HOUSTON: A Boston couple have offered to sell their own body parts to pay off their children's $2,00,000 student loan.
"Use my body for anything legal, or medically experimental . Simply pay off all of my children's student loans and you can use me anyway you need," an advertisement said asking "Do you need a live 'cadaver?'" posted on Craigslist Boston in the "jobs wanted" section of the website.
It added, "I am 5'10" 200lbs and have all my organs in working order. Take my blood, take my plasma. Drill into my brain, my leg, my arm. Tap my heart, my liver, my kidney.
If you eliminate my children's student loans, I will give you my life!" The poster, which did not include their name, exact location or gender , said the children's student loans total $200,000.
Monday, February 28, 2011
A Studs Viewpoint: Historian disputes modern-day yoga's Hindu identit...
A Studs Viewpoint: Historian disputes modern-day yoga's Hindu identit...: "Yoga, as it is practiced now, is a mix of several techniques, including some Western ones, a historian has said. Meera Nanda, visiting profe..."
Historian disputes modern-day yoga's Hindu identity claims
Yoga, as it is practiced now, is a mix of several techniques, including some Western ones, a historian has said.
Meera Nanda, visiting professor of history of science at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, says for most Indians, yoga is a living symbol of their way of life, like apple pie is to Americans. But, she adds, they are unaware that the yoga of today can't claim Vedic antiquity.
In an article in Open magazine, she writes: "Lately, Hindus in America have started flying the saffron flag over American-style yoga, which consists largely of yogic asanas and stretches. The leading Indo-American lobby, Hindu American Foundation (HAF), has recently started a vocal campaign to remind Americans that yoga was made in India by Hindus… The purist Hindu position, articulated by the HAF, is that all yoga, including its physical or hatha yoga component, is rooted in the Hindu religion/way of life that goes all the way back to the Vedic sages and yogis."
In Nanda's words: "There is only one problem with this purist history of yoga: it is false. Yogic asanas were never ‘Vedic’ to begin with. Far from being considered the crown jewel of Hinduism, yogic asanas were in fact looked down upon by Hindu intellectuals and reformers—including the great Swami Vivekananda—as fit only for sorcerers, fakirs and jogis."
She says Western gymnastics and body-building techniques show up in the world-renowned Iyengar and Ashtanga Vinyasa schools of yoga.
"Far from honestly acknowledging the Western contributions to modern yoga, we Indians simply brand all yoga as ‘Vedic,’ a smug claim that has no intellectual integrity," she writes.
She disputes the 'Take Back Yoga' movement, and says "Yoga is to North America what McDonald’s is to India: both are foreign implants gone native."
Nanda says, "By and large, the US yoga industry does not hide the origins of what it teaches. On the contrary, in a country that is so young and so constantly in flux, yoga’s presumed antiquity (‘the 5,000-year-old exercise system’, etcetera.) and its connections with Eastern spirituality have become part of the sales pitch."
Following articles and blog posts appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post, HAF’s Shukla and New Age guru Deepak Chopra got into a spat. Shukla complained the yoga industry wasn't giving credit to Hinduism, and called Chopra a "philosophical profiteer", while Chopra argued that yoga existed in "consciousness and consciousness alone" much before Hinduism.
Nanda describes both views as "equally fundamentalist". She explains: "The reality is that postural yoga, as we know it in the 21st century, is neither eternal nor synonymous with the Vedas or Yoga Sutras. On the contrary, modern yoga was born in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. It is a child of the Hindu Renaissance and Indian nationalism, in which Western ideas about science, evolution eugenics, health and physical fitness played as crucial a role as the ‘mother tradition’."
By her reckoning, "the physical aspects of yoga were hybridised with drills, gymnastics and body-building techniques borrowed from Sweden, Denmark, England, the United States and other Western countries."
Nanda writes: "Contrary to the widespread impression, the vast majority of asanas taught by modern yoga gurus are not described anywhere in ancient sacred Hindu texts. Anyone who goes looking for references to popular yoga techniques like pranayam, neti, kapalbhati or suryanamaskar in classical Vedic literature will be sorely disappointed…. The four Vedas have no mention of yoga….The Upanishads and The Bhagvad Gita do, but primarily as a spiritual technique to purify the atman."
Nanda says BKS Iyengar’s Light on Yoga alone teaches 200 asanas, while the 14th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists only 15 asanas, as do the 17th century Gheranda Samhita and Shiva Samhita.
She also credits the Mysore palace under Krishnaraja Wodiyar IV (1884-1940) for the popular revival of yoga in India. She recalls: "The Maharaja, who ruled the state and the city of Mysore from 1902 till his death, was well known as a great promoter of Indian culture and religion. But he was also a great cultural innovator, who welcomed positive innovations from the West, incorporating them into his social programmes. Promoting physical education was one of his passions, and under his reign, Mysore became the hub of a physical culture revival in the country."
She concludes: "The HAF’s shrill claims about Westerners stealing yoga completely gloss over the tremendous amount of cross-breeding and hybridisation that has given birth to yoga as we know it. Indeed, contemporary yoga is a unique example of a truly global innovation, in which Eastern and Western practices merged to produce something that is valued and cherished around the world… Hinduism, whether ancient, medieval or modern, has no special claims on 21st century postural yoga. To assert otherwise is churlish and simply untrue."
Meera Nanda, visiting professor of history of science at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, says for most Indians, yoga is a living symbol of their way of life, like apple pie is to Americans. But, she adds, they are unaware that the yoga of today can't claim Vedic antiquity.
In an article in Open magazine, she writes: "Lately, Hindus in America have started flying the saffron flag over American-style yoga, which consists largely of yogic asanas and stretches. The leading Indo-American lobby, Hindu American Foundation (HAF), has recently started a vocal campaign to remind Americans that yoga was made in India by Hindus… The purist Hindu position, articulated by the HAF, is that all yoga, including its physical or hatha yoga component, is rooted in the Hindu religion/way of life that goes all the way back to the Vedic sages and yogis."
In Nanda's words: "There is only one problem with this purist history of yoga: it is false. Yogic asanas were never ‘Vedic’ to begin with. Far from being considered the crown jewel of Hinduism, yogic asanas were in fact looked down upon by Hindu intellectuals and reformers—including the great Swami Vivekananda—as fit only for sorcerers, fakirs and jogis."
She says Western gymnastics and body-building techniques show up in the world-renowned Iyengar and Ashtanga Vinyasa schools of yoga.
"Far from honestly acknowledging the Western contributions to modern yoga, we Indians simply brand all yoga as ‘Vedic,’ a smug claim that has no intellectual integrity," she writes.
She disputes the 'Take Back Yoga' movement, and says "Yoga is to North America what McDonald’s is to India: both are foreign implants gone native."
Nanda says, "By and large, the US yoga industry does not hide the origins of what it teaches. On the contrary, in a country that is so young and so constantly in flux, yoga’s presumed antiquity (‘the 5,000-year-old exercise system’, etcetera.) and its connections with Eastern spirituality have become part of the sales pitch."
Following articles and blog posts appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post, HAF’s Shukla and New Age guru Deepak Chopra got into a spat. Shukla complained the yoga industry wasn't giving credit to Hinduism, and called Chopra a "philosophical profiteer", while Chopra argued that yoga existed in "consciousness and consciousness alone" much before Hinduism.
Nanda describes both views as "equally fundamentalist". She explains: "The reality is that postural yoga, as we know it in the 21st century, is neither eternal nor synonymous with the Vedas or Yoga Sutras. On the contrary, modern yoga was born in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. It is a child of the Hindu Renaissance and Indian nationalism, in which Western ideas about science, evolution eugenics, health and physical fitness played as crucial a role as the ‘mother tradition’."
By her reckoning, "the physical aspects of yoga were hybridised with drills, gymnastics and body-building techniques borrowed from Sweden, Denmark, England, the United States and other Western countries."
Nanda writes: "Contrary to the widespread impression, the vast majority of asanas taught by modern yoga gurus are not described anywhere in ancient sacred Hindu texts. Anyone who goes looking for references to popular yoga techniques like pranayam, neti, kapalbhati or suryanamaskar in classical Vedic literature will be sorely disappointed…. The four Vedas have no mention of yoga….The Upanishads and The Bhagvad Gita do, but primarily as a spiritual technique to purify the atman."
Nanda says BKS Iyengar’s Light on Yoga alone teaches 200 asanas, while the 14th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists only 15 asanas, as do the 17th century Gheranda Samhita and Shiva Samhita.
She also credits the Mysore palace under Krishnaraja Wodiyar IV (1884-1940) for the popular revival of yoga in India. She recalls: "The Maharaja, who ruled the state and the city of Mysore from 1902 till his death, was well known as a great promoter of Indian culture and religion. But he was also a great cultural innovator, who welcomed positive innovations from the West, incorporating them into his social programmes. Promoting physical education was one of his passions, and under his reign, Mysore became the hub of a physical culture revival in the country."
She concludes: "The HAF’s shrill claims about Westerners stealing yoga completely gloss over the tremendous amount of cross-breeding and hybridisation that has given birth to yoga as we know it. Indeed, contemporary yoga is a unique example of a truly global innovation, in which Eastern and Western practices merged to produce something that is valued and cherished around the world… Hinduism, whether ancient, medieval or modern, has no special claims on 21st century postural yoga. To assert otherwise is churlish and simply untrue."
Budget Simplified for you
The main impetus of the budget is to improve the growth rate and get it to 9 percent in the near term and to a double digit rate in the medium to longer term. The other two areas of focus are Infrastructure development especially in Rural India and Improving Governance by shoring up Systems and bringing stricter control on institutions.
Key points of the budget:
The government is very keen on ensuring that inflation is curbed and food security is ensured for all citizens.
Food items: Since inefficient distribution has been found to be the culprit for the sky rocketing of food prices, the FM has proposed to focus on reducing Production and Distributions bottlenecks. Food, vegetables, Meat etc will show an easing of prices in the medium term future.
Education: A higher allotment of funds in the form of over 24% hike as compared to last year for the Education Sector.
Income tax: More modernization of the taxation system is being mooted. A new form called "SUGAM" will make it easier for small tax payers to file their returns.
A miniscule hike of Rs 20000 in the exemption limit for tax payers has been introduced. The older citizens can feel happy as the FM has decrease the income tax "senior citizen" definition from age 65 to age 60 thus giving a big benefit to those born between 1946-1951. And for those who survive all the hardships of life and lvie to be over 80 they get a higher limit!!
Deduction of Rs 20000 for infrastructure bonds has been retained.
The direct taxes code which has been proposed to be implement from Aril 1, 2012. This has been in the offing for quite some time and is expected to make taxation simpler. The wait continues.
Direct transfer of Cash subsidy to be given to people below poverty line so that delivery of Kerosene, LPG and fertilizers happen in a more efficient and accountable manner
Selling off PSU's: Continuing the focus on divesting government stakes in Public Sector Undertakings the FM has proposed to look at raising Rs 40000 Crores from divestment in 11-12
Foreign Investment: The business environment is set to improve for Foreign companies as the government is looking at further liberalizing the FDI policy. More Foreign Direct Investment can only be good for the economy. Way to go...
Investment in infrastructure will go up since FII investment in corporate bonds has been raised. Better roads, Bridges are on their way.
Housing Loan: Loan limit has been enhanced to Rs 25 Lakh for housing under priority sector lending. Interest subsidy (subvention) of 1% on housing loan has been liberalized. People in the lower financial spectrum to get benefit from Mortgage Risk Guarantee Fund.
Agriculture: Higher allotment uinder Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana of Rs 7860 Crores could see more support for the agriculture sector. Special focus on Vegetables in the form of Rs 300 crore for Vegetable initiative. Agriculture credit too raised to Rs 475, 000/- crores. Happier farmers could mean lower prices for the common man. Focus on Cold Chains and Storage could also lead to efficiency and in return reduction in prices and better quality vegetables reaching our kitchens.
Infrastructure is King: Rs 214000 Crores has been allotted for infrastructure for 2011-12. An increase of over 23% over the last year. We can see better highways and transport systems in the near future which could lead to reduction in inflation in the longer term.
Bring the money back: As expected the FM has taken note of the hue and cry over Black Money. Many new initiatives have been mooted to bring back black money in circulation.
Air travel and Medical aid to cost more: Service tax on air travel has been hiked. Hospitals with over 25 beds will have to pay tax on all services. So those posh hospitals could be giving you higher bills in the coming year.
Bottom line: Overall a very low key budget that has not given great cheer to any particular sector except for Agriculture and Infrastructure. But to give credit to the FM, this focus on these two most critical sectors will only mean that in the longer term all of us get to benefit from better Food stability and Better infrastructure.
Key points of the budget:
The government is very keen on ensuring that inflation is curbed and food security is ensured for all citizens.
Food items: Since inefficient distribution has been found to be the culprit for the sky rocketing of food prices, the FM has proposed to focus on reducing Production and Distributions bottlenecks. Food, vegetables, Meat etc will show an easing of prices in the medium term future.
Education: A higher allotment of funds in the form of over 24% hike as compared to last year for the Education Sector.
Income tax: More modernization of the taxation system is being mooted. A new form called "SUGAM" will make it easier for small tax payers to file their returns.
A miniscule hike of Rs 20000 in the exemption limit for tax payers has been introduced. The older citizens can feel happy as the FM has decrease the income tax "senior citizen" definition from age 65 to age 60 thus giving a big benefit to those born between 1946-1951. And for those who survive all the hardships of life and lvie to be over 80 they get a higher limit!!
Deduction of Rs 20000 for infrastructure bonds has been retained.
The direct taxes code which has been proposed to be implement from Aril 1, 2012. This has been in the offing for quite some time and is expected to make taxation simpler. The wait continues.
Direct transfer of Cash subsidy to be given to people below poverty line so that delivery of Kerosene, LPG and fertilizers happen in a more efficient and accountable manner
Selling off PSU's: Continuing the focus on divesting government stakes in Public Sector Undertakings the FM has proposed to look at raising Rs 40000 Crores from divestment in 11-12
Foreign Investment: The business environment is set to improve for Foreign companies as the government is looking at further liberalizing the FDI policy. More Foreign Direct Investment can only be good for the economy. Way to go...
Investment in infrastructure will go up since FII investment in corporate bonds has been raised. Better roads, Bridges are on their way.
Housing Loan: Loan limit has been enhanced to Rs 25 Lakh for housing under priority sector lending. Interest subsidy (subvention) of 1% on housing loan has been liberalized. People in the lower financial spectrum to get benefit from Mortgage Risk Guarantee Fund.
Agriculture: Higher allotment uinder Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana of Rs 7860 Crores could see more support for the agriculture sector. Special focus on Vegetables in the form of Rs 300 crore for Vegetable initiative. Agriculture credit too raised to Rs 475, 000/- crores. Happier farmers could mean lower prices for the common man. Focus on Cold Chains and Storage could also lead to efficiency and in return reduction in prices and better quality vegetables reaching our kitchens.
Infrastructure is King: Rs 214000 Crores has been allotted for infrastructure for 2011-12. An increase of over 23% over the last year. We can see better highways and transport systems in the near future which could lead to reduction in inflation in the longer term.
Bring the money back: As expected the FM has taken note of the hue and cry over Black Money. Many new initiatives have been mooted to bring back black money in circulation.
Air travel and Medical aid to cost more: Service tax on air travel has been hiked. Hospitals with over 25 beds will have to pay tax on all services. So those posh hospitals could be giving you higher bills in the coming year.
Bottom line: Overall a very low key budget that has not given great cheer to any particular sector except for Agriculture and Infrastructure. But to give credit to the FM, this focus on these two most critical sectors will only mean that in the longer term all of us get to benefit from better Food stability and Better infrastructure.
Achieving inclusive growth with clear priorities
As the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by V.S. Achuthanandan completes its tenure, it has succeeded in leaving an imprint in all walks of life, especially among the weaker sections.
Providing food, shelter, drinking water and power are the major responsibilities of a government. It can be safely said that the LDF government succeeded in providing these basic needs to a large section of the weaker sections such as the landless and homeless, fishermen, manual labourers and those employed in the unorganised sectors. One of the notable achievements of the government is the provision of rice at Rs.2 a kg to 40 lakh families belonging to both APL and BPL categories. This was a relief to the families of coir, handloom, khadi, beedi and plantation workers and also those engaged for 50 days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) of the Union government.
The EMS Housing Scheme launched under the aegis of local self-government institutions is yet another innovative step to construct 5 lakh houses. Once completed, this would be a pioneering and revolutionary effort in providing shelter for the homeless poor.
Total electrification
The total electrification drive and the energy conservation programmes have become a landmark in the power sector. Palakkad first attained the tota-electrified status followed by Thrissur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha. Power connections have been provided to 90 per cent houses in the State. Kerala can also boast being the only State without power-cut and load-shedding during the past five years. There was no power tariff revision too. By containing the transmission loss and adopting other measures such as popularisation of CFLs, the government also succeeded in keeping its power storehouse safe and secure.
The market intervention efforts of the cooperative sector and the Food and Civil Supplies Department helped contain price rise. This was a major relief to the common man who was reeling under the burden of spiralling prices.
The measures initiated by the government proved successful in reigning in the rise in prices of essentials, especially during the festival seasons. Budgetary support is being provided to supply essential commodities at concessional rates through 3,000 ration shops. The functioning of the outlets opened by Consumerfed and the cooperative societies deserves special mention.
A scientific approach in conserving the perennial water sources, ensuring the availability of drinking water and creating public awareness of the optimum utilisation of potable water also yielded rich results.
Water schemes
As many as 69 major and 300 minor drinking water schemes completed during the period have benefitted 29.53 lakh people. The Chamravattom irrigation project, with an estimated cost of Rs.150 crore is nearing completion.
The second phase of the Jalanidhi rural drinking water scheme for Rs.1,000 crore has been launched. The Kerala Water Authority won the award instituted under the joint aegis of the Union Development Ministry and the World Bank South Asian Water Sanitation in 2009.
The State also set its mark in decentralised planning and governance and retained its prime position in the country. The Union Panchayati Raj Department selected Kerala for its remarkable achievements in devolution of powers and funds to local self-government institutions. A sum of Rs.2.5 crore was given as prize money for the trail-blazing achievements in this realm.
The State set a model by reserving 50 per cent seats in LSGIs for women. By combining the Plan projects of the civic bodies and the MGNREGP, the State succeeded in bringing cheer to the agriculture sector.
Cultivation
The efforts of the civic representatives for fallow land cultivation yielded rich rewards.
The increase in area under paddy cultivation was one of the notable achievements of the proponents of decentralised planning and governance. Kudumbasree, which was launched with the objective of poverty alleviation and implementation of People's Plan projects, completed 12 years of operations. The vision of the organisation also evolved in tune with the changing times and needs. It has grown from an organisation which had to depend on financial assistance to one with a major interventional role in development and prosperity of the region and also one for women empowerment with a membership base of 39 lakh.
The resurgence of Public Sector Undertakings in the State has not much parallel in the country. During 2005-06, only 12 out of the 44 companies were registering profit and the loss incurred was Rs.69.64 crore. The situation changed from 2006-07.
The total turnover was Rs.1,763.74 crore against the Rs.1,540.40 crore in the previous year and the profit too went up to Rs.91.18 crore. The number of profit –making companies increased to 24. In 2007-08, the profit-making units increased to 27 but the total profit dipped to Rs.80.30 crore and the turnover increased to Rs.1,811.50 crore. In 2008-09, 28 companies turned around. The total turnover was Rs.2,105.01 crore and profit, Rs.169.45 crore. In 2009-10, 32 units turned profit-making. The turnover rose to Rs.2190.73 crore and the profit, Rs.239.75 crore. The loss incurred by five units was Rs.6.45 crore.
The culture realm also witnessed sweeping changes. Kalamandalam acquired deemed university status. The Lalita Kala Akademi at Ernakulam acquired a new library and a modern research centre.
Performance audit
Periodical performance monitoring, annual budgeting, timely auditing of accounts, mutual support and cooperation and budgetary support were the key factors that helped the State make such a remarkable achievement. The turnaround saga of the State PSUs is a classic illustration of how a committed government with political will can take strategic initiatives for reviving the units that were declared sick.
The initiatives taken by the government in clearing the impediments in starting the work on the Vizhinjam International Container Transshipment Terminal and the SmartCity in Kochi have found place of pride in the development history of the State.
The other departments like Cooperation, Health and Education too made notable changes in their ambit. On completing its tenure, the LDF government can rightfully claim to have worked with a right perspective and made notable changes in all walks of life of the people who voted them to power five years ago.
The LDF government's initiatives will ensure sustained development in Kerala in various spheres.
Highlights of the Indian Budget 2011/12
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday presented to parliament India's federal budget for the coming financial year beginning in April.
Following are the highlights of the budget:
GROWTH, INFLATION EXPECTATIONS
* Economy expected to grow at 9 percent in 2012, plus or minus 0.25 percent
* Inflation seen lower in the financial year 2011-12
SPENDING
* Plan expenditure seen at 4.41 trillion rupees in 2011-12, up 18.3 percent
REVENUE
* Gross tax receipts seen at 9.32 trillion rupees in 2011-12
* Non-tax revenue seen at 1.25 trillion rupees in 2011-12
DISINVESTMENT
* Disinvestment in 2011-12 seen at 400 billion rupees
POLICY REFORMS
* To create infrastructure debt funds
* To boost infrastructure development with tax-free bonds of 300 billion rupees
* Food security bill to be introduced this year
* To permit Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) registered mutual funds to access subscriptions from foreign investments
* Raised foreign institutional investor limit in 5-year corporate bonds for investment in infrastructure by $20 billion
* Public debt bill to be introduced in parliament soon
SECTOR SPENDING
* To allocate more than 1.64 trillion rupees to defence sector in 2011-12
* Corpus of rural infrastructure development fund raised to 180 billion rupees in 2011-12
* To provide 201.5 billion rupees capital infusion in state-run banks in 2011-12
* To allocate 520.5 billion rupees for the education sector
* To raise health sector allocation to 267.6 billion rupees
AGRICULTURE
* Removal of supply bottlenecks in the food sector will be in focus in 2011-12
* To raise target of credit flow to agriculture sector to 4.75 trillion rupees
* Gives 3 percent interest subsidy to farmers in 2011-12
* Cold storage chains to be given infrastructure status
* Capitalisation of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of 30 billion rupees in a phased manner
* To provide 3 billion rupees for 60,000 hectares under palm oil plantation
* Actively considering new fertiliser policy for urea
FINANCE MINISTER ON THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY
* "Fiscal consolidation has been impressive. This year has also seen significant progress in those critical institutional reforms that will pave the way for double digit growth in the near future."
* Food inflation remains a concern
* Current account deficit situation poses some concern
* Must ensure that private investment is sustained
* "The economy has shown remarkable resilience."
FINANCE MINISTER ON GOVERNANCE
* "Certain events in the past few months may have created an impression of drift in governance and a gap in public accountability ... such an impression is misplaced."
* Corruption is a problem, must fight it collectively
Following are the highlights of the budget:
GROWTH, INFLATION EXPECTATIONS
* Economy expected to grow at 9 percent in 2012, plus or minus 0.25 percent
* Inflation seen lower in the financial year 2011-12
SPENDING
* Plan expenditure seen at 4.41 trillion rupees in 2011-12, up 18.3 percent
REVENUE
* Gross tax receipts seen at 9.32 trillion rupees in 2011-12
* Non-tax revenue seen at 1.25 trillion rupees in 2011-12
DISINVESTMENT
* Disinvestment in 2011-12 seen at 400 billion rupees
POLICY REFORMS
* To create infrastructure debt funds
* To boost infrastructure development with tax-free bonds of 300 billion rupees
* Food security bill to be introduced this year
* To permit Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) registered mutual funds to access subscriptions from foreign investments
* Raised foreign institutional investor limit in 5-year corporate bonds for investment in infrastructure by $20 billion
* Public debt bill to be introduced in parliament soon
SECTOR SPENDING
* To allocate more than 1.64 trillion rupees to defence sector in 2011-12
* Corpus of rural infrastructure development fund raised to 180 billion rupees in 2011-12
* To provide 201.5 billion rupees capital infusion in state-run banks in 2011-12
* To allocate 520.5 billion rupees for the education sector
* To raise health sector allocation to 267.6 billion rupees
AGRICULTURE
* Removal of supply bottlenecks in the food sector will be in focus in 2011-12
* To raise target of credit flow to agriculture sector to 4.75 trillion rupees
* Gives 3 percent interest subsidy to farmers in 2011-12
* Cold storage chains to be given infrastructure status
* Capitalisation of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of 30 billion rupees in a phased manner
* To provide 3 billion rupees for 60,000 hectares under palm oil plantation
* Actively considering new fertiliser policy for urea
FINANCE MINISTER ON THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY
* "Fiscal consolidation has been impressive. This year has also seen significant progress in those critical institutional reforms that will pave the way for double digit growth in the near future."
* Food inflation remains a concern
* Current account deficit situation poses some concern
* Must ensure that private investment is sustained
* "The economy has shown remarkable resilience."
FINANCE MINISTER ON GOVERNANCE
* "Certain events in the past few months may have created an impression of drift in governance and a gap in public accountability ... such an impression is misplaced."
* Corruption is a problem, must fight it collectively
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Forget search engines, try the new 'answer engines'
London: Computer wizards have claimed that by using a 'cutting-edge' technology they have created a clever website that gives direct answers to direct questions.
According to creators, "trueknowledge.com" site is an Internet "answer engine" which breaks new ground by giving direct answers to questions.
Co-founder William Tunstall-Pedoe, who is based in Cambridge, said the website is a "phone-a-friend" on the Internet which can answer "trillions" of questions.
"What's new is that it is a website which answers the question," the Daily Mail quoted Tunstall-Pedoe as saying.
"It doesn't give you references to articles mentioning the words in the question. It gives you the answer. Ask it when Bob Dylan's birthday is and it will simply tell you. And it if doesn't know the answer it will say it doesn't know.
"It doesn't know everything but as we input more information it will know more and more."
"It's cutting-edge use of computers. It uses unique semantic technology, which has been many years in development.
"It understands user questions, represents knowledge in a way that the system can understand and process and can combine existing knowledge to infer new facts and answer questions it has never seen before.
"Powering the platform is also a database of facts: a unified representation of the world's knowledge containing factual, common sense and lexical knowledge.
"We can already answer trillions of questions and as this knowledge base grows, we understand and answer more and more," he added.
A computer that can fit into your eyes
London: Scientists have created what they claim is the world's smallest computer system that is just one square millimetre in size and can fit into ones eyeball.
Developed by a team at the University of Michigan, the unnamed tiny device is a pressure monitor that can be implanted in a person's eye to treat glaucoma. It may be just one square millimetre in size but packs a hefty punch, containing an ultra low-power microprocessor, a pressure sensor, memory and a thin film battery, the Daily Mail reported.
It also has a solar cell and a wireless radio with an antenna that can transmit data to an external reader device, the researchers said. The device is already being touted as the future of the computing industry, although it needs several more years to be commercially available.
Its creators, Professors Dennis Sylvester, David Blaauw and David Wentzloff, claim that as the radio of the device needs no tuning to find the right frequency it could link to a wireless network of computers. A network of such units could one day track pollution, monitor structural integrity, perform surveillance, or make virtually any object smart and trackable, the scientists said.
Prof Sylvester said: "When you get smaller than hand-held devices, you turn to these monitoring devices. The next big challenge is to achieve millimetre-scale systems, which have a host of new applications for monitoring our bodies, our environment and our buildings. Because they're so small, you could manufacture hundreds of thousands on one wafer. There could be tens to hundreds of them per person and its this per capita increase that fuels the semi-conductor industry's growth. Currently, the system is a pressure monitor designed to be implanted in the eye to continuously track the progress of glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease."
The processor in the eye pressure monitor is the third generation of the researchers Phoenix chip, which uses a unique design and an extreme sleep mode to achieve ultra-low power consumption. The newest system wakes every 15 minutes to take measurements and consumes an average of 5.3 nanowatts. To keep the battery charged, it requires exposure to 10 hours of indoor light each day or 1.5 hours of sunlight.
It can store up to a week's worth of information. While this system is miniscule and complete, its radio doesn't equip it to talk to other similar devices, which is an important feature for any system targeted towards wireless sensor networks.
Developed by a team at the University of Michigan, the unnamed tiny device is a pressure monitor that can be implanted in a person's eye to treat glaucoma. It may be just one square millimetre in size but packs a hefty punch, containing an ultra low-power microprocessor, a pressure sensor, memory and a thin film battery, the Daily Mail reported.
It also has a solar cell and a wireless radio with an antenna that can transmit data to an external reader device, the researchers said. The device is already being touted as the future of the computing industry, although it needs several more years to be commercially available.
Its creators, Professors Dennis Sylvester, David Blaauw and David Wentzloff, claim that as the radio of the device needs no tuning to find the right frequency it could link to a wireless network of computers. A network of such units could one day track pollution, monitor structural integrity, perform surveillance, or make virtually any object smart and trackable, the scientists said.
Prof Sylvester said: "When you get smaller than hand-held devices, you turn to these monitoring devices. The next big challenge is to achieve millimetre-scale systems, which have a host of new applications for monitoring our bodies, our environment and our buildings. Because they're so small, you could manufacture hundreds of thousands on one wafer. There could be tens to hundreds of them per person and its this per capita increase that fuels the semi-conductor industry's growth. Currently, the system is a pressure monitor designed to be implanted in the eye to continuously track the progress of glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease."
The processor in the eye pressure monitor is the third generation of the researchers Phoenix chip, which uses a unique design and an extreme sleep mode to achieve ultra-low power consumption. The newest system wakes every 15 minutes to take measurements and consumes an average of 5.3 nanowatts. To keep the battery charged, it requires exposure to 10 hours of indoor light each day or 1.5 hours of sunlight.
It can store up to a week's worth of information. While this system is miniscule and complete, its radio doesn't equip it to talk to other similar devices, which is an important feature for any system targeted towards wireless sensor networks.
Karim's diary sheds light on relationship with Queen Victoria
Abdul Karim was a 24-year-old Indian servant of Queen Victoria, who gained her affection in the final 15 years of her reign. Their relationship sent shock -waves through the royal court, and ended up being one of the most scandalous periods of her 64-year-reign.
But, a new archive of letters, pictures and Karim''s "lost diary", held secretly by his family for over a century, sheds new light on the controversial relationship between the Queen and the youth from Agra who rose from a royal waiter to becoming her decorated Indian secretary.
In fact, Indian author Shrabani Basu has discovered the documents after penning ''Victoria & Abdul'' -- her book on the remarkable relationship between the Queen and her servant, ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported.
The documents tell the story of how Karim arrived in England in 1887 and quickly gained the affection of a Monarch 42 years his senior.
"I came to England as orderly to the Queen... It is a much higher position than the orderly of the British Army who is simply a private soldier selected to attend an officer as a personal servant carrying his orders etc," Karim writes in his personal diary.
On arriving in London on the recommendation of Dr Tyler who his superior officer at India's Central Jail, Karim notes, he visits the zoo and Madame Tussauds. Yet sightseeing was not Karim''s prime purpose; he is there to meet the Queen.
He recounts the first audience: "Dr Tyler and I were instructed to take our station near the dining room and wait her Majesty''s coming. I was somewhat nervous at the approach of the Great Empress who soon entered accompanied by HRH the Duke of Connaught and Princess Beatrice.
"Dr Tyler at once did homage by kneeling, whilst I did the same in Oriental style. I presented nazars, or gifts by exposing, in the palms of my hands, a gold mohar (a coin) which Her Majesty touched and remitted as is Indian custom.
The Queen was thereafter pleased to speak to Dr Tyler and so ended my interview with the Empress of India." .
But, a new archive of letters, pictures and Karim''s "lost diary", held secretly by his family for over a century, sheds new light on the controversial relationship between the Queen and the youth from Agra who rose from a royal waiter to becoming her decorated Indian secretary.
In fact, Indian author Shrabani Basu has discovered the documents after penning ''Victoria & Abdul'' -- her book on the remarkable relationship between the Queen and her servant, ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported.
The documents tell the story of how Karim arrived in England in 1887 and quickly gained the affection of a Monarch 42 years his senior.
"I came to England as orderly to the Queen... It is a much higher position than the orderly of the British Army who is simply a private soldier selected to attend an officer as a personal servant carrying his orders etc," Karim writes in his personal diary.
On arriving in London on the recommendation of Dr Tyler who his superior officer at India's Central Jail, Karim notes, he visits the zoo and Madame Tussauds. Yet sightseeing was not Karim''s prime purpose; he is there to meet the Queen.
He recounts the first audience: "Dr Tyler and I were instructed to take our station near the dining room and wait her Majesty''s coming. I was somewhat nervous at the approach of the Great Empress who soon entered accompanied by HRH the Duke of Connaught and Princess Beatrice.
"Dr Tyler at once did homage by kneeling, whilst I did the same in Oriental style. I presented nazars, or gifts by exposing, in the palms of my hands, a gold mohar (a coin) which Her Majesty touched and remitted as is Indian custom.
The Queen was thereafter pleased to speak to Dr Tyler and so ended my interview with the Empress of India." .
'D' Company on the run?
The promulgation of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 has had a perceptible impact on the crime situation in Mumbai but the underworld's influence is too pervasive to be checked by the law alone.
EVENTS in the Mumbai underworld baffle and confound many of us almost unceasingly. This is not merely because of so many infamous names thrown at us, which are hard to remember. Each happening also carries with it overtones of some mystique, which whets our curiosity and provokes an insatiable desire to go deep into a forbidden yet fascinating world. Coarsely painted with human avarice and vengeance, the scene oscillates between Mumbai, Karachi and Dubai with nearly predictable frequency. It has become the staple diet of Bollywood which is both a victim and an exploiter par excellence.
Against this backdrop, the recent killing of Sharad Shetty, considered a lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim, is a blow to the latter, something that his adversary, Chhota Rajan, can crow about for a while. The next scene in the drama (or a movie?) could be a decisive strike at Rajan, who only a few years ago had a brush with death in Bangkok. His foes were unlucky, for a change! Coming on the heels of the slaying of Shetty, the reported detention of some of Dawood's family members and aides in Dubai by the local authorities is possibly another reverse for the `D' Company. (Subsequent reports indicate that they have possibly been released and warned against indulging in any criminal activity within the United Arab Emirates.) It will be premature, however, to look upon recent incidents as the beginning of the end of a clever and calculating operator who has dictated terms to the bigwigs of Mumbai for more than two decades.
Nevertheless, he is under immense pressure to reflect on his future strategy. It will be interesting also to watch how he is going to react.
React, he should, or else he will be under further firepower from Rajan's armoury. Rajan is said to command a reservoir of resources. He has also possibly grown in strength lately through support from totally unexpected quarters. On the whole this is a situation that will continue to charm those who admire adventurism and recklessness, and should hog media attention for quite some time.
The son of a head constable in Mumbai's Crime Branch CID, 48-year-old Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar was one of those instrumental, along with a few Pathans, in forming a `Young Party' during the 1972 general elections. Essentially, a group of fanatic Muslim youth, it operated from south Mumbai to carry on smuggling and related activities. In course of time, following differences over sharing the booty, there was a split, with the Pathans walking out on Dawood to form a separate entity.
Subsequently, a few small gangs led by persons such as Arun Gawli, Amar Naik with his brother Ashwin Naik, and Rajan Nair ("Bada Rajan") came into being. These resorted to protection money rackets and also started to settle financial and land disputes. But all of them owed their loyalties to Dawood.
Looking for a strong ally after the Pathans deserted him, Dawood found one in Bada Rajan and the two came together for joint operations sometime after 1979. Around this time, Rajan Sadashiv Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan, who specialised in the blackmarket sale of cinema tickets and had acquired notoriety for defying the police, was drawn towards Bada Rajan and the two became a formidable combination, while remaining a source of strength to Dawood. After the murder of Bada Rajan in 1983 by the Pathans aided by Abdul Kunju, once an associate of Bada Rajan, Chhota Rajan established himself as a force to reckon with. Later, Abdul Kunju's killing in 1985 was attributed to Chhota Rajan operating through one Sanjay Raggad.
The death in the same year in a police encounter of Rama Naik, another prominent associate of Dawood, is also believed to be the result of a tip-off from Dawood and Chhota Rajan, who looked upon him as a rival who needed to be eliminated.
With Dawood establishing Dubai as his base in the early 1980s for convenient smuggling operations, Chhota Rajan was at the helm of affairs in Mumbai to manage the Dawood gang's activities. The twists and turns of the Mumbai underworld became most absorbing with Chhota Rajan's decision in the late 1980s to migrate to Dubai. This was mainly to get away from a strong case of assault of police officers, in which his conviction to a long term of imprisonment was looming large. Based in Dubai, both Dawood and Chhota Rajan, began remote-controlling the Mumbai operations through their aides, many of whom were proven sharpshooters. They carried out a number of killings committed mainly to convey the message that they were still very much in control, even though they were not physically present in Mumbai. Typical of the rivalries in gang politics, Dawood soon began to suspect the loyalties of Chhota Rajan, thanks to the machinations of some close aides, and had almost given the green signal for Rajan's liquidation. The latter bought temporary peace through a total surrender to Dawood. The Bombay blast of 1993, executed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence through Dawood came as a blessing in disguise for Chhota Rajan who was literally down and out. Rajan gave a communal twist to the whole episode to damn Dawood as a communal virus and also to confuse the ranks. He did succeed to an extent in this ploy.
Escaping soon after from the clutches of a Dawood who was under immense pressure, Rajan crept into Malaysia to set up his own base. The murders in quick succession of Philoo Khan (a suspected dealer in narcotics) in Bangkok, Takiuddin Wahid (of East West Airlines) in Mumbai and Sunil Sawant, an acknowledged henchman of Dawood, in Dubai, gave a shot in the arm to Chhota Rajan and greatly demoralised the Dawood gang. Since then, it has been a no-holds-barred fight between the rival gangs.
The attempt on Chhota Rajan's life in Bangkok, in 2000, and the murder of Sharad Shetty in Dubai, are important events that confirm the bitter edge of the animosity between the two dons. These crimes may have occurred outside India, but they have implications for our internal security considering Pakistan's unconcealed desire to use Dawood from his base in Karachi. The million-dollar question is, what should our attitude be towards Chhota Rajan? There are many cases registered against him in Mumbai courts. Does his expedient patriotism give him any immunity? These are contentious issues that cannot be resolved all that easily.
Even as we debate this, the influence of Dawood, Chhota Rajan and the several other subsidiary gangs is felt in Mumbai, though one cannot exaggerate it. Police operations have no doubt been effective. The fact, however, is that they have oscillated between very strong tactics and the not-so-strong measures. A lot has depended on the integrity and courage of police officers leading the operations. Some have covered themselves with glory, and a few have been dubious in their methods to counter the might of the gangs. Nevertheless, the common man is not very exercised over the problem because it is the moneyed - very often the ones who are both rolling in wealth and flaunt it unashamedly and who cannot account for most of their possessions - who are the target of the gangs.
AN analysis of how among all the metros in the country, it is Mumbai that has become the hotbed of gangsterism yields interesting responses from those who are knowledgeable. History provides us research material in the form of Haji Masthan and Varadaraja Mudaliar, colourful personalities who dominated the scene in the 1960s and 1970s. They were mainly known for large-scale smuggling operations. Their wealth and influence in society could not but have inspired Dawood and others who have followed him. Again, being a port city of enormous size, Mumbai gives the space and opportunity which other Indian cities can hardly match. The opulence of Dubai and the buzzling commercial life of Karachi, both about an hour's flying time from Mumbai, complete the triangle. The bond of religion is no less a factor. Mumbai has an enormous Muslim population, a section of which may ensure a continuous flow of recruits looking for money without educational equipment or hard work.
Bollywood has played not an insignificant role in the flowering of the underworld. Those in the business know how much money is needed to bring out a movie that is of acceptable standards and has also star value. The Mumbai dons have taken advantage of the resource crunch of the average film producer. This explains the strong nexus between the two.
It may be recalled that from about the beginning of the 1990s, the failure rate of Hindi movies started going up. This was not, however, accompanied by any lower fee for the artists. They had to be still paid mind-boggling sums, irrespective of how the films did in the field. Open funds to make up deficits or losses were hard to secure. The breach was effectively filled by the gangsters who had abundant black money to offer. Slowly, these elements started to demand a say in the choice of the cast as well as the director. Once this was done, gang leaders used to impose a deadline for completion of film production. Enormous pressure began to build on actors and other personalities connected with the film industry, who had to agree to stiff schedules. Convinced by the wisdom of keeping gang leaders in good humour, many of them - actors, financiers, directors, and producers - got into a close and cordial relationship with them.
The consequences of such a strategy have been disastrous. The murders of Gulshan Kumar, who made audio-cassettes and film producer Mukesh Duggal, both allegedly at the hands of the Dawood gang, and the attempt on the life of actor Rakesh Roshan were a fall-out of the intricate rivalries arising from the unholy ties between the movie world and the underworld. The government's decision to treat movie-making as an `industry' so that producers need not go to the dons for help has not greatly changed the situation. Producers will still prefer to go to them because of the speed with which liquid cash is available, and there is no documentation whatsoever of money passing hands which is liable to be scrutinised by the income-tax officials.
The prosecution of Nazim Hasan Rizvi, producer of the film Chori Chori, Chupke Chupke and Bharath Shah, financier and diamond merchant, under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOC) Act, 1999, for their alleged links with Chhota Shakeel confirms that the malady is hardly curable. The number of prosecution witnesses in this case, mostly from the film world, who have turned hostile makes a mockery of whatever government agencies are doing to break the nexus.
THE construction industry has been another area that has come under the spell of the underworld. Some of the builders themselves were responsible for this development. Their expedient but mindless moves to get apartments and plots of land vacated with the help of the gangs have been ruinous. Protection money paid by them to gangs has whetted the latter's desire to get a stranglehold over the real estate business. The underworld's investments in this area have been substantial. This phenomenon has naturally generated tensions and inter-gang rivalries. Three gangs - led by Dawood, Chhota Rajan and Arun Gawli - have spread their tentacles over the construction industry. The many murders reported in the business do not, therefore, come as a surprise.
Interestingly, investigations have revealed the entry of the underworld into the hotel industry as well. Some hotel owners, for a variety of reasons, have got mixed up with a few of the gangs. This unwitting decision to establish ties with criminals has led to several unfortunate consequences. One of the first killings arising from this queer relationship was that of Ramnath Payyade in 1995, who was eliminated by the Rajan gang for his alleged proximity to Dawood. More recently, another hotelier, Vinod Shetty, was shot dead by the Rajan gang because it suspected that he had leaked out information regarding Rajan's location in Bangkok to the Dawood gang which resulted in the attack against Rajan.
The promulgation of the MCOC Act, 1999, has no doubt brought about a perceptible change in the situation. The Act came against the background of an alarming rise in extortions during 1998, as a result of which ostentatious weddings came to a halt, luxury car purchases declined and building activity almost came to a standstill. Many arrests and prosecutions under the Act quickly restored public confidence in the Mumbai Police. One can confidently say that this well-drafted legislation has introduced more than a measure of deterrence. According to one study, the number of shootouts in Mumbai, which were 93 in 1998, came down to 40 in 1999 and 23 in 2000. The numbers killed have also shown a decline. From about 100 deaths in 1998, the figure dropped to just 18 in 2001 and 12 last year.
Gang activities do continue, but definitely on a smaller scale. They have assumed a lower profile and are also subtle in their methods to extort money. It will, however, be preposterous to think that gangs will totally go out of business soon, since many individuals in different industries need their services to wrest extra-legal solutions to intricate problems with fellow industrialists. But many among the Mumbai citizenry hold the view that the media are needlessly glamorising the gangs, thereby giving a fillip to their activities. The belief is that once the media stop paying attention, the gangs will fade away over a few years. I wish they are right!
In the ultimate analysis, one should remember that the gangs have a pervasive influence and have corrupted the entire polity. No investigations will ever succeed in unearthing the spread and identifying all the characters who are associated with the gangs only for the sake of money and other favours. This is the most unfortunate aspect of the whole scene.
EVENTS in the Mumbai underworld baffle and confound many of us almost unceasingly. This is not merely because of so many infamous names thrown at us, which are hard to remember. Each happening also carries with it overtones of some mystique, which whets our curiosity and provokes an insatiable desire to go deep into a forbidden yet fascinating world. Coarsely painted with human avarice and vengeance, the scene oscillates between Mumbai, Karachi and Dubai with nearly predictable frequency. It has become the staple diet of Bollywood which is both a victim and an exploiter par excellence.
Against this backdrop, the recent killing of Sharad Shetty, considered a lieutenant of Dawood Ibrahim, is a blow to the latter, something that his adversary, Chhota Rajan, can crow about for a while. The next scene in the drama (or a movie?) could be a decisive strike at Rajan, who only a few years ago had a brush with death in Bangkok. His foes were unlucky, for a change! Coming on the heels of the slaying of Shetty, the reported detention of some of Dawood's family members and aides in Dubai by the local authorities is possibly another reverse for the `D' Company. (Subsequent reports indicate that they have possibly been released and warned against indulging in any criminal activity within the United Arab Emirates.) It will be premature, however, to look upon recent incidents as the beginning of the end of a clever and calculating operator who has dictated terms to the bigwigs of Mumbai for more than two decades.
Nevertheless, he is under immense pressure to reflect on his future strategy. It will be interesting also to watch how he is going to react.
React, he should, or else he will be under further firepower from Rajan's armoury. Rajan is said to command a reservoir of resources. He has also possibly grown in strength lately through support from totally unexpected quarters. On the whole this is a situation that will continue to charm those who admire adventurism and recklessness, and should hog media attention for quite some time.
The son of a head constable in Mumbai's Crime Branch CID, 48-year-old Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar was one of those instrumental, along with a few Pathans, in forming a `Young Party' during the 1972 general elections. Essentially, a group of fanatic Muslim youth, it operated from south Mumbai to carry on smuggling and related activities. In course of time, following differences over sharing the booty, there was a split, with the Pathans walking out on Dawood to form a separate entity.
Subsequently, a few small gangs led by persons such as Arun Gawli, Amar Naik with his brother Ashwin Naik, and Rajan Nair ("Bada Rajan") came into being. These resorted to protection money rackets and also started to settle financial and land disputes. But all of them owed their loyalties to Dawood.
Looking for a strong ally after the Pathans deserted him, Dawood found one in Bada Rajan and the two came together for joint operations sometime after 1979. Around this time, Rajan Sadashiv Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan, who specialised in the blackmarket sale of cinema tickets and had acquired notoriety for defying the police, was drawn towards Bada Rajan and the two became a formidable combination, while remaining a source of strength to Dawood. After the murder of Bada Rajan in 1983 by the Pathans aided by Abdul Kunju, once an associate of Bada Rajan, Chhota Rajan established himself as a force to reckon with. Later, Abdul Kunju's killing in 1985 was attributed to Chhota Rajan operating through one Sanjay Raggad.
The death in the same year in a police encounter of Rama Naik, another prominent associate of Dawood, is also believed to be the result of a tip-off from Dawood and Chhota Rajan, who looked upon him as a rival who needed to be eliminated.
With Dawood establishing Dubai as his base in the early 1980s for convenient smuggling operations, Chhota Rajan was at the helm of affairs in Mumbai to manage the Dawood gang's activities. The twists and turns of the Mumbai underworld became most absorbing with Chhota Rajan's decision in the late 1980s to migrate to Dubai. This was mainly to get away from a strong case of assault of police officers, in which his conviction to a long term of imprisonment was looming large. Based in Dubai, both Dawood and Chhota Rajan, began remote-controlling the Mumbai operations through their aides, many of whom were proven sharpshooters. They carried out a number of killings committed mainly to convey the message that they were still very much in control, even though they were not physically present in Mumbai. Typical of the rivalries in gang politics, Dawood soon began to suspect the loyalties of Chhota Rajan, thanks to the machinations of some close aides, and had almost given the green signal for Rajan's liquidation. The latter bought temporary peace through a total surrender to Dawood. The Bombay blast of 1993, executed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence through Dawood came as a blessing in disguise for Chhota Rajan who was literally down and out. Rajan gave a communal twist to the whole episode to damn Dawood as a communal virus and also to confuse the ranks. He did succeed to an extent in this ploy.
Escaping soon after from the clutches of a Dawood who was under immense pressure, Rajan crept into Malaysia to set up his own base. The murders in quick succession of Philoo Khan (a suspected dealer in narcotics) in Bangkok, Takiuddin Wahid (of East West Airlines) in Mumbai and Sunil Sawant, an acknowledged henchman of Dawood, in Dubai, gave a shot in the arm to Chhota Rajan and greatly demoralised the Dawood gang. Since then, it has been a no-holds-barred fight between the rival gangs.
The attempt on Chhota Rajan's life in Bangkok, in 2000, and the murder of Sharad Shetty in Dubai, are important events that confirm the bitter edge of the animosity between the two dons. These crimes may have occurred outside India, but they have implications for our internal security considering Pakistan's unconcealed desire to use Dawood from his base in Karachi. The million-dollar question is, what should our attitude be towards Chhota Rajan? There are many cases registered against him in Mumbai courts. Does his expedient patriotism give him any immunity? These are contentious issues that cannot be resolved all that easily.
Even as we debate this, the influence of Dawood, Chhota Rajan and the several other subsidiary gangs is felt in Mumbai, though one cannot exaggerate it. Police operations have no doubt been effective. The fact, however, is that they have oscillated between very strong tactics and the not-so-strong measures. A lot has depended on the integrity and courage of police officers leading the operations. Some have covered themselves with glory, and a few have been dubious in their methods to counter the might of the gangs. Nevertheless, the common man is not very exercised over the problem because it is the moneyed - very often the ones who are both rolling in wealth and flaunt it unashamedly and who cannot account for most of their possessions - who are the target of the gangs.
AN analysis of how among all the metros in the country, it is Mumbai that has become the hotbed of gangsterism yields interesting responses from those who are knowledgeable. History provides us research material in the form of Haji Masthan and Varadaraja Mudaliar, colourful personalities who dominated the scene in the 1960s and 1970s. They were mainly known for large-scale smuggling operations. Their wealth and influence in society could not but have inspired Dawood and others who have followed him. Again, being a port city of enormous size, Mumbai gives the space and opportunity which other Indian cities can hardly match. The opulence of Dubai and the buzzling commercial life of Karachi, both about an hour's flying time from Mumbai, complete the triangle. The bond of religion is no less a factor. Mumbai has an enormous Muslim population, a section of which may ensure a continuous flow of recruits looking for money without educational equipment or hard work.
Bollywood has played not an insignificant role in the flowering of the underworld. Those in the business know how much money is needed to bring out a movie that is of acceptable standards and has also star value. The Mumbai dons have taken advantage of the resource crunch of the average film producer. This explains the strong nexus between the two.
It may be recalled that from about the beginning of the 1990s, the failure rate of Hindi movies started going up. This was not, however, accompanied by any lower fee for the artists. They had to be still paid mind-boggling sums, irrespective of how the films did in the field. Open funds to make up deficits or losses were hard to secure. The breach was effectively filled by the gangsters who had abundant black money to offer. Slowly, these elements started to demand a say in the choice of the cast as well as the director. Once this was done, gang leaders used to impose a deadline for completion of film production. Enormous pressure began to build on actors and other personalities connected with the film industry, who had to agree to stiff schedules. Convinced by the wisdom of keeping gang leaders in good humour, many of them - actors, financiers, directors, and producers - got into a close and cordial relationship with them.
The consequences of such a strategy have been disastrous. The murders of Gulshan Kumar, who made audio-cassettes and film producer Mukesh Duggal, both allegedly at the hands of the Dawood gang, and the attempt on the life of actor Rakesh Roshan were a fall-out of the intricate rivalries arising from the unholy ties between the movie world and the underworld. The government's decision to treat movie-making as an `industry' so that producers need not go to the dons for help has not greatly changed the situation. Producers will still prefer to go to them because of the speed with which liquid cash is available, and there is no documentation whatsoever of money passing hands which is liable to be scrutinised by the income-tax officials.
The prosecution of Nazim Hasan Rizvi, producer of the film Chori Chori, Chupke Chupke and Bharath Shah, financier and diamond merchant, under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOC) Act, 1999, for their alleged links with Chhota Shakeel confirms that the malady is hardly curable. The number of prosecution witnesses in this case, mostly from the film world, who have turned hostile makes a mockery of whatever government agencies are doing to break the nexus.
THE construction industry has been another area that has come under the spell of the underworld. Some of the builders themselves were responsible for this development. Their expedient but mindless moves to get apartments and plots of land vacated with the help of the gangs have been ruinous. Protection money paid by them to gangs has whetted the latter's desire to get a stranglehold over the real estate business. The underworld's investments in this area have been substantial. This phenomenon has naturally generated tensions and inter-gang rivalries. Three gangs - led by Dawood, Chhota Rajan and Arun Gawli - have spread their tentacles over the construction industry. The many murders reported in the business do not, therefore, come as a surprise.
Interestingly, investigations have revealed the entry of the underworld into the hotel industry as well. Some hotel owners, for a variety of reasons, have got mixed up with a few of the gangs. This unwitting decision to establish ties with criminals has led to several unfortunate consequences. One of the first killings arising from this queer relationship was that of Ramnath Payyade in 1995, who was eliminated by the Rajan gang for his alleged proximity to Dawood. More recently, another hotelier, Vinod Shetty, was shot dead by the Rajan gang because it suspected that he had leaked out information regarding Rajan's location in Bangkok to the Dawood gang which resulted in the attack against Rajan.
The promulgation of the MCOC Act, 1999, has no doubt brought about a perceptible change in the situation. The Act came against the background of an alarming rise in extortions during 1998, as a result of which ostentatious weddings came to a halt, luxury car purchases declined and building activity almost came to a standstill. Many arrests and prosecutions under the Act quickly restored public confidence in the Mumbai Police. One can confidently say that this well-drafted legislation has introduced more than a measure of deterrence. According to one study, the number of shootouts in Mumbai, which were 93 in 1998, came down to 40 in 1999 and 23 in 2000. The numbers killed have also shown a decline. From about 100 deaths in 1998, the figure dropped to just 18 in 2001 and 12 last year.
Gang activities do continue, but definitely on a smaller scale. They have assumed a lower profile and are also subtle in their methods to extort money. It will, however, be preposterous to think that gangs will totally go out of business soon, since many individuals in different industries need their services to wrest extra-legal solutions to intricate problems with fellow industrialists. But many among the Mumbai citizenry hold the view that the media are needlessly glamorising the gangs, thereby giving a fillip to their activities. The belief is that once the media stop paying attention, the gangs will fade away over a few years. I wish they are right!
In the ultimate analysis, one should remember that the gangs have a pervasive influence and have corrupted the entire polity. No investigations will ever succeed in unearthing the spread and identifying all the characters who are associated with the gangs only for the sake of money and other favours. This is the most unfortunate aspect of the whole scene.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Guj budget will usher all round development: Modi
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi described his government's budget as forward-looking and meant for all round development of the state with far reaching results.
"This is a forward looking budget and will usher the state for all round development," he said."In an attempt to decentralise the administration we have introduced a project called ''Aapno Taluka, Vibrant Taluka''," he added.
Modi said the objective is to create awareness about various government schemes, involve people living in faraway villages in the process of planning and to ensure the development of each taluka.
"We have allocated Rs 600 crore for the purpose in the new budget and plan to spend Rs 2,700 crore on the project in the next four years," he said.
The Chief Minister said the 10 ''daytime model schools'' proposed to be started during the year as a pilot project is a unique experiment for qualitative improvement of education in remote areas.
Modi hoped that allocating Rs 13,000 crore for agriculture, irrigation and village development and Rs 15,000 crore for social sector should help the state attain higher human development index with improvement in lifestyles of dalits, scheduled castes and tribes and other backward classes.
"This is a forward looking budget and will usher the state for all round development," he said."In an attempt to decentralise the administration we have introduced a project called ''Aapno Taluka, Vibrant Taluka''," he added.
Modi said the objective is to create awareness about various government schemes, involve people living in faraway villages in the process of planning and to ensure the development of each taluka.
"We have allocated Rs 600 crore for the purpose in the new budget and plan to spend Rs 2,700 crore on the project in the next four years," he said.
The Chief Minister said the 10 ''daytime model schools'' proposed to be started during the year as a pilot project is a unique experiment for qualitative improvement of education in remote areas.
Modi hoped that allocating Rs 13,000 crore for agriculture, irrigation and village development and Rs 15,000 crore for social sector should help the state attain higher human development index with improvement in lifestyles of dalits, scheduled castes and tribes and other backward classes.
Security concerns make India ''extreme risk'' economy: Report
India and four other countries have been bracketed as "extreme risk" growth economies by global risks analysis firm Maplecroft citing security concerns.
The UK-based firm''s Global Risks Atlas 2011 has rated security as a primary concern for investors in high risk growth economies of India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines and Russia.
"India is rated extreme risk for security as it faces simultaneous threats of terrorist attacks from militant Islamic extremists and Naxalite Maoist insurgents," Maplecroft said.
The report, covering 175 countries, focusses on seven key global risk areas including security, governance, climate change and societal resilience, including human rights.
"... with the Philippines (8), Russia (10) and India (11) rated extreme risk and Nigeria (12) and Indonesia (28) considered high risk in the ''security risk category, politically motivated violence and terrorism must now be a primary concern for investors in these territories," the firm noted.
According to the report, despite good growth, India has a poor human rights record and large sections of the population lack access to basic social infrastructure such as education, healthcare and sanitation.
"This reduces the country''s resilience to global risks by creating a less productive workforce, a population susceptible to the spread of disease, and potential instability due to risk of social unrest," it said.
As per the report, four countries -- Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and DR Congo -- are in the extreme risk category. All these nations are characterised by weak governance, internal conflicts and regional instability, it added.
"Maplecroft findings indicate that low external debt, energy security, good governance and regime stability are all factors that improve countries'' resilience to the conflation impacts of global risks," Maplecroft''s CEO Alyson Warhurst said.
The UK-based firm''s Global Risks Atlas 2011 has rated security as a primary concern for investors in high risk growth economies of India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines and Russia.
"India is rated extreme risk for security as it faces simultaneous threats of terrorist attacks from militant Islamic extremists and Naxalite Maoist insurgents," Maplecroft said.
The report, covering 175 countries, focusses on seven key global risk areas including security, governance, climate change and societal resilience, including human rights.
"... with the Philippines (8), Russia (10) and India (11) rated extreme risk and Nigeria (12) and Indonesia (28) considered high risk in the ''security risk category, politically motivated violence and terrorism must now be a primary concern for investors in these territories," the firm noted.
According to the report, despite good growth, India has a poor human rights record and large sections of the population lack access to basic social infrastructure such as education, healthcare and sanitation.
"This reduces the country''s resilience to global risks by creating a less productive workforce, a population susceptible to the spread of disease, and potential instability due to risk of social unrest," it said.
As per the report, four countries -- Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and DR Congo -- are in the extreme risk category. All these nations are characterised by weak governance, internal conflicts and regional instability, it added.
"Maplecroft findings indicate that low external debt, energy security, good governance and regime stability are all factors that improve countries'' resilience to the conflation impacts of global risks," Maplecroft''s CEO Alyson Warhurst said.
Jain added ''billions of dollars'' value to Berkshire: Buffett
Ajit Jain-- long rumoured contender to succeed Warren Buffett -- has been praised by the legendary investor himself for having added "great many billions of dollars" to the value of Berkshire Hathaway.
Jain, who has been with the Buffett-led conglomerate for over 25 years, is in charge of Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group.
"Ajit (Jain) insures risks that no one else has the desire or the capital to take on. His operation combines capacity, speed, decisiveness and, most importantly, brains in a manner that is unique in the insurance business," Buffett wrote in his 2010 annual letter to shareholders.
One of the wealthiest people in the world, Buffett''s pointed out that Jain never exposes Berkshire to risks, which are inappropriate to the entity''s resources.
"By his accomplishments, he has added a great many billions of dollars to the value of Berkshire. Even kryptonite bounces off Ajit," the billionaire investor said.
According to the letter, Jain has created an insurance business with float of USD 30 billion and significant underwriting profits, a feat that no CEO of any other insurer has come close to matching.
"In the past year, Ajit has significantly increased his life reinsurance operation, developing annual premium volume of about USD 2 billion that will repeat for decades," Buffett noted.
Last year, Buffett had described Jain as a "superstar".
For the year ended 2010, Berkshire Hathaway''s profit jumped to USD 7.9 billion from USD 5.19 billion in the year-ago period.
Berkshire Hathaway has business interests across diverse sectors apart from significant stakes in global majors including Coca-Cola and ConocoPhillips.
Going by reports, Buffett is likely to explore opportunities in India, during his visit this year as part of philanthropic initiatives.
Buffett, whose words on the economy are closely watched, said that general business climate this year is expected to be "somewhat better" than that of 2010.
Jain, who has been with the Buffett-led conglomerate for over 25 years, is in charge of Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group.
"Ajit (Jain) insures risks that no one else has the desire or the capital to take on. His operation combines capacity, speed, decisiveness and, most importantly, brains in a manner that is unique in the insurance business," Buffett wrote in his 2010 annual letter to shareholders.
One of the wealthiest people in the world, Buffett''s pointed out that Jain never exposes Berkshire to risks, which are inappropriate to the entity''s resources.
"By his accomplishments, he has added a great many billions of dollars to the value of Berkshire. Even kryptonite bounces off Ajit," the billionaire investor said.
According to the letter, Jain has created an insurance business with float of USD 30 billion and significant underwriting profits, a feat that no CEO of any other insurer has come close to matching.
"In the past year, Ajit has significantly increased his life reinsurance operation, developing annual premium volume of about USD 2 billion that will repeat for decades," Buffett noted.
Last year, Buffett had described Jain as a "superstar".
For the year ended 2010, Berkshire Hathaway''s profit jumped to USD 7.9 billion from USD 5.19 billion in the year-ago period.
Berkshire Hathaway has business interests across diverse sectors apart from significant stakes in global majors including Coca-Cola and ConocoPhillips.
Going by reports, Buffett is likely to explore opportunities in India, during his visit this year as part of philanthropic initiatives.
Buffett, whose words on the economy are closely watched, said that general business climate this year is expected to be "somewhat better" than that of 2010.
Lalettan!!!
According to CNN-IBN, Mohanlal is the Most Popular Keralite of the Century.
For Time magazine, Lal is India's answer to Marlon Brando.
For Prakash Raj he is one of the finest natural actors India can ever come across
For Amitabh Bachan, he is the finest actor in the country.
For Priyadarshan, he is the best actor India has ever produced.
For Kamal Haasan, he is the most flexible actor in India.
For RGV, he is the Robert De Niro of Indian screen.
For Sunil Shetty,he is the God of Cinema.
For Shaji N Karun,he is the most immensely talented actor.
Manirathnam and Dr.Rajkumar are two frontline fans of this great actor..
Once during the shooting of Vanaprastham a French Technician said: "He is the man born in the wrong side of the world; if he was from the other country he would have already had an Oscar"
Rajni Kanth: I'm sometimes jealous seeing the easiness of his acting. Just can't dream of doing some characters lal had done
Amitabh Bachchan: Lal's style of performance enlightened me about the new phase of acting
Sivaji Ganesan: I feel sorry that he was not born to me. His acting is really interesting
Mammootty: A fantastic, marvelous and unpredictable actor
Aishwarya Rai: Lal's acting is a gift of God
Shahrukh Khan: Mohanlal is quite simply an amazing actor for me
Mani Ratnam: Hereafter, I will never work with a man of whom I am a fan. I often forgot to say 'Cut' in Iruvar
Kamal Haasan: Lal's substlety in dancing without mastering it astonishes even an eminent dancer
M. T. Vasudevan Nair: Mohanlal is a privilege not only to Malayalam but also to the World Cinema
Adoor Gopalakrishnan: Mohanlal owns rare acting style and his paculiarity of acting and versatality putting him in a different league of artists
Shilpa Shetty: If Mohanlal is there then I'm ready to do a Malayalam film
Jagathy Sreekumar : I'm always comfortable while acting with Mohanlal because he is the best actor I know. So i also try to raise up to him
K. Lohithadas: I feel that the upcoming generation can watch performance of Mohanlal and learn a lot. It can be called a textbook of acting
Shaji N Karun: We haven't exploited Mohanlal's talent yet
Hariharan (Director): His gift is that he underplays emotions
Priyadarshan: Lal never prepares for any role or scene. He is not bothered how he looks or what he does. Once the camera is on, he is a transformed person. As lal does only one film at a time, he knows everything about the film, nothing more
He is the first actor to be honored with the prestigious Lieutenant Colonel Post from Indian Army.
For Time magazine, Lal is India's answer to Marlon Brando.
For Prakash Raj he is one of the finest natural actors India can ever come across
For Amitabh Bachan, he is the finest actor in the country.
For Priyadarshan, he is the best actor India has ever produced.
For Kamal Haasan, he is the most flexible actor in India.
For RGV, he is the Robert De Niro of Indian screen.
For Sunil Shetty,he is the God of Cinema.
For Shaji N Karun,he is the most immensely talented actor.
Manirathnam and Dr.Rajkumar are two frontline fans of this great actor..
Once during the shooting of Vanaprastham a French Technician said: "He is the man born in the wrong side of the world; if he was from the other country he would have already had an Oscar"
Rajni Kanth: I'm sometimes jealous seeing the easiness of his acting. Just can't dream of doing some characters lal had done
Amitabh Bachchan: Lal's style of performance enlightened me about the new phase of acting
Sivaji Ganesan: I feel sorry that he was not born to me. His acting is really interesting
Mammootty: A fantastic, marvelous and unpredictable actor
Aishwarya Rai: Lal's acting is a gift of God
Shahrukh Khan: Mohanlal is quite simply an amazing actor for me
Mani Ratnam: Hereafter, I will never work with a man of whom I am a fan. I often forgot to say 'Cut' in Iruvar
Kamal Haasan: Lal's substlety in dancing without mastering it astonishes even an eminent dancer
M. T. Vasudevan Nair: Mohanlal is a privilege not only to Malayalam but also to the World Cinema
Adoor Gopalakrishnan: Mohanlal owns rare acting style and his paculiarity of acting and versatality putting him in a different league of artists
Shilpa Shetty: If Mohanlal is there then I'm ready to do a Malayalam film
Jagathy Sreekumar : I'm always comfortable while acting with Mohanlal because he is the best actor I know. So i also try to raise up to him
K. Lohithadas: I feel that the upcoming generation can watch performance of Mohanlal and learn a lot. It can be called a textbook of acting
Shaji N Karun: We haven't exploited Mohanlal's talent yet
Hariharan (Director): His gift is that he underplays emotions
Priyadarshan: Lal never prepares for any role or scene. He is not bothered how he looks or what he does. Once the camera is on, he is a transformed person. As lal does only one film at a time, he knows everything about the film, nothing more
He is the first actor to be honored with the prestigious Lieutenant Colonel Post from Indian Army.
Finance Minister set to present budget Feb 28
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is set to present his sixth national budget Monday, with people hoping for measures that will help them brave high prices and industry expecting steps that would spur demand and reduce tax burden.
The jury is still divided whether the budget would veer towards an anti-inflation approach or be pro-growth. But everybody agrees that the finance minister is going to have to walk a tight-rope to get the right mix of both.
The annual report card on the state of the economy, the Economic Survey 2010-11, did indicate that inflation was here to stay at least in the short-to-medium term even as the country's gross domestic product grows at around 8.6 percent this fiscal and 9 percent in the next.
Food inflation moved up to 11.49 percent for the week ended Feb 12 as compared with 11.05 percent in the previous week. The barometer for measuring food prices has remained in high double-digits for most part of 2010-11.
The annual inflation based on wholesale prices stood at 8.23 percent in January.
Mukherjee, often touted as the government's primary trouble-shooter, however has another problem at hand. Following the unrest in the middle east and Libya, global crude prices have soared to around $112 a barrel Friday on concerns that political unrest in the Arab world will create supply shortages.
Even though oil marketing companies have the freedom to charge for petrol as per global prices, a further hike will only add to the inflationary pressure -- something that the government would look to avoid for as long as possible.
Then there are the social sector programmes of the government, which are already leaking huge amounts of funds in the absence of proper audits. Many of these programmes, which require huge funds cannot be curtailed as a number of state elections are due.
Mukherjee will also have to look at ways of ramping up its revenue collection and curtail expenditure to curtail fiscal deficit, which was a high 5.5 percent this fiscal.
Whether he will be able to bring it down to 4.5 percent of the gross domestic product by March-end 2012 remains to be seen.
Analysts doubt its possibility in the face of continuing subsidies to various sectors like food, fertilizers, oil and absence of a spike in revenues as was seen last year due to one-offs like the 3G auction, which netted the exchequer Rs.67,718 crore ($15 billion).
The jury is still divided whether the budget would veer towards an anti-inflation approach or be pro-growth. But everybody agrees that the finance minister is going to have to walk a tight-rope to get the right mix of both.
The annual report card on the state of the economy, the Economic Survey 2010-11, did indicate that inflation was here to stay at least in the short-to-medium term even as the country's gross domestic product grows at around 8.6 percent this fiscal and 9 percent in the next.
Food inflation moved up to 11.49 percent for the week ended Feb 12 as compared with 11.05 percent in the previous week. The barometer for measuring food prices has remained in high double-digits for most part of 2010-11.
The annual inflation based on wholesale prices stood at 8.23 percent in January.
Mukherjee, often touted as the government's primary trouble-shooter, however has another problem at hand. Following the unrest in the middle east and Libya, global crude prices have soared to around $112 a barrel Friday on concerns that political unrest in the Arab world will create supply shortages.
Even though oil marketing companies have the freedom to charge for petrol as per global prices, a further hike will only add to the inflationary pressure -- something that the government would look to avoid for as long as possible.
Then there are the social sector programmes of the government, which are already leaking huge amounts of funds in the absence of proper audits. Many of these programmes, which require huge funds cannot be curtailed as a number of state elections are due.
Mukherjee will also have to look at ways of ramping up its revenue collection and curtail expenditure to curtail fiscal deficit, which was a high 5.5 percent this fiscal.
Whether he will be able to bring it down to 4.5 percent of the gross domestic product by March-end 2012 remains to be seen.
Analysts doubt its possibility in the face of continuing subsidies to various sectors like food, fertilizers, oil and absence of a spike in revenues as was seen last year due to one-offs like the 3G auction, which netted the exchequer Rs.67,718 crore ($15 billion).
Shahrukh’s ‘Don 2’ pet superhit dialogue revealed…
King Khan Shahrukh Khan has a winner but not up his sleeves… Rather it’s stored in his tongue. So guys, don’t mess with the Don who is kept as a prisoner in Asia’s biggest jail, planning to give a befitting reply to his enemy. Wonder what will be the pet line by Shahrukh in his ‘Don 2’ avatar…? Here I bring it to you….
SRK will be seen repeating this line in the film - “Don Ke Dushman Ki Sabse Badi Galti Yeh Hai, Ki Woh Don Ka Dushman Hai.”
Hmmm. That’s sounds like a statement as Don gets more tough and rough this time. (The look says it all). Bollywood has it unique relationships with its dialogues which has become the phrase of the nation… The original ‘Don’ had the iconic Big B saying “Don Ko Pakadna Mushkil Hi Nahin, Na Mumkin Bhi Hai”, which still figures in Bollywood’s most popular dialogue list.
Recently SRK’s arch rival Salman’s line in ‘Wanted’ which goes like “Ek Baar Maine Commitment Kar Li, Toh Mein Phir Apne Aap Ki Bhi Nahin Sunta” became favorite amongst many and of course Aamir’s short and sweet “All Izz Well” in ‘3 Idiots’.
Now it’s the time of the Badshah to say something as he is determined to announce his supremacy in the Bollywood territory and give warning to his contemporaries.
Well the line says it all, lets say it once again, “DON Ke Dushman Ki Sabse Badi Galti Yeah Hai Ki Who Don Ka Dushman Hai” (in English it means, the biggest mistake by don’s enemy is that he is the enemy of don).
Sounds like a hit already… what say?
Shah Rukh Goes Gaga Over 'Bad Romance' Lady
Looks like Lady Gaga is all set to do a Kylie Minogue! If all goes as planned, we could soon be seeing the 'Poker Face' singer groove with Shah Rukh Khan in a 'Ra.One' music video! The latest buzz is that King Khan is extremely keen for the American pop sensation to make an appearance in his much awaited home production.
The rumours were further fuelled when the singer let slip to a US news channel that she might be heading India's way. When asked specifically about her plans, Lady Gaga said, "Can't disclose, but it's a collaboration with some local people."
Apparently, Shah Rukh got in touch with Gaga through her mentor and 'Lonely' singer Akon, who's worked on a music track for 'Ra.One'.
A reliable source reveals, "Lady Gaga is the biggest international act in the world right now. If she agrees to do Ra.One it would be a huge asset for the film. Akon has already bounced the idea to Gaga's management and her team. While she's touring right now, there's a possibility that Shah Rukh might have a meeting with her in coming weeks."
Just in case the plans with Lady Gaga don't materialise, SRK has another glamorous back up option, Shakira! Apparently Khan and director Anubhav Sinhahave already mentioned the possibility to the saucy songstress who "has toured India and met SRK in the past." The source adds, "She's also familiar with Bollywood and aware of the current trends in music."
Lady Gaga or Shakira, we can't wait to 'Just Dance'!
A Studs Viewpoint: India food inflation second lowest among emerging ...
A Studs Viewpoint: India food inflation second lowest among emerging ...: "Though contradictory, India did fairly well on the food inflation front in 2010, as per the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament today, rec..."
India food inflation second lowest among emerging economies
Though contradictory, India did fairly well on the food inflation front in 2010, as per the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament today, recording a lower rate of price rise in essential items than other major emerging economies of the world, barring the Philippines.
India''s food inflation was the second lowest among all emerging economies in the 2010 calender year and the country also witnessed one of the steepest declines in overall inflation, the Survey said.
It said India''s average food inflation in November, 2010, was 5.4 per cent, far lower than 15.8 per cent in Argentina, 9.2 per cent in Brazil and 11.7 per cent in China, as per data on 15 emerging nations from the International Labour Organisation for the month.
The Philippines recorded food inflation of 3.2 per cent in September, the month for which its data was considered.
Citing data from the International Labour Organisation, the Survey said that while headline inflation showed a rise in other emerging economies, the overall rate of price rise went down in India.
This was more so in the case of food inflation, where India was among the handful of emerging economies to have witnessed an easing in the rate of price rise.
Giving example from individual months taken at random, it showed that overall inflation in India was 8.3 per cent in November, as against 13.5 per cent in the same month of 2009.
During the same month, inflation in China soared to 5.1 per cent from 0.6 per cent in November, 2009, and it went up to 11 per cent in Argentina from 7.1 per cent a year-ago.
In the case of Brazil, inflation stood at 5.9 per cent in December, as against 4.3 per cent in the same month of 2009.
In contrast, food inflation in India stood at 5.4 per cent in November, 2010, down from 17.6 per cent in the year-ago period. Other major emerging economies, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Uruguay, Ukraine and Indonesia saw prices of food products spiralling upward at a much higher rate.
The Survey also blamed currency competition for creating inflationary pressure in emerging economies.
Talking about the issue, it said each country''s central bank is taking steps according to their own views.
"This has given rise to destabilising currency competitions and may be a factor behind the recent increase in inflation in emerging economies," the Survey said.
London shop to make breast milk ice cream
LONDON - A specialist ice cream parlour plans to serve up breast milk ice cream and says people should think of it as an organic, free-range treat.
The breast milk concoction, called the "Baby Gaga", will be available from Friday at the Icecreamists restaurant in London's Covent Garden.
Icecreamists founder Matt O'Connor was confident his take on the "miracle of motherhood" and priced at a hefty 14 pounds ($23) a serving will go down a treat with the paying public.
The breast milk was provided by mothers who answered an advertisement on online mothers' forum Mumsnet.
Victoria Hiley, 35, from London was one of 15 women who donated milk to the restaurant after seeing the advert.
Hiley works with women who have problems breast-feeding their babies. She said she believes that if adults realised how tasty breast milk actually is, then new mothers would be more willing to breast-feed their own newborns.
"What could be more natural than fresh, free-range mother's milk in an ice cream? And for me it's a recession beater too -- what's the harm in using my assets for a bit of extra cash," Hiley said in a statement.
"I tried the product for the first time today -- it's very nice, it really melts in the mouth."
The Baby Gaga recipe blends breast milk with Madagascan vanilla pods and lemon zest, which is then churned into ice cream.
O'Connor said the Baby Gaga was just one of a dozen radical new flavours at the shop.
"Some people will hear about it and go, 'yuck' but actually it's pure, organic, free-range and totally natural," he said. "I had a Baby Gaga just this morning and I feel great."
Disney buys Indian-American's social networking site
Entertainment giant Walt Disney Co has acquired Togetherville, a social network for elementary school-age children founded by an Indian American, to strengthen its offerings in online gaming.
Togetherville seeks to mimic the experiences of social networks such as Facebook, but in a way that's protective of children younger than 10 and allows for parental supervision.
The site lets children connect with their real-world friends in its virtual neighbourhood, according to founder and Chief Executive Mandeep S. Dhillon.
'Togetherville is very focused on trying to really reflect what the adult community has been doing on the Web and build a real online experience that adults enjoy for kids, but do it in a safe, COPPA-compliant way,' he said referring to the safeguards established by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
Dhillon told the Los Angeles Times the acquisition, the terms of which were not disclosed, was completed Feb 18.
The Togetherville transaction is the latest digital acquisition by Disney, which in July bought social gaming company Playdom for $563 million and mobile application developer Tapulous.
Dhillon said he set out to create a safe online network where his three children - ages 9 and younger - could learn and play while under the watchful eyes of their parents.
The site offers a range of entertainment, including games that enable kids to have virtual snowball fights as well as music videos and animation snippets that have been prescreened as age-appropriate. Members of the community can also give virtual gifts such as greeting cards and works of art.
'What we try to do is reflect what kids' real-world experiences are with the online environment,' Dhillon said.
Parents, meanwhile, can control whom the kids interact with; and Togetherville ensures that kids can't leave the protected confines of the network to go to another site.
Dhillon said he was excited by the Disney purchase, noting, 'They're one of the most amazing family brands on Earth.'
Disney issued a statement Friday confirming that Togetherville will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the company's interactive media group.
Friday, February 25, 2011
A Studs Viewpoint: 'India drained of Rs 20 lakh crore during 1948-200...
A Studs Viewpoint: 'India drained of Rs 20 lakh crore during 1948-200...: "In a season of swindles, kickbacks and scams, here is some more on the mother of them all. Black money — the popular moniker giv..."
'India drained of Rs 20 lakh crore during 1948-2008'
In a season of swindles, kickbacks and scams, here is some more on the mother of them all. Black money — the popular moniker given to the billions seeded by dirty deals and whisked away abroad from the taxman's prying eyes — has received much attention in recent years.
The opposition never tires of screaming foul at the government. The government, for its part, is at pains to say it is doing all it can to track down the illegal stash.
Despite the cacophony, an estimate of the scads of black money in secret bank vaults overseas has long been one big unknown, resulting in a great deal of speculation and glib talk around the subject
Finally, some help is at hand. A new study by an international watchdog on the illicit flight of money from the country, perhaps the first ever attempt at shedding light on a subject steeped in secrecy, concludes that India has been drained of $462 billion (Rs 20,556,848,000,000 or over Rs 20 lakh crore) between 1948 and 2008.
The amount is nearly 40% of India's gross domestic product, and nearly 12 times the size of the estimated loss to the government because of the 2G spectrum scam. The study has been authored by Dev Kar, a lead economist with the US-based Global Financial Integrity, a non-profit research body that has long crusaded against illegal capital flight.
Mr Kar, a former senior economist with the International Monetary Fund, says illicit financial flows out of India have grown at 11.5% a year, debunking a popular notion that economic reforms that began nearly two decades ago had tempered the creation and stashing away of black money overseas.
Outflows accelerated after reforms
If capital outflows were a child of the independence era, the problem came of age in the years after the reforms kicked in. Nearly 50% of the total illegal outflows occurred since 1991. Around a third of the money exited the country between 2000 and 2008.
"It shows that reforms seem to have accelerated the transfer of black money abroad," says Mr Kar, whose study titled 'The Drivers and Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows from India: 1948-2008' sifts through piles of data on the issue over a period of 61 years. The study, which Mr Kar says is the most comprehensive one yet on illicit financial flows from India, will be made public on Thursday.
His report comes amid a renewed government push in recent months to pursue black money stashed abroad. In late August, the government signed an agreement with Switzerland — its banks top a list of usual suspects — that will enable exchange of information on tax evaders. New Delhi is also in talks with at least 20 tax havens, particularly Mauritius, to extract similar information.
The government is also attempting to gain a measure of the total unaccounted money circulating in the economy. The finance ministry last week approached the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy to get a fix on such money.
But M Govinda Rao, director of the institute, says his think-tank is yet to decide on going ahead with the exercise because it is not an easy task. "A study on this subject is a huge challenge because one is dealing with a very big problem that covers hordes of money from many sectors," he says.
Black money turned into an election issue during the 2009 general elections, with the BJP harping on the issue throughout its campaign. Its leader LK Advani has been the most vocal critic of the government on this issue, time and again questioning the government's resolve to chase illegal funds. Mr Advani recently urged the government to publish a white paper on the issue.
While Mr Advani was unavailable for comment, the government's detractors on this issue say there is more talk than action to address this issue.
"Everybody knows about the gravity of the problem, but the government has not shown the political will to bring the money back to India," says Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The government has, however, received praise from Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which has been at the forefront of the fight against tax evasion. OECD, whose relentless offensive is largely credited with lifting the veil of secrecy over umpteen tax havens, hailed India's efforts to crack down on tax evasion and sign information exchange agreements earlier this year.
These are but short-lived answers, say experts, adding that an overhaul in the global financial system is central to a lasting solution. New tax havens will spring forth when pressure mounts on existing ones.
That is not to say there are only a few tax havens out there. Indeed, at least 91 such hotspots flourish across the globe. Asian countries, particularly Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, too are emerging as new destinations for parking illicit funds.
Besides Switzerland and Mauritius, Indian money is also said to end up in Seychelles and Macau. Due to the illicit nature of these deposits, pinpointing the journey's end of the bulk of India's black money is tenuous at best.
The GFI study gives a measure of the amount of money that the government is chasing, but it is only a fraction of the $1.4 trillion that the BJP claims is the illegal stash.
GFI acknowledges as much, saying its figure is conservative and hasn't taken into account smuggling and certain types of trade mischief. It also admits to gaps in available statistics, lamenting the lack of data on the consolidated fiscal balance with the government, which has hampered research. If these indicators were counted, India's total illicit outflows would well be half a trillion dollars
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A Studs Viewpoint: I m lost in thoughts of how people go around happi...
A Studs Viewpoint: I m lost in thoughts of how people go around happi...: "I m lost in thoughts of how people go around happily in this inflation time...........!!! about me:I AM IN THE BUSINESS OF GATHERING MIRACL..."
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