The Asian Independent - January 2019

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January 2019
Year After Koregaon, Dalit Politics
Remains Fractured in Maharashtra,
BUT MOVEMENT GAINS MUSCLE
A day after violence erupted at a peaceful gathering of Dalits at Bhima-Koregaon to commemorate the 200th
anniversary of the epic 1818 battle, the state government lost no time in rounding up Dalit protesters.
Mumbai : January 1, 2018, will go
down as a significant moment in the
history of Dalit movement in India.
For on that day, Maharashtra once
again witnessed the Ambedkarite
movement in full rigour, reminding
observers that their obituaries were
premature.
A day after violence erupted at a
peaceful gathering of Dalits at Bhima-
Koregaon to commemorate the 200th
anniversary of the epic 1818 battle, the
state government lost no time in
rounding up Dalit protesters. More
than 1,000 people were arrested in a
day, leading to the Devendra Fadnavis
government being branded ‘modern
Peshwai’ by liberal thinkers.
Parallels were drawn between the
Peshwa rule, notorious for caste-based
oppression, and the BJP government.
Dalit thinkers pointed out that Rightwing
leader Milind Ekbote was granted
bail and no efforts were made to
arrest Hindutva leader Sambhaji
Bhide, who allegedly orchestrated the
violence in which one person was
killed.
Raja Dhale, a founding member of
Dalit Panthers, a radical outfit active
in the 1970s in Maharashtra, said
nothing had since the battle of Bhima-
Koregaon 200 years ago. “… 200
years later, is democracy for everyone?
Have we (Dalits) been really
integrated into the society? The
answer is no,” he told Indian Express
in an interview.
Dhale questions not just the political
supremacy of the upper caste, but
also the continuity of socio-cultural
impunity against Dalits.
To such concerns, Sambhaji Bhide,
a former RSS worker and founder of
Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, parrots
the misplaced upper caste fears over
the misuse of the Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention
of Atrocities) Act. “Democracy has
come to an end… By giving the
Atrocity Act to one community
(Dalits), we have brought about abject
humiliation to the Constitution and
democracy,” he had said at a gathering.
Making such statements since his
alleged role in last year’s violence,
Bhide has tapped into the fears of the
upper caste, seemingly gathering support
from sections anxious over the
Prevention of Atrocities Act. Since
Bhide was seen as close to the ruling
BJP, it was more or less assumed that
he would walk. CM Devendra
Fadnavis’ statements added fuel to
fire. The CM first reduced the violence
to “mere clashes between two
groups because of a misunderstanding”.
He then claimed there was no
evidence to show that Bhide was
directly involved.
Prakash Ambedkar, the chief of the
Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, however,
contested this apparent clean chit to
Bhide, saying social media has enough
proof on Bhide’s involvement.
While the BJP’s soft approach
towards those accused of the violence
has been attributed by opposition parties
to its “anti-Dalit” mindset, anticaste
thinkers view this as a conflict
between two ideologies --
Brahmanism and Ambekarism. It is in
this context that Dr Sukumar, an
Ambedkarite ideologue and professor
at Delhi University, wrote: “A culture
that celebrates Dronacharya, eliminates
Shambuka and relegates
Eklayva to the margins, would not tolerate
the Dalits’ slice of military victory”.
According to Kancha Ilaiah
Shepherd, last year’s commemoration
at Bhima-Koregaon was a symbol of a
larger unity among Dalits, OBCs and
Muslims.
Since anti-caste movements expose
the violent reality of caste discrimination
and rebuffed the imagined sociocultural
unity among Indians, it has
often being stigmatised and criminalised
by the upper caste society.
History repeated itself when Dalit
Ambedkar’s
Samata Sanik Dal, an
organisation founded
after the Mahad Chavdar
Tale Satyagrah, also had
to face similar accusations
from the upper
caste society, following
which Ambedkar himself
dismissed the allegations
as “foul” and “venomous”
in several of his
speeches.
activists who were protesting against
the attack on the peaceful crowd at
Bhima-Koregan were themselves
branded as ‘urban Maoists’.
Ambedkar’s Samata Sanik Dal, an
organisation founded after the Mahad
Chavdar Tale Satyagrah, also had to
face similar accusations from the
upper caste society, following which
Ambedkar himself dismissed the allegations
as “foul” and “venomous” in
several of his speeches.
In the post-Ambedkar era, movements
like the Dalit Panthers were also
branded violent and disruptive. Dalit
protests have always been judged by
the moralistic gaze of the upper caste.
On the one hand, Right-wing upper
caste groups castigated such movements
as ‘spoilers’ to their imagined
and so-called ‘social fabric’ of India,
while the Left-leaning and liberal
upper caste groups saw them with contempt
and labelled it as ‘identity politics’.
Significantly, the protests that followed
the Bhima-Koregaon violence
received support from caste and religious
groups opposed to the BJP;
groups that were not necessarily pro-
Dalits and from the predominantly
upper caste opposition parties like the
Congress, the NCP and the Left.
The violence and the developments
that followed also led to a churning in
the Dalit movement in general and
Dalit politics in particular in
Maharashtra. Dalits once again started
reorganising themselves by taking part
in protests. At a political level,
Prakash Ambedkar emerged as the
Dalits’ ‘own leader’ who negotiate a
better deal for the community when it
comes to sharing political power. Dalit
movements had for long been suffering
from lack of active leadership.
Although, the BSP filled the political
vacuum for some years, it failed to
create a strong Dalit leadership in
Maharashtra. That vacuum is now
being filled by Prakash Ambedkar. It’s
a sign that though Dalit politics in
Maharashtra is fractured and conditional,
the socio-cultural movement at
the grassroots has intensified, and that
unlike other states, Dalits can make
Maharashtra sit up and take notice of
their questions. See Page 2

WORLD
2 January 2019
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Special Invite- She Inspires 2019
Team IIW is delighted to
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Mumbai : The Maharashtra
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blanket as lakhs of Dalits from
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British-era memorial where they paid
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Fwd: Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy"
Stars, Ranveer Singh & Alia
Bhatt, Share First Look Posters
APNA TIME AAYEGA!
Zoya Akhtar's "Gully Boy" Stars, Ranveer Singh & Alia Bhatt,
Share First Look Posters
cid:image003.jpg@01D4A29D.F1CE47A0
Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, who are sharing screen space for
the first time in Zoya
Akhtar's drama 'Gully
Boy', shared the first
set of posters from the
film.
The posters
unveiled by the actors
also reveal their
respective looks in the
underdog tale inspired
by the underground rap
scene in Mumbai.
Ranveer and Alia -
both sporting un-glam
looks - can be seen
seated next to each
other while they share
earphones to listen to
music.
Take a look at the
posters from 'Gully
Boy' here:
‘Gully Boy' is
Ranveer Singh’s second film with director Zoya Akhtar after 'Dil
Dhadakne Do'. He plays the lead in this underdog story, set in the
slums of Dharavi, while Alia Bhatt portrays his unconventional
love interest. The film also stars Siddhant Chaturvedi and Kalki
Koechlin in pivotal roles.
The film has already garnered tremendous buzz ever since its
announcement with the prep videos and star spottings creating
even more curiosity.
'Gully Boy' is also achieving international acclaim having been
selected by the Berlin International Film Festival for a special gala
screening. The news was announced by Ritesh Sidhwani and
Farhan Akhtar who took to social media to share their excitement
of the film’s selection at the Berlinale. Director Zoya Akhtar also
posted an Instagram story introducing the official selection.
Directed by Zoya Akhtar, produced by Excel Entertainment
and Tiger Baby, Gully Boy is slated to release on the 14th of
February 2019.
Join the conversation #GullyBoy
Bhima-Koregaon under security blanket
as Dalits surge in show of strength
Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of Dalit
icon BR Ambedkar, was among those
who offered tributes at the memorial
this morning.
Last year, Ambedkar's call for a
state-wide bandh following the
attacks on Dalits at the event sent
shockwaves across Maharashtra.
Ambedkar said the situation
was peaceful this year. "People in
the surrounding villages have
extended all help to those visiting
Bhima-Koregaon," he told
reporters in Pune.
Ambedkar said the number of
visitors would be far higher this
year. He thanked organisations
like the Kabir Kala Manch and
retired judges PB Sawant and BG
Kolse-Patil for popularising the
history of Bhima-Koregaon in
Maharashtra.
Ambedkar hit out at the
Maharashtra Government for calling
them Maoists instead of cracking
down on those who attacked
the Dalits last year. Meanwhile,
Chandrashekhar Azad 'Ravan',
who heads the Bhim Army, went
in a procession of motorcycles to
Bhima Koregaon from Pune. Though
the Pune police had denied permission
to Azad to hold a bike rally, the Bhim
Army chief and his supporters said people
were joining them on their own.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
PHE launches new
Change4Life campaign to help
families cut back on sugar.
Children have already
exceeded the maximum recommended
sugar intake for an 18
year old by the time they reach
their tenth birthday, according
to Public Health England
(PHE). This is based on their
total sugar consumption from
the age of 2.
This figure comes as a new
Change4Life campaign launches
today (2 January 2019), supporting
families to cut back on
sugar and to help tackle growing
rates of childhood obesity.
While children’s sugar
intakes have declined slightly
in recent years, they are still
consuming around 8 excess
sugar cubes each day, equivalent
to around 2,800 excess
sugar cubes per year.
To help parents manage this,
Change4Life is encouraging
them to ‘Make a swap when
you next shop’. Making simple
everyday swaps can reduce
children’s sugar intake from
some products (yoghurts,
drinks and breakfast cereals) by
half – while giving them
healthier versions of the foods
and drinks they enjoy.
Parents can try swapping:
a higher-sugar yoghurt (for
example split-pot) for a lower
sugar one, to halve their sugar
intake from 6 cubes of sugar
UNITED KINGDOM
10 year olds in the UK have
consumed 18 years’ worth of sugar
to 3
a sugary juice drink for a noadded
sugar juice drink, to cut
back from 2 cubes to half a
cube
a higher-sugar breakfast
cereal (such as a frosted or
chocolate cereal) for a lower
sugar cereal, to cut back from 3
cubes to half a cube per bowl
While some foods and
drinks remain high in sugar,
many companies have reformulated
products such as
yoghurts, breakfast cereals and
juice drinks, meaning these
swaps are a good place for families
to start.
Making these swaps every
day could remove around 2,500
sugar cubes per year from a
child’s diet, but swapping
chocolate, puddings, sweets,
cakes and pastries for healthier
options such as malt loaf,
sugar-free jellies, lower-sugar
custards and rice puddings
would reduce their intake even
more.
Severe obesity in 10 to 11
year olds has now reached an
all-time high. Overweight or
obese children are more likely
to be overweight or obese as
adults, increasing their risk of
heart disease and some cancers,
while more young people than
ever are developing Type 2 diabetes.
Excess sugar can also
lead to painful tooth decay, bullying
and low self-esteem in
childhood.
Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief
Nutritionist at PHE, said:
Children are consuming too
much sugar, but parents can
take action now to prevent this
building up over the years.
To make this easier for busy
families, Change4Life is offering
a straightforward solution –
by making simple swaps each
day, children can have healthier
versions of everyday foods and
drinks, while significantly
reducing their sugar intake.
Families are encouraged to
look for the Change4Life
‘Good Choice’ badge in shops,
download the free Food
Scanner app or search
Change4Life to help them find
lower sugar options.
Popular brands – including
Nestlé Shredded Wheat, Nestlé
January 2019
3
Low Sugar Oat Cheerios, Petits
Filous and Soreen (malt loaf) –
will display the ‘Good Choice’
badge online, in-store and
throughout their advertising, to
help parents find healthier
options.
Customers can also find
healthier options in supporting
supermarkets including Asda
and Aldi, as well as in Londis
and Budgens convenience
stores.
With a third of children leaving
primary school overweight
or obese, tackling obesity
requires wider action and is not
just limited to individual efforts
from parents. PHE is working
with the food industry to
remove 20% of sugar from the
products contributing the most
to children’s sugar intakes by
2020.
In May 2018, PHE published
progress against the
first-year sugar reductionambition
of 5%, which showed an
average 2% reduction in sugar
across categories for retailers
and manufacturers.
While breakfast cereals and
yoghurts and fromage frais
were among the categories
meeting or exceeding the 5%
ambition, some products in
these categories are still high in
sugar – this is why
Change4Life is making it easier
for parents to find lowersugar
options.
The Public Relation Interview of Narendra Modi
Those of you who are fond of
Narendra Modi’s classes must have
found that he has mellowed down a lot.
The one way communication that he is
habitual of, have not worked yet he is
not ready to face the grilling questions
about his government’s track record on
governance issue. It is not merely the
questions of notebandi or GST, there
are wider issues of lumpen being
appointed as vice chancellors of the
universities, curriculum changes, scholarships
being denied to SC-ST-OBC
students, the goondaism of the
Hindutva affliiated groups and so on.
Normally, Modi would not allow a
journalist to sit along with him or photographed
like that and it has become a
norm now when the gap between the
interviewer and Narendra Modi is
clearly visible. This is a clear signal to
them that ‘Bhai tum patrakar ho, apnee
aukat me raho, dont cross the line’. And
perhaps it is this basis that interviewer
are selected. Though, it is a normal procedure
these days to ask for a set of
questionnaire in advance so that the
persons in high positions speak with
authenticity but now that is being
replaced by fake data. Now, impromptu
press conferences too are not sure
whether they are planned or fixed but
perhaps we might see that where a few
of the journalists who have been invited
for Modi’s class, would be invited.
If you see the questions, the interviewer
is already on the defensive. She
is finding it difficult to question him. ‘
you have done so much good work for
women, you have shown your concern
for women’s rights but why not the
same about Sabarimala.’ How are
Sabarimala issue and Triple Talaq bill
ever related to. The issue could have
been, Mr Prime Minister, we appreciate
your concern for Muslim women but for
the same crime Hindu men are not punished.
Is there going to be any change in
the Hindu laws where Hindu men too
will be criminalised for divorcing their
wives or those who do not even divorce
and just leave them. The number of
women left in India, according to a survey,
among the Hindus is far higher to
what is there among the Muslims. There
are many such reports available. Smita
Prakash could have asked the Prime
Minister, whether he would also bring a
law to protect Hindu
woman. Obviously, the
bhakts have no questions
to ask to him about
his foreign policy failures,
and the blunder that this government
is playing in Jammu and Kashmir,
what happened to ‘historical’ Naga
accord that this government signed in
the beginning and details of which
remain secret till date, the issue of
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
social and human rights activist
Kartarpur Saheb, the issue of our relationship
with our friendly neighbors like
Nepal and Srilanka. Obviously, the
issue of Muslims and their isolation
does not come on the agenda of the
these journalists.
The farce that we are fast becoming
is this that we are afraid of asking questions.
And we have also
legitimised the state effort
to create an atmosphere of
suspicion against one community
which is the second
biggest majority of India.
Can you deny a community whose history
and track-record of building this
nation is over 700 years old. How can a
state allow and encourage the goons to
terrorise a community every now and
then. And these goons then protected by
the police and administration. The cow
campaign has finished farmers particularly
the marginalised one. When did
we see a government which was at war
against its own people.
And how these devotees have
changed the narratives.
Now, Modi and all others
are speaking that ‘courts’
are not fast-tracking the
issue. Basically, all in the
media and the administration
want the Supreme
Court to not only give a
judgement soonest possible
but give a judgement
in their favor. This is the
pressure tactics that give us a judgement
to build temple there so that we
can go to people with much louder
noise. Will Modi and his PR agencies
accept the Supreme Court Judgement if
it goes against them ?
This the irony of India. Worldover,
we say that political class is always like
that which use public sentiments and it
is the media, the intellectuals who
speak up for the rights of the people,
minorities and the marginalised and
play role of real opposition along with
the opposition. In India, opposition is
dumb and have not much difference
with this government except for some
minor issues and the corporate media
has become the PR agencies of the government
and today they pose the
biggest threat to our democracy.
Modi’s interview has given another
opportunity for the corrupt media to kill
the big story from Kerala where women
came out of their homes and work to
make a huge 620 kilometer chains, an
unprecedented event in the history of
India. There was a huge congregation at
Bhima Koregaon where lakhs of people
turned up despite the government of
Maharashtra’s effort to stop them and
yet it did not become the main news.
Kudos to each one of them but then the
Brahmin Bania media knows how to
kill stories of resistance because the
Kerala’s historical event or massive
gatherings at Bhima-Koregaon was a
complete rejection of the Sangh
Parivar’s hate agenda in those states.
The corrupt media would not show
these stories though it cant ignore the
same. As election approaches, we will
see more such fake-interviews which
will take your prime time and each
channel will spend hours and hours
debating them. It is nothing but well
planned exercise to kill other important
news and protests.
We hope people will remain vigilant
against the paid vigilante on our TV
channels and expose them.

4 January 2019
UNITED KINGDOM
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
The propaganda machinery of the
Sangh parivar is on full swing. You are
now being forced to consume loads of
information about ‘Accidental Prime
Minister’ and both the government
and BJP’s social media cell is on an
overdrive to promote it.
I wish to add a few things in the
beginning here that this is not an issue
defending Dr Man Mohan Singh or
Sonia Gandhi or Narendra Modi but of
accountability and responsibilities of
elected representatives. As a person Dr
Man Mohan Singh definitely is and
was far superior to Narendra Modi
both in terms of knowledge and dignity,
that he brought to his post. Our
humbleness must not be considered as
weakness and we are sure history will
judge Man Mohan Singh in a much
better way to his successor.
There is another issue of an over
hyped actor of the Bambai cinema.
Yes, I am talking about Anupam Kher
who has taken it upon himself to be
the ‘champion’ defender of this government
and perhaps competing with
his wife for seat in Parliament. BJP is
definitely looking for more stars from
the Cricket and cinema to rescue them
in 2019. Many of these absolutely
failed and opportunist fellows are
looking for greener pasture and protect
their business interests and will be
happy to contest in the Lok Sabha
polls. Anupam Kher nurture along
with many others nurture such hope to
be ‘elected’ representatives because
they could not do much through their
art except to defend the brahmanical
disorder and rigid customs. He may be
Accidental Hero
hailed as a great actor by many but he
ers call the shot and this is a reality.
remain much inferior to both Om Puri
The problem of bureaucracy, or
and Naseeruddeen Shah, both as actor
corporatised media in India was that it
as well as persons who have taken
wanted to control Man Mohan Singh
stand on important public issues. For
as it is doing with Narendra Modi.
me except his initial ‘Saraansh’, there
Sanjay Baru kind of persons could
are not enough movies which are
never have been appointed if Sonia
worth remembering. Now, we come to
was calling the shots on every day
the issue of ‘Accidental Prime
affair. Baru is a highly over-rated person
and his book was a dishonest
Minister’ and questions being raised
about it. The major theme of the film
attempt to get favor from Narendra
is that Congress President Sonia
Modi. When Anna Hazare launched
Gandhi was ‘advising’ Prime Minister
his Lok Pal movement, we opposed
of what to do and what not do. Now,
the entire premise because we still feel
these are laughing issues to say the
that supremacy of the Parliament and
least. In democracies, party is bigger
assemblies must be restored. You can
than the government and party guides
not make Lok Pal a boss of parliament
the government because ultimately it
and everything. So the issue is not
is the party which has to go to polls.
merely whether Sonia was dictating or
Sonia Gandhi as a UPA chairperson
not. The clever media is making it
was definitely entitled to write or
because they never want the parties to
guide to the government but it is up-to
dictate the agenda for the governments.
Governments cant be delinked
the government to agree or not agree
her view point.
tem is called political because it is politics
which guide it. Council of tating agenda to the government along
from parties. Today, BJP party is dic-
Can Prime Minister or BJP leaders
ignore the advise of the RSS ? If not Ministers is actually accountable to with the business and corporate.
then what is the locus-standi of Ram Parliament where questions are raised Since the agenda is suiting the
Madhav on J & K. Was he an ‘expert’ and responded. And it is the party corporate hence they are quiet
on J & K ?
which defend the government and its
In democracies, you can not hand actions both in parliament and in the By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
over the council of ministers to a few street. The argument that Man Mohan social and human rights activist
selected bureaucrats. Even those in the Singh should not have listened or surrender
his position is absurd. A system otherwise they would have
current dispensations hail from the
Sangh Parivar background. The sys-
can not surrender. Yes, political lead-
made noises. You can not sug-
UK aid will be “even quicker
and smarter” in 2019
The number of people in need of
humanitarian assistance globally
will be double the UK population
The UK is stepping up preparations
for global humanitarian crises
in 2019 and harnessing the power of
satellite and supercomputer technology
to better predict where disasters
will strike.
International Development
Secretary Penny Mordaunt said the
UK will take early action to prepare
for crises where possible in 2019,
not just dealing with the aftermath
of dire humanitarian incidents.
The need for humanitarian aid
will remain especially high in 2019,
driven by conflict in countries like
Cameroon and the Central African
Republic. Food insecurity will also
be a top concern and priority for the
humanitarian community, including
in Afghanistan, which this year
experienced severe drought.
International Development
Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:
One in every 70 people worldwide
is caught up in a humanitarian
crisis, and throughout 2018 UK aid
has been at the heart of providing
life-saving assistance to those in
need: from supporting efforts to
prevent and curb Ebola in the
Democratic Republic of Congo to
tackling the risk of catastrophic
famine in Yemen. With 132 million
people – almost double the population
of the UK – expected to need
emergency aid next year, we must
act even quicker and smarter to better
prepare for humanitarian crises
before disaster strikes.
Acting early not only helps the
UK and developing countries to
save money, but also saves more
lives. UK aid is leading the way in
being better prepared, making use
of science, research and innovation
to shape a global humanitarian system
fit for 2019.
UK aid is harnessing technology,
such as space satellites and super
computers, to help improve warning
systems to better predict the impact
of global humanitarian crises,
including:
using some of the most accurate
weather forecasts in the world to
help families, communities and
governments prepare for El Nino
which could affect up to 25 countries;
working smartly with the Met
Office, NASA and US scientists to
accurately predict where and when
cholera will spread in Yemen;
teaming up with the UK Space
Agency to help farmers in Kenya,
Ghana and Zambia to understand
when pests or disease may strike,
allowing preventative action to be
taken more quickly.
DFID announced today (Monday
31 December 2018) it will provide
£1 million to the World Health
Organisation this year to help
enhance its Early Warning Alert and
Response System (EWARS) to prevent
the spread of life-threatening
infectious diseases such as diphtheria
and measles, as well as diarrheal
illnesses, among the 800,000
Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar,
Bangladesh.
Ms Mordaunt’s comments on
humanitarian aid in 2019 follow a
£34 million uplift in UK aid support
to the United Nations Central
Emergency Relief Fund (CERF),
which supports the UN to respond
rapidly to crises across the world.
The UK is one of CERF’s leading
supporters, and in 2018 is its largest
donor. Throughout 2018, this fund
provided time-critical life-saving
assistance to millions of people in
45 countries, including Yemen,
Syria, South Sudan and Nigeria.
UK aid provided life-saving assistance,
including food, water, medical
care and shelter to millions of
people desperately in need in 2018.
This year, UK aid responded to
crises across the globe including:
sending 47 tonnes of aid and a
team of aid workers to Indonesia
following a devastating earthquake
and tsunami which is believed to
have left over 2,000 people dead;
deploying a team of 67, including
57 medics, to Bangladesh to
tackle an outbreak of diphtheria in
Cox’s Bazar, after hundreds of thousands
of displaced Rohingya had
fled there;
supporting the development of a
life-saving vaccine to tackle Ebola
in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, which has helped to prevent
it spreading to neighbouring countries;
meeting the immediate food
needs of 4 million Yemenis, and
supporting aid agencies to screen
and treat for malnutrition and disease.
gest that once a person become prime
minister or minister, he or she should
leave the party or forget about them.
Party is not here to make you CMs or
PMs and then allow you to do what
you wish to do. Party cadres cant be
allowed to be just war horses during
the campaign to defend the government.
A government that does not listen
to the party always loses. In our
societies if we allow the government
and council of ministers to be just surrounded
by the corporate and bureaucrats
then one can never think of any
pro people policies. One must not forget
that Man Mohan Singh,
Chidambaram, Montek Singh
Ahluwalia were the favorite persons
of media and corporate and Sonia
Gandhi was being seen as too ‘socialist’
who was guided by the ‘jhollawallah’
economists and social activists
and hence an obstacle.
These corporatised castes now
enjoying their immunity in the current
dispensation but they also realise that
an administration that has nothing to
show to the people will ultimately
boomrang hence attempts are being
made to change the narrative. 2019
must be the ‘hisab-kitab’ of Narendra
Modi and BJP and not of what
Manmohan Singh and
Sonia Gandhi did in 2009
as they were punished by
the people. The government
of the day can not
hide its failures by such
diversionary tactics as the
Janata knows well and
will respond on time.
Madras High Court
lifts ban on online
sale of medicines
Chennai : The Madras High Court on
Wednesday allowed online pharmacies to sell
drugs and cosmetics, staying an earlier order.
A two-member bench of the court said the
earlier direction to the Central government to
notify the rules governing the online sale of
drugs before January 31 continues.
The Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists
Association had filed a case against the sale of
drugs by online companies.
According to the Association, online purchases
may be convenient, but there exists the
risk of unlicensed online outlets selling
fake/expired/unapproved medicines.
Reacting to the court order, Pradeep Dadha,
Founder and CEO, Netmeds.com in a statement
said: "We are happy with the order of the
Division Bench of the Madras High Court
staying the sale of online medicines till further
orders."
"We are extremely grateful for the observations
made by bench which validates the work
that we have put in for the last three years,"
said Dadha.
"As part of the observations, the bench recognized
that mechanisms are in place to prevent
any real abuse of process by the online
pharma sector. One of the most pertinent
observations made was that the Central
Government is not opposed to online pharmacies
and is actively putting in place systems for
regulating the sales," Dadha said.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
UNITED KINGDOM
India should be in a better
frame of mind in Sydney
Australia are not used to losing
a series at home and India
have never won one Down
Under ever since the two countries
started playing Tests over
70 years ago.
Up 2-1 going into the last
match in Sydney, starting
Thursday, India should be in a
better frame of mind than the
Australians, having made sure
that the Border-Gavaskar
stayed with them even if the
series ends in a 2-2 draw. They
can press home the advantage
to clinch it 3-1. The Indians
have no problems even with the
form of their mainline batsmen.
Those who did not get big runs
have done enough to blunt the
Australian attack to back their
bowlers who have created
record after record during the
year gone by.
One thing is for sure, India
will be going into the Sydney
Test with a fifth bowler. It is not
clear whether they include an
additional spinner in the form
of Ravichandran Ashwin, if
fully fit, or Kuldeep Yadav to
befuddle the Australian batsmen
struggling to find form.
It could even be the pacebowling
all-rounder Hardik
Pandya if the curator listens to
the Australian bowlers to leave
a lot of grass for the ball to
move and bounce.
The Sydney pitch is known
to assist spinners and so it
should be Ashwin who can be
classified as an all-rounder,
having scored four Test hundreds
and 11 fifties.
He was out in the indoor
nets with the team's physio
Patrick Farhart to see whether
he has fully recovered from his
abdominal strain that kept him
out of the Melbourne Test.
Since the vacancy in the
team is created by Rohit
Sharma going home to be with
his wife and their new-born
first child, a daughter, Kohli
might even think of getting a
batsman, thus gambling one
final time with either Lokesh
Rahul of Murali Vijay, pushing
Hanuma Vihari to No 6 in the
order. That would be a defensive
move. Ideally, they should
go with a bowler who can bat
adequately, like Pat Cummins
does for Australia.
The Australian think-tank
has been trying to explain away
their defeats, playing mind
games by saying the difference
between the two teams is the
batting of Cheteshwar Pujara
and Virat Kohli.
Skipper Kohli has a different
take and rightly pointed out that
it's not stop-gap opener Vihari's
runs but the time he has spent
out in the middle to see off 16
overs of the new ball that
helped him and Pujara stitch a
big partnership in the first
innings in Melbourne.
The Australians have other
excuses, too. They think they
got to both bowl and bat in
unfriendly conditions during
the Test on a drop-in pitch.
They also think the absence of
their disgraced captain Steve
Smith and his deputy David
Warner made a big difference.
Add to it, they think, the inexperience
of their batsmen has
also not helped. Skipper Tim
Paine underscored the point,
saying the Indian side would
struggle too if they were without
his counterpart Kohli or
Cheteshwar Pujara. Paine ruefully
said: "If you took Pujara
and Virat out of India's side I
think you would have the same
conversation. If you have got
world-class players that are not
in your team, are they going to
add to our team?""
Come to think of it, Shaun
Marsh is 35 and played 37
Tests, Usman Khawaja, 32,
played 38 Tests and Mitch
Marsh, 27, played 31 Tests.
Along with Aaron Finch and
Travis Head they all have come
from decent domestic performances.
Paine may have played
only 18 Tests, but at 34 he has
played enough Sheffield Shield
cricket. His experience is
shown both in his steady batting
and safe keeping.
Their main problem is the
poor form of Khawaja, their
best batsman. He had no clue
how much Ashwin or Ravindra
Jadeja are turning or spinning
the ball and that made things
difficult for the top-order batsmen
to cope with the pressure.
Now they want him to open the
innings in Sydney so that he
could settle down by the time
the spin is introduced.
There was a time when the
cricket world used to talk about
the quality of Australia's
Sheffield Shield with just six
teams providing stiff competition.
Indian cricket administrators
thought the Ranji Trophy
was unwieldy and toyed with
the idea of making the top rung
restricted to six to eight teams.
They tried to differentiate by
calling the top teams as Elite
Group and the rest Plate. But
the segregation was opposed by
many states in a democratic setup.
Now the Australians are
looking at their Sheffield
Shield afresh what with the Big
Bash Twenty20 league getting
more attractive. The people are
now talking about the virtues of
India's domestic cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah, the most
successful bowler of the series
with 20 wickets in three Tests,
including nine from
Melbourne, gave credit for
pitches back home for Indian
fast bowlers to get the ball to
reverse swing.
Bumrah could adjust to conditions
in South Africa,
England and in Australia to
return as the highest wickettaker
in 2018 with 48 wickets
from 22 Tests. He also has 30
wickets from the shorter formats
and he is getting better
with each match.
The Australian fast bowlers
blame it on the abrasive nature
of the pitch on the last three
days helped the Indian bowlers,
but are silent what triggered the
Indian collapse in the second
innings and Cummins getting
nine wickets in the match.
The debate on pitches and
bowling will continue.
Pankhurst statue given Grade II* listing
to mark centenary of votes for women
The statue of suffragette Emmeline
Pankhurst in Victoria Tower Gardens
will be upgraded to Grade II*
Announcement marks the end of the
centenary of female emancipation
A statue of Emmeline Pankhurst that
overlooks Parliament has been upgraded
to Grade II* today to commemorate the
centenary of women’s suffrage in the
UK and the election of the first female
MP.
The additional protections reflect the
statute’s architectural and historical significance
and the roles that Pankhurst
and her daughter Christabel played in
campaigning for votes for women
through the Women’s Social and Politics
Union (WSPU).
The Representation of the People Act
in 1918 gave women aged 30 and over
the age of 30 the right to vote. The following
year, 1919, Lady Astor became
the first woman to take a seat in
Parliament.
It comes after proposed plans to relocate
the statue were withdrawn earlier
this year. Pankhurst is one of a small
number of women whose statues have
been given this status and she now joins
the likes of Queen Victoria, Lady
Godiva and the Virgin Mary, all of
whom have Grade II* listed statues.
Heritage Minister, Michael Ellis said:
Emmeline Pankhurst was a pioneer
of her time and was instrumental in
securing votes for women. It is a fitting
tribute that at the end of this centenary
year we recognise the important role she
played in securing the equality we rightly
enjoy today. Deborah Mays, Head of
Listing Advice at Historic England,
said: The statue is a tribute to Emmeline
and Christabel Pankhurst who were
instrumental in bringing about women’s
suffrage in Britain. It is a finely crafted
memorial in a significant location which
bears witness to the struggle and success
of the movement Pankhurst led. It is fitting
to give it a higher grade listing at
the end of this centenary year. Born
in Manchester in 1858, Pankhurst
founded the Women’s Franchise
League in 1889 which fought to
allow married women to vote in
local elections before going on to
found the more militant WSPU in
1903. It was this organisation that
gained notoriety and its members
were the first to be termed
Suffragettes.
Along with many other
Suffragettes, Pankhurst was arrested
multiple times and also engaged
in hunger strikes. The Suffragettes
period of militancy stopped after
the outbreak of the First World War
in 1914 when Pankhurst turned her
energies to the war effort in the
hope it would benefit the
Suffragette cause.
The statue was unveiled by the
then Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin on
30 March 1930. In 1956 it was moved to
its current position and expanded to
commemorate Christabel Pankhurst,
Emmeline’s daughter and active
Suffragette, and members of the
Women’s Social and Political Union in
1959. In 1970 the statue was granted a
Grade II listed status.
January 2019
5
US 'concerned
over violence,
irregularities in
Bangladesh
polls'
New York : The United
States has expressed concern
over reports of violence
and irregularities
during Bangladesh elections
that it asserted
"undermined faith in the
electoral process".
"We note with concern
credible reports of harassment,
intimidation and violence
in the pre-election
period that made it difficult
for many opposition candidates
and their supporters
to meet, hold rallies, and
campaign freely," State
Department Deputy
Spokesperson Robert
Palladino said Tuesday.
"We are also concerned
that election-day irregularities
prevented some people
from voting, which undermined
faith in the electoral
process," he added.
Palladino urged all all
political parties to refrain
from violence and requested
the Election
Commission to "work constructively
with all sides to
address claims of irregularities".
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina's ruling Awami
Party scored a landslide
victory winning 288 of the
300 seats it contested.
The opposition alliance,
Jatiya Oikya Front, led by
former Prime Minister
Khaleda Zia, who is in
prison on corruption
charges, called the elections
"faracial" and
demanded a repoll.
Her Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) is
the main constituent of the
Front, which won just
seven seats.
At least 17 people were
killed in clashes between
the ruling and opposition
parties on Sunday.
Palladino said that the
participation of all the
major opposition parties in
Sunday's parliamentary
election was a positive
development after their
2014 boycott. He also commended
the tens of millions
of Bangladeshis who
voted in the election.
Palladino added:
"Bangladesh's impressive
record of economic development
and respect for
democracy and human
rights are mutually reinforcing,
and we look forward
to continue working
with the ruling government
and opposition towards
advancing these interrelated
goals."

6 January 2019
ASIA
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
China ‘must be, will be’ reunified
with Taiwan: Xi Jinping
Beijing, President Xi
Jinping on Wednesday said
China must be and will be
reunified with Taiwan, and
called for the two rivals to work
together to realise the “historic
task” of complete reunification.
“It is a historical conclusion
drawn over 70 years of development
of cross-strait relations,
and a must for the great rejuvenation
of the Chinese nation in
the new era,” the Straits Times
quoted Xi as saying in a speech
at Beijing’s Great Hall of the
People to commemorate the
40th anniversary of “Message
to Compatriots in Taiwan”.
The Message was a policy
document issued by the
National People’s Congress —
China’s Parliament — on
January 1, 1979, the same day
China and the US formally
established relations after
Washington broke ties with
Taiwan. Up until 1979, China
had conducted routine artillery
bombardment of Taiwan-controlled
offshore islands. But no
peace treaty or formal end to
hostilities has been signed
since the detente, even as business,
cultural and personal
links flourished.
In his speech, Xi sent a
warning to advocates of
Taiwan’s independence, including
supporters of Taiwan
President Tsai Ing-wen.
Tsai, who has refused to
affirm the “One China” consensus
reached between Taiwan
and China in 1992, has warned
against continued threats from
China.
Xi said: “It’s a legal fact that
both sides of the Strait belong
to one China, and cannot be
changed by anyone or any
force.” Beijing “reserves the
option of taking all necessary
measures” against outside
forces that interfere with peaceful
reunification and against
Taiwan independence separatist
activities, he said.
The Chinese leader also
called for efforts to foster wideranging
“democratic consultation”
between representatives
from both sides and deepen
integrated development across
the Taiwan Strait.
He pledged to further institutionalise
cross-strait economic
cooperation and to forge a
common market.
Both sides should enhance
the free flow of trade, connectivity
in infrastructure,
exchange of energy and
resources, and shared industrial
standards, Xi said.
Unification would be done
under a “one country, two systems”
approach that would
“safeguard the interests and
well-being of Taiwanese compatriots”,
and Taiwan will be
guaranteed lasting peace, he
said.
'Accidental Prime Minister' :
Case filed against Anupam
Kher, others in BIHAR
Patna : A case has been filed against actor Anupam Kher and
others associated with upcoming film 'Accidental Prime Minister'
in a Bihar court on Wednesday for damaging the image of some
top people. Lawyer
Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed
the case in Muzaffarpur's
Chief Judicial Magistrate
(CJM) court. The court
has admitted the case and
fixed January 8 to hear
the case in Sub
Divisional Judicial
Magistrate court.
Ojha in his petition
complained that Anupam
Kher and Akshay
Khanna, who have
played the role of former
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and
his press advisor Sanjaya
Baru in the film, have
damaged the image of
both of them. "It hurt me
and many others," he
said. In his complaint,
Ojha said others who
have played the role of
UPA chairperson Sonia
Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi
and Priyanka Vadra also damaged their image. He has also complained
against the film director and producer.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
New Delhi, The
government is likely
to make another
attempt to get the
triple talaq bill
passed in Rajya
Sabha on
Wednesday even as
the opposition is
firm on its demand
to refer the bill to a
select committee of
the House.
In the Lok Sabha,
the Rafale deal is
likely to come up for
discussion, with the
Congress, which is
pressing for a Joint
Parliamentary
Committee (JPC)
probe, signalling its
intention to discuss the matter.
The government had listed the
Muslim Women (Protection of Rights
on Marriage) Bill, 2018 on Monday but
the Rajya Sabha did not take it up amid
opposition’s reservations over the proposed
legislation and its insistence on
sending the bill to a select committee.
Bangladesh PM
Hasina to form
new cabinet
before Jan 10
Dhaka, : Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina's ruling
Bangladesh Awami League,
which clinched a landslide victory
in general elections, will
form its new cabinet before
January 10, party Genera.tment
of pilots holding fake qualifications
in January this year. A
two-member bench headed by
the Chief Justice had issued a
deadline of December 28 to the
Civil Aviation Authority for
completing the verifications of
the degrees of pilots.
PIA sacks over 50
employees for
fake degrees
Karachi : Pakistan
International Airlines has sacked
over 50 employees, including
pilots and cabin crew, for holding
fake degrees, the media
reported on Saturday. A statement
by the country's national
carrier said that the employees
were fired on the instructions of
the Supreme Court in a fake
degrees case. Three pilots and 50
crew staff were sacked, Geo
News reported. Chief Justice
Saqib Nisar had taken notice of
alleged appointment of pilots
holding fake qualifications in
January this year.A two-member
bench headed by the Chief
Justice had issued a deadline of
December 28 to the Civil
Aviation Authority for completing
the verifications of the
degrees of pilots.
This had led to heated exchanges
between the opposition and treasury
benches and the House was adjourned
for the day amid ruckus.
It could be a repeat of the scene on
Wednesday.
Though the government does not
seem to have the numbers on its side —
'Historic number' of
Central government
officials promoted’
New Delhi : Union Minister Jitendra Singh on
Tuesday lauded the Department of Personnel and
Training (DoPT) for expediting promotion to
about 4,000 officials at various levels, saying it
has resulted in happiness among a large section of
Central government officials. "The DoPT has
recently issued promotion orders of about 4,000
officials at various levels. The total number of
promotions in Central Secretariat Service (CSS)
has been 1,756 and in Central Secretariat
Stenographers' Service (CSSS), it has been
2,235," Singh said in an official release.
He said that the total number of officials promoted
in the last few days has been 3,991 and, it
was a "historic number". "Never before in life of
these two service cadres, such a large number of
officials have been promoted in such a short time.
This has resulted in happiness amongst the large
and diverse sections of Central Secretariat government
staff," he said. Describing the promotions
as a New Year Gift to the Central
Government employees, the Union Minister of
State (Independent Charge) Personnel said it will
help improve the motivation level of these officials
and reflect in the performance of the government.
According to the release, the promotions
include higher level positions like 122 Directors,
340 Deputy Secretaries and 300 Under
Secretaries in CSS and approximately 300 Senior
Principal Private Secretaries (Sr. PPS), 680 PPS
in CSSS and Section Officers (SO) and Private
Secretaries (PS) and Personal Assistants at lower
level in these two key services of the Central government.
The release also said that the government
appointed Third Cadre Restructuring
Committee and accepted the report submitted by
it. "This has resulted in availability of additional
vacancies at higher levels to accommodate career
aspirations of the government staff," he said.
ASIA
Government likely to press on
with triple talaq bill in RS
and is not even sure
of support of one of
its allies, Janata Dal
United (JD-U), on
the issue — it
would most likely
push for it as it has
to replace the ordinance
promulgated
in September last
year.
Both opposition
and government
have been accusing
each other of doing
politics over the
issue ahead of the
Lok Sabha elections.
In the Lok Sabha
on Monday,
Congress party
leader Mallikarjun Kharge had said that
since Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had
“thrown a challenge”, his party is ready
for a debate on January 2.
The Congress MPs kept staging
protests holding placards and shouting
slogans near the Chair’s podium in the
lower House, demanding a JPC probe.
New Delhi : A completely blind
student of the Jawaharlal Nehru
University (JNU) has refused to
accept his exam result in which he
was failed, accusing the administration
of not providing him a writer
and reading material in braille
script.
Munesh Kumar, who has done
his Masters from the same university
and where all exams were written
for him by a scribe, has accused the
Centre of Japanese Studies (CJS) of
denying him a writer despite his
request, which resulted in his failing
his exam. "I was not provided the
reading material in braille at the
centre, nor the Job Access With
Speech (JAWS) software. When I
asked them for these, they directed
me to the Helen Keller Library in
the university. They did not provide
me the writer also. "The writer who
accompanied me to the exam hall
refused to write paper for me. He
only read the questions aloud," the
B.A. first semester student at CJS
told IANS. Kumar said that all his
exams, even during his schooling
and graduation from Delhi
University's Rajdhani College, were
written for him by writers because
he can see "very little". His failing
January 2019
7
JNU blind student blames
university failed him
the exam not only renders him ineligible
for promotion to the next
semester but has led to cancellation
of his studentship from the centre
for falling below a certain CGPA.
Another complaint Kumar made
was that he was not given a steady
tutor. "He would come once a week
only -- on Sundays-- and then too
would always be in hurry," he said.
The Chairperson of his centre
Professor P. A. George, however,
said it was Kumar's truancy that did
him in and not all the claims he
made were true. "The tutor would
visit him every day but he would not
find him (Kumar) in his room. In the
middle of the semester, he went to
Agra... Learning a language is like
maths, if you miss even one class, it
is very hard for one to develop language,"
George told IANS.
He conceded that the centre does
not have Japanese reading material
in braille, because the centre is
"newly built" and because it
requires a "lot of money" translating
all books in braille.
On the charge that the writer
refused to write his papers, George
insisted that the claim was not true
and that it was Kumar who insisted
on being given another writer.

8 January 2019
ASIA
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
The year when Modi's charisma
appeared to wane (2018 In Retrospect)
New Delhi : Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP face
a tough challenge in the Lok Sabha elections
in the coming summer in the wake
of its defeat in the recent Assembly elections
in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Chhattisgarh and mounting worries on
the economic front.
Even at the end of 2017, no one
would have given the opposition a
chance in the next general elections
after BJP's sweeping success in Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections in the wake
of demonetisation and surgical strikes
on terror hideouts across the Line of
Control in Jammu and Kashmir and its
ability to come to power in other states
where it was not the largest party.
However, the BJP was contained in
Modi's home state of Gujarat in the
year-end Assembly elections where it
was stopped short of the 100 mark, signalling
the green shoots of recovery for
the Congress. The change in the last one
year became evident after a united
Samajwadi Party and Bahujan
Samajwadi Party defeated the BJP in the
Lok Sabha by-elections in its strong
holds like Gorakhpur and Phulpur and
along with the RLD, in Kairana in Uttar
Pradesh. The Congress worsted the BJP
in parliamentary by-elections in
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and in
Karnataka. Also, the Congress was
quick to learn from BJP's game elsewhere
and surrendered the Chief
Minister's post to the JD-S in a post-poll
tie up to keep the BJP out of power in
Karnataka, despite the saffron party
emerging the single largest in the summer
of this year.
The results of the recent Assembly
polls in five states, where the Congress
snatched power from the BJP in the
Hindi heartland, has given a major boost
to the opposition parties and could be a
factor in the battle for control of the next
Lok Sabha.
During the year, the BJP had lost
seven out of the 13 by-elections in parliamentary
constituencies. Of these, it
held nine since 2014. It could retain
only Palghar in Maharashtra and
Shimoga in Karnataka.
Since 2014, the BJP managed to
retain just six Lok Sabha seats in bypolls.
Besides Palghar and Shimoga, it
had won Lakhimpur in Assam, Shahdol
in Madhya Pradesh, Beed in
Maharashtra and Vadodara in Gujarat.
In the last four-and-half-years, the
party has lost Lok Sabha by polls in
Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, Gurdaspur
in Punjab, Alwar and Ajmer in
Rajasthan, Kairana, Phulpur and
Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Bhandara-
Gondiya in Maharashtra and Bellary
and Mandya constituencies in
Karnataka. The BJP's tally in the Lok
Sabha has come down to 268 from 282
in 2014.
The results of the recent Assembly
polls and the by-elections may have signalled
the weakening of the "Modi
wave" of 2014 the road ahead may not
be easy for the saffron party, given the
fact that major parties like SP and BSP
in Uttar Pradesh are planning an anti-
BJP alliance and formation of the RJDled
alliance in Bihar, the two states
which send 120 of the 543 elected MPs
to the 545-member Lok Sabha, where
two members are nominated.
Although the BJP-led government
has been counting various of its
schemes including Mudra, Ujwala,
Saubhagya, opening of 'jan dhan' bank
accounts, One Rank One Pension, and
decisions on demonetisation, GST and
the surgical strikes across the border in
Pakistan as its major achievements in
last four-and-a-half-years, the issues
related to farmers and impacts of
demonetisation and GST, NPAs crisis
have come as a major dampener for the
ruling party.
Unlike in 2014, when they were the
challenger at the Centre and in many
states, when an untested Modi made
various promises, he and his party
would now face a lot of questions to
answer on the "achhe din" they had
offered to the electorate.
During the last election campaign,
Modi had promised one crore jobs a
year and depositing of Rs 15 lakh in
each persons account from the black
money to be repatriated from abroad.
The opposition is likely to rake up the
issues and demand answers over the crisis
of unemployment and agrarian distress
among others.
Besides, the party is also facing the
heat from the VHP and RSS, which have
been mounting pressure on the government
for constructing a Ram temple at
Ayodhya by bringing a law or ordinance.
Opposition parties allege that the
sangh parivar, headed by RSS, may like
to raise the political temperature on their
pet issues to polarise the political situation.
Although the Supreme Court has
given a clean chit to the government on
the Rafale fighter jet deal, the issue
remains live as the Congress has been
pushing for a Joint Parliamentary
Committee (JPC) probe.
In the Hindi hearltland of Bihar,
where the BJP had won 22 of the 40
seats in 2014, Chhattisgarh (10 out of
11), Haryana (10-10), Himachal
Pradesh (04-04), Jharkhand (12-14),
Madhya Pradesh (16-29), Rajasthan
(25-25), Uttarakhand (05-05), Uttar
Pradesh (71-80) and Delhi (07-07), 182
out of 225 seats came into the party's
kitty in 2014.
In the present political scenario,
political analysts feel the BJP is unlikely
to repeat its performance of 2014,
especially in key states like Uttar
Pradesh as the coming together of the
Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj
Party in Uttar Pradesh, social equations
are likely to change.
In Bihar, the 'mahagathbandhan' of
Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress,
Hindustani Awam Morcha and
Rashtriya Lok Samata Dal has already
been formed. Though the Janata Dal-
United has now allied with the BJP and
the LJP, the grand alliance remains
focussed on social engineering of Maha
Dalits, extremely backward communities,
along with RJD's traditional
Muslim-Yadav votebank.
In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Chhattisgarh the BJP has already lost
power to Congress and the BJP's numbers
are likley to drop in 2019.
In Maharashtra, the BJP ally, the Shiv
Sena, may cause anxiety as both the parties
don't sharing good vibes.
Maharashtra is the largest state after
Uttar Pradesh as it sends 48 MPs to Lok
Sabha. In the last election, the BJP won
23 seats and the Shiv Sena won 18.
In Gujarat, which is considered the
BJP's bastion and the Hindutva laboratory,
the state to which Modi and BJP
President Amit Shah belong, it may not
be easy to repeat the 2014 performance
given the Congress' fightback in last
year's Assembly polls.
Andhra Pradesh has 25 seats in the
Lok Sabha. Earlier, the BJP and Telugu
Desam Party (TDP) fought together,
with the BJP winning two seats and the
TDP 15. Now, the TDP is out of its fold,
the BJP is trying to woo a new ally in
the form of YRS Congress - at least post
poll. In Tamil Nadu, where it is facing
heavy headwinds, the party is trying to
woo the ruling AIADMK, which is itself
split, to take on a formidable DMK-
Congress combine in which a number of
other regional parties will also find a
place. The state has a tradition of voting
one way and the results in 40 seats
including one in Puducherry will be crucial
to the national outcome.
India may have
welcomed maximum
new borns on New
Year: UNICEF
New Delhi : India is estimated
to have welcomed 18
per cent of the total babies
born globally on January 1,
2019, UNICEF said on
Tuesday. According to the
UNICEF, 69,944 babies were
expected to be born on the
New Year Day out of
3,95,072 babies likely to be
born across the world.
As per UNICEF, globally
over half of these births are
estimated to taken place in
seven countries, along with
India like China (44,940),
Nigeria (25,685), Pakistan
(15,112), Indonesia (13,256),
the US (11,086), Democratic
Republic of Congo (10,053),
and Bangladesh (8,428).
Sydney was set to greet an
estimated 168 babies, followed
by Tokyo (310),
Beijing (605), Madrid (166)
and finally, New York (317).
Fiji in the Pacific was likely
to deliver 2019's first baby
and the US its last.
"This New Year Day, let's
all make a resolution to fulfill
every right of every girl and
boy, starting with the right to
survive. We can save millions
of babies if we invest in training
and equipping local health
workers so that every newborn
is born into a safe pair of
hands," said Yasmin Ali
Haque, UNICEF India
Representative, said.
India, Pakistan
exchange fire on
LoC on New
Year’s day
Jammu, The Indian and
Pakistani armies traded fire on
the Line of Control (LoC) on
Tuesday in Jammu and
Kashmir’s Poonch district,
officials said.
Defence sources said
Pakistan Army resorted to
unprovoked firing at Indian
positions on Tuesday morning.
“Pakistani firing began
early this morning in Khari
Karmara area of the LoC.
Indian positions retaliated
strongly. No casualty or damage
was reported on our side,”
an informed source said.
Tuesday’s ceasefire violation
comes on the first day of
the New Year. In 2018, there
have been over 1,400 ceasefire
violations on the LoC and the
International Border (IB) by
Pakistan in Jammu and
Kashmir.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk ASIA January 2019 9
Announcing Withdrawals : Trump is
doing what he promised at outset
New Delhi, Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley on Monday made it clear that the
government does not need RBI’s
reserves to bridge the widening fiscal
deficit as the Lok Sabha voted the
Supplementary Demands for Grants for
2018-19 to the tune of Rs 85,948.86
crore, including Rs.41,000 crore for
bank recapitalisation.
“This government’s fiscal deficit
track record has been better than any
other government in history. We do not
need RBI’s reserves for (meeting the)
fiscal deficit,” he said, replying to a
brief debate on the demands. India’s fiscal
deficit for the eight months till
November stood at Rs 7.17 lakh crore,
which is 114.8 per cent of the budgeted
Rs 6.24 lakh crore. The Minister’s
assertion comes against the backdrop of
a raging debate over the government’s
reported moves for securing the surplus
reserves with the RBI, estimated to be
around a few lakh crore of rupees, to
fund government’s social welfare
schemes ahead of elections. Jaitley said
the global standard for economic capital
framework for central banks was to
have around 8 per cent of their assets as
With the suddenness of revelation,
withdrawal from Syria and “drawdown”
from Afghanistan have been announced
by Donald Trump. In the past, such
announcements were followed up with a
tidy pattern: Two steps forward, one step
back. But this time debate and hesitation
have been foreclosed. Witness the way
Defence Secretary James Mattis is being
shown the door because he finds himself
not on the same page as the President.
Pundits will have difficulty digesting
the proposition that President Trump is
setting out to do in Syria, Afghanistan, the
Mexican border, Russia, what he had
promised during the election campaign
right up to its closing days in November
2016. He suddenly turned up in Baghdad
to signal his disapproval of the mess his
predecessors made of that expedition.
Some cameos will be forgotten in the rush
of news that must be expected.
I have followed Syria closely since
August 2011 when I found myself in
President Bashar al Assad’s office in
Damascus. His adviser, Bouthaina
Shaaban, knitted her brows when I pointed
out the ease with which US
Ambassador Robert Stephen Ford, along
with his French counterpart, were driving
around Hama, Homs, Daraa, all centres of
agitation, meeting anti-Assad insurgents.
“Just shows how penetrated we were,”
Shaaban said. The past tense is important.
Like colour revolutions elsewhere, the
initial ignition was amplified by the global
media to mobilise opinion in the region
and beyond. An article by James Glanz
and John Markoff in the New York Times
gave graphic descriptions of the technology
designed by the Obama administration
to bypass state communication controls
and to deploy “shadow” Internet and
mobile phone systems that “dissidents can
use to undermine repressive governments”.
Did I hear someone wail that
Russia interferes in other countries?
Against this backdrop, let me fast forward
to Trump’s interview with Jake
Tapper of the CNN just before the elections.
“Where do you think have billions
of dollars’ worth of arms — and cash —
gone in the course of our involvement in
Syria? To the extremists, of course: I
believe so.” Trump was right. Obama’s
Defence Secretary Ashton Carter made
several humiliating Syria-related
announcements. His face in the lower
mould, Carter announced that the $500
million project to train “rebels” in Syria
was discontinued because arms reached
groups the US intended to fight.
That the US intelligence agencies were
mixed up with militant groups became
more or less clear in subsequent leaks. An
admission that Obama made to Thomas
Friedman of the New York Times in
August 2015 when the rise of the ISIS
was the big story is revealing. Friedman
asked Obama why he had not bombed the
ISIS when it first reared its head. The
interview was given in August 2015.
Obama minced no words. “That we did
not just start taking a bunch of air strikes
all across Iraq as soon as the IS came in
was because that would have taken the
pressure off Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al
Maliki.” ISIS was, in other words, an
asset then. Maliki was in bad odour with
Don’t need RBI’s reserves to meet fiscal deficit: Jaitley
reserves with even the most conservative
nations having it at 14 per cent.
“Does India need to have 27-28 per
cent (as risk capital)… The money can
be used for recapitalisation of banks or
for poverty alleviation measures,” he
said, adding the government only wanted
to have a committee to review the
matter. The second Supplementary
Demands for Grants for 2018-19
includes Rs 41,000 crore for recapitalisation
of the public sector banks that
have been hit hard by non-performing
assets. Jaitley said the government’s initiatives
including the Insolvency and
Bankruptcy Code (IBC) were bearing
fruits and money stuck as NPA was now
back into the banking system.
“The balance sheets of public sector
banks are improving due to the IBC as
money is coming back into the system.
Rs 3 lakh crore has already been recovered
through IBC. Banks’ ability to lend
is also increasing,” he said.
Attacking the Congress, the Finance
Minister said the asset quality review by
the RBI initiated after this government
took charge revealed the NPAs during
the UPA regime were as high as Rs 8.5
the Obama establishment because he
refused to sign the Status of Forces
Agreement, “that would have involved
the surrender of Iraqi sovereignty”. In this
stand Maliki had the support of the Shia
establishment at Najaf led by Grand
Ayatullah Sistani. This stance of Sistani’s
placed him on the wrong side of the
American media. There is delicious irony
in this. The media sang paeans of the high
priest in 2005. In fact Friedman had written
a column proposing Sistani for the
Nobel Prize for the constructive role he
played in inviting Iraqi Shias, an overwhelming
majority in the country, to help
stabilise electoral democracy.
True, a structure for the practice of
democracy is in place in Baghdad but the
Two River Civilisation has been ripped
apart and terrorism is endemic. On this too
Trump, in his conversation with Tapper,
pulls no punches: “Saddam Hussain and
Qaddafi may have been bad men but there
was no terrorism in their countries. What
we have created is terrorism.” There have
been many false troop withdrawal alarms
in the past, even during the Trump years.
The Syrian army, aided by the Russians,
appeared to be in control, until the next
lakh crore as opposed to the UPA’s
claim of Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
Countering charges of a slowdown in
the growth rate of the country’s gross
domestic product (GDP), he said: “India
is growing at 7.5 per cent when the
world is growing at 3 per cent. We are
also growing faster than China.”
Jaitley also said that the government
would continue to take all necessary
steps to ensure that farmers get adequate
minimum support price for their produce
– 50 per cent higher than their
eruption, in Aleppo, Del Azour, Idlib, anywhere.
The motivation to keep the pressure
up on Assad came principally from
Riyadh. But a somewhat lame duck post-
Khashoggi, it is winding down in Yemen
and probably lacking in spunk vis-a-vis
Syria. A greater credibility therefore
attends announcement of troop withdrawal
on this occasion. Trump’s announcement
of drawing down troops in Afghanistan has
coincided with the appointment of
Amrullah Saleh as Minister of Interior. He
is a Tajik, former spymaster and close
adviser to the late Ahmad Shah Masood
and a persistent critic of Pakistan’s role in
the Afghan civil war. Let me share with
you a flavour of Saleh’s thinking when I
met him in Kabul a few years ago. “The
enemy is headquartered in Pakistan and he
should be defeated there. For the US, the
‘expendable’ part of the Taleban is in
Afghanistan. Why would we ever collaborate
with NATO who wish to kill Afghans
they consider expendable? NATO has no
strategy in the region because it has no policy
towards Pakistan. They know they cannot
defeat the Afghan Taleban without hitting
hard at their bases in Pakistan.” Much
water has flown down the Kabul river
since Saleh spoke to me. Trump’s newlyappointed
Special Envoy to Afghanistan
Zalmay Khalilzad has also tried to correct
the image attached to him, that of being
anti-Pakistan. During a recent visit to
Islamabad, Secretary of State Mike
Pampeo gave Khalilzad a high profile in
his delegation. Much was made of the fact
that Khalilzad visited Islamabad before
New Delhi. Obviously, Khalilzad would
like to get rid of the perception that he proposes
a higher profile for India in
Afghanistan.
Anyone interested in visually observing
the success of India’s policy of “diplomacy
by default”, a slow tortoise-like
movement, should visit Hauz Rani opposite
Max Hospital in Delhi where a virtual
Afghan colony has sprung up, eateries
et al, harmoniously merging with the
landscape.
input cost as promised. The demands for
grants contain proposals involving a net
cash outgo aggregating to Rs 15,069.49
crore and gross additional expenditure,
matched by savings of the ministries
and departments or by enhanced
receipts and recoveries, aggregating to
Rs 70,882.21 crore. Both treasury
benches and the opposition members
attacked each other during discussion
over the supplementary demand. Taking
part in the debate, most opposition
members raised farmer’s distress issue
and took a dig at the government over
implementation of Goods and Services
Tax (GST) and demonetisation reforms.
Bhartruhari Mahtab of BJD sought to
know from the government the steps
being taken to improve the governance
in the banks. TMC MP Saugata Roy
said the economy was in “doldrums”
and asked the Centre about the resignation
of RBI Governor Urjit Patel.
“The biggest blunder of the Modi
government was to hurriedly implement
GST and demonetisation. These were
the cruel steps of the government. Many
businessmen like Nirav Modi, Mehul
Choksi and Vijay Mallya have fled after
Gas explosion
in Russian
building kills 3
Moscow, At least three people
died and 79 others were
missing after a gas explosion in
an apartment building in southern
Russia, authorities said on
Monday. An entrance hall in
the apartment building in
Magnitogorsk, an industrial
city in Russia’s Chelyabinsk
region, collapsed due to the
explosion. A total of 48 apartments
inhabited by 110 people
were damaged in the blast, said
the Ministry of Emergency
Situations. Emergency services
said that rescue workers managed
to pull out six people
from the rubble. Three people
died and another three, including
a child, were injured,
Russia’s Tass news agency
reported. The gas explosion
was believed to be a key cause
of the accident. The fate of 79
people remained unknown,
said Deputy Governor of the
Chelyabinsk Region Oleg
Klimov. A search and rescue
effort was underway involving
469 emergency workers.
Russian President Vladimir
Putin dispatched Health
Minister Veronika Skvortsova
to the city to take stock of the
situation.
defrauding banks,” Roy said.
He said the government has not come
out with the figures on the number of
people who have lost jobs due to
demonetisation and asked the Finance
Minister to state the number of small
businesses that had closed due to implementation
of the GST.
Opposing the supplementary
demand, Samajwadi Party MP
Dharmendra Yadav said: “I am against it
because the problems are increasing day
by day though five budgets have passed.
Over 60,000 farmers have committed
suicide in NDA regime. Potato is being
thrown on roads and farmers are not
getting proper cost of their sugarcane
crops.” BJP MP Anurag Thakur, however,
supported the draft, saying “the fiscal
deficit is now 3.8 per cent which never
came below 6.8 per cent during UPA
government”. Labelling MGNREGA as
the “mother” of corruption, BJP MP
Nishikant Dubey said that it was due to
MGNREGA that the fiscal management
of the Central government was affected.
After the implementation of Aadhar
and Biometric, around Rs 60,000-
70,000 crore had been saved, he said.

10 January 2019
NEWS
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
ROBOTS to fix underground
pipes and help cut roadworks
New investment to create tiny robots
that can help repair the UK’s vast underground
pipe network and prevent disruption
of roadworks in the future.
£26.6 million investment to build
micro robots that can help repair the UK’s
vast underground pipe network preventing
disruptive roadworks and road closures
robots – including flying and underwater
versions – will also inspect and maintain
oil and gas pressure vessels and offshore
wind turbines
funding from the government’s modern
Industrial Strategy to invest in the
industries of tomorrow
New micro robots will be built to
repair the UK’s huge underground pipe
network, significantly cutting the disruption
caused by the 1.5 million road excavations
that take place every year.
Scientists from 4 British universities
will use £26.6 million government investment
to develop 1 cm-long robotic
devices that use sensors and navigation
systems to find and mend cracks in pipes.
The traffic closures and disruption to
businesses of these roadworks is estimated
to amount to more than £5 billion. A
further 14 projects backed by the government
will see robots sent to hazardous
work places such as offshore wind-farms
and nuclear decommissioning facilities.
Researchers will test new technologies,
such as the use of artificial intelligence
(AI) software on satellites in orbit to
detect when repairs are needed, and
drones for oil pipeline monitoring.
Science Minister Chris Skidmore said:
While for now we can only dream of a
world without roadworks disrupting our
lives, these pipe-repairing robots herald
the start of technology that could make
that dream a reality in the future
From deploying robots in our pipe network
so cutting down traffic delays, to
using robots in workplaces to keep people
safer, this new technology could change
the world we live in for the better. Experts
in our top UK universities across the
country are well-equipped to develop this
innovative new technology.
We have put research and development
at the heart of our modern Industrial
Strategy, with the biggest boost to funding
in UK history to create high skill jobs and
boost productivity across the country.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark
Walport said: The projects announced
today demonstrate how robots and artificial
intelligence will revolutionise the
way we carry out complex and dangerous
tasks, from maintaining offshore wind
farms to decommissioning nuclear power
facilities.
They also illustrate the leading role
that the UK’s innovators are playing in
developing these new technologies which
will improve safety and boost productivity
and efficiency. The £26.6 million government
funding boost is part of the modern
Industrial Strategy, investing in the
technologies of tomorrow and creating
high skilled jobs across the country. The
UK already develops world-leading
robotics technologies, and these projects
funded by the Industrial Strategy
Challenge Fund and delivered by UKRI,
will help makes this a sector for UK businesses
to grow and dominate international
markets.
Health and Safety Executive Chair
Martin Temple said:
The key purpose of the Health and
Safety Executive is to save lives and prevent
workplace injury and ill health. To
achieve this, we need businesses to work
with us and to be innovative in their
thinking around managing risk in the
workplace. New and emerging technologies
are shaping our working environment.
As a regulator we want to encourage
industry to think about how technologies
such as robotics and AI can be used
to manage risk in the workplace, safeguarding
workers both now and in the
future world of work.
Amritsar – Dehradun Flight by Spicejet to Start from January 20 Benefit also to
travelers for Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Hemkunt Sahib Dehradun becomes
9th domestic & 17th overall airport to be connected directly with Amritsar
Amritsar : Spicejet is giving a new
year gift to the travelers from Punjab and
Uttarakhand. It is launching direct daily
flight from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee
International Airport, Amritsar to the
Uttarakhand capital Dehradun from
January 20, 2019. Dehradun will
become ninth domestic and seventeenth
overall airport to be directly connected
with the airport. Booking for the flight is
available on the airline website.
This flight will depart from Dehradun
at 11:55am and will arrive at 12:35pm.
Its return flight will leave Amritsar at
12:55pm and reach Dehradun at 1:35pm.
The total duration of the flight will be 40
minutes with aircraft capacity for 78
passengers. Bookings have been opened
for the passengers on Spicejet official
website.
Thanking Spicejet for the start of this
flight, Sameep Singh Gumtala,
Convener FlyAmritasr Initiative and
Overseas Secretary, Amritsar Vikas
Manch said that the start of this flight is
being considered important as Haridwar
and Rishikesh are only 35-40km and
famous mountainous area Mussoorie is
also about 60km from Dehradun airport.
This will also facilitate devotees to
Hemkunt Sahib and travelers to Tarai
region (Rudrapur, Haldwani, Lalkuan) as
their train or road journey will be reduced
by about 10 hours with the direct flight.
SpiceJet has also started flights to
Bangkok and Goa in November, 2018.
FlyAmritsar Initiative Co-Convener
Yogesh Kamra informed that according
to the monthly data released by Airport
Authority of India, total passenger count
from the airport have reached 15.5 lakh
in first eight months of the financial year
2018-19 ending in November compared
to the same period in 2017-18 with an
increase of 9.5 percent. A total of 4
domestic and 4 international flights have
started in this financial year. Due to this,
total international passengers increased
by 23.1 in the current financial year.
The year 2019 will bring more flights
to the Airport. In November, Ministry of
Civil aviation agreed to demands raised
by delegation of Amritsar Vikas Manch
for new routes under UDAN (Ude Desh
Ka Aam Naagrik) – phase III of
Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)
by awarding six new routes to Amritsar
under the scheme that included Patna,
Jaipur, Kolkata, Dharamsala, Varanasi
and Goa, said Gumtala.
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www.theasianindependent.co.uk
NEWS
CONGRESS READY FOR DEBATE ON RAFALE,
CENTRE REJECTS ALLEGATIONS
New Delhi, The Congress,
which has been demanding a
Joint Parliamentary Probe (JPC)
probe on the Rafale fighter jet
deal since the beginning of the
Winter Session of Parliament, on
Monday said that it was ready
for a debate on Wednesday over
the controversial deal.
“Jaitley ji has thrown a challenge
… we accept it… we are
ready for a debate on January 2.
Please decide a time,” Congress
leader Mallikarjun Kharge said
in the Lok Sabha just as it was
about to adjourn for the day.
He was responding to Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley, who said
that the Congress should begin
the discussion on the issue
immediately. The minister had
alleged that the Congress was
“running away” from a discussion
and was spreading “lies”
over the deal. “If you have the
courage, begin the debate immediately,”
Jaitley said soon after
the House voted the
Supplementary Demands for
Grants amid din and slogan
shouting by the Congress
demanding a JPC probe on the
Rafale deal.
During the debate, BJP’s
Nishikant Dubey too accused the
Congress of making a hue and
cry over the issue and charged
that the Congress was running
away from a discussion.
As Speaker Sumitra
Mahahjan was about to adjourn
the House for the day, Kharge
reminded her about Jaitley’s
challenge and asked her to fix
the time for a discussion on
January 2. “I am not saying
no…why should I say
no…In fact the House was
prepared for a debate but
something happened and
you (Congress) started
demanding JPC probe…you
keep your challenges to
yourself… don’t challenge
me. When the debate will
take place, I will
decide…you will decide,”
Mahajan remarked and then
adjourned the House for the
day.
The government has been
saying that it was ready for a discussion
on the issue.
Earlier in the day, Home
Minister Rajnath Singh rejected
allegations of corruption in the
Rafale deal while asserting that a
lie repeated again and again will
not become a truth.
“The Congress should understand
that a lie spoken many a
time cannot turn into truth. We
have been ready for a discussion
from the very first day. But why
is the opposition party running
away (from a discussion),”
Singh said. He was responding
to Kharge’s accusations on the
issue during Zero Hour amid
protests and slogan-shouting by
opposition members including
those of Congress, AIADMK
and the TDP on different issues.
Raising the issue, Kharge
reiterated his party’s demand for
a Joint Parliamentary Committee
(JPC) probe into the deal alleging
that it was one of the biggest
“scams” of the country.
“We are demanding a JPC
probe for three weeks. Allow it,”
he said, questioning the government
for not disclosing the price
of the aircraft. He claimed that
the Rafale fighter jets have been
purchased at a price three times
higher than the UPA government’s
deal.
“Why the government is not
disclosing the prices even as the
French President has said it can
be disclosed,” he said.
Not satisfied with the government’s
response, the Congress
members continued with their
protest.
January 2019
11
Andhra employees of Hyderabad
High Court leave for Amaravati
Hyderabad, With the decks cleared for functioning of separate
high courts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana from New Year,
employees and lawyers of Andhra Pradesh at the High Court of
Judicature in Hyderabad left for
Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati on
Monday. About 900 employees left for
Amaravati in special buses as their
Telangana counterparts saw them off.
Some employees turned emotional on
leaving Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad High Court has been
serving as the common High Court for
both the Telugu states since June 2014
when Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated to
carve out Telangana state. Earlier, the
Supreme Court refused to take up for
immediate hearing a petition filed by
Andhra Pradesh Lawyers Association
for postponing shifting of High Court to Amaravati till the construction
of High Court building was completed there. The Supreme Court
will take up the petition for hearing on Wednesday. The petitioners
say that completion of High Court building could take about 10
months. The Centre had last week issued a notification for bifurcation
of the High Court between the two states. The gazette notification said
January 1 would be the appointed day for the Andhra Pradesh High
Court, which will start functioning from Amaravati, while the High
Court of Judicature at Hyderabad will become the High Court for
Telangana. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu
had criticised the Centre for not giving sufficient time to make preparations
for shifting of the High Court.
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12 January 2019
BUSINESS
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Macro-data, rupee to set equity indices trajectory
Mumbai, Macro-economic data points, coupled
with Indian rupee’s performance aginst the
US dollar will influence domestic equity market’s
trajectory during the upcoming week.
Market observers feel that global crude oil
prices and third quarter (Q3) earning results
would also influence the market’s movement.
“Global cues and crude oil price movement
will continue to dictate the trend of the market,”
SMC Investments & Advisors CMD D.K.
Aggarwal told IANS. “There is lot of uncertainty
and volatility in the global markets. The
domestic market is likely to track the global markets
going ahead.”
Globally, concerns over a slowdown in international
growth and the ongoing partial US government
shutdown were major themes during the
last week’s trade. Apart from global cues,
investors will look forward to the Q3 2018-19,
earnings result season which will
kick off from next week.
“Investors will closely watch
the expectation on Q3 earnings,
while global cues will dictate the
direction of the market,” said
Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial
Services. Besides Q3 results, macro-economic data
points — such as the eight core industries’ (ECIs)
output, external debt, PMI manufacturing and services
and monthly automobile sales figures — will
be released during the week starting December 31.
According to Sahil Kapoor, Chief Market
Strategist, Edelweiss Investment Research: “Next
week markets are likely to face resistance at 11,000
levels which are likely to get tested in coming
week. Currently the Index is caught in a range of
10,500 to 11,000. A resolution of this range will
result in a larger directional move.” “Nifty continues
to trade at rich valuations
despite a de-rating
across the world.
We are likely to see
Indian multiples getting
de-rated in the next few
weeks.” Additionally, the movement of Indian
rupee against the US dollar and the direction of
foreign fund flows will also set the course of key
indices. “Rupee can be under some pressure on
mounting worries on missing fiscal deficit targets,”
said Sajal Gupta, Edelweiss Securities’
Head of Forex and Rates.
“A range from 69.80 to 70.50 per USD can be
expected.” On a weekly basis, the Indian rupee
gained 76 paise to 69.94 against the US dollar
from its last week’s close of 70.15 per greenback.
In terms of investments, provisional figures
from the stock exchanges showed that foreign
institutional investors bought shares worth Rs
1,249.6 crore during the week under review.
On technical charts, the short-term trend of
the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE) Nifty50
remians positive. “Further upsides are likely
once the immediate resistances of 10,941-10,985
points are taken out. Crucial intermediate supports
are now at 10,738 points,” HDFC
Securities’ Retail Research Head Deepak Jasani
told IANS. Last week, global relief rally following
the resolution of a standoff between US
President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve
Chairman Jerome Powell lifted the Indian equity
markets. Consequently, the BSE Sensex rose
334.65 points, or 0.93 per cent, to 36,076.72
points from its previous corresponding weekly
close. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty50 edged
up by 105.9 points, or 0.98 per cent, to close the
week at 10,859.90.
Wall Street gains at end
of turbulent 2018
Mumbai, The asset quality
of banks improved over the
first-half of this fiscal with the
gross non-performing assets
(GNPAs or bad loans) ratio
declining to 10.8 per cent in
September, from 11.5 per cent
in March, the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) said on Monday.
In its Financial Stability
Report (FSR) released on the
final day of 2018, the RBI also
said that the net NPAs’ ratio
also fell over the period in consideration
to 5.3 per cent in
September, as against 6.2 per
cent in March.
“The asset quality of banks
showed an improvement with
the GNPA ratio of SCBs
(scheduled commercial banks)
New York : US stocks
ended higher, wrapping up a
pathetic 2018 amid the largest
yearly fall over the past decade,
although investors regained
some optimism over the
prospect of global trade in the
year ahead.
Following solid gains
throughout the day, the Dow
Jones Industrial Average rose
265.06 points, or 1.15 percent,
to 23327.46 on Monday. The
S&P 500 was up 21.11 points,
or 0.85 percent, to 2506.85.
The Nasdaq Composite Index
rallied 50.76 points, or 0.77
percent, to 6635.28, Xinhua
news agency reported.
Shares of Netflix and
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a
US biotech firm, extended
gains of 4.52 and 3 percent
respectively, leading the
advances. The currentlyexpanding
Amazon also rose
by 1.62 percent.
All the 11 primary S&P sectors
traded higher, with the
healthcare sector up 1.39 percent,
leading the winners.
Despite a green final trading
day of the year, market jitters
have been expected to remain,
as the three major indexes
recorded their worst year since
the financial crisis in 2008.
The S&P 500 and the Dow
declined for the first time in
three years, posting a yearly
decline of 6.2 percent and 5.6
percent respectively in 2018.
While the Nasdaq slumped
declining from 11.5 per cent in
March 2018 to 10.8 per cent in
September 2018. Under the
baseline scenario, GNPA ratio
may decline from 10.8 per cent
in September 2018 to 10.3 per
cent in March 2019,” an RBI
statement said.
“In a sign of possible recovery
from the impaired asset
load, the GNPA ratio of both
public and private sector banks
showed a half-yearly decline,
for the first time since March
2015, the financial year-end
prior to the launch of asset
quality review (AQR),” the
report said.
GNPAs of state-run banks
have also improved to 14.8 per
cent in September 2018 from
after six years of consecutive
rallies by 3.9 percent, its worst
annual performance over the
past decade.
Yet investors have restored
some confidence in the continuously
volatile U.S. equity
market on Monday amid signs
of global trade tensions’ defuse
and anticipation of upcoming
remarks from US Federal
Reserves’ Chairman Jeremy
Powell next year. Among the
15.2 per cent in March, it said.
According to the report, private
sector banks saw their
gross NPAs falling during
April-September from 4 to 3.8
per cent in September 2018 in
March 2018. The FSR reflects
the assessment on risks to
latest signs of easing US-China
trade frictions, China has
recently released a draft foreign
investment law to solicit public
opinions until Feb. 24.
The draft legislation
includes a series of terms aimed
at improving investment environment
and providing legal
protection for overseas
investors operating in China.
In particular, the draft law
clarifies that “government
departments and officials cannot
use administrative means
for forced technology transfers,”
which has been a major
worry for foreign companies in
China. Investors are also looking
to signals of shoring up the
U.S. economy from the
remarks that the Fed chairman
is scheduled to deliver next
month on the U.S. central
bank’s monetary policy-setting
in 2019. Previously, the Fed
signalled that it would slow the
tightening pace on Dec. 19, as
it revised the times of rate hikes
in 2019 lower to two.
financial stability, as also the
resilience of the financial system.
“Overall assessment of
systemic risks India’s financial
system remains stable, and the
banking sector shows signs of
improvement, even though the
global economic environment
Government extends
CLSS for MIG housing
loans till March 2020
New Delhi, The Central government on Monday extended the
credit-linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) for the Middle Income
Group (MIG) by 12 months to March 31, 2020, an official statement
said. It said that the number of beneficiaries under the
scheme as of December 30, 2018 was 3,39,713 and the government
has released a subsidy of Rs 7,543.64 crore.
“The growth and performance of CLSS for MIG scheme has
been very good and we are on course to having about one lakh
beneficiaries by the end of this year,” the statement quoted Union
Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as saying.
Under the scheme, people belonging to the Lower Income
Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG) can avail interest
subsidy from the government on home loans.
The carpet area under the ambit of the scheme was enhanced
to “up to 160 square metre” and “up to 200 square metre” for
MIG-I and MIG-II, respectively, in June this year, which would
come into effect on January 1, 2019. Initially, the scheme was
launched for MIG for a period of 12 months till March 31, 2017
and later extended up to March 31, 2019.
Banks’ bad loans’ status improved over H1 2018-19: RBI
and the emerging trends in
financial sector pose challenges,”
the statement said.
“Spill-over risk to emerging
economies engendered by
tightening of financial conditions
in advanced economies,
protectionist trade policies and
global geopolitical tension
have significantly increased.”
In his foreword to the FSR,
new RBI Governor Shaktikanta
Das said the banking sector is
on course to recovery vis-a-vis
the NPAs, but state-run banks
need reforms in governance.
“After a prolonged period of
stress, the banking sector
appears to be on course to
recovery as the load of
impaired assets recedes,” Das
said. The weaker banks among
the state-run ones need to be
supported through recapitalisation,
he said. Although current
NPA levels remain high, the
Governor said that stress tests
done by the RBI have pointed
to an improvement in the ratio
in future. “The immense effort
put in by the stakeholders so far
is required to be buttressed with
substantive reforms in governance
and oversight regime,
supported by recapitalisation of
weak PSBs (public sector
banks),” he said.
Earlier this month, the government
committed an additional
Rs 41,000 crore in the
current fiscal for recapitalisation
of PSBs.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
HEALTH
E-cigarette usage nearly
doubles in US high schools
LOS ANGELES : The percentage
of high school seniors
who used e-cigarettes in the
last 30 days nearly doubled to
20.9 percent from last year,
results of a survey released by
the National Institute on Drug
Abuse showed on Monday. The
increase in vaping by 10th and
12th graders was the largest
year-over-year jump for any
substance ever measured by the
survey, which started 44 years
ago.
The annual survey, which
also measures use of other substances
including marijuana,
alcohol and opioids, questioned
more than 44,000 students
from 8th, 10th and 12th
grades in US public and private
schools.
The percentage of high known as e-cigarettes, has
school students who used nicotine-based
vaping devices, year, the survey
risen by a third over the past
showed.
Colleagues' rudeness
can affect your sleep
NEW YORK : Blame your co-worker who is rude, uses sarcastic
comments and demeaning language. According to a study,
workplace uncivilities can not only affect an employee's sleep but
also their partner's. The study
found that when a person experiences
rude, discourteous, impolite
colleagues at workplace, they tend
to ruminate more about work at
home. They also face trouble
Unable to sleep
properly?
falling asleep or may wake up in the middle of the night. This also
affects the spouse or partner, only when the couple works in the
same company or occupation, the researchers said. It is "because
work-linked couples have a better idea of what's going on in each
other's work, they can be better supporters", said Charlotte Fritz,
Associate Professor from the Portland State University in the US.
"They probably know more about the context of the uncivil act and
might be more pulled into the venting or problem-solving process,"
she added, in the paper detailed in the journal Occupational Health
Science. While organisations do everything in their power to create
a culture of civility by imposing zero-tolerance policies or offering
civility training, uncivilities at workplace are not completely
avoidable. However, mentally detaching from work during nonwork
hours by spending time with family and friends or enjoying
hobbies, and practising meditation at work and home are important,
and can help both the employees and their spouses, according
to Fritz. "They can talk about work, vent about it, discuss it, but
then they should make an explicit attempt to unwind together and
create good conditions for sleep," she noted.
For the study, the team involved 305 couples in a variety of jobs.
E-cigarettes have been a
divisive topic in the public
health community. Some focus
on the potential benefit of shifting
lifelong smokers to less
harmful nicotine products,
while others fear it will create a
new generation addicted to
nicotine.
Last month, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, facing
mounting pressure to act on
the rising popularity of vaping
devices, announced sweeping
new restrictions on flavoured
tobacco products, including e-
cigarettes. The one-year rise in
vaping were mirrored by
changes in the perception of
availability of e-cigarretes, the
WASHINGTON : People who drink lots
of sugar-sweetened drinks and soda may be
putting themselves at a greater risk of chronic
kidney disease, according to a study.
The findings, published in the Clinical
Journal of the American Society of
Nephrology (CJASN), contribute to the
growing body of evidence pointing to the
negative health consequences of consuming
sugar-sweetened beverages.
Certain beverages may affect kidney
health, but study results have been inconsistent.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health in the
US studied 3,003 African-American men and
women with normal kidney function. "There
is a lack of comprehensive information on
the health implications of the wide range of
beverage options that are available in the
food supply," said Casey Rebholz from the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health. "In particular, there is limited information
on which types of beverages and patterns
of beverages are associated with kidney
disease risk in particular," Rebholz said. The
researchers assessed beverage intake through
a food frequency questionnaire administered
at the start of the study in 2000-04, and they
followed participants until 2009-13. Among
the 3,003 participants, 185 (6 per cent)
institute said in its report, with
more 8th and 10th graders
reporting that vaping devices
and e-liquids containing nicotine
were easier to obtain in
2018 than in 2017. E-cigarette
makers, including San
Francisco-based Juul Labs Inc,
have also faced scrutiny from
the FDA amid the increase in
teenage use of the devices,
which look like a USB flash
drive and vaporize a flavoured
liquid containing nicotine.
Juul said in November it
would pull popular flavours
such as mango, cucumber and
fruit from many retail store
shelves to reduce teenage use
of its products.
developed chronic kidney disease (CKD)
over a median follow-up of 8 years.
Consuming a beverage pattern consisting
of soda, sweetened fruit drinks, and water
was associated with a higher risk of developing
CKD. Participants in the top tertile for
consumption of this beverage pattern were
61 per cent more likely to develop CKD than
January 2019
13
Heart attack, stroke may
predict cancer risk
New York : Heart attack or stroke may be an early sign of cancers,
especially in older adults, say researchers.
The findings showed that the risk of having a heart attack and
stroke jumped by 70 per cent in the year before cancer diagnosis.
The risk was most acute in the month immediately before cancer
diagnosis. Lung and colon cancers, as well as advanced-staged cancers,
appear to be most strongly associated with an elevated risk of
heart attack and stroke caused by blood clots in the arteries, according
to a report published in the journal Blood.
“Our data shows there is an associated risk of ischemic stroke
and heart attack that begins to increase in the five months before the
cancer is officially diagnosed and peaks in the month just before,”
said lead author Babak Navi, Associate Professor at Cornell
University in the US.
“These results suggest that cancer’s effect on the clotting system
may be what’s predominantly driving the associated risk of heart
attacks and stroke,” Navi added.
Cancers can take months and sometimes years to develop and be
diagnosed, and some cancers may be exerting biological effects on
the body, especially thromboembolic activity, before they come to
medical attention, he explained.
For the study, the team included 748,662 people (67 years and
older) and looked at the risk of heart attack and stroke in those
newly diagnosed with breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, bladder,
non-Hodgkin lymphoma, uterine, pancreatic, and gastric cancers.
When analysed separately, both heart attack and stroke risk were
increased in the months before cancer diagnosis, although heart
attack events were slightly more common than strokes.
“If someone has a heart attack or stroke and there are any concerning
signs for an undiagnosed malignancy, such as weight loss
or unexplained anaemia, then perhaps a cancer screening should be
considered,” Navi said.
Drinking soda, sweetened drinks
may up chronic kidney disease
those in the bottom tertile. The researchers
were surprised to see that water was a component
of this beverage pattern that was
linked with a higher risk of CKD. They noted
that study participants may have reported
their consumption of a wide variety of types
of water, including flavoured and sweetened
water.

14 January 2019
HEALTH
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Father's post-natal depression linked
to emotional stress in teen girls
LONDON : Post-natal
depression in fathers, in addition
to mothers, bring emotional
problems for their teenage
daughters, finds a new study.
The study found that almost
one in 20 new fathers suffered
depression in the weeks after
their child was born.
However, this association of
increased risk applied only to
teenage daughters. Sons
remained unaffected.
The reason for this "handing
on" effect could be that postnatal
depression in fathers is
sometimes linked with an
increased level of maternal
depression, indicating family life
is more disrupted for everyone
with higher levels of stress for
all.
While it is unclear why girls
may be more affected at this age,
there may be links to specific
aspects of father-daughter relationships
as girls go through
adolescence, the team suggested,
in the paper published in the
journal JAMA Psychiatry.
Exposure to secondhand
smoke may cause
irregular heartbeat
LOS ANGELES : Continuous
indoor exposure to second-hand tobacco
smoke triggers changes in the
heart's electrical activity that may
cause irregular heartbeat, a study
warns. The finding, conducted in
mice, suggests that second-hand
smoke exposure alters cells that regulate
how the heart beats.
The study, published in the journal
Environmental Health Perspectives,
expands overall knowledge of the
effects of tobacco smoke on cardiac
function in nonsmokers.
"As tobacco use continues to
decrease, research on its effects among
nonusers also is declining," said
Crystal Ripplinger, an associate professor
at the University of California,
Davis in the US.. "It's important to
continually define the health effects of
those unintended exposures," said
Ripplinger. The study is the first to
examine cellular changes in heart tissue
in response to ambient tobacco
smoke, researchers said. Another distinction
is that it focused on a heart
condition other than coronary artery
disease (CAD), or plaque buildup and
vessel hardening associated with
lifestyle and age. "The link between
second-hand tobacco smoke and CAD
is well established, however there is
little-to-no research on how it influences
cellular changes associated with
arrhythmia, which may affect individuals
with or without CAD," Ripplinger
said. Mice were exposed to secondhand
tobacco smoke in a chamber
specifically designed to test health
effects associated with inhaled toxins.
The smoke levels were set to be similar
to those found in public areas
where smokers are present.
Following four, eight and 12 weeks
of exposure for six hours a day, five
days a week, the animals' hearts were
tested using high-speed imaging and
electrocardiograms for changes in
electrical activity. To test susceptibility
to arrhythmias, hearts were paced at
fast heart rates. They also were tested
for levels of calcium, which regulates
heart contraction and contributes to
abnormal rhythms. The results were
compared to hearts of mice exposed
only to filtered air. The researchers
found that hearts from mice exposed
to filtered air responded normally, but
the hearts from mice exposed to secondhand
smoke could not tolerate fast
rates, especially at 12 weeks of exposure.
They also found that calcium levels
in these hearts did not respond
quickly enough, causing beat-to-beat
instability, or cardiac alternans.
"The high incidence of cardiac
alternans is particularly concerning
because we know that patients with
this condition are at significantly higher
risk for arrhythmias and sudden cardiac
death," Ripplinger said.
"We were able to look at
some of the ways in which
depression in fathers might have
affected children. It appears that
depression in fathers is linked
with an increased level of stress
in the whole family, and that this
might be one way in which the
offspring may be affected," said
Paul Ramchandani, Professor
from the University of
Cambridge.
Whilst many children will not
be affected by parental depression
in this way, the findings of
this study highlight the importance
of providing appropriate
help to fathers, as well as mothers,
who may experience depression,
according to Ramchandani.
"Fathers' post-natal depression
impacts the whole family
when unsupported, often resulting
in fathers using negative
coping skills, avoiding situations
and often feeling anger," noted
Mark Williams, a paternal
depression campaigner.
The study was based on the
experiences of 3,176 fathers.
Sugar-sweetened beverages linked
to kidney disease risk : Study
New York, A pattern of higher collective consumption of sweetened
fruit drinks, soda and water was associated with a higher likelihood
of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), researchers
warned. It was surprising for the researchers to see water as a component
of this beverage pattern
that was linked to a
higher risk of CKD. They
noted that study participants
may have reported their consumption
of a wide variety of
types of water, including
flavoured and sweetened
water. “There is a lack of
comprehensive information
on the health implications of
the wide range of beverage options that are available in the food
supply,” said Casey Rebholz, Assistant Professor at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US. “In particular,
there is limited information on which types of beverages and
patterns of beverages are associated with kidney disease risk in particular.”
For the study, the researchers studied 3,003 men and
women with normal kidney function.
Findings, published in the Clinical Journal of the American
Society of Nephrology, showed that among the participants, 185 (6
per cent) developed CKD. In addition, participants in the top tertile
(any of the two points that divide an ordered distribution into three
parts) for consumption of this beverage pattern were 61 per cent
more likely to develop CKD than those in the bottom tertile.
Reduced alcohol intake could
help to quit smoking : Study
New York : If quitting smoking is
one of your New Year’s resolutions, you
might want to consider cutting back on
your drinking too, a study has found.
The study found that heavy alcohol
drinkers who are trying to stop smoking
may find that reducing their alcohol
intake can also help them quit their daily
smoking habit.
In addition, heavy drinkers’ nicotine
metabolite ratio — a biomarker that indicates
how quickly a person’s body
metabolises nicotine — reduced as they
cut back on their drinking. Slowing a
person’s nicotine metabolism rate
through reduced drinking could provide
an edge when trying to stop smoking,
which is known to be a difficult task,
said lead researcher Sarah Dermody,
Assistant Professor at the Oregon State
University in the US.
“It takes a lot of determination to quit
smoking, often several attempts,”
Dermody said. For the study, the
researchers considered a small group of
daily smokers to study the nicotine
metabolite ratio, the medical term for
severe problem drinking. The findings,
published in the journal Nicotine and
Tobacco Research, showed that as the
men in the study group reduced their
drinking — from an average of 29 drinks
per week to seven — their nicotine
metabolite rate also dropped. The
women, however, did not see reductions
in their nicotine metabolite ratio.
Anxiety linked to kicking, yelling during sleep : Study
New York : Taking anti-depressants
or having post-traumatic stress disorder
or anxiety are risk factors for a disruptive
and sometimes violent sleep disorder
called rapid eye movement (REM)
sleep behaviour disorder, says a study.
REM sleep is the dream state of
sleep. A person may act out violent by
yelling, flailing their arms, punching or
kicking, to the point of harming themselves
or a sleep partner. During normal
REM sleep, your brain sends signals to
prevent your muscles from moving.
However, for people with REM sleep
behavior disorder, those signals are disrupted.
“While much is still unknown
about REM sleep behaviour disorder, it
can be caused by medications or it may
be an early sign of another neurologic
condition like Parkinson’s disease,
dementia with Lewy bodies or multiple
system atrophy,” said study author
Ronald Postuma at the McGill
University in Canada. For the study, the
researchers looked at 30,097 people with
an average age of 63. They identified
958 people, or 3.2 per cent with possible
REM sleep behaviour disorder, after
excluding participants with Parkinson’s
disease, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease
or sleep apnea.
In addition, findings, published in
journal Neurology showed that 13 per
cent of those with the disorder taking
anti-depressants to treat depression compared
to 6 per cent without the disorder.
People with the disorder were also twoand-a-half
times as likely to have posttraumatic
stress disorder and twice as
likely to have mental illness, findings
showed. Other findings were that men
were twice as likely as women to have
possible REM sleep behaviour disorder.
People with possible REM sleep behaviour
disorder were 25 per cent more likely
to be moderate to heavy drinkers than
those without the disorder. “Our hope is
that our findings will help guide future
research, especially because REM sleep
behaviour disorder is such a strong sign
of future neuro-degenerative disease,”
said Postuma. Identifying lifestyle and
personal risk factors linked to this sleep
disorder may lead to finding ways to
reduce the chances of developing it, the
team noted.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
HEALTH
January 2019
15
Diabetes drugs linked to heart disease risk: Study
New York, Intake of
two commonly used
drugs to treat Type-2 diabetes
carry a high risk of
cardiovascular events
such as heart attack,
stroke, heart failure or
amputation, warns a new
study.
The two drugs — sulfonylureas
and basal
insulin — are the second-line
medication after
metformin, a widely
accepted initial Type-2
diabetes treatment.
The study, published
in the journal JAMA
Network Open, showed that
patients who take one of these
two drugs are 36 per cent more
likely and twice as likely to
experience cardiovascular
harm.
“People should know if the
medications they are taking to
treat their diabetes could lead to
serious cardiovascular harm.
This calls for a paradigm shift
in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes,”
said lead author
Matthew O’Brien, Assistant
Professor from the
Northwestern University in the
US. Physicians should consider
prescribing newer classes of
antidiabetic medications, such
as GLP-1 agonists (liraglutide),
SGLT-2
inhibitors
(empagliflozin)or DPP-4
inhibitors (sitagliptin), more
routinely after metformin,
rather than sulfonylureas or
basal insulin, suggest the
researchers. These drugs, however,
are more expensive than
the sulfonylureas, which is the
main reason they are not as
commonly prescribed.
The study should force medical
providers to think about
cardiovascular effects of these
drugs early in the course of diabetes
treatment, and shift prescribing
patterns to newer
drugs that have more
favourable cardiovascular profiles,the
team noted.
This was an observational
study using data from 132,737
patients with Type-2 diabetes
who were starting second-line
treatment.
Novel drug to fight Alzheimer’s,
PARKINSON’S DEVELOPED
London, Scientists
have developed a drug
with potential to stop the
breakdown of nerves and
brain cells that may lead
to Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s and motor
neuron disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is
the most common type of
dementia, which includes
memory loss, confusion
and problems with speech
and understanding.
The drug is made up of
“supercharged” vitamin
A, which is found in vegetables
like sprouts and carrots
and miniature cabbages, the
Daily Mail reported.
The study showed that vitamin
A turns into a chemical
called retinoic acid when broken
down by the body, which is
crucial for the development of
the nervous system.
Higher levels of retinoic
acid in the body could halt
nerve damage and boost the
number of nerve cells. “We are
moving forward with a new
therapeutic which could be
used to help people with
Alzheimer’s disease,” Peter
McCaffery, lead author and
Professor from the Aberdeen
University in Scotland, was
quoted as saying.
“Our work is still at an early
stage but we believe this is a
positive development and the
new drugs seem to protect
nerve cells” he added.
With vitamin A making a
difference, it is important to
find ways of tackling neurological
conditions, McCaffery
said.
In addition, the drug may
also benefit ALS or Lou
Gehrig’s disease, which affects
the muscles of the arms, legs,
mouth and respiratory system.
‘Super drug’ for pediatric blood
cancer may soon be reality
New York, A “super drug”
that helps slow down the progression
of blood cancer in
children could soon become a
reality, say researchers.
Patients with leukemia have
a very low percentage of red
blood cells, making them anemic,
and have approximately
80 times more white blood
cells than people without cancer.
However, the survival rate
is only 30 per cent for children
diagnosed with MLLtranslocation
leukemia, a cancer
that affects the blood and
bone marrow.
“These white blood cells
infiltrate many of the tissues
and organs of the affected individuals
and is a major cause of
death in leukemia patients,”
said Ali Shilatifard, Professor
at the Northwestern University
in the US. “This is a monster
cancer that we’ve been dealing
with for many years in children.
“We’re finally at a point
where in five to 10 years, we
can get a drug in kids that can
be effective. If we can bring
that survival rate up to 85 per
cent, that’s a major accomplishment,”
Shilatifard said. In
the study, detailed in the journal
Genes and Development,
the team demonstrated that
when a key protein responsible
for leukemia, MLL, is stabilised,
it slows the progression
of the leukemia.
This MLL stabilisation
process could potentially work
in cancers with solid tumours,
such as breast or prostate cancer.
The next step will be to
combine the treatments from
the past two years of
research into a pediatric
leukemia “super drug” to
test on humans in a clinical
trial, the researchers
said. “This opens up a
new therapeutic approach
not only for leukemia,
which is so important for
the many children who
are diagnosed with this terrible
cancer, but also for other types
of cancers that plague the population,”
the study showed.
The team also identified
compounds that could slow
cancer growth by interrupting
a gene transcription process
known as “Super Elongation
Complex” (SEC).
Mindfulness strategies may
help shed excess weight
LONDON : Mindfulness training could be
the key to support weight loss in individuals with
obesity, thereby facilitating healthier eating
behaviours, as per a new study.
Mindfulness is a mind-body
practice where individuals learn
to achieve heightened awareness
of their current state of
mind and immediate environment
in the present moment.
The study showed that individuals
who participated in
mindfulness training as part of
an intensive weight management
programme lost three kilograms
of weight in six months
than others who participated in
obesity management programme.
"This research is significant
as we have shown that
problematic eating behaviour
can be improved with mindfulness application,"
said Petra Hansona, lead researcher and postdoctoral
student from the University of
Warwickshire in the UK. "Mindfulness has huge
potential as a strategy for achieving and maintaining
good health and wellbeing," said Thomas
M. Barber, Associate Professor at the varsity.
Focus should be on enabling the populace to
make appropriate lifestyle decisions and empowering
subsequent salutary behaviour change, said
Barber.
For the study, the team examined
weight loss among a small
group of people who were attending
the multidisciplinary tier 3
weight management programme.
Findings, published in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology
and Metabolism, showed that individuals
who attended only one or
two courses lost, on average, 0.9
kilograms (2 pounds) during the
same period. Conversely, those
who did not complete the course
tended to weigh more than those
who finished the group mindfulness
course. "Individuals who
completed the course said they
were better able to plan meals in advance and felt
more confident in self-management of weight
loss moving forward," said Hanson. Obesity
worldwide has nearly tripled since 1975, according
to the World Health Organisation. As of
2016, more than 1.9 billion adults worldwide
met the criteria for overweight or obesity.
Women with slim hips may develop diabetes, heart attacks
London : While putting on weight is dangerous
for health, women who have slim hips could
be at risk of diabetes and heart attacks, finds a
new research.
The study showed that putting on weight
around the hips is actually safer than accumulation
around the belly or around other major
organs such as the liver or pancreas.
The reason could be because some women are
genetically less able to store fat at the hips,
which puts them at risk of Type-2 diabetes and
heart disease.
Also, putting on fat is more likely to circulate
in the blood.
“This means that individuals with this genetic
make-up preferentially store their excess fat in
the liver, muscles or pancreas, or in their blood in
the form of circulating fats and sugar, any of
which can lead to a higher disease risk,” said
Luca Lotta, lead researcher from the University
of Cambridge.
“It may seem counter-intuitive to think that
some people with less fat around their hips are at
higher risk of diabetes or heart disease,” said
Lotta. For the study, the researchers studied the
genetic profiles of more than 600,000 women.
They identified two specific groups of genetic
variants — one that lowers fat around the hips
and another increasing fat around the waist and
belly.
Findings, published in the JAMA medical
journal, showed that both of the genetic variants
identified were associated with higher risk of
Type-2 diabetes and heart attacks.
Genetics which specifically change fat distribution
by lowering fat storage around the hips
increase risk of disease independent of, and in
addition to, mechanisms that affect abdominal
fat storage, the study noted.

16 January 2019
NEWS
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
STINKING BIO-TOILETS : Need foolproof
method to improve system, Railways told
New Delhi : After the Comptroller
and Auditor General of India (CAG), a
parliamentary panel has now taken
note of the problem of stinking and
choked bio-toilets in trains and sought
measures for their improvement.
The Railway Convention
Committee (RCC), in its latest report
on December 31, has in particular
sought a foolproof mechanism for the
effective use and management of the
bacteria meant to be used in the biotoilets
that are replacing earlier "holein-the-floor"
toilets in trains in a
phased manner. The 18-member parliamentary
panel noted that the bacteria
inoculum required for use in the
bio-toilets to decompose human waste
is currently being generated by the
Railways at its in-house plant in Moti
Bagh, Nagpur, and is also procured
from DRDO, Gwalior. This is said to
be sufficient to cover the requirements
of the national transporter. However,
the committee detected a major problem
with the bacteria inoculum -- it's
short expiry date.
Once it is opened, it has to be
utilised within two days, and the
Railways is apparently not able to do
so, rendering it ineffective. It has
sought a foolproof mechanism for the
effective use and management of the
bacteria meant to be used in bio-toilets.
Responding to the committee's
observation, the Railways said corrective
measures have been introduced
and cross-checking of bio-toilets has
Triple talaq bill
'barbaric', says AIMPLB
women wing
Hyderabad : Terming triple talaq bill "inhuman,
anti-women and barbaric", women's wing of
the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIM-
PLB) on Tuesday appealed to Rajya Sabha members
to press for referring it to a select committee
for scrutiny. Asma Zohra, the chief organiser of
the women's wing of AIMPLB, told reporters here
that if passed, the triple talaq legislation will damage
the family and social fabric of the community.
The bill, passed in the Lok Sabha last week,
could not be taken up in Rajya Sabha on Monday
as opposition insisted that it be referred to a select
committee. It is likely to be taken up on
Wednesday again.
"There was no need for this bill after Supreme
Court judgment invalidating triple talaq. It is
brought with political and communal motives to
divide the society," she said. She claimed that
Muslims across India oppose and condemn the
bill brought in the Rajya Sabha for a second time.
The women's wing of AIMPLB believes that if
passed the legislation will break marriages rather
than empowering women. It termed the bill a
direct blow to family system and the institution of
marriage. She said the AIMPLB has time and
again stated that triple talaq in one sitting is not
the standard procedure of divorce and those practicing
this shall face social boycott.
"Muslim women will not get anything from
this bill. Instead, they will be left abandoned and
deserted. Her condition will become more miserable,"
it said. "It is ironic that there is freedom in
this country for men and women to have premarital,
extramarital and even multiple relationships.
Decriminalisation of Section 377 is being cited as
an example of freedom in personal and civil matters,
then why a Muslim husband is penalised for
divorce," asked Asma Zohra.
been intensified. The RCC, headed by
Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari
Mahtab, has observed that though
retro-fitment of bio-toilets is a laudable
and environment-friendly exercise,
these toilets are beset with problems
such as choking, foul smell and
overflow of human discharge.
Incidentally, the CAG, in a report in
December 2017, had found that almost
two lakh complaints regarding choking,
smelly and non-functional bio-toilets
in trains were received from the
public in 2016-2017. The RCC
observed that human waste collected
in bio tanks is "biodigested" by the
anaerobic bacteria already filled in the
bio-tank, which converts the human
waste mainly into water and bio-gases.
While gases escape into the atmosphere,
the water is discharged after
treatment. The committee recommended
that given the potential hazards
involved in the discharge of waste
water, the Railways should take steps
for its safe disposal at designated locations
without causing pollution. The
committee also observed that at various
railway stations and railway toilets,
a particular type of pungent disinfectant
is used, causing discomfort to
the passengers.
The Railways informed the RCC
that, earlier, a phenylic-type disinfectant
was used which had a peculiar
smell. Now all zones have been
advised to procure deodorising-cumdisinfecting
fluid for use in railway
offices, hospitals, stations, coach
INDIAN, CHINESE SOLDIERS
exchange greetings on New Year
Srinagar : Indian and Chinese soldiers on
Tuesday exchange pleasantries on the occasion
of the New Year at Chushul-Moldo and DBO-
TWD in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
At the invitation of the People Liberation
Army (PLA) of China, ceremonial Border
Personnel Meetings (BPMs) were held to celebrate
the New Year at Chinese BPM hut at
Chushul-Moldo and DBO-TWD meeting points
in Eastern Ladakh, the Army said in a statement.
The Indian delegations were led by Major
General Sanjiv Rai and Colonel S.S. Lamba and
the Chinese delegations by Senior Colonel Liu
Hou Jie and Colonel Song Zhang Li respectively.
The ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting
commenced with saluting the national flags by
the delegation members. This was followed by a
ceremonial address comprising exchange of
greetings, wishes and vote of thanks.
The address reflected the mutual desire of
maintaining and improving relations at functional
level at the border. Thereafter, a cultural
programme showcasing Chinese culture and traditions
was organised. The ceremonial Border
Personnel Meetings were held in the backdrop
of successful conduct of Exercise Hand-in-Hand
at Chengdu in China wherein troops of both the
countries interacted, participated in joint exercises
and shared on ground experiences.
"Both sides also sought to build on the mutual
feeling to maintain peace and tranquility
along the border," it said. India and China were
locked in 72-day stand-off at Doklam in August
2017 in the wake of China building roads at the
India-China-Bhutan tri-junction. The two countries
have fought a war in 1962.
depots and trains. The panel has suggested
that all zones and divisions
should start procuring the new deodorising-cum-disinfecting
fluid without
any delay and replace the old disinfectant
at the earliest.
Regarding coach cleaning complaints,
the committee has sought a
quicker response time to redress complaints.
Taking note of third party
audit-cum-surveys for assessment of
cleanliness at 407 major stations in
2016-17, the committee is of the view
that more stations should be covered
as these measures put pressure on the
staff and officers of all the stations to
make their premises neat and clean
and also lead to healthy competition
among various stations.
The RCC has also taken note that
the various cleaning facilities provided
by the Railways are confined to few
select stations. The committee has said
the facilities should be extended to all
stations and coaches in a time-bound
manner. The Mahtab-led committee
also urged the Railways to conduct
passenger awareness campaigns on
cleanliness at frequent intervals so as
to inculcate a culture of cleanliness
among them.
The committee also emphasised the
importance of enlisting the cooperation
of local governments by the
Railways in maintenance of cleanliness,
prevention of encroachment and
trespassing in the station surroundings
and also for solid waste management.
BJP INTERFERING
with judicial
process in Ram
temple case: Sibal
New Delhi : Senior Congress leader and
Supreme Court lawyer Kapil Sibal on Tuesday
said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is
trying to interfere with the judicial process in
the Ram temple case by pressing the court to
hold an early hearing. "What are they trying to
do? To insist that the Supreme Court should
hear the matter on day-to-day basis, decide it
at the earliest? Is this not interference?" Sibal
said. His response came after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in an interview aired on
Tuesday said that "Congress should stop its
lawyers" from "interfering with the judicial
process" in the Ram temple case.
Sibal had appeared in the case on behalf of
the All India Muslim Personal Law Board but
later parted ways with his client.
"What they (BJP) are doing is telling the
court to decide a particular case in a particular
manner," Sibal said, adding that the judicial
process should go on unhampered and it
should be left to the apex court to decide when
and how it concludes the case.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Mumbai, Be it black comedy thriller
“AndhaDhun” or light hearted comedy
film “Badhaai Ho” or horror comedy
“Stree”, the year of 2018 saw a string of
content driven and small budget movies
which have outperformed at the box-office,
and proved that Bollywood not only runs
on starry ventures and big-budget production.
So before the year ends, many
renowned filmmakers from the industry
have shared their favourite films of 2018.
Here’s the list of directors’ favourite
films of 2018:
Ashwini Iyer Tiwari: “AndhaDhun”,
“Patakha”, “Stree”, “Badhaai Ho” and
“Raazi” Ali Abbas Zafar: “Raazi”,
“Bhaddhai Ho” and “Sanju” Milap Zaveri:
“Padmaavat”, “Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety”,
“Badhaai Ho”, “AndhaDhun”, “Stree”,
“Parmanu – The Story of Pokhran”,
“KGF”, “Sanju”, “Baaghi 2”, “Hichki”,
“Raid”, “Sui Dhaaga” and of course my
own film “Satyamev Jayate”. Hansal
Mehta: “Stree”, “AndhaDhun” and “Star Is
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Iconoclast’ filmmaker Mrinal Sen dead
Kolkata, Legendary filmmaker
Mrinal Sen famed for his
ability to put searching questions
before the society — especially
the middle class, died at his south
Kolkata residence on Sunday following
old age complications,
family sources said.
Sen, 95, a widower, is survived
by his only son Kunal.
Sen, who was ailing for a long
time, breathed his last at his
Bhowanipore home around 10
a.m. after a cardiac arrest, his
family physician said. His demise
brings the curtains down on one
of the most glorious chapters of
filmmaking in India, where Sen
and late directors Satyajit Ray
and Ritwik Ghatak are revered as
the ‘trinity’ for giving birth to the
parallel (or new) cinema movement
in the country. The “trinity”
gave a new direction to the idea
of filmmaking in India, displaying
spontaneity, aesthetic sense
and deep knowledge of the medium,
that made the world look up
in wonder and respect at their
creations.
Born on May 14, 1923, at
Faridpur (now in Bangladesh),
Sen made his first Bengali film
“Rat Bhore” (The Dawn) in
1953, but it was his second directorial
effort “Neel Akasher
Niche” (Under the Blue Sky) that
received acclaim in the country
for its lyricism and humane qualities.
Sen followed it up with
“Baishey Shravan” (Wedding
Day), that earned him plaudits
from the critics beyond Indian
shores. In 1969, Sen worked on a
small budget provided by the
Central government to direct
SINGER CASSIE DATING
FITNESS TRAINER
London, Singer Cassie is reportedly year-old fitness trainer, reported dailymail.co.uk.
The “Me & U” hitmaker
dating celebrity fitness trainer Alex
Fine.
also recently posted a kissing photograph
of herself and Fine on Instagram.
According to The Blast, Cassie, 32,
who got separated from her long-time Fine has trained big names such as
partner Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs earlier this Jennifer Aniston, Kelly Ripa and Mark
year, is in a relationship with the 25- Consuelos.
“Bhuvan Shome” (Mr. Shome)
— a film regarded as an important
milestone in the new cinema
film movement in India.
A lifelong Leftist, who, however,
never took the membership
of any communist party in India,
Sen has left behind a rich repertoire
of 27 feature films, 14 shorts
and four documentaries during a
career spanning six decades.
Among his other venerated films
are “Interview” (1971), “Ek
Adhuri Kahani” (An Unfinished
Story, 1971), “Calcutta 71”
(1972), “Chorus” (1974),
“Mrigayaa” (in Hindi – The
Royal Hunt, 1976), “Oka Oori
Katha” (in Telugu – The
Outsiders, 1977), “Ek Din
Pratidin” (And Quiet Rolls the
Dawn, 1979), “Akaler Sandhane”
(In Search of Famine, 1980),
“Chalchitra” (The Kaleidoscope,
1981), “Kharij” (The Case Is
Closed, 1982), “Khandhar” (The
Ruins, 1983), “Genesis” (1986),
“Ek Din Achanak” (Suddenly,
One Day, 1989). His last film
“Aamaar Bhuvan” (This, My
Land) came in 2002. An intellectual
par excellence and a great
conversationist, Sen regaled in
calling himself an “iconoclast”
and “By accident, a maker of
films”. Widely feted, Sen
received the Padma Bhushan in
1981, the Dadasaheb Phalke —
the highest award in Indian cinema
— in 2005, the French government’s
Commandeur de l’ordre
des Arts et letters
(Commander of the Order of Arts
and Letters) in 2001, and Order
of Friendship from the Russian
government in the same year. He
was a member of the Rajya Sabha
from 1997 to 2003, and president
of the International Federation of
the Film Societies for some time.
Respected across the globe, Sen
served as a member of
International Jury at various film
festivals, including Cannes,
Venice, Berlin, Moscow, Karlovy
Vary, Tokyo, Tehran, Mannheim,
Nyon, Chicago, Ghent, Tunis and
Oberhausen. He came out with
his autobiography “Always
Being Born” in 2004. Condoling
Sen’s death, West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee said
“it is an irreparable loss to the
world of filmmaking”. Megastar
Amitabh Bachchan tweeted:
“Mrinal Sen no more… a most
amiable, distinguished creative
cinematic mind, contemporary of
Satyajit Ray and Rithik Ghatak. I
did my first ever voiceover in his
film ‘Bhuvan Shome’. Prayers
and condolences.”
Famous Bengali filmmaker
Buddhadeb Dasgupta termed
Sen’s death as “the end of an
era”. Acclaimed Bengali actorfilmmaker
Aparna Sen, who
worked in three films made by
Sen, said more than a director and
a colleague, he was like a family
member. Film and stage actor
Kaushik Sen, who debuted in
Sen’s film “Ek Din Pratidin” as a
child actor, was at a loss for
words. “My relationship with
Mrinal Sen was very personal…
cannot say much at this point. I
learnt a lot of technical things
about acting and filmmaking
from him. I first acted in front of
the camera because of him and
my first film was also directed by
him. I have also acted in the last
film made by him,” Kaushik said.
Veteran actor Ranjit Mullick,
who also made his acting debut
under Sen, grieved at the “painful
news”. “Mrinal Sen’s name is
pronounced with stalwarts like
Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak
in the same breath. I cannot
believe he is no more. It is a
painful news. He had a great
sense of humour,” Ranjit said.
These are my favourites : Directors
select their favourite films of 2018
Born”. I am also very proud of my own
“Omerta”. Suresh Triveni: “AndhaDhun”,
“Badhaai Ho”, “Manto”, “Mitron”(thought
it was underrated), “Raazi”, “Tumbbad”,
“Soorma”, “Mulk”, “October”and “Love
Sonia”. Saket Chowdhary: “Tumbbad”,
“Manto”, “Badhaai Ho”, “Stree”, “Raazi”
and “AndhaDhun”.
Raj Nidimoru: “AndhaDhun” and
“Tumbbad”. Amit Sharma: “Raazi”, I
couldn’t watch the other films as I was
shooting my own “Badhaai Ho”. Sriram
Raghavan: “Raazi”, “Tumbbad”,
“October”, “Manto” and “Stree”. My
“AndhaDhun” was to originally release
with “Stree”. Thankfully it didn’t.
Onir: “Village Rockstar”,
“AndhaDhun”, “Stree”, “Badhaai Ho”,
“Mulk” and my own film “Kuch Bheege
Alfaaz”.
January 2019
17
Actress Parul Yadav hails
#MeToo movement as
‘POSITIVE CHANGE’
Mumbai, Actress Parul Yadav, who is playing the lead role in
the Kannada remake of the Bollywood film “Queen”, says from
removing the accused
from his position to
creating collective consciousness
among people
regarding sexual
harassment at the
workplace,
#MeToo
movement is a positive
change in every workplace
including film
industry.
“The voice of
women has been suppressed
for years, it is
great to see how stories
of injustice, humiliation
and harassment not
only come out in the
media but also legal
action has been taken.
There are film directors
who had to stop working unless the legal process gets over. Now no
member of the fraternity can get away after committing a crime like
sexual harassment,” Parul said in an interaction with IANS. Parul
has been working in the south Indian film industry for quite some
time and has received many awards for her Kannada films. In the
Indian film industry, several actresses like Malayalam actress
Parvathy, Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, Nandita Das and
Renuka Shahane, among many others, supported the #MeToo
movement whereas actress Tanushree Dutta was one of the prominent
voices to come forward with her story of sexual harassment
against veteran actor Nana Patekar.
Parul said: “This is one of such movements that has given
women a voice to take stand against injustice…so that the workplace
becomes more secure for all of us.”
Asked about if the actress has ever spoken to Vikas Behl, the
director of “Queen” who is also accused of sexual harassment, the
actress said: “When we decided to remake the film in a different
language, I had spoken to him once and that’s it. He said that it
would be better if I do not watch the film because that might influence
me prompt me to copy the original performance, which none
of us wants.” The original film “Queen” that released in 2014, has
now four versions – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. While
Parul will be playing the Kannada version, Kajal Aggarwal,
Tamannaah and Manjima Mohan will be in the lead role in Tamil,
Telugu and Malayalam versions, respectively. The film is slated to
release in 2019.
Big B, Anushka hail team
India after MCG Test win
Mumbai, Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Anushka
Sharma on Sunday congratulated Indian cricket team for its victory
over Australia in the third Test match in Melbourne.
“Yeah! India wins! Well done Team India…,” Amitabh posted
on Instagram along with a photograph of the team celebrating their
win on field. In the post, the “Pink” actor also wrote a short poem
in Hindi, praising cricketers Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and
Rishabh Pant for their commendable performances.
Indian team defeated Australia by 137 runs in the third cricket
Test to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday. This is also the first time that
India have taken the lead in a Test series in Australia. Anushka, wife
of Kohli, also took to social media to express her happiness over the
team’s win. She posted a video clip of the match on Instagram story
and called it a “historic win”.

18 January 2019
ENTERTAINMENT
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Multi-faceted Kader Khan leaves behind
a vast oeuvre of work, fond memories
Mumbai : An actor-writercomedian
and Quranic scholar,
the multi-talented Kader Khan,
who died early on Tuesday
(IST) in Toronto aged 81, has
left behind a vast oeuvre of
work from a career spanning
over four decades and will be
remembered as much for his
contribution to Hindu filmdom
as for deciphering Islam for the
laity across the religious spectrum.
The sad news of Kader
Khan's passing shocked the
Bollywood fraternity on New
Year's Day, when it broke early
on Tuesday morning.
He had spent nearly four
months in hospital, for various
old-age related ailments,
including breathing issues, and
finally succumbed on
December 31 evening (Toronto
time). Born on October 22,
1937 in Kabul to a Pashtun
family, Kader Khan (KK)
migrated to Mumbai in 1952
and was educated in a local
municipal school and later
graduated from Mumbai's
Ismail Yusuf College,
Jogeshwari, a government-run
institution. He followed up
with a diploma in Mechanical
Engineering from the M. S.
Saboo Siddique Institute in
Mumbai and later became a
professor there for around
seven years. According to a
close family friend Javed
Jamaluddin, the family initially
lived in te notorious Arab
Gully in south Mumbai, before
shifting to the suburbs and
Kader Khan, who loved to read
and write, continuing his higher
education there.
It was during his college
days that he developed a passion
for theatre, acting and
penning stories and dialogues.
He penned a drama, "Local
Train" which bagged the first
prize at the National Jagruti
Drama Competition in the
early 1970s, Jamaluddin said.
It was Narendra Singh Bedi,
son of the legendary Rajinder
Singh Bedi who gave Kader
Khan the first break for writing
the superhit musical "Jawani
Diwani" (1972) starring
Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bhaduri,
and since then he never looked
back. Bollywood thespian, Dilip
Kumar, who happened to watch
one of his plays during a college
day function, offered Kader
Khan a role and an assignment
for writing dislogues. But he
was already busy with scripting
the Rajesh Khanna starrer
"Roti" (1974), so later, he wrote
the film 'Bairaag" (1976), a
mega-hit musical featuring
Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira
Banu in the lead roles, with
Kader Khan in a character role.
An avid reader and a filmbuff,
he had a huge collection
of books on various subjects
related to film-making, acting,
screenplay-writing, penning
stories-dialogues and other
departments from all over the
world, besides being a Quranic
Scholar with a mastery over
Arabic and Urdu. It was Kader
Khan who inspired his friend,
A. Krishnamurthi, head of Tina
Films International (TFI) to
venture into its first Bollywood
venture, "Ghar Ek Mandir"
(1984), a hit with a multi-star
cast, and even insisted on writing
the dialogues for it.
"After he saw the story, he
wanted to play the role of Seth
Dharamdas, which was originally
assigned to Amjad Khan.
He dedicated a lot of time and
his dialogues became 'the
pearls in the necklace' in that
film, and later in many of our
other films. I knew him since
his early days in the film industry
and he was truly a good
human being, a great actor and
an acclaimed writer"
Krishnamurthi told IANS.
During the shooting of one
TFI film, "Aag" (1994), in
which Sonali Bendre debuted
as an actress, Kader Khan
inspired the co-female lead,
Shilpa Shetty, to learn Urdu to
improve her diction and dialogue
delivery and even taught
her bits of it during takes, producer
K. Ramji said.
Starting with his first film as
an actor in the late Yash
Chopra's directorial debut, the
super-hit musical "Daag"
(1973), over the next 40 years
he went on to act in over 300
films in memorable roles, and
also wrote the story or dialogues
for more than 250 films
in Hindi and Urdu, starting
with "Roti" (1974).
With his rich experience on
stage, Kader Khan effortlessly
managed to enact all types of
negative-positive character
roles, besides as a villain,
comedian, and double-roles,
though competing with some
of the biggest names of his era.
He worked with top actors of
Didn’t win ‘Bigg Boss’, but ruled it: Sreesanth
New Delhi, Former Indian
cricketer Sreesanth, who lost
the “Bigg Boss 12” trophy to
actress Dipika Kakar, says that
he did not win the show, but
ended up winning thousands of
hearts.
“Though I have not become
the winner of the show, I have
won so many hearts. Isn’t that a
remarkable achievement?
When I entered the show, I
thought that I would get evicted
in a week or two, but I survived.
Not only survived, I
ruled the show,” Sreesanth told
IANS. Be it his threats of quitting
the show or his aggressive
fights with co-contestants,
Sreesanth was always in news
during his “Bigg Boss” journey.
Asked if all that was his
strategy to make him reach the
finals, the 35-year old denied
and said: “Everything that you
saw in the show was natural
and spontaneous. Nothing was
planned and scripted. I did not
even make any strategy.”
“I did not plan that I would
react to things in some particular
manner. I was being myself.
And talking about fights, they
obviously will happen because
living inside the house for over
90 days with different kinds of
people ain’t easy.”
In an earlier interview to
IANS, Sreesanth, who was
slapped a life ban by the BCCI
in 2015 for alleged involvement
in betting and spot fixing,
said he wanted to enter the
“Bigg Boss” house to change
people’s perception about his
image.
The first runner-up of the
show, which concluded on
Sunday, “thanked people” for
understanding him and “giving
him a chance to prove himself”.
“I am honoured and blessed to
receive so much love from people.
My fans supported me
throughout my thick and thin.
This show has given me a lot,
though nothing compared to
the game of cricket,” he added.
Sreesanth will now amaze
viewers with his stunts in
another reality show titled
“Khatron Ke Khiladi”.
the day like Rajesh Khanna,
Feroze Khan, Jeetendra,
Amitabh Bachchan,
Randhir Kapoor, Anil
Kapoor, Govinda, Salman
Khan and with the leading
directors like T. Rama Rao,
Yash Chopra, A.
Krishnamurthi, K.
Raghavendra Rao, K.
Bapaiah, Dasari Narayan
Rao and David Dhavan,
among many others.
Some of his most memorable
films as a comediancharacter
actor are: "Daag",
"Adalat", "Bairaag",
"Parvarish", "Muqaddar Ka
Sikandar, "Shalimar", "Mr.
Natwarlal", "Suhaag", "Dhan
Daulat", "Qurbani",
"Jwalamukhi", "Abdullah",
"Naseeb", "Yaarana",
"Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai",
"Satte Pe Satta", "Desh
Premee", "Sanam Teri
Kasam", "Mehndi Rang
Layegi", "Himmatwala",
"Coolie", "Ghar Ek Mandir",
"John Jaani Janardhan",
"Tawaif", "Loha", "Jawab
Hum Denge", "Shahenshah",
"Pyar Ka Mandir", "Khoon
Bhari Maang", "Baap
Numbri, Beta Dus Numbri",
"Saajan", "Bol Radha Bol",
"Meherbaan", "Aankhen",
"Eena Meena Deeka",
"Coolie No.1", "Saajan Chale
Sasural", "Judaai", "Dulhe
Raja," "Aunty No.1" and
"Sooryavansham". He
penned the story-dialogues
for top-grossing and
acclaimed films like:
"Jawani Diwani",
"Benaam", "Roti", "Amar
Akbar Anthony",
"Parvarish", "Muqaddar Ka
Sikandar", "Suhaag", "Mr.
Natwarlal, "Yaarana",
"Lawaaris", "Desh Premee",
"Khuddar", "Coolie",
"Sharaabi", "Ganga Jamna
Saraswati", "Singhasan",
"Khoon Bhari Maang" and
"Aunty No. 1". He also produced
a film, "Shama" in 1981.
‘MTV Ace of Space’ winner
done with reality shows
New Delhi : Divya Agarwal has been announced as the winner
of the reality show “MTV Ace of Space”. She says that she
is not interested in taking up
another reality show unless it’s
dance-based. The grand finale was
aired on Monday on MTV. The
show’s mastermind, Vikas Gupta,
also announced Pratik and Varun
Sood as the first and second runners-up.
The show saw 18 contestants
battling it out against shrinking
walls and daunting challenges.
“My journey started 10 years
back as a dance teacher and it’s an
amazing feeling to be the winner
of one of the most amazing reality
shows in India,” Divya told IANS after her victory. Talking
about her “struggling days”, she said: “I didn’t have money for
food. I had to live in certain situations where I never wanted to
live in a house so, all of those experiences… I think have made
me so strong.” Thanks to the show, she feels that has won a lot
of friends and also “realised the importance of losing people”.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Congress governments in
MP, Rajasthan to withdraw
cases against DALITS
Bhopal/Jaipur : Heeding to BSP chief
Mayawati's ultimatum, the Congress governments
in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
on Tuesday said they will withdraw cases
filed against Dalits during the 'Bharat
Bandh' last year that witnessed largescale
violence. The decisions were announced by
the two governments a day after Mayawati
threatened to take back the BSP's support to
them if they did not withdraw
the cases filed against the
Dalits during the 'Bharat
Bandh' called by Dalit
groups.
The Madhya Pradesh
government will withdraw
all the "political cases" filed
by the previous BJP government
against workers of
political parties and Dalit
activists, Law Minister P.C.
Sharma said. "We
(Congress) have been fighting (against the
BJP government). Irrespective of any
party, those who have been fighting the
BJP government which had sent people to
jail... those political cases will be withdrawn,"
he said. Last week, Sharma had
indicated that the government was drafting
a proposal to withdraw "politically
motivated" cases against political and
trade union leaders filed during the BJP's
rule during the last 15 years.
In Jaipur, Rajasthan Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot said his government will
revoke cases registered against Dalits during
the Bharat Bandh of April 2 last year
after reviewing them.
Speaking to the media at the Congress
office, Gehlot said: "Our government will
review all such cases to ensure that innocents
are released." He said that
Mayawati's demand was valid. The previous
government had framed cases against
many people "and hence our
government will review all
such cases". "In fact, I am
thankful to Mayawati for giving
support to our party. She
herself took the initiative to
extend support to the
Congress and hence I am
thankful to her." The BSP has
two members in the 230-member
Madhya Pradesh
Assembly in which the
Congress has 114 MLAs and
is two short of the majority mark.
The Samajwadi Party has one MLA
and has also extended support to the government.
There are four independents.
In the 200-member Rajasthan
Assembly, the Congress has 99 members
and its pre-poll ally Rashtriya Lok Dal has
one MLA. There are six BSP MLAs and
13 independents. The Congress had supported
the protest in April 2018 against the
changes to the SC/ST Act brought in by
the Supreme Court which were later nullified
by a legislation passed in Parliament.
NEWS
Centre approves
renaming of Allahabad
as Prayagraj
New Delhi : Days ahead of the
"Kumbh Mela", the Union Home Ministry
has approved the Uttar Pradesh government's
proposal to rename Allahabad as
Prayagraj. A no-objection certificate
(NOC) from the Home Ministry will now
ensure that names of other institutes in the
district, including railway station, high
court and university, are also changed.
In October last year, the Yogi
Adityanath-led government had proposed
the change in the name of Allahabad. A
government statement cited "board
researched documents" behind the name
change and found that "there were 14
Prayags in the country but only one here,
also known as King of all Prayags".
Confirming the move, a senior Home
Ministry official said: "There are some
central institutions, high court, railway station
and organisations named after
Allahabad. Letters have been sent to other
Central ministries informing that the Home
Ministry has approved the proposal of the
UP government. The state government will
now get approval from other Central ministries
and change the names accordingly."
Under the government guidelines for
the renaming of railway stations, villages,
towns and cities, it is mandatory to obtain
a NOC from the Union Home Ministry by
the state government.
The Home Ministry had earlier
approved the renaming of the British-era
railway station Robertsgang as
Sonbhadra, Farah Town railway station
near Mathura and iconic Mughalsarai
junction after Deen Dayal Upadhyay --
both in Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow : Ahead of the Lok
Sabha polls and amid talks of anti-
BJP Mahagatbandhan in Uttar
Pradesh, Samajwadi Party Chief and
former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said there
will be "confulence of thoughts and
people" in the state.
"Uttar Pradesh me vicharo ka
sangam hoga, logo ka sangam hoga.
Aur bahot jaldi wo aap logo ke samne
aa jayega aur dikhai de jayega (in
Uttar Pradesh, there will be a confluence
of thoughts
and of people and
it will be known
very soon)," he
said while
addressing a
press conference
here.
He was
responding to a
question on the
alliance in the state ahead of the 2019
Lok Sabha polls.
When asked further that Congress
will be a part of this confluence, he
said, "Hamne kaha vicharo ka sangam
hoga, logo ka sangam hoga, usi me
pura jawab hai (I said that there will
be confluence of people and thoughts.
All answers are included in that)."
The SP and the Bahujan Samaj
Party had defeated the ruling BJP in
several by-polls including the state's
Chief Minister Gorakhpur parliamentary
seat. The BJP and its allies had
January 2019
19
In UP, there will be confluence of people,
thoughts : Akhilesh on alliance
won 73 out of 80 seats in the 2014
Lok Sabha polls.
On December 26, the Samajwadi
Party leader had lashed out at the
Congress for not including its sole
legislator in Madhya Pradesh in the
cabinet despite its support in formation
of the government and in attaining
the majority mark.
Talking to the media, the former
UP Chief Minister said that by doing
so, the Congress had "cleared the path
for UP".
This statement
from the 45-yearold
leader is being
seen as another indication
of the growing
space and disenchantment
of the SP
from the Congress
and the likelihood of
the Congress being
kept out of the proposed
"grand alliance" in Uttar
Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
On the other hand, Mayawati,
the BSP supremo and a prospective
partner in the 'mahagathbandhan' has
already given enough hints about acting
tough on the Congress.
Miffed with the Congress, the BSP
chief had, soon after extending support
to that party in MP, said that people
had with heavy heart voted for the
Congress and that she was extending
support only to keep the Bharatiya
Janata Party at bay.

20 January 2019
TECH
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
FITBIT Charge 3 in
India for Rs 13,990
New Delhi : Global wearables
maker Fitbit on Monday
launched Fitbit Charge 3 band
in India for Rs 13,990.
It would be available across
Reliance Digital, Croma,
Helios and other retailers
offline and online in black with
a graphite aluminium case or
blue-gray with rose gold aluminium
case.
Fitbit Charge 3 Special
Edition would be available at a
price of Rs 15,999.
Charge 3 is the latest addition
to the company’s best-selling
“Charge” family of
devices, and comes with a
swim-proof design with a large
touchscreen display, our most
advanced health and fitness
features on a tracker and is our
smartest tracker yet — with up
to 7 days of battery life, the
company said in a statement.
“We’ve seen strong preorders
for Charge 3, which are
even better than Versa in its
People buying boats on
Facebook to reach
Britain illegally: Report
London : Smugglers and migrants are
using Facebook to buy boats for crossing
the Channel from the French port city of
Calais to come to
Britain, The
Telegraph reported.
The Facebook
“Marketplace” has
been favoured by
groups of Iranians
and Iraqis intent on
organising their
own Channel crossings,
because they
can club together
and buy a boat at a
much lower price
than if they had to
pay a smuggling
gang, the paper reported on Sunday. The
Telegraph spotted online advertisements for
25 boats for sale within a 40 mile radius of
Calais that cost under 15,000 euros on a single
day. It is believed that smugglers are
also finding the Facebook “Marketplace” a
convenient place to buy boats as it allows
them to source their vessels from a nearby
place.
Marketplace was introduced in 2016 as a
place for Facebook users to buy and sell
within their local communities.
Responding to the issues raised by The
Telegraph, Facebook said that any ads,
posts, pages or groups that co-ordinate people
smuggling are not allowed on Facebook.
“We work closely with law enforcement
agencies around the world including
Europol to identify, remove and report this
illegal activity, and we’re always improving
the methods we use to identify content that
breaks our policies, including doubling our
safety and security team to 30,000 people
and investing in technology,” a Facebook
spokesperson was quoted as saying.
New Delhi : After Anand Vihar, Hazrat
Nizamuddin is all set to become the next
big transport hub of the city to be connected
with the metro, after the newly built
stretch between Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 and
Lajpat Nagar opens on Monday.
The station will have entry and exit
gates opening to both — the Inter-State
Bus Terminus at Sarai Kale Khan and the
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station,
which caters mostly to the south-bound
long-distance trains.
“One of the entry/exit points will be
within a vicinity of 50 metres from the
Sarai Kale Khan ISBT. Another entry/exit
will be near the Hazrat Nizamuddin
Railway station, approximately at a distance
of 150 metres,” an official from the
Delhi Metro told IANS.
The stretch is part of the 59-km-long
Pink Line which will be connecting Shiv
Vihar to Majlis Park and is the third and
the last one of the entire line to open. The
rest of the line was opened for commuters
in two phases earlier this year.
On the
aesthetic
front, the
metro has
beautified the
station with
30 artworks
along with
“jharokhas”,
portraying
the “historical
heritage”
of the area.
T h e
stretch will
also have the
“world’s
smallest station”
on it in
first six weeks, underscoring
why the Charge family has
been our most popular product
line for the past few years,”
said James Park, Co-founder
and CEO, Fitbit.
Fitbit Charge 3 sports an
OLED screen and also supports
goal-based exercise
modes such as biking, swimming,
running, weight training
and yoga.
“Charge 3 features our most
advanced sensor technology,
bringing the relative SpO2 sensor
to the tracker form factor
for the first time. Data from
this sensor will feed into the
upcoming launch of our Fitbit
Labs Sleep Score beta which
will allow users to better
understand metrics like their
sleep quality and breathing disturbances,”
Park added.
Users can also set goals for
calories burnt, distance, and
duration and check real-time
stats on the device.
Nizamuddin station to become
major transport hub with Pink Line
Ashram Metro Station, which has been
built in an area of 152 metres instead of
265 metres average for the Delhi metro
stations.
“The station had to be built on less than
average stretch of surface area because of
difficulty in procuring a piece of land – a
private property which went into litigation.
Another reason, which contributed to the
space crunch, was a proposed underpass
on the Ring Road to be built by the PWD,”
the official said.
To manage all amenities and accommodate
the paraphernalia it houses, the corporation
had to, the official said, build a mezzanine
floor (an intermediate floor) on the
station to store the equipment and use the
space under a flyover outside for the
chiller plant.
The stretch will be inaugurated by
Union Minister of Housing and Urban
Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on
Monday at 11 a.m and will be opened for
public the same day at 4 p.m.
RCOM, Jio extend validity of
asset-sale deal to June 28
New Delhi : Reliance Communications (RCOM) and
Reliance Jio on Monday
announced the extension of
their agreement for selling
RCOM’s wireless infrastructure
including towers, fibres
and spectrum to the Mukesh
Ambani-led Reliance Jio.
The decision comes
amidst the pending approval
of the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT)
to the asset-sale deal.
“RCOM and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd have extended the
validity of the agreements signed on 28th December 2017 for
sale of towers, fibre, MCNs and spectrum of RCOM and its affiliates
to June 28, 2019. The transactions are to be consummated
subject to various approvals that are presently in progress,”
RCOM said in a regulatory filing to the BSE.
In a separate filing, Reliance Industries (RIL) said: “The
acquisition is subject to receipt of requisite approvals from governmental
and regulatory authorities, consents from all lenders,
release of all encumbrances on the said assets and other conditions
precedent.” RCOM has been urging the DoT to grant the
required approval in compliance with the Supreme Court’s
December 14 order where it had told the Telecom Department to
clear the asset-sale deal.
AI could be first ‘resident’ of
Mars, hints Musk
San Francisco :
Tech billionaire and SpaceX CEO Elon
Musk wants to establish a
base on Mars, and he has
indicated the first resident on
the planet could be Artificial
Intelligence (AI).
Responding to a tweet that
asked Musk what his
thoughts were on the first
Martian being an intelligent
machine rather than a
human, he replied: “30%.”
How Musk came up with
this percentage remains a mystery, however, many people are
wondering what this AI “resident” could look like, according to
the Geek. “It’s possible that it could be a rover-like bot that
explores the planet, or a stationary device that makes observations
and conducts experiments without human assistance,” the
Geek report added. Currently, manned Mars missions are completely
hypothetical. Companies such as SpaceX and scientific
bodies around the world have been working towards inventing
technologies to allow humans to venture beyond Earth’s moon
but it could still take a decade or perhaps several decades before
that is attempted. Musk had told the media in November that
there is “70 per cent chance that he will go to Mars”, despite a
“good chance” of him not surviving either on the way or after
landing. It is only very likely that only a few people might be
willing to join Musk in this journey – either because of the risk or
the cost involved. This year, the US space agency NASA also
firmed up its plans to return humans to the Moon and use its lunar
experience to prepare to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.
US judge dismisses facial recognition
lawsuit against Google
San Francisco : A judge in Chicago has dismissed a lawsuit
that alleged that
Google violated privacy
of users by
using facial recognition
technology to
scan their photos
without their
explicit consent. In the original suit, which was filed in March
2016, a woman sued Google for allegedly uploading her data to
Google Photos and scanning it to create a template of her face
without her permission, The Verge reported on Saturday.
The judge dismissed the suit citing lack of “concrete injuries”.
The suit alleged that Google violated the Illinois Biometric
Information Privacy Act, recognised as the toughest biometric
privacy law in the US. The law requires companies to obtain people’s
explicit permission in order to make biometric scans of their
bodies. Besides Google, Snapchat, and Facebook also faced lawsuits
for allegedly violating the Illinois law.
Of the three companies, Google is the first to win a dismissal
of a lawsuit over the biometric privacy act, The Verge report said.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Pakistan sends
recommendation
s on Kartarpur
Corridor to India
Islamabad : Pakistan has issued
14 key recommendations to India on
the Kartarpur Corridor to facilitate
visa free pilgrimage by Indian Sikhs
to Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, where
Sikhism's founder Guru Nanak Dev
spent the last 18 years of his life.
According to a report in the Express
Tribune on Saturday, Pakistan sent
the recommendations in a 59-page
list entailing that Indian pilgrims will
be given free entry and facilitation
centres and security check-posts will
be set up on both sides of the border.
According to the list, the Indian government
shall provide a list of pilgrims
to Pakistan three days in
advance and that it was mandatory
for all visitors to bear a standard
Indian passport.
It said pilgrims shall be allowed in
groups of minimum 15 people and
that Pakistan shall issue a special permit
to Sikh pilgrims. Both the countries
will compile a record of visitors
which will include their names, travel
records and other details.
The recommendations further read
that all visitors shall be required to
obtain a security clearance certificate
from the Indian authorities. It said
that Pakistan shall issue permits to
500 visitors per day and local authorities
shall reserve rights to admission.
Islamabad had earlier this month
rejected New Delhi's request to swap
Kartarpur with another piece of land
in order to make it a part of India.
On November 28, Prime Minister
Imran Khan laid the foundation stone
of the Kartarpur Corridor which connects
Narowal's Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib to Dera Baba Nanak situated in
India's Gurdaspur.
Canberra, The Australian
government on Wednesday
announced the closure of two
onshore immigration detention
facilities, saying its efforts to
stop people seeking asylum by
boat has reduced the number of
people in detention.
In a move that the government
claimed as a win for its
tough border protection policies,
Immigration
Minister David
Coleman said that
Maribyrnong in
Melbourne and
Villawood in Sydney
would be closed.
They mark the 18th
and 19th immigration
detention centres
closed by this government
during its two
terms in power.
There are approximately
1,250 people
currently in Australia’s eight
remaining immigration detention
centres, down from 10,200
in mid-2013, SBS News reported.
“The government has
stopped the boats, got the children
out of detention and closed
the once-full immigration
detention facilities,” Coleman
said in a statement.
Maribyrnong was closed
immediately after the remaining
107 detainees were transferred
while Villawood will be shut
down by the middle on 2019.
Stopping asylum seekers
PUNJAB to fill over 1.2 lakh
vacancies in phased manner
Chandigarh : Despite the Punjab government being under a
debt of over Rs 2 lakh crore, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on
Tuesday ordered filling up of the 1.2
lakh vacant posts in government
departments in a phased manner.
The Chief Minister directed senior
officers to carry out the filling up
process of the vacancies in a phased
but focused manner, addressing the
critical requirements of departments
of health, education and medical education
and research in the first phase.
The directives came during a
meeting held here on Tuesday to
review the progress of the state government's
flagship 'Ghar Ghar
Rozgar' and 'Karobar Mission'
scheme. The Chief Minister has asked Chief Secretary Karan
Avtar Singh to work out the modalities for filling up the government
vacancies. "The Chief Secretary has been directed to hold a
meeting of Administrative Secretaries to work out the requirement
of posts to be filled in the various departments in the Officers'
Committee headed by him," an official spokesperson said.
The Chief Minister stressed on the need for better coordination
and synergy between the Skill Development Mission and the
Department of Employment Generation and Training (DEGT) to
bridge the gap between skill training and job profile.
He called for more special technical training and vocational
guidance programmes to equip the local youth to be gainfully
employed in the domestic industry.
Technical Education and Employment Generation minister
Charanjit Singh Channi apprised the meeting that 30,000 youth
had applied for placements in foreign companies during the
aOverseas Employment Camp' organised by DEGT.
NEWS
Australian government
closes major immigration
DETENTION CENTRES
from coming to Australia by
boat was one of the key pillars
of the Liberal National Party’s
2013 election campaign where
it won power from the
Australian Labour Party (ALP).
“Under the previous Labour
government, 50,000 people
-arrived on 800 boats, 1,200
people tragically drowned at
sea and 8,000 children were put
in detention,” Coleman said.
“At its peak in July 2013,
there were more than 10,000
people held in immigration
detention -facilities in
Australia, including 2,000 children.”
Every single one of those
children who were in detention
in 2013 have now been
removed, he said. The minister
attacked Labour over its border
protection policies, saying the
former government was “forced
to open 17 detention centres to
deal with the catastrophic fail-
January 2019
21
PM: 2019 will START a
new chapter for Britain
New Year is a time to look
ahead and in 2019 the UK will
start a new chapter. The Brexit
deal I have negotiated delivers
on the vote of the British people
and in the next few weeks
MPs will have an important
decision to make. If Parliament
backs a deal, Britain can turn a
corner.
The referendum in 2016 was
divisive but we all want the
best for our country and 2019
can be the year we put our differences
aside and move forward
together, into a strong
new relationship with our
European neighbours and out
into the world as a globally
trading nation. The PM will
also say that while Brexit is
important, there are other significant
issues to focus on,
reflecting on the achievements
of 2018 and looking ahead with
optimism.
She said:
Important though Brexit is,
ures of their policies”.
The current government’s
closures saved the country 500
million Australian dollars
($352.4 million), he added.
However, Refugee Action
Coalition group dismissed the
government’s decision to close
two immigration detention centres
as an “empty gesture”.
The group’s spokesperson
Ian Rintoul called it a
“meaningless
announcement”.
“The fact is that the
government has
increased detention
capacity with new
compounds being
opened at Yongah
Hill, and a high detention
facility opening in
the Melbourne
Immigration Transit
Accommodation, to
replace Maribynong,”
he said.
“There has been no significant
decrease in the numbers of
people detained on the mainland.
In November 2018, there
were 544 people who had been
in detention more than one year
— up from 505 in September
2018.”
“Worse, it is inexcusable that
the numbers of people being
held in detention longer than a
year keeps growing. In
November 2018, 281 people
had been in detention over two
years,” he said.
it is not the only issue that
counts. When each of us looks
back on 2019, it will be the personal
milestones that stand out.
These are the things that matter
most and by agreeing a good
Brexit deal, we can focus our
energy on those things –
strengthening our economy and
opening up new markets for our
China building 'most advanced'
naval warship for Pakistan: Report
Beijing : China has started building for Pakistan, its
"all-weather ally", one of its "most advanced" naval warships
as part of a defence agreement to maintain a "balance
of power" in the Indian Ocean, the media reported
on Wednesday.
The China Daily quoted China State Shipbuilding
Corp (CSSC) -- one of the largest state-owned defence
contractor -- as saying that the construction of the ship
has started in the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in
Shanghai and it is a version of China's most advanced
guided missile frigate, without specifying its type.
The warship will be equipped with modern detection
and weapon systems and will be capable of anti-ship,
anti-submarine and air-defence operations, the CSSC
said. According to the Pakistani Navy, the ship's class is
Type 054AP, which means it is based on the Type 054A
of the People's Liberation Army Navy. It previously said
four such ships have been ordered, according to the
report. Once constructed, the warship "will be one of the
largest and technologically advanced platforms of
Pakistan's Navy and strengthen the country's capability
to respond to future challenges, maintain peace and stability
and the balance of power in the Indian Ocean
region", the report said.
It will also support the Pakistani Navy's initiative of
securing sea lanes for international shipping by
patrolling distant waters, the CSSC said.
According to the report, Type 054A was the best
frigate in service with the PLA Navy. It cited military
sources as saying that the ship had a fully loaded displacement
of about 4,000 metric tonnes and was
equipped with advanced radars and missiles.
About 30 Type 054As are in service with the PLA
Navy, observers said.
An insider in China's shipbuilding sector with knowledge
of the Type 054AP programme told the China Daily
that the ship is the largest and most powerful combat vessel
China ever exported.
"Based on pictures circulating on the Internet, the ship
will have vertical launch cells that can fire Chinese HQ-
16 air-defence missiles and other kinds of missiles.
Vertical launch cells will bring flexibility to the user in
terms of weapons portfolio, thus giving it a stronger
fighting capability," he said.
"The Type 054AP is the best frigate Pakistan can
access in the international market," said the report, citing
the insider. "The service of Type 054APs will double the
combat power of the Pakistani Navy's surface fleet," he
added.
businesses to create new jobs
and opportunities across the
UK; building the housing our
country needs so everyone can
have a home of their own and
transforming technical education
so everyone gains the skills
they need to get on. Our long
term plan for the NHS will put
a record investment into our
most precious public service so
it is there for us when we need
it. We will introduce a new
skills based immigration system
to replace freedom of
movement, and by protecting
and enhancing our natural environment,
we will make Britain
a healthier place.
This year the UK has
achieved a lot. The employment
rate is at a record high,
our debt is starting its first sustained
fall in a generation and
the number of people in
absolute poverty is at a record
low. But a New Year means
new potential to do even more,
to ensure that everyone in every
community can feel the benefit.
Together I believe we can start
a new chapter with optimism
and hope. We have all we need
to thrive and if we come together
in 2019 I know we can make
a success of what lies ahead
and build a country that truly
works for every one of us.

22 January 2019
WORLD
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
very day is a new day. We have
been celebrating every year for last so
many years but it also give us opportunity
to introspect about our lives.
It is time when we need to seriously
ponder over as what kind of society
are we becoming. Every now and then
people are asked to prove their ‘loyalty’
to the nation. And our loyalties to
the nation have been converted into
following certain slogans and symbolism.
We must understand that these
symbolic nationalism is nothing but
‘bania kee dukaan’. Anna Hazare started
with his gangs of lawbreakers holding
the tricolors in their hands. With
our national flag in their hands now
people can do anything. Now they go
to Kanwar yatra carrying these flags
on their bikes. People are lynching the
others and being cremated with
national flag draped on their bodies.
The other symbolic nationalism
come from singing Vande Mataram
and Bharat mata kee jai. Now, for
many like us it does not matter but the
fact is these slogan became ‘nationalist’
during the freedom struggle and
the brahmanical elite that dominated
the Congress party actually created
these slogans.
Even during the freedom struggle,
all those Muslims who were in the
Congress Party were called ‘nationalist’
muslims, a clear indication that
those who differ with the party were
not nationalists. Such demarcation of
identities were dangerous.
The issue in the Indian subcontinent
was caste but Hindu and Muslim
power elite fought with each other so
deliberately that the caste issues were
kept aside and ignored. Frankly speaking
caste actually supersedes religion
in our subcontinent but dominant
Muslim and Hindu narrative ensures
that the issues of Dalits, pasmandas do
not come into picture. Every day, these
socalled liberals and ‘radicals’ fight
with each others to keep others aside.
So you have to either defend them or
speak up against them. We cant live
with out them in this age of social
media.
Should we allowed to be used by
the people trying to brand themselves
through deliberate social media campaigns.
Don’t those exists who are not
brand and not so ‘important’. We need
to oppose this agenda setting exercise.
I don’t believe in ‘liberal-radical’
debate. I know they all are part of
power structure and they position
themselves.
Modi’s chelas have made a film
WELCOME 2019
‘accidental prime minister’ but I can
say here that Narendra Modi has given
India many ‘accidental heroes and
leaders’ and now they have become
brand. The brands have over taken the
work of those sincere activists at the
grassroots who have dedicated their
lives for years. Society too look for
celebrities and many of them only
speak either for Modi or against him
as if there are no other issues left in
India. The result is many time these
brand embarrass their promoters too.
Wish each one of you strength.
Please defend right to free speech. It is
important also for us to allow people
to speak their language and ideas. The
biggest contribution of Modi-Yogi
brand in India is that they have created
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
social and human rights activist
a perpetual hatred against Muslims in
India. This is the biggest challenge for
all of us to ensure that all citizens of
India including Muslims and
Christians to feel that this is their own
country and none have right to distribute
any certificate to them.
India is passing through a critical
stage. It is time we protect this idea of
India which our constitutional forefathers
adopted for us.
You can not impose Hindi-Hindu-
Hindustan on vast Indian population.
The Sanghi agenda has failed to take
all along.
The irony is that those in power
spreading fake news and hatred.
Democracy is under the threat but we
have to protect it all cost but we need
to talk about inclusive democracy. Let
us talk about proportional electorate
system which give representation to
all. Our solidarity with all those who
continue to speak up despite facing
threats and abuses from the religious
thugs and goons. We know they are of
every colour and every variety. it is
only time to
understand
that a theocratic
society
is most
dangerous
for all of us. The Brahmin monopoly
of knowledge is now being challenged
by the Bania-marwari control of
money and resources. All others are
merely the spectators in this game of
control over polity, national resources
and knowledge. The only way to get
out of this mess is for all those who do
not believe in hegemonic tendencies
and democratisation of society is to
speak about collective leadership.
Shun the celebrity culture and disown
the brands. It is they who betray the
trust of the people. Have’nt we understood
what happened to India in 2014.
Celebrity culture and brands are
attempt to control levers of powers
and disallow any outsiders in the
power structure.
My advise to friends would be to
enjoy life without attempting to be ‘
Very important’. I can bet, it will give
you much bigger strength than being a
VIP. Life will not be less meaningful if
you get lesser calls and invite to deliver
‘big’ inaugural speeches. There is
joy and meaningfulness in many
things including encouraging youngsters
and providing all help and ideas
to those who are unable due to their
socio-economic conditions. Create a
new generation of people to fight,
write and decide about themselves.
For a stronger India, we must do away
with Bhakti cult in politics as Baba
Saheb Ambedkar said. We need to do
away with the messianic culture and
focus more on issues and collective
leadership.
Wish you strength, happiness and
greater ideas each day.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social
and human rights activist. He blogs at
www.manukhsi.blogspot.com twitter
@ f r e e t o h u m a n i t y
Email: vbrawat@gmail.com
NON-SUBSIDISED LPG RATE CUT BY
Rs 120.50/cylinder, subsidised by Rs 5.91
New Delhi, Passing on a new year gift of reduction in
global gas prices to consumers, state-run Indian Oil Corp
(IOC) on Monday announced a major cut of Rs 120.50 in
the rates of non-subsidised LPG cylinders.
In a statement here, IOC also said the subsidised quota
of 12 cooking gas cylinders per annum will also cost less by
Rs 5.91 per cylinder, effective from January 1. Thus, a
14.2-kg subsidised LPG cylinder will cost Rs 494.99 in
Delhi from midnight, as against Rs 500.90.
The non-subsidised LPG will now cost Rs 689 per cylinder,
in place of the current Rs 809.50.
“The price of Non-Subsidised LPG at Delhi will
decrease by Rs 120.50 per cylinder w.e.f. 1st January 2019
due to fall in price of LPG in international market and
strengthening of US dollar-rupee exchange rate,” IOC said.
Actual prices following the rate cut will vary across centres
owing to local taxes.
Want to enjoy
snow, extend your
stay in Himachal
Shimla, If you want to enjoy the
snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, extend
your stay as the Met office on
Tuesday predicted snow this week.
Meteorological office Director
Manmohan Singh told IANS that a
western disturbance is likely to be
active in the region from January 1,
bringing rain and snowfall.
Shimla, the Queen of Hills, is
recording the “warmest” days owing
to long sunny spells, while cities like
Chandigarh, Amritsar, Karnal, New
Delhi and Lucknow, located in the
plains, are reeling under cold wave
conditions with the sun fogged out.
Hill destinations have been experiencing
long hours of sunny weather
for over a week and the day temperatures
in most places have risen.
Another official at the Shimla
meteorological bureau said the maximum
temperature in the hill state is
one-two degrees above the season’s
average.
But nights and mornings are
intensely cold.
“Under the influence of western
disturbance, light to moderate scattered
rainfall and snowfall would
occur in the state till January 2.
Another western disturbance would
be active from January 4 with another
chance of widespread precipitation,”
he said.
The probability of snowfall in
Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Manali,
Kalpa and Dalhousie is high till
January 6. Members of the hospitality
industry said most of the tourists were
enquiring about the chances of snowfall.
Despite prevailing dry weather,
most of the hotels in Shimla, Kufri,
Kasauli, Chail, Dharamsala,
Palampur and Manali were jampacked
to ring in the New Year.
“Some of our guests are preferring
to extend their stay with a hope to
enjoy the snowfall,” D.P. Bhatia, liaison
officer with the Oberoi Group,
told IANS. Akansha Malhotra and
Aryaman, a couple from New Delhi,
said they have extended their New
Year holidays in Shimla “as there are
chances of snowfall”.
The mountain peaks viewed from
Shimla, and the Dhauladhar peaks
overlooking Tibetan Buddhist leader
Dalai Lama’s official palace in
McLeodganj near Dharamsala are
covered by a white blanket.
Tourist arrivals in the hill state
every year surpasses the state’s population
of about 6.5 million. Kullu-
Manali has emerged as a favourite
tourist destination in the state, followed
by Shimla and Dharamsala,
according to the state Tourism
Department’s surveys.
A five-day winter carnival in
Manali, beginning January 2, is an
added draw for tourists who want to
extend their stay. In Shimla, located
around 7,000 feet above sea level, the
minimum temperature was 5.2
degrees Celsius on Tuesday, whereas
the maximum was 16.3 degrees on
Monday. The night temperature in
Dharamsala was 4.4 degrees Celsius,
whereas popular tourist resort Manali
saw a low of minus 0.2 degree.
At minus 6.8 degree, Keylong in
Lahaul-Spiti district was the coldest
in the state, while Kalpa, some 250
km from the state capital, saw a low
of minus 3.4 degree.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
A recent inglorious defeat of
Modi/Shah combine in three Indian
states: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Chhattisgarh and victory of Rahul
Gandhi, once labeled immature, parttime
politicians by the BJP/RSS, shows
that no leader or government can befool
the intelligent Indian voters for a long
time. Insulating day and night Gandhi
family from the public platforms by
Modi/RSS/VHP/Bajrang Dal made sick
the people of India. The victory of
Rahul Gandhi also shows that
Modi/Shah combine can no longer win
future elections merely on empty rhetoric.
There is a long list of failures on the
part of Modi/RSS combine. Apart from
Demonetization, GST the rate of unemployment
among the graduates is high.
Nothing substantial has been done to
generate employment avenues for millions
of young graduates. The litany is
that Ph.D. degree holders are forced to
look for fourth class jobs such as peon,
steno etc. Numerous flagship programmes
such as Skill India, Start-up
India launched by Modi government
did not work well to help the young
population. The voice of millions of
struggling farmers is not heard. Central
government teachers` salary is not paid
on time but to talk of state governments
which are struggling due financial
crunch. Research centers are almost on
the verge of collapse due to financial
paucity. The development
and good governance
stands no where under
Modi/RSS divisive politics.
It is on record that
Indian intelligent voters
are impatient. At the same
time, Indian voters gave a
full term to Modi/RSS to
address the issues like
unemployment, skyrocketing
prices, fuel prices,
farmer distress etc. All
these issues are directly
pinching the pocket of a common man.
But unfortunately, BJP/RSS leaders utilized
their time and energy to polarize
the society on the basis of religion and
caste resulting in social chaos and anarchy.
This social chaos and anarchy as
generated by Modi/RSS in almost all
BETWEEN
FAITH AND
JUSTICE
WORLD
The Demise of Modi`s
Arrogance and
Acrimonious Politics
states of India have further lead to societal
disintegration. People belonging to
the minority groups are publicly beaten
by the goons of RSS/VHP/Bajrang Dal.
Muslims are killed; Christians are suppressed;
Sikhs are labeled Khalistanis`.
On corruption front, Indian intelligent
voters were
expecting from
Modi/RSS to root out
corruption from the
face of India but data
shows that no file is
moved unless a bribe
is paid. The digitization
of the government
department has
furthered created
problems for the common
people. Officers
working in the government
departments
are taking advantage of digitization.
Nothing is done without paying the
bribe. Touts and middlemen rule
January 2019
23
the roost.
On foreign policy front, Modi
as a Prime Minister of India wasted
the taxpayer money while making
visits to several countries. In the
current scenario, almost all European
countries are struggling with their own
social and economic problems. It is also
a fact that when a country is struggling
to make her own citizens happy one
cannot expect foreign investment. On
the other hand, USA under the
Presidentship of Donald Trump wanted
“America First”. China under Xi
Jinping wanted Chinese goods to be
traded rather than establishing manufacturing
units in India. India under
Modi/RSS Hindutva ideological orientation
lost credibility to attract foreign
investment. There are two major reasons
working against India under
Modi/RSS (1) Political instability (2)
Social anarchy.
Today, a foreign investor is reluctant
to come to India. There is no denying the
fact that Narendra Modi as Prime
Minister of India has wasted valuable
five years of a young population of India.
Now time is over for Narendra Modi to
address the impending issues concerning
the common man since 2019 Lok Sabha
elections are approaching. The current
mood of the Indian voters Indicate that
Modi`s chimera must be annihilated and
be buried once for all.
Rahul Bali
Senior Correspondent,
the Asian Independent, UK
Recently, I had an occasion to
screen our documentary film
called `Voices from the Ruins’ in
a church in Pune. The film was
on the largest attack on the
Christian community during the
last few centuries. I did not have
much space to talk. That was
fine. The pastor who organised
the screening spent more than
one hour shouting `Hallelujah’
on top of his voice. And I was
sitting behind the crowd wondering
why the hell did I make this
film. The film was on the persecution
of Christians in India. But
I was a total failure in communicating.
This idiot was not interested
in discussing the real issue.
And when I came out, a couple
of youngsters came to discuss
with me. At that time, the same
pastor came and piled on to me.
His problem was that I was an
atheist. He was very keen to
impress me with his knowledge
of his God. I told him: `Look, sir.
I am only a human rights activist
in this situation. I genuinely care
for this issue. I can respect your
faith. But please respect my convictions
also.’ The youngsters
got the message. But the older
one was only bothered about the
fact that I was smelling some
beer. He could only smell from
outside appearance of me. Not
from inside. Sometimes, with all
good intentions, we waste our
energies. Because, the mainstream
world is only bothered
about your `appearance’ and not
the `essence’. Some people talk
to me about `strategies’ of not
smelling in such situations. But
sorry. I can only be what I am.
There is no need to pretend what
I am not.
Director K P Sasi

24 January 2019
WORLD
www.theasianindependent.co.uk
20 years of Dalit Human Rights
National Campaign on Dalit
Human Rights (NCDHR) is celebrating
their 20 years of championing
Dalit rights in India.
Prior to 1998, Dalit rights was
considered as social evil and discriminatory
practices, while not
given due recognition from the
human rights perspective.
NCDHR emerged as platform
which initiated a Pan India perspective
of Dalit rights during its
initiation of recognition within
the Human Rights paradigm. In
1998, 25 lakh signatures were
collected from the community
including community leaders
and academia, demanding effective
implementation of constitutional
safeguards for the protection
and promotion of the Dalit
Rights and total elimination of
untouchability.
“Over the past 20 years
NCDHR has emerged as a formidable
resistance movement,
defending the rights of our community.
It is an incredible
moment in history for our partners
and associates to reflect on
the journey thus far and innovate
new strategies to combat the
divisive and casteist forces” said
Mr. Paul Divakar, co-founder of
NCDHR.In 2001, when there
was not sufficient response and
effort by the government, the
issue was raised in the global
level at World Conference
Against Racism in Durban,
South Africa. Over 200 delegates
from different streams of
life, including Dalit Rights
activist, Human Rights activist,
parliamentarians, academia,
artists, solidarity groups among
others participated in the conference
to highlight the issue of
Dalits. The three main outcome
of the conference was guiding
the countries to report on the
specific themes of African
American Issue, Palestine Issue
and Dalit Issue in South Asia.
During last 20 years,
NCDHR has worked towards
deepening the structures of
Dalit Rights. NCDHR was
involved in training over 2000
Dalit Human Rights Defenders
in the usage of SC/ST (PoA) Act
1989, building capacities of
Dalit organisations and advocates;
sensitizing the Judges
through National Judicial
Academy.
Prof. Vimal Thorat, cofounder
of NCDHR unanimously
reiterate the relevance and
importance of locating the leadership,
articulations and
demands of Dalit women within
the larger anti-caste movement.
“We feel NCDHR placed this in
context several years ago by
launching AIDMAM to ensure
Dalit women remain in the centre
of all the interventions ”
NCDHR has prioritized the
importance of Gender rights
through All India Dalit Mahila
Adhikar Manch [AIDMAM]
and Economic rights through
Dalit Arthik Adhikar Andolan
[DAAA] including land rights
with Civil and Political rights
through National Dalit
Movement for Justice [NDMJ]
for ensuring overall approach
for rights and entitlements. In
2004, NCDHR has initiated
National Dalit Watch [NDW]
for mapping the inclusion of
Dalits in disaster risk reduction.
NCDHR facilitated the state
partners to come together and
advocate for the amendment in
the SC/ST (PoA) Act, which
was finally adopted in 2015.
With its partners in 22 states,
NCDHR has worked towards
better implementation of the
SCC/STC for rights and development
of the SC/ST communities.
As a result of our interventions,the
government to release
Rs. 4596.08 crores for scholarships
for Dalit students in higher
education. Both Mr. Henri
Tiphagne and Mr. Martin
Macwan, co-founders of
NCDHR felt that in the current
challenges political climate,
NCDHR has played a crucial
role in protecting rights of Dalit
Human Rights Defenders. “ In
celebrating the 20 years of its
existence, NCDHR must innovate
and build on the experiences
towards enabling strategic
actions”, they said.
Dalit Rights has seldom got
any support or recognition from
the wider society at large in the
country, where over 201 million
people are discriminated in the
basis of their caste, even today.
NCDHR stands relevant in
the today’s environment as there
is an absence of anti-discriminatory
law, which has resulted in
Bihar to have CISF like force to protect
BUSINESSMEN, INDUSTRIALISTS
Patna : Following the killing
of several business persons in
Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish
Kumar announced on Monday
that a Bihar Industrial Security
Force (BISF) will be set up on
the lines of the CISF. This will
“provide special security to
industrialists and businessmen”,
Nitish Kumar said at an Udhmi
Panchayat held here. It was
attended by Deputy Chief
Minister Sushil Kumar Midi,
Industry Minister Jai Kumar
Singh and dozens of industrialists
and businessmen.
Nitish Kumar said two battalion
of BISF would be based in
Begusarai and Buxar districts
soon. He said a committee had
been formed under the Inspector
General (Security) to study
which industrialists or businessmen
wanted personal security.
Fear runs high among businessmen
in Bihar after the killing of
more than half a dozen businessmen
including a young industrialist
in the state in the last two
weeks. Industry Minister Jai
Kumar Singh assured the industrialists
and businessmen that the
government would protect them.
In the last one month, industrialists,
businessmen and traders
have proved soft targets for criminals
in Bihar.
The latest victim, a businessman,
was gunned down in broad
daylight on Sunday in Vaishali
district. Criminals also opened
fire in Buxar district on Sunday
to create an environment of fear
after the businessmen refused to
pay them ‘rangdari’ tax.
constant targeting of violence
and discrimination against
Dalits. In education, Dalits children
faces discrimination from
teachers and other children as
well as lack of access and availability
of scholarships and hostels.
In employment, where jobs
are been outsourced to the private
sector, there is a significant
gap in availing jobs for these
communities. In housing, Dalits
are still segregated not only in
villages, but even in cities.
Violence against Dalit women
are steadily on the increase, with
over 25 thousand cases were
registered in 2016-17 alone,
while over 40 thousand cases
were registered under SC/ST
(PoA) Act. In Budgets, there is a
gap of INR 86796 crores in
2018-2019, for ensuring development
of the communities.
Ms. Asha Kowtal, General
Secretary of AIDMAM and Dr.
Rameshnathan V. A., General
Secretary of NDMJ added their
views on current relevance of
NCDHR on Dalit Rights .
“NCDHR has evolved in
addressing the contemporary
issues of young Dalit women
leadership, discrimination in
primary and higher education
and other issues as we go
along!” Internationally, caste
issue comes under the terminology
of Discrimination based on
Work and Descent (DWD). In
India and South Asia, Dalits are
considered as the major groups
under DWD, but globally there
are many groups in Africa, Asia,
Latin America and Europe; who
faces similar forms of exclusion
and structural discrimination.
NCDHR with its global interventions
is trying to bring these
communities together towards
addressing the issue of DWD
globally.