vol-9-issue-01 april 30- may 6, 2016

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The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m

excellence in journalism US AFFAIRS 9 OP ED 12

Vol.9 No. 1 April 30- May 6, 2016 80 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

SPORTS 22

Thanking our

Readers & PatronsFor 8 Successful Years

With this edition in your hand,

we are entering our 9th year of

serving the Indian community

in the US. We thank our

patrons, advertisers and readers

for their continuous support

and cooperation. Within a short

span of time, we have become a

leading national weekly of the

community & established our‑

selves as a trendsetter in the

Indo‑US media fraternity.

We feel pride in having an

immaculate track record of

maintaining high standards in

jo ur na li sm , and va lu e based

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We refrain from sensationaliz‑

ing news, or nudity, or promo‑

tion of casinos, nightclubs,liquor and tobacco, psychic

readers, or other dubious busi‑

ness and fraudulent advertising.

Our website is updated round

the clock.

Washington:

Tantalizingly close to getting the GOP

nomination, Donald Trump outlined his "America

First" foreign policy on Wednesday. He has pledged a

major buildup of the military, the swift destruction of

the Islamic State and the rejection of trade deals that

he said tied the nation's hands.

“Itʼs time to shake the rust off Americaʼs foreign

policy,” he said during his speech at the Mayflower

Hotel in the capital. “My foreign policy always puts

the interest of the American

SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30

Washington: Prime Minister Narendra

Modi is set to address a joint meeting of

the US Congress in June as he prepares to

make his fourth visit to America in his two

ye ar s in of fi ce , re po rt ed Wa ll St re et

Journal.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul

Ryan said in a statement Thursday he had

invited Mr. Modi to Capitol Hill, describing

India‑US ties as “a pillar of strength in an

important region of the world.”

Every full‑term Indian prime ministersince 1984 has addressed a joint meeting

of the House and Senate and Modi will be

the fifth, speaking 11 years after his pred‑

ecessor, Manmohan Singh. The first Indian

premier to make such a speech was Rajiv

Gandhi in 1985, followed by P.V.

Narasimha Rao in 1994 and Atal Bihari

Vajpayee in 2000.

Modi couldnʼt address Congress on his

first visit to Washington as PM in the fall

of 2014 because of what then Speaker

John Boehne r

New York: Renowned spiritual

Master Sant Rajinder Singh Ji

Maharaj has been in New Jerseyand New York this week to offer a

series of talks on how we can

transform our lives through medi‑

tation. Head of Science of

Spirituality (SoS)/Sawan Kirpal

Ruhani Mission, he travels the

globe, spreading the message of

inner and outer peace through

spirituality.

On Friday evening, thousands

attended his talk in Hindi at the

Amityville Meditation Center on

Long Island, the center running

since 1957. Earlier on Wednesday,

the spiritual Master inaugurated

Modi set to addressUS Congress

Trump outlines ‘America

First’ foreign policy

Will seek India's help toaddress 'unstable' nuclear-Pak

attracts thousands toAmityville Meditation Center

Continued on page 4

Sant RajinderSingh Ji Maharaj

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

Included in this edition is a

16 page, all color supplement

about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji

Maharaj, his Mission,

and his NJ NY visit.

The dates and itinerary for the IndianPMʼs trip to Washington in June have not

been officially announced.

Trump's first major foreign policy speech has alarmedAmerican allies, who view his agenda as a threat to

retreat from the world. (Photo courtesy Reuters)

Head of Science of Spirituality/Sawan Kirpal RuhaniMission, Maharaj ji has been giving talksin New York and New Jersey this week.

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj greeting devotees in the meditation hallof SoS Center in Amityville on Friday.

More pix and detailedstory on pages 15‑18


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TheSouthAsianTimes.info April 30-May 6, 2016


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3April 30- May 6, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY

New York

Due to the

tough regulat ions of

Indian Government, it hasbecome difficult for over‑

seas Indians to send

money back home to

charities, which have to be

FCRA certified.

One excellent alternative

is to channel help through

India Development

Foundation for Overseas

Indians (IDF‑OI) started by

the government in 2008,

which is currently chaired by Sushma

Sawaraj, External Affairs Minister. IDF‑OI

channelizes philanthropic propensities

and resources of the Overseas Indian

community into the key sectors of Health

Care, Education, Women Empowerment,Sustainable Livelihood, and Sanitation.

The States are invited to submit projects

pertaining to these sectors to IDF‑OI.

After assessment, information about

selected projects is disseminated to the

Diaspora through IDF‑OI website and

other social media platforms. IDF‑OI also

works closely with Indian

M i s s i o n / C o n s u l a t e s

abroad and Indian

Associations.Overseas Indian can

either contribute to the

IDF‑OI pool fund or to a

particular project. If the

contribution is made to

IDF‑OI pool fund, IDF‑OI

decides on the disburse‑

ment based on project

needs and how much each

project will receive. After a

project is selected by an

Overseas Indian for contribution, IDF‑OI

transfers the funds to the project imple‑

mentation agencies.

IDF‑OI promotes accountability and

transparency in Diaspora philanthropy

via effective monitoring and reportingmechanisms. It ensures timely monitoring

of projects funded by Overseas Indians

and sends reports to donors about project

implementation.

Information about the projects available

for funding by Overseas Indians is

presently available on IDF‑OI website:

idfoi.org

New Delhi As many as three Indian origin

persons have been named among 100

highest‑paid CEOs globally with PepsiCo's

Indra Nooyi and LyondellBasell's BhaveshPatel making it to the top ten list compiled

by Equilar.

Chemicals company LyondellBasell

Industries' top executive Bhavesh V Patel

was ranked sixth on the list with a total

compensation of $24.5 million, while

Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo was

ranked eighth on the list with a total pay of

$22.2 million.

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, was

ranked 26th on the list of 100 highest‑paid

CEOs with a total compensation of $18.3

million.

The overall list was topped by Mark V

Hurd and Safra A Catz of Oracle Corp with

both boasting a total compensation of

$53.2 million.Others on the top 10 include, Robert A

Iger of Walt Disney ($43.5 million), David

M Cote of Honeywell International ($33.1

million), General Electric's Jeffrey R Immelt

($26.4 million), Randall L Stephenson of

AT&T ($22.4 million), Rupert Murdoch of

Twenty‑First Century Fox ($22.2 million)

and James P Gorman of Morgan Stanley

($22 million). This list is a snapshot of com‑

panies that file annual proxy statements

before April 1 and aims to provide an earlylook at CEO pay trends for 2015.

The report further noted that the median

pay for Equilar 100 CEOs was $14.5 mil‑

lion in fiscal year 2015, up 3 per cent from

the previous year.

Interestingly, eight CEOs on the list are

female, and they far outpace the median

pay for the Equilar 100 as a whole.

Washington A nationwide grass‑

roots body of Indian Americans

was launched April 24 by

Democratic frontrunner Hillary

Clinton's campaign to support the

former secretary of state, hinting

that an Indian American could beappointed under her presidency.

The organization named

'Indian‑Americans for Hillary

Clinton' was launched in

Germantown, Maryland, by

Clinton's campaign manager John

Podesta.

Podesta, who personally came

down from the campaign head‑

quarters of New York, told a gath‑

ering of Indian Americans that

the relationship between India

and the U.S. would reach a new

level after Clinton is elected as

the president in the November

elections.

"One of the things that she iscommitted to is having a broad

diverse cabinet more than any

administration. And I think, as

senator and as secretary she

showed that commitment by

appointing Indian Americans to

positions of responsibilities and I

think you should expect that aspresident of the United States,"

Podesta said.

Podesta was speaking to a

group of Indian reporters after

formally launching Indian‑

Americans for Hillary Clinton

wherein he was asked if a Clinton

administration could see the firstIndian American cabinet appoint‑

ment.

"I could think of at least one

person, who you have already

spoken with, who I would like to

see in a future Democratic admin‑

istration," Podesta said, referring

to Indian American Neera Tanden,

head of the Center for American

Progress, a top American think‑tank, who worked with Clinton

for around 14 years.

Tanden was one of the keynote

speakers at the launch of Indian‑

Americans for Hillary Clinton.

Given her past work and experi‑

ence, Podesta told the gathering

that he has no doubt that bilateral

ties between India and the U.S.

would reach a new height under a

Clinton administration.

"As secretary of state, she tried

to develop a strong relationship

between the U.S. and India. She

actually helped begin to lay the

foundation, which I had the abili‑

ty to work on when I was in theWhite House for President Barack

Obama, to deepen the relation‑

ship with Prime Minister

(Narendra) Modi to try to get an

outcome in the Paris negotia‑

tions," he said.

Thrilled at the launch of Indian‑

Americans for Hillary Clinton,

Tanden said that the small but

influential ethnic communitycould play a significant role in

several key states like Maryland,

New York, Ohio and California.

"In every position that Hillary

has ever held as First Lady,

Senator, Secretary of State, she

has always had Indian Americans.

I am sure, she will recognize the

talents of the Indian American

community because she has

already done that in the past,"

said Tanden.

Referring to the divisive cam‑

paign from the opposition

Republican party, Tanden said by

doing so they are questioning

"whether we are going toembrace the diversity" or whether

racial and religious minority are

being seen as part of the country.

India DevelopmentFoundation tailormade for

NRIs to help motherland

Neera Tanden flanked by Hillary Clinton and John Podesta(Clintonʼs campaign manager) at a 2013 event. (Photo courtesy: Reuters)

Chemicals company LyondellBasellIndustries' top exec Bhavesh ̒ Bobʼ Patel

is the sixth highest paid in thelist at $24.5 million.

Sushma Sawaraj, ExternalAffairs Minister.

Neera Tanden could make it to Hillary administration

Indra Nooyi, Satya Nadella,Bhavesh Patel among highest

paid CEOs in the world


4/31

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Contributing Editors: Meenakshi Iyer,

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Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/masalajunction.com.

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Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajattracts thousands toAmityville Meditation CenterContinued from page 1

the Science of Spirituality New Jersey

Meditation Center in Perth Amboy,

home to large Spanish and Hindi speak‑

ing communities. The center hosts a

library, an office, rooms for children

and young adults, a book store, and a

large kitchen, and of course, a medita‑tion hall . To date, Science of

Spirituality/Sawan Kirpal Ruhani

Mission has 2059 centers in 54 coun‑

tries around the world.

Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharajʼs final

discourse in the tristate area will be a 2

pm talk on Sunday, May 1 on

“Meditation to Access Spiritual Realms”

followed by initiation.

In a historic first, The South Asian

Times issued a16‑page special pictorial

supplement in five languages ‑‑ English,

Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, and Gujarati ‑

about Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj,

his Mission, and his NJ‑NY visit.

For more information about the week

end program, please go to

www.sos.org/event/nynj.

Modi set to addressUS CongressContinued from page 1

called “the unpredictability of the House

schedule.” That visit was seen as a turn‑

ing point in Modiʼs relations with the

US, which had denied the Indian leader

a visa in 2005 over religious riots in

Gujarat in 2002 when he was chief min‑

ister. But since then, President Barack

Obama and Modi have developed a

close rapport, and Modi has brought

New Delhi closer to the US by enhanc‑

ing defense ties. The US sees India as an

important partner, particularly to coun‑

terbalance Chinaʼs growing clout and

ambitions in Asia.

The dates and itinerary for Modiʼs trip

to Washington this summer have not

been officially announced. White House

press secretary Josh Earnest said

Thursday that the Obama administra‑

tion was in conversation with Indian

officials about scheduling a visit to the

White House.

Trump outlines ʻAmerica Firstʼforeign policyContinued from page

people and American security above all

else. Has to be first. Has to be. That will be

the foundation of every single decision that

I will make."

In his speech, he criticized President

Obamaʼs nuclear deal with Iran and his trip

to Cuba, said he would fight the Islamic

State (IS) terror group by being more“unpredictable” and also called for upgrad‑

ing the US nuclear arsenal.

In his speech, Trump also offered an olive

branch of sorts to Muslim allies of the US in

rare remarks pointing to the ways in which

America can have constructive relations

with the Muslim world. "We're going to be

working very closely with our friends in

the Muslim world, which are all at risk for

violent attacks," he said. Trump said he

would also aim to hold talks with Russia to

seek common ground, possibly over

Islamist extremism. China, he said,

"respects strength, and by letting them take

advantage of us economically like they are

doing, we are losing all their respect". He

said he would seek to "fix our relationswith China" but did not suggest how.

The same day during a town‑hall in

Indianapolis, Trump also said India can

help out the US in dealing with the "prob‑

lem" of "semi‑stable" nuclear‑armed

Pakistan. "The problem with Pakistan ‑‑ I

mean, they have nuclear weapons, and ‑‑

which is a real problem. Again, the single

biggest problem, we have nuclear weapons

... But it's semi‑unstable and we don't want

to see total instability (in Pakistan)," Trump

said.

Trump said the US has "a little bit of a

good relationship" with Pakistan, and if he

becomes the president, he will try to keep

good relations with Islamabad.

"That's very much against my grain to

say that, but, a country ‑‑ and that's always

the country I think, if we give them money,

we help them out, but if we don't, I think

that would go on the other side of the

ledger, and that could really be a disaster,"

Trump said.

"At the same time, if you look at India and

some of the others, maybe they will be

helping us out, because we're going to look

at it," Trump said.

Burlingame Calif: Hundreds of demonstrators

descended on the California Republican

Convention Friday to protest Donald Trump

ahead of his speech.

Protesters ‑‑ some of whom wore bandanas

over their faces and carried Mexican flags ‑‑

blocked off the road in front of the Hyatt

Regency here, forcing the GOP front‑runner's

motorcade to pull over along a concrete median

outside the hotel's back entrance. Trump and his

entourage got out and walked into the building.

"That was not the easiest entrance I've ever

made," Trump said once he began speaking at

the convention, adding, "it felt like I was crossingthe border."

At one point before Trump arrived, about two

dozen protesters tried to rush barriers near the

hotel. Police officers then rushed to the build‑

ing's doors, successfully blocking the protesters

from getting in. Some of the doors' handles were

handcuffed from the inside so they couldn't be

forced open. Several physical altercations,

including shoving, could be seen between pro‑

testers and police officers, who were using

batons to push them back.

After Trump arrived, protesters took down a

barrier and flooded the entrance outside the

hotel, where police again blocked them from

entering. They chanted, "Get him out."

Earlier in the day, Chris Conway, a 51‑year‑old

Trump supporter who was wearing the GOP

front‑runner's famous "Make America Great

Again" cap, claimed he was kicked, punched and

spit on by Trump protesters, though he wasn't

seeking medical attention. Police, apparently

concerned for his safety, eventually pulled him

over hedges outside the hotel and away from the

crowd.

Speaking to CNN Friday afternoon, Conwaysaid he was "not surprised" by his treatment.

"To be honest with you, I'm glad it was me and

not like an 8‑year‑old girl being pepper‑sprayed

or something like that," he said.

Burlingame Police Lt. Jay Kiely said later

Friday that five people were arrested, including

one who was with the crowd when it tried to

rush the Hyatt's entrance. One injury was report‑

ed, but Kiely did not know whether it was a

police officer, protester or supporter who was

hurt or the extent of the injury.

Anti‑Trump demonstrators stormCalifornia GOP convention

Aishwarya Madan, 2nd Lieutenant of Port Washington FD Emergency Medical Services,was honored for her community service by Nassau County legislators Rosemary Walker

and Laura Schaefer on April 28 at a meeting of Rotary Club Hicksville South in the presenceof the clubʼs President Lionel Chitty and Rotary District 7255 Governor Kamlesh Mehta.


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5April 30-May 6, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY

Los Angeles : Bollywood actress Priyanka

Chopra has confirmed that she will be din‑

ing with President Barack Obama at the

annual White House Correspondents'Dinner this weekend.

She was invited to the annual White

House Correspondents' Dinner with

President Barack Obama and First Lady

Michelle Obama.

Priyanka, who found global recognition

with her character Alex Parrish in the

American TV series "Quantico", was earlier

"not sure" about attending the dinner due to

her work commitments.

Bollywood's 'desi girl' took to Twitter to

share the news. The dinner will take place

on Saturday. Priyanka will be dining with

some of Hollywood's biggest names like

Will Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett Smith,

Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes, Kim

Kardashian's model sister Kendall Jenneramong others. The non‑profit White House

Correspondents' Association, whose mem‑

bers include the reporters, producers, cam‑

era operators and other journalists regular‑

ly covering the White House, traditionally

hosts this annual dinner to raise money for

journalism scholarships.

New York: A pre‑motherʼs day gift

from son Paresh Shah emerged in

the form of proud moment for

mother Kokila Shah at ʻBusiness inDiversityʼ award ceremony during

her visit to New York.

Long Island Business News hon‑

ored entrepreneurs from diverse

background in their “Diversity in

Business” awards category at Crest

Hollow Country Club, Woodbury

last Thursday.

These awards are designed to

highlight the outstanding achieve‑

ments of business leaders of diverse

backgrounds. Timothy Williams,

Chairman, Nassau County Industr ial

Development Agency was the keynote speaker

at this event, which was moderated by News

12 Long Island Reporter Virginia Huie.

Indian American honoree from the financialfield, Paresh Shah has been a member of pres‑

tigious Million Dollar Round Table for past 6

years including 2 years qualification to Court

of the Table.

Interestingly, he graduated as a Chemical

Engineer (honors graduate) from the presti‑

gious Indian Institute of Technology at

Karagpur, India. Shahʼs shift from engineering

to financial services is designed by circum‑

stances, the untimely death of his father

made him realize the importance of financial

planning.He is passionate about the role of a financial

planner and considers it as an important track

for the overall growth and happiness of indi‑

viduals and families.

He and his wife Shimul Shah are active in

many philanthropic activities and dedicated

members of ʻSwadhyay Parivar.ʼ

W a s h i n g t on D C : An Indian‑American

Democratic legislator in Maryland has suf‑

fered a humiliating

defeat in the party's pri‑

mary election for a seat

in the US House of Representatives. Kumar

Barve, 57, who was the

House Majority Leader

from 2003‑2014 and

now Chairman of

Maryland House

Environment and

T r a n s p o r t a t i o n

Committee, received just

two per cent of the total

votes polled in a nine‑person Democratic

primary race for a seat in the US House of

Representatives last night. The primary

election was won by Jamie Raskin who

received 33 per cent of the votes. He was

followed by David Trone with 28 per cent

of the votes.In 1990, Barve made history at the age of

32, when he was elected to the Maryland

House of Delegates and became the first

Indian‑American ever to serve in a state leg‑

islator. If elected, he would have been the

fourth Indian‑American to be elected to the

US House of Representatives. Ami Bera

from California is the only Indian‑American

Actor Priyanka Chopra. (Photo: IANS)

Priyanka to dine withBarack Obama

N ew Jer s ey : A fundraiser was

held on April 22nd at JP Stevens

High School by Hope4Spandana,

a nonprofit charitable organiza‑

tion to help underprivileged chil‑

dren in India diagnosed withAutism. Sharwani Kota who

organized the event, called it a

huge success. About 800 people

attended and more than $10,000

was raised at the event.

Many New Jersey statewide dig‑

nitaries such as Senator‑Peter

Barnes, Congressman‑Frank

Pallone, Former Dy.Speaker‑

Upendra Chivukula, former

Mayor‑Jun Choi, Satish Mehtani‑

Chairman of International mis‑

sion of Mercy, Democratic presi‑

dent,Morris county‑Vin Gopal,

Edison council members,Sapna

Shah, Ajay Patil, community

leader‑Peter Kothari who attend‑ed and stayed all through the

event, were very supportive of the

organization. The event lasted for

three and a half hour with music,

instrumental and dance programs

performed by professionals.

During the event Sharwani gave

presentation about the organiza‑

tion and the schools adopted by

them in India. As part of the

event, Hope4Spandana honored

Satish Mehtani with "Outstanding

Humanitarian Award" for his

unparalleled service in helping

Nepal earthquake victims.

Hope4Spandana was founded by

Sharwani Kota two years ago,

who is a high school junior now at

JP St eve ns Sch ool, Ed ison, NJ .

She recruited 45 other childrenfrom various school districts in

New Jersey. They all work to

advocate, spread awareness about

Autism and raise funds for

research and care through flash

mob dances in New Jersey and

New York. Esha

K h a n d e l w a l , S n e h a

P a c h a n a d y , S h r e y a

D e v a r a k o n d a , S r a a v y a

Mallela,Anjali Modgula,Alekhya

Vuntla,Arya Massand,Arnav

Patel,Divi Patil and other mem‑

bers of the group,have been work‑

ing on this cause for over two

years by performing various arts

at senior citizen homes, communi‑

ty centers and various public

locations such as malls and his‑

torical places such as TimeSquare to raise funds. The organ‑

ization is affiliated with Saint

Peterʼs University Hospital̶a

well‑known organization that

uses its funds for research and

care and family support for

Autism. The funds raised by

Hope4Spandana are distributed

between Saint Peters hospital for

research and to support the

schools in India.

Hope4Spandana has adopted

two schools in India where they

have over 70 kids in each schooldiagnosed with various spectrum

of Autism disorders. Many of

these kids were illtreated and

abondoned by their own families.

They were brought together and

are provided with better therapy,

food, care and shelter.

Unfortunately, now, one of the

school landowner is asking the

children to immediately vacate

and over 70 kids would be out on

the streets by July. The mission is

to raise funds ($50,000) for this

cause by July 2016. Sharwani and

other children from the organiza‑

tion are working hard to raise the

funds to provide them a perma‑nent roof. So far around $40,000

has been raised including the

funds raised at the event.

Hope4Spandana is planning for

many more awareness events like

Autism walk, seminars and flash

mobs. Visit www.hope4span‑

dana.org for more information.

Diversity in BusinessAward for Paresh Shah

Hope4Spandana raises $10000 for autistic kids in India

(L to R): Mrs Shimul Shah (wife), Kokila Shah (mother),Paresh Shah (honoree) & Parul Shah (sister)

Maryland

Assemblyman

Kumar Barve

(Image courtesy:

baltimoresun.com)

Hope4Spandana team with invited guests

KUMAR BARVE LOSES IN

RACE FOR CONGRESS


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6 April 30-May 6, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TR I S TATE COMMUNI TY

New Jersey Edison Township Council‑

woman Sapana Shah, 39, announced hercandidacy for Legislative District 11, April

22, a seat that opened up as a result of Gov.

Chris Christieʼs recent nomination of Dem‑

ocratic Sen. Peter J. Barnes III to the state

Superior Court bench. Barnes is expected

to be replaced by state Assemblyman

Patrick Diegnan, leaving the 18th District

seat open, a rare occurrence that a number

of candidates are lining up for.

The contenders for Diegnanʼs seat in‑

clude Shah, Edison Councilman Robert

Diehl, Robert Karabinchek, and Elsie Foster

Dublin. Shah has so far won two at‑large

elections to the Council, and in the 2013

council, she was the third highest vote‑get‑

ter in a 12‑candidate field, according to de‑

sitalk.com.Shah is now campaigning to secure a ma‑

jority of 300 or so Democratic Party Com‑

mittee votes which represent 7 towns, East

Brunswick, Edison, Helmetta, Highland

Park, South Plainfield and South River. The

largest is Edison, which has more than 100

votes. To date, only two Indian‑Americans

have made it to the state Assembly, current

officeholder Raj Mukherji, and former As‑

semblyman Upendra Chivukula.

An Edison council member since 2014,

Shah serves on the municipal PlanningBoard and was previously an Edison Board

of Education member. An attorney in pri‑

vate practice, Shah also serves as an Assis‑

tant Corporation Counsel in Jersey City.

She is past‑president of the Asian Pacific

American Lawyers Association. A graduate

of John P. Stevens High School in Edison,

Shah has a bachelorʼs degree in economics

from Rutgers University, and worked as fi‑

nancial analyst for Dun & Bradstreet be‑

fore graduating from Albany Law School.

New York U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D‑

Queens) announced Samiya Fagun, a

Bangladeshi student at Newtown High

School in Elmhurst, Queens, as the winnerof the Congresswomanʼs fourth annual

Congressional district art contest. This

yearʼs contest marks the first time that a

student of Bangladeshi descent has won

the competition.

The contest, which consisted of entries

from Queens high school students, is part

of “An Artistic Discovery,” the national art

contest sponsored each year by the House

of Representatives that showcases the art‑

work of all Congressional district art con‑

test winners from across the nation.

Beginning this June, Fagunʼs winning

artwork – along with the winning pieces

from art contests in Congressional dis‑

tricts throughout the United States – will

be displayed for one year in the historicCannon Tunnel, a heavily traveled corri‑

dor of the United States Capitol.

Fagun, along with one of her parents,

will also be awarded round‑trip airplane

tickets to Washington, D.C. – courtesy of

Southwest Airlines – to join Meng at the

opening ceremonies of the national art

competition. Fagun and the winners from

each Congressional district art contest

will also be eligible for a scholarship from

the Savannah College of Art and Design in

Georgia. Fagun, who is 18 years old and

resides in Elmhurst, won the competition

for her watercolor drawing entitled “Mo‑

ments of Life.” She emigrated to the U.S.

from Dhaka three years ago. She plans to

attend City College of New York in the fall

and may pursue a major in art.

A total of 46 students – including sever‑

al others of South Asian descent – from 13

high schools participated in the contest.

New York The much awaited “Ekal

Vidyalaya” concerts this year will be held in

New York and New Jersey areas between

May 15 and May 22. The talented artistes

headlining four ‑ “Ek Shaam, Ekal Ke Naam”

‑ concerts are 'Indian Idol' and 'Sa Re, Ga Ma

Pa' super‑fame ʻRajdeep Chatterjeeʼ & ʻPal‑

labi Roy Dia‑Chowdharyʼ. They are per‑

forming on May 15 in Great Neck, NY, May

20 in Wayne, NJ, May 21 in Cherry Hill, NJ

and on May 22 in New Brunswick, NJ .

The ticket for any of these concerts can be

bought at www.ekal.org/events .

ʻEkalʼ raises funds through such concerts

for comprehensive development in rural

and tribal area throughout India, including

Jammu‑Kashmir. These concerts take place

in all major metropolitan parts of USA be‑

tween February and June. ʻEkalʼ has been

providing functional literacy, healthcare‑

training and empowerment for last 27

years and has presence in 65 ,000 villages.

New Jersey On April 16,

Somerset County Voca‑

tional & Technical High

School students compet‑

ed against other career

and technical education

students from around

the state at the 2016

New Jersey SkillsUSA

Championships. Out of

the 94 students from

SCVTHS who competed,

45 received medals in‑

cluding 19 gold. Thosegold medal winners are

now eligible to test

their skills in Louisville,

Kentucky from June 20‑

25, at the 52nd annual

SkillsUSA National Lead‑

ership and Skills Confer‑

ence (NLSC). During the

National Leadership and

Skills Conference (NLSC),

more than 6,000 career

and technical education

students will showcase

their talents and compete

in 100 different trade,

technical and leadership

fields. All contests are

run with the help of in‑dustry, trade associa‑

tions, and labor organiza‑

tions. The test competen‑

cies are set by industry.

Edison CouncilwomanSapana Shah in race for

State Assembly seat

Bangladeshi High Schoolstudent wins Meng Art Contest

Sapana Shah (Photo courtesy: tapinto.net)

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng congratulatingBangladeshi student Samiya Fagun forwinning the Congresswomanʼs fourth

annual Congressional art contest.Fagunʼs winning artwork, pictured in

between her and Meng, will be displayed

for one year in the US Capitol.

Catherine Chen (Warren) andAnjana Nair (Franklin Park) posefor a photo after receiving theirgold medals at the 2016 New

Jersey SkillsUSA ChampionshipsAwards Ceremony.

After I served mycountry, I needed help

feeding my family,SNAP HELPED.- MIGUEL, U.S. NAVY VETERAN

The Bronx

WATCH OUR STORY AT FoodHelp.nyc

Now it’s easier to apply online at FoodHelp.nyc

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Ekal to host four concerts

in NY, NJ

SCVTHS students win gold atNJ SkillsUSA Championships


7/31

7April 30- May 6, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY

Maine Governormocks Indianworkers, sayswon't apologizeBangor: Maine's governor says he won't

apologize for commenting on hard‑to‑

understand workers from Bulgaria or

India, the Associated Press reported.

Republican Gov Paul LePage was

chuckling Saturday at the state party con‑

vention when he said he needed an inter‑

preter to understand some foreign work‑

ers.

He said today it was "meant as a joke,"

but he acknowledged that "maybe it was

a bad joke." He told Maine's WVOM‑FM

that he's not politically correct and that

he won't apologize for that. And he said

that he's had difficulty trying to give an

order in a restaurant with foreign work‑

ers, "period."LePage made his comments Saturday

as he criticized a referendum proposal to

raise Maine's minimum wage to $12.

LePage supports raising the wage by a

lesser amount.

Washington DC:

Indian‑born NASA's com‑

mercial crew astronaut Sunita "Suni"

Williams and her colleagues have success‑

fully tested a new generation of training

simulators that will prepare them for

launch, flight and returns aboard Boeing's

CST‑100 Starliner spacecraft.

The CST‑100 Starliner crew capsule is

designed by Boeing in collaboration with

Bigelow Aerospace as their entry for

NASA's Commercial Crew Development

(CCDev) program.

Its primary mission is to transport crew

to the International Space Station (ISS)

and to private space stations such as the

proposed Bigelow Aerospace Commercial

Space Station.

"These simulators have touchscreen dis‑

plays, which means they are more versa‑

tile than previous spacecraft trainers,"

Williams said in a statement.

"We can run multiple simulations by

just changing software and then put that

same software into a bigger crew simula‑

tor, which we will use to train the whole

crew for a spaceflight," she added.

When wired into the extensive Boeing

and NASA networks, the simulators will

interact with launch and mission con‑

trollers to run rehearsals that are critical

to preparing a crew to successfully fly a

mission and recover from unforeseen

events.

Later, a simulator the size of a Starliner

flight deck will be finished and used in

Houston to train the full‑flight crew.

NASA selected four astronauts ‑

Williams, Boe, Bob Behnken and Doug

Hurley ‑ to train for test flights aboard the

Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon to the

ISS.

The flight assignments have not been

set so all four of the astronauts are

rehearsing for the Starliner and Crew

Dragon test flights to the space station.

The part‑task trainers are part of a suite

of cloud‑based and hands‑on trainers that

Boeing has built to prepare astronauts

and mission controllers.

The trainers will be shipped to NASA's

Johnson Space Center in Houston thi s

year so astronauts can use them daily to

practice numerous situations from normal

operations to unlikely emergencies.

(IANS)

Washington DC: In a rare incident, a street

in Mississippi has been named after an

Indian‑American in recognition of his serv‑

ice to the community."Dr Sampat Shivangi Lane" was formally

named yesterday in recognition of Dr

Shivangi, an eminent Republican from the

state.

State governor Phil Bryant this week also

reappointed him for a second seven‑year

term to the Board of Mississippi's depart‑

ment of Mental Health.

"We are thankful to Governor Phil Bryant

for his confidence in me in bringing several

changes in the department of Mental Health

in the state since I took over several years

ago," Dr Shivangi said in a media release.

The department of Mental Health is the

second‑largest Mississippi state agency. It

plays major part in caring for mentally ill,

intellectual developmental disability anddrug and alcohol addiction.

In 2014, Dr Shivangi was appointed as

the Chairman of the Mississippi department

of Mental Health, making him the first

Asian to occupy the top health post in the

southern American state.

From 2005‑2008, Dr Shivangi served as

the Advisor to the US Secretary of Health

and Human Services.

He is the founding president of the

American Association of Physicians of

Indian‑origin in Mississippi and is the past

president and chair of the India Association

of Mississippi. (PTI)

New York: Singing of kirtans at an Ivy League

university has drawn protests from a multi‑

racial group of students there.

Unlike in the protests against yoga, the

demonstrators this time were not religious fun‑

damentalists, but students spewing leftist rhet‑oric at Brown University.

They protested a non‑Indian white woman

singing kirtans, asserting that only those born

Hindu should sing the religious hymns, accord‑

ing to media reports.

The performance by Carrie Grossman, who

has adopted the Hindu name Dayashila, was

disrupted by protesters claiming that by

singing kirtans she as a white person was

wrongly "appropriating" elements of Hinduism.

They used radical leftist terminology like

white privilege, structural change and "radical

love" to oppose what they called "cultural

appropriation" by a white person.

"Cultural appropriation," according to those

who protest it, happens when people use or

performs elements from a culture not theirown. Many in the audience confronted the pro‑

testers, who eventually left the event and

staged a sit‑in outside.

"Several audience members turned around

and asked them to be quiet," The Brown Daily

Herald reported. "In addition, some of the audi‑

ence members stood up and moved to where

the protesters were sitting to ask them to

leave."

Most of those in a picture published by

Herald of the demonstration against the kirtan

performance were white and African American,

with few Indians.

Rajan Zed, the president of US‑basedUniversal Society of Hinduism, called the

protests at Brown University in Providence,

Rhode Island state, "sad and inappropriate."

"Color of the person should not matter in

devotional singing and anybody should be able

pay respectful homage to Hindu deities through

kirtan or other forms," Zed said. "Kirtan offered

means to connect to the heart, to the divinity

that lies within."

He asked Brown University president

Christina H. Paxson and chancellor Thomas J.

Tisch to "make sure that such unreasonable

interruptions did not happen at the Hindu

events on the campus in the future" and to hold

a formal inquiry into the disruption.

The Herald reported that Grossman, a Brown

University alumna, told her audience that shediscovered kirtans during a visit to India and

"found (chanting) very powerful and very heal‑

ing." Although the protesters used radical leftist

rhetoric, their agenda appears to be a form of

selective opposition to conversions or religious

interactions ‑ in effect, banning those not born

Hindu from singing Hindu religious hymns or

participating in rituals. (IANS)

Street named after Indian‑American in Mississippi

SUNITA WILLIAMS, TEAM TO ENSURESAFE CARGO FLIGHTS TO ISS

Brown University students protestkirtan by non Hindu woman

Sunita Williams(Photo courtesy: thehansindia.com)

Dr Sampat Shivangi (first from left) at the

street naming event(Photo courtesy: thehindu.com)


8/31

Washington DC: An Indian‑origin doctor

at a Miami hospital has been fired after a

video that showed her attacking an Uber

driver and his vehicle went viral.

Anjali Ramkissoon, 30, has been onadministrative leave since the video sur‑

faced in January, and according to a state‑

ment released by a spokeswoman for

Jackson Health System, was terminated

from her position there yesterday.

"Jackson Health System is moving for‑

ward with the termination of Dr Anjali

Ramkissoon, a resident doctor," The

Miami Herald quoted the statement as

saying.

"She is entitled to an appeal process."

Ramkissoon, who was a four‑year neu‑

rology resident at the hospital, was seen

in the video attempting to strike and

scratch the driver, climbing into the man's

vehicle and throwing objects out of it, all

the while yelling and swearing at him andtrying to force him to drive her home.

The driver has so far opted to remain

anonymous and has declined to press

charges. Ramkissoon later apologized for

the incident. The video of the incident has

nearly seven million views and sparked a

lot of outrage and controversy. (PTI)

8 April 30-May 6 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NAT I ONAL COMMUNI TY

New York: In its brief TV life, Al Jazeera

America lost more than half a billion dol‑

lars. Thatʼs according to a lawsuit filed by

the former evp of finance Anand Gupta.

According to the New York Times, Gupta

is suing the now‑defunct network for not

being given a promised promotion. Gupta

claims former network chief Ehab Al

Shihabi, who was sidelined in May 2015

after being named in another employee

lawsuit, promised him a promotion to

CFO, but that his successor Al Antsey

reneged. Guptaʼs suit includes financial

details including that the network had an

operating loss of $250 million in 2013,

and $335 million in 2014.

In the suit, Gupta asserts that, amongother freewheeling spending habits, the

network continued to pay more than

$11,000 a month for an apartment

intended for Shihabi, which went empty

after he was ousted last year. It also

asserts that Al Jazeera America is respon‑

sible for more than $800 million in the

process of winding down, if it pays out its

contracts to cable operators in full.

“We strongly disagree with the allega‑tions made in Mr. Guptaʼs complaint,

which contains many factual inaccura‑

cies,” said Molly Morse, a spokeswoman

for Al Jazeera America. “We intend to vig‑

orously defend the companyʼs position.”

AJAM shut down April 13 after less than

three years on the air.

Anand Gupta (Photo: LinkedIn)

Video grab of Anjali Ramkissoon attack‑ing the Uber driver

(Photo courtesy: dailymail.co.uk)

FORMER EVP ANANDGUPTA SUES AL

JAZEERA AMERICA

Lady doctor fired after video of her

attacking Uber driver goes viral

Washington DC: Democraticpresidential front‑runner Hillary

Clinton's campaign has

slammed her Republican rival

Donald Trump for mocking an

Indian call center worker during

an election rally, the media

reported on Monday.

Trump's behavior showed dis‑

respect towards the Indian com‑

munity and "reflects his divisive

rhetoric", John Podesta, chair‑

man of the Clinton Campaign,

told reporters, the Asia Times

reported.

"He has run a campaign of big‑

otry and division. I think that's

quite dangerous for the country

when you think about the fact

that you need friends, allies,"

Podesta said.

"The kind of campaign he is

running breeds disrespect

across the globe and breeds

division and danger here at

home," he added.

Podesta was reacting to

Trump's apparent use of a fake

Indian accent to mock a call cen‑

tre representative in India dur‑

ing a campaign rally in

Delaware.

The billionaire said that he

called up his credit card compa‑ny to find out whether their cus‑

tomer support is based in the US

or overseas.

Trump, however, described

India as a great place, asserting

that he is not angry with Indian

leaders. (IANS)

New York Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose, a

former Govt. of India Secretary and

a member of UN Habitat Housing

Expert Committee has authored abook Parpidam (Housing) in

Malayalam was released in New

York on April 23 at a glittering cere‑

mony during the anniversary of the

Kerala Center. The Center which

was established 26 years ago. Dr.

Bose was the chief guest at the

anniversary program which includ‑

ed colorful dances by Malayalam

language students of the Kerala

Center.

Kerala Centerʼs Founder Member

and Trustee Dr. Thomas Abraham

who is also the Founder President of

the Global Organization of People of

Indian Origin (GOPIO) conducted

the book release. This is the firsttime a book from the Kerala Bhasha

Institute is released outside Kerala

before it is released in Kerala.

The book published by Kerala

Bhasha Institute, is also in Hindi and

English. Dr. Bose put together this

book looking at the housing con‑

structions in over 50 countries in

30 years covering human, animal

and temples of God. Housings have

been covered from the time of cave‑

man to the current modern housing.

The 302 page book is well illustrat‑

ed with colorful photos by NemamPushparaj.

Dr.Bose has been an eminent

administrator, writer, orator and

innovator, He pioneered path break‑

ing administrative innovations in

rural development, affordable hous‑

ing, eco‑tourism development,

redressal of public grievances,

women's empowerment, develop‑

ment of weaker sections of society

and promotion of art and culture.

Dr. Bose served as Chairman of the

Atomic Energy Education Society

and also launched the ASTERProject (Application of Science &

Technology in Educational

Reforms). After retirement,

Government of India asked Dr Bose

to continue with this mission and

currently serves as the Chairman

and Nominee Director of Central

Warehousing Corporation.

The book was released by Prof. Ponisseril Somasundaran, distin‑guished professor of engineering at Columbia University by present‑ing the copy to Kerala Center President Thambi Talappillil and Kerala

Center Chairman of Board Dr. Madhu Bhaskaran.

Dr C V Ananda Boseʼs new book Parpidam released in NY

Hillary Clinton slams Trump for 'mocking'

Indian accent


9/31

9April 30-May 6, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info U S AFFA I RS

Washington In a head‑to‑head match‑up,

Democratic presidential front‑runner

Hillary Clinton has a three percent advan‑

tage nationally over her Republican rival

Donald Trump, according to a new poll.

The latest George Washington

University Batt leground (GW

Battleground) poll puts her ahead at 46 to

43, with 11 percent of the voters undecid‑

ed.

Interestingly, though, Senator Bernie

Sanders, who has mounted a spirited butnow seemingly futile challenge against

Clinton, fares much better against Trump

nationally, with an 11 percent advantage

at 51 to 40, with the rest undecided.

The bipartisan poll, conducted in part‑

nership with The Tarrance Group and

Lake Research Partners, found that among

"likely voters" an overwhelming 89 per‑

cent have been following the nomination

process of the two parties closely ‑ and

that they have "negative views of almost

all major candidates".

The poll found that of the five candi‑

dates still in the race for the highest

office, only two ‑ Vermont Senator

Sanders and Ohio governor John Kasich ‑

have an unfavourable rating below 50

percent, at 44 and 29, respectively.

The three others ‑ former Secretary of State Clinton (56 percent), Texas Senator

Ted Cruz (55 percent) and businessman

Trump (65 percent) ‑ are all mostly dis‑

liked, with a majority of voters saying they

would not consider voting for them for

president.

Interestingly, the poll found that former

president Bill Clinton, who has been cam‑

paigning for his wife, has a higher favora‑

bility rating than four of the five con‑

tenders: with 54 percent favorable and 41

percent unfavorable.

The current president, too, fared better

than the candidates. President Barack

Obama's job approval rating was at 51

percent . This is the first t ime since

December 2012 that the GW Battleground

Poll found a higher approval than disap‑

proval rating for President Obama.

Washington A day after getting mauledby front‑runner Donald Trump in five

Republican presidential primaries, Texas

Senator Ted Cruz announced former

Hewlett‑Packard CEO Carly Fiorina as his

vice presidential running mate in a bid to

resuscitate his White House aspirations.

Fiorina was a presidential candidate

herself before she dropped out of the

race early in the primary season.

By naming Fiorina, observers believe

the Tea Party favorite is aiming to gain

the necessary momentum to defeat

Trump in the next primary State of

Indiana. It is also a long shot like the Hail

mary pass in basketball parlance.

Cruz is currently trailing Trump by

more than 400 delegates and a win inIndiana next week would make it easier

for the New Yorker billionaire to reach

the 1237 delegates to become GOP's

presidential nominee.

"Carly is brilliant and capable, and yetshe experienced the hardscrabble world

of being a female professional," Cruz said

at a rally in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

"Over and over again, Carly has shat‑

tered glass ceilings. But in addition to

being a woman of extraordinary experi‑

ence, she's also a woman of deep princi‑

ple," he said.

Fiorina is not the first woman vice pres‑

idential pick.

In 2008 presidential election, the then

Republican presidential candidate

Senator John McCain had then Alaska

Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presi‑

dential running mate.

However, it is for first time a candidate

has named a running mate prior toreceiving the nomination since Ronald

Reagan in 1976.

Trump of course called the new Cruz

gambit a desperate measure.

Wash ing t on The House Armed Services

Committee took a big and unexpected step

toward making women register for the draft

Wednesday night, as a handful of Republicans

joined Democrats to back a measure that its

own sponsor hoped would fail.“Right now the draft is sexist,” said Rep.

Duncan Hunter (R‑Calif.), who filed an amend‑

ment to the Houseʼs annual defense authoriza‑

tion bill to require women between the ages of

18 and 26 to register for the Selective Service,

the government agency that keeps records of

who is eligible to be conscripted.

Hunter, who is against the Obama adminis‑

trationʼs recent policy change allowing women

to serve in all combat roles, said he only pro‑

posed the measure to start a discussion about

the draft. He voted against his own amend‑

ment, arguing that anyone who favored it

would be siding with the administration.

But Hunterʼs gamble that committee mem‑

bers would shy away from forcing women into

the draft backfired when a slim majority ̶including five Republicans ̶ opted to endorse

the measure by a vote of 32 to 30.

“We have a standards‑based force now, and

we donʼt have a standards‑based Selective

Service,” Rep. Chris Gibson (R‑N.Y.) argued,

joining Democrats, all but one of whom also

supported the measure.

“We should be willing to support universal

conscription,” Rep. Jackie Speier (D‑Calif.) said.

“Thereʼs great merit in recognizing that each of us have an obligation to be willing to serve our

country in a time of war.” But including women

in the draft still has a long way to go. It would

have to survive a full House vote and then

make it through the Senate. It would change a

policy that has been in place since 1981, when

the Supreme Court ruled that because women

could not hold combat jobs, they did not have

to register for the draft.

The House is expected to vote on the annual

defense authorization bill ̶ of which the

women in the draft is now part ̶ in mid‑May.

The policy change could also preempt ongo‑

ing court cases about whether excluding

women from the draft is discriminatory.

But though the committee voted to change

the draft policy for women, their debateWednesday night revealed that several law‑

makers on both sides of the aisle have great

reservations about the continued necessity of

the draft at all.

Wash ing t on Former US House of

Representatives speaker John Boehner called

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz

"Lucifer in the flesh", in an interview at

Stanford University. Lucifer is another word for

Satan. "Lucifer in the flesh", Boehner toldStanford's David Kennedy, a history professor

emeritus, according to the Stanford Daily.

Boehner said he was "texting buddies" with

the other two Republican candidates; front‑

runner Donald Trump and Ohio Governor John

Kasich, CNN reported. The account in the stu‑

dent newspaper is accurate, a source close to

Boehner confirmed on Thursday.

Cruz in response told reporters that Boehner

"allowed his inner Trump to come out". "The

interesting thing is I've never worked with John Boehner, I don't know the man," Cruz

said. "Indeed, during the government shut

down, I reached out to John Boehner, to work

with him to get something meaningful done.

He said, 'I have no interest in talking to you.' "

Cruz naming Carly as his VPis seen as ʻHail Mary passʼ

Ted Cruz‑Carly Fiorina wishful ticket. (Photo courtesy: AP)

Hillary has3 percent lead over

Trump, Sanders 11percent: Poll

Are women headed for the draft?One House committee says yes

Boehner likens Ted Cruz to Satan in flesh

In the delegates

fight Clinton and

Trump far ahead

in the GOP

and Democratic

races respectively.


10/31

Sriharikota Andhra Pradesh): India hassuccessfully put into orbit its seventh and

final navigation satellite ‑ IRNSS‑1G ‑ with

its own rocket in copy‑book style.

With this, India successfully completed

putting into orbit all the seven navigation

satellites to complete the system in the

sky.

Exactly at 12.50 p.m. the PSLV rocket

standing 44.4 metres tall and weighing

320 tonnes tore into the afternoon skies

with fierce orange flames at its tail.

Gathering speed every second, the rock‑

et raced towards the heavens amidst the

cheers of ISRO officials and the media

team assembled at the rocket port here.

At the rocket mission control room, sci‑

entists were glued to their computerscreens watching the rocket escaping the

earth's gravitational pull.

Just over 20 minutes into the flight, the

PSLV rocket ejected its sole passenger ‑

IRNSS‑1F ‑ at an altitude of 488.9 km.Soon after this, the satellite's solar pan‑

els were deployed.

The satellite's control was then taken

over by the Mission Control Facility (MCF)

at Hassan in Karnataka.

The MCF will manage the satellite's

orbit raising operations firing the on‑

board motors till it is placed in its slotted

orbit.

Simply put , the Indian Regional

Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is sim‑

ilar to the GPS (global positioning system)

of the US, Glonass of Russia and Galileo of

Europe as well as China's Beidou.

While GPS and Glonass are fully func‑

tional global systems, the Chinese and the

Japanese systems offer regional coverageand Europe's Galileo is yet to be opera‑

tional. India will formally join the select

group of nations owing such system once

IRNSS is declared operational after check‑

ing the systems ‑ space (satellites), ground(ground stations) and the user‑end signal

receivers.

Only after the system is declared opera‑

tional, will user‑end signal receiver mak‑

ers seriously get into the manufacture of

equipment for use at the retail end, indus‑

try officials told IANS.

According to Indian space agency the

applications of IRNSS are: terrestrial, aeri‑

al and marine navigation, vehicle tracking

and fleet management, terrestrial naviga‑

tion for hikers and travellers, disaster

management, integration with mobile

phones, mapping and geodetic data cap‑

ture and visual and voice navigation for

drivers.

In other words, IRNSS could be said tobe the "Indian GPS".

Apart from the civilian applications, the

IRNSS will be used for defence purposes

as well.

Islamabad

Pakistan's Foreign

Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry said

that there was no breakthrough

in talks with his Indian counter‑

part S. Jaishankar on his recent

trip to New Delhi.

The foreign secretary, who was

in Delhi on Tuesday to attend the

Heart of Asia Senior Officialsʼ

meeting, held talks with his

Indian counterpart on bilateral

issues, including resumption of

the peace dialogue, Dawn online

reported on April 28.

It was expected that the talks

might lead to progress towards

the start of the Comprehensive

Bilateral Dialogue which was

agreed by the two countries in

December last year.

“I would not say there is a

breakthrough, but we conveyed

our concerns forthrightly,”

Chaudhry said at a media brief‑

ing here on Wednesday.

He said he had stressed the

need for a “structured, sustained

and result‑oriented comprehen‑

sive dialogue process”, resolving

the Kashmir dispute and con‑

ducting a fair trial in the 2007

Samjhauta Express attack case.

New Delhi: A combative Congress

president Sonia Gandhi and for‑

mer prime minister Manmohan

Singh have dismissed the bribery

charges in the VVIP chopper

scam as the BJP tried to cornerthe main opposition party.

Sonia Gandhi, whose name fig‑

ures in a judgment by an Italian

court, said she was "not afraid"

and dubbed the allegations as

false. Manmohan Singh and for‑

mer defence minister A.K. Antony

echoed the sentiment.

The Congress, in turn, accused

the Narendra Modi government

of trying to help the Italian firm

which had been blacklisted.

The issue sparked tensions in

both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya

Sabha.

A Milan court sent

Finmeccanica's former CEOGiuseppe Orsi and

AgustaWestland ex‑head Bruno

Spagnolini to jail for false

accounting and corruption in the

sale of 12 VVIP choppers to

India. The court ruling refers to

Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi,

her secretary Ahmad Patel andalso former Indian Air Force chief

S.P. Tyagi.

Congress members were in

uproar in the Rajya Sabha when

BJP's Subramanian Swamy

named Sonia Gandhi in the Rajya

Sabha during zero hour while

speaking on the AgustaWestlanddeal.

"It is touching to see leader of

opposition relying on (Christian)

Michel for what he said orally but

the high court of Italy have

recorded a letter written by

Michel stating that Sonia Gandhi

is the main..." Swamy couldn't fin‑

ish his sentence.

Congress members sprung to

their feet and rushed towards the

treasury benches aggressively.

Soon after, Sonia Gandhi hit

back, saying she was "not afraid"

of any inquiry and there wasnothing to hide. She accused the

Bharatiya Janata Party of

indulging in character assassina‑

tion. "We have nothing to hide.

Let them (government) take my

name, I am not afraid of anyone

because there is no basis to that

allegation. They amount to

calumny. Where is the proof?

They are lying. This is part of

their (BJP's) strategy of character

assassination," Gandhi told the

media. Union minister Rajiv

Pratap Rudy said Sonia Gandhi

should ask the Italian court whyshe was named in the documents.

Former prime minister

Manmohan Singh also rebutted

the charges. "There is no case. My

party will respond."

New Delhi: President's Rule will

continue in Uttarakhand till fur‑

ther orders, the Supreme Court

ruled this week, implying that

there will be no April 29 floor

test for the ousted Congress gov‑

ernment as ordered by the state

high court.The apex court said the hearing

would resume from May 3 on the

central government's plea chal‑

lenging the Uttarakhand High

Court order that had revoked

President's Rule in the hill state.

The top court extended its April

22 interim ruling, putting on hold

the high court order and allowing

the central government to amend

its petition challenging the high

court order after a detailed judg‑

ment was made available.

The apex court bench of Justice

Dipak Misra and Justice Shiva

Kirti Singh said they would hear

the matter for three days and

pronounce their judgment before

the summer break by mid‑May.

Meanwhile, the Congress wel‑

comed the order, insisting it

expects a fair and favorable judg‑

ment from the apex court soon

after it begins hearing the matter

again from May 3.

The BJP said it would have

proven its majority had the party

been given an opportunity for a

floor test.

10 April 30-May 6, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA

BREAKTHROUGH ELUDED

DELHI TALKS: PAK TEAM

VVIP chopper scam hits Congress

Ousted chief minister

Harish Rawat.(Photo: IANS)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi withsenior leader Manmohan Singh. (Photo: IANS)

India a step away from joining 'GPS CLUB'

India has completed putting into orbit allthe seven navigation satellites to complete

the system in the sky. (Photo: PIB/IANS)

Sonia must reveal who gained: ShahNew Delhi

Hitting back at Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP pres‑

ident Amit Shah asked her to clarify who were the beneficiaries of the

VVIP chopper scam. "It has been established by an Italian court thatkickbacks were given. Rather than saying she is not afraid of anyone,

she (Sonia) should clarify who received the kickbacks," Shah told

reporters. "Who was in the power then? It was UPA. They should

bring out the truth." Shah said: "She might not be afraid of anyone but

we the leaders of BJP are afraid of the Constitution, democracy and

public modesty."

President's rule to continue in Uttarakhand: SC


11/31

11April 30-May 6, 2016TheSouthAsianTimes.info I ND IA

London Industrialist Vijay Mallya, at the

center of a controversy in India over alleged

loan default of Rs.9,000 crore, has termed

the charges against him as "preposterous"

and said he was in "forced exile" here fromwhich he would like to return to his country.

"I'm absolutely not guilty of any of the

preposterous charges of diverting funds

from Kingfisher Airlines and buying proper‑

ties," Mallya said in an interview to the

Financial Times. "I'm in a forced exile, will‑

ing to reach reasonable debt settlement."

Questioning the amount of Rs.9,000 crore

attributed as wilfull debt against him, the

60‑year‑old industrialist said by taking away

his passport or arresting him, the Indian

government and banks won't be able to get

any money out of him.

"I definitely would like to return to India.

Right now things are flying at me fast and

furious. My passport's been revoked. I don't

know what the government will do next. I'vealways said I will like to reach out to the

bankers of Kingfisher and make a settle‑

ment," he said.

"Notwithstanding the legal proceedings,

my offer for settlement stands. The filings

before the debt recovery tribunal indicate

some 500 mill ion pounds. The rest is

toward unapplied interest. I've never been

able to understand where this Rs.900 mil‑

lion figure came from," he said.

He said he has issued a sworn affidavit to

the Supreme Court and the right position

will come to light if a proper probe is con‑

ducted. "If the government decides to audit

the accounts of Kingfisher airlines, they are

not going to find anything ‑‑ because that isthe truth." Mallya said "extraordinary pres‑

sure" was being exerted on him, but he can't

give preference just to banks since there

were other creditors as well.

"All I can say is that the manner in which

my passport was revoked and then suspend‑

ed was unprecedented and was done in

extraordinary haste. I came to know of the

facts by email," he said, adding the notice of

suspension of his passport came on holiday

and that his reply was ignored.

He further said if he has proposed a settle‑

ment offer to the apex court, it had to be

serious.

New Delhi The govern‑

ment is taking all nec‑

essary steps on the

issue of tax evasion

and notice is being

served on those whose

names figure in the

Panama Papers leaks,

Finance Minister Arun

Jaitley said in the Lok

Sabha.

The statement dur‑

ing question hour

when members, includ‑

ing Nana Patole and

Kirit Somiaya (both

Bharat iya Janata

Party) and B. Mahtab

(Biju Janata Dal) asked

supplementaries on the

tax evasion issue.

Jaitley, however, said any individual case

could not be discussed in the house. He

assured that the government is taking action

and has already served notice on some

named in the Panama Papers leaks on tax

evasion and of stashing money overseas.

Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha

said the appointment of a Special

Investigation Team (SIT) by the National

Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in

2014 had helped in the purpose of tracking

black money both in the country and out‑

side.

"SIT is doing a commendable job," Sinha

said, adding that recommendations of the

SIT had helped investigating agencies and

the government, espe‑

cially with regard to

black money stashed

overseas.

"And for domestic

black money also the

SIT recommendations

have been found help‑

ful and necessary

steps are being

taken," he said.

Biju Janata Dal floor

leader B. Mahtab

wanted to know if in

the wake of reports

from SIT and other

agencies the govern‑

ment is proposing any

changes in the law to

keep an eye on tax

evaders.

BJP member Kirit Somaiya was pulled up

by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan when he took

the name of a popular Maharashtra leader,

who is now in jail.

"You know everything, then why are you

taking someone's name," Maha jan told the

ruling party member tersely.

Minister of State Finance Sinha agreed

that there are instances of tax evasion by

moneyed people when they show their

income as agricultural income.

BJP member Nana Patole said the con‑

tention that agricultural income is growing

cannot be true because, "If such is the case,

then farmers would not be committing

suicide".

Charges 'preposterous', I'm in'forced exile': Mallya

Notice on those named inPanama Papers: Jaitley

N e w D e l h i The National Green

Tribunal (NGT) is likely to give its

verdict next Wednesday on the Art

of Living (AoL) causing ecological

damage on the Yamuna banks in

Delhi, officials from the 'Green

Court' told IANS.

The Court concluded the hearings

on the case on April 22 and had

reserved the final order.

In his reply filed before the NGT,

environment activist Manoj Misra

accused AoL headed by Sri Sri Ravi

Shankar of "backtracking from their

commitment to pay for the ecologi‑

cal destruction caused by their

event" ‑‑ the World Culture Festival

(WCF) held on the Yamuna flood‑

plains last month.

AoL, however, said in its applica‑

tion that it did not backtrack but

was asking the NGT to allow it to

provide a bank guarantee instead of

payment in cash of the balance Rs

4.75 crore as environment compen‑

sation, determined by the NGT earli‑

er.

"The present application is being

filed before this Honorable Tribunal

for modification of the order dated

11.03.2016 to allow for submission

of security by way of a Bank

Guarantee in lieu of payment of the

balance amount as directed," AoL

said in its reply to the NGT.

The foundation also challenged

the Expert Committee's observation

in its report that the World Culture

Festival had damaged the Yamuna

floodplains and it would require at

least Rs.120 crore to restore the

area to its original state.

New Delhi A court here on Friday

ordered the framing of charges in

a coal block case involving the

Jindal Group.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar

ordered that charges dealing with

criminal conspiracy, cheating and

various provisions of the

Prevention of Corruption Act

against former parliamentarian,

industrialist and senior congress

leader Naveen Jindal, former

union minister of state for coal

Dasari Narayan Rao and former

Jharkhand chief minister Madhu

Koda and others.

The court was hearing a case

related to the allocation of

Jh ar kh an d' s Am ar ko nd a

Murgadangal coal block to Jindal

Steel and Gagan Sponge.

The probe agency said there was

sufficient evidence to frame

charges against the accused in a

case related to the allocation of

Amarkonda Murgadangal coal

block to Jindal Steel and Gagan

Sponge.

However, Jindal, Rao, Koda and

others have denied the allegations

and sought being discharged from

the case.

The Central Bureau of

Investigation in April last year

filed a chargesheet against Jindal,

Koda, Rao, former coal secretary

H.C. Gupta with six other individu‑

als.

Five private companies ‑‑ four

based in Delhi and one in

Hyderabad ‑‑ have also been

named in the chargesheet.

AoL at Yamuna:NGT verdict next week

COURT ORDERS FRAMING CHARGES INCOAL CASE AGAINST JINDAL

Vijay Mallya said "extraordinary pres‑

sure" was being exerted on him.

(Photo: IANS)

Senior congress leader

Naveen Jindal. (Photo: IANS)

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

(Photo: IANS)


12/31

By Shobhit Mathur &Nomesh Bolia

After spending about Rs.3.5 lakh crore

($51 billion) ‑ almost equal to Indiaʼs

subsidy and pensions budget for 2015‑

16 ‑ over 10 years on the worldʼs largest

rural jobs programme, it has provided less

than half the guaranteed 100 days of

employment to 50 million poor households.

This is revealed in our analysis of the

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural

Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) data.

Other facts:

Although the most money ever was

spent during 2015‑16, it was the worst year

ever in terms of assets created (2.27 million

assets), a 23 percent decline from 2014‑15.

While 50 million households found

work through MGNREGA last year, less than

10 percent of these households got 100 days

of wage employment.

Just about 40 percent of the workers

get paid within the promised 15‑day period.

Women now hold half of all MGNREGA

jobs, higher than the mandated 33 percent,

indicating widespread demand for employ‑

ment.

T h e s e f i n d i n g s a r e i n l i n e w i t h

IndiaSpend s earlier analysis of MGNREGA.

A safety net for rural areas, MGNREGA

guarantees 100 days of paid, unskilled man‑ual work every year to every rural house‑

hold.

“It is the largest and perhaps the most

ambitious social security and public works

programme in the world,” Jairam Ramesh,

former union rural development minister,

who launched MGNREGA, said.

Clearly, the popular demand of increasing

the number of guaranteed work days under

MGNREGA will not help since the existing

promise of 100 days is not being met.

Barely 50 million households have found

work through MGNREGA and less than 10

percent of these households have been ableto get 100 days of wage employment.

Clearly, either work is not being provided or

not being demanded.

Just about 40 percent of the workers get

paid within the promised 15 days. For

unskilled MGNREGA workers, not getting

paid in time is detrimental to domestic

finances. Perhaps this will change with 210

million new Jan Dhan (Peopleʼs Wealth)

accounts opened, into which the government

can directly pay wages.

There has been no significant increase in

the number of assets created each year, with

last year the worst ever, as we said, with a23 percent drop from 2014‑15.

The durability of the assets is questionable.

Currently, the law says that 60 percent of

funds should be spent on wages and 40 per‑

cent on material, which means a preponder‑

ance of labour‑intensive works, not struc‑

tures that require more and better material.

MGNREGA has brought parity in labour

force participation, one of its few successes.

There has been a constant demand to

increase the MGNREGA budget. The most

money was spent last year, Rs.42,084 crore

($6.1 billion), about 0.3 percent of Indiaʼs

GDP.

More than 95 percent of MGNREGA funds

have been used over the last two years. This

is a positive, but there are allegations of cor‑ruption.

The expenditure on agriculture was the

highest ever in 2015‑16.

Per person wage and cost has gone up

steadily over the years. The average wage

rate in 2015‑16 was Rs.154 per day, a 27

percent increase from four years ago. Yet,

the labour participation in MGNREGA has

not grown, proven by the fact that only 2.3

billion person‑days of labour were generated

both in 2015‑16 and 2012‑13, despite a 27

percent wage increase.

Critics claim MGNREGA wage rates have

distorted the farm‑labour market, while sup‑

porters argue wages must be increased to

match market rates for unskilled labour.

Why MGNREGA needs a rethinkAfter 10 years, it is clear that MGNREGA

has not met most of its goals.

y Venkatachari Jagannathan

hennai The common man in India has

to wait for some more time to use the

"Indian GPS' as the Indian navigation sys‑

tem has to be formally declared opera‑tional after checking and cross‑checking,

industry officials said.

They also said government mandating

the use of the Indian Regional Navigation

Satellite System (IRNSS) will act as a

booster for the domestic manufacturing

of satellite signal receivers as a part of

the Make in India initiative.

India put into orbit its seventh naviga‑

tion satellite ‑‑ IRNSS‑1G ‑‑ and joined a

select group of space‑faring nations with

their own satellite navigation system.

Simply put, the IRNSS is similar to the

global positioning system (GPS) of the

US, Glonass of Russia, and Galileo of

Europe as well as China's Beidou.

According to India Space Research

Organisation (ISRO), the applications of

IRNSS are: terrestrial, aerial and marine

navigation, vehicle tracking and fleet

management, terrestrial navigation for

hikers and travelers, disaster manage‑

ment, integration with mobile phones,

mapping and geodetic data capture and

visual and voice navigation for drivers.

"The Indian system provides positional

accuracy of 10 metres. For civilian usage

to bloom and the cost to come down,

more manufacturers have to start mak‑

ing the navigation signal receivers. That

will happen once the IRNSS is formallydeclared operational," A.S. Ganeshan,

retired program director of ISRO's

Satellite Navigation Progam, told IANS.

He said the satellite navigation system

comprises three segments ‑‑ space (satel‑

lites), ground (ground systems) and user

(receivers).

The Indian space agency has to test all

the three segments thoroughly before

IRNSS could be declared an operational

navigation system.

Ganeshan said once the IRNSS is ready,

there will be greater development of

application software that would be usefulfor different segments.

The IRNSS will provide two types of

services ‑ standard positioning service

and restricted service. The former is pro‑

vided to all users and the latter is an

encrypted service for authorised users.

Once the system is fully operational,

India will not have to face of risk of the

absence of satellite signals at critical

times as the existing systems are owned

by other countries.

While the defence forces would get the

IRNSS signal receivers from the manufac‑

turers, the challenge for deeper penetra‑

tion of the Indian navigation system

depends on the makers of s ignal

receivers.

"The Indian government should man‑

date the use of indigenous satellite navi‑gation systems by various government

agencies and the emergency services like

ambulance and others so that the signal

receiver makers are enthused to get into

accelerated production mode," Ganeshan

added.

He said once the mandatory usage is

there, more software applications could

then be developed, thereby widening the

usage.

Agreeing with him, S. Purushotham,

director, Accord Software & Systems Pvt

Ltd, told IANS: "If there is a mandate then

it will give a big fillip for the receiver

makers' Make in India efforts."

Nevertheless, Accord Software will get

into making the IRNSS receivers as the

company is confident that the Indian

navigation system will soon be declared

operational, Purushotham remarked.

The Bengaluru‑based Accord Software

clocked a turnover of around Rs.100

crore ($15 million) last year and has

around 400 people on its rolls ,

Purushotham said.

"We are the only company to develop

the receivers for IRNSS. We have deliv‑

ered to ISRO and other agencies through

ISRO for use in land and marine applica‑

tions," he said.

Operation of 'Indian GPS' will take time

The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.

201516 worst year for rural job mission

India put into orbit its seventh navigation satellite ‑‑ IRNSS‑1G ‑‑ and joined a selectgroup of space‑faring nations. (Photo: IANS).

A safety net for rural areas, MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of paid, unskilled manualwork every year to every rural household. (File photo)

12 April 30-May 6, 2016 TheSouthAsianTimes.info OP-ED


13/31

Interviewed by Preetha Nair

Hindutva is a brand of fundamental‑

ism and the Hindu right wing is dis‑

torting what Hinduism stands for,

says renowned author Nayantara Sahgal

who was among one of the first writers to

return her Sahitya Akademi award to

p

vol-9-issue-01 april 30- may 6, 2016

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