2 October: International Day of Non-Violence #NonViolenceDay

The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

According to General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence".

Introducing the resolution in the General Assembly on behalf of 140 co-sponsors, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Anand Sharma, said that the wide and diverse sponsorship of the resolution was a reflection of the universal respect for Mahatma Gandhi and of the enduring relevance of his philosophy. Quoting the late leader’s own words, he said: "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man".

Swachh Bharat #MyCleanIndia

This campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself wielded broom and cleaned a road. The campaign is India's biggest ever cleanliness drive and 3 million government employees and schools and colleges students of India participated in this event.

The mission was started by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, nominating nine famous personalities for this campaign, and they take up the challenge and nominate nine more people and so on(like the branching of a tree). It has been carried forward since then with famous people from all walks of life joining it.

History

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was announced by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Indian Independence Day & launched on 2 Oct 2014, Gandhi Jayanti. On this day, Modi addressed the citizens of India in a public gathering held at Rajghat, New Delhi, India and asked everyone to join this campaign. Later on this day, Modi himself swept a parking area at Mandir Marg Police Station followed by pavement in Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers, at Mandir Marg, near Connaught Place, New Delhi.

I am honoured to be invited by our respected Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi to join the "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan". . . I dedicate myself to this movement and will invite nine other leading Indians to join me in the "Clean India" campaign. . .

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee asked every Indian to spend 100 hours annually in this drive. This campaign is supported by the Indian Army, Border Security Force, Indian Air Force and India.

Objectives

This campaign aims to accomplish the vision of 'Clean India' by 2 October 2019, 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and is expected to cost over INR62000 crore (US$10 billion). The campaign was described as "beyond politics" and "inspired by patriotism".

More than 3 million government employees and schools and colleges students of India are going to participate in this event.

Nominees

Jitesh Trapasiya selected 9 notable public figures to propagate this campaign.

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9. My all Friends from Facebook, Twitter and College

Top quotes of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’

1. It is our social responsibility as citizens of India to help fulfil Gandhiji's vision of Clean India, by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.

2. I am seeing that Gandhi is looking through these specs that whether we have made India clean or not, what we have done and what we have done.

3. Devote 100 hours every year towards the cause of cleanliness.

4. Cleaning up the country cannot be the sole responsibility of sweepers. Do citizens have no role in this? We have to change this mindset.

5. Though it is a difficult task, it can be achieved and for that people will have to change their habits.

Thank you @PMOIndia @narendramodi,I feel reassured now!

Yesterday, amid a veritable landslide of predictions and speculation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a speech in San Jose, California, mainly concerning his two favourite themes (at least from an international perspective) - "Make in India" and "Digital India". As an Indian student in an American university not far from the Silicon Valley, the atmosphere around the speech, akin to the energy and excitement surrounding the performance by a music band, had me riveted alongside the 20,000-odd adoring fans packed into San Jose's SAP Center and the lakhs watching from my motherland halfway across the world.

The address followed Modi’s meeting with CEOs of over 50 Fortune 500 companies in New York, and his one-on-one soiree with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook. While eager to support the Make in India and Digital India campaigns, the corporations were predictably concerned with India’s less-than-perfect governance, the hurdles to doing business, and the lack of adequate infrastructure (on at least two of these concerns, if not all three, China scores much higher, and Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Seattle during the same period to meet almost the same set of industry leaders to make a case for his efforts to further ease up foreign investments in China).

In his speech, the prime minister dealt with the issues of corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency, appealing not only to investors but also to the average Indian who dreams of a better quality of life abroad, mirroring the mindset of most Indian students who travel to the US for education and also hope to work in the US after graduation. Known to be an adept orator, Modi stressed that the Digital India initiative includes within its umbrella the concept of e-governance, allowing the government to implement laws through mobile technology and enabling citizens to have access to their constitutionally-guaranteed rights at the touch of a button. Much to the joy of someone who has spent many hours stuck in the melting tar that is Indian bureaucracy, the prime minister declared that the country, and its governance, has been lazy for the past few decades, but it is finally time to work.

I recall a statement made by Modi earlier that as part of the Digital India initiative, mobile-enabled emergency services will enhance personal security. For a young woman who calls India - a country with an average of 90 rape cases reported every single day and countless others unreported - her home, this thought holds immense potential. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai put it in his welcome video, perhaps it is time for “India’s own revolution” in the digital realm. Perhaps it is time for a change in the mentality of a soon-to-be better equipped and more resourceful population that will be kinder to the traditionally disadvantaged. To paraphrase the prime minister, those who do not want to change will become irrelevant in the 21st century. The hope of job creation is also promising for Indian students temporarily residing in the "Land of Opportunity", especially in view of an American job market that is still unyielding to a majority of foreign students.

Also refreshing was Modi’s optimistic and agreeable take on the somewhat-touchy topic of "brain drain", adopting the perspective that Indians living abroad are improving the image of their birthplace and working on the identity (“pehchaan”) of the nation. However, by viewing the outflow of Indians as a deposit waiting to be cashed in, the words of the prime minister could be construed by NRIs to imply a certain debt owed by persons of Indian origin living outside the country.

Irrespective of the outcome following this much-anticipated speech, it is safe to say that Modi has mastered the art of rallying a crowd with ambitious, desirable goals, the practised voice of assured certainty, and a demeanour powerful enough to dominate a stadium affectionately (and some would say, appropriately) nicknamed the “Shark Tank”. The prime minister’s "victory lap" around the stage, amidst chants of his name, balloons streaming from the heavens, and music from everyone’s favorite inspirational, beat-the-odds saga, Chak De India, reinforced the image of the politician as a celebrity. Modiji "left the building" while reaching out to touch the extended arms of the adoring, and perhaps blindly uncritical, hordes at San Jose.

International Day of Democracy

Democracy is a universal value based on the freely expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives. 

While democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy.

Activities carried out by the United Nations in support of efforts of Governments to promote and consolidate democracy are undertaken in accordance with the UN Charter, and only at the specific request of the Member States concerned.

The UN General Assembly, in resolution A/62/7 (2007) encouraged Governments to strengthen national programmes devoted to the promotion and consolidation of democracy, and also decided that 15 September of each year should be observed as the International Day of Democracy. 

Globally, the role of civil society has never been more important than this year, as the world prepares to implement a new development agenda, agreed to by all the world’s Governments. However, for civil society activists and organizations in a range of countries covering every continent, space is shrinking — or even closing — as some Governments have adopted restrictions that limit the ability of NGOs to work or to receive funding.

That is why the theme of this year’s International Day of Democracy is "Space for Civil Society." It is a reminder to Governments everywhere that the hallmark of successful and stable democracies is the presence of a strong and freely operating civil society -- in which Government and civil society work together for common goals for a better future, and at the same time, civil society helps keep Government accountable.

Aylan Kurdi's aunt: this one small life has shown us the way to tackle the refugee crisis

One would argue there are no degrees of death. But the image of the drowned Syrian toddler washed up on the Turkey beach makes you believe otherwise. This death is unacceptable. It leaves you with inconsolable grief for it is untimely, unnatural, and brought upon by the irresponsibility of us adults and our agendas.

The tiny body, in a red T-Shirt and shorts had not dressed that day to be found, lying face down on a beach, dead. No doubt, the image has got itself etched in our hearts as a symbol of our shame and guilt as insensitive, selfish adults.

There is a fair chance, that nature gloved in the waves, washed the body of the three-year-old Aylan Kurdi ashore to make us see the deterioration of our humanity, the degeneration of our purpose, the devastation of our future - all at our own hands. And a big thank you to social media for making it go viral to land a rude knock on every compassionate soul that viewed it.

His family was one of the tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing the war in their homeland, descended on Turkey to board boats to Greece which, to them, could be their gateway to the European Union and also a chance for a normal future.

True, his is not the only life that has been cut short due to strife and war. But his is a death that inspires a gnawing pain and guilt for he had no role to play in bringing the world to this pass. He was neither fighting for the Islamic State nor was he with the Kurdish regional forces. He was just a toddler trying to survive strife and he failed! And in him, we all failed.

The image is a clarion call for all us "thinking adults" on how our children may end up paying for our failures. According to the UNHCR, so far this year, more than 2,500 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean, many of them children and teenagers. And this is only one refugee statistic.

If this does not shake us from our selfish slumber and inane political and religious agendas, God knows what will. Which God would forgive this murder?

Can any God forgive the murder of Aylan Kurdi?

Teachers' Day: To @PMOIndia @narendramodi Sir

 Last year when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he was going to do an interactive session with kids on Teachers' Day alarm bells were raised about his real intent. There were heated, screeching debates in TV studios, as always. So much so one would have thought it was a dangerous idea to get children to attend school for one more day. For weeks there were loud protestations about how schools were being forced to give up a holiday. The cruelty, apparently, was being compounded by the fact that schools were going to be video linked with the prime minister. What could be more outrageous!

Now, the really shocking part is that the same event has taken place and gone by without anyone creating a big fuss about it. It seems usually vociferous TV channels completely missed the day in their calendar. So what has changed in this past one year ? Basically, perhaps Mr Modi reaching out on Teachers' Day has already become so routine that it is no longer threatening us or our children? Or that TV channels have found something even more trivial to discuss?

The ultimate victory for a good idea is when others begin to copy it. And so now we have the Aam Aadmi Party running away with the concept. Only - they brought in the president to deliver a lecture, as deep rivalry would have prevented them asking the prime minister to say the proverbial "do shabd".

One can thus wonder what the fuss was all about one year ago. Perhaps it was a concerted effort, obviously, by anti-Modi parties, to create a panic about how dictatorial things had become! Children were being forced to wake up early and meet the country's prime minister! How terrible!

But now that Narendra Modi spoke for a second year running perhaps this innovation will get noted in our calendar. Just like Yoga Day perhaps.

The real question, therefore, is whether we are resistant to change or, on the other hand, whether all changes can be resisted ? Or has the time come for all of us to become creatures of routine because it is safer. We are far more secure because we certainly do not want even a slight disruption of our lives.

And yet without change no one can evolve. Perhaps that's what the prime minister was trying to do when he decided to interact with students.

And this year he took the corollary still further, because he even attended an RSS function on the same day. Undoubtedly much will be made of it, and oblique references will be made about his childhood.

However, that link could be true, as one always feels that when the prime minister participates in a school function, he is also harking back to his own past when he had very little. He might not have even had a stable school life, and perhaps that is why, one can see his untiring efforts to reach out to school kids.

Nothing wrong with it, except when his intentions are always being questioned. Or, have we, finally as this Teachers' Day shows, got used to Mr Modi?

US President Obama’s climate change plan

As the world looks towards striking a much-needed climate deal at the Paris summit this December, the contributions of top polluters like the United States, China and India come under close scrutiny. The United States took a tentative step in this direction by signing a bilateral climate deal with China in December 2014 to restrict carbon emissions and ahead of Paris has announced a target of 26-28 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 compared to 2005 levels.

Now, US President Barack Obama has announced new curbs on carbon emissions from power plants under the Clean Power Plan, a set of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that if followed through, could be path breaking. States have time until September 2016 to submit plans based on targets set for them by the EPA, but must comply by 2022. Here are five things you ought to know about this new plan and what it means for climate change.

1. Does Obama have the authority to put this in place?

Yes he does. Those opposed to it will try and find loopholes but the American president has used the power of the Clean Air Act of 1970 to push this new plan through. Under this, any pollutant that poses a serious health threat can be regulated by the US Environment Protection Agency. The president hence has the legal authority to make a decision on pollutants from power plants that are endangering public health across the country.

2. How will the plan help tackle climate change?

The power plants in the United States are one of the biggest sources of CO2 emissions, making up 32 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Power Plan aims to put standards in place that will in the long run help reduce CO2 emissions by 32 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. This is by far the most ambitious step taken by America to tackle climate change. Climate change experts are also hopeful that other big pollutants will be inspired by this and come on board and sign on to achieve big targets in Paris this December.

3. Is it a one-plan-for-all proposition?

No. The president has given each state the flexibility to decide on its energy mix on its own. What this means is that each state can decide on which renewable it wants to invest in and also look at upgrading its coal plants to produce more electricity but with lesser emissions. States have a fair bit of flexibility in deciding what works for them and what does not.

4. In the long run will this mean cheaper or more expensive power for people?

With a smart and ambitious renewables plan in place and a lowered reliance on fossil fuel, electricity bills will also be impacted. While initial electricity costs may escalate, the EPA estimates consumers will save $8 per month in the long run while The White House on its part estimates the average American will save $85 on their utility bill by 2030.

5. Why is the plan being opposed in so many states?

Many states, like Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky, that are heavily reliant on coal mining fear their economies would suffer and people would lose jobs. In fact as many as 14 states have decided to legally challenge this plan as they feel the implications threaten economic security in these states. In addition, Republican presidential hopefuls are also opposing the economics of this plan and feel that it will be disastrous and cost too much to implement.

Why PM Modi needs to lose his ego and learn from Former PM Manmohan Singh

3 things you must know about 

After allegations over #LalitForSushma and Vyapam scam came to light in June and early July this year, it was clear that Parliament's monsoon session would be a stormy one, and the Congress will leave no stone unturned to corner the BJP. However, one had expected the ruling party to devise some strategy to ensure that a minimum and essential business was transacted. The hope was generated because of the more than 100 per cent work record performed by both Houses of Parliament in the previous budget session. But the hopes dashed from day one of the monsoon session. The Opposition, led by the Congress, may be faulted for creating ruckus, but the BJP-led NDA government was no less responsible for a complete washout of the session so far. It is up to the PM and no one else to reach out to the Opposition, and who better than his predecessors to seek the light. 

1. Floor management: Compared with UPA-2, the floor management of the Modi government leaves much to be desired. One also needs to look at the parliamentary affairs minister of the two regimes for this. Compared with the present Modi government, UPA-2 was much more constrained. First, it was a minority government running with outside support of parties like the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party. Second, it was rocked by much bigger scams like the 2G spectrum, coal block allocation, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society cases, and controversies involving ministers like Pawan Bansal and Ashwani Kumar. Third, the UPA-2 had to contend with a formidable Opposition in the BJP which had 116 MPs in the Lok Sabha as compared with just 44 of the Congress in the present 16th Lok Sabha. 

Despite all these hurdles, the productivity of the Lok Sabha was decent if not enviable, as it passed 165 of the 222 Bills introduced in five years. Being the senior-most MP in the lower house (his predecessor Bansal was also a Lok Sabha MP), the then parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath enjoyed cordial equations with other members cutting across party lines. Depending upon the situations, he would be aggressive and accommodative. Nath managed to get the Opposition members on board on key Bills and ensured their smooth passage. On the other hand, Venkaiah Naidu lacks these qualities - he is a Rajya Sabha MP, is aggressive in his approach towards the Opposition on most of the occasions, and lacks the qualities of Nath.

Besides, the UPA also had the advantage of veteran politician and strategist Pranab Mukherjee's vast experience till he became president of India. On the other hand, BJP's tallest figure in the Lok Sabha, LK Advani, is not very indulgent in party affairs as he himself has been sidelined.

2. Losing friends and allies: UPA-2 was often accused of having two power centres - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was also the chairperson of UPA. This worked to their advantage when it came to dealing with the allies and the Opposition. Both of them reached out to the alliance partners like Sharad Pawar's NCP and Lalu Prasad's RJD besides Mulayam Singh Yadav's SP and Mayawati's BSP. As far as NDA government is concerned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's undisputed leadership and centralised power is not working much to its advantage. 

Neither he, nor senior members of his cabinet are seen to be making sincere efforts to reach out to the Opposition. Even the BJP's oldest allies like the Shiv Sena and Shiromani Akali Dal have embarrassed the government by opposing the Land Acquisition Bill. The two alliance partners have not come to the rescue of the government when the latter needed them the most. Modi needs to learn from Singh the art of winning support by reaching out to either alliance partners or rivals.

3. Breaking bad: Modi also lacks Atal Bihari Vajpayee's charisma. Vajpayee was a unifying force which saw even National Conference from Jammu & Kashmir join his government at the centre. He would leave much of the strategy to be planned and executed by his two closest aides - national security advisor Brajesh Mishra and then parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan. The three together saw successful running of the coalition government for six years from 1998 to 2004. In the present dispensation, Modi's polarising figure and dominant persona are going against the smooth running of the government. The bitter enmity between him and Sonia-Rahul Gandhi combine since the 2002 Gujarat riots comes in the way of a rapprochement and, subsequently, a smooth functioning of Parliament. Modi's aggressive posture might work at the national level but it is not helping the government inside Parliament. 

The constant blame-game and volley of accusations between PM and the Gandhis outside Parliament have been too vitriolic, it leaves no scope for cordiality. One would have expected finance minister Arun Jaitley, considered close to Modi, and Sushma Swaraj, former leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to take the lead in neutralising the Opposition's attacks. However, Swaraj herself is embroiled in the Lalit Modi controversy and, hence, is the target of the Opposition. Jaitley, on the other hand, who was earlier appreciated as the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha during UPA-2, isn't doing any better. His proximity to SAD leaders is also well-known, despite these factors, the BJP has failed to get the desired support of the allies and numb the Opposition's attack in Parliament on crucial occasions.

The key to a functioning Parliament lies in coordination rather than confrontation as in suspending 25 Congess Lok Sabha MPs on August 4. Modi needs to drastically change the government's strategy and tweak his approach towards dealing with allies and the Opposition to ensure a smooth functioning of Parliament. The future looks tough if it loses the upcoming Bihar elections, as the Opposition will get emboldened and harden their stand.

No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come: Manmohan Singh

In 1991, when India faced severe economic crisis, PM P.V. Narasimha Rao appointed apolitical Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister. India's foreign reserves barely amounted to US$1 billion, enough to pay for a few weeks of imports.

By 1994, when he presented his historic budget, the economy was well on its way to recovery. Yet he ploughed ahead instituting deep changes in the institutions of the country.

During his speech in Parliament while presenting the Budget in 1994-95, he quoted Victor Hugo: "No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come."

His dream was that in a crisis India should undertake basic structural changes, which would lead to the emergence of a new country that would become a major global player in the world economy.

Singh started the process of simplification and rationalisation of the tax system. Many controls and regulation on the industry were removed, which meant the death of the Permit Raj and a free rein to entrepreneurs.

The result was that productivity in the Indian industry grew like never before.

Why India Needs Modi’s #SelfieWithDaughter Campaign

First there was #SelfieWithModi, a campaign to promote the Indian Prime Minister ahead of state elections in Delhi, now Narendra Modi wants Indians to take a #SelfieWithDaughter to champion girls in a country where far fewer daughters are born each year than sons.

Mr. Modi borrowed the idea from the head of a village where the number of girls to boys is particularly skewed in favor of males.

In his monthly radio broadcast on Sunday, Mr. Modi asked listeners to tweet photos of themselves and their daughters. His encouragement set #SelfieWithDaughter trending worldwide on Sunday, according to some local media reports.

Mr. Modi, who usually uses the selfie for its original self-promotional purpose – like this one he took with Chinese premier Li Keqiang or this one with Tony Abbot, his Australian counterpart adopted the photo campaign from a small, north Indian state – Haryana – where a village politician is seeking to improve the state’s reputation as the most unequal in terms of gender balance.

Haryana, with just 834 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of six years old,  stood last in a list ranking states according to their child sex ratio in the 2011 nationwide census.

India’s child sex ratio has deteriorated sharply over the past 20 years, dropping to 918 in 2011 from 945 in 1991.

The states with the worst sex ratios have redressed the balance somewhat thanks to the focus of advocacy groups on female feticide issues.

Haryana has made improvements in recent years: The ratio of girls to boys in the state climbed to 834 in 2011 from 819 in 2001.

Punjab, another northern state where the numbers have been consistently tipped in favor of males, saw even greater improvements: From 798 girls for 1,000 boys born in 2001, to 846 girls in 2011.

But a United Nations study in July said that despite laws that seek to block the use of pre-natal tests to determine the sex of an unborn child, parents in India prefer sons for a variety of reasons, including anxiety surrounding the safety and security of women.

There have been few prosecutions under laws preventing pre-natal sex determination testing.

And U.N. researchers said things look like they are getting more unbalanced.  Even states like Meghalaya and Nagaland, which have had a more balanced sex ratio in the past, have experienced a declining proportion of girls to boys in recent decades.

Corrections: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that daughters inherit in preference to sons in Nagaland. In fact, this is only the case in Meghalaya.

Bihar Legislative Assembly election 2015

In the hour of Narendra Modi's electoral triumph last year, he could not have imagined that only a year-and-a-half later, he would face a situation where he and his party would have to devote all their energies to maintain their prime position in the political field.

Unless Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are able to overcome the cballenge of their opponents in the Bihar assembly elections this coming winter, their grip on the throne in Delhi will become shaky.

The first sign that all was not well for Modi in Bihar was available last August when the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress overcame the setbacks they had suffered in the general elections a few months earlier to win six of the 10 assembly by-elections in the state.

The BJP's tally of four pointed to a waning of the Modi wave that had enabled the party to win 22 of the 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar in May, 2014. With the BJP's allies, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) winning six and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) three, the BJP-plus group's total went up to 31.

To the BJP's satisfaction, the worst show was by its former ally, Nitish Kumar's JD-U, which could win only two seats while the latter's one-time arch-enemy and now an ally, Lalu Prasad's RJD won seven, showing that its victory by over 136,000 votes over the JD-U in the Maharajganj by-election in June, 2013, was not a fluke.

Clearly, Nitish Kumar's contention that Lalu Prasad had presided over a "jungle raj" in Bihar when the RJD was in power between 1990 and 2005 had not significantly eroded the latter's base of support.

But, now, political exigencies have compelled Nitish Kumar to push Lalu Prasad to the background. The JD-U chief is now the chief ministerial candidate of the Janata "parivar" led by Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party (SP).

The BJP, however, is unlikely to be too perturbed by these developments. For one, the "parivar" has been saved in the nick of time because only a few weeks ago, it was being said by the SP leaders that the group would not be formed before the Bihar elections. Even now, its "unity" is apparently confined only to Bihar.

For another, Lalu Prasad's observation that he was ready to consume poison - accept humiliation for the sake of fighting the "cobra of communalism" - has been seen to reflect his unhappiness over Nitish Kumar's elevation.

The RJD chief's distress is understandable because his conviction in the fodder scam has undone his gradual political gains as was evident from his party winning of seven parliamentary seats and three assembly by-election seats in Bihar in 2014.

Although the Manmohan Singh government tried to save him with Sonia Gandhi's blessings by enacting an ordinance seeking to overturn the judicial diktat disqualifying convicted legislators, the document was torn up in front of television cameras by Rahul Gandhi. It was this act that has now led to the anointment of Nitish Kumar at Lalu Prasad's expense.

But, the fraught relations between the two OBC leaders could not have been eased by the outward show of bonhomie if only because the RJD leader, as a Yadav chieftain, can claim to have the support of the largest group of the backward castes in Bihar since the Yadavs comprise 16 per cent of the population.

Lalu Prasad, therefore, undoubtedly saw himself as the obvious chief ministerial candidate of the Janata parivar till he was unceremoniously dumped in favour of Nitish Kumar, who is a Kurmi, a backward caste which makes up a mere 3.7 per cent of the state's population.

The preponderance of the caste factor may seem odd and even laughable to people outside the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh "cow belt". But, it is a matter which is at the heart of electoral calculations in the region.

Although Modi regretted the continued dominance of casteism in Bihar during a recent visit to the state, it is precisely these caste-based animosities that the BJP will try to exploit during the poll campaign.

What is more, to show that it is not lagging behind in playing the caste card itself, the party has claimed that the Mauryan emperors, Chandragupta (324-300 BC) and Ashoka (272-232 BC), who ruled from Patalipura, the ancient name of Patna, were of backward caste origin - Kushwaha or Koeri.

What may be considered unfortunate, however, is why the BJP should have fallen back on these regressive tactics when its USP is supposed to be the prime minister's development mantra. It was this agenda which won the BJP its famous victory in the general election.

If it is now resorting to the familiar divisive means of the Hindi heartland to edge ahead of its opponents, the reason probably is the party's realization that it hasn't been able to push the economic reforms vigorously enough to fulfil its last year's promises.

Given this failure, the most which the BJP can expect is a narrow victory, which will be nearly as much damaging to its reputation as a defeat.

#ModiInBangladesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be carrying the "gift" of a ratified Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) for the Sheikh Hasina-led Bangladesh government during his two-day Dhaka visit beginning Saturday. But a lot remains to be done by New Delhi for the greater good of not just the two neighbours who share a 4,096km long boundary but also the region.

PM Modi in making his first visit to India's next door neighbour will be hoping to reinforce his government's foreign policy focus on "Neighbourhood First" as well as its "Act East" approach.

The delivery of the LBA pact will bring some satisfaction to the Sheikh Hasina government that has stuck its neck out in its outreach to New Delhi, in the process drawing strident criticism from opposition parties such as the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh National Party (BNP) known for its anti-India stance.

Incidentally, Modi will be meeting both former PM Begum Zia as well as the Leader of the Opposition, Jatiya Party leader Begum Raushan Ershad during his two-day visit.

With the Modi government delivering the LBA - it had strongly opposed the proposed pact while in opposition though - it has come as some sort of vindication for the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina that's waited long for India do its bit on the boundary pact.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar said on the eve of the PM's visit to Dhaka that the "centrepiece" of the visit will be the conclusion of the LBA with Bangladesh with whom India shares the longest land boundary. The PM himself has said that the LBA's ratification "marks a watershed moment in our bilateral ties with Bangladesh".

Significantly, Jaishankar also drew attention to the fact that with the LBA as well as the maritime boundary arbitration between the two neighbours, India has "completely settled its boundary with Bangladesh".

Once the LBA comes into force, New Delhi is hopeful that it will help in the management of the India-Bangladesh border in terms of both stability and security, in the process benefitting both countries.

Describing it as a "confidence dividend", Jaishankar further said that once the border was secure, the two sides will be able to do much more in terms of connectivity which in turn will help in the movement of both goods and services.

Having delivered on the LBA, India is hoping that this will provide a greater momentum to bilateral ties. Said Jaishankar, "We see this having an impact across the board on the relationship and we hope the visit will consolidate and deepen our relationship."

An important member who will be part of the PM's delegation to Dhaka will be West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress leader had pulled out of then PM Manmohan Singh's delegation headed for Dhaka at the last minute in September 2011 owing to her opposition to the Teesta pact which was to be inked during the visit.

Her nth hour decision had caused considerable embarrassment to the UPA government, more so as her party was an alliance member.

With the LBA done, the Sheikh Hasina government will now eagerly await the conclusion of the Teesta pact. The Teesta water sharing agreement, if and when it is signed, will mark yet another watershed in bilateral ties.

However, while Mamata may have dropped her opposition to the LBA, it's unlikely that she'll have a change of heart on the sharing of the Teesta waters so easily or swiftly. Not at least until Assembly elections have been held in West Bengal next year for she would not like to be seen compromising on a sensitive issue like water or giving away her state's "rights" on the Teesta waters.

During a meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Commission in September last year, New Delhi had told Dhaka that it was aware of the fact that the Teesta pact is "a matter of priority for Bangladesh". During the meeting, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had also told her Bangladeshi counterpart that the Indian government needs a "political consensus" and that the "process is under way".

Yet another bilateral matter that continues to bother Dhaka and which the Modi government will need to address more rigorously is that of trade imbalance which is in India's favour. Jaishankar voiced the hope Friday that the PM's visit "will see some improvement in the investment climate between the two countries".

Bangladesh is India's largest trading partner in South Asia and bilateral trade was an estimated 6.5 billion US dollars. As part of its endeavour to address the issue of trade imbalance, India wants to have Special Economic Zones in Bangladesh where Indian businessmen can invest. There are indications that an MoU allowing the setting up of such SEZs may be signed during the Modi visit.

With the Indian government having finally delivered the LBA, expectations now from Bangladesh are high. It's for the Modi government to press ahead and forge stronger ties with Dhaka.

#Britishelections: Phir ek baar, @David_Cameron sarkar #UK

Promising to lead a government for "one nation" and make "Great Britain greater" as he returned to 10 Downing Street as prime minister, David Cameron proved the British pollsters and political pundits wrong. For all the talk of an election that was too close to call, it turned out to be a not so close election after all. But even he could not have foreseen that the Conservatives would end up with 331 seats - five more than needed for a Commons majority - their first such victory since 1992. It was an election that is likely to change the face of Great Britain as the world has known it even as the British public proved that they were willing to make fateful choices all across the United Kingdom.

Labour has been all but wiped out by the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) in Scotland and suffered a disappointing set of results elsewhere, while the Liberal Democrats, the coalition partner of the Tories in the government, are left with just eight MPs after many party heavyweights such as former ministers, Vince Cable and Danny Alexander lost their seats. And within hours of election results, the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg and the United Kingdom Independence Party, Nigel Farage, had resigned and political churning had begun.

David Cameron had two simple messages in the campaign from which he never really veered away: the first - the economy is in good shape and the recovery is threatened by Labour. And the second - the Scottish Nationalists (SNP) would hold a Labour-led government to ransom. The British public bought these arguments and put them stamp of approval on the economic management by the Tories for the last five years. With an economic recovery in full swing, unemployment falling and real wages rising, the Conservatives had a powerful and optimistic message to sell. This is also a significant personal victory for Mr Cameron and a rebuff for those in his party who had become increasingly sceptical about his ability to win.

This is likely to be one of the most profound elections in British history. The very future of the Union is at stake, following an SNP landslide that has turned Scotland into a virtual one-party state even as the Conservatives have strengthened their hold on England. The county also faces a generational decision about its future in Europe, with an EU referendum in two years' time as promised by Cameron almost certain. The larger European mood was summed up in the French Daily Le Monde headline: Triumph for Cameron. Concern for Europe.

Cameron’s victory is good news for India. India and Britain had forged a "strategic partnership" during the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s visit to India in 2005 but it remained a partnership only in name. The Conservatives were keen on imparting it a new momentum. The UK is the largest European investor in India and India is the second largest investor in the UK. Indian students are the second largest group in Britain. There are significant historical, linguistic and cultural ties that remain untapped.  But the Labour government’s legacy on India was very complex and Cameron’s government needed great diplomatic finesse to manage the challenges. This was particularly true of the issue of Kashmir where the Labour government could not help but irritate New Delhi. As late as 2009, the former foreign secretary, David Miliband, was hectoring the Indian government that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute is essential to solving the problem of extremism in South Asia. In so doing, Miliband revealed not only his fundamental ignorance about the regional issues but in one stroke he ended up demolishing whatever little credibility Britain had in India. Granted that Indians tend to overreact whenever there is even an indication of any outside interest on the issue of Kashmir, Miliband’s ill-informed pronouncements and complete lack of sensitivity to Indian concerns raised some fundamental questions in New Delhi about the trajectory of British foreign policy. Miliband was merely trying to assuage the concerns of Labour Party’s domestic constituents, in particular the Pakistani Muslims who form the largest share of British Muslims. But such an approach has left an indelible mark on the Indian psyche of Britain being on the side of Pakistan on this most crucial of issues.

Cameron’s government made a serious effort to jettison the traditional British approach towards the sub-continent in so far as it has decided to deal with India as a rising power, not merely as a South Asian entity that needs to be seen through the prism of Pakistan. David Cameron made all the right noises in India during his two trips to India in his first term. He warned Pakistan against promoting any "export of terror", whether to India or elsewhere, and said it must not be allowed to "look both ways". He has proposed a close security partnership with India and underlined that Britain like India was determined that groups like the Taliban, the Haqqani network or Lakshar-e-Taiba should not be allowed to launch attacks on Indian and British citizens in India or in Britain. Despite causing a diplomatic row with Pakistan and David Miliband calling him “loudmouth”, Cameron stuck to his comments. More significantly, the British prime minister has also rejected any role for his country in the India-Pakistan dispute. 

David Cameron has championed Indian interests like few British prime ministers in recent years. A Conservative government will continue to view India as a priority. Perhaps it is now time for New Delhi to reciprocate Cameron’s positive overtures towards India.

#NepalEarthquake : #India disaster #politics exposed! #DisasterPolitics

A report by Annapurna Post claims referring to sources at the department of civil aviation that, Indian government aircrafts lined up at Kathmandu airport have been mostly engaged in airlifting their own nationals.

They will keep on landing at the busy Kathmandu airport for next two weeks, airport officials expect.

The Indian Military Aircraft-Hercules had brought its own van to move around the airport, also reports Annapurna Post.

None of the six MI-17 Helicopters sent by the Indian government have been able to carry out relief operation as swiftly as was expected of them.

Rather the helicopters have only been carrying Indian media men and photographers around the earthquake ravaged areas to film videos and take pictures.

The pictures shown by the Indian media has instead been portraying Nepal negatively and been projecting Nepal as being inefficient to carryout relief works on its own and thus the reports claims, the related department has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to take needed steps.  

The report claims, Nepal Army has only two helicopters but it has been carrying out relief activities much better than the six Indian helicopters.  There have been enough show-offs in the media of the Indian support but the reality has been different, writes Annapurna and continues, “The Nepali officials are not at all happy with the Indian relief activities.”   

Though the government of Nepal has requested the international community to focus their relief activities in the district of Dhading, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk, a jumbo team of India’s SSB (Border Security Force) has landed in Kathmandu, also writes Annapurna Post.

The report quotes sources at the Nepal’s Armed Police Force as saying, “We have failed to understand why they are here in such a large number.”

The Home Ministry secretary Surya Silwal confirms that Nepal Government has not provided authority for the Indian SSB to land in Nepal.

“We have only asked for technical support and relief army not SSB,” concludes Silwal.

Have a wonderful #EarthDay

• #EarthDay आज अंतर्राष्ट्रीय पृथ्वी दिवस मनाया जा रहा है। संयुक्त राष्ट्र महासभा द्वारा पारित एक प्रस्ताव में कहा गया था कि वर्तमान और भविष्य की पीढ़ियों की आर्थिक, सामाजिक और पर्यावरणीय आवश्कताओँ में संतुलन को बनाए रखने के लिए मनुष्य को प्रकृति के साथ सद्भाव बनाकर जीना चाहिए। उसको पृथ्वी की और पृथ्वी पर बने पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र की रक्षा करनी चाहिए।

• International ‪#‎MotherEarthDay‬ is being observed today to create awareness and to support environmental protection. The Day marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.The idea came to #EarthDay founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.

Wishing Best Of Luck To All The 10th & 12th Std Students For Your Board Exams..... All The Best :)

गुजरात बोर्ड की परीक्षा देने जा रहे सभी छात्रों को 'बेस्ट ऑफ लक'! गुजरात माध्यमिक और ऊँच माध्यमिक बोर्ड की परीक्षा आज से शुरू हो रही हैं। में बोर्ड की परीक्षा देने जा रहे छात्रों को 'बेस्ट ऑफ लक' कहने के साथ ही घर से जल्दी निकलने की सलाह देता हु । 10 वीं और 12 वीं बोर्ड के सभी छात्रों को परीक्षा की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं।

'मेरी ट्रैफिक पुलिस से अपील है कि वो जल्दी से जल्दी ट्रैफिक जाम हटाने की कोशिश करें, ताकि छात्रों को कई परेशानी न हो। ओंर साथ ही में कोलेज छात्र को भी अपील करता हु कि वो जाम हटाने में ट्रैफिक पुलिस की मदद करें।'

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY #8MARCH #HappyWomensDay #BeAWoman #WomensDay

Each year International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. The first International Women's Day was held in 1911. Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organisations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908

Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909

In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910

n 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.

1911

Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses' campaign.

1913-1914

On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Women's Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.

1917

On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.

1918 - 1999

Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 and beyond

IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Happy Birthday Ahmedabad!!

Ahmedabad city completed 604 glorious years on 26 February 2015.  Ahmedabad is the largest city and former capital of the western Indian state of Gujarat. Ahmedabad needs no more introduction as it is world famous city for its people, celebrations and tasty food.

Sultan Ahmed Shah renamed ‘Karnavati’ to Ahmedabad which is also known as Amdavad. In 2012, The Times of India chose Ahmedabad as the best city to live in in India. As of 2014 Ahmedabad’s estimated gross domestic product was $64 billion.

About Ahmedabad :

King Karandev 1, the Solanki Ruler, had waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashapall or Ashaval. After his victory Karandev established the city called “Karnavati”. This Hindu kingdom of Karnavati retained its importance till early 15th century when Gujarat fell to the Muslim Sultanate.

Happy Birthday Ahmedabad!!!

In 1411 Sultan Ahmed Shah conquered Karnavati, and after his name Karnavati was renamed to Ahmedabad.

The city was built in open and spacious plane to the East of Sabarmati. It compromised of smaller known Fort as Bhadra Fort. The city fort wall was enclosed containing 12 Gates. The city of Ahmedabad went on expanding in every direction by the addition of new areas on both the sides of the river. And with the well laid out beautiful buildings, lakes and mosques.

Happy Birthday Amdavad!!!

#Kuwait celebrates 54th #NationalDay

On behalf of the people of ‪#‎India‬ and on my own behalf, Greetings to people of ‪#‎Kuwait‬ on their 54th ‪#‎NationalDay‬.

The State of Kuwait celebrates on Wednesday the 54th National Day amid deepening sentiments of faithfulness and devotion to the homeland among the citizens.

June 19, 1961, marked the day Kuwait won independence from Britain. The late Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the country's 11th ruler, signed at the time the independence document with Sir George Middleton, the British commissioner in the Arabian Gulf, thus repealing a treaty that had been signed by the seventh ruler, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, with the UK on January 23, 1899, to protect the country, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said.

Kuwait celebrated its the National Day for the first time on June 19, 1961, with a grand military parade at the old airport that had been located at "derwaza Al-Brai'see." On that day, the late Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem addressed the citizens, saying in part that the country "marks the first anniversary of the National Day, with the hearts filled with joy, determination to press ahead with the homeland construction." Sheikh Abdullah noted his keenness on attaining prosperity and justice for all citizens.

On May 18, 1964, leaders decided to change the anniversary day for it fell during very hot summer period, merging the date with February 25th, also coinciding with Abdullah Al-Salem's ascending to the top post. Since then, Kuwait has been celebrating independence on February 25th -- also known as the National Day.

Kuwait, since 1962, has been updating its political system, starting with establishment of the constituent assembly, charged with drafting National Constitution, based on democracy. It was endorsed by the late Amir, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem, in November 1962, thus paving way for first legislative elections, held on January 23, 1963.

Sixth provision of the Constitution stipulates that the ruling system in the country is democratic. The nation, which enjoys "sovereignty, is the source of all jurisdictions." Ruling is practiced on basis of the three powers' separation, however they maintain cooperation. None of the authorities, the executive, parliamentary and judicial, enjoy the right to cede some of the jurisdictions assigned to each, as stipulated by the Constitution.

The Kuwaiti judicial system, renowned as "open and capable of resolving various strives," is internationally respected and acclaimed -- thus enabling country to establish solid political and economic ties with nations of the globe.

Since its independence, Kuwait has adopted moderate and balanced external policies, based on friendship, peace and stability and prosperity for nations. It has succeeded in establishing strong relationships with friendly and brotherly countries, in addition to its leading role in promoting the GCC, backing international efforts for global peace and security. 

This approach, also aimed at ensuring abidance by the international legitimacy, has been played within framework of the United Nations, its affiliate agencies, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (formerly the Organization of Islamic Conference), and the Non-Aligned Movement.

Kuwait, since independence, has been offering abundant aid to peoples in need, where humanitarian activities have become a main feature of the country's identity. Aware of this, and as a gesture of gratitude, the United Nations has recently designed His Highness the Amir as a "Humanitarian Leader" and Kuwait as a "Humanitarian Center."

My Nephew(Het Trapasiya) Participated in 2nd round of state-wide pulse polio eradication campaign

Children polio vaccine.

The children and launched 2nd round of state-wide pulse polio eradication campaign. During this round, Polio vaccine will be administered to all the children of 0-5 year of age-group.

I appealed all the parents to take their children to the nearby polio booths to administer polio vaccine.

India was certified polio free last year and is part of the 11 countries of South-East Asia Region of WHO (along with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste) which are polio free.

President Pranab Mukherjee

President Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme by administering polio drops to children at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

 Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel

Gujarat CM launches 2nd round of state-wide pulse polio eradication campaign

Pulse Polio Programme

With the global initiative of eradication of polio in 1988 following World Health Assembly resolution in 1988, Pulse Polio Immunization programme was launched in India in 1995. Children in the age group of 0-5 years administered polio drops during National and Sub-national immunization rounds (in high risk areas) every year. About 172 million children are immunized during each National Immunization Day (NID).

The last polio case in the country was reported from Howrah district of West Bengal with date of onset 13th January 2011. Thereafter no polio case has been reported in the country (25th May 2012).

WHO on 24th February 2012 removed India from the list of countries with active endemic wild polio virus transmission.

Objective :

The Pulse Polio Initiative was started with an objective of achieving hundred per cent coverage under Oral Polio Vaccine. It aimed to immunize children through improved social mobilization, plan mop-up operations in areas where poliovirus has almost disappeared and maintain high level of morale among the public.

India is polio-free ... 

 “I am amazed at the continued interest from Rotarians in protecting India from being re-infected by polio. This is one of the biggest groups we have taken over in years, which show that people are still really passionate about keeping this disease at bay.”