English Daily [email protected] www.indianhorizon.org RNI No: APENG/2010/35309 Volume No: 5 Issue No: 299 In memory of Dr Asima Kemal and Prof. Dr. Salim W Kemal Published from Hyderabad & New Delhi Postal Registration Order No HD/1146/2011-13 Pages 12 + 4 pull out (P16) Hyderabad, Thursday, November 6, 2014 APMCHUD to be held in India in 2016: Venkaiah Naidu SC reserves order on Salman’s blackbuck case New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday reserved its order on the Rajasthan government’s appeal challenging a state high court order staying the conviction of Bollywood star Salman Khan so that he could travel to Britain for a film engagement. A bench of Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya and Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said Salman suffered no hardship as the stay of his sentencing by the high court Aug 31, 2007 permitted him to continue pursuing his film career, including travel abroad. The court gave Salman and the Rajasthan government three days to file written submissions. It said the suspension of sentence removed all hurdles in the way of Salman in pursuing his film career, and added that there was no need for any “further order addressing your hardship” (to get visa to travel to Britain). “The remedy of your hardship for being unable to travel to Britain lies somewhere else,” the court said, hinting towards the British High Commission’s decision to refuse him visa on the grounds that suspension of sentence was not enough and his conviction still persisted could be challenged before courts in Britain. FORECAST: MAX : 22 C MIN : 18 C SUNSET SUNRISE FAJAR ZOHAR ASAR MAGRIB ISHA GOLD PRICE Ct 24 Rs 27,100 Silver Price Per KG Rs 37,850 BSE 27,915.88 NSE Nifty 8338.30 Forex Rates Indian Rupees US Dollar British Pound Euro Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal UAE Dirham 61.41 99.69 77.49 16.86 16.35 16.72 P-8 Finance Minister presents Rs.1,00,637 crore budget TRS creates history of sorts with Maiden Budget Kareena Unveils Vivels New Products 6:08 PM 5:58 AM 4:57 12:03 4:19 5:57 7:09 Price: 3.00 Pakistani PM vows to eliminate polio in six months P-3 Briefs [email protected] Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS) The TRS Government created history of sorts by presenting the new-born Telangana State’s first budget with a whopping total expenditure of Rs.1,00,637 crore for a period 10 months. Presenting his maiden budget in the State Assembly on the opening day of the budget session on Wednesday, Finance Minister Etela Rajender, amidst thumping of desks from the treasury benches, declared that it was not only a tax-free budget but welfare and development oriented keeping in view the vision of the ruling TRS to usher in a “Golden Telangana” in the coming years. The budget estimates for the year 2014-15 showed that for the first 10 months of the financial year then government proposed to a total expenditure of Rs.1,00,637.96 crore of which the non-plan expen- Minister for Finance Etela Rajender with Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandra Sekhar Rao before presenting his maiden budget on the first day of Assembly session in Hyderabad on Wednesday. PTI diture is estimated at Rs.51,9989.49 crore and plan expenditure at Rs.48,648.47 crore. The estimated revenue surplus is Rs.301.02 crore and the fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs.17,398.72 crore. Amidst frequent interruptions and protests of opposition members, the Finance Minister pointed out that normally the budget was more about numbers but this budget was more about the people and their wellbeing. This budget has been formulated with an objective of delivering a sustainable future of Telangana children and generations beyond, he added. The Finance Minister further observed that the new state of Telangana has strengthened the faith of the people in their own future and faith in every citizen of the new state. The long journey for the realization of Bangaru Telangana has just begun, he added. Rajender also did not lose the opportunity to take a dig at the previous regimes of the undivided Andhra Pradesh) opportunities were lost and problems accumulated as a result of deliberate neglect of Telangana. President Pranab congratulates Manmohan Singh for Japanese award New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday congratulated former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for being selected for one of Japan’s top awards and said it was an important recognition of immense service rendered by him for promotion of India-Japan relations and friendship. In his message to Singh, Mukherjee said, “I am extremely happy to know that the Government of Japan has conferred one of its highest civilian honours - �The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers’ upon you, making you the first Indian ever to receive this award.” He said, “This important recognition is testimony to the immense service rendered by you over the years for the promotion of India-Japan relations and friendship.” Extending his hearty congratulations and best wishes, the President said, “I am sure the entire nation will rejoice at this much deserved honour conferred on you.” Delhi assembly dissolved, by-elections cancelled New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) The Delhi assembly has been dissolved, it was announced Wednesday, and the Election Commission cancelled by-elections in three assembly constituencies in the capital. The Election Commission had Oct 25 announced that Mehrauli, Tughlakabad and Krishna Nagar would go to the polls Nov 25. BJP legislators from the three places were elected to the Lok Sabha in May. Delhi has been under President’s rule since Feb 17 following the resignation of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who headed a minority Aam Aadmi Party government for 49 days. A Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesperson said the president has signed the proclamation dissolv- Pakistan needs to decide if it wants to engage in dialogue with India or separatists: Arun Jaitley Defence minister Arun Jaitley New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Pakistan should draw a red line whether it wants to talk to government of India or those who want to break India, defence minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday asking it to make a “conscious” choice. India, he said, was “ready to speak to Pakistan” and is “willing to normalise the relationship” but “then there are a few red lines”. “We create the environment, we fix up a dialogue at the level of foreign secretaries, our foreign secretary is to visit Pakistan (and) literally a few hours before that they invite the separatists for a dialogue to their high commission (in New Delhi). “So I think a new red line has to be drawn in Pakistan to reconsider this question that who they want to speak to? Do they want to speak to the government of India or they want to speak to those who want to break India,” he said at the India Economic Summit here. “So unless Pakistan makes ing the Delhi assembly. The union cabinet Tuesday recommended the dissolution of the 70-member Delhi assembly where no political party had enough numbers to form a stable government. The decision was taken after leaders of the Bharatiya Janata party, AAP and the Congress told Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung that they wanted elections to end months of political uncertainty. The Delhi election of December 2013 threw up a fractured mandate. Sachin Tendulkar: Playing It My Way an honest effort New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) It was good to catch up with Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday night. And, though I was meeting him after a long time - as part of a select bunch of journalists from across the country on the eve of the launch of his autobiography - international cricket’s most prolific batsman had not changed. His effervescent smile surfaced every now and then. His forehead would crease perhaps a bit more than when he would have to face a Wasim Akram or a Brett Lee or their ilk during his 24-year career as a batting legend. If he has any nerves about the book doing well, he hid them as well as he camouflaged the butterflies in his stomach each time he walked in to bat. “There was no stress,” he insisted when asked if reliving some dark moments - the Greg Chappell episode, the Monkeygate scandal, the Test defeat in Bridgetown when chasing 120 for a win and the allegations of ball-tampering that he was charged with was a challenge. “On the contrary, I had so much positive to recall fondly and get goosebumps again.” He was candid in his admission that the most difficult thing about the autobiography, published by Hatchette, was in bringing some of his private life into public domain. “Writing about my relationship with (wife) Anjali was tough,” he said. “We had kept our friendship quiet for a long time but our families discovered it.” the conscious choice, a dialogue with Pakistan will not be possible,” he said. India in August called off a scheduled foreign secretary-level talks after Pakistan’s envoy met Kashmir separatists on the eve of the dialogue. Referring to ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the Line of Control, he said the consequences of its “misadventure” like firing on civilian population and uprooting of village, “would be an unaffordable cost for Pakistan.” “Jaitley, who is also the finance minister, said New Delhi has given three messages to Pakistan. “The first is that we want to talk. So we invited them. The second is we send a foreign secretary there. But they must decide whether they are ready to speak to our foreign secretary or to speak to those who want to break India. The third is that this kind of a situation in international border cannot go on. Prime Minister narendra Modi during a meeting with Bollywood actress and MP Hema Malini in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI Certain court decisions are difficult to implement, Union minister Nitin Gadkari says NEW DELHI: Union minister NitinGadkari on Wednesday said certain decisions of the courts are difficult to be executed by the government. “I am exactly telling you the truth. Suppose, someone wants to run a government, the process is simple. You have to fight elections ... but a media house or judiciary cannot take charge of administration. “I am sorry to say in many cases, the way in which decisions are given by the courts, it is difficult to execute,” Gadkari, who is the minister for road transport, highways and shipping, said here. The senior minister’s comments came against the backdrop of many projects pending due to litigation related to environmental and other issues. Speaking at the India Economic Summit organized by WEF and CII, the minister also said, “I have respect for judiciary, I have respect for judges but at the same time this poor country needs development”. 2 Indian Horizon, Hyderabad City Short Takes Bandaru dattatreya visited EFLU Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Secunderabad MP and BJP national vice-president Bandaru Dattatreya today visited EFLU (English and Foreign Languages University), a prestigious institution for higher learning which was in news following rape of a post-graduate student by her two friends recently. A 22-year-old student complained to the police that she was raped by her two friends in a room in the boy’s hostel. Dattatreya visited the EFLU in OU campus and interacted with vicechancellor Mrs Sunania Singh and enquired about the incident. Strongly condemning the incident, the BJP leader condemned the statement of the two perpetrators that they thought they would be able to “ handle the situation by talking it out” since she was their close friend. TDP MLAs visit NTR Ghat to pay tribute Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Telangana TDP MLAs and MLCs today visited NTR ghat on the shore of Hussainsagar and paid tribute before going to Telangana assembly which commenced today. Later speaking to media, TDP floor leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Revanth Reddy and TDP telangana committee chairman L Ramana said that the TRS government has failed on all front during in the last five months of its regime. They alleged that chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was uttering only “ words” and nothing he did for the people. president of TPS said, “KCR wants to give the impression that he is the sole standard bearer of Telangana State, and wants to rewrite history. Whereas it is a fact that the 1969 movement can be compared to the 1857 Mutiny. He criticized silence of the KCR government on the 1969 Jai Telangana Movement. Nagi Reddy to head TS election commission Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Government today appointed V Nagi Reddy, principal secretary, Finance as Commissioner of Telangana State Election Commission. Nagi Reddy belongs to Pulkal in Medak district will continue in the office for five years term, according to a CMO press release. TS Govt to fete Maha Guv on Nov 9 Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Telangana Government will facilitate Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Jala Vihar in Hyderabad on Nov 9 at 2 pm. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will participate as chief guest in the event, according to a CMO release. The government also extended invitations to Cabinet ministers, government advisors, top leaders of all political parties, MLAs, MPs and MLCs and noted personalities of various sectors. TPS urged TRS Govt to recognise Jai Telangana Movement Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Telangana Praja Samithi (TPS)demanded the Telangana government to recognize the 1969 movement and honour the supreme sacrifice made by the students in the Jai Telangana Movement. Addressing a press conference here today Neera Kishore, working SCs, STs welfare given top priority in the budget: Etela Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Stating that the budget 201415 was in the direction of achieving “Bangaru Telangana”, the TRS MLA from Nakrekal Constituency Vemula Veerasham felt that welfare of SCs, STs and BCs was given top priority in the budget. Speaking to the media after presentation of the budget by the Finance Minister Etela Rajender in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, Veerasham said that the budget has reflected the commitment of the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in achieving “Bangaru Telangana” and reconstruction of the Telangana, which was looted by Andhra rulers. The budget was also like fulfilling all the promises made by the TRS in its elections manifesto, he added. Listing the welfare schemes and development programmes mentioned in the budget, the TRS MLA showered praises on the Chief Minister. Reminding the sacrifices of Telangana martyrs for the cause of Telangana, he pointed out that Rs 100 crores have been allocated in the budget for the purpose of extending Rs 10 lakhs to 459 families of Telangana martyrs. “SCs constituted 15.4 % and STs constituted 9.3% in the population of the Telangana State. In proportion to their population, the state government has allocated 15.3 % of funds of the budget for the welfare of SCs and 9.3% for the welfare of the STs”, he said. Terming K Chandrasekhara Rao as �Dalita Pakshapati’(pro-Dalit CM),Veerasham pointed out that Rs. 7,579 crores have been allocated for the welfare of SCs and Rs 4,559 crores in the budget for the welfare of STs. In addition to this, the TRS government has earmarked Rs 97.51 crores to encourage SC entrepreneurs. Expressing happiness over the clear assurance of the government to mitigate Fluoride issue in Nalgonda district, the TRS MLA said that the plan of supplying potable water to every door in the state under Telangana Water Grid, for which Rs 25,000 crores have been allocated should help in supplying safe drinking water in fluoride affected areas in the district. Veerasham also thanked the Chief Minister for allocating Rs 100 crores in the budget for development of pilgrim place Yadagirigutta in Nalgonda district. Hyderabad, Nov 5 (PTI): Cyberabad police here have registered cases against the organisers of �Kiss of Love’ campaign on the University of Hyderabad campus for �obscene act’. A group of students had organised a demonstration in support of the Kiss of Love campaign in Kerala (which aimed to oppose the moral policing) on the campus on November 2; some of them allegedly kissed during the event. Police have also registered a case for criminal trespass against the members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), BJP’s youth wing, who staged a protest against the event. “Following a complaint by university authorities, cases were registered by Gachibowli police. We are verifying the allegations,” ACP S Sreedhar said. Asked if any students who “indulged in kissing” were questioned, inspector J Ramesh of Gachibowli police station said a committee set up by the university was conducting an inquiry. “Based on their report and also the video footage we will take further action,” he said. The organisers of the event were facing cases under the Section 294 of Indian Penal Code, he said. Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Deputy CLP leader in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir has alleged that TRS Government has hatched a larger conspiracy through Budget Speech to avoid giving 12% reservation to Muslims in Telangana State. Speaking to media persons after the presentation of Telangana’s first budget by Deputy Chief Minister Dr T Rajaiah in the Legislative Council here on Wednesday, Shabbir Ali said that the TRS Government had deliberately mentioned in the budget speech that minorities constitute nearly 11% of the total population in the State. This figure is completely wrong as according to 2001 Census, the minorities constitute about 12.4% of the total population. This is not typographical error, but part of a larger conspiracy to stop Muslim reservation. During election speeches, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and other TRS leaders claimed that Muslims constituted nearly 14-15% of the total population. However, in the State’s first budget speech, the TRS Government not only skipped the mention of 12% Muslim reservation, but quoted minorities’ population as nearly 11%. This would create legal hurdles and this budget speech would be referred in the court challenging 12% reservation for a community which constitutes just 11% of the total population, Shabbir Ali said. He also suspected that the role of Advocate General Ramakrishna Reddy in creation of this deliberate error so as to stop Muslim reservation in the State. It may be mentioned Ramakrishna Reddy had represented cases against 4% Muslim reservation in the courts in the past and the Congress party had objected to his appointment to the post of Advocate General after the formation of Telangana State. The Congress leader demanded that the State Government withdraw the population percentage of minorities mentioned in the budget and replace the same with the real figure, based on 2011 Census. TRS MLAs greet each other on the first day of Telangana assembly session in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) Unique protests by BJP Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will participate as chief guest in India and Sri Lanka third one day international match to be held at Uppal Stadium on Nov 9. According to a CMO release the members of two teams will be introduced to the CM. Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Welcoming the TRS Government’s 1.637 lakh crore budget, CPI lone MLA Ravindra Naik questioned the Government as to why it failed to mention about the suicides of the farmers in the budget. Speaking at the Assembly media point here on Wednesday, Naik asked the Government as to how the Water Grid project, which is estimated to be completed with Rs.25,000 crores, will be completed within five years if it allotted mere Rs.2000 crores every year. Stating that the TRS party made several assurances to the Fluoride affected people in the Nalgonda district during Telangana movement, Naik questioned the Government as to why it failed to speak on Srisailam Left Bank Canal Tunnel issue. TS Budget: Shabbir Ali smells conspiracy to stop Muslim reservation �Kiss of Love’ supporters face case for obscenity CM to attend 3rd ODI at Uppal Congress Corporator quit Budget Congress party sans suicides Hyderabad, Nov.5 issue: CPI (NSS): Adikmet corporator of Congress party Sunita Prakash Goud has resigned from the party. In a resignation letter sent to Telangana PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah, Sunita said that she is resigning from the party’s primary membership as she is unable to work in the party due to internal bickerings. Thursday, November 6, 2014 Telangana BJP President Kishan Reddy along with party workers protest against the state government for shortage in power supply to farmers in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Telangana BJP today staged protest in an unique manner holding “ Lanters and wearing saffron shirts “ demanding TRS government to take immediate steps to prevent suicides of farmers due to power cuts and also not impose any power cuts. All the five MLAs including Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy proceeded towards assembly from Basheerbagh holding plycards alleging that the state government has failed to solve problems of farmers and also power crisis. The agitating MLAs reached Gun park holding Lanters and later they rushed towards assembly gate where they were stopped by police personal. After arguments with security personal the BJP legislators squatted on the road and protested with lanters. However, they were persuaded by police. Besides Kishan Reddy, party’s floor leader Dr K Laxman, NVSS prabhakar, Chintala Ramachandra Reddy and Rajasingh participated in the protest. CM reviews new Indl policy Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said that the world is witnessing a flow of investments for a speedy growth and rapid development. During a high level review meeting at Secretariat here he said that the 29th state of Telangana will come up with ambitious new Industrial Policy to enable the businessmen, companies to rope in their businesses in Telangana. The CM is expecting to present the new industrial policy in the Budget session of Assembly. Coupled with favorable atmosphere, low cost lands and abundant human resources, Telangana State will transform into a industrial hub by Telangana’s maiden budget reflect aspirations of people: CM Hyderabad, Nov 5 (PTI): The maiden budget of Telangana presented in the Legislative Assembly today reflected people’s aspirations and the spirit of separate statehood agitation, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said here. Hailing the Rs 1,00,637 crore budget presented by Finance Minister E Ra- TRS faults oppn for walkout Hopeless budget: Jana Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Finding fault with the opposition parties for staging a walk out, TRS MLAs alleged that it is shame on the part of the opposition parties for staging a walkout in the House. Speaking at the Assembly media point after the adjournment of the House on the first day, MLA Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy stated that the budget is very much useful to the people and it is historical. Another MLA Srinivas Goud alleged that the opposition parties, which were behaved differently during the Telangana movement, staged a walk out with grudge towards TRS Government and warned them stating that the people will teach a fitting lesson to the opposition parties. The budget reflected the fulfillment of assurances mentioned in the TRS manifesto. Senior MLA Jupally Krishna Rao stated that the Telangana Government introduced the budget on par with the earlier United Andhra Pradesh Governments. “It indicates the attitude of the TRS Government towards the people”, he said. Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader K Jana Reddy today termed the budget introduced by the TRS Government is hopeless and quite disappointing as it failed to reflect the wishes of the people. Addressing a press conference at the CLP office along with Jeevan Reddy, Geetha Reddy, DK Aruna, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and others here after the adjournment of the House, Jana Reddy took exception to the budget for failing to mention on the plan to check the ongoing suicide by farmers and meager allocationso of funds for housing scheme. The funds allotted will not enough to construct 25,000 houses for the poor, he alleged. The previous government could waive crop loans and helped the farmers to relieve he said. The government seems to have no clarity on the issue he said adding that the farmers are resorting to suicides as they could not get fresh loans from the bankers. introducing an unmatched new industrial policy, he said. This policy boasts of a single window system of hassle free regime giving all permissions in short time at one go enabling the new businesses, companies, entrepreneurs to come with huge investments in Telangana State. The CM noted that many international level businessmen are looking at Telangana State which is away from natural calamities and cyclones. He stated that Telangana will sure witness a speedy development by attracting more investments which will help economy growth and provide a lot of employment opportunities. jender, the chief minister said the budget also reflected the election manifesto of TRS, a release from the Chief Minister’s office said. The importance given to state government’s major schemes and programmes like �Kalyana Lakshmi’ for welfare of girls, restoration of tanks, laying a drinking water grid, land distribution for Dalits, construction of roads, highlighted the intentions of the government, he said. Kemal Publications Excellent modern multi colour offset press. Services for quality printing Newspapers, Magazines, Journals, Books, Text Books, Company Annual Reports etc. Please Contact: Ph: 9885183853: 040-66616611 E-Mail: [email protected]. [email protected] Indian Horizon, Hyderabad Short Takes Ex-Cong minister Kanna Laxminarayana joins BJP Vijayawada, Nov 5 (PTI): Former Congress minister and five-time legislator from Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, Kanna Laxminarayana joined BJP here today, saying he is “impressed” by the welfare programmes initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The policies and programmes of the Prime Minister have attracted me (towards BJP) and I am convinced that BJP is the only party that can take the nation on path of progress,” Laxminarayana said on the occasion. He was welcomed in BJP by Andhra Pradesh state unit president K Hari Babu. “A vacuum has been created in the state politics after the Congress was thrown out of power in elections and most of the politicians are now preferring to cross over to BJP, but we have been selective (in inducting them in the party),” Hari Babu said. A strong leader of Kapu community, Laxminarayana had served as a minister manning various portfolios in previous Congress-led governments. Laxminarayana’s son Nagaraju, who had served as Mayor of Guntur city, also joined BJP along with his father. 4 cops among 20 injured in group clash Hyderabad, Nov 5 (PTI): Twenty people, including four policemen, were today injured when two groups of different communities clashed at a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district even as the police fired in air to disperse the mob. Tension prevailed in Kishtapadu village of Peddavadgur mandal in Anantapur this morning after members of two different communities attacked each other with stones and sticks following a row over “not allowing a religious procession” two days back, police said. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in the village following the incident. Four policemen were among 20 people injured as both the groups pelted each other with stones. Window-panes of two police vehicles were also damaged in the attack, they said. The situation is now under control. Additional security force has been rushed to the spot, a senior police officer said. Police initially resorted to lathi-charge and later fired 10 rounds in the air to disperse the clashing groups, Anantapur District Superintendent of Police Rajsekhar Babu told PTI over phone. Errabeli �spars’ with CM on channels �ban’ Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Business Advisory Committee meeting today witnessed a heated argument between Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Telugu Desam leaders Errabeelli Dayakar Rao and Revanth Reddy, according to informed sources. There was an argument between the CM and TD leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao with regard to continuation of �ban’ on Telugu News Channels TV 9 an ABN for airing news clippings belittling Telangana leaders on iPods and laptops. Though the meeting is supposed to finalise the dates of the session to be continued, it saw a sort of argument with TD leaders E Dayakar Rao and Revanth Reddy sought an explanation from the Chief Minister on alleged continuation of channels ban. The ban on media is in violation of the stipulated act they reportedly argued. Speaker Madhusudhan Chary, Harish Rao and other leaders tried to intervene and pacify them. Directionless budget: BJP Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Alleging that the TRS Government’s maiden budget is directionless and a old wine in the new bottle, BJP floor leader Dr K Laxman said that their party staged a walkout from the House protesting against the attitude of the Government towards farmers. The BJP resorted to walkout along with the main opposition party Congress and TDP on the first day of the budget session here on Wednesday. Speaking at the Assembly media point, Laxman stated that the budget is quite opposite to the election assurances made by the TRS. He alleged that the Finance Minister Etela Rajender’s speech is like a �leader’ not like a �Minister’. He said that the Government failed to speak about the farmers’ suicides and prevailing drought. “There is no clarity on power problems in the State. The Government announced Rs.1 lakh crore budget for prestige but it failed to mention about the source of revenue”, he alleged. Finding fault with the Government for failing to mention as to how it will fulfill the Rs.17,000 crore deficit showed in the budget. He alleged that the Government allotted mere Rs.25 crore for free KG to PG education scheme and questioned “as to how it is possible with the small amount?”. He alleged that Rs.4000 crore, which is allotted for farming sector, is not enough even for interest. 3 State Thursday, November 6, 2014 APMCHUD to be held in India in 2016: Venkaiah Naidu Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Union minister for urban development M Venkaiah Naidu congratulated APMCHUD for emerging as a vibrant mechanism for collaboration among the Asia Pacific countries, in the field of housing and urban development, and also the medium to express their collective concerns, vision and views in the international fora. He thanked APMCHUD for giving the opportunity to India to host the 6th Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development in 2016. While elaborating on Indian Government initiatives in the field of Housing and Urban Development on the concluding day of of the conference today at Seoul, Naidu indicated that India has been assessed to have a housing deficit of about 18.78 million housing units in urban areas, and more than 95 per cent of the same pertain to economically weaker sections and low in- TS CM will attend Guru Nakak Devji celebrations Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would attend 545th Prakash Utsav of Guru Nanak Devji celebration here tomorrow. The celebrations would be organized at Exhibition Ground, come groups of the society. In this scenario, the Government of India is evolving comprehensive strategies towards achieving the objective of `Housing for All’ by 2022, through active and beneficial involvement of a variety of stake holders including public-private participation and improving governance of housing delivery, the minister said. He further added that India has one of the largest urban systems in the world. Though accommodating slightly less than one third of the total population, the urban centers in India contribute a substantial part of the Gross Domestic Product already with 63 per cent in 2007 and the same is expected to increase to 75 percent in 2021. By 2050, half of the Indian population will be living in urban areas and the Government of India is fully seized of the imperative of urban up-liftment through improving quality of public transport, provid- ing drainage, sanitation, waste management, water recycling and wi-fi facilities for public and commercial areas, Naidu emphasized. Commending the Seoul Declaration, Naidu appealed to all Member Nations to adopt 5E policy – Education, Employment, Entertainment, Economic Upliftment and Equal Opportunities – to make the lives of people comfortable. He also extensively discussed the issue of housing, human settlement and urban development during the bilateral meetings held with the Ministers ofSaudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Maldives, Bangladesh as well as Under Secretary General & Executive Director of UN-Habitat during his visit. Naidu also met with several ministers in sidelines of the conference and held one to one meeting discussing important issues and sharing their experiences and best practices, a release from Seoul said. Nampally which would be attended b the chief minister along with cabinet ministers and Karimnagar mayor S Ravinder Singh. The most important and major festival of the Sikh Communityacross the world prakash utsav of Sri Guru Nanak devji (birthday celebrations), the first Sikh Guru and founder of Sikh Religion, who spreadthe message of peace and communal harmony over the world willbe celebrated on a grand scale in Hyderabad on No- vember 6, 2014. To mark the important occasion, Prabhandak Committees of Gurudwara Saheb Secunderabad and Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Guru Nanak Marg, Ashok Bazar, Afzalgunj have joined hands to make the celebration a grand success. As the main Birthday Celebrations Guru Nanak Devji falls on November 6, 2014 a ``VISHAAL DEEWAN’’ (MASS CONGREGATION) will be held at Exhibition Grounds, Nampally from 11 am Budget session till Nov 22: BAC Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Budget session of Telangana State will continue till November 22 according to a decision taken at a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting held at Speaker Madhusudhan Chary’s chamber in Telangana Assembly here on Wednesday. Barring November 6, 8, 9 and 16 the session will go on the rest of the days until November 22 with 13 working days, according to a BAC decision. The meeting also decided to take up question hour first and adjournment motions later. Though the government planned to conduct the session for about one month it reduced to half perhaps �fearing’ the opposition criticism and stalling of proceedings on power, suicides, loan waiver and other issues which may lead to pandemonium. When TD’s Revanth Reddy sought the session for one month as it was previously said, Chief Minister is learnt to have stated that another BAC will decide on that. However, KCR expressed a sort of discontent on Telugu Desam for the presence of the two leaders E Dayakar Rao and Revanth Reddy. When the TD reposed a query as to why two leaders are not allowed, the CM reportedly said that only one leader is allowed to attend the BAC meeting. However the TD leaders did not budge instead got into an argument it is learnt. Madhusudhan Chary chaired the meeting attended by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Deputy Chief Minister Dr T Rajaiah, Minister P Srinivas Reddy, TD leaders E Dayakar Rao, Revanth Reddy, BJP leaders Lakshman, G Kishen Reddy, CPM leader S Rajaiah and others. Though the floor leaders from Congress, TDP, BJP, MIM and Left parties sought more time for sessions, the CM is learnt to have stated that another BAC will sit and decide. AP Minister Dr Palle visits Westminister Hyderabad, Nov 5 (INN): Andhra Pradesh Information Technology Minister Dr Palle Raghunatha Reddy had on Wednesday visited the City Westminister - the Seat of U.K. Parliament - as part of his week-long official visit sponsored by U.K. Government under Outreach programme. Later on today, the Minister Dr Palle Raghunatha Reddy arrived at Portcullis House (PCH),which is an office building in Westminister, London, U.K., that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide Offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff. The Minister had also visited U.K.’s Parliament Building along with a team of Public Budget gives pensioners less : Uttam Hyderabad, Nov.5 (NSS): Stating that the Congress party will not keep quite if the State Government reduces the list of pensioners, party senior MLA Uttam Kumar Reddy has alleged that the budget allocation for pensioners is mere Rs.1600 crore in the maiden budget of the new State and it is meager amount when compared to previous budgets. Speaking at the Assembly media point here on Wednesday after the adjournment of the House for Friday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the budget introduced by the TRS Government is disappointing one and it is not proper on the part of the Government to introduce such a hopeless budget. He alleged that the State Government concentrated only on defections of the MLAs from others political parties for the last five months and did nothing for the people. He alleged that the Finance Minister Etela Rajender failed to express the Government’s objectives in- to 4 pm inwhich over 30,000 Sikh Devotees and other community faiths will converge at the programme. The event will be marked by the recitations of Gurbani Keertans (Holy Hymns) by the reputed Ragi Jathas (religious preachers) who are being specially invited from various parts of the country to render Gurubani keertans. Bhai Gurpreet Singhji of Shimla wale, Bhai Balwinder Singhji Rangeela, Chandigarh, Bhai Jaswinder Singhji, Bhai Hari Singh stead of criticizing the Congress Government. He said that there were no proposals on power problems and it indicates that the power problems will continue in the future. Making it clear that the Congress party will fight against the Government on budget, Reddy said that the Government reduced the budget for three times on Housing scheme. He stated that it is shame on the part of the Government for announcing that the industries, which were finalized during Congress Government, in the Mahabubnagar district are because of the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. It is sad that the Government failed to speak on the suicides of the farmers, he bemoaned. Taking serious objection at the Congress MLAs, who joined TRS party recently for wearing TRS �Kanduvas’ shamelessly and sitting in the treasury benches, he said that the Congress party will lodge a complaint with the Speaker on this issue. Hazuri Ragi Jathas, Bhai Jaswinder Singh and other reputed Ragi Jathas will recite Shabad Keertans and Kathas and throw light on the teachings of Sikh Gurus. After the culmination of the congregation Guru Ka Langar (free community kitchen) will be served to the devotees A Night Keertan Darbar will be organised at Gurudwara Saheb Secunderabad tonmorrow from 9 pm to 2.30 am in which above famous Ragi Jathas will recite Gurubani keertans. Komatireddy, Yadaiah skips CLP meeting Hyderabad, Nov 5 (INN): Giving rise to the speculations, Nalgonda MLA Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Chevella MLA Yadaiah have skipped the Congress Legislature Party meeting held in the Assembly premises on Wednesday evening. While Komatireddy kept himself at a distance with the Congress MLAs during the presentation of Telangana’s first budget on Wednesday, Yadaiah, according to sources, was picked up from home by Leader of the Opposition K Jana Reddy himself. However, by not attending the CLP meeting, the MLAs strengthened the speculations of their exit from the Congress party to join Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Wednesday’s CLP meeting was attended by 17 MLAs, six MLCs and six MPs of Congress party. Representatives from South India. Meanwhile, Dr Palle had participated in a Seminar on “The Commonwealth and the Role of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association” at CPA Room, which was chaired by Rt Hon.Sir Alan Haselhurst, Member of Parliament and Chairman of CPA U.K. Executive Committee. He also attended the briefing on P.M. Questions and observed Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) in Commons Chamber at British Parliament. Later, Dr Palle had participated in a session on “ Governance in U.K : from European Union to Local Government “ at Select Committee Hall, which was chaired by Lord Bosewell of Aynho, Chairman of House of Lords European Scrutiny, and Professor The Lord Nortion of Louth, Professor of Govern- Tenniss player Sania Mirza during the Country Club 25 years celebrations in Hyderabad on Monday. (PTI Photo) ment and Director of Centre for Legislative Studies, University of Hull. The Minister also had a one-to-one interaction with Dr Roberta Blackman, MP of Woods and Shadow Minister Communities and Local Government, at CPA Room in Portcullis House. Later on, Dr Palle had attended the Session on “ Curbing Corruption in Local Government “ with Transparency International UK & Members of the anti corruption APPG in CPA Room. The Minister had dwelled upon the new I.T. & Electronic Policy and Blue Print, which was heralded by the Government of A.P., and the I.T. investment opportunities in the Sunrise State of Andhra Pradesh to the British Parliamentarians and requested them to come in a big way for investments in Andhra Pradesh. ADVERTISEMENTS INVITED To Advertise in INDIAN HORIZON English Daily at concessional rates. Pleasing display, Wider reach Please contact: 040-66616611, 66839818, or Email: [email protected], [email protected], 4 Indian Horizon, Hyderabad South Short Takes PMK stages protest against milk price hike Chennai, Nov 5 (PTI): PMK today staged a protest here opposing the recent hike in milk price effected by the ruling AIADMK. Several PMK workers staged the protest led by party president GK Mani here. Later, speaking to reporters, Mani allaged that the increase of Rs 10 per litre had severely affected the consumers, and asked the government to think over “if such a hike in indeed required.” The Tamil Nadu government had increased the rates of milk marketed by state-run Aavin by Rs 10, drawing sharp reactions from political parties and citizens alike with DMK and BJP among others staging protests against it. Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had defended the move saying his government was �forced’ to impelement the decision to ensure the twin objectives of no disruption in payments to milk producers as well as no compromise on the quality of milk supplied to consumers. Over 200 differently-abled artists to perform in Kochi Kochi, Nov 5 (PTI): Breaking the barriers of disability, over 200 differentlyabled artists from various parts of the country will perform here on December 3. The programme �Barrier Free India’, being organised by Kerala-based NGO, �Prathyasha Foundation’, will showcase the talents of differently-abled persons, foundation’s managing trustee Simon George told reporters here. Wheelchair dancing, singing, drama and other such performances will be showcased at the event, he added. This will be the “first and the biggest” such event held in the country so far, George said, adding, the aim is to create awareness among the public about the creativity of these artists. Custom officials seize 7.5 kg gold from air passenger Kochi, Nov 5 (PTI): Customs officials today seized gold bars weighing 7.5 kg, valued at Rs 2 crore, from an air passenger who arrived here this morning from Dubai. The 25-year-old passenger from Kasaragod had arrived by Qatar Airways from Dubai via Doha, Customs Commissioner K N Raghavan told reporters at the airport. A detailed search of his baggage led to recovery of 56 gold bars of 10 tola each weighing approximately 6.5 Kg and another one kilogram of the yellow metal in the form of beads chain, watch strap among others. in Tirupur District. According to police, Kathirvel (45) had gone to bring in the grazing cow near the fence of his field in Chinnaripalayam in the early hours of today and touched the fence without knowing that the snapped electric wire had fallen on it. He died on the spot, they said. The deceased’s elder brother Govindasamy (50) rushed to the fence and caught hold of the leg of Kathirvel to pull him back, but he also got electrocuted and died. Agitation to brinbg six communities under Devendra Kulavelalar Coimbatore, Nov 5 (PTI): Puthiya Tamizhakam (PT) has drawn a threephased agitation beginning from November seven seeking to bring six castes under one community named Devendra Kulavelalar, on the lines of Thevar and Arundhatiyar. Talking to reporters here today, PT founder-president and MLA, Dr K Krishnasamy said among the 76 sections in the Schedueld Caste list, people belonging to particular castes were brought under one head like Thevar, Nadar and Vanniyar. Mohanlal launches music band Kochi, Nov 5 (PTI): Foraying into a new arena, actor Mohanlal has launched a music band called �Lalisom’. The first show is to be held in February next year with a musical biography of the actor when a retrospective into his 36-year-long celluloid journey will be musically crafted. The over two hour show which will see use of modern techniques including hologram technology and special effects, to portray various characters immortalised by the actor. At least 40 songs from Lal’s various films will also be a part of the show. Mohanlal, who will also be part of the band, proposes to conduct the show at various stages in the country and abroad. Airlines ordered to pay Rs 20 lakh compensation to passenger Chennai, Nov 5 (PTI): A 70 year-old businessman has been awarded Rs 20 lakh as compensation by State Consumer Redressal Commission after a German airline downgraded his ticket during his flight from Frankfurt four years ago. Complainant Shiv Prakash Goenka had contended that he had opted for Business class travel in Lufthansa Airlines for health reasons during his trip to Frankfurt and Madrid in 2010 as well as for the return journey. In his complaint Motor cycle expedition he claimed that the airline staff had downgraded his ticket to economy class by navy on Nov 7 and gave him a compensation voucher Kochi, Nov 5 (PTI): Embarking on a for Euros 1500 for surrendering his seat. novel initiative to reach out and bond with families of Naval personnel who are Vaiko opposes Kerala’s no more, a Motorcycle expedition �Mis- move to construct dam sion We Remember’ will be held here on across Pambar Nov 7 to meet 1267 widows of Naval personnel in Kerala. The expedition consistChennai, Nov 5 (PTI): MDMK leader ing of 54 members will be flagged off on Vaiko today opposed Kerala’s move to Nov 7 by Vice Admiral SPS Cheema, Flag construct a dam across Pambar, saying Officer Commanding-in-chief, Southern it will affect the flow of water to AmaraNaval Command. vathi dam located in Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. CM orders for taking He said that the dam, catering to the irrigation needs of over 60,000 acres in Tirup rescue operations upur and Karur districts of the state, refor fishermen ceived water from Pambar, Thenaar and Chennai, Nov 5 (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chinnar. He said the Kerala government Chief Minister O Pannerselvam has is- has now proposed a dam at Pattichery on sued orders to authorities for taking Tamil Nadu-Kerala border and the govsteps on warfooting for the rescue opera- ernment had laid the foundation stone tions of three fishermen, who went miss- for the project on Monday. ing since November three. The three fishermen Raman, Thiya- Ensure adequate stock garajan and Karthik, who hails from Ar- of medicines: Minister cotuthurai in Nagapattinam district went for fishing on November three. They Puducherry, Nov 5 (PTI): Puducherry were supposed to return the next day, an Welfare and Tourism Minister P Rajavelu official release here said. today instructed officials to ensure that The chief Minister has issued orders to the machinery initiated speedy steps to concerned authorities to take up rescue prevent occurence of dengue fever or mission on warfooting, the release said. conjunctivitis in the rural areas of the union territory. The minister had held Two brothers electrocuted discussions with the medical personnel, Coimbatore, Nov 5 (PTI): Two broth- officials of various departments and volerswere electrocuted today when they untary organisations to initiate proper came into contact with a live wire fallen action plan to rise to any exigency, a on the fence of their field near Avanashi press relese said here. Thursday, November 6, 2014 CPI(M) rejects outright VS’s views in �bar bribe’ case Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5 (PTI): In a rebuff to party stalwart V S Achuthanandan, the CPI(M) state leadership today demanded an inquiry by a special team of Kerala Police under judicial supervision into the graft allegation levelled by bar owners against Finance Minister K M Mani. In what is seen as another instance of growing disconnect between the veteran leader and party leadership, CPI-M state secretariat, which met here, rejected outright Achuthanandan’s persistent call for a CBI probe into the allegation. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also cold-shouldered Achuthanandan’s stand saying, the Vigilance probe was actually done on the basis of a letter from the latter. Briefing reporters, CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan demanded that the government constitute a special team of competent and top-ranking officers to probe the allegation that Mani had received Rs one crore from bar owners and asked for more for favourable decision. “We want neither a Vigilance investigation nor a CBI probe. We want a special team of top-ranking and competitive police officers to be formed and the inquiry conducted under judicial supervision,” Vijayan said. The party also rejected Achuthanandan’s call for bringing back the RSP and Socialist Janata Democratic to the LDF fold on the ground that they had been part of the coalition for long but forced to go out under compulsions. Without waiting for party’s official take on the issue, Achuthanandan had consistently pressed for a CBI probe in the �bar bribe’ controversy arguing that an inquiry by a state agency would end up as a farce in a case in which the needle of suspicion was on a senior minister. Justifying his stand, Achuthanandan had issued repeated statements despite Vijayan making it clear that CBI probe was not preferable to the party questioning the credibility of the agency in dealing with politically sensitive cases. With the allegation casting a shadow over the Congress-led UDF Government, the Government had ordered a probe by Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau, which already formed a special team for the task. Chandy rejects CBI probe on �bar bribe’ issue Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5 (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today rejected the demand of opposition leader V S Achuthanandan for a CBI probe into the �bar bribe’ issue, holding that an examination by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau was progressing on the matter. A vigilance probe into the allegation against Finance Minister and Kerala Congress (M) supremo K M Mani was ordered on the basis of Achuthanandan’s letter seeking vigilance probe, Chandy said, adding, “I cannot change my stand in accordance with that of the opposition leader”. Asserting that charges against Mani were totally false, Chandy said the controversy was with a view to cover up the achievements made by the Congress-led UDF government. Making it clear that UDF was fully behind Mani, Chandy said UDF was united on the matter and “no one can pull off any parties from the UDF”. Chandy said Mani was a “very tall leader of UDF” and a seasoned politician and eligible for any higher posts in the state. Though, Achuthanandan gave a letter seeking Vigilance probe, later he changed his position and insisted for a CBI inquiry. The row over �bar bribe’ started after Kerala Bar Hotels Association working president Biju Ramesh alleged that Mani had taken kickback for reopening of 418 bars closed down earlier this year for want of required facilities after the new liquor policy was announced. AAP seeks CBI probe against Mani Kochi, Nov 5 (PTI): Aam Admi Party’s state unit today approached the Kerala High Court seeking a CBI probe into the graft allegations made by bar owners against state Finance Minister K M Mani. In the petition, AAP’S Kerala Convenor and eminent writer, Sara Joseph, stated that even five days after the disclosure of bribery charges by Kerala Bar Hotels Association President Biju Ramesh, police have not yet registered an FIR. The disclosure amounts to an offence punishable under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, the petitioner contended. Instead of investigating the case, government has referred the matter for a preliminary inquiry by vigilance, she said. Vigilance being controlled by government, there was no likelihood of an effective investigation against a Cabinet Minister, she submitted. Police Commissioner M N Reddi talks to BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje as B S Yeduyurappa looks on as they protest against the recent sexual harresment incidents on children in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (PTI Photo) India gets its first MSC certified fishery Kochi, Nov 5 (PTI): Ashtamudi Estuary’s short neck clam fishery today became the first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fishery in India. The Ashtamudi short neck clam fishery is the third fishery in Asia after Vietnam and Maldives to have received this recognition. The Ashtamudi lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance, is the second largest estuarine system in Kerala. It has extensive mangrove habitats harboring nearly 90 species of fish and 10 species of clams. It contributes about 80 per cent of the overall clam export trade in India and supports the livelihood of around 3,000 fisherfolk involved in cleaning, processing and trading clams. Dr Hem Pande, Addi- tional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, told reporters here that the certification demonstrates the importance of supporting small scale and high value fisheries as a niche market that supports sustainablity of resource use. It is also an excellent example of an initiative that supports the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The certification process took four years, Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India said. “WWF-India initiated the MSC Certification of the Ashatamudi Short Neck Clam fishery in 2-10 recognising the possiblity of bringing in global sustainablity standards for the benefit of conservation and local livelihoods,” he said. David Agnew, MSC Kerala government to relax condition to shoot wild boars Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5 (PTI): With increase in the cases of attacks by wild boars on farmers in the forest fringe areas of the state, Kerala government has planned to relax conditions to shoot down wild boars under �self-protection’ provision. Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has been asked to submit recommendations in this regard after holding talks with forest officials and representatives of farmers, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters after cabinet meeting which discussed the issue of man-animal conflict in the state. Taking a serious view of the matter, the Congress-led UDF government in 2011 had issued orders to allow farmers to shoot wild boars with prior permission of the forest officials and certain formalities. The stringent pre-firing conditions have led to various practical problems in cases of emergencies, Chandy said and citied the recent death of farmers in Kannur in a wild boar attack. Standards Director said the certification programme is designed to be accessible to all fisheries that are managed sustainbly regardless of their scale, size, type or sustainable seafood. The MSC is an international non profit organisation set up to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The MSC runs the only certification and ecolabelling programme for wild capture fisheries. Globally, 244 fisheries in 35 countries have been certified and there are no certified fisheries in 36 countries. “We are extremely pleased to see this small scale fishery become the first in India to be certified to the MSC’s global standard for sustainable fishing,” Agnew said. Govt examining legal options on Mullperiyar issue Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 5 (PTI): With water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam increasing, Kerala government was examining legal options to maintain the water level at 136 feet considering the “safety aspect”. Increase in the water level at the dam has come to the notice of the government and Chief Secretary himself had visited the dam, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters during Cabinet briefing. Chandy said Kerala’s demand to maintain the water level at 136 feet has been declined by Supreme Court appointed apex committee on Mullaperiyar, but “we are exaiming legal options to retain out position”. Increase in water level in the 120-year-old dam at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu boarder has caused concern among the people living in the downstream of the dam on Kerala side over the “safety of the dam”. Tamil Nadu takes water from the reservoir for irrigation purpses in five districts of that state. Water level issue in the dam was a matter of dispute between the two neighbouring states with Kerala insisting that the water level be maintained at 136 feet while Tamil Nadu wants it to be increased it to 142 feet. DMK moves EC seeking removal of anomalies in electoral roll Chennai, Nov 5 (PTI): DMK today moved Election Commission seeking removal of certain anomalies in the inclusion and deletion of names in the electoral roll. DMK Organisation Secretaries TKS Elangovan and RS Bharathi submitted a memmorandum with Chief Electoral Officer Sandeep Saxena, complaining of “multiplication of double entries” of electors. “Some names of the voters with their photographs are entered in more than one place with different identification numbers. Those persons will be receiving more than one identification number. This anomaly will make it possible for the elector to cast more than one vote in an election,” the party said. Such a situation will not �augur well’ for democracy even as EC will “end up incurring heavy expenditure,” it said. DMK alleged that local Tahsildars and revenue officials, entrusted with the duty of inclusion and deletion of names, were not receiving the complaints made by DMK’s booth level agents in this regard �with the spirit and enthusiasm required.’ “We request you to take appropriate action to rectify this anomaly, otherwise the election will be a mere mockery,” the party said and attached some copies of voter cards it claimed were duplications, given to one individual with different numbers. Indian Horizon Hyderabad Shiv Sena red flags Fadnavis’ Vidarbha separation plan MUMBAI Nov 5 (PTI): Describing BJP’s stand on separate statehood for Vidarbha akin to “protectors becoming perpetrators”, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday reminded its former ally of the resounding mandate it got in Vidarbha and said the vote was in favour of development and not for a separate statehood. “The BJP won handsomely in the Vidarbha region in the recently held assembly elections. But they should not think they have got this mandate to divide Maharashtra. Separating Vidarbha from Maharashtra is like separating a child from its mother,” the Sena said in an edit in its mouthpiece �Saamana’.“When a CM who hails from Vidarbha talks about its separation, it is just like the protector of Maharashtra getting ready to become a perpetrator or wrongdoer,” it added. The Sena said that instead of speaking about separation of Vidarbha, the BJP should concentrate on developing the region.“While on his first visit to Nagpur after becoming the CM, (Devendra) Fadnavis said that Vidarbha will be carved out at an appropriate time. Instead, he should have spoken about the development of the region. He should have spoken about empowering the security agencies in Naxal-hit areas like Gadchiroli and Chandrapur,” the Sena said.Its hypocrisy on the part of BJP to now talk about carving out a separate state, when the same party accused the Congress of making a mistake when it created Telangana from Andhra Pradesh, it said.“We only hope that the �Fadnavis Express’ runs straight on the path of development of Vidarbha and does not wobble in between. The CM should working towards fulfilling the dreams of 105 martyrs who sacrificed their lives for �Akhand (united) Maharashtra,” the Sena added. Burdwan Blast Accused Remanded to 10 Days’ NIA Custody Kolkata Nov 5 (PTI): A city court today remanded Burdwan blast accused Abdul Hakim to 10 days’ National Investigation Agency or NIA custody after he was produced before it following his release from hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for injuries suffered during the blast. Chief judge, city sessions court, M Mumtaz Khan granted Hakim’s custody to NIA till November 14, following a prayer by the agency for 15 days’ custody so that it can interrogate him in connection with the blast.The other three arrested in connection with 5 Nation Thursday, November 6, 2014 Rajnath Singh in Jerusalem today, Israel says visit �very significant’ JERUSALEM/NEW DELHI Nov 5 (PTI): India’s security ties with Israel, including cooperation in counterterrorism, are expected to receive a major fillip during home minister Rajnath Singh’s visit here. Rajnath Singh was scheduled to arrive here on Wednesday morning but had to reschedule his plans after his flight from Monaco was cancelled due to stormy weather. The minister was in Monaco to attend Interpol’s general assembly. Despite the unexpected change in plans, the Israeli government has gone out of the way to accommodate the Indian home minister and the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was quick to reschedule his meeting with the premier for Thursday. “India is a very important ally for us and we view the home minister’s visit as very significant. We are looking forward to fruitful discussions that will strengthen cooperation between the two countries”, a senior government source told PTI. Rajanth Singh was scheduled to meet Israeli President ReuvenRivlin, Premier Netanyahu and defence minister Moshe Ya’alon on Wednesday in a rare gesture reserved for leaders from most friendly or strategic countries. It will be the first visit of an Indian home minister to Israel since June 2000 when LK Advani visited Jerusalem, marking an upsurge in bilateral cooperation. The home minister’s visit comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York. During that meeting, Netanyahu had said that “sky is the limit” in terms of prospects of cooperation between the two countries, seeking “greater and greater” ties with India. Netanyahu was among the first global leaders to call Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his victory in the general election. Singh will also be meeting Israel’s minister of public security, Yitzhak Aharonovich, and national security adviser, Yossi Cohen, who would accompany him on a helicopter tour of bordering areas. NEW DELHI, Nov 5 (PTI): The Home Ministry on Wednesday sought a report from Jammu and Kashmir government on the killing of two youth allegedly by Army personnel in Budgam district. In a communication, the Home Ministry asked the State government to give details about the incident, how did it happen and what action has been taken in the aftermath of the killing of the two youth. They were killed following alleged firing by Army men at Chattergam in Budgam district of Kashmir valley on Monday. Two youth were also injured in the incident that led to widespread condemnation from various quarters, including the mainstream political parties.Curfew-like restrictions continued in five police station areas in Srinagar as a precautionary measure even as normal life across Kashmir was affected on Wednesday following a call for general strike by separatist groups to protest the killing of the two youth. RANCHI Nov 5 (PTI): The JMM, which runs a coalition government in Jharkhand with Congress and RJD support, has rejected RJD’s offer to support each other’s sitting MLAs in the ensuing assembly elections in the state. “The RJD approached our leadership on the issue of seat sharing. But how is it possible when there is no alliance?” JMM general secretary Suprio Bhattacharya said. When contacted, RJD’s Jharkhand unit spokesman Manoj Kumar said, “Our party has approached the JMM with a request not to field candidates against each other in the seats where the alliance partners have sitting MLAs.” The JMM, with which the Congress broke its alliance for the forthcoming assembly polls but continues to support the Hemant Soren-led government, has already announced two lists of candidates and is set to declare its third list today. Bukhari row: Court accepts plea, to hear matter on Nov 26 Home Ministry seeks report on Kashmiri youths killing the case - Hasem Mollah, Rajia Bibi and Alima Bibi - were remanded to judicial custody till November 20 on a prayer by the NIA counsel. Hakim was released from the state-run SSKM Hospital today after being treated for splinter injuries.The other three were already in judicial custody. Two persons were killed in the accidental blast in a house at Khagragarh in Burdwan district on October 2, while hand grenades were being manufactured there, leading to the unearthing of an international terror racket. JMM rejects RJD’s offer in Jharkhand Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi meet with Uttarakhand Congress delegation led by state Chief Minister Harish Rawat at 10 Janpath in New Delhi on Wednesday. PTI DEORIA (Uttar Pradesh) Nov 5 (PTI): An application has been moved in a court here against Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari for not inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his son’s anointment as the next chief cleric. The Shahi Imam has extended invitation to Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif. The petitioner, Vikas Mani, who runs an NGO, moved the application in the court of the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) under CrPC section 156(3) stating that the act of Shahi Imam amounts to “treachery” and this has humiliated the 125 crore Indians, according to the CJM’s office. The application has been accepted and November 26 has been fixed for hearing in this matter. The Shahi Imam had triggered a controversy by inviting Nawaz Sharif as well as political leaders in India but not Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the anointment ceremony of his son. Outrage over youths’ killing Akhilesh Das offered Rs 100 crore for Make Tripathi Commission report public: Congress Dehradun Nov 5 Chief Minister should Rawat on October 28, Pratap said.The comRajya Sabha ticket, Mayawati alleges (PTI): justified: Mufti Sayeed Uttarakhand Con- immediately call a meet- the chief minister had mission headed by forSrinagar, Nov 5 (IANS) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed Wednesday said the public outrage over the killing of two youths in army firing is justified.Justifying the outrage over the deaths of the two youths in firing by 53 Rashtriya Rifles soldiers in Chattergam village of Badgam district Monday, Sayeed Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that repeated pledges on curbing human rights violations in Kashmir are strictly adhered to and no individual is allowed to go against these assurances. Addressing a public meeting in Handwara assembly segment of Kupwara border district Wednesday, Sayeed said the killing of innocents cannot be justified and such tragic incidents have the potential of reversing the peace and normalisation efforts.“Unfortunately, almost similar circumstances led to turmoil in Kashmir in the early 1990s,” he said and added that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered immensely because of more than two decades of death and destruction and they don’t want a similar situation to develop again.Sayeed said although no steps on earth can heal the deep wounds of such dastardly acts, in the prevailing dismal situation tangible action at the highest level in the country could to some extent heal the hurt psyche of the people and salvage their bruised dignity. “The prime minister must ensure to reinforce the resolve of his predecessors to work through peaceful means and through public participation towards restoration of peace in the state,” he said.Sayeed said measures like reduction in the number of troops and revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) have become more than imperative as these could be the fundamental inputs to lasting peace in the state. LUCKNOW Nov 5 (PTI): BSP supremo Mayawati on Wednesday alleged that Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Das, who had quit the party two days ago, offered her Rs 100 crores for renominating him to the Upper House. “Akhilesh Das had talked to me in Delhi and had offered money for repeating him as BSP candidate to the Rajya Sabha,” she told reporters here. “Das had said that he was ready to give Rs 50 crores to Rs 100 crores for getting Rajya Sabha ticket saying that as the BSP is out of power now, I would need funds to run the party,” Mayawati alleged. The BSP supremo said she told Das that she would not make him RS candidate even if he offered Rs 200 crores and instead of taking help from an individual, her party gets funds through donations made by poor and the downtrodden. “For the recent assembly elections and the coming ones in two other states, funds were collected from the people in Uttar Pradesh and other states on one appeal,” she said, adding that BSP would give its ticket to those who work dedicatedly for the party’s movement at the ground level. On the allegations levelled by Das, Chit fund scam: CBI gets 6-day remand of BJD MP, ex-MLAs Bhubaneswar Nov 5 (PTI): A court here Wednesday granted the CBI six-day remand of the suspended BJD MP Ramchandra Hansdah and two former legislators, arrested Tuesday for their alleged involvement in a chit fund scam in Odisha. The special chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court sent the suspended BJD MP Hansdah, and former legislators Subarna Naik of the BJD and Hitesh Bagartti of the BJP to six days in CBI custody, said an official. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had sought 10-day remand of the three politicians, arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and diversion of funds, and for their alleged links with chit fund firm Naba Diganta Capital Services. The three politicians were directors in the company, which allegedly duped the depositors in the state of crores of rupees. However, Hansdah said it was the political conspiracy that led to his arrest. “The CBI is doing this to get cheap popularity. It was a bigger political conspiracy to malign me and my party,” said the Lok Sabha member from Mayurbhanj to media persons while being taken to court. Former BJP legislator Bagartti also pleaded innocence in the chit fund scam. “I have nothing to do with the chit fund scam. Everything will be clear once the investigation process is over,” he told the media persons. The BJP countered Hansdah by stating that the CBI is doing its job to unearth the chit fund scam. “The CBI is not here to contest elections. So, why will it hatch political conspiracy? The investigating agency is doing its job impartially,” said senior BJP leader Suresh Pujari. Mayawati said “he was earlier in the Congress and at the time of joining BSP he had levelled serious charges against the Congress, specially Rahul Gandhi.” The former UP chief minister said that at the time of joining BSP, Das had promised to strengthen the party by garnering support of Vaishya community in the state but he did not do so and concentrated more on his business work. “We believed in him and sent him to the Rajya Sabha but he did not live up to his promises...rather that joining Vaishyas with the party he used to stay away from the House during the Parliament sessions,” she alleged. Mayawati said that Das’s allegations have been proved wrong with the party nominating Raja Ram and Veer Singh for Rajya Sabha seat as they have been associated with the party at the ground level. “Ram is incharge of the party in four states and Veer Pal is incharge in three states...they have been associated with the movement for a long time and have been using their salaries for the welfare of people,” she said, adding the central office of the party will assist them in filing their nominations. gress on Wednesday demanded that the report of Tripathi commission which was probing nearly half a dozen alleged cases of corruption during the previous BJP government in the state be made public and that action must be taken against the guilty.“The ing of the state cabinet and make a decision on what action should be taken on the basis of the Tripathi commission report and make it public,” Pratap told reporters here. Soon after the report was submitted by the Commission to Harish told reporters that any action on the commission’s report depends on what the Cabinet recommends. “Nothing should be done out of political vendetta but at the same time those who have committed irregularities should not be spared,” Foreign women tourists land near jail in Ajmer in a hot-air balloon Jaipur Nov 5 (PTI): A hot-air balloon with two foreigners and a pilot on board went astray after taking off from Pushkar fair and landed near the premises of central prison in Ajmer district, prompting authorities to order an inquiry. District authorities have withdrawn permission from the private company for flying hot-air balloons following Tuesday’s incident at the fair, which is visited by tens of thousands of tourists from the country and abroad every year.According to officials, three hot-air balloons, which were flown at the fair went astray on Tuesday. One of them, which had two women tourists from abroad and a pilot on board, landed near the boundary wall of the central jail after hovering over Ajmer city. Superintendent of Police Mahendra Singh said that the location where the balloon landed was close to the main complex mer IAS officer Sushil Chandra Tripathi was looking into nearly half a dozen cases of alleged corruption and scams during the previous BJP government including Siturjia land scam and irregularities in allocation of certain hydel projects in the state. of the jail.“We are investigating the matter and action will be taken if any rule has been violated,” he said. After the incident, District Collector Arushi Malik appointed a three-member committee headed by the Additional Collector to probe the matter. She said that permission to the company to operate at the fair has been cancelled. The company had permission to operate till November 6.Ajmer Jail Superintendent Pradeep Lakhawat said a report would be submitted to the committee by the jail. Two nabbed with Rs 10 lakh fake notes in West Bengal Kolkata Nov 5 (PTI): Two people were arrested and Rs 10 lakh fake Indian currency notes (FICN) seized from them near the Bangladesh border in West Bengal’s Malda district, the BSF said Wednesday. Border Security Force (BSF) troopers intercepted the duo, residents of Joyenapur village in the district, Tuesday night during a special operation. The accused and the notes were handed over to the local police. This the second FICN haul by the BSF this week in Malda. The troopers had Sunday arrested a woman and seized Rs 10 lakh from her house in Duisatbighi village. The South Bengal Frontier of the BSF has seized more than Rs 13,012,500 in FICN in the current year. Security personnel stand guard during a curfew following the killing of two youth allegedly in Army firing, in Srinagar on Wednesday. Authorities imposed curfew in the view of protests over the killings. PTI 6 Indian Horizon Hyderabad EDIT Indian Horizon Hyderabad Going after black money Like the UPA regime, the Modi government too has sacred cows BY KULDIP NAYAR I Thursday November 6, 2014 It is hoped that Delhi will get a secular government After long last, election in Delhi has been confirmed. It is obvious that Mr. Modi is not very happy with this decision and also some people predict that the chances of BJP are not very bright in Delhi. However, a few months interval and till the date of Delhi election is announced, all the parties have time enough to work hard and win the majority. Arvind Kejriwal still is in the forefront and determined to secure majority enough to form the government. Of course the AAP seem to be a leading party as far as Delhi is concerned. The BJP tried very hard to get enough support to form a government in Delhi but, they could not do it and that shows, they are not very strong in Delhi because during this long Thursday November 6, 2014 N the midst of debate on the illegal foreign account holders, the names of those who were given amnesty a few days before the debate have been forgotten. Apparently, they are from both the main political parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Otherwise, the shouting would not have stopped in such a short time. One other noticeable point is that there has not been even a cursory mention of how the account holders came to accumulate so much money and what steps have been taken to stop the practice. Stacking money abroad is a crime. Therefore, all those who have hidden money in foreign countries are guilty. The government’s hesitation in making their names public is now understandable. Obviously, both the Congress and the BJP are guilty and they do not want their image to be damaged if and when the names are out. Both parties have a lot to hide. The fact remains that the political parties, which spend crores of rupees during elections, have foreign countries as safe havens for accumulating illicit money. In this way, they not only escape public attention but also the amount of large sums which they would have otherwise paid in the shape of taxes. The people in India should, however, thank Germany which put the names in the public domain. One German bank got hold of the list of names unwittingly and handed it over to the Government of India. No intelligence agency in the country can take credit for the list. Why Germany gave the names is not understandable. If it was a pressure of sorts on New Delhi it has worked. The public was understandably up in arms when it came to know that 800odd people have money abroad. There must be many other names which have not come out. The amount of money stacked abroad is said to be six lakh crore of rupees. I recall that when I was India’s High Commissioner in London, the stringency of money had made New Delhi to write to its envoys to raise money from Indians settled abroad. I also made a fervent appeal to the people of Indian origin. But I was surprised when the German Ambassador told me that Indians had so much money deposited in the Swiss banks that they could easily finance many five-year plans. In any case, the government has now names of foreign account holders. They were reportedly received many months ago when the Congress government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh was at the helm of affairs. Because of political considerations, it took no action against anyone. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who promised to book the guilty in one hundred days of his regime, has begun action only after several months of coming to power. The Manmohan Singh government sat over the names which were received during its regime. Why no action was taken has not been explained by the Congress spokespersons. The uncomfortable questions are never answered. The disclosure of names is in the same category. The Modi government too has sacred cows. It has preferred to name some companies in the corporate sector to others. The three names announced from the corporate sector are probably of those companies which the Modi gov- ernment has not been able to mulct. Also, the concentration on the corporate sector is meant to divert the people’s attention from the political world. The effort is to convince society that the illicit money is the doing of the corporate sector. This may be true because the money spent on elections, running into thousands of crore comes from the corporate sector. But this is black money, earned through illicit means. The politicians, whether in or out of power, have to bear the guilt. They look the other side when corrupt means are used to accumulate money. That Modi would fight against the vested interests who have polluted politics was expected, particularly when he talked about cleanliness from every public platform. But unfortunately he has not kept his promise. He has made businessmen and bureaucrats careful in going about their corrupt practices. But corruption has in no way lessened. Even now it is not too late to retrieve his reputation if Modi puts all the names on the net. Who among them can be prosecuted depends on evidence gathered. The disclosure of names will at least absolve him from the responsibility of hiding corruption from the people. This may not be an instance of corruption but it is quiet appalling. Some 3,000 crore rupees are estimated to have been spent on fire crackers during Diwali. The money, again in crores, during Dasehra is separate from this amount. A country where one-third of the population goes to bed without food is a sad spectacle of insensitivity to the conditions the common man faces. I have not found activists coming once on to the streets protesting. Society is indifferent because those who lead the voice and mould public opinion are part of the problem. They can hardly offer a solution. IANS period, Assembly was suspended and they could not draw even outside support to form a government. The Congress could have supported AAP and revived its government but, this has not happened. As far as Delhi is concerned, it will be in the national interest to form a government, which represents secular identity of India. Therefore, all the secular parties must think over very carefully to see that India`s capital does not represent any sectarian or communal character. There will be many state elections going to be held and the trend shows that there is a clear understanding to fight against BJP by forming a unity among other secular parties, especially in Bihar, where Lalu Prasad Yadav has announced that he will keep working for the united front to win the election. The Congress party in view of the present day is facing difficulties, it doesn’t seem to be possible to perform far better than they have done so far. Never the less, their strength and marginal success can be achieved, if they give up isolation and their leading position has been adversely affected, therefore seeking cooperation with other secular parties will be a constructive measure in the interest of secular India. Therefore, in Delhi also, they should not keep themselves aloof and ensure that Delhi gets a secular government and never give up any chances of mutual understanding and support for secular party government. It is very strange that BJP has lost its glamour under the leadership of Mr. Modi at the moment. There is a vast difference between the national elections and state elections that are taking place one after the other indicate the troubles rising. It proves that the regional parties form a secular alliance and forget their minor differences and there is a possibility of forming a secular government in the capital and that will be an achievement in itself. It is obvious that the RSS and BJP have been working very hard to change the secular character of India. This must be taken as a challenge by all secular parties, big or small not to let the secular character of India to be changed. Meeting most of the world - Modi government’s foreign policy overdrive BY RANJANA NARAYAN B arring most of the African Union countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have met leaders of most countries of the world by the end of December 2014, pointing to the heightened stress on foreign policy by the new Indian government that took power on May 26. Modi, who set off a foreign policy buzz with invites to eight South Asian neighbours, including Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, for his swearing-in, has met leaders of many countries, including the big powers the US, China and Russia. During the BRICS meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil, July 15-17, he met Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Vladimir Putin of Russia, China’s Xi Jinping and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma. He also met the leaders of 11 countries of Latin America at the sidelines of the meet -Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. He has visited neighbours Bhutan and Nepal and hit it off with Japan’s Shinzo Abe during his visit in September. Modi also paid a successful visit to America where besides bonding with President Barack Obama he also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has already met Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was the first foreign leader to meet the new government when he arrived here in September. Chinese President XI Jinping also paid a successful visit to India last month. In November, which is set to see heightened foreign policy activity, Modi will meet the Southeast Asian leaders at the ASEAN summit in Myanmar. He will also meet the East Asia Summit (EAS) leaders at capital Nay Pyi Taw, which is held at the same time. The annual summit meeting with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations takes place Nov 12-13. The 10 countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has just visited India. Modi wiil get to meet Myanmar President Thein Sein and also the new Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Modi will be meeting the EAS members, which include beside the 10 ASEAN nations, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the USA. During the Nov 15-16 G-20 meet in Brisbane, Australia, that follows soon after, he would meet with the members that include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. The meeting with the leaders of the 28 EU member states would complete his meeting with the European Union.He is slated to hold a bilateral with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and also British Prime Minister David Cameron. He flies to Fiji from Australia, where he will meet Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. He returns on Nov 20 and after a two-day break travels to Kathmandu for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, where he would meet new Afghan President Ashraf India's e-commerce industry booms, public listing next BY APARAJITA GUPTA A fter foreign investors injected some mega millions into India's eretail companies in recent months, including the $627 million for SnapDeal by Japan's Softbank, public listing of shares and consolidation are seen as next big developments for this booming industry, seen as a $100 billion market in five years. This, industry experts said, is not only to realise value for these companies but also to raise the $500 million that's seen as the immediate funding needed for infrastructure, logistics and warehousing, which could go up to a whopping $950 million to $1.9 trillion by 2017. "Public listing will take place for these e-commerce companies shortly. It could happen even in the next three-four months," said Saurabh Srivastava, director-operations with PricewaterhouseCoopers. "The demand in the e-commerce space will remain on the higher side in India. There will be also some consolidation in the e-tailing space with some mergers and acquisitions on the cards," Saurabh Srivastava, told IANS. Earlier this year in May two of India's betterknown e-retailing companies, Flipkart and Myntra, merged. The deal was estimated to be worth about $300 million. Flipkart also got $1 billion in funding, taking its valuation to a whopping $7 billion. Soon after, the US-based Amazon said it was investing $2 billion in India's e-commerce space. Once Softbank's investments come in, SnapDeal would have raised some $1 billion this year, including $133.77 million in February from eBay. "All this cash infusion will help ecommerce companies to build a good scale. This will help the market to mature to the next level. After that they'll look at Initial public Offers (IPO)," said Ashvin Vellody, partner, management consulting with KPMG. "Broadly, it is a nice way Ghani. He will meet with Russian President Vladimir in December in New Delhi for the annual summit. President Pranab Mukherjee has been doing his bit too. He went to Vietnam in September and recently he visited Norway and Finland and interacted with the leadership, helping to boost India’s presence in the Arctic Council bloc. And he visits Bhutan later this week. Modi’s ever-busy foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has been reaching out and visiting a number of countries. Among neighbours, she has visited Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan and is slated to visit Sri Lanka soon. She is currently visiting Mauritius and would touch base with the Maldives on her way back. Sushma Swaraj has also attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, interacting with the important Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides Russia and China. Iran and Mongolia were present there as observers, while Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners and Turkmenistan is a guest. She has also visited Bahrain, Tajikistan, Singapore, Vietnam and Myanmar and earlier this month visited the UK. She is slated to visit the UAE later this month. India was to host all the 54 countries of the African Union at the India-African Union Forum Summit in December in Gurgaon, but due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa the meet has been put off for the time being. Oman’s Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah was the first foreign dignitary to meet with the Modi government in early June, soon after it assumed power. IANS to raise capital using these options," Vellody told IANS. "The e-commerce trend is two-pronged. There is this increase in velocity toward gaining scale and the second is the mix of business models. I guess there will be two types of business models -- generalists and specialists." The data on Internet penetration in India is there to back the scales of operation. There are currently 243 million Internet users in the country and, as per various studies, the e-commerce industry is growing at 38 percent annually. Analysts expect the market size, now at $15 billion, to touch $100 billion in the next five years. It may come as a surprise, but according to a report of the commerce ministry-promoted India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India has around one million online retailers -- small and large -which sell their products through various e-commerce portals. These online retailers have started using mobile apps to increase their reach. Several e-commerce firms such as SnapDeal, Myntra, Flipkart and Jabong are launching their mobile apps. Some have set aside huge funds to acquire companies in mobile apps space. Readers Response and contribution Welcome IANS Thursday November 6, 2014 What Obama can learn from Bush The president runs the most centralised administration in memory. Yet his ability to shape events in Washington and beyond is severely limited by his reluctance to delegate authority BY EDWARD LUCE T he day after the 2006 congressional election, George W Bush admitted Republicans had received a “thumping”. President Barack Obama called his 2010 humiliation at the hands of the Tea Party a “shellacking”. Another noun may be called for after Republicans regain control of the US Senate. People assume Obama will then face two long years of lame duckery before he is finally put out of his misery. Yet with fresh blood, and a new approach, the final quarter of a presidency can also become its redemption. Obama should take a leaf from George W Bush’s book. The president has spent much of the past six years defining his administration against that of his predecessor. Bush launched a misguided war of choice in Iraq, mishandled the one of necessity in Afghanistan, passed generous tax cuts for the wealthy at a time of falling blue-collar incomes and questioned the notion of man-made global warming. But when Bush was bloodied by US voters in 2006, it appeared to knock sense into him. He embarked on a course correction that went some way towards retrieving his presidency. At its heart was a change of personnel. The day after Democrats regained control of Capitol Hill, Bush fired Donald Rumsfeld, his pugnacious Pentagon chief, and brought in Robert Gates. This proved a big improvement. Gates handled a successful US troop surge in Iraq and restored relations with “old Europe”. A few months before the midterm disaster, Bush had replaced John Snow, the beleaguered Treasury secretary, with Hank Paulson, who became the president’s most pivotal cabinet member. Paulson helped to launch the Group of 20 leading industrial nations, declared global warming to be real and was central to the disaster management after Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008. Perhaps the most critical change had been to elevate Joshua Bolten, an effective political manager, as White House chief of staff a few months before. Bolten helped restore lines of authority to the Oval Office after Dick Cheney, the vice-president, had spent years circumventing normal channels. Karl Rove, who was Bush’s controversial chief strategist — “T*** Blossom”, as he was sometimes nicknamed — was also sidelined. Bush’s administration finally began to function properly. Obama might also study Ronald Reagan’s final two years after his midterm setback in 1986. Most people thought Reagan was a dead duck. Like Bush, Reagan’s renaissance hinged on finding a new chief of staff, Howard Baker, who had the authority to shake up a besieged White House — and did so effectively. Against the odds, Reagan emerged largely unscathed from the Iran-Contra scandal, passed an immigration reform bill, hit it off with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and left office with high ratings. Could Obama do the same? Not unless he radically changes the way his White House is run. When he took office in 2009, Obama said he was aiming for an Abraham Lincoln-style “team of rivals”, as depicted in the bestselling book of that name. On the surface, that is what he did by making Hillary Clinton secretary of state and keeping Gates at the Pentagon. In practice, however, Obama’s White House has always been run by a small coterie of insiders, chosen for their loyalty rather than experience. Instead of picking skills that made up for those he lacked, Obama built an inner sanctum around them. The “team of loyalists” model has been even truer of Obama’s second term, so far, than it was of his first. The president runs the most centralised administration in memory. Yet his ability to shape events in Washington and beyond is severely limited by his reluctance to delegate authority. At the inner circle’s core is Valerie Jarrett, a White House senior adviser as well as close friend to both the president and the first lady. Jarrett is the protector of the Obama flame. Disaffected aides dubbed her the “night stalker”, as there have been occasions when decisions supposedly taken in the day have been unpicked by Jarrett after hours. Former insiders say it is unlikely Jarrett will return to Chicago until Obama has left office. They add that nothing is likely to change unless she does. In addition to Jarrett, there is Denis McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff. McDonough is central to everything Obama does on foreign and domestic fronts. There is also Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser. Like McDonough, she has been with Obama since the start. Each is talented and decent. Yet there is a limit to what loyalty will buy you. Many in Washington believe Obama has already checked out of the job. As David Rothkopf, editor of Foreign Policy magazine, puts it, Obama is not so much the “decider” — as Bush described himself — as the “presider”. With a reset, Obama could still achieve a lot in the next two years. Big trade deals with Europe and the Pacific spring to mind. As does immigration reform and a nuclear deal with Iran. But he will need to change the way his White House does business. To carry on as he is now would be to invite irrelevance. On this, if little else, Obama should try to emulate George W Bush. COURTESY : GULF NEWS 7 OP-ED Indian Horizon Hyderabad Israel fine-tunes the colony game Even if the Palestinian National Authority finds the nine Security Council members it needs to pass a resolution, the US will either veto it or water down the language to preserve Israeli impunitya BY WILL YOUMANS W hen Israel announced its intention to build 1,000 new homes in occupied East Jerusalem, it was admittedly hard to be outraged. Of course, it is an immoral and belligerent move. It totally disregards Palestinian rights and provokes more conflict, the sort of political energy that is to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s overall advantage. My outrage is dampened by the feeling of deja vu. Each episode in this conflict is actually routine. There is nothing new anymore. Colony expansion is to be expected on Israel’s part. It is enacting a long-term strategy to swallow up Palestine while excluding as many Palestinians as possible. It is also hardly surprising that a politically compromised United States leadership would only do more of the same. Its self-assigned job is to manage conflict without violating the tenets of the US-Israeli alliance, even under the pretence of being a honest broker. It is consistently inconsistent. We cannot expect anything better from Israel and the US no matter how outside of world opinion they stand. What is really disappointing is the failure of the Palestinian leadership to propose anything imaginative in response. Palestinian officialdom in Ramallah is invested in the whole land-for-peace con, a tired, uninspirational and fixed scheme. The absurd formula is based on Palestinians giving Israel peace — really submission — in exchange for getting their own land back. This also means that anything resembling intransigence will cost the Palestinians more of their own land. But for Palestinians to produce this peace, it must tolerate increasing deprivations of its non-land rights by — guess who — the Israelis. The trick is that it is really the Israelis who control both the land and, as the stronger party, the peace. This dooms Palestinians to a rigged accounting. It is scheme in which Palestinians can only lose. Yet, the Palestinian elite are vested in it, keeping the Palestinians as the party that Israel constantly does things to, whether or not Israel can cite a pretence. Palestinians have only one strategy acceptable in this paradigm: Surrender. Even when they do, Israel expands the colonies. Where is Palestinian agency, inventiveness and action? Land-for-peace is less a game than a cover for the colonies’ programme. The plan for occupied Je- rusalem is an intricate ring strategy to isolate the central city from surrounding Palestinian populations as a way of diminishing their claims to the city. Israel wants to preclude occupied Jerusalem from being part of Palestinian life, which also includes squeezing the Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem. Its ring approach to surrounding occupied East Jerusalem is matched by a larger administrative machine designed to strain occupied Jerusalem’s Palestinians. The excessive policing and intricate rules around Palestinian residency status are part of a slow motion de-Palestinianisation effort in the city revered by the three monotheistic religions. The Palestinians of occupied Jerusalem resist this plan by just existing in the face of intense pressure. This is a vital and commendable strategy. The problem is the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah takes the same approach. That is a dereliction of duty. With the latest announcement of colony-building in occupied East Jerusalem, the Israeli government set off another equally hopeless round of meetings and stern comments by spokespeople. Following a Palestinian request, Jordan called for a UN emergency session last week. A UN spokesman dutifully criticised Israel’s plans, calling on it to take back the decision and to start magically abiding “by its commitment to the international law.” The US answered with softcore words of criticism. US Ambassador David Pressman warned against “actions that pollute the atmosphere for peace.” Infractions against Palestinians are for American officials rarely framed as anything other than opposed to some abstraction — “peace” or its “process,” or the “international community” — as if these are victimless crimes. US Secretary of State John Kerry inspired Netanyahu to issue a warm and fuzzy request to the Knesset to temper the provocations on the holy city. Rightwing Member of the Knesset Moshe Feiglin happily defied it by visiting the Al Haram Al Sharif on Sunday. It did not have the immediate impact of former prime minister Ariel Sharon’s 2000 visit with hundreds of riot police in tow, which sparked a new intifada. This only showed the absurdity of asking Netanyahu to do something about provocation. It is like appointing a thief as the chief of police. Despite the ever-so-slight verbal spanking from the US over the plan, there was some echo chamber panic in the US and Israeli news media over deteriorating US-Israeli relations stemming from an unnamed Obama administration official calling Netanyahu names in confidential comments to Jeffrey Goldberg. If there was any confusion about what impact these insults and hurt feelings have on the state of the special relationship, the US announced it was selling Israel a batch of F-35 stealth fighter jets the same day; a robust sign of business as usual. For its part, the political council of the Palestine Liberation Organisation said it would be seeking a UN Security Council resolution “to end the Israeli occupation in the [Occupied] Palestinian territories.” However, every Palestinian can rattle off the litany of UN resolutions that codify her rights and Israel’s obligations. Every Israeli foreign ministry attorney can list the many acrobatic interpretations and loopholes that render them toothless. It is not the legal arguments that leave the resolutions unimplemented. It is the realpolitik calculations of world powers. What would another UNSC resolution really accomplish then? Even if the Palestinian National Authority finds the nine Security Council members it needs to pass a resolution, the US will either veto it or water down the language to preserve Israeli impunity. The only US veto at the UNSC under President Barack Obama was a 2011 resolution condemning Israeli colony expansion. PLO Secretary General Yasser Abed Rabbo contemplated this, saying that “If the Americans veto or abort the motion, this would not be the end of the process.” What is the backup plan, the brilliant counter? He said, “We will have another chance to go to the Security Council in January 2015.” Palestinian leadership should look to the activists who have more imaginative ideas for marshalling public support that press upon Israel’s real pressure points. Their latest victory is getting the carbonated beverage device manufacturer Sodastream to move its factories from the colonies through pressures of economic boycott. If Palestinian officials do not embrace grassroots solidarity tactics, they will find themselves being pushed by Israel and the western powers to obstruct them. It takes a more visionary leadership to act on this potential. COURTESY : GULF NEWS Iran’s isolationist temptation It already seems clear that Khamenei and the hardliners are poised to choose nuclear power over economic prosperity — a decision that will probably prove catastrophic for the country BY RAY TAKEYH A s the November 24 deadline for Iran and the great powers to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear agreement approaches, both sides may be confronted with momentous choices. What happens if the decade-long search for an arms-control accord falters? Although there is little evidence that the West is contemplating alternative strategies, important actors in Iran are beginning to consider life after diplomatic failure. Since the exposure of its illicit nuclear programme in 2002, the Islamic Republic has wrestled with a contradictory mandate: How to expand its nuclear infrastructure while sustaining a measure of economic growth. The reformist former president Mohammad Khatami had avoided debilitating economic sanctions by suspending nuclear activities. Then came the tumultuous presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which privileged nuclear empowerment over economic vitality. Current President Hassan Rouhani has succeeded in negotiating an interim agreement — the Joint Plan of Action — but he faces diminishing prospects for a final accord. Iran has finally come to the crossroads and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many hard-line elements seem ready to forge ahead with their nuclear ambitions even if they collide with economic imperatives. During the past few years, Khamenei has been pressing his concept of a resistance economy whereby Iran would shed its need for foreign contracts and commerce. “Instead of reliance on the oil revenues, Iran should be managed through reliance on its in- ternal forces and the resources on the ground,” he said last month. Writing in the conservative daily Khorasan last year, commentator Mehdi Hasanzadeh went further: “An economy that relies on domestic [production] rather than preliminary agreement or the lifting of a small part of sanctions or even all sanctions will bring a great economic victory.” In the impractical universe of conservatives, Iran can meet the basic needs of its people by developing local industries. Iran’s reactionaries seem to prefer national poverty to nuclear disarmament. The notions of self-sufficiency and self-reliance have long been hallmarks of conservative thinking in Iran. Since the 1980s, a central tenet of the hardliners’ foreign policy perspective has been that Iran’s revolution is a remarkable historical achievement that the US cannot accept or accommodate. Western powers will always conspire against an Islamic state that they cannot control, this thinking goes, and the only way Iran can secure its independence and achieve its national objectives is to lessen its reliance on its principal export commodity. Hard-liners believe that isolation from the international community can best preserve Iran’s ideological identity. This siege mentality drives Iran’s quest for nuclear arms and their deterrent power. Although many in the West may privately hope that the interim accord will simply roll on in absence of a comprehensive agreement, Iranian adherence is hardly assured. The history of Iran’s nuclear diplomacy suggests that it will abandon the agreement when it has sufficient technological capacity to carry out a rapid surge of its programme. Between 2003 and 2005, while the Europeans negotiated a suspension of Iran’s programme, Tehran continued to accumulate nuclear materials and hone its research skills and, when it was ready, abandoned its pledges. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, has already established the pretence for introducing speedier centrifuges. “New centrifuges will be used for production of vaccines,” he noted last month. Then, in an uncharacteristically honest moment, Salehi acknowledged that “such kinds of machines cannot be purchased at the world market. They are not sold as they are said to be of dual use”. And it is precisely that duality that attracts Iran to machines that can produce highly enriched uranium with speed and efficiency. Once Iran’s skilled scientists are confident of their mastery of the new machines, the Joint Plan of Action is likely to meet the fate of the other agreements that Tehran has negotiated with European powers. In the coming weeks, the ebb and flow of the high-wire negotiations are sure to capture headlines. We will see furious diplomacy and foreign ministers journeying back and forth to European capitals. But it already seems clear that Khamenei and the hard-liners are poised to choose nuclear power over economic prosperity — a decision that will probably prove catastrophic for their country. Rouhani may yet be able to temper, for a while, such rash impulses, but by loudly contemplating alternative strategies should diplomacy exhaust itself, Iran seems to be crossing a dangerous threshold. COURTESY : GULF NEWS Aleppo is the last stand for democratic Syria It is the martyred centre of resistance to Al Assad, having been under bombardment by his forces since 2012 LAURENT FABIUS FRANCE’S MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT S topped at the last minute in Kobani, the terrorist group known in the Arab world as Daesh — we do not use Islamic State, because the group is neither truly Islamic nor a state — is dispatching its murderers to other points along the Syrian-Turkish border. And at the end of the road lies Aleppo, the bastion of the moderate opposition. Syria’s second-largest city and part of humanity’s ancient heritage, Aleppo is the martyred centre of the resistance to Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad, having been under constant bombardment by his forces since 2012. Now Aleppo is caught between the regime’s “barrel bombs” and Daesh’s cutthroats. The city is almost entirely encircled, connected to the outside world by a single road to Turkey. The regime is seeking to destroy the resistance through cold and hunger. While 1 million people have left to join the flood of Syrian refugees, some 300,000 Aleppans are holding on, threatened with the same death and destruction that the regime has inflicted on Homs and the suburbs of Damascus. The dictator prefers to deliver Aleppo to terrorist atrocities, even if that means allowing Daesh to flourish on Aleppo’s eastern edge. Aleppo’s residents will then pay for Daesh’s setback in Kobani. In fact, Al Assad and Daesh are two sides of the same barbaric coin. Al Assad largely created this monster by deliberately setting free the jihadists who fuelled this terrorist movement. This was part of his underhanded effort to appear, in the eyes of the world, as the sole bulwark against terrorism in Syria. But the facts contradict this charade. How many times has the regime — so ready to attack its own people — bombed Daesh? Did it ever try and save Kobani from disaster, even while the People’s Democratic Party, or PYD, fought at its side elsewhere? No, it chose to do nothing. For these two faces of barbarism share a common aim: To destroy the moderate opposition. Thus, their choice to target its bastion, Aleppo, which represents the only political alternative capable of preserving the prospect of an open, pluralistic, democratic Syria — the Syria that both the regime and Daesh reject. Abandoning Aleppo would mean condemning Syria to years of violence. It would mean the death of any political future. It would mean exporting Syria’s chaos to its already vulnerable Iraqi, Lebanese and Jordanian neighbours. It would mean the breakup of the country to be delivered up to increasingly radicalised warlords. And make no mistake — Al Assad, one “warlord” among others — will not defeat these rivals, just as he is incapable of defeating Daesh today. Abandoning Aleppo would mean condemning 300,000 men, women and children to a terrible fate: Either a murderous siege under the regime’s bombs or the terrorist barbarity of Daesh. France cannot resign itself to the breakup of Syria or to the abandonment of the Aleppans to this fate. That is why — together with our coalition partners — we must focus our efforts on Aleppo, with two clear objectives: Strengthening our support for the moderate Syrian opposition, and protecting the civilian population from the twin crimes of the regime and Daesh. After Kobani, we must save Aleppo. COURTESY : GULF NEWS The views expressed in these columns are the writers’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Indian Horizon or its management.-Editor 8 International WORLD SNIPPETS 1 billion dollar Kabul Bank scandal resolved KABUL, Nov 5 (AP/PTI): The governor of Afghanistan’s central bank said the scandal that saw almost $1 billion embezzled from the Kabul Bank by senior shareholders has been resolved. More than $330 million has been recovered, and $500-600 million worth of assets have been identified, Noorullah Delawari said on Wednesday. The Kabul Bank collapsed in 2010 and was placed in receivership after major shareholders, including relatives of senior politicians such as the former President and Vice-President, were accused to using it to fund lavish lifestyles. Four Indian families robbed in New Jersey New York, Nov 5 (IANS) A New Jersey town is holding public safety meetings after four Indian families were targeted by armed robbers post Diwali. The meetings to be held in Edison, New Jersey, will focus on home security and crime-prevention measures, after complaints from residents that the town lacked enough police officers, mycentraljersey.com reported. “The victims are my neighbours, so this crime is very personal to me,” Edison councilwoman Sapana Shah was quoted as saying. “I realise that Edison must stay within budget and be cost-effective for our taxpayers. But Edison also needs more cops on our streets,” she added. In all the reported burglaries, two or more masked men, armed with handguns, had entered the homes through rear entrances, tied up occupants and ransacked the homes in search of valuables. Police arrest HuJI leader from Dhaka Dhaka, Nov 5 (IANS) A leader of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI) has been arrested in Bangladesh, police said. Md. Ibrahim, 40, was nabbed from Sayedabad area of Dhaka Tuesday night, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) additional deputy commissioner Saidur Rahman. Detective Branch deputy commissioner Jahangir Hossain Matubbar said that Ibrahim, who recently received terror training abroad, was the chief of the organisation’s operations wing.Details of the arrest will be provided in a media briefing later, said the police official. On Saturday, three HuJI members were held from Dhaka’s Postogola area. Two of them were planning to take training in Pakistan, police said.The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), earlier, arrested some members of the outfit, who were caught with explosives, detonators and other bomb-making materials. Turkey prosecutors seek life jail for eight over mining disaster Ankara Nov 5 (AFP): Prosecutors have demanded life imprisonment for eight executives of a coal mine company in Turkey operating a facility where 301 workers were killed in May in the country`s worst mining accident, media reported on Wednesday. Prosecutors in the western city of Manisa are seeking life terms on a record 301 counts of manslaughter against the suspects, who were arrested and placed in pre-trial detention in May. Twenty-nine other employees of the Soma Mining company have also been charged with involuntary manslaughter and face between two to 15 years in prison if found guilty, news agency Dogan reported. A trial is expected to begin in the coming weeks. Those facing life imprisonment include the chief executive of Soma Mining, Can Gurkan, who is also the son of the company`s owner. Traces of endangered leopard reported in China Beijing, Nov 5 (IANS) Chinese authorities believe they have found traces of the rare Amur leopard in the country’s northeast. Forestry officials in Shulan city in Jilin province confirmed the existence of the leopard after analysing hair samples collected at a site where a domestic animal had been mauled to death. “After comparing DNA, we concluded it was an Amur leopard,” Bi Jingji, division head of Shulan’s forestry bureau, told Xinhua Wednesday.In late October, Sun Jianwen from Badao village discovered that one of his cattle had gone missing. The cattle’s carcass was found in a nearby ravine the next day with one of its hind legs completely ripped off and injuries to a foreleg.It was this information that sparked an investigation into the existence of the leopard in the area, Bi said. Six types of �Facebook murderers’ WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (PTI): Researchers have identified six different types of killers, who turn to Facebook to lure their victim or otherwise use the social networking site in their crimes. The researchers analysed cases of homicide, in which Facebook had been reported by the media as a significant factor. The researchers found 48 cases of “Facebook murder” from around the world between 2008 and 2013 and identified six different types of killers. They are reactors, informers, antagonists, fantasists, predators or imposters. A reactor reacts to content posted on Facebook by attacking the victim face-to-face, researchers explained. This may be immediately after viewing the content that makes them angry or there may be a time delay, in which they revisit the content and ruminate over its meaning. Indian Horizon Hyderabad Thursday, November 6, 2014 Ukraine reaffirms Midterm poll debacle for Obama as adherence to Minsk Republicans control Senate accords Kiev, Nov 5 (IANS/EFE) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reaffirmed Wednesday his government’s support for the Minsk agreements aimed at peacefully settling the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern region of the country. According to a press release issued by the president’s office, Poroshenko’s remarks came in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry. “We have spent too much effort and time to reach these agreements, and we cannot afford to discard them,” Poroshenko was quoted as saying. The head of state proposed resuming negotiations for a peaceful settlement in the so-called Geneva format (Ukraine, the US, the European Union and Russia) at the foreign ministers’ level. Poroshenko expressed his gratitude for the “unifying role” of the US in support for the integrity of Ukraine. In particular, he stressed the importance of the US refusal to recognise elections held by the pro-Russian separatists last Sunday in the selfproclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Washington, Nov 5 (PTI) Riding a wave of discontent against Democrats, resurgent Republicans today gained control of the US Senate for the first time in eight years and increased their majority in the House of Representatives, as President Barack Obama was relegated to lame duck status. Propelled by economic dissatisfaction and anger toward the President, Republicans grabbed Democratic Senate seats in North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia, Arkansas, Montana and South Dakota to gain their first Senate majority since 2006. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a shrewd Republican tactician, cruised to re-election and stood poised to achieve Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., joined by his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, celebrates with his supporters at an election night party in Louisville, Ky.,Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. McConnell won a sixth term in Washington, with his eyes on the larger prize of GOP control of the Senate. The Kentucky Senate race, with McConnell, a 30-year incumbent, fighting off a spirited challenge from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, has been among the most combative and closely watched contests that could determine the balance of power in Congress. AP/PTI a goal he has pursued for years ?- Senate majority leader.The midterm election that started as trench Son, Brothers of Sunken South Korean Ferry Owner Convicted SEOUL Nov 5 (PTI): A South Korean court convicted three relatives of the sunken ferry’s owner and other associates for corruption on Wednesday, about four months after the tycoon was found dead on the run. The body of fugitive billionaire Yoo Byung-eun was discovered in rural South Korea in July after a weekslong manhunt. Authorities allege his corruption likely contributed to the ferry sinking in April that killed more than 300 people. They say Yoo controlled the ferry operator through a complex web of holding companies in which his children and close associates are large shareholders. On Wednesday, Yoo’s eldest son, Yoo Dae-gyun, was sentenced to three years in prison over embezzlement and breach of trust, according to Incheon District Court spokesman Jang Joon Ah. Two brothers of Yoo Byung-eun were convicted of similar corruption charges. One brother got a two-year prison term and the other was sentenced to one year in prison but his sentence was suspended for two years, Mr Jang said.Ten of the late tycoon’s associates were also sentenced to up to four years in prison over embezzlement and other corruption charges on Wednesday, Mr Jang said. said. Medics were not immediately able to 18 dead as Egypt school bus talsayofficials how many of the dead were children because the bodies were so badly burned after the vehicles burst collides with tanker truck into flames. CAIRO Nov 5 (AFP): At least 18 people were killed when a bus packed with high school students collided with three other vehicles, including a tanker truck, in northern Egypt on Wednesday, medics said. The crash, near the Nile Delta city of Damanhur, 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Cairo, also injured 18 people, some of them seriously, police and hospi- Palestinian shot dead after ramming vehicle into pedestrians Jerusalem, Nov 5 (IANS) A Palestinian motorist rammed his vehicle into pedestrians and later assaulted them with an iron rod in Jerusalem Wednesday, leaving at least eight people injured, before being shot dead by police. “A commercial vehicle hit and ran over pedestrians who were standing at a light rail train station in Jerusalem,” a police spokesperson said in a text message to Xinhua.The man was shot and killed by paramilitary border police, the police said, dubbing it a “terror attack”.Magen David Adom of Israel’s Red Cross told Xinhua that three people were severely wounded in the incident, one of whom was in “critical condition” and has been transferred to hospital.Eyewitnesses The fire completely gutted the bus which had been transporting the teenagers to school. Scorched text books were scattered near the wreckage, shown in footage aired by Egyptian television. Medics said three charred bodies, including that of a police officer, were pulled out of a sedan which was also involved in the crash. told Israel Radio that the man rammed his car into a group of people who were coming out of a light rail stop. He drove on until his vehicle hit some cars that were parked at the site. He then got out of his vehicle and attacked people at the scene with an iron rod.The incident, the second in two weeks, took place at a time of increasing tension between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem. Last week, a baby and a woman were killed when a Palestinian crashed his car into a light rail station in Jerusalem. The driver was later shot by police and died of his wounds in hospital.Tension has been building up since July when Jewish extremists kidnapped and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem.There have since been clashes almost daily with East Jerusalem Palestinian residents hurling stones and firebombs at Israeli security forces, as well as random attacks by Jewish extremists on Arab bystanders. directed provinces to take effective measures for the elimination of the deadly disease. Sharif formed the anti-polio committee of the federal cabinet comprising the defence, health and interior ministers. He stressed the elimination of polio was a national responsibility and the fight against the virus had to be Norway expects IS-inspired attack within coming year Oslo Nov 5 (AFP): Norway`s intelligence service said Wednesday it expects an attack on the country within a year due to the growing threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) group. ”Within the coming African leaders head to Burkina to press Army to give up power Ouagadougou Nov 5 (AFP): African leaders were headed for Burkina Faso on Wednesday to pressure the army into keeping its promise to hand power back to civilians within a fortnight after the fall of president Blaise Compaore. Isaac Zida, the interim leader appointed by Burkina Faso`s military, told unions on Tuesday that he would return the country to civilian rule, a day after the African Union threatened sanctions if the army did not give up power. The presidents of Ghana, Nigerian and Senegal were due to arrive in Burkina Faso on Wednesday to press the issue, as Canada suspended its aid to the impoverished West African country and other nations considered similar moves. The military had filled the power vacuum left by Compaore, who was forced to resign on Friday after 27 years in power, chased out by a violent popular uprising that some had likened to the Arab Spring. France said it helped facilitate the evacuation of Compaore saying it was necessary to prevent a “bloodbath” in the former French colony.In the aftermath of Compaore`s exit, the army`s decision to take over the reins of the country once again sparked angry protests at home and prompted threats of sanctions from the international community. But the army has claimed that “power does not interest us” and pledged to install a unity government with a “broad consensus”.Zida has repeated the promise in meetings with opposition and civil society leaders as well as foreign envoys. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam being conferred the Honorary Professor of the Peking University by its top official Enge Wang in Beijing on Wednesday. PTI Pakistani PM vows to eliminate polio in six months Islamabad, Nov 5 (IANS) Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Wednesday that the country will be poliofree in six months. Addressing the anti-polio steering committee meeting, Sharif said negligence in eradicating polio will be considered a crime, Geo News reported.The prime minister warfare, state by state and district by district, crested into a sweeping Republican victory.Contests that were expected to be close were not, and races expected to go Democratic broke narrowly for the Republicans. The uneven character of the economic recovery added to a sense of anxiety, leaving voters in a punishing mood, particularly for Democrats in Southern states and the Mountain West, where political polarisation deepened.Elections were held for the entire 435 House of Representatives seats, 36 of the 100 Senate seats and gubernatorial elections in 36 of the 50 American States. Republicans picked up seven seats, giving them 52 seats in the 100-member Senate and have the potential to win several more, while Democrats did not take a single Republican seat. won at all costs.A focus group was also formed during the meeting which will present a report to Sharif in every 15 days regarding the developments. Earlier, the prime minister met with the chief ministers of all four provinces to discuss strategies for elimination of the disease. 12 months, it is likely that Norway will be threatened by terrorist attacks or exposed to attempted strikes,” the police intelligence service, known as PST, said in an updated threat assessment. PST director Benedicte Bjoernland told broadcaster TV2 her service had “no information on any specific plan to attack a target in Norway today.” 17,000 people displaced by Boko Haram violence in Nigeria Lagos, Nov 5 (IANS) A total of 17,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been registered as a result of the escalation of the attacks in northeastern Nigeria’s state of Adamawa, a rescue agency spokesperson said Wednesday. The Boko Haram has attacked targets almost every day for weeks and last week seized control of Mubi. Sani Datti, an information officer with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) told reporters in Yola, the state capital, that more than 6,000 chil- dren were among the IDPs, according to Xinhua. Datti said the agency and other partners were managing six major camps. “We are still waiting for the arrival of some IDPs who ran into Cameroon during the recent attack on Mubi town and other towns,” he added. He appealed to IDPs, especially those living with either their relatives or host communities, to come out and register at the nearest camp, saying that the government had provided enough relief materials to cater to the needs of the IDPs. 9 Business Indian Horizon Hyderabad Thursday, November 6, 2014 Arun Jaitley promises more reforms, privatisation of sick PSUs New Delhi Nov 5 (PTI): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday promised reforms in labour, land acquisition and insurance laws and expressed readiness to look at privatisation of some loss-making public sector companies. Asserting that the country needed to doggedly pursue the reforms agenda despite challenges, he maintained that reform is the art of possible but it cannot be just “one sensational idea”. There could be hundred things which could be done but the focus would be on what can be done immediately as part of the reform process, he said kicking off the two-day India Economic Summit here organised by Geneva-based World Economic Forum. He also noted that India was off the global radar for 2-3 years and the retrospective taxation was “one bad idea” that damaged the economy. Referring to the need for labour reforms, Jaitley said: “Some aspects of the labour laws in India can certainly be improved and rationalised. “This is an area where we will have to have a much larger consideration... Some people will certainly have reservation on this issue. Will I be able to immediately get it passed in Parliament? I am not in a position to comment,” he said, adding that the government needs to convince people that a flexible policy will create more jobs. The government has already introduced some labour reforms in Parliament which will be discussed in the upcoming session. On land acquisition laws, Jaitley said the government is looking at changing some “illogical provisions”. “There are some illogical provisions (in Land Acquisition Act) like land cannot be used or acquired under this law for private hospitals and schools... There are some factors in it, which certainly require a re-look,” he said answering questions from the WEF Chairman Klaus Schwab. On privatisation and opening up more sectors such as insurance to foreign investors, Jaitley said the last time Bharatiya Janata Partyled NDA was in power, it followed a liberal model. The Minister pointed out that the government’s decision to further open defence and railways to foreign investment is evoking interest from investors. “If the initial experiment succeeds, we can open up a lot more,” the Minister said, adding the government was open to international participation in the infrastructure sector. He expressed hope that the long-pending Insurance Amendment Bill, that seeks to raise FDI in the sector from existing 26 percent to 49 percent, will get Parliament nod in the upcoming Winter Session. On disinvestment, Jaitley said, “This time, there will be divestment as some important public undertakings are on the verge of closure. But on foreign investment, decisions will be made sector-wise, keeping in mind the requirements of Indian economy and the appetite of the political system for reform.” On a question about subsidies, Jaitley said petrol and diesel prices have already been de-controlled, and an expenditure management commission Cognizant Q3 Net up 11.2%; raises 2014 revenue forecast New York Nov 5 (PTI): IT services major Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation on Wednesday said its net profit has grown 11.2 per cent to USD 355.6 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, on the back of growth in financial services and emerging countries. This is against a net profit of USD 319.6 million in the corresponding quarter last year, Cognizant said in a statement. The US-based firm saw its revenues rising 12 per cent to USD 2.58 billion in the quarter under review from USD 2.3 billion in the same period last year. Cognizant expects its revenues in the October-December 2014 quarter to be between USD 2.61 billion and USD 2.64 billion. The firm has also revised its revenues forecast for the year to be between USD 10.13 billion and USD 10.16 billion (higher by 14.5-14.9 per cent), excluding any impact from the acquisition of TriZetto. While announcing its first quarter results, Cognizant had forecast its 2014 revenue to be at least USD 10.3 billion, higher by 16.5 per cent from 2013. However, at the end of June quarter, it lowered its outlook to at least 14 per cent. In fiscal 2013, Cognizant’s revenue stood at USD 8.843 billion, up 20.4 per cent from 2012. “Our overall demand environment remains strong and our results this quarter highlight that we are competing, winning and executing transformational engagements for clients in various industry segments globally,” Cognizant President Gordon Coburn said. Cognizant added about 12,300 people during the quarter. “There is a tremendous opportunity in the marketplace as the advent of new digital technologies, global economic pressures, and an evolving regulatory environment force businesses across all industries to change and adapt faster than ever before,” Cognizant Chief Executive Officer Francisco D’Souza said. Cognizant is ideally positioned to help clients worldwide address these competitive challenges with end-to-end solutions that address their dual mandate of improved efficiency and of innovation using the latest social, mobile, analytics, cloud and sensor technologies, he added. “Our balance sheet remains strong as cash and short term investments increased during the quarter by almost USD 500 million to USD 4.6 billion,” Cognizant Chief Financial Officer Karen McLoughlin said. has been appointed to look into rationalisation of subsidies. Nevertheless, he said, subsidies will not be eliminated completely as some sections of Indian economy and people will always need support. Recalling the steps taken by the NDA government to deal with coal block allocation problems, Jaitley said, as a result “the element of discretion in the hands of the state has almost disappeared and hence once you take decision of these kinds (it will) eliminate the possibility of corruption, collateral consideration or crony capitalism as you call it.” The investors, he added, could look for a system “which is fair. Not a system on which they have to entirely depend on the largesse of politicians and ministers.” Similar reforms, he said, would be undertaken for allocation of natural resources and other minerals. Terming reforms “as a long journey”, Jaitley said some people expect that the second generation of reforms in India really need one or two big bang ideas, but “that prob- Govt plans $2.8 bn ONGC stake sale by early Dec: Sources New Delhi/Mumbai Nov 5 (PTI): The government plans to sell a 5 percent stake in energy explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) in the last week of November or the first week of December, two sources directly involved in the deal said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s government has introduced long-awaited reforms in the oil sector, freeing diesel prices and raising natural gas prices measures which should be positive for ONGC and other oil marketing companies. Presentations to investors on the share sale, worth about $2.8 billion at current market prices, are likely to start from Nov. 17 and will run for about a week, said the sources, declining to be named as the details were not yet public. “There is a plan to hold roadshows in the U.S., London and Singapore from Nov. 17 to 23 to attract global investors,” said one of the sources. The share sale is part of the government`s plan to raise a record $9.5 billion via asset sales in the current financial year through March 2015 to help plug its fiscal deficit. Aradhana Johri, secretary at the divestment department, which oversees the sale of holdings in state companies, was not immediately available for comment. The government has appointed five banks - Citigroup, HSBC Securities, ICICI Securities, UBS Securities and Kotak Mahindra Capital - to manage the sale. In 2012, the government sold 5 percent of ONGC to raise about 140 billion rupees. It retains about 69 percent of the company. Bharti Airtel calls off Rs 700-cr deal to acquire Loop Mobile New Delhi Nov 5 (PTI): Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Wednesday called off the Rs 700-crore deal to acquire business and assets of Mumbai-based Loop Mobile as the Department of Telecom (DoT) is yet to clear the transaction announced in February. With this development, Loop Mobile will not be able to migrate its 17 lakh subscribers to Airtel as envisaged earlier. Airtel in a filing to BSE said its proposed transaction related to Loop was conditional upon DoT approvals which had not been received till date. “In light of this update and the fact that Loop’s mobile license is to expire at the end of this month, we have decided to terminate the discussions with regard to the transaction for acquiring subscribers of Loop. A formal communication to this effect has been released to Loop at 05:19 PM today,” Airtel statement said. The Khaitangroup promoted Loop Mobile suffered a setback when the Supreme Court cancelled the pan-India permit of its sister concern Loop Telecom as part of quashing 122 telecom licences in February 2012. The apex court’s order, however, did not apply to Loop Mobile’s Mumbai licence that is expiring on November 29. The company also did not purchase spectrum in auction held in February this year which was mandatory for continuing its operations. A Loop Mobile spokesperson told PTI: “Loop Mobile and Bharti applied to the DoT for approval of the business transfer in March 2014. The approval for the transaction is still awaited from the relevant authorities as a result of which Bharti Airtel has withdrawn from the proposed transaction causing huge loss to the company (Loop).” DoT is yet to give clearance to the proposed deal as it estimates that Loop Mobile and its sister concern Loop Telecom owe about Rs 808 crore in spectrum and other charges to the government. Private sector lender Axis Bank has also told the DoT that Rs 215-crore loan to Loop Mobile will be at risk if the deal of the Mumbai-based operator to sell its assets to Bharti Airtel is not approved. Airtel had signed the deal with Loop in February this year to buy business and assets of Loop Mobile in Mumbai under a strategic agreement for about Rs 700 crore.Under the agreement, Loop Mobile’s 3 million subscribers (at that time) in Mumbai were supposed to join Airtel’s over 4 million subscribers, which would have made it largest network in the metropolitan city. Shares of Bharti Airtel today fell by nearly 3 per cent to settle at Rs 385.30 on the BSE at close. At NSE, it was down 2.29 per cent to end at Rs 386.70. To a particular query by BSE on fall in stock price, Airtel said it has complied with disclosure obligations and is “not aware of any information which could explain the movement in trading of shares as mentioned in the aforesaid email.” “We further confirm that other than the agreements that were mentioned in the press release of February 18, 2014, no fur- Cut in repo rate unlikely to boost investments: Crisil Mumbai Nov 5 (PTI): The recent slowdown in the economy is on account of policy uncertainty and sluggish domestic demand, and a cut in repo rate is unlikely to spur investments, a Crisil report has said. “Factors behind the recent slowdown in economic growth and investment in the country have little to do with high interest rates. The primary reason is a sharp fall in the expected return on investments due to policy uncertainty and slowing domestic demand,” rating agency Crisil said in a report today. “In such a situation, leaning on monetary policy to revive investments will yield little benefit,” it added. With inflation easing in recent months, there has been a growing clamour for a rate cut to boost the economy. Retail inflation or CPI eased to 6.46 percent in September, lowest since January 2012, from 7.73 percent in August. Although the monetary policy tool of cutting the interest rate is conventionally used to ener- gise a flagging economy, it does not hold true under all circumstances, the report said. “And it carries the risk of reversing the recent gains in inflation, which, in any case, is nothing much to write home about,” it added. It said investment growth has slowed down sharply even though policy rates have been negative in real terms and real lending rates have averaged less than 3 percent. The rating agency said the government should continue to improve the policy environment to raise the expected return on investment. It also said the new NDA government has taken a number of steps, which will yield results over the next few quarters. “On its part, the RBI should continue its fight to stabilise consumer price inflation below 6 percent and that would require standing pat on the repo rate,” it said. Lower inflation will help revive consumption demand and reduce input costs, boosting return on investments, the report added. RIL to sell 49.9% stake in US joint venture New Delhi Nov 5 (PTI): Reliance Industries is looking to sell its 49.9 percent stake in a US joint venture that owns a 460 miles pipeline network for transportation of shale oil and gas. RIL, as well as its partner Pioneer Natural Resources Co, are seeking a buyer for their stakes in Eagle Ford Midstream venture as they focus on shale oil production. “Pioneer Natural Resources today announced that the company is pursuing the divestment of its 50.1 percent share of the Eagle Ford Shale Midstream business. “Reliance Holding USA, Inc owns the remaining 49.9 percent of the EFS Midstream business and also plans to pursue the divestment of its share in a joint process with Pioneer,” the Dallas-based independent oil and gas producer said in a statement. RIL, through its subsidiary Reliance Holding USA Inc. Had acquired 49.9 percent stake in EFS Midstream LLC in June 2010. Current investments in EFS Midstream LLC is USD 208 million. The Midstream sys- tem consists of 10 gathering plants and about 460 miles of pipelines. The system gathers and separates produced condensate from produced gas. It also stabilises the condensate, where necessary, and treats the gas. It is projected to generate USD 100 million in cash flow next year. Pioneer is the operator of the business. The sale “would allow us to strategically redeploy capital to our core, oil-rich Spraberry/Wolfcamp assets in the Permian Basin of West Texas,” Pioneer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Scott Sheffield said. Pioneer, however, said it has no plans to sell its stake in the Eagle Ford shale oil and gas producing assets. The US firm holds 46 percent stake in the upstream venture where RIL has 45 percent and Newpek LLC the remaining 9 percent. It is being speculated that RIL may be looking at selling this stake as well. RIL, which bought 45 percent interest in Pioneer Natural Resources Co’s Eagle Ford shale formation of south Texas for USD 1.3 billion, is working with Citigroup Inc and Bank of America Merrill Lynch to find a buyer. When the news of this stake sale came last month, its spokesperson had said, “Reliance constantly strives to identify means to create additional value for its shareholders” but declined to comment on the specific sale. RIL, in a July presentation to investors, had stated that it has invested a total of USD 3.91 billion in Pioneer joint venture since inception. 472 wells have been drilled to date with average production rate of 676 million standard cubic feet per day. The Eagle Ford assets, spread over 230,000 acres, have become more attractive after the US Commerce Department, in June, gave Pioneer permission to export a type of ultralight oil known as condensate produced from the region. Besides Eagle Ford, RIL has two more shale ventures in the US - 40 per cent stake in Chevron’s Marcellus shale acreage and a 60 per cent interest in Carrizo Oil and Gas Inc’s Marcellus shale acreage in Central and Northeast Pennsylvania. 10 Business SAT allows DLF to redeem Rs 1806 cr of mutual fund investments Mumbai: In a major interim relief to DLF, the Securities Appellate Tribunal on Wednesday allowed the realty giant to redeem mutual funds worth Rs 1,806 crore to meet working capital needs and service debt payments. DLF had sought permission to redeem money locked in mutual funds after being slapped with market regulator Sebi’s ban last month that bars it from accessing the capital market for 3 years. The final hearing in DLF’s main appeal against the Sebi order would commence on December 10, prior to which Sebi and the company will have to file their replies with Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT). As an interim measure, SAT has allowed the company to redeem mutual funds worth Rs 767 crore in the current month and further funds worth Rs 1,039 crore in December. “... Sebi order did not ban DLF from continuing its business, but only barred it from accessing the capital markets for three years,” a three-member SAT bench said. “It can be reasonably concluded that the appellant (DLF) should be allowed to use its own funds to meet its every day needs and other working capital requirements, including meeting its obligations to the creditors. “Accordingly, this tribunal justifies the demand for the appellant to redeem Rs 1,806 crore from mutual funds and also allow its lenders to de-freeze/ invoke the pledged shares of its subsidiaries as and when required,” Presiding Officer JP Devadhar said. Seeking permission to redeem mutual funds, DLF had submitted before SAT a list of 10 subsidiaries that need the cash along with the parent firm, as also the bank details of the funds to be redeemed from the mutual fund investments worth Rs 2,118 crore. Out of this, the company needed Rs 1,806 crore till December. DLF’s counsel submitted that the money was needed as its 10 subsidiaries are not in a position to service their commitments to banks and fi- Indian Horizon Hyderabad Thursday, November 6, 2014 nancial institutions. Due to the peculiar nature of its business, DLF collects all the surpluses from the subsidiaries and has a consolidated bank account. The tribunal noted that the Sebi counsel Rafique Dada did not object to the interim relief. Dada said, “Sebi is not opposing the interim relief as it does not want the company to be crippled at the same time, it has to be underlined that the tribunal makes it a point that this case and the interim relief does not become a precedent for others. “We are not opposing the plea for interim relief presuming that the tribunal is satisfied with the case made out. Sensex surges to all-time closing high of 27,915.88 Mumbai, Nov 5 (PTI) The BSE Sensex Wednesday breached the 28,000 level for the first time but ended a shade below at 27,915.88, its all-time closing peak, with gains of 55.50 points as banking and IT stocks rallied amid hopes of more reforms by government and a rate cut by the Reserve Bank. The NSE Nifty also closed at record level of 8,338.30, gaining 14.15 points over the previous close. The 50-share index touched all-time intra-day high of 8,365.55 points, surpassing its previous record of 8,350.60 scaled on Monday. During the day trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex scaled its fresh life-time high of 28,010.39 points, beating its previous record high of 27,969.82 reached on Monday. “Market sentiment has been buoyed by a slew of economic reforms undertaken by the government recently, followed by optimism over strong second quarter earnings by blue-chip companies”, said Manoj Choraria, a Delhibased stock broker. Addressing business leaders at New Delhi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday said the government was looking at areas like labour reforms, privatisation of some state-owned companies and improvement of land acquisition laws. Besides government accelerating economic reforms, falling global crude prices, that raised hopes of an early cut in rates by the Reserve Bank, bolstered sentiments that lifted key indices to new peaks, brokers said. Banking stocks such as Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and SBI led the rally among Sensex stocks. Axis Bank rose the most by 2.93 per cent among 30 Sensex scrips, followed by SBI (2.24 per cent) and DR Reddy (2.24 per cent). ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Sun Pharma, Infosys, TCS and ITC were among major gainers that lifted the index to record high. Stocks of state-run oil companies such as HPCL, BPCL and IOC hogged the liemlight and rose up to 2.37 per cent after global crude prices hit multi-year lows that would improve their margins. However, Coal India, Sesa Sterlite, Bharti Airtel, RIL, Hindalco and Tata Power were laggards on profit-booking. Foreign portfolio investors bought shares worth a net Rs 1,413.34 crore on Monday. . A mixed trend in the other Asian markets, a higher opening on the European markets on better corproate earnings, too influenced trading sentiments here, traders said. “Markets consolidated post the recent rally in the markets, which has come about on the back of renewed optimism on fiscal reforms, sharp correction in crude prices, improved growth in US, liquidity easing by Japan and diminished possibilities of an immediate increase in US interest rates,” Dipen Shah, Head- Private Client Group Research, Kotak Securities. Among the 30 Sensex components, 14 stocks advanced, while 16 ended in negative zone. The Banking index conquered yet another milestone of 28,000 for the first time briefly before concluding at a new closing peak of 27,915.88, a rise of 55.50 points of 0.20 per cent. . In the forwards market, premium continued to fall on sustained receipts from exporters. The benchmark sixmonth premium payable in April declined to 218220 paise from previous close of 226.5-228.5 paise. Far-forward contracts maturing in October, 2015 also dipped to 431433 paise from 443.5-445.5 paise. The Reserve Bank of India fixed the reference rate for dollar at 61.3870 and for the Euro at 76.9854. In the forwards market, premium continued to fall on sustained receipts from exporters. The benchmark six-month premium payable in April declined to 218-220 paise from previous close of Singapore, Nov 5 (AFP) Oil prices were mixed in Asia today as dealers looked ahead to the release of the latest US supply report after a sell-off in the previous session owing to price cuts by Saudi Arabia. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for December delivery rose 12 cents to USD 77.31 while Brent crude for December fell 20 cents to USD 82.62 in late-morning trade. WTI had dropped USD 1.59 in New York late yesterday to hit its lowest closing point since October 2011, as dealers continued to digest Saudi Arabia’s move to cut its prices for crude sold to the US markets. Brent fell USD 1.96 in London to its lowest close since October 2010. “Investors will next be looking to the US stockpiles report for an idea on how much supply is outstripping demand in a global market quite flush with supply,” Desmond Chua, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, told AFP. The US Department of Energy will release its official weekly stockpiles report later today. Crude reserves in the world’s biggest economy likely rose by 2.2 million barrels on average in the week to October 31, according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires. Gasoline stockpiles are expected to have fallen by 300,000 barrels, while stocks of distillates including heating oil and diesel likely fell by 1.8 million barrels, the analysts said. Daniel Ang, investment analyst at Phillip Futures in Singapore, said “markets are still recovering from the unexpected shock from Saudi Arabia’s price cuts.” Analysts say the move by Saudi Arabia, kingpin of the OPEC oil-producing cartel, is an effort to hold onto market share in North America against cheaper oil flooding in from US shale fields. Ang said prices are facing continued downward pressure with the Saudi price cut seen to be “just the beginning” and other leading OPEC producers likely to follow suit. The 12-nation Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will deliberate on whether to trim its current output of about 30 million barrels per day in a meeting in Vienna on November 27. (AFP) Gold prices decline to over 3-year low gained the most by surging 1.41 per cent, followed by Healthcare by 1.01 per cent, IT index by 0.73 per cent, Capital Goods index by 0.57 per cent, FMCG index by 0.32 per cent and Auto index by 0.05 per cent. “Markets consolidated post the recent rally in the markets, which has come about on the back of renewed optimism on fiscal reforms, sharp correction in crude prices, improved growth in US, liquidity easing by Japan and diminished possibilities of an immediate increase in US interest rates,” Dipen Shah, Head- Rupee finishes almost flat at 61.41 against US dollar Mumbai, Nov 5 (PTI) The Indian rupee Wednesday ended almost flat at 61.41 against the Greenback on alternate bouts of buying and selling. Despite a strong start, the rupee erased all its morning gains during intraday due to sharp bouts of dollar demand from importers. However, it fell later before recouping losses to close almost flat at 61.41 on the back of fresh dollar selling from banks and exporters. Sustained capital inflows into equities also helped the rupee to cap the fall to some extend’, dealers said. At the Interbank Foreign Exchange market (Forex), the domestic unit commenced higher at 61.35 a dollar from previous close of 61.40. It moved in a range of 61.34 and 61.49 before settling at 61.41, showing a marginal fall of one paise. Meanwhile, US dollar continued its strong rallying momentum against a basket of currencies in late Asian session trade in the wake of Republican wins during the mid-term elections as well as steady improvement in US data. The benchmark Sensex Oil prices mixed ahead of US stockpiles report 226.5-228.5 paise. The benchmark six-month premium payable in April declined to 218-220 paise from previous close of 226.5228.5 paise. The rupee recovered against the pound to 97.60 from previous closing level of 98.23 and also recouped to 76.67 per euro against 76.71. It also rebounded to end at 53.65 per 100 Japanese yen from Monday’s level of 54.14. Private Client Group Research, Kotak Securities. Among the 30 Sensex components, 14 stocks advanced, while 16 ended in negative zone. The Banking index gained the most by surging 1.41 per cent, followed by Healthcare by 1.01 per cent, IT index by 0.73 per cent, Capital Goods index by 0.57 per cent, FMCG index by 0.32 per cent and Auto index by 0.05 per cent. However, Metal sector index slipped 3.03 per cent and Power index fell 0.91 per cent. With continued improvement in trading sentiments. Services sector activity stagnates during October: HSBC New Delhi Nov 5 (PTI): Services sector activity in India stagnated during October amid weaker growth of new business orders, an HSBC survey said on Wednesday. The HSBC India Services Business Activity Index, that tracks changes in activity at Indian services companies on a month-by-month basis, fell from 51.6 to exactly 50.0 in October. A figure above 50 indicates the sector is expanding, while a figure below that level means contraction. The stagnation in services sector activity follows five successive months of growth amid fall in new business orders, the report said. “Services sector activity was unchanged in October since growth in some sectors was offset by contraction in others such as in the hospitality sector,” HSBC Co-Head of Asian Economic Research Frederic Neumann said. Meanwhile, the headline HSBC Composite Output Index -- that maps the manufacturing as well as the services sector output -- stood at 51, down from 51.8 in September, indicating that growth of private sector output in India eased to the weakest in five months. However, services sector firms in India remained highly optimistic regarding prospects for activity growth in the coming year. Business sentiment was the strongest in three months, with panelists commenting on anticipated improvements in demand and new marketing initiatives as key sources of optimism, the report said. A figure above 50 indicates the sector is expanding, while a figure below that level means contraction. The stagnation in services sector activity follows five successive months of growth amid fall in new business orders, the report said. “On the positive side, business confidence rose to the strongest in three months, with the hospitality sector being the most upbeat about the outlook,” Neumann said. The stagnation in services sector activity follows five successive months of growth amid fall in new business orders, the report said. Neumann added: “the revival of reforms post recent state elections, if sustained, should lift growth on a broad basis.” New Delhi, Nov 5 (PTI) Gold prices plunged by Rs 450 to trade at over three-year low of Rs 25,900 per 10 grams in the national capital today as the dollar’s strength dampened demand for the precious metal. Besides, low demand from jewellers and retailers who preferred to defer their buying activity on hopes of further dip in prices and diversion of funds towards soaring equity markets, weighed on prices. Silver followed suit and recorded a steep fall of Rs 900 to Rs 35,050 per kg on poor offtake by industrial units and coin makers. Bullion traders said a weakening trend in global markets, as the dollar’s strength eroded demand, mainly put pressure on the precious metal. Further, jewellers and retailers deferring their buying on expectations of further slide in gold prices, dampened sentiments. Gold in Singapore, which normally sets price trend on the domestic front, fell 1.90 per cent to USD 1,146.34 an ounce, the lowest since April 2010 and silver plunged 3.4 per cent to USD 15.48 an ounce, the lowest since February 2010. Meanwhile, gold in futures trading at the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was trading lower by Rs 530, or over 2 per cent, at Rs 25,433 per 10 grams. In Delhi, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity dropped by Rs 450 each to trade at over three-year low of Rs 25,900 and Rs 25,700 per 10 grams, respectively. Sovereign also showed some weakness and declined by Rs 100 to Rs 23,600 per piece of eight grams. Silver ready dropped by Rs 900 to Rs 35,050 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 1,210 to Rs 34,730 per kg. Silver coins also tumbled by Rs 2,000 to Rs 57,000 for buying and Rs 58,000 for selling of 100 pieces. Select copra gains on sustained demand Mumbai, Nov 05 (PTI) Copra office Alapuzha, copra office Kozhikode and copra edible prices gained further at the spices market here today on sustained demand from stockists and retailers. Rest of the spices ruled stable in the absence of any major buying activity. Copra office Alapuzha and copra office Kozhikode fell by Rs 200 per quintal each to Rs 10,700 and Rs 10,600 from Monday’s closing level of Rs 10,500 and Rs 10,400. Copra edible declined by Rs 100 per quintal to Rs 13,700 as against Rs 13,600 yesterday. Following are today’s closing rates (in Rs with previous rates in brackets): Black pepper (per kg) 730/780 (730/780), ginger bleached (per kg) 250 (250), ginger unbleached (per kg) 270 (270), copra office Alapuzha (per quintal) 10,700 (10,500), copra office Kozhikode (per quintal) 10,600 (10,400), copra Rajapur Mumbai (per quintal) 22,000 (22,000), copra edible Mumbai (per quintal) 13,700 (13,600). Base metals slip on selling, global cues Mumbai, Nov 5 (PTI) Most of the base metals, including nickel, tin, copper and brass prices dropped at the non-ferrous metal market here today on stockists selling amid lower demand from industrial users on the back of bearish global cues. On the global front, industrial metal nickel fell to its lowest after the European Commission cut growth forecasts for euro zone. Nickel dipped by Rs 20 per kg to Rs 1,085 from Tuesday’s closing level of Rs 1,105. Tin dropped by Rs 15 per kg to Rs 1,490 from Rs 1,505. Copper cable scrap, copper scrap heavy, copper armiture and copper wire bar declined by Rs 4 per kg each to Rs 476, Rs 469, Rs 451 and Rs 504 from Rs 480, Rs 473, Rs 455 and Rs 508. 11 Sports Indian Horizon Hyderabad Thursday, November 6, 2014 ICC meeting to discuss West Indies pullout from India Dubai Nov 5 (PTI): Furore created by the West Indies mid-series pull out from the tour of India and suspected illegal bowling actions will be some of the key issues the ICC Board will discuss when it gather here on November 9 and 10 for the last round of meetings of the year. In the lead up to these meetings, various other committees, including ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC), will also meet. The International Cricket Council Board under the chairmanship of N Srinivasan would be discussing the outcomes from the ICC CEC on matters relating to the FTP, playing conditions for the World Cup 2015 and the suspected illegal bowling actions. It will also look at the recommendations from the Executive Committee, including in respect of a revised ICC Anti- Working Party. Apart from these, Indies cricket team cancelling tour sentatives of each of the 10 full Corruption Code and an update the Board will also examine thor- of India mid-way. The ICC Board members plus three elected assoon the recent work of the Integrity oughly the reasons for the West consists of the nominated repre- ciate member representatives. Nishikori goes from Project 45 to Elite 8 PARIS Nov 5 (PTI): After becoming the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final and coming agonisingly close winning the title, Kei Nishikori will achieve another milestone when he becomes the first player from the continent to compete at the ATP World Tour Finals. While many other first-time Grand Slam finalists might think falling at the final hurdle at the US Open was something to shout about, Nishikori is determined not to get carried away by the feat because as far as he is concerned -- there is unfinished business to complete. As he prepares to make his debut in the season-ending spectacular featuring eight of the world’s best players, the unassuming Nishikori sat down to have a chat about how a move to the US helped him to become an Asian trailblazer, about the weaknesses he is still working on with his coach Michael Chang and about the weight of expectation on his shoulders. You were given the “Project 45” nickname when you were starting out in tennis with the aim of surpassing Japan’s previous best men’s ranking of 46. You have now become the first Asian man to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals so how does it feel for �Project 45’ to be among the �Elite 8’ this year? “It’s a bit different. That was one of the goals I had when I was 18 (to be ranked higher than 46th in the world). Now it’s a completely different situation. “I tried to aim for London last year but (I had to settle with) finishing in the Top 20. It’s a great feeling. I have motivation for the good goals so it’s a great feeling.” You will be making your debut in the Finals, what are your expectations? “I might get nervous first time but I’ll try to play my best tennis and try not to think too much of it being the Tour Finals. Boxing India conducts Kei Nishikori carries four billion pregnancy tests even Asian hopes on modest shoulders on unmarried boxers Justice Mudgal report mentions �bookie link’ of key player from India’s 2011 WC winning team NEW DELHI Nov 5 (PTI): Eight women boxers, including unmarried and juniors, who are set to compete at the World Championships in Korea next week, have been subjected to pregnancy tests by Boxing India (BI), according to SAI consultant Dr. PSM Chandran. Dr. Chandran, who is president of Indian Federation of Sports Medicine, said the tests were conducted by Sports Authority of India (SAI) at the behest of BI. “These boxers have been compelled to undergo pregnancy tests. They ordered and the SAI followed suit. Pregnancy tests were carried out on eight young unmarried girls, some even juniors, a classic case of human rights violation,” Chandran claimed in a press release. “The shocking thing is that it was done against rules. In the AIBA Technical Rules 2.1.4.2 which came into effect on 31 Aug 2014, there is New Delhi Nov 5 (PTI): Justice Mukul Mudgal committee’s final report, which had been submitted to the Supreme Court on Monday, has reportedly named a key member of India’s World Cup-winning team and mentioned his links with illegal bookies and match fixers. Reports suggest that the player wasn’t a part of the two teams that are under the scanner (Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals). The player is not in the current India team anymore, but was a big draw for his team in IPL last year, the season that ended with the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players and a Chennai Super Kings official, Gurunath Meiyappan, on match-fixing and betting charges. Sources say that during their probe, the investigators came across a three-year-old tape that hinted at a �fix’ that went wrong. Earlier, there have been reports running on no provision to subject boxers to pregnancy tests. The rule states “Women Boxers must additionally submit a non-pregnancy declaration along with the Medical Certificate. For Women Boxers under the age of 18, this non-pregnancy declaration must be signed by at least one of their parents or legal guidance’,” Chandran explained. “The hapless girls in their eagerness to don India colours had no choice but to concede to such barbaric demands by the officialdom against their own dignity and honour.” However, BI secretary Jay Kowli said he was not aware of the matter. Chandran demanded that it was time for the National Human Rights Commission as well as the National Women Commission “to intervene in sports in order to ensure that the rights and dignity of girls who come forward to participate in sports are safe-guarded”. Paris Nov 5(PTI): His mere presence causes hysteria and pandemonium in the Land of the Rising Sun and he has no tennis equal in a continent heaving with 4.427 billion inhabitants, yet self-effacing Kei Nishikori thinks he is simply “one” of the best players in Japan. For a continent that has failed to produce a single male grand slam champion in decades of trying, Nishikori now finds himself as the torch bearer of Asian tennis. A debut appearance for an Asian man in a grand slam final -- at the U.S. Open in September -- has only served to whet his appetite for glory rather than satisfy it. Following his remarkable run to the Flushing Meadows showpiece, he is the first Asian to make it into the elite eight-man season finale that will be staged on the banks of London`s River Thames. “I might get nervous first time but I’ll try to play my best tennis and try not to think too much of it being the Tour Finals,” Nishikori told Reuters in an interview in the run up to the O2 spectacular. “Beat- ing Novak (Djokovic) at the U.S. Open, it was a great experience and gave me a lot of confidence. So for sure I know I have a chance to beat the top players, so if I can play good, I have some chance to win some matches.” While tennis has produced some brash and loud characters over the years, Nishikori prefers to create a racket with his racquet. Never had the hullabaloo been louder than at the U.S. Open when he beat fifth seed Milos Raonic in a fiveset stamina-busting thriller. Surely he would have nothing left to give in his quarterfinal against Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka? Five lung-burning sets lat- er, Wawrinka was the one left out of puff. Surely Djokovic would swiftly bring him back down to earth in the semifinals? Nishikori was floating on cloud nine after four gripping sets against the world number one. While Marin Cilic finally silenced Nishikori in the title match, it was not long before the man tagged as `Project 45` at the start of his career had now turned his focus on completing `Project Grand Slam`. “I was really disappointed I couldn’t play good tennis in the final because I was playing really well for two weeks and then in the last match I couldn’t,” said Nishikori, who had been given the goal. fixing claims in the 2011 ICC World Cup as well. It is alleged that the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in March was “fixed”. If the Mudgal committee report’s findings brings out the player involved, it can also open several other channels. Meanwhile, several players from the current Indian team have appeared before the investigators as well. It is learnt that the CSK players were asked about the role Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of ICC chairman N Srinivasan, played in decision making at the franchise. Meiyappan’s voice sample has been confirmed in a tapped conversation. As per the Central Forensice Science Laboratory, the voices of Meiyappan, actor Vindoo Darasingh and other arrested accused in the IPL spotfixing case are the same as those intercepted voices of the arrested accused. India stun World Champions ISL: Elano Blumer scores late as Australia to level series Chennaiyin FC, ATK share points PERTH: The Indian men’s hockey team bounced back in style against Australia, beating the World Champions 2-1 to level the fourmatch Test series at 1-1 on Wednesday. India started aggressively and kept the opponents’ defence busy in the first two quarters. They managed to sneak into Australian defence-line and created good opportunities. However, Australia drew first blood in the 30th minute when forward player Matt Gohdes deflected a shot and sent the ball into the goal, taking the lead before the end of second quarter. In the third quarter, Australia earned a penalty corner which was well-defended by India before the visitors counter attacked the Australian D through a long pass. It was Sardar who cleverly forwarded the ball to Ramandeep Singh, who made no mistake in netting the ball, helping his team equalise in the 33rd minute. The equaliser saw India increase their tempo as they attacked yet again the very next minute through a long pass into the opponents’ D. This time, it was SV Sunil who single-handedly took the ball to the circle and cleverly put it past the goalkeeper, giving India the second goal and the lead. In the fourth and final quarter, both India and Australia fought neck-and-neck. India continued their attacking game till the last minute and tried to create more chances but they were now up against a defensive Australia, who managed to hold the scorecard till the final whistle. In the third quarter, Australia earned a penalty corner which was well-defended by India before the visitors counter attacked the Australian D through a long pass. It was Sardar who cleverly forwarded the ball to Ramandeep Singh, who made no mistake in netting the ball, helping his team equalise in the 33rd minute. Chennai: Coming back after an injury layoff, Atletico de Kolkata skipper Luis Garcia and the tournament’s leading scorer Elano Blumer, of Chennaiyin FC, scored a goal each as the two sides shared points in a top-ofthe-table clash in the Indian Super League here on Tuesday. Garcia found the target in the 35th minute when he successfully converted from the spot, while Elano struck as late as the 90th minute, also from the spot at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. After missing the last two games, Garcia seemed to be taking Kolkata to another victory before Elano, leading the scoring chart with six goals, dashed the visitors’ hopes of pulling off a win on the road. Garcia, the Spanish defensive midfielder, made a difference in the middle and was one of the best players of the day on either side. ATK maintained their table-topper status scoring against the run of play. But it was Elano, who bagged the Moment of the Match award with his strike at the death. The hosts were awarded the penalty after John Mendonza was brought down by ATk’s substitute Kingshuk Debnath. Elano, who couldn’t do anything special till that point, succeeded in beating the Kolkata goalkeeper Apoula Edel with a low shot. Chennaiyin goalkeeper Shil- ton Paul was red carded for raising his left leg as he fell on the ground when Mohammed Rafi was about to take a shot at the empty goal. Chennaiyin had nine shots at the goal as against just two by the visitors. While he may have consolidated his position at the top of scoring chart, Elano was not his usual self for most part of the match. With six minutes to go for the final whistle, Jeje Lalpekhlua, who substituted Chennaiyin’s marquee manager cum coach Marco Materrazi, almost scored but his measured cross hit the upright. After Paul was given the marching order, Gennaro Bracigiliano took on the responsibility at the post, and he failed to read Garcia. The standout teams so far in the inaugural edition. 12 Entertainment Indian Horizon Hyderabad Thursday, November 6, 2014 Indian Horizon 'Swachh Bharat' seems to be the buzzword in Bollywood With the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat frenzy sweeping the nation, Bollywood celebs and the television fraternity take a step beyond the obvious Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan seems to have rubbed off on tinseltown. Liter-ally. Notices promoting cleanliness are pasted on the sets of many TV shows. While several film stars have already set an example by wielding the broom and clearing their neighbourhood of sundry rubbish, the television fraternity as well as studios have also started taking the campaign seriously. A recent visit to the Film City Studios testifies that. During the shoot of Abhimanyu Singh's 'Bharat Ka Veer Putra - Maharana Pratap', contractual employees of the studio were seen sweeping the vicinity.Among the first celebs to have showed support to the Clean India campaign was Salman Khan, who was nominated by Modi himself to take the idea of cleanliness forward via social media. Salman Khan Along with the unit members and co-stars of his upcoming film, 'Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo', Salman cleaned a village in Karjat where he was shooting and nominated about half a dozen people, including his close friend Aamir Khan, to follow suit. Hrithik Roshan was spotted cleaning a street in Juhu following his meeting with Narendra Modi in Mumbai. He tweeted, "Swachhbharat I started cleaning my own surroundings and learnt so much. Hrithik Roshan Started with my lanes in Juhu. 2day I pledge 2 keep my home, my roads, my city, my country clean. I also take responsibility 2 teach n empower others 2 follow." Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan join the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which has now become the buzzword for the film and television industry. One even spotted a pair of newly installed steel dustbins outside Amitabh Bachchan's office, Janak. The actor even cleaned up garbage that was dumped on a road outside the studio where he was shooting for his quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Courtesy:Mid-Day.com Will Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Jazbaa live up to all the expectations? Though Ash hasn’t started shooting for her comeback film, there is already a lot of buzz around Jazbaa. So the question is – will the Guru actress taste success with it? Read on to know… A lot is riding on Sanjay Gupta’s next directorial venture Jazbaa and we aren’t surprised because it will mark the return of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the celluloid after five long years. The blueeyed beauty will start working on her film by end of the December and we hear the film will be premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival next year. Gupta’s film also stars the versatile Irrfan Khan. Yes, this is the first time Ash and Irrfan will pair up for a film and that’s another reason why Jazbaa is the talk of the town. Abhishek Bachchan’s wifey was last seen in Guzaarish which released in 2010 and with that film the leggy beauty once again proved that she is not just a pretty face. So we are pretty sure the Bachchan bahu will be to watch out for in her comeback vehicle of course along with Irrfan. But as a filmmaker Sanjay Gupta doesn’t have flattering track record which worries us. Also, not always have actresses made a smashing comeback in Bollywood. While Kajol and Sridevi’s comeback film – Fanaa and English Vinglish respectively – were super hit, on the other hand Madhuri Dixit Nene and Karisma Kapoor’s return in the industry wasn’t successful. Remember Aaja Nachle and Dangerous Ishq? Courtesy:Mid-Day.com Printed, published & Owned by Dr.Rahimuddin Kemal, Printed at Kemal Publication's, H.No-8-2-618/3, Road No. 11, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. 500034, TS. Editor Mr.Fahim Kemal. Published from Dil-a-Veez, H.No.8-2-618/3, Road No. 11, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad-500034.TS. India. Phone Nos: 040 66839818: Fax No: 040 23373717. Email: [email protected] [email protected] T Indian Horizon ODAY’s Four-Page Pullout About I Art & Culture HYDERABAD - THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 6, 2014 emails [email protected] [email protected] China’s Desert Treasure China’s Mogao Caves, at the edge of the Gobi Desert, hold an unrivaled collection of Buddhist art spanning a thousand years. Now they’re inspiring new generations of artists, from masters of ink painting to fireworks maestro Cai Guo-Qiang First-time travelers to China wouldn’t think of leaving the country before they had seen the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors. But few venture farther inland to the oasis of Dunhuang, a small city on the edge of the Gobi Desert, 1,150 miles northwest of Beijing. If they did make the trip, they would discover a World Heritage Site that rivals the beauty and cultural importance of more popular tourist attractions: the Mogao Caves, sometimes referred to as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas. This expanse of 492 grottoes carved into the sandstone face of a ninestory-high cliff holds an unrivaled collection of Buddhist art, with more than 484,000 square feet of murals and 2,400 sculptures. “The Mogao Caves are the greatest repository of early Chi- nese art, and it spans a thousand years, from the fourth to the 14th century,” says Mimi Gates, former director of the Seattle Art Museum and current chairman of the Dunhuang Foundation, which works to increase public awareness of the site and raise funds toward its conservation. “Located on the Chinese end of the Silk Road, it also is the place where many cultures of the world intersected with one another, so you have Greek and Roman, Persian and Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese cultures, all interacting. Given the nature of our world today, it is all very relevant.” Little known in the United States, the Mogao Caves—Mogaoku in Chinese, meaning “peerless caves”—are now receiving a boost in visibility. In April, the China Institute in New York launched a yearlong celebration, starting with “Dunhuang: Buddhist Art at the Gateway of the Silk Road,” with a re-creation of one of the caves and a selection of artifacts from the site, followed on the 14th of this month by “Inspired by Dunhuang: ReCreation in Contemporary Chinese Art” (through June 8). The Getty Conservation Institute, which has been involved with the site since 1989 under a collaborative agreement with China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), is planning a much larger exhibition devoted to the Mogaoku (with support from the Dunhuang Foundation) for 2016. These exhibitions coincide with the grand opening of a new $38 million state-of-the-art visitors center next May that will revolutionize a visit to the caves. It will also play a key role in the massive conservation project, which has become even more crucial as attendance has increased: 800,000 tourists, mostly from mainland China, visited last year. A visit to the Mogaoku earlier this year left no doubt as to the historic significance of the Buddhist art there. These are not caves in a natural state with rudimentary markings on their rough walls but elaborate grottoes carved into a sandstone cliff. Architecturally, they echo temples, with entryways, niches, statues, and wall paintings that are indeed peerless examples of Chinese painting, from the Northern Wei period to the Yuan dynasty. Stepping into the darkness— only flashlights are allowed in the caves—I was amazed by the lyrical lines and vivid colors of the paintings and the sheer diversity of styles in the depiction of Buddha. In Cave 148, from the Tang dynasty (eighth century), there is a magnificent statue of a reclining Buddha in the state of achieving nirvana, at least 60 feet long, surrounded by dozens of disciples, each individually carved, with expressions of grief on their faces. In Cave 130 (eighth century), a Buddha sits more than 85 feet high, a beneficent light shining on his face through a window at the top of the cave. It took 29 years to carve the figure into the rock, and then, like all the sculptures in Mogao, it was covered with a mixture of mud and straw and finally painted with gold leaf and natural pigments. The Thousand Buddha motif—created by stenciling the silhouette of Buddha multiple times—covers most of the walls and ceilings of many caves, but there are also exquisite murals of scenes from the life of Buddha and more than 2,000 statues of Bodhisattvas surrounding their leader, wearing decorative flowing robes and delicate jewelry. In addition to the paintings and sculptures, which arouse in the viewer a profound sense of appreciation for human creativity, the site itself is awe inspiring. Emerging from a desert with towering sand dunes, the cliff stretches for 5,200 feet and stands almost 100 feet high, facing the sparkling Dachuan River. “What I find compelling is to contemplate what those caves must have meant to people coming out of the desert—to walk into one of those caves to see the glory of Buddhist art,” says Neville Agnew, principal project specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute. “It must have been akin to walking into a cathedral to people in medieval times—the sheer contrast between a paradise inside and outside a stark, desiccated landscape.” Legend has it that in a.d. 366 a monk crossing the desert had a vision of a thousand flaming lights flickering across the cliff face. He took it as a sign to set up camp and dig the first cave. Dunhuang was a major hub on the Silk Road—the great trade route that linked the Mediterranean to China—and cen- turies of travelers came through there, often commissioning caves as offerings for safety and prosperity on the road. Wealthy patrons and local rulers also commissioned caves, all created by monks living and worshipping at the site. In the 14th century, the Mongols invaded China, the borders contracted, and Dunhuang was no longer a safe haven, leaving the caves in disuse for nearly 600 years. But interest was revived in 1900, when a Taoist priest, Abbot Wang, took on the task of restoring the caves, sometimes irrevocably altering their appearance in his unsupervised enthusiasm. Wang came across a cache of thousands of Buddhist scrolls sealed within the walls of one cave, now known as the Library Cave. This discovery, one of the greatest archeological finds of its day, brought a succession of European explorers—British, Russian, German, French—who took their pick for measly sums. Those scrolls are now housed in museums throughout Europe. Courtesy: artnews.com Isabelle de Borchgrave brings opulent paper dresses to life Bellevue Arts Museum visitors have the rare opportunity to explore the work of acclaimed Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave in the Museum’s lead exhibit for Fall/Winter 2013, A World of Pa- per, a World of Fashion: Isabelle de Borchgrave Meets Mariano Fortuny. Over the last 15 years of her 40 year career, de Borchgrave has been celebrated for her masterfully constructed paper fashions. Painting, pleating, crumpling, braiding, and feathering—she manipulates her unconventional choice of medium into exquisite life-size costumes inspired by 300 years of fashion history from Elizabeth I to Coco Chanel. A World of Paper, a World of Fashion showcases one complete collection of 35 opulent threedimensional dresses, 20 flat costumes, and numerous accessories, including shoes, jewelry, boxes, and vases. Also featured are preparatory sketches, reproductions of de Borchgrave’s and Fortuny’s studios, and a room-sized oriental tent—all made entirely of paper. In this collection of work, de Borchgrave honors the genius of Spanish-born, early 20th century couturier, Mariano Fortuny (18711949), whose eclectic fashions— especially his renowned �Delphos’ dresses, inspired by classical Greece and the Italian Renaissance—were en vogue during the 1910s and 20s. De Borchgrave faithfully evokes the refined grandeur of Fortuny’s world with exacting paper reproductions of luxurious silks and stenciled velvets. In order to achieve the sheen-like effects and transparency of these fabrics, de Borchgrave blends a variety of pictorial techniques: gouache, charcoal, chalk, pastels, oil, and watercolors. This unique collection provides audiences with insight into the creative minds of two forward-thinking artists, showcasing the value of historical inspiration in contemporary artistic creation. De Borchgrave’s collection will transport its audience to an indulgent and decadent world—A World of Paper, a World of Fashion. Born in Brus- sels in 1946, de Borchgrave began her artistic career as a student at the Centre des Arts Décoratifs at the age of 14 before moving on to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, where her days were filled drawing still-lifes and form models. Her works have been featured at museums around the world, including London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the Royal Palace (Luxembourg), Museo Fortuny (Venice), the Kushiro Art Museum (Japan), and in 2011 at de Young (San Francisco) to sold-out crowds. The inspiration for de Borchgrave’s body of work over the last 15 years came to her during a visit to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1994. Following the visit, she immediately began work on four major collections: Fortuny Collection– to be shown in its entirety at the Bellevue Arts Museum, Papiers à la Mode– 300 years of fashion history, I Medici – inspired by Florentine fashion, and Ballets Russes –a tribute to Serge Diaghilev, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. While de Borchgrave is most readily known today for paper and fashion, she has never abandoned the thing that has always guided her in her life: painting. She still exhibits her paintings and her large folded paper works all over the world. Courtesy: artdaily.org Indian Horizon Art & Culture II THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 6, 2014 UP AGAINST A WALL During a long and fruitful career as an artist, K.G. Subramanyan has experimented with diverse mediums – from painting, sculpture and printmaking to murals, weaving and toy-making. He has also written numerous important essays on Indian art and taught at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and later at his alma mater, Visva- Bharati University. By K.G. Subramanyan In February next year, Seagull Books will release a volume on Subramanyan’s murals. It will be timed to coincide with major exhibitions of his works in Baroda and Kolkata as part of his 90th birthday celebrations. He talks here to Sandhya Bordewekar about his abiding love for mural-making. Sandhya Bordewekar : You joined Santiniketan as a student in 1944. How did the murals there influence you? K. G. Subramanyan : When I went to Santiniketan, a lot of the murals there had already been executed. Nandalal Bose or Master Moshai as we fondly called him wanted the buildings in Santiniketan to display works of art. The easiest way to do this was to make murals on the walls of existing buildings. He designed and built the impressive black clay building, Kalo Bari, with the Kala Bhavana teachers and students. On its exterior, they executed relief sculptures that have extremely subtle details. Apart from being works of art, the murals also brought art and architecture together. There are a couple of things one must remember here there was a belief among certain historians of modern European art that sculpture came into its own only when it was freed from the shackles binding it to architecture. I find that completely ridiculous. I do not believe that the arts should be separated; they feed into each other, one helps the other grow. The other issue was that the schools of art established by the British in India always had departments devoted to �traditional skills’. Nandalal had studied at Calcutta’s School of Art before he came to Santiniketan and knew that there were teachers skilled in the Rajasthani mural style at the School. By and large, though, students of fine arts felt that it was below their dignity to work in traditional arts and preferred to give more attention to academic painting. Nandalal was not very happy with this and when he began work on his first mural at Santiniketan in 1923-24, at the then Library building, he got Narsinhlal Mistry from the School of Art to help him. Nandalal encouraged collaboration between traditional and contemporary artists. In my own case, the talented and skilled Gyarsilal Varma has often been an important collaborator in the numerous murals I have executed. S.B. : Historically, we have the Ajanta murals, the Mattancherry Palace murals, the numerous Kerala temple murals, and at another scale, murals in palatial homes in royal and colonial India such as at the Tambekar Wada in Baroda. What role do the Santiniketan murals play in the development of modern art in India? K.G.S. : When my friend, artist and critic Timothy Hyman, visited India in the late 1970s, he was surprised to find that murals were still being made. In fact, he felt that Santiniketan was probably the best archive of the early stages of the modern art movement in India; he wrote an article on it in The London Magazine1. With so many practitioners of the form – Nandalal Bose, Ramkinker Baij, Benode Behari Mukherjee – there were so many different styles to be worked out and experimented with. These muralists were also very conscious of how environmental art should work in the contexts it was set in. They understood how such artworks offer many more dimensions of viewing than a painting in a gallery setting – for instance, by changing the angle of vision at different times of the day and in different seasons. A single work had many incarnations. At the technical level, while Nandalal believed in collaborating with artisans, others did not feel that necessity. They also experimented with different surfaces. One of the most conceptually beautiful murals is Benode Behari Mukherjee’s Birbhum Village mural (1937-38) in tempera painted on the ceiling of the boys’ hostel room which is now locked. The mural is slowly falling apart and is in urgent need of conservation. Two students, Prithwish Neogy and Muthuswami, photographed it when it was still in good shape. A copy of the photograph was in the Kala Bhavana library. I came across it accidentally. We used a big blowup of it in Benode Behari’s birth centenary exhibition even though it was a black-andwhite image. S.B. : You are very fond of making murals. K.G.S. : Yes. Actually, I got interested in the art as a child in Palghat. When we shifted to Mahe, there was a temple nearby with beautiful, painted wood carvings. I loved it. From a very young age, the kind of art that I responded to was architectural. At one time, I even wanted to design and build a temple myself! When I got the opportunity to make a mural, I did not want to paint on the wall. Thanks to our weather, a painting on the outer walls of a building was not going to be very successful. So I was interested in working with material that could survive for a reasonable amount of time. During Rabindranath Tagore’s birth centenary celebrations in 1961, I was commissioned to make a mural at Lucknow’s Ravindralaya. This is an 81 feet long, 9 feet tall mural executed using glazed terracotta tiles. It was quite adventurous; I hadn’t done anything on this scale or in this technique before. We had an excellent studio potter on the faculty in Baroda then, Buddho Barua; his support was invaluable. Just a year earlier, the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Music College at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda had collaborated on the staging of Tagore’s play Arup Ratan (The King of the Dark Chamber) and I was quite involved in the production. This mural was inspired by Arup Ratan, narrating nine episodes from the play. The mural came out very well making me want to do more murals on the exteriors of buildings. I wanted to incorporate sculptural elements and started exploring sand-casting with cement in a sand and brick dust bed. The results were good; they resembled terracotta or sandstone carving. Soon, N. S. Bendre wanted me to do a mural for the Department of Painting in Baroda. I based the work on one of Tagore’s poems which said that no amount of cajoling can open a fl ower bud, only a ray of sun can do it. I thought it was eloquently symbolic of the process of education. So, I worked on a large sun image with a number of fl ower buds below it in various stages of blossoming. I used sand-casting, with the young Laxma Goud, Jyoti Bhatt and others enthusiastically helping and Bendre getting the whole process photographed and documented. We had a lot of fun! Courtesy: artindiamag.com India Could Have Done Without Modern Art Unlike in the Western world, India has never had a historic necessity to experiment with a genre that has come to be known as modern art, according to renowned painter-sculptor A. Ramachandran. “Ideally, our art should be advancing along a path that is well rooted in the country’s own visual culture,” says the Delhi-based septuagenarian. His first-ever exhibition of works in his homeland Kerala concluded here on Sunday evening. The Padma Bhushan awardee says Europe had a reason to rebel against art schools that largely revelled in realism till the mid-19th century. “Then photography was invented. That invalidated portrait and landscape paintings. It was inevitable the art scene there changed.” On the other hand, the Orient never had an art culture on parallel lines, he says. “We in India have for long seen a flourish of various schools of art, none of which resorted to realism. It would be beautiful if each or most of them continued to exist,” says the artist whose 15day mini retrospective in Kochi was organised by Vadehra Art Gallery (VAG) of Delhi. Ramachandran’s August 11-25 exhibition at the Durbar Hall Gallery had its ground floor featuring the artist’s postYayati works such as Lotus Ponds, inspired by time-tested aesthetics of Indian art. Yayati, Ramachandran’s masterpiece, was completed in 1986, around the time the artist began developing a completely different approach towards art. At the refurbished one-time palace here, curator R. Siva Kumar chose to split the well-lit space to tastefully accommodate contrasting genres of the two defining periods, realising the artist’s decadeold dream of showing his creations to fellow Malayalis. The upper floor of the recently-renovated building housed images that portray the darker side of human life, brimming with moods of violence and sarcasm — such as Anatomy Lesson and The Puppet Theatre. Ramachandran says that Kerala’s modernist movements in literature and cinema in the last century was spearheaded by rooted writers such as Thakazhi and Basheer and filmmakers such as G. Aravindan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan. “Paradoxically, when it came to art, the Malayali did not have leaders who drew inspiration from their own moorings,” he says. Arun Vadehra, who owns the VAG, says the gallery organise an exhibition of the comprehensive works of Ramachandran next year on the occasion of his 50th year in the Capital. The just-concluded Kochi show was a big draw. Artist Somji aka K.A. Soman described the exhibition as “an entirely different experience, providing rich visual interpretations on aesthetic values”. Blogger and critic Ajay Sekher said the water-colours were “illuminating and refreshing”. Ramachandran, who was born in Attingal in 1935, did his Masters in Malayalam literature before leaving for West Bengal in 1957 to pursue art at Santiniketan. The artist, whose early paintings were an angry young man’s anxious and emotional response to human suffering, was appointed chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi in the early 1990s. However, this was the first time the celebrity’s works were exhibited anywhere in Kerala. The artist, who has been living in Delhi since 1964, taught art at Jamia Millia Islamia for 27 years before taking voluntary retirement. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow at the Lalit Kala Akademi. The next year he was awarded the Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram and in 2005, the country’s third-highest civilian honour. Courtesy: indianartnews.com Indian Horizon Art & Culture III THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 6, 2014 �THE VARIOUS WAYS OF ARRIVING AT AN OBJECT’ Kerala a Better Place In Sudarshan Shetty’s recent solo, the pieces earth took away, mounted at Galerie Krinzinger in Vienna last year, the artist set up a stage to enact rituals for the dead. His faux cenotaph featured a stream of water constantly dripping from the top to the base in a cyclical gesture of remembrance. Shetty’s growing preoccupation with transience and memory surfaced in another work in Vienna in the form of a winding ode to a woman. Closer home, Shetty showcased a variation of the cenotaph at the first edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Plotting some of the recent turns in his practice, Zeenat Nagree talks to Shetty about language as art, the presence of death and the idea of the spectacle. Zeenat Nagree : Your recent works incorporate text in the form of neon signs and LED tickers. You’ve also begun using the surfaces of objects as screens. How did words creep into your sculptural practice? Do you also see yourself as a writer? Sudarshan Shetty : I have been writing in my sketch books for a few years just to be able to record things. Somehow, over a period of time, it has become central to a lot of the work I am making. Moreover, one gathers certain mannerisms over a cer- tain period of time while making objects or even conceiving them. There is a need to side-step this to find various ways of arriving at objects. Often, I let the words dictate the objects. Though theatrical and heroic in its tone and scale, the text remains ambiguous in that it is neither clearly fictional nor autobiographical. In each instance, a single moment is described with details that can shift between the specific and the metaphorical. Z.N. : There is a tendency to find clues to an artist’s work in his life. How autobiographical are the texts and stories you insert in your works? Do you think the �personal’ eclipses the �social’? S.S. : I do not see the �personal’ and the �social’ as mutually exclusive ideas. For instance, a cenotaph is a tangible and physical depiction of a stubbornness to not forget. Monuments are built in order to remember using a simple logic; they provide a physical presence as a personal response to someone’s absence. However, they also double up as resting spaces for tired travellers and can be read as social objects. Z.N. : What goes into the process of making monumental sculptures such as those in your last solo? S.S. : A piece can be monumental even if it is small in size. In my work, scale is really informed by the object or the subject itself. There is a lot of research that goes into conceiving and freezing something at a certain scale. For instance, it took us three months to find and study the drawings of various examples of cenotaphs that are found in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The sizes of the cenotaphs that were in the last three of my shows [Listen outside this house, Bengaluru, 2011; the pieces earth took away, Vienna, 2012; I know nothing of the end, Kochi, 2012] were then modified to fit into the scale of the spaces that I was showing them in, without compromising on their basic character. Something like this can be very challenging and I enjoy that. Z.N. : When you are evoking death or loss, does the use of a spectacular form undermine the impact? S.S. : A spectacle is important to draw someone into my work – to lure someone into the work with a story or a song or even a dance. However, in my work, there is a possibility of an eventual collapse of the spectacle built into it. Perhaps, the obvious hints of its own demise need to be discovered within the work. They must, like all else, collapse under the weight of their own spectacles. The works also point to the fallibility of all that I can construct, even in terms of meanings. In other words, having spent considerable time and energy in the making of an object, can one include the meaninglessness of the object, or the artifice of setting it up for a show, in its making? I am interested in these opposite positions that can exist within a single framework – of making something with an intensity of purpose and yet with an awareness of its futility. To quote a line from Kabir: �Lagan bin jage na Nirmohi’ (The Unattached One will not awaken if you have no devotion). A lot of the aesthetic strategies in my work have been influenced by my interest in the poetic traditions of India between the 12th and the 15th centuries, many of which employ dualism as a strategy to convey deeper meanings of life. Courtesy: artindiamag.com for Art THE 21ST-CENTURY KERALA IS BECOMING A BETTER PLACE FOR ART, ACCORDING TO RENOWNED PAINTER-SCULPTOR A RAMACHANDRAN. The state has moved forward by opening itself up to the larger world of art outside its geographical boundaries, but its visual arts sensibility has scope to become more active, the Padma Bhushanwinning septuagenarian said in the run-up to his first-ever show in native Kerala. Ramachandran, who left Thiruvananthapuram in 1957 to do higher studies in art at Santiniketan, notes that the cultural environment in Kerala those days was not congenial for artists, prompting many talents to leave the state. “Of late, a few in that generation are getting a chance to exhibit their work back home,” the Delhi-based master observes ahead of his exhibition starting in Kochi on August 11. The 15-day exhibition, being organised by the Vadehra Art Gallery (VAG) and curated by art historian R Siva Kumar of Visva-Bharati University, is a compact retrospective of the artist and will showcase 100 works. Ramachandran, who has been living in the New Delhi since 1964, recalls that Malayali artists had found it tough to flourish in Kerala even in the first half of the 20th century. “That is how and why K C S Paniker, C Madhava Menon and K G Subramanyan left for greener pastures. The local system was non-supportive.” He recalls that the situation was “no different” even when he boarded the train to West Bengal. “I knew Kerala wasn’t the place for a serious pursuit of art. While things have changed, there are still miles to go.” Substantiating his point, the 78-year-old artist notes the magnitude of protest India’s first Biennale faced in its host state of Kerala last year. “The art circles there could not realise the momentousness of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale,” said the native of Attingal downstate, referring to the staunch opposition the three-month contemporary-art extravaganza faced even during its three months run. Kerala, says the artist who post-graduated in Malayalam, could accommodate new trends in literature and cinema and celebrate the works of modernists such as Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Vaikkom Muhammed Basheer and P Kesavadev and appreciate G Aravindan and Adoor Gopalakrishnan. “In painting, though, the state got stuck for long in the realistic school of Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906).” Ramachandran was briefly chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi in the early 1990s. Prof Siva Kumar, who has written extensively on modern Indian art, the Kochi show is being curated with a certain chronology in mind. “It will cover his works of the last five decades - from 1964 till that of 2013.” Delhi-based art scholar Rupika Chawla notes Ramachandran possess a “unique” sense of colours that has kept changing over the years. “There is a moving luminosity in his works.” Courtesy: indianartnews.com The Indian Museum Makeover The “Aims and Objectives” section of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) website was so spot on, it took my breath away. It began with the usual stuff about acquiring, organizing and preserving art. It ended with the following lyrical lines. “Above all, the NGMA helps people to look at the works of modern art with greater joy, understanding and knowledge by extending their relationship with our daily life and experiencing them as vital expressions of the human spirit”. Even for a sceptic of museums, the lines sing. Joy, understanding, link to life, and—this is key— “vital expressions of the human spirit”. What more can an art institution aspire to? Whoever wrote those lines had an intuitive understanding of art in the Indian context. What does the NGMA do to further these aims? The Delhi website is a yawn. The Mumbai one is more vibrant. There is a workshop on mask making every Wednesday and Saturday, talks on Rabindranath Tagore, gallery walks and painting competitions. The Bangalore NGMA, without bias even though it is my home city, is the best of all. There are workshops, family days, school visits, and a whole slew of “Outreach” programmes that link films, theatre and dance to art. I don’t go to the NGMA Bangalore nearly as often as I’d like to; and I am a confessed art lover. Many other people I know have never been to this institution. They don’t understand modern art, they say. Their children could have drawn something better. I feebly tell them that the museum is housed in a lovely old mansion with trees that will calm them down. Using trees to sell a museum is sad. Wikipedia lists a total of 55,000 museums in 202 countries. India has, by my rough count, about 200. The list is somewhat confused by including planetariums and train museums along with art museums. There must be a dozen art museums of merit in India. What are the aims and objectives of these museums? In this Internet age, this isn’t a trivial question, given that more and more museums are putting up their collections online and anyone with a computer can see these. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has just hired my friend, Sree Sreenivasan to be their chief digital officer. Museums in India cannot afford to be just repositories of art. They have to be community centres. They have to reimagine the museum experience in the Indian context. It can be simple things. For example: • Indians don’t like large empty spaces. Most museums are large empty spaces, designed along the lines of museums in the West. Indian museums are better off if they are a collection of small interlinking rooms that plays to our tolerance of, and comfort in, crowds. • If you took a survey of art lovers who don’t visit museums, the reason most would state would be traffic. Museums have to figure out a way to take their art to the people (since the people are not coming to the art anyway). Rather than housing the art in a mansion, philanthropically inclined collectors should consider putting the art in a temperature-controlled warehouse, insure the heck out of it and then take it to large companies, colleges and other places where people congregate. Public art needs to be viewed in a new way in India. More like art for the public. • Just as cricket reinvented itself with the Indian Premier League, museums need to rethink their function. The Guggenheim in New York holds music concerts within its spaces. You sip a glass of wine, listen to the music and look at art. The Museum of Modern Art could be rented by high-paying corporations for private parties. Why not do the same in Indian museums with their beautiful spaces? The model already exists in the West: they have figured out how to protect the art work and how much to charge. Dom Pérignon recently unveiled one of its vintages in Jodhpur at the Umaid Bhawan Palace. Why not rent the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai for events such as this? Companies such as Rémy Martin, which did an event recently in Udaipur, would certainly be potential clients. They have deep pockets and Mumbai is more accessible to international visitors. Courtesy: indianartnews.com Indian Horizon Art & Culture IV THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 6, 2014 Cut-and-Paste Culture: The New Collage BY Rachel Wolff CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS ARE UPDATING THE MODERNIST TRADITION WITH NEW TACTICS AND NEW MEDIA The nomination of Laure Prouvost for the 2013 Turner Prize hinged on her installation at London’s Whitechapel Gallery in March. The work’s highlight was a 72-foot-long panoramic canvas studded with found black-and-white photographs, crudely cut painted fragments, and flatscreen TVs emitting filmed clips of toes wiggling in crystal-clear water and blurry mouths opening and closing in breath. The circular, classicallooking structure, titled Farfromwords (2013), had an opening that funneled visitors toward a viewing area that screened the video work Swallow (2013), an extended handling of Prouvost’s filmed vignettes wherein staccato cuts train the eye toward berries, bathing beauties, chirping birds, hungry fish, and a woman swimming through a natural pool while holding a pineapple to the crown of her head. Prouvost’s dreamlike montage is set to a soundtrack of heavy breathing and a whispery voice (the artist’s own), uttering occasional statements or directives, such as “The birds are eating the raspberries” and “Swallow this.” Reflecting on the Londonbased French artist’s sixmonth residency in Italy, the multisensory collage transmits the wide variety of what she saw and experienced during her stay. Collage offered an ideal conduit for Prouvost, says Whitechapel curator Daniel Herrmann. It enabled the artist (who cites Merz founder and collage en- thusiast Kurt Schwitters as a major influence) to create an immersive, high-impact artwork that nods at the ways in which we share and consume experiences today. “The culture that we live in has become such a sort of cut-and-paste culture,” Herrmann points out. “Collage has become a representative for that state of cultural production. At the same time, I think it transcends it. It offers an alternative to an ever-shifting, ever-fluid image world and reminds people of tactility, texture, and the reality of the world we live in—a unique approach that visual art can offer that digital media does not convey.” Collage and assemblage can also be characterized as ways “to experience information simultaneously,” says Laura Hoptman, a curator in the department of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art—which may be truer to our real-time experiences of people, places, and information than ever before. This kind of “horizontal cloud of information,” as Hoptman calls it, is perceptible in work by such artists as Isa Genzken, whose first retrospective is on view at MoMA through March 10. Genzken’s assemblage-centric oeuvre includes a broken slot machine plastered with snapshots taken of and by friends; abstract sculptures made from pushcarts, fabric, furniture, and plastic plants; and mirrors coated with brightly colored tape and reproductions of Old Master paintings. It’s information overload rendered in tactile, three-dimensional form. And it’s a wider-reaching approach that Hoptman sees as characteristic of collage in the 21st century. Collage bridges media, flattens time, and reaches out beyond what immediately surrounds us. Indeed, many contemporary artists are using the technique to confront image culture in the modern world, with its barrage of rapidly spreading, often pixelated simulacra that seep into our consciousness hundreds (if not thousands) of times a day. Video artist Ryan Trecartin is one practitioner often cited as a pioneer of this type of think- ing and esthetic. His frenetic, acid-hued videos, digital collages, and installations are described as visual manifestations of the Internet itself— riffing on the out-there, freeassociative hodgepodge that is our browser history at the end of each day. Cameron Gray is another devoté. In June, Gray showed a series of collage and assemblage works at Mike Weiss Gallery in New York, in which LCD flat screens looping sampled GIFs were inserted into static images that were also sourced from the Web. C-prints like I Want to Be the One to Walk in the Sun (2013) were mounted on gallery walls with pushpins over embedded flat screens emitting kaleidoscopic digital collages revealed through strategic cutouts (in this case, a buxom model’s bikini top and bottom). Larger, denser, more assemblage-based works wildly mixed lights, paper cutouts, streaks of Day-Glo paint, and GIF-laden screens. The effect, when taken as a whole, is nearly abstract—a 21st-century riff on Clement Greenberg’s edge-free preference in painting, now sourced from YouTube, Tumblr, and dump.fm, an online junkyard for user-generated JPEGs and clips. It is all somewhat performative in that sense, too. Gray speaks of his process as a coping mechanism, an exercise that allows him to give physical form to the act of linking, scanning, surfing, and tumbling deep down the online rabbit hole. There’s also an element of discovery, of show-and-tell. As an artist, “I spend a lot of time isolated,” Gray explains. “I get excited when I find something weird or unexpected. And I love that the esthetic is informed by others. It’s the esthetic of others—the esthetic that’s happening on the Web.” Gray says that he has always seen his approach to art as “reacting to the culture that’s already there”—and none is quite as “there” today as the inherent patchwork that is the Internet. But it’s not simply the migration of images from one medium (magazines, for instance) to another that these artists are mining. It’s an image culture created by the people, for the people—one in which amateurs can participate as never before. He points out that, with all that’s out there, “you could find yourself influenced by some 15-year-old kid.” In “Still,” his most recent solo exhibition at the Elizabeth Dee gallery in New York, Ryan McNamara explored this user-generated facet of image culture—a kind of selfperpetuated 15 minutes of fame. The artist, who used to work primarily in performance, spent the first half of the six-week 2012 show staging impromptu photo shoots with gallery visitors, encouraging them to create playful postures and compositions. After three weeks, he repurposed his props and patterned the backgrounds as art-making surfaces, peppering them with fractured and saturated cutouts of his viewers-turnedmodels-turned-decoupage. Courtesy: artnews.com Title Fights: How Museums Name Their Shows A City As Canvas BY Ann Landi Generating a title for a museum show involves curators, directors, publicists, and more. It can be grueling, it can be fun, and it sometimes takes years to find the right one Got a show to curate? Need a title for your exhibition? You might look to the Internet and click on Rebecca Uchill’s Random Exhibition Title Generator, which will give you such plausible-sounding banners as “Breaking Dissent: A Remix of the Local” or “After Illusion: The Video Art of Urban Experience.” Uchill, a former independent curator who is now a Ph.D. candidate in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, cooked up the idea and worked with a programmer friend to launch the site in 2010, plugging in words and syntax that seemed to recur in her experiences with museum and gallery titles. Uchill’s spoof provides an instant fix for the titling dilemma, but in reality, curators and members of museum marketing, communications, and publications departments put a great deal of thought into naming their shows, and the process can take months, even years. “The title is your initial marketing hook,” says David Rubin, curator of contemporary art at the San Antonio Museum of Art. “I’ve worked outside New York most of my career, in areas where art is not necessarily part of the daily diet, so if it’s too esoteric people won’t have a clue what the show is about.” Rubin tends to follow the formula of the twopart title: “a cliché everybody knows or a sexy hook,” followed by a colon and a fuller explication. Thus, in brainstorming with critic Barbara Rose for an upcoming show at SAMA about electric light in contemporary art, Rubin came up with “Generally Electric: Light and Electricity in Contemporary Art.” But Arnold Lehman, director of the Brooklyn Museum, says, “The long-standing algorithm—part of the title to the left of the colon, part to the right—doesn’t always seem to work anymore.” Lehman continues, “What people are really getting away from is a title like �Treasures of . . .’ or �Masterpieces from . . .’” He says that there was a time when “every museum had a title like that, or else it was �The Golden Age of . . .’ And those have gone by the boards.” One of the more popular projects at the Brooklyn Museum is called “Raw/Cooked,” which may call to mind the famous volume by anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. In this case, though, it’s a series of exhibitions of unknown artists working in Brooklyn who have never had a museum show. “The title was meant to be provocative and to sug- gest but not tell what this series of exhibitions was all about,” Lehman says. “It’s been hugely successful. It talks about the vast number of artists who are working undiscovered and just need a break.” Sometimes, literary sources offer the guiding idea for both a title and a show. Toby Kamps, formerly senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and currently at the Menil Collection, was reading The Old, Weird America, Greil Marcus’s analysis of folk music and contemporary culture, while the 2008 presidential race was under way. “People were talking about American values and American exceptionalism, and I had in my mind this crazy counter-universe to the one that was being spun so heavily during the election,” he recalls. “I also noticed lots of artists reaching back into unofficial histories of America at a time of political turmoil. Then of course you want to get the author on board, and we managed to convince Marcus to let us borrow his title.” The show opened at the CAMH ahead of the presidential election and later traveled to museums on both coasts. Courtesy: artnews.com Pedestrians stop to gape at walls on the roadside and walk away smiling. Cheeriness is in the air of Kottayam. Passersby cannot help but admire the colourful murals painted on the city walls as part of the Mural City Project, an initiative of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. In just 13 days in May, close to 350 artists from world over made over 60 paintings across the town and turned Kottayam into the first unique mural city in India. Be it the traditional murals of gods and goddesses on the four gopurams of Thirunakkara Temple or those made with contemporary techniques at the civil station, the landscape of the city has become two shades brighter. The walls of the Kottayam railway station, painted by several artists, now tell the story of Indian railways. The painting at the entrance, done mostly in a yellow palette, is a combination of several snapshots showing the first railway line in India. At one section, a team of artists led by Ajithan Puthumana, has recreated metro rail stations by using a contemporary style. “Since the younger generation does not know much about mural art, we tried to incorporate the traditional elements as well as techniques of contemporary art,” says renowned mural painter, Suresh K Nair, who is an assistant professor at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi. Suresh worked on a water tank which is located at the district panchayat office. “When I saw the space allotted to me, I hit upon the idea of water as an element,” he says. “I have been trying to introduce the concept of music into paintings. In this work, I have given a symbolic white colour to water. I have also tried to paint it with a sense of rhythm.” The murals across the city are a potpourri of several art styles. The other styles which can be seen are the Kurumba paintings of the Nilgiris, the Gond tribal paintings of Madhya Pradesh, the Warli of Maharashtra, the Madubani of Bihar, the Pata of Bengal, and the Kasauli of Kashmir. Artists from Portugal, Canada, Germany, Italy and South Korea opted for modern and contemporary themes. South Korean artist Jung Chae-Hee surprised many with faces in the Ott style at the Darsana auditorium. This is done by using gum extracted from the ott tree. The Rs 72 lakh project is aimed at boosting tourism in Kottayam. And the State Cultural Ministry and Kerala Lalithakala Academy seem to have succeeded in doing so. Some resorts in Kumarakom, a tourist hub, have started including a trip to Kottayam to see mural city paintings in their tour package. For a town like Kottayam that hardly has any places to hang out, the project offers some solace. Courtesy: indianartnews.com
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