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[1] From: "drshri_r" <drshri_r@yahoo.co.in Date: Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:26 pm Subject: FREE EDUCATION AND RIGHT OF FARMER \ "JAI STUDENT" " JAI KISSAN" HELLO EVERY ONE, WHAT YOU THINK, IF YOUR FATHER EARN 20000 RUPEES PER YEAR , THEN IT POSSIBLE TO GET HIGHER EDUCATION LIKE M. B. B. S. { FEES -36000RS PER YEAR IN GOVERMENT COLLEGE} THIS PROBLEM PRESENT IN ALL FEILD, HOW POSSIBLE WE BECOME WORLD NO-1 COUNRY IN WORLD, FREE EDUCATION TO ALL, ---------- [2] From: kashif-ul-huda <kaaashif@gmail.com Date: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:19 am Subject: Muslim caretaker for a Hindu temple Muslim caretaker for a Hindu temple By TwoCircles. net staff reporter http://www.twocircles.net/2008jan19/muslim_caretaker_hindu_temple.html Kaimur, Bihar: Azimuddin looks after the temple as devoutly as he offers namaz. With his faithful association with the Mundeshwari Temple atop Kaimur Hills in Bihar, Azimuddin has become a legend in his own way. Unmoved by what happened to the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, on December 6, 1992 and how dozens of mosques were bulldozed during the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, Azimuddin , a Muslim by religion, has been looking after the temple and taking part in every religious ceremony held there. The temple was built in 101 A. D. Thousands of devotees visit the shrine every year, believing that the Goddess fulfils their wishes. "I am a Muslim and offer namaz daily but I have a great devotion to "Maa Mundeshwari," says Azimuddin, caretaker of the temple. He works overtime to ensure that tourists may not face any inconvenience visiting the shrine. According to locals, Azimuddin played a vital role in the construction of a concrete road to the temple. Azimuddin is happy with the Bihar government's decision to grant Rs 2 crore to the Bihar State Hindu Religious Trust Board for the construction of a ropeway. He says that the protection of relics of the temple is urgently needed, many of which have been stolen over the years. On communal harmony, he says that people should have religious tolerance and politicians should not be let divide the society in the name of religion and caste. -- http://www.TwoCircles.net --------- [3] From: "Aditya Mishra" <aditya11@sbcglobal.net Date: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:13 am Subject: Re: [indiathinkersnet] Chandigarh bans the use of word 'Dalit' Very wise and a long overdue action. It must be implemented throughout India. =Chandigarh, Jan 5 - The Chandigarh administration Saturday instructed all its departments, boards and corporations not to use the word 'Dalit' as interchangeable with the term 'scheduled castes'. ---------- [4] From: "EMPOWER INDIA" <ttn_empower@sancharnet.in Date: Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:20 pm Subject: An opportunity to erase AIDS stigma - People living with HIV / AIDS celebrating 'Pudiyathor Pongal' An opportunity to erase AIDS stigma JOINING THE MAINSTREAM: People living with HIV / AIDS celebrating 'Pudiyathor Pongal', organised by Indian Community Welfare Organisation and Madras School of Social Work in Chennai on Monday. CHENNAI: The transformation was near perfect: the city had become village overnight. Pongal, farmer-style, had come to town a day early on Monday. Just as quietly as the village crept in, so did a more subtle transformation. On the campus of the Madras School of Social Work at Egmore, there were plantain festoons, freshly painted pots in which rice gurgled energetically to the beat of drums and the joyous ululation of women. In rows, women sat on their haunches cooking rice in earthen pots set on traditional mud stoves. Behind them stood men, beating a strange pattern on fist-sized drums. If you had just stumbled upon this scene, there was no way you could tell that all the men and women participating in the show were HIV-positive. "Pudiyathor Pongal" was yet another attempt to attack the stigma that surrounds the HIV-infected. Organised by the Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO) and the Madras School of Social Work and supported by the AIDS Prevention and Control Project, the event was structured to make invisible the barriers that separate those living with HIV from those living without it. "This will create an opportunity to talk about stigma and discrimination, marginalisation and ill treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS," says A. J. Hariharan, founder secretary, ICWO. A festival is an occasion for the community to come together, and there cannot be a better occasion to integrate HIV-positive people into society, he adds. More than 100 HIV-positive people had come forward to participate, along with almost double that number of students. The participants immensely enjoyed the competitions on cooking pongal and eating sugarcane. There was a rangoli contest for the women and the regular tug-of-war, but the most popular event was the traditional Pongal game: beating the 'uri.' Blindfolded men stumbled their way across to swing a rod against a clay pot swerving overhead, hoping to smash it. "An event like this provides a lot of opportunities for people like us to come out into the open," says Noorie, of the South India Positive Network. She says one of the most stigmatising acts is people refusing to eat with HIV-positive people, or on plates used by them. "Here, all of us are together, cooking pongal and eating it. There is love and a sense of togetherness. A positive person myself, I know it is a great tonic for survival." http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/17/stories/2008011759000800.htm Forwarded by: A. SANKAR ------------- [5] From: Khan Arif <ank2000pk@yahoo.com Date: Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:15 am Subject: Re: [Pakistan Post] Why Pakistan is a “desirable” state for radical Jihadism Alberto's article appears to be inspired with ulterior motives and based on misconceptions. Overwhelming majority of Pakistan do not like militancy and terrorism. The phantom of Jihadis was created in seventies by the intelligence of US and Pakistan to drive out Soviet forces occupying Afghanistan. US had approved not only General Ziaul Haque's coup d'etat but also the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the father of Benazir and Prime Minister of Pakistan, who had dared to challenge Henry Kissinger and had initiated Pakistan's nuclear program. After Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Jihadi groups were left like used condoms and enemies of Islam and Pakistan started exploiting them with money and arms to fan sectarian and ethnic hatred and indulge in terrorism. The object is to destabilize the only Muslim state with nuclear capability. People of Pakistan do not know who is funding the groups like Alquida, Taliban and from where they are getting sophisticated bombs, rockets and other ammunitions and explosives. Covert operations of RAW and MOSAD and other pro-Zionist forces are suspected not only in fifth column operations in Pakistan but also in propaganda against Pakistan as a failed state and safe heaven for terrorists and distorting facts about Pakistan and its nuclear assets. Most of our politicians are liberal and responsible and peace loving. The fanatic religious parties have NO chance of winning at elections, Even religious parties like MMA, besides the liberal parties like ANP, MQM, PML etc. condemn terrorism and insist on political as well as military solution to curb the terrorism. Even moderate and broad minded politicians like Imran Khan and his British ex wife Jemima have been critical of Afghan and Iraq policies of the US and UK and like nearly 50% American and British folks about 60% Pakistanis do not like bullying attitude of GWB and America's un-principled support to Israel and vetoing dozens of UN Resolution against Israel, which is the major cause of terrorism. US liked Benazir only because she was promising to do more than what Musharraf is doing in fighting terrorism. They ignored her misrule and dismissal of her government twice on the charges of corruption and forced Mush to drop them. She had shown inclination on US advice to work with Musharraf. But she did not heed to the advice of intelligence agencies and got killed by fanatics when she popped out of sky window of her bullet proof car to wave at cheering crowd. US intelligence have indicated that her assassination was planned by militants engaged in terrorism in Pakistan. Arif Khan Alberto Priego <alberto.priego@gmail.com wrote: Why Pakistan is a "desirable" state for radical Jihadism The assassination of Benazir Bhutto: a well-calculated blow to democracy By Alberto Priego, 17th January 2008 Al Qaeda wants to take control of a country and Pakistan presents some ideal conditions: as neighbors it has Iran, Afghanistan and India; it has a conflict (Cachemir) that is considered universal by the Muslims, and, above all, it has an exit to the Arabian Sea which would close the oil traffic of the Golf monarchies, who are considered by Al Qaeda to be the principal source of corruption. Besides, it has nuclear missiles (Ghauri). Benazir Bhutto represented the only democratic option opposing Pervez Musharraf and the Islamist radicals. (From London) THE FIGURE OF BENAZIR BHUTTO is only comparable to that of the president of Latvia, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, or the unequalled Margaret Thatcher. Born into a landowning family in the Sindh region, Bhutto always had a very controversial personality, even within her own family, where she emphatically refused to wear the burka. Her own father knew how unusual her daughter's personality was, and it is possible that for that reason he called her Benazir, which means unique. A woman of refined and Western education, she graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Political Science, and later received her doctorate from Oxford University. However, she never renounced the modernization of her country, a fact that, in the end, cost her her life, just like it had cost her father and brothers theirs. "Bhutto asked the government for protection but, due to inability or a lack of will, Musharraf did not protect her" Curiously, Benazir Bhutto's assassination took place only a few kilometers from where her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was hanged, executed by General Zia under the accusation of murder. Her father's controversial death marked her life, given that it reasserted her commitment to Pakistan. A few minutes before her assassination, Benazir Bhutto stated that her entire family had sacrificed their lives for Pakistan. She was not going to be an exception. A LEADER HATED BY ALL Bhutto soon became an uncomfortable figure for all of Pakistan's political forces, from General Musharraf's soldiers to the Islamic radicals who had sworn to assassinate her on several occasions. The sole current opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, is no different, as he did not hesitate to ally himself with Ayub Khan's political might in order to remove her from power in the beginning of the Nineties. "The most depressing thing is to think that everyone has emerged victorious from Benazir Bhutto's assassination, given that she was the alternative to the Islamists as much as to Musharraf himself" Even Benazir's own brother Murtaza confronted her upon her designation as leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and it was precisely during her term of office when he was beaten by Pakistani police forces. Following a long forced exile (1999-2007) after being accused of corruption, she returned to Pakistan this past October 18 and, as a welcome, Islamist groups attempted to assassinate her. After this attack, in which 140 people died, Benazir Bhutto earnestly asked the Pakistani government for protection, although, either due to inability or a lack of will, Musharraf did not protect her. "Bhutto's assassination really signifies, without any room for doubt, the beheading of the opposition" Aside from this, last November's State of Emergency declaration and, above all, the closing of private radio stations, forced the candidates to spread their message by word of mouth. This measure exponentially increased the danger of suffering terrorist attacks. The risk was so great that Benazir Bhutto's entourage ended up asking Israeli intelligence for protection, although the secret service did not accept the proposal so as to not compromise its international position. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ASSASINATION As always, nothing is clear in Pakistan, even though everyone is pointing to one sole culprit. Immediately following the attack, Pervez Musharraf's government pointed to Al Qaeda as the mastermind behind the assassination. Specifically, it was said that the assassination was carried out by the group Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of Al Qaeda in the southern Asian country. Curiously, Musharraf's government signed a non-aggression pact (2005) with Baitullah Mehsud, although it was later broken with the governmental attack on the Zamazola camp. The most depressing thing of all is to think that everyone has emerged victorious from Benazir Bhutto's assassination, given that she was the alternative to the Islamists as much as to Musharraf himself. On one hand, the already ex-General can once again present himself to the West as the only option opposing the Islamic hordes that threaten to take control of Pakistan. On the other hand, the radical Islamists have managed to get rid of the only democratic option that Pakistan had. Bhutto was rejected for being a woman, democratic and, above all, for defending the secular option. However, Musharraf and the Islamists are not as far from each other as it might seem, given that it is precisely the super powerful secret service ISI who has created Pakistan's most radical groups, and provided them with supplies. The Army of the Pure (Lashkar-e- Tayyaba), The Warriors of God's Party (Hizbul Mujahidin) and The Army of Mohammed (Jaish-e-Mohammed), the perpetrators of the assassination of the journalist Daniel Pearl, could serve as an example. In short, Bhutto's assassination really signifies, without any room for doubt, the beheading of the opposition and, as was hoped, the postponement of the legislative elections that the PPP was going to win (and which it appears will be held on February 18). As political heirs, she has left her husband Asif Ali Zardari, accused of corruption, and her very young son Bilawal, who we hope can carry out the mission that neither his grandfather nor his mother were able to complete. A WELL-CALCULATED AND COLDLY EXECUTED BLOW In regards to the future of Pakistan, the situation presents itself as complicated. "Islamist control over Pakistan would be, well, an international tragedy since it would directly destabilize the region and indirectly destabilize the world" For some time it has seemed that Al Qaeda wants to take control of a country, and Pakistan presents some ideal conditions. The succession of weak, populist-style military governments are the best invitation for Islamists to take over. Bhutto was the only democratic option in opposition to Musharraf and the Islamists; while the former cannot offer security and control over the radicals anymore, the latter are looking for an opportunity to take control of the country. If clean elections are held today, the victory will be disputed amongst Mawdudi's followers and Bhutto's followers. However, even though an Islamist victory would have terrible consequences for the future of the country, just like what happened in Palestine or in Lebanon, in the case of Pakistan the foreign repercussion would be even worse. On one hand, the possession of nuclear arms makes Pakistan a very attractive country for the Islamists. Islamist control over Pakistan would be, well, an international tragedy since it would directly destabilize the region and indirectly destabilize the world. Pakistan is in possession of missiles like the Ghauri, with a range of 1500km (Iran and all of India), although it is working on the Ghauri II and the Tipu, which could have ranges of up to 4000 km. These weapons could become a global threat if they were to fall into the wrong hands; we only have to remind ourselves of the story of Khan and his relationship with North Korea. "President Musharraf has not been capable of ending the permeability of the border, and this strengthens the Taliban, while, of course, it weakens the credibility of NATO itself" On the other hand, Pakistan's strategic geographical location makes it an object of desire for Al- Qaeda. Pakistan is a neighbor of countries like Iran, Afghanistan and India, it is in the midst of a conflict (Cachemira) considered universal by the Muslims, and, above all, it has an exit to the Arabian Sea that would close the oil traffic of the Gulf monarchies, who are considered by Al Qaeda to be the principal source of corruption. All of these characteristics make Pakistan a desirable State to the radical Islamists. The situation that Pakistan is undergoing does not favor neighboring Afghanistan in the least bit. Since the times of the British Empire, the futures of Afghanistan and Pakistan have been inextricably linked. In the seventies, Zulfikar Bhutto initiated an Islamization of Afghanistan campaign, promoting the creation of the mujahadines, which are today returning to Pakistan like a threatening boomerang. The chaos on the frontier is favorable to incursions and above all the impossibility of definitively overthrowing the Taliban, who find refuge and support in Pakistan. President Musharraf has not been capable of ending the permeability of the border, and this strengthens the Taliban, while, of course, it weakens the credibility of NATO itself. This is how Bhutto's assassination has been a well-calculated and coldly executed blow and, above all, has had consequences that go above and beyond what had been imagined. We will have to wait some time before we get to see its true repercussion. . Arif N. Khan ------------- [6] From: Regi P George <george_regi@yahoo.com Date: Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:10 pm Subject: Growth For Whom? Growth For Whom? THE euphoria time for India Inc. continues. The sensex has now breached the 21,000 mark. At the other end, every 30 minutes, a farmer is committing suicide somewhere across the country. The hiatus between `shining’ India and `suffering’ India is not merely growing but is galloping. This growing divide is not only because of the inefficiency of the distributive aspects in our economy that prevent an inclusive growth. It is also not because the government of the day is insensitive to this growing divide. The divide grows on the basis of a simple fact – under the given conditions for the rich to get richer, the poor needs to get poorer. This is the very logic of capitalism based on intensification of economic exploitation. Take for instance, the continuing rise in the prices of essential commodities. This heaps additional economic burdens on the people. But, at the same time, inflation is a policy instrument in the distributive aspect of the economy which increases the income share of the profit earner while impoverishing the consumer. Inflation influences income redistribution in favour of the rich. All efforts by the Left to make the UPA government take measures to contain this price rise have only resulted in partial responses. The main cause for the price rise of essential commodities has been the permitting of speculative forward/futures trading. Though after considerable pressure, the government has removed pulses, rice and wheat from these markets, clearly, this is not sufficient. All essential commodities need to be removed from such speculative trading. Simultaneously, the Public Distribution System needs to be urgently strengthened. Instead, we see the reverse in practice. There is a political fall out of such policy directions. The consequent growing popular discontent will lead to stronger anti-incumbency during elections as has been seen recently in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. If the communal forces are to be prevented from capitalising on this growing discontent electorally, then it becomes imperative that the policy direction shift more favourably towards improving people’s welfare. This also means that the pro-people measures in the Common Minimum Programme, however reluctantly the UPA may have agreed to, need to be implemented in right earnest. In this context, it is, indeed, alarming that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has failed to deliver to a large extent, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The CAG conducted a performance audit of this scheme in 513 gram panchayats spread across 68 of the 200 poorest districts chosen for its implementation across 26 states. This shows that the average employment generated between February 2006 and March 2007 was just 18 days as against the 100 days promised by the scheme. Only 3.2 per cent of the registered households could avail of 100 days of employment. Clearly, there is gross inefficiency, surely high levels of corruption, apart from diversion and misutilisation of funds. If this is the efficacy of the delivery system, then even the most well-meaning pro-people initiatives can be prevented from delivering some benefits and relief to the poorest of the poor. The NREGS was extended this year to 330 districts and from April 2008, this is to extend all across the country. If this is the state of its implementation, then it can only extend further benefits to the corrupt rich at the expense of the rural poor. Further widening the `divide’. It is, hence, imperative that the UPA government step in to plug these loopholes and make the delivery systems work more efficiently, if it doesn’t want the communal forces to further benefit politically and electorally. Additionally, the pro-people promises made in the Common Minimum Programme, which continue to remain only on paper, need to be implemented urgently. In this context, though the National Development Council has finalised the Eleventh Plan, the forthcoming annual budget must be utilised to prioritise and concentrate on those areas aimed at improving people’s welfare. Take for instance, the employment situation in the country. The Eleventh Plan contains a separate chapter on employment which shows that, leave alone the backlog of unemployment in the country, the employment growth has lagged behind the growth of the workforce during the Tenth Plan period. Thus, the backlog of unemployment is increasing. What is required is massive doses of public investment that can provide large-scale employment and, at the same time, also build the much-needed economic and social infrastructure. Though the Eleventh Plan envisages a 120.5 per cent increase in plan expenditure over the Tenth Plan, the fact is that during the Tenth Plan, only 82.5 per cent of projected investment could take place. Thus, if these targets need to be reached, then resources need to be mobilised adequately. This, however, is being planned not through increases in tax revenues, but through the reduction in non-plan expenditures, particularly subsidies meant to give some relief to the poor. On the other hand, according to the finance ministry estimates, during the Tenth Plan period, Rs 2.35 lakh crores were denied to the exchequer, thanks to a host of tax concessions. Instead of removing these concessions that only benefit the rich, the Eleventh Plan talks in terms of imposing further burdens on the common people through cuts in non-plan expenditures and subsidies. The hiatus between the two Indias, that we spoke of earlier, is, thus, set to widen further. Further, resource mobilisation needs to be beefed up through the widening of the tax base in the country. We began by referring to the stock market boom. But, remember, not a paisa of tax is paid by those who are earning huge unprecedented profits due to this boom. While this may increase the number of Indian billionaires, the billions required to improve the lot of the common Indian is being denied through such tax concessions. As we have been advocating all along through these columns, the forthcoming budget must consider the introduction of a long term capital gains tax. It is, therefore, necessary that popular pressure must be strengthened for a change in the policy direction in favour of improving people’s welfare during the remaining tenure of this UPA government. This is imperative not only to improve the lot of the vast millions of common Indians but is also necessary to prevent the communal forces from exploiting the popular discontent for their electoral advance. ---------- |
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