Tuesday, 31 January 2017


Meghalaya’s first ever Apparel and Garment Centre inaugurated at Ampati


Centre will create employment opportunities for both men and women of the region: Union Textiles Minister
Leverage handloom legacy, become enterprising entrepreneurs: Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, to youngsters of Meghalaya
The Union Textiles Minister Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, along with Chief Minister of Meghalaya Dr. Mukul Sangma, inaugurated the first ever Apparel and Garment Making Centre in Meghalaya, near Ampati in South West Garo Hills today, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju.
Dedicating the centre to the people of Ampati in particular and to the state as a whole, Smt. Irani said that the project was testimony to the true convergence of efforts of Central and State Governments. She said that the Apparel Centre will create employment opportunities for both men and women of the region, thereby empowering them economically.
Smt. Irani informed that the Union Ministry of Textiles is implementing projects worth Rs. 70 crore in sericulture and weaving sectors for Meghalaya alone. The Textiles Minister said that around Rs. 32 crore has already been sanctioned for the state of Meghalaya, for promotion of handlooms. She appealed to the youngsters, particularly women, to leverage their handloom legacy and become enterprising entrepreneurs. As the region is well-known for regional dyes, Smt. Irani urged upon the weavers of the state to register with India Handloom Brand, which she said can directly connect the weavers with big multinational companies. The Union Minister said that once the centre starts functioning to its full potential, it will give an indication to investors across the country that the youth of the region are ready for economic engagement and expansion.
The sprawling Apparel and Garment Making Centre, covering an area of 45,000 sq. ft, has been set up at Hatisil near Ampati, at a cost of approximately Rs. 14.26 crore, under the North East Region Textiles Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) of the Ministry of Textiles. The centre has three units, two of them housing 105 sewing machines each, and the third one having seventy machines. The foundation stone for this centre was laid in 2015 by the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, in the presence of the then Union Textiles Minister. Its construction was completed by NBCC, in a record time of less than two years.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma expressed his gratitude to the people of the region, for creating a conducive atmosphere and enabling completion of the huge infrastructure before timeline, without cost overruns.  He expressed confidence that the garment centre at Hatisil would grow to become the most sought-after export unit in the state. He spoke of the advantage provided by the availability of international market in neighbouring Bangladesh, and the opportunity it offers in forging business partnerships with investors of Bangladesh. Stating that the weavers of the region are a ready workforce and that they only require advanced training, he highlighted the importance of providing training for their technological up-gradation.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju said that the Centre has given special focus to Meghalaya, particularly Garo Hills, in creating job-oriented programmes. He added that there could not be a better programme for women than this, for promotion of textiles and handlooms in the state. Dwelling on the huge potential of the region, he said there was a need to create industries and employment opportunities to harness the potential of sectors such as like sericulture and weaving.
Minister for Sericulture and Weaving, Government of Meghalaya, Clement Marak; Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Meghalaya, Zenith Sangma and several other dignitaries and officials from both Central and State governments were present on the occasion. The inaugural programme was also attended by hundreds of weavers from various parts of the region.
Background
The Apparel and Garment Making Centre is being set up as part of a landmark initiative announced by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in Nagaland, on 1st December, 2014. The Prime Minister had announced that an Apparel and Garment Making Centre shall be constructed in all North Eastern states. Each Apparel and Garment Making Centre set up under the initiative is estimated to generate direct employment for 1,200 people.
For local entrepreneurs with requisite background, required facilities to start a unit will be provided in ‘plug and play’ mode. Once such entrepreneurs get established, they can set up their own units, allowing the facility to be provided to new entrepreneurs. The project will be fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles, with an estimated expense of Rs. 18.18 crores for each state. The initiative comes under the North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS) of the Ministry of Textiles. NERTPS is an umbrella scheme for the development of various segments of textiles, i.e. silk, handlooms, handicrafts and apparels & garments.

IPPB branches launched in Ranchi & Raipur

Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley and Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha launched the operations of the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) here today as two pilot branches at Raipur and Ranchi through video conferencing from Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Jaitley said that about 650 IPPB branches will be opened by September this year and that will have a multiplier impact as far as banking in India is concerned. He said with IPPB, banking at the doorstep will no longer remain a mere slogan, but will become a reality due to huge postal network in the country. He said that financial Inclusion is critical for the socio-economic development of the country, but there are significant gaps in this area and a large proportion of country’s population remain unbanked or underbanked. IPPB will effectively leverage the ubiquitous post office network with its pan-India physical presence, long experience in cash handling and savings mobilization, backed by the ongoing project of IT-enablement, to bridge this gap in Financial Inclusion.
In his address, Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha has commended the hard work done by the Department of Posts in setting up the India Post Payments Bank and hoped that both organizations will work in tandem to take the benefits of government schemes and financial services that are not easily available in rural areas to customers across the country and to the marginalized population in urban and rural areas alike. He said, the objective of IPPB will be public service rather than promoting commercial interests.
Secretary, Department of Posts, Shri B.V.Sudhakar said that the IPPB is widely expected to be a game changer for financial inclusion in the country as the USP of this initiative is doorstep banking, particularly in the rural areas.
As mandated by the RBI, the India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) would focus on providing basic financial services such as all kinds of payments; including social security payments, utility bill payments, person to person remittances (both domestic and cross-border), current and savings accounts up to a balance of Rs 1 lac, distribution of insurance, mutual funds, pension products and acting as business correspondent to other banks for credit products especially in rural areas and among the underserved segments of the society.
Set up us a 100% Government of India owned Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts, it will open around 650 branches in district HQ locations. All 1.55 lacs post offices including the 1.39 lac of the rural post offices will be mapped to the IPPB branch at the district headquarter and function as access points for IPPB. IPPB will usher in state of the art internet and mobile banking platforms, digital wallets and use innovative and emerging technologies to catalyse the shift from a cash dominant to a less cash economy.
While many other banks and financial institutions are working on the same theme, the USP of IPPB will be its ability to ease access and handhold the adoption of new age banking and payments instruments among citizen of all walks of life through the delivery by postmen and Grameen Dak sevaks, savings agents and other franchisees who will take banking to door steps. IPPB thus aspires to the most accessible, affordable and trusted bank for the common man with the motto – “No customer is too small, no transaction too insignificant, and no deposit too little”.
Given ‘in principle’ approval by the RBI along with 10 other aspirants on 19th Aug 2015, IPPB received the cabinet’s approval on 1st June, 2016 and was incorporated as on 17th Sept, 2106. Today it became the second payments bank to launch its operations. Having got its final banking license from the RBI on the 20th Jan 2017 it has commenced operations in record time of 10 days in partnership with the Punjab National Bank, after obtaining all necessary approvals and registrations from the RBI, NPCI etc.

INVITE: Press Conference by ADR and Goa Election Watch

INVITE: Press Conference by ADR and Goa Election Watch on ‘Goa Assembly Elections 2017:Criminal, Financial,

Dear Friends,
You are cordially invited for a Press Conference organized by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Goa Election Watch  to release a comprehensive report on
 Goa Assembly Elections 2017: Criminal, Financial, Educational, Gender and Age details of Candidates of all Political Parties’.

The report will cover analysis of criminal, financial and other background details of the candidates of all political parties contesting this election and shall be based on the inputs provided by the candidates in their sworn affidavits with their nomination papers. Maj. Gen. Anil Verma (Retd.), Head of ADR, will be present among others to discuss the report and interact with the members of the press.
Details of the Press Conference:Topic: Goa Assembly Elections 2017: Criminal, Financial, Educational, Gender and Age details of Candidates of all Political Parties
Venue: Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hall, Panaji
Date: 31st Jan, 2017: Tuesday
Time: 3:00 PM
Yours sincerely,  

Dear Mr. Sagar, Budget 2017 big bets: Arun Jaitley must make it:

Dear Mr. Sagar
Budget 2017 big bets: Arun Jaitley must make it attractive for private sector to invest in infrastructure, housing
Budget 2017 is expected to be a ‘big’ budget. With GST on the anvil and demonetisation already undertaken, the ground has been laid for the government to announce some big-bang measures for promoting investment and lifting the economy to a…
Rajiv Kumar and Palakh Jain
New Delhi | Published: January 26, The Financial Express
pi
According to a PwC report, India will require investment to the tune of trillion over the next seven years to meet its infrastructure and housing demand, of which approximately 70-80% of the demand will come from housing. (Reuters)
Budget 2017 is expected to be a ‘big’ budget. With GST on the anvil and demonetisation already undertaken, the ground has been laid for the government to announce some big-bang measures for promoting investment and lifting the economy to a higher growth and employment-generation trajectory. The forthcoming budget will be perhaps the last chance for the Modi government to usher in necessary reforms to stamp out corruption and the concomitant black economy. Some more reforms of the direct tax regime and the FRBM, on which a high-powered committee will have submitted its report at the end of December 2016, may also be on the anvil in this budget which will be presented amidst the turbulent global environment. These measures, which will be seen as a follow up to the large number of incremental measures across a wide range of sectors taken over the last 30 months and some bold structural reforms like the GST and demonetisation, could also yield a strong electoral lift for the NDA as it approaches the four provincial elections lined up for 2017. The forthcoming budget will surely be not an ordinary one.
The writing on the wall is that this budget will be a follow-up on the recent demonetisation exercise and, hopefully, also a major step towards the implementation of GST. The finance minister could also take advantage of the larger fiscal space available to the government as a result of the demonetisation, higher indirect tax collections and the recommendations of the Committee on FRBM to announce major increases in public capital expenditure that could trigger the tepid investment cycle of the present. In this context, the finance minister could consider the following as focus areas for the upcoming budget.
Infrastructure and housing
According to a PwC report, India will require investment to the tune of $1 trillion over the next seven years to meet its infrastructure and housing demand, of which approximately 70-80% of the demand will come from housing. The funding gap will be the primary challenge, and new avenues of funding like credit enhancement schemes for key projects and development of strong bond markets would be important steps for generating alternative capital. To meet the funding needs, government will need to proactively work on attracting private sector investment in this sector.
Budget 2017: Focus On Green Vehicles, Make In India, Says Ravi Shingari Of KPMG
Employment
India adds nearly 1 million people every month to the workforce. All this is combined with the challenge posed by disguised unemployment in the agriculture sector and bad working conditions in the unorganised sector. According to the Economic Census, the numbers for the percentage change in employment for various key industries are not encouraging (as shown in the accompanying graphic). The only way to prepare the labour force for new jobs is intense reskilling and reimagining India’s education; without this, India’s demographic dividend is not going to be realised. The government should incentivise industries such as robot technology and futuristic cars.
Exports
India’s export growth has been lacklustre since 2012. Worse, the country is on the verge of losing its competitiveness in manufacturing. This is on account of the high logistics costs, combined with poor productivity. If this continues, then the increase in local demand will primarily benefit foreign producers and cause a trade-deficit problem. Defence and MSME sector offer some hope in terms of renewing the competitiveness of the Indian economy.
pi
Cashless economyIn November 2016, the government initiated demonetisation of 500- and 1,000-rupee notes to curb black money and fake currency. An important impact of this step will be on cashless payments. These will pick up, and the government will have to support this progress by incentivising e-payments. According to a government website, Electronic Transaction Aggregation and Analysis Layer (eTaal), 3.53 billion transactions were done in 2014, which almost doubled in 2015 to 6.95 billion. Given the preference of Indians for technology, this figure will increase manifold after demonetisation. Giving adequate and right incentives to companies operating in this domain will be an important signal to the world in India’s journey from developing to developed world.
E-commerce
With India at the cusp of a digital revolution, there is a need to provide the necessary ecosystem for this sector to flourish. Incentivising this sector will not just benefit the e-commerce companies by further accelerating their growth, but will also position India as industry-friendly and attract more investments from foreign investors which, in turn, creates a ripple effect by generating infinite employment opportunities. Introducing tax incentives for start-up employees and funding of start-ups can be some initiatives which will help this sector immensely.
With this background, Budget 2017 is an opportunity for the government to outline its priorities for the year to come.
Rajiv Kumar is founding director, and Palakh Jain is senior fellow, Pahle India Foundation
Warm regards,
Rajiv Kumar
Founder Director
Pahle India Foundation
C4/54 First Floor
Safdarjung Development Area
New Delhi – 110016
(+) 91 11 41551498

Snapshots:Celebrating The Day of Hungarian Culture!

Day of Hungarian Culture being commemorated on Monday, 30th January 2017 at 5:00 pm with a bouquet of programmes included,Inaugural address by Chief Guests and Guest of honors , Art Work,Recitation of poems,dance drinks.
Image may contain: 2 people, people standing and indoor
Image may contain: 11 people, people standing and suit
Image may contain: indoor
HE : Ambassor
Image may contain: 1 person, suit
Image may contain: 7 people, people standing and suit
Image may contain: 9 people, people standing and indoor
At Hungary info center
Image may contain: 2 people, indoor
Image may contain: one or more people and indoor
Image may contain: 4 people, people standing, shoes and indoor
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Hungarian Artist Zsuzsa
Image may contain: 1 person, standing, wedding and outdoor

India launches another Scorpene Submarine INS Khanderi



Khanderi, another Scorpene class submarine with superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack with torpedoes along with tube-launched anti-ship missiles both underwater or on surface, was today launched at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) .
Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre presided over the function to initiate the launch of Khanderi (Yard 11876). The submarine was launched by the Union minister’s wife, Bina Bhamre.
Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba was also present on the occasion when the submarine was separated from the pontoon on which it was assembled.

Monday, 30 January 2017

Candidates from the Punjab 2017 Assembly Elections, Criminal Background analysed

Criminal Background
·         Candidates with Criminal Cases: Out of the 1145 candidates analysed100(9%)candidates have declared criminal cases against them.
·         Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases: 77(7%) candidates have declared serious criminal cases against them.
·         Candidates with cases related to murder: candidates have declared cases related to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-302) against them.
·         Candidates with cases related to attempt to murder: 11 candidates have declared cases related to attempt to murder (Indian Penal Code Section-307) against them.
·         Candidates with cases related to Crimes against Women: candidates have declared cases related to crimes against women.
·         Party wise Candidates with Criminal Cases: 14 (12%) out of 117 candidates from Indian National Congress (INC), 12(11%) out of 112 candidates from Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP), 10(11%) out of 94 candidates from Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) , 7(9%)  out of 77 candidates from  Apna Punjab Party, 5(9%) out of 54 candidates from Shiromani Akali Dal (A)(Simranjit Singh Mann) 2(9%) out of 23 candidates from Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP)and 19(6%) out of 304 Independent candidates have declared criminal cases against them in their affidavits.
·         Party wise Candidates with Serious Criminal Cases:  9 (8%) out of 117 candidates from Indian National Congress (INC),9(8%) out of 112 candidates from Aam Aadmi Party ( AAP),  8(9%) out of 94 candidates from Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) , 5(7%)  out of 77 candidates from  Apna Punjab Party, 5(9%) out of 54 candidates from Shiromani Akali Dal (A)1(4%) out of 23 candidates from Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) and 18(6%) out of 304 Independent candidates have declared serious criminal cases including murder, attempt to murder, crime against women, kidnapping etc. against them in their affidavits.

·         Red Alert Constituencies*: constituencies in the Punjab assembly elections has 3 or more candidates with declared criminal cases.
*Red Alert Constituencies are those which have 3 or more candidates with criminal cases contesting elections
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Financial Background
·         Share of wealth among candidates : The share of wealth amongst the candidates contesting in assembly elections Punjab is as follows:
Value of assets
No of candidates
 Percentage of candidates
Rs 5 cr and above
178
16%
Rs 2 crores to 5 crores
136
12%
Rs 50 lakhs to 2 crores
252
22%
Rs 10 lakhs to 50 lakhs
238
21%
less than Rs 10 lakhs
341
29%
Table: Share of wealth amongst contesting candidates
·         Crorepati CandidatesOut of the 1145 candidates analysed, 428 (37%) are crorepatis.
·         Party wise Crorepati Candidates: 87 (93%) out of 94 candidates from SAD103 (88%) out of 117 candidates from INC,  20(87%) out of 23 candidates from BJP,71 (63%) out of 112 candidates from AAP, 24 (31%) out of 77 candidates from Apna Punjab Party, 12 (22%) out of 54 candidates fielded by SAD (A) and 69 (23%) out of 304 Independent candidates have declared assets worth more than Rs. 1 crore.

·         Average assets: The average of assets per candidate contesting in the Punjab Assembly Elections 2017 is Rs 3.49 Crores.
·         Party wise average assets: Among the major parties, the average assets per candidate for 117 INC candidates is Rs 12.38 Crores23 BJP candidates have average assets of Rs 6.10 Crores, 112 AAP candidates have average assets worth Rs 6.24 Crores, 94 SAD candidates have average assets worth Rs 9.26 crores54 SAD (A)candidates have average assets worth Rs 1.09 crores, and 304 Independent candidates have average assets of Rs. 1.49 Crores.

·         High asset candidates*:  The  top 3  candidates with highest assets  contesting in the Punjab 2017 Assembly Elections are given below:
S.No.
Name
District
Constituency
Party Name
Movable Assets (Rs)
Immovable Assets (Rs)
Total Assets (Rs)
PAN Given
1
KAPURTHALA
KAPURTHALA
INC
1,09,25,25,000
60,64,35,000
1,69,89,60,000
169 Crore+
Y
2
FAZILKA
ABOHAR
IND
1,24,55,58,000
17,31,12,000
1,41,86,70,000
141 Crore+
Y
3
MUKTSAR
MUKTSAR
INC
79,52,210
1,18,61,70,000
1,19,41,22,210
119 Crore+
Y
Table: Top three candidates with highest declared assets

·         Zero asset candidates:   7 candidates have declared zero assets in his self-sworn affidavits.
·         Low asset candidates: The three candidates with lowest assets are as follows (excluding candidates who have declared zero assets) :
S.No.
Name
District
Constituency
Party Name
Movable Assets (Rs)
Immovable Assets (Rs)
Total Assets (Rs)
PAN Given
1.         
KAPURTHALA
KAPURTHALA
Rashtriya Krantikari Samajwadi Party
2,000
0
2,000
2 Thou+
Y
2.         
PATIALA
SANOUR
IND
2,400*
0
2,400
2 Thou+
N
3.         
MUKTSAR
MUKTSAR
IND
5,500
0
5,500
5 Thou+
N
Table: Candidates with declared lowest assets
Candidates with high liabilities: The top three candidates with highest liabilities are as given below:
S.No.
Name
District
Constituency
Party Name
Total Assets(Rs)
Liabilities (Rs)
PAN Given
1
KAPURTHALA
KAPURTHALA
INC
1,69,89,60,000
169 Crore+
81,71,22,000
81 Crore+
Y
2
FAZILKA
JALALABAD
SAD
1,02,07,61,522
102 Crore+
# 39,86,61,119
39 Crore+
Y
3
FAZILKA
ABOHAR
IND
14,73,99,000
14 Crore+
# 20,20,00,000
20 Crore+
Y
Table: Top three candidates with high liabilities
                     # Disputed Liabilities
·         Undeclared PAN:  A total of 221(19%) out of the 1145 candidates analysed have not declared their PAN details.
·         Candidates with high income as declared in the ITR*: 13 candidates have declared total annual income of more than Rs 1 Crore. The details of these candidates are as given below:
S.No.
Name
Party Name
Constituency
District
Total Asset (Rs)
The financial year for which the last income tax return has been filed by candidate
Total income shown by candidate in ITR (Self+Spouse+Dependent) (Rs)
Self income shown by candidate in ITR (Rs)
1
INC
AMRITSAR EAST
AMRITSAR
45,90,98,908  45 Crore+
2015-2016
9,90,99,930  9 Crore+
9,66,28,470  9 Crore+
2
IND
ABOHAR
FAZILKA
1,41,86,70,000  141 Crore+
2015-2016
5,34,10,482  5 Crore+
4,10,49,947  4 Crore+
3
AAP
SUNAM
SANGRUR
65,88,61,000  65 Crore+
2015-2016
4,23,91,349  4 Crore+
1,52,33,276  1 Crore+
4
INC
KAPURTHALA
KAPURTHALA
1,69,89,60,000  169 Crore+
2015-2016
2,98,06,967  2 Crore+
2,93,67,212  2 Crore+
5
IND
ABOHAR
FAZILKA
14,73,99,000  14 Crore+
2016-2017
2,90,22,122  2 Crore+
2,34,96,935  2 Crore+
6
INC
BARNALA
BARNALA
89,14,18,624  89 Crore+
2015-2016
2,59,66,535  2 Crore+
88,85,998  88 Lacs+
7
SAD
JALALABAD
FAZILKA
1,02,07,61,522  102 Crore+
2015-2016
2,28,10,094  2 Crore+
2,10,44,376  2 Crore+
8
SAD
MALERKOTLA
SANGRUR
9,32,38,844  9 Crore+
2015-2016
2,09,75,990  2 Crore+
1,20,97,710  1 Crore+
9
AAP
HOSHIARPUR
HOSHIARPUR
50,08,72,195  50 Crore+
2015-2016
1,99,83,940  1 Crore+
1,00,82,850  1 Crore+
10
Aapna Punjab Party
AMRITSAR SOUTH
AMRITSAR
17,34,373  17 Lacs+
2016-2017
1,75,64,792  1 Crore+
1,50,37,259  1 Crore+
11
SAD
LAMBI
MUKTSAR
14,49,82,207  14 Crore+
2015-2016
1,03,31,665  1 Crore+
1,03,31,665  1 Crore+
12
SAD
NAWAN SHAHR
NAWAN SHAHR
12,38,58,000  12 Crore+
2015-2016
1,02,21,991  1 Crore+
77,85,175  77 Lacs+
13
INC
CHABBEWAL (SC)
HOSHIARPUR
17,50,70,150  17 Crore+
2016-2017
1,01,85,642  1 Crore+
89,97,156  89 Lacs+
Table: Candidates with high income as declared in ITR
*Total income includes income of self, spouse and dependents

·         Candidates who have not declared Income Tax Details*: 472 (41%) out of 1145 candidates analysed have not declared income tax details.
* Some candidates may be exempted from filing Income Tax Returns

·         Candidates with high assets who have not declared Income Tax Details*:   Top 3 candidates with high assets have not declared income tax details. Their details  are as given below:
S.No.
Name
District
Constituency
Party
Total Income (Rs)
Movable Assets (Rs)
Immovable Assets (Rs)
Total Assets (Rs)
PAN Given
Self Income
1
HOSHIARPUR
URMAR
SAD
0
37,55,271
10,63,87,323
11,01,42,594 11 Crore+
Y
ITR not filed
2
SANGRUR
LEHRA
IND
0
36,80,000
9,50,00,000*
9,86,80,000 9 Crore+
Y
ITR not filed
3
HOSHIARPUR
MUKERIAN
Aapna Punjab Party
0
9,90,000
7,62,00,000
7,71,90,000 7 Crore+
N
ITR not filed
Table: Candidates with highest assets who have not declared ITR details
* Some candidates may be exempted from filing Income Tax Returns


Other Background Details
·         Education details of candidates: 688 (60%) candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between 5th pass and 12th pass, while 365(32%) candidates have declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above.
·         Age details of candidates: 644 (56%) candidates have declared their age to be between 25 and 50 years while 490(43%) candidates have declared their age to be between 51 and 80 years.
Gender details of candidates: 81 (7%) women candidates are contesting in the Punjab assembly election, 2017.
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Mahmoud Abbas visiting Islamabad

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive in Islamabad on Jan 30 for a three-day visit, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria.This will be Abbas’s third visit to Pakistan. He previously visited Pakistan in 2005 and 2013, the FO said.
The Palestinian president will be accompanied by a 17-member delegation which includes five ministers, Zakaria added.
President Abbas and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are also expected to jointly inaugurate the newly-constructed Palestine embassy situated in Islamabad’s Diplomatic Enclave.
The Palestinian president and his delegation will also meet President Mamnoon Hussain during the three-day visit, Zakaria said. Dawn-Media agencies

Five dead in Quebec City mosque shooting

Five people were killed and several people wounded after gunmen opened fire at a mosque in Quebec City late Sunday, media reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said,”We condemn this terrorist attack on Muslims in a centre of worship and refuge,” Trudeau said in a statement.
Five people were killed after gunmen opened fire in a Quebec City mosque, the mosque´s president told reporters on Sunday.
A Quebec police spokesman confirmed that there were people killed, but did not say how many.
Two suspects in the shooting were arrested, he said.
Police did not rule out the possibility of a third suspect who had fled the scene.
The motive of the attack was not immediately clear. Police set up a perimeter around the mosque.
A few dozen people were inside the Islamic Cultural Center when the shooting began just after 8:00 pm (0100 GMT Monday), CBC reported, citing its French-language service Radio-Canada.
According to CBC, Quebec City Police Constable Etienne Doyon said at the time of the attack mostly men were gathered at the mosque for evening prayers.
The center´s director said at least five people were killed, but that information had not been confirmed by police, CBC said.
According to witnesses cited by Radio-Canada, two men entered the center and opened fire on the people inside.
Quebec´s prime minister, Philippe Couillard, said in a series of Twitter posts that the government was “mobilized to ensure the security of the people of Quebec.”
“Quebec categorically rejects this barbaric violence,” he wrote. “Solidarity with Quebec people of Muslim faith.”
The Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec, which is also known as the grand mosque of Quebec, had already been the target of hate: a pig´s head was left on the doorstep last June during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The attack comes as Canada has vowed to open its arms wide to Muslims and refugees after US President Donald Trump´s controversial immigration ban Friday sparked travel chaos and outrage around the world.
Canada will offer temporary residence permits to people stranded in the country as a result of Trump´s order, the immigration ministry said Sunday.
“Let me assure those who may be stranded in Canada that I will use my authority as minister to provide them with temporary residency if needed as we have done in the past,” Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said at a news conference.
Trump has suspended the arrival of all refugees to the US for at least 120 days and barred entry for 90 days to people from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Hussen, who is of Somali origin, did not condemn the US measure but stressed that Canada would continue to pursue an immigration policy based on “compassion” while at the same time protecting the security of its citizens.
“We welcome those fleeing persecution, terror and war,” he said, echoing a welcoming Twitter post by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday.
According to the latest Canadian census, from 2011, one out of five people in the country are foreign-born.
Canada has welcomed more than 39,670 Syrian refugees between November 2015 and early January 2017, according to government figures.

Dear N.K, East Africa Rail in partnership with Rift Valley Railway

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Dear N.K,
East Africa Rail in partnership with Rift Valley Railways brings the leading rail operators, authorities and government from across the region as well as the rest of Africa together to source solutions to their challenges. 
If you want the chance to speak alongside these operators and the likes of the Rwanda Transport Development Agency, LAPSSET, COMESA, Indian Railways, Japan Railway Group and many more then you need to sponsor East Africa Rail.
For sponsorship opportunities,  Download the exhibitor brochure to get involved!
There are only a handful of speaking opportunities available so call me now to secure one. 
Kind Regards,
Tarryn Theunissen
Project Director
+27 11 516 4044
Ps- the floorplan is limited to 30 stands only- book now!
In partnership with: 

Philippines: Airstrikes killed 15 IS -militants

Philippines, 15 militants, including a suspected Indonesian militant, linked to the Islamic State group have been killed in airstrikes, the military said today.
Military Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano said the body of the suspected Indonesian militant, known by his nom de guerre Mohisen, was recovered by troops along with three dead Filipino followers of militant leader Isnilon Hapilon, who was seriously injured in the hilly outskirts of Butig town in Lanao del Sur province.
The military will ask Indonesian authorities for help in confirming the identity and background of Mohisen. Eleven other militants were reportedly killed, Ano said, citing intelligence, but added their bodies have not been
Found.

Washington:Pakistan could be in immigration ban list

A top US official says, there is a possibility in the future of Pakistan being included in the list of countries from where immigration has been banned in the United States.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told CBS News that the reason United States chose those seven countries is that both the Congress and the Obama administration had identified these countries being most identifiable with dangerous terrorism. He said now, one can point to other countries that have similar problems, like Pakistan and others.
This is for the first time that the Trump Administration has publicly acknowledged about considering putting Pakistan into that list. Currently as per the executive order, visitors from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan are subject to extreme vetting. Priebus asserted that Americans have to be protected first.