2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON

FOR MORE DETAILS SEE PAGE 27

Indian tech industry supports 400,000US jobs, helps America innovate

MIDWEEK FEDERAL ELECTION SPECIAL: Yudhvir Jaswal, CEO of YMedia and Editor-in-Chief of Midweek newspaper hosting a discussionwith federal candidates from Brampton East. From L to R: Liberal Raj Grewal, Conservative Naval Bajaj, and NDP's Harbaljit Kahlon. Formore information visit www.southasiandaily.com or like our facebook page southasiandaily.com cour tesy: Simran Kaur

PUNJAB CONGRESS LEADERSAT WAR AS CAPTAIN AMRINDER

SINGH FIRES FRESH SALVO

I CONTD. ON PAGE 15

WHY NOT TO COUNT THECONSERVATIVES OUT YET?

DON'T MISS MIDWEEKFEDERAL ELECTION SPECIAL

DESK REPORTMississauga- Leading South Asian media group YMedia has launched a series ofelection special programs/features on its various media platforms. CEO of YMedia,Editor-in-Chief of Midweek and host of 'South Asian Pulse' radio show, YudhvirJaswal will be running daily talk shows, interviews and debates on 770AM radiostation along with debates on OMNI television and Rogers basic cable 10.Company's TV show, South Asian Today airs on OMNI 1 TV channel from Mondayto Friday at 8pm and is repeated at 11:30pm and at 6:30pm the next day. TV show'South Asian Today' is also telecast on local Rogers cable 10 at 6:30pm, Monday toFriday and is repeated the next day at 10:30am. "We are committed to give profes-sional coverage to all aspects of federal elections, local as well as national, in ourradio and TV shows and our weekly newspaper MidWeek," said Yudhwir Jaswal.YMedia's TV debate for Brampton East candidates will be aired on OMNI1 andRogers TV on Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24.

DESK REPORTTORONTO - A day after Punjab Congress president Pratap Singh Bajwaalleged that Captain AmrinderSingh was all set to leave theparty and joining hands with theBJP, Captain hit back accusinghim of showing 'symptoms ofschizophrenia'. He said thatcharges leveled by Bajwa againsthim are "schizophrenic symp-toms of a man desperate for hisown political survival." And thenit was Bajwa's turn to respond."Amrinder is fuming as I havecalled his bluff six months inadvance. He had decided to puthis game plan into action by March. I CONTD. ON PAGE 11BY SHAMEEL

Mississauga - No one saw this coming. Stephan Harper seems tohave reversed the trend if we go by the latest election surveys.According to CBC Poll Tracker's latest combined data from all majoropinion polls Conservative Par ty is leading the trends with 30.5 percent suppor t, NDP at second with 29.8 percent and the Liberals atthird with 29.6 per cent suppor t. Nanos Research's poll released onSeptember 18, has Liberals leading with 30.8 percent suppor t, theConservatives are at second with 30.4 per cent and the NDP at thirdwith 28.9 per cent. Forum Research poll released on September 15th,gives the Conservatives 32 per cent, the NDP 30 per cent and theLiberals 28 percent. ThreeHundredEight.com's poll aggregator for CBChas projected 116 seats for the Conservatives, 115 for the NDP and106 for the Liberals.The Conservatives' rebounding from the third place and overtaking the NDPfor the first place was surprising even for many seasoned political pundits.

In Ontario, the Liberals are projected to 51 seats, Tories 50 and theNDP 20 seats. Polls are not final word on the political trends of thecountry but they definitely give us some clues. Senior journalist andToronto Star columnist Bob Hepburn's latest political analysis "Whyembattled Harper may still win the race" was an interesting commen-tary to understand political undercurrents of the country.If social media presence can be indicative of political trends, it tooseems to be giving edge to the Conservatives. Stephan Harper has896,000 followers on Twitter as compared to Justin Trudeau's 749,000and Tom Mulcair's 174, 000.Toronto based adver tizing professional and social media watcherKerry McKibbin did a comparative study of all three par ties' presenceon social media. According to Kerry's repor t Conservative StephanHarper appears to have an advantage on social media. "However, it isnotable that Harper builds much of his following in his service asprime minister", admits Kerry. I CONTD. ON PAGE 6

WASHINGTON, (IANS) Refuting allegations that foreign tech workerstake away jobs from US professionals, a new repor t Monday saidIndian tech industry contributed nearly 411,000 jobs to the US economythis year. The Indian tech industry also helped American firms tobring better, innovative, cost-competitive solutions to improve theirglobal market, said the report by India's National Association of Soft-ware and Services Companies (Nasscom). Titled "Contributions ofIndia's Tech Industry to the US Economy", the repor t was released byIndian Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here Monday aheadof the first Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

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4 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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CAMPAIGN OFFICE CONTACT :100 Kennedy Road South, Brampton, ON, L6W 3E7

ramesh@rameshsangha.ca, 905-512-6664

NEW FUNDING TO CONTINUE TERRYFOX'S FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

OTTAWA - James Moore has announced that a re-elected Conserva-tive government would continue its work to improve the health ofCanadians by suppor ting three new measures connected to TerryFox's fight against cancer. Joined by Laureen Harper and Tim Laidler,Conservative candidate for Por t Moody-Coquitlam, Moore announcedthat a re-elected Conservative government would:1. match donations for this year's 35th annual Terry Fox Run toa maximum of $35 million;2. provide capital funding of $12.5 million to help establish theCanadian Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Centre in Vancouver, inconjunction with other levels of government and private donors.3. renew its commitment to the Canadian Par tnership againstCancer, which works with cancer groups and experts across the coun-try to treat and prevent cancer.New Support For ManufacturingHarper also set out his Manufacturing Strategy to suppor t Canadianmanufacturing, create new business oppor tunities, and increase thenumber of well-paying manufacturing jobs."Our Conservative government has a low-tax, balanced budget plan tostrengthen Canada's manufacturing industry, which is a key pillar ofthe Canadian economy," Prime Minister Harper said. A re-electedConservative government will create a new $100 million Manufactur-ing Technology Demonstration Fund to suppor t large, pre-commer-cial projects in the advanced manufacturing sector."Under our plan, Canadians will benefit from new, major industrialresearch and development investment and our manufacturing sectorwill remain competitive in the global marketplace," Prime MinisterHarper said. In fact, Statistics Canada repor ted last week that manu-facturing sales rose 1.7% to $52.2 billion in July, as sales in the motorvehicle par ts and motor vehicle assembly industries increased. Thatgain follows increases in May and June. The outlook for the manufac-turing sector is bright. Canadian manufacturers today are well posi-

tioned to capitalize on new oppor tunities and expand their businesses,both here at home and in new markets around the world.Protect Children And Increase Penalties For Serious CrimesHarper's Conservative Government is committed to keeping Canada'sstreets and communities safe for Canadians and their families. Since2006, the Conservative government has introduced and passed over60 substantive pieces of legislation to help keep criminals behindbars, protect children, put the rights of victims ahead of criminals,and crack down on drugs, guns and gangs.A re-elected Conservative government will take additional steps tokeep our communities safe, including providing new funding for ChildAdvocacy Centres, new funding for research into the impact of crimeon victims, and tougher penalties for serious crimes including mur-der and drunk driving.Harper has announced that a re-elected Conservative governmentwould invest $20 million over the next four years in new funding to:" More than double funding for Child Advocacy Centres andChild and Youth Advocacy Centres, raising the overall level of suppor tto nearly $30M over the next 4 years." Dedicate resources to help existing Centres provide satel-lite services to communities outside of urban centres and those with-out a Centre." Set aside $1M per year to fund research on the "invisible"economic and social damage inflicted upon victims of crime.Life Means LifeA re-elected government will make passing Life Means Life legislation itstop criminal justice priority when Parliament resumes this fall.Dangerous and Impaired DrivingA re-elected Conservative Government will also pass our Dangerousand Impaired Driving Act within the first 100 days of a new Parlia-ment. This legislation will impose harsher penalties for impaired driv-ing while closing legal loopholes that let drunk drivers off the hook.

NDP LEADER TOM MULCAIR ADDRESSING THE CROWD WHILE IN CALGARY (NDP.CA).

Bajaj Campaign Continuesto Build Momentum

CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE KICKS OFFFINAL MONTH OF CAMPAIGN SPEAKING

WITH BRAMPTON EAST FAMILIES

BRAMPTON - Conservative candidate Naval Bajaj kicked off the final monthof the election campaign on Sunday by meeting with Brampton East resi-dents at a family BBQ. Eating home-cooked food under a beautiful blue sky atthe Ahluwaia household, Naval discussed the issues facing the citizens ofBrampton East, including the economy, crime and strong support for fami-lies. "It was a great opportunity to discuss the amazing progress we've madewhile speaking with residents right across the riding," said Bajaj. "Our teamhas spoken to thousands of voters in Brampton East over recent weeks andhave consistently received positive feedback about Prime Minister StephenHarper's strong leadership in this fragile global economy."During Sunday's family BBQ, Bajaj also told the large crowd that a re-electedConservative government will build on its record of supporting affordablehomeownership for Canadian families by:" Establishing a new permanent Home Renovation Tax Credit forsubstantial home renovation expenses between $1,000 and $5,000, so younghome owners can renovate and upgrade their homes." Expanding the Home Buyers' Plan from $25,000 to $35,000 so first-timehome buyers can withdraw savings tax-free to make their down paymentsand reduce their mortgages and interest payments." Maintaining the recent enhancement to Tax-Free Savings Accounts soCanadians can save and invest more of their hard-earned money tax-free.In the remaining weeks of the campaign, Naval and his team will be out in theriding discussing these initiatives and others."I'll be spending the next four weeks speaking with Brampton East residentsabout the Conservative plan to maintain momentum in these uncertain eco-nomic times, how we'll keep them safe and how leaving more money in theirpockets will help grow our economy."

LIBERAL PLAN TO INVEST INCANADA'S ARMED FORCESHALIFAX - A Liberal government will take immediate action to ensurethat Canada's Armed Forces have the equipment they need - and the supportthey require - to protect Canada and its sovereignty, while also growing localeconomies and creating jobs, said the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada,Justin Trudeau. A Liberal government will:" Fast track and expand the capital renewal of the Royal Canadian Navy." Launch enhanced icebreakers and new surface combatants for the navy." Maintain current National Defence spending levels, including current plannedincreases." Immediately begin an open and transparent review process to create a newDefence White Paper that will replace Harper's failed Canada FirstDefence Strategy." Launch an open and transparent competition to replace the CF-18s.We will not purchase the F-35 stealth fighter-bomber." Prioritize the acquisition of cost-effective search and rescueaircraft.

6 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015f e d e r a l e l e c t i o n s

LIBERAL PARTY LEADER JUSTIN TRUDEAU MEETS PEOPLE IN MONTREAL (LIBERAL.CA).

BY SHAMEELCONTD. FROM PAGE 3Most serious and surprising observations are coming from BobHephurn. "Stephan Harper maybe on the verge of pulling off a near-miracle by winning the coming federal election", said Bob in his re-cent ar ticle. We are still few weeks away from the election date andin the constantly changing political fluidity the tide can turn into anydirection. These analysis and polls just give us few insights to under-stand the factors at play that will eventually shape the political futureof the country.Political commentator and analysts believe that Harper is able to fireup his hard-core base by focusing on 'threats to our economy andthreats of terrorism on our soil'. This appeal to his hard-core Conser-vative base.There are two broad views how economic recession will affect theelection trends. One view is that recession and crisis will go againstHarper as people consider the Conservative government responsiblefor this situation. Another group of political pundits believe that mostof the voters in our country now understand that recession is a globalphenomenon and is not confined to Canada only.They say that Harper is able to project the recession as a threat to theeconomy and himself as 'savior of the economy'. According to therecent Nanos Research poll 31 per cent of the Canadians believe thatStephan Harper is the most capable leader to manage the economy.NDP leader Thomas Mulcair is backed by 28 per cent and Liberalleader Justin Trudeau by 26 per cent.In big city ridings, Liberals and NDP are successful in por traying newcitizenship bill as an anti-immigrant provision, but it appears to ben-efit the Conservatives in their core base. Their core base has totallydifferent perception of the issue and Harper understands this gap verywell. Darrel Bricker of Ipsos Global Public Affairs has been quoted

WHY NOT TO COUNT THECONSERVATIVES OUT YET?

saying that studies have found Conservative voters tend to show upmore on voting days when the feel the election is tight and their voteis impor tant and that there is "a threat from the other side." He saysthat por traying the NDP and Liberals as 'threats' is all par t of the get-out-the vote strategy.New citizenship act might be helping NDP and Liberals in minoritycommunities but in a national big picture, it is a smar t move to fire upand mobilize the conservative core. Harper understands that you can-not win the national elections just with the suppor t of minority com-munities. With new citizenship act Harper is able to mobilize his 'oldstock Canadians' on the one hand and divide minority/ progressivevoters on the other between the NDP and the Liberals. It has beennoticed in some GTA ridings that Muslim community group has de-cided to go in favor of NDP and in many ridings that factor is actuallyhelping the Conservative candidates by weakening Liberal candidates.Analysts like Bob are also referring to another factor at play that theycall the 'shy Tory' factor.In 1992 British elections the pollsters were predicting a sold victoryfor the Labor par ty. But the results surprised even for Tory leader JohnMajor who got re-elected with clear majority. British pollsters coineda phrase 'shy Tory' while understating this unexpected election result.Analysts believe that many people who generally vote for Conserva-tives don't admit who they are going to vote. It is not considered 'cool'to be a Conservative in our middle class set up.On condition of anonymity a NDP leader of Brampton admits thatpeople who want to vote against Harper have two choices-NDP andLiberal. Our strategy should be focused on uniting those voters. Pro-gressive minded Canadians should not think that Harper is out andthey should try to find out ways to stop him by not letting him takeadvantage of vote split in NDP and Liberals.But they don't know yet, how will they be able to do it then?

BRAMPTON – Recently, a crowd of more than 1,000 peoplepacked into the Shingar Banquet Hall in suppor t of HarbaljitSingh Kahlon, the NDP candidate for Brampton East.Attendees were welcomed by Gugni Gill Panaich, the MC forthe night, and were honoured with a key note address byJames E. Lockyer, the criminal defence lawyer known asCanada’s champion for the wrongly convicted. Communitysuppor t for Kahlon was on full display with an address by Dr.Fiaz of the United Community Services, Ontario NDP DeputyLeader Jagmeet Singh and School Board Trustee HarkiratSingh also addressing the crowd during the evening’sprogramme. Kahlon, full of optimism and genuine gratitude,thanked the attendees and his team for their endless suppor tand continued effor ts.“I’m passionate about the determination and commitment Isee from the people in this riding; hardworking, middle-classfamilies that are striving to create a better today whilesecuring a prosperous tomorrow for future generations,” saidKahlon. “I can’t thank everyone enough for all of the hardwork and dedication that has been put into this campaign.”Enter tainment for the evening was provided by the AujliaBrothers.Kahlon’s passion for serving his community has led him towork for the betterment of Brampton and its residents formany years. He has been an active member of the Seva FoodBank and also worked on Jagmeet Singh’s campaign, whichled to Singh’s historic win in Brampton East.The suppor t and commitment shown by all those whoattended last night sends a clear message – Brampton East isready for change.

FUNDRAISINGSUCCESS FOR NDP’SHARBALJIT KAHLON

SUPPORTERS RALLIED BEHIND SINGHDURING DINNER IN BRAMPTON

MidWeek 7MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015 community

INDO-CANADIAN COMEDIENNEWINS AWARD FOR 'BEST FIRST-PERSON SERIES'NEW YORK, (IANS) Popular Indo-Canadian online personality andcomedienne Lilly Singh, also known as Superwoman, has won anaward for the "Best First-Person Series", a media report said.Beating four other online personalities, Singh won the "Streamy Awar" atthe VH1's "5th Annual Streamy Awards" function that was held in LosAngeles on September 17, In-dia-West online por tal re-ported on Friday."Feeling so blessed and grate-ful for winning Best First Per-son Series at the #Streamystonight ...," Singh Tweetd."I've got to thank Team Super, myfans -- you are the most loyal, dedi-cated, passionate, wonderfulpeople. My friends, my fam-ily, my parents, who letme not be a doctor a"thank you," she wasquoted as saying in an11-second acceptancespeech video.The 26-year-old wasalso nominated for "En-ter tainer of the Year" award but lost to 21-year-old CameronDallas of Chino Hills, California. On September 11, Singh en-ter tained her fans at "YouTube FanFest Australia" by perform-ing on her songs "LEH" and "IVIVI" to a full house at QantasCredit Union Arena in Sydney. After beginning her YouTube chan-nel in October 2010, her videos have gathered over 730 millionviews and her channel has over six million subscribers.

ONTARIO - The Women Entrepre-neurs and Professionals (WEP)committee of the Indo Canada Cham-ber of Commerce (ICCC) organizedan Open House and Networking ses-sion on Mind Body Soul at the ICCCheadquarters on 16 September 2015.The program adopted a holistic ap-proach to a stress free living by fo-cusing on all the key aspects of nour-ishment - the mind, the body and thesoul. Sunita Mohan dwelled upon theimportance of dietary discipline andemphasized that South Asians areparticularly prone to specific ailmentssuch as cardiovascular problems,diabetes and obesity. She said thatit was impor tant to develop aproper regime around diet and totake all the necessary precau-tions without compromising onone's basic rights to enjoy life. Inher short but emphatic presenta-tion, she spoke about the signifi-cance of distinguishing betweengood and bad fats. She special-izes in the healing proper ties ofspices and Ayurvedic cooking.She is currently working withMetabolic Balance to help her cli-ents lose weight and eat accord-

ing to their blood results. ReemaSarin then spoke about the im-por tance of balancing the mindthrough breathing exercises andmeditation. She emphasized thatthere is a tendency to compar t-mentalize meditation and breath-ing exercises into specific timeslots, which the practitioners dodiligently, but forget them whiledoing other things. Reema em-phasized that these exercises canbe done everywhere and im-par ted basic and simple tech-niques and tools for implement-ing these at the workplace, too.She provided par ticipants withthe tools and strategies to re-spond to stressful situations inlife; the tools that teach to use ofbreathing as an anchor to achievecalmness and reduce stress inyour life. Niharika Tugnait thenspoke about Hatha Yoga, and howit can benefit an individual duringtheir day-to-day activities. Thispar ticular yoga technique helpsin concentration, increasing lungcapacity, and stamina for a work-ing individual. Hatha Yoga is aslower-paced form of Yoga, and

focuses the practitioner's atten-tion on the synchronization ofbreath with the movements ofbody during asanas. Speaking onthe occasion, Ginni Sethi, VicePresident and Director, WEP andMembership, said that the WEPCommittee of the ICCC hadthought it fit to organize the ses-sion despite the subject being dis-tinctly out of the box because it isimpor tant to reflect upon the fun-damental changes in ourselvesand our surroundings."We are all so immersed in ourprofessional and business rou-tines that we are unable to findtime to sit back and reflect uponcer tain crucial things that happenin our daily routine. From whereyour energy emanates, who con-trol your thought which becomesyour mighty will to succeed inevery endeavor? What is sourceof creativity? We all are boggeddown with routine which resultsin a slow buildup of stress, andstress kills productivity."Ms. Sethi also emphasized thatwhen we focus on some crucialaspects of our lives, we will be able

to succeed effortlessly in businessand profession. Mind Body Soulteaches us how to reach your fullestpotential for maximizing the dividendin your professional and business life.The Women Entrepreneurs and Pro-fessionals committee has alwaysattempted to provide its memberswith innovative programs that assistthem in both their businesses andprofessions and also in their per-sonal lives. The committee aims forboth the professional and the per-sonal because one can't separate thetwo. This is because our lives can-not be compartmentalized into neatsilos. It is in acknowledgement of thisconstant multitasking that we havecalled three experts this evening tohelp us understand the three mostcrucial par ts of our beings - ourminds , ou r bod ies and ou rsouls. Sanjay Makkar, Presi-den t , ICCC, p resen ted thespeakers with mementos, andlauded the effor ts of the WEPcommittee. Other members ofthe board present at the pro-gram included Jagdish Bajaj,Vice President, and Kanwar Dhanjaland Ajay Tandon, Director.

L TO R: JAGDISH BAJAJ, SHIBANI SAHNEY, GINNI SETHI, SUNITA MOHAN, REEMA SARIN, NIHARIKA TUGNAIT AND SANJAY MAKKAR.

New Cultural Policy Protects andEncourages Culture in MississaugaMISSISSAUGA - Mississauga City Council has approved a newCultural Policy that will provide guidance on cultural priorities to beunder taken through the annual business planning process.Mississauga is Canada's first large city to adopt such a policy.The new Cultural Policy is an extension of the Culture Master Plan,which was approved by staff and Council in 2009. "The new CulturalPolicy will guide us as we continue to encourage, support and protect thearts, cultural and heritage activities that we value in Mississauga," saidPaul Damaso, Acting Director, Culture Division, City of Mississauga. "Ourvision is to ensure the continued cultural diversity of our communities,while at the same time, develop a shared cultural identity and supportfor our growing creative and cultural industries."The Cultural Policy forms the basis of all culturally related strategies,goals and project implementations. With the new Policy, the City will:· Create a framework which represents the value and importancethat the City places on culture and the willingness to adopt and imple-ment a set of coherent principles, objectives and means to protectand foster local culture;· Provide Council with clarity around decision-making, allocationof resources and the role of culture within the City's Strategic Plan;· Frame cultural identity as it emphasizes what distinguishesMississauga from other cities, engages residents with the character-istics of their own city and strengthens their sense of belonging andcultural identity;· Clarify the City's role in supporting artists and creative individu-als/industries and support and promote the creation and productionof cultural products and services; and· Clarify the role of culture in economic and social developmentin the city.According to The Arts and Canada's Cultural Policy, a cultural policyis the expression of a government's willingness to adopt and imple-ment a set of coherent principles, objectives and means to protectand foster its country's cultural expression.The following guiding principles will help to shape the Cultural Policyand inform all culture decisions made about culture in the city:1. Improve livability2. Support multiculturalism and inter-culturalism3. Foster creative industries4. Build connections5. Build shared identity6. Ensure accessibility7. Suppor t sustained cultural community activity

NEW DIXIE GURDWARA COMMITTEEBY OCTOBER 4DESK REPORTMississauga- Ontario Khalsa Darbar Dixie Gurdwara commit-tee has made an appeal to all its members to update theiraddresses in committee records. According to a statementreleased by the Gurdwara committee new executive commit-tee take charge by October 4 as ordered by recent cour t ordersand the whole election process has be finalized by then. Thestatement says that members will have difficulties in exercis-ing their voting rights if addresses and other info is not up-dated. Members can go to the Gurdwara office within next oneor two days and get their address and other info updated. Com-mittee office can be reached at 905-670-3311 for more infor-mation.

INDO-CANADIAN JOINS VANCOUVERPOLICE, TO WORK WITH FATHERTORONTO, (IANS) An Indo-Canadian man sworn-in as the new-est member of the Vancouver police depar tment will now workwith his father, a media repor t said.Jarrod Sidhu is one of the 13 new recruits who joined the de-par tment on Thursday and is posted under his father, Tej Sidhu,who is a sergeant with the Vancouver police depar tment, VoiceOnline repor ted.Jarrod was selected to par ticipate in the Delta Student PoliceAcademy when he was in high school.It was that stint of service that marked the beginning of hisdesire to pursue policing as a career.

The Annual Hindi Kavi Sammelan organized by the Mohan Das Seva Samiti at the Shri Hanuman Mandir in Brampton recently was attendedby MPP Dipika Damerla as chief guest along with prominent poets and Hindi enthusiasts from across GTA. Akhilesh Mishra, CounselGeneral of India was also present with his wife Reeti Mishra. The event was coordinated by Dr Devendra Misra.

KAVI SAMMELAN CELEBRATES HINDI POETRY

INVESTING IN EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTUREONTARIO - Ontario continues to in-vest in its community, and has deliv-ered on the expansion of MutchmorPublic School. With the support of$4.6 million in funding from the Gov-ernment of Ontario, Ottawa-CarletonDistrict School Board has now com-pleted construction on a brand newaddition to Mutchmor Public Schoolthat includes nine new classrooms,a new office, and a brand new library.This new space will serve a hub foreducation and activity for students atMutchmor as well as the entire sur-rounding community.Recently, MPP Yasir Naqvi joined thestaff, students and entire Mutchmorcommunity to take part in the formalopening ceremony of the new addi-tion, and enjoy a tour of the new fa-cilities. This has been an extremelyimportant project for Yasir, and itscompletion signals years of hard work

continue to invest in the priori-ties of our community, such aseducation and infrastructure, en-suring that our students have the toolsand supports they need to learn andgrow.

by everyone involved.Yasir Naqvi, MPP Ottawa Centresaid: "I am extremely pleased thatthe new addition at Mutchmor PublicSchool has been completed and isready to be used by students and the

entire community. Being involved inthis project from the early stages, Iknow how hard the staff and com-munity worked to make sure thatthis project was a success."He added that the government will

Mind. Body. Soul - Open House3-IN-1 SESSION ON DIET, MEDITATION & EXERCISE

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INDIA CAN BOOST EXPORTS BY $500 BNWITH TRADE LIBERALIZATION: STUDY

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TO JOIN THE TPP, OR A FREE TRADEAREA OF THE ASIA PACIFIC ASPROPOSED BY CHINA THAT MIGHTSUCCEED IT, INDIA WILL PROBABLYFIRST HAVE TO JOIN THE ASIAPACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION(APEC) FORUM WITHIN THE NEXTCOUPLE OF YEARS.

“BY ARUN KUMAR

WASHINGTON, (IANS) India could increase its expor ts by $500 bil-lion per year by joining the next stage of the Trans-Pacific Par tnership(TPP) trade agreement after implementing economic reforms pro-posed by the Narendra Modi government, according to a new study.The study "India's Rise: A Strategy for Trade-Led Growth" by C. FredBergsten of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, wasreleased here Thursday ahead of the first-ever India-US Strategic andCommercial Dialogue star ting Monday.Presenting the study at an event here, Bergsten argued trade liberal-ization would enable India to increase its annual economic growth to8 to 10 percent, as targeted by the government of Prime MinisterModi. Millions of new jobs would be created as a result, and pover tywould be substantially fur ther reduced, he said. "By contrast, Indiawill lose as much as $50 billion of current expor ts because of in-creasing discrimination against it by other countries if it remainsoutside the new global trade network," according to the study.This network, Bergsten pointed out, includes the plurilateral agree-

ments on international services, environmental goods, and govern-ment procurement now being negotiated in and around the World TradeOrganization as well as the TPP and other megaregional arrange-ments. "To be accepted into these agreements, and to par ticipate inthem effectively, India will have to implement the economic reformprogramme proposed by the Modi government," he said.It will also have to liberalize its own markets to international tradeand investment in order to persuade other countries to open theirmarkets to its exports. To join the TPP, or a Free Trade Area of the AsiaPacific as proposed by China that might succeed it, India will prob-ably first have to join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)forum within the next couple of years. Noting that US President BarackObama has welcomed India's interest in APEC, Bergsten said: "IfIndia adopts the needed policy changes, (we) should strongly sup-port Indian membership."The first India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue star ting Mon-day is a followup to the decisions taken during Obama's January visitto India when the two countries had projected a target of $500 billionof bilateral trade. Peterson Institute's study exploring possible waysof expanding India-US par tnership, according to Indian diplomats,

reflects the desire of both sides to deepen the par tnership. Bergstenis a member of the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policyand Negotiations and has chaired the Private Sector Advisory Groupto the US-India Trade Policy Forum since 2007.

INDIA'S BIG-TICKET 36 RAFALE DEAL:STUCK IN NEGOTIATIONS

BY RANJANA NARAYAN AND ANJALI OJHA THE FRENCH SIDE IS BELIEVED TO BEOF THE VIEW THAT THE RAFALESHOULD NOT BE CHEAPER PRICEDFOR INDIA, AS COMPARED TO THEDEALS INKED WITH EGYPT ANDQATAR. THE INDIAN AIR FORCE ISEXPECTED TO BE DOWN TO 32SQUADRONS BY THE END OF THISYEAR - 576 FIGHTER JETS SHORT OFTHE 750-STRONG FLEET REQUIREDAS PER THE IAF VISION DOCUMENT,IN CASE OF A TWO-FRONT WAR WITHPAKISTAN AND CHINA.

“NEW DELHI, (IANS) Five months after India announced the deal

to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets "off the shelf" from France,much of the expectations from the big-ticket deal appears tohave evaporated due to protracted negotiations that look setto continue for some more monthsWhile voices from both sides say there is hope for the dealbeing concluded by December this year, on the French sidethere is some frustration at the long-winded nature of thenegotiations.The deal for purchase of the 36 Rafale jets, by DassaultAviation, was announced during Prime Minister NarendraModi's visit to Paris in April. India decided to purchase the 36jets from Paris in a flyaway condition in a government-to-government agreement. The Indian Air Force, which badlyneeds to replace its aging fleet of Soviet MIG aircraft, waslooking forward to the new planes.However, the offsets clause that requires 50 percent ofindigenous content in big-ticket defence contracts is believedto be a stumbling block, as also the pricing. The deal isestimated at $8 billion. While India and France are stillinvolved in the sticky negotiations, Egypt has alreadywelcomed three Rafale jets into the country in July - fivemonths after inking a deal for 24 of the French jets. EgyptianPresident Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inked the contract for 24Rafales in Cairo in February, in an estimated $5.6 billiondeal. Qatar also inked a deal in March this year for purchaseof 24 Rafale jets.According to repor ts, three twin-seat variant of the jet weredelivered in Cairo on July 21. Egypt inked a deal to acquire 16two-seaters and eight single-seaters Rafale fighters. Franceis also training Egyptian pilots to fly the Rafale. FrenchDefence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Cairo a fewdays after France delivered the jets. He was to visit India onAugust 31 during which the deal was expected to be inked. LeDrian was in Malaysia to hardsell the Rafale and the Mistralwarship.However, he flew straight on to Europe af ter it became knownthat the negotiations were not likely to be concluded soon.The Indian defence ministry had at the time refused toconfirm his visit. According to French envoy FrancoisRichier, the defence minister had to fly to Europe to attend aEU defence ministers meeting. Richier said France is hopefulof concluding the negotiations soon.The progress in negotiations was reviewed by the DefenceAcquisition Council (DAC), the top acquisition body of thedefence ministry, chaired by Minister Manohar Parrikar onSeptember 1. Sources said the progress in talks betweenboth sides was "satisfactory. The negotiations are on the righttrack. The DAC was briefed about it, and they gave the goahead," an official told IANS, not wanting to be identified.According to informed sources, France is repor ted to beunhappy over the offset clause that requires it to invest 50percent of the value of the contract in India. This clause waspresent in the original deal for 126 Medium Multi RoleCombat Aircraft (MMRCA) Rafale jets.According to sources, the French may be given a "conces-sion" in the clause and talks are on. However, a final deci-sion is yet to be taken -- one of the reasons for the delay inthe deal. Another factor is that India has asked for two airbases for the 36 jets, which France is repor ted to be unhappyabout as it would lead to cost escalation, sources said.The French side is believed to be of the view that the Rafaleshould not be cheaper priced for India, as compared to thedeals inked with Egypt and Qatar. The Indian Air Force isexpected to be down to 32 squadrons by the end of this year -576 fighter jets shor t of the 750-strong fleet required as perthe IAF vision document, in case of a two-front war withPakistan and China.At least three squadrons of the vintage Soviet Union-originMiG-21 and MiG-27 single engine aircraft are scheduled to bephased out, officially by the year-end. The IAF currently has33 combat squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 39.5,which is sought to be raised to 42.

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Ontario Increases Annual Funding for Sexual Assault Centres by $1.75 MillionONTARIO - Starting this year, Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel inBrampton West is receiving $31,149.27 in new funding to enhance the ser-vices they offer to survivors of sexual violence.Ontario is increasing the base funding for all 42 sexual assault centres acrossOntario by $1.75 million per year as part of the province's ground-breakingaction plan to stop sexual violence and harassment, It's Never Okay.Community-based sexual assault centres will use the expanded funding -which will now total $14.8 million per year - to improve the free and confiden-tial services they provide to survivors of sexual violence. These servicesinclude:" Crisis helplines" Peer support" Individual and group counselling services" Referrals to other community services" Accompaniment to a court, hospital or police station" Sexual violence education and training for professionals and mem-bers of the public.It is 'Never Okay' outlines concrete steps to help change attitudes, providemore supports for survivors, and make workplaces and campuses safer andmore responsive to complaints about sexual violence and harassment. Thegovernment is investing $41 million over three years to help implement theplan. Supporting survivors of sexual violence and creating a safer, moreinclusive and more equitable province is part of the government's four-part

plan to build Ontario up. The plan includes investing in people's talents andskills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario'shistory, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives,and building a secure retirement savings plan."Sexual assault centres are a lifeline for those who have experienced thetrauma of sexual violence or harassment. Our government is increasing itssupport for these centres so they can enhance the critical help they provideto survivors." -- Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario"Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis Centre of Peel does amazing work in our com-munity. This increase in funding will help strengthen their capacity to providemuch needed support to survivors of sexual violence." - MPP Vic Dhillon,Brampton WestQUICK FACTS

" One in three women in Canada will experience some form of sexualassault in her lifetime." Ontario is increasing its ongoing suppor t for sexual as-sault centres by $1 million per year as par t of the Sexual Violenceand Harassment Action Plan. And it has conver ted a previousfunding increase of $750,000 per year under the 2011 Sexual Vio-lence Action Plan, which was slated to end in 2017, into ongoingannual suppor t." Ontario has also increased funding for sexual assaultand domestic violence treatment centres. It will provide more than $1.1million more per year for the next three years so these hospital-based cen-tres can enhance their specialized counselling services and communityoutreach support for survivors of sexual violence.

PREMIER WYNNE AT THE GUELPH-WELLINGTON WOMEN IN CRISIS SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE (PREMIERPHOTOS).

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OROP: EX-SERVICEMEN ALLEGEBANK ACCOUNTS BLOCKED

CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA HANDYALA LAKSHMINARAYANASWAMY DATTU PAYS OBEISANCE AT GOLDEN TEMPLE IN AMRITSAR (IANS).

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Ex-servicemen protesting against the govern-ment-approved 'One Rank, One Pension' (OROP) alleged on Mondaythat their bank accounts have been blocked, but said the move willnot succeed in suppressing their agitation due to resource crunch."Bureaucrats had probably assured politicians not to take this agita-tion seriously as it will wear out like any other agitation in a few days.They even managed to get our bank accounts blocked through theiremissary and were confident that the agitation will be forced to bestopped with funds drying up," Group Captain V.K. Gandhi (retd) saidin an open letter to the ex-servicemen."How can resource crunch stop this agitation of our status and ourrights," he asked, adding that their morale was "high" and "deter-mined" to achieve the OROP. He said the OROP, as offered by thegovernment, was "not acceptable" as there were "severe shortcom-ings" in the offer. On Monday, the relay hunger strike by the protestors

entered the 98th day. Group Captain Gandhi also thanked the ex-ser-vicemen for turning up in large numbers for the agitation and contrib-uting funds to run the protest.He said it was impor tant to plan activities across the "length andbreadth" of the country to convey a message to the government thattheir morale was high and "no pressure can shake" them from achiev-ing the OROP.While veterans want rationalisation of pensions every year, the gov-ernment has provided for review every five years. They also want theone-man judicial commission to be replaced with a five-member com-mittee with their representation.Another issue is fixation of pension as per the highest pension for therank, against the government's announcement of it being average ofhighest and lowest pensions, with protection to those with higherpension.

PUNJAB, HARYANA TO PROCURE OVER 17 MILLION TONNES PADDYCHANDIGARH, (IANS) Despite a poor monsoon season this year, with rainfall deficiency being 55 to 60 percent, foodgrain states Punjaband Haryana are looking forward to procurement of 17.2 million tonnes of paddy this year.Punjab, where the paddy production and procurement is much higher than neighbouring Haryana, is in fact looking at a much higherprocurement than even last year.Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adaish Pratap Singh Kairon, who met depar tment officers in recent days to finalise paddy procurementoperations, said Punjab was eyeing to procure 13.7 million tonnes of paddy this year as against 11.8 million tonnes of paddy procured lastyear (2014).Haryana is expecting to procure over 3.5 million tonnes of paddy from an expected arrival of 3.6 million tonnes this year.The procurement in both the states begins from October 1 officially even though the bulk supplies of paddy are expected to arrive afterOctober 10."All heads of the state procurement agencies are to personally supervise paddy procurement operations across the state beginning fromOctober 1 so as to ensure prompt lifting of paddy as per their allotted share of procurement," Kairon said here.The higher procurement of paddy this year is being attributed to Punjab farmers preferring non-basmati varieties of paddy instead ofbasmati, leading to higher productivity.Only last year, the Punjab government had encouraged farmers to shift to growing 'basmati' variety of paddy, which is much finer than thecommon paddy variety and carries a distinct smell and taste, so that the dependence on common paddy variety was minimized.The state government had targeted procurement of over 14 million tonnes of paddy last year but fell well shor t of that target owing to lowerproductivity of the basmati variety."The yield of the basmati variety was much lower. The variety needs a lot of care and suitable climatic conditions," said farmer KirpalSingh of Rahon near Nawanshahr town. The Punjab government has been actively trying to drastically reduce the area under water-gulping paddy cultivation. Under its agriculture diversification mission to conserve depleting ground water, the Punjab government hadannounced in May this year that the area under paddy cultivation would be reduced from the present 2.65 million hectares to 1.45 millionhectares over the next five years.

CONTD. FROM PAGE 3We have exposed that his game plan of going with BJP," said Bajwa.The Amarinder camp believes that Bajwa has lost control over the partyin light of the electoral rout the Congress faced during last elections.Captain Amarinder and his supporters have been demanding that Bajwabe removed from the post of Punjab Congress president. According tosome reports Amarinder Singh recently hosted a lunch for the Con-gress MLAs in Delhi. The group later met at Congress leader AmbikaSoni's residence. The move was a way to pressurize the party highcommand. However, Captain Amarinder camp's demand has been turneddown.Even though the demand was not met, anti-Bajwa elements in the Con-gress are getting together.Amarinder's old foe and former chief ministerRajinder Kaur Bhattal seems to be inching towards the Amarinder camp.She recently met Amarinder's confidant Lal Singh. With Amarinder fum-ing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping the Congress factional-ism will help it. Sources said the BJP has also been sending feelers toAmarinder. However, the former Punjab chief minister has denied allsuch reports and said that he would continue with the Congress party.Political observers say due to infighting, the Congress was unable totake on the Akali-BJP combine government in the state. During a visit toPunjab two months ago, Congress vice-president Rahul had snubbedthe Captain along with other dissidents for raising a revolt against Bajwa.According to some media reports Bajwa and Punjab Congress Legis-lative Party leader Sunil Jakhar organised an "important meeting at theresidence of senior Congress leader and legislator Brahm Mahindra"who is also Amarinder's rival in the party.Mahindra's house is locatedjust across from Amarinder's palace, the Moti Mahal. Political observ-ers said the meeting between Bajwa and Jakhar is politically significantas the CLP leader mostly treads the middle path in the ongoing rivalrybetween the Congress state chief and Amarinder.Political observers in the state thinks that with these open attacks onBajwa and by challenging party vice-president Rahul Gandhi CaptainAmrinder Singh has positioned himself for his final step."At the time when initiative was launched by a section of leadership inthe party to bring Rahul at the centre stage rather than functioning fromthe margins, the only person who had publicly expressed his oppositionwas Capt Amarinder Singh on the logic that the young leader lackedexperience." writes senior journalist Jagtar Singh.Pary vice-president Rahul Gandhi has failed to resolve the leadershipissue in Punjab. With tsunami of anti-incumbency against the AkaliDal-BJP combine, it was being felt that the Congress could stage acomeback from Punjab provided the party was united under effectiveleadership. The state unit is vertically divided with Bajwa functioning inisolation from the majority of MLAs who are with Capt AmarinderSingh. It is the Aam Aadmi Party that has jumped in to occupy the spacewhich the Congress failed to capture due to vertical division. "I am disillusioned that nobody in my party is taking Punjab seriously.By now things should have been done long time ago. It's okay, you gaveBajwa a trial. But if the man is a failure, do you have to reinforce failureby keeping him there?" observed Captain Amrinder Singh in an inter-view. He has blamed Rahul Gandhi for the situation.In the Congress, Captain Amrinder Singh is the only leader who has hisown support base. His rallies still attract crowd. However, it is AAP thathas overshadowed the other parties in terms of crowds in rallies. Political observers feel that the main challenge for Captain AmarinderSingh would be to find an ally. Although Sukhbir is now repeatedlysaying that the alliance with the BJP would continue, he himself hadstated sometime back that the Akali Dal could also explore the option ofjoining hands with the Bahujan Samaj Party.If Captain Amrinder Singh launches his own party, the situation in Punjabpolitics would become more complicated. It will actually divideanti-Akali vote among 3 different par ties and will help Akalis.And Captain himself understands this very well. So politicalanalysts believe they are not sure if he is really going to launchhis own party or just trying to pressurize party leadership to removecurrent president Pratap Singh Bajwa.

PUNJAB CONGRESSLEADERS AT WAR AS

CAPTAIN AMRINDER SINGHFIRES FRESH SALVO

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CONGRESS WORKERS LED BY AMRITSAR RURAL PRESIDENT GURJIT SINGH AUJLA DEMONSTRATE IN FRONT OF POLICESTATION AGAINST SLAPPING OF FALSE CASES AGAINST CONGRESSMEN BY THE RULING GOVERNMENT (IANS).

Modi to visit Ireland, US from September 23-29NEW DELHI, (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visitingIreland and the US from September 23-29.In posts on Facebook, Modi said he will be going to Ireland on Sep-tember 23 - in the first visit by an Indian prime minister in almost 60years - and hold talks with Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny."We hope to fur ther develop strong people-to-people and economicties with Ireland in the years to come. In Ireland, I will also interactwith the Indian community," he wrote.On September 24, Modi will travel to the US. "This visit seeks to buildon the substantial ground covered during my last visit to USA andPresident (Barack) Obama's visit to India early this year."Noting he was going to the US at "a historic moment when the UnitedNations is celebrating its 70th anniversary", he said that in July, hehad written to 193 heads of governments outlining India's vision forUN agenda and reforms. "I am glad that leaders of several nationswrote back appreciating our vision."In New York City, Modi will address the UN Sustainable DevelopmentSummit for formal adoption of post-2015 new sustainable develop-ment agenda. "Coming from a culture that regards harmony as centralto its ethos, I am glad to have an oppor tunity to address this forum.The new goals are closely aligned with India's vision for sustainabledevelopment and our flagship programmes for the same."Revealing he will also par ticipate in a summit hosted by PresidentObama on peacekeeping, he noted that India has been one of thelargest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces, with over 180,000

troops - more than from any other country."We are proud of our peacekeeping forces spread across the world,ensuring peace in difficult circumstances. I will pay homage to allthose brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for peace. AndI look forward to sharing my thoughts on how to make peacekeepingmore effective," he wrote.Modi also said that India will host a summit of G-4 leaders in NewYork where the main agenda would be the UNSC reforms and the UN's70th anniversary "is an appropriate moment for reform discussionsto be accelerated" as the General Assembly has finally adopted adocument that would form the basis of formal discussions on thismatter.He said he will be meeting several world leaders and also hold inter-actions with leading investors and financial sector firms, including aworking dinner where major For tune-500 companies will be presentto deliberate on investment oppor tunities in India. "We have beeninteracting with several American business leaders over the last yearand the outcomes have been encouraging," he said.He also said that he will be visiting the West Coast on September 26-27 and par ticipate in several programmes. "It would be after a gap ofalmost 33 years that an Indian PM would be visiting the west coast -the home of star t-ups, innovation and technology."Modi said he will also be par t of a Townhall Q&A at the Facebook HQalong with Mark Zuckerberg, and this was an event "you shouldn'tmiss".

PHOOLKA QUITS AAP POSTS TOFOCUS ON 1984 RIOTS CASESNEW DELHI, (IANS) Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka on Saturday re-signed from all AAP posts, saying that after consultation with DelhiChief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he decided to leave politics and fo-cus on getting justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots."After detailed discussions with Kejriwal ji and with his approval, ithas been decided collectively that I quit active politics and resignfrom party posts," he posted on Facebook. He said the step wouldenable him to devote time fully "for get- ting justice for the victimsand punishment for the culprits such as (Congress leaders) SajjanKumar and Jagdish Tytler". "As much as an inherent part as I am ofAAP, my dedication to the cause of 1984 remains unaltered.At this stage, where I feel I am needed more for these cases, I mustnot hesitate to take a step back from everything else and give thecause my undivided attention," Phoolka said.AAP spokesperson Deepak Bajpai told IANS: "He resigned only fromthe party posts, not from the party. He was and will always be anAAP member." He said he felt honoured as after he joined AAP, he was"assigned immense responsibilities and given party posts as well".Phoolka recalled that he started working on riot cases in 1984 as ayoung lawyer. "It is extremely unfortunate that despite the passage ofover three decades, even today we are fighting for the same thing wehave been fighting for since 1984, i.e. to bring the real culprits to book,"he wrote in his post. In his post he also appealed to Indians, includingPunjabis residing in America and Canada, to gather at the UN Assemblyin New York on September 25 "in large numbersto convey a loud and clear mes-sage to the Indian prime ministerand world leaders and mem-bers of UNO that 'we will notforget about the genocide ofNovember 1984'."Phoolka told reportersthat the AAP was do-ing very well inPunjab and willwin in thenext polls.

Punjab health authorities seize ex-pired medicines worth Rs.43 lakhCHANDIGARH, (IANS) The Food and Drugs Administration in Punjab hasseized expired allopathic drugs, which were being illegally repackaged withfresh expiry dates, worth Rs.43 lakh from the premises of a medicine distribu-tor, an officials said on Sunday. FDA commissioner Hussan Lal said thecentralised cell of the FDA raided the premises of Ashoka Distributors inBathinda town, nearly 240 km from here, and recovered drugs and packagingmaterials worth approximately Rs.43 lakh. "The team inspected the premisesof M/s Ashoka Distributors situated at Adarsh Nagar, Bathinda, and seized 81types of allopathic drugs which were stocked for sale and distribution in thepremises along with secondary packaging material in huge quantities.

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SUSHMA, KERRY HOLD FIRST MINISTERIALMEET OF INDIA-US STRATEGIC DIALOGUE

MODI'S 'MAKE IN INDIA' IS 'TAKEIN INDIA', SAYS RAHUL

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sun-day said the fight against the controversial land bill has not ended buthas shifted to state assemblies, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's"Make in India" campaign was actually "Take in India" as it has "noplace for farmers and labourers".Addressing a well-attended rally at the Ramlila Maidan here to markthe par ty's "victory" over the government on the land bill, Gandhi saidModi only listens to "people in suit-boot".He said Modi does not talk to farmers or the youth about their prob-lems but only to bureaucrats and businessmen.Gandhi referred to the working conditions at a ship-breaking facilityin Alang in Gujarat -- Modi's native state -- and said labourers getinsulted as their "chemical-ridden bodies" are not able to burn prop-erly after their death. He said labourers get killed under wreckage ofships and also due to radioactive material in ships."When the bodies are burnt, there is so much chemical that the bodiesdo not burn completely. This is how a labourer is insulted," Gandhisaid. He said the Modi government brought ordinances to change theland Act of the United Progressive Alliance government but had tofinally relent and allow the ordinance to lapse."But I know Modi-ji. What he really thinks, he does not say. On onehand, he said the bill of the Congress will not end, on the other he toldhis chief ministers that we (Congress) could not do it at the Centre."Try to do it (make changes to the land law passed in 2013) at thestate-level. The battle has not ended. It is in the state assemblies. TheCongress has to fight it in every state," he said.Stating that the "victory" over the land bill was first of the farmers andlater of the Congress, he promised to take on the government over

issues concerning labourers.Gandhi recounted that a farmer had told him that the land he tilled waslike his own mother."He told me Narendra Modi-ji is not just snatching our land but ourmother. He wants to snatch our mother and give it to someone else,please fight for us. That day I realised it is a fight (not only) for yourland but for hear t, prestige, future of farmers. The Congress stood foryou," he said.The Congress leader said Modi's 'Make in India' does not have "placefor labourers, farmers but for only those whom he meets and talks"."We don't want such India. This is not 'Make in India'. This is Modi's'take in India'," Gandhi said."On the one hand, they want to snatch your land, on the other yourrights. In the end, you will get nothing. His two-three chosen friendswill get it in the end. We will fight your battle. And you see what we didfor your land, we will do it for labourers. We will do it for MSP (mini-mum suppor t price), we will do it for problems of sugarcane farmers.You build India. We will never forget you," Gandhi added.He said Modi wants farmers to be weak, and they were facing prob-lems in every state."I want to tell the prime minister, try to understand their problem. Helpthem. If you do not, you will see the Congress," he said.Rahul Gandhi said Mahatma Gandhi wore suit-boot but later chose alife of simplicity as he mingled with the people and had only a fewbelongings in the end."Look at Modi-ji. He wears new clothes every day. He wears suitwor th Rs.15 lakh. The more he goes far ther from you, the betterclothes he wears," Gandhi said.

NEW DELHI, (IANS) Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit toAmerica, India and the US are to hold the first ministerial meeting ofthe India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) in Washing-ton on September 22, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swarajleading the Indian delegation.The dialogue is the most comprehensive mechanism for discussionand deliberation on the specifics of bilateral agenda of cooperation indifferent fields.India and the US launched the ministerial-level strategic dialogue inJuly 2009. Its first meeting was held in Washington in June 2010,followed by successive rounds in New Delhi (July 2011), WashingtonD.C. (June 2012) and New Delhi (June 2013 and July 2014).The decision to elevate the dialogue into a Strategic and CommercialDialogue was taken during the visit of US President Barack Obama toIndia in January 2015. Sushma Swaraj will lead the Indian delegationto the S&CD.The delegation includes Commerce and Industry Minister NirmalaSitharaman and Power Minister Piyush Goyal. The Indian delegationwill have senior officials from various ministries/depar tments of the

central government, said an official statement.The US delegation would include Secretary of State John Kerry, Sec-retary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Secretary of Energy ErnestMoniz. They will be accompanied by a high-level inter-agency del-egation. During the dialogue, many bilateral, regional and global is-sues of mutual interest would be discussed between the two sides.The dialogue is expected to review the entire gamut of bilateral rela-tions between India and the US and also identify possible areas forfuture cooperation including in strategic, defence and security, en-ergy and environment, science and technology and space, health,education and human development, third country engagement,economy and finance, and trade and investment fields.The following bilateral dialogue mechanisms are also being held onthe sidelines of the S&CD:Official level Sub Group Meeting of India-US Energy Dialogue (Sep-tember 17-18), Secretary-level India-US Health Dialogue (September17-18), Ministerial India-US Energy Dialogue (September 21), India-US CEO Forum (September 21), Secretary-level India-US Joint Work-ing Group on Climate Change (September 21).

MODI LAUNCHES NATIONWIDEPOWER DEVELOPMENTSCHEME FROM VARANASIVARANASI, (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Fridaylaunched the Rs.45,000 crore nationwide Integrated Power Devel-opment Scheme (IPDS) in his parliamentary constituency.The city will get Rs.572 crore for the project that aims at under-ground cabling of power lines, cutting line losses and many otherthings, officials said.Modi said he was happy to launch this nationwide project fromVaranasi and urged people to put LED bulbs in their houses so thatelectricity bills can be slashed, and there is more illumination.The prime minister said his government was committed to bring-ing power to every village and every household in India by 2022,when the nation celebrates the 75th year of attaining freedom.Modi thanked the people of Varanasi and said he was indebted tothem as it was because of them that he became a parliamentarianand then the prime minister.He also launched seven other projects and schemes that includeconstruction of a ring road in Varanasi city, beautification andwidening and revamp of the road from Babatpur airport to the city.Modi referred to the recent order of the Allahabad High Court inwhich it had quashed assimilation of 'shiksha mitra' as teachersin government schools.He said he will definitely try and find a way to resolve the problemonce the court order is received in writing."I am pained to hear that a 'shiksha mitra' committed suicide onhearing the court verdict," Modi said and urged the people not totake such drastic steps and instead be patient and let the gov-ernment find a way.

RESOLVE DIFFERENCESBETWEEN CENTRE, STATE:KEJRIWAL TO MODINEW DELHI, (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal onTuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve thedifferences between the city government and the Centre.In a letter to Modi, Kejriwal said: "I am informed that a PIL wasfiled in the Supreme Cour t yesterday (Monday) regarding thedifferences between the central government and the govern-ment of the national capital territory of Delhi. The apex cour thas also expressed its concern about the state of affairs inDelhi. "I would urge that we should resolve these differencesin the interest of the people of Delhi. I assure you that I shall bemore than willing to work an extra mile in this direction." Thepublic interest litigation (PIL) was dismissed but the apex courtmade some observations raising concerns with regard to thecurrent state of affairs."This is a matter of governance deficit. We understand thatthere is the central government on the one hand and the gov-ernment of Delhi on the other. These problems can be sor ted attheir ends. If any order is bad then we can look into it. If the twogovernments do not resolve their disputes and create governanceproblem, then the people will pass appropriate verdict at appropriatetime," the letter quoted the Supreme Court as saying.

New guidelines issued toprotect poultry from diseasesNEW DELHI, (IANS) In a bid to protect poultry from infec-tious diseases, the central government on Friday issuedthe revised bio-security guidelines for the poultry farmsspread across the country.The new guidelines, released by the department of animal hus-bandry, dairying and fisheries, would not only be applied toCentral Poultry Development Organisations, but also to stateand private poultry farms."This lucid general guidelines on bio-security will help preventingress of diseases in the poultry farms. If all poultry farmsacross the country, both public and private follow the basictenets listed in true spirit it will help in a disease-free, safe andwholesome poultry production," the agriculture ministry saidin a statement. Bio-security on poultry farms is an essentialtool for ensuring welfare of poultry and humans by preventingtransmission of poultry-related zoonotic (which can be passedbetween animals and humans) and food-borne pathogens.The guidelines assume significance in the wake of some poul-try diseases like avian influenza which may be transmitted tohumans, and potentially poses serious public health risks."After lessons from Avian Influenza and other poultry diseaseoutbreaks across the country both in public and private farms,we must implement, as far as possible, a bio-security plan toprevent any future disasters," it said.

NATIONAL AKALI DAL WORKERS STAGE A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST DELHI GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO CURB DENGUE AT JANTARMANTAR IN NEW DELHI (IANS).

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NEPAL ADOPTS NEW CONSTITUTION,CELEBRATIONS ALL OVER COUNTRY

CHILDREN HOLD PLACARDS DURING AN EVENT IN CELEBRATION OF THE NEW CONSTITUTION IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL (IANS).

IAEA CHIEF VISITS IRAN'SSENSITIVE MILITARY SITEVIENNA, (IANS) The chief of UN's nuclear agency visitedParchin, one of Iran's most sensitive sites, that Western intel-ligence agencies have claimed might have been the locationfor conducting secret nuclear tests with possible military di-mensions, a statement said.Iran has, however, strongly denied the allegations.Parchin, located in the south-east of capital Tehran, is consid-ered to be one of the most impor tant issues of the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s probe of Iran's nuclear plan,and the agency on Sunday said it wanted to get the full accessto the site."As par t of the implementation of the Road-map, the DirectorGeneral (Yukiya Amano) visited the site of Parchin, togetherwith the Head of the Depar tment of Safeguards, Tero Varjoranta,"Xinhua repor ted, citing an IAEA statement.On Sunday, Amano also met with Iranian President HassanRouhani in Tehran, President of the Atomic Energy Organisationof Iran Ali Akbar Salehi and Iranian Foreign Minister MohammadJavad Zarif.Amano's visit to Tehran came as the IAEA is racing to imple-ment an agreement reached in mid-July between Iran and theworld powers to resolve Iran's nuclear standoff.Under the deal, Iran would improve the transparency of itsnuclear plan while freezing some of its nuclear activities inexchange for sanction relief.

TWITTER CLAIMS IT'SBIGGER THAN FACEBOOKNEW YORK, (IANS) With the Facebook user base touching1.49 billion - or roughly 20 percent of the world's population -can any social networking site claim to be bigger than this?Well, Twitter does.Although it has repor ted 316 million users in the second quar-ter - around five times less than Facebook's figure - and itsstocks not doing very well either, it did not deter Twitter's chieffinancial officer Anthony Noto recently observing that Twitterwas not behind Facebook, Quar tz repor ted.Noto's remarks came during Deutsche Bank's technology con-ference recently where he observed that Twitter is equal -- orperhaps even bigger than Facebook -- "depending on how youmeasure it". "I often get the question from friends [who] arelike, ayou know Facebook has over a billion users', and I amlike, 'well, we have an audience, depending on how you mea-sure it, that's pretty comparable," he was quoted as saying.A"But they only have that audience, they only have the 1.4 bil-lion they repor t, there's no other number. We have other audi-ence numbers that no one talks about and when you add thoseup it's a big number, in fact in some scenarios you could arguethat it's bigger," Noto added.

BY ANIL GIRIKATHMANDU, (IANS) In a historic step, Nepal on Sunday adopted anew constitution, the first full-fledged one in the Himalayan nationafter it became a democratic republic in 2008. Celebrations broke outacross the country, as millions of rejoicing people lit lamps and cameout on to the streets.A federal and secular Nepal, according to the new constitution, willhave seven provinces, each with its own legislature. With this, theInterim Constitution was annulled.President Ram Baran Yadav declared the promulgation of the "Consti-tution of Nepal - 2072 BS" at a special ceremony at the ConstituentAssembly hall in New Baneshwor area of Kathmandu. The year 2072BS refers to the year in the Bikram Sambat Nepali calendar.For the constitution's promulgation, voting was held in the ConstituentAssembly. In the 601-seat assembly, 507 lawmakers voted in favourof the constitution while 25 voted against it -- as many as 69 mem-bers who hail from the southern plains of the Nepal Terai have beenboycotting the constitution-making exercise since more than a month.

Madhes-based political par ties and members from the Tharu com-munity walked out of the Constituent Assembly and rejected the con-stitution, saying their demands were not incorporated in the new docu-ment.Before announcing the enactment, the head of the state signed fivecopies of the new constitution.Addressing the special function, Yadav said the newly promulgatedconstitution has institutionalised republicanism in the nation.He hoped that the constitution would lead Nepal to economic devel-opment.The Constituent Assembly hall resounded with applause as Yadavannounced the new statute.Hundreds of thousands of people across Nepal lit lamps to celebratethe event. The government declared a holiday on Monday to mark theoccasion.Security personnel were deployed in the capital Kathmandu to main-tain law and order as some par ties and groups are opposing the newconstitution.

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VOLKSWAGEN ALLOCATES $7.2 BN TO COVERLOSSES FROM EMISSIONS SCANDAL

FRANKFURT, (IANS/EFE) German car manufacturer Volkswagen on Tues-day announced it will allocate 6.5 billion euros (around $7.2 billion) in thethird quarter of 2015 to cover the necessary service measures of the poison-ous emissions scandal in the US. The German company explained that thisamount will be provided in order to regain the trust of its clients, after admit-ting to having rigged gas emission figures produced by diesel-powered ve-hicles in the US. Volkswagen shares which made a profit of 11 billion euros($12.2 billion) in 2014, fell 15.7 per cent by midday on Tuesday on the Frank-furt Stock Exchange, reaching 111.40 euros ($124.26) per share.The scandal of Europe's largest vehicle producer has also dragged down theshares of other automotive companies.BMW shares dropped 6.1 percent to 79.25 euros ($88.40) per share; Daimlerwas down 6.4 per cent to 66.70 euros ($74.40) per share, while tire makerContinental fell 4.7 percent to 177.10 euros ($197.55) per share.In a statement released by Volkswagen on Tuesday, the company noted:"Volkswagen is working at full speed to clarify irregularities concerning aparticular software used in diesel engines."The company made it clear that EU 6 diesel engines currently available in theEuropean Union comply with legal requirements and environmental stan-dards. "The software in question does not affect handling, consumption oremissions. "This gives clarity to customers and dealers," Volkswagen added,stressing that this software is also installed in other diesel-powered ve-hicles, and declared that "for the majority of these engines the software doesnot have any effect". Volkswagen is expected to face a fine of $18 billion in theUS, as well as the damage to their reputation.However, experts predict that the fine might be less than expected if a settle-ment is reached outside court. The company admitted that it had equippedsome 482,000 cars in the US market with sophisticated software that allowscars to emit less during tests than they would while driving normally.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday demanded "fulltransparency" concerning the scandal of automotive manufacturerVolkswagen, which admitted to having rigged gas emission figures pro-duced by some of its diesel-powered vehicles in the US .

US TO ACCEPT MOREREFUGEES: JOHN KERRYBERLIN, (IANS) US Secretary of State John Kerry announcedhere that the US would increase the number of worldwide refu-gees it will take in over the next two years.Kerry made the remarks on Sunday after meeting with GermanForeign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the cur-rent refugee crisis, Xinhua repor ted.He said his country was ready to help in dealing with the crisis.According to him, the US will accept 85,000 refugees fromaround the world next year, up from 70,000, and the number willrise to 100,000 in 2017.

CEASEFIRE REACHED ATTHREE SYRIAN FLASH-POINTSDAMASCUS, (IANS) A "permanent" ceasefire was reached onSunday in Syria's Zabadani city, near the Lebanese border, andtwo Shia towns in nor thwestern Syria, a source said.The ceasefire will go into effect at 12.00 p.m. (local time) in thenor thwestern Shia towns of Kafraya and Foa and rebel-heldtown of Zabadani, as well as adjacent town of Madaya, Xinhuanews agency quoted Mohammad Abu Qassem, the head ofTadamun (Solidarity) Par ty as saying."It's not only a ceasefire, but a permanent solution and settle-ment to the situation in the Shia towns along with Zabadani andMadaya. It is an open-ended ceasefire and it's not temporary,"he said. Syria is reeling under a four-year-old internal strifemarked by intense battles between government troops and anarray of ultra-radical groups such as the Nursra Front and theIS. Local ceasefires have been implemented intermittently inpar ts of Syria, often to bring in humanitarian aid to besiegedpopulations. At least 240,000 people have been killed sinceSyria's conflict erupted in March 2011.

SLOVENIAN PRIME MINISTER MIRO CERAR(R) TALKS TO REFUGEES DURING HIS VISIT TO THE REFUGEE CENTER IN BREZICE (IANS).

INDIAN TECH INDUSTRYSUPPORTS 400,000 US JOBS,HELPS AMERICA INNOVATECONTD. FROM PAGE 3"Leveraging Indian talent, American firms have been able tobring better, innovative, cost-competitive solutions that havehelped improve their global market share and bring productswith shor ter production cycles," Sitharaman said.Other benefits brought by Indian IT organisations to the US in-cluded $2 billion in investments and touching more than 120,000American lives through philanthropic work."Indian tech industry alone has invested over $2 billion and paidover $20 billion in US federal, state and local taxes - while alsosupporting 410,000 plus jobs in America," said Nasscom presi-dent R. Chandrashekhar.On allegations of foreign tech workers hindering employmentoppor tunities for local professionals, the repor t noted that un-employment of tech professionals in the US is half as comparedto the national average.Refuting another charge that foreign talent was hired at lowersalaries, the repor t said Indian tech industry pays equivalentwages to the US national and foreign workers.The Nasscom repor t noted that due to skill shor tages, unem-ployment in the US tech sector is historically lower than thenational average.

SHARIF TO ADDRESSUNGA ON SEPTEMBER 30

ISLAMABAD, (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif willaddress the annual United Nations General Assembly session onSeptember 30 and details of the visit are still being chalked out,the Foreign Office said. "The prime minister's speech before UNGAis being f inal ised," Foreign Off ice spokesman Syed QaziKhalilullah said at a weekly news briefing. Qazi Khaliullah saidPakistan wanted to become member of Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) and effor ts were underway in this regard.Meanwhile, sources say Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may nothold bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpar t Narendra Modi,though both will be in New York. India doesn't want Pakistan toraise the Kashmir issue, but there is an understanding in Wash-ington that no Pakistani leader can afford to do so. "Kashmir isvery impor tant. It has to be discussed," said a senior Pakistanidiplomat when asked if Sharif would raise the Kashmir issue inhis address. Pakistan is likely to raise the Kashmir issue "moreforcefully than ever before in the recent past", a diplomatic sourcewas quoted as saying.