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8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
1/32
The South Asian Timese x c e l l e n c e i n j o u r n a l i s m
excellence in journalism SPIRITUAL AWARENESS 30
Vol.8 No. 9 July 4-10, 2015 60 Cents New York Edition Follow us on TheSouthAsianTimes.info
OP ED 13 BOLLYWOOD 18 SPORTS 24
Greece needs €50bn bailout andmassive debt relief to survive: IMF
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis speaking to American industry executives at a meeting called by the US-India
Business Council on Monday in New York.
The Chief Minister also addressed the Indiancommunity at a reception organized by the
Friends of Maharashtra at The Pierre
Make inMaharashtra,
Fadnavis tells
US businesses
New York: Maharashtra’s youthful
Chief Minister, Devendra
Fadnavis, who is gaining reputa-
tion as a visionary leader, arrived
here Monday on a 5-day visit to theUS aimed at attracting investment
to his state.
On the first day of his trip, the
chief minister was accorded a
warm reception at Pierre Hotel in
mid-town Manhattan by a newly
formed ‘Friends of Maharashtra’
and the Consulate General of India
in New York, where he addressed a
gathering of over 700 prominentIndian Americans.
The same afternoon, addressing a
meeting of the US-India Business
Council (USIBC), also at The
Washington: Financing needs for
Greece could add up to over
$55.42 billion (50 billion euros)
over the period from October 2015
to end 2018 in order to keep the
country afloat, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a
staff report.The IMF's warning on Thursday
came before Greece's upcoming
referendum on July 5. Although the
Continued on page 4
Continued on page 4
Detailed stories on pages 16-17.
Markets rattled as Athens defaults on IMF loan payment
Greeks rushed to banks to withdraw their money
The Director of Business & Economic Development in Nassau County as well as Chairman of The South Asian Times, Mehta
was sworn in as RI District Governor by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano. Looking on are Past District Governors
of Rotary Ravi Bhooplapur and Anthony J. Civitano.
New Delhi: Indian companies have
pl ed ge d $7 0b n to th e "D ig it al
India" initiative launched by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
empower citizens by deploying IT
and associated tools.
Among key investors are the
Ambani brothers, Tata group chief
Cyrus Mistry and Wipro head
Azim Premji. At the Wednesday
Continued on page 4Azim Premji, Mukesh Ambani, and other top Indian business
leaders at the Digital India launch.
Business leaders pledge $70bn for Modi’s Digital India
Kamlesh Mehta installed as Rotary District Governor
Detailed story on pg 11.
Detailed story and morepictures on page 2.
Eminent Indian-AmericanKamlesh Mehta was sworn in asGovernor of Rotary District7255 - that comprises Brooklyn,Queens and Long island – on June28 at a grand ceremony in thepresence of over 300 Rotarians,prominent members of the Indiancommunity, and many electedofficials of Long Island.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
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2 July 4-10, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
With wife Nimmi by his side, Kamlesh Mehta addressed theaudience as RI District 7255 Governor.
Kamlesh Mehta sworn in as
Rotary District Governor
By Parveen Chopra
New York: A prominent IndianAmerican entrepreneur, communi-
ty supporter and government offi-
cial in Long Island, Kamlesh Mehta
was installed as Rotary
International District 7255
Governor at a grand ceremony on
Long Island on June 28.Mehta,
Director of Business & Economic
Development in Nassau County, a
prominent diamond merchant as
well as Publisher of The South
Asian Times newspaper and Asian
Era magazine, was administered the
oath of office by Nassau County
Executive Edward P. Mangano in
the presence of a large number of
Rotary officials, veteran Rotariansand prominent members of the
Indian community.
Mehta, who will serve as RI
District 7255 Governor in the year
2015-16, was ceremoniously pre-
sented the gavel and official regalia
by the outgoing district governor
Anthony J. Civitano in the presence
of over 300 guests at the Antun’s
by Minar banquet hall in Hicksville,
NY. In hi s ac cept ance spee ch,
Mehta said he has learnt a lot form
working with CE Mangano, someof which will come handy in his
role as Governor of the Rotary dis-
trict which encompasses Brooklyn,
Queens and Long Island in New
York. He also thanked Ravishankar
Bhooplapur, past Governor of RI
District 7255, under whose inspira-
tion he founded the Hicksville
South Rotary Club in 2009.
Bhooplapur introduced Mangano.
In his keynote address, Mangano
harked back to his years as a promi-
nent Rotarian in Long Island in the
early 80s. Among the dignitaries
who sent congratulatory letters to
Kamlesh Mehta included Rotary
International President K.R.Ravindran, New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio, Indian Consul
General in New York,
Dnyaneshwar Mulay,
Congresswoman Grace Meng and
New York City Public Advocate.
Kamlesh Mehta is known for his
long-standing leadership role in the
Indian American community in
Long Island. To mention a few: He
is a founder of Rajasthan
Association of North America
(RANA) and India Day Parade onLong Island. He is also the director
of Vision Long Island, Xavier
Medical University and iTuror.com.
He is the first Indian to serve in the
prestigious office of Nassau County
Office of Business & Economic
Development as its Director.
Rotary is over a century old glob-
al network of business, profession-
al, and community leaders who
work voluntarily to provide human-
itarian service, encourage high ethi-
cal standards, and help build good-
will peace in the world.
Headquartered in Chicago,
Rotary International boasts over 1.2
million members serving in 32,000Rotary clubs spread over more than
200 countries and geographical
areas as it initiates service projects
to address today’s challenges,
including illiteracy, disease, hunger,
poverty, lack of clean water, and
environmental concerns. Near-erad-
ication of polio from the world is
Rotary’s a stupendous and well-
documented success.
CE Ed Mangano was presented Lifetime Achievement plaque for his distinguished leadership and humanitarian services by
Kamlesh Mehta, Hicksville South President Chitty and Jericho Sunrise President Sangeeta Bahl. The county executive was also
bestowed honorary membership of Hicksville South Rotary.
Citations of appreciation for stellar community service: Salil Zaveri (Asstt Dist 7255 Governor), Sangeeta Bahl (incoming
President, Jericho Sunrise Rotary), CE Mangano, Kamlesh Mehta,Sangeeta Sethi (outgoing President, Jericho Sunrise Rotary) and
Lionel Chitty (incoming President, Hicksville Rotary South).
(From left), Town of Hempstead Councilman Ed Ambrosino,prominent businessman ShanShanmugam, Rotary Club Hicksville South Past President Vikas Dhall, eminent jeweler Haridas Kotahwala, KamleshMehta Town of Hempstead Clerk Nasrin Ahmed, and Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.
Eminent Indian-American Kamlesh Mehta was installed as Governor of Rotary District 7255 - that
comprises Brooklyn, Queens and Long island - at a grand ceremony in the presence of over 300
Rotarians, prominent members of the Indian community, and many elected officials of Long Island.
After his swearing in, RI District 7255 Governor Kamlesh Mehta with the outgoing governor Anthony J. Civitano , other PDGs and senior Rotarians of the district.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
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4 Indian Americans among Carnegie immigrant honoreesNew York: Four highly accomplished Indian Americans are in the
Carnegie Corporation of New York’s annual “Great Immigrants: The Pride
of America” list. Among the 39 honorees for 2015 include are: Abraham
Verghese, the author/physician from Ethiopia of Indian descent who write
Cutting for Stone; Rakesh Khurana, Dean of Harvard College; Preet
Bharara, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York; and Madhulika
Sikka,VP & Executive Editor of .Mic. There is also one Pakistani hon-
oree—Rabia Chaudry featured in the hit podcast Serial. Sofía Vergara,
actress and director (Colombia native) is one of the honorees. Now in its
10th year, the event reflects Andrew Carnegie’s support of immigrant inte-
gration and civic engagement. Carnegie Corporation of New York was
established by him in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of
knowledge and understanding.
3July 4-10, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: Stung by
media criticism that he is dis-
tancing himself from his Indian
heritage, Bobby Jindal's presi-
dential campaign is hitting hard
on his 'hyphenated Americans'
theme with T-shirts touting him
as "tanned, rested, ready". The
$20 official T-shirt which is sup-
pose d to be a nod to Ji ndal 's
Indian heritage and his dislike of
"hyphenated American" modi-
fiers as well as a play on a
famous Richard Nixon line, is
apparently his way of getting
back at the "liberal media."
Way back in 1988, a T-shirt
sold at the Young Republican
convention in Seattle depicted "a
smiling Richard M. Nixon" with
the slogan "He's tan, rested and
ready," according to the New
York Times.
"The liberal media said,'There's not much Indian left in
Bobby Jindal,' so we made shirts
to mock them," Jindal, the first
Indian-American governor andthe 13th Republican candidate in
the 2016 White House race,
tweeted Tuesday.
The line is an apparent refer-ence to a quote from Pearson
Cross, a political science profes-
sor at the University of Louisiana
at Lafayette who is writing a
book on him, in a Washington
Post profile of Jindal.
"The liberal narrative that
developed this week was disgust-
ing: apparently Bobby isn't
brown enough for them," said
Jindal campaign manager Timmy
Teepell as cited by The Advocate
newspaper.
Jindal's presidential super PAC
- a supposedly independent polit-
ical action committee that may
raise unlimited sums of money
and engage in unlimited political
spending independently of a
campaign-also criticised
"hyphenated Americans."
Jindal is returning to Iowa this
week to hold various events
through Saturday, including par-
ticipating in at least two July 4
parades and tours of local facto-
ries. Meanwhile, Twitter wentwild Tuesday asking Bobby
Jindal questions with the
#AskBobby hashtag after his
po li ti ca l ac ti on co mm it te e
encouraged people to ask the
presidential candidate questions.
The hashtag, which is used to
track trending topics, quickly
became among the top 10-most
used topics on the service by
Tuesday afternoon, according to
NOLA.com.
But going by a sampling,
apparently this was not what the
Jindal campaign was hoping for.
NonProphetess @nonprophetess
- Is the cognitive dissonance of
having a biology degree and
be in g vi ci ou sl y an ti -s ci en ce
overwhelming?
Brent Rogers @BrntRgrs -
Who is your favorite Supreme
Court justice? I'm guessing
Scalia. Did I get it right?
#AskBobby.
Scalia was one of the judges
who gave a dissenting opinion inthe Supreme Court ruling allow-
ing same-sex marriages across
the US.
Bellerose, NY: A long time com-
munity supporter, Satnam Singh
Parhar has announced his candi-
dacy for New York City Council
to represent District 23, which
includes many diverse communi-
ties across North-Eastern Queens.
The seat fell vacant as former
Councilman Mark Weprin (D) jo in ed th e st af f of Go ve rn or
Andrew Cuomo as deputy secre-
tary of legislative affairs.
In the September 10 special
election, Parhar is presenting him-
self as a fresh face with a bold
new outlook - in keeping with
principles of honesty and trans-
parency. He supports small clas
size and bette pay for teachers.
He envisages economic growth
through the promotion of small
businesses.
Parhar knows that he will need
the help of the Indian Community
so he has made a special appeal to
them to vote and support him and be a part of his campaign for the
good of the united community.
He reminds all about how he has
always stood for the welfare of the
Indian community.
Born in a village in Punjab,
Parhar came to the US in 1976
with a BCom degree and experi-
ence as a student activist. He
brought the spirit of activism to
his local community, where he has
since involved himself in adiverse commercial, community,
and philanthropic ventures. Along
the way he had major successes in
fashion industry and later con-
struction and development.
Having served India Association
of Long Island (IALI) for many
years, he is its President since
2014. As President, Parhar has
worked to establish a permanent
headquarters for IALI, lovingly
called IALI Home. He spends
hours every weekend at the IALI
Home to meet people from the
community and address their con-
cerns. An avid runner and sports-
man, he has completed manyraces including the TCS New
York City Marathon.
Mr. Parhar is the founder of
Sant Baba Nidhan Singh Ji
Cultural Society, and the founder
and chairman of Rajput Cultural
Society. Parhar has made routine
visits to various airports, schools,
and precincts to bring awareness
to these institutions and the public
about Sikhism.
In 2011, Parhar had the honor
of participating in the introduction
of the New York City Workplace
Religious Freedom Act in co-
operation with former mayor
Michael Bloomberg andCouncilman Weprin. He has
organized fundraisers and election
rallies in support of New York
State Senator Anthony Avella,
Assemblyman David Weprin, and
Councilman Mark Weprin.
Mr. Parhar’s website is:
VoteParhar.com
The $20 official T-shirt is supposed to be a nod to Jindal's Indian heritage.
"Tanned, rested, ready" Jindal swings at 'hyphenated Americans'
Parhar in race for NYC Council
Satnam Singh Parhar wants to represent District 23 of New
York City Council, the seat that Mark Weprin occupied.
Roopam Maini, manager of the Hicksville branch of Indus American Bank, & her husband Raman Maini pose with Nassau
County Executive Ed Mangano at the installation of KamleshMehta as Governor of Rotary Distirct 7255 on Sunday. Roopam
Maini is Vice President of Hicksville South Rotary Club.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
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Chairman and Co-Founder
Kamlesh C. Mehta
Co-Founder: Saroosh Gull
President: Arjit Mehta
Chief Operating Officer:
Ginsmon P. Zacharia
P: 516 776 7061
Board Advisors (Honorary)
Ajay Lodha, MD,
Lakhpat B. Mehta, Esq.
Rajasthan High Court & Supreme Court
Managing Editor: Parveen Chopra
P : 516.710.0508
Associate Editors Jinal Shah,
Hiral Dholakia-Dave, Meenakshi Iyer
Contributing Editors: Ni lima Madan,
Melvin Durai, Dr Prem Kumar Sharma,
Harry Aurora, Ashok Vyas,
Dr Akshat Jain, Nupur Joshi
Contributing Editors (Youth):
Rhea Gupta, Shweta Lodha, Sidharth Goyal
West Coast Correspondent
Pooja Jain,
New Delhi Bureau
Meenakshi Iyer
Strategy and Marketing
Jinal Shah
P: 315-436-1142
Marketing & PR (Washington DC)
Chander Gambhir, P: 703.717.1667
Jaipur (India) Bureau
Prakash Bhandari
Photographs: Gunjesh Desai/
masalajunction.com.
Xitij Joshi/xitijphoto.com
Photo Journalist: Sandeep Ganatra
Cartoonist: Mahendra Shah
Art and Design: Vladimir Tomovski
Bhagwati Creations,
Dhiraj Kumar
Web Editor: B.B.Chopra
News Service: HT Media Ltd.
IANS Newswire Services
IANS Washington Bureau
Arun Kumar
arun.kumar@ians,in
Printing: Five Star Printing, NY
Contacts
Advertisements
P : 516.390.7847, F : 516.465.1343
Website:
www.TheSouthAsianTimes.info
Notice: The South Asian Times is published weekly by The Forsythe Media Group, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send all address notices, subscription orders/payments and other inquiries to The South Asian
Times, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801, USA. Copyright and all other rights reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be reprinted without the consent of the publisher. The
views expressed on the opinion pages and in the letters to the editor pages are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The South Asian Times. The editor/publisher does not warrant accuracy
and cannot be held responsible for the content of the advertisements placed in the publication and/or inaccurate claims, if any, made by the advertisers. Advertisements of business or facilities included in this
publication do not imply connection or endorsement of these businesses. All rights reserved.
4 July 4-10, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TURN PAGE
Make in Maharashtra, Fadnavis tells US businesses...
Continued from page 1
Pierre, Fadnavis said: "My government has taken a vari-
ety of measures to promote ease of doing business in the
state and we want to be viewed as a top destination for
both domestic as well as international investments."
"Our government", Fadnavis said, "is committed to
providing a boost to both 'Make in India' and 'Make in
Maharashtra' campaigns, provide business to both medi-
um and small enterprises and create much-needed jobs."
Greece needs €50bn bailout and massive debt...
Continued from page 1
Greek government stressed the referendum was on its
creditors' offer for a reforms-for-cash debt deal, skepti-
cism and strong reactions that the referendum could lead
to Grexit (exit from EU) was also widespread in Greece.
The report said Greece is unlikely to close its financing
gaps from the markets on terms consistent with debt sus-
tainability.
It slashed Greece's economic growth forecast in 2015
to zero percent, compared to a growth of 0.8 percent in
2014.
The estimate of the additional 50 billion euros in fund-
ing, including 36 billion euros from EU lenders, was
based on the assumption that existing support from the
EU and IMF would continue through this summer.
The report was prepared before the Greek authoritieshave closed the banking sector, imposed capital con-
trols, and incurred arrears to the IMF and did not reflect
these developments, which the IMF believe are likely to
have a significant adverse economic and financial
impact.
In May 2010, the IMF approved 30 billion euros in
financial assistance for Greece under a Stand-By
arrangement, and then in March 2012, the lender
approved 28 billion euros for Greece under an extended
arrangement to support its economic reform program.
To date, Greece has 21.2 billion euros in outstanding
obligations to the IMF. A repayment of about 1.5 billion
euros was due to the IMF on June 30. Greece did not
make the repayment when due and is now in arrears to
the Washington-based lender, which makes Greece the
first advanced economy default on IMF debt.
Business leaders pledge $70bn...
Continued from page 1
event held at a sports stadium, companies also pledged
to manufacture in India, estimated to add 1.8 million
jobs to the economy.
"Why can't we make quality electronic goods that are
globally competitive?" Mr Modi said, highlighting his
goal of ending net technology and electronics imports
by 2020.
Printed Every Saturday by: Forsythe Media Group, LLC, ISSN 1941-9333, 76 N Broadway, Suite 2004, Hicksville, NY 11801 P: 516.390.7847
Website: TheSouthAsianTimes.info Updated Daily
Jaipur: Film star and BJP MP Hema
Malini was injured on Thursday in a road
accident which killed a five year old child
and severely injured two others at Dausa
in Rajasthan.
Hema Malini, who was sitting in the
front seat, sustained injuries on her fore-
head, cheek, and legs. She was rushed to
the Fortis Hospital in Jaipur where doc-
tors conducted a CT scan and then admin-
istered stitches on her wounds, a source in
the hospital said.
A neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon are
treating the injury on her face and she
will be kept in the hospital overnight
under observation.
USINPAC wants Ann Coulter firedby Fox over Nikki Haley remarks
New York: Taking serious
note of the derogatoryremarks made last week
by An n Co ul te r agai ns t
South Carolina Governor
Ni kk i Ha ley and immi -
grants in America in a pro-
gram on Fox News, USIN-
PAC has launched an
online petition urging Fox
News to immediately sack
Ms. Coulter as a commen-
tator on its network.
The full account of
Coulter’s remarks and
USINPAC stand on the issue has been explained in
the online petition (https://www.change.org/p/fox-
news-network-immediately-remove-ms-ann-coul-
ter-from-the-fox-platform). Sanjay Puri,
Chairman, USINPAC, said “This is an issue that isof deep concern to the Indian American communi-
ty evidenced by the large number of calls and
emails that USINPAC is receiving on this issue.”
The US India Political Action Committee
(USINPAC) is a bipartisan nonprofit organization
that works on issues and policies of concern to the
Indian American community of over 3.2 million in
the United States.
Hema Malini injured in road accident in Rajasthan
ConservativecommentatorAnn Coulter
Following the recent events of the shooting at a historic African American church in Charleston, South Carolina, and arson at other churches, Public Advocate Letitia James and
South Asian 4 Right Choice founder Pam Kwatra (second fromright), along with South Asian community members, hosted a
Candlelight Vigil at the Calvary Baptist Church in Jamaica, NY.
Leading TMobilestores operator inLong Island & Queens, Jerry Kohli'a daughter
Priyanka tied thewedding knot withAman Nagpal inChicago on July 2,2015. The SouthAsian Timesfamily wishes a very happy married lifeto the new couple.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
5/32
5July 4-10, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
New York: A lot of Hollywood
actors were already doing it but
when closer home Bollywood icon
Aamir Khan recently announced
his plans of turning vegan, many
became curious. While some may
express doubts, a doctors’ group
from the US has initiated an India
tour to propagate the benefits of a
vegan life.
In a country which is all too
familiar with vegetarianism, pro-
moting this seems an easy task but
is actually tricky. Because, apart
from not eating any meat product,going vegan means avoiding
meat-based products too, like milk
and eggs. So there goes your
paneer and curd!
Zeeshan Ali of the Physicians
Committee for Responsible
Medicine (PCRM), a non-profit
health organization in the US, a
body of 12,000 physicians, both of
Indian origin and from around the
world but working in the US that
was established in 1985 and which
promotes veganism, however says
that a plant-based diet has been
clinically proven to reduce the risk
of chronic diseases and reduces
your metabolic risks.“A low-fat vegan diet, combined
with a nutrition education pro-
gramme, is clinically proven to
boost weight loss, lower blood
pressure, impr ove tota l choles-
terol, restore insulin function, alle-
viate chronic pain, particularly
headaches, migraines, and joint
pain,” says Ali.
“It also boosts your mood and
combats chronic fatigue. Plant-
based dietary patterns are associat-
ed with a reduced risk for certain
forms of cancer and Alzheimer’s
disease, he added.
But what about adequate nutri-
tion? Meat, we know, is a good
source of protein. Also when it
comes to iron, all that we under-
stand are brilliant sources – meat,
eggs, poultry, fish, dairy products
– which are missing from a vegan
diet.Ali however chalks out alterna-
tives. “A plant-based vegan diet
pr ov id es an ab un da nc e of
micronutrients we often fall short
on while ensuring adequate intake
of the three macronutrients: carbo-
hydrates, protein, and fat. We rec-
ommend 80 percent of calories
come from carbohydrates, 10 per-
cent from fat and 10 percent from
protein.”
“Choosing colorful, low-fat,
plant -based foods often ensures
this ratio, or a comparable one that
will leave you feeling great.
Especially good protein sources
include whole-wheat pasta,ancient grains, beans, peas and
lentils, and even leafy greens like
spinach and broccoli,” he added.
Where milk consumption is con-
sidered essential for children’s
development, Ali says that kids
should also be encouraged to take
up veganism and thereby a health-
ier lifestyle.
“A public school in New York
City recently re-modelled its lunch
room to offer students daily access
to vegetarian foods, salad bars and
plant -base d prote ins like chick-
peas and tofu . Th e result s are
astounding. The students lost
weight, attendance and energy
levels in classrooms soared and
test scores rose to an all-time high.
This is just one anecdote to sup-
port a large body of research that
shows a vegetarian diet is a
healthful choice at every stage of life, especially for children and
teens.”
A diet centring on vegetables,
fruits, whole grains and legumes
provides one with stable energy
throughout the day and boosts the
immune system. “This is why
many Hollywood stars like
Beyonce and Natalie Portman,
professional athletes, global lead-
ers and now even Bollywood
actors are going vegan. A colour-
ful diet ensures they can perform
their best, whether it’s filming for
20 hours or embarking on a world
tour.”
The six-city Building a HealthyIndia tour began in Bhopal June
25 and is travelling to Hyderabad,
Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and
finally Delhi July 6. The event
also has the support of non-profit
organisations like SHARAN and
India’s Freedom from Diabetes
Clinic.
New York: An exhibition ‘Sultans
of Deccan India - Opulence and
fantasy’ is on at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York till
July 26. The exhibition features art
of India's Deccan courts during the
rule of its sultans in the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries. The dia-
mond-rich region attracted artists,
poets, writers, and traders from all
over the world—including Iran,
Turkey, Africa, and Europe—who
were drawn to the Shi’a culture
and material splendor of the courts.
Under their mixed influence, capti-
vating art styles of otherworldly
charm evolved.
At its zenith, the Deccan became
home to Indian and Persian artists,
the abode of African elites, and the
place where European discoverers
embraced new tastes in textiles and
gems. By the end of the seven-
teenth century, the Deccan courts
gave way to Mughal domination
from the north, but their preceding
efflorescence offers a glimpse of
the imaginative heights reached in
the arts of painting.This exhibition brings together
some two hundred of the finest
works from major international,
pr iv at e, an d ro ya l co ll ec ti ons.
Featuring many remarkable loans
from India, the exhibition—which
is the most comprehensive muse-
um presentation on this subject to
date—explores the unmistakable
character of classical Deccani art
in various media: poetic lyricism in
painting, lively creations in metal-
work, and a distinguished tradition
of textile production.
The exhibition is made possible
by the Gail and Par ker Gil bert
Fund, the Placido Arango Fund,
the E. Rhodes and Leona B.
Carpenter Foundation, the National
Endowment for the Arts, and
Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B.
Polsky. It is supported by an
indemnity from the Federal
Council on the Arts and theHumanities.
The catalogue is made possible
by Th e Andr ew W. Mell on
Foundation, the E. Rhodes and
Leona B. Carpenter Foundation,
the Doris Duke Fund for
Publications, and Shubha and
Prahlad Bubbar.
Washington, DC: Democratic frontrun-
ner Hillary Clinton continues to lead all
2016 presidential candidates includingthose in the crowded Republican field
where Indian-American Bobby Jindal
languishes at the 13th place, according to
a new poll.
While the former first lady now holds a
slightly slimmer lead among Democrats,
former Florida governor Jeb Bush and
real estate mogul Donald Trump are the
only two Republican candidates holding
double-digit support among Republicans,
a new CNN/ORC national poll finds.
Louisiana's Indian-American governor,
Jindal, figures 13th in a field of 14
declared and two undeclared Republican
candidates with just 2 percent support,
though his backing has gone up from one
percent last month.
Bush stands at 19 percent, up from 13 percent in May -- and his best showing in
CNN/ORC polling since December.
Trump follows at 12 percent, up from 3
percent before his announcement.
Former Arkansas governor Mike
Huckabee (8 percent), neurosurgeon Ben
Carson (7 percent) and Kentucky Senator
Rand Paul (7 percent) round out the top
five. Nationally, Clinton leads all other
Democratic candidates by more than 40
points, with 57 percent of Democrats and
Democratic-leaning independents behind
her and 16 percent backing Vice
President Joe Biden and 14 percent
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
New Delhi: The ministry of external
affairs (MEA) has sought to make
Devyani Khobragade’s situation bet-
ter by reinstating her and making her
director of the important States divi-
sion, according to a Times of India
report. With a US arrest warrant still pendin g aga ins t her, the 1999 IFS
officer has not been able to travel
abroad.
Khobragade had been stripped of
her responsibilities with the ministry
last year in December and put on "compulsory
wait" after she gave interviews to the media in
which she said the vigilance inquiry against her
was unfair. The inquiry sought to know how her
two daughters were in possession of both Indian
and US passports. According to The Times of
India report the decision to reinstate Khobragade
was taken by foreign secretary S Jaishankar who
felt Khobragade was being unnecessarily vic-
timized. That has not fully ended her
ordeal though as she is still unable to
travel and the passports of her kids
remain confiscated.
Khobragade met senior officials in
the PMO last week to discuss her case.
Her children's passports have not beenrestored yet despite the Delhi high
court staying the revocation of the
travel documents. The kids are
spending their summer vacation
with their father in the US but will
require Indian visas to return.
The government, however, has decided not to
contest the case legally in the US and instead
focus on a political settlement says the report.
Khobragade has not traveled abroad since she
returned to India after her arrest and humiliating
strip-search for underpaying her nanny. The
ministry is unable to post her to any country
with which the US has an extradition treaty.
Hillary leads 2016 US presidentialrace, Jindal way behind: Poll
MEA reinstates Devyani Khobragade
Devyani Khobragade
Shah Jahan Diamond which is on display at the exhibition
US- based doctors’ group promotes vegan life in IndiaMET exhibition on DeccanSultans’ jewelry on till July 26
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
6/32
6 July 4-10, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info TRISTATE COMMUNITY
M. Venkaiah Naidu addresses top business leadersWashington, DC: U.S. industry executives
from the U.S.-India Business Council (USI-
BC) met with India's Minister of Urban De-
velopment, M. Venkaiah Naidu, to discuss
opportunities in the recently launched
schemes of the Government of India that will
have a significant impact on India's urban
development for the next few years.
Minister Naidu engaged with members on
a range of topics, including the Smart Cities
Program, reforms undertaken by the Gov-
ernment of India to improve the Ease of Do-
ing Business, prospective passage of the
Goods & Services Tax (GST) and Land Ac-
quisition Bill.
Speaking about the resurgence of India un-
der the leadership of Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi, Minister Naidu said that "India is
fast transforming itself in every sphere of
public life. The economy is back on rails, in-
flation is under control, and growth rate is at
7.3% and likely to cross 8% in the coming
years." He noted that the Indian Parliament
had passed a record number of 47 legisla-tions in the past year, including some that
had been pending for a long time, like the in-
crease in FDI cap in insurance sector.
Minister Naidu outlined various initiatives
of the government including the Make in In-
dia, Skill India, Digital India and Clean India
programmes. He also highlighted efforts to
build a partnership between the Centre and
the States to move forward on reforms like
the GST. He noted that the Government is
linking bank accounts with the unique ID
and mobile telephones to stop leakage in
subsidies. It is focusing on greater trans-
parency and accountability. He emphasized
the human face of reforms, including social
security schemes and affordable housing.
Noting that India has prioritized the cre-
ation of 100 smart cities, which will incor-
porate the use of solar energy, rain water har-vesting, good sanitation, drinking water and
smart public transportation, Minister Naidu
explained the recent guidelines for selection
of smart cities, financing infrastructure de-
velopment and incentives for private sector
participation.
Expressing appreciation for the U.S. sup-
port for smart city development of Ajmer,
Allahabad and Vishakhapatnam, he urged
the U.S. businessmen to take advantage of
the business friendly atmosphere and the
great investment opportunities in India, and
invited them to invest in smart cities and
AMRUT projects.
"American enterprise is eager to partici-
pate and deepen its commercial dialogue
through the 100 Smart Cities initiative," said
Purna Saggurti, Chairman of Global Corpo-
rate and Investment Banking at Bank of
America, Merrill Lynch, and a member of
USIBC's Board of Directors.
Expressing hope and optimism in Minister
Naidu's vision, USIBC President, Mukesh
Aghi said, "Flagship programs such as Smart
Cities, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and
Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Hous-
ing for All reflect the Indian government's
dedication to innovation and technology,
while not overlooking the urgent need to pro-
vide all citizens with access to basic necessi-
ties. Reforms in taxation and land acquisition
remain central to the success of these
schemes." Minister Naidu interacted with
USIBC members and answered their queries.
Representatives of many top US based busi-
ness houses, who were present in the round
table discussions, expressed keen interest in
India. Prominent among them were, iTECH,
IBM, Honeywell, Genworth, UTC, AE-
COM, Tyco, Systems Soft, Apple, AT&T,
Dell, Qualcom, Cognizant, Capital Novus,
Moody's, Bank of America, McLarty Asso-
ciates, etc.
Urban Development Minister of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu at the roundtable dis- cussion in Washington DC
This March two lucky 11th
grade students, Ruby Joy
Nagaraj and Rahul Balakr-
ishnan, were sponsored by Tufaan
Entertainment to visit Chicago
for Tufaan 2015. Tufaan Enter-
tainment is a student-run non-
profit that hosts a collegiate
South Asian dance competition at
Northwestern University each
year, where 10 dance teams from
universities across the U.S. come
to compete.
While in Chicago, Ruby and
Rahul went on the NPR radio
show Worldview, visited Navy Pier,
danced, ate ice cream and more. They
also had the opportunity to visit San
Francisco where they toured Khan Acad-
emy and met the founder, Salman Khan.
"Getting a global perspective allows
them to be global citizens," explains Ajit
George, Director of Operations for Shan-
ti Bhavan, an NGO. "The opportunity to
visit other countries broadens their vi-
sion." Shanti Bhavan is thankful for the
partnership with Tufaan Entertainment,
and all of the proceeds from the dance
competition are donated to the school.
IN BRIEF
Shanti Bhavan kids share their stories in US
1000 Lights for Peace in Houston
M
ahatma Gandhi Library will be celebrating 146th birth anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday, October 4 at The Miller Outdoor The-
ater, 6000 HermannPark Drive, Houston in the
beautiful Hermann Park. The
event will take place from 5
PM to 8 PM. The program
will start with "Walk For
Peace" from 5 PM to 6 PM. It
is a 5 K walk which will take
place in the lovely Hermann
park starting at Mahatma
Gandhi Statue in Hermann
and ending at The Miller Outdoor theater.
1000 Lights For Peace, an international dance and music show will start at 6
PM and end at 8 PM. The winners of various contests of Mahatma Gandhi Week
2015 will be awarded their prizes during this program. Also hear the young win-
ners of Speech Contests deliver their inspiring speeches.
The international dance and music show consists of various ethnic communi-
ties of Houston such as African American, Hispanic, Oriental, Indo-Americanand others show cashing practice of truth and non-violence in their culture.
The finale of the program will be a lighting of a candle by all present as a
pledge to practice peace in their own lives.
Ruby and Rahul on NPR radio show
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
7/32
Washington, DC: R. Paul Singh, a
distinguished professor emeritus at
the University of California, Davis,
has been named as the 2015 Global
Confederation for Higher Education
Associations for Agriculture and
Life Sciences World Agriculture
Prize laureate.
Singh, an agricultural engineering
graduate from India's Punjab
Agricultural University, has been
recognized for a body of research in
areas such as energy conservation,
freezing preservation, post harvesttechnology and mass transfer in food
processing. He has helped establish
and evaluate food-engineering pro-
grams at institutions throughout the
world, including in Brazil, India,
Peru, Portugal and Thailand. As of
June 2015, his 115 video tutorials
have been viewed more than
150,000 times by individuals from
193 countries. "I'm deeply humbled
and honored, upon receiving news
of this award," said Singh.
"I'm also indebted to my UC Davis
colleagues for their consistent sup-
port, which has allowed me to pur-
sue my research and teaching activi-
ties in food engineering," he said.
The award was announced at the
annual GCHERA conference, held
June 24-26 at the Holy Spirit
University of Kaslik, Jounieh,
Lebanon, according to a post on UC
Davis website. Formal presentation
of the award will take place Sep 20,
during a ceremony at Nanjing
Agricultural University, JiangsuProvince, China. Singh earned a
master 's degree and PhD at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison
and Michigan State University,
respectively. He joined the UC
Davis faculty one year later, in 1975.
San Leandro, CA: After almost
four years as the executive vice
president of Unive rsal Televisio n,
former Miss India USA Bela
Bajaria Bajaria was promoted to
president of the studio in early June.
Bajaria began searching for an
assistant job anywhere in the enter-
tainment industry, landing her first
job at CBS in 1996. Once she had
her foot in the door, Bajaria said she
wanted to learn everything she
could about the business.
“I worked really late, and I really
wanted to learn a lot in my time
there,” she told India-West publica-
tion. “So I ended up staying at CBS,
and then I got promoted and ended
up running the department in
2001.”
After almost 16 years at CBS,
Bajaria decided to head to
NBC Uni versa l to ree stabli sh the
Universal Television studio as a
stand-alone entity after its creative
programmin g divis ion was folded
into the NBC network in 2008.
Bajaria oversees creative pro-
gramming for the studio, which has
be en re sp on si bl e fo r nu me ro us
primetime hits such as “Parks and
Recreation,” “The Mindy Project,”
“Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit” and “Unbreakable Kimmy
Schmidt,” to name a few.
7July 4-10, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Orlando, FL: At a glittering gala on the
concluding night of the 33rd annual conven-
tion of the American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin here, Dr. Seema
Jain became only the third Indian American
woman president of the organization.In her remarks to the more than 2,500 dele-
gates in attendance, she vowed to make
AAPI a key advocate for women’s issues.
AAPI past president Dr. Jayesh Shah
administered the oath of office to Jain and
the other incoming officers — president-
elect Dr. Ajay Lodha, vice president Dr.
Gautam Samadder, secretary Dr. Naresh
Parikh and treasurer Dr. Suresh Reddy.
Aravind Pillai was also sworn in as chair-
man of the AAPI Board of Trustees by out-
going chairman Dr. Ajeet Singhvi.
Jain said she wants AAPI to focus on
“excellence in education, empowerment,
enlightenment and evolution” to face the
challenges of the 21st Century.
“Now, it’s time for us to make AAPI main-
stream,” the Indian American psychiatrist
said. “From being an ethnic organization, we
need to be the predominant organization that
is committed to the cause of ethnic IndianAmerican physicians” and the issues they
are fighting for, she added.
“Today I ask you to set aside your differ-
ences and join me in this noble journey to
make our mission possible,” she empha-
sized.
“We will have a special, brand-new aca-
demic journal with articles on current med-
ical issues,” Jain revealed, adding that there
will be a special health channel on TV Asia
providing medical information to the public.
Jain, who joined AAPI in 1987, said she
wants her presidency to be judged partly on
her commitment to women’s issues.
“My role as a woman leader (of) AAPI is
to (take) up women’s health issues in society
and healthcare issues that affect them. We as
women leaders in AAPI have a mission and
goal to endeavor in creating new programs
for women’s health issues focusing on heart
disease, osteoporosis, breast and ovariancancer, post-partum depression, pre- and
post-menopausal syndrome.”
A graduate of Medical College of Nagpur,
Jain did her U.S. residency at Columbia-
Presbyterian Hospital in New York and then
worked at the New York State Hospital as
assistant residency director.
After serving as an assistant professor of
psychiat ry at Universi ty of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey, she started private
practice and joined Newton Hospital as med-
ical director and chief of psychiatry. Jain
later joined former Highland Psychiatric
Associates, where she is president and med-
ical director.
Seema Jain takes charge as AAPI’s third woman president
Washington, DC: The Gates
Millennium Scholars Program,
the flagship scholarship program
of the United Negro College
Fund, recently announced that
over 20 Indian American youth
were among its class of 2015
high school student recipients.
According to an UNCF press
release, each of the students will be awarded a scho larsh ip that
can be used to pursue a degree
in any undergraduate major and
selected graduate programs at
accredited colleges or universi-
ties. The Indian American recip-
ients include: Tika Acharya of
Emmett J. Conrad High School
in Dallas, Texas; Navreet
Bhangu of Wayne Memorial
High School in Wayne, Mich.;
Chandra and Lila Chamlagai,
both of Springfield Central High
in Springfield, Mass.; Kirandeep
Chhokar of Mission Vista High
in Vista, Calif,; and Nahiyan
Chowdhury of Niles North High
School in Skokie, Ill.
Others named included
Ahmed Gedi of Franklin High
School in Portland, Ore.; Priya
Kainth of Savanna High in
Anaheim, Calif.; Ashish Kharel
of Concord High School in
Concord, New Hampshire;
Pramila Nepal of Kentucky
Country Day School in
Louisville, Kentucky; Anika
Nishat of Lawrence North High
School in Indianapolis, Ind.; and
Alishan Noorani of Clements
High School in Sugar Land,
Texas.
Also named were Jay Patel of
the Academy Of InternationalStudies in Woodburn, Ore.;
Sahil Patel of Robert L. Patton
High School in Hickory, No.
Carolina; Anisha Pednekar of
Oasis Charter High School in
Cape Coral, Fla.; Yasmeen
Pelayo of Willamette High
School in Eugene, Ore.; Ash Rai
of NE Central High School in
Omaha, Neb.; and Cindy
Rajkumar of Ocoee High on
Ocoee, Fla.
The list also includes Sarai
Ramnani of Mohave High
School in Bullhead City, Ariz.;
Vinith Sharma of NE Omaha
North Magne t High School in
Omaha, Neb.; Sabreena Singh
of Luther Burbank High in
Sacramento, Calif.; Roshan
Siwakoti of Aurora Central High
School in Aurora, Col.; and
Kiran Zindani of Creekview
High School in Carrollton,
Texas.
R Paul Singh named World Agriculture Prize laureate
Bela Bajaria promoted as president of Universal Television
Over 20 Indian Americans named
Gates Millennium Scholars
Dr Seema Jain giving her inaugural address
Bela Bajaria
R Paul Singh is professor emeritus at UC Davis
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
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8 July 4-10, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info NATIONAL COMMUNITY
Washington, DC: Darshan Jain, an
Indian American teacher is one of
the 108 teachers named by President
Barack Obama as recipients of the
prestigious Presidential Award for
Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching.
Jain, who has taught mathematics
at Adlai E. Stevenson High School
in Lincolnshire, Illinois for eight
years where he currently serves as
the director of mathematics, and
other winners will receive a $10,000
award each from the National
Science Foundation.
The educators will receive their
awards at a Washington, DC, event
later this summer.
"These teachers are shaping
America's success through their pas-
sion for math and science," Obama
said of the winners.
"Their leadership and commit-
ment empower our children to think critically and creatively about sci-
ence, technology, engineering, and
math. "The work these teachers are
doing in our classrooms today will
help ensure that America stays on
the cutting edge tomorrow," he said.
The Presidential Award for
Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching is awarded annu-
ally to outstanding K-12 (kinder-
garten through 12th grades) science
and mathematics teachers from
across the country.
"The Presidential Award validates
my core belief that all students can
learn mathematics in authentic, rig-
orous, and impactful ways," Jainsaid. "It is grounded in my experi-
ence that collaborative teachers can
help all students achieve excel-
lence." "This award provides oppor-
tunities to have discussions around
improving math education at local
and national levels," he said.
Jain's industry experience
includes time spent as a project
engineer and a machine designer.
Jain's love for teaching was
inspired by his work at the Hispanic
Math and Science Initiative and his
students' success in learning. As
adjunct professor for mathematics
education, Jain supported novice
teachers. He now leads exceptionalcolleagues as curriculum director
for his district.
Jain has also contributed to the
education community by speaking
on research-based pedagogy at
local, state and national confer-
ences. Jain has a BA in mechanical
engineering and a MS in secondary
mathematics education from the
University of Illinois at Chicago. He
is pursing further graduate work.
New York: A top-level Indian
American executive has quit micro-
blogging site Twitter to pursue someexciting new projects, the latest in a
string of high-profile departures.
The exit of Rishi Garg, Twitter's
head of mergers and acquisitions,
comes weeks after Twitter said it is
replacing its CEO Dick Costolo
with co-founder Jack Dorsey as an
interim CEO, USA Today reported.
"After an amazing ride as Twitter's
VP Corporate Development and
Strategy, I'm saying farewell today
(Saturday)," Garg tweeted.
"I am off to pursue some exciting
new projects; more soon! #stay-
tuned," Garg added
He joined Twitter in May 2014
from the firm Square where he washead of corporate development.
Before that, Garg was an entrepre-
neur in General Catalyst Partners,
Google and MTV Networks.
"Our team has built a stronger
Twitter with a dozen acquisitions in
the last year including
@periscopeco,@zipdial,@tellapart,
@joinniche," Garg's post read.
"It's been a privilege to bring
incredible entrepreneurs into the
#flock like @kayvz, @crazyfoo,
@valwagoner, @jeffma, @dlach5,
@gabor."
"I can't wait to witness the compa-
ny's next chapter under @jack, a
truly gifted leader and human
being," he added.
Sonepat, Haryana: Indian-origin US
envoy Richard Verma on Saturday
expressed gratitude to the values of edu-
cation and service that his India-educated
parents instilled in him, including ones of
his parents spending days reviewing why
their son got an 'A minus' in his report
card when the other five were As.
Addressing the convocation at Ashoka
University here, Verma said: "For me, I
am extremely humbled that my path has
led me from a modest upbringing in
Western Pennsylvania to become ambas-
sador -- the first Indian American ambas-
sador -- to the country my parents called
home."
Verma said his father graduated fromDAV College in Jalandhar, Punjab, over
60 years ago, before migrating to the US
to teach.
"My mother was also a teacher. I am
certain I don't need to tell you all what it's
like to be the son of two Indian teachers! I
remember coming home in the 9th grade
with a report card of five As and one A
minus. Yes, you guessed it, we spent the
next days reviewing what happened, and
what could have caused this A minus!" he
said.
"But as an adult, I am ever grateful for
the important values of education and
service that they instilled in me. I also
know that from the alley-way of the
Basti-Sheikh neighborhood of Jalandhar
where my family grew up to the road
leading to the US embassy is not a likely
path or one easily traversed - not without
a lot of help, a lot of friends, teachers and
mentors and a dedicated family.
"I am also very mindful of the extra
obligation we all have to help others who
today may be living down that path or
alleyway like we did, but who also dream
of what the future holds.
"So, leadership is also not forgetting
where you come from and not forgetting
about those who may have been left
behind," he said.Touching on India-US ties, Verma said
the relations were "soaring forward" fol-
lowing two very successful meetings
between Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and US President Barack Obama.
He said both sides were working togeth-
er on over 80 initiatives and addressing
all sorts of challenges.
Verma said both sides were working on
challenges like exploring the solar system
and improving the quality of the air.
"I think it is fair to say that progress on
our agenda may in many cases define and
enrich the lives of generations to come,"
he said.
He said the bilateral relationship was
"about more than just programs and ini-
tiatives. It is about looking closely at the
full expanse of our people-to-people,
strategic, and economic ties and asking
essentially, 'where do we go next?'
"It is a relationship where, as PM Modi
has recognized, the US and India should
not be looking only at what we can do
together, but also reaching further andaiming higher, looking at what we can do
for the world.
"And as we define what those next steps
can be, we are finding many areas where
it is possible for both of our countries to
be co me st ro nger to ge th er, " he sa id ,
according to a text of his speech provided
by the US embassy.
Richard Verma recalls troubles of 'A minus' in school report card
Darshan Jain, director of mathematics, Adlai E Stevenson HighSchool, Lincolnshire, Illinois (Photo: Dailyherald.com)
Rishi Garg's is latest in a string of high-profile depar-
tures from Twitter
Richard Verma
Obama to honor an Indian-American math teacher Top Indian Americanexecutive quits Twitter
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
9/32
9July 4-10, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info US AFFAIRS
Washington, DC: The Supreme Court
handed opponents of affirmative action
pol icies a pot ent ial vic tory Monday by
agreeing to hear another challenge to the
University of Texas' use of racial prefer-
ences in admissions.
The one-line order represents a new chap-
ter in a seven-year dispute initiated when
Abigail Fisher, a white applicant, was
denied admission to the state university's
flagship campus in Austin.
Her case first reached the court in 2012,
after she had graduated from an out-of-state
school. Rather than ruling for or against the
affirmative action plan at the time, the jus-
tices sent the case back to a federal appeals
court with instructions that it more closely
scrutinize the Texas university's admissions
policies.
The appeals court – one of the most con-
servative in the country – again sided with
the school, prompting Fisher's attorneys to
seek the high court's review a second time.
By agreeing to reconsider the policies, the
justices served notice that they might over-
rule the appeals court and rule against the
school's limited use of race in admissions.
Their decision had been pending for more
than a month, leading some to predict that
they would deny the case, with one or more
conservative justices dissenting.
The Texas school's policy is two-tiered: It
fills 75% of its incoming class with the top
students from nearly every high school in
the state; to make the cut in recent years,
students had to be in the top 7% to 8% of
their high school class. That guarantees
some racial diversity because of the pattern
of housing segregation.
Then, to fill out each year's freshman
class, the school looks at a range of other
factors – including race
Supreme Court will hear new challenge to affirmative action
Washington DC:
Liberals are pros when it
comes to getting peopleout to vote, but a new sur-
vey shows Hillary Clinton
will have major trouble
turning out Democrats in
2016.
The Democratic Party’s
strategy to retain control
of the White House and
win congressional seats
next year relies on
America’s shifting demo-
graphics and on voter
turnout. But “if the dispar-
ity in enthusiasm is not
addressed, that strategy is at risk,” Democracy
Corps wrote in a synopsis of the findings that
began, “Democrats need to give voters a rea-son to participate.”
The threat comes down to an enthusiasm
gap of 19 points between the Democrats who
say they are “extremely interested” in the con-
gressional and local races in 2016, and the
much more energized GOP voters.
Meanwhile, while Democratic voters aren't
necessarily interested or confident in Hillary
Clinton, progressive candidate Bernie Sanders
is catching up and leftist darling Elizabeth
Warren could end up on the campaign trail to
back him.
Warren has so far refrained from endorsing
any Democratic presidential candidate, but
she sure sounded enthusiastic about Berniewhen speaking with the Herald. "These are
people who care about these issues, and that’s
who Bernie’s reaching," she told the paper. "I
love what Bernie is talking about. I think all
the presidential candidates should be out talk-
ing about the big issues."
Clinton's enthusiasm gap with voters
explains her visits to places like Ferguson and
her race-baiting language on the campaign
trail. It's an effort and strategy to get the same
voters who put Barack Obama in the Oval
Office twice to do the same for her.
Charleston, SC: In the two weeks after a
racially motivated massacre claimed lives of
nine African-Americans, at least six pre-dominantly African-American churches in
south US had been burnt down.
The latest fire occurred on Tuesday night
in the Mount Zion Church in Greeleyville,
South Carolina, 20 years after it was set
ablaze by the white supremacist group Ku
Klux Klan. The fire left the church roofless
and given lightning and storms were report-
ed overnight in the region, authorities said it
was still too early to determine the cause of
the fire.
Tuesday night's fire came as authorities in
Georgia, the Carolina, and Tennessee were
investigating a string of fires at other pre-
dominantly black churches.
Though the authorities said three of the
five fires were arson, investigators did not
describe any of the incidents as hate crimes.
Just hours before the fire at the Mount
Zion Church, some 100 km north of the
Charleston church, where a white gunman
shot down nine African-American church-
goers on June 17, civil rights group National
Association for the Advance of Colored
People (NAACP) had warned black church-
es around the country to beef up security.
All the six fires happened after Dylann
Roof, 21, started a shooting spree on June
17 night at the Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church in Charleston, South
Carolina. After his arrest, Roof reportedly
told police that he wanted to start a
"race war".
Corporate Office: 385 Seneca Avenue, Ridgewood NY 11385
718.821.3182, www.AtlanticDialysis.com
Washington, DC: In what President Barack
Obama called “a historic step forward”, the
US and Cuba have re-established diplomatic
relations snapped “at the height of the Cold
War” 54 years ago.
“When the US shuttered our embassy in
1961, I don’t think anyone thought it would
be mo re th an ha lf a cent ury be fo re it
reopened,” he said from the White House
Rose Garden announcing the historic move.
“This is a historic step forward in our
efforts to normalize relations with the Cuban
government and people, and begin a new
chapter with our neighbors in the Americas,”
Obama said.
The US and Cuba would reopen their
embassies in Havana and Washington,
respectively, on July 20.Earlier on Wednesday in Havana, a US
diplomat delivered a note from Obama to
Cuban President Raul Castro restoring diplo-
matic ties snapped during the Dwight
Eisenhower administration.
Castro also sent a letter to Obama. “We
want to develop a friendship between our two
nations that is based on the equality of rights
and the people’s free will,” Castro said in the
letter, read on state-run TV.
He went on to say that Cuba hopes to
resolve differences with the US through
peaceful means, that each nation must respect
the territorial integrity of the other and they
should not interfere in each other’s political
affairs.
Obama has relaxed several of the prohibi-
tions on trade and travel that existed between
the two countries, but many remain in place
and can only be removed by legislation.
Obama also called on Wednesday for the
Congress to lift the embargo that prevents
Americans from travelling to or doing busi-
ness in Cuba.
But the Congress, controlled by
Republicans, has shown little sign that it
intends to end the embargo.
In his Rose Garden appearance, Obamanoted that many Cubans have called for
increased US engagement with their country,
and said it was time to look toward the
future.
Secretary of State John Kerry announced
from Vienna on Wednesday that he will trav-
el to Cuba to take part in the formal reopen-
ing of the US embassy on July 20. It will be
the first visit by a Secretary of State since
1945.
In historic move, US, Cuba restore diplomatic relations
Hillary faces enthusiasm gapamong Democratic voters
Hillary Clinton at her campaign kick off rally inNew York last month.
Six black churches burnt after Charleston church massacre
The burning Mount Zion Church inGreeleyville, SC
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10 July 4-10, 2015 TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office has
sought a report from the civil aviation ministry
over delay in Air India flights on account of VIP travels in the recent past, an official said.
Earlier in the day, the civil aviation ministry
has also asked for reports from Air India on the
recent incidents involving Maharashtra chief
minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister
Kiren Rijiju which allegedly led to delay of
flights.
"We are awaiting reports on the (two) inci-
dents from Air India," civil aviation secretary R
N Choubey said.
The ministry has asked Air India to submit the
reports soon and "would take a call after receiv-
ing them", he said.
An Air India flight to Newark from Mumbai
was delayed by nearly an hour on June 29 after
it was reported that an aide of Fadnavis travel-
ling with him had not carried his passport with
valid US visa.Principal secretary Pravin Pardeshi was
cleared at the check-in but was held back before
boarding as the passport he was carrying did not
have the valid visa.
On June 24, a flight from Leh to Delhi carry-
ing Rijiju was delayed for about an hour and
three passengers, including a child, were
allegedly offloaded to accommodate him and
his PA.
Rijuju had claimed it was not a "delay" as the
departure of the flight was "preponed" due to
technical reasons.
New Delhi:External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj remained at the center
of a political storm as new documents
released allegedly showed that former
IPL chief Lalit Modi offered a job to
her husband Swaraj Kaushal.
The Congress promptly asked
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
break his "deafening" silence on the
issue.
"Lalit Modi made an offer (of job)
to a family member of a minister.
Why did he do so? We want the prime
minister to inquire," Congress
spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said
here at a press conference.
"We have demanded that all docu-
ments available in the case must be
placed in public domain. We shouldall know how Lalit Modi was being
helped and why was he being helped
even as a fugitive," he added.
Documents released allegedly show
that Lalit Modi offered a job to
Swaraj Kaushal months after the
External Affairs Minister helped the
tainted businessman obtain travel
documents in the United Kingdom.
After the controversy erupted,
Swaraj Kaushal accepted that he was
offered a position by Lalit Modi.
"I am a lawyer for Lalit Modi for
over 20 years. I was offered to be
alternate director on Indofil Board,
bu t I did no t gi ve my cons en t, "
Swaraj Kaushal told the media.Continuing its attack on the NDA
government, the Congress took a dig
at Prime Minister Narendra Modi too.
"The Prime Minister owes it to the
nation to break his silence on the
issue," senior Congress leader
Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at
another press conference.
"You (PM) are maintaining a deaf-
ening silence. They (BJP) are trying
to brazen it out. We demand that the
silence should be broken. It is a situa-
tion wherein more you try to hide, the
more the truth comes out," Singhvi
said.
Singhvi said the fact that Swaraj
Kaushal did not take up the offered
job was not relevant. "To have a fugi-
tive, to have the foreign minister's
husband being offered a job isenough," he said.
"Does this justify the prime minis-
ter's silence? Different ministers are
saying there is no stigma. There is no
guilt. Who is giving this certificate of
innocence? The BJP ministers," the
Congress leader said.
The BJP, however, continued to
defend Sushma Swaraj.
"An email is sent in a personal
capacity to a professional appointee
who is a lawyer in this case, which is
Swaraj Kaushal, and he has not even
accepted it. If this is the Congress'
idea of impropriety, then they need to
reflect on all cases that happen every
day in the country," BJP spokesperson
Nalin Kohli told IANS.
"The Congress has run out of ideas
and is desperately clutching atstraws," he added.
Earlier, Surjewala asked Sushma
Swaraj to come clean on the Lalit
Modi issue.
New Delhi: In a bid to insulate farmers
from the vagaries of monsoon, the gov-
ernment announced a new national irri-
gation scheme with an outlay of
Rs.50,000 crore that will not only
ensure supply of water to the agricultur-
al sector, but also promote its efficient
use and prevent wastage.
The government also allocated Rs.200
crore for three years to set up an online
national agriculture market by integrat-
ing 585 wholesale markets across India.
The irrigation scheme will have an
outlay of Rs.50,000 crore over a period
of five years beginning the current fis-
cal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a
press conference here. The allocat ion
for the current financial year is
Rs.5,300 crore.
The approval to the "Pradhan Mantri
Krishi Sinchayee Yojana" (PMKSY)was given by the Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA) at a meeting
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
Jaitley said the scheme aims to
expand cultivable area under assured
irrigation, improve on-farm water use
efficiency to reduce wastage of water
and enhance the adoption of precision-
irrigation and other water saving tech-
nologies.
He said the programme aims at a
decentralized state-level planning and
execution structure, in order to allow
states to draw up a District Irrigation
Plan (DIP) and a State Irrigation Plan
(SIP).
The programme will be supervised
and monitored at the national level by
an Inter-Ministerial National Steering
Committee (NSC) under the chairman-
ship of the prime minister.
The CCEA also gave its approval to a
central scheme for promotion of
National Agricultural Market throughAgri-Tech Infrastructure Fund (ATIF).
An amount of Rs.200 crore has been
earmarked for the scheme from 2015-
16 to 2017-18.
India gets new irrigationscheme, online farm market
New Delhi: Finance
minister Arun Jaitley br ushed as ide con-
cerns of Parliament's
upcoming monsoon
session being dis-
rupted over the Lalit
Modi controversy,
saying some people
may be relevant to
TV channels but not
to governance.
Jaitley said the
bi ll s to am en d th e
Land Acquisition Act
and bring in a uni-
form pan-India
goods and services
tax (GST) are very
crucial for development and
hoped no political party takes
anti-growth and anti-develop-
ment position.
"Some people may be of rel-
evance to television channels,
(but) they have no relevance
to governance as far as the
government of India is con-
cerned," he told reporters
here.
He was replying to a ques-
tion on the possibility of the
monsoon session of
Parliament getting washed out
over Congress' demand for
resignation of external affairs
minister Sushma Swaraj andRajasthan chief minister
Vasundhara Raje over alleged
links with former IPL com-
missioner Lalit Modi.
Jaitley, however, evaded a
direct response to the contro-
versy in which Lalit Modi has
been dragging various politi-
cians, including him.
The finance minister was
hopeful that no political party
will take anti-growth and anti-
development stand to block
the crucial Bills, which he
termed as "extremely neces-
sary".
"There is a lot of importance
of these bills to the country's
economy... the government is
hopeful that no political party
will adopt a negativeapproach on the issue of
development of the country,"
he said.
Lalitgate: Jaitley shrugsoff Congress's threat
Lalit Modi issue:Congress tells PM to speak up
The Congress promptly asked Prime Minister Narendra Modito break his "deafening" silence on the issue.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju.
VIPs delaying Air India flights:PMO seeks report
Finance minister Arun Jaitley.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
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11July 4-10, 2015TheSouthAsianTimes.info INDIA
New Delhi: Opposition parties attacked the
AAP government for reportedly hiking alloca-tion for information and publicity, saying
spending public money on "self publicity"
amounted to corruption.
According to reports, the Aam Aadmi Party
has reportedly set aside over Rs 500 crore to
fund its radio advertisements over the current
financial year, in which chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal will address the people of Delhi and
share his government's work.
The ads, which will run with the tagline 'Jo
Kaha, So Kiya', will refer to his party's pre-
poll promises and the steps taken by the gov-
ernment to implement them.
"They (Delhi government) have set aside Rs
526 crore just for information and publicity
and last year only Rs 24 crore was spent for
the same," Congress leader Ajay Maken."They have cut budget from various other
infrastructure development works and they are
spending money on their own party workers
and consultants. Is it not a form of corruption
by spending more money on self publicity?"
Ajay Maken asked.
Former AAP leader Prashant Bhushan also
criticized AAP government's move.
He alleged that Arvind Kejriwal govern-
ment's new FM radio ad was a contempt of
court and the issue would soon be brought to
the notice of the Supreme Court.
"The TV advertisement brought in by
Kejriwal government was in complete viola-
tion of the Supreme Court's order and it
amounts to contempt of court. To think that
you can do anything by way of radio advertise-
ments because it doesn't carry a photograph
would be total misunderstanding of court's
order.
"If the radio advertisement is used to publi-
cise and promote a party, government or a
political leader, that would be in violation of
Supreme Court's order and it will be soon
brought to the notice of the court that this is
how political parties are violating the spirit of
court's order," Bhushan said.
According to a senior government official, to
connect with people of Delhi, government has
released a 70-second long advertisement
which is being played on FM radio channels.
In the advertisement, chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal says that his government has doubled
the budget for education and the allocation for
health has gone up by 45 per cent. He says his
government has the intent to spend money on
people's welfare.
The move came close on the heels of the
Supreme Court banning use of pictures of
chief ministers and other political personalities
on advertisements, billboards or hoardings of
government schemes. The Prime Minister and
the President are the only exceptions to the
rule.
New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra
Modi launched the "Digital India Week",
India Inc. committed an investment of
Rs.450,000 crore (some $75 billion) for the
initiative that seeks to empower citizens by
deploying IT and associated tools.
Choosing no less than a sports stadium to
launch the initiative where who's who of
India Inc. packed the rows, Prime Minister
Modi said industry captains have commit-
ted investments of Rs.450,000 crore toward
"Digital India" and create 1.8 million new
jobs.
The prime minister also unveiled a logo
for Digital India -- an umbrella program
that seeks to transform India into a digital-
ly-empowered, knowledge economy with a
host of initiatives for a synchronized and
coordinated engagement of the government
and its agencies.
The prime minister said it was not enough
for India to say that it is an ancient civiliza-
tion, and a country of 1.25 billion withfavorable demography. "Modern technolo-
gy needs to be blended with these
strengths," he said.
He laid emphasis on useful technologies
and said at one point India was criticized
for launching satellites but today these
were helping the common people. Farmers,
for instance, are able to access weather
forecasts."Similarly, the Digital India initiative is
aimed at improving the lives of the com-
mon people," Modi said, adding while
India may have missed the industrial revo-
lution, it will not miss the IT revolution that
is transforming peoples' lives.
The Prime Minister assured full support
to young entrepreneurs who wished to
launch start-ups. He called upon the youthto innovate and said "Design in India" is as
important as "Make in India".
The event also saw a host of industrialists
announce millions of dollars of investments
in their own "digital" programs. They
included Reliance Group's Anil Ambani,
Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani,
Bharti Group's Sunil Mittal and Aditya
Vikram Birla Group's Kumaramangalam
Birla.
Others at the event included Delta group's
Ping Cheng, Vedanta's Anil Agarwal,
Wipro chairman Azim Premji, Lava's Hari
Om Rai, Airbus' Peter Gutsmeidl, Hero
Group's Pawan Munjal, and Nidec Corp's
Mikio Katayama.
For the "Digital India" scheme, Modi has
already been named the chair of a high-
powered panel to monitor and all existing
and ongoing e-governance initiatives.
These will be revamped and aligned with
the larger principles of "Digital India",
according to an official statement.
The larger goal of Digital India includes
broadband connectivity in all panchayats,
Wi-Fi in all the schools and universities
and public Wi-Fi hotspots in all important
cities by 2019. It will be deployed in deliv-
ering services in areas like health, educa-
tion, agriculture and banking.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the
"Digital India Week" was part of a series of
programmes intended to give a new direc-
tion to the country in terms of the IT revo-
lution. He also announced that a "Skill
India" educational initiative will be
unveiled next week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launching ceremony of Digital India Week,in New Delhi.
AAP govt to splurge over Rs 500 croreon advertisements
Chennai: AIADMK general secretary
and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa
returned to the Tamil Nadu assembly
crushing the opposition by a by a
record victory margin from the
Radkhakrishnan Nagar constituency
here.
Jayalalithaa polled 160,432 votes
while her nearest rival, Communist
Party of India's (CPI) C. Mahendran,
got just 9,710 votes -- a victory mar-
gin of a whopping 150,722 votes.
The total electorate in the con-
stituency was around 245,000, and the
chief minister bagged 65 percent of all
votes polled.
Going by the votes polled by
Jayalalithaa, it is clear the vote banks
of the opposition parties which boy-cotted the polls fell into her kitty and
did not go to the CPI.
Mahendran was followed by inde-
pendent candidate and social activist
K.R. Ramaswamy, popularly known
as "Traffic Ramaswamy" (4,590
votes) while 2,376 people opted for
`None of the Above' category.
While there were 28 candidates in
the fray, only CPI's Mahendran was
viewed as a serious opponent for
Jayalalithaa.
As noisy celebrations erupted at the
AIADMK headquarters and outside
Jayalalithaa's residence, Tamil Nadu
Governor K. Rosaiah congratulated
her over her landslide win.Central Minister of State for Road
Transport, Highways and Shipping
Pon Radhakrishnan of the Bharatiya
Janata Party conveyed his "heartfelt
greetings" to Jayalalithaa on her mega
victory.
AIADMK activists and leaders gen-
erously distributed sweets to all and
sundry and burst crackers to celebrate.
An elated Jayalalithaa thanked vot-
ers and AIADMK supporters for her
victory and said the result was a fore-
runner for the 2016 assembly election.
This is the seventh by-election vic-
tory for the AIADMK since it came to
power in 2011. The party has won all
the by-elections held since 2011.
In 2006, AIADMK's P.K. Sekarbabu
polled 84,462 votes in Radhakrishnan
Naga r. In 20 11, P. Vetr iv el of AIADMK got 83,777 votes and
defeated Sekarbabu, who by then was
in the DMK. Vetrivel's victory margin
was over 31,000 votes.
Jaya juggernaut rolls downopposition
India Inc. commits Rs.450,000 crore for 'Digital India'
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.AIADMK general secretary and
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.
8/20/2019 Vol.8 Issue 9 - July 4-July 10, 2015
12/32
By Preetha Nair
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
hasn't shown any signs of
dictatorship nor is there any
chance of an emergency being
declared again, says veteran jour-
nalist Coomi Kapoor, who has
recently authored a book on the
draconian measure imposed on the
country by Indira Gandhi during
1975-77.
"You can't compare both the lead-
ers. So far Modi hasn't shown any
signs of dictatorship. He has a
majority only in the Lok Sabha.
Emergency is difficult to happenagain. Now, no government can
control the media easily as it has
proliferated," Kapur told IANS in
an interview ahead of the 40th
anniversary of imposition of
national Emergency.
She also debunked the clean chit
given by Indira Gandhi's close aide
R.K. Dhawan that it was not the
former prime minister but senior
Congress leader S.S. Ray who had
crafted the measure, adding that
Indira Gandhi was fully aware of
the excesses committed during the
time.
"Dhawan is talking nonsense.
The emergency was the brainchildof Mrs. Gandhi. Ray only helped
her to implement her plans," said
Kapoor, the author of "The
Emergency: A Personal History
(Penguin/Viking).
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: Your book says that Indira
Gandhi had planned the
Emergency much before June
1975. How did you come to this
conclusion?
A: The general notion about the
Emergency is that Mrs. Gandhi
imposed it immediately after the
court disbarred her as an MP for
election malpractices. However, the
preparations for stifling expressions
of dissent were being planned
much before June 26 (1977). A
handwritten note by her close aide
and the then West Bengal chief
minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray
shows that she had plans to intro-
duce the emergency in January. The
only reason I could think is the
assassination of (then railway
Minister) L.N. Mishra at
Samastipur because she was rattled
by his death. The situation wasn't
volatile in the country as JP's
movement was not at its peak and
Gujarat was calm after the resigna-
tion of the chief minister.
Q: In a recent interview, R.K.
Dhawan gave a clean chit to
Indira Gandhi, saying that it was
Ray who was the architect of the
Emergency and he blamed
Sanjay Gandhi for the mass ster-
ilization campaigns and the
Turkman Gate demolitions in
Delhi.
A: Dhawan is talking nonsense.
The emergency was the brainchild
of Mrs. Gandhi. Ray only helped
her to implement her plans, sterili-zation campaigns and the Turkman
demolitions were done with the full
knowledge of Mrs Gandhi. When
Subhadra Joshi, the local MP, went
to Mrs. Gandhi to protest against
the demolitions, she snapped at
Joshi.
Q: Why a book after 40 years?
A: I felt that the younger genera-
tion knows very little of what had
happened during the emergency.
Unlike other books on the emer-
gency, I had the advantage of
accessing many valuable docu-
ments like the S