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This week’s question

Last week’s result

YES 57% NO 43%

Ind-Am supportRobert forCongressional seat

RAFALE JETS ARRIVE

CONTENTSBollywood -------------------------- 30Classifieds ------------------------ 35Community Post -------------- 17-22Edit Page --------------------------- 34Horoscope ------------------------- 32Immigration Post ---------------- 25Life Style ------------------------ 14-16Philosophy/Perspective ------- 33Info/Highlights ---------------------- 4Real Estate -------------------- 26-27TechBiz Post ------------------ 10-11Travel & Hospitality Post ---------- 9Wellness Post ---------------- 12-13

First batch of multi-role fighters for IAF arrive in India

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Should federal troops be sent toStates to control peaceful

demonstrations?

NEW DELHI: The first batch of five Rafale jets onMonday took off from France for India, nearly fouryears after New Delhi inked an inter-governmentalagreement with Paris to procure 36 of the multi-rolefighter aircraft under a Rs 59,000-crore deal.

"You can call them (Rafale) both beauty and thebeast," said Indian Ambassador to France JawedAshraf who interacted with the IAF pilots at theMerignac airbase before they set off for India.

The aircraft flew out from the airbase in the Frenchport city of Bordeaux and will cover a distance ofnearly 7,000 km with air-to-air refueling and a single

stop in the United Arab Emirates before arriving atAmbala airbase on Wednesday, officials said.

The aircraft are expected to significantly boost theIndian Air Force's combat capabilities at a time Indiais locked in a tense border row with China in easternLadakh.

An official statement said the delivery of 10 aircrafthas been completed on schedule and five will stayback in France for training missions. It said the deliv-ery of all 36 aircraft will be completed by the end of2021.

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Emirates CricketBoard receivesLetter to host IPL

Will the Quad contain China’sinfluence in the Indian Ocean?

Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf interacts with IAF pilots before take off (Inset)

Modi has a wordof caution forcoming festivals

'Kulbhushanordinance' inPak Assembly

Ind-Am techieheld for$5.5 MN fraud

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HIGHLIGHTS

30Bollywood:It's human to doubt yourselfThe actress, who is currently gearing upfor the release of her upcoming film"Shakuntala Devi", says she doesn'tdoubt herself much anymore.

5Cover Story:Fighters arrive in India"You can call them (Rafale) both beautyand the beast," said Indian Amb.to France,Jawed Ashraf who interacted with the IAFpilots before they set off for India.

17Community:Support for Robert LanciaInd-Am community from MA and RI orga-nized an Election Campaign Kickoff pro-gram in support of Robert Lancia (Bob)who is contesting for Congress from RI.

25Immigration:Green Card waitlistBacklog for an Indian national to getGreen Card is more than 195 years, aRepublican senator has said, urging fora legislative resolution to this problem.

14Lifestyle:Restaurateur on missionBefore coronavirus arrived, ManishMallick's trips to this city's South Sidehad been limited to attending graduateclasses at the University of Chicago.

10Techbiz:US-China trade warWith the USA revoking the preferentialtrade status of Hong Kong earlier thismonth, India sees brighter future for itsgems and jewelry exports.

9Travel:Coorg's scenic beautyCoorg is a blend of scenic beauty andtraditional heritage. Coorg or Kodagu isone of the smallest districts of Karnataka,which covers an area of 4,104 sq.km.

12Wellness:Want to live longer?Protein, particularly protein from plantssuch as legumes, whole grains and nuts,linked to lower risks of developing dia-betes, heart disease and stroke.

NewsweeklyIndia Post

India PostJuly 31, 2020 5

www.indiapost.com

Cover/Top Stories

RAFALE JETS ARRIVEFirst batch of multi-role fighters for IAF arrive in India

NEW DELHI: The first batch of fiveRafale jets on Monday took off fromFrance for India, nearly four years afterNew Delhi inked an inter-governmentalagreement with Paris to procure 36 ofthe multi-role fighter aircraft under a Rs59,000-crore deal.

"You can call them (Rafale) bothbeauty and the beast," said Indian Am-bassador to France Jawed Ashraf whointeracted with the IAF pilots at theMerignac airbase before they set off forIndia.

The aircraft flew out from the airbasein the French port city of Bordeaux andwill cover a distance of nearly 7,000 kmwith air-to-air refueling and a singlestop in the United Arab Emirates beforearriving at Ambala airbase on Wednes-day, officials said.

The aircraft are expected to signifi-cantly boost the Indian Air Force's com-bat capabilities at a time India is lockedin a tense border row with China in east-ern Ladakh.

An official statement said the deliv-ery of 10 aircraft has been completedon schedule and five will stay back inFrance for training missions. It said thedelivery of all 36 aircraft will be com-pleted by the end of 2021.

The first Rafale jet was handed overto the IAF in October last year during avisit to France by Defense MinisterRajnath Singh.

"Our air force pilots tell us that theseare extremely swift, nimble, versatileand very deadly aircraft. You can callthem both beauty and the beast. Theyare superb flying machines and beingflown by best pilots in the world,"Ashraf said in a video message.

The envoy thanked Dassault Aviation,

the manufacturer of the aircraft, for de-livering the fleet on time.

"This (the fleet) is going to add agreat deal of air power to our defensepreparedness. This is also a powerfulsymbol of the strategic partnership be-tween India and France," he added.

The first squadron of the Rafale jetswill be stationed in Ambala air base. Thefive Rafales are scheduled to be in-ducted into the IAF on the afternoon ofWednesday. However, an IAF spokesper-son said a formal induction ceremonywill be held in mid-August.

In a statement, the Indian embassysaid IAF pilots and supporting person-nel have been provided full training onthe aircraft and weapon systems byDassault. Further batches of IAF person-

nel will continue the training over thenext nine months.

It said Ashraf congratulated the IAFpilots on becoming the first Indian avia-tors to fly one of the world's most ad-vanced and potent fighter aircraft andwished them success in meeting the

nation's expectation of playing an im-portant role in India's defense.

"India and France have a long historyof cooperation in fighter aircraft, whichincludes India's acquisition of FrenchToofanis in 1953, then Mystere, Jaguarsand the Mirages," it said.

The embassy said France will send anaircraft with medical equipment andexperts on July 26 to support India's ef-forts against the COVID-19 pandemic, ina gesture of friendship.

Official sources said the Rafale jetsare likely to be deployed in the Ladakhsector as part of IAF's efforts to enhanceits operational capabilities along Line ofActual Control with China in view of theborder row with the country.

The aircraft is capable of carrying arange of potent weapons. Europeanmissile maker MBDA's Meteor beyondvisual range air-to-air missile and Scalpcruise missile will be the mainstay ofthe weapons package of the Rafale jets

Meteor is the next generation of BVRair-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed torevolutionize air-to-air combat. Theweapon has been developed by MBDAto combat common threats facing theUK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain andSweden.

The Meteor is powered by a uniquerocket-ramjet motor that gives it farmore engine power for much longerthan any other missile, said an official.

Besides the missile systems, the Rafalejets will come with various India-specificmodifications, including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receiv-ers, low-band jammers, 10-hour flightdata recording, infra-red search andtracking systems among others

The IAF has already completedpreparations, including readying re-quired infrastructure and training of pi-lots, to welcome the fighter aircraft

The second squadron of Rafale willbe stationed at Hasimara base in WestBengal. The IAF spent around Rs 400crore to develop required infrastruc-ture like shelters, hangars and mainte-nance facilities at the two bases

Out of 36 Rafale jets, 30 will befighter jets and six will be trainers. Thetrainer jets will be twin-seaters andthey will have almost all the features ofthe fighter jets. PTI

‘Our air force pilots tell us that these are extremely swift,

nimble, versatile and very deadly aircraft. You can call them both

beauty and the beast. They are superb flying machines

and being flown by best pilots in the world’

India Post July 31, 20206

www.indiapost.comTop Stories

Indian-American techie held for $5.5 MNfraud in Covid relief fund

Emirates Cricket Board receives letterof Intent from BCCI to host IPL

DUBAI: The Emirates Cricket Board(ECB) confirmed it has received the offi-cial 'Letter of Intent' from the BCCI ac-cepting their offer to host the 2020 In-dian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE.

Last week, IPL chairman Brijesh Patelhad announced the dates of the tourna-ment, September 19-November 8, andsaid the tournament will be held in theUAE subject to Indian's government'sapproval.

"We have received the (official) let-ter and now wait on the decision fromthe Indian Government which will inkthe final deal," said Mubashshir Usmani,Emirates Cricket Board Secretary Gen-eral, in a statement.

While the Indian government's ap-proval is awaited, Usmani stated bothBoards have "fully mobilized and haveinstigated discussions with the relevantauthorities, including their respectiveinternal working-committees, in prepa-ration of hosting the tournament in asafe, protected environment".

Hosting the eight-team IPL in a for-eign location amid the COVID-19 threatis going to be a major logistical chal-lenge. However, the UAE economy isgoing to benefit substantially by host-ing the T20 extravaganza.

"There are many factors which influ-ence the operations and logistics ofhosting what is the world's most excit-ing, popular and lucrative tournament,"commented Usmani.

"This is a massive movement ofpeople and equipment and we nowneed to bring in the experts to discussall aspects of UAE hosting the IPL.

"This includes the Abu Dhabi, Dubaiand Sharjah Sports Councils, Abu Dhabi,Dubai and Sharjah Tourism Bodies andthe respective Government entities -such as the Police Forces and the UAEMinistry of Health and Prevention," hesaid.

All the government entities of UAEhave proven experience of deliveringan event of this magnitude, Usmanisaid.

"All of whom have had strong, provenexperience in such activities and wewill work together to ascertain the bestpractices to support and deliver on asuccessful edition."

UAE has the experience of hostingthe world's biggest T20 league, havingstaged a part of the 2014 edition dueto the general elections in India.

tournament, including issuing SOPs,which the teams are awaiting.

The tournament is expected to beheld under strict safety protocols. TheCOVID-19 situation in UAE seems tounder control with more than 6000active cases.

"Firstly, we are extremely pleasedwith how the UAE Government re-sponded to the virus, which was asearly as February and we continue tosee encouraging numbers across thecountry - in decreasing cases and in-creasing recoveries, said Usmani.

"Secondly, we will fully support anyrequirements stipulated by the rel-evant Health Authorities in regards toCovid-19 safety measures and man-agement.

"Ultimately, as owners of the IPL,the BCCI will lay-out their require-ments to the Host nation of whichEmirates Cricket continues to reiter-ate their unwavering support and assis-tance at every step of the process," headded. PTI

SAN FRANCISCO: US authoritieshave arrested Seattle-based MukundMohan, a serial entrepreneur andformer executive at Amazon andMicrosoft, for allegedly defraudingthe Paycheck Protection Program(PPP) with forged documents andembezzling more than $5.5 million inCovid-19 relief funds.

Mohan was arrested and chargedby the US Attorney's Office in the FedPPP scam on 23 July.

He submitted "fake and altereddocuments, including fake federal taxfilings and altered incorporationdocuments" in support of PPP appli-cations for six shell companies heowned.

He then transferred some of themoney to his Robinhood brokerageaccount "for his personal benefit," theUS Attorney alleged in its complaint,reports The Seattle Times.

Mohan, who studied computer sci-ence in Mysore University and be-

came director of engineering atMicrosoft in the US, was very popular inthe startup ecosystem in Bengaluru.

He was currently serving as chieftechnology officer at online Canadianbuilding materials retailerBuildDirect.com.

According to the report, Federal PPPloans are intended to help businessesretain workers during the coronaviruspandemic.

"But Mohan's companies didn't em-ploy a single worker," according to theUS Attorney's office.

For example, Mohan submittedforged documents to a lender of a com-pany called Mahenjo Inc and showedthat the shell firm "had dozens of em-ployees and paid millions of dollars inemployee wages and payroll taxes".

"Mohan claimed to the lender,Peoples Bank, that the $431,250 PPPloan would retain 24 jobs, according toa database maintained by the federalagency overseeing the program," the

report mentioned.Mohan actually purchased Mahenjo

in May from a company that special-izes in "aging" shell corporations.

Mohan previously worked as a di-rector of product management atAmazon Business and a director of en-gineering at Microsoft's Cloud andEnterprise Business.

The US Attorney also claimed thatMohan received $304,830 in PPPloans for another company calledZigantic LLC, which does not have abusiness license and has never paidemployee wages or payroll taxes.

Mohan's son is the company's chiefmarketing officer, according to hisLinkedIn profile.

Mohan has promoted himself foryears as a builder and marketer ofsuccessful tech firms, even giving aspeech on "Budding Entrepreneurs"at the TEDxMSRIT summit at RamaiahInstitute of Technology in Bengaluruin 2013. IANS

"We have a sound, solid understand-ing of what is required, and to whomwe need to consult and engage withfrom this early stage through to close

of the Tournament," said Usmani.The IPL Governing Council is ex-

pected to meet in order tofinalizeorganizational plans for the

India PostJuly 31, 2020 7


Mosques in Ayodhyaspreading message ofcommunal harmony

AYODHYA (UP): With days to go for the August5 "bhoomi pujan" ceremony of the Ram temple inAyodhya, the mosques adjacent to the RamJanmabhoomi premises are spreading the mes-sage of communal harmony.

"It is the greatness of Ayodhya that themosques surrounding the Ram temple are givinga strong message of communal harmony to therest of the world," Haji Asad Ahmad, the corpora-tor of the Ram Kot ward, told PTI.

The Ram Janmabhoomi premises is situated inAhmad's ward. "Muslims take out the 'juloos' ofBarawafaat that goes through the periphery ofRam Janmabhoomi. All religious functions andrituals of Muslims are respected by their fellowcitizens," the corporator said.

There are eight mosques and two mausoleumslocated close to the 70-acre Ram Janmabhoomipremises mandated by the Supreme Court for atemple of Lord Ram.

Azaan and namaaz are offered in the mosquesand the annual "Urs" is held at the mausoleumswithout any objection from the local Hindus.

The mosques located near the RamJanmabhoomi premises are Masjid Dorahikuan,Masjid Mali Mandir ke Bagal, Masjid KaziyanaAchchan ke Bagal, Masjid Imambara, Masjid Riyazke Bagal, Masjid Badar Paanjitola, Masjid MadaarShah and Masjid Tehribazar Jogiyon ki.

The two mausoleums are KhanqaaheMuzaffariya and Imambara.

The priests of various temples here saidAyodhya is a town where Hindus and Muslimshave always lived together peacefully.

On the presence of mosques near the RamJanmabhoomi premises, the chief priest of thetemple, Acharya Satyendra Das, said, "We had adispute only with the structure that was con-nected to the name of (Mughal emperor) Babur.We have never had any issue with the othermosques and mausoleums in Ayodhya. This is atown where Hindus and Muslims live in peace."

"Muslims offer namaaz, we perform our puja.The mosques adjacent to the Ram Janmabhoomipremises will strengthen Ayodhya's communalharmony and peace will prevail," he added.

Both Hindus and Muslims have accepted the Su-preme Court verdict over Ram Janmabhoomi, Dassaid, adding, "We have no dispute with each other."

Sayyad Akhlaq Ahmad Latifi, the "sajjadanasheen" and "pir" of the 500-year-old KhanqaaheMuzaffariya mausoleum, said Muslims in Ayodhyaare performing all religious practices freely.

"We offer prayers five times a day in themosque at Khanqaah and hold the yearly 'Urs',"he added.

"What a scene would it be -- a grand Ramtemple surrounded by small mosques and mau-soleums and everyone offering prayers accordingto their beliefs. PTI

Modi has a word of cautionfor forthcoming festivals

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Mon-day (27 July) had a word of caution for his fellowIndians, given that the festival season is just aroundthe corner.

While unveiling three Covid-19 testingfacilities in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkatavia a videoconference, the Prime Ministersaid, "Festivals are around the corner. Weshould be careful that the festivals re-main a cause for happiness, and not be-come the reason for the spread of the vi-rus."

He added that the "only solution" till avaccine comes is basic health hygienelike "2 gaaj ke doori", wearing masks andusing hand sanitizers, among others.

The Prime Minister also assured thatIndia's talented scientists are workingcontinuously to develop a vaccine thatcan kill the dreaded virus.

The Prime Minister said that India hastaken the uphill challenge to create amammoth health infrastructure to fightthe Covid-19 pandemic head on.

Meanwhile, he also heaped praise onthe "foot soldiers" while adding that Indians bynow are fully aware of the pandemic.

Modi on the same day, launched three highthroughput Covid-19 testing facilities in Noida,

Mumbai and Kolkata via video conferencing in thepresence of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhanand the three concerned Chief Ministers -- YogiAdityanath, Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata

Banerjee. The three centers will be able to testover 10,000 samples a day.

As on Monday, India's Covid-19 tally stood at14,35,453, as per the Health Ministry data. IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

China closes US consulate inChengdu, takes over building

BEIJING/CHENGDU: China on Monday (27 July) saidit took control of the US consulate in Chengdu after itwas formally closed as per Beijing's directive in retali-ation to America's move to shut down the Chinesediplomatic mission in Houston.

At 10 am July 27, as required by the Chinese side,the US Consulate General in Chengdu was closed, apress release by Chinese Foreign Ministry said.Chengdu is the capital of southwest China's Sichuanprovince.

China's compe-tent authoritiesthen enteredthrough the frontentrance and tookover the premises,it said.

The Americanflag over the building was lowered at dawn, accord-ing to Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV, and on-lookers were moved back as a heavy police presencesurrounded the consulate, which Beijing ordered toshut on Friday (24 July) in a tit-for-tat move.

Last week, the US government ordered the closure

of China's consulate in Houston, Texas, claiming themission had been involved in a larger Chinese espio-nage effort using diplomatic facilities around the US.

The US State Department in a statement expresseddisappointment over the closure, saying the consulatehas stood at the center of our relations with thepeople in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years.

We are disappointed by the Chinese CommunistParty's decision and will strive to continue our out-

reach to the peoplein this important re-gion through ourother posts in China,the statement said.

Strict traffic con-trols were put inplace around the USconsulate premises

before the closure.Shortly before 11 am, several cars, a white ambu-

lance, and dozens of Chinese workers were seen leav-ing the Chengdu Consulate as dozens of people lin-gered nearby, the Hong Kong-based South ChinaMorning Post reported. PTI

The American flag over the building waslowered at dawn, according to Chinese s

tate-run broadcaster CCTV, and onlookers weremoved back as a heavy police presence

surrounded the consulate



Australia's migration intaketo fall due to COVID-19;Indians affected

MELBOURNE: Australia's migration intake willdrop significantly to 31,000 in 2020-21 from232,000 in 2018-19 due to the effects of thecoronavirus pandemic, impacting thousands of In-dians planning to emigrate to this country.

While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic onthe Australian economy are still evolving, migra-tion, which is a key driver of the economy, hasbeen hit following the travel bans, border clo-sures imposed earlier this year since the conta-gion began.

The Australian Economic and Fiscal Update re-port, released recently by the treasury depart-ment, said that the Net Overseas Migration (NOM)is significantly affected by the international travelrestrictions and constraints on the ability of appli-cations to meet visa application requirements.

The NOM is assumed to fall from 232,000 in2018-19 to be 154,000 in 2019-20 and 31,000 in2020-21, it said.

The Indian community in Australia is comprisedof nearly seven lakh people.India is one of the topsources of skilled immigrants to Australia. Ap-proximately 90,000 students are studying in Aus-tralian universities.

The report further said that the internationalborders were expected to reopen in January nextyear, but a two-week quarantine period wouldremain in place for arrivals to Australia.

Future migration levels remain highly uncer-tain, due to the path of the pandemic and the na-ture and duration of measures taken to contain itsspread at home and abroad.

The government implemented internationaltravel bans in March 2020. This prevented all ar-rivals on visitor and temporary migration visasand prevented Australian citizens and permanentresidents from departing Australia, the documentread.

According to the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, nodecision was taken yet on when Australia's travelban will be lifted.

In terms of the borders, the assumptions are tovery gradually start to come back that the quar-antine is applied, that you start bringing in someinternational students," he was quoted as sayingby AAP news agency.

"Of course, the environment with respect tocoronavirus is very fluid. So decisions haven't beentaken about the start dates for that. These aretreasury's forecasts and as you can understand, it'sa very dynamic environment, he said.

According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Re-source Center, the contagion has infected over 16million people and killed more than 644,000across the world.

In Australia, the COVID-19 has infected over13,900 people and killed 155 others. PTI

Pak govt to table 'Kulbhushanordinance' in National Assembly

ISLAMABAD: The Imran Khan government is ex-pected to table the International Court of Justice (ICJ)Review and Re-consideration Ordinance 2020 in theNational Assembly, even as it faces intense heat fromthe opposition on the issue.

The ordinance seeks to allow alleged Indian spyKulbhushan Jadhav the facility to file an appeal in ahigh court against his conviction. The governmentmaintains that this is necessary in view of the ICJ's rul-ing in June last year, in which it had asked Pakistan togive Jadhav consular access while hearing an appealfiled by India against the death sentence handed to

him through a military court trial process.However, the opposition parties describes the or-

dinance as an attempt to facilitate a reprieve forJadhav, who they call an Indian spy working for Re-search and Analysis Wing (RAW), in a sneaky manner

through a suspected se-cret deal.

Major opposition par-ties are geared up tostrongly oppose the ordi-nance in the Senate, theupper house of parlia-ment, calling it a matterof "national security".

Passing the ordinance in the lower house has be-come a major issue for the government as it has failedto present it at least twice in May, due to strong oppo-sition.

"We want to be on the right side of the history. Thegovernment faces compulsion; we don't have anycompulsion," said opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif.

Asif reminded that Prime Minister Imran Khan wasquick to accuse former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifof making a secret deal with Indian businessmanSajjan Jindal on Jadhav during his meeting with himin Murree.

"Purely political announcements were made byImran Khan before coming in power in 2018. He didnot realize the consequences of his accusationsback then," he said.

"In May 2017, Imran had told a political gatheringat Ayub Stadium in Quetta that the execution of theconvicted Indian spy had been withheld after Jindalvisited Pakistan and met Nawaz Sharif," he said add-ing that Imran Khan had even asked the Joint Inves-tigation Team (JIT ) constituted to probe the Shariffamily's foreign assets to also trace their businessinterests in India.

On the other hand, the government will be tak-ing the matter up in a cabinet meeting before theordinance is sent to the National Assembly for ap-proval.

Federal Law Minister Dr. Farogh Naseem called onthe opposition parties to avoid politics on the mat-ter, insisting, "India will gain if an ordinance in linewith the ICJ verdict is not passed".

"This issue is highly sensitive and a matter of na-tional importance. Promulgation of the ordinance isneither a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)nor an appeal," he said.

While the government has a compulsion to abideby the ICJ ruling, opposition parties are adamant atnot allowing the measure easy transit through thelegislature.

Opposition parties do not have majority in thelower house but they have a clear majority in theupper house, and warn that if the government suc-ceeds in passing the ordinance in the lower house,they will ensure the upper house rejects it. IANS

However, the opposition parties describes the ordinance

as an attempt to facilitate a reprieve for Jadhav, who they call an

Indian spy working for Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in a

sneaky manner through a suspected secret deal

Indian couple sues USCISfor work permit delays

WASHINGTON: An Indian couple waiting in ayears-long backlog for a green card has initiated alawsuit against the US Citizenship and Immigra-tion Services (USCIS) over delays in sending ap-proved printed work permits, a media report said.

Filed in Ohio federal court, the lawsuit on be-half of Ranjitha Subramanya, claims that the USCISis arbitrarily refusing to print work permit cardsafter approving them, leaving visa-holders unableto show their American employers that they areauthorized to work in the US, the American Bazaarsaid in the report on Friday (24 July).

Subramanya, an Indian citizen came to the USon an H-1B specialty occupation visa to work atNationwide Insurance.

She later changed her status to an H-4 visa, re-served for spouses of H-1B holders, through herhusband's H-1B visa, which is valid through June2023, according to the lawsuit.

According to Subramanya's lawyer, Robert H.Cohen, her husband, also an Indian citizen, has anapproved green card petition, but the couple isstuck in a green card backlog.

Subramanya applied to extend her H-4 workpermit in December 2019, and USCIS approved therequest in April. Typically, the printed card is issuedwithin a few days of the approval, the suit says.

However, despite multiple calls and requests tothe agency, Subramanya still didn't have herprinted card by June, when her previous workpermit expired, the American Bazaar reportquoted the lawsuit as saying.IANS

July 31, 2020www.indiapost.comIndia Post9

Coorg is a blend of scenicbeauty and traditionalheritage. Coorg or

Kodagu is one of the smallestdistricts of Karnataka whichcovers an area of 4,104 sq.km.In 1956 it lost its position as astate and became a district ofKarnataka. Till then it had an

e l e c t e dChief Minis-

ter and theLegislative As-

sembly. Now it is apart of Mangalore Lok

Sabha Constituency com-prising three Legislative As-

sembly Constituencies namely,Mercara, Virajpet andSomwarpet.

At the administrative level, itis divided into three taluks, viz,Madikeri or Mercara, the Dis-trict Headquarters, Virajpet andSomwarpet. The boundary atthe north is Hassan District and

at the northwest it isDakshin Kannada District.At the same time Mysore Dis-trict shares the east boundary,Kannur District of Kerala thesouth west and Wayanad Dis-trict of Kerala the south.

Coorg is situated on theeastern slopes of the WesternGhats with highest peaks likeTadiandamol and Pushpagiri.Karnataka's largest and sereneriver, Cauvery, originates on theeastern side of the WesternGhats. A major part of Coorg iswatered by the tributaries ofRiver Cauvery and by someother streams which are origi-nate in or around Coorg.

Coorg is one of the majorplaces in India which gets highrain fall every year. The intensityof the rainy season reaches itsmaximum in July and August.The average temperature of

Coorg is 15*C and reaches amaximum of 28*C in April andMay. Climate of Coorg consistsof three seasons. (1) Winter Sea-son: December to February, (2)Summer Season: March to Mayand (3) Rainy Season: June toNovember.

The economy of Coorg isbased on agriculture, planta-tions, forestry and eco-tourism.Being the largest producer ofcoffee in India, Coorg also pro-duces cardamom, pepper, rub-ber, cocoa and oranges.ECO-TOURISM

Eco-tourism has given Coorga new name in the world oftourism and Coorg is enrichedwith three wildlife sanctuaries,viz., Brahmagiri, Talakauveryand Pushpagiri and one na-

tional park, named Nagarholeor Rajiv Gandhi National Park.The thick forests of Coorg con-tain a variety of trees like San-dal, Teak, Rosewood, etc., andanimals like elephant, tiger,leopard, cheetah and crocodile.

An attractive event in Coorg isthe Kodava Family Sports Tourna-ment which has entered theGuinness Book of World Recordsas the largest family tournament.It is being held with a participa-tion of more than 300 Kodavafamilies which have their ownteams.

For detailed story visitwww.indiapost.com

10 India Post July 31, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech News TechBizUS-China trade war: India sees bright

future for gems and jewelry tradeKOLKATA: With the USA re-

voking the preferential tradestatus of Hong Kong earlier thismonth, India sees brighter fu-ture for its gems and jewelryexports, a senior jewelry ex-port council official stated.

Gems and Jewelry ExportPromotion Council (GJEPC) of-ficials said with China imposingthe national security law onHong Kong, the USA has givenindication of raising duty ongoods from there to 7.5 percent from 3.3 per cent.

Without going into the nu-ances of the US move, I feel itwill possibly create opportuni-ties for India in gems and jew-elry trade," said GJEPC chair-man Colin Shah.

For USA, Hong Kong andChina are the fourth largestdestinations for importinggems and jewelry after India,France and Italy.

Hong Kong and China ex-

ported gem and jewelry worthUSD 980.85 million and USD2622.19 million respectively tothe US in 2019.

"The ending of the prefer-ential treaty as per the new or-

der with HK would open newbusiness avenues for India. Themanufacturing business hasthe potential to witness a shift

to India from China," Shah said."India possesses the natural

benefit of ready availability ofraw material, manpower andskill sets, a sector with 5 millionworkforce ... It (end of preferen-

tial trade status for Hong Kong)is an opportunity to take a quan-tum leap to become the globalleader and a trading hub in the

gems and jewelry," Shah said.However the mathematics of

benefit for gems and jewelrytrade for India may not be assimple as Hong Kong and Chinaare also important destinationsand nearly 27 per cent of ex-ports are directed to that mar-ket, which contains diamonds,and gemstones that are used asraw materials for studded jew-elry exports to the US.

Many diamond and jewelrycompanies of India have theiroffices in Hong Kong and theUS move is likely to impacttheir businesses too.

According to GJEPC, Indiahas exported gem and jewelryworth USD 10.48 billion in2018-19 and USD 9.17 billion in2019-20 to the USA, which is 26per cent of overall gems andjewelry exports from India.Thus US shares a larger pie forthe gems and jewelry con-sumption from India. PTI

Tata Steel offers UK govt big stake in Wales plantNEW DELHI: Tata Steel is re-

portedly in talks with the UKgovernment and has offeredup to 50 per cent stake in PortTalbot steelworks in Wales foraround 900 million pounds or$1.15 billion.

According to a report bySky News, Tata Steel has pre-sented proposals to the UKgovernment in recent weeksaimed at securing a state in-vestment for its UK opera-tions.

The development comes ata time when the steel indus-try including the companyreels under the financial woesbrought about by the Covid-

19 pandemic.The report added, "the talks

are at a tentative, rather thanconcrete stage, and the struc-ture of any deal, as well as the

size of any financial contribu-tions, remain far from being fi-nalized."

Tata Steel spokesperson,however, said that the com-

pany does not comment onspeculations.

Tata Steel has two inte-grated (blast furnace-based)steelmaking sites in Europe --one in Port Talbot in southWales and the other inIjmuiden in the Netherlands.

The company has been go-ing through a financial stressof late. The auditors of TataSteel had raised concerns re-garding the 'material uncer-tainty' of its European armdue to the Covid-19pandemic's severe impact onits financials, in the company'sJanuary -March quarter earn-ings. IANS

‘Professionals thinktheir businesses willemerge stronger’

NEW DELHI: A Cisco survey ofIT and business professionalsglobally has revealed that 74 percent of them think their busi-nesses would emerge stronger,despite the challenges of thecurrent business environment.

While 82 per cent mentionedthe need for greater IT support,77 per cent were worried aboutmaintaining customer servicelevels and satisfaction and an-other 76% feared a disruption ofworkflow and processes.

According to ArunaRavichandran, VP of Marketing,Cisco Collaboration, the dra-matic shift in the percentage ofemployees working from homecreated unexpected challenges.

"We're finding that best prac-tices emerged to empower em-ployees: 67 per cent have imple-mented social videoconferencing 'meetups' to com-pensate for lack of face-to-facesocial interaction, and 54 per centhave implemented social chatchannels," Ravichandran said in ablog post this week. IANS

Pine Labs appoints Nitish Asthanaas President, COO

NEW DELHI: Leading merchant com-merce platform Pine Labs has announcedthe appointment of Nitish Asthana as Presi-dent and Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Currently helping process payments ofmore than $30 billion per year, Pine Labsserves more than 1.5 lakh merchants in3,700 cities with over 4.5 lakh merchant touch-points. IANS

India-UK movetowards EarlyHarvest trade pacts

LONDON: India and the UKare committed to a free tradeagreement (FTA) and will kick offthat process with Early HarvestAgreements as a start, the Indiangovernment said following thefirst-ever virtual India-UK JointEconomic and Trade Committee(JETCO) on Friday (24 July).

Minister of Commerce andIndustry and Railways PiyushGoyal and UK Secretary ofState for International Trade LizTruss agreed to intensify thework of joint Working Groupsthrough frequent meetings inorder to achieve some of theEarly Harvest Agreements.

The UK government saidthat the JETCO will pave theway for an "Enhanced TradePartnership" as the first step ona wider roadmap for a deepertrade partnership, and subjectto progress could lead to a fu-ture Free Trade Agreement. PTI

11India PostTechBiz PostJuly 31, 2020www.indiapost.com

Tech BriefsUS agents enter Chinese consulatecompound in Houston

HOUSTON: US federalagents and law enforcementofficers have entered the Chi-nese consulate compoundhere along with locksmiths af-ter the mission was shut down,amidst spiraling tensions be-tween Washington and Beijing.

The Trump Administrationramped up its confrontationwith China this week, orderingBeijing's consulate in Houstonto close over concerns about

economic espionage.The Chinese consulate lo-

cated in Houston's busyMontrose Boulevard for 40years closed on Friday (24 July)evening as the deadline set bythe Trump administration toshut down the mission expired.

On Friday, the flag and theseal of the People's Republic ofChina were taken down fromoutside the Houston consulate.Early in the morning, the con-

sulate staff was seen removingtheir belongings from thebuilding.

After the Chinese diplo-matic staff vacated the build-ing, a number of black SUVs,trucks, two white vans and alocksmith's van entered thecompound, CNN reported.

Around 30 protesters withbanners were seen celebratingoutside the consulate. On Fri-day morning, dozens of pro-testers from the Falun Gongreligious group despised byBeijing protested outside theconsulate, declaring a victoryof sorts over the closure of themission.

Forty minutes after the 4 pmeviction deadline passed, a manbelieved to be a State Depart-ment official entered the con-sulate, along with others, aftera small back door was priedopen, local media reported.

About an hour later, the firedepartment crew entered thebuilding.

Trump administration offi-cials provided further detailsregarding their decision on theHouston mission, claiming thediplomatic outpost was one ofseveral across the country fa-cilitating influence efforts onbehalf of Beijing that the USgovernment said veered intothe coercive or covert.

The sum total of the Houstonconsulate's activities went wellover the line of what we're will-ing to accept, and unless we dis-rupted it, it threatened to be-come even more aggressive inHouston and other Chinese con-sulates nationwide, a senior Jus-tice Department official told re-porters on a briefing call orga-nized by the State Department.

The Chinese consulate inHouston, Texas, was opened in1979.

Apart from now closed theHouston consulate, an embassyin Washington and an office atthe United Nations, Chinamaintained consulates in fourUS cities -- Chicago, Los Ange-les, New York and San Fran-cisco. PTI

FATF review of India's anti-moneylaundering regime pushed to 2021

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited Financial Action TaskForce (FATF) mutual evalua-tion of India's anti-moneylaundering regime and legalmeasures framed to checkfinancial crimes, scheduledfor this year, has been post-poned till early next year inview of the coronavirus pan-demic, officials said.

They said the on-site re-view to be conducted by ex-perts of the global body wasscheduled to begin in Sep-tember-October but the FATFsecretariat in Paris has con-veyed to India that the reviewis being tentatively pushed toJanuary-February next year.

The FATF is a globalmoney laundering and ter-rorist-financing watchdogthat sets international stan-

dards to prevent illegal ac-tivities in the economic andfinancial channels of a coun-try and its inter-connectedlinkages across the world.

It conducts "peer reviews ofeach member on an ongoingbasis to assess levels of imple-mentation of the FATF recom-mendations and provides anin-depth description andanalysis of each country's sys-tem for preventing criminalabuse of the financial system."

The review of India's anti-money laundering and ter-rorist financing regime wasscheduled for this year aspart of a regular review cycleafter 10 years. The last suchreview was done in June2010, a senior officer in ananti-money launderingagency said. PTI

Honor eyes India laptop marketwith MagicBook 15 under Rs 50K

NEW DELHI: Honor IndiaPresident Charles Peng saidon Monday (27 July) that thecompany is geared up to en-ter the India laptop marketon July 31 with MagicBook 15that will be priced under Rs50,000 to define productivityas more andmore peoplework fromhome.

Armed togive somecompetit ionto Xiaomi's re-cently launched Mi Note-book 14, the HonorMagicBook 15 offers a pass-word-free login and comeswith a two-in-one fingerprintpower button, for effortlesslyunlocking the device withjust a tap.

"We are excited to enter anew category in the Indianmarket with our most popu-lar laptop MagicBook 15 un-der the Rs 50,000 category.

Currently, we are going toimport them from China butin future we will manufacturethem in India," Peng stated.

The Honor executive saidthey are entering the laptopsegment after "examiningthe market as well as custom-

ers' feedback".Honor sells

several note-books underits MagicBookbrand, includ-ing MagicBook14, MagicBook

15 and MagicBook Pro.The company recently

launched two variants ofHonor MagicBook 15 in China.

Equipped with a Type-Ccharger, MagicBook 15 sup-ports fast-charging capabilityand claims 53 per centcharge in just half an hour.

Honor MagicBook 15 of-fers an upgraded versionwith multi-screen collabora-tion capability. IANS

'Whitening' creams undergo amakeover but color bias persists

DUBAI: The world's biggestcosmetics companies havebeen selling a fairy tale thatoften goes something likethis: If your husband's lost in-terest in you, if your col-leagues dismiss you at work, ifyour talents are ig-nored, whiten yourskin to turn yourlove life around,boost your careerand commandcenter stage.

No companyhas had greatersuccess peddling this mes-sage across Asia, Africa andthe Middle East thanUnilever's Fair & Lovely brand,which sells millions of tubesof skin lightening cream an-nually for as little as 2 a piecein India.

The 45-year-old brandearns the Anglo-Dutch con-

glomerate Unilever morethan 500 million in yearly rev-enue in India alone, accord-ing to Jefferies financial ana-lysts.

Following decades of per-vasive advertising promot-

ing the power oflighter skin, arebranding is hit-ting shelves. But it'sunlikely that freshmarketing by theworld's biggestbrands in beautywill reverse deeply

rooted prejudices aroundcolor, the idea that fair skin isbetter than dark skin.

Unilever said it is remov-ing words like fair," whiteand light from its marketingand packaging, explainingthe decision as a move to-ward a more inclusive visionof beauty. AP

Health Line

12 India Post July 31, 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)

Want to live longer? Follow aplant-based protein diet

NEW YORK: If you want tolead a healthy, long life, readon. Researchers have foundthat diets high in protein, par-ticularly plant protein, are as-sociated with a lower risk ofdeath from any cause.

Diets high in protein, par-ticularly protein from plantssuch as legumes (peas, beansand lentils), whole grains andnuts, have been linked to lowerrisks of developing diabetes,heart disease and stroke.

While regular con-sumption of red

meat and high intake of animalproteins have been linked toseveral health problems, thestudy published in the journalThe BMJ, said.

But data on the associationbetween different types ofproteins and death are con-flicting.

So researchers based in Iranand the US set out to measurethe potential dose-responserelation between intake of to-

tal, animal, and plant proteinand the risk of death from allcauses, cardiovascular disease,and cancer.

They reviewed the results of32 studies that reported riskestimates for all-cause, cardio-vascular, and cancer mortalityin adults aged 19 or older.

All studies were thoroughlyassessed for bias (problems instudy design that can influ-ence results).

Mathematical models werethen used to compare the

effects of the highestversus lowest

categories of protein intake,and analyses were done toevaluate the dose-response re-lations between protein intakeand mortality.

During a follow-up period ofup to 32 years, 113,039 deaths(16,429 from cardiovasculardisease and 22,303 from can-cer) occurred among 715,128participants.

The results show that a highintake of total protein was as-sociated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality comparedwith low intake.

Intake of plant protein wasassociated with an eight percent lower risk of all-causemortality and a 12 per centlower risk of cardiovasculardisease mortality.

Intake of animal protein wasnot significantly associatedwith risk of cardiovascular dis-ease and cancer mortality, thestudy said.

A dose-response analysis ofdata from 31 studies alsoshowed that an additionalthree per cent of energy fromplant proteins a day was asso-ciated with a five per centlower risk of death from allcauses.

"These findings have impor-tant public health implicationsas intake of plant protein canbe increased relatively easilyby replacing animal proteinand could have a large effecton longevity," the researcherssaid.

"While further studies arerequired, these findingsstrongly support the existingdietary recommendations toincrease consumption of plantproteins in the general popu-lation." IANS

California using virus-closed classrooms for child care

While most Californiaschool districts are

planning only virtual instruc-tion to start the academicyear, some are offeringchildcare programs that willbring students into the samebuildings that are off-limitsfor classroom instruction.

In Glendale, education offi-cials opted last week to moveto online instruction due to arise in coronavirus cases andhospitalizations. They alsostarted a program for familiesin need of childcare where stu-

gram, where masked studentswill be assigned electronic de-vices. That's fewer children thanwould cycle through campusunder a hybrid instruction modelwhere students attend class inperson part-time, she said.

“We knew we needed away to provide opportunitiesfor on campus child care forthose families that need it,''Nam said. ``It certainly is notgoing to look like a traditionalday would look, but we're go-ing to try to make it as struc-tured of a day as possible.'' AP

dents will be dropped off at lo-cal schools and placed in smallgroups. They will complete theironline lessons with support froma staff member or substituteteacher during what would nor-

mally be school hours.Kristine Nam, a spokesperson

for the 26,000-student GlendaleUnified School District, said about30% of elementary school parentshave voiced interest in the pro-

Farmer gets newlife after heartsurgery at Mumbai

MUMBAI: Amid the coronapandemic, the first of its kindemergency Transcatheter Aor-tic Valve Replacement ( TAVR)surgery was performed on aThane farmer at the Sir H. N.Reliance Foundation Hospital,an official said here recently.

On June 20, 62-year-oldfarmer Vitthal Kadam wasrushed from Navi Mumbai(Thane) to the hospital after hewas gasping for breath, suffer-ing from low blood pressure,no urine output and bodyswelling that indicates a se-vere heart failure.

A team of heart specialistsincluding Dr Maulik Parekh( TAVR expert, Proctor), DrAnvay Mulay, Dr Manoj Mashru,Dr Ajit Menon, Dr PravinKulkarni, Dr Talha Meeran, DrNiranjan, Dr Himanshu, DrBhavesh Vora assessed him inthe emergency ward.

"We knew he had severeheart failure because of dys-function of one of his artificialheart valves that was implantedin an open heart surgery sixyears ago. We put him on dialy-sis and multiple medicines tosupport his dropping bloodpressure," said Dr Parekh.

Though certain he requireda valve replacement, a repeatopen-heart surgery was con-sidered extremely high riskbecause of his critical condi-tion and previous surgery, headded. IANS

India PostWellness Post 13July 31, 2020

www.indiapost.com

Cancer patients at greater riskof severe Covid-19: Study

LONDON: People diagnosed withcancer more than 24 months ago aremore likely to get severe Covid-19 in-fection, according to researchers.

For the study, published in the jour-nal Frontiers in Oncology, the research-ers analyzed the case of 156 cancer pa-tients with confirmedCovid-19 diagnosis inLondon.

"Our findings providethe first insight into thepossible effects of can-cer and its treatmentson Covid-19 outcomes,"said study researcherMieke Van Hemelrijckfrom King's College Lon-don, the UK.

Advanced statisticalmethods were em-ployed to identify which demographicor clinical characteristics were associ-ated with Covid-19 severity or death.

Patient follow-ups, conducted 37days later, found 22 per cent patientsfrom the cohort died from Covid-19 in-fection. Patients of the Asian ethnicityand those diagnosed with cancer over24 months before the onset of Covid-19 symptoms were at higher risk.

Patients with dyspnea (shortness ofbreath) or high CRP levels (a commonblood marker of inflammation) were

also at higher risk from Covid-19. SevereCovid-19 infection was associated withfever, dyspnea, gastro-intestinal symp-toms or those with cancer.

Hypertension was the most reportedco-morbidity followed by diabetes, re-nal impairment and cardiovascular dis-ease. The most common tumor typeswere urological/gynecological (29 percent), hematological (18 per cent) andbreast (15 per cent).

When classified according to theCovid-19 severity, the largest propor-tion of cancers were hematological (36per cent). While 40 per cent patientshad stage IV cancer, 46 per cent pa-tients had been diagnosed with a ma-lignancy in the last 12 months.

"Large studies with detailed informa-tion on Covid-19 safety measures andoncological care are warranted to ex-plore the intersection of Covid-19 andcancer in terms of clinical outcomes,"Hemelrijck said. IANS

Early menstruationlinked to increasedmenopause symptoms

SYDNEY: Researchers, includingone of Indian-origin, have found thatearly menstruation increases thelikelihood of hot flushes and nightsweats decades later at menopause.

For the study published in the jour-nal BJOG, the research team analyzeddata from more than 18,000 middle-aged women across the UK, the US andAustralia, as part of the 'Life-course Ap-proach to reproductive health andChronic disease Events' (InterLACE) in-ternational collaboration.

"Our finding encourages womenwith early menstruation to engage inhealth promotion programs, especiallyweight management in adulthood,"said study lead author Gita Mishra, Pro-fessor at the University of Queenslandin Australia. During the study, the re-searchers showed that women whostarted menstruating aged 11 oryounger had a 50 per cent higher riskof experiencing frequent hot flushesand night sweats -- known as vasomo-tor symptoms -- at menopause. IANS

July 31, 2020India Post14 www.indiapost.com

CHICAGO: Before coronavirus arrived, ManishMallick's trips to this city's South Side had been lim-ited to attending graduate classes at the Universityof Chicago.

Now Mallick is a South Side regular _ and a popu-lar one. He regularly arrives bearing food for thehungry from his Indian restaurant several miles tothe north, in the city's downtown.

``Thank you, sugar, for the meals. They're so deli-cious!'' one woman recently shouted to Mallick out-side a South Side YWCA. He recorded her responseon his phone to share it with his staff.

``God bless you!'' she added, raising her arms foremphasis.

Mallick has personally delivered thousands ofmeals cooked and packed by his staff -- amongthem, chickpea curry and tandoori chicken withroasted cottage cheese, sweet corn, peas and rice.Volunteers from neighborhood organizations thentake them to children, retirees and the multitudeswho've been laid off or sick during the pandemic.

``We all need to help each other,'' Mallick says.``That's the best way to get through a crisis.''

His restaurant, ROOH, is one of more than 2,400eateries, from New York City to Oakland, California,working with the non-profit World Central Kitchento provide meals to the hungry. Traditionally, the or-ganization has paid restaurants $10 a meal to feedpeople affected by natural disasters, such as Hurri-cane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017.

Now the organization is focused on this currentcrisis, as are many other entities that help feed thehungry. They include food banks and other non-prof-its, as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture,which is buying produce, meat and dairy productsfrom farmers for its growing food box program.

Many U.S. children also have been receiving mealsprovided by a large network of public and privatesources at school pickup sites.

World Central Kitchen is among those that providemeals to schoolchildren. But its leaders are worriedabout their ability to sustain the effort in an extendedcrisis.

So they're lobbying Congress to provide federalemergency funding to help bring the restaurantmodel to every state. The idea is to help not only thehungry, but also restaurants workers and farmers,who've been hard-hit by the impacts of coronavirus.

``It's a domino effect of impact,'' says Nate Mook,CEO of World Central Kitchen, which was founded bychef Jose Andres and his wife, Patricia. They've taggedthis latest response #ChefsForAmerica.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is ex-pected to begin rolling out the Senate GOP bill soon.Whether it will contain language from a World CentralKitchen-inspired bill _ originally called the FEED Actand sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers _remains to be seen. Congress resumes this week andlawmakers are on two-week sprint hoping to approvethe next round of virus aid by month's end.

Mook says the longevity of this crisis requires fed-eral aid, and he and others anticipate food insecurityworsening in the months to come as unemploymentbenefits come to an end for some.

``We feel like this is the calm before the storm,'' saysSherrie Tussler, executive director of the Hunger TaskForce of Milwaukee.

Tussler also is frustrated with the sometimes-cha-otic nature of donations in this current climate and thedifficulty -- partly due to social distancing -- of deter-

mining the nature of people's food emergencies.Rather than the government distributing foodboxes, for instance, she supports increasing foodstamp assistance, also known as SNAP, to ensure thatthose most in need are fed.

Either way, Verna Swan, a retired nurse who livesin Englewood and volunteers to deliver meals fromROOH and other restaurants, says the service isgreatly appreciated. She and her 14-year-oldnephew, Israel Swan, took meals to seniors in theirneighborhood in recent days. AP


Manish Mallick

MALLICK HAS PERSONALLY

DELIVERED THOUSANDS OF MEALS

COOKED AND PACKED BY HIS STAFF -- AMONG

THEM, CHICKPEA CURRY AND TANDOORI

CHICKEN WITH ROASTED COTTAGE CHEESE,

SWEET CORN, PEAS AND RICE

July 31, 2020 India Post

www.indiapost.com

15

SIDDHI JAIN

NEW DELHI: There is amarked change in spendingpatterns and consumer prefer-ences, in the world of fashiondue to the impact of the cur-rent pandemic.

Digging deeper intopeople's needs along with le-veraging the power of onlinetechnology is how a Delhi-based fashion house plans tostay relevant in the 'new nor-mal'.

Tanvi Malik and ShivaniPoddar, co-founders of fash-ion house High Street Essen-tials - the parent companybehind women's fashionbrands, FabAlley and Indya -underline what has changed,and how they have re-vamped their brand accord-ingly.

On the heels of the launch ofFab Fix, a data-driven productrecommendation platform byFabAlley that curates fashionboxes suited to a customer'sindividual style; excerpts froman interview:

However, our online platformshave picked up well since Un-lock 1.0 began. We are cur-rently at a 75-80 percent pre-Covid online revenue levelsand are slated to grow to 100percent in the next 2-3 months.Our brand-owned stores anddepartmental store shop-in-shops have seen a partial re-sumption over the last fourweeks, with about 60 percentof our 400+ offline touch pointsbeing currently open. How-ever, the fear of being incrowded public spaces such asmalls and high streets shopshas led to a very low footfall.Offline retail will probably startseeing a more significant re-covery starting Q3.

Our customers' are prefer-ring recession-proof categoriessuch as classic shirts, timeless

Q: How has the business offashion been impacted due tothe pandemic? What changesdo you see in consumer atti-tudes and preferences?

A: Discretionary spendingon non-essential lifestyle cat-egories has seen a significantslow-down post-Covid-19.

separates, and dresses as op-posed to trend-led productlines. Occasion-wear, eveningwear, and party wear have takenthe biggest beating as social dis-tancing becomes the new nor-mal, but we have seen a spurt insales of comfort-wear catego-ries such as lounge-wear, night-

wear and breathable bottomwear. Along with that, since WFHis a way of life now, formal top-wear such as shirts and blouseshave also seen a surge.

Q: Fashion e-retail has seenmany players in the last de-cade or so, how has the spacechanged since when youstarted?

A: The fashion e-retail indus-try has transformed from avalue-centric, discount-led eco-system to a legitimate brand-building arena wherein differen-tiated offerings in terms of bothproducts and services are whatstand out. When we started,online-only fashion companieswere only offering cheaper,

more generic products andlarger offline-led brands wereutilizing their digital platformsfor liquidating seasons' old in-ventory at deeply discountedprices. Over the last few years,the convenience and demo-cratic access that online chan-nels offer, along with an explo-sion of social media platforms,have helped companies un-derstand that brand salienceis better built through offer-ing differentiated products,content, and delivering a stel-lar customer experienceonline and hone their digitalchannels accordingly. IANSlife

Tanvi Malik and Shivani Poddar


Why daily stretching is a health necessityNEW DELHI: When it comes

to working out, stretching hasalways been the underdog.Some people believe it is anessential part of exercise toavoid injuries, while others saycan lead to injuries itself. The

truth of the matter is that bothof these claims aren't entirelyincorrect. It's the execution iswhat makes all the differencewhen it comes to stretching.

According to Dr Sneh Soni,MD Physician, myUpchar,stretching on a daily basis, the

right way, can lead tomany health ben-

efits. Theserange from:

I n -

creasing your range of motion:Just like most inanimate ob-

jects, if we don't use our bodyand our joints regularly, theybegin to get rusty. Doingstretching exercises regularlyensures that your muscles re-main healthy, maintain theirflexibility and don't become ahindrance when you do needto use them. Proprioceptiveneuromuscular facilitation(PNF) stretching, in particular,is found to be extremely effec-tive in increasing your range ofmotion. IANSlife


July 31, 2020India Post

www.indiapost.com

16

India Post News Service

Los Angeles based Indian filmmaker, Nidheya Suresh hassigned up for multiple projects

with A. Rivas Media. After writing, di-recting and producing multipleaward-winning short films, Suresh willbe collaborating with A. Rivas Mediaon the whodunit feature film "Deathin the Afternoon," a short film "OneNight with You," and the web series"Off the Gaydar."

Suresh has previously collaboratedwith Alyssa Rivas of A. Rivas Media onthe short film about legal immigra-tion, Bandaid. Bandaid is currently do-ing the rounds in the festival circuithaving already won the Award forBest Short Film and the Gold Awardfor Best Women's Film at the VirginSpring Cine Fest festival. The lead ac-tress of the film, Ria Patel, won theBronze Award for Best Actress(Drama) at the BestActor Awards - NewYork, and won theGrand Jury Award forBest Actress at theOnrios Film Awards.

For Better or ForWorse, a film Sureshdirected and pro-duced with AhlanWilliams has com-pleted post-produc-tion and is going tomake the festivalrounds shortly.

Prior to these, Nidheya Suresh alsowrote, directed and produced IdeeFixe, Tabitha and Maa. All three filmswere successful at film festivals, withMaa doing especially well at multiplefestivals in India such as the 7th In-dian Cine Film Festival (Special JuryMention), 4th Indian World Film Festi-val (Special Festival Mention) and the4th Pune Out and Loud Queer FilmFestival (to be screened soon).Tabitha has won Best Horror Film atthe FilmCon Awards, and an Honor-able Mention: Horror Film at the TopShorts Film Festival.

Suresh's filmography expandsacross genres, starting from thrillersand horrors, to more character drivenand social issues-based drama films.She will also be working closely with,and collaborating with writer and ac-tivist Kamlesh Chauhan, on the im-pact of domestic violence on children.

Nidheya Suresh

VERSATILEFILMMAKER

Mamaearth Launches End-To-End Ayurvedic Scalp Solution

intense scalp and hair treatment, hasfour products:

The BhringAmla Hair Oil is a 100%natural blend of 14 medicinal herbs(Jadi Buti) like Bhringraj and Amla.BhringAmla Oil is an Ayurvedic elixirthat controls hair loss, prevents prema-ture graying, and reduces dandruff. Theoil is crafted according to an ancientAyurvedic process called the 'KshirpakVidhi.'

The BhringAmla Shampoo is a seriousmulti-tasker. It comes with the good-ness of 14 herbs. It reduces dandruff &hair fall, repairs damaged hair, andmakes it flaunt-worthy!

BhringAmla Conditioner revives hairto its natural splendor counteractingthe adverse effects of constant hair styl-ing, keratin deficiency, and UV damage.

The BhringAmla Hair Mask combinesthe best of Ayurveda with the conve-nience of a hair mask with the addedbenefits of BhringAmla Oil! Crafted withnatural ingredients like Bhringraj andAmla, this deep conditioning hair maskoffers you the goodness of Ayurveda injust 15 minutes.

The entire list of ingredients of all theproducts is revealed on the packagingfor 100% transparency with customers.With the purchase of BhringAmla Oil,customers will receive a leaflet with theexact recipe and ingredients used inthe oil and comprehensive informationabout the exhaustive but marvelousKshirpak process. The mix of herbs, milk,and oils makes BhringAmla Oil - presentin all products of the range - a potenttreatment for improving scalp healthwhile nourishing the hair deeply. Thedistinctive but calming aroma of the oilis also known to relax the mind.


Mamaearth, as a brand, has alwayschampioned local ingredients

and age-old recipes. All their productsare designed and Made in India. WithBhringAmla Oil, Mamaearth brings youthe goodness of Ayurvedic herbs andessential oils that have the power tonourish your hair and calm yourmind.

Mamaearth's AyurvedicBhringAmla range of hair careproducts has oil made with4000-year-old Kshirpak Process.'Kshira' or milk is boiled withherbs like Bhringraj, Amla,Bhrami, & Shikakai - that are thendistilled and mixed with potentnatural oils. It's a process that'stime-taking, exhaustive but ex-tremely effective. The productrange consists of hair oil, sham-poo, conditioner, and hair maskmade from an Ayurvedic blendof Bhringraj, Amla, and manyother herbs.

The entire range, created for

www.indiapost.com July 31, 2020

COMMUNITYACROSS AMERICA

India Post

Desi News

17 Details on page 23

Indian Americans support RobertLancia for Congressional seat

GEETHA PATIL

RHODE ISLAND: Members ofIndian American communityfrom MA and RI organized anElection Campaign Kickoff pro-gram in support of RobertLancia (Bob) who is contestingfor Congress from District -2,Rhode Island, on July 12, 2020at Goddard memorial StatePark, RI.

Due to COVID -19 situation,around 60 members attendedthe program. They not only en-dorsed his nomination but alsoshowed their enthusiastic sup-port for his landslide victory.

The program started with abriefing for maintaining social

distancing, using hand sani-tizer, and wearing mask unlesseating or speaking followedby a meet and greet houralong with sumptuous snacks,

fruits and drinks. PanditBairavasundara SivachaiarfromBellingham temple blessedthe program and Robert for hissuccess by chanting Vedic Man-tras.

The main program com-menced with the introductionof Robert Lancia and justifica-tion of his candidacy for United

State Congress elections 2020by Ms. Dorinne Albright, a can-didate for State Representa-tive from District-2, RI and Ms.Suzanne Cienki, the chair of RI

GOP (Grand OldParty) They ob-served Robert isthe best candidateas he connectsreadily to people'sissues, concerns,and questions andworks with due dili-gence to set themright. He considersserving public is hisduty not career

They also saidthat Republican Party's RobertLancia served as a member ofthe Rhode Island House of Rep-resentatives, representing Dis-trict 16 from 2015 to 2018. Atthe beginning of the 2017 leg-islative session, this legislatorserved on the following com-mittees such as Environmentand natural Resources, Health,

Education, and Welfare and Vet-erans' Affairs very industriouslyand earned much public ap-preciation by sponsoring vari-ous bills in these areas.

Support for Robert Lancia in RI strict social distancing

Robert Lancia, Abhishek & Karan Salin

Abhishek addressing the gathering

Cont’d on page 23

Plea towithdraw

Lord Ganeshashorts

Bharat Shuklapassesaway 24/7

MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: A well knownpressure point healer ShriBharat Shukla, berthed his laston 24/7 but that was his lastday stay on this earth; leaving hisfamily and friends with a lossthat was irreparable He was 69.

Inspired by his Father andGuru, all his life he relentlesslyand selflessly guided, serviced,and provided free PressurePoint- His Healing servicesproved very effective in a num-ber of cases with his IndianGuru's Blessings & spiritualpower transmission.

Details on page 20

Pay Cook Countyproperty taxesthrough October 1

SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: The Second Install-ment Cook County property taxbills are due August 3, 2020, butproperty owners have two ex-tra months to pay without a latefee, according Treasurer MariaPappas.

Details on page 22

July 31, 2020India Post18 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

Miracles from ‘Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer’MICHELLE CURRY

RALEIGH, NC: The launch of the book,"Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer: AWestern Skeptic, an Eastern Master, andLife's Greatest Secrets," written by Dr.Clint G. Rogers has become a globalevent with hundreds of volunteers fromaround the world assisting the launchof this book about Dr. Naram in theircountries and languages, earning thenickname "Miracle Dream Team.''

Those who are involved in spreadingthis message are seeing miracles hap-pening, on physical, mental, and emo-tional levels.

Jennie Smallenbroek (from the Neth-erlands) felt inspired that this bookneeded to be translated into many lan-guages. She immediately contacted Dr.Rogers and volunteered to head theproject. Within two weeks people fromall over the world joined with her, work-ing to translate the book now into 30languages. Those serving reportmiracles happening in their own lives.Jennie, for example, says through learn-ing and applying the Ancient Secrets inthe book she lost more than 6 kgs, thejoint pain in her hands reduced by 80%,and miracles happened in her family

and with her finances too. Perhaps herfavorite miracle is the sweet satisfactionof working with people who are so lov-ing and full of gratitude.

Vanda Rumpel (from Romania) andChristel Christina C. Langeveld (from

Dr Clint Rogers with Dr Naram

Dr Vanda Rumpel of Romania & the book

Switzerland) both wanted the book,"Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer" tobe translated into their languages.When asked why she decided to help

on the book launch team,Vanda said something in-side guided her that itwas like a call she just hadto answer because shewas supposed to be here,at this time, at this mo-ment. As a result, she haslearned to appreciateeven the tiny little thingsin life, to see the guid-ance from God or the Uni-verse, and learn how toreceive with an openheart rather than fear.Similarly, Christel saysthat the greatest im-provement in her life isgranting herself permis-sion to live as the personshe truly is without limitand fear. Christel says themost powerful and im-portant reason whypeople should read thisbook isn't just for theherbs, diet ideas, andmarmaa points, but that

it is like the secret key teaching thereader how to have an open heart andto live in that authenticity.

Jonathan Deliz, from Oklahoma, saidhe had been praying and meditating fora higher purpose to serve where his

various talents could help impact many,many lives. From the first call, he wasinspired that everyone was encouragedto lead with love, and started to do somore in his own life. When he saw aneed to create a journal to go alongwith the experience of the calls, he of-fered to help and created one. As eachimpulse of love led him further, heended up being instrumental in creat-ing much of the website and Free Com-munity membership area for the book(MyAncientSecrets.com). Jonathan saidthat by being given the trust and capac-

ity to serve in the Miracle Dream Team,he found purpose he'd been searchingfor.

Carol Ray, from Texas, had just retiredfrom a long career in project manage-ment and was about to buy amotorhome and drive away. After see-ing Dr. Clint's TEDx Talk, she felt calledto participate. Inspired by how this hadnothing to do with any particular reli-gion, but everything to do with love,Carol is leading several of the groups,including one with Ann Wilkinson andElio Danille. Ann says now her pain in her

knees disappeared, she is full of energyto keep up with her grandkids, her skinlooks great, and she feels like she is 28(even though she is almost 60). Elio,bursting with joy, shares about how helost weight, decreased his medicationby 90%, and reconnected with his sonafter 10 years.

These are only a few very short sto-ries of the hundreds of talented peoplefrom all over the world that have servedso beautifully to launch this book. In theFacebook groups, the Miracle DreamTeam share posts from miracles unfold-

ing daily in their lives. Whether it's los-ing weight, the way the birds are sing-ing and animals visiting, or incrediblestories of healing from diseases, you canfeel so much love flowing even during apandemic. As a result of the overflow ofmiracles, Dr. Rogers started a "30-dayMiracle Experiment Game" that anyonecan play for you to see more miracleshappen in your life too, by applyingsimple principles contained in thebook, "Ancient Secrets of a MasterHealer." To learn more, please visitMyAncientSecrets.com.

Carol Ray, from Texas, had just retired from a long career

in project management and was about to buy a motorhome

and drive away. After seeing Dr. Clint's TEDx Talk,

she felt called to participate

India Post 19July 31, 2020 Community Across Americawww.indiapost.com

In Hour of Need "Ekal Foundation" Stands By The CommunityPRAKASH WAGHMARE

When the 'Covid-19'pandemic broughtglobal life to a grind-

ing halt, it posed a grave eco-nomic concern to Ekal move-ment. Currently, it has pres-ence in over 102,000 villagesand reaches to 300,000 suchpockets of humanity. In ab-sence of usual stage perfor-mances for fundraising, the fu-ture of its numerous projectswas in jeopardy. Concerts orno-concerts, Ekal has alwaysenjoyed generosity of its loyaldonors to shoulder a portion ofmovement's annual tab butthat wasn't enough in this criti-cal phase. Moreover, as a brandname in North America, 'Ekal'was part of the Indiancommunity's social conscious-ness - an institution- for classyentertainment, everywhere.

The community longed forEkal to provide refreshing re-lief - even in this 'new worldorder'. Therefore, 'Ekal-USA'launched a series of virtualconcerts across NorthAmerica, with groupsof Ekal chapters as fo-cal points for each ofthem. In essence, Ekal,was obligated to pre-serve the heightenedenthusiasm and ex-pectations of thecountless volunteers,well-wishers and thesupporters.

The two troupesengaged for virtualconcerts had, not only,the huge fan follow-ing, but also, had theproven record of suc-cess for fund-raising.One of the troupeswas headed by Sa, Re, Ga, Macontest winner 'SanjeevaniBhelande' and another washeadlined by Milind Oak's'Niche' banner. 'Event commit-tee', in consultation with 'Tech-nology-Team' provided signifi-cant support to the chapters instrategic transatlantic hookups while the Artistes per-formed live in the Indian stu-dios. The Chapter-groups as-signed for each concert did aremarkable job in marketing

their concert by engaging thecommunity and social organi-zations around them.

Chapters beyond thespheres of the concert-regionsalso helped out in propagatingthese events. Between May 23and July 25, Sanjeevani'stroupe had four virtual con-certs and Milind Oak had two.All concerts were interactiveand the donations were real-ized 'live' in 'real time'. Themontage of Video-clips andnarration about 'Present day'sEkal' prepared by 'Media-Teams' were very helpful.

The Concert on May 23 forMidwest Regions bySanjeevani raised $162,510;Concert on June 20 for CentralRegions by Sanjeevani raised$367,830; Concert on June 28for Northeast Regions byMilind Oak raised $239,800;Concert on July 11 for Washing-ton DC by Sanjeevani raised$381,290 and the Concert onJuly 18 for Central Regions by

Milind Oak raised $177,100. Inthis endeavor, Ekal-Canada hasalso come a long way in last 5years. With their Concert forCanada-East on July 25 bySanjeevani it hasraised CA$420,000 for the year, sofar.Essentiallyin two months,'Ekal' has managed to raiseapprox. $1.65Million duringvirtual concerts.

There are a couple of moreconcerts yet to follow - e.g. onAug 1, there is concert for

Southwest region by 'HemantKumar Group' and on Aug 8 forCanada-West by Milind Oak'sgroup. Before the official

'clamp-down' in late-March,Ekal in fact, had started theyear by hosting 10 fund-raisingstage-events that highlightedfascinating rural-tribal artistry

and their unique culture. Theseevents took place basically insunshine and southern statesand raised$650,000. Accordingto Arun Gupta, Chairman of'BOD' of Ekal-USA,"this is asplendid testament to donor'strust in Ekal movement".

During 'Covid-19' pandemic,the schools were closed andvirtual tutoring & home assign-ments for the students hadcome to an end. Outdoorgroup-activities were not avail-

able either. Therefore, Ekal un-dertook a creative approach tochannelize youth's pent-up en-ergy and brain-power for their

mutual benefit. It was theneed of the hour. Numerous'Do-it-yourself' (DIY) projects -where youths provided virtualtutoring to other youths - werefloated on Ekal platform. Sincethe youths opted to tutor sub-jects that touched with Sci-ence, Technology, Engineering,Arts and Math, this campaignwas headlined with 'STEAM' asits acronym. This is an on-goingeffort till the schools open. Asof this moment, in 17 such ac-tive series youths from 7 stateshave been enrolled, raising siz-able amount for Ekal.

Swetha Mulukutla, IsabelleBodkhe & Spandana Gandhiraised $4130 by tutoring PSATclasses to support 'skill-train-ing' for migrant workers inEKAL villages while Ritvik Shahraised more than $3314 by tu-

toring Python classes to equipfew Ekal schools with tablets.In New England area, JharnaMadan and Parveen Minocha

(Ekal volunteers)are spearheadinganother effort tobring light-hearted fun topeople of all agesduring the currentCorona crisis. 'IndiArt' is national artcompetition orga-nized in collabora-tion with "KhulaAsmaan", an artportal in India.

On their behalf30 art teachersacting as 'Ekal IndiArt' ambassadorsare offering freeworkshops in vari-

ous art forms like MadhuBani,Warli, Watercolors, Acrylic, Tex-tured Art, Tanjore Painting, 3DArt, Digital Art etc. Over 500have already benefited fromthese workshops which areopen to people of all ages andapprox. $10,000 have beenraised through these efforts.For more details on activitiesand forth-coming events,kindly visit www.ekal.org.

"Ekal V. Foundation" ("EVF") isin 10 countries and is tax-ex-empt in several of them, includ-ing U.S & Canada. It renders allservices free-of-cost, irrespec-tive of caste, faith and gender.For this reason and specificallyfor its enormous work in em-powering the rural-tribal folks,the Government of India hon-ored "EVF" with Iconic "GandhiPeace Prize", two years back.

Milind Oak concert

Sanjeevani Bhelange concert


Bharat Shukla passes away 24/7MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: A well known pressurepoint healer Shri Bharat Shukla, berthedhis last on 24/7 but that was his lastday stay on this earth; leaving his familyand friends with a loss that was irrepa-rable He was 69.

Inspired by his Father and Guru, all hislife he relentlessly and selflessly guided,serviced, and providedfree Pressure Point- HisHealing services provedvery effective in a numberof cases with his IndianGuru's Blessings & spiritualpower transmission. Onlyhindrance for many wasthat he had to be ap-proached-requested, as hewas not allowed to offer orpromote his services eventhough it was free.

He possessed a magnetic personal-ity and fearless positive attitude Hishelping hand with pressure points wasvery much admired among his family

and friends He was professional Engi-neering Consultant and Project Leader/Trainer.

He is survived by his wife and twochildren and four grandchildren.?Among 9 siblings, Bharatbhai was the3rd child of Vimlaba & GovardhanprasadShukla. Bharat Shukla was indeed a true

friend and a fine gentle-man remembered by allhis near and dear. SureshPatel one of his close ad-mirers said,"for me hewas a good guide in bothgood times and also intimes of sorrow . When hewas asked for a solutionof any problem, he use tocome up with excellentand brilliant answers - aperfect and convincing"

he said.Bharat Shukla was cremated in

Bartlett on July 27, 2020. May God givepeace to his beautiful soul.

Bharat Shukla

2020 Census Naperville Complete Count,Committee rolls out Panel Discussion

ASHFAQ SYED

CHICAGO: The 2020 CensusNaperville Complete Count Committeeconducteda Panel Discussion, on ZoomWebinar Platform, on July 23, 2020 withrepresentatives from Local, County andState Governments, US Census Bureau,and Naperville Area Community Orga-nizations to discuss the role that differ-ent stakeholders are required to play inensuring that all residents are countedin the 2020 US Census.

The event was hosted under theleadership of Mayor Steve Chirico, Cityof Naperville and Mark R. Rice Liaison,Complete Count Committee. A largenumber of people logged-in andviewed the informative proceedings of

the Panel Discussion.Mark R. Rice, who moderated the

Panel Discussion, welcomed and intro-duced the evening's panelists. He saidthat the Committee, which comprisesover 135 community organizations,from all segments of the Napervillecommunity, promotes the US 2020 Cen-sus via webinars, websites, Face-bookpages, twitter accounts, newsletters,etc. "As a result of their outstanding ef-forts, Naperville, as of today, ranks #1across the US with a 80.4% US Censusself-response rate for cities over 140,000residents", Rice stated, with a sense ofpride shared by all on the panel. Riceended his opening comments by thank-ing CCC member Ashfaq Syed saying"Ashfaq Syed has worked tirelessly onthe Committee, developed the face-book page, and worked as behind thescenes engineer"!

Mayor Chirico, in his Opening Re-marks, underlined the importance ofcounting of every person residing in theCity considering the fact that a commu-nity gains $ 1,800 a year and $ 18,000over the 10 years before the next cen-sus, for every person counted. He,

therefore, called upon people to reachout to their friends and neighbors, es-pecially those who have difficulties inaccessing and completing the Census.

Santosh Kumar, Executive Director,Metropolitan Asian Family Servicesstated that their members establish alive contact with different communitiesto educate and help them completetheir census forms. "In addition, we haveconducted multiple workshops andseminars and used social media exten-sively in this campaign" She pointed outthat her organization has approximately700 members, with a majority of thembeing senior citizens. "We have beenusing newsletters, emails, social media,

and face-to-face meetings to encour-age them to fill out census forms" shesaid and added that their IT team ex-tends help to the senior citizens in fill-ing the Census forms as many of themare not comfortable with computers.

Marilyn Sanders, Chicago RegionalDirector, US Census Bureau.. GrantWehrli, IL State Representative Repre-senting the 41st District,DuPage CountyBoard Commissioner, District 5 andChair, DuPage Complete Count Com-mittee Sadia, Dr. Benny White,Naperville City Councilman said thatNaperville , Todd Schuneman, JuddKendall VFW Post 3873 Naperville ANDLaTiyfa D. Fields, Community Develop-ment Fellow, Metropolitan Mayors Cau-cus also addressed the virtual meeting

The presentations were followed bya Q &A Session. Mayor Chirico and MsMarilyn Sanders wrapped up the high-lights of the Panel Discussion.

The next 2020 Census NapervillePanel Discussion will be held on Thurs-day, August 27 beginning at 6pm willbe streamed on https://w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m /2020CensusNaperville.

The virtual meet participants


Sikh Senior Citizens Honor SRS Covid19 Help TeamTHAKAR BASATI

CHICAGO: Sikh Senior Citi-zens from Palatine Gurdwarahonored the selfless serviceprovider Sikh Religious Society'SRS-Covid19 help team at Pa-latine Gurdwara Sahib with atrophy and lunch last Saturday.

Pardeep (Pete) Singh Deol isan honorable Police officer.When he saw the pathetic con-dition of Covid sufferers, heapproached S Prempal Singh,Trustee with Outreach respon-sibilities of Sikh Religious Soci-ety who in turn approachedBibi Jasvir Kaur Singh Theywere joined by S Jaspaul SinghSaini and together formed aCovid19 help team.

They got an app withpeople willing to help andpeople willing to contribute.Using social media, it attractedabout 85 young boys and girls.Seeing the selfless spirit of

group few non Sikhs joined. Sofar, team has served over

11,000 meals and medicines topeople who were stuck insidewith no resource and this teamcame as God sent help.

The team now has Doctors,

Pharmacists who are in a posi-tion to arrange free medicines

to people. Soon Indian Consu-late in Chicago was approach-

ing them to help visitors stuckin Chicago with no medicinesor food. Most of the team help-ers are young service orientedpersons with jobs and smallchildren. They would cookmeals at home for the needypeople and deliver while risk-ing their and their family's lives.All the volunteers have beentrained according to CDCguidelines.

S Surinderpal Singh Kalra didArdaas, then the team gaveoverview, Gurdwara HeadGranthy Bhai ParminderjitSingh sought Guru' Blessing forthehelpers.He asked for theChardiKla of participants. Thehelp from Bhai Harjit Singh,Cook(Langri) and of the BhaiGurmeet Singh was also appre-

ciated along with otherBhaijees. A check of $1400 waspresented to the team.

Many visitors from Indiastuck in Chicago stayed at ho-tel by Waterford Banquet hall.Seeing the SEWA passionamongst volunteers, owner ofBanquet hall Shri Gandhi have$2500 to the team to continuetheir work. A good number ofvisitors have returned homeand are sending thank younotes to the team.

The Covid help team can bereached [email protected] for Sikh Seniors please con-tact S Iqbal Singh Chopra at224-358-7769, S SurinderpalSingh Kalra at 847-305-9119 [email protected]

The help team preparing food packets for distribution

Schweppes removes LordGanesha Cocktail

MADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: The Amsterdam(Netherlands) headquarteredbeverage firm Schweppes In-ternational Limited (SIL) re-moved the Ganesha Cocktail(earlier promoted on itswebsite), after a strong protestfrom a large section of Indiansglobally who calledithighlyinappropriate and dis-gusting

The lead was taken by

RajanZed and he thanked SILfor understanding the con-cerns of Indians who thoughtname of Lord Ganesha on acocktail was insensitive.

Any inappropriate usage ofHindu deities or concepts orsymbols or icons for commer-cial or other agenda is not okayas it hurt the devotees, Rajan

said.Lord Ganesha was highly re-

vered in Hinduism and he wasmeant to be worshipped intemples or home shrines andnot to be converted into an al-coholic mixed drink served in acocktail glass for sipping at thebar. Moreover, linking a deitywith an alcoholic beverage wasvery disrespectful, Zed added.

Hinduism is the oldest and

third largest religion of theworld with about 1.1 billionadherents and a rich philo-sophical thought and it shouldnot be taken frivolously.

SIL and SHL should not be inthe business of religious ap-propriation, sacrilege, and ridi-culing entire communities,Zed had indicated.


NW Suburban Bar Association honorsKrishnamoorthi for public service

HARISH RAO

CHICAGO: In recognition ofhis public service and record ofstanding up to powerful inter-ests inside and outside of gov-ernment, theNorthwest Subur-ban Bar Associa-tion recently rec-ognized Con-gressman RajaKr ishnamoorthiwith its "Truth ToPower Award."

"I'm grateful tohave received thisaward from theNorthwest Subur-ban Bar Association and, tohave had the opportunity towork with its members on the

challenges facing our area's le-gal community," said Con-gressman Krishnamoorthi."Public service is a profound

trust that de-mands we fightfor those we rep-resent regardlessof the personalconsequences. I'mgrateful theNorthwest Subur-ban Bar Associa-tion has seen fit torecognize mycommitment tothat responsibility

in the past and I'm dedicatedto continuing that importantwork in the years ahead."

Congressman RajaKrishnamoorthi

Pandemics, Wildfires, Earthquakes, Floods - five stepsCalifornians need to know to prepare for disasters

VIDYA SETHURAMANIndia Post News Service

L istos California is agrassroots campaign an-chored at the California

Governor's Office of Emer-gency Services (Cal/OES) tobuild a culture of disaster pre-paredness across the state. Re-search commissioned by ListosCalifornia reveals that 88% ofCalifornians are aware of theneed to prepare but manydon't because they are scared

(66%), feel it's too expensive(61%) or don't have time (54%).Speakers in the EMS confer-ence on July 23 shared informa-tion on what could be free,easy and life-saving steps totake now for possible futuredisasters as well as one keystep to stay safe in the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers fromListos California provided a

snapshot of the campaign's ef-forts along with representa-tives from Cal/OES and the Of-fice of Governor GavinNewsom provided timely in-formation about COVID-19 andseveral major news announce-ments.

The Listos California Emer-gency Preparedness Cam-paign is an effort based on aninvestment of public funds byGovernor Gavin Newsom andstate lawmakers, to ready our

most vulnerable populationsfor disasters like wildfires,earthquakes and floods, andnow public health emergen-cies like the COVID-19 pan-demic, before disasters strike.With a focus to boost commu-nity resilience through disasterpreparedness, Listos Californiaadvances levels of equity andauthentic community engage-

ment by putting people at thecenter of this work. Listos Cali-fornia has been reaching mem-bers of California's Latin, API,African-American and othercommunities of color crediblyand in language.

Justin Knighten, Co-Chair,Listos California Campaign &Advisors, California Governor'sOffice of Emergency Services(Cal/OES) spoke on the impor-tance of the campaign. "If thispandemic has taught us any-thing, it's that we need to getready for other emergenciesthat could also impact our vul-nerable communities," saidBaker's co-chair, JustinKnighten. We partner with over200 organizations to empowerpeople who have been hard toreach, or socially isolated allacross the state by givingthem the right type of supportto safeguard themselves, theirfamilies, and their communitiesfrom the next disaster.

Karen Baker reaffirmed thefive keys to preparedness.Baker explained that the cam-paign will connect over onemillion of the most socially vul-nerable Californians with cul-turally and linguistically com-

petent support through agrassroots, people-centeredapproach. "We know thatpeople who are socially iso-lated or live in poverty, havelanguage barriers, or other ac-cess or functional needs chal-lenges, need to be the top pri-ority for preparedness cam-paigns," Baker said. "Takingcare of each other, showingcourage when it matters most,

is what we do in California." TheListos campaign has also builthazard maps for every countyin the state to understandwhere vulnerable populationslie in relation to potential haz-ards. We have also translatedthe preparedness curriculuminto seven languages such as

English, Spanish, Chinese, Viet-namese, Tagalog, Korean, andMong. Listos California isreaching the communities inneed with a data-centric ap-proach that eliminates guess-work and delivers results.Karen introduced the text tooltoolkit.covid19.ca.gov, textLISTOSCA to 72345 to get de-tails on the campaign in allListos CA languages. Embracing

technology has been instru-mental in fostering a new cul-ture of preparedness amongvulnerable communities.

This campaign has builtdeeper ties to nonprofit orga-nizations that have direct rela-tionships to the populationsthat need to be reached.

‘If this pandemic has taught us anything, it's that

we need to get ready for other emergencies that

could also impact our vulnerable communities’

said Baker's co-chair, Justin Knighten

Pay Cook County property taxesthrough October 1 with no penalty

SURENDRA ULLAL

CHICAGO: The Second In-stallment Cook County prop-erty tax bills are due August3, 2020, but property own-ers have two extra monthsto pay without a late fee, ac-cording Treasurer MariaPappas.

"In my nearly 22 years asTreasurer, I've never toldpeople not to pay theirtaxes," Pappas said. "But thepandemic has changed a lotof things. If you've lost yourjob and don't have themoney, you do not have topay until October 1, 2020."

Property owners can pay theSecond Installment without alate fee through October 1.

To download a copy of yourtax bill or to make a payment,visit cookcountytreasurer.com:

• Select the blue box la-beled "Pay Online for Free"

• Search by property ad-dress or enter your PropertyIndex Number (PIN)

• There is no fee if you payfrom your bank account

You may also usecookcountytreasurer.comto:

• Search $75 million inavailable refunds goingback 20 years

• See if you are missingout on $34 million in seniorexemptions going back fouryears

Maria Pappas


Indian Americans support RobertLancia for Congressional seat

Then, many well-known en-trepreneurs, doctors, academi-cians, and business membersof Indo-American Community,Parag More, Rakesh Kumar, Ms.Vandana Pitke from RI, andKaran Salin, Mr. SanjayG o k h a l e , D r .Shefali Agarwal,Mr. KaushikPatel, Mr. RajGupta, Prof.Balram Singh,Anil Chawla,Arun Seva,Abhisekh Singh,Deepak Rathorespoke aboutRobert Lancia,his achieve-ments, values,and policies, anddefended theirstanding as,"why they thinkhe is the bestperson to holdthis political position.

They also talked about hisnew and contractive ideas that

Dance performances by Pooja Tiwari & Ms Shruthilaya

can be used to build our brightfuture and America'sdream.Ms. Sruthilaya and Ms.Pooja Tewari presented beau-tiful Indian classical dances andentertained the audiences.

At the end, Robert said thathe is the person who believesin establishing close contacts

with people he meets not justshaking hands and taking pic-tures. He always takes his en-

counters with people espe-cially with immigrants to nextlevel and becomes part of theirefforts and tries to understandtheir struggles, concerns, andissues. He also said that immi-grants work hard and paytaxes; so, they and their chil-dren are entitled to avail all theeconomic and educational op-portunities and make theirlives comfortable and con-tended.

He also expressed that natu-ral allies of USA especially Indiaand US should come closerand build stronger economicand military ties. Before con-

cluding his inspirationalspeech, he thanked everyonefor supporting him and boost-ing his energy.

Abhishek Singh thanked allthe audiences for attendingthe program with his short no-tice and making it a grand suc-cess. He thanked the MCs ofthe program, Ms. ShovaSharma and Mukta Munjal formanaging it very meticulouslyand the dancers for their gor-geous dances He also ex-pressed his appreciation to allthe Indo-American Communitymembers from RI for all theirgenerous help and support.

Ms Suzan Clanks

Cont’d from page 17

VHP seeks action against slaughterand smuggling of cow progeny


MUMBAI: Expressing con-cern over the incidents of in-creasing cow smuggling andcow slaughter in the country,Central Secretary General ofthe Vishva Hindu Parishad,Milind Parande has urged thatState governments and the lo-cal police-administrationsshould take appropriate steps,with full sensitivity, to preventits happening once for fall infuture.

He said that recently, justbefore Bakrid, the cow-rakshaks (protectors) helpedbring to light by saving thecow progeny from theclutches of cow-smugglers in

Balasore in Odisha, Vadodara,Bharuch and Valsad in Gujaratand Amravati in Maharashtra.

These are only a few of theincidents of cow-smugglingwhich the recent times haveseen increasing and the infor-mation about which continueto be received every day frommany parts of the country. Insome States, anti-cow-slaugh-ter laws may be lenient or slip-shod, but in most of the States,in spite of tough laws, cowsmugglers are active due tothe lax attitude, negligence orconnivance of the police ad-ministration.

VHP Parandealso said thatdespite the anti-cow-slaughter

statements of Muslim Ulemasat various times, such pre-Bakrid incidents have onlyseen an increase in the last few

years. Therefore, scholars, lead-ers and elders of the Muslimsociety should also take serioussteps for the enlightenment ofthe constituents of their soci-ety.

VHP seeks that all the Stategovernments and the police-administrations should take se-vere suo moto action againstcow-killers and cow-smug-glers. In some states, duringBakrid days, relaxations aregiven to vehicles to transportmore number of animals overits certified capacity, and sodemanded that such practicesshould not be allowed to pro-tect the animals against thecruelty.Milind Parande

Plea to withdrawLord GaneshashortsMADHU PATEL

CHICAGO: Upset IndianAmericans across the countryhave pitched the San Franciscoheadquartered "global e-com-merce platform for immediatewithdrawal of shorts/swim-trunks carrying image of LordGanesh describing it highlydisgusting.

Lord Ganesh is highly re-vered in Hinduism meant to beworshipped in temples orhome shrines and not to adornone's thighs, groin, genitalsand pelvis for mercantilegreed. Any inappropriate us-age of Hindu deities or con-cepts or symbols or icons for

commercial or other agenda isnot okay as it hurt the devoteessaid Rajan Zed President ofUniversal Society of HinduismHehas also urged Wish CEO Pe-ter Szulczewski to offer a for-mal apology; besides with-drawing Lord Ganeshshorts/swim-trunks.

Wish and its parentContextLogic Inc. should notbe in the business of religiousappropriation, sacrilege, andridiculing entire communities.It was deeply trivializing of im-mensely venerated Hindu de-ity Lord Ganesh to be dis-played on shorts/swim-trunks,Rajan pointed out.

Hinduism is the oldest andthird largest religion of theworld with about 1.1 billionadherents. In Hinduism, LordGanesha is worshipped as godof wisdom and remover of ob-stacles and is invoked beforethe beginning of any major un-dertaking. There are aboutthree million Hindus in USA.

Shorts depicting Ganesh

Cont’d on page 24


Plea to withdrawLord Ganeshashorts

Objectionable GaneshaMens Shorts/Swim-Trunks at Wish were described as"stylish" and "breathable". One of theleading mobile commerce platforms inNorth America and Europe"; Wish,founded 2011 and valued at over $8 bil-lion; claims lowest prices on earth. Itclaims to sell over three-million prod-ucts per day; including fashion, shoes,electronics, kitchen gadgets, home de-cor, sports gear, etc. Besides Wish,ContextLogic Inc. also owns otheronline marketplaces; including Geek,Mama, Home, and Cute.

Cont’d from page 23

Avoid the Knock, respond online atwww.2020census.gov

VIDYA SETHURAMANIndia Post News Service

As Census enumerators get ready toknock on doors starting August 11 tofollow up on households that failed toself-respond to the Census question-naire, and the Trump Administration is-sues a policy order seeking to bar un-documented immigrants from beingcounted for reapportionment, experts

provided updates on what states andpopulations are being left behind, howenumerators will deal with the pan-demic, and what options are available ifthere is a huge undercount in the EMSConference on July 24. The deadline torespond for Census 2020 is now moved

to Oct. 31, but the Bureau is encourag-ing everyone to fill out the forms assoon as possible. Due to the COVID-19pandemic, Census Bureau enumeratorshave limited their direct contact withthe public. Beginning Aug. 11, enumera-tors will begin visiting homes of thosewho have not responded to their cen-sus in an attempt to raise the responserate numbers.

Arturo Vargas, Executive Director ofthe National Association of LatinoElected Officials (NALEO) spoke on thememorandum signed by PresidentTrump recently that says when the U.S.Census Bureau completes this year'scount, they must remove people whothey believe are undocumented immi-grants. "The president wants to amendthe Constitution through a memo,which is really an assault on Americansensibility", said Arturo Vargas. Headded an inaccurate Census harms ev-erybody. "Any state that does nothave an accurate count of its popula-tion, for the next 10 years, will not bereceiving its fair share of political rep-resentation, of resources that are dis-tributed by the federal governmentevery year. He urged the Census bu-reau to deploy sizable enumerates tothe low report areas.

John C. Yang, president and execu-

tive director of Asian Americans Ad-vancing Justice , AAJC said, regardlessof the immigrant status, everyoneshould respond to the Census by Oct31. They can respond online, phone orby sending back the duly filled paperforms. If you have already responded tothe census, the enumerators might noteven knock at your door. "At a time ofhigh levels of mistrust of the govern-ment, with our community strugglingwith health concerns amid COVID-19and reeling from racist coronavirus at-

tacks, it is essential for the U.S. CensusBureau to take every precaution to en-sure the health and safety of our com-munities, especially as it begins to sendout census takers to follow-up in per-son.

Marilyn E. Stephens, Assistant Re-gional manager for the Southern Dis-trict, US Census said our message todayis 'Avoid the knock, respond now'. Onlyone response per home is needed.

"Some of the people have not re-

sponded, and they really should under-stand that it pays to participate in thecensus," Stephens said. "In those fund-ing formulas the population numbersweigh very heavily." She listed emer-gency management and emergencypreparedness, funding for rural hospi-tals and other health care systems andprograms, education programs such asTitle I that schools depend on, HeadStart for preschoolers, Pell Grants forcollege students, services for seniorsand veterans, transportation and school

safety programs as examples. To complete the census online, go

www.2020census.gov and click on "Re-spond." The online questionnaire asksfor a 12-digit census ID number, whichshould have been on a census invitationletter or reminder card you receivedlast spring. But there is also an "If youdo not have a Census ID" line to click on.To complete the census by phone, call1-855-562-2020. Or, if you still have apaper census questionnaire you re-ceived in the spring, you can fill it outand mail it in. The 2020 form is shorterthan many past census forms.

They can respond online, phone or by sending back the duly

filled paper forms. If you have already responded to the census,

the enumerators might not even knock at your door

25 India PostJuly 31, 2020 www.indiapost.com

In Brief Immigration

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them will have a

prayer of becoming

a US citizen’

Green Card waitlist for Indian ismore than 195 years: US senator

WASHINGTON: The backlogfor an Indian national to getpermanent residency or GreenCard is more than 195 years, atop Republican senator hassaid, urging his Senate col-leagues to come out with alegislative resolution to ad-dress this problem.

A Green Card, known offi-cially as a Permanent Resi-dent Card, is a document is-sued to immigrants to the USas evidence that the bearerhas been granted the privi-lege of residing permanently.

Senator Mike Lee said re-cently that the current GreenCard policy did nothing forthe child of an immigrantwhose dead parent's GreenCard application was ulti-mately denied because his orher job was no longer avail-able.

"Someone from India en-tering the backlog todaywould have to wait 195 yearsto receive an EB-3 green card.Even if we give their childrenthis limbo status, none ofthem will have a prayer of be-coming a US citizen," Lee said

on the Senate floor.In fiscal year 2019, Indian

nationals received 9,008 cat-egory 1 (EB1), 2,908 category2 (EB2), and 5,083 category 3(EB3) Green Cards. EB1-3 are

different categories of em-ployment-based GreenCards.

Lee, the senator from Utah,was speaking on the legisla-tion moved by Senator Dick

Durbin that seeks to protectimmigrant workers and theirchildren who are stuck in thegreen card backlog.

"Green Cards are critical inthe lives of so many who arehere on temporary work vi-sas. The backlog puts familiesat risk of losing their immigra-tion status as they wait yearafter weary year to finallymake it through this greencard backlog," Durbin said.

"Our bipartisan agreementwould add critical protec-tions that were not in theoriginal bill for immigrantworkers and their immediatefamily members who arestuck in the backlog. Theywould be able to switch jobsand travel without losing im-migration status. And chil-dren of immigrant workerswould be protected from ag-ing out so they will not facedeportation," he said.

The Lee-Durbin agreementwould make three changes tothe Fairness for High-SkilledImmigrants Act. First, itwould immediately protectimmigrants and their familieswho are stuck in the backlogby allowing them to "earlyfile" for Green Cards.

This would allow workers toswitch jobs and travel withoutlosing immigration status andprevent the children of immi-grant workers from "agingout" of Green-Card eligibilityso they will not face deporta-tion while they are waiting fora Green Card.

Second, the amendmentwould create a green-cardset aside for immigrant work-ers who are unable to "earlyfile" because they are stuckin the backlog overseas. PTI

UK to open citizenship path toHong Kongers from JanuaryLONDON: Britain's govern-

ment has announced it willopen a new special pathwayto obtaining British citizen-ship for eligible HongKongers from January 2021.

In a statement, the HomeOffice said holders of the Brit-ish National Overseas passportand their immediate familymembers can move to the UKto work and study. The changeto immigration rules was intro-duced after China imposed anew, sweeping national secu-rity law on Hong Kong.

Those eligible can accessthe British job market at anyskill level and without a salarythreshold, but will not haveaccess to public funds.

The UK has a strong his-toric relationship with the

people of Hong Kong and weare keeping our promise tothem to uphold their free-doms, Home Secretary PritiPatel said.

Those who come to the UKthrough the new pathwaywill be able to apply to settlein Britain permanently oncethey have lived in the UK forfive years. Then after a further12 months, they can apply forBritish citizenship.

Britain handed over HongKong, its former colony, toChinese rule in 1997 under aOne Country, Two Systemsframework that was sup-posed to guarantee the citya high degree of autonomyand Western-style civil liber-ties not seen on mainlandChina. AP

Senator Mike Lee

US trade bodies filelawsuit, suspensionof new visas

WASHINGTON: Five toptrade bodies, including the USChamber of Commerce andNational Association of Manu-facturers, have filed a lawsuitchallenging the presidentialproclamation suspending forthe rest of the year new non-immigrant visas that includethe H-1B, the most sought-afteramong Indian IT professionals.

In his proclamation lastmonth, President Donald Trumpbanned the entry into the US ofworkers in several key non-im-migrant visa categories, includ-ing the H-1B, arguing that theyeat into American jobs duringthe COVID-19 pandemic.

The H-1B visa is a non-immi-grant visa that allows US compa-nies to employ foreign workersin specialty occupations that re-quire theoretical or technicalexpertise. Companies dependon it to hire tens of thousands ofemployees each year from coun-tries like India and China.

Denying access to non-im-migrant workers depriveAmerican businesses of the tal-ent they need. It also has far-reaching repercussions intoday's competitive market fortalent, said the lawsuit filed byNational Association of Manu-facturers, US Chamber of Com-merce, National Retail Federa-tion, TechNet, and Intrax. PTI

Realty Tidbits

India Post July 31, 2020www.indiapost.com

Real Estate26

Tips for buying property onlineSUNITA MISHRA

Not long ago, theInternet helped con-sumers to reach a cer-

tain point in their home-buyingjourney. Mostly, one would doall the research using onlinetools and then, physically visitthe sites and finally concludethe many businesses that arepart of the purchase process.The advent of new technologies,have helped buyers to completealmost all of the purchasing pro-cess. However, considering thelarge amount involved in thetransaction, buyers preferredoffline proceedings.

However, with theCoronavirus pandemic makinghumans particular about socialdistancing, this approach couldwitness a change. Today, buyersare not only firming up theirpurchase plans using onlinechannels but are also makingactive purchases with the helpof the internet. In the times tocome, online home purchasescould become more of a norm,

rather than an exception. Insuch a scenario, it would bepertinent to set some groundrules, to ensure that you do notget into a bad deal.

ALWAYS UNDERTAKEA SITE VISIT

Virtual tours of homes give youa complete idea about the prop-erty. Technology has reached a

level, where a buyer can actuallyfeel like being physically presentat the premise, through a virtualtour. Nevertheless, the buyershould physically visit the houseat least once, before s/he takesthe final call, as there are manythings a virtual tour may or maynot cover.

CHOOSE A TRUSTED BRANDThis thumb rule remains

true, irrespective of the modeof the purchase - online oroffline. Frauds are common inthe real estate sector andscammers employ varioustricks to con buyers of theirhard-earned money, especiallyif the transaction is being car-ried out online. Hence, buyers

should be wary of attractivedeals from unknown sources.One should only deal directlywith builders or real estateagents with impeccable trackrecords.

A brand does not become atrusted name, because youregularly see their advertise-

ments on television, featuringcelebrities. Go only with estab-lished brands, preferably withlisted companies, to keep thepurchase problem-free.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis,several messages have beensent across to the builders,from the government andother sector stakeholders, toreduce prices. However, most

developers have refrainedfrom cutting prices. At a timewhen developers have notdone this, despite the fact thata majority of them are undertremendous pressure, with de-mand coming to a halt due tothe lockdowns, unbelievablygreat deals should be viewedwith suspicion. There is only somuch discount a genuinebuilder would be willing to of-fer you.ENSURE THAT THE PROPERTYDOCUMENTS ARE IN PLACE

Even though one now has theluxury of concluding propertytransactions completely online,you still need to be in physicalpossession of the property-re-lated documents, to prove yourownership. Although you maybe able to find your dream homeonline, or make the paymentsusing online channels, or getyour home loan approvedonline, your ownership over theasset is no good if the propertydocuments are not with you.Hence, ensure that the docu-mentation is done properly andregistered. Housing.com

Covid impacts IFINrecovery, sale ofIL&FS realty assets

NEW DELHI: The ongoingpandemic has impacted therecovery of loans given byIL&FS Financial Services (IFIN),and also delayed the sale of thereal estate assets of the IL&FSGroup, IL&FS non-ExecutiveChairman Uday Kotak hasstated.

Kotak also said that the pan-demic is likely to impact thevaluations of the realty assets.

Talking to the media,through video conference, healso said that the proposedsale of some road assets havealso been impacted due thepandemic.

An Italy-based company,which was a bidder for thePune-Sholapur road project,has withdrawn its bid as a re-sult of the current situationarising out of the pandemic,IL&FS Managing Director C.S.Rajan said.

However, despite the ob-stacles posed by the pan-demic, the IL&FS Group ex-pects to address about Rs57,240 crore debt out of thetotal debt of over Rs 99,000crore. The revised estimate iswell above the 50 per centmark of the overall debt. IANS

OYO adopts hybridworkplace model,committed to safety

NEW DELHI: The companyhas adopted hybrid workplacemodel' that will pivot on thecombination of work fromhome, work from anywhereand work from flexible co-working spaces. Currently,100% of OYO's workforce isworking in a hybrid model andare using tools like Zoom,Google hangouts, Slack to stayconnected and maintain pro-ductivity. Launched multipleemployee-centric virtual &digital initiatives with the ob-jective of maintaining em-ployee productivity, boostingemployee morale. To supportemployee's mental well-beingduring these challengingtimes, NewsVoir/PTI

Unitech resolution plan: Nearly 15,000homes to be delivered in 4 years

In a move that could provide some relief to over15,000 buyers who have invested in various hous-

ing projects of the embattled Unitech Group, a Su-preme Court-appointed board has proposed aresolution plan for the company. The plan comesseven months after the SC, in January 2020, ap-pointed a seven-member board, to take over themanagement control of Unitech and supersede itsexisting board. PTI

27India PostJuly 31, 2020

www.indiapost.comReal Estate Post

US new homesales jump13.8% in June

WASHINGTON: Sales of newhomes rose a sharp 13.8% in June,the second straight increase aftertwo months when sales plunged asthe country went into lockdownbecause of the coronavirus.

The Commerce Department re-ported recently that the June gainpushed sales of new homes to a sea-sonally adjusted annual rate of776,000, a better-than-expectedperformance. The increase follows a19.4% jump in May.

The two months of sales gains fol-lowed two months of sharp declinesin sales in March and April as muchof the country went into lockdown.

A separate report showed salesof previously owned homes surged20.7% in June to a seasonally ad-justed annual rate of 4.72 million.

Even with the gain, which fol-lowed three months of declines,new home sales remain toughly20% below pre-pandemic levels.

The median price of a new homesold in June increased to 329,200,up 5.6% from a year ago.

Economists are hoping for a fur-ther rebound in sales in comingmonths but caution that this expec-tation depends heavily on thecourse of the coronavirus.

A recent resurgence in cases hascaused some states to rollbacktheir reopening plans.

Sales are being helped by ultra-low mortgage rates, which earlierthis month dropped below 3% for a30-year-fixed rate mortgage for thefirst time in nearly 50 years.

Economists believe low rates andchanges in home preferencesbrought on by the pandemic willcombine to support further salesgains this year.

Home sales are being supportedby households' shifting preferencefor bigger spaces as more and morepeople work from home as well aslower mortgage rates, said RubeelaFarooqi, chief U.S. economist at HighFrequency Economics.

In June, sales were up in all partsof the country with the biggest gaincoming in the Northeast, a surge of89.7%. Sales rose 18% in the West,10.5% in the Midwest and 7.2% inthe South. AP

J-K Administrative Council approves draft RealEstate (Regulation and Development) Rules

SRINAGAR: The Administrative Coun-cil of Jammu and Kashmir has approvedthe draft Jammu and Kashmir Real Es-tate (Regulation and Development)Rules, 2020.

The rules were drafted under theReal Estate (Regulation and Develop-ment) Act, 2016, which has been re-cently made applicable to the UnionTerritory by way of an Adaptation Orderissued by Ministry of Home Affairs, anofficial spokesman said.

The Administrative Council, in ameeting chaired by Lieutenant Gover-nor G C Murmu, accorded sanctions tothe rules to facilitate the establishmentof a regulatory authority for the real es-tate sector.

These will also protect the interestsof consumers through established ad-judicating mechanism for speedy dis-pute redressal, he said.

The new rules make it mandatory forall real estate projects and real estateagents to receive prior registrationthrough a web-based online system,the spokesman said.

As such, details about the pro-moter in respect of track record, real

estate projects executed, litigations,as well as details regarding regis-tered agents, consultants, develop-mental plans, financial details amongothers will be made public, he said.

The rules, in addition to defining

powers of the Real Estate (Regula-tion and Development) Authority andthe Appellate Tribunal and prescrib-ing penalties, have provisions for fil-ing of complaint by aggrieved per-

sons.The rules also provide for prepara-

tion of budget, maintenance of ac-counts and filing of annual report bythe Authority, he said.

The augmented legal framework in

Jammu and Kashmir will bring trans-parency and boost investments in thereal estate sector and bring a para-digm shift in working of the real estateindustry, the spokesman added. PTI

Vastu Shastra tips for a temple at homePURNIMA GOSWAMI SHARMA

The temple at home is a sacredplace where we worship God. So,naturally, it must be a positive and

peaceful place. The temple area, whenplaced according to Vastu Shastra, canbring health, prosperity, and happinessto the house and its occupants. Al-though a separate puja room would beideal, this is not alwayspossible in metropolitancities, where there isspace crunch. For suchhomes, you can considerwall-mounted mandir orsmall corner mandir asper your requirement.

The temple areashould be a zone of tran-quility that is full of divineenergy, says Mumbai-based Nitien Parmar ofVastuPlus. "This is a spacewhere one surrenders to the Almightyand gains strength. If one does not havethe space to allocate an entire room forthe temple, one can set up a small altaron the east wall, towards the north-east

zone of the house. Avoid placing thetemple in the south, south-west orsouth-east zones of house," adds Parmar.

Ideal mandir directions as per VastuJupiter is the lord of the north-east

direction, which is also called as the as'Ishan kona', explains Jayshree Dhamani,

a Vastu Shastra and astrology expert."Ishan is Ishwar or God. That's how it isthe direction of God/Jupiter. Hence, it isadvisable to keep the temple there.Moreover, the earth's tilt is also towards

the north-east direction only and itmoves with the starting point of thenorth-east. Hence, this corner is like theengine of a train, which pulls the entiretrain. The placement of the temple inthis area of the house is also like that - itpulls the energies of the entire housetowards it and then, takes it forward,"says Dhamani. A temple placed in thecenter of the house - a region that iscalled as the Brahmasthan - is also saidto be auspicious and can bring prosper-ity and good health for the inmates,adds Dhamani.

How should a temple at home be con-structed as per Vastu

When it comes to constructing thetemple, do not place it directly on thefloor. Instead, keep it on a raised plat-form or pedestal, advises Parmar. "Thetemple should be made of marble orwood. Avoid temples made from glassor acrylic. Do not clutter the temple.Housing.com



www.indiapost.comPunjab Post

LPU's Int'l student selected CampusDirector for 'One Million Dollar Hult Prize'

Emmanuel Borna Peasah

JASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: An international studentat LPU, Emmanuel Borna Peasah ofB.Pharmacy Program has been selectedCampus Director to lead the executionof world's biggest 'Hult Prize' programat the university.

A varsity release has announced thatthe Hult Prize is world's largest compe-tition, where students from across theworld compete with start-up ideas tosolve a vital global social issue, and thefinalist wins 'One Million US Dollar'award. Also known as 'Students' NobelPrize', this prestigious "Prize" is open toLPU Students since 2018. Former USPresident Bill Clinton holds that 'HultPrize' is how the world has to work inthe 21st century.

Patronizing the event, PresidentClinton announces each year a problemstatement on one of the critical globalissues, to challenge students to comeup with disruptive solutions. Studentteams from around the world work onit to develop unique ideas. The bestideas from each University compete atthe National level. The selected teamscompete at the Global level, culminat-ing at an intensive accelerator at Bos-ton. It follows by the 'Grand Finals'hosted by President Clinton at NewYork. The winning startup idea gets amillion dollar seed fund, visibility, brand-

ing, and investor attention to start-uptheir social enterprise. Whereas, allother participating teams earn valuableinsight, knowledge, experience, and apositive world view.

LPU Chancellor Mr Ashok Mittal con-gratulated the hard-working interna-tional student, who has grabbed the

golden global opportunity even duringthe toughest pandemic times. Head ofGlobal Programs 'Hult Prize Foundation',Nelly Andrade has informed thatEmmanuel will now lead with the goalof training, educating and inspiring stu-dents at LPU campus, for 'On-CampusPrograms'. Winning teams will advancedirectly to one of Hult Prize Regional

Summits taking place around the worldin March and April 2021.

Belonging to Accra City of Ghana,Emmanuel feels honored at his selec-tion and shares that only LPU could pro-vide him such an opportunity. He adds:"Now, as a Campus Director I will get acoveted chance, among other severalbenefits, to represent LPU among manyuniversities around the world in Boston,London or Melbourne." One other BScEconomics student of LPU, SayanGuchait had even attended the nextstages of the competition in foreignlands, where his work was much appre-ciated and awarded.

With a decade of impact, the HultPrize has crafted challenges and helpedlaunch startups that actively solveUnited Nations' SDGs (Sustainable De-velopment Goals). Since 2010, winningstartups are for Education- one laptopper child; in 2011 Clean Water- m.paani;then Energy Poverty-SunnyMoney; Glo-bal Food Crisis- Aspire Food Group;Healthcare; Early Childhood Education-impact; Doubling Income; Refugee Cri-sis; in 2018 'Harnessing the Power ofEnergy'; in 2019 Youth Unemployment;and, now in 2020, Bold Businesses for aBetter Planet. In partnership with theUnited Nations, the Hult Prize Founda-tion transforms how young people en-vision their own possibilities as leadersof change in the world around them.

World's largest US retailerLowe's recruits LPU BTechstudents in IndiaJASWANT SINGH GANDAM / RAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Amidst such hardtimes,world's largest US retailer-Lowe's, Indian arm Lowe's India, has re-cruited six of LPU's BTech (ComputerScience & Engineering) students fortheir diligence, dexterity and skills, at Rs19.14 Lacs per annum package each, arecent varsity release announced.

Selected students have been re-cruited as Associate Software Engineersto serve in the Bangalore Office ofLowe's India. LPU Chancellor Mr AshokMittal congratulated the hard-workingstudents for being part of a big com-pany of the world at their very young

age and for relying on university's ethosof 'think big'.

It would be worth mentioning, theselected students belong to 2021graduating batch, which means theyare pocketing high fortunes even in thedays of their studentship, and that tooin the pandemic ridden tough semes-ter. Selected LPU students are SagnikAsh, Anurag Dave, Rishindra ManiKatiyar, Ankit Singh Gautam, RajdeepRoy Chowdhury and Harshit Agrawal.The best thing of the company as anemployer is that it recognizes the com-mitments and services of its employeesin high esteems. Recently, it announcedbonuses of more than $450 million tofront-line associates for their outstand-ing contributions amid the pandemic,where most of the companies are fac-ing economic crisis.

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) isa FORTUNE 50 home improvement com-pany serving approximately 18 millioncustomers a week in the United Statesand Canada. With fiscal year 2019 salesof $72.1 billion, Lowe's and its relatedbusinesses operate or service more than2,200 home improvement and hardwarestores, and employ approximately300,000 associates. Lowe's India is driv-ing a massive tech transformation, build-ing cutting edge tools and products.


Notorious drug smuggler, hard-corecriminal arrested: SSP Kapurthala

JASWANT SINGH GANDAMRAMAN NEHRAIndia Post News Service

PHAGWARA: In a major break-through, Kapurthala police have ar-rested a notorious drug smugglerand a hard-core criminal and recov-ered from him a large quantity ofdrugs and arms and ammunition.

Disclosing this here, Kapurthaladistrict Senior Superintendent of Po-lice (SSP) Satinder Singh identifiedthe smuggler as Jugraj Singh, a resi-dent of Jotisar colony, Jandiala Guruin Amritsar district.

He said that One Kg ten-gramheroin, one illegal pistol of 7.65 boreand seven live cartridges were re-

covered from him.It may be mentioned here that

heroin recovered from the smuggler ispegged at over Rs five crore in the in-ternational market.

Giving details of the case, SSP saidthat Sultanpur Lodhi police had laid aspecial 'naka' (check post) at villageTalwandi Chaudhriyan on 22 July.

SSP said,"Two youths were seencoming on a motorcycle. When sig-naled to stop, the one driving the bikefled away but the pillion rider tumbleddown from it. On search and enquiry,he told his name as Jugraj Singh whileheroin was recovered from a kit hewas carrying and the pistol wastugged in his 'dab' (the portion of the

waistline). The youth who sped awayfrom the scene was identified asSukhwinder Singh alias Jugnu, a resi-dent of village Nathupur falling un-der Talwandi Chaudhriyan police sta-tion of district Kapurthala".

Claiming that Jugraj was wantedin several cases of heinous crimeslike murder, arms act and drugsmuggling, SSP Satinder Singh dis-closed that he was wanted byJalandhar, Phillaur, Jandiala Guru po-lice.

Declaring that Jugnu will be ar-rested soon, SSP disclosed furtherthat Jugraj's links with drug suppli-ers and clients would be identifiedand action taken against them too.

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TOP TENHINDI SONGS

July 31, 2020www.indiapost.com30 India Post

Action star Vidyut Jammwaldoes not agree with the

notion that one cannot makefriends in Bollywood. He says heis not a star son and has sur-vived in the industry because offriendship.

"I've heard this in the indus-try since I came in that you can'tmake good friends in the indus-try. I don't believe it. I am not astar son. I have only survivedover here because of friendship.Like a friend said, 'I believe inyou, but I don't have a budget'.So, people have really stood byme as I have stood by them,"Vidyut shared.

The actor is gearing upfor the release ofhis upcomingfilm, "Yaara",where theidea offriendship iscentral tothe plot. Heopened upwhile discussinghis camaraderiewith co-stars AmitSadh, KennyBasumatry andVijay Varma.IANS

Vidya Balan says it is human to doubt yourself,though she admits there was a time whenshe would wallow in self-doubt.

The actress, who is currently gearing up forthe release of her upcoming film "ShakuntalaDevi", says she doesn't doubt herself much any-more.

"I think with maturity, maybe even with age,you are kinder to yourself. So maybe, I doubt my-self for a lesser period of time. I doubt myself butI remind myself that it's okay if I didn't do welltoday or I am not happy with myself. That'snot the end of the world, and then I bounceback," she added.

"Shakuntala Devi" is based on the lifeof the late Shakuntala Devi, widely re-vered as the Human Computer for her in-nate ability to make complex mathemati-cal calculations within seconds.

The film also stars Sanya Malhotra,Amit Sadh and Jisshu Sengupta, and is

scheduled to release on AmazonPrime on July 31. IANS

Actress Janhvi Kapoor hasopened up on the biggest les-

son she has learnt while portrayingthe character of Gunjan Saxena, the

first female Indian Air Force pilot inwarzone, in an upcoming biopic.

Since "Gunjan Saxena: The KargilGirl" is based on the life of the AirForce pilot, Janhvi spent a sub-stantial time with her.

"It all comes down to the ef-fort and the hard work you putinto your work. Her (GunjanSaxena's) outlook is verysimple. If one keeps workinghard, then one will get whereone has to get. I am aware ofmy privilege. I often felt guiltyabout it. But the best I can dois to earn my place by work-ing even harder," Janhvi,daughter of the late superstarSridevi, said.

The film directed bySharan Sharma also featuresPankaj Tripathi and AngadBedi, and is set for a Netflixrelease on August 12. IANS

MUMBAI: New-comer Amrin Qureshi cel-

ebrated the birthday of her father SajidQureshi by cooking his favorite dish -- Chicken

Tikka."This recipe was passed down my family from Grandma

and is a favorite of my dad. It's a memorable dish for any kind ofcelebration at home and 23 July is a big day. It's my father's birth-

day, it has to be big," she said.She also penned a letter for her father."Your influence, your quiet yet strong pres-

ence was always there. Thank you for supportingme in my every ambition and helping me getthrough them. Remember-you always taught meto never give up; I promise I won't ever give up.You are my biggest supporter, my rock and myinspiration. Happy birthday Dad," she con-cluded her note. IANS

Newcomer Amrin turns chef


July 31, 2020

India Post July 31 2020www.indiapost.comHoroscope32

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

JULY 31ST to AUG 6TH 2020

“Felicitated andhonored by then

President of India ShriPranab Mukherjee"

VANEETSHARMA

510-648-4899

In spite of going through stress your

confidence shall remainintact and you shall beable to enjoy bigger in-

tensity in your love relationship in thebeginning of the week. The 2nd, 3rd &4th of August are auspicious for travel-ling whereas the next two days after thatare giving an indication of enhancementof your marital bliss. You are likely to joinsome family function along with yourspouse. Your spouse shall reduce yourtensions.

This week you shallcharge your-

self by actively partici-pating in social gath-erings, get together

or some other social activities in the be-ginning of the week but you shall have toconcentrate very hard in your work areaproblem rectification on 2nd and 3rd Au-gust whereas the 4th and 5th of Augustare the days when you shall be focusingmore on entertainment related activitiesand children or education related tasks.

You shall be starting this week with lowenergy levels howeverfrom 2nd and 3rd Au-gust there shall be

betterment in your working efficiency,energy & confidence. The day of 4th and5th are perfectly fine for your marital blissand family life. The support of spouse shallkeep you delighted. Your spouse shallcertainly make a significant difference inyour current situations by extending themuch required genuine support.

The beginning ofthe week is

excellent for you andyour abilities would beproved certainly by

you in case they are put to test. Peoplearound shall be full of appreciation foryou and your social influence shall in-crease. You are advised to take care ofyour health and general happiness on2nd & 3rd of September. The remainingpart of the week shall prove to be lucki-est for all areas of life and good newsshall pour in from all directions.

This whole weekshall be excel-

lent for your family in-cluding all other areasof life. You are likely to

attain progress and some extra recog-nition on professional front in the mid ofthe week. Your friends and relatives shallbe supporting you throughout the week.There can be some stress also related towork or some other type of tension on5th and 6th August however the last dayof the week shall be absolutely favorablefor your health and happiness.

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 begin-ning of the week but the concluding partof the week except last day of the weekisn't auspicious for your health, happi-ness, and expenditure and travelling.

The first days of theweek indi-

cates bad mood andsome mental tensionswhereas the next two

days are indicating betterment of sociallife and destiny. This shall prove to be anexcellent time for the consolidation of yourrelations with your kith and kin. The 4th &5th of this week shall be perfectly alrightfor your work and for getting support offriends and relatives for the accomplish-ment of your tasks. In last two days youshall be earning gains from friends.

The influence ofseveral plan-

ets on 7th house shallkeep your sexual lifeextra active in this

week but at the same time you alsomight suffer from the problems of moodswings. Second and third Septemberisn't auspicious for your state of mind andhappiness. You need to be little morecautious in your relations with yourspouse, love mate, partners and associ-ates as there are some probabilities ofsudden tension with close people.

You shall be putting more ef-

forts for becomingmore focused butyour expenses shall

remain uncontrolled. Your schedule shall behectic and people around you shall find im-provement in your attitude. On 2nd, 3rd &4th August you shall be travelling more fre-quently. You should be getting the bestguidance from your well-wishers, friends,guides and consultants this week. The re-maining part of the week shall be excellentfor marital bliss and gains from partners.

Your reputation andstatus in soci-

ety shall help you getout of most of yourtroubles in this week.

Your life in general shall revolvearound your family. You shall spendsome time with your family membersfor seeking their advice regarding therectification of some financial issues. Itis quite probable that you might planto go on a tour with your family mem-bers. The chances of going on a pil-grimage are more.

This week is best foryour all areas

of life in the first halfof the week and al-though you shall start

with a low spirit however on 2nd and 3rdAugust your spirits shall be at peak andyou can enter into some partnershipagreement and show your commitmentsfor relationship or associates. The daysof 4th, 5th are not good for health, hap-piness and for taking any important de-cision regarding some important task.

The beginning ofthe week indi-

cates travel and ex-penses. There shall belot of activity in your

love life and 2nd, 3rd day of the weekare going to be highly favorable for yourwork, job satisfaction and general health.In next two days i.e. 4th & 5th shall beextremely auspicious for the inflow ofmoney. On 6th and 7th there are indica-tions of strengthening of bonding withfamily members.

July 31, 2020 India Post 33www.indiapost.com

OSHO

When you go to sleep tonightand every night following, be-

fore going to sleep put off the light,sit on your bed, close your eyes andexhale deeply through the mouthwith the sound 'O' - Ooooo. Go onexhaling with the sound 'O', asdeeply as possible.

Your stomach goes in, the airmoves out, and you go on creatingthe sound 'O'. Remember, I am notsaying aum, I am saying simply 'O'. Itwill become aum automatically. Youneed not make it, then it is false. Yousimply create the sound 'O'. When itbecomes more harmonious and youare enjoying it, suddenly you will be-come aware it has become aum.

But don't force it to become aum,then it is false. When it becomesspontaneously aum then it is some-thing vibrating from within. And this

sound aum is the deepest sound, themost harmonious, the most basic.

When it happens and you enjoy andyou flow in its music, your whole bodyand your brain relax. With the soundaum you will go on relaxing and yoursleep will have a different quality, al-together different. And your sleep hasto be changed, only then can you be-come more alert and aware. So we willstart by changing the sleep.

In the night put the light off, sit onthe bed, exhale deeply through themouth with the sound 'O'. When youhave exhaled completely and you feelthat now no more exhalation is pos-sible, the whole breath has gone out,stop for a single moment. Don't inhale,don't exhale - just stop. In that stopyou are the divine. In that stop you arenot doing anything, not even breath-ing. In that stop you are in the ocean.

Just remain in the stop for a singlemoment and be a witness - just lookat what is happening. Be awarewhere you are: witness the wholesituation that is there in that singlestopped moment. Time is no morethere, because time moves with

breaths; breathing is the process oftime.

Because you breathe you feel thetime moving. When you don't breatheyou are just like a dead man. Time hasstopped, there is no process anywhere,everything has stopped… as if thewhole existence has stopped with you.In that stopping you can become awareof the deepest source of your being andenergy. So for a single moment stop.Then inhale through the nose, but don'tmake any effort to inhale.

Remember, make all the effort toexhale, but don't make any effort toinhale; just let the body inhale.

You simply relax your hold and letthe body take the inhalation. You don'tdo anything. That too is beautiful andworks wonders. You have exhaled,stopped for a moment, then you allowthe body to inhale. You don't make anyeffort to inhale; you simply watch thebody taking the inhalation.

And when you watch the body tak-ing the inhalation you will feel a deepsilence surrounding you, because thenyou know your effort is not needed forlife. Life breathes itself. It moves by it-self of its own cause. It is a river; youunnecessarily go on pushing it. You willsee that the body is taking the inhala-tion. Your effort is not needed, your egois not needed - you are not needed.You simply become a watcher, you sim-ply see the body taking the inhalation.Deep silence will be felt.

Excerpted from Vedanta: SevenSteps to Samadhi, Chapter One

Life moves by itself ofits own cause

Osho

Don't inhale, don't exhale - juststop. In that stop you arethe divine

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-US naval exercises: Can symbolismtranslate into power-play?

CMDE C UDAY BHASKAR (RETD)

The Indian Navy's (IN) eastern fleetcarried out a routine naval exercise

with the US Navy (USN) led by itsnuclear-powered aircraft carrier, theUSS Nimitz (100,000 tons), in the In-dian Ocean on Monday (July 20) and itis instructive to note that the US car-rier strike group wassailing from theSouth China Sea in the western PacificOcean towards the Persian Gulf. Thisostensibly routine bilateral military en-gagement has multi-layered signifi-cance for its impact on the prevailinggeopolitical dynamic in the Indo-Pacificandthe troubled US-China bilateral asalso the India-China military standoffacross the Line of Actual Control.

A routine exercise between units ofthe Indian and US navies in the IndianOcean is not going to have any imme-diate tangible impact on events in thehigh Himalayas but the symbolism issignificant. It sheds light on tacticalopportunities in the maritime domain,long-term challenges and structuralconstraints in India-US naval coopera-tion, even as there is a flick of irony inthe unfolding patterns of geopoliticalchoices made by nations and the cen-trality of the temporal context.

Irony of Indo-US tiesThe irony first. During the Cold War

decades, India and the USA were "es-tranged" over strategic issues (thenuclear stand) and China was a juniorpartner to the former Soviet Union asthe two Communist nations joinedhands to oppose the democratic US-led 'West'. For the USA, official Chinawas Taiwan and Beijing (then Peking)was not officially acknowledged.

In the second phase of the Cold War(1970 onwards) the US embarkedupon a rapprochement with Commu-nist China and between the Nixon-Kissinger team the foundation was laidfor deepening US-China ties since Mos-cow was the "evil empire" that had tobe contained. At the time Beijing hadno qualms about switching sides, muchto the chagrin of Moscow.

India soon became a preferred'friend' of the former USSR while a US-China-Pakistan triangular alliance wasbeing advanced. It peaked in the1971 war for Bangladesh and during

that period India was confronted withan anomalous situation where a UScarrier - the USS Enterprise - steamedinto the Bay of Bengal in a show ofsupport for Pakistan. However, theshow of force was more symbolic andBangladesh was midwifed by India,thereby hereby irrevocably alteringSouth Asian geopolitics.

Fast forward by about 50 years andnow the USA and India are on thesame page to uphold the rule of lawat sea and the freedom of the highseas, even as China has been unam-biguously identified as the deter-mined transgressor and disruptor ofglobal good by the Trump administra-tion. The USS Nimitz and the exercisewith the Indian Navy testifies to theinherent geopolitical flux that has nowbrought formerly the two 'estranged'democracies into a partnership wherethe correspondence in relation toChina is more than evident.

However, the structural constraintsin deepening the India-US relation-ship have acquired sharper focus inrecent days. Despite the US raisingthe ante with China over South ChinaSea and prioritizing freedom of theoceans, New Delhi remains wary ofentering into a formal alliance withWashington. Indian External AffairsMinister S. Jaishankar noted (July 22)that the USA needs to go beyond "al-liances" and evolve more pluralisticarrangements appropriate to a multi-polar world.

The USA has reiterated its partner-ship with India and in an expansiveturn of phrase US Secretary of StateMichael Pompeo asserted of the bilat-eral relationship (July 22): "We havethe ability today by working togetherto shape the world" and added fur-ther: "We see each other for what weare - great democracies, global pow-ers, really good friends."

While this is heady endorsement ofIndia's profile, the reality is that NewDelhi has a modest kitty by way ofmaterial resources it can bring to theglobal table and this gap is most vis-ible in the maritime/naval domain.South Asia Monitor

34 Edit Pagewww.indiapost.com

July 31, 2020India Post

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal to the author

In addition to these restrictions, farmers face

multiple operational challenges including

prohibitive transportation costs to the nearest

market, long queues at market and delays

in auction, local mafia raj, etc

Ordinances to transformagriculture sector

KAILASH CHOUDHARY

For a very long time, re-forms in agriculture marketing have been de-

bated, but no decisive actionhad been taken. It requiredleadership and political will tounshackle the farmers from thevice-like grip of intermediarieswho take away a large slice offarmers' income by resortingto cartelization and unfair arbi-trage.

Two landmark ordinanceswere recently promulgated bythe President of India, whichhave the potential to funda-mentally transform the agricul-ture sector and facilitate moreholistic development of agri-culture markets, from farm tofork, furthering thegovernment's vision of dou-bling farmer income by 2022.

The aim is to help the farmerbecome an entrepreneur

rather than being subservientto unholy nexus of regulatedmarkets and intermediaries.

The first of these Ordi-nances, The Farmers' ProduceTrade and Commerce (Promo-tion & Facilitation) Ordinance2020, provides freedom tofarmers to sell when they want,where they want and in which-ever market they want, whichwas restricted by stringent(and variable) APMC regula-tions. There were previouslyfour key restrictions for farm-ers - location of market (re-stricted to the nearest geo-graphic market), number ofbuyers (limited to licensedtraders leading to carteliza-tion, restricting competitionand reducing farmer price re-alization), infrastructure avail-

ability (due to lack of privateinvestment outside the mandi)and price transparency (lim-ited visibility of inter-stateprices, potential for intermedi-aries to gain through arbitrageat the cost of farmers).

In addition to these restric-tions, farmers face multiple op-erational challenges includingprohibitive transportationcosts to the nearest market,long queues at market and de-lays in auction, local mafia raj,etc. Further, the choice ofAPMC mandi and procurementat MSP will continue uninter-rupted.

Finally, in order to protectthe interest of farmers, thegovernment has mandated anexpedient and simple disputeresolution process.

With the new Ordinance inplace, a vibrant ecosystem will

be created for farmers andtraders creating an unre-stricted market with 3 keybenefits -

First, choice of market, al-lowing a farmer to sell in anystate or national market thatoffers the best prices. This willlimit the high dependence onlocal traders and enable farm-ers to realize the best pricesfor their produce, without hav-ing to pay commissions andfees to middlemen. A competi-tive marketplace will be cre-ated with large number of buy-ers leading to higher price re-alization for farmers.

Second, choice of place, al-lowing farmer to sell from anylocation - including farm-gate,storage points like warehousesor silos, private mandis or the

APMC markets. With the optionto sell at farm-gate or ware-house, farmers can reducetransportation overheads andimprove net realization in addi-tion to sidestepping the chal-lenges faced in current markets.

Third, choice of timing, al-lowing farmer to store pro-duce and sell post price dis-covery. Previously, farmerswould have to transport theirproduce to the mandi, incur-ring significant transportationcosts. This would result in aneed to sell irrespective ofprices, in order to avoid incur-ring a reverse transportationcost. Under the new Ordi-nance, a farmer can store andsell, due to choice to marketand place.

While historically there hasbeen limited investment in in-frastructure along the valuechain, in order to supportsmooth implementation of theOrdinance the government ofIndia has announced an AgriInfra Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore.The fund will catalyze other-wise stagnant investment fromcooperatives, FPOs and privatesector to facilitate creation ofphysical infrastructure like as-saying and grading facilities,cold chain etc., allowing farm-ers to store and sell, and re-duce wastage or distress sales.

While the first Ordinance fa-cilitates better price realiza-tion post-harvest, the secondOrdinance, The Farmers (Em-powerment and Protection)Agreement on Price Assuranceand Farm Services Ordinance2020, enables market linkagesat the sowing stage, therebylimiting both production riskand price risk.

The lack of a legal frame-work for contracting betweenfarmer and buyer in India hashistorically led to limited pri-vate sector participation inproduction. IANS

For detailed stories visitwww.indiapost.com

ADVANTAGE INDIAIndia and China were almost at the same pace of development

until 1980. However, Communist China realized the burden oftheir population and poverty, changed track, powered with popu-lation control and massive development, changing the pace com-pletely. The world including US and western countries supportedthem, believing the new Chinese policy would gradually integrateinto market economy and pave the way to freedom and demo-cracy. China took full advantage,went all-out and flooded the en-tire world with its manufacturing prowess. They cannot be blamedfor this. The Chinese people are extremely hard working and theydeserve to better their lot.

Armed with this new economic power, greed set in with the topCommunist Party leaders to expand their territory across the world.The recent aggression in the South China Sea, border clashes withIndia and suppressing the freedom-loving people of Hong Kongand their own Uyghur community haven't materialized out of theblue. China must have been planning these for years. Even theWuhan Virus may have been intentionally developed to browbeatwestern superiority as is suspected. China's handling of the pan-demic totally backfired with the entire world. The worst is not beingcooperative with international agencies' investigation on thespread of virus. This action has created a negative image of Chinawith World Leaders' response to isolate China with many boycott-ing their products and cancelling future contracts.

The question is, "Does China deserve this?" BIG YES! Any countrybehaving like this must be held responsible. The good news is therest of the world is coming together to respond with economic andmilitary cooperation to checkmate China.

This now is a golden opportunity for India to take advantage ofand develop its own economy and manufacturing abilities tocounter China. India should not get carried away only with the bor-der issue. It is important to always be vigilant at the border, evenduring peacetime, so that we are not surprised by their ulteriormotives. The only way India can become self-sufficient and freefrom poverty, is to develop its economic power. India needs to adaptand evolve with the new reality as posed in the present situation.Even though global economy has been hit badly with the pan-demic, for India this could become the turning point for a new fu-ture.

India must be careful and not repeat the same mistakes as China.New realities have emerged in manufacturing and cyber space. Thesituation has revealed several important areas where India can be-come the global leader and also help other developing countries.Even earlier India had witnessed an improvement with the adventof Internet and advances in communication technology.

The time is ripe to reimagine once again the digital economyboth in domestic governance and international trade. What Indiamust do - 1) Cut all red tape at bureaucratic level, 2) Digitize allclearances, 3) Implement labor laws that are friendly to interna-tional and domestic needs, 4) Provide hassle-free manufacturingspace to investors, 5) Protect and safeguard international patentguidelines, 6) Develop state-of-the-art infrastructure, 7) Providebest healthcare, skill development and good education system. Iftheseseven important steps are taken-on a war footing, no countrycan beat India in this century.

Most of the advanced countries developed only after the Sec-ond World War or, after going through severe hardships. The ongo-ing pandemic and economic stormcould well become a boom forIndia only if it changes its course and creates a Golden Opportunityof this hardship.


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