new york • washington d.c. • chicago • atlanta • … · 2 days ago · the lawsuit, filed...

NEW YORK • WASHINGTON D.C. • CHICAGO • ATLANTA • CALIFORNIA VOL 26, No. 1345 July 17, 2020 50¢ Periodical Postage

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This week’s question

Last week’s result

YES 4% NO 96%

Army chief visitsforward areas,reviews security

STATES AGAINST VISA POLICY

CONTENTSBollywood -------------------------- 30Classifieds ------------------------ 33Community Post -------------- 17-22Edit Page --------------------------- 32Horoscope ------------------------- 28Immigration Post ---------------- 23Life Style ------------------------ 14-15Philosophy/Perspective ------- 29Info/Highlights ---------------------- 4Real Estate ---------------------- 2-25TechBiz Post ------------------ 10-11Travel & Hospitality Post -------- 16Wellness Post ---------------- 12-13

17 States and DC file lawsuit against new student visa policy

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Will China back off fromSouth China Sea?

WASHINGTON: As many as 17 states and the Dis-trict of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Monday (13 July)against the new temporary visa policy for interna-tional students announced by the Trump administra-tion as part of its efforts to restrict international travelin view of the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Massa-chusetts against the Department of Homeland Secu-rity (DHS) and US Immigration and Customs Enforce-ment (ICE), challenges what the 18 attorneys generalcall the federal government's "cruel, abrupt, and un-

lawful action to expel international students amidstthe pandemic that has wrought death and disruptionacross the United States".

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop the entirerule from going into effect.

In its July 6 order, the ICE declared that nonimmi-grant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operat-ing entirely online or taking only online courses willnot be permitted to take a full course load and re-main in the United States.

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Dr. Sudhakartakes oath asAAPI President

Can China be trusted with theagreement to pullback?

Dr Sudhakar Jonnalagadda

US rejects Chineseclaims in SouthChina Sea

Google to investRs 75,000 crorein India

'Indian Idol' tohave onlineaudition

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HIGHLIGHTS

30Bollywood:Elli pens poetryActress Elli AvrRam on Instagram, haspenned a poem on sunset... he's keptme smiling, feeling all warm, letting himtouch all of me.

5Cover Story:Lawsuit against Trump's orderAs many as 17 states and DC filed alawsuit against the new visa policy forinternational students announced bythe Trump administration.

17Community:Dr. Sudhakar new AAPI President"I will work to make AAPI stronger, morevibrant, united, transparent, politicallyengaged… enabling AAPI's voice isheard in the corridors of power," he said.

23Immigration:Harvard, MIT sue authoritiesHarvard U and MIT have sued the Dept.of Homeland Security and the federalimmigration agency guidelines barringforeign students from remaining in USA.

14Lifestyle:Aabha Hanjura's festive songKashmiri folk-fusion artiste Aabha Hanjurahas unveiled "Nundbane", a festive songrevolving around Kashmiri traditions andhistory. It has borrowed lyrics from theworks of poet Mahmud Gami.

10Techbiz:Google's Plans for IndiaGoogle CEO SundarPichai announcedplans to invest Rs 75,000 crore in Indiato help accelerate the adoption of digi-tal technologies in the country.

16Travel:Mt. Abu favored by godsMount Abu is one of the popular Jain pil-grimage sites. Going by its lushness, it iscalled 'the Paradise of Rajasthan' andfavored by the gods.

12Wellness:COVID-19 vaccines, therapiesThe US NIAID announced the establish-ment of a new clinical trials network aim-ing to step up vaccines and monoclonalantibodies testing.

NewsweeklyIndia Post

India PostJuly 17, 2020 5

www.indiapost.com

Cover/Top Stories

STATES AGAINST VISA POLICY17 States and DC file lawsuit against new student visa policy

WASHINGTON: As many as 17 statesand the District of Columbia filed a law-suit on Monday (13 July) against thenew temporary visa policy for interna-tional students announced by theTrump administration as part of its ef-forts to restrict international travel inview of the coronavirus pandemic.

The lawsuit, filed in the US DistrictCourt in Massachusetts against the De-partment of Homeland Security (DHS)and US Immigration and Customs En-forcement (ICE), challenges what the 18attorneys general call the federalgovernment's "cruel, abrupt, and unlaw-ful action to expel international stu-dents amidst the pandemic that haswrought death and disruption acrossthe United States".

The lawsuit seeks an injunction tostop the entire rule from going into ef-fect.

In its July 6 order, the ICE declaredthat nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 stu-dents attending schools operating en-tirely online or taking only onlinecourses will not be permitted to take afull course load and remain in theUnited States.

The modifications also limited manystudents at normally operating schoolsfrom taking more than one class orthree credit hours online in order to re-main in the country. In the 2018-2019academic year, there were over 10 lakh

international students in the US.According to a recent report of the

Student and Exchange Visitor Program(SEVP), there were 1,94,556 Indian stu-dents enrolled in various academic in-stitutions in the US in January. Of them,1,26,132 were males and 68,405 fe-males.

The states that have filed the jointlawsuit are Colorado, Connecticut, Dela-ware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts,Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jer-sey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylva-nia, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia andWisconsin.

Massachusetts Attorney GeneralMaura Healey, who led a coalition of 18attorneys general in filing the lawsuit,

in a statement alleged that the Trumpadministration did not even attemptto explain the basis for this "senseless"rule, which forces schools to choosebetween keeping their internationalstudents enrolled and protecting thehealth and safety of their campuses.

"Massachusetts is home to thou-

sands of international students whomake invaluable contributions to oureducational institutions, communitiesand economy. We are taking this actionto make sure they can continue to liveand learn in this country," she said.

The lawsuit has been filed days af-ter the Harvard University and theMassachusetts Institute of Technologyfiled a lawsuit against the ICE's latest

rule that bars international studentsfrom staying in the US unless they at-tend at least one in-person course.

The lawsuit filed by the 18 attorneysgeneral challenges an abrupt policychange by ICE to reverse the guidanceissued on March 13 that recognizedthe COVID-19 public health emer-gency, provided flexibility for schoolsand allowed international studentswith F-1 and M-1 visas to take classesonline for the duration of the emer-gency.

The lawsuit also alleges that thenew rule imposes a significant eco-nomic harm by precluding thousandsof international students from comingto and residing in the US and findingemployment in fields such as science,technology, biotechnology, healthcare,business and finance, and education,and contributing to the overalleconomy.

Massachusetts hosts tens of thou-sands of international students eachyear -- there are currently 77,000 withactive student visas -- and they are esti-mated to bring more than USD 3.2 bil-lion to the economy each year. The stateis also home to 92 private colleges anduniversities and operates 29 public insti-tutions of higher education -- 15 commu-nity colleges, nine state universities andfive separate campuses of the Universityof Massachusetts system. PTI

Google, Facebook, Microsoft, other Cos. join lawsuit against new student visa ruleWASHINGTON: More than a dozen

top American technology companies,including Google, Facebook andMicrosoft, on Monday (13 July),joined a lawsuit filed by the HarvardUniversity and the Massachusetts In-stitute of Technology against the Im-migration and CustomsEnforcement's (ICE) latest rule thatbars international students fromstaying in the United States unlessthey attend at least one in-personcourse.

Seeking a temporary restrainingorder and a preliminary injunction,these companies, along with the USChamber of Commerce and other ITadvocacy groups, asserted that the

July 6 ICE directive will disrupt their re-cruiting plans, making it impossible tobring on board international studentsthat businesses, including amici, hadplanned to hire, and disturb the recruit-

ing process on which the firms have re-lied on to identify and train their futureemployees.

The July 6 directive will make it im-

possible for a large number of interna-tional students to participate in the CPTand OPT programs. The US will "nonsen-sically be sending...these graduatesaway to work for our global competitors

and compete against us...instead ofcapitalizing on the investment in theireducation here in the US", they said.

The Curricular Practical Training

(CPT ) program permits "alternativework/study, internship, cooperativeeducation or other type of requiredinternship or practicum offered bysponsoring employers through co-operative agreements with astudent's school".

On the other hand, the OptionalPractical Training (OPT) program al-lows up to one year of temporary em-ployment that is directly related to aninternational student's major area ofstudy, which can occur either beforethe student graduates and/or afterhis studies are complete. Students inSTEM fields may obtain a two-year ex-tension of their post-graduate OPT,they said. PTI

India Post July 17, 20206

www.indiapost.comTop Stories

Indian Army chief visits forward areas,reviews security situation

Army Chief Gen M M Naravane visited forward areas along the International Border (IB) and reviewed the security situation and operationalreadiness of the troops deployed on the ground in the Jammu-Pathankot region

Picture courtesy- news18.com

JAMMU: Army Chief Gen M MNaravane visited forward areas alongthe International Border (IB) and re-viewed the security situation and op-erational readiness of the troops de-ployed on ground in the Jammu-Pathankot region, a defense spokes-person said.

He visited areas falling under theoperational command of the RisingStar Corps, including Kathua, Samba,Jammu and Pathankot, to review thesecurity situation.

The Chief of Army Staff was receivedhere by Lt Gen R P Singh, General Of-ficer Commanding-in-Chief, WesternCommand, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi,GOC Rising Star Corps, Maj Gen V B Nair,GOC Tiger Division and Air Commo-dore A S Pathania, Air Officer Com-manding (AOC), Air Force stationJammu, the spokesperson said.

Gen Naravane was briefed by Lt GenDwivedi on the operational prepared-ness, upgradation of security infra-structure and the internal securitymatters.

The Army chief, accompanied byGOC Tiger Division, reviewed opera-tional preparedness in the forward ar-eas, the spokesperson said.

He interacted with the field forma-tion commanders and troops onground during the visit.

Gen Naravane also visited the for-ward areas of Gurj Division and wasbriefed by Maj Gen Y P Khanduri, GOCGurj Division, he added.

He reinstated the fact of 'zero toler-ance' against ceasefire violations byPakistan and infiltration attempts by

terrorists.He further highlighted that all agen-

cies of the services and governmentare working together relentlessly andwill continue to do the same to defeatthe nefarious design of proxy war be-ing fuelled by our adversaries.

The Army chief addressed all ranksof the Western Command throughvideo conferencing and lauded the

morale of the troops.He expressed confidence in the In-

dian Army's capabilities to thwart anymisadventure by the enemies of thecountry and handle any situation.

He also commended the efforts ofall the formations of the Western Com-mand in the fight against the COVID-19pandemic by supporting the ongoing'Op Namaste'. PTI

Indian diaspora groups in UK stage protest against 'expansionist' ChinaLONDON: Indian diaspora groups

gathered outside the Chinese embassyin London on Sunday (12 July), to pro-test against the expansionist policies ofChina on the Indian border.

The groups, led by the OverseasFriend of BJP, gathered with placardsthat read China Back Off and Tibet is notpart of China along with the Indian na-tional flag.

This protest is the Indian diaspora'seffort to draw attention to the expan-sionist policies of China and expresssolidarity with our armed forces on theChinese border, said KuldeepShekhawat, President of OverseasFriends of BJP.

The protest came a day after an im-age was projected onto the Chineseembassy building in Portland Place incentral London, which read Free Tibet,Free Hong Kong and Free Uyghurs.

However, it remains unconfirmed thegroups behind that projection, as the

Indian diaspora groups have said thelight display was not part of their pro-test.

The India-China border conflict,which has claimed the lives of IndianArmy personnel, was described as avery serious and worrying situation byUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson last

month in the Parliament.British members of parliament later

raised concerns in the House of Com-mons over China's bullying behavior inthe border dispute with India and thedelayed declaration of COVID-19 andurged an internal review into the UK'sdependence on China with a view to re-

ducing collaboration with the country.Conservative Party's member of par-

liament Ian Duncan Smith raised the is-sue as part of an urgent question in theCommons on the mistreatment by theChinese government of the Uyghur mi-nority in Xinjiang province.

Given the Chinese government's ap-palling record on human rights, theirattack on freedoms in Hong Kong, theirbullying behavior in border disputesfrom the South China seas to India, theirblatant breaching of the rules-basedorder governing the free market andtheir delayed declaration on COVID-19,will the Government now initiate an in-ternal review of the UK's dependenceon China, with a view to significantly re-ducing that dependence, questionedSmith.

UK Minister for Asia Nigel Adams re-sponded to say that the UK governmenthas been regularly raising its concernswith China over various issues. PTI



US rejects Chinese claims in South China Sea

China hits back; sanctions top US officials, politicians in response to Xinjiang banBEIJING: China has imposed visa re-

strictions on some top US officials andpoliticians in the latest tit-for-tat re-sponse to America's move to sanctionseveral Chinese officials for allegedhuman rights abuses targeting ethnicminority groups in the Muslim-major-ity Xinjiang province.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson HuaChunying told the media here thatthe behavior of the US officials andpoliticians, and visa ban on some Chi-nese officials from Uyghur Muslimdominated Xinjiang province "se-verely damaged China-US relations,"and should be condemned.

Hua made the comments in re-sponse to US sanctions and visa re-

strictions on three senior officials of theruling Chinese Communist Party fromXinjiang for alleged human rightsabuses targeting Muslim Uyghurs.

China has decided to impose sanc-tions starting from Monday (13 July)against US Congressional-ExecutiveCommission on China (CECC), US Am-bassador at Large for International Reli-gious Freedom Samuel Brownback,Congressman Chris Smit and US Sena-

tors Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.The CECC is headed by Rubio, a

vocal critic of China.Announcing the ban on US offi-

cials, Hua reiterated Xinjiang is en-tirely the internal affair of China, andthe US has no right to interfere. TheChinese government's determina-tion to protect its sovereignty, andcrackdown against terrorism, sepa-ratism and extreme religious forces

is unshakeable.Hua said China would take further

measures based on the situation.This is the first-time China has

banned top US politicians in its re-taliation to US sanctions and visabans on Chinese officials fromXinjiang, Tibet and over the new na-tional security law in Hong Kong.

Beijing's move comes days afterthe US slapped sanctions on someChinese officials in-charge ofXinjiang Uygur autonomous regionwho were believed to be respon-sible for, or complicit in, the unjustdetention or abuse of Uygurs, ethnicKazakhs and members of other mi-nority groups in Xinjiang. PTI

WASHINGTON: Asserting that the"Chinese predatory world view" has noplace in the 21st century, the Trump ad-ministration, in a major policy decision,categorically rejected the territorialclaims made by Beijing in South ChinaSea, stating that it has no legal groundsto unilaterally impose its will on the re-gion.

"The world will not allow Beijing totreat the South China Sea as its maritimeempire. America stands with our South-east Asian allies and partners in protect-ing their sovereign rights to offshoreresources, consistent with their rightsand obligations under internationallaw," US Secretary of State MikePompeo said in a major policy an-nouncement.

The United States, he said, standswith the international community in thedefense of freedom of the seas and re-spect for sovereignty and rejects anypush to impose "might makes right" inthe South China Sea or the wider region.

Pompeo said China cannot lawfullyassert a maritime claim -- including anyexclusive economic zone (EEZ) claimsderived from Scarborough Reef and theSpratly Islands -- vis-a-vis the Philippinesin areas that a tribunal found to be inthe Philippines' EEZ or on its continen-tal shelf.

The US, he said, rejects any Chineseclaim to waters beyond a 12-nauticalmile territorial sea derived from islandsit claims in the Spratly Islands (withoutprejudice to other states' sovereigntyclaims over such islands).

Also, China has no lawful territorial ormaritime claim to (or derived from)James Shoal, an entirely submergedfeature only 50 nautical miles from Ma-laysia and some 1,000 nautical miles

from China's coast, Pompeo said."We are making clear: Beijing's claims

to offshore resources across most of theSouth China Sea are completely unlaw-ful, as is its campaign of bullying to con-trol them," he said.

In the South China Sea, the US seeksto preserve peace and stability, upholdthe freedom of the seas in a mannerconsistent with international law, main-tain the unimpeded flow of commerce

and oppose any attempt to use coer-cion or force to settle disputes, Pompeosaid.

He alleged that Beijing uses intimi-dation to undermine the sovereign

rights of Southeast Asian coastal nationsin the South China Sea, bully them outof offshore resources, assert unilateraldominion and replace international lawwith "might makes right".

Beijing's approach has been clear foryears, Pompeo said. In 2010, then Chi-nese foreign minister Yang Jiechi told hisASEAN counterparts that "China is a bigcountry and other countries are smalland that is just a fact", he said, adding

that the Chinese predatory world viewhas no place in the 21st century.

China "has no legal grounds to uni-laterally impose its will on the region",the secretary of state said. Beijing hasoffered no coherent legal basis for its"Nine-Dashed Line" claim in the SouthChina Sea since formally announcing itin 2009, he added.

In a unanimous decision on July 12,2016, an Arbitral Tribunal constitutedunder the 1982 law of the sea conven-tion -- to which China is a state party --rejected the country's maritime claimsas having no basis in international law.The tribunal sided squarely with thePhilippines, which brought the arbitra-tion case, "on almost all claims",Pompeo said.

The announcement by the Trump ad-ministration was welcomed by severaltop American lawmakers.

The announcement makes clear thatthe US will support its regional allies inthe defense of a free and open Indo-Pa-cific region, said Senator Marco Rubio.

The People's Republic of China (PRC)cannot be allowed to illegally assertcontrol over maritime territory in theregion and the US has rightly rejectedall of Beijing's spurious claims, he said.

"China's unlawful actions will not betolerated and I urge my colleagues inCongress to swiftly pass my bipartisanSouth China Sea and East China SeaSanctions Act (S.1634) to impose costson Chinese individuals and entities fortheir flagrant violations of internationallaw," Rubio said. PTI

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

This is the first-time China has banned top US politicians

in its retaliation to US sanctions and visa bans on Chinese

officials from Xinjiang, Tibet and over the new national

security law in Hong Kong



IMF: Mideast loses USD 270 bn oilincome amid virus, recession

'Indian Idol' to have online auditionamid coronavirus pandemic

MUMBAI: Singing reality show "Indian Idol" isset to start online audition for its 12th season ow-ing to the coronavirus-induced nationwidelockdown.

The Sony TV show will open the online auditionfrom July 25 and participants will have to uploadtheir video on Sony LIV app.

Singer Aditya Narayan, who will host the musicshow, recently recorded a song promo for "IndianIdol", which was shot maintaining social distanc-ing guidelines.

"Recording the promo was really fantastic. I feltso privileged that I would be singing for India'smost reputed singing reality show. I'm loving thereaction of the audience regarding the promo.

"I would like to invite all the aspiring singingtalent to participate in 'Indian idol 12' by record-ing their video and uploading it on Sony LIV appfrom July 25. This time, give 'Indian Idol' auditionsitting at your home just by a click," Aditya said ina statement.

On the basis of their selection, the aspirants willbe called to Mumbai for the main auditions.

The show, to be judged by singer Neha Kakkar,music composers Himesh Reshammiya and VishalDadlani, is expected to go on air later this year. PTI

DUBAI: The Middle East's energy producers are ex-pected to earn 270 billion less in oil revenue com-pared to last year as the region's economic heavy-

weight, Saudi Arabia, sinks deeper into recession amidthe coronavirus pandemic, according to the Interna-tional Monetary Fund's outlook released.

The international lender expects an overall eco-nomic contraction of 7.3% in Mideast oil exportingcountries this year due to hits from the coronavirus

outbreak and oil market tur-moil. The contraction is 2%greater than the IMF's initialprojections in mid-April.

We are in a year like noother and therefore develop-ments are very fast and cop-ing with them is challengingfor everyone, Jihad Azour, di-rector of the IMF's MiddleEast and Central Asia depart-ment, told The AssociatedPress.

The IMF had projected inApril that Saudi Arabia'seconomy would contract byabout 2.3% this year. It hassince revised that figuredownward, saying the king-

dom stands to see economic growth shrink by 6.8%before climbing to around 3% growth next year.

In addition to lower crude prices and cuts to pro-duction, Saudi Arabia stands to lose billions of dollarsin revenue because the Islamic pilgrimage to Meccais suspended due to the pandemic.

For the first time in Saudi history, the hajj pilgrim-age this month, which drew 2.5 million people lastyear, will not include pilgrims from outside the king-dom.

To raise state revenue, Saudi Arabia tripled taxeson basic goods and services this month, increasingvalue-added tax to 15%.

While the IMF has for years been urging Gulf statesto introduce tougher austerity measures, we did notrecommend the specific measure here for SaudiArabia, Azour said.

He said the IMF's overall recommendation now isthat governments that can afford to do so should con-sider the risks of a second wave of coronavirus andintroduce measures that shore up the economy andprotect the livelihoods of people.

Meanwhile, oil-importing Mideast countries, whichinclude Egypt, Jordan and Sudan, are expected to seean overall economic contraction of 1.1%, nearly un-changed from the IMF's April projections. The overalllevel of inflation in these countries, however, is ex-pected to reach 10%.

There are massive challenges across the region, in-cluding in Lebanon, where inflation has mushroomedto 56% over the past year and where the currency haslost nearly two-thirds of its value.

The most current IMF forecast predicts a 12% eco-nomic contraction this year in the small Mediterra-nean country, which hosts large populations of Syrianand Palestinian refugees.

The IMF has held more than a dozen meetings withLebanese authorities over a 10 billion-loan request.

The IMF says it is still working to assess the country'sfinancial losses as different arms of the governmentoffer diverging figures.

Additionally, Iran is struggling to manage the out-break of the virus there as officials refuse to imposelockdown measures that would further rattle itseconomy battered by US sanctions.

In a sign of just how dire the economic situation hasbecome, Iran requested a 5 billion loan from the IMFthis year the first such request made by the country innearly six decades.

Azour said the IMF continues to look into Iran's loanrequest, which the Trump administration has publiclyopposed. AP

Nepal's minister callsfor reopening ofPashupatinath Temple

KATHMANDU: Nepal's Culture minister hasasked the staff of the trust that operates thePashupatinath Hindu Temple to start makingpreparations to reopen the iconic religious andheritage site where special worship was sus-pended following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Addressing a review meeting of the PashupatiArea Development Trust (PADT ) on Sunday (13July), Yogesh Bhattarai told the staff of the organi-zation to launch a development initiative at theUNESCO World Heritage site.

"I have received a complaint that the PADT wasworking in the interest of middlemen. Whoever isinvolved in it, it is not good and must be stoppedimmediately. Consider the interest of the reli-gious site before acting on any plan," saidBhattarai, who is also Minister for Tourism andCivil Aviation.

The minister directed the staff to make prepa-rations for the opening of the PashupatinathTemple at a certain time during the day by adopt-ing the health and safety measures, The RisingNepal newspaper reported.

"Various individuals and groups are eying theproperties of the PADT, therefore, you must bevigilant to control such activities," the ministercautioned the staff of the trust. PTI



Air travel to contract by 49 pc for Indian airlinesNEW DELHI: The passenger demand

for air travel will contract by 49 per centthis year for Indian carriers in compari-son to last year due to the COVID-19 cri-sis, said global airlines body IATA onMonday (13 July).

In a statement, the International AirTransport Association (IATA) said the In-dian carriers' revenues will decrease byUSD 11.61 billion this year in compari-son to last year due to the pandemic.

It said the airlines of the Asia-Pacificregion will see passenger demand col-lapse by 53.8 per cent this year in com-parison to last year.

The passenger demand or RPK (rev-enue passenger kilometers) for a flightis calculated by multiplying the number

of passengers sitting in the flight to thedistance travelled by that flight.

"This is the worst year in aviation his-

tory and airlines are in survival mode.The carriers in Asia-Pacific will experi-ence the largest losses at USD 29 bil-lion. That's a loss of USD 30.09 per pas-senger," Conrad Clifford, IATA's RegionalVice President for Asia Pacific, said.

"It will take a few years for the indus-try to get back to 2019 levels of activ-ity," said Clifford.

India resumed its scheduled domes-tic passenger flights from May 25 aftera gap of two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled internationalpassenger flights continue to remainsuspended in the country. PTI

Solar energy 21st century medium; Solarpower is sure, pure and secure: PM

India Post News Service

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister ShriNarendra Modi dedicated to the Nationthe Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Powerproject to the Nation viavideoconference. It is Asia's largestpower project.

Speaking on the occasion the PrimeMinister said the Rewa project willmake the entire region amajor hub for pure andclean energy in this decade.The Prime Minister praisedthe effort in that it will alsosupply power to the DelhiMetro, along with the entireregion surrounding Rewa.

He said very soonMadhya Pradesh would bethe main center of Solar En-ergy in India, as such majorprojects are in progress inNeemuch, Shajapur, Chattar-pur and Omkareshwar.

The biggest beneficiariesof this would be the poor,the middle class, the tribals,the farmers of MadhyaPradesh, he said.

Prime Minister said Solar Energywould be a major medium for provid-ing the energy needs of an aspirationalIndia in the 21st Century.

He described Solar Energy as onethat is 'Sure, Pure &Secure'. Sure be-cause of the continuous supply of En-ergy from the Sun, Pure as it is environ-ment friendly and Secure because it is asecure source for our energy needs.

Prime Minister termed such Solar En-ergy projects are a true representation

of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant In-dia).

He said the economy is an importantaspect of self-reliance and progress.Referring to the regular dilemmawhether to focus on Economy or Ecol-ogy, Prime Minister said India resolvedsuch dilemmas by focusing on Solar En-ergy Projects and other environment

friendly measures. Shri Modi saidEconomy and Ecology are not contradic-tory but complementary to each other.

He said in all the programs of thegovernment, priority is being given toenvironmental protection as well asEase of Living. He referred to programslike Swachch Bharat, supply of LPG cyl-inders to the poor households, the de-velopment of CNG networks as one,whichfocused on Ease of Living and im-proving the lives of the poor and the

middle class.The Prime Minister said that the pro-

tection of the environment is not lim-ited to just a few projects, but it is theWay of Life.

PM said it is ensured that the deter-mination towards clean energy is seenin every aspect of life, when launchinglarge projects of renewable energy.

Government is makingsure that its benefitsreach every corner of thecountry, every section ofsociety, every citizen. Heelaborated this with anexample of how the in-troduction of LED bulbshas reduced the electric-ity bill. Nearly 40 milliontons of carbon dioxide isprevented from goinginto the environment,due to the LED bulb. Hesaid this also reduced theElectricity Usage by 6 Bil-lion Units and accrued asaving of Rs 24,000 Croreto the exchequer.

He said that the Gov-ernment is working towards makingour environment, our air, our water alsoto remain pure and this thinking is alsoreflected in the policy and strategy onsolar energy.

Shri Modi said India's exemplaryprogress in the field of Solar Energywould be a major source of interest tothe World. He said owing to such majorsteps, India is being considered as themost attractive market of clean en-ergy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

PM Modi, Pichaidiscuss data security,use of AI in agriculture

NEW DELHI: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and Google CEOSundar Pichai on Monday (13 July)held discussions on a wide range ofissues such as data security andconcerns around privacy, use oftechnology to transform lives offarmers and ways to expand thescope of online education, thePrime Minister's Office said.

During the virtual interaction,they also spoke about the new workculture that is emerging in thetimes of COVID-19.

"We discussed the challenges theglobal pandemic has brought to ar-eas such as sports. We also talkedabout the importance of data secu-rity and cyber safety," the primeminister said in a series of tweets.

According to a statement issuedby the PMO, Modi also talked aboutfurther leveraging technology inproviding healthcare services.

During the course of interaction,the prime minister discussed theissue of data security and concernsaround privacy.

"He (PM) said that tech compa-nies need to put in efforts to bridgethe trust deficit. He also talkedabout cyber crimes and threats inthe form of cyber attacks," thestatement said.

The prime minister talked aboutfarmers benefiting from technologyand the possible wide-ranging ben-efits of artificial intelligence in agri-culture. The prime minister ex-plored the idea of virtual labs thatcan be used by students as well asfarmers, the statement said. PTI

10 India Post July 17, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech News TechBizGoogle to invest Rs 75,000 crore

in India over 5-7 yearsNEW DELHI: Google chief ex-

ecutive Sundar Pichai has an-nounced plans to invest Rs75,000 crore in India over thenext five to seven years to helpaccelerate the adoption ofdigital technologies in thecountry.

India-born Pichai, who helda virtual meeting with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onMonday (13 July) morning,made the announcement atannual 'Google for India' eventvia videoconference.

Announcing the Rs 75,000crore investment in India overthe next 5-7 years through'Google for India DigitizationFund', Pichai asserted that themove is a reflection ofcompany's confidence in thefuture of the country and itsdigital economy.

Pichai said a whole newgeneration of technologies arehappening in India first, andthat people in the country nolonger have to wait for technol-ogy to come to them.

"There's no question we arefacing a difficult moment to-day, in India and around theworld. The dual challenges toour health and to our econo-mies have forced us to rethinkhow we work and how we live.But times of challenge can leadto incredible moments of inno-vation," Pichai said.

The company is committedto ensure that India not onlybenefits from the next wave ofinnovation, but in fact leads it,he said.

"Today, I'm excited to an-nounce the Google for IndiaDigitization Fund. Through thiseffort, we will invest Rs 75,000crore, or approximately USD

10 billion, into India over thenext 5-7 years. We'll do thisthrough a mix of equity invest-

ments, partnerships, and op-erational, infrastructure andecosystem investments,"Pichai said.

Investments will focus onfour areas key to India's digiti-zation, including enabling af-fordable access and informa-tion for every Indian in their

own language, be it Hindi,Tamil, Punjabi or any other, hesaid.

Other focus areas will bebuilding new products andservices relevant to India'sunique needs, empowering

businesses as they continue orembark on their digital trans-formation, and leveraging

technology and Artificial Intel-ligence (AI) for social good, inareas such as health, educa-tion, and agriculture.

Earlier, the Prime Ministertweeted: "This morning, had anextremely fruitful interactionwith @sundarpichai. We spokeon a wide range of subjects,

particularly leveraging thepower of technology to trans-form the lives of India's farm-ers, youngsters, and entrepre-neurs".

Pichai, who is the chief ex-ecutive officer of Google's par-

ent Alphabet Inc, replied:"Thank you for your time, PM@narendramodi - very optimis-

tic about your vision for DigitalIndia and excited to continueour work towards it".

Addressing 'Google for In-dia' event, Pichai said Indiadigital journey is far from com-plete.

"There's still more work todo in order to make theinternet affordable and usefulfor a billion Indians...from im-proving voice input and com-puting for all of India's lan-guages, to inspiring and sup-porting a whole new genera-tion of entrepreneurs," he said.

Pichai counted digitizationof small businesses as one ofthe most exciting success sto-ries, and noted 26 million SMBs(small and medium-sized busi-nesses) are now discoverable onsearch and maps, driving con-nections with more than 150million users every month. PTI

File photo of Sundar Pichai with Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Pichai said a whole new generation of

technologies are happening in India first, and

that people in the country no longer have to

wait for technology to come to them

Anti-Chinasentiment tobenefit Samsung

SEOUL/NEW DELHI: As anti-China sentiments grow in Indiaafter the ban on 59 apps and apublic boycott of Chinese-made goods, Samsung Elec-tronics is expected to increaseits presence in the Indiansmartphone market, industryanalysts have said.

The fluid market situation of-fers new opportunities for varioussmartphone makers, especiallythe non-Chinese ones, to realigntheir strategies and regain thelost market share in the face offierce Chinese competition.

"Shipments of consumergoods that are against publicsentiment will face difficulties.As Chinese smartphone makersare expected to suffer sales de-cline in India, Samsung is ex-pected to take advantage of it,"Yonhap news agency quotedLee Chang-min, an analyst at KBSecurities, as saying. IANS

FICCI survey predicts4.5% contraction inIndia's FY21 GDP

NEW DELHI: With economicactivities coming to a halt amidthe Covid-19 pandemic andthe lockdown, the Indianeconomy is expected to recorda negative 4.5 per cent growthrate in the current financialyear, according to the FICCI'sEconomic Outlook Survey.

The minimum and maximumgrowth estimate stood at (-)6.4 per cent and 1.5 per cent,respectively, for FY21, it said.The quarterly median forecastsindicated 14.2 per cent con-traction in the gross domesticproduct (GDP) in the first quar-ter of FY21, it added.

The signs of an impendingslowdown have been sharplyaccentuated by the Covid-19pandemic-induced lockdown.The Covid-19 pandemic has se-verely hit global as well as do-mestic growth. The currentround of survey, conducted inJune, drew responses fromleading economists represent-ing industry, banking and fi-nancial services sectors. IANS

India second-largest source of FDI for UK

LONDON: India invested in 120 projects and created 5,429 new

jobs in the UK to become the second-largest source of foreign

direct investment (FDI) after the US in 2019, according to new UK

government figures released on Friday (10 July).

The Department for International Trade (DIT) inward invest-

ment statistics for 2019-2020 found India moving up from its pre-

vious third-largest spot, representing an overall 4 per cent FDI

increase for the UK on 2018-2019 with 1,852 new inward invest-

ment projects in the 2019/2020 financial year. PTI

11India PostTechBiz PostJuly 17, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech Briefs

Qualcomm to investRs 730 cr in Jio PlatformsNEW DELHI: The investment

spree into Reliance Industries'Jio Platforms continues, withtechnology major Qualcommcoming in with Rs 730 crore topick up 0.15 per cent stake.

Reliance Industries on Sun-day (12 July), announced thatQualcomm Ventures, the invest-ment arm of Qualcomm Incor-porated has committed to in-vest up to Rs 730 crore in JioPlatforms at an equity value of

Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enter-prise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore.

"Qualcomm Ventures' in-vestment will translate into0.15 per cent equity stake inJio Platforms on a fully dilutedbasis. The investment willdeepen the ties betweenQualcomm and Jio Platforms,to support Jio Platforms on its

journey to rollout advanced 5Ginfrastructure and services forIndian customers," the RILstatement said.

With the latest investment,total investments into Jio Plat-forms have crossed Rs 1.18lakh crore so far.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairmanand Managing Director of Reli-ance Industries, said: "Today, Iam delighted to welcomeQualcomm Ventures as an in-

vestor in Jio Platforms.Qualcomm has been a valuedpartner for several years andwe have a shared vision of con-necting everything by buildinga robust and secure wirelessand digital network and ex-tending the benefits of digitalconnectivity to everyone in In-dia." IANS

Indian economy showing signsof returning to normalcy: RBI

MUMBAI: The Indianeconomy has started showingsigns of returning to normalcyin response to the staggeredeasing of lockdown restric-tions, RBI Governor ShaktikantaDas said on Saturday (11 July).

He further said the need of thehour is to restore confidence,preserve financial stability, revivegrowth and recover stronger.

"The Indian economy hasstarted showing signs of get-ting back to normalcy in re-sponse to the staggered eas-

ing of restrictions," Das said atthe 7th SBI Banking and Eco-nomics Conclave.

Indian companies and indus-tries respond better in a crisis,he noted. Das, however, said itis still uncertain when supplychains will be restored fully,how long it will take for de-mand conditions to normalize,and what kind of durable ef-fects the pandemic will leavebehind on potential growth.

According to him, targetedand comprehensive reform

measures already announcedby the government should helpin supporting growth.Possiblyin a vastly different post-COVIDglobal environment, realloca-

tion of factors of productionwithin the economy and inno-vative ways of expanding eco-nomic activity could lead tosome rebalancing and emer-gence of new growth drivers,Das added.

The central bank, he said,strives to maintain the balancebetween preserving financialstability, maintaining bankingsystem soundness and sustain-ing economic activity.

"Post containment of COVID-19, a very careful trajectory hasto be followed in orderly un-winding of counter-cyclicalregulatory measures," he said.

The financial sector shouldreturn to normal functioningwithout relying on the regula-tory relaxations as the newnorm, he added.

He said the Monetary PolicyCommittee (MPC) has reducedpolicy rates by 250 basis pointssince February 2019 to supportgrowth.

The conventional and uncon-ventional monetary policy andliquidity measures by RBI havebeen aimed at restoring mar-ket confidence, alleviating li-quidity stress, easing financialconditions, unfreezing creditmarkets and augmenting theflow of financial resources tothose in need for productivepurposes, he said. PTI

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

Microsoft joins Google to createnew generation of web apps

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoftand Google have joinedhands to help web develop-ers get their Progressive WebApps (PWAs) into the PlayStore.

Progressive web apps useemerging web browser APIsand features, along with tra-ditional pro-gressive en-h a n c e m e n tstrategy, tobring a nativeapp-like userexperience toc r o s s - p l a t -form web ap-plications.

Microsoft's PWABuilderand Google's Bubblewrap arenow working together tohelp web developers.

PWABuilder.com isMicrosoft's open source de-veloper tool that helps buildhigh-quality PWAs and pub-lish them in app stores.

Bubblewrap is Google's

command line utility and li-brary to generate and signGoogle Play Store packagesfrom Progressive Web Apps.

PWABuilder is now usingBubblerwrap under thehood, Microsoft says, and isgiving back some integrationfeatures to PWAs on Android.

A f t e rmonths ofcollaboration,the two techgiants havea n n o u n c e dtwo greatnew featuresfor PWA de-

velopers: Web shortcuts sup-port and advanced Androidfeatures and customization.

From PWABuilder, devel-opers can customize the ap-pearance of the Android sta-tus bar and navigation bar,customize Android splashscreen, change launchername, use an existing sign-ing key and more. IANS

Snapchat rolls out in-app mentalhealth support in India

MUMBAI: Snap Inc, theparent company ofSnapchat, announced in-appsupport to its users in Indiawho may be experiencing amental health or emotionalcrisis or those who want tolearn more about these is-sues in order to help friendsespecially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Launched in collaborationwith Mariwala Health Initia-tive and non-profit ManasFoundation, the featurecalled "Here For You" aims tohelp an overwhelming ma-jority of Snapchatters in thecountry who experiencefeelings of stress and anxi-ety, the company said in astatement.

"We sped up the initiallaunch of Here For You inFebruary because we recog-

nized that in the wake ofcoronavirus, our global com-munity needed support. Wehope that the resources welaunch today better em-power them to take positivesteps forward when itcomes to wellbeing," saidJennifer Park Stout, VP ofGlobal Public Policy, Snap.

Mariwala Health Initiativeand Manas Foundation havecreated resources aroundanxiety, depression, loneli-ness, suicide and generalmental health.

"Our videos discuss how todeal with stress and anxiety,how to support a loved oneexperiencing distress andways to enhance mental well-being through mindfulness/grounding exercises," said RajMariwala, Director, MariwalaHealth Initiative. IANS

Health Line

12 India Post July 17, 2020www.indiapost.com

One can be said to be perfectly healthy in body and mind only if no part of the body or mind makes itself felt. A partmakes itself felt only when there is something wrong with it. You know that you have a head only when it aches.

Sri Atmananda (1883 - 1959)

US steps up COVID-19 vaccines,therapies development

WASHINGTON: The US Na-tional Institute of Allergy andInfectious Diseases (NIAID) an-nounced the establishment ofa new clinical trials networkaiming to step up vaccines andmonoclonal antibodies testing,as the country's COVID-19cases has surpassed 3 million.

The US currently accountsfor the world's highest numberof infections and fatalities at3,053,328 and 132,277, re-spectively, according to theJohns Hopkins University.

The new network, called theCOVID-19 Prevention TrialsNetwork, will enroll thousandsof volunteers in large-scaleclinical trials testing a varietyof investigational vaccines andmonoclonal antibodies in-tended to protect people fromCOVID-19, Xinhua news agencyreported.

"Starting this summer, thisnew network will leverage ex-isting infrastructure and en-gage communities to secure

the thousands of volunteersneeded for late-stage clinicaltrials of promising vaccines,"Secretary of Health and HumanServices Alex Azar has an-nounced.

"Having a safe and effectivemedical countermeasure to

prevent COVID-19 would en-able us to not only save livesbut also help end the global

pandemic," said NIAID DirectorAnthony Fauci.

The new network is ex-pected to operate more than100 clinical trial sites acrossthe US and internationally, ac-cording to the NIAID.

It is part of ongoing efforts

across the country in speedingup the development of vac-cines and therapies against

COVID-19.According to Fauci, the US

government will fund and con-duct key studies on three ex-perimental coronavirus vac-cines in the summer.

Phase 3 trials, which typi-cally involve tens of thousandsof people and measurewhether a vaccine is safe andeffective, will begin with oneby Moderna in July, then anOxford/AstraZeneca vaccine inAugust and one by Johnson &Johnson in September.

Fauci said that the testingplans still track with the timelinethat he has suggested in the past:a vaccine at scale by the end ofthe year or early next year.

Remdesivir, the only drugthat has an emergency use au-thorization from the US Foodand Drug Administration totreat COVID-19, has shownpromising results and sets anew standard of care forCOVID-19 patients.

In order to expand the po-tential uses of the drug againstthe virus, Americanbiopharmaceutical companyGilead Sciences has an-nounced plans to explore ad-ministration of remdesivir in aninhaled form.

According to Azar, morethan 120,000 courses ofremdesivir have been distrib-uted to all of 50 states.

Meanwhile, investigatorscontinue to study whetherblood-plasma transfusions fromrecovered COVID-19 patientsare safe and improve outcomesfor severely ill patients.

More than 28,000 patientshave received the transfusionsso far, according to a nationalonline registry the Mayo Cliniccoordinates. IANS

Trump's withdrawal from WHO act of true senselessness: PelosiWASHINGTON: US Presi-

dent Donald Trump's officialwithdrawal of the countryfrom the World Health Orga-nization (WHO) is "an act oftrue senselessness", HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Taking to Twitter the vet-eran Democrat said: "ThePresident's official with-drawal of the US from theWorld Health Organization isan act of true senselessnessas @WHO coordinates theglobal fight against COVID-19.

"With millions of lives at risk,the President is crippling theinternational effort to defeatthe virus."

Pelosi's re-marks come afterTrump formallymoved to with-draw the US fromthe WHO, after hehad made his in-tentions clear inlate May, accusingthe world body ofbeing underChina's control in

the wake of the coronaviruspandemic.

On Tuesday (July 7),Stephane Dujarric,spokesman forthe UN Secretary-General, con-firmed the US hadnotified it of itswithdrawal, effec-tive as of July 6,2021, reports theBBC.

Senator RobertMenendez, theleading Democrat

on the Foreign RelationsCommittee, also wrote onTwitter: "Congress receivednotification that POTUS offi-cially withdrew the US fromthe WHO in the midst of apandemic.

"It leaves Americans sickand America alone."

A senior US administrationofficial told CBS News thatWashington had detailed thereforms that it wanted theWHO to make and engagedwith it directly, but that theWHO had refused to act. IANSNancy Pelosi

Dr. Fauci cautiouslyoptimistic overearly vaccine

UNITED NATIONS: America'stop infectious disease expert DrAnthony Fauci has said that he iscautiously optimistic over the re-sults from the current clinical tri-als and the possibility of develop-ing a vaccine for COVID-19 by theend of this year or early next year.

Fauci, the National Instituteof Allergy and Infectious Dis-eases Director, said that thecoronavirus will likely to con-tinue to emerge, and globalcollaboration and transpar-ency are critical to deal withthe future pandemics.The les-sons we've learned from thecoronavirus is they have pan-demic potential, they're likelyto continue to emerge. Goodpublic health measures arecritical to controlling them.

Global collaboration andtransparency are critical if we areto get a containment of this ex-traordinary assault on the humanpopulation, a viral disease thatspreads rapidly and as a high de-gree of morbidity and mortality,he said in his recorded remarksduring an online session on Con-fronting COVID-19 Through Inno-vation and Research: LessonsLearned from the Pandemic'.

The event is part of a series ofonline dialogue by the UnitedNations Academic Impact (UNAI)dubbed '75 for UN75: 75 Min-utes of Conversation' that bringstogether academics, research-ers and students from aroundthe world. PTI

India PostWellness Post 13July 17, 2020

www.indiapost.com

Meditation helps boost immunity,says study

HYDERABAD: Heartfulness medita-tion improves immunity against infec-tions and cancer and is an effective ad-junct in the treatment of several au-toimmune disorders, a study said.

In the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic, with no vaccines avail-able, it has been advocated strongly bymedical and other research fraternitiesthat the fundamental defense againstthe virus is to have strong immunity.

In an article published in the Interna-tional Journal of Recent Scientific Re-search, authors Raja Amarnath, Director,Critical Care Services, Sree Balaji Medi-cal College, Chennai, Natwar Sharma,Pediatrics in-charge, Saveetha MedicalCollege, Chennai, Prasanthi J.,Diabetologist, Chennai, SugirthaJenitha, Critical Care, Sree Balaji Medi-

cal College, Chitra Rajan, Consultant, En-vironmental Sustainability, IIT Chennai,and Subbulakshmi Balasubramanian,RRT, Michigan, USA, have drawn a com-parison between stress and immunity.

According to the authors, whenstress becomes chronic, many organsystems in the body get affected. Per-

sistent stress results in excessive levelsof cortisol and other corticosteroids cir-culating in the blood for a longer periodthat produces irregularities in the im-mune responses.

This results in increased susceptibil-ity to infections, increased risk of can-cer, tendency to develop an allergy, in-creased gastrointestinal problems andan increased risk of autoimmune disor-ders. Chronic stress also leads to anxi-ety, depression, sleep deprivation, hy-pertension, cardiovascular diseases,diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

The authors say that managing stressthrough relaxation techniques, medita-tion, yoga, positive thinking and mold-ing a healthy lifestyle can dramaticallyimprove mood and strengthen the im-mune system. IANS

Good screen time vs.bad screen time:Experts debate onlinelearning

NEW DELHI: Parental guidance indigital learning, clear distinctionbetween productive and unpro-ductive screen time and interactivesessions rather than one-sidedvideo lectures are some of the mea-sures suggested by experts to en-sure success of online learningmandated by the COVID-19 pan-demic.

The experts shared their views ina webinar organized by FICCI ARISE(Alliance for Re-imagining SchoolEducation) on "Good Screen Timevs. Bad Screen Time" for a fair as-sessment of the nature and need ofonline learning.

"It is not the screen time thatmatters but the content that is con-sumed and the context of it that af-fects one's well-being. It was im-perative to make a distinction be-tween productive and unproduc-tive screen time. PTI

July 17, 2020India Post14 www.indiapost.com

Kashmiri folk-fusion artiste Aabha Hanjura has unveiled "Nundbane", which is a festive song revolvingaround Kashmiri traditions and history.

The folk-pop number has borrowed lyrics from theworks of poet Mahmud Gami.

"'Nundbane' is very special to me because it has taken time toshape as a song in the way I want it to. Its music video will alwaysremain very special to me because I shot this in Jaipur, one dayafter we headlined the Jaipur Literature Festival," she said.

Jaipur has always been the city that has been very close toher heart.

"I think culturally it is the most vibrant city in India and Ialways wanted to showcase the rustic Indian folk elements inmy music, so I felt like it provided the best background to aKashmiri song. The perspective we took in the video was veryauthentic, of a travelling musician singing her native song ina new city. So it makes 'Nundbane' the most special musicvideo for me," she said.

The song is from her upcoming album, "Sound Of Kashmir".

"I have always made sure that my musicdoesn't get monotonous in my albums, and ev-ery song is drastically different. 'Hukus Bukus'

was in a very different zone as a song, versus'Khanmoej Khoor', which was a ballad in which we used

pianos and backing choirs and all of that, versus 'Roshewalla',which was a proper folk rock song. 'Nundbane' brings vibrantIndian folk elements married with a Kashmiri sound, setamidst a very modern arrangement. The idea is always to dojustice to the song and see what the song really demands,"she said.

"The main thing for me that differentiates my song fromwhat you would hear rather otherwise is the signature valleysound of mine, which includes instruments that are abso-lutely authentic and rustic like rubab, tumbaknari. These areall Kashmiri instruments, these are the sounds of the moun-tains, where I am from and I always try to include them in mymusic," she added.

One of her tracks tells the story of lakhs of Kashmiris whoare away from their land.

"One of my tracks in the album 'Sound Of Kashmir', whichis 'Chalo chinaro ke gharon' from the 'Roshewalla' series isbilingual music where we did one song in Kashmiri and onein Hindi. For the same song, we also made a two-part seriesin which the story starts in the Kashmiri song and ends in theHindi song," she said.

Explaining further, she shared: "The Hindi song talks about'Chalo chinaro ke gharon', which is a very personal story. It ismy story as well. It is the story of lakhs of Kashmiris who areaway from their land and have been living as refugees in theirown country. They have the longing to go back to their ownland, which is something even I feel, but if you see whoeveris living outside Kashmir, especially in our community -- theKashmiri Pundit community -- have not only prospered, butthey have also added prosperity to wherever we are. Sothere is a line in the song 'Jad ke bina jeena, shajar ne sikh toliya, baantey thandi chao banjara, chalo chinaro ke gharon',which is basically the story of most of us. So it does touchupon an issue that we face in Kashmir in today's time for sure,and that would be the song that would be relevant. 'HukusBukus' on the other hand presents the age-old Kashmiri spiri-tual philosophy dressed in a fun avatar." IANS

Home-cooking is the healthiest cookingNEW DELHI: Indian home cooking saw the

turn of a new leaf when celebrity chefs likeSanjeev Kapoor created lip-smacking recipes ona unique format of cooking shows on televi-sion. With the stay-at-home orders infusingnew energy into the country's homekitchens, the celebrated chef and PadmaShri recipient feels happy seeingpeople cook at home.

"Home-cooking is the healthiestcooking. Even when people cookso-called junk food, I advise cook-ing it at home, which will bemuch healthier. Anyone who isusually cooking at home -mothers or wives - want tomake sure that element ofhealth is there. If we have tomake ourselves healthy,

home cooking is the way to go, and I'm happypeople are cooking at home," said Kapoor.

Kapoor is the face of ITC Nimwash vegetableand fruit wash, and suggests cooking enthu-

siasts to clean germs and pesticides offtheir fruits and veggies as any recipe'sfirst step. "We are what we eat. That's

something we have started to un-derstand as a direct, cause-

and-effect relationship.Now we have time to re-

flect and act on it. Thesuperficiality of any-

thing and everythingwe were consuming

- that is diminish-ing, and a begin-ning has beenmade," he said.IANSlife

SANJEEV KAPOOR

July 17, 2020 India Post

www.indiapost.com

15

NEW DELHI: You have an ad-mission letter to the institution ofyour choice for September 2020but don't know what to do with it?

Shireen Ardeshir, an Educa-tion Advisor and Career Men-tor with over two decades ofexperience, suggests a fewtips to keep in mind whileweighing your options ofstudying abroad in 2020:

Step 1: Understand youroptions

Most inter-national univer-

sities have clearguidelines of admis-sion processes and

course commence-ment information

clearly outlined on their homepages and of course have theirown COVID 19 page to helpyou understand how the Uni-

versity plans to cope with thenew normal, post COVID 19 era- addressing social distancingat residential colleges, campussafety, health protocols, stu-dent services and help for in-ternational students.

Additionally, institutions arerunning many webinars to dis-cuss international student op-tions and are offering an op-portunity to interact with andlearn from many academic andmanagement staff, whichwould not have been possiblepreviously.

Step 2: Online is a GenuineOption

Online and Blended (online+ face to face) Learning are theway of the future. International

Universities have been offer-ing online programs for severalyears and therefore are in the'expert' phase of teachingonline and providing online re-sources. While all resourcesmay not have been online pre-viously, most of the institutionshave managed a swift and

smooth transition online tomeet the needs of their do-mestic and international stu-dents. So future students aregoing to be well looked afterthrough their online learning,as Universities maintain aca-demic and experience stan-dards.

Tip: If you are committed tostarting your online, and areable to manage your time andacademics, you can considerincreasing your study workload example five subjects in-stead of four or summer/win-ter courses which can help re-duce your study load when youdo join the University campusand can help you finish thecourse earlier as well.

Step 3: FinancialConsiderations

The Interna-tional StudentCommunity is ahuge source ofrevenue to Uni-versities. Thisc o m m u n i t y ,their and theirfamily incomeshave been af-fected by the

COVID 19 pandemic and manyuniversities have kept theseconsiderations in mind. So youshould:

Scout for COVID 19 scholar-ships / financial aid for interna-tional students. IANSlife

Most international universities

have clear guidelines of

admission processes and

course commencement

information clearly outlined

on their home pages

For detailed story visitwww.indiapost.com

Yoga to improve reproductive,sexual health

NEW DELHI: Yoga is an an-cient method of relaxation, ex-ercise, and healing that has

gained a wide following acrossthe world. It rejuvenates themind, body and soul. It maycome as no surprise, then, thatyoga may also serve to en-hance sexual function.

According to a study pub-lished online in The Journal ofSexual Medicine (Nov 12, 2009),regular yoga practice improvesseveral aspects of sexual func-tion in women, including desire,arousal, orgasm, and overall sat-isfaction, points out Dr ArockiaVirgin Fernando, Fertility Spe-cialist, Obstetrician and Gyne-cologist at Cloudnine Group of

Hospitals. The expert sharessome benefits of yoga on sexlife and during pregnancy.

Benefits of Yoga on your Sex lifeMore and more people are

discovering the benefits ofpracticing yoga, from buildingstrength to relieving stress. 40percent of women with fertil-ity related issues have anxiety,stress or both. Yoga and mind-fulness exercises like deepbreathing helps in reducingthe cortisol levels in our blood,which is a marker for stress.High levels of cortisol damagethe fine balance between thehormones that control thebrain, heart and reproductivesystem. IANSlife


July 17, 2020www.indiapost.comIndia Post16

Mount Abu is one ofthe popular Jain pilgrimage sites. Going

by its lushness, it is called 'theParadise of Rajasthan'.

Mount Abu, the only hill sta-tion in Rajasthan, offers youthe best of all possible worlds,with more scenic beauty,more architecture and ar-chaeology in the form of thefamous Dilwara caves, thechief center for theBrahmakumaris and a gener-ous peppering of templeswhich shows that the place isexceptionally favored by thegods. Abu has been an impor-tant place of penance for thesages.

The shops on both sides ofthe road are glitteringly alive,

as late as 10 p.m. on a winternight. In case it is a winter trip,one can just arrive in Abu, at anytime of the night or day, employa wheelbarrow, which will takeyour luggage all over Abu forfew rupees while you check outa place to stay. This is, in fact thebest time to visit if the colddoes not bother you too much(it is usually warmer than aDelhi winter). All hotels areavailable at half rates and thebest of rooms can be yours fora rate that suits your budget.

Abu in summer is definitely aretreat from the heat of theplains. A summer visit requirescareful planning, and roomsshould be booked at least twomonths in advance. Everything,from hotels to restaurants, to

trans-port isat doublethe rates,and beware ofthe new monster - theMarutis, in every color whichcover the landscape and racepugnaciously around the hills.Yet, the little township is wellprepared to handle tourists.Tourist buses show youaround the places of interesttwice a day and the bus guideprovides a background, his-tory and of course his own in-terpretations on everythingyou visit. Information is alsoavailable from a tourist guideoffice, but even without guid-ance there are certain placesthat simply cannot be missedon a visit to Abu.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:The Dilwara Jain temples for

instance, have been comparedto the Taj Mahal for their sheerelegance and beauty in marble.Built between the 11th and13th century, these temples areall the more exceptional be-cause the marble to build thesewas brought all the way fromMakrana and the best workmen

and craftsmen employed toensure the finest quality ofsculpture. Intricate carvingsdecorate each portion ofthese temples, which arededicated to the JainTirthankaras.


www.indiapost.com July 17, 2020

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

India Post

Desi News

17 Details on page 21

Orlandofirmurged towithdraw"Blood ofKali" tea

Details on page 18

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda takesoath as AAPI President


CHICAGO: "I will work tomake AAPI stronger, more vi-brant, united, transparent, po-litically engaged, ensuring ac-tive participation of youngphysicians, increasing mem-bership, and enabling thatAAPI's voice is heard in the cor-ridors of power," said Dr.Sudhakar Jonnalagadda, as-suming the office of theAmerican Association of Physi-cians of Indian Origin (AAPI) onSaturday, July 11, 2020.

In his opening remarks, AmitKumar, Consul General of Indiain Chicago and the Chief Guest

at the event, praised the con-tributions of Indian AmericanPhysicians. He lauded the ef-forts of AAPI especially duringthe COVID pandemic. He urgedAAPI to collaborate in pharmasector and Ayushmaan Bharatas well as in telehealth relatedissues providing guidelines incollaboration with the MCA ofIndia. While lauding g Dr.Reddy for his great accom-plishments during the year ofpandemic. Kumar offered hisbest wishes to the incomingPresident of AAPI, Dr.Jonnalagadda and Team.

Indian Consul general in At-lanta, Swati Kulkarni introducedDr. Jonnalagadda and offeredher best wishes to the Presidentof AAPI during the 1st ever Vir-tual Change of Guard Ceremonythat was live-cast on social me-dia platforms around the world.

In her address, describing AAPIas a world leader in Medical Edu-cation and Healthcare Delivery,Dr. Kulkarni urged AAPI to bemore politically active.

Along with the new Presi-dent, a new executive commit-tee members took oath. Theyincluded, Dr. AnupamaGotimukula, President-Elect;Dr. Ravi Kolli, Vice President, Dr.

Amit Chakrabarty, Secretary ofAAPI; Dr. Satish Kathula, Trea-surer of AAPI, Dr. Sajani Shah,Chair of AAPI's BOT; Dr. AmiBaxi, YPS President; Dr. Kinjal

S o l a n k i ,M S R FPresident;and Dr.SurendraP u r o h i t ,Chair ofA A P ICharitableF o u n d a -tion.

In hisa c c e p -t a n c e

speech, Dr. Jonnalgadda hasvowed to take the nearly fourdecades old organization tothe next level and "bring allthe AAPI Chapters,

Dr Sudhaker addressing AAPI Meet Change of guard at AAPI

AAPI Logo

Cont’d on page 21

Zoom of hymns,movie songs andbirthday program

JAYANTI OZA

CHICAGO: The Indian Seniorsof Chicago Birthday Meetingwas held on Saturday, July 11,2020 through Zoom Video

Conferencing four hours from

11 am withover 160members

andguests participating. This

birthday program was success-

fully managed .Dilip Patel.

President Dr. Narasimhabhai

Patel started his address with

a brief aboutthe programand

detailed information on how to

organize an annual picnic in

the future. Then Hemaben

Shastri recited Shri Hanuman

Chalisa Shri Bhupendra Suthar

joinedand sang well.

Prof. Navinbhai Patel and

Prof. Sharadbhai Shah gave

beautiful speeches about

Swami Vivekananda. Prof.

Navinbhai Patel gave informa-

tion about the birth of Shri

Narasimha Mehta, t many diffi-

culties he faced in his life and

many Krishnabhakti devotionalsongs penned by him.

July 17, 2020India Post18 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Zoom of hymns, movie songs and birthdayprogram by Chicago Indian Seniors

JAYANTI OZA

CHICAGO: The Indian Seniors of Chi-cago Birthday Meeting was held on Sat-urday, July 11, 2020 through ZoomVideo Conferencing four hours from 11am withover 160 members andguestsparticipating. This birthday programwas successfully managed Dilip Patel.

President Dr. Narasimhabhai Patelstarted his address with a briefaboutthe programand detailed infor-mation on how to organize an annualpicnic in the future. Then HemabenShastri recited Shri Hanuman ChalisaShri Bhupendra Suthar joinedand sangwell.

Prof. Navinbhai Patel and Prof.Sharadbhai Shah gave beautifulspeeches about Swami Vivekananda.Prof. Navinbhai Patel gave informationabout the birth of Shri NarasimhaMehta, the many difficulties he faced inhis life and many Krishnabhakti devo-tional songs penned by him. The occa-sion of the marriage of son Shamaldasand the memory of daughter Kunwarbaigave examples of divine help receivedby him.

Prof. Sharadbhai Shah, while giving adiscourse on Swami Vivekananda, saidthat Vivekananda, born on January 12,1863, andParamahansa was his guru.Swami Vivekananda founded theRamakrishna Mission and RamakrishnaMath in Belur. The eloquent discourseon world religion in Chicago in 1893 hasbecome unforgettable. On July 4, 1902,at the age of just 39, he tookMahasamadhi in meditation. The PrimeMinister of India Shri Narendrabhai

Modi follows the principles of SwamiVivekananda. "Uttishtha, Jagruta,VarantiBodhanam" is the Mahamantrafor Shri Modiji.

Mrs. Bhanubentalked about the ad-verse effects of Kovid-19 on the lungs.And what precautions to take to avoidit, the importance of the process ofbreathing Especially the seniors whosuffering from diseases like diabetes,asthma, heart problems were informedabout the precautions to be taken to

avoid Kovid-19.Then the names of the seniors whose

birthdays fall in the month of July wereannounced by Mr. ArvindbhaiKitke. Mr.Bhupendra Suthar and the survey mem-bers sang "Happy Birthday To You Song".

Shri Dahyabhai Prajapati informedabout the Patotsav celebrated in ManavSeva Mandir and the special arrange-ments made for darshan in the templeduring Covid-19.

The names of all the artists who par-

ticipated in the entertainment programwere then announced by Shri DurgeshShah. First Mrs. Bhadra Shah sang thesong "Tumhi Mere Mandir, Tumhi MeriPooja" from the Khandan movie. Thesecond hymn of Ranchodrai,"DakornaThakor Tara Bandh DarwajaKhol" was sung in a beautiful raga. Afterthat, Shri Arvindbhai Patel sang "YaadKiya Dil Le Kahan Ho Tum" from themovie "Patita" and "TumheYaadHoga,Kabhi Hum Mile The" from the movie"Shatta Bazar", in a beautiful raga. , Thesong "Chaud V Ka Chand Ho" from themovie, and the song from the 1949Mukesh film "Neel Gagan Na Pankheru"was sung in his leading raga.EkDujeKeLiye ", the movie's songSolahBaras Ki Bali Umar Ko" was sung inhis beautiful raga. Finally, ShriRanjitbhaiBharucha sang the song "YeRaatBhigiBhigi" from the movie"ChoriChori", and "Mera Naam Joker".Kahan Gaye Wo Din ', the song was sungin their very best raga, which was likedby all the senior siblings, all the seniorsiblings highly praised the entertain-ment program and congratulated theparticipating surveyors.

President Dr. NarasimhabhaiPatel in-formed that the annual picnic will be inSeptember if possible.

Clean Energy plan for Cook County facilitiesHARISH RAO

CHICAGO: On the 25th anniversaryof the Chicago heat wave, whichkilled 739 people across Cook County,President Toni Preckwinkle releasedthe County's Clean Energy Plan.

This plan outlines the path theCounty will follow to fight climatechange by achieving a 45-percent re-duction in carbon emissions and us-ing 100-percent renewable electric-ity by 2030 and making County-owned facilities carbon neutral by2050.

"While climate change and its ef-fects, including flooding, heat waves,worsening air quality and greaterthreat of new diseases, is a threat to usall, under-resourced communities andcommunities of color are disproportion-ately at risk due to existing social, eco-nomic and health inequities," said Presi-dent Tony Preckwinkle. "Where you livedirectly impacts exposure to flooding,local areas of hotter air, poor air andwater quality, and ultimately yourlifespan."

The Plan outlines detailed actionsteps to:

REDUCE carbon emissionsthrough energy efficiency at County-owned buildings;

MAINTAIN those reductionsthrough monitoring, education andother best practices;

RENEW the County's electricitysupply through on-site solar energygeneration, procurement of renew-able energy and energy storage; and

Cont’d on page 21

India Post 19July 17, 2020 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

California's hottest spot for COVID-19, ImperialCounty's lessons for fighting the surge?

VIDYA SETHURAMANIndia Post News Service

CALIFORNIA: ImperialCounty has the highest COVID-19 infection rate in California -six times higher than the stateaverage - and the caseload isrising, ICU units are 98% full.One fourth of residents live inpoverty, 85% are Latino. Thecounty is a microcosm of theracial and economic disparitiesthat fuel the surge. EMS ar-ranged for a teleconference todiscuss this COVID hotspot. Im-perial County, population181,000, is experiencingCalifornia's worst outbreak, ac-cording to several publichealth metrics. Over the last 14days, the county's infectionrate was more than 588 per100,000 people - by far thehighest in the state. As of Fri-day (10 July), the county hadrecorded 7,759 coronaviruscases and 132 fatalities. About17 patients are airlifted out ofImperial County every day, asthe virus takes a devastatingtoll on Latino residents.

Tung Nguyen, UCSF HealthDivision of General, InternalMedicine updated the latestCOVID status. As of July 12,more than 3,315,300 people inthe United States have beeninfected with the coronavirusand at least 134,900 have died.Daily coronavirus case countshave been surging to nearrecord highs over the pastweeks, and now a new studyhas found that transmissionrates for the virus are also onthe rise. In the last 3 weeks, thenumbers have increased by50% in the US.

Case numbers are surgingthroughout much of theUnited States, including in sev-eral states that were amongthe first to reopen. ICU bedsare filling up fast in Texas,Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Louisi-ana, Nevada, Arizona, Kentucky,West Virginia, and Alabama. In-creasing death rates in Texas,Arizona and South Carolina,have all seen their death tollsrise by more than 100 percent

in the past four weeks.The WHO has acknowledged

there is emerging evidencethat the coronavirus can bespread by tiny particles sus-pended in the air. The airbornetransmission could not beruled out in crowded, closed orpoorly ventilated settings, hesaid. Masks are effective and itgreatly reduces the transmis-sion. ??

Prof. Edward Flores, Assis-tant Professor of Sociology,University of California,Merced, shared data thatsheds light on the high rate ofinfection. As of July 8, 2020,eighteen California Countieswere on the state's "watchlist"with a testing positivity rategreater than eight percent.Many are rural and suburbanareas, said Prof Flores.

Strikingly, twelve of the fif-teen counties characterized byhigh worker distress hadCOVID?19 positive testingrates above eight percent. Incontrast, only four of thirty?nine counties marked by lowworker distress had COVID?19positivity above eight percent.We also found a relationshipbetween worker distress andCOVID?19 positivity that re-mains consistent across geog-raphies.

Some of our recommenda-tions include reporting ofCOVID?19 positivity by indus-try, Improved workplacehealth and safety standardsand a greater safety net forworkers in essential jobs.

Luis Olmedo, Executive Di-rector, Comité Cívico del ValleInc. spoke about how ImperialCounty became the "idealbreeding ground" for the pan-demic and the need for struc-tural reforms. With a popula-tion of just under 180,000, Im-perial County is facing thehighest death rate in the state.The striking numbers do notsurprise some who know thisrural, majority Latino commu-nity. The virus is merely expos-ing the underlying problems."We are the poster [child] of

those inequities and the rea-son why we're not able to con-trol Covid.

We cannot win a war onCOVID in the emergency room,look at the big picture. Weneed to fight the war on COVIDwhere it's breeding and that'sour neighborhoods," explainedLuis Olmedo. In efforts to ad-dress COVID-19, Olmedocalled for funding non-profitagencies in the County to helpcoordinate not just a top-downstate-led effort but localgrassroots efforts as well in or-der to fight the virus on twofronts. We have to get moremedical staff and can't keepsending our residents to otherareas for treatment. He urged

the federal and state agenciesto step up their work in the lo-cal communities.

Luis Flores, activist with theImperial Valley Equity and Jus-tice Coalition, spoke on howthe community fought backthe pressure to reopen quicklyto protect the most vulnerable.Luis Flores and his friendsstarted a petition on June 3 tooppose county leaders whoasked the state to let Imperialreopen more quickly. The peti-tion drew more than 2,000 sig-natures, but Flores said the de-bate was about more than re-opening malls and churches.He said residents want to ad-dress disparities fueling theoutbreak. "We want to point

attention to what feels like thecrisis underneath this crisis,"Flores said. "The folks whocross every day, they're our es-sential workers, but there are alarge number of risks. Theseare people who wait in line tocross the border, then get on acramped bus without PPE andride an hour to the field site,"Flores said. He and his organi-zation had called on county of-ficials to enforce safety guide-lines for employers.

Armando Elenes, SecretaryTreasurer, United Farm Workers(UFW ) spoke about how fearhas spread among farmworkercommunities and access tohealth care/ protective equip-ment.


ICE decision revokes more than visasfor international students


WASHINGTON DC: Universities are atalent magnet for students around theworld. The number of International stu-dents in the US is estimated to be justover one-million, with about 20% com-ing from India.

The presence of international stu-dents in American universities and aca-demic institutions have contributed tocross-cultural understanding, and glo-bal scholastic freedom, making the col-legiate experience invaluable for bothdomestic and international students.Additionally, many international stu-dents are employed as teaching assis-tants or research assistants, contribut-ing to the research and innovation atuniversities, which often lead to the dis-covery of patents and large-scale re-search findings, which generate mil-

lions of dollars in scholarly grants andendowments.

However, this is now in jeopardy. OnJuly 6, the Department of HomelandSecurity Immigration and Customs En-forcement (ICE) declared that interna-

tional students on F-1 and M-1 visaswould be required to leave the countryif their college provided online-only in-struction this fall.

"This is an irrational, political decisionthat puts students at higher risk of con-

tracting COVID-19 during an alreadystressful time in their lives," said Direc-tor of Education Shereen Bhalla, PhD,who has studied the international stu-dent experience in her doctoral re-search. "This mandated guidance from

ICE is forcing universities to hold in-per-son classes sooner than it is safe to orrisk losing tuition from international stu-dents, which is often almost doublethan what US based students pay, notto mention the billions of dollars theycontribute to the US economy."

International students abundantlycontribute to the diversity and depth ofa university in infinite ways. American

universities have served as an interna-tional globalizing power, spreadingideas and knowledge worldwide. To at-tract international scholars, the USimplemented a novel university designto align teaching and research.

"There are lots of reasons for interna-tional students to be in the US asidefrom the education itself, such as en-gagement within and outside of theclassroom," Dr. Bhalla explains. "This so-cialization develops the concept of asophisticated global citizenry, for themand American students." Because ofthis, international students and facultyadd greatly to the richness, diversity ofthought, and productivity of US univer-sities.

The US Congress to reverse the ICEguidance and allow international stu-dents with valid visas to remain in theUnited States. Otherwise, both interna-tional and American students of valu-able internationalization would suffer,observed Dr. Bhalla.

The presence of international students in American

universities and academic institutions have contributed to

cross-cultural understanding, and global scholastic freedom,

making the collegiate experience invaluable for both

domestic and international students

Letter to editor

Why only Vikas Dubey death needsto be investigated?

Priyanka Vadra has demanded: "a ju-dicial enquiry" by a sitting Supreme

Court judge for a gangster called VikasDubey, who killed eight policemen aweek ago, and was killed in a police en-counter.

It is interesting to note that:Her sister-in-law MichelleVadra died in a car crash onDelhi-Jaipur highway. Did sheseek a probe? No.

Her brother-in-law Rich-ard Vadra was found deadin his room at Muradabad.Did she seek a probe? No.

Her father-in-lawRajender Vadra was foundhanging from the ceiling fan of a guesthouse. Did she seek a probe? No.

Three members of her family died un-der mysterious and suspicious circum-stances, one after the other, but she didnot even ask for a police investigation?

When two Sadhus & their driver werebrutally killed in Palgar, Priyanka, Rahul

& Sonia became invisible, never de-manded any probe and put up 100cases all over India to harass ArnabGoswami when he asked them to com-ment on the killings.

But today, when a gangster calledVikas Dubey, who killedeight policemen a weekago, was killed in a policeencounter, Priyanka Vadrawants to know the truth.She demands : "a judicialenquiry" by a sitting Su-preme Court judge.

Why didn't PriyankaVadra want to know thetruth behind the untimely

and mysterious deaths of her sister-in-law, brother-in-law, father-in-law? Is itbecause she would not want the puboicto know the caiuse3d behind theirdeath or how they died mysteriously ?

The nation wants to know.From Madhu Patel

Chicago

Priyanka Vadra

India Post 21July 17, 2020 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Regions, Members of the Ex-ecutive Committee andBoard of Trustees to work co-hesively and unitedly, for thesuccess of AAPI and the realiza-tion of its noble mission." Hewants to increase AAPI mem-bership by offering more ben-efits and opportunities formem-bers.

"AAPI has given me so much-- networking, advocacy, andeducation -- and I am honoredto serve this noble organiza-tion. I sincerely appreciate thetrust you placed in me as thePresident of AAPI, and I amdeeply committed to con-tinue to work for you," de-clared Dr. SudhakarJonnalagadda, the new Presi-dent of AAPI.

Dr. Jonnalagadda will leadAAPI as its President in theyear 2020-2021, the largestMedical Organization in theUnited States, representingthe interests of the over100,000 physicians and Fel-lows of Indian origin in theUnited States, serving the in-terests of the Indian Americanphysicians in the US and inmany ways contributing tothe shaping of the healthcaredelivery in the US for the past39 years. "AAPI must be re-sponsive to its members, sup-portive of the leadership anda true advocate for our mis-sion," he said.

Dr. Suresh Reddy, the outgoing President of AAPIthrough a video, presentedsome of the major accom-

plishments of his presidencyunder unique circumstances.Expressing gratitude to theAAPI fraternity for entrustingthe role of leading AAPI, Dr.Reddy said, AAPI is strongerand is in safe hands, as hepassed on the traditionalgavel and the coat to the newPresident of AAPI.

Dr. Seema Arora, the out go-ing Chair of AAPI Board ofTrustees, shared her experi-ences while working with adedicated Team of AAPI lead-ers, contributing tostrengthen AAPI and helpAAPI reach greater heights.

Dr. Sajani Shah, the very firstto be a second-generationphysician of Indian origin, as-sumed charge as the Chair ofAAPI Board of Trustees. In herinaugural address, she prom-ised to work with the entireAAPI Body, and help AAPI real-ize its mission.

A visual presentation of thehistory of "Change of Guard"took the AAPI members downthe lane through its 37 tears ofgreat historical growth underAAPI leaders. Earlier the eventbegan with an Inter-FaithPrayer and Meditation, led byleaders of various Faiths andpraying for several AAPI lead-ers who have been critically illdue to the pandemic andthose who have lost their lives.

AAPI represents more than100,000 physicians and fellows ofIndian Origin in the US, and beingtheir voice and providing a forumto its members to collectivelywork together to meet their di-verse needs, is a major challenge.

Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagaddatakes oath as AAPI PresidentCont’d from page 17

Clean Energy plan for CookCounty facilities

SUPPORT the Clean En-ergy Plan action stepsthrough policies such as newbuilding standards forCounty facilities.

The plan prioritizes ac-tions that recognize the ur-gency of fighting climatechange as soon as possibleby making the steepest re-ductions in greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions in the ear-lier years: 45 percent by2030 from a baseline of2010. It pushes for invest-

ments in renewable energythat will help create jobs andenergy resiliency for localcommunities.

The Clean Energy Plan rep-resents an investment intoCook County's facilities. Theseinvestments, normally part ofthe standard equipment re-placement cycle, will be en-hanced to reduce the County'soperating expenses by choos-ing equipment and systemsthat reduce utility and mainte-nance bills.

The County has begunimplementing elements of this

Plan. It has already reduced itsGHG emissions by about athird since PresidentPreckwinkle took office in2010, primarily through en-ergy efficiency. Solar installa-tions are being designed forthe Skokie Courthouse, CiceroRecords Center and MarkhamCourthouse, and lighting anda comprehensive building au-tomation system upgrade arealready underway.

Progress towards the Plan'sgoals will be reported eachyear in the County's AnnualSustainability Report.

Cont’d from page 18

Orlando firm urged towithdraw "Blood of Kali" tea

MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: Indian Americansacross the country have urgedCoffee Shop of Horrors locatedin Greater Orlando (Florida), towithdraw its "Blood of Kali"Chai Black Tea; callingit highly disgusting.

Goddess Kali ishighly revered in Hin-duism meant to beworshipped intemples or homeshrines and not to betrivialized in a re-imagined version tosell tea. Indian Ameri-cans strongly feel anyinappropriate usageof Hindu deities orconcepts or symbolsor icons for commer-cial or other agenda isunwelcome as it hurtthe devotees.

The protest isspearheaded byRajanZed, Presidentof Universal Societyof Hinduism, pitchingthat Coffee Shop of Horrorsand its CEO should also offer aformal apology; besides with-drawing from online and storesale, the "Blood of Kali"

teabags carrying re-imaginedimages of goddess Kali.

Hinduism is the oldest andthird largest religion of theworld with about 1.1 billion

adherents and a rich philo-sophical thought and it shouldnot be taken frivolously. Sym-bols of any faith, larger orsmaller, should not be mis-

handled, Rajan Zed noted.Goddess Kali, who personi-

fies Sakti or divine energy, iswidely worshipped in Hindu-ism. She is considered the

goddess of time andchange. SomeBengali poets de-scribed her as su-preme deity. Moksh(liberation) is the ul-timate goal of Hindu-ism. There are aboutthree million Hindusin USA.

Coffee Shop ofHorrors; launched in2007; sells coffee,tea, hot cocoa, candy;besides its Cafe Menuin its Montverde andTavares locations inGreater Orlando. Itclaims: "We will sellnothing that's over 30days old". Its "Blood ofKali" Chai Black Tea (3-ounces bag of loose-leaf tea) was priced at

$10.99 and was a "traditionalblend of black tea and finelyground cardamom, cinnamon,ginger root, black pepper andcloves".


Josh Mysore-St. Mark's Senior and Plano Resident-to StudyHindi on U.S. Department of State NSLI-Y Scholarship

Josh Mysore, a rising senior at the St.Mark's School of Texas, has beenawarded a National Security Lan-

guage Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Vir-tual Summer Intensive full scholarshipto study the Hindi language for fiveweeks this 2020 summer. A Plano, Texas,resident, Mysore initially applied to theNSLI-Y program-a U.S. Department ofState's Bureau of Educational and Cul-tural Affairs (ECA) program that pro-motes critical language learning amongAmerican youth-during his year abroadin Zaragoza, Spain, with another pro-

gram, School Year Abroad."While I was with my [host] family in

Spain and immersing myself in theSpanish language, I slowly began to re-alize how drawn to language learning Iwas," Mysore said. "As I delved into mylove for Spanish, I realized that my de-sire to master language was not limitedto just one language but rather an in-nate wish to communicate betweencultures and educate myself about the

world."Mysore would go on to pass the

semifinalist stage and would ultimatelybe chosen as a finalist to study Hindiwith NSLI-Y, a multi-agency U.S. Govern-ment initiative launched in 2006 to im-prove Americans' ability to communi-cate in select critical languages, ad-vance international dialogue and pro-vide Americans with jobs skills for theglobal economy. Many NSLI-Y alumni goon to pursue education and careers vi-tal to U.S. national security and creditthe program experience with helping

them improvetheir aca-demic, lead-ership andcross-culturalcommunica-tion skills.

" M a n yhighly regardthe NSLI-Y

program for its prestige, education andexperience," Mysore said, "and I am noexception. I cannot wait to be a mem-ber of the fantastic alumni network."

But although he was accepted tostudy in New Delhi, India, the programlater shifted to a 2020 Virtual SummerIntensive version, an online alternativein response to the U.S. Department ofState Global Level 4 Health Advisoryand ECA's pause of in-person exchange

programs."When I first heard about the accep-

tance to the program I was overjoyed,so to hear about the shift to an onlinerendition was certainly jarring," Mysoreexplained. "I was excited to visit my par-ents' native country and gain new glo-bal perspective tobring back toAmerica, but I amequally ready totake advantage ofthis fantastic vir-tual opportunity."

Now, Mysore isjust one of 500 stu-dents selectedfrom approxi-mately 3,000 ap-plicants fromacross the UnitedStates who willstudy Arabic, Chi-nese, Hindi, Indo-nesian, Korean,Persian, Russian orTurkish this sum-mer as part of a vir-tual exchange. Thisnew NSLI-Y Virtual Summer Intensiveprogram aims to provide robust lan-guage and cultural learning opportuni-ties by virtually connecting the partici-pants with teachers, internationalpeers, cultural organizations and com-

munities where the target language isspoken.

And luckily enough, Mysore alreadyhas experienced tackling linguisticchallenges. In Spain, he conducted aCapstone investigation on immigrationin the country, working with a cultural

center as an instructor and food bankvolunteer, interviewing refugee fami-lies from Venezuela and Algeria andcomposing a research paper coveringan extended analysis of immigration inSpain compared with the United States-all in Spanish.

"The application process for thisNSLI-Y program was rigorous and chal-lenging, and I am expecting a equal ifnot greater challenge from these onlinecourses," Mysore said. "However, I amno stranger to taking on a foreign lan-guage in my free time and have beenpreparing by learning the [Hindi] script,basic vocabulary and grammar con-cepts from online resources."

On top of participating in dailyclasses, completing daily homework as-signments, engaging in culturalwebinars on the weekends, and com-pleting a Global Competence Certificate(GCC) course, Mysore and other studentswill also engage with peer tutors fromtarget countries and even give presen-tation in the target language on culturalitems at the course's end.

"I look forward to seeing how far myHindi has progressed by the end of theprogram," Mysore said, "and I know thatthe people I meet and the skills I pickup will carry much farther than just thevirtual world."

While I was with my [host] family in Spain and

immersing myself in the Spanish language, I slowly

began to realize how drawn to language

learning I was," Mysore said

Josh Mysore

23 India PostJuly 17, 2020 www.indiapost.com

In Brief Immigration

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Harvard UniversityPresident Lawrence

Bacow said in an emailto affiliates that theorder came downwithout notice its

cruelty surpassed onlyby its recklessness

Harvard, MIT sue US immigration authoritiesover new rule for foreign students

NEW YORK: Harvard Univer-sity and the Massachusetts In-stitute of Technology havesued the Department of Home-land Security and the federalimmigration agency over newguidelines barring foreign stu-dents from remaining inAmerica if their universitiesswitched to online-only classesin the Fall.

A report in The HarvardCrimson said the two preemi-nent educational institutionsfiled a lawsuit in District Courtin Boston Wednesday (July 8)morning against the two fed-eral agencies.

The lawsuit seeks a tempo-rary restraining order and pre-liminary and permanent in-junctive relief to bar the USDepartment of Homeland Se-curity and Immigration andCustoms Enforcement from theenforcing federal guidelinesthat will force internationalstudents to leave the US.

Harvard University Presi-dent Lawrence Bacow said inan email to affiliates that theorder came down without no-tice its cruelty surpassed onlyby its recklessness. We believe

that the ICE order is bad publicpolicy, and we believe that it isillegal.

"We will pursue this casevigorously so that our interna-tional students and interna-

tional students at institutionsacross the country can con-tinue their studies without thethreat of deportation, Bacowsaid, according to the Crimsonreport.

The Immigration and Cus-toms Enforcement (ICE) said ina press release that for the fall

2020 semester students at-tending schools operating en-tirely online may not take a fullonline course load and remainin the United States.

The U.S. Department of

State will not issue visas to stu-dents enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fullyonline for the fall semester norwill U.S. Customs and BorderProtection permit these stu-dents to enter the UnitedStates, the release said.

In what could cause in-

creased anxiety for the inter-national students alreadypresent in the US, the agencysaid, active students currentlyin the United States enrolledin such programs must depart

the country or take other mea-sures, such as transferring toa school with in-person in-struction to remain in lawfulstatus or potentially face im-migration consequences in-cluding, but not limited to,the initiation of removal pro-ceedings. PTI

Trump forgoes insultsof past, calls Mexicocherished friend

WASHINGTON: PresidentDonald Trump, who has deni-grated Mexican migrants andthreatened the US ally withcrippling tariffs, welcomedPresident Andrés ManuelLópez Obrador to the WhiteHouse on Wednesday (July 8)with lofty language and hecalled America's southernneighbor a cherished partner.

Trump said the countries'economic and security rela-tionship was reaching newheights.

Trump's affectionate wordswere in stark contrast to thedays when he called Mexicansrapists and railed against mi-grants entering the UnitedStates illegally.

Lopez Obrador had cordialwords for Trump, too, sayingthat while the two leadershave disagreed, it was betterto find common ground andavoid slinging insults.

Instead of remembering theinsults, things like that, againstme, we have received fromyou President Trump an under-standing and respect, LopezObrador said.

Some people thought ideo-logical difference differenceswould inevitably lead to con-frontations. Back home, LopezObrador has received criticismfor making this his first foreigntrip as president, just fourmonths before the election.

With no meetings plannedwith former Vice President JoeBiden, Lopez Obrador seem-ingly is banking that Trump willwin a second term. AP Australia suspends extradition treaty with HK; offers

safe haven visas to students, skilled workersMELBOURNE: Prime Minis-

ter Scott Morrison has an-nounced the suspension ofAustralia's extradition treatywith Hong Kong over the con-troversial Chinese national se-curity law imposed there andoffered visas to 10,000 stu-dents and temporary skilledworkers from the former Brit-ish territory to start a new lifein this country.

The move came after Chi-nese President Xi Jinping lastmonth signed a controversial

legislation to impose a nationalsecurity law in Hong Kong thatallowed Beijing to crackdownagainst dissent, criminalizingsedition and curtailing pro-tests with punishments up tolife in prison.

Morrison said the new na-tional security laws imposed byChina in Hong Kong repre-sented a "fundamental changeof circumstances" for many gov-ernments around the world.

"Our decision to suspendthe extradition agreement

with Hong Kong representsan acknowledgement of thefundamental change of cir-cumstances in relation toHong Kong because of thenew security law, which inour view undermines the 'onecountry, two systems' frame-work, and Hong Kong's ownbasic law and the high de-gree of autonomy guaran-teed in the Sino-British JointDeclaration that was set outthere," Morrison said inCanberra. PTI

Realty Tidbits

India Post July 17, 2020www.indiapost.com

Real Estate24 Details on page 25

India ranks 34th in JLL's real estatetransparency index

MUMBAI: India is ranked34th in JLL's Global Real EstateTransparency Index (GRETI),marking an improvement dueto more regulatory reformsand other initiatives.

In the previous indexlaunched in 2018 India was inthe 35th position.

"The country ranks 34th glo-

bally on the index, with higherlevels of transparency ob-served in India due to regula-tory reforms, enhanced marketdata and sustainability initia-tives," a JLL statement said.

The report noted that India,Indonesia, the Philippines andVietnam are among theIndex's top improvers due to

regulatory reforms, enhancedmarket data and sustainabilityinitiatives.

The improvement is led bythe progress in the country'sREIT framework attractinggreater interest from institu-tional investors. India has alsoedged into the top 20 for'sustainability transparency'.

"India has seen a steady im-provement in the GlobalTransparency Index over theyears. In fact, along with Indo-nesia, the Philippines andVietnam, we are among thehandful of countries that haveseen the maximum improve-ment owing to positive gov-ernmental support and an en-hanced ecosystem of trans-parency," said Ramesh Nair,CEO and Country Head (India)JLL.

He noted that the nationalREIT framework has been amajor contributor to transpar-ency in India, and with ongoingprogress and governance, willcontinue to attract more inter-est from institutional investors.

Globally, United Kingdom isthe most transparent countryin terms of the real estate mar-ket followed by the US.

China at 32nd position andThailand at 33rd spot are justabove India. IANS

Property prices fall1-5% in April-Juneacross top cities

NEW DELHI: Property pricesacross top eight cities in thecountry declined 1-5 per centin April-June quarter amid thecoronavirus pandemic, ac-cording to the MagicbricksPropindex Report Q2.

The report said that in Aprilprices slumped by 2-9 percent, but later recovered.

It said that as India'seconomy has started gettingback to a 'new normal' follow-ing the COVID-19 outbreakand the national lockdown,the real estate sector has alsostarted to witness somegreen shoots as homebuyersare back in the market, thoughin lower numbers across tier-Icities.

It suggests that the prop-erty buyer market sentimentsare on the path to recoverywith the buyer searches onthe property portal set to sur-pass the pre-COVID levels, in-dicating robust underlyingfundamentals on the demandside.

Commenting on thePropIndex, Sudhir Pai, CEO,Magicbricks, said: "India's realestate sector is on road to re-covery. Prices have shown amarginal decline whereas de-mand has been steadily com-ing back. Actions have beentaken by the government onthe recovery package and theRBI has also reduced reporates by more than 100 basispoints since the lockdown. Thisaugurs well for the industry.IANS

Gera Pune Residential Realty Report July 2020, highlightshome affordability at 9-Year high

PUNE, Maharashtra: IndiaGera Developments, pio-neers of the real estate busi-ness and the award-winningcreators of premium residen-tial and commercial projectsin Pune, Goa, and Bengaluru,have released the July 2020edition of their bi-annual re-port, The Gera Pune Residen-tial Realty Report.

The research consideredthe top 20 developers in Punein terms of brand name and re-pute. To ensure consistencyand uniform comparison, thereport has maintained thesame list of developers overthe past 5 years and then cal-culated what was their share inthe last 12 months. Post RERAand despite the Covid-19 pan-

demic, the share of the top andreputed developers in themarket has increased. In theyear Jul 19 to Jun 20, their salesaccount for almost 25% of thetotal sales. The trend of largeprojects being launched con-tinues. The number of projectswith a size >500 units have fur-ther increased to 138. Thisnumber almost doubled in the

last 6 years.The major hit taken by the

construction industry duringthe Covid-19 pandemic andthe ensuing lockdown is tak-ing a toll on many developers,leading to further consolida-tion of the sector. BusinessWire


How will COVID-19 impactinvestment in land?

There has been a lot of specula-tion over the future course of the real estate industry, following

the Coronavirus pandemic. While many believe thatthere may be hefty price discounts, industry expertsdisagree. With prices of raw materials, cost of compli-ances and transportation increasing, most buildersmaintain that property prices will not reduce, althoughsome developers may extend offers and limited-periodconcessions on certain units.

25India PostJuly 17, 2020

www.indiapost.comReal Estate Post

PMAY-U: Affordable rental housingscheme gets cabinet nod

SNEHA SHARON MAMMEN

How will COVID-19impact investmentin land?SNEHA SHARON MAMMEN

There has been a lot of specula-tion over the future course of the

real estate industry, following theCoronavirus pandemic. While manybelieve that there may be heftyprice discounts, industry expertsdisagree. With prices of raw materi-als, cost of compliances and trans-portation increasing, most buildersmaintain that property prices willnot reduce, although some develop-ers may extend offers and limited-period concessions on certain units.While many buyers and investorsmay hesitate to put their money inreal estate right now, residentialplots and land investments continueto witness stable and significantsearches, inquiries and conversions.

Investing in land during COVID-19Here are some reasons why buy-

ers may perceive land as promisinginvestments, in spite of the COVID-19-induced slowdown:LAND PRICES

Unlike an under-construction orready-to-move-in property, residen-tial plots are not as expensive andmost people may be able to afford aplotted development with their sav-ings. People tend to opt for smallland parcels in developing areas,where the cost of investment ismuch lesser than what you wouldspend on a flat for sale.FLEXIBILITY

Unlike flats, residential plots giveyou the flexibility to build and de-sign your home in a way you want.Customising a property to yourneeds, is much cheaper than ap-proaching a developer to do it foryou. It also helps you budget yourexpenses better, since you will havea design plan prior to the construc-tion.SIZABLE RETURNS

It is a known fact that if you arelooking at long-term returns, landinvestment is the best option. Allyou need to do is invest at the righttime. For example, you can investsmall in a developing area now andwait over the mid to long-term, toenjoy the price appreciation.GOOD AVENUE FOR YOUNGSTERS

Anyone can invest in plots butyoung professionals should considerinvesting in this asset. housing.com


Amid the Coronavirus pandemic,the union cabinet has approvedthe Affordable Rental Housing

Complexes scheme that was proposedearlier this year. Previously, in a bid tohelp prospective homebuyers inter-ested in the Pradhan Mantri AwasYojana-Urban (PMAY-Urban) scheme,the government had extended the lastdate for the Credit-Linked SubsidyScheme (CLSS) for the Middle-IncomeGroups I & II.

Affordable rental housing schemeIn May 2020, it was proposed that an

Affordable Rental Housing Complexes(ARHCs) scheme would be launchedthrough the public-private partnership(PPP) model. The scheme would be tar-geted towards migrant workers, stu-dents and the urban poor, providingthem with adequate living conditionsand security through government-funded housing. The scheme would beunder the PPP mode and industries,manufacturing units and institutionswould be incentivized, to developARHCs on their unutilized land. Suchproperties, it was hoped, would determigrant workers from undertaking longvoyages to their native places, whenfaced with a calamity or a pandemicsuch as COVID-19. The ministry has nowcrystallized guidelines to this effect.

Taking to Twitter, Durga ShankarMishra, secretary, Ministry of Housingand Urban Affairs (MoHUA), confirmedthat the ARHCs scheme had been ap-proved by the union cabinet on July 8,2020. For this purpose, vacant govern-ment-funded housing complexes willbe put to use and converted intoARHCs, after a concession agreementfor 25 years is signed. The MoHUAclaims it is a step towards anAtmanirbhar Bharat. The Ministry hopesto curtail the proliferation of slumdwellings and provide a decent envi-ronment for living close to workplaces,for those who cannot afford it by them-selves.

Where will ARHCs be implemented?ARHCs is a sub-scheme under the

PMAY and the MoHUA has confirmedthat it will be implemented in the fol-lowing areas:

Statutory towns Planning areas that are notified

Development authorities Special area development authori-

ties Any other area that may be notified

by the state or UT government

Implementation model of ARHCsThere are two models. First, govern-

ment-funded land that is vacant can be

converted to ARHCs, either by publicagencies or on a PPP model. The secondmodel is that in which the construction,operation, as well as the maintenanceof ARHCs, will be by the public or pri-vate entity, on their own vacant land.

List of beneficiaries under ARHCsARHCs are meant for urban migrants

from the EWS and LIG sections and thefollowing will be beneficiaries:

Laborers Urban poor, such as street vendors

and hawkers

Market or trade associations Industrial workers Manufacturing units Long-term tourists Hospitality sector Educational institutions Students Health institutions

Important notes on the ARHC scheme

The ARHC scheme is applicable onlytill March 2022, which is also the PMAYUrban mission period. All related fund-ing and consideration will be applicableonly till then.

Projects under the ARHC will beused for a minimum period of 25 years,

for only rental housing purposes.

Industry view on ARHCsThe government's initiative to pro-

vide a decent lifestyle to the poor hasgone down well with the real estate fra-ternity. Ankush Kaul, president (salesand marketing), Ambience Group,noted, "The cabinet's approval of ARHCsis a kind of move that will strengthenthe government's commitment to'Housing for All'. This, if implemented,will create affordable housing for manywho are not in a position to buy. More-

over, it will solve the problem of afford-able housing shortage in cities." How-ever, Kaul also said that availability ofland and necessary infrastructure tocreate such a supply, might pose a chal-lenge. housing.com

The scheme would be targeted towards migrantworkers, students and the urban poor, providing themwith adequate living conditions and security through

government-funded housing



www.indiapost.comPunjab Post

Donate organs; time to change traditionalmindset of disposing the dead

Leading from the front and by practice, the NRI couple Ashok Mehra (International CoordinatorPunarjot) and his wife Mrs. Kamal Mehra pledged to donate their organs after their death

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Even after 26 years sincethe Organ Donation Act was adopted inIndia on 8 July 1994, there is a huge gapbetween requirement and actual dona-tion of organs.Foremost is the need tochange the traditional mindset of burn-ing/burying the dead; by donating theirorgans for sake of providing light anddelight in the lives of people in need.

This observation was made by AshokMehra, the international coordinator ofPunarjot, an NGO wedded to the noblecause of providing sight to the visuallyimpaired people.It was made in obser-vance of Organ Donation Act day on 8 Julyand to motivate people to donate organs.

Giving figures to prove his point,Mehra, a UK-based NRI engaged in vol-untary services here, rued there is onlyone organ donor for one million people.

He said, "Government's figures saythat while there is need for 1,80,000kidney transplants, while only 6000transplants were done; for 30,000 livertransplants, only 1500 were availableand for 50,000 heart transplants, justabout 50 were done. These are tragicand painful figures. In the 21st century,all sectors, including religious, social,health, NGOs, political, media and edu-cational institutions; should come for-

ward for changing traditional mindsetof burning or burying the dead and in-stead donating their organs for givinglife or light to the needy."

Leading from the front and by practice,the NRI couple Ashok Mehra and his wifeMrs. Kamal Mehra have already pledged

to donate their organs, including eyes andbody, after their death. Punarjot had se-cured one lakh pledge forms for eye dona-tion while 100 eyes had hitherto been do-nated. Punarjot Eye Bank Ludhiana, headedby its Director Dr Ramesh, has so far done5200 free cornea transplants.

Eight cops, including City SHO Brar, joinduty after recovering from corona

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Eight cops, including In-spector Onkar Singh Brar, Station HouseOfficer (SHO), City police Phagwarajoined duty on 8 July after recoveringfrom coronavirus.

These frontline corona warriors hadtested corona positive and were homequarantined for 14-days.

Kapurthala SSP Satinder Singh cameespecially to Phagwara for boostingtheir morale and presented a rose toSHO Brar.

Appreciating their untiring fightagainst corona pandemic as well as hu-manitarian activities, SSP expressedconfidence that they will continue theirwar against corona with full might aswell as their cooperation with public.

SSP also thanked residents for theircooperation to administration by fol-

lowing various guidelines to combatthe pandemic.

Phagwara SP Manwinder Singh andDSP Paramjit Singh were also presenton the occasion.

Others who joined their duty after

recovering included Sub-InspectorsBharat Bhushan and Baljinder Singh, As-sistant Sub-inspector Nachhatar Ram,Head constable Gurdev Singh (Brar'sgunman), junior munshi Sukhjit Singh,cops Shiv Kumar and Sanjiv Kumar.

SSP Satinder Singh presenting a rose to City SHO Inspector Onkar Singh Brar on joininghis duty after recovering from corona virus. Phagwara SP Manwinder Singh and

DSP Paramjit Singh are also seen

Van Mahotsavcelebrated byPGSC via Webinar JASWANT SINGH GANDAM RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: The Pushpa GujralScience City (PGSC) organized awebinar to celebrate Van Mahotsavand motivate public and children toplant trees; an official press notesaid 7th June.

Experts in the webinar said thatin India forests is a major environ-mental resource. India is one of theten most forest-rich countries ofthe world with rich biodiversity.

According to national forestpolicy there should be 33 percentforest cover in India. According toForest Survey of India, forest coverhas increased to 69.8 million hect-ares as per satellite measurementsrepresenting an increase of 5,871square kilometers in 2 years.

But experts expressed their se-rious concern over forest degrada-tion.

Sincere efforts and awareness isrequired for saving flora and faunain our country. This was observedby Sh. Kuna Satyarthi, IFS, PrincipalCentral Academy for State ForestService MOEFCC, GoI; on occasionof the Van Mahotsav webinar. Theprogram was sponsored by De-partment of Forests & Wildlife Pres-ervation, Punjab.

Sh Satyarthi said that one mil-lion species of flora and fauna arealready extinct due to deforesta-tion. Hence 50,000 species are be-ing lost annually that create imbal-ance in our Eco-system. This occa-sion is meant to educate and makepeople aware about the need ofplanting trees, as trees are one ofthe best solutions to control globalwarming.

Dr. Neelima Jerath, D.G ScienceCity said, Punjab should have atleast 15 to 19 percent forest areaas 84 percent land is under agricul-ture and horticulture. If Punjabwants to increase its forest area to19% then more plantation activityis required. The Department of For-ests and Wildlife preservation istaking it up under Green India Mis-sion. However, this will be possibleonly through public participation.


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India Post 27July 17, 2020www.indiapost.com

India Post July 17, 2020www.indiapost.comHoroscope28

Kindly read the predictions from your ascendant sign. If you do not know your ascendant sign then read thesame from Moon sign. If Moon sign is also not known then read it from the Zodiac sign. The ascendant sign which is

calculated from the birth details viz. date, month, year, time & place of birth gives 85 % accurate predictions. Theaccuracy of predictions from Moon sign get limited to only 50 %. The predictions from Zodiac sign are only 25 %

accurate. In nutshell the predictions from ascendant sign are most accurate. In getting personality analysis the traitsgiven by ascendant sign are 100 % accurate and that is the essence of Vedic Astrology.

Your Weekly Futureby VANEET SHARMA

MAR 21 to APRIL 20 JUN 21 to JULY 22 SEP 23 to OCT 22 DEC 22 to JAN 19

MAY 21 to JUN 20 AUG 23 to SEP 22 NOV 23 to DEC 21 FEB 20 to MAR 20

APRIL 21 to MAY 20 JULY 23 to AUG 22 OCT 23 to NOV 22 JAN 20 to FEB 19

JULY 17TH to JULY 23RD 2020

“Felicitated andhonored by then

President of India ShriPranab Mukherjee"

VANEETSHARMA

510-648-4899

You might be bitfrustrated be-

cause of health relatedtrivial issue howeverthere is no need to

lose patience as it shall get cured shortly.The mid of the week is auspicious forgoing on beneficial journeys. The jour-ney would be related to business or elseyou might go to address a social gather-ing somewhere. The support of broth-ers would prove instrumental for the en-hancement of your destiny.

The beginning ofthe week indi-

cates problems ofmood swings, ten-sions regarding the

health of mother. The middle of the weekappears to be favorable for your educa-tion and children. The guidance of friendswould tempt you to invest in share mar-ket and other speculative activities. Theweek is giving an indication of possibilityof solution for the problems caused byenemies and in addition to that you wouldbe able to take some concrete decision.

Some good news re-garding the

elimination of familyrelated tensionswould please you in

the beginning of the week. There wouldbe financial betterment with a decentinflow of money. You would be planningto purchase some vehicle or jewelry too.Your increased confidence would temptyou to work for public, friends and rela-tives in the middle of the week. Duringweekend days you would have some fa-tigue, mental worries etc.

The beginning of the week gives an indi-

cation of lethargy, tired-ness, physical weak-ness, lack of confi-

dence and energy. Your success in re-storing working efficiency and confi-dence would prove to be very aver-age. In the middle of the week youwould find yourself slightly better inassociation with your family mem-bers but even then the lack of confi-dence would not let you enjoy lifepeacefully.

Abstain from paying bribe to

bankers and avoidgetting into some ille-gal activities. The mid

of the week indicates that you would bespending lot of money on your spouseand in addition to that there is strongprobability that you might visit a beau-tiful hill station of tourist attraction alongwith your spouse. There would be excel-lent conjugal bliss in your married life.The concluding part of the week is notauspicious for your health.

The beginning ofthe week is fa-

vorable for specula-tion, share market in-vestment, entertain-

ment business, relations with children,and love life. This is right time to take de-cisions regarding making plans for thefuture of children. For students it is aus-picious time to take final decision regard-ing education. The mid of the week is notgood for health. The remaining part of theweek would be extremely auspicious.

The beginning ofthe week is

going to be excellentfor sudden gain ofmoney and increase in

income because of your glorious perfor-mance in your area of work. The mid daysof the week won't be auspicious for yourchildren's health, state of mind and ac-complishing your tasks on time. The re-maining days of the week you will betaking all necessary steps for the im-provement of your health.

Your unique talentof manage-

ment in handling thecomplicated issueswould win special rec-

ognition as you would earn fame by turn-ing government and authority in yourfavor but remember some seniors shallbe jealous of you and they might de-velop a tendency to conspire against youso don't disclose your plan of action toothers. The mid part of the week indi-cates gain from speculation and gam-bling.

You might go on ajourney to re-

fresh your mood. Theconfidence wouldstart coming back

gradually. The mid days of the weekwould be perfect for your confidenceand the progress in work would keepyou satisfied. You would be getting thefavor of your senior bosses, governmentofficials which is auspicious for increasein your reputation and credibility as aprofessional. Coming days of the weekare auspicious for inflow of money.

The beginning ofthe week is not

favorable for accom-plishing importanttasks undertaken

therefore this time should not be con-sidered favorable for starting any newtask. You might have to go on some tire-some journeys which might cause prob-lems like loss of health and money and inthe process the problem of mood swingsis sure to chase. The mid & concludingpart of the week is auspicious as youwould be focusing all your energies.

The destiny and advice of spouse

shall help you earnmore gains. Therewould be better com-

patibility between you and your spouse.The mid of the week won't be auspiciousfor your health, happiness, confidenceand working efficiency. You would suf-fer from the problems of mood swingsand expenses would go out of control. Itwould be difficult to accomplish yourtasks however journeys would bring lotof pleasure.

Some good news re-garding the

elimination of familyrelated tensionswould please you in

the beginning of the week. There wouldbe financial betterment with a decent in-flow of money. You would be planning topurchase some vehicle or jewelry too. Yourincreased confidence would tempt you towork for public, friends and relatives in themiddle of the week. During weekend daysyou would have some fatigue.

July 17, 2020 India Post 29www.indiapost.com

U.G. KRISHNAMURTI

All the time I ask you the ques-tion, "What do you want?" Yousay, "I want to be at peace

with myself." That is an impossiblegoal for you because everything youare doing to be at peace with your-self is what is destroying the peacethat is already there.

You have set in motion the move-ment of thought which is destroyingthe peace that is there, you see. It isvery difficult to understand that all thatyou are doing is the impediment, is theone thing that is disturbing the har-mony, the peace that is already there.

Any movement [of thought], in anydirection, on any level, is a very destruc-tive factor for the smooth and peacefulfunctioning of this living organism whichis not at all interested in your spiritualexperiences. It has no interest in any oneof those spiritual experiences, however

extraordinary they may be.When once you have one spiritual

experience there is bound to be ademand for more and more of thesame, and ultimately you will want tobe in that state permanently. Thereis no such thing as permanent happi-ness or permanent bliss at all. Youthink that there is, because all thosebooks talk of eternal bliss, perma-nent bliss, or permanent happiness.Yet you know jolly well that it [thepursuit] is not leading you anywhere.

So, the mechanism that is in-volved, the instrument that you areusing, is the one that keeps you go-ing because it does not know any-thing else. It has come into beingthrough so many years of hard work,effort and will. Your wanting to be ina state of effortlessness through theuse of effort is not going to succeed.

So forget about the effortless state- it doesn't exist at all. You want toachieve an effortless state througheffort - how the hell are you going toachieve that goal? You forget that ev-erything that you are doing, anymovement that is there, any want that

is there, for whatever reason, is effort.Effortlessness is something which

cannot be achieved through effort.Anything that you do to stop the ef-fort, is itself an effort. It's really a mad-dening thing. You have not reallypushed yourself into that corner. Ifyou do, then you will really go crazy;but you are frightened of that.

You have to see that everythingthat you are doing to be in that effort-less state, for whatever reason youwant to be there, is effort. Even want-ing not to use effort also is effort. Thetotal absence of will and the total ab-sence of effort, all and every kind, maybe called an effortless state; but thateffortless state is not something thatyou can achieve through effort.

If you ever understood the mean-inglessness of what you are doing - youcan change the techniques, you canchange the teachers, but basically andessentially, the very teaching that you

are using to reach your goal is the ob-stacle. It doesn't matter what teacheryou follow. If you question the teach-ing, unfortunately, you have to questionthe teacher himself - but then comesthe sentiment: "Something is wrongwith me, one day I am going to under-stand." If it is not possible for you tounderstand today, you are not going tounderstand at all. So the understand-ing is the absence of the demand forunderstanding - now or tomorrow.

Excerpted from 'The Courage ToStand Alone'. The 102nd birth anniver-sary of U. G. Krishnamurti was ob-served on July 9

Effortlessness cannot beachieved through effort

U.G. Krishnamurti

So the understanding is the absence

of the demand for understanding - now

or tomorrow

50 SPIRITUAL APPETIZERSVinod Dhawan

“It’s a lovely book. It feels en-

ergetically clear and light. It’s

easy to read, dip in and out and

most importantly it offers infor-

mation without fluff! Blessings

on this project.”Jac O’Keeffe

Spirituality teacher based inUSA.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

Philosophy Perspective

Available on AMAZON, FLIPKART Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

Can India shake off the dragon'sgrowing tentacles in South Asia?

N CHANDRA MOHAN

China is doubling down on a rangeof its territorial disputes with

South Asian neighbors like India to theSouth China Sea. During the last threemonths, there has been a tense face-off on its border with India in the west-ern Himalayan region of Ladakh. High-level military and diplomatic parleyshave resulted in gradual de-escalationof hostilities. But there is unlikely to beany return to status quo ante as theconsensus that guided bilateral rela-tions for several decades has brokendown. India, for its part, has upped theante by regulating Chinese invest-ments and reducing its dependenceon imports and technology from themainland, among other measures.

India's far bigger challenge is to de-fend turf against the dragon's growinginfluence in the neighborhood. India'sPrime Minister Narendra Modi rightlybelieves that having a good neighbor-hood is a universal aspiration and sig-naled his foreign policy priorities whenhe invited leaders of the South AsianAssociation for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) for his swearing-in ceremonyin May 2014. Due to problems with Pa-kistan, however, this grouping recededin importance. India is no doubt thedominant power in South Asia and In-dian Ocean and it cannot but be con-cerned that China has developed amuch deeper engagement on tradeand investment.

India's interests from Aden to theStraits of Malacca too are imperiled bythe rise of China as a maritime power.Due to their quest for energy security,the Indian Ocean is where the rivalrybetween India and China is most in-tense. The Chinese leadership sincethe presidency of Hu Jintao has frettedover the so-called Malacca dilemma.Far from recognizing this ocean asIndia's zone of influence, China's strat-egy has entailed building up navalbases in Djibouti in Somalia, Gwadar inPakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka,Chittagong in Bangladesh and Sittwein Myanmar to ensure that the sealanes are safe for its oil supplies fromWest Asian countries.

India's heft in South Asia has certainlydiminished as regional integration hasbeen allowed to drift. Trade within the

region is one of the lowest in the world,a consequence partly of the fact thatPakistan has denied most-favored-na-tion (MFN) status to India's goods. India,too, withdrew MFN status to Pakistanlast year. MFN status ensures non-dis-criminatory trade between partnercountries. An important reason whySouth Asian integration remains a dis-tant dream is that most member coun-tries also resent India's dominance.Their resentment has only deepened asevery SAARC member has registeredhuge trade deficits with India.

South Asia thus is a diminishing pri-ority focus for India, accounting foronly 1.7% to 3.8% of its global trade. Insharp contrast, China has notched uplarge trade volumes, rising more thansix-fold from USD 9.2 billion in 2005 toUSD 60 billion in 2018, while India's in-creased less spectacularly from USD 7.4billion to USD 31 billion over this period,according to a policy brief of BrookingsIndia, "India's limited trade connectivitywith South Asia". That China has alsobecome Bangladesh's largest tradingpartner is a painful reminder to India ofits failure to deepen regional integra-tion. Bangladesh accounts for one-thirdof China's trade with South Asia.

The dragon's shadow has length-ened over the South Asian region as ithas rapidly developed port and trans-port infrastructure, some of it as partof its Belt and Road Initiative. It haseased the debt burden of Maldivesand provided aid to Sri Lanka andNepal to develop its northern borderdistricts. A rail corridor has been re-cently activated that allows access forland-locked Nepal's goods to Chineseseaports in Tianjin and Shenzhen. Thecloser embrace with China has cer-tainly emboldened the government ofthis Himalayan country under PrimeMinister K P Oli to include parts of In-dian Territory like Kalapani, Lipulekhand Limpiyadhura in its new map.

To counter-balance China, Indiamust contribute to greater flows oftrade within the region through unilat-eral trade liberalization. India must alsostep up its investments in South Asia.South Asia Monitor


1 Haan Mai Galat: Love Aaj Kal

2 Dus Bahane 2.0: Baaghi 3

3 Shayad: Love Aaj Kal

4 llegal Weapon 2.0:Street Dancer 3D

5 Muqabla: Street Dancer 3D

6 Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho:Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhan

7 Garmi: Street Dancer 3D

8 Shaitan ka Saala: Housefull 4

9 Dheeme Dheeme: Pati Patni

Aur Who

10 Bhankas: Baaghi 3

TOPTOPTOPTOPTOP TENTENTENTENTENHINDI SONGS

July 17, 2020www.indiapost.com30 India Post

Bollywood actress ElliAvrRam has written a beau-

tiful poem on social mediaabout sunset.

Elli took to Instagram, whereshe is seen dressed in a silvertop and dark green skirt.

Alongside the image, shepenned a poem: "I think I'm fall-ing in love with the Sunset...We've been spending manydays together now. He's alwaysshown up. Not even once did heleave me wondering, wherehe's disappeared.

"Instead he's kept me smil-ing, feeling all warm, letting himtouch all of me, as I prepare my-self for the night. Only to wakeup again, with excitement of anew day, with him. ~ EA #love#sunset #daydreaming#writing#express #feelings# l o c k d o w n # l o v e s t o r y#elliavrram #yourstruly#elisabet

The Swedish-Greek actress,who made her Bollywood de-but in 2013 with the film "MickyVirus", was recently seen in film-maker Mohit Suri's multi-starrer"Malang" and will reportedlynext be seen in "RoohiAfza".IANS

Kangana Ranaut's social media team hasresponded to Pooja Bhatt's tweet that

the Bhatt camp gave the actress a break intheir film "Gangster".

"Pooja ji Kangana is thankful to Vishesh

Taapsee took to Instagram, where sheshared a throwback image from the

time when her team Pune Seven Aceswon the Premier Badminton League(PBL).

The picture features Taapsee sportingpigtails dressed in a blue jacket and pinkt-shirt.

"Remembering this moment whenmy team won its first tie in PBL after al-most everybody thought we r done. Los-ing back to back was obviously not howany of us imagined it to be. This victory

definitely brought that smile onmy face but also reassured

that bad times don't last nif you hang on to hope

and positivity youare bound to see asuccessful tomor-row."

After giving astellar perfor-

mance in"Thappad", she willbe seen in"Haseen Dillruba","Rashmi Rocket"and "ShabaashMithu" over thecoming months.IANS

films fr launching her but she wants outsid-ers to be treated better, She is thankful thather ex broke up with her but she wishes itws done respectfully, She feels fortunate tofnd success in world run by men but shewishes patriarchy ends," tweeted TeamKangana Ranaut.

Pooja had shared an old video whereKangana can be seen thanking her fatherMahesh Bhatt and director Anurag Basu af-ter winning the best debutante award.

"Guess videos lie too? Besides, it takestwo to battle. I leave the denials and accu-sations to more evolved souls. I rather putforth facts!" Pooja tweeted.

In response to her tweet, Kangana'steam had alleged,"Mukesh Bhatt does

not like to pay new art-ists" and accused

Mahesh Bhatt of callingher mad in the past. IANS


July 17, 2020

32 Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com

July 17, 2020India Post

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

For detailed stories visitwww.indiapost.com

Marine Plastic Pollution (MPP) is a regular issuefor the marine environment, which has already

got out of control, particularly in Asia, where95 percent of marine plastic waste originates.

Actually plastic enters the oceansthrough direct dumping.

PLIGHT OF INT'L STUDENTSUnited States has been the leader, especially in the field of sci-

ence and technology, for over a century. One of the mainreason behind this success is due to the constant influx of Interna-tional Students from all over the world. Why do they choose USover rest of the world? There are several reasons, the main attrac-tion being the excellent course curricula supported with state ofthe art technology and well-funded financial assistance for seri-ous pursuit in all rounded education. On graduation many opt formasters and some even pursue their doctoral programs. Duringand after World War-II, majority of the students and highly skilledscientists came from Europe, later followed by Asia and rest of theworld.

Trump's recent announcement to restrict entry of foreign stu-dents to US universities shook the world by surprise. His main aimin saving jobs might end up creating unemployment and loss ofcrucial funds, that US universities depend on foreign students for,which amounts to more than $40bn per year. Even though manyof the universities receive federal grants and endowments, theyare never enough. Foreign students not only bring much-neededfunds to these universities but they are also the cream of theworld’s best brains. More than 70% of US scientists and innovatorsare from this group. Due to this continuous influx and a liberalpolicy without interference of successive administrations, US sci-entific community was able to get a regular flow of young, dedi-cated apprentices.

Several universities have now united to oppose the ban andare putting pressure to reverse the order. They include most of theIvy League universities joined by many others. Indian and Chi-nese students together, account for more than 50% of the strengthof foreign students in US, where the Indian student strength issecond. If this law comes into force, most of the Indian studentscould opt for Canada, UK or Australia. The problem also exists forthe students already in US who are totally in limbo, as to whatshould they do. More than 100 US Democratic congressmen andseveral senators have come together, including California Sena-tor Kamala Harris, to have the order revoked.

If the law is enacted, California will lose hugely, as it's host to thelargest foreign students body coming to US. US lawmakers, univer-sities and even student bodies are planning to take resort of legaloptions if Trump administration does not rescind the order.

If some sense prevails, Trump should immediately reverse thisorder and streamline the process taking security issues into ac-count with regards Chinese students. The present technology ofonline courses could benefit US universities withaccording stu-dents a limited stay in US. This would continue to bring much-needed funds without disrupting the system that has continuedto provide US an edge over other nations.

In 2009 more than 60 percent of foreign-born scientists andengineers in United States were from Asia, according to CensusBureau data analyzed by PRB (Population Reference Bureau).Nearly one-fourth were from India, with another one-fifth fromChina, Philippines, and Taiwan.

Foreign-born residents not only expanded the U.S. high-techworkforce but also helped start new businesses that have gener-ated billions in revenue and hired tens of thousands of workers.Foreign-born entrepreneurs helped start one-fourth of all newU.S. engineering and technology businesses established between1995 and 2005, including Google and eBay. In high-tech SiliconValley, California, more than one-half of business start-ups, overthat period, involved a foreign-born scientist or engineer; one-fourth included an Indian or Chinese immigrant.

Coronavirus waste:

A new form of pollution, puttingmarine environment at risk

MAHMUDA AMIR EVA

The COVID-19 pandemic isgoing to be a history-altering event. The world is

leading towards a different re-ality where every sector willsustain the post corona impactin different ways. However, anextraordinary feature of thecorona outbreak has beenboth optimistic and pessimis-tic effects. For example, inVenice, its famous canals havebeen clearer, and marine lifethat hasn't been seen in thecity for many years is now vis-ible. All this was possible dueto a reduction in commercialactivities along with reducedtourism. Due to the fall in hu-man footfall, even the oceansare recovering and marine lifeis thriving. However, this is onlya fraction of the full story.

Coronavirus waste has be-

come a major concern and themarine environment is nowthe most vulnerable victim ofthis waste due to increaseduse, poor waste managementsystem and curtailed recyclingof the protective equipment'slike facemasks, gloves, andhand sanitizer bottles etc.

Coronavirus waste and ma-rine environment

Marine Plastic Pollution(MPP) is a regular issue for themarine environment, whichhas already got out of control,particularly in Asia, where 95percent of marine plasticwaste originates. Actually plas-tic enters the oceans throughdirect dumping, indirectdumping, and leakage. Mean-while, the world's oceans havebecome filled with hazardous

plastic waste. Some eight mil-lion tons of plastics enter ourocean every year adding to theestimated 150 million tons al-ready circulating in marine en-vironments. Scenes of marinelife adversely affected by thisgarbage have become a dailyoccurrence. News headlines ofmarine animal death strangledby plastic have become com-mon phenomena.

Adding to MPP, coronaviruswaste has become a new formof marine environment pollu-tion. The COVID-19 crisis hasgenerated a new kind ofwaste, which was not there tilla few months ago, made up ofdisposable masks, gloves, andother Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE) items. Themajority of plastic enters theoceans indirectly. This new

kind of corona wastes also hasa large tendency to enteroceans indirectly when theyare thrown with regular waste.

The wastes in cities - with itspoor waste management sys-tems - may make its way intolocal water bodies that con-nect to a river that then depos-its those wastes into the ocean.Moreover, since plastic breaksdown over hundreds of years,there are ample opportunitiesfor strong winds, heavy rainfall,or landfill overflow to causepieces of plastic to tumble andfloat into a body of water,where they will eventually en-ter the ocean.

Millions of rubber glovesand masks are being used andthrown away every single day.Waterlogged masks, gloves,

hand sanitizer bottles, andother coronavirus waste are al-ready being found on the sea-bed and washed up on thebeaches. One study estimatesthat in the UK alone if everyperson used a single-use facemask a day for a year; it wouldcreate an additional 66,000tons of contaminated wasteand 57,000 tons of plasticpackaging.

As there is a huge demandfor PPE, since the virus has rav-aged the entire world, and areneeded every day byhealthcare personnel to pro-tect themselves, patients, andothers while providing care,there is a growing concern thatit will flood our oceans. Theflooding of these PPE items cancause immediate danger tomarine life. Marine life of allkinds can get entangled inthese PPE items. For example,biologists revealed in the re-cent study that for sea turtles,water-filled latex gloves re-semble one of their prey jelly-fish, and ingesting them canlead to the death of turtles.

OceansAsia, an advocacygroup, which investigateswildlife crimes, has issued analarm that dolphins and por-poises are at risk of swallowingbundled mask while the groupfound mountain of masks in theHong Kong's Soko islands inFebruary.

Legal obligation to protectmarine environment

The International Court ofJustice (ICJ) in the Legality ofthe Threat or Use of NuclearWeapons, 1996 (Advisory Opin-ion) noted that the environmentis not an abstraction but repre-sents living space, quality of life,etc. The marine environmentthus also includes marine life,ecosystem on which human lifeand health are dependent.South Asia Monitor


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