NGOs will govern us now

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January 8, 2014

“Hum layen hain toofan se kashti nikaal ke. Is desh ko rakhna mere bachon sambhal ke”. “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. In today’s scenario this message does not apply to our kids, it definitely is applicable to Prashant Bhushan. Bhushan’s statement pertaining to having a referendum for deploying army in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered a controversy. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal distanced himself from the remarks of Bhushan by saying that it is his personal comment and the party doesn’t support it. The BJP also criticized AAP for taking a stand which is detrimental for India’s sovergnity. Later, Bhushan clarified that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Such type of people are making lumpsum money in Delhi and making statements which, persons like me will never even think of and yet they are being allowed to thrive.

Congress and the BJP must now introspect and bring about changes very quickly that will align them more closely with the common man. They must give up extensive display of power by pruning security and surrendering vast and expensive bungalows. They should use more fuel efficient vehicles.

The major reason behind Congress party’s debacle in the assembly election is lack of communication between Manmohan Singh and people. The same aspect is applicable to Sheila Dixit. If the Congress would have fielded a young leader in Delhi then things would have been different. It is the unwillingness of old leaders to shed political ambition that has frustrated people and they will just vote for anyone but not the Congress. The party must realize this and start mending their corrupt ways. They must induct young men and women who are well educated and have performed good work in their profession or in their locality. Sons and daughters of the politicians must not be inducted into politics.

AAP has selected the name “Aam Aadmi” which is all so encompassing that even Salman Khan will be stumped in finding himself supporting a party in his forthcoming film. Many people will come forward to contest Lok Sabha election with AAP money (opportunity of a life time) but the party must be very watchful and reject them. The same aspect is applicable to other parties. Why should the BJP issue ticket to V K Malhotra’s son who enjoyed a luxurious life in Delhi or Priya Dutt of Congress? The party which was served by leaders like Subhash Chandra Bose, Annie Besant, Abul Kalam Azad, Pandit Nehru is frightened of Kumar Biswas.

I was watching a young woman activist of AAP wearing spectacles talking to Barkha Dutt addressing her “Barkha” with such an ease as if she knew her for ages. There is no harm, let them enjoy themselves because leaders like ND Tewari, L K Advani, Uma Bharti, Ram Jethmalani, Vinay Katiar etc; have enjoyed visibility on television for a long period of time. The woman looked ferociously mature had no girlish smile, lack of softness in expressions.

India intensifies vigil along border with Bangladesh

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

India has further intensified vigil along its border with Bangladesh in view of the ongoing political turmoil and attacks on religious minorities in the neighbouring country, an official said here Wednesday.

“We have asked our troopers to tighten their vigil along the India-Bangladesh border. Additional forces have been deployed in the sensitive border locations adjoining Indian states,” an official of the Border Security Force (BSF) said.

“Though we do not have any kind of specific intelligence inputs of troubles opposite to Tripura, Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya frontiers, there are troubles and incidents of attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh territories opposite to West Bengal borders,” said the official, who refused to be named.

India’s five states – West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram – share a 4,096-km border with Bangladesh. A large portion of the International Border remains unfenced and porous.

There are a large number of thickly populated Bangladeshi villages and towns on the other side of the International Border, making patrolling a delicate task for the Indian border guards and other security forces.

According to media reports in Bangladesh, over 200 houses and shops belonging to the minority Hindu community have been vandalised and looted by the Jamaat-e-Islami activists in different parts of Bangladesh’s Jessore and Dinajpur districts.

“Several hundred minority people, including women and children, have taken shelter in the Hindu temples and safer places. Bangladesh security forces have arrested many attackers,” the reports said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked the Bangladesh government to take appropriate actions to protect the minorities in that country.

“If the Bangladesh government does not take urgent adequate security measures, the situation might go out of control,” BJP’s Tripura unit president Sudhindra Dasgupta said.

“The government has asked the BSF to keep maximum alert along the border. We have asked the superintendents of police of bordering districts to take necessary measures to deal with the situation,” Tripura Director General of Police C Balasubramanian told reporters.

“Mobile Task Force officials and troopers were also engaged in round-the-clock patrol along the bordering areas to prevent any untoward elements from (coming) across the border,” he said.

BSF Director General Subhash Joshi earlier last month inspected the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura and other northeastern states to review the security.

Congress banking on AAP to tackle Narendra Modi led-BJP?

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

The emergence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)appears to have come as a boon for the Congress, which has been witnessing a down trend in its popularity across the country.

The Congress leadership, including vice president Rahul Gandhi, has failed to put the brakes on the rising popularity of Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. But with Arvind Kejriwal led-AAP announcing to contest “maximum number of seats” in the 2014 General Elections, the grand old party seems to have seen a ray of hope.

It was quite unusual on Congress’ part to extend support to the AAP to form government in Delhi, the same party which during its election campaign had heavily criticised the grand old party over corruption. Also, three times Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was defeated by Kejriwal by a huge margin.

The question which arises is, what led the Congress to extend support to the new political outfit. One reason may be that the Congress thought that AAP under the leadership of Kejriwal wouldn’t be able to fulfil the poll promises and ultimately the popularity of the new entrant fades away, another may be that the Congress is banking on AAP to eat into BJP’s vote share in the urban areas in the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress, which suffered a huge defeat in the recently held Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh might have sensed the mood of the nation which appears to have tilted towards Modi – all thanks to the weak and indecisive leadership of the UPA government.

Overall, Congress was seen to lose ground over corruption scandals.

The BJP, has waged a fierce campaign fronted by its PM candidate, Modi, who has charmed businesses and is credited with turning Gujarat into an industrial haven.

The flamboyant Gujarat Chief Minister with his fiery oratory skills has almost diminished the Congress leadership and the ruling party has nothing left in its armoury to tackle the NaMo wave.

The Congress seems to be eyeing AAP’s support to take on Modi and this was evident when Mani Shankar Aiyar in an oblique comment suggested that Congress could seek the help of AAP in the run-up to General Elections 2014 to thwart the BJP’s influence.

“We will work shoulder to shoulder.. Having two secular parties at power is good for the country,” said Aiyar according to the reports.

Buoyed by spectacular performance in Delhi Assembly elections, the AAP has decided to contest maximum number of seats in the parliamentary election scheduled in April-May.

Country heading towards better times, no reason to despair: PM

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday sought to dispel apprehensions of the Indian diaspora on the state of the economy, saying the country was heading towards “better times” and there is no reason to despair about its present or worry about the future.

He also said that regardless of the outcome of the next elections, they will once again demonstrate the strength of India’s democracy and its institutions.

“I know that many of you have questions about the future of the Indian economy and concerns about social challenges, the shape of our polity and the issues of governance in our country. There is a perception in some quarters outside India that the country is losing its momentum of the past decade,” he said.

Singh said the issue is also amplified by the “political contestations in India, which are inevitably louder in the election season” that is now on the horizon.

“I wish to assure you that there is no reason to despair about our present or worry about our future. Indeed, as I have said earlier, we are heading into better times ahead and I would urge you to remain engaged in the future of this country with confidence and optimism,” the Prime Minister said at the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.

He said despite a number of external and domestic factors, “our economic fundamentals are strong.”

“Our economy has done well over the past decade. In the nine years since 2004, we averaged a healthy growth rate of 7.9 per cent per annum. There has been no doubt a slow down in the recent past, and we will probably end this year at the same level as last year with 5 per cent growth,” he said.

Singh pointed out that a number of international as well as domestic factors have contributed to this situation.

“Despite these challenges, our economic fundamentals remain strong. Our savings and investment rates are still over 30 per cent of our GDP and the entrepreneurial spirit in India is very much alive and kicking,” Singh said.

Anna Hazare’s advice to Arvind Kejriwal – don’t contest Lok Sabha polls

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

Even as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) prepares to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, noted social crusader Anna Hazare has advised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stay away from it and instead focus on providing good governance to people in his state.

Talking exclusively to Zee Media, the noted Gandhian leader said, “A lot needs to be done. After Jan Lokpal, we need few more important legislations to safeguard people’s interest and strengthen democracy in India.”

Anna also hinted that he may start a fresh agitation to press the government for bringing more legislation over Right to Recall, Right to Reject and for empowering Gram Sabhas etc.

When quizzed about the AAP’s plans to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Anna said, “I have asked the same question to Arvind Kejriwal, how will he judge the character of all candidates from his party who will contest the next polls.”

“To a question whether Arvind Kejriwal should himself contest the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Anna said, “I think he should continue to focus on providing good governance to people in Delhi. He should not fight the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. ”

To know more what Anna Hazare said about Arvind Kejriwal and his party’s move to contest the next polls watch Bharat Bhagya Vidhata at 10 pm tonight on Zee Media.

Anna’s political tip for Kejriwal comes in the wake of AAP’s decision to contest the next Lok Sabha elections in major states.

Even as AAP plans to field maximum number of candidates for 2014 Lok Sabha elections, many leaders of the new political outfit are of the view that Delhi Chief Minister should contest the upcoming polls.

It is being learnt that many AAP leaders voiced their concern during the national executive meet Sunday over Kejriwal refusing to fight the General Elections.

Reports said that some section of the party was of the view that the Delhi Chief Minister would attract the electorates as he is the most popular face of the party and projecting him as the prime ministerial candidate would help the party in garnering support in a big way.

However, Kejriwal had ruled out contesting the General Elections. “I am not contesting the Lok Sabha elections, he told reporters.

Malaysia seeks Indian support in education, biodiversity

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

Malaysia wants to collaborate closely with India in the areas of biodiversity and education, Malaysia’s Minister for Natural Resources and Environment G Palanivel said here on Wednesday.

“As one of the 12 mega diverse countries in the world, Malaysia has in place many conservation programmes relating to biodiversity conservation – such as our extensive network of protected forest areas,” Palanivel said in his address as the chief guest at the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the annual gathering of the people of Indian origin.

Palanivel is also the president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), which is part of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in the southeast Asian country.

He said his country was revising its national policy on biodiversity to make it in line with the new global strategy.

According to the minister, Malaysia has learnt from India’s experiences on the implementation of the National Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Palanivel said there was a lot of room for expansion in the field of education too as his country was aspiring to be a hub for education in the region.

Stating that Malaysian students have been coming to India for a long time to pursue their studies in the fields of medicine, dentistry and engineering, he said Indian institutes have taken a step forward by setting up campuses in Malaysia.

“Among those who have initiated setting up campuses in the country are Manipal International University and Vinayaka Mission University,” he said.

He also invited the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to set up a campus in his country.

Ethnic Indians comprise a little over seven percent of Malaysia’s total population of nearly 30 million.

PM Manmohan Singh appreciates Saudi Arabia’s help to expats

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia for addressing the problems of over a million Indian workers after that country adopted a new labour policy.

“…I would like to record my appreciation for the work of the (India’s) Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs as also the government of kingdom of Saudi Arabia for successfully addressing the challenges that more than one million Indian workers faced following changes in Saudi Arabia’s labour policies,” he said here while addressing the inaugural session of the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the annual gathering of the people of Indian origin.

The new Nitaqat or Saudisation policy in that Gulf nation makes it mandatory for all Saudi companies to reserve 10 percent of jobs for Saudi nationals.

Following the implementation of the policy, Saudi authorities granted a six-month grace period last year for all expatriates to either rectify their residency status or leave the country.

Earlier this month, Saudi Labour Minister Adel bin Mohammed Fakeih had said that the Nitaqat policy had affected only a small percentage of Indians and that 400,000 of them in the kingdom had corrected their work status, becoming legal and welcome workers.

Addressing the media here on January 02, Fakeih also said that the kingdom has issued more than one million work visas, including many to the Indian community.

There are around 2.8 million expatriate Indians in Saudi Arabia, a large number of whom are blue collar workers.

Reunion Island Indians connect with ‘Mother India’

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Afternoon Voice

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January 8, 2014

French is their mother tongue and they have been born and lived for four generations far away from India, but a thirst to know more about the land where their forefathers came from draws them to India regularly.

Armoudom Lena, an orthodontist from Reunion Islan, is heading the Indian delegation at the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the largest gathering of Indian diaspora that opened here Tuesday.

Reunion Island is a small French island in the Indian Ocean, near Mauritius. The Indian-origin population comprises 45 percent of the people on the island that has a population of over 837,000 inhabitants.

“We are the most important Indian community in France,” Lena said in an interview here.

Lena, who has come with her son and other Indian members, said the visit to PBD is aimed to help strengthen links with “Mother India”.

“We want the young people to strengthen links with Mother India and our country of adoption. We want to share our experiences from abroad.”

“France is a country of human rights and we have good education. I think we can share our experiences,” said Lena, adding that they are also keen to find out about investing in India.

“There are many people who can invest in India in fields like environment and recycling of water,” said Lena, a fourth generation Indian.

Among the problems Lena said she faces while in India is language, as they are French speaking with halting knowledge of English. The other is of passports for Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), she said.

Asked which part of India her forefathers hailed from, Lena said she was told by an Indian minister that “maybe I come from Kerala. I am the fourth generation immigrant”.

Her son Sanjay Armoudom is studying law. Sanjay said he wants to meet more youth in India, including more from the Indian diaspora.

“In India we share the same facial features, not like where I grew up. I feel familiar here, and also a little lost,” said Sanjay.

Priya Dutt is useless: Brian Miranda

By

Prakash Jha

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January 8, 2014

With the Lok Sabha election just a few months away every party is trying its best to woo voters. While some parties are making promises to improve governance some others have announced several welfare schemes to attract voters. On the other hand, Brian Miranda Congress corporator from Vakola had alleged that Congress MP Priya Dutt has not carried out any developmental work in her constituency. He made this statement after visiting the BMC ground at Kalina for having a look at the deteriorating situation of the ground. Miranda also added that leaders like Priya have become useless for the Congress party.

Miranda alleged that Priya Dutt had never interacted with the common man to know about the problems faced by him. After becoming a MP Priya has visited her constituency only few times. Since the general election is just round the corner Priya might appear before the masses in her constituency to show that she is working for their welfare.

Expressing his displeasure over the functioning of Priya Dutt, Brian Miranda said, “Priya Dutt was never keen to work for the development of her constituency. According to me, Priya is not utilising the funds efficiently. As an MP, it’s her responsibility to resolve the issue faced by the people in her constituency. However, she is not fulfilling her responsibility.”

Miranda also claimed that people belonging to Priya Dutt’s constituency is unaware about her. People are unable to meet her as she remains inaccessible to the common man.

“I am a Congress corporator but even I had to struggle a lot to meet her Priya as she remains inaccessible. Being a corporator if I am finding it difficult to meet Priya then how will the common man be able to meet her? People belonging to Priya’s constituency have to wait for hours to meet her. Thus people are unable to meet the legislator elected by them” Brian Miranda further added.

Brian Miranda along with Priya Dutt had come into limelight during the BMC election. Two groups were formed from Ward No 84 between Kripashankar Singh and Priya Dutt for nominating candidates for the BMC election.

Kripashankar Singh had nominated Brian Miranda, while Dutt and her supporters proposed the name of another candidate. Finally the issue was sorted out and tickets were allocated to Brian Miranda.

10 tips to prevent the winter itch

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Afternoon Voice

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January 7, 2014

Cold weather, with its low relative humidity, wreaks havoc on our skin, making it dry and flaky. Skin dries out if it’s deprived of moisture and this dryness often aggravates itchiness, resulting in a condition commonly referred to as ‘winter itch’.

Here are 10 tips to prevent the winter itch:

1. Apply cream-based moisturiser to wet skin

Petrolatum or cream-based moisturizers are far better than lotions for normal to dry skin. If you have sensitive skin, choose a moisturiser without fragrance or lanolin. Apply moisturiser directly to your wet skin after bathing to ensure that the moisturizer can help to trap surface moisture.

2. Cleanse your skin, but don’t overdo it

Too much cleansing removes the skin’s natural moisturisers. It is enough to wash your face, hands, feet, and between the folds of your skin once a day. While you can rinse your trunk, arms and legs daily, it is not necessary to use soap or cleanser on these areas every day

3. Limit the use of hot water

If you have winter itch, take short lukewarm showers or baths with a non-irritating, non-detergent-based cleanser. Immediately afterward, apply a thick cream or a petroleum-jelly-type moisturiser. Gently pat skin dry.

4. Humidify

Dry air can pull the moisture from your skin. Room humidifiers can be very beneficial. However, be sure to clean the unit and change the water according to the manufacturer’s instructions to reduce mold and fungi.

5. Protect yourself from the wind

Cover your face and use a petrolatum-based balm for your lips

6. Avoid extreme cold.

Cold temperatures can cause skin disorders or frostbite in some people. See a doctor immediately if you develop colour changes in your hands or feet accompanied by pain or ulceration. If you develop extreme pain followed by loss of sensation in a finger or toe, you may have frostbite.

7. Protect your skin from the sun.

Remember that winter sun can also be dangerous to the skin. Even in the winter months you should use a sunscreen with a sun-protection factor of 15 or greater if you will be outdoors for prolonged periods. Overexposure to sunlight can lead to premature aging of the skin and skin cancer.

8. Avoid winter tanning.

Tanning beds and artificial sunlamps are always damaging to your skin and increase your risk of skin cancer. If you want to keep your summer glow, use self-tanners along with extra moisturiser as self-tanners can also dry out your skin.

9. Take vitamin D supplements.

During the summer months your natural vitamin D production increases due to daily sun exposure, but when winter rolls around that exposure decreases. Taking vitamin supplements can ensure that you are getting the recommended amounts of vitamin D all year.

10. See your dermatologist.

If you have persistent dry skin, scaling, itching, skin growths that concern you or other rashes, see your dermatologist — not only in winter but throughout the year.