[Assam] The Daily Mail: Why are we giving £1bn aid to India? A nation with three times as many billionaires as we have (and its own space programme)
Now British people are moaning, grumbling about sending such huge aid to India for Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh but not Assam. As India is independent and can stand on their own feet - they reckon. Is it true? May be flood victims of Assam can apply too ! Rini Kakati Why are we giving £1bn aid to India? A nation with three times as many billionaires as we have (and its own space programme) Britain is to give more than £1billion in aid to India over the next four years, even though it has almost three times as many billionaires as we do. Ministers defended handing around £280million a year in taxpayers’ cash to one of the world’s biggest economies. They insist it will re-energise the relationship with the former colony and claim it still needs international aid. However, critics pointed out that India is a nuclear power, has its own space programme and is rich enough to donate money to poor African nations each year. Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, says Britain will channel its aid to the three poorest states in India. Speaking on Radio 4, he said it was ‘the right place for us to be’. He added: ‘They do have a space programme, but on the other hand there are more poor people in India than in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa and the average income of an Indian citizen is only one third of that of a Chinese person.’ The Coalition has already axed aid to economic powerhouse economies such as Russia and China. But Department for International Development sources claim India is ‘different’. A spokesman said: ‘Our development programme is in transition, but now is not the time to end it completely. ‘We will not be in India forever. But as part of the revitalised British relationship with India, following the Prime Minister’s successful visit last year, our development partnership has an important role to play.’ Despite its immense poverty, India is home to some of the richest people on earth. The wealthiest Indian is Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and the fourth richest man in the world. But perhaps the best known billionaire in India is Vijay Mallya, the eccentric 55-year-old owner of the United Breweries Group that produces Kingfisher beer and is behind Kingfisher Airlines. He also owns a Formula One team, and one of the world’s biggest private yachts - the 312ft Indian Empress. Sceptics believe much of Britain’s aid is as much about strengthening British trade ties as helping the poor. In his visit last year, David Cameron lobbied hard on behalf of British business. The trip led to a £686million aircraft deal for defence contractor BAE Systems and engine makers Rolls-Royce. Aid to India will be channelled to the states of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, with half the programme going into private-sector schemes. Much of this cash will be given to the Commonwealth Development Corporation, a controversial quango that paid bosses bonuses and lavish expenses. But Labour’s former foreign office minister Gisela Stewart said Mr Mitchell had his priorities ‘all wrong’. She added: ‘We would be better off spending the money on counter-terrorism in Afghanistan or on micro-finance schemes in Bangladesh rather than pouring money into a nuclear power with more billionaires than Britain.’ Website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357056/Britains-1bn-aid-India-nation-3-times-billionaires-have.html ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The Daily Mail: Why are we giving £1bn aid to India? A nation with three times as many billionaires as we have (and its own space programme)
This is an excellent question. IMHO, India should be ashamed to seek foreign aid at all. During the Tsunami, India, and rightly so, politely refused help from other countries... it felt it could handle it. India needs to first get rid of its near total, rampant corruption that exists in the government, the government waste, and unwieldy bureaucracy. With all the scams going on, it will be little wonder if this foreign aid is not siphoned off as soon as it hits Indian shores. If India has any of that backbone left, it should stop taking and depending on foreign aid. As far as billionaires are concerned, Indians can never be Warren Buffets or Bill Gates. Which well-to-Indian has the guts, or the big heart to part with half their income. --Ram On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 10:02 AM, Rini Kakati rinikak...@hotmail.comwrote: Now British people are moaning, grumbling about sending such huge aid to India for Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh but not Assam. As India is independent and can stand on their own feet - they reckon. Is it true? May be flood victims of Assam can apply too ! Rini Kakati Why are we giving £1bn aid to India? A nation with three times as many billionaires as we have (and its own space programme) Britain is to give more than £1billion in aid to India over the next four years, even though it has almost three times as many billionaires as we do. Ministers defended handing around £280million a year in taxpayers’ cash to one of the world’s biggest economies. They insist it will re-energise the relationship with the former colony and claim it still needs international aid. However, critics pointed out that India is a nuclear power, has its own space programme and is rich enough to donate money to poor African nations each year. Andrew Mitchell, the International Development Secretary, says Britain will channel its aid to the three poorest states in India. Speaking on Radio 4, he said it was ‘the right place for us to be’. He added: ‘They do have a space programme, but on the other hand there are more poor people in India than in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa and the average income of an Indian citizen is only one third of that of a Chinese person.’ The Coalition has already axed aid to economic powerhouse economies such as Russia and China. But Department for International Development sources claim India is ‘different’. A spokesman said: ‘Our development programme is in transition, but now is not the time to end it completely. ‘We will not be in India forever. But as part of the revitalised British relationship with India, following the Prime Minister’s successful visit last year, our development partnership has an important role to play.’ Despite its immense poverty, India is home to some of the richest people on earth. The wealthiest Indian is Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and the fourth richest man in the world. But perhaps the best known billionaire in India is Vijay Mallya, the eccentric 55-year-old owner of the United Breweries Group that produces Kingfisher beer and is behind Kingfisher Airlines. He also owns a Formula One team, and one of the world’s biggest private yachts - the 312ft Indian Empress. Sceptics believe much of Britain’s aid is as much about strengthening British trade ties as helping the poor. In his visit last year, David Cameron lobbied hard on behalf of British business. The trip led to a £686million aircraft deal for defence contractor BAE Systems and engine makers Rolls-Royce. Aid to India will be channelled to the states of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, with half the programme going into private-sector schemes. Much of this cash will be given to the Commonwealth Development Corporation, a controversial quango that paid bosses bonuses and lavish expenses. But Labour’s former foreign office minister Gisela Stewart said Mr Mitchell had his priorities ‘all wrong’. She added: ‘We would be better off spending the money on counter-terrorism in Afghanistan or on micro-finance schemes in Bangladesh rather than pouring money into a nuclear power with more billionaires than Britain.’ Website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357056/Britains-1bn-aid-India-nation-3-times-billionaires-have.html ___ 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] IHM urges students to explore tourism sector in northeast (Times of India, 18.02.2011)
IHM urges students to explore tourism sector in northeast GUWAHATI: The Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Guwahati, has urged the students of the region to come forward and avail the opportunity for exploring the tourism sector of the northeast. Addressing a gathering of media persons here on Thursday, the chairman of the institute, Himangshu Sekhar Das, said with the tourism sector of the region on the upswing, the government, too, was investing money for its uplift. Students, who want to make a career in the sector, should take the advantage of having a national-level hospitality institute in Guwahati, he added. It's a huge opportunity for the students of the northeast to groom themselves for a career in the tourism and hospitality sector with the IHM providing national-level quality teaching to students, he added. Often, the students of the region prefer to go outside the state for such education despite having such a wonderful facility here. (Times of India, 18.02.2011) xx Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati, Assam : http://www.ihmctanghy.org/ ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Egyptian effect!
Please follow the link Egyptian protests spill over to heart of America:-) http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/article_e3cfe584-3953-11e0-9284-001cc4c03286.html http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_01c093f0-3ac0-11e0-ba01-001cc4c002e0.html Uttam Kumar Borthakur ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
