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Issue No : 68
Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 October 19, 2018 | Toronto | Pages 12
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Akbar quits as minister on
eve of defamation hearing
New Delhi: In the wake of
several allegations of sexual
harassment dating to his career
as a newspaper editor and a day
ahead of the first court hearing
in a defamation case filed
by him, M J Akbar resigned as
junior minister for external affairs
and said he would fight the
“false accusations” in his personal
capacity.
Akbar’s resignation came
after he issued a statement denying
allegations by women
who had worked with him. He
had said that some allegations
were untrue while other accounts
did not refer to any offence.
He filed a defamation suit
against Priya Ramani, a journalist
who had accused him of
inappropriate behavior.
The minister resigned amid
a growing view in BJP that
apart from the legal aspects of
the allegations, the broader perception
over the controversy
was damaging. It was felt his
Since I have decided to seek
justice in a court of law in
my personal caoacity, I deem
it appropriate to step down
form office and challenge
false accusations levied
against me, also in a personal
capacity.
– M J Akbar
continuance would not go down
well with BJP’s support base,
which tends to be conservative
on social issues. He will continue
to be a BJP member and
pursue his legal options.
Sources said national security
advisor Ajit Doval spoke to
Akbar, which may have helped
him make up his mind.
“Since I have decided to
seek justice in a court of law in
my personal capacity, I deem it
appropriate to step down from
Vinta Nanda goes to
cops against Nath
Writer-director Vinta Nanda,
who has accused actor
Alok Nath of raping her 19
years ago, gave a complaint
against him on Wednesday.
Police said they were yet to
file an FIR, but their inquiry
was on. Nanda said, “It was
not easy for me to give
my statement as it is like
reliving your pain.”
office and challenge false accusations
levied against me, also
in a personal capacity,” Akbar
said in a statement in which he
thanked PM Modi and foreign
minister Sushma Swaraj.
M J Akbar’s resignation
was accepted by President Ram
Nath Kovind on the advice of
the PM on Wednesday.
His decision to step down
was viewed with relief in BJP
circles even though functionaries
felt the jury was still out on
the veracity of the charges levelled
against Akbar.
The possibility of the controversy
continuing to gain
traction as it moved to court
and a declaration by 20 women
that they were willing to testify
against Akbar raised the cost of
his continuation as a minister.
BJP has avoided any comment,
primarily because of the
dilemma it faced - on the one
hand, taking action on the basis
of allegations going back to
the 1990s, made on social media;
and on the other hand, the need
for political signalling.
The defamation case filed by
Akbar and the response to it by
his former women colleagues
may have helped the government
come to a determination
by pushing the matter into the
legal arena.
Continued on page 04
Vote anywhere in your
ward on October 22
BRAMPTON, ON : The
City of Brampton is making
it easier to vote in the
Municipal Election on October
22, 2018. On this day,
eligible voters may vote at
any of the voting locations
in the ward in which they
reside.
Please refer to your
Voter Notice for a list of
voting locations in your
ward, or use the interactive
map on the City’s website:
www.brampton.ca/
bramptonvotes.
“There are 147 voting
locations in Brampton.
As you go about your
day on October 22 - running
errands, picking up
your child from school, or
returning home from
work, study or play, you
likely won’t be far from
a voting location within
your ward.
Continued on page 02
INSURANCE
FOR BEST POSSIBLE
INSURANCE SOLUTIONS
Call Manish Patel
416-560-1537
Email: patelmanishr@live.ca
Minister of Border
Security and
crime reduction in
Parvasi Studio
Canada’s Minister of Border
Security and crime reduction
Mr. Bill Blair visited office
of Parvasi Media Group on
Thursday afternoon. Mr.
Rajinder Saini, chief of Paravsi
Media group interviewed
him for ABP Sanjha TV
channel. This interview will be
broadcasted on Parvasi Radio
also. Mr. Saini asked many
question to Mr. Blair regarding
decriminalization of Marijuana
in Canada.
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The International News Weekly October 19, 2018 | Toronto 02
Federal ministers to announce plan to
expedite pardons for minor pot convictions
People convicted of pot
possession could soon be
asked to fill out a simple
form to speed up the process
of obtaining a criminal
pardon as part of the government's
plan to address
past cannabis crimes, federal
officials say.
The government has already
instituted a similar
system for people convicted
of consensual sexual activity
with same-sex partners
over the decades.
Senior government
sources have told the CBC's
Catherine Cullen that tomorrow
morning the federal
government will announce
plans to proceed
with pardons for Canadians
convicted of simple
possession of marijuana.
Federal ministers will
announce their plans at
a press conference in Ottawa,
though some details
are still to be finalized.
Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau has faced pressure
to address the pot pardon
issue, including within
his own caucus, due to the
effect of possession charges
on marginalized Canadians.
NDP justice critic Murray
Rankin recently put
forward a private bill calling
for expungement of
criminal records for minor
cannabis possession offences.
Until now, simple possession
of marijuana has
been punishable by a fine of
up to $1,000 and six months
in jail. Individuals are eligible
to apply for a pardon
through the Parole Board
of Canada five years after
the conviction is handed
down.
Public Appeal to Identify Suspect
in Dog Bite Investigation
Region of Peel – Investigators
from the 12 Division Criminal Investigation
Bureau are seeking the
public’s assistance in identifiy the
owner in a dog bite investigation.
On Sunday September 23, 2018
at approximately 4:30 pm the victim
and a family member were at the
parkway belt leash-free dog park in
the City of Mississauga.
At this time the victim a 3 year
old female was running around
when a black and white husky attacked
the victim biting her neck.
The owner of the husky initially
spoke with the victim’s family member
however he left the park prior to
paramedics attending.
The victim was transported to a
trauma center. The victim suffered
three puncture wounds to the back
of her neck, the injury was non-life
threatening.
To view photos of suspect and
dog, please visit our website at
www.peelpolice.ca.
Anyone with information is
asked to call investigators at the 21
Division Criminal Investigation Bureau
at (905) 453–2121, ext. 2133.
The waiting period and
the cost of applying for a
pardon, known as a record
suspension, have proven
difficult for some people
saddled with records. A
suspension doesn't erase
a record, but can make it
easier to get a job, travel
and generally contribute to
society.
At a briefing held just
hours before cannabis is
legal in Canada, federal officials
told reporters Tuesday
that internal discussions
have focused on an
application-based process
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for speeding up pot pardons,
instead of a blanket
amnesty.
Much of the paperwork
needed for a blanket
amnesty resides in local
courthouses out of the immediate
and easy reach
of the federal government
and the Parole Board, officials
say.
Trudeau said his government
would soon focus
on the issue.
"We'll be talking about
that in the coming days and
weeks," he said before heading
into a cabinet meeting.
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Vote anywhere in your
ward on October 22
Continued from page 01
Your vote counts, and helps shape the future
of Brampton, so remember to exercise your right
to vote,” said Peter Fay, City Clerk and Returning
Officer for the 2018 Brampton Municipal Election.
Highlights
• Voter eligibility: You must be a Canadian citizen
residing in Brampton and at least 18 years of
age as of Voting Day. If you do not reside in Brampton,
but you or your spouse owns or rents property
in the city, you may be eligible to vote.
• Identification: All voters must bring a piece of
acceptable identification and the Voter Notice you
received in the mail to the voting location.
• If you are an eligible voter, but did not receive
a Voter Notice in the mail, you may not be on the
Voters’ List. You may provide acceptable identification
at the voting location and add yourself to
the list.
• A complete list of acceptable identification,
FAQs and other voter information, including
the proxy voting process, is available on the City’s
website.
Manpreet Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
REAL ESTATE
Rupinder Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
Sale/Purchase of Residential & Commercial Properties
Mortgage Enforcements & Lease
Refinance & Private Mortgages
BUSINESS LAW
Incorporation & Shareholder agreements
Sales & Purchase of Assets & Shares
Notarization & Affidavits
First
Consultation
FREE
WILLS & ESTATE
www.minhaslawyers.ca
Wills
Certificate of Estate Trustee with/without will
Power of attorney for Property & Personal care
CRIMINAL LAW
Drink & Drive offences
Bail Hearings
Domestic Assaults
Every Client Matters
Tel: 905-671-9244
Fax: 905-671-9245
IMMIGRATION
Skilled Worker Category
Spousal & Family Sponsorships
Students permit Visas & Renewals
138-2960 Drew Road Mississauga, ON. L4T 0A5 (Airport/Drew Rd, Near Malton Gurughar)

The International News Weekly October 19, 2018 | Toronto
03
The GTA's most interesting mayoral race is
getting contentious, and a little weird
Brampton : The day former
Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown
entered Brampton's mayoral race,
incumbent mayor Linda Jeffrey
fired out a scathing series of
tweets questioning Brown's intentions
and ties to the city.
That opening volley has been
followed by nearly three months
of anger, accusations and personal
attacks from all sides. The
contentious race shows no sign of
letting up just days before voters
cast their ballots.
"The tenor, the tone, the divisiveness
of this campaign is very
different," Jeffrey told CBC Toronto
during a campaign stop at
a downtown Brampton bakery.
"I've run campaigns since 1991
and I've never seen one so polarizing."
Jeffrey is maintaining her
accusation that Brown jumped
into the race, and city, at the last
minute in a bid to "rehabilitate"
his career. Brown was forced to
resign as leader of the Progressive
Conservatives following allegations
of sexual misconduct
dating to his days as an MP were
published in January, though he
has denied any wrongdoing.
Brown's mayoral bid has resulted
in Brampton communities
being "pulled apart," Jeffrey said,
before adding that most voters
have been vocal in their distaste
of Brown.
"They're actually angry that
he would put his name on the ballot,"
she said.
Brown, who has represented
Barrie at the federal level and
nearby Simcoe North provincially,
merely pretends to understand
the issues facing Brampton, Jeffrey
contends.
Brown slams Jeffrey for
American-style politics
Brown, who now lives with
his wife in downtown Brampton,
says he's actually shown a better
understanding of Brampton's
challenges during debates than
the city's incumbent mayor, who's
lived in the city for some 35 years.
"There's a real appetite for
change," he told CBC Toronto.
"People are fed up, whether it's
skyrocketing taxes, whether it's
record crime, whether it's gridlock,
a lack of good-paying jobs."
While Jeffrey blames Brown
for jump-starting the bitter campaign,
Brown says it's Jeffrey's
political tactics that are to blame.
"The negative campaign
push by Linda Jeffrey is similar
to what we see in the States," he
said. "I don't think it's welcome in
Brampton."
Sitting in an empty room at
his campaign office, Brown pivots
to an attack on Jeffrey's four-year
tenure as mayor. He says her lack
of leadership has contributed to
rising property taxes and shootings.
"Let me mark my words:
you're not going to see a vacuum
of leadership. You're not going to
hear crickets out of city hall if I'm
the mayor of Brampton," Brown
said emphatically.
He says Jeffrey has been
a poor advocate for the city —
which is home to 600,000 people
and growing at a rate more than
twice the national average.
"I'm tired of seeing Brampton
walked over," he said. "I'm tired of
seeing Brampton bullied."
Jeffrey's rebuttal to an opponent
forced out by the ruling provincial
party and a former member
of the federal opposition: "I
don't think [Brown] has the ability
to navigate anything federally
or anything provincially."
Oddities, endorsements, and...
selfies?
Alongside the political bickering,
the campaign has also
featured some unusual developments
and input from people outside
the city.
Earlier this week, political
consultant Warren Kinsella,
who's working on Toronto Mayor
John Tory's re-election campaign,
tweeted out a collage of photos of
Brown.
An official on Jeffrey's campaign
called the tweet "amusing"
but said Kinsella has no ties to the
campaign.
A group of politicians across
several political stripes also appeared
together this week to officially
endorse Jeffrey at a campaign
rally.
The group included Liberal
MPs as well as MPPs affiliated
with the NDP, Liberals and Progressive
Conservatives. Jeffrey
said the group endorsement was
a direct response to Brown's entry
into the race. "It was kind of like
being at the oasis and watching
all the animals coming together
who don't normally hang out with
each other," Jeffrey said of the
rally, which she also described as
"uncomfortable."
Brown, meanwhile, recently
secured a high profile endorsement
from former premier Bill
Davis, who used to represent
Brampton at Queen's Park. Brown
describes Davis as the greatest
premier in Ontario history.
"I think the fact that he's endorsed
my campaign speaks volumes
of the need for change," he
said.
With thanks from www.cbc.ca
Election Day:
Monday, October 22, 10:00am – 8:00pm
üSafer community
Attract and create jobs
ü
ü
Advance Voting:
October 2 – 13
Improve transit and fight gridlock
For more information:
info@lindajeffrey.ca www.lindajeffrey.ca Facebook.com/BramptonLinda
@LindaJeffrey Volunteering: LindaJeffrey.ca 289-201-0609

The International News Weekly #metoo
October 19, 2018 | Toronto 04
Akbar quits as minister on
eve of defamation hearing
Continued from page 01
The development was
welcomed by Congress
with party spokesperson
Priyanka Chaturvedi saying,
“The resignation of
M J Akbar after serious
charges were levelled
against him by senior
women journalists who
worked with him is a vindication
of the power of
truth even if it began with
one brave person speaking
up.” While spokespersons
have called for Akbar’s resignation,
party chief Rahul
Gandhi has not referred to
the minister directly.
The minister’s resignation
was also welcomed
by several women journalists
who had spoken
of their personal experiences
of Akbar’s alleged
misconduct when he was
a well-known editor. Some
of them said they were
ready for the legal battle
and hoped to succeed there
as well as the minister became
the first high-profile
political casualty of the
Me-Too movement.
India's “#MeToo”
movement, which started
with actor Tanushree Dutta
accusing another actor
-- Nana Patekar -- of harassing
her during the shooting
of a Bollywood film in
2008, has escalated sharply
with more and more women
coming forward with
their complaints against
various personalities.
A drunk flyer was offloaded from a
Mumbai-Bengaluru IndiGo flight and
arrested after he allegedly molested
a 20-year-old female crew member on
Tuesday. Bengaluru man Raju Gangappa
has been accused of pressing the
woman’s back and making a
lewd comment while entering
the plane. The incident
delayed the flight, which was
to take-off around 9.30pm, by
half an hour. Gangappa, who
is in the business of publication,
was on an official visit to
Mumbai and was flying back when he
committed the offence. The incident occurred
when the crew member was receiving
flyers on board flight 6E-825. Immediately
after the incident, the woman
alerted the pilot and the flight superintendent.
In her complaint, she said, “The
flyer pressed my back and when I retaliated,
he abused me verbally. I informed
the incident to my senior before the flyer
GoM to study if harassment laws need to change
New Delhi: Artist Jatin
Das was named on
Wednesday by writer Garusha
Katoch in a second
allegation against the
Padma Bhushan recipient,
accusing him of trying to
kiss her forcibly when she
had interned under him in
2013.
The “renowned painter...
tried to take advantage
of me when I was 20.
Five years too late but it is
about time I speak up,” Katoch
tweeted referring to a
December 2013 incident at
Das’ house.
“He leaned in and
hugged me tight almost
trying to kiss me. I looked
away, I had tears in eyes,
I am sure he saw them,”
said the 25-year-old.
Relating her experience
with Das during her
first “internship opportunity”
at JD Centre of Art,
where the painter is the
founder-chairman, Katoch
describes her daily experience
as she started feeling
uneasy around him.
She said in her tweets
that Das everyday delayed
her after her work hours
while other interns left the
Shahpur Jat office in south
Delhi at 4.30 p.m., he would
invariably make her linger
on till 7 or 8 p.m. piling
some job on her at the last
moment.
When on Day 3, Das
offered Katoch to move in
with him in a spare room
to save her rent, the writer
said: “I felt cagey and
my chest tightened. In my
mind I knew it was my last
day. I will quit.”
He offered her a ride as
it was way after her working
hours, Katoch said and
Uber and Ola were still not
there. She said only a year
had passed after the “Nirbhaya”
episode and she took
The government is setting up a group of
ministers headed by home minister Rajnath
Singh to examine adequacy of sexual harassment
laws and mechanisms like the ‘Vishaka
guidelines’ in the context of the emergence of
social media and allegations against prominent
persons in diverse fields.
The GoM will include women & child development
minister Maneka Gandhi and defence
minister Nirmala Sitharaman. It will
give its report in three months and look into
whether the scope of deterrent action should
be expanded to include offences outside the
workplace. It will also consider whether the
requirement that a complaint be lodged within
three months of comission of an offence
his offer.
But Das took a detour,
she claimed, and first took
her to his home in Asiad
needs to be revisited.
The GoM is expected to review lacunae in
the laws on sexual harassment. The Vishaka
guidelines, in accordance with a Supreme
Court ruling of 1997, cover issues regarding
sexual harassment at workplaces such as unwelcome
and offensive physical, verbal and
non-verbal behaviour.
#MeToo: Second case surfaces against artist Das
Drunk flyer molests IndiGo crew member
was offloaded with his baggage.”
On-board officials informed the IndiGo
flight in-charge, who informed the
CISF. Gangappa was then detained.
CISF officials escorted the woman
and the accused to the airport police
station where an FIR was
registered around 11pm on
Tuesday. The flight got delayed
because the airline
had to arrange for backup
crew before taking off. Airport
police senior inspector
Alka Mandve confirmed that
they had arrested the flyer for misbehaving
with the crew member. However, she
declined to divulge any further details.
Gangappa has been booked under
the IPC Section 354 (outraging the modesty
of a woman). He was produced before
the Andheri court on Wednesday
and has been remanded in police custody
till Thursday. Meanwhile, police are
also collecting
Village in Hauz Khas to
show her a spare room and
that’s where he tried to
kiss her.
On a day industry body CINTAA (Cine
and TV Artistes’ Association) announced
a committee to probe allegations of sexual
harassment, a young singer from a prominent
family of musicians spoke up against
a leading music director.
Shweta Pandit, niece of Sulakshana
and Vijayeta Pandit and Jatin-Lalit, called
out composer Anu Malik for misbehaving
with her in 2001 when she was barely 15
years old. She described him as a paedophile
and said the episode made her consider
leaving the industry.
Shweta said Malik’s manager asked
her to come to the studio for audition.
The composer asked her to wait in a small
cabin. She wrote, “It was just him and me
there. He asked me to sing without any
music as he wanted to hear my voice. He
said, I will give you this song with Sunidhi
and Shaan but first give me a kiss now.’ He
then smiled, what I’d recall the most evil
grin I’ve seen. I went numb. I was only 15
years old then, still in school. It felt like
someone had just stabbed me in my stomach.
I referred to this man as ‘Anu Uncle,’
he knew my entire family for decades and
knew us as a respected gharana of musicians.
He addressed my father as ‘Mandheer
bhai.’ And he does this to his bhai’s
daughter?”
Shweta said the incident left her de-
He also tried to put a
pair of socks on her “beautiful
feet” saying “You
must be so cold...I had never
felt so disgusted before,”
she added.
Katoch panicked and
did not know how to reach
out to her parents who
lived in Himachal Pradesh.
“So why am I speaking
now? Not because I am a
victim, not because I have
any agenda. I am speaking
now so that any woman or
man going through this at
workplace or beyond does
not go through what I went
through.
Jatin Das could not be
reached for comments. IANS
Malik asked for a kiss, alleges singer
pressed for months. “I could have left the
industry but I rethought. Why should
I leave my greatest passion for a paedophile
like him?” she wrote.
Anu Malik told PTI, “No comments.
This is ridiculous. I don’t want to talk
about it. Today anyone says anything.”
CINTAA meanwhile announced the
setting up of a committee to tackle sexual
harassment along Vishaka guidelines.
Lawyer Vrinda Grover, actors Swara
Bhasker, Raveena Tandon and Renuka
Shahane, filmmaker Amol Gupte and
journalist Bharati Dubey will be part of
the committee. Fifty percent will be women.However,
CINTAA expressed helplessness
at taking up cases that are under
legal process, like that of Alok Nath.
President Vikram Gokhale said they can
at best expel proven offenders, not force
them out of work.
With thanks from times of india and IAns

The International News Weekly cANADA
October 19, 2018 | Toronto
05
First day of legal cannabis had
‘little impact’ on Alberta hospitals
Thousands of Albertans
lined up, both in person
and online, to buy pot
on the first day marijuana
was legal in Canada, but
Alberta Health Services
said the legalization of
cannabis had little impact
on AHS facilities and services.
The Health Link
phone line took eight cannabis-related
calls, however
that’s below the daily
average of 10.
AHS said emergency
departments saw little to
no cannabis-related activity:
there were none at
the ER’s in Medicine Hat,
Red Deer, Grande Prairie
or Fort McMurray, and
only a small numbers in
Lethbridge, Calgary and
TORONTO : As tens of thousand
of Ontarians purchased
cannabis through a government
website on Wednesday,
some users in Toronto preferred
getting their pot from
unlicensed dispensaries that
remained open despite the
threat of criminal prosecution.
It was business as usual
at 1Tonamara, an illegal pot
shop located in the city's
downtown, hours after recreational
cannabis became legal
nationwide. The Spadina
Avenue shop, along with the
Cloud 6ix dispensary up the
street, had customers entering
every few minutes.
"Today business has been
good, you know, I guess with
a lot of other places shut down
it helps," said 1Tonamara employee
Mike Vander Marel.
Many of the city's dispensaries
have, however, shut
down in the leadup to legalization
in response to a promise
by the provincial government
that illegal pot shop owners
who obeyed the law, would
be allowed to apply for retail
licences.
Closing the storefront
shops and leaving only online
options, with delivery
It is necessary that we respect
the voter : Harkirat Singh
As election day for the municipal elections approaches,
all candidates are vying for your votes. Part of
this process is public debates who showcase the policy
platform and the stance of candidates on key issues that
impact the lives of Bramptonians. Thus, debates are a
key for a functioning democracy
as they allow the voters to
make informed decisions at the
ballot boxes. It is thus a matter
of great concern that only one
candidate vying to become the
City Councillor for Wards 9 &
10 in Brampton showed up for
all five debates. Harkirat Singh,
a school trustee from the same Wards for the last four
years, was the only candidate who participated in debates
hosted by Brampton Board of Trade, Indo-Canadian
Media Club, Prime-Asia, Y-Channel, and 5AAB.
When asked about this, Harkirat commented "As a
candidate, it is necessary that we respect the voter and
take the time necessary to partake in public forum, such
as debates, so the voters have an idea on what we stand
for and who best represents them. When candidates
do not show up to debates, voters are starved of the opportunity
to better understand the candidates and their
positions in their area. This is not good for democracy".
Edmonton.
The health authority
said on average, Alberta
emergency departments
see between 20 and 50 potrelated
cases every month
— which is a drop in the
bucket compared to the
40,000 to 50,000 overall ER
visits per month.
AHS said it hasn’t
scheduled more staff in
the coming weeks, but
will keep an eye on patient
numbers.
Some health care providers
believe there will
be an uptick in visits once
edibles become legal.
The prediction, according
to Vancouver ER physician
Dr. Joseph Finkler,
comes after reviewing statistics
out of U.S. hospitals
in states where the sale of
the drug has been legal for
several years.
Emergency departments
in Colorado, the
first American state to legalize
the sale of marijuana
four years ago, found
that those most at risk of
needing emergency services
were those new to
the recreational use of the
drug.
Some Toronto pot shops choose to stay
open despite threat of prosecution
delays and possible shortages,
doesn't make much sense,
said Vander Marel.
"I think it's a dumb thing
for them to legalize something
and then have it so inaccessible...it
would be like after prohibition,
if they made booze
legal but there was no legal
booze." The provincial legislature
was expected to pass
a bill Wednesday afternoon
that will include regulations
on where recreational pot can
be used. It will also cities to
order the interim closure of illegal
pot dispensaries through
a court order.
Those who ingested
edible cannabis products,
which are slower to kickin
than cannabis when
inhaled, were also particularly
at risk, they found.
When too much cannabis
is ingested, panic
attack-like symptoms can
ensue, including a racing
heart, palpitations, sweating,
tremors and nausea.
Edible cannabis won’t
be legally available for
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sale in Canada until next
year.
Dozens of legal pot
shops opened across the
country Wednesday, including
19 in Alberta — 12
of which are in the Edmonton
region.
Of the dozen stores,
six are in Edmonton, two
are in Fort Saskatchewan,
and Spruce Grove, Stony
Plain, Devon and St. Albert
each have one.
Albertans can also can
order marijuana products
through the governmentrun
Alberta Cannabis
website.
The AGLC said within
the first hour of pot going
on sale at midnight
Wednesday, the website
had more than 6,400
unique visits and 1,040 orders
were placed.
By 3:30 p.m., there
were 28,343 registered users
and about 8,300 online
pot purchases had been
made. That translates to
about $730,000 worth of
products, the AGLC said.
As Albertans light
their celebratory joints,
it’s important to know
where you can and can’t
toke up. Every municipality
across the province
has adopted its own set of
consumption rules and as
a result, they are different
depending on which city
or town you visit.
(With thanks from
www.globalnews.ca)
Gursimrat Grewal
Email:- info@familyprotectiongroup.ca
www.familyprotectiongroup.ca

The International News Weekly Edit
06
October 19, 2018 | Toronto
The
w w w . canadianparv asi. c o m
Publisher & CEO
Associate Editor
Editor (India)
Online
Graphic Designer
Official Photographer
Contact
Editorial
Sales
Rajinder Saini
Meenakshi Saini
Gursheesh
Kshitiz Dalal
Naveen
Bashir Nasir
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sales@canadianparvasi.com
Sabarimala For All
SC allowed women to enter, now Kerala
government must uphold law and order
Because of the climate of fear and intimidation
created by those opposing the
historic Sabarimala verdict, very few women
ventured to the hill shrine on the day it
opened for the first time since the historic
Supreme Court judgment allowing women
between 10 and 50 to pray there. As for the
few who came, the gauntlet put up by belligerent
bhakts, many ironically decked up in
bermudas and bandanas, proved too much.
Even journalists weren’t spared, as the protesters
took out their ire on several mediapersons,
especially women reporters. But
it’s still early days. Depressing as it is, there
is no reason that what happened on Wednesday
should necessarily happen on Thursday
or in the days to come.
More women are bound to come and some
of them will definitely overcome the heckling,
booing and even manhandling, to reach
the sanctum and get darshan. When that
happens – surely sooner than later – it will
become a red letter moment in India’s evolution
as a modern and progressive society.
This is because Sabarimala is unique in that
it demands its devotees transcend the usual
barriers of caste, class, creed and even religion
– the trademark all black attire of Ayyappa
pilgrims symbolises the renunciation
of all such divisions.
That the only division which has persisted
– and that too with all the force of a taboo –
is that of gender, reveals the extent to which
patriarchy is entrenched in Indian society.
It is this patriarchy, and its ability to insinuate
itself even in a modern context through
dubious notions of ‘purity’ and ‘pollution’,
that has now been struck a body blow.
While Kerala’s LDF government has
maintained that it is committed to women’s
rights and has resisted pressure to file a review
petition in SC, it has not exactly been
proactive. It has sought to open back channels
with agitators, has not put in place special
facilities for women that would make it
easier for them to make the pilgrimage and,
worse, has of late been taking an occasional
‘soft Hindutva’ line that sends confusing
signals. Of course, those protesting against
the entry of women are not an insignificant
number, and the fanatic self-righteousness
of ordinary bhakts in their hundreds and
thousands cannot be underestimated. One
calamitous incident is all it may take to turn
the clock back. TNN
India’s Self Inflicted
What keeps its textile industry from taking off even as China
moves away from low cost manufacturing
Ritesh Kumar Singh
We Indians love to compare
ourselves with China.
However, when it comes to
textiles and clothing, India’s
export of $40 billion lags far
behind China’s $269 billion
despite its long history and
obvious advantage in raw
material and labour. Forget
China, India is now behind
Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Between 2000 and 2010
China doubled its global export
share in apparels from
18.2% to 36.4%, but India’s
share inched up from 3% to
3.2%. Again, between 2010
and 2016 China was able
to retain its global market
share at 36%, Bangladesh
could increase it from 4.2%
to 6.4%, Vietnam almost
doubled it from 2.9% to 5.5%,
but India managed to raise it
from 3.2% to 4%.
Many argue that industrial
wages in China have
been rising, so it’s time for
India to move decisively and
seize the global opportunity
of $284 billion of textiles and
another $443 billion of clothing
that’s knocking on its
door. But India may not grab
it unless it addresses the regulatory
mess that successive
governments have created
over the years.
A series of imprudent
regulations on fibre, wages
and trade policy have made
India mainly a supplier of
raw material, ie cotton fibre
and yarn. It’s no surprise
that India’s apparel export
accounts for 40% of its total
textile export which has
been hovering around $40
billion for the last five years.
The apparel export of
developing countries be it
Bangladesh, China, India or
Vietnam is primarily a commodity
business where the
exporter is merely a contract
manufacturer. It thrives
on cost arbitrage and thin
margins. India’s apparel export
is dominated by SMEs
which lack not only pricing
power but also cheaper
institutional credit, technical
know-how and skilled
manpower. Any additional
inefficiency due to raw material,
logistics or border
and customs procedures is
bound to result in loss of orders.
There’s a limit to how
much export incentives can
make up for such inefficiencies
even if such incentives
are not challenged at WTO.
A recent BCG study
finds that labour productivity
in India’s apparel factories
is lower than that in
Vietnam and Bangladesh,
yet the government has been
hiking minimum wages and
flirting with the idea of a national
minimum wage. Such
policies will make India’s
textile sector lose further on
cost competitiveness.
Wage hikes must have
some reference to workers’
productivity, otherwise it
will induce relocation of
factories to cheaper destinations.
That is, in fact,
already happening with
top textile companies such
as Arvind Mills and Raymond
setting up factories
in Ethiopia where electricity
and labour cost less and
LDC (least developed country)
status confers duty free
access to top consuming
markets such as EU, Japan
and the US. Indian government
favours cotton so it
attracts lower import and
GST vis-a-vis synthetic fibres
and yarns. That artificially
keeps cotton cheaper
and over-promotes its use.
Thus, India must adopt a fibre
neutral taxation policy
to align fibre production and
consumption with global demand
trends.
India has failed to use
trade policy to its advantage
– for pushing its exports to
major consuming markets
starting from the EU, EEU,
Japan to North and South
America, or safeguarding
its domestic industry from
the influx of cheap imports
from countries such as Bangladesh
or China.
The EU is the world’s
largest apparel importer
with an annual import of
$85-90 billion. However, India’s
exports are subject to
9-10% import duties versus
0% for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
and African countries.
A free trade pact with EU
will remove this duty disadvantage
but India has been
dragging its feet. Similarly,
an FTA with Russia-led EEU
will open a completely new
market (so far dependent
upon imports from China)
for India’s value added textile
products.
Textile and clothing
market in Mercosur countries
is highly protected
with basic customs duties as
high as 26-35%. High import
duties along with high logistics
cost have kept this big
market virtually inaccessible.
Thus, the expansion of
India-Mercosur preferential
trading agreement (PTA)
into a full-fledged FTA covering
textile items will be
immensely helpful.
China is a top consuming
market but it imposes
high import duties (10-15%)
on clothing items. Australia
is another $10-15 billion
clothing market. The RCEP
negotiating platform can be
used to get improved market
access for apparels in Australia
and China.
Indian trade negotiators
have also failed badly in
securing favourable terms
for textile and clothing in
FTAs that are already operational
such as SAFTA or
India-Japan CEPA. Allowing
duty free imports from
Bangladesh (under SAFTA)
and other LDCs under unilateral
duty free quota free
(DFQF) facility without any
sourcing restrictions have
resulted in ever increasing
import of apparels made of
Chinese fabrics that’s hurting
the whole of India’s textile
value chain comprising
of fibre, yarn, fabrics and apparels.
That calls for urgent
tweaking in sourcing rules.
Similarly, stringent
sourcing restrictions imposed
by Japan under India-
Japan free trade pact have
resulted in a virtual denial
of market access for India’s
apparel exports.
India should use the review
mechanism of the trade
pact to get these provisions
relaxed or removed. Moreover,
inverted duties (higher
import duties on raw materials
and lower on finished
products) encourage import
(rather than export) of finished
goods. India should
use the upcoming budget in
February to end this self-inflicted
trade policy measure.
To summarise, India has
failed so far to tap the global
textile and clothing opportunity.
It can still improve
things by tweaking its regulations
on labour, fibres and
trade.
Source Credit: This article
was first published in The Times
of India.
The writer is a business economist
currently associated with
Indonomics Consulting. Views are
personal.
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The International News Weekly World
October 19, 2018 | Toronto
07
Trump threatens to use military
to close US-Mexico border
IANS
Washington : US
President Donald Trump
threatened on Thursday
to use the military to close
the border with Mexico if
a caravan of thousands
of Honduran migrants
bound for the US continues
its journey.
In a series of tweets,
Trump said the caravan
was Democratic Partyled,
claimed that many of
the migrants were criminals
and urged Mexico
to intervene to stop the
group from reaching the
border.
"If (Mexico is) unable
to do so I will call up the
US military and close our
southern border!.." the
President said.
Trump has threatened
in recent days to immediately
halt foreign aid to
the Honduran, Guatemalan
and Salvadoran governments
if they do not
put an end to the latest
flow of migrants.
Organizers say the
people who make up the
caravan are fleeing violence
and poverty, according
to the US media.
Trump also criticized
the leaders of those three
Central American countries,
saying they were
"doing little to stop this
large flow of people, including
many criminals,
from entering Mexico to
the US".
He also claimed the
Democrats were behind
the caravan "because they
want open borders and
existing weak laws", an
accusation he has repeatedly
levelled since taking
office in January 2017.
A first group of migrants
taking part in
the caravan arrived on
Wednesday at Guatemala's
border with Mexico,
according to the Episcopal
Conference of Guatemala's
National Office
of Human Mobility Pastoral.
Guatemalan President
Jimmy Morales said
on Wednesday that the
"massive" influx of Honduran
migrants posed a
risk to the country and its
inhabitants, adding that
with the help of international
organizations he
was trying to ascertain
the group's intentions.
In addition to the
caravan of Honduran
migrants that set out on
Saturday (a group of 3,000
people, according to the
UN), a second large group
of migrants left that same
Central American country
bound for the US on
Tuesday.
The Salvadoran government
said it had allowed
"415 Hondurans"
belonging to that second
caravan to enter its territory
on Wednesday, although
hundreds of other
people also make up that
same group.
UK to consider longer transition
period to ease deadlock: May
IANS
Brussels: British
Prime Minister Theresa
May has said that the UK's
transition out of the EU can
be extended by "a matter of
months" in a bid to break
the deadlock in talks.
May is understood to
have raised the possibility
of a longer period in meetings
with EU leaders in
Brussels on Wednesday,
but Downing Street was
previously tight-lipped
about the exchanges,
which were likely to enrage
Tory eurosceptics.
The British leader
had urged her 27 European
counterparts to give
ground and end the current
Brexit deadlock.
Arriving at the second
day of the European
Council summit here, May
told reporters on Thursday
that the option had
IANS
Washington : Saudi
Arabia transferred $100
million to the US on the
day Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo arrived in
Riyadh seeking answers in
the disappearance of journalist
Jamal Khashoggi
amid mounting pressure
on the kingdom for a fuller
explanation in the case, the
media reported.
The amount was
pledged by Saudi Arabia in
emerged to extend the controversial
period, but that
it would only be for "a matter
of months", the BBC reported.
The UK leaves the EU
in March and the current
plan is for a transition period
to finish at the end of
2020.
The BBC reported an
EU source as saying that
there would have to be "financial
implications" if the
UK did extend the transition
period. It came after
the summit of EU leaders
August to support Washington's
stabilization efforts
in Syria, but the timing
of the transfer raised
questions about a potential
payoff as Riyadh sought
to manage the backlash
over allegations that its
agents were responsible
for Khashoggi's disappearance,
the New York Times
reported.
The State Department
denied any connection
between the payment and
failed to make decisive
progress in reaching an
agreement.
During the transition
period, practically nothing
would change for the UK
-- Britain would continue
to implement all EU laws,
stay in the single market
and customs union and under
the jurisdiction of the
European Court of Justice.
The UK would however
not be represented
in EU institutions like the
Parliament, Council and
Commission and would
Pompeo's discussions with
Saudi officials on Tuesday
about the Washington
Post's contributing columnist.
"We always expected
the contribution to be finalized
in the fall time frame,"
said Brett McGurk, the
State Department's envoy
to the anti-Islamic State coalition.
"The specific transfer
of funds has been long in
process and has nothing to
therefore have no say in
drawing up the rules.
"A further idea that
has emerged -- and it is an
idea at this stage -- is to create
an option to extend the
implementation period for
a matter of months - and it
would only be for a matter
of months.
"But the point is that
this is not expected to be
used, because we are working
to ensure that we have
that future relationship in
place by the end of December
2020," the Prime Minister
said.
According to the Independent,
most trade
experts and people in
Brussels say the current
21-month period will realistically
not be enough
time to negotiate a full free
trade agreement between
the UK and EU, and that an
extension is inevitable.
Saudi Arabia transfers $100mn to US amid crisis over Khashoggi
do with other events or the
secretary's visit."
Khashoggi, a permanent
resident of the US in
self-imposed exile, was a
fierce critic of Riyadh's human
rights violations and
of Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman's policies.
Turkish officials say he
was killed on October 2
during his visit to the Saudi
consulate in Istanbul for
paperwork needed for his
planned marriage.
EU recognises
'need' to strengthen
climate targets
IANS
Brussels : In response
to the landmark IPCC
report on global warming
of 1.5 degrees Celsius
published last week, 28 EU
heads of state and government
have called upon all
countries of the world to
commit at the upcoming
climate summit in Poland
to review the levels of ambition
of their Paris Agreement
pledges by 2020.
The EU now needs to
translate this statement
into an action plan on
how and when its member
states will agree on a new
2030 target, in line with
the long-term objectives of
the Paris Agreement.
In reaction to the
heads of state and governments'
decision, Climate
Action Network (CAN)
Europe Director Wendel
Trio said on Thursday:
"The Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change
scientists gave our leaders
a to-do list for avoiding the
worst impacts of climate
change.
"Today's statement
from the EU ticks the first
box on this list as it acknowledges
that we need
to urgently revisit our
weak climate pledges. It is
now time for EU leaders to
act and agree to massively
increase emission cuts
within the bloc, to galvanize
other countries to do
the same."
"To stay below 1.5 degrees
Celsius, the EU will
need to significantly increase
its 2030 target, even
beyond the 55 per cent
reduction some member
states are calling for and
ensure it achieves net zero
greenhouse gas emissions
by 2040," Trio added.
The EU will have a
critical opportunity to
commit to a much higher
climate target at the allimportant
Conference of
Parties (COP24) summit
in Katowice in Poland this
year.
The process of revising
the 2030 target should
be finalised by EU heads
of state and government
before the UN Secretary-General
Antonio
Guterres' Global Climate
Summit set to take place
in September 2019 in New
York and aimed to review
the Paris Agreement commitments.

The International News Weekly india
October 19, 2018 | Toronto 08
"Everyone Can Go": Top Court On
Entry Of Women In Sabarimala Temple
Agencies
Kerala : Tensions are
high in Kerala as Sabarimala
temple gates were
opened today to all devotees,
including women,
for the first time since a
Supreme Court order overturned
a centuries-old ban
on women of menstruating
age -between 10 and 50
- from visiting the shrine.
Thousands of security
personals including policewomen
have been deployed
in Nilackal, some 20 kms
away from the Sabarimala
hilltop, to encounter any
situation. On Tuesday,
hours before the temple
opens, agitators stopped
and checked vehicles, including
state-run buses,
at Nilackal and forcibly
turned back girls and women
of this age group.
Scores of protesters,
including women and various
right-wing organisations,
have been camping
in Nilackal town to protest
against the SC decision to
allow entry of women inside
the temple. However,
security forces have removed
the makeshift shelters
of protesters.
The last gasp effort by
the Travancore Devaswom
Board (TDB), which
manages the temple, to defuse
the situation came to
nought with the Pandalam
royal family and other
stakeholders walking out of
a meeting called by it over
its reluctance to discuss the
issue of filing a review petition
against the apex court
order. Meanwhile, hundreds
of women devotees of
Lord Ayyappa, picketed the
road to the hill shrine and
prevented women they suspected
were of menstrual
age from proceeding to the
shrine some 20 km away.
Lustily chanting
"Swamiya Saranam Ayyappa"
hailing the Lord, the
devotees checked buses and
private vehicles for girls
and women of the "banned"
age group and forced them
to abandon their journey.
Television channels
showed some college students,
including young
girls wearing black dresses,
being ordered to get down a
bus. Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan, facing a tough
time tackling the highly
emotive religious issue
which has also acquired
political overtones, issued a
stern warning to those who
dared block devotees from
entering the temple.
"We will ensure security
to all. Nobody will be
allowed to take law into
their hands. My government
will not allow any violence
in the name of Sabarimala,"
he told reporters in
Thiruvananthapuram as
followers of Lord Ayyappa
virtually besieged Nilackal,
about 225 km from the
state capital. "Stern action
will be taken against anyone
who prevents devotees
from going to Sabarimala,"
he warned, and ruled out
any rethink of his government's
decision against
seeking a review of the Supreme
Court order.
"We will go by what the
Supreme Court says," he asserted.
The Travancore Devaswon
Board (TDB), meanwhile,
went into a huddle
with stakeholders, including
the Pandalam royal
family representatives and
priests, to soothe frayed
tempers amid escalating
protests by the Hindu right
and common Ayyappa devotees.
There was, however,
no breakthrough.
The meeting also attended
by Ayyappa Seva
Samajam and Yoga Kshema
Sabha ended in a deadlock
as the TDB stuck to its
stand of not filing a review
petition. "It is very painful
and we cannot agree. We
wanted a decision on filing
the review petition to
be taken today itself, but
the board said it can be
discussed only at the next
meeting of TDB on October
19," Shashikumar Varma,
a member of the Pandalam
royal family said.
"We all wish that
Sabarimala should not be
made a war zone," Varma,
the president of Pandalam
Royal Palace Trust, told
journalists after walking
out of the meeting in a huff.
TDB president A Padmakumar,
however, dismissed
suggestions that the
meeting was a "failure".
"What they (stakeholders)
wanted was to file the
review petition now itself.
But the Supreme Court is
closed till October 22. They
also wanted to maintain the
status quo on the customs
and traditions. "As the Supreme
Court has passed a
verdict, what can the board
do? But the board will continue
to talk with them to
resolve the issue," Padmakumar
said. He said the October
19 meeting will take
up the issue of the review
petition.
Kerala has witnessed
a series of protests and
prayer marches over the
last few days over the government's
decision to enforce
the Supreme Court order.
The Shiv Sena recently
warned of "mass suicides"
if women of menstrual age
were allowed into the temple.
Some other organisations
have said women and
girls aged between 10 and
50 years will have to tread
on them before entering the
temple.
Actor-turned-BJP politician
Kollam Thulashi
went to the entent of saying
women of "banned age" visiting
the shrine should be
"ripped apart".
Nun’s rape: Released on bail, Bishop Franco reaches Jalandhar
Jalandhar : Franco
Mulakkal was on Wednesday
given a ‘grand’ welcome
by the Diocese of Jalandhar
as he returned from Kerala
after getting bail in a rape
case. Mulakkal, who headed
the Diocese of Jalandhar
before stepping aside last
month, has been accused of
raping a nun. He remained
in jail for over three weeks
before getting conditional
bail on October 15.
Mulakkal reached the
Bishop House in Jalandhar
around 5 pm on Wednesday
where large number of his
supporters, including nuns
who out numbered others,
and the current administrative
Bishop, Agnelo Gracias,
were present at the main entrance
to welcome him.
Posters welcoming Mulakkal
were put up around
the Bishop House. The road
leading to the Bishop House
was jammed as hundreds
lined the way raising slogans
and reciting prayers
in favour of Mulakkal and
the Catholic Church. A nun
said she had come from
Gurdaspur church along
with several other nuns just
to express solidarity with
the Bishop.
Supporters showered
flower petals on his vehicle
as it entered the Bishop
House and even garlanded
him when he alighted from
it. Mulakkal was lodged at
the Pala jail after he was
arrested on September 21
after questioning by the
Crime Branch, Thrippunithura.
He had stepped down
from his post before leaving
for Kerala to join investigation
on September 19.

The International News Weekly india
October 19, 2018 | Toronto
09
AAP rebel group in Punjab to announce
district presidents on Oct 24
Indo-Asian News Service
Chandigarh : The rebel group of
Punjab AAP Tuesday said it will appoint
district presidents of the party on
October 24, a move which is expected to
further deepen the ongoing crisis in the
state unit.
The dissident group of MLAs, led by
Bholath legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira,
blamed the Aam Aadmi Party for
not making any contact with them for
resolving differences.
"We have decided to start the process
of forming organisational structure of
the party. We will announce the names
of district presidents of the state unit
on October 24," said AAP MLA Kanwar
Sandhu, who is part of the rebel group.
Besides announcing names of district
presidents, changes are various
party wings, like youth and women,
would be announced on the day, the
rebel leaders said.
"We had slowed down the process of
forming the organisational structure,
thinking they (the party) would contact
us. Since no attempt has been made, we
have decided to form an organisational
structure of the party. Our doors are
still open if anybody makes an attempt
for unity," said Sandhu.
The rebel AAP leaders will also have
a political affairs committee meeting on
October 24, said the Kharar legislator.
Earlier, the rebel group had formed
a 15-member parallel political affairs
committee (PAC).
Meanwhile, the core committee
of the state unit of AAP Tuesday announced
the formation of a five-member
coordination committee to reach
out to the rebel MLAs.
The decision in the regard was taken
in a core committee meeting chaired
by MLA Budh Ram here.
The coordination committee will
comprise Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann,
legislators Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, Gurmeet
Hayer, Rupinder Kaur Ruby and
Kulwant Pandori.
The rebel group had already formed
a five-member committee to resolve
differences within the state unit of the
party.
Earlier, AAP MLA Aman Arora had
initiated talks with the dissident group
of legislators, led by Khaira.
AAP, as part of its efforts to make
peace with "rebels" and "former leaders",
had also reached out to the former
Punjab convener of AAP, Sucha Singh
Chhotepur, who was sacked on charges
of taking bribe for allotting party tickets.
The party had plunged into a crisis
after Khaira was unceremoniously removed
from the post of Leader of Opposition
in the Punjab Assembly.
AAP name 4-5 candidates for
2019 Lok Sabha polls in Punjab
CHANDIGARH: The Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP) in Punjab on Tuesday said that it
will declare the names of four to five candidates
next month for the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls. A decision in this regard was taken
by the 22-member core committee of the
AAP. "We have decided that names of at
least four to five candidates will be announced
next month for the 2019 Lok Sabha
elections," AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition
in Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh
Cheema said here. Earlier this month, the
AAP leadership in Delhi had asked Punjab
MLAs to start looking for potential candidates
for the polls in 2019. They were asked
to find candidates "with good character
and clean image". In 2014, the AAP had
won four out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in
Punjab. Cheema said the party's Scheduled
Caste wing was also formed with the
appointment of MLAs Manjit Singh Bilaspur
and Kulwant Singh Pandori as president
and vice president, respectively.
PM to attend Saibaba
centenary closing
ceremonies
Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) : Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will on Friday visit the temple town of
Shirdi to attend the closing ceremonies of the yearlong
festival marking the centenary of samadhi of the
Shirdi Saibaba, officials said. Modi will reach Modi by
a special flight at the new Shirdi Airport and then proceed
by helicopter to the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust.
He will perform a special pooja at the temple and
unfurl a special flag. Revered across communities,
Saibaba passed away in Shirdi village in Ahmednaar
district on Dassehra Day in 1918.
To mark the centenary of his samadhi, the Trust
had organised year-long celebrations which were inaugurated
by President Ram Nath Kovind on October 1,
2017.
In December 2017, Vice President M. Venkaiah
Naidu inaugurated a Global Sai Temple Conference
and a series of big and small activities were carried out
throughout the year. Modi's visit marks the culmination
of the festivities in which over 10 million devotees
from India and abroad took part. Modi will unveil a
Saibaba Centennial Commemorative silver coin, perform
the bhoomi pooja of major projects like a new
building, a mega educational complex costing around
Rs 159 crore, a planetarium, a wax museum, a Sai Garden
and theme park, totally costing Rs 166 crore, a laser
sound-and-light show and a 10-MW solar power project,
costing Rs 39 crore, said SSST Chairman Suresh Haware.
Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao and Chief Minister
Devendra Fadnavis shall attend the functions on
Thursday.

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October 19, 2018 | Toronto
Punjab CM Amarinder Singh seeks
compensation to check stubble burning
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi: Punjab
Chief Minister Amarinder
Singh on Thursday
met Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to seek
compensation for farmers
for avoiding stubble
burning.
He sought Modi's intervention
to ensure settlement
of Rs 31,000 crore
cash credit limit gap and
assistance for the preparation
of the 550th birth
anniversary celebrations
of Guru Nanak Dev.
Modi was sympathetic
to the farmers' plight,
said Singh, who has been
pressing for Rs 100 per
quintal as compensation
for the farmers to check
the problem of stubble
burning.
Singh told Modi that
the problem of stubble
burning could get aggravated,
despite various
steps being taken by the
state, with the close of
the harvest season, and
needed to be urgently addressed.
The Chief Minister
also took the opportunity
to thank the Prime Minister
for the Centre's decision
not to disturb the
60:40 ratio with respect to
appointment of officers
in Chandigarh.
Amarinder Singh had
expressed his protest
over the constant efforts
being made to disturb
the fine balance in sharing
of officers and other
resources between Haryana
and Punjab that had
been achieved over a period
of time after a great
deal of effort.
Giving details of
the meeting, an official
spokesperson of
the Punjab government
said the Chief Minister
had urged Modi to advise
the Finance Ministry to
urgently settle the Rs
31,000 crore cash credit
limit gap on the principle
of shared responsibilities.
Reiterating his demand
for resettlement of
gap in Food Cash Credit
Account of Punjab,
which had resulted from
systemic and structural
reasons, the Chief Minister
said this should be
settled on the principle
of shared responsibilities
amongst the stakeholders
in procurement of
foodgrains for the country.
In fact, he pointed
out the matter had been
discussed in detail in internal
report of the Ministry
of Food and Public
Distribution, referred as
the P.K. Jha Committee
Report.
Noting that the Ministry
of Finance, which
was looking into the
matter on a reference received
from the Ministry
of Food and Public Distribution,
was yet to finalise
the matter, Singh sought
Modi's intervention to resolve
the issue.
He also urged the
Prime Minister to advise
the Ministry of Finance
to reconsider and review
conversion of Rs 31,000
crore as long-term loan
as it cannot be solely attributed
to Punjab given
the principle of shared
responsibilities.
The Chief Minister, in
the letter, had informed
Modi earlier that the
heavy rainfall in state
and adjoining Himachal
Pradesh from September
22-24 had caused extensive
damage to life, agricultural
crops, property
and other infrastructure
at different places in the
state.
The estimated damage
to crops was Rs 150
crore, while road network
had been damaged
to the extent of Rs 119.32
crore, with another Rs
516.51 crore caused to
flood protection infrastructure
and minor irrigation
works, said the
Chief Minister.
Rampal, 13 aides get life
term again in 2nd case
Hisar: A Hisar court
on Wednesday sentenced
selfstyled godman Rampal
and his 13 aides to life
imprisonment without
remission in connection
with a 2014 murder case.
The judgment came six
days after conviction in
two cases of murder.
On Tuesday, a local
court had awarded Rampal
and his 14 followers
life sentence in a murder
case. Six convicts, including
Rampal, are common
accused in both the cases.
In his 115-page judgment,
Hisar additional
sessions judge D R Chalia
observed, “The real challenge
is therefore, to differentiate
between the
real and fake. The Upanishads
also state that a
true guru or mahatma
should only be accepted
after careful consideration.
People need to be
made aware of it.”
While sentencing
the 14 convicts, including
Rampal, in the second
case, the court also
imposed a fine of Rs 2.05
lakh on each of them. The
court sentenced them to
life imprisonment and
Rs 1 lakh fine for murder,
life imprisonment and Rs
1 lakh fine for criminal
conspiracy and two-year
imprisonment and Rs
5,000 fine for illegal confinement.
All the sentences
will run concurrently.
“I don’t agree with the
notion that in the present
era, we don’t have any
godman to guide us. If
this wasn’t true, then the
renowned Steve Jobs and
Mark Zuckerberg would’t
have travelled to India in
their initial days of struggle.
I guess most of us fail
to recognize the true godman.
Even today many
gurus and saints are trying
to guide and show the
path towards spirituality
not only in India but
also internationally,” the
judge observed.
Hisar deputy district
attorney Rajeev Sardana
said the case was registered
on November 19,
2014 on the complaint
of Suresh, a resident of
Jakhora in Lalitpur district
of Uttar Pradesh,
for the murder of his wife
25-year-old Rajani, Santosh,
Malkiyat Kaur, Rajbala
and a child Adarsh.
There were 14 accused
in this FIR, of
which eight — Rajesh
alias Hariram, Babita
alias Baby, Pawan, Rajiv
Sharma, Rajesh alias Ramesh,
Balwan, Natwar
alias Lakshman, Ramchandra
— were on bail
before the verdict while
six accused — Rampal,
Raj Kapoor alias Pritam,
Rajendra, Joginder, Virendra,
Krishn were in
judicial custody, he said.
The Punjab Haryana
high court had directed
the police to arrest Rampal
when he failed to appear
before the court.
However, when the
police went to arrest
him, his followers barricaded
themselves inside
Rampal’s Satlok Ashram
near Barwala in Hisar
district, which led to a
violent confrontation.
Rampal was arrested on
November 19, 2014 after a
two-week standoff.
India continues to engage
with US on H-1B visa issue
IANS
NEW DELHI: India is
continuing to engage
with the US over the H-1B
visa, largely availed of by
Indian IT companies, after
the Trump administration
proposed changes
to the programme, a
senior official said on
Thursday.
"It is a very important
topic for us and that is
the reason why we have
time and again at various
levels we have taken up
this matter with the US
side," External Affairs
Ministry spokesperson
Raveesh Kumar said in
response to queries by
journalists here. Kumar
said that most recently,
the issue was raised during
the first ever India-US
2+2 Ministerial Meeting
held here last month that
was attended by External
Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj, Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman, US
Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo and Defence Secretary
Jim Mattis.
The US Department
of Homeland Security
(DHS) said that the US
Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS)
plans to come out with its
new proposal by January
2019.
The DHS said it was
also proposing to remove
from its regulations certain
H-4 spouses of H-1B
non-immigrants as a
class of aliens eligible for
employment authorisation.
The move to end the
rule could have an impact
on more than 70,000
H-4 visa holders, who
have work permits. The
H-4 visas are issued by
the USCIS to immediate
family members (spouse
and children under 21
years of age) of the holders
of H-1B visa.
The DHS said it will
propose to revise the definition
of specialty occupation
to increase focus
on obtaining the best and
the brightest foreign nationals
via the H-1B programme.
It will also "revise
the definition" of employment
and employeremployee
relationship to
"better protect" US workers
and wages, the DHS
said. In his remarks on
Thursday, Kumar said
that India is closely engaged
with the US administration
as well as
the US Congress on this
matter. Stating that there
are certain bills which
have been introduced,
he, however, said that "it
is important to note that
none of these bills have
been passed so far".
"When we have engaged
with the US, we
have emphasised that our
partnership which we
have in the digital sphere
have been mutually beneficial,"
the spokesperson
said.
"We have highlighted
the role which has been
played by the highly
skilled Indian professionals
who have actually
contributed to the growth
and development of the
US economy," he stated.

The International News Weekly October 19, 2018 | Toronto 12
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