role of a "facilitator” to strengthen grid infrastructure for wind power, identify high wind power potential zones, clear hurdles for land issues, and regulate wind power tariffs. Measures such as accelerated depreciation (a valuable tax benefit that reduces current taxable income) and a generation based incentive (which provides an additional tariff to developers for wind electricity fed into the grid), which were curtailed in 2012, are expected to be reintroduced under the NWEM.

As with solar energy, there are many potential avenues to scale wind energy beyond the NWEM. States with large wind potentials – including Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu – can introduce their own schemes to promote wind energy. State and central government policies can be implemented right from the start of the NWEM to ensure sufficient financing wind projects and avoid repeating the hurdles the National Solar Mission launch faced.

Increasing Indian financial institutions’ comfort levels and ability to affordably fund clean energy are key to increasing renewable energyinvestments. Ensuring that the wind and solar industries are learning from each others’ experiences can also help both markets grow and succeed. By working with financial institutions to establish effective financing policies, instruments and mechanisms, India can support and enable a needed resurgence in the diverse renewable energy projects and products that can sustainably power its future and help mitigate climate change’s worst impacts.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India’s Renewable Energy Efforts Poised for Resurgence

The India I have seen - A Kuwaiti viewpoint on India

MEA — 21/04/2014 18:38:09

The Times/By Abdulqader M. Al-Abdulqader

Recently I visited India for the first time. As I got off the plane at New Delhi I was amazed at the swanky Indira Gandhi International Airport. The new Terminal 3 is acclaimed to be one of the largest in the world and one is impressed with this mega-structure which spreads across 5.5 million square feet with 8 levels. My first impression was one of awe. I swiftly completed the airport formalities assisted by courteous officials and exited to the hustle and bustle of the outside world. New Delhi, the capital of India is truly a wonderful place. Its architecture is splendid. I visited India Gate which is

a war memorial dating back to World War I. I was truly intrigued by the layout of the bustling central shopping and business area known as Connaught Place. It is a well planned circular complex with an outer and inner circle. It is well connected to all parts of Delhi by the Metro Rail. There are several malls in Delhi which are comparable to malls found anywhere in the world. I found the shopping

excellent with good value for money. From New Delhi I visited Jaipur the capital of the northern

state of Rajasthan. Known as the Rose Pink City , Jaipur’s massive forts, the opulence of the Maharajas palaces, the sunset camel safari along the sand dunes and the splendid

desert captures the very essence of Rajasthan. The Arab traveler will feel at home in Rajasthan. All along the side of the desert you will find cultivation which is a rare sight in the Arab world. It is springtime throughout the year. This is paradise with no need to fight for grass or water as was

common in the Arab world of the past. Jaipur’s exquisite jewelry and intricate works of art are world renowned. Its lush gardens and floral abundance captivate you. Jaipur is a classic blend of heritage, culture and art.

India and Kuwait enjoy traditionally friendly relations even before the discovery of oil. Geographic proximity, historical trade links, cultural affinities and the presence of nearly 700,000 Indian expatriates in Kuwait strengthens this long standing relationship. India has been a dependable

trading partner and buys slightly over 10 percent of its total crude oil requirements from Kuwait.

As Kuwaitis, we have very strong links with India since time immemorial. A collection of jewelry, seals and pottery discovered in Failaka Island which used to be a convenient passage for ships sailing between the Mesopotamia and India confirm that relations existed even as early the fourth millennium BC. Long before the discovery of oil in the country, Kuwaiti sailors used to sail

from Shatt-al-Arab to the ports of western coasts in India, carrying dates and horses of fine pedigree. The trade in horses stopped at the end of World War II in 1945 and Kuwaitis began trading in pearls with India and in exchange took teakwood for ship building. Kuwaitis played a major role in five principal harbors in India according to Mohammed Abdulaziz Al Shaya, a renowned Kuwaiti businessman. Until 1961, the Indian Rupee was the legal tender in Kuwait.

In India I found that Kuwaitis have built mosques, hospitals and educational institutions for the benefit of all. In old Kuwait City, I found a mosque built as early as 1795 by Mohammed Rizq with financial support from India. This goes to prove the strong interaction between the people of Kuwait and India. Everywhere I went, I found the Indian people to be very kind, courteous and helpful. Indians accept us and treat us with respect everywhere. We do not feel like foreigners in India.

The geography and climate of India is so varied that it cannot be generalized as its changes from region to region. The seasons of India are mainly summer, winter and off course the rainy season. India is one of the most fascinating countries to travel to. Rail and air facilities connect various places. In India geography, ethnicity, languages, cultures and habits of people are so varied

that in every state of India you will notice a new culture and a new language. In fact, tour guides proudly tell you that in India you will find change after every 50 kilometers. This makes India truly a favorable tourist destination. It is common knowledge that we in Kuwait look towards the West for several products and services. But now you find that they themselves are looking towards India. India’s IT services are an acknowledged world leader. Medical tourism in India renowned for its professionalism has been gaining ground. Isn’t it ironic that many of us go to the United States of America for serious medical conditions and get treated there by an Indian doctor while we can go

to India for the same treatment at a fraction of the cost and within three hours flying time? In fact when I went for a consultation with an Indian doctor in New York I was billed $500 whereas in India I would not have been charged more than $10 for consultation. I feel that Kuwait which is exploring external avenues to invest should consider investing in India. India provides long term prospects for better returns. India has very fine institutions and regulatory authorities for investor protection.

A part of Kuwait’s huge surplus of funds may be invested in diversified fields such as telecommunications, financial sector/services, banking, agriculture, health, medicine, biotechnology, pharma, real estate, R&D, etc. Individual Kuwaitis will find India a safe investment destination as it was in the past and so will it be in the future.

A unique aspect of the Indian way of life is the fact that communities of all religions generally live in peace and harmony without the need to resort to constant fighting. This is a lesson for all of us.

I returned from India with a greater respect for its people, its culture and its heritage. India opened my mind to immense possibilities. On my return I regretted that I had not visited India much earlier in my life. But now I intend to visit India more frequently and discover the various facets of the glory that is India. I am confident that India and Kuwait will definitely treasure the past as it builds a glorious future together.

(Views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

The article may also be seen at:
The India I have seen - A Kuwaiti viewpoint on India

5 Innovations That Will Transform India in the Next 5 Years

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:27:44

Mashable/ by Stacy Martinet
Following the United States and China, India is the world’s third largest Internet population. The country is projected to be home to 243 million Internet users by June 2014 -– but that’s still only a fraction of the country’s 1.2 billion population.

As access to the Internet penetrates deeper into the Indian population, it is changing the ways politicians campaign, companies lead and people connect.

SEE ALSO: 15 Joyful Photos of India's Vibrant Holi Festival

Mashable was in Mumbai last week to explore the influence connectivity is having on the country at the first-ever India +SocialGood conference. The event brought together more than 400 members of India’s technology, social media and non-profit communities for a day of exchanging ideas and networking. More than one million people participated in the social discussions and joined the event via Livestream.Here are five key takeaways from the event, which dive into the country’s powerful online potential.

4G is changing the game.Can you imagine more than 1 billion people with access to the fastest possible mobile Internet? That will be the reality in India in a matter of years. India relies primarily on mobile devices for digital communications, and that’s certainly not going to change anytime soon.

India’s first 4G network arrived in April 2012 in Kolkata, West Bengal. Since then, 4G has slowly spread throughout the country. This February, Apple made a joint announcement with Bharti Airtel that it would bring 4G mobile service to users of Apple’s latest phones in Bangalore.

To date, 4G access has been primarily data-only. As 4G becomes more widespread and accessible for all types of devices, the potential increases for digital communications, online media, both large and small businesses, entrepreneurship and mobile commerce. Many +SocialGood community members expressed particular excitement about future opportunities for mobile commerce and peer-to-peer lending.
100 million people connected on Facebook.

On April 9, the same day as the event, Facebook reported it had crossed the 100 million users mark in India, making it the second largest country on the social network, behind only the United States, where the company started. However, 100 million users is still just a small percentage of India’s overall population, and the market still has potential for significant growth.

What you hear and see in Mumbai is that, in many ways, Facebook is the gateway to the Internet. For instance, many small businesses have forgone original websites and sites such as Yelp, instead focusing on building out their company Facebook pages.

India may also be the biggest reason that Facebook acquired the messaging service WhatsApp for $16 billion. It is an extremely popular service as it works across all smartphones using low amounts of data, unlike SMS/text messages, and is nearly free. It also offers several features such as group messaging and audio and video messaging using little data, making it by far the easiest and cheapest way to stay in touch and share information with others both domestically and internationally.
Social media as a political force

Social media is playing a major role in the Indian national elections for the first time.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has largely adopted social media in this election cycle, creating several campaign activations for its candidate for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The candidate has a strong presence across platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and India’s own social media platform Vebbler.

Holograms of Modi were shown at rallies, and Google+ Hangouts were used to interact with the movement’s supporters. Modi currently has 3.4 million Twitter followers and over 10.6 million "likes” on his Facebook page.

As we’ve seen in other elections around the world, social media has the potential to play a big role. It is very unclear how this will shape the current election in India, as Rahul Gandhi, the incumbent National Congress Party’s candidate for Prime Minister, doesn’t yet have a verified Twitter account. Many are comparing the contrast of social media strategies in this election to the 2008 U.S. presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain.

But one thing is clear: With the rise of social networks in the country, more young people are getting involved in the election. As we have seen in the United States, this year’s race could be the tipping point that will never again allow an Indian national election to go without social media campaigns.
The new 2% giving mandate

The Companies Act was enacted April 1, the start of India’s fiscal year. The mandate requires that one-third of a company’s board is comprised of independent directors. This board committee must ensure the company spends "at least 2% of the average net profits of the company made during the three immediately preceding financial years” on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Conservative estimates calculate this will net $2.5 billion annually. If the company fails to spend this amount on CSR, the board must disclose why in its annual report.

The act defines CSR as activities that promote poverty reduction, education, health, environmental sustainability, gender equality and vocational skills development. Companies can choose which area to invest in, or contribute the amount to central or state government funds earmarked for socioeconomic development.

The CSR legislation was a big topic of conversation among the businesspeople and NGO workers at India +SocialGood. How this new mandate will work, and what the total result of the giving will be is uncertain, but what is clear is that both sides are working to ensure accountability, transparency and measurement, and social media can help play a major role.
Women sitting on corporate boards, by law

Another part of "The Companies Act” mandates that corporations' boards of directors include at least one female member. While U.S. media writes countless op-eds and Twitter buzzes about getting more women to the top, India has taken a proactive legal step to make it a reality.

Reports indicate fewer than 30% of India’s female population is active in the workforce, but the new legislation is a significant first step in incentivizing and rewarding professional women across India. While it can’t be known what the long-term effects of this mandate will be, in theory, the law will provide opportunities for millions of Indian women to take on high-level management and strategy positions across the nation’s top industries.

Last year, 16.9% of board seats in the United States were held by women, a relatively low number compared to the 27% of Swedish board seats and 40.9% of Norwegian board seats held by women. However, in India, women hold only 4.7% of corporate board positions, a statistic significantly lower than in western nations.

By introducing the female board member mandate, India has the potential to not only grow its female working population, but to increase the value and importance of female leadership culturally and socially across the nation.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

This article can also be read at:
5 Innovations That Will Transform India in the Next 5 Years

A moment of truth for India's women

MEA — 21/04/2014 10:30:02

Bloomberg/ by William Pesek

"The Power of 49": That's how Indian activists have started describing the potential influence of women, who make up just under 50 percent of the population, in the country's ongoing elections. Political parties are courting women for the first time as a bloc, a transformative force that could upend both caste-based voting patterns and the conventional wisdom in New Delhi if they cast their ballots along gender lines.

Unfortunately, campaign pledges on women's issues and advertising blitzes targeting their support add up to more hype than reality. Sure, India's dominant parties -- Rahul Gandhi's Indian National Congress party and Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party -- increased references to women in their 2014 election manifestos, compared to 2009. Both pledge to push through a long-stymied bill that guarantees a third of Lower House seats to women. (Women currently make up 11 percent of the body.) India's newest political force, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, says women's safety is the "biggest issue" in India, after a series of brutal gang rapes made for ugly headlines around the globe.

Upon closer inspection, though, things look far less encouraging. Just last week, front-runner Modi unapologetically admitted that he had been married for more than four decades to a woman he'd abandoned (amicably, both say) while she was still a teenager. The head of a regional party in India's most populous state called for the repeal of an anti-rape law because "boys make mistakes." One of the most powerful state ministers -- a woman -- promises free blenders and wedding gold to lure female votes.

It's quite the election-year paradox. At a time when India's political class should be addressing and harnessing a demographic that is more educated, literate and engaged than ever before, traditional politicians seem mystified by the task. Treating women like some amorphous vote bank and luring them with freebies hardly seems like the best India should be able to do in 2014.

What do Indian women really want? The budding "Womanifesto" movement is raising its voice, and its fist, to present India's biggest parties with a multipoint plan. This Indian take on the "womenomics" movements afoot in Japan and elsewhere in Asia is promoting female empowerment through access to education; more women in positions of power; swift justice in gender crimes; better policing; and improved social mobility so girls born into poverty today can have a brighter tomorrow.

Is any of this likely to emerge from this election? I don't see it. Far more importantly, neither does Karuna Nundy, a Supreme Court lawyer and co-author of the Womanifesto plan, who says that what she's heard from candidates so far is "vague" and "very thin." Nundy has won the support of Kejriwal's "Common Man" party. But the real prize would be to get the poll-leading BJP to commit to specific pro-women policies.

Sexism is a serious headwind for India. In its 2013 gender-equality report, the World Economic Forum ranked India 101st -- after Cameroon, Azerbaijan and Indonesia and far behind 69th-place China. I asked Jane Horan, author of "How Asian Women Lead," about all this. "It's all about the sheer numbers and what this giant, powerful demographic shift says about where India is heading," she said. "You have an amazing talent pool there. Why not use it?"

Unlike the U.S., India has had female leaders -- former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Italian-born daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi among them. Three regional female powerbrokers will hold great sway over whether Modi ultimately gets to lead India's 1.2 billion people. These women -- Mamata Banerjee, J. Jayalalithaa and Mayawati (who goes by one name) -- have slammed Modi on the campaign trail. From PepsiCo Inc.'s Indra Nooyi to ICICI Bank Ltd.'s Chanda Kochhar, the nation has enough female corporate titans to put Japan and South Korea to shame.

But in average life, Indian women still play a subordinate role, with less education and nutrition and fewer opportunities and protections than men. I'm still shocked by a United Nations Children's Fund poll in 2012 that found 57 percent of Indian men aged 15 to 19 thought wife beating was OK. The ideology of Hindutva, in which women are often portrayed as Westernized temptresses, may intensify if Modi prevails. Also, hostility toward women often begins in the womb. A societal preference for boys and a giant sex-selection abortion industry keeps untold millions of girls from being born. Economist Amartya Sen famously calls them "missing women."

For Indian politicians, the search is for missing female voters. But women aren't props to be exploited for short-term political gain, and it's time India's overwhelmingly male leaders understood that. As they grow more powerful and organized, the 49 percent won't be voting how their fathers and husbands do. They'll be tossing out leaders who fail to understand their true needs and aspirations -- and their power.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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A moment of truth for India's women

India's Briefcase-Sized Voting Machines

MEA — 17/04/2014 10:03:36

The Atlantic/ by Matt Ford

They're portable, economical, and helping more than 800 million Indians cast ballots in this year's election.

Holding India's titanic general election is no simple task. Voting is broken down into nine phases—the fifth and largest of which is scheduled for this Thursday—that are spread over six weeks. Over the six weeks, an army of 11 million election officials and security forces will staff and operate more than 935,000 polling stations in India's 543 electoral constituencies, where they will serve almost 815 million registered Indian voters. Central to this undertaking are India's 1.7 million electronic voting machines, or EVMs, the portable, affordable, and highly durable systems that help this massive exercise in democracy run smoothly.

Each EVM comes in two parts. The control unit remains with election officials at each polling place and connects by cable to the balloting unit. When a voter enters a polling booth, an official activates the balloting unit. The voter then presses one of up to 64 blue buttons next to each candidate's name and political-party symbol to cast his or her vote. India's Election Commission has produced a video explaining the process:

EVMs help India overcome a number of electoral challenges. The machines are compact and portable, in contrast to bulkier booth-sized voting machines in the United States and elsewhere. They are also built to withstand India's diverse and sometimes-harsh climate. Since they run on two 6-volt alkaline batteries, EVMs can be readily used in rural India, where two-thirds of the country's 1.2 billion citizens live, and other areas with limited or no electricity.

The symbol-oriented design also makes voting more widely accessible in a country with 287 million illiterate adults—nearly 37 percent of the worldwide total—and a multilingual electorate that speaks 22 officially-recognized languages and hundreds more unofficial ones. But perhaps the EVM's most impressive feature is its price tag: each unit costs only 10,500 Indian rupees, or about $175. By comparison, even older, used voting machines in the U.S. can cost around $6,000.

After a decade of sporadic and unsanctioned use of EVMs, India legalized the devices in 1988 alongside the existing (and often-maligned) paper-ballot system. They became standard features of elections in 1998 and the sole method for casting votes in the 2004 general election, in which almost 1.1 million EVMs were deployed in polling stations across the country. The Indian government boasts that "EVM has become the leitmotif of the world's largest democratic exercise and gets smarter with each avatar." Official election materials cite the EVM's superiority over paper balloting by noting the reduction in environmental waste, the speediness of tabulating results, and the decrease in spoiled or improperly cast votes. Another strength, according to election officials, is the EVM's role in combating electoral fraud through "booth capturing"—an ugly tactic where a candidate's supporters storm a polling place, sideline legitimate voters, and cast ballots—and ballot-stuffing.

But the machines have their limitations as well. EVMs can only record a maximum of 3,840 votes each (the Election Commission says each polling place should only serve about 1,500 voters) and can only list a maximum of 64 candidates at a time to vote for. Because India's elections are staggered over a six-week period, votes are tabulated in one region and the machines are then reused in another. In March, the Election Commission estimated it would have 1.7 million ballot units and 1.8 million control units—some polling places have more than one ballot unit per control unit—for this year's election. Each Indian constituency is required to keep 10 percent more EVMs than necessary for emergency situations.

Like all electronic voting systems, EVMs also invite concerns about outside tampering. Since implementing the devices nationwide, the Election Commission has insisted that the machines are not susceptible to hacking or other forms of fraud. But a 2010 report by Indian computer-security experts challenged this claim after examining one of the machines and cited numerous vulnerabilities, especially if a malicious user had access to the EVMs in advance. "The technology’s promise was that attacks on the ballot box and dishonesty in the counting process would be more difﬁcult," the report concluded. "Yet we ﬁnd that such attacks remain possible, while being potentially more difﬁcult to detect."

A few months after the report's release, Mumbai police arrived at the house of Hari Prasad, one of the researchers, and arrested and interrogated him for hours about where he had obtained the device his team analyzed, before releasing him on bail. (The U.S.-based Electronic Frontier Foundation later bestowed upon Prasad its 2010 Pioneer Award for his work and his ordeal.) After repeated legal challenges by activists, the Delhi High Court ruled in January 2012 that the EVMs weren't tamper-proof and ordered the Election Commission to add a paper trail as an extra security measure against electoral fraud. Election officials pledged to upgrade 600,000 old EVMs to comply with the new guidelines and procure new ones, and voters can now file complaints if there are still problems with the devices.

Developing countries from Nepal to Namibia have begun importing India's EVMs for their own elections.

Occasionally, criticism of the machines takes bizarre forms. During last year's regional assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, for instance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed a formal complaint after an Indian National Congress party elder allegedly told tribal voters that the EVMs would electrocute them if they voted for non-Congress candidates. The BJP won the election, but the Election Commission's FAQ now reassures prospective voters that there is no chance of electrocution from "short-circuitry or [any] other reason."

In India, popular sentiment toward EVMs is mixed. Amit Sheth, a professor at Wright State University in Ohio who studies social media's influence in elections like India's, ran a preliminary analysis of Twitter users' feelings about the devices. He found that about 50 percent of the tweets his team analyzed were complaints, though Sheth cautions that the analysis coincided with reports of a faulty machine in an eastern Indian state that reportedly cast votes for the BJP regardless of which button was pressed. "In the last election, there were many claims about Congress tampering with EVM, usually the ruling party gets blamed more often," Sheth told me. "So far, I have not found systemic differences of one party's view towards EVM than other party's views."

Despite their drawbacks, EVMs help solve electoral problems that aren't unique to India. The Indian government provided 4,130 EVMs to neighboring Bhutan last year for its legislative elections, and other developing countries, ranging from Nepal to Namibia, have also imported the Indian-manufactured machines for use in their own contests. Although it's no panacea for poor governance or repressive regimes, this $150 device from the world's largest democracy could soon make voting easier in burgeoning democracies worldwide.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India's Briefcase-Sized Voting Machines

India's Unparalleled Election Demographic And The Fingie

MEA — 17/04/2014 10:08:52

Forbes/ by Saritha Rai

In the ongoing 2014 general elections in India, a whopping 150 million young Indians between the ages of 18 to 23 years have become eligible to vote for the first time. That is close to the total number of all registered voters in the 2012 presidential elections in the United States (169 million) and the sum equivalent of voters in several European countries.

In the nine-phase voting that began on April 7 and is scheduled to end on May 12, trends indicate that first-time voters are showing no signs of the voter lethargy that middle and upper middle class Indians are infamous for. On the contrary, young Indians are showing up at the voting booth in unprecedented numbers. Voting has become a display of impatience and assertiveness.

Out of this, a Selfie movement has taken root amongst first-timers. Social networks are being flooded with the "Fingie” (finger selfie), or "Ungli” in Hindi, posed photos of inked fingers shot on smartphones and uploaded on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

India’s Election Commission, meanwhile, has warned that anyone shooting Selfies inside voting booths or during voting would be jailed.

The sizable segment of first-time voters are the target of some concerted wooing by political parties and leaders. Opinion polls and experts, however, are straining to predict the mind of this young voter pool.

In the urban Indian scenario, there is considerable overlap between first-time voters and the country’s band of educated, tech-savvy and wallet-happy youth. It is India’s post-liberalization generation, a cohort that was born after India’s economy started opening up in 1991.

It is a generation that has grown up in and gotten used to a buoyant economic scenario. In the ongoing elections, these urban first-time voters are expressing considerable anxiety about India’s recent economic slide and the rising incidence of corruption. A lot has changed since the last general election in 2009 when India was nearing double-digit economic growth rates. Since then, the economy has slowed drastically and is now projected to grow at 5.4% in 2014.

Young voters are also concerned about dwindling job prospects. It is a generation that is arriving to a damp job scenario after a long spell of plentiful employment opportunities, double-digit salary raises and job-hopping.

Real issues aside, first-timers are making it obvious on social networks that they are enamored by political idols. The boyish-faced Rahul Gandhi of the ruling Congress Party, the tough-talking Narendra Modi and the anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party have their own segment of young fans. Still, it is hard to say who this game changer of a generation will favor in the polling booth.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India's Unparalleled Election Demographic And The Fingie

Women Top India’s Elections Agenda

MEA — 17/04/2014 10:11:38

Wall Street Journal/ by Preetika Rana

India’s politicians are courting a newly energized and critical set of voters in this year’s national elections: women.

A wave of anger after the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student in Delhi in 2012 galvanized Indian women, tens of thousands of whom took to the streets to protest daily violence and discrimination against them.

That activism has translated into higher female turnout in recent state elections and forced political parties to pay more attention to women’s fears for their physical safety and their broader aspirations for equality.

"Politicians know they can no longer ignore us,” said Neha Verghese, a 38-year-old fashion designer, after casting her ballot in Delhi. The 2012 attack has "made women bolder,” she said.

India’s national vote, which began April 7 and lasts for five weeks, is believed to be the world’s biggest-ever election.

Women’s issues have figured prominently on the campaign agendas of the country’s two most important national parties: the Congress, which is fighting an uphill battle for re-election, and its main rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Both have pledged to push forward an amendment to India’s constitution that would set aside a third of the seats in Parliament for women members. About 11% of members in the most recent Parliament were women.

Politicians have also promised better protection for women and a greater government focus on improving their education and economic security.

"India can be a superpower only by empowering women,” Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the Congress’s national campaign, told a cheering audience at a women’s rally in southern India in February.

Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for prime minister, has also been speaking out. In a radio ad, Mr. Modi promises that if elected he will insure "security to every mother and daughter.”

That appeal is reaching many women voters.

"I’ve voted in four elections, but for the first time this year, I felt part of the national conversation,” said Saraswati, a 42-year-old domestic worker in New Delhi, who like many Indians goes by one name. "Never before have parties promised to safeguard our rights and interests.”

But not all women think the political rhetoric is genuine. "These are all election gimmicks,” Jasjit Purewal, a New Delhi-based women’s rights activist, said. "The real challenge remains: deep-rooted patriarchal mind set against women, even in politics.”

Last week, an Indian politician from the Samajwadi Party came under fire for playing down the severity of rapes, which he called "mistakes” boys would make in their youth. The same day, one of the men in his party, said women should be hanged for having premarital sex.

The focus on women hasn’t extended to fielding them as candidates in this election. Less than a fifth of candidates for the BJP and Congress are women. "It’s a classic case of not practicing what you preach,” said Praveen Rai, an analyst at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a think-tank.

Officially, the parties disagree. "It’s not that we are being biased. Women have traditionally kept out of politics,” Raashid Alvi, a senior Congress leader, said. "There are fewer women to field as a result.” Prakash Javadekar, a BJP spokesman, echoed his views. "If a strong women candidate is in the fray, which party would ever refuse? Sadly, though, there aren’t very many.”

Female candidates say one of the reasons why fewer women are in the running is because Indian politics is largely viewed as a male-dominated profession. "Now the perception is changing,” Meenakshi Lekhi, a senior BJP leader, said. "Parties are encouraging women’s participation, and more women are setting foot into politics.”

Still, women voters have been neglected in politics in the past, activists say, because they have tended to vote in lower numbers than men, and, when they did cast ballots, often voted for the candidates favored by their fathers or husbands.

Lately, there have been signs of change. In three of the five states that held state-government elections in December, the women voter turnout was greater than that of the men.

"When I first voted—some 35 years ago—you’d see only a handful of women at the polling stand,” said Omvati, a 54-year-old mother of four who cast her vote in a Delhi suburb. "Now look: From college students to great-grandmothers, women are coming out in droves to vote.”

Ms. Omvati says the December 2012 attack and the activism it inspired helped push the change. "It encouraged more women to come out and speak for their rights,” she said. "It’s a sign we are no longer scared to speak our minds.”

As it has wooed women voters, Congress has pledged to quadruple the number of women-only police stations, which are staffed by female officers, in an effort to improve security and give women a haven where they can report complaints.

Among other things, the party has also said it will set up more schools for girls, earmark more funds for the "development of women and children,” and work to secure land rights for widows and women whose husbands have migrated to find work in cities.

The BJP, for its part, says if elected it will launch a national campaign to protect and educate girls, and set up a network of dedicated skills-training centers for women.

"Women’s safety is now a top priority for us as voters,” said Rakhi, a 28-year-old home maker from New Delhi. "If the politicians who win elections this time fail to ensure women’s safety, we will vote them out in the next elections.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Women Top India’s Elections Agenda

Indian slums switch to solar powered lamps

MEA — 17/04/2014 10:14:31

Catholic Online

In the slums of New Delhi, India, where starvation, disease and filth run rampant, a most extraordinary thing is happening. The poor here are being given solar lamps in order to use cleaner energy. The smoke from kerosene lamps, in addition to wood burning stoves, has made the air there hazardous. Pollinate Energy, a social enterprise start-up is helping people living in the slums to use cleaner energy.

Pollinate Energy, which began in 2013, is one of thousands of businesses in India tapping into the clean energy market. It's estimated that 35-40 percent of the entire population has no access to electricity.

Many poor urban communities in India are forced to live by candlelight. Slum tenants also use polluting fuels like kerosene, or "steal energy" by illegally tapping in to the power lines of wealthier neighborhoods.

Pollinate Energy markets and sells renewable energy lanterns and stoves on a five-week, interest-free payment plan to families living under tarpaulin sheets in Bangalore's slums.

"There are actually a lot of organizations selling clean energy products in the rural sector already, and we found that there was a big gap in the market in the urban sector," Monique Alfris, co-founder of Pollinate Energy says. "Nobody believes that there are people in urban environments who are using kerosene for light."

As opposed to those who reside in developed nations, "living off the grid" usually means living in a self-sustaining environment in remote, rural areas. The opposite is true for India, where millions of people are off the grid in urban centers. Burning fuel in poorly ventilated places like a tent or small hut contributes to indoor air pollution, which can cause premature death in women and young children.

New alternatives such as solar lanterns and clean cooking stoves are now being manufactured on a larger scale. However, urban slum and village communities have not been aware of these new technologies and have not bought the products.

Pollinate Energy says there is a serious need to focus on urban areas, given the thousands of rural migrants streaming into India's towns and cities every day, who face "energy poverty" - a lack of access to modern energy services.

"India is one of the fastest urbanizing countries in the world. There are always more and more people coming into the cities," Alfris says.

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Indian slums switch to solar powered lamps

Why world’s biggest carnival of democracy matters

MEA — 17/04/2014 10:18:28

Elections 2014: Celebrating the carnival of Indian democracy

The Daily Mirror/ by Manish Chand

The world’s biggest carnival of democracy is in full flow. It’s a carnival in every sense of the word – in terms of sheer drama, spectacle and colour, along with all that hurly-burly and exuberant noise, the parliamentary elections in India have set new benchmarks that are hard to match anywhere else in the world. The statistics are staggering and overwhelm the imagination: 814.5 million Indians in a country of 1.2 billion people are eligible to vote in the 16th Lok Sabha elections that are being held in nine phases across India from April 7-May 12. The size of the electorate –- every adult Indian who is 18 (as on January 1, 2014) is free to choose his representative -- exceeds the total population of the 28-nation European Union, the US and South Asia minus India. Around 100 million people have been added to the voters’ roll since the last elections in 2009. And here are some more factoids that are truly mind-boggling: this year, there are 919,452 polling stations in which 814.5 million registered voters will use 1,878,306 electronic voting machines to choose candidates fielded by over 300 political parties.

Logic and Logistics

The logistics of organising the elections on this scale are truly awe-inspiring, but the Election Commission of India, an autonomous constitutional body known for unimpeachable standards of integrity, has more than risen to the occasion to ensure free, fair and credible elections over 67 years of India’s independence. This year, the EC

has deployed around 11 million-plus personnel to ensure the world’s largest democratic exercise goes off without a hitch. The EC has also been proactive in organising a string of awareness campaigns, roping in celebrities to exhort Indians to exercise their franchise "in an informed and ethical manner” and treat voting as their sacred duty in the service of democracy. The Lok Sabha elections in India, held every five years unless a mid-term poll is forced upon the nation due to compelling circumstances,

are without doubt, a stupendous blockbuster of democracy - a celebration of argumentative Indians and a veritable feast of pomp and polemics.

Above all, the elections, based on universal adult franchise, is a great leveller in so far as all adult Indians above 18, be it a celebrity billionaire or an anonymous penniless bard, have one vote each to decide the fate of their aspiring rulers.

Global Media Frenzy

Small wonder, the elections in India tease the global imagination like nothing else, and bring in hordes of journalists, paparazzi and plain curiosity-hunters who don’t mind braving the unforgiving Indian summer to have a first-hand feel of this rambunctious festival bristling with theatrics and eloquence. Going by the latest buzz, there are some 200-odd foreign correspondents who are criss-crossing the length and breadth of India and trying to unscramble what is clearly the most unpredictable and globally watched elections in the world. And these journalists represent some of the most powerful media networks in the world, ranging from behemoths like BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Time, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters, AFP, AP, Asahi Shimbun and Kyodo News to smaller media outfits from neighbouring countries like Jamuna Television and Banglanews.

The global interest in the 2014 elections in India is without parallel and for a reason; given India’s growing diplomatic profile and the country’s ncreasing intertwining with the global economy, the world has a stake in who gets to rule India and what he or she stands for. The electoral arena this time is qualitatively different, and has come to resemble personality-oriented presidential-style campaigning. Competing for the hearts and minds of over 800 million Indians are a former tea-seller turned political star of the BJP, the heir-apparent of India’s longest-running political dynasty representing the ruling Congress-led coalition and a maverick engineer-turned-anti-corruption crusader who aspires to change the old status quo politics of privilege that has been practised in this country for much of its independent history.

Election Tourism

One can understand journalists following the Indian elections with all the professional rigour and fervour they can muster, but this time around, a new genre of election tourism is shaping up. Touted as the ‘Kumbh Mela’ of the world’s largest democracy, tourism industry impresarios and managers are offering election-themed holiday packages to foreign tourists. The sales pitch has apparently worked: Varanasi, the world’s oldest living cosmological city, is attracting droves of curiosity-struck foreign tourists, who are not seeking salvation, but are looking to experience the much-hyped electoral contest between the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and AAM Admi party chief Arvind Kejriwal. Ahamedabad is another hot favourite with a new breed of election tourists. Ahmedabad-based tour operator Election Tourism India is hoping to attract around 2,000 foreigners over the next few weeks till the last phase of polling ends on May 12.Will foreign policy change?

While speculation is rife about possible policy changes by the new government formed after the elections, no radical changes are expected in the arena of India’s foreign policy. Going by the past, by and large an unwritten across-the-board national consensus on the country’s foreign policy has endured, with minor improvisations and modulations. This consensus includes pursuing a foreign policy based on enlightened national interest, good relations with neighbouring countries and extended neighbourhood, strategic autonomy, constructive engagement with major powers and emerging powers, promoting a rule-based international border, and vigorously enlarging the country’s developmental options through innovative and pragmatic diplomacy. Regardless of who forms the government in New Delhi after the votes are counted and the results are declared on May 16, the world can, therefore, expect some predictability and continuity in broad thrusts of India’s multi-layered relations with the world.

Keeper of Democracy Dream

In a world where democracy remains a distant dream for more than three billion people, the spectacle of the Indian elections, with its proven record of peaceful transfer of power over more than six decades, should be inspiring and a compelling argument against authoritarianism. Currently, more than 100 countries are technically democracies in so far as they hold elections to choose their rulers. The good news is that with every passing year, more countries are getting converted to the democratic fold. However, according to a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, only 15 percent of countries enjoy full democracy and nearly a third of the world's nations are ruled by authoritarian regimes. Against this backdrop, the exhilarating spectacle of millions of Indians voting to elect their rulers should be an exemplar. What’s more, the elections in India, despite the sheer magnitude of the exercise and mind-boggling diversity, have been remarkably free of violence or bloodletting, and have consistently scored high on credibility.

India Ink

But for all its justly-earned democratic credentials and its enduring belief in an inclusive democratic world order, India is not in the business of exporting democracy – proselytising is alien to the all-embracing Indian culture and ethos. India has, however, been prompt to render assistance in holding elections or democratic institution-building, but only on request. It may not be an exaggeration to say that the country’s fiercely argumentative and vibrant democracy has emerged as a role model for many countries across the world, ranging from Myanmar and Nepal in Asia to Egypt, Libya and Tunisia in North Africa. New democracies, especially those born in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, are now

looking at the Indian model of democratic development for inspiration. From Afghanistan to Cambodia, India has been happy to send indelible ink, electronic voting machines or polling officers to train personnel in the business of conducting elections. Indelible ink, repository of democratic dreams, produced in Mysore, India’s southern city, has become the much sought-after charm by established and fledgling democracies. In the last three decades, Mysore Paints & Varnish Ltd has exported the ink to 28 countries across the world including Turkey, South Africa, Nigeria, Nepal, Ghana, Papua-New Guinea, Burkina Faso, Canada, Togo, Sierra Leone, Malaysia and Cambodia.

In the near future, India looks set to be the world’s most populous democracy – an honour it will be all too happy to cede to China if the latter opts for electoral democracy. And the parliamentary elections in India will remain a veritable carnival and the keeper of the world’s democratic dream.

(Manish Chand is Editor-in-Chief of India Writes, www.indiawrites.org, an online journal and magazine focused on international affairs and the India Story. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author)

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Why world’s biggest carnival of democracy matters

The Indian Elections

MEA — 15/04/2014 09:55:42

New York Times/ by V. Mitchell

It is truly the greatest show on Earth, an ode to a diverse & democratic ethos, where 700 million + of humanity vote, providing their small part in directing their ancient civilization into the future.

It is no less impressive when done in a neighborhood which includes de-stabilizing & violent Pakistan, China, and Burma.

It's challenges are immense, more so probably than anywhere else, particularly in development & fending off terrorism -- but considering these challenges & its neighbors, it is even more astounding that the most diverse nation on Earth, with hundreds of languages, all religions & cultures, is not only surviving, but thriving.

The nation:

where Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism were born, which is the second largest Muslim nation on Earth;

where Christianity has existed for 2000 years;

where the oldest Jewish synagogues & Jewish communities have resided since the Romans burnt their 2nd temple;

where the Dalai Lama & the Tibetan government in exile reside;

where the Zoroastrians from Persia have thrived since being thrown out of their ancient homeland;

where Armenians, Syrians & many others have come to live;

where the Paris-based OECD said was the largest economy on Earth for 1500 of the last 2000 years, including the 2nd largest, only 200 years ago;

where 3 Muslim Presidents have been elected,

where a Sikh is Prime Minister & the head of the ruling party a Catholic Italian woman,

where the past President was also a woman, succeeding a Muslim President who as a rocket scientist is a hero in the nation;

where a booming economy is lifting 40 million out of poverty each year & is expected to have the majority of its population in the middle class already, equal to the entire US population, by 2025;

where its optimism & vibrancy is manifested in its movies, arts, economic growth & voting, despite all the incredible challenges & hardships;

where all the great powers are vying for influence, as it itself finds its place in the world.

Where all of this is happening, is India and as greater than 1/10th of humanity gets ready to vote, it is an inspiration to the entire World.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

Intelligent' power rationing eases Indian state's irrigation woes

MEA — 15/04/2014 15:34:05

Thomson Reuters Foundation/ by Manipadma Jena

A scheme to separate agricultural and domestic power supplies in Gujarat has been recognised by the United Nations for making irrigation more efficient and dramatically improving the Indian state’s farm productivity.

The $290 million rural rewiring project, named Jyotigram Yojana (JGY) or "village light scheme”, has been implemented in almost all of Gujarat’s 18,000 villages.

The mostly semi-arid, drought-prone state is industrialising rapidly, but nearly half the population still depend on agriculture. Since the late 1980s, groundwater aquifers have been seriously depleted.

A principal cause of that was highly subsidised electric power provided to farmers by the state utility. With electricity costing farmers next to nothing, they had no incentive to irrigate efficiently, and many diverted power intended for domestic use to pump extra water which they sold on at a profit.

Use of electric pumps in Gujarat increased by 585 percent between 1971 and 2001, compared with an increase of just 56 percent in the use of unsubsidised diesel pumps.

Electricity bills were mostly flat-rate, and the Gujarat Electricity Board was unable to hike prices because the state’s political leaders did not want to alienate farmers, a large constituency of voters. With no control over the amount of electricity used, the utility went bankrupt.

As a result there was no investment in the power grid, further worsening the supply for domestic users, public services and small-scale industries, especially in rural areas.

Gujarat’s solution was to split rural electricity feeder lines to supply farm pumps separately from household and commercial users.

The previously shared connection provided 16 hours of single-phase supply, intended for domestic use, and eight hours of higher-voltage, three-phase supply from which farmers could run their irrigation pumps.

In practice, many farmers illegally converted the single-phase supply to three-phase in order to pump water for longer and sell it on the informal market.

UN-WATER AWARD

Under the new system, introduced in 2003 and completed in 2006, non-farm customers receive a 24-hour three-phase supply that is metered, at unsubsidised rates.

Meanwhile, the agriculture feeder lines provide eight hours a day of uninterrupted, full-voltage power for farmers who operate tube wells.

The timing of this supply alternates weekly between high-cost peak daytime power and cheaper night-time power. This has reduced overall costs for the power utility, which is still required to provide a 75 percent subsidy to farmers, who pay 0.75 Indian rupees (1.25 US cents) for one unit of electricity.

The prize-winning power separation scheme was based on research by ITP, a Gujarat-based partnership between the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

The project received UN-Water’s "Water for Life” Best Practices Award on Mar. 21, the eve of World Water Day, in Tokyo. The global award recognises sustainable techniques in water-resource management.

"(We) decided to select this practice for directly tackling the socioeconomic and environmental challenges related to the improvement of the energy-irrigation nexus ... and for its strong potential for replication,” said the Water for Life jury.

The benefits of separating the power supplies have spread through the state, says Tushaar Shah, leader of the ITP.

"The high-quality, predictable and reliable power supply incentivised farmers to grow crops with high returns and cultivate all land they owned,” he said.

Large- and medium-scale farmers have switched from cereals to high-value crops like Bt cotton, tobacco, oilseed, spices, and fruit and flower orchards, maximising returns from every drop of water.

POOREST FARMERS LOSE OUT?

Agricultural growth in Gujarat has been steady at 8-10 percent for most of the last decade, more than double the national average, according to economists, although some point to other contributing factors such as private seed companies with new technologies, stronger marketing through contract farming, and the flourishing of dairy cooperatives with assured cold storage.

Meanwhile, the formerly indebted state power utility, benefiting from JGY and major energy-sector restructuring, is now selling surplus power to other states.

"What appealed to the jury about our research programme was (that) when (the) energy-groundwater irrigation nexus was not a big issue anywhere globally, we’ve been making a big deal of it since 12 years now,” Shah said in an interview.

"It is now proved that feeder segregation and ‘intelligent rationing’ of farm power supply can substantially cut groundwater and subsidised electricity wastage (and) boost agricultural growth,” he added.

Nonetheless marginal farmers have found their water access cut by the JGY scheme. Because they cannot afford irrigation pumps, they do not qualify for subsidised power and must pay full rates for what they use.

Farmers who do have pumps are turning to more water-intensive crops, so most no longer have excess water to sell on to those without pumps. Scarcity has driven up prices on the informal market by 30-50 percent since JGY began, making the water too expensive for poorer farmers.

NEXT STEPS

Shah argued that further steps need to be taken to rationalise the use of power and minimise costs. He pointed out that India’s irrigation needs are highest for 30 to 40 days each year, roughly between November and February, and farmers need power most then.

Farmers would prefer a seasonally adjusted power supply, he said. Instead of the current eight-hour daily ration, more hours could be supplied during the high-demand period, with a limited supply of three or four hours the rest of the year.

Requirements also differ drastically between years with normal rainfall and drought years, he added. In dry years, farmers say they need 13 hours of irrigation daily, even during the monsoon, which is the sowing period.

Since 2012, feeder separation has been replicated to varying degrees in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, at a total investment of $3.5 billion.

"For separate feeder lines, a strong government is necessary, since farm power and irrigation are powerful political, vote bank-related issues,” Shah said. "Vigorous monitoring of power theft too is necessary; otherwise it defeats the very purpose of power rationing.”

Gujarat has taken legal action against more than 100,000 cases of power theft, he added.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Intelligent' power rationing eases Indian state's irrigation woes

India can be role model in conducting smooth elections

MEA — 15/04/2014 09:51:38

The Peninsula Qatar

The sheer scale of the Indian general election has left them marvelling. Members of an international delegation that is in India to witness the Lok Sabha elections are highly impressed by the smooth conduct of polls and say India has become a learning centre for other developing countries.

"We visited a model polling station in Delhi and witnessing the magnificent arrangements for voters. It also shows that polls of such magnitude can be conducted in such a smooth manner. This would help the other developing countries too,” Abednego Akok, Chief Election Commissioner of South Sudan, said.

Akok, who had witnessed the arrangements for the Delhi assembly polls in December last year, said "India has become a learning center for developing countries of the world. Despite being the world’s largest democracy and being prone to hassles like population, problems due to a multi-party system and frequent violation of the model code of conduct by political parties, the Election Commission of India is able to conduct polls in a very smooth manner,” Akok said.

Akok is part of the 30-member delegation from 19 countries that visited polling stations in other states as well as the national capital. Besides Akok, the delegation includes senior election officials from Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and a few other developing countries.

"The Indian government can be the perfect partner for a young country like South Sudan in the area of training of staff and use of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) system, which are very essential for smooth conduct of polls,” said the CEC of South Sudan, which became an independent nation in 2012 and its poll panel was set up a year ago.

Muiugeta, a senior election officer from Ethiopia, praised the awareness campaigns launched by the poll panel and the Systematic Voters Systematic Voters’ Education And Electoral Participation(SVEEP) - an initiative to motivate people to come out and vote.

He also appreciated the use of the newly-introduced paper trail in EVMs and wants it to be used in his country too.

Muiugeta said he had seen EVMs with paper trail in Belgium which had been kept for demonstration, while in India it was used in selected polling stations of the national capital.

"During my visit to polling stations in Delhi, i witnessed the immense excitement among the voters whereas in Ethiopia even the awareness campaigns fail to bring voters to polling booths, " Muiugeta said.

He said the Ethiopian government wants the Election Commission of India to guide and provide training to his country to make them "election oriented” to conduct the polls smoothly.

Muiugeta was also amazed to know that unrecognised political parties are allowed to contest polls in India, which is not allowed in Ethiopia. There are a total of 72 recognised political parties in Ethiopia. India has a staggering 1,617 unrecognised political parties while there are six national and 47 state recognised parties.

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India can be role model in conducting smooth elections

Indian aid for development projects

MEA — 09/04/2014 16:19:21

Kantipur

The Indian government has invested millions in various development projects in the district.

India’s investment in the district started with the construction of Koshi Barrage at the cost of Indian Rs 7 billion. Construction of some infrastructure projects is under way while many others have been completed. India provided funds for the construction of a building for Narendra Memorial Janata Secondary School and a building for Rameshwor Secondary School at Brahmaputra. Both of the buildings were built at the cost of more than Rs 20 million.

Likewise, construction of a building for Bindeshwori Multiple Campus at Rajbiraj is under way with the cost of Rs 20 million provided by India.

The Indian government also provided Rs 30 million for the construction of a building for Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital at Rajbiraj. The construction work is under way. These are just few examples of India-funded projects in the district.

Gangaram Sah, an official at the District Development Committee (DDC), s aid that India provides aid to such development projects through the DDC.

Bijaya Prasad Singh of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party s aid that the Indian government is keen to invest in the district as "many people in the district had supported the fight for independence in India.” "Some senior leaders of various Indian political parties used to take shelter in villages of Koiladi and Wabhangamakatti in Saptari for months during their fight against the British rule,” he s aid , adding that after India became independent, some of the leaders, who took shelter in Saptari’s villages, became prime ministers or ministers.

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Indian aid for development projects

Mohanjit Jolly: India’s Startups are thinking global

MEA — 09/04/2014 16:04:07

Wall Street Journal/by Mohanjit Jolly

Any startup ecosystem consists of three fundamental constituents: startups, investors and the market. When analyzing India, one has to use a "relative” lens rather than an "absolute” one. India is orders of magnitude removed from Silicon Valley in absolute numbers (startups and capital). But, on a relative basis, compared to where India was a few years ago, the country is clearly moving "up and to the right.”

Startups

The quantity and quality of Indian startups has continued to improve over the past few years for several reasons. The idea generation and curation machine is starting to take hold. Top-tier technology and management institutes have institutionalized entrepreneurship as a topic of academic and business interest. Some have established entrepreneurship cells, with regular business plan competitions leading to seed capital.

Seasoned executives from India and the US have catalyzed angel investing in Tier 1 cities (many are moving back to India to be close to their aging parents, for example). Certain U.S. university alumni have created their own investment circles. There are a few seed or micro VCs along with several independent or corporate incubators, providing real estate, mentorship and in some cases, capital.

For the first time in history, there are examples of several Indian startups garnering valuations (at least on paper) in excess of $200 million, and in a few cases, like Flipkart, far north of $500 million. This is having a tremendous impact on the overall psyche of the Indian tech entrepreneur, who has historically been accused of thinking incremental rather than monumental (in terms of both the idea as well as impact).

I am a fundamental believer in the "success begets success” philosophy. Now that some startups are starting to blossom, there is anticipation of meaningful exits in the coming years, which is adding fuel to the entrepreneurial fire. There is a secondary benefit as well. As potential exits are realized and wealth creation takes place, employees start valuing equity and stock options instead of cash salary, which is the primary motivator today.

But Indian entrepreneurs still suffer from stigma attached to failure. The irony is that the fundamental tenet of startups in Silicon Valley, most of whom now have an Indian founder, is willingness to fail, and therefore take a massive risk. In India, it’s a matter of time before the fear of failure turns into an embrace.

With few exceptions, startups in India still fall in the "me too” or "US clone” category. The innovation in India has more to do with distribution channels or business models than with changing the fundamental IP. Going back to the theme around relative versus absolute, Facebook did make its first acquisition in India, which, while not a large transaction, signifies a seminal moment in Indian startup history.

The single biggest attribute that got me excited about moving to and investing in India was the sheer "impact” that startups can have there. There is a blossoming category of the "do good, do well,” profit-minded, but socially impactful startups that are saving and improving millions of lives. (Attero in e-waste recycling and D.light Design with their solar lanterns are poster children I that category). Transplanted American entrepreneurs who simply wanted to do something meaningful, and create large profitable businesses in the process have founded many of them.

India is really a tale of two very different sets of entrepreneurs. One is focused on the Indian consumer. That could be the high-end, price-insensitive top of the pyramid customer looking for the latest gadget or accessory; a middle of pyramid aspirational customer buying his/her first smart phone or Nike shoes; or a bottom of the pyramid customer seeking clean drinking water, access to electricity, healthcare and education. There are tremendous opportunities for those investors and entrepreneurs who are willing to be patient. The second set are technology entrepreneurs who are aiming for the global market, and cannot wait to get to the high margin, sophisticated US customers.

Investors

While Silicon Valley can boast a significant concentration of startups and capital, India is extremely broad-based geographically along both dimensions. There is no single city with hyper-concentration of startup activity. The biggest challenge for both startups and investors is the lack of portfolio exits.

The thesis for many VCs was that cash-rich technology companies from the U.S. would buy Indian companies as their market entry strategy. That simply has not happened. As a result, most investors now have dozens of active companies in their respective portfolios, with more being added and very few, if any, exiting.

There are two trends to note. One, there is a Series A and to a certain extent a Series B capital crunch in India. Given the fairly brisk angel investing climate, the funnel of seed-funded companies is sizable, without ample Series A capital to follow. Those lucky enough to raise series A financing are running into a series B crunch since early- to mid-stage venture firms have a heavy existing portfolio load, and little to no bandwidth to make and manage new investments.

Later stage venture capitalists and private equity groups who traditionally are technology investors have been busy investing in non-technology companies around healthcare chains, educational institutions and infrastructure.

Interestingly, some of the bigger technology related exits have been secondary transactions where existing venture capitalists have sold their stake to larger private equity investors rather than get liquidity through a typical mergers and acquisitions or IPO route. Recent examples include General Atlantic led secondaries in Mu Sigma and Fourcee. There was just one venture funded technology company IPO last year worth mentioning (JustDial), three years after the previous meaningful tech IPO (MakeMyTrip).

Finally, as technology startups have matured over the past few years, global investors including Softbank, Rocket Internet, Naspers and Tiger Global among others have entered India with hundreds of millions of dollars invested in primarily business-to-consumer companies betting on leaders in specific verticals. That has boosted investor confidence and provided partial exits for both investors and entrepreneurs.

Market

India, generally speaking, is a tough geography in which to create a large profitable business in a timeframe that meets VC expectations.

Indians are also the most price-sensitive and value-conscious species on the planet, which makes India a very high volume, high touch, thin margin market for many startups. Layer on top of that infrastructural challenges around logistics, payments, government approvals, corruption, IP enforcement and constantly changing regulations. I often say that if one can create a profitable business in India, one can do so anywhere in the world.

Given the challenges with both capital and markets, the clear trend that has emerged especially over the last year is the fact that Indian startups are thinking global from the very beginning. Some are creating sizable businesses serving the Indian consumer, but many others are using India as a test bed for product or service design, but then taking that solution to other countries. Some are aiming straight for the US market, while others are taking a phased approached, extending first to SE Asia, ANZ, Europe and then eventually the US. Komli and Druva are again prime examples.

Bottom Line: For anyone who has visited India, they know that it’s a hotbed of activity. The startup scene is no different. While on an absolute basis, the country has a long way to go to catch up with Silicon Valley, foundational stones are being laid to create a large and sustainable startup environment. I imagine that this is not dissimilar to what Silicon Valley might have looked and felt like in its formative years. My bet is that India will take years not decades to catch up.

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Mohanjit Jolly: India’s Startups are thinking global

India’s Solar Power Capacity Tops 2,600 MW

MEA — 09/04/2014 16:11:35

Clean Technica

India is slowly building upon its installed solar power capacity, thanks to the comprehensive and ambitious National Solar Mission, state solar policies, and relatively increased enforcement of the Renewable Purchase Obligation. The country added almost 950 MW of solar power capacity between April 2013 and March 2014 (that is, FY2013-14).

The 56 percent increase in installed solar capacity witnessed in FY2013-14 was mainly due to projects commissioned under the state solar policies and the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) scheme. Of the 2,632 MW installed capacity till 31 March 2014, 50 percent operates under the state solar policies.

Gujarat remains the clear leader among all Indian states with an installed capacity of 916 MW, but added only about 58 MW capacity during the last financial year. While the Gujarat government has some ambitious and innovative plans to cover water canals with solar panels, the official tender documents seeking investments from developers have not been released yet. Thus, following the commissioning of one of the largest solar parks in the world, the Gujarat solar market has been relatively dormant.

The state of Madhya Pradesh took the lead in adding capacity in FY2014. The state added almost 310 MW of solar PV capacity, which included the largest solar power plant in Asia. The 130 MW solar PV project owned by Welspun Power was commissioned in February 2014 at a total cost of over $170 million. The state government had awarded 175 MW of solar power capacity to project developers under the state policy while over 165 MW capacity was commissioned directly by the project developers under the REC scheme.

The state of Rajasthan, second in overall installed capacity in India, added almost 180 MW capacity. This included India’s largest solar thermal power plant, which has a generation capacity of 50 MW. The project is among the seven solar thermal power projects auctioned under the first phase of the National Solar Mission. A huge majority of the balance 130 MW capacity was added directly by the project developers through the REC scheme.

During the current financial year (April 2014 to March 2015), capacity is expected to be added mainly under the state solar policies as a number of project developers would line up solar PV projects for commissioning allocated to them through auctions conducted by several state governments. The only projects under the central policy expected to the commissioned this year could be the six solar thermal power projects which have been delayed by about two years.

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India’s Solar Power Capacity Tops 2,600 MW

How the World’s Biggest Democracy Votes

MEA — 07/04/2014 13:53:34

Jakarta Globe/ By Gurjit Singh

Indonesia, as one of the largest democracies in the world, goes to the polls this week. At the same time, the neighboring country of India will do the same. The elections of 2014 will be the 16th general elections in India. The first were held in 1951-52 after the declaration of India as a republic on Jan. 26, 1950. Elections in India are held every five years unless the Lower House of Parliament (the House of the People or Lok Sabha) is dissolved earlier. Elections can be called earlier by the president, if the government ceases to have the confidence of the House or if no government with a stable majority is available. In the main, however, elections are held every five years.

As India follows the parliamentary form of government, at the conclusion of the election process for the Lok Sabha, the party or coalition of parties that secures a majority in the House is invited by the president to form a government. Similar exercises take place when elections are held for state legislatures in any of the 28 states.

The elections in India are conducted by the Election Commission, which is an independent constitutional authority. It is a three-member body with a chief election commissioner and two election commissioners. It is based in New Delhi but has organs at state and district levels. It has the freedom to call upon civil servants and the like to contribute to the election process. If any civil servant is invited to be an election observer, he is expected to leave all other assignments and proceed under the Election Commission’s directive.

Voters and candidates

Under the Representation of People Act 1951, any Indian citizen who has attained the age of 18 on Jan. 1 of the year for which an election is held and who is ordinarily resident in the constituency he wishes to vote, if eligible, may enrol as a voter. His voting rights are based on universal adult suffrage and registered voters will get a voters’ card issued by the Election Commission. Under recent amendments, Indian citizens living abroad can also enrol as voters at the address in India inscribed on their passports. However, in order to vote, such overseas registered voters have to travel to their constituencies to vote.

Election candidates need to be Indian citizens registered as voters and at least 25 years of age. Each candidate is expected to file an affidavit about their assets and liabilities, educational qualifications and criminal cases if any. Political parties are expected to be registered with the Election Commission and can be recognized as national parties, state parties or unrecognized parties and candidates in turn can belong to either of these categories or be independents. In the 2009 general elections, there were seven national parties, 34 state parties and 322 unrecognized but registered parties. The national parties put up 1,623 candidates, the state parties had 759 candidates, other registered parties had 1,859 candidates and there were 3,829 independents contesting the 2009 general elections.

Originally constituencies of the Indian Parliament were based on an approximately equal representation by population. However, in 1971 based on India’s population policy, the constituencies became fixed with some delimitation and adjustment exercise over the years to try and balance the number of people in each constituency. However, the number of constituencies since 1971 has remained at 543 and these is based on the number of seats allocated to each of the 28 states and seven Union Territories based on their population in 1971. Each constituency elects one member of Parliament. The president appoints two members after every election from the Anglo-Indian community.

Thus, the Lower House of Parliament in India has 545 members out of which 423 seats are general, 79 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 41 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. The reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Tribes emanates from a system of positive discrimination to favor those who were listed in the constitution in the relevant schedules and provide reservation in Parliament and State Legislatures as well as in government jobs. This affirmative action continues.

Detailed programs

Prior to the election, each political party or candidate is allocated an election symbol. Official candidates nominated by political parties contest on the same election symbol. National parties can use their symbol nationwide. Other parties can use theirs in the same State, while registered political parties will be allocated symbols depending on their location. Independents can get free symbols from a list prepared by the Election Commission. Each political party or independents contesting issues a manifesto with a detailed program on how they wish to implement these, if elected. Each voter can vote for one candidate in their constituency though there is no limit on the number of candidates a constituency could have. A candidate who secures the maximum votes in that constituency is declared the winner. Such a candidate does not need to get a minimum prescribed number of votes nor is there any proportional representation emanating from the vote. Thus, often the number of seats won by a party could vary greatly even if the swing of the vote in percentage terms is small.

The Election Commission is in charge of preparing electoral rolls in each constituency and revising them annually. It also issues voter identity cards for electorates and conducts the Systematic Voter Education and Electoral Participation program. The Election Commission appoints observers to oversee elections and they are conducted in a fair manner and keep a check on election expenses.

About a month before the elections, a model code of conduct is brought into play by the Election Commission which applies to political parties and contestants and provides broad guidelines on the conduct during the campaign. This model code of conduct was designed on the basis of discussion and consensus among the political parties so that the campaign can be maintained on healthy lines, ensuring a level playing field. Under this, government machinery, for instance, cannot be used by ministers for electioneering nor can governments make policy announcements during the period when the Code of Conduct is in operation. Legal limits on poll expenses by candidates and by parties are also in place.

‘None of the above’

Electronic voting machines allowing for secret ballot-casting have been used since 2004. Polling stations are created to deal with not more than 1,500 voters and are supposed to be within a two-kilometer radius of every voter and are usually established in public institutions. Some officials who are on duty on government service are entitled to use postal ballots. Armed Forces personnel are allowed to use postal ballots or proxy voting. While casting a cote, indelible ink is applied to each voter’s left fore-finger and it dries in 60 seconds and remains for a few weeks. Once the election processes are completed under the supervision of returning officers and election observers, the counting for all 543 constituencies is done on a single day even though the election will be conducted between 7 April and 12 May at different places.

In order to respond to public suggestions, the Election Commission in India has introduced NOTA (None of the Above) since 2013 State Assembly elections. NOTA is now the last button on the electronic voting machine which shows the symbols of all the participating candidates. A voter may press this button if they do not wish to vote for any candidates. Further, a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail prints ballot slips showing the name and the symbol of the candidate to whom a vote has been given so that every voter is satisfied that the vote has been correctly cast.

This year, there will be 919,452 polling stations and nine polling dates. There are 814 million registered voters who will use 1,878,306 electronic voting machines. This is an increase from the 1,183,543 EVMs used in the 2009 elections.

In 2009, the candidate who polled the minimum number of votes was 118, compared to a maximum of 832,224. The number of candidates in a constituency varied from three to 43 while the voter turnout was at least 25.55 percent and 90.32 percent at the most. The largest constituency by size of electorate is the Outer Delhi constituency, with 31,03,525 electorates, and the smallest constituency is Lakshadweep, with 37,619 electorates.

The colorful, noisy election campaign will come to an end two days before the polling in every area going to the polls. Thus, while in some parts the campaign will end earlier, in others it will carry on. Exit polls have been disallowed as they tend to influence voters in the next phase of polling. The Election Commission continues to innovate to stay ahead of the popular perspective of how to increase the voting percentage while keeping the elections free and fair.

(Gurjit Singh is the ambassador of India to Indonesia. The views expressed are personal.)

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How the World’s Biggest Democracy Votes

Ethiopia once again looks to Indian teachers

MEA — 07/04/2014 16:37:55

Nazret.com/by Aparajita Gupta

Ethiopia, where Indian teachers have long been revered, is again looking at Indian teachers and trainers in various fields as the ancient East African nation, where one of the earliest traces of human existence has been found, shifts its economy from an agrarian to an industrial one.

"In 1950-60 when we were expanding our education system, India came to our rescue because we did not have any teacher training colleges. Later, when our capacity grew, we started training elementary and high school teachers. Today, we are expanding our higher education and have close to 500 Indian professors in our colleges and universities," Ethiopian Ambassador Gennet Zewide, who completed eight years in India this month, told IANS in an interview.

"Our tryst with education has further diversified. Not only we take teachers from here but also we bring our Ethiopian students to India. The Ethiopian government consciously gives scholarships to train its would-be professors and instructors at universities in India. So we have close to 500 Ethiopian instructors studying in India," said the amiable envoy who, before her stint in New Delhi, served as the country's education minister 1992-2005. She is an academic who taught business education courses and designed administration programmes.

Ethiopia has already tied up with institutes like the South Indian Textile Research Association (SITRA), the National Institute of Fashion Technology and the Footwear Design and Development Institute. "These institutes train people for the industry in our country," the envoy said.

"They give technical assistance as well. They travel to give short-term training to our people and we also bring our students here," she added.

"A team from the Metal and Metallurgy Institute of Ethiopia will be coming in a month's time to talk with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). This tie-up will help in knowledge and technology sharing," she said.

The team will be visiting the three CSIR institutes - the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute and the Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Ethiopia once again looks to Indian teachers

India Begins World’s Largest Democratic Exercise

MEA — 07/04/2014 20:11:17

New York Times/by Nida Najar

After weeks of campaigning, with politicians hurling insults at one another and making booming speeches in cities, towns and villages, the world’s largest democratic elections began in the most remote, northeast corner of the country on Monday.

Five voting districts in upper Assam and one in the neighboring state of Tripura are participating in the opening stage of the nine-phase elections in India, involving up to 7.5 million eligible voters. The estimated 8,000 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 5 p.m.

Each constituency in Assam has a large percentage of rural voters, and many areas have vast tea plantations, with their workers making up a large portion of the electorate.

In the city of Dibrugarh, in upper Assam, lines were short, but in the village of Khowang, about 35 kilometers outside the city, roughly 600 people flocked to two booths set up in a government school.

India’s elections, which run from Monday to May 12, will cover 28 states and seven union territories, which are governed by the central government. These elections will see some of the country’s 814.5 million-strong electorate to exercise their franchise. The votes will be counted on May 16.

This vote is widely seen as historic as it comes at a time of massive social change that has put the Indian National Congress-led government on the defensive after leading the country for 10 years. Opinion polls have shown that voters are leaning toward the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P., as a growing middle-class electorate expresses disappointment with lackluster government services and corruption; voters are mobilizing on social media en masse for the first time; and the B.J.P. has connected to crucial voting demographics — including rural and young voters — by harnessing a popular demand for change.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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India Begins World’s Largest Democratic Exercise

Why India is so good at organising elections

MEA — 07/04/2014 20:08:46

The Economist/by A.R.

India's general election is a massive affair. From April 7th to May 12th, across seven phases, 815m people will be eligible to cast votes in the biggest democratic exercise on Earth. Since the previous one, in 2009, an extra 100m people have been added to the voters’ roll. For all its cost and complications, it is expected to go smoothly. Political parties may break limits on what they are supposed to spend, but elections in India are broadly clean, in the sense that results are not rigged. Turnout is roughly the same as in Western democracies: 60-70% of the electorate are expected to take part in the 16th general election since independence. Nor does anybody see a serious threat of violence, even in areas afflicted by Maoist or other insurgents. The contrast with bloody elections experienced by the neighbours—Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and even the Maldives—could not be more stark.

On the face of it, such a triumph is puzzling. Ask Indians about the capacity of their state, and the typical reaction is dismissive. Much else organised by public officials is notably shoddy: try making use of state-run schools or hospitals, getting help from a policeman, or relying on food-subsidy schemes. Corruption, waste, delays and mismanagement are depressingly common. Notice, too, the embarrassing failures of India’s navy, plagued by fatal accidents in the past year, the prolonged lack of investment in the national railways, or the state’s failure to build enough roads, power lines or ports. How can India get the electoral process to work so well, when much else is done so badly?

One answer is that elections are narrowly focused tasks of limited duration that are regularly repeated. Where similar conditions hold, bureaucrats prove similarly successful. One example is the ten-yearly national census; a newer success is a scheme to build the world’s largest biometric database, which has enrolled some 600m people, scanning their eyes, fingerprints and more. (Whether this data will be put to good use is another matter. It is worth noting, too, that much work was done by private contractors overseen by public officials.) A second answer is that state employees respond well when given tasks of great prestige and put under careful public scrutiny. Thus India’s space agency last year launched a spaceship to Mars which continues on course, for a remarkably small budget. Similarly, public-health officials recently announced that India had eradicated polio. A third answer is that bureaucrats succeed when free from political meddling and corruption. The Election Commission, like the central bank, is independent. And whereas policemen spend much of their time collecting bribes to pay to their superiors, election officials have neither big budgets to divert, nor much opportunity to extract bribes.

The electoral process may hold lessons that could be applied elsewhere. One is the value of setting a simple, well-defined target. How about next telling officials to reduce by ten places a year India’s rotten ranking of 134th (out of 189) on the World Bank's "ease of doing business” index? Another lesson is the importance of transparency. It is harder for politicians to meddle and steal when bureaucrats, like election officials, are under intense public scrutiny. Extending the country’s right-to-information law, however embarrassing the rot that has been exposed, has proved immensely valuable. Last, bureaucrats become more efficient, and less corrupt, when they lose discretionary powers. Those who organise elections have no discretion to decide who is allowed to vote or where; they are only supposed to ensure it all works efficiently, leaving little incentive for people to bribe or bully them. Whoever wins this year's election could do worse than look at the electoral process itself as a model of how to sharpen up India's bureaucracy.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Why India is so good at organising elections

India, Iran and Afghanistan to sign pact enabling sea trade

MEA — 04/04/2014 17:46:16

World Bulletin

A pact that would connect India to war-torn Afghanistan through a port in southern Iran is set to be signed by the three countries, Afghan and Indians officials said on Thursday.

The draft pact on Chabahar Port, which would allow India and Afghanistan to conduct trade and access Central Asia's vast energy resources, has been reviewed and approved by Afghanistan and is now awaiting India's approval.

Shakib Mustaghni, spokesman for Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, stressed the importance of opening a new transit opportunity for land-locked Afghanistan, without relying on access through Pakistan.

"It is very crucial for Afghanistan to reach the ports of Mumbai through Chabahar, and for India to reach Afghanistan and central Asia,” said Mustaghni.

A senior official from India's Foreign Ministry said: "We are in conversations with Iran and Afghanistan on a transit agreement. It is still a work in progress."

India considers the pact pivotal as analysts believe the sea route is the only viable alternative to land trade given the instability of Afghanistan and the reluctance of Pakistan to grant land-access to India, which has no direct land connection to Central Asia.

"India is keen with the construction of the Chabahar port, which will provide a new access point for India to Central Asia,” Anil Wadhwa, Secretary in India’s Foreign Ministry said recently during a lecture at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses. "The speedy completion of the Chabahar port could be just the game-changer India needs to transform its relations with the region.”

India, which is involved in a number of infrastructure developments projects in Afghanistan, does not have any "exit policy” even after the planned withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

India’s Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said in an interview recently that India is considering increasing use Chabahar port in Iran to use it as direct access to western Afghanistan for "evacuation of mineral wealth”.

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India, Iran and Afghanistan to sign pact enabling sea trade

India, Jordan explore ways to foster cooperation

MEA — 03/04/2014 18:31:10

Jordan Times/by Abeer Numan

Foreign office consultations held this week between India and Jordan provided the two countries with an opportunity to review bilateral relations and examine ways to boost them, Secretary (East) in India’s Ministry of External Affairs Anil Wadhwa said on Tuesday.

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Wadhwa said the two sides agreed to hold consultations at regular intervals because of their significance in strengthening ties.

Previous foreign office consultations were held in 2005.

More importantly, the discussions took place in a very "cordial atmosphere”, reflecting the traditionally friendly relations between India and Jordan, according to the diplomat.

Expressing satisfaction with the outcome of the meetings, Wadhwa said they also gave both countries the chance to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

He said his meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh "focused mainly on trade and investments”.

"He [Judeh] suggested that we should make sure that we have a visit of a technical delegation, preferably every month, in order to keep the high level of momentum,” Wadhwa added.

"He also suggested that we should set a trade target every year so that we can try to achieve that.”

Also at the meeting, Judeh accepted an invitation to visit India, according to Wadhwa.

"We have a new government which is going to be in force by June, so sometime between June and December, he will be visiting us,” the Indian official noted.

Regarding ways to materialise the envisaged goals he said: "We will have to get the delegations to come and discuss tangible aspects of cooperation.”

"We have had a general discussion of what we have at the moment. We have 25 textile companies that have invested in the special qualifying zones in Jordan.”

"Also, we have a big joint venture which will be commissioned in the month of May… That plant will produce 500,000 metric tonnes of phosphoric acid to be exported to India annually,” Wadhwa said, adding that there are plans to set up two other phosphoric acid plants, "which will probably happen next year”.

During a meeting with Trade Minister Hatem Halawani on Monday, discussions focused on ways to increase the trade volume, which amounted to $1.61 billion in 2013.

Meanwhile, a visit by two Jordanian delegations representing small- and medium-sized enterprises and pharmaceuticals to India is pending, he said, noting that the two sides are considering the potential for boosting bilateral trade, through cooperation in IT, call centres, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, automotive spare parts, fertilisers and textiles.

Moreover, the India-Jordan Economic and Trade Committee will convene in Amman after June, he said.

Wadhwa commended Jordan’s development in various areas.

"There is a lot of progress since my last visit to the Kingdom 1998.”

"I am very happy with my visit to Jordan and would like to take this opportunity to convey my warm and very best wishes to the friendly and welcoming people of this beautiful Kingdom.”

During the three-day visit, which concluded late Tuesday, the delegates went to Jerash and the Dead Sea.

Political transformations

Talks with Foreign Ministry officials addressed the Middle East peace process, Wadhwa said, noting that India and Jordan share similar views on these issues.

"We strongly reject religious fundamentalism and extremism as well as terrorism in all forms,” he added, noting that his country also seeks to further strengthen its cooperation with Jordan in the security field.

India supports a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, leading to the establishment of a secure, viable and united state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and with recognised borders alongside Israel, and would like to see an amicable solution of the issue, Wadhwa said, commending Jordan’s role in seeking a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and in strengthening the forces of moderation.

"India is also deeply concerned at the ongoing violence in Syria and the loss of human life. It has consistently urged all sides to abdicate violence so that conditions can be created for an inclusive political solution… taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria,” the diplomat said.

"Syria’s role in the Middle East and in the stability of the wider region is pivotal. Thus prolonged instability or unrest in Syria will have serious ramifications for the region and beyond.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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India, Jordan explore ways to foster cooperation

India increases Omani student scholarships

MEA — 02/04/2014 16:32:28

The Hindu

The bilateral assistance programme focuses on technological cooperation

India has increased the number of scholarships to 150 offered to Omani students under a bilateral assistance programme.

"In 2011—12, the number of scholarships under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme was only 50. Now, from April 1, it will become 150, which will be a 200 per cent increase,” Indian Ambassador to Oman J S Mukul said.

He urged the Omani government and institutes to utilise to the maximum extent the programmes offered by India, the Times of Oman reported.

The ITEC Programme, a bilateral assistance programme run by the Indian government. It is a demand-driven programme that focuses on addressing the needs of developing countries through innovative technological cooperation.

The programme, which began on a modest scale in 1964, has since graduated in magnitude and offers innovative forms of technical cooperation.

"Courses offered through the ITEC are quite beneficial for the Omanis. The learning experience in India was quite useful. It is helping me a lot in my current job,” said Munir Said Al Breiki, a next generation network expert at Omantel. Munir did an advanced course in next generation network in India.

"The education system stands apart when it comes to quality,” said Ruqaiyah Al Tobi, who works with Information Technology Authority (ITA) Oman, and did a three-month course through the ITEC scholarship in India.

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India increases Omani student scholarships

Indian embassy organises interactive business meeting

MEA — 02/04/2014 16:33:58

Times of Oman

The embassy of India has organised a business interaction meeting for a visiting delegation specialised in oil and gas sector from New Delhi.

Eng. Salim Al Aufi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil & Gas was the chief guest at the event. Mohammed Al Barwani, chairman of M B Petroleum and Raoul Restucci, managing director of Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO) were among the dignitaries who attended the event.

J. S. Mukul, Indian ambassador to the Sultanate, said that there is ample scope for further strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.

The 15-member delegation attended the Oil and Gas West Asia conference and exhibition, which started on March 31.

The delegation members included representatives from Anthem PPE, Well Care Oil Tools, Vishal Steel, Calter Group and Forbs Marshall.

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Indian embassy organises interactive business meeting

A Passage to India

MEA — 31/03/2014 15:29:15

Cambodia Daily/by Aun Pheap

One thousand years ago, Indian architecture and the Hindu religion influenced the construction of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples. Earlier this month, I did the reverse commute, visiting India with 20 other Cambodian and Asean journalists.

In a 21st century update of an old story, India’s government now follows a Look East policy. We traveled to India as part of the Asean Media Exchange Program, an annual event.

India has 1.3 billion inhabitants, almost 100 times Cambodia’s 15 million. Over the centuries, our cultures and histories have diverged widely. But as I wandered the streets the country’s vast capital, New Delhi, for the first time, some things were familiar.

All along the chaotic streets, vendors selling various aromatic foods and colorful fruits piled up on wooden stalls reminded me of Phnom Penh. Traffic, too, was reminiscent of home. But like everything else in this vast country, its scale was dissimilar—more extreme, even overwhelming.

Yellow, three-wheeled auto-rickshaws jittered and darted for space amid the bleep and blare of horns like miniature, hyperactive versions of Cambodian tuk-tuks.

In place of Cambodia’s swarm of modern scooters were motorbikes, many of them decades old and as rusty and smoky as everything else on the roads. But what was really unusual about the traffic clogging the narrow streets was that unlike in Cambodia, the cars here were mostly small and old, covered with rust and peppered with dents, belching smoke as their gears clunked and spluttered in the gridlock.

The convoys of oversized luxury SUV’s that traverse Cambodia’s boulevards were visibly absent. The relative youth of Cambodia’s modernization was underlined by its comparison to New Delhi, a city showing its age.

India is a much richer nation than Cambodia. It is the largest democracy on earth and a country with a huge, billowing middle class and pretentions of becoming a world superpower. But our first impressions in New Delhi were of a city swelled with poor people and conspicuous poverty. Perhaps it is not surprising that in a quickly developing country with so many inhabitants some citizens will be left behind.

During our four-day stay in New Delhi, we met Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, and External Affairs Secretary for East India, Shri Anil Wadhwa. They said we were playing an important part in building a bridge between India and Asean by helping the two regions understand each other.

We also met representatives of the private sector to learn if the Indian government is improving services and infrastructure. We visited the passport office. In India, this is now controlled by a private company and has become much more efficient as a result. A passport application used to take four months. Since it was privatized, the process takes only one week. This is one area where India might advise Cambodia.

Here, a complicated system and unofficial payments make applying for a passport a headache-inducing experience.

Just as no visit to Cambodia would be complete without visiting the temples at Angkor Wat, so is a trip to India without seeing the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra in the northern Uttar Pradesh province.

It is only a three-hour bus ride from New Delhi. Seeing its grand domes, startling white stone, intricate decorations and beautiful gardens was a highlight of the trip.

But I still think Cambodia’s temples are more mysterious and awe-inspiring. They merit a visit in the opposite direction for our Indian friends.

I have not yet mentioned India’s food. The food—or at least its profound effect—was definitely the dominant topic of conversation among the Asean journalists. Perhaps it was too spicy and our stomachs were unaccustomed to it. Perhaps we all succumbed to the infamous "Delhi belly.” But it was on our journeys within the country that it became most problematic.

When a journalist from Singapore confessed to us that he went to the toilet at least five times a night, we all could only laugh as we had experienced the same symptoms. On our bus ride to the Taj Mahal, and on our flight east to Hyderabad, the toilet was the focal point of the journeys. Many of us craved plainer food that might settle our insides.

Hyderabad felt more remote, less populated than New Delhi. There was a greater sense of space as we took in a variety of tourist attractions. The ethnic make-up of the city’s inhabitants differed and the city’s rich Muslim history was evident everywhere from the architecture to the clothes.

The 400-year-old Mecca Masjid is one of the world’s largest mosques, which was built by more than 8,000 workers and features a triple arched facade that was carved from a single huge piece of granite over five years, according to tourism director Prabhakar Singh.

A more modern, though more curious feature of Hyderabad’s tourist landscape is Ramoji Film City. At 809 hectares, is the largest film city in the world. The Indian government hopes to attract Asean filmmakers to its sprawling movie sets and production studios.

For visitors, it is strange to travel through its fake towns and past its imitation houses and shop fronts. But it is a popular destination for Indians, with annual visitors of 1.4 million and the city hopes to increase that number to 3 million in the next few years.

Back in Cambodia now, the experience of our Indian visit has stayed with me, spiritually and physically. One week later, the toilet is still a hot topic. I hope my body is just getting accustomed, in the expectation that I will return one day to India.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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A Passage to India

Indian festival to offer colorful start to spring

MEA — 01/04/2014 16:44:32

Chicago Tribune/by Jen Banowetz

Participants in ancient tradition will toss colored powder on each other

If you're looking for a vivid start to spring (and don't mind getting a little messy), then celebrate the long-awaited season at Holi - The Festival of Colors, which takes place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Riverwalk's Grand Pavilion in downtown Naperville.

"It's a welcoming of the new season of spring, that new energy, with family and friends and the community," said festival organizer Sarita Sharma. "It's something everyone can enjoy. Everyone understands the long winter weather and wants to celebrate spring."

It's also probably the most colorful festival you will ever attend. Participants actually toss handfuls of colored powder on each other.

"It's a very ancient tradition in India," Sharma said. "You forget what state of mind you're in for that day and just play with the color. Embrace the warm nature of this festival."

Holi, which means festival of colors in Hindi, made its public debut in Naperville in 2010.

"I knew if we brought the festival out everyone would love it," Sharma said. "There's no admission (fee)—that was the purpose."

Holi is hosted by Simply Vedic, a nonprofit service organization dedicated to serving the youth and seniors of Naperville. Using ancient Vedic principles such as compassion, generosity and oneness with nature as its guide, the nondenominational organization subscribes to "simple living and high thinking." Simply Vedic runs several human and cultural service programs in the area with the help of more than 50 volunteers.

"The Festival of Colors is our main event to raise funds to support all those activities," said Sharma, a founding board member. "We can't imagine doing this without our volunteers. They come from all different backgrounds, and that's our purpose. We want to bring everyone together."

As for the funky festival colors themselves, participants can buy bags of the safe, organic, dry colors for a $2 donation. For safety reasons, no outside colors are permitted.

While playing with the colors is mainly a free-for-all, there will be four times for group color-throwing: noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Festival-goers are going to get rainbow-covered in colors, so be sure to wear old clothing and to leave any valuable accessories at home (watches, sunglasses, jewelry). A sealable plastic bag is a smart place to stash your phone, camera and money.

Another tip from those in the know: In order to get colors off more easily after the festival, organizers suggest applying sunscreen and hair oil before the event to serve as a separation barrier between the colors and your skin and hair.

The Festival of Colors also will feature entertainment including the band Visions of Santana as well as traditional music, drums, songs and folk dances. Shoppers can browse the booths of clothing, jewelry, arts, paintings and crafts.

Holi is a non-alcohol event, and no outside food or beverages are allowed. Simply Vedic will offer a vegetarian lunch platter for purchase. Festival-goers also can order a chilled thandai (meaning "cooling down"), which is a traditional drink of Holi, Sharma said.

"It's our favorite festival. We just enjoy it so much," she said. "It's a unique way to welcome the new spring season for Naperville and the community."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Indian festival to offer colorful start to spring

WHO Certifies India As Polio Free

MEA — 28/03/2014 17:17:23

Bernama

The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially certified India free of polio Thursday, making the Southeast Asian region, which included India, the fourth region to be declared free of the disease.

"This achievement makes the Southeast Asia region, the fourth WHO Region to be certified as polio-free, after the Region of the Americas in 1994, the Western Pacific Region in 2000 and the European Region in 2002," it was announced in a statement.

India's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad received the official certificate at a function in New Delhi. Ghulam stated that India has been polio free since January 2011.

Speaking on the historic occasion on behalf of all Southeast Asian Health Ministers, he expressed happiness and satisfaction at the historic public health achievement which seemed impossible with India having the highest burden of Polio cases in the world.

The Health Minister stated that India embarked on the programme to eradicate the nation of polio 19 years ago in 1995, when the disease used to cripple more than 50,000 children in the country every year.

He noted that this achievement has been possible with resolute will at the highest levels, technological innovations like the indigenous bivalent polio vaccine, adequate domestic financial resources and close monitoring of polio programme, with which immunisation levels soared to 99 per cent coverage and India achieved polio eradication.

The unbelievable operational feat has been possible due to the tireless efforts of over a million Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) who gave a new momentum to polio rounds, he said.

A 2.3 million strong team of polio volunteers and 150,000 supervisors worked day and night to reach every child.

The Health Minister also expressed gratitude towards WHO, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, Rotary International, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others stakeholders, including the parents of the children, for their strong technical and operational support to this collective effort in this region.

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WHO Certifies India As Polio Free

ASHA’s Shelly Batra, Mann Deshi’s Chetna Sinha recipients of Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneur awards

MEA — 27/03/2014 17:05:07

American Bazaar/By Deepak Chitnis

Two people from India, and one each from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, have been honored as 2014 Social Entrepreneurs of the Year by the Schwab Foundation.

India’s Shelly Batra and Chetna Vijay Sinha have been recognized by the esteemed organization, along with A.T. and Vinya Ariyaratne of Sri Lanka, Shaikh Saif Al Rashid of Bangladesh, and Sanduk Ruit of Nepal. The five are among 37 total recipients of the commendation, which seeks to recognize individuals who are "pioneering solutions for social and environmental challenges including urban revitalization, renewable energy, unemployment, and more.”

"Social entrepreneurs are the driving force behind innovations that improve the quality of life of individuals around the world, and they represent an integral and dynamic community of the World Economic Forum,” said Hilde Schwab, the Foundation’s co-founder, in a statement. "The 37 outstanding social entrepreneurs we have selected into the Schwab Foundation community this year are designing transformative models in collaboration with government and business partners to generate truly inclusive growth.”

Batra is the founder and president of Operation ASHA, an organization she co-created with Sandeep Ahuja in order to help make India completely tuberculosis-free. Founded in 2005, the organization is fighting against the disease, which is rampant in India. The country tops the list in terms of nations with the highest burden of TB, and since its inception, Operation ASHA has provided treatment in 2,053 slums in six Indian states and two provinces in Cambodia.

An obstetrician and gynecologist by training, she has M.D. and M.B.B.S. degrees from King George’s Medical College, in Lucknow. While there, she also won the prestigious Abdullah Haji Omar Trophy, the University Book Prize for best academic performance, and the Dr. S.S. Khan Gold Medal for Best Student.

Sinha – who was recognized by the Schwab Foundation last year, too, as the winner of its 2013 India Social Entrepreneur of the Year award – was singled out for her work with Mann Deshi Group of Ventures and the Mann Deshi Foundation. Sinha, along with her two organizations, provides the largest microfinance operation in the state of Maharashtra, with over 185,000 clients accrued since its founding in 1997.

The organization began in a single village, and has now grown to over 15,000. It helps provide banking services to underprivileged people in rural areas, so that they can start businesses, jump-start local economies, and work their way out of poverty. It also seeks to empower women and children by giving them more economic opportunities.

The Ariyaratnes are at the head of an organization called Sarvodaya, which works to "facilitate individual and community development to meet basic human needs, reduce material, social and spiritual poverty, and enhance the quality of life for all.”

Rashid is the CEO of JITA Bangladesh, which works to create employment opportunities for women throughout the country, and Ruit is the head of the Nepal Eye Program, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology.

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ASHA’s Shelly Batra, Mann Deshi’s Chetna Sinha recipients of Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneur awards

Doctor removes 17 blocks with 12 bypass grafts

MEA — 26/03/2014 17:29:01

Oman Tribune

A cardiac patient with a fatal heart condition, which was declared "inoperable”, has got a new lease of life after a complex, record-breaking surgery was performed on him by renowned cardiac surgeon Ramakant Panda.

In what is being termed as a revolutionary life-saving surgery, Panda operated on Mithalal Dhoka, 58, to remove a staggering 17 blocks through 12 bypass grafts at the Asian Heart Institute in the northwestern Bandra suburb on February 12. Armed with the unprecedented medical feat, the institute is planning a Guinness World Records citation.

"We did an Internet search and the maximum number of bypass surgeries on a patient reported so far are eight. This is the first time in the world that 12 bypass grafts were done on any patient on a beating heart,” Panda said in an interview.

Hailing from Yadagiri in Karnataka but now based in Hyderabad, Dhoka, who was dismissed by medicos as "an inoperable case”, has been suffering from diabetes and hypertension for over two decades. In early February, he suffered severe chest pain and breathing problems for which he was rushed to Hyderabad’s Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences. A coronary angiogram revealed 17 blockages in all three major arteries.

"An additional concern was that instead of the normal three arteries in a human heart, he had more than 12 arteries that were all one mm or less in diameter. Due to his general health and diabetic condition, this problem had developed over the years,” Panda said.

All the arteries were very small, and in view of the multiple blockages with high cholesterol deposits, Dhoka was considered unfit for surgery. He was brought to the institute on February 12 and wheeled on to the operation table in a critical condition with low blood pressure and high lung pressure. An intra-aortic balloon pump was put inside the heart to support his blood pressure and circulation during surgery,” Panda said.

Since the conventional technique of using a mixture of arterial graft and vein graft from the leg was not possible for so many blockages, Panda used arterial grafts in a sequential manner in all the 12 arteries with blocks.

At the end of the 11-hour-long surgery, a weary Panda stepped out of the operation theatre unaware that he had just created a world medical record.

Post-surgery, Dhoka has shown dramatic recovery and improvement in his heart and general health condition.

"We did a CT angiogram after three weeks and all grafts were found to be working well. He underwent a stress test which was normal, proving that while he was running an equivalent of seven kilometres an hour, his heart drew its full blood supply,” Panda said, adding that the patient was ready for discharge.

Panda, who attained recognition after operating on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh five years ago, is now doing research on the relation between diabetes and multiple grafts in heart patients. So far, he has operated on more than 500 patients in the 20-80 year age-group, 90 percent of whom were diabetics.

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Doctor removes 17 blocks with 12 bypass grafts

India’s railway food chugs into Abu Dhabi

MEA — 25/03/2014 15:39:36

Gulf News/by Sarah Diaa

One of the best ways to delve into Indian culture is by taking a railway trip, which provides a window on picturesque scenery, people and the varying Indian cuisines.

While we cannot experience the scenery from Abu Dhabi, food lovers can still enjoy India’s railway meals with Beach Rotana Hotel’s limited time promotion, Cuisine of the Indian Railways.

Mohammad Irfan Qureshi (of the prominent Qureshi family), who came up with the railways menu at Indigo Restaurant, said that a cuisine developed in parallel with the growth in Indian railways over hundreds of years. Such growth gave the food a distinctive flavour, and made it particularly intrinsic.

"We decided to do a little work on the food served on Indian railways, but because of the variety, and the large amount of data we managed to get, we decided to streamline,” Qureshi told tabloid!.

He continued, "The only way we could make a menu is if we took a route. Initially, we wanted to take seven or eight routes, but we were talking about dishes running into hundreds, and that was not possible.”

To offer the best from across India, the restaurant offers three set menus, each highlighting a different route; Mumbai to Delhi (Mumbai Rajdhani), Delhi to Kolkata (Howrah Rajdhani), and Delhi to Jaipur and Agra (Palace on Wheels).

As for the dishes, they include aloo chaat (tangy potato starter), vegetable momos (an Indian version of dim sum), railway tomato soup, bihari kebab, various curries, and sitaphal ice cream with kalakhattagola (a pumpkin ice cream exclusively served on Indian railways), among others.

"If you’re not familiar with Indian Railways, you can come to Indigo and expect a pleasant surprise. There is something very unique, very bold, and very flavoursome about the food,” Qureshi said.

"Sitting in one place like the railways, if you can experience so much diverse food, why would you go to any other place? And Indigo is like a train; you’re just sitting in your place, and you get the flavours from the whole country,” he added.

To ensure the food is a truly Indian affair, Qureshi used various spices such as kokum, chili, saffron, turmeric and tamarind.

The menu also includes numerous vegetarian dishes such as dal bati churma (a trio of lentils, bread, and wheat crumble), aloo gobi (s potatoe and cauliflower dish), and aloo ki tikki (potato cutlets), among others.

The Qureshi name is famous for the dum pukht style of cooking, which was created in India to feed villagers during famines. Chef Irfan Qureshi is currently the joint director of Grande Cuisine of India, and acquired his cooking skills from his father, masterchef Imtiaz Qureshi. Irfan has participated in culinary festivals in the US, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Belgium, Singapore, and India, among others.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India’s railway food chugs into Abu Dhabi

Britain's Royal Mail releases stamp on Noor Inayat Khan

MEA — 25/03/2014 16:46:18

Malaysia Sun

Britain's Royal Mail Monday issued a postage stamp of Noor Inayat Khan, the World War II heroine, who was a descendant of Tipu Sultan, the remarkable 19th century ruler of Mysore kingdom.

The stamp - part of a set of 10 stamps in their 'Remarkable Lives' series --- honours Noor on her centenary year of birth. Others honoured in the set include actor Sir Alec Guinness and the poet Dylan Thomas.

"I am delighted that Royal Mail has commemorated Noor with a stamp," said Shrabani Basu, author of "Spy Princess, The Life of Noor Inayat Khan", and the chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust. "It will ensure that her sacrifice and bravery will not be forgotten. "

Basu campaigned for a memorial for Noor which was unveiled in November 2012 by Princess Anne.

Noor Inayat Khan was born in Moscow in January 1914 to an Indian father, Hazrat Inayat Khan, and an American mother, Ora Ray Baker. The couple had met in the Ramakrishna Mission ashram in America. Hazrat Inayat Khan was a Sufi preacher and musician and travelled the world taking Sufism to the West.

Noor was brought up in Paris and the family moved to London when the city was occupied by the Germans in 1940 during the Second World War. In London, Noor joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and was later recruited for the Special Operations Executive, a secret organisation started by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

She was the first woman radio operator to be flown undercover to Paris and worked from there for three months under the code name Madeleine. However she was betrayed, arrested and finally executed in Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. Though she was tortured and interrogated, she revealed nothing, not even her real name. Her last word as they shot her was "Liberte"! She was only 30.

Noor was posthumously awarded the highest honour, the George Cross, by Britain. France awarded her the Croix de Guerre.

In 2006, President Pranab Mukherjee, then the defence minister of India, paid an official visit to Noor's family house outside Paris and described her bravery and sacrifice as "inspirational".

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Britain's Royal Mail releases stamp on Noor Inayat Khan

All women's bank to open three branches in northeast India

MEA — 24/03/2014 16:45:02

Two Circles

The Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) -- India's first all-women bank -- will open three more branches in three capital cities of the northeastern states this week, officials said here Sunday.

"Three branches of the BMB will be set up in Agartala (Tripura), Shillong (Meghalaya) and Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) in this week," a senior official of the Reserve Bank of India told IANS.

The government-owned bank that was launched Nov 19 last year has set up its northeast India's first branch in Assam's main city Guwahati last year.

The official said BMB chairman and managing director Usha Ananthasubramanian would set up the region's second branch in Agartala Monday.

The Shillong and Itanagar branches of the women's bank will be set up within this week.

"By March 31 or before the end of the current fiscal (2013-14), 23 branches are expected to be opened across the country," the official added.

Besides the three northeastern capital towns, the cities where new branches will be set up during the 2013-14 fiscal include Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Shimla, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Dehradun, Patna, Naya Raipur, Panaji, Srinagar, Thiruvananthapuram and Ranchi.

Aiming to economically empower women, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the BMB Nov 19 simultaneously opening seven branches of the bank.

The bank's nine branches, one each in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bangalore, Guwahati and Lucknow, are all operational.

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All women's bank to open three branches in northeast India

Tackling Indian maternal deaths by smartphone

MEA — 24/03/2014 16:49:35

The Christian Science Monitor/by Shoba Narayan

India leads the world in annual maternal deaths. Technology firms are pairing with the government's village health program to work with rural women.

Subhi Quraishi believes that the solution to the high maternal mortality rates that have dogged women in rural India starts with a mobile phone.

Standing in his bustling New Delhi offices, Mr. Quraishi shows off the mobile "lifeline channel” that his software firm has developed to send nuggets of information to rural users. The app uses rhymes, songs, and interactive games to spread maternal health tips and rudimentary but crucial information.

India leads the world in annual maternal deaths, according to a 2013 report by the advocacy group Save the Children. The report notes that in rural India – especially in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar – poor sanitation and malnutrition are rampant and women often give birth in the "filthiest” area of the house. Newborns are placed on dirt floors and breast-feeding is discouraged under the notion that it will debilitate the mother’s health.

India has made progress on its millennium development goal to lower maternal mortality rates to 109 deaths per 100,000 births by 2015. It has cut the rate by 42 percent from 1990, when maternal deaths stood at 457 per every 100,000 births, but the United Nations says rates haven’t dropped quickly enough for India to meet its target by 2015.

ZMQ Software, the firm founded by Qurashi and his brother Hilmi, developed the "lifetime channel” in 2003. It aims to apply the skills of India’s fast growing technology and healthcare sectors to the problem and reaches 500,000 women. The information is sent through visual and sound-based reminders from the company’s server to the user’s mobile phone, bypassing the Internet.

"Once a woman registers herself on our system, and she is pregnant, she will get information every week pertaining to her week of pregnancy,” Quraishi says. "It sends timely information about immunization schedules for her children and pregnancy information for her.”

As the number of mobile phone users in India explodes (the country has the second largest number of mobile phones in use, below China and above the US), more women in rural locations have access to the technology. Programs like Qurashi’s are growing. He now competes against firms like Dimagi and BBC Media Action, who offer similar platforms. Yet there are still vast challenges to overcome, including many women off the grid, skepticism of modern practices, and government policies that health care experts say are inadequate.

Pairing with government volunteers

ZMQ, along with a handful of other Indian technology companies, is working with ASHAs – or Accredited Social Health Activists, government-sponsored volunteers – who are at the forefront of India’s battle against maternal and infant death.

The program, whose name means 'hope' in Hindi, is roughly similar to the community health workers or ‘barefoot doctors’ of China, Iran, and Bangladesh. Instituted by the Indian government in 2005 with a goal of establishing at least one ASHA per village, there are currently about 900,000 of them. The program consists of village-based volunteers who get small monetary incentives when they achieve outcomes like ensuring that a pregnant woman delivers in a hospital.

ZMQ works with ASHAs by sending their "lifetime channel” information to the pregnant women and to the ASHAs working with them.

What do you need for delivery?

Anita Kumari is an ASHA worker in rural Bihar, one of the poorest Indian states. She works in Sigriyawan, a small village two hours outside the state’s capital. She monitors the women and children in her charge and visits the homes of pregnant women regularly.

Hina Kumari, one of her charges, is in her seventh month of her first pregnancy. She lives in a thatched hut without running water or electricity with her in-laws. Chickens and a pig run around the mud floors of the single room hut. Anita asks her to repeat all the things she needs before her delivery next month. "Clean sheet of cloth, clean blade, clean water in a clean bottle, clean change of clothes for me and the newborn baby,” Hina recites.

Anita uses her mobile phone and a health booklet to send reminders – to herself and her charges – about what health service is due to whom and when.

Evaluating success

Despite the enthusiasm for harnessing new technology, a daunting challenge still remains. India's progress has been slow and many rural women remain disconnected from technology or urban best practices.

Developing apps will only do so much, says Professor Mathew George from the Center for Public Health at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, who has argued in papers that India’s high maternal and infant mortality rates are in part due to the failure of the state to ensure public health functions like nutrition and sanitation for the state.

"Technology by itself will not work until the structures are in place to support it,” he says.

The ASHA program has its critics too. They say that it only addresses some of the causes of the maternal mortality rate and operates in much of a vacuum. "There are multiple programs running with little coordination at the district, state or central level," says Rama Baru, a professor of health policy at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Quraishi acknowledges the criticism, but maintains that using technology for a step-by-step start to the problem is a good place to start. Eventually, he hopes to add other ‘lifeline’ material to the app, including English lessons.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Tackling Indian maternal deaths by smartphone

Indian boy who invented email

MEA — 24/03/2014 16:53:31

Pioneer/ by Kumar Chellappan

Even the best brains in computer and software engineering may not be able to answer if you ask them who invented email. This was illustrated on Sunday when this writer checked the same with Prof Achuthsankar S Nair, Director, State Inter-University Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics, Government of Kerala and Dr Iyemperumal, Executive Director, Tamil Nadu State Science and Technology Centre. Both of them expressed their helplessness even though both of them handle hundreds of email messages per day.

It is a 14-year-old boy from India and that too with roots in Tamil Nadu who invented email as well as the five-letter word which has become synonymous with communication. VA Shiva Ayyadurai, hardly out of school in New Jersey, ushered in the paperless era into this world. It was in response to a challenge thrown at him by Dr Leslie P Michelson, Director, High Performance Computing Lab, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), in Newark, New Jersey, which made little Shiva create the world's first email system in November 1978.

"The UMDNJ was a big campus connected by a wide area computer network. The computer was in its initial stages of being used in the office environment. Dr Michelson wanted me to create an electronic version of the interoffice mail system so that the entire staff of doctors, secretaries, students and staff could communicate faster.

At that time, secretaries and staff were performing drafting, typing, copying, hand delivering of the entire paper-based mail. By observing the interoffice mail system, I created a parts list: Inbox, Outbox, Memo, Folders, Address Book, Attachments, and then created a computer programme of nearly 50,000 lines of computer code which replicated this entire system. I called my innovation ‘email’, a term that had never been used before. The world’s first email I sent was to Dr Michelson in November 1978,” Dr Ayyadurai told The Pioneer on Sunday.

Dr Ayyadurai developed email as a software programme. "Software itself was a new concept then. In 1978, it was not even covered under the Intellectual Property Rights. The US Copyright Law of 1976 was amended, however, in 1980 to allow for the protection of software. In 1982, I was awarded the first US Copyright for ‘Email’, recognising me as the inventor of email by the US Government,” said Dr Ayyadurai, who holds four different Post Graduate degrees including a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"What you see in any email system today, the Inbox, Outbox, Address Book, the Memo (From, To, Date, Subject, Body, CC and BCC), Attachments, etc are based on my observations to replicate the interoffice mail system. In November 1978, as a 14-year-old school boy, I addressed the doctors of the University on what I invented and demonstrated the use of this entire system,” reminiscences Dr Ayyadurai, son of Vellayappa Ayyadurai, a chemical engineer hailing from Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu and Meenakshi, a mathematics teacher who went on to become the head of the elite Don Bosco Public School in Mumbai.

The Ayyadurais migrated to the USA in 1970 in search of greater challenges so that little Shiva could get better education and exposure. He did not let his parents down. By the age of 13 he had mastered all known computer programming languages in vogue and went on to create email, which revolutionised the world of communication.

Dr Ayyadurai has come out with a book The Email Revolution: Unleashing The Power of Connect which has foreword by Dr Leslie Michelson and an introduction by none other than Prof Noam Chomsky. He is in India as part of his mission to identify more "Shivas” who have much better innovations to offer to the world.

"Young people of all colors, hungry to make this world a better place, are going to innovate things we’ve never imagined. We have to provide more global images to young people, in India, for example, with icons, beyond just white skinned and white haired, bearded scientists,” said Dr Ayyadurai.

And how many of us are aware of the fact that radio was invented by Prof Jagdish Chandra Bose? It was his failure to get it patented that cost Dr Bose the title. Marconi, who had seen Dr Bose’s public demonstration of the radio, had approached him with an irresistible offer to market the same. But Dr Bose wanted the radio to be used for the welfare of the humanity. The night he held the public demonstration, his equipment was robbed from his hotel room. The rest is history,” Prof Ranjit Nair, leading physicist, had told this writer. So, today we all think Marconi, an Italian, invented Radio.

But, when it comes to email, it's time to set the record straight, once and for all — it was a boy, a 14-year-old Indian boy, who invented email. The facts are black and white.

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Indian boy who invented email

India Proclaims Victory Over Polio

MEA — 24/03/2014 16:59:07

Latin Post/by Erik Derr

India and its neighboring countries officially proclaim victory over the debilitating poliovirus this week.

The World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region --- which includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste --- has been maintaining a polio-free status for the last 3 years. The last case of the largely childhood disease was reported in India in Jan. 2011.

Plans are now in place to officially certify, and celebrate, the region's eradication of the wild disease Mar. 27, at the WHO regional office in New Delhi, India.

The process toward global polio eradication was established in 1988, when the disease crippled more than 200,000 children yearly in India, which claims millions of poor and uneducated people and where reaching even basic levels of cleanliness and personal hygiene is a great challenge.

In 2009, India still suffered more than half of the world's new cases of polio, 741 out of 1,604.

"Many critics believed that this day would never come, that the polio virus was too firmly entrenched in India, that India would never be polio free," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan announced during a February event marking the country's long-fought win over polio. "They could point to the country's huge population, high birth rate, dense pockets of poverty, poor sanitation, widespread diarrhea, difficult terrain and resistance to vaccination among some groups."

But, Chan said, "the doubters missed one decisive factor: the power of India's determination to achieve the impossible, to go from the world's heaviest burden of polio cases to zero."

Indian governments "at union, state and district levels" took "decisive" ownership of the fight against the disease, earmarking a great array of resources and what amounted to billions of U.S. dollars for the effort, she said.

The country also demonstrated a "can-do attitude" and "worked together seamlessly with its international partners," including Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, WHO and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chan said.

"The need to reach every child meant that every nook and cranny of this vast country was crisscrossed by tireless polio workers. It also meant reaching every child in marginalized and migrant populations," said Chan, yet India "met each problem with creativity and innovation."

Pioneering key operational and technical strategies, India "took advantage of new technologies and served as a proving ground for their effectiveness. When better systems to support high-quality performance were needed, India built them. With support from the WHO country office, India built its world-class surveillance system. An efficient and reliable network of laboratories was established to support poliovirus testing and the rapid confirmation of cases."

Said Chan: "India has shown the world that there is no such thing as 'impossible.' This is likely the greatest lesson, and the greatest inspiration for the rest of the world."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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India Proclaims Victory Over Polio

India Proves Why Vaccines Work — Here's How That Country Solved a National Epidemic

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:02:37

Policy Mic/by Tom McKay

The anti-vaccination movement has yet another inconvenient truth to explain: the near-complete eradication of the polio virus across an entire country thanks to a sweeping campaign by health authorities to vaccinate children.

Rukhsar Khatoon is believed to be the last child with polio in India. It's been three years since another confirmed case. And it's all thanks to vaccination. Despite India's abysmal public health system, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative helped achieve 95% coverage across the nation. When the campaign was launched in 1988, polio permanently disabled 200,000 children a year in India. In 2009, polio affected just 741 children. Now it's none.

Here's how India has achieved such stellar results, according to the New York Times' Esha Chhabra:

Health workers, usually women, stand at the booths for eight hours to ensure that every child in the neighborhood is vaccinated. The vaccinated children are marked on the nail of their pinky with black ink. The following day, the health workers search for missed children by going door-to-door, carrying the vaccine in an icebox.

We collect the data, identify gaps, and give it to the government to make decisions,” [Dr. Rakesh Vishwakarma, a World Health Organization regional supervisor] says, pointing to multicolored maps and meticulous charts taped to the wall. Every village in the district is accounted for and marked by percentage of children immunized. Red pins mark stool samplings, which are collected to track the virus, and ensure that any cases of acute flaccid paralysis, or limp limbs, are diagnosed properly. Flaccid paralysis is not necessarily polio; weakness in the muscle can be caused by other pathogens. The W.H.O. checks each case of paralysis to be sure it's not polio.

All this intense effort paid off big time. Khatoon, the last known case, only has polio because her parents decided not to vaccinate her because she was a sickly child and they feared it would strain her immune system. They now regret the decision.

Smart planning: Anti-vaxxers insist that parents should be allowed to choose on their own whether their children will be vaccinated and claim utterly unfounded tales of autism and other health effects. But India's intensive system, which achieved 95% coverage, is the only one proven to work. And it took intensive international coordination (another thing anti-vaxxers would be mighty suspicious of) to pull off, with UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Rotary International all playing roles ranging from data collection and analysis to fielding the teams that staff India's National Immunization Days.

Clear effect: This is the way to eradicate disease, with a prominent and dedicated national health campaign. Compare the demise of polio in India with its problems with other easily preventable diseases; the nation's routine immunization rates for measles, rubella, hepatitis B, TB and others hovers around 61%, far short of recommended rates for herd immunity. The result? India suffers from a third of the world's measles deaths, while countries which have more or less completely driven out the disease thanks to vaccines saw the rates plummet. In 2009, the U.S. averaged just 50-60 cases of measles a year. The first two months of 2014 have seen that many cases already, thanks in large part to parents who refuse to vaccinate their children.

Anti-vaxxers would rather have you listen to their ill-concocted mix of anecdotes, ill-founded scientific misconceptions and hysterical paranoia about autism than the medical community. A quick look at India's record should let anyone know not to listen to the cranks.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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India Proves Why Vaccines Work — Here's How That Country Solved a National Epidemic

Indians Plan Rebirth for 5th-Century University

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:08:13

New York Times/by Nida Najar

Amartya Sen first saw the colossal, red-brick ruins of Nalanda University at the age of 11. After he told his family that he wanted to be a professor, his grandfather took him to see the remains of what is described as India’s oldest university, a place where history has the cast of epic myth.

Founded in the fifth century, Nalanda at its peak attracted some 10,000 students from across Asia to study Buddhism, law, literature, and philosophy. It is said to have been the first global institution of higher learning — and, Indians note, one created long before the development of universities in Europe.

Mr. Sen, the Harvard economist and Nobel laureate, is now part of an effort to capitalize on Nalanda’s legacy by building a new university with the same name, not far from the original site, in what is now the northeastern state of Bihar. The rebuilt Nalanda University would be a graduate-level institution, meant to bring the latest research and teaching practices to the country. It is set up as a quasi-public university, receiving government funds but freed from some national and state rules to give it more flexibility.

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The Chronicle of Higher Education

The plans, however, have been complicated by myriad obstacles. The university’s construction and opening have faced delays because of bureaucracy. The local news media have questioned the role of international academics. Others speculate that the venture is simply too ambitious to succeed — a point that Mr. Sen and other organizers disagree with.

"Our idea is not gigantic,” Mr. Sen, who heads Nalanda’s governing board, said in an interview. "It is to have a university which would be of high quality, which would be Asian in tradition and concentration.”

While India’s education and social needs are vast, and one institution will hardly solve them all, he said, Nalanda will fill an important role in India.

"We need education, we need health care, we need scientific research, and we need everything from elementary immunization of children to high-level medical expertise and skill,” Mr. Sen said. "We also need a connection with our own history, because it has an inspirational quality and is indeed something to learn from.”

In 2006, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, then India’s president, first proposed the plan to revive Nalanda, and the project has steadily gained international support. Besides Mr. Sen, the other 11 members of governing board include academics from top universities in Britain, China, Singapore, the United States, and Thailand.

The Indian Parliament passed a bill in 2010 authorizing the development of the university. The government pledged more than $330 million to the project; other governments, including those of China and Australia, have each pledged $1 million; Singapore promised up to $7 million to build a library.

Nalanda is expected to open in September, with about 40 students taking courses in history and environmental studies. The university eventually plans to enroll over 2,000 students, with programs in Buddhist studies, philosophy, linguistics, literature, international relations, information science and technology, economics, and management.

Organizers hope that graduate students will come from all over the world for experiences that are like those of a field school — doing ecological research in nearby villages, for example.

Because of delays, however, no faculty members have been hired, and the university still consists of only a converted government compound. Bihar has allocated 450 acres of rice paddies and wheat fields for a state-of-the-art campus, but parliamentary meetings and financial reviews have delayed construction.

Part of the problem is that members of Parliament and other government officials seem taken aback by the level of autonomy the university seeks. Among other plans, Nalanda wants a professor-student ratio of one to five, while the University Grants Commission, which regulates India’s federal universities but will not oversee Nalanda, said a higher ratio, 15 to 20 students per instructor, would be suitable.

Gopa Sabharwal, the university’s vice chancellor, has argued that India needs to throw out the rule book if it wants to forge a top-tier research institution.

"There’s never a precedent for someone who does something the first time around,” she said.

Some Indian academics have also criticized the salaries that the university wants to offer, taking issue with the vice chancellor’s salary of almost $100,000, an unheard-of amount at Indian universities.

Ms. Sabharwal has agreed to a salary 60 percent lower than originally offered, in part to deflect criticism. But without being able to set faculty pay higher than that at India’s public universities, Nalanda will have trouble attracting top talent, she said.

"There’s very little incentive in our university system for someone who’s good, young, eager and more productive to get fast-tracked to professorship,” Ms. Sabharwal said.

The local news media have given substantial coverage to such controversies, making the debate over Nalanda a very public issue.

Nalanda’s challenges mirror in some ways the problems that American universities have faced in trying to establish branch campuses and other academic programs in India. While the university has backing from Indians, there is also a perception that it is largely a foreign-led project.

Ramachandra Guha, a historian whose name was mentioned as an early candidate for vice chancellor, declined to comment on Nalanda specifically but wrote in an email, "India needs many top-tier, international-caliber research universities, not just one.”

"These, however, have to be built from the bottom up, by mentors and scholars based in different parts of the country (not abroad), aided by Indian philanthropists and/or public funds,” Mr. Guha added.

Pramath Raj Sinha, the founding dean of the Indian School of Business, who is setting up a private liberal-arts college, Ashoka University, is sympathetic to Nalanda’s circumstances. But the price tag for starting a top graduate research university from scratch, he said, may be too high.

"It’s like saying you’d set up Harvard without the undergraduate institution,” Mr. Sinha said. "Education is really a money business, and if they want to make a mark on the world with research, they will need funding.”

Mr. Sen defended Nalanda’s goals, arguing that ambitious ideas are what India needs to move forward.

"Our problem,” he said, "has always been to cut through the barrier of people who think too small rather than too big.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Indians Plan Rebirth for 5th-Century University

Kuwaiti princess learns acupuncture in Mumbai

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:11:43

Gulf Times

In a country where traditional medicine is a virtual no-no, a Kuwaiti princess is aiming to buck the trend by learning acupuncture so that she can take its benefits to the 4mn citizens back home.

Last week, a Mercedes driven by a female chauffeur halted outside a small clinic, located in a narrow lane in the congested Dadar area of south-central Mumbai. The chauffeur asked her distinguished passenger, Sheikha Alia Salem al-Sabah, the wife of Interior Minister Mohamed al-Khalid al-Sabah: "You have come here to meet a doctor?”

"Yes, since I have come here, you can well imagine what he must be...” the guest smiled, stepping inside the eight-bed clinic run by internationally-acclaimed acupuncturist Dr P B Lohiya.

Expecting his visitor, Lohiya, 63, founder of Indian Academy of Acupuncture Science (IAAS), was well-prepared, despite a large crowd of patients in the clinic.

"I want to learn acupuncture as I have great faith in its curative success and benefits,” Sheikha Alia, 55, said at the clinic full of patients with problems ranging from back pains, irregular menstrual cycles, cardiac problems and cancer.

In her home country, with Indians and Egyptians comprising the largest chunk of expatriates, traditional medicines are virtually a no-no, she explained.

"Yes, we have a small acupuncture department in a government-run hospital run by Chinese doctors, but there is lack of proper diagnostic systems and cures,” Sheikha Alia said.

In fact, along with her daughter, Sheikha Alia recently travelled to China to get basic knowledge of acupuncture, but after a week of grappling with the local language problems and lack of diagnostic systems, she gave up her efforts.

In China, a doctor informed her that she could learn a lot from the renowned Aurangabad-based acupuncturist Lohiya, the only Indian visiting professor at the prestigious Beijing Meridian Research Centre and vice president of the Beijing’s World Association of Chinese Medicine. (Lohiya spends the bulk of his time in Aurangabad but attends the Mumbai clinic for one week every month. He also devotes time to his clinics in cities like Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Hyderabad, besides travelling abroad.)

"Well, with a little research and help from some officials I contacted Dr Lohiya and took the next flight to Mumbai,” said Sheikha Alia, a qualified aerospace engineer from the US.

At present she spends hours carefully observing Lohiya as he treats patients for various ailments, including those relating to the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, muscles, bones, paralysis and tissues and brain disorders by pricking tiny needles at strategic points on his patients.

After a week-long sojourn in Mumbai, Sheikha Alia will travel with him to Aurangabad for a similar experience, topping off in Hyderabad with a fortnight-long intensive lectures-cum-practical sessions in acupuncture.

"After I return to Kuwait, I want to start full-fledged acupuncture departments in hospitals or clinics for the benefit of my countrymen as I feel this ancient form of treatment has tremendous healing and curative potential,” she added.

Lohiya has tentatively agreed to help start a clinic under his supervision in mid-2014 and even train Kuwaiti doctors in acupuncture along with other branches of traditional medicine.

Sheikha Alia said that her husband and daughter, who suffered from severe neck and back pain, got tremendous relief by acupuncture-cum-ozone treatments.

"A friend was advised to undergo a heart-lung transplant, but after an acupuncture-ozone session in Mumbai, he does not need any transplant,” Sheikha Alia said.

When asked how an aerospace engineer developed an interest in ancient medicine systems, Sheikha Alia, who loves Indian vegetarian cuisine, said it was because of a desire to help people overcome their big and small medical problems.

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Kuwaiti princess learns acupuncture in Mumbai

India beats the odds, beats polio

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:16:32

CNN/by Moni Basu

Rukhsar Khatoon is too young to fully grasp the significance of her life: that she is a last in a country of 1.2 billion people.

She has become the greatest symbol of India's valiant -- and successful -- effort to rid itself of a crippling and potentially deadly disease. Rukhsar, 4, is the final documented case of polio in India.

Her face has appeared in newspapers and on television. She's been invited to national events by Rotary International, the organization that led the effort to rid India of polio. She is a literal poster child, an inspiration, a symbol of a feat that no doctor or health official thought possible even a few years ago.

Apart from the publicity, though, Rukhsar's life has hardly changed, her future still a question mark.

She is used to seeing health officials and reporters arrive on foot at her home in Shahpara, a village in the Indian state of West Bengal. On the day we visited, she dressed herself in a long green printed dress, marred only by a tear at the shoulder. She oiled her hair and pulled it back with plastic barrettes. She did it all herself when she learned we were on our way.

Her parents, Abdul Shah, 32, and Shobejan Begum, 30, blame themselves for their child's suffering. They had their other children vaccinated, but not Rukhsar. She was a sickly child, in and out of hospital with liver infections and diarrhea. They thought it safer not to subject her to more medication.

It wasn't until little Rukhsar's right foot swelled and twisted in early 2011 that her parents took her to a hospital in nearby Beleghata for tests. She was just 18 months old when doctors confirmed the worst: Rukhsar had polio.

Polio is caused by a virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord cells that move joints and muscles. About one-third of those who contract polio in India are left paralyzed -- as was Rukhsar.

"Everything was our fault," explains her father. "I thought she would never walk again."

'Hell of a big deal'

When a global effort to end polio was launched in 1988, the disease crippled more than 200,000 children every year in India. Almost two decades later, in 2009, India still reported half of the world's new cases -- 741 out of 1,604.

India has millions of poor and uneducated people. The population is booming. Large areas lack hygiene and good sanitation, and polio spreads through contaminated water. Many health experts predicted India would be the last country in the world to get rid of polio.

They were wrong.

Since Rukhsar's diagnosis three years ago, India has not seen another new case of polio. On March 27, the World Health Organization will formally announce the end of polio in India and proclaim another one of its global regions -- Southeast Asia -- free of the disease. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria are the only three countries that have not eradicated polio, leaving the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa the last two WHO regions with the disease.

The last time WHO made a similar announcement was in 2002, when the European region was declared polio-free.

Rotary International says the upcoming declaration will be a milestone for a nation that was once the epicenter of the disease.

India's journey from 200,000 to zero has not been easy, says Deepak Kapur, a businessman who heads Rotary's polio campaign in India.

"It's a tremendous achievement," he says. "India is a hell of a big deal."

Kapur has been at the helm of India's campaign since 2001. When he started, he was told India was holding the world hostage, that the planet could not be polio-free until its second most populous nation had eliminated the disease.

The western part of Uttar Pradesh state was the worst, Kapur says. At one time, scientists documented that the single worst pocket of polio, the city of Moradabad, had exported the virus to every continent.

Now, Kapur says, the three remaining nations where polio still exists can learn from India.

Three keys to success

Western nations conquered polio so long ago that its name is unknown to younger generations.

America experienced the height of polio in the 1940s and '50s, when about 35,000 people became disabled every year. Fear and panic spread and parents were known to warn their children to not drink from public water fountains, avoid swimming pools and stay away from crowded public places like movie theaters. Perhaps the most famous case of polio in America was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the first president with a significant physical disability.

The development of the Salk and Sabine vaccines helped lead to eradication of polio in the United States in 1979. In India, too, vaccination was critical.

"There were three keys to our success," Kapur says. "Immunize, immunize and immunize."

But the challenges in India went way beyond getting 170 million children vaccinated each year and needing 2 million health workers on the case. They went beyond securing $2.3 billion in government funding.

The oral vaccine must be kept cold, and many places in India do not have electricity -- and even those that do experience frequent power cuts. Each vaccine costs only 12 cents, but refrigerating them was a major problem, says Dr. Mathew Varghese, an orthopedic surgeon who runs India's last dedicated polio ward at St. Stephen's Hospital in New Delhi.

India was able to come up with innovative ideas -- like refrigerators powered by kerosene -- to get vaccinations to remote villages not unlike the one where Rukhsar lives.

And then there was the campaign to educate. Rumors had spread in Muslim communities about the polio vaccine. Some Muslims believed it made women infertile and that the Indian government was using it to curb a minority population.

To combat such false beliefs, health workers began a dialog with clerics. They were able to build trust and persuade the clerics to put drops of the vaccine in their own grandchildren's mouths so their followers could see nothing bad would happen.

For Varghese, all this means that the makeup of his polio ward has changed. The patients tend to be older now since there have been no new cases reported since 2011.

Varghese has operated on thousands of twisted and mangled bodies, on patients who are forced to crawl on all fours. Polio, he says, robs a person of dignity.

"It's terrible to have a childhood ruined," he says, inspecting the progress of Haseen Jahan. She's lived with polio 23 of her 25 years. She used to press her hand to her thigh when she walked, to keep her left leg down. Her left foot used to point outwards.

In her dreams she walked upright. In her dreams, she danced, even wore pants, something she was not able to do before because of the way her limbs were bent.

Varghese straightened her leg with his orthopedic surgical skills.

"I'll be able to walk straight," she says, laughing, "just like you."

Varghese moves on to the other polio patients occupying the 16 beds reserved for them at the missionary-run hospital. Some had knees that had twisted upward to their hips. Others could not even stand. When they leave here, they will embark on lives that were previously unimaginable.

"I would be happy to go out of business -- this kind of business," he says, though he knows he will be seeing polio patients until the day he retires. Half of India's 21 million physically disabled people are that way because of polio.

Varghese has never met Rukhsar. But he is relieved to know she is the last.

Poster child

In Shahpara, Rukhsar plays with her brothers and sisters and other children on the bone-dry earth, the dirt forming clouds beneath their feet. The effects of polio were not severe as they could have been, and after exhaustive therapy, Rukhsar is able to use her legs.

She is not unlike the other barefoot children in this village of palms and ponds except that she has a limp. Her right leg is shorter than her left, a condition that is common with polio patients. She complains that her right foot hurts when she runs and jumps.

Learning from their own mistake, Rukhsar's parents have become advocates for polio vaccinations in their part of the world. Shah is thankful his daughter was not left immobile, but still, he worries for her future.

He is a poor man, and like most men and women in this village, he makes about $40 a month embroidering saris -- far less than the brocaded and beaded garments sell for. He knows he must save money for future health care needs and do all he can to make sure Rukhsar is educated. He is certain he will face obstacles in finding a groom for a daughter with a disability.

America, too, had poster children for polio at a time when the country was racing to stamp out the disease. In the 1950s, two girls in matching gingham jumpers appeared in an anti-polio campaign. Pam was shown loosening her sister Patricia's leg brace.

They were faces, just like Rukhsar, of a disease that now is on the brink of global eradication. There is no cure for polio, but the two American sisters were able to overcome the crippling nature of the disease.

Now it's Rukhsar's turn to lead a full life. Without the interference of polio.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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India beats the odds, beats polio

India beats the odds, beats polio

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:17:17

Indian doctors at UN bases help save lives in S. Sudan

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:21:49

Oman Tribune

United Nations Indian doctors stationed at UN mission bases in South Sudan are providing critical healthcare services, including helping deliver babies, amid continued conflict and violence that has plagued the world’s youngest nation in recent months.

Over 80 babies have been born at the UNMISS (UN Mission in South Sudan) base in troubled Malakal, Upper Nile State, of which 41 were delivered at the UNMISS Indian hospital. The first baby was delivered alive and healthy by Indian doctors on December 24 last year when Malakal was first attacked, according to information released by the UN Department of Public Information unit. "Apart from one baby who died, the rest of the babies delivered were healthy,” Indian hospital chief logistics officer Lieutenant Colonel Saurabh Bhardwaj said.

All expecting mothers were transferred to the Indian hospital before the International Medical Corps (IMC) set up a reproductive health facility at the UNMISS clinic, he said.

At the UNMISS Indian military field hospital in the city of Malakal, 976 patients have been treated since December 23.

Over 134 major surgeries have been carried out and babies have been delivered with the assistance of Indian doctors who are providing medical and protection assistance to the site. "Out of the 46 babies, 28 were male and 18 were female. Included in that number were two sets of twins and one set of triplets,” said Emergency volunteer nurse Kelly Suter.

Indian peacekeepers and medical personnel in the volatile Jonglei State have been awarded for their courage and devotion to duty shown while working in extremely difficult conditions.

"Without the steadfastness shown by the battalion group, it would not have been possible to implement the mission mandate in the desired manner,” UNMISS Force Commander Delali Johnson Sakyi said in Bor.

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Indian doctors at UN bases help save lives in S. Sudan

Our forests, our future

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:26:01

Business Mirror/by Eisen Bernardo

A recent story about an environmental activist and forest worker became viral in different social-networking sites. It is a unique and inspiring story about India’s forest man. Netizens lauded forest man’s effort of growing an entire forest in three decades.

Jadav Payeng, dubbed by Jawaharlal Nehru University as the Forest Man of India, transformed a 150-hectare of barren sandbar in Jorhat district in Assam region into a lush forest. Because of the major flooding in his district in 1979, the teenaged Payeng was motivated to start planting trees. For 34 years he regularly planted saplings, from bamboo and indigenous plants to high-value trees like teak.

The forest that Payeng built has become a sanctuary for biodiversity. It serves as home to different animal species like wild elephants, Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros, deers, rabbits, apes and several varieties of birds, including a large number of vultures.

The government of India and some international media recognized Payeng’s efforts in conservation. More than that, the forest that he nurtured will be his legacy for the next generation.

Celebrating the forests and trees

PAYENG’S effort is one of the many reasons to celebrate the forests and trees.

Every 21st of March is declared by the United Nations as the International Day of Forests and the Trees. In a message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the celebration is "a new platform to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forest ecosystems to sustainable development.”

The celebration emphasizes how vital forests and trees are to the wellbeing of humankind. In the latest data of the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 3 billion people use wood for fuel; some 2 billion people depend on forests for sustenance and income, and 750 million live within them.

"Forests are also central to combating climate change,” Ban said. He said deforestation and land-use changes account for 17 percent of human-generated carbon-dioxide emissions. Forests can regulate climate by absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon.

They are also important mechanisms in disaster-risk reduction and management. Forests protect watersheds, reduce soil erosion, stabilize slopes, and prevent landslides and flash floods. Mangrove forests protect coastal communities against tsunami and storm surge.

Forests and biodiversity

FORESTS harbor two-thirds of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. However, the increasing consumption needs of the growing populations intensify the rate of forest and biodiversity loss.

In Southeast Asia forests serve as habitat for up to 20 percent of the world’s plant and animal species, most of which are endemic to the region.

Unfortunately, a number of endemic plant and animal species are at risk because of the pressures exerted on forest ecosystems. The destruction of forests because of human activities like mining, agriculture, construction of roads, human-settlement development and others have affected the wildlife by reducing the corridors in which they can move or migrate.

Because of illegal logging in Indonesia, forests have been cleared, affecting many orangutan populations, driving the species toward extinctions. The hotspot countries of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines harbor more endemic species, but also a considerable number of threatened species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles.

Our forests, our future

LAWYER Roberto V. Oliva, the executive director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity and also a forester, said the key to addressing the issues of forest ecosystems depends largely on effective governance.

He explained that this should focus on the effective enforcement of binding laws and forest policies, engagement of public, particularly communities and local government units, and private stakeholders, and comprehensive programs for the capacity building of institutions involved in the enforcement of laws.

He added that the establishment of more conservation areas and better forest management practices are critical initiatives in saving forest ecosystems in the region.

The centerpiece of the celebration of the International Day of Forests and the Trees 2014 is forest conservation. Countries are encouraged to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees.

Governments, businesses and all sectors of society are urged to commit to reducing deforestation, preventing forest degradation, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable livelihoods for all forest-dependent peoples.

Like what Payeng did in India, everyone should do their part in forest conservation.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Our forests, our future

India and Space Defense

MEA — 24/03/2014 17:31:02

The Diplomat/by Amit R. Saksena

Concerned about global trends, India is making progress in building its space defense capabilities.

Fortunately, the final frontier has yet to become a battlefield. On present trends, however, the next two decades will witness a global arms race in space, culminating in a sophisticated weapons system being placed in orbit. The United States and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) have been active in this sphere since the early 1960s, when the Soviets first tested the "hunter killer” low orbit satellite system. The U.S. responded with a series of advanced strategic missile projects and some more promising ground launched initiatives. Since then, however, both the U.S. and Russia have constrained their space military programs, seeking to discourage weaponization. Still, both countries have made it clear they will start again, should a line be crossed.

In 2007, China sparked global concern when it successfully tested its first ASAT (anti-satellite) missile, destroying one of its obsolete weather satellites at an altitude of 865 km. In 2006, the U.S. government released a report claiming that China had tagged some U.S. observation satellites with a high-power laser system. Although no major damage was done to the satellites, it later emerged that the laser was not directed at the optical lenses, which could have rendered the satellites useless. In 2008, when the Shenzhou-07 was in orbit, the taikonauts on the mission released a BX-1 micro satellite. The BX-1 flew within the 1000-mile secure radius of the International Space Station (the ISS is programmed to change trajectory and orbit should this happen). Although no harm was done, this demonstrated China’s ability to deploy micro satellites with ASAT capabilities.

China has long lobbied against the weaponization of outer space. The sudden change in its space policy can be viewed as an attempt at deterrence, as well as a hedging of its bets. According to Theresa Hitchens, director of the Center for Defense Information, a private group in Washington that tracks military programs, "For several years, the Russians and Chinese have been trying to push a treaty to ban space weapons. The concept of exhibiting a hard-power capability to bring somebody to the negotiating table is a classic cold war technique.” In 2006, the Bush Administration authorized a policy, noting that the United States would "preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space” and "dissuade or deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so.” It declared the United States would "deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests.”

Apart from the global ramifications, these developments have sent alarm bells ringing in India. An opponent of the weaponizing of space, India has made impressive developments with its Agni–V Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile, joining an elite club of countries that possess this technology. Recently, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced that it can harness the technology to manufacture anti-satellite weaponry. This, along with the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) success with indigenous launch vehicles, equips the Indian space program with the technological capability to undertake space weaponization activities. From the mid 1970s to 2005, the Indian space program suffered due to the imposition of a sanctions regime in response to its nuclear policies, which left it struggling with little outside technical assistance. India was welcomed back to the mainstream only after a deal with the U.S. was signed in 2005. Eventually, in 2011, the U.S. administration moved certain strategic companies, including those from the ISRO, off the so-called Entity List, in an effort to drive hi-tech trade and forge closer strategic ties with India.

ISRO has already established a reputation for reliability when it comes to launching smaller satellites using its smaller Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Its workhorse launch vehicle has put more than 35 satellites of various countries, weighing between one kg and 712 kg, into orbit, not to mention more than a dozen Indian satellites. With the recent success of the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV-D5), the ISRO is ready to take on satellites weighing in excess of two tons, an important prerequisite to the deployment of any weapons system. Existing space treaties prohibit placing weapons of mass destruction in space, but not other types of weapons. Therefore, the next logical step for the DRDO is to develop orbital weapons, which could remain in space for as long as required while orbiting Earth or the Moon.

The line between militarization and weaponization is blurred. Militarization is the build up to a state of conflict and broadly encompasses any activity that furthers this objective. Weaponization, by contrast, means actively developing or deploying a weapon. According to many experts, militarization of space first occurred in 1957 when Sputnik 1 was put into orbit by the Soviet Union. Since then, many auxiliary technology satellites have been launched (such as telecommunications, relief mapping and orbital imaging), directly or indirectly assisting warfare efforts on terra firma and over water. Today, militaries all over the world rely heavily on satellites for command and control, communication, monitoring, early warning, and navigation with the Global Positioning System (GPS). While the term "peaceful purposes” hardly applies to such activities, military applications such as using satellites to direct bombing raids or to orchestrate a "prompt global strike” capability are gradually encroaching on the space environment and have raised serious concerns.

So space warfare can be studied on the basis of a utility criterion in three ways: auxiliary systems, which can assist in warfare on other terrains; defensive systems, which are required to protect these space assets; and weaponized systems – which are purely offensive in nature.

In 2012, the then DRDO chief V.K. Saraswat emphasized a defensive strategy for India in the space domain. Sticking to the principle of "no weaponizing,” Saraswat projected the view that space security entails the creation of "a gamut of capabilities,” including the protection of satellites, communications and navigation systems and denying the enemy the use of their own "space systems.”

The domestic Indian missile defense shield is designed to protect key parts of Indian territory from ballistic missiles originating from China and Pakistan. Priority has to be given to the kill vehicle. Going forward, said Saraswat, "What is needed is technology to track the movement of enemy satellites, for instance, before making a kinetic kill. We are trying to build a credible deterrence capability.” At the same time Saraswat made it clear that this anti satellite device "will not be tried out in real life conditions unless there are exigencies.” The comment echoes India’s resolve to stick to a defensive program only.

Countries have long grappled with the issue of space junk left behind by their activities. The 2007 Chinese ASAT test filled the Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) with an estimated 2500 pieces of dangerous debris. In May 2013, a Russian satellite was stuck and destroyed by one such piece. Thus, systems to protect against debris also need to be developed for LEO satellites. India, now a major spacefaring nation, has in orbit a substantial number of satellites for communications, meteorology, earth observation and scientific research. It is also developing its own indigenous Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) to reduce is reliance on the GPS used by the U.S. and the Russian GLONASS

India recently launched its first dedicated defense satellite, GSAT-7 for the Indian Navy. This is seen as the start of a long line of defense application oriented satellites that the Integrated Space Cell (ISC, initiated in 2008) may want to put into orbit. Already an "eye-in-the-sky” system for the Air Force is being considered. The Integrated Space Cell is currently operated jointly by the three service arms, the DRDO, and the ISRO, making it more of a central information network system than an offensive one. The CARTOSAT-2A, a dedicated satellite of the Indian Armed Forces, will also fall under the jurisdiction of this nodal agency. Although a fledgling agency at the moment, the ISC may be the stepping stone to a fully fledged Indian Military Space Command in the near future.

For India, the issue is China’s reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, which are essentially satellite-based systems. In battle, the army in possession of the higher ground has a natural advantage over its adversary; right now this higher ground is space.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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India and Space Defense

India, Singapore Win 2014 UN "Water For Life" Award

MEA — 21/03/2014 16:12:49

Bernama,

India and Singapore won the 2014 edition of the United Nations-Water "Water for Life" Best Practices Award for their sustainable practices of water resources.

The announcement was made by the UN Office here during an official ceremony to mark World Water Day 2014 on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"This year's winners are excellent examples of two organisations that tackle future challenges in a sustainable way," said Michel Jarraud, chair of UN-Water at the ceremony held in the United Nations University.

This year's "best water management practices" went to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)-Tata Water Policy Programme (ITP), a project based on water scarce across India.

ITP has made progress in filling the gap between research and policy action by simultaneously engaging with scientists and policy makers to tackle socio-economic environmental challenges related to the improvement of the energy-irrigation nexus.

Singapore-based "NEWater programme", which can meet 30 per cent of the country's daily water needs, won the "best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices" for its strong social component and enduring partnerships in its manifold and remarkable water management practices.

This year's award has received a total of 34 applications around the world with nine from Asia, five from Africa, eight from Europe and 12 from Latin American and Caribbean countries.

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India, Singapore Win 2014 UN "Water For Life" Award

How India is building Asia's largest secure forest network

MEA — 20/03/2014 17:38:23

BBC

A landmark effort by the Indian state of Karnataka to connect isolated protected forests could lead to the building of Asia's largest unbroken forest, writes Jay Mazoomdaar.

It's been all about connecting the green dots.

Since 2012, the southern state of Karnataka has declared nearly 2,600 sq km (1,003 sq miles) of forests as protected areas, linking a series of national parks, tiger reserves and sanctuaries.

Protected areas cover nearly 5% of India's landmass and come under strict legal protection that makes conversion of land for non-forestry purposes difficult. Tiger reserves and national parks do not allow human settlements.

Karnataka has already built three unbroken forest landscapes spread over more than one million hectares along the Western Ghats, a mountain range that runs along the western coast of India. It is also a Unesco World Heritage site and one of the eight hottest biological hotspots of the world.

In southern Karnataka, the missing links in the Bannerghatta-Nagarhole landscape have been bridged to achieve an unbroken stretch of 7,050 sq km that includes adjoining protected areas in the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

In central Karnataka, the Kudremukh-Aghanashini landscape across 1,716 sq km has been made contiguous.

In the north, expanding the Anshi-Bhimghad landscape has linked a forest stretch of 2,242 sq km in Goa and Karnataka.

Experts say habitat fragmentation is a major threat to wildlife conservation. Contiguous forest landscapes allow gene flow and increase colonisation probability, thereby reducing the risk of local extinction.

Interconnected forests also offer a better chance of adaptation and survival when wild animals shift habitats to cope with the impact of climate change.

None of these concerns has stopped the Indian government from dragging its feet over implementing the recommendations of an expert panel to safeguard the Western Ghats.

But Karnataka has on its own secured much of this biological treasure trove.

But, it has not been easy.

Given the exclusionist conservation model of the Indian state, local communities usually fear losing their traditional rights when a forest is brought under legal protection.

But the state forest department officials say they have treaded cautiously.

From the beginning, explains former forest official BK Singh who initiated the expansion process, it was made clear that all existing rights of the people would continue.

"The protected area expansion covered only reserve forests where people's rights were already settled. Even in those areas, we did not force our decisions on people," says Vinay Luthra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka.

'No threat'

"We have not relocated a single village for this expansion," says MH Swaminath, former wildlife official who was part of the team that drew up the plan in 2011, adding that the focus was on protecting biodiversity-rich forests and key wildlife corridors from invasive development such as heavy industries, mining or dams.
"In comparison, existing villages [within the expanded protected areas] do not pose any serious threat to conservation," says Mr Singh.

The expansion plan was accepted by the Karnataka state wildlife officials in July 2011. By January 2012, it had the approval of the National Board for Wildlife in Delhi. Within a month, the first expansion was implemented in the Bandipur tiger reserve.

"Since then, nearly 1,700 sq km was added to three national parks and five wildlife sanctuaries. Another 906 sq km was notified as a new sanctuary," says wildlife biologist Sanjay Gubbi.

Besides supporting wildlife, these expanded protected areas also serve as watersheds and support 15 rivers, he adds.

The state forest department hit some roadblocks in Bhadra tiger reserve and Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary.

Largest network

"Certain vested interests tried to mislead people. A lot of ground has been covered in just two years but a few key links still remain to be achieved to establish forest connectivity between Bangalore and Goa," says Mr Singh.

A spate of small hydel power projects, for example, threatened to block the elephant corridors and spoil the natural water systems in and around Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary.

In April 2013, the Karnataka government informed the High Court that no new mini-hydel project would be permitted in the Western Ghats region and also set an example by cancelling the land leases granted to two ongoing projects.

Yet, an unbroken Bangalore-Goa landscape may remain just a dream.

There are only two small conservation reserves - Aghanashini (known for the lion-tailed macaque) and Bedthi - in a sea of human settlements and areca nut plantations between the northern and central Karnataka landscapes (see map).

"But it is possible to link the southern and the central Karnataka forest landscapes into a contiguous protected area spread over 15,000 sq km in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala," says Mr Gubbi.

"That in itself will probably be Asia's largest unbroken protected area network."

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How India is building Asia's largest secure forest network

Indian economy: No longer fragile

MEA — 19/03/2014 16:56:13

Live Mine/by Niranjan Rajadhyaksha

A growth revival is not yet on the horizon. But the ability of the Indian economy to withstand a global shock is far higher than what it was during July 2013

The Indian economy is now looking far less fragile than it has been over the past two years. The gradual decline in inflation as well as the dramatic reduction in the current account deficit is a sure sign that excess demand pressures are finally easing.

A growth revival is not yet on the horizon. But the ability of the Indian economy to withstand a global shock is far higher than what it was during July 2013. It is no surprise that the rupee has been strengthening against the dollar in recent weeks despite the fact that the US is committed to keep trimming its extraordinary monetary stimulus.

Much of the credit for the growing stability should go to finance minister P. Chidambaram, who learnt the harsh lessons on offer in the weeks when the rupee seemed to be in free fall. Raghuram Rajan also flanked him since he took over as Reserve Bank of India governor. It is worth comparing the recent Indian success in reducing external imbalances with some of the other countries whose currencies were battered last year. India and Indonesia have worked hard to bring down their current account deficits; Turkey, Brazil and South Africa have done precious little.

Of course, the sceptics have a point when they say that the reduction in the current account deficit is an exaggeration because gold imports have been pushed underground by the import curbs imposed over the past year. And the decline in consumer price inflation is largely explained by the seasonal decline in vegetable prices; core inflation has not seen a similar decline. But the economy does seem more stable even after taking these criticisms on board.

However, the battle is far from over. India continues to be a high inflation economy. Retail inflation is around three percentage points higher than the average of nine comparable emerging market economies I have considered. The latest inflation reading is only 1.6 percentage points lower than its average since the new national consumer price inflation began to get calculated in January 2012. And the rate at which prices rose when India had a similar growth rate a decade ago was half the current rate, if one considers the consumer price index for industrial workers in fiscal year 2003.

What this means is that India is only in the early stages of disinflation. One easy thumb rule to figure out how much more inflation needs to fall is as follows. Central banks in the rich countries have a retail inflation target of 2%. It is often assumed that inflation in the high growth emerging markets should be around two percentage points higher than in the rich countries because of what economists call the Balassa-Samuelson effect, or around 4%. It is worth pointing out here that the Sukhamoy Chakravarty committee on monetary policy had said in 1985 that India should keep inflation below 4%.

The Urjit Patel committee has recommended a similar target in its recent report. But it has suggested that the Indian central bank should move to the eventual inflation target gradually—the so-called glide path that will ensure that there is no brutal monetary squeeze at a time when growth is so sluggish. The latest consumer price inflation data shows that Indian inflation is just a whisker above the target given by the Patel committee for January 2015, which is why many private sector economists are predicting in their reports that interest rates will not be touched in the monetary policy due in April.

Any prolonged fight against high inflation comes with output losses. There has been some work done by economists at the Indian central bank on the size of the sacrifice ratio—or how much growth has to be sacrificed for every one percentage point reduction in inflation. However, the current thinking is that Indian inflation is so high that its reduction will in fact help rather than hurt growth. To the mathematically minded, what senior central bank economists are now saying is that the function mapping the two variables is convex rather than a straight line.

The growing signs of stability in the Indian economy are thus welcome. Stability is essential before there is a growth revival; any attempt to prematurely stimulate growth at a time when there is high inflation and an unsustainable current account deficit will only push the economy back to the edge of an abyss. But economic stability will be of little use if it is not seen as an opportunity to eventually get growth back on track. There is a lot to be done here, especially getting companies back into investment mode. The battle promises to be a long one.

The United Progressive Alliance government will leave behind an economy that is in important ways much weaker than the one it inherited in 2004, if one looks at the latest combination of four parameters: economic growth, fiscal deficit, current account deficit and retail inflation. The numbers do not lie.

(The views expressed above the personal views of the writer)

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Indian economy: No longer fragile

WHO to certify South-East Asia as polio free next week

MEA — 19/03/2014 17:03:41

Live Mint/by C.H. Unnikrishnan

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will certify the South-East Asia region that comprises of 11 countries including India as polio free on 27 March.

The certification is based on independent review and assessment of the national documentations from all the 11 national certification committees of member states for several years. South-East Asia will be the fourth geographical zone to join the polio free region of WHO after the Americas (1994), the Western Pacific (2000) and European region(2002).

"This will be a momentous occasion for the millions of health workers who have worked with governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society and partners to eradicate polio from the region,” Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia, said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to Singh, no single country can be certified as polio-free alone. WHO certification of a region as polio-free can happen after all the countries there report three years without a single new case of polio due to wild polio virus.

"It proves that such an achievement can also be reached for diseases such as measles and rubella. By preventing a debilitating disease, polio eradication helps to reduce poverty and gives children and their families a greater chance of leading healthy and productive lives. We must learn from polio eradication and make use of the infrastructure, capacities and innovative strategies to combat other diseases,” she said.

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WHO to certify South-East Asia as polio free next week

Now, panchayats to manage village forests

MEA — 19/03/2014 17:12:50

Times of India/ by Vijay Pinjarkar

In bid to institutionalize an effective management regime for conservation and long-term sustainability of forests, the state government has now empowered village panchayats to manage reserve and protected forests and natural resources. This would be done with the help of micro plan or Gram Van Yojana to be implemented by Van Vyavasthapan Samiti (forest management committee).

The government has come out Maharashtra Village Forest Rules 2014 on March 5. They apply to part of such reserved forests (RF) or protected forests (PF) in the village as assigned under the Indian Forest Act (IFA) 1927. These rules will not be applicable to forests acquired under community forest rights (CFRs) and Forests Rights Act 2006.

The chief conservator of forests (CCF) of the Circle concerned, on receiving resolution from the gram sabha that they wish to manage forest areas within 3km as village forests, shall call for the report of the deputy conservator.

Government/officers may assign RF or PF to a village panchayat effectively managed by joint forest management committee and where effective participation of people has been witnessed in prevention of encroachment, fires, illicit grazing, felling consequently ensuring positive rate of regeneration during last decade.

"Priority shall be given to notifying all the JFM areas as village forests where villages have received any prize under Sant Tukaram Gram Van Scheme," said officials.

However, extraction of bamboo, tendu and minor forest produce in such forests assigned to Van Vyavsthapan Samiti shall be strictly in accordance with micro plan. To ensure conservation as well as protection of wildlife and also sustainability of regeneration of bamboo, the assigned forest area shall be divided into three parts and each part shall be revisited for extraction after a gap of three years.

The samiti will prepare a ten-year micro plan and an 'annual implementation plan' each year for managing the forests and place the plan before the gram sabha for ratification and its approval by the competent authority as per instructions of the government and Central government from time to time.

Till now, forests are being managed by joint forest management committees (JFMCs) in territorial forest areas and eco-development committees (EDCs) in wildlife areas.

GIVING FORESTS BACK TO PEOPLE

The samiti will manage village forests on behalf of village panchayats.
Extraction of forest produce like bamboo, tendu, apta etc will be accordance to micro plan approved by the department.
The powers, jurisdiction and functions for transaction of business shall be according to provisions of Village Panchayat Act.
The panchayats will prohibit damage to forests, wildlife, poaching, stop grazing etc.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Now, panchayats to manage village forests

Equality, Empowerment, and the Gulabi Gang

MEA — 19/03/2014 18:46:05

Guardian/by Elijah Stephens

In 2006, in Bundelkhand in the Banda District of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India, Sampat Pal Devi, a mother with five children, started the Gulabi Gang to speak out against domestic violence and child marriage. Formerly a government health worker as well as a child bride herself, she saw a man beating his wife and intervened only to be beaten herself. She proceeded to return the next day with five women carrying bamboo lathi sticks and taught him an ancient lesson in humility.

Word spread and before long women were coming to Sampat in need of her help, at which point she started the sisterhood and adopted the pink, or "gulabi” in Hindi, uniform to symbolize their understated strength. From then on, the Gulabi Gang kept watch over their neighborhood, not unlike the Guardian Angels that started in New York in 1979 as a volunteer community watchdog. Unlike that particular group, however, Sampat Pal Devi is hardcore and stories abound of her retaliating against corrupt police and extortionist government officials, occasionally with violence to the extent that her group is referred to less as activists protesting injustice but vigilantes.

In their district, they have worked to put an end to child marriages while arguing against the dowry marriage-custom and trying to spread literacy. They fight for an equal public distribution of grain and food supplies for people living in abject poverty and they support the rights of elderly widows, who often lack a birth certificate to prove their age to receive pension benefits. After 2008, the Gang was reported to be 20,000 strong with chapters across the world as far as Paris. More often than not, the Gulabi women are known to be a peaceful force working for female empowerment in their community, a strictly patriarchal caste-system of inequality that is strangled by the oppression of men, which is why the Gang uses public shame to instill their beliefs about justice, likely holding their lathi sticks when they do.

On March 7, and not coincidentally before International Women’s Day, Sampat Pal Devi was supposedly ousted from the group due to criticism that she was enjoying her popularity too much. But whether or not she is positioning herself in the popular culture of the world’s largest democratic nation for purposes of furthering her honorable sociopolitical standpoints, she is certainly not going to be removed from the organization that was built from the strength of her character.

Around the globe, women are not only being refused access to education and essential freedom, but rape has reached levels of epidemic proportions and across all of India. 37 percent of women have experienced abuse, not including the thousands of dowry deaths and bride burnings that take place every year as a result of segregation derived from their outmoded caste-system. With the Chinese drowning baby girls for decades, they are set in the coming generation to experience a major drought in marriage due to a simple lack of the opposite sex, and to even have a conversation about women’s rights in the Middle East at this point is futile.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, sex trafficking is the most widespread type of slavery and reports estimate the extent of these crimes as millions of victims. As the third largest criminal enterprise on the planet and the fastest growing commodity for organized crime, it is considered an international problem but an estimated 293,000 Americans are at risk of becoming victims of sexual exploitation, including youths who come from homes where they were abused or abandoned. On average, the girls who are first turned into prostitutes are reported to be 12 to 14.

Anthropology offers evidence that tribal societies were predominantly egalitarian, and that patriarchy did not exist until after the Pleistocene era, following technological innovations such as agriculture and domestication. Around 4,000 BC, the geographical record suggests that climate change led to global famine across Arabia, the Sahara, and the Central Asian deserts, resulting in the adoption of warlike cultures in order to secure these food sources. There is an exaggerated amount of complacency in the western world that forgets how the Greeks treated women as second-class citizens and the Romans considered them to be property. There is a distorted concept of what it took to realize the world’s first true democracy in America, even when the women’s suffrage movement started in the 1700s and gained momentum through stalwart support from sacrifices made across centuries by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and Eleanor Roosevelt.

In the sixth century AD, after the Justinian Plague severely decimated the populations of Mediterranean Romans and Greeks, the Germanic migration that was later followed by Scandinavians successfully spread the northernmost global culture to the rest of Europe. According to anthropologists, in the north women were treated respectfully. They could own property and get divorced and though their societies were patrifocal, meaning that men were the center of the social structure as a result of continuous territorial struggles, any female could rise through the ranks of male-dominated groups if she had what it took to compete. According to the psychology of Carl Jung, patriarchy is a weak form of masculinity that not only insults the sacred feminine but also masculinity in its fullness.

From Queens Elizabeth, Isabella, Catherine, and Victoria, all the way to modern Margaret Thatcher, western civilization from then forward showed trust in a woman’s acumen for politics. From Boudicca the Celt to Joan of Arc, there was never a problem with following women to war. Historically speaking though, advanced civilizations have all been patriarchal, believed to be a psychological reaction in those who first gain freedom trying to keep it for themselves, other than reductionist physical domination. Even the U.S. was disrespectfully patriarchal until the 1960s, and as a result there was little consideration about the reason for the prevalence of pair-bonding and equality of both sexes.

Abstract thought has proof going back almost 100,000 years through tribal cultures, and since civilization has only existed for the past 10,000, what humanity is in terms of hardwired natural programming is far from civilized. Pair-bonding was not created by man or woman, it was designed by nature as one of the many ways in which a species achieves lasting survival. In fact, mates imprint upon each other with such intensity that there are species of birds that remain completely loyal to their partner, even after death. This would seem unnatural because animals reach for immortality through procreation and are driven to do so through the same immutable programming, but the counter-reductionist argument would consider this a manifestation of unconditional love.

People want freedom and therefore play games of apologetics to excuse their behavior, but even in tribal cultures where polygamy existed, it was always about the wealth of alpha males and 80 percent of the people in those tribes still married one man with one woman. All major empires, except for those in the west allowed their emperors to have concubines, but out of political necessity, because what advanced European cultures experienced with respect for marriage was that after a King died they were often left without a rightful heir, or worse, sociopathic Caligulas who had no right to rule over the lives of others. In societies to the east, the purpose of a harem was to provide multiple opportunities for the royal bloodline to get it right for the sake of the empires they were responsible for ruling, not their own personal enjoyment of innumerable females at their feet.

According to archeologists, only in rare cases were tribal cultures patriarchal, and many warrior-cultures like the Aztecs respected women enough to designate Paradise as only for men who died in battle and women who died during childbirth. There is ample evidence for all variations, from the Hawaiians who went so far as to have separate huts for eating to divide the sexes, to polyandrous cultures in the Himalayas where one woman married numerous men because the territory was rugged enough to dictate their necessity for natural support to raise the following generation.

Historians list tribal customs across the world that have matrilineal kinship systems in which property and descent were passed through the female line, and women elders could even vote on hereditary male chiefs and occasionally depose them. Though matrifocal practices are widespread enough to be considered common, there has been no evidence that matriarchal societies ever existed, but the unburied fertility statues from the hunter-gatherer point of view would denote incomparable reverence. Being that most children died before the age of five and the average lifespan was less than 30, without understanding the scientific dynamic of procreation, simple logic would have led tribal men to comprehend that continued existence rested upon the fact that women kept creating more humans.

The momentum of history cannot be denied, because western women in the 1960s sought power that had been taken from them during the cultural transition from the northern tribes to this version of Greek Hellenism. Since men had all the power to give away, it was an appeal to morality and the inherent natural state of equality that urged them to abdicate what they never owned to begin with. Genetic memory from leaving the forest less than 1,500 years ago brought with it a background of respect for females that has since permeated the drive towards freedom that would not exist in the "civilized” world otherwise.

After the 14 Amendment in 1868, when the 19 amendment was ratified in 1920, America took the most vital step towards true democracy to carry over into the Civil Rights Movement apart from President Truman’s signature on Executive Order 9981 in 1948 that declared equal opportunity for people in the armed services. From there, the court case of Brown versus the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954 finally resigned the issue legally by declaring that separation itself was inherently unequal, with obvious insinuations beyond race.

Perhaps it is time now to pick up sticks. If the Gulabi Gang in India is a sign that women have reached the limits of their patience, there must be hope for the rest of the world. The only example they need is Sampat Pal Devi, and real men who have the courage to find the same reverence for women that the Vikings did, facing the cold and brutal wilderness with appreciation for the warmth and light that females bring to it. Americans are adept at expressing opinions with voices loud enough to rattle the walls of global culture, so if it is time for society to awaken to itself. There should be limitless gratitude for the liberty provided from the sacrifice of the ancestors to declare in the loudest voice possible that even if the war of equality has not yet been won. For the sake of the suffering women and girls in foreign countries, the fight will not stop until every last cage has been broken, every chain removed, and every false limitation burned away for sacred women to once again take their rightful place.

(The views expressed above are personal views of the writer)

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Equality, Empowerment, and the Gulabi Gang

How India's Chet Kanojia is shaking up the US TV industry

MEA — 18/03/2014 16:34:39

BBC India/by Brajesh Upadhyay

Growing up in the northern Indian city of Bhopal, Chet Kanojia and his friends would smuggle palm-sized transistors into school to listen to live commentary of cricket matches.

It may have been his first exposure to what Indians call jugaad - a cheap but reliable solution to problems through improvisation.

Today, he is threatening to topple the titans of America's television industry with what could easily qualify as a master-stroke of Indian jugaad.From a small office in Manhattan, the 43-year-old Indian immigrant has launched a cloud-based technology that grabs over-the-air television signals and streams them online to subscribers for $8 (£4.8) a month.

"We decided it made sense to bring television online. Wouldn't it be fun to put TV in the cloud?" asks Mr Kanojia.

Stealing content?

Each subscriber is provided with a coin-sized remote antenna. The customer connects the antenna to a device through the internet - subscribers can watch programmes on tablets, phones, personal computers and TV.

US TV networks have sued Mr Kanjoia's company Aereo, available in 13 cities in the US, accusing it of stealing their content.

Under US copyright law anyone with an antenna can watch Fox, ABC, NBC and other free-to-air networks.

But these days most people get their TV through cable and satellite subscriptions that bundle hundreds of channels along with these free-to-air channels and charge $100-200 (£60-£120) a month. Cable operators pay these networks what is known as a "retransmission fee".

According to figures compiled by Nielsen, some 100 million of the 114 million US homes

with TV subscribe to cable, satellite or fibre-optic pay TV systems.

The Economist magazine says the big four broadcast networks alone earned $1.3bn (£0.8bn) from "retransmission fee" paid by cable operators.

Aereo is being called the party-spoiler for TV networks as it threatens their valuable source of income.

It cuts out the cable operator from the picture and the TV networks do not get any retransmission fee.

"We are not a cable company. We just provide the technology to the consumer," says Mr Kanojia.

He says his invention is driven by consumer habits.

The majority of his subscribers watch shows carried by free-to-air networks on the device of their choice, he says.

Companies like Netflix and Hulu offer previously-aired content online but not live news and sports like Aereo does.

June Besek of Columbia Law School says the broadcasters are angry because Aereo is capturing and retransmitting their signals and not paying any licence fee for that.

"Aereo says they have give an antenna to each individual user. So according to Aereo, if you have 100,000 people watching the World Series, through individual antennas, it's still a private performance," she says.

But broadcasters want Aereo to pay for retransmitting what they regard as a "public performance" and that's at the heart of the legal battle.

'Tough challenge'

Mr Kanojia says the challenges are tough and the most significant is the legal challenge as it's "existential".

"But then the funny thing about upstarts is they like to beat the challenge," he says.

He sold his previous company, which helped target advertisements to TV viewers, to Microsoft for a reported $250m.

Aereo has attracted $97m in venture-capital funding. One of the backers is media baron Barry Diller who helped launch Fox Broadcasting Company.

By his own admission, Mr Kanojia, son of a businessman father and a teacher mother, was not bright but "hard-working".

Hanging out with friends in Bhopal, he did "all the things that young men do".

He picked up a degree in mechanical engineering from the National Institute of Technology in Bhopal before moving to the US in 1991 for a masters in computer systems engineering.

Today he is a workaholic who manages with four hours of sleep and rarely misses his morning run.

So is Aereo about earning more money?

"It's not about money. I have made a few bucks and have a very modest and balanced lifestyle," he says.

"If they gave out medals for accomplishment, it might be a better system because the trappings for other things wouldn't get in the way," says Mr Kanojia.

Aereo's case comes up for hearing in the US Supreme Court in April.

"Am I nervous? I will be a fool not to be," he says.

But then his mantra for life is: "I love the journey. I am more fearful about the journey ending as opposed to the outcome".

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How India's Chet Kanojia is shaking up the US TV industry

India goes to the polls in the biggest election ever seen

MEA — 18/03/2014 17:33:05

The Conversation

After weeks of waiting for the dates to be announced, the dates and process of the next election in the world’s largest democracy have been confirmed. On 9 separate days between April 7 and May 12, 814m Indian voters will vote in almost a million polling stations, using 1.8m electronic voting machines to allocate 543 seats in the Lok Sabha ("house of the people”). Votes will be counted on May 16; the term of the current Lok Sabha comes to an end on May 31.

India is the world’s largest democracy, and these are the 16th national elections since independence in 1947. India has changed much in that time. Once dominated by the secular Indian National Congress – although even in the first national election of 1951-2, the INC won 76% of the seats on only 45% of the vote – its politics now revolve around coalitions, with a plethora of political parties. National parties like the Congress and the Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) do still exist, they are unable to come to power on their own, relying on regional and caste-based allies.

Turnout varies, but is usually around 60%, making the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) prediction of a turnout higher than 70% an ambitious one. That said, the ECI has dedicated itself to an electoral participation programme to increase voter turn-out among previously disengaged groups. And for the first time, voters will also be offered a "none of the above” option.

This will not be India’s longest election; the first elections of 1951-2 were held over a five-month period. Despite this, the length of this polling period has been controversial. The ECI has justified the time span as necessary given the logistics of providing security and impartial policing for the election, which "requires considerable deployment of central and state police forces to ensure peaceful, free, fair election with fearless participation of electors, especially in the vulnerable areas/pockets”. It is estimated that 11m security personnel and 5.5m civilian staff will be required. The ECI also had to take into account religious holidays and festivals, as well as examination schedules, harvest season, and the "onset and spread of [the] monsoon and acute hot weather conditions in certain parts of the country”.

Clash of heavyweights

Much has been made of the clash between two major party leaders. The first is Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Modi is highly controversial, with the BJP’s alliance partner in the state of Bihar, the JD(U), withdrawing from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2012 after the announcement. He is chief minister of the state of Gujarat, with a reputation for delivering high levels of economic growth in the state – although when compared to other states, his record looks less exceptional. He was accused of failing to prevent the massacre of up to 2000 Muslims in 2002 in Gujarat, and even of complicity in the pogrom. These accusations led to a visa ban by several foreign governments, including the US and the UK, though the UK ban was lifted in 2012, and the US ban is likely to be lifted by the US if Modi becomes prime minister.

The second major figure is Rahul Gandhi, son of Sonia and Rajiv (assassinated in 1991), grandson of Indira Gandhi (assassinated in 1984) and the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Elevated to vice-president of Congress in January 2013, Rahul is relatively inexperienced; he fumbled embarrasingly through a high-profile interview in January this year. Congress have deliberately avoided projecting him as their prime ministerial candidate, to avoid him being tarnished by their expected poor showing at the polls. Many predict the party will suffer its worst electoral defeat ever – some say it will win even fewer than 100 seats, less than half of its current total.

But a focus on national leaders is hardly an appropriate way to view an election in such a diverse and differentiated country. Regional leaders, not least the indomitable J Jayalalitha from Tamil Nadu and Mamata Banerjee from West Bengal are just as important. Additionally, because India is a federal system, the electoral maths are complicated. Therefore, although a recently released large-scale attitudinal survey confirmed the general perception of huge NDA gains over the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Congress Party, and a recent poll predicted the NDA winning 319 seats (well above the 272 needed to form a government), the exact make-up of the government will be determined by electoral alliances.

Electoral alliances between Indian political parties involve agreeing which seats in a state allied parties will each contest. One such example is the pact between the Shiv Sena and the BJP in the state of Maharashtra. The alliance between the extreme Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena and the BJP is a fairly natural one, but many other alliances are less obvious and often occasioned by political opportunism rather than ideological affiliation. This is one reason why many are still in the process of being finalised.

Cleaning house

The focus on the Modi-Gandhi dichotomy also obscures the important policy issues at stake. Corruption, inflation and economic development are the main voter concerns. Many of those who will consider voting for Modi are not extreme Hindu nationalists, but those who see him as a leader who gets things done and can produce economic growth, delivering India from the poor governance, corruption and inflation it has suffered under the Congress’s second term, where Manmohan Singh has essentially been a lame-duck prime minister.

And in this atmosphere of impatience with bad government there has emerged the Aam Aadmi (AAP) party –- focused on ending corruption. The party swept to power in Delhi in December 2013, then resigned in protest in February 2014 after they were unable to table their flagship anti-corruption bill. Their leader, Arvind Kejrival, has been explicitly targeting Modi in recent days, questioning Gujarat’s economic "miracle”. AAP is unlikely to win many seats, but its emergence has changed the focus of the campaign.

Although Modi is the favourite to be India’s next prime minister, much will depend on how well the BJP performs as part of the NDA, and some voters will undoubtedly be wary of voting for the BJP or its alliance partners with Modi at the helm. However, a week is a long time in politics and with eight weeks until the polls close, this election could produce some surprises, as the University of Nottingham’s blog on #IndiaVotes2014 will be covering.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India goes to the polls in the biggest election ever seen

New technology for uninterrupted power supply in India could end rolling blackouts

MEA — 19/03/2014 16:27:41

Deutsche Welle

They call it the Uninterrupted Direct Current and it could be the solution to India's crippling, rolling power cuts. The UDC guarantees continuous power from the grid even during outages.

A new collaboration between the Indian government and the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai promises to be a "game changer" in power starved India. It could spell the end for the country's chronic power outages.

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, for instance, long, daily power cuts are common. They have been crippling for industry and agriculture, disrupting thousands of micro, small and medium sized enterprises.

"For the last year or more, because of the power cuts, many of us have suffered, especially our businesses. Some had to shut shop," says Uday Kumar, a small businessman from Madurai. "But if the government manages to power up our lives and give us minimum energy, we will greatly welcome it."

Uday Kumar is excited about the new technology, which is being tested in homes in four southern Indian states.

The 'uninterrupted direct current' (UDC) promises to provide electricity from the grid to power basic appliances such as fans, TVs, lights and mobile phone chargers, despite an outage and when demand is high.

Basic electricity

It's the brainchild of Indian Institute of Technology director Bhaskar Ramamurti and electrical engineering professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, a member of the prime minister's Science Advisory Council.

Ramamurti says the UDC aims to provide a minimum of 100 watts of power per day to households, with the addition of a simple piece of equipment at substations.

"In the home, you add another small device before the electric meter. So on top of AC power, we can supply a second output of power at 48 volts DC. This only gives you 48 volts DC and 100 watts [from the grid], but you get it 24 hours a day," says Ramamurti.

And in the event of a power outage, the new system will maintain a minimal supply of power.

"So you will have a 'brown out' rather than a blackout," adds Ramamurti.

LED future

The current flows through a separate meter to power three lights, two fans and a mobile charger. Consumers who opt for the scheme will have to spend around 1,000 Indian rupees (12 euros) for the device at home, and buy LED (light emitting diode) bulbs and fans that run on DC (direct current) power.

Krishna Vasudevan, an electrical engineer and member of the UDC development team, says the system will guarantee a constant power supply to millions of homes even when the grid is overstretched.

"Brushless fans and LED lights that work on direct current will be powered using this DC power," says Vasudevan. "It will go a long way to alleviate the starved situation in India."

And there is room for expansion.

Private users can increase their power consumption by connecting a solar panel to the UDC unit.

But more than this, the engineers say their system is so strong that large complexes should consider enhancing basic DC with solar power to reduce dependence on expensive diesel generators.

It could even run alongside smart meters.

Testing, testing

All eyes are on the results of a proof-of-concept demonstration in the four southern states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.

Ashok Jhunjhunwala says the UDC will be a "game changer" for India.

"I think it's a very simple idea but real huge gains are possible. So I think if we do it right, India has a game changer technology," says Jhunjhunwala. "It has to take it all the way."

When the pilot project ends in the next few months, work will begin on securing regulatory approval and developing safety standards.

Then, it is hoped, the UDC will be rolled out across the country.

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New technology for uninterrupted power supply in India could end rolling blackouts

Hun Sen gifted with sacred Buddhist relics

MEA — 19/03/2014 16:37:35

Cambodia Daily: Sovuthy Khy

The Indian ambassador to Cambodia on Tuesday presented Prime Minister Hun Sen with a number of sacred Buddhist objects during a private meeting between the two men in Phnom Penh, according to Mr. Hun Sen’s assistant.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting at Mr. Hun Sen’s office building, known as the Peace Palace, Eang Sophalleth said that Indian Ambassador Dinesh Patnaik had handed over holy objects from three of the "Eight Places” of Buddha, which are revered sites of pilgrimage in India and Nepal.

"Bodh Gaya was the place where Buddha was enlightened, Sarnath was the place that Buddha performed dharma, and Kusinara was where Buddha died,” Mr. Sophalleth said.

"Among the gifts were also leaves from the Bodhi tree,” under which Buddha is believed to have achieved enlightenment, he added.

"Samdech Akeak Moha Sena Padei Decho Prime Minister Hun Sen also thanked His Excellency Dinesh for giving him the sacred gifts…so that his family can receive happiness and luck,” Mr. Sophalleth added, using the prime minister’s full ceremonial title.

He declined to elaborate on what exactly Mr. Hun Sen had been given other than the holy leaves.

Khim Sorn, chief of the secretariat of the Mohanikaya monastic order, which has strong ties to the ruling party, said the gifts would cement people’s belief in the power of Buddha.

"Whatever happens, we will respect and pay sacrifice to these sacred things, and we will receive happiness and luck,” he said.

Mr. Hun Sen also met Tuesday with British Ambassador Bill Longhurst, but it was not clear if any gifts were given.

"His Excellency the British ambassador said he was glad to be ambassador and that he is interested in Cambodia’s economy, increasing investment, and British tourism to Cambodia,” Mr. Sophalleth said.

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Hun Sen gifted with sacred Buddhist relics

SCADA system to better monitor India city's water distribution network

MEA — 19/03/2014 16:42:13

Water World

The city of Bangalore, India, has planned to receive a new SCADA system for its Centralized SCADA Monitoring Center, which will monitor the city's water distribution network and wastewater facilities. The technology will be provided by Yokogawa India Ltd., a subsidiary of Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and will serve as the company's first order from a water municipality in India.

Yokogawa will deliver the FAST/TOOLS™ SCADA software and the STARDOM™ network-based control system, which will monitor all data from Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board's (BWSSB) water supply facilities, such as pumping stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, reservoirs, and a water supply network that transports water from the Cauvery River to the city.

Due to rapid industrial development and population growth in recent years, the city of Bangalore suffers from frequent water outages. Based upon the data that it will collect, the monitoring center will optimize the supply of water to the city and improve the operating efficiency of its facilities. Ultimately, the center will be integrated with the billing system. This project is receiving much attention in India given its progressive approach.

Yokogawa India will have overall responsibility for implementing the project, including engineering, installation and commissioning of software and instruments. Further, the endeavor is being funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The system will be introduced for the water supply utilities in May 2015, and its coverage will be expanded to include the wastewater treatment plants.

About Yokogawa Corporation of America

Yokogawa Corporation of America is a provider of Industrial Automation and Test and Measurement solutions. Combining superior technology with engineering, system integration, project management, and maintenance services, the company delivers field-proven operational efficiency, safety and reliability. It is headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas. For more information, visithttp://yokogawa.com/us.

About Yokogawa

Yokogawa's global network of 88 companies spans over a total of 55 countries. Founded in 1915, the $4-billion company is engaged in industrial automation and control (IA), test and measurement and other business segments. The IA segment plays a vital role in a wide range of industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, pulp and paper, pharmaceuticals, and food. For more information, visit www.yokogawa.com.

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SCADA system to better monitor India city's water distribution network

A Culinary Pilgrimage to Punjab

MEA — 19/03/2014 16:47:58

New York Times/by Shivani Vora

Within five minutes of ordering three deluxe thalis at the large and bustling Bharawan da Dhaba in Amritsar, India, a waiter brought us round steel trays filled with our $3 lunch. There were a half-dozen bowls on each, which included spicy chickpeas with a hint of pomegranate powder, the black lentils known as daal and the Punjabi comfort food equivalents of macaroni and cheese — the creamy mustard greens called sarso ka saag and kadhi, a yellow chickpea flour and yogurt curry swimming with fried onion fritters. Lachedar parantha, whole wheat butter-layered bread, fresh from the tandoor clay oven, was our accompaniment.

These were the same dishes that Bharawan, a casual restaurant known as a dhaba, first served when it opened in 1912 as a covered tent restaurant, and they are what keep the crowds coming back more than a hundred years later.

Amritsar in the state of Punjab in northern India is a city for pilgrimages: There are those who come to visit the Golden Temple, the Sikh house of worship built in the 16th century, and then there are the presumably less pious who make the trip for the dhabas — divey looking joints famous for quick, inexpensive and remarkably tasty Punjabi cuisine.

On our mid-December visit, my mother-in-law, Bharati, my sister, Aditi, and I came to pay homage to the latter, and over the course of three days, ate our way through the most notable ones in town.

Many dhabas originated along the highways in Punjab in the mid-20th century to serve hungry truck drivers and eventually started opening in cities throughout the area. The ones in Amritsar, however, were always deemed to be far superior to the rest. As a Punjabi growing up in New Delhi, I heard constant stories from my family over the hearty and often heart-clogging meals characteristic of our sect about the dhaba feasts to be had in Amritsar, and I recently decided to take a trip to taste the supposedly supreme versions of the dishes that are an integral part of my roots.

Although each dhaba has its own specialties, there are similarities: Most of them have been around for a half-century or more and are family-run — actually, make that male-run, often with two or three generations of fathers and sons working together. And they have cultish followings because the dishes are authentic, not inventive, using so much ghee (clarified butter) that even the most traditional French cook would blush.

My primary concern about my ambitious tour was whether my stomach would hold up given the American standards of hygiene I have become accustomed to, having lived in the United States for more than 25 years. But Rashmi Uday Singh, the Mumbai-based food writer who is a judge on the Indian series "The Foodie Show” and who filmed an episode about Amritsar dhabas, eased my fears. "The thing about dhabas is that they usually have no fridges and buy only enough ingredients every morning that they will use in a day so everything is very fresh,” she said.

It was nostalgia that led me to our first stop: the nearly half-century old Kundan for its legendary chole poori breakfast. Located near the railway station, the small and square strictly vegetarian spot had plastic chairs and tables and dim lighting, but we weren’t there for the ambience. This morning meal of round, deep-fried puffy bread with spicy chickpeas was a beloved weekend tradition at my grandmother’s New Delhi house when I was a child.

Continue reading the main story

A cook standing outside over a large black vat of bubbling oil flattened the dough for our pooris and fried them to a golden finish. Our stainless steel tray held four of them, a generous bowl of chickpeas, another one of cooling yogurt and a side of spicy mango pickle. Our intention was to try just a bit to save room for the abundance of eating ahead, but a few bites of the crispy and chewy bread cradling the tangy and spicy chickpeas wasn’t enough to get our fill. Before long, nearly everything on our 40 rupee platters (less than a $1) rested in our happy stomachs.

With the craving for one classic meal satisfied, it was time to try the most popular Punjabi dish of daal makhani. Apart from chicken tikka masala, these spicy black lentils might be the item most associated with Indian food and a top order for both Indians and non-Indians around the world when they are dining at Indian restaurants.

For this, we headed to Kesar da Dhaba, which we reached by walking through a series of narrow streets in the city center where rickshaws and bicycles were the only vehicles around.

When we arrived, we found the owner, Ajay Kumar, 49, chopping cauliflower in the front open kitchen. Behind him were more than a dozen men furiously mincing large bunches of vegetables and cilantro in preparation for the day.

Mr. Kumar’s great-grandfather, Lala Kesar Mul, started Kesar, also a vegetarian restaurant, in 1916. Back then, daal makhani was the prized dish, and nearly a hundred years later, it’s still the reason more than 700 people come here daily.

"We go through 220 pounds of daal a day, and it’s sold out by the evening,” Mr. Kumar said.

Making a batch in the massive steel caldron is a nine-hour endeavor that begins at 4 a.m., when one of Mr. Kumar’s cooks washes and boils lentils until they are soft. Adding salt and red chile powder is next, and a mixture that includes onion, ghee, turmeric and the pungent sweet spice asafetida goes in just before serving. The word makhani means "with butter” in Hindi, and the hot and thick brown daal isn’t complete until it’s scooped into shallow steel bowls and topped with at least a half-stick that gradually melts in and makes for the creamiest rendition we had ever tasted.

By the evening, my sister and I were hankering for a meat fix (my mother-in-law is a vegetarian), which we wisely decided to fulfill with the goat leg curry — a dish we both tried for the first time — at the 50-year-old Pal. The five green tables with cracks running through them and rickety benches in a small room made for a suspect setting, but as we took in the aroma of the curry simmering in a round cast-iron pot in the tiny open kitchen, we forgot about our surroundings.

Jasbir Singh, 40, who runs Pal with his father, Jashpal, says there is a secret to the curry’s deep flavor: roasting and grinding the spices such as garam masala, cumin, coriander and red pepper daily. The chewy and rich goat legs in the soupy gravy beg for naan to scoop it up, but instead of the standard plain variety, Mr. Singh, who does all the cooking at Pal himself, presented us with a version filled with minced mutton. "We are not a place for those who don’t eat meat,” he said.

Because most dhabas are vegetarian, Pal stands out, but rarer still are the ones that sell fish. Fried catfish that is well known in India by different names, including singara, was a household staple for us in Delhi so I was happy to find that it’s the star at two of the most respected dhabas in town, which happen to have a connection. The story began with Makhan Fish & Chicken Corner, which two brothers, Sucha and Sarder Surjit Singh, opened as a stand near the railway station with their father almost 50 years ago. At the time, fish was unheard-of in Amritsar, but they sold fried singara fillets crusted in chickpea flour, caraway seeds and red chile powder.

The brothers eventually split, and Sucha kept the Makhan name and opened a two-story dhaba that his son Harjit, 29, now runs and where the original recipe is the reason to dine. The first floor is a place for men to bring in alcohol to enjoy with their heaping platters while families and women with children are relegated to the second floor, an alcohol-free zone. His cousin Amarjit Singh, 33, oversees Surjit Food Plaza, which, with its glass tables, clean white walls and wooden chairs was the most upscale of the dhabas that we visited. Although the same crisp fish is on the menu, Amarjit Singh has distinguished himself with new inventions like the incredibly tender spinach-coated fish kebabs baked in the tandoor, located in the outdoor kitchen in the narrow alley behind the restaurant. There’s also his homemade paneer, an Indian cheese, which my mother-in-law declared was the softest she had ever tried — even softer than hers.

Part of the charm of dhabas is that they function much as they did when they first opened, although they can be savvy about modern marketing. A handful of dhabas, including Surjit, Kesar and Bharawan, have either a Facebook page or a website. Last year, Bharawan’s owner, Subash Vij, 49, even opened an outpost at the food court in the city’s Alpha One mall. "Even in such an old and successful business, change is the law of nature,” he said.

He sat with us while we ate our thalis and saw that we needed more bread to help finish our mustard greens and yellow curry. An oversize leavened flatbread called a kulcha appeared, tempting us with its gentle steam and glistening ghee.

Bharati, Aditi and I eyed one another. Who would have the first bite? Without any discussion, all three of us tore off a piece at once.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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A Culinary Pilgrimage to Punjab

Malayalam gaining ground in UK

MEA — 18/03/2014 16:51:05

Nokia may name Indian-born CEO: Who is Rajeev Suri?

MEA — 18/03/2014 17:04:49

International Business Times/by Palash Ghosh

Just a little over one month after Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) selected Satya Nadella as its new chief executive officer, another global tech giant is preparing to name an Indian-born executive as its boss.

According to a report on Friday in Helsingin Sanomat, a Finnish newspaper, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) will likely appoint Rajeev Suri, the current head of its telecoms network equipment division, as its next CEO, following the $7.5 billion sale of the company’s handset business to Microsoft. Afterwards, Nokia’s business lines will comprise telecom equipment, location-based services and advanced technology businesses.

Nokia itself would not comment on media speculation about Suri, according to reports. "We will talk more about the Nokia strategy, structure and organization around the closing of the pending [handset] transaction," said spokeswoman Maija Taimi in a statement.

If appointed, Suri would succeed Stephen Elop, who is expected to transfer to Microsoft in connection with the handset transaction, which is expected to close by the end of March.

The report noted that Suri is a strong favorite for the top job after he made the network equipment division, Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), profitable by enacting a dramatic restructuring plan that unloaded unprofitable business units. Following the handset deal, NSN will account for about 90 percent of Nokia's total sales, Reuters reported.

Suri’s restructuring program at NSN involved laying off more than 25,000 people, moves he called "regrettable but necessary" to improve the division’s profitability.

According to his official profile on the NSN website, Suri, who is only 46 years old, joined Nokia in 1995, held positions with the company all over the world and is now based in Espoo, Finland. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications, Manipal Institute of Technology, Mangalore University (which is also the alma mater of Nadella).

Suri is married to a woman named Nina and they have two children.

The Times of India speculated that Suri’s lineage may serve as an advantage, given that India is viewed as one of the biggest and growing markets for new mobile network infrastructure, as the country is moving from 2G networks to 3G and the next-generation 4G.

But Nokia faces some daunting challenges. In late January, the company posted a fourth quarter loss, including restructuring charges and a loss related to its discontinued Devices & Services business which is being sold to Microsoft. The NSN unit also reported a quarterly sales drop of 22 percent year-over-year.

Nevertheless, once Suri takes over the reins at Nokia, he will join a glittering array of Indian-born executives who now run some of the world’s most well-known companies, including Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP); Rakesh Kapoor at Reckitt Benckiser Group plc (LON: RB); Ajay Banga at MasterCard (NYSE: MA); and Anshu Jain at Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB).

The Hindu newspaper also reported that Manipal Institute of Technology wants to award honorary doctorates to both Suri and Nadella and are elated about the latest reports from Nokia.

"We are very happy that Rajeev Suri is tipped to be the chief of Nokia,” said Chancellor of Manipal University, Ramdas Pai. "Coming soon after the elevation of Satya Nadella to the top post in Microsoft, this is great news. We have created the best infrastructures which the students must fully use and try to get inspiration from these two and become future MDs and CEOs of big corporations.”

This article can also be read at:
Nokia may name Indian-born CEO: Who is Rajeev Suri?

India's Gerson da Cunha: Renaissance Man

MEA — 18/03/2014 17:29:23

Huffington Post/by Pranay Gupte

The name of Gerson da Cunha of Mumbai means a lot to men and women of a certain generation, including mine. Simply put, he is sui generis. He's India's Renaissance Man.

He possesses a towering intellect, a warm and giving personality, a voice that has been projected across film and drama theaters in many countries, a mind that has graced the diverse worlds of advertising, strategic communications and social marketing, a brain that developed modern India's mix of telecommunications of sustainable economic development -- particularly in rural areas -- and a heart that has worked relentless in the cause of women's education and empowerment, for children's rights and for trying to restore urban sanity in teeming metropolises such as Mumbai.

I thought of these things just the other evening at a dinner hosted by Gerson and his wife Uma, a noted film critic, publisher of a highly regarded film quarterly, and organizer of film festivals. The guests included the film composer and lyricist Vanraj Bhatia, the marketing guru Shashi Kathpalia and his wife, Nayna, the social activist, Madhulika Dash of Orissa, a noted food writer, and the acclaimed photographers Suzanne Lee of Malaysia and Sanjit Das of Kolkata.

I was reminded of what President John F. Kennedy said at a White House dinner in April 1962 honoring Nobel laureates of the Western hemisphere: "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

I write about Gerson because he's 83 years old, and is still going strong. A mild stroke hasn't slowed him, nor has the fact that today's generation of public intellectuals seldom acknowledge -- at least not fulsomely -- his stellar contributions. Gerson's door remains open to all, and notwithstanding ingrates he continues to be generous with his counsel and contacts.

Gerson da Cunha belongs to a generation of Indians who set about creating and strengthening institutions in advertising and other fields in post-Independence India. At a very young age, he became chief executive of Lintas, a fabled company whose business he grew. Unicef recruited him for South America, where he helped conceive and implement social marketing programs such inoculation for children in Brazil's slums, and healthy motherhood in Central America.

After a long Unicef stint -- which included serving at the agency's headquarters in New York -- Gerson returned home and helped his friend, the entrepreneur Sam Pitroda, to implement then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's ambition to streamline India's telecommunications. He wrote newspaper columns, and spoke widely about the importance of primary health care and women's education in India's ambitious development plans.

Gerson then turned his attention to urban management. While a large majority of India's 1.3 billion people live in rural areas, the country's rapidly expanding cities suffered from poor management and planning. Gerson formed a nongovernmental organization in Mumbai called Agni -- fire -- that kept after political governors to devote more time and resources for the wellbeing of city dwellers.

And all the while, Gerson continued acting in plays and movies, and he continued his column writing.

I had the privilege of persuading Gerson to join me in starting a conference newspaper, The Earth Times, for the 1992 Earth Summit. The summit was more formally known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. That parlay -- which was attended by 110 heads of state and government, and more than 65,000 civil-society participants -- took Gerson back to his old territory, Rio de Janeiro.

His daily columns for The Earth Times appeared under the title, View from the South. They spanned the spectrum of environmental and developmental issues, and they fetched Gerson a new cohort of fans. Indeed, his perspectives helped shape the political dialogue at the summit.

We continued publishing The Earth Times until 2003. That's when I shuttered the not-for-profit newspaper, which appeared daily at UN conferences in a dozen cities ranging from Bonn to Cairo to Beijing. It would be no hyperbole to say that Gerson's columns were the most sought-after feature of the newspaper.

Now he's back home in Mumbai, still pressing the cause of livable cities and healthy environments for city dwellers. His home serves as a salon for everyone from the high and mighty to everyday citizens. Gerson clearly relishes good company. But I venture to suggest that his visitors get far more out of him and Uma than the couple do.

That clearly doesn't bother Gerson da Cunha. After all, he says, his extraordinary and special life experiences are there for him to share and not to hoard. His art-and-artifact-filled living room is enhanced by the company he keeps, says Gerson. His mantra: everyone's welcome.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India's Gerson da Cunha: Renaissance Man

Indian influence boosts local economy

MEA — 18/03/2014 16:05:23

The Tampa Trubune/ Kaushal Chari

In grade schools nationwide, young students learn about immigration and how diversity has helped shape America. Large communities of Cuban, Mexican, Caribbean, European and African people call the Tampa Bay region home.

There is one community that people might not realize has a substantial presence in Tampa Bay — the Asian-Indian community. The Indian physicians, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who migrated to the United States in the later part of the 20th century have contributed to America in no small measure and, today, are helping shape our local economy and international reputation.

According to the Census Bureau, the Indian population grew to 0.9 percent of the total United States population in 2010 and had the highest household income across all ethnic groups. Locally, Florida had the six largest groups of Indians among all states; in Hillsborough and four adjoining counties, the 2010 census reports 27,939 people of Indian descent.

By all accounts, this figure should exceed 30,000 in 2014. Although the size of the group is impressive, the community’s economic impact is worthy of notice.

And it has been noticed by the International Indian Film Academy. When the 15th annual IIFA Awards makes its American debut in Tampa in April, the "Bollywood” event is projected to bring more than 30,000 visitors, generate upwards of 20,000 room nights, and have an economic impact of $30 million.

The growth this community has provided to the local economy goes beyond a weekend event.

WellCare, one of few Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Tampa, has Indian roots. Founded by several Indian physicians, the small enterprise was transformed into a major health insurance company by a local Indian physician, who launched Freedom Health, a billion dollar company in the same sector, after selling his majority stake in WellCare.

Ethnic Indian business leaders in the region founded HCI Group, the parent company of Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company. This company, with more than 170,000 policy holders, has been growing at a very rapid rate, and its stock prices are soaring.

Similarly, Indian immigrants co-founded Florida Medical Clinic, one of the largest multi-specialty medical practices in the Tampa Bay area; Acclaris, a leading solutions provider of benefits administration; Pilgrim Software, a leading provider of enterprise quality and compliance management software; Impact Properties, which holds a large portfolio of properties, including the Westin Tampa Bay; and Ultramatics, a business technology solutions firm that is one of the fastest-growing companies in the area.

There is more to the story than entrepreneurship, however. Indian immigrants also are thriving as employees in the private sector, filling critical skill shortages, particularly in STEM areas. Second-generation Indian Americans are studying here — one of the largest student organizations at the University of South Florida is the Students of India Association, with hundreds of members who are Americans of Indian descent — and they are preparing for careers in education, engineering, the sciences, health, and, of course, business. And our community is enhanced as philanthropists from the Indian community help build schools, fund arts education, or support sustainable business programs.

The IIFA awards and ancillary events in the Tampa Bay area affirm the growing importance of this community to the region (and of Tampa Bay to the people of India). Recognizing that, the University of South Florida College of Business is working with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry to host a two-day FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum at the Tampa Convention Center April 24 to 26. This event will bring thought leaders — primarily from industry and government — from India and America together to discuss business challenges and opportunities.

Since India’s 1991 economic reforms began, the emerging nation’s economy has grown to be the 10th largest in the world as of 2012. Experts project that India will continue on this high-growth pathway, becoming one of the top five economic powers by 2050.

Although the two-way Indo-U.S. trade crossed the $60 billion mark in 2012, there is potential for reaching the $100 billion mark in the not-too-distant future.

That fact, the size of the local Indian community and the lure of the IIFA Weekend make Tampa the perfect place for discussion between Indian and American leaders about two-way trade, particularly in the IT, financial and banking services, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, technology, and sustainability industries.

The Global Business Form will include plenary sessions where leaders will discuss challenges and opportunities related to Indo-U.S. commerce, too.

This conference is a chance for the local Indian community — people who have already made a great impact on our local economy — to work together to enhance our international reputation, increase awareness of this community’s economic impact in the region and foster the entrepreneurial spirit that brings small businesses and multi-billion dollar corporations to the region.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Indian influence boosts local economy

India to become world’s 3rd largest aviation market by ’20

MEA — 14/03/2014 18:34:05

Khaleej Times/by P.S.Jayaram

Decision to allow 49% FDI by foreign airlines boosts sector

India is set to become world’s third largest aviation market by 2020, with enhanced airport system that can handle 336 million domestic and 41 million international passengers, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Wednesday.

India is currently ranked 9th in the aviation market globally.

Speaking after inaugurating the five-day India Aviation 2014 at Begumpet Sirport here, Singh said: "Commercial fleet size is also expected to grow from 400 aircraft today to 1000. At the same time, the government has envisaged an investment of $12.1 billion in the airport sector during 12th plan period, of which $12.1 billion will come from private sector. This investment would help in modernisation of the existing airports and development of low cost airports.”

The minister pointed out that the biggest game-changer in Indian aviation industry was the decision to allow 49 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by foreign airlines.
"Two new scheduled airlines Aair Asia and Tata SIA are in the process of starting operations soon,” he said, adding that the recently announced "regional and remote area Air Connectivity Policy” and the decision to build 50 low cost airports in the country would give further boost to the industry.

Secretary of Civil Aviation Ministry Ashok Lavasa told the media that a committee constituted to appoint a project director and vice-chancellor for the National Aviation Academy, coming up at Fursat Gunj in Uttar Pradesh, will soon complete its task.

Referring to civil aviation authority bill, the official said: "Though the Union Cabinet has cleared the revised bill, incorporating the changes recommended by the standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, the new government will have to take a call on it as it could not be considered due to paucity of time.”

In this decade, the overall traffic is expected to grow at 10.1 per cent and domestic traffic is expected to grow at 11.4 per cent and international at 9.5 per cent. In addition, six airports would be developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, he said.

Addressing another Press conference, the chairman and managing director of Air India Rohit Nandan ruled out grounding of Dreamliner.

However, Air India has been reviewing the performance of Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to ascertain whether they are consuming fuel faster than expected. The CMD said India believed that the planes were heavier than originally promised.

"As far as fuel efficiency is concerned, when Air India received these planes, even at that time, we knew that the planes were heavier than what they were originally promised to be,” he said.

Air India, he said, had received compensation from Boeing for delivery delays. Asked about the operational glitches involving the Dreamliner, he said:

"These incidents are not unusual in a new fleet, in a new aircraft. There are no safety issues but only small software and tech related issues that our engineers are competent enough to handle.”

The functioning and performance of Dreamliners was being jointly monitored by an official committee and Boeing and the final report would be placed after 18 months of their use.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India to become world’s 3rd largest aviation market by ’20

One man's mission to improve to women's lives

MEA — 14/03/2014 18:42:03

Border Mail/by Letitia Rowlands

It is something women in developed countries like Australia take for granted - the ability to access affordable menstrual hygiene products. But women in developing nations around the world are not so fortunate, sometimes using dirty rags, sand or even ash to deal with menstrual bleeding each month.

A man from a poor family in southern India has now become their unlikely hero after inventing a simple machine and method which local women can use to make affordable sanitary products.

But the path to success wasn't easy for school drop-out Arunachalam Muruganantham who nearly lost everything, including his family, as he worked to come up with a solution to help his wife and other poverty sticken women.

Muruganantham told the BBC he was inspired to do something after he saw his wife Shanthi trying to hide something from him shortly after they got married in 1998. He was shocked when he realised it was "nasty cloths" which she was using during menstruation.

"I will be honest," Muruganantham told BBC. "I would not even use it to clean my scooter."

According to a 2011 survey by AC Nielsen Muruganantham's wife was not alone when it came to unhygienic menstrual practices. The survey, commissioned by the Indian government, found only 12% of women across India used sanitary pads. Poor menstrual hygiene is the main cause of reproductive disease among the poor.

After learning the cost of sanitary pads was prohibitive for his wife and other women in their village, Muruganantham set about designing a cheap sanitary pad himself.

Unaware that women's periods only came once a month, Muruganantham gave his first cotton prototype to his wife but was disappointed when she told him he would have to wait several weeks until she would be able to give him any feedback.

"I can't wait a month for each feedback, it'll take two decades!" he said.

After failing to find any reliable female volunteers (his sisters refused) Muruganantham decided to test the pads himself by wearing a "uterus" made of a football bladder and filling it with goat's blood which he got from a friend who was a butcher.

"I became the man who wore a sanitary pad," he says.

Muruganantham wore the blood filled bladder under his clothing as he went about daily life, constantly testing out the sanitary pad's absorption rates. But, after seeing him wash his bloodied pads in a public well, the whole village assumed he had contracted a sexual disease.

Eventually Muruganantham's dedication to creating an affordable sanitary pad became too much for his wife, and she left him.

"I had become a pervert. So you see God's sense of humour," he says in the documentary Menstrual Man by Amit Virmani. "I'd started the research for my wife and after 18 months she left me!"

When his mother also tired of his obsession, she too left.

"It was a problem for me," he told BBC. "I had to cook my own food."

Finally, Muruganantham was forced to leave his village after locals became convinced he was possessed by evil spirits and planned to chain him to tree in order for him to be "healed".

"My wife gone, my mum gone, ostracised by my village" he says. "I was left all alone in life."

But incredibly Muruganantham was determined to keep going.

Finally, two years and three months after starting his plight, Muruganantham finally discovered what sanitary pads were made of - cellulose, from the bark of a tree.

It was several more years before he finished creating the machinery and method to break down the cellulose, shape the material into a sanitary pad and disinfect it using ultra-violet treatment.

Muruganantham made the machinery simple to operate in the hope women would be able to take jobs operating the machinery as a way of helping them out of poverty.

After hearing of the machinery and method Muruganantham had created, staff at the Indian Institute of Technology nominated him for a national innovation award. Out of 943 entries, his was the winner and the school dropout was presented the award by then Indian President Pratibha Patil.

"It was instant glory, media flashing in my face, everything" he says. "The irony is, after five-and-a-half years I get a call on my mobile - the voice huskily says: Remember me?" It was his wife.

Despite his success, Muruganantham was not interested in making money from his work.

"Anyone with an MBA would immediately accumulate the maximum money. But I did not want to. Why? Because from childhood I know no human being died because of poverty - everything happens because of ignorance," he told BBC

Muruganantham spent the next 18 months building 250 machines, which went to the poorest states in Northern India. Eventually the machines spread to 1,300 villages in 23 states.

Each machine is responsible for converting 3,000 women to pad usage, and provides employment for 10 women. They can produce up to 250 pads a day which sell for about 2.5 rupees (or 5 cents) each.

"My aim was to create one million jobs for poor women - but why not 10 million jobs worldwide?" he says.

Muruganantham has plans for his machine to be delivered to 106 countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Mauritius, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

"Our success is entirely down to word-of-mouth publicity," he says."Because this is a problem all developing nations face."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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One man's mission to improve to women's lives

World's first solar-powered, waterless toilet to launch in India soon

MEA — 14/03/2014 18:44:16

First Post

A revolutionary toilet fueled by the sun that is being developed to help some of the 2.5 billion people around the world lacking safe and sustainable sanitation would be unveiled in India this month. "The self-contained, waterless toilet has the capability of heating human waste to a high enough temperature to sterilise human waste and create biochar, a highly porous charcoal,” informed project principal investigator Karl Linden, professor of environmental engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. The biochar can be used to both increase crop yields and sequester carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. The project is part of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 'Reinvent the Toilet Challenge', an effort to develop a next-generation toilet that can be used to disinfect liquid and solid waste while generating useful end products.

Linden’s team is one of the 16 teams around the world funded by the Gates 'Reinvent the Toilet Challenge' since 2011. All have shipped their inventions to Delhi where they will be on display March 20-22 for scientists, engineers and dignitaries. "The invention consists of eight parabolic mirrors that focus concentrated sunlight to a spot no larger than a postage stamp on a quartz-glass rod connected to eight bundles of fibre-optic cables, each consisting of thousands of intertwined, fused fibres,” Linden explained. The energy generated by the sun and transferred to the fibre-optic cable system can heat up the reaction chamber to over 600 degrees Fahrenheit to treat the waste material, disinfect pathogens in both feces and urine and produce char. Biochar is a valuable material. It has good water holding capacity and it can be used in agricultural areas to hold in nutrients and bring more stability to the soils. A soil mixture containing 10 percent biochar can hold up to 50 percent more water and increase the availability of plant nutrients. "Additionally, the biochar can be burned as charcoal and provides energy comparable to that of commercial charcoal,” Linden added. Tests have shown that each of the eight fibre-optic cables can produce between 80 and 90 watts of energy, meaning the whole system can deliver up to 700 watts of energy into the reaction chamber, said Linden. While the current toilet has been created to serve four to six people a day, a larger facility that could serve several households simultaneously is under design. Unsafe methods to capture and treat human waste result in serious health problems and death - food and water tainted with pathogens from fecal matter results in the deaths of roughly 700,000 children each year.

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World's first solar-powered, waterless toilet to launch in India soon

Sweeping Africa, Indian firm now offers green mobile in Ghana

MEA — 14/03/2014 18:46:38

Hindu

Indian telecom equipment-maker Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) is powering a communications revolution in Africa, particularly in villages and remote locations, through its innovative, green mobile tower solutions.

The latest to join its client list is Ghana, which has chosen VNL's solar-powered ‘WorldGSM’ mobile tower architecture — an environment-friendly and cost-effective mobile system — to deliver affordable services in villages. "The plan is to promote access to electronic services including broadcasting, the Internet, multimedia service and basic telephony in unserved areas of rural Ghana,” Rajiv Mehrotra, founder chairman and CEO of VNL, told The Hindu.

VNL is already present in Nigeria, Uganda and Benin, while it is in talks with other African nations to deploy its cheap and green telecom solutions. In Latin America, VNL has deployed its network in Bolivia and Peru. In Bolivia, it has partnered with Entel S.A., state-run telecom operator, for deployment of GSM mobile tower sites in remote locations under the ‘Cobertura Movil Rural’ (rural mobile coverage) project.

As for India, Mr. Mehrotra said the solution offered to the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication and Entel had been extensively tested in the country. In 2011 after a successful pilot project for demonstration of the capabilities of its mobile GSM solutions in rural areas of Alwar (Rajasthan), VNL was awarded a completion certificate by India's Universal Service Obligatory Fund. "We will be a major player in expansion of telecom services in rural areas,” he said.

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Sweeping Africa, Indian firm now offers green mobile in Ghana

Indian artist's artwork installed at Rockefeller

MEA — 14/03/2014 18:50:29

Asian Age

A work by India’s foremost contemporary artist Subodh Gupta has been installed in front of the Rockefeller Centre in New York to mark the Asian Art Week.

The Spill, which consists of a stainless steel bucket spilling over in excess with lunch boxes, glasses and bowls, is estimated at $300,000-500,000 by Christie’s auction house.

The installation, was set up for the preview of the South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art sale by Christie’s on March 18. The sculpture, installed in the prestigious Manhattan complex since March 11 will be at the spot till the day of the sale. Gupta’s Spill was the first work of the Southeast Asian art sales to be installed outside Rockefeller Centre, according to Christie’s.

"To have major works outside of Rock Centre is a huge responsibility and not done on a regular basis. In the past, we had works by Jeff Koons, Henry Moore and Eduardo Chillida in front of Rockefeller Centre but never before a work by an Indian artist,” the auction house said.

Gupta’s mid-career retrospective is currently on view at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi. "How can you not love this work — it is so simple, playful and honest and yet poignant. It is an iconic emblem of Subodh Gupta’s artistic vocabulary,” says Deepanjana Klein, vice-president and senior specialist modern and contemporary Indian art, who describes the work as "an overt icon of Indian vision.”

"Always finding tension and irony in the mundane, the artist regularly employs the stainless steel bucket and cooking implements in both paintings and sculptures. Here Gupta has magnified the pedestrian milk pail as it spills over in excess with lunch boxes, glasses and bowls,” she said.

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Indian artist's artwork installed at Rockefeller

How India Is Helping in Hunt for Missing MH370

MEA — 13/03/2014 18:35:11

Wall Street Journal/ by Santanu Choudhury

As the hunt for the missing Malaysian Airlines3786.KU -4.08% jet entered its sixth day Thursday, India’s Coast Guard said it would deploy a ship to help in the search, adding to an aircraft it lent to the effort on Wednesday.

The Indian Air Force was also on standby to help as a multi-national team scours the waters over which the BoeingBA -0.99% 777-200 vanished early Saturday, just under an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The plane was carrying 227 passengers – including five Indians - and 12 crew.

India joins 10 other nations in the search for the missing MH370 jet including China, the U.S. and Vietnam.

On Wednesday, Malaysia’s air force chief, Gen. Rodzali Daud said that military radar had tracked an unidentified object over the Strait of Malacca early Saturday morning, and investigators were trying to determine whether it was the missing jet.

The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water that connects to the Andaman Sea and ships belonging to the Indian navy as well as coast guard routinely patrol the area along with other nations to prevent piracy.

(Follow the latest developments in the search for Flight 370.)

India’s coast guard deployed a Dornier aircraft to search up to 200 nautical miles, or about 370 kilometers, off the east of the Andaman Islands Wednesday, V. S. R. Murthy, inspector general of the coast guard on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands told The Wall Street Journal.

"We were told by headquarters to start our search for the plane and so we deployed the Dornier aircraft,” Mr. Murthy said lateWednesday. "I have instructed to divert a fast patrol vessel from other duties and join the search from Thursday.”

The coast guard will search the 200 nautical miles which form part of India’s so-called Exclusive Economic Zone as defined by the United Nations.

Earlier this week, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee wrote to the Malaysia’s King Abdul Halim offering "all possible assistance” in the hunt for the airplane.

A spokesman for the Indian Air Force said it has still to receive any orders to join the search for the plane, but is ready to deploy its aircraft as soon as it asked to do so. The air force currently has Russian-made MI-17 helicopters based on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India also a tri-services command at Andaman and Nicobar Islands – and can therefore utilize its naval and air force assets if needed.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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How India Is Helping in Hunt for Missing MH370

India Has Millions of Female Entrepreneurs and They Need Easier Access to Money

MEA — 13/03/2014 18:48:21

Wall Street Journal/ by Shanoor Seervai

While there may not be many women occupying the executive offices of India, the country is home to literally millions of female entrepreneurs, in charge of their own tiny businesses, according to estimates by the International Finance Corp.

The number of women running their own businesses in India is expanding and banks need to find more ways to serve them, said a report this week from the IFC, which is the private-sector arm of the World Bank.

Women in India fully or partially own around three million small enterprises across the country. Their businesses include everything from tea stalls and vegetable stands to laundries and cellphone shops. The women-backed businesses employ over eight million people in India, according to the IFC report.

A large majority of these budding businesses depend on informal avenues to raise money. That means that they have to turn to family members, friends and loan sharks to get the capital they need to start and expand.

The report estimates that the total financial requirement for women entrepreneurs was $158 billion in 2012 but they only had access to around $42 billion from formal lenders. Only 27% of their money needs were met through formal lending institutions such as banks, cooperatives, micro lenders and other non-banking finance companies.

Male entrepreneurs get as much as 70% of their financing from formal lenders, depending on which industry and state they operate in.

Financial institutions need to adapt to accommodate women, the IFC said. While close to 80% of women-owned enterprises are in the service sector, most bank lending is for manufacturing. Another obstacle for women entrepreneurs is that banks often require collateral for loans, which women often don’t have here because of social, legal and cultural restrictions on inheritance and land ownership.

More than 90% of India’s 90 million plus microfinance clients are women, according to the report. But microfinance is not enough. While the tiny loans serve the needs of tiny enterprises, they are not sufficient to help women grow their businesses and generate more employment.

In November last year, the Indian government launched the country’s first state-owned bank for women, aiming to open 25 branches across the country by the end of this month.

Banks need to create new products and services for women, the IFC report said. They also need to build a more welcoming environment for women entrepreneurs and provide them non-financial services such as training.

"There is a strong case that serving women entrepreneurs makes significant business sense,” the report says, citing studies that show women often have a better track record than men at repaying loans and running profitable businesses.

(The views expressed above the personal views of the writer)

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India Has Millions of Female Entrepreneurs and They Need Easier Access to Money

Exploring how Indian Americans helped shape US

MEA — 13/03/2014 18:41:17

BBC/ by Diksha Basu

A new exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington celebrates Indian-American culture, history and experiences, as Diksha Basu reports.

When you enter Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation, you are greeted by loud Hindi film music and a vinyl record from Mughal-E-Azam, one of the most iconic Bollywood films.

But, as the title suggests, this exhibition is not just about Indian cinema.

'Diverse'

The curators from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center say it about the "history and contemporary experiences of Indian Americans as they have grown to be one of the more diverse and well-recognised communities in the United States".

With a population of 2.8 million, Indian Americans are the third largest group among Asian Americans.

They are also among the wealthiest communities in the US, with a median annual household income of $88,000 (£52,900) compared with the national median of $49,800 (£29,900), according to one study.

And more than 70% of Indian American immigrants over 18 years of age speak English very well, compared with 53% of all Asian American immigrants.

The vast exhibition covers everything from Indian American food to yoga, engineers to cab drivers, and the LGBT community to hip hop.

With brightly coloured walls and background music, the exhibition is certainly pleasing to the senses.

Colourful Indian thalis, or steel plates, stuck on the wall provide statistical data on the community and are an attempt to tie the collection together.

The facts are interesting enough but they feel arbitrary and the entire exhibition, unfortunately, points more to what has been omitted than what has been included.

For instance, in an effort to be interactive, there is a podium where you can stand and be a contestant in a mock spelling bee because, we are informed, 73% of National Spelling Bee winners since 1999 have been Indian Americans.

Next to the podium is a life-size cut-out of Nina Davuluri, the Indian-American woman who was crowned Miss America 2014.

Both may represent key cultural contributions, but it is unclear why they are given such prominence.

There is also little room left for imperfections. Indian Americans are presented as a perfect, pleasing, model minority.

Not clear

The exhibition showcases aspects of Indian culture viewed through the lens of an earlier America.

Colourful Indian footwear is accompanied by a note informing you that Indians generally remove their shoes before entering their homes or any sacred places.

There is also a fully-set table with a vague description of Indian food and a box of spices, and a yoga room with a wall of mirrors in which you can strike yoga poses.

The show talks about the contribution of well-known Indian Americans, but it is not clear how these people have been selected.

A scattering of pictures and two mirrors on the wall encourage you to ask who Indian Americans are, but the answer remains unanswered in this exhibition. (One wall post does, however, clarify that, "Indian Americans are not American Indians.")

All the written posts refer to Indian Americans, meaning, presumably Indians resident in the US or Indians who hold American passports.

But there are no mentions or examples of the many Indian Americans who are becoming increasingly visible in US politics, journalism, academia, or business.

There is some awareness of activism and art in the show.

There are a few pictures of the Indian-American LGBT community, and a painting called DOTS by Anujun Ezhikode which was a response to the hate group, Dotbusters, that aimed to get Indians out of Jersey City in the 1980s.

Haunting

The most haunting part of the exhibition is the turban of Balbir Singh Sodhi, who was shot dead in Arizona by a man said to be seeking revenge on Muslims for 9/11.

Few other sections stand out.

Art director Chiraag Bhakta and photographer Mark Hewko have put together a section on Indian-American motel owners that is fascinating. Almost half the motels in the US are owned by Indians.

The uninspiring quotes by an "Indian American Child Who Grew Up In A Motel" do not add much, but the photographs of the motels are depressing and beautiful, and the section's faux-motel front is interestingly designed.

Photographer Dez Veeraswamy has contributed to some of the pictures on the walls, including a digital photo frame that has some wonderful pictures of Indians who settled in the Caribbean.

A 1952 picture of a Bengali-Puerto Rican family demonstrates the unusual history of some Indians in America.

Indian Americans are no longer a small, easily defined minority that can be captured and explained in a few brightly coloured rooms in a museum.

This exhibition is certainly aesthetically pleasing, but it barely scratches the surface of the growing Indian-American experience and its role in the US.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Exploring how Indian Americans helped shape US

Indian Industrial Output Edges Higher and Inflation Eases

MEA — 13/03/2014 18:45:12

Wall Street Journal/ by Mukesh Jagota and Prasanta Sahu

Indicators Hint That Economy May Finally Be Showing Signs of Recovery

India announced Wednesday that its industrial production edged upward for the first time in four months in January and consumer inflation cooled to a two-year low in February, in the latest set of economic indicators hinting that India's economy may be at last showing some early signs of recovery.

The output of manufacturing, mining and utilities firms was up 0.1% from a year earlier in January, according to data releasedWednesday by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 0.4% fall in industrial production.

The consumer inflation in February was down to 8.1% from 8.8% in January, the lowest level in two years, separate data issued by the ministry showed. The decline in consumer inflation came from contracting consumer and corporate spending and an improvement in food supplies on the back of good monsoon rains last year.

The fall in inflation could stoke hopes that Reserve Bank of India may soon be ready to reverse some of the measures it had taken to cool prices. The RBI has said it wants consumer inflation to come down to 8% by next January.

The manufacturing sector—which accounts for 75% of the total industrial output—continued to be a drag on overall numbers, contracting 0.7% on year, offsetting gains in the utilities and mining sectors. Utilities grew 6.5% while mining was up 0.7%. The government also revised its reading for December industrial production to a contraction of 0.2% from a 0.6% drop reported earlier.

Industrial production has declined in five of the 10 months since India's current fiscal year began in April, pulled down by faltering domestic demand as economic growth has fallen to a 10-year low.

(The views expressed are above the personal views of the writer)

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Indian Industrial Output Edges Higher and Inflation Eases

‘Cleanest Village’ Questions Its Blessings Amid Influx of Visitors

MEA — 11/03/2014 20:47:11

New York Times/ by Max Bearak

Anshuman Sen was barely a year out of college when, in 2005, he traveled to Meghalaya, a hilly northeastern state distant both in miles and cultural resemblance from what the locals call "mainland India.”

Mr. Sen was shooting pictures of the state’s bountiful natural wonders for Discover India, a travel magazine, when an acquaintance suggested visiting Mawlynnong, a remote village in the jungle along the border with Bangladesh that had acquired minor local renown for its fastidious cleanliness and a nearby bridge made entirely of living tree roots.

"I was only there for four or five hours,” said Mr. Sen, "but I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, and neither could anyone at the magazine.” He had to write about it, even if he hadn’t spent a full day there.

Before Mr. Sen went home, a contact at the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum told him that Mawlynnong was the "cleanest village in Asia,” and the impromptu — and improbable — slogan became the catchphrase of Mr. Sen’s article, published in 2005. Soon after, the BBC program "Human Planet” did a segment on the village and referenced Mr. Sen’s slogan.

Since Mr. Sen’s visit, Mawlynnong’s 90-odd families have witnessed irreversible changes as the village tries to maintain its appeal as an ecotourism destination without turning into a congested picnic spot. During the winter holiday season, hundreds of visitors arrive every day. Some are picnickers from nearby towns, while others travel from New Delhi, Kolkata and abroad.

The state of Meghalaya is no stranger to superlative-based tourism. A few ridges and valleys to the west of Mawlynnong is Cherrapunjee, famous as the "wettest place on Earth,” despite other places being demonstrably rainier.

The residents of Mawlynnong had two major advantages over Cherrapunjee. First, having developed later, Mawlynnong has paid attention to what went wrong at Cherrapunjee, where outside developers have set up huge resorts and tourism revenue goes to tour companies and a few favored restaurants and shops. Second, Mawlynnong’s claim to fame is within the residents’ control, not dependent on the weather.

Keeping those advantages in mind, Deepak Laloo, vice president of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum, devised a plan that would both highlight and preserve the village’s seductive authenticity.

Mr. Laloo said he had encouraged locals to use traditional materials like bamboo, not concrete, for new buildings and had suggested that the number of lodges be kept to a minimum. He and early local entrepreneurs like Rishot Khongthohrem pushed a homestay lodging model, where tourists stay with local families instead of in hotels, thereby contributing exclusively to the village economy.

Mr. Khongthohrem, a schoolteacher and owner of one of Mawlynnong’s half-dozen homestay lodges, said the village council collects a fee from each bus and car that enters the village and uses that money to pay six women whose full-time job is pick up the litter.

"What keeps this village clean is habit,” Mr. Khongthohrem said. "We also have to keep that habit for our visitors who don’t have it yet.”

Many residents said that cleanliness was a deeply ingrained practice long before the "cleanest village” slogan was bestowed. Decades ago, all domestic animals were removed from the village; residents rely on farming that can be done without beasts of burden.

The simple act of placing garbage in a garbage can is considered unusual in India, where people often toss their trash wherever it is convenient — out of a car, on the street. But in Mawlynnong, even those who chew betel nuts swallow the nuts’ pungent juice instead of spitting it onto the ground.

The community council has also taken measures to preserve the village’s largely agrarian way of life so that no one is dependent on the ebbs and flows of tourism.

For instance, villagers cannot engage in tourism-related business until they are 18, by which time they’ve been taught traditional farming methods in the surrounding forests. Most of those who have involved themselves with tourism in some way see it as supplementary income.

But on a recent visit during the peak winter tourist season, all was not right in paradise. At 11 a.m. on a Sunday, a bus blaring dance music arrived with a troop of tipsy teenagers. Even though Mawlynnong’s community council banned the consumption of alcohol in the village, the pack of youngsters offloaded first their flailing bodies and then the makings of a raucous picnic: firewood, big metal cooking pots, live chickens, coolers filled with beer and big wireless speakers.

An hour later, the music from their party on the local soccer field drowned out the wafts of gospel music emanating from choir practice at the Anglican Church adjacent to the field.

Mawlynnong residents say the majority of visitors these days are from nearby villages, who care less about the village’s reputation than residents do.

After attempting to throw an empty bag of chips into a trash can and missing, Ornel Khonglah, who was from a town an hour’s drive away, said, "We’ve heard that Mawlynnong is an extraordinary place, so we decided to come here and enjoy the weekend. It is amazing, isn’t it?”

But how long can "amazing” last under relentless footfall? One local attraction, a massive boulder balancing on a much smaller rock, is covered in etchings of initial-filled hearts. The path to the living root bridge, which actually lies in the neighboring village of Riwai, has turned into a gridlocked highway of day visitors, their shouts audible from several hundred paces away.

At the bridge itself, children climbed the roots, jumping and doing stunts. The ground nearby was covered with the detritus one sees at any Indian tourist site: candy wrappers, empty water bottles, cigarette butts and orange peels. A man pretended to meditate under the bridge while his wife took a picture. Once she had, his eyes sprang open and he rushed to see whether it had come out to his liking.

Henry Kharymba, a longtime tour guide in Mawlynnong, sat collecting donations from incoming buses. "This used to be heaven, and now it’s hell,” he said, before chuckling. "But we need the money — if it just wasn’t for these fools. You know, they come here and drink and use slang in front of our sisters and our kids. We have to tell them that this isn’t a park. It’s a village.”

Mr. Laloo, the tourism developer, is exasperated with the changes and has now shifted his sights to a new village, Sohliya. In a phone interview, he said, "In ’09, you would’ve said, ‘Wow, I’ve walked into God’s private garden’ when you went there. Now, that place has no standards. They use concrete, and they have all kinds of shops.”

Meanwhile, Mawlynnong grapples with its double-edged influx of visitors with remarkable unity and a shared sense of caution.

One night last month, all of Mawlynnong’s men met in the village hall to discuss strengthening the ban on alcohol consumption. At the heart of the discussion was the question: Are these tourists really worth it?

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‘Cleanest Village’ Questions Its Blessings Amid Influx of Visitors

India to add 7,500 MW Solar power capacity in Jammu & Kashmir

MEA — 11/03/2014 20:49:48

Clean Technica

In what is one of the most ambitious plans to expand solar power capacity in India, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy recently announced that it would set up 7,500 MW of solar power capacity in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The ministry, currently headed by the state’s former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, has signed an agreement with the state government to set up 5,000 MW capacity in Ladakh and 2,500 MW capacity in Kargil.

Jammu and Kashmir receives some of the highest solar radiation in the country. The state, however, faces a number of issues that have inhibited large-scale expansion of power generation sources. Lack of government focus on infrastructure expansion, due to decades-long insurgency, remote population centres, and mountainous terrain.

Ladakh, one of the most remote places in the country, is excessively dependent on fuel imports from other states. Solar power thus presents a tremendous opportunity for the region to attain energy independence and earn significant revenue by exporting electricity to large demand centres in North India.

Currently, Jammu and Kashmir does not enjoy a respectable standing in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. According to a recent report, the state has only 308 kW of solar power capacity installed. This is in comparison to over 2,200 MW solar power capacity installed across the country till January 2014. The state has managed to utilise only 10% of the small hydro power potential available and has no wind energy projects installed.

India plans to source 3% of it total electricity consumption from solar energy by 2022 and has been taking notable steps to increase solar power capacity. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has announced plans to set up a number of multi-developer solar parks across the country. Additionally, several states have announced ambitious solar power policies to attract investment and boost self-sufficiency in power generation.

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India to add 7,500 MW Solar power capacity in Jammu & Kashmir

India elections: students show bright side of democracy

MEA — 11/03/2014 21:15:50

Financial Times/ by Amy Kazmin

It’s easy to criticise India’s democracy for its many shortcomings. But travelling in Madhya Pradesh to gauge the political mood, I was given a clear demonstration of at least one way in which Indian democracy is truly flourishing.

We had arrived at the Swami Vivekananda University, one of the multitudes of private universities that have sprouted up across India, to cater to the many students unable to find a place in the government’s over-stretched higher education system.

The administrators of the college in Sagar, a small town four hours from the Madhya Pradesh state capital, Bhopal, were not warned of our arrival, but when staff saw two outsiders talking to clutches of their students in the blazing afternoon sun, they quickly ushered us inside, offering to facilitate our interaction.

I was wary that our interaction would effectively be curtailed. But within a few minutes, my colleague Jyotsna and I found ourselves taken to a large seminar room with around 120 engineering students sitting at attention. We were led to seats on a dias, and invited to pose whatever questions we wanted to the group.

And so we began – throwing out questions about India’s current political scenario. We asked for shows of hands for those who preferred Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, and the upstart Aam Aadmi Party of Arvind Kejriwal.

Students raised their hands eagerly in support of their preferred candidates, and then we started asking for people to explain their views.

The students came from humble backgrounds. Many of them were on government scholarships for those from the lower rungs of the Hindu caste ladder, some were the children of farmers – the first members of their family to pursue higher education.

Yet one after one, the young men and women stood up to share their political views, without any apparent hesitation about speaking about such matters in front of so many of their peers. Various viewpoints were articulated, and speakers who made strong points – or who simply sounded especially impassioned – were given rounds of appreciative applause from the audience.

As the students talked, I began think about some of the other developing countries I’d covered, ostensibly democracies, where most young people would not dare to talk about politics so confidently in front of such a large group. And of course, the others that I’d covered that were not even democracies at all.

But the fearlessness of young students of publicly articulating their views – whatever they happened to be – and even the willingness of the private administrators to let us grill the students on the campus – reflects a profound achievement of India’s democracy.

And as long as youth are not afraid to speak their minds, India’s democracy is doing at least something right.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India elections: students show bright side of democracy

A Rare Government Success Story for Women’s Empowerment in Kerala

MEA — 10/03/2014 10:09:17

The New York Times/by Vishnu Varma

In a country that has been criticized as lacking commitment to women’s rights, one program in the southwest state of Kerala has been quietly serving as an example that a government can indeed successfully empower women, both economically and socially.

The program, Kudumbashree, meaning "family prosperity” in Malayalam, the local language, was started in 1998 by the then-Communist government to fight poverty through female emancipation and the collaborative effort of local self-governments.

It started with a few thousand women, but now Kudumbashree counts nearly 3.7 million women as members, who have collected a total of 16.9 billion rupees, or $276.7 million, in the form of a thrift.

By providing grants and arranging low-cost loans, Kudumbashree encourages women to run their own businesses, which include taxi services, handicraft shops, schools for disabled children, homes for destitute families and small paper mills.

Kudumbashree workers have been lauded both nationally and internationally for achieving community-based goals and efficiently harnessing the potential of women’s participation in the work force, which until then had been largely untapped. In 2002, the program was recognized in a study by the United Nations Development Program and the Indian government as one of the 20 best practices in India in governance.

"The initiative has helped women in realizing that they have a right to talk and voice their opinions,” said Santhosh P. Augustine, assistant district mission coordinator of Kudumbashree. "Today, they have the courage to go to banks and set up accounts. It is a proud feeling when we see these women even going out to other states to teach classes on gender empowerment.”

At the heart of the program are the local neighborhood groups, where women accumulate their savings in the form of a thrift. The state government provides financing in the form of grants and administrative support, but the savings generated within the neighborhood group act as the initial investment. State and private banks also provide loans to members at very low interest rates.

The goal is to make these private businesses self-sustaining. Regular assessment meetings are held to see whether an enterprise is profitable. If a business does not look like it can make money, it is eventually closed.

Over the years, the success of the program has been rewarded with more funds from the state government. In the 2013-14 fiscal year, which ends March 31, Kudumbashree received 1.2 billion rupees, an increase of 28 percent from the previous fiscal year.

Kudumbashree distinguishes itself from other government agencies by enforcing accountability through a unique three-tier system of local governance that begins from the neighborhood groups at the grassroots level, then the Area Development Society at the ward level, and finally the Community Development Society at the village, town or municipality level.

Officials at each level are accountable to the upper levels, and the Community Development Society units report to the district mission authorities of Kudumbashree.

Jacob John, an economist with the Kerala Development Society, a socioeconomic research institute, said Kudumbashree is made more effective through close coordination with the panchayati raj, the rural local governments, which are especially strong in Kerala because they receive 33 percent of the state’s planning funds each year. Other states provide much less to their panchayati raj and at varying levels each year.

"Kudumbashree enjoys a rare link with the panchayat, which in turn has helped in continuous and consistent fund flow,” Mr. John said.

The program’s vast network and hassle-free coordination with local bodies has led the central government to appoint Kudumbashree as the administrator of several major antipoverty programs in Kerala.

One of the crown jewels in Kudumbashree is its collective farming program, which has joined thousands of aspiring farmers to work together. In areas where government land is not available for cultivation, fallow lands belonging to private owners are leased out to women’s cooperatives.

Kudumbashree officials said around 260,000 workers currently till and harvest more than 60,000 acres throughout the state. The initiative, many experts and social activists say, has resulted in the cultivation of once-fallow lands.

"At one time, the paddy cultivation in the state was dwindling considerably due to high costs, and it was transforming into more commercial modes of agriculture like plantation farming,” said V.P. Raghavan, a senior fellow at the Ministry of Culture who wrote a research paper on Kudumbashree as part of his doctoral studies. "But today, Kudumbashree has brought back paddy cultivation through large-scale women community efforts.”

In Kadakkanad, a rural hamlet on the far outskirts of Ernakulam, Geetha Ayyappan, 48, and her farming associates say they feel indebted to Kudumbashree for having given them economic independence, which in turn has helped them to take on a more prominent role in their households.

"It has virtually lifted us out of poverty,” said Ms. Ayyappan, whose husband is a truck driver. "I feel like an independent and that I can contribute to my family and the education of my children.”

While Ms. Ayyappan said that one-third of the produce has to be given to the landowner, cultivators like her can divide the rest among themselves, which they sell for a profit after splitting the costs.

The empowered women of Kudumbashree are also playing a major role in shaking up Kerala’s political scene. In 2010, nearly 11,000 Kudumbashree workers contested local elections, and half of them won. In 2011, when the United Democratic Front, an alliance led by the Indian National Congress party, came to power in the state, P.K. Jayalakshmi, a party worker who entered politics through Kudumbashree, was sworn in as the minister for welfare of scheduled tribes and youth affairs in the state cabinet.

However, like all government programs, Kudumbashree has had its share of criticism. In a study, the Planning Commission noted that Kudumbashree was marred by local-level political differences at the municipal and ward levels that often led to theft and pressure on workers to carry out work for political parties.

But social activists and those who have studied the program say that Kudumbashree’s weaknesses are minor when compared with the improvements that it has achieved in the lives of millions of families in the state.

While successful, Kudumbashree’s model cannot be replicated in other states, said Mr. John. "Kudumbashree has worked because of Kerala’s strong panchayati raj system, which no other Indian state can boast of,” he said.

But he said other states could learn to take Kudumbashree’s hierarchical structure and its projects and incorporate it into their programs.

Copying Kudumbashree would also be impossible because its scope keeps expanding as it comes up with more initiatives. In January, it announced an insurance program to cover its 3.7 million members.

But the goal remains the same: to provide economic independence for women. And that has benefits far beyond the monetary gains, said the women in Kadakkanad.

"We are like a family now, tilling, sowing and harvesting together in the fields,” said Elsie Kuriakose, one of Ms. Ayyappan’s farming associates. "Earlier, I had to ask my husband or my parents for money to buy a sari, but today, I have respect in my own family.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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A Rare Government Success Story for Women’s Empowerment in Kerala

In India, Turning The Illiterate Into Solar Engineers

MEA — 06/03/2014 16:48:08

World Crunch/By Devi Boerema

In India, 70% of the population lives in rural areas, mostly in poverty.

But as a voluntary program has proven, impoverished people can become experts in solar power. Thanks to Barefoot College, an NGO based here in Ajmer, in the western part of India’s Rajasthan state, some 600 women have been fully educated about solar power, a small step towards eradicating poverty.

Sunaina Das, 20, is reviewing all the components needed to make a solar lamp. Though she doesn’t know how to read or write, she’s learning to become a solar engineer.

"I’ve come here for training,” she says. "I haven’t been here long, just 10 days. What I’m learning here is all new to me. Once I’ve learned everything I’ll go back to Jharkhand,” Das says.

She’s one of 25 women from Jharkhand, in northeastern India, who will spend the next six months learning about solar power at Barefoot College, which was founded more than 40 years ago.

On the popular TEDx talk show, its founder Bunker Roy says he wants to help women in rural communities by applying solar energy solutions. "Food here at the Barefoot colleges is solar-cooked,” he says. "The people who made that solar cooker are women — illiterate women. They actually built the most sophisticated solar cooker.”

Each year, the college trains around 100 women in a six-month solar engineering training program. According to Ram Niwas, the college spokesperson, "In Barefoot College they can learn to assemble a solar system and they can set up fully a home light system, which is a panel on the rooftop connected with a battery charge controller. In the future, if they know which function is not working properly, they can repair it themselves.”

They choose to teach women for a reason, says Ram Niwas. "If we train women, families can get benefits through them. It’s especially important in the poor rural areas, where men migrate from the village to the town for jobs. So men leave while women stay in the village with their kids.”

They teach the complexities of solar power with a simple technique using colors and numbers. Dasrat, a teacher at the college, is also illiterate but explains that it’s not a problem to teach people who don’t know how to read.

"How do illiterate people teach illiterate people? We created our own system. Black is zero and red is two and orange is three. Meaning that all the solar components have world standard colors, so that illiterate women can read the value of a resistance through color, for instance.”

Sunaina now knows how to set up and maintain a solar light panel that she will put on the roof. This will allow her to install a light and battery charger in her house. She can’t wait to return home and apply her new knowledge.

"In my village, we don’t have electricity," she says. "But when the lights are installed, it will be easier for us to read and for children to study. If they can’t study at home, they won’t do well at school. For the children in particular, this will make a big difference.”

After the training, Sunaina and the other students will be given solar lighting units to bring electricity to 25 households. The program will also mean saving on the cost of wood and kerosene.

(The view expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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In India, Turning The Illiterate Into Solar Engineers

Indo-Saudi ties on an even keel

MEA — 03/03/2014 16:51:33

Saudi Gazette

Going by the joint communique issued at the end of the three-day visit of Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, deputy premier and minister of defense, to India last week, Indo-Saudi relations are now on an even keel. The communique calls for encouraging businessmen to boost investments and take advantage of investment opportunities available in the two countries, especially in infrastructure and technology transfer. The two sides agreed on the need to increase cooperation in information technology, electronics and communications.

They also expressed satisfaction over the progress in defense cooperation, especially in training and exchange of skills.

In this context, the two sides welcomed the signing this week by Riyadh and New Delhi of a memorandum of understanding on military cooperation.

More important, they reiterated their commitment to fight terrorism, extremism and violence in any form.

An important characteristic of the Indo-Saudi relationship is the dominance of trade and business. Saudi Arabia ranks as India’s fourth largest trading partner with a bilateral trade amounting to $43 billion in 2012-13, from $23.1 billion in 2007-08, dominated by crude oil imports. Joint ventures and investments form an important component of commercial relations. The Indian labor force (2.88 million, according to one estimate) in the Kingdom and Saudi Arabia’s petroleum reserves are the mainstay of a growing bilateral relationship.

More and more Saudi businessmen and investors are viewing India as an attractive investment destination. Saudi Arabia is also India’s largest crude oil supplier accounting for about one-fifth of the country’s total petroleum imports in 2012-13.

Although India and Saudi Arabia have deep historical and cultural links, the relationship between them somehow lacked a strategic or political depth. Rightly or wrongly, the Indian establishment felt that Saudi Arabia was looking at New Delhi through the Pakistani prism.

It was after the January 2006 visit to India by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah as part of a four-country tour that things and perceptions began to change. It was the first visit to India by a Saudi ruler in 50 years. The Delhi Declaration signed during King Abdullah’s visit invested the Indo-Saudi relations with a broad strategic vision. This was followed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the Kingdom in 2010. The Delhi Declaration and the Riyadh Declaration signed during Singh’s visit to the Kingdom provided a clear road map for Indo-Saudi engagement in political, security, defense and economic spheres.

Both documents served as a major building block for the bilateral relationship, which has since expanded to include important security-related issues. The Riyadh Declaration set the stage for actual counter-terrorism cooperation, as well as the signing of a separate extradition treaty. Earlier this year the two countries boosted defense ties and further strengthened counter-terrorism coordination when Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony visited the Kingdom.

Though oil remains the lifeline of this relationship, recent developments should be seen as part of a wider endeavor by both Riyadh and New Delhi to widen the scope of their cooperation to include issues once considered unthinkable. The very fact that on Wednesday, the first day of the Crown Prince’s visit, the two sides signed a defense cooperation pact shows how far the relationship has moved from traditional areas of trade and business.

One point is worth mentioning in this context. India is just weeks away from general elections. A new party or combination of parties with an entirely new ideology may come to power after the elections. Still the Saudi Crown Prince chose to travel to India. This means that Indo-Saudi friendship has reached a stage where it can withstand the vicissitudes of political changes in New Delhi.

India has vital interests, both economic and strategic, in the Gulf. The stability of the Gulf region, of which Saudi Arabia is the most important part, has direct bearing on India. It is also home to a 7 million-strong Indian expatriate community.

Let us hope that the Crown Prince’s visit will carry forward the momentum witnessed in Indo-Saudi relations in recent years.

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Indo-Saudi ties on an even keel

Bank built for women blooms in India

MEA — 03/03/2014 17:16:28

Wall Street Journal/by Shanoor Seervai

While the Indian government launched the country’s first state-owned bank for women just a few months ago, in the western state of Maharashtra, women have had their own bank for more than a decade.

Chetna Gala Sinha founded Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank–India’s first rural cooperative bank for women–back in 1997. It has since grown to become the largest cooperative bank for women in the state with seven branches and over 185,000 clients.

As the government-run bank tries to reach its goal of opening 25 branches in state capitals across the country by March 31, it is looking to Mann Deshi for clues about what banking for women should look like.

"If you have to be a women’s bank, it’s best to be like Mann Deshi,” said Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, who is advising the government’s new bank for women.

Because of its focus on poor women, Mann Deshi has been able to see the need for unique services such as loans for girls to buy bicycles to get to school and mobile sewing cla sses aboard a bus that goes to far flung villages.

"We are reinventing banking to reach women where mainstream institutions and processes don’t work,” said founder Ms. Sinha. "Financial inclusion is not just a low-interest bank account or a loan… you need to design your product based on the cash flow and needs of the population you’re trying to serve.”

Mann Deshi’s non-profit arm, the Mann Deshi Foundation, operates training centers at each branch, offering everything from one-day courses in financial literacy to a year-long course on running a business.

"Without the foundation, it’s very difficult to empower women” in rural areas, said Ms. Thorat.

In 2012, the bank established India’s first women’s chamber of commerce to offer support to female entrepreneurs.

Ms. Sinha decided to start the chamber after the police detained one of her bank’s entrepreneurs.

Bainabai Kantilal Sagar used a Mann Deshi loan to start a tea shop, where she made tea on a stove which used her domestic gas connection. Ms. Sagar didn’t know using gas subsidized for home use in a business was against the law until the police stormed into her shop and arrested her.

With no one else to turn to, she contacted Ms. Sinha at Mann Deshi who helped have her released from police custody and get back to business.

To help women in similar situations, Mann Deshi set up a toll-free hotline last year. The phone line is an extension of the chamber of commerce, helping women get business licenses and resolve legal issues.

In another unique service for female entrepreneurs, Mann Deshi sends its representatives to local markets every day to take care of vegetable vendors who need loans to buy from wholesalers.

"Our staff goes to the markets as human ATMs,” said Ms. Sinha. "We provide women with capital at the time and place they need it most–on the road.”

Vegetable-stand owner Sunanda Phadtare said she has chosen to bank with Mann Deshi instead of state-owned banks for 15 years, taking multiple loans to expand and sustain her business.

"This is a woman’s bank, and women understand other women,” she said. "At the government bank, they’re all men. They don’t listen to what we need.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Bank built for women blooms in India

India: Women’s Liberation at Barefoot College

MEA — 03/03/2014 17:19:35

Toward Freedom

A few months ago, the Afghan Peace Volunteers began planning to send a small delegation of young women to India as guests of Barefoot College, a renowned initiative that uses village wisdom, local knowledge and practical skills available in the rural areas to improve villagers’ lives. After several suspenseful weeks wondering if families and governments would give permission for travel, we were finally able to tell hosts at the Barefoot College that we would soon be on our way. Now we are beginning the last day of our brief but rewarding visit to Tilonia, the small village in India’s Rajasthan State, where two Barefoot College campuses are thriving.

One of the villagers, Ram Niwas, has helped us learn about Barefoot College by telling us parts of his own life story and introducing us to people who have become barefoot dentists, accountants, solar engineers, radio broadcasters, teachers, water treatment specialists and puppeteers. Over the past 27 years, Ram Niwas has taken on many of these roles himself. As a ‘Dalit’, an ‘untouchable,’ he is not allowed to enter the local Hindu temple. But in his long association with Bunker Roy, a founder of Barefoot College, he has entered many places and gained experiences he never thought possible.

"The caste system gave us 3,000 years of pain,” Ram Niwas told us. "But slowly, slowly, we are moving beyond it.” He then began to tell me about women who are still subjected to the manual labor of cleaning dry toilets. They load slop from the village latrines and toilets into jars which they then carry, on their heads, to a dumping ground outside the village. The job is as dangerous as it is demeaning. People who do this work suffer infections and other illnesses. From age 13 – 15, this was how Ram Niwas earned a living.

Eventually, he heard about Barefoot College. Knowing that many Dalits worked there, he submitted an application. Bunker Roy asked if he could do accounting. Ram Niwas assured him he couldn’t but that he would be willing to work as a peon. "We have no peons here,” Bunker said. "Just be sure to keep yourself honest, and try to learn accounting.” Ram Niwas had never seen 10,000 Rupees. He had no idea how to do basic math. But after a six month training, he became a capable accountant and a volunteer, working for a living wage, at Barefoot College. At first his family was unhappy because they felt he could make more money elsewhere. Over time, however, they realized that he had gained many experiences that aren’t directly linked to gaining money. He has become an artist, specializing in Puppet Theater. He also developed the Barefoot College community radio station. He has traveled beyond India and has participated in "yatras” in India, the long walks that campaign for fulfillment of basic human rights.Now his work in communication includes many responsibilities, one of which is to help educate visitors like ourselves.

We were grateful for his translation as he introduced us to various women. Jarina does much of the accounting for Barefoot College, using a computerized excel program. Battacharya is a "barefoot dentist” who can do many procedures as long as full anesthesia isn’t required. Bila decided to learn puppetry even though the caste system despises theater work as an activity relegated to members of the untouchable class. Bila is now an accomplished puppeteer, bringing delight to many audiences and also facilitating theater workshops. Raju organizes a solar energy shop, and Magankowar teaches women to assemble solar circuit boards.

Yesterday, our delegation met with Bunker Roy. Zarghuna asked Bunker what motivated him to devote forty years of his life to creating the impressive campuses and projects that now constitute Barefoot College.Bunker Roy said that when he sees a grandmother who has lost all hope become, in six months, a gutsy and courageous woman who has learned how to be a solar engineer, he feels motivated to continue.

When we had arrived, the first college members we met were a team of people mixing, shoveling and carrying cement for a new construction project. Most of the workers were grandmothers.

Over the years, Barefoot College members have realized that young men who learn new skills often want a certificate which will enable them to take those skills elsewhere, giving them a chance to earn what Bunker calls a market wage. Grandmothers, on the other hand, have no intention of leaving their villages and families, yet they have enormous incentive to become skilled workers, improve their villages, and earn a living wage. Barefoot College welcomes them exuberantly. Now, village grandmothers are training women from other countries to follow similar paths.

Ram Niwas took us to a large workshop where 37 women, all over 35 years of age, from 11 different countries were learning to become solar engineers. Magankowar has been using sign language to teach the women, all of whom are illiterate. Seated at a long table covered with tools, circuit board components and colorful illustrated instruction manuals, the women worked with care and precision.

Many had covered their heads with wooly hats or elaborate scarves from their own countries; almost all wore glasses, and many were dressed in the bright clothing typically worn by Indian village women.

I joined several women as they took a brief break from assembling circuit boards. One of the women had begun to tell me that her two sons are working in Arizona, but that they are hoping that the U.S. government won’t deport them. We were interrupted when Ram Niwas clapped his hands, called everyone to attention and asked them to sing a song together. Suddenly, I realized that each woman was singing, in her own language, verses to "We Shall Overcome.”

The young members of our team flew to India on an airliner. Nearly every aspect of modern travel awed them. But the common sense messages taught at Barefoot College, delivered amid a campus dedicated to simplicity, service, sharing of resources and a firm declaration of equality among all people, transported our young friends into yet another realm.

"With simple resources available to all, the sun and the rain, we can create a world in which we free our potential,” said Zarghuna. "Or, we can artificially limit ourselves by fixing in our minds one way of doing things. It’s like locking our minds in a prison. If we open our minds, we can think of many possibilities.

This article can also be read at:
India: Women’s Liberation at Barefoot College

India Medical Team begins clinic

MEA — 03/03/2014 17:22:30

Fiji News

Seven highly specialized doctors from India will conduct clinics at the Suva Private Hospital from today, offering services that aren’t readily available in Fiji.

The team includes a Neuro surgeon, a cardiac surgeon, a bariatric and gastrointestinal surgeon and urology and kidney transplant experts.

Suva Private Hospital Consultant Dr Vereniki Raiwalui says the team will evaluate patients and conduct tests which have been unavailable in Fiji.

"The expectations also that not only do they get special appraisals or assessments locally but also that we can also get intervention as well as therapy or surgical interventions either here or away.”

Managing Director of Medican Service Company Deepak Singh says surgeries provided by this team of doctors are affordable.

"Depending on the infrastructure, the price also changes for example, a baby would need an open heart surgery under 16 years old, we can facilitate that for $US4000 which is $7000 Fijian dollars at the Heart Command Centre. With the international accreditation, they use implants that is FTA approved and to the International standards and they have a track record to be able to last as long as they can.”

After initial assessments are done, the doctors will work to see how many patients will have surgeries here and how many need to travel to India.

This article can also be read at:
India Medical Team begins clinic

Indo-Saudi friendship put on the front burner

MEA — 02/03/2014 11:01:09

Arab News/ by Rajeev Sharma

Diplomacy is often practiced through symbolism where the focus is on the unstated, the unwritten and the unspoken. Such diplomatic symbolism was in full flowon Thursdaywhen Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted a private lunch for Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense.

But before we have a closer look at the Indian prime minister’s special gesture toward Crown Prince Salman and broad points that came up for discussion at the private lunch, it would be more appropriate to give a little historical perspective and discuss the mother of all diplomatic symbolisms in India-Saudi Arabia discourse.

Bilateral relations between India and the Kingdom have of late been going from strength to strength and it was nothing short of crossing the Rubicon for the two sides when the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah paid a landmark visit to India in January 2006. King Abdullah was also the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade during that visit.

Perhaps the most singular diplomatic symbolism unveiled during King Abdullah’s India visit eight years ago was that the king himself signed the Delhi Declaration, along with the Indian prime minister. The document was released on Jan. 27, 2006 hours before the king’s departure from India.

The king never puts his signatures on any documents during his visits abroad. But the king set aside this tradition in a one-off special gesture with regard to India, indicating his keenness to forge closer all-round relations with India. This was a major diplomatic trophy for India and the India-Kingdom bilateral relations have blossomed since then.

Now getting back to Manmohan Singh’s special gesture toward the Saudi crown prince, the Indian prime minister used this opportunity to hold discussions on ways to boosting trade, investment and security cooperation. Singh thanked Crown Prince Salman for taking good care of Indian Haj pilgrims and the 2.88 million Indians staying in Saudi Arabia.

The Prime Minister’s Office said: "The Prime Minister and the Saudi Crown Prince discussed trade, investment, terrorism and security situation in West Asia and Afghanistan” and also noted that Singh conveyed to the crown prince that "India has a special and warm relationship with Saudi Arabia which we accord high importance.”

On Wednesday, the first day of the crown prince’s three-day India visit; the two sides had signed a defense cooperation pact to take their strategic partnership further in areas of security. The agreement, signed following wide-ranging talks between the crown prince and Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari, will facilitate exchange of defense-related information, military training and education as well as cooperation in such areas as hydrography, security and logistics.

Crown Prince Salman also had a meeting with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. He had already held meetings with top Indian ministers like Defense Minister AK Antony and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, thus meeting the entire top political leadership of India.

It does not happen very frequently when entire top Indian political brass engages with a visiting foreign dignitary.

Crown Prince Salman’s India visit is the next big thing after the Indian prime minister’s historic visit to Riyadh in February 2010 during which the two sides had come up with the Riyadh Declaration, which elevated the bilateral engagement to "Strategic Partnership” covering security, economic, defense and political areas. The two sides have never looked back since the king’s ground-breaking visit to India in January 2006 and have made significant progress in bilateral cooperation in such key areas as energy security, trade and infrastructure development projects. Saudi Arabia has become India’s fourth largest partner with bilateral trade in excess of $43 billion in 2012-13. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is also India’s largest crude oil supplier accounting for about one-fifth of our total imports in 2012-13. India obviously attached enormous importance to the crown prince’s visit, the highest political visit from the KSA to India since the January 2006 visit of King Abdullah. What made this visit even more special for India is the fact that the crown prince chose to visit India at a time when India is just weeks away from the general elections and current surveys and opinion polls show that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government headed by Manmohan Singh is likely to face a drubbing at hustings.

Despite the political ground realities the crown prince decided to undertake an official visit to India and that too with a high-level delegation of Cabinet ministers, senior officials and captains of industry in tow. Perhaps, this was Crown Prince Salman’s way of thanking New Delhi and the UPA government for putting India-KSA bilateral ties on the highest-ever trajectory.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indo-Saudi friendship put on the front burner

Going big in the Middle East

MEA — 02/03/2014 11:04:54

DNA

The Saudi Arabian crown prince and Iranian foreign minister’s visits this week point to the challenges facing India’s new Look Middle East policy

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s meeting with the Indian top leadership this week has come at an important juncture in Delhi’s long overdue foreign policy recalibration. Despite India’s considerable economic and strategic stakes in the Middle East, the region has languished in comparative obscurity when it comes to Delhi’s engagement. The heads of mission conference in Bahrain last December, attended by Indian envoys based in the Gulf countries, North Africa and West Asia and chaired by external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, pointed to an attempt to change this with the formulation of a new ‘Look Middle East’ policy. The crown prince’s visit provides pointers as to how this might shake out. And it underlines the difficulties as well, coming as it does in the same week as Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif’s visit. Saudi Arabia and Iran are rivals in a rapidly shifting calculus of power and influence in a Middle East in turmoil — and balancing them as well as the other players in the region won’t be easy.

But it is crucial nevertheless. Delhi’s failure to engage adequately with the region has always been an oddity given its importance for India’s energy security and trade as well as the vast number of Indian expatriate workers in the Middle East. Out of the 70 per cent or so of its petroleum that the country imports, the Persian Gulf supplies about three-fourths as well as large amounts of its natural gas. The region also hosts about 3.5 million Indian nationals — and of the $69 billion remitted to India in 2012, flows from the Gulf countries accounted for over $30 billion. The trade figures are just as significant; by 2015, trade with the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations is expected to hit $200 billion.

The stakes and challenges now are high and growing higher. On the one hand, Delhi’s engagement with Riyadh, kickstarted in 2006 by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s visit — and furthered this time by a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation for greater exchange of information and training as well as four agreements to jointly promote and facilitate investments and trade — has the potential to facilitate ties with other nations in the region as well given Saudi Arabia’s influence. On the other, Riyadh has shown a clear interest in courting Islamabad, which could complicate matters — and the sectarian strife expanding from the Syrian conflict could so even more. Riyadh and Tehran, jostling for influence in the region and backing proxies on opposing sides of that conflict, might be inimical to each other, but they are both equally important to Delhi. The external affairs ministry will have to be exceedingly nimble-footed to finesse its Look Middle East policy given these factors.

For this, it must work on identifying long-term objectives — counter-terrorism is as important as energy security and trade here — and formulating a holistic approach for furthering them. It has worked in silos for too long, viewing West Asia and the Gulf region as separate entities and fearing to engage adequately with them given the messy nature of regional politics and fear of domestic political repercussions given India’s Muslim population. It is time to look past those old formulations and go big.

This article can also be read at:
Going big in the Middle East

King lays foundations for a strategic partnership

MEA — 24/02/2014 15:41:59

Gulf Daily News/by Latifa Mohamed Khalifa Al Khalifa

As part of the regular exchanges between Bahrain and India, His Majesty King Hamad, headed - for the first time - a high level government and business delegation to India.

The official state visit - which took place between February 18 and 20 - came in light of a special invitation received from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. His Majesty's visit marked a defining moment in Bahrain-India relations, fostering closer economic, diplomatic, defence and political ties.

Bahrain and India are good brothers, friends and partners sharing high mutual trust, substantial economic co-operation and close cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

At a strategic level, Bahrain attaches high importance to relations with India. The Bahraini leadership recognises that India, a traditionally prominent leader of the South, is transcending that role to play a larger role which is endorsed by the international community. Bahrain extends its ongoing support to India in its constructive role in regional and global affairs. Bahrain further acknowledges India's emerging economic and political status in Asia, and is encouraged to further invest substantial capital to build a strong, long-term partnership with India.

The growth of the Indian presence in the strategic region of the Arabian Gulf manifests itself in many ways, including security and political interests and economic security. Much of this involvement is strategically driven by India's increasing need for the Middle East's oil and gas.

Bahrain recognises that India is a rising regional power whose impact is felt in virtually every region in the world. India is already a pivotal player on the international stage - economically, geopolitically and culturally - and its role continues to grow.

As developing countries, Bahrain and India have carried on fruitful co-operation for a long time. The two sides have shared not only similar historical and colonial experiences, but also common stands in opposing power politics and promoting dialogue among civilisations.

India's economy is moderately expanding as one of the two large emerging Asian economies in South East Asia. Today, India has an enormous population of increasingly wealthy and sophisticated consumers and is a key global importer of crude oil, coal and natural gas. India is also an active overseas investor with vast pools of capital and a huge, diverse constellation of markets that Bahrain cannot afford to overlook.

While economic ties have stood at the forefront of the Bahrain-India relationship, there is a broader strategic aspect that underpins the need to expand ties and develop a more comprehensive approach to mutual relations. In fact, in recent years, Bahrain-India relationship witnessed a dramatic transformation - from a mere economic engagement to a strictly strategic engagement.

What is clear is that expanding political, defence and economic ties with India fit into Bahrain's overall strategy to diversify their international relationships and to lessen their dependence on Western powers.

For Bahrain, learning how to navigate shifting global currents to ensure its increasing prosperity calls for a broader and focused re-thinking of foreign policy, one that looks well into the future.

In the interest of Bahrain's future prosperity, the time has come for political decision-makers and businesses to come together to pave a path forward.

Indeed, the King's visit remains deeply economic, setting the tone - if not the agenda - for Bahrain's far-sighted policy.

For Bahrain, India is indispensable as an economic partner. It is central to Bahrain's "Look East" foreign policy, which has in recent years evolved more of an "Act East" foreign policy, whereby the original strategy's economic logic has been amplified by the larger geopolitical objective of diversifying allies and partners.

It is in this light that His Majesty's historic visit to India should be viewed.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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King lays foundations for a strategic partnership

India holds education fair for seventh time

MEA — 24/02/2014 15:48:15

The Nation

The Great India Education Fair 2014 will be held at Bangkok's Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre this weekend, which will give parents and children the opportunity to connect with Indian educational institutions on a face-to-face basis.

The Indian education system has attracted a number of students from Thailand over the past few years.

A recent study conducted by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), entitled "Emerging Opportunities for Private and Foreign Participants in Higher Education", revealed that the education sector in India is poised to become one of the best globally.

Sanjeev Bolia, founder and managing director of the company organising the fair, said students studying in India will not just become fluent in English, but will also enjoy cost-benefit advantages.

He described the fair as a good platform for parents and students to meet representatives of well-known schools such as Mussoorie International School, Genesis Global School (Noida), Vidya Sanskar International School (Faridabad), Unison World School (Dehradun), Jain International School (Bangalore), Greenwood High (Bangalore) and International School Aamby (Pune). These offer the Indian ICSE and CBSE board curricula, as well as international ones such as the International Baccalaureate and the IGCSE.

This year's fair, held for the seventh time in Thailand, will once again showcase some of the top Indian universities, colleges and higher education institutions, offering a variety of academic, professional and vocational programmes. Counselling about stringent admission procedures, spot registrations and a range of traditional and new-age professional and vocational courses in India will also be provided to visitors.

The Great India Education Fair caters to parents of six to 18 year olds as well as school and college-going students. It highlights the strengths of the Indian education system, such as the emphasis on the English language, multicultural learning environments and reasonable costs.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

This article can also be read at:
India holds education fair for seventh time

A unique relationship

MEA — 24/02/2014 15:51:46

Gulf Daily News/by Joshua Mathew

All Indians in Bahrain would like to salute and thank His Majesty and his delegation for making that historic visit to India.

We are sure it will further strengthen the existing excellent bilateral relationship between India and Bahrain. It is quite evident that the Bahrain government has been very serious about this visit - the 120-member delegation included three princes, the Deputy Prime Minister, all of the key Bahrain ministers, businessmen, industrialists, Shura Council members, journalists and many high ranking government officials.

During these three days, many memoranda were signed which will mutually benefit both Bahrain and India in the economic, trade and investment sectors.

Yes, India's relationship with Bahrain has been more than 70 years old and in fact prior to the introduction of the Bahraini dinar in 1965, the currency in Bahrain was the rupee.

The Indian Club was started in 1915 and the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam was started in 1947. We, expatriates, especially Indians have enjoyed our stay in Bahrain and we have earned it by diligently carrying out the work entrusted to us.

Needless to say that a quarter of Bahrain's population is made up of Indians, but spare a thought for the quarter million labourers who toil hard in the open to support their families back in India and many of them find it very hard to make both ends meet. Many of them have not gone back to their home town for many years and end their lives here without even having a chance to meet their dear ones. I hope something will be done to improve their condition.

During the last 17 years Bahrain has been my second home. It has given me all the freedom, a good job and opportunity to be active in society as I desired.

I do not know whether it is a mere coincidence that my 51 years of existence in this beautiful Earth is equally divided into three 17 year segments. 17 years in Bahrain from 1997 to till date, 17 years in India, from the age of 5 to 22 and 17 years in Oman (12 years between 1985 & 1997 plus the five years in Zanzibar where I was born). As you may be aware Zanzibar was once part of Oman and Zanzibar joined Tankanyika in 1964 to become Tanzania.

All the best to the leaders and to the people of Bahrain and India and for the betterment of their unilateral relationships.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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A unique relationship

Transforming Rural India Through Agricultural Innovation

MEA — 24/02/2014 10:05:01

Harvard Business News/by Vijay Govindarajan

With a majority of its population living in villages, rural poverty is a major problem in India. The disparity between the urban and rural incomes is also on the rise. This leads to migration to urban areas resulting in urban blight as well. Therefore addressing the problem of rural poverty assumes urgency. On my last trip to India, I witnessed an innovation experiment, National Agro Foundation (NAF), that addresses this wicked problem.

Since its inception in 2000, NAF has been involved in a range of interventions—infusion of technology, soil enrichment, efficient farm and water management, improved cattle development, functional literacy, rural sanitation and public health, human resource development, establishment of self-help groups particularly among women, self-employment opportunities and facilitating institutional credit—to address the problem of farm productivity in India. Founded by Mr. C Subramaniam on his 90th birthday as a parting gift to his country, the NAF focuses on the poor and marginal farmers, women, unemployed youth, and depressed communities. (Mr. Subramaniam is widely acclaimed as the Father of the Green Revolution in India, because in the mid-1960s, as the Minister for Food and Agriculture, he successfully handled a major food crisis).

NAF works in about 250 villages in Tamilnadu and has reached 30,000 rural families. A large part of NAF’s effort with farmers is to help break their initial emotional barriers to new technologies. This has provided the platform to launch into other initiatives. The success of these measures has had a demonstrative impact on the farmers’ willingness to adopt and internalize new technologies. This may be considered an attitudinal breakthrough.

Another initiative, the Center for rural development (CFRD), a training cum village knowledge center, has been established in Illedu Village of Kancheepuram district with classrooms, computer lab with internet facilities, input and product handling center, farm machinery workshop, model experimental farm, residential complex for trainees and an open air theatre to cater to the needs of various sections of rural community. NAF has also established a Research and Development Center in Chennai housing a comprehensive soil testing laboratory, food safety and standards laboratory and a plant tissue culture lab to provide agriculture support services.

Here are some highlights of the outcomes as a result of these NAF interventions:

Agriculture productivity improvements through resource conserving "Lean Farming”: Paddy (55%), Groundnut (113%), Vegetables (116%), Sugarcane (40%), and Corn (150%). Through successful lead farmers, technology transfer has been effected over an area of 10,000 acres with a "Lead Farmer—Lead Village” concept. Addressing the agriculture value chain—soil testing, facilitation of inputs and credit, market linkage, and field advisory services—is part and parcel of agriculture development initiatives. Promotion of climate resilient agriculture, resource conserving technologies and promotion of use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in agriculture are being attempted too.

Watershed and natural resource management initiatives have resulted in increase in water table ranging from 3.5 meters to 5 meters in the project area of over 6,000 hectares. Cropping intensity has been doubled (two crop cultivation in a year instead of one crop) and about 20% additional area which had been left fallow has also been brought under cultivation. Soil erosion, nutrient loss, damage due to flooding during rainy seasons have reduced significantly.

Over 6,500 high yielding cross bred cattle with a milk yield improvement to the extent of 300% has also been achieved through NAF’s animal husbandry initiatives.

To sustain the benefits derived, the Social Development initiatives of NAF have helped village communities in establishing community-based institutions like Farmers Clubs (160), Self Help Groups and Joint Liability Groups (900), Farmers Producer Organizations (6), Watershed committees (25) etc for collective decision and action. Over 6,000 people have been made functionally literate through adult literacy program. Over 1,900 beneficiaries have established micro-enterprises for which microfinance has been facilitated. 30 children are passing through every year through its play school for the past six years. The children are provided nutritious food in order to ensure nutritional security to the underprivileged. Over 1,400 toilets have been built with people participation under sanitation initiatives.

Training is imparted on "technology-oriented” and "participation-oriented” modes to various stakeholders of agriculture and rural development like farmers, youth, women, socially excluded, functionaries of NGOs, water users, producer groups, input suppliers, bankers, students etc. Over 50,000 people have benefited in the past decade.

Reducing income inequality is not just a matter of charity, it is a challenge for innovation. NAF is an interesting experiment. The problem is so large, will more corporations step forward to collaborate with organizations like NAF to tackle this challenge?

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Transforming Rural India Through Agricultural Innovation

Respect the will of the people and help promote democracy

MEA — 20/02/2014 11:37:05

La Presse de Tunisie/by Foued Allani

This is an English translation of French Article published in 'La Presse de Tunisie'

India's foreign policy in the Arab World

Mr. Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs of India affirmed that "Our country has a long experience in the field of pluralism and we are ready to promote stability”

Draped in fog, New Delhi has prepared to celebrate 66th Anniversary of the Indian Army and to receive tomorrow,18 February 2014 Mrs. Park Guen-hye, President of the Republic of South Korea. South Korea celebrates the 41st Anniversary of establishing Diplomatic relations with Gandhi’s Country. An official visit which was announced among many pages of welcoming advertisements in newspapers.

In the governmental city, surrounded by greenery, calm is "Himalayan” the buildings of ministries still retain the British influence through colonial rule ended on 15 August 1947. The Ministry of External Affairs had invited many journalists who came from different countries: Algeria, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Soudan, Syria, Yemen and Tunisia, despite that it was cold outside, we had been warmly welcomed.

"In the hands of Syrian people”

Mr. Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs, declared that "The relation between India and your countries is old and very strong; our country appreciates the changes that your region has undergone while respecting the will of your people and their right to self-determination”.

Looking comfortable in his traditional suit with snowy hair and an intellectual look, Mr. Salman Khurshid invited the delegation to ask questions which he answered with confidence. He announced that his next visit would be to Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan (his visit to Tunisia was held on 2nd and 3rd February 2014) and he pointed out that every year nearly 7 Millions Indians work in the Arab region and send back to their country nearly 70 Million Dollars. (sic)

The Chief of Indian Diplomacy stated "The solution to the problem is in the hand of Syrian people themselves”. He added responding to a question that India has already reacted to the situation prevailing in the region on both diplomatic and humanitarian terms. He explained that India is not in favour of any kind of conflict in addition that it played a role within the United Nations in order to solve this problem; he further said that India donated two million dollars to Syrian refugees.

The Minister of External Affairs, Mr. Salman Khurshid stated that” We have always refrained from acting in an individual manner towards this kind of problem and we had always preferred the institutional action” and he added that despite the violent events that submerged Egypt and other countries, New Delhi would not interfere in the internal affairs of any country and respected the will of their people and offers its help to maintain stability "Our country has a long experience in the field of pluralism and we are ready to help in order to maintain stability”.

"For an Independent Palestinian state”

Mr. Anil Wadhwa, Secretary of State to the Ministry of External Affairs in charge of the East declared to Arab journalists that "We are paying attention to the changes in your countries hoping that the stability would return quickly so that it would positively reflect in developing the cooperation between the two countries”.

Mr. Zakir Hussain, President of the Republic of India from 1967 to 1969 is the grandfather of Mr. Salman Khurshid.

After giving an idea about the changes that India is living and informed that his country is preparing to the elections during the coming weeks, the speaker states that Gandhi’s country became interested in what happens in other countries, to seek better economic relations. Mr. Wadhwa was very clear concerning the integration of India in the Security Council as a permanent member. "We are living today a new political order that involves a new reform in the System of the United Nations started in 1945. During years there were negotiations about an overhaul of the Security Council, adding that many countries support the enlargement of the Security Council by adding India, Japan, Brazil, and Germany as permanent members in addition to six other seats including two for Africa.

Mr. Wadhwa has added that the four countries would not use the veto, he further states that permanent members should take a decision regarding this reform particularly in view of the fact that 130 states are supporting India.

Concerning the Palestinian case, the Secretary of State pointed out that India supported the Palestinian- Israeli negotiations held under US mediation and on the basis of UNSC resolutions 242 and 338. India called to create an Independent Palestinian State having borders with Israel. Palestine has already an Embassy at New Delhi; Palestinian nationals are not obliged to go Tel Aviv to apply for a visa to India, but can obtain an Indian visa at Ramallah since over a year.

Mr. Wadhwa pointed out that the internal political changes would not affect the external relations, in case the Nationalist Party can won the elections.

A power of peace and progress in the World

Peaceful but determined the cradle of non-violent struggle and co-founder in 1955 of the Non-Aligned Movement seems to have made significant progress to become a great power.

The biggest democracy in the world with more than one billion two hundred million inhabitants, a model of pluralism, India became an essential economic power. India could after twelve years increase five-fold its GDP (near to 2.100 billion US dollars in 2013) and to be 10th largest economy in the world.

It became also a space power since 1974. Having a low cost technology comparing to other countries, its space program helped it to become the first Asian country and be able to send a space probe to Mars (5 November 2013).

Despite all these changes, India persists to keep its pacifism since its independence, chooses to respect the will of nations and not to interfere in their internal affairs.

Both these position and status are strongly in favour of India as a future permanent member of the Security Council.

With peaceful coexistence and help to fight against colonization, India, which supported the Tunisian national movement until it gets its independence; today it does not hesitate to support it, with international rule of law and within the United Nations system.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

The Original Article (in French) can be read at:
Respect the will of the people and help promote democracy

India to develop people-centred technology with BRICS partners

MEA — 17/02/2014 10:00:16

Two Circles/by Saroj Mohanty

India will collaborate with the four other BRICS countries in science and technology to generate new knowledge and develop innovative products, services and processes, critical to its and the grouping's growing economies.

Science and technology ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) met at Kleinmond, southeast of Cape Town, South Africa, last week and agreed to promote partnerships also with other strategic actors in the developing world.

They zeroed in on five sectors of climate change and mitigation of natural disasters; water resources and pollution treatment; geospatial technology and its applications; alternative and renewable energy; and astronomy to share experiences and complementarities.

India would thus drive geospatial technology and its application, while Brazil will lead climate change and natural disasters. Russia would head water resources and pollution treatment.

New and renewable energy and energy efficiency would be led by China while South Africa would steer astronomy.

Thirumalachari Ramasami, secretary, department of science and technology, represented India at the first ministerial on "A Strategic Partnership for Equitable Growth and Sustainable Development".

The ministers reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) -- a copy of which is available here -- to stimulate joint investment in the development of high technologies, create common technology platforms and set up centres of applied research and innovation laboratories.

The MOU, officials said, will serve as the "strategic inter-governmental framework" that would be signed by the heads of state and government at the 6th BRICS Summit scheduled for July in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The Feb 10-11 meeting, held as per the "eThekwini declaration and Action Plan" adopted at the Durban Summit last year, also ensured complementarities vis-à-vis cooperation with Africa, notably regarding increased access to technology as well as the launch of the BRICS Business Council and the BRICS Think Tanks Council.

The ministers suggested the establishment of mechanisms to transfer technology and knowledge and the creation of a student exchange programme within the group to address their human capital challenges.

"The meeting is a clear demonstration of our commitment to intensify cooperation in science, technology and innovation (STI) within the BRICS framework", said Derek Hanekom, South African minister of science and technology.

Hanekom said the University of Cape Town has discovered a novel chemical compound which has "exciting potential" to both control and eradication of malaria.

India and South Africa are hosting components of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, promoted by the United Nations.

The participants declared their intention to face the common global and regional socio-economic challenges, and emphasised that the basis for cooperation in STI among the bloc's countries should be centred on people and the public assets in order to support equitable growth and sustainable development.

"We agree that people centred and public good driven science, technology and innovation, supporting equitable growth and sustainable development, shall form the basis of our cooperation within the framework of BRICS," they said.

The Kleinmond meeting took place in the context of the First BRICS Summit held in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where the leaders at that time envisaged cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation with the aim to engage in fundamental research and development of advanced technologies.

There is already broad agreement amongst the BRICS partners on possible priority areas for cooperation. These include exchange of information on science, technology and innovation policies and programmes and promotion of innovation; food security and sustainable agriculture; nanotechnology; biotechnology and technology incubators.

The 3rd BRICS Summit in Sanya, China, in 2011 resulted in member-countries setting up working mechanisms that include a BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation senior officials meeting and the STI Working Group.

The BRICS ministers visited the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) site in Carnarvon, where the world's biggest and most sensitive radio telescope, will be jointly built by South Africa in collaboration with Australia and New Zealand.

The telescope is a combination of thousands of dishes and antennas, whose total collecting area will be approximately one square km, giving 50 times the sensitivity and 10,000 times the survey speed of the best current-day telescopes.

It will address unanswered fundamental questions about our universe, including how the first stars and galaxies formed after the big bang, how dark energy is accelerating the expansion of the universe, the role of magnetism in the cosmos, the nature of gravity, and the search for life beyond the earth.

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India to develop people-centred technology with BRICS partners

Kerala eyes five-fold growth in ayurveda

MEA — 17/02/2014 10:03:02

Two Circles

The two-day International Business Meet (IBM) on ayurveda being held in Kochi next week is expected to bring a five-fold increase in the state's share, a government official said here Saturday.

"At present, the Indian ayurveda industry is worth Rs.10,000 crore of which Kerala's contribution is about Rs.1,000 crore. We are aiming for a five-fold rise in the state's share by 2020," said Aruna Sundarajan, managing director of the state-owned Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation.

The event beginning here Friday will be the meeting point of key stake-holders from the industry to evolve a road map for harnessing the global opportunities in the ayurveda business.

About 4,000 delegates from 22 countries, including ministers, top officials and CEOs will attend.

The meet is being organised as part of the Global Ayurveda Festival 2014.

"We see IBM as a platform to showcase this strength of ayurveda before the business and entrepreneurial community and take ayurveda to the global level," said Sundararajan.

The technical sessions at the IBM will cover export promotion, products, services, wellness, research, education, quality standards, financial and other support systems and medicinal plants cultivation.

Representatives from Singapore, Italy, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, the Philippines and Sri Lanka will make presentations on the opportunities in their respective countries.

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Kerala eyes five-fold growth in ayurveda

India building US$ 52M GIS-based public safety response system

MEA — 10/02/2014 17:05:20

Future Gov/ by Medha Basu

Under steps to improve public emergency response in India, the central government is setting up an integrated location-based emergency response system for the communities.

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a proposal by the Ministry of Home Affairs to establish an Integrated Computer-Aided Dispatch platform.

The system looks to effectively and efficiently respond to emergency calls by the public, and integrate with other emergency services such as medical, fire and disaster management.

With the recent rise in reports of violence against women in India, special attention has been given to improving public emergency response systems. This project taps into the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ which was set up in 2013 to support initiatives towards ensuring the safety of women.

Covering almost 400 million people

The dispatch platform will include GIS-based call response and GPS-based police vehicle dispatch system. The system will track alarms generated by panic buttons, landlines, mobiles and mobile applications and the appropriate emergency response units will be dispatched to attend calls.

With control rooms to be setup in 114 cities and districts nationwide, the project aims to cover 32.6 per cent of the total population or 391 million people. This will include highly crime prone areas and cities with population of over a million.

The project involves a total cost of INR 3.21 billion (US$ 52 million) of which INR 153 million (US$ 2.5 million) has been set aside for central monitoring and evaluation of the project.

Next Generation 911 network standards

The response system will be integrated with the existing Police Dial 100 system for seamless operation and coordination between various agencies. It will also be integrated with the Crime and Criminal Tracking and Networking System, and State Service Delivery Gateways. The system will follow scalability and interoperability guidelines set by the Department of Information Technology.

It aims to demonstrate capabilities of the Next Generation 9-1-1 network standards that have been established in United States and Canada, allowing dynamic identification of caller location. It also looks to allow data exchange between emergency call centres, dispatch centres, and police, fire, medical and disaster management command centres.

The project will be implemented in stages over a period of nine months, followed by an operations and maintenance period of five years. It can be subsequently migrated to a single central emergency response number, said an official release by the Government.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India building US$ 52M GIS-based public safety response system

India could be hardware material supplier:AG

MEA — 10/02/2014 17:06:43

Fiji News

India could become our next biggest supplier of hardware material.

Minister for Trade Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum discussed the issue with companies while on a recent visit to India.

"India also makes hardware and we can source it from India also. So it’s good for us as a country to have competition, between countries to have different sources from China, from India, because that will mean competitive pricing, if you have competitive pricing than Fijians can actually benefit from cheaper or more reasonably priced hardware items."

Sayed-Khaiyum says this is being done to improve Fijians living standards.

"As consumers, where we don’t produce a particular item, we need to be able to get the best item and at a very competitive pricing, because if we are able to get competitive priced hardware, then you as an ordinary citizen will be able to then make your house look better, the quality of your life will improve, and that’s what the Bainimarama government’s objective is, to improve the quality of everyday Fijians life."

Sayed-Khaiyum says Fiji currently imports hardware material from China and having two suppliers will have great impact on the price.

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India could be hardware material supplier:AG

Heart surgery patients thank India

MEA — 10/02/2014 17:08:27

Daily News (Tanzania)

A total of 17 heart disorder patients who were flown to Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in India for subsidized heart surgeries returned at the weekend after successful surgery.

The patients received treatment through support of the Lions Club of Dar es Salaam (Host) in collaboration with Regency Medical Centre and the Ministry of Health in Zanzibar. Upon arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport, the patients were received by Lions Club members, relatives and friends.

Dr Ali Amour of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, who escorted the patients said they are all in good condition after surgery. Most of the patients had openings in their hearts while others had problems with their valves.

Among the patients was Ms Mbaima Zuberi from the Maasai community who had her malfunctioning valve replaced with an artificial one.

"My mother was in critical condition before the surgery and she could hardly walk even for a short distance. This has, however, changed after the surgery" her son, Zuber Mhondelo who accompanied her, said.

He added: "So many thanks to Dr Rajni Kanabar and Regency Medical Centre which discovered the problem of my mother. We were well received and treated in India and even India's State Minister for External Affairs, Ms Preneet Kaur visited us."

Ms Adriana Gaitan, a mother of nine-month-old Shares, said his son had holes in his heart and due to that he could not breathe properly and vomited from time to time due to that complication but after successful surgery he is improving fast.

"I commend doctors at Fortis Escorts. They did their best to make our dreams come true and as you look at him he is comfortable now, thanks to Ministry of Health in Zanzibar and the Lions Club members who made this trip possible and all well wishers who contributed," she said.

Lion Dr Rajni Kanabar, who is convener of the heart babies project in Lions Club of Dar es Salaam (host), said the Indian minister visited the group and she was deeply touched by the Tanzania Babies Heart Project.

According to Dr Kanabar, the minister was pleased by the project which continues to provide "new lease of life” to patients with repairable heart defects who otherwise succumb to needless premature deaths.

Dr Kanabar said the minister presented them with gifts and wished them a long life ahead and prayed that they become useful citizens of Tanzania. Dr Kanabar said Dhulkhulaifat Salum, a two-year-old baby from Tanzania had problems digesting foods and despite undergoing surgery in Tanzania still felt no respite.

The Co-convener of the project, Lion Shiraz Rashid, also recorded special thanks for regular supporter – Dr Reginald Mengi for sponsoring five heart surgeries for children from Uganda.

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Heart surgery patients thank India

India spreads a big welcome carpet

MEA — 10/02/2014 17:11:56

Bangkok Post/ by Umesh Pandey

Many issues were on my mind this past week but some can wait for discussion later, because I’d like to single out one country that has taken a bold step to help it capture the huge potential it possesses.

To many people's surprise, India took one of the boldest steps in its recent history when the government decided to relax visa regulations in a country that has always been quite restrictive about the people it admits.

The visa relaxation extends to 180 nations including all the countries in Asean plus the likes of United States, the United Kingdom and the rest of the developed and developing world with just a handful of exceptions.

What was most surprising was that India, which considers China its key regional rival, extended to citizens of China the same privileges as their peers in 179 other countries. The gesture is yet another sign that relations between the two nations are on the mend, despite some lingering differences, such as the Chinese claim to parts of Arunachal Pradesh and tensions in the north Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.

Prior to this, India had granted visa-on-arrival privileges to just 12 countries: Japan, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand and some Asean countries such as Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore.

Nationals of eight countries singled out for security reasons will still need to apply for visas at Indian embassies, a process that can take weeks. They include Pakistan, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

There is a small catch. The system will be in place by September and travellers from 180 countries will need to apply for electronic travel authorisation at least three days prior to their travel. Once in India they will have to undergo biometric identification to get a visa.

But the good thing is that tourists will then be able to travel throughout the country for 30 days, which is not renewable. The service will be available at nine key airports: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad, Goa and Trivandrum. It will be expanded to cover 17 other airports soon after.

It has been a long time coming, but give credit to India for the astonishing step it has taken, especially considering the many threats it faces, from insurgency in the north and northeast as well as other terrorist group activity.

As a country of more than 1.2 billion people with a diverse cultural heritage that dates back thousands of years, India has some of the greatest tourism potential in the world. Its bountiful natural beauty extends from beautiful beaches on the east and west coasts to the desert and palaces of Rajasthan, the lush green rainforests in the northeast, the tea plantations of Darjeeling and the ski slopes of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

I have always told friends and colleagues that no country gives a tourist better bang for the buck than India, as long as one can deal with the day-to-day chaos.

But that chaos over the years has been lessening, thanks to various steps the government has taken. It is clear that campaigns such as "Atithi Devo Bhava” (Tourists are like God) and Incredible India have started to yield results.

Of course, negative publicity lingers and legitimate safety concerns remain to be addressed in light of the terrible rape cases that have made headlines worldwide. But tourist numbers in India rose by 4% to just over 7 million last year; that compares to 26.7 million tourists who visited Thailand, a much smaller country.

If one wants to compare Thailand with India, consider one other factor. A lot of the success of Thailand’s tourism sector, apart from good infrastructure, has stemmed from relaxation of visa rules and visa on arrival procedures. You might be surprised to know, though, that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually gives visas on arrival to just 28 countries and offers visa exemptions to a total of 48.

So the fact that India has relaxed the rules for up to 180 countries is unexpected. For Asean residents, we now have greater and easier access to Buddhist pilgrimage sites, and some may begin to look at India in a very different light as a possible destination for short breaks.

It is also commendable, in this day and age, for a country with so many pressing security concerns to display such openness in welcoming citizens from so many places. One has to give a standing ovation to the people who had the courage to undertake this move, for it will be beneficial for the country's population in the years ahead.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India spreads a big welcome carpet

India’s historic relations with Qatar

MEA — 07/02/2014 09:47:42

The Peninsula/ Khalid Abdullah Al Ziyara

Recently, I was honoured to be invited by the Indian ambassador to Qatar, Sanjiv Arora, to attend a ceremony to mark India’s 65th Republic Day.

A host of renowned Qatari and Indian figures attended the ceremony, which featured exceptional Indian traditional art by artists from Indian Cultural Centre who represented the diverse Indian culture.

In his speech, the Indian ambassador commended the strong relations between India and Qatar, which he described as "rooted” in the depth of history and tested by time. The ambassador was right, as relations between the two countries are really strong. He did not say but the truth when he spoke at length about the good relations and multifaceted bonds of cooperation between India and Qatar.

These bonds are growing within an excellent framework provided by historic relations and regular interactions at the highest levels.

Memories of the 1950s are still entrenched in the minds of Qataris who lived through that period, as India existed significantly in our society during that era in many ways, including Indian currency, the rupee and the anna, which people then used in their daily transactions.

Use of the Indian rupee here started in the second half of the 19th century. According to sources, this happened because the influence of the East India Company spread out from India, so it issued silver coins that continued as the currency of India through the British Raj and beyond.

The Indian rupee then started to impose itself on the communities of the Gulf countries due to the steady growth of trade between the Arab Gulf states and India over time.

The Indian market was the main vendor of pearls that were being fished from the deep sea of the Gulf region; it was the lifeblood of Qatar and the rest of the region. The Indian market was the only place that displayed various Indian commodities and goods that still represent a part of our heritage, like our clothes, spices and other important goods.

In my book, published by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage in the second half of the last decade, under the title Pearls of Gulf... The Memory of the 20th Century, I dwelt upon the aforementioned era that witnessed the flourishing of historical relations between Qatar and India, citing verbal and documentary accounts.

However, according to sources, smuggling of rupees out of India to the Gulf region for exchange with Pound Sterling caused huge loss to the Indian economy.

The sales of pearls in India were badly affected, so the Indian government agreed with the governments of the Gulf region to issue a special currency note to be used in the countries of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula.

This currency was introduced in Qatar and countries of the region by the Indian government in 1959.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India’s historic relations with Qatar

Indian programme hones skills of 50 Jordanians over three years

MEA — 05/02/2014 09:45:35

Jordan Times/by Khetam Malkawi

The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme has helped more than 50 Jordanians develop their skills and careers over the past three years, according to beneficiaries.

Under the programme, ITEC India shares development experience acquired over a period of seven decades by hosting nominees from several countries, including Jordan, and offering them training in their fields of work.

"After taking part in this programme, I had the courage to look for a job better than the one I had before I went to India to receive advanced training,” said Suleiman Shouha, who works in the field of performance auditing.

Shouha said taking part in a specialised programme in India through ITEC helped him develop his work skills.

"I used to work at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, and when I returned from India, my manager tasked me with evaluating our programmes based on what I learned,” he told The Jordan Times at a reception on Sunday evening, adding that this paved the way for him to change his job and move to a more senior position.

Osama Azzam, who took part in an ITEC programme in July 2013 in the field of performance and management, also said he benefitted from the course.

"I had firsthand experience in India… a unique one, as they have an automated and integrated system for evaluating the performance of management,” noted Azzam, who works at the USAID-funded Fiscal Reform project.

Implementing such an automated programme enables enterprises to easily evaluate their performance, an experience that he would love to see implemented in Jordan.

For Nader Salameh, another ITEC programme participant, the experience was different.

"Yes I benefited a lot from the course I took in India, but it also was a chance for me to meet the woman I am married to now,” he noted.

Salameh, an area manager at Image Technologies Company, added that there were participants from different countries in the course he took about entrepreneurship, and this offered a chance to exchange expertise.

India’s Ambassador to Jordan Radha Ranjan Dash said the programme shares his country’s experience in the fields of economic development, human resources, IT, science, financial management, and labour and employment with candidates from the ITEC member countries.

Speaking at Sunday's reception, held to celebrate ITEC day, Dash said the programme is about cooperation and partnership for mutual benefit and has contributed immensely to capacity building and human resources development.

The ambassador added that the ITEC programme, fully funded by the government of India, offers unique training courses, both civilian and defence, in different centres of excellence in India.

"Every year, nominees from friendly countries are invited for training modules encapsulating a wide and diverse range of skills and disciplines," he said, adding that the ITEC programme also provides an opportunity for candidates to study and learn about India’s culture, heritage and diversity.

The government of India offered 25 slots to Jordan last year, and the same number this year, Dash said.

"I’ll recommend increasing the number for Jordanians, because the Jordanians find it very useful.”

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Indian programme hones skills of 50 Jordanians over three years

Caginitoba leads Nabouono solar way

MEA — 05/02/2014 09:54:51

Fiji Sun

The new solar electrification project at Nabouono Village, Udu Point in Macuata, has generated numerous benefits for the community, says the engineer in charge of the project.

56-year-old Marica Caginitoba is confident that positive change will continue from the project in her community.

In 2012, the Ministry of Women and Barefoot College identified 10 women aged between 45 and 60 to undergo six months of solar electrification training at the Barefoot College in Rajasthan, India. Following their return, these engineers had solar electrified their respective villages in Fiji.

A recent visit by the officials from Ministry of Women to Nabouono Village showed that the solar electrification has positively impacted the lives of the villagers.

‘For the past 50 years and more this village was depended on kerosene and candles for lights. But since the past six months the implementation of solar electrification has generated numerous benefits for the community, women are now able to do their household chores easily at night like cooking breakfast for the school children.

"With the accessibility of lights at night, the women feel much safer in their homes and even children who attend the Udu District School are able study for longer hours with the availability of the solar lanterns. Solar lights are very cost effective, safe and also environment friendly,” Mrs Caginitoba said.

Apart from solar electrifying 14 households in Nabouono village, Mrs Caginitoba has also solar electrified 34 houses in the next community to it, which is the Yasawa village. She has also trained three women and three youths in her village on solar electrification.

Each of the households are paying $5 a month of which $2.50 goes to Caginitoba as her income while $2.50 goes to the bank account of solar committee which looks after the maintenance of solar projects.

"Each of the household has 3 lamps and one lantern and a solar panel and the rest of surrounding villages come to me to request for the solar electrification. My next assignment is to solar electrify Nukudamu Village and the ministry is currently waiting for solar equipment to arrive from India. We have also submitted a canteen project proposal to the ministry for its assistance and once we manage to put it together it will further boost the income generating of our women’s groups,” Mrs Caginitoba explained.

The rollout of solar electrification project has eventuated as a result of the partnership between the Ministry of Women and UN Women along with representatives from the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas Network (FLAMMA). – Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation

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Caginitoba leads Nabouono solar way

Solar power lights up villages

MEA — 06/02/2014 13:02:21

Prensa Libre/by Oscar Figueroa

For 70 years, residents of three villages of San Juan Cotzal, Quiché, lived without electricity in their communities, but now this began to change and a hundred families receive the benefits of this service thanks to a solar energy program.

The program includes providing solar energy to the school and the Catholic church Xeputul 2.

Catarina Torres Mejia and Isabel were trained for six months in India on solar energy systems and are now involved in the project that gives birth to a hundred families in the villages Xeputul 1 and 2, and Tzibanay, San Juan Cotzal.

This solar system has a cost of U.S. $ 180 billion-approximately 402 000 Q1 200 million - and has the support of Enel Green Power of Guatemala, the Republic of India, Barefoot College and the Association for the Development Rijatzul Q'ij (Sun Seed).

The manager of Enel Green Power of Guatemala, Orlando Lopez, explained that the solar electrification of these three communities a hundred solar panels, which costs Q15 thousand each were used.

Self-sustaining

The association Rijatzul Q'ij instructed the residents of these communities on how to implement a management committee to take charge of the monthly payment to beneficiaries and thus make the service sustainable.

Each user must pay for the service monthly Q30 solar energy, which is contrasted with the Q90 they spent monthly to buy candles.

Felipe Raymundo, president of the Community Development Council Xeputul 2, explained that the Q30 monthly pay hundred beneficiaries, 50 percent will be used to pay Isabel Torres and Catherine Mejia for servicing and repairing the system of solar panels .

The remaining 50 percent will be reinvested into the program to give you energy as possible.

Cooperation

Ambassador of the Republic of India, Subrata Bhattacharjee, said filled him with satisfaction attend the inauguration of the solar power system in these communities.

He commented that this is the result of programs of technical and economic cooperation existing between India and Guatemala.

Heber Cabrera, Quiché governor said that government resources are not sufficient to meet the needs of the entire population, and assessed the international cooperation and private initiative.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Solar power lights up villages

India Announces Plans For World's Largest Solar Plant; Will Triple Country's Capacity

MEA — 06/02/2014 16:16:34

Huffington Post/by Sanjay Kumar

India has pledged to build the world’s most powerful solar plant. With a nominal capacity of 4,000 megawatts, comparable to that of four full-size nuclear reactors, the ‘ultra mega' project will be more than ten times larger than any other solar project built so far, and it will spread over 77 square kilometres of land — greater than the island of Manhattan.

Six state-owned companies have formed a joint venture to execute the project, which they say can be completed in seven years at a projected cost of US$4.4 billion. The proposed location is near Sambhar Salt Lake in the northern state of Rajasthan.

The solar photovoltaic power plant will have an estimated life of 25 years and is expected to supply 6.4 billion kilowatt-hours per year, according to official figures. It could help to reduce India's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4 million tonnes per year, estimates Parimita Mohanty, a fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi.

India currently has a grid-connected solar-power capacity of 2,208 MW — up from a mere 17.8 MW in 2010, when the central government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The JNNSM aims for India to reach an installed capacity of 20,000 MW (or 20 gigawatts) of solar power by 2022 (see 'India embarks on solar drive').

"If things go according to plan, we might well surpass that figure,” says Tarun Kapoor, chief of the JNNSM and joint secretary in India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Green ambition

The production cost of solar power in India has fallen by more than half in recent years, from 17 rupees ($0.27) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) three years ago to 7.50 rupees per kWh currently, according to Kapoor, and it could plummet further. But these costs are still high compared to coal (2.50 rupees per kWh), nuclear (3 rupees per kWh) or natural gas (5.5 rupees per kWh), says Mohanty.

India is mapping its potential for solar-energy production across the entire country on the basis of satellite imagery, in collaboration with the United States. It has also set up 51 dedicated measurement stations to assess the availability of solar radiation, adding to data collected by 45 meteorological observatories.

But the ostensibly green mega-project has been criticized by environmentalists. "We don’t think this should be the way to go ahead,” says Chandra Bhushan, deputy director-general of the think tank Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi. "Feeding 4,000 MW into an already leaking grid where 20% of electricity gets wasted in transmission and distribution losses and [most] ends up feeding the urban centres makes little sense,” he says, adding that less than 50% of Indians living in villages have access to electricity.

Bhushan says that a decentralized solar approach, with multiple smaller projects spread over rural areas, would have a far greater reach, a larger social benefit and bigger human-development impact than a gargantuan plant feeding the grid. India's population is comparable to China's but its electricity consumption is only about one-quarter of China's, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Rajendra Pachauri, director-general of TERI and chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says that the JNNSM should keep pushing on both the large-scale and decentralized approaches. "India must see itself emerge as the worldwide leader in harnessing solar energy involving technologies for centralized power generation, as well as millions of small, decentralized applications.”

This story originally appeared in Nature News.

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India Announces Plans For World's Largest Solar Plant; Will Triple Country's Capacity

A-G briefs Indian Electoral Commission on general election

MEA — 04/02/2014 09:43:07

Fiji Sun/by Jyoti Pratibha

The Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, has briefed the Indian Electoral Commissioners, Mr. V S Sampath (Chief Commissioner), Mr. Harishankar Brahma and Mr. Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi and their staff on the preparations for this year’s general election.

In a meeting with the Indian Electoral Commission, in New Delhi, India, he said: "Holding elections that are free, fair and credible, based on a fair electoral system is the absolute priority of the Bainimarama Government, and the Indian Government including the Indian Electoral Commission has shown a deep level of understanding and support for this process.”

"Accordingly, we look forward to close co-operation between the Indian Electoral Commission and the Fijian Elections Office and Fijian Electoral Commission,” he said.

"In fact the Indian Electoral Commission has agreed to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Electoral Commissions, to enable flow of information, technical assistance and personnel between the two agencies.

"We had very constructive exchange of information with the Indian Electoral commissioners and discussed a wide range of issues including the elections preparations, the role of the Fijian Electoral Commission and how for the first time Fiji will have one day polling."The Indian Electoral Commissioners commended the appointment of the independent Fijian Electoral Commission, saying that it signified the independence and credibility of the election process.”

The Attorney-General said "To get such endorsement and pledge of assistance and cooperation by the Electoral Commission of the world’s largest democracy demonstrates confidence in the processes and work done so far in the preparations for the elections by the Bainimarama Government.”

The minister and his delegation received a demonstration on the electronic voting system that has been widely and successfully used in the Indian elections.

The Indian Electoral Commission was also interested in the Fijian Registration of Political Parties Decree and asked the Attorney-General for a copy of it.

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A-G briefs Indian Electoral Commission on general election

Growing Indo-Saudi ties

MEA — 03/02/2014 09:51:26

Saudi Gazette

The "look east” policy of Riyadh born out of the nation’s growing vision to diversify is starting to bear fruit. Saudi Arabia is expanding its bilateral relations with developing countries with crude oil playing an important contributory role — as before.

The recent announcement by Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram that Crown Prince Salman, first deputy prime minister and defense minister, will be visiting New Delhi this month is an indication of how much importance both countries place on growing Indo-Saudi relations.

India and Saudi Arabia are to sign a defense cooperation pact during the visit. The proposed defense pact will allow shared use and exchange of defense-related information, military training and education as well as cooperation in areas varying from hydrography and security to logistics.

Chidambaram, who was officially in the Kingdom for the 10th session of the Saudi-India Joint Commission Meeting (JCM), said that the Kingdom and India "have been able to make significant progress in relations over the past few years.”

Chidambaram’s visit was also meant to further cement bilateral cooperation in an entire gamut of trade, commerce and other vital sectors. In this regard, the Indian minister’s visit should be termed a major success.

Both, India and the Kingdom lauded the JCM’s linear progress with Chidambaram and the Saudi Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah signing the minutes at the end of the JCM meeting. It highlighted the Commission’s satisfaction over the substantial progress in the volume of trade exchange between the two countries that reached $43 billion in 2013, and looked forward to further enhancing the trade exchange.

The Commission called for expanding participation of businessmen in international fairs, which will be held in both countries, and the exchange of more visits of businessmen.

But the key area where India’s outreach was evident was the fact that it agreed to facilitate the issuance of business visas for Saudi businessmen, which will allow them to seize opportunities in India, as the Asian nation is one of the favored destinations of foreign direct investments (FDIs).

The JCM also highlighted expanding relations and the setting up of several new joint ventures like the SABIC center with an initial investment of $100 million in India and TATA Motor’s Jaguar project in the Kingdom. The Commission also emphasized that Saudi Arabia is keen to expand its cooperation with India in all commercial and investment sectors.

As of 2012, there were 350 Indian projects in the Kingdom with a total value of $1.6 billion in various sectors, such as construction, contracting, administrative consulting and IT.

Riyadh and New Delhi have agreed to promote "cooperation in the fields of oil, gas and mineral resources” with Chidambaram promising to build on his country’s complementaries in the hydrocarbon sector to strengthen the strategic energy partnership.

The countries also agreed to set up the proposed $750 million India-Saudi Investment Fund. Saudi Arabia and India have agreed to work closely in "a broad range of areas”, and have agreed to enhance cooperation in energy, pharmaceuticals, textiles, education, tourism and vocational training.

Chidambaram stressed that the holding of JCMs is an important dialogue mechanism between India and Saudi Arabia. While inviting investors to explore opportunities in India, he said: "FDI is the direct route for investment and we have a foreign investment promotion board to look into matters of assistance for investors.”

Chidambaram with this visit must have achieved his primary goals — strengthening bilateral relations, improving mutual understanding and finding ways for both sides to benefit from their complementary economies. Both countries know that ties can only grow by continuous interaction and cooperation.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Growing Indo-Saudi ties

Why Mahatma Gandhi is becoming popular in China

MEA — 03/02/2014 10:12:55

BBC/by Ankur Jain

For the first time, Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi's own story of his life is to be available in China.

The Story of My Experiments With Truth, which has sold more than 200,000 copies in India alone and has been translated in to some 35 languages, will now be translated in Mandarin to cater to what Chinese scholars say is the "growing interest" in the leader in their country.

Five volumes of Gandhi's selected works containing his writings on satyagraha [people's movement], religion, politics and speeches, will also be translated into Mandarin.

"Gandhi's works have largely not been available in Russia and China so far. We are really excited with the growing interest about his writings in China," said Vivek Desai of the Ahmadabad-based Navajivan Trust, the 84-year-old publishing house founded by Gandhi which has published more than 300 volumes of the leader's works.

Surge of interest

Dr Huang Yinghong of Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-Sen University said he and a team of academics would translate and publish Gandhi's works in China. Over 80 of the leader's speeches will also be translated.

"A lot of people, especially the young, in China are interested about Gandhi's work but unable to find anything in the local language," he said, adding that he planned to launch the five volumes of translated works by the end of the year.

What is driving the surge of interest in the works of the independence hero in China?

"Gandhi's non-co-operation movement [against British rule] in 1920 and his ability to mobilise people had caught the attention of Chinese rulers," says Prof Shang Quanyu, who teaches at the foreign studies department of South China Normal University in Guangzhou and has been researching Gandhi.

"Until 1950, 27 books and hundreds of articles on Gandhi and his ideas where published here. He was described as the Rousseau and Tolstoy of India."

However, he says, interest in Gandhi's works declined with the rise of communism.

"Gandhi's advocacy of non-violence and class harmony was out of tune with the Maoist ideology and political climate inside China," says Prof Shang.

Former Indian diplomat and Gandhi expert Pascal Alan Nazareth said that in pre-Mao period, "Chinese thinkers met Gandhi and followed him closely to find an end to their problems".

Though Gandhi never visited China, the leader's non-violent movement touched a chord among many Chinese.

Indian historian Ramachandra Guha has written about Gandhi's relations with the Chinese during his time in South Africa.

Some 1,000 Chinese supporters joined Indians to take part in Gandhi's first peaceful protest in Transvaal province in 1906 to protest against a law that barred Asians from owning property and made it mandatory to carry identity cards, among other things.

Chinese supporters courted arrest during a non-co-operation movement launched by the leader.

After they were jailed, Gandhi "discussed the multiple paths to gods with his Chinese comrades in prison", Mr Guha writes.

"Gandhi emerged as the main leader of the Asians in Transvaal. Chinese people participated in Gandhi's movement and even threw dinners for their Indian friends in South Africa," Mr Guha told the BBC.

Many decades later, in an essay published in 2000, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo compared Gandhi to a "single martyr [who] can fundamentally turn the spirit of a nation and strengthen its moral fibre".

Prof Shang says Gandhi's works became a subject of interest after the economic reforms in China: more than 50 books on Gandhi had been published in the country since 1980.

Pascal Alan Nazareth said Gandhi was known in China as the founder of modern India and a master of the doctrine of non-violence.

"But now people want to know more about his religious, social, economic and political ideas. China is more inquisitive about his work," he said.

During interactions with Chinese students, Mr Nazareth found many "deeply impressed" with how Gandhi used religion to mobilise people.

"China's Communist ideology rejects religion, but the role of religion in creating a harmonious society is now a matter of great interest at intellectual and policy making levels in China. For this they are looking at Gandhian and other doctrines," he says.

Dr Huang believes Gandhi's teachings "may help people and the state [in China] to consider better ways to express their complaints".

"And yes, Gandhi's suspicion towards capitalism and modernity also need to be considered in today's China," he said.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Why Mahatma Gandhi is becoming popular in China

India surgeons to perform heart surgery in Fiji

MEA — 03/02/2014 10:43:25

Fiji Times/by Dawn Gibson

Heart specialists from the Sahyadri Group of Hospitals in India will be in the country soon to carry out coronary artery bypass surgeries at the CWM Hospital in Suva.

The Health Ministry is therefore ready to accommodate referrals from all general practitioners, hospitals, insurance companies and health centres around the country.

The team will conduct the surgeries between February 10 and February 21 and all interested persons are advised to contact the ministry.

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India surgeons to perform heart surgery in Fiji

Yoga, imported from India, attracts 20 million Americans

MEA — 03/02/2014 10:51:19

My Record Journal/by Ralph Lord Roy

Twenty years ago I fulfilled a yearning going back decades. On Jan. 30, 1994. we landed at the airport in New Delhi. As a child I had been fascinated by India as portrayed in bound volumes of the "National Geographic Magazine” that filled several bookcase shelves at our Vermont home. Over the years I developed an intense curiosity about its various faiths, enormous admiration for Mahatma Gandhi, and a strong desire to visit the majestic Taj Mahal, viewed by many as the world’s most beautiful building.

The tour, sponsored by Elderhostel, included a "Homestay” in the city of Puna. The gracious host family was Hindu, with an image of the elephant god, Ganesha, on the front door. They had been made aware in advance of my profession, and the father kindly drove me to Hindu, Jain, Muslim, and Sikh houses of worship. He also arranged for me to meet with the Catholic Bishop in Puna, and on Sunday morning accompanied me to a local Methodist church. An entire wall in the host’s home exhibited images of Hindu gods and goddesses, and I was invited to add a picture of Jesus. I declined but expressed appreciation for the inclusive spirit motivating the gesture. They had no problem including Christ with those they viewed as representations of the divine. Our discussions revealed that this Hindu family really was monotheistic - well, with a strong pantheist twist.

More and more immigrants from India have come to the United States over the past half-century, and another major import from there has been Yoga. Roughly twenty million Americans are involved in this system of physical exercises, with an emphasis on meditation. There are dozens of different schools of Yoga, some more difficult than others, all aimed at fostering strong, healthy bodies and clear, bright minds.

The origin of Yoga is blurred, but may go back before recorded history, even prior to the emergence of Hinduism. An early text is attributed to a scholar known as Patanjali, who gave step-by-step instructions. From his writings Ashtanga Yoga emerged, also referred to as Classical Yoga. Most adherents in this country practice some variation of Patanjali. Thousands of classes are held across the co untry at yoga studios, Ys, colleges, churches, and elsewhere. A major 300-acre Yoga center known as Kripalu is located in Stockbridge, Mass.

Yoga has its critics in America, mainly because of its historic ties to Hinduism. Various evangelical clergy have spoken out sharply against it. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has said that Yoga is "at odds with the Christian understanding....Believers are called to meditate on the Word of God.” The televangelist Pat Robertson has charged that Yoga "gets real spooky.” (Actually, Robertson can get real spooky.)

There are strong Catholic critics, too. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, warned that such practices could lead to the blending of different religious beliefs - syncretism - thereby endangering infallible church doctrine. Programs on Mother Angelica’s EWTN network, among them "Women of Grace”, have targeted Yoga as antithetical to Catholic teaching.

The Rev. Nancy Roth, an Episcopalian, has promoted what she calls Holy Yoga, arguing that there is need for a Christian integration of "the newest research in psychology and physiology and the wisdom of other, even more ancient, spiritual traditions.” Here in central Connecticut the Rev. Alex da Silva Souto, Methodist pastor in South Meriden, teaches Yoga at both Yale and Quinnipiac.

Most Yoga in this country today has little connection to Hinduism. When a suit was brought against a San Diego school district where Yoga classes are included, a California judge ruled last July that they could continue as Yoga there is taught in a totally secular way to promote physical flexibility and balance. Probably that case or a similar one will eventually reach the Supreme Court.

Some church leaders have a concern apart from anxiety over possible Hindu influence. Among its most avid devotees, Yoga can become a substitute for religion, and going to Yoga classes takes precedence over attendance at traditional houses of worship.

There is considerable literature on Yoga for those interested, The first major American exhibit on the general topic is traveling across America, starting in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Among the many displays are photographs taken by the British during their dominance in India, deliberately demeaning yogis as half-clothed, disheveled and ash-smeared freaks.

How should we feel about Yoga? As for me, it depends upon how it is practiced. Who can object when its only goal is to promote healthy bodies and minds? Probably I should have explored it more fully by taking a class or two myself. My daughter, Joy, commented a few months ago that she needed a new yoga mat. Her birthday soon followed, and I gave her one.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Yoga, imported from India, attracts 20 million Americans

Street Art Festival Brings Color to the Walls of Delhi’s Urban Villages

MEA — 03/02/2014 10:23:15

New York Times/by Max Bearak

While looking out from a balcony in one of Delhi’s many urban villages – former villages that were swallowed up by the ever-expanding capital — more often than not, one is confronted by a boring, gray wall – the bare side of another building.

For street artists, these walls, and these urban villages, offer an ideal combination of expansive canvases for their work and vibrant communities with whom they can share the joy and wonder of their art.

In January, under the auspices of the first organized street art festival in Delhi, known as St.Art, 60 artists from all over the world have convened here for exhibitions, workshops, film screenings, a "graffiti-jam” and, most important, the transformation of dozens of the city’s cement walls into works of art. In Shahpur Jat, an urban village in south Delhi, artists from the festival have painted or plan to paint at least eight walls.

The festival, which began Jan. 18 and runs through Feb. 20, purposefully coincides with the India Art Fair in Delhi, which opened to the public Friday, and its organizers hope that the simultaneity can drive a rare conversation among the practitioners of street art, those of more traditional forms of art and the common people of the city.

"What we’re doing here is unprecedented,” said Hanif Kureshi, the 30-year-old creative director of the festival. "Imagine one guy from Taiwan and another from Germany working on a wall in Shahpur Jat. We want to get people to believe in it, while also pushing the street art scene to do something that will put Delhi on the map.”

Two years ago, Mr. Kureshi and Anpu Varkey, a prolific painter, succeeded in getting a bunch of their artist friends together in Khirki, one of the urban villages, for what in retrospect was Delhi’s first spontaneous street art festival. Since then, that group called upon friends, who called upon other friends, to create this year’s street art festival.

Eventually, 60 artists were on board for St.Art, 40 from India, the rest from overseas. Some of the latter paid their own way to India, intrigued by the opportunity, and others were invited to Delhi by their embassies’ cultural agencies.

About 30 of the artists are working on the wall project, like Amitabh Kumar, 29, who has painted walls all over India and now also teaches his craft at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. "Seeing an empty wall just makes me want to put an image on it,” he said.

In Shahpur Jat, images on its walls include a giant poster-style portrait of the Bollywood actress Nadira, a massive cat playing with a ball of yarn and Mr. Kumar’s shapeshifting, animalesque blue cloud.

Each artist is responsible for gaining permission from the owners of the building, and Mr. Kumar and other artists said that has been an interesting process, unique to the practice of curated street art.

"People have been reasonable, for the most part,” said Mr. Kumar. "If they don’t like what we do, we’ve offered to paint back over it. We’re also using weatherproof paint so that helps insulate their homes.”

Mohammed Salim, 42, a handyman who has lived in the apartment facing Mr. Kumar’s painting for 27 years, was a bit puzzled by the project next door. "It looks like a cat to me,” he said. "I mean, it looks very good to me, but is he taking an art exam or what? Meaning, there must be some objective.”

Many residents echoed Mr. Salim’s concern: Why would anyone do this work for free?

Earlier this week, as Mr. Kumar painted the wall while perched on scaffolding, a child shouted up to him: "You’re making these for free, or what? Please make us one as well.” Mr. Kumar said many other children had been making the same request.

Mr. Kureshi said it would take time for most people, in urban villages or otherwise, to believe in the concept of street artists working for personal motivations and gratifications beyond money.

But time and again, they have been welcomed and supported by the community, Mr. Kureshi said.

"These dudes from Shahpur Jat, they Whatsapp me images of blank walls now, and say that we should come here and do this one or that one,” he said, referring to the mobile chat application.

Another older Shahpur Jat resident only allowed his wall to be painted under the condition that, at their own cost, the artists paint a scene from the Hindu epic Mahabharata below their own creation, to which the artists reluctantly agreed.

Even Delhi’s police force, ever averse to the untried and unconventional, agreed to a 100-plus foot portrait of Mohandas K. Gandhi on the side of their headquarters building in central Delhi.

"Of course, we had to paint something that everyone could agree on, like Gandhi,” said a paint-splattered Ms. Varkey, 33.

She was collaborating on the Gandhi painting with a German artist, Hendrik "ECB” Beikirch, 39, who is known for his large-scale public wall portraits. His biggest is in Busan, South Korea.

For five days, Ms. Varkey and Mr. Beikirch worked from dawn until dusk, moving up and down the wall with the help of the most extendable cherry picker on the market.

On Wednesday, they finished the opus, adding Mr. Gandhi’s chest hairs with spray paint.

Mr. Kureshi said the police higher-ups were familiarly incredulous that the work would be done for free. He said one told him, "No one works without personal benefit. Or do you want to win the Nobel Prize?”

For her part, Ms. Varkey said it was enough that people might look at the painting and find it interesting, or thought-provoking. The painting is visible from the Delhi Metro, a major intersection, and the train tracks that take passengers to points north and east of Delhi.

The eyes of Gandhi that meet those of commuters and travelers alike are calm and loving, as they watch over the cacophonous ebb and flow of Delhi’s people.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Street Art Festival Brings Color to the Walls of Delhi’s Urban Villages

Simple innovation could keep lights on for Indians, render Inverter redundant

MEA — 03/02/2014 10:38:30

ZD Net/by Rajiv Rao

In power starved India, this novel solution from IIT Madras could transform people's lives and render the mighty inverter obsolete

If you've ever lived in India for even a brief period, you're probably familiar with a device that is as much part of the lives of Indian families as the frothy Hindi television soap opera—namely the Inverter.

In a perennially power-starved India, the Inverter and accompanying batteries prevent Indian houses from simmering in darkness during one of the innumerable power shortages the country tends to face, thanks to stalled new power projects and bankrupt state electricity boards. Your average inverter can run a certain number of fans and lights as well as your television depending on the number of batteries that have been tacked on. And now a bunch of professors from the temple of Indian engineering, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), inadvertently plan to render the inverter redundant thanks to a simple innovation.

The brainchild of IIT-Madras director Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi and electrical engineering professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala also from the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, this new technology will deliver 48 volts of direct current to select homes in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala as part of a pilot project. Once proven successful, it will be rolled out to the rest of the country.

A dedicated 48V low-power direct current (DC) line will snake its way from the sub-station to houses and the current will flow through a separate meter to power three lights, two fans and a mobile charger. Brushless fans and light emitting diode (LED) lights that can work on direct current will be powered using this DC power.

This means that during regular blackouts, homes can get uninterrupted power from the grid. Instead of completely shutting down the grid, which is what happens when demand exceeds supply, the Discom will merely shift its supply to the 48V line which will deliver power at a small fraction of the original and at a different voltage.

Considering the regularity of power outages in the country, the growing gap between demand and supply of power and the number of families who have to swelter in the dark because they can't afford a battery-powered inverter, this service could impact millions of people's lives. Other beneficiaries would be the vast education and healthcare landscape that are most affected when the lights go out.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Simple innovation could keep lights on for Indians, render Inverter redundant

India's inclusive, mind-boggling polls

MEA — 30/01/2014 18:34:39

New Straits Times/ by SY Quraishi

People Power: 2009 Indian election was the biggest humanly-managed event in the world

Athriving and vibrant electoral democracy has been India's distinct and durable identity, long before it asserted itself as an economic, nuclear or information technology major.

Over the past 63 years, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had delivered 15 elections to the Lok Sabha (the Lower House) and more than 350 elections to state legislative assemblies, facilitating peaceful, orderly and democratic transfer of power.

The statistics of today's Indian elections may be mind boggling, even if you look at them purely as numbers.

There are around 780 million electors on the Electoral Roll of India, as of Jan 1, which is more than the population of both the North and South American continents taken together or all the countries of Europe or of Africa combined.

The last elections to the Indian Parliament, held in 2009, could be described as the biggest humanly- managed event in the world.

It involved 714 million voters, 835 thousand polling stations, 1.18 million electronic voting machines (EVMs) and 11 million personnel.

It is not just the magnitude of Indian democracy in terms of geographical area or size of the electorate that amazes, but the anxiety to reach every citizen.

We even have a separate polling station for a lone voter in the Gir Forest in western India.

India is perhaps the most diverse country of the world, be it geographical or in being multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-ethnic.

There's a need to meet the demands of this diversity.

Equally difficult are the challenges of fighting terrorism, security threats, adjusting to globalisation and rising expectations of an information-savvy growing middle-class.

The management of elections in India is continually evolving.

From separate ballot boxes for each candidate to the marking system, to EVMs, has been a long journey. EVMs are simple, user-friendly, cost-effective and give faster and error-free voting and counting, and has been a game changer.

A major challenge in our elections is how to ensure a level playing field. The party in power has all the resources of the state at its command.

Hence, there is a need for a code of conduct to be followed by all stakeholders.

Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is a unique compact evolved with the consensus of political parties in India and is a significant contribution by them to the cause of democracy.

The ECI enforces it right from the day it announces any election schedule.

MCC has no statutory backing and many of its provisions are not legally enforceable. Yet the compliance is immense. Public opinion is the moral sanction for its enforcement.

Elections have to be free and fair but and socially just and more participative. During our 60 years of democratic history, voter turnout has remained at 55 to 60 per cent.

It is a good figure compared with the declining voter interest in several societies, but it is definitely far less than what we aspire to achieve.

To make democracy truly inclusive, we have come up with a systematic voters' education and electoral participation (SVEEP) wing that rolls out comprehensive community outreach and multi-media campaigns to bring all citizens, especially the youth, into electoral participation.

In every election now, we carry out a scientific survey of knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practices of voters before launching voter awareness programmes in partnership with civil society and the media.

This has led to higher registration and turnout in each of the recent state elections, including records in some states.

Jan 25 was declared National Voters Day from 2011 with the avowed purpose to increase enrolment of voters, especially of newly eligible ones.

More than 5.2 million newly eligible and registered youth were given voter cards at more than half a million polling stations on the first National Voters Day, besides adding about 17 million new voters to the roll.

This was billed as the largest exercise of empowerment of the youth on a single day, anywhere in the world. It is now an annual feature in India. Many other countries have shown interest in adopting the model.

With the type of constitutional mandate that the ECI has, it cannot afford to sit on its laurels.

There are several reform proposals that aim at cleaning up the electoral process, so that the foundation can be laid for good governance and a corruption free polity.

Some of these proposals deal with criminalisation of politics and regulation of campaign finance, internal democracy of political parties and etc.

We have come to a stage in India when holding a free and fair election is no more news. In fact not holding one would be an exception. This is India's promise to its own people and to the world.

There shall be no let off in the fight against money power in elections. The other goal is to have every eligible Indian on our electoral rolls and every Indian voter to vote in the elections.

The ECI has a simple vision: Elections that are completely free of crime and abuse of money, based on a perfect electoral roll and with full participation of voters.

Our progress on this road is sure and steady.

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India's inclusive, mind-boggling polls

Indian firms look to Fiji

MEA — 04/02/2014 09:46:32

Fiji Sun

Attorney-General and Minister for Industry and Trade Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and the Fijian delegation met the President of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), S. Gopalakrishnan, to discuss strengthening trade and investment relations between Fiji and India.

It came as Mr Sayed-Khaiyum and his delegation continued meetings in Bangalore as part of their mission to India.

The Attorney-General said the initial discussions with the CII President generated concrete proposals that would create increased opportunities for Fijians.

"Following our meeting, the CII has agreed not only to pursue business, investment and trade opportunities in Fiji but using Fiji as a hub, to pursue opportunities with the rest of the Pacific Island countries,” he said.

"To generate interest and awareness, the CII has agreed to run a seminar on Fiji in New Delhi in collaboration with Ministry of Industry and Trade, facilitated through our High Commission here in India. Key agencies such as Investment Fiji, FRCA, FCEF and FCCI are to be part of this seminar,” the Attorney-General said.

The Attorney-General said the CII agreed to undertake a trade and investment mission to Fiji, comprising high-level representatives from the private sector, after hosting a private sector delegation from Fiji to India.

"These seminars and trade and investment missions will lay the foundation for increasing our international trade. It is about developing new markets for Fijian made products and services, in particular our niche products in a market such as India; identifying investment opportunities for Indian businesses in Fiji; and, giving Fijian businesses and consumers alternative sources of imported goods,” added the Minister.

The Confederation of Indian Industries is the longest-running industry association in India, established in 1895, and has a membership of more than 7100 members, from both the private and public sectors, including SMEs. It has an indirect membership of more than 90,000 enterprises from around 257 national and regional bodies.

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Indian firms look to Fiji

India: The perfect family holiday in 2014

MEA — 30/01/2014 18:33:31

Huffington Post/ by Scott Goodson

Earlier this month, my wife and two young sons -- 12 and 9 years old -- returned from a mind-blowing Indian travel experience. It was the best family vacation we have had. For your next midyear holiday, why don't you take your money and make a family investment. Imagine a real adventure. Then look at your children and imagine how that adventure would change their lives and bring your whole family together -- and off the iPads, iPhones, Androids and the internet.

If all of this appeals to you then you are probably one of the few but growing people who are looking for more exciting vacation destinations that get you out of your comfort zone.

India, for those of you who've never tried it, is an extremely inexpensive way of combining culturally rich experiences with an acute culinary delight, mind-blowing destinations and accommodations and a light dusting of fear you get in your stomach when you are outside of your comfort zone. Plus there's a better than even chance that at least one member of your family will come home changed.

The first thing you must understand is the best experience will happen only if you have an incredible travel agent. I asked several of my Indian friends and did a lot of homework. In the end we put our trust in the hands of small and very creative domestic Indian travel agency called Broken Compass, a firm run by a wonderful and inspired authority named Manjari. She designed our trip to ensure that we got off the beaten track while staying snug and invigorated.

These holidays are called winter "breaks" because at some point you will find yourself in the middle of winter transported then transformed. The transportation was care of Air India, which we flew from New York direct to Mumbai. It was a delightful experience and passed rather quickly. Upon arrival in Mumbai, we set out to follow the advice of Anand Giridharadas, in his New York Times article 36 Hours in Mumbai.

My first couple of days had me in business meetings in Mumbai. I also had an interview on national Indian television about my best selling book "Uprising" with Anant Rangaswami, the host of a CNBC show. After a lovely evening, it was the start of our adventure.

Early the next day we met the man who would drive us around the city of 18 million people. Satish is a recent arrival to the city having moved to Mumbai from Goa. But he knew the city well, and all the important back allies to escape the cities crushing traffic jams. Our first stop, the next day, was at the incredible Dhobi Ghat -- recommended by our friend Lisa Bodell. This is the massive public laundry where over 10,000 people work every day doing the city's laundry. Our driver Satish drove us through the crowds, through the goats, through everything to the inner center of this public works where people mill around a twirling spectrum of color drying in the wind and the Maharashtra sun. Upon arrival, we were all set and jumped out of our car cameras in hand, except for our younger son Ellis who was a little overwhelmed with the scene, even though Dad told him it was a lot of fun and worth seeing. It took, however, the calming voice and grey haired Satish with the smile and big billowing moustache and a warm hand to help him out into the melee. And of course once inside of it, he was hooked and gobsmacked.

The next adventure was a visit to Bombay Electric, a small but super eclectic store behind the famous Taj Mahal Hotel on three terraced levels that embodies the new Indian cool. If you order Jodhpur riding pants (7,500 rupees), they will be stitched by the Maharajah of Jaipur's tailor, according to the store. My sons opted for multicolored rubber bracelets, which have become the talk of their classmates. And opposite this is the Causeway Market where you can buy every imaginable brass item from clocks to compasses to sextants. Of course you might think it is possible to avoid the heat and the throngs of people going very slowly along the sidewalk packed with sellers.

When the sun becomes too overpowering you let go, and suddenly you are at the Leopold Café, named after the Belgium King. This is the place where we enjoyed a few midday Kingfishers and lunch. This is also the location that was the first place hit by the terrorists during the attacks on Mumbai in 2008. So it is both a memorial as well as a fully functioning restaurant in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. The restaurant boasts a lovely menu and about 100 bullet holes, which continues to attract patrons wishing to pay their respects and dine on its delicious food.

After an afternoon tea at the Taj, our next stop was a dinner at the delicious Indigo Café in Colaba district with Sheetal Metha the head of Nanhi Kali, the organization that educates girl children in India. This was especially inspiring for my young sons who read the book "I Am Malala," and have developed a keen interest in this cause. They've been keen sponsors of the education of girl children ever since they came across the website www.the-girl-store.org. After a few days exploring Mumbai cuisine and curries, Indigo was the perfect culinary break for the kids to enjoy ribs and fries. And they were some memorable fries. Indigo is famous for their fries which I dare say are among the best French fries in the world.

Fed and rested we were ready for something big. The next day came the game changer. We had scheduled something that we thought we all needed to see. Something that had us all a little intimidated but also intrigued. At sunrise, we toured the world's biggest slum, called Dharavi (Hindi and Marathi: धारावी; also spelled Daravi, Darravy, Dorrovy). It is situated in the middle of Mumbai. They say that 1 million people live and work there. Not knowing what to expect beforehand, the tour was, after the fact, mind blowing to say the least. We had all watched the motion picture Slum Dog Millionaire before we left. This was the place it was filmed. Once there, walking through the tiny narrow passageways that connect this massive city, felt more like walking through a European city during the middle ages, except the people were incredibly friendly and impressively busy. They say that 85 percent of the population are either working full time jobs in the slum or going to school. Or both. The industry focuses on recycling (yes they recycle plastic bottles from the USA so your kids can see first hand what happens after they out the little blue recycling boxes); they make cardboard (mostly out of elephant dung), they have a wonderful section of this city that makes pottery, and then they make leather goods. The overall impression of Dharavi changed all of us, and made us more humble and thankful for the opportunity to meet people who are happy in their lives and entrepreneurial, driving their own businesses and putting their children through school. A large number of the inhabitants are migrant workers but many are also second and third generation residents.

The next day we visit Mahatma Gandhi's house called Mani Bhavan. My sons were deeply affected by the exhibit, as were my wife and I. The house itself feels as though the great one is still living there. It feels like a home, and you can see where Gandhi sat spinning cotton overlooking the balcony to the street. As Gandhi said: "Truth alone will endure, all the rest will swept always in the tide of Time." One memorable part of the exhibit was a hand written letter from Gandhi to Adolf Hitler in 1939 pleading with him to stop Nazi aggression and stop WWII from happening.

That brought us to the end of our days in Mumbai. Before the trip back in New York, Anand had suggested to Karin and I that we focus the rest of our trip around Kerala. He said it offered the lush green tropics of south India, but also many of the attractions that you would find across the wider country. Keep in mind that India is like Europe. It's a huge country and getting from one destination -- like Mumbai to Agra (to see the Taj Mahal) requires an airplane ride and then a car for a few hours to reach it. When you're in India for winter break between December and January, the last thing we wanted to do was spend half our vacation in planes, trains and automobiles. So the suggestion of Kerala was intriguing. After seeing the Life of Pi, which was filed there, we were convinced.

We started our Kerala adventure at Kovalam in the very south of India. We stayed at the delightfully Malayalam Leela hotel. There is nothing quite like sitting on the balcony overlooking the Arabian Sea. The Hotel Leela, (a few kilometers away from Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala) has the Maldives directly in front of the hotel, and just around the corner is Sri Lanka. Of course you can't see them, but it's nice to know they're there. It's exciting to know that the hotel sits on a cliff. The first stop was a visit to Divya, an authentic Ayurveda Wellness Spa located within the hotel. Ayurvedic massage is unique to the area and a traditional Kerala massage. If you like oil you'll enjoy this experience. We had access to a beach that was frequented by virtually no foreigners, and where the local families engaged us for photo sessions continuously down the beach. If you've ever wanted to be a movie star, this is the closest you'll come. We can now brag that our images, mostly our kids, adorn the household frames of many Kovalam families. The Kovalam sun is hot and our oldest son was in and out of the pool so much that his sun block wore off and ended up with a heat rash. This kept him in bed for a couple of days.

From here we drove to Alleppey, an enormous region in the center of Kerala filled with fresh water and rice fields, which feed a large portion of the Indian population. The area with enormous natural lakes and man made channels, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. These Backwaters (as they're called) are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km of waterways. We hired our own air-conditioned houseboat that had the most outstanding and energetic chef I've ever met. He cooked up a creative storm from the very first moment we came aboard his vessel, and enjoyed his delicious seafood late into the evening. The sunset was life-giving and my little son marveled at the different hues of the great fireball as is slowly dipped into the water silhouetting geckos, frogs, mudskippers, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles that live in and alongside the backwaters. We tied up along one canal for the evening and awoke to another thunderstorm of food and sunshine. Rumor had it that this part of the trip would bring us face to face with the dreaded Kerala mosquito. But fortunately for all of us we never met any and we slept like babies. There are many websites that recommend different advice about malaria and solutions for India. We went with the British National Health Service website which features a global map of hot malaria zones and based on this site which said that south India has virtually no malaria, especially in the December-January season, we decided to not take the very powerful anti malaria pills. BTW the last time we took malaria pills for a trip to Thailand my wife's hair came out in clumps, so we wanted to make sure we did our homework and made thoughtful decisions based on all the recent reading out there. This may not be right for everyone, and you should consult your own physician to determine what is right for you and your family.

Next up was a magnificent little gem called Coconut Lagoon, which is only reachable, by boat. Coconut Lagoon is located in the Kerala district of Kuttanad, or the land of the short people. The local folklore has it that this name came about because the folks here are always knee deep in paddy fields. There are so many facets to the Coconut Lagoon experience. The heritage of the old feudal villages of Malabar. The vast frolic of the Vembanad Lake. The shimmering waters of the canals that crisscross the property. The flavor bursts of Kerala home-style cooking. But for me it was the old British hut we lived in which was dressed in a modern rendition of the British Raj, all teak and porcelain. The room made me feel like Rudyard Kipling, and in all my excitement was able to inspire my sons to read Kim. Imagine that! And this was after inspiring my son Jacoby to read, "I am Malala." But the real attraction to this eco resort is the yoga, which was relaxing to say the least. In fact that was the word that dominated my yoga experience. Instead of 'OM" the key word from the yoga leader every few minutes was 'relax' and that I did most comfortably.

From here, we headed north to Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, where we went for a daylong trek among the mountains and saw monkeys, mongooses, elephants but unfortunately no traces of tigers. It turns out that sadly, south India has only 40 tigers left alive in this reserve. In January, it was estimated by the BBC that there are less than 1,700 tigers left in the wild in India. We stayed in a hilltop hotel called the Shalimar Spice Garden, which was the perfect place to be if you want to get closer to nature -- and coincidentally French people. It turns out that the hotel was featured in a famous French magazine. So apart from the Indians who managed the accommodations and my family (who are Canadian-Swedish), everyone else was from France. Which made for an interesting yoga session where our yogi's rather strong local accent had to be translated into French by yours truly. Language didn't matter; as the pace of life was so easy and peaceful that even the birds and the butterflies do not seem to be in a hurry. The lush foliage of the coffee, cardamom and other spices plants surrounding the cottages made me hungry most of the time, and perhaps that's why my sons really dug into the buffet of curries and chutneys.

From here we left for the largest tea producing area in south India in an incredibly green hilled region called Munnar. It was green like you've never imaged it. We ate lunch at the wonderful Club Mahindra Munnar, which is right in the middle of the tea plantations and was getting ready for a huge New Year's Eve party. We continued on our journey on nerve wrecking winding roads that make the drive between Nice and Monaco seem like a kiddies ride. Once in Munnar, we visited the Munnar Tea Museum and gulped liters of green tea, which, they say, is the healthiest tea to drink that was according to the local tour-guide. New Years was spent in the luscious and coolish Blackberry Hills hotel where people escaped the heat of the valley below. This mountain hotel, literally built into the rocks is dry. So we had a wonderful local cultural dance show for New Years but not a drop of wine or Champagne to be had anywhere. Thankfully we came across a hilarious Norwegian family who had kids about the same age as us. We spent the evening together. Luckily they had stopped to buy fireworks that day and we blew them off at midnight and then fell asleep in our deliciously comfy beds.

Then we were in the home stretch, off to Cochin the largest city in Kerala. This is the city famous for its Chinese fishing nets which function along the city walls along the sea. There is monumental amounts of seafood in this city, and an abundance of fruit and vegetables, which make Cochin a lush and delicious place to visit. The surrounding mountains are also home to the world famous spice plantations of pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, pineapple, and much more. So Cochin cuisine is unique and extraordinarily delicious. Our best meal was at the Malabar. In Cochin, there are hundreds of stores selling everything from antiques to modern sculptures -- and many different scenes featuring of our favorite Ganesh. In Cochin, we visited the oldest synagogue in the commonwealth. Sailors of merchant fleet of King Solomon laid the first foundation while some of the artifacts date back to 1344. In addition to the Jewish community, Cochin has a wonderful Hindu, Muslim and Christian community -- all living like together in the most beautiful harmony -- as they have been doing for centuries. If ever there was a place worthy of a visit for anyone living in our modern world it is Cochin. It is inspiration for us all.

The return back to New York was relatively easy, except for an incredibly long process to get through the airport onto the aircraft, which was especially difficult at 1:30 am for our two young kids. But once on the plane, we all fell asleep in each other's arms, with full tummies and large smiles on our faces.

The result? My youngest son held a presentation for his class about India, and made a special point to mention the face that there were more cats in his hometown then there were living tigers in the wild in Thekkady, India. The following week, he had to write a paper about someone he admired. He wrote about Gandhi. Amazingly he has absorbed all the information on display in the Gandhi. My older son has become an expert on the Hindu gods and goddesses, and on Kerala cultural dance. Not too shabby. Oh, and they both have developed a passion for the spice food.

(The views expressed above are personal views of the writer)

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India: The perfect family holiday in 2014

The India story: Leading the change

MEA — 28/01/2014 10:31:58

Saudi Gazette/by Soma Banerjee

India’s position on the global stage as a vibrant democracy and an economic powerhouse is now a well-established fact. The role of Asian economies over the past few years has only reinforced the strength and importance of India on the global centerstage. China and India pushed demand even as large economies continued to shrink (read European nations) or just about find its feet like the US economy. Indian markets held on even as the economy battled against the global pressures of recession and showdown. Exports fell sharply in the first half and the rupee remained volatile as it fought hard to find its new level. The tide has turned and India is on a bounce back thanks to its resilient business houses, industrious entrepreneurs and innovative workforce who have fought hard showing their capacity to treat every challenge as a new opportunity.

Indian growth that had dipped to 5% is likely to be arrested to this level in this financial year even as green shoots are appearing to take the growth story on the recovery path in 2014. The government has shown conviction in its policies and has worked towards opening up the economy with greater liberalization in several areas that have now attracted investments from foreign investors across the globe. While opening up foreign direct investments in multibrand retail has already seen some action with majors like Tesco and Wal-Mart planning to set up stores in India. Further India’s decision to open up the aviation sector, a key infrastructure sector, has already seen three big investment proposals over a few months. While Tata and Singapore Airlines are tying up for new services, Etihad has joined hands with Jet Airways even as low cost Air Asia begins new services for the Indian skies.

The total value of domestic deals in India during the third quarter of 2013 was $1.31 billion, up from $1.29 billion during the corresponding period of 2012. While majors like British Petroleum has brought in the largest FDI in the energy sector, pharmacy majors and investments by Etihad in the Jet-Etihad deal and the Japanese in the Industrial corridor are telling instances of inbound investments.

The strength of a vibrant democracy coupled with a robust judiciary and regulatory framework has only added to the India story. A market that has grown consistently adding new consumers every day even as technology is helping spread the depth and width of the markets. Investors in India have to keep pace with the growing and varied demand, a market that challenges companies and investors almost on a daily basis.

Overseas direct investment by Indian companies stood at $3.24 billion in July 2013, registering an increase of 89.5 percent from US$ 1.71 billion invested in June 2013, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The investments were made across 461 transactions. Reliance Communications, Apollo Tires, Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Tata Communications, being the major investors. A recent report by the US India Business Council (USIBC) has stated that Indian investments in the country has reached $11 billion and has generated over 100,000 jobs there. Large investments in refineries, steel plants and transportation in African countries and other Asian economies have been the talking points in business circles.

As India moved on in search of energy security, companies like government-owned ONGC and private majors like Reliance Industries and the Essar group to name a few invested in new oil fields and gas discoveries. Steel majors like Jindals and Essar too made their mark. Bharti Airtel, India telecommunication major made inroads into the African continent as its spread its services touching lives of Africans. Another case in point is TVS Motors that is planning to establish a two-wheeler assembly line in Uganda and launch two motorcycle models in the African nation. The Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC), a body that promotes bilateral trade between the European Union and India, has recorded Indian companies to have invested $56 billion across the continent during 2003-2012, of which EUR 29 billion ($ 38.47 billion) was invested through mergers and acquisition transactions. The report titled ‘Indian Companies in the European Union: Reigniting Economic Growth’ also mentioned that Indian business houses employ 1.34 lakh professionals in Europe, including 40,000 new jobs generated by 511 green-field investments. Tata Group is the largest employer in Europe, which counts about 80,000 employees across its 19 companies there. India accounts for a substantial 47 percent of the green-field investment and 63 percent of the employment creation in the UK, according to the report.

Investments in Asian economies by ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), Jubilant Oil and Gas, CenturyPly, Tata Motors, Essar Energy, RITES, Escorts, Sonalika Tractors, Zydus Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Sun Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Ranbaxy, Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Shree Balaji Enterprises, Shree Cements, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, Cipla, Gati Shipping Ltd, TCI Seaways and Apollo bear testimony to India’s expanding business footprint.

Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla Group is intending to invest around $1 billion to set up a chemical/fertilizer plant in the US even as it rakes in more than half of its $40 billion-turnover from overseas markets according to a report by IBEF.

These numbers and statistics that find places in global dialogues go much beyond just official data. These are stories of how Indian business houses and investors have partnered their counterparts across the globe to reach out to new investors and consumers.

India’s journey on the global stage is a story of emerging economies that are set to change the rules of the game in this century. The changing dynamics of the economic order that has made the world flat today will give an opportunity to show India’s strength as an economic and knowledge power even as it basks in its rich historical heritage.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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The India story: Leading the change

Bhojpuri Parivar determined to preserve Bhojpuri culture

MEA — 28/01/2014 10:14:34

India West/by Varnica Singh

Living miles away from the home state, it is difficult to sustain your original roots and pass on to the upcoming generation one’s own language and culture. Now, those individuals seeking to preserve their Bhojpuri culture need not to worry as Bhojpuri Parivar is one such association which is trying its best to promote and preserve the "Bhojpuri” language, culture and traditions in the U.S. and Canada.

Bhojpuri Parivar is a nonprofit organization registered in California. Based on the social and cultural needs of Bhojpuri families, the association has been in existence for several years but it was given a formal shape only in 2013.

Bhojpuri Parivar is now working towards linking all American Bhojpuriyas with each other seeking to provide a medium of interaction among them by hosting conventions, meetings and annual fairs. Its aim is to encourage people to learn, write and speak Bhojpuri, as well as striving to create awareness and increase the popularity of Bhojpuri music and arts in the U.S. and Canada. Bhojpuri Parivar is also working towards providing academic opportunities in U.S. schools and universities with Bhojpuri as a medium of instruction.

"Bhojpuri Parivar has a set of short-term and long-term goals. One of the short-term goals of Bhojpuri Parivar is to provide a platform to all families who come from a rich and diverse back ground of Bhojpuri culture and feel isolated even among Indian communities in the metropolitan cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco,” Rohit J. Singh, founder of the Bhojpuri Parivar, told India-West. "Bhojpuri Parivar connects families by organizing festivals, shows and seminars on Bhojpuri traditions and culture. An example of a long-term goal is to be a partner with other worldwide Bhojpuri associations and the governments in preserving and promoting the language and culture by organizing gala events, film festivals, and finding resources to preserve and archive the old literature.”

There are currently over 300 members of Bhojpuri Parivar. As of now the group has a solid foundation in California, predominantly in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, but hope to expand to other states.

There are approximately 150 million Bhojpuri speakers worldwide, according to Singh. But intellectuals of Bhojpuri community have been genuinely concerned about the threats that Bhojpuri as a language and culture is facing by more popular languages surrounding Bhojpuri regions in India and in several other countries such as Fiji, Mauritius, Surinam and West Indies. "If no additional efforts are made to preserve it then soon this language will get extinct, most of the words and phrases will be absorbed by other languages. It’s our humble request to all Bhojpurians to instill importance of preserving Bhojpuri language and traditions in youths and be proud of our culture and heritage,” said Singh.

One of the most important initiatives of Bhojpuri Parivar is to develop a curriculum for teaching Bhojpuri to kids and adults in the U.S. and Canada who are interested in learning the language. "President Obama in 2009 recognized and recommended Bhojpuri (among other languages) for Americans to learn. Hence, Bhojpuri Parivar would like to tap on president’s recommendation and if schools agree then we will provide volunteers to teach basic Bhojpuri for free to kids from elementary through 12th grade,” Singh told India-West. The group is also supporting a petition for recognition of Bhojpuri as an official language of India.

Among upcoming Bhojpuri Parivar events include "Holi Milan” on Mar. 22.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Bhojpuri Parivar determined to preserve Bhojpuri culture

Indian American teen’s nonprofit helps seniors be tech savvy

MEA — 28/01/2014 10:19:24

India West

When her grandparents recently visited her home, Stuti Vishwabhan, a sophomore from Presentation High School here, became suddenly aware that there is a generation of people who are struggling to keep pace with all the latest strides being made in telecommunication technology.

Her grandparents had found it difficult to keep in touch with the friends and family they left behind in India because they were not tech savvy with Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Skype, Facetime, Twitter, Tumblr, or even text for that matter.

Realizing this, Vishwabhan decided to teach her grandparents how to use a laptop. Every day, during the summer after her eighth grade, she started spending time with them, showing them cool features. Within a few weeks, they came up to speed, and they were able to enjoy the same TV shows they left behind in India, she told India-West in a press note.

Vishwabhan’s grandmother even opened a Facebook account, and became active connecting with family and friends via social networking.

In order to give that same experience to other seniors, Vishwabhan founded an organization called Teach Seniors Technology, a non-profit organization that aims to give back to the senior community.

The organization’s mission is to bridge the generation gap by educating seniors about technology so that they can remain connected and play a meaningful role in the lives of their loved ones.

In order to fulfill her mission, Vishwabhan started volunteering at local community senior living centers. She wrote to the Belmont Senior Living Center and began teaching seniors about topics such as social networking, surfing the web, and operating the basics of computers.

Radhika Singh, the activities director and coordinator of the Belmont Senior Living Center, wrote, "The course program you (Vishwabhan) taught was well-crafted, and your (Vishwabhan’s) delivery to our residents was very person centered. I sincerely thank you for taking the initiative on this class and appreciate your dedication to serve the community.”

Vishwabhan has also received support from the San Jose City Council.

Recently, the teenager has been working with the Almaden Branch San Jose Public Library and will be starting her organization there shortly. She hopes that she will be able to work with other centers in the near future. Her goal is to make her organization statewide.

Over the last year, Vishwabhan’s organization has grown and like-minded leaders have joined. Swathi Ramprasad, the vice president of the organization, is another avid and keen leader who volunteers her time and effort at Teach Seniors Technology.

Vishwabhan is currently looking for more volunteers to help her with her cause. Those who are interested in joining Teach Seniors Technology can sign up on her www.teachseniorstech.org Web site or contact her at teachsrtech@gmail.com.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Indian American teen’s nonprofit helps seniors be tech savvy

India’s free ‘Eye Camp’ visited by more than five hundred within three days

MEA — 28/01/2014 10:22:52

Minivan News/by Ahmed Rilwan

As part of India- Maldives ‘Dosti-Ekuverikan’ friendship week (20 – 26 January) the High Commission of India has conducted a free ‘Eye Camp’ providing free consultation and services for more than 500 people in Male’ and Hulhumale’.

The ‘Eye Camp’ was inaugurated by Indian High Commissioner Rajeev Shahare at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) on 24 January.

The three day camp, where a specialist ophthalmic team will examine and provide free spectacles for those who require it, was held at IGMH on 24, 25 January and will continue at Hulhumale’ Hospital on 25 and 26 January.

According to the HCI at least 284 were served at the IGMH camp within two days. The camp in Hulhumale began today at 1430hrs and continued till 1600hrs serving 105 people from more than 250 registered for consultation. The specialist team will continue examining tomorrow from 0900am till 2100am at Hulhumale’ hospital.

The Indian team of ophthalmic specialists from ASG Eye Hospitals, Rajasthan, India consists of three senior ophthalmologists Dr Arun Singhvi, M.D., Dr Shashank Gang, M.D. and Dr Kundan Kumar Singh and Mr Manoj Sharma,ophthalmology technician.

Two ophthalmic surgeons from ASG Eye Hospitals; Dr Arun Singhvi, M.D., Dr Shashank Gang, M.D. and a senior ophthalmologist Dr Kundan Kumar Singh – all trained at the All India institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Dr Singhvi and Dr Shashank are LASIK surgeons.

While the team came prepared for free eye surgeries as well, surgeries will not be conducted due to lack of necessary equipment. HCI says the patients who require to get or renew spectacles will received those from India within two weeks. The High Commission plans to hold a similar eye camp after a month.

The ‘Dosti-Ekuverikan’ week events also include a yoga workshop in Male’, and a blood donation camp where more than one hundred people donated blood to the National Centre for Thalassemia.

In addition to this, cultural activities – including food, music and film festivals and a National Art Competition for school children- were also held as part of celebrations. The closing ceremony for the week will be held tomorrow, coinciding with the Republic Day of India.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India’s free ‘Eye Camp’ visited by more than five hundred within three days

Tourist interest in Ayurveda lends new life to old Indian mansions

MEA — 28/01/2014 10:28:10

Arab News/by Ashraf Padanna

At the peak of its cultural glory in the 20th century, Poomully Mana boasted of patronage to a whole lot of classical south Indian arts.

Today, it has narrowed its engagement with heritage to just one subject: Ayurveda.

The result: an imposing mansion-turned-wellness resort that has for the past 15 years been providing health care based on the ancient Indian medical system, which is attracting many tourists to the southern state of Kerala — India’s tourism superbrand.

Down the state, Koothattukulam — another green and rugged pocket— has a similar enterprise called Sreedhareeyam; only that it specializes in eye-care.

Till 1999, it was known as Nellikkattu Mana, which was basically another Namboodiri household known for its Ayurveda physicians.

Up in Malabar, Poonkudil Mana in Malappuram district senses the prospect of boosting its age-old fame in Ayurvedic cure for mental ailments.

The treatment facility near hilly Manjeri brings people to the vaidyas in the family and buy their home-made herbal concoctions.

Overall, when feudal-era joint families have paved the way for nuclear households today, the owners of some of the rambling abodes are reinventing themselves by converting them into Ayurveda resorts.

The state government views the trend as a harbinger of brighter times for Ayurveda.

"Ayurveda is a time-tested healing system,” says Suman Billa, Secretary, Kerala Tourism.

"In modern times, its benefits are fetching us more tourists. They come for rejuvenation and treatment.”

Top functionaries of the heritage Ayurveda resorts, too, are happy over the change of fortune. Poomully Mana in Palakkad district, for instance, was losing some of its massive residential blocks and storage houses to non-maintenance and desertion of members (in search of greener pastures) a quarter century ago.

That phase of decay prompted some disciples, followers, friends and relatives of late Ayurveda and Kalarippayattu (the martial art unique to the state) master Neelakantan Nampoothirippad of the mansion near Pattambi came together.

A Poomully Aramthampuran Smaraka Trust they formed in his name in 1997 led to the conversion of the mansion into a new-age Ayurveda resort.

Neelakandan Poomully, president of the Ayurveda mana, notes that the facilities in the heritage rooms do not confine to just treatment techniques such as dhara, kashaya vasti, shwedanam, pizhichil and vamanam.

"We also have a private herb garden, yoga room and traditional bathing pond, a library of books on the subject, and a collection of related antiques in a museum,” he reveals.

"We also provide training in the martial art.”

Vasudevan Nampoothiri, another trustee and member of the family, notes that new blocks, built in classical architecture, are occupied almost throughout the year — more so by foreigners during the salubrious monsoon season.

The trust runs another resort at Perumbayil Mana in Pavaratti, near Guruvayur, a famed temple town.

The Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Center, in a quiet locality 35 km northeast of Kottayam town, has now become a popular haven for people desperate about problems of varying degrees related to eyesight or lack of it; in fact, even blindness of some types.

"We never resort to surgery. It works with our constant practice based on the deeper study about the tenets of Ayurveda — through herbal medicines, ointments and eye exercise,” says Dr. NPP Namboothiri, chief physician of the 14-year-old institution, which also addresses issues of ear, nose and throat.

The entrepreneurship may be recent, but Nellikkattu Mana’s tryst with Ayurveda dates back to at least four centuries during which its members provided eye treatment to local people more on a non-commercial basis.

As if to highlight this fact, the central part of the 55-acre campus (which also grows medicinal herbs) has the wooded tile-roof nalukettu— the quaint old structure that housed members of Mana.

"We have only respect for allopathy,” says Hari N Nambudiri, managing director of Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Medicines Pvt Ltd.

"In fact, some of our own doctors have passed MBBS (in modern medicine); only that they subsequently mastered the eyesight science of Ayurveda.”

On the Manjeri-Mankada road, Poonkudil Mana is not that crowded these days, as the mansion, which specializes in Ayurveda treatment for mental diseases has discontinued with the practice of admitting patients.

"That stopped it in 2003 — for practical reasons. All the same, we continue with consultations; give them homemade medicines,” says Devan Namboodiri, the chief physician.

The mode of treatment at Poonkudil Mana, which has a practicing history of more than five centuries, follows prescriptions from traditional Indian psychology based on tips from Ayurveda.

"The disease is all a matter of Heenasatwa (a worsened condition of the mind),” notes Namboodiri. "The medicines are made of herbs; some are prescribed special oil bath.

"We even make Brahmi ghee; it sharpens the brain of the patients and cools the body and mind.”

Malappuram district, which houses Poonkudil, boasts of one of Kerala’s Ashta Vaidyas — the eight traditional Ayurveda families from the Brahmin community. That is south of Perinthalmanna, in Pulamanthol.

Pulamanthol Sankaran Mooss, who heads the household now, runs a dispensary in the compound adjoining a tributary of the Nila river.

"Ours has been one family where no generation has lost its Ayurveda link for centuries together,” says Mooss.

In fact, not far from Poomully Mana, there is the Vaidyamadham — another family of the Ashta Vaidyas.

Today, the Vaidyamadham Vaidyasala and Nursing Home prepares 700 varieties of medicines at its factory that was set up 100 years ago in a modest way.

Its chief physician Cheriya Narayanan Namboodiri, who died recently, researched majorly in cancer to have come up with two types of medicines for the malignant disease. Treatment of arthritis was his specialty.

Thrissur and its vicinity have two major Ayurvedic hospitals that are new-age versions of treatments by Ashta Vaidyas.

The 1920-established SNA Ayurveda Nursing Home is an offshoot of the renowned Pazhannellippurath Thaikkatt Mooss who were royal physicians to King Zamorin of Malabar before they migrated to Thrissur to serve Kochi king Sakthan Thampuran (1751-1805).

A dozen km south of Thrissur is Vaidyarathnam Oushadhasala, run by a branch of the Thaikkatt Mooss, which has its business flourishing. It has a hospital and Ayurveda college.

"Soon, we are opening an Ayurveda museum,” adds ET Parameswaran Mooss of the establishment.

It is not just mansions; but even royal palaces have metamorphosed into sprawling Ayurveda resorts in modern times. Kalari Kovilakom, for instance, used to be the abode of the Vengunad kings of Palakkad region.

In the 21st century, the CGH (Casino Group of Hotels) runs it as a wellness center — at Kollengode, in the scenic foothills of Vadamala. The 1890-built palace was acquired by the hospitality group in 2000.

"It took us four years to refurbish it to suit the changed needs,” recounts Jose Dominic, managing director of the CGH based in the port city of Kochi (Cochin).

Every year, an estimated 6.7 million foreign tourists visit India. The sharp fall in the rupee, which is currently hovering around 62 rupees against the greenback, also makes India attractive for holidaymakers.

Kerala attracts a major chunk of them, mainly high-end tourists rather than backpackers, through innovative marketing using social media platforms and a wide range of products.

Last week, it won the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Ulysses Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance, said to be the highest honor given to government bodies for shaping global tourism policies through innovative initiatives.

It received the recognition for its ‘responsible tourism’ project in Kumarakom village, a popular tourism destination located near Kottayam city.

The project links the local community with the hospitality industry and government departments, creating a model for empowerment and development of the people in the area while sustaining eco-friendly tourism.

"By building healthy private-public partnerships at the local level with the active involvement of the local community, we can create jobs locally, improve the lives of members of the local community and preserve its culture and ethos through sustainable tourism,” says AP Anilkumar, the state’s minister for tourism.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Tourist interest in Ayurveda lends new life to old Indian mansions

India launches first government-to-business platform

MEA — 22/01/2014 15:05:23

Future Gov: Medha Basu

India’s Department of Industrial Policy has launched an integrated government-to-business platform known as eBiz, aiming to transform the country’s business environment through delivery of efficient, convenient and transparent electronic services throughout the lifecycle of an industry or business entity.

Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma, noted, "Our approach includes leveraging technology to bring transparency, improve efficiency and promote convenience. The eBiz is the first of its kind in the country.”

"It marks the highest level of maturity in e-governance applications as it strives to achieve horizontal integration across various verticals of Central government, State governments and Parastatal agencies.”

The platform is expected to enable a transformational shift in the Indian Government’s approach to service delivery from being department-centric to customer-centric.

The eBiz portal was launched in January 2013 with the second phase, including new services, launched earlier this week.

The platform includes a first-of-its-kind integrated payment gateway with the Central Bank of India. It solves the problem of debiting from and crediting to multiple sources through automation based on a set of external messages, added the Minister.

He emphasised that the gateway has potential for serving as the universal gateway for all e-government applications in the country.

The eBiz platform was conceptualised with support from the National Institute of Smart Governance and developed by Infosys.

It is expected that in the next ten years, more than 200 services will be rolled out across the country for investors and businesses. During the first three years 50 services will be piloted out across five states. More services and states will be included during the expansion phase in the remaining seven years.

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India launches first government-to-business platform

India declares vaccination program a success, looks to be 'polio-free' by March

MEA — 15/01/2014 10:01:13

Radio Australia/ by Michael Edwards

India's government has declared its success in eradicating new cases of polio is a "monumental milestone" which could see the country polio-free this year.

India's government has declared its success in eradicating new cases of polio is a "monumental milestone".

A massive vaccination program achieved what was once thought impossible - no new polio cases in three years - a result that puts India on the verge of being considered polio-free.

India will likely receive its official World Health Organisation (WHO) endorsement as being polio-free in March.

Vimla is from a small village in West Bengal but now works as a labourer on a building site in New Delhi.

Her 18-month-old son Raju goes with her to work and Vimla lives in fear of him contracting dangerous diseases such as polio.

"Yes, I have seen those kids who have not been vaccinated for polio. They have really bad limbs and they are scarred for life," she said.

But children such as Raju now have a brighter future thanks to a massive vaccination project undertaken by the Indian government.

Raju was one of millions of children who was given the vaccine that should keep him free from the disease that is usually spread via sewer water and can cause almost instant paralysis.

His father, Kumar, is full of praise for the program.

"The polio vaccinations are very important for the kids, for their wellbeing and their health," he said.

"The government has done a very good job of making vaccines available to the people so they can get their kids easily vaccinated and so their kids are free from the disease and not disabled."

As recently as 2009, India accounted for more than half the number of polio cases worldwide.

To have made such progress over a relatively short period of time is considered to be a huge medical achievement.

The WHO representative to India, Dr Nata Menabde, says it is a huge milestone.

"We look, say, to 1995 when the eradication program actually started to move, we were having more than 200,000 cases annually in India so it's a huge number that we're talking about," Dr Menabde said.

But India's success is in marked contrast to its neighbour Pakistan, where there has been a recent spike in infections.

Angered over the use of an anti-polio campaign to find Osama Bin Laden, militants have carried out a campaign of killing health workers and preventing hundreds of thousands from getting vaccinated.

It has led to a big spike in reported cases and continued vigilance from those involved in anti-polio efforts, such as Dr Menabde.

"We are very vigilant about the risk from Pakistan. There are a number of vaccination posts which have been set on the border to Pakistan but not exclusively to Pakistan, also to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh where all the children who are crossing the border, they are being vaccinated, children under five," he said.

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India declares vaccination program a success, looks to be 'polio-free' by March

India on course to be polio-free

MEA — 15/01/2014 10:11:18

Belfast Telegraph

India has marked three years since its last reported polio case, putting the country on course to being formally declared free of the disease later this year.

India has made great strides against polio in recent years through a rigorous vaccination campaign. But for many in the country where polio victims with withered, twisted limbs are a common sight on the streets, the advances have come too late.

Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease that has been eradicated in most countries. But it still causes paralysis or death in some parts of the world, including Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Polio usually infects children under five when they drink contaminated water. The virus attacks the central nervous system, causing paralysis, muscular atrophy, deformation and, in some cases, death.

"India was once thought to be the most difficult country in which to achieve polio eradication," Global Polio Eradication Initiative said.

The milestone was significant, but the World Health Organisation stills need to confirm there are no undetected cases before making the official declaration that India is polio-free in March.

Widespread poverty, dense population, poor sanitation, high levels of migration and a weak public health system made the task of reaching out to every child under five that much more difficult.

An army of nearly 2.5 million volunteers, doctors and medical workers carried out a campaign across the country to vaccinate children over three years to wipe out the scourge. The number of polio cases came down from 741 in 2009 to 42 in 2010.

The last case of polio was reported in eastern India in 2011.

In 2012, WHO removed India from a list of countries with active endemic wild polio transmission after it passed one year without registering any new cases.

Health officials remained concerned about the possibility of the virus entering the country from neighbouring Pakistan. Indian health authorities have set up polio immunisation booths at the two border crossings with Pakistan and all children who enter by road and train are being given vaccines.

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India on course to be polio-free

How India managed to defeat polio

MEA — 15/01/2014 10:16:32

BBC/ byPatralekha Chatterjee

It is three years since India last reported a case of polio. Patralekha Chatterjee reports on how the country appears to have finally managed to beat the disease.

Despite a healthcare system beset by severe problems, India has ushered in the new year with an achievement to be proud of.

In 2009, India reported 741 polio cases, more than any other country in the world, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The last case was reported from the eastern state of West Bengal in 2011, when an 18-month-old girl was found to have contracted the disease.

The country faced unique challenges in eradicating polio.

Among them was the high population density and birth rate, poor sanitation, widespread diarrhoea, inaccessible terrain and reluctance of a section of the population, notably members of the Muslim community in certain pockets, to accept the polio vaccine.

Nicole Deutsch, head of polio operations in India for UN children's charity Unicef, said: "Despite these obstacles, India proved to the world how to conquer this disease: through the strong commitment of the government, seamless partnership comprising the government, Rotary clubs, WHO and Unicef, and above all the tireless hard work of millions of front-line workers - vaccinators, social mobilisers and community and health workers - who continue to implement innovative strategies to rid India of polio,"

The introduction of bivalent oral polio vaccine in 2010 also helped India to battle the disease. Previously, India had been using a monovalent vaccine that protected only against type 1 poliovirus transmission, not type 3. which was causing repeated disease outbreaks.

But it was organisation that was key in enabling India to cover the last mile in its battle against polio.

In a vast country of more than a billion people who are culturally, economically, linguistically and socially diverse, "micro-plans" helped because they tossed up precious data about the specifics of a particular place - areas to be covered by each vaccination team on each day of the immunisation campaign, names and designations of the vaccinators, supervisors and community workers assigned to the area along with the vaccine, logistics distribution plan and so on.

But data alone did not deliver results. Unicef set up the Social Mobilisation Network for polio in 2001 in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

The initiative was a response to resistance against the polio vaccine. Families were refusing to immunise their children in some districts in Uttar Pradesh.

There were many reasons why this happened - parents did not see polio as a risk; repeated immunisation rounds had created doubts in their minds; and some believed rumours that linked the polio vaccine to impotency.

The Indian government and its polio partners realised that a new approach was needed.

This led to strategies to make polio vaccination more acceptable among people who had been resisting it.

'Holistic'

Children who suffered from severe bouts of diarrhoea did not fully benefit from the oral polio vaccine.

So, community mobilisers started talking about the need for hand-washing, hygiene and sanitation, exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months, diarrhoea management with zinc and oral rehydration therapy, and routine immunisation, necessary to sustain the success of polio eradication.

This holistic approach has paid off.

India's polio campaign gathered momentum when it focused on marginalised and mobile people, and began working in earnest with religious leaders in Muslim communities to urge parents to immunise their children.

For example, in Bihar in eastern India - once a polio hotspot in the country - a key focus of the polio programme is migrants.

In recent years, continuous vaccination has been conducted at 51 transit locations at the state's international border with Nepal and 11 important railway stations. Bihar also saw special drives during popular festivals and fairs.

While India appears to have stopped indigenous transmission of wild poliovirus, the risk of importation is real and has increased since 2013 with outbreaks in the Horn of Africa region and the Middle East, in addition to the continuing poliovirus transmission in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

"India needs to stay extremely vigilant and continue its efforts to ensure that the children remain protected against polio, until the disease is eradicated globally," said Nicole Deutsch of Unicef.

"India plans six polio campaigns in 2014 and 2015. In each campaign, 2.3 million vaccinators will immunise nearly 172 million children."

India has also set up polio immunisation posts along the international borders with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma and Bhutan to vaccinate all children up to the age of five years crossing the international borders.

India's dramatic turnaround paves the way for polio-free certification of the entire South East Asia Region of the World Health Organization. The South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (RCCPE) is expected to meet in Delhi in the last week of March 2014.

"If the commission is convinced that there is no wild poliovirus in the region and the surveillance quality is good enough to pick up any wild poliovirus and phase 1 laboratory containment work has been completed, it will certify the South East Asia Region of WHO as polio-free," a WHO spokesperson told the BBC.

India's successful control of polio has had other benefits.

A health ministry official connected with India's National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP), a collaboration between the government and the WHO, said strategies that worked in the case of polio were now being used to push up routine immunisation.

This is good news. Too many Indian children still die because they do not get the vital vaccines.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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How India managed to defeat polio

Local musician to study with Indian innovator

MEA — 13/01/2014 18:16:19

Journal Gazette and Times-Courier/by Kayleigh Zyskowski

For musician "The Reverend” Robert Reynolds, performing is all about finding a rhythm worth dancing to.

And his passion to learn different rhythmic styles will take him to India at the end of the month to study under a traditional Indian slide guitarist, Debashish Bhattacharya.

Reynolds, who picked up the guitar at the age of 15, plays what is known as "prewar” blues, jazz or folk music.

"Basically, ‘prewar’ is a term musicians use for the era before electric instruments,” he said.

Since discovering his taste for early 20th century styles including ragtime, early jazz, Hawaiian, African and Caribb

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Local musician to study with Indian innovator

The future is already here in India – for some people

MEA — 15/01/2014 09:54:37

Irish Times/ by Davin O'Dwyer

It was the great science fiction writer William Gibson who famously said, "The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.” The line concisely articulates the unequal nature of technological progress and how new advances spread among users and across the globe – a broadly top-down pattern, with the affluent west enjoying the fruits of the "future” first.

I’ve had cause to think of Gibson’s phrase frequently in recent weeks as I’ve been travelling around India, one of the burgeoning economic powerhouses of the 21st century, of course, and a country that occupies an interesting place in the globalised technological economy.

Where China is the tech world’s undisputed manufacturing powerhouse, India’s role is largely seen as being on the software side of the equation, with Bangalore in the role of a subcontinental Silicon Valley.

Certainly, it’s true that the tech hub is currently dominated by support centres, notoriously low on the value chain, but the level of indigenous activity there is truly impressive and growing fast.

In the larger population, technological adoption in India is obviously related to its booming economy – even if growth slowed to a "mere” 5 per cent last year, the lowest in a decade.

Smartphones are in common usage in the cities and large towns, and ads for the latest devices are ubiquitous. If you didn’t know much about the sport, you would swear that televised cricket was a filler between repeated ads for Samsung Galaxies and HTC.

And that pair are only the most visible. The plethora of cheap handsets from China constitutes the really transformative opportunity.

Growing market

Chinese handset maker Gionee recently declared that it aims to take 10 per cent of the Indian smartphone market in the next three years, by which time it expects 80 per cent of phones sold in India to be smartphones. And there’s a lot of room to grow. The current number of smartphone users in the country is relatively low at nearly 100 million, but year-on-year growth is about 50 per cent.

That room for growth is dependent on mobile broadband adoption, an area where India is lagging, but 3G licences were awarded only in late 2010.

Mobile broadband growth will rely on the rising power of the mobile operators, such as Vodafone, Idea and Airtel, evident in their omnipresent logos, emblazoned on brick walls and shop fronts everywhere from the backwater canals of Kerala to the clamorous bazaars of Delhi.

All the Vodafone and Samsung Galaxy ads are misleading in a key respect, however, the technology that is really in widespread use, and really caught my eye, is of a much older vintage.

In every town and city, you will see dozens of handpainted signs on cracking plaster and aged wood, with the same nine letters in varying quaint typefaces: "STD ISD PCO”. They are acronyms from a different era, standing for "subscriber trunk dialling, international subscriber dialling, public call office”.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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The future is already here in India – for some people

Harvey Mackay: India's innovation: How to accelerate in reverse

MEA — 15/01/2014 10:20:59

Post Bulletin

Recently, my fifth trip to India brought me face-to-face with nonstop contradictions. How could a land, primitive in large areas, elbow its way ahead to being the world's fourth largest economy?

At the Camel Fair in Pushkar, 50,000 camels, along with their owners and traders, congregate for a colorful 17-day festival. That's down considerably from what I saw on my first Pushkar pilgrimage 30 years ago. Motorized options -- India now ranks second in two-wheelers and third in small cars -- are nudging the beasts aside. Still, the aroma that 50,000 camels can muster is unforgettable.

Check this juxtaposition: My wife and I were in a cart being pulled by a camel and led by a native driver. He had a very long rope guiding the camel in one hand, while he was talking on his cellphone with the other. That's India today!

The average camel stands 7-feet-1-inch at the hump. That's exactly as tall as Shaquille O'Neal. Sound pretty big? Depends on your vantage point. Indians shrewdly adjust expectations versus results. An old Hindu adage holds: "When a camel is at the foot of a mountain, then judge his height."

The Indian economy has advanced at 9 to 10 percent in recent years. Now it has slowed to between 5 and 6 percent. Indians think they're in trouble, measuring that growth "camel" against the recent past. Hey, wouldn't we in the United States love to be in that sort of trouble?

The Young Presidents' Organization/World Presidents' Organization -- 390 strong -- journeyed to New Delhi for a recent university event. Indian executives, professionals and academics dazzled my colleagues and me with mind-blowing insights. Take Amity University -- which I also visited. Its huge 20,000-student campus has another large campus snuggled close to it. The most stunning number is the 1 million avid learners Amity has enrolled in 240 programs on 40 campuses and six countries, including online.

When I revisited the Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai, I was even more taken by this tribute to modern India's founding father than I was decades earlier. Emblazoned on the wall are Mahatma Gandhi's immortal words: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."

Priceless wisdom for a continuous-learning fanatic like me. India will need each one of those lessons as its population surpasses China's in the near future.

Awesome challenges foster incredible creativity. One of the smartest lessons in the Indian playbook is known as trickle-up or reverse innovation, described by Dartmouth professors Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble.

Under CEO Jeff Immelt, GE has explored reverse innovation too. Here's how it works: Places like India develop inexpensive versions of high-cost technology and processes. These brainstorms are then remarketed back to "advanced" economies as low-cost options.

Does evidence support the success of this ultimate switcheroo?

According to a Harvard Business Review piece, a new wave of Indian hospitals emphasizes "world-class health care at ultralow cost," often through selective specialization done at high volumes.

Throughout India, the electric grid is not efficient, hamstringing high-power electro-technology. Battery-powered medical instruments often do the job.

In 2001, a massive earthquake struck India's state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. In response, CNN reported, "one young entrepreneur, Mansukhbhai Prajapati ... designed a low-cost clay refrigerator which required no electricity and continued to function in the event of major catastrophes."

Would the challenges of poverty eject India from the continuing global space race? In November, India launched MOM -- the Mars Orbiter Mission. Forbes reports the venture will "make India the first Asian country, and the fourth in the world, to get to the planet." While richer nations book billions lost in space, India rigged up its Mars mission on a $75 million shoestring. Getting to "Mars on a budget" included carefully limited testing, low-cost rocket fuel technologies and acquiring older engine options.

With 70 percent of its population rural, India has been at the forefront of solar cooking solutions. These practical technologies are now drawing international attention.

Having once served as a Miss America pageant judge, I was fascinated to watch Nina Davuluri crowned as the first Miss America of Indian descent in September. Nina, who aspires to be a cardiologist, is a pragmatist. Winning an earlier pageant competition landed her a scholarship enabling her "debt-free" college graduation.

Much is made of India being the world's largest democracy. While wonderful and true, another powerful bond binds America and India. It's one we Americans would all do well to relearn: India's passion for practical resourcefulness.

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Harvey Mackay: India's innovation: How to accelerate in reverse

1.2 billion reasons to celebrate: India set to be polio-free

MEA — 15/01/2014 10:25:19

The Guardian

As the Asian nation marks three years since the last reported polio case, what lessons can Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria – the three remaining endemic countries – learn?

Today marks a landmark achievement for global public health and the worldwide effort to eradicate polio. India, which once had the highest number of polio cases in the world, is now polio-free, an achievement reports say the World Health Organisation will certify in February.

But it's been a long road to get here. With poor sanitation, densely populated areas and large numbers of people living in extreme poverty, northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the 'perfect storm' when it came to the spread of polio. And without the vital collaboration between the Indian government and the global polio eradication initiative – a partnership among Rotary International, Unicef, WHO and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention – this may not have been possible.

Long recognised as one of the most difficult places to eradicate polio, India stands as an example for how to mount a successful disease response effort under the most complex circumstances.

When I visited India's National Polio Surveillance project in Delhi in 2012, I was joined by a delegation of local health officials from Afghanistan. They had come to learn how India had leveraged sophisticated global positioning technology to map the movements of the mobile and migrant population to successfully reach children consistently missed by previous vaccination campaigns. Simple, but effective.

And there are more examples that can prove useful to reaching missed children in other polio-affected countries. For example, India involved religious and community leaders to help build support for vaccination among local families. In cities like Ghaziabad, announcements by local imams in mosques actively encourage congregations to immunise their children, persuading parents to accept the polio vaccine where they otherwise may have resisted.

These lessons learned are now part of the global strategic plan to secure a polio-free world by 2018. At the Global Vaccine Summit in April last year, the global polio eradication initiative announced the new polio eradication and endgame strategic plan 2013-2018. Global donors pledged $4bn (£2.4bn) to support the strategic plan – the first long-term strategy that comprehensively lays out what is needed to cease transmission of wild poliovirus and eradicate polio once and for all.

Now we need the donor community to back this plan. Current commitments of $4bn go a long way, but eradicating polio will require coming up with the remaining $1.5bn needed to fully fund the strategic plan. And while some donors like Canada – the first country to support the polio eradication initiative in 1988 – have shown steadfast support, others need to renew their commitment. In Australia, for instance, the newly elected Abbott government has so far stopped short of reaffirming the $80m contribution announced by the previous government in May 2013.

Ultimately, by capitalising on India's achievement, we all have a stake in the fight to end polio around the world. This exciting anniversary in India is proof of what is possible when the global community bands together in support of polio eradication. Yet, polio outbreaks in previously polio-free countries – Somalia, Syria, Cameroon – and the presence of the polio virus in Egypt and Israel are constant reminders of the need to act quickly; as long polio remains anywhere, it is a threat everywhere.

What's more, if we can supply the hardest-to-reach children with the polio vaccine, it will prove that we can also get food, clean water and other health services to them. The evidence is there: in the process of eradicating this debilitating disease, India has improved immunisation and health systems more broadly. It has developed a blueprint for reaching every last child with life-saving interventions, even in remote, socially excluded and marginalised communities. As Dr Bruce Aylward, the assistant director-general in charge of polio eradication at the WHO once said, India's polio programme has reached "the populations that always get left behind for everything … [they've] put a face on the kids that nobody ever sees, the population nobody knows."

With only three polio-endemic countries left – Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria – we are the closest the world has been to achieving a polio-free world. With cases reduced by 99% since 1988, we now have the required response strategies, political commitment and engagement. But ending polio comes down to governments, local leaders and agencies continuing to support the work of the thousands of community mobilisers and vaccinators at the frontline of this extraordinary effort.

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1.2 billion reasons to celebrate: India set to be polio-free

How India Beat Polio

MEA — 15/01/2014 10:32:30

National Geographic/ by Dan Morrison

When he thinks about polio, Dr. B.N. Singh recalls the surgeries.

"It was ghastly,” Singh said of his early days as a surgical orthopedic resident practicing in the Indian state of Bihar. "Every week I was doing five to six operations for polio deformities.”

This was in the late 1960s, when polio was a miserable fact of life in countries around the world. India alone had hundreds of thousands of new cases of Poliomyelitis each year.

These amounted to armies of children who faced lives of extreme hardship. The operations Singh performed didn’t so much cure their paralysis as reshape their withered limbs "from very bad to not-so-bad,” he said. The surgeon’s knife might transform a child from an invalid, with no chances of education, a job and, eventually, marriage, into someone who could move about their village with the aid of crutches or a hand-cranked wheelchair. It was something.

Throughout the 1990s, as India’s economy and ambitions grew, and into the 21st Century, Singh and his colleagues would every year donate their time to "polio deformity camps,” in which poor parents would bring their stricken children hundreds of miles for a chance at a free operation. "We’d do 40 to 50 surgeries a day,” Singh, who personally has performed as many as 400 such operations, recalled. "It was a drop in the bucket.”

But in 2005 the deformity camps suddenly stopped.

"We couldn’t find any more cases,” Singh said. "From where we were then, to where we are now – it’s incredible.”

At midnight on January 13, India reached a stunning milestone: three years without a single new case of polio. This nuclear-armed power, where fewer than half the population has access to toilets, has beaten one of the world’s most pernicious communicable diseases.

To get a sense of just how momentous this is — how India eliminated a disease that thrives on the very unsanitary conditions that still prevail here – I accompanied a Unicef team to Khagaria, a poor district in rural Bihar that lies among a web of flood-prone rivers. Khagaria was once so remote that its original name, Farakiya, means "apart” or "impenetrable” in Urdu.

Even today, at the height of the dry season, it can take several hours traveling by a four-wheel-drive, two separate boats, and a motorcycle to reach the village of Mohra Ghat, just 15 miles from the main town. This hamlet of 1,600 people is maybe the last place you would expect to find a functioning public health system. There’s no electricity, no sanitation, a low literacy rate — and one of the two local doctors is an untrained quack.

But here’s Pradeep Kumar Jha, a 28-year-old part-time health worker, armed with a 10th-grade education and a ledger listing the vital statistics of every mother and child in the village.

Jha’s title is community mobilization coordinator: It’s a job that requires the skills of both a cheerleader and a sergeant-major as he tracks local births and counsels parents to make their children available for routine immunizations — including repeated periodic doses of oral polio vaccine.

He’s a jack of many trades: Jha farms wheat and mustard on four acres nearby and, as a member of the priestly caste, he performs Hindu rituals on special occasions, "but this is by far my favorite thing to do,” he said.

Every village, hamlet, and city block in India — a country of 1.2 billion people, many of them in the deepest of poverty, speaking more than 1,600 languages — has someone like Jha, armed with the same ledger and the same zeal. (Jha is something of an outlier: most community mobilization coordinators are women.)

India’s apparent victory against polio (the World Health Organization is expected to certify the achievement in March) has coincided with more than 20 years of public health improvements. Child mortality has fallen 46 percent since 1990.

But the polio effort isn’t merely part of a general trend. It began in the 1990s when members of the Rotary International launched a massive lobbying effort to convince skeptical policymakers that polio could in fact be eradicated.

With money raised by Rotary ($178 million to date), India began vaccinating hundreds of millions of children. Twice a year, 2.3 million vaccinators administer polio vaccine drops to every child younger than five. That’s 172 million kids in the fields, at school, in slums, on moving trains, and in the temporary shelters of migrant workers and traditional nomads. (The polio effort has been fully funded by the Indian government since 2007.)

These national immunization days are followed up with additional polio rounds in the 107 poor districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states where poor sanitation, low incomes, and high population density favor polio transmission. Comprehensive doesn’t begin to describe it.

"Awareness has gone up,” Usha Kumari, a 26-year-old village birth attendant in Mohra Ghat, told me. "People are more comfortable with vaccinations now. That’s that best part – seeing how people’s behavior has changed.”

There were setbacks, some of them big, but the work paid off.

Ten years ago, Khagaria district had seven cases of polio, followed by none in 2005 and just one in 2006. Then came Bihar’s worst season of flooding in 30 years. Between August 2007 and December 2008, the swollen Kosi River and other waterways shifted course, by miles in some places, wiping out villages and towns. Aid workers described scenes of stranded women giving birth on muddy roadways amid the bodies of the drowned and the dying.

In the wake of this disaster, the number of polio cases in Khagaria shot up again, to 16 in 2007, 22 in 2008, and 16 in 2009.

But there hasn’t been a single polio diagnosis since. The volunteers, doctors, nurses, and midwives went back to work. The last child from this area to be afflicted with polio was an 18-month-old girl named Sahjadi Klim, who was diagnosed in September 2009, according to Unicef. The last known infection in all of India was that of a little girl living near Kolkata named Rukhsar Khatun, who was diagnosed on January 12, 2011.

Rukshar’s parents are giving lots of interviews these days. After all, she’s the last one.

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How India Beat Polio

India Reaches Polio-Free Milestone

MEA — 15/01/2014 11:19:14

Voice of America/ by Steve Baragona

For three years, India has not recorded a new case of polio, a critical achievement that puts the entire region on target to be certified polio-free.

Eradicating the crippling disease from India has been one of the greatest challenges in the global effort, costing $2 billion since 1995.

Before then, the disease claimed 50,000 to 100,000 victims every year, according to the World Health Organization, mostly children under five years old.

"There were many critics who felt it was impossible to eradicate polio from India,” said Steve Cochi, senior advisor in the global immunization division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

High population density, frequent migration, poor sanitation and weak health systems made fighting the disease a challenge.

Indian Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad credited the landmark achievement to "unwavering political will at the highest level, commitment of adequate financial resources, technological innovations as well as efforts of millions of workers.”

India falls under the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia region, and WHO will meet in March to discuss certifying the region as polio-free.

Fighting rumors

One of the biggest challenges was overcoming disruptive rumors among some minority populations that the vaccine would harm their children.

The campaign recruited academic, religious and community leaders, in some cases traveling house-to-house along with vaccinators, to dispel myths.

"It took some time, and some effort, but these things always do,” Cochi said. "I think that represents one of the most outstanding success stories, not only for India but for the world.”

Convincing skeptical neighborhoods also required broadening the services the campaign provided.

"Communities have more issues other than polio," said Carol Pandak, director of Rotary International's polio eradication program.

She says Rotary clubs sponsored health camps to provide vaccines for polio as well as other diseases, along with other health services.

They also enlisted thousands of community members living in polio hotspots to talk to their neighbors and make the case for vaccination.

"They could talk to their fellow community members unlike an outsider could," she added.

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India Reaches Polio-Free Milestone

India succeeding with reverse innovation

MEA — 13/01/2014 18:12:11

Tulsa World/by Harvey Mackay

Recently, my fifth trip to India brought me face to face with nonstop contradictions. How could a land, primitive in large areas, elbow its way ahead to being the world's fourth-largest economy?

The Indian economy has advanced at 9 percent to 10 percent in recent years. Now it's slowed to between 5 percent and 6 percent. Indians think they're in trouble, measuring that growth "camel" against the recent past. Hey, wouldn't we in the United States love to be in that sort of trouble?

Awesome challenges foster incredible creativity. One of the smartest lessons in the Indian playbook is known as trickle-up or reverse innovation, described by Dartmouth professors Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble. Under CEO Jeff Immelt, GE has explored reverse innovation, too. Here's how it works: Places like India develop inexpensive versions of high-cost technology and processes. These brainstorms are then marketed back to "advanced" economies as low-cost options.

Does evidence support the success of this ultimate switcheroo?

According to a Harvard Business Review piece, a new wave of Indian hospitals emphasizes "world-class health care at ultralow cost," often through selective specialization done at high volumes.

Throughout India, the electric grid is not efficient, hamstringing high-power electro-technology. Battery-powered medical instruments often do the job.

In 2001, a massive earthquake struck India's state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. In response, CNN reported, "one young entrepreneur, Mansukhbhai Prajapati ... designed a low-cost clay refrigerator which required no electricity and continued to function in the event of major catastrophes."
Would the challenges of poverty eject India from the continuing global space race? In November, India launched MOM ? the Mars Orbiter Mission. Forbes reports the venture will "make India the first Asian country, and the fourth in the world, to get to the planet."

Richer nations spend billions on space programs, yet India rigged up its Mars mission on a $75 million shoestring. Getting to "Mars on a budget" included carefully limited testing, low-cost rocket fuel technologies and acquiring older engine options.

With 70 percent of its population rural, India has been at the forefront of solar cooking solutions. These practical technologies are now drawing international attention.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India succeeding with reverse innovation

Roads, phones transform India

MEA — 13/01/2014 18:13:17

Journal Gazette/by Kartik Goyal

For three decades, Indian rice farmer Lahu Bhiwa loaded his grain onto an ox cart and sold it to families in his village, earning about 32 a month. His life changed in 2010, when bulldozers cleared a new road that has helped triple his income.

The smooth asphalt linking Kainad with the western Indian coastal town of Dahanu turned a three-hour journey by foot into a 25-minute car ride. Access to more buyers allowed Bhiwa to sell goods to the highest bidder, giving him enough cash to buy a mobile phone and check benchmark prices. His son now attends school in Dahanu, an opportunity unavailable a decade ago.

"Our life has completely changed for the better ever since this road was built,” Bhiwa, 45, said as he watered his land in the village. "Before, we were at the mercy of middlemen who would come here and take our produce. We had no way of knowing whether the prices they offered were good or bad.”

The construction of 373,000 miles of country roads, the addition of 327 million rural phone connections and a rise in literacy to record levels since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took office in 2004 has helped double the growth rate of India’s food output.

"What we see is a fundamental break from the past,” said Ganesh Kumar, an agricultural researcher who teaches at the Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, which is funded by the nation’s central bank.

"Higher farm output has kept rural demand alive and kicking, and that definitely helped the economy from a much more severe deceleration.”

Food output increased 24 percent between 2001 and 2011, double the growth rate of the previous decade, and reached a record 259 million tons in the crop year ending June 2012. India led the world in rice exports for the first time ever last year.

The rural road network increased by more than double the annual average over the second half of last century, according to government estimates.

Rural phone connections rose about 30-fold to 339 million by the end of last year from 12.3 million in 2004, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Literacy in agrarian areas improved twice as much as in urban centers in the decade to 2011, with the rate of those who can read and write rising to 69 percent in 2011 from 59 percent in 2001, census estimates show.

"These once-in-a-lifetime changes are happening at the bottom of the pyramid due to a dramatic improvement in roads and phones,” said Neelkanth Mishra, head of Indian equity strategy at Credit Suisse Group, who co-wrote a March report on rural development.

"Contrary to popular belief that growth in all things rural is driven by unrestrained government spending, we believe the changes are already showing signs of being self-sustaining.”

Kainad sits between lush green rice fields and fruit orchards, about 110 miles north of Mumbai, India’s financial capital. Oxen mill throughout the sprawling tribal village of about 9,000 people, which is divided into clusters of thatch-roofed houses.

Before the road was built, farmers mostly grew rice, as transporting goods carried prohibitive costs. Monsoon rain flooded low-lying areas, leaving Kainad isolated. When a villager fell ill, four men would need to carry the person on a hand-made wooden stretcher to the hospital in Dahanu about 7 miles away.

Signs of modernity began to appear in 2008, when Vodafone Group, India’s second-biggest mobile-phone operator by subscribers, put up a tower in the area. Once the road came two years later, farmers could easily get to town to buy seeds and fertilizer.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Roads, phones transform India

Landmark moment as India to be declared 'polio-free'

MEA — 13/01/2014 18:14:30

The Telegraph/by Dean Nelso

After three years during which no one has been infected with polio, the country will be officially declared rid of the disease

Four year old Rukhsar Khatun is running with her shrieking brother and sisters among the chickens and ducks in the dirt yard of her parents' bamboo hut in Shahpara village, near Calcutta. She should be laughing like the others, but she's crying.

She was diagnosed with polio on January 13th 2011 when she was 15 months old and months of illness left her with one leg slightly shorter than the other. Now her high-energy games hurt her leg and often leave her in tears.

It might be a tragic story, but for campaigners striving to eradicate the disease Rukhsar is a symbol of hope: She is the last person in India to contract polio, the end of the line for a disease which has been in India for thousands of years and just three decades ago claimed 150,000 victims in a single year.

Many of those victims are today the beggars with withered and twisted limbs who limp and crawl between cars pleading with motorists at city junctions, but Rukhsar Khatun has recently started school and is growing up under the watchful gaze of the global charity Rotary which has played a leading role in the campaign to eradicate polio. They see her as a living turning point, the end of a horrible history, and an inspiration for countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria where polio remains endemic: If India, once the single largest concentration of polio sufferers in the world, can eradicate the disease, any country can.

Monday is the third anniversary of the day Rukhsar was diagnosed and the third consecutive year India has not seen a single new case. It means the country is now officially 'polio-free' and will receive its certification in March.

Her parents are glad of the attention their daughter brings, but they have mixed feelings. They're wracked with guilt – she had been ill when she was due to have the vaccination and missed it. A year layer she become violently ill, vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea.

One doctor treated her for a suspected liver complaint, another gave her 17 injections to cure a stomach infection, but there was no improvement.

One noticed her right leg was swollen and that she winced in pain when he touched it. Further tests confirmed polio - a spinal infection which affects the nerve endings and can cause paralysis of limb muscles. She was finally admitted into Calcutta's B.C Roy Polio Clinic where doctors treated the disease, massaged her legs and gave her special shoes to help her walk.

"She still has pain in her leg, every day when she plays with other children, she has pain. It's every day but it has improved," her mother Sabojann Begam Shah, 29, said, crouched on the mud floor over a cooking pot.

"All of our other children were given polio drops. But Rukhsar did not have them. She was ill with diarrhoea and vomiting so she didn't have the drops," her mother said. "I feel bad," her father, Abdul Shah, a 33 year old Zari-wala who earns 4,500 rupees (£45) a month embroidering sequins on sari fabrics, added as he dressed for Friday prayers.

Rukhsar's diagnosis was the last of a series of "disheartening" setbacks for an extraordinary campaign to eradicate the disease which has been hailed not only as an inspiration for other countries, but also a powerful demonstration of what India can achieve with commitment and co-ordination.

Dr Hamid Jafari, head of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative at the World Health Organisation, said many had believed it impossible to stop the disease's transmission in India.

He coordinated the work of local doctors, district magistrates and global charities like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to immunise more than 170 million children on two National Immunisation Days in 2011 and then continued the programme over the following three years in a race with the disease.

Their greatest challenge was in two of India's most backward states, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where high birth rates, large migrant populations and poor sanitation make the ideal conditions for polio to spread.

He said the Indian government's commitment was a key factor in killing off the disease. "When there were periodic outbreaks, which were disheartening, they stayed the course. Half a million children are born every month in Uttar Pradesh alone. You can change the speed of coverage needed to vaccinate children. We were in a race with the virus. District magistrates played an important part in [ensuring] the rigour of implementation, the high quality of mentoring and surveillance data to plug the operational gaps, this all came together in India," he told the Telegraph.

Now the campaign will turn to Nigeria where the number of cases were halved last year, Afghanistan where infections fell from 30 in 2012 to eleven last year, and Pakistan, the final frontier.

Polio cases there increased by from 58 cases in 2012 to 85 last year, with vaccination teams under siege from Taliban militants who suspect their work is a front for spying on them – since July 2012 more than 30 health workers and guards administering the vaccines have been killed.

It's a formidable challenge, but India's success in eradicating the disease has shown there is now nowhere it cannot be wiped out, said Dr Jafari.

"If it can be done in India, it can be eradicated in any conditions. For any country not to succeed it is a lack of commitment, gaps in implementation and poor quality work. Once India came off the list of countries with active transmission in 2012, there was no technical rationale for this not to be done [elsewhere]," he said.

As Rukhsar clutches her toys in the family's front yard, her mother said she and her husband feel bad about their daughter's status as India's last polio case. But her limp is barely noticeable, she's going to school, and she will one day be married, she said. "She is normal now."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Landmark moment as India to be declared 'polio-free'

In 2009, half the world’s polio cases were in India: Today, there are none

MEA — 13/01/2014 18:15:32

Time/by Krista Mahr

As of today, India has been polio-free for three years — but the virus is on its borders and could return at anytime

Good news does not always flow freely in India. Too many children still go hungry. Violence against women endures. Inflation is soaring, and gay sex was just criminalized, again.

But today India got a boost: Jan. 13 marks the country’s third year of being free of polio, the highly infectious disease that attacks the nervous system of children in particular and can paralyze within hours. The last child to be crippled by polio in India was a 2-year-old girl in West Bengal, whose case was confirmed on Jan. 13, 2011. The fact that none have been found since is a stunning turnaround from 2009, when India hosted nearly half the world’s cases. That polio has been wiped from this vast, crowded country is arguably one of the greatest achievements in modern public health — and a stirring reminder that sheer determination can, in fact, change lives.

People used to say that ridding India of polio simply couldn’t be done. The virus has used the subcontinent as an incubator for centuries, and some experts argued that the slow process of vaccinating every child could never outpace the rapid transmission of the disease. Happily, they were wrong. Teaming up with groups like Rotary International, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization (WHO), the Indian government launched yearly national vaccination drives carried out by millions of volunteers and, eventually, backed up by sophisticated disease-surveillance and population-monitoring systems. In 2002, there were 1,600 polio cases in India. By 2009, there were 741. Today, there are none.

That accomplishment has changed the whole tenor of the global fight against the disease. In May 2012, not long after India had been declared polio-free for a year, the World Health Assembly, the decisionmaking body of WHO, declared global polio eradication to be a public-health priority. "If it can be done in India, then there is nowhere in the world that can use the argument that it is impossible,” says Dr. Hamid Jafari, director of polio operations and research for WHO. In India, Jafari helped oversee the distribution of nearly 1 billion polio-vaccine doses every year between 2008 and 2011. "When a government puts its full commitment to do it, and a financial commitment to match, then it is doable,” he says.

But infectious disease does not leave much time for resting on laurels. The virus is still in endemic in three countries — Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan — and as long as it is, it can still go anywhere, including back to India. Case in point: last year, new polio cases were confirmed in several countries that were supposed to free of polio virus — including Cameroon, Syria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia — as a result of a spread from endemic countries.

"We cannot be complacent,” says Dr. Naveen Thacker, a member of the expert-advisory group to the Indian government for polio eradication. For years, India exported polio to the world. Today, Thacker says, "those channels are still open, but now we are on the receiving end.”

That one of the endemic countries is right next door isn’t much comfort. In Pakistan, the Muslim militants’ ban on the polio vaccine since June 2012 in swaths of the restive northwest is currently allowing the virus to be freely transmitted among some 300,000 unvaccinated children. Workers trying to distribute the vaccine have been attacked and killed in parts of the country.

"If we got access to 100% of the children, we could stop the virus transmission,” says Dr. Shamsher Khan, UNICEF’s coordinator for polio for high-risk populations in Pakistan. He says most of the 85 cases recorded there last year were from these inaccessible zones, but seven of the new cases were found in Punjab, a province where the virus had previously been controlled. "You can see the spillover,” Khan says.

That polio could slip over the border to India isn’t a huge risk, given that old tensions mean movement between the neighbors remains limited. But that doesn’t mean India won’t have to stay on high alert. From Feb. 14, proof of polio vaccination will be required for all travelers entering India from Pakistan and Afghanistan, among other countries. Authorities will also keep monitoring India’s own population and make sure vaccination remains routine. One day, says Thacker, those efforts also may be slowly scaled back, but for now, there is still work to be done. "At the end of a war, you can withdraw your army,” Thacker says. Until then, the battle continues.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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In 2009, half the world’s polio cases were in India: Today, there are none

Undying spirit of an alphabet lover

MEA — 13/01/2014 10:03:04

Two Circles

A 60 year old lady takes initiative to spread education in society especially among women.

The old adage goes that if there’s a will, there’s definitely a way out. This may not be quite true to this 60 year old lady Rangila Medhi in a remote village in Assam’s Darrang district at present.

Her mission to educate people, especially rural women which was initiated much before the government schemes is facing tough time. Meet Rangila Medhi of Jhakuapara village at Hazarikapara in Darrang district, some 70 odd kilometres from state capital Guwahati, being a daily wage earner, she has successfully written two books after going to school much later period at her life at 40.

"I don’t want anybody to feel the pain through which I had to undergo. That’s why I try my best to educate the people of my nearby areas. Especially women of my age or even younger did not get much opportunity to study or some of them were not allowed to go to school, I can feel their pain of not knowing the letters,” Medhi told TwoCircles.net at her residence as she interacts with a group of village women.

Though for the last 20 years she has been constantly fighting her way to provide education to rural women, financial crunch has deterred her from reaching out to her goal. "It’s been tough to meet all the needs. Though I want to go in a big way to educate the women of our locality, on several occasions I have to stay back because I cannot do all the things which I want to do due to lack of financial crunch,” she added.

The village women come to her house in the afternoon twice or thrice a week to get the lessons from Medhi who lives with her brothers. She also visits nearby schools in the locality besides travelling to some of the other parts of the state to promote girls education.

"I desperately want to take this mission in a big way. If I can institutionalized this, I hope many more women and girls can be educated. Because, without education it’s dark everywhere,” said Medhi whose mission has already touched hundreds of women in the nearby areas.

But alas, she faces problems at every step of her life. Besides working on her mission she has to work in the agriculture fields to make ends meet. "I don’t want to be a burden to somebody else and I’m proud of what I do for my living. As I earn little money, it becomes difficult to spend it for my mission,” said the lady who never decided to get married.

However, by being a spinster, it has been a blessing for her. "I never repent at whatever I have done rather I’m proud of it. Had I been married, maybe I had a couple of children but now all are my own children and I can equally treat them for a better tomorrow,” said a confident Medhi.

The journey had started way back in 1993 when she stepped in a school for the second time in her life at the age of 40 with a help of a member of a NGO Gyan Vigyan Samity. After that it is a never looking back journey.

"It was curse for me not to read the letters and I was desperate to get rid of it. All thanks to Gyan Vigyan,” she said. Earlier, at an age of 10 she once tried to go to school but her father was against her going to school and he dragged her out of it.

For the beneficiaries, it’s a privilege to have such kind of soul by their side. "We are proud of baideo (elder sister). Only because of her, now I can write my name and read text book. I hope very soon I will be able to read newspaper,” said Neera Deka, a house wife who visits Medhi’s house to learn lesson.

Kishore Kalita, a local youth said that such kind of initiative has created a positive atmosphere in the entire area and these days no parents hesitate to send their daughters to pursue higher studies.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Undying spirit of an alphabet lover

India manages to free itself of polio

MEA — 13/01/2014 09:56:20

Wall Street Journal/by Gautam Naik and Nikita Lalwani

The World Health Organization plans to announce on Monday that India has officially eliminated polio, one of the biggest public-health achievements of recent times, and one that could set the stage for stamping out the ancient scourge globally.

Public-health officials have been counting the days to the three-year anniversary of India's last recorded case, which allows the WHO to certify it as polio free.

Many long doubted that India could pull it off, given the country's size, poor sanitation and the enormous challenge of vaccinating millions of children, often in far-flung places and in the face of societal and religious resistance.

"India was by far the hardest place in the world to get rid of polio," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp. MSFT +1.44% and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a major financial donor in the global polio campaign. "It's quite phenomenal they did it."

The success with polio has also emboldened India to announce that it will now try to eliminate measles as well. At the same time, India faces significant public-health challenges such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis. In epidemiology, elimination of a disease means wiping it out regionally, while eradication gets rid of it globally.

Hamid Jafari, director of the WHO's polio-eradication campaign, says the agency's ambitious quest to stop all polio transmission by the end of 2014 is now within reach. If that is achieved, and no new cases crop up for three years, polio—like smallpox—will be officially banished from the planet.

"India was one of the most important sources" from where the virus spread to other countries, said Dr. Jafari.

It won't be easy. Polio remains endemic in three countries, Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. There also have been recent outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and Syria, although there are signs that those cases will soon be mopped up.

So, for now, India's elimination of polio remains "a fragile achievement," Mr. Gates said in an interview. "Global eradication is a very different thing."

Polio was one of the most feared childhood diseases of the 20th century. Infected people often show no symptoms but continue to excrete the virus in their feces, which allows it to jump to others, typically via contaminated food and water. In a small proportion of cases, the virus causes paralysis that is often permanent. It can be prevented only by vaccination.

The polio virus has been around for thousands of years. Vaccines made much of the world polio free by the year 2000. But India—vast, dense and poor—continued to be its most hospitable niche. Just two decades ago, there were several hundred new cases every day.

"I could name 300 challenges, but the main one was fighting apathy and ignorance among political bigwigs and among beneficiaries themselves," says Deepak Kapur, who heads the polio campaign in India for Rotary International, a major funder.

Another big hurdle, according to Mr. Kapur, was fear. There were rumors that the polio vaccine was designed to make children infertile, or that it contained substances banned by Islamic scripture. Such fears made it especially hard to vaccinate Muslim children.

The Indian government's campaign to eliminate polio began in 1995, and has cost it nearly $1.6 billion so far; private sources have contributed millions more. It was a mammoth operation, involving health workers, local officials, religious leaders and some two million vaccinators who often went door to door. Over the past three years alone, 480 million vaccinations were given each year to about 174 million children under the age of 5.

Religious leaders were persuaded to join the effort. "The calls that went out to the Muslim faithful every Friday contained reminders to take children to the immunization booths," said Mr. Kapur of Rotary International. "These were the people initially most skeptical of the vaccines but, once convinced, they became our biggest agents of change."

By 2009, there were only 741 polio cases in India, and the figure dropped to 42 the following year. The last case—a girl called Rukhsar Khatoon who was paralyzed by polio—was reported Jan. 13, 2011. There is still the danger that a new polio case may get imported from neighboring Pakistan or Afghanistan; India plans to keep vaccinating children to ensure no new cases crop up.

Others have made progress, too, partly by adopting India's techniques. In 2012, the three remaining endemic countries reported just 223 cases, the lowest figure recorded historically until then. Last year, the figure was 148.

According to the Gates Foundation, between 2012 and 2013, the number of cases fell 67% in Afghanistan and more than 50% in Nigeria.

Pakistan and Nigeria pose special challenges. In Nigeria, most of the polio cases are in the Muslim north, and there have been violent—and sometimes fatal—attacks against people believed to be working on polio-immunization drives. In Pakistan, meanwhile, more than 70% of the remaining polio cases are in inaccessible places.

As a result, the hope of stopping all transmission by year-end may slip a little. "There's a chance we won't get to zero cases in Nigeria and Pakistan—we'll probably miss in one of those countries," Mr. Gates said.

Still, the dream of global eradication is tantalizingly close—and it is backed by money. The Gates Foundation has contributed $1.2 billion toward polio eradication since 2009, and has committed a further $1.8 billion through 2018. In all, some $4 billion has been pledged by various groups to eradicate the disease.

The effort is led by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which includes various governments, the WHO, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Unicef. The initiative estimates that polio eradication could deliver total net benefits of up to $50 billion by 2035 from reduced treatment costs and gains in productivity.

But stamping out an ancient and debilitating disease promises much more. "The benefits of eradication accrue for eternity," said Dr. Jafari of WHO.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India manages to free itself of polio

India’s overseas millionaires: helping home?

MEA — 13/01/2014 10:08:13

Financial Times/by Avantika Chilkoti

India’s biggest resource – a young population, a democratic system, or the large pool of wealthy citizens it sends abroad?

According to a new report from WealthInsight, the researchers, 180,000 Indian millionaires live abroad and they are together worth $634bn – a figure that is expected to grow to $1.1tn in three years.

The report classifies a non-resident Indian (NRI) as a citizen who lives abroad for 180 days a year or more, or anyone of Indian origin with a foreign passport. And using its detailed database of high net worth individuals around the world it finds there is a clear divide between millionaire and non-millionaire NRIs.

The wealthy flock to developed countries like the UK and the US, home to 10 per cent and one third of NRI millionaires respectively. Meanwhile others emigrate to Malaysia and Saudi Arabia where many find blue-collar work (click chart to enlarge).

"When it comes to choosing a country of domicile, so much comes down to wealth,” says Oliver Williams, an analyst at WealthInsight. "With immigration rules tightening in many developed nations, the UK among them, visas inevitably favour the wealthier and skilled.”

Leaving aside the usual ‘brain drain’ worries, what are the positive implications for India?

For one, a lot of people still in India are living off money earned abroad with total remittances to the country reaching $70bn per year.

Secondly, this rich diaspora now is looking to its homeland to expand its wealth. Nearly half NRI investors have brokerage accounts in India, according to WealthInsight. NRIs have holdings in 80 per cent of the 1,800 stocks listed on the National Stock Exchange of India. And NRI bank deposits have grown from $41.6bn in 2008 to $70.8bn in 2012.

"There is a trend in younger, second generation NRIs to invest in the growing private equity and venture capital sectors in India,” Williams adds.

Policy makers do, of course, recognise how valuable these rich overseas Indians are. When the country faced a currency crisis in the middle of last year, the central bank coaxed NRIs to deposit dollars in local banks – a strategy that raised $34bn in just three months.

Taking India as a whole, however, Credit Suisse estimates that the country has 182,000 dollar millionaires. A report published in October said:

India has seen rapid growth in wealth since the year 2000. Wealth per adult rose from USD 2,000 in 2000 to USD 4,700 in 2013, but the 35% rise in the adult population caused aggregate wealth to more than triple during the same period.

What’s interesting is how Indians, like many others in the developing world, store wealth. The report suggests that some 86 per cent of household assets are held as property or real assets – partly explained by poor access to financial services in poor and rural communities. And personal debts are a low 6 per cent of total assets.

But one word of caution. With the Indian rupee slumping some 14 per cent against the dollar in the past year, Indians’ wealth is diminishing in dollar terms. And as Asia’s third largest economy slows down and its currency slumps, the billionaires are feeling the pinch.

According to Bloomberg Billionaires, Reliance Industries’ Mukesh Ambani has lost 4.7 per cent of his wealth in the past year bringing it to a still-mouthwatering $19.7bn, while steel baron Lakshmi Mittal has seen his fortune fall 3.6 per cent to $17.7bn.

Global reach of India drug producers grows

MEA — 06/01/2014 18:48:32

Financial Express/by Andrew Jack

India is producing almost as many medicines for the UK as those manufactured within Britain itself, according to figures showing the growing influence of Asia in the global pharmaceuticals market.

Data from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the London-based medicines watchdog, show it has licensed Indian factories to produce the finished form of 3,685 drugs compared with 3,815 made within the UK.

They place Indian companies far ahead of all other foreign producers for British patients – led by companies in Germany, Ireland and France – and reflect estimates that its fast-growing manufacturers are responsible for a quarter of all medicines consumed in the country.

While India has long produced raw materials and the "active pharmaceutical ingredients” to supply others making finished medicines, the statistics show the country’s expansion as fully fledged producers.

The British statistics mirror high and rising penetration rates by Indian producers in other industrialised countries around the world and have raised some concerns over quality as manufacturing shifts beyond national boundaries.

Two large Indian generic drug producers – Ranbaxy, owned by Daiichi Sankyo of Japan, and Wockhardt – in recent months received US and UK regulatory bans respectively on the import of some of their products following quality concerns including fabrication of tests on their ingredients.

However, Gerald Heddell, director of inspections, enforcement and standards at the MHRA, stressed that the number of problems identified by regulators in India was in proportion to the volume of medicines they produced.

"When we look back over 110 inspections we conducted over the last two years in India, we had significant concerns with 9 or 10 companies,” he said. "That does not represent a statistically higher proportion than in other parts of the world. India stands out because it is just such a big supplier.”

Arun Sawhney, Ranbaxy chief executive, stressed his co-operation with US regulators in meeting their requirements including the lifting of a ban on some products.

"The global pharmaceutical landscape is changing and we have to change with it,” he said.

"The expectations of regulatory agencies all over the world are increasing and clearly, we have to continue to raise the standards of our processes to be ahead of these changes.

"We are certain that the efforts under way in this regard will enable us to emerge stronger in our standards of quality and compliance.”

Although most Indian pharmaceutical companies make off-patent generic drugs, they also supply products to those making innovative medicines.

A separate analysis conducted by Withers & Rogers, a legal firm specialising in intellectual property, showed an increase from 160 to 450 annual patent filings by Indian companies over the past decade.

However, most have been technologies such as manufacturing processes for existing drugs, new formulations and crystalline forms rather than the development of novel compounds.

Mumbai's dabbawallas: proof that tradition can be innovative

MEA — 05/01/2014 16:30:10

The Guardian: John Vidal

For over a century, bicycle couriers have been ferrying food boxes around Mumbai – an approach that works as well as ever

Imagine trying to cook – and then deliver, on time – 200,000 hot lunches every day, in the centre of a city where traffic is regularly gridlocked. And then imagine having to pick up and return the food containers, collect the money, and pay the drivers – most of whom cannot read or write.

The logistics and organisation needed would almost certainly defeat the best efforts of any European or US food chain, airline or supermarket group, perplex corporate distribution teams, and bamboozle efficiency-conscious business leaders. But the old ways are often the best ways; in a world of innovation, sometimes the most innovative thing you can do is to keep doing what you always did.

Such is the case in Mumbai, where a small miracle has been taking place daily for more than 100 years. Nearly every working day, 5,000 or more white-capped "dabbawallas" get on their pedal bikes, each loaded with about 40 lunches packed in steel or plastic containers called "tiffins". Weaving their way through the throngs of India's business capital, they deliver to workers in shops and offices, factory hands, and businesses. Their products include everything from daal, vegetables, chapatis and rice to exotic Mexican and macrobiotic specialities. On average, just one meal in 16m gets delivered late.

It is testimony to what ordinary people can achieve. But what excites corporate leaders such as Richard Branson, Harvard business school professors, and even governments is that the dabbawallas are turning western business models inside out.

Dabbawallas are recognised as a textbook example of efficiency and organisation but, instead of using a complex, technology-driven administrative system, they have built a giant buiness on trust, experience and, above all, the knowledge and intelligence of families. The dabbawallas do not need layers of complicated management, computers or even mobile phones.

Earlier this year, Arvind Talekar, who worked as a dabbawalla for two years and is now a spokesman for the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers, came to Dubai for the Gulf Co-operation Council Third and Fourth Line Leaders' Development Conference.

"We keep it simple," he says. "I have seen that many times technology doesn't work. So, it is best not to use it because if it fails, then we can't deliver the lunch boxes on time. We are illiterates and we prefer to keep a mental note. We don't depend on gadgets."

In an increasingly globalised world, the west is now looking east and south, to emerging economies, for new business models. In the process, it is finding some unique ways of doing things; it's a case of "the children teaching their parents", says Alexander Settles, a professor of corporate governance at Moscow State University.

Africa, once considered hopeless for business innovation, is now exporting pioneering ideas that are being picked up in Europe and the US. Its young population and its lack of infrasructure has encouraged entrepreneurs and corporations to leapfrog the west.

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Mumbai's dabbawallas: proof that tradition can be innovative

Burma could learn from India: Channeling diversity into democracy instead of strife

MEA — 06/01/2014 10:48:03

The Epoch Times/by Venus Upadhayaya

Burma (also known as Myanmar) is at a challenging crossroads on its way to democracy, while simultaneously facing ethnic strife. Burmese intellectuals say their country could learn from successes and failures in India, a land of equal diversity and similar strife.

U. Soe Myint, editor-in-chief of the Burmese newspaper Mizzima, said: "Many ethnic nationalities exist in our country like [in] India. In a broader picture, India cannot only help us to establish our democratic process, but [can] also help us to look at the question of various ethnic nationalities in a national set-up.”

Myint participated in Burma’s pro-democracy uprising in 1988 and was detained by the Burmese army. In 1990, he gained worldwide attention for the plight of Burmese people by hijacking a Thai International Airways flight headed to India. He did not use violence in diverting the flight. He was arrested, but later acquitted.

He stayed in India for more than two decades, and launched Mizzima in New Delhi in 1998. The publication grew into an independent source of news and analysis on Burma.

"I lived in India for 23 years and the Indian people have given me space and time to learn and share experiences,” he said. "Indian democracy faces many challenges, but it’s moving on for so long.”

Manoj Rai, director of the Society for Participatory Research in Asia, highlighted some of the institutions in India that have strengthened democracy, including the "election commission to conduct regular elections in a free and fair manner, finance commissions to share resources, [and] local governments.”

He said India can also help Burma establish a vibrant civic society with "informed and skillful NGOs, community-based organizations, free and fair media, social accountability systems, and citizen-focused delivery.”

One of India’s recent successes is the anti-corruption campaign that gave birth to the Aam Aadmi party (translated as the Common Man’s Party) in 2012. The movement rallied mass participation and the party has gained political traction with the backing of some high-profile figures in India.

A radio show established by waste-pickers in Bangalore, India, is a sign and symptom of the political awareness and enthusiasm that permeates various parts of Indian society.

In May, Epoch Times wrote about Kalamani, a 37-year-old untouchable-caste woman who ran for local office despite great obstacles.

These two examples highlight both the strengths and weaknesses of Indian democracy. The waste-pickers were motivated in part to establish the radio show, because they feel unrepresented. Yet they also found the freedom to express themselves and develop community-support institutions. Kalamani, who only goes by her first name as surnames carry class connotations, had great difficulty raising campaign funds, faced ridicule, and did not win the election. Yet she took the first step and encouraged many.

India, like Burma, is ethnically and religiously diverse, with ethnic majorities and minorities engaged in decades-long conflicts. India’s northeast has especially experienced such fighting.

A paper published by the South Asia Intelligence Review, titled "Survey of Conflicts and Resolution in India’s Northeast,” explores some of the mistakes made in the region.

The minority of tribal mountaineers were politically distinguished from the lowland majority during British rule and thereafter. "Such isolationist policies persisted … under the mistaken motives of ‘protecting’ the tribal population against exploitation by ‘outsiders.’ The cumulative impact of these policies was a deepening of fissures between tribal and non-tribal populations,” states the article.

Namrata Goswami at the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses wrote about possible ways forward in the 2010 paper "India’s Northeast 2020: Four Alternative Futures.”

Goswami recognized the extreme complexity of the situation, but made some suggestions, including (but not limited to) the use of funds from immense tourist interest in the culturally rich region to support the communities that feel marginalized; and the assurance of political representation to such communities.

"The rise of India and its subsequent economic development creates a strong paranoia about the peripheral status of the Northeast. The apprehension is that the more prosperous communities in India will migrate to the Northeast and take over its land, resources, and businesses. Various ethnic communities in the Northeast view ‘others’ in the classic Huntington ‘Clash 11 of Civilisations’ hypothesis with ‘us versus them’ at the core,” Goswami wrote.

This leads to clashes, as groups who feel marginalized call for separate states or seek to exert power in other ways.

Rai said that India and Burma could work together to figure out the future of these complex and diverse lands. He also noted that it is in India’s interest to support the stability of its Asian neighbor.

"It seems [the] opening up of Burma for democratic experimentations has also exposed Burma for mis-experimentations,” he said. "Burmese citizens are eager to move forward to strengthen democracy. If India does not move fast to support this eagerness … people will accept whatever democratic models are imported by northern and Chinese donors, who actually may not have relevant experiences in establishing and sustaining democracy and democratic institutions.

"And if that happens, India will have another disturbed neighbor to disturb its own peace and prosperity.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Burma could learn from India: Channeling diversity into democracy instead of strife

How India can leapfrog to the future

MEA — 30/12/2013 18:27:06

CNN/ by Barnik Maitra and Adil Zainulbhai

Editor’s note: Barnik C. Maitra is a partner at McKinsey & Company’s Mumbai office and co-editor of Reimagining India. Adil Zainulbhai is Chairman of McKinsey India and co-editor of Reimagining India. The views expressed are their own.

In a village 100 miles from any cities in Andhra Pradesh, a young woman, three months pregnant, is getting her first and only medical check-up. This is happening on board a visiting medical van that now comes to the village every month. The paramedic gives her basic vitamins and enters various vital parameters into an online data base. Two weeks later, when she feels a little unwell, she calls a toll-free number from her family’s mobile phone, connects a $1 monitor to it, and talks to a doctor. He studies her vital signs through the monitor and reassures her that everything is fine this time. Five months and five such virtual check-ups later, it is time for her to go to the hospital. The online doctor sends her an ambulance, which drops her 90 miles away at the nearest hospital, for a safe delivery.

Thousands of mothers in Andhra Pradesh and around India are benefiting from the frugal technologies of wireless connectivity, sensors, software, and having a safer childbirth.

The combination of cheaper devices, easy connectivity and the high aspirations of the population could help India leapfrog development in several areas. Broadband internet can transform primary and secondary schooling by bringing the best teachers and techniques into every classroom. In Reimagining India: Unlocking the Potential of Asia's Next Superpower, edited by McKinsey & Company, digital educators Salman Khan and Shantanu Sinha argue that "replicating for hundreds of millions of aspiring learners what a few thousand previously experienced in the lecture halls of Harvard, MIT or Stanford would require an absurdly large investment. But now, this information is available to anyone with a cheap laptop and a broadband connection.” Indeed, today, Indian students are the largest users of massive open online courses from MIT and Harvard.

Healthcare offers similar possibilities. Cheap devices (GE’s X-ray costs $50), sensors and broadband connectivity will open up access to healthcare, and at lower costs than the standard brick and mortar solutions (often at a fiftieth of the comparable U.S. cost). Swasthya Slate (a tablet device for patients to perform self-diagnostic tests including electrocardiograms, blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart rate readings) and "m-steth” (mobile stethoscope to transmit heart data) are smart, affordable substitutes for over half of all doctor visits. This is life-changing in a country like India, where the doctor to patient ratio is a meager 1:1,700 (compared with 1:400 in the United States).

A better future awaits India in areas like energy and infrastructure as well. In Reimagining India, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla argues that rather than building more highways to accommodate more cars (like the developed countries), India could think about the best transportation system for self-driving (or driverless) vehicles. Schneider Electric’s President and CEO, Jean-Pascal Tricoire hopes that India will seize the golden opportunity to create an intelligent electrical grid that relies on more end-use efficiency and renewables, effectively leapfrogging conventional energy systems and becoming self-sufficient without incurring all the costs and collateral damage of the traditional model.

Ram, a villager from the state of Uttar Pradesh, had no national identity papers, and so could not access government benefits when he migrated to Delhi as a construction worker. Through the Unique Identity Card program (UID Aadhar) Ram can now receive government benefits directly in his bank account, which is linked to his UID number. New technologies for biometric information ($10 retinal scanners), new database technologies, and new software made it possible to roll out Aadhar to 400 million Indians in record time – at a tenth of the cost in developed countries, and in one-fifth the time. If successful, Aadhar can fundamentally change the delivery of government services for 1.2 billion people. For example, if food subsidies went directly to recipients (as cash or vouchers), instead of distribution through "fair-price” shops, half the current outlay could feed all of India’s poor.

The same breakthrough is possible in access to all government services, retail services, banking and financial inclusion, agriculture, medical care, education at all levels and in many other fields that we haven’t even thought of yet, and may help India to drive faster inclusive development for its population. In true Indian tradition, the potential for technology to leapfrog is enormous – and so are the barriers. As experience shows, progress may be fitful, but when India can imagine, mobilize, and leapfrog, ten years can change almost anything.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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How India can leapfrog to the future

Polio Worker from Bihar Honored With UN Award

MEA — 30/12/2013 18:31:19

India West/ by Yoshita Singh

A polio worker from Bihar has been honored with a prestigious UN Foundation award for her work in protecting children from the disease.

Martha Dodray, a front-line polio worker who is "performing heroic work in protecting children from this crippling disease" was honored at the Global Leadership Awards Dinner 2013 here Nov. 7 hosted by the UN Foundation and the United Nations Association of the USA.

Besides Dodray, those honored for advancing UN causes were Pakistan girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai; U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power for her fierce commitment to human rights; front-line polio workers like Dodray; GE Africa, a leader in improving health care for women and children through the Secretary-General's Every Woman Every Child movement; and "10x10,” the filmmakers who created "Girl Rising” and are trailblazers in raising awareness of the importance of girls' education.

Dodray, who hails from Darbhanga, said she was delighted and felt honored to receive the award at such a global stage.

"We need to work together to eliminate polio from regions where the disease still exists. I will strive to work harder and do as much as I can in this field," Dodray told PTI here.

Speaking in Hindi, Dodray said she was humbled by the honor and had never thought that she would come to the United States and meet global dignitaries who would appreciate her work.

Dodray was joined on stage by ambassadors to the UN from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan and senior BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha.

Leading Indian actress Priyanka Chopra also attended the event and presented the award to the documentary group and filmmakers "10x10” for creating "Girl Rising,” a feature film for girls' education.

"So proud to represent Girlup at the UN global leaders Gala. Met so many Inspiring people who being about so much change.. Thank u..(sic)," Chopra tweeted.

Counted as one of the most impactful annual events, the Global Leadership Dinner honors inspirational leaders working to advance peace, prosperity, and justice in the United States and throughout the world and brings together the highest levels of the diplomatic, business, government, philanthropic, media, celebrity, and social sectors.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Polio Worker from Bihar Honored With UN Award

Virginia Tech Prof Receives Teaching, Learning Award

MEA — 30/12/2013 18:32:31

India West

Vinod K. Lohani, professor of engineering education in the College of Engineering, recently received Virginia Tech University's 2013 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award.

The Center for Instructional Development and Educational Research presents the award each year to one or two faculty members who demonstrate dedication to the pursuit of scholarship addressing the realm of higher education teaching and learning.

Lohani, who specializes in engineering education and hydrology and water resources, has taught at Virginia Tech for 17 years.

The Indian American professor has focused his research and professional experiences on collaboration with education experts for engineering instruction; creation of technology-enabled interactive learning environments in the classroom; and authentic and contemporary engineering learning experiences to excite students about the engineering profession.

One learning experience Lohani created is the LabVIEW Enabled Watershed Assessment System, a real-time water and weather-monitoring lab with an outdoor site at Stroubles Creek.

"This is a unique 'research to practice' lab on our campus and is intended to motivate student learning about water sustainability through hands-on experiences," Lohani said in a press release.

Around 4,000 engineering first-year students have used the lab since it opened in 2009. In addition, students in civil and environmental engineering and geosciences at Virginia Tech and Virginia Western Community College have used this lab for water sustainability instruction.

Lohani received his bachelor's degree from Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar; his master's degree from Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand; and doctoral degree from Virginia Tech.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Virginia Tech Prof Receives Teaching, Learning Award

WaterWheel to ease burden on women

MEA — 30/12/2013 18:33:57

The Guardian/ by Mark Tran

Round 50-litre container enables water collectors to roll liquid from wells rather than carry it on their heads

Girls and women carrying plastic jerry cans of water on their heads is a common sight in rural areas of poor countries. The WaterWheel eases that burden by storing water in a round 50-litre container that doubles as a wheel.

Designed after consultations with villagers in the dry northern Indian state of Rajasthan, the WaterWheel is made from high-quality plastic that can withstand rough terrain. It will sell for $25-$30, compared with $75-$100 for similar products.

"Our goal is to distribute on a large scale, on small margins to 10,000-20,000 customers a year," says Cynthia Koenig, founder and chief executive of Wello, a US social venture working on ways to deliver clean water in poor countries. Wello won a $100,000 Grand Challenges Canada prize to develop the WaterWheel.

The idea came from an exploratory trip to India in 2010 to ask what people thought of the idea of rolling water, instead of carrying it. "We were pleasantly surprised," Koenig says. "We returned a year later, worked in close collaboration with villages in Rajasthan, and kept coming back to the idea of rolling water. We were surprised the idea had so much traction – we never thought it would work in India."

The designers played around with different sizes – 10-20 litres – before agreeing on 50 litres. While the WaterWheel was created with women in mind, as they tend to collect water, Koenig says Wello has been surprised by its popularity among men.

"One of most exciting things is that men love using it, they see it as a tool," she adds. "Men take on the primary role so the women are freed up to do other things. Or the role is split so men use it four days a week and the women use it two days. It has reduced the burden on women. A nurse told me she is not late for work anymore because the husband collects the water."

The device, to be constructed Ahmedabad city in Gujarat, also saves time, at least an hour in many cases. It is also being used for irrigation and to bring water to animals.

Wello plans to sell the WaterWheel in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat states, as well as explore opportunities for water purification.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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WaterWheel to ease burden on women

Insulin pill may soon be a reality

MEA — 30/12/2013 18:37:22

Science Alert/ by Akshat Rathi

Daily jabs of insulin are a painful reality for many with diabetes. That may change if researchers who have successfully tested oral insulin in rats are able to replicate those results in humans.

Nearly 350m people worldwide suffer from diabetes and that number is predicted to grow to more than 500m by 2030. While the more common form, type-2 diabetes, does not always need insulin treatment, nearly quarter of all diabetes patients depend on insulin jabs. Oral insulin’s estimated annual sales could be somewhere between $8 billion and $17 billion.

The benefits of an insulin pill are more than just ease of taking the drug. The pill will mean that patients can start taking insulin earlier in the development of the disease, which could reduce some of the secondary complications, which can include blindness and impaired healing that leads to amputations.

The idea of oral insulin has been around since the 1930s, but the difficulties of making it seemed too big to overcome. First, insulin is a protein – when it comes in contact with stomach enzymes, it is quickly destroyed. Second, if insulin can pass through the stomach safely, it is too big a molecule (about 30 times the size of aspirin) to be absorbed into the bloodstream, where it needs to be in order to regulate blood-sugar levels.

Sanyog Jain at India’s National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research and his colleagues have been working on delivering insulin in the oral form for many years. Their first fully-successful attempt came in 2012, when they developed a formulation that successfully controlled blood-sugar level in rats. But the materials used were too expensive to consider commercialising the technology.

Now, in a paper published in the journal Biomacromolecules, they have found a cheaper and more reliable way of delivering insulin. They overcome the two main hurdles by, first, packing insulin in tiny sacs made of lipids (fats), and, second, attaching to it folic acid (vitamin B9) to help improve its absorption into the bloodstream.

The lipids they use are cheap and have been successfully employed to deliver other drugs before. These help to protect insulin from being digested by stomach enzymes, which gets it to the small intestine. When the lipid-covered sacs enter the small intestine, special cells on its lining called microfold cells are attracted to the folic acid in them. The folic acid helps activate a transport mechanism that can let big molecules pass through into the blood. The amount of folic acid used in the formulation also seems to be in the safe region.

In rats, Jain’s formulation was as effective as injected insulin, although the relative amounts that entered the blood stream differed. However, it was better in one key aspect. Whereas the effects of an injection are quickly lost (in less than 6 to 8 hours), Jain’s formulation helped control blood-sugar level for more than 18 hours.

The most important part of the research comes after successful testing in animals – the formulation needs to be given to human volunteers. But, Jain said, "at a government institute like ours, we don’t have the sort of money needed for clinical trials.”

He may not have to wait for long, as big pharma companies have been searching for an insulin pill formulation for decades. Two of them, Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk and Israeli upstart Oramed are in a race to come up with a solution. Google’s venture capital arm, Google Ventures, recently invested $10m in Rani Therapeutics with the hope it will help develop oral insulin. Indian firm Biocon also does oral insulin research, and it recently signed an agreement with pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Oramed is ahead, with their oral insulin product soon to enter phase-II clinical trials, which is the most advanced stage any oral insulin formulation has ever reached. Its chief scientist, Miriam Kidron, said of Jain’s research: "Most people have the same basic idea to develop an insulin pill, but its the little differences that will determine ultimate success.”

While Kidron did not reveal Oramed’s formulation, she said, "we attempted liposomal delivery before, just like Jain’s work, but we weren’t successful.” She warned that translating success from rats to humans is very difficult. And she is right – most drugs have a high cull-rate at each stage of their development. Even so, research like Jain’s give hope that an insulin pill may not remain a dream for long.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Insulin pill may soon be a reality

American-Style Start-Ups Take Root in India

MEA — 31/12/2013 17:42:50

New York Times: Sei Chong

India has built a reputation as a notoriously tough place to do business, one that has stymied even giants like Walmart. And unlike Silicon Valley, where a decent idea can attract funding, investors in India are much more reluctant to risk their money on start-ups.

Despite such challenges, some American technology entrepreneurs are seeking to pursue the country’s untapped opportunities, even without the clout of a multinational corporation backing them.

Peter Frykman, 30, of Palos Verdes, Calif., found his network of support at Stanford University, where he was a doctoral student in mechanical engineering. With the help of an angel investor in the United States, he created a pilot study in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in 2008 for his agricultural start-up, Driptech, which makes affordable, efficient irrigation systems for small-plot farmers.

The idea for Driptech had its origins in Ethiopia, where Mr. Frykman traveled with a team in 2008 as part of the Extreme Affordability program at Stanford, in which students tackle real-world problems. But he found that for all its flaws as an investment destination, India had much less political risk than African nations and had better infrastructure. The nation also had more subsistence farmers than all of Africa.

In 2011 Mr. Frykman moved to Pune, India, after Driptech closed a funding round led by Khosla Impact, founded by the venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. "It’s kind of unusual to start a company and then realize that the biggest opportunity is in India,” Mr. Frykman said. "We sort of did it backwards.”

India may be home to many of the largest outsourcing consulting firms, and tech-oriented cities like Bangalore have attracted global technology giants like Microsoft. But attracting American-style entrepreneurism here has happened in fits and starts.

American-based venture capital firms and the Indian units of American venture capital firms, like Sequoia Capital India, invested $172 million this year through mid-December, excluding joint ventures. That fell from $250 million in 2006, according to Venture Intelligence, a research service based in Chennai that is focused on private equity. In the latest World Bank rankings on the ease of doing business, India slipped three spots, to 134th out of 189 countries.

Some 42 venture capital firms based in the United States, however, have either opened offices in India or opened Indian units since 2006, according to Venture Intelligence.

Despite the challenges, the sheer potential in a country of 1.2 billion people with a stable middle class is enough to tempt entrepreneurs and multinationals alike to explore opportunities.

"In the earlier years after I moved to India, around 2008-10, there was astounding growth in the mobile market, with 20 million new subscribers being added to the telecom network every month,” said Valerie R. Wagoner of Modesto, Calif., 30, chief executive of the mobile marketing firm ZipDial in Bangalore. That monthly growth was nearly equivalent to the population of Australia.

Ms. Wagoner was working for eBay when she decided it was time to shift her focus to her passion: emerging markets and technology. She did extensive networking in India with executives at mobile payment providers and joined mChek in Bangalore in 2008 as head of strategic initiatives. In 2010, she founded ZipDial, whose investors include 500 Startups, a Silicon Valley seed fund; Jungle Ventures of Singapore; and the Indian firms Blume Ventures and Unilazer Ventures.

The frustrations of doing business in India include bureaucratic hurdles in licensing and making other filings, and pressure for bribes, which Americans cannot legally give. Many start-ups avoid these hurdles by catering to private clients and by making products that do not need governmental approval.

Entrepreneurs have also had to adjust business plans quickly to get around complications. Sam White and Sorin Grama, co-founders of Promethean Power, won second place and $10,000 in a business plan contest at M.I.T. in 2007 with the idea of using solar technology for rural electrification in India.

"India was the last country on my list to even visit — never had any interest,” Mr. White said.

Mr. Grama, 44, a Romanian-born American citizen, and Mr. White, of Boston, both eventually moved to Mumbai in 2012. They ran into problems from the start in trying to make a cost-effective solar milk chiller for villages where milk was collected for dairies.

In 2010, they spent six months building a prototype, only to have the managing director of Hatsun, India’s largest private dairy, point out that the 2,000-liter thermal battery that was used to store cold thermal energy was too big for any shed found in the villages.

Finally, they let go of the idea of being a solar company. Instead, they developed a thermal battery that is able to take advantage of the intermittent power on the grid. The battery releases a cold fluid that chills milk quickly.

Now the company has Hatsun as a client and has attracted funding from clean technology investors like the Quercus Trust, angel investors and grants by the National Science Foundation and the United States-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund, which was founded by the two nations’ governments.

"Eighty percent was our own mistakes — we would have faced them in any country,” Mr. White said. "But we always learned from those mistakes.”

A common complaint among the entrepreneurs was the difficulty in finding and keeping good employees. Even by Silicon Valley standards, Indian tech employees are restless. "The job market is so hot it’s not uncommon for a young person to think they can build a career by quitting within three months to get a pay raise somewhere else,” said Ms. Wagoner of ZipDial.

The tech companies have to offer salaries at the market rate or higher to attract job seekers, who prefer the stability of a conglomerate over opportunities for personal growth. In fact, Mr. Frykman said the "lack of coolness” associated with a start-up was one of the biggest surprises he encountered. For this reason, Indians are less eager for stock options than their counterparts in the United States.

To increase Indian employees’ exposure to such incentives, Ms. Wagoner has made stock ownership plans part of ZipDial’s compensation package and will give additional grants to people without their asking if she thinks they deserve them. "I believe it is very important that people who are taking a risk in building a company see the benefits of that,” she said.

Entrepreneurs, for their part, have embraced another Silicon Valley trait and learned to try again after failure. Rahoul Mehra, 42, founded Saf Labs, a biotechnology trading company in Mumbai, with his wife, Glennis Matthews Mehra, a 39-year-old neuroscientist. They originally wanted to run all operations out of New York, where they lived. "In doing business with India, we never intended for us to move to India,” he said.

But in 2008, two years into the business, which they had financed on their own, Mr. Mehra realized that deals would not be properly managed unless he was in Mumbai. Dr. Mehra reluctantly followed with their daughter, then 2.

The business managed to turn a profit and attract a private European investor so the company could expand into biotech services. But in 2012, after the Indian government delayed biotech funding for its new five-year plan, Saf Labs’ business was drying up. The Mehras realized they had to move away from the Indian market and focus more on international opportunities.

Now they are negotiating a sale of the company and using their experiences to market advisory services for Indian companies that want to expand overseas or foreign companies looking to enter India.

Other entrepreneurs, too, have begun exploring expansion to other emerging markets: ZipDial has already entered Southeast Asia. Driptech has sold its products in Africa, and Promethean Power is moving into Pakistan, Africa and Latin America.

"I don’t know who said it, but there’s a saying that what you’re going to find in India are little islands of excellence: people — despite the country, despite India — who are succeeding,” Mr. Mehra said. "If you can connect those dots, you can make a real go of it here.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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American-Style Start-Ups Take Root in India

Unheralded, Indians in Africa make good money

MEA — 26/12/2013 17:28:51

TwoCircles.net/by Kul Bhushan

Indians are quietly making good money in Africa. Unlike the Indians in Britain and the US, they go quietly about it. As individuals or corporations, Indians rake in the moolah, contribute to the local economies and national progress. All these achievements hardly ever make news in India.

The big investors from India are doing very well indeed, thank you. Competing against global MNCs, the Indian investors have established themselves in traditional industries, agriculture and new ones like IT.

Once in a while, the Indian media carries news about Airtel or Tata on their expansion drives or forays into new avenues/countries. The profits they rake in are kept under wraps.

One gets a peek at the Indian settlement and contribution in a new book, "Indians in Emerging Africa" by K. Sital (published by 'The Indian' magazine in Hong Kong) who covers Indian involvement in nine African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda and Burundi. A successful businessman in Hong Kong, Sital has published and edited an NRI magazine for over 40 years.

Why only these African countries? Because Sital travelled to these countries where he has good contacts and met the leading Indian entrepreneurs and industrialists, and wrote their profiles with an overview of Indian contribution. This personal effort is commendable instead of researching in New Delhi or even worse, surfing the Internet.

Indians are not settled in large numbers in all 52 African countries as some have a few hundred or even less. But in some countries like Zambia, they have a key presence. However, the inclusion of Rwanda and Burundi is laudable because very little is known about Indian activities in these two small countries west of Uganda.

Rwanda has flourished with over seven percent economic growth since 2004 and hailed as the fastest reformer of business regulations globally by the World Bank. The opportunities for profit could not be ignored. In May 2013, a delegation of Indian investors visited Kigali to explore the potential. A top Indian real estate developer has bagged a $135m township development project. The small 2,500 Indian community in Kigali is active in many industries, construction, education and IT.

Burundi is rich in high value minerals like nickel, cobalt, copper, gold and uranium. Burundi also needs assistance in farming. How can these opportunities be ignored? The local Indians, originally from Uganda, are doing what they can and prospering but major Indian investments could reap rich rewards. Both these countries have their embassies in New Delhi.

With a population of 1.3 million Indians, South Africa is the most well-known African nation in India. Since South Africa makes constant news with cricket, flying there to watch the big matches followed by safaris comes naturally. Plus, South Africa's aggressive tourism promotion has made it a top safari destination for Indians, never mind that Kenya has far better and more extensive safari attractions. But Kenya does not have the huge funds for massive promotion in India to tap the outbound tourist market.

Nigeria with 50,000 Indians, mostly Sindhis, shows how traders have become industrialists. Kenya, with a population of 100,000, largely Gujaratis, also shows the same trend. After its independence in 1963, Indians traders were given quit notices to make way for Africans; so they started factories to provide jobs for Africans and earn profits. Indian companies have invested in Kenyan horticulture, tea plantations and agriculture in addition to industries.

The Indian story in Uganda is well known. When dictator Idi Amin kicked out the Indians, thousands fled to Britain and other countries. Uganda under President Moseweni started to woo them back in the 1990s. Forty years later, Indians have notched up great successes in Britain. Now with about 30,000 Indians, Uganda has substantial investments from India.

In neighbouring Tanzania, about 40,000 Indians are quietly working as traders in urban areas while some have ventured in industries. India is a top trading partner for Tanzania.

Under President Robert Mugabe's rule, Zimbabwe still has a community of about 10,000 Indians, mostly traders and small scale industrialists. Most interesting is the minute Indian presence in Zimbabwe's government and public life as given in this book that contains profiles and addresses of major Indian businesses in these countries.

India has sponsored two major India-Africa Forum Summits in 2008 and 2011 to further boost its bilateral ties. The Indian entrepreneurs in Africa profiled in this book are probably doing more than the efforts at the government to government level.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Unheralded, Indians in Africa make good money

Indian aid for school building construction

MEA — 26/12/2013 17:32:10

Kantipur

The Indian Embassy is set to provide financial assistance of Rs 40 million for the construction of school building of Janata Secondary School at Amardaha-7, Gandhi Ashram in the district.

A two-storied building with 16 rooms will be constructed through the assistance provided by the embassy, said Binod Ojha, engineer at the Morang District Development Committee (DDC).

The school is operated under the management of Gandhi Ashram Sewa Guthi. The Ministry of Finance has approved the assistance and that an agreement will be signed with the embassy very soon to release the fund, said engineer Ojha.

Presently, over 900 students are studying in the school. The Government of India and Indian Embassy have been providing assistance to the Ashram and its nearby localities, it is learnt.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Indian aid for school building construction

How life is improving in India's poorest regions

MEA — 23/12/2013 19:08:18

BBC/by Jean Dreze

A survey done earlier this year shows that public facilities in the poorest regions of India have steadily expanded, improving the lives of people there, writes development economist Jean Dreze.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, public facilities in the poorest districts of India were few and far between.

Most people were left to their own devices and they lived in the shadow of hunger, insecurity and exploitation, with no public support in their hour of need.

Many villages had no school, no health centre, no ration shop, no approach road, no post office, no telephone, no electricity, and perhaps even no convenient source of drinking water. Where an anganwadi (government sponsored mother and child-care centre) existed at all, it was often closed. There were no public works around, and no pensions for widows or the elderly.

It takes a pause to realise that all this really applied "not so long ago" - as recently, say, as the mid-1990s, when living conditions in the country's poorest districts were vividly evoked by journalist P Sainath in his book Everybody Loves a Good Drought.

To claim that the situation has radically changed would be a serious delusion. Yet, the picture today is very different from what it used to be.

Not only have public facilities steadily expanded, people are also forming new expectations of them and demanding more.

Slowly - much too slowly - but surely, the principle of social responsibility for people's basic needs is taking root.

'Quiet progress'

During the last 10 years, student volunteers have been conducting regular field surveys in various parts of the country, sometimes looking at schools or health centres, sometimes at the rural employment guarantee scheme or the public distribution system.

Over time, we have seen a great deal of change, often - not always - for the better.

The ground realities, at any rate, are strikingly different from the picture of doom and gloom that emerges from the mainstream media.

It is a good thing, of course, that the media swiftly blows the whistle when things go wrong. But what tends to be lost in this stream of "drain inspector's reports" is the quiet progress that many states are making in providing essential facilities to their citizens.

The last in the series of field surveys, nicknamed Public Evaluation of Entitlement Programmes (Peep), took place in May-June 2013.

This survey, initiated by the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, was conducted in 10 states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

In each state, the survey focused on two of the poorest districts and covered five entitlement programmes: the Integrated Child Development Services, mid-day meals, the public distribution system, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and social security pensions.

One of the districts covered by the survey is Surguja in Chhattisgarh, an area I have visited at regular intervals during the last 12 years.

When I first went there to assess development programmes, in 2001, I was barely able to identify a few "islands of relative success in a sea of inefficiency, corruption and exploitation".

Most villages were deprived of basic facilities such as a decent approach road, a ration shop, or electricity.

Today, these facilities are expected as a matter of course.

Most villages in Surguja have a well-functioning ration shop where an average family gets 35kg of rice every month at a symbolic price.

Most families also have a "Job Card", and are able to get some employment on local public works under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

Most children go to school, where they get a reasonably good meal on the house. Many widows and elderly people get a small but valuable pension.

It is not Sweden or Canada, but still, these entitlements add up to something worthwhile, and looking ahead, one begins to see the possible foundations of a social security system.

'Startling variety'

Not every poor district, of course, has done as well as Surguja.

Even within Chhattisgarh, there are areas - particularly in the south - where the state is better known in the fearful guise of a forest guard or police officer than that of a smiling anganwadi worker.

Looking across the country, there is a startling variety.

Some states, like Tamil Nadu, have a good record of efficient and equitable public services across the board. Others, like Uttar Pradesh, are incorrigible offenders.

Most are somewhere in between - improving in some fields, stagnating or even regressing in others.

Behind this variety, however, there is an important pattern: states reap as they sow, in the sense that serious efforts to make things work often produce results.

Even states with an embarrassing reputation for corruption and misgovernance, like Orissa - or Chhattisgarh for that matter - have shown that change is possible. Recent experience also shows that it is mainly through democratic struggle that advances have been made.

Needless to say, there is still an enormous way to go in meeting people's basic constitutional rights.

For instance, while it is certainly a good thing that children - girls and boys - are now flocking to schools across the country, the quality of school education remains abysmal.

Similarly, the coverage of vaccination programmes has greatly expanded in recent years, but India is still way behind Bangladesh in this respect.

If the survey brings a ray of hope, it lies in further evidence that public services do improve - often at unexpected speed - with adequate resources, political support and application of mind.

Conversely, the penalties of neglect can be severe, as the recent decline of the rural employment guarantee scheme illustrates.

Further democratic struggle is the only way to ensure that positive trends have the upper hand.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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How life is improving in India's poorest regions

Compassion is fashion: Indian entrepreneurs show the way

MEA — 23/12/2013 19:12:02

The Epoch Times/by Venus Upadhayaya

A cruelty free fashion brand in the south Indian city of Bangalore has given people a compassionate option for style-dressing.

Ethik, one of the very few brands of leather-free shoes in India, with its message of "Compassion is Fashion” has managed to motivate the customers to choose cruelty free products.

The two friends and the brand’s co-creators, Piyush Lunia, 27, and Pankaj Khabiya, 26, came across the idea of starting a leather-free brand of shoes when they were looking for non-leather shoes and went around Bangalore searching.

"It was difficult because whatever non-leather products we came across were not of good quality. A few people tried to trick us, trying to sell leather products as non-leather,” Khabiya said.

Now a year old, Ethik is reaching people who believe in humanity. "I came here because I believe in a non-violent approach to life,” said Vivek S.K, a customer from Chennai city. Sundeep Jain, another customer, said that he purchased Ethik to save animals.

"On every invoice, we thank our customer for saving a life, and we believe that selling more of our products and expanding our business means saving more lives,” Lunia said.

Khabiya believes that leather products are also not spiritually a wise style option: "When an animal is killed and is in pain, it sweats and all the anxiety-enzymes along with sweat accumulate on the skin. When wearing leather, if you go to a temple, the leather doesn’t allow your body to sustain positive energy.”

To bring out the hidden compassion of their customers, the store’s walls are decorated with moral quotes like: "Humans love our products, animals even more…” and "Humane: The art of being morally and intellectually advanced.”

Lunia said that India is the largest producer of leather in the world, and while non-leather products are increasingly available, they are still not so easy to find.

While youngsters around India are trying to find a harmonious integration between their personal lives and work, these two youngsters with no management education have made a point of being ethically wise from their perspective, in their humble-yet-lucrative style.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Compassion is fashion: Indian entrepreneurs show the way

World Bank: India poised to be global leader in solar power

MEA — 16/12/2013 19:00:23

Energy Live News/by Priyanka Shrestha

India could well be on its way to becoming a global leader in the development of solar power, a new report suggests.

That’s due to the nation’s green growth agenda – the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) – which has seen its installed solar capacity rise from around 30MW to more than 2,000MW in three years.

The World Bank suggests the scheme has been key in bringing down the cost of solar power to $0.15 per kWh, making India among the "lowest cost destinations for grid-connected PV in the world”.

It believes solar power can trim the nation’s dependence on imports of diesel and coal for power, cut greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to energy security.

The JNNSM aims to add 20GW of solar capacity by 2022.

Onno Ruhl, World Bank Country Director in India said: "In a short span of three years, India has made impressive strides in developing its abundant solar power potential. With more than 300 million people without access to energy and industry citing energy shortage as key growth barrier in India, solar power has the potential to help the country address the shortage of power for economic growth.”

However Mr Ruhl suggests the nation needs to address barriers to scaling up the solar programme.

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World Bank: India poised to be global leader in solar power

Indian Electrical Company Will Light Up Electricity In Yemen

MEA — 16/12/2013 18:59:13

Natiolan Yemen/by Abdulazia al-Masaabi

Bharat, an Indian Company for heavy electrical equipment has recently started working in Marib. According to Chairman and Managing Director Mr. B.P.Raohe in an exclusive interview, by the 14th of December Marib will have its electricity supplied by the Indian company’s project.

The project, which will cost 380 million USD, includes multiple stages to be implemented over the next two years. "By March 2015, all of Yemen’s electricity needs will be met,” Mr. Rao said.

The project also involves Yemeni labor, offering them training in India and onsite housing complexes in order to provide better services for workers and the people of Yemen. 24/7 site maintaining also offers easier control of the machinery involved. "One button can control the whole thing easily and simply, " Mr.Rao guaranteed.

The company also wished to highlight its goal of building better relations with Yemen in light of the close ties enjoyed by the two countries in years past.

When asked about the security situation in Yemen, Mr. Rao responded, "the company has worked in worse circumstances. During the Libya conflict, our company was the last to evacuate the country and the first to return. Even after we had returned, many companies did not wish to come back, so we volunteered to finish their work for the sake of promoting a better future for Libya.

The chairman also mentioned the cooperation of the government in facilitating the company’s work, which made their activities much easier.

At the end the interview, Mr.Rao reasserted the importance of power to help a country raise its living standards. He also made sure to mention that security, social and public relations, and sustainability are all crutches to help develop a country, and he sees all of these in the future of Yemen. This development is also the goal of both Bharat and India at large for Yemen.

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Indian Electrical Company Will Light Up Electricity In Yemen

India readies big move into solar energy

MEA — 16/12/2013 10:08:48

Wall Street Journal/by Biman Mukherji
Proposed 4,000-megawatt plant in Rajasthan would power homes in the Northwest

Here on the shores of a salt-water lake in the desert state of Rajasthan, India hopes to build a solar-power station that eventually will dwarf the world's largest such plants under construction today.

When the proposed project is finished in seven years, government officials say, carpets of photovoltaic solar panels will turn the site into a potential supplier of 4,000 megawatts of electricity capable of delivering power to millions of homes across the northwest. The site currently is used by a state-owned salt producer.

Three federal ministries have backed the plan. The cabinet of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to make a final decision on whether to go ahead with the project this month.

"The government wants to make a statement with this project that solar can be a solution to the power needs of the country," said Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

India's imports of oil, gas and coal have ballooned in recent years, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that has shaken international confidence in its future. To reduce that import dependence and become greener, in 2010 India launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, a bid to raise solar-generating capacity to 20,000 megawatts by 2022. That would bring solar to about 5% of its power mix from less than 1% today, according to government projections. It also has proposed boosting its nuclear power capacity and domestic production of fossil fuels.

Since the launch of the solar mission, the country's capacity has risen to roughly 2,000 megawatts from just 18, according to government figures.

"Developing countries have been slow in embracing solar energy since the focus primarily has been on ensuring energy security" through conventional sources, said Amol Kotwal, Associate Director, Energy & Power Systems Practice, at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in Bangalore. "India, though a late starter in solar, has shown a tremendous growth in the last three years."

Solar power in India, as elsewhere in the world, has been getting cheaper as the price of photovoltaic cells has fallen and solar modules have become more efficient, industry experts say.

In the last three years, solar-generation costs here have dropped to about 7-8 rupees (US 11.2-12.8 cents) a kilowatt hour from around 18 rupees (28.8 cents)/kwh three years ago, said Amit Kumar, director of the Energy and Resources Institute, a New Delhi research group.

Mr. Kapoor of the renewable energy ministry said he believes the proposed Sambhar plant, operating on such a large scale, eventually would be able to produce power for around 5 rupees (8 cents)/kwh.

Power from imported coal and domestically-produced natural gas currently costs around 4.5 rupees (7.2 cents)/kwh, Mr. Kumar said.

The Sambhar project would cover some 20,000 acres in this arid region 60 miles west of Rajasthan's capital, Jaipur. Officials said about 5,000 workers will be needed to build and maintain the facility during the first phase of construction. As many as 20,000 could be employed there eventually. Mr. Tandon said Plant owners hope to hire as many people as they can from the local community, said R.K. Tandon, managing director of Hindustan Salts, which owns the salt-producing operation and through its subsidiary, Sambhar Salts Ltd., is part of a consortium of Indian companies backing the project.

"Our biggest advantage is that we have such a huge pool of land available that is blessed with sunshine almost throughout the year," said R.K. Tandon, managing director of Hindustan Salts, which owns the salt-producing operation and through its subsidiary, Sambhar Salts Ltd., is part of a consortium of Indian companies backing the project.

Officials said about 5,000 workers will be needed to build and maintain it during the first phase of construction, and as many as 20,000 could be employed there eventually. Mr. Tandon said Plant owners hope to hire as many people as they can from the local community, said R.K. Tandon, managing director of Hindustan Salts, which owns the salt-producing operation and through its subsidiary, Sambhar Salts Ltd., is part of a consortium of Indian companies backing the project.

That's a welcome prospect for some villagers whose families for generations have been loading trays of salty soil from Sambhar Lake's shores onto rickety railway cars for processing in a nearby factory.

"I have been working at the salt fields here for the last ten years and my father worked here before me because there is hardly anything else to do," said Moolchand Malik, 33, as he took a break from gathering the ash-gray soil. "We hope this power project comes through so that we can have better jobs" in the plant, he said.

A big undertaking by any measure, Sambhar in time would be able to produce far more power than the world's largest solar projects currently under construction. That includes, among others, the Topaz Solar Farm, which is being developed by First Solar Inc. FSLR -1.10% in California and is expected to have a capacity of 550 megawatts when it's completed in 2015.

Sambhar is expected to be built in four phases over a seven-year span.Each of its four phases of construction, over a seven-year period, will cost about 70 billion rupees (about US$1.1 billion) and will add 1,000 megwatts of capacity, officials said.

Consortium partners in phase one, which is scheduled to be completed in last three years, include state-owned giants Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. 500103.BY -3.32% and Power Grid Corp. of India, as well as Sambhar Salts Ltd., the Hindustan Salts subsidiary. Private local and international companies will be invited to invest after phase one is finished, officials said.

Projects this big can bump up against India's bureaucratic bottlenecks, which have held back everything from road construction to the building of subways and the modernization of ports., and managing any undertaking of such scope is inherently complicated.

But backers played down the likelihood of delays, noting the project it already has the support of the ministries of power, renewable energy and heavy industries.

"It will take significant effort to coordinate between multiple stakeholders…, ensure appropriate technologies and begin to generate power at encouraging efficiencies and build confidence that such an ambitious project can come to fruition," said Rajeev Palakshappa, a research associate with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank.

But backers played down the likelihood of delays, noting the project already has the support of the ministries of power, renewable energy and heavy industries.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India readies big move into solar energy

A year after rape case, a sense of change in India

MEA — 16/12/2013 10:11:28

Wall Street Journal/by Shanoor Seervai and Geeta Anand

The media called her the "Park Street victim"—a 37-year-old woman who said she was gang-raped in Kolkata. Ashamed and depressed, she hid her identity in public for many months.

She has since come forward, encouraged by the overwhelming public revulsion against a fatal attack on another woman one year ago. That crime, on a bus in Delhi, and the publicity that followed have prompted a surge in the reporting of offenses that women in India once suffered in silence and broken the taboo on the discussion of violence against them.

The Kolkata victim identified herself as Suzette Jordan on television on June 18, 2013, 16 months after she was attacked, and now says: "We women are not going to stand by and take this nonsense anymore." Ms. Jordan says the public support for the Delhi victim made her feel "bold enough to be heard as me."

Statistics bear out the new spirit of candor on misogynist crime in India. In Delhi, for example, 1,493 rapes were reported to police in the first 11 months of this year, more than double the number reported in the same period of 2012. Complaints of sexual harassment and other crimes against women have also risen sharply.

And women, especially younger, urban women, have shown a greater willingness to speak up and fight back against alleged abuse, even by men in positions of power.

"The solidarity that we saw on the streets of Delhi last year after the rape has given courage to many people," said Indira Jaising, India's top female federal legal adviser.

In August, a 22-year-old journalist reported she was gang raped by five men when on assignment taking photographs at an abandoned textile mill in Mumbai. She has pressed her case in court, and declared in an interview with local media two days after the alleged attack that "rape is not the end of life."

The five men standing trial for the crime have pleaded not guilty.

"In the past, people would say 'why is she speaking so explicitly on this?' Instead, all of Mumbai is standing with her," said Sonali Goculdas, a mother of two school-aged boys who lives in Mumbai.

Soon after the journalist came forward, an 18-year-old receptionist went to the police to say the same group of men had previously gang-raped her at the same place, said Audrey D'Mello, program and administration director at Majlis Legal Center, a Mumbai-based nonprofit providing support to rape survivors. Charges have been filed in that instance and the five men deny they did it.

The receptionist said she was motivated to report the case after reading about the attack on the journalist, said Ms. D'Mello, whose organization has been helping both women. "She feels very guilty, feeling if she had come forward before, this wouldn't have happened," Ms. D'Mello said.

The receptionist couldn't be located to comment.

Breaking a tradition of silence about sexual harassment at work, 22-year-old lawyer Stella James last month wrote on a legal blog complaining that a now-retired Indian Supreme Court judge sexually assaulted her when she worked for him as an intern the previous year.

The lawyer said she didn't say anything at first because she didn't "think Indian law, or our legal system for that matter, is equipped to sensitively deal with crimes against women."

The retired judge, A. K. Ganguly, has denied the allegations, but a Supreme Court panel convened to investigate her complaint found evidence of "unwelcome behavior" of a "sexual nature" by the judge. The panel decided not to pursue the matter further.

Also last month, a young journalist accused the editor of an influential investigative-journalism magazine of sexually assaulting her at a conference in Goa, a beach-resort state in southern India.

The journalist, also a woman in her 20s, reported her allegations against the magazine's editor in chief, Tarun Tejpal, in an email to the managing editor, the publication's most senior female journalist.

Mr. Tejpal, one of India's most prominent journalists, has been arrested and is in judicial custody, but hasn't been formally charged with any offense and denies the allegations against him. His lawyers have said his accuser's complaint is politically motivated.

"I am fighting to preserve nothing except my integrity and my right to assert that my body is my own and not the plaything of my employer," the journalist wrote in a statement emailed to The Wall Street Journal by a close friend of hers.

The activism that followed the Dec. 16 gang rape in Delhi, in which the woman later died and her male companion was beaten, hasn't drastically altered the lives of the vast majority of Indian women, who live in villages worlds away from the charged protests in large cities.

Most cases of rape occur in the home or community, perpetrated by people the victims know, said Ms. D'Mello. These cases continue to be a huge challenge for women to fight, because they are poor and disempowered, she said.

But in urban areas, particularly among young, educated women, the change is palpable, she and others say.

"Since the Delhi incident, we have received a larger number of cases of sexual assault," said Chitra Joshi, who runs a crisis-counseling center for women at a government hospital in Mumbai. "Women want to get medical treatment and want to take action, but there's still a long way to go," she said.

There is also a perceptible shift in the way women conduct themselves in public.

"I look at my 21-year-old daughter and how she used to walk to the Metro [the city's light-rail system] before with her shoulders hunched," said Rashmi Anand, who runs a legal-aid trust in Delhi helping women and children who are victims of violence. "There's a swagger to the walk of young women in the Metro now. Before it was only the boys who swaggered."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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A year after rape case, a sense of change in India

Quantum Leap: Revving up science Kumbh-style

MEA — 12/12/2013 18:42:17

Daily Mail/by Dinesh C Sharma

"I feel like a rock star. So many of the young people here want to be photographed with me. It is embarrassing but its fine", commented Prof Ivar Giaever, Nobel Laureate in Physics.

The prof was surrounded by starry-eyed school kids of small-town India – Jaunpur, Amethi, Rae Bareli, Varanasi and so on – in Allahabad.

The city this week hosted the biggest ever congregation of science Nobel Laureates in India in recent times. Not just school kids, but anyone interested in science would be impressed with this gathering of Nobel prize winners and other top scientists at the Indian Institute of Information Technology Allahabad (IIIT-A).

Nowhere else could young kids have got a chance to hear back-to-back lectures of several Nobel Laureates, interact with them in a classroom environment and get mentored by top scientists.

The Science Conclave – now in its sixth edition – is a unique event indeed.

The idea is to bring Nobel laureates and Indian scientists face to face with school and college students so that they are inspired to take up science, in a Gurukul-like environment, for a week.

The Allahabad conclave is modelled after the Nobel Laureate Conclave organised every year at Lindau in Germany.

Since 1951, Lindau has attracted hundreds of Nobel winners and they have inspired several thousand students from all over the world.

"I had attended the Lindau conclave as a student in 1969. The idea remained struck in my mind since then", recalled Dr M D Tiwari, Director of IIIT-A who conceived the idea of a similar conclave in India.

He convinced the ministries of human resource development and science and technology to support the idea. This year as many as eight Nobel winners are participating in the event. The format includes plenary lectures by them, followed by interaction with smaller groups and informal meetings.

In addition, eminent scientists give motivational lectures and answer the queries of young students, who also visit labs of the institute.

Allahabad – more famous for the Kumbh and the confluence of rivers Ganga and Yamuna – has had deep connections with development of science in India.

The country's first scientific academy, the National Academy of Sciences, was founded here in 1930 to provide a forum for nationalist scientists to discuss and publish their research work.

The city houses India's fourth oldest university, the University of Allahabad, which had nurtured great Indian scientists including Meghnad Saha.

Allahabad is also home to the Harish Chandra Institute – a centre dedicated to research in mathematics and theoretical physics. It hit international headlines a couple of years ago when one of its leading scientists, Ashoke Sen, was chosen for a 3 million dollar international prize in fundamental physics for pioneering work on string theory.

"I want to make Allahabad Lindau of the East", says Tiwari.

He is enthused with participation from other countries in South Asia including Pakistan, as well as from Russia, Oman, Indonesia and several African countries.

It is too early to make any assessment of the conclave's impact on students, but the initiative should be welcomed as an ambitious grand project to popularise science in the country.

Inspiring children

The sprawling campus of IIIT-A is full of young students these days. The conclave is being attended by 650 select students from schools in North India.

They have been selected for mentoring under an innovative programme called INSPIRE (Innovations in Science Pursuits for Inspired Research) of the Department of Science and Technology.

Bright children are selected and nurtured so that they take up science studies at graduation level and pursue further studies in science.

Scholarships up to Rs 80,000 a year are given for undertaking Bachelor and Master level education in natural sciences.

Science teachers are also provided help to pursue further studies including PhD.

Formula to sweep a Nobel

"There are just two things you can do to win a Nobel prize – have a good idea and pursue it effectively" – this could be the mantra for winning a Nobel.

"You need to be curious, competitive, creative, stubborn, self-confident, skeptical, patient and be lucky to win a Nobel", Prof Giaever advised aspiring scientists.

"Science has no borders. All science is inter-disciplinary", remarked Prof Walter Kohn, who worked as a physicist for 50 years but got the prize for chemistry in 1998.

Prof Douglas Osheroff won the Nobel prize in physics in 1996 for the work he had done as a graduate student at Cornell University in 1971-72.

Incidentally, the work on helium three which won him the Nobel was rejected by a research journal when Osheroff sent it for publication.

As a child Osheroff was fond of fiddling with electric gadgets at home. He was presented an electric train on his birthday and he tore it apart to see how the engine worked.

"Every time you are doing an experiment you are asking a question of nature. So, it is very important to ask questions", he advised children.

Medicine Nobel laureate Richard Roberts, who gave a talk on bacteria, emphasised that exposure to dirt is important for children.

"Too sheltered children don't develop lifelong immunity, dirt is a good thing", he said.

Is it the end of science

The plenary lectures of Nobel laureates at the conclave are thought-provoking, and at times controversial.

For instance, Prof Ivar Giaever caused a stir by arguing that we may soon be witnessing the end of science as all fundamental laws of nature have been discovered.

Now scientists are either making incremental additions to what is already known or coming up with inventions based on known scientific theories and knowledge.

Giaever cited the book "The End of Science" written by John Horgan to support his hypothesis on the future of science.

"Most of the laws of physics and chemistry are known. What is left is particle physics and now presumably they have found Higgs-Boson.

"There are a finite number of laws which have all been discovered. Modern physics was written in 1920. The laws of electricity were written down in 1878.

"After that, all we have seen are applications of different laws", Giaever said.

However, other Nobel laureates disagreed with Giaever.

"We still don't understand fully all the laws of nature", felt Prof Douglas Osheroff, 1996 physics Nobel prize winner.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Quantum Leap: Revving up science Kumbh-style

India defends 800 million of the world’s poor at WTO

MEA — 12/12/2013 18:41:21

Oman Observer/by Haider Al Lawati

The World Trade Organization (WTO) succeeded in concluding the first global agreement since its establishment in 1995. Members reached this agreement after a very long period of time as they expect it to enhance world trade exchange in the upcoming years.

The agreement was certainly reached after lengthy negotiations held in Bali, Indonesia, a few days ago and lasted until the early hours of last Saturday between trade ministers from 159 State Members.

Many Arab nations are members of WTO while others are waiting for their turn to gain membership in the organization. The Sultanate of Oman is known as a member of this global organization, which is one of the UN agencies. On November 9th, 2000, the Sultanate became member No139 in WTO.

Since then, it has fulfilled all of its commitments in relation to agricultural and industrial products, goods and services and trade and business.

It is no secret that the purpose of this membership is to simplify trade procedures between countries and lower barriers to exports from poor nations to facilitate selling their commodities.

Moreover, the agreement gives developing countries more room to use this type of support in order to protect food supply. Consequently, the recent discussions between delegations in Bali were very heated, especially between the delegations of the United States and India on the issue of food security. However, an agreement was finalised and adopted between the members.

India’s position during those discussions was very clear. Its hardline stance threatened to freeze the organisation’s work and its continuation if no agreement is reached in spite of some critics describing India’s manoeuvre that it stems from its political position before the next legislative elections in 2014.

The Indian Trade Minister, Anand Sharma, explained that the absence of an agreement is better than a bad agreement. India refused any agreement, even minimal, warning less than 24 hours ago that India "will never back down”.

The Indian Trade Minister refused to remove the subsidy cap on agricultural materials if it also directed towards implementation of nutritional programmes, stressing that the latest agreement will be flawed and an imbalance at the expense of poor countries. He pointed out that the "right to food security is non-negotiable, a right guaranteed by the United Nations”.

India did not only defend itself in the issue of agricultural subsidies and towards articles relating to the limitations on subsidies to the agricultural sector, but it was also defending 46 developing countries that are members in WTO. These nations call for providing affordable basic food commodities within the reach of 800millionof the world’s poor.

Meanwhile, the United States position was that a settlement can be reached by giving nations a period of four years to subsidise food security programs as a peace article not to impose sanctions on nations that exceed the subsidies cap for food security programs.

This was threatening the future of WTO, and therefore it was necessary for the USA to find an exceptional compromise to conclude this agreement, and India succeeded in leading 46 developing countries in the 33 Group and enabling those nations to increase subsidies for their agricultural products in order to help farmers and secure food for the poorest at very affordable prices on the condition that this decision remains as an exception until a final solution can be reached through negotiations.

This agreement reveals the flaws present in some of the world trade rules which must be corrected to ensure a sound and fair system, considering that agriculture is the livelihood of millions of small farmers, as indicated by the Indian Minister.

The recent talks were an attempt to revive the negotiations launched in 2001 in Doha on lowering cross-boundary barriers on the border and stimulating the global economy, and this agreement confirms that a solution is not impossible if the intentions were pure and honest and if the goal of the discussions is to help the world’s poor.

If these discussions had witnessed any failure it would be considered as a setback for WTO, which everyone hopes will continue in its positive efforts for the world. Today, it is safe to say that WTO has made a great achievement since it was launched in 1995 through the adoption of the latest agreement.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India defends 800 million of the world’s poor at WTO

Three ways to improve U.S. healthcare, as demonstrated in India

MEA — 12/12/2013 18:40:20

A cardiologist's experience in practice and travel

The Atlantic/byJohn Mandrola

Listening to caregivers from other countries, it's easy to feel exasperated about U.S healthcare. American hospitals are filled with good people trying to do good work, but at every turn the system of misplaced incentives gets in the way of good patient care.

Indeed, the most pressing problem with American healthcare is that it is too wasteful.

Writing in the Harvard Business Review and the Washington Post, two U.S. business professors, Vijay Govindarajan from Dartmouth and Ravi Ramammurti from Northeastern University tell the story of how Indian hospitals deliver better care for much less.

The two professors uncovered nine private hospitals in India that provide quality care at a fraction of U.S. prices. For example, cardiac surgery there costs $3,200, which is 5 to 10 percent of the cost in the United States. Outcomes are comparable and the hospitals make a profit. "Narayana Health, for instance, reports that the 30-day post-surgery mortality rate for coronary artery bypass procedures at its Bangalore hospital is below the average rate recorded by a sample of 143 hospitals in Texas," they write.

More striking than the ends, though, were the means. Three major innovations lie at the heart of the Indian hospitals' success.

Hub and spoke design

Major hub hospitals reside in the cities, while spoke hospitals service the surrounding areas. "This strategy concentrates the best equipment and expertise within the hub, with telecommunication links that allow hub specialists to serve spoke patients remotely. Since these specialists perform a high number of specific procedures, they quickly develop skills that improve quality,” they write.

The best results in medicine come when we allow practitioners (and their teams) to specialize in their craft. This is not what happens in the United States. Here, competing hospitals dilute the talent.

I’m an electrophysiologist, so let’s use two heart rhythm procedures, catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation and pacemaker/defibrillator lead extraction, as examples. These are good examples because it takes hundreds of cases and years of experience to master these "feel”-dependent procedures. Experienced operators who are concentrated in a few major centers should be the only doctors doing these procedures. In most American cities, though, these two procedures are divvied up among many hospitals and many operators. However, the literature is replete with studies that correlate outcomes with operator training and experience.

The notion that building big beautiful hospitals in the suburbs for convenience—and then thinking they are good places for care—is insulting. What’s wrong with saying: I’m sorry you are facing lead extraction, but for this, you need to go to Hospital X, and it’s downtown. Sorry. It’s inconvenient and the parking stinks. But it’s best for your health. At the moment, American health practitioners aren't courageous enough to say this.

Task shifting

The authors also point out that in India, lower-level staffers perform a much wider array of medical tasks: "The transfer of responsibility for routine tasks to lower-skilled workers leaves doctors free to focus on complicated medical procedures. Several hospitals have created a tier of paramedic workers with two years of training after high school to perform routine medical jobs. As a result, surgeons, for example, are able to perform two to three times as many surgeries as their U.S. counterparts. Compare that with the United States, where hospitals reduce costs by laying off support staff and shifting mundane tasks such as billing and transcription to doctors, who are overqualified for those duties.”

Consider my experience: After performing nearly 10,000 catheter ablations and cardiac devices over 15 years, I've gotten really good at these procedures. In my city of one million people, Louisville, Kentucky, there are only a handful of other doctors who do these procedures well. In an Indian system, we would be protected. We would be asked to do high-level heart procedures and little else. Yet that’s not the case in the U.S. system. I can only do these skill-dependent procedures two and a half days a week. That’s because I have other duties, like managing routine blood tests, seeing routine follow-ups, and entering clerical data on each patient. In fact, due to the burden of tasks, I've had to reduce the number of patients I see by nearly 50 percent over the past decade.

In the U.S., to even think about task shifting is seen as weak—or pompous. You are too good to do grunt work? Indian hospitals don’t have the luxury of worrying about such perceptions. Scarcity forces efficiency.

Another impediment to task-shifting in the U.S. is the false belief that lesser-trained caregivers, like nurse practitioners or physicians assistants, are not adequate. This is ludicrous. In my field, there is ample evidence that nurse-directed care can even be better than doctor-directed care. Why wouldn't it be? If all you do each day is listen to and care for patients in just a couple of disease states, you become skilled, regardless of the letters that follow your name.

Frugality

The New York Times recently published a piece that challenged readers to choose which images depicted luxury hotels and which were hospitals. Readers couldn't tell. They looked the same.

You don’t have to go to India to see frugality in hospitals. I visited a private hospital in Germany. The place was quiet, clean, and remarkably simple. They re-sterilized equipment that in the U.S. gets thrown away after one use, and they performed procedures with equipment that had been proven useful through evidence, not marketing. They taught me to work without the use of an expensive (but unproven) ultrasound catheter. I've done some 300 cases since then without that catheter, and, at $2,000 per case, that’s a lot of savings. The injustice, though, was that saving the system money (by doing the procedure more efficiently) cost my hospital and me income. Efficiency, in this case, was financially penalized.

The wastefulness of U.S. healthcare is complicated. The fee-for-service model, in which hospitals and doctors make more when they do more, contributes to the problem. The unbundling of cost and price is also a huge factor. These are big policy problems, but ignoring them keeps us behind other countries in how we deliver care.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Three ways to improve U.S. healthcare, as demonstrated in India

Soon, an Indian flavor to democracy in West Africa

MEA — 10/12/2013 10:04:06

Two Circles/ by Biswajit Choudhury

In a region with a chequered democratic past, there could soon be an Indian flavor to emerging democracies as India looks to increase its engagement with resource-rich West Africa.

A 24-member delegation from eight African and Middle East countries, which witnessed the just concluded elections in five states, including Delhi, comprised the election commissioners from Gambia and Guinea Bissau and senior representatives from Nigeria and Senegal.

"I will ask our government to have the VVPAT ( Verified Voters Paper Audit Trail) machines, that we saw here, instead of paper ballotting in the next Gambian elections. The use of paper creates lots of problems," Alieu NJai, Gambia's election commissioner, told IANS.

The VVPAT, used on a trial basis in Delhi and Mizoram, is an electronic voting machine (EVM) where, after casting their ballots, voters can see the candidate's name and political party along with own name and electoral identification number.

"A lot of our practices in Africa are based on European examples. It is much better to come to India and directly learn about things that we can put to use," Njai added, describing his experience of the visit.

As those tasked with instrumentalising democracy in their countries liberated relatively recently from European colonial rule, the visitors stressed in no uncertain terms on the importance of democracy - and of learning from India about this.

"Democracy is most important for a country's development and to ensure that the fruits of development are redistributed equally," Augusto Mendes, chief election commissioner of Guinea Bissau, told IANS. A former Portugese colony, Guinea Bissau became independent in 1974 and held its first free elections in 1994.

"We have had various coups in Guinea Bissau and have lived with the problem of the military intervening in the polity," said Mendes, whose visit is part of an initiative of the West African electoral association ECONEC.

ECONEC was established in 2008 to serve as a regional platform for exchange of best practices and enhance the capacities of the electoral commissions of member states.

"India can help us implement new technologies in the electoral process, like electronic voting machines (EVMs) that reduce the risk of manipulating the election process," Mendes noted, adding: India can also organise some training courses for some African election commission members."

The designation of the observer from Senegal, Colonel Moumar Gueye of the National Election Commission (CENA), as poet and writer, reflects its history as one of Africa's model democracies.

Situated in the western-most part of Africa, Senegal has an established multiparty system and a long tradition of civilian rule in a region that has been dogged by coups.

"Senegal is quite different in this respect of a democratic tradition. Even as a colony Senegal had representatives in the French parliament," Gueye told IANS.

"Senegal is the only country in West Africa that has never experienced a coup. The army is very professional and educated. Where armies are composed and led by people of low education and calibre, it increases the propensity of military takeovers," he added.

Gueye was quite struck by the peaceful, orderly conduct of the Delhi elections and the "educated" voters casting their votes here.

He too is keen to promote EVMs in his home country. " We have a lot of paper used in our elections. The machines save time and nobody can manipulate the results," Gueye says.

Gueye, who has only known India through its films that are quite popular in Senegal, said that on returning he would initiate a process of checking out the efficacy of the EVMs in the heat and dust conditions of Senegal.

Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation as also the second largest economy, and the continent's biggest supplier of oil to India. It is similar to India in its mix of many ethnicities and religious groups.

Abubakar Momoh from The Electoral Institute of Nigeria was most impressed by "the trust that people have in the elections" here and the orderly conduct of elections by India's election commission.

He said the major challenges faced by the election body in Nigeria are voter apathy and ensuring violence-free, peaceful conduct of elections.

"To have the elections in a peaceful, orderly manner, that includes the logistics of transporting equipment, officials and people to areas difficult to access are major challenges. People get restless if arrangements to vote are not made in time," Momoh told IANS.

Describing the EVM as an "awesome" innovation that many countries could emulate, Momoh said Nigeria can specifically learn from the Indian election commission's "good educational strategy for voters" that includes voter assistance units for illiterate and handicaped voters.

He was talking about the newly launched initiative called the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) under which awareness programmes through mass media are organised by poll officials and non-government organisations to woo voters.

(The views expressed above are personal views of writer)

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Soon, an Indian flavor to democracy in West Africa

Small steps to Mars are a big leap for Indian companies

MEA — 10/12/2013 10:07:23

Khaleej Times

Indian companies that built most of the parts for the country’s recently launched Mars mission are using their low-cost, high-tech expertise in frugal space engineering to compete for global aerospace, defence and nuclear contracts worth billions.

India’s Mangalyaan spacecraft was launched last month and then catapulted from Earth orbit on Dec. 1, clearing an important hurdle on its 420 million mile journey to Mars and putting it on course to be the first Asian mission to reach the red planet.

The venture has a price tag of just 4.5 billion rupees ($72 million), roughly one-tenth the cost of Maven, NASA’s latest Mars mission. Two-thirds of the parts for the Indian probe and rocket were made by domestic firms like Larsen & Toubro , the country’s largest engineering firm, Godrej & Boyce, and state plane-maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

While such companies have a long way to go before they can attract big business in the commercial space sector, years of work on home-grown space projects are helping them carve out a niche as suppliers of precision parts for related sectors like defence, aeronautics and nuclear energy.

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Small steps to Mars are a big leap for Indian companies

The new space race: It's not just the U.S. and Russia anymore

MEA — 10/12/2013 10:11:40

Los Angeles Times/ by Louis Friedman

There are now many space programs, both national and private. And that's good for science.

Some 10 years ago, during testimony before Congress, I was asked by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), "Do you think we are in a space race with China?" I quickly answered "no" and proceeded to explain that, in my view, the concept of a space race represented old thinking. The modern way forward in space would be through international cooperation and coordination.

Today, I think my insistence that the space race was over was naive. There are now many space races. One is taking place between China and India, dramatized by India's launch of a Mars orbiter last month and China's launch this month of a lunar lander and rover. China also attempted a Mars orbiter last year, and India has already conducted a successful moon orbiter mission.

Japan is moving forward with lunar and asteroid missions, including one that will attempt to bring a second asteroid sample back to Earth next year. Europe, meanwhile, is planning a mission to rendezvous with a comet next year and two Mars missions this decade. Russia is tripling its space budget and has lunar and Mars missions lined up for this decade; Russia also recently started development on a new rocket for deep space missions.

And there are private entrants in the race as well, with ambitions to explore Mars or the moon, to observe asteroids, to commercially develop space resources and to promote space tourism.

One contest inherent in the new space race is between humans and robots. The competition is not merely about which is better suited to explore space but also about which is better able to excite future generations about the prospects for interacting with space. Although there is, of course, a role for both humans and robots, I am a human chauvinist: I want humans to explore other worlds (at least get to Mars) before we become satisfied with the advances of virtual world exploration of the universe by robots.

Politically, all these space races are important, with India, China and the United States all launching important missions in the second half of this year. The Indian Mars mission has generated controversy, with critics questioning why India should spend precious money on such an elitist venture.

Bijal Thakore, a young Indian female engineer and business consultant, effectively answered that question in a recent blog, pointing out: "The Indian space program is resolute as always in its purpose to contribute both toward economical and social development of its people. An emerging country like India needs to diversify its unique proposition as an international player within technology, and the space program has been an important tool ever since the vision of a future India was forged by its leaders at independence."

Several years ago in Beijing I happened to get into a conversation with a family while I was eating alone in a restaurant. After preliminary small talk, I asked the mother what she thought about the Chinese moon mission. She considered it a waste of money and human resources, she said, for a country with so much poverty. But her 12-year-old daughter disagreed: Space exploration was a great thing for China to be doing.

I agree. It's important to remember that the money spent on space is spent here on Earth, employing people in numerous fields. We don't explore Mars for the Martians; we do it because it makes us better: technically, scientifically, educationally, economically and even culturally.

Exploring space vastly broadens the horizons of children like that Chinese 12-year-old. It inspires us to solve problems and look beyond our Earthbound concerns to the vastness of what exists beyond our planet.

There will be those who want to focus narrowly on winning a space race with China. But we'll do much better if we compete and cooperate to advance a single goal: moving the planet forward in space. Doing so will take humans of all nationalities as well as robots; it will take private development and government ventures; it will take cooperating with other countries, while still trying to be the best.

Imagine inviting the Chinese to the International Space Station and using that as a springboard for sending humans into the solar system. Our space program then will be serving even a greater geopolitical purpose than it did with Apollo: creating a positive future for the world, with America leading by achievement.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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The new space race: It's not just the U.S. and Russia anymore

Indian classical dance gets new life in Endeavour Hills

MEA — 09/12/2013 12:47:38

Herald Sun

An ancient Indian classical dance style has found new life in Endeavour Hills with women from all walks of life giving it a try.

Kathak, which means 'to tell a story', originated in India in the 1300s as a dance form performed in temples.

Throughout the ages, it was used as a storytelling medium, and became particularly famous in the Mughal Empire, when it was showcased at royal courts.

Pooja Gupta, who established the Ragas Institute in Endeavour Hills in 2008, teaching classical dance and vocals, said Kathak was an incredibly feminine art form.

"We have very varied age groups, starting from four-year-olds to a 55-year-old . . . and in terms of nationalities, there are Aussies, Fijian Indians and Sri Lankans," Ms Gupta said.

Sejal Shah, originally from Singapore, is one of the many women who have decided to learn Kathak.

"I've always been attracted to dance and I watched one or two performances when I was young and it really appealed," she said.

"I thought that Kathak was a dance I could do well, and I just clicked with it."

The Ragas Institute is holding its first annual recital from 6pm to 8pm next Saturday, December 7 at the Berwick Fields Primary School.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian classical dance gets new life in Endeavour Hills

Inside India’s Aadhar, The World’s Biggest Biometrics Database

MEA — 09/12/2013 12:50:53

Tech Crunch/by Pankaj Mishra

India’s Unique Identification project, also known as Aadhar, earlier this week finished capturing demographic and biometric data of over half a billion residents–the largest biometric project of its kind currently in the world.

It’s been a multi-year effort not without its critics among privacy and security advocates and others. The latest development this week concerned the method that Aadhar is using to capture, store and manage the data, and the role a startup from the U.S. called MongoDB may be playing in it.

MongoDB, a NoSQL database startup, last year raised funding from the CIA-backed In-Q-Tel, an independent non-profit venture backed by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.

During past few days, several reports in the Indian media have quoted political parties and activists, raising questions about whether sensitive data is being compromised by Aadhar, headed by the Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.

Some of the reports have linked the controversy with MongoDB.

Governments across the world are raising concerns over spying by the National Security Agency, and anything even remotely associated with U.S. government intelligence agencies is enough to cause uproar. Moreover, with general elections set to be held next hear, political rhetoric is at an all time high in India.

Still, the timing of these allegations couldn’t have been worse, at least for the ambitious identification project, which is waiting for a parliament bill to be passed this year to be established as a fully constitutional authority.

I took a tour of Aadhar’s offices in Bangalore, and the truth of the matter, according to officials I spoke to, is that while some have alleged large contracts that include sharing data with MongoDB, the reality is that Aadhar is using MongoDB open source code that doesn’t touch sensitive data. The meeting also offered an opportunity to understand how the biggest biometrics database on earth is functioning, and dealing with concerns of security and privacy.

Moreover, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), refuted allegations of sharing Indian residents’ data with any U.S. agencies.

What Aadhar means for India

To set the context right here about Aadhar, and what it means for a country like India, more than half a billion people have no official ID of any kind, which makes it impossible for them to receive government aids, open a bank account, get a loan, get a driving license, and so on. The database project, which is now enrolling over one million Indians residents a day, is scheduled to sign up about 1.2 billion people by the end of next year, making it the biggest biometrics database on earth.

One of the biggest advantages of having a 12-digit Aadhar number is that the government can link bank accounts of the country’s poor with it, and directly transfer cash benefits and other subsidies. Already, nearly 40 million bank accounts in India have been linked with Aadhar.

According to research firm CLSA, more than 40% of the Indian government’s $250 billion worth of subsidies and other other benefits meant for poor, will be lost to corruption over next few years. Aadhar will remove the middlemen and curb any corruption by enabling direct cash transfer to those who need government subsidies.

But several think-tanks and activists including Bangalore-based Centre for Internet & Society, have been raising concerns about privacy issues and even questioning the effectiveness of the entire project.

Inside the biggest biometrics database on earth

I have been trying to get meetings with the officials at Aadhar to understand security aspects, progress so far and their reaction to the MongoDB allegations.

They finally agreed to meet on Friday in their headquarters across the road in one of Bangalore’s southern suburbs, where both Intel’s and Cisco’s India headquarters are located. From outside, Aadhar’s technology center, which stores all residents’ data (now totalling 5 Petabytes in size) does not look like a government building at all—it could pass for as one of the buildings housing Intel or Cisco nearby.

Inside, as I walked into a room with about dozen television screens in the center of it, some twenty young engineers feverishly looked ahead, typing on their computer keyboards, checking the movement of data packets storing information, the setting looked like a very sophisticated command center. The television screens they were looking at showed the journey of these data packets (each sized at around 5MB) from the time they are logged at one of the 30,000 enrollment centers around the country, through at least three stages of validation. Validation includes running duplication checks for each of the profiles to ensure there are not more than one Aadhar number for the same person.

So, for every new enrollment, a ‘de-duplication’ check is done against all existing profiles, which is over half a billion currently.

Srikanth Nadhamuni, a former Intel engineer who helped set up Aadhar’s technology platform in September 2010, and is now running Khosla Labs in Bangalore, tells me that these data packets are stored behind 2048-bit encryption and capable of self-destruction if any unauthorized access is attempted.

Dealing with MongoDB controversy

So why did Aadhar engage with MongoDB in the first place and will it continue working with the startup?

Sudhir Narayana, assistant director general at Aadhar’s technology center, told me that MongoDB was among several database products, apart from MySQL, Hadoop and HBase, originally procured for running the database search. Unlike MySQL, which could only store demographic data, MongoDB was able to store pictures.

However, Aadhar has been slowly shifting most of its database related work to MySQL, after realizing that MongoDB was not being able to cope with massive chunks of data, millions of packets.

They have already started using ‘database sharding’: a process where data packets are stored across different machines to ensure the system does not crash as volumes rise.

This has helped Aadhar reduce its dependency on MongoDB and instead use MySQL for storing most of the data.

Ashok Dalwai, deputy director general of the tech center, told me that MongoDB has no access to any biometric data.

"We believe in using open source technologies to avoid any vendor lock-in, but that doesn’t mean we are in any way, compromising security,” Dalwai said.

When contacted, a MongoDB spokesperson redirected to this announcement about the company’s funding involving In-Q-Tel.

And more importantly, UIDAI started using MongoDB’s open source software much before the startup received any funding from In-Q-Tel. As this Crunchbase entry shows, MongoDB received venture round funding of $7.7 million from Red Hat, Intel Capital and In-Q-Tel, only in 2012.

So what lies ahead for Aadhar?

Despite all the controversies surrounding it, Aadhar is on track to enroll over 1.2 billion Indian residents by end of 2014, the officials added. This will create a database of about 15 petabytes in size.

Currently, the project is enrolling around one million residents in the country a day. Narayana told me that he’s confident of achieving around two million enrollments a day from next year, and that will help bring the remaining 700 million people into the database.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Inside India’s Aadhar, The World’s Biggest Biometrics Database

Russian guru blazes trail for Bharatanatyam

MEA — 09/12/2013 13:19:21

Russia & India Report/by Elena Krovvidi

Passion for the Indian classical dance form has driven Dmitry Zmeyev, who has managed to reach great heights both as a performer and a teacher.

Dmitry Zmeyev is one of the Bharatanatyam pioneers in Russia and an inventor of an innovative approach of staging dance performances – a fascinating melange of Russian music and Indian choreography.

Zmeyev’s first tryst with Indian dance was through Indian cinema. It all began when his mother talked him into watching Seeta and Geeta. Initially reluctant, he couldn’t keep his eyes off Hema Malini and her masterful dance movements. It was through Hindi films that he fell in love with Bharatanatyam, although at that time, he says it was difficult for him to tell one dance style from another. Besides, there existed a stereotype in Russia that Indian dances are only performed by women. But when the impressionable Russian saw Kamal Hassan perform, he was no longer hesitant. "After I watched him perform, a revolution happened in my mind,” Dmitry confesses. "And that’s when I realised that this is more than a hobby for me, it’s my vocation, my life.”

Zmeyev then decided to take up Bharatanatyam with tremendous passion, enrolling at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in New Delhi in 1990. During his student years, Zmeyev was actively involved in various cultural programs of the Russian Embassy in India, and several documentary films made about him by Russian and Indian television channels.

In April 1996, he also enrolled at the Triveni Kala Sangam Institute and Theatre while still continuing his studies getting at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya where he had continued his studies under the guidance of Smt. Jaya Lakshmi Ishwar, a well-known Bharatanatyam performer and exponent of the Kalakshetra Style. Under her tutelage, Zmeyev also learned the art of playing Talam, a percussion instrument used in Bharatanatyam as an accompaniment (Nattuvangam). In October 1998, he had graduated with honours from the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

Since his return to Moscow, the dancer has been performing and holding giving master-classes both in Russia and abroad. He is also often invited as jury member, special guest or presenter for various dance festivals. In 1999, he founded a school of Indian classical dance -- "Natya Rekha”, which became a member of the Nritya Sabha Foundation in 2003.

Foray into theatre

Zmeyev has successfully combined his passion for Bharatanatyam with acting and directing. He worked as an actor at Stanislavsky theatre for eight years. He says his dancing skills help him develop as an actor because of the complex dramaturgy of the dance itself. Russian theatrical director Igor Yatsko was delighted when he saw Zmeyev perform Bharatnatyam because of the ‘compactness’ of the dance – music, rhythm and acting all in one.

As an experienced teacher, Zmeyev says it is not very easy for a Russian to study Bharatnatyam. "A body of a European isn’t naturally fit for the basic Bharatnatyam position. I, for one, had to study this particular element for a whole year. Our knees are bent inwards. And Indians can easily turn their knees outwards because it’s a natural movement for them. In India people often sit on the floor, kids sit on their mother’s lap. So they can bend their knees flexibly,” he says.

Russian demeanour is another stumbling block when it comes to learning the Indian classical dance. "Our people are a little reserved, they feel uncomfortable showing their feelings to audience,” Zmeyev says. "But Bharatnatyam, as a classical dance style, is more than just physical movements, it’s also a theatrical performance. So bonding with audience, making viewers part of the action is absolutely essential.”

The Russian teacher has invented a technique to help his students better understand the plot of the dance. He stages Indian dances to Russian music. For example, he used a song performed by a legendary Soviet bard Vladimir Vysotsky and a Russian pop queen Alla Pugacheva "I carried my grief” for his dance numbers, and it was success. Zmeyev believes that there are similar plots and characters in Indian epos and Russian folklore, and therefore intertwining Indian and Russian elements is organic.

This new genre – Russian performance with Indian choreography – turned out to be very popular in Russia. For Russian audience it becomes more than a beautiful and exotic dance, such performances really touch a chord.

Home away from home

After so many years in India, the country has become a second home for Zmeyev. "Delhi is one of my favourite places in India,” he says nostalgically. "This is the place where I spent my young years, where my identity was shaped.”

Another one of his favourite places is Nainital. "It’s such a picturesque location. There are lotuses everywhere, and never in my life have I seen so many stars, they lighten the sky like lanterns.”

He fondly recalls his Indian friends and appreciates the friendliness and openness in the country. "In India, if something is wrong with your car, everyone is willing to push your car, to help. Also, I love that people stuck in a traffic jam are looking out of their car windows and chatting. Can you imagine such a situation in Moscow?” Such a laid back mentality has its shortcomings too, he admits, such as lack of punctuality. But it’s not such a big deal when there are a good many other things to admire about the country.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Russian guru blazes trail for Bharatanatyam

India's Edifice Diplomacy in Afghanistan

MEA — 05/12/2013 19:07:44

Bloomberg/by Chandrahas Choudhury

It isn't every day that the most interesting foreign news in Indian newspapers is published on the "Tenders" pages. But there it was one day in October: a notice from the Central Public Works Department of Delhi, inviting applications from Indian companies for desks, tables and -- more strangely -- "chairs of different types including built-in cupboards," to supply an under-construction "House of the People."

That house of the people is the new parliament building of Afghanistan, which the Indian government is constructing in Kabul as a gift to the Afghan people for a crucial moment in their history: the 2015 parliamentary elections. Work on the building, on an 84-acre plot on the city outskirts, began in 2008, about the same time that Afghanistan began to take its own steps toward building a multi-tiered system of representative government. The edifice will be ready next year, in time to host the victorious candidates of the parliamentary elections that will follow the presidential and provincial elections scheduled for April 5, 2014. It will be an imposing physical manifestation, in the white marble of Herat and red granite from India, of Afghanistan's aspirations to move toward a peaceful democracy.

The investment of $178 million in building a house for democracy in Afghanistan might be India's most creative foreign-policy move in the last decade. To be sure, India is acting in its own long-term interests in the region by doing so. With North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops scheduled to withdraw over the next year, leaving Afghanistan to its elected rulers, the country will be more free than it has been in the past to engage with its neighbors on its own terms. And India has much more to offer to economic reconstruction than Pakistan, which lies between the two countries.

At a conference in Kabul last year, the Indian politician Salman Khurshid spoke of Afghanistan regaining its historical role "of a land-bridge between South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and Eurasia." India's trade and influence in South and Central Asia would be enhanced significantly by access to and through Afghanistan. In the short-term, fears that the departure of the international forces might lead to an upsurge in violence from the Taliban and Pakistan-backed groups -- and possibly attacks on the building site -- has made the parliament project ever more urgent.

In June, Charu Sudan Kasturi of the Telegraph provided a vivid picture of the troubles of Indian workers and companies working on the building:

At the site for the new parliament on central Kabul’s Darulaman Road, labourers stop work at 5pm, unwilling to test their fears in the dark. Local skilled labour is hard to find, and Indians aren’t easy to cajole into taking up the risk of working in a hostile environment. The Indian embassy in Kabul receives frequent intelligence inputs warning of possible attacks, and contractors and workers stop work temporarily. Some Indian officials complain that the Afghan government "keeps changing the specifications” for the parliament complex. And tensions with Islamabad mean that raw material that could be sourced from Pakistan needs to be brought all the way from India or Iran.

Darulaman Road isn't the only site where Indians -- sometimes in search of the higher salaries available in conflict zones -- are braving perilous conditions to work on a host of projects aimed at "peace-building in Afghanistan." A host of Indian companies and nongovernmental organizations have set up operations over the last decade, working on infrastructure and small-business projects set up by the Indian government.

In 2008, the Indian government finished work on a 218-kilometer (135-mile) road from Delaram in north-east Afghanistan to Zaranj on the Iran border, opening up the landlocked country to the sea via Iran's Chabahar port. It also invited the Indian NGO SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association) to work on projects to train Afghan women to set up their own small businesses. Dozens of Afghan public servants now arrive in Delhi every year to take short-term courses in public administration, and they often stop by Delhi's "Little Kabul" neighborhood.

There's no guarantee, of course, that a future Afghan government will be as open to cooperation with India as the current one. Nor is there any guarantee that in the aftermath of the withdrawal of U.S. forces next year, there will be a set of legislators elected in free and fair elections in 2015 to take their places in the new parliament building. And those skeptical of India's recent Afghanistan policy, such as the influential editor of the Indian Express, Shekhar Gupta, have argued that the risks for India in Afghanistan are too high given Pakistan's hostility, and that it might just make better sense to "leave Af to Pak." It is too early to know whether India's recent investments in Afghanistan's reconstruction will be seen as pragmatic or unrealistic. In light of the recent record of other countries in Afghanistan, though, India's program rates quite high when it comes to measuring reality against the rhetoric.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India's Edifice Diplomacy in Afghanistan

Indian teachers to be awarded

MEA — 05/12/2013 19:10:03

Times of Oman

Recognising the role of teachers and their contribution in improving the standards of education in various Indian schools in the Sultanate of Oman, the Best Teacher Awards for the year 2013-14 would be declared and presented tomorrow, at the Indian School Ghubra.

J. S. Mukul, the Indian ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, along with Kanaksi Khimji would grace the function. Prof. Thuwayba bint Ahmed Issa Barwani of the Sultan Qaboos University will deliver the keynote address.

Presented under the aegis of the Board of Directors of Indian schools in the Sultanate of Oman, these awards recognise the teachers under five categories, namely, kindergarten, primary, secondary, senior secondary and co-curricular activities.

Unique aspect

The unique aspect of these awards is that the nominees are chosen by their own colleagues. They are then shortlisted after careful and long deliberations and a committee comprising academicians determines the winners from these shortlisted candidates from each of the schools. In each category, there will be two awardees — a winner and a runner up.

The winners will be presented a cash award, a trophy, a certificate of excellence and a stole while the runner up would be presented with a certificate of excellence.

Nineteen Indian schools in the Sultanate currently impart education to 40,000 students and have nearly 1,500 teachers.

The awards have gained significance as they are unique in the Gulf region. The Best Teacher Award has already become an eagerly awaited event in the annual calendar of schools.

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Indian teachers to be awarded

Mobile Payments Gain Traction Among India’s Poor

MEA — 05/12/2013 19:13:00

New York Times/by Richard Shaffer

In a narrow room filled with acrid fumes in one of the world’s largest slums, Chinak Ramtheol earns about $4 a day tending machines that melt and slice plastic trash into pellets for recycling.

He manages to save enough that he regularly can send a few hundred rupees to his family in rural Siddharthnagar, a thousand miles across India near Nepal.

"I have to go to a bank and fill out a form. That takes an hour,” Mr. Ramtheol said. "The bank is only open when I am supposed to be working, so I lose an hour’s pay.”

He’s intrigued by a new service that will enable him to send the money by cellphone to his family. MoneyOnMobile, an Indian start-up, is latching on to an idea that began six years ago in Kenya of transferring money with a few taps of the keypad on an everyday cellphone. That country’s mobile payment service, M-Pesa, has become so popular that most Kenyans these days send money, buy groceries and pay restaurant and medical bills and school tuition via cellphone — wirelessly transferring the equivalent of $21 billion annually. M-Pesa has inspired almost 200 similar efforts in other countries.

South Asia is a fertile market for the concept. The region consisting primarily of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan accounts for the largest number of offices actively providing mobile money services, 3.8 million compared with 805,000 in all of Africa and 1.8 million in East Asia and the Pacific. After only four years in operation, Pakistan’s wireless network, Easypaisa, is moving some $3.5 billion annually. In Bangladesh, where the bKash wireless payment system has been operating for only two years, the transaction rate is $4 billion annually.

India has been proceeding more slowly, but the pace is quickening. According to the latest tallies from the nation’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, the number of wireless money transfers has more than doubled since September 2012, moving the annualized equivalent of $3.2 billion. Lately, the two best-financed efforts, Airtel Money and Vodafone M-Pesa, have begun expanding across the country. And because of the nation’s huge population, broad adoption of cellphones and some of the lowest airtime rates in the world, even a modest conversion to mobile money in India could make South Asia the world’s largest wireless-transfer economy.

"India is probably the most exciting market for mobile money in the world,” said Michael Joseph, the man credited with the success of M-Pesa in Kenya. Now in London, he heads mobile money programs globally for Vodafone. "When India takes off,” he said, "it will eclipse anything we’ve done in Kenya.”

Indian regulators concur. "We have not set a target, but it is going to happen,” said the Reserve Bank’s deputy governor, Harun R. Khan, who oversees the nation’s payment systems. "I’m optimistic about its future.”

By 2015, mobile money transfers in India could total $350 billion annually, some analysts estimate. The size of the opportunity has attracted the major banks and mobile network operators but also at least a dozen new companies, including Beam Money, CanvasM, Ezetap, PayMate, Y-Cash and Zaakpay.

The most rapidly growing new venture is MoneyOnMobile, just across a causeway from the slum recycling shop where Mr. Ramtheol works. In operation less than three years, MoneyOnMobile already has attracted four times as many users as Kenya’s M-Pesa (75 million versus 18 million) and twice as many retail outlets (163,000 versus 79,000) although its transaction volume is tiny by comparison.

The company — controlled by Calpian, a payments processor based in Dallas — was founded by Shashank Joshi, a 40-year-old engineer who has been starting companies since he was in college. "Payments is a globally neglected industry. Nobody pays attention to it,” he said. "But if you actually drill down and look at it, you cannot survive without making payments.”

"Within three to five years,” Mr. Joshi said, "you will see more than 30 percent of this country’s payments moving on a mobile device.”

Mobile payments could improve the lives of India’s 354 million poor — most of whom have cellphones but no bank accounts, credit cards or debit cards — by lowering the cost of the domestic remittances on which so many families depend. Across India, a hundred million migrants like Mr. Ramtheol have come to the cities from the countryside in search of work. Every year, these domestic migrants send an estimated $12 billion back to their villages.

Most funds travel in cash via networks of relatives and friends or courier services. Such conduits can be slow, unreliable and expensive; courier commissions approach 5 percent of the amount being sent. Over wireless networks, money can move instantly, at any hour, and sending costs less than a penny. As a result, studies of Kenya have shown, the poor not only have a bit more to spend but also enjoy better health because wage earners can respond more quickly to financial emergencies, such as illness.

MoneyOnMobile is preparing to offer money transfers. It recently received permission from the federal authorities and is negotiating the required alliance with a bank. Another young company, Eko India Financial Services of Gurgaon, has already made a name for itself in money transfers. But a number of mobile money services in India have proved unrewarding for others, including Beam Money of New Delhi; Boku of Palo Alto, Calif.; mCheck of Bangalore; and even Finland’s Nokia. One possible reason is their reliance on the latest mobile technology, the smartphone. Although there are almost 900 million cellphones in India, a mere 4 percent are smartphones, and only half of those connect to the Internet. As a consequence, MoneyOnMobile is proceeding cautiously, trying to achieve scale with the technology of yesterday that most of its potential customers already own — the ordinary cellphone.

As in developing economies worldwide, almost all Indian subscribers pay in advance for cellphone service, adding a few rupees of airtime to the handset as needed at a retail store, a process known as topping up. Globally, top-ups account for three-fifths of mobile money transactions, and MoneyOnMobile initially focused on that service as well as utility bill payment.

"Our strategy has been to start with small amounts and build consumer trust,” Rajesh Mishra, the company’s president, said. "Top-ups first. Then bill payment. Next, money transfer.”

Although the company’s average transaction amounts to less than $1.50, it processes more than 400,000 transactions daily. The result is annual revenue of $200 million, and the company expects to break even early next year.

Despite its location — in the Bandra area of Mumbai, a leafy seaside neighborhood known for its night life and the homes of Bollywood stars — the facilities at MoneyOnMobile are as utilitarian as a budget call center, with workers crowded together in small cubicles. Its marketing approach also keeps costs down. Rather than relying on advertising, the company has grown by identifying locales across the country with high densities of migrant workers, bustling foot traffic and streets lined with the mom-and-pop businesses that dominate India’s retailing. Its products are profitable sidelines for retailers of fast-moving consumer goods, such as soft drinks, shampoo, snacks and cigarettes.

"The key is volume,” Mr. Mishra said. "We make almost nothing on each transaction, but millions of them — millions every day — can be a good business.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Mobile Payments Gain Traction Among India’s Poor

Explore incredible India

MEA — 03/12/2013 18:32:55

The Spectrum/ by Celece Seegmiller

Last Christmas, my 20-year-old daughter informed me that she was going to travel to India in July with a small group from the University of Utah. She signed up for a gender equality study and decided to spend a month conducting research and sightseeing in a country I knew very little about.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I had never even made travel reservations in India for my clients, and it hadn’t been a destination at the top of my bucket list. In fact, "Slumdog Millionaire” and "Life of Pi” were the first two aspects of India that came to my mind when I heard her announcement.

Of course, I began reading everything I could about India before Ashlie left. In my research, I ran across the following information from my friends at the American Society of Travel AgentsNestled between Pakistan, China and Nepal, India is bordered in the north by the world's highest mountain chain and to the south, tropical rain forests mingle with windswept deserts. To complete the geographic smorgasbord, palm-fringed beaches trim the peninsula like ribbon on a huge Christmas gift. The only thing missing is a glacier, but no one seems to mind.

Visitors and locals alike do not complain about India's cultural diversity either, for the nation boasts a variety of religions, cultures, races and tongues, which result from the country’s 5,000 years of history. India's historical significance and natural wealth have lured a long succession of foreign influences, traders and craftsmen, each having left their distinctive imprint on the country.

Of the many tours available in India, the Golden Triangle is one of the most popular, as the three cities that form the triangle — Delhi, Agra and Jaipur —feature the images that epitomize India. Inside this triangle, tourists will see a panorama of majestic architectural creations that feed the area's rich traditions, like the symphony of marble that is the Taj Mahal, the imperial elegance of Delhi and the desert city of Jaipur.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, one of the largest of India's 28 states and host to the exotic Desert Adventure tour. Rajasthan is known as the Land of Kings, where sumptuous palaces dot the desert landscape and battle-scarred fortresses stand tall atop hills. The tour begins at Jodhpur, an ancient stronghold on the edge of the Thar Desert then followa trade routes to the unforgettable golden fortress at Jaisalmer.

Another Indian journey that will surely stick with you for a lifetime is a cruise through the Backwaters of Kerala. Kerala, on the southwestern tip of the peninsula, is called the land of coconuts, and palm trees shade nearly the entire state from the tropical sun.

All along its coast, backwaters, canals, lagoons and inlets create an intricate maze stretching nearly 1,200 miles throughout the land. Traveling by boat along the emerald-tinted backwaters is a magical experience.

Any trip you make to incredible India will be a magical experience. Travel professionals can combine any of the above tours or extend them to include nights in bustling cities like Calcutta, Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay). They can send you on other fabulous tours of India, to the Temple Trail of the south, across the Seven Sisters of the northeast or through the jungles that inspired Kipling in the Heart of Heritage.

I am happy to report that Ashlie had the cultural experience of a lifetime during her stay in India. When she was home for Thanksgiving last week, she brewed Indian tea and showed us all of her colorful photos.

"This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to travel in northern and central India for almost one month,” Ashlie said. "If you are looking for a vacation with strong cultural components, I highly doubt any place on Earth can beat the cultural experience India has to offer.

"I was lucky enough to spend a few days in McLeod Ganj, home of the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan monks located in the spectacular foothills of the Himalayas. Experiencing the tranquil atmosphere of a monastery and the mix of Tibetan, Indian and Nepalese cultures in the area is an experience I will never forget.

"I also had the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal, the incredible city of Delhi and a rock garden in Chandigarh. Each place I traveled to and each person I met opened my eyes to a new way of life and a new way of thinking. India is a country rich in tradition with a fascinating history and no text book can compare to the knowledge gained by seeing the country, meeting the people and tasting authentic Indian cuisine in person."

I must admit now that I have conducted my research and listened to Ashlie's travel tales, I am ready to add India to my list too.

On the day she flew home from India, Ashlie posted this on her Facebook page: "Best part of India? All of the amazing people I've had the chance to meet and form friendships with. This is what it's all about. The more I travel, the more I realize that fear makes strangers out of people who should be friends."

Travel Tuesday specials: General Tours offers special packages to India featuring 16 or fewer passengers in each group. Save up to $800 per couple if booked and paid in full before Dec. 31. It is also a great month to book a cruise or vacation package. Many cruise lines and tour companies are offering end-of-year specials through Dec. 31.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Explore incredible India

Jamia faculty wins IEEE MGA Larry K Wilson transnational award for 2013

MEA — 03/12/2013 18:37:11

Two Circles

Mini Shaji Thomas, Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia has won the IEEE MGA Larry K Wilson Transnational Award for 2013. The selection was made by the MGA Awards and Recognition Committee and approved by the IEEE MGA Board during its 23 November 2013 meeting.

She has been awarded for her "outstanding innovation and leadership in IEEE Member and student member development and engagement, global dissemination of the IEEE message, and collaboration across organizational units”.

The award also consists of a cash prize of US $ 1000 and a plaque.

Dr. Mini Shaji Thomas is very active in Professional societies and she is currently the Board Member of the IEEE EAB (Educational Activities Board), was a member of the IEEE PSPB (Publications Services and Products Board) and the Vice Chair of MGA Board of IEEE. Dr. Mini has earlier won the Outstanding PES chapter chair award in 2012, MGA innovation award in 2008, Outstanding PES chapter engineer award in 2008, Outstanding Volunteer award in 2005 and outstanding Branch counselor award in 2002, to name a few of the recognitions from IEEE.

Mini Shaji Thomas graduated from University of Kerala, completed her M. Tech from IIT Madras (both with gold medals) & PhD from IIT Delhi, India, all in Electrical Engineering. Presently Mini is the Central Public Information officer (CPIO) of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), and Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, JMI New Delhi. Mini was a faculty member at Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi (now DTU) and at the REC (now NIT, Calicut, Kerala) before joining Jamia.

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Jamia faculty wins IEEE MGA Larry K Wilson transnational award for 2013

Data suggest a revival for India’s economy

MEA — 05/12/2013 10:06:38

Wall Street Journal/by Anant Kala

After a tough two years for India, a string of recent indicators suggest the economy may at last be regaining its footing.

Data over the past week have shown a pick-up in gross domestic product and manufacturing activity – and a surprising reduction in India’s chronic current account deficit.

"The September quarter finally represents the start of the recovery,” said Robert Prior-Wandesforde, a Singapore-based economist at Credit Suisse.

The government announced last week that gross domestic product grew a faster-than-expected 4.8% in the three months to September. That’s far below the 9.3% growth recorded as recently as the 2011 financial year, but it’s better than the previous quarter’s 4.4% growth, the weakest in more than four years.

Until recently India was among the world’s fastest-growing economies, but high inflation, deteriorating government finances and a slow pace of reform have shaken investor confidence.

Economic growth touched a 10-year low of 5% last fiscal year and has been below 5% for the last four quarters. Optimists expect growth to climb back above 5% for the next two quarters, bringing full-year growth above 5% as well.

The economy should get a boost from the weak rupee currency, which makes Indian products more competitive on international markets: Exports have grown at a double-digit pace for four straight months through October.

Economists also are expecting higher farm output from generous monsoon rains, as well as a boost from government efforts to push through approvals for some of the country’s largest industrial projects.

Encouragingly, this week’s HSBC/Markit survey of purchasing managers showed manufacturing activity expanding in November for the first time in four months. And the current account deficit — the imbalance that made India a prime target in the exodus from emerging-market assets this summer — narrowed sharply to a four-year low of $5.2 billion in the three months ended September, from $21 billion a year earlier.

Morgan StanleyMS -1.46% was impressed enough that it raised its forecast for India’s gross domestic product growth this fiscal year to 4.7%, from 4.1% previously.

"We believe 2014 will mark the year of adjustment, improving macro stability,” Morgan Stanley said. "This includes addressing high inflation, bringing a sustainable improvement in the current account deficit and rehabilitating the banking sector balance sheet.”

But challenges remain. One is rising prices: Wholesale inflation hit an eight-month high of 7.0% in October, while consumer price inflation has climbed above 10%.

Consumers seem less optimistic than some economists. Car sales at the country’s top two car producers, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. and Hyundai Motor Co., fell in November from a year earlier.

Meanwhile, efforts to modernize India’s overstretched infrastructure are moving slowly. Data Monday showed output of India’s eight infrastructure industries declined 0.6% in October.

"We expect the revival to be extremely gradual,” said Anjali Verma, an economist at PhillipCapital.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Data suggest a revival for India’s economy

Chrysanthemum diplomacy: Japanese emperor returns to India

MEA — 03/12/2013 18:00:26

RT.com/ by Sreeram Chaulia

Fifty-three years is a long interlude during which national psyches, power configurations and foreign policies can alter completely.

The arrival of the emperor of Japan, Akihito, and his wife, Empress Michiko, in India fifty-three years after they first visited as crown prince and princess may be laced with nostalgia and trips down memory lane, but this six-day Japanese royal trip is taking place in a totally transformed world.

The India of today is a far cry from the India of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was personally present at Delhi airport in 1960 when newly-wed Akihito and Michiko stepped down the ladder. This time too, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, came to the Air Force Station in Delhi to receive the monarch as a special gesture, breaking official protocol. But as Akihito and Michiko already know and will be repeatedly reminded on this tour, contemporary India is a bigger international player than it was in the Nehru era.

Changed India, half a century later

Notwithstanding the warmth and hospitality accorded to the youthful Japanese royal couple by Nehru and the highest representatives of the Indian government in 1960, the fact that Japan was an anti-communist treaty ally of the United States limited how far a non-aligned nation like India could cooperate with it. In the five decades since then, Japan still remains the major pillar in the network of American alliances in the Asia Pacific. With nearly 40,000 American troops on its soil and wide-ranging military and security cooperation with Washington, Tokyo is to this day the heartbeat of American interests in Asia.

But India has changed almost unrecognizably, especially since the turn of the millennium. Japan’s centrality to western geopolitical strategies in Asia is no longer a deterrent to building a true "strategic partnership” between New Delhi and Tokyo.

Currently, India acknowledges some twenty-odd nations as "strategic partners” (including Russia, China, Vietnam, Iran, South Korea, Australia and the US). Of these, some are potentially even strategic rivals, leading to all-round confusion about the loose application and usage of the term ‘strategic’. But Japan has been climbing to the very top of the list of these strategic partners at a rapid pace.

An advanced friendship

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko’s arrival in India at this juncture in Asian geopolitics sends an unmistakable signal from the Japanese government that India is now vital to Tokyo’s grand strategy in Asia.

The royal couple decided to come to India on the express prodding of the cabinet of the self-professed ‘Indophile’ Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. With invitations from nearly fifty countries pending, the reason the emperor chose India was clearly to further Prime Minister Abe’s wish to deepen the strategic partnership with India to almost spiritual levels. By virtue of the emperor’s symbolic leadership of the Shinto religious faith in Japan and his status as a nominal head of state, he is said to represent the Japanese people more than the government. The Japanese embassy in Delhi emphasized to Indo Asian News Service that "the emperor represents the people, and the visit is to forge people-to-people ties between our two countries.”

Despite His Majesty hauling along a large delegation, including a former Japanese Prime Minister, both countries have stressed the formal and ceremonial nature of the monarchical visit. No diplomatic agreements or political communiqués would emanate from this trip.

Yet, much can be inferred about the timing of the emperor’s longish sojourn in India. New Delhi had invited the monarch a decade ago, but it took a prime minister like Abe, who is bullish about strategic convergence between Japan and India, to finally make the visit a reality.

Abe himself is expected to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2014. The spiritual emperor is thus paving the way for the temporal ruler to follow in a couple of months and fulfill the promise of an advanced friendship between India and Japan.

Economic duet

Economic factors are crucial to the blossoming Japan-India ties. The level of Japanese aid and investment in India’s development and infrastructure sectors is second to none. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have the southern Indian metropolis of Chennai on their itinerary, in order to support the large number of Japanese automobile, electronics and food processing corporations which have commercial bases there.

According to the Indian newspaper, The Economic Times, as many as 360 Japanese firms with over 700 Japanese expatriates are operating in the state of Tamil Nadu alone, of which Chennai is the capital. The exponential growth in Japan-India trade (currently valued at 18.5 billion dollars per annum) is occurring due to the vast market potential that India’s consumer base with rising incomes presents to Japan’s exporters and investors.

Japan-India economic momentum is headed upwards particularly because of a shift in Japan’s foreign investment focus away from the trouble-ridden Chinese market, where political animus has periodically burnt the business prospects of Japanese companies. India remains a nightmare for foreign investors due to its regulatory and labor market conditions, but these are less problematic than the hatred that animates Chinese public opinion towards Japan and leads to targeted attacks and boycotts of Japanese assets during flare-ups in territorial disputes.

Rising wage levels in China are also making it gradually less lucrative for Japanese conglomerates than ASEAN nations or India. India’s finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, has made an explicit sales pitch for diverting China-exiting Japanese investments to his country, by stating that "Japanese companies and investors would like options other than China for a variety of reasons, and India is as attractive, if not better, than China.”

The economic revival that Japan is witnessing under the era of ‘Abenomics’ has aided India to manage its chronic current account deficit and also improved prospects of Japanese investible cash to finance India’s under-utilized manufacturing potential and under-funded industrial corridor projects.

Components of the "strategic partnership”

One of the interesting instances of Japan’s famed "checkbook diplomacy” is that it has lately sped into democratizing Myanmar like a knight in shining armor. As India’s next-door neighbor, which has long been a close ally of China, Myanmar is now warming up to a Japanese economic influx that is not unwelcome in New Delhi. Indian strategists get goose bumps at the specter of Chinese economic and military inroads into South and Southeast Asia in the context of a perceived contest for influence between Beijing and New Delhi in these coveted sub-regions.

Japan under Prime Minister Abe is rated highly among Indian policymaking elites because he has a clear vision of being a regional leader who can rally the rest of Asia. While New Delhi is wary of joining any formal "alliance” of democratic nations as outlined by Abe, his strategic mission of forcing China to "take responsible action in the international community” is like music to Indian ears.

Both Japan and India have volatile territorial conflicts with China that have been simmering in light of a more assertive and confident Beijing. While global media attention has been riveted on China’s declaration of an ‘air defense identification zone” (ADIZ) in the East China Sea and its dangerous overlaps with similar zones maintained by Japan and South Korea, apprehensions have been raised in India as to whether Beijing could declare something similar like a no-fly zone along the contested land border with India, and ratchet up an already white knuckle atmosphere.

Japan’s willingness to assist India’s maritime security through advanced amphibian aircraft supplies, and the regularization of naval exercises between Japan and India are signs of growing comfort levels between the two in the vast waters stretching from the Bay of Bengal all the way to the East China Sea. While there are intrinsic bilateral benefits of the expanding Japan-India strategic tango, the impact of all these joint activities is intended (more explicitly by Japan and mutedly by India) to send a warning to China that counterbalancing is underway.

During World War II, Indian nationalists, under the charismatic Subhas Chandra Bose, did not hesitate to seek fascist Japan’s help with the aim of overthrowing the yoke of the British Empire. In an eerie echo of the past, India is again eager to partner with Japan to keep the Chinese in check.

Looking beyond China and the US

The time-tested realpolitik maxim— "my enemy’s enemy is my friend”— has some resonance in the way India and Japan eye each other vis-à-vis China. But India is more reticent about Prime Minister Abe’s desire to confront China openly by organizing a club of democracies that are ideologically distinct from and superior to Beijing’s model of authoritarian capitalism.

In the Indian worldview of alignment with all and alliance with none, Beijing has its own special place that cannot be jeopardized by cozying up to Japan with any hostile intent towards China. The volume of China-India trade is four times greater than that between Japan and India. China and India share common interests in promoting a multipolar world, while Japan would presumably be happy in a US-dominated international order. The Cold War-era phobia that India had about a Japan as an Asiatic extension of American and Western interests is long gone, but the basic search for a more equitable global order in which the Americans cannot dictate terms to Indians or others in the developing world remains entrenched in New Delhi.

India’s own great power ambitions require it to lean closer to BRICS and other emerging economies that want to reduce American shares and voices in global institutions. To be fair, Japan itself has tried on occasions to lead Asia out of the American-driven Bretton Woods economic architecture. It was ironically America’s staunch ally, Japan, which visualized an Asian alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the latter bungled the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997.

Shorn of its pre-World War II militaristic path of dominating Asia, Japan still has a foreign policy tradition of trying to be a convener of a regional Asian order that builds dense currency swaps and other macroeconomic integration moves, which would protect Asia’s growing economic potential from Western market turmoil.

India shares such visions of a more integrated Asia and is comfortable with the geostrategic term, ‘Indo-Pacific Asia’, a phrase popularized by Australian strategists like Rory Medcalf. The more Prime Minister Abe anchors Japan as an Asian leader in its own right, and not just as a junior partner of the US, the stronger the inclination in India would be towards twinning its fortunes and conjoining its lenses with those of Japan.

Bridging the understanding deficit

The second visit of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko to India will help rectify one area in which bilateral relations have been lagging, viz. sociocultural understanding and exchanges. Because of Japan’s hitherto insular and mono-ethnic national identity construction and its non-English academic and intellectual environment, Indian citizens and thinkers have not taken to Japan the way they have flocked to the US. The Indian diaspora in Japan is proportionally very minuscule and has not become a formidable presence there.

In the long run, the demographic decline in Japan and India’s ever-eager class of numerous skilled professionals wanting to emigrate to richer countries, should overcome the deficits in people-to-people interaction. The move among Japanese universities to shift to English-based learning and research is also going to motivate more students and strategic elites from India to travel to Japan and vice versa.

Diplomacy by Japan’s Chrysanthemum throne in India can be a showpiece voyage to pique interest among ordinary Indians about Japan’s society, unique value systems and popular culture. Indians nurse deep admiration for Japan as a technological achiever, which set the modernization trend for the rest of Asia to emulate. But the supreme symbolism of the Japanese emperor and empress mingling with Indian people can transcend this mechanical impression and attach a human face to the bilateral relationship. As far more open-minded societies than in 1960, India and Japan can rediscover each other with a royal touch.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Chrysanthemum diplomacy: Japanese emperor returns to India

Indian American MIT Student Wins 2013s Ingenuity Award

MEA — 03/12/2013 18:35:00

India West

Smithsonian magazine, the flagship publication of Smithsonian Media, last month announced that MIT freshman Saumil Bandyopadhyay is among the 10 ground-breaking individuals who were named recipients of the second annual American Ingenuity Awards. The awards honor people across categories including technology, performing and visual arts, natural and physical sciences, education, historical scholarship, social progress and youth achievement.

Bandyopadhyay received the Youth award for a unique, sensitive infrared radiation detector that promises to be inexpensive and has scientific, civilian and military applications. The device has already has attracted the interest of the U.S. Army, according to a press release.

At the age of 18, the young Indian American had five peer-reviewed scientific papers to his name. He spent much of high school in an electrical engineering lab at Virginia Commonwealth University, where his father was a professor, working on the infrared detector, which may one day reduce car crash rates by allowing vehicles to sense each other in fog or darkness.

"It’s a breakthrough—a different way of measuring infrared,” said Gary Tepper, a VCU professor who tutored Bandyopadhyay on one aspect of the project. "We have high-school students in the lab all the time, but we don’t usually see doctoral-level research.”

When John Mather, the Nobel laureate astrophysicist, noticed the infrared device at an Intel Science Fair, he invited Bandyopadhyay to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to discuss it. "I thought it was an ingenious idea,” Mather says. "He’s a brilliant kid.”

Since the seventh grade, Bandyopadhyay has racked up numerous science prizes. He most recently was featured on the Smithsonian Channel’s one-hour documentary titled, "Genius in America.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Indian American MIT Student Wins 2013s Ingenuity Award

India's Mars Orbiter Has Left Earth And Is Headed Towards Mars

MEA — 02/12/2013 09:55:41

Forbes/by Alex Knapp

On November 5, India had a successful launch of its Mars Orbiter. Since that time, the Orbiter has been a tad misnamed – it’s actually been orbiting the Earth, using a series of timed rocket bursts and the assistance of Earth’s gravity to build up the speed it needs to get to Mars. Today, India’s space program has confirmed that the Mars Orbiter has left Earth’s orbit and is now on a trajectory that will take it to the Red Planet after a 10 month journey.

At about 12:49am local India time on December 1 (2:19pm EST November 30), scientists at the India Space Research Organization (ISRO) sent commands to the Mars Orbiter to fire its rockets for 22 minutes. That caused the spacecraft to significantly increase its speed and begin its long trip.

"Following the completion of this manoeuvre, the Earth orbiting phase of the spacecraft ended,” the organization said in a statement. "The spacecraft is now on a course to encounter Mars after a journey of about 10 months around the Sun.”

NASA’s Deep Space Network is providing ISRO with communications support for the probe, which has several different instruments to assist it in its mission to study Martian features, including a methane detector, a mass spectrometer, and different types of cameras.

One notable feature of the mission is its cost, which is incredibly low for this type of mission – when it’s all said and done, the total cost of the project is estimated to be about $69 million. The ability to complete such an ambitious mission at a low cost is something that commercial space proponents are keeping an eye on.

"India’s incredible strides in space exploration are a model for all of us who believe we can and should find the means to lower the cost of space exploration,” Jeffrey Manber, founder and Managing Director of space science company Nanoracks told me. "Not just in low earth orbit but even missions to other planets. Investments in space are essential for India to assure they have a voice in the future of both exploration and utilization of the space environment for domestic needs. It is a small price for the value realized.”

Despite the attention, the Mars Orbiter project is actually just a small part of India’s overall space program – but it may be an important one in keeping it going, according to Jeff Foust, a space industry analyst for Futron.

"It’s worth noting that the Indian space program (now about 50 years old) has long been focused on practical applications: communications, Earth imaging, weather forecasting, and so on,” he said. "Missions like this help show how far India’s space program have come and provide a point of pride for their program; also, it helps the overall space program win support and keep engineers interested in working on it as existing applications, like communications and remote sensing, become more routine.”

For Hoyt Davidson, a managing partner at commercial space investing company Near Earth, LLC, the economic benefits of projects like India’s Mars Orbiter will be valuable as a means of inspiration as well.

"In my humble opinion, what projects like India’s Mars Orbiter mean to a country’s economy has nothing to do with the actual dollars and cents, or in this case the rupees and paise, but the inspirational impact it has on students to study science, technology, engineering and math and the morale boost and general optimism such an audacious project can give to an emerging nation,” he said. ”Such confidence to innovate and achieve can spread positively through an economy. Becoming a major space faring nation means something and more countries seek such a status every year. Of course, a nation can also use those funds for more shovel ready projects, but then all you get are more citizens that know how to use shovels. What will be the key to success in this 21st century? More shoveling, hammering and paving? Or complex engineering, computer skills and scientific discovery?”

If India’s Mars Orbiter is successful, India will be only the fourth space agency to successfully send a probe to Mars, after the United States, Russia, and the European Space Agency. It also won’t be lonely – NASA’s Mars Orbiter, Maven, also launched earlier this month and is expected to arrive in Martian orbit about three days before India’s Mars Orbiter.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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India's Mars Orbiter Has Left Earth And Is Headed Towards Mars

India's mission to Mars gets under way

MEA — 02/12/2013 11:14:14

The Telegraph

India's orbiter spacecraft breaks out of the Earth's orbit and begins 300 day journey towards the red planet

India's Mars orbiter mission ventured out of Earth's sphere of influence early Sunday in an attempt to reach the red planet's orbit after a critical manoeuvre.

The Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organization said the spacecraft fired its main engine for more than 20 minutes, giving it the correct velocity to leave the earth's orbit.

"The Earth orbiting phase of the spacecraft ended. The spacecraft is now on a course to encounter Mars after a journey of about 10 months around the sun," the statement said.

It said that all systems on-board the spacecraft are performing normally.

India launched its first spacecraft bound for Mars on Nov. 5, a complex mission that it hopes will demonstrate and advance technologies for space travel.

The 3,000-pound orbiter Mangalyaan, which means "Mars craft" in Hindi, must travel 485 million miles over 300 days to reach an orbit around Mars next September.

If the mission is successful, India will become only the fourth space program to visit the red planet after the Soviet Union, the United States and Europe.

Some have questioned the $72 million price tag for a country of 1.2 billion people still dealing with widespread hunger and poverty. But the government defended the Mars mission, and its $1 billion space program in general, by noting its importance in providing hi-tech jobs for scientists and engineers and practical applications in solving problems on Earth.

Decades of space research have allowed India to develop satellite, communications and remote sensing technologies that are helping to solve everyday problems at home, from forecasting where fish can be caught by fishermen to predicting storms and floods.

The orbiter will gather images and data that will help in determining how Martian weather systems work and what happened to the large quantities of water that are believed to have once existed on Mars.

It also will search Mars for methane, a key chemical in life processes that could also come from geological processes. Experts say the data will improve understanding about how planets form, what conditions might make life possible and where else in the universe it might exist.

The orbiter is expected to have at least six months to investigate the planet's landscape and atmosphere. At its closest point, it will be 227 miles from the planet's surface, and its furthest point will be 49,700 miles away.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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India's mission to Mars gets under way

Afghanistan seek India’s support to develop Afghan film industry

MEA — 28/11/2013 19:17:49

Khama Press/by Ghanizada

The Afghan filmmakers called on their Indian counterparts to assist Afghanistan develop its film sector.

While speaking during the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the Afghan filmmakers said that the people of Afghanistan love India and Bollywood films.

Sediq Abedi, Director of Afghan Film ‘A Man’s Desire for a Fifth Wife’ said the film industry in Afghanistan collapsed due to decades of civil war.

Mr. Abedi during an interaction with the Indian media persons said that the Afghan film industry lacks key facilities including inftrastructure to show the commercial films.

He appreciated India’s role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and called on the government of India and the Indian film industry to take similar steps and help the Afghanistan film industry to grow.

‘A Man’s Desire for A Fifth Wife’ is the first Afghan film which debuted at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). It is the first India-Afghanistan film in Dari language which was made under a unique joint venture between Indian and Afghan filmmakers, directors and technicians.

According to Abedi, ‘A Man’s Desire for A Fifth Wife’ is the first feature film which was filmed in Afghanistan in the last 66 years to show the reality of country.

The film was jointly produced by Indo-Afghan filmmakers with a total cost of $1.5-2 million.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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Afghanistan seek India’s support to develop Afghan film industry

FEMAIL: How India's top businesswomen are mentoring the next generation of female entrepreneurs

MEA — 28/11/2013 19:34:25

Daily Mail/by Lipla Negi

Call them boundary pushers, path breakers or game changers: An increasing number of successful women are coming forward to help aspiring female professionals and budding entrepreneurs shed their inhibitions and move up in the work force.

Recognising the significance of 'paying it forward', they are structuring and directing several mentoring programmes that help groom mid-level executives for leadership positions.

These agents of change are poised to turn a new page in the history of women's empowerment.

"Today, we have so many successful women like Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochhar and Arundhati Bhattacharya, etc, to look up to. When they share their stories of struggle, they automatically motivate many minds," says VLCC Group Founder and Mentor, Vanadana Luthra.

Sarika Bhattacharyya, Co-Founder of Biz Divas Foundation, agrees.

"When Debjani Ghosh, MD – Intel South Asia, spoke about her journey to the top at the recent Global Mentoring Walk 2013 held in Gurgaon, she inspired every woman who was present there. 'If she can do it so can I' was the common thought. Now that is how mentoring helps to inspire change."

POWER OF MENTORING

Be it a walk, meet or seminar, various channels are now being created to help women across the world connect, share experiences, and support each other to have a voice at the table.

"These meets open up avenues of bonding and networking for working women, which were traditionally never there. They open up your mind, you get new ideas and learn how to deal with professional obstacles. It's a two way path where you teach and learn at the same time," declares Stuti Jalan, Founder & Managing Editor, Crosshairs Communications.

Women who have seen success earlier on are ideal to advise on how to address challenges and navigate through similar obstacles in the career path.

"Mentoring is a critical path to leadership because power expands the moment it is shared. It enables emerging women leaders to gain confidence and skills to thrive as leaders and thus transform many lives around them," explains Alyse Nelson, President and CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an NGO working towards training and empowering emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe.

WOMEN FOR WOMEN

Any woman who broke the stereotypes and overcame biases can inspire others to follow in her footsteps.

Shahnaz Husain, the Founder & Managing Director of The Shahnaz Husain Group of Companies recounts how the country's first woman Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi motivated and encouraged her to take Ayurveda to an international platform.

"Once she asked me if I was selling these products outside India and I said, "No. Outside India, nobody is aware of Ayurveda."

To that, she said, "It's nothing like that."

"She suggested me to take part in the 'See India' festival, which was going to be held in London. To my surprise, not only the products were a big hit, I was able to expand my business exponentially," she remembers.

One of the biggest deterrents in a woman's career is self-doubt; the fear of not being able to do the balancing act. Seeing other women carry both their personal and professional responsibilities with elan helps burst this bubble of self-doubt.

Actor and entrepreneur Shilpa Shetty Kundra agrees. "When I need some mentoring on the balancing act I turn to my mother. From assisting my dad with his business to helping us with our homework while also doing the chores, she has set a great example for us," she declares.

CHANGING TIMES

As the number of women holding C-positions in the male-dominated corporate world is rising, the companies are also not shying away from introducing women-friendly policies.

"Tata Group's 'Second Life' programme is for women who wish to come back to work after a sabbatical. Clearly, the career break in the bio-data doesn't draw question marks anymore," says Amrita Chowdhary, Country Head & Publishing Director of Harlequin India.

She further adds that a lot of credit for the change in mindset also goes to the second generation women entrepreneurs, who are striving for gender diversity in the boardroom.

In addition, mentoring is also being extended to emerging entrepreneurs. British Council India has introduced a 'Young Women Social Entrepreneurship Development' programme in partnership with Diageo Foundation, which aims to identify young women trainers and improve their capacity to train women entrepreneurs.

"There is a need to create more platforms where women across all sections of society can connect and encourage each other to take the leap," says Baroness Usha Parashar, Deputy Chair, Board of Trustees, British Council.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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FEMAIL: How India's top businesswomen are mentoring the next generation of female entrepreneurs

A Week in India with 99 friends

MEA — 25/11/2013 09:59:21

Daily Star/ by Mehereen Aziz

From a young age, we are exposed to Indian culture through TV, food, music, books and even fashion. But how much do we really know about our neighbour? I used to think I knew quite a lot, but catching a glimpse of India for just a week made me realise I had absolutely no idea.

Last month, a hundred Bangladeshi youths consisting of university students, entrepreneurs, journalists and professionals had the good fortune of being chosen by the High Commission of India, Dhaka to visit India as part of a Youth Delegation invited by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, India. The delegation was taken to New Delhi and Bangalore, with the obligatory stop at Agra, of course. The Government of India made sure we ticked off as much as we could on the to-see list. We visited Qutub Minar, Jama Masjid, Rajghat, Red Fort, University of Delhi, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, India Gate, Prasar Bharati, Parliament Museum and National Museum in Delhi. In Bangalore, we were taken to Vidhan Soudha which is seat of the state legislature in Karnataka state, Lal Bagh, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Infosys, Dr Devi Shetty’s Hospital and Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace.

However, it is safe to say that the unanimous highlight of our journey to India was the visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi where we met the honourable President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. The awe-struck feeling that came over us when the high security gates of the head of state’s residence opened to us — a few average Bangladeshi youths — cannot possibly be described in words. We did not have a chance to recover from the exuberance of the 340-room, 130-hectare residence and Darbaar Hall before President Mukherjee entered and gave us a heartfelt welcome speech. Elected in 2012, the first Bengali President of India has even been called "Bangladesh’s son-in-law” in newspapers as his wife is from Bhadrabila, Narail. The President reminded us that India and Bangladesh share a common history and we should celebrate our similarities and find more ways to work together. As the President concluded his speech and posed for photographs, we were left with the humbling realisation that visiting Rashtrapati Bhavan as the guests of the President of the largest democracy in the world was definitely something that happens only once in a lifetime.

Going to India with ninety-nine people I have never met before was quite a leap of faith on my part. But visiting unknown territory as a group of Bangladeshis meant that everyone was extremely friendly and many a night was spent sipping on some tea and taking part in good old adda. Nothing better than stress-free travel, after all. The overall treatment we received from the Government of India was beyond anything we had imagined. From police escorts, to VIP entrances, to the warm welcome from the State Government of Karnataka showed us true Indian hospitality. We also got a taste of how big India really is compared to Bangladesh when we landed in Bangalore after spending a few days in Delhi. The people, the language, the food; everything was different, and all it took was a two-hour flight.

The visit to India was truly a learning experience for us all, as we got to explore and learn about a lot of India’s dimensions that wouldn’t have happened if we went by ourselves. As a guest of the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, I have to commend India on the thought and emphasis it puts on its youth. By 2020, India’s youth is predicted to make up 64 percent of the total population, making it the youngest country in the world. We must remember that Bangladesh also comprises of a very youthful population, and perhaps our policies should focus more on investing into youth to guarantee more economic growth in the future.We often overlook India as a travel destination and only think of it as a place for shopping, choosing countries further away with the misconception that India is similar to Bangladesh. I myself have thought along the same lines on occasion. But this trip made me realise that although there are similarities, there are also huge differences. India has many an attractive destination to keep any curious traveller happy.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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A Week in India with 99 friends

A defining moment in India-Japan relations

MEA — 24/11/2013 17:15:18

Gulf Times/By Brahma Chellaney

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, in a rare overseas trip, are scheduled to begin a tour of the Indian cities of New Delhi and Chennai on November 30.

The imperial couple’s weeklong visit is likely to mark a defining moment in Indo-Japanese relations, fostering closer economic and security ties between Asia’s two leading democracies as they seek a pluralistic, stable Asian order.

Traditionally, a visit from the Japanese emperor – except for a coronation or royal anniversary celebration – signified a turning point in a bilateral relationship. While the emperor is merely the "symbol of the state” under Japan’s US-imposed postwar constitution, he retains significant influence, owing to Japanese veneration of the imperial dynasty – the world’s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, the origins of which can be traced to 660 BC.

Indeed, the emperor’s overseas visits remain deeply political, setting the tone – if not the agenda – for Japan’s foreign policy.

Consider Akihito’s 1992 visit to China – the first such visit by any Japanese emperor. Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping’s government – grateful for Japan’s reluctance to maintain punitive sanctions over the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and eager for international recognition, not to mention Japanese capital and commercial technologies – had extended seven invitations over two years.

Akihito’s trip, which came at the height of Japan’s pro-China foreign policy, was followed by increased Japanese aid, investment and technology transfer, thereby cementing Japan’s role in China’s economic rise. The improved diplomatic relationship lasted until the recent flare-up of territorial and other bilateral disputes.

Although no Japanese emperor has visited India before, the bilateral relationship runs deep. In traditional Japanese culture, India is Tenjiku (the country of heaven). Today, Japan is India’s largest source of aid and has secured a key role in supporting infrastructure development, financing projects like the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, and the Bangalore Metro Rail Project.

With these natural allies seeking to add strategic bulk to their rapidly multiplying ties, Akihito’s tour is the most significant visit to India by any foreign leader in recent years. Indeed, it is expected to be one of the last foreign trips for the 79-year-old emperor, who has undergone several major surgeries in the past decade.

Akihito’s travel schedule contrasts sharply with that of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Despite having had open-heart surgery during his first term, India’s 81-year-old leader has sought to offset his low domestic political stock by flying more than 1mn kilometres on overseas trips – including visits to Japan, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and the US in the last six months alone.

The paradox of Akihito’s tour – for which Singh has appointed a special envoy with ministerial rank to oversee preparations – is that Japan is investing substantial political capital to build a strong, long-term partnership with India’s government at a time when India is gripped by policy paralysis.

Japan’s leaders are perhaps counting on the continuity of India’s strategic policies, which would require the Indian government that emerges from next year’s general election to sustain the momentum of co-operation.

But, more important, Japan is adjusting to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing regional environment, characterised by rising geopolitical competition with China. In a historical reversal, Japan has found itself on the defensive against the increasingly muscular foreign policy of its former colony and old rival.

This situation is forcing the Japanese government to reconsider its postwar pacifism, revise its defence strategy, and increase its military spending. In this context, Japan knows that a deeper strategic collaboration with India – which is also seeking to blunt increasing military pressure from China – is its best move.

In modern history, Japan has had the distinction of consistently staying ahead of the rest of Asia. During the Meiji era, in the second half of the nineteenth century, it became the first Asian country to modernise. It was also the first Asian country to emerge as a world power, defeating Manchu-ruled China and Czarist Russia in separate wars.

And after its defeat in World War II, Japan rose from the ashes to become Asia’s first global economic powerhouse.

With per capita GDP of more than $37,000, Japan still ranks among the world’s richest countries, specialising in the highest-value links of global supply chains. And income inequality in Japan ranks among the lowest in Asia.

Nonetheless, almost two decades of economic stagnation have eroded Japan’s regional clout. This raises the question of whether Japan’s current problems –sluggish growth, high public debt and rapid population ageing – presage a similar trend across East Asia.

Similar problems are already appearing in South Korea, while China has been driven to loosen its one-child policy and unveil plans for economic reforms aimed at reviving growth.

For India, Japan is indispensable as both an economic and a security partner. It is central to India’s "Look East” policy, which has evolved into more of an "Act East” policy, whereby the original strategy’s economic logic has been amplified by the larger geopolitical objective of ensuring Asian stability and a regional balance of power. It is in this light that Akihito’s historic visit should be viewed. – Project Syndicate

Brahma Chellaney, professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, is the author of Asian Juggernaut, Water: Asia’s New Battleground, and Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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A defining moment in India-Japan relations

India's tribal regions using Facebook, WhatsApp to fight corruption

MEA — 22/11/2013 18:45:25

ZD Net/by Nitin Puri

Ahead of federal elections next year, politicians have been embracing social media to their advantage. Now, that same space could be used against them when tribal groups attempt to expose some of their unethical practices.

While Indian politicians have been embracing social media to spread their message ahead of elections, they'll now have to watch out for Indian youth from tribal regions using technology to catch corruption.

Youths are now armed with both Facebook and WhatsApp, are ready to expose how some candidates turn to vote buying, usually 48 hours before elections are held, with unethical practices such as wooing voters with money, mutton, and liquor, reports The Times of India.

The tribal youth, operating under the name Tribal Yuva Sakhti, are also involved in a campaign of their own to persuade voters away from enticement and vote in an honest manner instead.

Their strategy is quite simple: if someone sees a candidate behaving in an unethical manner, simple take a picture or make a movie from your mobile device, and upload either the images or videos to social media websites such as Facebook, or circulate it on WhatsApp.

A group of around 1,000 people is going around from village to village in a door to door campaign to also inform and educate votes of the same, and again, the discourage enticement and instead, capture the moment using mobile devices instead. In previous elections, candidates have in fact attempted to lure tribals by voting for them using these unethical methods. At present, almost every house in tribal belts has at least one person who uses the Internet and also has an account on a social media website. Furthermore, most youngsters from tribal areas, who attend college, also have access to both mobile devices, along with online access, and again, social media access too.

Clearly, it's time for a change in the way candidates and politicians attempt to lure tribal votes, especially now that they are also empowered with technology too. However, I wonder how much of a difference a captured, unethical practice would make in terms of votes? If tribal voters are accustomed to being lured for votes, then it's something they are used to. Ultimately, it's for the voters to decide at the end who will earn their vote, but if along the way they have been gifted in one way or another, then their vote is already skewed.

Furthermore, while going viral is a great way to expose those, I feel an even better way would be for people to directly send pictures or videos to an election board or committee within the Indian government directly. At least this way, there would be some form of reprimand from higher authorities, because let's be frank, uploaded images and videos won't do much unless addressed by those who have the power to make a difference.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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India's tribal regions using Facebook, WhatsApp to fight corruption

WFP receives a contribution from India in support of Yemen's poorest households

MEA — 22/11/2013 18:11:07

Thomson Reuters Foundation

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed today a US$1.8 million contribution from the Government of India that will support 121,300 of the most vulnerable people in Yemen for the next six months.

"Thanks to India's contribution, WFP will be able to provide life-saving assistance to some of Yemen's most food insecure people in the coming six months," said WFP Representative and Country Director Bishow Parajuli. "This critical support will help alleviate the suffering caused by food insecurity across the country".

WFP used the Indian grant to purchase around 2,600 metric tons of wheat that was officially handed over to the Government of Yemen in a ceremony today at WFP Asser warehouse in Sana'a.

"India's relations with Yemen are historic, close and friendly marked by excellent people to people contacts. For Yemen and its people, India is a friend of all weathers and our latest contribution exemplifies our abiding commitment to support the friendly people of Yemen in these challenging times," said Indian Joint Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs H.E. Mridul Kumar who handed over the wheat shipment.

Minister for Planning and International Cooperation Mr Mohammed Saeed Al-Sa'adi represented the Government of Yemen and said: "We are grateful to the government and people of India for providing this timely donation and we highly appreciate the cooperation between WFP and India in delivering assistance to those in need."

WFP will distribute the Indian wheat under its primary operation that aims to reach five million people, providing emergency food assistance for 3.5 million food insecure people and cash transfers for another 400,000; food assistance to 600,000 internally displaced people; and nutritional support for 405,000 children under five and 157,000 pregnant women and nursing mothers.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Last year, WFP reached more than 97 million people in 80 countries with food assistance.

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WFP receives a contribution from India in support of Yemen's poorest households

India fights gender discrimination with All-Women Bank

MEA — 22/11/2013 18:22:04

Diplomat/by Angela Erika Kubo

Coinciding with the 96th anniversary of the birth of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, India has opened seven branches of its first state-owned bank for women. The bank will provide loans and financial services mostly for women and women’s self-help groups.

"The setting up of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank is a small step towards economic empowerment of our women,” said current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Only 26 percent of Indian women have an account with a formal financial institution, compared to 46 percent of men. In the countryside, where banks are scarce and women face more problems opening an account, the number is likely to be much lower. Per capita credit to women is 80 percent lower than that for men. Typically, Indian women give their earnings to their husbands, although many women in the country start and run their own small businesses.

"Our main objective will be to empower and educate women financially,” Usha Ananthasubramanian, chairperson of the bank and former executive director of Punjab National Bank, told BBC.

The bank will achieve that goal by creating job opportunities for women and paying special attention to certain segments of the female population, particularly those living in the more rural areas in India, who face difficulties in society. The bank plans to open 771 branches over the next year and hopes to enter rural areas before March 2014.

Lending will predominantly be to women and to companies that focus on women, but there will be no restricts on deposits made by men. Bharatiya Mahila Bank is also looking to go beyond the banking business by providing assistance in setting up daycare centers, which could ultimately allow women to work and become more financially self-sufficient. The bank also hopes to partner with NGOs and help train women in various vocations.

The women’s bank comes almost a year after the December 16, 2012 gang rape of a female student in Delhi, which sparked nationwide protests and debate on the rape culture in India. The incident placed pressure on the government to introduce measures that would help empower women and close the gender gap. In February, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced the creation of the bank in his budget speech.

Although many have praised the announcement, others felt that it was a populist move designed to attract female voters in the federal elections next year. Branches of the bank have been banned in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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India fights gender discrimination with All-Women Bank

India Prepares Evacuations of 100,000 Before Cyclone Helen Hits

MEA — 22/11/2013 18:49:23

New York Times/by Sriram Karri

The National Disaster Management Authority was preparing on Thursday to evacuate nearly 100,000 people in four districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Helen is expected to make landfall late Friday.

"The scenario has changed as per meteorological reports in the last 24 hours,” said Marri Shashidhar Reddy, vice chairman of National Disaster Management Authority. "Cyclone Helen has changed direction slightly and become slower on sea. Initial reports had the cyclone making landfall on Thursday night, but with the cyclone taking a changed track now, it will hit only late evening tomorrow.”

Mr. Reddy said the point of landfall has also shifted from Kavali in the district of Nellore to a point about 70 kilometers (40 miles) farther north. The districts of Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna in southern coastal Andhra Pradesh will most likely face maximum impact, he said.

The total number of evacuees would be below 100,000, he said, including an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 in Nellore, around 18,000 each in Prakasam and Guntur and 34,000 in Krishna.

Andhra Pradesh was one of the three states to be hit by Cyclone Phailin last month, but thanks to adequate evacuations, casualties were minimal.

"The intensity of Helen is far lower than Phailin,” Mr. Reddy said. The delay of 18 to 24 hours to landfall has made it easier to ensure zero casualties, he said.

The cyclone, which is expected to have speeds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour, has been categorized as a "super cyclone” but is likely to weaken in 12 hours to become a deep depression, Mr. Reddy said.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed across the region for the coming cyclone and are coordinating with local administrations.

"We have put the state government and local administrations in all four districts on high alert,” said Mr. Reddy. "We did not evacuate people yesterday but were on a standby. With the change in direction, the areas of vulnerability are also shifting; we will act accordingly. The slowing of the cyclone gives us more time till tomorrow. We are aiming for a zero casualty mark.”

The Indian Meteorological Department said Cyclone Helen, whose center was over the western-central parts of the Bay of Bengal, will cause heavy to very heavy rainfall in most parts of southern Andhra Pradesh and eastern Tamil Nadu.

The cyclone is likely to lead to a surge in sea levels of one to 1.5 meters (three to five feet) in the four districts where impact is expected to be greatest, the meteorological agency said. With the conditions of the sea being extremely volatile, state and local government officials have warned fishermen not to venture out.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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India Prepares Evacuations of 100,000 Before Cyclone Helen Hits

India launches first bank exclusively for women

MEA — 20/11/2013 17:41:28

Reuters/ by Nita Bhalla

India launched its first public sector bank catering for women on Tuesday, an initiative aimed at economically empowering millions of women across the country who do not have access to basic financial services such as bank accounts or loans.

Inaugurating the first branch of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in the financial city of Mumbai, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told dignitaries that despite great successes made by some women in India, many continued to face financial exclusion.

"Over centuries India has produced several accomplished women leaders in a diverse range of areas - science, medicine, business, sports, politics and so on. A recent global survey of top 50 women business leaders in the world included four Indian women," Singh said.

"However, all this does not reflect the average reality of women in our country. The sad reality is that women in India face discrimination and hardship at home, at school, at their place of work and in public places. Their social, economic and political empowerment remains a distant goal."

Access to a bank account is essential for women's economic empowerment as it provides a safe place to save money and opens up a channel to credit which can be used for investing in education, property or in a business, gender experts say.

Yet more than 1.3 billion women worldwide remain largely outside the formal financial system, according to the World Bank's Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) database.

In regions such as South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, it says, women are about 40 percent less likely than men to have a formal account.

"Only 26 percent of women in India admit to having a bank account," said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram at the bank's launch.

"Since fewer women than men have bank accounts, fewer women are able to get loans. Per capita credit in the case of women is 80 percent lower than in the case of men. Hence the need for a bank that predominantly serves women - from the self-help groups to the small business women and from the working woman to the high net worth individual."

Chidambaram had pledged in his budget speech in February that the government would provide an initial investment of 10 billion rupees to help the bank take off.

Head-quartered in New Delhi, the Bharatiya Mahila Bank will initially have branches in seven cities including Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Guwahati.

This will increase to 25 in urban and rural areas by March 2014 and will further expand to 500 over the next four years.

The bank will offer usual commercial services, and will accept deposits and give loans to women or to businesses which are either managed by or make products for women. There will be emphasis on providing credit for skills development for women and slight concessions on loan rates.

It will largely be run by women, but will employ some men. Savings accounts, but not loans, will be available to men.

Experts say women lack access to finance - partly because of illiteracy, remote locations and lack of documentation, but also because of deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes which mean men still control family budgets.

Women who wish to start small businesses often do not have the technical and financial expertise or face discrimination at local banks when they try to get loans and other services.

"The setting up of the Bharatiya Mahila Bank is a small step towards the economic empowerment of our women," said Singh, adding the bank's launch coincided with the birthday of the India's first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"I am also sure that it will particularly benefit women from the less privileged sections of our society. The fact that it will be run largely by women will serve as an example that given the opportunity, women are capable of taking on challenging tasks."

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India launches first bank exclusively for women

India aims to make space for growth

MEA — 18/11/2013 19:18:42

Hispanic Business

With the launch of its first Mars mission, the subcontinent has thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of Asia, especially China, as it bids to boost its economy through technological development. Rebecca Bundhun, Foreign Correspondent, writes from Mumbai

India's successful launch of a spacecraft to Mars this month has brought the country's space ambitions and its advanced technologies in the field into focus.

The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) mission has prompted divided opinions. Some critics question whether the country – which has extremely high levels of poverty and malnutrition across its population – should have spent US$72 million on the project, even though that amount is considered relatively low for such a enterprise.

The annual budget of the ISRO is just $700m, or 0.038 per cent of India's GDP. By contrast, this year Nasa's will be $16.5 billion, about 0.1 per cent of the United States' GDP

Others, meanwhile, argue that the mission could provide a huge boost to the development of India's space technology industry, which would in turn bring enormous and much-needed benefits to its economy as India puts itself in a position to grab a larger share of the $300bn worldwide space market.

"The recent Mars mission has put the global spotlight on India's space programme," says Susmita Mohanty, the chief executive and co-founder of Earth2Orbit, India's first private sector space company, which is striving to commercialise the country's space capabilities.

"It will likely attract other nations, even private entrepreneurs, to collaborate and launch joint missions."

The spacecraft, which was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's east coast on November 5, is set to travel 780 million kilometres for 300 days before reaching the red planet's orbit next year. India's would become the fourth space agency to reach Mars if the mission is successful. The US, Russia and Europe Union are the three that have already achieved that feat. India's space programme began in 1962 and was institutionalised under the ISRO in 1969.

Some commentators have described the mission as upping the ante in the Asian space race, as it could give India a victory over China and other nations in space exploration. A similar mission by China was unsuccessful in 2011, when its spacecraft failed to leave Earth's orbit. More than half of all missions to Mars have not succeeded. There were concerns that the Indian operation could be jeopardised when on Monday a problem with the spacecraft's liquid fuel thruster meant it fell short of its intended velocity target but the ISOR said later the glitch had been resolved.

(Views expressed are personal views of the writer)

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India aims to make space for growth

What India can teach America about democracy

MEA — 18/11/2013 09:51:44

US News/ by Michael Crowley

The United States is often taken for granted as the world's exemplar of democracy. American policymakers are comfortable in that position. They tend to spend more time assuming that all eyes are on us than seeking lessons from beyond our borders.

But if America reversed its inward perspective, what would it see? Older cultures that are younger democracies may have more to teach us than we would like to admit. First on the list is India. The U.S. can benefit from looking at the ways that country faces its constitutional, demographic and strategic challenges.

Constitutionalism: Have Faith.

In his 1997 book "The Idea of India," Sunil Khilnani describes India's leaders establishing constitutional democracy "in a fit of absent-mindedness." Following partition and the end of British colonial rule, India's constitution was finalized in 1950. To date, India's constitutional lifespan is less than one-third that of the U.S. That amount includes a nearly two-year period (the "emergency" of June 1975 to March 1977) when Prime Minister Indira Ghandi suspended elections and civil liberties. In 1950, however, India adopted universal voting rights in a society where inequality had been codified culturally for centuries. Khilnani writes that no one knew how this "fundamental contradiction," inscribed in India's constitution, might be resolved. B.K. Ambedkar, then leader of India's "untouchables," said during a Constitutional Assembly in 1949: "In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality … How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we do so only by putting our political democracy in peril."

The link Ambedkar cites between inequality and democratic health has appeared on many U.S. op-ed pages. There is a striking difference in U.S. and Indian perspective towards their respective constitutions. Khilnani describes the Indian constitutional process as a leap of faith. While historians like Gordon S. Wood have emphasized the "radicalism" of the American Revolution, one is more likely to find the U.S. constitution treated as holy writ rather than a human effort at better government.

The U.S. constitution has no better credential than the political stability it has produced. Rigid attitudes toward the constitution, however, have become barriers to change on issues with mainstream support (see health care reform, gun control and same-sex marriage) in America. One wonders whether a constitution like India's, which was more progressive than the culture that produced it, can serve its nation better by being more responsive to mainstream calls for reform. The U.S. took the 15th and 19th amendments and the Civil Rights Act to ensure universal voting rights. India accomplished it in the first draft.

Demography: Size and Diversity

At 1.2 billion people, India' population is equivalent in size to four Americas. Like America, it is a comparatively young nation. Half of the Indian population is below the age of 20. In India, the median age is 35 and dropping; in the U.S., it is nearly 37.

Demographers often point to young populations as sources of economic dynamism. A large working-age population supporting a smaller retirement age population is certainly preferable to the reverse. Population, however, can be a burden and a boon. India faces a similar challenge to China in developing its economy quickly enough to provide jobs for its growing young population. Its political stability depends upon it. >

In his 2009 book "The Post-American World," Fareed Zakaria (in a chapter titled "The Ally") discusses the anticipation and confusion over what type of democratic power India will become. In part because of the economic strains of providing for its large population, Zakaria argues, India may not develop a level of military strength that could counter China's rise.

The structure of India's economy, on the other hand, may empower it. Zakaria details the rough composition of India's GDP: 50 percent services, 25 percent manufacturing and 25 percent agriculture. This is on par with nations such as Portugal and Greece that have higher average incomes and which lead India in manufacturing and agriculture, but trail it in services. This is a combination, Zakaria writes, "that no one could have planned." In other words, India's industrial base may need to catch up, but in 21st century technologies it is better suited to compete. Given the country's demographics, this is probably a better situation than the reverse.

Strategy: Your Enemies Are Closer

The U.S. is bordered by two democracies. While deeply concerned with enemies abroad, it recently has not had to contend with adversarial neighbors. By contrast, India shares borders with China and Pakistan — both rivals and nuclear powers with whom it has clashed militarily. As noted above, India's economic demands may prevent it from acquiring military might to rival China. If money were no option, it is unclear if it would choose to do so. India founded the "non-aligned" movement and has prized its independence from what George Washington termed "entangling alliances." Its foreign policy has been driven by self-interest, and will likely remain focused on stability in Southeast Asia. America's relationship with India will go a long way toward securing its influence in the region.

America has a unique standing among world democracies. Its foreign policy has the broadest reach. It benefits the U.S., however, to examine the challenges facing the nascent democracies it looks to as allies. An outward-looking foreign policy that seeks better understanding of the challenges these regional allies face may help the U.S. improve its relations with them. In the process, the U.S. may also learn a few lessons abroad it can use at home.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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What India can teach America about democracy

Dedicated to the art of India, half a world away

MEA — 18/11/2013 10:02:38

Madison/ by Gayle Worland

Poonam Rao doesn’t call herself this — but she’s something of an ambassador for Indian art, in all its rich traditions.

From oil paintings on glass to 2D works using a traditional foil technique, "Each art that I learn is research,” she said. "I have to learn about the origin. I have to study all the patterns and then try to recreate it.”

"With each of these traditions, there is always a story. What inspired those people to do it?”

Rao currently has her work displayed around the area in restaurants and local galleries. Her home is filled with traditional Indian art she created herself. And she is working on a series of recorded TV programs called "Celebrating Indian Art” and "Celebrating Indian Culture” for viewers in Sun Prairie and the region.

But she might best be known as the henna artist who volunteers her talents at community events around Madison. On a single Saturday in October, Rao shuttled between the Madison Children’s Museum, Overture Center and the Chazen Museum to offer free henna tattoos at special events.

In summer she is busy creating henna tattoos for brides and wedding parties. The intricately detailed designs, drawn with a natural, temporary henna paste in something like a pastry bag for icing a cake, are placed on the hands as a festive adornment for a bride, family members and even wedding guests. For both Indian and Caucasian brides today, she said, "It’s also a fashion statement.”

"What I think I bring is the authenticity and the intricacy in the henna patterns,” said Rao, who has also used henna to create paintings on wood and canvas. "I like creating that memory for the bride that will last a lifetime.”

Rao’s family just concluded a celebration of the light-filled holiday Diwali. In mid-October they also celebrated Dussehra, a Hindu festival that celebrates good over evil. Participants put the tools they use most — from hammer to pen to cooking knife — at a small temple in the home to receive a blessing. Rao set out her paintbrush.

The mother of an 8-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, Rao works full-time as an IT program manager and has an MBA in finance, a master’s degree in computer management and a diploma in software engineering. But while studying those fields in India, she also pursued an advanced degree in cold ceramics, working in the tradition of elaborately ornamental Indian pottery.

"During my college years I was so passionate about art that I was working full-time and studying, but I still took these extra classes (in art), and late at night I created all the pottery,” she said.

She loves the rustic and the ancient, especially the tradition of Indian Warli tribal art that reaches back millennia. Over her living room couch hang paintings that Rao made in the Warli tribal style, using acrylic paints on fabric rather than the age-old media of "paint” made from a paste of crushed white rice powder atop a brown background made of earthen materials.

The forms are simple — circles, triangles, lines — but the images tell an elaborate story of village traditions and a time gone by.

"I absolutely love this. I could do this entire wall” in the Warli art style, Rao said with a laugh.

Rao grew up in the city of Pune, outside Bombay, in a traditional home filled with her mother’s and grandmothers’ antiques, her aunt’s artwork and pieces from local craftspeople.

"The things in the home were the kind that were handmade, rather than those that come sealed in plastic,” she said.

She came to the U.S. when the IT company she worked for in India sent her to Bloomington, Ill., as a consultant. In Bloomington she met her future husband, Sameer, and the two returned to India for their wedding.

Though they moved to Sun Prairie 10 years ago, the couple remains very close to the group of friends they first met in central Illinois. Many of those friends have dispersed throughout the Midwest, but still reunite four or five times a year — now with spouses and children — for long holiday weekends filled with Indian food and tradition.

That connection has kept Rao from getting homesick, and her friends support her longtime passion for making art, she said. So does her husband, who often takes the lead on caring for their children while she teaches an art class, puts together an exhibit or volunteers at a community event.

It was after having a successful sale of her paintings at Overture Center’s International Festival in January that Rao decided to found Celebrations Art Studio and create a presence on Facebook. It was at that point that she acknowledged "I have spent years studying art,” she said. "I want to give back to the community in a much bigger way.”

She found in the Madison area that people responded to her henna tattoos and the face-painting she does for children. She began teaching classes for the Sun Prairie Recreation Department in creating Indian art. In December, her work will be exhibited along with other local pieces in the Art Studio Gallery in the Madison Children’s Museum.

Rao gave abstract painting a try, but keeps returning to the rich, traditional art forms of her homeland.

"I think it’s a good education for my kids, too,” she said. "Because they cannot learn this from any museum. I have taught my son this, and I feel proud that at such a young age he knows about Warli art. Growing up, they may not decorate their homes in the Indian style, but at least I feel that we have done our part to give them the best of two cultures.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Dedicated to the art of India, half a world away

India to become second-largest Internet market in 2014

MEA — 18/11/2013 10:06:27

Telecompaper

The number of Internet users in India has reached 205 million in October this year, registering a year-over-year growth of 40 percent according to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International. By December, the number is expected to reach 213 million.

The report also estimates that by June 2014, India will have 243 million internet users, at which point of time, it is expected to overtake the US as the second largest Internet base in the world. China currently leads with more than 300 million internet users while the US has an estimated 207 million internet users.

According to the report, the number of internet users in urban India was 137 million in October and is estimated to touch 141 million by December. Rural India has witnessed year-over-year growth of 58 percent in active internet users since June 2012. In rural India, there were 68 million internet users in October and this is estimated to reach 72 million by December.

According to the report, the number of mobile internet users has also witnessed a steady rise, with 110 million mobile internet users in October. This is estimated to reach 130 million by the end of December. In June, there were 91 million users accessing the internet on mobile devices, with 70.2 million users in urban India. This number rose to 85 million in October and is estimated grow by 47 percent and reach 103 million by December. Rural India is not that far behind in this regard with a base of 21 million mobile internet users in June. It reached 25 million in October and will touch 27 million by December. Mobile usage and hence, mobile internet usage has seen a huge jump from the 2012 penetration levels. Compared to the 0.4 percent mobile internet users in 2012, the penetration has grown to 2.4 percent.

The report further finds that more than 50 percent of the urban internet users access internet daily. However, this high frequency usage is not restricted to only the youth and working men; this habit of accessing the internet daily is seen among other demographic segments as well, including older men and non-working women. In rural India, 70 percent of the active internet users also access internet using mobile phones, while 32 percent use internet only through mobile. The Community Service Centers and Cyber Cafes are the main point of access for 40 percent of them.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India to become second-largest Internet market in 2014

"Egyptians are very receptive to Indian culture": director of the Maulana Azad Centre

MEA — 18/11/2013 10:10:44

Ahram Online/by Ati Metwaly

Azar A.H. Khan, the newly appointed cultural counsellor at the Indian embassy and the director of the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture arrived in Egypt in early October with the task of continuing to foster cultural dialogue between the two countries.

His appointment as the centre's director came after the role had been vacant for a year, following the departure of the previous director Suchitra Durai, a diplomat and wife of the former Indian ambassador to Egypt.

Khan, who speaks Arabic fluently, holds a master's degree in Arabic literature.

"Following my graduation, I served as a diplomat in Saudi Arabia and Libya," Khan told Ahram Online. "Wherever I find myself in the Arab world, I meet many Egyptians: doctors, engineers and so on. I have interacted with many Egyptians," he said.

Since its inauguration in 1982, the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture in the heart of downtown Cairo has offered a wide range of cultural activities: film screenings, Hindi, Urdu and yoga classes, lectures, festivals and exhibitions.

One of the most recent exhibitions, which closed on Thursday, was titled "Faces and Features," and included caricatures and cartoons representing Indian and Egyptian personalities created by artists from the Egyptian Caricature Society.

The centre is also home to a large library with books on Indian arts, culture, history, economics, and politics in English, Arabic and Hindi.

"Cultural exchange is not new to Indian diplomacy in Egypt. Culture is a part of our ongoing bilateral interaction, an important component of cooperation between the two countries," says Khan. "We are always interested in using cultural programs as a tool to bring people together," he adds.

Khan notes that recent months have seen a particular increase in activity at the centre, which he credits to the current ambassador, Navdeep Suri, who "offers his full support and guidance."

One example is the first annual India by the Nile, a festival of performing and visual arts that took place in April and May 2013.

"We have already started working on next year's India by the Nile festival. It will take place in April 2014, and we expect to will be even bigger than this year's programme," Khan revealed to Ahram Online.

Though it is still too early for the event organizers – the Indian Embassy in Cairo, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), and Team Work Productions India – to confirm the full programme for the upcoming festival, Khan shared some captivating highlights: a Bollywood dance workshop, a kathak dance troupe, a performance by Indian folk musician Rajasthan Josh; a panel featuring renowned Indian film personalities, and sari fashion show.

"'The sari, a traditional Indian women's garment, consists of a single six-yard piece of cloth," Khan explained. "We hope to create a captivating display of the sari, possibly worn by well-known Egyptian female figures."

Khan added that, as it did in 2013, the 2014 India by the Nile festival will be hosted by several venues throughout Egypt.

In parallel to these festival preparations, the Indian cultural sector in Egypt has also recently intensified its efforts to foster cultural exchange between Indians and Egyptians from all walks of life.

An exhibition titled "The Spirit of Gandhi in Egypt," was held between 2 and 10 October at the Maulana Azad Centre, displaying posters and caricatures of renowned Indian pacifist Gandhi.

Also in October, Egyptian students were invited to take part in "Glimpses of India," a drawing competition held in Cairo's Al-Azhar park.

On 27 and 28 October, Khan directed "India Days" at the Sadat University in Monofeya. The event aimed to honour the history of bilateral relations between India and Egypt through a display of old photographs of Nasser and Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and other leaders of the two countries. Crafts from India and Egypt were also on display.

"People all across Egypt are very receptive to Indian culture," Khan noted. While the Maulana Azad Centre operates in Cairo and the capital already enjoys a wide range of activities that testify to the vibrant cultural cooperation between the two countries, Khan also hopes to expand Indian cultural programmes to other Egyptian cities such as Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, and Hurghada.

"Interest in Indian culture is also generated by some Egyptian students who train themselves in Bollywood dance. A number of girls connected to the centre study Indian dance styles," Khan said.

He also notes that, following a 25-year absence from Egyptian screens, Bollywood movies began to be screened in Egyptian cinemas again this year. 2 October saw the Egyptian premiere of Bollywood film Chennai Express, starring Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan. Krrish 3, from the Bollywood science fiction series Krrish, starring Hrithik Roshan, will be in Egyptian theatres soon.

"Though the centre screens Indian movies on a weekly basis, watching them in cinemas is a different experience. This initiative allows a larger segment of the Egyptian population to enjoy Indian movies," Khan explained.

Concluding, Khan also stressed the importance of educational cooperation between India and Egypt. "India offers several scholarships for Egyptian students interested in pursuing their education in English, in India, at a university of their choice. This scholarship programme is offered with the support of the Ministry of Culture."

Every year, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations awards 3 scholarships to Egyptian undergraduate students and 10 to Egyptian doctorate candidates. In addition, the Indian government offers 14 scholarships to Egyptians as part of its "Africa scholarship scheme." Scholarships are also offered to Egyptian students interested in studying Hindi or Urdu.

Founded in 1982, the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture took its name from Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin (1888-1958), a scholar and leader of the Indian struggle for independence. Muhiyuddin was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to a daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Zaher Watri, a well-known Arab scholar from Medina, and Maulana Khairuddin, a Bengali Muslim of Afghan origin.

"My father was well-known throughout the Islamic world after his ten volume work was published in Egypt. He came to Bombay several times and once came to Calcutta... He also toured extensively in Iraq, Syria and Turkey," Maulana Azad wrote in his semi-autobiographical essay, India Wins Freedom.Maulana Azad himself was profoundly interested in Muslim and Arab cultures. His extensive travels took him to Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. In Cairo, he met Egyptian revolutionary and statesman Saad Zaghloul and a number of other revolutionary figures.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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"Egyptians are very receptive to Indian culture": director of the Maulana Azad Centre

History of shared sacrifice unites India, Australia

MEA — 13/11/2013 20:25:20

The Australian/by Rory Medcalf

This Remembrance Day, spare a thought for a forgotten Australian soldier and what his story tells us about our future.

He was killed in action in Belgium in 1917. The Australian War Memorial describes the silence of his records as "testament to a strong man", not least because he was not young - in fact, 43 - when he joined to fight in the trenches.

But there was something even more remarkable about him that speaks to a changing Australia's future in Asia, as well as to our past. For Private Nain Singh Sailani was Indian, a pioneer of the extraordinary migrant community that is making a huge contribution to this country.

Today in Sydney, hundreds of that community's high achievers will gather for Australia's first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conference, a celebration of the Indian diaspora and the way it is connecting the two nations. It's a far cry from anything Nain Singh Sailani would have recognised when he travelled from Simla to Geraldton to work as a labourer in the 1890s, or when he signed up as an Australian soldier in 1916 at the height of the White Australia policy.

More than 300,000 people in today's Australia were born in India and that's not counting second and successive generations. They add greatly to Australia's prosperity and resilience in a competitive world. They are more likely to be young, educated and employed than the wider population.

A distinct Indian-Australian identity is taking shape. Indians are our fastest growing migrant community, Punjabi our fastest growing language and Hinduism our fastest-growing religion. Travel both ways is increasing fast, as new direct air routes attest.

India has become this country's fourth-largest export market, with a focus on energy and education, as well as a major source of investment. It is also a strategic partner in our shared Indo-Pacific Asian region.

Australians and Indians forget that their militaries have a long history of shared sacrifice, from Gallipoli to Tobruk. In Afghanistan, our enemies have been India's enemies too. And looking ahead both countries have an interest in an Asian security order where no country is destabilisingly dominant.

No wonder India is one of the Asian countries that the Abbott government recognises as critical to Australia's future - as Gillard, Rudd and Howard each realised in turn. But in all this, people will matter more than politics and strategy.

When the US shed its strategic estrangement from India a decade ago, it was pushed along by Indian Americans - an enormously successful community, established over generations, bolstered by brains, influence and industry, in every sense.

Opinion polling in India by the Lowy Institute and the Australia India Institute shows that even now, despite America's troubles, Indians admire the US more than they do any other country. The influence of the diaspora, communicating positive attitudes back to their families in India, explains this much more than American statecraft.

Likewise, in the ups and downs that lie ahead for Australia-India relations - and there will always be rough moments when two democracies engage - the emerging voice of Indian Australians will make all the difference.

Australia has done much to rebuild its good name against the monsoon of negative coverage we received in the Indian media after the crimes against some Indian students here in 2009 and 2010.

The student crisis had a silver lining of compelling governments in both countries to engage more closely with each other - and this helped illuminate how much each country is changing, and how much we have to offer one another.

Thankfully, most Indians have more sophisticated views of modern, multicultural Australia than their media lets on. Polling shows they generally have high regard for Australia, from its institutions to its values and its achievements in science, not just sport. Most have feelings of warmth towards this country, and continue to see it as a good place to be educated, second only to the US.

But polling also shows that negative perceptions linger about racism and safety. The Indian-Australian community will keep championing this country and its interests. They in turn need to be confident that Australia is living up to its promise of opportunity, fairness and respect.

The Abbott government also needs to show constancy and patience in engaging India. This will be challenging as India goes through a difficult phase internally, with slowing economic growth, widespread concerns about governance and elections looming in 2014.

For all its problems, India remains a rising power, with enormous human capital to unleash - 600 million people under the age of 25 - and growing areas of excellence amid the disappointment. It is still likely to become one of the world's big three economies.

We can't expect New Delhi to do much for us between now and the elections, and we need to be ready to engage with whatever new leadership the world's largest democratic process delivers.

In turn, we should press India to place fresh priority on relations with Australia, including a prime ministerial visit to coincide with next November's G20 summit in Brisbane.

Meantime, Canberra should keep expanding defence co-operation with New Delhi while concluding a uranium export safeguards agreement that discriminates neither against India nor for it. Yet more important than grand diplomacy is simply letting India and Australia play to their greatest strength: people.

So let's celebrate the investors and IT entrepreneurs, the scientists and students, the cricketers and Bollywood stars, even the politicians. But let's not forget Nain Singh Sailani.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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History of shared sacrifice unites India, Australia

Bill Gates: What I learned in India

MEA — 13/11/2013 20:29:05

Wall Street Journal/by Bill Gates

Our foundation began working in India a decade ago, at a time when many feared that the country would become a flashpoint for HIV/AIDS. Since then, we have expanded into other areas, including vaccines, family planning and agricultural development. In all of this work, Melinda and I have seen many examples of India's poor making dramatic contributions. But nowhere has this power been demonstrated more clearly than in the fight to end polio. Indeed, India's accomplishment in eradicating polio is the most impressive global health success I've ever seen.

I first began traveling to India in the 1980s, drawn by a fascination with this ancient country that cherishes its history and harbors great ambitions for the future. My interest was professional as well as personal. Microsoft MSFT +0.75% was expanding, our need for talent was growing, and I was attracted to the vitality and ingenuity of the Indian people.

A few years later, several colleagues and I were flying into Bangalore. As we made our final approach, I looked out the window and saw an area of densely packed, tiny, dilapidated homes stretching out for miles. At that moment, one of my Indian companions declared proudly, "We have no slums in Bangalore." Whether out of denial or innocence, my colleague didn't see the "other" India. I don't mean to single him out. It can be easy to turn our eyes away from the poor. But if we do, we miss seeing a society's full potential.

When Melinda and I started our foundation's work in India, we began to meet people from the areas we'd been flying over. They had little education and poor health, and lived in slums or poor rural areas—the kind of people many experts had told us were holding India back. But our experience suggests the opposite: What some call a weakness can be a source of great strength.

In 1988, when there were approximately 350,000 new polio cases a year and the disease was crippling children in 125 countries, the World Health Assembly set the goal of eliminating polio world-wide. Progress came quickly. By 1994, the Americas were polio-free. Soon we saw the last case in China, the last case in the Pacific, the last case in Europe. By the year 2000, the number of polio cases had dropped by 99%. But the task of ending polio was not 99% done.

The remaining cases were concentrated in fewer countries, and India was one of the last nations left. This was no surprise. India's urban centers are among the world's most densely populated. Its rural communities are dispersed across a vast and often inaccessible terrain. The country suffers from poor sanitation. Its 1.2 billion citizens are highly mobile and give birth to 27 million new Indians every year. Experts predicted that polio would be eliminated in every other country before it was eliminated in India.

But India surprised them all: The country has now been polio-free for more than two years. India's success offers a script for winning some of the world's most difficult battles in every area of human welfare. The key has been the participation of the humblest, most vulnerable members of the Indian population.

To be successful, any campaign this big has to include a clear goal, a comprehensive plan and precise measurements of progress. But the antipolio campaign in India took a crucial extra step: It enlisted the support of the full sweep of Indian society, including health workers, ordinary citizens and some of the poorest people in the most impoverished regions of the country.

The heart of the plan was a simple and inspiring mission: to find the children. To defeat polio, it is essential to achieve up to 95% vaccination coverage in afflicted areas. There is no way to measure whether you're meeting that mark unless you know how many children there are, where they are and whether they've been vaccinated.

India responded to this challenge with an army of more than 2 million vaccinators, who canvassed every village, hamlet and slum. Vaccinators took the best maps they had and made them better. They walked miles every day and worked late into the night. They found children in the poorest areas of Uttar Pradesh and in the remote Kosi River area of Bihar—an area with no electricity that is often flooded and unreachable by roads. They found the sons and daughters of migrant workers in bus stations and train stations, accompanying their families on their way to find work.

When Melinda and I visited India in March 2011, two months after the last case of polio was identified, we traveled to a brick kiln whose workers labored long hours at low wages and lived in mud huts. We met a young mother and asked if her children had been vaccinated. She ducked into her hut, retrieved a bag that held all her possessions, and rummaged around the bottom of it until she proudly produced an immunization card listing the names of all her children and showing that each had received the polio vaccine—not just once, but several times. We were amazed.

Wherever India's vaccinators have gone, they've had help from local residents. In one Kolkata slum, a group of schoolchildren who call themselves the Daredevils have been relentless in this effort. Their community had never had house numbers, so the children assigned numbers. Using donated cellphones connected to global positioning satellites, they created a digital map, marking each house where children hadn't been vaccinated.

The fight to end polio is not over, not even in India, and new polio cases in the Horn of Africa and Syria underscore the importance of eradicating polio everywhere. Still, if the world maintains its funding and commitment, we can eradicate the disease globally within six years.

The accomplishments of India's vaccinators and children and politicians will not end when polio ends in their country. Now that they have found India's children, they can bring them and their families other vaccines, clean water, education, advice on maternal and child health, and support for agriculture—all the things that people need to live healthy and productive lives.

Years ago, on that day we were landing in Bangalore, I didn't know nearly as much about India as I do now. I saw India's obvious talent and energy, but, like my colleague, I missed its hidden strength—the rich, the powerful and the poor working together toward a common goal.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Bill Gates: What I learned in India

Mangalyaan mission plays vital role in New Delhi’s development plans

MEA — 13/11/2013 20:32:58

Global Times/by Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan

India successfully launched a Mars mission, the Mangalyaan, on November 5. The mission is a major demonstration of India's technological capabilities, and a reflection of the growing competition in the Asian space race.

At $73 million, this is one of the most cost-effective Mars missions. But the political and security considerations are also important. Being the first Asian country to conduct such a mission must also have been an important factor in India's calculations.

Despite being one of the most cost-effective missions yet, questions have been raised as to why India spends money on such efforts when it is faced with dire poverty and developmental issues at home.

There has been criticism, both in India and outside, about the waste of resources on spectacle while developmental needs remain unmet.

It is undoubtedly true that India has significant developmental challenges on which it needs to spend money and effort. Nevertheless, there are at least three important reasons for conducting such missions.

First, while India has poverty and developmental issues, it also has to develop its scientific and technological base. It would be foolish to suggest that India should ignore scientific and technological advances until all developmental issues are resolved.

High technology projects such as the moon mission in 2008 and now its Mars mission are important both for technology development as well as to motivate the scientific community and the general populace.

Space technology and assets are needed for everything from communications to weather forecasting. No nation, especially a developing one, can ignore such technologies. But such technologies and capacities cannot be developed without also developing India's space capabilities in general, which is why the Mangalyaan is important.

Space is a vital aspect of India's security. India does not live in a benign neighborhood and it has had to balance between its development and security needs. No major power can afford to ignore the importance of space technology for its military needs.

India has launched its first dedicated military satellite for the Indian navy, in recognition of the increasing geopolitical and military rivalry in the Indian Ocean. Staying in the space race is thus an important consideration for India because it affects other aspects of India's security.

There are increasing worries that space itself might become a direct security threat. The threat of the militarization of space is gaining greater momentum. And the idea of establishing an Indian aerospace command has been gaining greater traction.

Given its experience in the nuclear arms control area, India has to come to understand the importance of crossing a certain technological threshold if it wants to sit at the high table.

In the nuclear arena, India did not conduct an atomic test in the 1960s even though it had the capacity to do so and therefore found itself left out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and various other aspects of the NPT regime.

Today, world powers are debating a regime to regulate outer space activities. India cannot let itself be left out of any space regime as happened over nuclear weapons.

But in order to be heard in the discussions of any new rule-making effort, India needs to demonstrate its capabilities in space research and technology, something that the Mangalyaan amply did.

India's space program was not originally driven by big ambitions. As noted by Vikram Sarabhai, one of India's space pioneers, India did "not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight."

But this has changed. India is no longer as poor and backward as it was in the 1960s when Sarabhai spoke. The increasing intensity of international competition means that India needs to show off its abilities once in a while.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Mangalyaan mission plays vital role in New Delhi’s development plans

India's frugal mission to Mars

MEA — 09/11/2013 16:47:53

New Yorker/ Samanth Subramanian

On Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation, the national space agency, lobbed a three-thousand-pound spacecraft called Mangalyaan toward Mars. The orbiter’s mission is to map some of the planet’s surface and test for methane, a possible marker of life. If Mangalyaan reaches the Red Planet and swings into orbit on schedule next September, that alone would be a remarkable victory: more than half of the forty Mars missions launched around the world have failed. But the I.S.R.O.’s real achievement might lie in its sheer frugality.

Mangalyaan’s mission to Mars cost India seventy-three million dollars. For comparison, Boeing prices its least expensive commercial airplane at seventy-six million dollars. And by India’s profligate standards of public expenditure, the Mars Orbiter Mission has come cheap: an eight-lane bridge in Mumbai that opened in 2010 spans three miles and cost three hundred and forty million dollars; a proposed statue of a long-dead Indian politician—designed to stand twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty—will cost three hundred million dollars.

The I.S.R.O. has a reputation for austerity, exemplified in a famous photograph from 1981 of India’s APPLE satellite being transported on a bullock cart. The agency’s scientists are paid between twelve hundred and two thousand dollars a month, and, unusual for space programs, its equipment is endlessly tweaked and recycled: the rocket that carried the Mars orbiter into space was adapted from a launch vehicle that first flew in 1993. Only one physical model of Mangalyaan was ever produced. (The I.S.R.O. relied extensively on software for testing.)

Despite the fanfare surrounding the country’s first interplanetary mission, the Mangalyaan launch has revived a well-worn debate that has long surrounded India’s space program: Should a country that struggles to adequately feed so many of its people be spending money on missions to Mars? "We can go to Mars but cannot provide clean water to our people on Earth,” tweeted Tavleen Singh, a columnist for the Indian Express. On the evening of the launch, the social activist Harsh Mander noted with sadness that the distance between his son sleeping in his bed and the child sleeping on a sidewalk a kilometre away had suddenly become greater than the distance from India to Mars. Jean Drèze, a development economist working in New Delhi, said the Mars mission was "part of the Indian elite’s delusional quest for superpower status.”

Space programs are easy targets during difficult times; their long-term benefits appear frivolous next to putting food on tables or jobs on the market. NASA, for instance, lost seven hundred million dollars in funding between 2011 and 2012, in the teeth of the recession. But it has been difficult for Mangalyaan to provoke any credible outrage, primarily because the I.S.R.O. has cost the taxpayer so little. Mangalyaan’s seventy-three-million-dollar budget is a pittance compared to the twenty billion dollars that India will spend this year to provide subsidized food to two out of every three of its citizens, or the $5.3 billion that will be spent this year on a rural employment plan.

The financing of Mangalyaan has thus barely chipped at the edifice of the Indian welfare state. In fact, at 0.0039 per cent of its G.D.P., India’s expenditure on Mangalyaan has been neither lavish nor extraordinary; the United States spent a similar percentage of its G.D.P., 0.003 per cent, in 1962, on the doomed Mariner 1 probe to Venus, which cost eighteen and a half million dollars. The annual budget of the I.S.R.O. is just seven hundred million dollars, or 0.038 per cent of India’s G.D.P. This year, NASA will spend sixteen and a half billion dollars, around 0.1 per cent of the American G.D.P.

But the payoffs of space programs can justify their expense. While the exact economic impact of R&D spending is difficult to quantify, numerous studies over the years have found significant returns, as much as seven or nine times the investment. The benefits are not just monetary: in a press conference on Tuesday, the I.S.R.O. chairman argued that India’s expertise with weather satellites, patiently developed over the years, had enabled predictions precise enough to save thousands of lives during a coastal cyclone the month before. What is impossible to quantify, however, is the ignition of imaginations that attends such successes—the spurt of optimism and confidence that can urge people, even for a brief moment, to lift their eyes upward and aim a little higher

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India's frugal mission to Mars

Why India’s Mars mission is about more than power and prestige

MEA — 08/11/2013 18:16:08

RT.com: Sreeram Chaulia

Space travel has historically been closely tied to competition for political prestige and influence in international relations, but the Nov. 5 launch of a Mars orbiter spacecraft by India has proved there is much more to it than that.

The fact that India’s first inter-planetary satellite was built by its own homegrown scientists in barely 15 months, at a record-low cost of $73 million, has become a matter of intense pride, and part of Indians’ collective psyche.

It was a can-do, Sputnik-like feeling that defied the usual lament that defines average Indians who feel let down by daily governance failures and infrastructure bottlenecks of a dysfunctional governance system. That same system delivered a psychological ticket into the wider solar system for Indian people who crave grand achievements and global recognition for their scientific human capital.

The widespread joy in India at the launch of the country’s Mars orbiter, Mangalyaan, should not be mistaken for vanity or escapism, however. Patriotic Indians are acutely aware of the rising profile of their country in global economics and geopolitics, alongside other emerging powers belonging to BRICS and similar groups. Every milestone in advanced rocket science, literally a rarefied and sophisticated field that few nations can master, is a shot in the arm for national self-confidence, showing that India is headed for global leadership. When the chips are down, or if there is a national calamity, memories of the Mars orbiter blazing a trail in the sky will sustain the faith that the future belongs to India.

Perception of competition with China

Many analysts argue that India is engaged in a space race specifically with China, and that the former’s Mars orbiter was spurred on by the failure of China’s Yinghuo-1 mission to Mars in November 2011.

The Indian Space Research Organization’s chief scientist, K. Radhakrishnan, rejects such comparisons, however, saying: "We are in competition with ourselves, in the areas we have charted for ourselves.” For the scientific community, which is directly involved in high stakes projects such as the Mars orbiter, it is obvious that they set goals internally and are determined to achieve them. However, the belief that India is trying to steal a march over China is widespread.

China’s state-owned media have also echoed this perception, by reacting with jealousy or wariness to India’s Mars mission. The Global Times, published in Beijing, tried to reassure nationalistic Chinese readers that in space technology, their country "has already been in advance of India” and that China "has no choice” but to invest more in its own space exploratory abilities "in front of an India that is striving to catch up with China.”

Yet, unlike in the Cold War era, when the USSR and the US engaged in a spectacular tit-for-tat space race while remaining economically and politically estranged from each other, China and India today have a booming trade relationship and are not engaged in any outright ideological confrontation. If there is a "new Cold War” rivalry now, it is more between a whole group of powers led by Russia and the US.

There are elements of a Cold War mindset when China and India square off in strategic competition, but it remains embedded within the liberal framework of economic globalization and cooperation. The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s call for "joint efforts” in space exploration after India’s Mars orbiter launch underlines the complexity of this key bilateral relationship in Asia.

India is mindful that the strides it’s making in space science can also be a medium for enhancing international cooperation. For instance, its Moon mission in 2008 won the International Cooperation Award from the International Lunar Exploration Working Group for carrying a payload of as many as 20 countries.

As India’s satellite launch capacity expands, it can also offer friendly countries a platform for joint space exploration and help to mitigate predictions of galactic war. Through technology, India can assume international leadership in cutting-edge dimensions and issues.

Race to be first in AsiaMissions to Mars are treacherous, however. Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization point out that 30 out of a total of 51 Mars missions, from various countries, have ended in failure.

Bets are currently being placed on whether India’s Mangalyaan (Mars Craft) will succeed in reaching Mars’ orbit and detecting possible signs of life there in the form of methane gas.

The satellite is projected to reach its destination, 400 million kilometers away, by September 2014. Asia’s two largest economic powers, Japan and China, launched their own Mars missions in 2003 and 2011, respectively, but neither of them reached Mars’ orbit due to technical problems. Regardless of the current euphoria in the Indian media surrounding the launch, the scientific verdict on Mangalyaan will only come later. A sobering reminder comes from India’s first lunar mission, Chandrayaan, which was designed to explore the moon for two years, but was declared lost after 312 days due to technical snags.

India is only the sixth power to embark on a mission to Mars. If it succeeds, India would be the first in Asia to do so, and only the fourth in the world after the Soviet Union, the US and the European Union.

Military angle

There are obviously military applications to India’s space program, and India’s longstanding National Satellite System, now in its third decade, has long been closely linked to its Integrated Missile Development Program,

which built India’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Today, India can boast of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) named Agni V with a strike range of 5,000 kilometers. This is due in part to the cooperation between the civilian scientific community and the defense industry.

Since the weaponization of space is now in full throttle, with the Chinese competing hard against Russia and the US, one benefit for India of projects such as the Mars orbiter mission is that it demonstrates the country’s long-range military potential. It is tacitly acknowledged that the civilian space program brings strategic benefits to the country, as military thinkers say space will be the arbiter of future wars. The potential dual use of space technology is why the Chinese media has reacted to India’s Mars orbiter by reminding the Chinese people of the need to "construct our comprehensive strategic power.”

Brainpower versus naysayers

As can be expected in a developing country with a free media, in the run-up to the Mars orbiter launch Indian opinion makers also considered the opportunity costs of space missions. Even though the costs of Mangalyaan are revolutionarily low by global standards and a feather in the cap for India’s famed ‘frugal innovation’ industry, some in India complained about "wasteful expenditure” on nationalistic ego trips, when money could have been better spent on economic development schemes and alleviating poverty.

But the "guns versus butter” argument, which assumes that there has to be a tradeoff between state spending on military and the basic needs of citizens, is negated by the concrete benefits that India’s satellite system has brought to the lives of ordinary people. From meteorological predictions that have saved thousands of lives from natural disasters, to broadcasting and telecommunications, India’s National Satellite System has greatly helped human development in the country. If India remains poor and plagued by economic imbalances and inequalities, blaming greedy space scientists is way off the mark.

Returning to the national psyche, why has the Mars orbiter launch struck such a chord among all sectors and classes in Indian society? It’s because India has always viewed its intellectual and mental faculties as extraordinary, and rocket science is revered as a key frontier of the human mind. Children in India learn in school textbooks about the ancient astronomer Aryabhata (AD 476–550) and his prescient works about the solar system and models in which the earth turns on its own axis. Especially in southern India, which produces the vast majority of the astrophysicists who lead the country’s space research, the tradition of excelling in mathematics and physics is deeply ingrained in the culture.

To most Indians, their support for the Mangalyaan mission is not only about winning the space race for international prestige and influence, but also about reaffirming the core love in Indian society for pure and applied science, which is considered the summit of intellectual achievement and the testing ground for individual brilliance. The Mars orbiter speaks to the innate curiosity and rational scientific temper that Indians aspire to. In short, it’s India’s alter ego in space.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Why India’s Mars mission is about more than power and prestige

What India Has to Teach About Running Hospitals

MEA — 08/11/2013 18:19:54

Care2.com/by S Smith

Ask a Westerner for her perception of hospitals in India and she’ll probably think of the nation’s status as a "developing country” and assume that hospitals provide a mediocre standard of care without access to state of the art medical technologies.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth: India’s medical system is incredibly varied, and includes several very high-quality facilities. The way some private hospitals in particular are run provides a number of fascinating lessons in health policy that the United States might want to consider signing up for.

As the United States struggles to reform its broken health care system, one of the biggest issues involved is controlling costs. Indian hospitals manage to provide a superb quality of care at a fraction of the cost spent in the United States, explain Professors Vijay Govindarajan and Ravi Ramamurti in the Washington Post, so how do they do it? And how can we look to India for a model to reduce hospital costs while still maintaining high patient care standards?

The two men identified three different areas in which Indian hospitals had found a way to slash costs while keeping up patient care.

The hub and spoke model

In the United States, hospital care tends to be very scattered. Numerous hospital facilities dot the landscape, while patients may bounce between facilities for various needs. In India, the hospitals the men looked at utilized a hub and spoke model: one centralized large facility for complex care needs, and numerous "spoke” hospitals to handle day to day clinical issues. This system allows for easy provision of preventative care and minor medical issues, allowing doctors at the hub hospital to focus on more demanding clinical cases.

Furthermore, the hub specialists can use telemedicine to offer remote treatment at rural spoke hospitals. Thus, all patients get the benefit of the practice, skill and experience provided in hub locations, even those in areas that couldn’t sustain a high-quality hospital facility on their own.

Task shifting

More and more, the United States is starting to look to this model, but India has taken it further. By providing a number of layers of medical training and skill sets, hospitals move simple tasks away from skilled medical personnel so they can focus on treating patients. For example, paramedic workers can handle routine medical care in India, thus freeing up physicians and cutting costs for medical procedures.

A similar level of task shifting can be seen in the widespread uses of physician assistants and nurses in the United States; more and more, they’re being tasked with more complex medical care, giving doctors more time to treat the challenging patients who need a doctor’s attention. It’s common for women to see a PA or RN for annual exams, for example, freeing up a gynecologist and cutting costs (the doctor’s time costs much more, and thus results in higher fees for patients).

Economy mode

Indian hospitals also run their operations very frugally, with a focus on no-frills care. The resort-like environs of private hospitals in the United States aren’t present, while doctors receive fixed salaries instead of pay-per-procedure compensation. Equipment is sourced through inexpensive means, when possible, and hospitals focus on generic sources for medications rather than brand names. While hospitals do not cut corners or endanger patients, their primary goal is as medical facilities, and they manage their budgets as such.

That means that hospitals can sometimes be a bit bleak, and lack the amenities American patients may expect, but that lean operating mentality results in much, much lower costs: an acceptable tradeoff, some might argue, for good quality care at a price that patients, private insurers and government-supported health services can afford.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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What India Has to Teach About Running Hospitals

'South Africa owes India its freedom': Tutu thanks India for movement against apartheid

MEA — 06/11/2013 17:46:48

Daily Mail

Expressing his gratitude towards India for the role the country had played in the liberation of South Africa, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu on Tuesday said Nelson Mandela was a believer of Mahatma Gandhi's teaching of non-violence.

"We owe our freedom in no small measures to India which is always against apartheid. Your country started the movement for rights and played a role in our liberation.

"We are thankful to the people of India. Nelson Mandela could come out of jail because of what your country had started," said Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

The Nobel laureate was speaking at the inaugural Janaagraha LC Jain Memorial Lecture - The Persistent Gentle Moral Giant Who Cares For The Little People: Nelson Mandela - organised in the honour of Ramon Magsaysay award winner Lakshmi Chand Jain at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

Chand was given the award in 1989 for his informed and selfless commitment to fight India's poverty at the grassroots level.

Recalling his last visit to India, Tutu said that India has developed in manifold ways and that the country should be proud of its achievements.

"India is a fast developing country and it shows in your airport. The last time I came here, it was sort of an apology but this time I saw it and I must say you can be proud of it. You are doing fantastically well," he said.

While calling for a better approach to tackle poverty, Tutu said that this must be done in a participatory way and not as charity.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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'South Africa owes India its freedom': Tutu thanks India for movement against apartheid

Indian entrepreneur wants solar energy to power your devices

MEA — 06/11/2013 17:51:10

ZD Net: Abhishek Baxi

The Evaki Solar Power Pad if used daily can save around 2kWh to 10kWh of energy in a year. Its vision is to design and develop electronic devices that are energy efficient, which in turn can lead to a sustainable planet.

Evaki founder Jignesh Nishar believes in a responsible lifestyle, and has a keen interest in solar technology (Evaki means "sun" in mythology). The company was founded in August 2012 to develop eco-friendly devices, and it launched its first product — Solar Power Pad SPP-01 — recently. The device uses solar energy to charge mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, and other consumer gadgets.

While the Evaki Solar Pad gives the advantage of portable chargers that are very popular these days, it eliminates the need for power supply to charge the device. The company believes that this device will be consumers' first step towards solar technology. The only drawback of the device is its size, roughly the size of an iPad — although there were fair considerations that led to the design choice. One, the device should be charged in few hours, so a wider solar panel was required. Also, since the device positions itself as the primary source, the internal battery was made to be capable enough so that the device can be used more than once in a day.

Priced at INR4,995 ($81), the 10.8-inch solar panel has an internal battery of 3000mAh. The review device that I tried took three to four hours to charge completely under direct sunlight. Ideally, direct sunlight is recommended. If the light is blocked due to shadows from walls or gets reflected by glass, the time taken to charge the Power Pad would be longer.

Jignesh explained why the Power Pad can't be charged by a bulb or tube light. A typical incandescent light bulb has a luminous efficiency of only about 2 percent, so these light sources don't give required lumens to generate electricity. The Power Pad has two USB output ports — 1A and 2A. 1A is for normal charging time, and 2A is for quick charging time. Any device supporting USB port charging can be charged using the Power Pad.

The build quality of the device is pretty good, and the polycarbonate casing reduces weight while protecting the device from heat, fire, moisture, and breakage. The unit also comes with reusable rubber suction caps that can be used to keep the Evaki Solar Power Pad stable while placing it on a car dashboard or glass window of your car, home, or office. Setting it up like this on my room's window, with a USB cable hanging on the ledge, gave me a power outlet-like setting, but using solar energy.

Jignesh wants the product to be used as a primary source and not as a backup device. He claims that a unit of Evaki Solar Power Pad, if used daily, can save around 2kWh to 10kWh of energy in a year. Evaki's vision is to design and develop electronic devices that are energy efficient, which in turn can lead to a sustainable planet.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian entrepreneur wants solar energy to power your devices

With launch, India vies to become only Asian nation to reach Mars

MEA — 05/11/2013 17:10:39

Japan Times

India was to launch its first mission to Mars on Tuesday, aiming to become the only Asian nation to reach the red planet with a program designed to showcase its low-cost space technology.

A rocket carrying a 1.35-ton unmanned probe was scheduled to blast off at 2:38 p.m. from the Sriharikota spaceport off the southeast coast, beginning a 300-day journey to study the Martian atmosphere.

With the launch planned for Mangalyaan, which means "Mars craft” in Hindi, India will attempt to become only the fourth country or group of countries to reach the red planet, after the Soviet Union, United States and Europe.

"We have a lot to understand about the universe, the solar system where we live in, and it has been humankind’s quest from the beginning,” said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space and Research Organization.

India sees its Mars mission primarily as a "technology demonstration,” Radhakrishnan said. "We want to use the first opportunity to put a spacecraft and orbit it around Mars and, once it is there safely, then conduct a few meaningful experiments and energize the scientific community.”

Radhakrishnan admits the aim is high. This is India’s first Mars mission, and no country has been fully successful on its first try. More than half the world’s attempts to reach Earth’s planetary neighbor — 23 out of 40 missions — have failed, including missions by Japan in 1999 and China in 2011.

If India can pull it off, it will demonstrate a highly capable space program that belongs within an elite club of governments exploring outer space.

Mangalyaan is scheduled to blast off Tuesday from the Indian space center on the southeastern island of Shriharikota, the start of a 300-day, 780 million-km journey to orbit Mars and survey its geology and atmosphere.

Five solar-powered instruments aboard Mangalyaan will gather data to help determine how Martian weather systems work and what happened to the water that is believed to have once existed on Mars in large quantities. It also will search Mars for methane, a key chemical in life processes on Earth that could also come from geological processes. None of the instruments will send back enough data to answer these questions definitively, but experts say the data are key to better understanding how planets form, what conditions might make life possible and where else in the universe it might exist.

Some of the data will complement research expected to be conducted with a spacecraft NASA will launch later this month, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, nicknamed MAVEN.

"We’re pulling for India,” said Bruce Jakosky, project leader for the U.S. spacecraft. "The more players we have in space exploration, the better.”

If successful, the two new orbiters would join three already circling Mars — NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. On the Martian surface, NASA’s Curiosity and Opportunity rovers are rolling across rocky terrain.

Radhakrishnan said that although sending a spacecraft to Mars would bring India immense prestige, "we are doing this for ourselves. The main thrust of space science in India has always been people-centric, to benefit the common man and society.”

India, as well known for its endemic poverty and hunger as for its technological prowess, has used research in space and elsewhere to help solve problems at home, from gauging water levels in underground aquifers to predicting cataclysmic storms and floods.

India’s $1 billion-a-year space program has helped develop satellite, communication and remote sensing technologies that are being used to measure coastal soil erosion, assess the extent of remote flooding and manage forest cover for wildlife sanctuaries. They are giving fishermen real-time data on where to find fish and helping to predict natural disasters such as a cyclone that barreled into India’s eastern coast last month. Early warning information allowed Indian officials to evacuate nearly a million people from the massive storm’s path.

Indian scientists also have led at least 30 research missions to Antarctica, despite being nearly 12,000 km from the icy continent. They are working to expand mineral mining in the deep sea, designating that as a priority area for scientific research. And in 2008, the Indian Space and Research Organization successfully launched a lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, which discovered evidence of water on the moon.

Its advances have helped raise the international profile of the world’s largest democracy, of 1.2 billion people. India is lobbying for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, a move it says would better reflect new realities in a fast-changing world needing more technological solutions.

Mangalyaan was developed from technology tested during the recent lunar orbiter mission. An evolved version of India’s domestically developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, with extended rockets, will take Mangalyaan into an elliptical arc around the Earth.

The satellite’s thrusters will then begin a series of six small fuel burns, moving it into higher orbit before it slingshots toward the red planet.

The 1,350-kg orbiter is expected to reach its designated orbit Sept. 24, 2014, and will be joined above Mars by MAVEN.

"I know I’m an absolute wreck with ours coming up in two weeks,” Jakosky said. ” . . . There are 10,000 things that need to go right in order for it to succeed, and it can take only one thing going wrong for it to fail.”

Mangalyaan is expected to have at least six months to investigate the planet’s landscape and atmosphere. At its closest point it will be 365 km from the planet’s surface, and at its farthest — 80,000 km.

India’s space enthusiasts say the $73 million Mars mission will be a step toward understanding the natural world, inspiring children to go into research science and advancing science and technology in ways that help common people cope with a changing environment. Learning more about alien weather systems, for example, might reveal more about our own.

"To visit another planet is a fantastic thing, the biggest thing,” said space scientist Yash Pal, a former chairman of the country’s University Grants Commission who was not involved in developing the Mars mission. "If you can afford airplanes and war machines, you can certainly spend something to fulfill the dreams of young people.”

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With launch, India vies to become only Asian nation to reach Mars

India’s race to Mars goes way beyond science

MEA — 05/11/2013 17:15:37

Wall Street Journal/by Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan

India’s space program did not begin with big ambitions. Vikram Sarabhai, one of the original leaders of the Indian space program in the early 1960s, said that India did "not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight.”

Even if we take Mr. Sarabhai at his word, India’s maiden mission to Mars, set for lift off today, shows that things have changed.

Firstly, it provides an indication of a growing space race between India and China. Fielding its Mars mission before China has reached the Red Planet is clearly a big factor in Delhi’s calculations. China attempted a Mars orbiter mission in 2011, piggybacking it on a Russian Mars spacecraft, but that failed to leave Earth’s orbit.

Setting off to Mars is a demonstration of India’s technological capabilities and an attempt to join the US, Russia and the European Union in successful interplanetary exploration before China.

The mission is not without its critics, including some former officials of Indian Space Research Organisation, India’s space agency, who argue that it is a waste of money, especially in a country where so many live in poverty. It is unlikely that critics will get much of a hearing.

India claims that its missions are much cheaper than similar ones elsewhere, with this attempt costing $73 million, about a tenth as much as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration spends on comparable programs.

The bread or gun argument is real for India, but the country doesn’t live in a benign neighborhood and the security imperative also requires it to focus on those capabilities which can prepare it for the challenge presented by its location.

India’s security compulsions are becoming a more compelling driver for its space program. Countries around the world have so far used space for so-called passive military applications such as communications and reconnaissance but there is a growing trend towards ‘weaponizing’ outer space.

The U.S’s Prompt Global Strike program, which includes using long-range missiles and hypersonic vehicles that will transit through space, has created the impression that it plans to weaponize space. This could provoke reactions from Russia and China and set off a broader arms race in space.

China’s anti-satellite test in January 2007 served as a wake-up call to India of the challenges that exist in its neighborhood. The test sparked a new debate, both within the Indian security establishment and the larger Indian strategic community about the country’s traditional policy against the militarization of space and put pressure to develop its own anti-satellite system. While India is yet to demonstrate such capability, the scientific establishment has made it amply clear that they have the technological blocks ready should there be a political decision to do so.

One indicator of Indian concerns about the nature of the space race, is the likely establishment of an Indian aerospace command. Many of the key global powers such as the U.S. and Russia have such commands, India does not. While the Indian government has been debating the issue for close to a decade, there are indications that it is moving forward with the proposal. In 2008, India established an Integrated Space Cell under the aegis of the Integrated Defence Staff. The cell has functioned well in coordinating between the military, the Department of Space and ISRO.

India also launched the first dedicated military satellite this August for its navy, reflecting a gradual shift in the country’s approach to security. The maritime communications satellite is a necessary tool for the marine force as the competition for the Indian Ocean, particularly with China, gradually gathers pace.

From the outset of its space program, demonstrating technological pride and capability has always been an important consideration for India. No less so today. But the Mars mission is as much about demonstrating India’s capabilities as a force in space, as it is about scientific skill.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India’s race to Mars goes way beyond science

India vies for elite place in space exploration with ambitious spacecraft voyage to Mars

MEA — 05/11/2013 17:20:36

Washington Post

India is aiming to join the world’s deep-space pioneers with a journey to Mars that it hopes will showcase its technological ability to explore the solar system while seeking solutions for everyday problems on Earth.

With a Tuesday launch planned for Mangalyaan, which means "Mars craft” in Hindi, India will attempt to become only the fourth country or group of countries to reach the red planet, after the Soviet Union, United States and Europe.

"We have a lot to understand about the universe, the solar system where we live in, and it has been humankind’s quest from the beginning,” said K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space and Research Organization.

India sees its Mars mission primarily as a "technology demonstration,” Radhakrishnan said. "We want to use the first opportunity to put a spacecraft and orbit it around Mars and, once it is there safely, then conduct a few meaningful experiments and energize the scientific community.”

Radhakrishnan admits the aim is high. This is India’s first Mars mission, and no country has been fully successful on its first try. More than half the world’s attempts to reach Earth’s planetary neighbor — 23 out of 40 missions — have failed, including missions by Japan in 1999 and China in 2011.

If India can pull it off, it will demonstrate a highly capable space program that belongs within an elite club of governments exploring outer space.

Mangalyaan is scheduled to blast off Tuesday from the Indian space center on the southeastern island of Shriharikota, the start of a 300-day, 780 million-kilometer (485 million-mile) journey to orbit Mars and survey its geology and atmosphere.

Five solar-powered instruments aboard Mangalyaan will gather data to help determine how Martian weather systems work and what happened to the water that is believed to have once existed on Mars in large quantities. It also will search Mars for methane, a key chemical in life processes on Earth that could also come from geological processes. None of the instruments will send back enough data to answer these questions definitively, but experts say the data are key to better understanding how planets form, what conditions might make life possible and where else in the universe it might exist.

Some of the data will complement research expected to be conducted with a spacecraft NASA will launch later this month, the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission, nicknamed MAVEN.

"We’re pulling for India,” said Bruce Jakosky, project leader for the U.S. spacecraft. "The more players we have in space exploration the better.”

If successful, the two new orbiters would join three already circling Mars — NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey, and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. On the Martian surface, NASA’s Curiosity and Opportunity rovers are rolling across rocky terrain.

Radhakrishnan said that although sending a spacecraft to Mars would bring India immense prestige, "we are doing this for ourselves. The main thrust of space science in India has always been people-centric, to benefit the common man and society.”

India, as well known for its endemic poverty and hunger as for its technological prowess, has used research in space and elsewhere to help solve problems at home, from gauging water levels in underground aquifers to predicting cataclysmic storms and floods.

India’s $1 billion-a-year space program has helped develop satellite, communication and remote sensing technologies that are being used to measure coastal soil erosion, assess the extent of remote flooding and manage forest cover for wildlife sanctuaries. They are giving fishermen real-time data on where to find fish and helping to predict natural disasters such as a cyclone that barreled into India’s eastern coast last month. Early warning information allowed Indian officials to evacuate nearly a million people from the massive storm’s path.

Indian scientists also have led at least 30 research missions to Antarctica, despite being nearly 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) from the icy continent. They are working to expand mineral mining in the deep sea, designating that as a priority area for scientific research. And in 2008, the Indian Space and Research Organization successfully launched a lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, which discovered evidence of water on the Moon.

Its advances have helped raise the international profile of the world’s largest democracy of 1.2 billion people. India is lobbying for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, a move it says would better reflect new realities in a fast-changing world needing more technological solutions.

Mangalyaan was developed from technology tested during the recent lunar orbiter mission. An evolved version of India’s domestically developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, with extended rockets, will take Mangalyaan into an elliptical arc around the Earth.

The satellite’s thrusters will then begin a series of six small fuel burns, moving it into higher orbit before it slingshots toward the red planet.

The 1,350-kilogram orbiter is expected to reach its designated orbit Sept. 24, 2014, and will be joined above Mars by MAVEN.

"I know I’m an absolute wreck with ours coming up in two weeks,” Jakosky said. "... There are 10,000 things that need to go right in order for it to succeed, and it can take only one thing going wrong for it to fail.”

Mangalyaan is expected to have at least six months to investigate the planet’s landscape and atmosphere. At its closest point it will be 365 kilometers (227 miles) from the planet’s surface, and at its furthest — 80,000 kilometers (49,700 miles).

India’s space enthusiasts say the $73 million Mars mission will be a step toward understanding the natural world, inspiring children to go into research science and advancing science and technology in ways that help common people cope with a changing environment. Learning more about alien weather systems, for example, might reveal more about our own.

"To visit another planet is a fantastic thing, the biggest thing,” said space scientist Yash Pal, a former chairman of the country’s University Grants Commission who was not involved in developing the Mars mission. "If you can afford airplanes and war machines you can certainly spend something to fulfill the dreams of young people.”

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India vies for elite place in space exploration with ambitious spacecraft voyage to Mars

How the Mars mission helps India

MEA — 05/11/2013 17:27:28

BBC/by Pallava Bagla

India's launch of a small unmanned satellite to Mars is being described as a giant leap for its space programme. Science writer Pallava Bagla writes on what the mission means for India and the world.

If all goes well and the satellite orbits the Red Planet, India's space agency will become the fourth in the world after those of the United States, Russia and Europe to undertake a successful Mars mission.

India's 1,350kg (2,976lb) robotic satellite which is undertaking the 10-month-long, over 200-million-kilometre journey to Mars is equipped with five instruments.

They include a sensor to track methane or marsh gas - a possible sign of life - on Mars, a colour camera for taking pictures, and a thermal imaging spectrometer to map the surface and mineral wealth of the planet. The mission will also analyse the thin Martian atmosphere.

'Natural progression'

After India's successful unmanned Chandrayaan mission to the Moon in 2008 that brought back the first clinching evidence of the presence of water there, the Mars mission, according to K Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), is a "natural progression".

More than 500 scientists from the Bangalore-based Isro worked round the clock on this $100m (£62.4m) mission, which was announced by PM Manmohan Singh in August last year.

Project chief Subbiah Arunan says he has not taken a vacation in the last 15 months, sleeping at Isro's satellite centre in Bangalore and going home for "about one or two hours every day".

So does India's Mars mission mark the beginning of a new Asian space race?

India sees the Mars mission as an opportunity to beat its regional rival China in reaching the planet, especially after a Russian mission carrying the first Chinese satellite to Mars failed in November 2011. Japan also failed in a similar effort in 1998.

China has beaten India in space in almost every aspect so far: it has rockets that can lift four times more weight than India's, and in 2003, successfully launched its first human space flight which India has not yet embarked on. China launched its maiden mission to Moon in 2007, ahead of India.

So if India's mission succeeds, it will have something to feel proud about.

"National pride is important. If the Mars mission succeeds, it will be a big morale booster for India. We are not in a space race," says SK Shivakumar, director of Isro's Bangalore-based satellite centre.

High risks

The risks can be high in a space race.

Since 1960 about 45 missions to Mars have been launched. Of these about a third have failed. And no nation - apart from Mars Express, Europe's maiden venture to Mars representing 20 countries - has succeeded in its maiden venture.

Though India says its Mars mission is the cheapest inter-planetary mission ever to have been undertaken in half a century of space exploration, some are questioning its scientific purpose.

"This is a highly suboptimal mission with limited scientific objectives," says D Raghunandan of Delhi Science Forum, a think tank.

Others like economist-activist Jean Dreze have said the mission "seems to be part of the Indian elite's delusional quest for superpower status".

Refuting such talk, a top government official says: "We have heard these arguments since the 1960s, about India being a poor country not needing or affording a space programme.

"If we can't dare to dream big it would leave us as hewers of wood and drawers of water! India is today too big to be just living on the fringes of high technology."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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How the Mars mission helps India

India launches Mars mission in giant leap for super cheap space exploration

MEA — 06/11/2013 17:58:11

Telegraph: Dean Nelson

Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched their Mars Orbiter Mission on Tuesday, amid celebrations at mission control.

As the launch vehicle soared spaceward scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) could be heard shouting "Buriah!" – brilliant.

Indian scientists hailed the launch as a success and said they hoped it would herald a new era of low-cost space exploration.

"I’ve no doubt the mission has been worthwhile and the credit for it goes to the scientists at the space department,” said Dr P.M Bhargava.

The ‘Mangalyaan’ or Mars Orbiter was launched on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota, on the Andhra Pradesh coast, at 14.38 Indian time.

The mission is a bid to reach the Red Planet in September 2014 and test the martian atmosphere for hydrogen and methane gases.

The mission will cost $73 million (£45 million), compared with the United States’ ‘Curiosity’ mission to Mars, which launched in 2011 at a cost of $2.5 billion (£1.56 billion).

For India, the mission is about proving the value of its indigenous rocket and instrument technology to inspire its own scientists and open a new frontier on infinitely cheaper space missions.

Its officials believe a successful mission will establish its superiority over regional rival China and Japan, whose recent Mars missions failed to achieve their goals.

Though the mission is cheap by developed countries' standards, it has faced criticism in India where commentators have questioned why the money has not been spent instead on improving poor sanitation.

Tavleen Singh, a columnist for the Indian Express, said on Twitter: "Incredible India: we can go to Mars but cannot provide clean water to our people on Earth."

Some Indian space scientists have criticised the mission as a waste of resources for a developing country and argued that ISRO should focus on developing its next generation of satellite launchers to compete in the lucrative commercial sector.

But officials at the Mangalyaan launch site said the mission will inspire a new generation of Indian space scientists and establish the country as a real power in space research.

"The primary goal is the techmical demonstration. This will help us in future space exploration missions by advancing our existing technology in communications and Earth observation satellites. We hope it will also inspire younger minds,” ISRO spokesman Deviprasad Karnik told The Telegraph.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India launches Mars mission in giant leap for super cheap space exploration

Member States see stability, prosperity

MEA — 04/11/2013 10:18:23

West Australian/ by Salman Khurshid-Julie Bishop-Marty Natalegawa

India aims high with Mars mission

MEA — 05/11/2013 17:24:25

Aljazeera/by V. Prem Shanker

Soon after the lift-off at 14:38 on November 5, the blip representing the spacecraft's trajectory will go off the screen for a little over 10 minutes.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists at the master control room, located at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, will be driving blind for that small duration. That is when the launch vehicle PSLV-C25 will go out of range from all the ground stations tracking it.

When the blip comes back on screen, the tracking signals will be coming from one of the two ships fitted with special antennae positioned somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean.

Those two ships, deployed to track the satellite's orbit, represent just one of the many innovations of the country's first Mars orbiter mission. Innovations and improvisations have helped ISRO put together a spacecraft fitted with five instruments to orbit Mars at a cost of $70m.

"This is less than one-tenth of what the US has spent on their Mars mission Maven," says S. Arunan, the mission's project director, while interacting with reporters at a pre-launch press conference last week. The cost-effectiveness of the mission is indeed turning out to be the highlight of the project, almost eclipsing the other aspects.

The orbiter will have to undergo some 300 days of complex manoeuvring before it reaches the Martian orbit. After accomplishing that, the satellite is expected to be in orbit for scientific exploration "for a few months, if all goes according to plan", according to ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan.

The satellite will carry out atmospheric, particle environment and surface imaging studies of Mars, according to ISRO. One of the satellite's projects will be to look for the presence of methane. "This should give a clue regarding biological or geological phenomenon on Mars," says Radhakrishnan.

Joining elite club

If all goes according to plan, the interplanetary expedition will place India in an elite club of countries. The Soviet Union first attempted a mission to the Red Planet in 1960. The United States started its Mars exploration programme with a launch in 1964, while Japan launched its first spacecraft to Mars in 1998. The European Space Agency's Mars Express was launched in 2003, and China was the most recent country to attempt a Mars mission, in 2011.

Radhakrishnan says there are huge challenges in communicating with satellites that are travelling at least 400 million kilometres away from Earth. Even so, he says, the mission will be "a great learning for the country. And once we have learnt, we can look at larger missions in 2016, 2018 and 2020," referring to the subsequent years when Mars will be orbiting closest to earth.

"We are not in a race with anybody," the ISRO chairman added. In recent years, Japan and China have taken the space race to a different level, with China launching an "anti-satellite test" in 2007, making it the third country to have done so. In comparison, neighbouring India's missions seem modest.

"Not just in counter-space technology, India is much behind China in the number of space missions undertaken and more importantly in development of indigenous space technology," says Dr V Ponraj, the scientific adviser to India's former President Dr Abdul Kalam.

While India has launched just over 100 missions in the last 37 years, China has launched more than 80 missions since 2006, says Ponraj.

The relevance of India's space mission among the top contenders in space like US, Europe, Russia, Japan and China, is in its economic viability. And in that respect the Mars Orbiter Mission fits the bill perfectly.

The underlying message to the international space community is that the country can put technology in space at an extremely competitive price.

So far, ISRO has been focusing primarily on applications-related technology that are useful to common people.

The organisation's commercial wing, Antrix Corporation, has been taking care of its business interests. Of the ISRO's total budget, only seven to eight percent goes to scientific space exploration projects.

Chandrayan1 was India's first unmanned lunar mission, launched in October 2008. The evidence sent back by Chandrayan 1 proved the presence of lunar water for the first time. Chandrayan1 signalled India's interest in space exploration, and the Mars orbiter mission is the second project in line with that thinking.

However, these are still baby steps compared to projects like sending a manned mission to Mars.

Such a project would require that the vehicle should have a less than one percent chance of failure. But India's Geosynchrnous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), which is most suited for such a mission, is nowhere near that reliability level. And ISRO says that India is a "good few years" from putting a human in space.

In those good few years, India hopes to get lucky with its planetary missions, and achieve what other international missions have not yet done.

The countdown has begun.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India aims high with Mars mission

Medical mobile services will open up access by masses in India

MEA — 01/11/2013 17:30:18

ZD Net/ by Nitin Puri

In a country where universal healthcare is a daily challenge to meet because of difficult geographic constraints, one leading hospital group in India has turned to mobile to increase its accessibility and coverage.

Indian healthcare providers are looking towards mobile technology to reach out to patients and potentially save lives, reports The Times of India. One of India's leading hospital groups, Apollo Hospitals, which already runs a telemedicine project, is planning to ramp up plans of providing medical services via Bluetooth enabled glucometers or stethoscopes to send results to its doctors.

In recent weeks, a consortium of 46 hospitals, health insurers, and medical service providers under the Health Federation of India, plan to provide standardized healthcare at reasonable costs.

While challenges such as low bandwidth and Internet penetration in rural India remain, the general consensus is that is that there is a huge market of mobile medical services to be provided for India's 900 million mobile users. This is supported by a recent study indicating that 28 percent of people in rural India, and 46 percent of people in urban India, already own smartphones. However, what was alarming in this study was that one third of the people interviewed from a group of approximately 1,900 has not gone for health check up in five years, with 55 percent saying they were open to accessing medical services via mobile phones.

Medical mobile solutions will go hand in hand with India's booming medical tourism industry. Already, people from around the world, and especially neighboring countries such as Pakistan and especially Afghanistan, come to India specifically for medical treatment. In addition to paying for medical services, they all also pump foreign currency into India during their stay in India. Now, the goal is to reach out to those in India who have both the funds and technology to access mobile medical solutions.

Having a simple diagnosis conducted over a mobile phone can mean life or death for many people in India. The reason why I say this is based on what I've seen over the years in New Delhi, and something which I've quite not understand: emergency medical services. With the general congestion of traffic, along with general disregard for rules of the road, I've always wondered how ambulances with their blaring horns and flashing lights are able to either rescue a patient or make it back to the hospital in time. Compared to the West where drivers have to give right of way and yield to emergency vehicles, this typically doesn't exist in India.

Now assume the scenario where someone needs medical attention but isn't bothered to seek medical attention, knowing of both the hospital costs to be incurred, along with having to travel from one end of the city to another. Hence, many Indians do in fact put off medical checkups until absolutely required, which clearly isn't the healthiest choice. With medical mobile solutions, I personally feel people in both rural and urban India will benefit from the services soon to come. Now if only something similar to Obamacare could be launched in India before the 2014 elections. Wishful thinking, and not happening anytime soon.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Medical mobile services will open up access by masses in India

How technology is changing Indian weddings

MEA — 31/10/2013 17:45:24

BBC/by Shilpa Kannan

Would you go on national television to look for a potential spouse? Well, a lot of people in India are doing just that.

A newly launched Hindi-language channel called Shagun TV is wholly dedicated to match-making and the weddings business.

In its studios outside Delhi, a young presenter is reading from a teleprompter. "The next prince charming is 5 feet 7 inches in height, 75 kg in weight, earning 5 lakhs ($7,500, £4,700) annually and he is looking for a shy and beautiful bride. Could it be you?" the presenter asks.

With bright colours and peppy background score, it looks like a pop music show.

The channel head, Anuranjan Jha, says the shows have found quite a few takers and attract around 10 million viewers a week.

Anuranjan Jha says finding participants for the show was never a problem.

"In India, a marriage involves the entire family. So there's no question of being discrete or shy. When people can advertise in newspapers or websites, why can't they get on air to look for the best matrimonial partner?"

The channel expects to start making money within the first year. It won't be surprising as weddings in India involve a lot of money.

No slowdown

Families usually start saving early and spend a lot of money buying gifts, clothes and gold jewellery for the entire family during weddings.

And if there is one thing that's entirely recession proof - it's the Indian wedding industry. There are over 10 million weddings in India every year.

Estimated to be worth over $25bn and growing at 30% annually, it's one industry that hasn't seen a slowdown. Half of the nearly 900 tons of gold consumed in India is bought during the wedding season.

Whether it's getting on air or getting online, technology is rapidly influencing everything around weddings.

Getting ready for her big day, Gunita Bindra has travelled all the way from Jacksonville in Florida to Delhi to get married.

But in the months ahead of the wedding, she found her make-up artist, photographer and dress designer sitting in Florida.

As families get smaller and more distant, wedding planning too has changed.

Without access to the vast array of aunts, cousins and other relatives who traditionally help with shopping and planning an event of this scale, more and more young Indians are having to rely on the internet, she says.

"I spent a lot of time on Google looking for dresses, the latest trends, new styles. The bulk of my wedding planning I did online."

Using social media and recommendations of her friends, she found photographers Bhumi Alhuwalia and Simran Kapur online too.

Online photographers

The two women specialise in wedding photography that captures candid moments, behind the scenes activity and is very different from what traditional photographers in India film.

The internet has created opportunities for them, says Simran.

"It's been a great avenue for us. People are very keen for our kind of work. That interest only grows once they see more of our work online."

They mainly get commissioned by expat Indians. As they live abroad and get married here in India, it's much easier to talk to over email and look at portfolios online.

Wedding photography as a business is growing at phenomenal pace, says Canvera, a Bangalore-based photography company.

Started by two techies, Dhiraj Kacker and Peeyush Rai, the company helps photographers publish top-quality wedding albums. Their business plan is to help traditional wedding photographers with online tools that include creative templates and software that can be used to customise wedding photographs into a coffee table book-style product.

The company now has over 15,000 photographers as clients. But it estimates that there are at least 250,000 active wedding photographers in the country.

"There are millions of weddings taking place in India and even if a small percentage of those couples want a wedding album printed, it's a huge business," Dhiraj Kacker says.

Wedding planners

It's not just photographers - other traditional family-run businesses too are rushing online.

One such is bridal-wear retailer Chhabra 555, which is now seeing a substantial amount of its sales come from online customers.

Heena Malhotra is the designer at the company. Her grandfather started the business and it now has over 60 outlets across the country.

She says brides now come armed with a lot of research and know exactly what colours dominate a particular wedding season.

"Brides don't mind buying their wedding ensemble online. Traditionally, people wanted to look and feel the fabric and texture before buying an expensive saree or lehenga (long skirt). But now they are more open to online shopping."

Getting retailers like them online is a tech start-up, MyShaadi.in, who are marrying the old with the new.

The company is an online wedding planner, creating websites and managing guest lists along with suggesting where to shop and what to buy for the big day.

Indians have always had big fat weddings so what's changed now?

Abhishek Jain, founder of MyShaadi.in, says: "One thing that's different now is that the couple is involved in the decision-making, which was not happening earlier."

"They have to decide who is the right jeweller, the right invitation card designer and even things like where to go for the honeymoon. This information they look for online- that's where we get in and advise them on everything."

No one does weddings like Indians. Even the simplest of weddings can have several days of feasting and host hundreds of guests.

So while the celebrations haven't changed, marrying technology and weddings seems to be bringing in some method into the chaotic Indian wedding industry.

For both couples and businesses catering to them, this can really deliver a happy ending.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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How technology is changing Indian weddings

Tourists invited to live like Gandhi in his ashram

MEA — 31/10/2013 17:46:40

Bangkok Post

Tourists searching for peace and simplicity can for the first time check in to Mahatma Gandhi's most famous ashram in India. But don't expect modern comforts. And chastity is required.

For 1,000 rupees ($16) a night, tourists can sample the lifestyle of India's famously ascetic independence leader by staying at the first ashram he established, set up in 1915 in the western state of Gujarat.

Guests at the ashram, which opened to holidaymakers earlier this month, can try their hand at spinning, visit local communities, pray and meditate, all while wearing khadi -- hand-woven cloth -- during their stay.

But they must adhere to Gandhi's 11 vows that he promoted including non-violence, no possessions, use of local goods, working for daily food, self restraint, including chastity, and control of diet.

And they are also encouraged to follow Gandhi's austere daily routine, such as waking at 5am and undertaking domestic chores.

"The objective of this programme is to allow people to experience a sustainable lifestyle, to enjoy the simplicity of Gandhi, experience the virtue of Mahatma," said Nischalavalamb Barot, a travel agent who helped develop the programme called "Live Gandhi for a While".

"This might change perceptions of tourists towards life, society and our natural resources. This might also help tourists find peace and satisfaction within," Barot told AFP.

Gandhi went to stay at the bungalow, now called Kochrab Ashram and then owned by a lawyer friend, after he returned to India from South Africa in 1915.

From this base, in a village on the outskirts of the city of Ahmedabad, he rejected material wealth and developed some of the ideas for which he became famous.

In one incident, he upset neighbours by inviting a low-caste man, a so-called "untouchable", to come and live at the ashram as part of his campaign against India's rigid and deeply ingrained caste system.

The ashram is managed by a nearby university called Gujarat Vidyapith, which Gandhi himself founded in 1920 to "liberate the Indian youths from the shackles of British colonial rule".

The "Live with Gandhi" programme was launched on October 2 to coincide with the 144th anniversary of the birth of Gandhi. Tourists have not yet made bookings, but Barot stressed there were lots of inquiries.

India has plenty of museums and monuments to honour the country's independence icon, whose personal philosophy and ideas are considered outdated by many in rapidly modernising India.

Known as Mahatma or Great Soul, Gandhi spearheaded a non-violent campaign against the British Raj that finally saw India gain its freedom from colonial rule in 1947. He was shot dead by a Hindu hardliner in New Delhi just months later in 1948.

Despite the many commemorations for Gandhi, Barot, who developed the programme with the university, said he hoped the ashram offered something different.

"This is the first time that we are attempting to understand the value and principles of a sustainable life, which Gandhi believed in and practised," said Barot, who operates a sustainable tourism agency.

However he stressed a stay at the ashram would not be an easy one.

"They will have to follow the vows that Gandhi himself followed in the ashram.... They will also wear the khadi throughout the programme."

Gandhi spun his own cloth and encouraged others to follow suit. He considered this an important part of his anti-colonial philosophy of self-reliance, known as "swadeshi".

Khadi also became a symbol of how then India should base its economy -- on village-based craft instead of industrially-produced cotton often imported from mills in Britain.

The idea is a far cry from modern-day India, which dismantled government control over its economy in the 1990s, and opened up India, a member of the G20, to foreign investment.

Sudarshan Iyengar, vice-chancellor of the Gujarat Vidyapith university that manages the ashram, said he was confident that opening it to tourists would help promote Gandhi's ideals.

"This is a unique programme, which will actually bring change in society gradually at an individual level and hopefully we will witness a sustainable future."

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Tourists invited to live like Gandhi in his ashram

A Landmark Turn in India’s Medical Negligence Law

MEA — 01/11/2013 17:24:37

New York Times/ by Gayathri Vaidyanathan

Anuradha Saha died painfully in May 1998 at the age of 36, her skin sloughed off all over her body, except for her skull. She was encased in bandages meant to prevent infections that had already lodged in her system. Her immunity had been compromised after receiving a high dosage of steroids from some of the top doctors in Kolkata.

For the past 15 years, her husband, Dr. Kunal Saha, has pushed Indian courts to hold at least five doctors and the hospital responsible. Though the lower courts rejected his cases, Dr. Saha persisted, appealing all the way to the Supreme Court, which found the doctors and AMRI Hospital (Advanced Medicare & Research Institute Ltd.) in Kolkata guilty of negligence in 2009.

It took another four years for the Supreme Court to award Dr. Saha an unprecedented amount in a medical negligence case in India — 60.8 million rupees ($1 million), plus 6 percent annual interest for each of the 15 years that Dr. Saha has been fighting his legal battle.

The landmark ruling is supposed to remind doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes that they will be dealt with strictly if they do not maintain their standard of care, the Supreme Court said in its judgment on Oct. 24.

"The patients, irrespective of their social, cultural and economic background, are entitled to be treated with dignity, which not only forms their fundamental right but also their human right,” wrote Justices Chandramauli K.R. Prasad and V. Gopala Gowda.

For Dr. Saha, the verdict is but a waypoint in his fight against medical negligence in India, which began in 1998. At the time, the couple was living in the United States, and Dr. Saha, a medical doctor, was working as an HIV/AIDS researcher at Ohio State University. Mrs. Saha had finished a graduate degree in child psychology at Columbia University in New York. They had bought their version of the American dream, a five-bedroom house in the suburbs.

In the spring of 1998, the couple traveled to Kolkata, where Mrs. Saha’s parents lived, to attend a wedding. Near the end of April, Mrs. Saha noticed rashes on her body, an indication she may be having an allergic reaction.

The couple asked friends who the most prominent doctor in the city was. Dr. Sukumar Mukherjee, they were told. Patients would throng his clinic, the Nightingale Diagnostic & Eye Care Research Centre Private Limited, before the doctor arrived.

The couple visited his clinic on May 7, 1998, when Mrs. Saha’s rash worsened. Dr. Mukherjee prescribed Depo-Medrol to be injected into Mrs. Saha’s muscles so that the long-acting glucocorticoid could suppress her immune system’s inflammatory response, which was presumably causing her rash.

Depo-Medrol’s chemical structure ensures it stays in the blood for a long time. It takes the body six days to get rid of just half the drug. As such, it is usually given to patients who suffer from chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, and even those patients receive just one injection a week.

The maximum dosage recommended by the drug’s Indian manufacturer, Pharmacia India Ltd., is 40 to 120 milligrams once a week. Dr. Mukherjee prescribed two injections of Depo-Medrol at 80 milligrams every day.

That moment haunts Dr. Saha. He realized that prescription did not sound right and asked Dr. Mukherjee to explain his reasoning."He said, ‘Kunal, I know what you are saying, and yes, it is a long acting,’ ” recalled Dr. Saha in an interview. "But believe me, I’ve treated at least 100 patients exactly like your wife, and this drug works like magic,” he recalled Dr. Mukherjee telling him.

"He used the word ‘magic,’ ” Dr. Saha added.

Dr. Saha chose to believe him. Although he and Mrs. Saha were living in the United States, they had grown up in India, where doctors are treated with excessive deference. Dr. Saha’s friends had assured him that Dr. Mukherjee was the best. He had an aura about him, Dr. Saha said.

Dr. Mukherjee injected the first dose himself. Four days later, Mrs. Saha’s rashes and fever worsened, and she was admitted to the AMRI Hospital in Kolkata. Dr. Mukherjee examined her there and prescribed Depo-Medrol again before leaving on a trip to the United States.

A dermatologist later diagnosed her with toxic epidermal necrolysis, which is as painful as it sounds. Toxic epidermal necrolysis, known earlier as Lyell’s disease, is an extremely rare drug reaction and it is unclear what triggered the disease in Mrs. Saha. It is fully treatable if doctors carefully monitor the patient, maintain her fluids, ward off infections with antibiotics and ensure proper nutrition.

Some doctors will give the patient glucocorticoids at the initial stages of toxic epidermal necrolysis. But as the disease progresses, steroids make the patient more vulnerable to secondary infections, according to experts consulted during the Supreme Court ruling.

By May 12, 1998, large sheets of Mrs. Saha’s skin had separated from her back and limbs. The Supreme Court noted in its 2009 judgment that she had lesions on her tongue and mouth, which made it difficult to eat or drink. Yet the nursing staff at AMRI hospital did not set up a feeding tube, nor did they give her any painkillers.

The next day, Dr. Mukherjee left for the United States, and Dr. Balram Prasad and Dr. Baidyanath Halder continued her treatment. The core medical team did not pause to question why Mrs. Saha was getting worse despite all the steroids, the Supreme Court noted in 2009. No one wondered if the drug itself could be making her worse.

On May 17, 1998, Dr. Saha evacuated his wife by a private plane to one of Mumbai’s top hospitals. On arrival, doctors noticed a dark green patch on her back, an unpropitious sign of an infection that claimed her life on May 28.

Dr. Saha began fighting that September to hold the Kolkata doctors and hospitals accountable for his wife’s death, filing criminal and civil lawsuits in India’s notoriously slow legal system. He educated himself on toxic epidermal necrolysis and assembled an international panel of experts.

Proving medical negligence in India is difficult, and the burden rests solely with the claimant, said Nagarathna Annappa, an assistant professor at the National Law School of India University in Bangalore.

"It is still difficult in India for a common man, to take up a case to that extent without understanding medical science,” she said. "In this case, because he was a doctor, he could convince the court.”

Dr. Saha shuttled between the United States and India for 15 years, appearing at various trials and racking up attorney fees, which the Supreme Court calculated as 150,000 rupees. His prolonged absences cost him his job at Ohio State University in 2005. He filed for bankruptcy in 2011, and his home was foreclosed.

Dr. Saha said he did consider giving up, but the thought of Mrs. Saha kept him going. He does not believe in life after death, he said, but he cannot help feeling that he will be reunited with her in the future.

As Dr. Saha repeatedly lost criminal and civil cases in the lower courts, the doctors who treated his wife prospered. Dr. Mukherjee became chief adviser to the Health Ministry of West Bengal state in 2012, and the other doctors practiced at the city’s top hospitals.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in 2009 found Dr. Mukherjee, Dr. Prasad, Dr. Halder and AMRI Hospital negligent in the civil case but dismissed the criminal complaint, a point that Dr. Mukherjee emphasized during an interview. The doctors are allowed to keep practicing since the West Bengal Medical Council has not canceled their licenses.

Dr. Mukherjee stressed that the Supreme Court had found him liable only in the civil case, and he was not criminally negligent.

"This is medical negligence, which is much lower in degree than criminal negligence,” he said. "It is the collective responsibility of many other doctors.”

Dr. Prasad said in an interview that he would honor the court’s judgment and that he was glad the long saga was over. "The main thing is that we will all go one day to eternity and have to accept the mistake one has done,” he said. "I accept the verdict.”

AMRI Hospital declined to comment through a spokeswoman. Dr. Halder could not be reached by telephone despite repeated attempts.

The Supreme Court’s 60.8 million rupee award took into consideration the complex socioeconomic conditions of Dr. Saha, the pain his wife endured, the doctor’s loss of income and his copious legal expenses.

Dr. Saha said he planned to keep fighting against medical negligence in India through the courts and through his non-profit, People for Better Treatment, to help others in similar situations. Yet he would never move back to India permanently.

"As a country, it took away the only precious thing I ever had. And that is a lot,” he said.

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A Landmark Turn in India’s Medical Negligence Law

Diwali does not end when the lights go out

MEA — 31/10/2013 17:44:17

Huffington Post/by Anantanand Rambachan

The word "Diwali" means an arrangement or a row of lights. Traditionally, Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night of the year when the necessity and the beauty of lights can be truly appreciated. Light is a symbol in the world's religions for God, truth and wisdom.

Given the antiquity of India, the diversity of its religious traditions and the interaction among these, it should not surprise us to know that many religious communities celebrate Diwali. Each one offers a distinctive reason for the celebration that enriches its meaning. For every community, however, Diwali celebrates and affirms hope, and the triumph of goodness and justice over evil and injustice. These values define the meaning of Diwali.

For the Jains, Diwali is celebrated as the joyous day on which Mahavir, the great Jain teacher, attained the eternal joy of liberation or nirvana. It is an occasion for rejoicing and gratitude for a life spent in rigorous religious search, realization and teaching centered on non-violence.

For the Sikhs, Diwali is a "day of freedom," when the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir, freed the sixth Sikh Guru (teacher), Hargobind, from prison. Guru Hargobind refused to accept his freedom unless the emperor released detained Hindu leaders. Guru Hargobind is celebrated as seeing his own religious freedom as inseparable from the freedom of others.

Even for the Hindu community, there is a confluence of many traditions connected with Diwali. Some celebrate Diwali as ushering the New Year and others as the triumph of Krishna over the evil, Narakasura. The most widely shared tradition, especially in North India, associates Diwali with the celebration and rejoicing over the return of Rama to his home in Ayodhya after an exile of 14 years and his defeat of the tyrannical, Ravana. Rama was forced into exile by the greed of his stepmother who wanted her own son to occupy the throne of Ayodhya. Citizens of Ayodhya joyfully welcomed Rama home by lighting thousands of earthen lamps, even as almost one billion Hindus do so today on the continents of Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas and Europe. Hindus worship Rama as an embodiment of God on earth.

The meaning of Diwali, however, is not limited to the celebration of Rama's return from exile, and we must look also beyond this event. In his version of the Ramayana, the account of the life of Rama written in the 15th century, the poet Tulasidasa tells us that the return of Rama ushered in a new human community in which all enjoyed peace and prosperity. Tulasidasa describes the characteristics of this new community in beautiful details that have profound contemporary relevance. I want to highlight four of its most important features. First, poverty was overcome, and none suffered for lack of life's necessities. Second, illiteracy was overcome and opportunities for learning available to everyone. Third, diseases were overcome, no one died prematurely, and all lived healthy lives. Fourth, violence and hate were overcome and relationships characterized by love and the service.

It is easy and even tempting to think that the Rama, the embodiment of God on earth, effected this transformation in the nature of the community miraculously. If so, we could celebrate Diwali and our responsibilities are over until it comes again next year. Such a view, however, does not accurately represent Rama's nature or mode of action in the world. Throughout the Ramayana, Tulasidasa describes Rama as seeking the help of human beings and fulfilling his purposes only through them. He asks Valmiki's help when he wants to find a suitable place to build a home. He turns to forest dwellers for guidance. He befriends Sugriva and looks to him and his supporters to find his beloved Sita. He sends Hanuman across the ocean to locate and comfort Sita. He builds a bridge to the island of Sri Lanka only with the assistance of many, including even the animals of earth. The theological conclusions are important and challenging. First, a human community that aspires to be free from poverty, illiteracy, disease and violence is one that has aligned itself with God's purpose. This is the community that Rama wills and which he governed after his return. One cannot love Rama and be indifferent to human suffering and to the nature of the community in which one lives. Second, God's purposes are accomplished through and in cooperation with human beings. We have a vital role and responsibility in making this community a reality and it will not be realized without our commitment and cooperation.

We cannot celebrate Diwali as the return of Rama without being concerned about the reality of poverty, illiteracy, disease and violence in our world. If God's purpose in the world is accomplished through us and in cooperation with us, it is also true that this work requires our cooperation with each other. Our hope is not in solitary effort but in working with others in the manner of Rama. We may not all agree on the precise paths for the goal of overcoming poverty, illiteracy, disease and violence. But even consensus about these as shared goals of our common life and as essential to the meaning of being Hindu is a grand step.

If working with others for the achievement of these ends defines what it means to be political, contemporary Hindus have a deep religious responsibility to be politically engaged. At the heart of this engagement must be a concern for the well-being of all. We ought to ensure that Hindus are known, in whatever part of the world we reside, Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and the Caribbean, for our commitment to overcoming suffering rooted in poverty, illiteracy, disease and violence. This commitment must become synonymous with what it means to be Hindu in our self-understanding and in the eyes of others. Politics, according to Mahatma Gandhi, is concerned with the well-being of human communities and anything concerned with human well-being must concern the person of religious commitment. Gandhi was deeply inspired by the life of Rama and especially by the nature of the community established after Rama's return from exile. He understood his life's purpose as working with others to make this community a reality.

Unfortunately, our religious traditions are known more for what we stand against than what we stand for. Religious identity has become negative rather than positive. We need to ensure that the positive dimension of our commitment is more prominent than the negative.

Let us celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, with joy. Let each celebration, however be a reminder and renewal of our profound obligations to help bring the lights of prosperity, knowledge, health and peace to our communities, nations and our world.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Diwali does not end when the lights go out

Timeless uniqueness of Indian cinema

MEA — 28/10/2013 17:40:05

Gulf Today/ by Imran Mojib

The importance of Indian cinema can hardly be overstated. It is the largest film industry in the world, and probably second only to Hollywood in global influence. Indian cinema has been familiar to viewers from Russia and the Middle East to parts of Asia and Africa for many decades. Indian films, helped by a population of a billion in India and 20 million overseas, are probably the most-seen movies in the world.

The charm of Indian cinema gripped festival-goers at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Sunday where a panel of veteran as well as young filmmakers recalled the journey which started during the days of the silent era.

The Journey

Recalling the history of Indian cinema, veteran filmmaker MS Sathyu said that it started in the era of silent films and moved over to more modern technologies in the late 30s. Today, films are made in more than 20 languages and dialects. India is a very unique film industry also because of the existence of many cultural differences. Each region presents the problems of their own living standards, culture, and values, as they vary from one region to the other.

"Another uniqueness is that Indian cinema has its own format that is quite different from other film industries. Be it Italian cinema, Russian, French or Japanese film, they all have their own identity. While Hollywood makes films for entertainment, Indian cinema puts together everything in one film – be it romance, or sadness or melodrama. It is very theatrical. Often you find that the whole style is different. But I feel we should not shun this style,” he said.

He said that a new wave of films has produced during the 1970s and ’80s called "Parallel cinema,” which was a result of inspiration from the new wave of Italian films. But it died down, because they realised that song and dance sequences were not necessary. They deliberately avoided it. But the trend couldn’t last because that was not of part of the Indian cinema.

Realistic cinema

He appreciated the current generation of Indian filmmakers, adding that today India’s young filmmakers are bringing new waves. They are using stars in their films because marketing is more important today.

Glamour was shunned by some of us then, but today, they are using it. Like Prakash Jha using a superstar like Amitabh Bachman, although Jha is a man known for making parallel cinema. Also, in a film like Lunchbox, the main actor is a very well-known actor. The only liberty they have taken is a mistake by the famous dabbawalas of Mumbai, who are known for never making such mistakes. He also mentioned Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Chak De India, which had all new actors except Khan, all of whom spent more time learning to play hockey.

"Nowadays, things are happening like the early days of Indian cinema, when actor Balraj Sahni went to Calcutta to experience the livelihood of a rickshawpuller before shooting the film,” he added.

Violence

However, he raised the concern over increasing use of violence in Indian films. "But there are also films like Shanghai, Gangs of Wasseypur and Dashavatar, presenting violence in a very big way. These elements are new and very disturbing. I see it as very negative, don’t know how long it will survive, but ultimately it will,” he added.

Mainstream v/s Regional

Jahnu Barua, another stalwart of Indian cinema, said Indian cinema has a very strong sense of storytelling, unlike any other film industry, which is a big asset.

However, he lamented the trend of adding the tag of regional cinema to a film not produced in Hindi and stressed that it has had a damaging effect on the film industry in other parts of India.

"If it is not Hindi cinema, it is sidelined,” he said.

"Films should be categorised as good or bad, not mainstream and regional,” he stressed.

Speaking about the film industry in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam, his native place, Barua said that content-wise, Assamese films are at par with the so-called mainstream films, yet they do not get attention due to this tag of regional cinema.

"I agree that new Indian cinema has a lot of good writers who are coming up with innovative ideas. I learn from them. But quality is suffering. But I am confident, better days are ahead,” he said.

Subcontinent Cinema

Young Indian filmmaker Meenu Gaur, who shot to fame after co-directing the Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag (Run for Life), which has become the first Pakistani film nominated for Oscars, said any talk about Indian cinema will remain incomplete without mentioning filmmaking in Pakistan.

"When talking about Indian cinema, we forget that we are speaking about conjoined Indian cinema, as sharing of the expertise between Lahore and Mumbai film industries continued even during the post partition era. Unfortunately very less has been talked or written about it,” said Gaur.

"I realised this while meeting people like the late Noor Jehan and Farida Khanam, or while reading Manto. I am glad today we are talking about Lahore cinema, which used to contribute significantly to Indian cinema. Unfortunately when partition happened, a number of film studios and theatres were burnt down. When we read or write history of Indian cinema, there is an entire chapter on what happened to the industry, which is now a part of Pakistan. Before partition, it used to produce films for entire India,” she added.

She said that the collaboration continued even after India’s partition, as mentioned by famous writer Manto, who was perhaps the only person to write about the lost era when his friends went to Bombay from Lahore to work in Indian films.

"It all changed in 1955 when there was a ban on Indian cinema in Pakistan due to the war. The Pakistani film industry suffered again in 1972, which was later followed by the restrictions placed on the industry by the military regime. By 1990, the industry collapsed. Since then only a few movies were made,” she said.

However, she expressed happiness that collaboration between India and Pakistan has started yet again.

"There is barely any good movie made in India today that is completed without Pakistani singers, like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam, Shafquat Amanat Ali Khan. I don’t think that people like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Naseeruddin Shah can be divided as Indian or Pakistani.

"Possibly, we will soon have something to be called Subcontinent Cinema,” said Gaur.

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Timeless uniqueness of Indian cinema

Culture and Fashion Star at Indian Charity Bazaar

MEA — 28/10/2013 18:27:24

Jakarta Globe/ by Olga Amato

Immersion in a piece of Indian culture is really only few steps away from home, right here in Jakarta.

Every year, the Indian Women’s Association organizes a charity bazaar, giving a chance for people in Jakarta to immerse themselves in a uniquely Indian atmosphere and be a part of the country’s rich and colorful traditions.

This year’s bazaar, recently held at JW Marriott in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, attracted over 1, 000 visitors. Inside, 167 neatly arranged tables provided products from India and elsewhere, featuring a big variety of jewelry, fabrics and traditional clothes.

"Every year our bazaar provides a very unique atmosphere enriched by a vast range of items — choices that are not easy to find outside,” said Gopi Panjabi, president of the association. "For example, among the items sold this year, there are special lights in honor of the upcoming Indian New Year, Diwali [on Sunday].”

Panjabi explained that in addition to typically Indian products, the bazaar over the years had come to include items from around the world, such as Singapore and Pakistan, all under one roof.

Malaysian Zal Steinmeyer, owner of Zal’s Accessories, is a regular vendor at the Indian Women’s Association bazaar.

"It feels good to participate in charity bazaars,” Zal said. "It’s a right time to contribute in doing good for people in need. Today I am selling products from as far abroad as Afghanistan and Korea.”

The Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Gurjit Singh and his wife were also present. The bazaar, with an entrance fee of Rp. 50,000 ($4.55) and raffle tickets for Rp. 10,000 began in 2004 as an effort to raise funds for local charity organizations.

The proceeds are distributed to a broad range of organizations, including SLB Surya Wiyata, a school for special needs children and Pusaka 61, a center for supporting senior citizens.

The IWA also supports promising students on a monthly basis until their graduation from various universities across Jakarta, such as Gunadarma University and Mercu Buana University. Up to now, 100 students have graduated thanks to the association’s help, while thirty more students are currently on the payroll.

Charity bazaar lover Tess Pantoja always finds it interesting to buy items while supporting a good cause.

"Occasions like this are perfect to buy interesting and creative items and at the same time to do good,” said Pantoja, who is originally from the Philippines. "I’ve been living in Indonesia for 23 years and I am glad to find occasions where I can give back to the local people.”

Since its formation in 1975, the IWA has grown to include about 200 active members, 17 of whom were present on the day of the event, assisting visitors. The committee members were easily recognizable by their shawls, patterned with the Indian flag.

Count Me In, the volunteering arm of BeritaSatu Media Holdings, was also invited to join the bazaar, drumming up support for its "Drive Books, Not Cars” initiative by selling second hand English novels.

All proceeds go to benefit Sahabat Anak, which provides informal education for street kids, and Taman Bacaan Pelangi, committed to build libraries for children in remote parts of eastern Indonesia.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of writer)

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Culture and Fashion Star at Indian Charity Bazaar

India designs low-cost computer to prep poor

MEA — 29/10/2013 16:48:11

Japan Times/ byVivek Wadhwa

When people think of Silicon Valley, they imagine a place where people are well-educated, well-to-do technologists. Palo Alto has some of the most expensive real estate in the world — and innovation thrives there.

But if you go on the other side of town to East Palo Alto you see poverty and despair. High school dropout rates are 65 percent and only 10 percent of its children go to college. Most don’t have access to basic computer technology.

It is no different in nearby towns such as Oakland and San Jose — and other parts of the United States.

This is particularly unconscionable given the tech industry is so desperate for talent that it has to scour the world. Bridging America’s digital divide would not only uplift disadvantaged communities, it could help solve Silicon Valley’s skills shortage.

Why don’t all children have laptops and tablets — which are as necessary today as are textbooks?

Because these are too expensive. Laptops typically cost more than $500. The low-end iPhone 5C costs well over $500 without a carrier subsidy. The cheapest iPad, the mini, costs $300. Every product upgrade by Apple, Samsung, and Dell just includes a faster processor and new features, but the prices don’t go down to the point that they are affordable by everyone.

The Indian government realized a few years ago that the technology industry had no motivation to cater to the needs of the poor. With low-cost devices, the volume of shipments would surely increase, but margins would erode to the point that it wasn’t worthwhile for the big players.

So, India decided to design its own low-cost computer. In July 2010, the government unveiled the prototype of a $35 handheld touch-screen tablet and offered to buy 100,000 units from any vendor that would manufacture them at this price. It promised to have these to market within a year and then purchase millions more for students.

Three years later the Indian government delivered a 7-inch Android-powered tablet called "Aakash.” This had a processor as powerful as the first iPad, twice as much RAM memory, a LCD touchscreen which displays full-screen video, browses the web, displays eBooks, and plays video games. The manufacturer was a Canadian company, Datawind. The tablet is expected to be sold in the United States in early 2014.

I asked one of Palo Alto high school teacher Esther Wojcicki, to evaluate these tablets — to see if they were fit for American children. Esther gave six $40 Aakash tablets to her students at Palo Alto High — where the children of Silicon Valley’s elite study. The results were surprisingly positive. Although the children found the tablets to be slower than their iPads, they were usable — and fun.

I asked another friend, philanthropist Chris Evans, to try these with the children that he was helping. Evans donated 100 Aakash tablets to Communities in Schools of Wake County of Raleigh, North Carolina, for its "Smart Summer” program — a summer camp for disadvantaged African-American children. This helps 4 to 14-year-olds prepare for their next year’s studies. They loaded the tablets with science and math apps donated by Mango Learning and textbooks by Bookboard.

Evans tells the story of when he visited one of the sites where the tablets were being used by 30 children. "They were all running different learning programs — some teaching math, others reading. After a few minutes, one 5-year-old proudly announced he had achieved "level four” in a game involving addition (I was told he’d started the day at level one).

The administrators told me that the kids in the room were already becoming proficient in the skills they would be learning in school the coming fall. They were excited that kids who often find themselves at a disadvantage in class will start school actually better prepared than many who they’ll go to school with.”

The next step is teaching children to write computer code. Two pilots are planned, in Virginia and Silicon Valley.

The Virginia project is organized by former U.S. chief technology officer Aneesh Chopra and led by education nonprofit, Virginia Advanced Study Strategies (VASS). There, six school districts including Prince William County — have enrolled 85 students in either of two free online coding courses — Team Treehouse, and Codecademy, with the offer of an Aakash tablet as an incentive for kids completing the course and developing an app.

According to Chopra, VASS sees this as a step on its path for improving rural STEM employment, and will build on the project through its Department of Education i3 (invest in innovation) grant focused on building a shared responsibility among students, parents and school districts in better preparing workers for today’s jobs.

In Silicon Valley, Level Playing Field Institute, which was founded by Lotus Development Corporation founder Mitch Kapor along with his wife and business partner Freada Kapor Klein, is coming together with Silicon Valley Bank and AT&T to hold two hackathons to teach 250 low income kids of color to write code.

The students, grades 6-12, will be given a new version of the Aakash tablet which has a cellphone built in as well as 3G access. They will be taught to write code, and asked to compete to develop the best tablet applications.

Says Klein, "Let’s help them imagine themselves as creators of tech, not just consumers. We know from 10 years of running programs that there are tens of thousands of high school girls and boys from low-income communities of color that have the talent to compete in STEM fields at the highest levels — all we need to do is to unleash the waves of hidden talent.” The project is also being supported by the Kapor Center for Social Impact of Oakland.

"This is a policy problem,” said Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker of the digital divide. "This is an education problem. Most importantly in Silicon Valley and in tech hubs around the country, this is everyone’s problem.

"We need to create a tech-savvy, highly skilled workforce to put people to work, stay competitive globally and to keep developing the technologies, medicines, devices and innovations that are solving human problems.”

The least we can do is give all children access to technology — the tablets, connectivity, mentors and support. We will not only lift millions out of poverty, but also expand our economy. As the experiments with the Indian tablets show, we already have the ability to do this.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India designs low-cost computer to prep poor

How to serve 1.5 million school lunches across India every day

MEA — 29/10/2013 16:53:50

Forbes/ by Skoll World Forum

In the lead up to the 2013 Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship, the Skoll World Forum is featuring the ideas and innovations of several speakers and delegates, all of whom are writing on entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social issues. Organized by the Harvard College Social Innovation Collaborative, the Summit takes place on November 9that Harvard University. View the full series here.

Nish Acharya is the former Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Obama Administration. He is currently a Senior Fellow with Northeastern University and the Center for American Progress.

Throughout the twenty years in which I have been working with social entrepreneurs, non-profits and activists, nothing has inspired me like the Akshaya Patra Foundation, based in Bangalore, India.

In less than 12 years, Akshaya Patra has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most effective NGO’s. Started in 2001 in Bangalore, Akshaya Patra provides school lunch, or a midday meal, to 1.5 million children daily across India – nearly 330 million meals cooked, delivered and eaten every year. Its meteoric rise – and the collaboration of government, donors and communities in that rise, is a story that I hope many NGO’s and social entrepreneurs can tell in the next decades.

As a former Board member, I am most interested in the ability of this organization to scale, because this has the greatest ramifications for social entrepreneurs everywhere. We tend to celebrate the social entrepreneur with the new idea but do not expect them to achieve the same level of impact as we do of the private companies we invest in. But if we are truly to call these individuals and their organizations "entrepreneurs” then we must hold out the same expectations for them – of reaching a scale and achieving an impact that reverberates through society.

India has nearly 130 million children of school age. And of that, about 100 million are enrolled in school. And as one would expect, the schools are of varying quality. However India’s public and private sectors agree that the availability of a nutritious midday meal is critical to driving attendance of boys and girls, improving cognitive abilities and providing children with the energy to learn in the classroom. Thus India has a fairly sophisticated set of policies, enforced by India’s Supreme Court, that require schools to provide a school lunch to their students, and that NGO’s could be the provider along with government agencies. And while multiple agencies have received contracts to provide a midday meal, almost none of them focused solely on the midday meal. Any good entrepreneur knows the importance of focus. In addition, many of these agencies were education providers, but relatively inexperienced in the areas of food, supply chain and nutrition. In many ways, Akshaya Patra has succeeded because of its ability to stay focused on the midday meal, but to attack the complexities of the problem head on.

The roots of its success lie in its beginnings. Akshaya Patra was started by two distinct groups of professionals who were able to integrate their multidisciplinary perspectives. The first group was the leadership of ISKCON, a faith-based group in India. These leaders were trained as engineers and worked in the private sector before their religious service. They brought a tradition of service to people, and experience cooking for thousands of people at a time at their temples. The second group consisted of senior executives at Infosys and other Indian technology companies. They have spent the last thirty years solving complex global problems for many of the world’s largest companies. When the two groups came together, they decided to focus on addressing a specific challenge in India that has cascading effects. And they decided to focus on scalability from the start.

They brought the best thinking in manufacturing, supply chain, innovation and logistics management to create a central kitchen model whereby food is centrally cooked and delivered by truck to local schools. The kitchen’s, many of which are ISO-9000 certified, are really food factories, capable of cooking food daily for up to 200,000 people each. Food preparation begins at3:00amand the food makes its way through a modern conveyer process until it’s loaded onto specially-built trucks around7:00amthat can deliver food to government (public) schools using a hub-and-spoke routing system.

The cost – is just $0.08 per meal per child – or about $28 per year.

The ability to constantly maintain a quality product, to provide it at scale, and at a low price are traits we would expect of the most successful companies in the world. How does Akshaya Patra do it? In addition to the process outlined above, it also constantly innovates – including using data analytics, cooking using clean energies and constantly improving ingredients to have healthier food – while keeping the cost the same. It hires the best talent available – experts from India’s best schools and companies, and pays them a comfortable wage. And it maintains strong corporate governance with boards, auditors and others joining in.

And it has spent a lot of time thinking about the model for scale. It turned out that the changes in India’s demographics and geography meant that the central kitchen model could work in most of India – regardless of the romanticism of India being a nation of villages. It also turned out that many large companies and wealthy families would pay for the construction of kitchens in their communities. And it turns out that India’s growing middle class is more than willing to donate Rs. 1200 a year ($28) to feed a child. And most importantly, India’s central and state governments have shown an unwavering commitment to funding the midday meal program – providing cash, land, rice and lentils to Akshaya Patra and other NGO’s providing school lunch. The government support accounts for about 40% of the funds, with the rest coming from private sources.

For the near future, the biggest challenge facing Akshaya Patra and India around the midday meal program will be scale. While Akshaya Patra reaches 1.5 million children daily, that still only reaches 1% of the children of school age in India. The organization is striving to reach 5 million by 2020. This would be astounding for an NGO, but would only be 3% of Indian school children. Indian policy makers, philanthropists and NGO’s have not yet decided how to scale the concept around Akshaya Patra – of a centralized kitchen using best-in-class production systems, processes and supply chain. This will entail significant training across India. It will also require a significant funding commitment by government and private donors. And it will require a third-party organization that can continue to monitor quality so the health of the children remains a priority.

As we celebrate the breakthrough innovations of social entrepreneurs everywhere, let us also keep one eye on their progress, knowing that there are NGO’s that can scale quickly when the right talent, policy and model can come together.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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How to serve 1.5 million school lunches across India every day

Indian developers hope to launch the world's first Braille smartphone by 2014

MEA — 29/10/2013 16:54:03

Deutsche Welle/ by Murali Krishnan

Touchscreens have turned phones into computers. But the tech revolution has ignored the needs of the visually impaired. Now, Indian developers are working on the world's first Braille smartphone.

Sumit Dagar, an interaction design graduate from the National Institute of Design first came up with the idea of developing a Braille smartphone three years ago. In 2012, he won a $50,000 Rolex Award for Enterprise and it gave him and his team that extra impetus to speed up their work.

"I started this project during my masters. It was not part of the curriculum but because of motivation as a designer, and with my technology background, I could clearly see this increasing digital divide between what is available for majority user groups as compared to more marginalized ones," says Dagar.

The screen of the phone, which has yet to be officially named, consists of a grid of pins. The pins move up and down to form Braille shapes and characters whenever a text message or email arrives.

The Braille smartphone will be able to form icons, shapes, figures, and diagrams in an elevated position, so users can feel them.

Huge potential market

The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 300 million people worldwide are blind or visually impaired.

A quarter of the world's visually impaired people live in India so the potential market is huge.

Explaining the technology behind the Braille phone, the 29-year-old innovator says there is a huge gap between what is usable for people with vision and for those without. He says design is the only thing that fills the gap between technology and the user.

"There are a couple of technologies we are experimenting with for a production level version," says Dagar. "One of them is piezoelectric technology, which has been available for these sorts of uses for about 30 years. The most recent technology [we're looking at] is shape memory alloy based actuation."

Though the phone is still at the prototype stage, work is progressing at a frenetic pace.

Not just for those left behind

Nishita Gill, who is also part of the design team, believes the product will be a strong competitor to other smartphones.

"Imagine an interface where you don't have to look at the screen and you can still make a call or you can still message someone," says Gill. "It'll definitely be a challenge on the smartphone market."

And it's hotly anticipated.

George Abraham, the founding chairman of the World Blind Cricket Council and the Association for Cricket for the Blind in India, sees a bright future for the product.

"There are a number of people who know Braille and for them it will be great. The world is large - there is room for these products and customers will benefit," says Abraham.

However, Dagar acknowledges his team has big hurdles to overcome before it can launch the Braille smartphone - the main one being how to build the physical surface of the interactive screen. But he is spurred on by his conviction that visually impaired people have been left behind.

"The product revolution that has happened recently is the 'product innovation revolution' where design came in and took over technology. That's where iPhones and other off-age products came in," says Dagar. "They were essentially using [old] technologies, but they used design in such a way that the user became wowed about the technologies. So this is the revolution that came but it left out marginalized user groups."

The developers of the Braille smartphone say it will offer rich information sets like graphics, diagrams and spatial orientation, which can be represented using touch interaction.

Dagar has self-funded the project so far. Winning last year's Rolex Award allowed him to cover startup costs for his company, Kriyate Designs, and operating costs for the first year.

His team hopes to have a basic version of the Braille phone market-ready by early next year and a full, Braille smartphone ready within the next five years.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Indian developers hope to launch the world's first Braille smartphone by 2014

India, U.S. preparing satellites to probe Martian atmosphere

MEA — 29/10/2013 17:01:54

WATQ News/ by Irene Klotz

Two new science satellites are being prepared to join a fleet of robotic Mars probes to help determine why the planet most like Earth in the solar system ended up so different.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission, the country's first interplanetary foray, is due to blast off on November 5 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Billed as a pathfinder to test technologies to fly to orbit and communicate from Mars, the satellite follows India's successful 2008-2009 Chandrayaan-1 moon probe, which discovered water molecules in the lunar soil.

The Mars Orbiter Mission has ambitious science goals as well, including a search for methane in the Martian atmosphere. On Earth, the chemical is strongly tied to life.

Methane, which also can be produced by non-biological processes, was first detected in the Martian atmosphere a decade ago.

But recent measurements made by NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, show only trace amounts of methane, a puzzling finding since the gas should last about 200 years on Mars.

India's Mars Orbiter Mission also will study Martian surface features and mineral composition.

Also launching in November is NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft.

MAVEN will focus on Mars' thin atmosphere, but rather than hunting methane, it is designed to help scientists figure out how the planet managed to lose an atmosphere that at one time was believed to be thicker than Earth's.

"MAVEN is going to focus on trying to understand what the history of the atmosphere has been, how the climate has changed through time and how that has influenced the evolution of the surface and the potential habitability - at least by microbes - of Mars," lead mission scientist Bruce Jakosky, with the University of Colorado at Boulder, told reporters on a conference call on Monday.

MAVEN is due to launch on November 18 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and reach Mars on September 22, 2014 - the day after India's spacecraft arrives.

They will join two NASA rovers, two NASA orbiters and a European Space Agency satellite already studying Mars.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India, U.S. preparing satellites to probe Martian atmosphere

Vietnam-India festival celebrates long-term relationship

MEA — 28/10/2013 17:41:44

Vietmaz

India People’s Friendship festival celebrating the cultural exchange as well as long-term relationship between two countries was held at Ho Chi Minh City’s Union of Friendship Organizations on October 25.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Phan Long, Vice President of the municipal Union of Friendship Organizations, emphasized that the celebration helped confirm the long-term relationship between Vietnam and India.

A number of Vietnamese and Indian traditional songs were performed by both Indian and Vietnamese people at the celebration.

"We were happy to see people in Hanoi and Da Nang appreciated our performance. We believe that the relationship between Vietnam and India will strongly develop,” Devi Prasad Tripathi asserted.

In 2012, Vietnam – India successfully celebrated their friendship year which marked the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties between two nations.

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Vietnam-India festival celebrates long-term relationship

On World Polio Day, India’s Progress

MEA — 24/10/2013 18:26:30

Wall Street Journal/ byNaveen Thacker

India is just four months away from being declared polio free by the World Health Organization.

This was once described by experts as impossible and would mark one of the greatest global public health achievements of all time. It also provides a national roadmap for reaching children with other interventions.

The world is so close to total eradication, and India’s experience is playing a major role in how experts are approaching the last mile. Yet, with the threat of polio from endemic countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria – and outbreaks in the Horn of Africa, South Sudan and possibly Syria, we cannot afford to be complacent.

Successful polio eradication in India hasn’t been easy. In 2009, the country had more cases of polio than anywhere else in the world. But political commitment at the central, state and local levels, along with a national polio oversight body, helped identify and address challenges quickly and effectively.

A partnership between the Indian government, the WHO, Unicef, Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation raised more than $2 billion and an army of two million vaccinators was deployed to reach more than 170 million children in polio immunization campaigns each year.

New technological innovations like genetic sequencing helped us quickly identify where an outbreak of the virus originated, enabling us to rapidly stop it from spreading. A system to track newborn babies helped health workers reach them with the vaccine and other lifesaving interventions.

Celebrities like the actor Amitabh Bachchan pushed the message of polio eradication to the masses, and partnerships with religious groups helped break down scare stories and myths about the disease, too.

Since the last case of polio in India in 2011, national experts have traveled to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria to share best practices. India’s monitoring system and genetic sequencing, for example, provides a model for how polio outbreaks can be identified and stopped.

The remaining three countries where polio transmission has never been stopped continue to make tremendous progress in getting us to a polio-free world. The next six months – the traditional "low season” when fewer cases of polio are recorded – are critical to our efforts to end polio and change history.

Polio eradication has had a big impact on how health services are delivered to the poorest and most marginalized communities. Health workers actually went door-to-door in polio affected districts to ensure that no child was missed. The knowledge gained through the polio effort is being used to make inroads against other preventable diseases.

There’s a lot of work to do.

Unicef says 1.4 million children under the age of five died in India in 2012 from preventable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malnutrition. This is an incredible amount of suffering. As with polio, child deaths could be dramatically reduced if the government, business community and civil society work together to reach the poorest areas with quality and affordable health services.

India is a world leader in research and development. The country recently launched a new Japanese encephalitis vaccine that will target high prevalence districts. An indigenous vaccine against rotavirus, the main cause of diarrhea in India, has also been developed and, once launched, will play a big role in preventing deaths and hospitalization from diarrhea.

India has also made steady progress by introducing the pentavalent vaccine in nine states. Based on the success of the rollout, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended that the government rolls out the five-in-one vaccine nationwide.

But big gaps remain. There is a shortfall of trained health workers in India, the health system is underfunded and we are too cautious about technological advancements because of an anti-vaccine lobby, which puts children’s lives at risk.

Pakistan became the first country in South Asia to immunize children against pneumococcal disease, a major cause of pneumonia and the biggest killer of children under five in India. Why are we not using this lifesaving vaccine to stop these preventable child deaths?

India has shown great leadership on polio eradication and proved the critics wrong by getting to zero polio cases. The challenge now is to ensure that these lessons translate into polio eradication globally and to improved health interventions nationally.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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On World Polio Day, India’s Progress

Bihar nurse to share stage with Malala at UN function

MEA — 24/10/2013 18:30:18

Vancouver Desi

A Bihar woman health official is set to share stage with Malala Yousufzai, who was shot in the head and neck by the Taliban for advocating girls’ education in her country Pakistan, in New York next month, officials Thursday said.

Martha Dodray, in her mid-40s, is an auxiliary nursing midwife posted at Kusheshwarsthan primary health centre in the state’s Darbhanga district. She was selected by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) for her extraordinary work to eradicate polio.

"I am happy that UNF would honoured me for my work in polio immunization campaign at a function to be held at New York Nov 6, where Malala would be also be felicitated,” Martha, a tribal native of Palamu district of neighbouring Jharkhand, said.

She said she walked several kilometres each day to reach remote and inaccessible villages to administer polio vaccine to hundreds of children, mostly belonging to poorest of the poor.

Darbhanga district magistrate Kumar Ravi said Martha has contributed in the polio vaccination drive in remote pockets of the flood-prone rural areas.

"Marha was recently selected as one of the best polio workers in India for her devotion and hard work in polio vaccination drive. Her name was recommended for the award ceremony in New York,” Darbhanga civil surgeon U.K. Choudhary said.

Bihar has not reported a single case of polio in the last three years and has virtually remained polio free since August 2010.

State Health Secretary Sanjay Kumar, who is also executive director of Bihar State Health Society, said the state has become a near polio-free region as it has not recorded a single case of the disease. But Bihar will have to wait till Jan 14, 2014, to be officially declared a polio free state, when India too will be declared a polio-free country.

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Bihar nurse to share stage with Malala at UN function

UAE-India ties are historical

MEA — 26/10/2013 19:30:59

Gulf News/ by Sanjay Verma

The relationship built on the foundations of trade and human resources has evolved into a healthy cultural exchange over the yearsFor an Indian diplomat, the assignment as consul-general in Dubai is challenging and overwhelming. On arrival, I remember being told that the finest sound that an Indian consul-general hears is that of the jet engine taking off after completion of his tenure.

I have spent 44 wondrous months in this truly global city, Dubai. Time has moved like a speeding car on Shaikh Zayed Road. But when I look back at events, high-level visits, particular incidents or the breadth of the relationship that I have experienced then it does seem like three and a half years. How does one capture a diplomatic assignment with the backdrop of civilisational linkages in a brief article?

India is a fast developing civilisational state with 1.2 billion people and a continental diversity. UAE, on the other hand, is like a green field state where the visionary rulers have from scratch put up infrastructure and a man management model that has delivered extraordinary results and prosperity.

Our two countries have widely differing realities and challenges, yet there is a core philosophy common to the vision of the UAE rulers and that enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Both our countries have embraced pluralism to prove that diversities need not divide, but can co-exist and prosper together.

The India-UAE partnership is historical and legendary. But importantly, it is also a relationship which is dynamic with new contours and linkages. Not long ago, this was a relationship built largely on the strength of human resources from India.

Today, the India-UAE relationship sings different tunes and more than anything else, is defined by our economic and commercial linkages. We are each other’s biggest trade partners with annual trade exceeding $75 billion (Dh275.25 billion).

Last year, an estimated million Indians visited Dubai. Sum up the shopping done by Indian tourists here and you could easily add another $5 billion to our bilateral trade. We are also joined at the hip by about 700 weekly flights. Every 20 minutes, an aircraft takes off between India and the UAE.

UAE with about $8 billion worth of investments is amongst India’s top-10 investors. Indian investments in the UAE are beginning to tell a new story. Not long ago, an Indian entrepreneur here gradually accumulated capital and built a business. The new Indian entrepreneur brings in capital from back home or elsewhere.

A conservative assessment of the total investments by Indian companies here is about $80 billion. If you add the value of Indian investments in the property sector that number may touch $100 billion. We are also amongst the biggest consumers. The recent decision by the Government of India to put flat screen TVs under a new import tariff reportedly caused TV sales in Dubai to dip by a third.

The transactional aspect of this dynamic relationship is true for India’s ties with the region too. At $181 billion our trade with the GCC is the most with any other regional bloc. We are also amongst the biggest buyers of GCC’s oil. In fact, the payment for oil imports from the Gulf by India (at above $75 billion) is more than double the remittances Indian expatriates send home from the Gulf. The market is underwriting India’s links with the region.

I thought I knew India. But the assignment here was like a ‘Re-discover India programme’. No area in India, barring Mumbai, represents Indian diversity like the Indian community in Dubai. Where else would you find half a dozen Indian restaurants devoted to different style of coastal cooking? Your wildest Indian food fantasy can be ordered as a take away in Dubai! India has 640 administrative districts. You can bet there is at least one resident in Dubai from each of these districts.

The Indian community here is probably the most positive anywhere and is part of the nation building process of two states, India and the UAE. When you think of the Indian migrant here, you now need to think beyond the humble skilled or unskilled worker.

Please also consider the top Indian bankers, the CEOs, the CFOs, the doctors, the chartered accountants and the lawyers. Indians run world-class business models in retail trade, education and the health sector.

The Indian community is proudly cohesive and committed. It recreates our ethos here in many telling ways. The most serious efforts at promoting and celebrating the classical and folk dances outside Kerala happens here.

High quality theatre productions in regional languages like Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali outside India are staged here. The biggest kavi sammelans and mushairas (poetry recitation in public) outside the Hindi heartland are held here, attended by thousands till dawn the next day.

Apart from the stock challenges of meeting consular expectations of the community and promoting our commercial interests, the last three and a half years was punctuated by a number of high-profile cases, including the 17 Indians case in Sharjah, the fallout of th/e Anna Hazare protests in India, Somali piracy which cut personal and deep, the Air India Express tragedy in Mangalore and evacuation of Indians from Libya through Dubai amongst many others.

Offering relief from all this was the softer side of Dubai, the Bollywood capital of the Gulf. Meeting idols like Amitabh Bachchan, Gulzarsaab, Asha Bhonsle and Shabana Azmi or wearing the moderator’s hat at the Sharjah Book Fair and the Emirates Festival of Literature in Dubai to interview legends like Ruskin Bond and Arundhati Roy or chat up Shobha De, Anupam Kher, Prasoon Joshi and film director Sujoy Ghosh for a live audience were memorable and enjoyable experiences.

On the way, I also discovered some home truths about the Indian society in Dubai. For instance, you can never be late to an Indian party in Dubai. If you are invited for dinner, please have dinner at home before arriving because the table will be laid only post-midnight.

Dubai is also a place where I learnt that people actually take a vacation to recover from the hectic partying schedule. Dubai is also a place where some feel that if you get less than three invites on Diwali then you need to fire your image consultant. Was it a coincidence that Dubai also has the finest amateur belters of Bollywood songs? Strangely, the best of these singers, and they are really talented, are also huge business success stories. Provoking me to suggest, you have wasted your life making money; you should have made music.

When the Air India Dreamliner leaves Dubai with us on board, the noise of the jet engine will be drowned out by the friendship and support of our Emirati friends, the camaraderie of the diplomatic corps and love and affection of the Indian community. It was a privilege to represent India and the community in Dubai.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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UAE-India ties are historical

Smithsonian's 1st exhibition on the art of yoga explores 2,000-plus years of visual history

MEA — 24/10/2013 10:44:42

Washington Post

Yoga is moving from the studio mat to the museum gallery.

The Smithsonian Institution has organized what curators believe is the first exhibition about the visual history and art of yoga, its origins and evolution over time.

The Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery will showcase the exhibit, "Yoga: The Art of Transformation,” through January. Later, it will travel to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and to the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Curators brought together Indian sculptures, manuscripts and paintings, as well as posters, illustrations, photographs and films to showcase yoga’s history over 2,000 years.

Museum Director Julian Raby said years of research behind the exhibit shed new light on yoga’s meanings and histories.

"It examines for the first time a spectacular, but until now largely ignored, archive,” he said. "That archive is India’s visual culture of extraordinary yoga-related artworks created, as you will see, over some two millennia.”

Guest teachers will lead yoga classes in the museum’s galleries on Wednesdays and Sundays. The museum also will host a symposium for scholars and enthusiasts on yoga’s visual culture.

Curator Debra Diamond said the Smithsonian borrowed some of the greatest masterpieces in Indian art as well as pieces that have never been shown before.

First the exhibit examines the concepts and practices of yoga traditions, including meditation and postures found in Indian art dating back hundreds of years. The first piece is an 11th century sculpture representing a yoga teacher, seated in the lotus posture with legs crossed to signify enlightenment.

Such sculptures were displayed in Hindu temples so people could see the teacher and "understand yoga’s transformative potential,” Diamond said.

Three life-size sculptures of yogini goddesses from Hindu temples illustrate the belief that female powers could be used to allow practitioners to achieve divine powers and enlightenment.

Later galleries examine how the idea of yoga was circulated worldwide, Diamond said. Early American posters depict yogis as magicians or "fakirs” performing acts, along with a 1902 film by Thomas Edison.

Perceptions of yoga helped determine how the tradition developed, and knowing that background is important for how Americans think about yoga today, Diamond said.

"There are so many debates and contestations about what yoga is in America,” she said. "Is it a profound individual embodied system of transformation? Or is it the thing that spawned a $5 billion industry in which yoga is used to sell cars?”

The exhibit is funded in part by the Smithsonian’s first major crowd-funding campaign, which raised $174,000 in six weeks. The Alec Baldwin Foundation also is a notable sponsor. Last year, Baldwin married a yoga instructor.

John Schumacher, a 40-year yoga practitioner and teacher in Washington who advised on the exhibit, said visitors will see there is much more to yoga than postures and breathing.

"It teaches where yoga comes from,” he said. "You see there is a deep, philosophical underpinning to all of these practices and a variety of different philosophies.”

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Smithsonian's 1st exhibition on the art of yoga explores 2,000-plus years of visual history

Canadian CEOs should look at India, other foreign markets for growth: PwC

MEA — 24/10/2013 10:54:11

Vancouver Desi/ by Linda Nguyan

Canadian companies are at risk of losing out on growth opportunities if they don’t look abroad to the U.S. and other foreign markets in 2014, accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers warns in a report issuedTuesday.

"This is about revenue and Canadian companies are placing limited bets on emerging foreign markets. It’s small thinking,” said Tahir Ayub, Canadian Private Company Services Leader at PwC.

The annual report, titled Building a Sustainable Future: Strategies for Growth, urged businesses to review why they have not expanded into markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China, which in the next decade will be home to an estimated billion new middle-income consumers.

"Those new consumers will demand products and services and other countries will meet that demand,” said Ayub.

"Bottom line: Canadian businesses should continue to evaluate the pros and cons of doing business in emerging markets. It’s a risk not to start assessing these markets as places to grow.”

There are also many opportunities to be had just beyond our border in the U.S., he said.

"For Canadian businesses specifically, our geographic proximity, cultural similarities and shared language make the U.S. an ideal trading partner,” said Ayub.

"We’ve got a ready market of sophisticated consumers with significant buying power at our doorstep. The US market is 10 times that of Canada… This is the time to at least explore doing business in the U.S.”

Earlier this week, a research note by CIBC Economics forecasted that spending by Corporate Canada is expected to ramp up in 2014 as global economies, particularly the U.S., continue to show signs of improvement.

CIBC economist Benjamin Tal said Canadian companies are holding onto a near-record amount of cash, an estimated $5.7 trillion, yet have been reluctant to invest in capital projects due to economic uncertainty. But as some of the world’s largest economies show clear signs of strength, these firms will be more willing to spend that money in 2014.

The bank estimates the U.S. economy will expand by 3.2 per cent next year, more than double the projected pace in 2013. While China is forecast to grow by four per cent, compared with three per cent this year.

A PwC survey of 352 Canadian chief executives from the private sector were hesitant about growing outside of Canada, although 76 per cent say they expect their businesses to expand in 2014.

The majority (60 per cent) said Canada had the largest growth potential in the coming year, while 24 per cent noted the U.S. and 10 per cent cited foreign markets.

Those surveyed cited that they expect their businesses will expand by an average of 7.6 per cent — more than three times more than the two per cent growth rate forecasted for the Canadian economy as a whole.

"Canada’s market is relatively small and developed. The real opportunity to expand, grow sales and boost market share is by entering new markets,” says Ayub.

The most common reasons companies expect growth are increased sales (55 per cent), marketshare gains (44 per cent) and an improved economy (37 per cent). Last year, only 19 per cent of those surveyed admitted to having a rosy outlook on the Canadian economy.

The CEOs say they are taking a number of steps to improve their balance sheets, including reducing the cost of operations (42 per cent), improving staff skills (40 per cent), improving processes (39 per cent), better targetting customers (38 per cent) and retaining staff (33 per cent).

Going into 2014, the respondents say the biggest obstacles they see for their businesses are the economy (38 per cent), labour shortages or inability to recruit skilled staff (28 per cent) and decreased demand for their products and services (25 per cent).

The PwC survey of Canadian CEOs was conducted in the summer. The participants were from a variety of sectors, each generating revenues between $10 to more than $51 million each year.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Canadian CEOs should look at India, other foreign markets for growth: PwC

India 'most open' among BRICS

MEA — 24/10/2013 10:59:32

Warc

Indian companies performed the best of the BRICS economies in a new survey of corporate reporting practices in emerging markets, while Chinese companies were judged to be lagging way behind.

The findings were detailed in a report from Berlin-based Transparency International, the anti-corruption watchdog, which examined 100 multinationals from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (the BRICS) plus 12 other countries.

Indian companies were found to have performed well thanks to laws that require them to publish key financial information about their subsidiaries, the Indian Express reported.

Tata Communications topped the list with a rating of 71% followed in second place by Tata Global Beverages, while Indian companies averaged 54% overall.

By contrast, eight of the ten worst performers were Chinese companies, including state-owned Chery Automobiles, and of the 11 companies given a zero for organisational transparency, nine were from China.

"Results show that companies from China lag behind in every dimension with an overall score of 20%," Transparency International said. "Considering their growing influence in markets around the world, this poor performance is of concern."

Companies were assessed according to three categories – how they reported anti-corruption programmes, their organisational transparency, and disclosure of revenue, expenses and tax payments.

After finding that 60% of companies in emerging markets surveyed do not disclose information about political contributions, Transparency urged them to explain to the public about their relationships with governments and what they're doing to prevent corruption.

The report also found that disclosure requirements regulating publicly-listed companies enabled them to outperform state-owned or private companies.

Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International, concluded: "As emerging market companies expand their influence, they should seize the opportunity to play a bigger role stopping corruption internationally."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India 'most open' among BRICS

India to electronically manage USD 323M research scheme

MEA — 11/10/2013 16:50:27

Future Gov /by Medha Basu

The Ministry of Science and Technology of India has launched electronic management of its INR 19.79 billion (US$ 323 million) science and research funding scheme for youth, ‘Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research’ (INSPIRE).

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has to process hundreds of thousands of nominations for selecting winners of the INSPIRE Award. It launched the new e-management system yesterday (October 10), applying "state-of-the-art, latest information technology” to make grant management more efficient and transparent.

The E-Management of INSPIRE Award Scheme or E-MIAS system will connect the central DST to all 35 States and Union Territories, and further connect it to all 700 district education authorities and the three central education organisations.

Union Science and Technology Minister, S. Jaipal Reddy said at the launch of E-MAIS, "For users, the e-management of INSPIRE may be a matter of convenience. But for me it is not just an operational modality, but a statement of value and commitment in favour of transparent administration.”

It will digitise the grant application and management process, enabling 500,000 middle and high schools across the country to electronically file nominations for the grant which will be received by the district and state authorities for further processing. The data of the selected students will be directly transmitted to the banks, allowing authorities to credit the awarded amount into the bank accounts of the awardees.

E-MAIS will also enable the banks to prepare and dispatch Award Warrants to the selected winners, management of data related to the scheme and support management information systems. Additionally, the system will support a public domain homepage with details of the award scheme. There will also be a call centre open six days a week to address stakeholders’ needs.

DST selected IL&FS Technologies, an end-to-end technology solutions provider, for preparing the application, and maintaining and operating it for the next five years. The software was piloted in Tamil Nadu and Punjab States, and Delhi Union Territory over August and September this year. Based on feedback from the pilot tests, the application has now been finalised and is ready to be put into work in all concerned agencies.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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India to electronically manage USD 323M research scheme

India, China show great progress in ending poverty: World Bank

MEA — 11/10/2013 16:54:36

NY Daily News

The number of extremely poor people has sharply declined around the world, but with the exception of India and China, the poor in 2010 were as bad off as they were in 1981, according to a new World Bank report.

While the reduction in poverty has moved significantly over the last three decades in middle-income countries such as China and India, low-income countries showed much slower progress, said the analysis released Thursday, underscoring the difficulty of reaching the goal to end poverty by 2030.

The "average" poor person in a low-income country lived on 78 cents a day in 2010, compared to 74 cents a day in 1981. But in India, the average income of the poor rose to 96 cents in 2010, compared to 84 cents in 1981, while in China, the average poor income rose to 95 cents, compared to 67 cents.

The report found that 721 million fewer people lived in extreme poverty in 2010 - defined as under $1.25 a day - compared to 1981, but it still included roughly 400 million children.

Children accounted for one in three of those living in extreme poverty around the world in 2010, compared with only one in five of those living above the poverty line.

In low-income countries, the percentages were even worse, with half of all children living in extreme poverty.

While extreme poverty rates have declined in all regions, the world's 35 low-income countries - 26 of which are in Africa - registered 100 million more extremely poor people today than three decades ago.

In 2010, 33 percent of the extreme poor lived in low-income countries, compared to 13 percent in 1981.

"The finding that over 400 million children live in extreme poverty and children are more likely to be poor than adults is disturbing, since this can exacerbate child labour and create inter-generational poverty traps," said World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Kaushik Basu.

"Hence, if we want to make a sustainable dent on global poverty, this is where we need to focus our attention."

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India, China show great progress in ending poverty: World Bank

Indian girl, 13, studies for master’s degree

MEA — 15/10/2013 14:05:47

Washington Post

In a country where many girls are discouraged from going to school, Sushma Verma is having anything but a typical childhood.

The 13-year-old girl from a poor family in north India has enrolled in a master’s degree program in microbiology, after her father sold his land to pay for some of his daughter’s tuition in the hope of helping her be a part of India’s growing middle class.

Sushma finished high school at age 7 and earned a college degree at 13 — milestones she said were possible only with the sacrifices and encouragement of her uneducated and impoverished parents.

"They allowed me to do what I wanted to do,” Sushma said in an interview, speaking her native language of Hindi. "I hope that other parents don’t impose their choices on their children.”

Sushma lives a very modest life with her three younger siblings and her parents — eating, sleeping and studying alongside them in a cramped single-room apartment in the city of Lucknow.

Their only income is her father’s daily wage of less than $3.50 for working on construction sites. Their most precious possessions include a study table and a secondhand computer.

It is not a great atmosphere for studying, she admitted. "There are a lot of dreams. . . . All of them cannot be fulfilled.”

But having no television and little else at home has advantages, she said. "There is nothing to do but study.”

Sushma began her studies last month at Lucknow’s B.R. Ambedkar Central University.

Her first choice was to become a doctor, but she cannot take the test to qualify for medical school until she is 18.

"So I opted for the [master’s of science], and then I will do a doctorate,” she said.

Sushma — a skinny, poised girl with shoulder-length hair — is not the first high achiever in her family. Her older brother graduated from high school at 9 and in 2007 became one of India’s youngest computer science graduates at 14.

In another family, Sushma might not have been able to follow him into higher education. Millions of Indian children are still not enrolled in grade school, and many of them are girls whose parents choose to hold them back in favor of advancing their sons. Some from conservative village cultures are expected only to get married, for which their families will go into debt to give cash and gifts to their daughter’s new family.

For Sushma, her father sold his only pieces of land for about $400 to cover some of her school fees.

"There was opposition from my family and friends, but I did not have any option,” said her father, Tej Bahadur Verma.

The rest of Sushma’s school fees will come from a charity that gave her a grant of about $12,600. Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International decided to help after seeing a local television program on Sushma.

"The girl is an inspiration for students from elite backgrounds” who are born with everything, he said.

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Indian girl, 13, studies for master’s degree

Online tool to monitor rural development in Indian state

MEA — 15/10/2013 14:13:07

Future Gov: Medha Basu

The Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) in Karnataka State, India, is now using new online software to monitor rural development projects implemented by various state departments. It is looking to bring transparency to the State Government projects and make project data publicly available.

The Panchayat Raj Engineering Department, Karnataka Rural Road Development Agency, Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited and rural local bodies undertake around 200,000 development projects worth INR 50 billion (US$ 809 million) annually.

The software, known as Gandhi Sakshi Kayaka, will incorporate the use of Google Maps to track progress of these projects. "It is mandatory to upload photos of different stages of works and related documents, failing which bills would not be generated,” informed RDPR Minister, H. K. Patil.

Details of projects implemented by these departments, including implementation status, costs, tenders and contractors, and estimated timeline, will be available on the system. Citizens can access this information by visiting gsk.kar.nic.in.

The Minister added that payment of all bills related to the projects will be done through the new system, no longer paying through cheques.

The system has been developed by National Informatics Centre. The RDPR is to set up a central monitoring unit in the state capital city, Bangalore.

The Minister has described the project as an "attempt to overhaul the functioning of the Panchayat Raj system” which refers to the Indian local government system at the district and sub-district levels. The software will cover around 5,600 district and sub-districts in Karnataka.

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Online tool to monitor rural development in Indian state

Indian firms joining battle to provide low-cost health care

MEA — 15/10/2013 14:00:51

Deseret News: John Hoffmire

Across the modern world today there are few topics more divisive and debated than health care. Governments are constantly in a struggle to ensure proper care is available to those who need it, while also combating risings costs and greater demands on existing systems. Often, the groups that are hardest hit in this process are low-income families struggling to make ends meet. These problems only compound in developing nations where average incomes are lower, and poor standards of living negatively affect health on a daily basis.

In recent years, charities, non-profits, and for-profit businesses in the developed world have begun to take an increased role in fighting these challenges. Whereas groups historically would focus on simply providing services and care at whatever costs, for-profit companies and NGOs are now moving towards a more active role in combating costs.

One prominent example in the US is a company called Medtronic. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Medtronic is a global leader in providing mini-medical devices domestically and internationally. A current campaign, called Healthy Heart for All (HHFA), is focused on providing not only affordable, but high-quality cardiac diagnosis and treatment. HHFA is now available in 20 cities across India.

However, this movement towards low-cost health care in developing countries, especially India, is neither the sole property of US companies, nor of the developed world. Several Indian firms have recently begun work to provide low-cost solutions, supplementing great strides that have already been taken for decades.

One such company is known as Skanray. A start-up out of Mysore, India, Skanray was founded in 2007 by Vishwaprasad Alva, an engineer who formerly worked at GE. With his experience in designing X-ray machines, Alva saw an opportunity to create a competitive company providing low-cost medical devices, while also accomplishing a social good. Over three-quarters of medical gear in India is imported and too costly for smaller areas and rural clinics to afford. In a country of 1.2 billion where 70% of the population lives in rural areas, this leaves a staggering number of people without proper access to medical technology.

After initial struggles to grow, Skanray finally gained traction in 2009 by finishing construction on a new production facility. With this factory, the company gained the capability to produce low-cost machinery domestically, significantly decreasing costs to clinics and hospitals. For example, Skanray’s X-ray machine is sold for 154400 Indian rupee ($2500), about half the cost of the lowest competitor. Skanray’s product line now includes x-ray generators, x-ray imaging systems, as well as plans for other critical care devices in the near future.

Another organization with a strong track record in low-cost medical help is Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS). Headquartered in Jaipur, India, BMVSS is the world’s largest organization serving the disabled, and has been providing assistance since 1975. Known by the nickname Jaipur Foot, BMVSS supplies prosthetics and mobility aids to disabled people all across India, and much of Asia, as well. The limbs, joints, and appliances associated with them are all given absolutely free, with sizing and fitting done in just one to three days.

Incredibly, each of the prosthetic limbs provided costs Jaipur Foot just under 3000 Indian rupee, or $45. A comparable limb in the US would sell for well over $12,000. With costs this low, and relatively light overhead (4% as compared to an NGO average of 20%), Jaipur foot is able to serve over 65,000 patients each year, all at absolutely no cost to those treated. Since its humble beginnings in 1975, BMVSS has provided limbs for over 1.2 million people.

These two firms are merely the tip of the iceberg of those helping to alleviate suffering and pain throughout India. Similar projects are underway throughout the developing world as industry and technological leaders combine to help those in need.

As the desire for health care and low-cost solutions grows across the world, many organizations will be able to provide not only cheaper solutions, but more effective treatment. In fact, some innovations will and already do cross borders from developing countries to developed ones, but more on that in a future piece.

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Indian firms joining battle to provide low-cost health care

India to build world’s largest solar power plant in Rajasthan

MEA — 23/09/2013 09:56:39

International Business Times/by Sreeja VN

The Indian government will set up the world’s largest solar power plant in its northwestern state of Rajasthan, an official statement said on Friday, and the venture is expected to significantly reduce solar power taxes in the country.

The project, known as the "Ultra-Mega Green Solar Power Project," will have a total power generation capacity of 4,000 megawatts, which is more than double the total solar power generation capacity in India.

"This will be the largest solar-based power project in the world. Being the first project of this scale … this project is expected to set a trend for large-scale solar power development in the world," a government statement said.

The project will be spread across 23,000 acres of land belonging to the state-run Sambhar Salts Ltd, near the Sambhar Lake, which is about 47 miles away from Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital city. The first phase of the project, which will be for 1,000 megawatt capacity, is expected to be completed in three years and will be run by a joint venture of five state-run utilities, including BHEL, Power Grid Corporation of India and Solar Energy Corporation of India.

"Based on the experience gained during implementation of the first phase of the project, the remaining capacity would be implemented through a variety of models," the statement said.

The plant, when fully operational, will generate 6,000 million units of electricity a year, and it is expected to bring down the solar power tariffs in the country.

India, which is facing a severe power shortage, has been promoting solar and wind energy to meet its increasing energy needs. Solar power currently contributes less than 1 percent to India’s energy mix, which is heavily dependent on coal and hydro power plants. However, the government aims to increase the current capacity of 1,700 megawatts of solar power to 20,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2020, through its ambitious project, the national solar mission.

The government is hoping to sell solar power from the proposed plant at 5.50 rupees (about 9 cents) a unit, which would be the lowest tariff for solar power in the country.

"Solar power at the rate of Rs 5.50 per unit would surely bring in buyers. Prior discussion with the government, distribution companies and the ministry of finance have yielded that solar power at this rate is most viable for finance and purchase," Amit Kumar, Associate Director (energy & utilities) at PwC told the Economic Times.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India to build world’s largest solar power plant in Rajasthan

Village genius rockets to NASA

MEA — 20/09/2013 17:48:37

Daily Mail/by Ajay Kumar

Family's joy as teenager from Narnaul is selected for astronaut training

First there was Kalpana Chawla, the Indian-American astronaut whose roots were in Karnal, Haryana.

Now there's 19-year-old Ashish Yadav from the state's backwater town of Narnaul, who's on his way to the National Aeronautic Space Administration (NASA) of the United States.

Yadav is among the three students selected from India for a three-year astronaut training programme in America, the entire cost of which will be taken care of by NASA. Yadav leaves for the US next month.

"My dream was to go into space since childhood and that's why I took physics, chemistry and biology with mathematics as subjects in high school," says the astronaut-in-the-making.

"Initially, I had set a target for myself to become a doctor, inspired by my cousin brother who is a doctor. I appeared for Pre Medical Examination (PMT) this year after completing Class 12th with 84 per cent marks from Saraswati Vidya Mandir Higher Secondary School in Nangal Chaudhry village of Mahendragarh district. I was ranked 37th in India," says Yadav.

Just the beginning

That was just the beginning for this bright young man. "Since mathematics is also my optional subject, I appeared for the IIT entrance exam this year. I got an All-India rank of 112. I was interested more in medical science and had zeroed in on the All India Institute of Medical sciences (AIIMS)," he says.

Yadav also cleared the Indian Institute of Space Aeronautics and Technology (IISAT) competition organised by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "When I get selected for ISRO, I decided to choose this as a career and become an astronaut," Yadav explains.

NASA selects aspiring astronauts on the basis of tests conducted by space institutions of various countries. This year, NASA has selected 10 students from across the world, including three from India. The other two are from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, with Yadav in the first position.

"I appeared for a written examination to get selected in NASA followed by six interviews held at ISRO office in Delhi. I was quite nervous when facing NASA scientists for the first time but became comfortable later.

"The NASA scientists had suggested after the sixth interview on September 3 that I would be selected for their astronaut training programme and they sent me an email a day later confirming my selection," says Yadav.

Yadav has been a model student since childhood. "My son has very good knowledge of all subjects. While he was studying in Class 2 in his native village Dhaulera, he used solve the questions of higher classes. I then decided to provide him good education in the city school despite our limited resources. My husband, serving at a lower rank in the Army, was the only earning member in my family," says Yadav's mother Suman.

Hard worker

"As Narnaul is the nearest city and our district headquarter is at Mahendragarh, we had to move to the city and rent out a room so Ashish could get a quality education. He used to study six hours every day on an average apart from his school hours," Suman adds.

Her husband, Radhe Shyam Yadav, got a job with the bomb disposal squad of the Delhi Police after he retired from the Army.

"I never thought he would achieve so such. This is a dream come true for any father. I am quite satisfied with my son's achievement and I hope that he will serve the nation after completing his NASA training programme," Radhe Shyam says.

"Some of the noted previous astronauts of Indian origin such as Kalpana Chawla or Sunita Williams were born in the US, but Ashish has got on the same page as them while living and studying in a backward city of Haryana," he adds with obvious pride.

Ashish Yadav has been honoured with the Pratibha Samman by Haryana government, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda personally presenting him with a cheque for Rs 1.5 lakh.

Yadav gives credit to his family members, but says his role model is former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

"Kalam sir had worked for the country as scientist and become President of India. I want to be like him," says Yadav.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Village genius rockets to NASA

Indian scientists make dengue vaccine breakthrough as early trials show it creates 'robust immunity'

MEA — 20/09/2013 17:53:52

Daily Mail/by Neetu Chandra

Indian scientists have achieved an important breakthrough in their efforts to develop a vaccine to prevent the deadly dengue.

Supported by the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science & Technology, scientists at International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in New Delhi have developed a non-infectious dengue vaccine from yeast.

Preliminary animal trials of the vaccine have yielded good results.

"Search for a dengue vaccine has been going on across the world for past several decades. We, at our centre, started experiments seven years ago. The new technology we have used, i.e. recombinant DNA technology, to develop the dengue vaccine is a breakthrough," said Dr Navin Khanna, group leader of Recombinant Gene Products Group, ICGEB.

The initial trials done on mice gave encouraging signs. The research team explored virus-like particles which can provide "robust immunity" against the vector-borne disease that is endemic to more than a hundred countries.

"There are four closely related dengue viruses (DENVs) that cause this disease. A vaccine that can protect against all four DENVs is an un-met public health need," said Dr Khanna.

Explaining the need to explore a new technology to develop the vaccine, he said: "Efforts to develop a live attenuated vaccine (a vaccine created by reducing the virulence of a pathogen but still keeping it viable) have encountered unexpected interactions between the vaccine viruses, raising safety concerns. This underscored the need to experiment with non-replicating vaccine options."

Among the disadvantages of the vaccine developed by live attenuated technology is that it can cause severe complications in patients with low immunity. The ICGEB scientists used the yeast 'Pichia pastoris' to develop dengue virus-like particles.

"Using recombinant DNA technology, we have created non-infectious dengue virus-like particles made of only the major DENV 'envelope protein' important for eliciting virus-specific immunity. These virus-like particles elicit high levels of virus-neutralising antibodies which protected the mice significantly against lethal DENV challenge," said Dr Khanna.

"The encouraging data obtained for virus-like particles specific to one of the four DENVs warrant the development of virus-like particles specific to the remaining three DENV strains," he added.

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, USA, and Ranbaxy research laboratories are also part of this project. The research has been published in an international journal, PLOS One.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian scientists make dengue vaccine breakthrough as early trials show it creates 'robust immunity'

Indian scientist awarded top UN prize for climate change research

MEA — 19/09/2013 15:32:08

Eco-Business/ by Elga Reyes

The United Nationson Wednesdaypresented Indian scientist Dr Veerabhadran Ramanathan the UN Champion of the Earth award at a ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

A distinguished professor of Climate and Atmospheric Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, Ramanathan was recognised in the Science and Innovation category of the awards for his pioneering research on black carbon – a type of short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) that can be reduced to slow the rate of global warming.

Ramanathan is one of seven laureates for this year’s Champion of the Earth awards, the highest United Nations honour on the environment.

Started in 2005, the prize is organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and given to leaders and organisations that have had a significant impact on the environment, particularly in policy leadership, entrepreneurial vision, inspiration and action, and science and innovation.

The ‘black carbon’ or soot research of Ramanathan, who is also a UNESCO professor of climate and policy at TERI University in New Delhi, began long before global warming was understood.

According to a 2005 article on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), his study during the late 1970s on the greenhouse effect of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) "opened a Pandora’s Box of greenhouses gases”.

"It made the whole greenhouse effect and global warming problem much larger and more urgent,” Ramanathan told PNAS.

In addition, the UN cited a research study Ramanathan co-led in 1997 that resulted in the discovery of climate impact in Asia due to widespread air pollution, or what is referred to as atmospheric brown cloud (ABC).

This ‘brown cloud’ is a combination of black carbon, ozone, sulfates and other pollutants caused by agriculture, industries and cities. It not only affects the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight, but also disrupts monsoon patterns and tropical rainfall, which lessens crop yields that more than a billion people in India depend upon.

The research also raised concern on the increased melting of Himalayan glaciers.

Ramanathan’s study discovered that black carbon, methane, hydrofluorocarbons and the like are short-lived climate pollutants, lasting only for ten years or less, making emissions reduction more encouraging.

By eliminating these substances, along with carbon dioxide emissions, the rate of warming can be cut down in half in the succeeding decades, explained the UN.

The climate science professor added: "Policymakers across the world are realising that through cost-effective actions such as reducing methane emissions from natural gas and oil production, and capturing from waste dumps, or phasing out products HFCs, major reductions in short-lived climate pollutants can be achieved, with significant add-on benefits for health and food security.”

For example, a UNEP study in 2011, in which Ramanathan was involved in as senior contributor and vice-chair, outlined 16 actions to reduce black carbon and methane emissions, that if applied, could reduce respiratory illnesses and save up to 2.5 million lives per year. It could also save agricultural losses amounting to 32 million tonnes annually, as well as bring about near-term climate protection of about 0.5 °C by 2050.

"As the science shows, fast action on black carbon, methane and HFCs – coupled with major cuts in carbon emissions – can make a critical contribution to achieving low carbon, resource-efficient, and inclusive development for all,” said Ramanathan.

To complement his research, he implemented Project Surya in India, a programme to remove inefficient cookstoves in partnership with the Energy Resources Institute and mobile technologies firm Nexleaf Analytics.

According to the UN, about 500 million families in developing nations use such cookstoves, which produce around 25 per cent of all black carbon emissions. Aside from being harmful ecologically, the primitive cookstoves cause about 3.1 million fatalities, especially among women and girls, who are exposed to inhaling the black carbon-laced smoke.

Project Surya is now replacing these biofuel-using, polluting cookstoves with clean-cooking technologies. This will eliminate climate change culprits such as firewood and dung and convert rural communities to use renewable energy instead.

Surya, which is ‘sun’ in Sanskrit, has currently provided 2,000 households in three provincial areas with energy efficient or solar cookstoves. To scale up the efforts, the group has also started to bring in carbon markets into the programme by revising how carbon credits are calculated. Instead of simply counting carbon dioxide emissions in a reduction or climate mitigation project, Project Surya is looking into having SLCPs calculated as well, through the use of cell phone-based monitoring, which will raise up the credits that could then be traded to directly finance the women’s or benificiaries’ purchase of better stoves. Project Surya intends to increase the adoption of cleaner cooking technologies with this carbon credit strategy.

Along with Dr Ramanathan, the following are the rest of the 2013 Champion of the Earth awardees:

Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food Movement, Italy (Inspiration and Action)

Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo, director of the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group, Mexico (Inspiration and Action)

HE Izabella Teixeira, Minister of Environment, Brazil (Policy Leadership)

HE Janez Potoènik, European Commissioner for the Environment, Slovenia (Policy Leadership)

Brian McClendon, Google Earth, USA (Entrepreneurial Vision)

Jack Dangermond, founder of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, USA (Entrepreneurial Vision)

UNEP executive director Achim Steiner commended all the environmental champions for their leadership and vision. This will help the world "transition to an inclusive green economy”, he said.

"Professor Ramanathan and his fellow 2013 Champions of the Earth winners are among those who are providing the science, actions, and policies to scale up and accelerate such transformations. As such, they are lightning rods towards a sustainable 21st century,” Steiner added.

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Indian scientist awarded top UN prize for climate change research

UK Music Festival to pay tribute to Ravi Shankar

MEA — 20/09/2013 18:00:48

India-West

One of Britain’s leading Hindustani and Carnatic music festivals will honor the memory of legendary sitar maestro Ravi Shankar this year.

The Darbar Festival at the Southbank Center, on the banks of the River Thames in London, kicks off Sept. 19 for a weekend of Indian classical music.

This year also marks a special focus on female musicians from India, some of whom would be performing in London for the first time.

"Here in the United Kingdom, we can program the festival free from the discrimination that most musicians face because of politics, caste, sex and religion back in India. We continue to expose brilliant new musicians to UK audiences,” said Sandeep Virdee, artistic director of the Darbar Festival.

Some of the highlights from this year’s festival include one of India’s greatest tabla maestros Yogesh Samsi, sitar artist Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee, and eminent singer in the South Indian devotional Carnatic tradition Sudha Ragunathan.

"This year, the festival focuses on Indian women musicians, many of whom have been overshadowed by their male counterparts and seldom get the acclaim they deserve. These pioneering ladies are breaking the mold and challenging the status quo as they seek to pursue careers as independent female musicians.

"The festival is leading the way to provide a platform for women in Indian classical music,” the festival program explains.

The female talent taking to the Darbar stage will include Anupama Bhagwat, one of India’s leading sitar maestros; Manjusha Kulkarni-Patil, a sought-after virtuoso of the Agra and Gwalior Gharanas; and Jayanthi Kumaresh, prized Saraswati veena player.

The music will be punctuated by talks that focus on the role of women in the Indian classical music tradition as part of the festival, which runs until Sept. 22.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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UK Music Festival to pay tribute to Ravi Shankar

Surgeons in India use Google glasses to live stream surgery

MEA — 18/09/2013 18:42:11

US Index Live/by Kathy Clarke

Surgeons in India will be live streaming point of view video of the operation process enabling users all around the world to view the process. Dr JS Raj kumar of the Lifeline Hospitals in Chennai said "This is going to be a game-changer in medicine and I’m proud to be the first Indian surgeon to use this,”

"I also couldn’t move or wipe sweat off my face because then the people watching would have had a huge screen-shock! But it’s a start.”

Dr JS Raj kumar of the Lifeline Hospitals will be performing Bariatric surgery on a woman. Bariatric surgery is mainly done for obese people and aims to achieve weight loss by removing part of stomach.

Dr JS Raj Kumar further added "We at Lifeline have always been ahead technologically and this was just another such attempt, As a surgeon I could access whatever information was available on the surgery right inside the operation theatre, and it is also a boon for medical students who can watch the surgery live on their computer screens anywhere in the world. Expert surgeons can guide surgeons during difficult surgeries from any part of the world.”

Application use cases for Google Glasses and similar technology is truly limitless and can be rightfully labeled as the next most important and revolutionary technology that going to impact our life since internet. Google Glass where first used in medical field by surgeons from Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University. Doctors from Wexner Medical Center used Google Glass to consult an expert doctor by live streaming the operation using point of view video stream. Dr. Christopher Kaeding also narrated every step of the surgical process as he performed on the patient helping the medical students who were also watching the live stream.

Thought DR Raj and team did experience some technical difficulties during the live stream of the second operation as one of the doctors went offline, the first was successfully and completely streamed the live operation process from point of view. Dr.Sai Satish of Apollo Hospitals noted that the wearable devices such as Google Glasses would improve the medical and consultation process and efficiency.

Apart from the usage in the surgery room and consolations, Google Glass like wearable computing devices will revolutionize teaching and training of medical students. Point of view videos of operation process will be a very resourceful for medical students and the complete operation process can be taken into the class room itself.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Surgeons in India use Google glasses to live stream surgery

India developing mobile safety device for women

MEA — 18/09/2013 18:46:18

FutureGov/by Medha Basu

The Government of India is developing a mobile-like personal safety device for women and the elderly, in collaboration with premier electronics research institutes in India.

Rajiv Gauba, Additional Secretary for e-Governance Group, Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY), shared, "This can be used by women and elderly citizens to trigger alarms and also send signal to pre-identified phone numbers.”

"We have roped in Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-Delhi) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram for this project,” he noted.

Debashish Dutta, Group Coordinator for Research and Development in Electronics at DeitY, informed, "IIT-Delhi is creating the device. They are expected to present a prototype by January 2014.” Funding of INR 5 million (US$ 79,000) has been approved for IIT-Delhi.

Additionally, C-DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, has been sanctioned INR 20 million (US$ 316,000) for developing the back-end ecosystem, Dutta said.

However, Gauba added that the challenge lay in making the device affordable for everyone and then mass producing the device.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India developing mobile safety device for women

Digital Indians: Nandan Nilekani

MEA — 19/09/2013 15:42:19

BBC/ by Soutik Biswas

When Nandan Nilekani began working on providing a unique identification number to half of India's billion-plus people four years ago, he ran into a wall of problems.

The main criticism was that 120bn rupees(£1.72bn; $1.89bn) project was also the world's biggest biometric exercise.

Not surprisingly Mr Nilekani, info-tech whizz turned head of the country's Unique Identification Authority of India, faced tough questions over access and misuse of personal information, surveillance, profiling, securing of confidential information by the government and threats of budget cuts. A parliamentary panel even trashed the idea, saying it would be "misused".

Four years on, Mr Nilekani - the famous co-founder of Infosys, the $7bn Indian info-tech behemoth - believes he has been able to allay such fears.

Enormous roll-out

Since the project began in 2009, some 500 million Indians have enrolled at 25,000 centres across the country to get a 12-digit unique identification number - called Aadhaar or foundation. Some 400 million people have been already issued an ID. The goal is to enrol 100 million more people by 2014.

Mr Nilekani says 10 of India's 28 states are already using the ID to transfer government pensions, scholarships, wages for a landmark jobs for work scheme, and subsides for cooking fuel to targeted recipients. Some states are using the number to distribute cheap food to the poor, plugging distribution leakages and checking for corruption.

This, Mr Nilekani believes, is transformative in a country where only 58% of children are registered at birth and 40% of people in villages do not have bank accounts.

"A lot of attention has been made to design the ID so that it doesn't become a massive data collector. It's a simple ID system that protects the residents," Mr Nilekani says.

It's been a long, strange trip for him.

When he became a part of a team to fix governance systems in the city of Bangalore a decade ago, he pointedly avoided talking about info-tech as a means to solve complex public problems.

It was Mr Nilekani's first foray into the "public sphere" and as the famous co-founder of Infosys, he was sheepish about flaunting his credentials.

"I was wary of being labelled a 'computer boy' who saw every problem as something that could be solved by writing a piece of code.

"After all, what do computers and software have to do with clearing garbage or provide soft drinking water?" Mr Nilekani wrote in Imagining India, his well-received 2008 book on how to "drive change" and shape a renewed idea of India.

How times change.

Sitting in his office, Mr Nilekani speaks about the need for an ID to change India with a brisk, evangelical flair.

"In the West, IDs are taken for granted. In India, things are different. You have millions of people who have no ID and no acknowledgement of their existence. They can't open a bank account, they can't have a mobile phone connection. It's an identity divide," says Mr Nilekani.

So how does the 58-year-old Bangalore-born info-tech billionaire - worth $1.3bn according to the Forbes rich list, making him one of the wealthiest Indians - work in the government, where the pace of change is usually glacial, and change itself can easily get embroiled in partisan politics?

For one, with its sleepy-looking offices peopled by taciturn bureaucrats and their armies of attendants, the government of India is a world far removed from the gleaming and energetic Infosys campus, Mr Nilekani's former workplace.No spitting

Mr Nilekani's office is a cosy, functional place with a cramped bookshelf, a big screen TV, a laptop, and papers and magazines strewn around. A blazing blue-flame 'fly trapper' on the floor helps to keep the pests away.

A computer-generated paper warning in the men's restroom on the same floor is a sobering reminder of curious challenges. "Do not spit tobacco in wash basins/urine pots", it says.

But, more seriously, says Mr Nilekani, his four years in government has taught him patience and the art of consensus building.

"In the private sector, business takes a decision, you discuss it with your management team, get the approval of the board, go to shareholders, convince your analysts and so on. That's about it," he says,

"In the public sector, it an entirely different ball game - you deal with the government, parliament, bureaucracy, judiciary, activists, journalists. Then there's the federal structure - central government, state governments, local bodies. You negotiate all this and still get something done."

Working with the government and facing flak from opponents made Mr Nilekani also realise the "metric" of success in government is vastly different from that in business.

"In business, you are measured by revenue, cost control, profitability, new products, earnings per share, growth. The language of performance is identical no matter what the product is," he says.

"In the government, what is success?

"Somebody who believes in the ID programme will say I am successful if I can get it done. But somebody who does not believe in it will say no matter what I do I am not successful. The success in government is linked to the ideology of how you see the world."

Starting young

In many ways, that has been the story of Mr Nilekani's life.

When he was 12, his father, a textile mill manager in Bangalore, sent him away to stay with his uncle in the small town of Dharwad. He says he grew up fast, living independently from his parents at an early age. At home, he listened to his father and uncle, both intensely political creatures, sparring on public issues. It was, he says, a lesson in public engagement.

He went to India's top and fiercely competitive engineering school, got on to its quiz team, led the students' group and became, he says, "a well-rounded person, developed lots of social skills, became street smart and learnt to negotiate".

All this, Mr Nilekani believes, helped in his three decades with Infosys. He met global customers from a variety of industries, and constantly studied customers to see how he could "make a difference using technology". At Infosys, he led a group that designed banking software which is used all over the world now.

When he left the company in 2009 it had grown 50% and made him infinitely richer, "a genial billionaire", as the New Yorker magazine called him once.

"You know," he says, "I flourished not so much in technology for technology's sake, but in its application and use in solving large, complex problems for public good." That's what, he says, he wants to keep doing after his work with the ID project ends next year.

At work, he jokes that he would not be entirely displeased to be compared with Michael Bloomberg, New York mayor and business magnate. At home, he says, he is reminded of his limitations.

"My wife says I am a very poor electrical engineer," he says with a wry smile. "I can't even change a light bulb."

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Digital Indians: Nandan Nilekani

India sees largest rise in super-rich club

MEA — 18/09/2013 18:44:21

Fresh Plaza

India has recorded the largest increase in its Ultra-High Networth Individual (HNIW) club among the BRICS nations in the last one year, with a total of 7,850 super rich people in the country, a report says.

The study focuses solely on persons with a net worth of USD 30 million and above (after accounting for shares in public and private companies, residential and investment properties, art collections, planes, cash and other assets). Moreover, India has also the highest number of female millionaires in the world as the country boasts of over 1,250 UHNW women with a combined fortune of USD 95 billion.

According to the world ultra wealth report 2013 by Wealth-X, a global wealth intelligence and prospecting company, India is home to as many as 7,850 high net worth individuals whose collective net worth is USD 935 billion. However, there was a decline in the number of billionaires (103 this year) over (109 last year).

In India, the lowest tier of the UHNW group represented by those worth USD 30 million to USD 49 million is the largest group, of the total UHNW population in the country with a combined fortune of USD 130 billion.

Mumbai and Delhi, however, dominate with more than 50 per cent of the country's UHNW population based in one of these two cities, the report said.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India sees largest rise in super-rich club

India’s e-shopping discount site CouponDunia expands globally, including to Indonesia

MEA — 18/09/2013 18:48:28

Tech In Asia/by Steven Millward

We've seen e-shopping discount sites do well in Europe and India, but one of those companies is now looking to push this concept into Indonesia. India-based CouponDunia has just launched a site for Indonesia filled with discount vouchers that can be used on local e-commerce sites like Zalora, Lazada, Tiket, and Rakuten Belanja Online.

CouponDunia founder Sameer Parwani tells us that the new Indonesian site has 140 offers available for free, a number that will grow in due course. Sameer says the team is "in the process of educating Indonesian merchants about the benefits of coupons.” It has been tried before with a couple of sites in the country, such as Uluyu, which we investigated last summer. But the concept has yet to take off in Indonesia despite a strongly growing e-shopping industry.

Sameer says he sees the Indonesian site growing like the Indian one did, despite not having an office in Jakarta:

At first the number of merchants giving coupons [on the India site] was tiny. But they started to see that sites like mine were able to drive sales if they worked with us, so it grew. It was also pretty similar in that I went from zero visits per month to 500,000+ visits per month without even being physically present in India – I am born and raised in the US. I of course then set up an Indian office and moved permanently to India. But the point is it’s definitely possible to start a successful coupon site remotely.

More SEA plans

CouponDunia has also rolled out into Brazil, Turkey, and Poland [1] this week. Other nations in Southeast Asia are in Sameer’s mind, but he says the startup will focus on these four new markets first.

In CouponDunia’s native India, the site is up against rivals like CashKaro and Rocket Internet’s CupoNation. But Sameer insists CouponDunia is ahead of the coupon-clipping pack in terms of brand recognition among Indian netizens, backed up by a higher Alexa ranking for the site – a leading 347th within India.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India’s e-shopping discount site CouponDunia expands globally, including to Indonesia

The case for India

MEA — 17/09/2013 18:57:30

The Jordan Times/by Raghuram Rajan

Indian cricket fans are manic-depressive in their treatment of their favourite teams. They elevate players to god-like status when their team performs well, ignoring obvious weaknesses; but when it loses, as any team must, the fall is equally steep and every weakness is dissected.

In fact, the team is never as good as fans make it out to be when it wins, nor as bad as it is made out to be when it loses. Its weaknesses existed in victory, too, but were overlooked.

Such bipolar behaviour seems to apply to assessments of India’s economy as well, with foreign analysts joining Indians in swings between over-exuberance and self-flagellation.

A few years ago, India could do no wrong. Commentators talked of "Chindia”, elevating India’s performance to that of its northern neighbour. Today, India can do no right.

India does have serious problems. Annual GDP growth slowed significantly in the last quarter, to 4.4 per cent, consumer price inflation is high, and the current-account and budget deficits last year were too large.

Every commentator today highlights India’s poor infrastructure, excessive regulation, small manufacturing sector, and a workforce that lacks adequate education and skills.

These are indeed deficiencies, and they must be addressed if India is to grow strongly and stably. But the same deficiencies existed when India was growing rapidly.

To appreciate what needs to be done in the short run, we must understand what dampened the Indian success story.

In part, India’s slowdown paradoxically reflects the substantial fiscal and monetary stimulus that its policy makers, like those in all major emerging markets, injected into its economy in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The resulting growth spurt led to inflation, especially because the world did not slide into a second Great Depression, as was originally feared. So monetary policy has since remained tight, with high interest rates contributing to slowing investment and consumption.

Moreover, India’s institutions for allocating natural resources, granting clearances, and acquiring land were overwhelmed during the period of strong growth. India’s investigative agencies, judiciary, and press began examining allegations of large-scale corruption.

As bureaucratic decision making became more risk-averse, many large projects ground to a halt.

Only now, as the government creates new institutions to accelerate decision making and implement transparent processes, are these projects being cleared to proceed. Once restarted, it will take time for these projects to be completed, at which point output will increase significantly.

Finally, export growth slowed, not primarily because Indian goods suddenly became uncompetitive, but because growth in the country’s traditional export markets decelerated.

The consequences have been high internal and external deficits.

The post-crisis fiscal-stimulus packages sent the government budget deficit soaring from what had been a very responsible level in 2007-2008. Similarly, as large mining projects stalled, India had to resort to higher imports of coal and scrap iron, while its exports of iron ore dwindled.

An increase in gold imports placed further pressure on the current-account balance.

Newly rich consumers in rural areas increasingly put their savings into gold, a familiar store of value, while wealthy urban consumers, worried about inflation, also turned to buying gold.

Ironically, had they bought Apple shares, rather than a commodity (no matter how fungible, liquid and investible it is), their purchases would have been treated as a foreign investment rather than as imports that add to the external deficit.

For the most part, India’s current growth slowdown and its fiscal and current account deficits are not structural problems. They can all be fixed by means of modest reforms.

This is not to say that ambitious reform is not good, or is not warranted to sustain growth for the next decade.

But India does not need to become a manufacturing giant overnight to fix its current problems.

The immediate tasks are more mundane, but they are also more feasible: clearing projects, reducing poorly targeted subsidies, and finding more ways to narrow the current account deficit and ease its financing.

Over the last year, the government has been pursuing this agenda, which is already showing some early results. For example, the external deficit is narrowing sharply on the back of higher exports and lower imports.

Every small step helps, and the combination of small steps adds up to large strides.

But, while the government certainly should have acted faster and earlier, the public mood is turning to depression amid a cacophony of criticism and self-doubt that has obscured the forward movement.

Indeed, despite its shortcomings, India’s GDP will probably grow by 5-5.5 per cent this year — not great, but certainly not bad for what is likely to be a low point in economic performance.

The monsoon has been good and will spur consumption, especially in rural areas, which are already growing strongly, owing to improvements in road transport and communications connectivity.

The banking sector has undoubtedly experienced an increase in bad loans; but this has often resulted from delays in investment projects that are otherwise viable.

As these projects come onstream, they will generate the revenue needed to repay loans. In the meantime, India’s banks have enough capital to absorb losses.

Likewise, India’s public finances are stronger than they are in most emerging-market countries, let alone emerging-market countries in crisis.

India’s overall public debt/GDP ratio has been on a declining trend, from 73.2 per cent in 2006-07 to 66 per cent in 2012-13 (and the central government’s debt/GDP ratio is only 46 per cent).

Moreover, the debt is denominated in rupees and has an average maturity of more than nine years.

India’s external debt burden is even more favourable, at only 21.2 per cent of GDP (much of it owed by the private sector), while short-term external debt is only 5.2 per cent of GDP.

India’s foreign-exchange reserves stand at $278 billion (about 15 per cent of GDP), enough to finance the entire current account deficit for several years.

That said, India can do better — much better. The path to a more open, competitive, efficient, and humane economy will surely be bumpy in the years to come.

But, in the short term, there is much low-hanging fruit to be plucked. Stripping out both the euphoria and the despair from what is said about India — and from what we Indians say about ourselves — will probably bring us closer to the truth.

The writer became governor of the Reserve Bank of India on September 4. This commentary was written before he took office. ©Project Syndicate, 2013. www.project-syndicate.org

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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The case for India

How Indian farmers are preserving the good earth

MEA — 10/09/2013 18:48:17

The Star Online/by Tan Cheng Li

Malaysian farmers take a peek into the books of organic farmers in India.

YONG Weng Thing was amazed when he saw the field of spinach. Being a farmer himself, he knows good quality stuff when he sees it and quickly helped himself to the greens. A bunch of spinach in hand, he gestured a thumbs up to R. Venkatrasa, owner of the organic farm in a village in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

"Very good, very healthy,” quipped Yong. Showing me the leaves, he added: "See this layer of oil under the leaf? It helps repel insects. You don’t get this in vegetables grown using conventional methods.”

The farm was one of several stops for a group of 15 Malaysians on a trip to observe natural farming practices in Tamil Nadu. The visit was put together by the Consumer Association of Penang and on the trip were farmers who grow vegetables, sweet potato, mango, papaya and strawberry, as well as wholesalers and one agriculture researcher.

They hope to learn from the past mistakes of Indian farmers, who had relied on hybrid seed varieties, synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides which eventually robbed the soil of its nutrients and biological life, resulting in poor yield.

In Tamil Nadu, a growing number of farmers are undoing the mistake of the past by returning to the old way of chemical-free cultivation. Over the course of four days, the Malaysians observed how these farmers use home-made fertilizers formulated from farm waste, natural pesticides concocted from plants, and various techniques to grow produce with minimal water and without relying on costly, harmful chemicals.

This sustainable approach to farming is best explained by organic farming scientist G. Nammalvar, who stressed the importance of self-reliability: "To get optimal results in farming, farmers should rely minimally on external inputs. All inputs should come from within the farm. So-called wastes should be recycled and used as input.”

He said farming with expensive inputs like hybrid seeds as well as chemical fertilizers and pesticides were futile as farmers were poor. Modern-day agriculture, he added, has become export-oriented, resulting in the neglect of land and people. Food security, he said, should mean the availability of sufficient fresh, nutritious, and locally-produced food to the people.

Integrated farming

The concept of a self-sufficient farm is evident in the 12ha owned by R. Venkatrasa in Velayuthampalayam village in Karur district, where he grows sugarcane, coconut, legumes and spinach.

"I don’t have external inputs. I have my own seeds and make my own fertilizer. Goats and cows are the basis of my farming,” says the 34-year-old who has been farming organically for 14 years. "When you use chemical fertilizers, it is easy to get a boost in yield initially. But eventually, you will need larger amounts to get the same yield. When plants are extra green (because of the chemical fertilizer), pests get attracted. Then you have to bring in pesticide, which will also kill beneficial insects on the farm. Only now, people realize what they have done.”

The manure needs of his farm are met with animal and garden waste. At his farm, he shared the recipes for four different types of growth promoters with the Malaysians. These are made from the dung and urine of goats and cows, a buttermilk and coconut milk concoction, a mix of meats, and fish waste.

He also extols the benefits of mulching (spreading a layer of green waste on the field). It is the norm to irrigate sugarcane fields every four days but Venkatrasa’s has not been watered for 35 days due to the dry weather. Yet, they remain healthy, thanks to the mulch (from sugarcane leaves). "With mulching, less irrigation is needed as the vegetation cover prevents evaporation and retain moisture in the soil. It also keeps temperature down, which is suitable for the growth of soil microbes and worms.”

To minimize water usage on his coconut farm, he relies on trench irrigation, whereby water flows through where the tree roots are. With this system, trees are more tolerant of dry conditions and water is not wasted. In the 2003 drought, he did not irrigate the plantation for three months. In the conventional method where water floods the entire field, losses are high, he said.

Farming worms

At the farm of N. Gopalakrishnan in the village of Panickampatti in Karur district, the Malaysians avidly took notes on the technique of vermiculture, the use of earthworms to decompose waste into fertile compost. At the farm, two sheds shield rows of waste that is being eaten by earthworms and transformed into vermicompost.

Gopalakrishnan started doing vermiculture in 1995 with 20 worms of the African night crawler variety which he had obtained from Annamalai University. "Now, whatever the amount of worms you want, I can supply you,” quipped the 50-year-old farmer. "Vermicompost trumps compost as a soil nutrient as it has more enzymes and biological life. Forty kilogrammes of compost is equal to 1kg of vermicompost. The more it is used, the soil gets better.”

He explained that when he inherited the farm from his father, he opted for modern cultivation methods as he felt that making his own compost was too much work. He soon found his farm yield declining, as the soil had lost its fertility. And he was spending more on agrochemicals as prices kept rising.

It was then, in 1998, that he returned to traditional, organic farming methods. Today, Gopalakrishnan grows sugarcane, banana, paddy, turmeric, yam and onion on his seven farms spread over 14ha using natural and self-made pest repellents, fertilizer and growth-promoters. To keep the soil healthy, he practices crop rotation and uses "green manure”.

Gopalakrishnan also produces panchagavya, a growth promoter blended from a mix of cow dung, milk, curd, ghee and urine, with other ingredients such as sugarcane juice, coconut water, bananas and toddy.

Reuse and recycle

At A. Mathiyalagan’s poultry farm in Nadaiyanur village, the Malaysian visitors were able to enjoy an afternoon tea of sweet lemonade, biscuits and fruits – because the farm is like no other; it does not reek of chicken droppings. The secret is that panchagavya is added to the feed and sprayed on chicken droppings.

Panchagavya, being rich in nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, micro-organisms and enzymes, is an excellent growth-promoter. Mathiyalagan said its immunity-boosting properties also meant that no antibiotics were used for the 50,000 chickens, reared for their eggs.

He, too, adheres to the principle of integrated farming in which wastes become inputs: chicken droppings are thrown into ponds to nourish algae which is eaten by fish; wastewater from the fish pond nurtures fodder grasses for the cows; cow dung is used to make pancagayva; and panchagayva is added to the chicken feed and waste.

Various organizations are assisting Indian farmers who are keen to adopt eco-friendly practices. Inba Seva Sangam, an organization that aids the downtrodden, are training 150 poor farmers on organic farming methods and helping them to market their produce.

So far, a third of the 180ha of agriculture land in Kadavur valley is being cultivated using natural farming methods. "People were initially sceptical about organic farming but now, they are more acceptable to it as they see better benefits such as higher yields,” says trainer Balasubramaniam.

Meanwhile, the organization Peace Trust is helping to transform dry lands to productive lands. "Tamil Nadu has some of the driest lands in India and years of mismanagement of water such as wastage, over-drawing of groundwater, misuse of land, erosion and land degradation have led to serious problems,” says chairman J. Paul Baskaran. "With no water, there are poor yields, no jobs, unrest and ultimately, poverty.”

With funding from the European Union, Peace Trust has conducted integrated watershed development programmes in six drought-prone villages in Dindigul district to improve farming practices, and consequently, the people’s livelihoods. Farmers are taught ways to conserve water, such as by building check dams and percolation ponds on farms.

While not all the methods employed by the Indian farmers can be replicated in Malaysia (farmers who do not rear cattle will face difficulties in obtaining large quantities of cow dung and urine, for instance), most of the Malaysians found the trip insightful.

Yong’s previous attempt at vermiculture failed, so he is keen to try Gopalakrishnan’s method. He was also impressed with the poultry farm, which hardly smelt. He already adheres to good agricultural practices; he makes his own growth enzymes and compost to reduce usage of agrochemicals, and uses minimal amounts of pesticides in his farms in Gopeng and Kampar in Perak, and Cameron Highlands in Pahang. The leafy greens which he grows are supplied to Tesco through middlemen, so he says he has to comply with standards on permissible levels of pesticide residues.

Tang Chee Sing and his wife, Lee Ching Mun, found the India experience very useful. "We’ve heard about these methods but we’ve learnt so much more during this trip and we see them in practice,” says Tang, who runs an organic farm in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and a tilapia fish farm in Puchong, Selangor, He also runs the House of Joy homes for orphans, old folk and the underprivileged. He is especially interested in doing vermiculture and intercropping (practice of growing two or more crops in proximity).

Also keen to shrug off their dependence on agrochemicals are farmers from Hulu Yam Lama in Selangor. Six years ago, 10 farmers there had set up a company, Hulu Yam Fresh, to promote safer farming practices and to market their produce.

"After 10 to 20 years of farming using chemicals, farmers are experiencing low yields, some even zero yield,” said company chairman Chan Lay Onn. "The soil is no longer fertile. Farmers all over the country, including those in Hulu Yam, suffer from this. That’s why they’re here, to learn new solutions.”

At Hulu Yam Lama, he says one farmer is making liquid fertilizer from fruits and fish waste but he cannot make enough to meet demand. Chan said some of the organic farming methods seen in India are not new, but are not practiced as some farmers opt for the easy way.

The Indian farmers have shown that it is possibly to wean themselves from a dependence on chemical-based farming, and it appears that some Malaysian farmers are keen to do so too.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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How Indian farmers are preserving the good earth

Online penetration soars in India

MEA — 26/08/2013 16:15:41

Warc

India's online population is growing six times as fast as the global average and now ranks as the third largest in the world after China and the US, a new study has indicated.

The 2013 India Digital Future In Focus report from comScore, the digital measurement company, pulled together data from its different surveys to identify prevailing trends in web usage, online video, social networking and online retail.

It revealed that that India has seen a 31% year-on-year increase its online population to reach 73.9m, 35% of whom are under the age of 35.

Across all age and gender groups, women between the ages of 35 and 44 emerged as the heaviest internet users. Overall, however, women formed just 39% of the internet population in India and spent less time online than men.

Online video was a fast-growing category, up 27% in the past year, with 54m people watching content. YouTube remained the top video property, garnering a share in excess of 55%.

While T-series, Sony and UMG were the top three YouTube partners in terms of unique visitors, StarIndia kept users' attention for twice as long.

Blogging was also becoming increasingly popular, with a 48% rise in the blogging audience to 36m visitors. Just over a quarter of this traffic came via mobile devices.

The majority of time spent online, however, was spent on social networks, with 86% of Indian web users visiting these platforms. Facebook led the way, reporting a 28% increase in traffic over the past 12 months, and with users spending an average 217 minutes there.

LinkedIn was the second most popular site, while Pinterest and Tumblr were the fastest growing networks, albeit from a low base. Zedge and Orkut saw sharp falls in the numbers using them,

The report also stated that there was "huge growth potential" in online retail. Some 60% of web users in India already visit online retail sites, but spend just 28 minutes there compared to a global average of 84 minutes.

The space is currently dominated by local retailers, led by Myntra, Flipkart and Jabong. Sites owned by Amazon, the global market leader, are in fourth place.

comScore also noted that more than 111bn display ad impressions had been delivered across India's websites in the most recent quarter and that number was set to increase by around 20% in the coming year.

This, the report argued, indicated "an increasing level of comfort with a medium capable of delivering strong marketing ROI".

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Online penetration soars in India

Indian smartphone makers post higher domestic growth than global giants

MEA — 27/08/2013 17:55:49

Daily Mail/by Sanjay Singh

Local smartphone makers like Micromax, Karbonn and Lava are posting a higher rate of growth than giants like Samsung, Apple and Nokia in the domestic market by providing the same features at a much lower price.

According to a report by Canalys, India is becoming the third-largest smartphone market with 9 million shipments during the April-June quarter, while 238.1 million smartphone units were shipped worldwide during the same period hitting a growth rate of 129 per cent.

Samsung took a third of the Indian market during the first quarter, followed by Micromax at 22 per cent and Karbonn at 15 per cent.

The research firm attributes the success of local vendors to their ability to respond to local market demands.

Karbonn's Titanium S5, with similar technical specifications to the Micromax Canvas HD, an eight megapixel camera and a five-inch touchscreen, costs Rs 11,990. Samsung, the market leader in Indian smartphones, offers the same features on its Galaxy Grand for Rs 21,500.

The iPhone 5 starts at Rs 45,500 in a market where operators do not subsidise handsets.

Micromax captured the number three position among top 10 mobile handset brands in 2012-13 and earned revenues of Rs 3,138 crore.

Karbonn Mobiles clocked revenue of Rs 2,297 crore. Apple posted revenues of Rs 1,293 crore in FY13 in the country.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian smartphone makers post higher domestic growth than global giants

Nigeria: Indian hospital separates conjoined twins after 10-hour surgery

MEA — 26/08/2013 16:09:42

All Africa/by Ibrahim Musa Giginyu

At last, all hopes are not lost for Malama Badariyya Badaru, mother of one-year-two-month-old twins with joined vertebrate and one anus. The conjoined twins were successfully separated in an Indian hospital.

The babies, Hassana and Hussaina, as they were named, were born at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano last year. When their peculiar situation became clear to the hospital's officials, the twins were referred, few hours later to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital's (AKTH) Intensive Care Unit. At AKTH, the parents were told that a total of N600, 00.00 was needed for the surgery.

That marked the beginning of their parents' predicament. Malama Badariyya's husband and father of the conjoined twins is a classroom teacher who could not afford the said amount of money needed for the surgery.

They appealed to the public for assistance. After some investigations at the AKTH, doctors found out that instead of having a separate vertebral column the twins were joined at the tail end of their vertebrate, forming a 'U' shape. They also share one anus; even as their kidneys had some form of malfunctioning threats.

Narrating her ordeal via a telephone conversation with Sunday Trust, Malama Badariyya said she and her husband had lost hope and were just waiting to see what fate had in stock for them when a Kano-based philanthropist came to their rescue. According to the mother of the conjoined twins, "The doctors told us that, with the operation, we stood to lose one of the babies. I was traumatised. I was confused as to which of my babies would die because I had become fond of them. They seemed to be in a very good condition, though. But later on I gave in to fate, hoping that the operation would be done successfully, and let the one that Allah wishes stay.

"But even at that, the money to conduct the operation was not realised. My husband and I began to lose hope on the survival of our children, until when help came our way through a God-sent philanthropist. Here we are today! My children are separated and they are all doing well. The doctors told us that the girls would soon be discharged after the conclusion of the next surgery on their anus," Malama Badariyya stated.

According to the excited mother, the surgery lasted for 10 hours and their fear of losing one of them was erased, as both girls were pronounced safe and healthy. "I came here with the feeling that we were going to lose one of the babies, but here we are! God in his infinite mercy, both girls are living," said Badariyya.

The surgery was successfully conducted at Dr B L Kapur Memorial Hospital, New Delhi in India under the stewardship of Dr Prashant Jain, Consultant Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Urology.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Nigeria: Indian hospital separates conjoined twins after 10-hour surgery

India furthers e-governance infrastructure development

MEA — 20/08/2013 16:20:44

FutureGov/ by Medha Basu

The Indian state of Chhattisgarh has inaugurated its State Data Centre (SDC) as the country continues developing infrastructure to support a common delivery platform for e-government initiatives under the National e-Governance Plan.

The SDC was implemented by the state’s IT growth agency, Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society (CHiPS) as a Shared Service Centre, allowing other state departments to focus on service delivery rather than infrastructure management.

Secretary of the state’s Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology, Aman Singh, said, "The data centre building has been constructed under then national e-governance scheme for collection and integration of Chhattisgarh’s data”.

The SDC is one of the core infrastructure elements under India’s National e-Governance Plan, to be set-up and operationalised in all the states. The Union Government’s Department of Information Technology has made available technical, financial and implementation assistance to the states through a set of guidelines. The Indian Government approved an expenditure of INR 16 billion (US $257 million) for the data centres over a period of five years.

The Chhattisgarh State government contributed INR 70 million (US $1 million) to the construction of the state’s data centre.

The Chhatisgarh SDC will serve to consolidate information from across various state agencies, functioning as a central data repository and secure data storage. The SDC will be connected to the State Wide Area Network (SWAN) through which it will consolidate databases from remote block servers.

The data centre will support a common platform to provide services to individuals and businesses, hosting and managing all e-governance applications of the state. The data centre will host applications including those related to urban administration, procurement, commercial tax, GIS, rural development, land record system, education and financial management.

Additionally, it will also support the state intranet portal, disaster recovery system, remote management and service integration.

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India furthers e-governance infrastructure development

Over 40 Crore Indians Get Unique Identification Number

MEA — 20/08/2013 16:24:41

INDOlink

More than 40 crore people in India have been given Aadhaar unique identification numbers. By the end of 2014, the number of is expected to reach 60 crore, the government said.

"More than 40 crore and 29 lakh Aadhaar numbers have been issued till date and the process is continuing at a healthy pace. Only in the month of July, 2013, about two crore Aadhaar numbers have been generated," the Planning Commission said in a statement.

These numbers are being issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) that works under the Planning Commission.

According to the statement, the authority would set up permanent centres in various states to facilitate enrollment of those who have been either left out in earlier drives or who wish to update their Aadhaar data.

"Recently, UIDAI also unveiled three new Aadhaar-enabled services - the authentication services using iris, authentication service using one-time pin and eKYC (electronic-know your customer) service, all of which have been developed to empower residents to authenticate anytime, anywhere using a digital platform," the statement said.

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Over 40 Crore Indians Get Unique Identification Number

Women at Work: Delhi’s All-Female Taxis

MEA — 20/08/2013 16:38:56

Wall Street Journal/by Atish Patel

Meenu Vadera is the founder of New Delhi’s only all-female taxi company. The service, which launched in 2008, has 11 women drivers who ferry female customers around the Indian capital. Another 49 women work as full-time personal drivers.

Sakha Consulting Wings, the for-profit social enterprise set up by Ms. Vadera, runs the service.

For this week’s "Women at Work” series, The Wall Street Journal’s India Real Time spoke with Ms. Vadera, 48, who is also the founder and executive director of Azad Foundation, a non-profit organization working to improve women’s rights.

Edited excerpts:

The Wall Street Journal: Why did you decide to launch an all-female cab service in New Delhi?

Meenu Vadera: In 2001, the census showed the sex ratio in India and the gap was shocking to me. Delhi, Punjab and Haryana were the red states. I began wondering why there’s no cab service for women in Delhi, having seen it operational in some other parts of the world. I read at the time that some five star hotels had floors allocated for women travellers, so all of these different ideas came together in my mind.

Also, of course, violence against women has been and continues to be so widespread across all classes in our country. So we were meeting two objectives with one intervention. On the one hand, we were able to ensure livelihoods with dignity for resource-poor women who become drivers, and on the other hand, to offer safe mobility for female passengers.

Another reason we set up the cab service is because the entire public transport system, including the taxi system, is so male-dominated and chauvinistic in its ways. You cannot have women working 15 hours a day, not because they don’t want to, but because that’s what men tell women as they are meant to have other responsibilities within the family. So we had to create a working environment to let them do this.

WSJ: What have been some of the barriers you faced?

Ms. Vadera: Of course the world is full of jokes about women drivers. There’s such a bias against women drivers. When I first told people about my idea, the response was, first teach them how to park a car. People were sarcastic.

It’s been very difficult to get all types of licenses for our drivers. The transport department says it follows the same policies with men and women but it doesn’t work like that in practice. For many of our drivers, it’s been very difficult to get address proof. There have been cases even when they have the relevant documents but they are sent away or forced to make several visits to get things done. We’ve helped around 250 women get different licenses and I can say 95% couldn’t have got them on their own. Is this not an example of a clear gender bias?

WSJ: What are your growth plans?

Ms. Vadera: We aren’t hung up about having a large fleet of cars. For us, what is more important is to establish the role of women in public transport. So definitely we would like to see women as bus drivers, for example. We would like to have a large enough presence that breaks the perception forever, opens these doors for women so that tomorrow there could be a girl growing up in any slum or area who would not need us to get a license. We have to grow to an extent where this can be achieved. In that sense, we’re not a typical enterprise that wants 500 cars. That’s not what gives us a kick.

We will, of course, increase our fleet size and the number of drivers. We definitely want to break-even first and then make profits. We would like the women drivers to at one stage become shareholders in the company. We’re also expanding to different cities. We now have a presence in Gurgaon, we’ve started in Jaipur and are probably going to start in Kolkata, so four cities in total over the next three years.

WSJ: As a social entrepreneur you’re also a businesswoman? Do you enjoy this aspect of your job?

Ms. Vadera: Yes, part of me is a businesswoman. I’m still learning to be a businesswoman and getting familiar with business plans, talking about things like sweat equity. My background is development, but I like both sides to my current role. Being a businesswoman gives me the thrill and challenge of learning something new, and breaking new ground within myself. A lot of times, our auditors and lawyers confront me and ask which hat I’m wearing. It’s good to be held accountable and pushed to think about the profit side as well. But of course a large part of me is development and as a feminist, women’s rights are very, very core to me, so that is definitely my identity.

WSJ: How do you measure success?

Ms. Vadera: For us, success is really the kind of transformation the women we work with are able to achieve. We’re talking about empowerment. The women who are today working with us as drivers, I can say that none will accept violence from men in their lives anymore. That’s very important for us. We’re talking about building change agents. That’s the most important measure of success. Other things like breaking even and bringing down costs are definitely important but secondary.

WSJ: Do you think women make better social entrepreneurs?

Ms. Vadera: I don’t know. I don’t think there is anything to prove that. There’s nothing to suggest that. But definitely women are better drivers.

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Women at Work: Delhi’s All-Female Taxis

Indian villages lit up by off-grid power

MEA — 16/08/2013 16:42:40

BBC News/by Sanjoy Majumder

Inside her mud and brick hut in the village of Purva in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sukhrani is making a pot of lentils for dinner - in complete darkness.

The glow of a candle and the flame from a wood fire are the only sources of light for the woman who is in her 60s.

Her village has no electricity - it has never had any.

"I have never seen an electric bulb," she says, as she squats on the floor, wiping sweat off her face.

"The village I was born in had no electricity. I moved here after my marriage - and there was none here either."

Purva is just one of hundreds of thousands of Indian villages which are either not connected to the country's power grid, or lack uninterrupted power supply.

Sixty-five years after India's independence, it is estimated that more than half of the country's more than 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity.

For many like Sukhrani, it is a reality they have come to accept.

"I've heard that some people have electricity but I've never experienced it, so I don't even know what it's used for," she says.

'Nice and bright'

But just five km (three miles) away, in the neighbouring village of Jangaon, it is a completely different picture.

Ashraf Ali, a bangle maker, lives inside a hut almost identical to Sukhrani but it is bathed in the white glow of a solar lamp.

An electrical fan is on next to him, also powered by solar energy.

All this costs him only a few dollars a month.

His wife and he work into the night, making brightly coloured lacquer bangles to sell in the local market, while his children play or read in the next room, which is equally brightly lit.

"Ever since we got solar power in our village, my life has become so much easier," Mr Ali says.

"This light is so nice and bright, it's easier to see. And business has improved because we can work longer hours."

A short distance away is the source of Mr Ali's electricity. A low-rise building with about 25 rectangular-shaped solar panels on its roof.

This one supports 30 villages, including Jangaon, powering up homes as well as schools, telecom towers and local businesses.

'Immense opportunities'

Rohit Chandra is the co-founder of the Omnigrid Micropower Company which owns this plant.

It is one of several hundred private companies that have set up solar power stations in some of India's poorest states bringing off-grid power to villages which otherwise remain cut-off.

"This area - the states of Assam, Bihar, north-east, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh - has about 400 million people, that's about 40% of the population.

"So the opportunities are immense," Mr Chandra says.

One reason why companies are now turning to solar energy is because the technology has become more accessible and economical. And, of course, India is blessed with plenty of sunshine through the year.

"The panels, mostly made in China, are much cheaper and compact," he adds.

"We have 10 plants at the moment - we are expanding to 100 by the end of the year and plan to increase to 5,000 in the next few years."

But is off-grid power the answer to India's energy needs?

"I think as a country, the sheer volume of energy deficit is such that the problem is never going to be solved in the next three decades by off-grid substituting bigger projects," says Vinayak Chatterjee, who advises the government on infrastructure, particularly in the field of energy.

But setting up these large projects is expensive and power distribution companies are often forced to keep their tariffs low by governments so as to make it cheaper for consumers.

"That's why off-grid power is certainly a solution and intervention that is warmly received in large parts of rural India which has never seen any action from the grid," says Mr Chatterjee.

Back in Jangaon, as the sun goes down the lights come on in the village's main street - from the grocery store to the doctor's clinic at the end of the lane to the street-food vendor at the corner, everyone it appears has a white solar lamp.

It is a small ray of hope which, if properly harnessed, could just change the face of rural India.

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Indian villages lit up by off-grid power

India honors – not dishonors – patent laws

MEA — 16/08/2013 09:45:13

THE HILL/By Ambassador Nirupama Rao

India has experienced transformational economic growth over the past two decades. Thanks in large measure to reforms that opened India’s markets to global commerce, its Gross Domestic Product has zoomed from $189 billion in 1980 to $1.84 trillion in 2012. Innovation and entrepreneurship have been fostered by vigorous enforcement of trade agreements and patent laws.

Intellectual property laws passed over forty years have extensively protected patents, designs and trademarks. The Patents Act of 1970, amended in 1999, 2002 and 2005, is considered a model in the developing world. Critics who say otherwise are simply wrong.

Indeed, the most prominently cited example of alleged patent "infringement” is actually a case study in patent protection. The Indian Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment in April, turned down a request by the pharmaceutical company Novartis to retain the patent on a cancer drug because it judged the drug to be an extension of existing medications, not a groundbreaking advancement. In other words, the court reinforced the premium that should rightly be placed on truly valid patents, strengthening, not weakening, their sanctity.

India makes a priority of complying with international treaties such as the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement of the World Trade Organization. In March, an Indian patent appeals court ruled that the so-called compulsory license law that helps make medicines affordable for the 300 million Indians who live below the poverty line, was strictly TRIPS-compliant.

India’s rigorous patent laws and adherence to international trade treaties are helping its 1.2 billion people deal with many challenges. We understand that economic growth and job creation are irrevocably linked to the rule of law. India is proud to be a prodigious incubator of innovation and to have gained the confidence of foreign investors.

Direct equity investments from the U.S. to India have continued to flow, ranging between $1 billion and $2 billion a year over the last five years. These investments have been across multiple sectors, including pharmaceutical research. The Indian Patent Office treats the nationals of other countries the same way it treats Indian companies. From 2005 to 2011, more than 4,000 patents for pharmaceutical inventions were issued by the Patent Office. Of those granted, substantial numbers - 20-30 percent - were awarded to U.S.-based companies each year, and more than 85 percent were owned by foreign companies in India.

At the same time, India like many developing nations struggles with poverty, inequality and shortcomings in health care. We have worked hard to combat challenges to inclusive growth and development. International treaties permit countries to make affordable, life-saving drugs available to people most in need at affordable prices. India has done so in a way that is both legal and sensitive to the principle of patent protection.

We have also worked hard to balance the rights of patent holders with our civic imperative to protect public health. Compulsory licensing has been an integral part of the patent regime of many countries for years. Fifteen countries, both developed and developing countries alike, have issued more than 35 compulsory licenses.

In more than six decades, India has issued only one compulsory license on a compound pharmaceutical. This is hardly evidence of a climate hostile to either innovation or U.S.-based companies. The provisions for compulsory licensing are not meant to hamper the process of innovation, but to ensure a fair balance between the interests of innovators and the urgent need for improved health care.

India is proud to be the world’s largest producer of generic drugs with a 25 percent global market share, which has earned the country the name of "the pharmacy of the world”. India’s production of high-quality antiretroviral therapies is estimated to have cut the cost of treatments for HIV/AIDS by 99 percent, from $10,000-$15,000 per patient per year to less than $100 – a cost saving that has improved the lives of millions of people and provided them hope for their future.

In their Strategic Partnership, the U.S. and India cooperate on many fronts, with health care, disease control and prevention near the top of the list. India is dedicated to enhancing that partnership through its careful backing of patent law.

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India honors – not dishonors – patent laws

Indian-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant launched

MEA — 12/08/2013 19:45:24

BBC

India has unveiled its first home-built aircraft carrier from a shipyard in southern Kerala state.

The 37,500 tonne INS Vikrant is expected to go for extensive trials in 2016 before being inducted into the navy by 2018, reports say.

With this, India joins a select group of countries capable of building such a vessel.

Other countries capable of building a similar ship are the US, the UK, Russia and France.

Monday's launch of INS Vikrant marks the end of the first phase of its construction.

The ship will be then re-docked for outfitting and further construction.

The ship, which will have a length of 260m (850ft) and a breadth of 60m, has been built at the shipyard in Cochin.

It was designed and manufactured locally, using high grade steel made by a state-owned steel company.

Vice-Admiral RK Dhowan of India's navy has described the launch as the "crowning glory" of the navy's programme to produce vessels on home soil.

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Indian-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant launched

India is making great strides in space

MEA — 07/08/2013 18:09:10

Pravada/by Vladimir Gubarev

India is actively developing its space industry. Indian weather satellite INSAT-3D and telecommunications satellite Alfasat were recently launched. India was named a possible competitor for the Russian Federation in this area. However, it was Russia that marked the beginning of space development in India some time ago. Vladimir Gubarev, a journalist and writer, told his space story:

"A long time ago, in 1972, I was the first journalist who traveled through the Indian space industry that at the time was at its infancy. I watched the birth of the first Indian satellite Aryabhata. At the time the cooperation with Russia was at its initial stage. What struck me was the new research centers, especially in the beautiful city of Bangalore. They set up a satellites center headed by a young scientist and researcher Dr. Rao who later led India's space program.

At the time I was very interested in India and was reading a very interesting book by Jawaharlal Nehru, "Discovery of India". He called India's steel mills and factories built with the help of the Soviet Union the temples of new India. I called Aryabhata satellite the first space temple of India. Within a year, I traveled to all the Scientific and Research Institutes of India. My book was published four days after the launch of the satellite Aryabhata. The satellite, incidentally, was launched with a Russian missile from the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome.

Sometime later, I received a letter from the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In the letter, she asked for permission to translate my book to all the Indian languages. I answered that I agreed and that this was my gift to India. The book was published by several publishers. This was India's first step to space.

Then over the years I have always participated in the launching of "Bhaskar," the second Indian satellite. It was very interesting to see how these events evolved. When the first Indian cosmonaut flew into space (launched by USSR), a trip to India of a small group was organized. I was part of this group, and we set off to India. It was a great trip, Indira Gandhi gave us her plane. Georgy Grechko, a Russian cosmonaut, traveled with us. I was the only one in the group with a great experience in India, so I told Grechko, "Georgy, at any time before any meal you have to a take a sip of whiskey. This is the only way to avoid catching some nasty thing." There was a lot of nasty stuff in India. We drove across the country, and, as it later turned out, we were the only two who did not catch some infection.

Indira Gandhi arranged a great reception in honor of our delegation. Three or four months later Indira Gandhi was killed. After a while I went back to India and met Rajiv Gandhi, who later also died ... tragic story.

But back to space. One thing struck me the most. India's first satellite was created in Bangalore. It is a city in the south of the country, and Svetoslav Roerich lived nearby. We came to visit him, I was then the deputy chief editor of Komsomolskaya Pravda, and we agreed to arrange an exhibition of Roerich's paintings in Moscow for the first time. Satellite parts were delivered there, in Bangalore, created in the Russian center of Dnepropetrovsk satellites headed by Vyacheslav Kovtunenko. The parts and test stations were delivered on a large plane. Russia provided significant help to India in the first phase of space exploration. From India, the same plane delivered an exhibition of many paintings of Svetoslav Roerich to Moscow. This is how the first exhibition of Roerich was organized in Moscow, and I was happy to take part in it.

This was the beginning of the space development in India. There was another magical spectacle. I was the first journalist of the USSR who went to Sriharikota launch site. The small island was connected with a road across the shallow bay. On both sides of it there were millions of flamingos. This was a spectacular view, fantastic birds, incredible beauty. When we arrived to the ocean shore, we wanted to go swimming so bad, but our group attendant said, "You cannot do this, take a look". We looked at the water and saw shark fins. On the shore there were cobras crawling. Very exotic. This is where the launch site was located. This was the site of the first launch of Indian missiles. This is one of the most beautiful memories.

Frankly, I am glad that India is striding to space by leaps and bounds and becoming one of the leading space powers. This is natural, because it is very beautiful, amazing, magnificent country with wonderful people. This is a great thing - the Indian industry built with the help of the Soviet Union that greatly helped India. Now a great cosmic temple of India is being built."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India is making great strides in space

Living in Indonesia but Indian at Heart

MEA — 06/08/2013 18:44:59

The Jakarta Globe

"You can take Indians out of India, but not India out of Indians.”

I didn’t give much credit to this often repeated statement until I moved out of India. However, even after many years of stay in wonderful Indonesia, rightly a "second home” for me, I continue to long for anything remotely connected with my homeland.

Whether it’s music, cricket, cinema, food, the rich cultural heritage or even politics, I’m attracted to all things India.

I observe that many of my Indian expatriate friends here also remain rooted in our Indian traditions and culture. Apparently, the Indian identity endures over a lifetime and beyond.

In this context, Indonesia Tamil Sangam, a non-profit, social and cultural organization dedicated to the welfare of the Tamil-speaking community here in Indonesia, recently organized a cultural program called Tamil Sangamam 2013 at PRJ Kemayoran, Jakarta.

Tamil is one of the oldest regional languages spoken by the natives of the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. The government of India has granted a classical language status to Tamil as it is one of India’s oldest languages.

Tamil Sangamam 2013, a carnival of food, culture and arts, was held in April with great fervor and joy, as the day, Saturday the 13th, also marked the ushering in of the Tamil New Year.

This was a rare occasion for not only Tamil expats but also for Tamils of Indian origin from countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka presently residing in Indonesia, and all Tamil-speaking Indonesian citizens, to have a get-together in a festival-like atmosphere.

Sangamam 2013 featured traditional folk music and dance programs as part of the festivities to highlight the rich traditions and heritage of Tamils.

In addition, there were other lively games for the members such as Uri-adithal , Kolam and top-spinning competitions.

"In Uri-adithal, a pot-breaking competition,” explained Vivekanandan, ITS’s secretary, "the challenge is to break the pot which is tied at the top of a tree. The contestant, who is blindfolded, should hit and break the pot with the help of a long bamboo stick. Whoever breaks the pot is considered a hero. Particularly for the young children, watching this game is a great joy.”

Karagattam (water pot dance), Thappattam and Villupattu , which are part of Tamil traditional folklore music, were performed by children and adults.

"Karagattam is a Tamil folk dance involving the balancing of clay or metal pots and other objects on the dancer’s head,” said Chandroo, vice president of ITS.

"This dance is usually associated with the worship of the goddess Amman, and it is performed to the beat of drums while balancing a water pot on one’s head.”

This dance was heartily applauded by most of the visitors in attendance at the festivities.

"In Villupattu, the main singer, accompanied by a chorus of musical instruments, uses a villu or bow which is fixed with bells. The villu is struck rhythmically to make the bells jingle in tune,” said Visagan, the president of ITS. "The main singer relates a folk tale interspersed with lively songs and the accompanying artists repeat the verses in a chorus.”

Apart from the games and cultural programs, ITS set up several elaborate food stalls that were managed by its own members offering delicious traditional Indian food.

There were even stalls which showcased mehendi (henna) and ladies’ accessories as well.

"Sangamam was the most successful and grand event Tamil Sangam has arranged so far,” said Ramesh, the treasurer of ITS.

"The turnout was amazing. We expected about 700 to 800 members but the actual number of visitors crossed well over 1,000. It was indeed a great team effort and kudos to the ladies who have put in a lot of efforts to ensure that the visitors got authentic Indian food during the carnival.”

"It was a fantastic effort by Tamil Sangam and we wish the Sangam many more such successes in the future,” said Ganeshan, another member of ITS.

"Sangamam 2013,” concluded Visagan, "was a program that we wanted to show our community about the various traditions and culture that we, Tamils, follow back in India, even in this modern era. Our families and children living in Indonesia have been missing the wonderful experience of witnessing these cultural activities and Sangamam 2013 filled in the need .

"With the great interest evinced by the members of our association, we are now encouraged to conduct more programs in the future.”

Young musicians entertain the attendees at the Tamil Sangamam 2013, a carnival of food, culture and arts that was hosted in April at PRJ Kemayoran, Jakarta.

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Living in Indonesia but Indian at Heart

India's Walmart of heart surgery cuts the cost by 98%

MEA — 02/08/2013 16:35:33

Business Week/ by Ketaki Gokhale

Devi Shetty keeps photographs of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi on his desk, and he’s obsessed with making cardiac surgery affordable for millions of Indians. But these two facts are not connected. Shetty’s a heart surgeon-turned-businessman who founded a chain of 21 medical centers around India. Every bit the capitalist, he has trimmed costs by buying cheaper scrubs and spurning air-conditioning and other efficiencies. That’s helped cut the price of artery-clearing coronary bypass surgery to 95,000 rupees ($1,555)—half of what it was 20 years ago. He wants to get it down to $800 within a decade. The same procedure costs $106,385 at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

"It shows that costs can be substantially contained,” says Srinath Reddy, president of the Geneva-based World Heart Federation. "It’s possible to deliver very high-quality cardiac care at a relatively low cost.”

Medical experts like Reddy are watching closely to see if Shetty’s severe cost-cutting can serve as a model for making life-saving heart operations more profitable and more accessible to patients in India and other emerging nations. "The current price of everything that you see in health care is predominantly opportunistic pricing and the outcome of inefficiency,” says Shetty, who opened his flagship hospital, Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City, in Bangalore in 2001.

Controlling costs is key in India, where more than two-thirds of the populace lives on less than $2 a day and 86 percent of health care is paid by individuals. Per capita health spending is less than $60 a year. A recent study by the Public Health Foundation of India and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that in India noncommunicable ailments such as heart disease are now more common among the poor than the rich. One in four people there die of a heart attack, yet the country performs only 100,000 to 120,000 heart surgeries a year, well short of the 2 million Shetty estimates are needed. "There has been fast urbanization in India that’s brought with it a change in dietary patterns and lifestyle,” says Usha Shrivastava, head of public health at the National Diabetes, Obesity, and Cholesterol Foundation. "It’s leading to this huge jump in cardiovascular disease.”

Shetty plans to add 30,000 beds over the next decade to the 6,000 his hospitals have now, and he has identified 100 towns with populations of 500,000 to 1 million that have no heart hospital.

All of that expansion is dependent on keeping costs low. A 300-bed, prefabricated, single-story hospital in the city of Mysore cost Shetty’s company $6 million and took just six months to build, he says. To reduce energy costs, only the hospital’s operating theaters and intensive-care units are air-conditioned. Shetty also saves by cutting out unnecessary pre-op testing. Urine samples that were once routine before surgery were eliminated when only a handful of cases tested positive for harmful bacteria. And the chain uses Web-based computer software to run logistics, rather than licensing or building expensive new systems for each hospital.

When Shetty couldn’t persuade a European manufacturer to lower the price of its disposable surgical gowns and drapes to an affordable level, he persuaded a group of entrepreneurs in Bangalore to make them—for 60 percent less.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India's Walmart of heart surgery cuts the cost by 98%

India, a linguistically rich nation with 780 languages in its Kitty

MEA — 02/08/2013 17:04:25

Indo Link

India may not be the richest country in terms of wealth, but when it comes to culture and tradition, it definitely is. Though it is a land of diverse cultures; the Indian spirit remains the same across the country.

As per the survey of Indian languages carried out by the People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI), India is one of the most linguistically diverse nation and the languages belong to several language families like the Indo-Aryan languages and the Dravidian languages spoken by 74 percent and 23 percent of Indians respectively.

Although the country comprises of twenty nine states and seven Union Territories, there are more than 780 languages and 66 different scripts. This indicates that one state is not confined with just one language but there are as much as 50 different languages in many Indian states, reports Shiv Sahay Singh for The Hindu.

Arunachal Pradesh with 90 languages is the richest among all the states followed by Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal with 55, 48, 39, and 38 languages respectively.Dr. Devy, PLSI President said "As per the 2011 Census, there are about 122 languages spoken by more than 10,000 people. Of them 22 are the scheduled languages. Other than the 122 languages, the survey has come up with languages that are spoken by less than 10,000 people many from tribal areas, nomadic communities and from the interiors of north-eastern part of the country,” reported The Hindu.

Coming to tribal languages, Jharkhand is one such state which has only a couple of scripts, but 16 different tribal languages.

Based on the survey, the north-eastern regions of the country have one of the highest per capita language densities in the entire world and are believed that the complicated topography of the region and the history of the tribal communities could be the main reason behind such a situation.

On the contrary, West Bengal has the highest number of scripts (9) as people in West Bengal believe that writing something makes it more authentic and can be referred to by the generations to come.

This survey on Indian languages conducted by PLSI aims to study how languages in the country are evolving.

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India, a linguistically rich nation with 780 languages in its Kitty

India's Walmart of heart surgery cuts the cost by 98%

MEA — 02/08/2013 16:36:02

Indian Tractor maker Mahindra takes on Deere

MEA — 02/08/2013 16:47:37

Business Week/ by Bruce Einhorn

Mahindra & Mahindra (MM:IN) is one of India’s largest conglomerates, but it’s not exactly a household name in the U.S. That used to be a problem for Richard Johnson as he tried to sell Mahindra tractors in Navasota, Tex. (pop. 7,204), about 70 miles northwest of Houston. "People would say, ‘I’ve never heard of this,’ so the first thing you had to do was go through the spiel of where they’re made and all that,” he says.

Today, almost all of Johnson’s prospective tractor customers have heard of the small machines. The company has invested to make itself appear less foreign: Mahindra sponsors Championship Bull Riding and has signed on angler and TV host Bill Dance, a member of the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, as a spokesman. Mahindra commercials appear on Fox News (FOX), the Outdoor Channel, and other heartland-friendly cable networks. "Mahindra has done a good job of really getting out there,” says Johnson, who last month opened his third outlet selling the Indian company’s tractors.

Dealers like Johnson are central to Mahindra’s plan to build a presence in the U.S. The company sold $1.68 billion worth of tractors globally last year and boasts it makes the largest number of them in the world, ahead of Deere (DE), because of its dominance in the Indian market. Mahindra Group also includes finance, hotels, and auto companies. Its software services company, Tech Mahindra (TECHM:IN), is the fifth-largest in India and in June completed the acquisition of Satyam Computer Services, doubling its revenue to $2.4 billion.

While it may be bigger than Deere globally, Mahindra has just begun competing on Deere’s U.S. home turf. The effort has required more than red-white-and-blue messaging; the company has had to modify its products, too. In India, where four out of 10 tractors are Mahindras, farmers who can’t afford big investments prefer the company’s no-nonsense equipment. American buyers expect more luxury in their tractors, so Mahindra has added automatic transmission, air-conditioning, cruise control, and sunroofs to its U.S. models.

Mahindra’s tractors in the U.S. range from the 22-horsepower Max 22, which sells for $12,690, to the new 100hp mForce, which starts at $51,875. Mahindra executives, who say they don’t want to compete on price, find other ways to lure customers away from market leaders Deere and Osaka-based Kubota (6326:JP). Following the example of Hyundai Motor (005380:KS), which used especially long product warranties to gain acceptance in the American auto market, Mahindra offers a five-year warranty on its tractors in the U.S., compared with the standard two years offered by Deere. And in 2011, Mahindra launched a finance company for its American buyers that offers zero percent financing with no money down for 84 months. Deere offers zero percent interest on 60-month loans.

The Indian company has also rolled out a military appreciation program providing U.S. and Canadian veterans and their families with $250 rebates. As Mahindra says on its website: "We appreciate your service and commitment to our country and would like to show our support.”

Until now, Indian corporations haven’t enjoyed much success in the U.S., except for information technology outsourcing firms that have opened service centers for American customers. Tata Motors (TTM), India’s top automaker, has a U.S. presence because of its 2008 acquisition of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands from Ford Motor (F). The Mumbai-based company hasn’t tried to sell its low-cost Nano or other Tata-branded cars to Americans.

Other Indian giants are coming to America. To offset slumping car sales at home, the country’s No. 1 tire maker, Apollo Tyres (APTY:IN), in June announced its $2.5 billion purchase of Findlay (Ohio)-based Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB). The acquisition gives Apollo "immediate access” to the U.S. and Chinese markets, "which otherwise would have been tough to penetrate,” Ambrish Mishra and Himanshu Sharma, analysts at Mumbai broker JM Financial (JM:IN), wrote in a report in June. Reliance Industries (RIL:IN), which operates the world’s biggest oil refining complex, in western India, has spent $5.7 billion over the past three years on shale oil and gas projects in the U.S.

As more Indian executives consider investing in the U.S., they’ll be following the lead of Mahindra Chairman Anand Mahindra, a graduate of both Harvard University and Harvard Business School who in 2010 gave $10 million to promote humanities at the university. Anand, the grandson of one of the company’s founders and the third family member to lead it, is a frequent visitor to America—and sees the country as a major part of his strategy to build Mahindra into a global brand. "He has a passion for the U.S. market,” says Mani Iyer, president of Mahindra USA.

In the U.S., Mahindra sticks to small tractors with up to 100hp—not powerful enough for big farms, but fine for what Cleo Franklin, the marketing and strategic planning vice president, calls the company’s target demographic: "gentleman farmers,” or baby boomers buying small farms and ranches. "A lot of customers are going back to their roots,” says Franklin, who spent more than two decades with Deere and CNH Global’s (CNH) New Holland agricultural equipment unit before joining Mahindra in 2011. "That segment is truly driving a lot of our growth.”

Mahindra had 8 percent of the U.S. market for small tractors by the end of 2012, according to the company, enough to rank third behind Japan’s Kubota and Deere. Franklin says that share reached the "high single- to low double-digits” in this year’s first quarter. Mahindra has more than 400 dealers, up from 250 in 2010, and plans to have as many as 650 by 2015. Japan’s Kubota has more than 1,100 dealers in the U.S.; Deere has 1,542 outlets across North America.

U.S. expansion can be messy, as Mahindra discovered in 2010 when its plan to sell pickups and SUVs in the country fizzled before products were introduced amid a dispute with its distribution partner. That left 350 would-be dealers, many of whom say they had started outfitting showrooms, in the lurch, leading to litigation, some of which is still dragging on. Mahindra won’t comment on the suits, but Iyer says they haven’t hurt its tractor business.

Not everyone’s sold on Mahindra’s strategy. Targeting small tractors won’t yield significant profits, says BMO Capital Markets (BMO) analyst Joel Tiss, who calculates the market for tractors with 100hp or less is worth roughly $5 billion annually, or about 10 percent of the total. The U.S. will be "a long, long slog,” he says. "Coming to developed markets with a developing-market product doesn’t make a lot of sense.” In a few years, Tiss says, the gentleman farmer "will be doing something else.”

Richard Johnson isn’t buying that argument, as Navasota and other rural towns outside Houston become more popular places to live. "In the next 10 years, this area is going to grow a whole bunch,” he says. "All those people are going to be wanting small places with small tractors.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian Tractor maker Mahindra takes on Deere

Chronic disease sufferers now able to consult overseas doctors

MEA — 01/08/2013 12:58:52

Fiji Village/by Dhanjay Deo

People with chronic diseases in Fiji will soon not have to travel overseas to see a top medical consultant.

Patients will be able to liaise with the doctors from the Apollo Cancer Institute in India through Medical teleconference center and get advice as to how they can treat their disease.

This new teleconference center was opened at the Fiji National University’s Samabula campus yesterday and it is now open for the staff of FNU.

FNU Vice Chancellor Dr Ganesh Chand said they hope to expand this service to the general public next year with the help of the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, Senior Consultant at the Apollo Cancer Institute in India, Dr Kaushik Bhattacharya said this service is for any disease that requires treatment for a long time including cancer.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Chronic disease sufferers now able to consult overseas doctors

Ayurveda draws visitors to Kerala state

MEA — 01/08/2013 13:23:52

Gulf Today/ by Ashraf Padanna

PJ Chackochan, a grower of medicinal plants, would not flaunt himself as an expert in Ayurveda, which is a multimillion dollar business in this southwestern state of Kerala.

Yet as the leader of a non-governmental organisation, the middle-aged entrepreneur is particular that a product like Chyavanprash, which emerges from his factory in the hilly Wayanad district should contain all the 47 ingredients mentioned in the texts of the ancient Indian healing system.

What’s more, Chackochan is uncompromising on another tenet: the entire mixture of herbs, spices and other additives for all such products must be extracted from the organic farms that keep fertilisers and chemicals away.

"If you apply chemical fertilisers to the plants, then the yield which is converted into medicine cannot be considered pure,” says the president of Vanamoolika, a community of people dedicated to organic farming.

"As for Chyavanprash, it is so massively manufactured these days in factories that a chunk of it could just be jaggery.

"We can’t make such compromises.

"In fact, we don’t even use preservatives.”

The Pulpapply-based NGO launched in 1991 has come a long way, weathering several hurdles along its activities in its farmland and beyond thanks to the state’s bustling tourism industry.

"The challenges continue. Of late, they are two-pronged,” notes Chackochan, who is also executive secretary of the Organic Farmers’ Fair Trade Network.

"We can’t afford to fix the prices low — on par with those of the mainstream Ayurvedic firm. Two, our marketing sing has yet to bloom to its fullest.”

Piquantly, the enterprising spirit called Vanamoolika, which is linked to a string of women’s self-help groups that grow medicinal plants, faces hiccups at a time when the Kerala government is focusing on Ayurveda to woo tourists this year.

"Chackochan and his people are doing a unique job. The entire team deserves applause,” says CN Anithakumari, a deputy director of Kerala Tourism, the state’s tourism board.

Ayurveda helps the southern state that sends most of Indian workers to the Gulf region to attract more visitors and retain its unique position in India’s tourism map.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Ayurveda draws visitors to Kerala state

Mobiles beep health messages to women in India's villages

MEA — 30/07/2013 19:08:17

INDOlink

"Aapke bacche ka tikakaran ka samay hai (It is time to get your child vaccinated)," beeps the voice message.

From pregnant women to community health workers in remote districts of Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan, to the tea growing adivasis of Nilgiri hills in south India or in remote forested villages of Chhattisgarh, the click of the mobile, which has now an almost universal reach across this vast country of 1.2 billion people, is proving a useful solution.

Harnessing technology to access areas hitherto untouched by the national healthcare system, mobiles are being used increasingly to beep important health messages, like reminders to get the child inoculated and for pregnant women to get their check-ups done in time across India, particularly in states where social indicators are low. These innovative mobile applications run on basic phones and keep beeping the message - either as an animation or an interactive voice response - so long as the phone owner does not switch it off.

The Women Mobile Lifeline Channel application, designed by ZMQ Development, is being used by NGOs in villages to empower women.

In the Mewat region of Haryana and Doodha in Rajasthan, the mobile applications provide women with information on maternal health, child immunisation, girl child healthcare and adolescent girl healthcare.

"There is not enough content available for women at the grassroots level. Men just need one calculator, while women need many calculators like menstrual cycle calculator, immunisation calculator and pregnancy calculator. So this application is an integrated solution," Hilmi Qurashi of ZMQ Development, told IANS.

"The channel also has a pregnancy and immunisation tracker with external voice applications giving reminder of the dates to the women and urging them to take action," added Qurashi.

Women can choose either of the three options - voice, pictorial or written messages. The application is free of cost and made available in both English and Hindi.

The applications also have some simple games for entertainment as well as a section for inspirational stories to guide women to take decisions in life and make them more independent, said Qurashi."In just 15 months' time we have got 35,000 subscriptions, including 11,000 for pregnancy-related alerts and 8,000 for immunisation alerts. So, you can see how well it is being accepted by the people," said Qurashi.

An NGO, BBC Media Action, has introduced similar applications in eight districts of Bihar. Their Mobile Kunji and Mobile Academy are being widely used by community health workers in Bihar for women and child healthcare.

"Since 70 percent of the population has access to mobile phones we thought of utilising the phones to deliver timely and appropriate information," Siddarth Swarup of BBC Media Action told IANS.

Under Mobile Kunji, the specific healthcare needs of the woman and girl child is looked after through an interactive voice message.

"The interactive audio helps in providing credibility to what the health workers are saying. We have tied up with six operators, hence it's toll free. We have given 38,512 Mobile Kunjis to health workers," added Swarup.

Mobile Academy is a training course application for the health workers, ASHAs and aganwadi workers on safe delivery measures, health and sanitation.

Health workers have to pay 50 paise per minute for using Mobile Academy. On completion of the course the health worker is given a certificate from the government, Priyanka Dutt, project director of BBC Media Action, told IANS.

There is another application called Project Leapfrog to address the needs of tea growers of the Nilgiri hills in south India.

The Adivasi Tea Leaf Marketing (ATLM), a self-help group, buys tea leaves from the adivasi growers and sells it in the market.

"Project Leapfrog helps make the process of buying and selling tea leaves more transparent. The real time data on the transactions can be easily accessed by the growers on their mobile phone," said Ramshreyas Rao of ACOR who developed the application. ACOR works in tandem with ATLM to provide the data on mobile phones to adivasi growers.

These innovative applications were awarded 1 million each at the Vodafone Foundation Mobile for Good Awards.

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Mobiles beep health messages to women in India's villages

Rajasthan hotels lead the way to improve hygiene standards in India

MEA — 30/07/2013 19:10:26

TravelDailyNews/by Theodore Koumelis

As part of the HRH Group, the Shiv Niwas Palace, the Fateh Prakash Palace and the Jagmandir Palace, are introducing Check Safety First’s established risk management system E-Cristal and its food module to ensure the highest standards of food hygiene. This comes after a successful contract with the Heritage establishment Shahpura House Hotel in Jaipur, where the food module has already been implemented. The system is based on the recognised hygiene management method, HACCP, helping each hotel monitor and manage critical areas of a kitchen to ensure that risks are reduced and quality standards are exceeded.

Food hygiene standards and contamination remain a challenge for Indian hotels and restaurants. Demanding temperatures can lead to food contamination and can threaten the health of guests. The Food and Safety Standards Act, which will be implemented from 2014, is a call to action for the Indian hotel industry to ensure they act compliantly. By continuing its work with hotels in India, Check Safety First is aiming to play a key role in improving standards throughout the flourishing tourist region.

Mr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar - Executive Director of the HRH Group of Hotels in Rajasthan, said: ‘We wanted to work with Check Safety First as the company is recognised for helping hotels globally reach consistent hygiene standards. We will work hard to improve our awareness and monitoring of risk areas across the group.”

Mark Harrington, CEO at Check Safety First, said, "We are pleased to be working with some of Rajasthan’s flagship hotels as the region is a key base for India’s tourism. We have been working in India for a year, transferring our global experience to these hotels. The country has challenges to overcome and it’s good that these hotels are taking the necessary steps to ensure that their guests are safe. We will work carefully with staff at these hotels to help them achieve the high expectations and standards that only hotels which are part of Check Safety First can offer.”

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Rajasthan hotels lead the way to improve hygiene standards in India

Free cardiac surgery for 25 Afghan nationals

MEA — 01/08/2013 12:44:01

Gulf News

Twenty-five Afghans nwill be able to avail of free cardiac surgeries through the Healing Touch initiative by Dr Moopen’s Foundation, the not-for-profit arm of DM Healthcare.

The initiative, which includes a free adult and paediatric cardiac surgery programme, has been extended to Afghanistan. So far, the initiative has been implemented in India and the Philippines.

The announcement was made on Tuesday during an iftar gathering hosted by DM Foundation in the presence of officials of Afghan and Indian missions in the UAE and officials from the Ministry of Health and Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

The surgery programme will provide surgeries over a period of a year.

In media statements, Atiqullah Atifmal said, "Needy patients will be recommended based on the seriousness of their condition and financial capacity. We will have a single window system routed through the Consulate General of Afghanistan in Dubai for the process of identifying suitable and needy applicants for the free heart surgeries.”

He added, "We are extremely happy and grateful to the DM Foundation for this big-hearted initiative that helps Afghan heart patients.”

On the initiative, Dr Azad Moopen, chairman and managing director of DM Healthcare, said, "Our goal is to extend the reach of this ‘Healing Touch’ initiative to more countries in the Asian and African continents, where there is an acute requirement for intervention in the delivery of health care to the poor and needy.

"The selected patients for the cardiac surgery will be provided Indian visas for their travel and treatment at the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS) in Kozhikode, Kerala. The Heart Centre at MIMS is a state-of-the-art tertiary care centre with advanced facilities,” he added.

Apart from free medical camps and health and safety awareness programmes through the Group’s operating arms ,ACCESS, ASTER, MEDCARE and MIMS, Dr Moopen’s Foundation also provides free and subsidised care for the benefit of needy people around.

Some of the ongoing and planned not-for-profit activities of the DM Foundation and Charities are the establishment of community dialysis centres, cancer radiation centres, early cancer detection centres, free paediatric and adult cardiac surgeries, establishment of special needs schools for the physically and mentally challenged across Kerala.

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Free cardiac surgery for 25 Afghan nationals

Jaipur foot for Savar victims

MEA — 30/07/2013 19:03:16

bdnews24.com

India’s Jaipur Foot, globally famed for quality artificial limbs, will help 100 Bangladeshis including Savar victims ‘without any charge’.

The Ministry of Health says an expert team from the world famous artificial limbs maker is visiting Dhaka and expressed their interest to help the victims during a meeting the junior minister Mojibur Rahman Fakir.

They will set up a temporary camp in the first week of October with all facilities .

Jaipur Foot says more than 1.3 million have been benefitted from their foot or limb, calipers, and aids and appliances, mostly in India and also in 26 countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

It hit the headlines when actress Sudha Chandran danced in a film ‘Nache Mayuri’ with the Jaipur Foot .

She remains the brand ambassador of the organisation.

The ministry in a media release says all the formalities including selection of patients would be completed by September.

Jaipur Foot first offered to help those maimed at Savar , but the health minister AFM Ruhal Haque earlier in a press conference said only 25 lost their limbs being trapped inside the debris of the nine storied building collapsed in April, killing more than 1,100 people.

Of them many have manged artificial limbs from Bangladesh.

But to ensure their promised support, Jaipur Foot would assist 100 people who need artificial limbs.

Another team from Thailand’s Prosthesis Foundation of H.R.H The Princess Mother will also come in September with their mobile limb making factory to assist 100 people including Savar victims.

After the worst ever factory building collapse in Bangladesh, many countries have come forward to help.

The government also vowed to continue their support as long as they need before rehabilitation.

The incident that rekindled Bangladesh’s factories safety concerns injured nearly 3000.

After the incident, the US government on June 28 suspended Bangladesh’s GSP facility in a symbolic move to press the country into improving working conditions and safety in the garment industry, although garments did not enjoy the facility.

Major buyer European Union also rolled out a roadmap and set timeframe for the country to respond to ensure factory safety and workers rights. US also joined them.

The government also signed a tripartite agreement with the employees and workers to ensure factory building safety and workers rights.

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Jaipur foot for Savar victims

Group of friends set up library for poor children

MEA — 29/07/2013 20:35:08

Gulf News/by Nilima Patahk

Cater to those from different communities, villages, red light areas and slums

Five young students from Delhi and Jaipur are making a difference to the lives of children on the streets. They recently launched a campaign "Donate a Book, Make a Friend!” to help poverty-stricken children, who cannot afford to buy books.

From novels and general knowledge books to Class 5 onwards school books and CAT (Common Admission Test) preparation books, the range of books being received by them is vast. Some children have even contributed magazines, plus crayons, school bags and toys.

In 2011, the team had started an online drive "Share A Smile” that received a huge response. The aim was to share learning opportunities with the youth from different cities and explore and reflect on their experiences.

This led them to believe that they could do something more constructive for the less fortunate children.

Thus, Ashutosh Nandwana, Nandan Singh Lalwal, Sundeep Choudhary, Vivek Kakkar and Dolly Munjal – all friends, decided to create a library for such children. The team came across many children from different communities, villages, red light areas and slums, who wanted to study.

Ashutosh says: "Most street children work and the common job is rag-picking. We realised that whenever children found any paper that contained colourful pictures, they would leave work and begin to see the contents.

"They would sift through garbage to find some more such pages and show them to each other.”

The group decided to give them an opportunity to fulfil their longing for books with colourful images.

Sundeep says: "For a start, the collection of books has been kept at a centre in Jaipur and are made available to any child – whether he/she wants to flip the pages and see photographs or prefers to read. The next step would be to open a centre in New Delhi.”

The team hopes the involvement of people to donate books will rise gradually, as they have been getting enquiries from many people in both Jaipur and Delhi asking about their collection centres.

"We are considering the process of collection arrangements because it is difficult for a lot of people to bring the books to our centre.

"And at the same time we intend to rope in NGOs working with street kids to spread awareness among them about our centre and the possibility of the children getting all kind of educational support from us,” Ashutosh reflects.

"As of now there are no plans of a mobile library, but the new development is that we are now creating a learning centre wherein we will hold free regular classes in English, computers and life skills for adolescents,” Sundeep said.

"The books we are collecting will be for their use as well. We are considering approaching children from government schools to visit our centre to avail of the facilities,” he added.

Dolly is thinking farther. "Soon, we plan to identify certain communities and will send our interns to educate children in their own surroundings. For this we are trying to collaborate with some organisations that will work according to our specifications,” she said.

Coming from well-off families, all five students are well educated and realise the value of education. However, unlike politicians, who only harp about education for all and formulate policies, these students are setting an example for those who have the will to work for social causes.

Ashutosh says: "A lot of children run away from homes and become child labourers. Some have gone to schools in villages and know to read and write."Through this initiative of a library, we intend to inculcate in them the sense of pride of being literate. And shall encourage them to resume studies that will enable them to escape the poverty trap.”

Sundeep adds: "The library would be open to all children, irrespective of caste and class, as the spirit of learning is important for all.”

Child psychologist Smriti Raina: "Unlike earlier times, most teachers do not encourage children to go to the library, as they feel it comes in way of lessons. And parents are to be blamed equally. I have noticed this strange aversion in many parents to paying a high price for a book. But they do not mind spending an exorbitant amount to gift the child a mobile phone or toys.

"Also, the pressures of modern life tend to force parents to look for the easy way out as far as their children are concerned.

"They tell the children to either watch a movie or television, which takes less effort than sitting with them and reading a story from a book. And to hide their guilt they blame it on the high prices of good books.”

Compared to the pre-television generation, children today read less and the number of reading children have reduced drastically.
The Internet and social networking has added to the drop and children would rather sit with their mobile phones and IPads than read a book in spare time.

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Group of friends set up library for poor children

Heart surgery in India for USD 1,583 costs USD106,385 in US

MEA — 29/07/2013 20:36:18

Bloomberg Businessweek/by Ketaki Gokhale

Devi Shetty is obsessed with making heart surgery affordable for millions of Indians. On his office desk are photographs of two of his heroes: Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.

Shetty is not a public health official motivated by charity. He’s a heart surgeon turned businessman who has started a chain of 21 medical centers around India. By trimming costs with such measures as buying cheaper scrubs and spurning air-conditioning, he has cut the price of artery-clearing coronary bypass surgery to 95,000 rupees ($1,583), half of what it was 20 years ago, and wants to get the price down to $800 within a decade. The same procedure costs $106,385 at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

"It shows that costs can be substantially contained,” said Srinath Reddy, president of the Geneva-based World Heart Federation, of Shetty’s approach. "It’s possible to deliver very high quality cardiac care at a relatively low cost.”

Medical experts like Reddy are watching closely, eager to see if Shetty’s driven cost-cutting can point the way for hospitals to boost revenue on a wider scale by making life-saving heart operations more accessible to potentially millions of people in India and other developing countries.

"The current price of everything that you see in health care is predominantly opportunistic pricing and the outcome of inefficiency,” Shetty, 60, said in an interview in his office in Bangalore, where he started his chain of hospitals, with the opening of his flagship center, Narayana Hrudayalaya Health City, in 2001.

Out-of-Pocket

Cutting costs is especially vital in India, where more than two-thirds of the population lives on less than $2 a day and 86 percent of health care is paid out of pocket by individuals. A recent study by the Public Health Foundation of India and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found that in India non-communicable ailments such as heart disease are now more common among the poor than the rich.

One in four people there die of a heart attack and per-capita health spending is less than $60 a year. Yet the country performs only 100,000 to 120,000 heart surgeries each year, well short of the 2 million Shetty estimates are needed. The mortality rate from coronary artery disease among South Asians is two to three times higher than that of Caucasians, according to a study published in 2008 in the journal Vascular Health and Risk Management.

Dietary Patterns

"There has been fast urbanization in India that’s brought with it a change in dietary patterns and lifestyle,” said Usha Shrivastava, head of public health at the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation. "It’s leading to this huge jump in cardiovascular disease.”

The average age for a first heart attack in India, Pakistan and other South Asian nations was 53 years, compared with 58.8 years in countries outside the region, according to a study published in 2007 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The biggest impediment for heart surgery in India is accessibility. Shetty aims to bridge that by building hospitals outside India’s main cities. He said he plans to add 30,000 beds over the next decade to the 6,000 the hospital chain has currently, and has identified 100 towns with populations of 500,000 to 1 million that have no heart hospital.

A 300-bed, pre-fabricated, single-story hospital in the city of Mysore cost $6 million and took six months for construction company Larsen & Toubro Ltd. to build, Shetty said. Only the hospital’s operating theaters and intensive-care units are air-conditioned, to reduce energy costs.

Changing Procedures

One of the ways in which Shetty is able to keep his prices low is by cutting out unnecessary pre-op testing, he said.

Urine samples that were once routine before surgery were eliminated when it was found that only a handful of cases tested positive for harmful bacteria. The chain uses web-based computer software to run logistics, rather than licensing or building expensive new systems for each hospital.

When Shetty couldn’t convince a European manufacturer to bring down the price of its disposable surgical gowns and drapes to a level affordable for his hospitals, he convinced a group of young entrepreneurs in Bangalore to make them so he could buy them 60 percent cheaper.

In the future, Shetty sees costs coming down further as more Asian electronics companies enter the market for CT scanners, MRIs and catheterization labs -- bringing down prices. As India trains more diploma holders in specialties such as anesthesiology, gynecology, ophthalmology and radiology, Narayana will be able to hire from a larger, less expensive talent pool.

One positive unforeseen outcome may be that many of the cost-saving approaches could be duplicated in developed economies, especially in the U.S. under health reform.

"Global health-care costs are rising rapidly and as countries move toward universal health coverage, they will have to face the challenge of providing health care at a fairly affordable cost,” said the World Heart Federation’s Reddy, a New Delhi-based cardiologist who is also president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

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Heart surgery in India for USD 1,583 costs USD106,385 in US

Spine, hip, knee specialists from India expected in Dar es Salaam

MEA — 29/07/2013 11:03:31

DAILYNEWS

Spine, hip and knee specialists from Multi super Specialty Shalby hospital, Ahmadabad, Gujarat in India are expected in the country next week where they are expected to screen people suffering from such complications.

"Regency Medical Centre in association with Lions Club of Dar es Salaam (Host) and Lions Club of Arusha announce Specialists Screening Clinics by Dr. Viral Shah (Spine Surgeon) and Dr. Deodhar (hip and knee replacement surgeon) from Shalby Hospital, Gujarat one of the largest joint replacement Centres in Asia” a statement released by Regency Chairman, Dr Rajni Kanabar said.

The statement said both the Super Specialists will conduct clinic in different places in the country. Dr Virah Shah will screen people with spine problems at Regency Satelite clinic Zanaki Street starting from July 29 to July 31 , August 1, at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital Zanzibar, August 2, Hindu Mandal Hospital Arusha and August 3-4 at Hindu Mandal hospital Mwanza.

The statement said Dr Deodhar who is hip and knee replacement surgeon will screen patients on August 2 in Zanzibar, at Regency Satellite Clinic on August 3-5, Zanaki Street in Dar es Salaam and 6th and 7th he will be in Arusha and 8th August Tanga.

"This is a good opportunity for fellow Tanzanians to be attended by Super specialist doctors for joint and spine problems said Dr Kanabar.

He said those who want to consult the Specialists must come with their previous X- Rays/ Medical Reports. "Only first 200 registered patients will get opportunity to see the specialists. We encourage those with such problems to take this opportunity” Dr Kanabar said.

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pine, hip, knee specialists from India expected in Dar es Salaam

Four Indian Americans win Simons Foundation Grants

MEA — 29/07/2013 10:50:43

India West/by Richard Springer

Four Indian American professors at Stanford University, Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania are among the 13 mathematicians, theoretical physicists and theoretical computer scientists who have won 2013 Simons Investigators awards.

They will each receive $100,000 a year for five years for their long-term research with the possibility of renewal for five additional years.

Among four mathematicians who won Simons grants is Stanford professor of mathematics Kannan Soundararajan, "one of the world’s leaders in analytic number theory and related areas,” the Simons Foundation said.

"His work is focused on understanding the zeros and value distribution of L-functions, and on analyzing the behavior of multiplicative functions. In particular, his work (together with co-authors) has led to weak subconvexity bounds for general L-functions and to the proof of the holomorphic quantum unique ergodicity conjecture of Rudnick and Sarnak.”

"I was very pleasantly surprised to hear this news,” Soundararajan told India-West. "It’s a great source of encouragement.”

The India-born professor represented India at the International Mathematical Olympiad in 1991, where he won a silver medal. A Sloan Foundation Fellow, he has an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from Princeton.

Two of three awards in computer science went to Indian Americans. They are Rajeev Alur, Zisman Family Professor in the department of information and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania; and Salil P. Vadhan, Vicky Joseph Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University.

Alur is a top researcher in formal modeling and algorithmic analysis of computer systems, the Simons Foundation said, adding that "a number of automata and logics introduced by him have now become standard models with great impact on both the theory and practice of verification.”

His "key contributions include timed automata for modeling of real-time systems, hybrid automata for modeling discrete control software interacting with the continuously evolving physical environment, and visibly pushdown automata for processing of data with both linear and hierarchical structure such as XML documents.”

"The goal of my research is to develop tools that will help programmers to develop software more easily and that is more reliable," Alur told India-West.

"For this purpose, we have developed new ways to model software systems and analysis techniques that can automatically check whether these models meet high-level requirements.’

"Much of this work is of theoretical nature, and is rooted in mathematical logic and formal reasoning. The selection as a Simons Investigator will allow me to focus on these theoretical foundations over a long period.”

Alur has B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from IIT-Kanpur and Stanford University, respectively.

Vadhan, the Simons Foundation said, has "produced a series of original and influential papers on computational complexity and cryptography. He uses complexity-theoretic methods and perspectives to delineate the border between the possible and impossible in cryptography and data privacy.”

"His work also illuminates the relation between computational and information-theoretic notions of randomness, thereby enriching the theory of pseudorandomness and its applications. All of these themes are present in Vadhan’s recent papers on differential privacy and on computational analogues of entropy, which are elegant, impressive, and far-reaching.”

Vadhan has a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from MIT, a certificate of advanced study in mathematics from Churchill College at Cambridge University and A.B in mathematics and computer science from Harvard University. He was traveling and not available by press deadline.

Finally, Senthil Todadri, a professor of physics at MIT and Distinguished Research Chair at the Perimeter Institute of Physics, was one of six Simons grant winners in that discipline.

"Senthil Todadri’s work with Fisher on Z2 topological order in models of spin liquid states provided key insights and initiated the systematic investigation of gauge structures in many-body systems, now a vital subfield of condensed matter physics,” the foundation said.

"(Todadri) and co-workers also pioneered the theory of deconfined quantum criticality as a new paradigm for some phase transitions. (He) also introduced the concept of fractionalized Fermi liquids and developed a theory of continuous electronic Mott transitions. His most recent work in the theory of symmetry-protected topological phases and on combining ideas of quantum entanglement and many-body physics continues to move the boundaries of the field quantum many-body physics.”

"I am delighted and honored to get this award," Todadri told India-West. "It is wonderful to have stable funding in this otherwise uncertain funding climate.”

"My research studies novel phenomena that arise in solids due to the quantum mechanics of many electrons that interact strongly with each other. The funding from the Simons Foundation will help me explore long term, uncertain projects.”

Todadri has his Ph.D. from Yale and an undergraduate degree from IIT-Kanpur.

The nonprofit New York-based Simons Foundation, incorporated in 1994 by Jim and

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Four Indian Americans win Simons Foundation Grants

Indian culture takes root in Poland

MEA — 23/07/2013 15:36:54

Krakow Post/ by Jamie Stokes

India is not the first country that springs to mind in close associate with Poland, but links between the two nations are long established and growing stronger.

Krakow’s Jagiellonian University, for example, has been teaching Sanskrit, Hindi and Indian cultural studies since 1894. Rapid economic development in Poland and India, and the mutual recognition that there is business to be done, has also meant the slow but steady development of an Indian community in Krakow.

Mr Umesh Chandra Nautiyal was one of the pioneers of this community. Originally from northern India, Mr. Nautiyal has been teaching Hindi at the Jagiellonian University for 17 years now, and has become something of a pillar of the South Asian contingent in the city, though his natural modesty would insist that he deny it. What is undeniable is that Nautiyal was the founder of the Indo-Polish Cultural Committee (IPCC) in 2000 and has been its undisputed president ever since.

I sat down with Umesh over a meal at Hot Chilli (still the best curry house in Krakow) to talk about the IPCC, India and Poland. "I was a kind of unofficial ambassador for India in Krakow for years. Whenever delegations or performers from India were coming here, they would give me a call first. Not that I was complaining – I got to keep in touch with India and meet some very interesting people,” said Umesh.

After organising a celebration of the Hindu festival of Diwali in Krakow in 2000, Umesh decided to put matters on a more formal footing by creating the IPCC. The organisation became a legally recognised NPO in 2003 and has been organising festivals and cultural events ever since. These have included visits from top-flight Indian performers such as Uma Sharma, a master of the classical Indian dance form known as kathak, and legendary classical flautist, Hariprasad Chaurasia. "Most exciting for me was the visit by kathak guru Birju Maharaj. At 75 years of age, he had more energy and enthusiasm than I’ve ever had!” smiled Umesh.

The IPCC is a genuinely cross-cultural organisation, with both South Asian and Polish members, and now has branches in cities across Poland. One of its new vice presidents is local politician Katarzyna Bielan´ska, who has been very active in promoting cultural and business links between Malopolska and India.

IPCC events regularly attract hundreds of locals as well as the Indian community. "There are probably about 200 Indians living in Krakow, most of them working in Indian companies or in the large multinationals that operate in the city,” said Umesh. "There is a lot of interest in Indian culture among Poles. Hindi courses at the university are always oversubscribed.”

Commerce between India and Poland is not yet huge (less than two percent of Poland’s imports come from India, contrasting with over eight percent from China), but that looks set to change. The steel giant ArcelorMittal has been established in Nowa Huta since 2005 and is now an established part of the community. A very large Indian embassy is currently under construction in Warsaw, which will include an Indian Cultural Centre, and it is one of the IPCC’s goals to secure the funds to build a similar centre in Krakow. Umesh has many kind words for the Indian ambassador to Poland, Monika Kapil Mohta, who has been a great support to the IPCC and Indian businesses in Krakow.

With a man of Umesh’s circumspection, it was never going to be easy to get to a frank discussion of the challenges facing an Indian living in Krakow. He did note that Poles and Indians tend to have very different approaches to family and social life, with Indians used to living an ‘open house’ lifestyle in which friends, cousins and business associates are free to drop in unannounced at any time – something Poles take some getting used to.

He also pointed out that, while both Indians and Poles are known for their capacity to work hard, the Indian way of doing business is rather different. "Indians never stop doing business,” he said, "business is our hobby, we do business in our space time. When we meet friends, we talk about business! Poles like to keep some separation between their working and home lives.”

Umesh insists that he has experienced only warmth and openness from Poles in the years he has lived here. "I think Poles and Indians get along very well. I have lived in a small village outside Krakow for years now, and my neighbours have always been helpful.” Charming and conciliatory to a fault, with Mr Nautiyal at its head, the IPCC will undoubtedly continue to cement Indo-Polish relations at the personal level.

(The views expressed are the personal view of the writer)

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Indian culture takes root in Poland

Indian pharmaceutical groups shed copycat image

MEA — 23/07/2013 15:46:38

Financial Times/ by Amy Kazmin

For decades, India’s large, homegrown pharmaceutical industry has been both admired and reviled for producing low-cost knock-offs of patented western medicines. The skill has made the south Asian country one of the world’s biggest suppliers of generic drugs.

But a recent breakthrough by Zydus Cadilla, a family-owned drugmaker with annual revenues of $1bn, reflects a new focus for leading Indian pharmaceutical groups: original drug research.

Zydus announced last month that Indian regulators had cleared it to start selling an innovative new diabetes drug – the first new chemical entity to reach the market having been discovered and developed entirely in India.

Lipaglyn, which controls high blood sugar and cholesterol with a single pill, will be launched in India in coming months, and Zydus is seeking regulatory clearance to sell it globally.

Indian drug industry executives say Lipaglyn, already patented in key markets, heralds a new era of original drug research among Indian companies that should result in more innovative new medicines from the country in coming years.

Pankaj Patel, Zydus’s chairman and managing director, says Lipaglyn is a potential "blockbuster” that could bring in more than $1bn in global revenues. But it will take three to five years – and more than $150m in additional clinical trial costs – to get the green light to introduce the medicine in the US and other tightly regulated western markets, he says.

"India has benefited for years from the research and development efforts in other countries,” Mr Patel, a trained pharmaceutical scientist who personally oversees Zydus’s research and development programme, told the Financial Times. "Now it’s time for India to give back.”

Zydus’s breakthrough comes at a difficult time for India’s generic drugs industry.

In May, Ranbaxy, India’s largest drugmaker by sales, agreed to pay $500m in civil and criminal penalties in the US after a company whistleblower revealed extensive data manipulation and violations of "good manufacturing practice” standards.

Though the violations occurred before Ranbaxy was bought out by Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo in 2008 for $4.7bn, the New Delhi-based company’s admission to making material false statements has made life tougher for all Indian drugmakers.

Britain’s drug regulator recently ordered Wockhardt, an Indian generics producer, to recall some of its medicines due to concerns about manufacturing practices at one of its factories. US regulators had in May halted imports from the same facility.

"Our credibility is at stake now,” says D.G. Shah, secretary-general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the local industry body. "All drug regulators – from the US, EU or Australia – will be looking with a microscope when they come to inspect Indian companies. The next year or two will be critical, until they are reassured Ranbaxy was an isolated case and not happening generally.”

Mr Shah says he is optimistic the development of Lipaglyn, and the expected emergence over the next few years of new medicines from other Indian groups such as Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Sun Pharma and Biocon, would help bolster the industry’s image.

"People have been branding us as a copycat industry, and this is a departure from that,” he said. "We are not just copycats, but we are transforming into creating original research products also.”

Zydus began its search for original drugs in 2001 with the construction of a huge laboratory centre. Since then, it has spent some $450m on the quest for new medicines and has several in development, says Mr Patel.

Zydus is not the only company pouring money into R&D. Other leading Indian generic drugmakers have been investing heavily as they seek to move up the industry value chain.

After discovering promising molecules in their own laboratories, some are partnering with major western pharmaceutical companies which can help with costs and global clinical trials.

Mumbai-based Glenmark, which spent 8.2 per cent of its nearly $1bn in revenues last year on R&D, has licensing deals with Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical group, and Forest Laboratories of the US to develop three promising molecules, on which the Indian company holds the patents. Glenmark also has a research pipeline of four other drug candidates to treat pain and conditions such as asthma.

Sun Pharma, which is also based in Mumbai and generated about $2bn in revenues in the last financial year, set up an R&D subsidiary in 2007 and now has a variety of new chemical entities and innovative drug delivery systems in development.

Biocon, based in Bangalore, has created a promising oral insulin candidate. Last year, it signed a deal with the US pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb for further trials and development of the potential drug, which is considered the "holy grail” of diabetes treatment for its potential to replace insulin injections.

Many western drug companies – some of which have had patents rejected, overturned or overridden in India in the past year – complain that India does not offer sufficient protection of intellectual property to provide incentive for drug research in the country.

But Mr Patel argues that India’s patent law is fundamentally sound – and compliant with the World Trade Organisation requirements – though he admits infringement cases should be dealt with faster. "We need to strengthen?.?.?.?enforcement so if tomorrow, someone is trying to infringe my IP, I can go to court and get a remedy quickly.”

Local rules inhibit drug trials

Indian drug companies undertaking original research face a major hurdle from local rules regulating clinical trials in the country, writes Amy Kazmin.

Human testing of new drugs has been a contentious issue in recent years, with critics claiming Indian citizens were being used as guinea pigs for the global pharmaceutical industry.

In February, the government unveiled strict new rules that have brought fresh clinical trials to an almost complete standstill. The regulations stipulate that pharmaceutical companies must compensate drug trial subjects for any injury or death that occurs during the study period – whether related to the study or not.

Drug companies say this is unfair, particularly as many of the people involved in the trials are suffering from terminal illnesses. They say such conditions make it prohibitively expensive to carry out clinical trials in India and force them to conduct studies abroad, where compensation for injury or death is usually mandated only if it is directly caused by the medicine on trial.

In response to the outcry, authorities are reconsidering the rules and may propose revisions in the next few months.

(The views expressed are the personal view of the writer)

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Indian pharmaceutical groups shed copycat image

Top US award for Indian resort

MEA — 18/07/2013 18:15:12

Vancouver Desi

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur has been voted the Best Resort in Asia for the third consecutive year by Travel + Leisure, World’s Best Awards, 2013. The ranking is the result of a readers’ poll conducted by the magazine.

"It is indeed a moment of pride for us that The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur has been voted the Best Resort in Asia for the third consecutive year. This is a significant landmark for Indian tourism that will make India a preferred destination amongst international travellers,” said P.R.S. Oberoi, executive chairman of The Oberoi Group.

In addition, The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur and The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra have also been ranked amongst the Top Ten Resorts by Travel + Leisure, World’s Best Awards, 2013.

The Oberoi, Gurgaon and The Oberoi, Mumbai are amongst the Top City Hotels in Asia.

Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards are amongst the most prestigious in the international travel industry as it is the readers who define excellence in hospitality and travel. The readers rate their experiences and evaluate hotels across the world on the following characteristics — rooms and facilities, location, service, restaurants, food and value.

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Top US award for Indian resort

24-year-old Bombay businessman bags 2 trophies at Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards

MEA — 18/07/2013 18:10:07

Ein News

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan presented Ammeet K Agarwal, President & CEO of Supreme Aviation Inc, best Indian company in USA as a ‘Service provider’ & ‘Small & Medium enterprise'

Amidst tough competition and nominations of thousands of Indian owned corporations serving in America, Supreme Aviation was awarded the best Indian Company in USA in two categories – Best Small and Medium Enterprise and Best Service Provider.

Supreme Aviation located in Dallas, Texas state of USA provides Aviation services including air tours over the city, pilot training to international candidates and others. "Supreme’s activities are not only rare and outstanding, but also excellent and enjoyed by thousands of citizens of America,” remarked Mr. Nadir Godrej, one of the Jury members of the award.

Headed by young and dashing entrepreneur from Mumbai, Ammeet K Agarwal set up Supreme Aviation in 2006. Mr. Peter Haas, Consul General of America who was present at the event exclaimed, "After some bitter taste at flying clubs locally and across India, Ammeet went for his Pilot Training to Texas in 2006, when he was just 17. He returned back asking for a business visa as he had started his own company and training institute!”

In last 7 years Supreme Aviation has truly embossed brand India in thousands of hearts of American and other globe trotters. "With flags of India and "Jai Shree Ram” stickers on all airplanes operated by Supreme Aviation in America, both awards stand true recognition towards Ammeet K Agarwal’s entrepreneurship in America and India,” said Nimesh Kampani, managing director of JM financial ltd, another Jury member of the award.

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24-year-old Bombay businessman bags 2 trophies at Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards

The Many Faces of India Far From Home

MEA — 19/07/2013 13:05:31

Jakarta Globe

What do S.R. Nathan, the former president of Singapore, Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana and Deepak Chopra, the holistic spiritual guru have in common with H.S. Dillon, an Indonesian political figure, S.P. Lohia, the billionaire businessman and Raam Punjabi, the king of soap operas? They all share a common link through their Indian ethnicity.

One key to a successful diaspora is a love for the homeland, where cultural and heritage ties are reinforced by evolving social norms and practices.

This memory of the homeland keeps alive the ethnic identity and rekindles a sense of patriotism, defining the diaspora.

Leading global diasporas include those of China, India and Russia. India’s 27 million diaspora members are second only to China’s 50 million in number.

The Indian diaspora represents India, its people, regions, values and diverse cultures. Indians have been living and working overseas for centuries, contributing to societies and economies they live in.

The Indian diaspora dates back to ancient times, meaning Indians have long had cultural exchanges with people from elsewhere.

Starting with saints and monks who spread knowledge, peace and love, other Indians spread across the world in search of economic opportunity and trade. Laborers and workers followed and much later so did scholars, academics, managers and professionals.

At present, India’s intellectual abilities abroad have been further highlighted by the success of Indians overseas, which have in turn helped create the brand of India. Many companies hire Indian professionals and conduct business with Indian companies.

The success of the Indian diaspora today is said to have been accelerated through hard work, distinctive cuisine, the Bollywood phenomenon and the connectivity of the Internet.

There are currently significant Indian populations in more than 60 countries, with Nepal, the United States and Myanmar each having more than 3 million Indians, followed by Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with more than 2 million and Britain, South Africa and Canada with more that 1 million.

In the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore has 670,000, Australia has 450,000 and China has 150,000 persons of Indian origin.

Standing strong in Indonesia

In Indonesia, there are an estimated 100,000 people of Indian origin, with just over 9,000 of them being expatriates.

Indians were first brought to Indonesia as laborers to work in the plantations of Medan, North Sumatra, with Tamils and Sikhs dominating the diaspora there.

They have been completely assimilated into Indonesian society.

Sindhis were the second wave of Indians to move into Indonesia during the first half of the 20th century, mostly engaging in textile trading and commerce.

The third wave moved late in the 1970s, comprising mainly of investors, managers and professionals such as engineers, consultants, chartered accountants, bankers and IT professionals.

Jakarta is now home to about half of the Indian community in Indonesia.

The Indian community in Indonesia is generally prosperous and includes entrepreneurs and individuals holding senior positions in local and multinational companies.

The diaspora in Indonesia is connected by several organizations such as Gandhi Seva Loka, a charitable institution in the education and social fields and the India Club that gathers professionals.

IndoIndians.com, a web portal founded by Poonam Sagar, serves the community by providing information on shops, services, events and activities that are of interest to the Indian diaspora.

Indian restaurants Kinara, Ganesha and Queens have served Indian food to an international palate.

The Shiva Temple in Pluit is the center of Indian religious activities. And the list is endless.

To connect the diaspora together, the Indian embassy in Jakarta set up an Indian Cultural Forum in mid-2012 comprising 31 Indian cultural organizations. The India Business Forum was also established that year to provide a platform for business interests.

The systematic approach in developing the Indian diaspora has been catalyzed by the way China engaged its diaspora several decades ago, and it is the phenomenal growth of the Chinese economy that made the government of India to realize the importance of the diaspora.

The Indian government then began to engage the diaspora as partners in what is seen today as "emerging India’s” growth story.

Many business figures

Business tycoons of Indian origins in Indonesia include S.P. Lohia, who established the Indorama Group, Srinivasan Marimutu (Texmaco Group), M.L. Mittal (Ispat Group), Harris Lasmana (Cinema 21), Jaka Singgih (Bumi Laut Group), Suresh Vaswani (Gandhi Seva Loka), and Raam Punjabi, who established a film production empire.

The list of chief executives and country heads of non-indian companies is growing, with Ranjana Singh as chairwoman of WPP, Indonesia’s largest communications group, V.P. Sharma of Mitra Adi Perkasa, Indonesia’s largest retail company, Thomas Malayil of Lippo Malls, Indonesia’s largest mall operator, Dr. Gershu Paul of Siloam Hospitals, Indonesia’s largest health care chain and Vismay Sharma of L’Oreal.

The list also includes Milind Gadre of Vision Ease, Manjot Mann of Hutchison CP, Arvind Mohindra of Haier Telecom, Aditya Srinath of JP Morgan Securities, Joseph Abraham of ANZ Bank, Suresh Narang of Deutsche Bank and Veena Lakkundi of 3M.

Sunil Des Alwi of Energizer, Vikas Shrivastava of Johnson & Johnson, Amit Bose of PepsiCo, Prakash Subramanian of Standard Chartered, Vikram Reddy of Four Seasons Hotel, Nagesh Chawla of Ritz Carlton and Sachin Gopalan of BeritaSatu Media, which publishes the Jakarta Globe, are joined by advertising professionals such as Shalini Menon, Himanshu Shekar, Cedric Miranda, Ram Subramanian, Srinivasan Raghavan, Shubho Sarkar and Rajesh Menon.

Rajan Natarajan and Rajat Sagar are IT entrepreneurs and leading management consultants Naresh Makhijani and Amol Titus, join the list of Indian origin business personalities.

Anil Kumar Nayar is the Singaporean Ambassador to Indonesia, Bharat Advani is Honorary Consul for Estonia in Bali, and Shoeb K. Zainuddin is group chief editor at the Jakarta Globe.

Overseas, prominent Indian businesspeople include Sabeer Bhatia of Hotmail, Vinod Khosla of Sun Microsystems and Vinod Dham, father of the Pentium computer chip contributed to the information age, and closer to home, Tony Fernandes and Lakshmi Mittal.

And artists too

There are also prominent Indians in the artistic arena. Ben Kingsley, M. Night Shyamalan and Mira Nair became famous Indian names in the movie world. Zubin Mehta, Freddy Mercury, Jay Sean, Norah Jones, Susheela Raman and MIA are world famous musicians of Indian origin.

Amar Bose set up the famous BOSE speakers that created a sound revolution. Rajiv Shah is the present administrator of USAID.

Authors V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth are prominent literary figures. Russell Peters is world famous as a stand-up comedian, and Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams are astronauts.

Amir Iqbal Khan the boxer, Vijay Singh the golfer and Nasser Hussain the cricketer are sportsmen of world repute. Former Malaysia Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammad has roots set in Kerala, India.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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The Many Faces of India Far From Home

Indian investment in Africa soars

MEA — 16/07/2013 17:15:14

Deutsche Welle/ by Murali Krishnan

In a bid to expand its economic, political and strategic footprint in Africa, India is investing heavily in the resource-rich continent. But India's path could threaten growing Chinese interests in the region.

A few weeks ago, Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani deepened his outlay in Nairobi's real estate sector with the acquisition of 10 prime plots valued at 2.9 billion shilling ($35 million) which are set be used for commercial and residential development."It feeds the growing demand as more multinationals set foot in the continent," Prateek Berry, a realtor in Delhi told DW. Two years before, Ambani, who is also India's richest man, had also invested heavily in Tanzania's air transport and hospitality industries.

For many analysts, the move doesn't come as a surprise. According to the latest joint report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the World Trade organization (WTO), India's current investments in Africa amount to more than $50 billion.

Africa's vast resources have long stirred up commercial interest. Besides oil and gas, the world's second largest continent has huge deposits of gold, silver, copper, iron, uranium and diamonds. Africa is becoming the new El Dorado with India's private conglomerates jostling for space in the hope of reaping big profits.

According to the CII-WTO report, overall trade between India and Africa grew at 32.4 percent between 2005 and 2011. Even more importantly, Indian private investment in Africa has surged, with major investments having taken place in the telecommunications, IT, energy and automobiles sectors.

'We want to lead the race'

The Tata Group, for instance, an India-based multinational conglomerate, unveiled earlier this year a $1.7 billion greenfield investment aimed at boosting automobile and hospitality businesses in the continent. Furthermore, Vedanta Resources, India's largest mining and non-ferrous metals company recently reported that it had invested $4 billion US dollars over the past nine years in Africa's mining sector.

In 2010, India's largest cellular service provider, Bharti Airtel, made a foray into the African telecommunications market by acquiring Zain Telecom's operations in 15 countries. The company recently unveiled plans to take over Warid Telecom Uganda, thus strengthening its footprint in the continent.

"We aim to lead Indian companies in raising bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2015. China is itself lobbying for its companies in that continent, so from Indian side, we want to lead the race," said R V Kanoria, a former president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

An India-China rivalry?

Analysts see Africa increasingly as a battleground between India and China for trade supremacy. In an effort to tackle the aggressive Chinese expansion in Africa, India pledged in March $5.7 billion in credits and grants for developmental projects and over a 100 capacity building institutions in Africa in March.

"There are huge opportunities in Africa. India is coming to the continent with more to offer at a time of heightening tensions between the two countries in recent months. But it is the African countries that stand to gain," Kiran Lal, researcher at New Delhi-based the African Studies Association of India told DW.

However, China and India have been at the centre of growing criticism for going on reckless shopping sprees in Africa in order to feed their growing economies back home. Both countries are accused of not shirking away from doing business with countries that have been shunned internationally such as Sudan and Zimbabwe.

A huge gap

But can India's economic expansion affect Chinese interests in the region? India is currently the fourth-largest trading partner of Africa, following the European Union, China and the United States. Vaidhyanatha Gundlupet-Venkataramu, Professor of International Relations at the University of Texas in San Antonio, believes India is more popular than China in Africa.

However, when talking solely about investments in Africa, the Chinese are a step ahead of the Indians, says the expert. According to the WTO, African imports from India grew at an annualised rate of 23.1 percent between 2005 and 2011, comparable to 25.6 percent from China.

Despite the fact that India-Africa overall trade grew at 32.4 percent during the same period, which is higher than China-Africa trade growth at 27 percent, the total value of India-Africa trade (at $63 billion in 2011) is only 38 percent of the value of China-Africa trade (at $166 billion).

Moreover, there are differences in terms of how the two countries go about raising their profiles in Africa. Unlike China, India does not tire of proclaiming its historical ties to Africa. India's national hero and father of independence, Mahatma Gandhi, even lived for a few years in South Africa at the end of the 19th century.

Like many African countries - especially in Eastern Africa - India suffered under British colonialism. India makes up one of the largest contingents of the UN peace missions in Africa and is also hoping for Africa's support in its efforts to gain a permanent seat on the Security Council.

As the world focuses on Africa's fast growing economies, the continent is poised for massive development in all sectors as numerous investors lobby for a share in the continent's prospects. But China and India will not be alone in this race. They will joined by other countries such as Japan, Brazil and Turkey.

(The views expressed are the personal view of the writer)

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Indian investment in Africa soars

India pledges to protect Buddhist shrines after temple blasts

MEA — 17/07/2013 15:36:01

The Telegraph/By Dean Nelson

India has reassured Burma and other Buddhist countries it will prevent further attacks on sacred shrines after the temple site where Buddha attained enlightenment was bombed last week.

Burma believes Islamic militants may have carried out the attack on the Bodh Gaya site in revenge for violence against its Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state by majority Buddhist groups.

Tensions between the two religious groups have flared throughout eastern India, Burma and Bangladesh since Burmese Buddhists attacked Rohingya homes in June last year killing 78.

According to Burmese Rohingya campaigners an estimated 80,000 have been displaced from their villages since then, 650 have died and 1200 are missing. The violence spread to neighbouring India’s north-eastern states in August last year and provoked an exodus of several hundred thousand Assamese migrant workers in Bangalore and Mumbai who feared Muslim revenge attacks.

The attack on Bodh Gaya on July 7th has not yet been claimed by any terrorist group and investigators and analysts alike are baffled by its purpose. Buddhism's holiest site, Bodh Gaya is home to the Bodhi tree, said to be a descendant of the original tree under which Buddha meditated in his search for enlightenment.

The bombs exploded in the early hours of Sunday morning and appeared to have been timed to avoid major casualties. Intelligence analysts said the attack may have been a warning for India to put pressure on the Burmese government to protect the Rohingya or dry run for more ambitious and deadly attacks.

"There is a feeling in Myanmar [Burma] because of the events in that country that there was a likelihood of some terrorist response,” said one senior Indian official. Burmese security officials had been warned radical groups Islamic militants might strike, but had not been expected to attack targets outside the country.

Last week Bhiku Wirathu, the Burmese monk who has been dubbed the ‘Buddhist bin Laden’ accused Islamic militants of carrying out the attack to fuel further violence.

"I am sure they did it. They are trying to take over Myanmar by violence, like they tried in Southern Thailand. Unrest in Myanmar is almost over, but extremist forces are trying to use the clashes in Myanmar to justify violent activities elsewhere,” he told the Indian magazine Outlook.

The attack was launched after India’s foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai arrived to boost economic, political and military ties between the two countries which were once both part of British India.

Indian officials said once its National Investigation Agency had completed its inquiry, it would share its findings with the Burmese government.

"Large numbers of their pilgrims come to Bodh Gaya. Everywhere where Buddhists come to India, they can be assured we’ve drawn important conclusions from what happened and we will ensure security,” said one senior Indian official.

Security has now been increased at temples and Buddhist shrines and monuments throughout India.

Although India's Buddhist population is relatively small, the religion has played an important role in its history. Its celebrated emperor Ashoka was a Buddhist, several of India's national symbols are Buddhist, and its Buddhist heritage plays an important role in developing its ties with Buddhist majority neighbours beyond its eastern border.

(The views expressed are the personal view of the writer)

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India pledges to protect Buddhist shrines after temple blasts

India 'will become world's biggest economy in less than 40 years'

MEA — 18/07/2013 10:36:53

The Telegraph/by Emma Rowley

India will overtake China to become the world’s biggest economy in less than 40 years, according to leading economist Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research think-tank.

China is widely acknowledged to be on track to oust the US from that position within the next decade, although expectations vary on when exactly the handover will take place.

But after China becomes the world’s largest economy around 2023, it will itself be overtaken by India around 2048, predicts Mr McWilliams.

"We are only part way through a major process that is set to continue for the next 50 years at least,” he said.

The consequences of this Asian industrialisation present a major challenge to Western economies, even threatening the UK with the risk of becoming a next Greece, Mr McWilliams said on Thursday evening in his inaugural lecture as the Mercers’ School Memorial Gresham Professor of Commerce.

The danger arises because the pace of change in the rapidly growing East has been so fast that its citizens have not yet become used to prosperity, he argued.

"They behave with the hunger of societies that are poor even though they are becoming [and in some cases like Hong Kong and Singapore have already become] rich,” he said. "They don’t take prosperity for granted.”

According to his figures, the average Singaporean works 2,307 hours a year and the average Hong Konger works 2,287 hours. In contrast, the British average is 1,625 hours, while our tax rates are also higher.

Yet in Singapore, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is already 30pc higher than in the UK. In Hong Kong it is 50pc, said Mr McWilliams.

If Western economies do not adjust their policies to match those of the competitive economies in the East, he said "there is a risk that the rest of Europe, including even countries outside the single currency like the UK, could slide in the same way that Greece now has into first stagnation and then economic collapse”.

(The views expressed are the personal view of the writer)

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India 'will become world's biggest economy in less than 40 years'

India undergoing silent rights revolution as laws guarantee social services

MEA — 17/07/2013 11:33:55

Washington Post/ by Rama Lakshmi

Three years ago, a group of parents in a remote tribal hamlet handed local officials a petition demanding a new school. Their children had to walk nearly two miles through farmland, forest and creeks to reach the closest government school although, they argued, India’s new Right to Education law entitled them to something closer.

But while the new law may have stirred the people of Dalki Sahi in the eastern state of Odisha (formerly known as Orissa) into action, they still do not have a new school. Across India, amid questions about whether the government can really deliver, many are asking whether the law was merely a well-intentioned promise dressed up as a legally enforceable fundamental right.

In the past eight years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has enacted a set of laws that give Indians the right to peer through official files and to get schools, rural jobs, forest land and, most recently, food at rock-bottom prices. Some call it India’s silent rights-based revolution.

The laws signal a radical shift in the way the government delivers social services — telling people they have a right to them and urging Indians to stop waiting passively and instead force the usually apathetic bureaucracy to perform. Advocates of the approach say the laws are slowly altering the inherently feudal, top-down relationship between the government and its citizens.

The government boasted about the new rights in an advertising campaign this year, and members of Singh’s Congress party say they plan to use the laws in catchy slogans in the national election scheduled for next year.

Singh’s government, battling inflation and a string of corruption allegations, passed the latest rights-conferring law this month, guaranteeing more than 800 million Indians cheap food grains and adding more than $6 billion to the annual food subsidy bill. The new law has roiled economists because it comes at a time when India’s economic growth has been the slowest in a decade, the rupee is at a historic low compared with the U.S. dollar and foreign investors are no longer lining up.

Critics say that many of the new rights are simply a euphemism for expensive handouts meant to please voters. Others say that if bureaucratic attitudes and efficiency are not improved, the rights are mere window dressing on a broken social-services system.

"In other countries, they actually provide food, jobs and pension. In India, we talk about mere rights to all of them. Who are we fooling?” said Surjit Bhalla, chairman of Oxus Investments, an emerging-market advisory firm in New Delhi. "All these so-called rights amount to throwing away money and breeding corruption. These rights are nothing but populism and welfare.”

But activists say the new laws are changing Indians’ relationship with the government and making them more assertive, even if there are no instant results.

"People are no longer going with folded hands and groveling in front of officials,” said Ranjan Kumar Mohanty of People’s Culture Center, or Pecuc, a nonprofit group working on rural community development in Odisha. "They are demanding their rights, not asking the government for charity.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India undergoing silent rights revolution as laws guarantee social services

Jordan seeks better ties with India, Kosovo and Laos — PM

MEA — 04/07/2013 14:59:06

The Jordan Times

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Wednesday held talks with officials from India, Kosovo and Laos on ties and the latest regional developments.

During a meeting with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, E.Ahamed, Ensour commended Jordanian-Indian relations, voicing keenness on enhancing them in all fields, especially in trade.

He also reiterated Jordan’s stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which rests on the two-state solution and stressed that the Kingdom advocates a political solution to the Syrian crisis to end the bloodshed.

For his part, Ahamed expressed his country’s keenness on enhancing its relations with Jordan, highlighting the importance of the Kingdom as a catalyst of peace in a turbulent region.

In a separate meeting on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh discussed the situation in Syria and the peace process in the Middle East with Ahamed.

On the consequences of the Syrian unrest on Jordan, Judeh said the resource-limited Kingdom is carrying extra burdens as a result of hosting around 550,000 Syrian refugees, expressing appreciation of international organisations’ for their help.

Also on Wednesday, Ensour received Jakup Krasniqi, chairman of the assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, and an accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, the premier said Jordan seeks to enhance its relations with Kosovo, briefing the visiting delegation on the Kingdom’s reform process.

For his part, Krasniqi thanked the Kingdom for supporting his country, saying that Jordan was among the first nations to recognise Kosovo’s independence in 2009.

He also voiced appreciation for Jordan’s participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.

Senate President Taher Masri met separately with Krasniqi and discussed enhancing parliamentary cooperation. The Kosovo official invited Masri to visit his country along with a Senate delegation.

Also on Wednesday, Ensour met with Laos Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad and an accompanying delegation.

Talks focused on enhancing bilateral relations and touched on the latest regional developments.

Ensour briefed the delegates on Jordan’s achievements, explaining that stability, security and human resources are the Kingdom’s real assets in its development drive.

Lengsavad expressed his country’s keenness on enhancing cooperation with Jordan and utilising its expertise in potash exports, discussing also the possibility of exporting rice to the Kingdom.

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Jordan seeks better ties with India, Kosovo and Laos — PM

Nursery founder wins UAE business award

MEA — 03/07/2013 17:10:19

TradeArabia News Service

The founder and CEO of British Orchard Nursery, the Middle East’s only ISO certified nursery chain, recently received the Emirates Woman Award for business excellence.

With this, Vandana Gandhi has become the first ever Indian woman entrepreneur to receive such an honour for excelling and providing innovation in preschool education.

The Emirates Women’s Award 2013 (EWA) honoured local and expatriate business achievers from diverse fields, however amongst several hundred entries she was chosen to be the "Overall Winner in Business Category”.

Organised by the Dubai Quality Group, the award ceremony selected the winners based on their leadership skills, strategy and financial planning, achievement levels, community contribution and innovation.

"It is a very special honour and I feel proud to be part of this great initiative by the Dubai Government, it certainly motivates and encourages women from different walks of life to excel in their respective fields,” said Gandhi.

"I am thankful to all my staff at British Orchard Nursery who have helped me accomplish this today. I have always felt very welcomed and part of the country, even though I am an expatriate; I truly feel the UAE Government provides excellent opportunities for business growth and innovation.”

"British Orchard Nursery is a trusted name in the region and over the last decade we have established our credentials as the region’s leading Nursery chain providing quality education and nurturing care to the young ones,” she continued.

"We are the first nursery chain to be ISO 9001:2008 Quality certified, and have won many awards from the UAE government for quality childcare and partnerships. Having 10 facilities across UAE including Government franchises, we now plan to expand into GCC and India,” she added.

British Orchard Nursery provide a holistic approach to learning, working on cognitive, physical, creative, personal, social and emotional development.

The highly trained staff look after the children, and the facilities include in-house specialised children’s Gym- ‘GYMJUNIORZ’ , a library, a role play area to develop social and imaginative skills, a construction area where children recreate real life situations, a painting area to nurture creativity, as well as other educational and recreational offerings.

For children who stay beyond the usual nursery hours, educational programs are pre-planned and structured to provide learning experiences, relaxation and socialization.

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Nursery founder wins UAE business award

Yoga helps mentally Ill improve their lives

MEA — 03/07/2013 17:12:34

Voice of America/ by Deborah Block

Millions of Americans take classes to learn the poses and breathing of the ancient Indian practice of yoga. In recent years, yoga organizations have been reaching out to people who may not normally have the opportunity to take yoga classes, such as the homeless, trauma survivors, and people with drug and alcohol addictions.Green Door is a small mental health center in Washington where yoga is helping change people’s lives for the better.

Ericpaul Clark has been taking yoga classes for several months. He’s been in jail and a psychiatric facility after abusing drugs. Today, he says he’s clean and looking forward to a better life. Yoga helps keep him calm.

"I have rather a bad temper, and I’m afraid that if I really get angry I might do something dumb that will cause me to go back to jail. When I do the stretches and poses it relaxes my muscles and just makes me feel more comfortable," said Clark.

The free, weekly yoga classes are offered as a part of Green Door’s program to help people who are mentally ill cope with their problems and become more independent. Most are poor and many are homeless or in temporary housing. Social worker Miranda White says a lot of them don’t exercise, but yoga is a good way to get them moving, even if it’s from a chair.

"Their patience for doing any type of exercise is minimal at first, but once they’ve gotten involved in yoga, I’ve seen this love for it," said White.

This is Clarence Marble’s first yoga class and he’s finding it challenging.

"I had to pull both my legs up with both my hands," said Marble.

He hopes yoga will help him lose weight and alleviate his depression.

"If it relieves me of some stress, I’ll really enjoy that, and if I can go do some yoga to get out of my depression that would be even better," he said.

Studies have shown the positive effect of yoga on a range of mental illnesses. They indicate the practice helps reduce stress, ease chronic depression and lessen the symptoms of schizophrenia - a brain disorder characterized by hallucinations and delusions.

Earnestine Jackson, who takes medication to control schizophrenia, says yoga benefits her in several ways.

"It helps you get your self-esteem together, and most of all, it helps me with peace of mind," said Jackson.

Miranda White says that’s something these people really need.

"It’s a moment for their bodies to just relax because if you’re homeless, or if you’re struggling with symptoms of hearing voices or depression, it’s hard to find a calm place within yourself and your environment, and with a lot of them you can see it in their faces," she said.

Instructor Megan Davis, a specialist in yoga therapy, says learning the proper way to breathe while doing yoga helps her students feel more in control.

"Especially the breathing techniques, [they] really invite people not to be reactive, so it comes up when you’re having a craving for drugs, for a drink," said Davis.

That’s beneficial for Charles Bradley, who had a mental breakdown due to drug abuse, and has been clean for a year.

"You don’t always have to go running back to substances to make you feel good. You can make yourself feel good just by doing something as simple as breathing," said Bradley.

Bradley started taking yoga because he was curious - but now considers it a vital part of turning his life around.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Yoga Helps Mentally Ill Improve Their Lives

Indian broadcaster to train Maldives broadcasters

MEA — 03/07/2013 17:15:41

Haveeru/ by Fazeena Ahmed

Indian public service broadcaster Doordarshan has agreed to train Maldivian broadcasters, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission said Tuesday.

In a statement, the commission said broadcasters endorsed by the commission would be able to intern at the Doordarshan’s offices in India.

Commissioners, who are in New Delhi on the invitation of Indian broadcasting regulators, met with officials of Doordarshan Monday, the statement added.

The commissioners are also expected to meet officials of the Indian information ministry, public service broadcasters and regulatory bodies.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian broadcaster to train Maldives broadcasters

Beginning of a new chapter in Indo-Iraq relations

MEA — 01/07/2013 12:03:12

Arab News/ by Seema Sengupta*

Is India inching toward making a post-war factious Iraq one of her key strategic partner in the Middle East?

Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid’s fairly successful trip to Baghdad last month raises the possibility of New Delhi reopening its high-level diplomatic contacts with Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s administration. After all, both the nations have a long history of thriving partnership that goes far beyond the tumultuous days of the Gulf War.

Iraq, holding the world’s second largest proven oil reserves was a major energy source for New Delhi and more importantly remained the biggest market for project exports as well as export of chemicals, commercial goods and foodstuff from India till the United Nations imposed sanctions in the early 1990s.

Those were the golden days of bilateral bonhomie that not only prompted New Delhi to consistently oppose the American invasion of Iraq but also emboldened the then foreign minister, the late Inder Gujral, to undertake a whirlwind tour of Iraqi occupied Kuwait and thereafter Baghdad at a time when Saddam Hussein has already become a pariah of the international community.

The Foreign Office archive in New Delhi must be holding on to that famous framed image of Gujral embracing Saddam during that hyped rescue mission carried out to evacuate the stranded Indian expatriate population. But times have changed and changed for the worse.

As rightly pointed out by Foreign Minister Khurshid, the work on the ground can begin in right earnest only when safety and security of the Indian lives and properties can be guaranteed. But then, viable peace in Iraq remains elusive with sectarian violence continuing to be a real threat to the country’s internal security scenario, its stability and sovereignty as restoring some semblance of normalcy in the erstwhile land of Mesopotamia has become a tall order.

Unfortunately, throughout the last decade, Iraq was used by multifarious terror organizations as a laboratory for honing their skills in mass killing. From the extensive use of improvised explosive devices to achieving perfection in brazen suicide attacks and acquiring sophistication in the placement of car as well as roadside bombs, a lawless and battered Iraq has provided hands-on experience to the foot soldiers of terrorism since the outbreak of first Gulf War. Even though Washington withdrew its combat troops from Iraq last December after squandering $ 3 trillion, leaving the oil rich nation at the hands of a ragtag all Iraqi security forces, there has been no sign of any let up in fratricidal tension.

On the contrary militias opposed to Prime Minister Al-Maliki’s government have revived their fierce campaign against the country’s elected leadership and conducts guerrilla style attacks on civilian targets intermittently. Remnants of the dreaded Al-Qaeda continues to regroup in the western Iraqi provinces bordering Syria while the exacerbation of ethnic rivalry has given birth to fighting forces indulging in heinous crimes like smuggling, trafficking of contraband weapons and drugs trading.

Given the complexity of the ground realities in Iraq, the Indian government is indeed caught in a catch-22 situation on the issue of evolving a judicious policy for dealing with the present administration. While it is clear that the Iraqi security apparatus is pathetically ill-equipped to curb extremism with an iron hand, New Delhi is in no position to let go of the opportunity to re-establish its spheres of influence prevalent in the Saddam era or beyond.

The Indian policymakers will surely look forward to enhancing the country’s politico-economic clout in this crucial energy corridor. Since the Iraqi armed forces are grappling with organizational and infrastructural deficiencies, the foreign office mandarins in New Delhi might be tempted to offer training support for Iraqi soldiers on a large scale. In fact, Indian military instructors have a good understanding of the Iraqi psyche, having worked with the Iraqi armed forces previously during Saddam Hussein’s tenure. Perhaps, to keep extremism in multi-confessional Iraq at bay, New Delhi remains the best bet for the international community to help analyze the thinking of the Iraqi people, so essential to explore the root of their unique sense of patriotism as well as self-esteem, which arises out of a rich history of secular and enlightened credentials.

This gigantic failure to discern the Iraqi mindset has had a huge impact on West Asian geopolitics, accentuating regional instability in the process and eventually transforming Iraq into a front for militant extremism that has spread into other parts of the region.

Furthermore, New Delhi will be required to perform a fine balancing act to keep the leadership in Tehran in good humor as well because of two principal reasons. Firstly, the Iraqis voted for a Shiite led government on the first given opportunity and the post-war polarization in Iraqi society has virtually ensured that the Shiite population drifts more toward theocratic Iran psychologically.

Secondly, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has invited Indian companies to invest in Shia dominated southern Iraq in order to avoid the risk of being targeted by terror groups. Tehran has already developed major stakes in this overwhelmingly Shiite southern region by deploying its intelligence operatives in mufti — within the Iraqi Army as well as Shiite militias operating in the south — and encouraging private Iranian investment. It would therefore be naïve for India to ignore Ayatollah’s Iran in its quest for making Iraq the country’s primary strategic energy partner even though Iraq has recently replaced Iran as India’s second largest crude oil supplier.

Thus, diplomatic investment on Hassan Rouhani’s new regime can give a guaranteed return of safety for Indian companies seeking to exploit the huge potential that Iraq offers in sectors like oil and gas exploration, petro-chemicals, information technology, engineering and infrastructure.

*Seema Sengupta is a Calcutta based journalist and columnist.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Beginning of a new chapter in Indo-Iraq relations

India-U.S. Relations: The Search for a Transformative Moment

MEA — 24/06/2013 15:14:00

The New York Times/ by Salman Khurshid

India and the world have changed dramatically in the past two decades. The relationship between India and the United States has strengthened spectacularly and brought substantive gain to both countries. It has also given birth to great expectations. The management and fulfilment of those expectations is crucial for the dialogue and partnership between the two countries.

The India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue 2013 comes at a critical moment. India is increasingly focused on the forthcoming national elections. President Barack Obama, in his second term, is looking at the legacy he would bequeath to his country and the world.

The relationship between India and the United States has been driven by both the bilateral governmental interface and the natural affinity and attraction between their citizens. The liberal philosophical moorings of some of the first leaders of independent India, shared values of democracy and freedom, and admiration for the American Constitution, brought us together. A growing number of Indian students and professionals sought educational and work opportunities in the United States alongside India’s engagement with the Non-Aligned Movement and the Soviet Union.

The intrinsic bond between two liberal democracies was captured in the iconic photograph of President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by the Potomac in Washington. And the subsequent distances in our relationship were evoked well by a photo characterized by the stiff body language of President Richard M. Nixon and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi years later.

From "estranged democracies” to "engaged democracies,” it has been a long and fascinating journey for India and the United States. India is exploring and absorbing in myriad ways its transition from being a country subjected to select American sanctions to becoming a strategic partner of the United States.

In the Indian discovery of America and the American discovery of India, increased expectations, timely delivery on commitments, agreed-upon mutual course corrections and consolidation of gains would be crucial.

India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue provides opportunities to measure the distance traveled and to map the future. The elements of contemporary international relations are complex. Strands of real or perceived ideology and self-interest intertwine to shape and shade the global fabric. The United States has fought valiantly in Afghanistan and India will willingly make its contribution to the peace and rehabilitation effort in its own characteristic and calibrated manner. Peace is indivisible and must come as a whole, not in pieces, both in our neighborhood and beyond. There is much scope for joint reflection on these matters.

Attempts to create a better world are as challenging as resolving conflicts. Sustainable development and climate change, an equitable and efficient world trade system, food and energy security, cyber security and counter-terrorism strategies are all matters on which there are differing and divided opinions across the globe. The G8 and G20 nations have yet to bridge the gaps in perception and strategies of the developing and the developed countries even as the emerging economies attempt to straddle the two sides.

It makes it imperative for the India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue to succeed in the interest of our two countries and the world. In the lives of nations, as in the lives of people, the right moment can achieve what years of effort strove for. India and the United States found that transformative moment in the signing of the Civil Nuclear Agreement. We need to build upon that success and work towards the next defining moment.

Every nation seeks partners and friends. India and the United States are no exception, but we are currently tasked to nurture the strategic partnership that we already have in place and to which we are mutually committed to preserve and protect. The pressures and difficulties posed by our domestic politics and economics, the unresolved issues of the world, must not deter us.

The challenge before us is to reconcile competing self-interests and combine them into enlightened mutual interest. That is not a simple matter of persuasive arguments and attractive power point presentations. We both have constraints of democracy, which are exacerbated by the different levels of development and corresponding demands of our respective economies, societies and people.

For instance, India at the moment is relatively low on carbon emissions. But those will increase as we address the developmental needs of our people, unless adequately provided to adapt to low-emission technology that is obviously costly.

Developing countries like India expect that the United States and other developed countries will agree to binding targets to cut emissions, having had the advantage of several centuries of development. This competing logic applies to many sectors. The solutions lie in our mutual convergence at a middle ground. The very purpose of dialogue is to find common ground and to creatively conceive a point of agreement where there is none. It is important that ours is a dialogue that flows from our partnership and not one to create a relationship.

India is not impervious to the pressures the United States faces as it walks the fiscal cliff, tries to revive its economy, addresses persisting unemployment, and the inevitable demands from its businessmen and people that the US government pursue policies for preferential domestic production and services to protect jobs.

Many of our own aspirations are linked with increased demand for goods and services in the United States. India expects her friends in the West to understand how tough a current account deficit can be on a developing economy, how important it is that information technology and pharmaceuticals—the sectors of our economy that have provided the cutting edge to India’s growth and boosted our middle class — be supported and encouraged. In India today, social activists and the courts are vigorously scrutinizing public servants, which impacts response time. There is a steep learning curve as we take the reform road. Our fiercely autonomous Parliament and judiciary, reflecting the separation of powers, have to be taken on board to ensure a satisfactory response to our collective aspirations. This will be speeded up with important conceptual strides that we hope to take soon.

Secretary of State John Kerry will be received in India as a familiar name and face, having been a key figure in U.S. foreign policy as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during a period of great significance to India. It will be an opportunity for him to reconnect with several old friends and discover new ones. It will indeed be an honor for me to sit across the table from him at Hyderabad House and draw plans for taking our relationship forward, both between the two of us as indeed for our countries.

As we look from Raisina Hill to Capitol Hill, we can see President Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrapping up a decade of eventful cooperation later this year. That provides us with an impetus to further the spirit of working together that was underscored by the historic Indian-U.S. Civil Nuclear Agreement and the contemporaneous paradigm shift in perceptions.

The road ahead is the very road that was signposted by milestones such as the meeting of my predecessor, Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. The signposts of strategic partnership will hopefully have sectors such as clean energy, innovation in science and technology, peaceful use of nuclear energy, space, education and skills development, securing global supply chains, interdict illicit finance flows and counterfeit currency, intelligence sharing, enhanced cyber security, and the expansion of trade and investment.

Finally in the realm of defense, we hope our relationship is not merely a buyer-seller relationship, but a true strategic partnership involving joint research, manufacture of equipment, training of personnel and military exercises.

The building blocks of such a partnership are in place, but they need to be cemented by sustained and enhanced political will. We are able to talk and listen even where convergent and common positions take time to formulate.

Long journeys require pauses. We might pause and rest, but we aren’t reluctant travelers. Traffic rules in our respective countries might mandate us to drive on different sides of the road, the spirit of the July 2005 joint statement and November 2010 joint statement of Prime Minister Singh and President Obama has brought us on a shared path and agreed destination. We need to watch the speed, not lose time, and yet not be reckless.

Secretary Kerry and I won’t only judge how the engines are running, but also reaffirm how the spirit of adventure remains undiminished. As we drive past the fields of opportunity, I paraphrase the lines of the great American poet Robert Frost that Prime Minister Nehru loved to quote: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep; And miles to go before I sleep; And miles to go before I sleep.” The dialogue between India and the United States will be an objective look at the miles ahead but also a reaffirmation of our strategic partnership.

Salman Khurshid is India’s Minister for External Affairs.

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India-U.S. Relations: The Search for a Transformative Moment

They received training in India - Two women will bring light to community

MEA — 23/06/2013 21:00:46

Pensa Libre, Guatemala: by Oscar Figueroa (original article in Spanish)

They are waiting for the arrival of the equipment that will illuminate Xetupul 2

Community in San Juan Cotzal.

Quiche: Xetupul 2, San Juan Cotzal, is one of the many communities in Quiché that lack electric energy. However, this situation is about to change since two women, Catarina Mejia Toma and Isabel Torres Medina, are waiting for equipment and accessories coming from India for the installation of solar panels.

Mejia and Torres, who only speak Ixil language, came back from India recently where they got training as technicians in solar energy. They studied for six months at Barefoot College, located at Tilonia Village in Rajasthan, India, and they learned how solar panels work as well as how to install and give maintenance to them. The two women were part of the Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme which is supported by the Government of India.

Guatemala, informed that the training was given to 10 women from different countries from September 16, 2012 to March 14, 2013 and the name of the course is Training Illiterate/Semi-Literate Rural Women on Solar Electrification and Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting.

Martinez explained that the programme is aimed to give training to women, preferably middle-aged mother or grandmother, living in a remote village at least 10 kms away from the nearest electricity grid.

English Language

Torres Medina, who is 40 years old and has five children, said through her neighbor and translator Lucas Sanchez that the first inconvenience they found in India was language since English is widely spoken in India and they speak only Ixil. ¨I understand Spanish but I speak very little; however, I decided to learn so that I can help my country people to have light in their houses. I did it.¨ she said.

The course was received by women of different nationalities and was delivered through sign language, a universal language.

Between July and August

She said that Barefoot College and the Government of India will provide the equipment for the installation of solar panels in her community. ¨I do not know how many they will be sending, but I understand it will be enough for the 175 families of Xetupul 2, she added.

Torres Medina, who has been a widow for 13 years and works as day laborer in the South Coast, said she expects the equipment arrives between July and August because they were told that they will receive the equipment five months after the conclusion of the training.

Martinez Estrada added that two women have a Guatemalan Government official who is their liaison person to support in case any issue arises until the installation and working of the solar panels.

Forget the gym: Yoga is better at boosting memory and concentration than vigorous exercise

MEA — 18/06/2013 12:31:04

Mail Online/ by Rachel Reilly

Just 20 minutes of yoga a day sharpens the mind, researchers say.

The ancient practice was found to be more effective at boosting brain power than conventional aerobic exercise.

Researchers in America discovered that a single session of Hatha yoga significantly improved a person's speed and accuracy when tested on their working memory and concentration.

Lead author of the study, Neha Gothe, professor of kinesiology (human movement), health and sport studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, explained: 'Yoga is an ancient Indian science and way of life that includes not only physical movements and postures but also regulated breathing and meditation.

'The practice involves an active attentional or mindfulness component but its potential benefits have not been thoroughly explored.'

During the experimental yoga sessions participants were asked to assume postures stood up, sat down and laid down, while keeping their breathing steady.

The exercises included isometric contractions of different muscles in the body, where the muscles are tensed and relaxed without moving any limbs.

The exercises were followed by a mediation session, when participants focussed on posture and deep breathing.

Researchers also put the guinea pigs through their paces on a treadmill for the same 20-minute period, keeping their heart rate up between 60 and 70 per cent of the maximum.

They found that people who had been for a 20-minute jog were less able to focus mentally on tasks than they were following a yoga session.

Gothe said: 'It appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout.

'The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath.'

'Maybe these processes translate beyond yoga practice when you try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities.'

Gothe conceded that the team could not pinpoint any specific process that takes place during yoga that boosted the mental state of the participants, suggesting the relaxation from meditation could hold the answer.

She said: 'Many factors could explain the results.

'Enhanced self-awareness that comes with meditational exercises is just one of the possible mechanisms.'

'Besides, meditation and breathing exercises are known to reduce anxiety and stress, which in turn can improve scores on some cognitive tests.'

The study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, involved 30 female students at Illinois University's Exercise Psychology Laboratory.

Kinesiology and community health Professor Edward McAuley, who directs the where the study was conducted, said:

'Yoga is becoming an increasingly popular form of exercise in the U.S. and it is imperative to systematically examine its health benefits, especially the mental health benefits that this unique mind-body form of activity may offer.'

But Professor McAuley stressed it is early days for study of yoga and its effects on the body and mind.

He said: 'We only examined the effects of a 20-minute bout of yoga and aerobic exercise in this study among female undergraduates.

'However, this study is extremely timely and the results will enable yoga researchers to power and design their interventions in the future.

'We see similar promising findings among older adults as well.

'Yoga research is in its nascent stages and with its increasing popularity across the globe, researchers need to adopt rigorous systematic approaches to examine not only its cognitive but also physical health benefits across the lifespan.'

(The views expressed are the personal views of the writer)

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Forget the gym: Yoga is better at boosting memory and concentration than vigorous exercise

In praise of...... Arunima Sinha

MEA — 17/06/2013 15:30:55

The Guardian

Climbing Mount Everest is one of the hardest things any human can do. But climbing it with an artificial leg? That's what Arunima Sinha did last month, becoming the first woman amputee to scale the mountain, in a climb of 52 days. Two years ago, the 26-year-old lost half her left leg when robbers pushed her out of a train near Lucknow, in northern India, after she refused to hand over a gold chain (local police dispute her crime report). The former national-level volleyball player describes it as her "darkest hour"; yet she began a year-long mountaineering course, trying to "outpace normal people". Everest done, she's now setting up a sports academy for poor disabled children. India is not a disabled-friendly country; even the big cities have hardly any wheelchair ramps, let alone easy-access train stations. "I turned my artificial leg into my strength," says Ms Sinha. In the process, she's provided an object lesson in what strength is.

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In praise of … Arunima Sinha

India praised for its efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS by UN coordinator

MEA — 17/06/2013 10:54:50

Malaysian Sun

The United Nations resident coordinator, who was present during a two-day seminar, which was recently organized here to raise awareness and sensitise people about HIV/AIDS, has praised India for its efforts to fight the disease.

UN coordinator Lisa Grande lauded the efforts of the Indian government to reach out to those suffering from the disease and reduce the stigma.

"I think India is one of the countries in the world that has done best in dealing with HIV AIDS. The reason for that is that the prevalence rate has gone down. People who are living with HIV are receiving free medicines and very good services. And there has been a major campaign stretching across the country to reduce stigma," said Lisa.

The event "North East Regional Consultation on HIV/AIDS" was organised by the Forum of Parliamentarians at ITA complex in Guwahati recently. The event was attended by chief ministers of Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

An HIV positive woman from Mizoram, recounted the ordeals she had to face, and appreciated the steps taken by the government and various organizations for HIV affected people.

"I received lot of support from my community. Today, I see there is no discrimination in the Northeast.

Today, I see there is no discrimination in the Northeast. It has reduced now. I am very happy that we have a safe space in the Northeast," she said.

An estimated 2.4 million people in India are suffering from HIV AIDS, with states like Manipur and Andhra Pradesh being the worst affected.

In 1992, the National AIDS control organization was set up under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to prevent the occurrence of the disease and to ensure that the affected have access to quality health services.

Steps are constantly being taken to tackle the threat posed by the disease.

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India praised for its efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS by UN coordinator

India becoming preferred destination for diagnostic services

MEA — 17/06/2013 11:00:22

Channel News Asia/ By Avneet Arora

India is fast becoming the preferred destination for high-end pathology and diagnostic services.

Many foreign medical services companies are outsourcing their specialised laboratory tests to India.

It is proving to be a very profitable win-win situation, with India reaping the benefits of the new business and the foreign medical companies saving huge sums of money on lab fees.

Pathology is becoming the next big outsourcing vehicle in India.

An increasing number of hospitals from the UK, US, Middle East and neighbouring countries are tying up with Indian diagnostic centres to conduct laboratory tests.

For the foreign hospitals and medical companies, it can amount to savings of up to 40 per cent, while for India, it means more revenue.

Dr Vishu P Bhasin, director of the Dr P Bhasin Path Labs, said: "More and more tests are coming from overseas to India for testing from developing as well as developed countries.

"Developing countries are outsourcing to us due to non-availability, whereas developed countries are sending samples to us because of a cost-saving factor.

"We are able to do the same test with the same quality at a lesser cost because of the availability of the same technology in India, lower manpower cost and low insurance cost."

Packaged samples are flown to India for testing and after being analysed, online reports are drawn up and sent back to the client hospital.

At the moment, only specialised tests in the areas of genetics, cancer and infectious diseases are being outsourced, but pathologists feel the business is set to grow.

Dr Ravi Gaur, vice-president of Oncquest Laboratories, said: "We have good platforms, we have very good skilled people... cost wise, probably something which has happened at the call centres, a similar revolution can be brought into India, but yes, we need to keep a check on the quality, not everyone can be allowed to do that because a sample means a patient's life and you can't play with life.

"So cautious steps, but yes, if we showcase it properly, if we promote it properly, there is a tremendous potential."

While there are thousands of pathology labs in India, only a few have the international accreditation needed to import blood samples from hospitals abroad.

But apart from the requisite licences, the only other challenge is that of legal liability for the Indian labs in the event of faulty analysis.

Those involved in the business feel the Indian government needs to settle such issues before the diagnostic market expands further.

Dr Bhasin said: "The liability factor is not very clearly defined. So the liability is limited to Indian courts and Indian courts do not have a high penalty system as compared to West.

"So even if there is a wrong test, the Indian consumer courts levy penalties in lakhs as compared to overseas, where it is levied in millions of dollars, so that is again a major cost-saving factor."

The pathology industry could become the Indian pharmaceutical industry's most successful growth story. But the question is whether the Indian government gets to grips with the outstanding issue of liability before Indians miss this window of opportunity and another outsourcing destination country is established by a very competitive industry desperate to save costs.

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India becoming preferred destination for diagnostic services

Solairedirect Says India Solar Is Cheaper Than Expected

MEA — 14/06/2013 12:11:18

Bloomberg/by Natalie Obiko Pearson

Solairedirect SA, a French developer that won an Indian solar project with a record-low bid, said India offers greater cost savings than expected for investors in sun-based power.

The Paris-based company, which completed its first 5-megawatt plant in India in February, found that local suppliers of structural and engineering services were more competitive than expected, prompting it to consider ways to drive down costs in Europe as well, said Gaurav Sood, managing director of Solairedirect’s India unit.

"It made us re-look at our projects in Europe,” Sood said today in a phone interview from New Delhi. "We’re even considering looking at exporting from India.”

India is using competitive auctions to push down solar power rates to try to avoid the surging renewable subsidies burdening governments in Europe. Solairedirect won its project in a December 2011 auction after pledging to sell electricity from the facility at 7,490 rupees ($129) a megawatt-hour, about 30 percent cheaper than the world average at the time.

Sood said assembling equipment in India from Chinese components, "favorable payment terms” from suppliers, as well as a novel approach to financing helped contain costs.

Websol Energy System Ltd. (WESL), based in Ramnagar, supplied the cells and modules using imported wafers from China’s Renesola Ltd. (SOL) The finished product is insured by California’s PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services, Sood said.

Paying Upfront

Solairedirect was able to raise affordable loans from the State Bank of India by paying upfront for the plant and applying for post-construction funding to refinance the project. "We got financing the day the plant was commissioned,” he said.

Solairedirect plans to bid for further projects in India at even lower rates, Sood said. It’s participating in an auction in northern Punjab state for 20 megawatts of capacity and may bid for as much as 50 megawatts in a tender later this year by the national government.

The company targets building a portfolio of as much as 400 megawatts in four years followed by the possibility of selling shares in an initial public offering, Sood said.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Solairedirect Says India Solar Is Cheaper Than Expected

Karaikudi Palace in Scottsdale: A Taste of South India

MEA — 06/06/2013 16:35:58

Phoenix New Times: Laura Hahnefeld

Many world cuisine restaurants in the Valley can lay claim to having a chef well-versed in the food of his or her homeland. But Karaikudi Palace in Scottsdale boasts three of them.

The trio, in one form or another, is responsible for the restaurant's vibrant South Indian dishes: bold curries nearly falling over themselves with flavor; thin and crispy stuffed dosas; and a parade of richly layered selections from the sea.

"We don't want to change the spice levels for Americans," says manager James Baiva. "It would bring the dishes down."

Baiva, along with friends, fellow chefs, and owners Thirupatht Nagulu and Bala Subramanian, grew up just outside Karaikudi, a city in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula. The three attended culinary school in India together and came to California around 2005 to work in several Indian restaurants around Los Angeles. Last year, when an opportunity came about to help open an Indian restaurant called Karaikudi Palace in Scottsdale, the three moved to the Valley. Eventually, Nagulu and Subramanian took over the lease and took charge of the kitchen. The front-of-the-house responsibilities fell to Baiva.

Now, just months into operating their first restaurant, the three are starting to make changes. Most notably (and thankfully), they're working on paring down the original tabbed menu of over 132 selections to focus primarily on the foods of South India — and these are the dishes you've come here for. Assertive, expertly prepared, and packed with handfuls of ingredients like dried red chiles, tamarind, ginger, cumin, and cardamom, they just might be some of the best examples of South Indian cooking the Valley has to offer.

If you are in the mood for a South Indian breakfast for dinner, you could start with medu vada, chunky, roughly shaped fried lentil doughnuts that can be dipped in chutneys or dunked in a bowl of spicy, vegetable-laced lentil soup. Those wanting to go the more conventional South Indian starter route could opt for a small, tasty bowl of hot and sour rassam (more hot than sour) heavy with tomato, tamarind, and chiles; or, better yet, an exquisite scratch-made dosa, the crispy-hot Indian-style crepe. The best dosa might be the mysore masala, its somewhat spongy interior smeared with a chile chutney, filled with spicy potatoes, and served alongside dip-ready red and coconut chutneys and a warm cup of sambar.

If you desire a side of naan to go along with your meal, know that it could stand a bit more smoky char. Still, it's not bad — puffy and slightly chewy — serving as a bready scoop for the restaurant's outstanding curries.

The meat entrées, presented in shiny metal bowls alongside basmati rice, range from the satisfactory to the sublime, and two of the best of them can be found as curries in the seafood category. The eral varuval features plump prawns in a spicy curry redolent with garlic and ginger and studded with onions and tomatoes. And the Kerala fish curry, named for the state on India's southwest Malabar coast, is a luxuriously flavor-layered creation of fish chunks cooked in coconut sauce with chunks of red onions, green chiles, and enough spices to deplete a cabinet or two.

For those who prefer land-based proteins, there is a solid and not-very spicy creamy chicken curry, but a trip to Karaikudi's clay oven for pieces of tender tandoori chicken may prove a more flavorful option. Like fried chicken by way of a Punjabi kitchen, the vividly red pieces are tinged with char and marinated in spices. They go from good to great thanks to squirts of lemon, chunks of onions, and dips in a dish of cilantro mint chutney. There's also a spicy and garlicky lamb pepper fry that's pretty much perfect — and if you'd prefer, the kitchen can make it with goat instead.

The vegetables entrées are equally as delicious as the meats, perhaps even more so.

If you're a fan of okra, there is a bowl brimming with it, along with chunks of onions, bell pepper, tomato, and fresh ginger slices, in the tangy and spicy dish called kadai bindi masala. From the state of Andhra Pradesh, on India's southeastern coast, comes a luscious smoky and spicy curry of baby eggplants stuffed with onions and spices (guthi vengaya) that's just about as exquisite as an eggplant dish can get. And the Karaikudi Vegetables, a rich and mildly spicy curry featuring chunks of carrots, potatoes, and green peppers, is more or less Indian-style comfort food.

For dessert, perhaps an Indian sweet treat of galub jamun, the small, spongy doughnuts soaked in syrup, or better yet, a lip-smacking sugary and warm jalebi, a kind of thin funnel cake with a fun, pretzel-like twist.

The first thing you notice upon entering Karaikudi Palace, located in the Pima Crossing Shopping Center on the northwest corner of Shea Boulevard and the 101, is its nose-tingling aromas. After being greeted by a host and led past the foyer's large, non-working fountain, the room opens up to a pleasant, neatly arranged space of numbered tables and Indian artwork on the walls. There is a buffet the restaurant uses for lunch from Tuesday through Sunday and a bar area of empty shelves waiting to be filled (Baiva has recently applied for a liquor license).

Here, your dining companions will consist of mostly multi-generational Indian families, who, Baiva tells me, sometimes come in three or four times a week. And although there can be a bit of a language barrier, the service is always friendly and efficient, and the wait staff isn't shy about pointing to the best dishes on the menu.

Chances are you'll want to try a little of everything.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Karaikudi Palace in Scottsdale: A Taste of South India

Nigerians study India's success story

MEA — 06/06/2013 16:09:24

NY Daily News

A Nigerian delegation is on a tour of India to understand how the world's largest democracy has maintained the unity of a very diverse society.

The study tour began Tuesday with a stimulating exchange between scholars and officials of the two countries with similar structures to govern mixed populations.

"We want to see how your economy grew, while Indian democracy has made its fruits available to the people," said Olu Obafemi, professor and fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and head of the delegation.

He was speaking at a roundtable on "Revitalizing India-Nigeria Relations" organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs.

"We are here to study how you maintain peace in the country, and the kind of legal framework utilized to strengthen institutions in the country," he added.

The Nigerian delegation, with a fair sprinkling of officials from security services, are on a study tour as part of a training programme by that country's National Institute of Policy Studies.

Pointing out that India recognized Nigeria as a major power in Africa, Ritu Beri of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis here said: "India and Nigeria are both regional powers with similar worldview with regard to global security issues. We can learn from each other."

Nigeria, which has a federal constitution and a population composed almost equally of Muslims and Christians, has a history of both democratically elected governments as well as military rule.

It is now battling an Islamic inspired armed insurrection called Boko Harum with links to Al Qaeda in Maghreb (Aqim) operating in north Africa.

Other than terrorism, energy deficit is another non-traditional security concern India and Nigeria can address together, given the African country's abundant oil resources, Beri said.

Said Rear Admiral Amin Kioda of Nigeria: "We are keen to see how India has been able to accomplish so much without having oil, how you have managed to diversify the economy and how you have won partners for development."

Lamenting on the lack contact between the two people, V.B. Soni, former ambassador to various African countries, said India was approaching Africa as a partner.

Proof of this was the $5 billion line of credit recently approved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Nigeria is India's largest trading partner in Africa. India is also the second largest trading partner for Nigeria, with bilateral trade touching $17 billion in 2011-12.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Nigerians study India's success story

Mithas king of Indian fine dining

MEA — 06/06/2013 16:31:47

The Edinburgh Reporter/by Phyllis Stephen

The Spice Is Right As Mithas Scoops Top Honour – Again

Mithas has underlined its reputation as Scotland’s premier Indian fine dining restaurant by scooping another top award.

The Edinburgh venue, Scotland’s first Indian restaurant to receive two AA Rosettes, won the Indian Restaurant of the Year title in the Scottish Restaurant Awards – for the second year in a row.

Group general manager Jaimon George said the honour was further recognition of the growing success of Mithas, which is owned by Khushi’s, the revered Edinburgh Indian restaurant family.

He said:- "We want to be one of the most talked about restaurants in Scotland.

"Retaining the title of Indian Restaurant of the Year not only endorses this, but it clearly positions us the best place in Scotland to experience fine Indian cuisine.

"’Going for a curry’ is the last thing we offer. Instead we have taken Scotland’s love of Indian food and mixed that with great local produce and exotic spices to produce stunning dishes that have never been seen before in Scotland.

"Our cooking techniques and inspiration may come from the much-loved Khushi family, but our approach to food is very much modern and innovative.”

Mithas, which was also Newcomer of the Year in the 2012 The List Eating and Drink Guide Edinburgh Awards, has recently undergone a minor refurbishment ahead of a proposed opening of a new adjacent Mithas Cocktail Bar.

Mithas, located in Dock Place in Leith, is now setting its sight on achieving the ultimate accolade of becoming the first Indian restaurant in Scotland to receive a prized Michelin Star – the restaurant is the only listed Indian restaurant in Scotland.

The Scottish Restaurant Awards – in their 6th year – saw more than 4,000 nomination for 500+ restaurants and takeaways across the country.

The 12 categories include recognition for Italian, Indian, oriental, seafood, rural and family friendly restaurants, takeaway, bar food, best use of social media, sustainability and the prestigious chef and restaurant of the year titles.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Mithas king of Indian fine dining

Meet the convicted murderer who became a lawyer for the poor

MEA — 05/06/2013 16:39:47

Daily Mail: Soudhriti Bhabani

He was a budding musician with his entire life ahead of him, but ended up spending 14 years of it in jail after being convicted of murder - a charge he wholly denies.

Nevertheless, Gobinda Mohan Ghosh knew better than to let the past define his whole life.

On April 25, 1983, Ghosh was charged with the murder of two CPM members at Chandannagar in Kolkata's neighbouring Hooghly district. Though Ghosh claims he is innocent, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the district session judge court, Hooghly, in June 1988 - the sentence upheld by the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court.

Fast forward 25 years, and Ghosh is a practising lawyer at the Calcutta High Court who uses his craft to help the poor navigate the long and expensive corridors of judiciary.

Inspiration

It was the helplessness he felt trying to defend himself before the judiciary, Ghosh explains, that inspired him to become a lawyer. In August 1983, Ghosh, then out on bail, took admission in Kolkata's Surendranath College (evening) to pursue law. When he graduated and gained his LLB degree, in 1986, Ghosh was keen to take up his own case in court, but refrained on the advice of senior lawyers.

"I always wanted to be a musician, a guitarist. I used to play at a famous Kolkata pub Blue Fox at that time. But after the incident I took admission in law just to defend myself. But I could not," said the 55-year-old advocate.

From his Temple building chamber opposite the Calcutta High Court, Ghosh explains how he began helping fellow convicts with legal assistance while in jail.

"I was given division-1 status, and had a separate cell inside Alipore jail (Kolkata), where I used to run my 'legal assistance cell'," Ghosh said.

"I used to help file writ petitions and PILs (public interest litigation), taking up relevant issues pertaining to the prison and beyond, on behalf of the other convicts. Naturally, many prisoners got in touch with me and sought my help."

On October 2, 2002, after spending 14 years and nine months in prison as a model inmate, Ghosh was a free man.

Expertise

Within the next month, he had enrolled himself with the Calcutta High Court Bar Association to practice law - although not to earn his livelihood, only to use his legal expertise to keep people from losing money in legal expenses.

"My main source of income is our family's factory at Bally, Howrah district, that manufactures industrial equipment. So, I never had to solely depend on law to earn my sustenance," he said, adding: "I do it out of passion, for the lesson I learnt the hard way."

But Ghosh is adamant that his services not be termed "social work".

"It is my duty to give back something to the society," he said.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Meet the convicted murderer who became a lawyer for the poor

Yoga may boost cognitive function in Schizophrenia

MEA — 05/06/2013 16:49:43

Med Scape News/By Fran Lowry

Yoga may help improve cognitive function in patients with chronic schizophrenia, and the practice may also produce positive biochemical changes in the brain, new research shows.

"This was an open study, and we found both very strong effects on improving cognitive function in schizophrenic patients, and the other interesting finding was that yoga seems to have an effect on biochemical parameters related to epigenetic mechanisms, which is something we didn't really expect," lead author Robert C. Smith, MD, PhD, research professor of psychiatry at New York University in New York City and the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, New York, told Medscape Medical News.

The findings were presented here at the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit (NCDEU) 53rd Annual Meeting.

A few studies conducted in India in patients with schizophrenia or psychosis have suggested that yoga can improve Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores, cognition, and subjective response to a quality of life questionnaire, Dr. Smith said.

In the current study, the investigators examined 36 outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The patients performed hatha yoga in 1-hour sessions 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Later, a second and third group performed a modified yoga, concentrating more on qigong movements and procedures.

All 3 groups practiced gentle breathing at 5 breaths per minute with equal inhalation and exhalation.

The researchers measured cognition on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RYBANS), psychiatric symptoms on the PANSS, and various metabolic and inflammatory markers, including glucocorticoid receptor (GR), DNA methyltransferase (DNMT), and tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (TET1) mRNA in lymphocytes.

The patients were also checked every month for levels of cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), as well as weight and glucose-lipid responses.

Boost in Cognitive Scores

The researchers found that 12 weeks of yoga produced significant increases in cognitive scores on the RBANS from baseline (P < .001) in all 3 groups. The patients also showed increases in most RBANS subscores of attention delayed memory, visual-spatial, and language indices (P < .05 – P <.001).

There were no significant changes in PANSS scores, although there was a trend for decrease on the Depression Factor (P = .08) and PANSS General Factor (P = .06), and a slight trend toward decrease on the other scores, Dr. Smith reported.

There was a trend for an increase in serum ACTH (P = .2) and a slight increase in cortisol. Both were highly correlated at baseline (correlation coefficient r [r] = .69, P = .001) but not correlated by 8 weeks (r = 0.07, P < .05) or 12 weeks (r = 0.13, P < .01) of yoga.

Yoga also decreased lymphocyte glucocorticoid receptor mRNA by 30%, lymphocyte DNMT mRNA by 23%, and lymphocyte TET1 mRNA by 22% from what they were at baseline, and these decreases were significant, with P-values ranging from <.05 to <.01.

The results also showed a positive correlation of TET1 mRNA levels with the RBANS delayed memory index (r = .50, PO = .057) and the RBANS sum of index scores (r = .43, P = .10).

Baseline morning cortisol levels and RBANS scores were also positively correlated (r = .47, P = .035).

Finally, there were no significant changes in weight or glucose-lipid measures, although waist circumference was slightly decreased.

"In schizophrenics, there are problems with overmethylation of the GABA [gamma-aminobutyric acid] gene, which leads to production of lower GABA, and in this study we see decreases in the enzymes DNMT and TET, which might methylate the GABA gene to increase GABA. It looks as if yoga might partially compensate for that biochemical deposit," Dr. Smith said.

More Study Needed

He cautioned that a "more careful" study is needed, "because exercise can also improve cognitive function in schizophrenic patients, and there is some exercise involved in yoga practice. So in the next study, we are going to compare yoga with other exercise which is similar to yoga to see what the true yoga effects are."

Dr. Smith added that the patients who took part in this study were from a state psychiatric facility that has a lot of outpatients who are living in community residences.

"They are partially stabilized, but not well. They still have considerable deficits and symptoms. But they all seemed to like the yoga. If we can show these results in the next study, with the same cognitive improvement, yoga might become one of the ways to try to improve cognitive symptoms."

Commenting on the findings for Medscape Medical News, Julia Warnock, MD, PhD, from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa, said: "The improvement in cognition that was seen in this study was very interesting. Folks with schizophrenia over time tend to have a decline in their cognitive function for reasons we still don't know."

"Perhaps something about the breathing in the yoga might decrease the inflammatory response. Hopefully, Dr. Smith will continue with this research and replicate the findings with a control group," Dr. Warnock, who was not involved in the study, said.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

Southeastern shift: The new leaders of global economic growth

MEA — 07/06/2013 09:49:42

Financial Times: By Chris Giles and Kate Allen

China and India now make up almost half of world expansion

This year is pivotal for the global economy. In 2013, for the first time since mechanisation led Britain down the path of industrialisation in the 19th century, emerging economies will produce the majority of the world’s goods and services. The inhabitants of rich, advanced economies have long represented only a small but powerful proportion of the world’s population. Now, they are less economically important than the mass of people living in the world’s poor and middle-income countries.

The shift in the balance of global economic power is profound. It is also one that economists expect to continue. By 2018, the International Monetary Fund reckons emerging markets’ share of world output will have risen to 55 per cent, making the term "emerging” increasingly irrelevant.

Although living standards remain more than five times higher in advanced economies, the gap has been narrowing rapidly since 1990. Where income and growth once went hand in hand, catch-up is now the theme. In addition to the emerging economies’ half share of global output, three-quarters of the world’s economic growth is set to depend on their dynamism during the next five years.

Jim O’Neill, the recently retired chief economist atGoldman Sachs, likes to use a stark comparison for the shift. Annual growth of 8 per cent inChina, he says, is now as important as 4 per cent growth in the US. It is quite a contrast from 1980 when China was growing even faster but was a relative minnow. In 1980, 10 per cent growth in China was less important than 1 per cent of any US expansion.

The long march to prominence of economies outside the Group of Seven – the US, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Canada – should come as little surprise. Growth has been stronger in emerging economies for more than 30 years. Per capita living standards have been catching up for the past 20.

This outperformance becomes more striking when mapped out over a long timeframe. Indeed, McKinsey Global Institute has pinpointed the shifting centre of gravity of the world economy. In 1950, it lay north of Iceland in the middle of the north Atlantic. Then, as Japan began to take off, it pulled further away from the US and headed east. It is now moving rapidly southeast, shifting more in the past decade than in any other. By 2025, it will sit close to Novosibirsk in southwestern Siberia.

Richard Dobbs, a director of McKinsey Global Institute, says: "China’s economic urbanisation and transformation is happening at 100 times the scale of the UK, the first country to urbanise and industrialise and around 10 times the speed ... and so China’s industrial revolution has 1,000 times the momentum of the UK’s industrial revolution”.

The shift in global economic dynamism has gone through distinct phases during the past 30 years. In the mid-1980s, large advanced economies still dominated global growth. The US accounted for almost a third, the EU for almost 20 per cent and six of the G7 were in the top 10 countries with the largest contribution to world growth (only France missed out). If the US sneezed, as the cliché went, the rest of the world economy would catch a cold.

The figures were calculated using IMF data and were based on the dollar purchasing power of local currencies, so an equivalent rise in the quantity of goods and services produced in different economies had the same weight.

By the mid-1990s, the former global titans were already dropping out of the big league. Germany and Italy no longer made the grade to be among the top 10 locations for growth, and Japan’s importance more than halved. Mexico and Indonesia made the list, a sign that being a growing country with a large population was a sure-fire way to rise in the league.

In the years before the 2008-09 crisis, China emerged as by far the largest source of growth and stormed up the charts to fourth on the back of soaring commodities output and prices.

Britain had been hanging on in the top 10 having enjoyed 30 years of catch-up growth itself after recovering from being the sick man of Europe, but it appears set to drop out of the premier league between 2012 and 2017. The world’s top 10 countries by share of global growth will have shifted entirely out of Europe and the whole EU is expected to account for only 5.7 per cent of world growth. Together, India and China will represent almost half of global economic expansion.

Such is the shift of economic power than any company still concentrating its efforts in established economies really is living in the past.

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(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

India PM sees Thailand as Asean gateway

MEA — 30/05/2013 09:33:44

Bangkok Post: by Umesh Pandey

India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to discuss infrastructure projects, defence, science and technology as well as education with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra during his visit. Here, he discusses what is on the agenda for the visit. What importance does India place on Thailand and Southeast Asia as a whole? What role does India envisage for itself given the growing presence of major powers in this region?

India and Thailand are neighbours, with millennia-old ties of culture, religion and commerce. These links, our proximity and Thailand's position as a gateway to Southeast Asia and East Asia make Thailand a very important partner for India. In recent years, we have seen significant and broad-based progress in all areas of our relations with Thailand, including political, defence and security ties. Growing connectivity has increased commerce, tourism, educational and cultural ties. This, in turn, has contributed to the deepening of engagement between India and Asean as a whole.

Southeast Asia, which has been at the centre of our Look East Policy over the past 20 years, is a key economic and strategic priority for India.

This region is home to some of the most dynamic economies in the world today. It is one of India's main trading partners, a leading investment destination and a collaborator in mutually beneficial new areas such as environment, science and technology, space and education. We also see cooperation and partnership with Southeast Asia as an important aspect of our efforts to work regionally for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

At the commemorative summit in Delhi in December 2012 to mark the 10th anniversary of India-Asean annual summits, we upgraded our relationship to a strategic partnership and concluded a free trade agreement covering goods, services and investment. We are also pursuing greater connectivity with the region. We see Thailand as a key partner in the India-Southeast Asia engagement process. Ms Yingluck's visit to India last year before your own visit helped build goodwill here. What are the next steps? What is it that India has offered to the region for development and connectivity?

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's landmark visit as the chief guest for our Republic Day in 2012 broke new ground. A number of important initiatives were agreed during her visit in economic, defence and security areas, which have since taken off successfully. Institutional engagement between various government bodies has deepened. We also have more and more stakeholders in our relationship, from universities, scholars and businessmen to parliamentarians and cultural personalities. During my own visit, I will try to build on our achievements over the past one year and explore new possibilities.

We see Thailand as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. Connectivity projects such as the Trilateral Highway through Myanmar are vital to our common development. Our companies would like to explore joint participation in the Dawei deep-sea port and Special Economic Zone project, which will connect India to the Asean hinterland and bring synergy to our economies.

We are also in a position to complement each other's strengths for development of the lower Mekong region through our Mekong-Ganga Cooperation initiative.

India has a long record of contributing to human resource development, capacity building and building vocational skills for people in the region, and we are committed to doing so in the future.

There is potential for large numbers of Thai tourists to visit Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India if the infrastructure there could be improved. What are the steps being taken in this direction? Will your government extend visa-on arrival facilities to Thai tourists such as have been offered to some other Asean countries?

Thanks to sustained efforts by the central and state governments, the infrastructure and amenities at several Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India have improved considerably in the recent past. A new airport has gone up in Varanasi and our Mahaparinirvana Express train has been popular with the pilgrims. There is certainly more that needs to be done.

We invite Thai companies to participate in infrastructure development and establishing hotels and other amenities at these sites to cater to the needs of Thai tourists and pilgrims, and to contribute to the local economy.

We provide gratis visas to Buddhist monks on pilgrimage in recognition of our shared spiritual and cultural ties. We are considering the proposal for visa-on-arrival facilities that requires certain physical and IT infrastructure to be set up as a prerequisite.

On the economic front, can we expect to see the signing of the long-awaited free trade agreement between Thailand and India? What is holding it up? When can it be signed?

We see the bilateral FTA as an important means to boost our trade and investment ties. Both our governments are determined to conclude it at the earliest. While a lot of ground has been covered, we need to resolve a few remaining issues to ensure the outcome is balanced and equitable for both the countries.

We have directed our negotiators to show due flexibility and try to reach a conclusion at the earliest.

In working together to transform our economies into knowledge and innovation-based ones, we believe some of our experience in areas like ICT, biotech and pharma industries could be of mutual benefit. Both of us have strengths in the auto sector. We want Thai investments in infrastructure like ports, highways and power generation, and electronics and food processing.

A comprehensive bilateral FTA must take this potential into account.

Meanwhile, we must take full advantage of the India-Asean free trade agreement.

Indian companies have been gradually expanding their reach in this part of the world. Can we expect any of the public sector companies to reach out in areas such as oil & gas or railways to improve connectivity?

In India, both private sector and public sector units are increasing their presence abroad, including in Southeast Asia. Enhancing connectivity remains a top priority and a number of our public sector companies are engaged in this area. For example, our public sector enterprise RITES has done considerable work for the Trilateral Highway. The Inland Waterway Authority of India is working on the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport Project in Myanmar.

These projects will link India's northeastern states with the region of Southeast Asia. The Gas Authority of India is involved in offshore explorations in the Gulf of Myanmar. We are also engaged in discussions for the promotion of land and maritime connectivity to Asean and in particular, the Greater Mekong sub-region. As you mentioned, our private sector companies are already in Thailand and their operations are expanding. We see opportunity for our companies in infrastructure projects here.

With Myanmar opening up, what are the opportunities for Indian companies there? India is also seen as interested in developing the Dawei project? What areas would your country be keen on?

Myanmar is our valued neighbour, which is undergoing an historic transition. Myanmar is also an important gateway for India to Southeast Asia, and contributes to growth in regional economic cooperation, which will also bring benefits to northeastern India. The Trilateral Highway project is a strong example of cooperation between India, Thailand and Myanmar.

We are committed to assisting with Myanmar's economic development. Our partnership with Myanmar covers a broad range of initiatives, including border area development, connectivity projects, capacity building, institutional development and infrastructure. We are also making efforts to enhance trade and investment ties with Myanmar. Our private companies are taking a keen interest in the opportunities emerging in various sectors of the Myanmar economy.

The Dawei port and economic zone has the potential to emerge as a major regional logistics hub and open up shorter, quicker sea routes to major Indian ports such as Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and Kolkata. Our infrastructure companies have the capacity and experience to participate in such projects and will be interested in the project.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India PM sees Thailand as Asean gateway

Bollywood turns 100 – a long journey for Indian cinema

MEA — 31/05/2013 12:39:57

The Upcoming/ By Aastha Gill

On 3rd May 2013, Bollywood turned 100. Marking the grand celebrations, India’s four top contemporary filmmakers – Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar and Dibakar Banerjee – collaborated on a project called Bombay Talkies, an anthology of four short films. Starring Bollywood’s mega stars, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, the four films focus on issues like dilemmas faced by a married couple, a failed actor’s struggle to make a living and a young boy’s dream about a movie star.

A hundred years ago, on 3rd May 1913, an avid, small-town photographer from Maharashtra, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (aka Dadasaheb Phalke), who is now known as the father of Indian cinema, became inspired by a movie he had seen about the life of Jesus and produced the first full-length Indian feature film, Raja Harish Chandra.

The movie was based on the legend of King Harishchandra of the Solar Dynasty in Ayodhya, Northern India, who sacrificed his kingdom, wife and son in order to fulfil a promise he once made to a sage named Vishwamitra. The story revolves around Harishchandra’s endeavours and hardships and magnifies two of his most virtuous qualities as a king – he always lives up to his word and never lies, which pleases the Hindu Gods who restore his former glory and bestow him with divine blessings.

To make the movie more realistic, Dadasaheb managed to convince an actor to shave his moustache to act as a woman. Later, he sold off his belongings to fund the project and poured much of his life’s saving into a trip to London, to purchase a special camera for the shoot. His wife, Saraswati, backed him thoroughly and single-handedly cooked for the entire crew of 40, as well as helping to hold up white sheets that functioned as a screen on the sets.

Released at the Coronation Cinema, Girgaon, in Mumbai, Dadasaheb was unaware that his 50-minute long, silent, black and white film that took seven months and 21 days to complete would dazzle audiences across the country and was just a beginning of a long journey that would set the tone for future Bollywood classics in India.

A century later, his dream continues to live on and grow. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is given annually by the government of India to a personality for his/her lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.

Today, the global footprint of Indian cinema is massive. Churning out more than 1,000 films annually – double the number Hollywood produces in a typical year – figures show the industry sold a record high of three billion cinema tickets last year.

According to reports from professional services company KPMG, it is estimated that the Indian film industry would soon surpass Britain as the world’s fifth largest film market based on sales. Already, in 2010, India was ranked first in its annual film output, followed by Hollywood and China.

Famous for its upbeat numbers, colourful costumes and flamboyant dances, Indian cinema is not limited to Hindi Bollywood movies but also has a vibrant regional language film industry, especially in southern states of the county where film stars are often worshipped as deities.

In the last 100 years, Indian cinema has found a market in over 90 countries, including a big target audience in the UK, US, Australia and Canada, where films from all over India are screened, appreciated and equally criticised.

The booming film market has led several international film makers to invest in India, as the lower number of restrictions in the country makes it much easier for anyone and everyone to create films as they choose. The only other potentially large market is China, which is full of restrictions on how many films foreign groups can make and distribute.

Walt Disney Pictures have recently signed a deal worth $454 million with UTV, one of the largest media groups in India. Viacom, Warner Bros and Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Star studios are also attempting to set up joint ventures to win a large share of the market.

All media eyes were set on the 66th Cannes Film Festival this month where Bombay Talkies was chosen to be screened. Indian cinema over the last 100 years has been the medium depicting the story of India itself, a story of its glorious past, its struggles and a brighter but challenging future. Cinema in the end is nothing but the reflection of the society it represents and Indian cinema has done a splendid job in representing the diversity, colourfulness and energy of its people.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Bollywood turns 100 – a long journey for Indian cinema

India beyond materialism: A visit to the empire of hugs

MEA — 31/05/2013 12:35:24

Daily Mail/ By Peter Raj Singh

Lunch last week at a packed Italian restaurant on New York's upper eastside ended with an Om. It was a wonderful moment, intoned by a well-known singer with a beatific voice who told us she's practiced Kriya yoga for decades.

We were five in all, including a record executive and a designer. Our chatter flitted about - from sweaty New York gyms to Washington's dysfunctional politics, with a lot said on music, theatre and film.

Spirituality

The conversation finally settled upon Indian spirituality, a subject everyone could speak to without pretension or affect. I was impressed by my companions' mastery of Indian saints and gurus, more meaningful than, say, the Beatles' flirty photo ops as flower children of the Maharishi.

The singer has been a longtime disciple of Swami Yogananda. The record exec and his wife, a talented musician and screenwriter, warmly described being hugged by Amma, a 59-year-old guru from Kerala. Conveying unconditional love, Amma, whose full name is Mata Amritanandamayi, tirelessly hugs hundreds of thousands of devotees for hours on end around the world.

These friends, who submit themselves regularly to Amma's gripping clutches, said you leave the fray, after lining up for ages, aglow with feelings of well-being. The three of us who'd never had an Amma hug made a note to self to do so.

In this dog-eat-dog world, hugs are hard to come by, unless you happen to run into the genial President of New York University in Greenwich Village. He's a compulsive bear hugger, albeit not quite at Amma's level of awakening.

Given all the Amma talk, it was a curious synchronicity to see her on the front page of The New York Times Business Section this Memorial Day Weekend. Justifying the article's business slant, was the headline: "Amma's Multifaceted Empire, Built on Hugs". Amma, it turns out, is presently on a two-month hugging spree across eleven US cities.

The New York Times article was extensive. Among other things, it recounts the author's Kipling-like journey to meet Amma that took him deep into the backwaters of Kerala, through bare-chested men fishing in canoes. Smitten by rusticity he seemed to miss mentioning their cell phones.

It's a picture strikingly similar to bodyscapes of flesh and flab starkly in evidence every summer across the exotic orientalism of the Hamptons or Jersey Shore. Just substitute fiberglass kayaks for those dugout log canoes.

He continues describing the unnerving, dystopic moment of coming upon Amma's utopian "mega-ashram" metropolis in the forest with buildings taller than palm trees. It's a far cry, one supposes, from rundown Spartan outhouses of how ashrams are supposed to be. In the great hall of the people, feeling at home like in "a New York subway car at rush hour", the author's pilgrimage concludes as he propels himself into an honoured niche, by Amma's saintly feet.

Reductionism

Somewhat sympathetic in how he highlights Amma's effective charity work, the author nevertheless cannot help himself from hinting at the sinister. There are bits of cultish innuendo, a few sensationalist biographical details that should have been excised in the interests of good taste, and then comes the major premise - that finances lack transparency providing the "possibility for abuse".

It's as if Amma's cuddles are really a ruse to part Americans from their wallets, pizza and cappuccino thrown in with a subtext that if you could really follow the money there's something illicit going on. We see how even in situ hugs at Amma's Amritapuri jungle lair, into which the author was "lured" by tales of miracles, could not purge the writer of snide and cynical traits and the need to slash and burn.

Regrettably, this sort of tactical demolishing is now rather commonplace. There are various names for it, such "swift-boating" which refers to gratuitous smearing for political gain. The only antidote is clout and power, such as the collective heft of the Hasidic religious community in Brooklyn who would picket the Times in droves if there were attempts to besmirch them. Stretching the metaphor, one recalls literature and art that's full of images of kisses and betrayals. What better place to stab Amma in the back than through the proximate positioning of a hug.

As the New York Times article aptly demonstrates, reducing every activity to brute materialism is part of the vulgarity of our time. To be clear, everyone who's ever been to an Amma gathering, including my friends at lunch, are adamant that soliciting money from people could not be further from the spirit of the enterprise. Elective donation boxes apparently are few and far between.

Transcendence

A business journalist friend recently sent me a link to the TED talk of a former investment banker turned Hindu monk called Rasanath Das. He's an IIT and Cornell grad and begins his talk with a slide of a statement presented to him at an interview: "Investment Banking is a business where thieves and pimps run freely…and the few good men die the death of a dog… There is also a negative side."

Das does not engage in diatribes against investment bankers. He simply illustrates why he chose to walk away. In high demand as a speaker on the New York business circuit, Das's vedic message - of trying to achieve some authenticity of Self by seeing through the empty trappings of materialism - seems to have widespread resonance.

Last summer I came across a fascinating book - Fous de l'Inde: Délires d'Occidentaux et Sentiment Océanique by Régis Airault. It depicts Westerners throwing themselves into India to experience an enlightenment but literally becoming psychotic from an overdose of spiritual practices, coupled with the sensory overload of all the madcap elements of India that drive one crazy.

I'm not sure which is worse: Westerners losing their minds in India, or departing the subcontinent with minds intact, yet severely cloudy and confused. The latter represents the inability to perceive a noble truth - that amidst the grasping chaos and bare-chested bedlam, there actually does exist an India where money is not worshipped at all.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India beyond materialism: A visit to the empire of hugs

Indian IT firm introduces farm management solution in Oman

MEA — 31/05/2013 12:44:44

Zawya

Shivrai Technologies Pvt Ltd, an Indian IT company founded in 1996, has designed and developed a comprehensive management software solution, FarmERP, which the agricultural farms in Oman could find useful.

The software will not only help farmers by alleviating the challenges of food security, productivity, input costs and water conservation, but will also assist in lowering inventory costs, systematising farm operations, table control of multi-locational farms, traceability of produce and increasing overall returns, a press release said.

Engineered and developed in Pune, India, FarmERP is a solution for managing arable, horticultural, plantation, floriculture, hydroponics and contract farming operations. It provides advanced levels of farm analytics to support business decisions.

"The versatile product has high acceptance in the international market. It will also facilitate custom-built applications as per the requirements of clients," said Vijay Gosavi, director of the consulting group of Shivrai Technologies.

The software caters to the needs of managing the entire farm-to-fork operations. It is a multi-user software solution and can be developed over the cloud or on-premise. A customisable solution, it has no limitation on the farm size or crops and can be integrated with other databases, systems and devices.

The software, being crop independent, can be directly implemented for horticulture, floriculture, greenhouses etc. In Oman, it will prove beneficial for date cultivation, greenhouse cultivation and other crops.

"FarmERP has been successfully implemented across large farms in Thailand, Congo, Jordan, Turkey and India, to name a few," added Gosavi.

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Indian IT firm introduces farm management solution in Oman

Second festival "Namaste Bulgaria"

MEA — 31/05/2013 17:03:07

Duma

The second edition of the "Namaste Bulgaria” festival marks 100 years of Indian film industry with 9 films from the past 5 years. This year Dom na Kinoto cinema hall is hosting the event. Guests will have the chance to watch India’s most famous contemporary stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Abhishek Bacchan.

The film programme includes romantic comedies, Agatha Christie style thriller, a school musical, the best Indian film for the year 2012 as well as some impressive productions, who have received international recognition.

"There is very positive attitude towards Indian cinema in Bulgaria which dates back to the years 70s and 80s. Films like " Hathi mere sathi” and " Noorie”, the world famous Raj Kapoor have left a permanent mark in the conscience of the Bulgarian public” explains Christina Vlahova, manager of " Namaste Bulgaria” foundation, organizer of the festival. In the past years work has been done in the direction of returning Indian culture and cinematography to Bulgaria. India is the world largest film producer – 1250 films were produced in 2011 only, three times more than Hollywood. This year the aim of the festival is to mark Bollywood’s 100th anniversary and give opportunity to all who like Indian cinema to watch some of the best, romantic, colorful, positive and fun movies from the past five years.

"Namaste Bulgaria” is supported by the Embassy of India in Bulgaria. For the inauguration the Ambassador of India in Bulgaria Divyabh Manchanda will talk about the presence of Indian cinema here and the possibilities for developing cultural and cinematographic relations between our countries.

The 100th anniversary of the creation of Indian cinema was also marked at the Cannes film festival with a rich film programme and the presence of Bollywood stars. The forum is opening on 30 May at 2000hrs. Tickets can be booked online at the site of the cinema hall http://services1.ibs.bg/DK/online/.

Original article in Bulgarian can be read at:
Second festival "Namaste Bulgaria"

The Indian dream

MEA — 03/06/2013 10:01:09

Al Ahram/By Dr. Mostafa Al Fiki

The Arab thinker and philosopher Alberonius was so fascinated by India and wrote about it and its contradictions.

I personally lived in India for four years (1979-1983). I realized that this great nation should not be taken for granted. It is a nation that owns a rich culture. I am examining the Indian experience while following up the political scene in my country. I feel sorry because we have not got used to be less than India since the sixties of the past century. During the sixties, there was cooperation between Egypt and India. Both countries founded NAM movement. The friendly relations between Nehru and Nasser led to a quantitative leap represented in launching a project for the joint production of a plane. The Egyptians used to manufacture the engine while Indians used to manufacture the fuselage of the plane. Let’s have a look, nowadays, at what the Indians achieved and where we have reached. Lots of Egyptians, especially Islamists, encourage the fact that Egypt should copy the Turkish experience. If we have a look at the link between politics and religion in Egypt compared to the same case in the Ataturk republic, we will find out that the Turkish model does not suit the Egyptian environment. The Malaysian experience might be more suitable for us. The Indian model is more successful in the world today. India has similar problems like ours such as poverty, illiteracy, sectarianism and strange customs and traditions. Now let’s discuss why I always dream of becoming like India:

First: India has become a nuclear country, a space country and an advanced industrial country and managed to achieve self-sufficiency in the field of foodgrains although its population has reached 1.2 billion. It is ranked as having the fourth largest economy in the world. This large country did not invent the wheel but it applied clear-cut policies, well-studied plans and specific programs. It went on its way to achieve progress. It did not resort to importing all consumer products and it did not set up protective measures for its new industries. It preserved the spirit of India while cultivating its food, and manufacturing products. Its culture did not melt in the cultures of other countries. Indians voluntarily accepted to live under living conditions that are not luxurious.

Second: India is the largest democracy in the contemporary world. Millions of voters go to the ballot boxes during the parliamentary elections that continue for three months within the framework of a deep-rooted democracy in spite of poverty, illiteracy and backward traditions. They vote for the candidate they believe to be the best. The Indian people managed to topple Indira Gandhi, then re-elected her two years later after she corrected her mistakes. India has a democracy that has enabled the people to elect three Presidents from among the Muslim minority that represent 10% of the population: Zakir Hussain, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, and A.P.J Abdul Kalam. This democracy also resulted in electing a Prime Minister from a minority that does not exceed 2% of the population. He is a genius in the field of economy who belongs to the Sikh sect to be the Prime Minister and push the Indian economy forward under very tough circumstances. They did not have a problem with the religion because all Indians are equal before the law as far as religion, race, wealth or ethnicity is concerned.

Third: India is the land of contradictions. You can find very rich people and very poor people. You can see peaceful co-existence among followers of different religions and you can find sectarian strife. The Hindu majority is sensitive towards the historical change that took place with the rule of the Mugal rulers which led to the fact that the majority of the monuments in India became Islamic monuments. This feeling is not present in Egypt. There are no historical reasons in Egypt that might lead to sectarian strife but we have fundamentalists which cannot accept others’ points of views.

Fourth: we do not have maharajas or outcasts in Egypt although we have a silent conflict among different social classes, and differences among old and young generations. Violence has become apparent in the Egyptian community after January 25th revolution. India is seeking to establish cooperation with other countries. Its institutions open their doors to all without discrimination. It is worth mentioning that the Jamia Millia Islamia accepts Muslims and also followers of other religions.

Fifth: I believe that the Indian model could be applied in Egypt on condition that we establish a strong partisan system and a real democracy. Jawaharlal Nehru established the Planning Commission to draft a comprehensive vision for establishing a major country that I want my country to copy its experience. Am I dreaming?

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

'India's growth strategy has lessons for developing nations’

MEA — 25/05/2013 19:48:41

NY Daily News

India's strategy of eradicating poverty by "growing the pie rather than slicing it", and fuelling the country's growth with market-based policies holds lessons for other developing countries, suggest two leading Indian-American economists.

In a new book, Jagdish Bhagwati senior fellow at Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Arvind Panagariya, Columbia University professor, demonstrate how growth was the strategy successfully deployed to reduce poverty in India.

However, further reforms in labour and land markets are essential to translate growth into more employment, they argue in the new CFR book, "Why Growth Matters: How Economic Growth in India Reduced Poverty and the Lessons for Other Developing Countries".

Official poverty estimates provided by India's Planning Commission show the proportion of the population below the poverty line in India decreased 17 percent in two decades, from 44.5 percent in 1983 to 27.5 percent in 2004-2005, they note.

"We cannot emphasize enough that our analysis, while it is addressed to India's development experience and underlines the centrality of growth in reducing poverty, has clear lessons for aid and development agencies, as well as NGOs that continually work to affect poverty all over the world," Bhagwati and Panagariya concluded.

And while growth generates revenues to provide health and education, "Doors need to be opened wider to the private sector in higher education as well, to permit better access for the massive population of the young," they said.

However, India's strong 8.2 percent growth in the last decade can in part be attributed to the country's poverty-reduction reforms, the authors said.

Thus only one strategy will help the poor to any significant effect: economic growth, led by markets overseen and encouraged by liberal state policies, Bhagwati and Panagariya argued.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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'India's growth strategy has lessons for developing nations'

African researchers look to Indian universites for fellowships

MEA — 22/05/2013 15:57:19

Tech 2

Increasing numbers of African students are keen to study in Indian universities, with a steep rise in African researchers seeking science and technology fellowships in this country, officials said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of the C.V. Raman International Fellowship for African Researchers 2013, Arabinda Mitra, Head-International Cooperation (Bilateral), Department of Science & Technology, said since its beginning in 2010, the programme has benefitted more than 300 African scientists and researchers.

"The first year of the programme (2010-11) attracted 135 applications from 28 African countries, out of which 86 were selected, while in the 2011-12, 78 of the 122 applications were selected," said Mitra. "The third year of the programme saw a steady increase in the number of applicants as we received 400, of which 149 have been selected," he said.

The programme is intended to strengthen scientific cooperation between India and Africa by providing fellowships to African researchers for undertaking advanced scientific work in leading Indian institutions, laboratories and research centers.Ravi Bangar, joint secretary (East & South Africa) in the external affairs ministry, called upon African Union nations that have not availed the fellowship to encourage their researchers to apply for it.

"I will request Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Namibia, Lesotho and the Seychelles to encourage students to avail the fellowship," said Bangar. All fields of natural sciences, including mathematics and statistics, engineering sciences and medical sciences, are covered under the programme with the exception of humanities and behavioral sciences. "The programme aims to provide an opportunity for enhanced capacity building of African researchers and creating avenues for partnerships and future collaboration among research and academic institutions of both the regions," said Nirankar Saxena, senior director, science and technology/innovation, FICCI. Micky Lova, a recipient of the fellowship from Madagascar, said it has been a great experience and excellent opportunity to study in India. "Collaboration between India and Africa is of mutual interest and it has been a great experience to work with Indian scholars and professors," said the PhD scholar studying in the geology department of Delhi University. The programme is offered at three levels - post-doctoral fellowship (six months), visiting fellowship (three months) and senior fellowship (one month).The function was attended by several African ambassadors to India, officials of the department of science and technology and professors of various universities.

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African researchers look to Indian universites for fellowships

Goa's land record software wins international award

MEA — 22/05/2013 15:59:07

New York Daily News

A land record portal developed by the Goa government has won an international award for making e-governance concepts people-friendly and accessible, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday.

Dharnaksh, an e-government project conceived and implemented by the department of settlement and land records, won the Geospatial World Application Excellence award at Holland's Rotterdam last week, beating over 270 nominations from across the globe, he said.

The citation issued by the organisers of the conference, the Geospatial World Forum, describes the Dharnaksh, as a "robust, reliable and people-friendly land records management system". The conference which was held in Rotterdam also had union Communication and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal as one of the key speakers.

"The portal as a following all over the world," Parrikar said, adding that users, many of them non resident Goans had accessed the website from Britain, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, etc.

Dharnaksh enables anyone with a computer and an internet connection to search through all the land records as well as survey numbers as well as see the property in question via satellite imagery by just logging in the corresponding property details.

The details available online also enables land owners to ensure that the land and the title deed and survey records has not been surreptitiously transferred by land sharks.

"We now propose to take forward Dharnaksh to the next level which is digitally signed copies of land records," said R. Mihir Vardhan, director of the state government's settlement and land records department.

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Goa's land record software wins international award

India Arrives at the Arctic

MEA — 22/05/2013 13:58:56

The New York Times/ By Kabir Taneja

NEW DELHI— India was recently inducted as a permanent observer in the Arctic Council, whose permanent members include the United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The other new observers include China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Italy, marking the first time that the Arctic Council has inducted observers from Asia.

The Arctic is becoming the latest playground for global powers to flex their muscle over, and India’s efforts to be included in the Arctic Council reflects the country’s desire to exert greater influence on the global stage, as well as on a region that could be key to meeting its domestic energy needs.

The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to address the issues faced by the countries that have territories in the Arctic and by the indigenous people of the region. However, the council’s sphere of influence and objectives have grown over time as non-Arctic states eye the region, which is becoming more accessible because of the rapidly warming climate, for its oil, gas and mineral riches. According to some estimates, nearly 20 percent of all oil and gas reserves on the planet may be trapped under the seabed in the Arctic Circle.

Diplomatic scuffles have already broken out between the council members. For example, a Russian submarine planted the country’s flag at the bottom of the North Pole in 2007, as a symbolic move over its claims in the region. Countries like the United States and Canada condemned Moscow’s actions, with Ottawa reminding the Kremlin that "this is not the 15th century.”

India has maintained that its interests in the region arescientific, unlike China and South Korea, which have been eager to dive into commercial activity in the environmentally sensitive region.

However, India, which imports 80 percent of its energy requirements, will be looking to get a foothold in the race for natural resources in the Arctic, in consultation with old friends like Russia. For example, India already has plans to build pipelines connecting central Asia with the subcontinent. With help from Russia, India could easily connect these pipelines to the Arctic to tap into the regions oil and gas riches.

New Delhi has had good long-term relations with many of the Arctic Council members. Russia, Canada, Sweden and Norway have especially maintained close ties with India since independence (Russia and Sweden spearheaded India’s candidacy to the council). In fact, Sweden’s ambassador to India in the 1950s, Alva Myrdal, was one of the first Western diplomats persuaded by then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to build industries via foreign direct investment in India, near the city of Pune.

"India will engage with all Arctic Council members at a diplomatic level as well,” the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi stated during the application process a few months ago.

Climate change is one of the top concerns of the Arctic Council, but both India and China have previously been at loggerheads with the European Union environmental regulations that ask developing countries to cut levels of greenhouse gases.

Meanwhile, the environmental challenges colliding with trade interests of countries like India and China have continued at the European Commission in Brussels. Airlines from India and China have beenthreatened with finesand exclusion from European Union airports if they do not comply with rules relating to curbing greenhouse emissions.

Airlines from both countries may face heavy financial penalties if they refused to participate in the European Union’s permit system, under which an airline’s greenhouse gas emissions in Europe are monitored. Both India and China have previously vowed to boycott such emission programs, labeling them as unfair.

India’s refusal to participate in many global programs to cut greenhouse emissions over the past few years has brought both criticism and support. While the developed world has criticized India for not doing enough in the battle against global warming, developing countries like China and Brazil have found themselves on India’s side of the debate, asking the developed nations to commit to more cuts instead. India has maintained that such demands are against its economic interests and will hurt its growth prospects, which are vital for a country where millions of people live below the poverty line.

India’s stand on emissions may take the entire argument between the developing and the developed to the Arctic Council as well. Even though both India and China are only observers, the melting of the Arctic ice cap is one of biggest areas of contention in the discussions about global warming, and India at times may find itself up in an uncomfortable position while fulfilling its new role on the Arctic Council.

Regardless of its energy goals, India intends to be more active in the Arctic Circle. Plans are being drawn to send many more people to "Himadri,” India’s research station in the Arctic, which was inaugurated in 2008. The station is located in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard at the International Arctic Research Base in Ny-Alesund. India has already spent $3 million on developing Himadri and plans to spend up to $15 million more on future development.

"India has already been working closely with the Arctic Council members,” said Navtej Sarna, additional secretary, Ministry of External Affairs. "We will be putting a lot of stress on our scientific work in the region. We have been asked to send more people to the Arctic, and we plan to do so.” He added that India also plans to "fruitfully engage with the indigenous people of the region and work with them on environmental issues.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

This article can also be read at:
India Arrives at the Arctic

The Rise of India 2.0

MEA — 17/05/2013 10:42:50

The Telegraph/ by Mick Brown

Inside India's temple of technology

India has first-world ambitions, but can it ever overcome its third-world problems? Can an IT industry that has driven the country's economy to third in the global rankings not only keep growing, but provide an infrastructure to help millions of people escape poverty? Where does India go from here? Part one of a major three-part series.

Welcome to Electronics City

While I was sitting in the gatehouse at the headquarters of Infosys, the Indian information technology company, in Bangalore, waiting for a security pass to be issued, two men in body armour and carrying sub-machine guns burst through the door. It seemed they were conducting a routine search of the washrooms. India’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a special armed police unit, set up to provide security at sites of strategic national importance such as atomic power plants, oil refineries and major ports. In 2009 Infosys became the first private company in India to be given CISF protection.

‘After the attack in Mumbai in 2008, which was carried out with automatic weapons, we were advised that if a terrorist came in they would be using automatic weapons,’ Senapathy Gopalkrishnan, Infosys’s co-founder and executive co-chairman, told me. ‘In India, private security guards are not allowed to have automatic weapons; so we requested the government to deploy their industrial security force. Companies doing business with the West are potential targets.’

Bangalore is India’s ‘garden city’, a place of tree-lined streets and public parks, with a temperate climate that has traditionally made it attractive to retirees. In the past 30 years it has grown exponentially as the centre of the country’s IT industry – India’s Silicon Valley. It is now the nation’s fifth most populous city, with more than 8.5 million people, of whom about 10 per cent work in the IT industry.

India’s IT industry has been one of the great drivers of the rapid growth that last year saw India overtake Japan to become the third largest economy in the world. Negligible to the point of invisibility 20 years ago, the industry now accounts for 7.5 per cent of the nation’s GDP and 20 per cent of its exports. According to the trade organisation Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies), last year the industry’s aggregate revenue exceeded $100 billion.

Infosys is not the largest IT company in India – it is second by revenue to Tata Consultancy Services, which was set up in 1968 – but it is the company that more than any other has become the symbol of India’s rise to pre-eminence in information technology, and the way in which that pre-eminence has transformed the country. Infosys has built its fortune on what may seem like the most prosaic of foundations: developing, installing and maintaining software systems for Western companies, to manage such humdrum tasks as payroll and inventory.

Founded in 1981 by a 25-year-old computer engineer named NR Narayana Murthy (its CEO until 2002), and six equally youthful partners, with a capital injection of only 10,000 rupees – about $250 – provided by the sale of Murthy’s wife’s jewellery, the company now has a stock market valuation of about $24 billion. Infosys employs 155,000 people in 67 offices around the world, including Britain, the US, China and Japan; 21,000 work at the company’s main campus – one of 11 in India – which sprawls across 80 acres of a business park on the outskirts of Bangalore, called Electronics City.

Electronics City is home to some 190 technology companies, including such well-known names as Bosch, Hewlett-Packard and Intel, and others less well known in the West but of considerable importance to Indian IT: Wipro, Genpact, HCL Technologies. None displays quite the evidence of ‘visible progress’ as Infosys.

Once past the CISF guards on the road outside the main entrance, and the security checks at the gate, the campus is a world utterly divorced from the habitual colourful chaos of Indian life. With its testosterone-modern architecture – sleek glass cubes, modernist blocks, a pyramid – its pristine paths, water features and abundance of green space, this could be California, Singapore or Shanghai.

Smartly dressed young men and women (most in saris), the vast majority in their 20s and 30s, hurried between the buildings. At each entrance there were communal bicycles, boxes filled with umbrellas – and more security checks. When I tried to check something on my smartphone, I was unable to get a signal. More security.

The rise of I.T.(Indian Technology)

When we started, we had no idea it would be so big, so successful, so influential.’ Senapathy Gopalakrishnan paused, leant back in his chair and looked out of the window of his office on the executive floor of the main campus building towards a mini putting green and a grove of trees beyond. Gopalakrishnan, or ‘Kris’, as he is known throughout Infosys, is a mild-mannered, thoughtful man of 57, and was dressed in grey trousers and a white shirt with infosys stitched on the breast pocket. Sofas and chairs were arranged around a coffee table. Bookshelves were lined with volumes on software engineering, algorithms and business management techniques. ‘Our background was computer science,’ he went on, ‘and this was a field where India was not behind at that point, we were on par. Our thought was to start something that leveraged this talent in India. In those days, everyone wanted to leave India. We wanted to stay in India and do something in India that served clients around the world.’

India’s ascendancy in information technology could be traced back to 1947, when the nation’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, established a programme of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), higher technical institutions modelled on MIT in America and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology that would ultimately enable the country to build a large skilled workforce – furthermore, a workforce conversant not only in the lingua franca of technology but also the international language of business: English.

In the early 1980s, under the protectionist economic policies of India’s socialist government, there were few incentives for private-sector growth, and all depended on government licences, which in turn depended on connections. Most Indians with ambition looked outside the country; many who left to work and study in America in the 1970s and 80s were graduates of the IITs, and would make a significant contribution to the development of California’s Silicon Valley as the world centre of technological innovation. It is estimated that Indians are responsible for one in six of all Silicon Valley start-ups.

So moribund was India’s infrastructure that it took Infosys a year to secure a telephone line. (As late as 1998 there were fewer than 10 million telephone lines of all kinds in India. Today more than 10 million mobile phone connections are added each month.) ‘IT was an industry that nobody in India, or government, knew about,’ one Infosys executive told me. ‘It was a small item on the bottom of the fifth page, completely under the radar. That’s why it was able to grow without government interference.’

For the first two years, Infosys worked out of an office in Murthy’s home. In 1983 they relocated to Bangalore, which was already developing as a ‘science city’ with government and private-sector enterprises specialising in electronics, bio-engineering and space research. It was also the base of Infosys’s first Indian client, with whom they shared their first mainframe computer. ‘They would use it in the daytime; we used it at night,’ Gopalakrishnan said.

From the outset Infosys was a very different kind of Indian business enterprise, Nandan Nilekani, another of the founders, told me. ‘The aspiration was to create a globally respected company from India which set the highest standards of governance.’ In other words, a company that refused to pay bribes.

Most enterprises at the time were either state-owned, multinationals or long-established dynastic businesses. ‘From day one, we had a principle that none of the founders’s family members would join the company, so that over time it would be run by whoever was the most competent professional, not just because they were a founder’s child,’ Nilekani said. ‘That concept of a professional company was very new for India. We were setting the bar for first-generation, middle-class people starting companies and making them successful.’

In his 2008 book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation Nilekani describes how in the early days, during the reign of ‘the licence raj’, when the company wanted to import a 150MB hard disk drive it took so long to get permission from the government that by the time it had come through the manufacturer had improved the capacity to 300MB. ‘This meant changing the import licence – and that took another six to eight months, luckily coming through before the drive was upgraded again.’

It was not until the 1990s that the financial reforms introduced by the then finance minister, and now prime minister, Manmohan Singh, would transform India’s economy, opening up foreign trade and paving the way for the growth of the new industries in IT and business outsourcing. Now, it was much easier for Infosys engineers to travel abroad. At the same time, the development of the internet made it possible to connect directly with clients in America and Europe. Before that Infosys would develop software and then ship it to customers abroad on tapes. Now it could provide support online from India.

Murthy devised what he called the Global Delivery Model, in which teams of IT engineers would be dispatched to clients in America and Europe to install and run software systems. Taking advantage of the time difference – the so-called ‘follow the sun’ factor – Infosys engineers on site and back in India could offer a 24-hour service to companies, sparing them the additional cost of employing their own workers on a shift basis. It meant a project that might ordinarily take six months could be completed in three months.

Infosys began to build up a client list that included Boeing, Bank of America, Kraft Foods, Microsoft and Ford. In 1991 the company had a turnover of $5 million. By 2001 it had risen to $700 million. In 2008, with turnover of $4.2 billion, Infosys broke the $1 billion profit barrier, giving shareholders the largest dividend payout in Indian history.

The rise of Infosys was paralleled across the IT and outsourcing industries in India. The advent of digital and personal computers meant that all office work became computerised, and that many office functions could be done remotely from anywhere in the world. In 1997 General Electric became the first American firm to open a facility in India, in the city of Gurgaon, to outsource ‘back office’ functions such as accounting, human resources and handling customer inquiries (‘when will my fridge be delivered?’). It was the birth of the Indian call centre, and what is now known as BPO (business process outsourcing). The facility became Genpact, which is now the largest BPO company in India.

We are all familiar with the most obvious impact of outsourcing on our lives: the telephone call centre. You have a query on your goods delivery, or your computer is on the blink – the ‘Adam’ or ‘Jennifer’ who answers your call is probably Krishna or Kalpesh in an India call centre. The public backlash against overseas call centres in recent years may have caused many companies in America and Britain to bring the ‘voice side’, as it is known, back home. But that is a very small part of the story.

If you work for a large corporation it is likely that many if not all of its ‘back office’ and IT services are carried out in India. When you use an ATM, or buy an item of clothing, it is likely that the software system that delivers your cash, or replenishes the shop’s shelves, was developed and is managed from India. Applications for mortgages, loans, medical services, financing, compliance… there is not a facet of business – of modern life – that has not been touched or transformed by IT and outsourcing. Notwithstanding the criticism that outsourcing has been responsible for eliminating white-collar jobs in wealthier nations, India is now the IT and outsourcing hub for more than 120 of the Fortune 500, America’s top companies, and it is estimated that by 2015 nearly half of those companies will have their centres in India.

‘The IT industry has made many significant contributions to India,’ Nandan Nilekani told me. ‘One, it was the country’s first global industry. Secondly, it created millions of jobs, which was very important after the economic reforms. Thirdly, it earned dollars, and dollars earned from software helped to finance imports. But most importantly it established that Indian companies could become world-beating global players, and gave a huge boost of confidence and self-esteem to Indian entrepreneurs.’

Some measure of Infosys’s global success, and the rising fortunes of India at large, can be discerned from the personal wealth of the company’s founders. In the mid-1990s there were only two billionaires in India, with a combined wealth of $2.01 billion. By 2012, according to a survey by Forbes magazine, there were 55, with a net worth of $111 billion. (This still falls some way behind China which, according to the Hutrun Rich List, has 189 billionaires; Britain is home to 88.) Of these 55, six are the founders of Infosys. (The seventh, Ashok Arora, left the company before it went public in 1993.) ‘But we are all middle-class people and we have retained that lifestyle,’ Gopalakrishnan told me. He has only one home, in Bangalore. ‘I go abroad perhaps once a year, and every other year we go to Disneyworld in Florida.’ He paused. ‘I have a daughter who is 13.’

‘At Infosys, we’ll know everything about you’

In recent years, India’s dominance of IT and outsourcing has been challenged by other, emerging economies, able to offer their own newly skilled – and cheaper – workforces, leading some analysts to believe that the industry in India may have peaked. In 2010 the Philippines overtook India as the call centre of the world, while the revenue of China’s software and IT industry is predicted to grow by 25 per cent over the next two years.

‘But Chinese IT companies are mostly servicing Chinese clients, because that economy is growing so dramatically,’ Gopalakrishnan said. ‘I strongly believe, and it’s backed up by data, that there is a shortage of computer professionals everywhere in the world including India. The application of computers is growing dramatically and will continue to grow dramatically over the next 20 to 30 years. We have to train and create the workforce necessary to grow this industry.’

Infosys itself has adopted the strategy of transforming itself into a consulting firm – where profit margins are higher – rather than solely a technology company. In the new world, Gopalakrishnan said, ‘It is not enough to just write software code for a client; you must understand their business, and understand how technology is going to enhance that industry, and we can evolve new and better ways for them to do business. That’s where we can add value.’

I was ferried across the campus to the Infosys Labs, the company’s research department, where engineers sat at computers in an open-plan office, divided into cubbyholes, working on innovations. The head of research, Subu Goparaju, talked about new developments in what he called ‘the internet of things’: smart sensors that can monitor everything from customer purchases in a supermarket to the condition of somebody’s health to water and energy use in buildings. Using systems developed in its own labs, the company had reduced the use of electricity on the campus by 25 per cent.

‘More and more companies are looking at "how can I bring my customers inside?”,’ Goparaju said. ‘If somebody says something negative about your brand, that information goes viral, and your brand will suffer, even if that information is false. But the positive thing is that these people – your consumers – can be brought inside your organisation to help create your products. You can ask them, what would you like to do, what would you like to see?’

Goparaju ran a demonstration film of a new Infosys product, Customer Analytic Solution. Using ‘semantic analytics’, a process that registers not only keywords but the syntax, grammar, meaning and nuance of a sentence, this can harvest sentiments and opinions on a product from blogs, social media, research reports, emails and Twitter, presenting those opinions in the form of analytical reports and ‘heat-maps’. Using this technology, it would be possible not only to see what 25 separate people thought of one thing, but also to provide a comprehensive profile of one person from what they thought of 25 things. It all sounded rather sinister.

‘You’re absolutely right!’ Goparaju nodded. ‘Every technology brings with it different ways of exploitation. Sometimes you do things knowingly and sometimes unknowingly. Who now reads the small print? We are so used to clicking on the terms and conditions and moving on. Have you ever read in the last 15 years what you’re agreeing to?

‘But it depends on what companies want this information for, and what governments might want to use this information for,’ he went on. ‘If you speak to large concerns and governments, the key concern is around security, especially cybersecurity. Is privacy going to be compromised a little bit?’ He shrugged. ‘Probably yes.’

I had had the same discussion earlier with Senapathy Gopalakrishnan. ‘This is how the world has changed from the 20th to the 21st century,’ he told me. ‘We are living in a world which is boundary-less when it comes to information, and where there is nowhere to hide. If you have a cellphone, somebody can find out exactly where you are. Through social networks you’re sharing everything about yourself. You are leaving trails every single moment of your life. Theoretically, in the future you’ll only have to walk through the door at Infosys and we’ll know who you are and everything about you.

‘So the concept of privacy is also changing. You’re trusting many, many companies, and probably many, many governments, with your data. But at the same time, technology means that the ability for a single individual to get their message across, or for ordinary individuals to come together and fight, is unprecedented in the history of the world. Governments have to respond. There is unprecedented pressure on businesses, and so transparency is increasing. It goes both ways. All this will require changes in how organisations will use computers. Somebody has to develop those systems.’ He smiled. ‘That is what we do.’

Bringing millions out of poverty with I.T.

The Infosys Global Education Centre – the company’s ‘university’ – is located in Mysore, a three-hour drive from Bangalore. As we set off, the outskirts of the city slipped behind us – the new office blocks and roadside hoardings advertising aspirational ‘Zen-themed’ housing developments – and another India came into view: a tranquil landscape of verdant countryside, dotted with palm groves and fields of sugar cane swaying in the wind, hills rising misty-blue in the distance. Small hamlets hugged the roadside: rudimentary brick and mud houses; a child chasing a goat along a dusty path; gaudily painted temples, like devotional pit-stops. Billboards announced the candidates for the forthcoming state elections, their faces smiling or scowling at the passing traffic, like wanted posters.

My driver offered a potted guide to local politics. ‘With the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party, one of India’s two main political parties, currently in Opposition] for every 100 rupees, 70 will be going in corruption. With [the Indian National] Congress, only 40 rupees going in corruption. That is why I vote Congress.’

The road passed through a succession of small towns – colourful tumults of honking traffic, ox-drawn carts, food stalls and repair shops with their habitual complement of idlers watching the world go by. Each was announced by a billboard grandiloquently boasting its particular trade: Ramanagar, silk city; Mandya, sugar city; and, sweetly, Channapatna, land of toys. A bus thundered past, groaning with passengers, bearing the slogan life is a drama – man is a actere (sic), and a portrait of its beaming owner. ‘Very good!’ said my driver.

His own education, he said, had been poor. He had learnt English by driving Western visitors. Now all his money went towards his daughter’s education. A very good school, he said – 80 per cent of the parents worked in IT. This was what he wanted for his daughter. ‘She speaks good English. Better than me!’ He laughed. ‘She will be able to go far in the world.’

India produces the third largest pool of engineers and scientists in the world (and the second largest pool of doctors). A career in IT remains, for many, the path to a better life, and an engineering degree the favoured option for India’s brightest students.

Of the 3.5 million Indians who graduate each year, 500,000 are engineering graduates. The IT industry employs 2.5 million people directly – a further 6.5 million indirectly. It is an industry that has lifted great swathes of India’s youthful population into the parallel world of what the sociologist Saskia Sassen calls ‘global cities’ – glossy business parks and corporate headquarters, where any sense of local identity is thoroughly effaced, and the esperanto of business-school jargon is understood by all who speak it but impenetrable to those who don’t. As we drove along the road from Bangalore to Mysore, this parallel world seemed as distant as the moon.

‘So many people’s lives have been changed by IT in India,’ Gopalakrishnan told me. ‘People from the middle class and lower-middle class have become global employees and have the opportunity to work with some of the best companies in the world. But the challenge for India is that this industry can only create so many jobs. IT is not going to solve the unemployment problem in India.’

Thirty-three per cent of the population fall below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day, and 69 per cent live on less than $2 per day. While India ranks third in the world in terms of GDP, it ranks 144th in terms of GDP per capita – that is the value of goods and services produced in a given year, divided by the average population – below Palestine, Uzbekistan and Papua New Guinea. Only one in 10 of India’s workforce has a job in the formal sector – that is, with regular wages and regular hours. Less than three per cent – 33 million out of a population of 1.21 billion – pay personal income tax.

Despite growing investment in education, one third of India’s population is illiterate: only 15 per cent of Indian students reach high school, and only seven per cent graduate. The spectre conjured by the Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen of India being ‘half California and half Sub-Saharan Africa’ remains a real one. Hundreds of millions of Indians do not have even the most basic formal means of identification, which makes it impossible for them to step on to even the lowest rung of the ladder out of poverty. They are unable to open a bank account, or to acquire a mobile phone, and they are excluded from public services to which they are entitled.

In Imagining India Nandan Nilekani floated the idea of a nationwide scheme that would utilise India’s technological knowhow to give a digital identity to every Indian. Such a scheme, he argued, would boost the national economy by allowing hundreds of millions of Indians to open a bank account, improve government revenues by cutting corruption, and oblige the state to improve services.

In 2009 Nilekani was invited by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to initiate the scheme, and he left Infosys to set up the Unique Identity Authority of India. Known as Aadhar (‘foundation’ in Hindi), the scheme, which involves the creation and management of the world’s largest biometric database, has been described as ‘the biggest social project on the planet’, potentially lifting millions out of poverty. Nilekani described it to me as ‘a way of bringing the most modern and most sophisticated technology to create a level playing field for everyone’.

The system works like this: a person comes to one of the mobile enrolment centres, where their name, address, date of birth and gender are fed into a database, along with their fingerprints and iris scans. The information is sent for processing, to ensure there is no duplication in the system, and the person is then given a unique 12-digit identification number.

It is a system that particularly addresses the problems of an increasingly mobile and rootless society. According to some estimates, 100-120 million Indians are migrant workers, moving back and forth across the country in search of employment. ‘If you lived and died in the same village, everyone knew your name,’ Nilekani said. ‘In a mobile society where you are travelling to jobs and trying to advance your life, you need to have your ID with you and that is an important thing we are trying to solve.’

The ID number can be used for online verification anywhere in India; a migrant worker, say, could withdraw money from a bank using a mobile phone and a simple fingerprint confirmation device.

So far 340 million people have been registered with the scheme. Critics have raised the obvious questions about intrusions into privacy. But the scheme is entirely voluntary.

‘For those who don’t have an ID, just getting one is a huge empowerment in itself,’ Nilekani said. ‘We have people who are now getting bank accounts and who have started direct cash transfer into those accounts; people are using them to get a mobile connection. So it’s starting to make an impact.’

It costs between $2 and $3 to enrol each person. The completed project will cost about $3.6 billion, Nilekani said. He hesitated to say when the task will be completed, although he expects 600 million people to be enrolled by the end of 2014. ‘We can enrol at the rate of about 200 million a year. But towards the end it becomes more of a needle-in-a-haystack situation, so it will take a few more years to enrol the final few hundred million.’

Technology alone will not be enough to bridge the huge divide in Indian society, he went on, ‘but you can move the needle along on so many issues. Millions of people now have access to cheap mobile phones. With our hardware we are able to give an online ID to everyone. Shortly, using other hardware, we will also be able to give an online bank account to everyone. All these things are all tools of aspiration, access and empowerment.’

Educating the next generation

t Mysore, we turned off the main road, passing for a mile or two through tranquil countryside, until suddenly arriving at the campus. Another heavily guarded gate. Another laminated pass.

Each year Infosys recruits between 15,000 and 18,000 new employees from engineering courses at universities around India. They are selected not on the basis of their technological skills – a given – but on their analytical ability, language skills, and what the company’s head of training, Srikantan Moorthy, calls ‘their learnability’.

Opened in 2005 at a cost of $450 million, at 350 acres the Infosys Global Education Centre is the largest corporate campus in the world. All employees who join the firm from engineering colleges (70 per cent of all new recruits) are sent here for 23 weeks’ training. The centre can accommodate up to 13,500 students at a time.

The campus is a bravura statement of corporate ambition. There is a classroom building, Global Education Centre 1, that bears a striking resemblance to the Capitol building in Washington, DC – except that it is much larger – another with an atrium like a Greek temple, and residential areas that look like luxury housing estates, and which from an aerial perspective can be seen to have been laid out to spell ‘Infosys’.

Here, new employees are trained in data-processing systems, software applications, project management and business analysis. A key part of the training is what is known as ‘soft skills’ – ‘helping them make the transition from college to the corporate world,’ as Moorthy put it – which includes everything from how to interact with clients to matters of ‘cross-cultural sensitivity’; for example, learning to eat with a knife and fork (Indians traditionally eat with their fingers). In short, to be less Indian.

Infosys invests $150-200 million in training each year – about $7,000 per employee, or ‘Infosysian’, as they are known. Senior management have their own courses, led by the Infosys Leadership Institute, on which they are taught such skills as ‘individualised consideration’; the ‘Six Principles of Persuasion’, devised by Robert Cialdini, whose website describes him as ‘the most cited social psychologist in the world today’; and ‘charismatic leadership tactics’, following a course devised by another American psychologist, John Antonakis.

On the internet I had found a blog by a young Infosysian calling himself ‘Pragmatic Ajay’, extolling his time at the Mysore campus as ‘an "Angel-Life”, which blatantly is possible in a heaven only.’ It described a mixture of undreamt-of luxury: ‘The first night on that awesomely creepy bed is still one of the best nights of my life. I had never seen such erotic and beautiful dreams in my whole life’; a punishing work schedule that could extend from 6.30am until 10pm; and exacting rules about everything from swiping in to classrooms to bicycle speed limits. ‘Sometimes I feel like every politician in India before entering into politics should have a four-month training there so that they should learn to honestly follow the rules.’

A golf buggy ferried me to a teaching centre. In a lecture theatre, about 100 inductees sat in tiered banks at their computers for a class on programming language, listening intently as a brisk young woman tutor instructed them that you can never modify a constant variable.

One of the more visible legacies of India’s IT industry is gender opportunity: 30 per cent of employees in the industry are women, compared with 13.8 per cent overall in urban occupations (26.1 per cent of rural workers are women). About 35 per cent of Infosys employees are female.

Ambiga and Suruthi, both 21, both middle-class engineering graduates, were away from home for the first time in their lives. Shining models of keenness, they talked enthusiastically about their new lives in IT, ‘because it’s what happening around us’, Ambiga said, and taking their place in the corporate world. ‘That’s what we’re waiting for.’

Job security was very important. ‘It is like a dream,’ Ambiga said. ‘Once you get into an IT company your future is taken care of. I feel I am climbing the ladder every day.’

Suruthi nodded in agreement. ‘We are ready to deal with every nook and cranny of the business process.’

We talked about India’s place in the world. A generation ago, it is likely that if Ambiga’s and Suruthi’s parents had wanted to pursue their education, or a career in IT, they would have migrated to Britain or America to do so. ‘Now India can provide us with those opportunities,’ Suruthi said. ‘IT has changed how people in the world see India. Everywhere, we are respected.’

And what countries did they see as India’s rivals in business?

‘China,’ Ambiga said. ‘We see that as a threat.’

And Britain? (I was being mischievous, of course.) ‘I don’t think it’s a threat to India.’ Ambiga smiled. ‘We don’t care about Britain.’

I took lunch in an elegant open-sided pavilion, encircled by water where carp and black baby sharks bathed in the sunshine – one of eight food courts on the campus, serving regional Indian and continental food, that can cater to up to 11,000 at a time. A golf buggy carried me through the campus to a large recreation complex, where a handful of people who had finished their classes lounged by an infinity pool. There was a geodesic dome housing an auditorium and multiplex theatres, where Western and Hindi films are shown each weekend; an eight-lane bowling alley; an aerobics centre; squash and badminton courts (the campus also has a cricket ground, an athletics track, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts); a supermarket; a pharmacist; a hairdressing salon; a launderette. There would be no reason to leave the campus at all.

I strolled through some nearby gardens to a pergola where a group of young men were relaxing. They were coming to the end of their six-month course, and about to be assigned to their new positions within the company. Ravi from Mumbai, in his early 20s, had joined Infosys, he told me, because his parents had wanted him to; it was a source of family pride. ‘Every parent wants their child to join Infosys. It is a high-status job.’

We talked about his training. It had been interesting, he said, but there were aspects he had found – he searched for the right word – difficult. On his second day, as part of the soft-skills training, he had been instructed to turn to the young woman next to him and shake her hand. He had always been taught that it was inappropriate to touch women outside the family. ‘You make namaste.’ He brought his hands together to demonstrate the traditional non-contact greeting. ‘And in India we believe in chakras, the energy centres of the body. You do not shake hands in case you take on the negative energy from a person.’

India was becoming ‘too Western’, he said. There was stress, competitiveness. ‘I have friends who have become impotent because they use laptops.’ He shot me an earnest look. ‘It affects the testes, you know.’

Status, success – these things were not important, he said. ‘I want a joyful life.’ It was becoming apparent that Ravi might be in the wrong job. He thought so too.

He would stay for three years, he said, learn everything he could, and then go into the family business – watches. This he would do for a few years, until watches became obsolete. Already, he noted, the mobile phone was usurping the wristwatch. Then he would fulfil his true dream. ‘I will open a restaurant.’

Indian, or continental, I joked. He laughed. ‘Definitely Indian.’

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Welcome to Electronics City

Indian unit in Congo gets UN peacekeeping medal

MEA — 17/05/2013 17:48:05

Two Circles/ by IANS

An Indian police unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo has received the United Nations Peacekeeping Medal.

The 135 Indian Formed Police Unit-2 (FPU) was honoured with the medal as an appreciation for their service in Goma/North Kivu.

The medal parade, held at the FPU camp in Goma May 15 was attended by senior officials, including Jacques Desilets, United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) deputy police commissioner, said a statement.

The Indian unit has served in Democratic Republic of Congo since November 2005.

Addressing the recipients, Desilets said: "This medal was given to you as a symbol of appreciation and recognition of your toward peace and security in the city of Goma. This medal recognizes your professionalism, goodwill gestures, diligence and high level of commitment towards fight against all acts of criminality and other forms of violence in Goma Town with little regards for your personal safety.”

Desilets emphasized the tremendous work they did during Goma crisis in November 2012, when the city fell into an armed group’s hands, contributing to a sense of security among local population and United Nations staff, during and after the transition phase in favour of the return of the National Congolese Police (PNC) in December 2012.

India Formed Police Unit Commander Sukumar Sarangi expressed special thanks to MONUSCO and said: "UN Peace Medal earned today, will always inspire us to perform our duties with more dedication and devotion and enthusiasm and zeal."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian unit in Congo gets UN peacekeeping medal

Indian music a universal language

MEA — 17/05/2013 17:51:42

People Daily/ by Mu Qian

The name Bombay Jayashri might not be too well known in China, but if you say "singer of the theme song of the film Life of Pi", many realize who she is.

Jayashri recently completed a six-show tour of China, and was warmly welcomed everywhere she went, in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing.

Her workshop at Peking University drew Chinese musicians such as singer Zhu Zheqin, and guzheng player (a kind of Chinese zither) Chang Jing to participate. "She naturally possesses what we try so hard to look for in music," Chang says.

Jayashri says that for Indians, music is a way of communicating with the Gods, and whatever you want to say to God, you can express it through music.

The philosophical nature of Indian classical music is perhaps what Chang means when she says she seeks what Jayashri "naturally possesses". The popularity of Life of Pi and the positive feedback from Jayashri's concerts in China indicate a hunger for spiritual art among Chinese people.

Jayashri represents the Carnatic tradition, the classical music of southern India that few Chinese music lovers had heard before. Many people's impression of Indian music is influenced by Bollywood.

Chinese audiences who do have some experience of Indian classical works are more familiar with music of the Hindustani tradition from the Northern parts of the country, such as the work of the late master sitar player Ravi Shankar and percussionist Zakir Hussain.

Unlike Hindustani music that had Persian and Islamic influences, Carnatic music is more indigenous.

The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music, and Jayashri is the center of her ensemble. But the instruments are very important: Tempuras provide a sustaining, meditative sound; mridangam and ghatam form the rhythm section; violin follows the vocal like a shadow.

Especially of interest is the violin. Though originally a European instrument, it has been Indianized. Indian musicians play the instrument with a different tuning and position, and perform it with the characteristic ornaments of Indian melodies.

China has not localized Western instruments but there are Westernized Chinese instruments. Chinese fiddles such as the erhu or matouqin, are no longer played as they were 50 years ago when they had distinct characters, but have become increasingly influenced by the viola or cello in timbre and technique.

Big Chinese orchestras formed on the structure of Western orchestras have not achieved the harmony of symphonic music, but lost the immanent beauty of Chinese music.

The continued connection of Indian musicians to their musical heritage sets Indian music apart in a globalized world. Although India has far fewer symphony orchestras than China, their traditional music is heard internationally more than Chinese music is.

Another lesson China's musicians might learn from Jayashri is the power of film. The world has become increasingly visual, and a successful film can be more efficient in promoting music than any other means. Thanks to Ang Lee, the popularity of Life of Pi has helped to bring Jayashri to China. Otherwise it would have taken several years for a Carnatic musician to tour China.

Perhaps a successful Chinese film could promote Chinese music internationally? The Chinese film industry is doing much better than the Chinese music industry. If Chinese filmmakers put some efforts to commission high-quality music, the music will return more rewards. After all, music is a universal language.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Indian music a universal language

Companies turn to India to boost their business

MEA — 15/05/2013 16:10:48

Financial Times/ by James Crabtree

Oil company Shell’s technology centre in the Indian high-tech hub of Bangalore is actually a facility in two halves, with a couple of campuses in different locations around the city.

Originally unable to find one suitable site for its growing efforts, the Anglo-Dutch company decided to split the difference, setting up dual facilities, working on everything from next-generation chemicals to underwater modelling.

But now the company plans to bring everything back together, having announced plans late last year to build a giant new research and development campus on a patch of land close to Bangalore’s airport, with room for 1,500 staff, and even plans for a cricket pitch on the grounds.

Shell’s move is part of a pattern in which many of world’s largest companies are turning to India in their search for new ideas that will boost its business, and follows similar moves to open up innovation facilities around Bangalore by the likes of GE, Cisco and Siemens.

Shell has two other global research centres, in Houston and Amsterdam. While its Indian arm is the smallest and easily the newest, it is set to grow quickly.

"The idea is it will become as large as any others, and our ambition is that it may become even larger,” says Hugo Vits, the facility’s manager. "Depending on how fast we expand, the cricket pitch may have to go.”

Many analysts thought India would enjoy an R&D boom in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, as recession-hit western companies cut costs and sent expensive research processes abroad, potentially expanding the more than 700 multinational groups with a research presence in India.

It did not quite work out this way, however, as global flows of R&D between countries fell back after the crash, cutting total investment into India, in common with many other emerging economies.

Nonetheless, recent research from consultancy firm McKinsey shows that four Indian regions gained a place among the world’s 15 largest and fastest-growing R&D "hotspots” between 2010 and 2012 – those with the cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai at their heart.

Much of the investment that flows into these hubs ends up in industries where India is already a world leader: IT services, for instance, or the development of generic pharmaceuticals.

Other companies, however, have started to use their Indian facilities more creatively, for instance GE, whose large facility in Bangalore has pioneered a series of new ultra-cheap products, suitable for developing markets.

Engineers at the facility developed an electrocardiography machine at roughly a sixth of the cost of a similar ECG in the developed world, in part by using a variant of a bus ticket machine to print out the scan.

The company now hopes to export this and other innovations, including potentially adapting them for sale back in the industrialised world.

The development of such ideas or products is sometimes called "jugaad” innovation, which roughly translates as a solution which is cobbled together or just good enough – a concept which especially interests global companies seeking new ideas at in cost-conscious emerging economies.

But India’s R&D base also benefits from rising investment among domestic companies too, while its innovation facilities are not limited to more established, research-intensive outfits either – as when Groupon, the US online discounts site, opened up an innovation centre in the southern city of Chennai last year.

This gradual movement of R&D to countries like India is part of a wider picture predicted by American economist Alan Blinder, in which a range of high-end jobs in western economies will increasingly gravitate to Asia, lured by cheaper labour and the prospect of growing markets.

But the country also has particular advantages, as Shell’s Mr Vits explains, in particular the steady supply of high-quality engineers which emerge from its universities.

The fact that most speak good English provides a further boost over countries like China, he says, and while India’s intellectual property regime is far from perfect, it too is preferable to those in most other Asian developing markets.

India has challenges, of course, not least the same problems of unpredictable regulation, weak infrastructure and political corruption which hamper the country’s growth more generally.

"Bangalore is a brand for India, but its government has failed to invest, and the city now risks losing its lead,” says Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who grew up in the city before founding Bangalore-based biotechnology group Biocon.

Yet even with these problems more companies keep arriving, hoping to harvest the bountiful crop of ideas that it produces. "India is one of the demographic engines of the world, and companies like Shell need to be able to associate with these engines,” Mr Vits says, "I’d say the sky is the limit.”

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)

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Companies turn to India to boost their business

India announces development of cheap vaccine against major cause of diarrhea deaths in kids

MEA — 15/05/2013 16:14:53

Washington Post/ by Ravi Nessman

The Indian government announced Tuesday the development of a new low-cost vaccine proven effective against a diarrhea-causing virus that is one of the leading causes of childhood deaths across the developing world.

The Indian manufacturer of the new rotavirus vaccine pledged to sell it for $1 a dose, a significant discount from the cost of the current vaccines on the market. That reduced price would make it far easier for poor countries to vaccinate their children against the deadly virus, health experts said.

Rotavirus, spread through contaminated hands and surfaces, kills about half a million children across the world each year, 100,000 of them in India.

At a conference Tuesday, the government announced that Phase III trials of Rotavac proved that it was safe as well as effective. The clinical trial of 6,799 infants at three sites in India showed the vaccine reduced severe cases of diarrhea caused by rotavirus by 56 percent during the first year of life.

"The clinical results indicate that the vaccine, if licensed, could save the lives of thousands of children each year in India,” said Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, the secretary of the Department of Biotechnology.

The vaccine still needs to be licensed before it can be distributed in India and would require further approval by the World Health Organization before it could be distributed globally.

Two other vaccines have proven effective against rotavirus, but they are significantly more expensive.

The GAVI Alliance, which works to deliver vaccines to the world’s poor, negotiated a significant discount last year with GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, obtaining the rotavirus vaccines from those pharmaceutical companies for $2.50 a dose. The alliance has programs for delivering those vaccines in 14 countries and plans to expand them to 30 countries.

Dr. Seth Berkley, the GAVI Alliance’s CEO, said the announcement Tuesday was "a big deal.”

"The cheaper the price the more children you can immunize,” he said, adding that it will still take some time before the vaccine is approved for use.

In addition, having a third manufacturer for the vaccines would ease supply shortages and could drive down the costs charged by the other manufacturers, he said.

"That would make a big difference in terms of changing the marketplace,” he said.

Diarrhea is the second leading cause of death among young children in the world after pneumonia. A study of 22,568 children at sites in seven African and south Asian countries that was published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet showed that rotavirus was the leading cause of moderate to severe diarrhea in children under the age of two.

The new vaccine was developed from a weakened strain of the virus taken from a child hospitalized in New Delhi more than a quarter century ago. It was the result of a broad global partnership that included the government, the Indian company Bharat Biotech, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among many others.

Those involved said the broad cooperation reduced research costs for the manufacturer and helped keep the vaccine inexpensive.

"This public-private partnership is an exemplary model of how to develop affordable technologies to save lives,” Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation, said in a statement.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India announces development of cheap vaccine against major cause of diarrhea deaths in kids

Rotavirus vaccine developed in India demonstrates strong efficacy

MEA — 14/05/2013 15:52:15

Psys.org

The Government of India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Bharat Biotech announced positive results from a Phase III clinical trial of a rotavirus vaccine developed and manufactured in India. Data from the trial, presented today at the International Symposium on Rotavirus Vaccines for India—The Evidence and the Promise, showed ROTAVAC to have an excellent safety and efficacy profile.

The clinical study demonstrates for the first time that the India-developed rotavirus vaccine ROTAVAC is efficacious in preventing severe rotavirus diarrhoea in low-resource settings in India. ROTAVAC significantly reduced severe rotavirus diarrhoea by more than half—56 percent during the first year of life, with protection continuing into the second year of life. Moreover, the vaccine also showed impact against severe diarrhoea of any cause.

"This is an important scientific breakthrough against rotavirus infections, the most severe and lethal cause of childhood diarrhoea, responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths of small children in India each year," said DBT Secretary Dr K. VijayRaghavan. "The clinical results indicate that the vaccine, if licensed, could save the lives of thousands of children each year in India."

The vaccine was developed through a unique social innovation partnership that brought together the experience and expertise of Indian and international researchers as well as the public and private sectors. The vaccine originated from an attenuated (weakened) strain of rotavirus that was isolated from an Indian child at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi in 1985-86. Since then, partners have included DBT, Bharat Biotech, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Stanford University School of Medicine, and the nongovernmental organization, PATH. Dr M.K. Bhan, who recently completed his service as DBT Secretary, was tireless in fostering the social innovation partnership and ensuring the highest standards for the vaccine.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial enrolled 6,799 infants in India (aged six to seven weeks at the time of enrolment) at three sites—the Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies (SAS) in New Delhi; Shirdi Sai Baba Rural Hospital, KEM Hospital Research Centre in Vadu, Pune; and Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore. The Clinical Operations Management Unit headed by Dr Nita Bhandari at SAS oversaw the day-to-day coordination and logistical complexities of this multi-site study and played a pivotal role in the conduct of this trial. The Principal Investigators were Dr Temsunaro Rongsen-Chandola at SAS, Dr Ashish Bavdekar at KEM, and Dr Gagandeep Kang at CMC.

The Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), an independent group of experts established to protect the participating infants' rights and needs during the Phase III trial, determined that the trial met the highest standards for ethics and patient care and complied with international standards for good clinical practices.

Bharat Biotech previously announced a price of US$ 1.00/dose (or approximately INR 54/dose) for ROTAVAC® and will soon file for registration of the vaccine in India. If licensed by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), the vaccine will be a more affordable alternative to the rotavirus vaccines already on the market.

"With its low price and strong efficacy, ROTAVAC® has the potential to significantly reduce the incidence of severe diarrhoea due to rotavirus among children in India," said Dr M.K. Bhan, Advisor to the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and former DBT Secretary.

The vaccine efficacy compares favourably with the efficacy of the currently licensed rotavirus vaccines in low-resource countries. The study results showed clear evidence of protection across different rotavirus strains and continued efficacy in the second year of life.

Infants enrolled in the study received ROTAVAC® and the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) vaccines, including oral polio vaccine (OPV). When the immune responses to OPV were tested, the result showed that infants receiving OPV at the same time as ROTAVAC generated comparable immune responses to all three polio serotypes as the infants receiving OPV without ROTAVAC®; this result supports the concurrent administration of OPV and ROTAVAC.

"Vaccines work to save and protect children from diseases like rotavirus for a lifetime," said Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "This public-private partnership is an exemplary model of how to develop affordable technologies that save lives."

The vaccine development partnership was supported by DBT, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Research Council of Norway, and the UK Department for International Development. Bharat Biotech invested important technical, manufacturing, and financial resources towards vaccine development. ROTAVAC® is an oral vaccine and is administered to infants in a three-dose course at the ages of 6, 10, and 14 weeks. It is given alongside routine immunizations in the UIP vaccines recommended at these ages.

"ROTAVAC represents the successful research and development of a novel vaccine from the developing world with global standards," said Dr Krishna M. Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Biotech. "ROTAVAC is a testament of our strong vision and commitment to develop affordable health care solutions for infectious diseases—we are proud, yet humbled by our contribution to this social innovation project and global public health priority. We are thankful to all the partners in the Rotavirus Vaccine Development Project—DBT, the Indian Council of Medical Research, PATH, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NIH , CDC, and Stanford University—for their valuable support in this unique international public-private partnership."

Prior to conducting the study, the investigators received approvals from the DCGI, the Institutional Review Board for DBT, and the ethics review committees of each study site. The study partners also consulted with the State Governments of Delhi, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, as well as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In addition, the study was approved by the Western Institutional Review Board in the United States and met the highest international clinical trial standards. The DSMB strictly monitored the trial throughout for adherence to these standards and protocols. The trial design included a strong safety net to identify and treat illnesses, especially gastroenteritis, among study infants as early as possible. All of the infants enrolled in the trial received high-quality medical and emergency care during the trial period.

The support laboratory was the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute with Dr Sudhanshu Vrati as the lead. Quintiles was responsible for several aspects of the trial including medical monitoring, data management, site monitoring, pharmacovigilance, and biostatistics. Good Clinical Practice compliance of the clinical trials was audited by ANTHA Clinical Quality Assurance.

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Rotavirus vaccine developed in India demonstrates strong efficacy

Ritankar Das becomes youngest UC-Berkeley University medalist in a century

MEA — 14/05/2013 15:59:29

India West

How does an undergraduate top off a whirlwind tenure at the University of California, Berkeley, highlighted by experiments with nanowires and biofuels, brainstorming sessions with corporate executives, poetry readings, and educational outreach to students?

For Ritankar Das, the answer, of course, is to be named University Medalist, the prize given to the year's top graduating senior.

Not only is Das completing his studies at UC Berkeley with a double major in bioengineering and chemical biology and a minor in creative writing, he is doing so in only three years.

And at the age of 18, Das is the youngest University Medalist in at least a century, reports UC Berkeley in a press release.

The young Indian American is also the first student from the College of Chemistry in 58 years—and the first ever from the Department of Bioengineering—to earn the honor, which includes a $2,500 scholarship.

Established in 1871, the University Medal is awarded each year to an exemplary graduating student with a minimum GPA of 3.96. Das is graduating with more than 200 credits and a GPA of 3.99, which includes eight A+ marks, and received the medal May 18.

Born in Kolkata, Das moved to Waukesha, Wisc., at the age of 7 with his parents, Sankar and Kakali Das, and grew up with limited financial resources, often walking several miles with his mother to elementary school in the freezing cold.

Despite these challenges, Das excelled in school, leapfrogging ahead of his peers by doing advanced projects outside of class. At age 12, Das would use a blender and other kitchen supplies to investigate artificial photosynthesis. From his makeshift lab, Das went on to work with researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee while still in high school.

Das and his parents moved to Fremont, Calif., a year before he started college. When it came time to choose his school, Das picked UC Berkeley because the campus offered an appealing "culture of mutual appreciation where people were genuinely curious across fields," he said in the press release.

Das soon made his mark at UC Berkeley, forming a campus chapter of the American Chemical Society, creating and teaching a DeCal course on chemistry internships, and founding the Berkeley Chemical Review research journal.

His contributions earned him the Departmental Citation in Chemistry, the department's top honor for graduating students.

Das' early interest in energy continued through the research projects he pursued at the Energy Biosciences Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy, during which he discovered new ways to grow nanowires for use in high-efficiency solar cells.

Das' academic and community service achievements have earned him more than 40 awards totaling more than $300,000. These include the prestigious Goldwater, Udall and Pearson scholarships, as well as a graduate research fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

Off campus, Das serves on the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, which awards $5 million annually to service-learning projects. He also analyzed entries for the Presidential Green Chemistry Award at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.

He also founded See Your Future, a student-run non-profit that presents scientific content to middle and high school students through in-class demonstrations, videos, interactive activities and games. His goal is to encourage disadvantaged students in schools with limited resources to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Das expects to expand See Your Future nationwide and to find new ways of reaching out to underrepresented communities. He learned through the Poetry for the People Program in the Department of African American Studies that the arts can be an effective vehicle for such outreach.

Through this program, Das helped teach multiple poetry courses on campus, organized poetry slams, published his poetic works and even judged Bay Area Youth Poet Laureate competitions. He considers these activities a means of creating a bridge between campus and community.

After graduation, Das, who is fluent in Bengali and Hindi, and conversational in Spanish, will head to Oxford University to pursue a master's degree in biomedical engineering with a fully funded Whitaker Fellowship. He will then continue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has been admitted to the chemistry Ph.D. program.

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Ritankar Das becomes youngest UC-Berkeley University medalist in a century

UCLA students’ FoodConnect vies for $1M Hult Prize

MEA — 14/05/2013 16:12:41

India West

A group of Indian American UCLA freshmen is working to help fight hunger in India with a concept they call FoodConnect.

Their plan involves purchasing grains in bulk from India's marketplaces, packaging them into family-size portions along with other staples, and selling the bundles to those in need without any markup in price.

First-year students Aditya Aggarwal, Anushka Bhatia, Varadh Jain, Sajal Khanter and Sagar Patel, all born and raised in India, are in contention for the Hult Prize, which provides $1 million in seed funding for a student project aimed at solving the global food crisis.

The UCLA undergrads formed one of more than 2,000 teams from all over the world that entered the competition. Just 250 teams were selected to participate in the five regional finals, held in March in San Francisco, where the UCLA team competed, as well as Dubai, London, Boston, and Shanghai, and the each regional winner advanced to the final round.

Although the Bruins didn't win their region, they have further developed their proposal with support from Bhagwan Chowdhry, a professor of finance in the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and other advisors, and are still in the running for the grand prize.

Regardless of the contest’s outcome, the team is planning to meet in India this summer to try to put its idea in motion.

"We know we can make a change, so we’re definitely going to try," Jain said. "To make a change, you need to understand the local behavior. You can’t just be a foreign entity just trying to make a change. You need to know the reality."

A typical FoodConnect package might include 600 grams of rice, 1 kilogram of whole wheat flour, 600 grams of lentils, 60 grams of ionized salt and 60 grams of oil, all bundled in a woven sack, and sells for less than $1, Jain said. Items will be selected based in part on the ingredients' shelf life and their potential to be used for multiple recipes, and packages will be customized based on regional tastes.

FoodConnect would keep prices low, and potentially generate profits, by selling advertising on the packaging. Eventually, the team would like to franchise its model throughout the world and reach as many people as possible.

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UCLA students’ FoodConnect vies for $1M Hult Prize

On her own two feet: Providing girls in India with hope - and job skills - for a better future

MEA — 14/05/2013 15:46:36

Huffington Post/ by Jennifer Abrahamson

Like typical teenagers growing up in a big city, Priya and Talat are on a regular basis exposed to tantalizing possibility and grinding poverty, opportunity and danger. And in Delhi, to be an adolescent girl navigating and negotiating her future path can be especially challenging.

"Whenever I watch Indian Idol and India's Got Talent, I feel like 'Oh I wish I could be there.' I'm very fond of singing," Talat explained, her timid voice picking up pace and gaining a note of conviction "But if I tell my father now he's not going to encourage it because he'll say it's a useless thing to do."

Priya said she also enjoyed singing, and at my request, both girls performed short solos, right there in the middle of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in Delhi. Dulcet melodies in the fashion of Bollywood stars singing about broken hearts and pining for love rang out through adjacent rooms filled with teenaged girls learning how to design and stitch clothes or master Excel, PowerPoint and computer design software.

In reality, both Talat and Priya are taking a more pragmatic approach to life. Which is why I met them at the SEWA Delhi center, where they were taking advantage of a subsidized program providing adolescent girls from low-income families with vocational and life skills.

Talat's plans include finding a good job so she can 'make a lot of money' to pay for singing lessons. And Priya made it very clear that her first and most important goal in life was to become a policewoman, an ambition inspired by prevalent sexual violence in Delhi, and in particular, by the horrific gang rape and murder of a young medical student there in December. Perhaps not surprisingly, this was the second Indian girl I had met in a week who expressed a passion for protecting women as a career.

Strengthening girls' economic potential is not only critical for their own advancement; it is also vital for a country's economic development. In fact, India loses $56 billion a year in potential earnings because of adolescent pregnancy, secondary school dropout rates, and joblessness among young women.

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) last year launched its Turning Point Campaign which is focusing resources on research and programs that examine and address adolescent girls' unique challenges to leading healthy, productive, and gender-equitable lives as adult women. A recent ICRW scoping study found that sexual and reproductive health and rights interventions in India - while critical - far out-numbered those focusing on livelihoods. Researchers concluded that more comprehensive programs that integrate the two are needed in order to give more girls a better chance to change the course of their lives.

Priya and Talat's own parents are migrants from Bihar, India's poorest state, and their mothers both dropped out of school and married in their mid-teens. The program at SEWA Delhi (not covered in the study) will almost certainly provide the girls with a future their own mothers never had a chance to even consider. Not only have they learned business skills like accounting, banking, graphic design and English. They've also received lessons in 'sexuality', essential to their safety as they enter a male-dominated workforce. And once the course is over, SEWA assists girls with job placement, even making market linkages for those girls who aim to start their own small business.

Priya sees the SEWA course as a stepping stone to achieving her long-term dream to become a policewoman; she hopes it will enable her to find a white collar job (her own mother works in a garment factory) in a bank or office that will fund her college studies and training in law enforcement. Talat wants to become a graphic artist, designing business cards or magazine covers, because it will allow her to be creative and use her mind.

Both girls were also quick to talk about their futures beyond careers - their roles as wives and mothers. Priya is a romantic at heart who hopes for a 'love marriage' with a modest, humble man one day - but not until she's at least 25. Talat has a more practical outlook, preferring a wealthy husband and an arranged marriage (love marriages only lead to fighting, she warned). But age isn't so important to her.

"It's not about age, I can get married at any age," she said. "But only once I'm independent, once I'm able to stand on my own two feet."

The specifics of the girls' long-term interests clearly diverge. But what they share runs far deeper than Indian Idol or a love marriage. That is, a chance to lift themselves and their future families out of poverty, a chance to pursue their dreams, and perhaps most important of all, a chance for a life that they choose for themselves.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer.)

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On her own two feet: Providing girls in India with hope - and job skills - for a better future

Russia’s all-time favourite Bollywood films

MEA — 10/05/2013 18:06:07

Indian cinema celebrates its centenary this year. To mark the occasion, RIR has put together a Top 10 of the most popular Bollywood films among Russian cinemagoers.

Russia and India Report: Natalya Fedotova

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’s film Dharti Ke Lal has the honour of being the first Indian film to be dubbed into Russian. It was released way back in 1949, when Stalin was still around. However, it wasn’t until the mid-1950s and the epoch of Raj Kapoor films that Indian movies became a staple of Soviet cinemagoers, says Vladimir Shevardenidze, lead editor at the Russian television channel India TV. By the time of the collapse of the USSR, no fewer than 226 Indian films were screened in the cinemas of the country.

The most popular Indian film throughout the entire Soviet period was Awaara, in which Raj Kapoor was both director and lead actor. "Back then, Raj Kapoor was what we’d call a sex symbol,” says cosmetologist and huge Bollywood fan Alyona Kuznetsova. The film was shot in India in 1950, but the black-and-white masterpiece didn’t hit Russian screens until four years later, where it promptly racked up 63.7 million ticket sales. Only two films in the history of Soviet-period film managed to attract more viewers – The Magnificent Seven (with 67 million tickets sold) and the Mexican film Yesenia (91 million). But Awaara was the undisputed champion among Indian films.

Coming a close second on our list behind Awaara is Bobby, which was released in the Soviet Union in 1975. A total of 62.6 Soviet moviegoers queued up to watch the modern-day Cinderella story about Bobby, a beautiful girl born into poverty, and the rich ‘prince’ who falls in love with her. Little wonder it was so popular among Soviet audiences.

"But this tearjerker chick flick had nothing on the most popular Indian film ‘for the lads,’” recalls long-time Bollywood aficionado Ilya. He is, of course, talking about Disco Dancer. The legendary film might only have managed to make it to number 8 in the list of the most popular foreign films in Soviet cinema history, but it has remained a favourite among the generation of men that was growing up in the Soviet Union at the time thanks its numerous fight scenes, an enthralling plot and excellent music. "All the lads would be singing ‘Jimmy Jimmy, Aaja Aaja’ from the soundtrack. We also learned how to snap our fingers really loudly – just like the guy in the film does,” Ilya added. The film was watched by 60.9 million people.

Fourth place goes to Pramod Chakravorty’s action thriller Barood. The film tells the story of Anup, who as a boy witnessed the murder of his father. Committing the faces of those responsible to memory, he vows to avenge his father’s death. Fourteen years later, Anup has started to carry out his plan, but in a twist that tugged on the heartstrings of Soviet moviegoers, he unexpectedly falls in love with the daughter of one of the murderers. Barood brought in 60 million viewers, only slightly fewer than Disco Dancer.

Speaking of heartstrings, the film Seeta aur Geeta had the whole country in tears. The plot revolves around identical twin sisters Seeta and Geeta, who were separated at birth and have very different fates; Geeta is abducted by gypsies and becomes a wandering street performer, while her sister is raised by their rich uncle, whose fortune she stands to inherit. Somehow, after a series of hilarious adventures and misunderstandings, the sisters meet. The film was so popular – 55.2 million Soviet citizens paid to see it – that a pair of Siamese twins born in Kyrgyzstan (or the Kyrgyz Republic as it is now known) was given the names Seeta and Geeta by their parents.

The dramatic story of a woman called Deviyani (from the film Mamta) who first married a man she didn’t love and then abandoned her own daughter, reached Soviet screens in 1969 and drew a cinema audience totalling 52.1 million people. The audience for Phool aur Patthar was just a little less, at 45.4 million. "For me this film is a symbol of Indian cinema. The tragedy of one person and, of course, a great love,” says Anna Kolchina. The plot tells the story of a city struck by a terrible illness which takes the lives of hundreds of people. Many of its residents leave, including the family of the young woman, who is left on her own in poor health in a large house. A thief gets into the house, but when he sees the dying girl he looks after her, and the girl recovers. She does not want to forgive her family, who left her to die.

The list of the ten most popular Indian films in the USSR ends with Duniya and Hamraaz. "I watched that film five or six times. The girls and I even skipped our lectures at the institute for that film,” recalls Maria Kochetkova about Duniya. This film about a despotic mother who prevents her rich son from marrying a poor girl won the hearts of 45.4 million citizens of the Soviet Union. Hamraaz was seen by 42.4 million people.

"Russians like Indian cinema for its cheeky optimism. No matter how difficult the trials, no matter what surprises life brings, everything will still be fine in the end,” says Maria Sergeyeva, a modern fan of Indian cinematography. It’s true that after the collapse of the USSR, Indian films disappeared from the screens of Russian cinemas and moved onto cable channels and into film libraries for fans. Now, Bollywood productions are finding it hard to compete with Hollywood blockbusters in Russia. But Indian film festivals are very successful throughout Russia, and this shows that interest in Indian films in Russia is far from waning.

Incidentally, not long ago a key Russian official, former deputy prime minister Vladislav Surkov, admitted his love for Indian cinema, although he said he now has to keep his feelings secret – it’s not the done thing for a politician to watch colourful Bollywood movies with friends, says the official. But in the past his friends used to accept and share his love of Indian cinema. "We got tickets for Ram and Shyam,” Surkov recalled in his column in Russky Pioneer. According to him, what always attracted him in Bollywood films was their clear distinction between good and evil, their triumphant moral simplicity and the straightforwardness of their ethical choices. In addition, Indian cinema allowed him to "hope for a miracle,” thanks to its incredible stories about children who would get mixed up and lost but in the end would manage to find each other.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Russia’s all-time favourite Bollywood films

Kumbh pots to parade through Britain

MEA — 10/05/2013 17:55:45

Vancouver Desi

Hundreds of Hindus carrying ornate pots known as ‘kumbhs’ will parade through London, Manchester, Leicester and Dudley over the next three weeks.

This will be part of a unique and colourful pilgrimage symbolizing their commitment to protecting the environment.

The ‘Green Kumbh Yatra’ is an international initiative featuring one especially sacred metal kumbh carried across many countries to promote the importance of environmental and biodiversity conservation.

The ‘Green Kumbh Yatra’ was launched last year at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad. It will end at the next convention in South Korea in 2014.

The sacred kumbh has already been greeted in many cities and sacred sites across India as well as in Nepal and Jerusalem. It is now in Britain ahead of a move to the US.

"Spirituality and religion’s role in conservation is as old as time itself. This pilgrimage emphasises the profound connection between the collective wisdom and resources of our faith traditions and their role in conserving biodiversity,” said Kusum Vyas of Green Kumbh Yatra.

"Our aim is to highlight the connection spiritual places such as sacred groves, rivers and mountains, temples, churches, synagogues and mosques have to their environment, and how worshippers are custodians of those environments.”

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Kumbh pots to parade through Britain

Bollywood: The journey from 1913 to 2013

MEA — 10/05/2013 18:01:34

Deutsche Welle

Film critics in both India and in the West have been inclined to dismiss Bollywood cinema as kitsch and without any artistic value. But the fact remains - the Indian film industry is the largest in the world.

Bollywood is a cinema of emotions. "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" (Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad, 2001) is a typical family drama, a love story between beautiful, bubbly Anjali and the charming Rahul, played by Sharukh Khan.

Rahul rebels against the wishes of his strict and arrogant father Yash by deciding to marry Anjali who is from a lower social standing. Many tears are shed in the three-hour long film until Rahul and Yash are finally reconciled.

Like many Bollywood films, it sweeps its audience into a fantasy world where the gap between rich and the poor disappears, where the disparities between social status and background are won over by the power of love.

It’s a world in which traditional values such as honesty, respect for elders and hard work still count. This is a film which also reflects the generational conflict in modern India.

Shubra Gupta, a film critic in Delhi, explains that a love of Bollywood unites Indians. "I think that Indian film is the most democratic medium that we Indians have. Everybody can watch a Bollywood film. Whether he does this for a few rupees in a small village cinema or in a huge, luxurious multiplex in one of the big cities, it’s the most important form of entertainment for the masses."

The films also play a role of informing and educating, as well as entertaining. Today, a third of the Indian population still cannot read or write.

From 1913 to 2013

On April 21, 1913, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke released the first Indian film, the mythical "Raja Harishchandra." Female roles were played by men in women's costumes - acting was considered an immodest profession for women.

Nobody would have imagined at the time that the Indian film industry would one day become the largest in the world.

Early Bollywood films revolved mainly around the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and good doses of musical and dance elements. Moreover, Javed Akhtar, one of the most popular Indian poets and scriptwriters, explains that many traditions from folk theater then found their way into the cinema. "Music and dance have been an integral part of our culture for 4,000 years: regardless of whether actors are called Ramlila, Krishnalila or Nautanki. There was theater in Urdu or the theater tradition of the religious community of Parsis, which saw huge success in their time. Every Indian story in history has music and dance elements. Those who don't like it don't have to bother watching our films."

The "golden age" of Hindi film was in the 1950s. Directors such as Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt examined serious issues such as the rural exodus and the new Republic of India’s uncertain political future. Their social criticism made Indian films popular not only at home but also in other parts of the world, including China and Russia.

In the 1970s, Bollywood gained popularity across the world thanks to the superstar Amitabh Bachchan. In action-packed films, he played the character of the "angry young man" who fought against social injustices and clashed with the mafia. His films were popular in Turkey and in parts of Africa and he still has a fan base today in Morocco, Uganda, Tunisia and Kenya.

In the 1980s, the anger against society was continued in love films with the fresh faces of Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. Instead of succumbing to their fate, a couple whose families disapproved of their love decided to fight for its happiness. Till death if need be.

And in the 1990s, plots became a bit more realistic. Mani Ratnam's "Bombay" in 1995 examined the tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India’s financial hub. The same director’s "Dil Se" focused on separatism and terrorism.

In the early years of the 21st century films such as "Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India" and "Dirty Picture" won worldwide critical acclaim.

14 million cinema visits a day

According to the European Audiovisual Observatory in Brussels, 1274 films were produced in India alone in 2011, more than in Hollywood. An estimated 14 million people go to the cinema every day in India.

Although strictly Bollywood films, which are produced in the city of Mumbai, make up only a small percentage of Indian films, they are what the world understands as Indian cinema. However, the Indian film industry as a whole, with many centers and regional languages, has a large economic weight.

Shubhra Gupta says that Bollywood has changed in the past 10 years. "There's not just one Bollywood. There are still classical family sagas with intrigues and tears. But then there’s a Bollywood which doesn’t want to give up on traditional ways of telling a story but integrates new elements. And then there’s a third radical strand."

Anurag Kashyap belongs to this radical generation. "I think Hindi cinema could do a lot if it just tried. We’re still producing a majority of love and family dramas, sometimes action films with themes of revenge. If we do make realistic films, they are so arty that they’re boring. I don’t want to be boring or to create a fantasy world that nobody can identify with."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Bollywood: The journey from 1913 to 2013

In India, they learned how to assemble solar lanterns

MEA — 08/05/2013 14:27:56

El Periodico/ by By Claudia Mendez Villasenor

Isabella Torres Medina (39) and Catarina Mejia (41), members of the Xeputul Community located at 25 kilometers from San Juan Cotzal, Quiche, find it hard to believe that only 23 days back they were in Tilona, a city in western India, along with other ten women from different developing countries. None of the two women knows how to read and write; neither do they speak Spanish nor English. However, they both accepted challenge of attending a training programme dedicated to people like them; illiterate middle-aged women who live in remote areas located at ten kilometers from the nearest power plant.

"We heard about the project, we feared about the same time. The community leaders and Auxiliary Mayor went to Izabal to learn about the experience of two women who had traveled to India and had come back very satisfied”, they told through a translator.

The community chose them to receive the training course which started on Septmeber 16, 2012 and ended on March 14, 2013.

According to the Embassy of India in Guatemala, the course is delivered through the use of signs, sounds, hands and sight. "It is not about teaching the scientific concepts of Solar Energy. On the contrary, the instructor places the components of a solar lantern on top of a table and teaches them how to assemble these”.

After their return to Quiche, the two women have volunteered to share their knowledge with members of other villages. During the next weeks, they will be receiving the set of solar lanterns that they will have to install and administer in Xetupul II.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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In India, they learned how to assemble solar lanterns

Many Canadian Businesses Missing Out on India’s ‘Hottest’ Sectors

MEA — 09/05/2013 09:37:04

Conference Board of Canada urges increased trade

Epoch Times/ By Justina Reichel

More Canadian businesses need to take advantage of trade opportunities with India, especially in the country’s "hottest” economic sectors, a new report suggests.

The report, titled "Hottest Prospects for Canadian Companies in India,” was released Tuesday by the Conference Board of Canada’s Global Commerce Centre and outlined several key advantages to increasing trade with India.

"Few Canadian companies have taken full advantage of the rapidly growing Indian economy,” said Danielle Goldfarb, the Conference Board’s Associate Director, Global Commerce Centre.

"But Canadian firms are world leaders in some of India’s ‘hottest’ economic sectors. Canada’s demonstrated strengths in other markets could be adapted and applied to India’s needs.”

India, the world’s second most populous country, represents 7 percent of the global economy and is projected to comprise 11 percent by 2030. The country’s young population and growing middle class offer "tremendous opportunities” for Canadian businesses, says the report.

In 2012, India announced that it would allow greater foreign investment in relatively closed sectors, such as retail, airlines, insurance, and broadcasting. Though these efforts at reform still face challenges, Canada’s particular economic strengths make it well positioned to align with India’s available sectors.

Some sectors, however, present more opportunity than others due to their growth potential and relative openness to Canadian commercial activities.

The sectors that present the most opportunity for Canadian businesses include autos, machinery, transport, education, energy, communications, retail, food products, and financial services.

Trade with India also presents an attractive alternative to Canada’s traditional trading relationships such as with the U.S., which has stagnated amidst the recent recession, says the report.

Though India’s economy is currently the 10th largest in the world, it is expected to move up to fourth largest by 2020, according to World Bank estimates. India’s economy has also shown rapid growth over the last decade, averaging 9 percent real annual growth in the period 2003-07, 7 percent over 2008-11, and 5 percent in 2012.

Less than one percent of Canada’s goods exports currently go to India, but this is expected to increase sharply after a trade deal between the two countries is slated for completion later this year.

Two-way Canada-India trade currently totals less than $5 billion. However, both countries have already committed to increasing bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2015.

In February in New Delhi, the federal government completed the seventh round of negotiations toward a Canada-India comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

"Our government is committed to building on our already-strong ties with India to create a partnership that will lead to jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity for workers in both our countries,” Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, said in a statement.

"More than a million Canadians of Indian origin is clear proof of how both business and people-to-people ties are helping us deepen the Canada-India relationship.”

Ottawa has identified core economic opportunities in India in the energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and education sectors. A Canada-India joint study concluded that a trade agreement between the two countries could boost Canada’s economy by at least $6 billion.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Many Canadian Businesses Missing Out on India’s ‘Hottest’ Sectors

Canadian exporters need to find India’s sweet spots

MEA — 08/05/2013 10:12:46

The Globe and Mail/ By Danielle Goldfarb

Wayne Gretzky famously described how he was taught to "skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” Gretzky – to many, Canada’s greatest export – was talking about hockey, but the same principle applies to Canada’s trade. Many Canadian companies are still skating to where the puck has been, and missing many of the places where it is going.

India, for example, accounts for less than 1 per cent of Canada’s trade and investment, according to official estimates. Yet, India accounts for 7 per cent of the world economy today. It is expected to rise to 11 per cent by 2030 and to 18 per cent – almost one-fifth – of the world economy by 2060, according to OECD estimates.

So how do more Canadian companies actually start taking advantage of opportunities in fast-growth markets such as India? A good starting point is to identify sectors of the Indian economy that land in the "sweet spot” – they are sizable, dynamic, fast-growing, and present relatively few barriers to Canadian businesses.

A new Conference Board study, "The Hottest Markets for Canadian Companies in India,” finds many fast-growing, sizable, profitable, dynamic sectors. But despite two decades of economic reform, much of India’s economy remains relatively closed to foreign activity. So the study’s final list of hottest markets includes only those fast-growth sectors that are relatively open to Canadian business.

The final list includes eight Indian service sectors, 10 manufacturing sectors, and eight resources or agricultural sectors. In many of these hot markets, Canada has demonstrated international commercial strengths.

These industries include:

Infrastructure and related activities. India has massive infrastructure needs and plans. This sector is relatively open to foreign activities. Canadian companies that, for example, provide engineering and design services, or machinery or equipment, can take advantage.
The auto sector and supply chain. Canada has expertise in all aspects of the auto sector. India’s auto sector is massive, growing at a dramatic pace, and is relatively open to investment and trade (though there are still tariffs and other barriers). Expertise and products developed for the U.S. market can be adapted to India’s needs.
Services. Canada has demonstrated international commercial strengths in services. In fact, key services have been Canada’s fastest-growing exports over the past decade. India’s services sector is massive. Hot sectors include telecommunications and banking, both areas of Canadian strength. The services sectors are more closed to foreign investment than manufacturing, though the government has recently announced "big bang” reforms in a range of services such as retail, airlines, insurance and broadcasting.

Doing business in India can be extremely difficult. India ranks toward the bottom of the World Bank’s ease-of-doing-business measure – number 132 out of 185. And India is geographically distant, compared with the large economy next door in the U.S.

The challenges in India are tremendous, but so are the long-term opportunities. India’s growth prospects are far above the meagre rates seen in Canada’s traditional trade partners. With a free-trade deal in the works, and an investor protection agreement negotiated (though on hold on India’s side), Canada has started toward removing barriers for its companies in India.

The gap between Canada’s current trade profile and where it needs to go is wide. But Canadian companies have demonstrated strengths that they could adapt and apply to fast-growth markets such as India. In other words, Canadian businesses know how to skate. More of them need to skate to where the puck is going.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Canadian exporters need to find India’s sweet spots

Plastic waste can be recycle via construction materials

MEA — 06/05/2013 16:33:09

Waste Management World

Mr. Prashant Lingam and his wife Ms. Aruna Kappagantula, founders of Bamboo House of India are replacing bricks with trash plastic bottles to build sustainable homes. On record, a mud-filled plastic bottle is no less strong than a brick. They have chosen a material which is very cheap and available in abundance. Mr. Lingam says, "Housing shortfall in India stands today at 148 lakhs dwelling units and we hope our innovative technique will help bring it down," reported The Indian Express. A plastic bottle house costs quarter of the money required to build a conventional house. This house built on 225 sq.ft looks like an ordinary home, but it differs in many ways - both Mr. Lingam and Ms. Kappagantula claims the sand filled bottles are stronger than ordinary cinder blocks.

They further add, "The structure has the added advantage of being fire proof, bullet proof and earthquake resistant. In terms of strength, performance is equal to bricks and may be better too. We will be shortly sending the bottle wall panels for testing to IIT, Delhi. We hope the results will help us to refine the process".Apart from price difference, this house also scores on the heat factor. Excess use of cement generates a lot of heat. The house was built with less than eight bags of cement and it is expected to last a lifetime, and definitely not less than 30 years.By partnering with IIT-Delhi, National Institute of Design and the National Mission on Bamboo Application helped in zeroing in on certain technical aspects for both Mr. Lingam and Ms. Kappagantula. They did face challenges in getting enough empty bottles and also getting the structure right but this partnership has helped them a lot. They plan to promote the bottle technology for mass rural housing as raw material would be locally available and labour is cheap. A small house of 200-400 sq.ft in a rural area can be constructed at less than Rs.50,000. From environment view point, this house definitely has an edge in scoring better compared to conventional housing.

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Plastic waste can be recycle via construction materials

Raja Harischandra: Celebrating the Centenary of India's First Feature Film

MEA — 06/05/2013 16:35:39

The Huffington Post/ by Vamsee Juluri

If "Bollywood" could be given a birthday, it might well be May 3, 1913. It was on this day, one hundred years ago, that D.G. "Dadasaheb" Phalke presented before an audience at the Coronation Theater in Bombay his movie Raja Harischandra.

For a film culture that has come to be described as "escapist" and with scant regard for reality and truth, India's first feature film could not have had a more surprising subject. Raja Harischandra recounted the ancient story of a king who always stood for truth. After losing his kingdom, his wife, and his son and suffering innumerable sorrows, all to keep up the promise he made to a sage, the noble king is finally redeemed when the gods (and the sage) reveal that it was all just a test. Not surprisingly, the story of King Harischandra was a favorite of another great believer in truth from the early twentieth century, Mahatma Gandhi.

For nearly two decades after the release of Raja Harischandra, Phalke and other pioneers of Indian cinema brought the timeless stories of India's religious traditions to life. Audiences delighted in watching the familiar antics of the child Krishna, or the mighty Hanuman, on screen. It wasn't just entertainment either. In the fascinating way in which the secular and the sacred entwine themselves in India, the films also reflected in many ways the fervent nationalist -- and reformist -- trends of the time. Phalke himself was a sincere nationalist, driven by a desire to create a truly Indian cinema that reflected its traditions and aspirations -- and yet, for this he was inspired by a screening of a movie about Jesus Christ. Indian cinema's eclectic religiosity, in my view, like India, to a large extent, wasn't exclusionary in the least. By the 1930s, as the talkies began, film-makers around the country began to make feature films in a variety of languages, marking the foundations of the other major regional film centers as well (which today are called "Tollywood," "Kollywood" and so on). They made stories about the gods too, and the saints, and often saw in them a very similar message of love, justice, and most of all, equality, that the Mahatma was advocating at that time.

Today, Indian cinema has become one of the largest film industries in the world. While the films of today seem less overtly influenced by the ideals of great men like Gandhi, the fact remains that India's film culture and political culture remain deeply reflective of each other in many ways. For one thing, more film stars have been elected to political office in India than in any other democracy than I know of, and it is not just a matter of charisma. Indian cinema's stories, themes, casting, and sensibilities have often reflected changes in the country's politics as well. Now, as India's film industry enters its second century, it would be worth thinking about what sort of a cultural vision its creators can offer the nation, and the world, in the years ahead. It may not quite be the sort of vision that can get Hollywood renamed as "Hombay" as Salman Rushdie recently said on the Bill Maher show, but it could be a vision that tells us that art, religion, and democracy can all coexist, and inform each other, and our lives a little more than commerce alone. That would perhaps be the greatest tribute to Dadasaheb Phalke, the "Father of Indian Cinema," and to the many great artists who have followed him in creating this wonderful world of mean.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Raja Harischandra: Celebrating the Centenary of India's First Feature Film

India's Patently Wise Decision

MEA — 14/05/2013 12:01:02

The Jordan Times/by Joseph E. Stiglitz and Arjun Jayadev

The Indian Supreme Court’s refusal to uphold the patent on Gleevec, the blockbuster cancer drug developed by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis, is good news for many of those in India suffering from cancer. If other developing countries follow India’s example, it will be good news elsewhere, too: more money could be devoted to other needs, whether fighting AIDS, providing education, or making investments that enable growth and poverty reduction.

But the Indian decision also means less money for the big multinational pharmaceutical companies. Not surprisingly, this has led to an overwrought response from them and their lobbyists: the ruling, they allege, destroys the incentive to innovate, and thus will deal a serious blow to public health globally.

These claims are wildly overstated. In both economic and social-policy terms, the Indian court’s decision makes good sense. Moreover, it is only a localized effort at rebalancing a global intellectual-property (IP) regime that is tilted heavily toward pharmaceutical interests at the expense of social welfare. Indeed, there is a growing consensus among economists that the current IP regime actually stifles innovation.

The impact of strong IP protection on social welfare has long been considered ambiguous. The promise of monopoly rights can spur innovation (though the most important discoveries, like that of DNA, typically occur within universities and government-sponsored research labs, and depend on other incentives). But there often are serious costs as well: higher prices for consumers, the dampening effect on further innovation of reducing access to knowledge, and, in the case of life-saving drugs, death for all who are unable to afford the innovation that could have saved them.

The weight given to each of these factors depends on circumstances and priorities, and should vary by country and time. Advanced industrialized countries in earlier stages of their development benefited from faster economic growth and greater social welfare by explicitly adopting weaker IP protection than is demanded of developing countries today. Even in the United States, there is growing concern that so-called hold-up patents and me-too patents – and the sheer thicket of patents, in which any innovation is likely to become entangled in someone else’s IP claims – are diverting scarce research resources away from their most productive uses.

India represents only about 1-2% of the global pharmaceutical market. But it has long been a flashpoint in battles over expansion of pharmaceutical companies’ global IP rights, owing to its dynamic generics industry and its willingness to challenge patent provisions both domestically and in foreign jurisdictions.

The revocation of patent protection for medicines in 1972 greatly expanded access to essential medicines, and led to the growth of a globally competitive domestic industry that is often called the "pharmacy of the developing world.” For example, production of anti-retroviral drugs by Indian generic manufacturers such as Cipla has reduced the cost of life-saving AIDS treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa to just 1% of the cost a decade ago.

Much of this globally valuable capacity was built under a regime of weak – in fact, non-existent – protection for pharmaceutical patents. But India is now bound by the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS agreement, and has revised its patent laws accordingly, causing widespread anxiety in the developing world about the implications for global provision of affordable medicines.

Indeed, the Gleevec decision is still only a small reversal for Western pharmaceuticals. Over the last two decades, lobbyists have worked to harmonize and strengthen a far stricter and globally enforceable IP regime. As a result, there are now numerous overlapping protections for pharmaceutical companies that are very difficult for most developing countries to contest, and that often pit their global obligations against their domestic obligations to protect their citizens’ lives and health.

According to the Indian Supreme Court, the country’s amended patent law still places greater weight on social objectives than in the US and elsewhere: the standards of non-obviousness and novelty required to obtain a patent are stricter (especially as they pertain to medicines), and no "evergreening” of existing patents – or patent protection for incremental follow-up innovations – is allowed. The court thus reaffirmed India’s primary commitment to protecting its citizens’ lives and health.

The decision also highlighted an important fact: Despite its severe limitations, the TRIPS agreement does have some (rarely used) safeguards that give developing countries a certain degree of flexibility to limit patent protection. That is why the pharmaceutical industry, the US, and others have pushed since its inception for a wider and stronger set of standards through add-on agreements.

Such agreements would, for example, limit opposition to patent applications; prohibit national regulatory authorities from approving generic medicines until patents have expired; maintain data exclusivity, thereby delaying the approval of biogeneric drugs; and require new forms of protection, such as anti-counterfeiting measures.

There is a curious incoherence in the argument that the Indian decision undermines property rights. A critical institutional foundation for well-functioning property rights is an independent judiciary to enforce them. India’s Supreme Court has shown that it is independent, interprets the law faithfully, and does not easily succumb to global corporate interests. It is now up to the Indian government to use the TRIPS agreement’s safeguards to ensure that the country’s intellectual-property regime advances both innovation and public health.

Globally, there is growing recognition of the need for a more balanced IP regime. But the pharmaceutical industry, trying to consolidate its gains, has been pushing instead for an ever stronger and more imbalanced IP regime. Countries considering agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership or bilateral "partnership” agreements with the US and Europe need to be aware that this is one of the hidden objectives. What are being sold as "free-trade agreements” include IP provisions that could stifle access to affordable medicines, with a potentially significant impact on economic growth and development.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India's Patently Wise Decision

India's literacy rate rises to 73 per cent as population growth dips

MEA — 01/05/2013 15:31:52

Daily Mail

This is one slump in growth rate that the nation can rejoice over. According to the Census of 2001- 2011, India's population has grown at 17.7 per cent as against 21.5 per cent in the decade.

The country's population at present is 1.21 billion, an increase of 181.96 million since 2001. What is even more comforting for the country's planners is the fact that female growth rate has been better than male growth rate.

The male population has gone up by 90.97 million, against a rise of 90.99 in the population of females over the last 10 years.

The rate of growth of the female population is 18.3 per cent, while the male growth rate stands at 17.1 per cent, according to the final census released by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday.

While there has been a 3.8 per cent drop in the overall growth rate, there is still scope for improvement as 14 states and Union Territories have registered over 20 per cent growth in population figures.

Among the major states, Bihar has recorded the highest decadal growth in population (25.4 per cent), surpassing West Bengal, which occupied the first position in 1991-2001. More than two-third of the country's population lives in rural areas.

As per census 2011, 833.5 million people live in rural areas, while 377.1 million people live in urban centres.

Delhi has the highest proportion of urban population at 97.5 per cent.

Top five states in terms of urban population are Goa (62.2 per cent), Mizoram (52.1 per cent), Tamil Nadu (48.4 per cent), Kerala (47.7 per cent) and Maharashtra (45.2 per cent).

The literacy rate in India has risen to 73 per cent in comparison to 64.8 per cent in 2001.

While male literacy rate stands at 80.9 per cent, which is 5.6 per cent higher than the previous census, the female literacy rate has been recorded at 64.6 per cent, an increase of 10.9 per cent since 2001.

The gap in literacy rate between urban and rural areas and between males and females has also declined.

In Census 2011, the gap stands at 16.3 points. India's sex ratio in 2011 stands at 943 (females against 1000 males), which is 10 per cent more than the last census, when it was 933.

Haryana has the worst sex ratio at 879, while Kerala is the best at 1,084.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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India's literacy rate rises to 73 per cent as population growth dips

ATN Launches Channels in Partnership with India's Largest Broadcaster

MEA — 02/05/2013 22:50:51

broadcastermagzine.com

Asian Television Network International Limited, Canada's largest South Asian Broadcaster, is pleased to announce the launch of 5 Canadian channels in collaboration with India's largest Terrestrial Broadcaster Doordarshan, popularly known as DD.

Doordarshan is India's most Powerful Broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati and is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in the World in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters and is a multi-billion dollar organization.

ATN has signed Licensing Agreements with DD under which it has been granted exclusive rights to the five television services, namely DD India, DD News, DD Bharati, DD Urdu and DD Sports.

ATN-DD India: DD India is an Indian satellite television channel which is marketed towards Indian audiences living abroad, and offers an update on the social, cultural, and political aspects of India. The channel features original programming, such as dramas, comedy-series, talk shows, documentaries, and re-runs of popular TV shows from other Indian television channels. The programming on this channel continues to be done in a manner to enable it to meet its primary objective of providing a window to the world especially for the Indian diaspora to witness the Indian social, cultural, political and economic scene.

ATN-DD News: The DD-News channel is India's only 24 hours terrestrial news channel which telecasts over 16 hours of live news bulletins daily in Hindi and English. News Headlines, News updates, breaking news on the scroller are regular features on this channel. DD News also carries Stock and Commodities indices throughout the day in an automated delivery mode, accessing information from NSE & BSE and leading commodity exchanges like NCDEX, MCX, etc.

ATN-DD Bharati: acts as a Cultural Heritage of India. Besides programmes on adventure, quiz contests, fine arts/paintings, crafts and designs, cartoons, talent hunts, etc., it also telecasts MERI BAAT an hour-long phone-in 'live' show with young people. Programmes emphasizing on a healthy life style and focusing on prevention rather than cure, both in our traditional and modern forms of medicine are the highlight of the channel.

ATN-DD Urdu: is a general interest Urdu channel encapsulating heritage, culture, literature, information, education & societal issues specific to the Urdu speaking audience.

ATN-DD Sports: DD Sports is India's only free-to-air sports channel and provides coverage to various international and domestic sports including Cricket, Football, Hockey, Tennis, Archery, Athletics, Kabaddi, Swimming, Badminton, Wrestling, Kho-kho and other indigenous games. The channel also covers events organized by different Sports Federations and Association in India.

"India is the World's largest democracy and has a population of over a Billion People. We are delighted to be associated with the launch of India's Official National Broadcaster Doordarshan which is similar to the BBC in the UK and CBC in Canada" said Dr. Shan Chandrasekar President and CEO of ATN, "We have aggressive plans to add substantial value to our Diaspora and enhance our strong Customer base on Cable, Satellite and Credible distributors across Canada" he added.

"I am delighted that Asian Television Network (ATN), Canada is going to launch five channels of Doordarshan, the national television service of India, in Canada. This is yet another significant step taken by ATN to connect the vibrant Indian diaspora in Canada with news, culture and sports from their motherland, India. It fulfills a long felt need and demand among Indo-Canadians to view Doordarshan's programmes" said Honorable Mrs. Preeti Saran, Consul-General of India in Toronto. "This important development would not have been possible without the pioneer leadership of its President & CEO Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, a truly global Indo-Canadian, who has been an important bridge builder between India and Canada" she added.

Doordarshan enjoys the widest reach with 48 million TV Households and also enjoys 62% penetration in A, B & C category Cable & Satellite homes in India.

"In Canada, Indians form one of the most respected and professionally accomplished communities who have kept their cultural roots intact while adapting to Canada and we have been striving to connect with the international audience rapidly. It gives me immense pleasure to announce our relationship with ATN for meeting this objective by distributing five of our main channels in Canada" said Shri Tripurari Sharan, Director General, Doordarshan. "Both ATN and DD have walked the extra mile in making this happen and I hope that this effort will help strengthen the feeling of togetherness through Doordarshan channels which are rich in cultural values, art, music, dance, entertainment and depict the crucible of culture, India has been for millennia" he added.

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ATN Launches Channels in Partnership with India's Largest Broadcaster

Former Indian envoy's wife contributes to Ethiopia’s eyecare

MEA — 01/05/2013 15:40:23

Two Circles / By Hadra Ahmed

Ethiopia, with one of the highest blindness prevalence rates in the world, will soon get a major boost in medical treatment facilities with the opening of a state-of-the-art ophthalmology centre initiated by the wife of a former Indian ambassador to this East African nation.

The OIA India Eye Care Centre has been initiated by Neeru Singh, wife of former envoy Gurjit Singh. The centre will start operating in two weeks. The project is funded by the Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (OIA) Infrastructure Developers PLC as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, and is part of the OIA Africa Health and Welfare Endowment.

The construction of the Indian centre took almost over a year and cost a little over $3 million. It rests on a 2,000 square metre plot of land in the premises of the Zewditu Memorial Hospital in Taitu Street of Addis Ababa. The construction was undertaken by a local contractor while Hosmac India Plc, an India-based company, established in 1996 with an experience in hospital planning and design, was the consultant.

In an agreement signed in April 2011 between the OIA and the Addis Ababa City Health Bureau, it was said that the centre will be equipped with modern diagnostic and clinical medical equipment. The equipment will be imported from India, said Bhabani Shankar, manager and country representative of OIA eye care centre.

"Treatment for cataract, glaucoma, reflective error, medial retina, as well as training and education at a low cost will be available," Shankar told IANS.

Ethiopia, with a population of around 85 million people, also has an estimated five million people suffering from visual impairment.

Although over 80 percent of blindness and visual impairment cases in the region are preventable, thousands of people continue to lose their sight because currently there are only two hospitals in the country that offer eyecare services.

The Indian centre will be able to conduct over 5,000 eye surgeries annually, Shankar said.

Currently, the health services in Addis Ababa serves only 45 percent of the city's population of 2.9 million, according to the health ministry.

Before the construction of the Indian eye care centre, the OIA had donated $50,000 to the archbishop of the Ethiopia Orthodox church in 2008 for the construction of a school dormitory and an orphanage.

Established in 2008 in Ethiopia, the OIA has been participating in various works. It has offices in India, Mozambique, Sudan and Benin.

The OIA has also helped in the construction of a sugar factory with $350 million, and has been awarded the design and survey of the Mekelle-Djibouti railway line for $78 million.

Economic and commercial relations between India and Ethiopia are centuries old and can be traced back to the past 2,000 years of recorded history. In recent years, business ties between the two countries have grown significantly, especially in infrastructure projects.

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Former Indian envoy's wife contributes to Ethiopia’s eyecare

Bollywood celebrates 100th Birthday

MEA — 03/05/2013 18:24:13

Business Recorder/ By Shoaib-ur-Rehman Siddiqui

One hundred years after the screening of a black-and-white silent film, India's brash, song-and-dance-laden Bollywood film industry celebrates its centenary later this week. The milestone will be marked with the release of "Bombay Talkies", made up of short commemorative films by four leading directors, while India will be honoured as "guest country" at next month's Cannes festival.

Exhibitions in the capital New Delhi are showcasing a century of cinema, including onscreen kissing scenes that originally fell foul of the censors. It is also a time for reflection on how the industry has evolved, from its early screen adaptations of Hindu mythology to the garish romantic escapism of modern blockbusters.

Commercially, cinema is thriving: India produced almost 1,500 movies last year and the industry is expected to grow from $2 billion to $3.6 billion in the next five years, according to consultancy KPMG. Leading the way is Hindi-language Bollywood, which took the "B" from its home in Bombay and won the hearts of movie-mad Indians. But old-timers complain that it has become superficial, neglecting to deal with pressing social concerns of the age.

"There's a dumbing down that has taken place in the content. I think we are suffering from what is called the narrative crisis," said veteran director and producer Mahesh Bhatt. He contrasts modern filmmakers with Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, known as the "father of Indian cinema", who brought the first all-Indian feature film to the silver screen in Bombay (now Mumbai) on May 3, 1913.

A tale from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, "Raja Harishchandra" quickly became a hit despite its female characters being played by men - women acting was still widely frowned upon. Phalke made more than 100 films until his silent style fell victim to "talkies" in the 1930s, but the advent of sound technology allowed India cinema to flourish.

Bollywood plotlines today can involve stars breaking into song, often in picturesque far-flung locations, apropos of nothing - a style that may bemuse a Western audience, but one that helps to set Indian cinema apart. "If it was exactly the same thing as Hollywood, Hollywood would have run us over. We don't have that money," said film critic Anupama Chopra.

For her and many others the "golden age" of cinema was the 1950s, when movie greats emerged such as Satyajit Ray, India's most renowned filmmaker, who hailed from the alternative film hub of West Bengal. It was the era of newly independent India, searching for an identity and producing films such as Mehboob Khan's 1957 hit "Mother India", which combined social concerns with popular appeal.

The 1970s and 80s saw a growing commercialism with the rise of the "masala" movie - a family entertainer that typically mixed up romance and action, songs and melodrama, a comedy touch and a happy ending. Parallel Cinema continued to focus on realism, with films such as Mahesh Bhatt's "Arth" (Meaning) in 1982, a gritty tale of an extramarital affair that presented strong female characters.

It was a path-breaker in a decade described as the "dark ages" of Hindi cinema, which struggled with the advent of colour television, rampant piracy and dependence on the Mumbai underworld for funding. Things improved after India's economy opened up in the early 1990s, and again a decade later when filmmaking won formal "industry" status. Both steps encouraged foreign firms, such as Fox and Disney, to invest in Bollywood.

But subsequent leaps in technology have not been matched by advances in storytelling, say critics, who lament the formulaic plots, passive roles for women and the copying of Hollywood. Bollywood's escapist fantasies have long held mass appeal because "there's enough realism in the common man's life", said Bhatt.

But with ever more TV shows, the Internet and easily available global films, such movies may no longer meet the demands of the educated middle-class. This expanding group "wants to see something better than trash which caters to the common man who drives auto-rickshaws. They want to see a different kind of cinema," said veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. A new crop of experimental filmmakers has started to appear, such as "Hindi indie" darling Anurag Kashyap who is a fixture on the global film festival circuit.

Trade analysts say the growth in multiplex cinemas has also encouraged mainstream films to diversify: a surprise hit last year was "Vicky Donor", a romcom about sperm donation. Raj Nidimoru is co-director of upcoming "Go Goa Gone", one of India's first zombie films, and he believes the move away from staple Bollywood is only just beginning. "This is just a ripple right now, it's going to become a wave."

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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Bollywood celebrates 100th birthday

Historic sites renovated with Indian aid

MEA — 29/04/2013 11:09:31

The Himalayan Times

India’s Ambassador to Nepal, Jayant Prasad, today inaugurated a project involving renovation and restoration of historical and cultural sites located in Lalitpur district at a public function in Napichandra Mahabihar.

The project includes renovation and restoration of Napi Chandra Mahabihar, Daubahal Gate, Farmer’s Society House, Pavilion at Indrayani Park, Garden at Machhindra Bahal and a crematorium at Shankhamul, the Embassy of India said in a press release.

Representatives from the local administration, community leaders as well as members of Society for Development of Lalitpur (SDL) and a large number of local people attended the function. The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) executed the projected in consultation and coordination with local users’ committee and SDL at a cost of Rs 32.6 million.

The renovated site, Lok Kirti Mahabihar, has already been inaugurated. "The project underlines the importance that India accords to the preservation and promotion of the rich cultural and historical heritage of Nepal, which is in the spirit of strong and close bond between the two countries,” it stated. In addition to this project, four other restoration projects with Indian assistance of Rs 92.2 million are underway in Lalitpur. India has also provided 10 ambulances and six school buses in the district.

The India-Nepal Economic Programme has an outlay of over Rs 65 billion with more than 425 small and large development projects completed or currently being implemented in almost all districts of Nepal. "These development projects, mainly in the sectors of education, health and infrastructure development, have been undertaken in response to local needs, in partnership with the Government of Nepal,” the embassy said.

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Historic sites renovated with Indian aid

National free access to The Cochrane Library in India: Freedom may end at midnight…

MEA — 29/04/2013 11:13:09

Weekly Blitz/ by Professor (Dr) Prathap Tharyan

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) created history in February 2007 when India became the first and only low-income country in the world with a national subscription to The Cochrane Library.

This initiative of the ICMR to purchase a national license was widely hailed as an exemplar of responsible leadership in health-research governance, as it gave all people in India with an internet connection free access to the online collection of reliable evidence-based resources to aid health decisions. Easy access to trust-worthy summaries that synthesize all relevant evidence, and that is not influenced by the marketing manipulations of drug companies, is the key step in evidence-informed health care; as it facilitates the working together of public and private health providers and their patients to better understand treatment options.

The increased use of the resources in The Cochrane Library over the three years of the national provision led to the ICMR renewing the subscription for India-wide free access for a further three years to January 2013. This renewal created history again, since India became the first middle-income country in the world with a national provision; having moved in the interim from being a low-to a middle-income country. The current national provision expired on 31 January 2013, and is up for renewal.

Unless the national license is renewed, before the two-month extension granted by the publishers also expires, people in India will have free access to The Cochrane Library only till midnight on March 31, 2013.

Why should India renew the national license to free, one-click access to The Cochrane Library?

Access to trusted evidence to inform decisions for better health

The Cochrane Library is a collection of six databases that is the world’s single best source of reliable and timely evidence for the effects of interventions used in healthcare, and of the accuracy of tests used to diagnose health problems.

One of these is the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) that is produced, updated, and disseminated by The Cochrane Collaboration. This global organisation, founded in 1993 and registered as a charity, is a partnership of more than 30,000 active contributors, nearly 25,000 of who are authors of Cochrane Reviews. Many are world leaders in their disciplines and work in reputed academic institutions and organizations in over 100 countries. These researchers work with editorial teams (Collaborative Review Groups) to produce high-quality summaries of the evidence in the form of systematic reviews. Systematic reviews are scientific studies that follow transparent and pre-stated methods to identify all relevant research studies on a specific topic; assess them for limitations in their methods that could result in misleading results; and, if appropriate, combine the results of similar studies using statistical techniques called meta-analyses that provides averaged estimates of the effects of the interventions compared in all the relevant studies. The results for important outcomes are also summarised in tables that link the numerical results with the confidence that these estimates are likely to be true; generalizable; and not altered significantly by further research.

Cochrane Reviews compare the effects of pharmacological, non-pharmacological, and public health interventions, as well as the manner in which health services are organized and delivered. Some assess the accuracy of tests used for screening and diagnoses of health conditions. Cochrane Reviews are powered by rigorous, constantly evolving methods that have pioneered and driven the field of research synthesis. Cochrane Reviews are also independent of funding from the pharmaceutical industry, and are judged to be more reliable than non-Cochrane systematic reviews.

The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) contains abstracts of systematic reviews published in other journals; many provide a quality-appraised, structured summary prepared by the Center for Reviews and Dissemination at York in the UK.

The Cochrane Library is thus a one-stop portal to the full records or abstracts of most of the systematic reviews published in the world.

The world’s largest database of controlled clinical trials

The Cochrane Library also contains The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the world’s largest database of published and un-published randomized controlled trials. This register is compiled through contributions from Collaborative Review Groups; the Cochrane Centers and their branches worldwide; and others within the international Collaboration.

Other databases provide records of economic evaluations, health technology assessments, and of studies evaluating research methods.

No other single resource can match The Cochrane Library for the scope and quality of data provided to guide health decisions.

The Cochrane brand: Trusted evidence for better health

The Cochrane Collaboration represents the health-research and health-services equivalent of The Human Genome Project, according to an article in The Lancet. The Cochrane Collaboration is a Non-Governmental Organization in Official Relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and has a seat on the World Health Assembly. This provides the Collaboration an opportunity to influence the way research evidence is generated and used by the WHO in developing policies and guidelines for use worldwide.

The Cochrane Collaboration enters the 21st year of its existence as the world’s leading provider of independent, trusted, high-quality systematic reviews, and derivative products, to inform health decisions.

It’s steady growth and global influence is a vibrant testament to the view that, "with collaborative partnerships, rigorous scientific methods and a principled approach, evidence of, by, and for the people, can indeed be a reality.”

Evidence of the people, by the people, and for the people

The evidence in The Cochrane Library is about the health conditions that affect all people; and embodies the efforts of many millions of people with diverse health conditions who consent to participate in research that may, or may not, directly benefit them. It also reflects the efforts and skills of researchers who conduct the primary studies and of those who synthesize the results. To ensure that this collaboratively-generated body of evidence is actually made available to everyone is a priority for The Cochrane Collaboration. The abstracts of all Cochrane Reviews are free to everyone in the world to read, but access to the full text of these high-quality reviews and to the other content in The Cochrane Library requires a subscription. The Collaboration and its publishing partner, Wiley-Blackwell, have promoted various funded initiatives since 2007 to ensure that people in 109 countries in some of the most impoverished parts of the world have free one-click access to reliable evidence regarding their healthcare needs.

Ensuring that reliable evidence is accessible to all people, particularly to those living in low-income countries with a disproportionate burden of disease and who are most in need of this evidence, yet who have competing priorities for their limited resources, is a major challenge. This is because some countries, who fall in the category of upper, low-income countries, in the World Bank listings, like India did in 2007, do not qualify for free access. This challenge of ensuring wider global access has been complemented by the increasing numbers of provisions funded by governments or other agencies in middle- and high-income countries that now ensure that more than half the world’s population have free access to Cochrane evidence. For example, in 2012, new national provisions were funded by governments in Oman and Egypt; and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia funded the renewed licence for Australia-wide access to The Cochrane Library for the next five years.

These examples signify the importance placed by governments, of ever increasing numbers of countries, in Cochrane evidence; and for wide-spread access to this evidence.

True leadership facilitates the realisation of the vision of others that are aligned to achieve mutual objectives. The SASIANCC salutes the ICMR and the Department of Health Research for exemplary leadership in research governance that facilitated considerable progress towards achieving the vision of The Cochrane Collaboration: that all health decisions (in India, the region, and the world) will be informed by reliable evidence. So much more remains to be done and world continues to need visionary leadership to achieve better health outcomes for all people.

For value of money, I believe that the ICMR and the Department of Health Research can do very little to better the impact on health that renewal of the national license can achieve in India

(The views expressed above are the personal views of the writer)

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National free access to The Cochrane Library in India: Freedom may end at midnight…

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