We The State - Vol 3 Issue 17

8/9/2019 We The State - Vol 3 Issue 17

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We

he State

JANUARY 19 TO JANUARY 25, 2015

Vol-03. Issue-17. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/-

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

Maoists issuepamphlets

opposing

Obama's India visit

11

Actress

reveals she

was under

medication

10

I don't have toanswer questions

about myretirement: MS

housands of villages in MP

are now witnessing new

dimensions of development. As a

result to efforts aiming at ensuring

progress of common people in the

state, villagers are marching on the

path of progress joining the main-

stream of development. The novel

welfare schemes launched by CM

Shivraj Singh Chauhan and their suc-

cessful implementation have brought

about progress and prosperity in vil-

lages of the state. For bringing remote

village to the mainstream of develop-

ment, they are being connected with

all-weather roads under Pradhan

Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and

Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

Now, to and fro traffic in villages has

become smooth in every weather.

Roads are being constructed at a

rapid pace to connect inaccessible vil-

lages in the state to ensure their

progress and development. Internal

roads with drains are also being con-

structed in villages to ensure sanita-

tion and environmental improvement.

Panch ParmeshwarYojanaApart from connecting village with

all-weather roads, internal CC roads

are also being constructed in villages.

Every villages roads and lanes are

being turned into CC roads. Drains

are also being constructed for outflow

of polluted water. Panch Parmeshwar

Yojana to rid villages of filth and mud

and create atmosphere of sanitation.

Under the scheme, lump sum

amounts are being given to Gram

Panchayats on the basis of population

for this purpose. Funds under various

schemes are unified and then trans-

ferred in lump sum in the bank

accounts of Gram Panchayats.

Earlier, these funds used to be provid-

ed to Gram Panchayats in piecemeal

due to which development of villages

were also undertaken in parts. This

novel scheme has removed this short-

coming. As a result of receipt of uni-

fied amount, internal roads are being

constructed in village at a rapid pace.

A sum of Rs. 4309.82 crore has been

made available to Gram Panchayats

under this scheme during last 3 years.

Rs. 5 to 15 lakh is given to Gram

Panchayats in proportion to their pop-

ulation. As a result, internal road con-

struction and development works are

being undertaken at a rapid pace cre-

ate widespread basic amenities in vil-

lages. Through merger of these funds

with MNREGA, CC roads and drains

are being constructed in villages. So

far, 5574.76 km internal roads have

been completed under the scheme. All

23 thousand 6 panchayats have been

provided Rs. 4309.82 crore during pre-

vious years. So far, 76 thousand works

have been sanctioned of which 46

thousand 645 works have been com-

pleted.

Bhopal

T

Indore: CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan has assured Hindus refugees

from Pakistan in the state that the Narendra Modi government

will complete all the formalities to ensure that they continue to

live legally in India. "As long as Shivraj is in MP, no Pakistani

Hindu will be asked to leave the state. Modi's government has

decided that Hindu refugees will continue to stay permanently in

India and for the purpose all necessary legal formalities will be

done," Chauhan said at a programme here. The Centre would

organise a camp on February 19-20 for Indore-based Pakistani

Hindus to complete the necessary formalities, he said. "These

refugees left Pakistan as it became difficult for them to live in the

neighbouring country with their honour intact," he said. Chauhan

alleged that the UPA government had ordered them to leave the

country, but the BJP government in the state provided them shel-

ter. Earlier in the day, Chauhan, BJP's mayoral candidate for

Indore Malini Gaud and other party candidates in civic election

campaigned and conducted a road show across the city.

NEWS MAX

No Hindu refugee fromPak would be asked toleave MP: Chauhan

Discontent in DelhiBJP over Bedis

nomination as

CM candidate

Raman seeks

additionalCentral aid, spl

status for Cgarh

Merger of Janata

Pariwar

parties: UP CM

says ask Mulayam

7 12

Development breaks newgrounds in rural MP

3

4


2/11

Animal husbandry and fishery have

become the additional source of income for

farmers of Chhattisgarh. The State

Government has included animal hus-

bandry and fishery under its all-round agri-

cultural development policy. With the help of

Government schemes, large numbers of

farmers have taken up employment-orient-

ed activities to march ahead on the path of

progress. Besides, several schemes have

been started to promote fishery.

Chhattisgarh has become self-dependent in

supply of fish seeds. In year 2013-14, fish

seeds worth Rs 1.22 crore were produced.

More than two lakh fishermen have been

provided employment opportunities through

development of 94 per cent of the total area

of 1.635 lakh hectares is available in the

State for fishery. The State Government's

Kisaan Samriddhi Yojana has proved to be

a boon for farmers. Under this scheme,

farmers are provided with section-wise

grant for tube-well digging, officials of the

state Agriculture Department stated. To

encourage farmers practicing traditional

animal husbandry, the State Government

started the scheme of providing loan up to

Rs1 lakh at one per cent interest, from pre-

vious year. The Agriculture Service Centres

established in every development block by

Chhattisgarh Government are providing

agricultural equipments on rent to the farm-

ers, officials stated. The move has benefitted

many farmers who cannot afford costly agri-

cultural equipments, they stated. Over

75,000 farmers have been benefited under

the scheme. State Government is operating

number of other schemes, which have

proved extremely beneficial for the farmers.

Farmers need cash for various agricultural

activities right from sowing to reaping.

Earlier, farmers had to pay 14 per cent

interest on agricultural loans. But consider-

ing the problems faced by farmers, the State

Government gradually reduced the rate of

interest on agricultural loans from 14 per

cent to only 3 per cent. Later, the interest

rate on agricultural loans was further

reduced to one per cent. And since last two

years, farmers are availing interest-free

short term agricultural loans. Last year,

agricultural loans worth nearly Rs 1,339

crore were distributed to farmers.

Large number of small farmers and the

ones living in border areas were relieved,

when the State Government waived off their

expired loans. The State Government last

year also commenced weather-based crop

insurance scheme to support farmers. Seven

major crops were included in this scheme

namely paddy, corn, arhar, soyabean,

peanut, moong and urad. Other than

addressing the need of cash and multi-crop

arrangements, State Government has also

taken significant decisions to ensure regular

supply of electricity, which is another major

requirement of farmers for cultivation.

Chhattisgarh has become the first State of

the country to facilitate 24x7 electricity sup-

ply to agricultural fields of farmers.

Irrigation pumps of nearly 3 lakh farmers

have been provided electricity connection.

Grant of Rs75,000 is provided for electrifica-

tion of pumps. Farmer-oriented schemes of

State Government have relieved the farmers

of the expenses like meter fare, fixed charge

and electricity sub tax, officials stated. For

agricultural pumps of capacity up to 5 horse-

power, State Government provides free elec-

tricity supply of upto 7,500 unit to the farm-

ers, officials stated.

Animal husbandry, fishery become

source of income for Cgarh farmers

Govt aids tribal youths to re-start businessShops will be allocated to 600 tribal

youths under the Bastar and the Surguja

tribal development authorities as a part

of Amar Shaheed Veer Narayansingh

Swavalamban Yojana, during the current

financial year. While reviewing the works

of both- Bastar Development Authority as

well Surguja Development Authorityin

separate meetings held here, CM Raman

Singh has immediately sanctioned Rs 9

crore for allotting shops to the tribal

youths. A target of 300 shops has been set

for each authority. After discussing with

the peoples representatives of Surguja

Development Authority, the CM declared

compensation from the Campa Fund of

forest department to the families, whose

crops and houses were destroyed by wild

elephants in the districts. He asked the

officers to prepare action plan for it. In

the meeting, the Authority members said

that both the authorities have received Rs

35 crore each budget for the current

financial year. The CM asked the mem-

bers to prepare and submit proposal for

further construction works immediately.

The CM instructed the collectors to

complete all under construction works by

December. He told the members that Rs

50,000 to Rs 1 lakh would be given to the

power company for the electrification of

irretrievable irrigation pumps of farmers.

The amount will be in addition to the Rs

75,000 being given by the power compa-

nies to the farmers.

In the meeting, Rs 5.53 crore has

immediately been sanctioned for power

connection to irretrievable irrigation

pumps of total 785 farmers of both the

authorities. In the meeting of Bastar

Development Authority, the CM instruct-

ed the public sector major, National

Mineral Development Corporation

(NMDC), to comply with the model reha-

bilitation policy of the Chhattisgarh gov-

ernment seriously for the assistance of

families affected by NMDCs project in

Nagarnar under Bastar district. The CM

expressed displeasure against the NMDC

management over the complaints of peo-

ples representatives that the Nagarnar

Plant management has been appointing

about 300 security guards from outside

the state. The CM reviewed the construc-

tion of bypass road from village Marenga-

Aadawal from the area development fund

sanctioned by NMDC for Jagadalpur city

development and the bypass road con-

struction from Jagadalpur to Bhejapadar.

2 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)Chhtissgarh Explore

Raipur

RAIPUR


3/11

3 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

Merger of Janata Pariwar parties:

UP CM says ask Mulayam

AIIMS should become a guiding force for

medical sector in country and abroad

Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh

Yadav remained noncommittal on

the delay in formalisation of much-

talked-about merger of Janata

Pariwar parties. "Ask this question

to netaji (SP chief and his father

Mulayam Singh Yadav)," he told

reporters here recently when asked

about whether any headway is

made in this regard. "I can't com-

ment on it," Akhilesh said respond-

ing to a query on the merger of

JD(U), SP, RJD and other parties.

He was here to attend wedding of

the grandson of Home Minister

Babulal Gaur. In a move aimed at

consolidation of opposition forces,

six constituents of the erstwhile

'Janata Party' decided to merge on

December 4 last year at a meeting

in New Delhi and had authorised

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to

work out the modalities in that

direction. Interestingly, SP

National General Secretary Ram

Gopal Yadav said in Lucknow that

complex formalities of the Election

Commission will take some time in

the process. About Samajwadi

Party's subdued presence in poll-

bound Delhi, the Uttar Pradesh

CM parried the query, saying only

his party will be everywhere in

Delhi after some time. About prob-

lems faced by farmers in procuring

urea manure, Akhilesh blamed the

Centre saying it's the Union gov-

ernment which releases quotas for

states. "When you know there is a

shortage of urea in UP then you

should also know why is it so,"

Akhilesh said, adding that he and

his MP counterpart Shivraj Singh

Chauhan discussed this issue.

CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan has said

that Bhopals All India Institute of Medical

Science (AIIMS) should become a guiding

force for medical sector and milestone in

country and abroad in future. Chauhan

was addressing AIIMS foundation day

function here recently. He also gave away

prizes to institutes talented students in

academic and sports fields.

The CM said that medical practice is

not a profession, but a mission to save life.

No service is greater than medical practice,

which should be done in right earnest. He

said that Bhopals AIIMS was a dream of

former Prime Minister Atal Bihari

Vajpayee, which is being realised. AIIMS

commands considerable credibility in med-

ical sector. Remaining works of AIIMS will

be completed soon. The institute will

become pride of Bhopal. People from other

countries will also come here for treatment.

Referring to importance of research in

medical sector, he said that students

should work with dedication and devotion.

Swami Vivekananda used to say that noth-

ing is impossible in the world. Getting

treatment facility is peoples fundamental

right.

For this, the state government has

implemented a number of health schemes.

Facility of free medicines and pathological

tests has been provided in government hos-

pitals. Institutes Director Prof. Sandeep

Kumar presented its annual report and

informed about available facilities. State

BJP President Nand Kumar Singh

Chauhan, MP Alok Sanjar, Director of

AIIMS Patna Prof. Girish Kumar Singh

and AIIMS Jodhpurs Director Prof.

Sanjeev Mishra were also present on the

occasion. The CM also inspected AIIMS.

Bhopal

Bhopal


4/11

4 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)

C'garh govt to penalisepublic smokers

Chhattisgarh government has decided to take strin-

gent legal action against

those found smoking at

public places in the state.

State Additional Chief

Secretary Ajay Singh hasdirected officials to initiate

strict action against per-

sons found smoking at pub-

lic places. The decision has been taken for the effective

implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco

Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation

of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and

Distribution) Act, 2003. Singh issued the directions

during a meeting of the state-level coordination com-

mittee. The ACS also asked the officials to take action

against those who install hoardings and billboards

depicting tobacco products at public places. Penalty of

Rs 200 will be imposed on those who are found smoking

at public places, whereas penalty of Rs 1,000 or a jail

term of two years will be imposed on those, who violate

the prohibition on advertising cigarette or other tobac-

co products for the first time and penalty of Rs 5,000and imprisonment of five years will be imposed on

those who repeat the offence, he said. Singh also asked

the officials to put signboards at public places and gov-

ernment offices prohibiting smoking and warning of

punishment under the rules.

CM Raman Singh will meet

Union Rural Development

Minister Nitin Gadkari and con-

vince him to release the entire

quantum of funds for

Chhattisgarh under MNREGA.

The Central Government had

reduced the States MNREGA

budget to Rs 1600 crore making a

deficit of about Rs 900 crores for

payment of wages under the

scheme. While talking to media

persons in the Assembly premises

on Monday, Singh expressed seri-ous concern over the matter and

said that he will discuss the issue

with Gadkari.

He said that he will try to get

released the entire amount for the

State under MNREGA. It is perti-

nent to mention that the State

Government had sent a proposal

to the Central Government of

more than Rs 2700 crore under

MNREGA. However, the CentralGovernment had approved the

budget of Rs 1600 crore only. The

reduction of Rs 900 crore in the

proposed budget will create prob-

lems for the State to pay the

wages for 100 employment days

under MNREGA. According to

sources there are about 42 lakh

registered workers under MNRE-

GA in the State and these work-

ers get payment from the Centralgovernment at the rate of Rs 146

per day. Chhattsigarh has been

performing better than many

states in providing employment

under MNREGA and it has also

received awards in past few

years. But the reduction in budg-

et this year will be a dent in the

scheme in the State.

The Chhattisgarh

Government has decided to estab-

lish Animal Welfare Board as per

the orders of the Supreme Court,

officials stated. The board will

work for the welfare of animals

and issue guidelines on the matter

to the State. A working committee

will be constituted in this regard.

The board will start functioning

from the current financial year

itself. Agriculture and Livestock

Development Minister Brijmohan

Agrawal will be the chairman of

the working committee and

Agriculture Production

Commissioner will be the Vice

Chairman of the panel. CM

Raman Singh approved the panel

and the Finance Ministry had

sanctioned 10 posts. Director of

Veterinary services, Registrar

Chhattisgarh State Go-Seva Ayog,

Registrar, Chhattisgarh State

Veterinary Parishad and Registrar

Chhattisgarh Animal Welfare

Board, will be members of the

Board. The Veterinary

Department officers said to pre-

vent cruelty of animals and to

make a deeper study the Board

will provide guidelines to the

authorities. The animals are tor-

tured to provide entertainment to

the masses, caged and transported

in unhygienic conditions. The

board will keep a close watch on

these activities and establish sanc-

tuaries. The old and disabled ani-mals and birds will be protected by

the board. Animal welfare institu-

tions will be established all over

the State and the organisations

working for animals will be given

guidelines. The Non-

Governmental Organisations will

be given suggestions in the finan-

cial matters and their functioning

will be monitored.

Will try to get full fund allocationfor MNREGA: Raman Singh

Cgarh govt to formAnimal Welfare Board

RAIPUR

Raman Singh seeks additional

Central aid, spl status for Cgarh

Raipur

Raipur

CM Raman Singh has

sought an additional fund from

Centre for modernisation of

police in the naxal-hit state and

also demanded a special cate-

gory status for the state.

According to an official state-

ment, CM Singh had urged

upon the need of special assis-

tance from Centre to take on

the Maoist problem during the

meeting of Central Regional

Council at Lucknow recently.

Sixteen out of 27 districts in

Chhattisgarh are affected by

the left wing extremism (LWE)

and seven of them are worst-

hit. With the support of Centre,

the state government is making

all efforts for the social and eco-

nomic betterment of people in

these districts but there is a need to

boost the resources for peaceful devel-

opment keeping in view the security

and law and order situation in the

region, the CM said in the meeting.

Chhattisgarh should be accorded spe-

cial A category status like that of J &

K and north-eastern states so that it

would receive 90 per cent of assis-

tance from Centre and arrange abun-

dant resources to combat menace of

Naxalism, he said.

Till June 30, 2014, Chhattisgarh

had spent 3,500 crore on the deploy-

ment of central paramilitary

forces in the state. Centre

should bear this cost henceforth

so that the state would get rid

of the burden, he said.

Emphasising on the need to

ensure security to infrastruc-

ture projects like roads,

bridges, railway track andother mega projects in Maoist

zone, Singh also urged to

include expenditure on deploy-

ment of security personnel for

such development works in the

project cost. The strength of the

police personnel in the state

has reached to 68,354 which

was 22,549 in 2000 when

Chhattisgarh was founded, he

said briefing about the status of

police department. The number

of police station has jumped to

424 from 298 while police outposts

have increased from 57 to 107 during

this period, he said. In past 11 years,

eleven new districts have been

formed while as many armed forces

battalions have been sanctioned, he

said.

RAIPUR


5/11

5 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

MP takes lead in creating

Global Talent PoolThe state government has

taken lead in creating Global

Talent Pool to actively associate

NRIs and well wishers of MP in

different countries and outside MP

with process of states development

and progress. Friends of MP web-

site has been developed as part of

this endeavour. During his

America visit, CM Shivraj Singh

Chauhan will launch this website

at Friends of MP Convention at

New Yorks is most prominent

Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center

Plaza on February 1. The function

will be held from 10 am to 1 pm.

All friends and well wishers of MP

will be invited to the function. It is

noteworthy that Prime Minister

Narendra Modi has suggested

states at Global Investors Summit,

Indore to create Global Talent Pool

to associate NRIs in develop-

ment process. MPhas taken initia-tive for this first of all. Objective of

the website is to associate those

passionate citizens who can con-

tribute to the development of MP

aligned to the vision of the Prime

Minister. CM Chauhan has called

upon MPs people and well wishers

living in other countries and out-

side MP to come forward and con-

tribute to MPs growth and

progress.

Who can be MPs friends:

Well wishers and friends across

generations and all walks of life can

become Friends of MP including

Indian citizens, people of Indian ori-

gin who are citizens of other coun-

tries, citizens of any country who

are well wishers of MP, NGOs, civil

society groups, industry associa-

tions and companies.

What can they do: Members

of Friends of MP can share an idea,

sponsor a project, volunteer work

and make investments. Member

friends can contribute and collabo-

rate for social initiatives and com-

munity development on the basis

of their interest and expertise.

How can they contribute:

Presently, 5 sectors have been pre-

scribed for collaboration by

Friends of MP. These focus areas

include education, healthcare, skill

development and rural employ-

ment and tourism. More sectors

will be opened up in future.

For becoming friend of MP

one can register by visiting:

w w w . f r i e n d s o f m p . c o m .

Memberships can also be obtained

through Twitter : friendsOfMP.

Bhopal

Critically endangered vulturespecies sited in Shivpuri

Environmentalists and bird

lovers have a reason to rejoice as a

colony of critically endangered

long-billed vulture has been spot-

ted near Karera Bustard

Sanctuary in Shivpuri district of

MP. Around 50 critically endan-

gered birds were sighted at two

adjoining cliffs, 4km from Karera

village of the district. Five live

vulture nests were also spotted in

the area where females were seen

incubating. At least 97% of long-

billed vultures have been wiped

out from the wild in last 15-20

years and the bird is on the verge

of extinction. International Union

for Conservation of Nature

(IUCN) has ranked it in the list of

threatened species. "Efforts are

being made to save the bird from

extinction. Four artificial breeding

centres have also been set up for

the purpose," said ornithologist

Ajay Gadikar. Gadikar said the

place where vultures were spotted

is close to Madhav National Park.

"Forest provides a good breeding

ground to vultures," he said.

Veterinary doctor of Madhav

National Park, Dr Jitendra Jatav,

said number of critically endan-

gered bird has increased in last

two years. "It seems that the ban

on veterinary diclofenac is show-

ing positive signs in reversing

decline of long-billed vulture pop-

ulation," said Gadikar, adding

that there is a need for a pro-

gramme to monitor vulture sites,

assess changes in bird population,

and track threats to ensure bird

conservation.

Shivpuri


6/11

6 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)Feature

There is friendship between Barack and me. We

have personal

chemistry. We talk on the phone, laugh and chat: PM

Modi

I can tell you one thing, PM Modi is getting even

less sleep than me: President Obama

PM Modi caused great excitement when he visit-

ed US. Part of the reason we are natural partners is

because we share values: President Obama

We reflect the warm friendship between the

Indian people and the

American: President Obama

Climate change is a huge pressure, global warming

is a huge pressure. There is pressure on all countries,

all governments and all people: PM Modi

"You were received like a Bollywood star at

Madison Square Garden,"

President Obama tells PM Modi

We continue to go after high-value terror targets

inside Yemen: President Obama

Obama spoke in Hindi:

"Mera pyar bhara namaskar."

"Thank you for chai pe charcha, we need more of

those in the White House."

"In the end, I would like to say chalein saath saath."

We have no interest in seeing Russia weakened or

its economy in

shambles: President Obama

We will also work closely to help Afghanistan to

grow in its transition: PM Modi

arely 40% students of Classes IV can read a Class I text while a measly 22.8% of

them can do basic subtraction. More than 30% of students in classes I-VIII cannot

even read capital letters of English. The state also lags far behind the national

average where 48.1% Class V students can read Class II text and 50.5% can do

basic arithmetic, according to the tenth annual status of education report (ASER) 2014

released by NGO Pratham. This figure slides further when it comes to Class VII student's

reading and arithmetic levels. Compared to all-India average, arithmetic proficiency levels

are also low more than 13% below the national average. Barely 24.1% Class VII stu-

dents do basic mathematics like division, which is far behind the national average of

37.8%. Here again, the state fares worse than neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Students poor in Hindi tooIt is not just English proficiency that is dismal, but students of the state are poor and can-

not even read or write their own mother tongue- Hindi. Barely 18.2% students in Class V

can read Class I level Hindi text while just 12.8% of students between classes I-VIII can do

so. Shockingly, almost one-fifth of all students in classes I-VIII cannot even read simple

Hindi letters. Only one-third students of Class II can at least read letters, down from 71%

last year while there is steady decline in the trend among Class III students where just

42% can read at least Hindi words. This too is down from 46.2% in 2013. Also, 4 out of 10

students of Class IV can read at least Class I Hindi text and this declines to one in three

children of Class V who can read Class II level Hindi. However, both these are up from last

year's figures. The survey also pointed that even though the enrolment in the 6-14 age-

group was high in the state with more than 96% enrolled in schools, actual attendance on

the day of the visit in schools in the state was just 57.6%, much low in comparison to the

national average. ASER 2014 visited 15,206 government schools with primary sections. Of

these 8,844 were primary schools and 6,362 were upper primary schools which also had

primary sections. In MP, 896 primary schools and 343 upper primary schools were visited

in 45 districts of the state.

MP worst inreading levels

10 things Barack and Modi said in joint press meet

MP again earned the dubious distinction of the lowest learning lev-

els not just in the country, but also among BIMARU states like

Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Even neighbouring Chhattisgarh

which is tribal-dominated and Naxal infested fares better. Barely 9.6%

class V children can read simple English sentences, the lowest in the

country while even in class VII level, though reading levels are bet-

ter, it is still worst among other states at 18.3%.

B


7/11

8 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)COMMERCE

A ban on Indian mango imports into the

European Union is to be lifted, clearing

the way for them to return to the UK and

other member states. However, other

foodstuffs such as Indian aubergines, two

types of squash, and a type of leaf used

in cooking will remain restricted. Indian

mango shipments to the EU were sus-

pended in May after fruit flies were

found in consignments. A European

Commission committee voted to lift the

ban recently. There had been significant

improvements in India's mango export

system, the European Commission said

after the unanimous vote. The UK gov-

ernment previously said it was workingtowards the ban being lifted and was one

of the member states that participated in

the vote to lift the ban. We have been

working closely with our Indian and

European counterparts to resolve the

issue as quickly as possible and I am

pleased that trade in mangoes will

resume," said the British minister for the

natural environment, Lord de Mauley.

"Today's decision demonstrates the

marked improvements India has made to

its export system and it is important that

these standards are maintained so that

trade can continue and UK plant health

remains protected," he said. Imports will

start again in about a month's time, once

new EU legislation has been formally

adopted and published by the European

Commission.

New Delhi

EU lifts ban on import

of India mangoes

McDonalds arrogance in Pune:But people must also share blame

McDonalds is facing a

crisis of sorts in India. The

reason: McDonalds staff in

Pune threw out a destitute

kid. According to the story,

which was widely shared on

Reddit as well other social

media and mainstream

media sites, Good Samaritan

Shaheena Attarwala, spotted

the boy standing outside the

restaurant and offered to buy

him a Fanta float. She also

did something that very peo-

ple in India rarely do. She

took the boy with herself into

the restaurant. However,

things didnt go well in there

and a member of the staff

pushed and threw the kid

out. When Attarwala protest-

ed saying that the boy was

with her, he replied, "These

kinds of people are not

allowed inside". Such is the

impact of the outrage

sparked by the incident on

social media that the compa-

ny has called for an internal

probe and has suspended the

concerned security personnel

involved in the incident till

the enquiry is complete. The

question on everyones mind:

How dare McDonalds throw

out a poor kid? Its the perfect

story of how big bad corpo-

rate America treats poor

Indians in their own country.

In a country where children

beg on the streets, at traffic

lights, and under flyovers,

most of us try to ignore them

and hardly ever feel love or

sympathy for them. We are

quick to ignore the beggar

women or the children, who

will often bang at car win-

dows at traffic signals or wait

outside restaurants asking

for food or money. Most of us

are quick to dismiss these

people, with

a wave of hand or a nod of

the head. So when a

McDonalds security guard or

employee decides to remove a

destitute child from the

restaurant, it is a by-product

of this general middle-class

attitude to the poor. Frankly,

its not hard to imagine cus-

tomers in India throwing a fit

if McDonalds were to allow

the poorest of the poor from

India to enter, even if accom-

panied by a good samaritan.

So be it McDonald's or a

fancy five-star, the truth is

that in India we don't want to

see the homeless, the poor,

even the ones who work for

us, share any space with us

as equals, be it restaurant

tables or apartment lifts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has

launched Small Savings Instrument for

Girl Child Sukanya Samriddhi Account

recently. Sukanya Samriddhi Account can

be opened in the name of a girl child any

time from her birth till she attains the age

of 10 years with a minimum deposit of Rs.

1000 and thereafter any amount in multi-

ple of Rs. 100 can be deposited. However,

presently all girls including those above

10 are eligible to open account under the

scheme as according to government rules

for one time, a girl child who has attained

the age of 10 years prior to one year from

the date of introduction of this scheme, is

also eligible under the scheme. Thus

account of girls above 10 must be opened

within one year of launch of the scheme. A

maximum of Rs. 1,50,000 can be deposited

in a financial year. The account can be

opened in any post office or authorized

branches of commercial banks across the

country by producing birth certificate of

the girl child. The account holder girl child

will be able to operate the account herself

on attaining the age of 10 years. The

account will remain operative for 21 years

from the date of opening of account or

marriage of the girl child after attaining

18 years of age whichever is earlier. To

meet the requirement of higher education

expenses of the account holder girl child,

partial withdrawal of 50 % of the balance

would be allowed after the girl child has

attained the age of 18 years. The provision

of not allowing withdrawal from the

account till the girl child attains the age of18 years has been kept to prevent early

age marriage of girls. To motivate parents

to open an account in the name of girl

child and for her welfare to deposit maxi-

mum of their savings upto the prescribed

limits, higher rate of interest @ 9.1 % is

proposed to be given on the deposits on

annually compounded basis with income

tax concessions in this financial year.

New Delhi

PM launches

SukanyaSamriddhiAccount

Pune

LUCKNOW:Uttar Pradesh may soon get its fourth tiger reserve, thanks to big cats strolling into the state fromMP's Panna reserve. The state government has proposed to develop Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary in Chitrakoot

(Bundelkhand region) into tiger reserve given its proximity to Panna. The two reserves are located at a distance of

150 km along the UP-MP border. Ranipur doesn't have any tiger, but the ones from Panna keep frequenting the sanc-

tuary. Tiger pugmarks are regularly found at Ranipur. "If the place is developed as a separate tiger reserve, it might

get some of these stray tigers finding their territories at Ranipur," said sources in UP forest department, adding that

the final decision would be taken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board of Wildlife.

Presently, UP has 100-odd tigers in three tiger reserves at Lakhimpur (884 sqkm Dudhwa reserve), Pilibhit (720

sqkm) and Bijnor (80 sqkm Amangarh reserve). While these reserves are tiger-dominant areas, 250 sqkm Ranipur

sanctuary has no resident tigers. The sanctuary, though, has large antelope population comprising chausinghas,

chinkara, sloth bear, blackbucks and leopards. Ranipur is not a popular wildlife sanctuary.

UPlikely

to get4th

tigerreserve


8/11

9 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)TURNNING INDIA

India, US announce steps to promote clean energy

PM Jan DhanYojana: Schemeexceeds target

As many as 11.5 crore bank accounts have been opened

under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, exceeding the

enhanced target of 10 crore and covering 99.74 percent of

households, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said recently.

"Most of India today is included in the banking system," he

said, adding that more than Rs 9,000 crore has been deposit-

ed in the Jan Dhan accounts. Prime Minister Narendra

Modi announced the financial inclusion scheme in his first

Independence Day speech last year. It was launched in

August with a target to open bank accounts for 7.5 crore

poor persons by January 26, 2015. The target was later

increased to 10 crore accounts. Addressing a press confer-

ence in New Delhi, Jaitley said the government would use

these bank accounts to pass on benefits to individuals under

its various social security schemes. Financial Services

Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said that even Guinness Book of

World Records has recognised the achievements made under

PMJDY. In its citation, the Guinness Book said: "Most bank

accounts opened in one week as part of the Financial

Inclusion Campaign is 18,096,130 and was achieved by the

Department of Financial Services, Government of India

from August 23 to 29, 2014." The government was is in dia-

logues with the Guinness World Records team to bag a

record for the government for opening maximum number

of bank accounts in minimum number of days. A global

consulting firm is assisting the committee and the govern-

ment to verify the claim and that once the claim is verifiedthe scheme would enter the Guinness Book of World

Records. According to data available on the PMJDY web-

site, of the total 11.50 crore accounts opened, 8.27 crore or

72 percent of the accounts are zero balance. These accounts

are likely to become active only once the government starts

distributing the direct benefits or subsidies through these

accounts. However, the record has comes even as there are

doubts about the veracity of the accounts opened as banks

in their account opening spree may have overlooked the

know your customer norms.

Breakthrough: India-US end six-year-old logjam over civil nuclear deal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dis-

missed that there was any pressure to ink a pactsimilar to US-China agreement on emission cuts

as India and the US announced important steps

to promote clean energy and confront climate

change. Speaking after talks with Barack

Obama here, Modi said "President and I

expressed hope for a successful Paris Conference

on climate change this year". Obama said that

the two countries have agreed to make concrete

progress in phasing out major greenhouse gases

apart from expanding solar energy initiatives

and launching joint projects to improve air qual-

ity in Indian cities. Both the countries agreed to

pursue for a strong global climate pact on emis-

sion cuts in the forthcoming UN climate confer-

ence to be held in Paris in December this year.

"India's voice is very important on this issue.

Perhaps no country could potentially be moreaffected by the impacts of climate change and no

country is going to be more important in moving

forward a strong agreement than India," Obama

said in a joint press meet while referring to Paris

climate talks. Noting that both countries have

agreed to a number of important steps to pro-

mote clean energy and confront climate change,

he said the US supports India's goal for solar

energy and it stands to speed this expansion

with additional financing. "We are also launch-

ing new joint projects to improve air quality in

Indian cities. The US will share more data and

develop tools to help India assess and adapt to

the impact of climate change and help vulnera-

ble communities become more resilient," he

said. On a query whether there was pressure on

India to ink a pact similar to the one signedbetween the US and China on emission cuts,

Modi said, "India is an independent country.

Pressure of any country or a person does not

affect India. There is a pressure on this issue

that what kind of environment we wish to pro-

vide for future generation. Modi further said:

"Climate change is itself a pressure. Global

warming is itself a pressure. It is the responsi-

bility of those, who are concerned about future

generation, to become conscious about climate

change and adopt policies so that we are able to

give good future and good environment to next

generation.

Mumbai

Narendra Modi and Barack Obama

ended the six-year-old deadlock over

operationalising the landmark civil

nuclear deal signed in 2008. "The civil

nuclear agreement was the centrepiece

of our transformed relationship. It

demonstrated new trust. It also created

new economic opportunities and expand-

ed our option for clean energy. In the

course of the past four months, we have

worked with a sense of purpose to take it

forward," the PM Modi said in a joint

address at Hyderabad House. India and

the United States had signed the civilian

nuclear deal in 2008, during the UPA

government's first term, but differences

remained over an Indian nuclear liabili-

ty law that makes equipment suppliers

ultimately responsible for an accident.

Countries like France and the US had

been asking India to follow global norms

under which the primary liability lies

with the operator. "I am pleased that six

years after we signed our bilateral agree-

ment, we are moving towards commer-

cial cooperation, consistent with our law,

our international legal obligations, and

technical and commercial viability," said

Modi. In his address during the joint

press conference Obama said, Today we

achieved a breakthrough understanding

on two issues that were holding up our

ability to advance our civil nuclear coop-

eration and we are committed to moving

towards full implementation. Added

Obama, This is an important step that

shows how we can work together to ele-

vate our relationship.

During his visit to the US in

September 2014, Modi and Obama had

decided to set up a high-level Contact

Group on civil nuclear cooperation.Earlier, the US had demanded that it be

allowed to track nuclear material sup-

plied to India. According to a highly

placed source, the US has agreed to

withdraw the tracking clause in India-

US Nuclear Deal. We have decided to

give this critical partnership a new

thrust and sustained attention. For this,

we have agreed that India and the

United States must have regular sum-

mits at greater frequency. And, we will

also establish hotlines between myself

and Barack and our National Security

Advisors, added Modi. The issue of

nuclear liability had been a bone of con-

tention on reaching an agreement. As per

the international norms, in case of any

accident, the Indian government would

have to pay heavy damages because all

the nuclear plants in the country are run

by the state-owned Nuclear Power

Corporation of India (NPCIL).

India had ruled out changes in its

2010 liability legislation but offered toset up an insurance pool to indemnify

companies that build reactors in the

country against liability in case of a

nuclear accident. The deadlock over the

nuclear deal has been done away with

during a one-on-one talk between PM

Modi and President Obama, the source

added. As per a new plan, those compa-

nies engaged in building nuclear reactors

in India would buy insurance from the

state-run reinsurer GIC Re. The compa-

nies would then recoup the cost by charg-

ing more for their services. Alternatively,

the NPCIL would take out insurance on

behalf of these companies.

The 2008 deal exempted India from

an international sanctions regime that

disallowed India from importing fuel or

civilian nuclear technology unless it gave

up its nuclear weapons. The US per-

suaded the international community to

end this policy. Though never officially

promised, Washington expected India

would buy three or four US reactors as apartial reward. The primary opposition

to the nuclear deal in India, however,

came from the Communist Party of India

(Marxist) and its parliamentary allies.

They had alleged that the deal would

undermine the sovereignty of India and

compromise foreign policy and also

claimed that the Indian government was

hiding certain clauses of the deal, which

would harm India's indigenous nuclear

program.

New Delhi

New Delhi


9/11

elieved to be in good ODI form

ahead of next month's World

Cup, Indian batsman Suresh

Raina said he would have been left

devastated after his dismal failure in

the cricket Test series against

Australia had his side failed to draw

the last two matches. Raina scored a

half-century in the tri-series ODI

against Australia after having bagged

a 'pair' in his return to Test cricket

after two years. India lost the Test

series 0-2 but earned appreciation for

fighting draws in the last two matches.

"In Sydney (fourth Test) I played my

first Test after more than two years

and didn't score a run. That hit me real

bad. Everyone in the team tried to

cheer me up saying 'it's okay, it was

hard luck'. But I was really disap-

pointed. I was just stunned. It felt like

a bad dream. I had worked so hard for

this opportunity and earned it after so

long," Raina told bcci.tv. "It happened

to me in England in 2011. I got a pair

in the Oval Test and then did well in

the ODIs.

So, I had been in that situation

before. But this time it was tougher

because of how long I had waited for

this chance. What helped me get over

it was that we drew the Test. Had we

lost it, it would have been devastating

for me," he said. Raina said the drawn

matches were a huge factor in helping

him reboot himself and be prepared for

the ODI tri-series, which also features

England. "I learned a lot in the next

two days after that Test, gathered

myself and practised really hard with

the white ball.

Prosecutors are re-examining the criminal

convictions of three Pakistan players jailed

in 2011 over spot-fixing allegations, accord-

ing to a report in Britain's Guardian newspa-

per, The Guardian said the convictions in a

London court of then Pakistan captain

Salman Butt, paceman Mohammad Asif and

swing bowler Mohammad Aamer, were

among 25 cases called into question by themethods of 'Fake Sheikh' undercover

reporter Mazher Mahmood. Prosecutors

dropped on Wednesday a case of alleged

match-fixing involving 13 footballers in

England because of doubts about the reliabil-

ity of Mahmood's evidence. After the now

defunct News of the World revealed the the

three Pakistan cricketers had conspired to

bowl no-balls during a Test match at Lord's

in 2010 in return for a share of 150,000

($228,207), the trio and their agent Mazher

Majeed were arrested. Following the 'sting'

operation, the three players were banned for

a minimum of five years each by the

International Cricket Council. At a subse-

quent separate court hearing in London, they

were all given prison sentences. Aamer's ICC

ban is set to expire in August and he could

return to international cricket soon after-

wards. The case made headlines around the

world, appearing to shed light on the con-

tentious issue of illegal and unregulated bet-

ting markets in Asia and the Far East.

However, there were those who regarded the

jail terms as severe given it appeared no

actual bet had been placed. Betting expert

Ed Hawkins, the author of 'Bookie Gambler

Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of

Cricket's Underworld', was among those to

say no Asian syndicate would ever accept a

wager on when a specific no-ball would be

bowled because it was too easy to manipulate

the outcome. The Crown Prosecution Service(CPS) announced this week there was "insuf-

ficient evidence to provide a realistic

prospect of conviction" in the footballers' case

following the collapse of pop singer Tulisa

Contostavlos's trial.

She was cleared of helping arrange a cocaine

deal in July last year after a newspaper sting

led by Mahmood, famed for going undercover

in traditional Arab dress, hence his 'Fake

Sheikh' nickname.

10 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)SPORTS

New fielding restrictions will make World Cupmore exciting: Rahul Dravid

Relief for Butt, Asif and Aamer? Pakistan spot-fixing convictions to be rexamined, claims reportRelief for Butt, Asif and Aamer? Pakistan spot-fixing convictions to be rexamined, claims report

I don't have to answer questionsabout my retirement: MS Dhoni

Our bowling needs to be better so wecan defend totals of 240 too: Raina

gnoring persistent queries on his shock Test retire-

ment, Indian ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni

today sought to focus on the ongoing cricket tri-series

against Australia and England, saying that his team

would look to try different combinations keeping in mind

next month's World Cup here. Dhoni stone-walled ques-

tions on his Test retirement in the build-up to India's first

ODI against Australia in the ongoing tri-series tomorrow.

Returning to the scene of his last Test, the Melbourne

Cricket Ground, the Indian ODI skipper stayed mum on

his exit from the five-day arena. "The BCCI press release

(about my retirement) explained everything. You can ask

questions, but it is my decision (not to answer them). I will

answer if I want to," he said, with a straight-face. Dhoni

also didn't answer one other question. When asked who out

of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma will open the

innings with Shikhar Dhawan, he replied, "You will have

to wait and watch." He was quite keen to talk about other

things though, primarily the tri-series as a build-up to the

World Cup. "We will look to try out different things in this

tournament," Dhoni said in the pre-match press confer-

ence. "We have four games at least and five if we make the

final. It is important for us to get the playing combination

right. But at the same time we won't push players who

have a few niggles that can transform into major injuries.

We will give them that extra time if needed. We will man-

age the workload accordingly."

IR

London

New Delhi: Former India captain

Rahul Dravid is expecting next

month's cricket World Cup to be an

aggressive affair as he feels the

revamped ODI rules will push

teams into selecting attacking

bowlers over part-timers.

Speaking to 'ESPNCricinfo',

Dravid said new rules, which man-

date five fielders inside the 30-

yard circle at all times in an

innings, will have a huge impact

on how the teams work out theirstrategies at the showpiece event

starting February 14. "With the

two new balls, the fast bowlers will

get that level of assistance up

front. The grounds are bigger too

so it won't be that easy to clear the

ropes. I think it will be a challenge

for the captains. For example,

when you have five fielders in the

ring, it's very hard to play a part-

time bowler," Dravid said. "You are

almost being forced to play five

specialist bowlers. That is a real

positive. You are going to be forced

to attack and look for wicketsrather than see part-timers bowl

for a large period of play," he said.


10/11

anjana (Bipasha

Basu) is hot and

unemployed - the first

is a fact, the latter an

assumption given how fre-

quently she irons her hair in

a day so that her hair

remains poker straight and

silky even when she wakes

up in the middle of the night

to fetch water. She has

perennially red cheekbones

and is married. A few min-

utes into Alone, Sanjana's

husband Kabir (Karan Singh

Grover) has sung her a song,

fed her a cake in colours

matching her white dress

and red lips and we realise

why Sanjana's standard

expression is so, well, consti-pated. The woman misses

her husband, who is obvious-

ly working hard to pay for

rent, cake et al. A potentially

relationship-changing con-

versation between the couple

is cut short when a phone

call informs them that

Sanjana's mother has had a

bimaari that has left her

speechless and paralysed

neck down. The couple hurry

to Sanjana's hometown in

Kerala's backwaters. It's at

this point that the film

decides to share that

Sanjana had a conjoined

twin named Anjana who has

died. Anjana was a true

match to Sanjana, saying

things like 'hum kabhi juda

nahi honge' as a ten-year-

old. The two were nearly on

the track of snatching the

title of creepiest kids ever

from the wingwoman-cum-

daughter in Karan Johar's

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The

girls listened to a musical

box which plays a tune fit for

a Ram Gopal Verma film,drew the infinity sign in

sand like lovestruck teens

and so on. When teenaged

Sanjana developed a crush

for Kabir, now her husband

and back then a chubby boy

who saves the twins from

bullies in school, things start

souring. Anjana too has a

crush on Kabir.

11 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)GLAMOUR

eepika Padukone is at the top

of her game at this point of

time. The actress has a string

of Rs 100 crore films to boast about

and several awards that she won in

last two years. Deepika Padukone

is also suffering from depression

and anxiety. While the news mayshock many, the actress points out

that depression has nothing to do

with what people have and what

they don't. Padukone knows that

this will be the most common reac-

tion to her being depressed. In an

exclusive interview to Hindustan

Times she points out, "People often

think How can you be depressed?

You have everything going for you.

You are the supposed number one

heroine and have a plush home,

car, movies What else do you

want? "

The actress spoke candidly

about how she has been depressedfor a while now and how she is cop-

ing with it. Padukone revealed that

she tried to deal with the problem

for a long time by engaging herself

in work, but stress and extreme

long hours of work kept weighing

down on her. It was only after she

broke down in front of her mother,

Ujjala Padukone, that the actress

took professional help. Padukone

confesses that she consulted two

psychologists during this phrase

and also took medication. She also

revealed that thanks to the treat-

ment she feels much better now.

"There were days when I would feel

okay, but at times, within a day,

there was a roller-coaster of feel-

ings. Finally, I accepted my condi-

tion." said . The actress recalled

that a friend's suicide made her

seek professional help. -"My person-

al experience as well as my friends

death urged me to take up this

issue, which isnt usually talked

about. " said Padukone.

D

Salman Khan's evolution as an actor

with average success in the 90s to a

box office darling worth crores, is also

the story of the evolution of the com-

mon Indian man. The same man, who

is bred in a society that is largely

patriarchal by default and attributes

the man with courage, power, respon-

sibility and even heroism as opposed

to the woman and secretly relishes

the idea of an unbridled, often violent

machismo as the answer to all his

life's problems, and as the means to

the label of a 'hero'. Apart from physi-

cally fitting into the character to a T,

Salman Khan's life was stuff an aam

aadmi's fairytale would look like.

Women swooning over him despite

several reports of him being physical-

ly aggressive in his youth, Khan rock-

ing his aviators and stubble as he

walks into a courtroom to appear in

cases of hit and run and killing

endangered animals, Khan packing

court appearances, press conferences

and fan-meets all in a day.

ctress Soha Ali Khan says her upcom-

ing wedding to actor fiance Kunal

Khemu will be a simple and intimate

wedding at home. The low-key wedding on January 25

will be a departure from the grand celebration that hap-

pened during Soha's brother Saif Ali Khan's wedding to

actress Kareena Kapoor two years back. The 36-year-old

actress said she is yet to decide on her wed-

ding dress. "There are just few days left

for my wedding. I am very grateful that I

have my mother, my sister and friends,

who are telling me what I should wear. I am

thoroughly confused about which colour I should wear.

"But I have finally decided on my look. It's a simple wed-

ding at home. But I think it should be memorable and spe-

cial. And I will be dressed for the occasion," Soha said.

When asked why she is not donning her family's tradition-

al dress, which was worn by Kareena at her wedding, Soha

said, "That was the tradition in our family. The gharara

belong to my Badi Ammi (my father's mother) and it was

passed down to her daughter-in-law (my mother) and then

it was given to my sister-in-law in law Kareena." Soha got

engaged to Kunal, 31, in Paris last year. The couple have

worked together in 2009 film '99'.

It will be a simple wedding at home: Soha

A

Deepika battling depression

Actress revealsshe was undermedication

Listen up 'macho' Indian star, you aren't above law:

What SC decision in the Salman black buck case says

S

Of Salman Khan's many achievements was giving Indians areal life equivalent of 'macho'. But for Salman introducing

the concept of Subway sandwich biceps to Indian men theywould have otherwise elevated another Khan's stammering

to the pedestal of ultimate coolness in the 90s. Given that in

India, masculinity is synonymous with courage and every-thing from politics to popular culture works to endorse that

idea, Salman Khan cut a picture of 'macho' that a large

chunk of Indian men strove to emulate.

What horror movie? Bipasha, Karan Groverbring you the best comedy of the year


11/11

12 JANUARY19 TO JANUARY25 , 2015 (MP & CG)

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P.

Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 [email protected] RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction

NATION

Government ordered tounfreeze Greenpeace funds

Maoists in Chhattisgarh

have dropped pamphlets in

several areas of Bastar

region, opposing US

President Barack Obama's

upcoming visit to India.

According to police , the

rebels have called for boycott

of Obama's visit and a

nationwide bandh on

January 26. "The pamphlets

in which the outlawed CPI

(Maoist) have opposed the

visit of US President Obama

to India have been recovered

from the restive places ofNarayanpur and Kanker dis-

tricts," Deputy Inspector

General of Police (state's

intelligence wing)

Deepanshu Kabra told.

Central security agencies

have been informed about it

while police have been put

on alert in the insurgency-

affected region, Kabra said.

The pamphlets released in

the name of Naxal's

Dandakaranya Special Zonal

Committee spokesperson

Gudsa Usendi with heading

'Obama Wapas Jao' (Obama

go back) carry several anti-

national messages and con-

tents.

In the pamphlets, the

ultras have also said that

they will burn effigies of

Obama and Prime Minister

Narendra Modi during theUS President's visit to the

country. Obama will be on

three-day visit to India from

January 25 during which he

will also attend the 'Republic

Day' parade in New Delhi.

New Delhi

Thwe Delhi High Court has ordered the governmentto release thousands of dollars in funds belonging to the

environmental pressure group Greenpeace. The funds,

which had been sent from abroad, were frozen amid

accusations that campaign groups were hurting India's

economy. The money, totalling more than $2,72,000

(about Rs 1.5 crore) was frozen in June 2014.

Greenpeace has called the ruling a victory of democra-

cy and free speech. Greenpeace India said the govern-

ment had arbitrarily barred it from receiving foreign

funds from Greenpeace International and Climate

Works Foundation in June 2014. This is a strong signal

from the judiciary that the government must cease its

campaign of harassment of civil society, the NGO said.

The Delhi High Court directed the home ministry to

unblock the funds in September 2014 but Greenpeace

India said it did not receive the money. The recent rul-

ing means the funds will be released with immediate

effect, the group said. "This is a vindication of our work

and the role that credible NGOs (non-governmental

organisations) play in support of India's development,"

Samit Aich, Greenpeace India's executive director said.

"This is a strong signal from the judiciary that the gov-

ernment must cease its campaign of harassment of civilsociety" he said.

Doubts continueHowever, the government can appeal against the decision in Supreme Court. The ruling only pertains to the spe-

cific funds frozen in June and does not affect the order the government has in place to prevent Greenpeace and some

other NGOs from getting other funds from abroad without the clearance of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The order

came after an Indian intelligence report last year accused several campaign groups of stalling development projects

by carrying out protests against their environmental impact.

Raipur

Maoists issue pamphletsopposing Obama's India visit

We The State - Vol 3 Issue 17

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Transcript of We The State - Vol 3 Issue 17