Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
While this discussion about vegetarian is going on here, just heard over the TV that the some police dept. people (I think Alabama) had some "Vegans" on surveillance (for Homeland Sec.) The Vegans were protesting some honey-baked ham factory. Don't know much about Vegans, are they the pure vegetarian types like them Hindus? On 5/2/06, Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: It is interesting to note that the word "non-vegetarian" is a misnomer in the sense that all non-vegetarians are also vegetarians also. In Hindi what we call 'amish' and 'nir-amish" make sense. But 'vegetarian" and 'non-vegetarian" does not make sense. They need to come up with some other words. Now here is a joke: The Air Hostess was asking each passenger, whether he was vegetarian or non vegetarian, and everybody was saying either vegetarian or no vegetarian. When the Air hostess asked the Indian guy, he replied promptly :"Both" RB - Original Message - From: Chan Mahanta To: Ram Sarangapani Cc: Rajen Barua ; assam@assamnet.org Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 9:03 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006 They are a few cuts above (or below) on the veggy index. Perhaps only the Jains surpass them. At 6:56 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Thanks C'da, I did not know that - but are they "vegitarian" ie. eggatarians/fishatarians or are they like the "pure vegitarians" like some Hindus, Buddhists or Jains? --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Correction Ram. Seventh Day Adventists are strictly vegetarian. They don't drink cofee or te even. At 4:40 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script 3. Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus S
Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
Title: Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006 It is interesting to note that the word "non-vegetarian" is a misnomer in the sense that all non-vegetarians are also vegetarians also. In Hindi what we call 'amish' and 'nir-amish" make sense. But 'vegetarian" and 'non-vegetarian" does not make sense. They need to come up with some other words. Now here is a joke: The Air Hostess was asking each passenger, whether he was vegetarian or non vegetarian, and everybody was saying either vegetarian or no vegetarian. When the Air hostess asked the Indian guy, he replied promptly :"Both" RB - Original Message - From: Chan Mahanta To: Ram Sarangapani Cc: Rajen Barua ; assam@assamnet.org Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 9:03 PM Subject: Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006 They are a few cuts above (or below) on the veggy index. Perhaps only the Jains surpass them. At 6:56 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Thanks C'da, I did not know that - but are they "vegitarian" ie. eggatarians/fishatarians or are they like the "pure vegitarians" like some Hindus, Buddhists or Jains? --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Correction Ram. Seventh Day Adventists are strictly vegetarian. They don't drink cofee or te even. At 4:40 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script 3. Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation,
[Assam] Column on Bihu and Mike Fincke
NE not even on radar screen: US state departmentNorth by north-eastSanjoy HazarikaThe US state department, also called Foggy Bottom for reasons which areobscure to me, is a large and imposing building in the heart of Washington.Although security concerns remain high, most of the roads around it are notclosed to public traffic and pedestrians can walk right in front of itwithout a problem of being searched or harassed. In most parts of the world, ordinary mortals are denied access to suchbuildings or face hostile questioning from obstreperous sentries out toharass those not lucky enough to possess special passes. Try getting nearthe Home Ministry or the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi and you'llunderstand what I mean.This is the building from which Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state,runs the foreign policy of the USA and where the Bush administration keeps aclose watch on events across the world. Security is tight but quiet andefficient; visitors must show identification and wait at reception to betaken into the building by officials they have come to meet. My discussions are with officials familiar with South Asia but who cannot befurther identified under the rules of a game that is always played outbetween the media and government figures across the world. While there isinterest in all issues relating to India and Pakistan and limited focus onBangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal ~ for example, why had India not movedquickly enough to put pressure on King Gyanendra of Nepal ~ there is a largeinformation or reality gap on issues relating to the North-east."The North-east is not even on the radar screen," said one official althoughhe indicated that the process of radicalisation in Bangladesh and its spreadin Southern Thailand had created concern in the USA. He referred to thespate of bombings in Bangladesh last year and was surprised that the familymembers of the suicide bombers had refused to allow the remains of theirchildren be buried in the ancestral grounds, saying that such suicidemissions and killings were anti-Islamic. One of them said such accounts wereencouraging.One of the officials also said that while it was "easy" for an extremistgroup to get "onto" a list of terrorist groups which the state departmentreleases from time to time to alert different governments on its concerns,it was "next to impossible" to get off it. In this connection, he remarkedon the notification of Ulfa as a terrorist group under close scrutiny in2004. But far more significant, he said, was the decision of the Bangladeshigovernment to come heavily down on Islamic militants within the country,signaling that it was finally ready to shut its closeness to radical groupswhich espoused a jihadi cause. To the USA and its allies, there is little chance of any issue from theNorth-east of India taking a front seat in its foreign policy because theseissues do not impact or threaten US interests anywhere. That is the basicfact of the matter and the sooner we understand this, the better. In theeyes of the NE, we are the cynosure of the world; our media and politicalleaders would like to believe it. But the most powerful nation in the worlddoes not really care: until US interests are impacted by the issues whichtrouble the North-east, we will not even remain a blip on the radar screen.That is something to be thankful about for not everyone wishes to be closelywatched by the USA and its allies.**These past weeks, in addition to many meetings and discussions, I haveattended Bihu celebrations to mark the advent of the Assamese New Year(which coincides with Pongal, Baishakhi, the Buddhist New Year as well asEaster; the Thais, Burmese, Laotians, Kampucheans and others celebrate it bythrowing clean and even perfumed water on each other!). The Assamesecommunity in the USA and Canada has been growing slowly but it still remainsone of the smallest immigrant groups in a nation of immigrants. Many of thenew arrivals are IT specialists and they seem to be doing well. And theytake the opportunity to retain flavours of home as well as the connection.In Houston, Texas, it was organised not far from the Gulf of Mexico under anawning in a public park.Conversation turned often to politics at home and infrastructure problems.But the food was authentic:til pitha (sesame seed sweets, which I have just discovered the Koreans alsomake very competently), fish and other items. Children played, so did theadults with a tug of war and egg toss (where teams of two persons toss anegg to each other until the egg breaks and splatters messily on clothes: theidea is that the team who does not break its egg wins). Later in theevening, the gathering came together at a nearby club where there wassinging, music and I was asked to share my thoughts on the situation inAssam and the North-east.Without doubt, however, one of the highlights of the visit was to meet MikeFinke, an astronaut who has conducted the longest space mission, and who ismarried to an Assa
Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
Title: Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006 They are a few cuts above (or below) on the veggy index. Perhaps only the Jains surpass them. At 6:56 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Thanks C'da, I did not know that - but are they "vegitarian" ie. eggatarians/fishatarians or are they like the "pure vegitarians" like some Hindus, Buddhists or Jains? --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Correction Ram. Seventh Day Adventists are strictly vegetarian. They don't drink cofee or te even. At 4:40 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script 3. Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script wwwhindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, May 2, 2006: (HPI note: The significance of this discovery is unclear. Additional links are given at the end for more technical information.) A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus Valley script has been discovered by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a village called Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The celt, a polished hand-held stone axe, has four Indus Valley signs on it. The artefact with the script can be as old as 1,500 BCE, that is, 3,500 years old. The four signs were identified by epigraphists of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, according to its Special Commissioner, T. S. Sridhar. Iravatham Mahadevan, one of the world's foremost experts on the Indus script, called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu." The discovery proved that the Indus script had reached Tamil Nadu. He estimated the date of the artefact with the sc ript to be around 1500 BCE. "I have cautiously and conservatively put it betwe
Re: [Assam] ADB loan to re-structure ASEB -politics
Define RESTRUCTURING in entirety for the Janata. And no cheating! mm From: umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, ASSAMNET Subject: Re: [Assam] ADB loan to re-structure ASEB -politicsDate: Tue, 2 May 2006 21:38:14 +0100 (BST) The newspapers support that version which is supported by majority of its readers. See this part about property and municipal tax -- which is too low to be imagnied in I think all parts of India. Also, govt univs tuition hikes raise hue and cry by media --whereas it is so low that even a beggar wouldn't find it difficult to get himeslf educated there. Why is the opposition for the ADB project and what are the reasons for supporting it? Will restructuring lower the power of the unions - they have to content with 5 different organizations and their boards -- just like in Mexico - the national school teacher union SNDT opposed decentralization of education -- becos then it would have to deal with so many different state and district officials - and its negotiation powers would go down. Umesh PS: from the article: Or take the perverse decision to hike property tax and municipal tax mainly in order to be able to pay salaries to a lot of people who have never done any work and do not ever intend to, and beyond that to give them pensions for doing nothing and resting afterwards. And the arbitrary 30 per cent hikes all round must come from the taxpaying citizen who is expected to go on subsidizing all kinds of mismanagement that the Government can invent. As a result, householders and taxpayers of Guwahati are expected to lose their property because at the present rate, the taxes are going to make the retention of such property quite impossibleRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: For those interested, here is the ADB loan $250 USD details for restructuring the ASEB. The ASEB has already advertised for global tenders for June 6 this year.. From other news reports, the ASEB labour unions and the CPI (M) are against any restructuring of ASEB and thus the loan itself. and this portion from the Sentinel editorial (Dec 21) Then there is the same bulldozing of the ruling party's will about the breaking up of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) into five separate entities despite the fact that the ASEB is a losing concern and despite the fact that the foremost task before the ASEB is the control of theft of power which has already taken the so-called transmission and distribution losses to 45 per cent an unheard-of situation anywhere in the world. And everyone knows that the reason for making five organizations out of a sick one is that a huge amount of loans from the Asian Development Bank and other financial institutions are on the cards, and that five entities are better than one when it comes to treating big overseas loans like grants. Or take the perverse decision to hike property tax and municipal tax mainly in order to be able to pay salaries to a lot of people who have never done any work and do not ever intend to, and beyond that to give them pensions for doing nothing and resting afterwards. And the arbitrary 30 per cent hikes all round must come from the taxpaying citizen who is expected to go on subsidizing all kinds of mismanagement that the Government can invent. As a result, householders and taxpayers of Guwahati are expected to lose their property because at the present rate, the taxes are going to make the retention of such property quite impossible. These are just some of the ways in which an anti-people government works just to keep a vested interest called "the government" going. - Sentinel, Dec 21 So, all this looks really murky, the ADB thinks the state will benefit from restructuring and electric supply, while others like the unions and the Sentinel, River Basin seem to be opposed. The question we all need to ponder is that Assam is bent out of shape because of the huge shortage of electric supply. Will the ADB $250 million loan solve this? If NOT, what other solutions do others have, and where will the FUNDING come from? --Ram __ From the ADB Helping Indian State of Assam to Overhaul Power Sector MANILA, PHILIPPINES (10 December 2003) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help the Government of Assam, India, restructure its power sector to deliver electricity more efficiently to consumers through a US$250 million loan package. The Assam Power Sector Development Plan (SDP) comprises a policy loan, an investment loan, and three technical assistance (TA) grants to support a comprehensive program of reform. The US$150 million policy loan will help restructure Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB), a vertically-integrated utility, into independent companies and strengthen its policy and regulatory framework to implement reforms. The US$100 million investment loan will improve the transmi
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day ofProtest against ADB!
The ADB loan has already been sanctioned, - Do we want to give it back? (apologies to Gen. George Patton) Don't accept the noose. It will throttle us like the following did: Bongaigaon Thermal power station with rider" you shall burn Ranigunj Coal only" Chandrapur Thermal power Station with rider" you shall burn Noonmati Fuel oil only" Above 2 are dead after India Sanctioned, ADB funded- ran limping for 2-3 years !!! Rajiv Gandhi's "Gift to the Nation"- Kathalguri Gas turbines power station fuelled by valuable Natural Gas -Gas Turbine Simple Cycle in the 21st Century!! IIT Guwahati- merely destroyed the North Guwahati Ecology .4000 Crores with ADB loans! All the Hydro power stations cropping up just at the Assam border in hush hush deals at Delhi with ADB Manmohan laid ONGC Gas-based Super Thermal in Tripura -Feb 06-ADB again New Bongaigaon Super Themal( another over the failed ) this time with low-ash chemical-grade coal from Margherita!! Again ADB. Development of Ledo Coalfields to feed above . ADB Again! We are not sure how much of "Accord Refinery" at Numaligarh is funded by ADB. These shady deals will not be covered by the much-touted Freedom to information Act The inside info is AASU boys in'85 signed the midnight papers -and they did not even think of IIT- nor a refinery- in their AANDOLON. Somebody slipped these in at the last moment. mm From: "Ram Sarangapani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: "Chan Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>CC: Dilip/Dil Deka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED],assam@assamnet.orgSubject: Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day ofProtest against ADB!Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 11:48:52 -0500 C'da, >*** If you want to find out about them you can. But if your interest remains limited to passing armchair >critics' verdict then that is what we get, as I have seen in assamnet the last few days. Point well taken. That is why (before you wrote), I sent another post regarding the ADB loan and the ASEB after finding out a bit more about the whole thing. The problem though, C'da, is this, specially with the ASEB case, there seems to two very opposing views. The question again for Assam is do we need an abundant supply of electricity? If yes, whats wrong with the ADB loan of 250$ mill. If the ADB is not the right vehicle, then who do you think will come up that much money in such a short order. The ADB loan has already been sanctioned, - Do we want to give it back? (apologies to Gen. George Patton) --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Ram: The above is really vague. The RB people (and others) have NOT identifed specific instances where the ADB has hurt the poor or has acted only for the rich countries and against countries like India. If they could provide some examples, it would clear the doubts. *** If you want to find out about them you can. But if your interest remains limited to passing armchair critics' verdict then that is what we get, as I have seen in assamnet the last few days. How do I know? Because I asked Ravi when I was at Silapathar last December. I know why RBF and so many others all across Asia are opposing ADB. MUklul Dada also briefed me on some of those. And they are completely justified. Unfortunately I don't have the time to educate you and the other assamnet 'experts' always at the ready to render verdicts, whether they have the expertise to do so or not. But if you do your homework with a desire to really understand, they will be delighted to educate you with examples and references. But you will need to do your due-diligence part as well. That is why I quizzed Pradip Datta and Umesh Sharma about what they know to render the verdicts they did, implying all those millions who are opposed to ADB undertakings do not know what they are talking about. It was a clear case of 'adhakhunda' ( half-baked) knowledge. c-da At 11:05 AM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, >You ought to try a tad bit harder :-)! I am trying, I am trying, C'da Every year, ADB moves huge amounts of money across the Asia-Pacific region in a bid to foster rapid economic growth and market capitalism. Despite its name and stated intentions, the ADB does not serve to alleviate poverty. Instead, it advances capitalist and corporate interests, serves the will of powerful countries such as Japan and U.S. and other expansionist nations, and excludes poor and marginalised peoples from control over their resources. It is an undemocratic, non-transparent and unaccountable institution. - River Basin The above is really vague. The RB people (and others) have NOT identifed specific instances where the ADB has hurt the poor or has acted only for the rich countries and against countries like India. If they could provide some examples, it would clear the doubts. This is the same song and dance about how market capitalism work
Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
Thanks C'da, I did not know that - but are they "vegitarian" ie. eggatarians/fishatarians or are they like the "pure vegitarians" like some Hindus, Buddhists or Jains? --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Correction Ram. Seventh Day Adventists are strictly vegetarian. They don't drink cofee or te even. At 4:40 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script 3. Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script wwwhindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, May 2, 2006: (HPI note: The significance of this discovery is unclear. Additional links are given at the end for more technical information.)A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus Valley script has been discovered by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a village called Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The celt, a polished hand-held stone axe, has four Indus Valley signs on it. The artefact with the script can be as old as 1,500 BCE, that is, 3,500 years old. The four signs were identified by epigraphists of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, according to its Special Commissioner, T. S. Sridhar. Iravatham Mahadevan, one of the world's foremost experts on the Indus script, called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu." The discovery proved that the Indus script had reached Tamil Nadu. He estimated the date of the artefact with the sc ript to be around 1500 BCE. "I have cautiously and conservatively put it between 2000 BCE. and 1500 BCE.," Mr. Mahadevan said. It was in the classical Indus script. He ruled out the possibility of the celt coming from North India because "the material of this stone is clearly of peninsular origin." Harapp
Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
Title: Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006 Correction Ram. Seventh Day Adventists are strictly vegetarian. They don't drink cofee or te even. At 4:40 PM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script 3. Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script wwwhindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, May 2, 2006: (HPI note: The significance of this discovery is unclear. Additional links are given at the end for more technical information.) A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus Valley script has been discovered by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a village called Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The celt, a polished hand-held stone axe, has four Indus Valley signs on it. The artefact with the script can be as old as 1,500 BCE, that is, 3,500 years old. The four signs were identified by epigraphists of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, according to its Special Commissioner, T. S. Sridhar. Iravatham Mahadevan, one of the world's foremost experts on the Indus script, called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu." The discovery proved that the Indus script had reached Tamil Nadu. He estimated the date of the artefact with the sc ript to be around 1500 BCE. "I have cautiously and conservatively put it between 2000 BCE. and 1500 BCE.," Mr. Mahadevan said. It was in the classical Indus script. He ruled out the possibility of the celt coming from North India because "the material of this stone is clearly of peninsular origin." Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, where hundreds of seals with the Indus script were discovered, are in present-day Pakistan. Neolithic means New Stone Age and it is datable in India between 2000 BCE. and 1000 BCE. Ac
Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
You should've seen the stall and the posters put up by ISKCON at the Houston International Festival held during the last two weekends. The posters talked about how meat makes you sick! Close by, Taj Restaurant was selling chicken and lamb shish kabobs without any hesitation and there was a long line to buy their food. The contrast was interesting and awkward. DilipRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script wwwhindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, May 2, 2006: (HPI note: The significance of this discovery is unclear. Additional links are given at the end for more technical information.)A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus Valley script has been discovered by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a village called Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The celt, a polished hand-held stone axe, has four Indus Valley signs on it. The artefact with the script can be as old as 1,500 BCE, that is, 3,500 years old. The four signs were identified by epigraphists of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, according to its Special Commissioner, T. S. Sridhar. Iravatham Mahadevan, one of the world's foremost experts on the Indus script, called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu." The discovery proved that the Indus script had reached Tamil Nadu. He estimated the date of the artefact with the sc ript to be around 1500 BCE. "I have cautiously and conservatively put it between 2000 BCE. and 1500 BCE.," Mr. Mahadevan said. It was in the classical Indus script. He ruled out the possibility of the celt coming from North India because "the material of this stone i
Re: [Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
Hehehe Barua, >Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? I don't know. But why bother about what the Hindu press regurgitates? If you look at any Christian or Islamic slanted press you will find similar things (not not food but other things) - my view, these are not the best places to seek information. But on a slightly different note, the only religions that I know of that tout vegitarianism as Hindism and Buddhism. BTW: on major airlines, if you ask for vegitarian food - you would likely get eggs/fish (obviously not considered vegitarian). You have to ask for a "Hindu meal". The airlines obviously think there is a close relationship between such foods and Hinduism. I guess, you will have to differentiate between a " Vegitarian food" and the "Hindu meal" -:) -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Rajen Barua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script wwwhindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, May 2, 2006: (HPI note: The significance of this discovery is unclear. Additional links are given at the end for more technical information.)A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus Valley script has been discovered by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a village called Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The celt, a polished hand-held stone axe, has four Indus Valley signs on it. The artefact with the script can be as old as 1,500 BCE, that is, 3,500 years old. The four signs were identified by epigraphists of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, according to its Special Commissioner, T. S. Sridhar. Iravatham Mahadevan, one of the world's foremost experts on the Indus script, called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu." The discovery proved that the Indus script had reached Tamil Nadu. He estimated the date of the artefact with the sc ript to be around 1500 BCE. "I have cautiously and conservatively put it between 2000 BCE. and 1500 BCE.," Mr. Mahadevan said. It was in the classical Indus script. He ruled out the possibility of the celt coming from North India because "the material of this stone is clearly of peninsular origin." Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, where hundreds of seals with the Indus script were discovered, are in present-day Pakistan. Neolithic means New Stone Age and it is datable in India between 2000 BCE. and 1000 BCE. According to Mr. Mahadevan, the first sign on the celt depicted a skeletal body with ribs. The figure is seated on his haunches, body bent and contracted, with lower limbs folded and knees drawn up. The second sign showed
[Assam] Fw: HPI, May 2, 2006
Title: Hindu Press International May 2, 2006 >FLORIDA, USA, May 2, 2006: On April 25, the Florida House of Representatives enacted the Florida Healthy School Lunch Resolution (HR 9095) >recommending a daily vegetarian school lunch option. (HPI note: A legislative resolution carries no weight of law, rather is advice or a recommendation from the >legislators.) I absolutely don't understand why the above is in Hindu Press News? Is Vegetarian a Hindu thing? Or is it a 'feel good' thing for the vegetarian Hindus? RB - Original Message - From: Hindu Press International To: undisclosed-recipients: Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 3:00 PM Subject: HPI, May 2, 2006 May 2, 2006 Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script Florida Legislature Recommends Vegetarian Lunch Options 1. Restored Brahma Deity To Be Reinstalled At Thailand Shrine www.manager.co.th THAILAND, May 1, 2006: The restored image of the four-faced Lord Brahma will be reinstalled at its Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong Intersection in the next 10 days, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Surakiat Sathirathai yesterday morning, following an inspection of the progress of the repairs to the holy Deity, which was completely destroyed by a mentally ill man on March 20. "I'd like to publicize [the event] and invite faithful Thais and foreigners to join the ceremony together in the next 10 days," said Surakiat. The auspicious date and time for the installation ceremony will be computed by brahmans and experts after the restored image of the famous four-face Hindu deity, which is made from the remains of the old Deity, is covered with gold leaf. On that day, the image of Brahma, locally known as Than Tao Mahaprom, will be carried to the Erawan Shrine in an elaborately decorated car procession that will pass several significant pla ces in Bangkok like the City Shrine, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the Giant Swing, to allow people to worship it. Following the installation, the Culture Ministry will carry out a gold-casting ceremony for the production of another image of Brahma that will be made from auspicious nine metals and kept at the National Museum. The image of Brahma was originally built in 1956 with plaster and covered with gold leaf. It is deeply respected by Thais and foreigners. 2. Ancient Stone Ax Found in Tamil Nadu with Indus Script wwwhindu.com CHENNAI, INDIA, May 2, 2006: (HPI note: The significance of this discovery is unclear. Additional links are given at the end for more technical information.)A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus Valley script has been discovered by a school teacher, V. Shanmuganathan, in a village called Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu. The celt, a polished hand-held stone axe, has four Indus Valley signs on it. The artefact with the script can be as old as 1,500 BCE, that is, 3,500 years old. The four signs were identified by epigraphists of the Tamil Nadu Department of Archaeology, according to its Special Commissioner, T. S. Sridhar.Iravatham Mahadevan, one of the world's foremost experts on the Indus script, called the find "the greatest archaeological discovery of a century in Tamil Nadu." The discovery proved that the Indus script had reached Tamil Nadu. He estimated the date of the artefact with the sc ript to be around 1500 BCE. "I have cautiously and conservatively put it between 2000 BCE. and 1500 BCE.," Mr. Mahadevan said. It was in the classical Indus script. He ruled out the possibility of the celt coming from North India because "the material of this stone is clearly of peninsular origin."Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, where hundreds of seals with the Indus script were discovered, are in present-day Pakistan. Neolithic means New Stone Age and it is datable in India between 2000 BCE. and 1000 BCE.According to Mr. Mahadevan, the first sign on the celt depicted a skeletal body with ribs. The figure is seated on his haunches, body bent and contracted, with lower limbs folded and knees drawn up. The second sign showed a jar. Hundreds of this pair have been found on seals and sealings at Harappa. Mr. Mahadevan read the first sign as "muruku" and the second sign as "an." (HPI note: There is no accepted translation of the Indus script. ) In other words, it is "Murukan." The earliest references in Old Tamil poetry portrayed him as a "wrathful killer," indicating his prowess as a war god and hunter. The third sign looked like a trident and the fourth like a crescent with a loop in the middle.Mr. Mahadevan commented that the latest discovery was very strong evidence that the Neolithic people of Tamil Nadu and the Indus Valley people "shared the same language, which can only be Dravidian and not Indo-Aryan." He added that before this discovery, the southernmost occurrence of the Indus script was
[Assam] Immigration: She doesn't speak for me
I saw her interview on C-Span today. http://www.dontspeakforme.org/ She is neither a legal immigrant nor an illegal one - only that she was born to a origin Latino family . Her claim to fame is that her parents were immigrants (as were forefathers of most Americans except Native Americans). She thinks there is nothing wrong at all - with US immigration system -after all her parents benefitted from it! She wants immigration to be reduced and like those on lifeboats from Titanic - wants to kick away all those who want space aboard the space ship called USA. Mariann Davies, "You Dont Speak for Me" Coalition Member see her interview video on http://www.c-span.org/videoarchives.asp?CatCodePairs=,&ArchiveDays=100 What do you say? Umesh PS: I say that it is surprising that even in under developed India - US consulate is more advanced than its counterpart inside US . The US Consulate in India invites applications online - reducing paperwork and increasing effeciency . Lower number of Indians to hire there. Here if they improve effeciency and make everything online also - then many employees (legal US citizens) would have to be fired - though many might be thru contractors. Anyway most US govt employees feel threatened by immigrants -- so less effecient immigration system the better. Online system has been opposed by employee unions of nationalized Indian banks for the same reason If I were to get an H-1B non immigrant work visa this summer - only after 15 years!!! I would be able to work/play outside US for more than one year at a stretch. Four years atleast before I can apply for Green Card. It takes 6-8 years for the Green Card to be apporved. Put in another 5 years before one can become a citizen - so here you are 15 years to a US citizenship. No wonder you hear many wanting to go back to their homeland after working here for some years - where they are not considered second class "citizens" or worse : "aliens" like those in Star Trek. It is hard enough to hanging on to the job in a foreign country - it is doubly hard when the visa laws make it messier. I am still waiting for a DUPLICATE work pewrmit for which I had applied in Nov 2006. In India atleast I could have tried to use push and pull or even money to get thinsg done -- lack of corruption here is thus a disadvantage in USA - in this regard. However, I like to be an explorer so explore this avenue I will after I get someone to sponsor me. Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] ADB loan to re-structure ASEB -politics
The newspapers support that version which is supported by majority of its readers. See this part about property and municipal tax -- which is too low to be imagnied in I think all parts of India. Also, govt univs tuition hikes raise hue and cry by media --whereas it is so low that even a beggar wouldn't find it difficult to get himeslf educated there. Why is the opposition for the ADB project and what are the reasons for supporting it? Will restructuring lower the power of the unions - they have to content with 5 different organizations and their boards -- just like in Mexico - the national school teacher union SNDT opposed decentralization of education -- becos then it would have to deal with so many different state and district officials - and its negotiation powers would go down. Umesh PS: from the article: Or take the perverse decision to hike property tax and municipal tax mainly in order to be able to pay salaries to a lot of people who have never done any work and do not ever intend to, and beyond that to give them pensions for doing nothing and resting afterwards. And the arbitrary 30 per cent hikes all round must come from the taxpaying citizen who is expected to go on subsidizing all kinds of mismanagement that the Government can invent. As a result, householders and taxpayers of Guwahati are expected to lose their property because at the present rate, the taxes are going to make the retention of such property quite impossibleRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:For those interested, here is the ADB loan $250 USD details for restructuring the ASEB. The ASEB has already advertised for global tenders for June 6 this year.. From other news reports, the ASEB labour unions and the CPI (M) are against any restructuring of ASEB and thus the loan itself. and this portion from the Sentinel editorial (Dec 21) Then there is the same bulldozing of the ruling party's will about the breaking up of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) into five separate entities despite the fact that the ASEB is a losing concern and despite the fact that the foremost task before the ASEB is the control of theft of power which has already taken the so-called transmission and distribution losses to 45 per cent an unheard-of situation anywhere in the world. And everyone knows that the reason for making five organizations out of a sick one is that a huge amount of loans from the Asian Development Bank and other financial institutions are on the cards, and that five entities are better than one when it comes to treating big overseas loans like grants. Or take the perverse decision to hike property tax and municipal tax mainly in order to be able to pay salaries to a lot of people who have never done any work and do not ever intend to, and beyond that to give them pensions for doing nothing and resting afterwards. And the arbitrary 30 per cent hikes all round must come from the taxpaying citizen who is expected to go on subsidizing all kinds of mismanagement that the Government can invent. As a result, householders and taxpayers of Guwahati are expected to lose their property because at the present rate, the taxes are going to make the retention of such property quite impossible. These are just some of the ways in which an anti-people government works just to keep a vested interest called "the government" going. - Sentinel, Dec 21 So, all this looks really murky, the ADB thinks the state will benefit from restructuring and electric supply, while others like the unions and the Sentinel, River Basin seem to be opposed. The question we all need to ponder is that Assam is bent out of shape because of the huge shortage of electric supply. Will the ADB $250 million loan solve this? If NOT, what other solutions do others have, and where will the FUNDING come from? --Ram __ From the ADB Helping Indian State of Assam to Overhaul Power Sector MANILA, PHILIPPINES (10 December 2003) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help the Government of Assam, India, restructure its power sector to deliver electricity more efficiently to consumers through a US$250 million loan package. The Assam Power Sector Development Plan (SDP) comprises a policy loan, an investment loan, and three technical assistance (TA) grants to support a comprehensive program of reform. The US$150 million policy loan will help restructure Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB), a vertically-integrated utility, into independent companies and strengthen its policy and regulatory framework to implement reforms. The US$100 million investment loan will improve the transmission and distribution system, introduce a revenue management system, and increase the reach of electricity in rural areas. Assam, a small state in the center of northeastern India blessed with abundant natural resources, is a strategic corridor for the region, but unreliable power from the state-owned ASEB has hampered industr
Re: [Assam] Of Militant Struggles -Sentinel Editorial
Hi Umesh, Well! the Kasmiri militants like their Taliban cousins never did arise from any lofty ideal. In any case, advocating for one religious order only and killing any one that comes in between them and their warped goal tells us how mindless these thugs are. --Ram da On 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: "The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals . " -The Sentinel But this is also true of such organizations elsewhere too. More often than not, most of these organizations lose track of their original aspirations and promises. The longer such militant organizations exist, the further they seem to veer away from their lofty ideals. --Ram __ Of Militant Struggles Violence as a means of redressing social inequality and oppression may neither be desirable nor seen as the best approach. But it is a fact of history that violence has been a vector of change in different periods of human civilization when tyranny and authoritarianism had to be overthrown. Even during our freedom struggle which was guided principally by the ethics of non-violence, there were several strands of militant politics, and the nation has gratefully acknowledged the contribution of patriots like Bhagat Singh or ''Bagha'' Jatin. And since independence, the country has seen several militant struggles especially in regions where the state has miserably failed to ensure distributive justice. In the north-eastern region, however, militancy has been closely linked with the politics of identity which, in turn, is tied up in many cases with underdevelopment and a deep sense of exploitation. Hence, a small section of those who have felt that securing justice is not possible within the democratic system, have taken to militancy. But the history of political violence also shows that it is extremely difficult to sustain a militant movement. This is exactly why leaders of revolutionary struggles have always emphasized on the need for strict ideological orientation of such movements. But it is seen that in most cases, these movements, in the course of time, get deviated from their stated purpose and degenerate into narrow terrorist outfits which make their presence felt by indulging in random violence aimed at striking fear among the people. Such outfits thrive mainly on extortion and violence. This is exactly what has happened in the Northeast. The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals. In neighbouring Manipur which boasts of over a dozen militant outfits, the recent reported mass rape of Hmar women by a militant group is a pointer to the fact that there too the militant movement has meandered. Those acquainted with the trends of militancy in that State know that among the different insurgent organizations, certain groups could lay some claim to possessing some sort of an ideological core. But the recent happenings, including the blatant attempt to gag the press by holding editors to ransom, have proved that such a core does not exist any more. The Hmars living in Churachandpur district of Manipur have been fleeing their homes because of continuous atrocities being perpetrated on them by a particular militant group. One may recall the Naga-Kuki clash when the NSCN and the KLA played their own part in targeting the civilian population of either community, or the recent happenings in Karbi Anglong where militant groups did not spare even women and children. What is even more disturbing is that the Naxalites too have now shifted their targets from the state to the common people. The recent kidnapping and murder of some 15 villagers in Manikanta village of south Chattisgarh reveals the bankruptcy of the Maoist cause. Earlier too, in February, the Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying villagers from an anti-Naxalite rally and killed 32 people. With ''liberators'' turning into killers, the pitfalls of militant violence are getting clearer every day. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE ADB--PRESS RELEASE
any comments about the MNC and politico connections. However, I would say that if there is corruption in a country's govt and the money is purloined --- then the country's people are responsible for that --NOT ADB.. However, ADB has responsibilty of ensuring that projects it funds do have a positive impact and do not fall prey to corruption by its own consultants - who might be accused of approving funding of projects which do not meet the standards. The recent scandals in UN showing involvement of sons and daughters and other relatives of UN officials lobbying to get substandard projects approved - isa case in point. As far as World Bank is concerned - due to such protests - it has taken steps to ensure that its projects are evaluated by those who are independent of its systems - the Operations and Evaluations Unit (its WatchDog) which reports directly to its board of directors. I met one such person from this group - who had always been critical of the Bank - so he was made part of the watch dog group. Perhaps ADB should also set up such a watch dog group including members from its opposing civil society organizations. Umesh "River Basin Friends(NE)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]From: "River Basin Friends\(NE\)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 09:59:30 +0100 (BST)Subject: [Assam Society] BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE ADB--PRESS RELEASE http://www.asianpeoplesforum.net PEOPLES FORUM AGAINST ADB - PRESS RELEASE: 2 May 2006, Hyderabad BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE ADB: PEOPLES FORUM The ADB is destructive; we are much better of without it. That is the simple message that civil society groups have for the powerful Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the occasion of its 39th Annual Governors meeting in Hyderabad. 97 social movements, struggle groups and NGOs from across Asia have come together to form the Peoples Forum Against ADB (PFAADB), which accuses the ADB of accelerating poverty in the region. The group issued a strong response to Finance Minister Chidambarams statement yesterday. Said Souparna Lahiri of the PFAADB, The Finance Ministers statement that the Government would listen to dissenting views but not change its policies or stop doing business with ADB proves what we have been saying all along. Public consultations are a farce and conducted to appease people. We would like to remind the Minister that in a democracy, public policy must be based on the will of the people. The minority Government that he represents was elected on a platform that rejected neo-liberal economic reforms. The ADBs purported raison detre is Fighting poverty in Asia and Pacific. Research on ADB projects across Asia show that this is patently untrue. Moreover, it seems unable to learn from its mistakes. For example, in Laos, the ADB supported a project that created subsidies for foreign companies to convert forestland into industrial eucalyptus plantations. It forced farmers off their land and increased poverty and indebtedness. One month after its own internal evaluations reported that the project was a disaster, the ADB sanctioned a longer-term loan for another such project, highlighted Shalmali Guttal of the policy analysis NGO Focus on the Global South. The ADB might not be a familiar name for the people of Andhra Pradesh. But this state was a laboratory of the World Bank and we have experienced the economic policies that the ADB is promoting. The policies failed to deliver for the people and thousands marched against these policies in the streets of this city. Choosing Hyderabad as the site of the ADBs meeting is a threat to all of AP -- the people of this state must mobilise to protect their livelihoods and democracy, said Advocate Balagopal of the Human Rights Forum The Peoples Forum has given a call for global protests against the ADB on May 5 2006. Thousands are expected to join the 5 May rally from Public Gardens in Nampally. Many of ADBs borrowing countries suffer under unpayable debts, but ADB loans simply add to the national debt and come with stringent policy conditionalities. Majority of ADB money goes straight to consultants and multinational corporations, but ordinary citizens are made to bear the costs, argued Lidy Nacpil from Philippines of the campaign group Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development. Kalia Moldogazieva of Human Development Center Tree of Life in Kyrgyzstan said, For a small country like Kyrgyzstan, which is undergoing economic transition, the ADB is completely inappropriate. For one thing, ADB projects have resulted in massive corruption. But the ADB itself is completely non-transparent in naming the companies that have embezzled money. The public is being denied the right to know where the money goes. The PFAADB is holding a variety of protests, seminars, work
[Assam] March 2006 issue of Newsletter - weblink
http://www.assam.org/newsletter/march2006.pdf Check out Jugal-da's new online Assamese Please comment on my article as well : on computers and education. UmeshUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Switch an email account to Yahoo! Mail, you could win FIFA World Cup tickets. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Of Militant Struggles -Sentinel Editorial
Ram-da, It seems you are refering to recent massacre of innocents in Kashmir by terrorists as well. UmeshRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:"The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals . " -The Sentinel But this is also true of such organizations elsewhere too. More often than not, most of these organizations lose track of their original aspirations and promises. The longer such militant organizations exist, the further they seem to veer away from their lofty ideals. --Ram __ Of Militant StrugglesViolence as a means of redressing social inequality and oppression may neither be desirable nor seen as the best approach. But it is a fact of history that violence has been a vector of change in different periods of human civilization when tyranny and authoritarianism had to be overthrown. Even during our freedom struggle which was guided principally by the ethics of non-violence, there were several strands of militant politics, and the nation has gratefully acknowledged the contribution of patriots like Bhagat Singh or ''Bagha'' Jatin. And since independence, the country has seen several militant struggles especially in regions where the state has miserably failed to ensure distributive justice. In the north-eastern region, however, militancy has been closely linked with the politics of identity which, in turn, is tied up in many cases with underdevelopment and a deep sense of exploitation. Hence, a small section of those who have felt that securing justice is not possible within the democratic system, have taken to militancy. But the history of political violence also shows that it is extremely difficult to sustain a militant movement. This is exactly why leaders of revolutionary struggles have always emphasized on the need for strict ideological orientation of such movements. But it is seen that in most cases, these movements, in the course of time, get deviated from their stated purpose and degenerate into narrow terrorist outfits which make their presence felt by indulging in random violence aimed at striking fear among the people. Such outfits thrive mainly on extortion and violence. This is exactly what has happened in the Northeast. The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals. In neighbouring Manipur which boasts of over a dozen militant outfits, the recent reported mass rape of Hmar women by a militant group is a pointer to the fact that there too the militant movement has meandered. Those acquainted with the trends of militancy in that State know that among the different insurgent organizations, certain groups could lay some claim to possessing some sort of an ideological core. But the recent happenings, including the blatant attempt to gag the press by holding editors to ransom, have proved that such a core does not exist any more. The Hmars living in Churachandpur district of Manipur have been fleeing their homes because of continuous atrocities being perpetrated on them by a particular militant group. One may recall the Naga-Kuki clash when the NSCN and the KLA played their own part in targeting the civilian population of either community, or the recent happenings in Karbi Anglong where militant groups did not spare even women and children. What is even more disturbing is that the Naxalites too have now shifted their targets from the state to the common people. The recent kidnapping and murder of some 15 villagers in Manikanta village of south Chattisgarh reveals the bankruptcy of the Maoist cause. Earlier too, in February, the Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying villagers from an anti-Naxalite rally and killed 32 people. With ''liberators'' turning into killers, the pitfalls of militant violence are getting clearer every day. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.orgUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Win tickets to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany with Yahoo! Messenger.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Highway in Assam
Dilip-da, It seems the compensation is being provided. What is the joke in it? :) UmeshDilip/Dil Deka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Has this project received Ravindranath's approval? :-) I saw some alarming words in the news report that I have highlighted. ;-) NHAI all set to change face of NEGUWAHATI, May 1 (UNI): A mini India has assembled on the side of the National Highway starting from Srirampur to Silchar, in a stretch of over 700 km, as the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has commenced the biggest ever protect of the North-east promising to change its face forever.The NHAI is constructing the East West corridor linking the communication starved North-east India with Porbandar in Gujarat with a four lane highway where average speed of all vehicles would be more than 100 kilometre per hour.The project is marching ahead despite teething problems as more than 4,000 engineers, skilled and unskilled labourers and suppliers have assembled from all across the country determined to change the transportation forever. The total project cost is a tightly guarded secret but it should be more than Rs 12,000 crore.The work has started in almost all the packages stretching from Srirampur to Silchar and it is expected to go full steam from October, once the monsoon is over with the completion target set on 2009.Srirampur-Pathsala stretch project director Mr Raj Chakravarty of NHAI, informed the UNI that despite hiccups in logistical and nature front, this massive project has taken off.You can see the mobilization and documentation work of the project throughout the stretch as very heavy mobilization has started, he said. Under the project, the existing two lanes would be converted to four with modern technology, specially considering the long monsoon spell which generally damage the road building technology.The total Silchar to Porbandar stretch of the project is 3,465 km of which around 731 km will be in Asom, which is scheduled to be completed by 2008 but actually it would be around 2009. The four-lane highway will go from Srirampur to Silchar via Rakhaldubi, Baihata Chariali, Guwahati Bypass, Nagaon, Doboka, Lumding, and Maibong through National 31,37,36 and 54.The project, which has been billed as the biggest of independent India, involves huge land acquisition, besides requirement of shifting of utilities by different government and semi-government agencies.According to Chakravarty, the project, once completed, would usher a sea change to the regions economy as greater mobility would ensure faster development.Already compensation process has started and the land owner near the National Highway are being given direct cheques as compensation as well as to avoid misunderstanding.Further compensation for deforestation near the highway as well as afforestation due to felling of trees has also started. He also informed that throughout the stretch there would be an extra set of bridges, which will run parallel to the existing bridges. The NHAI will maintain the existing the road till the completion of project. Once the new lane would be completed, then the existing lane would be strengthened.___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.orgUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] March 2006 issue of Newsletter - weblink
http://www.assam.org/newsletter/march2006.pdf Please check out the new online dictionary of Assamese etc. Please comment on my article also. UmeshUmesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Win tickets to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany with Yahoo! Messenger.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Highway in Assam
Has this project received Ravindranath's approval? :-) I saw some alarming words in the news report that I have highlighted. ;-) NHAI all set to change face of NEGUWAHATI, May 1 (UNI): A mini India has assembled on the side of the National Highway starting from Srirampur to Silchar, in a stretch of over 700 km, as the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has commenced the biggest ever protect of the North-east promising to change its face forever.The NHAI is constructing the East West corridor linking the communication starved North-east India with Porbandar in Gujarat with a four lane highway where average speed of all vehicles would be more than 100 kilometre per hour.The project is marching ahead despite teething problems as more than 4,000 engineers, skilled and unskilled labourers and suppliers have assembled from all across the country determined to change the transportation forever. The total project cost is a tightly guarded secret but it should be more than Rs 12,000 crore.The work has started in almost all the packages stretching from Srirampur to Silchar and it is expected to go full steam from October, once the monsoon is over with the completion target set on 2009.Srirampur-Pathsala stretch project director Mr Raj Chakravarty of NHAI, informed the UNI that despite hiccups in logistical and nature front, this massive project has taken off.You can see the mobilization and documentation work of the project throughout the stretch as very heavy mobilization has started, he said. Under the project, the existing two lanes would be converted to four with modern technology, specially considering the long monsoon spell which generally damage the road building technology.The total Silchar to Porbandar stretch of the project is 3,465 km of which around 731 km will be in Asom, which is scheduled to be completed by 2008 but actually it would be around 2009. The four-lane highway will go from Srirampur to Silchar via Rakhaldubi, Baihata Chariali, Guwahati Bypass, Nagaon, Doboka, Lumding, and Maibong through National 31,37,36 and 54.The project, which has been billed as the biggest of independent India, involves huge land acquisition, besides requirement of shifting of utilities by different government and semi-government agencies.According to Chakravarty, the project, once completed, would usher a sea change to the regions economy as greater mobility would ensure faster development.Already compensation process has started and the land owner near the National Highway are being given direct cheques as compensation as well as to avoid misunderstanding.Further compensation for deforestation near the highway as well as afforestation due to felling of trees has also started. He also informed that throughout the stretch there would be an extra set of bridges, which will run parallel to the existing bridges. The NHAI will maintain the existing the road till the completion of project. Once the new lane would be completed, then the existing lane would be strengthened.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Scribe are you in the pay roll of the Indian disinformationmachinery? The Tripura Chief Minister clarified that the NLFTwas NOT involved in making pornographic films!
Tripura CM SAID "NO, NOT OUR rebels (maybe Bhargava himself-who was accused loudly by a CRPF woman of molesting her). And a Dibrugarh Assam Police racket was exposed by NETV last month of actually running such blacmailing/extorting rackets. The reporter's name is Sayed-muslim Brahmin!! Money compromised him and his owner. mm From: "Bartta Bistar" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: AssamNet Subject: [Assam] Scribe are you in the pay roll of the Indian disinformationmachinery? The Tripura Chief Minister clarified that the NLFTwas NOT involved in making pornographic films!Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 12:20:52 +0100 ULFA using Delhi sex workers for extortion http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=""> By Syed Zarir Hussain, Guwahati: The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has been using call girls from Delhi as baits to extort and kidnap businessmen in Assam to raise funds, police here said Tuesday. A police spokesman claimed they foiled such an attempt in Assam's main city of Guwahati by arresting a top ULFA leader along with two New Delhi-based sex workers over the weekend."This is the latest modus operandi of the ULFA - luring businessmen with the help of call girls and then extorting money from them," Rajen Singh, additional police chief of Guwahati, told IANS. The ULFA is a frontline rebel army fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979. A local court remanded the three arrested people to 10 days' police custody."Interrogations of the arrested trio have revealed plans being hatched by them to kidnap some businessmen from Guwahati for ransom," Singh said. "This is the first time we have come across such tactics by the ULFA for extorting money although they failed due to our timely intervention." The arrested ULFA rebel, Ajit Das, is believed to be an explosives expert and was allegedly involved in a number of extortion cases."The two women, arrested along with the ULFA leader, are New Delhi-based sisters involved in some sleazy activities," Singh said. There were no immediate comments available from the ULFA. An official investigating the case said the two sisters were being especially flown in from New Delhi by the ULFA for carrying out extortions in Guwahati. "The two sisters would first become friendly with the businessman and then the ULFA militants would use them as tools to extort money. There were plans to kidnap at least seven to nine businessmen who refused to pay the extortion amount," the official who wished not to be identified said. Intelligence officials said the cash-strapped ULFA was looking for ingenious methods to extort money following stepped up vigil and anti-insurgency operations by the security forces in Assam. "We have been able to choke their fund flow and hence the outfit was trying to resort to some clever ploy to trap unsuspecting people using call girls," the intelligence official said. Police in the neighbouring state of Tripura had last year unravelled a racket where tribal separatists made pornographic films using their women cadres for raising funds.Police in Tripura said the shocking revelations were made by some surrendered rebels of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), a rebel group fighting for an independent tribal homeland in the state bordering Bangladesh. Several CDs featuring tribal women from Tripura in the films with explicit sex scenes were seized by police. The films were then sold in various parts of India and other adjoining South Asian countries with the rebels making a huge profit. The money was used for running an armed guerrilla campaign against Indian security forces. The northeastern region is home to some 30 odd rebel groups with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy with the various insurgent movements claiming an estimated 50,000 lives since India's independence in 1947. >___>assam mailing list>assam@assamnet.org>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] ADB loan to re-structure ASEB
For those interested, here is the ADB loan $250 USD details for restructuring the ASEB. The ASEB has already advertised for global tenders for June 6 this year.. From other news reports, the ASEB labour unions and the CPI (M) are against any restructuring of ASEB and thus the loan itself. and this portion from the Sentinel editorial (Dec 21) Then there is the same bulldozing of the ruling party's will about the breaking up of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) into five separate entities despite the fact that the ASEB is a losing concern and despite the fact that the foremost task before the ASEB is the control of theft of power which has already taken the so-called transmission and distribution losses to 45 per cent — an unheard-of situation anywhere in the world. And everyone knows that the reason for making five organizations out of a sick one is that a huge amount of loans from the Asian Development Bank and other financial institutions are on the cards, and that five entities are better than one when it comes to treating big overseas loans like grants. Or take the perverse decision to hike property tax and municipal tax mainly in order to be able to pay salaries to a lot of people who have never done any work and do not ever intend to, and beyond that to give them pensions for doing nothing and resting afterwards. And the arbitrary 30 per cent hikes all round must come from the taxpaying citizen who is expected to go on subsidizing all kinds of mismanagement that the Government can invent. As a result, householders and taxpayers of Guwahati are expected to lose their property because at the present rate, the taxes are going to make the retention of such property quite impossible. These are just some of the ways in which an anti-people government works just to keep a vested interest called "the government" going. - Sentinel, Dec 21 So, all this looks really murky, the ADB thinks the state will benefit from restructuring and electric supply, while others like the unions and the Sentinel, River Basin seem to be opposed. The question we all need to ponder is that Assam is bent out of shape because of the huge shortage of electric supply. Will the ADB $250 million loan solve this? If NOT, what other solutions do others have, and where will the FUNDING come from? --Ram __ From the ADB Helping Indian State of Assam to Overhaul Power Sector MANILA, PHILIPPINES (10 December 2003) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help the Government of Assam, India, restructure its power sector to deliver electricity more efficiently to consumers through a US$250 million loan package. The Assam Power Sector Development Plan (SDP) comprises a policy loan, an investment loan, and three technical assistance (TA) grants to support a comprehensive program of reform. The US$150 million policy loan will help restructure Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB), a vertically-integrated utility, into independent companies and strengthen its policy and regulatory framework to implement reforms. The US$100 million investment loan will improve the transmission and distribution system, introduce a revenue management system, and increase the reach of electricity in rural areas. Assam, a small state in the center of northeastern India blessed with abundant natural resources, is a strategic corridor for the region, but unreliable power from the state-owned ASEB has hampered industrial growth. "The lack of sufficient and reliable power is eroding the state's competitiveness and prevents it from attracting industrial investments from outside," says Tomoyuki Kimura, an ADB Senior Energy Sector Specialist. "Improved power supply at a reasonable cost is essential to revive the state's industry and economy. Equally important is improving the financial sustainability of the power sector so that it is no longer a drain on state finances." Because of technical and financial constraints, ASEB operates below capacity and is unable to meet the total power demand. ASEB tries to fill the supply shortage by purchasing power from neighboring states and other government enterprises, but financial problems caused by its high cost structure and poor billing and collection system are a major constraint. Only 21% of the 4.5 million households in Assam receive electricity and per capita power consumption is only 104 kilowatt-hours, less than one third of the national average. The Board is heavily dependent on state government support, resulting in more use of public funds at the expense of education and health, for example. The state government began its restructuring program with the establishment of the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) in 2001 to remove from it the task of regulating the power sector. It also "unbundled" ASEB into generation, transmission and distribution companies, but needs assistance to further implement the reform program. The SDP was included in the India Country Strategy and Progr
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day of Protest against ADB!
Title: Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Ram: You ought to try a tad bit harder :-)! If that is all you got so far it would be very disappointing. I am hoping your skills in these matters are a bit better than the IIT/IIM/Harvard crowd's :-). c-da At 10:35 AM -0500 5/2/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: > Are they meddling in Assam's politics or something like that? Are they dictating that the money must be spent their way or else? A lot of the angst seems to be that there are "strings" attached - like accountability, and paying back the loan as stipulated and initially agreed upon. -:) --Ram On 5/2/06, Dilip/Dil Deka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: If you want to see a list of Projects ADB sponsored in India, visit http://www.adb.org/Projects/approvals.asp?query=&browse=1&ctry=IND&year=ALL&offset=0&fld=2&srt=-1. I haven't quite figured out why there is outrage against ADB. ADB is a lending institution. Are they meddling in Assam's politics or something like that? Are they dictating that the money must be spent their way or else? From ADB publications it appears they want to help reduce poverty in Asia through economic development, a noble cause. Where have they gone wrong? Dilip Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote: Hi C'da, It seems to be all quiet on the Ozark front lately -:) >** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? As I said before, the ADB doesn't seem to have a great track record. Nevertheless, its a huge organization and the focus ought to be in getting the best out of it. Seeing some of the posts on ADB, it does seem that they have problems. But as Umesh pointed out, one could well focus what the org can do constructively and those that are questionable could be looked into in all seriousness. I think it was a couple of years ago, that the ADB gave a huge funds (in million of $) to Assam for separation of its power grids. Then the papers (if you believe them) said that there was absolutely no trace of the money (accountability) - it just vanished into thin air. >Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Actually, for some it could be just that. For some, existence of such paranoia seems symptomatic - it came from the ADB or GOI or whatever, so it must be bad. -:) IMHO, each of ADB's project should be looked into in isolation, if its good, why oppose it. --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote: Hi Ram: >One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle ** Isn't that the truth? ** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? Ignorant? Just like to draw attention to themselves by creating an issue where none exist? Anti national? Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Leftists and commies? Well-meaning lumpens deprived of wisdoms earned from those temples of high knowledge like IITs,IIMs,Harvard etc.? Shallow populists looking for cheap publicity? Did I give you enough choices? Let me know if you need some more. c-da :-) At 9:43 PM -0500 5/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Umesh, I think you made some very valid points. Your point on supporting at least some of the projects that the ADB has been doing (not controversial and positive) is a valid one and that could well be the focus. One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle :) However, I don't particularly hold the ADB high up on a pedestal. In the past, I have read some reports that its track record is chequered at best. I know, Dr. Jayanta Madhab was with the ADB for quite a while, and hear that there is another Assamese gentleman high up in the pike at the ADB. I am not sure if either of these gentlemen were successful/instrumental in garnering sizeable funds/aid for India in general and for Assam/NE in particular. Maybe someone who knows will educate the netters about ADB's success stories as far as Assam is concerned. --Ram da On 5/1/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: C-da, First of all you wrote asking for what good ADB has done so I listed out their projects: C-da wrote: --- "*** Why don't you educate us about what you know about the good done by ADB, something obviously all these riff-raff calling for its boycott must not know? Or should we accept your slogan just because you say so?" -- Now you ask are these projects any good. The question you seem to pose is that why are all these people opposing while Pradip Datta and you seem to be in favor of ADB (or World Bank). My reply would be what are the
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day of Protest against ADB!
Title: Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global >From ADB publications it appears they want to help reduce poverty in Asia >through economic development, a noble cause. *** That is why I was asking Ram what the motives of these riff-raffs might be for opposing such noble efforts. But the reasons are there to find for those who are truly curious. In fact right in this forum. Only obstacle to it is POLITICAL predilections :-). At 8:19 AM -0700 5/2/06, Dilip/Dil Deka wrote: If you want to see a list of Projects ADB sponsored in India, visit http://www.adb.org/Projects/approvals.asp?query=&browse=1&ctry=IND&year=ALL&offset=0&fld=2&srt=-1. I haven't quite figured out why there is outrage against ADB. ADB is a lending institution. Are they meddling in Assam's politics or something like that? Are they dictating that the money must be spent their way or else? From ADB publications it appears they want to help reduce poverty in Asia through economic development, a noble cause. Where have they gone wrong? Dilip Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi C'da, It seems to be all quiet on the Ozark front lately -:) >** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? As I said before, the ADB doesn't seem to have a great track record. Nevertheless, its a huge organization and the focus ought to be in getting the best out of it. Seeing some of the posts on ADB, it does seem that they have problems. But as Umesh pointed out, one could well focus what the org can do constructively and those that are questionable could be looked into in all seriousness. I think it was a couple of years ago, that the ADB gave a huge funds (in million of $) to Assam for separation of its power grids. Then the papers (if you believe them) said that there was absolutely no trace of the money (accountability) - it just vanished into thin air. >Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Actually, for some it could be just that. For some, existence of such paranoia seems symptomatic - it came from the ADB or GOI or whatever, so it must be bad. -:) IMHO, each of ADB's project should be looked into in isolation, if its good, why oppose it. --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Ram: >One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle ** Isn't that the truth? ** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? Ignorant? Just like to draw attention to themselves by creating an issue where none exist? Anti national? Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Leftists and commies? Well-meaning lumpens deprived of wisdoms earned from those temples of high knowledge like IITs,IIMs,Harvard etc.? Shallow populists looking for cheap publicity? Did I give you enough choices? Let me know if you need some more. c-da :-) At 9:43 PM -0500 5/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Umesh, I think you made some very valid points. Your point on supporting at least some of the projects that the ADB has been doing (not controversial and positive) is a valid one and that could well be the focus. One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle :) However, I don't particularly hold the ADB high up on a pedestal. In the past, I have read some reports that its track record is chequered at best. I know, Dr. Jayanta Madhab was with the ADB for quite a while, and hear that there is another Assamese gentleman high up in the pike at the ADB. I am not sure if either of these gentlemen were successful/instrumental in garnering sizeable funds/aid for India in general and for Assam/NE in particular. Maybe someone who knows will educate the netters about ADB's success stories as far as Assam is concerned. --Ram da On 5/1/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: C-da, First of all you wrote asking for what good ADB has done so I listed out their projects: C-da wrote: --- "*** Why don't you educate us about what you know about the good done by ADB, something obviously all these riff-raff calling for its boycott must not know? Or should we accept your slogan just because you say so?" -- Now you ask are these projects any good. The question you seem to pose is that why are all these people opposing while Pradip Datta and you seem to be in favor of ADB (or World Bank). My reply would be what are the possible developmental projects which would have no visible (negative) side effects -- so that atleast such projects should be supported (or allowed to continue) by these opponents
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day of Protest against ADB!
If you want to see a list of Projects ADB sponsored in India, visit http://www.adb.org/Projects/approvals.asp?query=&browse=1&ctry=IND&year=ALL&offset=0&fld=2&srt=-1. I haven't quite figured out why there is outrage against ADB. ADB is a lending institution. Are they meddling in Assam's politics or something like that? Are they dictating that the money must be spent their way or else? From ADB publications it appears they want to help reduce poverty in Asia through economic development, a noble cause. Where have they gone wrong? DilipRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Hi C'da, It seems to be all quiet on the Ozark front lately -:) >** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? As I said before, the ADB doesn't seem to have a great track record. Nevertheless, its a huge organization and the focus ought to be in getting the best out of it. Seeing some of the posts on ADB, it does seem that they have problems. But as Umesh pointed out, one could well focus what the org can do constructively and those that are questionable could be looked into in all seriousness. I think it was a couple of years ago, that the ADB gave a huge funds (in million of $) to Assam for separation of its power grids. Then the papers (if you believe them) said that there was absolutely no trace of the money (accountability) - it just vanished into thin air. >Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Actually, for some it could be just that. For some, existence of such paranoia seems symptomatic - it came from the ADB or GOI or whatever, so it must be bad. -:) IMHO, each of ADB's project should be looked into in isolation, if its good, why oppose it. --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Ram: >One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle ** Isn't that the truth? ** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? Ignorant? Just like to draw attention to themselves by creating an issue where none exist? Anti national? Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Leftists and commies? Well-meaning lumpens deprived of wisdoms earned from those temples of high knowledge like IITs,IIMs,Harvard etc.? Shallow populists looking for cheap publicity? Did I give you enough choices? Let me know if you need some more. c-da :-) At 9:43 PM -0500 5/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Umesh, I think you made some very valid points. Your point on supporting at least some of the projects that the ADB has been doing (not controversial and positive) is a valid one and that could well be the focus. One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle :) However, I don't particularly hold the ADB high up on a pedestal. In the past, I have read some reports that its track record is chequered at best. I know, Dr. Jayanta Madhab was with the ADB for quite a while, and hear that there is another Assamese gentleman high up in the pike at the ADB. I am not sure if either of these gentlemen were successful/instrumental in garnering sizeable funds/aid for India in general and for Assam/NE in particular. Maybe someone who knows will educate the netters about ADB's success stories as far as Assam is concerned. --Ram da On 5/1/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: C-da, First of all you wrote asking for what good ADB has done so I listed out their projects: C-da wrote: --- "*** Why don't you educate us about what you know about the good done by ADB, something obviously all these riff-raff calling for its boycott must not know?Or should we accept your slogan just because you say so?" -- Now you ask are these projects any good. The question you seem to pose is that why are all these people opposing while Pradip Datta and you seem to be in favor of ADB (or World Bank). My reply would be what are the possible developmental projects which would have no visible (negative) side effects -- so that atleast such projects should be supported (or allowed to continue) by these opponents. About the other projects which do indeed have negative side effects (such as displacement of people due to dam construction etc) we can deal with separately. Now there some some rpojects running in Assam/NE India by ADB which seem to have no negative side effects : such as urban development, road construction, integrated flood and river bank erosion, trade and investment creation initiative. The only one which seems to have
[Assam] Of Militant Struggles -Sentinel Editorial
"The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals . " -The Sentinel But this is also true of such organizations elsewhere too. More often than not, most of these organizations lose track of their original aspirations and promises. The longer such militant organizations exist, the further they seem to veer away from their lofty ideals. --Ram __ Of Militant Struggles Violence as a means of redressing social inequality and oppression may neither be desirable nor seen as the best approach. But it is a fact of history that violence has been a vector of change in different periods of human civilization when tyranny and authoritarianism had to be overthrown. Even during our freedom struggle which was guided principally by the ethics of non-violence, there were several strands of militant politics, and the nation has gratefully acknowledged the contribution of patriots like Bhagat Singh or ''Bagha'' Jatin. And since independence, the country has seen several militant struggles especially in regions where the state has miserably failed to ensure distributive justice. In the north-eastern region, however, militancy has been closely linked with the politics of identity which, in turn, is tied up in many cases with underdevelopment and a deep sense of exploitation. Hence, a small section of those who have felt that securing justice is not possible within the democratic system, have taken to militancy. But the history of political violence also shows that it is extremely difficult to sustain a militant movement. This is exactly why leaders of revolutionary struggles have always emphasized on the need for strict ideological orientation of such movements. But it is seen that in most cases, these movements, in the course of time, get deviated from their stated purpose and degenerate into narrow terrorist outfits which make their presence felt by indulging in random violence aimed at striking fear among the people. Such outfits thrive mainly on extortion and violence. This is exactly what has happened in the Northeast. The people of Asom have witnessed how the ULFA, which started off with a pro-people stance, quickly degenerated into a terrorist outfit sans any ideology. The mass graves at Lakhipathar and the countless killings of innocent civilians quickly revealed its true character as an organization bent on using terror as the sole means of advancing its narrow goals. In neighbouring Manipur which boasts of over a dozen militant outfits, the recent reported mass rape of Hmar women by a militant group is a pointer to the fact that there too the militant movement has meandered. Those acquainted with the trends of militancy in that State know that among the different insurgent organizations, certain groups could lay some claim to possessing some sort of an ideological core. But the recent happenings, including the blatant attempt to gag the press by holding editors to ransom, have proved that such a core does not exist any more. The Hmars living in Churachandpur district of Manipur have been fleeing their homes because of continuous atrocities being perpetrated on them by a particular militant group. One may recall the Naga-Kuki clash when the NSCN and the KLA played their own part in targeting the civilian population of either community, or the recent happenings in Karbi Anglong where militant groups did not spare even women and children. What is even more disturbing is that the Naxalites too have now shifted their targets from the state to the common people. The recent kidnapping and murder of some 15 villagers in Manikanta village of south Chattisgarh reveals the bankruptcy of the Maoist cause. Earlier too, in February, the Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying villagers from an anti-Naxalite rally and killed 32 people. With ''liberators'' turning into killers, the pitfalls of militant violence are getting clearer every day. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day of Protest against ADB!
Hi C'da, It seems to be all quiet on the Ozark front lately -:) >** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? As I said before, the ADB doesn't seem to have a great track record. Nevertheless, its a huge organization and the focus ought to be in getting the best out of it. Seeing some of the posts on ADB, it does seem that they have problems. But as Umesh pointed out, one could well focus what the org can do constructively and those that are questionable could be looked into in all seriousness. I think it was a couple of years ago, that the ADB gave a huge funds (in million of $) to Assam for separation of its power grids. Then the papers (if you believe them) said that there was absolutely no trace of the money (accountability) - it just vanished into thin air. >Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Actually, for some it could be just that. For some, existence of such paranoia seems symptomatic - it came from the ADB or GOI or whatever, so it must be bad. -:) IMHO, each of ADB's project should be looked into in isolation, if its good, why oppose it. --Ram On 5/2/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Ram: >One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle ** Isn't that the truth? ** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? Ignorant? Just like to draw attention to themselves by creating an issue where none exist? Anti national? Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Leftists and commies? Well-meaning lumpens deprived of wisdoms earned from those temples of high knowledge like IITs,IIMs,Harvard etc.? Shallow populists looking for cheap publicity? Did I give you enough choices? Let me know if you need some more. c-da :-) At 9:43 PM -0500 5/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Umesh, I think you made some very valid points. Your point on supporting at least some of the projects that the ADB has been doing (not controversial and positive) is a valid one and that could well be the focus. One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle :) However, I don't particularly hold the ADB high up on a pedestal. In the past, I have read some reports that its track record is chequered at best. I know, Dr. Jayanta Madhab was with the ADB for quite a while, and hear that there is another Assamese gentleman high up in the pike at the ADB. I am not sure if either of these gentlemen were successful/instrumental in garnering sizeable funds/aid for India in general and for Assam/NE in particular. Maybe someone who knows will educate the netters about ADB's success stories as far as Assam is concerned. --Ram da On 5/1/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: C-da, First of all you wrote asking for what good ADB has done so I listed out their projects: C-da wrote: --- "*** Why don't you educate us about what you know about the good done by ADB, something obviously all these riff-raff calling for its boycott must not know? Or should we accept your slogan just because you say so?" -- Now you ask are these projects any good. The question you seem to pose is that why are all these people opposing while Pradip Datta and you seem to be in favor of ADB (or World Bank). My reply would be what are the possible developmental projects which would have no visible (negative) side effects -- so that atleast such projects should be supported (or allowed to continue) by these opponents. About the other projects which do indeed have negative side effects (such as displacement of people due to dam construction etc) we can deal with separately. Now there some some rpojects running in Assam/NE India by ADB which seem to have no negative side effects : such as urban development, road construction, integrated flood and river bank erosion, trade and investment creation initiative. The only one which seems to have negative sideffects is the power generation prooject which might be due to hydel power necessitating dam construction leading to displacement of people living in the region where the artificial lake would be thus created. So what is the problem in letting ADB run those other projects. If one has any objection about dam construction -- then raise that issue only. For analogy: why demand that the patient be killed - just becos just one of her body fuctions is not working? So if one of ADB 's one kind of project might be contentious why close down other beneficial ones? ADB does not engage in education improvement - unlike World Bank . Education reform can have no visible side effect at al
Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Day of Protest against ADB!
Title: Re: [Assam] [Assam Society] Call for May 5 2006 as Global Hi Ram: >One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle ** Isn't that the truth? ** So what do you think are the motives of these riff-raff and ne'er-do-gooders for bad-mouthing ADB? Ignorant? Just like to draw attention to themselves by creating an issue where none exist? Anti national? Anti-progress, anti-development luddites ? Leftists and commies? Well-meaning lumpens deprived of wisdoms earned from those temples of high knowledge like IITs,IIMs,Harvard etc.? Shallow populists looking for cheap publicity? Did I give you enough choices? Let me know if you need some more. c-da :-) At 9:43 PM -0500 5/1/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Umesh, I think you made some very valid points. Your point on supporting at least some of the projects that the ADB has been doing (not controversial and positive) is a valid one and that could well be the focus. One can't just throw the baby with the bathwater every time there is a sniffle :) However, I don't particularly hold the ADB high up on a pedestal. In the past, I have read some reports that its track record is chequered at best. I know, Dr. Jayanta Madhab was with the ADB for quite a while, and hear that there is another Assamese gentleman high up in the pike at the ADB. I am not sure if either of these gentlemen were successful/instrumental in garnering sizeable funds/aid for India in general and for Assam/NE in particular. Maybe someone who knows will educate the netters about ADB's success stories as far as Assam is concerned. --Ram da On 5/1/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: C-da, First of all you wrote asking for what good ADB has done so I listed out their projects: C-da wrote: --- "*** Why don't you educate us about what you know about the good done by ADB, something obviously all these riff-raff calling for its boycott must not know? Or should we accept your slogan just because you say so?" -- Now you ask are these projects any good. The question you seem to pose is that why are all these people opposing while Pradip Datta and you seem to be in favor of ADB (or World Bank). My reply would be what are the possible developmental projects which would have no visible (negative) side effects -- so that atleast such projects should be supported (or allowed to continue) by these opponents. About the other projects which do indeed have negative side effects (such as displacement of people due to dam construction etc) we can deal with separately. Now there some some rpojects running in Assam/NE India by ADB which seem to have no negative side effects : such as urban development, road construction, integrated flood and river bank erosion, trade and investment creation initiative. The only one which seems to have negative sideffects is the power generation prooject which might be due to hydel power necessitating dam construction leading to displacement of people living in the region where the artificial lake would be thus created. So what is the problem in letting ADB run those other projects. If one has any objection about dam construction -- then raise that issue only. For analogy: why demand that the patient be killed - just becos just one of her body fuctions is not working? So if one of ADB 's one kind of project might be contentious why close down other beneficial ones? ADB does not engage in education improvement - unlike World Bank . Education reform can have no visible side effect at all (except a chance of bias in favor of dominant group getting better education) -- but noone getting thrown out of their homes or livelihood under threat. Similarly, about improvement of health and transportation, communication services - no side effects. Similarly for agribusiness development , clean fuel project , housing finance etc . I am looking at : http://www.adb.org/Documents/Profiles/default.asp?key=ctry&val=PPTA&scpe=12 Asking for shutting down of ADB would be saying like India should stop being a democracy and vote for dictatorship just becos it is not functioning as well as in USA/UK and other developed nations. Your views are welcome. Umesh Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Umesh, So what is that YOU know, but all these people who oppose it don't? BTW, even I am able to go to google to dig up all kind of stuff. But that was not what I was asking for. c-da At 2:14 AM +0100 5/1/06, umesh sharma wrote: C-da, Here is a list of projects undertaken by ADB -recently - in India -- in each category there are many for Assam/NE India -- such as for power generation, roads
[Assam] Scribe are you in the pay roll of the Indian disinformation machinery? The Tripura Chief Minister clarified that the NLFT was NOT involved in making pornographic films!
ULFA using Delhi sex workers for extortion http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=""> By Syed Zarir Hussain, Guwahati: The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has been using call girls from Delhi as baits to extort and kidnap businessmen in Assam to raise funds, police here said Tuesday. A police spokesman claimed they foiled such an attempt in Assam's main city of Guwahati by arresting a top ULFA leader along with two New Delhi-based sex workers over the weekend."This is the latest modus operandi of the ULFA - luring businessmen with the help of call girls and then extorting money from them," Rajen Singh, additional police chief of Guwahati, told IANS. The ULFA is a frontline rebel army fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979. A local court remanded the three arrested people to 10 days' police custody."Interrogations of the arrested trio have revealed plans being hatched by them to kidnap some businessmen from Guwahati for ransom," Singh said. "This is the first time we have come across such tactics by the ULFA for extorting money although they failed due to our timely intervention." The arrested ULFA rebel, Ajit Das, is believed to be an explosives expert and was allegedly involved in a number of extortion cases."The two women, arrested along with the ULFA leader, are New Delhi-based sisters involved in some sleazy activities," Singh said. There were no immediate comments available from the ULFA. An official investigating the case said the two sisters were being especially flown in from New Delhi by the ULFA for carrying out extortions in Guwahati. "The two sisters would first become friendly with the businessman and then the ULFA militants would use them as tools to extort money. There were plans to kidnap at least seven to nine businessmen who refused to pay the extortion amount," the official who wished not to be identified said. Intelligence officials said the cash-strapped ULFA was looking for ingenious methods to extort money following stepped up vigil and anti-insurgency operations by the security forces in Assam. "We have been able to choke their fund flow and hence the outfit was trying to resort to some clever ploy to trap unsuspecting people using call girls," the intelligence official said. Police in the neighbouring state of Tripura had last year unravelled a racket where tribal separatists made pornographic films using their women cadres for raising funds.Police in Tripura said the shocking revelations were made by some surrendered rebels of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), a rebel group fighting for an independent tribal homeland in the state bordering Bangladesh. Several CDs featuring tribal women from Tripura in the films with explicit sex scenes were seized by police. The films were then sold in various parts of India and other adjoining South Asian countries with the rebels making a huge profit. The money was used for running an armed guerrilla campaign against Indian security forces. The northeastern region is home to some 30 odd rebel groups with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy with the various insurgent movements claiming an estimated 50,000 lives since India's independence in 1947. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Quick screening process for hiring
Put about 100 bricks in some particular order in a closed room with an open window. Then send 2 or 3 candidates in the room and close the door. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours and then analyze the situation. If they are counting the bricks. Put them in the accounts department. If they are recounting them. Put them in auditing. If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks. Put them in engineering. If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order.Put them in planning. If they are throwing the bricks at each other.Put them in operations. If they are sleeping.Put them in reception. If they have broken the bricks into pieces. Put them in information technology. If they are sitting idle. Put them in human resources. If they say they have tried different combinations, yet not a brick hasbeen moved. Put them in sales. If they have already left for the day.Put them in marketing. If they are staring out of the window. Put them on strategic planning. And then last but not least. If they are talking to each other and not a single brick has been moved. Congratulate them and put them in top management ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Mosquitoes take on ultras
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1688532,0035.htm --- Neep Hazarika ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
