Kaalaadhan: Public shd write to SIT. NaMo, nationalise kaalaadhan by ordinance.

November 2, 2014, 7:59 pm

≫ Next: Kaalaadhan charade by NaMo government -- MR Venkatesh. NaMo, nationalise kaalaadhan by ordinance. Don't pass the buck to SIT alone.

≪ Previous: A way out of the black hole of kaalaadhan -- Joginder Singh. NaMo, nationalise kaalaadhan by ordinance.

$

0

0

If you have information on black money, share it with SIT: Justice Arijit Pasayat to the public

By PTI | 2 Nov, 2014, 11.52AM IST

NEW DELHI: Anyone who has specific and definite information on black money can share it with Supreme Court-appointed SIT going into the issue that can crack down on those stashing money abroad and at home. 

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice M B Shah, will open a channel of communication shortly through which the public can use to share "definite" information and vital inputs about black money including foreign bank accounts. 

The SIT, which also has former apex court judge Justice Arijit Pasayat as Vice-Chairman, has said such a step was aimed at detecting and prosecuting all direct or indirect instances of illegal generation of funds and evasion of government taxes. 

"We will be issuing a public advertisement in this regard very soon...may be within a week's time. Members of the public can write to the SIT through the Internet and send to it to the official email id which will be publicised or or send it by post to the secretariat of the panel," Justice Pasayat told PTI. 

He, however, said that any information sent to the SIT should be "definite and specific" about the reported black money instance. 

"The public can share with us the name, address, bank details or any other such vital information which can be verified and acted upon. Once we receive it, the agencies on the panel, according to the requirements of the respective case, will be asked to look into it," he said. 

Justice Pasayat said the exercise is meant to bring the public closer to the SIT which has the mandate to deal with the problem of unaccounted money and to initiate legal action against the offenders, both in India and abroad. 

Public could give specific information, even preferring anonymity. "But if the information is vague then it will be futile to act on such a thing as it will involve a lot of efforts by the agencies on this panel-- whether it is the Income Tax department, the CBI or the Central Excise department," the SIT Vice-Chairman said. 

"We wouldn't want speculative information. We can assure the country that a good information on any type of black money instance will be acted upon," Justice Pasayat said. 

Meanwhile, sources said the modalities on launching the portal will be framed soon. It would be akin to a similar effort which was launched by the government in June 2011 when the Finance Ministry had launched a black money email feedback service for the public to share ideas in this regard. 

The 2011 initiative, in which an email id bm-feedback@nic.in was launched, was meant to invite ideas and suggestions from the public to tighten the mechanism and rules in the country to check black money. 

This time the SIT is keen only on actionable information which will be taken to logical and legal conclusion. Its results will also be disclosed to the public as and when the legal process against an offender comes to a close, the sources said. 

They said the SIT secretariat has already been given the required staff by the Finance Ministry to perform clerical and data analysis tasks. 

The SIT has recently got a list of 627 accounts of Indians in the HSBC bank, Geneva, from the Supreme Court which has asked it submit a latest status report in this regard by this month-end or early December. 

With the specific agenda of thrashing out issues and ensure coordination, the government on Friday appointed outgoing CBDT Chairman K V Chowdary as an Advisor to this high-powered panel which has the heads of 11 different agencies and departments on it. 

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/if-you-have-information-on-black-money-share-it-with-sit-justice-arijit-pasayat-to-the-public/articleshow/45010796.cms

---

Kaalaadhan charade by NaMo government -- MR Venkatesh. NaMo, nationalise kaalaadhan by ordinance. Don't pass the buck to SIT alone.

November 2, 2014, 8:10 pm

≫ Next: Journos Gupta and Sanghvi from the dustbin -- CP Surendran

≪ Previous: Kaalaadhan: Public shd write to SIT. NaMo, nationalise kaalaadhan by ordinance.

$

0

0

Black Money Saga – NDA Government misled?

MR VENKATESH | NOV 03, 2014

Why this extensive charade in the first place that ensured that the Modi Government ended up with egg on its face?

It was just a fortnight back when it seemed everything was going well for the NDA Government. The Prime Minister had well and truly settled in office. His cabinet colleagues were slowly but surely getting on top of their Ministries. Whatever was left of the Opposition was pulverised by the average voter as evidenced by the recent election results in two States that went to polls.

Inflation was heading southwards. Business optimism was returning, albeit slowly. Green shoots were definitely visible. Pink papers shed their usual paranoia and began to talk purposefully. Even critics of the Prime Minister were grudgingly approving of him and his Government. Internationally, the PM was seen as a new star of Asia and not merely of India.

But the NDA Government suddenly seemed to be possessed by a death wish. In a move that would shame a Kamikaze warrior, the NDA Government, inexplicably and without any provocation, filed a writ in the Hon’ble Supreme Court last fortnight seeking to hold back the names of those who had bank accounts in tax havens.

Heavens indeed started falling down, almost instantly. The Congress, which till the day they were in power, did everything to keep the names of such accounts secret on account of India’s so-called obligation under the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement [DTAA] suddenly turned hostile and would have nothing of the argument that it propounded in the first place.

Strangely, the BJP, which till the other day lampooned the Congress, borrowed the worn out prescription of the Congress and championed it. The role reversal nevertheless was fast and smooth.

NITI SPOTLIGHT

ARUN SHOURIE'S INTELLECTUAL LEGACY

 

 

Unanswered Questions

As the Government licks its wound after this legal misadventure, some pertinent questions remain unanswered.

First, why did the NDA Government hand over the list of Black Money account holders to the Special Investigation team [SIT] as early as June 27, 2014? Under whose authority? Does that mean that the SIT, and not the Government, was in charge of the investigation since June 2014? Are we to assume that the NDA Government has abdicated its responsibility to investigate matters relating to Black Money henceforth?

Second, if the NDA Government did hand over the “complete list” to the SIT as early as June 2014, why was the nation not adequately taken into confidence? Surely in politics perception management is crucial. On this, the NDA has failed badly.

Third, if the NDA Government did actually hand over the list to the SIT in June 2014, why did it shy away from stating this fundamental fact in its Affidavit to the Hon’ble Supreme Court filed on October 2014?

Fourth, if the SIT did have this list since June 2014, what did it do with it? (The same thing that it could have done without?). Any progress report? Any report at all? Those who question the NDA Government on the progress made by it since it took to office in May 2014 must remember that the SIT was constituted just a day or two later.

Fifth, if the SIT did have the information since June 2014, did it at-least inform the Hon’ble SC? Apparently, from the reaction of the Hon’ble SC it appears that it has not. If so, why?

Sixth, on the other hand, if the Hon’ble Supreme Court had indeed been informed by the SIT, then what was the need for the Hon’ble SC to seek the information from the Government as ‘stingingly’ as it did?

Seventh, irrespective of whether the SIT informed the Hon’ble SC or not, the fact remains that the Government did inform SIT which indeed is a creation of the apex court. Won’t any information to the SIT be deemed to be information given to the Hon’ble SC itself? Why did the Hon’ble SC chide the NDA Government and seek the “Complete List” yet again?

Eighth, if the NDA Government genuinely believed that the DTAA clause did apply and could not reveal any names of account-holders in tax havens, why then did it release the names of three account holders on October 27?

Ninth, if the NDA Government believed that the names could be made public only after launching prosecution, the reaction and statements of these three account-holders post revelation of their names on October 27 did not indicate that they were being subjected to prosecution under any law. If it is the factual position, why is it that the Government repeating this as a huge legal issue, which it is apparently not, when it comes to sharing information of such account holders with other countries?

Tenth, and a crucial question: Did the UPA Government, just as it demitted office, give amnesty to some of these account-holders? If so, under which law? Also, why has the NDA Government not made the names of such beneficiaries public? Importantly, what triggered the writ petition to the Hon’ble SC in the first place which lead to a series of events that left none wiser but definitely dented the image of the Modi Government?

These are questions at this point in time for which there are no answers.

The theatre of the absurd continues

It may be recalled that it was only recently that I had written on the functioning of the SIT [Black Money Issue – SIT on a wild goose chase] and expressed my doubts on its ability to deliver.

And pray why not? The SIT, it may be recalled, was constituted by the Hon’ble SC because of the failure of our institutions that deal with this convoluted issue of Black Money Viz., Secretary of the Department of Revenue, Deputy Governor of RBI, Intelligence Bureau Director, Director of ED, Director CBI, CBDT, Chairman and Director General Narcotics Control Bureau, Director of Revenue Intelligence, Director Financial Intelligence Unit, Secretary RAW and Joint Secretary (Foreign Tax and Tax Research).

Yet, the Hon’ble Supreme Court chose to constitute the SIT precisely with officers who head these very institutions which have failed the nation for decades leading to a situation where it had to think of an alternative delivery mechanism through the SIT.

What is interesting is that the apex court assumes in its wisdom that these institutions who individually have failed the nation would collectively be a success! Does the sum of negative integers add to a positive one? Well, the Hon’ble Supreme Court seems to hope so.

Let us not forget that the Government is an amorphous animal operating through individuals. As the “complete list” was prepared by the Government, in the backdrop of the formation of SIT, it would have led to a rather piquant situation when such list would have been compiled by its officers [Revenue Secretary for instance] who are an integral part of SIT.

The farce that was started in June was repeated all over once again last week, this time involving the apex court.

As per its directions the officers who comprise the SIT would have prepared the “complete list” and handed it over one again in a “sealed envelope” to the Hon’ble court only to be handed over by the Hon’ble Court to the chairman and vice-chairman of SIT who in turn would have invariably handed over the same “sealed cover comprising the complete list” to officers who comprise the SIT for “immediate further action!”

So on June 2014, these very men prepared the “Complete List” [but individually sat on it for years] and handed it over in a “sealed cover” to the SIT as Government officials, to get back the same as ‘members of SIT” and now are supposed “act” instantly! The world, is indeed, round!

Never in the history of mankind has so much premium laid on “acting” and “enacting.”

Can anything get more bizarre than this?

What should not be lost in the melee is that despite all the brouhaha what has been achieved is zilch. But the billion dollar questions remain. Why this extensive charade in the first place that ensured that the Modi Government ended up with egg on its face even as the nation got not a wee bit closer in getting the names [and the money] of the illicit money account holders? Who within the Government contrived to lose right from day one? Are there some who are weaving some incomprehensible web to shame the Government instead of ‘shaming’ the black money holders?

These questions will haunt the nation and the Government in the coming months. The earlier they are answered, the better for this Government.

http://www.niticentral.com/2014/11/03/black-money-saga-nda-government-misled-243163.html

Journos Gupta and Sanghvi from the dustbin -- CP Surendran

November 3, 2014, 1:47 am

≫ Next: Paki Bomb attack interrupts Wagah Border Flag ceremony -- Vibhuti Agarwal

≪ Previous: Kaalaadhan charade by NaMo government -- MR Venkatesh. NaMo, nationalise kaalaadhan by ordinance. Don't pass the buck to SIT alone.

$

0

0

Are media’s fortunes linked to Vir’s and Shekhar’s?

Monday, 3 November 2014 - 8:25am IST | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

• 
  

  CP Surendran
• This is a piece I must write with some caution, because it involves the performance of two icons at the concluding session of the very well-organised Tata Literature Live! Vir Sanghvi and Shekhar Gupta were discussing the survival of Indian media as an independent entity. The session, chaired by Siddharth Bhatia, also featured a mostly smothered Samar Halarnkar.
  While the great camaraderie and the heart-warming uniformity of opinion Sanghvi and Gupta displayed brought tears to the eyes, to say the least, it was, in passing, also a measure of how self-rationalising and mutually compromising their basic position was.
  Their apocalyptic conclusion was that the media had gone to the dogs since their relative exit from primarily operational positions. And how did this happen, someone in the audience asked. Because both print and TV journalists suffered from greed and need for fame, according to Gupta, and because the chase for TRP ratings had overwhelmed reportage, according to Sanghvi.
  Gupta said journalists have come down to a point where they were competing to take selfies with prime minister Narenda Modi. Those naive among the audience laughed uproariously in seeming agreement. Never mind that during, say, Indira Gandhi’s time, Steve Jobs was probably still a wayward wanderer and the Apple had not yet fallen on his head. Sanghvi said the future of journalism was doubtful; he didn’t specify it was post-Radia tapes, which, he said, were doctored. Both said they had no problem ever with proprietors. Why would they? They were the proprietors-- more or less.
  Gupta prefaced the discussion by saying he was not “defending Vir”, though what was on show was a mutual endorsement love fest of two evidently embittered veterans suddenly finding themselves at the broad end of the table.
  Sanghvi set out his vision for the media in his concluding remarks: print would be dead soon except for a clutch of players who would find a new revenue and content model; in that bleak and near future, “only people like Shekhar” will have the credibility to pull off individualistic forays in terms of social media dissemination of news. Both trashed TV.
  This writer, who was one of the hapless audience, tried to get the mike but was denied because he had already remarked -- rather loudly -- that Sanghvi and Gupta were victims of post-diluvian syndrome.
  Are these Delhi heavyweights for real? Both had been in top management positions of the print industry for close to three decades. They were at the centre of the highly incestuous media discourses in the capital. They were -- and are still -- TV show anchors and guests. They have wrung riches and fame -- the two things they seem to hold against a lot of regular, salaried journalists with half a roof over their heads -- to the last sad drop from the media. And factually, too, they were too hasty in writing off good reporting.
  Only recently this paper did with meticulous research and rigour the 2 Janpath Diaries, exposing the nexus between CBI director Ranjit Sinha and giant private company representatives.
  Both Gupta and Sanghvi had a seminal role to play in the structuring and shaping of the contemporary media. Surely, if the model of reportage and edit writing they introduced has led to the decline and fall of the media, how ironic that it coincides with their own slow slide into the trash bin where in their good days they must have consigned so many stories and secrets?
  (The author is the Editor-in-Chief of dna)
• http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-are-media-s-fortunes-linked-to-vir-s-and-shekhar-s-2031604
• neera ‏@Neera_26  2h2 hours ago
  haha..spot on..both newstraders lamenting the fall of media!>Are media’s fortunes linked to Vir’s and Shekhar’s? http://dnai.in/cqVF  v

Paki Bomb attack interrupts Wagah Border Flag ceremony -- Vibhuti Agarwal

November 3, 2014, 3:29 am

≫ Next: National Herald case: Stay on summons against Sonia, Rahul et al till Dec. 2

≪ Previous: Journos Gupta and Sanghvi from the dustbin -- CP Surendran

$

0

0

2:22 pm IST
Nov 3, 2014

SOUTH ASIA

Wagah Border Flag Ceremony a Casualty of Pakistan Bomb Attack

• By
 
• VIBHUTI AGARWAL

Indian and Pakistani military guards march as they take part in the flag off ceremony at Wagah border on July 9, 2013.

 

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

At sunset each day, before the only road crossing between India and Pakistan closes for the night, a military spectacle takes place in which forces from both countries come face-to-face and goose-step to goose-step at the Wagah border for an elaborate flag-lowering ceremony.

On Sunday, as spectators there headed for home, a suicide bomber on the Pakistan side detonated a device that killed dozens and more than 100 injured.

In response, India has now put on hold the ceremony that has taken place for six decades since the creation of Pakistan, according to officials from India’s Border Security Force, a paramilitary force responsible for guarding the country’s land border.

For at least three days the border will close without fanfare, officials said.

The Wagah border is about 14 miles from Lahore. The ceremony, known as ‘Beating Retreat’, attracts thousands of Indians and Pakistanis  as well as a few bemused-looking foreign tourists to the tiered seating on each side of the border and the place echoes to cheers  “Long live India” and “Long live Pakistan” as each side tries to outdo each other.

The south Asian nuclear-armed neighbors have had frosty relations since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, and have fought three wars over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir, which both sides claim. Sunday’s suicide attack comes amid increased tensions between India and Pakistan after a resurgence of cross-border shooting at the disputed frontier in the Kashmir region.

Despite India and Pakistan’s rocky past and fractious present, the Wagah border ceremony is full of good-natured nationalistic pomp. If you want to get a sense of the atmosphere, think changing of the guard crossed with a baseball game.

The ritual begins with the sound of bugles blown together by military guards on both sides followed by a parade – a well-coordinated, energetic military display of competitive high-kicking put together by members of India’s Border Security Force and the Rangers of Pakistan.

Representatives from each side take it in turns to shout at the top of their voices and for as long as they can into a microphone in what could be described as a yell-off.

The end is marked by the lowering of the flags as soldiers shake hands across the divide between the hostile neighbors, before the border gates are slammed shut.

The Wagah crossing, besides being use by dozens of people to enter India and Pakistan every day, is also a crucial trade facility where trucks loaded with goods go back and forth.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack as a “dastardly act of terrorism.”

In the aftermath, India’s Border Security Force has been on high alert and officials said the ceremony would be cancelled for at least three days from Monday.

“Our side is safe; we are alert. We have increased our security,” Ashok Kumar, inspector general of the Border Security Force said Monday.

The decision to suspend the military parade taking place at the Wagah crossing for 60 years is not unprecedented.

According to a report in the Indian Express newspaper, it was also called off during the 1965 and 1971 wars between India and Pakistan.

Introduced in late 1950, the ceremony shot into prominence after India and Pakistan fought a war in 1999 when the event carried on.

Since then, and until now, it continued uninterrupted.

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/11/03/wagah-border-flag-ceremony-a-casualty-of-pakistan-bomb-attack/

National Herald case: Stay on summons against Sonia, Rahul et al till Dec. 2

November 3, 2014, 4:34 am

≫ Next: Contradictory statements from Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley -- R Jagannathan suggests arm-twisting methods to get back kaalaadhan

≪ Previous: Paki Bomb attack interrupts Wagah Border Flag ceremony -- Vibhuti Agarwal

$

0

0

1. J Gopikrishnan ‏@jgopikrishnan70  23s24 seconds ago

   National Herald case : Judge VP Vaish defers arguments to December 2 at12 noon.

   J Gopikrishnan ‏@jgopikrishnan70  8m8 minutes ago

   Now all Advs of accused led by Sibal landed in National Herald case. Seems argue for long to buy time

   Subramanian Swamy ‏@Swamy39  1h1 hour ago

   At 12.15 pm when NH was called all senior counsels of TDK and Buddhu missing. A junior asked for adjournment. After my protest fixed 3 pm.
2.  J Gopikrishnan retweeted

   Ishkaran S. Bhandari ‏@Ish_Bhandari  1h1 hour ago

   National Herald- Strange so many counsel Sibal, Singhvi etc none appear. JUDGE fixes 3pm. @Swamy39 says close their right & let me argue.

National Herald case: Stay on summons against Sonia, Rahul till Dec 2 

Ads by Google

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul had moved the High Court on July 30 against the trial court order summoning them in the case. (Source: PTI)

Press Trust of India | New Delhi | Posted: November 3, 2014 4:43 pm | Updated: November 3, 2014 4:48 pm

The Delhi High Court on Monday extended till December 2 the stay on the trial court order summoning Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and three others in the National Herald case.

Justice V P Vaish extended the interim order after lawyers appearing for the Gandhis and others said their arguments cannot be concluded on Monday.

The High Court, while listing the matter for further hearing on December 2, said the pleas before it require a regular hearing over two-three days and it can’t hear arguments in the next few days due to holidays and a lot of transfer cases listed before it.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that arguments need to be concluded before the next date of hearing in the matter before the trial court, which is scheduled to hear it on December 9.

Swamy, in his complaint before the trial court, had alleged cheating and misappropriation of funds by the Congress leaders in the acquisition of the daily by Young Indian (YI).

Besides Sonia and Rahul, Congress Treasurer Moti Lal Vora, General Secretary Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey had moved the High Court on July 30 against the trial court order summoning them in the case.

The trial court had on June 26 summoned Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda to appear before it on August 7.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/national-herald-case-stay-on-summons-against-sonia-rahul-till-dec-2/

Contradictory statements from Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley -- R Jagannathan suggests arm-twisting methods to get back kaalaadhan

November 3, 2014, 4:44 am

≫ Next: The architecture of Hinduism -- Sanjeev Sanyal

≪ Previous: National Herald case: Stay on summons against Sonia, Rahul et al till Dec. 2

$

0

0

 by R Jagannathan 

If Modi’s Mann ki baat is for real, he should try arm-twisting the Swiss on black money

Get ready for the bitter pill? PTI image

• 
  

The Prime Minister reiterated his commitment to bring back illegal Indian money stashed abroad yesterday (2 November) in his fortnightly radio talk "Mann ki baat". "We will do whatever it takes to get every penny back. This money belongs to the poor of the country. This is my commitment." (Read the whole transcript in Hindi here)

On the other hand, his finance minister says that premature disclosure of names can actually help the black money holders evade the law. "A disclosure without evidence would ensure that evidence is never available," he has said.

If the two statements appear contradictory, it is only because of their relative emphasis. Narendra Modi's is a personal and political commitment to ensure black money is brought back, and Jaitley's statement is about the practical need for evidence before asking the Swiss to disgorge details about the crooks and bring the money back. The Swiss want evidence from our side; they will not allow a fishing expedition on the Indian accounts they hold.

The issue is this: if the PM is committed to the idea, and his FM is telling him gathering evidence is going to be a long-drawn affair, how are they ever going to address public and court pressures to deliver results quicker?

The answer lies is realising two realities of global economic power and geopolitics. Do you have the political will? And do you have the political and economic muscle to force the tax havens to help you catch your crooks? The truth is local secrecy laws are used only against countries that show no political will. Swiss secrecy laws are thrown in the faces of the weak. If you are able to threaten damage to Swiss economic interests, they will bend over backwards to help. As they did with the US, Germany and Britain some years ago.

If we assume that Modi has the will, here are some things he can do to deliver on his promise to get "every penny back".

First, he should legislate a simple law banning the opening of any Indian account with any bank that operates out of a tax haven - not just Switzerland, but the Cayman Islands, the Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, the whole lot. Any account that is not declared in advance to the Indian taxman should be deemed illegal and subject to normal taxes, plus 10 percent penal tax (or whatever level appears threatening enough to tax evaders). Provisions can also be inserted to initiate retaliatory economic action against banks that violate Indian law.

Second, armed with this new law we should send a routine notice to all tax haven banks and governments for information on any Indian residents' accounts with them. They should be asked to deduct the taxes demanded by Indian law and remit the money. If not, they will be seen as violating Indian law.

Some purists may object and say the illegal account holders should be in jail, but that is a parallel process we can pursue. The economic issue of bringing "every penny back" relates to tax evaded. After all, every rupee kept abroad does to belong to Indians. These externally held accounts are created by not declaring incomes that ought to have been remitted to India, but it is only the tax portion that belongs to the exchequer - or the poor of the country, as our politicians are inclined to put it. Germany had a tax deal with the Swiss, but for political reasons, German politicians rejected the treaty (the same thing could happen here if our politicians want to help the wealthy, rather than go after their ill-gotten gains).

But if the Germans could have had such a deal with Swiss banks, and there is no reason we can't have one too.

Third, these new laws should be backed by potential sanctions against banks and companies headquartered in tax-haven countries. For example, if the Swiss are told their banks and companies will be asked to wind up or taxed at abnormal rates if they don't cooperate, they will think twice about resisting us. India has fewer economic interests in tax-haven countries than they have in us. So we should not fear repercussions.

Fourth, as I have often stressed, a lot of the black money weaves in and out of the economy. It means some of it also does some good. For example, when some of the Indian black money comes in through participatory notes (P-notes) the owner remains anonymous but the money gets invested in Indian stocks and debt helps Indian companies raise equity; it also helps government sell public sector shares. This is why all governments have been reluctant to curb investments from Mauritius or ban P-notes.

The only logical and practical way to get black money back is by complementing the tough measures with an amnesty scheme for undeclared sums abroad.

The key question is political will. From what he has spoken so far, Modi has indicated he has it. Well, time he started moving decisively on the matter with stronger legislation. The current drama in the Supreme Court over the disclosure of names is a pointless sideshow. The initiative is still is Modi's hands.

http://firstbiz.firstpost.com/economy/modis-mann-ki-baat-real-try-arm-twisting-swiss-black-money-106884.html

The architecture of Hinduism -- Sanjeev Sanyal

November 3, 2014, 4:47 am

≫ Next: Mamata Didi's purification drive -- Arup Chanda. Will Amartya help restore Mamata identity as the commie destroyer? -- Devadeep Purohit

≪ Previous: Contradictory statements from Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley -- R Jagannathan suggests arm-twisting methods to get back kaalaadhan

$

0

0

The Architecture of Hinduism

An investigation into Hinduism as a Complex, Adaptive System

Sanatan Dharma or Hinduism has long suffered from a very basic problem – the difficulty of defining it. One can describe a particular sect, or philosophy, but it is not easy to explain the whole. Thus, it is not uncommon for people to ultimately fall back on saying that it is a “way of life”. Unfortunately, such a definition is neither a meaningful description nor of analytical value. If anything, it causes a great deal of confusion by suggesting that Hindu religion is identical to Indic culture – the two are obviously linked but not exactly the same. The purpose of this article is to investigate the systemic logic of Sanatan Dharma as a whole and the process by with it evolves. It is not concerned here with the philosophical content or daily practice of any of the constituent sects, traditions and philosophies.

Most world religions, particularly those of Abrahamic origin, are based on a clearly defined set of beliefs – a single god, a holy book, a prophet and so on. These are articles of faith or axioms from which each of these religions is derived. This why the terms religion, belief and faith can be used interchangeably in these cases. In contrast, it is perfectly acceptable in Hinduism to be a polytheist, monotheist, monist, pantheist, agnostic, atheist, animist or any combination thereof. Thus Hinduism is a religion but not a faith, although constituent sects or philosophies can be termed faiths or beliefs. Instead, it should be thought of as an organic, evolving ecosystem of interrelated and interdependent elements that are constantly interacting with each other (and with the outside world).

There are many systems that fit the above description – financial markets, economies, cities, the English language, ecological systems and so on. These are all examples of “complex adaptive systems”. Note the contrast between the organic and evolving dynamics of such systems and the static laws of Newtonian mechanics. In turn, this has important implications for how we understand Hinduism and manage it.

Not the Sum of its Parts: One of the most obvious differences between complex adaptive systems and Newtonian mechanical systems is that the former is not the sum of its parts. A mechanical system like a car is the sum total of all its parts as put together to an “intelligent design”. In contrast, a city is more than the sum of all the buildings and a biological ecosystem is not just the sum of all the plants and animals. This is why complex adaptive systems cannot be described neatly from any one perspective. Thus, English language cannot be defined through even the most detailed description of its grammar. Similarly, the most detailed description of the Taj Mahal would not define the city of Agra. Yet, speakers of English -and the citizens of Agra have little difficultly identifying and using the language and city respectively. The same is true of Hindus – their seeming difficulty in definingSanatan Dharma poses no problem in recognizing and practicing their religion.

Moreover, the evolving and mutating nature of complex, adaptive systems implies that even the most detailed description is not just insufficient but fundamentally wrong over time. For instance, given the constant absorption of words and usages into English, an exclusive reliance on Wren and Martin’s grammar to understand the language would miss the point. This is also true of Hinduism where even the most detailed reading of Dharma Shastras and Smritis would not give you the correct picture of the lived experience of the religion over time.

History Dependent but not Reversible: One of the common characteristics of complex adaptive systems is that they are path dependent i.e. they carry the imprint of their historical evolution. Thus, most cities, biological ecosystems and living languages will show the layer-by-layer accumulation of their history. Readers will no doubt recognize how this applies to Hinduism. Notice how this is distinct from Newtonian mechanics. Two identical footballs, in identical conditions, will behave in exactly the same way if exactly the same force is applied to them. There is no historical memory in the system, and it does not matter what was done with the two balls before we subjected them to this experiment.

Complex adaptive systems, however, have an additional property – irreversibility. This means that the system will not reverse to its origin even if all historical events were reversed. Thus, reversing history will not take English back to Old Saxon but to some other language. Reversing the events of human evolutionary history will not take us back to our ape-like ancestors but to a new species. Similarly, reversing urban history will not take a city back to the original village settlement. More likely one will get a deserted city like Detroit or a museum city like Venice. Again notice the difference with Newtonian mechanics where a perfect reversal of factors will take the system back exactly to its origin.

An implication of these characteristics is that Hinduism carries its history within it but cannot return to a pure origin or “Golden Age”. It is necessarily about constantly evolving and moving forward even as it draws inspiration and ideas from its past. The holy books, traditions, customs and tenets of Hinduism should not be seen as a path to an ideal “Kingdom of God” or “Caliphate” to which everyone must revert. Rather they are the accumulation of knowledge and experience. Critics may argue that idea of “Ram Rajya” contradicts this point but this is a misunderstanding. Hindus draw inspiration from the idea of Ram Rajya as a time of prosperity and rule-of-law, but it is not vision for a return to the Iron Age.

No Equilibrium State: Yet another characteristic of complex adaptive systems is that they do not have an equilibrium or steady state in the long run. Again, note the contrast with Newton’s laws. Thus, the English language will keep adding words and usages with no tendency to stop. Similarly, successful cities will keep changing and/or expanding. However, a corollary is that if the system begins to contract, it can keep contracting with no tendency to self-equilibrate. Thus, a city like Detroit kept declining even though theory would suggest that falling real estate prices would attract back people. Financial markets too behave in this way – they will keep rising past what people think is a “fair value” and then fall back well below – hardly spending any time at the so-called equilibrium.

This behavior has important implications for how to manage complex adaptive systems. First, it means that managers should not attempt to hold the system at some preconceived steady state. Rather they need to accommodate the fact that the system is characterized by “increasing returns to scale” which can push the system into spiraling expansions or contractions. This does not mean that one should not attempt to manage such ecosystems – far from it, financial markets, cities and even ecological systems can benefit from active management. However, the management should allow for constant movement. A city mayor or a financial market regulator who insists on holding the system to a static equilibrium will either fail or effectively suffocate the system.

Although Hinduism does not have a centralized leadership, the above characteristics have many implications for how Hindus think about their religion and manage its future. For instance, they suggest that Hindu leaders refrain from being too prescriptive of where Hinduism should go in the long run. Much better that they focus on continuously updating and reforming the system on an ongoing basis while taking care to maintain internal diversity. The lack of uniformity may seem like a disadvantage in the short-run but is a big advantage when dealing with an unpredictable long-term future. This is analogous to a species maintaining genetic diversity as a bulwark against epidemics and other shocks.

Another possible implication of this intellectual framework may be that one needs to be less enthusiastic about “anti-conversion laws”. These have been proposed by some activists as a way to “protect” Hinduism in some Indian states but these laws are based on an idea of static equilibrium. Our analysis, however, suggests that such laws will have little benefit if the Hindu community is shrinking for whatever reason. In other words, a defensive tactic cannot work if the community is in a downward spiral in a particular area. It would be far better to focus on expansionary strategies to re-inflate the system. These could include intellectual and cultural innovation, social and missionary work, building alliances with other like-minded religious traditions and so on. Some of these efforts can be derived from the past, but it is perfectly alright to use completely new strategies.

The Importance of Flexibility: One of the learnings from the study of complex, adaptive systems is that flexibility will always triumph over brute strength in the long run. Indeed, inflexible systems can sometime disintegrate very suddenly even if they look outwardly strong. Take, for instance, the evolutionary history of life on earth. The dinosaurs were big and strong, and dominated the planet for millions of years. Yet, they suddenly disappeared as they could not adapt to changed circumstances – except for a few species who adapted to become birds! Similarly, the Soviet empire, for all its nuclear warheads, simply collapsed overnight because it could not adapt. China adapted and thrived. A similar story can be told of cities. Once great cities like Birmingham, Detroit and Kolkata were unable to adapt to deindustrialization. In contrast, by repeatedly reinventing itself, London has not only survived deindustrialization and the loss of Empire, but had been able to retain its place as the world’s financial capital.

This has very important lessons for Hinduism. Indeed, the religion has survived for so long because it was able to continuously evolve though internal reform, innovation and absorption. Sometimes it was the slow accumulation of small changes, sometimes it was a rapid shift led by a reformer like Adi Shankaracharya or Vivekananda. There were also many instances where Sanatan Dharma absorbed a foreign idea and made it its own – Hindu temples and idol worship is possibly inspired by Greek influence (Vedic Hindus only used fire alters).

Interestingly, Hinduism’s flexible, adaptive architecture may not have appeared entirely by chance but may have been deliberately set up by the ancient Rishis. Thus, Hindu scriptures are divided into Shruti and Smriti. The former are said to have been “heard” from the gods and consequently are canonical. Strictly speaking, only the first three Vedas – Rig, Sama, Yajur – are considered Shruti (although many would also include the Atharva Veda). All other sacred texts, including the much revered Bhagwata Gita, are considered Smriti. The Smriti are “remembered’ and therefore considered of human origin – the works of great thinkers, compilations of traditions, and so on. Some of them may be highly regarded but they are not canonical.

This architecture has had important implications for Hinduism. The Shruti texts may be canonical and provide general principles but they are wonderfully open-ended (just consider the Nasadiya Sukta or Creation Hymn in the Rig Veda to understand what I mean), whereas the Smriti texts are more specific but not canonical. This means that one can keep adding new texts and ideas forever, including texts that contradict previous Smriti texts. The much criticized Manu Smriti, by definition, can simply be replaced or revised if Hindus so wish.

To conclude, analyzing Hinduism as a complex adaptive system provides many important insights into the functional architecture of Sanatan Dharma. It shows that the key strength of Hinduism has been its ability to evolve, adapt and innovate. This ability needs to be actively enhanced and strategically deployed in order to keep Hinduism healthy. For instance, it may be time to revive the tradition of writing new Smriti texts, a practice that went into decline in medieval times. Some orthodox Hindus may consider this presumptuous but, as already discussed, it would be in keeping with the inherent logic of Sanatan Dharma.

Thousands of Swarajya readers receive the evening dispatch. Have you subscribed?

This paper merely illustrates some of the possibilities presented by the systemic approach to understanding Hinduism. It is not meant as a comprehensive treatise but an attempt to initiate a new way of thinking about Sanatan Dharma. The author hopes that others will build on it.

http://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-logic-of-hinduism/ 

Mamata Didi's purification drive -- Arup Chanda. Will Amartya help restore Mamata identity as the commie destroyer? -- Devadeep Purohit

November 3, 2014, 7:17 pm

≫ Next: The Allah ban -- Thomas Fuller. Uniform Civil Code for Bharatam -- A debate unreported.

≪ Previous: The architecture of Hinduism -- Sanjeev Sanyal

$

0

0

Alarmed Didi Asks TMC Men to Counter BJP Rise

By Arup Chanda | ENS

Published: 04th November 2014 06:00 AM

• Mamata plans to advance the municipal polls by five months and hold it in early January to catch the saffron brigade by surprise. (File/PTI)

KOLKATA:  Alarmed over the recent growth of the BJP in West Bengal, Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday held an emergency meeting with top party leaders and chalked out a strategy to combat the march of the saffron brigade.

The meeting was held at Mamata’s residence to plan a counter-strategy to tackle the BJP’s rise in view of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections scheduled next year. During the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, the BJP had polled 17 per cent votes in the state. Not only that, in the two Parliamentary seats here the party received 27.7 per cent votes with its nominees finishing second ahead of the Left and the Congress.

Mamata plans to advance the municipal polls by five months and hold it in early January to catch the saffron brigade by surprise.

The three-year-old TMC rule has seen party some leaders getting involved in murder cases, corruption and nepotism. So as part of a damage control exercise, Mamata constituted a committee to immediately plan a campaign against the BJP.

During the LS polls, the BJP had secured a lead in seven Assembly segments,  including that of Mamata in Bhowanipur, in the city.

While the BJP has only three municipal councillors, the party got a lead in 26 out of the 141 wards of the KMC.  Mamata has made it clear that councillors with ‘tainted image’ would not be renominated and has asked KMC Mayor Shovandeb Chatterjee to speed up development works in the city.

She directed party leaders to immediately start a door-to-door campaign keeping in mind the fact that the main rival of the party during the city polls is the BJP and not the decimated Left Front or the Congress.

Factoring in the large number of non-Bengali voters, the TMC will soon come out with booklets to combat the BJP campaign not only in Bengali but also in Hindi, English and Urdu.

Mamata also spoke about a “purification drive” within the party as many local level leaders had got embroiled in controversies following which the TMC’s image particularly among the middle class had taken a beating.

She is much more worried about the fact that large number of leading Kolkatans, including those from the film industry, academia and several retired bureaucrats and police officials has joined the saffron brigade indicating a paradigm shift.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat’ (clean India) campaign has also caught the imagination of the people here and as such Mamata has directed all her party councillors to ensure a clean city and speed up the beautification programmes.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/Alarmed-Didi-Asks-TMC-Men-to-Counter-BJP-Rise/2014/11/04/article2506294.ece

| Tuesday , November 4 , 2014 |

Amartya wrote about it, BJP is now gaining from it in Birbhum

DEVADEEP PUROHIT

The same person can be, without any contradiction, an American citizen, of Caribbean origin, with African ancestry, a Christian, a liberal, a woman, a vegetarian, a long-distance runner, a historian, a school teacher, a novelist, a feminist, a heterosexual, a believer in gay and lesbian rights, a theater lover, an environmental activist, a tennis fan, a jazz musician…. None of them can be taken to be the person’s only identity... Amartya Sen from Identity and Violence prologue

WHY SOME MUSLIMS ARE SWITCHING SIDES At Choumandalpur in Birbhum, Sheikh Alehim, 25, says “we need political protection to raise our voice against Trinamul. The CPM is not here any more… all of us have joined the BJP”, as the others nod in agreement. Picture by Indrajit Roy Makhra (Birbhum), Nov. 3: Shamim Rehman can be a poster boy for both Amartya Sen and Narendra Modi although the voluble Prime Minister is more likely than the measured Nobel laureate to be at ease with such labels. The 30-year-old resident of Makhra village in Birbhum is a claimant to multiple identities: the breadwinner in a family of three, a farmer, a day labourer, a caring father and a practising Muslim. Rehman is also a BJP activist, having switched over from the Trinamul Congress in a district where political clashes have signalled what appear to be stirrings of a shift in affiliations in parts of Bengal. The support of the Birbhum youth is expected to come in handy for Modi — and his party president Amit Shah — as they press ahead with their Mission Bengal and try to nail “the myth” that Muslims do not support their party. Sen, the Nobel laureate who traces his roots to the same Bengal district that is now in the news for political clashes, had celebrated the complexities of human identity and presented a critique of the politics of identity in his 2006 book, Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny. Sen had contended in the book that religion cannot be the sole identity and people should not be pigeonholed purely in terms of faith. He had argued that the freedom to choose identity affiliations is the antidote to divisive extremism — a contention that challenges the “solitarist” approach of ideologies that critics associate with the Sangh parivar and sections of the western world. Rehman, a school dropout, is not aware of Sen’s arguments against the “solitarist” approach that locks up everyone in tight little boxes of one-dimensional identities. Shamim Rehman, a resident of Makhra, with his daughter. Rehman says he wants to live in peace and provide two square meals to his family, explaining why he supports the BJP. Picture by Indrajit Roy But Rehman’s stark words echo Sen’s hypothesis, although it is not universally accepted. “Amar aage pran, tarpore dhormo…. Bou-bachcha-ke niye shanti-te duto kheye banchte hobe. Tai BJP korchhi (Being alive is more important than religion…. I need to live with my family in peace and with two square meals a day. That’s why I am supporting the BJP),” Rehman said, holding his daughter Shamima close to him. He was responding to a question from The Telegraph on what led him to support the BJP. Similar questions have taken centre stage in Ilambazar block, where Trinamul-BJP clashes have claimed at least five lives in the past few months. The skirmishes peaked in the past 10 days when a turf war broke out in Choumandalpur and Makhra, two villages that fall in the block. Against this backdrop, Rehman’s disclosure is certain to be seized on by the BJP as evidence of its growing acceptability among the minorities as the party prepares to take on Mamata Banerjee in the 2016 Assembly elections. But two caveats before the BJP jumps to any conclusions. One, Rehman represents a shift that is so far restricted to a dusty corner of Bengal. Two, the push factor from the rival, not exactly the pull factor from the BJP, is drawing people like Rehman to their new affiliations. A visit to villages like Makhra and Choumandalpur reveals that poor Muslim villagers are switching allegiance to the BJP because of their disenchantment with Trinamul, a party they had embraced with fathomless hope around three-and-a-half years ago. Several Trinamul insiders admitted that the party was fast losing out to the BJP in Ilambazar block with a population of around 3 lakh, of which over 60 per cent are Muslim. The area had been a Left stronghold but the 2009 Lok Sabha elections portended the winds of change to come. The Left vote share dipped in the Bolpur Lok Sabha constituency and it lost the Birbhum parliamentary seat to Trinamul, triggering an exodus from the quaking Left to the rising power. The transition was complete in the 2011 Assembly elections in which Trinamul won six of the 11 seats in Birbhum — an emblematic surge from the party’s tally of one MLA in the district in 2006. Three years after the milestone elections, the Left continues to bleed in Birbhum — once part of the impregnable Red citadel in central Bengal. Some villagers are now viewing the BJP as the Opposition force than can fill the vacuum the Left has shown little ability or inclination to fill. “Some of our party supporters want the BJP to take on Trinamul as we have failed to organise any major movement in the district though discontent is brewing in the area,” said a senior district CPM leader. Dudh Kumar Mondal, the BJP’s district president, said that anti-Trinamul forces were coming under the BJP’s fold and conceded that his party had been taken by surprise. “The rise in support for our party has come as a surprise to us…. We didn’t even know that village after village has been silently switching over to the BJP,” Dudh Kumar Mondal said. Sheikh Alehim, 25, and S.K.S. Jamal, 28, of Choumandalpur said “hope” had made them switch to the BJP from Trinamul a few months ago. “Hope” was the magnet that drew countless voters to Trinamul’s paribartan slogan in 2011. The identity of “hope” is economic — and the very basic need of ensuring survival. “We haven’t been paid for 100 days’ work for a year. Trinamul panchayat members demand money to issue certificates and when we protest, they threaten us. Our concerns with the rising prices of seeds and fertilisers do not bother them. The Trinamul leaders have become rich in a short period; they move around in cars and own property but our conditions have only worsened,” said Alehim. “In our village, we need political protection to raise our voice against Trinamul. The CPM is not here any more…. The BJP is the only hope and all of us have joined the BJP,” he explained, as others standing around him nodded in agreement. The young man’s family has four bighas of double-crop land, which barely meet the rice requirements of the seven people at his home and spare nothing that can be sold in the market. “I have been to Ranigunj, Durgapur and Asansol to work as a day labourer. I have also gone to Chennai…. There is nothing here,” said Alehim. There is hardly a pucca house in this village of around 400 families, most of whom have very small landholdings and have to work as daily labourers to earn and meet their needs beyond rice. Alehim, who returned from Chennai for the sowing season around a month and a half ago, came back to his village after nine days on Monday to collect relief materials the district administration was distributing among the villagers. The relief distribution by police constables in T-shirts has an ironic ring for the villagers, who said they had to face police brutality on the night of October 24. A section of the villagers had beaten back a police team that day from Makhra during a raid to unearth bombs allegedly stored there. Alehim, who had fled fearing arrest, insisted that the “police atrocity” on the pretext of the bomb hunt was intended at terrorising those who had crossed over to the BJP. Trinamul leaders, including Mamata, these days make oblique references to the BJP. But Anubrata Mondal, the Trinamul Birbhum chief who is known outside the district for advising his party workers to hurl bombs at the police, said that the BJP’s rise was nothing but a creation of the media. “There are over 1,900 villages in the district in 167 gram panchayats…. The BJP is present only in eight or nine villages,” said Mondal, sitting in a fortified party office that has CCTV cameras and an army of supporters who scan every visitor. Mondal’s homework cannot be dismissed outright. Out of the 167 gram panchayats, Trinamul holds sway in more than 115. Of the 42 zilla parishad seats in the district, Trinamul has 26. The BJP has a presence in only Ilambazar, Bolpur, Mayureshwar I and II and Rampurhat I blocks — out of a total of 19 in Birbhum. But Sheikh Samad, a BJP leader in Ilambazar block who cut his teeth in politics as a local committee member of the CPM, borrowed a farming metaphor to suggest Mondal was making the same mistake the Left had five years ago. “When the pests start affecting a part of the paddy field, they take very little time to spread. You just wait and see how our party grows,” Samad said at his home in Parui. Samad, a short and stocky man wanted in connection with the murder of Trinamul activist Suleman Sheikh, said the Trinamul leadership was using the police and implicating BJP leaders like him. Sadai Sheikh, a prominent BJP leader in Ilambazar block, is also an accused in the same murder case while Nimai Das is now in jail in several cases of attempt to murder. Mondal, who had been named in the Sagar Ghosh murder FIR but not in the chargesheet, said: “People like Nimai, Sadai and Samad are criminals who have taken refuge under the BJP fold… They are the main force behind the BJP, capturing some villages by terrorising people with bombs and bullets. The administration will take care of them.” Administration is the key to political power in Birbhum. The erstwhile Left government was accused of implicating Opposition leaders like Kajol Sheikh, a Trinamul strongman in Nanur block, in over 30 cases ranging from murder to extortion. Kajol lost his two brothers and father in clashes with the CPM for the control of Suchpur, which hit the headlines in 2000 when 11 people died in a Trinamul-CPM clash. With the police and the CPM cadres after him, Kajol ran away to Bolpur. Having secured bail in all the cases after the change of guard in the state, Kajol is now the satrap of Nanur, around 24km from Bolpur. Cases are pending against BJP leaders like Sadai, too, but these leaders are not overly worried about police action, probably because the party holds the reins at the Centre. The confidence of the leaders has trickled down to the lower rungs — and the BJP has gained. “The BJP has successfully played the administration card and convinced the people that it can offer shelter from Trinamul goons while we have failed to protect common villagers who have gone against Trinamul for valid reasons,” admitted Gautam Ghosh, a CPM district secretariat member. Several villagers in Makhra, Choumandalpur and Parui echoed the CPM leader. “We were feeling cheated by Trinamul. But whenever we tried to protest, we were threatened…. We needed a shelter and the BJP has provided that,” said Abul Kalam of Makhra village. BJP state president Rahul Sinha said that he was aware that the villagers were coming under the BJP fold to save their lives. “Trinamul is trying to retain its control by terrorising people…. But we won’t let that happen,” Sinha said. While there is little doubt that fear is driving some people to the BJP, two questions remain: how durable the loyalty will be and whether it will be enough to weaken Trinamul. The first test will come next year when elections to four municipal bodies in Birbhum are expected to be held. Winning such a battle depends on organising political movements, on which the BJP leaders do not seem to have focused so far. “Yesterday, some BJP supporters went with relief materials but returned after a brief argument with the cops when they were not allowed to enter because of prohibitory orders. Had Mamata gone there as an Opposition leader, she would have probably sat there till the police budged,” said a political scientist. The lesson from Makhra appears to hold true for both Trinamul and the BJP. Mamata cannot hope to count on the minority vote forever by raising the BJP bogey — just as the BJP cannot hope to win over Bengal by solely playing on the fears of the disgruntled. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141104/jsp/frontpage/story_18997076.jsp#.VFhEfzSUeSo

---

The Allah ban -- Thomas Fuller. Uniform Civil Code for Bharatam -- A debate unreported.

November 4, 2014, 3:00 am

≫ Next: Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. Create Maritime Economic zones, freight corridors as alternatives to channel

≪ Previous: Mamata Didi's purification drive -- Arup Chanda. Will Amartya help restore Mamata identity as the commie destroyer? -- Devadeep Purohit

$

0

0

Allah Jalla Jalaluhu

in Arabic calligraphy

"The word has cognates in otherSemitic languages, including Alah in Aramaic, ʾĒl in Canaanite and Elohim in Hebrew.It is used mainly by Muslims to refer to God in Islam, but it has also been used by Arab Christians since pre-Islamic times. It is also often, albeit not exclusively, used byBábists, Bahá'ís, Indonesian and Maltese Christians, and Mizrahi Jews.Christians and Sikhs in West Malaysia also use and have used the word to refer to God. This has caused political and legal controversies there as the law in West Malaysia prohibited them from using it." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah 

This topic was not discussed in the Lawgical Connect discussions on Uniform Civil Code held in Chennai on October 31, 2014 under the joint auspices of Shastra University (Prof. Vaidhyasubramanian, compere) and Times of India including panelists such as Justice KT Thomas. A report is yet to come. Hopefully, there will be a footnote on Allah and Paramaatman in Bharatam.
Kalyanaraman

Where 'Allah' means God, Christians can't say 'God'

Thomas Fuller,NYT News Service | Nov 4, 2014, 10.05 AM IST

 Kindergartners at a Christian school in Kota Kinabalu, on Borneo. By law, the Malay word for God can only be used by Muslims. (Credit Rahman Roslan for The New York Times )

KOTA KINABALU: As the students knelt in a circle at a Christian kindergarten near the shores of the South China Sea, a 6-year-old girl in pigtails read out a chapter from a children's Bible: "Sepuluh hukum dari Allah"— God's Ten Commandments.

Technically, she broke the law.

According to a series of government orders and rulings by Malaysia's Islamic councils, the word for God in the Malay language — "Allah"— is reserved for Muslims. Malay-language Bibles are banned everywhere except inside churches. State regulations ban a list of words, including Allah, in any non-Muslim context.

Malaysia, with its collage of ethnic groups and religions, has a long history of tensions over issues ranging from dietary differences to the economic preferences enshrined in Malaysian law for the Malay Muslim majority.

But there is probably no dispute more fundamental and more emotionally charged than who owns the word God.

For Malaysia's religious minorities, the government's ban on non-Muslims using the word Allah, and the repeated seizures by government officials of Malay-language Bibles, is enough to make a smiling and cheery kindergarten teacher snap in anger.

"Honestly I think it's nonsense," said Belinda Buntot, the teacher in the kindergarten here on the northern tip of the island of Borneo. "Of course we use Allah. We can't teach the kids without it."

The government's National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs deliberated on the issue of whether non-Muslims have the right to use the word Allah and issued a fatwa. "The conference decided that the word Allah is a sacred word specific only to the religion and followers of Islam and it cannot be used or made to be similar with religions other than Islam," said the fatwa, which was posted on the government's "e-fatwa" website.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, and Muslims are governed by Shariah, though Christians, Hindus and Buddhists make up sizable minorities. Outside the country, the government has sought to cultivate an image of a modern, moderate Islamic state, where 60 percent of the population is Muslim, and minorities live harmoniously.

But Christians, who make up 10 percent of the population, say the Allah ban is one of many signs that a conservative Islamic movement is steering an increasingly intolerant government policy.

In recent weeks, the religious authorities have barred Muslims from taking part in Halloween and scolded them for petting dogs, which the state Islamic authorities view as unclean.

The government's Department of Islamic Development did not respond to a request to explain the official position on the Allah ban, but over the years the government has offered a number of reasons.

When the government first prohibited the "printing, publication, sale, issue, circulation or possession" of Malay-language Bibles in 1981, it said the books were "prejudicial to the national interest and security" of the country.

Islamic authorities have warned that Malay-language Bibles could be used for proselytizing Muslims, which is illegal in Malaysia. Continue reading the main story

The Department of Islamic Development argues that Allah is not a generic name for God but signifies "the religion of the person who uses it."

"That is the reason why the usage needs to be monitored and preserved by the government in order to ensure that no one will be confused with the most exalted name," the department says on its website.

Perhaps more than at any time in recent decades, Malaysia's moderate voices are sounding an alarm.

Zainah Anwar, the founder of Sisters in Islam, a women's rights group, describes a "headlong descent into a puritanical, extremist, intolerant brand of Islam in this country."

"Malaysia's moderate Islam is only touted for Western consumption," she wrote in The Star newspaper on Sunday.

Ms. Zainah also wrote, "For too long this government has given almost a carte blanche to the religious authorities and the belligerent supremacists to take the lead and define what Islam is and is not."

Enforcement is patchy for the Allah rule, which has been promulgated in different forms and by different government and religious authorities over the past three decades. But the rule has been upheld by the country's highest courts.

Islamic scholars say banning non-Muslims from using "Allah" is unique to Malaysia.

"You can't find this idea in any previous Islamic discourse," said Yahya Cholil Staquf, a senior cleric at Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia, Malaysia's neighbor and the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. "Every language has its own word for God. Allah is just a word to acknowledge God. It's not a word for only Muslims."

The Christian minority in Indonesia, where the lingua franca is similar to Malaysia's, refers to God as Allah without any controversy; Indonesian Bibles are often imported into Malaysia, when they are not seized by the authorities.

On Tuesday, a court in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital, is scheduled to begin deliberations in a long-running case over the seizure in 2007 of a box of Sunday school materials, including coloring books and Bible story books, that used the word Allah.

The books were eventually returned, but their owner, a large evangelical Christian denomination, Sidang Injil Borneo, is challenging the constitutionality of the seizure because such confiscations continue. Malaysian customs agents seized compact discs and books destined for a Borneo church in late October.

Minorities need clarity on freedom of religion in the country, said the Rev. Jerry Dusing, the church president.

"No law can prohibit anyone from the reasonable practice of their faith," he said in an interview. "Why on earth are they banning words?"

The Roman Catholic Church has also been embroiled in a court case challenging Malaysia's Allah ban after the government ordered that its newsletter, The Herald, stop using Allah.

When a judge ruled in the church's favor in 2009, 10 churches were vandalized, one gutted by fire. An appeals court overturned the ruling last year.

"It is our common finding that the name Allah was not an integral part of the Christian faith and practice," the lead judge, Mohamed Apandi Ali, said.

An appeal was rejected, but church leaders are trying to get the decision reviewed.

Like Christianity, Islam was introduced here by foreigners. Arab traders spread Islam and Arab culture here, infusing the Malay language with words like Allah. Christianity came centuries later, with the arrival of missionaries from the West and European colonialism.

Liberal Muslims, who like many Christians say they are concerned with what they see as the growing power of conservative forces, see reasons other than theology behind the ban.

In Malaysia's ethnic-based politics, it is in the interest of politicians from the governing coalition to play up perceived threats to Islam, says Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the executive director of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, a research organization in Kuala Lumpur that promotes liberal democracy and free markets.

The United Malays National Organization, or UMNO, has been the dominant party of the coalition in power for 57 years, but the group was nearly toppled by a multiethnic coalition of parties last year.

"The more Muslims feel they are under threat, the more UMNO can maintain its political hegemony," Mr Wan Saiful said.

Mr Wan Saiful says Malaysia's conservative Muslims are disconnected from the wider Islamic world. Arabic-language Bibles used by Christians in countries such as Egypt and Lebanon use the word Allah for God.

He was attending a conference overseas this year when the court affirmed the ban on the Catholic Church using Allah in its newsletter."This Palestinian guy came up to me and said: 'The world is laughing at you. I'm from an Arab country and everyone uses the word, every day.'"

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Where-Allah-means-God-Christians-cant-say-God/articleshow/45030989.cms

Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. Create Maritime Economic zones, freight corridors as alternatives to channel

November 4, 2014, 6:18 am

≫ Next: Brahmi inscription on a megalith stone at Poriem, Goa

≪ Previous: The Allah ban -- Thomas Fuller. Uniform Civil Code for Bharatam -- A debate unreported.

$

0

0

Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. Create Maritime Economic zones, freight corridors as alternatives to channel, protect rare earth, atomic mineral placer sands

Alternatives to Sethusamudram Project should be to comprehensively develop the coastline as maritime economic zones.

The alternatives to transport of goods and fishing vessels should be:

1. To develop container ports in Kollachel, Tuticorin, Vizhinjam and provide for high-speed freight corridors with electrified double lines exclusively for goods traffic between Kollachel and Kolkata.

2. A similar corridor from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Madurai parallel to Ramasetu.

3. To declare marine coastal economic special zones to promote marine cooperatives and enhance fishery ports and air-conditioned storage facilities for fishery and other aquacultural, coastline agricultural products such as conch shell, coconut, palm, algae and other sea products. Adequate protective arrangements should be made against future tsunami and frequent storms and typhoons.

4. Modernize the Pamban channel with facilities for increased traffic for fishing and small vessels and increase the frequency of navigation by modernizing the cantilever bridge facilities. This should also include pilgrimage, tourism facilities and options for small scale passenger ships and cruise ships/voyages in the Indian Ocean. This should complement the announcement of Ramasetu as National Monument and National Pilgrimage Zone and setting up of world-class National Maritime Museum in the region.

5. Improve coastguard security in the coastal zone as part of the Pamban Channel Project. Improve the security arrangements for conserving and protecting placer sands containing monazite, other atomic minerals such as ilmenite, zircon, leucoxine and other rare earth reserves under Joint Army Command all along the coastline.

6.Announce the waters in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, as historical waters for common use by India (Bharat) and Sri Lanka, assuring the protection of the environmentally fragile marine bio-reserve of the maritime zone.

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/11/sethusamudram-hey-kaarasthan-dangers-of.html

NOV

2

Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan: Dangers of navigating through Pamban channel, Gulf of Mannar Ramasetu. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. 

1. 
   
2. 
   
3. Why Sethusamudram is kaarasthan (a Marathi word which means: 'a conspiratorial place').

The Gulf of Mannar is called Sethusamudram. The Gulf lies between Dhanushkodi (India) and Talaimannar (Sri Lanka).

The waters of the Indian Ocean are most turbulent in this maritime zone. Tamil Nadu Maritime Board issues daily weather warnings about the Pamban Channel which lies north of Gulf of Mannar between Rameshwaram and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.

In addition to regular high tides, frequent storms and cyclones, the zone is also prone to tsunamis as evidenced by the tsunami of December 26, 2006 which recorded a death toll of 230,000 people in the Indian Ocean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami Thanks to the presence of Ramasetu, the bridge made by Sri Rama connecting Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar, the southern coastline of India was saved from utter devastation by the tsunami. Some damage was caused in Kollam (Kerala) as the tsunami waves travelled around Sri Lanka and hit the west coast of Bharatam near Kollam.

Any navigational channel in the ocean zone should be designed in such a way as to deflect any future tsunamis, particularly emanating from the Aceh islands of Indonesia which is a plate-tectonically active zone. This is important to prevent devastation of the coastline port facilities and lives as was witnessed during a tsunami emanating from Alaska destroying a Canadian channel of a Canadia port. On March 28, 1964 Port Alberni was hit by a tsunamitriggered by the 9.2 earthquake coming out of Alaska because the channel acted as a funneled conduit of the energy of the tsunami.

So, Government of India should make a categorical announcement that Ramasetu will NOT be touched by any maritime navigational projects including the Sethusamudram channel project which should be shelved in its entirety, cancelling all activities related to the project. GOI should submit an affidavit to Hon'ble Supreme Court declaring Ramasetu as a National Monument and affirming that any channel in the maritime zone will be subject to most rigorous environmental impact assessments consistent with the Environmental Protection Laws and ensuring that the livelihood of the people of the coastline are in no way affected. On the contrary, any projects taken up should be to augment the employment opportunities and earnings of the coastal people by creating Maritime Zone cooperatives with improved fishing harbors, protection of thorium reserves in the coastline, air-conditioned storage facilities to be used by the fisherfolk declaring the zone as a Special Economic Maritime Zone to be developed by peoples' initiatives with the support of GOI and Tamil nadu authorities and in coordination with the Govt of Sri Lanka which shares the waters of the Indian Ocean under the Law of the Sea. This is a vital requirement to ensure the safety of navigation in the Indian Ocean and protection of the lives of coastal people and fisherfolk dependent for their livelihoods on aquaculture including acquisition of s'ankha shells and other sea-based artifacts such as algae which have medicinal value.

Given the extreme weather conditions of high winds, high waves and frequent storms and given the fact that the zone is on a fault-line with evidences of Mannar volcanics, extreme care should be taken to warn the coastal people on a daily basis through weather reports, using satellite imaging technologies of the nation.

A number of alternatives to deepening the Pamban Channel exist which should be considered and evaluated for improved transportation between the west and east coasts of Bharatam. See: http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/11/nitin-gadkari-to-study-pamban-channel.html

Is Nitin Gadkari reconsidering Mr. Townshend’s Proposal - 1861? He should scrap the Sethusamudram Kaarasthan Project, declare Ramasetu National Monument.

A clear distinction should be made between the facilities needed for the navigation of fishermens' boats through the Pamban Channel and use of the channel for freight traffic using barges, trawlers, catamarans or small sized vessels with capacity of about 10,000 tonnes given the shallow waters of the channel -- only about 2.5 metres. Any attempts to deepen the channel to 11 metres for navigation of vessels of 30,000 tonne capacity should be evaluated with great care. Such deepening will result in the need to reconstruct the present Pamban Rail and Road Bridges. The possibility of enhanced movement through the cantilever bridge on the Pamban Rail Bridge should be explored before attemptint to replace the cantilever bridge with other technological import options such as turn-table rail holders.

Further, protective arrangements are needed on both the left and right banks of the Pamban Channel to rescue any vessels which get stranded in sandbanks. The late PA Ramakrishnan had indicated the details of facilities made available in Suez Canal for such safety and rescue operations. See the embedded article: Nightmare ship salvage operation if Sethusamudram is aligned as a mid-ocean channel passage by PA Ramakrishnan.

“The diagram illustrates a salvage method in Suez Canal to retrieve a grounded vessel in the canal. A heavy wire rope is led from the vessel right across the canal and secured to a bollard located on the other bank. Such bollards with holding power of upto 100 to 200 tons are buried in strong foundation every 200 feet on either side of the canal throughout its length. The wire is then tightened with very little sag, tow wire from a tug stationed in the middle of the channel is of sufficient length for maneuverability. Resulting Pull P from varying angles alpha on diagonal rope, one side exerting a pull on the bollard, and the other side on the ship, while tug Position of Span line while pulling providing a tworope pull of 50 tons…Ship winch is used to tighten the rope and remove the slackness.” 

1. Without such salvage operational facilities, any large-scale freight movement along the Pamban channel will be a risky navigational enterprise.

The Ramasetu Protection Movement urges the Govt. of India led by PM Narendra Modi to:

1. Announce Ramasetu as a National Monument and declare enhanced pilgrim tour arrangements in the maritime zone together with improvements in fishery berths, air-conditioned storage facilities, enhanced employment opportunities for conch-shell and other aquaculture activities including setting up Special maritime Economic Zones with Marine Cooperatives to improve the livelihood and earning opportunities for coastal people.

2. Anounce scrapping of the Sethusamudram channel project while exploring transportation alternatives between east and west coasts of India with enhanced container port facilities, transportation of oil and gas using pipelines, high-speed freight corridors between container ports and the hinterland of Bharat.

3. Announce environmental protection steps recommended by the Pachauri and earlier Committees for the Marine Bio Reserve of Gulf of Mannar in consultation and coordination with Govt. of Sri Lanka which shares the waters of the ocean under the Law of the Sea.

4. Enhance coast guard facilities to protect navigation and to protect thorium and other rare earth placer sand reserves in the maritime zone. 

5. Enhance protection of atomic minerals and rare earth placer sands. Amend the DOE notification of January 26, 2006 declaring some atomic minerals under Open General Licence and restore the pre-eminent role assigned to Indian Rare Earths Limited to protect and conserve the rare earth placer sands and placer-sand mining operations along the coastline near Manavalakurichi in Tamil nadu, Aluva-chavara in Kerala, Bhimunipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Puri sands in Orissa, coastline of Konkan and other parts of the nation with monazite and other atomic mineral reserves. Scrap private mining operations in place sand mining.

S. Kalyanaraman

President, Rameshwaram Ramasetu Protection Movement Read on...

http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2014/11/sethusamudram-hey-kaarasthan-dangers-of.html

Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan: Dangers of navigating through Pamban channel, Gulf of Mannar Ramasetu. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. 

Shipping project: Nitin Gadkari allays fear about demolishing Ram Sethu

e

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier stated that government would consider implementing SSCP by choosing an alternate route. (Source: PTI photo)

Press Trust of India | Rameswaram | Posted: November 4, 2014 4:56 pm | Updated: November 4, 2014 5:15 pm

Union Surface Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said there was no question of demolishing ‘Ramar Sethu’ while implementing the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project and asserted it would be done without harming the environment.

“There is no question of demolishing ‘Ramar Sethu’  (mythical bridge built by Lord Rama to reach Lanka) while implementing Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project,” he told reporters after inspecting the area by air in a Coast Guard aircraft and through sea by hovercraft.

Gadkari said government was studying four or five options and its implications, including cost, as suggested in a report submitted by RITES, after government asked it to survey an alternate alignment and possibilities for constructing SSCP.

The SSCP project envisages dredging a ship channel across Palk Straits, providing a shorter navigational route for ships from east and west coasts of the country instead of circumventing Sri Lanka, has hit a block after protests over the proposed demolition of Ram Sethu.

After the NDA Government came to power, Gadkari had asserted that Ram Sethu structure would not be demolished.

The Tamil Nadu Government has opposed the project on the ground that it would affect the livelihood of fishermen.

Gadkari had earlier stated in Parliament that government would consider implementing SSCP by choosing an alternate route. It is against this background that he inspected Palk Straits.

Asked if the money spent on the project so far would go waste, he said, “we will utilise the part of the project which is completed. We are trying to use part of the sea that has already been dredged for the project. Now we are trying to find out a route for the new alignment,” he said.

Gadkari said implementation of the project would result in India getting a continuous navigable route wihin its territorial waters. From the strategic and security point of view also, the project would be an important one, he said.

The coastal movement due to SSCP would improve and develop maritime trade. Initially navigational facility will be  available for less than 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnage, he said.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nitin-gadkari-ramar-sethu-sscp/

Brahmi inscription on a megalith stone at Poriem, Goa

November 4, 2014, 2:17 pm

≫ Next: Warships leave Kolkata port after terror alert

≪ Previous: Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. Create Maritime Economic zones, freight corridors as alternatives to channel

$

0

0

Goa’s oldest stone inscription stands forlorn

Rajendra P Kerkar,TNN | Nov 5, 2014, 12.40 AM IST
KERI: The oldest stone inscription in the state stands forlorn and neglected by the roadside in Poriem. Though considered sacred, few in Poriem village and Sattari taluka are aware of its archaeological significance and historicity.

Locals call it Ubo Guno (upright stone) and are firmly against its shifting to any other place. But this piece of the state's history, which heritage lovers view with great sentimental value, is slowly decaying due to exposure to natural elements.

Barely 4km from Sakhali town, the megalith along the Sakhali-Belgaum highway in Poriem lies in the close proximity of the ruins of the Sateri temple plinth, which most probably belongs to the period of Badami Chalukya rule.

The inscription caught the attention of authorities and others after then chief minister Pratapsingh Rane informed director of archives, archaeology and museum Prakashchandra Shirodkar in April 1993 about the stone resembling a megalith. The directorate officials visited the site and discovered the stone inscription on it.

With the help of professor Ritti, an expert in the epigraphy from Dharwad, the directorate identified the script as Brahmi of the mid third or fourth century AD. The word inscribed 'netravarisha' means two years. The other portion could not be deciphered on account of the incompleteness and disjointed state of the inscription.

P P Shirodkar says that, palaeographically, this inscription has the importance of being the earliest stone inscription of Goa. Nundem inscription of Simha Raja from Nundem in Sanguem and Arvalem from Bicholim inscription in box headed characters are dated to the fifth century AD. Among all these stone inscriptions, found in Goa, Poriem's inscription is considered the earliest.

As the upper part of the inscription is lost and some words are not legible at all, it has not been possible to comprehend the meaning of the words.

On earlier occasions, the archaeologist discovered two stone inscriptions in Velus of Sattari belonging to the Vijayanagar period of 1402. Both these inscriptions were taken into custody by the archaeological survey of India, Goa Mini Circle, and are displayed properly in their museum. But the directorate of archives, archaeology and museum of Goa has not made any concrete efforts to protect and conserve the stone inscription since the last two decades of its discovery.

Shankar Rao, a well-known archaeologist of Indira Gandhi Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, who had visited the site a decade ago says, "This inscription is most unique since it tells us about the rich pre-Portuguese cultural and historical heritage of Goa. It is an indication that Goa is a part and parcel of Indian culture."

"This specimen is in need of urgent protection. Already, some portion of the inscription has worn out due to the effects of heavy rain, sunlight, wind and humidity", said Sitaram Toraskar, a student of Archaeology from Dodamarg.

Pandurang Gawas from Shiroli said, "For so many years now, we pass from Poriem to Sakhali, but were not aware of the stone inscription. Only, on account of the awareness drive undertaken by Vivekanand Puratatva Mandal of Keri, we realized that the earliest stone inscription of Goa is in front of the Sateri temple of Poriem."

Presently, the stone inscription is under a ficus tree without any protection. Annually, during festivals the villagers worship it by applying the sandal paste. However, pouring of oil has added to its erosion. Cattle grazing in the area too poses a threat to it, as they brush their horns against it.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Goas-oldest-stone-inscription-stands-forlorn/articleshow/45039864.cms

Warships leave Kolkata port after terror alert

November 4, 2014, 2:32 pm

≫ Next: Fidayeen terror strikes threatened -- Praveen Swami

≪ Previous: Brahmi inscription on a megalith stone at Poriem, Goa

$

0

0

| Wednesday , November 5 , 2014 |

Warships leave after alert

OUR BUREAU

INS KHUKRI A 1350-tonne missile corvette. The Khukri is named after the only combat vessel the Indian Navy has ever lost — in the 1971 war (torpedoed by Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor) The INS Sumitra and the INS Khukri at the Calcutta port on Tuesday morning before they were pulled out. The ships left in the afternoon, instead of Friday as scheduled. Picture by Anup Bhattacharya Calcutta, Nov. 4: The Indian Navy today pulled out two warships from the Calcutta port, citing “operational reasons”, after an alert of a possible terror strike that could damage the vessels. The alert is understood to have specified that militants in the guise of visitors or staff who have access to the port could threaten the security of the berths and assets on the waterside in Kidderpore. Terror alerts are fairly routine but the Burdwan blast last month has added an edge to the latest intelligence input. The naval ships that have been pulled out had docked in Calcutta on Monday and had been scheduled to be berthed till Friday. The public was invited to visit the ships till Thursday — a practice followed by the navy every year in the weeks leading to Navy Day (December 4). Security has been beefed-up at the Calcutta port following a specific threat gleaned by central agencies. The Bengal government was communicated the intelligence report, and the state in turn advised the Indian Navy to take precautions. Senior officials of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), that is primarily responsible for landward security of the port, said the alert was received on Monday evening. “Following the specific input, we held a meeting today to review our security arrangements and preparedness. Patrolling has been intensified at the various installations inside the port complex,” said a senior CISF official. One central security officer said “commercial ships with armed men as security guards on board pose a threat”. A large number of merchant vessels have armed men on board as security guards, mostly to fight off pirate attacks. “Some terrorists with ulterior motives may try to infiltrate into India disguising themselves as security guards and pose a threat to national security,” said the source. “These ships carry arms for safety and there is no check on them as they move into the country. There are chances of pilferage and it poses a serious threat to the security and safety of the country. An alert is sounded across ports in the country and all movement has to be monitored, especially Calcutta port and Haldia port,” said the officer. Riverine territory of around 200km is said to be under surveillance now. An official in Calcutta said this evening: “Although the report mentioned that the tip-off was somewhat unreliable as it had come from uncorroborated sources, it was treated with seriousness.” An alert has been sounded in areas that fall under two police stations — South Port and West Port — that cover the Calcutta port stretch. “One of the most sophisticated hovercraft from our fleet has already been pressed into service as a part of the vigil,” said Sharad Mantri, DIG, the Indian Coast Guard. The fallout of an attack on the Indian warships — targets for an adversarial military — cannot be understated. The threat perception of militant attacks on naval installations across South Asia increased several notches since a militant attack in Karachi, Pakistan, last year. On September 6 this year, the Pakistani Navy claimed it had killed two attackers and lost one of its officers in foiling an attempt on its dockyard in Karachi. This month, too, Karachi police claimed that they had foiled another attempt on the port there. The navy said the INS Khukri and the INS Sumitra were recalled for “undisclosed ‘operational reasons’ on orders by the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters today”. Officially, the navy said the departure of the ships had “nothing to do with any terror alert”. “The alacrity by which Indian warships are ready for operation at a short notice was demonstrated by the quick turnaround of the two visiting warships, amply showcasing Indian Navy’s prompt readiness…,” a defence statement said. The sources said a group of 60 street children, including orphans, were escorted through the ships before they were recalled today. The visit of the children from the NGOs, Magic Bus India Foundation and Purbanchal Udayan Sangha, was arranged by the local unit of the Naval Wives Welfare Association.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1141105/jsp/frontpage/story_19000258.jsp#.VFlTLzSUeSo

Terror link probe leads NIA to dubious madrasas in Assam

Digambar Patowary, Hindustan Times  Guwahati, November 05, 2014

First Published: 00:21 IST(5/11/2014) | Last Updated: 00:25 IST(5/11/2014)

As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials probe the Assam connection to the Burdwan blast case, the government has discovered the state has too many madrasas with doubtful credentials.

These unregistered madrasas are suspected to have discarded the traditional Hanafi school of thought to adopt the radical Ahle-Hadis or Ahle-Hadith adhered to by most jihad outfits.

On Monday and Tuesday, NIA sleuths searched several villages in western Assam’s Barpeta district. Several bank accounts and photographs of quack dentist Sahanur Alam  — who is allegedly involved with the Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh — in various disguises were seized.

A pyramid burqa marketing network of potentially radical distributors was also unearthed. The officials did not elaborate but chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the suspected jihadis were running a “discounted burqa business”.

 “JMB has been trying to develop its network in some key areas in Assam, where indoctrination of youths in jihadi philosophy is in a nascent stage,” Pallab Bhattacharya, additional director general (special branch), said.

Police officials said the radicalisation drive was through unregistered madrasas following the Ahle-Hadis school of thought. Most of these madrasas are off the radar as they are on river-created sandbars difficult to access.

According to Fazlur Rahman, director of the state’s madrasa education, there are 663 registered madrasas.

“Nobody knows how many unrecognised local-level madrasas we have in the state, but their number is very large. We don’t know what type of education they impart,” he told HT.

The bulk of some 25 lakh people living on Assam’s sandbars them are migrant Muslims, and they little or no access to roads, electricity and modern education.

“Under such circumstances, madrasa students can easily become targets of anti-national outfits,” Rahman said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/terror-link-probe-leads-nia-to-dubious-madrasas-in-assam/article1-1282614.aspx

Kolkata port on terror alert, navy moves out two warships

HT Correspondents, Hindustan Times  Kolkata/ New Delhi, November 04, 2014

First Published: 19:57 IST(4/11/2014) | Last Updated: 02:40 IST(5/11/2014)

Security forces in Kolkata are on high alert following a central intelligence warning that the city’s port may be the target of an attack by militants posing as fishermen, home ministry officials told HT on Tuesday.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) headquarters in Delhi alerted top West Bengal and Kolkata police officials on Monday through an email, cautioning them of a possible attack on the port by Pakistani navy-backed terrorists.

The Indian navy moved two warships — INS Khukri and INS Sumitra — out of the port after receiving the alert and increased patrolling in the sea. The ships were supposed to be open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday.

The alert came after Pakistani security forces foiled an attempt by al-Qaeda militants to capture a Pakistani frigate at Karachi in September. The militants aimed to use the ship to attack Indian and American vessels in the Indian Ocean.

“We came to know about the alert from the CISF,” said deputy commissioner of police (port division) Imran Wahab. “We had a meeting late into the night and Indian navy officers were also present.”

Sources said security agencies intercepted conversations about targeting Indian naval assets at Kolkata and swung into action, in part, because of September’s Karachi attack.

“Marine patrolling at the India-Bangladesh sea border in the Bay of Bengal has been enhanced in view of the alert,” said commodore Ravi Ahluwalia. “We have electronic surveillance on seagoing vessels, especially the fishing trawlers plying in the region.”

According to the alert, terrorists are likely to enter Indian waters posing as fishermen and are backed by Pakistan marines, an elite marine commando unit of the Pakistani navy.

“Intelligence inputs were promptly shared with port authorities, navy, coast guard, Kolkata police and other counter terror agencies and they have been asked to remain on high alert,” a Union home ministry official said.

Security sources said al-Qaeda’s new wing for India and Pakistan may be responsible for Sunday’s suicide attack on the Pakistani side at the Wagah border that killed over 60 people, and militants might carry out similar attacks in India.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/central-alert-over-possible-terror-attack-at-kolkata-port/article1-1282504.aspx

Fidayeen terror strikes threatened -- Praveen Swami

November 4, 2014, 5:32 pm

≫ Next: Indian Ocean Community: start daily puja in Angkor Wat in pancharatra agama tradition, in largest Vishnu temple of the world

≪ Previous: Warships leave Kolkata port after terror alert

$

0

0

Wagah bombers vow ‘revenge’ against Narendra Modi

Written by Praveen Swami | New Delhi | Posted: November 5, 2014 5:46 am | Updated: November 5, 2014 6:50 am

BSF and Pakistani Rangers jawans at Beating Retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah international border on Monady, a day after the blast. (Source: PTI photo) - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/wagah-bombers-vow-revenge-against-modi/99/#sthash.9N9ZHa3E.dpuf

The terrorist group that carried out Sunday’s murderous suicide bombing at Wagah has followed it up with a threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“You are the killer of hundreds of Muslims,” Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat Ahrar (TTP-JA) spokesperson ‘Ehsanullah Ehsan’ said in a message released on his Twitter feed on Monday, hours after claiming responsibility for the Wagah strike, “We w(il)l take the revenge of innocent people of Kashmir and Gujarat” (sic).

Modi has been briefed at least twice in the last fortnight on the growing threat from complex webs of transnational jihadist groups operating from Pakistan’s war-torn north-west and their new Indian affiliates, who give them the assets needed to execute their threats.

One arm of the Indian Mujahideen, led by Karachi-based Riyaz Shahbandri and his lieutenant Muhammad Ahmad Zarar Siddibapa, has merged into al-Qaeda, intelligence officials say. The rival Indian Mujahideen group, known as the Ansar-ul-Tauheed, is training at camps run by the TTP-JA.

Each of the groups who have acquired Indian partners have rejected talks with the Pakistani government, instead committing to the destruction of the Pakistani state.

Led by Maulana Qasim, the TTP-JA was founded in September by commanders who rejected the Tehreek-e-Taliban’s decision to talk to the Pakistani government. Inspired by the Islamic State, its leadership also has close personal ties with al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. Its key commander, journalist-turned-jihadist Omar Khalid Khorasani, seeks to overthrow the Pakistani government, impose shari’a, seize the country’s nuclear weapons, and wage jihad until “the Caliphate is established across the world”. In February, Omar Khalid executed 23 Pakistani soldiers by beheading, a message both to pro-dialogue commanders and the army.

Al-Zawahiri, in turn, has created a new subcontinental wing of al-Qaeda, that has threatened strikes against India. Indian Mujahideen cadre have been training with the new Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) for over a year, and Indian intelligence services have told the Prime Minister attempted strikes could be just months, or even weeks, away.

Leaders of the Indian Mujahideen and the central leadership of al-Qaeda, communications decrypted by the National Investigation Agency suggest, began negotiations on a merger in mid-2013. The effort was led by Karachi-based Riyaz Shahbandri, who wanted a new patron to break free of restraints placed on the group’s operations by his erstwhile mentor, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.

In a May 24, 2013 chat, the individual the NIA identifies as Shahbandri told Siddibapa — also known as ‘Yasin Bhatkal’ — he had just completed a visit to Pakistan’s north-west to meet with a top al-Qaeda commander on merging the Indian Mujahideen and al-Qaeda The al-Qaeda commander Shahbandri met, sources say, was most likely Asim Umar, the Gujarat-born, Delhi-raised seminary student who now heads AQIS. Last month, The Indian Express revealed Umar had arrived in Pakistan in the late-1990s from Dubai, and began studies at the Jamia Uloom-e-Islamia-a Karachi seminary that produced several influential jihadist leaders Umar, the sources said, was mentored by Nizamuddin Shamzai, a cleric closely linked to the Taliban who once bragged of being treated as a “state guest” in Mullah Muhammad Omar’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Later, al-Zawahiri appointed Umar as the head of al-Qaeda’s shari’a committee, a key institution that provides ideological guidance to the group.

Following his meetings with Shahbandri, Umar released a number of calls for jihad by Indian Muslims — an effort to gather recruits for the organisation. In the summer 2013 issue of the jihadist magazine Azan, he asked “Indian Muslim scholars and masses why the jihad battlefields remain deprived of their blessed presence — especially when history shows that their ancestors always raised the banner of jihad against the enemies of Islam.”

In the article, Umar invoked anti-Muslim communal violence in India, saying “the Red Fort in front of the mosque cries tears of blood at your slavery and mass killing at the hands of the Hindus”.

Following the Indian Mujahideen’s absorption into the al-Qaeda umbrella in the summer, investigators believe, the new organisation set multiple plans in place. Among them, attacking visiting tourists from Israel, blowing up petrochemical facilities or trains, and assassinations of police officials involved in counter-terrorism work. Notably, Shahbandri revealed that al-Qaeda had already had a functioning network in India, run by an individual who was connected with Uttar Pradesh.

“No one knows whether those plans were found to be workable”, a senior intelligence official said, “and what stage of execution they might be at now”.

Elements of the Indian Mujahideen network hostile to the Shahbandri’s leadership, meanwhile, sought other patrons. In a July 18, 2013, message filed in court by the NIA, an individual alleged to be Azamgarh-born fugitive Mirza Shadab Beigh also told Siddibapa that negotiations with al-Qaeda had reached an advanced stage. Five separate groups had now allied under al-Qaeda’s command, he said, to launch operations in India.

Beigh, however, wasn’t impressed with what al-Qaeda had to offer. He described the group’s ethnic-Pashtun fighters as “bulk with no brain”, “cheap manpower for jihad and Fidayeen work”. Their cadre, he said, were unsuited to work in India, imagining that one could walk about the country with weapons in their hands, as they did in Afghanistan.

The Indian Mujahideen dissidents thus set up a new group called the Tauhid al-Ansar-which has released multiple video-tapes of its cadre training at Taliban camps for what it says will be a wave of fidayeen strikes in India.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/wagah-bombers-vow-revenge-against-modi/99/#sthash.9N9ZHa3E.dpuf

Indian Ocean Community: start daily puja in Angkor Wat in pancharatra agama tradition, in largest Vishnu temple of the world

November 4, 2014, 6:19 pm

≫ Next: Communalism destroyed Common Civil Code and its a point for Cerebration -- Sastra University

≪ Previous: Fidayeen terror strikes threatened -- Praveen Swami

$

0

0

The identity should be Indian Ocean Community, Hindu mahasagar parivaar consistent with the French epigraphist, Geoge Coedes' magnum opus: Histoire ancienne des États hindouisés d'Extrême-Orient, 1944 Ancient History of Hinduised States of Greater Orient

The mission should be to create a Dharma-Dhamma geostrategic Indian Ocean community, a counterpoise to European Community with a common Mudra and Free Trade and celebrating ancient maritime contacts exemplified by Bali Yatra celebrated every year on Karthik Purnima Day.

हिन्दु महासागर धर्म-धम्म परिवार

Daily puja should begin in Angkor Wat the largest vishnumandiram of the globe in traditional pancharatra agama tradition enshrined in an inscription there. This will be a celebration of dharma-dhamma polity continuum. NaMo and Norodom Sihamoni (Khmer: នរោត្តម សីហមុនី; born 14 May 1953)  the reigning King of Cambodia should jointly inaugurate this puja.

We suggest that Indian Ocean Community can be an effective counterpoise to European Community to take the region to the due share in world GDP which it had in 1 CE (pace Angus Maddison).
See: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uQuXEROb9Io/TG6eA8iyGOI/AAAAAAAAA3k/6qYDKRbWCds/s1600/GDP-History.gif

S. Kalyanaraman

Sarasvati Research Center

November 5, 2014

Communalism destroyed Common Civil Code and its a point for Cerebration -- Sastra University

November 4, 2014, 8:52 pm

≫ Next: Two cows of capitalism and the public buys your bull

≪ Previous: Indian Ocean Community: start daily puja in Angkor Wat in pancharatra agama tradition, in largest Vishnu temple of the world

$

0

0

"Communalism destroyed Common Civil Code and its A point for Cerebration"

http://sastra.edu/index.php/component/content/article/31-runninig-news/1284-lawgical-connect

---

Two cows of capitalism and the public buys your bull

November 4, 2014, 9:05 pm

≫ Next: NaMo, declare Ramasetu National Monument, scrap Sethusamudram channel project. Inform Hon'ble Supreme Court.

≪ Previous: Communalism destroyed Common Civil Code and its a point for Cerebration -- Sastra University

$

0

0

Capitalism Explained. This Is So Accurate It Hurts.

29th October 2014

http://www.tickld.com/x/capitalism-explained-this-is-so-accurate-it-hurts

NaMo, declare Ramasetu National Monument, scrap Sethusamudram channel project. Inform Hon'ble Supreme Court.

November 4, 2014, 11:07 pm

≫ Next: Suruji, jeevema s'aradah s'atam to guide the Rashtram

≪ Previous: Two cows of capitalism and the public buys your bull

$

0

0

Any attempt to deepen the channel to 12 m depth will seriously reduce the stability of the Pamban Channel. Hence, further detailed studies are warranted before offering this as an alternative Sethusamudram Channel. The best option is to keep the Pamban Channel intact only for movement of fishing vessels and tugs including catamarans and small ships considering the curved nature of the channel, the shallow waters and the serious dangers of any vessel hitting a sandbank which will require special salvage facilities as provided for in the Suez Canal with bollards on both banks and steel chain tugs to rescue and salvage vessels hitting sandbanks. The approaches to the channel are full of conchshell colonies and algae apart from being Green turtle habitats rendering this a very environmentally fragile marine bio-reserve. No environmental damages should occur by deepening the navigational pathways in the Gulf of Mannar approaching the Palk Straits and Pamban Channel.

In summary, GOI should:

• Declare Ramasetu as National Monument
• Explore alternative transport arrangements to move freight from east coast to west coast from container ports through freight corridors from Collachel to Kolkata to serve Tuticorin, Vizhinjam and Cochin container ports and oil/gas pipelines and opening up a Colombo-Madurai highspeed rail-cum-road for freight and passenger traffic
• Create Special Marine Economc Zones along the coastline for Marine cooperatives with improved fishery port facilities and air-conditioned storage facilities for the cooperatives
• Allow only fishing vessels and small ships to traverse the Pamban Channel without causing any irreparable damage to the adjacent lands and fragile ecosphere
• Provide for protection measures against future tsunamis and to safeguard the placer deposits (monazite, rare earth atomic mineral) along the coastline of the country: Manavalakurichi, Aluva, Chavara, Bhimunipatnam, Puri, Konkan coastal deposits.

Note in particular the concluding warning of the following technical note: "The likely reactivation of faults due to tsunami causing future mega-earthquakes may direct the waves to move with added force along fault movements to hit the coast, as probably happened in the case of heavy damages caused to Phuket in Thailand and to the Cuddalore- Nagapattinam coast in Tamil Nadu during 2004 tsunami." The types of protective measures against future tsunamis can be learnt from the high walls build along the coastline in Japan to protect against high tidal waves and recurrent tsunamis in Japan coastline.

In conclusion, GOI should declare the Sethusamudram channel projects as a closed chapter in the saga of alternative navigation routes and look for alternative transportation arrangements to move into Trans-Asian Railroad and Trans-Asian Railway Networks on the anvil together with improved container port facilities and high-speed freight corridors.

To avoid future tensions, Ramasetu should be declared a National Monument together with Gulf of Mannar already declared as Marine Bio-Reserve to protect the environment along the long coastline of Bharatam.

No high-risk navigational arrangements should be contemplated on Pamban Channel which does NOT make any nautical sense given the shallow waters and curved nature of the Pamban pass. It is good to recall the warning recorded by every committee which considered the very first Townshend Committee which considered Pamban Channel in 1861. " Mr. Townshend’s Proposal - 1861The next proposal was by Mr. Townshend. He proposed siting the canal through the Pamban Pass. His proposal was to deepen the existing tortuous Pamban Channel to enable the passage of large vessels. However, the objections to its adoption, with a curved channel, and subject to the strong currents through the Pamban Pass were so obvious that it put the Scheme outside the pale of practical consideration." 

http://sethusamudram.gov.in/History/History.htm (Sethusamudram Official website)

The strong currents continue to exist requiring Tamilnadu Maritime Board to issue daily weather reports for the fisherfolk. The weather situation and the hotspot around Ramasetu and fault-lines and closeness to tsunami generating tectonics make this Sethusamudram a kaarasthan (Marathi: conspiratorial place). GOI should move with abundant care and concern for the coastal people before venturing into project channel alternatives. The submission is that the issue should be considered a transport problem and alternative freight movement and pipeline alternatives should be explored in the context of the development of the long coastline of Bharatam and its destined role of leadership in the Indian Ocean Community with due consideration to answer the concerns of neighbouring country, Sri Lanka which shares the historical waters of Sethusamudram. No decisions should be made without consulting Sri Lanka with due regard to the amended Law of the Sea.

S. Kalyanaraman
President, Rameshwaram Ramasetu Protection Movement


Herewith a detailed technical note to facilitate further studies.

A NOTE ON THE GEOLOGICAL, GEO-TECHNICAL AND GEO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN THE PAMBAN CHANNEL, TAMIL NADU

                                                     BY                                                      K.GOPALAKRISHNAN, DIRECTOR (RETIRED), GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA

(This note is for submission to Sri. Nitin Gadkari, Honble. Minister for Shipping & Transport, Govt. of India on 03 November, 2014 at Chennai.)

Introduction

It is reported that the Govt. of India is considering a proposal for deepening the existing Pamban Channel in Tamil Nadu as an alternate alignment for the Sethu Samudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) based on the recent studies conducted by RITES. As a geo-scientist of this nation who has a fair knowledge about the geological setting of Tamil Nadu, I wish to bring before the Govt. of India some specific geo-scientific data for due consideration. It is hoped that RITES might have taken into account many of the points being raised in this note and already examined them in detail during their studies. But I would like to stress some salient points for further consideration.

Geological setting of Pamban Channel Area.

Various sedimentary rocks of Sub-recent to Recent age are exposed on the land in the Mandapam side (west) and on the Rameswaram side (east). These rocks are also exposed during low tides in the Pamban sea channel in between along a rocky ledge.

Previous studies

Geological Survey of India had carried out the geological and geo-technical studies of the Pamban channel environs for the construction of the Road Bridge across the channel. Two reports pertaining to Pre-project (Road bridge) studies are relevant for the proposed project of deepening of the channel for SSCP. They are –

1.      A Geo-technical report on the Investigation of the Foundations of the Pamban Road Bridge, National Highway-49, Tamil Nadu  by V.S.Krisnaswamy, Director, Geological Survey of India, 1972. (Sri. V.S.Krishnaswamy is one of the great experts in the field of Engineering Geology (Geo-technical Studies) of India, and had carried out and guided almost all the major Engineering Projects of India. He is well recognized and respected world over in this field. He retired as the Director General of GSI. At present he is over 90 years of age and living in New York city, USA).

2.      A Short Note on the Sub-surface Explorations carried out at certain pier locations of Pamban Road Bridge by D.N.Seshagiri, Senior Geologist, GSI, 1977. (Sri.D.N.Seshagi is also a specialist in Engineering Geology. He was associated with and guided many projects giving geo-technical advices).

The salient points brought out by them are –

Surface and drill-hole data suggest the following sequence of formations at the Pamban channel site.

Calcareous Sandstone                         Around 5m thick                                                                                                    Loose Sand                                            8 – 10m thick                                                                                        Clay                                                         3 – 5m thick                                                                            Soft Calcareous Sandstone &                                                                                                          Shelly Limestones                               Around 18m (upto 30m depth)

Out of the total thickness of 5m of the Top, Krishnaswamy states “at least 1/3 of the total thickness of the Top Sandstone from the base is believed to be SOFT to VERY SOFT in nature; the middle 1/3 being Soft to Moderately Soft and the top 1/3 being Fairly Hard.”That means about 1/3 of total 5m thickness, only about 1.5m of this Calcareous Sandstone is HARD. Krishnaswamy also states “this top layer is characterized by formation of “Large rectangular blocks, caused by widely spaced Gaping Joints. The depth of penetration of such gaping joints seems to be around 0.91 to 1.52m”. This shows that even this hard top layer is unstable.

On Geotechnical Considerations, Krishnaswamy further states “In view of the fact that the Top Sandstone member is largely Non-existent in the Deep Channel Section and vicinity, and as there is the suspicion of sand-back-fill here, I would suggest recourse to Pile Foundations and consideration of at least 1.5m of embedment of pile into the bottom mostargillaceous / Calcareous sandstone (and Shelly Limestone) member, under the navigational and anchorage spans. Krishnaswamy also suggests for provision of deep pile foundations also for the two piers adjacent to the anchorage span on either side, as for providing against any disturbances of the SAND Layer due to increased erosion of the Deep Channel Floor and Sides,should this happen at the time of any future Strong Gales with tides, which are not uncommon in this area.”. This advice is for the pile foundations of the road bridge.

The new proposal by RITES will be along this Deep Channel Section. The present channel depth is reported to be about 2.5 to 3m. As per the original SSCP proposals, the Shipping Channel for at least 30,000 tonne ships should be 300m wide and 12m deep. So, in the new proposal of RITES, the channel has to be deepened to a depth of at least 12m below MSL. It will certainly go upto the SAND LAYER. The above observations of Krishnaswamy for the road project are very valid for the geo-technical considerations of RITES’ proposal of Deepening Pamban channel. The likely hood of erosion of the undercutting of the Sand Layer below the top sandstone is applicable in this case too. Besides the Sand Layer, the lower 1/3 thickness of the Soft and Very Soft top Sandstonealso will be easily eroded. This will lead to submarine sand slides. It will further induce the overhanging 1.5m thick hard sandstone, which is already affected by gaping joints upto that depth will easily give way for rock slides of large sized rectangular blocks into the shipping channel. This point has to be taken care of to strengthen the sides (walls) of the deepened shipping channel.

Geotectonic (Neotectonic) considerations and Uplifts/ Subsidences (submergences) due to Faulting

The Vaigai Fault is extending from the land on Tamil Nadu to the Mandapam-Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi. Very recent Neo-tectonic activity in the form of faulting had been reported during 1948-49, where the southern part of parts of Dhanukodi went down by 5m into the sea. This had been studied and proved beyond doubt by the Marines studies by GSI, as shown by the figures given below.

    

 

 TThis faulting establishes the uplift of Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi island with respect to Gulf of Mannar. Krishnaswamy and Seshagiri had also inferred an uplift of the land with respect to the sea by the presence of recent shells in the top Sandstoneformations, as well as from the occurrence of most recent Coralline Limestones on top of this top Sandstone much above present day sea level and above the level required for the growth of coralline colonies, on the northern side of Rameswaram island and its absence on the southern side, indicating an uplift of the northern side. Recurrence of such faulting in future may lead the rocky ledge extending from Mandapam to Pamban along the channel, to be uplifted and thus reduce the depth of the channel hindering the passage of ships. Also this faulting will destabilize all the rocks in the vertical section, bringing further Sandand rock (Sandstone) slides into the channel obstructing the passage.

Another aspect which may affect the stability and depth of the channel is the nature of the current movements and the likely quantum of sediment transport along and deposition in the channel.It is hoped that RITES would have studied this aspect during the different seasons along the Pamban channel.One Google Earth image of the area taken in 2008 during a particular season, and given below shows the forceful nature of the sediment laden currents from Palk Bay to Gulf of Mannar along the Pamban channel.

No East flowing on-shore currents in Ramnad coast. N-S currents from Palk Bay converge and cross Pamban Channel with force; being deflected Westwards by coral islands.

                            

A close-up view of the above image.

It is to be remembered that at present, the force of the currents and the sediment load are distributed over the entire length of the hard rocky ledgein the Pamban channel for about 3km extending from Pamban to Mandapam , which (the rocky ledge) is reported to have a width of about 120m. Further scale modeling and mathematical modeling studies are needed to know the possible nature (manifold increased force) of the currents and sediments when a much narrower shipping channel of 300m width and higher depth of 12m is cut and available for currents across the Pamban channel. As the deep shipping channel will be cutting through the underlying SAND layer, the rate of erosion of this layer due to increased force of the currents may also have to be studied for taking necessary steps for protecting the sides (wallls) of the shipping channel.

RITES would have also made similar studies on the nature and sediment transport from Gulf of Mannar northwards, which may have an impact on the stability of the rocky reef / ledge across the Pamban channel. Actually, Krishnaswamy makes a point that the coral islands on the southern side of the Pamban channel forming a barrier to these northerly speeding and large currentsand acts as insurance to the stability of the channel rocks. The actual plan of the proposed channel with orientations and depth of digging to be done in the different sectors, particularly for the entrance from the south, is not available at present to this writer. It is not known whether any islands and or coral reefs will be cut through, and even if passage through the gap between the existing coral reefs etc.  A general caution is given that these points are to be studied very carefully, keeping in mind these geomorphic features together form a natural geological barrier protecting the Pamban channel from the various adverse oceanic activities and are not to be destabilized in any manner as well as to be protected in suitable manner.

In the absence of the terms of reference and the non-availability of the report of RITES at present, it is not clear whether the studies by RITES restricted to only the deepening of channel for SSCP or for the entire Project. In the later case, the following additional points on various other geo-scientific aspects related to entire SSCP, are submitted for consideration.

Geo-scientific findings and recommendations from the above report are summarized below.

A.     There are 4 sets of ‘deep crustal faults’ occur in the project area, oriented in 4 different directions, viz., NNE-SSW to NE-SW, NW-SE, N-S and E-W .

Faults are deep crustal fractures and fissures or weak zones which extend over hundreds of kilometers in length and to depths of over tens of kilometers. The disturbances deep within the earth known as ‘tectonism’, cause the release of pressure built-up there along the faults, which in turn brings about both vertical and lateral movements of blocks of earth’s crust.

•      All the four fault systems in SSCP area are neo-tectonically active even today bringing out both vertical and strike-slip movements. Recent studies by GSI have indicated such activities along the southern parts of Rameswaram – Dhanushkodi area extending along Rama Sethu as well as in the off-shore areas of Vellar river in PalkBay. (PB).

B.     Occurrence of a number of thermal springs on land around the entire Palk-Bay region as well as the indications of a very high heal-flow zone in this area are documented by the maps given below. It is inferred from the ‘High Heat Flow Zone II and IIIthat is similar to such high heat zones along the Himalayan front and along Andaman – Niccobar Islands where active volcanoes are present. Occurrences of buried volcanic vents are known from Gulf of Mannar   (GM) area. During the middle of 18^thcentury, volcanic eruptions off the coast of Pondicherry are reported. A press report in June, 2013 indicated that Smithsonian Institute, USA had identified buried volcanoes in the Bay of Bengal region, corroborating the earlier findings. The  fault zone connecting all these reported buried submarine volcanoes passes through Palk-Bay – Gulf of Mannar region.

C.     The high heat flow transmitted along the deep crustal faults, are also manifested on the surface all along the coast surrounding Palk Bay in the form of flowing bore-wells with hot water.

The faults on land extend into Palk Bay and activities along them may induce thermal activities in the off-shore regions, thus destabilising the channel.

D.     Occurrences of earthquakes all along the Tamil Nadu coast are known during the last two centuries and the epicenter of one earthquake with 3-4 Magnitude is located within PB area. Three earthquakes of 5 to 7 M are reported in GM during recent times (in 1938 and 1993). One earth tremor of ~5 M is recorded in 2001 off the Pondicherrycoast. Geophysical signatures in the project area such as highgravity and high heat flow also point to the high vulnerability to future earth tremors.

Thus it can be seen that the PB-GM area is not only fragile with respect to tectonic movements, but also highly sensitive for higher heat flow manifestations coupled with seismically vulnerable nature for future earthquakes.

The Mandapam-Rameswram-Dhanuskodi –Rama Sethu-Talai Mannar feature is not merely a group of simple sandy shoal or sandy bars of migratory nature. Evidences are available to prove below such sandy bars, this physical feature forms a distinct geological, geotectonic, oceanographic and oceanic divide that has got a specific and very important role to play as a barrier in controlling the different geological and oceanographic activities in this highly fragile and sensitive area.

Geo-environmental Considerations

Environmental Assessment Report from competent agency clearance from the Ministry of Forests and environment are mandatory for according sanction to any major project. Geo-environmentral assessment is a very important and integral part of this Environmental Assessment.

• The geo-environmental assessment report should normally cover the following :

Ø  Assessing the “Geo-environmental Resource Potential”such as minerals, ground water, natural geological and geo-morphological features etc.

Ø  “Geo-environmental Impact Assessment” indicating impacts likely to be caused to the above resources as well as to the environment as a whole

Ø  “Geo-environmental Management Planning” defining the methodology and remedial measures for reducing the impacts for a sustainable developmental activity.

Ø  The task of preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was entrusted to National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). The EIA report of NEERI was submitted in August, 2004. This report does not cover all the requisite aspects of Geo-environmental Assessment as stipulated in the beginning of this note. The only geological aspect of importance dealt with in NEERI’s report concerns about sedimentation rates in the Palk Bay. The various geological activities in the project area such as neo-tectonic activity with faulting, earthquakes related seismic activity, geothermal manifestations with higher heat flow, all of which accompanied by submergence, slumping, submarine landslides, blocking of passages etc .as well as the changes in the ocean current movements are probably not addressed properly.

Ø   It is to be stressed here that once the geo-morphological features are destroyed, natural geological processes are hampered and geo-environmental degradation is permitted, and has taken place, the original geo-environmental system is irrecoverable, irretraceable and lostfor ever, leading to calamities and destructions beyond repair.

De-stabilisation of the multifarious barrier zone of this entire feature will bring in the following Geo-Environmental Impacts:-.

·        Tectonic movements along the active fault zones bringing about subsidence and submergence of areas with inundations and flooding as well as collapse of structures

·        Causing submarine landslides which in turn will lead to changes in ocean currents and mini-tsunamis besides blocking ocean passages.

·        Inducing earthquakes and earth tremors, which in turn may cause damages to structures, causing submarine land-slides and other concomitant disruptions. 

·        Inducing movements along this fragile zone of high heat flow will bring in excessive heat to the surface, thus changing current movements, affecting the lives of biota as well as higher corrosive and erosive effects of the hot waters causing instability to the canal and bringing about land-slides and blocking the passage of sea, etc.

  Effect on the Placer mineral Deposits

             Monazite, ilmenite garnet etc. are heavy minerals with higher specific gravity. Therefore for separation by jigging, concentration and transport, ocean currents should possess enough strength and high velocity, and they should move in a specific orientation / direction for the concentrated minerals to be deposited along our coasts. It can be seen from the Geological and Mineral Map of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry (GSI, 1995) that these heavy mineral placer deposits occur only to the south of Adam’s Bridge, all along the southern Tamil Nadu and Southern Keralacoasts. This is mainly due the specific nature of current conditions and their directions in the Gulf of Mannar region, which is a deep water ocean with clear water. It is significant that the absence of any such placer deposit of importance around the shallow PalkBaywith turbid waters, the in spite of having same source rock regions,clearly brings out the necessity for having specific oceanic and current conditions. It has already been brought out in the earlier paragraphs that the SSCP canal cutting across Rama Sethu/Adam’s Bridge will create huge sediment laden water falls from PalkBay to Gulf of Mannar that will disturb and agitate the tranquility if the Mannar waters as well as the existing current directions. This may be further aided by other tectonic events like sudden rise in temperature due higher geothermal manifestations, faulting, subsidence, collapse of materials, and formation of submarine landslides leading to local tsunamis. As a consequence, the current directions will automatically change. Under these conditions, the heavy minerals will neither get concentrated nor deposited in the future on our shores.

It was witnessed very clearly during the December, 2004 tsunami, large tsunami waves made in-roads to considerable distances on the coast and withdrawing immediately dragging a lot of materials from land into the ocean depths. Recurrence of such oceanic incursions and withdrawals has become very common during the past 5 years all along the Tamil Nadu coast from Kanyakumari  upto Chennai. These instances are probably caused by fault movements along the coast. Thus, the removal of already existing deposits of placer minerals from the coast to deep-ocean by future tsunami waves is a clear probability.

Effects of Tsunamis on the PB – GM area

a)      The view of Government and SSCP authorities that the SSCP canal will reduce the impact of future tsunami waves is erroneous. Running water will always flow with high velocity and energy along any new narrow linear channel.

b)      Evidences are available from the Tamil Nadu coast, where in spite of reduced energy on hitting the coast, the 2004 tsunami waves moved ferociously inland upto 3 kmalong the existing river channels and caused heavy devastations.

c)      Tad S. Murthy, the renowned tsunami expert objected to SSCP project and suggested re-alignment the canal.

d) The Palk Strait and the Mandapam-Rameswaram-Dhanushkodi-Rama Sethu feature have acted as barrier zonesand protected the Palk-Bay – Gulf of Mannar (PB – GM) area as a tsunami shadow zone during 2004 tsunami.

         e)  In addition, the likely reactivation of faults due to tsunami causing future mega-earthquakes may direct the waves to move with added force along fault movements to hit the coast, as probably happened in the case of heavy damages caused to Phuket in Thailand and to the Cuddalore- Nagapattinam coast in Tamil Nadu during 2004 tsunami.

Suruji, jeevema s'aradah s'atam to guide the Rashtram

November 4, 2014, 11:35 pm

≫ Next: Ramasetu will not be harmed, says Gadkari -- Kumar Chellappan

≪ Previous: NaMo, declare Ramasetu National Monument, scrap Sethusamudram channel project. Inform Hon'ble Supreme Court.

$

0

0

[Vishwa Samvad Kendra - Chennai] Maa. Suriyanarayana Rao turns 90

Maa. Suriyanarayana Rao today turns 90.  He is a serving friend, philosopher and guide to all swayamsevaks.  Native of Karnataka, he started serving in Tamilnadu as Prant Pracharak from 1970. Being his Kendra in Chennai, he served as Akhil Bharata Seva Pramuk, took various responsibilities in Sangh and now guiding as Akhil Bharatiya Sadasya. 
 

 

Sri M L Raja TN Prant Sanghachalak, Sri Suriyanarayana Rao, Sri Venkatramu Dakshi Prant Sanghachalak, Sri Chempaknath Ji (Suri Ji's classmate)

In 1969, VHP convened conducted a huge conference in Udipi. Suri Ji was in-charge of the conference.  It was a historic conference, in which, all the Matathipathis and Hindu religious leaders issued jointly issued a statement at the end of the conference that untouchability has no place in Hindu religion. All Hindus are brothers.  His sister Rukmini is a senior karyakartha in Rashtra Sevika Samiti.

 

One of the brothers Narahari represented the college lecturers as MLC in the upper house of Karnataka Assembly.  During emergency, he went underground and guided people’s struggle against dictatorship.  

Sri Suryanarayana Rao, so far has compiled three books on Swami Vivekananda released at various functions namely 'National Regeneration--The Vision of Swami Vivekananda and the Mission of RSS', 'Vivekananda India condensed', 'Swami Vivekananda--A Dynamo of Freedom Struggle'.  His books are on a humble attempt to present the Swami in a concise form covering the magnetic personality, his achievements in the West, his intense love for his Motherland, his vision and mission for the regeneration of a Hindu Nation.  He also wrote foreword to many books. 

A special puja is organized today in his hometown in Bangalore. Senior Sangh leaders Sri Sethu Madhavan Ji, Sri Krishnappa Ji, Sri Jayadev Ji etc and Sangh leaders from Tamilnadu and Karnataka attended the puja and sought his blessings. Tamilnadu Prant Pracharak Bakthavatsalam Ji, Prant Karyavah Sri Sambamurthy Ji, Sah Prant Pracharak P M Ravikumar Ji, Prant Sharirik Pramuk Sri Shankar Ji, Sampark Pramuk Sri Rajan Ji, Sri Harihara Gopal Ji, Sri L Ganesan Ji were among the Tamilnadu leaders who attended the puja.  

Ramasetu will not be harmed, says Gadkari -- Kumar Chellappan

November 5, 2014, 12:08 am

≫ Next: Kaalaadhan: India doesn't know owners of Pnotes, how will USA help getting back this kaalaadhan? -- MR Venkatesh. FM has to answer.

≪ Previous: Suruji, jeevema s'aradah s'atam to guide the Rashtram

$

0

0

RAM SETHU WILL NOT BE HARMED, SAYS GADKARI

Wednesday, 05 November 2014 | Kumar Chellappan | Chennai

The controversial Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project, connecting the East and West coasts of the country would be implemented without demolishing the Ram Sethu, a rock structure which the Hindus hold in high reverence. This was announced by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Roads, Highways and Shipping, at Rameshwaram on Tuesday.

Gadkari visited the Sethusamudram site, first on a Dornier aircraft belonging to the Coast Guard and then in a hovercraft. “There is no question of demolishing Ram Sethu. I fully understand how people hold the stone structure in reverence,” Gadkari told reporters after the visit to the site.The Minister said his officials have been examining the reports submitted by the public sector RITES about new and alternative alignments to complete the project without harming the Ram Sethu.Gadkari had given an assurance to the delegates of Ram Sethu Protection Movement which called on him late Monday night at Chennai.

“Gadkari said the project would be implemented without disturbing the Ram Sethu. He said the Ministry is in the process of finalising an alignment without demolishing Ram Sethu and disturbing the fragile environment,” Dr S Kalyanaraman, president, Ram Sethu Protection Movement told The Pioneer after the meeting with the Minister.The Sethusamudram Shipping Channel to be built through the Palk Straits envisages a shipping channel which would bring down the sailing time. Ships have to circumnavigate Sri Lanka to reach the East and West coasts of the country now.

Dr Subramanian Swamy, senior BJP leader, had challenged the construction of the Sethusamudram Channel as it would lead to the demolition of Ram Sethu, a rock structure which according to the Hindus, was built by Lord Rama during the battle against Ravana, the demon King who resided in Sri Lanka. The project, devised during the UPA regime envisages the demolition of Ram Sethu to build the channel  through the Palk Straits.

Navigation experts are of the view that the Sethusamudram project does not make any nautical sense. “However hard you try, only ships with 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) could sail through the proposed channel. Such ships have become museum pieces now. The shipping sector deploy only super and mega containers in the 1,50,000 to 2,50,000 DWT range. Such ships will not be able to sail through this narrow channel,” said Captain Hariharan Balakrishnan, a former commander of the Indian Navy and a master mariner.

The case is being heard by the Supreme Court which even appointed an expert committee led by eminent environmentalist RP Pachauri to find out the impact of the channel on the flora and fauna in the region as well as on the livelihood of the fishermen along the Rameshwaram coast. The Pachauri committee had told the court that the project would be unviable and not feasible economically as well as environmentally.

The AIADMK Government in Tamil Nadu too is against the project as it may rob five lakh fishermen of their livelihood. Scientists at the Centre For Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, has warned that any dredging for the Sethusamudram Project  would lead to the destruction of the fragile Gulf of Mannar ecology, one of the rare marine bio-parks in the world.  

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/ram-sethu-will-not-be-harmed-says-gadkari.html

GADKARI: RAM SETU WILL NOT BE BROKEN FOR SETHU SAMUDRAM PROJECT

Friday, 15 August 2014 | PNS | New Delhi

1

Sticking to the BJP’s manifesto, Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said Ram Setu will not be broken for the proposed controversial Sethu Samudram shipping canal project. Replying during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said the Government would make efforts to find an alternative route for the project without damaging the Ram Setu.

“We won’t break Ram Setu. The matter is sub-judice so I won’t speak on it but four alternatives have been suggested.” said Gadkari. He said the Government would inform Supreme Court about the matter and decisions regarding this would be taken after his visit to the spot in the first week of September.

Sethu Samudram project, considered as the pet project of DMK, was inaugurated during UPA-1 regime in 2006. The project was allotted Rs4,000 crore initially to start dredging works for the new shipping canal. The project was declared by the Centre’s environment expert committee in 1998 as an “environmental disaster”. However, in 1999, the Centre decided to review the findings of the expert committee and granted permission for the project. DMK was a partner in the NDA Government then.

Breaking of the historical Ram Setu, the coral bridge believed to have been created by Lord Ram, had provoked Hindu organisations and the RSS had come out openly against the breaking of the ancient bridge, described in the epic Ramayan. The Supreme Court in 2008 stayed the work of the Sethu Samudram project on a case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy

http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/gadkari-ram-setu-will-not-be-broken-for-sethu-samudram-project.html

Kaalaadhan: India doesn't know owners of Pnotes, how will USA help getting back this kaalaadhan? -- MR Venkatesh. FM has to answer.

November 5, 2014, 3:05 am

≫ Next: Immature Western model of history -- Prof. TP Verma (October, 2014)

≪ Previous: Ramasetu will not be harmed, says Gadkari -- Kumar Chellappan

$

0

0

Black Money – Will Agreement with USA help?

NOV 05, 2014

MR VENKATESH

Regulatory oversight allowed illicit money transactions in our financial markets.

The Writ Petition filed by the NDA Government in mid-October consists of two parts. The first part deals with the issue of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement [DTAA], the information obtained from Liechtenstein through Germany and confidentiality obligations of Indian Government under the said DTAA.

I had dealt extensively on this issue in my article titled “Black Money Issue degenerating into a farce?”

The second part relates to the proposed Inter Governmental Agreement [IGA] with USA. Under the proposed agreement, “information” provided by financial institutions in India will be automatically transmitted to USA with reciprocal obligations for financial institutions in USA to transmit “information” to India.

Now, two questions arise: what constitutes “information” and two, why should such information exchanged be treated as “confidential.” First, let me address the second question. The Writ Petition rightly points out that the IGA mandates that all information exchanged between India and US to be subjected to confidentiality clause of Indo-US DTAA.

Thus the information to be received under the IGA would be dealt as a tax issue, to be dealt with tax laws and tax authorities. Importantly, any breach of confidentiality thereof would violate the provisions of the DTAA and hence the proposed IGA.

It is precisely under these circumstances that the NDA Government approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court seeking clarification whether the Union Government could enter into the proposed IGA with commitment to treat information so received as confidential in light of its earlier order that allowed such information to be made public.

FATCA and its Adverse Implications

Now to the first question that remains unanswered – what constitutes “information” that is sought to be exchanged between the two countries? The answer to this question lies in understanding the imperial demands of the US Law – Foreign Account and Tax Compliance Act [FATCA].

This Law focuses on reporting (i) by the US tax payers on certain foreign financial accounts and offshore assets and (ii) by the foreign financial institutions about accounts held by US taxpayers or foreign entities in which US Taxpayers hold substantial ownership interest.

Therefore, FATCA enables the US revenue authorities to go after US [not Indian] tax cheats not only within US but world over by receiving information from financial institutions across continents. The manner of securing this information is codified thorough IGA as mentioned above.

FATCA also provides the penalty for non-cooperation with US revenue authorities. Accordingly, foreign institutions located outside of USA that do not register and report on information sought face a possible thirty percent withholding tax on certain US source payments made to them or their clients.

No wonder, it is a fact that several countries are queuing to sign the IGA with the US. It is in this context India too is preparing to sign this IGA with US by December 2014. Ostensibly, through the IGA, India seeks to establish a global standard on automatic information exchange that enables her tax authorities to go after tax cheats who park their ill-gotten wealth in tax havens.

But will FATCA read with IGA help us?

From a plain reading of FATCA it is obvious that a majority of Indian tax evaders would have nothing to do with FATCA or for that matter IGA with US. But there is different set of discomfort arising out of this arrangement. FATCA, it may be recalled, requires Indian financial institutions to report to US authorities on details of accounts / assets owned by US citizens or entities in which US citizens hold substantial interest.

This is bound to open the Pandora’s Box in India. For nearly a decade the Manmohan-Chidambaram-Ahluwalia triumvirate have allowed our financial markets to function through a combination of lax regulatory mechanisms and ensuring secrecy on ownership of entities.

This laxity in regulatory oversight in turn allowed dirty-illicit money to enter and exit our financial markets without let or fear of the long arm of the law ever catching them and in a way converted India – yes India – into a mini Switzerland where laundering of illicit wealth could be done with relative ease and possibly with the connivance of the authorities and regulators in India.

Let me amplify. The last decade of India under UPA has seen a proliferation of private banks, aviation, software and consulting companies amongst others. Crucially, these organisations have grown enormously in size and have significant market share and employ large number of people.

Inexplicably, our regulators have often turned a Nelson’s eye to inconvenient questions about ownership of such companies.

Consequently, we are unaware of the beneficial ownership of several corporates which typical of such cases are multi-layered and located in several exotic locations and operated through complex financial instruments across continents which make it impossible to untie and knot and zero in on the ultimate owner.

Consequently, one wonders how India, given her track-record, will provide details about ownership to the US under the proposed IGA!

Another instrument peculiar to Indian financial system is the Participatory Notes [PNs]. Readers may be aware that PNs are derivative instruments issued by FIIs to foreign investors [and note this is not issued to Indian investors under any circumstances] who want to invest in Indian equities, but do not want to register with stock market regulator, Sebi.

Thus, PNs are a contract between a foreign institution and a foreigner outside India to invest into Indian stock markets. Needless to emphasize, the underlying securities of PNs are Indian stocks. But the moot question remains – are the ownership of these PNs really vested with foreigners or could they possibly lie with Indians.

Further, in contrast to the stringent Know Your Customer [KYC] norms laid out for Indians even for opening a bank account, the concomitant norms for PNs are loosely defined by Sebi. Moreover, most of these FIIs operate from the cosy confines of Tax Havens where minor irritants like KYC norms are either absent or are applicable in diluted form.

So a loosely defined Sebi regulation in India coupled with lax norms in tax havens make it a deadly combination for those who generate illicit income in India, take it outside India through the Hawala route and re-route it back to India as PNs or foreign investments.

Given this factual position, experts have been of the view that the PNs [which are issued to entities whose ownership are multi-layered] could be ultimately owned by Indians with their illicit money and not by foreigners as the Sebi regulation mandate.

What if narco-terror money generated within India and taken out of India through the Hawala route re-enters the Indian financial system as PNs? Given the fact that there is no reported case of any direct intervention by our regulators in such scenario for the past decade or so, are we to conclude there is no illicit money generated in India, taken outside India through the Hawala route and brought back into India, PNs or no PNs? Questions that beg for an answer.

It may not be out of place to mention that courts in India have held that Sebi has not prescribed KYC norms to FIIs in the first place for Sebi to demand ownership details of such PNs! Where is the question of adhering to a norm when the norm is absent in the first place? And that is the crux of the issue.

The net result: Indian regulators do not know the names of such investors, or the origin or sources of such funds. Crucially, they can do precious little. No wonder, PNs are referred to also as Phantom Notes.

Now coming back to FATCA what will we tell the US authorities on the ultimate ownership details of PNs or of large corporates and Banks that dominate our financial sector landscape when we ourselves do not know of the same? How do we know that they are not owned by Americans, especially in case where ownership is multi-layered? And should our regulators know of the same, why are they not revealed to ordinary Indians but only to Americans?

Importantly, if the Indian regulators know of the ultimate ownership of these PNs or corporates [and given the fact that any investment arising from Tax Haven is prima facie suspect] what action have they taken on such dubious investment and investors for the past decade or so? In case they belong to neither India not America have we ever passed details to a third country?

Americans, let us not forget, have prepared themselves diligently by chronicling enormous details of their tax cheats. FATCA and IGA are last steps in their operation. While we rush headlong to sign the IGA, we must realise providing details to US Tax authorities about American tax cheats who have invested in India is not going to help us one wee bit in our war against black money.

On the contrary, do we realise we have not yet begun the war on our illicit wealth parked in tax havens, FATCA, IGA and DTAA notwithstanding?

PS: In a country where money laundering of 2G case allegedly occurred in 2007-08 and comes for charge sheet in 2014, what tangible action do we expect even if US provide us some reciprocal information under IGA?

(The Author is a chartered accountant. He can be contacted at mrv.net.in)

ABOUT AUTHOR

MR Venkatesh

Chennai based Chartered Accountant - student of economics - columnist.

http://www.niticentral.com/2014/11/05/black-money-will-agreement-usa-help-243563.html