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[1] From: akhila raman <akhila123_1999@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Jul 20, 2005 Subject: URGENT: Donate to prevent Niger children starving to death dear friends, Niger children starving to death: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4695355.stm Directed Donations: ------------------- 1. UN World Food Programme: http://www.wfp.org http://www.wfp.org/how_to_help/donate_online/online.asp?section=4&sub_section=5 you can specify Niger for directed donation. 2. UNICEF UK: http://www.unicef.org.uk/press/news_detail.asp?news_id=489 https://www.unicef.org.uk/common/wp_donate/donform.asp?app=55088001 General donation pool: ---------------------- MSF: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/pr/2005/06-28-2005_1.cfm Unicef USA: http://www.unicefusa.org Oxfam: https://secure.ga3.org/02/oxfamamerica -akhila -------------------------- [2] From: "DALIT MONITOR" <pradip@pwtn.org> Date: Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:58am Subject: Dalit Human Rights Monitoring--Peoples Watch-Tamilnadu Dispatch No. 2 Date- July 20, 2005 Dear Friends, Please see this news from Kendrapara District of Orissa where Dalits are still not allowed to use the public roads. Hope you will react on this news. Looking Forward, Pradip for DHRM ------------------------ [3] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Jul 20, 2005 Subject: Rehabilitation of Evicted Mumbai Slum Dwellers: An Open Letter to Maharashtra Government National Alliance of People??™s Movements National Office: C/o Chemical Mazdoor Sabha, Haji Habib Building, First Floor, 182, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai ??“ 400014 Phone:022-24150529 July 19th, 2005 Shri N. Rama Rao, Principal Secretary, Housing Department, Government of Maharashtra, Mantralaya, Mumbai Dear Mr. Rama Raoji, I write this to you as a briefing on the progress and problems related to allotment of house plots to the slum dwellers. It is most unfortunate that none of the poor families evicted by bulldozing the houses has been able to build a house till date. The decision to allow the thousands of families with a cut-off-date of 1.1.2000 which in itself, was very unfair and in violation of every citizen??™s right to shelter, upheld by the courts, to stay on the two large plots ??“ Mandala (eastern suburbs) and Ambujwadi (western suburbs) ??“ taken in our meeting with the CM, all MLAs and MPs from Mumbai including Gurudas Kamat, thus is not at all complied with. We kept following up the matter consistently and yet there is no or very little response resulting in the situation which indicates apathy and callousness towards the poor slum dwellers. I again bring to your notice the specific problems which were mentioned to you on phone and discussed with the Deputy Chief Minister but I also state with anguish that the commitment made by the Advocate General in Notice of motions submitted to the Chief Justice, Mumbai High Court has not been kept with, compelling the poor families to remain shelter less and live in open, even during heavy rains with gutters flowing and mosquitoes increasing. The health problems to deaths, with no counts, are the obvious result. Draupadi Sinha, who committed suicide as a result of severe grief felt due to being unable to provide shelter to her children, is caused due to the State led atrocity, no doubt. The problems are as follows: The list of families eligible with cut-off date of 1.1.2000 made public in some slum localities, is not at all complete and has left out hundreds of families who should have been declared eligible. The list does not even cover all the families with their names in the voter??™s lists prior 1.1.2000 which is shocking. The lists have a few or more names of families whose houses were not demolished, obviously which people claim, is a result of corruption involved in the process of collecting documentary proofs. The checking of documents has been only a process of exclusion since neither a ration card nor a hospital case paper is properly checked and used. We simply can??™t understand the government??™s decision to presume a ration card to be taken even when grains and groceries are issued on the basis of the same. That the officials have not even checked and included all those on the voter??™s lists of 1999, in the list of the eligible is obvious. The rechecking of the list with the community??™s representation has now started, after unpardonable delay in the eastern suburbs but will start from tomorrow in the western. When will the final lists be prepared? - Certainly after much of monsoon is over. The land to be allotted should have been leveled and developed by the time the lists were prepared but the BMC officials told us that they had no such instructions till we complained about the same. That work is going on even today, at a slow pace and hence the delay. Even if poor, human families who can??™t afford to pay for leveling, filling the land and pits can??™t be simply thrown on to the undulated land spot, that too after monsoon had begun. This too needs to be completed on war footing and why should the already leveled parts of the plots (Mandala and Ambujwadi) not be used first? Please note those 23 acres of Ambujwadi and 55 acres of Mandala, as per your notice to the court due to be used to the poor and not handed over for any other work. The still pending issue is that of document of land allotment. We are told that no law permits the government to officially allot land, without providing the allottee a documentary proof, atleast an occupation slip. The local officials up to Additional Collector and the Collector have told us that they have no orders to that effect. The 2???x 2??? paper slips that they have given to the allottee with names of the person and initial of the official with no mention of the area of the plot, no stamp, no name and designation of the officer indicate an illegal procedure followed. This is simply unacceptable as you understand. Please, therefore, take a decision and the same executed at the earliest. There are pre-1995 families whose houses too were demolished. As the CM committed in our meeting on the May 21st, they should be as per the law and SRS, allotted not house plots but ready houses. If not, it is a clear violation of Slum Rehabilitation Act and the Scheme. Expecting a reply and prompt action, Yours Sincerely, Medha Patkar, Mohan Chavan (Mob: 9869446684) ----------------------------------- [4] From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Wed Jul 20, 2005 Subject: The Nuke Deal: Some News Clippings I. WashPost20July2005 A New Nuclear Era Post Wednesday, July 20, 2005; A22 THE BUSH administration is known for gambles, and Monday's about-face on nuclear cooperation with India qualifies as such..... II. 1) Economist(India)19July 2005 Welcome to the nuclear club Jul 19th 2005 From The Economist Global Agenda Indian officials are hailing a breakthrough in relations with America following a meeting in Washington, DC between India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and George Bush. America has come close to accepting India, which has not signed international non-proliferation treaties, as a full nuclear power FOR months, American officials have been insisting that "there is no higher priority" for George Bush's second term in office than "expanding and broadening our relationship with India". Their Indian counterparts, finding themselves in a diplomatic sweet spot, where it seems every country in the world is courting them, have preened themselves at the superpower's attentions. But its promises have rung rather hollow: America remains committed to its strong alliance with India's nuclear-armed neighbour and rival, Pakistan; it refuses to endorse India's chief foreign-policy goal, a permanent seat on an expanded United Nations Security Council; and co-operation in military and nuclear technology has been thwarted by India's status as a nuclear power, which tested atomic weapons in 1998 but has never signed up to the international non-proliferation regime. On this last issue, at least, India can now point to a big step forward. In a joint statement published after the meeting between Mr Bush and Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, on Monday July 18th, and subject to last-minute haggling even as the two men spoke to the press, America agreed that "as a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology"-a euphemism for the bomb-"India should acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such states." This would open the way for what the statement calls "full civil nuclear energy co-operation" with India-such as fuel supplies and the transfer of technology. This is hugely important for India. One of the biggest constraints on the continuing success of its fast-growing economy may be an electricity shortage. It urgently needs both new generating plants and fuel to fire them. Nuclear energy, which at present accounts for only about 3% of the country's total generation, is, in many Indian eyes, an attractive alternative to coal and expensive, imported oil and gas. Such practical considerations aside, it is a symbolic victory that India is celebrating. For decades it has faced sanctions because of its nuclear-weapons programme. Now, America's president has promised not just to persuade its Congress to change laws impeding co-operation but also to consult other countries about adjusting international rules. Mr Bush is, in effect, offering to help India, which became a nuclear power as a rogue, become a respectable bomb-wielding citizen. In return, India has promised to adopt the same responsibilities as other nuclear powers, including opening its civilian nuclear facilities to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency and maintaining its moratorium on nuclear testing. America's concession to India is all the more remarkable in the light of the likely reaction in Pakistan, which, unlike India, has an appalling record of (allegedly unofficial) nuclear proliferation. It will be miffed that its ally is giving India privileges it does not enjoy-and certain to ask for the same. Pakistan, however, will be pleased that America's love affair with India does not extend to open support of its Security Council bid. Of the main candidates for a permanent seat in an expanded council, only Japan has won American endorsement. Mr Bush went no further than to agree that international institutions should reflect changes that have taken place since the Security Council was set up in 1945. Officials now argue that a vote in the UN on the issue should not take place until there has been a "broader reform" of the UN. Despite that disappointment, Indian officials are jubilant that they have achieved "dehyphenation"-a decoupling of its relations with America from the India-Pakistan dispute, and from America's close ties with Islamabad. This reflects both India's emergence as an economic force to be reckoned with and the rise of its neighbour, China. Although India's economy is only about 40% the size of China's, its fast growth and young population mean that its global importance can only grow. Also, the development of its information-technology and outsourcing industries have put it on the map: just as the boss of any big American firm needs to tell his shareholders a China story, so he now needs an India strategy too. One of the features of Mr Singh's visit is the launch of a new forum of Indian and American chief executives. American and Indian officials both stress that the two countries' relationship is independent of their respective relations with China. Yet America's stated ambition to help India "become a major power in the twenty-first century" cannot be viewed in isolation from apprehensions about China's looming might. Nor can India's determination to secure good relations with America be separated from its own long-term suspicions of China, with which it is at present enjoying something of a second honeymoon. Both India and America recognise that, as democracies, they should have common interests. These were obscured by the legacy of the Cold War, which saw India lean towards the former Soviet Union, and America "play the China card". The inevitable Indo-American rapprochement was further delayed by the attacks on America on September 11th 2001 and by the subsequent importance of Pakistan in the "war against terror". Now, at last, India and America find themselves on the same side. 2) Expressindia.com Tuesday, July 19, 2005 India to get US fuel for nuclear reactors Press Trust of India Washington, July 19: India will, under the agreement reached between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George Bush, be able to get fuel not only for Tarapore but also for any other nuclear reactor on the same basis as any nuclear weapon power, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said. Bush has made a commitment to cooperate with India on nuclear energy, and New Delhi, on its part is making a reciprocal commitment to place civilian nuclear reactors and not military nuclear reactors under IAEA safeguards, he told reporters here yesterday. That, in fact, is what the US and other nuclear weapon powers have done, Saran said. The Principle of Reciprocity, which has been agreed upon, he said, is very important. "There is very good balance in the joint statement. We have committed ourselves to do exactly what other nuclear states with advanced technology are prepared to do. The Principle of Reciprocity is very important." On the talks between Singh and Bush, Saran said, "the joint statement represents a very substantive and very significant outcome. It exceeded our expectations." It would be fair to say that the two leaders have established an excellent chemistry, he said adding the US recognizes India's emergence as a very dynamic economic power, that is not only a flourishing democracy but a multi-ethnic plural democracy. The US recognises how much stability of the world, infact, hinges upon the role India can play and Washington is willing to partner New Delhi in that quest, saran said. Both leaders recognized terrorism as a common global scourge, he said adding this was not surprising because of what happened in Ayodhya and in London. "Terrorism recognises no national boundaries. If there is to be a hope for success in our struggle against terrorism, it has to be fought everywhere. The President and the Prime Minister were unequivocal in recognising the need to work together to get rid of this scourge from the planet." The economic ties between India and the US, the foreign secretary, said are now poised for a "very, very major expansion. That is now recognised here." The meeting of CEOs forum, launched by Bush and Singh, is a unique and unprecedented event, he said adding it will usher in economic opportunities. URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=50959 3) Expressindia.com WedJuly 20, 2005 US-India N-agreement inks doubt Reuters Washington, July 20: President George W. Bush, aiming to boost India as a counterbalance against China's rise, has moved closer to accepting the world's largest democracy as a nuclear weapons state and fueled fears he is weakening decades-old prohibitions against atomic arms. URL: http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=51028 III. Expressindia.com TuesJuly19, 2005 Fulltext of PM's address to US Congress Mr Speaker, Mr Vice President, distinguished members of the US Congress, ladies and gentlemen I deem it a privilege to be invited to address this Joint Session of the US Congress. I thank you for the invitation. I bring you the greetings and good wishes of the people of India. India and the United States have much in common that is very important to both countries. You are the world's oldest democracy, we are its largest. Our shared commitment to democratic values and processes has been a bond that has helped us transcend differences. We admire the creativity and enterprise of the American people, the excellence of your institutions of learning, the openness of the economy, and your ready embrace of diversity. These have attracted the brightest young minds from India, creating a bridge of understanding that transcends both distance and difference between us. In addition to the values we share as democracies, there is also a convergence in our perceptions of a rapidly transforming global environment, bringing us much closer together than at any time in the past. |
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| << July20, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Gujarat water logging |
July25, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Nainamkonam,Women,Mukul's reply & viji's post >> |
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