How to Apply For Unique ID From Indian Govt

India's ambitious Unique ID project dubbed "Aadhaar", which aims to give every Indian citizen a unique number mapped to biometrics, was launched on Wednesday in the Nadurbar district of Maharashtra.

The Technoholik.com team got a sneak peek at the UIDAI (Unique ID Authority of India) tech centre in Bangalore, to tell you everything you need to know about the enrolment process.

The setup

The enrollment officer (EO) sits at right angles to you and enters data into a laptop. The insight of the Aadhaar team here is that the person getting enrolled must see what is being entered.

Thus there's a monitor in front of you, which mirrors the enrolment officer's screen so that you can point out spelling mistakes or other errors. If the person getting enrolled is illiterate, he or she can nominate someone to accompany and verify.

There's a small laser printer behind the EO's laptop and a webcam, fingerprint reader and iris scanner account for the remainder of the hardware setup. Unless, of course, you count the light bulb hanging from the ceiling and a white "roll-up" chart behind you for the "passport photo studio" effect!

Compulsory information

Name (first and last name compulsory but middle name optional), Gender (Male/Female/Transgender) and Date of Birth are the compulsory fields.

Whereas postal address is also required, it's more for the sake of mailing your UID number than strictly being a proof of residence. The EO asks you for a PIN code and the city/district fields are automatically populated. The rest of the address is entered manually.

Supporting documents

The UID team acknowledges the fact that a large number of people may not have any supporting documents to prove their identity. In this case, one is allowed to bring another resident who is already in possession of an Aadhaar number to be an "introducer" by vouching for the person seeking to enroll. Of course, there is scope for fraud either with a colluding introducer or by just using fake supporting documents.

However, the whole point of Aadhaar is that one can only fake one's identity once and this prevents large-scale "ghost identity" creation, which is the bane of most Indian government schemes.

The great PAN (Permanent Account Number with the Income Tax department) card scam after all involved a single person creating thousands of different PAN numbers.

Photograph

A photograph is taken of the person getting enrolled, purely for the purpose of printing it out on the enrolment receipt, so that illiterate residents have some way of knowing that the receipt indeed belongs to them. Beyond that, the photograph serves no biometric or authentication purpose.

Biometrics

First there's an iris scan where you look into a binocular-like device held up to your eyes by the EO. After that it's the four fingers of each hand, followed by both thumbs (a process familiar to those entering the US) for your 10 fingerprints.

The wait

The EO makes you review the data entered one final time before giving you a laser-printed receipt. Whereas the residents of Tembhali, the "Aadhaar village", were to get their numbers today, the rest of us won't be that lucky.

We'll only get to walk away with our receipts and have to wait for the actual number to be delivered by India Post!

via tecnoholik.com

Sudden Outbreak of Hepatitis A Epidemic in Agartala

Agartala, Sep 30 : Authorities have issued alert among both health establishments and citizens following spread of Hepatitis A virus in Agartala and its adjacent areas over the past two months.

According to report, as many as 32 positive cases of Hepatitis A were detected among 45 random samples collected from Agartala during the past two months. Experts have advised to drink water after due purification and filtering.

Dr RK Dhar, Director (Preventive Medicine), Tripura, said here today that though Hepatitis A was not as dangerous as the other strains of the virus, it could develop serious complications unless the patient was given proper medication.

''All the hospitals and nursing homes have been advised to keep a close watch on the patients who complain of common symptoms of the Hepatitis virus and preventive measures have been made mandatory in all the health clinics to contain its spread,'' Dr Dhar stated.

Meanwhile, the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura (HFT) stated that they had already launched campaign and vaccination programme across the state as a preventive measure.

HFT has been administering Hepatitis B vaccine, as people of Mongoloid origin have been identified to be more susceptible to the deadly Hepatitis-B.

''In India 2-7 per cent of the population is affected by Hepatitis. However, China has achieved 100 per cent success in preventing infection at birth as early as 1995,'' HFT officials said.

India's Holiest River 'Ganga' To Become Dry

There will be no Ganga after 25 years: Shekhar Kapur

Mumbai, Sep 30 : Internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur feels that the water crisis will get worse in future and if things continue as they are then after 25 years the Ganga will disappear too.

The filmmaker appealed to the people of India and rest of the world to conserve water which, he said, is a social commodity and a fast depleting natural resource.

"Almost 80 percent of the world is water stressed. We need to understand that we have crossed a danger mark and we need to do something about it. If we don't, then in the coming years we won't be able to use water like we do today," Kapur told reporters Tuesday.

"If we don't start taking steps now, we will be remembered by our future generations as the people who ruined our natural resources. Water is a very important natural resource.

"Things are so bad that even Ganga will become a seasonal river at this rate in the next 25 years and might not even be there later. It's shocking but true."

There is a need for strong remedial measures to save and conserve water or the world as we know it may not survive, he said, sounding the loud alarm bell.

Kapur, 64, has lent his support to We Are Water Foundation set up by bathroom brand Roca for water conservation in India.

"I have always tried to attach myself to awareness programmes for water conservation. My next film ('Paani') is also about water and I'm very happy to support this organisation and this initiative," he said.

Explaining his own involvement, Kapur said he would join any sustainable effort to conserve water and "even if my mere presence makes any difference, I shall gladly join it."

"Water is the responsibility of each and every individual on earth, not just the state. Of course, it is the duty of the state to make adequate arrangements for supplying safe drinking water, but each of us also needs to check our own consumption levels and not waste it," Kapur said.

Kapur urged that it is time for the governments to not only focus on mega-engineering feats like the proposed 'garlanding of rivers' in India, but also strongly encourage and promote water harvesting and watershed management techniques, water conservation especially the ground water tables, and check consumption and deforestation all over the country.

At the event, the documentary "Aral: The Lost Sea" by director Isabel Coixet with participation by Sir Ben Kingsley was also screened.

The foundation will promote awareness and debate amongst the public and organisations on the need to create a new culture of water to permit the fair development and sustainable management of the world's water resources. They will also support various cooperation projects in collaboration with NGOs and other bodies.

Source: IANS

Ayodhya Ram Lalla Site Goes to Hindus

Remaining Land Split Three Ways

Lucknow, Sep 30 : The Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled by majority that the disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts and distributed among the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the party for 'Ram Lalla', said lawyers.

Quoting the judges, senior lawyer and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the main Ram Lalla Virajman place, where the idols of Ram have been kept, will go to the Hindus. The remaining land has been divided three ways -- to the Sunni Wakf Board, the Akhada and the Hindus.

The court said since Ram is a deity, the place has significant interest as far as hindus are concerned. Justice S U Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal & Justice D V Sharma carried the proceedings to pronounce the judgement in the Ayodhya title suit.

In a split verdict, the three member judge of the Lucknow bench of the High Court of Allahabad High Court on Thursday ruled that the place where the Ram idols are placed will go to the Hindus.

However, the court gave a substantive part to of the land to the Sunni Wakf Board. The remaining land will go to the Akhada.

The Babri Masjid Committe said it was disappointed with the verdict and would move the Supreme Court. Meanwhile K N Bhatt lawyer of Ram Lalla said there was no time limit for passing a final decree. The Allahabad HC has decreed that status quo will be maintained at the disputed site for the next three months.
The historic Ayodhya verdict was delivered 18 years after the demolition of the Babri Majid on December 6,1992.

The landmark 60-year old Ayodhya title suit verdict was delivered by the three-member Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court comprising Justice D V Sharma, Justice SU Khan and Justice Sudhir Agarwal.

Briefing the media after the judgement was delivered, the District Magistrate of Lucknow Anil Sagar said:

The judgement is available at www.allahabadhighcourt.in or www.rjbm.nic.in

Ayodhya dispute: claims and counter-claims

Here are the claims and counter-claims of the contestants in the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute:

Birthplace of Hindu god Ram:

- Hindu litigants say the disputed site in Ayodhya is the birthplace of Ram.

- Muslim litigants argue there is no historical, archaeological or religious proof for this. They say even Hindu religious bodies and 'akharas' in Ayodhya are not unanimous on this issue.

Ram temple:

- Several Hindu organisations claim a Ram temple was built at the site in 10th-11th century A.D. This was destroyed to raise the Babri mosque in the 16th century.

- Muslim groups say there is no historic evidence to back this. According to them, Turkish sultans found a mound at Ram Kot in Ayodhya in 1194.

Temple or mosque:

- Hindu groups claim the Ram temple was razed by Mir Baqi, a general of Mughal emperor Babar, to build a mosque in 1528.

- Muslim groups say there is no evidence to back this assertion.

Archaeological evidence:

- The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which carried out excavations, said in a 574-page report that there were distinctive features associated with a 10th centrury north Indian temple beneath the Babri mosque site.

- Muslim groups and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board challange the ASI findings. They say the ASI ignored the discovery of glazed tiles and pottery, besides two graves, which proved that Muslim settlements existed there even before Babar's time.

Possession rights:

- Muslim groups claim they have held the title of the land at the site for centuries. They say that regular prayers were offered at the mosque till Dec 22, 1949.

- Hindus argue that Muslims got possession of the site during Babar's time.

Legal limitation:

- Hindus argue that the Rule of Limitation applies to the suit filed in 1961 by Muslim litigants and organisations. Muslims protected their title though adverse possession.

- Muslim groups argue that they have the legal title. One cannot go back to several centuries ago on the argument of adverse possession.

Here is the time line of the dispute:

1528: The mosque at the site was built by Mir Baki, a noble in the court of Mughal emperor Babar. The Hindu community claimed it was built on a temple which marked the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. This contention festered over centuries.

1949: In the end of December 1949, idols of Lord Ram appear inside the mosque, allegedly put by Hindus. There are widespread protests and both communities file cases, Hashim Ansari for Muslims and Mahant Paramhans Ramchandra Das for Hindus. The government declares the site disputed and locks the gates to it.

1950: Mahant Paramhans Ramchandra Das and Gopal Singh Visharad file suits in Faizabad, asking for permission to pray before the installed idols. The puja is allowed though the inner courtyard gates remain locked.

1959: Nirmohi Akhara and others file a case, seeking permission again to conduct puja.

1961: Sunni Central Board of Waqfs in Uttar Pradesh files a case claiming the mosque, and said the surrounding area was a graveyard.

1984: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad forms a group to continue the movement. L K Advani is made the leader of the campaign.

February 1, 1986: Faizabad district judge orders the gates of the structure be opened for Hindus to offer prayers. Babri Masjid Action Committee formed soon after this.

1989:The then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi allows shilanyas or a ground-breaking ceremony in an undisputed site close to the structure. The hearing of the case is then shifted to the High Court.

September 25, 1990: Then BJP president L K Advani launches a rathyatra from Somnath to Ayodhya to campaign for the issue countrywide.

November 1990:Advani's rath is stopped and he is arrested in Samastipur, Bihar. Following this, the then V P Singh government, supported by the Left and the BJP falls as BJP withdraws support.

December 6, 1992:The disputed structure is demolished by kar sevaks and a makeshift temple put in its place. PV Narasimha Rao's Congress government then moves court for status quo.

March 5, 2003: The Allahabd High Court orders the Archeological Survey of India to excavate the disputed site to ascertain whether a temple existed where the mosque stood.

August 22, 2003: ASI submits its report to the Allahabad High Court. The 574-page report said the agency found features of a 10th century temple beneath the masjid site.

August 31, 2003: All India Muslim Personal Law Board announced it would challenge the ASI report.

July 26, 2010: The Bench reserves its judgement and asks all parties to solve the isue amicably. But no one is keen.

September 8, 2010: The High Court announces verdict would be delivered on September 24.

September 14, 2010: A writ is filed to defer the judgement but is subsequently rejected by the High Court.

September 23: The plea for an out-of-court settlement reaches Supreme Court and the apex body says it will hear it again on September 28.

September 28: Apex court rejects petition for deferment and gives the go-ahead to the Allahabad High court to deliver the judgement. The High Court chooses September 30 as verdict day.

Source: India Syndicate/Agencies

All You Wanted to Know About CWG

Commonwealth Games 2010 has been more about scams, scandals, squabbling and a myriad of controversies, rather than the sports itself. Shaking off all the muck associated with the games, MSN India brings to you a dummies guide to the event. Trace the timeline of CWG history, or find out how many medals India won in a decade's participation at the games. We have also compiled the five best moments from the history of CWG.

What is Commonwealth Games?

To understand what Commonwealth Games, we must first decipher the word 'commonwealth.' Commonwealth, which was earlier known as British Commonwealth pertains to a group of 54 nations. All but two of these nations were once under the British Empire.

Collectively, the commonwealth nations are also known as the commonwealth family. Commonwealth Games is an event where all the nations in the family come together and participate in various sports. Thus, the games are a multi-sport event. Commonwealth games are held in every four years.

The games are overseen by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). CGF decides the sporting programme and also chooses the venue where the games are to be held.

History of Commonwealth Games

1891 - An Englishman, Astley Cooper first moots the idea of a sporting event bringing together all the nations which were once under the British Empire. The objective is to foster good understanding and promote goodwill.

1911 - Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom took part in Inter-Empire Championships held in celebration of the coronation of King George V. The competition includes sports like wrestling, boxing, swimming and athletics.

1928 - Canada's Melville Marks Robinson asked to organize the first British Empire Games.

1930 - The first games held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1942 & 1946 - The Games were not conducted due to World War II.

1954 - The name of the Games was changed to British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Women started competing in athletic events as well.

1970 - The name was changed again to British Commonwealth Games.

1978 - The Games was given its current name - Commonwealth Games.

1998 - CWG in Kuala Lumpur saw team sports including cricket, hockey, netball and rugby being included.

2014 - The Games to be held at Glasgow, Scotland.

Best moments of Commonwealth Games

Roger Bannister v John Landy , Vancouver 1954

Many regard it as the 'Miracle Mile' race. Both the runners broke the four minutes barrier, which itself was a record. Landy led the race but with just a few moments to go Bannister went past Landy to win a historic race.

Barry McGuigan winning in Edmonton 1978

Barry McGuigan became a hero in his homeland, Ireland. The youngest member in his team, Barry all of 17 years went on to win the gold medal in the bantamweight class.

Allan Wells's dead heat with Mike McFarlane in Brisbane 1982

English runner Mike McFarlane and Scotsman Allan Wells created a piece of history when both of them crossed the finishing line in exactly the same time. The 200 meters sprint ended in a dead-heat. It was the first and the only time a gold medal was declared in a dead-heat.

Ian Thorpe wins four gold medals in 1998 Kuala Lumpur

15-year old Ian Thorpe made history when he won four golds in swimming in Kuala Lumpur.

India at Commonwealth Games

2006 Melbourne

Medals Tally

GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
TOTAL

22
17
11
50

Star of the show: Samresh Jung won 5 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze in shooting.

2002 Manchester

Medals Tally

GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
TOTAL

30
22
17
69

Star of the show: Women's hockey team won gold after beating Australia in the final.

1998 Kuala Lumpur

Medals Tally

GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
TOTAL

7
10
8
25

Star of the show: Jaspal Rana wins gold in shooting.

Indians to watch-out for in Commonwealth Games

Vijender Singh and Akhil Kumar (Boxing)

Vijender has already done India proud by winning the bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. CWG will be another opportunity for the pugilist to shine along with compatriot Akhil Kumar.

Bindra, Narang and Sawant (Shooting)

Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang can be banked upon to give us medals in shooting. And in the women's category Tejaswini Sawant looks in form after her gold medal win in the World Championships in Germany.

Sushil Kumar(Wrestling)

Olympic bronze medalist and the recently crowned world champion in Russia, Sushil Kumar would be itching to show his mettle in the CWG.

Commonwealth Disciplines
Aquatics
Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Boxing
Cycling
Gymnastics
Hockey
Lawn Bowls
Netball
Rugby Sevens
Shooting
Squash
Table Tennis
Tennis
Weightlifting
Wrestling

Source: India Syndicate

60 Years For a 60x40 Piece of Land

By M Veerappa Moily

Majesty of the Law

The longest-running legal battle in India is a dispute over the 60 ft by 40 ft land in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid stood till December 6, 1992. Since 1950, five title suits have been in the Allahabad high court, staking claim to the title of the plot of land of the Babri Masjid. Of these, four are to be decided by the Lucknow bench of the high court.

I feel that leaders of all communities, political parties and social groups should start planning to meet the situation because the matter requires the involvement of people at the grassroots level and it does not brook any delay.

The high court verdict will not necessarily settle the issue. Either side could go to the Supreme Court. It is only the first step in the judicial process. Even otherwise, matters of faith are not legally determined.

We have heard in loud voices words like lawful, constitutional and democratic. Analysts agree that the idiom and the paradigm used by either section of the leadership in the late '80s and early '90s to spread their victimhood can no longer serve them. The issue is no longer as inflammable for the youth, from all sections, who say preventing fresh unrest is more important.

Aspirations and hopes of the new generation have changed dramatically from the '90s to 2010. The youth of today are concerned more with bread-and-butter issues than rabble-rousing rhetoric. In these circumstances, the broad-based hope for a mature reaction to the Babri verdict is expedited.

We live in and by the law. In taking rights seriously we offer arguments against legal positivism that judges characteristically feel an obligation to give what we call "gravitational force" to past decisions, and that this felt obligation contradicts the positivists' doctrine of judicial discretion. We insisted that in most cases of hatred there are right answers to be hunted by reason and imagination.

From the Koran: Verses 12: And when it is said to them: Create not disorder on the earth, they say: We are only promoters of peace. Verses 13: Beware! It is surely they who create disorder, but they do not perceive it. Hence, the sacred Koran believes in universal peace and there is no space for violence.

Law exists as a plain fact. In other words, the law in no way depends on what it should be. Why then do lawyers and judges sometimes appear to be having a theoretical disagreement about the law? Because when they appear to be disagreeing in the theoretical way about what the law is, they are really disagreeing about what it should be. Their disagreement is really over issues of morality and fidelity, not law.

In this way, the empire of the law is defined by attitude, not territory or power or process. Law's attitude is constructive: it aims, in the interpretive spirit, to lay principle over practice to show the best route to a better future. It is a fraternal attitude, an expression of how we are united in community though divided in project, interest, and conviction. Finally, it is a reflection of the kind of people we want to be and the community we aim to have.

Our society has been characterised by the quest for this inner truth, for a better future and of the triumph of the community over the individual.

Despite being the ruler of a huge kingdom, Ravana couldn't rule over his inner world. As opposed to him, in the beginning, Rama couldn't become the king of even a small province like Ayodhya; but he was able to rule over his inner self. Unravelling the different phases of dharma, voluntarily retreating into the forest in order to obey his father's word, subduing the demons in order to protect the sages, killing Vali and Ravana -- all these constitute the triumph of dharma.

This is what the Ramayana is about; it is a chronicle of the triumph of dharma. In an individual-centred age, scores of ideals come into being and disappear after some time without leaving any trace behind. But the Ramayana is characterised not by individualistic qualities but the ones of a community, of a whole culture.

Rama, Buddha, Gandhi and such others do not belong to any race, religion or region; they are eternal symbols of those principles that guide us in the evolutionary path. We approach the concept of law as follows: where there is law, human conduct is made in some sense non-optional or obligatory. Thus, the idea of obligation is at the core of a rule. The reason is one has an obligation only by virtue of rule.

Professor G.L. Williams pointed it out very clearly: "The word 'law' stimulates in us the attitude of obedience to authoritative rules that we have come through our upbringing to associate with the ideas of municipal law. Change the word for some other and the magic evaporated. Accordingly these writers felt obliged to embark upon the unprofitable discussion as to the proper meaning of the term 'law'. Where laws do not rule, there is no constitution."

An early -- and famous -- formulation of the dictates of Natural Law was offered by Cicero. True law is right reason in agreement with Nature, it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting, it summons to duty by its commands, and averts from wrong-doing by its prohibitions. And it does not lay its commands or prohibitions upon good men in vain, though neither have any effect on the wicked. It is a sin to try to alter this law, nor is it allowable to attempt to repeal any part of it, and it is impossible to abolish it entirely. We cannot be freed from its obligations, and we need not look outside ourselves for an expounder or interpreter of it. And there will not be different laws in different places, countries or different men.

Lord Donaldson stated: "The efficacy and maintenance of the rule of law, which is the foundation of any parliamentary democracy, has at least two pre-requisites. First, people must understand that it is in their interests, as well as in that of the community as a whole, that they should live their lives in accordance with rules and all the rules. Second, they must know what those rules are."

Absence of clarity is destructive of the rule of law and is unfair to those who wish to preserve the rule of law. It encourages those who wish to undermine it. The Majesty of the Law beacons us to the righteous path of Indian minds.

My six-year-old grandson, Kabir Adkoli, sent me an e-mail depicting a children's park in the middle with sand pits, seesaw, ladder, etc, and a mosque and temple on both sides. It was a response to the present conflict. This is a message of peace from the young mind. This is the mind of the nation which binds us together.

(**The writer is Union Law Minister)

Source: The Indian Express

Finalists From Northeast in India’s Got Talent

The finalists include six performances chosen by the nation and three by the judges’ choice.

Drummer - Teji Toko from Arunachal Pradesh

Shillong Chamber Choir from Meghalaya

Fictitious Dance Group from Mumbai;


Sonjoy Mondol Group from Kolkata and popping and locking expert, Harihar Dash from Orissa.

The talented acts hand-picked by the judges are the Dancing duo,

Diwakar and Sonia from Delhi;
 

Underground Authority – rock band from Kolkata.

Northeast India: Tourists' Delight

A rhino takes refuge on a highland in the flooded Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam. - Ritu Raju Konwar

A view of the Darjeeling Hills. - - Ajay Shah

Loktak Lake, one of the largest natural lakes of the country, 45 km from theManipur Capital, Imphal. - Sushanta Patronobish

Growing demand: Women workers plucking tea leaves in a garden on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam. - Ritu Raj Konwar

Festival season: Just a few days away from "Durga Puja", shop keepers in Kolkata are getting ready for the biggest festival of East. -A. Roy Chowdhury

Nagaland Women Police Officers Guard Commonwealth Games

Nagaland police officers stand guard near the Commonwealth Games headquarters in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010.

AFSPA Extended For 6 Months in Tripura

Agartala, Sep 30 : Tripura has extended for another six months the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), citing militant activities along the border with Bangladesh, an official said Wednesday.

"Though terrorism has come down in Tripura significantly, the government is averse to taking any chances for some more time," a home department official told IANS.

The controversial anti-terror law enacted 52 years ago gives sweeping powers to the security forces to curb terrorism.

"In some areas of the state bordering Bangladesh, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) are active," the official added.

Of the 64 police stations in Tripura, the AFSPA is in force in 34 police stations and partially in six since 1997.

"The state level coordination committee, supervising the anti-insurgency operation, reviewed the overall situation and suggested to extend AFSPA's term by six months. The government has accepted the recommendation," the official said.

Human rights activists and tribal based political parties describe the act as "draconian" and want its repeal.

"Innocent people are victimised by security forces in the name of anti-insurgency operations," Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT)spokesman Shrota Ranjan Khisa said.

Director General of Tripura Police Pranay Sahaya has refuted charges of human rights violation.

"The success of Tripura in curbing terrorism was discussed in the conference of directors general and inspectors general of police in Delhi last month," he told reporters.

He quoted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as saying that Tripura was the best governed state in the country in terms of curbing terrorism.

Besides Tripura, the AFSPA is also in force in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, where rights activists and political parties have been struggling to revoke the law.

In view of the outcry against AFSPA, the central government had appointed a five-member committee headed by Supreme Court judge B.P. Jeevan Reddy to examine the necessity of the act.

After visiting the concerned states, the committee submitted its report to the government in October 2006 but its findings have not been made public.

Connecting The Northeast With Prosperity

Emerging East: A Business Line feature.

Set for a new rise:The potential of the North-Eastern States can be tapped only by building sound financial and physical connectivity with the other States.

Since Independence, the socio-economic development of the Northeast has taken place in a stop-go fashion.

Assam – the biggest State in the region – had a per capita income higher than that of India in 1950-51. But, by 1980-81 it fell behind in growth rate.

This created a gap in per capita income of Rs 749, which widened to Rs 3,776 in 2000-01 (1993-94 prices) and further to Rs 7,632 in 2007-08 (1999-00 prices). The per capita income in the North Eastern region on an average is Rs 12,918 as compared with the national average of Rs 17,947 at current prices of 2001-02. Some smaller States have done better in the last decade, but a lack of investment by private and the public sectors have meant a far slower growth than the country.

Assam has enjoyed relative prosperity due to the tea and oil businesses, as also its connectivity with the rest of India, while the other States have fallen behind. But with enormous forest and hydropower resources at their disposal, and a 4,500 km-long international border with four countries available for trade, the growth potential remains huge. The weak borders ensure easy cross-border movement of people and goods, though the actual volume of trade remains very low at each instance. A large portion of this low volume commerce goes under the Government's radar, mainly because the traded utilities have very small sizes per transaction. But there can be huge benefits by developing the region as a channel for exports of domestically manufactured goods. It will also attract private investment for bringing industry into the area.

Railway network

A transformational step towards development of the region would be building an extensive Railways network. Since it is cheaper to carry heavy freight by rail compared with airways and roadways, a good rail network would give a strong boost to the region by making businesses more viable and reducing the cost of business by increasing market access to the rest of India.

For this a line across Bangladesh, as mooted by the Government, is most feasible. But given larger political concerns, the 37-km long wide Siliguri corridor could also be utilised better. Currently, only one broad gauge line passes through the corridor carrying both passengers and goods and touches only Assam and Meghalaya. The rest of the region has only metre or narrow gauge lines, which offer too few connections.

The North Eastern Council and the Central Government's North-East Vision 2020 underline these facts. In its vision for development of the region, it recognises how the region can “connect Myanmar and through it to China and South-East Asia. Develop transit routes through road, rail and inland water cargo across Bangladesh to the rest of India.”   It also calls for the creation of a hospitable investment climate for private investment as an important element in the strategy for the development of transportation, power through hydro, coal, bio-fuel, besides communication in the region.

Prepared by the National Institute for Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), the Vision 2020 document estimates an investment of Rs 2,11,613 crore in the 11 thPlan period (2007-12), which is two and a half times the 10 thPlan investment.

Besides, it calls for further investment of Rs 5,05,499 crore and Rs 6,12,779 crore in the 12 thand 13th Plans. Though the Planning Commission has targeted a more modest 11 thPlan expenditure of Rs 1,83,018 crore in the region, the higher target of the Vision 2020 can be achieved with significant private investment.

Financial infrastructure

A sound financial infrastructure is also essential. The growth of financial services in the region over the past decade have been painfully slow compared to the other parts of India which perhaps goes to show why economic development has been slow in the North-East.

According to the RBI, in the 2002-10 period, only 223 bank branches have come up in the eight States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. More than half of this has come up in Assam alone. Compare this to 3,325 new bank branches opened in the four southern States.

South India's emergence as a hub for economic activity, over the last decade, is not just a coincidence. Increasing number of banking facilities has made financial services more accessible to the people and contributing to a healthier atmosphere for development. From major commercial hubs to small towns, South India dominates India's list of top 200 centres in terms of credit and deposits. However, the absence of easy availability to capital and financing has subdued the entrepreneurial spirit of the North-Eastern region. North-Eastern centres lag behind in the list of top 200 centres in India according to size of Gross Bank Credit. The region's top representative in the list is Guwahati at number 34 with a Gross Bank Credit of Rs 6,042 crore. One would have to go down to 139 on the list to find the next North Eastern city, Shillong with a Gross Bank credit Rs 1,050 crore. The size of deposits too fails to attract many private banks towards the region.

In the list of top 200 centres in India according to size of deposits, Guwahati is the highest ranked North Eastern centre at number 23 with total deposits of Rs 16,618 crore. Shillong at number 72 is the next North Eastern centre with total deposits of Rs 4,620 crore.

The numbers are very low a for a region with 3,88,57,769 people accounting for nearly four per cent of India's total population. Such small numbers fail to attract banks to invest in branches. But things are moving in a different direction. Commercial activity at present remains confined to Guwahati because of its connectivity to the rest of India. But with industries such as tourism, rubber and cement starting to come up in Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim, opportunities for development have been opened up.

New commercial centres

However, to capitalise on the opportunity, connectivity across the region needs to be improved. Movement of commercial traffic needs to be simplified for the creation of new commercial centres.

To catch up with the India's per capita income, assuming that India's GDP grows at nine per cent constant, the North Eastern States have to accelerate their collective Gross State Domestic Product (DSDP) growth rate from the present level of 5.34 per cent to 12.95 per cent during 11th to 13th Five-Year Plans, according to the NIPFP estimate.

The acceleration starts from 10 per cent in the 11th Plan to 16.37 per cent in the 13th Plan. By 2020, the average per capita income of the North Eastern States will be equal to that of India's at Rs 87,459 from the base level of Rs 22,139 (2006-07), a rise of about 400 per cent.

Heidi Klum & Seal's Naked Makeout Video (NSFW)

Seal has a sexy new video for his song 'Secret,' thanks to the participation of wife Heidi Klum, naked.

The love song features a video of the two, shot in black and white, with lots of kissing and caressing and mutual nudity.

Scroll below the video for stills.