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By Arun Kumar

Washington: Amid a perception

that India-US relationship has

plateaued of late, both Washington

and New Delhi are banking on a

"very successful" visit by Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh herenext month to take their ties to

greater heights.

Manmohan Singh will be in the

capital September 27 for a short

working visit, but National

Security Adviser Shivshankar

Menon, who was here to lay

ground for the visit, expressed con-

fidence Tuesday "in terms of sub-

stance it's going to be a good visit."

The plans include a "very sub-

stantive" meeting with President

Obama followed by a lunch at the

White House, Menon said hereafter meetings with his counterpart

Susan Rice, Defense Secretary

Chuck Hagel and Deputy Secretary

of State Bill Burns.

"When two leaders meet at that

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

Travel 26 Spiritual Awareness 30US Affairs 8 excellence in journalism

Beirut: The United Nationsdemanded Thursday that Syria

give its chemical weapons

experts immediate access to

rebel-held Damascus suburbs

where poison gas appears to

have killed hundreds just a few

miles from the UN team's hotel,

even as condemnation for the

suspected attack by the Assad

regime kept pouring in from the

world community, including

India. There was no sign, how-

ever, that scientists would soon

be taking samples at the scene of

horrors that have drawn compar-

ison with the gassing of thou-

sands of Iraqi Kurds in 1988 by

Saddam Hussein.President Bashar Assad's oppo-

nents gave death tolls from 500

to well over 1,000 and said more

bodies were being found in the

wake of Wednesday's mysterious

Op Ed 13

India, US bank

on Manmohan

Singh visit to

boost ties

Hicksville, NY: The Nassau

County Indian American commu-

nity is organizing a Dinner-

Reception here to welcome and

felicitate Shri Anna Hazare, world

famous for his sustained anti-cor-

ruption and Jan Lok Pal (ombuds-

man) movements in India.

The gala event will be held on

August 27 at Antun's by Minar in

Hicksville on Long Island.Consul General of India in New

York, Amb Dnyaneshwar Mulay

and Nassau County Executive Hon.

Ed Mangano are invited Guests of

Honor for the by-invitation-only

event. The prestigious event is a

collaborative effort by Antun's By

Anti-corruption crusader and Gandhian Anna Hazare

World condemnssuspected gasattack in Syria

Thousands march with Vidya Balanand Anna Hazare in NYC parade

Bollywood star Vidya Balan (pictured) as Grand Marshal led theNYC India Day Parade along with anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare

even as thousands marched in Manhattan in the impressiveparade which displayed the country's vibrant culture.

See reports of celebrations of Indias 67th Independence Day on pages 16-17.

Vol.6 No. 18 August 24-30, 2013 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info

PM meeting Obama in the White HouseSept 27 with comprehensive agenda.

Nassau County Indian community tofelicitate Anna Hazare

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4

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3August 24-30, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

De Blasio slightly ahead of Christinein NYC mayor race

New York: The surprising new front-runner in theNYC mayor 's race received the bulk of the attacks

Wednesday in the penultimate debate with less than

three weeks to go until the Democratic primary.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who has a slight lead

in recent polls, held his own against the attack.

"The public advocate is good at telling people what to

do but not good at getting things done," City Council

Speaker Christine Quinn accused him.

"Would the real Bill de Blasio please stand up?" ex-

comptroller Bill Thompson asked.

De Blasios supporters released this statement about

their candidates performance at the debate: "Bill de

Blasio is connecting with New Yorkers because he is

the only candidate who will truly break from the

Bloomberg years. From calling for a ban on racial pro-

filing and real reform to stop and frisk to proposing a

tax on the wealthiest New Yorkers to pay for universalearly education and expanded after-school programs,

Bill demonstrated tonight (at the debate) that he is the

best choice to stand up for middle and working-class

New Yorkers.

The police stop-and-frisk policy, and other com-

plaints that police unfairly target minorities, repeatedly

emerged as a flashpoint in the 90-minute televised

debate, which featured seven Democratic candidates

including Comptroller John Liu.

De Blasio, widely considered as the most progressive

Democratic candidate in the race in a blue city, became

the front-runner for the first time just a week ago.

Quinn led in the polls most of the year until ex-

Congressman Anthony Weiner took a turn at the top

before his suppor t collapsed over the lates t sexting

scandal.

Recent polls suggest it's a three-person race for two

run-off spots. In a Quinnipiac poll released last week,

de Blasio had slight leads on Quinn and Thompson, but

all three were within the margin of error.

If no Democratic candidate reaches 40 percent of thevote in the Sept. 10 primary, the top two advance to a

run-off three weeks later. The winner of that advances

to the November general election. Three major

Republican candidates and an independent also are

running.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio's biracial familyis centerstage in the mayoral race.

NYC mayoral contender Christine Quinnparticipated in the India Day Parade in

Manhattan Aug 18.

Miss Universe 2013

to visit India

(From left) New York based fashion designer Sanjana Jon,Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, Amb. Dnyaneshwar Mulay and

Sashi Abraham, mother of fashion designer Anand Jon at theIndian consulate. (Photo: Stephen Shadrach)

By Jinal Shah

New York: After winning a

million hearts world over, the

reigning Miss Universe Olivia

Culpo of United States is all set

to dazzle India. She will be vis-

iting India Sept 27- Oct 6,

wehre she will visit hospitals,

orphanages and a few NGOs in

Delhi, Mumbai, etc, raising

awareness about HIV/Aids and

educating children and women

as UN goodwill ambassador.

Her visit was announced on

Wednesday at the Indian con-

sulate by the Consul General,

Ambassador Dnyaneshwar

Mulay. Calling her visit a

br id ge be tw ee n In dia and

Americas youth, he said, A

huge chunk of population in

India is young and Miss

Universes an iconic figure

among youth- visit to India will

be a great opportunity to con-

nect not just culturally but intel-lectually too with the younger

population.

During her 10 day trip, Culpo

will raise awareness about girl

child issue and women empow-

erment, an initiative by fashion

designer Sanjana Jon. Her visit

will be the sixth of a reigning

Miss Universe to the country,

an initiative of the Sanjana

Jons company, IG

International, that deals in

celebrity charity events.

I am probably one of the

youngest title holders than my

pr edec esso rs (w ho vi si te d

India) so I hope the younger

population in India will respond

well. I would also like to

indulge in open conversation

with women and help them

raise their voices, said Culpo,

21, who looked ravishing in an

ethnic Indian dress designed by

Sanjana Jon.

Culpo will also do the golden

triangle Delhi, Agra and

Jaipur. I am really excited to

see the Taj Mahal! she said.

Asked about foreigners shy-

ing away from India after the

2012 Delhi rape case and such

cases reported in the western

media, Culpo said, There is alot of progress that needs to be

made; a lot of things need to be

fixed. It (Delhi rape) was such a

tragedy but I am an optimist.

She even vouched to share her

experience of travelling in

India.

Nassau CountyExecutive Edward

Mangano and NY StateSenator Carl Marcellino(right) join ITV host RitiBhalla for celebrating

the 66th anniversary ofthe Independence Day of

India. South CarolinaGovernor Nikki Haleyalso appeared on the

program.

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5August 24-30, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY

New Jersey: The long awaited trial

against two of the defendants ac-

cused of killing computer scientist

Dr.Divyendu Sinha in a brutal attack

June 25,2010 finally began Aug 13.

Sinha, 49 when he died, was at-

tacked while on a walk with his wifeand two sons. He was taken to a hos-

pital and died three days after the at-

tack.

Sinha and his sons were attacked

by four young men, two Cash

Johnson and Christian Tinli who

are currently on trial for the fatal

beating. Suspect Christopher Con-

way, 20, pleaded guilty last month to

his role in the attack, saying he had

not hit Sinha or his sons but did egg

on the others as they delivered their

brutal blows. Conway is expected to

receive a sentence of eight years un-

der a plea bargain.

In February, suspect Julian Daley

pleaded guilty also under a plea

bargaining agreement to aggravat-

ed assault and aggravated

manslaughter for his role in Sinhas

death; he is expected to receive 15

years in prison. Steven Contreras, the

driver of the vehicle, was acquitted

of murder last May, but pleaded

guilty later in the year to lesser

charges under a plea agreement, inwhich he provided evidence against

the four remaining suspects.

Contreras, Daley and Conway will

all testify against Tinli and Johnson

during the trial, which is expected to

continue into mid-September.

Jury selection for the Johnson and

Tinlis cases began Aug. 7. An ex-

haustive comb-through of 300 poten-

tial jurors took three days until a fi-

nal jury of five African Americans,

11 Caucasians and Latinos includ-

ing four alternate jurors was estab-

lished.

Dr.Divyendu Sinha (May 31,1961 - June 28, 2010)

Edison, NJ: In the wake of the

tragedy in the northern Indian state

of Uttarkhand, BAPS Charities part-

nered with the BAPS SwaminarayanSanstha in India to provide relief to

those affected by the floods and land-

slides. Immediately, food, blankets

and other emergency supplies were

sent from New Delhi to Uttarakhand

for distribution to the victims.

BAPS Charities raised awareness

about the devastation in Uttarakhand

and solicited donations and support.

BAPS provided volunteers and dedi-

cated its efforts to ensure that the re-

sources were used in a manner to

maximize effectiveness.

Rushing to aid those affected by

this terrible disaster, over 645 dedi-

cated volunteers packed and distrib-

uted over 8,500 kits totaling 60 tonsof food including items such as

wheat flour, rice, water bottles, etc.

Additionally, 50 tons of household

supplies including blankets, flash-

lights, cooking utensils, soap,

footwear, cooking utensils, clothes,

and much more were also distributed

to the disaster victims.

Expressing his appreciation, Pujya

Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Ma-

haraj, President and Spiritual Head

of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in

Rishikesh, India said, We are happy

that BAPS and its volunteers are

here, working with us for the Ut-

tarakhand relief. By them participat-

ing, our organization is benefiting

and is being guided by their experi-ence, discipline and efficiency."

Despite the difficult terrains and

the danger of landslides, volunteers

and partners personally visited vil-

lages to distribute food rations and

household supplies in over 30 vil-

lages. In total, 1,200 tarpaulins, 230

tents and 14,252 blankets were pro-

vided for the disaster victims. These

items helped cover food, shelter and

household needs.

In addition, the volunteers provid-

ed and distributed over 77,685 free

medicines and 1,665 first aid materi-

als to needy patients, families and or-

ganizations. Volunteer doctors con-

ducted medical camps, offered med-ical counseling and treated over 200

victims. Further, they distributed 50

medical relief kits to the medical per-

sonnel of effected villages and other

organizations.

Highlighting the efforts by relief

volunteers, Mr. Satyendra Ukashi,

relief volunteer of Uttarkashis Shri

Vishwanath Sanskrit Mahavidyalay,

said, "(We were) highly impressed

by BAPS volunteers level of detail-

ing in terms of execution, practical

decision-making and documenta-

tion."

BAPS Charities extends help toUttarakhand flood victims

Have a swab, get a drink, save a life!Washington, DC: Friends of a young Indian-American

woman who has been diagnosed with a rare disease have

launched a unique drive in a New York bar to get bone

marrow donors to save her and others like her.

The drive has been organized to help Monica Chopra,

resident of a San Francisco suburb, who at 26 was diag-

nosed with severe aplastic anemia, in which the bone

marrow stops making enough red blood cells, white cells

and platelets for the body.

The only cure is a bone marrow donation. Her doctors

have been experimenting with immunosuppressive ther-

apy, a way to suppress the white blood cells so her red

cells and platelets can grow.

To date no one in Chopra's immediate or extended

family are a match, including her only brother Neil.

As soon as Chopra heard about her rare condition, the

first thing she did was reach out to the ones closest to her

and asked them to live their life to the fullest, her friends

say.

The idea behind having a social mixer in the heart of

New York City is to find a South Asian donor aged 18 to

44 as similar ethnicities have the highest chances of be-

ing matches for one another.Potential donors have been

invited to come to the Van Diemens Bar and get regis-

tered at Be The Match Registry with a cheek swab with

a Q-tip and "enjoy happy hour drink prices and compli-

mentary appetizers." Aplastic anemia affects just 5 in

every one million people.

Nearly 200 physicians from across the nation partici-pated in the first ever inspirational symposium titled,Womens Health and Wealth: Leadership in the 21st

Century organized by Association of AmericanPhysicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the New YorkCounty Medical Society , and Pranna Restaurant on

Aug 18th . Dr. Juhi Chawla, AAPI New York City MetroWomens Forum Chair (extreme left) and Dr. Ami

Shah, AAPIs national Women's Forum Chair (extremeright) with speakers, Monica Mehta, Dr. Poonam

Alaigh, Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Padma Lakshmi,and Dr. Devi Nampiaparampil.

Sinha trial begins against two of four defendants

India.com launches in true Bollywood styleNew York: India.com, a Zee Entertainment initiative,launched in the United States with a big Bollywood fan-

fare at the 33rd annual India Day Parade in New York

City. The parade which is the largest gathering of the In-

dian community outside India, had more than 150,000

footfalls.

India.com built a 70ft replica of the Red Fort, aka La

Qila. The Red Fort is the 255-acre complex in New Del-

hi built in the 17th century by Mogul emperor Shah Ja-

han, who also built the Taj Mahal. Every August 15th on

Independence Day, the Red Fort is the chosen location

where the Prime Minister of India hoists the countrys

flag and delivers a national speech from its ramparts to a

loud and proud crowd.

Inside the fort, a royal red carpet welcomed the enthu-

siastic crowd and invited them to sign up for a new @in-

dia.com email ID. There were more than 40 Macintosh

computers laid out on a glass table. The inside walls of

the fort were decorated with images that defined

India.com. After registration, people went home with fun

India.com freebies.

India.com is a new online platform for everything In-

dian in an instant from breaking news, business, and

Bollywood to sports, travel and free classifieds. The web-

site combines these one-of-a-kind features with an e-mail

portal that will keep you connected. India.com launched

in India back in 2011 and has since gained 28 million

unique users making it one of the fastest growing portals.

Sameer Targe, General Manager of Zee Americas said,

The timing of our launch in North America could not

have been any better. India Day Parade, which celebrates

Indias Independence Day, by any measure, is the

biggest, most vibrant South Asian event that happens on

the east coast. We had a tremendous response for the site.

India.com is customized for the South Asian diaspora and

the Indophile segment. It was about time someone

catered to the real needs of the Indian-American digital

consumer.

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Moneydart unveils expansion plan, launches app for instant remittance

6 August 24-30, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoNATIONAL COMMUNITY

By Ashok Ojha/SATimes

Woodbridge, NJ: Moneydart

Global Services, an NJ based money

transfer company, has revealed an

ambitious plan to expand its servic-

es in the US market.At a press conference Tuesday, Y.

Sudhir Kumar Shetty, COO (Global

Operations), said Moneydart aims to

reach all 50 states of USA by next

year. The company is already

licensed to operate in 23 states.

Launching the new app, he said it

can be downloaded on any smart

phone and used for a va rie ty of

remittance related information and

services including prevalent

exchange rate. The companys

remittance portal money2any-

where.com enables money transfer

to a bank account and offers facili-

ties such as cash pick up in any

country in a fast, easy and secure

manner.

Shetty said that his company was

hoping to get banking license within

a year in India. We want to take the

mobile banking concept to ruralIndia and hope to open branches at

places whe re no banking faci lit y

was currently available.

With its brand FLASHremit,

Moneydart implemented a unique

instant bank transfer to India,

Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh,

Indonesia and Sri Lanka to help cus-

tomers transfer money within min-

utes while the beneficiary gets a

confirmation through text alert.

Taking advantage of its SWIFT

membership it plans to launch a new

product called Business 2 Business

in North America. This service

focuses on remittance needs of cor-

porate entities providing wire trans-

fer in all major currencies.

Promoth Manghat, Vice-President,

Global Operations, said that his

company was also working on

expanding its operations in LatinAmerica and Caribbean countries in

near future.

Ajit Paul, Regional Head-

Americas talked about the growth of

the companys operations and said

that it was committed to community

activities and supporting NGOs

including UNICEF and UN Food

Program.

Moneydart is a wholly owned sub-

sidiary of Abu Dhabi based UAE

Exchange, which has a direct pres-

ence in over 30 countries with 700

branches. It handled about $22 .5

Billion in remittances in 2012.

New York: Yuva Hindi Sansthan, a New Jersey

based educa tional organizat ion concluded a two-week summer Hindi program in Hatfield, PA on

August 16.

The program designed under the strict guidelines of

STARTALK, a United States funded Foreign

Language initiative, targeted 60 elementary and

Middle School students, most of whom, born and

raised in USA, belonged to Indian American families.

Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Deputy Consul-General

of India in New York, who attended the camp as the

chief guest on August 16, the concluding day of the

program, distributed completion certificates to stu-

dents. She extended her support to such efforts for

promoting Hindi.

Dr. Khobragade said that the Government of India

was making all efforts to introduce Hindi as a work-

ing language of the United Nations. She assured that

her office was willing to help Hindi programs.

Upendra Chivukula, New Jersey Assemblyman was

also present on the occasion.

A typical day at the camp started with a 30 minute

Yoga session followed by classroom instructions for

three hours before breaking for lunch. The students

were immersed in a variety of activities in art, cultureand technology classes during the post-lunch period

of the day which continued until 4.30 pm. We

screened interesting Hindi movies during the lunch

hour while students enjoyed authentic Indian meal.

Each and every minute of the camp was designed for

learning Hindi and experiencing the product and

pract ices of Indian culture, says Rashmi Bansal ,

lead instructor.

The program was hosted by North Penn School

District which provided classrooms, gym, cafeteria,

computer labs and auditorium for facilitating the two

week long activities during the program, said Ashok

Ojha, program director, YHS STARTALK Hindi

2013 program.

Sriram Hathwar is 2013 MetLifeSouth Asian Spelling Bee champ

New York: Sriram Hathwar cor-

rectly spelled the word phorminx

during the 2013 MetLife South

Asian Spelling Bee Finals to clinch

the title of National Champion.

During the event on August 16,which was taped live for broadcast

on Sony Entertainment Television,

Sriram along with 23 other final-

ists competed for the title. Siblings

from Pearland TX Shobha &

Shourav Dasari were National

Runners-Up.

Twenty-four top spellers from 12

regional centers gathered at the

Rutgers College auditorium to bat-

tle it out for the title of champion

and a $10,000 Grand Prize from

MetLife.

The event was organized by

leading South Asian advertising

firm, Touchdown Media Inc. and

sponsored by MetLife, a leading

provider of insurance, employee

benefits and other financial servic-

es. Sony Entertainment Television

is the exclusive rights holder and

will be broadcasting the event

across the globe in over 119 coun-

tries.

Airline major Air-India and edu-

cation company C2Education have

also come on board this year as

sponsors for this event.Rahul Walia, CEO, Touchdown

Media Inc. and Founder of the

South Asian Spelling Bee says,

This is a great platform that helps

children showcase their talent,

hone their skill and inculcate a

sense of discipline and discipline

that will help in their overall

development. I urge parents to take

advantage of this unique contest

next year.

The special guest at the Finals

was Syamantak Payra, 2012 South

Asian Spelling Bee National

Champion, who helped co-host a

portion of the event.

The champion received a

$10,000 grand prize from MetLife

along with the South Asian

Spelling Bee trophy. The runners-

up received tickets to India from

Air India.

Do you feel strongly about something?Do you want to overcome the writers block?Dear Reader,

Citizen journalism is an essential component

of a healthy democracy. Here is an opportunity

to make yourself heard. The South Asian Times

(TSAT) is your voice. If you feel strongly about

something, do share your views with us and

other readers. If you belong to a community

group, association or society, send us informa-

tion about its activities. Your contributions will

be published with your name and photograph in

the online and print editions of TSAT.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

and LinkedIn. We have surprise gifts for readers

who actively engage with TSAT on both print

and social media channels. Send your contribu-

tions to editor@thesouthasiantimes.info and

dont forget to say Hi to us on Facebook, Twitter

and LinkedIn.

Managing Editor

The South Asian Times

Email press-releases, information on

community events, news announcements to our

Associate Editor Hiral Dholakia-Dave on

hiralusa@gmail.com.

Hot Topics you can comment on:

1. Now that the Supreme Court has okayed Gay mar-

riages, do you think Indian American parents too will

be more accepting?

2. What do you think - cyber whistle-blower Edward

Snowden is a hero or a traitor?

3. What is your take on the Immigration Bill? How is it

going to affect you personally? Are you for or against it?

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

Y. Sudhir Kumar Shetty, Chief Operation Officer, MoneydartGlobal Services (center) sharing a happy moment with the

media persons at a press conference on August 19 atcompany's corporate office in Woodbridge, NJ. Ajit Paul,Regional Head, Americas (left) and Promoth Manghat,

VP, Global Operations. (Photo by Ashok Ojha)

From L to R) Elaine Liu, Director Asian Markets for MetLife withbrand icon Snoopy alongside 2013 MetLife South Asian Spelling

Bee National Champion Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, NYand Rahul Walia, Founder of the South Asian Spelling Bee.

Photo Courtesy: Gunjesh Desai/MasalaJunction.com

Dr. Devyani Khobragade, Deputy Consul-General of India spoke as the Chief Guest atthe valedictory event of YHS STARTALK HindiProgram 2013 on August 16 at Hatfield, PA.

60 school kids benefitfrom Hindi summer

program in Pennsylvania

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7August 24-30, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY

California: The ancient Indian reli-

gion of Jainism, a close cousin of

Buddhism, has often been a hard

sell in the U.S. with a strict adher-

ence to nonviolence that forbids eat-

ing meat, encourages days of fasting

and places value on even the small-

est of insects. Now younger Jains

who resist the elaborate rituals of

their parents, which include meditat-

ing 48 minutes a day and presenting

statues of idols with flowers, rice

and a saffron-and-sandalwood paste,

are trying to reinterpret the tradi-

tions of their religion for 21st-centu-

ry American life reported theAssociated Press.

They are expanding the definition

of nonviolence to encompass envi-

ronmentalism, animal rights and

corporate business ethics, flocking

to veganism, volunteering alongside

other faiths and learning to lobby

through political internships and

youth groups.

"Youth are a lot more interested in

learning the why of things instead of

just blindly following it," said Priyal

Gandhi, an 18-year-old from north-

ern Virginia. "I don't think we've

lost the faith. I think it's about find-

ing new ways to adapt to it."

Jains believe, for example, thateven microbes in the air and water

are sacred life and any action that

impacts other living things such

as driving or using electricity can

add to bad karma.

Yet Jains, many of them top doc-

tors, lawyers and businesspeople,

use computers and cellphones and

drive cars and so they are

increasingly seeking a compromise

between their faith and practicality,

said Whitny Braun, a bioethics and

religion professor at Loma Linda

University who has studied Jainism.

Veganism a step beyond the

vegetarianism that the faith requires

is also on the rise among young

U.S.-born Jains who find it other-

wise difficult to follow traditional

rituals.

Changes in how younger worship-

pers act out the faith may have a big

impact on Jainism's fate here.

The faith's Western evolution is

being talked about openly and withgreater urgency now that the tiny

ex-pat community that arrived in the

1960s has established itself with a

national umbrella organization,

youth groups and more than 100

temples, including an enormous one

south of Los Angeles.

This weekend, the new Center for

Jain Studies at Claremont Lincoln

University in Claremont hosts a

two-day conference on women and

gender issues that will include a

pres en ta ti on on se xi sm in Ja in

teachings. Another session on how

to apply Jain principles in corporate

ethics is planned for next year.

New voi ces can hel p the fai thbecome more relevan t in today's

America, said Sulekh C. Jain, of

Houston, who for nearly five

decades has been a leading force

among U.S. Jains. "The Dalai Lama

said tradition over time, if it does

not change, needs to be scrapped,"

Jain said. "It's really a part of

growing up."

US-born Jains make ascetic

faith fit modern life Washington, DC: Louisiana'sIndian American governor

Bobby Jindal, seen as a poten-

tial Republican presidential

candidate in 2016, has an

approval rating at 50 percent in

his home state, according to an

internal party poll.

Jindal, who was re-elected

governor in 2011 for a second

four year term, is term-limited

that is he cannot contest for the

State's top job again.

The Republican survey, con-

ducted last week also found

President Barack Obama'sapproval rating as 37 percent

in the state, according to the

Politico, an influential

Washington news site focused

on politics.

The poll found that 55 per-

cent Louisianans support

Jindal's controversial decision

not to expand Medicaid, a US

government health program

for families and individuals

with low income and

resources, with 37 percent

opposed.

Four-fifths of Republicans

also favor his Medicaid posi-

tion.

The poll also found that 62

percent of Louisianans oppose

Obama's signature healthcare

law, nicknamed Obamacare,

that aims to increase the quali-

ty and affordability of health

insurance in US, 53 percent

strongly so. Only 33 percent

favor the law.OnMessage Inc., Jindal's

main consulting firm, surveyed

800 voters from Aug 12 to 15

for the National Republican

Senatorial Committee, Politico

reported.

The results were weighted to

reflect historic turnout trends.

The margin of error is plus or

minus 3.5 percentage points.

Bobby Jindal gets 50 percent

approval in Republican poll

Boston, MA: Organizers of a

Boston celebration of India's inde-

pe nd en ce ha ve ca nc el ed th isyear's event because securitymeasures put in place after the

Boston Marathon bombings have

made it prohibitively expensive.

The annual event that has drawn

as many as 20,000 people was

scheduled for Aug. 18 on the

Esplanade. In a letter posted on

the India Association of Greater

Boston's website, organizers say

it's been canceled until a new

location can be found. The letter

says the association would lose

$20,000, inappropriate for a non-profit organization.

New security measures include

bag checks at entrances and more

police, meaning tens of thousands

of dollars in overtime.

A state police spokesman told

The Boston Globe he sympa-

thized with organizers but pointed

out that the Esplanade was a pos-

sible target of the marathon

bombing suspects.

Prof Vijay Singh named for

top US environmental award

Washington, DC: An Indian American

professor of biologica l and agriculturalengineering has been recognized for life-

time achievement by a top US environ-

mental and water resources institute.

Vijay Singh, professor and Caroline &

William N. Lehrer Distinguished Chair in

the Department of Biological and

Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M

University, has been named as a recipient

of the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award

by th e Am er ic an Soci et y of Ci vi l

Engineers Environmental and Water

Resources Institute (ASCE-EWRI). Set

up in 1999, the Environmental and Water

Resources Institute is a civil engineering

specialty institute of the American Society

of Civil Engineers, the country's oldest

national engineering society.

He was born in Agra, India, July 15,1946.

He acquired his master of science

degree from the University of Guelph in

Ontario, Canada and then did his Ph.D

from the Colorado State University.

He also received a D.Sc. from the

University of Witwatersrand in South

Africa.

Boston's India Day canceledfor security reasons

Washington, DC: An Indian

American Silicon Valley entrepre-

neur has launched a unique initiativedesigned to get techies to volunteer

their time to develop software and

applications that will benefit people

in India and other developing coun-

tries.

The initiative dubbed "Code for

India" was launched by Silicon

Valley technology entrepreneur and

venture capitalist Karl Mehta.

"As a firm believer in the power

of crowd sourced and open sourced

technology, we have created Code

For India to provide tools to fight

day-to-day public service issues,"Mehta told reporters.

"Code For India's use of technolo-

gy will promote transparency, par-

ticipation and efficiency in the way

local people can voice their concern

and find solutions," he said.

"The transformative power of

technology will aid India -- and

other developing countries facing

similar problems," said Mehta at the

launch of Code For India, a non-

pr of it organi za ti on ba sed in

Mountain View, California.

Though starting small, Mehta has

huge ambitions. His audacious goal

is to get a million programmers

across the globe to donate

their time.

Silicon Valley entrepreneurlaunches an app to help India

Karl Mehta

Prof Vijay Singh

Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

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8 August 24-30, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoUS AFFAIRS

Chris Christie signs bill banning gay

conversion therapy for minorsNew York: At a press conference announcing the

seizure of 254 illegal guns, Mayor Michael Bloomberg

referenced a wiretap conversation from the investigation

showing that one of the gun traffickers' biggest concerns

was the city's controversial "stop-and-frisk" policy.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly read aloud the con-

versation, in which a gun trafficker from South Carolina

discussed his plans to bring guns through North

Carolina to New York City, taking the Chinatown bus.

"Yeah, I'm in Charlotte now, I can't take them to my

house, to my side of town in Brownsville (Brooklyn)

"We've got like, watch-a-ma-call-it, Stop and Frisk."

The gun trafficker and 18 others have been indicted

for transporting the firearms from the south, where

Kelly said there are weaker gun laws, and then selling

them in New York City to an undercover officer. The

guns seized are valued at over $160,000.

"More than 200 guns is an astonishing number of

firearms to be recovered by one undercover officer in a

little under one year," said Kelly.

As Bloomberg and Kelly addressed the media, most

of the weapons seized lay on a table in front of them,

illustrating a small victory in the fight against illegal

guns. The mayor is also hoping for a victory in his

appeal of a ruling by a federal judge just one week ago,that the NYPD's controversial so-called "stop-and-frisk"

policy is unconstitutional.

Bloomberg has said the tactic, which allows cops to

search anyone regardless of whether they believe a

crime has been committed, is "an important part of [the

NYPD's] record of success."

In her ruling, Judge Shira Sheindlin said the policy

unfairly targeted blacks and Hispanics. Sheindlin ruled

that the policy could continue, but only under strongnew restrictions.

New York City seizes record number of illegal guns

By Arun Kumar

Washington: America is not the

"land of milk and honey" it is often

thought to be. Crouching behind pil-

lars to shield from the cold or

squeezed at the entrance of shut-

tered shop fronts with their belong-

ings tucked in a bundle and a recep-tacle kept for alms, over 600,000

people across US cities are home-

less and subsist on the streets or in

abandoned areas with some states

pushing them into camps and others

offering them a one-way ticket back

"home".

According to the National

Alliance to End Homelessness, there

were 633,782 people, or 20 in every

10,000 people, experiencing home-

lessness on any given night in

January 2012, largely unchanged

from the year before. About a quar-

ter of them were children, one-

eighth military veterans and some

four in 10 disabled unable to work,in the richest nation on the planet,

according to its latest report on "The

State of Homelessness in America

2013".

A majority of people identified as

homeless were staying in emergency

shelters or transitional housing, but

38 percent were unsheltered, living

on the streets, or in cars, abandoned

bu il di ng s, or ot he r pl ac es no t

intended for human habitation, it

said.

Many sit with outstretched arms

outside subway stations or strum

away on guitars drawing attention to

their plight as sympathetic onlook-

ers drop money into an open guitar

cover.More than 48 million people were

living in poverty - with a household

income of less than $23,550 for a

family of four - in 2011, almost 5

percent more than in the previous

year, with median household

income decreasing nationally by 1.3

percent from $51,144 to $50,502.

With job losses after the worst

recession in decades increasing the

national poverty rate from 15.3 per-

cent to 15.9 percent in 2011, the

Obama administration has this year

announced grants totalling $1.557

billion for over 7,750 local home-

less housing and service programs.

These are part of Obama'sStrategic Plan to Prevent and End

Homelessness announced in 2010 to

put the country on a path to end

chronic homelessness by 2015 and

to end homelessness among chil-

dren, family, and youth by 2020.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, home

to a large number of Indian

Americans, tent cities have popped

up across the state, including Essex

County, which has the largest popu-

lation of homeless people in the

state and its poorest city, Camden,

according to My9NJ.com.

The Camden tent city that has

sprung up "under an overpass,

through woods and down with a

path of trash" says the local channelis "inhabited by an array of people:

addicts, people who have fallen on

hard times and some with mental ill-

ness".

Legislators in Hawaii, the state of

Obama's birth, last month voted to

allocate $100,000 to offer one-way

plane tickets to an estimated 17,000

h o m e -

less people under a voluntary pilot

"return to home" program, accord-

ing to the Honolulu Civil Beat. Run

by the state's Department of Human

Services, it will set aside seats on

airplanes - and possibly cruise ships

for participants who must complete

a background check, be mentally

sound, and have what the bill calls"sufficient personal hygiene".

New York City, Baton Rouge and

San Francisco have all tried similar

programs, according to Time maga-

zine. New York City implemented

its version in 2007, flying more than

550 homeless people back to their

families in places like Paris,

Orlando, and San Juan (the most

popular destination), it said citing a

2009 article in the New York Times.

In June, city council of Baton

Rouge, the capital city of Indian-

American governor Bobby Jindal's

home state of Louisiana, approved a

plan to provide free bus rides to eli-

gible homeless people, Time said

citing Think Progress.Its original name was "Clean

Sweep", but to avoid comparing

people living on the street to bags of

garbage, the program has been

renamed "HOPE" for "Homeless

Outreach Prevention Efforts", it said

citing local newspaper the

Advocate.

Tent cities like this one have popped up across NewJersey for the state's homeless

Homeless in the 'land of milk and honey'

A homeless man on Broadway, New York City

Mayor Bloomberg and NYC Police CommissionerRay Kelly also reiterated their support for stopand frisk at the press conference announcing

the seizure.

Trenton, NJ: Ne w Je rs ey

Republican Gov. Chris Christie on

Monday signed a bill that bans

therapists from providing a serviceto minors that aims to change their

sexual orientation.

The bill, which passed in the New

Jersey Senate and Assembly in

June, would restrict licensed ther-

apists from offering what is com-

monly referred to as conversion

therapy.

Christie is only the second gov-

ernor to sign a law banning the

pract ice for youth s. Cal ifo rnia

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown

signed a similar law last year,

which is currently under review in

the federal courts.

In signing the bill into law,

Christie issued a statement in

which he cited the American

Psychological Associations report

that recommended against the

practice.

At the outset of this debate, Iexpressed my concerns about gov-

ernment limiting parental choice

on the care and treatment of their

own children. I still have those

concerns, Christie said in a sign-

ing statement. The decision by

Christie, who is considered a pos-

sible contender to run for the

Republican presidential nomina-

tion in 2016, could become a point

of debate during the party primary,

as it was in the last election. In the

run-up to the 2012 Republican pri-

mary season, presidential candi-

date Michele Bachmann came

under fire when it was reported

that a clinic she owned offered the

conversion therapy.

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

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US AFFAIRS

Manning of WikiLeaks case gets 35 yearsin jail, to ask for White House pardon

Washington: A

US military judge

Wednesday sen-

tenced BradleyManning, an army

pr iv at e, to 35

years in prison for

leaking classified

information of the

government to

whistleblower site

WikiLeaks.

The judge, Army

Col. Denise Lind,

handed down the

sentence at Fort

Meade, outside

Washington. She also ordered that

Manning, the army intelligence analyst, be

reduced in rank to private and be dishonor-

ably discharged from the army, Xinhuareported. Manning, now 25, could face a

maximum of 90 years in prison. He was

convicted of several charges last month,

including espionage and theft. But the

judge found him not guilty of the most seri-

ous charge, aiding the enemy, which possi-

bly carried a life term in prison.

Manning was accused of delivering to

WikiLeaks three-quarters of a million

pages of classified documents and videos,

which covered numerous aspects of US

military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

and US diplomatic missions across the

world.

WikiLeaks, though, has never confirmed

Manning as the source of its information.Manning was arrested months later after

one of the leaked videos appeared on

WikiLeaks in April 2010. It was a gunfire

video of a US attack helicopter firing at a

group of people in Baghdad in 2007.

WikiLeaks, an international organization

that publishes secret information and news

leaks from anonymous sources, continues

to publish documents related to the 2010

Afghanistan war, the Iraq war Logs and

diplomatic cables by US State Department

officials.Washington: Al-Jazeera America went live

Tuesday, accompanied by a campaign of tra-

ditional and social media for its cable chan-

nel launch, as it pledged to outdo its rivals

with serious, in-depth journalism. "We're on

the air! #AlJazeeraAmerica has just

launched, and we're live. Are you ready totake a new look at news?" the channel

announced on Twitter at 1900 GMT.

Opening the lineup was a preview of the

daily schedule, which includes news, maga-

zine and interview programs.

One of the first in-depth reports set to air

was an investigation for its "Fault Lines"

program on Bangladesh.

"Fault Lines goes undercover in

Bangladesh in a multi-month investigation to

expose how US corporations may be putting

their profits before the well-being and safety

of the workers making their products," the

channel promised.

The Qatar-based media group took out

full-page ads in The New York Times, Wall

Street Journal and USA Today, and kept up a

barrage over social media including Twitter,

Facebook and Tumblr.

"Change the way you look at news," the ad

in The Wall Street Journal states. "Get more

depth, More perspective. Every day."

On Facebook, Al-Jazeera America calleditself "the new American TV news channel

that connects you to the human stories at the

heart of the news."

The channel reaches more than 40 million

households and vastly expands the footprint

of Al-Jazeera despite questions about how it

will be received by American viewers.

Jeff Jarvis, a City University of New York

journal ism professor, said on Google+ he

was skeptical: "They hired people straight

out of traditional TV news; they tried hard

not to hire foreigners. But what I was hoping

for was a new form with new perspectives."

Yet Al Jazeera is likely to face a tough sell

to US audiences because of its history in the

Middle East, where it was the outlet for

videos distributed by Al-Qaeda and Osamabin Laden. Some conservatives claim it is

still anti-Western.

Ehab Al Shihabi, interim chief executive

of Al-Jazeera America, said US viewers will

come around once they see the programs.

He said surveys indicate that "75 percent

of people who did not watch Al-Jazeera

came on the negative size and 90 percent of

those who watch Al-Jazeera came on the

positive side."

Shihabi said 850 staff have been hired for

12 US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus

worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched

scale.

Since acquiring Current TV, a struggling

US cable channel, Al-Jazeera has brought in

well-known names in the industry, such as

former CNN and CBS journalist Joie Chen,

former NBC news anchor John Seigenthaler

and David Shuster, a veteran of Fox News

and MSNBC.

Al Jazeera America goes live, woos viewers

Bradley Manning outside a courthouse inFort Meade, Md., Aug. 20.

NSA collected piles of emailsby ordinary Americans

Washington: The nation's top intelligence

official declassified three secret U.S. court

opinions and other classified documents on

Wednesday that reveal how the National

Security Agency intercepted thousands of

emails from Americans with no connection

to terrorism.

The documents also shed some light on

how the agency revealed the error to the

court and how it went about gathering

Internet communications as part of its effort

to gather intelligence.

Director of National Intelligence James

Clapper authorized the release Wednesday

and the agency published the documents on

a newly-created tumblr dubbed IC on the

Record.

"He's determined that in the current cir-

cumstances the harm to national security

from release of this information is out

weighed by the public interest," said a sen-

ior U.S. intelligence official who briefed

reporters ahead of the release.

The official said the documents reveal

"effective self-policing" at the National

Security Agency.

9August 24-30, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

San Francisco: Wells Fargo is cutting

2,300 jobs from in the mortgage production

unit, the company said on Wednesday.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo was the

largest employer among U.S. banks at

midyear with about 274,000 people.

The company expects the pace of mort-

gage lending to slow for the remainder of

the year as higher interest rates cut into the

demand for refinancing.

Applications for U.S. home loans fell for

a second straight week as higher interest

rates reduced refinancing activity, an indus-

try group reported Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said

its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage

application activity, which includes both

refinancing and home purchase demand,

fell 4.6 percent in the week ended Aug. 16.

The decline came as 30-year mortgage

rates rose 12 basis points to 4.68 percent,

matching the year's high first hit in July.

Wells Fargo eliminates 2,300 mortgage jobs

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

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10 August 24-30, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINDIA

No poor in India willremain hungry: Sonia

New Delhi: The legal right to food

security is "unparalleled" and will

ensure that no poor in India remains

hungry, UPA chairperson Sonia

Gandhi said while launching the

ambitious food security program in

Delhi.

Delhi is among the first states to

launch the program that is expected

to provide cheap staple food to two-

thirds of the nation's population.

The launch of the program - seen

as both a major welfare as well as

popul ist move designed to swing

votes for a beleaguered Congress in

the upcoming elections - coincided

with the 69th birth anniversary oflate prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi said the right to

food security had been conceived so

that no poor remains hungry.

"We decided to formulate the

Food Security Bill so that the poor

do not remain hungry, their children

do not sleep hungry and they do not

suffer malnutrition," Sonia Gandhi

said at Talkatora Stadium here.

"The guarantee of food provided

by the food security scheme on such

a large scale is unparalleled in the

world," she declared, adding that

states had benefited from welfare

schemes of the United Progressive

Alliance (UPA) government.

The Food Security Bill is yet to

be passed by parliament. The Delhi

government unveiled the food secu-

rity program on the basis of an ordi-

nance promulgated in June.

The Congress chief handed over

food security ration cards to benefi-

ciaries along with a 5 kg rice packet

each. Sonia Gandhi said that theFood Security Bill will provide ben-

efits to 75 percent of the rural popu-

lation and 50 percent of the urban

population, totaling about 80 crore.

She said the food security pro-

gram will empower women.

"Our duty is to serve the people

and this should continue to be our

motto," Sonia Gandhi said.

New Delhi: Indicating disap-proval of the resolution by BJP's

Bihar unit seeking Gujarat Chief

Minister Narendra Modi be

declared the party's prime minis-

terial candidate, party chief

Rajnath Singh told state units not

to pass such motions, party

sources said.

They said that Bharatiya Janata

Party president touched the issue

during his address at the party's

election campaign committee

meeting here Sunday and said

there was no need for such resolu-

tions. Modi was present at the

meeting.

The sources said that Rajnath

Singh told the gathering, which

included state unit chiefs, that the

leadership was seized of the ques-

tion of prime ministerial candi-

date and "a call will be taken in

the interest of the party".

"The party president conveyed

that states should not force the

issue and not pass such resolu-

tions," a party leader said.

BJP's Bihar unit had adopted a

resolution urging the BJP central

parliamentary board to make the

announcement on Modi as prime

ministerial candidate. Modi is the

chief of campaign committee for

BJP for the 2014 elections.

Party sources said that the lead-

ership has apprehensions that

such resolutions can create prob-

lems as it would amount to forc-

ing a decision on an issue which

is in domain of central leadership.

They said that there was even a

remote possibility of state units

differing in their recommenda-

tions of prime ministerial candi-

date which would present a pic-

ture of disunity in the party.

The BJP has said that a decision

on prime ministerial candidate

will be taken by the parliamentary

board at an appropriate time.

When rioters savaged once-peaceful KishtwarJammu: Separatist slogans were

all it took to stoke communal pas-sions, triggering riots that ravaged

Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar

town, left three dead and led to the

resignation of the state's junior

home minister who hails from the

town.

Communities that have lived in

perfect harmony for ages attacked

one another with shotguns loaded

with hatred and junior Home

Minister Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo

made the startling claim that mobs

tried to set him ablaze.

The trouble started in the other-

wise peaceful town of Kishtwar,

over 200 km from here, when a

procession of locals from adjacent

villages entered the town Aug 9 to

join others at the Eidgah grounds to

offer Eid prayers.

Reports said the procession was

shouting pro-azadi (independence)

slogans when some Hindus resent-

ed this and started pelting stones at

the procession and provoking them.After the news about this reached

those already present at the Eidgah

grounds they rushed to the spot and

joined the riots. Three people were

killed and properties worth millions

including over 100 shops were gut-

ted. The district administration hadto seek the armys help to bring the

situation under control. Eye-wit-

nesses said it was a free for all situ-

ation in the town for six hours dur-

ing which the mobs looted a gun-

shop and used the looted weaponsto target each other.

The state government announced

a judicial probe headed by a retired

hgh court judge to ascertain the

facts about what went wrong in

Kishtwar and who stoked commu-

nal passions there.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),

led by none less than its star cam-

paigner and the likely prime minis-

terial candidate Narendra Modi,

told a massive gathering in far

away Hyderabad: "Kishtwar is

burning. A narsamhar (bloodbath)

has taken place in Kishtwar. We

don't know how many have been

killed there."

It cannot be accepted that Modi

did not know that one Hindu and

two Muslim had died in the

Kishtwar clashes. Violence and

madness had taken an equal toll of

both the communities in the town,

where Muslims form 55 percentand Hindus 45 percent of the popu-

lation.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah,

visibly disturbed by the BJP cam-

pa ig n to focu s at te nt io n on th e

Kishtwar riots, said during his

Independence Day speech in sum-

mer capital Srinagar that the people

of Jammu and Kashmir were being

treated differently as if they were

not part of India.

Abdullah cited figures of commu-

nal clashes in Maharashtra, Gujarat,

Rajasthan, Karnataka and some

other states during 2012 and up to

March 2013 to ask: How many big

leaders have visited those places to

express solidarity with the affected

people? How many of them used

tweets or how many columns of

newspapers were written on those

clashes?

Kishtwar town in J&K faced communal violence last week

Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit during thelaunch of Food Security Program in New Delhi

BJP chief Rajnath Singh

Don't pass Modi-for-PM

resolutions: Rajnath

Missing coalblock files with CBI: Coal MinistryNew Delhi: In a Right to

Information (RTI) Act reply earlythis year, the coal ministry had said

that the files relating to all coal

block allocations from 1994-2012

were with the Central Bureau of

Investigation (CBI).

The ministry's reply to the RTI

query filed by NGO Greenpeace in

February is important as the gov-

ernment has been saying that some

of the files before 2004 went miss-ing.

According to Greenpeace, it had

filed two RTIs on the issue and was

told that the files were with the

CBI, which is investigating the

irregularities in the allocation of

coal blocks.

"We got a response from P.S.S.

Reddy, director appellate authority,

coal ministry, saying that all theapplications of the companies who

have been allocated coal blocks

along with annexures in original

are in the custody of the CBI," said

a statement issued by Greenpeace.

"Is the coal ministry lying about

missing the coalgate files,"

Greenpeace questioned.

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

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New Delhi: Reliance Group

chairman Anil Ambani Thursdaydeposed before a special court

here as a prosecution witness in

the 2G spectrum allocation case

and said he was not aware of any

company named Swan Telecom.

"I'm not aware of any company

called Swan Telecom," Ambani

replied in the special court of CBI,

presided over by Judge O.P. Saini,

when asked by the prosecution if

he knew this firm that was given

telecom spectrum and license in

2008.

The main allegations of the

probe agency, prompting it to call

Ambani as a witness, is that Swan

Telecom was a shell company of

the Anil Ambani Group, ineligiblefor telecom spectrum and license -

a matter that has been strongly

denied by the defense.

The court concluded recording

the statement of Anil Ambani over

two sessions and then called his

wife Tina Ambani Friday at 2 p.m.

In fact, Anil Ambani also told the

judge that his wife will depose

Friday in the court.

The markets reacted positively

to the day's development, with the

shares of Reliance

Communications ending 5.67 per-

cent higher at Rs.121.15. Among

the other group companies,

Reliance Power ended 3.68 per-

cent higher, while Reliance

Capital gained 6.02 percent.

While giving his statement,

Ambani refuted the claim of the

probe agency that Swan Telecom

was a shell company of his group."It is wrong to suggest that

Swan Telecom was a shell compa-

ny of my group. It was wrong to

suggest that it was in my knowl-

edge that Swan had applied for

UAS (telecom) license for Jammu

and Kashmir service area in

2007," Ambani said.

"I cannot recall if Reliance

Telecom had made an investment

to the extent of 9.9 percent in the

equity shares in Swan Telecom,"

he said, while denying another

claim by the CBI during his visit

to its headquarters here.

"I visited the CBI office in con-

nection with this case. However,

at that time, I did not hand overany note to the CBI officer,"

Ambani said in his statement.

When queried by the judge,

Ambani also said he was making

his statement voluntarily and as

per his own free will.

The court had Wednesday said

summoning Anil Ambani and and

his wife as prosecution witnesses

"will not cause any prejudice to

the accused facing trial in the

case".

Anil Ambani denies knowledge aboutSwan Telecom in 2G case

Anil Ambani refuted the CBIclaim that Swan Telecom wasa shell company of his group.

11August 24-30, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA

No need to panic, rupee will

stabilize: ChidambaramNew Delhi: Finance Minister P.

Chidambaram Thursday called for

calm in the currency markets, say-

ing stability will soon return, even

as the rupee slipped below the

psychological level of 65 against

the dollar.

"There is no cause of panic...we

are confident that the stability will

return to the markets,

Chidambaram said at a media

conference here.

The finance minister said

volatility in the currency market

w a s

u n a c -

ceptable

and the

govern-

m e n t

was tak-

ing meas-

ures to improve the situation.

"We are not targeting any partic-

ular level for the currency. We

want a stable currency...rupee

today is undervalued and has

overshot, he said.

Islamabad: Pakistan has decid-

ed to release 365 Indian prison-

ers as a goodwill gesture, the

interior ministry announcedThursday.

The prisoners include 340 fish-

ermen and 25 crew members of

their boats, Xinhua reported

quoting the ministry.

All the Indian prisoners have

completed their jail terms and

will be sent back to India

through the Wagah border cross-

ing Saturday.

Eight juveniles are also among

the prisoners to be freed from the

Youthful Offenders Industrial

School in Karachi, officials said.

The announcement to release

the Indian prisoners came at a

time when tension has increasedbetween the two nuclear-pow-

ered neighbors over cross-border

shelling.

Pakistan and India routinely

arrest fishermen as there are no

maritime boundaries between the

two nations.

Both the countries have held

series of talks but have not yet

reached any agreement.

Pakistani authorities have

already informed Indian officials

about the decision.

Finance Minister

P. Chidambaram

Pakistan to release 365 Indian prisoners

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

12/30

12 August 24-30, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoINDIA

India needs alternative policies,not leaders: CPI-M

New Delhi: India does not need alterna-

tive political leaders but "alternative pro-people policies" to overcome its economic

woes, CPI-M said Thursday.

Without naming Narendra Modi, CPI-

M's paper "People's Democracy" said in

an editorial titled "Back to Square One"

that India Inc had thrown its weight

be hind th e Gu ja ra t ch ie f mi ni st er 's

attempt to become the prime minister.

Corporate India, it said, wanted a

"strong leader" who could be decisive to

take actions that can facilitate their inter-

ests even at the expense of forsaking

democracy, human rights and civil liber-

ties.

"Given the BJP's commitment to inter-

national finance capital-led globalization

and its neo-liberal economic reforms, sec-tions of corporate India seem to be hoping

that their fortunes will improve under the

BJP's current poster boy."

The editorial said it had warned two

years ago that the slowing down of the

Indian economy could well lead up to a

situation similar to that India found itself

in 1991.

"Today, two years later, indeed, the

Indian economy appears to have come

back to square one."

The CPI-M demanded to know if the

government was preparing the ground for

seeking a bailout package again from theIMF, with the accompanying conditions.

It pointed out that there was a contrac-

tion of domestic demand in the economy.

"This is not surprising given the relent-

less rate of inflation and the substantial

cuts in subsidies meant for the poor in the

name of fiscal consolidation."

Domestically, it said, the purchasing

power in the hands of the peop le was

drastically declining, shrinking the

domestic demand as a consequence.

"By merely making available funds or

opening up further avenues for foreign

investment without increasing domestic

demand will only channel these funds into

speculative activities rather than produc-

tive investments."This is evident from the recent experi-

ence of astronomically high prices of real

estate and gold in our country.

"The rich are parking their money in

such avenues that are called valuables.

Additionally, they expend their monies in

obnoxious conspicuous consumption like

lavish wedding celebrations.

"Such a tendency of parking surpluses

in unproductive valuables is also respon-

sible for the surge in the demand for the

US dollar and foreign currencies.

Kolkata: Contending that India was passingthrough "an intolerable economic disaster",

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata

Banerjee Thursday wondered "where is the

leader of the country" to save the people

from economic onslaught and internal and

external security threats.

"The country is passing through a night-

marish situation. From petrol to onions, from

diesel to dollar, prices are skyrocketing. The

economic disaster through which the country

is passing is simply intolerable," Banerjee

said on her official Facebook page.

Observing that the "economic security of

the common people is at stake", Banerjee

said: "Is it a product of the so-called reforms

and activities being pushed by the

Government at the centre in view of theensuing Lok Sabha election?

"Is a type of political gimmickry going on

to satisfy some political parties at the

expense of the common people? The country

cannot be run like this," she said.

She also sought public opinion and called

for public mobilization on the issue."Public opinion and mobilisation is very

much needed at this hour. Let us all make a

collective effort to save our country," added

Banerjee.

Where's the leader of the country, wonders Mamata

By Prakash Bhandari

Jaipur: The students of

the Harvard Business

School from next month

will study how the

famous artificial limb

Jaipur Foot has made peo-

ple walk again. The case

study will be part of thepremier business schools

second year students

study. An Indian American

Professor Srikant Datar,

Arthur Lowes Dickinson

Professor of Accounting at

Harvard University, would

be teaching the model to

his students. He said it would help the

young B-brains learn to take the point of

view of the customer.

The artificial limbs cost Rs 2,300 to man-

ufacture but are given free to patients, irre-

spective of their background. The prosthet-

ic, created by a team headed by late ortho-

pedic surgeon Dr P.K. Sethi and a sculptor-

craftsman Ram Chander Sharma, has not

been patented because of their belief in the

motivation behind the creation that of

helping the poor, not only in India but in

26 countries like Afghanistan, Iraq,

Lebanon, Senegal, Pakistan, Uganda and

Bangladesh.

The Jaipur Foot is a

truly inspirational story

with important manage-

ment lessons about inno-

vation, customer-centrici-

ty, technology, leadership,

and management.

Insights into these fivefocus areas, he added,

should definitely help

business students under-

stand how such a low-cost

pr od uc t co ul d be su s-

tained. It was thrilling to

see the smiles on the faces

of the patients as they

came in, not able to walk, and left on both

their feet. It would help my students to

learn to always take the point of view of the

customer and also to believe that with lead-

ership and innovation, anything is possi-

ble.

The Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang

Sahayata Samiti, which manufactures the

Jaipur Foot, was set up in 1975 as a welfare

organization. Named the Jaipur Foot after

the city it was conceived in, the artificial

limb has made tens of thousands of

amputees in the developing world walk

again.

Harvard evinces interest in Jaipur Foot

Women driven auto-rickshaw service was launchedin Patna on August 18, a first for Bihar.

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee

Prof Srikant Datar will teachthe Jaipur Foot model.

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

13/30

OP-ED

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

Building a racial justice movementAmericans define racism as individual, overt and intentional. But

modern forms of racial discrimination are often unintentional,

systemic and hidden. On the eve of the 50th anniversary (on August28) of the famous March on Washington, the author argues why what

is building up is a racial justice movement, one that builds on the

legacy of civil rights while bringing crucial new elements to our

political and social lives. And that Latinos and Asians and blacks and

American Indians must all be working in that single movement.

13August 24-30, 2013TheSouthAsianTimes.info

By Rinku Sen

This week, the nation will celebrate the

50th anniversary of the March on

Washington for Jobs and Freedom with

events in Washington, D.C., and many other

cities. A hot summer of race newsMoral

Mondays to preserve voting rights in North

Carolina, the efforts of the Dream 9 to expose

the vagaries of our immigration policy, and

those of the Dream Defenders to undo

Floridas Stand Your Ground lawhave led

many to speculate on whether we are at the

start of a new civil rights movement.

We are definitely at the brink of something.

I hope that it is a racial justice movement, one

that builds on the legacy of civil rights while

bringing crucial new elements to our political

and social lives. We have a chance to explore

fundamental questions like the nature of

racism, what to do with the variety of racial

hierarchies across the country, and how to

craft a vision big enough to hold together

communities which are constantly pitted

against one another.Using the racial justice frame allows us to

fight off the seductive, corrupt appeal of col-

orblindness, which currently makes it difficult

to talk about even racial diversity, much less

the real prize of racial equity. Such language

also allows us to move beyond the current

limitations in civil rights law to imagine a host

of new policies and practices in public and

private spaces, while we also upgrade existing

civil rights laws at all levels of government.

Finally, the modern movement has to be fully

multiracial, as multiracial as the country itself.

The number and variety of communities of

color will continue to grow. If all of our com-

munities stake out ground on race, rather than

on a set of proxies, we will more likely be

able to stick together when any one of us isaccused of race baiting.

The Need for Plain SpeechWe cannot solve a problem that no one is

willing to name, and the biggest obstacle fac-

ing Americans today is that, in the main, we

dont want to talk about race, much less about

racism. Our societal silence makes room for

inventive new forms of discrimination, while

it blocks our efforts to change rules that disad-

vantage people of color. Unless we say what

we mean, we cannot redefine how racism

works or drive the debate toward equity.

Americans define racism as individual,

overt and intentional. But modern forms of

racial discrimination are often unintentional,

systemic and hidden. The tropes and images

of the civil rights era reinforce the old defini-

tion. People taking on new forms constantly

look for our own Bull Connor to make the

case. We can find these kinds of figures. But

theres inevitably debate about whether they

truly hit the Bull Connor standard, as we can

see in popular defenses of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

and Gov. Rick Scott. Politicians, employers

and public administrators have all learned to

use codes for the groups they target.

The notion that all racism is intentional and

overt is a fundamental building block of the

false solution of colorblindness.

The obsession with examining the intentions

of individual actors in order to legitimize the

existence of racism undermines efforts to

achieve justice. This is because the discussion

of racism in the U.S. is devoid of any mention

of history, power or policy. The person who

notices racial disparities in health care, for

example, is vilified for so-called race baiting,

while someone like Rep. Steve King is virtu-

ally unchallenged when he puts up a sign

referring to the State Childrens Health

Insurance Program as Socialized,

Clintonesque, Hillary Care for Illegals and

Their Children. Hey, he didnt say Latino

illegals, so thats not racist.Fifteen years of brain research have

revealed that ignoring racial difference is

impossible, and that most human beings are

unconscious of their biases. Thus getting peo-

ple to acknowledge and change their biases

voluntarily is often very difficult, and if it

does happen, is insufficient to address the

institutional problem.

Even people who dont dismiss the need for

race talk entirely often have the wrong end

goal in mind. They encourage respect for

diversity, or multiculturalism. Those are both

good things. But neither one is the same thing

as justice. It is entirely possible to have a

diverse community, city or workplace that is

marked by inequity. In restaurants Ive

worked in and observed, the white workers inthe dining room get along perfectly well with

blac k and Lati no workers conf ined to the

kitchen and dish room, but they are not in an

equitable situation. In being explicit about

working on racial justice, our modern move-

ment has a chance to push past the diversity

goal and define justice.

Justice and Rights Arent the SameJustice can include civil rights laws, but

civil rights laws dont always include justice.

The difference between the two is suggested

for me in that old school precursor to jokes,

There oughta be a law. There ought to be

lots of laws and we wont get them unless we

recognize the limits of the laws we have now

in relation to justice.

Here is NOLO Presss plain language defi-

nition of civil rights.

Rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, the

13th and 14th, 15th and 19th Amendments to

the Constitution. Civil rights include civil lib-

erties (such as the freedom of speech, press,

assembly, and religion), as well as due

process, the right to vote, equal and fair treat-

ment by law enforcement and the courts, and

the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a dem-

ocratic society, such as equal access to public

schools, recreation, transportation, public

facilities, and housing.

Civil refers largely to political rights, but

communities of color need change in econom-

ics and culture, too, the kind of change that

hasnt yet been encoded in the law. People of

color should be able to see ourselves on tele-

vision and in movies as something other than

villains far more often than we do now, but

there is no law that calls this a right. Food

jus tice woul d mean that peop le coul d get

access to fresh produce at reasonable prices

within a short distance from their homes, yet

no law punishes grocery store chains for aban-

doning poor neighborhoods of color. But laws

and other structures could be crafted to change

these arrangements that too many people cur-rently accept as just the way it is. In fact,

over time, the kinds of rules and regulations

that once supported cultural rights, such as the

fairness doctrine in communications law, have

been steadily gutted by the same deregulation

that created Fox News.

People should not be subjected to exploita-

tion on the job, but labor laws, including those

against discrimination that are in Title VII of

the Civil Rights Act, dont get us anywhere

near workplace justice. After New York Times

labor reporter Steven Greenhouse examined

the comment threads from his reporting on the

growing fast food workers strikes, he was

moved to tweet that hed never seen such lack

of sympathy for workers. Research by Topos

reveals that most Americans do not think ofcrappy jobs as exploitive jobs. They think

entry level jobs are meant to pay little, and

they put all the responsibility for improvement

on the workers themselves, in the form of fur-

ther education to get a better job. That senti-

ment was borne out again and again in

Greenhouses comment thread. The fact that

people of color, especially black people, are

heavily concentrated in the fast food industry

strikes me as the trigger for that kind of easy

victim blaming.

The language of justice simply gives us

more options for articulating what fairness

looks like than does the language of civil

rights. Only a big, broad vision will be excit-

ing enough to mobilize Americans for the hard

thinking and action required to meet our

upcoming challenges. The countrys changing

demographics are at the top of the challenge

list for me.

Going MultiracialWhen the March on Washington took place

in 1963, there was also organizing among

Latino, indigenous and Asian communities.

These communities were often inspired by

and related to the movement against Jim Crow

segregation in the South, and they had their

own forms of exploitation and discrimination

to confront. The exploitive Bracero Program,

which recruited Mexican guest workers for

farm work, had to be ended, and so did its bru-

tal aftermath, Operation Wetback, which

deported those same workers when they dared

to overstay. The effects of Japanese American

internment had to be addressed, and American

Indians were trying to protect families from

having their kids stolen right through the

1970s.

Connections surely existed between these

groups during the 1960s, and they cannot be

minimized. I know, however, that those ties

were not nearly as strong as they need to be

today.

My own experience as an immigrant, racial

justice organizer has convinced me that build-ing a container that can hold all the experi-

ences different people of color have with

racial hierarchy is critically important to pre-

vent further loss of civil rights victories

even more so if we are to expand those victo-

ries. The vast changes in our national demo-

graphics are largely due to one of the benefits

of the civil rights era: the passage of the

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the

policy that enabled my people, Indians, to

enter the US in significant numbers. Yet many

Indian immigrants and their descendants are

all too eager to distance themselves from that

very same movement, accepting a role as the

solution to the problem of black insur-

gence. My friend Vijay Prashad has written

beautifully about this phenomenon in TheKarma of Brown Folk. The racial profiling of

South Asians, Arabs and Muslims following

September 11 shocked many of us into a new

awareness, but it is still possible, for example,

for middle class South Asian Americans in

particular to resist the profiling of us, while

engaging in the profiling of others.

I say this as an immigrant who has spent

countless hours arguing with other immigrants

and refugees who refuse to acknowledge our

place in a racial hierarchy, and to take that into

account as we fight for our own freedom.

Continued on page 25

Rinku Sen is the President

and Executive Director of the

Appl ied Rese arc h Ce nt er

(ARC) and Publisher of

Colorlines.com. The article

submitted by Colorlines.com.

The civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr waves to support-ers on the Mall during the 'March on Washington' in 1963, the

stage for his famous I have a dream speech.

7/27/2019 18 Vol 6 Epaper

14/30

14 August 24-30, 2013 TheSouthAsianTimes.infoOP-ED

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

By Karan Thapar

The killing of five Indian soldiers on

the Line of Control (LoC) is abom-

inable. Its also unforgivable. There

can be no contrary view about this.

However we should have answered two

questions before allowing the Opposition

and sections of the media to whip us into

an unthinking froth. Sadly, they werent

even asked.

The first question is straightforward.

Did the killings happen out of the blue or

were they part of a depressing but contin-

uing chain of action and reaction on the

LoC? We responded as if the five murdersare inexplicable and without context. But

thats not so.

The killings happened early on August

6. A week earlier, on July 28, the

Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune and

our own Firstpost.com claimed that five

villagers from the Pakistan side of the

LoC were kidnapped by the Indian Army

and then, subsequently, mysteriously

found dead. A week before the Pakistani

government claimed one of its soldiers,

Asim Iqbal, had been killed by firing from

the Indian side and another seriously

injured.

I have little doubt this dreadful chain

extends backwards not just weeks and

months but literally years. Maybe evendecades. It also extends forwards.

Pakistan claims two of its soldiers were

shot and critically injured after August 6.

In turn they shot and injured at least one

of ours.

So the first lesson we should have borne

in mind is that dreadful things happen on

the LoC and both sides are perpetrators as

well as victims. Of course, on each occa-

sion innocent soldiers are killed and their

death is unforgiveable. But we cant claim

greater moral stature nor condemn the

Pakistanis as cold-blooded killers.

The second question was less straight-

forward. But it was an obvious one to ask.

Were the killings an attempt to sabotage

the proposed talks and the meeting

between our prime ministers?

Shahryar Khan, a former Pakistani for-

eign secretary and now Nawaz Sharifs

Special Envoy, has little doubt: Our

extremists have done it its meant to

derail the peace process. This was one

comment he didnt retract.

Two obvious suspects are the Lashkar-

e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. But they

are not the only ones. Fingers of suspicion

could also point at elements of the

Pakistan Army and the ISI.

In May and June, when Nawaz Sharifbegan reaching out to India, it was widely

reported General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani

warned him against making such over-

tures. So is it just a coincidence that,

thereafter, weve seen a spate of aggres-

sive activity on the LoC? Or was this an

attempt by the Pakistan Army to thwart its

new prime minister?

For some this is just outlandish specula-

tion. Not Salman Khurshid. He says its

a plausible theory.

So, was AK Antony correct when, in his

first statement, he blamed the killings on

approximately 20 terrorists along with

some persons dressed in Pakistani Army

uniforms? Possibly. Its just that by stop-

pi ng th er e an d no t go in g fu rt he r heseemed to exculpate the Pakistani State.

Had he added the following sentence

from his second statement few would

have disagreed: We all know that noth-

ing happens from the Pakistan side of the

LoC without support, assistance, facilita-

tion and, often, direct involvement of the

Pakistan Army.

Mr Antony must rue the infelicitous

b