Work On New India-Bangladesh Rail Line To Start This Year

Agartala, Jul 8 : Work on a new rail link between India and Bangladesh along Tripura, to ease surface transport in the mountainous northeastern states, would start this year, officials of the two countries said on Friday.

India will build a 15 km railway track linking Tripura capital Agartala with Bangladesh's southeastern city Akhaurah, which is also an important railway junction connected to Chittagong port, resource-rich Sylhet and Dhaka.

"Necessary survey and alignment of the railway tracks have been completed. Bangladesh's Planning Commission's approval is awaited. We expect the work for the vital railway line would start this year-end," Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria district's Deputy Commissioner Nur Mohammad Majumder told reporters.

After a two-day meeting with the Indian officials, Majumder said, "Land acquisition works are on and necessary tenders for the works would soon be floated."

West Tripura District Magistrate Kiran Gitte, who led the Indian side in the meeting, said that works, including survey and alignment of the railway line, have been completed.

An agreement for the new railway line was signed between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during her visit to India in January 2010.

"Total cost of the proposed project is estimated at Rs 252 crore. The Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) would lay the new railway tracks on both sides of the border," an official of the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) told reporters.

In the last railway budget of the Indian government, the allocation of some funds was sanctioned for the 15 km railway project.

Work on India-B’desh rail line to start soon

Agartala: Work on a new rail link between India and Bangladesh along Tripura, to ease surface transport in the mountainous northeastern states, would start this year, officials of the two countries said on Friday.

India will build a 15 km railway track linking Tripura capital Agartala with Bangladesh's southeastern city Akhaurah, which is also an important railway junction connected to Chittagong port, resource-rich Sylhet and Dhaka.

"Necessary survey and alignment of the railway tracks have been completed. Bangladesh's Planning Commission's approval is awaited. We expect the work for the vital railway line would start this year-end," Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria district's Deputy Commissioner Nur Mohammad Majumder told reporters.

After a two-day meeting with the Indian officials, Majumder said, "Land acquisition works are on and necessary tenders for the works would soon be floated."

West Tripura District Magistrate Kiran Gitte, who led the Indian side in the meeting, said that works, including survey and alignment of the railway line, have been completed.

An agreement for the new railway line was signed between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during her visit to India in January 2010.

"Total cost of the proposed project is estimated at Rs 252 crore. The Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) would lay the new railway tracks on both sides of the border," an official of the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) told reporters.

In the last railway budget of the Indian government, the allocation of some funds was sanctioned for the 15 km railway project.
- See more at: http://post.jagran.com/work-on-new-indiabangladesh-1373024914#sthash.pf4TsdEJ.dpuf

Work on new India-Bangladesh rail line to start this year - See more at: http://post.jagran.com/work-on-new-indiabangladesh-1373024914#sthash.EMpm1Nlj.dpuf

India’s Most Financially Inclusive States

Crisil has launched an index that measures financial inclusion in India, and some of the county’s most industrialized states don’t fare too well.

By Nupur Acharya

A man counted money in Mumbai, June 20.

Indranil Mukherjee/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Gujarat and Maharashtra are generally popular with industry thanks to their relative openness to investment. But in terms of financial inclusion, India’s top two industrialized states fall below the national average, a recent report showed.

When it comes to access to financial services for all sections of society, the top states are found in the south of India, according to Crisil Inclusix, an index that measures financial inclusion.

The index, launched last week by ratings firm Crisil, measures financial inclusion on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 signaling that an entire population has access to banking services. Gujarat has a rating of 38.6, just ahead of Maharashtra on 37.5. The national average is 40.1.

Six of the 10 most inclusive states are in the south. Puducherry is top with a score of 79.6. Chandigarh in the north and Goa in the west are also in the top 10. The bottom five are Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Nagaland, and Manipur, the lowest with a rating of 16.6. These five are all in east and northeast India.

India as a whole had a financial inclusion rating of 40.1 in 2011, the latest available reading, up from 37.6 in 2010. “It [India’s reading] is a reflection of under-penetration of formal banking facilities in most parts of the country. Just one in two Indians has a savings account, and only one in seven Indians have access to banking credit,” the report says.

The government and the Reserve Bank of India have both acknowledged that millions of people still need to be brought into the banking fold.

Real financial inclusion should ensure that a range of financial services are available to every individual. This includes a basic bank account, savings products suited to poor households, money transfer facilities, small loans, overdrafts, and insurance.

Crisil’s index uses three parameters: branch penetration, deposit penetration (the number of deposit accounts) and credit penetration (number of borrower accounts.)

“Lack of awareness, low incomes, poverty, and illiteracy are among factors that lead to low demand for financial services and, consequently, to exclusion,” the report said.

Often, people feel it is easier to borrow from informal credit sources instead of traveling long distances to banks, which may not have convenient opening times and can require reams of documentation. Informal money lenders typically charge high interest rates.

“Financial inclusion… is not just about opening of saving bank accounts; it includes creation of awareness about financial products, and offering of advice on money management and debt counseling,” the report added.

Delhi Transit Hub in Narcotics Corridor

By Dwaipayan Ghosh

New Delhi, Jun 27 : Data released by Narcotics Control Bureau on International Day Against Drug Abuse has once again shown how Delhi is rapidly emerging as a transit point of high-end drugs smuggled by international cartels.

While the capital lags behind other states in use of ganja and opium, it ranks high in consumption of party drugs such as ketamine and cocaine. Maharashtra is the top consumer of party drugs, according to this data. Between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, a total of 143.43kg ketamine has been seized in Delhi compared to Maharashtra (2,170kg) and Tamil Nadu (596kg). Ketamine is produced illegally in the latter states for supply to southeast Asian countries. The fact that Delhi ranks three on the list when it is not even a major producer indicates it is a transit point. Police said this is due to its unique location between producers Afghanistan and Commonwealth of Independent States nations and consumers in southeast Asia.

According to top officers in the narcotics wing and NCB officials, pseudoephedrine—used to make party drugs like 'Speed' and 'Ecstasy'—is a good example of a transit drug. The total seizure of pseudoephedrine in the past one year in north, east and northeast India have been more than 4,500kg.

The figures also include a cocaine haul of 5,429kg and 180kg heroin. The cocaine circuit is dominated by African cartels who also engage in heroin trade. But most of the heroin seized in the capital are of southwest Asian origin and enters India through Pakistan border, says an NCB study.

Security agencies have long believed that some of the money in this trade is actually a portion of narcoterrorism wherein profits from selling this drug is used to fund terror activities. A total of 612.08kg hashish, 955.58kg ganja and 233.42kg opium were also seized from the capital in this one year. A new item on the list is ATS (amphetamine-type stimulants). Over 6.5kg ATS was seized in the city vis-a-vis Maharashtra (40kg).

"It is believed that, due to establishment of special ATS labs, some foreign operatives are using the country's huge chemical base to source raw materials and produce such drugs. Drug hauls on Delhi-Manipur route show they are being trafficked to Myanmar," the NCB noted.

"Recent seizures of Kolkata-bound consignments in eastern and northern India indicate that the mafia is using West Bengal's ports to smuggle banned drugs to South America. A group of pharmaceutical companies are handing out stocks from Uttarakhand. This is then brought to Delhi en route to northeast, Myanmar and Thailand. The processing is completed in factories there before the drugs are pushed backed to India. While a portion returns to party circles in Delhi and Mumbai, the rest is shipped out to Colombia and Uruguay where these drugs are in high demand," said an NCB official.

NCB also asked agencies to crack down on abuse of prescription drugs with the smuggling of codeine-based Phensedyl increasing across borders.

Due to setting up of special ATS labs, foreign operatives are using the country's huge chemical base to produce such drugs, the NCB noted.

Why The Indian Rupee is On a Downward Spiral And Nobody Knows How To Stop it

By Nandagopal J. Nair

Evaporating before my very eyes. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

 

The US Federal Reserve’s stimulus exit timeline shook the global economy. In India, the situation is particularly dire: its stock markets experienced the sharpest fall in almost two years, bond prices fell so much that trading had to be halted, and the value of the rupee fell to a record low. The rupee nearly reached the psychological barrier of 60 rupees to the dollar, a low point that many consider catastrophic for the Indian government.

Why? The chain of events goes like this. As the Fed’s quantitative easing program unwinds, the cost of US borrowing rises, causing massive outflows of foreign investment from India and less demand for rupees. The sharp decline of the rupee’s value comes at a time when India is struggling to tame high inflation, spur economic growth and reduce its unwieldy deficits. A weaker rupee raises the cost of imported fuel and exacerbates inflation, which gives the central bank less leeway to cut interest rates to revive growth. 

Even so, the Indian government has said it stands ready to take action and stop the bleeding. But in reality, there’s not much it can do. Here’s why:

India’s foreign exchange reserves stand at $290 billion, which is barely enough to cover the cost of its imports for seven months. Attempting to vacuum up excess liquidity at the national level could halt business activity in local markets and cause a spike in money market interest rates. Those rates have already been rising because of fleeing foreign investment. Also, using central bank reserves to defend the rupee could attract the attention of currency speculators who are eager to bet on the currency’s fall.

The government could limit the purchase of gold and crude oil, but that would be unpopular and economically painful. India’s chief economic advisor Raghuram Rajan admitted that curbs and blanket bans would be “harmful.” He is advocating for broader reforms to liberalize and strengthen Indian capital markets, but those may be politically untenable.

In the meantime, companies and consumers will suffer. Corporations with large unhedged dollar holdings, such as telecom giants Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications, will take on more debt in rupee terms. Firms with heavy raw material imports will face higher operating costs, according to Goldman Sachs. India’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki is already considering sourcing more local products.

Some companies will foist rising costs on to customers. Computer makers like Dell and Lenovo and mobile phone manufacturers have already announced that prices will rise by around 10% in the coming days. The fall in the rupee has pushed up monthly household bills by 15-20% in the past month alone, according to a study by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. If consumers pull back on spending as a result, the economy will really be in bind.

New 5-rupee Coin Has Hindu God

So from now on, whether, you're a Muslim, a Christian or any other religion living in India...you're basically praying to an Idol...

New 5-rupee coin to mark Vaishno Devi Shrine Board's 25th anniversary runs into communal trouble

The Reserve Bank of India recently released a coin in the denomination of Rs 5 to mark the silver jubilee of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB). No sooner did the coin go in circulation than its secular credentials came under heavy scrutiny. Members of several communities have taken umbrage at the religious overtones of the legal tender, and plan to stage a protest against it.

The RBI issued the Rs 5 coin to commemorate the occasion of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board’s silver jubilee. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

The tails of the coin it’s non-controversial face shows the Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar with the motto Satyamev Jayate inscribed below, flanked on the left periphery with the word ‘Bharat’ in Devnagri script and on the right with the English word ‘India’. Below the Lion Capital is the rupee symbol followed by the denominational value ‘5’ in international numerals.
On the flip side, though, the coin bears in the centre a picture of the Hindu deity Vaishno Devi, with the inscription ‘Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board’ in Devnagri along the upper arc and in English along the lower arc. “Ours is a secular country and featuring the picture of a Hindu goddess on the coin will harm secularity,” said Dr Azimuddin, president of Movement for Human Welfare. Thoughtfully, he added, “Coins are given to beggars and tossed by saints during holy processions. With such instances, it is not proper to emboss a picture of a deity on it.”
Conspiracy theory
Maulana Mustaqim Azmi, president of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema in Maharashtra, said. “We might not be able to understand or accord the importance the goddess commands for Hindus, since in Islam, showing pictures of God/Allah is not allowed.” Questioning the impulse behind the concept, he added, “We think this is a conspiracy by the government to rupture secularism in the country. We will stage a protest against the authorities.”
Hindu organisations like Sanathan Sanstha have no objection to the coin. “Earlier, the country has had coins with Christian saint Alphonsa and Mother Teresa marking their birth centenaries. What’s wrong with a Rs 5 coin with Mata Vaishno Devi? We welcome the decision, though we think that the government has done this to appease Hindus before the elections,” said Abhay Vartak, the Sanstha’s spokesperson.
Bad for business
When it comes to currency, commerce trumps religion. Shopkeepers in areas like Kurla, Pydhonie, Mahim, Jogeshwari and Bhendi Bazaar say they are finding it difficult to trade coins with customers from other communities. “If a minority community member finds a coin with images of deities, they reject it and we have to issue them another one,” said a businessman from Kurla. “Issuing such coins will create communal disharmony, as other communities are not very open to the idea.”
Moreover, many Hindus do not use the coin for transaction, given the divinity cut in on it. Said the shopkeeper, “I myself have kept two of these coins at my home temple for worshipping.” A businessman from Nagpada area had a more cordial idea. “If you want to avoid the conflict, then put motifs from all religions Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Christian on one coin,” he said. RBI officials said coins are issued by the Government of India’s finance department. Nobody could be contacted in the department despite repeated efforts.

1964
The year the first Indian commemorative coin was issued to mourn the death of Jawaharlal Nehru
2011
The year in which the 25-paise coin ceased to be legal tender

WTF: In India Legal Age Sex = Marriage

Couple of right legal age indulging in sex are husband and wife: Madras HC

In a ruling which might have a far reaching impact, Madras High Court has said if a couple in the right legal age indulge in sexual gratification, it will be considered a valid marriage and they could be termed as husband and wife.

Chennai, Jun 18 :

"..if any couple choose to consummate their sexual cravings, then that act becomes a total commitment with adherence to all consequences that may follow, except on certain exceptional considerations," Justice CS Karnan said in his order.

He said that marriage formalities of tying a mangalsutra, garlands and rings were only for the satisfaction of society.  Either party could approach a family court for declaration of marital status by producing documentary proof for a sexual relationship.

The judge also said once such a declaration is obtained, the couple can establish self as each others' spouse in any government records.

Justice Karnan made these observations in his order Monday while modifying an April 2006 judgement of a family court in a maintenance case.

A family court in Coimbatore had ordered a man to pay Rs 500 maintenance per month to his two children and Rs 1000 as litigation expenses and had held that the woman's wedding with him did not have any documentary proof.

In his judgement, Justice Karnan directed the man to pay her maintenance of Rs 500 a month from the date of petition (September 2000) and that the arrears be paid within three months.

Bangalore's IT Workers Start Tech Tattoo Craze

Bangalore, May 17 : In Bangalore, India’s technology capital, tattoo artists have reported an uptick in men asking for brand tattoos to celebrate jobs at the world’s top technology companies, including Microsoft and IBM.

Young high fliers in India’s technology capital Bangalore are so proud to work for Western technology firms such as Microsoft and IBM that they are having their logos tattooed on their bodies.

Tattoo artists in the city have reported an increase in the numbers of men asking for "brand tattoos" to celebrate the high status that comes with a job at one of the world’s top technology companies.

The permanent "branding" of their bodies with their boss’s logo is not seen as a symbol of slavery or eternal submission but as a symbol of triumph to commemorate landing a highly coveted job.

And despite the fact that many move on to other jobs, they keep the tattoos, according to the city’s leading artists.

“Its called Brand tattooing. Mostly people from IT companies like IBM, Apple, Microsoft and Oracle have got their company logos tattooed on their bodies.

"Its like the first love, like a symbol of success for them. Most of them have started their careers with these companies and want to keep their logos as a memento.

"Such tattoos can land us in a legal soup. Since they are copyrighted logos, they may attract legal suits against the inscriber,” said Giresh Bramhanayapura of Bramha Tattoo Studio

Pradeep Menon of the "Dark Arts" tattoo studio said owners of small businesses have also been asking for their companies’ names to be etched forever on their skin. “Not only employees of IT companies but owners of small enterprises get their company logos tattooed on their bodies."

Inking and coloring them is not straightforward, however simple the design. “We have to consider many things including the tone of the skin. Indians have generally dark colored skin and getting a perfect logo is a bit difficult,” he added.

New Delhi Subway Riders Must Pass Breathalyzer

Critics worry new crackdown will put more drunks on roads

The New Delhi subway is so tired of drunken passengers starting fights at night that it's setting up breathalyzers at all its stations, reports the Hindustan Times.

Those who blow over the limit can't board a metro rail car. It's believed to be a worldwide first for any subway system, but critics are asking an obvious question: Do turned-away riders try to drive home instead?

"For activists like us it was a difficult task to raise awareness among people to exchange their cars for public transport when drunk, especially in Delhi," says a member of an anti-DUI group. "Now, all that will come to naught."

The Telegraph of India says the move is at least in part a reaction to the December gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi.

Though she was on a bus, not the subway, her assailants were believed to be drunk at the time.

Welcome to Delhi, The New Drug Trafficking Hub

By Suhas Munshi

Drug addicts wait for traetment at National Drug Dependence Treatment


The National Capital is witnessing a boom in drug trafficking. A Mail Today investigation has found out that foreign drug cartels are smuggling in thousands of kilograms of narcotics through Delhi's porous borders even as the anti-narcotics forces grope in the dark for leads.

On April 3 this year, the Delhi Police seized drugs worth Rs.15 crore from a storehouse in the Capital. Two Myanmar nationals, two persons from Mizoram and one from Delhi were found in possession of 140 kg of pseudoephedrine tablets and 50 kg of pseudoephedrine powder. The consignment was to be smuggled out to Myanmar through Mizoram and brought back after being processed into a consignment of high-end party drugs such as Ecstacy, ICE and Crystal Meth.
A few days later, another international drug cartel in possession of several kilograms of psychotropic drugs and fake currency notes, was busted by the Delhi Police.

Low on priority

A senior Delhi Police officer, on condition of anonymity, said better financial prospect in the national Capital is attracting new narcotics suppliers from within and outside the country.

"Almost all the drugs seized by law enforcement agencies are smuggled into the Capital through airports or by surface transport. While everyone knows about this, we have been told to focus on our top priority, which is to go after terrorism and not drugs," said the officer.

He said most officers, from the narcotics branch and the special cell division of the Delhi Police, are hesitant to go after the source of drugs because not many understand the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).

Trouble for cops
The officer said several precautionary clauses reserved in the NDPS to prevent unlawful arrests actually invoke fear among the police, who haven't been sufficiently trained in antinarcotics laws. "Many a time our investigation comes to a deadend because no drugs are found from the suspects' place. There have been cases when NDPS has questioned the policeman's intent of going after a suspect. This creates trouble for all investigating officers," said the officer.

"As soon as we seize the supply, chaos ensues. Rate of drugs spikes, suppliers adulterate narcotics with impurities because of which the number of fatalities also shoots up. Being resource-constrained, we try to nab mainly the sources of drugs and leave the footmen alone," said a narcotics officer.

Mail Today investigation also found that a 'set' comprising certain tablets along with a syringe can be procured over the counter for Rs.80. Chemists report the stock as having been misplaced or damaged due to exposure to heat.

While the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has just 70 men for the city, Delhi Police's narcotics division is just 55-personnel strong. There are also an increasing number of children who are being absorbed into the drug trade.

"Children are first being addicted to drugs and then being forced to work for the traffickers," said Vinod Kumar Tikoo, member of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

Addicts who are trying to find their way back

Manjeet Luthra (Name changed)

He had a family business in Tilak Nagar before he started snorting smack with friends. It started as a party recreation but soon changed into a regular habit.

Luthra had inherited a building and store-houses from his ancestral business of agricultural. As an addict he began selling his property, his wife's jewellery and their savings off to buy smack.

A smack addict consumes around one gram or less smack each day, but Luthra's addiction had peaked to more than five grams every single day, inform his doctors.

The three friends who passed on the habit to him died shortly afterwards from drug overdose. After 20 years of snorting heroin Luthra says he's finally given up. It has been one year and he hasn't touched the powder yet.

Amit Kumar (Name changed)

Kumar started abusing medicines as soon as the girl he had eloped with refused to marry him.

A few days after their escapade the girl returned to Delhi to join her family. Kumar took recourse to cannabis, alcohol, painkillers and later heroin to help him overcome the grief.

Drugs, as he later realised, distanced him further from his former beau and the vicious cycle of inebriation reduced the 21-year-old Kumar to a 40 kg skeleton. Today, Kumar commutes 50 km once every week from his home in Mongolpuri to NDDTC(National Drugs Dependence Centre) in Ghaziabad. He hasn't consumed drugs for the past four months.

Bittoo (Name changed)

He has been addicted to tobacco, both smoking and chewing and paint thinners for the past two years.

He started consuming alcohol one and a half years ago. He has also been addicted to weed for the past one year, and recently started heroin.

He is only 16 years old.

His family based in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, found out about the addiction when Bittoo thrashed his brother who demanded to sniff what his elder brother was sniffing.

Bittoo's mother says their family was ostracised, and her husband gave up on their son when they found out about his addiction.

The child in a strained, hoarse voice now claims to have rid himself of all addictions.

Gurinder Singh (Name changed)
Like many youths, Singh got addicted to drugs as a result of peer pressure.

Heroin which was being smuggled from Pakistan was easily available in his village at Wagah Border.

His grandfather was a senior retired military man, and his father and mother were employed in the service sector.

Addiction forced him to drop out of college and spend his days looking for money to buy drugs. When cash dried up Singh fled to Dubai and started bootlegging liquor there. Police found him and deported him back to India. He is now trying to get back on the path of recovery. His application to Punjab police force has been accepted.

Traffickers Arrested For Selling Indian Girls As Brides

By Nita Bhalla

A girl looks on outside her mud hut in northeast India, on July 2, 2005.

REUTERS/Desmond Boylan

NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Police have arrested seven members of a trafficking ring that kidnapped young girls from the Indian capital and sold them as brides to middle-aged men in other parts of the country, the Times of India reported Tuesday.

The four men and three women were arrested following an investigation into the abduction of two teenage girls, who were rescued from an area in southwest Delhi.

“Police said the gang charged rich landowners in (the northern states of) Uttar Pradesh and Haryana between 50,000 rupees ($921) to 100,000 ($1,842) for a girl, depending on her age," the report said.
Activists say tens of thousands of girls and women are trafficked in India every year, largely for domestic work, sexual slavery and increasingly marriage due to a lack of women in some parts of the country.

A strong preference for boys has resulted in decades of aborting female babies, leading to skewed male-to-female ratios in northern India and rising incidents of rape, trafficking and even "wife-sharing" - one wife shared amongst brothers.

The Lancet medical journal says up to 12 million Indian girls were aborted over the last three decades, resulting in a ratio of 914 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011, compared with 962 in 1981.

India: No Country For Women

While violence against women continues unabated in India, our crime investigation and justice systems offer no comfort.

 

The Capital has erupted once again over the gruesome kidnapping and rape of a five-year-old girl child. This time, the protests are more political with the presence of volunteers from organisations such as the Aam Aadmi Party, the ABVP, etc. But matters have come to such a head vis-à-vis the gender front that help from any quarter is welcome.

Since the gang rape of the physiotherapy student in Delhi in December 2012, horrendous and continuing brutalisation and sexual assaults on women have continued. Western tourists have also not been spared, resulting in advisories by countries such as the US and the UK cautioning women tourists to take extreme care while travelling in India.

Erupting even amidst economic scams connected to 2G and 3G Spectrum and Coalgate, the debate on India being no country for women/girls has hogged media headlines. Grim-faced politicians, from the UPA as well as the Opposition, have expressed their pain and outrage at these developments, and voiced concern on the growing cult of violence against women.

In the latest incident of monstrosity on the tiny girl in Gandhi Nagar in Delhi, once again we saw the total indifference and callous attitude of the police. The child’s parents were made to wait for hours to file a “missing” complaint. The child, abandoned in a room in the same building in a serious condition, was found no thanks to the police but after her cries were heard by a neighbour.

The events that followed were even more bizarre when it comes to shaming and disgracing an already discredited police force.

A policeman offered the father a “bribe” of Rs 2,000 to hush up the matter! Hence it was nothing short of catharsis to watch continuous telecast of several protestors offering the police a “bribe” of Rs 2,000. The pained expressions on the face of the policemen facing this barrage was gratifying, to say the least.

Known perpetrators
At the core of the protests and demands from Opposition parties is the issue of Delhi, and the rest of India as well, being unsafe and insecure for women. This is not to defend the police force, which is more often than not found lacking when it comes to prompt filing of FIRs or investigation. But the fact remains that much of the violence — sexual and otherwise – that women and girls face is perpetrated by known people… a relative, a friend, a lover or ex-lover. If not in the womb, where foetuses are aborted, with the common consent of male and female relatives.

Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, who addressed a press conference Monday afternoon, was quick to latch on to his point when questions were raised about his resignation.

At first he impudently asked the reporter, “When you do misreporting, does your editor resign?”
Later he pointed out the futility of expecting the police to prevent sexual assaults against women or girls that are carried out by their relatives. Quoting figures, he said that in several cases, fathers, stepfathers, brothers-in-law, cousins, neighbours, lovers and ex-lovers were guilty of rape. This doesn’t absolve those supposed to prevent crimes failing to do so in thousands of cases where young women are abducted on roads or raped in moving cars, as happens often in Delhi, but there is an element of truth in what he says.

The mighty climb down
But what I enjoyed the most while watching Kumar’s live press conference was his opening statement where he said the ACP who had slapped a woman protestor had been suspended. But the two policemen who had offered bribe to the father to hush up the case had not been identified because the father was busy in the hospital where his daughter was being treated.

And next followed a clear demonstration of what collective rage or mass protests can do. Delhi’s police force was ready, said its chief, to parade the possible culprits before the father at the hospital if he so desired!

Wow! How many ordinary people who throng our police stations for a modicum of action or justice can expect such a gesture from the top boss of the police?

No country for the poor too
But let us not fool ourselves. Whether it is the crime redressal dispensation, or our justice system, beginning with the lawyer who takes up a case, how many economically disadvantaged people have timely access to these? But for the protests which the media picked up and broadcast and wrote about, would the two men accused in this child’s rape been arrested so quickly?

The heavy wheels of our crime administration system move only on the application of lubricants such as bribes, influence, or public pressure. The ACP who slapped the woman protestor only displayed the habitual arrogance of our public “servants”. And why only suspend a senior officer who would dare to so impudently slap a young woman in full view of hundreds of others? Instead of a “departmental inquiry” in which the public has little faith, should he not be thrown behind bars?

Isn’t a man in uniform who is supposed to protect civilians a bigger criminal when he assaults a woman? And one who is well within her right to express her outrage over the plummeting record of the Delhi administration when it comes to making girls like her feel safe.

Juxtaposed against the way our creaky wheels of crime investigation and justice dispensation move, I watched in utter admiration the speed and efficiency with which the Boston police carried out operations to hunt down and kill one terrorist and capture the second one involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.

An entire township was shut down, the people responded and co-operated totally and within a week the perpetrators had been traced, challenged and one captured. You may find any number of faults with the US for its arrogance or its supercilious manner in dealing with the rest of the world.

But when it comes to rising as one to ensure public safety and security, they just do it…without any fear, favour or fuss. Now this is the kind of police force that inspires confidence. Not one which slaps protestors, or offers bribes to the victims to shut their mouths.

Or worse, derisively asks a middle-aged woman who goes to report her rape: “Tu teen bachcho ki maa hei; tujhe kaun rape karenga? (You’re a mother of three, who will rape you)?

More Quakes Could Hit India: Experts

By Charu Sudan Kasturi

New Delhi, Apr 18 :  Tuesday’s 7.8 magnitude temblor near the Iran-Pakistan border could realign the region’s tectonic plates, potentially setting off follow-up earthquakes closer to India in the coming days and weeks, scientists have cautioned.

From Ahmedabad in Gujarat to Nongpoh in Meghalaya, India was on Tuesday shaken by a ring of earthquakes that scientists say were most likely unrelated, but could trigger aftershocks. The quakes have triggered fresh concerns over preparedness in the country’s burgeoning urban spreads.

The Iran quake occurred close to the line where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, west of Gujarat in Pakistan. Proximity to that line makes western India — home to Latur, Maharashtra and Bhuj, Gujarat that were epicentres of two of India’s most destructive recent earthquakes — vulnerable.

“When a major earthquake occurs on one plate near where it meets another plate, it causes shifts on the other adjoining plate,” Ramancharia Pradeep Kumar, earthquake engineer and professor at the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Hyderabad told HT. “There will also be aftershocks in neighbouring areas.”

Though most aftershocks occur within 24 hours, there have been instances of the follow-up tremors waiting for weeks before striking.

A quake measuring 4.4 on the Richter Scale with an epicentre in Nongpoh, Meghalaya triggered tremors across northeast India and even Odisha early on Tuesday morning. It was 49.2 km deep. Deeper quakes cause less damage as they lose most of their energy by the time they reach the earth’s surface. 

Early afternoon, just after 2pm, a second quake shook northeast India. This 5.3 magnitude earthquake had its epicentre in Motuo in eastern Tibet, and was 31 km deep. A few hours later, the biggest quake of the day struck, near Khash in Iran.

The sequence of the quakes and the distance between eastern Tibet and Iran makes it highly improbable that the two were related, said BK Rastogi, Director of the Institute of Seismological Research in Gandhinagar.

But the quakes have cast fresh focus on India’s preparedness to handle large quakes closer home.

After the 2001 Bhuj earthquake that killed about 20,000 people, India set up a National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to formulate a strategy for national crises. Several states have also set up similar agencies.

But when it comes to ensuring earthquake-resistant building codes, little has been done, the scientists said. “The only solution is to make earthquake-resistant design non-negotiable for buildings,” Kumar said.

Indian hospital to help child with swollen head

Indian daily labourer, Abdul Rahman, 26, fans his 18 month old daughter, Roona Begum, suffering from Hydrocephalus. AFP PHOTO/ STR Source: AFP

A TOP private Indian hospital offered Monday to examine an 18-month-old girl suffering from a rare but treatable illness that has caused her head to swell to more than double its normal size.

The decision raises hope that eighteen-month-old Roona Begum, who suffers from hydrocephalus, a disorder which causes cerebrospinal fluid to build up on the brain, will get the life-saving surgery she urgently requires.
She was discovered last week living with her impoverished parents who are too poor to pay for treatment for the condition, which has resulted in her head swelling to a circumference of 91-centimetres (36-inches).
The publication of pictures taken by an AFP photographer in remote Tripura state in northeast India last Friday led numerous well-wishers to step forward offering donations, while a website has been set up to collect money for her.
Leading Indian neurosurgeon Sandeep Vaishya, who is the head of neurosurgery at a flagship hospital for the Fortis group near the capital, said that he would examine the girl and see if surgery was possible.

Fatima Khatun 25, kisses the head of her eighteen month old daughter, Roona Begum, suffering from Hydrocephalus. AFP PHOTO/ STR

"Fortis will fly her down and while we will have to do an MRI to check the condition of her brain, I am hopeful that we will be able to carry out a surgery and relieve the pressure on the poor child's brain," Vaishya told AFP.
The group has a charitable foundation which carries out surgery free of charge.
Her 18-year-old father, Abdul Rahman, who lives in a mud hut with his family in the village of Jirania Khola, told AFP earlier that only a "miracle" could save his daughter's life.
The swelling is putting pressure on her brain and has made it impossible for her to sit upright or crawl on the ground.
Local doctors had told the family to take the newborn to a private hospital in a big Indian city but the costs were too high for Rahman, an illiterate labourer who earns 150 rupees ($2.75) a day working in a brick plant.
The US government's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates about one in every 500 children suffers from hydrocephalus.
The most common treatment involves the surgical insertion of a mechanism to drain cerebrospinal fluid away from the brain and towards another part of the body where it can be easily absorbed into the bloodstream.
Extreme cases like Roona's are very rare, according to Vaishya, who said he had been deluged with calls about the child after he spoke to AFP on Saturday.
"The child must be in a lot of pain because her head is so heavy. Still, in the images I could see that she was smiling sometimes, which makes me think that her cognitive functions might still be intact," Vaishya said.
Surgery to treat hydrocephalus is not particularly risky, Vaishya said.

Gorkha’s Burn Effigy of Former Minister Over Monkey, Dog Eat Remark

Dharamshala: A BJP legislator suggesting that deploying Gorkha or Naga regiment in monkey and stray dog infested area would help to contain their population as they do eat them has angered Gorkha residents, who have demanded an immediate apology from the lawmaker.

Agitated members of Bharatiya Gorkha Praisangh here, today, burnt an effigy of Ravinder Singh Ravi for having stated during a debate in the Vidhan Sabha posting Gorkha and Naga regiments in the state would help to contain the menace exploding monkey population and stray dogs.

Media reports quoted Ravi have suggested during a debate on April 5 that “If Gorkha or Naga regiments are posted in Himachal from time to time, it will definitely have an impact on the population of monkeys.”

He is also reported to have claimed monkey was a delicacy for Gorkhas and Nagas. Ravi also said, “Black dogs are a favourite food of Gorkhas and this would help maintain ecological balance.”

Pained and shocked at this racist jibe against the Gorkhas, the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh has demanded action from both the Speakers of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly Brij Behair Lal Butail,  BJP President Rajnath Singh and Himachal Pradesh BJP President Satpal Singh Satti against the erring MLA.

Saying Ravi had misused the floor of a Constitutional House, the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh has requested the Speaker to expunge these remarks from the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly and to take appropriate action against Ravi.

The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh told Rajnath Singh that it was especially shocking to have a BJP MLA uttering such demeaning, and utterly erroneous, references to the community because only in the month of March, the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh had met Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad and Manohar Parikkar in Panaji to apprise them of the status of Gorkhas in India and had been assured of the BJP’s attention both to their issues and their demand for Gorkhaland.

The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh has asked both the Speakers and Rajnath Singh to take action against Ravinder Ravi and have him immediately tender an apology to not only the Gorkhas, but also the Naga community.

Wax Work: Traditional Indian Ear Cleaners

 Who charge 25p to scrape out dirt and gunk with a needle

Wincing in pain, these Indian men are allowing a stranger to clean their ears in the street - with a steel needle and cotton wool.

Muhammad Abbas, 38, has made a living from cleaning peoples lug holes ever since his father taught him the trade.

His only tools are a sharp steel needle, a wad of cotton and a pair of pincers to remove any loose wax - all of which he stores in his hat as he roams Old Delhi's streets for custom.
Waxing lyrical: An Indian man forces a smile as his ears are given a thorough cleaning using a needle and cotton wool on the streets of Delhi
Tricks of the trade: The cleaners wrap the steel needle in cotton wool before sliding it into the customer's ear canal
But he now claims the profession is a dying business, as younger generations opt to use ear buds instead.

He said: 'I was taught by my father, who in turn learnt it from his grandfather. Our family has been cleaning ears since the Mughal times.
'I clean 20-30 pairs of ears a day, but most of them are old customers. I rarely get younger people to clean their ears. They prefer to use ear buds.'
Delving in: Ear cleaner Mohammed Abbas, 38, tackles the dirty lobes of Rasheed Quereshi on the steps of Delhi's biggest mosque Jamia Masjid Pinpoint accuracy: Armed only with a steel needle, a wad of cotton and a pair of pincers, the ear cleaners roam the streets looking for customers Dying trade: Partly due to the measly pay and also because of rising health consciousness among Indians, ear cleaners might soon be consigned to history the books Popular: Unhygienic as it might seem, millions of Indians swear by unlicensed practitioners

Masters: Sadanand, 35, cleans the ears of Sunil at Delhi's Connaught Place (left) while Mohhamed Abbas, 38, (right) said his family has been cleaning ears since the Mughal times Muhammad earns anywhere between 20-50 rupees (25p to 60p) for cleaning one ear. The same procedure at a specialist ear clinic in the UK would set you back as much as £70.
The professional ear cleaners wrap the steel needle in cotton wool before sliding it into the customers ear.
After soaking up the wax, they then slowly remove the needle - before using the pincers to pick out any stray wax or cotton.
Probe a lobe: After soaking up the wax, they then slowly remove the needle - before using the pincers to pick out any stray wax or cotton Despite the apparent dangers, most of Muhammad's customers are not worried about injury or infection But despite the apparent dangers, most of Muhammad's customers are not worried about injury or infection.
Muhammad Aslam Qureshi, a customer who has been getting his ears cleaned for 17 years, said: 'I always get my years cleaned. Its very relaxing and it feels great. I have never had any problems with my ears any time.'
Another ear cleaner Sadanand, 35, who caters for upmarket customers in Connaught Place, New Delhi, claims business has been going down hill in recent years.
'When I started 20 years ago, I would clean up to 50 pairs of ears in a day. But, now I am lucky if I can convince even 20 people to get their ears cleaned.'
Cleaning ears is not a lucrative business, ear cleaners earn anything between 20 to 50 rupees - 25p to 60p - per ear
Tools of the trade: Sadanand with his rudimentary equipment - a sharp steel needle wrapped with cotton wool and a pair of pincers to remove any loose wax

Ajmal Kasab hanged at Yerwada Jail at 7:30 am

Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted for his role in the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, was hanged till death at 7.30 am in Pune's Yerwada Jail on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil  has confirmed the execution.

After nearly a four-year-long legal battle, on August 29, the Supreme Court had confirmed the death penalty awarded to the LeT operative by the trial court and later upheld by the Bombay high court.

Upholding Kasab's conviction, the apex court had said that he killed without "the slightest twinge of conscience".

The Centre had rejected Kasab's mercy petition on October 23.

Beautiful Images Of The Hindu Festival Diwali

Around the world, people get ready to celebrate the five-day festival with costumes, flowers, and lots of lights. posted about 8 hours ago

Diwali, which begins November 13, is celebrated throughout India and around the world. Traditions include lighting lamps, candles, and fireworks and decorating with flowers and lanterns. Diwali celebrations often honor Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. Here, a young girl is dressed like her for a Diwali parade in Paramaribo, Suriname, November 10.

Paper lanterns for sale in Mumbai, November 12.

Image by Vivek Prakash / Reuters

Also for sale are electric lights.

Image by Vivek Prakash / Reuters

A young girl lights candles in Allahabad, India, November 12.

Image by Jitendra Prakash / Reuters

A girl lights lamps in the shape of the god Ganesh in Chandigarh, India, November 12.

Image by Ajay Verma / Reuters

Here's the whole thing.

Image by Ajay Verma / Reuters

A potter making such lamps in New Delhi, November 9.

Image by Altaf Qadri / AP

A woman decorating Diwali lamps in Jammu, November 5.

Image by Mukesh Gupta / Reuters

A flower market, Kolkata, India, November 12.

Image by Rupak De Chowdhuri / Reuters

A flower vendor, Allahabad, November 11.

India, Bangla Near Historic Agreement On Teesta Water

By Zia Haq

New Delhi, Nov 8 : India and Bangladesh could soon break a politically significant logjam to sign an interim Teesta water-sharing pact following talks between water resources minister Harish Rawat and visiting Bangladesh agriculture minister Begum Matia Chowdhury. An earlier attempt to resolve a deadlock
over how to share the waters of Teesta, which flow from India’s West Bengal into Bangladesh, had been opposed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Rawat told the Bangladesh minister that India would sign a provisional treaty till a permanent settlement is found, sources said. Bangladesh wants greater access to Teesta waters, citing a fair-use policy but that may require India to use less.

The Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric Project in the Northeast has long fuelled concerns of the neighbouring country that it could impact on Bangladeshi agriculture because it would control water flow from India’s Barak river. India sought to allay fears of Dhaka, holding that there’s no evidence that the dam would hurt farming there.

India is ready to offer commercial power or related benefits from the project, which could be a deal-maker, sources said. In a sign of progress, Dhaka sought Indian help in building a slew of irrigation infrastructure projects. “Indian irrigation experts will visit Bangladesh after the request is formally put in motion,” an official said.

India Chokes NGOs Dependent on Western Charity

By John Dayal

After trying to bludgeon the Catholic church in Tamil Nadu into submission and withdrawing its support to the protest against the Russian-aided nuclear power plant in Koodankulam, the Indian government now seems bent upon choking civil society voices seen as challenging it on issues such as torture, religious freedom, and the life and death powers the military exercises over citizens in the country’s north eastern states.

The weapon of choice is the threat to cancel licenses under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act that allows non-government organization, especially religious groups of all faiths, and Human Rights advocacy activists, to carry on their work with foreign financial help in an impoverished country where corporate and individual philanthropy is virtually unknown.

While a large number of Hindu God men and women are also major recipients of donations from international charities, including church agencies in Europe and the United States, Indian Catholic and Protestant groups, with slim local resources, are to a large extent dependent on foreign funds to carry on their charitable and development work among India’s poor and marginalized communities. The Christian institutions working in education and health sectors among the Tribals and the Dalits, once branded, as untouchables in the iron Caste system, are particularly vulnerable. As it is, the meltdown in the west has severely impacted on their work.

After arbitrarily cancelling as many as 4,300 FCRA permits – on specious arguments that their addresses could not be verified -- the Union government is now issuing orders virtually banning some European and US funding agencies from the country. Indian groups have been told they need to take prior permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which also controls the intelligence agencies and some central police forces, before they can submit their projects to funding agencies named in the government’s prohibitory list.

Prime among them is Cordaid, a Dutch Catholic charity that is accused of having given funds to some Indian NGOs who are working for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act that is responsible for many human rights abuses in Kashmir valley and the North Eastern States. The Reserve Bank of India has circulated an order to all banks in India that they have to inform it if they notice any transfer of funds from Cordaid to local NGOs. Cordaid is also held responsible for partly funding the India Against Corruption trust headed by social activist Anna Hazare and his erstwhile colleague Arvind Kejriwal whose newly formed political party is challenging the ruling Congress and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

Authoritative sources in the government say several other European charities, specially from the Scandinavian countries, are also on the government’s radar, as are many Indian NGOs with whom they have had relationship in the past.

The NGOs affected by the government withdrawing their FCRA permits have protested, but only a few of them have had the precious license restored. In a few other cases including some high profile advocacy groups, permission has been given for them to operate their bank accounts for payment of essential services, but they cannot withdraw any money in cash.

This has, understandably, created a panic among organisations working in development and training at the grassroots. Among those who risk going bankrupt for want of funds are several groups working among victims of violence against the Christian community in Kandhamal district of Orissa state.

Mr. Sanjay Patra, a highly respected transparency expert heading the Financial Management Services Foundation, there is no reason for the government’s paranoia, as there are several other laws on the books to check any misuse of funds, or diversion of money to terrorism on insurrectionist activities. Mr. Patra is also a leading light of the Voluntary Associations Network of India [VANI], which provides an interface with the government. VANI is now engaging with the government to get the FCRA licenses restored for the NGOs that have fallen foul of the authorities. VANI is also urging the government to change provisions in the FCRA rules that make it mandatory for all NGOs to seek a renewal of their permissions every five years instead of the earlier permanent ones. Anyway, money received from foreign charities under FCRA rules can be used only in designated activities and cannot be diverted to other areas.

Of the more than two million NGOs registered in the country those registered under FCRA are 38436. Of them, 21508 Associations reported a total receipt of an amount of Rs. 10,337.59 crore [about US Dollars 195 million] as foreign contribution. Many have FCRA permits but actually do not get any funds from abroad.

The government says the NGO sector in India is vulnerable to the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing, and therefore requires some form of policing of their funds and activities. But it has not been able to adduce any real evidence indicting the NGOs or linking them with terrorist or other unlawful groups other than in political rhetoric. According to government data, list of donor countries is headed by the USA (Rs. 3105.73 crore) followed by Germany (Rs. 1046.30 crore) and UK (Rs. 1038.68 crore).

The FCRA law is a reflection of India’s paranoia on what is euphemistically called the “foreign hand”, or fears that the West is intervening in Indian politics and culture. India’s right wing has accused the West of financing conversions to Christianity and supporting “Christian” insurrectionist groups in states such as Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya in the North East. No evidence has ever been adduced for this, other than political gossip and innuendo.

The law was drafted by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s government in 1975 when she declared a State of Internal Emergency, all but suspended the Constitution and imposed censorship on the Media, arresting thousands of political dissidents and leaders of political parties. The government then said that Socialist leader Mr. Jaiprakash Narain, leading a movement against corruption and for democratic reforms, and several Gandhian groups supporting him were funded by western agencies and were trying to induce the Indian army to mutiny. Subsequent governments overturned many of Mrs. Gandhi’s laws, but retained the FCRA as a useful instrument to tame civil society.

Source:

500000 Cyber Warriors For India? What A Stupid Idea

I was reading the Times of India 5 lakh cyber warriors to bolster India's e-defence. I just wondered. What does National Security Advisor thinks of Cyber warriors? Does numbers count or skills?

One person with enough skills can do more than thousands of these so called cyber warriors. This takes back into focus - the Indian system of education, the lack of the out of the box thinking. everything...

Its a useless effort. Build up skills is my suggestion...


Indrani Bagchi & Vishwa Mohan

Recognizing the threat of cyber attacks from a host of hostile entities — ranging from domestic saboteurs to foreign rivals — a new initiative intends to train five lakh cyber warriors in the next five years to meet a critical gap in India's defences.

NEW DELHI: Recognizing the threat of cyber attacks from a host of hostile entities — ranging from domestic saboteurs to foreign rivals — a new initiative intends to train five lakh cyber warriors in the next five years to meet a critical gap in India's defences.

A government-private sector plan will look at beefing up India's cyber security capabilities in the light of a group of experts reckoning that India faces a 4.7 lakh shortfall of such experts despite the country's reputation of being a IT and software powerhouse.

Efforts to draw a strategic plan for India, being overseen by National Security Advisor ( NSA) Shivshankar Menon, may need to be speeded up as India lags the research and planning leading western and Asian nations have already undertaken.

Cyber warfare has emerged a top threat to national security with India's systems subjected to an increasing number - and more sophisticated — cyber attacks. India faced a severe test during the 2010 Commonwealth Games when cyber attacks from Pakistan and China sought to damage information systems.

Most of the attacks India deals with originate from countries like the US, China, Russia, a few east European countries and Iran. Chinese hackers have targeted a large number of institutions, even stealing data from schools run by the armed forces.

A Canadian investigation in 2010 revealed that Chinese hackers had reached Indian missions at Kabul, Moscow, Dubai, Abuja, US, Serbia, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, the UK and Zimbabwe. A machine at the National Security Council secretariat was tapped as were computers at military engineering services (MES).