Monday 28 July 2014

Thanks Amitabh Bachchan as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Polio

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New Delhi, 27 July: To mark IndiaⳠlandmark achievement of being certified polio-free, UNICEF today celebrated with megastar Amitabh Bachchan who as the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Polio, has played a critical role in mobilizing mass support for IndiaⳠpolio immunization campaign.

Over 1000 men and women from Uttar Pradesh and BiharⳠᓯcial Mobilization Network⠨SmNet) came together for the event presided by the Hon⢬e Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, UNICEF India Representative , Mr Louis Georges Arsenault and superstar Amitabh Bacchan. The evening paid tribute to the Vaccinators and Mobilizers who worked tirelessly in the diverse and remote parts of the country, ensuring that every child under age 5 was immunized.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, the pioneer of the polio eradication programme in India said, 䠉ndiaⳠfeat of being polio-free for three years and receiving WHO certification is indeed a victory for the millions of health and community workers who broke many a barrier to reach out to the unreached children. They are the most powerful voice of the polio eradication movement. They allayed fears and addressed misconceptions. They built partnerships with the local community and religious leadership. It is because of their efforts–of going door to door, administering polio vaccine to children and educating people about the importance of the polio vaccine, that India could achieve this success伯span>
In the context of post-polio India, the Minister stressed the need for building up on the pulse polio experience.
㌥t us, in 2014, revive the 1995 spirit. There are many other diseases demanding pulse polio-like missions involving the coming together of the medical community and general society. So letⳠall work together to ensure ሥalth for All⠦or a better and stronger future,䠄r Harsh Vardhan said.
㉮diaⳠsuccess is a cause for celebration but not complacency. India is polio free but the risk of polio persists. Until the disease is eradicated globally, we need to continue to protect children against the virus and remain in a state of preparedness to respond to any case of poliovirus importation as an emergency,䠳aid, Mr Louis-Georges Arsenault.

Commending Mr BachchanⳠunstinted support towards the cause, he said, ㍲ Bachchan has been the face of polioⳠmass media campaigns for over a decade. His one-liner 㤯 boond zindagi ki䠨two drops of polio vaccine) has been one of the most effective messages in the fight against polio. It had been critical in persuading parents and care-givers to give their children polio vaccines.伯:p>

Each year, around 2.3 million lakh vaccinators, led by 155,000 supervisors, visit 209 million households to administer the polio vaccine during each of these campaigns. Nearly a billion doses of oral polio vaccine are consumed during the campaigns annually.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Bachchan said, 㼯span>IndiaⳊ present polio-free status is a matter of great pride. I feel privileged to have been part of the anti-polio campaign. I am delighted that our efforts in spreading awareness and mobilizing communities for polio vaccination have been successful. But this fight was not an easy one. We must thank the thousands of UNICEF supported SMNet Mobilizers and Government vaccinators who have made this victory possible.䊼o:p>

India was certified polio-free in February 2014– a feat it accomplished overcoming several challenges including population density, high rates of migration, poor sanitation, high birth rates, and low rates of routine immunization in the highest risk states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

However, it must maintain vigilance against any importation of polio until eradication is achieved globally

Mr Arsenault thanked all partners and donors associated with the polio prorgamme Rotary International, WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Core group of NGOs, USAID, JICA and GAVI and acknowledged the contribution of the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jamia Milia Islamia in garnering support of the underserved communities.

Rotary International Past President, Mr Kalyan Banerjee and WHO Representative to India, Dr Nata Menabde were also present at the function.

For further information please visit, Polio Learning Exchange website www.iple.in

World rolls

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Liberia closes border amid spread of deadly Ebola virus

Liberia has shut most of its border crossings and restricted public gatherings in the country in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, Reuters reported. “All borders of Liberia will be closed with the exception of major entry points. At these entry points, preventive and testing centers will be established, and stringent preventive measures to be announced will be scrupulously adhered to,” Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said while speaking at a task force meeting on Sunday. Public gatherings such as marches, demonstrations, and promotional advertisements have also been restricted under the new measures. The deadly virus has already gripped the Western Africa countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, killing at least 660 people in the worst outbreak in history.

At least 5 killed in Nigeria bomb attacks

At least five people were killed and eight others injured in a bomb attack on a Catholic church in Nigeria’s northern city of Kano on Sunday. “We suspect an IED (improvised explosive device) that was thrown from across the road” at the church, police spokesman Frank Mba told AFP. Also in Kano, a female suicide bomber blew herself up outside a university, injuring five officers after police prevented her from entering the building. No one has yet claimed the responsibility for the attacks. Officials blame Islamist Boko Haram militants which are active in the region.

Black boxes from crashed Air Algérie plane sent to France

The black boxes from the Air Algérie plane disaster began their journey to France from northern Mali on Sunday, Mali’s communications minister, Mahamadou Camara, told AFP. The flight data recorder and cockpit recorder were recovered from the remote desert crash site and handed over to French authorities in the capital Bamako. French experts are to examine the plane’s flight data recorders and other information, including the prevailing weather conditions at the time. Air Algérie flight AH 5017 went down in Mali’s Gossi region on Thursday, killing all 118 passengers and crew members on board.

14 injured as lightning strikes people in Southern California

Fourteen people, including a fifteen-year-old, were injured after they were struck by lightning in Southern California on Sunday. Thirteen of those people were struck at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, and a 57-year-old was also hit while on a golf course on Catalina Island. Nine people have been hospitalized, while the rest were treated at the scene, said Los Angeles fire spokeswoman Katherine Main. Two people are reportedly in critical condition.

Mali launches investigation into Air Algérie crash

Malian authorities have launched an investigation to establish the cause of the Air Algérie crash in Mali. The plane was carrying 118 people, including entire families, when it crashed on Thursday. No one survived. France lost the largest number of people in the accident, with 54 nationals killed. Paris began its own preliminary investigation into the crash last week.

Majority of Georgia without power

A high-voltage power line failure has crippled Georgia’s electricity supply, leaving the majority of the country with no electricity on Sunday evening, local media reported. A massive outage damaged the 500/220 kV transfer line, Energy Ministry head Irakli Gaprindashvili said, according to Pirveli news agency. An investigation is underway to determine what caused the damage in the first place. Georgian authorities will be working to restore electricity in stages, according to Gaprindashvili. The majority of the outages have been reported in the western part of the country. The power outage affected Tbilisi’s subway and television tower. Earlier, there were reports of flooding in western Georgia’s Vani region.

Polish journalist injured in eastern Ukraine

Polish journalist Bianca Zalewska has been injured in eastern Ukraine “in the area of anti-terrorist operations (ATO),” the ATO’s press-service said in a statement on Facebook. It claims the journalist was taken to the nearest hospital in the town of Starobilsk in the Lugansk region.”Given her critical state of health, the patient was immediately evacuated by helicopter to Kharkov for professional medical care,” the statement reads.

British embassy convoy comes under attack in Libya’s Tripoli

A British embassy convoy in Tripoli was “subject to an attempted carjacking” Sunday early Sunday morning, a spokesman for London’s mission in Libya, Bob Phillipson, said. “Shots were fired at our vehicles but they managed to drive on and leave the area,” he told journalists. There were no injuries and “all embassy personnel are safe and accounted for.” Britain advised its citizens to leave the country on Sunday.

Pilot dies as MIG-29 fighter jet crashes in southern Russia

A MIG-29 fighter jet has crashed in southern Russia, killing the pilot. According to initial data, the cause of the accident was a technical failure, the head of the air force General Viktor Bondarev told journalists. The accident happened as the pilot was carrying out a planned test flight in the Astrakhan region. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the pilot was given a command to eject, but “trying to save the plane” he did not leave the controls and died.

​Philippines celebrates birth of 100-millionth citizen amid overpopulation concerns

Jennalyn Sentino, one of 100 babies born in state hospitals in the Philippines on Sunday, was symbolically designated “the 100,000,000th baby” to mark the country’s passing the population threshold. “This is both an opportunity and a challenge… an opportunity we should take advantage of and a challenge we recognize,” Juan Antonio Perez, executive director of the official Commission on Population, told AFP. The Philippines remain among the poorest countries in the world, and its economy is struggling to grow on par with its population. The government wants to overcome resistance from the Roman Catholic Church and promote birth control to lower fertility rate by a third, from the current three children per woman per lifetime, thereby stabilizing growth.

Costa Concordia ends its final voyage, docks in Genoa

More than two years after it ran aground, the cruise liner Costa Concordia has been towed to the port of Genoa by eight separate tugboats. The cost of the salvage operation that began last year is estimated at $2 billion – more than three times more than that of the ship itself. 32 people died in the accident off the coast of Italy in January 2012, which was declared to have been caused by the actions of the captain.

15 killed as typhoon Matmo hit China

At least 15 have been killed and thousands left in need of basic subsistence as a result of typhoon Matmo that swept through China, the Civil Affairs Ministry said on Sunday. Nine deaths were reported in eastern Jiangxi province and four in southern Guangdong province, while nearly 290,000 residents have been relocated and some 37,000 are in urgent need of basic living supplies, the ministry said. Downgraded to a tropical storm, it has still caused direct economic losses of 3.37 billion yuan ($547 million) the ministry said.

Malaysia Airlines rethinking entire business strategy

Malaysia Airlines will “change its name and restructure its routes” in the wake of two major tragedies happening in the space of only six months. These are not the only things the airline plans to give a makeover, the rest are being discussed presently, the Mail reports. The changes are to be finalized shortly after the death of the 298 passengers about flight MH17, which was downed over Ukraine on July 17, and the earlier disappearance of flight MH370 on March 8, which carried 239 passengers.

Suspected Boko Haram fighters attack Cameroon, capture vice PM’s wife

Militants allegedly from Boko Haram, a militant Islamist organization based in northern Nigeria, have attacked a town in northern Cameron, said the country’s military commander, as cited by Reuters. He added that the alleged militants also took the wife of Cameroon’s vice prime minister hostage and killed at least three people.

​Egypt destroys more tunnels used by Hamas in fight against Israel

Egypt’s military has destroyed a further 13 tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip with the Sinai Peninsula, bringing the total to 1,639, Naharnet reports. While the army’s mission to destroy the tunnels started in the aftermath of former leader Mohamed Morsi’s ouster, Cairo’s incentive for doing so also has to do with curbing activities by Hamas, the Palestinian group currently defending the Gaza Strip against Israel. While both Muslim, Egypt’s relationship with Hamas has cooled since Morsi’s ouster. Hamas used to be the affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi’s party. Furthermore, Cairo accuses Hamas of complicity in terrorist attacks inside Egypt as well.

400 bodies discovered in Bolivian mass grave

The remains of 400 people, presumed to be miners, lying in a mass grave, were discovered in the Bolivian city of Potosi, at a silver mine. The remains were discovered at a depth of two meters and are thought to date back 500 years, to the time of the Spanish conquest, ITAR-TASS reports.

​Scores killed in Libyan clashes as country descents into chaos

At least 59 people have been killed in Libya since Saturday, as the country became mired in the worst violence since the 2011, when a NATO bombing campaign allowed local militias overthrow and kill strongman Muammar Gaddafi. At least 36 died in clashes between government forces and Islamist militants in Benghazi, the ‘cradle’ of the anti-Gaddafi uprising. And in capital Tripoli, 23 Egyptian workers were killed when a rocket hit their home amid clashes between rival militias. The escalation of violence prompted the evacuation on Saturday of international organizations and foreign embassies from the disintegrating country.

Israel resumes Gaza offensive amid humanitarian truce

The IDF has resumed fighting in the Gaza Strip, saying that Hamas ignored a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire.“Following Hamas’ incessant rocket fire throughout the humanitarian window, which was agreed upon for the welfare of the civilian population in Gaza, the (army) will now resume its aerial, naval and ground activity in the Gaza Strip,” a statement from Israeli forces said.
Earlier, Israel extended the humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza for 24 hours, but said that it will retaliate if Hamas fires rockets from Gaza territory. But the Palestinian militant group rejected Israel’s proposition.

​US doctor catches Ebola amid African outbreak

A 33-year-old American doctor working for a relief organization in Liberia has tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus. Dr Kent Brantly, who directs one of the country’s two treatment centers run by the Samaritan’s Purse recognized his own symptoms and confined himself to an isolation ward. It was not immediately clear how the doctor contacted the disease, which has already killed at least 660 people during its latest outbreak across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – or about 60 percent of those diagnosed.

​Fighter jet crashes in southeastern Russia

A Russian MiG-29 fighter jet has crashed near the city of Astrakhan, in southeastern Russia, killing the pilot, said Viktor Bondarev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force. “[We] are investigating the incident. According to preliminary reports, the crash was caused by a technical failure,” he added. The flight commander ordered the pilot to eject, but the pilot hesitated trying to save the vehicle and was killed, said spokesman for the ministry, Igor Konashenkov. The defense ministry has deployed a commission to investigate the incident at the crash site, the ministry said in a statement.

​Russia lays down two nuclear submarines

A Borei-class submarine – “Knyaz Oleg” and a Yasen-class multipurpose attack submarine “Krasnoyarsk” are to be laid down in the city of Severodvinsk, north-western Russia on Sunday, a spokesman for the Russian Navy told RIA Novosti. The two advanced nuclear-propelled submarines were expected to be laid down last week, but the ceremony was postponed to coincide with the celebration of the Russian Navy Day.

Japan denounces North Korea’s missile launch

The Japanese government lodged a protest and denounced North Korea’s Saturday missile launch which came in “violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” local Mainichi newspaper reported. “We need to let them know that nuclear and missile development and economic revival won’t go together,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a trip to Mexico. Japan’s defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, ordered to gather information and stay on full alert, a ministry official told local media. North Korea fired a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan on Saturday at 9:40 p.m. local time in a northeastern direction without advanced warning; neither a no-fly nor no-sail zone were imposed, according to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff.

Wildfires prompt evacuation of 1,000 California residents

A wildfire has forced the evacuation of about 1,200 residents in a rural area east of the California state capital of Sacramento, according to fire officials. The fire, which is centered about 8 km north of the town of Plymouth and 50 kilometers east of Sacramento, destroyed five residences and two outbuildings, causing one injury, said Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as cited by Reuters. Since the blaze began on Friday, 515 have been evacuated in Amador and El Dorado counties, fire officials said.

15 killed as rockets hit residential building in Libya

At least 15 people died when a residential building was hit during a rocket attack in Tripoli, Libya, Itar-Tass reported. The building, which housed Egyptian workers, was completely destroyed by the explosion. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning its citizens to avoid traveling to Libya due to heightened tensions in the country. Three years after the fall of former President Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has slipped into political chaos, with the new government and army unable to control former rebels and militias.
Media agencies

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सहारनपुर हमलों ने की मुगलिया सल्तनत की याद ताजा: विहिप

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उत्तर प्रदेश में आजम खान के इशारे पर किया जा रहा है हिन्दू-सिख समुदाय का दमन
        नई दिल्लीजुलाई 27, 2014। सहारनपुर के दंगों में हिन्दू-सिख समुदाय के दमन की वीभत्स घटनाओं ने उत्तर प्रदेश में एक बार फ़िर मुगलिया सल्तनत की याद ताजा कर दी है। विश्व हिन्दू परिषद दिल्ली के महा मंत्री श्री राम कृष्ण श्रीवास्तव ने मामले की गंभीरता को जान कर केन्द्र सरकार से अपील की है कि दंगों को रोक पाना अब अखिलेश सरकार के बस की बात नहीं रह गई है क्योंकि उसे तो श्री आजम खान जैसे जिहादी मानसिकता के नेता चला रहे हैं अत: प्रदेश में राष्ट्रपति सरकार के अलावा कोई विकल्प सामने नहीं दिख रहा। अब वहां न हिन्दू स्वयं सुरक्षित हैं और न ही उनकी बहिन बेटियाँ, धर्म स्थल और साधू-संत।
      विश्व हिन्दू परिषद दिल्ली के झण्डेवालान कार्यालय में आज हुई बैठक में पारित एक प्रस्ताव की प्रति मीडिया को जारी करते हुए विहिप दिल्ली के मीडिया प्रमुख श्री विनोद बंसल ने बताया कि उत्तर प्रदेश अब ऊत प्रदेश बनता जा रहा है जहां सरकार और प्रशासन में मुगलिया सल्तनत का दबदबा लगातार बढता जा रहा है जिससे वहां हिंदू-सिख समुदाय में अपनी सम्पत्ति, महिलाओं और जान माल की सुरक्षा के प्रति गंभीर चिंता व्याप्त है। एक के बाद एक प्रान्त का हर जिला हिंसा की चपेट में आता जा रहा है। प्रशासनिक अधिकारी न सिर्फ़ पक्षपातपूर्ण व्यवहार करते साफ़ दिख रहे हैं बल्कि वे लव जिहाद को बढावा तथा धर्म स्थलों को अपमानित करने जैसे घृणित कृत्यों से भी परहेज नहीं करते। विश्व हिन्दू परिषद राज्य सरकार के उन कदमों की भी तीव्र भर्त्सना करती है जिनमें हिन्दू त्योहारों और धार्मिक यात्राओं के दौरान धारा 144 का हवाला देकर साधू-संतों सहित हिन्दू समाज के गणमान्य लोगों को गिरफ़्तार कर लिया जाता है और उनके धार्मिक क्रिया कलापों पर कुठाराघात किया जाता है। विहिप ने पूछा है कि एक ओर तो महा शिव रात्रि के दिन एक साध्वी को अपने आराध्य के मंदिर में भगवान शंकर के जलाभिषेक से रोका जाता है किन्तु दूसरी ओर सैकडों की संख्या में दंगा करने जुटे जिहादियों को गुरुद्वारे पर आक्रमण के लिए पुलिस स्थानीय मुस्लिम नेताओं के साथ ताण्डव मचाने की खुली छूट दे देती है। क्या यही है वास्तविक धर्म निरपेक्षता? प्रस्ताव में कहा गया है कि विश्व हिन्दू परिषद उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार से अपनी कार्यशैली में पर्याप्त बदलाव की अपेक्षा रखती है जिससे इस प्रकार की एक भी घटना अब और न होने पाए। साथ ही, केन्द्र सरकार से भी आग्रह करती है कि राज्य में कानून व्यवस्था की स्थिति में यदि शीघ्र सुधार नहीं हुआ तो वह अविलम्ब राज्य में राष्ट्रपति शासन लगाए।
बैठक में विहिप दिल्ली के अध्यक्ष श्री रिखब चन्द जैन, उपाध्यक्ष श्री रोशन लाल गोरखपुरिया, श्री अशोक कुमार तथा श्री गुरदीन प्रसाद रुस्तगी, मंत्री श्री राम पाल सिंह यादव व विजय प्रकाश गुप्ता तथा बजरंग दल संयोजक श्री नीरज दोनेरिया सहित अनेक पदाधिकारी उपस्थित थे।
भवदीय
विनोद बंसल
(मीडिया प्रमुख),
इंद्रप्रस्थ विश्व हिंदू परिषददिल्ली,
मो : 9810949109




Mahadik, Aradhya, Donison emerge JK Tyre Karting champs

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Hyderabad, July 27: Krishnaraaj Mahadik of Mohites Racing, Kolhapur drove an aggressive race to upstage his more illustrious teammates and emerge winner in the Senior Max category of the 11th JK Tyre-FMSC National Rotax Max Karting Championship’s second 2nd round and leapfrog to the top of the points table at the Airport Karting track, Hyderabad on Sunday.
After two rounds, Mahadik is leading the championship points table with 71 points, followed by Ameya Bafna of Rayo Racing with 69 and Vishnu Prasad of Meco Racing tied with Dhruv Mohite on 65.
The Junior Max category saw a renewed tough battle between Ricky R Donison of BPC Racing and Kush Maini of Dark Don Racing. Maini was leading throughout the race, before Donison, displaying superb control and composure squeezed past at the last corner to take the chequered flag.  Aaroh Ravindra also flew past a rattled Maini, who had to settle for third place.
Maini, however, can take solace from the fact that he is leading the points tally with 73, followed by Aaroh Ravindra and Akash Gowda (both Meco Racing) on 71.
The Micro Max category also saw a close battle between Meco Racing teammates Yash Aradhya and Shahan Ali Mohsin, before the 11-year-old Yash prevailed for his second back to back victory. Chirag Ghorpade of BPC celebrated his ninth birthday in style, finishing in third place.
However, Shahan’s second place finishes in the pre-final and the final races saw him go to the top of the points table with 75, followed by Yash on 73 and Paul Francis on 72.
Yash Aradhya, who was a little slower on the start and was trailing Shahan initially was elated with his second win on the trot and said, “I pressed the throttle a little later than Shahan and hence slipped into second spot. I planned to take him on the next corner but after two more corners I got the lead and then just aimed to keep safe.”
Mahadik, starting the race in in sixth position was off in a flash when the green flag was waved, moving into second place behind teammate Chittesh Mandody, the pre-final winner. Keeping the pressure on Mandody through the tight corners, Mahadik forced Mandody to crash out in the 10th lap, after which it was a one-horse race, with the battle for second and third spot hotting up between Dhruv Mohite, Vishnu Prasad and Nayan Chatterjee. Mohite was no match for the canny Vishnu and the determined Chatterjee, who finished second and third respectively.
“I struggled a lot with my car. Was not there in the race in the initial stages, but later pulled it through,” said Mahadik
Donison and Maini, placed one and two on the grid, were quickly into the thick of things at the flag off, roaring around the corners in their quest to outdo each other. Though Donison did manage to wrest the lead for short periods a couple of times, it was Maini who led for prolonged periods. It was the relentless pressure kept up by Donison that seemed to have finally unsettled Maini and at the last corner, Maini seemed to be standing still as Donison charged past, followed closely by Ravindra.
“I started second after Kush Maini and it was really a tough race. He made a move in the first corner and then he started defending very well. I couldn’t get past him through I tried very hard. In last corner I saw a gap and I went for it,” said Donison after his hard fought win.
To 5 Results:
Senior Max:  Krishnaraaj Mahadik (Mohites) 18:38.865; Vishnu Prasad (Meco) 18:42.684; Nayan Chatterjee (Rayo) 18:42.975; Arya Gandhi (Rayo) 18:46.779; Dhruv Mohite (Mohites) 18:45.694
Junior Max: Ricky R Donison (BPC) 16:01.613; Aaroh Ravindra (Rayo) 16:01.628; Kush Maini (Dark Don) 16:02.243; Mira Erda (Dark Don) 16:05.651; Akash Gowda (Meco) 16:12.589
Micro Max: Yash Aradhya (Meco) 12:11.002; Shahan Ali Mohsin (Meco) 12:13.785; Chirag Ghorpade (BPC) 12:13.933; Paul Francis (Meco) 12:25.714; Arjun Nair (Meco) 12:28.235




Chief of Army Staff, General Bikram Singh called on Union Home Minister,

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Chief of Army Staff, General Bikram Singh called on Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, in New Delhi today.
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Film Screening at the Italian Cultural Institute – 6:30pm, 30th July 2014

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Cultural Program
To Undisclosed Recipients
Today at 10:24 AM
ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI CULTURA DI NEW DELHI  – INCONTRI IN BIBLIOTECA
Nuovo cinema Italiano/ New Italian Cinema: Opere Prime/Debut Films: 2008-2013
7 maggio/May – 30 luglio/July 2014
Tutti i mercoledì / Every Wednesday @ 18.30
WEDNESDAY 30th JULY 2014 AT 6.30 P.M.

Mercoledi/Wednesday, 30Luglio/ July
Pranzo di ferragosto / Mid-August Lunch
Commedia / Comedy
2008, 75 min.
Regista / Director: Gianni Di Gregorio
Cast: Gianni Di Gregorio,Valeria Bendoni, Grazia Cesarini Sforza, Elisa Alessandro

PRANZO DI FERRAGOSTO (Mid-August Lunch)
Gianni è un uomo di mezz’età, figlio unico di madre vedova, una nobildonna decaduta che lo tiranneggia sistematicamente, con la quale vive in una vecchia casa nel centro di Roma. L’esistenza di Gianni si trascina tra le faccende domestiche, l’osteria e conti da pagare. Con Ferragosto arriva però una proposta che gli permetterà di saldare i debiti. / Gianni, a middle-aged man, lives with and looks after his widowed mother, as unpaid bills pile up around him. As the traditional Italian holiday weekend of August 15 approaches, the hapless man is offered a partial solution to his pecuniary problems.
6:30 p.m., Wednesday30th July 2014
Venue: Tessitori Hall of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre in New Delhi
Entry Free: For security reasons please show your valid Photo Identity Card.
For more information, please visit our websitewww.iicnewdelhi.esteri.it/IIC_Newdelhi
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WTO – India Continues 3 Way Corrupt AGRICULTURE Policies

28072014
Ravinder Singh
Topresidentofindia@rb.nic.inmanmohan@sansad.nic.inspeakerloksabha@sansad.nic.in and 35 More…
Today at 4:26 AM
WTO – India Continues 3 Way Corrupt AGRICULTURE Policies
July27, 2014 (C) Ravinder Singh ravinderinvent@gmail.comIndia has been Persisting With Corrupted AGRICULTURE policies UNIQUE
in the world even under NDA regime which is hindering progress of
Agriculture, Value Additions of Crops & Food Processing and Marketing
Farm Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and Processed Foods.
India could potentially export $100b to $200b worth of foods. Just
hygienic storage, processing, packaging and Branding could earn 200%
higher price for food exports than present – actually Branded Basmati
Rice or Ice Creams etc are retailed for 5-10 times wholesale price.
Real Earnings of Indian farmers could TRIPLE in five years.
1.]  Worldwide Agriculture is considered Low Income Activity and to
maintain Income Levels of Farmers, in Developed Countries Farmers get
DIRECT subsidies $25,000 to $100,000 annually. Land holdings are
smaller in Switzerland therefore Swiss farmers get maximum subsidy.
Income of every farmer in developed countries is PROTECTED.
Majority, 75% of the farmers in India don’t even Get Bank Credit and
the lucky ones get it late and had to depend on Moneylenders for loans
at 40% to 120% annual rate of interest. Monsoon this year is delayed
in first 1 month and 27 days there is 25% deficit than normal but
there is no scheme to automatically compensate or assist farmers and
there is no Crop Insurance for 95% farmers.
Essential grains are procured and inefficiently stored and States
Identify Poor and Very Poor who are together around 25% population are
eligible for Public Distribution and half of subsidized food allocated
is diverted for Open Market Sale and in addition good quality food is
replaced by rotten foods.
2.]  Small and Medium Farmers in Developed Countries Hygienically
Store, Process Foods, Preserve Nutrients, Brand and Market all foods
at FARMERS MARKETS. Indian Farmers are prevented from such VALUE
ADDITION ACTIVITIES. 80% of Foods in Developed Countries is PROCESSED,
but not even 2% in India.
3.]  Indians are SUPPLIED UNHYGENIC, Poor Quality foods at 200% to
500% Market Price through network of middlemen.
Poor and Lower Middle Class spend 80% to 50% of their earnings on
Foods but when their brothers in rural India are selling their produce
– Onion, Potato and Tomato at Rs.2 to Rs.5 per kg they in urban India
pay Rs.20 to Rs.80 per kg. for degraded and unhygienic foods.
India Attracted 1.2% of EU FDI & WTO Dispute
http://www.esf.be/new/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ESF2011-06-ESF-Comments-DIPP-FDI-Caps-Discussion-Paper.pdf
4.]  This paper reported India attracted just $4b out of over $350b EU
FDI. Agriculture Infrastructure Requires over $1000b investment, or
more to ensure 80% Food Processing and Efficient Hygienic Supply
Chain.
5.]  Dullards in UPA Government were Promoting WEIRD idea of supplying
$30b worth of Foodgrains or $30 per capita to 1 billion Indians that
is good enough to buy say 40 Liters of Milk or 60 kg of Tomato (110 gm
of milk or 160gm of Tomato per day.*) UPA-I & II MADE NO EFFORT TO
CONTAIN MIDDLEMEN & PRICE RISE.
UPA-I & II wanted DEVELOPED COUNTRIES like SWITZERLAND for example to
Cut Down $5b annual Subsidy to 50,000 Farmers. Here in the following
7m USA Farmers export $116b worth of Foods Equal to Subsidy farmers
get in 2010.
Subsidy to Farmers in India like in USA of say $100b Would also
generate EXPORTS worth $100b or more when processed by BRANDED
companies.
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0849.pdf
6.  But in the ONGOING DISPUTE since two decades or more India could
Export Just 1.7% of Food Imports by USA 2010, actually declined from
2.2% at peak.
7.  Assuming FDI in FOOD INFRA at 20% is $200b and companies
repatriate $20b annual but shall BOOST INDIAN EXPORTS to Well Over
$100b, Avoid Quantity, Quality and Nutrient Loss worth $50b. So India
has over $100b NET ADVANTAGE.
CREATE OVER 100M JOBS AS BIGGEST ADVANTAGE – TRIPLE FARMERS REAL INCOME.
Ravinder Singh, National General Secretary.
Sabka Bharat Mission 2019
Y-77, Hauz Khas, New Delhi -110016
Ph: 9650421857, 9718280435
Sabkabharatmission2019@gmail.com
*This is Most WEIRD because $30 Per Capita Shall Be Funded By Tax
Collection Which Is Most Inefficient in India, Second even $30 Per
Capita Shall Be Subjected To Leakages and Administrative Cost and
Inefficient Transportation & Distribution.  Diversion of Resources
from Farming Infrastructure Would Actually Increase Food Prices to
Consumers and Net Benefit to People Would Be Negative.
Rich Rattled by India’s Stance
Jul 26 2014 The Economic Times (Delhi)
Won’t back trade protocol unless concerns addressed
India stuck to its guns at the World Trade Organization in defiance of
developed nations with a strongly worded statement at the general
council meeting in Geneva on Friday that it will not agree to any
accord on trade facilitation unless food security issue is also taken
up, signalling its intent to take a hard stand on July 31, the
deadline by which a decision has to be made.
Instead, India has suggested a four-point action plan that seeks to
deliver by December 31 a complete package on agreements reached at the
Bali ministerial that includes trade facilitation, a package for least
developed countries and public stocking for food security. The
hardening of India’s stand emerged after the new government took stock
of the situation earlier this week.
Rattled rich countries have hit back at India, accusing it of going
back on what was signed in December 2013 at Bali, a charge India has
strongly countered. “The EU is not ready to renegotiate basic elements
or timelines that were agreed as integral part of the Bali package,”
the European Union said, indicating a heightened risk of a stalemate
or talks unravelling.
Another delay looms, an expert said.
“WTO goes by consensus and with India along with the other African,
Latin American countries not agreeing to sign the trade facilitation
protocol, it will have to get deferred,” said Biswajit Dhar, professor
at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
It is by no means clear what will happen next, said a person present
at the general council meeting, adding that the atmosphere was very
tense.
“It will be suicidal, absolutely. And that’s not a threat, that’s just
a statement of fact,” one Western diplomat was cited as saying by
Reuters. “They say we’re going to get what we want or we’ll blow
everything else up, but if they do that they won’t even get what they
want.” India said the concerns of poorer nations needed to be
addressed.
“To fully understand and address the concerns of members on the TF
(Trade Facilitation) Agreement, my delegation is of the view that the
adoption of the TF Protocol be postponed till a permanent solution on
public stockholding for food security is found,” India said at the
general council meeting, adding that that it was disappointed by the
lack of similar urgency shown on issues of importance to the
developing countries. The trade facilitation agreement seeks to cut
down red tape in global trade that some studies say could add $ 1
trillion to the global economy. At the Bali ministerial in December,
WTO members had agreed to pursue trade facilitation, a solution to the
issue of public stock holding for food security and a package for
least development countries.
India’s food security law, which is based on massive government
procurement from farmers and distribution to poor at subsidised
prices, runs the risk of violating WTO rules that prescribe a limit on
farm subsidies at 10% of output.
The country has budgeted Rs 1.15 lakh crore for food subsidies in the
current year.
“India is of the view that the Trade Facilitation Agreement must be
implemented only as part of a single undertaking including the
permanent solution on food security,” New Delhi said in its
submission, accusing the developed world of not having the “will to
engage in areas of interest”.
The G-33 countries, a group of developing nations, want a complete
exclusion of subsidies given on account of public stockholding
programmes from the category of actionable subsidies at the WTO. This
will require amendment to the WTO Agreement on Agriculture to allow
countries to procure food grain from poor farmers at minimum support
prices and sell to poor people at subsidised rates through public
distribution systems.
India said timelines were important but there cannot be undue haste.
“The Bali outcomes were negotiated as a package and must be concluded
as such,” it said. “This is important so that the millions of farmers
and the poor families who depend on domestic food stocks do not have
to live in constant fear. To jeopardise the food security of millions
at the altar of a mere anomaly in the rules is unacceptable.” At the
same time, India said it was fully committed to the decisions taken at
Bali.
“Having signed on to the ministerial decisions in Bali, let there be
no doubt about India’s commitment to those decisions including the
Trade Facilitation Agreement. All we are asking is that the public
stockholding issue as well as other decisions of Bali be taken forward
in the same time frame as trade facilitation,” India said.
An Indian commerce department official justified India’s stand saying
that any accord should not ignore the interests of the poor. “We can
defer the time. Timelines are important, but they are not sacrosanct
at the cost of the interest of a large (amount of) humanity which
lives below the poverty line. We are not saying that we want to
postpone it to eternity, no, not at all,” the person said.
India sought immediate establishment of an institutional mechanism
such as a dedicated Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture to
find a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security.
Global Trade Deal At Risk
India firm on food subsidies at WTO
Jul 26 2014 The Times of India (Ahmedabad)
New Delhi
The government on Friday refused to yield to pressure from developed
countries to accept easier customs rules without its food subsidy
concerns being addressed, putting at risk a likely deal at the World
Trade Organization (WTO).
Developing countries have stepped up the pressure on India saying
failure to strike a deal on trade facilitation would stall global
trade reforms and deal a massive blow to the WTO by undoing the work
done by trade ministers at Bali.
“To jeopardize the food security of millions at the altar of a mere
anomaly in the rules is unacceptable… In order to fully understand
and address the concerns of members on the trade facilitation
agreement (TFA), my delegation is of the view that the adoption of the
TF protocol be postponed till a permanent solution on public stock
holding for food security is found,” Anjali Prasad, India’s ambassador
to the WTO, said at a specially convened meeting to clear the TFA,
which promises to ease clearances at ports and airports across the 160
member countries.
India’s stand leads to threats, barbs
At a meeting of G-20 trade ministers last week, a minister ‘advised’
India to ignore some of the issues mentioned in the Bali declaration,
before launching an attack on a recent MoU between India and China on
industrial parks. There have also been some fears that the US could
initiate action, including trade sanctions, against India. Reports
said US ambassador Michael Punke warned that efforts by some countries
to derail the talks could undermine global trade reform. “Today, we
are extremely discouraged that a small handful of members in this
organization are ready to walk away from their commitments at Bali, to
kill the Bali agreement, to kill the power of that good faith and
goodwill we all shared, to flip the lights in this building back to
dark,” Punke was quoted as saying.
India is demanding that the new agreement, which is to be implemented
a year later, should be finalized only after WTO members accept the
demand from several developing countries, led by India, to change the
rules on government food subsidies. Currently, the government has to
cap food subsidy at 10% of the value of the production but the value
is based on prices prevalent in 1986-88, which have increased up to
six times since then. A breach of the cap will limit the ability of
developing countries to maintain public stockholding of food grains,
which not just benefits farmers but also helps in combating price
fluctuations. TNN

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