Ankita, ’I’m proud to be his girlfriend’
30082013Ankita Lokhande professes her undying love for Sushant on the sets of DID Super Moms!
It’s the case of finding real love while working in the reel world. And who could say it better than TV starlet Ankita Lokhande. On the sets of DID Super Moms, where the cast of Shuddh Desi Romance were present to promote their upcoming film, a surprise was in store for Sushant Singh Rajput the male lead of the film.The content team of ZEE TV had prepared a video tape for Sushant where they had taken bytes of all the prominent cast of Pavitra Rishta. Though he was touched by the gesture and all the sweet things that his ex co-stars said about him, what he didn’t expect was a confession of love from his long term girlfriend Ankita Lokhande. Ankita in her video proclaims her eternal love for him in front of the world and says, “I am proud to be your girlfriend and the kind of chemistry I share with you, I can’t have that with anyone else”. An overwhelmed Ankita recollected the last scene they had shot together in which Sushant hugs Ankita as they part ways. She adds that at that point the moment they shared was real. They hugged as they knew this was it. The tears they cried at that time were not a by product of any glycerine but the feelings they had for each other.
A visibly touched Sushant almost had tears in his eyes and was too overwhelmed to say anything.
Sushant’s co actors of Shuddh Desi Romance , Parineeti Chopra and Vani had a whale of a time with the super moms on the Sets of DID. While Parineeti didn’t hesitate to sing the title track of Shuddh Desi Romance with contestant Zoya, Sushant and Vani were enthusiastic enough to dance while she sang.
Don’t miss this exciting episode of DID Super Moms this Saturday and Sunday at 9pm only on Zee TV!
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30082013
AirAsia X Announces Great Deals to Busan, the gateway to the New 7 Wonders of Nature; Jeju Island!
Offering fares from as low as MYR299* to Busan
SEPANG, 30 August 2013- AirAsia X Berhad, the leading low-cost, long-haul carrier, today is offering our guests affordable fares to Busan from Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia X commenced its first flight into Busan from Kuala Lumpur on July 15, 2013 with four weekly flights into the city.
AirAsia X will be offering hot deals from Busan from Kuala Lumpur. Guests on AirAsia X flights may book online and enjoy our hot deals to Busan from as low as MYR299* (KRW129,000*) on Economy andMYR1,249* (KRW419,000*) on Premium from Kuala Lumpur. Bookings are available online between 30 August 2013 and 5 September 2013 for travel between 1 October 2013 and 31 December 2013.
Concurrently, Fly-Thru promotional deals on AirAsia X are available from Kuching, Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Adelaide (Australia), Bali, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya (Indonesia), Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket (Thailand), Saigon (Vietnam) and Kochin (India) to Busan, Korea from as low as MYR169* (KRW152,900*).
Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X said, “This amazing deal would further strengthen our commitment to Korea from Kuala Lumpur. Our guests may now fly to Busan for a quick getaway and opt to travel to beautiful Jeju Island that is widely known as Chejudo-The Island of Gods and is blessed with natural wonders, angelic sceneries, historical and cultural attractions. The island is merely an hour away by flight from Busan Gimhae International Airport and guests may opt to travel on any of the many domestic carriers available from the airport.”
“Our flights to Busan, which just started in July, have recorded a strong growth with an average of 81% passenger load to date. Overall, in the first half of 2013, Korea contributes over 7.4% of our total revenue and we hope to further boost traffic growth between Korea and the ASEAN region.”
Busan is the second largest city and the number 1 trading port in Korea. Attractions include the beach areas, islands, and Hae Ahn Park coupled with historical ruins and sites, and Dongnae Shrine. Surely Busan’s most charming tourist point is its beautiful sea vistas. The natural beauty of Busan is a perfect example of harmony between mountains, rivers and sea. Visitors can take advantage of excellent hiking and water activities, in addition to the many hot springs scattered throughout the city.
Jeju Island, an emerging holiday destination is located in the Southwest of the Korean Peninsula. The island boasts world heritage sites such as the Hallasan Mountain, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak and the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System that holds one of the most extensive series of lava tube caves in the world. Jeju Island is also known for its semi-tropical forested national park and beautiful white sandy beaches that makes it one of the best vacation spots in Korea.
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30082013
GSAT-7, India’s first military satellite, launched |
GSAT-7, India’s first full-fledged military communication spacecraft, meant for exclusive use by the Navy, was launched on Friday morning from Kourou in South America on a European Ariane 5 launcher. The satellite is expected to give a big boost to the country’s maritime security and intelligence gathering in a wide swathe of the Indian Ocean region. Built to the Navy’s multiple-band requirements as platform to safely link up its ships, submarines, aircraft and command from land in real time, it is ISRO’s latest communication satellite. Until now the defence forces have used minuscule capacities on ISRO’s various INSAT/GSAT satellites. It will be doubly empowered when its sibling, GSAT-7A, follows it in 2014-15 at the earliest; it is said to share some of the GSAT-7A resources with the Air Force and the Army. For the Navy, this is part of a long-term modernisation plan involving the use of satellites and information technology. In recent years successive Chiefs of Naval Staff have identified space-based communications as the core of the Navy’s futuristic network-centric operations. To be placed over 74 degrees East longitude in the coming days, the 2,650-kg satellite is designed to enable communication in four frequency bands ranging from the lower UHF (ultra high frequency) to the higher Ku bands, along with the rare S band and the commonly used C band. It provides a decent slice of 15 mHz of the premium S-band for MSS (mobile satellite services); the S-band is now the preserve of the military and strategic State users including All India Radio. The UHF has never been used until now in an Indian communication satellite; this gives the user (Navy) a long sweep of intelligence network, or what it calls COMINT/ELINT, on moving non-land platforms like ships. The Ku band allows high-density data transmission, including voice and video. A special ground infrastructure has also been put in place for GSAT-7. |
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Bhutan PM on visit to India
30082013Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay, will arrive in India on Friday and meet the top Indian leadership during which key bilateral issues like financial assistance for the Himalayan nation will be discussed.
“During the visit, all areas of mutual interest including our political, security, developmental, economic and cultural cooperation, will be discussed,” Ministry of External Affairs said.
During his six-day visit, he will hold comprehensive talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh and senior union cabinet ministers including External Affairs, Finance and Home will call on the visiting dignitary.
The visit comes at a time when India is considering Bhutan government’s proposal for financial assistance of Rs 4,500 crore under 11th Plan apart from a demand of Rs 800 crore to meet their cash crunch for small developmental projects.
Bhutan had given the presentation on their proposal last week during the visit of the Indian Plan team led by Special Secretary of Development Partnership Administration P S Raghavan in the MEA.
According to sources, the government is considering the Bhutanese proposal and also the accountability aspect of it.
Tobgay will be accompanied by his spouse Aum Tashi Doma, Foreign Minister Lyonpo Rinzin Dorje, and senior officials from the Royal Government of Bhutan.
“The visit is in conformity with the tradition of regular exchange of visits at the highest levels between India and Bhutan, and adds momentum to our time-tested and enduring relations,” the MEA said.
This is the first overseas visit by Prime Minister Tobgay after being elected Prime Minister, following the second democratic elections in Bhutan in July.
He will have a joint meeting with business chambers Assocham, FICCI and CII and will also travel to Hyderabad on 3rd September, 2013 where he will visit the CII Green Business Centre and the IT Park at Madhapur.
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Hyderabad Hotshots storm into IBL final
30082013Star shuttler Saina Nehwal accounted for higher-ranked Juliane Schenk in a hard-fought contest as Hyderabad Hotshots thrashed Pune Pistons 3-0 and booked a berth for the summit clash in the inaugural Indian Badminton League in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad’s icon player Saina survived some anxious moments before prevailing over Schenk 21-10, 19-21, 11-8 in a tight women’s singles contest after Ajay Jayaram pulled off a surprising victory over the top-ranked Tien Minh Nyugen 21-17, 21-11 in men’s singles in the first match.
Hyderabad pair of Goh V Shem and Wah Lim Khim then defeated Pune’s Joachim Fischer and Sanave Thomas 16-21, 21-14, 11-7 in men’s doubles to take their side to the final at the GMC Balayogi indoor stadium.
The match between Saina and Schenk, currently world number four and number three respectively, proved to be an exciting battle marked by long rallies, powerful smashes and drop shots as both tried to outsmart each other.
The first game went in Saina’s favour as she managed to expand her initial lead of 7-3 at the time of the first break to a massive 14-4 by the second interval.
The first game between Jayaram (ranked 25) and Vietnam’s Tien Minh Nyugen (world number five) promised to be a competitive affair from the start as the Indian put up a fight against his more fancied rival.
Jayaram led 7-6 at the time of first break and the young Hyderabad player maintained a consistent lead with brilliant smashes and cross-court shots. He won the first game with an impressive margin of 21-17.
The second game proved to be equally good for Jayaram who continued to dominate. Jayaram, who had a 7-1 lead at the time of first break, established an unassailable lead of 18-8.
Though ranked lower, Jayaram showed that he was equal to the task and won the second game 21-11 as the capacity crowd in the GMC Balayogi indoor stadium cheered him.
“It was not a miracle overnight. I was suffering from an injury yesterday and I rested the entire day which really worked well and I won the match. I also changed my strategy a little bit to play against Tien Minh Nyugen,” said Jayaram after the match.
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Fundamentals of economy strong; growth in second half of fiscal: PM
30082013Facing an attack over the economic situation amid a sliding rupee, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, made a detailed statement on the crisis in Rajya Sabha, asserting that growth will improve in the second half of fiscal year, even as the BJP and Left parties walked out after his statement.
Highlights:
- What triggered the sharp depreciation in Rupee value was due to certain external forces
- We need to reduce our appetite for gold, economise the use of petroleum products and take steps to increase our exports
- The last two decades have seen India grow as an open economy and benefited from it. There is no question of reversing these policies
- Growth will pick up in second half of fiscal year
- US federal reserves tapering has caused general weakening in global currencies
- Part of rupee depreciation needed adjustment as inflation in India was much higher than advanced countries
- Government not contemplating capital controls
- Foreign exchange reserves at USD 278 bn more than sufficient to meet requirement
- Depreciation of rupee and rise in oil prices will put further upward pressure on inflation
- There is a liquidity problem
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Stop gedwongen verdwijningen Syrië
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| Je ontvangt deze ´Kom in actie!-mailing´ omdat je lid bent van Amnesty, je actief voor ons inzet of hebt aangegeven op de hoogte te willen worden gehouden van Amnesty´s campagnes en acties. Wil je deze mailings liever niet ontvangen? Dan kun je je hieronder afmelden. |
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Jaitley on Election of Members to the JPC on 2G Spectrum Scam
30082013THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION (SHRI ARUN JAITLEY): You are setting a wrong precedent and I will tell you the reason why. This is a Motion for filling up two vacancies in the JPC. Now, it is a JPC on 2G Spectrum Allocation. For the last few months, the Committee has not been functioning. Numbers matter; they are important, considering what is happening. From time immemorial, a Parliamentary Committee always represents the strength of various parties in the House. It is proportionate; it is never ‘winner takes all’. Otherwise, if a Resolution system is there, when a Committee is constituted, the Government, which may be in a majority, will say, ‘I propose a Resolution and all Members are mine.’ It has never happened. Now, you have, like a bye-election, two casual vacancies, and two casual vacancies have arisen. Now, two casual vacancies, therefore, have to be filled up in a manner, keeping the proportionate strength of the Government and the Opposition in mind. It can’t be that the Government proposes and takes both. That is against parliamentary norms and the precedent that they are setting is extremely dangerous, which would be far-reaching, and for future parliamentary history, it would have bad consequences. Therefore, the Minister must discuss this with important Members of the Opposition and if we can give an agreed name to him, have a proportionate representation, which is the in-built parliamentary rule. …(Interruptions)…
SHRI SITARAM YECHURY: Sir, I would suggest, let the hon. Minister call a meeting of all the leaders. Let us all sit down and discuss it and, then, come to an agreement on that. Don’t push through something. You just call all of us — we are all here– and then decide.
SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA: Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, we have discussed this with leaders of different political parties. It is not as if a Congress Party nominee’s name, or a UPA nominee’s name is being given in place of Mr. Siva. There are ten MPs nominated by the President of India. This time, we are giving one nomination to a person who has been nominated by the President of India. That block is there. …(Interruptions)…
SHRI BALBIR PUNJ: It is at your…(Interruptions)…
SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA: That block is there. And, most of the people have agreed on that. So, if the House has to decide it, it should be left to the House. And we are ready for a division.
SHRI ARUN JAITLEY: That is exactly my opposition. It is not that you are nominating a Nominated Member.
SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA: Ultimately, the House is supreme. Let the House decide.
SHRI ARUN JAITLEY: Both the Members that you are nominating are Members of choice of the Government. Therefore, if the Government says, ‘by an absolute majority we can take both’, then, in future Parliamentary Committees, there could be a precedent of no Opposition representation and the winner taking it all.
SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA: There may be many other precedents also. Therefore, I am suggesting, let the House decide.
SHRI ARUN JAITLEY: That is the precedent you would be setting. Therefore, let the Chairman discuss this. It is a precedent which is going to have very dangerous consequences, where if there are two vacancies, Government takes both, because irrespective of who the Member is, both Members are of your choice. The Opposition’s views are not taken into consideration. We are willing to request any one Member from the Opposition. Let Mr. Yechury and Dr. Maitreyan be there; we would ask Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad to be there; you discuss it with all the three of them and settle the matter.
SHRI RAJEEV SHUKLA: But I think the House is supreme, and let the House decide. …(Interruptions)… the House should decide it. Discussions will keep on taking place. The other day also, no discussion took place. Let the House take a decision. The House is supreme, and I am ready for a division. …(Interruptions)…
SHRI ARUN JAITLEY: So, are you saying that this House would, henceforth, decide? Let us be very clear. Is it the Government’s stand and, therefore, the stand of the ruling party, that in future when Parliamentary Committees are constituted, it would be done by a principle of ‘winner takes all’, and there would be no Opposition representative?
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BJP delegation led by Shri L.K. Advani to the President of India
30082013To,
Hon’ble Rashtrapatiji
Rashtrapati Bhawan
New Delhi
New Delhi
Sir,
On behalf of the Members of Parliament of the Bharatiya Janata Party we submit this Memorandum to you on the unprecedented crisis facing the Indian economy today. The free fall of the Indian rupee against the US dollar is only a symptom of the deeper malaise afflicting the Indian economy today. The fundamentals of the Indian economy have been ruined because of the reckless policies of the government. The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act was thrown out of the window in 2008-09. The fiscal deficit of the government was allowed to rise exponentially in that year by the then Finance Minister who also happens to be the Finance Minister today from 2.5% of the GDP in 2007-08 to 6 percent of the GDP and the revenue deficit from 1.1 percent to 4.5 percent. This splurge in expenditure in 2008-09, most of which was consumption expenditure and not investment expenditure is wholly responsible for the present crisis. Fiscal deficit and revenue deficit have stayed at unsustainable levels year after year since then. The utter carelessness displayed on the external front has led to a burgeoning current account deficit. Retail inflation has been in double digit for the last four years. Interest rates have increased to unacceptable levels leading to a singular decline in investment. This has affected production adversely as a result of which growth rate in 2012-13 has declined to 5%. Experts predict that the growth rate in the current year may be below 4 percent.
The foreign exchange market and the stock markets have become extremely volatile. The rupee has lost as much as 3 percent against the dollar in a single day. An atmosphere of gloom and doom prevails in the country. We shudder to think of the unbearable consequences all these developments are going to have on the common man. There is already a talk of diesel prices going up by Rs. five a litre after the current Parliament session ends.
The Government of India, as usual, is in denial. Not satisfied with this it blames everybody else for the current crisis except itself. It blames the opposition, the state governments, the Reserve Bank of India and the global factors. The limit of irresponsibility was however crossed when the Finance Minister blamed his immediate predecessor for the crisis and the Prime Minister kept quiet. Sir, the crisis which afflicts the economy and the country today is primarily a crisis of confidence. We have a government which is unable to take any decision, provide any leadership, or a ray of hope for the future. It is mired in humongous corruption. Even the Supreme Court now suspects that it is trying to destroy evidence by making the incriminating files go missing.
The country can ill-afford at this moment of crisis a government which is paralysed, a Prime Minister who never speaks, a Finance Minister who wrongly blames his immediate predecessor who is unable to defend himself, a supreme leader who does not care about where the money will come from and a bureaucracy which is frozen and unable to act. The Ministers of this government are unbridled and working at cross-purposes. The relationship of the Government of India with the State Governments, specially the non-UPA ruled states and with the opposition parties, is at its nadir. We have come to urge you, therefore, to end the prevailing uncertainty by advising this Government to seek a fresh mandate at the earliest and not later than the state elections due in the next three months.
Thanking you, Sir,
Yours faithfully,
sd/ sd/
(L.K. ADVANI) (RAJNATH SINGH)
(L.K. ADVANI) (RAJNATH SINGH)
sd/ sd/
(SUSHMA SWARAJ) (ARUN JAITLEY)
(SUSHMA SWARAJ) (ARUN JAITLEY)
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Instituto Cervantes brings to the Delhi Photo Festival
30082013Instituto Cervantes brings to the Delhi Photo Festival some of the best photographers from Spain and Latin-America
Instituto Cervantes will bring two major exhibition by four masters of the Latin-American photography, The Vargas brothers and the Cifuentes father and son, a digital exhibition of works by some of the most important contemporary Spanish Photographers, such as García-Alix, Madoz or Ballester, and a film about photojournalism which includes unedited photos of great masters: Capa, Taro and Seymour.
- Exhibition “The eye of the father and son: The photography of Hugo and Diego Cifuentes” (Thursday 26thSeptember – Sunday 24th November)
- Exhibition “Nocturnal”, by the Vargas brothers (Thursday 26th September – Sunday 24th November)
- Digital exhibition of Contemporary Spanish photography (Saturday 28th September)
- Film Screening of “The Mexican Suitcase” (Sunday 29th September)
Two exhibitions of four major internationally recognised Latinamerican photographers will be shown at Instituto Cervantes, from Thursday 26th September till Sunday 24th November: the Vargas brothers and the Cifuentes father and son.
The exhibition “The eye of the father and the son: The photography of Hugo and Diego Cifuentes” will show the artwork of the ‘father of Ecuadorian contemporary Photography’ (Hugo Cifuentes), and one of the “Latin American Leaders for the New Millenium” nominated by TIME magazine, his son Diego.
In spite of being close relatives, they differed on some aspects regarded their pictures. “Though we both deal with the same universe, our visions and styles are very different”, explained the son, Diego Cifuentes, who added that his father was closed to the magic realism but “I try to have a more intense proximity to my sorrows and my demons”.
“Nocturnal”, by the Vargas brothers will show the work of these two Peruvians who caught the night life of the American country in the beginning of the 20th century. Despite their different personalities, their work complements each other perfectly: one was the technical expert and the other, the artist point of view.
They were said to be Arequipa’s (the town where they were born) spirit. “First it was the lens of the Vargas brothers, then a landscape was set up and finally, Arequipa was founded”, published the Latin newspaper El Pueblo about these brothers.
Instituto Cervantes also will display a digital exhibition of major Spanish contemporary photographers, in collaboration to the museum “Patio Herreriano” of Spanish Contemporary Art in Valladolid. The show will include photos by Alberto García-Alix, most of them based in the Madrid’s night life, or Chema Madoz’s work that shows his surrealistic world through common objects.
Furthermore, the Spanish exhibition will include the lens of: José Manuel Ballester, who is very interested in the architecture; Ángel Marcos, whose pictures have an important influence of advertising; and Concha Pérez, focused in uninhabited and ruin urban spaces.
The story of a suitcase which remained lost for tens of years but contained 4.500 unique negatives from Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David “Chim” Seymour is the plot of the film “The Mexican suitcase”, that is going to be projected at Instituto Cervantes Auditorium on Sunday 29th September.
The photography plays the main character in this film which is, at the same time, a documentary about the Spanish Civil war and about the journalists who fought the European fascism with their cameras.
However, that is not the unique Latin-American and Spanish presence in the festival. The curators of the Festival have also chosen the pictures of a new generation of photographers from Spain, Argentina, Nicaragua and Perú. Works of Spanish photographers like Alvaro Láiz (ANHUA), David Rengel (ANHUA) and Albert Bosnfills, the Argentineans Flavia Schuster, Martín Javier Estol and Sofía López Mañan and also works from Nicaragua and Perú, respectively, Mayerling García and Max Cabello Orcasitas were selected by the Delhi Photo Festival’s curators.
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The New LARR Bill will not End the British Legacy of Forced Land Acquisition
30082013by sagarmedia
Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011
The Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011 is was tabled in parliament today and came up for discussion in Lok Sabha. There has not been any consensus on the Bill yet the UPA government is bringing the Bill. In some cases the new Bill is worse than the colonial 1894 Act, by expanding the definition of public purpose, legitimising the acquisition for private corporations and excluding all other laws used for land acquisition for highways, industrial corridors and others.
The proposed amendments introduced by the Ministry of Rural Development earlier this year was to further take away the rights of the people in planning process and the principle of prior informed consent.
The Bill in its current form has refused to accept the key recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, something which Chairperson fails to see but, a concern shared by many other members of the Committee.
The Bill has now been renamed “Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill, with a claim to better reflect Government’s Commitment towards securing a legal guarantee for the rights of project affected, and ensuring greater transparency in the land acquisition process. It is also claimed that the Bill will ensure, in concert with local institutions of self-government and Gram Sabhas established under the Constitution, a humane, participative, informed, consultative and transparent process for land acquisition.
However, we feel that the Parliament should not pass the proposed Right to Fair Compensation, Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Bill, in its current form. It needs to be democratically debated by all and take those in account, rather than succumb to the private corporations interests and pursue undemocratic growth. Until then put a moratorium on all ongoing land acquisitions in the country. We oppose all such undemocratic, attempts legislative or otherwise.
In public domain we have the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s report (on Rural Development) on the Bill as well as the amendments introduced by the Ministry of Rural Development, we, the people’s movements, have taken serious cognizance of the fact that the strong position taken by the Standing Committee on certain critical issues are either diluted or rejected by the Ministry of Rural Development, which is shocking. The Ministry that is supposed to protect the rights and powers of the rural communities has not accepted some of the standing committee recommendations, towards that end, which are presented with our comments, herewith:
Definition of Public Purpose and Infrastructure
The Committee had suggested a restrictive definition of Public Purpose, something which didn’t leave any discretionary power to the government and also development of infrastructure by the public agencies with the public funds only.
Ministry has proposed an expansive definition of public purpose and infrastructure and also a clause which leaves the discretionary power to declare anything as infrastructure and of public purpose. The Committee to decide upon the nature of the public purpose all consists of bureaucrats and representation of the democratically elected local self government institutions is wanting. Gram Sabha and Basti Sabha in consonance with the Art 243 provisions have every right to the planning and hence the power to decide the nature of public purpose must rest with them, which will also democratise the development planning.
It is ironical that while food processing and other agriculture related secondary and tertiary sector industries have been brought in the public purpose definition but agriculture itself has not been considered a public purpose, something which would have meant no acquisition of agricultural land.
Acquisition for Private and PPP Projects
No forcible acquisition for private projects, or for PPP, which can not to be categorized as public purpose projects.
l Ministry has rejected this and justified this with a provision that consent of 80% of project affected People will be sought before acquisition for any private projects
In this era of neo-liberal economic reforms, private projects with corporate investment and interests are taking a much larger toll of land and other rich natural resources as also uprooting by killing communities which are generations old. This must come to an end and the same can happen only with stopping the State playing a role of facilitator and land dealer. At the cost of the livelihood of the nature based sections and working class section of society, the state can’t transfer the most valuable livelihood resources such as land, water to the profiteering bodies in the garb of ‘public interest‘ and ‘public purpose‘.
Food Security and Agricultural Land Acquisition
No forcible acquisition of agricultural land, for non-agricultural purpose including single crop and multi crop land.
l The proposed Bill leaves this to the state governments to decide, rather than take a clear stand on it. It makes provisions for acquisition of common property resources too.
How can the in-between farms that may be unirrigated, rain fed, single crop be left out, we ask. India has 75% of the agricultural land as rain fed and most of it single cropped. Such land is mostly held by Dalits, Adivasis and marginal farms. Protecting them and all farm land for food security, which comes not from PDS but self sufficient agriculture, is a must!
Bringing 16 Central Acts Under Purview of this Bill
The standing committee has recommended that all 16 central acts should be brought under the purview of the new act, to make all equal before law (Article 14 of the Constitution).
l Ministry of Rural Development wants to exclude 13 out of 16 Acts including Industrial Development Act, Land Acquisition (Mines) Act, National Highways Act and others from the purview of the new act. This means that 90% of the land acquired as on today will continue with injustice and force used, with no change at all.
The standing committee recommendations must be upheld to end brutal unjust acquisition for all projects under various state and central laws.
Role and Consent of Gram and Basti Sabha
The Committee asks that all studies – SIA, EIA, expert committee appraisal be done in consultation with the gram sabhas and the corresponding reports be made available to the gram sabhas.
l Ministry emphasises that 80% consent of land loosers is there in case of acquisition for private sector projects and 70% for public private partnership projects.
Consent and direct involvement of majority of the Gram Sabhas must be there in each and every project, including public projects for public purpose. 80% and 70% consent of the land losers for the private and public – private projects, respectively, alone is not sufficient. Also, why should the linear projects be left out? If it’s consent of 80% affected, there are to be a number of manipulations that people will have to face. Experiences of 70% consent in Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in Mumbai are quite telling.
Return of Unutilised Land to farmers and Land Bank
The Committee recommended that the land, if not used till 5 years, should be returned after 5 years from the date of possession to the land owners.
l Ministry accepts the reduced five years time period and also its return to the landowner or its legal heirs but retains the provisions for State Land Bank.
The ownership over the land is of those who till it and if not used and unutilized then it must be returned to the owners or distributed amongst the project affected people. We oppose any such feature which will promote land bank, since it has promoted large scale acquisition in the past and later illegally transferred the same land to corporations for real estate and other purposes.
Retrospective Application of the Law and Repeal of Land Acquisition Act
On the question of retrospective application of the R&R provisions Committee has suggested to Ministry to re-examine the issue and incorporate necessary provisions
l Ministry has partially brought in the retrospective application of the R&R provisions of the Bill in cases where the award under Section 11 of the LAA 1894, has not been made or where award has been made but the possession not taken.
It needs to be noted that nearly 100 million people have been displaced since independence and with a dismal 17-20 percent rate of resettlement and rehabilitation we had suggested that not only the retrospective application of the provisions of the new act but a National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Commission be established to deal with the claims of the projected affected people from various projects. Also the Land Acquisition Act 1894 need to be repealed completely, two acts dealing with the land acquisition will bring in legal challenges and also negate the whole purpose of bringing in a new legislation.
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Benefits
In terms of the resettlement and rehabilitation benefits Committee apart from suggesting some cosmetic changes have accepted the provisions of the Bill, we think this is unfortunate since provisions don’t stand up to livelihood based R&R, it merely promotes the principle of cash compensation. It will be a retrogressive step since it negates the land and employment based R&R as mandated in the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal Award, and various other projects. The proposed provisions of compensating employment with money and high rates for land acquired will only lead to speculative land market and will destroy the fragile economy of the rural hinterland which will lead to further urban migration.
Urban Eviction
The Bill and the comments by both, Standing Committee as well as MoRD almost totally excludes and have unaddressed the situation in the urban areas, where there is no land acquisition, but eviction, brutal and unjust, for any and every elitist real estate development to infrastructure without guaranteeing right to shelter, right to life and livelihood. The only provision is to compensate with 20% of developed land for land owning families in urbanisation projects, which is not with regard to the cases where land belongs to the government or private entities but people are evicted. We demand a separate section or a separate act for the millions of the urban persons and urban land from getting misappropriated. The Bill with the presently proposed content need to be called only “Rural Bill”.
The rapacious use of Land Acquisition Act 1894 by the government to secure land for ‘development’ projects has caused over 100 million people to be displaced from their land, livelihoods and shelters. The country is dotted with communities resisting State sponsored land grab which resonate the demand for a just law to ensure that there is no forced acquisition of land and resources, including minerals and ground water. The government must respond to the voices from movements across places such as Narmada, Koel Karo, Singur, Nandigram, Sonbhadra, Chindwara, Bhavnagarm, Kalinga Nagar, Kashipur, Raigarh, Srikakulam and mining areas in central India with genuine efforts to address the longstanding crisis concerning land Acquisition and resettlement & rehabilitation.
If the UPA government is serious about addressing the conflicts over the land and other natural resources then it must listen to the voices of those struggling or else it will only aggravate these conflicts all across the country. The need of growth, infrastructure and urbanisation can’t be fulfilled on the graveyard of millions. A pro-people Development Planning Bill with complete participation of the Gram Sabha will go a long way in stopping the massive corporate corruption and lead to decentralization of power having an overall impact on the politics of the country.
The New LARR Bill will not End the British Legacy of Forced Land Acquisition
People’s Consent for Every Development Project is a MUST
All Agricultural Land Should be Protected from Acquisition and Diversion
रमजान चौधरी, समन्वयक, 9813124386 ramjanadvocate@rediffmail.com
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Bhutan Newsletter
30082013
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Airtel Rising Stars 2013 – Delhi Leg
30082013C.R.P.F School, Rohini Thrash Agnel Public School, Noida to Reach Semis
G.D. Goenka Public School, Rohini; Apeejay Public School, Noida and D.P.S., Vasant Kunj Qualify for Semi-finals
New Delhi, 29th August: C.R.P.F School, Rohini; G.D. Goenka Public School, Rohini; Apeejay School, Noida and Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj entered the semi-final of the 2nd edition of the Airtel Rising Stars-Delhi Leg, held at Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi today.
Abhishek Yadav’s brace helped C.R.P.F. Public School, Rohini thrash Agnel Public School, Noida 4-0 in an exciting quarter-final match.
C.R.P.F School started to build pressure from the beginning as Mohd. Aqib scored the first goal in 5th minute and gave an early lead to his team. Abhishek Yadav extended the lead by scoring a brace at 8th and 44th minute. Mukesh’s goal at 48th minute sealed the victory against Agnel Public School, Noida.
In another quarter-final match at the same ground, D.P.S., Vasant Kunj drubbed N. K. Bargodia Public School, Rohini 3-0. Vatsal from D.P.S, Vasant Kunj was the star of the match as he scored a brace at 2nd and 49thminute. He was joined in by his teammate Arjun, who scored a goal at 32nd minute.
G.D. Goenka Public School, Rohini beat Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar 4-2 (0-0) in extra time after a goalless draw. Hartik, Devansh, Robin, Mirnil scored for G.D. Goenka Public School, Rohini whereas, Prakash and Pushkar Singh scored for Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar.
Apeejay Public School, Noida outplayed Govt. School Sec-11, Rohini 4-2 after a goalless draw. Karan, Amandeep, Rishabh and Prateek scored for Apeejay Public School whereas Ansar and Ajay scored for Govt. School Sector 11.
Results:
C.R.P.F Public School, Rohini (Md. Aqib 5th, Abhishek Yadav 8th, 44th, Mukesh 48th) bt Agnel Public School, Noida 4-0
D.P.S., Vasant Kunj (Vatsal 2nd, 49th, Arjun 32nd) bt N.K. Bargodia Public School, Rohini 3-0
G.D. Goenka Public School, Rohini (Hartik, Devansh, Robin, Mirnil) bt Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar(Prakash, Pushkar Singh) 4-2 (0-0)
Apeejay Public School, Noida (Karan, Amandeep, Rishabh, Prateek) bt Govt. School Sec-11 Rohini (Ansar, Ajay)4-2 (0-0)
SEMI-FINAL
1. G.D Goenka School, Rohini v/s C.R.P.F. Public School, Rohini,
2. D.P.S. Vasant Kunj v/s Apeejay School, Noida
For more information, please contact:
Concept PR
Animesh Biswas - animesh@conceptpr.com – +91 9891789639
Abhay Pratap Singh - abhay@conceptpr.com - +91 9818413169
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Press Invite
4th Cardiac First Aid Camp for the Police personnel of South District
Saturday, 31st August, 2013
Heart Care Foundation of India is organizing the 4th Cardiac First Aid Camp for the Police personnel of South District on Saturday, Saturday, 31st August, 2013 at 3.30pm at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Safdarjung Development Area.
The training will be personally given by Padma Shri & Dr. BC Roy National Awardee, Dr. KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India. This time the focus of the training will be on one aspect of the technique ‘push hard and push fast’. Shri BS Jaiswal, DCP South will be Chief Guest.
You are requested to depute your cameraman, reporter, photographer to cover the event.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. A. Khanna
Director, HCFI
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30082013
To celebrate the New Luxe Store Rabha’s by Ektaa “Gold”
Join us for wine and hors d’ oeuvres To celebrate the New Luxe Store Rabha’s by Ektaa “Gold”
From: Musharat Perveen <musharat.w2h@gmail.com> Thu, 29 Aug ’13 6:04p
To: You
Show full Headers
Hi,
Greetings!!
Invite
Join us for wine and hors d⠯euvres
To celebrate the
New Luxe Store
RabhaⳠby Ektaa ㇯
On Friday, the 30th of August 2013
4 pm 8 pm
@ 39 NWA, Punjabi Bagh
Club Road, New Delhi
Guest List
Amanpreet Wahi
Krishna Somani
Ramon Lamba
Geetika Mittal
Atul Wassan
Muskaan Aggarwal
Dolly Jain
Rita Gangwani
Gunita Dhingra
Krishna Somani
Neena Verma
Sunayana Malhotra
Pooja Gogia
Media RSVP
Rashi Rohatgi Khan
For Further Information Contact
Musharat Perveen
9999422763
W Five Communication Pvt Ltd
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30082013
Procam International
cordially invites you to
The Final Match
Of
Airtel Rising Stars 2013 – Delhi Leg
India’s largest under-16 soccer talent hunt
Schedule:
Friday, 30th August – Semifinal
Saturday, 31st August – Final
Time: 10:30 am – 2:00 pm
Venue: Ambedkar Stadium, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
RSVP
Concept Public Relations – Animesh Biswas – animesh@conceptpr.com – 98917 89639
Abhay Pratap Singh – abhay@conceptpr.com – 98184 13169
Mohammad Mati – mati@conceptpr.com – 96506 04255
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Urge Obama to Stand with LGBT Russians at the G20 Summit
30082013Naresh:
When we called on President Barack Obama to press Russia on its antigay law, we weren’t expecting him to do so for the first time on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
His words were welcome, but wouldn’t it be better if he addresses the Russian people directly—on Russian TV?
The G20 Summit next week in St. Petersburg provides the perfect platform to make clear that America stands with Russia’s LGBT citizens. St. Petersburg passed one of the original local bans on gay “propaganda,” and the city is also home to prominent gay rights groups.
Our recent report, Convenient Targets: The Anti-”Propoganda” Law & the Threat to LGBT Rights in Russia, details how Russia has ramped up its crackdown on dissent, including against LGBT persons. This includes a 100-year ban on gay pride marches in Moscow, denial of registration to Sochi Pride House, hefty fines to rights groups accused of acting as a “foreign agent,” and, more recently, a federal law banning the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors.” Against this backdrop, harassment and violent attacks on gays or those perceived as gay have become commonplace.
President Obama made LGBT rights a priority in U.S. foreign policy. Russian gay rights advocates praised President Obama’s speech in Berlin when he said, “When we stand up for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters … we defend our own liberty as well.” But the Russian public didn’t hear about that remark because state-run media censors “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.” The message is clear: calling for tolerance or equality in Russia is punishable by law.
At the G20 Summit, the President must continue to stand for equality and make clear to the Russian people that gay rights are human rights.
Sincerely,
Innokenty Grekov
Human Rights First
Human Rights First
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30082013
2nd YES BANK-GIZ-UNEP FI Sustainability Series, in association with the IICA–GIZ Business Responsibility Initiative,[1] is being organized in Mumbai, on 25 September 2013. The objective of the second workshop is to create awareness on Sustainable Finance and Development, in the overall context of responsible business, focusing on the role of media and civil society.
The YES BANK-GIZ-UNEP FI Sustainability Series was launched by Dr. K. C. Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, with the intent to mainstream sustainable finance in Indian financial institutions, in April 2013. This workshop, specifically, aims to provide a tailored approach for media and NGO professionals, who deal with financial markets, sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and environment. This workshop would aim to equip the participants with hands-on knowledge on sustainable finance (including the emerging concepts and practices of Responsible Investment and Lending), and to provide the basis for advanced knowledge in this space.
Enclosed are the invitation letter and the agenda. Kindly log on to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8XYX2C9 to register your name. We eagerly look forward to your participation and hope to see you at the workshop!
Warm regards,
Trina Datta| +91 98181 37520
Consultant,
IICA-GIZ Business Responsibility Initiative
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30082013
Dear Mr Naresh Kumar Sagar,
CSE has just published a food recipe book. It celebrates the connection between biodiversity and culture of food. We believe if we lose the knowledge and culture of our local cuisine then we lose more than just the taste and smell, we lose nature.
We want to celebrate this knowledge and to build a culture of food that recognises nature and nutrition. To do this, we are launching the book, in collaboration with India Habitat Centre.
We hope you will join us for the launch, the live food demonstration by master chef Manish Mehrotra and dinner, all made from recipes in the book.
Please drop a line to confirm that you would be joining us.
Regards
Sunita Narain, Vibha Varshney and the CSE team
Sunita Narain, Vibha Varshney and the CSE team
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30082013
Government of West Bengal
༯span>
Cordially invites༯span>you to the
ワnclave of Tourism Investors for West Bengal伯span>༯span>
In the presence
Of
In
Shri Krishnendu Narayan Choudhary,
Minister-in-Charge of Tourism, West Bengal
At
Hotel Ashok, Banquet Hall, Diplomatic Enclave,
50-B, Chanakayapuri, New Delhi.
Dated: August 31, 2013
Time: 11 a.m onwards
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30082013
MEDIA INVITE
Between the Lies
Breaking the Myth of Gujarat Model of Development
Seminar
31st August, 2013
10.30 am to 5.00 pm
Venue :
Deputy Chairman Hall, 2nd Floor
Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110001
Programme
10.30- tea
SESSION ONE
11.00 – 1.00 pm
Mahesh Pandya- Director,Paryavaran Mitra, Gujarat
Prof Hemant Shah-HOD, Economics, HK Arts College, Gujarat
Prof. Shiv Visvanathan- CSDS
1.00 – 2.00 pm
Lunch
SESSION TWO
2.00-5.00 pm
Pankti Jog-Advocacy Coordinator,Janpath, Gujarat
D.L. Sheth-Honorary Senior Fellow & former Director CSDS, Delhi
Zakia Soman- BMMA, Gujarat
Please depute a reporter/ photographer/ camera crew to cover the programme.
Yours sincerely
Shabnam Hashmi
9811807558
Updated on : 05-09-2013 11:59 AM
Updated on : 06-09-2013 11:57 AM
Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek stunned top seeded and hot favourite pair of Mike and Bob Bryan, who were chasing a rare Calendar Grand Slam, in a gripping contest to storm into the US Open men’s doubles final.The fourth seeded Indo-Czech pair denied the Bryans a piece of history with their 3-6 6-3 6-4 win as the American twins were trying to become first doubles team since 1951 to collect all four Grand Slam titles in the same year.Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman had achieved the rare feat of winning Calendar Slam in 1951. The Bryans ran away with the first set but faced stiff challenge in the second, which Paes and Stepanek dominated to take the match to full length.Paes stood out with his backhand slice and chips while Stepanek was solid with his blistering double-handed backhand.Paes and Stepanek will have a chance to win their first Slam title of the season, having finished semifinalists at the Wimbledon.The two teams began well but Paes and Stepanek handed the advantage to the Bryans in the sixth game of the opening set.Facing a breakpoint, Stepanek double faulted which handed the Bryans a 4-2 lead, which soon became a comfortable 5-2 when the Americans held the next.Paes served to stay in the set and he held the game, which featured an entertaining 21-shot rally.Bob served at love to quickly wrap up the first set in just 29 minutes.The fourth seeds were put under pressure straight away as they were facing a break point in the first game of the second set but Paes saved that with a volley winner at the net. Bob slightly lost concentration and was soon facing two break points.Paes hit a terrific backhand slice winner to convert the first chance and go up 2-0. However the advantage was lost when the Indian dropped his serve in the next, double faulting at 30-40.Nevertheless, they kept fighting and succeeded in breaking Bob in the sixth game. As Paes held his own, they soon had a 5-2 cushion and kept that lead to force a third set.The Indo-Czech combo had chance to get an early break in the decider on Mike’s serve and after an engrossing tussle they succeeded in converting the fourth chance of the third game to open up a mini 2-1 lead and consolidated that to 3-1 with a hold.Stepanek saved three breakpoints in the sixth game to take a 5-1 lead but Paes failed to serve out the match in the eighth, allowing Bryans to comeback.Bryans closed the gap to 4-5 however, Stepanek served out the match after some anxious moment.
The President of the state -run University, Dr. Emmett Dennis and the Vice Chancellor of the O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) professor Dr. C. Raj Kumar on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for partnership between the two universities.
Photo above, from top left clockwise: Gandhian Anna Hazare addressing the parade; Bollywood actress Vidya Balan with FIA President Sanjay Amin, GOPIO Founder President Dr. Thomas Abraham and GOPIO Life Member Dr. Sudhir Parikh; Tamil film actors Radhika Sarath Kumar and Sarath Kumar MLA; Hazare at the parade; Band from Swaminarayan Temple of New Jersey, Drummers of Jai Bharath Dhol Tash Pathak of USA; Telangana contigent at the parade.
Photo above: Grand Marshal Vidya Balan reviewing the parade along with former Indian Army Chief General V.K. Singh
Photo above: Ambassador Nirupama Rao with GOPIO Chairman Inder Singh and organizers Dr. Renu Misra, Dr. Zafar Iqbal and other GOPIO officials and dignitaries.
