vol.8 issue 11 - july 18-24, 2015
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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
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DIPLOMACY 14 COMMUNITY CONVENTIONS 16-17 SCI-TECH 27
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif have been nominated for the Nobel
peace prize 2016 for the landmark nuclear deal.
New Delhi: India and Pakistan on
Thursday lodged protests against
each other after cross-border firing
in Jammu and Kashmir left one
dead and seven injured, days after
bonhomie between the prime min-
isters of both countries in Russia.
Stating that Pakistan was trying
to shift blame of ceasefire viola-
tions, India cautioned it about
"effective and forceful response" to
an unprovoked firing.India, however, also reaffirmed
its willingness to take forward the
process for improving ties decided
at the bilateral meeting at Ufa, in
Russia. Indian Foreign Secretary S.
Jaishankar told media persons here
after a meeting of senior ministers
that Indian forces had effectivelyContinued on page 4
Refuting Islamabad claim, India said the purported downed ‘spy drone’ is of Chinese make and available off the shelf.
After Modi-Sharif ice-breaker,India, Pakistan trade fire on border
4 marines,
shooter killed in
Tennessee attackWashington: Four soldierswere shot dead by a gunman at
US military
offices in
Chattanooga,
Tennessee in
an act of
" d o m e s t i c
terrorism",
authorit ies
said. The
lone attacker
too was later
gunned down. The shooting
incidents, which lasted for
about 30 minutes, took place on
Thursday at a National Guard
office and a Naval Reserve cen-tre about 10 km apart. The
shooter reportedly shot while
driving in an open-top Mustang.
The shooter is identified as
Muhammad Youssef
Abdulazeez whose father
UN SecurityCouncil to
ratify historic
N-deal with Iran
New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings(CSK) and Rajasthan Royals
have been suspended from the
Indian Premier League (IPL) for
two years by the Supreme Court
appointed panel in the spot fixing
and illegal betting scandal that
rocked the cash-rich T20 tourna-
ment in 2013.
The Justice Lodha Committee
also banned for life Royals co-
owner Raj Kundra and Gurunath
Meiyappan, "team principal" of
CSK, from all cricket-related
activities undertaken by the
Board of Control for Cricket in
India (BCCI).
Run by BCCI, the IPL is therichest of the world's T20 cricket
leagues and the scandal hints at
corruption in cricket at high
places. Gurunath is son-in-law of
former BCCI president and
United Nations: The UN Security
Council is preparing to ratify the
nuclear accord reached between
major world powers and Iran by
approving a resolution that is
expected to be voted on very soon.
The resolution will endorse the
accord and "take other important
steps, including replacing the exist-
ing Security Council sanctions
architecture with the new, binding
restrictions agreed on in Vienna,"
US ambassador to the UN,Samantha Power said in a commu-
nique.
Iran and a group of six nations
led by the US reached a historic
accord on Tuesday to significantly
limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for
more than a decade in return for
lifting international oil and finan-
cial sanctions.
The deal culminates 20 months
of negotiations on an agreement
that President Obama had long
sought as the biggest diplomatic
achievement of his presidency.
India, which has drastically
reduced its oil imports from Iran
under US pressure, stands to gain
from the accord. It has already ben-
efited. Oil prices declined in recent
days, driven largely by expecta-tions of more Iranian crude hitting
the market. According to India's
Finance Ministry, power-hungry
India saves nearly $1 billion in
import costs for every dollar drop
in global crude prices. But before
India stands to gain from the deal
Continued on page 4
Raj Kundra was part owner of Rajasthan Royals with wife & Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
Gurunath Meiyappan, of Chennai Super Kings, is
son-in-law of former BCCI president & current ICCchairman N. Srinivasan.
Muhammad Youssef
Abdulazeez
IPL Corruption: Gurunath, Kundraand their teams punished
Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4
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TheSouthAsianTimes.info July 18-24, 2015
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3July 18-24, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Queens, NY: New York Ci ty
Council candidate Ali Najmi stood
with Councilman Daniel Dromm
and South Asian community leaders
at a temple in Queens to urge the
Department of Education (DoE) to
recognize Diwali as a school holi-day. Diwali is an important holiday
celebrated by many New Yorkers,
including Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and
Buddhist communities.
“I am running for the City Council
to make sure that all communities
are respected and included. Diwali
should be acknowledged as the
important holiday that it is,” said Ali
Na jmi , a can didat e for the 23rd
District. “I urge Mayor Bill de
Blasio to demonstrate to our com-
munity the respect we deserve by
adding Diwali to the public school
holiday calendar. New York has a
wonderful tradition of adapting to
the needs of new and growing com-
munities - let’s continue that tradi-
tion by adding Diwali to the school
calendar.”
Added Councilman Dromm,
Chair of the New York City Council
Education Committee: “I am proud
to stand with Ali Najmi to demand
that Diwali be made an official
school holiday. The time has come
for the DoE to recognize the impor-
tance of Diwali and to use it as a tool
to promote acceptance and under-
standing.”
In the past two years, Mayor de
Blasio has included Eid Al-Fitr, Eid
Al-Adha, and the Lunar New Year--
essential holidays of emerging com-
munities--in the school calendar as
holidays. New York is home to over
250,000 people of Hindu, Sikh, Jain,
and Buddhist faiths. Recognition of
Diwali will be an important
acknowledgement of their countless
contributions to New York.
“Ali Najmi will be a Council
member who fights for all commu-
nities to get the recognition that they
deserve. We are proud to stand with
him today to call on the DoE to rec-
ognize Diwali as a school holiday,”
said Pam Kwatra, Founder and
Chair of South Asians for Better
Choice.
“Diwali is celebrated across New
York with different customs and in
diverse communities. We thank Ali
Na jmi fo r be ing a le ader in the
South Asian community and stand-
ing up for our schoolchildren and
support his efforts to have Diwali
recognized as an official holiday,”
said Dipika Basu of the New York
Puja Association.
Washington: More than 200 guest
workers from India agreed to a $20
million deal to settle their lawsuits
against Mobile, Alabama-based ship-
builder Signal International, said their
lawyers.
The announcement comes fivemonths after a New Orleans jury
awarded a group of five workers $14
million in a federal lawsuit that
alleged workers were lured to work
for Signal after Hurricane Katrina
with false promises of green cards and
permanent US residency.
Signal will also issue an apology to
guest workers who also sued in Texas
and Louisiana, the Southern Poverty
Law Centre, a legal advocacy organi-
zation that filed a case for the workers
said. The agreement, if approved by
the US Bankruptcy Court, would
resolve the 11 lawsuits still facing the
company, which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Those lawsuits represent more than
200 workers with the same claims as
those of the workers in the successful
SPLC lawsuit tried earlier this year.
In the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, Signal used the US govern-
ment's H-2B guest worker program to
import nearly 500 men from India to
work as welders, pipefitters and in
other positions to repair damaged oil
rigs and related facilities, SPLC said.
The workers each paid the labor
recruiters and a lawyer between
$10,000 and $20,000 or more in
recruitment fees and other costs after recruiters promised good jobs, green
cards and permanent US residency for
them and their families.
When the men arrived at Signal
shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi,
beginning in 2006, they discovered
that they wouldn't receive the green
cards or permanent residency that had
been promised.
Edison, NJ: The Indian
Business Association (IBA),
supported by over 100 New
Jersey based community
organizations, kicked off its
11th annual India Day Parade
festivities on July 8 at the TV
Asia studios here. The parade
is scheduled for August 9.
The IBA parade on Oak
Tree Road generally attracts
over 35,000 people. This year
too the parade will include
floats, marching bands, walk-
ing groups, Bollywood
celebrities, and elected offi-
cials.
The parade route begins in
Edison and ends on India
Square (Iselin). Parade groups
supporting the IBA hosted
event include professional
societies, business/trade asso-
ciations, cultural groups, sen-
iors associations, temples, etc
from across New Jersey.
Ali Najmi, Dromm join South Asian leaders to seek Diwali as school holiday
US shipbuilder to pay $20 M to exploited Indian workersIBA’s 11th India Day Parade in NJ on Aug 9
Acriminal defense attorney
by profession, Ali Najmi
is a progressive Democrat
running for the NY City Council,
District 23, in Queens. He has a
deep commitment to social justice
and has made public service his
life’s work. If elected, he would
become the first New Yorker of
South Asian origin to serve in the
City Council.
The seat fell vacant when
Councilman Mark Weprin stepped
down to become Gov. Cuomo's
deputy secretary of legislative
affairs.
Ali has demonstrated a unique
ability to bring diverse communi-ties together during the Obama
campaign and was honored by the
New Kings Democrat s fo r hi s
work as a community organizer.
He knows the community well
and has valuable experience as the
Legislative Director in the City
Council for Councilman Mark
Weprin. He was instrumental in
formulating civil rights legislation
and writing laws to protect reli-
gious freedom.
Ali belongs to a Muslim family
from Karachi. He was born and
raised in Glen Oaks, Queens.. He
is a co-founder of the Muslim
Democratic Club of New York.
Satnam Singh Parhar, IALI
president, has also joined the racefor District 23.
Ali Najmi standing forCouncil seat from Queens
Ali Nazmi (a candidate for City Council, on the mike),Councilman Daniel Dromm and community leaders including
Pam Kwatra (extreme left).
IBA leaders at the parade kick-off event on July 8.
Dilip Shah receives JAINA Ratna AwardDilip Shah was conferred
JAINA Ratna Award 2015 at the biennial JAINA Conventionheld in Atlanta, GA, over the July 4 weekend. Seen in thepicture from left are: Ashok
Domadia, Incoming President of JAINA; Dr. Nitin Shah,
Chairman, Awards Committee; Prem Jain,
President of JAINA; Sarla Shah; Dilip Shah, Past
President of JAINA; and Dr.Dhiraj Shah, Past President of
JAINA who introducedDilip Shah
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4 July 18-24, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
UN Security Council to ratify historic...
Continued from page 1
India, which imports 70 percent of its oil supply,
turns back on the taps of Iranian oil, President
Obama has to sell the deal to a hostile Republican
Congress that has 60 days to review it. Obama has
vowed to veto any legislation that may scuttle what
he described as "a comprehensive, long-term deal
that will verifiably prevent Iran from obtaining a
nuclear weapon".
Meanwhile, Tariq Rauf, director of theDisarmament and Non-Proliferation Program at the
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(Sipri), said the top negotiators US Secretary of
State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif deserved the Nobel Prize
for their contribution at the marathon talks in
Vienna.
Israel, expectedly, is one country that has called
the n-deal a historic blunder, arguing that Iran is
now going to receive a sure path to nuclear
weapons.
After Modi-Sharif ice-breaker, India...
Continued from page 1
retaliated to repeated ceasefire violations by
Pakistan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj,
Home Minister Rajnath Singh and DefenseMinister Manohar Parrikar met on Thursday after-
noon in the wake of "seriousness of unprovoked
firing" by Pakistan.
In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz
Ahmad Chaudhry met India's High Commissioner
T.C.A. Raghavan and registered a protest over the
firing as well as an alleged "Indian spy drone".
India raised the issue with Pakistani envoy Abdul
Basit, rejecting the Pakistani claim that the shot
down drone belonged to India.
The rising tensions along the Jammu and
Kashmir border -- where civilians have been hit
hard on both sides -- follow the July 10 joint state-
ment between India and Pakistan, released after the
Narendra Modi-Nawaz Sharif meeting at Ufa, to
build peace.
There have been at least six violations of the
2003 ceasefire by Pakistan in the last four days,
Foreign Secretary Jaishankar told media persons.
On July 12, Pakistani forces opened fire at Uri. A
day later, there was a firing at Kupwara and Samba.
On Wednesday, a woman was killed and four
people - two troopers and two civilians - were
injured in indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan
Rangers in Akhnoor sector. There was also an infil-
tration attempt in Jammu sector on Wednesday
night.
Referring to the issue of drone, Jaishankar said its
photograph indicated that it was neither of Indian
design nor of any UAV category held in the inven-
tory of the Indian armed forces. "It appears to be of
Chinese design, and is commercially available off
the shelf."
IPL Corruption: Gurunath, Kundra...
Continued from page 1
current International Cricket Council (ICC) chair-man N. Srinivasan. Raj Kundra is part owner of the
Rajasthan team with his wife and Bollywood star
Shilpa Shetty. CSK is led by India team skipper
MS Dhoni.
Both Gurunath and Kundra were earlier found
guilty of betting. "Disrepute has been brought to
cricket, the BCCI and the IPL to such an extent that
there are doubts abound in the public whether the
game is clean or not," said former chief justice
Rajendra Lodha, who headed the panel.
Cricket commentators say the developments will
come as a blow to the eight-team league and raise
questions about how the Indian cricket board will
find replacements to fill the two empty places.
Failure to find replacements would lead to consid-
erable loss of revenues for the league.
One analyst called the Lodha panel decisionincomplete: “Considering that officials from both
teams have been found guilty of corruption, the
two teams should have been banned for life.”
4 marines, shooter killed in Tennessee...
Continued from page 1
worked for the Chattanooga's public works depart-
ment. Abdulazeez was 24 years old and a US citi-
zen of Kuwaiti descent. It was an act of "domestic
terrorism", said US District Attorney Bill Killian at
a press conference.
A local police officer was among the three people
injured. The shooter was gunned down by local law
enforcement personnel, Chattanooga Mayor Andy
Berke said.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in
a statement that the agency was closely following
the incident and its aftermath and is supporting the
investigation, which is being headed by the FBI.
Reinhold added that the gunman, with "numerous
weapons" on him, appeared to act alone, adding
that the gunman did not work at the military facili-
ties involved.
Though the motive for the attack is not clear,
media has reported that Abdulazeez lately showed
some signs of radicalization.
Printed Every Saturday by: Forsythe Media Group, LLC, ISSN 1941-9333, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847
Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily
By SATimes Team
New York: On Wednesday,
President Obama issued a
Presidential Memorandum on
“Modernizing and Streamlining the
US Immigrant Visa System for the
21st Century”, the latest component
of the President’s executive action on
immigration announced in
November 2014.
The announcement expands and
expedites work authorization and
economic opportunity for some
immigrant victims of domestic vio-
lence.
“Specifically, Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) will allow
Violence Against Women Act
(VAWA) self-petitioners to simulta-neously file for work authorization to
reduce wait times for survivors of
domestic violence,” stated South
Asian Americans Leading Together
(SAALT) in a press statement.
According to the memorandum,
certain non-immigrant battered
spouses will also be eligible for work
authorization.
South Asian Immigration rights
groups although welcomed the new
changes pointed out that comprehen-
sive immigration reforms is still
needed.
"Wednesday’s announcement only
further underscores the importance
of the continued push for
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
legislation that includes a path to cit-
izenship," said Suman Raghunathan,
Executive Director of SAALT.
The memorandum also provides
clarity in relation to job flexibility
and documentation required under
the H-1B visa program. These
include improvements that will pro-vide increased guidance on job flexi-
bilit y provi sions for those seeki ng
new employment and modify forms
for H-1B extensions to provide docu-
mentation of previous adjudications
to simplify the process.
Better work rules for
battered wives
Indian community members along with Mohamed Hack,coordinator of Queens Borough President Melinda Katz celebrated
July 4th as organized by Shashikant Patel and Gopi Udeshiat Sri Saneeswara Temple, NY.
Greater New York Seniors celebrate July 4
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5July 18-24, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: The US
Department of Education is dis-
missing a claim that Harvard
shows bias against Asian-
American applicants because a
similar lawsuit has already been
filed in federal court.
Education Department's Office
for Civil Rights reportedly told
Bloomberg Business that it's dis-
missing the claim without evaluat-
ing its merit, because of a similar
lawsuit filed in federal district
court in Boston in November.
In May, a coalition of more than
60 organizations filed a complaintwith the federal government,
alleging that Harvard holds Asian-
Americans to higher standards
than other ethnic groups, accord-
ing to On Campus, a public radio
initiative produced in Boston.
They also complained the uni-
versity uses racial quotas lumping
all Asian-Americans - Indian,
Chinese, Pakistani - into a single,
broad category, and asked the fed-
eral government to investigate.
"We feel the Department of
Education and the Department of
Justice should have access to
Harvard's admissions records,"
Swan Lee who helped to organize
the coalition, was quoted as say-
ing.
Civil rights activists suggest the
complaint is a back door attack on
affirmative action, and Harvard
says its admissions philosophy is"holistic" and it complies with the
law. The group behind that law-
suit, Students for Fair Admissions
Inc., is also responsible for another
case against the University of
North Carolina, according to On
Campus.
SATimes
New York: On Sunday South
Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
deflected speculation of her running
for vice president in 2016 elections.
In an interview with Chuck Todd, NBC’s Meet the Press while dis-
cussing the import of the moment
when the slavery era confederate
flag was removed from statehouse
grounds, she brushed aside discus-
sion related to the national attention
she is suddenly receiving.
“It’s painful, nine people died,”
said Haley.
In another interview, this time
with the Associated Press Haley fur-
ther explained, “If people are talk-
ing about that, then I’m not working
hard enough to talk about the
(Emanuel) families. I don’t want to
think about it or talk about it or even
acknowledge it at this point.”
In the wake of her extraordinary
per formance in dea lin g wit h the
Charleston Church shooting and
Confederate flag controversy, 43-
year-old Indian American Governor
suddenly came into the national
spotlight. This led to increased spec-
ulation about her as a potential
Republican vice presidential nomi-
nee. Haley’s handling of the June 17
Charleston shooting, that resulted in
death of nine people, and its after-
math has many politicians and pun-
dits applaud her for raising biparti-
san support to take down the contro-
versial Confederate flag from state
grounds. This increased speculation
about her as a potential Republican
vice presidential nominee for 2016
elections.
David Beasley, the last
Republican governor who took on
the Confederate flag, which had
fluttered in front of the 19th-century
capitol building for 54 years, in
1996 “lost his job,” noted Politico,
an influential Washington news site,
but “Nikki Haley may get a promo-
tion.”
The two –term governor swiftly
and deftly convinced state legisla-
ture to vote to lower and remove theConfederate battle flag that had
flown over the South Carolina
Statehouse for the past half century.
Shortly after she signed the bill
into law last Friday, a seven-man
South Carolina Highway Patrol
Honor Guard, which included two
African-Americans, slowly lowered
the banner from its pole alongside a
Confederate memorial near the
Capitol.
“Haley's decisive action to drive
the final removal of the banner from
statehouse grounds quickly and rela-
tively cleanly in the glare of the
national spotlight proved a well-
timed audition for higher office
ahead of the 2016 Republican
sweepstakes,” suggested Politico.
“Nikki showed leadership in this
instance, and she represents a new
Republican face in the South,”
strategist Steve Schmidt, who man-
aged John McCain's 2008 presiden-
tial bid, told Politico.
Asian-American students'complaint against
Harvard dismissed
Nikki Haley brushes aside 2016 speculations
Nassau County Executive Mr. Ed Mangano honored the Syosset Girls Golf team on July 12th at the Roosevelt Building
auditorium for winning both the Nassau County High School and Long Island Golf Championship for two years in a row.
Seen in the photo: Mr. Mangano, Malini Rudra, Leah Cullen & Trisha Patel with coach Steve Naranjo.
New York, NY: On August 10, Navatman will launch its week-long
South Asian performing arts festival
at LaMaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre
on the Lower East Side. This one-
of-a-kind event takes New Yorkers
on a creative journey across India
through 20+ concerts in just one
week. Artists from all over the globe
come together to display some of
the world’s rarest art forms such as
the Carnatic guitar, hammered dul-
cimer, Kathak, and Mohiniattam.
This year, the festival moves to
the largest theater LaMama has to
offer, a theater boasting 150 seats, to
accommodate Drive East’s regularly
sold-out line up.
Though the content is niche, by no
means is this a niche event: accessi-
bility is the functional word when it
comes to this series. “We’ve specifi-
cally designed the concert length,
curation, and content to be accessi-
ble regardless of age and breadth of
knowledge about the art form. It’s a
great way to introduce yourself toSouth Asian classical arts - or fall in
love with them all over again,” says
Sahasra Sambamoorthi, Co-
President, Navatman.
The dancers this year come from
all corners of the globe, from STEM
Dance Kampni, hailing from
Bangalore, India, to Ashwini
Ramaswamy, lead dancer at
Minnesota-based Ragamala Dance.
The concerts are no less exciting,
with artists such as Guitar Prasanna
(Carnatic Guitar), who has com-
posed music for an Oscar-winning
film; and Max ZT, who plays the
hammered dulcimer and has played
with Ravi Shankar and Bon Jovi.
Navatman is home to Navatman
Dance, Navatman Music Collective,
and a South Asian classical arts
school of the same name. This is the
company’s fifth year running; a
marvel in the tough world of the
competitive New York performing
arts scene.
Navatman brings India to NY againat 3rd Annual Drive East Festival
Some of the featured artists forDrive East 2015 are:
Rare Arts of India: Hammered
Dulcimer by Max ZT ; Tuesday,
August 11th, 7:15PM
Ashwini Ramaswamy:
Bharatanatyam Solo ; Tuesday,
August 11th, 6PM
STEM Dance Kampni:
Contemporary Kathak Group ;
Friday, August 14th, 7:15PM
Rare Arts of India: Carnatic
Guitar Solo by Guitar Prasanna ;
Friday, August 14th, 8:30PM
Shyamajith and Viraja Kiran:
Bharatanatyam Duet ;
Thursday, August 14th, 8:30PM
Navatman Music Collective:
Carnatic A Capella Inspired Group
Wednesday, August 12th, 7:15PM
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6 July 18-24, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
IN BRIEF
In keeping with its theme, “Building a
Better Community, One Step at a
Time,” the BAPSCharities 16th annu-
al walkathon was held on June 28 in New
York City, NY. Over 425 members of the
community participated in this year’s
walkathon. Coming together to walk for asingular purpose, participants of all ages
joined hands and raised funds to support
this year’s local beneficiary, Huntington
Social Services Institute.
“Walking for a community organization
is a worthwhile and rewarding experi-
ence,” said Pritam Shah, BAPS Volunteer.
“Being able to organize and bring to
fruition this kind of event is always an ex-
citing opportunity for BAPS Charities.
Walkathons unite members of the com-
munity, no matter the age, to serve other
causes. The enthusiasm behind this event
is really the driving force to ensuring the
success of the today’s event.”
“Not only is it amazing how everyone
can come together to support one cause, it
is also great to walk with others who be-lieve in giving to build a better communi-
ty,” said Nilesh Desai, Walkathon Project
Lead of BAPS Charities, NYC.
Huntington Social Services Institute has
local roots that aims to provide services to
members of the entire community.
In attendance at this year’s BAPS Char-
ities Walkathon were NYC Councilman
Peter Koo. “I am very happy to join you in
this very meaningful and wonderful walk
with BAPS” stated Councilman Koo.
The White House
has chosen Indi-
an-American
Sunita Viswanath
among 12 faith leaderswho will be honored as
"Champion of Change"
on July 20 for their con-
tinuous efforts towards
climate change.
Viswanath, who has
worked in women's and
human rights organiza-
tions for almost three
decades, "is being hon-
ored for her work to encourage Hindus in
protecting environment and communities
from the effects of climate change," the
White House said in a statement.
Viswanath is co-founder and active board
member of the 14-year old women's human
rights organization Women for Afghan
Women (WAW). Sunita is also co-founder
and board member of Sadhana: Coalition of
Progressive Hindus, living and building a
Hinduism that prioritizes social justice, and
upholding the Hindu principles of ekatva
(oneness), ahimsa (non-violence) and sad-
hana (faith in action).
Born in Chennai,
Viswanath is known as a
fierce leader whose pas-
sion for women's rights
and faith-based activismhas made her a beacon of
hope for the people of
New York City.
A central component of
Sadhana is Project
Prithvi, which is an envi-
ronmental initiative.
As part of Project
Prithvi, Sadhana is in-
volved with cleaning up a
beach in Jamaica Bay, Queens which is a
place of worship for Hindus.
Sadhana has officially adopted this beach,
conducts regular clean-ups, and also does
outreach through Hindu temples to advocate
that Hindus worship in environmentally con-
scious ways, said the interfaithcenter.org.
Viswanath was a 2011 recipient of the
"Feminist Majority Foundation's Global
Women's Rights Award" for her work with
WAW.
She lives in Brooklyn in New York with
her husband Stephan Shaw and their three
sons -- Gautama, Akash and Satya.
On July 9th, the American Muslim
Council (AMC) organized 4th An-
nual Interfaith Ramadan Dinner
2015 which brought together more than
1000 people from different religious com-
munities across New Jersey to celebrate the
holy month of Ramadan with Muslim lead-
ers at Royal Albert Palace, Fords, New Jer-
sey.
The Iftar Party was a significant proof of
peace, harmony and diversity under one roof
where all the faiths gathered and prayed to-
gether and break the fast with Muslims.
AMCPAC founder & Chairman, SamKhan stated, "American Muslims are part of
the fabric of American society, The purpose
of this Iftar is for our community to break
bread with our Christian, Jewish, and Hindu
brethren during the month of Ramadan so
we can come together to honor those who
share our values of community service and
working for the good of humanity."
AMCPAC honored Thomas Lankey, Edi-
son Mayor for his community services and
dedication towards the South Asian commu-
nity of Edison Township along with Senator
Samuel Thomson with the Community En-
gagement Award.
AMCPAC is a New Jersey-based organi-
zation that promotes Muslim civic participa-
tion in the United States of America.AMCPAC honored other awardees for
their contributions to those in need across
the United States.
Sunita Viswanath selected as 'Champion of Change'
Hotelier and former banker, Rajesh
C Patel, 55, of Duluth, Georgia
has admitted in a federal court to
defrauding an investor of $500,000 and
now faces a prison sentence, according to
a federal prosecutor in Tennessee.
Patel pleaded guilty Monday before fed-
eral Senior Judge William J. Haynes, Jr.,
in Nashville, Tennessee, to two charges of
wire fraud in defrauding the investor, ac-
cording to the prosecutor, David Rivera.
Patel had received the money from the
Tennessee-based investor for a $3.75 mil-
lion auction bid for a hotel mortgage, but
when he lost the bid he diverted the mon-
ey to pay a debt, the Federal Bureau of In-
vestigation (FBI) said Tuesday. He alsomisrepresented the result of the auction to
the investor.
He has since, however, repaid the mon-
ey to the investor.
The maximum penalty Patel can receive
when he is sentenced Oct. 15 is 20 years in
prison for each of the offenses, in addition
to fines and property forfeiture. In prac-
tice, though, it is unusual for someone to
receive the maximum prison sentences to
run serially.
Patel and his brother, Mukesh "Mike"
Patel had been the main shareholders of
Haven Trust Bank in Duluth, Georgia,
which was shut down in 2008 by Georgia
state authorities.
Subsequently he and 14 others who were
directors or officials of the bank were sued
by the federal agency which guarantees
deposits made by bank customers. Theagency had accused them gross negli-
gence and failure to carry out their duties
properly.
Megabus.com – the popular city-to-
city, express bus company - has
announced a plan to name one of
their buses after each state in which they
operate. The bus names will be selected en-
tirely by customer and resident votes in or-
der to choose the moniker that best repre-
sents each state. All of the bus names on the ballot were chosen because they are heavi-
ly associated with New York or commemo-
rate a piece of the state’s history. “We value
our customers’ opinions and are excited to
see the name they select to represent their
state,” said Dale Moser, CEO of
megabus.com. “This is our way of honoring
the customers of each of the states that have
helped our business to grow.” Voting is now
open to residents of New York and the bal-
lot includes the following options: The Big
Apple, The Empire State, Henry Hudsonand Niagara Falls. Customers and residents
can visit http://us.megabus.com/namethe-
bus.aspx to vote online for their favorite bus
name on or before August 17.
Hotelier and former banker admits to
defrauding investor of $500,000
Megabus.com begins “Name the Bus”campaign to honor New York
BAPS Charities hosts benefit communitywalk for Huntington Social Services Institute
Grand Interfaith Iftar Dinnerhosted in New Jersey
Sunita Viswanath
Over 425 participated in this year's walkathon
The event saw 1000 people from different communities participate
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7/32
New Delhi: India’s External AffairsMinister Mrs. Sushma Swaraj while
welcoming Acharya Lokesh Muni,
founder of AhimsaVishwa Bharti
upon his return to India from Peace
and Harmony Tour to the United
States at External Affairs Ministry,
Janpath said that ‘Unity in
Diversity’ is the key feature of
Indian culture.
Acharya Lokesh Muni made an
incredible effort to take great Indian
culture of Peace and Harmony to
the world during his 45 days World
Peace and Harmony Tour. He pre-
sented the importance of Yoga
effectively through his address on
the occasion of International Day of
Yoga at the United Nations. Herevealed the importance of non-vio-
lence by presenting the Peace edu-
cation program to Mrs. Hillary
Clinton, the strong candidate of
USA Presidential elections during
their meeting.
Mrs. Swaraj said that violence
and terrorism cannot solve any
pro ble m. Eve ry pro ble m can be
solved by dialogue following the
path of peace. He said that Peace
and non-violence are best paths
which can make world a better place. Appreciating the efforts of
Acharya Lokesh Muni she said that
saints play an important role in
establishing world Peace and
Harmony.
Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni talking
about his tour said that violence and
terrorism are not only affecting
India but they are also affecting a
powerful country like USA. This is
the reason why India’s efforts for
peace and non-v iolence are even
more relevant in present times.Acharya Lokesh on the occasion
talked about JAINA Convention
2015 organized at Atlanta in which
4000 representatives from 22 coun-
tries took part. He gave speech on
Bhagwan Mahavir’s philosophy of
Nonvio lence, Uni ty in Divers ity
and Peace Education.
7July 18-24, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Archaryaji was on 45 days Peace and Harmony Tour of the US; India’s effortsof peace and nonviolence even more relevant now he says
Washington, DC: Indian American Sunita
Williams is among four astronauts whohave been selected by NASA for commer-
cial flights to the International Space
Station (ISS) from the US soil.
They will work closely with company-led
teams to understand their designs and oper-
ations as they finalize their Boeing CST-
100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft
and operational strategies.
Williams, Robert Behnken, Eric Boe and
Douglas Hurley will be trained for commer-
cial spaceflights that will return American
launches to the US soil and further open up
low-Earth orbit transportation to the private
sector, the US space agency said. "These
distinguished, veteran astronauts are blaz-
ing a new trail -- that will one day land
them in the history books and Americans onthe surface of Mars," said NASA adminis-
trator Charles Bolden.
Williams, a US Navy captain, received
her commission in the Navy in May 1987
and became a helicopter pilot, logging more
than 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 dif-
ferent aircraft. NASA chose Williams for the astronaut
program in 1998. She spent a total of 322
days in space and currently holds the record
for total cumulative spacewalk time by a
female astronaut (50 hours and 40 minutes).
She now ranks sixth on the all-time US
endurance list and second all-time for a
female astronaut.
"Congratulations to Bob, Eric, Doug and
Sunita and welcome to the Commercial
Crew team," noted John Elbon, Boeing vice
president.
"We look forward to working with such a
highly-skilled and experienced group of
NASA ast ronauts as we carve a path for-
ward to launch in 2017."
The selections are the latest major mile-stone in the Obama administration's plan to
partner with the US industry to transport
astronauts to space, create good-paying
American jobs and end the nation's sole
reliance on Russia for space travel.
Sunita Williams NASA's
commercial crew astronautThe SATimes
New York: “The happiest place on earth”
just got a lot happier for a 57 year old Sikh
postal carrier.
For the past seven years, Gurdit Singh,
was segregated from visitors and other staff
members at Disney World because his
unshorn facial hair and turban did not com-
port with Disney’s corporate image. He was
barred from a wider delivery route in the
theme park. He was limited to just one route
whereas his colleagues were rotated across
routes every three weeks. Singh came to see
it as "a daily humiliation because of his reli-
gious beliefs."
But thanks to the efforts of the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Sikh
Coalition, Disney just gave Singh a religious
exemption for the company’s strict groom-
ing guidelines.
After seven years of working from the
same route, Singh finally decided to fight for
his rights and he approached Sikh Coalitionwho sent a demand letter to Disney along
with ACLU asking that Disney de-segregate
Singh.
“Earlier this year Sikh coalition partnered
with ACLU and sent a forceful demand let-
ter to Disney notifying them that their prac-
tices were violating the law,” said Gurjot
Kaur, senior staff attorney at Sikh Coalition.
On June 22 Disney responded to the letter
agreeing to desegregate Singh and fully
accommodate his articles of faith.
In a response letter Disney mentioned that
“the company was committed to diversity
and prohibits discrimination based upon
religion.
“Racial or religious-based discrimination
has no place in our society. No one shouldhave to face daily humiliation of his or her
religious beliefs. I hope this decision opens
the door for other Sikhs and religious
minorities who wish to work for Disney,”
said Singh in a press statement.
Washington, DC:
The U.S. Senate July
15 confirmed leaders
from the nonprofit,
civic, and corporate
sectors to serve on the
board of direc tors of the Corporation for
Na ti on al an d
Community Service
(CNCS), the federal
agency that adminis-
ters AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the
Social Innovation Fund (SIF), and
other national service programs.
The new board members are: Rick
Christman of Lexington, Ky.;
Mona Dixon of Tempe, Ariz.;
Victoria Hughes of Millwood, Va.;
Eric Liu of Seattle, Wash.; Dean A.
Reuter of Washington, D.C.; and
Shamina Singh of Purchase, N.Y.
The board sets overall policy and
direction for CNCS and its pro-
grams. CNCS engages five millionAmericans of all ages and back-
grounds, including 75,000
AmeriCorps members and 260,000
Senior Corps volunteers, in results-
driven service each year. Shamina
Singh is Executive Director of the
MasterCard Center for Inclusive
Growth, where she is responsible
for the Center’s con-
sistent achievement
of its mission to
advance sustainable
and equitable eco-
nomic growth and
financial inclusionaround the world.
Previously, she
served as Global
Director of
M a s t e r C a r d ’ s
Government Social Programs.
Prior to joining MasterCard, Ms.
Singh headed Government and
Public Affairs for Nike and spent
five years with Citigroup's Global
Community Development Group.
Over the course of 15 years in the
public sector, she held senior posi-
tions within the Clinton
Administration, the US House of
Representatives, electoral cam-
pa ig ns an d na ti on al no n- pr ofi t
organizations. Singh is a YoungGlobal Leader with the World
Economic Forum and a Henry
Crown Fellow with the Aspen
Institute. She received a B.S. from
Old Dominion University and an
M.P.A. from The Lyndon B.
Johnson School of Public Affairs at
the University of Texas at Austin.
Sushma welcomes back Acharya Lokesh Muniji
Gurdit Singh
Acharya Lokesh Muni called on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi.
Shamina Singh
Disney Desegregates Sikh Employee
Senate confirmation for Shamina Singh
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8/32
8 July 18-24, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
New York: Asia Society announced
last week that four promising pro-fessional with ties to India—Mishi
Choudhary, Manish Dahiya, Sanjay
Vijayakumar, and Aarti Wig—were
named Asia 21 Young Leaders.
They are among the newest mem-
bers of the preeminent network of
young leaders from across the Asia-
Pacific, representing the private,
public, and nonprofit sectors.
Now in its 10th year, the Asia 21
Young Leaders Initiative has
become a robust network of more
than 800 young leaders from 30
nations. They are all in their own
ways focused on shaping a brighter
future for the Asia-Pacific region,
and confronting the most vexing
challenges facing the region today.Asia 21 Young Leaders are selected
through a highly competitive
pr oces s base d on ou ts tand ing
achievement, commitment to public
service, and a proven ability to
make the world a better place.
Mishi Choudhary, a technology
lawyer and an online civil liberties
activist, is the founding executive
director of SFLC.in, a pro-bono
legal services organization based in
New Delhi, India.Manish Dahiya is the executive
director and Global Head of Energy
Complex at Noble Group Limited.
Sanjay Vijayakumar is the chair-
man of the board of Startup Village,
India’s first incubator for public-pri-
vate partnerships, promoted jointly
by the Government of India and pri-
vate sector entities. Aarti Wig is co-
founder of the Indian arm of the
Yunus Social Business (YSB). She
helped set up the world’s first Yunus
Social Business Fund in Mumbai,
which has funded seven social
entrepreneurs across India.
“The new class of Asia 21 Young
Leaders is a remarkable group. We
are excited to introduce these lead-ers of the Asia-Pacific region to the
Asia 21 Network, where they will
find mentors, potential collabora-
tors, and, we hope, new friends,”
said Asia Society President and
CEO Josette Sheeran. “We welcome
this passionate group to the Asia 21
family, and look forward to the con-
tributions they make to the public
good in the coming years.”
New York: For three days in
September, the United States of
America will get a chance to wit-
ness the exhilarating madness that
is the Jaipur Literature Festival.
After the festival's huge success
in London for two years in a row,
the world's largest free literary fest
will travel to Boulder, Colorado
from September 18 to September
20, 2015. Known as JLF@Boulder,
the event will see more than 100
notable writers, thinkers, poets and
performers engage in dialogue and
debate about today's trending top-
ics. Interviews and panel discus-
sions, along with audience Q&A,
addressing timely themes of local
and international importance each
led by two to four authors will be a
part of JLF@Boulder.
Speaking about the development,
author and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, William
Dalrymple says, "Boulder is a long
way from Jaipur, and we are proud
to erect our literary 'Big Top' in
town and to bring the energy,
sparkle and brilliance of Indian
writing to a very different world."
The speakers confirmed for the
three-day edition of the festival
include international best-selling
author Jung Chang, Pulitzer Prize-
winning poet Vijay Seshadri,
Moroccan-American essayist and
novelist Laila Lalami, Israeli jour-
nalist, political commentator andauthor Gideon Levy, Chinese-
American best-selling author
Anchee Min, and journalist, histori-
an and award-winning author
Simon Sebag-Montefiore.
"We at JLF are looking forward to
a stimulating and inspirational edi-
tion in beautiful Boulder,
Colorado," says Namita Gokhale,
author and co-director of the Jaipur
Literature Festival. The festival will
bring toge the r Ind ian- Ame rican,
Asian and Latin American authors
to explore a variety of literary top-
ics and themes of local and interna-tional interest. While in terms of lit-
erary works the focus will remain
on Native American, Latino,
African American, Asian American
and regional literature, a diverse
range of themes will be explored
like migration; politics and conflict;
environmental concerns; the poetic
imagination and Native American
voices.
New York: A nine-year-old
Indian American girl left the
Obama couple awestruck
when she served a 'garam
masala' Quinoa Burger with
'raita' to them -- and won a
chance to dine with the First
Lady at the White House.
Hailing from Schaumburg,
Illinois, Shreya Patel was
among 55 young cooks who
were given a red carpet wel-
come at the White House
during the fourth annual
"Kids' State Dinner" recently.
The competition was to create arecipe for a healthy lunch, the
Chicago Tribune reported.
President Barack Obama and
his wife Michelle savored her
dish at the event and praised her
effort, the daily said.
Patel's garam masala quinoa
burger with raita was chosen as
the winning recipe from Illinois.
She was invited for the lunchwith Michelle Obama at a
flower-bedecked table in the
East Room on July 10.
"I have watched my mom and
grandma make all sort of deli-
cious food in the kitchen with an
Indian twist since I was born,"
Patel was quoted as saying on
www.letsmove.gov.
"I have been helping
them cook since I was
three. I love to mix, meas-
ure, chop, and even clean
up afterwards," she posted.
"My grandma and I
came up with this recipe
together because we both
love sandwiches. We make
this recipe often to take to
school for lunch or even
on picnics with friends,"
said Patel who aims to
become a pharmac ist like her
father.Her Quinoa Burger dish was
enhanced with garam masala,
cumin, ginger and grated serrano
chillies.
The "Kids' State Dinner" con-
test was open to children aged
eight to 12 and nearly 1,000
recipes were submitted.
Naperville: The Chicago suburb of
Nape rvil le is to offic ially host the
India Independence Day parade this
year, making it the first city in
Midwest America to do so.
The parade is organized in many
American cities by private organiza-
tions like the Federation of Indian
Associations. The parade will be held
on August 16, a Sunday.
Naper vil le' s Ind ian Communi ty
Outreach Organization(ICO) and the
Alliances of Midwest Indian
Association have jointly organized
the parade and related celebrations
which includes hoisting the Indian
flag at the Naperville MunicipalCenter. The organizers said that they
anticipated a large turnout, rivalling
the Independence Day parade in
Chicago's 'little India' Devon Avenue,
traditionally the biggest such event in
the area. The India Day Parade will
showcase India's rich and diverse cul-
ture, with several floats organized by
Indian cultural, business and political
organizations. Spectators will be
treated to a rich variety of Indian cui-
sine, ethnic arts, apparel and jewelry.
At an event to announce the parade,
senior city officials were unabashedly
enthusiastic. Naperville Mayor Steve
Chirico and Mayor Emeritus George
Pradel lauded the contributions of the
suburb's Indian American community.
There was even a proposal for Pradel
to be the 'parade marshal' attired in a
traditional Indian attire.
"Indian Americans are now a signif-
icant part of Naperville's population
in both numbers and impact," said
ICO chairman Krishna Bansal. Thecommunity, which saw a dramatic
grown since the nineties, now com-
prises ten percent of the suburb's total
population. Moreover, with the recent
influx of information technology
workers and other professionals from
India, over 70 percent are first gener-
ation immigrants.
The three day fest will be held Sept 18-20 at Boulder, Colorado
Shreya Patel's quinoa burger won her a chance to dine with the First Lady at the
White House
Four Indians named Asia21 Young Leaders
Chicago suburb to host India's
Independence Day parade
9-year-old Shreya impresses Obamas
with 'garam masala' burger
Jaipur Literature Festival heads to the USA
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8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 11 - July 18-24, 2015
9/32
9July 18-24, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS
Washington: Powerful Republicans
have started to accept that the first
TV debate next month in Cleveland
will be The Trump Show, but they
have their fingers crossed it’s a one-
time performance, reports The Daily
beast. Whether it’s the winery-own-
ing mega donor, or the Koch-backed
Hispanic outreach group or the for-
mer head of the American
Conservative Union, there is a dis-
taste for the abrasive reality TV star
and real estate tycoon, Donald
Trump, whose wealth now stands at
$10 billion.
But although there was preliminary
chatter about finding a way to marginalize Trump or
keep him off the debate stage in Cleveland, Ohio, the
unhappiness with his recent insulting comments aboutHispanics has yielded to mere condemnation and an
unhappy acquiescence to his presence in the race.
“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.
They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good peo-
ple,” Trump said recently.
John Jordan, the multi-millionaire winery owner
and the third-largest donor to super PACs in the coun-
try in 2013, had originally contemplated gathering
signatures to keep Trump off the debate stage. But
now he says: “I’m content right now to let the process
play out, that is for the party and the candidates to fig-
ure out.” Al Cardenas, the former
chairman of the American
Conservative Union and Florida’s first
Hispanic GOP state chairman, said he
hoped the primary process would nat-
urally weed out Trump’s candidacy,
rather than a top-down effort to push
him out.
“It’s a mild form of censorship to
say that because we disagree with his
tone or comments about the immigrant
community, [he] should leave the
race,” added Daniel Garza of the
Koch-backed Libre Initiative, which
seeks to appeal to Hispanic voters.
Alfonso Aguilar, the head of the con-
servative American Principles Project’s Latino
Partnership, views Trump’s “insulting and baseless”
comments as creating pressure on other presidentialcandidates to step up their Hispanic outreach.
“Instead of seeing him as a problem, I see it as an
opportunity—but one that requires strong leader-
ship,” he told the Beast. “He’s a lunatic, but we’ve
had other lunatics run for president. The problem is
not that he’s on stage—it’s if you don’t respond and
rebuke him.” As for the Republican National
Committee, it wants no part in any effort to sideline
Trump. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus had called
Trump to preach civility, but Trump’s version is it
was a congratulatory call.
Washington: President Obama has
urged the Congress to establish a
new criminal justice system, fairer
towards African-Americans and
Latinos and with reduced penalties
for those convicted of minor drug-related crimes. Obama on Tuesday
presented his proposal for criminal
justice reform at the annual conven-
tion of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored
Peoples, or NAACP, the nation's
leading organization for the defense
of African-American rights.
NAACP is critical of the impunity
of white officers in the deaths of
African-Americans under disputed
circumstances. "One in every 35
African-American men and one in
every 88 Latino men is serving
time. Among white men, the num-
ber is one in 214. The bottom line is
that in too many places, black boysand black men, Latino boys and
Latino men are treated differently
under the law," denounced Obama.
"America is home to 5 percent of
the world's population, but 25 per-
cent of the world's prisoners. Our
incarceration rate is four times high-
er than China's. We keep more peo-
pl e behind ba rs than the top 35
European countries combined," said
the president.
Washington: Federal Reserve
Chair Janet Yellen toldCongress Wednesday that the
Fed still plans to begin raising
interest rates this year amid an
improving economy but that it
will likely push them up gradu-
ally.
But the often-contentious
hearing before the House
Financial Services Committee
repeatedly veered into sharp
exchanges about the Fed's
accountability to lawmakers.
On the economy, Yellen said,
"Prospects are favorable for
further improvement in the US labor market
and the economy more broadly. In her semi-
annual monetary policy testimony, she addedthat the Fed "expects US GDP growth to
strengthen over the remainder of
this year and the unemploymentrate to decline gradually."
Yellen added that low oil
pri ces and job growth sho uld
bolster consumer spending while
the negative effects of a strong
dollar and low oil prices on
exports and business investment
diminish.
She didn't provide more
specifics about the timing of the
first hike in the Fed's benchmark
rate since 2006, reiterating that it
will depend on the progress
shown by the economy and labor
market. Many economists expect the Fed to
act as early as September; others say the cen-
tral bank is likely delay the move untilDecember or even 2016.
Washington: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) will introduce
legislation Wednesday to make community
college free for low-income students, fulfilling
a promise made by President Obama in his
State of the Union address this year.
In his February speech, Obama touted his
plan as a "chance to graduate ready for the
new economy, without a load of debt."
"Understand, you've got to earn it -- you've
got to keep your grades up and graduate on
time," he said. "Tennessee, a state with
Republican leadership, and Chicago, a citywith Democratic leadership, are showing that
free community college is possible. I want to
spread that idea all across America, so that two
years of college becomes as free and universal
in America as high school is today."
America's College Promise Act will provide
a federal match of $3 for every $1 invested by
states to waive tuition and fees at community,
technical and tribal colleges.
The legislation goes even further than
Obama's proposal by creating an affordable
path to a bachelor's degree as well. It would
cover a significant portion of the cost of two
years of college for low-income students who
attend qualifying minority-serving institutions,
such as historically black colleges and univer-
sities. Lawmakers estimate that this legislationcould help a full-time community college stu-
dent save an average of $3,800 in tuition per
year and benefit an estimated 9 million stu-
dents if every state participates in the program.
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com
Fed's Yellen reiterates she expects rate hike this year
Bill on Obama's free community college plan
Federal ReserveChairwoman Janet
Yellen testified beforethe U.S. HouseCommittee on
Financial Services.
America is home to 5 % of the world's population, but 25 % of the world's prisoners. One in every 35 African-American men is serving time.
No dumping Trump: Donald willdominate first GOP debate
Obama proposes fairer justicesystem for minorities
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10 July 18-24, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: A day after
holding a meeting with
Special Investigation Team
and its Special Task Force
officials in Bhopal in
Madhya Pradesh, the CBIregistered three cases in its
ongoing probe into the
Vyapam scam in the state.
The CBI registered a
First Information Report
against 21 candidates in
the 2010 Pre-Medical Test
(PMT) apart from one
against eight accused in
the 2011 Pre-PG exam.
The third case was regis-
tered against 28 persons
for alleged illegalities in
the Pre-Medical Test held
in Madhya Pradesh in
2009 and 2010.
The accused were bo ok ed on ch arge s of
criminal conspiracy, cheat-
ing by impersonation,
cheating and dishonestly
inducing delivery of prop-
erty, forgery of valuable
security, forgery for pur-
pose of cheating, using as
genuine a forged document
and knowing it to beforged, and intending to
use it as genuine.
A 40-member CBI team
reached Bhopal following
the Supreme Court's order
to take over the investiga-
tion from the Special
Investigation Team (SIT)
of Madhya Pradesh Police.
According to CBI
sources, police teams from
Gwalior, Indore and
Jabalpur were probing var-
ious matters related to the
scam.
The STF, set up by the
SIT, and police teamshanded over many docu-
ments related to the probe
to the central agency,
sources said.
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said the deadlock
over land acquisition was seriously
impacting rural development, as
Congress chief ministers boycotted
the Niti Aayog meeting called byhim to discuss the contentious land
bill.
Addressing a meeting of the
Governing Council of NITI Aayog
here, Modi said political considera-
tions should not come in the way of
a solution to the imbroglio over land
bill.
The meeting, days before parlia-
ment's monsoon session opens on
July 21, saw the participation of 16
chief ministers, including eight of
the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Congress, firmly opposed to
the land acquisition bill of the
Nati on al Democr at ic Al li ance
(NDA) government, stayed away.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
later told the media that many states
were keen on having their own land
laws if there was a delay in building
a national consensus over the con-
tentious land bill.
In his remarks, Modi said the cen-
tral and state governments must
move together.
"The political deadlock over land
acquisition is seriously impacting
rural development, including the
creation of schools, hospitals, roads
and irrigation projects," he said.
He said there was no difference
between his government and states
on paying enhanced compensation
for acquired land.
Modi said several states had raised
concerns about the land bill enacted
by the United Progressive Alliance
government in 2013, saying "devel-opment work was suffering" due to
its provisions. He said some chief
ministers also wrote to him seeking
changes in the 2013 act.
Modi told the meeting that the
views of states would be kept in
mind by the government.
Congress spokesperson R.P.N.
Singh said the party's chief minis-
ters did not go for the NITI Aayog
meeting as the Congress stance on
"land bill was clear". He said the
Congress was against changes to the
2013 act.
Jaitley took a dig at Congress
chief ministers.
"Those who chose to boycott must
introspect whether not attending the
meeting is in tune with the spirit of
federalism. You can come and
express alternative opinion," he
said."The chief ministers (at the meet-
ing) said that either the centre must
evolve a consensus or give enough
flexibility to states to frame their
own land law. (States) cannot wait
indefinitely for a consensus."
He said both Bihar Chief Minister
Ni ti sh Kumar and Delh i Chie f
Minister Arvind Kejriwal favored
the 2013 act.
Jaitley said the alternate view was
that states faced hurdles in econom-
ic development due to delays in land
acquisition.
"Land is needed for creating alter-
native employment for farmers,
laborers. It is required for develop-
ment, infrastructure, industry, jobs,
housing," he said.
New Delhi: With India close to
choosing Grigorivich frigatesfor its navy, Russia is partnering
Anil Ambani-led Pipavav
Defence to build these ships
under Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's "Make in India" initia-
tive, official sources said.
They will be upgraded ver-
sions of Talwar-class ships, or
the Russian equivalent of
Krivak-III.
Confirming this to IANS, at
least two senior defense offi-
cials said a team from Russia
evaluated three-four private and
state-run shipyards as they were
keen on an Indian partner if the
ships were to be built in India.This will be a pre-condition for
the order valued at $3-$3.5 bil-
lion.
The sites evaluated were
Pipavav's yard in Gujarat,
Larsen and Toubro's unit atEnnore, and the state-run
Cochin Shipyard in Kerala.
Pipavav, a majority stake in
which was acquired by the
Reliance Group a few months
ago, emerged the winner.
"The Prime Minister's Office
is closely watching the develop-
ment," one of the two officials
told IANS. "This is likely to be
an order that will be placed on
the government of Russia by our
government."
The idea is to have a 198-ship
naval force by 2027, up from
the current 137 vessels. Already,
48 warships are under construc-tion at Indian shipyards, includ-
ing aircraft carriers, frigates,
destroyers, submarines,
corvettes and fast-attack craft.
Russia chooses RelianceGroup for 'Make in India'
frigates
Nagpur: Yakub Memon, con-
victed for his role in the March
12, 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts,
will be hanged on July 30, offi-
cial sources said here.
He is likely to be be hanged inthe Nagpur Central Jail, where
he is currently lodged, follow-
ing the rejection of his mercy
plea in Apri l this year by the
president, said the official who
declined to be identified.
A chartered accountant,
Memon, 53, has filed his sec-
ond review petition before the
Supreme Court which is expect-
ed to be heard July 21, but the
state government is making all
pre paratio ns for the han gin g
with the warrant issued earlier
this week.
He was awarded the death
sentence by a Special TADACourt in Mumbai on July 27,
2007 for his role in the blasts,
including arranging finances for
carrying out the 13 serial explo-
sions which left 257 dead and
over 700 injured across the city
on March 12, 1993.Subsequently, Memon - the
br ot he r of on e of th e ma in
absconding accused Ibrahim
alias Tiger Memon - appealed
against the sentence in the
Bombay High Court, Supreme
Court and later filed a mercy
petition with the president, fol-
lowed by a review petition, and
now a second review petition
which is pending.
Leading criminal lawyer and
a former defence lawyer in the
same case Majeed Memon
questioned the need for the state
government's "hurry" in the
matter even before the outcomeof the second review petition.
Mumbai blasts convict YakubMemon to hang on July 30
Modi seeks end to deadlock on land bill
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of the Skill India Mission at NITI Aayog in New Delhi.
CBI files three FIRsin Vyapam scam
Yakub
Memon.
Hazare to go on hungerstrike over land bill
Ralegan-Siddhi (Maharashtra): Social activist
Anna Hazare announced plans to launch an indefi-
nite hunger
strike from
October 2 in
Delhi for imple-
mentation of the'One Rank One
P e n s i o n '
(OROP) for ex-
servicemen and
against the con-
tentious land
acquisition bill.
"I will launch
my fast at Ramlila Maidan in the capital from
October 2 on these issues," Hazare told media per-
sons here.
Prior to the hunger strike, the 78-year-old former
army driver will honour war widows and mothers
of martyred defence personnel in Delhi on "Shahid
Din" on July 26, he said.
This will mark the start of awareness rallies of
farmers and retired defence personnel all over the
country.
Hazare recently wrote to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on both the issues, but said there
has been no response from the government.
Social activistAnna Hazare
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8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 11 - July 18-24, 2015
11/32
11July 18-24, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: Political fault
lines in the Indian capital
took a hit as Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal
hosted an Iftar party, which
was attended by Lt.
Governor Najeeb Jung, with
whom he has been having a
running feud, and old politi-
cal foe and former chief
minister Sheila Dikshit.
Vice President Hamid
Ansari, Pakistan's HighCommissioner Abdul Basit,
Trinamool Congress' Rajya
Sabha member Derek
O'Brien, and Delhi Police
chief B.S. Bassi were
among those who attended
the event hosted at the
Palika Services Officers
Institute at Nehru Park in
Chanakyapuri area.
Janata Dal-United chief
Sharad Yadav and party
leader K.C. Tyagi were also
present.
At one point, Kejriwal,
wearing a skull cap, was
flanked on one side by Jung,
and on the other by Dikshit.
Although Kejriwal and Jung
hugged warmly for the cam-
eras, the chief minister, while
seated on a sofa, spoke most-
ly with Dikshit while Jung
was seen chatting with
Ansari.
There has been a tussle
between the Kejriwal govern-
ment and Jung over transfers
and postings of senior offi-
cials in Delhi.When Bassi reached the
venue, neither Kejriwal nor
Deputy Chief Minister
Manish Sisodia rose to greet
him and simply made eye
contact.A large number of
Muslims from all over the
capital flocked to the event
hosted by Kejriwal, who is
also the chairman of the Urdu
Academy.
The only representativefrom the Bharatiya Janata
Party was opposition leader in
the Delhi assembly Vijender
Gupta.
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee
hosted an Iftar party that saw leaders from
several political parties in attendance at
Rashtrapati Bhavan here, but where Prime
Minister Narendra Modi was conspicuous
by his absence.
Modi had a pre-scheduled meeting with
chief ministers of the northeastern states at 7
p.m. and hence did not come to the Iftar.
However, Home Minister Rajnath Singh
and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were
present.
Others who attended the Iftar included
vice president Hamid Ansari, Congress pres-
ident Sonia Gandhi, Jammu and Kashmir
chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,
Delhi Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Janata Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav,
Nat ionali st Congress Par ty chi ef Sharad
Pawar, Trinamool Congress leader Derek
O'Brien and several diplomats were among
the attendees.
In his message, the President said
Ramadan was a month of blessings and for-
giveness which reminds people of their duty
towards the poor and less privileged as well
as the need for charity and generosity
towards all.
"Let us during this holy month pledge to
spread love, affection and mutual trust
among all. May the spirit of Ramadan instill
in each one of us a sense of unity and pride
in the composite culture of India," he said.
New Delhi: In a surprise
move, hardline separatist
leader Syed Ali ShahGeelani has decided
against attending the Eid
Milan being hosted by the
Pakistan High Commission
here on July 21 over the
Kashmir issue being
“ignored” at Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif's
meeting with his Indian
counterpart Narendra Modi
in Russia last week.
The hardline Hurriyat
Conference leader said that
he will register his protest
by not att end ing the Eid
Milan as the two prime
ministers did not discuss
the Kashmir issue during
their talks in the Russian
city of Ufa on July 10.
“As the two prime minis-
ters ignored the fate of over
10 million people of
Jammu and Kashmir in
their meeting, we reject
being a part of any of their
(Pakistan's) celebration,”
Geelani said.
“The Kashmir issue is
question of life and death
for us. Nobody can take us
for granted. And I will not
attend the Eid Milan in
New Delh i to re gi st er a
symbolic protest,” he said.
Sources in hardline
Hurriyat Conference said
that no member from the
party will attend the event.
They said that the sched-
uled Iftar party at the high
commission earlier this
month - which was to be
attended by Hurriyat lead-
ers from various factions -
was canceled to create a
favourable atmosphere for
meeting of the two prime
ministers.
The Narendra Modi gov-
ernment had called off for-
eign secretary-level talks
with Pakistan in August
last year over Pakistan
High Commissioner Abdul
Basit meeting separatist
leaders on the eve of the
dialogue.
Sonia Gandhi,Rajnath Singhand others at
the iftar party hosted by President
Pranab Mukherjee inNew Delhi.
Kejriwal hosts Iftar; Pak envoy,Jung among attendeesSrinagar: As people of Kashmir bus-
ied themselves with shopping for the
coming Eid celebrations, prices of
essential commodities as well as fancy
goods hit north in Srinagar and other
cities and towns in the
valley.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the festival of thanksgiv-
ing marking the end of holy month of
Ramadan, is likely to be held on July
18, depending on the sighting of the
New Moon.
Shoppers thronged the markets in
Srinagar, making shopkeepers stretchworking hours till late in the evening
to meet the heavy rush.
City centre Lal Chowk and adjacent
markets were decorated with colourful
banners and hoardings extending Eid
greetings as shoppers moved around to
buy mutton, poultry, bakery products,
vegetables, cottage cheese, clothes and
other items that took their fancy.
In city markets, enthusiastic children
were seen thronging shops with their
parents to buy clothes and firecrack-
ers.
Typical of celebration times in
Srinagar, buyers were forced to pay
inflated prices for different items
while they griped over governmentfailure to ensure fair prices of essential
commodities during festive seasons.
Though consumer affairs and public
distribution department issued price
lists of essential commodities and got
these published in local newspapers
and put in place checking squads, offi-
cial price lists were observed more in
breach.
As against the state administration's
retail price of mutton at Rs.310 per kg
and poultry at Rs.100 per kg, meat was
sold at Rs.400 and poultry at Rs.130
pe r kg ev er yw he re in th e ci ty.
Similarly, other essential commodities
were sold at inflated prices.
"Unscrupulous shopkeepers know
how to deal with consumers. They firstcreate artificial scarcity and then
charge at will," said Javed Shah, 48,
outside a shop selling cheese in the old
city Srinagar.
Long queues were seen outside some
wellknown bakery shops in the city.
"My wife said I must buy bakery
from this shop only. I think I will have
to spend the entire day to fulfill her
wish," remarked Shabir Farash, 41, as
he tried hard to make his way to the
front of baker's shop in uptown
Srinagar city.
Traffic police faced tough time regu-
lating throngs of people as well as
vehicles in the city, with frequent jams
reported across the city.On the eve of Eid, provincial admin-
istration issued a traffic diversion plan
to decongest the city centre and other
busy markets.
Prices shoot up as Kashmirreadies for Eid
President hosts Iftar,Modi conspicuous by absence
Geelani not to attend Pakistan HighCommission's Eid milan
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung hug each other during an 'Iftaar Party' hosted
by Kejriwal in New Delhi.
Separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
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8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 11 - July 18-24, 2015
12/32
The views expressed in Op Eds are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times.
By Harinder Baweja
Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and
Nawaz Sharif finally succeeded in
breaking the ice when they met in
Ufa, Russia, and managed to take the
India-Pakistan relationship out of what
many strategic experts call the ‘deep
freezer’.
Relations between the two neighbors
had nosedived after the Modi government
drew a new red line in August last year
when it abruptly called off foreign secre-
tary-level talks after the Pakistani high
commissioner met with Kashmiri sepa-
ratists. Pakistan’s interference in India’s
‘internal affairs was unacceptable', was
the message that had been squarely deliv-
ered then. The decision surprised many
beca use it came within two months of
Sharif attending Modi’s swearing-in.
A few months later, when guns boomedalong the international border between
India and Pakistan, another stern message
was sent: The Border Security Force was
told to hit Pakistan hard and its officers
were instructed not to seek a flag meeting.
India’s response then was seen as part of a
new policy being carved out by Modi for
Pakistan in particular: Masculine national-
ism.
The meeting in Ufa has changed that and
there seems to be a realization that
engagement is the best way forward. Of
course, the change in stance comes a few
months after the power-sharing arrange-
ment between the BJP and the PDP in
Jammu and Kashmir. PDP patron Mufti
Mohammad Sayeed had made talks with
Pakistan a pre-condition.
The thaw in Ufa has in fact come at
India’s insistence for it was Modi who
sought a meeting with his Pakistani coun-
terpart. Till now, Pakistan’s position had
been that the first move must come from
India for it was the one that called off
talks.”We cannot be dictated to. Talks
were suspended by your government and
the ball is squarely in India’s court,’’
Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan’s security and for-
eign affairs advisor, had told this paper
last year.
The Congress may be questioning the
‘breakthrough’ in Ufa, but the Centre has
been able to put much more into the joint
statement from India’s perspective than
Sharif has. India’s concerns on terrorism
have been flagged as has the issue of the
slow pace of the 26/11 trial which allowed
the Lashkar-e-Toiba military commander
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi to walk free.
Quite unlike the infamous Sharm-el-
Sheikh joint statement of 2009 in which
the Manmohan Singh government agreed
to delink terror and talks and surprisingly
mentioned ‘India’s role in Balochistan’,
the Ufa statement is totally silent on
Kashmir. The joint communiqué says both
sides are ‘’prepared to discuss all out-
standing issues’’ but the missing ‘K’ word
is bound to create problems for Sharif as
soon as he returns home.
While Sharif manages the domestic fall-
out, he will also have to work towards
finding ways of delivering on the voice
samples of Lakhvi and the other 26/11
accused. The anti-terror court, the defenselawyers of the accused — and the
Pakistani Army and ISI who provide open
patronage to Lakhvi — have been block-
ing the samples for years.
For the immediate, Ufa has opened up a
window of opportunity, one that extends
up to next year when Modi travels to
Pakistan for the Saarc Summit.
(The comment appeared in The
Hindustan Times)
By Amulya Ganguli
The Vyapam controversy has the poten-
tial of being as damaging, if not more,
as the scams which sank the
Congress. The reason why it may prove to be
worse than, say, the spectrum scam is that
Vyapam is unlike any other scandal seen in
recent years.
While most of them related to malfea-
sance, the recruitment for government jobs
and admission to educational institutions via
the tests conducted by the Vyavsayik
Pariksha Mandal (whose acronym is
Vyapam) in Madhya Pradesh have been
marked by a seemingly unending series of deaths.
There is patently something eerie and sin-
ister about these demises, including the death
of the Madhya Pradesh governor's son,
which impart a spooky aura to the scandal. It
is this un