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Kasanagottu Nageshwar
Help Pakistani Kashmiris’ ‘freedom struggle’, India urged
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
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There is simmering discontent among Pakistani Kashmiris against Islamabad’s misrule, activists from the region said Wednesday, urging India to shun its “defensive” Kashmir policy. “Azad Kashmir (as Islamabad terms Pakistan-administered Kashmir) is free, of course. But free for Pakistanis only,” Mumtaz Khan, a Canada-based Pakistani Kashmiri activist, said at a seminar here on the status of the area. Khan, who [...]
Cellphone holding shows your dominant side of brain
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
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If your left brain is dominant, then you are likely to hold your cellphone in the right hand and place it against the same side ear, says a new medical research which finds a strong link between brain dominance and the ear used to hear the cell phone. The study by Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, finds a strong link between [...]
India: Justice On Domestic Violence: Next Steps – Pamela Philipose
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
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Mr. Wadhwa is a senior citizen living inDelhi. He is also the father of a college lecturer who suffered grievous domestic violence. He tells his story, head bowed, voice faltering: “I married my daughter into a good family. She was a college lecturer earning Rs 4,000 in the early nineties. Her husband was a chartered accountant. She only stayed for [...]
India: Brick By Brick, Grain By Grain, Gyarsi Bai And Team Stock Up Against Starvation – Anumeha Yadav
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
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The sun is about to set in Sunda village in Kishanganj block of Baran district that lies in southeast Rajasthan, on the border with Madhya Pradesh. A group of men and women dig the earth with spades on a small plot at one end of the village. They are Sahariyas, categorised by the government as a ‘primitive’ tribal group, hard [...]
India: Lighting Up Young Lives Through Mid Day Meals In ‘Sun City’ Jodhpur – Neena Bhandari
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
- no comments
As the clock chimes 11 am, Neetu Yadav, 10, and her classmates’ eyes turn expectantly from the blackboard to the school gates. As the roar of the autorickshaw carrying their Mid Day Meal grows louder, the 35 students at the government-run Rajkya Prathmik Vidyalaya, Ghanchiyon ki Gufa, Saraswati Nagar, erupt into a loud cheer. Jodhpur, located in the vastThar Desertof [...]
Civil Society wins over collusion of Government & Opposition – Prof.Madabhushi Sridhar
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
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Governor Narasimhan allowed provisions of RTI to survive and prevented the RTI activists from filing PIL against ‘illegal’ nominations by Kiran Government, by rejecting wrong candidates nominated for Information Commissioners of Andhra Pradesh, while accepting four proper candidates among recommended. It is a resounding victory of civil society including vibrant media against unscrupulous collusion between the Government and its ‘opposition’ [...]
Chronic Famishment – C.P. Chandrasekhar
- February 23, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
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National Sample Survey Organisation’s report on the average calorie intake per person in Indian households points to a much higher incidence of poverty in the country than reflected in estimates of the proportion of the population below the official “poverty” line. Among the features that sully India’s ”growth story” is the persistence and possible worsening of malnutrition in the country. [...]
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Kasanagottu Nageshwar
Edible bottles could replace plastic waste
- February 24, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Environment / Wildlife, Features/ Articles, Focus
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Fancy a bottle that could be as edible and tasty as its contents and get rid of the plastic waste that such products currently generate. Harvard University experts, working on the concept, have filled an orange membrane with orange juice, a tomato-flavoured enclosure with gazpacho (cold Spanish/Portuguese tomato-based raw vegetable soup) and grape packages with wine. Biomedical engineer David Edwards [...]
The Supreme Court’s judgement on 2G of cancelling the 122 licenses awarded in 2008 has blown away the vacuous claims that Sibal, the Minister for Communications and IT had been making of “no loss”. Sibal had even gone further talking of “gains” that the country has made by giving spectrum at throw away prices. The Court has dismissed this perverted [...]
National Sample Survey Organisation’s report on the average calorie intake per person in Indian households points to a much higher incidence of poverty in the country than reflected in estimates of the proportion of the population below the official “poverty” line. Among the features that sully India’s ”growth story” is the persistence and possible worsening of malnutrition in the country. [...]
Demand Side Management of Power
- February 22, 2012
A unit of energy saved is greater than the energy produced as it saves not only on energy production but also on transmission and distribution losses. In other words, a “Negawatt” (a negative Megawatt) produced by reducing energy needs, saves more than a Megawatt generated. This is the idea behind the Demand Side Management (DSM) or the management of rapidly [...]
Kasanagottu Nageshwar
Why do celebs lose their cool? Status-linked ego, say experts
- February 25, 2012
Celebrities ko gussa kyon aata hai? That’s the big question, given the recent cases of Saif Ali Khan’s scuffle with an NRI businessman and Shah Rukh Khan’s brawl with Shirish Kunder. With status comes aggression and ego, say experts.”Anger is present in each and everybody, but as people grow up and excel in their field, they become more egoistic. The [...]
Hidden literary treasures often lie in smaller stalls -Shobit Arya
- February 25, 2012
Books are going to be celebrated yet again. This time at the New Delhi World Book Fair – from Feb 25 till March 4, following closely on the heels of the Jaipur Lit Fest (JLF) and the Kolkata Book Fair. The biennial book bonanza organised by the National Book Trust at Pragati Maidan promises to be bigger and better than [...]
Actor, writer and now lifestyle counsellor Anupam Kher says most children are lonely but they don’t know it. He says it is in the small towns that childhood is the way it should be. “When you come from a small town, your childhood is the way childhood should be. You get to know the psyche of children. I came to [...]
Special Central Assistance to Tribal Sub Plan
- February 25, 2012
The Special Central Assistance (SCA) is provided by the Ministry of tribal Affairs to the State Government as an additive to the State TSP. SCA is primarily meant for family-oriented income-generation schemes in sectors of agriculture, horticulture sericulture and animal husbandry cooperation. A part of SCA (not more than 30%) is also permitted to be used for development of infrastructure [...]
Polio – India Fact Sheet
- February 25, 2012
On 13 January, 2012, India reached a major milestone in the history of polio eradication – a 12-month period without any case of polio being recorded. This date marks the unprecedented progress in India and is an endorsement of the effectiveness of the polio eradication strategies and their implementation in India. Cases in 2011 1 (last case 13 January 2011) Cases in [...]
One of the leading humor writers in Malayalam – Shri N Goplakrishnan – has defined a cardiologist as one who writes letters only on post “cards”! He describes himself as one of the leading cardiologists in his home town! There is a little magazine in Malayalam called “Innu” (meaning “today”) which ispublished only as a letter card. It has now entered the 30th year of its [...]
Exotic Tourism and Commodification of Tribal Culture – Archana Prasad
- February 25, 2012
REPORTS of the illegal exploitation of tribals in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in Odisha have been brought to light by videos and news reports in the recent past. Two Jarawa videos from Andamans showed how tourists and the police were forcing tribal women to dance naked in return for food and other provisions. A few days after this came to [...]
Egypt: One Year after the Revolution – Yohannan Chemerapally
- February 25, 2012
IN January last year, the Tahrir Square of Cairo had erupted with revolutionary fervour. Thousands of Egyptian workers, students and intellectuals joined hands to take on a pro-western authoritarian regime. Within weeks, Hosni Mubarak, in power since the late seventies, was forced to abdicate. PEACEFUL UPRISING The Egyptian revolution was inspired by the events in Tunisia, where for the first time [...]
- February 25, 2012
The Supreme Court’s judgement on 2G of cancelling the 122 licenses awarded in 2008 has blown away the vacuous claims that Sibal, the Minister for Communications and IT had been making of “no loss”. Sibal had even gone further talking of “gains” that the country has made by giving spectrum at throw away prices. The Court has dismissed this perverted [...]
Drugs in Punjab prisons trigger police fight – Jaideep Sarin
- February 25, 2012
A controversy over the usage of drugs by inmates in Punjab prisons has become the cause of an open fight between the top police officers. With the Director General of Police (DGP) for prisons, Shashi Kant, openly pointing to a nexus between the drug mafia and police officials, the fight within the police force has come out in the open. [...]
Kasanagottu Nageshwar
NCTC controversy: Playing politics with terrorism – Amulya Ganguli
- February 26, 2012
Considering that P. Chidambaram, according to Wikileaks, told FBI director Robert Mueller that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) could supersede the states in its probes and trials and that the full use of its powers would entail violation of the constitution, the home minister should have held more purposeful consultations with the states before notifying the date for setting up [...]
Chinese concerned at TV’s negative effects
- February 26, 2012
A majority of people in China are concerned over certain TV programmes that could negatively affect or mislead teenagers, says a survey. The online survey — conducted among 1,210 people by the China Youth Daily Social Investigation Center — showed that 60 percent of the participants believed that TV dramas have negative effects on teenagers. Only four percent of respondents [...]
Rafale Selected… Now Consolidation – D. Raghunandan, Newsclick,
- February 26, 2012
The much awaited announcement of the winner in India’s medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) acquisition was finally made a fortnight ago, with the Rafale fighter from Dassault Aviation of France taking away the coveted deal. Two aircraft, the Rafale and the Eurofighter from a European consortium, had earlier been down-selected from the six short-listed contenders after extensive evaluations and field [...]
Why do celebs lose their cool? Status-linked ego, say experts
- February 25, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
- no comments
Celebrities ko gussa kyon aata hai? That’s the big question, given the recent cases of Saif Ali Khan’s scuffle with an NRI businessman and Shah Rukh Khan’s brawl with Shirish Kunder. With status comes aggression and ego, say experts.”Anger is present in each and everybody, but as people grow up and excel in their field, they become more egoistic. The [...]
- February 25, 2012
- By India Current Affairs
- Features/ Articles, Focus
Kasanagottu Nageshwar
Wikileaks is making public about 5 million emails of Stratfor (a private company that makes money out of selling strategic intelligence). In the global economy, knowledge of coming political events help companies make money out of futures. As trading in futures becomes important for bonds, stocks, currency and even food and raw materials, so does the value of information. So what was [...]
It is amazing how the Congress and its government are always looking for loopholes to get through anti-democratic measures. And succeed to an extent that encourages them to keep on trying. The party leaders have developed such a thick skin in the process that when caught, they brazen it out with blatant denials and offensive posturing. The cover was blown [...]
The message of peace and moderation sets former Pakistan-based politician, activist and motivational speaker Shaykh-ul-Islam Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri apart from other Islamic scholars. He says Islam stands for love and not the killing of mankind. “I have tried to bring up the true teachings of the Quran so that I may stop the means of distortion of the teachings…the extremists are [...]
Smart lighting devices can save Rs 4.7 lakh crore annually
- February 29, 2012
Widespread use of new and efficient lighting devices can save nearly 35,000 megawatt of power and the nation can gain Rs 4.7 lakh crore, according to a recent study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). The devices include light emitting diodes (LEDs) and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Implementation of this lighting efficiency option will cost [...]
A report on visitation to the top Retail and Coupon sites in India based on data from its comScore Media Metrix service. The report found that nearly 60 percent of online users in India visited a Retail site in November 2011, with the number of online shoppers increasing 18 percent in the past year. The report also found that Coupon sites are [...]
Review of the Economy 2011-12 Highlights
- February 29, 2012
Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister released the document ‘Review of the Economy 2011-12’ at a Press Conference in New Delhi today. Following are the highlights of the document: Review of the Economy 2011-12 § The rate of growth in 2011-12 is now estimated at 7.1%, which is marginally higher than the projection of 6.9% as per the [...]
Review of the Economy 2011-12 Summary
- February 29, 2012
Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister released the document ‘Review of the Economy 2011-12’ at a Press Conference in New Delhi today. Following is the summary of the document: Review of the Economy 2011-12 1. The rate of growth in 2011-12 is estimated at 7.1%, which is marginally higher than the projection of 6.9% as per the Advance [...]
India has sent a scientist to Trinidad and Tobago to assist in the control of a pest affecting the coconut industry in the Caribbean nation. Thousands of acres of coconut plantations, mostly on the eastern seaside areas, are on the verge of extinction. This is one of the immediate outcomes of a visit to India in January by Trinidad and [...]
World hockey looking at India as major hub for the sport – Abhishek Roy
- February 28, 2012
Indian hockey may be taking baby steps in seeking to regain its erstwhile stature, with its qualification for the London Olympics being among the first of them, but the country has no doubt made a quantum leap to become the marketing hub for the game that was once dubbed its national sport. After successfully hosting the World Cup and the [...]
Cairo calling: Krishna to head to post-revolution Egypt – Manish Chand
- February 28, 2012
In the first high-profile visit from India to post-revolution Egypt, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is expected to travel to Cairo early next month to scale up economic ties and to forge equations with the new leadership in North Africa’s most influential country. While the agenda for the talks is being firmed up, Krishna is expected to go to Egypt [...]
New Guidelines On Chikungunya Virus
- February 28, 2012
Pan American Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publish guide on preparing for chikungunya virus introduction in the Americas The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has published new guidelines on chikungunya, a mosquito-transmitted virus transmitted that causes fever and severe joint pain. The [...]
Kannada model-actress scripts book on Rahul Gandhi’s leadership
- February 28, 2012
Clad in denims, a cotton kurti and a big blue “bindi” and with a marked Kannada accent, the dusky model, movie actress and doctoral fellow from Bangalore is an unlikely political commentator. Meet Lakshmi Priya, an emerging writer who released her political comment, “Rahul Gandhi: The Great Warrior of Indian Politics” at the 20th World Book Fair. “When I met [...]
Kasanagottu Nageshwar
Nigeria: New Threats to Unity – Yohannan Chemarapally
- March 2, 2012
NIGERIA, Africa’s most populous country seems to be veering dangerously into political and sectarian strife. The acts of terror in the north of the country by the radical Islamist group, Boko Haram, have dramatically escalated. The coordinated terror attacks in the city of Kano on January 20 which claimed more than 211 lives, is a clear indication that the organisation poses a clear [...]
Compare the daily regimen of Kunti Majhi, 12, a student of Class Seven in Odisha’s Jharsuguda Girls’ High School, with that of other schoolgirls in the country. She gets up early in the morning to make sure that she puts in two hours of ‘beedi’ (local cigarettes) rolling before leaving for school. The moment she is back home, it’s ‘beedi’ [...]
They came like a river down the road. Women holding banners marched in line as far as the eye could see. The morning air reverberated with a slogan that had first sounded in Mumbai’s streets in the 1980s: ‘Hum bharat ki nari hain/Phool nahi, chingari hain (We are women of India/Not flowers, but flames)’. They then poured into a tented [...]
It takes a walk of 20 minutes through fields of bleached paddy stubs left from the last harvest to reach Kharibandh hamlet. Comprising 13 Sabar tribal households, it lies in the Khalikote block of Odisha’s Ganjam district. As we approach the village, something unusual catches the eye: A row of bramble-barricaded plots, green with fruiting vegetable plants, lying at a [...]
India had played a leading role in struggle for political emancipation of many nations of Africa. The Mahatma once said “India’s heart pines for Africa”. Due to shared history, commonality of issues and challenges and geopolitical reasons India has been a strong votary and architect of solidarity and cooperation among Afro-Asian nations. From Bandung to hey days of Non-alignment and pinnacle of South-South Cooperation [...]
The Prime Minrster’s statement that the Kudankulam stir was due to a few foreign funded NGO’s has been followed by the Home Ministry giving notice to 4 NGO’s under FCRA and freezing their bank accounts. The high voltage campaign in the media, launched with the blessings of the Government makes clear that there is no intention of discussing the issue [...]
As India’s second largest producer of grapes after Maharashtra, Karnataka is pulling out all the stops to become a preferred destination for setting up wineries to export a variety of wines to global markets. “Though laggards in seizing the opportunity earlier, we are making up for the lost time by aggressively promoting grape cultivation and setting up wineries to cash [...]
The Drape Is Reborn – Sari Gets Sexy Avatar
- March 2, 2012
Tied low on the waist, pinned high on the shoulder, paired with a mismatching blouse, woven in traditional fabric or crafted in sexy chiffon, the six-yard drape called the sari is being reborn on the Indian fashion scene. Designers say experimentation with draping styles, endorsement by celebrities and an Indo-Western spin to this piece of clothing are popularising it among [...]
How does a beautiful place turn into hell? And how do the women in this place live? There were eleven Kashmiri women round the table in the cosy room lit by the winter sun. They were there to tell us Delhi women of their lives. A few of the Kashmiri women spoke of childhood memories; others of crippling fears. All [...]