indian weekender 5 february 2016

8/20/2019 Indian Weekender 5 February 2016

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The pulse of Kiwi-Indians

5 February, 2016 • Vol. 7 Issue 44 • www.iwk.co.nz

NZ’s first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

WAITANGI DAY CELEBRATING THE LEGACY

ANDREW LITTLECOMMITS TO FREE “POSTSCHOOL” EDUCATION


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5 February 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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2 CONTENTS

New ZealandKiwis welcomeSyrian refugees

SportsBlack Caps bundle out

Australian batsmenwithin 25 overs, winby 159 runs

GlitteratiAll that glittersand more

Opinion/EditorialAmidst saffronfundamentalism, Modi’sachhey din a mirage

Star gazingWhat do the stars

have in store for youthis week

EntertainmentPriyanka Chopra tobe presenter at theAcademy Awards

Pg 4

Pg 22

Pg 26

Pg 17

Pg 25

Pg 30


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www.iwk.co.nz | 5 February 2016

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3NEW ZEALAND

A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

PHIL GOFF

A ndrew Little’s State of the Nationspeech at Albert Park last Sundaycontained a bold but carefullycosted commitment to free post-schooleducation and training. Starting in 2018and to be fully implemented by 2025, thepolicy gives all New Zealanders who havehad no previous tertiary education accessto three years free education, trainingor re-training.

It is being phased in so that it will bea ordable. Each year, the New Zealandgovernment generally makes provision foraround $1.5 or $2 billion in new spending.Labour has signalled that its priority frombudgeted new spending will be ensuring theupskilling of our most valuable resource—our people.

Over the last year, Labour has beenfocussing on developing a policy on theFuture of Work. The rate of change in theworkplace is incredible. Internationalresearch demonstrates that nearly half (46per cent) of the jobs that currently exist

won’t be there in 10 to 20 years. To a largeextent, this re ects the impact of rapidtechnological change.

People will have to adapt, changingtheir careers more frequently than in thepast. Jobs, especially those that are lessskilled, are being automated. New jobs

will require much higher skill levels. If we do nothing to help people train andretrain, the result will be high levels ofstructural unemployment, which meanspeople trapped into dependence on theunemployment bene t, without themeans to upskill to take advantage of new

employment opportunities. That iseconomically wasteful with people forcedinto being dependent, unable to contribute

to the economy and not paying taxes. Itis also socially disastrous because peopleunable to participate in mainstream society

become alienated from a society that is notinclusive of them.

Unfortunately, far from increasing theupskilling of New Zealanders, our countryis slipping back in the opposite direction.Since National became the government in2008, the number of tertiary students hasfallen by 20 per cent and the number ofapprenticeships is down 22 per cent. Over

People will have to adapt,

changing their careersmore frequently than inthe past. Jobs, especiallythose that are less skilled,are being automated. New

jobs will require muchhigher skill levels.

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4 NEW ZEALAND

the same time, total student debthas increased by over 50 percent and is expected to reach $15billion this year.

Labour has for some timepushed for new policies to helppeople get the skills they needfor a better life and that thecommunity as a whole will bene tfrom. As Leader of the Opposition,I promoted the policy of turningthe rst year dole payment into apayment to employers to take on aperson who had been out of workfor some time and to subsidisethem into an apprenticeship.It makes sense to help peopleretrain so they can supportthemselves rather than lockingthem into bene t-dependencywith no future.

Andrew Little has repeated hiscommitment to that policy buthas gone much further. The newpolicy of three years free post-

school education can be taken upby a person at any time duringtheir lifetime, for academic or,trades training. We need notonly university quali cations butalso technical and technologicalskills to meet the needs acrossthe workforce.

The policy removes the barriersto further education that tuitionfees may impose. Measures willbe in place to ensure the quality oflearning and the commitment ofthe student or trainee. For second

or third year funding, students

will need to pass more than halftheir courses in the previous year.This programme is about creatingthe opportunity for the individualand bene t for the communityand we need to ensure that is

what is delivered.I am pleased to see such strong

support for the policy, bothfrom commentators and fromthe wider public. People haveexpressed support for what weare trying to achieve and haveacknowledged that Labour has

done its homework. They have welcomed the fact that we have aplan to deal with rising insecurityfrom the rapidly changing natureof work.

National has, of course,criticised the policy. It is a pity

when political parties feel theneed to oppose a good idea just

because it comes from another

party. I note that the NZ Herald political editor acknowledged thatthe policy was properly costed andhad merit. As she commented,everyone remembers the Workingfor Families policies Nationalcondemned as “communism

by stealth” and interest-freestudent loans, both of which theycriticised and then kept.

Labour’s policy is a good one.

When implemented by the next

Labour government, both the

public and future governments

will see it as critically necessary

in the changing world we are

living in.

Kiwis welcome Syrian refugees to New ZealandK iwis came together to welcomeSyrian refugees to New Zealandin a heart-warming video releasedby World Vision.

“We can’t wait to meet you” was thesentiment expressed by Kiwis of all ages,as nearly 100 Syrian refugees arrived inNew Zealand as part of the government’semergency quota intake.

Featuring a special waiata created byAuckland iwi Ngati Wha tua for the video,Kiwis welcomed refugees to New Zealandwith messages of friendship.

Ten-year-old Lochlan can’t wait to seeSyrian refugees at school, 18-year-old Jayhopes to bump into the new arrivals down

at the beach this summer,and Natalie and Kiritapuhave extended an inviteto the Bay of Plenty for a

barbecue. World Vision New

Zealand CEO Chris Clarkesays that he is excited to

bring such a warm messageto Syrian refugees as theyarrive in New Zealand tocreate a safe home.

“We want the Syrianrefugees arriving to knowthat they’re safe, they’re

welcome and we’re so

happy to have them. New Zealand has arich tradition of welcoming migrants andrefugees to our country, and we’re proudto have these incoming Syrian refugees as apart of our wider Kiwi whanau” says Chris.

“A refugee crisis that once felt so faraway is now arriving on our doorstep, andit’s a testament to the Kiwi spirit that we’ve

welcomed our new neighbours with suchopen arms,” continues Chris.

There are many ways NewZealanders can welcome Syrianrefugees to their new home. Here are

ve ways that Kiwis can help:

1. Welcome Syrian refugees into yourneighbourhood as they arrive, andincorporate new migrants into schools,

workplaces, churches and communities with love and understanding, not fear.

2. Create conversation and break down barriers at your school, workplaceor with friends and family Join theonline conversation with the hashtag#refugeeswelcome

3. Work with local agencies who help tosettle refugees into New Zealand suchas Red Cross or Migrant Action Trust.

4. Hold a fundraiser to support the 13.5million Syrian in need overseas or localsettlement projects here.

5. If you think we can do more—say so.Many other organisations like World

Vision are asking the government todouble the quota to allow more Syrianrefugees eeing war into New Zealand.

Continued from Page 3

The policy removesthe barriers to furthereducation that tuitionfees may impose.Measures will be inplace to ensure thequality of learning andthe commitment of thestudent or trainee

Children wave small photocopied Syrian ags in Mangere

Views expressed in the article are those ofthe author and do not necessarily refectIndian Weekender’s opinion

Top Left: Andrew Little, Labour leader; Above: Labour MP Jenny Salesa


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5NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand welcomes record121,900 migrants in 2015

N ew Zealand welcomed arecord 121,900 migrants,mostly from Asia in 2015, thegovernment statistics agency said onMonday.

According to Statistics New Zealand,the country had a net gain - more arrivalsthan departures - of 5,500 migrants inDecember, down from the record highof 6,200 in November, Xinhua newsagency reported.

Of the migrant arrivals in 2015,25,300 were from Australia, 14,500

were from India, with three-quartershaving student visas, and 11,000 werefrom China, with almost half havingstudent visas.

Around 13,400 came from Britain, with almost half having work visas.

It resulted from a record 121,900migrant arrivals and 57,000 migrantdepartures, said a statement fromthe agency.

Reserve Bank of New Zealandgovernor Graeme Wheeler said last weekthat continued strong net migration,along with tourism, would help raiseNew Zealand›s slowing economic

growth this year.

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6 NEW ZEALAND

Garden City revel in Indiantraditional wrestling or Kushti GAURAV SHARMA

K ushti or Indiantraditional wrestlinghas a great historicallegacy, with Dara Singh probablythe most famous modern great.Which is why it is ironical thatit took a Ukrainian to go aboutgenerating awareness about thesport in Christchurch. But at thesame time, it also points towardsthe universal appeal of the ghtingart form.

This is certainly how DemitriKorzh, an international wrestlingcoach who immigrated to NewZealand in 2002 feels about thesport.

“I was introduced to Kushtiwhen I was in my primary schoolin Ukraine and the love-a air

hasn’t stopped since. During mystints with the national teams,rst in my home country and then

in Oceania and New Zealand, Ihave realised that Kushti is thebest sport for total well-being,both mental and physical. Thisis the message I want to spread.That’s why I got very excited whena chance meeting with Hiteshled to the conceptualisation ofa Kushti workshop in one of themain streets of Christchurch.”

Hitesh Sharma, directorof Christchurch-based event

management company RevelEvents who helped in organisingthe Kushti event, was visiblyhappy too.

“With so many young Indiansfrom North India—where Kushtiis very popular—immigratingto New Zealand, I see a lot ofpotentials for the sport to growhere. Moreover, we are alwayslooking for organising eventssuch as these, which have distinctIndian avour. That’s why, nextin line is the Holi festival, to beheld in Christchurch on March5 followed by the Vaisakhi Melaa week later, on March 11,” heconcluded.

Telugu Associationcelebrates SankrantiGAURAV SHARMA

T he Telugu Association ofSouth Island New Zealandcelebrated the festivalof Sankranti in Christchurch onJanuary 17.

TasiNZ is an informal group inexistence since 2006 and havingits membership at 240 now. GopiSajja, who came to Christchurch in2003, and is one of the foundingmembers of TasiNZ, noted, “Even

though our celebrations were low-key this year, over 100 peopleattended the event. We hadorganised a game of indoor cricketas well as played musical chairs,

which was followed by dinner ofsome delicious Andhra dishes.

Apart from Sankranti, we alsoorganise Diwali and a mid-winterfestival. But the biggest yearlycelebrations are of the Telugu New

Year—Ugadi—which we will havethis year too, sometime in April.”

Send us news,events andhappenings fromaround [email protected]

Indian Weekender

200 th issue12 th Feb


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7NEW ZEALAND

Bapu remembered onJanuary 30th

GAURAV SHARMA

Marking a deathanniversary is always

painful and sombre.More so, if it’s been 68 years sinceour father of the nation and oneof the greatest political leader ofmodern times, Mahatma Gandhi,was assassinated by a Hindufanatic Nathuram Godse.

“But the thing with greatpeople is that even their death canbe a source of inspiration for all ofus. Now, more than ever before,are Gandhian ideals of peace andnon-violence relevant in humansocieties. Such days also giveus an opportunity to pause andrethink on incorporating some

aspects of Gandhian philosophy inour busy lives, while celebratingthe great man’s own life journey,who famously said ‘my life is mymessage’,” noted Archana Tandon,a South-Island based Justice ofPeace and custodian of 34 rareblack and white photographsof the Gandhi. Last displayedpublicly at the Lincoln EventCentre and Dar eld Library duringthe Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in2015, the photographs themselveshave an interesting history.

“These were taken by notedMumbai-based photographer D.R. D. Wadia during the 1940s andcomprise of portraits and informalimages of Gandhi ji with PanditNehru, Mohammed Jinnah andother major political leaders of theIndian independence movement.Some were taken during his village

visits, at mass public gatheringsand at formal political meetings,”informed Tandon.

These photographs or rathertheir negatives came to NewZealand when Wadia’s grandson,

Aditya Malik, a former seniorlecturer at the Canterbury

University immigrated here in2000s. When Malik returnedto India for good some time

back, Tandon agreed to becomethe custodian of the pricelesscollection.

The photographs wereput on public display forthe rst time in 2002 at theCanterbury Museum under thetitle, Gandhi: A PhotographicExhibition. Later, the collectionmoved around the country fora while. Then, again in 2010,the photographs formed the

part of Colours of India—a week-long festival with an Indian themeorganised by the Christchurch Art

Gallery.“While there was a gap of ve years because of the earthquakes, we have restarted the publicdisplay last year and plan tocontinue it henceforth. While it’sgood that the collection is mobilegiving a lot more people thechance to witness this historicaltreasure, ideally, in due course,it would be great if these 34photographs nd a permanentplace in Canterbury’s historicallandscape,” she concluded.

New $72m Outpatientsfacility for Christchurch

H ealth MinisterJonathan Coleman saysthe Government hasgiven the green light to a new $72million Outpatients facility to be

built in Canterbury.

“The Government is committedto ensuring that Canterbury DHBis well placed to continue todeliver high quality services,” saysDr Coleman.

“The new building will belocated in the health precincton St Andrew’s triangle directlyopposite Christchurch Hospital,

which is close to the CBD and onpublic transport routes.

“Spanning ve storeys and10,500m2 the new building willprovide outpatient and otherclinical services including diabetes,endocrine, ophthalmology, anddental.

“Patients and sta will bene tfrom having so many key services

brought together in a purpose- built facility. Clinical leaders arehaving a high level of involvementin the design to help ensure thespace is well utilised.

“While the nal design andconstruction timeframes areexpected to be con rmed in thecoming months, the Governmenthas made up to $72 millionavailable for the project and thenew facility is expected to becompleted in 2018.

“The approval of the newOutpatients facility is a signi cantmilestone in what is already thelargest hospital redevelopmentproject in New Zealand’s history.In total close to $1 billion isprogrammed to be spent in coming

years on a range of new and/orredeveloped health facilities inCanterbury.

“Canterbury’s health workforcehas demonstrated incredibleresilience and determinationin recent years—this massiveredevelopment programme seeksto help recognise this.”

Canterbury DHB has a $1.36 billion budget, up $254 millionin seven years. In addition, theGovernment has provided theDHB with a one-o $16 millionfunding boost for 2015/16.


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Commercial property market in 2016Following a record year ofsales volume, low vacancyrates and yields—ColliersInternational, CEO MarkSynnott sees little reasonfor that trend to changeheading into 2016

“ Two key features will underpinthe con dence and demand in thecommercial property market for thenext 12 months: historically low interestrates and population expansion.”

Synnott says population growth was a keytenet of his predictions for last year (2015)and he says it will remain a driving forcebehind major commercial developmentsin 2016.

“New Zealand’s net migration gainsshow no sign of letting up, and population—speci cally in Auckland—will providethe impetus for more major commercialdevelopments.”

Record low yields will also featureagain in 2016, purely because of demand,says Synnott.

“There is a lot more money available forinvestment than there are properties to beinvested in. The record low CBD o ce andindustrial vacancy rates in Auckland willcontinue as an acute barometer of this trend.”

Synnott says the residential marketis also placing greater focus on densityto alleviate demand and price pressures,and this will increase the attractivenessof quality apartment projects such asAlexandra Park.

“As predicted last year, New Zealand’scommercial property market is still onlyseeing the beginnings of the ‘great wall ofmoney’ on o er from China. The sheer

weight of capital available from Asianinvestors who want to nd a home for it ininternational markets is massive, and NewZealand is an extremely attractive location.”

Synnott predicts activity within the retailproperty sector will also be very notable in2016 – particularly coming o the back ofsigni cant momentum late last year (2015)

where Colliers’ Capital Markets teamtransacted a record billion dollars in salesin less than six months, anchored in themain by West eld shopping centres ($549million) and Countdown supermarket($287 million) sales.

Synnott also sees a strong case for‘tourism becoming the new dairy’.

“New Zealand is currently enjoying

a major tourism boom, with more thanthree million international visitors visitingour shores for the rst time in a one yearperiod. This represents an 8.1% increase onthe previous twelve months, and our hotelproperty market is re ecting that.

”Colliers Hotel division is witnessing the

rst stages of the next transaction cycle withmore than $290 million in sales recorded in2015, up a staggering 500% over the sameperiod in 2014.


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10 NEW ZEALAND

Customs underfundingcompromising bordersecurity

The under-funding ofCustoms is

putting the security ofNew Zealand’s bordersat risk, says Labour’sCustoms spokespersonRino Tirikatene.

“Reports thatCustoms only stop 10% ofillicit drug imports and are notinvestigating Class B drugs orimports under 5 kilograms aredeeply concerning. This is a suresign of a department that is unableto do its job adequately andappropriately.

“While the management ofCustoms needs to be held toaccount for this debacle, the rootcause is inadequate funding ofCustoms by the government.

“At a time when visitornumbers to New Zealand arerising, it is deeply irresponsible to

not adequately fund the protectionof New Zealand’s borders.

“New Zealand is facing atsunami of hard drugs oodinginto the country including recordlevels of methamphetamine or ‘P’.

“Seven years ago, the PrimeMinister made halting the

scourge of ‘P’ a priority for hisGovernment. It is clear on thatmeasure alone he is failing thepeople of New Zealand.

“The government needs toexplain why they think thatstopping drug smuggling is such alow priority,” says Rino Tirikatene.

International action onZika appropriateH ealth MinisterJonathan Colemansays the World HealthOrganization’s declaration of Zikavirus as a public health emergencyis appropriate.

“Although cases of the Zikavirus have been reported for overa decade in New Zealand, it’sgenerally been regarded as a mildillness,” says Dr Coleman.

“Recent developments overseasmean this declaration is the rightstep.

“The WHO declarationfollows international clusters ofmicrocephaly and neurologicalconditions associated with thevirus. By elevating this to a publichealth emergency, much neededresearch can now be fast-tracked.

“I am advised that the threatwithin New Zealand is virtuallynon-existent as we don’t have themosquito species, Aedes aegypti,which is spreading the disease.

“We have a longstandingprogramme in place to protect our

borders and reduce the spread ofcommunicable disease.“Good surveillance and

reporting means we can ensurepeople get the right diagnosis,with prompt help and advice.

“This includes information atthe airport for travellers arrivingin New Zealand advising them

about the virus and where to gethelp if they become sick.

“Passengers coming from Zikainfected countries are being givenan information handout whichhas been translated into severallanguages. There are also largesigns displaying this informationat passport control.

“New Zealanders are only atrisk if travelling to areas whereZika is prevalent.

“Until more is known about the

virus pregnant women or womenplanning to become pregnantshould consider delaying travelto areas with Zika virus. Anyonetravelling to Zika infectedcountries should take appropriateprecautions to avoid mosquito

bites.” Within New Zealand there

have now been 10 Zika casesthis year a ecting travellers whohave recently arrived from theSouth Paci c—eight of whichare con rmed. Travellers withthe disease have been in Tonga,Samoa, and American Samoa.

More than 20 countries, whichare mostly in central America, arecurrently reporting cases.

The Ministry of Healthcontinues to monitor internationaldevelopments and is in the

process of establishing a specialistadvisory group to guide ongoingadvice and actions.

Anyone wanting moreinformation can call Healthline0800 611 116 or visit the SafeTravel website, www.safetravel.govt.nz and the Ministry of Health

website, www.health.govt.nz.

No room for complacencyin volatile 2016

T he government mustnot become complacentabout a fall in theunemployment rate given theReserve Bank Governor’s warningof increasing global uncertainty in2016 and a plunge in dairy prices

yet again, says Labour’s Financespokesperson Grant Robertson.

“This year has started o in a volatile fashion with stockmarkets diving, the global dairyprice continuing to slide andFonterra’s forecast milk pay outagain dropping to well below

break-even point for farmers.“That’s why Graeme Wheeler

has warned of greater uncertaintiesaround the global economy andthe impact that could have on NewZealand. National must listen tohis words—despite ignoring his

warnings for months.“His speech challenges the

ongoing validity of the policytargets agreement. This shows MrEnglish needs to look at alternativeapproaches to monetary policy.Graeme Wheeler can’t x theeconomy on his own.

“Today’s drop in the globaldairy trade means there has beena 60 per cent plunge in the price of

whole milk powder in the last two years, raising the real prospect ofthree years of no pro ts for dairyfarmers and ow-on e ects fortheir communities.

“The unemployment guresalso need careful reading, giventhat any drop is o set by thenumber of people actively lookingfor work falling by 14,300. This isthe third quarter the participationrate has gone down, meaningpeople are walking away from thelabour market. This contributes toa lower unemployment rate.

“Many New Zealanders are stillfeeling the cost of living squeeze,as evidenced by today’s guresshowing the lowest quarterly wagegrowth in 25 years. While in ationmight be low, wages are just notkeeping up with skyrocketinghousing costs—putting the Kiwidream of home ownership furtherout of reach.

“National needs to bringforward more infrastructureprojects. It needs to take urgentaction to diversify the economyaway from dairy and the Aucklandhousing market to help prepareNew Zealand for a challenging

year. Just yesterday the ANZcommodity index had a 15 per centfall, showing the need to move up

the value chain of exports.“New Zealanders need a

government that is an activepartner in growing the economyand preparing for the future, notthe bunch of distracted bystanders

we currently have,” says GrantRobertson.

Unemployment fgures lowest inseven years

The latest HouseholdLabour Force Survey

(HLFS) showsunemployment has fallen to 5.3per cent, the lowest since March2009. There were an additional21,000 jobs in the Decemberquarter, and 175,000 additionaljobs over the past three years.

“It’s positive to see strongfalls in unemployment in manyregions, including Northland,Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay,Manawatu/ Whanganui, Nelson/Tasman/Mar lborough /Wes tCoast, Taranaki and the Waikato,”says Mr Joyce.

“The construction industry ledthe way with 27,500 more peoplein the year to December, largelydriven o residential constructionin Auckland. It’s also positive tosee strong growth in techniciansand trade workers, with 20,800more employed over the year.

“Wages continue to outpacecost of living increases, with the

average weekly wage up 3.1 percent in the past year, compared with in ation of 0.1 per cent.”

Other highlights include:• Youth not in Employment,

Education or Training (NEETS) was the lowest since September2008 (10.9 per cent)

• The NEET gure for 15-19 yearolds was again the lowest sincerecords began in 2004 (6.5 percent)

• Paci c people’s unemploymentis now the lowest in seven years

• Maori unemployment fell 1.6per cent

“This quarter’s unemploymentrate is better than nearly allcommentators anticipated. Whilethat measure will continue tomove around each quarter, the jobgrowth and employment guresfor New Zealand continue to bestrong relative to nearly all otherdeveloped countries.

“This shows that the NewZealand economy is growing wellrelative to our competitors andthat the government’s economicprogramme including the BusinessGrowth Agenda, is helping provideemployers with the con dence toinvest and grow jobs.


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11NEW ZEALAND

6m breakfasts served in schools

S ocial Development Minis-ter Anne Tolley says that with students returning toschool, the six millionth Kickstart

breakfast will be served this weeksince the government expandedthe programme.

“More than 27,000 school-age children sit down to a bowlof breakfast at more than 800

schools across the country everyschool week,” Ms Tolley says.

“Feedback from schools isoverwhelmingly positive, with99.5 per cent of schools satis edor very satis ed with the KickstartBreakfast programme.

“Schools have also reportedthat general health, concentrationand behaviour has improved.”

New towers expandmobile phone coverageF ifteen new cell towersadded to existing networkshave expanded mobilecoverage to more than 1700

square kilometres of rural areaspreviously without coverage.

The new towers are a result ofthe auction of the 700 MHz bandof radio spectrum, won by Sparkand Vodafone in 2014. Under theauction agreement, Spark and

Vodafone were required to buildnew towers in new rural areasin the rst ve years after thepurchase.

Fifteen of these new towersare now complete and servicingremote communities, and 60more are still to come.

“People living and working

in these areas can now use theirmobile phones in places wherethere was previously no coverage,”Hon Amy Adams, Minister forCommunications, says.

“This new coverage is essentialfor emergency situations and willhelp emergency service providersto quickly reach those needingassistance. 80 per cent of NewZealanders now have access to 4Gor fourth generation, high-speedmobile data services and we expectthat number to reach 90 per cent

by 2019.” The new 4G networks

are delivering better coverage andincreased network capacity forNew Zealand’s regions. The resultis speed up to ten times faster than3G mobile.

“This is another importantmilestone in improving ourinternet services for individuals,schools, hospitals and businesses,including in rural areas, as NewZealanders seek to take advantageof the bene ts of the digitaleconomy,” Ms Adams says.

Vodafone’s ve new towersare: Catlins North (Southland),

Waihau Bay (East Coast),Tapawera South (Tasman),Otautau (Southland), and MillersFlat (Central Otago).

New Spark towers have been built at: Castle Hill (NorthCanterbury), Awhitu North (SouthManukau Heads), Porongahau(South Hawkes Bay), GlenMurray (South of Port Waikato),Barrytown (West Coast), Maihiihi(Waikato), Kaniere (West Coast),Gladstone (Wairarapa), Karamea(West Coast), and Kaiaua (westernFirth of Thames).

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Auckland boy tops IGCSEMaths exam in the world

2 015 has been yet anothersuccessful year forBrilliance Educare Centre,the reputed after-school tuitioncentre at Mt Roskill. Establishedin 2007 by husband-wife duo RajiChacko M.Sc., B.Ed., PGDME,

and Lotus Raji M.Sc., M.Ed., thetuition centre, which is locatedat 20 Frost Road near Mt Roskillgrammar school, has seen anexponential increase in thoseseeking for quality education,as well as their various studentsuccess stories.

One student from St PetersCollege Auckland, Paulse

Anithottam achieved 100%marks, top in the world for the2015 Cambridge Year 11 IGCSEMaths exam. In the previous

years, various students have comeclose with 99% and 98% marks.Paulse achieved 100% marks inall the Maths internals he wrote

in 2015 and credits the knowledgereceived from Brilliance forhis success.

All year 13 students whograduated from Brilliancein 2015 got admission into

various universities, with onestudent—Balu Mallela, gaininga Chancellor’s scholarship of$50000 to study Medicine atSydney University. BrillianceEducare Centre is a place wherestudents get the help they need, nomatter what level they are at, and

which transforms students intoscholars true to its motto “Aimingfor Excellence”.

Paulse Anithottam


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12 NEW ZEALAND

Being ambitious for New Zealand

A s a small island nation,it is crucial New Zealandis an open and con dentcountry that backs itself on theworld stage.

And that’s exactly what thisGovernment is working hard toachieve. As the Prime Ministersays, New Zealand can’t get richselling things to itself. But it can

if we build and develop strong andenduring global relationships.

Building a strong economythat attracts new investment andcreates more jobs will remainfront and centre of the National-led government’s agenda.

A strong, growing economyencourages businesses to boostinvestment in new products andmarkets, hire more sta andpay good wages. It means NewZealanders can be rewarded fortheir enterprise and hard work.

A strong economy also supports better health-care, education, andother public services people need.

We frequently hear otherpolitical parties calling for thegovernment to magic up more

jobs, to increase wages or to spendmore on any number of things.

Actually, we can’t do any of thosethings without a strong, con denteconomy. Our role as a governmentis creating an environment thatgives businesses the con denceto invest and grow. They canonly do that in the knowledgethey’ll be backed by clear andsensible government policies. ThisNational-led government workson those issues every day. We’reresolutely focused on improving

our competitiveness. A good example is the Trans-

Paci c Partnership Agreement.It will be New Zealand’s biggest

free trade agreement, giving ourexporters much better access tomore than 800 million customersin 11 countries across Asia and thePaci c. It will eliminate tari s on93 per cent of exports to our newfree trade partners—the UnitedStates, Japan, Canada, Mexicoand Peru. And it’s expected to be

worth at least $2.7 billion a year toNew Zealand by 2030.

Successive New Zealandgovernments have worked hard

to achieve this for 25 years. Theyknew it would help diversify andgrow the economy. So it really isunthinkable that any responsiblegovernment would now walk awayfrom the TPP.

It will be positive for ourcountry and for our future.

This week, New Zealand hostedthe signing of the Trans-Paci cPartnership Agreement. This is a

big deal for a small country suchas New Zealand.

I’m looking forward to seeingthe bene ts the TPP will deliver toour exporters, businesses and toour country as a whole.

More challenges for Auckland ahead

T The Prime Minister’sannouncement on Auckland infrastructurewas most welcome—it’s acon rmation of the good thingshappening in our city. Howeverwe must not lose sight of thefact that there is much more tobe done.

Since the governmentannounced its support for the CityRail Link (CRL) back in 2012, Ihave been asking them to providecertainty over timing and funding.That is what Auckland needed andthat is what the government hasnow delivered. To reach our visionof Auckland being the world’smost liveable city, we need this tohappen. Aucklanders have beenwaiting for the CRL for decadesand it’s been my number onepriority since my rst AucklandCouncil mayoral campaign.

Securing government funding

and certainty for my numberone priority—the City RailLink—shows how much progressis being made. What we havedone in the rst ve years of theunited Auckland has built thefoundations.

Big challenges remainThe government announcement

shows that Auckland, NewZealand’s economic powerhouse,is starting to reap what it hassown. The government coming tothe party is con rmation of mylong-held argument that the raillink is not just about transport,

but it’ll also be transformationalin boosting the city’s economicand social life.

In our ever-maturingpartnership with the government,

Auckland Council knows theimportance of the inescapablelink between transport and urbanform and development. Transportand housing remain our two

biggest challenges. This August,agreement on the Unitary Planis fundamentally important to

Auckland’s future – as essential ascreating better transportation toget employees into the central city

or where they need to work.The Unitary Plan, a single set of

planning rules to guide Auckland’sgrowth over the coming decades,has a ordable housing andintegrated public transport atits core. It is these two essentialissues that Aucklanders have beentelling me for the past ve yearsthey want us to provide.

800 new Aucklanders every week

Our city is becoming desirableglobally. Our population is

growing at 3 per cent a year whichmeans more than 800 new peoplea week are arriving, adding tohousing and transport pressures.

As Auckland grows, and as ourtransport systems improve dueto projects such as with the raillink, the options for people to livecloser to transport links will getgreater. That is, for example, whyin the plan we are linking publictransport corridors with terracedhousing and apartment zones andlimiting the amount of parkingin centres where there are goodtransport options available. Thisfrees up more space for housingand provides greater incentives

for people to use public transport. All this is a work in progress for which there is no quick magic wand. Short of putting barbed wire around our city, tellingpotential immigrants they can’tland in Auckland and telling ourcitizens they can’t have babies, ourcity will keep growing.

City Rail Link just the startThe united city I have led has

bravely moved forward with anew plan for the city includinginvesting in our transport system.

After years of bickering amongstprevious Auckland councils andperiods of disagreement with thegovernment, we are now clearly

working hard in partnership withgovernment.

We are well into the workon a transport accord with thegovernment - known as the

Auckland Transport AlignmentProject. By the middle of the year,

we will have removed the hurdlesover any di erences on transportinvestment priorities and foundcommon ground on how to fundthe investment needed to get

Auckland moving.The CRL announcement is just

a precursor. The transport fundingdebate which Aucklanders havealso been engaged in for morethan ve years remains the mostimportant issue to be resolved in

Auckland.

Lowering barriers to home building

Likewise, the housing accord with the government is aspringboard for smart thinkingabout reducing barriers to freeingup housing land. Even after allthe streamlining of regulatory

systems, I am as impatient asanyone that no one can hurrythe time involved in the actualconstruction process of buildinghouses. Auckland’s population

will reach two million people inthe early 2030s. The collective

work now being done means we have reduced the politicalhurdles to deal with that. Nowcomes the task of cohesivelyfocussing on delivering on thepresent and future expectations of

Aucklanders and New Zealanders. While I serve out my present

term as mayor of Auckland, I willcontinue to be totally focused onthose goals.

Govt and tech industry summit to look at key issuesA major tech industry andgovernment summit in Wellington on February23 will look at key issues to improveservice and delivery to consumers.

About 40 per cent of all themoney spent in New Zealandon ICT technology is spent bythe government amounting tohundreds of millions of dollars.

NZTech chief executive GraemeMuller says the government hasrecognised that in order to deliver

better public services they needto use technology to transformthe way they interact withpeople, organisations and acrossgovernment.

“NZTech is bringing togetherthe leaders and chief information

o cers across government tocollaborate and share innovative

ways they have partnered with thetech sector to help transform anddeliver better to and for the public.

“In a recognition of theimportance of balancing the costof technology deployment with thelonger term nancial bene ts thattransformation of government can

bring, Deputy Prime Minister BillEnglish will open the summit.

“Leaders from the NewZealand tech sector and thegovernment will discuss and sharesuccess strategies for successfuldeployments of technology, ofinnovative uses of technology andof cross-department collaborationto improve people’s experiences.”

Keynote presentations willinclude the chief executive of theMinistry of Business, Innovationand Employment, David Smol;Deputy Commissioner ofTransformation at Inland Revenue,Greg James; and the Australianchief technology o cer, JohnSheridan.

Muller says underlying thegovernment’s drive to deliver betterpublic services are targets to reduce

welfare dependency and crime,to support vulnerable children,

boost employment and make iteasier to interact with government.

Across all of these, technology isrecognised as an enabler that willhelp the government to improveand transform.

“To accelerate thetransformation shared learningand collaboration is essential. Thesavings across government and thesociety could be enormous. Since2012, better use of technology hasdelivered a 16 percent reduction inthe reported e ort in dealing withgovernment departments.”

NZTech is the voice of the NewZealand technology industry whoserole is to help drive economicgrowth led by technology. Itrepresents over 270 tech companiesthroughout New Zealand includingthe ICT multinationals, hi-techmanufacturers, local NZ ICT

rms and start-ups. Technologyis the fastest growing industryin New Zealand and the third

biggest export earner. For furtherinformation contact New ZealandTechnology Industry Associationchief executive Graeme Muller on021 02520767 or Make Lemonademedia specialist Kip Brook on0275 030188

NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller

Len Brown

Mayor of Auckland

Kanwaljit BakshiNational List MP


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14 FIJI

Source: Fiji Sun

Twenty four young men forNew Zealand East Pack

T wenty four young men will soon leave for NewZealand to work for a kiwi

fruit packing and cold storagecompany – East Pack.

Two company representativeswere here last week interviewingpotential candidates. Bay ofIslands based East Pack is lookingfor 24 young Fijian men to work in

it’s orchards and packing plant.East Pack Human Resource

Manager Heather Burton saysthey are mainly focused on people

who are stable, reliable and canalso work hard for 6 days a week.

‘’We want good reliable people.People that are happy to work inthe outdoors. New Zealand is alot colder than Fiji so they have to

brave the elements and come into what is our autumn going intoour winter. One of our big criteriais that they stick to the roles that both the government and EastPack has’’.

The twenty four selected will bepaid a starting rate of $15 an hour.

They’re expected to leave forNew Zealand in March.

VC Prof Chandra honoured with Ratna awardT

he vice-chancellorand president of TheUniversity of the South

Paci c (USP), Professor RajeshChandra, was recently honouredat the rst-ever Uttar Pradesh(UP) Pravasi Diwas, India, onJanuary 4 with Uttar PradeshRatna Award.

He was one of the 13 peopleacross the world from the Indiandiaspora who were honoured atthe Pravasi Diwas ceremony bythe Chief Minister of the State ofUttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav.

Among those honoured was theformer Prime Minister of Trinidadand Tobago, Basdeo Pandey.

Also included were thosemaking outstanding contributionsin various countries in di erent

elds including business,medicine, politics, education,community and socialdevelopment, and culture.

Professor Chandra said thathe was deeply humbled by thisaward.

“I feel very humbled andgrateful for this internationalrecognition and deeply honoured

by being placed in company of

such eminent recipients.“I was also overwhelmed by

the warmth that was shown bythe government and people ofUttar Pradesh and impressed bythe calibre of the presenters andparticipants,” he said.

“In receiving this award, Iacknowledge the contribution ofmy parents, especially my father

who has been my inspiration.“He not only took loans to

further my education, but asmanager of the Tuva Indian

School, he inspired me to make acontribution to education.

“I feel proud that as a son of agirmitya, I could make the kindof contribution that are attractinginternational recognition,especially being from a smallcountry like Fiji,” he said.

The award was based on hisextensive contribution to highereducation.

In addition to being the vice-chancellor and president of USPfor the last seven years, ProfessorChandra has served USP for about37 years in various capacities.

Professor Chandra alsosigned a memorandum ofunderstanding (MOU) with thegovernment of Uttar Pradesh topromote diasporic studies andexchanges and the development ofinformation and communicationstechnologies.

USP vice-chancellor and President, Professor Rajesh Chandra (right), receives the Uttar Pradesh RatnaAward from UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

Hard work pays dividendZ avin Shah was thehappiest graduatelast Friday afterwinning the Pivot PointFiji Dux prize during the2015 Class Graduation atthe Tanoa InternationalHotel in Nadi.

The 22-year-old Labasawoman graduated inAdvanced Diploma inEsthetics.

“When I returned fromAustralia in 2014, I wasexposed to a di erentenvironment, so I enrolledin this programme,”she said. Ms Shah also has anAdvance Diploma in InformationTechnology and has completed

CCNA (CISCO) Stage One.She has worked for FijiBroadcasting Corporation andVodafone Fiji before joiningInterContinental Fiji Resort andSpa. “I fell in love with Spa andnever regretted it. It is a hot cakein the market and IT is sort of

ooded nowadays. If I remainedin IT, it would be boring after all.”

Ms Shah said: “There are no

barriers for success when the heartis willing to go the extra mile.”Her classmate Naleshni

Devi, 30, originally from Ba wasawarded the Principal’s Award.

Ms Devi said she faced a lotchallenges, but her family playeda big role in her success.

“I got a good job at the BebeSpa at the Outrigger Fiji BeachResort and Spa.

“I earn a good pay and the whole investment proved mychoice to be good,” she said.

“There were a lot of expenses intravelling and for the projects, butthe sacri ce is bearing fruit now,and maybe I will later open myown business.”

(from left) Naleshni Devi, Dhiren Kumar, Kamla Wati Kumar and Zavin Shah with their top awards during thePivot Point Fiji 2015 class graduation at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi.

“I was alsooverwhelmed bythe warmth thatwas shown bythe governmentand people ofUttar Pradeshand impressed bythe calibre of thepresenters andparticipants”

Sri Lanka offers to work with theFiji military

S ri Lanka haso ered to work with theRepublic of Fiji MilitaryForces (RFMF), the FijiSun Online reported.

Highly decorated SriLankan o cer, Major-General Aruna Perera,met with Fiji PrimeMinister Voreqe Bainimaramain Suva. Major General Pereramentioned Sri Lanka’s o er to

work to assist the RFMF. He saidhe was happy with the PrimeMinister’s response.

The RFMF Land Force

Commander, Colonel SitiveniQiliho who was also at themeeting told the Fiji Sun he

would be looking into the defenceco-operation.

Major-General Perera said he would like RFMF to send somesenior o cers to Sri Lanka to

look at their military operationsand later prepare the defenceco-operation between the twodefence forces.

Sri Lanka has a highly trainedand experienced military witha record of success in counter

terrorism. Colonel Qiliho saidthe two forces had been in touchthrough the RFMF rugby players

who now play in Sri Lanka.Now he said while RFMF

would send rugby players, SriLanka had o ered to help theRFMF in cricket.

TISI Sangam appreciates its elders

T he Then India SanmargaIkya (TISI) Sangamhosted a rst event for itspioneering members yesterday inLabasa.

TISI Sangam Pioneers’ Day was aimed at acknowledgingand recognising the elders fortheir contribution towards theorganisation. It saw more than100 senior citizens and membersof the institution celebrating.

Naleba College formerprincipal, former northerndivisional education o cer,

who is now a lawyer shared thesigni cance of the event.

Keshwan Padayachi said: “Ourelders have taught us how to love,how to care, how to give, how to

forgive, how to accept, and mostof all they are our backbone ofsupport.”

A 95-year-old, known asKottaiya, is believed to be oldest incrowd. The father of ve sons saidhe was very happy to participatein a programme where peoplehonoured him for his contribution.

“My elders and I have beenmembers of the TISI Sangamand positively contributed tothe development but never everI thought I would receive anappreciation gift,” Mr Kottaiyasaid.

Ponsami Padayachi, 83, said he was not present for the gift but tomeet his friends and families.


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Rock, clan and the schoolAVINESH GOPAL

T HERE is a rock that is visiblefrom the Kings Rd as you head toRakiraki.Many would probably shrug it o as just

another handiwork of mother nature. But

this is no ordinary rock. In fact it juts outalmost majestically as a rocky mountain.It seems there are connections to theexistence of human beings many centuriesago, probably about 1000 BC or so.

The rock is also said to have what lookslike giant human faces on di erent sides.

From this rock comes the name of aclan in Rakiraki and a school that catersfor children from the four villages, themembers of which make up the clan.

The rock is believed to have been theabode of the villagers’ ancestors and a littlebit of information about it can be found onthe internet. As part of my journey to thedistrict which brims with history, I stoppedover at the Navatu Primary School, whichis past Rakiraki Town towards Tavua. The

reason for the stopover was to meet mygood friend, Varayame Tavualevu, whois the chairman of Vunitogoloa Village inRakiraki. He was cutting grass at the school.

It was to nd out something else fromhim but I then became inquisitive with theschool’s name and was lucky to meet theschool committee secretary, Inia Waqa.

Mr Waqa, 57, of Vitawa Village, explainedwhere the school name came from and howit came to be located where it is now, nearthe foot of the hills at Navatu.

“The name of the school comes under thename of our clan, which consists of Vitawa,Narewa, Vunitogoloa and Naivuvunivillages,” he said.

“Navatu, which is our clan name, itselfmeans the rock and it comes from the rockUluinavatu which is near Vitawa Village.

“According to archeologists, peoplewere living on the Uluinavatu long beforethe birth of Jesus Christ. Human boneswere found there. From my search on theinternet, I found out that pottery foundat the Uluinavatu dates back to 1000BC,which is quite a long time ago.”

Mr Waqa said it was believed thevillagers’ ancestors lived on the rock at atime which people could never imagine.

He said from the stories passed downthrough the generations, he heard theirforefathers who lived on the rock in the1800s were strong people.

“They were not defeated in any war andthey lived on the rock during Udreudre’stime when cannibalism was rife in the area.

“When missionaries arrived in Fiji andstarted moving out to di erent places inthe country, our ancestors who lived onthe Uluinavatu received them and acceptedChristianity. From what I heard, ourancestors who lived on the rock also tookthe missionaries to Udreudre.”

Mr Waqa said the clan name Navatu hadbeen there since the time of the villagers’forefathers, linking it to the rock Uluinavatu.He said following the introduction ofeducation by the missionaries, the rstschool started in Narewa and was latermoved to Vunitogoloa.

“But the school was later destroyed by ahurricane and it was then moved to where itis now at Navatu and named after our clan.The land on which the school is located wasof yavusa Navatu and mataqali Dawadigofrom Naivuvuni Village.

“The school serves children from thefour villages which make up the Navatu clanand we have facilities for Year 1 to Year 8.”

Mr Waqa said the school used to havea roll of more than 150 students but itdropped to a little more than 80 last year.

He said more than 80 students had been

enrolled this year and enrolment was stillopen.

“The school roll has declined becausepeople have been moving out from the area

to urban centres in search of employmentand for other things.

“And as such, children have been going with their parents and attending otherschools. But we are still as strong as therock and we will continue to ensure thatchildren from the four villages and other

nearby areas get primary education notfar from their homes. The clan name itselfmeans the rock, so we are strong. Just likethe rock still stands, so will the school standstrong.”

Mr Waqa also said the school wouldstart its rstever kindergarten in Februaryas approval for it had been obtained from

the Ministry of Education. He said thekindergarten would be of great value to thechildren who had been staying home and

waiting to start school in Year 1.“It is the rst time that we are going to

have a kindergarten in the school and weare looking for some donors right now.

“We just need assistance in gettingplaying stu and things for other activitiesfor the children who will attend thekindergarten,” said Mr Waqa.

* Next week: A closer look at Uluinavatu.

Fiji Times


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NEW ZEALANDINDIA

Editorial — Author Unknown

Thought of the week Sometimes the grass is greener on the

other side because it’s fake.

From the desk of theManaging Editor “ “Many years ago I crossed the heart of the Sahara Desert, the Tanezrouft, deepin modern-day Algeria.The desert was 500 miles across in a single stretch, without water, food, a blade of grass, or even a y. It was totally at, like a broad, yellow, sand parking lotthat stretched to the horizon in all directions...

To counter the lack of features in the terrain, the French had marked the tracks with black, fty- ve-gallon oil drums, ve kilometers apart, exactly the distance tothe horizon, where the earth curved away as you crossed that at wasteland.

Because of this, wherever we were in the daytime, we could see two oil barrels,the one we had just passed and the one ve kilometers ahead. And that was enough.

All we had to do was steer toward the next oil barrel. As a result, we were able tocross the biggest desert in the world by simply taking it ‘one oil barrel at a time.’”

~ Brian Tracy from Eat that Frog

Often times in life, when we are faced with a huge challenge, our head goes into atizzy in trying to gure out how we are going to deal with it. We want to charter theentire course that we are going to take in trying to surmount tha t challenge. And thatmakes the whole situation even more daunting. That’s exactly what Brian Tracy talksabout when he talks about “one oil barrel at a time”. Just as that helped him acrossthe desert, so too in life’s di cult times, it’s often a good idea that we break down theproblem staring us in the face and deal with it step at a time or in Tracy’s language“one oil barrel at a time”. In doing so, you will nd that neither will you realize howlong and di cult the journey was and you will become more con dent as you takeone step after another.

While I write th is, the TPPA is being signed in Auckland and there are reportsof two pictures emerging. One that of all the leaders, a picture of optimism andcon dence in the agreement and the other is the demonstrations on the street adisplay of complete non-con dence in the government’s decision. We hope to covero an analysis on this in our next issue.

In this issue, we also carry Andrew Little, the leaders of the opposition’s, Stateof the Nation speech where he has made a commitment to free higher education foreveryone and this includes the provision of being re-trained. This could be exciting.

While there have been some initial reactions, overall I feel it has been well received.The place to be, over the weekend was Auckland, as it celebrated its Anniversary.

The city was alive and buzzing with exciting activities and we bring you a report. NewZealand is also gearing up for another long weekend and this time for Waitangi Day.

Whilst it’s a day to celebrate a legacy and the heritage, it seems to be clouded by somecontroversies. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has just given us a statementthat “the Prime Minister’s O ce has had no response to its letter sent to trustees atTe Tii Marae. Accordingly, the Prime Minister has decided he will not be attendingcelebrations in Waitangi this year.” We will bring you an update on how it all unfolds.

I hope this issue adds to your reading pleasure as you spend time with family andfriends over the long weekend. Stay Safe.

Until next time.Giri Gupta

Pick of the week

Photos of a 5-year-old boy Murtaza Ahmadi wearing the improvised Messi jersey made ou of plastic hastouched a chord with football fans. Afghanistan Football Federation has con rmed that Messi will meethis 5 year old fan Murtaza at Camp Nou.

Indian Weekender : Volume 7 Issue 44

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group LimitedManaging Editor: Giri Gupta | [email protected]: Annu Sharma | [email protected] Reporter: Swati Sharma | [email protected]: Rizwan Mohammad | [email protected]: Esha Chanda | [email protected]: Kumar Suresh | [email protected] Technical Of cer: Rohan Desouza | [email protected] Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | [email protected] Designer: Yashmin Chand | [email protected] and Admin.: Farah Khan | [email protected] and Marketing: 022 3251630 / 021 1507950 | [email protected]

Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisheris not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication

Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent

the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Indian Weekender is published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, AucklandPrinted at Horton Media, Auckland

Copyright 2015. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Word: Blazed

Meaning: To be energised

Usage: I have been blazed all week!


17/32


l

17OPINION/EDITORIAL

Amidst saffron fundamentalism, Modi’sachhey din a mirageAMULYA GANGULI

To most supporters of NarendraModi, including those outside the

sa ron fold who welcomed hiseconomic agenda, the prime minister’stenure so far has been disappointing. Thathe has sensed the uneasy public mood isevident from his directive for action againstnon-performing bureaucrats.

But, apart from disciplining theo cials, what is expected of him is thekind of sternness which he showed as theGujarat chief minister. As a result, he wasable to marginalize his predecessors likeKeshubhai Patel and silence rabble-rouserslike the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s PravinTogadiya.

In Delhi, he has taken similar e ectiveaction against incorrigible trouble-makerslike Yogi Adityanath and seems to havepersuaded Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat to refrain fromsaying that all Indians are Hindus.

But his task remains incomplete asthe hooliganism of the Akhil BharatiyaVidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activistsrecently showed in Allahabad Universitywhere they held a senior journalist hostagein the vice chancellor’s o ce to prevent himfrom speaking at a seminar. Their chargeagainst the journalist was that he was “anti-national”, a label which they also used todefame the Dalit student, Rohith Vemula,who recently committed suicide in theHyderabad Central University.

It is patent enough that Modi’s call for

upholding constitutional governance, underwhich anti-nationals are to be identi edonly by the state and not vigilante groups,is not being heeded by some of his partymembers and associates.

There is little doubt that their words

and deeds are re exive in nature. Having being tutored in the RSS shakhas (schools)to regard themselves as the epitomes ofpatriotism, the sa ron-tinted activistshave routinely dubbed those not adheringto their creed as enemies of the nation.

Their pursuit of the same line, despiteModi’s restraining e orts, is the mainreason why sections of the intelligentsiahave expressed misgivings about theprevailing intolerance in their view. Hadthe prime minister followed up his generaladvice with rm admonitions on speci coccasions, the sense of despondency mighthave been dissipated.

But perhaps because he feels that it is

below his dignity to react to the variousincidents which can appear to be minor inthe larger perspective, he prefers either, tosay nothing or leave it to party president

Amit Shah and others to speak to those whostep out of line.

However, his “dangerous silence”, asthe New York Times once called it, has

begun to hurt the party as maverickslike Subramanian Swamy continue theircampaign for building the Ram temple andsuggestions are made by the RSS chief toregulate the media “to ensure that no ill-e ects prevail in society” as a result of their

writings. Although the temple is unlikely to be

built in the near future—if at all—or MohanBhagwat’s veiled plea for censorshipimplemented, it is a familiar tactic offascistic out ts to keep on harping on theirprovocative projects to sustain communaltension.

It is not surprising, therefore, that an

opinion poll has shown Modi’s ratings to behigher than the BJP’s. There is little doubtthat at the national level, the people acrossthe board continue to repose considerablefaith in his pro-development programmeeven if it is yet to reach the take-o point.

But what the BJP has to be wary of is,rst, the signi cance of the party’s lower

approval rating and, second, the fact ofits inconsequence in states such as WestBengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

which will go to the polls this year. Only in Assam, which will also go to the polls, can itexpect to fare reasonably well, but it is stilla touch-and-go a air.

In Uttar Pradesh, too, the BJP mayface a hard time next year because of thealienation of sizable sections of Muslimsand Dalits in the aftermath of the targetingof so-called beef-eaters and the suicide ofRohith Vemula.

Amit Shah is right in saying that justas the political polarization at one timepitted Indira Gandhi against the rest, it isnow Modi vs the rest. But there is a slight

di erence—the middle-class today is muchlarger and more politically active than it

was in Indira Gandhi’s time. Modi’s highapproval rating comes from this segment ofsociety, which was also largely responsiblefor his victory in 2014.

But it is also a group which will not takekindly to the antics of the ABVP, the ShivSena and other Hindu militants. It is alsopossible that they are siding with Modi atpresent because there is no alternative at theall-India level. But this isn’t the case in thestates, which is why the BJP is unlikely tohave an easy run in the assembly elections.

To give the party a nationwide edge,the prime minister will have to crack

the whip much harder where the sa ronfundamentalists are concerned, for even aneight percent growth rate will not help himto usher in the missing achhey din if theextremists continue to rave and rant againstthe “anti-nationals”.

Is perception a good measurement of corruption?AMIT KAPOOR

E vidence of corruption in adeveloping countries like India cancause massive turmoil. Two cases inpoint have been the near collapse of UPA-II on account of corruption charges and

the rise of the AAP in Delhi on the anti-corruption plank. And yet, India is not alone when we talk

about the endemic problem of corruption.Brazil has seen a lot of turmoil in the recentpast with impeachment charges beingpressed against the president. Similarly,the Petrobras scandal dented the image ofBrazil internationally. All this points to thefact that countries across the world haveseen corruption in the past.

Historically, even Kautilya (more than300 years before Christ), in the treatiseArthshastra, mentions the problem ofillegal transactions as well as public fraud.In a reference to it among o cials stealingthe money, he mentions that it is easier toascertain the movement of birds in the skyrather than track the activities of corrupto cials.

While things have got a lot better than theMauryan times, there remains the endemicproblem of corruption. The question is howdo we track or measure it?

Reference to corruption is used in thecontext of use of public o ce for private

good. However, this is not the only formof corruption one can think about or in

which corruption can exist. Corruptioncan be with respect to the movement of

les quickly through a system, as well as be bene ts in kind and the like. Corruptioncan be classi ed in various ways - as public

versus private, moral versus monetary andeven institutional versus retail. However,a fundamental feature is that it corrodespublic wealth and often causes a loss tothe society. It is worth mentioning thatcorruption can also be between two privateindividuals, though often people conceive itto be a public problem.

Transparency International, which works in the area of transparency andaccountability of corporations and publicinstitutions, does exactly that and measurescorruption annually. It has just released itsCorruption Perception Index 2015.

The index is on a scale of zero to 100 with zero being totally corrupt and 100 being totally clean. India has a score of38, which shows it is relatively corrupt.However, this year the country is ranked 76out of 168 economies compared to 85 outof 174 economies in 2014. India is betterplaced than its BRICS peers with Brazil at76; Russia at 119; China at 83; and South

Africa at 44. While the index shows scores and ranks

across countries, it does not tell much aboutthe level of corruption actually observed.The problem arises as the index assumesthat the best way for measuring corruptionis measuring its perception. Another pointis that is it valid to put a single number onthe plethora of experiences businesses havein governance. What about the experiencesof common citizens? Proxies in the indexlike the number of people caught for actualcorruption can add value to the index.These can include details about chargesof corruption and enforcement of thesecharges by public o cials. Such actual casescan help assess corruption and not just theperception of corruption.

Over time, India should improve onthe corruption perception rating. Thenew government, to its credit, has nothad big scams in the past, but the retaillevel corruption seems to be where it was.On a methodological note, TransparencyInternational could use actual indicators

which tell about corruption charges andenforcement at the ground.

(The article is co-authored with SankalpSharma, Senior Researcher at the Institutefor Competitiveness, India. Amit Kapooris Chair, Institute for Competitiveness &Editor of Thinkers. The views expressed arepersonal.)


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LGBTS WELCOME SC MOVE ONHOMOSEXUALITY PLEA

Terming it a sign ofpositivity, the LGBTcommunity rejoiced at

the Supreme Court’s decision onFebruary 2 to refer to a constitutionbench the curative petition seekinga relook at its earlier verdictupholding the validity of Section377 of the Indian Penal Code thatcriminalises homosexuality.

Pallav Patankar, programmedirector at Humsafar Trust,an LGBT rights organisation,expressed happiness overacknowledgment of the curativepetition by the apex court.

“The fact that the court haseven agreed to reopen the debateis a sign of positivity. It’s like a rayof hope through a closed door,”Patankar said.

He said he was hoping forgovernment support on thematter.

“In our country, minoritymeans religious minorities.This is unfair. It is time for thegovernment to recognise sexualminorities as well,” he said.

An apex court bench headedby Chief Justice T.S. Thakurreferred the matter to a ve-judgeconstitution bench as counsel

Kapil Sibal said the issue involveda question of far-reachingconstitutional importanceand must be heard by a

ve-judge bench.Gay rights activist Harish Iyer

also expressed happiness over thecourt move.

“The fact that the court hasagreed for an open discussion onit, it takes a lot of courage. Thefact is that now the communityis garnering support from

various sections of the society,even religious groups are now

supporting this ght,” Iyer said.“They may oppose same sexpeople getting married, but atleast they are standing with us tostrike down Section 377, sayingthat it is a matter of privacy,”he said.

The LGBT community inIndia has been ghting a legal

battle asking for Section 377 to berevoked on grounds that it violateshuman rights.

Rituparna Borah, an LGBTactivist of Nazariya Foundation,slammed the government saying

she has no hopes from it.“The matter is in court now, so

we are pinning our hopes with the judiciary. Except Arun Jaitley andShaina N.C., no one else from the(Bharatiya Janata Party) party hassupported the LGBT community,”Borah said.

“(Shashi) Tharoor’s privatemember’s bill proposing to replaceSection 377 was not even heard inthe winter session of parliamentlast December. So we have nohopes from this government,”she added.

LGBT Rights supporters celebrates outside the Supreme Court after India`s top court agreed tore-examine a colonial-era law that criminalizes homosexual acts in New Delhi on Feb 2.

OROP to cost Rs.7, 500 crore a year,arrears Rs.10, 900 crore

The annual expenditureon the ‘One Rank OnePension’ (OROP) scheme

has been estimated at aroundRs.7500 crore, the defenceministry said on Wednesday.

The arrears from July 1, 2014—the date of implementation asannounced by the government—till December 31, 2015, will beapproximately Rs.10,900 crore,the ministry said in a statement.

This is set to push the defence budget for pensions, which isestimated to go up from Rs.54,000 crore as per Budget estimatesof 2015-16 to around Rs.65, 000crore, the proposed Budgetestimate for 2016-17.

This is an increase of about 20per cent of the defence pensionoutlay.

The statement said 86 percent of the total expenditure onaccount of OROP will bene tJunior Commissioned O cers(JCOs) and other ranks.

“The government of India hadtaken the historic decision toimplement OROP in November

2015. This ful lled the longstanding demand of the defenceforces personnel after 42 years bene ted over 18 lakh ex-servicemen and war widows,” thestatement said.

Payment of arrears and revisionof pension under OROP is to bemade by the Pension Disbursing

Authorities in four instalments,except for family pensioners andpensioners in receipt of gallantryawards who will be paid arrears inone instalment.

Asked about the development,Indian Ex-Servicemen Movementspokesperson Col. Anil Kaul (retd)said it “seemed ok”, but they would

be studying it and come out with adetailed reaction later.

“We are still studying it. Itseems ok... so far it seems to bealmost there, except that they arepaying out from July (2014) not

April,” Col. Kaul said.

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Ontario premier onIndia visit to boost tradeP remier Kathleen Wynne ofCanada’s Ontario arrivedin New Delhi on January31on a six-day visit leading a

100-member business delegationin a bid boost the province’s traderelations with India, the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC)said in a statement.

“Wynne’s delegation will visit four cities—New Delhi,Chandigarh, Hyderabad andMumbai—and will formalizeagreements and memorandumsof understanding within theresearch, infrastructure,technology, science, healthand education sectors,” thestatement said.

“Wynne will also meet with

political and cultural leadersto build new relationships,strengthen existing ones andexamine areas for futurecooperation,” it added.

Ahead of her visit, Wynne, inprovincial capital Toronto, notedthat she “really believes that 2016can be a huge year for Ontario andIndia because of what is going onin India and the plan that PrimeMinister (Narendra) Modi hasput in place, the smart cities, theclean tech that is going be needed,

and because of our potentialhere to provide capacity in all ofthose areas”.

With 700,000 Ontari ans beingof Indian descent, ties betweenthe province and India are alreadystrong,” former C-IBC presidentKam Rathee, who is India-born,told reporters in New Delhi.

“India is an important tradepartner for Ontario. In 2014, totalgoods trade between Ontario andIndia was valued at almost $2

billion,” he said.Bilateral ties, that had become

dormant, got a big boost withPrime Minister Modi’s visit toCanada last year, he added.

In December last year, the rstconsignment of Canadian uranium

was delivered in Mumbai markingthe rst commercial outcomethe Canada-India Nuclear Co-operation Agreement that cameinto force in September 2013.

The India-Canada bilateraltrade last year in goods amountedto over $6 billion, while that inservices was worth $1.6 billion.

The Ontario premier beganher India tour with a visit to theGolden Temple at Amritsar onJanuary 31. A substantial part ofthe Indian-origin population ofthe province is Sikh.

Strengthensurveillance againstZika, WHO tellssouth-east AsiaT he World HealthOrganization (WHO) this week urged south-eastAsian countries to strengthensurveillance and preventivemeasures against Zika virus,already reported in 22 countriesand territories in central andSouth America.

“There is a need for the South-East Asian countries to increasesurveillance and take preventivemeasures against Zika virus whichis strongly suspected to havea causal relation with clustersof microcephaly and otherneurological abnormalities,” saidPoonam Khetrapal Singh, WHOsouth-east Asia regional director.

The WHO has declared therecent clusters of microcephaly andother neurological abnormalitiesreported in the Americas asa public health emergency ofinternational concern. Khetrapalsaid the countries should buildcapacities of their laboratories todetect the virus and strengthensurveillance for cases of fever andrashes, neurological syndromesand birth defects.

The Zika virus, rst discoveredin Uganda in 1947, is spreadthrough bites of Aedes aegypti

mosquito, the vector for dengue.The most common symptoms ofZika virus disease are fever, rashes,

joints pain and conjunctivitis.The illness is usually mild with

the symptoms lasting a week.There is no vaccine for Zika virusdisease at present.

Meanwhile, the union healthministry on Tuesday released a listof guideline to prevent the spreadof Zika virus in India.

“All sectors that can assist

should be engaged, and thepublic told about the risks andpreventive measures against Zika

virus disease. People can protectthemselves against mosquito bites

by using insect repellents, wearingclothes that cover as much ofthe body as possible,” an o cialstatement said.

IIT-Bombay develops satellite-based fog monitoring systemK.S. JAYARAMAN

S cientists at the IndianInstitute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) havedeveloped a satellite-based fogmonitoring system with theultimate goal of integratingthe fog information to air, railand vehicular transportationmanagement to ensure safe travel.

“The Indo-Gangetic Plainscovering northern India, Pakistan,Nepal and Bangladesh is subjectedto dense haze/fog during wintermonths severely impacting on air,rail and vehicular tra c,” RiteshGautam, assistant professor atthe IIT’s Centres for ResourcesEngineering and Climate Studies,said.

“We have developed this systemfor monitoring and disseminationof fog information to governmentagencies and also to the generalpublic.”

Formerly a research scientistat the Climate and RadiationLaboratory of NASA’s GoddardSpace Flight Centre in the US,Gautam said the fog monitoringsystem was developed withthe help of his students ReemaChourey, Dinesh Patil, SarwarRizvi and Manoj Singh.

According to Gautam, the

system uses in-house developedsoftware to automatically processdata from the NASA satellites(Terra and Aqua MODIS) andproduces daily maps of fog andlow cloud regions for the Indo-Gangetic Plains at a moderatelyhigh resolution.

He said his team was presentlytesting retrievals and processingof fog-related parameters from

geostationary satellites, such asIndia’s own INSAT satellites,“for near-real time continuousmonitoring of fog, water vapourand aerosols over south Asia”.

“This satellite monitoringsystem is quite complex but Iam glad that we have developedthe capability and are movingforward,” Gautam said. “It canalso be used to monitor duststorms, biomass burning events,cyclones and monsoon clouds.”

In addition to datasets obtainedfrom both polar orbiting andgeostationary satellites, the IITteam is also working on integratingsurface-based meteorological andpollution related measurements,he said.

According to Gautam, his teamhas also analysed spatial andtemporal variation and trends offog occurrence frequency overthe entire Indo-Gangetic Plains

along with trends in pollution forthe winter season (December-January).

“We have found a highlyinteresting trend where thelong-term satellite data analysissuggests a statistically-signi cantincreasing fog frequency trendover the eastern parts of theGangetic Plains (parts of Biharand West Bengal),” Gautam said.

“This is in sharp contrastover the western regions of theGangetic Plains (such as Delhi),

where a decreasing trend in fogfrequency is found.”

The upward trend in fogginessover eastern Indo-Gangetic Plainsis found to be strongly coincident

with upward trend in pollution,suggesting that increasing winter-time pollution over this regioncould be linked to increasingfogginess.

While the focus of mediais mostly centred over Delhi,Gautam said the increasing fog

over eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains was not usually reported.

However, long term analysisof satellite data by the IIT teamhas found that “most of northernIndia is subjected to severe andpersistent fog and pollution hazeevents during the winter months”.

Proscribe countriessponsoring terrorism,says Mukherjee

D escribing terrorism asa global threat whichposes an unprecedentedchallenge to all nations, President

Pranab Mukherjee has asked the world to proscribe the countriesthat support or sponsor terrorismas an instrument of state policy.

“It is imperative that the world in one voice rejects allmanifestations of terrorism,

without distinction, andproscribes states that supportor sponsor terrorism as aninstrument of state policy,” he said

while inaugurating the Counter-Terrorism Conference in Jaipur.

“Terrorism is a global threat which poses an unprecedentedchallenge to all nations. Nocause can justify terrorist acts.

It is imperative that the worldacts in unison against terrorism,

without political considerations.Therefore, there is a need to takea resolve to not justify terroristmeans whatever be the reason orthe source,” he said.

The president said thatimportant aspects of counter-terrorism strategy are capacity

building to prevent attacksthrough intelligence collectionand collation, development oftechnological capabilities, raisingof special-forces and enactment of

special laws.“Though we have evolved

certain mechanisms in thisdirection, there is scope for furtherintensifying these e orts.

“Counter-terrorism is generallyconsidered to be about tactics,

weapons, force levels andintelligence gathering. Whilethese things are important thepredom

indian weekender 5 february 2016

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