july 8 pages 27-36

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India, Canada Eye $15 Billion Trade in the Next 5 Years

The High Commisssioner from Canada, Steward Beck, met with Shivraj Patil, Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, last year to lay the foundation to strengthen economic and trade ties in fields like Information Technology, Marketing of Agriculture produce, sharing of Technologies in varied fields and Education. Canada is keeping its word to India on this topic.

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By My My eenakshi V aMBwaniTORONTO (ET): As fans in

Toronto cheered for Bollywood icons in the run up to the IIFA awards, reflecting the growing popularity of Hindi films in Canada, government and corporates of the two countries warmed up to firmer business ties that could see bilateral trade reaching $15 billion in the next five years.

Canada expects to create new business opportunities and partnerships in sectors such as clean technology, media and entertainment, tourism and higher education. The two countries are already negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which would boost two-way trade and investments.

Speaking at the Ficci-IIFA Global Business Forum in Toronto, Stewart Beck, the High Commissioner of Canada to India, said: “The two governments have set a target of

growing the trade between the two countries from $5 billion to $15 billion in the next five years.”

He added that besides negotiating the free trade agreement, the two countries are also working on other agreements like the audio-video co-production treaty, social security agreement and foreign investment promotion and protection agreements.

Talking about the growing investments by Indian companies in Canada, Harsh Mariwala, president of Ficci, and chairman and managing director of Marico Industries, said: “Canada not only provides a gateway to the American market but also presents excellent opportunities for Indian businesses to explore.” One of the reasons why Indian greenfield and mergers & acquisitions investments in Canada have already outstripped Canadian investments into India.

In a bid to attract the large number of Indians travelling abroad and to

ensure better connectivity, Air Canada is soon looking to fly a direct flight linking key Indian destinations. Air capacity for one-stop flights between India and Canada has increased 17.5% in 2008 and 35% in 2009 over the previous years.

India is also looking to attract more Canadian travellers to India. “Canada ranks among the top five source countries for foreign tourists in India with a share of about 5% and this is expected to grow tremendously. Also Indian travellers are exploring new vacation destinations and the outbound segment is fast growing,” said Jyotsna Suri, managing director of Lalit Group of Hotels and co-leader of the visiting Indian delegation.

As part of its initiatives, Canada has already announced a 10-year multiple entry visa for frequent travellers from India.

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Indian Railways to Roll Out New E-Ticketing ServiceIamBusinessnews

NEW DELHI: Indian Railways is all set to roll out its own e-ticketing service, which will have no room for travel agents and will be reserved for individual users.

“Unlike the e-ticketing service of IRCTC, the new service by Indian Railway will have no role of travel agents and commercial organizations. Only individual users will be allowed to book on the

portal,” said a Railway official. Travel agents in the IRCTC

service have been accused of blocking tickets to sell them at a premium.

Public resentment has also led the railways to bar travel agents from booking tatkal tickets during peak

hours on the IRCTC portal. Under the new railway e-ticketing

service, individual customers would need to register themselves for the first time for availing the services. The registration will be free of charge.

A maximum of eight transaction per user ID per month will be allowed in the beginning, the official said, adding, the service

charges levied will be Rs five per ticket for sleeper class and Rs 10 per ticket for all other classes.

IRCTS charges Rs 10 per ticket for sleeper class and Rs 20 per ticket for all other classes.

The new service wil l be available on its web portal www.

indianrailways.gov.in. Its launch will be announced after

necessary clearance for payment gateway transaction, the official said.

The service will be available from 12.30 am to 11.30 pm.

“The project was sanctioned with a view to consolidate all the services and information on a single window interface for public,” the

official said. He sa id the

s e r v i c e w i l l provide passengers another avenue to book tickets, while easing the pressure from the IRCTC website considerably.

O n o f f e r i s also a service for booking tickets on the mobile platform.

C u s t o m e r s i n t e r e s t e d i n u t i l i z i n g t h e f a c i l i t y a n d having Internet fac i l i t i es wi l l have to download mobile ticketing

application on mobile phones from Indian Railway’s website, the official said.

Tracking facility for freight trains running and parcel status by customers would be among a host of other features that the portal is expected to introduce shortly.

Indian Railways has opened the new E-Ticketing service for individual users

Aamir Khan to Campaign Against Child Malnutrition

NEW DELHI (TOI): Bollywood actor Aamir Khan met Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath to discuss his plans for a campaign against child malnutrition.

Speaking after the meeting, the actor whose recent film ‘Delhi Belly’ has done very well commercially, said: “We are launching this campaign with the aim of reaching each and every child in the country. I will be the face of the campaign.” “There are four very important steps that we are going to cover in this campaign.

Starting right from the time when the baby is in the womb of the mother, where the feeding of the

mother is the most important, to the time the child’s feeding includes not only breast feeding, but also natural food,” he said.

A ministry official said that Aamir met the minister along with his creative team, led by lyricist Prasoon Joshi. “He made a presentation on his concept and how he plans to spearhead the campaign on arousing consciousness among people about ill effects of malnutrition and prevent children from the trap of malnutrition,” the official said. Aamir said: “I am an entertainer when I am acting in a film and I am a social person when I am associated with an issue like this.”

Aamir Khan has been involved in social issues in his movies such as Taare Zameen Par and is now launching campaign against child nutrition.


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More Indian Students Opting for Australia

With fast food joints opening up faster in India, Type 2 Diabetes accounts for 95% of the cases.

MELBOURNE (TOI): After two years of tumbling fortunes, the tide seems to be turning in favour of Australian universities, as more and more Indian students are opting to study Down Under.

The number of Indians wanting to study in Australia is beginning to rebound this year.

The Australian immigration department has recorded a 21% rise in student visa applications from India just in the first six months this year.

In the wake of a spate of violent assaults on Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney in 2009 and 2010, the number coming to Australia plummeted. The issue was fanned by an aggressive Indian media and compounded by a rising dollar, which made Australia comparatively less affordable.

Over 3,700 Indian students have applied for Australian visa in 2011, The Age reported.

Education providers down under experienced troubled times after Indian students dumped Australia following a spate of assaults on South Asian students in Melbourne and Sydney.

Aggressive coverage by Indian media pushed even bilateral re la t ions , bes ides s tuden t enrolments, into a downward spiral.

Matters turned worse for Australian universit ies and vocational colleges, as plummeting numbers coincided with the Australian government making immigration laws more stringent.

With Australia once again relaxing the visa regulations from April 1 this year and a significant drop in assaults on international students, more and more Indian students are anticipated to opt for Australia.

“The number of student visa applications is rebounding, that category is up significantly,” the newspaper quoted Peter Speldewinde, assistant secretary in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, as saying.

“People are generally positive about Australia,” said Speldewinde, adding: “The student issue has come up from time to time, but no one’s really pushed it very hard.”

The Australian government is reportedly advertising in Indian media to attract Indian professionals to settle in Australia.

The increase in applications has not yet flowed through to Australia’s

educational institutions.The federal government’s latest

figures show a 30 per cent drop in the number of Indian students enrolled to the end of March compared with the same period last year.

The government has been on a

migration drive in India over the past month, advertising changes to the skilled migration program, which come into effect today.

The changes, in advance of a more radical restructure of the program in 12 months, will see international qualifications and work experience recognized, while also raising age limits for applicants with required skills and experience.

India is the third-largest provider of permanent skilled migrants to Australia. Over 15,000 Indians decided to make Australia their home last fiscal. Only China and Britain provide more skilled migrants to the Australian economy.

Diabetes Epidemic in India Affects 350 Million: Western Fast Food is to Blame?By Ry Ry oBeRtRtR Mckiekiek

NEW DELHI (Guardian): More than 350 million people in the world now have diabetes, an international study has revealed. The analysis, published online by the Lancet on Saturday, adds several tens of millions to the previous estimate of the number of diabetics and indicates that the disease has become a major global health problem.

Diabetics have inadequate blood sugar control, a condition that can lead to heart disease and strokes, as well as damage to kidneys, nerves and the retina. About three million deaths a year are attributed to diabetes and associated conditions in which blood sugar levels are disrupted.

The dramatic and disturbing increase is blamed by scientists on the spread of a western-style diet to developing nations, which is causing rising levels of obesity. Researchers also say that increased life expectancy is playing a major role.

Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes, accounting for about 85-95% of cases, and is often tied to obesity. It develops when the body fails to produce enough insulin to break down glucose, inflating blood sugar levels. Type 1 diabetes is a separate auto-immune disorder.

“Diabetes is one of the biggest causes of mortality worldwide, and our study has shown that it is becoming more common almost everywhere. It is set to become the single largest burden on world health care systems,” one of the study’s main authors, Professor Majid Ezzati, of Imperial College London, told the Observer. “Many nations are going to find it very difficult to cope with the consequences.”

This point was backed by Martin Tobias of the ministry of health in New Zealand in an accompanying editorial for the Lancet. As he states, there is “no worldwide surveillance network for diabetes, as there is for communicable diseases such as influenza”. Given the inexorable rise in case numbers that is now occurring, there was now “an urgent need” to establish proper monitoring of the disease, he added.

The study – funded by the World Health Organization and the Gates Foundation – analysed blood from 2.7 million participants aged 25 and over from across the world over a three-year period. Doctors measured levels of glucose in their blood after they had fasted for 12 to 14 hours – blood sugar rises after a meal.

If their glucose level fell below

5.6 millimoles per litre, they were considered healthy. If their reading topped 7, they were diagnosed as having diabetes, while a result that ranged between 5.6 and 7 indicated that a person was in a pre-diabetic state. Crucially, the study found that the average global level of glucose measured this way had risen for men and women.

The team then used advanced statistical methods to estimate prevalence rates among the participants. It was estimated that the number of adults with diabetes was 347 million, more than double the 153 million estimated in 1980 and considerably higher even than a 2009 study that put the number at 285 million. “We are not saying the previous study was a bad one,” said Ezzati. “It is just that we have refined our methods a little more.”

In percentage terms, the prevalence of male adult diabetics worldwide rose from 8.3% to 9.8% in that period, with adult females increasing from 7.5% to 9.2%. As to the causes, the team attribute 70% to ageing and 30% to the increased prevalence of other factors, with obesity and body mass the most important.

It was found that in the US glucose levels had risen at more than twice the rate of western Europe over the past three decades. In wealthy nations, diabetes and glucose levels were highest in the US, Malta, New Zealand and Spain, and lowest in the Netherlands, Austria and France. Despite its obesity epidemic, the UK’s diabetes prevalence was lower than that of most other high-income countries. In a league of 27 western high-income countries, British men had the fifth lowest diabetes rates, while British women were eighth lowest.

Other badly affected countries included many Pacific island nations. As Ezzati put it: “There has been an explosion of cases there.” In the Marshall Islands, for example, one in three women and one in four men has diabetes. Saudi Arabia was also reported to have very high rates. Glucose levels were also particularly high in south Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, central Asia, north Africa and the Middle East. The region with the lowest glucose levels was sub-Saharan Africa, followed by east and south-east Asia. Eastern Europe’s diabetes prevalence, while not low, also changed little over the three-decade period.

“Diabetes is a condition that is linked to long-term disability and we need to monitor how it is spreading very carefully or face the consequences.”

The Lancet article comes after

scientists said type 2 diabetes could be reversed in as little as seven days if sufferers went on a crash diet. Adherence to a strict 600 calorie-

a-day diet causes fat levels in the pancreas to plummet, restoring normal function. Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University,

called the discovery a “radical change” in understanding type 2 diabetes.

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An article by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Pricing chairman Ashok Gulati made a telling point that the government and the leadership of the ruling coalition would do well to take on board while finalizing their view on food security. Food security is achieved far more by boosting rural output and incomes than by distribution. A g r i c u l t u r a l growth dents rural poverty directly and proportionately much more than growth in town-based activities such as industry and services. Fast growth on the farm was precisely the route that China took to bring down its poverty rate.

Boosting farm output would also increase vital supplies and hold the price line. At a time when even the least developed economies of the world are registering sustained growth of 7% a year and more, it is inevitable that food demand would go up around the world. Without a coherent strategy to boost output, any attempt to identify food security with distribution would push up government dominance in the market for grain, jack up the subsidy bill, paying for expensive imports as well, and leave demand squeeze as the only

way to contain inflation, leading to higher interest rates and lower investment and growth. This is a recipe for ever-rising food subsidy without materially enhancing welfare. Another point the article highlights had been articulated by

40 noted economists in an open letter to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi as well: it would be a big mistake to rely on the public distribution system as the sole means of ensuring popular access to food. The procurement, storage and distribution through the Food Corporation of India and state civil

Food Security in India is one of the primary concerns, mainly related to farm output, distribution and holding the price line. Farming is one of the primary businesses rural India engages in, most economists do not trust in the public distribution system. There is a lot of corruption, stealing, and wastage that makes food security in India almost impossible. Above are seen women shopping for vegetables at an open market in India

supplies departments is riddled with corruption, inefficiency, pilferage, spoilage, special devolution to Punjab and Haryana which corner central funds in the name of mandi tax.

Cash transfers to beneficiaries

and an enhanced role for the private trade would cut costs and minimize leakages. Food security is not just distribution of food, but increasing production, and enhancing efficiency across the board: requires organized retail and the supply chains they can bring, as Amul did in the case of milk.

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Indian Goverment Plans to Set up Cultural Centre in TorontoTORONTO (NPN): After

decades of absorbing North America’s cultural diplomacy, India is returning the favor, with Indian government officials announcing plans to locate North America’s first Indian Cultural Centre in Toronto.

“It will give a feeling of attachment to the government of India,” said Dantu Charandasi, head of chancery at Toronto’s Indian consulate. Consular officials are still scouting a location but “we would prefer downtown if we get a good spot.”

Although the centre may look like nothing more than a few rooms to host book signings and yoga lessons, the facility is a major Canadian peg in the Indian government’s global drive to curry soft power.

India i s “craving global recognition” said David Malone, author of a recently-released book on Indian foreign policy, Does the Elephant Dance? “One way Indians think this can be achieved is through their civilizational greatness and their contemporary culture, and I don’t think that’s delusional, actually.”

A “significant part” of India’s foreign ministry is now devoted solely to promoting Indian films and literature, Mr. Malone said. India has already peppered Asia and Africa with cultural centres.

Rather than “a mere cultural venue,” if used correctly the Toronto centre could become a valuable hub

for international commerce and politics, said Joseph Caron, a former Canadian High Commissioner to India. “It’s a beacon. It’s the kind of institution that in a highly c o m p e t i t i v e g l o b a l i z e d world draws attention, which the Indians are smart enough to understand and do,” Mr. Caron said. In India, C a n a d i a n -funded cultural venues often s e r v e d a s gathering places f o r v i s i t i n g universities and corporations. “That’s where C a n a d i a n businesses sold their wares,” he said.

W e s t e r n nations have long maintained networks of for-eign cultural centres. Britain has the British C o u n c i l , a n “international cultural relations body” with more than 200 worldwide branches. Germany has Goethe-Instituts operating on six continents. France has the Alliance française, a global network of more

than 1,000 French cultural schools. Even Canada has Canada House, a threestorey structure adjacent to London’s Trafalgar Square that regularly hosts Canadathemed

conferences, receptions and gatherings. “Everybody gets it. Everybody understands how important these things are, and now India gets it as well,” Mr. Caron said.

Actress Lisa Ray arrives on the green carpet at the International Indian Film Awards. Officials say the cultural centre will “give a feeling of attachment to the government of India.” Canada believes that India is going to be popular on the global biz grid

China has established several Confucius Institutes in Canada, raising concerns about Chinese government ideologies. For India, the reception may be warmer.

“India doesn’t come with some of the baggage that China does,” said Douglas Goold, a senior editor at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Earlier this week, Indian and

Canadian academics met at Carleton University to forge closer co-operation between the country’s universities. On Saturday, Toronto will also become the first North American city to host the “Indian Oscars,” the International Indian Film Academy awards. Ten per cent of the world’s population will watch the awards gala Saturday night, held at the Rogers Centre, promoters say. India’s ministry of tourism has dubbed 2011 the “Year of India” in Canada.

Only recently has the Canadian government restored its rocky relationship with India. In 1974, Canada-India relations frosted over when Canadian officials learned that India built and detonated its first nuclear bomb using technology Canada offered to India for peaceful purposes. Starting in the 1990s, however, both Liberal and Conservative governments have launched visits and trade missions to re-establish friendly ties. The efforts culminated last year in an official state visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

India’s decision to locate the cultural centre in Toronto, rather than New York or Washington, is “validation” of Toronto’s status as India’s North American jumping-off point, said Rana Sarkar, president of the Canada-India Business Council. “As the economy grows, being one of the cities on the global India grid is going to be hugely advantageous,” he said.



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By R n BhaskaRMUMBAI (DNAI): Imagine

a small film floating on water. Now imagine the power of the sun flowing through the film.

Tata Power has imagined, and gone beyond, to build India’s first floating solar plant at Walvan lake near Lonavala, where the company

has a hydel power station.The beta — or trial — project,

announced in March this year, is small, aiming to generate just 13.5 kilowatt of electricity. But the results of the experiment are to be evaluated by December this year, and if they meet expectations, a significant scale-up to 400 mw is on the cards.

For Tata Power, direct access to around 24,000 acres of water surface area is what makes it interesting. Current calculus is, it takes six acres of water body to generate 1 mw of solar power. So, potentially, the company can generate as much as 4,000 mw — equivalent to a ultra-mega power plant — harnessing the Sun.

The concept comes from an Australian solar power company, Sunengy Pty. Tata Power has entered into a partnership that will allow it to build a pilot plant for Sunengy’s patented low-cost,

floating-on-water liquid solar array technology in India by the end of this year.

The project is being supported by the Australian government, and Tata Power has pumped in Rs3 crore as its portion of the investment.

“The logic of the technology is quite simple,” says Avinash N Patkar, chief sustainability officer,

Tata Power.The most expensive part of a

solar power panel is the silicon chip or the photovoltaic (PV) film. So, was there a way to reduce this cost by reducing the size of the PV itself?

To achieve that, the inventors used a lens to concentrate the same amount of energy into one-hundredth of the area of the PV film — and ran into a problem.

While conventional solar panels heat up to around 30-400 degrees centigrade, the concentrated rays heated it to over a 1, 000 degrees.

Therefore, cooling was an imperative.

Using conventional cooling techniques was too expensive so what the inventors did was simplicity itself. They put the bit of solar film on a small vessel — almost like a Coke can — and let it float on water. And Voila! the solar film got concentrated sunlight, but

did not overheat.The next trick was to maximise

the retention of the sun’s energy for as many hours as possible. The inventors therefore put in a mechanism that would track the sun’s rays during the day, thereby ensuring at least 12 hours of energy is captured.

What all of this meant was a reduction in solar energy cost by 30-50%.

“Conventionally, the price of solar power is around Rs15 per kilowatt hour (though some have already brought this down to Rs13). The new technology could help us bring the cost down to Rs8, if not less,” Patkar said.

Moreover, floating the solar array on water meant no need for expensive supporting structures to protect the panels from high winds. The lenses submerge in bad weather and the water also cools the cells, which increases their efficiency and lifespan.

What makes the project more interesting for Tata Power managers are three more added benefits.

First , most of the places where they have access to water surfaces already have power evacuation facilities — the cables and equipment to trasnsmit the power generated to the grid. So no additional infrastructure is required.

And since power can be evacuated as soon as it is generated, there’s no need for investment in storage systems.

Secondly, unlike conventional solar power panels (except the rooftop ones), no additional land will be required. All the film will be laid on water surfaces. So no issues of displacement of people, resettlement of local inhabitants etc.

The third benefit is that the film covering the water will prevent excessive evaporation, thereby conserving water as well.

Sounds too good? If large-scale viability is established, a solar revolution could be at hand.

The power of the sun can be harnessed anywhere, the latest is to build a floating solar plat at Walvan Lake near Lonavala. Tata Power has obtained direct access to 24,000 acres of water surface area to generate power. The company is looking to generate 4000 mw

By Pankaj DoValNEW DELHI (TOI): The Indian

commercial vehicle industry is revving up for some fast-paced action. Long dominated by Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland, the market is set to witness a cut-throat competition as global players make a beeline to get a slice of one of the world’s fastest-growing economies that is also seeing a surge in road infrastructure development.

Those looking to make a cut in India include Daimler and MAN

of Germany, Volvo of Sweden, Nissan of Japan and Navistar and General Motors of the US. While rising interest rates are having an impact on the market in the short-term, it is forecast to grow manifold in the coming years as roads become better and economy booms further. According to figures released by domestic industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), a total of 6.76 lakh commercial vehicles were sold in the domestic market last fiscal at a healthy growth of

27%. The money-spinner medium- and heavy-duty category accounted for 3.22 lakh units (32% in FY11) while light-vehicle market stood at 3.53 lakh units (up 23%).

However, in line with the slowdown, SIAM forecast, the industry is likely to witness a moderate growth in 2011-12 of 14-16%, which analysts say is healthy considering the high base. The worrying factors for the industry are expensive vehicle financing (almost all vehicles are financed)

and increasing c o m m o d i t y p r i c e s t h a t SIAM says are retardants.

Except for Daimler, which c o u l d n o t manage to keep a partnership w i t h t h e Munjals of the Hero group, a l l the new entrants have been successful in forging tie-ups with local c o m p a n i e s that give them a n e d g e i n sourcing at low cost and also in setting up the all-crucial sales, d i s t r i bu t ion and after-sales network.

Volvo has joined hands with Eicher Motors while Navistar has partnered Mahindra & Mahindra, which already was expanding in the commercial vehicle space. MAN has formed an alliance with Force Motors while Nissan—sensing an opportunity in light vehicles—joined hands with Ashok Leyland. Beiqi Foton, China’s largest commercial vehicle maker, plans to invest about $380 million for a 1 lakh-unit annual plant for light, medium and heavy trucks.

Daimler, MAN of Germany, Volvo of Sweden Nissan of Japan, Navistar and General Motors of USA are serious contenders to join hands withAshok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata and Eicher Motors. China is also planning to invest $380 million in India to make trucks

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Cricket as Tool to Crystallize Peace in KashmirM saleeM PanDit

SRINAGAR (TOI): In a bid to crystallize the ever fragile peace of Kashmir Valley, the Army in collaboration with Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association ( JKCA) held Kashmir premier league of 14 cricket teams picked up from eight districts of Kashmir. In the first round of matches between Srinagar’s Sherdils and Budgam’s Badshahs, the former team defeated the latter by six

wickets that was held on Monday. State’s minister for youth

services and sports RS Chib said KPL is organized by the army under its operation Sadhbavana in collaboration with state government, said RS Chib. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, GOC 15th Corps Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain said such events will help to produce the talent of Kashmir. “Such opportunities don’t come every day and youth should get benefit from this,” he added.

General Hasnain assured chief minister Omar Abdullah, who was present on the occasion, that this event is not one time event but a regular affair for every year.

“Cricket is in the heart of

Kashmiris and this he noticed during recent world cup matches. He said in one of the districts there were 84 teams which participated in the selection process which goes to prove Kashmiris’ love for cricket,” Husnain said at the grounds of Delhi public school at Athwajan here.

The winner of the final will receive Rs 5 lakhs cash award while the second prize will be of Rs 3 lakhs, third Rs 1 lakh and

the fourth Rs 50000. Man of the Tournament would receive Rs 60000 cash award. The quarter finals of the tournament would be held on July 29 and July 30 at the venues in Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara while the semifinals are scheduled on August 1 at Srinagar and Anantnag. Match for third and fourth positions will be played at Baramulla on August 2 while the grand finale is scheduled on August 3 at Srinagar.

Chief minister Omar Abdullah in his speech on occasion expressed hope that the organizers will be able to unearth some outstanding talent through this tournament. He said that youth of the state have rich sports potential but they need

Kashmir State’s Minister for Youth Services and Sports, RS Chib says “Cricket is the heart of the Kashmiris,” it will be the way to bring peace in Kashmir he strongly feels

opportunities to prove their talent at national and international levels.

Omar said that his government’s top priority is to develop sports infrastructure in the state so that youth can excel and bring laurels. Omar said engaging youth in sports activities should not only mean to have peaceful summer this year but these events should be repeated in the future as well.

Sports minister RS Chib said that Sadhbhavana initiatives regarding KPL of the Army would give fillip to the cricket culture here. He also appreciated the role of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association and its president, Dr Farooq Abdullah, for the patronage of the KPL tournament.

In the inaugural T20 tie, Srinagar Sherdils defeated Budgam Badshahs by six wickets. Batting first, Badshahs were bowled out at paltry 99 runs, which was chased down by the Sherdils for the loss of four wickets.

The Army also held Striker League of volleyball tournament at Keran, near LoC from June 27 to July 4. It accorded an opportunity to the young sportsmen of Keran to display their talent. Teams drawn from various villages participated, a defence spokesman said.

Teams from Keran and Mandian played the finals on July 4. The team from Keran was the winner. Commander Pharkian Brigade and large number of locals gathered to witness the final. Commander Pharkian Brigade boosted up the morale of the winner and runner up teams by distributing prizes. The village elders conveyed their gratitude to Army for providing all basic amenities and services in Keran and Jumagund areas for the development of sports, the defence spokesman added.

Playing for Pakistan Cricket is like ‘Mental Torture’: Misbah

K A R A C H I ( S a m a c h a r ) : Pakistan cricket’s endless parade of controversies and scandal has made playing for the national team akin to ‘mental torture’, according to captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

Since appointed Test captain in October after Salman Butt was banned for spot-fixing during last year’s Test series against England, Misbah has led a team dogged by corruption allegations and political in-fighting.

Following five-year bans imposed by the ICC on Butt and two other players in February, Pakistan have

been rocked by the departure of sacked one-day captain Shahid Afridi, who resigned in acrimony in May citing differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“It is a mental torture to go through such things and it affects your performance,” the 37-year-old batsman Misbah told Geo Super sports channel in an interview.

“It is bad for Pakistan cricket and people taunt us at home and abroad.”

Misbah, who took over the reins of the one-day side after Afridi’s dismissal, said Pakistan’s players

Misbah-ul-Haq, not a happy camper playing for Pakistan

needed a union to educate them and improve communications with their coaches and paymasters in the wake of a number of ugly contractual disputes.

“A players association can play a positive role in preparing and grooming players for international cricket and in understanding their contractual obligations,” said Misbah, whose appointment as one-day captain sparked a row

with Afridi. “Once the contract is signed it

is no use for players to complain about it. These matters must not be discussed in the media, it is better for players to directly speak to the board.”

Misbah’s comments follow leg-spinner Danish Kaneria’s legal challenge against the board’s decision to overlook him for

national selection. Despite the troubles, Misbah

said he remained fit and passionate about the sport.

“I am mentally up for international cricket. As long as I am performing I will carry on,” he said. “Age is no bar for me. “I feel a cricketer only matures after the age of 30. Fortunately that is what happened to me.”

Darren Bravo’s 73 Helps IndiesWest Indies batsmen led by

young Darren Bravo showed gritty resistance to eke out a draw against India in the second Test match at the Kensington Oval thus keeping alive the hopes levelling the series.

Chasing a competitive target of 281, West Indies reached 202 for seven when the umpires Ian Gould

and Asad Rauf decided that light wasn’t good enough to continue although 10.3 mandatory overs were still left to be bowled.

Bravo’s innings of 73 turned out to be the match saving one for the West Indies despite lion-hearted effort from Ishant Sharma (4/53) with a match haul of 10/108.

Indo AmerIcAn news • FrIdAy, JULAy, JULA yy, JULyy, JUL 8, 2011 • onono LInLIn ne LIne LI edItItI ItIt on: www.IndoAmerIcAn-news.com

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