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This week’s question

Last week’s result

YES 54% NO 46%

Dr Shivangion CoalitionAdvisory Board

NEW EDUCATION POLICY

CONTENTSBollywood -------------------------- 30Classifieds ------------------------ 37Community Post -------------- 17-26Edit Page --------------------------- 36Horoscope ------------------------- 27Immigration Post ------------------ 9Life Style ------------------------ 14-15Philosophy/Perspective ------- 33Info/Highlights ---------------------- 4Real Estate -------------------- 32-33TechBiz Post ------------------ 10-11Travel & Hospitality Post -------- 16Wellness Post ---------------- 12-13

Focuses on access, flexibility and making 'job creators': PM

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Will it be right decision for Indiato join QUAD naval exercises?

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sat-urday (01 August) said, the new education policy an-nounced by the government emphasizes on making'job creators' instead of 'job seekers' and is an at-tempt to transform the 'intent' and 'content' of thecountry's education system.

Addressing the finale of the Smart India Hackathon,he said the National Education Policy-2020 facilitatesinter-disciplinary study which will ensure that the fo-cus is on what the students want to learn and willmark a shift from the "burden of school bag" to the"boon of learning".

The NEP is big on access to education and aims toincrease gross enrolment ratio in higher education to50 per cent by 2035, he said.

"India's National Education Policy (NEP) reflects thespirit of new India. We are shifting from the burden ofthe school bag, which does not last beyond school, tothe boon of learning which helps for life. From simplymemorizing to critical thinking. The 21st century is theera of knowledge, learning, and innovation. For years,the limitations of the system had an adverse effect onthe lives of students. No longer.

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Vikas Khannato help India'sstreet vendors

Should federal troops be sent toStates to control peaceful

demonstrations?

Picture courtesy-viemagazine.com

Dr. Sampat Shivangi

‘Ind-Am importantpartner in India-US relationship’

Trump to takebroad action onChinese software

8.78 lakh Indiansreturned underV Bharat Mission

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HIGHLIGHTS

30Bollywood:Vicky Kaushal regretsVicky took to Instagram and posted aselfie of himself after a workout. The ac-tor flaunts post-work sweat, in a whiteT-shirt and black baseball cap.

5Cover Story:New education policyPrime Minister NarendraModi said, thenew education policy announced by thegovernment emphasizes on making 'jobcreators' instead of 'job seekers'.

17Community:On "the Campaign"Dr. Sampat Shivangi, influential Ind-Amcommunity and leader of AAPI, appointed as the member of Coalition Ad-visory Board, for Trump "Campaign".

9Immigration:No new DACA applicationsA memo from Acting Homeland Secu-rity Secretary Chad Wolf, ended uncer-tainty of the administration's responseto its Supreme Court defeat.

14Lifestyle:Venice Film FestivalThe selections for the 77th edition,which launches Sept. 2, are more globaland less packed with star-studded Hol-lywood features than before.

10Techbiz:Pompeo on Chinese softwarePresident Trump plans to take actionon a broad array of national securityrisks presented by software con-nected to the CCP.

16Travel:Tripura of 19 tribesThis land-locked state nestled at the footof the Himalayan mountains has a longhistorical legacy behind it; Tripura wasonce home to the famous Manikya tribe.

12Wellness:Scientists for Alzheimer'sAn experimental blood test was accu-rate at distinguishing people withAlzheimer's disease from those without,boosting hopes to help diagnose.

NewsweeklyIndia Post

India PostAugust 7, 2020 5

www.indiapost.com

Cover/Top Stories

NEW EDUCATION POLICYFocuses on access, flexibility and making 'job creators': PM

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister NarendraModi on Saturday (01 August) said, thenew education policy announced bythe government emphasizes on making'job creators' instead of 'job seekers'and is an attempt to transform the 'in-tent' and 'content' of the country's edu-cation system.

Addressing the finale of the SmartIndia Hackathon, he said the NationalEducation Policy-2020 facilitates inter-disciplinary study which will ensurethat the focus is on what the studentswant to learn and will mark a shift fromthe "burden of school bag" to the "boonof learning".

The NEP is big on access to educationand aims to increase gross enrolmentratio in higher education to 50 per centby 2035, he said.

"India's National Education Policy(NEP) reflects the spirit of new India. Weare shifting from the burden of theschool bag, which does not last beyondschool, to the boon of learning whichhelps for life. From simply memorizingto critical thinking. The 21st century isthe era of knowledge, learning, and in-novation. For years, the limitations ofthe system had an adverse effect on thelives of students. No longer.

"The new policy reflects the aspira-tions of young India. It is not processcentric, it is people centric and futurecentric. The NEP is not just a policy butis a compilation of aspirations of all 130crore Indians," he told the studentswho participated in the event throughvideo link.

The prime minister said that underthe pressure of parents, relatives andfriends, students tend to opt for sub-jects that others have selected.

"Even today many children feel thatthey are judged on the basis of a sub-ject in which they have no interest. Dueto the pressure from parents, relatives,friends etc. children are forced to pur-sue the subjects chosen by others. Thishas resulted in a large population,which is well-educated, but most ofwhat they have read, is not useful forthem.

"Despite having a pile of degrees, in-dividuals feel incomplete and lack con-fidence which affects their whole life.The new policy seeks to change thisapproach by bringing a systematic re-form in education system and attempts

to transform both intent and content ofeducation," he said.

Elaborating on the emphasis in the

new education policy on inter-disciplin-ary study, the Prime Minister said, "Thisconcept has been gaining popularity.And, rightly so."

"One size does not fit all. One subjectdoes not define who you are. There areno limits to discovering something new.Human history has many examples ofstalwarts who have excelled in diverseareas. Be it Aryabhata, Leonardo daVinci, Helen Keller, Gurudev Tagore".

"Now, we have done away withsome traditional boundaries betweenarts, science, commerce. If someone isinterested, they can learn Maths andMusic together, or Coding and Chem-

istry together. This will ensure the fo-cus is on what the student wants tolearn. Rather than what the student is

expected to, by society. Inter-disci-plinary studies gives you control. Inthe process, it also makes you flexible.

"In the new policy, flexibility hasbeen given great importance. Thereare provisions for multiple entry andexits. No one-way streets for a stu-dent. The Under-Graduate experiencecan either be a three or four year jour-ney." he said.

Students will enjoy the advantagesof an Academic Bank of Credit, whichwill store all the academic credits ac-quired. These can be transferred andcounted in the final degree. Such flex-ibility was long needed in our educa-

tion system, he said.The prime minister said the new

education policy will help Indian lan-guages to progress and develop fur-ther.

"Students will benefit by learningin their own language in their earlyyears. The new education policy willalso introduce the rich Indian lan-guages to the world. This will not onlypromote knowledge and learning inthe country, but will also strengthenits unity.

"While the policy focuses on local,equal emphasis has been laid on glo-bal integration. Top global institutionshave been encouraged to open cam-puses in India.

"This will benefit Indian youth ingetting world class exposure and op-portunities, and help them preparefor global competition as well. Thiswill also help in building world-classinstitutions in India, making India ahub of global education," he said.

The NEP approved by the UnionCabinet earlier this week replaces the34-year-old National Policy on Educa-tion framed in 1986 and is aimed atpaving the way for transformationalreforms in school and higher educa-tion systems to make India a globalknowledge superpower.

Quoting the architect of the IndianConstitution B R Ambedkar that edu-cation should be accessible to all,Modi said that the new educationpolicy is also dedicated to this idea.

"It emphasizes on creating job cre-ators rather than job seekers. That is,in a way an attempt to bring reform inour mindset and in our approach," hesaid.

Hackathon is a non-stop digital prod-uct development competition orga-nized by the HRD Ministry, where prob-lems are posed to technology studentsto suggest innovative solutions. Thisyear, more than 10,000 students arecompeting to solve 243 problem state-ments from 37 central government de-partments, 17 state governments and20 industries.

Each problem statement carriesprize money of Rs 1 lakh except the stu-dent innovation theme, which will havethree winners, 1st, 2nd and 3rd, withprize money of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 andRs 50,000 respectively. PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

India Post August 7, 20206

www.indiapost.comTop Stories

US Congressional committee passes bill to promoteGandhi, Martin Luther King Jr's legacies

WASHINGTON: A key Congressionalcommittee on Wednesday (29 July)passed a bill, written by civil rights iconJohn Lewis, to promote the legacies ofMahatma Gandhi and Martin LutherKing Jr.

Cosponsored by Indian-AmericanCongressman Ami Bera, the Gandhi-King Exchange Act was passed by theHouse Foreign Affairs Committee. Thebill would establish an exchange initia-tive between the United States and In-dia to study the work and legacies ofMahatma Gandhi and Martin LutherKing Jr.

"John Lewis was a civil rights heronot only in the United States, but acrossthe globe. John fought for human rights,equality and justice, and democracy forall. Just like Gandhi and Dr. King, Con-gressman Lewis shaped the worldthrough his actions of nonviolence, andhis life story will reverberate through-out history," Bera said.

The Act authorizes the US State De-partment, in cooperation with the In-dian government, to establish an annualeducational forum for scholars fromboth countries that focus on the lega-cies of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhiand Martin Luther King Jr.

It also seeks to develop a profes-sional development training initiativeon conflict resolution based on the prin-ciples of nonviolence; and establish afoundation to address social, environ-

mental, and health priorities in India.In 2009, Congressman John Lewis led

a Congressional delegation visit to In-dia to commemorate the 50th anniver-sary of Dr King's pilgrimage to India.

Inspired by his visit, CongressmanLewis created the Gandhi-King Ex-change Act to seek to apply the phi-losophies of Gandhi and Dr King Jr toconflict resolution efforts and currentpolicy challenges.

"The Gandhi-King Scholarly ExchangeInitiative Act is a fitting tribute to hisincredible legacy," said Bera, who is thelongest serving Indian-American mem-

ber of the Congress in history."As the world's oldest and largest

democracies, the US and India havelong traditions of upholding theseshared values championed by figureslike Gandhi, King, and CongressmanLewis. But they are increasingly underthreat in both countries," he said.

"This legislation will help ensurethose values endure and remind us thatby holding true to them, we embodyand live up to the best of our two na-tions," Bera said.

Noting that Gandhi and Dr King Jrwere dedicated leaders fighting for so-cial justice and social change, peace,and civil rights in their respective com-munities, and countries and in theworld, the Bill said the use of non-vio-lent civil disobedience is a shared tac-tic that has played a key role in defeat-

ing social injustice in India, the US, andin other parts of the world.

The bill, among other things, asks theadministrator of the US Agency for In-ternational Development (USAID) to es-tablish in cooperation with the Indiangovernment the United States-IndiaGandhi-King Development Foundation.

The foundation shall identify devel-opment priorities and administer andoversee competitively awarded grantsto private nongovernmental entities toaddress such priorities in India, includ-ing health initiatives addressing tuber-culosis (TB), water, sanitation, and health( WASH), and pollution and relatedhealth impacts (PHI); pollution and cli-mate change; education; and empower-ment of women.

It asks the president and chief execu-tive officer of the United States Instituteof Peace to develop a training initiativeknown as the Gandhi-King Global Acad-emy. It will target representatives fromgovernments, nongovernmental orga-nizations, civic organizations, and edu-cational, cultural, women's, civil, and hu-man rights groups, including religiousand ethnic minorities and marginalizedcommunities in countries with ongoingpolitical, social, ethnic, or violent con-flict.

The academy would include a spe-cific focus on the success of nonviolentmovements, inclusion, and representa-tion in conflict resolution; develop a cur-riculum on conflict resolution toolsbased on the principles of nonviolence;and make the curriculum publicly avail-able online, in person, and through avariety of media.

Asserting that Dr King Jr's effectiveuse of Gandhi's principles was instru-mental to the American civil rightsmovement, the bill says that there is along history of civil and social rightsmovements in the United States and inIndia.

"As the relationship between theUnited States and India evolves, a bi-na-tional foundation through which thegovernments of each country can worktogether and catalyze private invest-ment toward development objectiveswould provide an ongoing, productiveinstitution and symbol of the friendshipand common ideals of the respectivegovernments and their peoples," it said.

John Lewis died on July 17 at the ageof 80 and was a contemporary of fellowcivil rights leader Dr Martin Luther KingJr. PTI

Cosponsored by Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera,

the Gandhi-King Exchange Act was passed by the House

Foreign Affairs Committee. The bill would establish an exchange

initiative between the United States and India to

study the work and legacies

Over 8.78 lakhIndians have returnedunder Vande BharatMission: MEA

NEW DELHI: Over 8.78 lakh Indianshave returned from abroad after thegovernment launched the "VandeBharat" evacuation mission on May7 in view of the coronavirus pan-demic, the Ministry of External Af-fairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Under the Phase 4 of the VandeBharat Mission, a total of 1,083flights have been scheduled so far,including 849 international flightsand 234 feeder flights, MEA Spokes-person Anurag Srivastava said at amedia briefing.

"These flights are operated bythe Air India Group, IndiGo, SpiceJetand GoAir from 29 countries to 31airports in India," he said.

"As we begin dovetailing phase 4into phase 5, (a total of ) 8,78,921 In-dian nationals have returned as onJuly 29, 2020. (A total of ) 1,07,452Indians have returned from Nepal,Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan andBangladesh by land borders," hesaid.

The phase 5 of the Vande BharatMission will start from August 1, hesaid.

The MEA spokesperson said a to-tal of 792 flights (692 internationaland 100 domestic feeders) havebeen scheduled to repatriate Indi-ans from 23 countries.

The countries include Gulf coun-tries, USA, Canada, UK, Germany,France, Australia, New Zealand, Ma-laysia, Philippines, Singapore,Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand,China, Israel, Ukraine andKyrgyzstan, he added.

"The flights would cater to 21 dif-ferent airports across India and re-patriate an estimated 1,30,000 Indi-ans stranded abroad," he said. PTI

India PostAugust 7, 2020 7


China, Australia spar on Twitterover South China Sea

BEIJING: Chinese and Australian diplomats sparredon Twitter over Beijing's actions in the South China Seafollowing Australia's endorsement of a US statementthat it would recognize virtually none of China's terri-torial claims there.

Australia recently filed a memorandum with theUnited Nations saying the claims were "without legalbasis," plunging Canberra into the controversy thathas drawn angry responses from Beijing.

Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrelltweeted Thursday (30 July) that he told India's Minis-ter of External Affairs that China's moves were "desta-bilizing and could provoke escalation."

Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong responded Fri-day by accusing O'Farrell of "disregarding facts," writ-ing: "It's clear who safeguards peace&stability &destabilise&provoke escalations in the region."

O'Farrell shot back saying China should follow a2016 international tribunal ruling that rejected mostof Beijing's claims. China has denounced the ruling as"illegal" and without any"binding force."

O'Farrell's commentsdrew strong praise frominternet users in India,where the public andpoliticians have called fora tougher line againstChina following a bloodyclash along their disputed border.

China said that long-range bombers were amongthe aircraft that took part in recent aerial drills overthe South China Sea amid rising tensions betweenWashington and Beijing over the strategic waterway.

The exercises included nighttime takeoffs and land-ings and simulated long-range attacks, Defense Min-istry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said Thursday (30July). Among the planes were H-6G and H-6K bomb-ers, upgraded versions of aircraft long in use in China'smilitary, Ren said.

He said the exercises had been previously scheduledand were aimed at boosting pilot abilities to operateunder all conditions, regardless of weather or time ofday. It wasn't clear whether live bombs were used.

China has built airstrips on many of its island hold-ings in the South China Sea, including man-made is-lands atop coral reefs. It isn't clear though whether itplans to permanently station aircraft there, where

sand and salty air can do serious damage to airframesand sophisticated on-board equipment.

Chinese ships, including the country's two aircraftcarriers, conduct frequent operations in the area,sometimes to trail and occasionally harass ships fromother countries.

US and Australian diplomats and defense ministerspledged to renew and strengthen a united frontagainst China and what they termed Beijing's malignbehavior throughout the region and beyond.

The two sides represented by US Secretary of MikePompeo, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, AustralianForeign Minister Marise Payne and Australian DefenseMinister Linda Reynolds has accused China of violat-ing international norms in the South China Sea andvowed to uphold freedom of navigation and the ruleof the law as well as democratic freedoms in HongKong.

Pompeo said the US and Australia face "immediatecrises" that must be dealt with simultaneously. Those

include the coronavirus and "Chinese communistparty ambitions," particularly its malign activity in theIndo-Pacific region and indeed all around the world.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ex-pressed helplessness in the face of China's seizure ofPhilippine-claimed territories in the South China Sea.

In an annual address to the nation recently, Dutertesaid he "cannot do anything" to counter those actions inthe face of China's overwhelming military superiority.

China has effectively taken possession of territoriesthe Philippines claims and Manila's only option is toseek to cool tensions through dialogue, he said.

Duterte has sought warmer ties with Beijing whiledownplaying long-standing relations with treaty allythe United States.

However, the Philippines last month renewed itscall for compliance with a 4-year-old arbitration rulingthat invalidated China's vast claims in the disputedSouth China Sea on historical grounds. AP

O'Farrell's comments drew strong praise from internet

users in India, where the public and politicians have called

for a tougher line against China following a bloody

clash along their disputed border

Indian-Americans importantstakeholder in India-USrelationship: Amb Sandhu

WASHINGTON: Indian-Americans are an impor-tant stakeholder in the relationship between thetwo largest democracies of the world, Indian Am-bassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu has said,urging the community to play a more active role inIndia's economic development, its recovery fromCOVID-19, and help to strengthen the bilateral ties.

Ambassador Sandhu made those remarks re-cently during a virtual meeting with members ofIndian-American community from in and aroundWashington DC.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Indianambassador has been holding virtual meetingswith members of the Indian-American communityfrom across the country. This was his seventh suchmeeting.

"The Indian American community is an impor-tant stakeholder, in our relationship with theUnited States," he said.

"We look forward to your ideas, and sugges-tions, on how we can leverage our strengths, for

the transforma-tion of India,and forstrengtheningIndia-US part-nership. Wewould like tosee you play, amore activerole, in India'seconomic de-velopment andrecovery, in thep o s t - C O V I Dscenario, as welook forward to

seizing the opportunities, from the shifting supplychains," he said.

The Ambassador thanked the community mem-bers for their active support to stranded Indians.

"This has helped in supplementing theEmbassy's outreach to stranded Indians and stu-dents, during the COVID-19 pandemic. By helpingwith medical advice, prescriptions, helplines, pro-vision of temporary accommodation and provisionof even groceries, in some cases, you have helpedus meet the challenges. I am aware that several ofyou contribute, to local and community organiza-tions in India, and we welcome your engagement,with India's development," he said.

Based on feedback from the community, thegovernment has relaxed the travel restrictions, onOCI cardholders with specific categories, beingallowed to travel on the Vande Bharat flights. In aseparate move, the government has also an-nounced relaxations on the renewal of OCI cardsuntil December 31, 2020, he said. Sandhu said thatduring the pandemic, India and United States havebeen collaborating closely. PTI

Indian Ambassador to the USTaranjit Singh Sandhu



Chef Vikas Khanna to helpIndia's street vendors

NEW YORK: Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna, who willsoon reach the milestone of having distributed 25 mil-lion meals across India amid COVID-19, is now aimingto provide essential rations and supplies to 10 millionstreet vendors and their families facing hardships dueto the coronavirus pandemic.

The 48-year-old world-renowned chef and authorhas coordinated a massive food distribution drivefrom his home in Manhattan since the coronavirus pan-demic gripped India, unleashing economic hardshipsfor millions as a nationwide lockdown was imple-mented in March.

"We are securing ration and are planning about 10million meals around the country for street vendors,who actually hold the true heritage of Indian food intheir hands," Khanna said.

He has distributed rations, meals and essential sup-plies to innumerable orphanages, old-age homes, lep-rosy centers, widow ashrams, Mumbai's famedDabbawalas, boatmen and craftsmen in Varanasi aswell as to migrant workers and hundreds of thousandsof people in need across more than 125 Indian citieswith the help of The National Disaster Response Force.

Nearly 50 leading brands as well as public and pri-vate organizations and individuals have partneredwith and supported Khanna in his 'Feed India' initia-tive.

Khanna will soon touch the landmark of having dis-

tributed 25 million meals across India amid the pan-demic and says he will dedicate this milestone toIndia's legendary artist Lata Mangeshkar, with whomhe shares a special bond.

He recalls that his mother listened to Mangeshkar'ssongs on the radio after working long arduous hoursrunning and managing banquets in Amritsar.

Khanna is simultaneously working on providing twomillion meals, food, clothes, essential supplies likemosquito repellents, candles and matches to peoplein flood-ravaged areas of Bihar and Assam, particularlyin the remote areas.

"There are a lot of challenges to support relief inflooded areas of Bihar & Assam (especially the remoteones). But I pledge 2 million+ meals in the affectedareas. We will do best to our ability," Khanna hadtweeted.

The world-renowned chef said he was particularlymoved by the plight of the millions of street vendorsacross India, whose source of income and livelihoodhas been severely impacted due to the pandemic andlockdown.

He is planning to distribute 10 million meals andother essential items for the street vendors that willlast for at least three months and has shortlisted 20cities for the distribution drive.

Khanna hopes that more people and companieswill join his efforts to help the street vendors, who he

says are an intrinsic part of India's food cul-ture and feed daily-wage workers, besidesattracting food lovers from all walks of life.

"Street vendors have been among themost important thread of society and providefood to millions of daily laborers. They haveuplifted each other through the years. That isthe power of street vendors. My next missionis to help these street vendors," he said.

"It is important to stay positive in these dif-ficult times but it also good to help out rightnow. This is the true moment where individualstrength is displayed. We are all holding handsand we can actually make this work. It is timefor the country to come together," he said.

Khanna emphasized that criticizing gov-ernments or foundations for their response tothe crisis "is an absolutely wrong way to lookat it right now because these are very unpre-dictable circumstances. Nobody knows howto deal with it."

"These crises are not crises which can bemanaged by NGOs and governments alone.The crisis is a testimony of the human grit. Atthis time of severe crisis, we need individualswho can share a little from what they have,"he said.

"The street vendors are hopeful that oncerestrictions are lifted and the crisis is over,their businesses can resume. They are justhanging by a thread. The pandemic is an un-precedented crisis and it is far from over. Butwe cannot give up," Khanna said. PTI

Chinese claims in Bhutan,incursion in India, indicativeof their intentions: Pompeo

WASHINGTON: China's territorial claims inBhutan and the recent incursion into Indian landare indicative of their intentions, US Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo said on Thursday (30 July), add-ing that Beijing under President Xi Jinping was try-ing to find out whether other countries are goingto push back.

Indian and Chinese troops have been locked ina bitter standoff in several areas along the Line ofActual Control in eastern Ladakh since May 5. Thesituation deteriorated last month following theGalwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army per-sonnel dead. China recently staked claim over theSakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan at the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF) Council and opposedfunding to the project.

"I think the actions are entirely consistent with

what they have been signaling to the world fordecades you might even argue since 1989 but cer-tainly since General Secretary Xi (Jinping) came topower," Pompeo told members of the House For-eign Affairs Committee during a Congressionalhearing.

The secretary of state said China has the desireto expand its power and reach.

"They talk about bringing socialism with Chinesecharacteristics to the world. Claims that they havenow made for real estate in Bhutan, the incursionthat took place in India, these are indicative of Chi-nese intentions, and they are testing, they areprobing the world to see if we are going to standup to their threats and their bullying, Pompeo said.

I am more confident than I was even a year ago thatthe world is prepared to do that. There's a lot more workto do, and we need to be serious about it, said the topAmerican diplomat. In his testimony, Pompeo told law-makers that India has banned 106 Chinese applicationsthat threatened its citizens' privacy and security.

"Our diplomatic efforts are working and mo-mentum is building to mitigate the threats thatthe Chinese Communist Party presents. All 10ASEAN nations have insisted that the South ChinaSea disputes be settled on the basis of interna-tional law, including UNCLOS (United Nations Con-vention on the Law of the Sea). Japan led the G-7'scondemnation of China's national security law tar-geting Hong Kong, he said. PTI

9 India PostAugust 7, 2020 www.indiapost.com

In Brief Immigration

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Administration might

try to end the Deferred

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casting it as a law

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could contribute to

illegal immigration

Trump administration won't acceptnew DACA applications

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf

CHICAGO: The Trump admin-istration said Tuesday (28 July)that it will reject new applica-tions and shorten renewal peri-ods for an Obama-era programthat shields young people fromdeportation, taking a defiantstance after the US SupremeCourt refused to let it bescrapped completely.

The move, detailed in amemo from Acting HomelandSecurity Secretary Chad Wolf,ended a month of uncertaintyabout how the administrationwould respond to its SupremeCourt defeat in an election yearthat has President DonaldTrump looking for ways to ener-gize his base.

Wolf said the administrationmight try to end the DeferredAction for Childhood Arrivals pro-gram again, casting it as a law en-forcement issue that could con-tribute to illegal immigration. Hesaid the federal governmentneeds more time to considernext steps, presenting the mea-sures as a temporary change.

"DACA makes clear that, forcertain large classes of individu-als, DHS will at least tolerate, if not

affirmatively sanction, their ongo-ing violation of the immigrationlaws," Wolf wrote in the memo.

About 650,000 people arepart of DACA, which allowsyoung immigrants who were

brought to the country illegallyas children to work and shieldsthem from deportation.Roughly 66,000 people meetage requirements to apply, ac-cording to the nonpartisan Mi-

gration Policy Institute.The government will deny all

new applications, limit renew-als to one year instead of two,and deny requests by DACA re-cipients to visit their homecountries unless there are "ex-ceptional circumstances."

Recipients may seek permis-sion to return home for familyevents, such as funerals or wed-dings, and other reasons,though the Trump administra-tion has generally denied them.

The Supreme Court ruled lastmonth that Trump failed to followrule-making procedures whenhe tried to end the program, butthe justices kept a window openfor him to try again.

The White House has beendevising plans to make anotherpush to end DACA, though it wasnot immediately clear whetherhe would make the politicallysensitive move beforeNovember's election. Demo-cratic rival Joe Biden wants tokeep DACA unconditionally.

A federal judge in Marylandruled earlier this month that theprogram should be restored toits original form, but the admin-istration was mum until Tuesday(28 July) on whether it wouldstart accepting new applica-tions. The White House antici-pates legal challenges.

The administration's month-long silence had unnerved manyDACA recipients and those whowanted to join. U.S. DistrictJudge Paul Grimm of Maryland,an appointee of PresidentBarack Obama, has given the ad-ministration until the end of Fri-day (31 July) to update the USCitizenship and ImmigrationServices' website and start ad-equately explaining why appli-cations are rejected. AP

Indians lead in acquiring Australiancitizenship in 2019-20

MELBOURNE: More than38,000 Indians became Aus-tralian citizens in 2019-2020, a60 per cent increase from theprevious year and the largestdiaspora group to be grantedthe country's citizenship.

Out of the over 200,000people who became Austra-lian citizens in 2019-2020,38,209 were Indians, thehighest number on record,followed by 25,011 Britishers,14,764 Chinese and 8821 Pa-kistanis.

Australia's Acting Ministerfor Immigration, Citizenship,Migrant Services andMulticultural Affairs AlanTudge said citizenship was animportant part of Australia'ssuccess as a socially cohesive,multicultural nation.

"Becoming an Australian citi-

zen means more than just livingand working here - it's a pledgeof allegiance to our nation, ourpeople and our values. Whensomeone becomes a citizen,they make a pledge to upholdAustralia's rights, liberties, lawsand democratic values. It repre-sents a willingness to integrateinto our successful multiculturalnation," Tudge said.

"Being an Australian citi-zen is an immense privilege,which brings both rights andresponsibilities. I congratu-late all those who have takenthis important step,'' he saidin a statement.

In the ongoing COVID-19health crisis, the Australiangovernment started onlineceremonies, which saw over60,000 people being, con-ferred the citizenship. PTI

UK funds multimillion-pound studies toprobe ethnicity link

LONDON: New projectsworth around 4.3 millionpounds have received the UKgovernment funding to helpexplain and mitigate the dispro-portionately adverse COVID-19impact and higher death rateamong the country's ethnic mi-norities, including those of In-dian origin.

The UK Research and Innova-tion (UKRI) and National Institutefor Health Research (NHRI)backed projects include over 2million pounds for academics atthe University of Leicester to in-vestigate why people from black,Asian and minority ethnic (BAME)backgrounds have a higher riskof developing severe COVID-19.

The study titled UK-REACH UKResearch study into EthnicityAnd COVID-19 outcomes inHealthcare workers will workwith more than 30,000 clinicaland non-clinical members ofstaff to assess their risk from thedeadly coronavirus, based onthe analysis of two millionhealthcare records.

"Globally, we have evidencethat people from BAME back-grounds have a higher chance ofgoing to intensive care and dy-ing from COVID-19 this may alsobe the case for healthcare staff,"said Dr Manish Pareek, the chiefinvestigator of the UK-REACHstudy. IANS

10 India Post August 7, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech News TechBizPompeo says Trump to take broad

action on Chinese softwareNEW YORK: President Donald

Trump plans to take action onwhat he sees as a broad arrayof national security risks pre-sented by software connectedto the Chinese CommunistParty, Secretary of State MikePompeo said on Sunday (02August).

Pompeo's remarks followedreports that Microsoft is in ad-vanced talks to buy the US op-erations of TikTok, which hasbeen a source of national secu-rity and censorship concernsfor the Trump administration.

These Chinese softwarecompanies doing business inthe United States, whether it'sTikTok or WeChat there arecountless more ... are feedingdata directly to the ChineseCommunist Party, their na-tional security apparatus,Pompeo said on FOX NewsChannel's Sunday Morning Fu-tures.

Could be their facial recog-

nition patterns. It could be in-formation about their resi-dence, their phone numbers,their friends, who they're con-nected to. Those are the issues

that President Trump has madeclear we're going to take careof.

Trump had said earlier thathe would soon ban TikTok inthe United States. A federal

committee is reviewingwhether that's possible, and itsmembers agree that TikTokcannot remain in the US in itscurrent form, because it "risks

sending back information on100 million Americans, saidTreasury Secretary StevenMnuchin.

We all agree there has to bea change...everybody agrees it

can't exist as it does," Mnuchinsaid on ABC News This Weekwith George Stephanopoulos.

As speculation grew over aban or sale of the socialmedia's US business, TikTokposted a video recentlysaying:We're not planning on goinganywhere.

TikTok's catchy videos andease of use has made it popu-lar, and it says it has tens of mil-lions of users in the US andhundreds of millions globally.

Its parent company,Bytedance Ltd, launchedTikTok in 2017. It boughtMusical.ly, a video servicepopular with teens in the USand Europe, and combined thetwo. It has a similar service,Douyin, for users in China.

But TikTok's Chinese owner-ship has raised concern aboutthe potential for sharing userdata with Chinese officials aswell as censorship of videoscritical of the Chinese govern-ment. TikTok says it does notcensor videos and it would notgive the Chinese governmentaccess to US user data.

The President, when hemakes his decision, will makesure that everything we havedone drives us as close to zerorisk for the American people,Pompeo said.

That's the mission set thathe laid out for all of us when weget -- we began to evaluatethis now several months back.We're closing in on a solution.And I think you will see thepresident's announcementshortly.

The debate over TikTok par-allels a broader US securitycrackdown on Chinese compa-nies, including telecom provid-ers Huawei and ZTE. AP

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Microsoft confirms talks to acquire TikTok by September 15SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft

has officially confirmed it is intalks to acquire the opera-tions of video-sharing plat-form TikTok in the US, Canada,Australia and New Zealandmarkets following a conversa-tion between Microsoft CEOSatya Nadella and PresidentDonald Trump.

"Microsoft is prepared tocontinue discussions to ex-plore a purchase of TikTok inthe United States," the techgiant said in a recent blogpost.

"Microsoft fully appreci-ates the importance of ad-

dressing the President's con-cerns. It is committed to ac-quiring TikTok subject to acomplete security review andp r o v i d i n gproper eco-nomic ben-efits to theUnited States,including theUnited StatesTreasury," thecompany said.

The officialconfirmationcame after re-ports sur-faced that

Microsoft has halted its bid tobuy the US operations of China-based TikTok after PresidentDonald Trump vowed to ban

the short-video making appthat has over 80 millionmonthly users in the coun-try.

According to a report inThe Wall Street Journal, asale was thought close toagreement "but was put indoubt after the USpresident's warning".

Microsoft said that it "willmove quickly to pursue dis-cussions with TikTok's par-ent company, ByteDance, ina matter of weeks, and inany event completing thesediscussions no later thanSeptember 15, 2020". IANSMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella

Eight core industries'output contracts15 pc in Jun

NEW DELHI: Contracting forthe fourth consecutive month,the output of eight core infra-structure industries shrank by15 per cent in June due to fallin the production of coal, crudeoil, natural gas, steel, cementand electricity.

The eight core sectors hadexpanded by 1.2 per cent inJune 2019, data released bythe Commerce and IndustryMinistry on Friday (31 July),showed.

Barring fertilizer, all sevensectors - coal, crude oil, naturalgas, refinery products, steel,cement, and electricity - hadrecorded negative growth inMay.

The output of coal, crude oil,natural gas, refinery products,steel, cement and electricitydeclined by 15.5 per cent, 6per cent, 12 per cent, 8.9 percent, 33.8 per cent, 6.9 percent, and 11 per cent, respec-tively.

During April-June 2020-21,the sectors' output dipped by24.6 per cent as compared to apositive growth of 3.4 per centin the same period previousyear. These eight industries ac-count for 40.27 per cent in theIndex of Industrial Production(IIP).

In May, the sectors' outputcontracted by 22 per cent. PTI

Israel to resume int'l flights on Aug 16JERUSALEM: Israel will resume international flights on August

16, Minister of Transport Miri Regev announced.As the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition has

not increased sharply, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu re-cently approved the resumption of international flights, it is re-ported. IANS

11India PostTechBiz PostAugust 7, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech BriefsGovt to come out withstrategic sectors list soon: FM

NEW DELHI: The governmentwill soon come out with a newpublic sector enterprisespolicy that will define strategicsectors, which will not havemore than four PSUs, FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamansaid on Saturday (01 August).

As part of the 'AatmanirbharBharat Abhiyan' package, thefinance minister in May had an-nounced that there will be amaximum of four public sectorcompanies in strategic sectors,

and state-owned firms in othersegments will eventually beprivatized.

"We are working on it ... itshould go to Cabinet soon,"she said in interaction withmedia when asked about thestrategic sector list.

She said there could be vari-ous models to achieve mini-mum four PSUs in case of thosefalling under the strategic sec-tor.

Either they will be merged,

or they will be brought to-gether in such a way that thereare only four or lesser, she said.

Under the policy, a list of stra-tegic sectors will be notifiedwhere there will be at least oneand a maximum of four publicsector enterprise, apart fromprivate sector companies.

In other sectors, centralpublic sector enterprises(CPSEs) will be privatized de-pending upon the feasibility.

"We would like to announcea PSE policy (as) a self-reliantIndia needs a coherent policy.All sectors will be opened toprivate sectors also.

"PSEs will continue to playan important role in definedareas. We need a coherentpolicy because sometimes youopen up some sectors in piece-meal... Now we shall define theareas... where their presencewill be impact-fully felt,"Sitharaman had said while an-nouncing the package.

Asked about expectationsfrom the meeting of the Mon-etary Policy Committee nextweek, the finance minister saidthat's for the RBI to decide.

Speaking about the state ofeconomy, she said it is defi-nitely trying to come out of dif-ficulty but would be difficult toget a complete picture at thispoint of time due to uncer-tainty around the pandemic.

Value chains are getting dis-rupted due to containmentzones in many parts of thecountry because of the pan-demic, she explained.

Emphasizing that the PrimeMinister is speaking with vari-ous stakeholders on regularbasis to get feedback on theevolving situation, she said thegovernment is keeping all op-tions open to help supporteconomy.

There are some kinds ofgreen shoots but the govern-ment is cautious about theseparameters, she said, addingthat the economy is at a stagewhere every sector is trying tobeat pandemic and revive. PTI

Twitter survey reveals paidservice with 'Undo Send' button

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitterhas kicked off a new surveyfor its upcoming paid sub-scription service that will giveusers options like "UndoSend" button (like an editbutton) and ability to tweetlonger and high-quality videos,among other fea-tures.

The micro-blogging platformhinted last monthit is planning apaid subscriptionplatform that can be reusedby other teams in the future.Twitter is building a subscrip-tion platform with a teamcodenamed "Gryphon".

According to TechCrunch,the company has started thesurvey towards the servicethat would give users paid fea-tures like "support for profilebadges, auto responses, addi-tional social listening analytics

and the ability to run brandsurveys about ads".

The 'Undo Send' will pro-vide a 30-second windowfor users to recall or with-draw a tweet with typos andother errors before anyone

can see it.This will, how-

ever, be only a vi-able alternativeto the 'Edit' but-ton users havebeen demandingfor years.

The paid userswill be able to choose morefonts and theme colors forbackground, links, mentions,hashtags and icons.

The paid users will be ableto publish videos up to 5times longer than the cur-rent default setting for vid-eos, with a much highermaximum resolution(8192×8192), according tothe report. IANS

386 MN user records from 18companies stolen in data breaches

SAN FRANCISCO: A hacker/hacking group known asShinyHunters flooded ahacker forum with 386 mil-lion user records stolen from18 companies.

According to BleepingComputer, Shiny Hunters lastweek began uploading the da-tabases to a forum where any-one can download them freeof charge. Of the databases re-leased since July 21, nine ofthem were already disclosedin some manner in the past.

However, the alleged databreaches at Appen.com,Drizly.com, Havenly.com,IndabaMusic.com, Ivoy.mx,Proctoru.com, Rewards1.com,Scentbird.com andVakinha.com.br were not re-ported before, notedBleepingComputer.

Stolen databases are valu-able and usually sold privately.

Once they lose value, hackersmay choose to release thedata for free on forums to in-crease their reputation andexposure.

When the publication askedShinyHunters why theydumped all of these data-bases, they were told thatthey were leaked foreveryone's benefit.

"I just thought: 'I've madeenough money now' so Ileaked for everyone's benefit."

"Obviously, some peopleare a little upset because theypaid resellers a few days ago,but I don't care," ShinyHuntersadded. Earlier, ShinyHuntershave played a role in high-pro-file data breaches atHomeChef, Promo.com,Mathway, Chatbooks,Dave.com, Wattpad and evenMicrosoft's GitHub account.IANS

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Gold futures surge asinternational prices hit new high

MUMBAI: Bull Run in domes-tic gold futures continued onMonday as prices in the inter-national market surged to newhighs.

The active October contracton the Multi-Commodity Ex-change (MCX) touched a highof Rs 53,670 per 10 gram, whilethe August contract,which is due to endon Wednesday,touched a highof Rs 54,199per 10 gram.

The Octo-ber contract is cur-rently trading at Rs 53,637,higher by Rs 192 or 0.36 percent from its previous close.

Spot gold in the interna-tional market touched an all-time high of $1,987.95 perounce earlier in the day.

The safe haven demand forgold refuses to die down as un-certainty over the global eco-nomic situation and the ongo-ing pandemic continues.

Anuj Gupta, DVP, Commodi-ties and Currencies Research,Angel Broking, said that it ismore of an impact of the inter-national trend, which has been

witnessed on theIndian futures

market.A recent

report by theWorld Gold

Council (WGC) showed that itis the record inflow into gold-backed ETFs (Exchange TradedFunds) which has caused therally in the prices of the yellowmetal. The consumer demand,however, has hit rock-bottomamid the pandemic. IANS

Health Line

12 India Post August 7, 2020www.indiapost.com

One can be said to be perfectly healthy in body and mind only if no part of the body or mind makes itself felt. A partmakes itself felt only when there is something wrong with it. You know that you have a head only when it aches.

Sri Atmananda (1883 - 1959)

Scientists get closer to blood testfor Alzheimer's disease

WASHINGTON: An experi-mental blood test was highlyaccurate at distinguishingpeople with Alzheimer's dis-ease from those without it inseveral studies, boostinghopes that there soon may bea simple way to help diagnosethis most common form of de-mentia.

Developing such a test hasbeen a long-sought goal, andscientists warn that the newapproach still needs more vali-dation and is not yet ready forwide use.

But recent results suggestthey're on the right track. Thetesting identified people withAlzheimer's vs. no dementia orother types of it with accuracyranging from 89 per cent to 98per cent.

"That's pretty good. We'venever seen that" much precisionin previous efforts, said MariaCarrillo, the Alzheimer'sAssociation's chief science officer.

Dr. Eliezer Masliah, neuro-

science chief at the U.S. NationalInstitute on Aging, agreed. "Thedata looks very encouraging,"he said. The new testing "ap-pears to be even more sensitive

and more reliable" than earliermethods, but it needs to betried in larger, more diversepopulations, he said.

The institute had no role inthese studies but financed ear-lier, basic research toward

blood test development.Results were discussed at

the Alzheimer's Association In-ternational Conference takingplace online because of the

coronavirus pandemic. Someresults also were published inthe Journal of the AmericanMedical Association.

More than 5 million peoplein the United States and manymore worldwide have

Alzheimer's. Current drugsonly temporarily ease symp-toms and do not slow mentaldecline.

The disease is usually diag-nosed through tests ofmemory and thinking skills, butthat's very imprecise and usu-ally involves a referral to a neu-rologist.

More reliable methods suchas spinal fluid tests and brainscans are invasive or expensive,so a simple blood test that couldbe done in a family doctor's of-fice would be a big advance.

Last year, scientists reportedencouraging results from ex-perimental blood tests thatmeasure abnormal versions ofamyloid, one of two proteinsthat build up and damageAlzheimer's patients' brains.

The new work focuses onthe other protein - tau - andfinds that one form of it calledp-tau217 is a more reliable in-dicator. Several companies anduniversities have developedexperimental p-tau217 tests.

Dr Oskar Hansson of LundUniversity in Sweden led astudy of Eli Lilly's test on morethan 1,400 people already en-rolled in dementia studies inSweden, Arizona and Colombia.

They included people withno impairment, mild impair-ment, Alzheimer's and otherneurological diseases.

The p-tau217 test outper-formed a host of other mea-sures for indicating which pa-tients had Alzheimer's as veri-fied by brain scans. It also wascomparable to the brain scansand some spinal tests in accu-racy. AP

For detailed stories visitwww.indiapost.com

There's proof Covid-19 causes stroke in absence of comorbidityNEW DELHI: Covid-19 is

typically known as a lung in-fection, but it has also beenfound to cause blood clotsthat can lead to severestroke. And neurologists indi-cate that there is proof thatCovid-19 causes stroke in theabsence of comorbidities in apatient.

As per the neurologists, ifpeople with pre-existingconditions like blood pres-sure, diabetes or any heartrelated ailments test positivefor Covid-19, they should im-mediately get admitted to

the hospital.P.N. Renjen, Senior Consult-

ant (Neurology) at Delhi'sIndraprastha Apollo Hospital,said that coronavirus has beenshown to cause development

of microthrombi (small clots)."These clots can travel to

the lung and obstruct bloodflow to the lung, which is calledpulmonary embolism, or travelto brain circulation and cause

ischemic stroke. It seems tobe happening to those af-fected with severe Covidsymptoms," he said.

Cases have emergedwhere people with zerocomorbidity have hadstrokes and tested positivefor Covid-19.

Renjen added, "While thechances having of a Covid-19induced stroke are higher inpeople with pre-existingcomorbidities, there is proofthat it can also cause stroke inthe absence of comorbiditiesin a patient." IANS

105-year old ladybecomes oldestCOVID-19 survivor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A105-year old woman wascured of COVID-19 after overthree-month long battle anddischarged from a govern-ment hospital in Kerala onWednesday (29 July), becom-ing the oldest coronavirus sur-vivor in the state, the Healthdepartment said.

A native of Anchal town inneighboring Kollam district,Asma Beevi was admitted tothe Kollam Medical CollegeHospital on April 20 after con-tracting the virus through herdaughter, it said, adding sheshowed "enormous strength"during the treatment.

She was also suffering fromage-related ailments and hertreatment monitored by amedical board.

"Anchal-native Asma Beevi,105, was discharged after beingcured of COVID-19. She is theoldest in the state to be treatedand cured of the virus," the de-partment said in a release.

Earlier in early April, 93-yearold Thomas Abraham from Ranivillage in Pathanamthittaachieved the feat of becomingthe oldest COVID-19 survivor inthe country then. Since thensome centenarians have beencured of the disease in differ-ent parts of the country.

Abraham, a farmer, and his88-year wife Mariyamma weretreated at the Kottayam Medi-cal College Hospital and dis-charged. PTI

India PostWellness Post 13August 7, 2020

www.indiapost.com

Canada authorizesRemdesivir to treatpatients of severe Covid-19

OTTAWA: Canada has announcedits authorization for using the drugremdesivir for treating patients suf-fering severe symptoms of Covid-19 who have pneumonia and re-quire extra oxygen to help thembreathe.

Remdesivir is the first drug thatCanada has authorized for the treat-ment of Covid-19, according to apress release on Tuesday (27 July)from Health Canada, Xinhua re-ported.

The drug, manufactured byGilead Sciences Canada, Inc., is au-thorized for use in adults and ado-lescents with a bodyweight of atleast 40 kg. The authorization in-cludes a full six-week scientific re-view.

Gilead Sciences Canada, Inc. didnot seek authorization for an indica-tion for use of remdesivir to treatchildren or pregnant women,Health Canada said. IANS

Vitamin D deficiency leads to higher osteoporosis riskNEW YORK: Researchers have found

that calcium and vitamin D deficiencieslead to a higher risk of osteoporosis andpoor bone health.

For the findings, published in thejournal PLOS ONE, the research teamexamined inadequate nutrient intakeand its relationship to poor bone health,specifically the risk of osteoporosis.

The team examined the rela-tionship between markers ofpoverty with calcium and vita-min D intake and osteoporosisin Americans, 50 years andolder.

"This study continues todemonstrate how prevalentnutrient deficiency is amongthe US population, and evenmore so, among lower-in-come individuals and thosewith food insecurities," saidSusan Hazels Mitmesser fromPharmavite LLC, the makers ofnature made vitamins, min-erals and supplements, whoconducted the study.

"Yet, we know that nutri-

ent adequacy is imperative in support-ing overall health and wellness, includ-ing immune health, at a time when thatis heavy on everyone's mind," sheadded.

According to the study, 25 per centof older US people live below the pov-erty line. Within this population, 68 percent have inadequate calcium intake,

and 46 per cent have inadequate vita-min D intake. Gender, ethnic, and socio-economic differences impact the over-all risk for inadequate calcium and vita-min D intake and subsequent os-teoporosis risk, as seen in some of thestudy key findings.

The findings also showed that USwomen over the age of 50 consistentlyhave inadequate calcium intake, re-

gardless of their economic status.Inadequate intake of calcium

and vitamin D affects poverty-stricken men more thanwomen with respect to os-teoporosis risk.

It has been estimated inthe US population aged 50 andolder, about 10.2 million sufferfrom osteoporosis, and 80 percent of these affected casesare females.

In addition, there are poten-tially 43.4 million people, or 44per cent of the populationwith osteopenia, which is abone condition that oftenleads to osteoporosis. IANS

August 7, 2020India Post14 www.indiapost.com

The American frontier drama ``The World toCome,'' the Jim Broadbent and HelenMirren comedy-drama ``The Duke,'' GiaCoppola's ``Mainstream,'' and the Shia

LaBeouf and Vanessa Kirby drama ``Pieces of aWoman'' are among the films set to premiere atthe Venice International Film Festival in September,the first major event of its kind sincethe coronavirus pandemic forced thecancellation of large gatheringsworldwide, organizers have an-nounced.

The selections for the 77th edition,which launches Sept. 2 on the VeniceLido, are more global and less packed with star-studded Hollywood features than in years past asa result of the ongoing virus outbreak, festival di-rector Alberto Barbera acknowledged in his open-ing remarks.

"This year, to borrow Bob Dylan's words, the pro-gram contains multitudes: of movies, of genres, ofpoints of view,'' Barbera said. "There will be auteurfilms, comedies, documentaries, horror flicks,gangster movies, and so on."

Films premiering in competition include ChloeZhao's ``Nomadland;'' Nicole Garcia's ``Lovers,''with Stacy Martin; Susanna Nicchiarelli's ``MissMarx,'' with Romola Garai as Karl Marx's daughterEleanor; and Mona Fastvold's ``The World to Come,''about two women who forge a connection in iso-lation in the mid-19th century. Based on JimShepard's short story, it also stars Kirby, bestknown for playing Princess Margaret in ``TheCrown,'' Katherine Waterston and Casey Affleck.

Barbera noted that almost half of the competi-tion film selections this year are directed bywomen. The festival has had notoriously poor gen-der parity in the past.

The films this year, Barbera said, ``were selectedexclusively on the basis of their quality and not as

a result of gender protocols. This is an unprecedentedpercentile which we hope augurs well for a future cin-ema that is free of any sort of prejudice and discrimi-nation.''

Cate Blanchett will be presiding over the main com-petition jury alongside filmmakers Joanna Hogg,Veronika Franz, Christian Petzold and Cristi Puiu, actorLudivine Sagnier and writer Nicola Lagioia. They willtogether decide on the coveted Golden Lion award,which last went to Todd Phillips' ``Joker.''

Out-of-competition selections include LucaGuadagnino's Salvatore Ferragamo documentary ``The

Shoemaker of Dreams`` and Alex Gibney's ``Crazy,Not Insane,'' about a psychiatrist who works withserial killers like Ted Bundy.

The festival will implement various modificationsdue to ongoing concerns about COVID-19, includ-ing a slightly slimmed-down official competition, areduced number of sections and the addition of two

outdoor screening venues, in addition toits traditional venues. Organizers saidthey will also be adhering to safety mea-sures established by local authorities.

``Until a short while ago, even thecertainty of maintaining the late-sum-mer appointment with Venice's Festival

was anything but a given,'' Barbera said.And it will be a decidedly different festival than

in the past couple of years, where A-List stars fromBrad Pitt to Lady Gaga have put on their finest forred carpet premieres.

``A few spectacular movies will be missing,blocked by the lockdown which still affects the pro-gramming of the most-awaited Hollywood releases.A few cast members of the invited movies won't beable to attend because of the ongoing limitationson intercontinental travel,'' Barbera said.

Attendees are also likely to be mostly Europeanthis year due to continuing travel restrictions andquarantine requirements. Italy was an early epi-center of the virus outbreak.

But the show will go on.``The decision to hold the 77th edition of the

Venice Film Festival is experienced like a sign ofconfidence in _ dnd concrete support of _ theworld of film and the audiovisual industry,'' Barberasaid.

The festival will open with an Italian film for thefirst time in over a decade: the marital drama ``TheTies,'' from director Daniele Luchetti and starringAlba Rohrwacher will premiere on the Lido on Sept.2. It runs through Sept. 12. AP

The selections for the 77th edition,

which launches Sept. 2 on the Venice

Lido, are more global and less packed

with star-studded Hollywood features

than in years past as a result of the

ongoing virus outbreak, festival

director Alberto Barbera

acknowledged in his opening remarks

August 7, 2020 India Post

www.indiapost.com

15

NEW DELHI: India has over10 million weavers and arti-sans who are severely im-pacted by the lockdown thatcaused shutdown of sales andproduction activities, resultingin a loss of livelihoods.

The second edition of 'GoSwadeshi Online', an online ex-hibition of handloom clothesand artifacts by weavers and

artisans from across the coun-try, aims at supporting artisansliquidate their stocks to sustainthemselves and to help thesector recover from the impactof Covid-19.

Organized by GoCoop, anonline marketplace for weav-ers and artisans, the 15-dayonline event will be held fromAugust 1-15 August coinciding

with National Handloom Daywhich is marked on August 7.

The event aims at helping ar-tisans, reinstate the pride inhand-spun, hand-woven andhandcrafted products, support'vocal for local' and to encouragepeople to indulge in the richhandloom traditions of India.

The online sale will offer amix of contemporary and tradi-tional handlooms with collec-tions by weavers from AndhraPradesh, Assam, Bihar,

Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh, Odisha,Rajasthan, Telangana, UttarPradesh and West Bengal.

The collection on offer com-prises of Uppada sarees ofAndhra Pradesh, Molakalmurusilk sarees of Karnataka, vi-brant Jamdanis and Tangailsarees from Bengal to thesubtle elegance ofMaheshwaris and Chanderis. Italso offers choices ofPochampally, Sambalpuri and

Tussar sarees, and hand-wo-ven range of fabrics, home fur-nishings, menswear andwomen's apparels.

In addition to this, embroi-dered sarees, dupattas, stolesby the Lambadi community,handcrafted home accesso-ries by women artisans fromtribal areas are a special partof handcrafted collection.

When: August 1-15Where: https://

gocoop.com/goswadeshi

Digital growth of a beauty giantNEW DELHI: The knee jerk

disruption caused by the pan-demic and the months oflockdown which followed, hasleft every sector with a lot ofchallenges. As sales and profitstook a huge dip overnight, thebounce back is tough for all. Thebeauty industry is no different.

However, as things get backto normal, players in thebeauty business were quick torealize the changes required in

the current scenario given theshift in consumer demands.

Having spoken with indus-try veteran Samir Modi,Founder and Managing Direc-tor of Colorbar, to know howthe industry is positioning it-self in accordance with thechanges in consumer behaviorand the way forward. Read ex-cerpts:Q: How do you think the pan-demic has impacted the overall beauty market in India?

A: For the entire industry ithas been a time of massive re-percussions across the valuechain. We saw the followingchanges:

Change in business formats,as opposed to the way wewere doing things before thelockdown. For example thebiggest learning of our timeshas been the clear shift fromtraditional selling points to ac-

tivating digital spends, as retailbusiness was the most im-pacted since the very firstlockdown back in March.

Investing into Skincarebased solutions as an exten-sion of the existing portfolios

Rise in the Essentials cat-egory and Personal Care prod-ucts

Various Digital initiativesyielding better fruits. We atColorbar have also had to re-

look, reset and re-imagine ourbusiness model, since custom-ers today have become veryconscious about their safetyand health. We've developedmany statements of hygieneand safety ensuring Colorbarhas the safest environment outthere, for both the consumersand our staff. IANSlife

For detailed story visitwww.indiapost.com


Rich ing o r -geous landscapes, crystal-

line waterfalls, awe-inspir-ing mountains, dense forests,and a generous sprinkling ofhistory and tradition, Tripura isa popular tourist destinationsituated in North-East India. Thisland-locked state nestled at thefoot of the Himalayan moun-tains has a long historicallegacy behind it; Tripura was

once home to the famousManikya tribe, which resulted inthe conception of a plethora ofvaried archaeological monu-ments and structures in thestate, all of which attest to therich cultural and traditionalpast of Tripura. The state exhib-

its a unique blend of traditionaltribal culture with a little moremodern Bengali culture, givingrise to a harmonious culturalambience that you will not findanywhere else in the country.Tripura is more than just itsbreathtaking beauty; it is an il-lustration of a long and variedlegacy of history and tradition,thus promising you a holidayyou won't forget anytime soon.

Rich in art and culture, theland of nineteen tribes, Tripurais situated in the lush greenhills and blessed with naturalbeauty and picturesque loca-tions which attract touristsfrom all over the world. The reli-gious festivals, colorful cos-

tumes, artistic cane and bam-boo products, multi-linguisticpeople and delicious food,memorable sightseeing, ad-venturous trekking and livelyshopping experience- There isnothing that Tripura lacks andwill regenerate and rejuvenateyour soul and spirit.

PLACES TO VISITAgartala: Home to the

Manikya Kings in the past,Agartala is the perfect mix ofnatural beauty combined withdiverse and rich culture.

Agartala is not just all flow-ers and valleys but also has acultural richness with the diver-sity of people that stay here

along with the historical andreligious monuments. The capi-tal of Tripura manages to createits culture and personality out ofthe coming together of storiesof all those who reside here andgive it a hue of their own culture.The most developed city in thestate, it is still a far cry from themetros and hence maintains thebest of both worlds.

Kailashahar: A well-likedtourist town near Agartala,Kailashahar was once the capi-tal of Tripuran kingdom and evi-dence of its royal history can bestill seen here.www.holidify.com

August 7, 2020www.indiapost.comIndia Post16

www.indiapost.com August 7, 2020

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

India Post

Desi News

17 Details on page 20

Tech-savvy teen Samarth Tewaribrings community support to

local restaurants and homeless

Details on page 19

Dr Shivangi on Coalition Advisory Board, DonaldJ. Trump for President, Inc. (the "Campaign")

India Post News Service

Dr. Sampat Shivangi, aphysician, an influen-tial Indian-American

community leader, and a vet-eran leader of the AmericanAssociation of Physicians of In-dian Origin (AAPI), has been ap-pointed as the member of Coa-lition Advisory Board, Donald J.Trump for President, Inc. (the"Campaign").

Dr. Sampat Shivangi is an In-dian born American Physician.He has been serving the Boardfor the Department of MentalHealth in Mississippi for sev-eral years. Dr. Shivangi has re-ceived several awards for hiswork. The most notable awardhe has received is the Pravasi

Bharatiya Samman award fromthe President of India PranabMukherjee in Bengaluru on thePravasi Bharatiya Divas. He isalso one of the trustees ofAmericans4Hindus, is a non-partisan Independent PoliticalCommittee. A4H's mission is toencourage and promote pub-lic policies that embrace plu-ralism, mutual respect and lib-erty. Dr Shivangi is working onthe mission to get PresidentTrump re-elected and is ac-tively working on theHindus4Trump program.

I am honored that PresidentDonald Trump appointed meas a member to his top board "Donald J Trump for President,Inc. Coalition Advisory Board. Ithas been an added honor as Iam already elected as a Na-tional delegate for the upcom-ing Republican Party Conven-tion, which will be virtual thistime due to pandemic. I amproud to serve as a National del-egate for the fifth time consecu-tively a unique distinction for

an INDIAN American to be del-egate at President George WBush convention in New York in2004, Senator John McCain inMinneapolis in 2008, Governor

Romney in 2012 in Tampa FL,and 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio tonominate President Donald JTrump. President Trump has

been a great friend of India, thefirst President to attend PrimeMinister Modi Howdy Modirally in Houston, TX and his visitto India to show his solidarity

with INDIA and people of India,said Dr Shivangi.

Dr.Sampat S. Shivangi hasbeen a conservative lifelongmember of the RepublicanParty, hailing from a strong re-publican state of Mississippi.He is the founding member ofthe Republican Indian counciland of Republican Indian Na-tional Council which aims towork to help and assist in pro-moting President ElectTrump's agenda and supporthis advocacy in the comingmonths.

Dr. Sampat Shivangi

Dr. Sampat Shivangi is an Indian born

American Physician. He has been serving the

Board for the Department of Mental Health in

Mississippi for several years. Dr. Shivangi has

received several awards for his work

Cont’d on page 24

MAFS virtual fundraiser meet endson success noteRAMESH SOPARAWALAIndia Post News Service

CHICAGO: The28th Semi An-nual Virtual Summit 2020 ofMetropolitan Asin Family Ser-vices (MAFS) was held on Friday,July 31 2020 in the morning at11 am with the theme beingCare of Seniors During TheCOVID-19 Pandemic.

The virtual; meet wasgraced among others by Gov-ernor of Telangana Dr. (Smt.)TamilisaiSoundararajan, and USRep Danny K Davis, State Rep-resentative MichelleMussman.Executive Directorcum soul of MAFF Ms SantoshKumar, Dr Vijay Prabhakar andMAFS team including Prashantand Sagar Kumar

Details on page 18

Air Indiamanager, MaliniVaidyanathan bidsadieu to Chicago

August 7, 2020India Post18 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

MAFS virtual fund raiser meet ends on success noteRAMESH SOPARAWALAIndia Post News Service

CHICAGO: The28th Semi An-nual Virtual Summit 2020 ofMetropolitan Asian Family Ser-

vices (MAFS) was held on Friday,July 31 2020 in the morning at11 am with the theme beingCare of Seniors During TheCOVID-19 Pandemic.

The virtual; meet wasgraced among others by Gov-ernor of Telangana Dr. (Smt.)TamilisaiSoundararajan, and USRep Danny K Davis, State Rep-resentative MichelleMussman.Executive Directorcum soul of MAFF Ms SantoshKumar, Dr Vijay Prabhakar andMAFS team including Prashantand Sagar Kumar

The MAFS' Team under theleadership of Executive Direc-tor - Mrs. Santhosh Kumar, ITDirector - Prashant Kumar, Op-erational Director - SagarKumar and help from ChairmanOrganizing Committee Dr.VijayPrabhakar, hosted one of themost watched Semi-Annual Vir-tual Events. MAFStruly put to-gether a spectacular, well-or-ganized and successful VirtualGlobal Event!

The program started withGauri Yadavsinging the Ameri-

can National Anthem while Ms.Padma Mehta's soulfully ren-dered the Indian National An-them Dr. Vijay Prabhakar intro-duced the Chief Guest of theevent, Dr. (Smt.)TamilisaiSoundararajan, Gover-nor of Telangana who joined usvirtually all the way from RajBhavan, Hyderabad, India;along with CongressmanDanny K Davis live from Wash-ington DC.

Following this Mr. SagarKumar presented "Breath OfMAFS", a brief video depictingthe birth of MAFS. Welcoming

speech was given by Dr.Firdaus Jaffri, DDS-President-MAFSwho welcomed the hon-ored guests, the panelist, dis-tinguished speakers, seniors

and the viewers.Another capti-vating video ofthe CongregateMeal Program of "MAFS in ac-

tion" was shown.Keynote address was by

Rep. Danny K Davis U. S, Con-gressman. He spoke highly ofMrs. Kumar who followed herdream and started her vision ina small office and has branched

out into several locations inChicagoland area to serve theneedy with food, breakingtheir isolation and providingthe community with manyother services like translationservices, immigration

'The State RepresentativeMichelle Mussmanobservedthat it was an incredibly impor-tant program by MAFS to theimmigrants, who are lonely, arenew to this country and mostof arenew to the language.Apart from showing healthyand clean set up of the pro-gram, the video ended withappreciation testimonials ofthe seniors for the Program.Ms.Mussman had 3 requests forMAFS on behalf of the state ofIllinois…1) Fill out the CENSUS,2) Make sure everyone fills outa vote by mail Ballet in one'scomfortable language. 3) DO-NATE Generously to MAFS sothey can continue to do theirexemplary work.

Dr. Prabhakar introduced thefounder of MAFS Mrs. SantoshKumar fondly referring her as"Mother Theresa Of Chicago"Mrs. Santosh Kumar sat listeningto the program with teary eyeslooking back at her creation andservice to the community as shebegan her speech.

Mrs. Santosh Kumar said,"Action speaks louder thanwords. All of you have just seenglimpses of MAFS wide array ofservices among the Seniors,delivered from our 14 seniorservice centers. MAFS is a pio-neering organization that is

serving over 25,000 Senior citi-zens annually for the past 28years in Illinois State."

" The range of services pro-vided by MAFS include DailyHot Meals, Adult day Care,Home Care, Public Benefit pro-grams, Immigration, Literacy,Yoga, Health Education and Re-search Programs. These pro-grams are funded by federal,state, county governments,private Foundations and indi-vidual donors. We are honoredtoday by the virtual presenceof the dynamic DrSrimathiTamilisaiSoundararajan,

the Governor of TelanganaState, as our Chief Guest.Madam Governor your com-mitment and dedication to thepeople of India and to thecauses of Women, Children, &Seniors is commendable."

Referring to the yeomenservices of the Governor, Mrs.Kumar added "Madam Gover-nor, you will be pleased toknow that MAFS has been col-laborating with the prestigiousNorthwestern University'sFeinberg School of Medicine

for the past 15 years on SAHELI-South Asian Health LifestyleInitiative, that translates estab-

lished lifestyle interventions-focused on diet, physical-activ-ity and stress management tothe Community's specific cul-tural context and needs. First,of its kind research programfor South Asians."

The care of senior citizensduring this pandemic is thetop priority of our board andstaff. The MAFS home deliveryof hot lunch program, healthcare at the doorsteps by ourhome care & home health staff

and telehealth is fully opera-tional .The outpouring of lovefrom our senior citizens in-spires our hardworking staff torelentlessly serve and takecare of them, risking their ownlives during this pandemic!

Eulogizing the services ren-dered by MAFS Staff MsKumaradded, "MAFS is blessed withthe most hardworking and car-ing STAFF which is the reasonfor our continued success andgrowth.

MAFS Seniors dancing

US Congressman Danny K Davis

MAFS Executive DirectorMs Santosh Kumar

Dr Vijay Prabhakar

Governor of Telangana Dr. (Smt.)TamiIisai Soundararajan

Ms Santosh Kumar flanked by Prashant and Sagar Kumar

Cont’d on page 24

India Post 19August 7, 2020 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Air India manager, Malini Vaidyanathan bids adieu to ChicagoRAMESH SOPARAWLAIndia Post News Service

CHICAGO: Ms Malini VaidhyanathanManager Midwest in Chicago hashanded over her charge as ManagerMidwest of Air India to Shri VikashShahal, Airport Manager ORD, with ef-fect from July 31 2020

In a talk to this paper she said that.she would be joining Air India the NewDelhi office after reaching India.

She said tat the three years that shehad spent at Chicago serving a vibrantlocal community along with her dutiesas the Manage Midwest were the mostinteresting and challenging experienceof her career.

"It is interesting because of the greatrelationships built and challenging be-cause of economic havoc unleashed bythe pandemic. However, I am proud tosay that Air India rose to the occasion,by organizing Vande Bharat flights at avery short notice and to repatriate a

large number of stranded Indians,' sheadded

In a social message to members ofthe Indian community at large shesaid,"I wish you all stay safe and enjoy vibranthealth. In case you need any assistancein India, please do not hesitate to reachme in New Delhi.

To say the least, Ms Malini had en-

deared herself with the members of In-dia diaspora during her stay in Chicagoas Midwest Manager with her humidityand sincerity of approach Rarely wouldthere be a community oriented eventhere where in Air India would not ex-tend its support or have Ms Malini as ahonored guest, says Surendra Ullal Com-munity Editor India Post.

Ms MaliniVaidyanathanleaving as MidwestManager

Stop worrying& Pay PropertyTax By Oct 1BABU TANGEWALA

CHICAGO: The Second Installment ofCook County property taxes is due now,but property owners can pay withoutlate fees through October 1, 2020, CookCountyTreasurer Maria Pappas said.

"If you are worried about how to payyour property taxes, you can stop!"Pappas said. "You have two additionalmonths to figure out how to juggle yourbills."

Property owners can make partialpayments to avoid making one big pay-ment on October 1. Any balance due onthe Second Installment after that datewill be charged 1.5 percent per month,as required by law.

To download a copy of your tax bill orto make a payment, visitcookcountytreasurer.com:

• Select the blue box labeled "PayOnline for Free"

• Search by property address or en-ter your Property Index Number (PIN)

• There is no fee if you pay from yourbank account

You may also usecookcountytreasurer.com to:

• Search $75 million in available re-funds going back 20 years

• See if you are missing out on $34million in senior exemptions going backfour years


Tech-savvy teen Samarth Tewari brings communitysupport to local restaurants and homeless

How powerful is it when a fourteen-year-old is concerned about the local economyand local restaurants during these unprecedented times?


Samarth Tewari, a Rising Sopho-more at Mission San Jose HighSchool was requesting his mom

for more variety of food duringCOVID19. A typical teenager, having agrowth spurt,anda stomach like a fur-nace. His mom, a working professionalat home was wondering how to meethis request. He suggested they startbuying food from local restaurants. Hismom said, "No way, it's not safe due toCOVID19". So, Samarth picked up thephone and started talking to the localrestaurant owners when the shelter inplace started in March this year.

He quickly learned that many restau-rants were either closed or strugglingto stay open with new rules. He wanted

to figure out for himself and the restau-rants how to solve this problem. Hespoke to his techy dad and the re-sponse was simply, "Figure it out your-self and help folks in the process". Hebegan his research online as well. Hemade an effort to understand the safetyconcerns of the general public, as wellas the revenue losses being experi-enced by local restaurants.

Sifting through health inspectiondata provided by the Alameda CountyHealth Department, he came up with amethod, based on CDC guidelines,which restaurants were considered"safest" to buy food from duringCOVID19. The result was a website hecreated with some guidance from hisfather, eatsafefremont.org, to encour-age local citizens to eat at restaurantsby eliminating some of their food safetyconcerns.

As he rolled out thewebsite, it was well re-ceived with nearly 12,000visits to the informationalpages and over 2,200unique individual users.However, he realized thiswas not enough. There ismore to do and he and thecommunity could help localrestaurants that have lostnearly 90% of their profits.He contacted FremontBridge Rotary club for fundraising ef-forts, where his mom was a member.With the support and backing of Fre-mont Bridge Rotary and District 5170 ofRotary International, money was raisedwith the mission to help locally ownedrestaurants to pay their bills, retaintheir employees, and show the supportfrom the community during these diffi-cult times.

The response from the restaurantowners who received the check wasoverwhelming, Gael Stewart - owner ofthe popular Mission Coffee House inFremont reacted, "this $500 checkcame as a shock. This young man hadbeen in touch, but I wasn't sure if wewill actually receive funds. It means alot, a young kid doing so much to sup-port his community and caring about alocal coffee shop with support from thecommunity who want our coffee shopto be open post COVID19". Eat Safe Fre-

mont in partnership with FremontBridge Rotary has raised more than$3,000 and plans to continue to raisemore from local businesses and largernational corporations with locations inour city like Costco, Walmart, WholeFoods, Sprouts, Lucky Supermarket etc.

Other restaurants like: Cantaritos, aMexican Restaurant; Lovely Sweets andSnacks Indian Cuisine; and Dina's Familyrestaurant which has been serving theFremont community for many decadesare extremely excited about the com-munity supporting their businesses.

Unfortunately, this problem is notgoing away any time soon. Even as ourcounty looks to open up again, restau-rants will be held to very limited capac-ity seating and will still struggle to beprofitable. Never mind the potential ofa second wave of this deadly virus. Lo-

cal restaurants are an integral part ofour city. Our goal is to ensure Fremontcontinues to have locally owned restau-rants and doesn't turn into the urbanjungle of large chain restaurants only.

Going forward, Samarth is partneringwith local charitable organizations serv-ing homeless and hungry, old agehomes and women shelters to providethis vulnerable population with fresh,healthy and nutritious food throughthese restaurants. This will further ex-pand the mission of his project by giv-ing bulk orders to the restaurants andfeeding the needy or at risk populationin our community.

To learn more about the project andhelp Eat Safe Fremont, please visit thewebsite www.eatsafefremont.org orwrite at [email protected] can easily donate directly at thewebsite to support this ongoingproject.

Samarth Tewari


Akshaya Patra held Texas Virtual GalaIndia Post News Service

AUSTIN, TX: The AkshayaPatra Foundation held its Vir-tual Gala - 'Technology forChange' on Saturday, July 25th,and raised $950,000 for feed-ing mid-day meals to schoolchildren in India. The Texas galawas hosted by the cities ofAustin, Dallas and Houston.Close to 1,000 businesses, non-profits, government officials,philanthropic leaders, and fansfrom around the world at-tended and supported theorganization's dual mission ofaddressing childhood hungerand promoting education forunderserved children in India.

The evening was eloquentlyled in a scintillating conversa-tion with Mr. Narayana Murthy,Chairman Emeritus of Infosysby Siva Sivaram, President ofWestern Digital. Mr. Sivaramwas recently appointed Chair-man of Akshaya Patra Founda-tion USA with Srivatsan Rajan,Partner at Bain & Company, asVice Chairman. DeshDeshpande will continue toserve on the board as Chair-man Emeritus.

Mr. Murthy touched onmany aspects of giving, suc-cess, and individual responsi-bilities throughout the conver-sation. He stressed the impor-tance of making a living by giv-ing what you can and the sanc-

tity of Indian values when itcomes to helping others. As headdressed the Indian diasporain the U.S. and across the

globe, he gave sound adviceon how important it is to inte-grate into the country one im-migrates to by embracing it'svalues, laws, and civic respon-sibilities. When asked abouttechnology, Mr. Murthy ex-plained how technology is agreat liberalizer and createsextraordinary opportunities,something he himself has ex-perienced firsthand.

As a long time Akshaya Patrasupporter, Mr. Murthy stressedthe importance of contribut-ing, no matter how big or small,to bring a smile on a child'sface who otherwise wouldhave slept hungry or skippedschool. His formula for successremains the same throughouthis life: to be successful is to

bring a smile onto anotherperson's face. Coming from afamily of eleven children andgrowing up in a lower-middle-

class family that survived on ahigh school teacher's salary, Mr.Murthy fondly rememberedspecial dinner guests in his

home. His family would host achild from a lower economic sta-tus for dinner every night of theweek. It was evident that Mr.Murthy's passion for helpingchildren started at a young age.

Along with insightful con-versations between the twotechnology pioneers includingan active audience who hadthe opportunity to ask ques-tions, the evening consisted ofa talented musical offering bySmt. Bombay Jayashri Ramnath,one of the best known Carnaticmusicians today. She openedthe show with the Dhanvantarishloka and continued to amazeguests with her quiet compo-sure and serene vocalsthroughout the event. Thetech-themed evening cel-

ebrated the, volunteers, chap-ter teams from Austin, Dallas,and Houston who continuetowork towards alleviating class-room hunger. The chapterteams are continuing to acceptdonations after the event here.

Established in 2000, AkshayaPatra is the largest NGO-runschool meal program in theworld, according to TimeMagazine, and serves 1.8 mil-lion children daily in over19,257 schools through 55kitchens in 12 states and twoUnion Territories in India. Itcosts only $20 to feed a childfor an entire school year. Formore information contact:Ankita Narula,[email protected] or GeetaKulkarni, [email protected]

Mr Narayana Murthy and Siva Sivaram

Indian American diaspora takes leadershiprole in COVID-19 efforts both in U.S. & India

MANSI PATEL

WASHINGTON, DC:Indiaspora, a nonprofit orga-nization of global Indiandiaspora leaders from vari-ous backgrounds and profes-sions, released 2020 IndianDiaspora in Action: Trackingthe Indian American Re-sponse to COVID-19, a reportdetailing the philanthropicimpact of the diaspora onCOVID-19 relief.

The tremendous outpour-ing of support for both theU.S. and India has been wit-

nessed across the boardfrom helping to providemeals to migrant workers inIndia, personal protectiveequipment to frontlinehealthcare workers, educa-tion through e-learning andhealthcare. The report detailsthe actions of 58 non-profitorganizations re-purposingtheir efforts in response tothe pandemic and illustratesthe power of the IndianDiaspora community.

Cont’d on page 23


Hindu temple in Harare shut down againdue to COVID-19 pandemic


Ridge view Shree OmkarMandir in Harare (Zimbabwe),which was re-opened on June26 after over three months clo-sure due to COVID-19, hasbeen shut down again for thesame reason.

Executive Committee of theHindoo Society Harare (HSH),which runs the temple, in anemail on July 24 to its mem-bers, stated that all "events,meetings, gatherings and vis-its of any nature, are to ceaseand are hereby either can-

celled or postponed"…"TheSociety Priest, alone, will con-tinue to perform the dailyAarti".

"Infection from and thetransmission of the Covid-19virus can no longer be consid-ered, a remote or distantthreat. It is, metaphorically, atour doorstep", the emailadded.

Other HSH run CameronStreet Shree Omkar Mandiralso reportedly continues tobe shut. Both the templeswere shut down "until further

notice" due to coronavirus out-break in an email directive onMarch 24. Schools run by theHSH-Westridge High School,Westridge Primary School,

Gujarati School-were also re-portedly closed. But theRidgeview Shree OmkarMandir had a "limited open-ing" from June 26.

Cameron Street Shree

Omkar Mandir celebrated 90thanniversary in February 2019,while 25th anniversary ofRidgeview Shree OmkarMandir was observed in 2017.

HSH "intends to publish a writ-ten record" of the hundredyears of "community's exist-ence in Zimbabwe".

Commending HSH for at-tempting necessary precau-

tions and actions to combatdeadly coronavirus and edu-cating the community, RajanZed President of Universal Soci-ety of Hinduism said here thatHindus are God's people, full ofcourage and generosity. Peti-tion God for the common goodof all the local and world com-munities during these times ofconfusion and suffering.

In the pre-COVID-19 times,HSH reportedly had been con-ducting various bhajan events,twice-weekly yoga classes,Hindi lessons, cultural/socialactivities; organized daily aartiat both the temples with Havanon Sundays; and offered fu-neral assistance for bereavedfamilies; etc.; besides runningMahila Mandal, Shishu Mandaland Yuvak Mandal.

Hinduism is the oldest andthird largest religion of theworld with about 1.1 billionadherents and moksh (libera-tion) is its ultimate goal.

Jesse White honors Organ/TissueDonor Poster Contest Winners

BABU TANGEWALA

CHICAGO: Illinois Secretaryof State Jesse White honoredfour Illinois students who werethe winners of the23rdbiennial Organ/TissueDonor Poster Contest.

The 2020 overall contestwinner was Allie Parks, a 7thgrader at Adams School inCreal Springs. Allie receiveda congratulatory plaque, apersonalized Illinois BlueBook and a $100 gift certifi-cate to Barnes and Noblefrom Donate Life Illinois fordesigning the overall win-ning poster. Prints of theposter she designed will bedisplayed throughout thestate.

White said. "Her posterwill be displayed at DriverServices facilities, hospitals, li-braries and schools statewideto help promote organ and tis-

sue donation." Currently, thereare nearly 7 million people reg-istered to become organ/tis-sue donors in Illinois; however,

4,000individuals are currentlyon the waiting list, and about300 people die each year wait-

ing for an organ transplant.One donor can save or greatlyimprove up to 25 lives. To reg-ister to become an organ/tis-

sue donor, visitwww.LifeGoesOn.com.

The students who wonthe other age categorieseach received a $50 gift cer-tificate for Barnes and Noblefrom Donate Life Illinois, andwere honored with a plaqueand a personalized IllinoisBlue Book. Winners were se-lected from four agegroups: grades K-2, grades3-5, grades 6-8 and grades9-12. The four winningposter designs were se-lected from hundreds of en-tries sent in by studentsthroughout Illinois. The

poster contest is sponsored bythe Secretary of State as wellas, Donate Life Illinois.

Alice Parks poster that won


Indian American diaspora takes leadershiprole in COVID-19 efforts both in U.S. & India

"Never before have wewitnessed such a united all-out community relief effortamongst the diaspora. One ofthe most unique aspects wewitnessed was the efforts bythe next generation of phi-lanthropists through their in-credible volunteer efforts,"said Gabrielle Trippe,Indiaspora Philanthropy Ini-tiatives Manager.

A notable group that hasbeen at the forefront of theresponse since the onset ofthe pandemic is the India Phi-lanthropy Alliance (IPA). IPA isa coalition of twelve develop-ment and humanitarian orga-nizations working togetherto mobilize resources andbuild alliances to benefit In-dia. Chairman of India Philan-thropy Alliance Deepak Rajstated, "It is an honor to leadsuch a remarkable group oforganizations coming to-gether in a historic responseto support those most inneed during these incrediblychallenging times."

The actions taken by theIndian Diaspora show theyare committed to providingsustained long-term reliefduring the pandemic andserve as a model and inspira-

Cont’d from page 21 tion for individuals and com-munities across the globe.

Indiaspora notes that sev-eral of these organizationswere founded by Indiasporamembers. These organiza-tions include: 360Plus, ArogyaWorld, Achieving Women Eq-uity Foundation, Freedom Em-ployability Academy, IndianAmerican Council's HungerMitao, and WISH Foundation.

Indiaspora also recentlycompleted a giving cam-paign to fight hunger,ChaloGive for COVID-19, inresponse to food insecurityduring the pandemic. Spear-headed by its members, thecampaign raised more than$1.18 million and providedmore than 8 million mealsthrough partner organiza-tions Feeding America in theU.S. and Goonj in India.

I n d i a s p o r a(www.indiaspora.org) is a501c(3) nonprofit organiza-tion established to transformthe success of the Indiandiaspora into meaningful im-pact worldwide. Our mem-bers are a powerful networkof diaspora leaders from di-verse backgrounds and pro-fessions who are committedto building stronger commu-nities with a culture of givingand inspiring social change.

HSS helps needy in the communitybeset with corona virus

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Since the middleof March, the entire world, in-cluding the United States, hasfaced the unprecedented chal-lenge of COVID-19. With locallydeclared emergencies, allbusinesses and activities weregrounded. HinduSwayamsevak Sangh USA(HSS) considered this a chal-lenge anddecided to offer ser-vices and help the communityas the first responders andhealthcare professionals.

As HSS trains its volunteersfor any eventuality, this time allvolunteers planned activitiesthat could be carried out whileobserving the new norms of

social distancing and otherCDC-suggested practices.

HAF volunteers in variouscommunities worked in groupsto feed needy and homelesspeople, support senior citizens,supply groceries to the needy,make PPEs, provide meals andPPE to first responders, and didfundraising for food pantriesand local relief organizations.They also collaborated with andbrought together several otherorganizations to multiply theseefforts and help.

They felt humbled andgrateful that they could helpneedy people in the commu-nity.

'FERAL' The South Asian Feminist Folk/Horror We've All Been Waiting For:

With Sundance + Women In Film Financing Fellow Nihaarika Negi

Feral means 'to exist in a wildstate, especially after do-

mestication/captivity.' A fittingtitle for Sundance + Women InFilm Financing Fellow NihaarikaNegi's latest film: a horrorfolktale about two Indianmaidservants who transgressagainst their abusive BritishMadame - taking over thehouse and reclaiming their lostmystical selves.

The film evokes the spirit of Dr.Estes seminal book, Women WhoRun With Wolves, using the mythicstructure of folklore to summonthe wild woman archetype.

International writer/pro-ducer, Nihaarika (THE THRESH-OLD, THE HOUSEMAIDS), whoseimpressive work has been sup-

ported by Venice Film FestivalDevelopment Labs, UK ArtsCouncil, French Ministry of Cul-

ture - CNC, NYIFF, NFDC Labs,Amazon Prime, Disney'sHotstar - has long been inter-

ested in this subject matter.She says, "As South-Asian

women, we're raised to tameour primal selves to fit restric-tive gender norms. When thatsustained oppression inter-sects with race, class, colonialtrauma - it causes a rupture tooccur through our bodies. I'minterested how this visceralexperience can be made vis-ible through the structure offolklore/horror films."

Produced through AutotelicPictures (LA), the film is sched-uled for a 2021 shoot. WithNihaarika as lead writer/pro-ducer backed by Sundance +Women In Film,and the project'stimely subject matter - FERAL issurely geared for success.

Nihaarika Negi

Faces of Eviction - East Palo Alto rentersband together to push for rental relief

VIDYA SETHURAMANIndia Post News Service

43 million Americans at riskof eviction as relief programsand moratorium expired. Amidrising coronavirus infectionsand a wors-ening eco-nomic crisis,hundreds ofthousands ofrenters arenow at risk ofb e c o m i n ghomeless inCalifornia, po-tentially ex-a c e r b a t i n gthe state'sdire housingcrisis. All rent-ers are nowsubject tostate laws,and there's apatchwork ofeviction poli-cies that vary by state.

East Palo Alto's workforcehas been hit hard by the pan-demic, with a 12.1 percent un-employment rate in June, com-pared with a yearly average of

2.4 percent in 2019, accordingto California's Employment De-velopment Department. SomeCalifornia tenants have facedincreasingly aggressive evic-tion efforts over the last

month, despite emergencyprotections meant to preservepeople's housing during thecoronavirus pandemic.

Three families, who rentapartments in East Palo Alto,

lost work due to COVID-19 andnow face eviction, shared theirstories and how they orga-nized to form a wider networkto renegotiate with landlords.

East Palo Alto's City Council

has recently voted unani-mously to extend the city'smoratorium on residentialevictions to Sept. 30, a monthlonger than the San MateoCounty moratorium.


Dr Sampat Shivangi onCoalition Advisory Board

RINC is based on the principles of RJCand wants to promote conservativeideas and principles. He is the NationalPresident of Indian American Forum forpolitical Education the oldest IndianAmerican associations. For the last threedecades he has lobbied for bills in UScongress on behalf of India through hisenormous contacts with US Senatorsand Congressmen. He is close to Bushfamily and was instrumental in lobbyingfor first Diwali celebration in the Whitehouse and President George W. Bush tomake his trip to India. He is a contribu-tor to international publications on ma-jor issues on the global agenda and onthe trends shap-ing the health careprograms and thepolitical environ-ment.

On speaking onDr. Shivangi's ap-pointment, DrR o m e s hJapra,Founder &Chairman Americans4Hindus said"Sampat is a dear old friend for 35 yearsand we have worked together in Politi-cal and Medical Professional arenas.We're proud of his persistence, devo-tion and vision in both these areas. Asan esteemed Trustee of Americans4-Hindus, we're looking forward to hiscontributions for educating Hindu Ide-ology and Principles to Politicians andmake our Community great. "

It is a proud moment for Americans4-Hindus to be directly associated withthe Trump Campaign. The USA needsleadership of Trump more than ever tocounteract the bad effect of Leftismand Socialism on American political and

economic system. We are proud that ourtrustee Dr Sampat Shivangi has beenchosen to represent American Hinduson our behalf, Aditya Satsangi, Presi-dent, Americans4-Hindus.org

It's a landmark in Indian AmericanDiaspora's integration in The USA AndAnother Endorsement of PresidentTrump's Recognition of the Sincerity andHardwork of Indian Americans. DrSampath Shivangi is a perfect embodi-ment of Indian American Values of HardWork, Humility and Loyalty to the Na-tion. It's a great honor Bestowed on himand he richly deserves the honor. Hemakes our entire Indian American Com-munity Proud and is a great inspirationfor all of us, said

Dr Shoba Chokkalingam, one of theTrustees of Americans4Hindus.

Dr Shivangi's election as a RNC del-egate for the 5th time and appointmentas the member of Coalition AdvisoryBoard, Donald J. Trump for President,Inc. is indeed an honor bestowed on theIndian community on this humbleleader, said Dr Subrata Gangppadhyay,one of the Trustees of Americans4-Hin-dus.

His contributions have been simplyphenomenal, and as part of RNC, I amfully aware of it since 2002. Richly de-served and a great American Hindu,said Kris Murthy, Chief of Staff,Americans4Hindus.

Cont’d from page 17

Dr Romesh Japra,Founder & Chairman

Americans4Hindus said "Sampat is a dear old

friend for 35 years and we have worked to-

gether in Political and Medical Professional

arenas. We're proud of his persistence, devotion

and vision in both these areas

MAFS virtual fund raiser meet ends on success note

Yes, the best is yet to come. I thankthe almighty for choosing me as an in-strument to serve the seniors of thecommunity. Yes, together we shall notonly overcome but forge ahead".

Dr. Sreenivas Reddy who is a trusteeof Chicago Medical Society, the oldestMedical Organization in the US con-veyed his sincere gratitude and sup-port to MAFS for their tireless effort to

be in the forefront delivering food andsupport to the seniors during this hor-rific time of COVID-19. Ms Smita Shahalso sent her greetings

Next, MS. Dipti Shah, introduced thisBollywood Dance Medley performed bythe seniors who are in their 70s and 80s.The seniors broke into the choreogra-phy while they matched the originalroutine almost move to move, much tothe delight of all present.

Pramod Kumar Student Scholarshipaward was presented by Mrs. SantoshKumar along with Prashant Kumar andSagar Kumar to the Visionary Vice Chan-cellor of Sher E Kashmir Agriculture Sci-ences and Technology, Jammu, Dr J.P.Sharma. . Dr. J. P. Sharma accepted this

endowment virtually with a vote ofthanks to the Kumar family. He said thathe was humbled by this gesture. Thisaward will encourage and be as an in-centive for deserving Students.

MAFS presented the COVID 19 RE-LIEF & RESCUE HERO 2020 AWARD to Dr.Kiran Dhillon, Infectious Disease Special-ist, Silver Cross Hospital, New Lenox, IL,in recognition of her dedication, com-mitment and passion in rendering out-standing clinical care to the Senior Citi-

zens, especially to the Seven Nursinghomes in New Lenox- Joliet area. Hertireless service to the Senior Citizensresidents resulted in Zero Incidence ofCovid-19, which is truly amazing! Shethanked MAFS for this deserving awardand encouraged the seniors to stayhealthy and safe!

Director of Operations, Sagar Kumarpresented another video of the servicesof MAFS during COVID-19 relief. Laterhe recognized all staff who put theirlives in jeopardy to serve the seniors.Please see below a glimpse of the staffwho were recognized.

Following was an appeal to DONATEby Dr. Rakesh Asthana, Jayesh Desai, se-nior of MAFS and Ms. Roshita Panday to

everyone to donate to MAFS to con-tinue its services to the seniors and thecommunity at large.

Finally, for the grand finale the ChiefGuest Dr. (Smt.) TamilisaiSoundararajan,thanked Danny K Davis for presentingher "the International Rising StarAward". She also thanked Mrs. SantoshKumar for her tireless efforts in servicesto the Seniors for the past 28 dedicatedyears. She was amazed that MAFS ser-vices more than 10,000 seniors is not an

easy job. It is a commitment. She men-tioned the importance of serving thevulnerable seniors during this crisis.

Dr. Vijay Prabhakar thankedPrashantKumar, Jigar Patel, Darshan Patel,Himanshu Suttur and Hitanshu Rami fortheir commendable s work. Mrs. Kumarthanked GOV Dr.SrimathiTamilisaiSoundararajan, Con-gressman Danny Davis, Dr. FirduasJaffri,Dr. Vijay Prabhakar and all the for thisevent a grand success.

Cont’d from page 18


London firm asked towithdraw denigrating apparel

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: Hugely upset In-dian across the globe havestrongly pitched with "YogaPeace Life", a London (UnitedKingdom) based apparel andaccessories online company,for immediate withdrawal ofsome products, which theyfeel denigrate and trivialize sa-cred Hindu symbols and con-cepts.

It is pointed out thatit was hurtful for thedevotees to see theimmensely reveredHinduism sym-b o l s / c o n c e p t sjuxtaposed withobscenity onsome of themerchandise sold bythis company.

The chorus of protestis led by RajanZed Presi-dent of Universal Soci-ety of Hinduism. In astatement he said thathighly venerated "Om"was the mystical syllablecontaining the universe,which in Hinduism was used tointroduce and conclude reli-gious work.

He added that usually un-derstood meaning of Namastewas-I bow to the divine in you-Besides, it is acustomarygreetingand also an expres-sion of veneration, It is used inworship also. Derived fromSanskrit, it found reference in

world's oldest extant scriptureRig-Veda and other early Hindutexts. It is also displayed in an-cient sculptures, and archaeo-logical findings from as early asabout 3000 BC that revealedfigurines in Namaste posture.

"Yoga Peace Life" shouldnot be in the business of reli-gious appropriation, sacrilege,

and ridiculing entire communi-ties; Rajan emphasized. Hindu-ism us the oldest and thirdlargest religion of the worldwith about 1.1 billion adher-ents

Products of "Yoga PeaceLife", started in 2014, includedt-shirts/apparel and accesso-ries for men, women, kids, ba-bies.

One of the many objectionable products, thisis a "kids t-shirt" at "Yoga Peace Life", whoseProduct Information states, "Our most popularproduct for kids, this classic t-shirt is a must

for showing off their passions."

Census officials call on all Californians to take the CensusWhile state has made progress with "hard-to-count" populations, results so far show the rest of California needs to respond


SACRAMENTO:- While theCalifornia Complete Count -Census 2020 Office (CensusOffice) has been blanketing thestate with multilingual appealsto encourage hard-to-countpopulations to fill out their 2020census forms, an analysis of theresponse data released Mon-day (03 August) shows thatmany other Californians - in-cluding those on the Westsideof LA and San Francisco - stillneed to do their part if the stateis going to achieve the samesuccess it had in 2010.

"The Census is important foreveryone. We need all Califor-nians to do their part. We're call-ing on all Californians to takethe Census by Friday (07 Au-gust) - our Get Out the CountDay, since efforts will beginshifting away from self-re-sponse. It'll take all of us toreach an accurate and com-plete count," said DitasKatague, Director of the Califor-nia Complete Count - Census2020 Office.

Some important points, as of

July 30, 2020:• Only four states have a cur-

rent self-response rate abovetheir 2010 SRR: Washington, Ne-vada, Michigan and Kentucky

• An estimated 9.7 millionCalifornia households have al-ready taken the Census, of those,2 million are hardest-to-count.

• California has had mosthouseholds respond to the Cen-sus compared to other states.

• California has the highestaverage self-response rate(SRR) in census tracts where theforeign-born represent ahigher-than-median share ofthe tract's population.

• When compared to 10 otherstates with similarly high racialand ethnic diversity, California'sself-response rate is a nationalleader, only surpassed by Mary-

land and New Jersey, which havemuch smaller overall popula-tions. o California's SRR exceedsthat of other large states, such asFlorida (59.9 percent), New York(58.5 percent) and Texas (57.8percent).

• California's self-responserate is above the national aver-age - 64.1% versus 62.8%, re-spectively.

• The final participation ratein 2010 for California was 68.2%vs.. 66.5% nationally.

Data Showing Differences inResponse in NeighborhoodsCompared to 10 Years Ago inCommunities like Beverly Hillsand San Francisco's Cow Hollow

In looking at the data, the Cen-sus Office noticed a trend - someareas that have been historicallyeasier-to-count are responding atlower rates than normal.

Take as an example the re-sponse rates in Los Angeles,there are low response ratesspanning from Malibu, throughBeverly Hills and West Holly-wood and into Studio City. Eventhough some of these citieswere far below the California

statewide self-response rate in2010, the current about 36.0percent response rate in partsof Malibu and the over 20-per-centage point gap from 2010 isunprecedented.

Also, in San Francisco, severalhard-to-count tracts in the BayArea still have a long way to goto meet their 2010 self-re-sponse rates (a mile markermeasurement used nation-wide). But seeing tracts in theMarina, Cow Hollow, PacificHeights and Presidio neighbor-hoods register at about 53 per-cent Census participation wassurprising, particularly when re-sponse rates in many of theseareas exceeded 70 percent in2010. There is a nearly 20-pointlag among these San Francisconeighborhoods.

It's a similar scenario in otherparts of the state including theenclaves of Newport Beach andCarmel-by-the-Sea.2 Million HTC Households

As part of its original strat-egy, the Census Office focusedits outreach on California's esti-mated 3.5 to 4.1 million hard-est-to-count households, with atarget of reaching at least 2million hardest-to-count house-holds to respond to the Census.

So far, California has reached2 million of those hardest-to-count households and contin-ues to aim to reach as many aspossible as the U.S. Census Bu-reau begins its in person followup enumeration.

These households - includingpeople who don't have broad-band Internet access, speak En-glish as a second language andlive at or near the poverty line -are a priority because they areat an even greater risk of beingmissed in this Census.

Of the 9.7 million Californiahouseholds that have re-sponded to the Census, twomillion of those are consideredamong the hardest-to-count.

California's self-responserate is above the national aver-age - 64.1% versus 62.8%, re-spectively (as of July 30).

In-Person Census WorkThe U.S. Census bureau typi-

cally begins counting non-re-sponders by sending Censustakers into neighborhoods togo door-to-door and tally resi-dents. Known as, Non-ResponseFollow-Up (NRFU), this opera-tion starts on August 11.

The California Census cam-paign is looking at lower-re-sponding areas and what canbe done to increase those num-bers during this period.California's strategy was built tocomplement the work done bythe U.S. Census Bureau, encour-aging the hardest-to-countpopulations to complete theCensus. The state has adjustedalong the way due to federaloperational adjustments andthe current pandemic.

For more information aboutthe U.S. Census Bureau's NRFU

operation, including how toidentify an official Census taker,please click here.

The campaign continues to re-mind all Californians that they canrespond to the Census online athttps://my2020census.gov, byphone at 844-330-2020 (a list ofin-language options is availablehere), or by mail if they receiveda paper form.

The California CompleteCount - Census 2020 OfficeOnce each decade, the U.S.

Census Bureau attempts tocount every person in theUnited States. California leadershave invested $187.2 milliontoward a statewide outreachand communication campaign.For more information, please goto https://californiacensus.org/.DATA: To see data on the hard-to-count populations in cities,counties, congressional andlegislative districts in California,please visit: https://cacensusreporter.azurewebsites.net/responses.html

California has the highest average self-response

rate (SRR) in census tracts where the foreign-

born represent a higher-than-median

share of the tract's population


Distance Learning for K-12: Can it bedone with equity for all kids?

VIDYA SETHURAMANIndia Post News Service

California's two largestschool districts an-nounced that schools

will not open for any in-personinstruction when the academicyear starts in August, and thatstudents will continue to learnremotely. Most school districtsacross the country will rely on

distance learning or hybridmodels at the beginning of theschool year, providing a chal-lenge to educators and par-ents. As some families seekcreative solutions -learningpods, tutors- what can be doneto make sure that vulnerableand low-income students whohave limited options do not fallfurther behind was discussed

by the experts at the EMS con-ference on July 31.

In California, where schoolsin two-thirds of the state havebeen barred from reopening inperson for now, state guide-lines call for a school to closefor at least 14 days if more than5 percent of its students, fac-ulty and staff test positive overa two-week period.

Pedro Noguera, Dean, USCRossier School of Educationsaid the pandemic has ex-posed inequalities in our soci-ety and certainly in education.It is impossible to reopen theeconomy without opening theschools. This has forced theschool districts to work on aplan to open without guidancefrom the Government. Most of

the students lack a digital de-vice, which is needed for onlinelearning. Most schools weren'tprepared for what happenedand they didn't give sufficienttraining to the teachers tohandle the distance learning.Without proper guidance,schools are left on their ownand this will lead to a crisis ineducation.

Shaun R. Harper, ExecutiveDirector USC Race and EquityCenter discussed racial equityinitiatives in higher education.He urged lawmakers to takesteps to make sure resumingcampus learning does notworsen disparate impacts thecoronavirus pandemic has hadon communities of color. Hecalled on the House highereducation subcommittee toearmark money for colleges toprotect front-line campusworkers such as custodiansand food service workers whoare disproportionately Blackand Latino. Among a number ofother issues he raised, Harperalso urged Congress to ensurethat students and staff from

minority groups have enoughaccess to mental health ser-vices. "Students and workersfrom these groups are likelierthan are their white classmatesand colleagues to have lost afamily member, friend orsomeone in their community,"he said. "This then means thatstudents of color and employ-

ees of color are much moresusceptible to prolonged sad-ness and depression."

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Professor of Education,Psychology and Neuroscienceat the Brain and Creativity In-stitute and Rossier School ofEducation, USC spoke on the

mental health of kids. "Withonline classes, students mayexperience challenges as it re-lates to increased screentime," said Mary and they mayexperience ineffective timemanagement, feelings of isola-tion due to limited socializationin-person, minimized aware-ness and understanding of oth-

ers created by in-person dia-logues."

Dan Domenech, executive di-rector of AASA, The School Su-perintendents Association,thinks the federal incentive toreopen through funding mecha-nisms "is not working." But, if aschool is forced to reopen be-fore conditions are deemed safeand teachers choose to strike,there's "not much that a super-intendent can do" other thanmake the conditions as safe aspossible upon return, he said. Athird of school districts, he said,have already announced theywill reopen virtually, and starv-ing those districts of fundingcould mean going virtual for theentire school year. He said hisorganization has asked Congressto spend $200 billion to bridgethe digital divide, ensuring thatstudents have laptops and qual-ity access to the Internet. In-creased costs for getting stu-dents back to learning work outto $490 per child, he said.

Eddie Valero, who serves onthe Tulare County Board of Su-pervisors, spoke of two mea-sures in the California state Leg-islature which would requirecommunications companies toprovide high-capacity broad-band to all residents.

In California, where schools in two-thirds of the state

have been barred from reopening in person for now,

state guidelines call for a school to close for at least

14 days if more than 5 percent of its students, faculty

and staff test positive over a two-week period

India PostAugust 7, 2020 27www.indiapost.comHoroscope

Kindly read the predictions from your ascendant sign. If you do not know your ascendant sign then read thesame from Moon sign. If Moon sign is also not known then read it from the Zodiac sign. The ascendant sign which is

calculated from the birth details viz. date, month, year, time & place of birth gives 85 % accurate predictions. Theaccuracy of predictions from Moon sign get limited to only 50 %. The predictions from Zodiac sign are only 25 %

accurate. In nutshell the predictions from ascendant sign are most accurate. In getting personality analysis the traitsgiven by ascendant sign are 100 % accurate and that is the essence of Vedic Astrology.

Your Weekly Futureby VANEET SHARMA

MAR 21 to APRIL 20 JUN 21 to JULY 22 SEP 23 to OCT 22 DEC 22 to JAN 19

MAY 21 to JUN 20 AUG 23 to SEP 22 NOV 23 to DEC 21 FEB 20 to MAR 20

APRIL 21 to MAY 20 JULY 23 to AUG 22 OCT 23 to NOV 22 JAN 20 to FEB 19

AUG 7TH to AUG 13TH 2020

“Felicitated andhonored by then

President of India ShriPranab Mukherjee"

VANEETSHARMA

510-648-4899

In spite of facing some mental pressures your

money making effortsare giving you betterresults day by day but

expenses are out of control and the sametypes of results shall be experienced inthis week too. In the beginning of theweek you shall be having some healthproblems and the after effects shall chasetill the end of the week. Relief from ten-sions is indicated on 17th of August only.It would be better to avoid getting intoany type of argument with people.

This week is givingindications of

some deliberations re-garding property re-lated matters. This can

be considered as an auspicious time formaking any property related deal. Themid of the week is favorable for workarea as new associations would prove tobe instrumental in extracting beneficialresults. In the concluding part of theweek is although average for health andhappiness.

You shall have somerelief from the

tensions in relation-ship on the first twodays of the week. In

the mid of the week some domestic is-sues shall crop up. In the concluding partof the week you shall be focusing onsome areas from where you shall be ableto generate some hidden gains. Thisweek is perfect for your social life andyou shall enjoy opportunities to comeclose to some new interesting people.

This week is perfectfor your suc-

cess and happinessand your competitivespirit shall be at its

maximum. You would plan to do some-thing extra in your work area. You wouldbe multiplying your efforts thereby gen-erating more productivity and gains inthe mid of the week. Last three days ofthe week indicate you getting morepleasure. You might get some opportu-nity to go on a journey. Your expensesare likely to increase.

Your tensions whichare chasing

you from a long timeshall be at peak in thebeginning of this

weak however there shall be some re-lief from 13th August. The mid of the shallbe better for family life whereas thereshall be lot of activities in social life andyou are likely to spend good time withyour kith and kin in the concluding partof the weak with a possibility of gettingsome good news in terms of earningcredibility &recognition in your work.

The beginning ofthe week is

excellent for your hap-piness and love life.The happiness that you

shall be getting from your personnel re-lation shall be remarkable. The mid of theweak indicates happiness in the family.Your abilities to do very well in any com-petition shall be at its best in the con-cluding part of the week. Your friendsand relatives shall also be very happy andsatisfied with you. The week is excellentfor parents and work.

The first two days ofthe week indi-

cate fulfillment of de-sires. Your love life,educational progress

and ability to advise people shall be atits best whereas in the mid of the weekthere might remain some tensions be-cause of sudden unexpected expenses.The concluding part of the week viz. 15th,16th & 17th of August are going to proveluckiest for you and the good news shallpour in from all directions. Your friendsand relatives shall be supportive.

The beginning ofthe week is

good for family life.The mid of the weekgives an indication of

the aggravation of some trivial healthissues however social activities shall notget hampered. You shall spend goodtime with your kith and kin. You mightmake some planning regarding the pur-chase of property or vehicle in the con-cluding part of the week. Your mother'sblessings shall work for your progress forsure. Family atmosphere shall improve.

The beginning ofthe week indi-

cates that the diffi-culty that you werefacing in becoming

focused in studies is getting reducedsubstantially. In the mid of the week i.e.on 13th and 14th you are advised to becautious about health. The concludingpart of the week is better for getting thesupport of father & destiny. You shouldbe getting the best guidance from yourwell-wishers, friends, guides and consult-ants this week.

The aggression, impatience, rest-

lessness and fear shallbe chasing you in thisweek too. You shall be

putting in lot of efforts for the settle-ment of your financial issues. In the midof the week you would find a way out.Your approach in handling the thingswould be optimistic and your reputationand status shall help you fight difficultsituation. The professional life shall remainperfectly fine. You are likely to travel es-pecially by the weekend i.e. 17th august.

This week is best foryour diplo-

matic activities, lovelife, and happinessfrom children and con-

sultation. Your social reputation shall getenhanced and your acceptability in so-cial circles shall enhance your confi-dence. Eventually the result shall be ex-cellent in work area in the mid of theweek. You are likely to consolidate yourwork area in the mid of the weak. Lastdays of the week are auspicious.

The beginning ofthe week is av-

erage for your health& happiness. Youmight remain frus-

trated because of some reason and haveto face some tensions in matters relatedto children and love life therefore youare advised to keep your patience intact.The mental peace shall get restored inthe mid of the week. You might takesome important decision in matters re-lated to property or vehicle etc.


www.indiapost.comPunjab Post

LPU student bags Rs 1.3 crorescholarship at Australian University

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: LPU MSc Agriculture(Genetics & Plant Breeding) student,Sumant Bindal has bagged a fully-paidscholarship worth Rs. 1.3 Crores, a var-sity release has announced.

Sumant has got this scholarship forstudying PhD in Plant Sciences at theprestigious Australian National Univer-sity (ANU) in Canberra. It is perhaps thebiggest scholarship ever bagged by anagriculture student in India.

The PhD program at ANU will com-mence from September 28th, 2020 andSumant's topic of research would be'Identification of signaling pathways ac-tivated by resistant genes againstFusarium wilt in Tomato'. His researchwould focus on how to make tomatoescompletely resistant to "Fusarium wilt",which is a plant fungus that infects to-matoes worldwide.

LPU Chancellor Mr. Ashok Mittalshares, "Sumant is one of the brighteststudents at LPU. It is a moment of greatpride for all of us to see him get an op-portunity to study at one of the world'sleading research universities. At LPU, ourfocus is on leading classroom learning to

the on-ground application. The 1000acres of farmland that we have, offersagriculture students plenty of opportu-nities to research and implement whatthey learn. We hope to see more of thestudents following Sumant's footstepsin the future as well".

Sumant Bindal is extremely happy toshare: "I am very excited to receive this

scholarship. ANU is one of the leadingresearch institutions in the world and adream destination for me to pursue myPhD. I would like to thank my faculty and

mentors at LPU who encouraged me atevery juncture and helped me in apply-ing to many leading universities acrossthe globe, including ANU."

Last year, in the second year of hisMSc, Sumant had also got an opportu-nity to intern at the globally renowned'World Vegetable Center' in Taiwan,which was fully funded by the Taiwan

government. Sumant was then one ofthe 15 Masters students, from acrossthe world who were chosen for the cov-eted Taiwanese fellowship.

Thousands in tractor protest march againstModi-government's anti-farmers ordinances

LPU ChancellorAshok Mittal welcomesnew 'NationalEducation Policy'JASWANT SINGH GANDAM /RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: The Chancellor atLPU Mr Ashok Mittal has welcomedthe new 'National Education Policy'of the country and appreciated it inhigh terms, according to a varsityrelease.

Mr Mittal shares: "It's a great feel-ing to see that the new NationalEducation Policy has finally seen thelight of the day. A new paradigmshift in the education policy after 3decades is a very welcome move. Inpresent scenario technology andadoption of the same by the societyhas made the change a necessitythan an option, and we are glad thatthe present government has takena bold step in introducing, this,much-needed reform in the educa-tion policy."

"At Higher Education level a ma-jor focus on a multidisciplinary edu-

c a t i o n ,that pro-motes ho-listic edu-cation, is avery wel-c o m em o v e .LPU isone of its

kind multidisciplinary university andwe have always focused on allowingstudents to have the flexibility ofchoosing subjects. We are happythat this has now been promoted atthe national level. Also, we are happythat, at least, at the policy level acommon norm for public and pri-vate higher education institutions(HEIs) is mentioned.

A move to create an AcademicBank of Credit (ABC) is a very boldmove. Though it is there in manydeveloped nations, this policy nowavailable in India will give a new riseto the education consumption in In-dia. This will also create a healthiercompetition among the universitiesto keep delivering great qualityeducation to retain students.

Though a foreign university hasbeen allowed to set up its campusis a great move, as it allows ahealthier competition; however, In-dian institutions should also be al-lowed to develop twinning pro-grams with foreign universities.

LPU ChancellorAshok Mittal

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: In response to a state-wide protest call, thousands of farmerstook part in Tractors protest march onJuly 27 from local grain market to theresidence of Union minister of state forCommerce and Industry Som Parkash, inprotest against anti-farmers, anti-traders and anti-laborers, farm-re-lated ordinances promulgated byModi government.

These Ordinances includedFarmers Produce, Trade andCommerce(Promotion and Facili-tation) Ordinance,Farmers(Empowerment and Pro-tection) Agreement on Price As-surance and Farm Services Ordi-nance, and the EssentialCommodities(Amendment) Ordi-nance.

Sporting black flags and anti-ordinances and anti-Modibannerson 1000 tractors, the

farmers, supported by'arhtiyas'(commission agents) and theirlaborers, took out a mammoth march,throwing traffic out of gear onHoshiarpur-Phagwara and GT roads.

Though the tractor march was disci-plined, several kms long tractor marchled to traffic snarls on Phagwara-

Hoshiarpur road,NH1 and various ser-vice lanes, inconveniencing the public.

Marchers were stopped by police afew furlongs away from Som Parkash'sresidence.

They held two rallies and sits-in, firstat grain market and second on the mainroad of Urban Estate, a few furlongs

away from the residence of SomParkash.

Manjit Singh Rai, PresidentBharti Kisan Union(Doaba) thatspearheaded the protest,Kulwant Singh Sandhu, PunjabSecretary CPM-led DemocraticKisan Sabha, Santokh Singh Bilgaof Kirti Kisan Union, JaswinderSingh Dhesi, another farmersleaders, NareshBhardwaj,Secretary Federatiopnof Arhtiya Association Punjab ad-dressed rallies, among others.


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TOP TENHINDI SONGS

August 7, 2020www.indiapost.com30 India Post

Actress Karishma Tanna has posted anew picture on Instagram in a bid toredefine perfection. In the snapshot,

she wears in a black lacy night suit and poseson the bed.

Alongside the image, she wrote: "Wifi,Coffe, My bed. Perfection." The picture cur-

rently has over 241K likes on the photo-shar-ing website.

Karishma recently was announced thewinner of season 10 of the adventure reality

show, "Khatron Ke Khiladi"."As I hold this trophy in my hand, I feel I am

holding all the dreams I dared to dream. Itfeels like I am holding the dream of my

mother. Coming from a simple conventionalGujarati family it started with. She can't do it.

Why does she want to do it? Get an educa-tion, get a more secured job, get married,

now who will marry her? It's a tough worldout there. It's a mans world. How will she sur-

vive the competition. She has no Godfather,no connections," she wrote. IANS

Actress Richa Chadha confesses thatoverthinking is her stupid hobby.

Richa opened up on the subject while conduct-ing an interactive session with fans on Instagram.

When a user asked her what any newhobby she had picked up during thelockdown, the actress spoke about how shehas been overthinking these days.

"Yes, overthinking. It's a stupid hobby,"Richa wrote. Apart from this, Richa alsoshared about how she keeps busy. "I have alot to do. Many deadlines," she wrote.

On the film front, Richa recently shot for asci-fi short film amid these troubled times.Titled "55kms/sec", the film is directed byArati Kadav of "Cargo" fame.

"This was a challenging shoot as we had todo everything ourselves, from hair andmakeup to recording sound but it was wellworth the effort. I am happy that we wereable to create something thought provokingand beautiful, even in these grim times," saidRicha. IANS

Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushal has shared what he regrets, on social media.

Vicky took to Instagram and posted a selfie of himselfafter a workout. In the image, the actor flaunts post-work

sweat, in a white T-shirt and black baseball cap.He wrote: "Sweat > Regret. Although regret wasting time in between

sets for a (taking a photo emoji). Adios!" Vicky shared that he yearns tobreak free. The actor shared his thoughts along with a still from his 2018

release "Manmarziyaan" on Instagram. In the picture, he can be seenjumping from the terrace of one building to another.

Vicky was last seen in Bhanu Pratap Singh's"Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship". His upcoming

film brings alive the story of revolutionaryUdham Singh, who avenged the Jallianwala

Bagh massacre of 1919 byassassinating General Michael

O'Dwyer. Singh wassubsequently tried andconvicted of murder,

and hanged inJuly 1940.

IANS


August 7, 2020

Realty Tidbits

India Post August 7, 2020www.indiapost.com

Real Estate32

More Americans signed contractsto buy homes in June

SILVER SPRING, Md.: Thenumber of Americans signingcontracts to buy homes rosefor the second straight monthafter a devastating springfreeze brought on by thecoronavirus outbreak.

The National Association ofRealtors announced that its in-dex of pending sales rose16.6%, to 116.1 in June, its high-est level since 2006. That's upfrom a reading of 99.6 in May.

Contract signings are now6.3% ahead of where they werelast year after being signifi-cantly behind last year's pacedue to the pandemic. An indexof 100 represents the level ofcontract activity in 2001.

All four regions saw morecontract signings for the sec-ond straight month. The North-east led the way with a 54.4%increase. Sales in the Midwest,South and West all jumpedaround 12%.

``It is quite surprising andremarkable that, in the midst of

a global pandemic, contractactivity for home purchases ishigher compared to one yearago,'' said Lawrence Yun, NAR'schief economist. ``Consumersare taking advantage ofrecord-low mortgage rates re-sulting from the FederalReserve's maximum liquidity

monetary policy.''Freddie Mac reported last

week that average interestrates on a 30-year fixed ratemortgage rose to 3.01%. Theaverage had been 2.98% theprevious week, the first time in50 years that it slipped below3%. The Federal Reserve wraps

up a two-day meeting Wednes-day (29 July) and is not ex-pected to change its main bor-rowing rate.

In May, the number ofAmericans signing contracts tobuy homes rebounded arecord 44.3% after plungingduring the usually busy springseason as buyers and sellerswere sidelined by coronavirus-related closures and regula-tions.

May's recovery was thehighest month-over-monthgain in the index since its in-ception in January 2001.

Last week, the governmentreported that sales of newhomes jumped 13.8% in June,the second straight increaseafter two months when salesplunged as the country wentinto lockdown because of thecoronavirus. June's increase fol-lowed a 19.4% jump in May;further evidence the housingmarket has turned around. AP

Jan-June housingsales fall 52%amid pandemic

NEW DELHI: The pandemichas hit the real estate sectorhard, as a PropTiger reportshows that housing sales in thefirst half of 2020 plunged

around 52 per cent acrosseight major markets.

Around 88,593 units weresold during January-June 2020,

compared to over 1.85 lakhunits sold during the corre-

sponding period of last year.Supply was severely im-

pacted as 48,232 units werelaunched during the period

under review, 65 per centlower than the 1.36 lakh units a

year ago.The cities surveyed are

Ahmedabad, Bengaluru,Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata,

Pune, Delhi-NCR, includingNoida, Greater Noida,

Gurugram, Ghaziabad andFaridabad and the Mumbai

Metropolitan Region (MMR) in-cluding Mumbai, Navi Mumbai,

Thane.The second quarter of 2020

was the worst hit as only19,038 units were sold across

the tier-I markets during theperiod, 73 per cent lower than

92,764 units in Q2 2019.Affordable housing, units

priced up to Rs 45 lakh, contin-ued to dominate the real es-

tate sector accounting for a 44per cent share of all sales.

New launches also de-creased significantly during

this period, as developers re-mained cautious during a pe-

riod when commercial activityacross sectors slowed down.

Launches decreased 81 percent during the quarter end-

ing June 30 to 12,564 units.Launches declined signifi-

cantly across cities, especiallyin Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata and

Chennai."While, developers are in-

creasingly offering schemessuch as flexible payment plans,

selective discounts and priceprotection plans to attract buy-ers, developers are under-

standably cautious and are fo-cused on completing existingprojects. IANS

'Property swap' likely to helphome buyers, raise sales

NEW DELHI: As the real estate sector goesthrough twin issues of subdued demand and stuckprojects amid the pandemic, market experts say'property swap' may be a major tool in helping bothdistressed homebuyers and increasing sales.

Developers and consultancy companies have oflate came up with this feature in a bid to help outhomebuyers who are waiting for their home to becompleted for a long time. IANS


How to make your kitchen work efficiently for youSUNITA MISHRA

The Coronavirus pandemichas brought some unprec-

edented changes in our dailylives. Before fears of exposingour lives to the deadly virusbecame the key driver of allour normal reactions, many In-dian households,with workingspouses, de-pended on theservices of do-mestic help fordaily chores, in-cluding cooking,cleaning, etc. As

the responsibility to performthese tasks is now on us, it be-comes pertinent to follow cer-tain ground rules, so that youare able to work efficiently inyour kitchen. In this context,we discuss some tips to keep

your kitchen clutter-free, tobe able to work efficientlyand within a time limit.

How to make your kitchenwork efficiently for youClean the dirty dishes imme-diately

You just cannot leave dirtydishes in the sink and go tobed at night. Besides attract-ing bugs and pests, thiswould also upset your morn-ing routine. Housing.com


33India PostAugust 7, 2020

www.indiapost.comReal Estate Post

Vastu tips for positive energy at homePURNIMA GOSWAMI SHARMA

Each one of us desires to live in ahome that is comfortable, calming and rejuvenates us. It is important to understand that the

energy within a house, affects thepeople who occupy it. "One's environ-ment helps in building a foundation fora healthier mind and body and VastuShastra offers ways to create a healthierlife," says Nitien Parmar of VastuPlus. "Iffollowed correctly, Vastu Shastra canhelp the home's residents to becomephysically and mentally healthy,"Parmar adds.Vastu tips for the main door

Vastu principles improve a livingspace, according to the principles of

harmony and energy flow. The maindoor of a house is the entry point forenergy. "A door that opens outwardpushes energy away from home. So,have the main door opening clockwise.Opportunities may be limited, if thedoor does not open fully. Ensure thatthe lobby near the main door is notdark. Good lighting stimulates positiveflow of energy and promotes balanceand harmony within the premise. Everyhouse should have a threshold (umbra)on the floor, at doorframe. It protectsthe house from external negative influ-ences," adds Parmar.

De-clutter for positive energyOne can invite positive energy into a

house, by de-cluttering and cleaningthe space. Clutter creates stagnant en-ergy and impedes the flow of positiveenergy. Avoid keeping chipped,cracked or broken things. Clean thecupboards and drawers and clearthings that are no longer in use. Keepthe house clean and ensure that thereare no cobwebs. Add few spoons of sea-salt to the water and mop the floor withit. It is believed that mopping thehouse with salt water will reduce theeffects of negative vibrations.Vastu-compliant construction

There is a strong connection be-

tween the energy of the house and thehealth of the occupants, maintainsRasesh H Shah, energy facilitator andVastu expert. "Ancient architecture wasall about proportions and planning thestructure in a manner that it is always insync with the magnetic field of theearth and harmony of colors. It is mostimportant to commence the construc-tion at the right moment (muhurat) andto use non-offensive building materials.Every built space has three types of en-ergies - cosmic, earth and structural. Tomake the space positive and to ensurethat all three are in harmony with each

other, keep the center of the space,which is called the Brahmasthan, free ofany kind of structural violation. This willensure that the flow of cosmic energyis balanced. Earth energy can be bal-anced by keeping the northeast cornerlively. Structural energy can be harmo-nized, by ensuring that there is no clut-ter in the space," advises Shah.Rectifying Vastu faults

According to Vastu experts, one canalso attract positive vibes to enhancethe health and well-being of the occu-pants, by simply arranging or correct-ing items in the surroundings. "If thebathroom is directly opposite to thekitchen, keep the door closed and use aVastu energy partition on the doorframe to separate these opposing en-ergies and to block the negative en-ergy," says Parmar. "Mirrors bounceback energies. Hence, if the bed, onwhich one sleeps, is in the line of themirror, it is advisable to remove the mir-ror or to cover it, for better sleep. A tulsiplant is a must for the home, as it clearsnegative energy," concludes Shah.Décor tips for positive energy

Fresh air and sunlight aids positiveenergy at home. So, ensure that youkeep the home's windows open, forsome time in the morning.

Aquariums are akin to moving waterand it is auspicious, when placed to-wards the north-east.

Avoid having a tree, pole or pillar fac-ing the main door. It is called a dwarvedh (door obstacle). Similarly, avoidhaving dead plants near the door.

Keep the bathroom door closed. Al-ways keep toilet lid down, when not inuse. Ensure that there are no leakingtaps at home. Use pleasant freshenersin the bathroom.

Do not keep medicines in thekitchen. Housing.com


Deve Gowdathreatens stir againstKarnataka's newland law

BENGALURU: Former Prime Minis-ter and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has threat-ened to launch a statewide agitation ifthe BJP government did not withdrawthe amendments to the KarnatakaLand Reforms Act forthwith.

"As the amendments are anti-farmer and in favor of the real estate,we will launch an agitation across thestate along with farmers and the ruralpeople, if they are not withdrawn,"Deve Gowda told reporters here.

The amendments to the 1961Act, made through an ordinanceearlier this month, enable evennon-farmers to purchase and ownfarmlands across the state for farm-ing and agri-related activity.

"The BJP government has alsoamended the APMC Act, allowingprivate players to buy food grains,vegetables and fruits from farmersto their cost advantage," said DeveGowda, a newly elected RajyaSabha member from the state.

As a farmer and son of the soil,he said the recent changes in thelabor laws were also against work-ers and serve the interests of in-dustrialists and factory owners.

"I have already written three let-ters to Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa urging him to with-draw the amendments to the LandReforms Act and the APMC Act, fail-ing which I will take to streetsalong with hundreds of farmersand rural people," he warned.

The May 14 amendment to theKarnataka Agricultural Produce Mar-keting Committee (APMC) Act,through an ordinance, is to lift restric-tions on sale of farm produce and al-low farmers to directly sell their cropin APMC yards or in private marketswhere they get the best price.

"By allowing anyone to buy andown farmlands, the pro-capitalistand pro-industry BJP governmentis helping land sharks to rob thelivelihood of thousands of farmersand hit food grain production inthe state," Deve Gowda claimed.

Defending the amendments,Yediyurappa said the amendedLand Reforms Act permitted citi-zens who are not farmers to buyfarmlands in the state to grow foodcrops but not use the land for otheractivities.IANS


August 7, 202034

August 7, 2020 India Post 35www.indiapost.com

SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA

The mind in us determines thequality and beauty, the dynamism

and glory, the nature and arrange-ments of the world around us. An ex-tension of our mind in its constantperceptions and interpretations, un-veils for us our private world of sorrows

and joys, likes and dislikes, successes and

failures.

By conquering the mind we conquer

our world. The outer circumstances and

the available objects and beings around

us can no longer make us dance to their

will and whim. We shall come to call the

tune, and the world around us shall learn

to obey, as we will it act. In fact, without

this subjective conquest of one's own

mind, no conquest anywhere is a real

conquest.

Even if you have won the whole

world, of what avail is it to you, if you have

not won over the soul (mind) in yourself?

No success is a success, no joy a real joy,

no beauty a true beauty unless the indi-

vidual has conquered his own mind.

Even though you have not con-

quered, in battles, the world, you become

the world conqueror when you have

conquered your mind; and although you

have for long conquered the world by

force, you have conquered nothing so

long as you have not conquered your-

self."

In order to thus conquer the mind one

need not run away physically from all

sense objects or living beings in one's life.

All that we have to do is to attend consis-

tently to the taming of the mind. Objects

(Vishayas) are helpless against a mind

under control of the clear intellect. The

sense-organs will not dare run out into

the cess-pools of sensuous gratifications,

when the mind behind them is a fully dis-

ciplined and strictly cultivated one.

Therefore, instead of unnecessarily

wasting our energies in regulating the

world of objects and environments, in-

stead of exhausting ourselves in vain at-

tempts at controlling the sense-organs,

let us attend to the mastering of our mind.

Say the Acharyas: "Extrovert thought

(chittam) is the commander of the sense-

organs, and so to win him is to win all; not

to win him is to win none….. just as to one

who is wearing shoes the whole world is

covered with leather"

We need not conquer the sense-organs

one by one, nor need we run away from all

objects of sense fascinations. Control the

mind: and then go wherever you will. With

shoes one can walk even over thorny

bushes and stony slopes. You are pro-

tected from them all. Conquer your mind,

then you are insured against everything,

everywhere, at all times.

A meditator must thus direct his atten-

tion constantly in capturing the wild mind

and taming it to obey his own pure deci-

sions and sattvika commands. Once the

mind is conquered all else is conquered.

A conquered mind is called "pure mind"

in Vedanta (shuddha antahkarana), and it

is a mental equipment which is not agi-

tated by every passing mood of passion,

or is disturbed by every fascinating object

that comes across it.

The nature of the mind is that its

thoughts will readily flow towards any

object of its love. Where our prem is, there

our mind reaches and lingers lovingly. This

being its natural and instinctive mode of

behavior, if we supply it with an alterna-

tive field of joyous love, it is sure to turn

towards it, and in so doing, will be turning

away from the world-of-objects, where it

is now getting totally dissipated of all its

rich potentialities.

Excerpted from chinmayasaaket.org. The27th death anniversary of Swami Chinmaya-nanda was observed on August 3

By conquering mind weconquer world

Swami Chinmayananda

Objects (Vishayas) are helplessagainst a mind under controlof the clear intellect

50 SPIRITUAL APPETIZERSVinod Dhawan

“It’s a lovely book. It feels en-

ergetically clear and light. It’s

easy to read, dip in and out and

most importantly it offers infor-

mation without fluff! Blessings

on this project.”Jac O’Keeffe

Spirituality teacher based inUSA.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

Philosophy Perspective

Available on AMAZON, FLIPKART Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author


India should aim high to bea global aerospace hub

RAMESH RAMCHANDANI

India, with aspirations for its 1.3 bil-lion people, wants to drive exportsand become part of the global sup-

ply chain. It intends to go global. Buthow India can achieve this?

The strategy India chose forsmartphones demonstrates the art ofthe possible. It went from being animporter of smartphones to a net ex-porter in the past five years withpolicy and infrastructure changes. Theauto component sector is another in-dustry example where many globalOEMs (Original Equipment Manufac-turers) and Tier 1 companies are sourc-ing from Indian manufacturers whoare meeting the high-quality stan-dards required by the foreign mar-kets.

With the wind of BPS (Business Pro-cess Sourcing) behind it, where itdominates the market with over 80percent of total BPS revenues (Gartnerreport), India can tag on and move upits aerospace industry value chainfrom design engineering & IT solutionsinto component and subsystemsmanufacturing for the world of aero-space.

Private sector vs. public sectorHow do we make it a reality for the

civil/defense aircraft industry? TheHindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is inexistence since 1964, along with an-other PSU, National Aerospace Labora-tories (NAL). They both have the kno-whow and capability for building air-craft components. But the agility re-quired for meeting the supply chainneeds of OEM's and delivering/mar-keting to international markets at aprofit is not their strength currently.The government-owned HAL hashardly made the company a paragonof efficiency; they should, therefore,stick to their knitting of assembly ofdefense sector aircraft and leave thedefense/civil aircraft component andsubsystems manufacturing to India'sgrowing private sector enterprises.These companies are bottom-linedriven and agile. HAL and NAL can cer-tainly provide training and knowledgeof aircraft component manufacturingprocess to the nascent private sector.

India, which is among the top eight

manufacturing centers of the worldcan deliver quality products on timeand on cost. India is competitive inrate structure, offering net cost sav-ings between 30-35 percent to USdollar-denominated costs. Indiamoved up to third place in the list ofmost-suitable locations for globalmanufacturing among 48 countries interms of cost competitiveness andoperating conditions, according to arecent property consultant Cushman& Wakefield report.

With trust in China - presently oneof the largest exporters of aircraftcomponents - weakening. India's fu-ture as a manufacturer of higher-com-plexity aerospace items is completelyin our hands. India must present itselfas a viable alternative to China's sourc-ing.

India must improve logisticinfrastructure

Export driven contracts with OEMslike Boeing and Airbus, and demand-ing offset contracts to 40 percent-60percent of the total purchase costwhen purchasing fighter jets or civilaircraft from these two carriers, is oneway to shore up manufacturing locallyin India and grow and develop smalland medium-sized private enter-prises. Defense offsets are beingmanaged through Defense OffsetManagement Wing (DMOW). The In-dian government must insist on India-based manufacturing offsets whenmaking commercial airline purchasesand which will signal its support forthis industry.

Logistics infrastructure is a weak-ness that India must improve if partsare to be delivered efficiently. Hasten-ing time to market is critical in thesuccess of aerospace parts export. In-frastructure plays a critical role inbuilding an A&D manufacturing base.The government must support andencourage the creation of local aero-space hubs. Creating clusters helpsmicro, small, and medium enterprises(MSMEs) that supply components andsub-assemblies to large manufactur-ers. South Asia Monitor

36 Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com

August 7, 2020India Post

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

The background chatter is also by now well

known, provide excuses or show surprise at the

action of an adversary, talk of the woeful global

economic situation in which we are equally af-

fected and to top it all, the crisis of COVID-19

which is engaging the world

For detailed stories visitwww.indiapost.com

Ladakh standoff: India needs toenhance its deterrence reputation

LT GEN P R KUMAR (RETD)

Every Indian citizen, especially security andChina watchers, wouldbe able to rattle out

the latest situation along theLine of Actual Control (LAC) inEast Ladakh given the plethoraof inputs, barring from thegovernment. There are a num-ber of options discussed bothby the self-styled pacifists (ac-tually status quo supporterswho never want to make amove, and pray and hope thatthe crisis will resolve itself, ir-respective of outcome), thehawks, and the moderates.

The background chatter isalso by now well known, pro-vide excuses or show surpriseat the action of an adversary,talk of the woeful global eco-nomic situation in which weare equally affected and to topit all, the crisis of COVID-19

which is engaging the world.All because of a mindset ofhow can we challenge the Chi-nese, will it not lead to a con-frontation between two asym-metric adversaries or worse toa two-front entanglement.

We must be very clear thatChina has violated all the confi-dence-building measures(CBMs), Border Defense Coop-eration Agreement (BDCA), JointWorking Group, Senior Repre-sentative level understandings,protocols and mechanisms forborder management, includingthe latest "strategic guidance tothe respective militaries tostrengthen communication tobuild mutual understanding andenhance predictability and ef-fectiveness in managing bor-ders" signed by President Xi

Jinping and Prime MinisterNarendra Modi even before theink has dried. It is by now clearthat military and political leveltalks and movement on theground are going on excruciat-ingly slowly.

China's big gambleImmediately after China got

a handle on COVID internally(there are inputs of a secondcoming, which may actuallyegg them on to create mul-tiple external crisis situations),and while the rest of the worldis still battling the virus and itseffects in other domains, China(Chinese Communist Party tobe more precise) led by Xi ischanging the global status quo.From using gunboat diplomacy,border troop aggressive move-ments and deployments, highseas and border intimidation,

wolf diplomacy, economic hold-outs/threats like with Australiaand conduct of high leveltroops exercises involving theentire People's Liberation Army(PLA), building new strategic al-liances and friendships a la Iran,China is on the move externallyin all domains.

Interestingly the low-keymilitary approach has longbeen discarded and the entirePLA is galvanized. The multi-service, multi-domain ArmedForces exercise in the Southand East China Seas and borderareas especially along the LACwith India are of a much largerscale, involve interoperabilityand being conducted closerthan normal to adversarialshores and borders. The PLAArmy, Navy, Air Force, Marines,

Rocket Forces, Air Defense,non-kinetic hi-tech formationslike cyber, space, information,surveillance and reconnais-sance (ISR), amphibious, logis-tics supply chain units are par-ticipating, and the much-touted three warfare strategy(public opinion, psychological,and legal warfare) is being ap-plied around his strategicspace. At last count one of thesecurity experts spoke ofChina engaging 27 countries inmulti-domain competitionleading to a confrontation.

Enough reasons for why hasalso been analyzed - fromshowcasing comprehensivenational power (CNP) and as-cent to global power status bysimultaneous confrontationistactions with numerous nations,including demonstrable ac-tions to challenge the US, andteach cocky new India a lesson.The last with the idea to dis-rupt India's growth story, slowdown its infrastructure devel-opment along the northernborders, indicate an unstableIndia internally where themovement of industries fromChina is fraught with risk, warnIndia to lay off Aksai Chin andGilgit Baltistan, dissuade Indianot to create trouble in thefunctioning of Belt and RoadInitiative (BRI) especially China-Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) which is existential forChina, and to stop India frominterfering or dominating theIndian Ocean Region (IOR) andMalacca Straits.

All this with a larger ambi-tion of garnering real estate inmultiple areas having strategicsensitivities. All nations and se-curity and China experts areonly second-guessing, andChina's the rationale for its ac-tions is frankly still a mystery,which will unfold as time andevents roll along. South AsiaMonitor

NEW EDUCATION POLICYIndia finally decides to invoke the much needed education

policy to keep up with the demand of the country undergo-ing changes and reforms. The Indian cabinet just approvedNational Education Policy (NEP) last week offering new hope andrationality by providing greater autonomy to educational institu-tions, along with flexibility and skill, to students. This is one of theseven steps India Post editorial last week proposed India shoulddo to move on the path towards becoming a fully developed na-tion.

The policy brings, for the first time, the age group from three tosix years under the school curriculum, which is essential for earlydevelopmental stage for young learners. For older children therewill be greater relaxation, unlike earlier, which was too rigid. Thenew system will put emphasis on skills and critical thinking. Forhigh school the new system proposes greater flexibility to choosecourse work, alongside multiple entry and exit points for highereducation.

India is a large country and there is absolutely no control ofcentral or state governments on government schools to impartequal and honest dissemination of its policies and a standardizededucation. A visit to a village or state government school, one willsee that either the teacher is absent or the classrooms are empty.There is no accountability of the principals, as they are mostly con-nected to political bosses or self-interested administrators. Increas-ingly, rural parents prefer their scribes to attend privately runschool run by quasi-local businessmen. Even though the NEPpolicy meets global standards in principle, it lacks the key clarity onhow this will be administered for the success of its mission.

No developed country can grow unless its government policycreates competition to impart excellence in education. The newpolicy lacks in this area by not offering the choice and motivationto teachers or the head of the institution. Private institutions mustbe encouraged on an equal and level playing field, so that teachersbecome accountable and perform their task as per global norms.According to DISE data more than 50% of schools in India are pri-vate institution but many lack even the basic standards that areessential. Government must take advantage of the NEP and bring astandard educational policy and ensure its implementation na-tionwide. Rules and regulations had been made by successive gov-ernments but never implemented.

The success of this policy will greatly depend on how the gov-ernment steers through the age-old lethargy that exits in the edu-cation system of India. For India to become a developed country, itsgovernment must pull out of running Hotels, Airlines, Banks andIndustry, and Higher educational Institutions. The same also appliesto most government enterprises as mentioned above. Govern-ments should concentrate, as good and honest administrators, andensure the implementation of its policies are aligned as per regula-tions, and not attempt to become competitors to private industry.Government and private grants are essential for any educationpolicy to be successful, as well as, for industry research and devel-opment.

What lacks big time are life skills training in the Indian educa-tion system. For example, how to drive and follow rules on the road,use public toilets, basic hygiene, courtesy at public dealings, physi-cal education, First Aid etc. Public speaking and cooking should beone of the subjects through all levels of school education. Anotherarea is discipline and social work, which could be made compul-sory for high school and graduate students. A one year compul-sory military training or social work, before getting the Diploma orDegree could become a real game changer.


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