Money Spent By Army on Northeast Pictorial Trilogy Under Scrutiny

By Shyamlal Yadav & Ritu Sarin

New Delhi, Aug 14 : A three-volume work on the Northeast published by the Indian Army last year is under scrutiny over the money spent on the exercise. In reply to an RTI application by The Indian Express, the Army revealed that the pictorial volumes had cost it Rs 93.15 lakh, possibly the highest ever amount spent on a publication project by it.

Author Kunal Verma, however, pointed fingers at the change of guard from General V K Singh to General Bikram Singh, saying “Phase Two” of his project had been put on the backburner since the former Army chief demitted office on May 31. Verma’s father, Maj Gen (retd) A K Verma, was among those who filed a PIL in the Supreme Court against Bikram Singh’s appointment along with retired Navy Chief L Ramdas, former IAS officer M G Devasahayam and four others.

Under Phase Two, the trilogy would have been translated into major vernacular languages and distributed in schools throughout the country. The estimated cost of publishing 10,000 sets for each state: Rs 30 crore.
Officials in the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the money spent on the publication was currently under “scrutiny”. In addition, the RTI reply stated, the Army spent approximately Rs 50,000 on each of the six functions held to release the book, while Verma was paid approximately Rs 25,000 to attend each of them.
V K Singh had attended three of these functions, including on January 15 in New Delhi on Army Day and in Kolkata on May 19, a few days before his retirement.

In the RTI reply, the Army said the volumes “have been published under arrangements of the Indian Army to promote the Northeastern region”. “The Indian Army periodically undertakes publication of books and miscellaneous literature for strategic and national security purposes and for consumption of internal environment — the details of which are exempted from disclosure under RTI.”

Questioned about the money spent on his project, Verma (the volumes were co-authored by his wife Dipthi Bhalla) said it was hardly exorbitant given the “scope”. Of the over Rs 90 lakh, he said, Rs 57 lakh was paid to the printing press for 6,000 sets of the volumes, and he and his wife had spent almost three years working on them.

According to Verma, the funds, in all probability, came from the “perception management” funds of Military Intelligence.

He added that the proposal discussed with V K Singh (when he was posted as Eastern Army Commander in Kolkata) also conceived a “Phase Three” — including an exposition and exhibition on the Northeast in several cities and a few foreign countries.

Claiming there had been complete silence from the Army the past few months, Verma said: “I am happy I achieved Phase One and that the trilogy was published by the Army. Now the ball is in the court of the new Army Chief. I feel if they do not move on the original plan of bringing out vernacular editions, the money spent on Phase One will all be wasted.”

Indians, Geography, Northeast India & Mary Kom

By Sinlung

Amitabh Bachchan's Twit: which he later clarified....

Where do we start? geography, politics, under-development, unrepresented?

The twit says it all...Assam, Manipur, Northeast India. Where is it? China? Maybe in Katmandu.

Mary Kom, thank you for giving mainland Indians a lesson and good luck with the fight today.

POWERLESS: Northern Grid Fails Again in India

India's northern and eastern power grids fails, leaving about half the country without power.





For a second day running the Northern power grid collapsed today leaving the national capital in the dark but this time the Eastern power grid also buckled.

The national capital went black today with passengers aboard the Metro services having to patiently wait in the trains until electricity supply resumed. Train services across states in the north and east were badly hit.

Yesterday seven states stopped receiving electricity early in the morning as the Northern power grid collapsed and was restored only after a few hours. Today the Northern power grid collapsed around 1.07 pm and the Eastern power grid collapsed soon after.

CNN-IBN reported that the fault could take five to six hours to resolve.

2.09pm: It has now been confirmed that 12 states have been affected by the grid collapses. Meanwhile a statement from the power ministry has said that essential services be restored in the next two hours. This would translate to power for hospitals, VVIP areas, trains etc. There is still no word on when power to homes and offices will be restored.

As many as 300 trains in North India alone have been affected by the collapse of the Northern and Eastern grids, with many more trains likely to have been impacted in the Eastern states.


The CPRO Northern Railways, Neeraj Sharma, speaking to CNN-IBN, said they will try to run some trains and make alternative arrangements like diesel power. The Delhi and Kolkata Metros are also not running.

The reason for the grid failures in the North and East have reportedly been caused because frequency has dipped below the optimal level. However officials have been unable to identify exactly where the fault has occurred., so it will take more time for them to get the grids back up and running. Meanwhile officials have said that Delhi’s VVIP areas will receive 100 MW of emergency power.

Massive power failure in North India: Delhi metro services hit

New Delhi, Jul 30 : Seven states in North India have been facing a long power cut since late Sunday night. Due to a massive breakdown in the northern grid, the main power source for the affected states, there has been a massive power outage.

The affected states are Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

There is no power in Delhi and its neighbouring states since 2 am reports IBN-Live. According to the report, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that it’ll take another one and a half hour’s time to restore power. “My officers are on the spot. The fault is found near Agra. It will be corrected in one and a half hour time,” he said.

Thousands of commuters in the Delhi Metro will face a harrowing time on Monday morning as services of all the lines of the Metro have been disrupted due to tripping of power supply.

Train services on the 190-km Metro network connecting length and breath of the national capital were affected due to The Northern Grid failure also caused power cuts in large parts of Delhi.

“Metro service will not be available today (Monday) till the supply is restored as it is a major Northern Grid power failure,” a Delhi Metro official said.

The Delhi Metro normally operates over 2,700 trips a day, covering about 70,000 km and carrying around 1.8 million passengers on week days.

PA Sangma: A Chair too far?

Sangma is pinning his hopes on the support of his fellow tribal members of Parliament, state lawmakers, “conscience votes” and even miracles to become President

By Liz Mathew

New Delhi: When P.A. Sangma was demitting office as labour minister in 1995, his office staff wanted to give him a going-away present. Asked what he wanted, Sangma replied he would like to take away his office chair.

The staff duly completed the formalities and presented Sangma the cane and wooden chair—a gift he has preserved until now.

Sangma as chief minister of Meghalaya in 1988 .(India Today images)

The anecdote may illustrate Sangma’s love for positions of power, which the chair, known as kursi in Hindi, has come to symbolize in Indian politics.Like the Congress’ Pranab Mukherjee, the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA’s) candidate in Thursday’s presidential election, Purno Agitok Sangma rapidly climbed up the power ladder after he entered national politics in his 30s.

Born in the village of Chapathi in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, a fortnight after India won independence, Sangma was politically savvy enough to grab the opportunities that came his way in the Congress party, which was eager to project him as a symbol of its pan-India presence.

Always directly elected to Parliament (he has been elected to the Lok Sabha for eight terms), Sangma was minister of state for industry, commerce, home and labour before becoming chief minister of his state in 1988.Re-elected to Parliament in 1991, he served as minister for coal, labour, and information and broadcasting before becoming speaker in 1996. Interestingly, Sangma was unanimously elected speaker at a time when his party, the Congress, was in the opposition. He was expelled from the party in 1999 for raising the issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origins, and went on to found the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar, who were expelled from the Congress for the same reason.

As an MP in 1998 (Hindustan Times)

But now, at 64, Sangma is no party’s candidate in the presidential election he is fighting as an independent, winning the support of some opposition parties with sheer political enterprise.With his daughter Agatha Sangma, a Lok Sabha member and minister of state in the Congress-led coalition government, and a few close aides lending him support, Sangma began his campaign from Bhubaneswar, where he secured the support of Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal.

As an independent presidential candidate drumming up support in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh .(Rajeev Gupta/AP)

His next stop was Chennai, where he won the backing of Tamil Nadu CM and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J. Jayalalithaa. Neither Patnaik nor Jayalalithaa are part of a broad alliance at the national level.The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was clueless about its strategy in the presidential election, had no option but to back Sangma after it failed to persuade former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to join the race.
In his pursuit of the president’s office, Sangma hasn’t hesitated to play the tribal and Christian cards. At his meeting with Patnaik, he presented his credentials as a tribal with aspirations to become India’s first citizen, aiming to strike a chord with Patnaik’s main support base of tribals.

With Congress MPs (from left) S. Krishna Kumar, Maharani Bibhu Kumari Devi and former governor of Meghalaya M.M. Jacob in 1991. (Hindustan Times)

Accused by some of being an opportunist in taking the Hindu nationalist BJP’s support for his presidential race while being a Christian, Sangma turned the argument on its head by stating that being Christian made it easy for him to forgive. “Forgiveness is the essence of Christianity... We don’t go by small incidents here and there,” he told reporters in New Delhi, in response to critics who pointed to the perceived anti-minorities stance of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological parent of the BJP.Though he has always held positions of power and been popular in his constituency Tura—from where he won the first of his eight Lok Sabha terms in 1977—the one possible black mark against Sangma is that he abandoned leaders who trusted him and held him in high esteem.
Many Congress politicians still can’t forgive Sangma for what they see as his betrayal of Sonia Gandhi. “She had full trust in his ability to lead the Congress in the north-eastern region. She was deeply hurt by what he had done,” said a Congress general secretary, who did not want to be named.

Spinning a wheel at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 6 July.(Ajit Solanki/AP)

In pursuit of his presidential election, he has left the NCP and Pawar, who didn’t back his candidacy. “He can’t accept any leaders nor can be a disciplined leader. He gives too much importance to himself, which will not work in politics and when you have to work in a party framework. If you are in politics, you will have to learn to respect leaders,” said Kumar Gyanendra, general secretary of the NCP youth wing. The youth wing has launched an internal party campaign to put pressure on the party leadership to eject his daughter Agatha from the NCP.“It shows Sangma’s dual political stand. He lets his daughter campaign against the UPA candidate while she continues to be a minister,” Gyanendra said.

Another NCP leader, who has worked closely with Sangma for almost a decade, said he would be a better president than Mukherjee because he knows “the pulse of the people and he is thorough with the legislative process and the Constitution”. The leader declined to be named.

The BJP, which surprised everyone by throwing its weight behind the former Congress leader, has several reasons for supporting him.

“Sangma has got everything that makes a president virtuous and deserving enough to get our support. He is from the North-East and belongs to a minority community. He has...done a lot for the poor in his own state Meghalaya. Sangma has vast political experience and his acceptance is beyond the boundary of ideology,” BJP spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.

“We may admire the personal quality of Mukherjee, but it is our democratic dharma to support those fighting corruption and air their disapproval of UPA alliance of corrupt governance. Hence, Sangma stand(s) out as the tallest leader in the presidential election,” Vijay said.

His cherubic face, hearty laugh, quick wit, boundless enthusiasm and a spotless political career have won him many friends and admirers. A chain smoker until a few months ago, Sangma also loves his food and drink. The family home is open to all.

“I think people love his simplicity, his nature as an approachable person,” said James Sangma, one of his two sons. Although his father has been a disciplinarian, life at home is fun when he is around, James said. “I have always been impressed by his integrity, principles and sincerity,” added James, a legislator in the Meghalaya assembly.

The numbers in the electoral college do not favour Sangma; Mukherjee has already been assured of more than 60% of the votes.

Sangma is pinning his hopes on the support of his fellow tribal members of Parliament, state lawmakers, “conscience votes” and even miracles. “Yes, miracles can and do happen in this world,” Sangma said, when a suggestion was made that only divine intervention could help him win.

Elizabeth Roche and Sahil Makkar contributed to this story.

Pranab Mukherjee 2 Set of Signature

Indian Mainstream Media News channels are not considering enough Pranab Babu's two sets of signature.

If that's Sangma's, the image would appear on TV screen day and night.

And Pranab should say he uses two set of signatures.

Simply asking, 'Can I forge my own signature?' is insufficient.

Sangma needs clarification regarding these two sets of signature.

North-East Faces Flood Fury, North India Left Parched

New Delhi, Jun 3 : The monsoon has wreaked havoc with its presence as well as absence in different parts of the country. While many areas in the North-East have been flooded, leaving thousands of people homeless, there are no signs of rains in North India, which is reeling under the heat wave along with unprecedented power cuts and water crisis.

Floods and landslides have left 77 people dead and six are reportedly missing in Assam and all of its 27 districts are facing monsoon fury. The Kaziranga and other wildlife sanctuaries haven't been spared either.

The Army, the IAF and National Disaster Relief Force personnel are involved in rescue and relief operations.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi have reached Jorhat to oversee relief operations in the rain-hit areas.

Floods have also rendered 75,000 people homeless in Meghalaya. The Brahmaputra and the Kapili rivers are flowing above the danger mark at various places.

Meanwhile, North India is dry and has been awaiting the rains hoping for some relief from the scorching heat. It was a sultry Sunday in Delhi at 43.5 degrees Celsius and temperatures in other states were way above normal too. The minimum in Delhi stayed four notches above normal to settle at 31.4 degrees Celsius, the Met office said. The Bhakra Nangal Dam has critically low level of water in its reservoirs.

Uttar Pradesh continued to bear the brunt of searing heat with Allahabad recording the highest at 45.1 deg C. The temperature was largely above normal in Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Moradabad, Jhansi, and Agra divisions, however, the day temperatures fell in Faizabad division, according to MeT.

The data released by the weather office shows that rainfall has been 31 per cent deficient so far, 83 per cent of the country, including the granary states of Punjab and Haryana, have received deficient or scanty rainfall.
Heat wave in Rajasthan also showed no signs of abating as temperature in Churu district touched 46 degree Celsius followed by Sriganganagar at 45.8 deg C.

But the Met department insists that rains are on the way and are likely to hit North India and revive in the South by later this week. Met officials also say that the temperatures will drop drastically in the north.

For now, however, North India is struggling to get power and water with no drop of rain. The farmers are now frequently taking their protests to the streets in Kurukshetra where there is an acute power shortage. Dozens of villages there get only just over four hours of power per day.

This year has seen a delayed onset of monsoon rains over Kerala and they have been making a sluggish progress drawing concerns from the farming community.

It still remains to be seen whether the Met department's claims for North India are accurate even as the North-East continues to be flooded.

BJP Supports PA Sangma For President

Sangma thanks BJP, says I'm very much in Presidential race

NEW DELHI: Reconciling with division within NDA over presidential poll, BJP today announced its support to P A Sangma to pit him against UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee.

The party, which failed to persuade allies like Shiv Sena and JD(U) to support Sangma, argued that it was its duty as the main Opposition party not to allow a "walkover" to Congress which did not "consult" it.

Announcing the decision at a press conference, BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley said the main opposition party could not support a government which is using "various manoeuvres", including investigative agencies, to rope in parties to stay in power.

"BJP has decided to support the candidature" of Sangma, whose candidature has been proposed by AIADMK and BJD, Swaraj said.

Describing Sangma as "the country's tall leader" as also northeast's "tallest leader", she appealed to allies like Shiv Sena and JD(U) to give up their opposition to his candidature.

Swaraj and Jaitley regretted that BJP could not persuade its allies and have a consensus in the NDA over the issue but insisted that it would have no impact on the "mature" coalition.

To press her point, she noted that Shiv Sena had earlier also voted for UPA nominee Pratibha Patil during the last presidential poll even though NDA had opposed her candidature but still remained part of the alliance.

Swaraj and Jaitley said BJP was trying to bring Trinamool Congress on board but refused to reveal how it was being done.

NGOs Appeal To Political Parties For Christian VP

By Stanley Pinto

Mangalore, Jun 18 : Christian NGOs like the Catholic Secular Forum, All India Catholic Union, Christian Yuva Manch of Maharashtra, Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum, Indian Christian Congress, Association of Concerned Catholics, Konkani Sabha have appealed to all political parties to consider a Christian as Vice President of the country.

In an online petition to all political parties, over a thousand persons including Bishops, priests, laity, nuns, NGOs, NRIs etc have appealed to consider a Christian for VP in view of the singular contributions of the community to the nation.

Joseph Dias, general secretary, Catholic Secular Forum, who created the online petition said: Never in the history of independent India has a Christian become Vice President. There are many Christians, who are equally or better qualified, but ignored and the service of the community has not been recognized with constitutional positions.

Pointing out that top Constitutional posts have eluded Christians in the last seven decades, Dias said prominent among Christians, who could be recommended are Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva, former union minister Oscar Fernandes, Justice Michael Saldanha, former top cop HT Sangliana, etc.

He said Christian NGOs plan to represent their case with the heads of all political parties and governments, presenting memorandums, as Indian Christians are increasingly feeling alienated from the national mainstream and seem to be destined to remain on the periphery, unless no corrective action is taken.

Bridging Or Widening The Cultural Gap?

By Kusum Kanojia

Dare you call a person from the North-East region ‘Chinki’, ‘Chinese’ or ‘Chow mein’. Now, you might land up in jail for doing that!

With growing incidents of alleged racial discrimination and verbal abuse against citizens of the North-East, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sent a letter to all states and Union Territories, asking them to book offenders guilty of atrocity against people from the region under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act since a significant number of persons from the North-East belong to the Scheduled Tribes. Under the law, an offender can end up spending five years in jail and the accused could be denied anticipatory bail.

The Ministry in the letter says, “A sizeable number of persons belonging to the North-Eastern states are residing in metropolitan cities now and in major urban areas of the country for education and employment. It is reported that people originating from North-Eastern states are facing discrimination as they are addressed with derogatory adjectives or face discrimination in the form of targeted attacks, assault, molestation and other atrocities.”

Metrolife talked to some individuals from the North-Eastern community living in the City about their reaction to the new move and checked out whether it will really help in the long-term. Janet C Munluo, who works as an administrative executive in a private firm in Gurgaon, says the move will infuse a sense of fear among people before they think of ‘teasing’ the North-Easterns.

“These incidents have been in the news for a long time but were not taken seriously. With this new law, people will think twice before making any offensive comments. It will act as a preventive measure,”  she says.
While they commend the effort on part of the government, those living in the City for a long time believe that more than a law there is a need to sensitise the people.


Ashok Wangdi, trustee, Asoka Mission says the government’s directive is appreciable and the new move may help for a while but what is needed is an awareness programme for the common man and authorities. “The government’s directive will definitely help but one law is not enou­gh. Discrimination against the North-Easterns or racial remarks are not a law and order problem. It’s a social problem. Not only North-Easterns but people from other regions are also targeted. Unless people, authorise and police are sensitised, nothing is going to help in the long-term,” says Ashok, who hails from Darjeeling.

A native of Manipur, Hoihnu Hauzel, who has been living in Delhi for around 20 years seconds him. She says the discrimination and racial behaviour with North-Easterns talks of the people’s lack of awareness, their intolerance and ignorance. “It is an extreme move but was requi­r­ed. With such cases coming to the light very often, something like this was needed to control the situation. Once a school girl whispered ‘chinki’ as I was passing by. I didn’t feel insulted but I felt sorry for the state of education that children are getting, which teaches them to judge people by the size of their eyes,” says Hoihnu, a journalist staying in Gurgaon.

According to North-Easterns, the problem arises due to a cultural gap. Sonam Gechen Aola, President, Northeast India Foundation says those who come from this region don’t know about the cities they are going to and vice versa. “The discrimination is taking place because of ignorance. People should be introduced to each other’s culture. Besides, inter-cultural dialogue should take place. I am not happy with the government’s decision because that way the gap will increase,” says Sonam. Like someone wisely said, there is always a flip side to every story.

Countdown Begins: Who Will Be President?

The Election Commission announced Tuesday that the presidential election would be held July 19, setting the ball rolling for the process to decide on who would be the next occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. All eyes are now on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who will take the final call on the ruling UPA's candidate.

While union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has emerged front-runner, there is no clarity on who would be the United Progressive Alliance's choice for the post. Suspense has been mounting and there have been hectic consultations between leaders of various political parties but no names have been thrown up.

The only declared candidate is former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who has been actively lobbying for support amongst opposition parties.

Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath said the elections would be notified June 16, be held on July 19 and the votes counted on July 22, just two days before President Pratibha Patil's term ends.

As the tempo built up, the Congress let out little and only said that there were no differences amongst the allies. "We have repeatedly demonstrated that UPA is united and cohesive," said party spokesperson Manish Tewari.

It is being hoped that the wait for the UPA's 'consensus' candidate ends Wednesday when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee meets Gandhi. She told reporters in Kolkata before leaving for the national capital that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would be present as well.

As soon as she reached New Delhi, Banerjee rushed to Yadav's residence.

'Discussions happened. I am meeting Sonia Gandhi (tomorrow) and then I will come here again,' she told reporters after her 20-minute-long talks with Yadav.

The Manmohan Singh-led government, which has for weeks been trying to balance interests of its often troublesome allies, is hoping to resolve differences with the Trinamool and SP, who have the maximum numbers and are crucial for the Congress candidate to win.

Asked to comment on speculation that Mukherjee, the government's most senior minister and troubleshooter for all seasons, was the front-runner in becoming the Congress candidate, she said: 'This is an issue for the Congress.'

She also denied that her backing for the Congress' choice for the post was linked to a financial package for her state.

Banerjee had earlier indicated that she was not in favour of Mukherjee, who has cancelled his visit to Afghanistan fuelling conjecture that the choice would narrow down to only him.

Sources admit that if Mukherjee is indeed the chosen one, Banerjee would find it difficult to oppose him - if elected, he would be the first Bengali in the presidential palace.

SP chief Mulayam Singh has been of the same view. He told reporters Monday that he wanted the Congress to first announce its candidate. Asked about Mukherjee, he said: 'I do not know who is the candidate. When a candidate is declared, we will decide.'

Another key ally, the NCP, indicated that Mukherjee could well be the man for the top post.

'India's president will be acceptable to all. He will be a seniormost person who will be congratulated by the entire country,' senior NCP leader D.P. Tripathi said. Interestingly, NCP has not backed Sangma.

If all goes well and there is consensus amongst allies in the UPA, the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will have little say.

In the jockeying for power, the BJP-led NDA was believed to be pushing for its own person for the post of vice president.

Talk was that the party might choose senior leader Jaswant Singh for the job. The buzz was heightened with Jaswant Singh meeting Mulayam Singh at his residence.

'All the constituents of the NDA would join their heads to decide their stand over the matter in the coming days,' Akali Dal leader and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said.

Given the uncertainty, the final name could well be a dark-horse. Either way, the government will have to reveal its choice for India's 13th president before Saturday.

President: Is Pranab Mukherjee Out Of The Race?

Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes hands over meeting papers to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the extended Congress Working Committee meeting at the Parliament House Annexe in New Delhi on Monday — Sondeep Shankar

Speculation is rife on who the real candidate of the Congress for the President’s post will be, after an extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday authorised party chief Sonia Gandhi to decide on the Congress nominee for the posts of President and vice president.

The fact that finance minister Pranab Mukherjee moved the resolution, confused many within the party as he is widely seen as a potential candidate of the party for the highest office.

Opinion was divided on whether the fact that he moved the resolution was indicative his prospects had dimmed amid speculation that the prime minister could also be in the running.

According to sources, such resolutions are moved by the SC, ST, minority leader as a token gesture.

Asked if he was a candidate for President or his name was discussed at the CWC meeting, Mukherjee said, “Congress president is to select the candidate. Neither me nor anybody else.”

Explaining the role of Congress in selecting the Presidential candidate, he said, “We are the leaders of UPA so Mrs Gandhi will consider all aspects.”

When asked if his name came up when the Congress president was formally authorised to select a candidate, Mukherjee said, “No question of that. We never do so. All the time, so far as my knowledge goes, the Congress president names the candidate.”

Dr. HT Sangliana for President of India

Sinlung.com Supports Dr. HT Sangliana for the Post of the President of India.

We sincerely ask our readers to visit this Facebook Page

Dr. HT Sangliana for President of India

or 

https://www.facebook.com/DrHtSanglianaForPresidentOfIndia

Lalrokhuma Pachau Is New Police Chief

By K.V. Subramanya

The new Director-General and Inspector-General of Police L.R. Pachau taking over charge from outgoing DG&IGP A.R. Infant in Bangalore on Thursday.

Senior IPS officer Lalrokhuma Pachau, who took charge as the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police on Thursday, said that he would utilise the experience of his senior colleagues and make the Karnataka police, the best police force in the country.

After taking charge from the outgoing DG and IGP A.R. Infant here, the new police chief emphasised that he would consult his senior colleagues while dealing with the challenges the State police force was facing.

The State Government on Thursday appointed Mr. Pachau as the Director-General of Police (CID) with concurrent charge of the post of DG and IGP. He will be the in-charge DG and IGP until a panel is finalised by the Union Public Service Commission and made over to the State Government to complete the appointment process. Incidentally, he the first officer from the North-East region to occupy the top post in Karnataka.

The Aizawal-educated Mr. Pachau, a 1977 batch officer of the Karnataka cadre, said that it was a “home coming” for him as he was away from the State for almost five years. He was head of the Mizoram State police force for the past four-and-a-half years.

Meanwhile, Mr. Infant said that his batch mate Mr. Pachau was a “noble human being” and an “upright” officer who functioned without any biases.

Mr. Infant, who retired on superannuation, said that his 35-year-long career was rewarding and satisfying, although the last six months was a “period of turmoil” as he had to move the Central Administrative Tribunal and the High Court in regard to the case pertaining to appointment of DG and IGP. “I have nothing to regret. There were some stumbling blocks and occasional pinpricks,” he observed.

Curiously, Director-General of Police Shankar Mahadev Bidari, who too retired on Thursday, was conspicuous by his absence on the occasion. Senior police officers from across the State were present on the occasion.

John Terry in Indian Cigarette Packs

Current warning on a cigarette pack

Headless torso to replace Terry’s photo on cigarette packs

By Teena Thacker

A headless torso with a diseased lung will soon replace a controversial blurred image that resembled English footballer John Terry as the pictorial warning on cigarette packs.

The new photo has been used in Thailand and is likely to be notified soon by the Union health ministry.
“We have taken the photo from the common sharing code. There is no copyright issue here and we have been communicated that Thailand is agreeable to us using the same photo.

“The non-specific photo having same colour scheme and design as one used by Thailand will be soon notified. The preparatory work is going on,” said a senior official in the ministry.

While, the Thailand’s photo will be a replacement to the controversial 'John Terry look-alike' picture, the ministry is also mulling over more photos to give wider choice to the manufacturers.

The ministry will soon finalise on the photographs sent by the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP).

The health department had written to the DAVP seeking more options in photographs for the tobacco manufacturers with a mandate that pictures should be 'general'.

The ministry was caught in trouble after Terry’s manager had threatened to sue the government over the alleged resemblance of the photograph with the footballer. The picture that had an uncanny resemblance to the Chelsea captain, Terry, was circulated in May last year to be used on tobacco packets marketed after December.

While, the health ministry officials maintained that the existing picture was a mere sketch and did not relate to any person living or dead, the decision to change the picture was taken last month after the law ministry’s advice.

In their recommendation, the law ministry had said that the individual's picture need not be put and instead the message to the masses about the injurious affects of smoking should not be diluted.

The photos were changed last year from mild to harsh after a survey had suggested that the existing warnings were not proving to be effective.

Manmohan Arrives in Myanmar

Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and his wife Smt Gursharan Kaur being received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, Mr U Wunna Maung Lwin, on their arrival, at Nay Pyi Taw International Airport, Myanmar on Sunday

Nay Pyi Taw, May 28 : Seeking to elevate India’s ties with resource-rich Myanmar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here today on a historic visit during which the two sides will chart out a roadmap and take initiatives to bolster relations in several areas, including energy, trade and connectivity, reports PTI.

Singh, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country in 25 years, will hold talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein as well as opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi during the three-day trip.

India sees Myanmar as a strategic asset for a closer connection with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc as well as a key partner in counter-insurgency and economic development initiatives in its North East border areas.

An energy-hungry India is also eying Myanmar’s large oil and natural gas reserves and is looking at countering China’s influence in the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking to reporters here, Singh said he was looking forward to meeting the Myanmar leadership and opposition leader Suu Kyi in the next two days.

“We have centuries of religious and civilizational ties with the people of Myanmar and I’m looking forward to my talks here”, he said.

During the junta rule, China and India were the main countries that Myanmar interacted with.

Though India has a good presence in Myanmar in terms of various projects, China has been very pushy in energy as well as infrastructure sectors besides others.

Sources said India is ready to deal with government of the day in Myanmar to secure its own national interests in terms of security in insurgency-hit northeastern States, a problem which makes Myanmar’s support critical as many ultras have taken shelter here in the country.

India’s Human Rights Record To Face Scrutiny

India could face questions at UNHRC on issues ranging from AIDS stigma to religious freedom
By Elizabeth Roche

India’s human rights record will be scrutinized this week with UN member countries expected to quiz the world’s largest democracy on issues including the award of the death penalty, discrimination against minorities, action taken against bonded labour and manual scavenging, at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

The once in four years’ scrutiny of India’s human rights record will take place on Thursday. The last examination of India’s rights record under the process known as “Universal Periodic Review” (UPR) took place in 2008.

Other countries whose human rights records will also be up for scrutiny include Algeria, Bahrain Brazil, Indonesia, Britain and South Africa. The review, which started on Monday, will be done by the 47 members of the UNHRC, which includes India’s neighbours Bangladesh, China and the Maldives besides Austria, Norway and the US.

India will be represented by a multi-ministerial delegation headed by attorney general G.E. Vahanvati, said a person familiar with the development.

According to preliminary information, Pakistan is not yet listed among the speakers at India’s review. The Indian government does not anticipate any uncomfortable questions over alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir, the subject of friction between the South Asian neighbours. India and Pakistan have started on a slow process of mending ties after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

“India is confident about its rights’ record. We don’t have anything to hide or defend,” said the person cited above.

“The report is only recommendatory in nature. It is not binding. There is no voting involved and no resolution that India will have to accept,” said the person, adding that the recommendations made in the 2008 review were not fully accepted by the Indian government either.

Still, India could face a number of uncomfortable questions—from steps taken to prevent torture and stigma against HIV/AIDS infected people to ensuring religious freedom, according to a list of queries from countries including Germany and Britain that has been emailed to Mint by the Working Group on Human Rights (WGHR), a group of voluntary and non-governmental organizations that has prepared its own report on rights issues in India.

The WGHR report will be one of the three looked into by the UNHRC members, the others being those presented by the Indian government and the National Human Rights Commission. Other queries that India could face include steps to prevent discrimination against religious minorities, communal violence, declining sex ratio and protection of children’s rights.

“This kind of a review is unacceptable given that we are a democracy and we have been recognized the world over for our credentials,” said former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal. “That India needs to explain itself on human rights is unnecessary given that we have an open system of functioning, a very active civil society and a wide consensus on how to deal with issues.”

In its report, the government has listed laws and legislation passed by Parliament to protect women’s and children’s rights, efforts to bring transparency in governance and protect human rights—especially in insurgency affected areas. On repealing controversial laws that empower the country’s security forces with special powers to combat insurgency, the government report said that these measures were necessary to deal with security challenges. Repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been a contentious issue in India with the armed forces opposed to it—specially in dealing with insurgency in Kashmir and Manipur.

Junior home minister Jitendra Singh told Parliament on Tuesday in a written reply that 344 people have been killed because of communal violence in India since 2009.

“We are an open book. In a democracy, little can be hidden,” said the person cited above.

But adverse observations by the WGHR and the NHRC could make the going tough for India in Geneva.

The government report “lacks critical analysis of the actual realization of rights and implementation of laws and schemes in India,” said Enakshi Ganguly Thukral, whose group HAQ is part of the WGHR and looks into child rights’ violations. A WGHR statement said that background documents prepared for the review “point towards serious failures of the state in promoting and protecting human rights.”

Forced acquisition of land for industrialization had displaced and dispossessed a large number of India’s tribals, the statement said, adding that “economic growth is taking place by destroying livelihoods and further impoverishing the most marginalized groups.”

Lawyer Vrinda Grover, member of the WGHR, expressed concern over excessive powers to security personnel in India’s insurgency affected areas like Kashmir and the North-East, holding it responsible for human rights violations and deterring any political dialogue in the “disturbed areas”. Concerns have also been expressed about the rights of Dalits. Though India has an affirmative action programme to empower Dalits, the government has failed to implement the policy, the WGHR release said.

Some of these concerns were also reflected in the NHRC report that also spoke of others—overcrowded prisons, complaints against India’s police forces and bureaucracy for abuse of power and abysmal child and maternal care.

“Given the enormous human rights challenges faced by India, the second UPR offers a major opportunity for India to admit its shortcomings, move from a defensive to a constructive engagement with the UN,” said Miloon Kothari, who heads the WGHR. “It is our hope that the recommendations emanating from this (second) UPR will assist India in moving in the urgently required new direction.”

The Indian Obsession With Fairer Skin Sinks To A New Low

By Amrit Dhillon

The fairness cream industry is gigantic.

A new vagina lightening cream is helping peddle self-hatred to women.

THE Indian obsession with fair skin has always been a distasteful phenomenon. The fairness cream industry is gigantic, with men as well as women lathering these silly potions on their faces to make their skin a few shades lighter.

Pregnant women in rural areas believe they will give birth to light-skinned babies if they consume lots of ''white'' dairy products such as milk, cream, yoghurt, and butter. Dark models and actresses struggle for work as their skin isn't regarded as desirable.

Now an Indian company has taken this bizarre self-hating obsession to a new level with a ''feminine'' hygiene product that not only promises to keep a woman's genitalia ''fresh'' but also lighten the skin around the vagina.

The television ad for Clean & Dry Intimate Wash shows an attractive, modern woman sitting at home looking wistful. Her partner (presumably her husband) is in the same room and seems to be ignoring her.

The next scene shows her in the shower, where a piece of animation shows the unsightly brown hue around her crotch (blurred mercifully) giving way to a lighter flesh colour.

In the next scene, the partner is far more interested in her and the newly confident woman, now in shorts and looking flirtatious, grabs his car keys, puts them in her pocket and invites him to give chase.

He responds by lifting her into his arms lovingly. Clearly all is well between them now that her vagina is lighter skinned. Online, the advert reads: ''Life for women will now be fresher, cleaner and more importantly fairer and more intimate.''

This fairness mania maddens me. If some Jews used to suffer self-hatred, at least you knew it was because previous generations had undergone persecution for centuries. If some African Americans used to have low esteem and tried to lighten their skin and straighten their hair, at least you knew that a history of slavery must have cast a shadow on their confidence.

But what can explain this Indian hatred of the colour of their own skin? Yes, I know that the British Raj was white, but Mughal rule in India lasted much longer and the Mughals were not white, so the ''colonial complex'' theory doesn't quite do the job.

If the theory were correct, Indians would hanker after slanted eyes as the Mughals were Mongols from Central Asia, but Indians refer to their own people from the north-east disparagingly as ''chinky-eyed''.
What is so repugnant about this product is that it is guilty of a double self-hatred - of race and gender. Indian women should be ashamed of their dark skin and, as women, should be ashamed of genitalia that is dark and, presumably, unappealing.

In the West a couple of decades ago, companies tried to peddle a nefarious vaginal spray to keep a woman's private parts fresh. Doctors and feminists pointed out that a daily shower or bath was all a woman needed to be fresh.

In any case, why did the man not need sprays to keep his organ fragrant? And why has no one manufactured a ''skin-tightening'' product to improve the turkey giblets look of male genitalia?

Mercifully, the Indian product has become controversial and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni (a woman), has asked the Advertising and Standards Council of India to ban it.

Women's groups have been outraged and vocal about the product. As one woman wrote online: ''This is the ultimate insult - skin whitening for your vagina.''

But I wonder how it got this far? You wonder why the advertising team had no doubts about it.

Why no one at the company wondered if such a product was insulting to women. Why the actor and the actress in the ad failed to realise that the idea they were peddling was noxious.

It's bad enough that fairness cream ads make it seem as though a dark-skinned woman will never have a career or get a husband until she is fairer.

But to sell something which is so utterly misogynistic - that hoary stuff that feminism had to fight, about female genitalia somehow being dirty and repulsive, which is why European art for centuries showed women with no pubic hair - shows an astounding degree of ignorance about how the world has moved on from such backward notions.

It is really time for Indians to change their attitude towards their own skin. Just as African Americans launched a Black is Beautiful campaign in the US, so India needs a similar self-affirming movement. Fast.

Amrit Dhillon is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi.

Jayalalithaa Appeals to National Parties To Back Sangma For President

By R Satyanarayana

Jayalalithaa made a plea to all political parties to back the former Lok Sabha speaker.

Chennai, May 18 : A day after she announced support for P A Sangma's candidature for the presidential polls, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa made a plea to all political parties to back the former Lok Sabha speaker.

In a brief statement, the chief minister said, "I now appeal to all political parties to rise above political considerations and support Sangma and ensure that he becomes the next President of India."

On Thursday, soon after Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced his support for Sangma's candidature, Jayalalithaa took political circles by surprise in quickly joining him in backing the senior parliamentarian. The move indicated that the issue had been discussed at length by the two leaders when Patnaik was in Chennai on a two-day visit recently for the Odisha Day celebrations. Sangma too had called on the Tamil Nadu chief minister on Tuesday last, accompanied by daughter and Union minister of state for rural development Agatha.

In a statement on Thursday, Jayalalithaa made a strong bid for Sangma saying that in the past 60 years of the Indian Republic, while eminent personalities belonging to various communities and diverse walks of life had graced the office of the Rashtrapati, no one belonging to a tribal community had had this opportunity so far. "Sangma not only belongs to a tribal community but is also eminently qualified to be the President of our great nation," she had stated.

Jayalalithaa's move to take centre-stage on the presidential polls is seen in political circles as a strategic step forward to grab a role for herself in national politics. During her rule in the state so far, Jayalalithaa has repeatedly attempted to position herself as a leader with strong views on national issues and displayed a desire to be more than a mere regional player.

YOU'VE BETRAYED US: Aishwarya Endures Cruel Taunts For Failing To Lose Weight

India's shame over Bollywood star's baby weight

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has endured cruel taunts about her weight. Picture: AFP

HER name is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and she's recently had a child.

If that doesn't ring any bells here's a quick refresher: Bollywood sensation, former Miss World, married to a huge celebrity and dubbed the world's most beautiful woman by Julia Roberts.

At 38, she's decided to slow down a little and enjoy being a mum. Which means she's in no rush to punish herself in the gym to shed her baby weight.

But Indian commentators have been far less than kind to Bachchan. One site posted a video of the star, accompanied by not-so-flattering elephant noises.

On commenter blasted her appearance and said it was "her duty to look fit" and another called her weight gain "shocking".

One of the most outlandish comments urged her to follow the path of fellow international stars.

"She needs to learn from people like Victoria Beckham who are back to size zero weeks after their delivery."


 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan pre-baby. Picture: AFP