Indian Weekender 15 April 2016

8/18/2019 Indian Weekender 15 April 2016

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The pulse of Kiwi-Indians

15 April, 2016 • Vol. 8 Issue 4 • www.iwk.co.nz

NZ’s first Kiwi-Indian weekly newspaper

VAISAKHI IN NZ ROYALSVISIT INDIA

201 5 201 5 E s t a bli s he d 2 0 1 3


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15 April 2016 | www.iwk.co.nz

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2 CONTENTS

IndiaThe royals dazzleduring their India visit

FeaturesI am strong, I aminvincible, I am woman

SouthlineThe era of CERA ends inChristchurch

SportsIPL 2016 begins witha bang

Face of the WeekMusical pursuits

Pg 6

Pg 19

Pg 24

Pg 8

Pg 21

Pg 30

New ZealandITA hosts legislatorsfrom India’s UP state


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www.iwk.co.nz | 15 April 2016

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3COVER STORY

Continued on page 4

First-ever vibrant and heart-warmingVaisakhi celebration in BeehiveSWATI SHARMA

W hile the Sikhcommunity aroundthe world is wholeheartedly praising the CanadianPrime Minister Justin Trudeaufor his inclusiveness of the Sikhcommunity, in the country,and organising Vaisakhi in theCanadian Parliament, they were

probably not aware of the factthat New Zealand has also, forthe rst time ever, celebratedthis auspicious day in the NewZealand Parliament.

Under the leadership of rstSikh Kiwi-Indian MP KanwaljitSikh Bakshi, the Beehivecelebrated the harvest festival,

which is also the founding day ofKhalsa Panth, on April 12.

Vaisakhi is celebrated acrossIndia with di erent names andrituals—Rongali Bihu in Assam,Naba Barsha in Bengal, Puthandu

in Tamil Nadu, Pooram Vishu inKerala and Vaishakh’ in the stateof Bihar.

In the north (Punjab) howeverit is celebrated with great energyand enthusiasm as VaisakhiSikhism is a faith founded on the

principles of equality, freedom ofreligion, and community service.

As the fth-largest religion in the world, one of the core teachingsof the Sikh religion and traditionis that all Sikhs must cultivatespirituality while also serving

the communities around them.It teaches that the role andsigni cance of the community isnot limited to the political domain

but emphasizes the centralroles that communities play inshaping our spiritual journeysand encourages practitioners toseek out intentional communities

that share the same ethical valuesand spiritual commitments. Sikhs,

both men and women, cover theiruncut hair with a turban whichrepresents a commitment toequality and justice.

Vaisakhi is fundamentallyabout celebrations, brotherhood,the community and progress. This

week Sikhs all over the world willgather with their communities atgurdwaras, local places of worship,and re ect on these values.

Prime Minister John Key wasthe chief guest for the occasion.Other dignitaries who attendedthe event included EthnicCommunities Minister SamLotu-liga, the three Kiwi-IndianMPs Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, DrParmjeet Parmar and MaheshBindra, Health Minister JonathanColeman, Transport MinisterSimon Bridges, MP Melissa Lee

Attended byaround 300 people,the circularbanquet hall ofParliament was ajam-packed venuethat witnessedthe who’s who of

Punjabi communityfrom across thecountry

PM John Key and MP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi with a group of participants during the Vaisakhicelebration at the Beehive


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4 COVER STORYContinued from page 3

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and Race Relation CommissionerDame Susan Devoy.

Ethnic Communities MinisterSam Lotu-liga started his address

with jo bole so nihaal, sat sriakaal (Sikh slogan or jaikaara).In his speech, he mentionedthat he was surprised to knowthat Sikhism is the youngestand the fth largest religionin the world. He praised thehardworking Punjabi communityand said that New Zealand isproud to have such a strong and

vibrant community.The entertainment quotient

at the event was quite high withsome of the most energisingperformances given by young

boys. Gatka (Sikh martial arts) was the main attraction of theevening. Another performancethat garnered a lot of praise wasthe Punjabi folk dance gidda

by a group of young, middle-aged and senior women. Otherperformances included bhangra,Bollywood and western fusiondance, and kavishri (culturalpoetry) by young boys.

Navtej Randhawa of RadioSpice, who was the master ofceremony for the evening, gavepresentations on the historyof Sikhs in New Zealand andabout the history of Vaisakhiin Sikh culture along with theaccompanying historical pictures.

Attended by around 300people, the circular banquet hallof Parliament was a jam-packed

venue that witnessed the who’s who of Punjabi community from

across the country. Daljit Singhfrom Supreme Sikh Society alone

was leading a group of more than100 people out of almost 200people from Auckland.

Mandeep Kaur, Gurpreet Arora and Rakesh Naidoo fromNZ Police were also present onthe occasion. Among otherspresent were NZICA PresidentHarshad Patel, former NZICAPresident Ratilal Champaneri,Jeet Suchdev from BhartiyaSamaj and Kharak Singh Sidhu.

A prominent WellingtonianNagin Bhai Patel was the point ofattraction as he attended in a fulltraditional Punjabi attire.

There are several other bigand small Vaisakhi celebrations

scheduled around the country, but needless to say that thiscelebration at the beehive brings

with it a sense of inclusion as theIndian Community feels embraced

by the Country they have chosento call home. A celebration of thisscale and fervour is testament

to the regard the leaders ofthe country have for the hard

working Indian Community and

its contributions to the wider New

Zealand Community.

Theentertainmentquotient atthe event wasquite high withsome of themost energisingperformancesgiven by youngboys.

Clockwise from above: PM John Key andMP Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi with members ofPunjabi community; Mandeep Kaur, GurpreetArora and Rakesh Naidoo from NZ Police withDaljit Singh of Supreme Sikh Society; MPBakshi addressing the audience during t heevent; a group of ladies performing Punjabifolk dance- Gidda

Photos: Pal Productions


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5COVER STORY

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Otahuhu streets come alivewith Sikh celebration IWK BUREAU

T o mark the celebration of Vaisakhi,a procession was led from OtahuhuGurudwara to the Otahuhushopping mall. The 21st nagar kirtan

(Sikh parade) was the biggest ever sincethe rst procession in 1996. The parade,led by panj pyare ( ve beloved ones) sawparticipation from the public who walkedalongside the Sri Guru Granth Sahib placedon a decorated trailer. Gatka teams (Sikhmartial arts) from Auckland and Hastingswere also a part of the procession.

Fruit and soft drinks were distributedamong the viewers. The police, council andtra c management played a vital role inthe success of the parade. Supreme SikhSociety Spokesperson Daljit Singh thankedthe gathering who had come together toobserve the harvest festival of Vaisakhi inhigh spirits.


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ITA hosts legislators from India’s UP stateIWK BUREAU

A high-level delegation of legislatorsfrom India’s most populousstate, Uttar Pradesh, visited NewZealand last week as part of their visit to theAustralasia region.

India-New Zealand trade and investmentorganisation India Trade Alliance (ITA)hosted the 20 plus strong delegation at adinner at the Langham in Auckland.

Mohammed Azam Khan, theParliamentary A airs Minister of the UttarPradesh Assembly led the delegation, whichincluded a number of senior ministers andlegislators from major political parties ofthe state.

Nearly 100 guests attended thedinner. Recently appointed Indian HighCommissioner to New Zealand HE SanjivKohli addressed the gathering shortlyafter ITA Chairman Giri Gupta formallywelcomed the guests.

Delegation leader Mr Khan addressedthe audience in chaste Urdu, one of thelanguages spoken in Uttar Pradesh andother northern Indian states. He coveredconsiderable ground in his speech touchingupon politics, development, economics,progress his state has been making in thepast three years and relations betweenIndia and New Zealand.

Fluent in his delivery, Mr Khan spokeeloquently, sometimes breaking intoverse to illustrate a point. He invited NewZealand businesses to visit Uttar Pradeshnot just to view the Taj Mahal, India’s mostwell-known icon.

He invited entrepreneurs to share know-how and reap the bene ts of volumeso ered by its considerable population.Covering a geographical space roughly as

much as New Zealand, Uttar Pradesh hasnearly 200 million people compared to just4.5 million Kiwis.

ITA also presented its vision for theIndia Village, a multi-faceted platformand framework for increased people-to-people engagement between India and

other nations, beginning with New Zealand.The idea is to supplement the e orts ofgovernments to foster and strengthenties by increased people-to-peopleinvolvement in activities such as business,trade, investment, sport, culture and otherhuman endeavours.

Mr Gupta said that the delegation and itshead, Mr Khan, were receptive to the ideaand were keen to see it progress. ITA Co-

Vice Chairman Dr Richard Worth renderedthe vote of thanks.

Meanwhile, guests took the opportunityto mingle and hold discussions and network

with members of the state government before and after the event.

MohammedAzam Khan, theParliamentary AffairsMinister of the Uttar

Pradesh Assembly ledthe delegation, whichincluded a number ofsenior ministers andlegislators from majorpolitical parties ofthe state.

Clockwise from above: ITA Chairman Giri Gupta and Vice Chairman Dr Don Brash (centre) with the deligates from Uttar Pradesh;Uttar Pradesh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd. Azam Khan; ITA Chairman Giri Gupta; and Indian High CommissionerHE Sanjiv Kohli


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Deconstructing bharatnatyamRIZWAN MOHAMMAD

T he audience settle on their seatsin the Q Theatre. It is 7:05 p.m.on a breezy Saturday evening. Thecrowd murmurs as the curtains go up andtwo classical dancers dressed in cream-coloured cotton garments with goldenstripes, also called Kara in traditional

Kerala dressing, appear on the stage.With shades of blue and white light onthe backdrop and a spotlight on the duo,the dancers perform to Sanskrit chantsreverberating through the venue.

Intellectuals, patrons of art and classicaldance enthusiasts had gathered lastweek to witness one of the nest danceperformances in the southern hemisphere.Govind Pillai and Raina Peterson took theaudience on an hour-long journey of visualmeditation with their deconstruction ofthe ancient dance form. Earlier this year,In Plain Sanskrit had sold-out shows inMelbourne and Sydney. Both Govind andRaina reside in Australia and have beenperforming in di erent art festivals across

the world.The show brought a fusion of classical

Bharatnatyam and contemporary dances,choreographed like a storm of natural

avours minus the unnecessary addedspices; A complete deconstruction of theadd ons such as jewellery, ornaments,props or exaggerated moves. The simplicityof the dance was visible from the attire ofthe performers, who were clad in a simplecotton garment instead of the traditionalheavy silk costume with jewellery andmake-up to highlight facial features.

The platform had three silver pots(kalash) lled with water, scattered owers

and a mud pot with wheat our used asprops for the dance. Govind emptied themud pot and the duo drew a rangoli onthe stage, only to later smudge it. Rangoli represents a beautiful creation and

messing or de ling it means provokingancient beliefs and defying the custom. Theidea to smudge the rangoli was to breakstereotypes, challenge the norms and dosomething unconventional.

“I have witnessed one of the most soul-liberating forms of artwork today. It wasso spiritually uplifting and connecting,”exclaimed one from the audience.

More than 70 per cent of the viewers were Kiwis and their curiosity about thedance and the dancers was evident at theQ&A session after the show.

The show ended with a standing ovationand a thunderous applause.


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Ram Navami celebrationsby Fiji-IndiansGAURAV SHARMA

T he Christchurch Fiji Associationorganised the nine-day long RamNavami celebrations in the city between April 8 and 15.

Association members and the widercommunity participated in bhajan programmes, rituals such as puja s, anddistribution of prasad every evening.

Jagat Singh, President of the Associationinformed, “According to the Hinducalendar, Lord Rama was born on navamitithi during shukla paksha of the Chaitramonth, exactly at mid-day or madhyahna .

In simple terms, Ram Navami , which

falls on the ninth day of the Hindu lunar year, is on Friday, April 15, this year.”

The festival falls eight days after Ugadiand coincides with Vasant Navratri orChaitra Durga Puja, resulting in celebrations

being spread over nine days. Along with marking the birth of Lord

Rama, it is also observed as the wedding dayof Rama and Sita, the organisers informed.

“While our bhajans extol the virtues ofRama, Lakshman, Sita, and Hanuman,Ram Katha—be it the entire Akhanda

Ramayana , or just a part like Sunder Kanddiscussing the exploits of Hanuman and hismeeting with Sita in Lanka—has so manylessons for all of us,” Singh added.

The era of CERA ends in ChristchurchGAURAV SHARMA

W ith the Greater ChristchurchRegeneration Bill gatheringunanimous support during itsthird and nal reading in Parliament onMarch 31, and Prime Minister John Keyannouncing the establishment of a newministerial portfolio supporting GreaterChristchurch Regeneration to replace theCanterbury Earthquake Recovery portfolio,the era of CERA (Canterbury EarthquakeRecovery Authority) has ended in the city.

When CERA ceases to exist on Monday, April 18, various government agencies will be inheriting its functions includingLand Information New Zealand, Ministryof Business, Innovation and Employment,Ministry of Health, and Department of

the Prime Minister and Cabinet. GerryBrownlee is now the minister supportingthe Greater Christchurch Regenerationand Nicky Wagner has been appointed hisdeputy or associate minister supportingthe Greater Christchurch Regeneration,e ective from April 11, 2016.

“The rebuild of Canterbury is oneof the most ambitious undertakings inNew Zealand’s history, and supportingthe rebuild remains of one of National’smain priorities. The passing of the GreaterChristchurch Regeneration Act and thedisestablishment of CERA marks a newphase in the Canterbury rebuild,” noted the

PM. Greater Christchurch RegenerationBill Brownlee was especially pleased atthe passing of the Greater ChristchurchRegeneration Bill, which:• establishes Regenerate Christchurch, an

entity jointly controlled by the Crown andChristchurch City Council

• sets out the process for regenerationplans, which replace recovery plans

• sets out the powers available to theMinister and Chief Executive, particularlyin relation to land use and planning

• sets the path for a return to localleadership and

• as well as has the key objective of movingon from the earthquake recovery phaseand into the regeneration phase.“While we have achieved a signi cant

amount of progress in Christchurch andits outlying areas, which would have

been impossible without the Canterbury

Earthquake Recovery Act 2011, the passingof this bill heralds a new opportunityfor Christchurch and its communities as

we work to create a vibrant, regeneratedgreater Christchurch,” noted the Minister.

Interestingly, since there is no existingshared ownership model, w hich meetsthe objectives of both the Council and theCrown, the government had introducedthe Greater Christchurch RegenerationBill in the Parliament last year, supportingregeneration of Greater Christchurchfollowing the expiry of the CanterburyEarthquake Recovery Act 2011 on April26, this ye ar.

Regenerate Christchurch

As reported by Indian Weekenderlast year, and in a rst for the country with potential for replication beyondChristchurch, the Crown and ChristchurchCity Council had earlier outlined plansto establish Regenerate Christchurch(RC)—“a jointly owned and funded entitytasked with overseeing the long-term $40

billion development and enhancementof the Central City, residential redzone, New Brighton and other potentialregeneration zones”.

With a working mandate of ve years—till 2021—RC is to have an independent

board reporting to both the Crown andCouncil. This is to ensure that the newagency is managed completely di erentfrom CERA.

Moreover, RC will work in closecoordination with the city council’snewly established development companyDevelopment Christchurch Limited—the point of entry for new investors inthe city—as well as a Crown-controlledcompany. Notably, after ve years, the RC

will be transfer to the city as a fully CouncilControlled Organisation (CCO).

Both, Brownlee and Lianne Dalziel, theMayor of Christchurch, had welcomed thedevelopment at that time, calling it a new

beginning in federalism in the country.So with the ball set in motion now,

Christchurch has o cially shifted itsfocus from “recovery to regeneration”—aphrase used by both these seniorpoliticians last year.

Two monuments – one is the newest Margaret Mahy FamilyPlayground(right) in Christchurch’s CBD and the other iscity’s iconic Cathedral(top) – representing what went right andwrong in the earthquake rebuild after 2011


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9NEW ZEALANDNEW ZEALAND

Celebrating theTelugu New YearGAURAV SHARMA

The Telugu Association ofSouth Island New Zealand(TasiNZ), an informal group

in existence since 2006, celebratedUgadi, the Telugu New Year, inChristchurch on April 9.

Diwakar Kandula, a researcherat the Lincoln University and one ofthe founding members of TasiNZ,informed, “We had 240 peopleattending the festivities, whichincluded prayers, poetry recitals,dance and Telugu song performancesas well as two teams of ladies andgents ghting it out in a game of dumbcharades. The evening ended withdinner comprising traditional cuisineof this festival including dishes [suchas] Pulihora, Bobbatlu, and Ugadi

Pachchadi—a dish prepared withjaggery, raw mangoes, neem owersand raw tamarind.”

Ugadi or Yugadi, as it is called inthe Deccan region of India, marks thecommencement of the Hindu NewYear by recognising a change in thelunar orbit. It also signals the advent ofspring. The rst day of bright half of thelunar month Chaitra is considered to be theday for Ugadi celebration, which generallyfalls in the months of March/April of theEnglish calendar.

Hindu mythology says that the day isdedicated to Lord Brahma, the almighty

creator, who began his creation on this day.Celebrations include decorating houses

with mango leaves and rangoli s, andritualistic worship to pray for good healthand prosperity in the coming year. Thenine-day-long spring festival of VasantaNavratri begins on this day and concludeson Ram Navami, informed the organisers.


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10 NEW ZEALAND

Brain Research NZ

opens dementia clinicT ertiary Education,Skills and EmploymentMinister Steven Joyceopened the Brain Research NewZealand Dementia PreventionResearch Clinic in Aucklandon April 8. The clinic is partof the $29.8 million Brain Re -search Centre of ResearchExcellence (CoRE).

“The Clinic will allow NewZealand researchers to carryout world-leading studies abouthow to slow the progression ofdementia,” Mr Joyce says. The

rst clinic will open in Aucklandand similar clinics are plannedin Christchurch and Dunedinlater this year.

“The clinics will work closely with patients, allowing researchersto investigate the progression ofthe disease. This could lead to

new treatments and therapies which could ultimately increasethe quality of life of patients andreduce health care costs.”

The CoREs Fund wasestablished in 2001 to encouragethe development of excellenttertiary education-basedresearch that is collaborative andstrategically focused.

A total of ten CoREs have now been funded through to 2020.Government has provided morethan $635 million in funding tocurrent and previous CoREs.

Employment tool shows

commitment to small businessesS mall business owners arenow able to quickly andeasily create employmentagreements online with thelaunch of a refreshed EmploymentAgreement Builder tool, Ministerfor Small Business CraigFoss says.

“Hiring an employee can bestressful for a small business but, withthe updated Employment AgreementBuilder, we’re making the processeasy. This means less time workingon contracts and more time workingon your business,” Mr Foss says.

“Using the EmploymentAgreement Builder, you canquickly create an agreement onyour mobile, tablet or PC tailoredto your business and to eachperson you employ.

“In New Zealand, a writtenemployment agreement iscompulsory no matter who youemploy, what they do, or for howlong. It means both you and youremployees know where you standfrom the beginning and, if thereis a disagreement, all parties

have rights and protection underthe law. A good employmentagreement is the foundation of agood employment relationship.”

Since it was rst launched in2010, the Employment AgreementBuilder has proven popular withemployers. The tool has beenrefreshed by Business.govt.nz ,part of the Ministry of Business,Innovation and Employment, toenable employers to easily identify

what clauses are mandatory, whatclauses are voluntary and whenthey are appropriate to use. It willalso help employers comply withrecent employment law changes.

“This project demonstratesthe government’s commitmentto improving services to small

businesses through user-friendlyand simpli ed tools that help meettheir compliance obligations,” MrFoss says.


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Ending tax breaks for the rich

T he recent leak of the Panama paperslift the lid on a huge cesspit of taxevasion and money launderinghosted by the world’s tax havens. It isshameful that the papers show New Zealandto be one of those tax havens.

The 11 million leaked documents showthat a single law rm, Mossack Fonseca, setup 200,000 secret companies.

There may be some legitimate reasons fortheir existence but most of these companieshave been established in countries wherethere has been little nancial disclosure andwhere tax is avoided.

Tax havens have become parasites on

the world economy and a deeply unfairburden on the vast majority of people whopay their taxes and support public services.Tax havens should not just be reformed toallow a bit more disclosure; they should beabolished. Wealthy individuals and largecorporations are required to pay their fairshare of tax.

In New Zealand, it is shameful that therehas been silence about the wealthy, whohave avoided or evaded taxes on a massivescale while there has been public outragelevelled at a few bene ciaries who maytry to claim more than their allowance ortradesmen who don’t declare cash income.

Governments have allowed tax havens andother mechanisms for tax avoidance bythe wealthy to continue for decades. In thecase of countries such as New Zealand, thegovernment has actively set up structuresthat enable it to happen, such as thesecretive foreign trusts that exempt foreignincome from taxation.

In a familiar pattern of behaviour, theprime minister denied there was a problemand then when this became politicallyimpossible to defend, set up a process that

would address a small part of the problemand recommend a minimal change.The prime minister’s damage controlmechanism is that single tax expert willlook at disclosure rules for foreign trusts.

The problem is far wider. Structuressuch as New Zealand foreign trusts have

been used for illicit arms deals (such asthe case of a New Zealand involvementin trading North Korea weapons), crimesyndicates and money laundering andlarge-scale theft of money from developing

country governments and tax evasion.These loopholes should be closed.

There is a pattern of behaviour inprotecting the rich and loading the burdenonto the rest of society.

This is also evident in the government’sreluctance to make large multinationalcompanies such as Apple or Google paytheir fair share of taxes in New Zealand,allowing shifting of income outside NewZealand to avoid paying a fair share of tax.

And the proposed Trans-Paci cPartnership Agreement (TPPA) wouldgive foreign corporations new rights,including the right to take the New Zealand

government to an international tribunaland claim compensation for laws andregulations that reduce their pro tability.

There needs to be a change.The rules need to ensure that all

individuals and companies pay their fairshare of taxes. There needs to be more

support for local companies struggling tosurvive against multinational corporationsthat get all the rights and advantages, as

well as avoiding tax. It is our small and

medium enterprises that create jobs, deliverlocal bene ts and build our economy, notthe multinationals.

Instead of tax havens, loopholes formultinationals and agreements like theTPPA, we need fair rules for all.

Barry Coates is next on the Green Party listto get into Parliament. He is an economistwith a Masters degree from Yale School of

Management and was the former CEO ofOxfam New Zealand.

Barry CoatesGreen Party


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Tax-dodging trusts damage New Zealand

N ew Zealand’s reputation took ahit last week when it was listedinternationally with places suchas Jersey and the Cayman Islands as a taxhaven. Our reputation for integrity wassullied after it was revealed that this countryhas been complicit with the powerful andwealthy using it to register trusts here tododge meeting their tax obligations. Theleaked Panama Papers showed that morethan 12,000 o shore trusts registered here,

apparently to avoid taxation because NewZealand laws don’t require disclosure ofbene ciaries or accounts.

Just a couple of weeks earlier, NewZealanders were outraged to learn thatlarge multinationals earning more than $10

billion a year in sales from New Zealand

paid just $1.8 million in tax here. That taxrate means that very wealthy companiesare paying a tiny fraction of the rate paid byNew Zealand’s lowest income earners.

Like most New Zealanders, I have noproblem with people becoming wealthythrough hard work and their business skills.Good luck to those who do. What I andother Kiwis object to is when people avoidpaying their fair share towards the cost ofthe bene ts we all enjoy from the servicesthe taxes pay for. Those who dodge theirtax simply transfer the burden onto honestNew Zealanders who pay their share.

The government’s response was thatdealing with the big multinationals wassomething it couldn’t do much about. Theysaid it was for the international community,

through bodies such as the OECD, torespond by changing international taxlaw. We would, National said, contributetowards that e ort. Now it seems that wehave lost our credibility in that area bynot responding to tax dodgers exploiting

our country’s tax laws. If we expect other

countries to stop companies avoidingpaying tax here, we need to do likewise when individuals or corporates are usingNew Zealand to avoid taxes in their owncountries. New Zealand was rightly proudof its reputation for good governance, lackof corruption and high standards. Untilrecently we were rated as the best country inthe world in this respect. Sadly over the lastcouple of years, we have slipped to fourthand the latest scandal will further damamgeour reputation. In light of the damagethis is doing to us, John Key’s response

was disappointing. His rst reaction wasthat there was no problem with what

we were doing and no need to act to deal with tax-dodging trusts. Perhaps this isn’tsurprising because John Key himself, with

a background in the international nancialindustry, is on record as saying that he wanted New Zealand to be “the Jersey ofthe South Paci c”. That sounds very muchlike advocating for New Zealand to be a taxhaven. National also drew attention to the

fact that lawyers and accountants made $24

million a year out of setting up overseastrust accounts. They have now been forcedto do a complete U-turn and not beforetime. Was the $24 million really the value ofour reputation for doing the right thing andour ability to win cooperation from othersto deal with tax dodgers in New Zealand?

Tax experts, academics and newspapereditorials have all joined in thecondemnation of the government’s do-nothing approach. Most New Zealandersare adamant that wealthy foreign rmsshould be paying their fair share of taxesfrom the money they earn here. Equally,

we should not be letting wealthy individualsfrom overseas be registered tax-free hereand not pay tax in their own countries.

Being wealthy and powerful is no excuse

for those individuals and entities taking andgiving nothing back and freeloading on the backs of others. The immediate reactionof New Zealanders is that this is not right.That should have been the government’sreaction too.

Phil Goff Labour MP

Improving NZ’s global connectivity

A s a small country isolated by vast areas of ocean, air linksare essential to New Zealand’sconnectivity with the rest of the world.

Our trade and tourism industries areheavily reliant on visitors arriving by air.

That’s why the government has madeexpanding air services a priority. To yin and out of the countries, agreements

need to be put in place between countriesto allow services. These agreements withother countries remove restrictions andhelp pave the way for airlines to operatenew routes in and out of New Zealand.More ights allow for more high-valuefreight connections and increasing regionalconnections to international ights creates

more opportunities for provincial exporters.Increasing competition and the numberof available seats drives down prices andgives prospective visitors to New Zealandmore choices.

Since the government launched itsInternational Air Transport Policy in 2012,more than 50 new or amended agreementshave been negotiated, bringing the total to

just more than 70. Last week the government

signed several new air services agreements with Israel, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria,Pakistan, Panama, and Portugal. We’re alsoexpanding our existing agreements withTurkey and France. Growing our networkof air service agreements means more

ights from more airlines in and out ofNew Zealand to more and more parts of the

world. The government has a strong trackrecord of negotiating air service agreementsand New Zealand is reaping the bene ts asa result.

We are seeing record numbers of touristsarriving—3.2 million in the past year.

Most of the major airlines in the worldare now able to operate services to NewZealand without restriction. There’s

been an unprecedented ourishing of

new air services starting with 18 new airroutes announced in the past year aloneincluding services to Dubai, Singapore, andLos Angeles.

Just this week, Air New Zealandannounced a new Auckland-Manila servicecreating the rst ever direct air link fromNew Zealand to the Philippines. This is

a direct result of an enhanced air servicesarrangement the government signed withthe Philippines in 2014.

Air service agreements are a core par t ofthis government’s e orts to promote andopen up New Zealand to the world. Beinga trading nation, we’re reliant on air links

with other countries.That’s why we’ll continue our e orts to

grow and enhance these connections.

Young entrepreneurs and the future of work

M any business people, workers,students, economists andacademics from New Zealandand overseas attended Labour’s recentFuture of Work conference in Auckland.It was an exciting two days that createda lot of buzz around the changes in theglobal marketplace, emerging jobs andprofessions, and the skills Kiwis will need tokeep abreast of fast-paced change over thenext few decades. During the Conference,Labour released 10 Big Ideas, gathered

from all our own conversations with a huge variety of people around New Zealandabout these issues. Since an estimated 46per cent of jobs will be disappearing in the

coming decades, people are getting involvedin helping shape the future and creating thetoolkits Kiwis will need to ourish.

These 10 base concepts, such as DigitalEquality, Business Clusters and maximisingcompetitive advantage, Building Wealth,and Reforming the Transition BetweenEducation, Training and Work, provide theframework for speci c policies and actionsthat will ensure decent work and incomesecurity for all.

In January, we announced we’d bephasing in three years of free post-schooleducation or training across a person’slifetime for anyone who hasn’t had thoseopportunities. However, not everyone

is suited to formal education or training.Some people learn by doing. Some of our

best-known entrepreneurs have learnteverything on the job.

The young people of today will mostlikely have to generate more of their ownincome and will experience far less stable

work than their parents and grandparents.Encouraging their business skills will becrucial. Knowing the next generation ofsmart and innovative young Kiwis will neednurturing and capital to get successful ideaso the ground, the next Labour government

will establish a Young Entrepreneurs Plan. We will encourage innovative, young

entrepreneurs, aged between 18 and 23, tocreate their own successful businesses byproviding them with training, a businessmentor and up to $20,000 in a capital grantfor successful applicants.

The one-o start-up grant has a safetynet of funded business training, anongoing business mentor and a businessplan approved by an independent panel ofexperts. Grants would be capped at 100 per

year for the rst three years.This would mean that young people who

have a good business brain and the driveto make their ideas work would have everyopportunity to establish a good businessand help determine the future of work.New Zealand needs more innovation andmore successful entrepreneurs. This smallinvestment would help create the nextgeneration of them.

Making sure every New Zealander isprepared for the changing nature of workis one the biggest tasks facing this country.


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13NEW ZEALAND

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Auckland Council keeps upsurge in building consents

A u c k l a n d ’ s

housing boomshows no

signs of slowing, with arecord 23,220 buildingconsent applicationsreceived in the last year,up by 12 per cent.

“Demand for consentshas been relentless. Thenumbers keep on jumpingso to manage the constant work ow we’vebrought on board the consents teams fromWellington and Porirua,” says AucklandCouncil Building Control ProcessingManager Doug Naylor.

Mr Naylor has been involved with

building consent lodgements for 27 yearsand believes this is the highest surge ofapplications he’s seen in that time.

To manage the heavy volume, theconsents team has contracted Wellingtonand Porirua city councils, initially for12 months, to ensure Aucklanders don’texperience unnecessary delays withtheir applications.

“The boom has made it di cult to ndexperienced design and constructionspecialists the council—and the widerindustry—require to meet demand,” saysMr Naylor. The council has approached

the resourcing challenge by making greateruse of technology, stepping up training anddevelopment programmes and tappinginto consent processing capacity in otherparts of the nation. The council is currentlyin negotiations with a number of otherpotential providers.

The increase in consents is partly due tothe establishment of 154 Special Housing

Areas across Auckland with a potential yield of 56,000 new homes.

Wellington City Council BuildingCompliance and Consents GeneralManager Mike Scott says there haven’t

been any logistical or administrative issuesprocessing consents for Aucklanders.

“Wellington City Council has long-standing connections with AucklandCouncil, and this is a natural extension ofour collegial relationship and is bene cialto both organisations and cities,” he says.


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14 FIJI

Source: Fiji Sun

UNICEF NZ Director visits affected families

UNICEF New Zealand’sExecutive Director,

Vivien Maidaborn, iscurrently in Fiji to see rst-handhow UNICEF is responding tothe needs of children and familiesacross Fiji.

UNICEF New Zealand’sExecutive Director, VivienMaidaborn, is currently in Fijito see rst-hand how UNICEFis responding to the needs ofchildren and families across Fiji.

Just six weeks after Category5 Cyclone Winston devastatedFiji, a ecting 40 per cent ofthe Paci c Island nation’spopulation, three simultaneoustropical disturbances brought

unprecedented rainfall to manyparts of the country, including

several areas already a ected byCyclone Winston.

Entire communities have been ooded, roads blocked andcrops destroyed, deepening the

vulnerability of many familiesdependent on harvests as a keysource of income and food. Incyclone-a ected communities,the ood waters also washed awaynewly replanted seeds, erasingrecovery e orts including the

whole Fiji seed stock.From her current location of

Rakiraki, a town on the northerncoast of Viti Levu, Ms Maidabornsaid, “The families I have beenmeeting with have been throughso many catastrophic events in the

last few weeks. They are mentallyand physically exhausted and

the parents are worried aboutthe a ects all of this upheaval

will have on their children,particularly their health and

education. “Children themselvesare aware of dramatically reduced

lifestyles with their houses broken, food supplies very limited

and schools closed. Josiana, 15 years old from Nasolo Village,told us that education is the mostimportant thing in the wake of adisaster and that she hopes to bea teacher someday.

The current outlook remainsprecarious for people in Fiji withhealth issues continuing to be apriority for UNICEF.

Water-borne diseases such asdiarrhoea are on the increase,as is conjunctivitis for largeparts of the a ected population.

Access to clean and safe waterfor drinking, cooking and

washing also continues to be ofparamount concern.

To date UNICEF has helped

to restore access to safe water for200,000 people.

Locals pitch in with support tohelp Fiji recover from cycloneT auranga locals continueto band together to helpFiji after Cyclone Winstonripped through the island country.

Kimberly D’Mello, SophieThompson, Hannah Skelton,Jamie Regan and Andrew Randrupare among the group of AquinasCollege students fundraising for

$20,000 to help with the rebuild.They plan to travel to Fiji withteachers and some parents whohave construction, trade and

rst aid experience, betweenJuly 10 and 20.

A group from the college usuallygo over to Fiji every one or twoyears to build homes for families inthe village of Vanuakula, but now“there is more of an immediateneed”, said Miss D’Mello.

Mr Randrup said they may begoing outside the village for repairwork as it was less a ected by thecyclone compared to other parts.

Mr Regan said he wasexpecting they would see thedi erence “between where you goon holidays, and the real thing”.

Miss Skelton said they had all been working hard to raise anextra $1800 on top of the $20,000to get themselves to Fiji and fortheir accommodation.

The Red Cross in Greertondonated rst aid kits, andTauranga Party Hire gave himsome old marquees to send to his

village. The Tauranga Seventh-Day Adventist Church was alsohelping Mr Biu by holding aconcert to fundraise to help getthe items to Fiji. Break FreeExpeditions has loaded up its aidcontainer for Fiji.

It will be going to the hardesthit areas including Rakiraki andSavusavu. “Local businesses have

been incredibly generous withtheir donations of materials,” MsJudge said.

Students Kimberly D’Mello, Sophie Thompson, Hannah Skelton, Jamie Regan and Andrew Randrup arefundraising for their rebuild trip to Fiji

Ambassador Prakash for UAEF iji’s new Ambassador to theUnited Arab Emirates, MrKamlesh Prakash recentlypresented his credentials to theVice President and Prime Ministerof the United Arab Emirates HisHighness Sheikh Mohammedbin Rashid Al Maktoum. HisHighness Al Maktoum is also theRuler of Dubai.

Ambassador Prakash conveyedthe warm greetings of FijianPresident, H.E Major General(retired) Jioji Konrote andFiji’s desire to further enhance

bilateral relations. Ambassador Prakash presenteda copy of his credentials to H.EMohammed Mir Abdullah Al RaisiUnder-Secretary of the Ministryof Foreign A airs (MoFA).Under-Secretary Al Raisi wishedAmbassador Prakash every

success in his e orts to enhance bilateral co-operation between theUAE and Fiji.

Ambassador Prakashreciprocated that he lookedforward to further enhancingareas of mutual interest betweenthe two countries and that it

would be an honour to representFiji in the UAE, a country witha prestigious reputation as

a regional and internationalhub realized by the vision and

wise policies of His HighnessPresident Sheikh Khalifa binZayed Al Nahyan.

Ambassador Prakash will alsoserve as non-resident Ambassadorto Fiji’s other countries ofaccreditation in the region andas Permanent Representative toIRENA whilst based in the UAE.

Minister visit’s NZon the recognisedseasonal employer work schemeT he Minister forEmployment ,P r o d u c t i v i t yand IndustrialRelations, HonourableSemi Koroilavesauand a team of senioro cials from theMinistry is currentlyin New Zealand todiscuss the labourmobility portfolio

with counterpartsin New Zealand andmeet Fijian seasonal

workers currentlyemployed underthe RSE scheme.

“It is also to ensure

that the expectationsof Fijian workersand New Zealandemployers are in line with theInter-Agency Understanding(IAU) arrangements,”said the Minister.

The demand for Fijian workersis expected to grow and as a resultof good performance the rstgroup of 31 pilot workers in 2015has returned to NZ to commence

work for another season in 2016.During this visit, the team

met with employers, seniorNew Zealand Government

O cials, Fijian workers and theFijian community.

The visitation is part of theRSE bilateral agreement betweenthe Governments of New Zealandand Fiji following the invitationextended by the Honourable

Murray McCully, the New ZealandMinister for Foreign A airsduring his visit to Fiji last month.

The Minister thanked theNew Zealand Government forthe invitation and welcomeshis New Zealand counterpartto Fiji as part of its strategicpartnership arrangements.

The inclusion of Fijian workersto participate in the RSE workscheme was through the signing ofthe lnter-Agency Understanding

(IAU) agreement on December10, 2014 between the Ministryof Employment, Productivity &Industrial Relations, Fiji and theMinistry of Business, Innovationand Employment (MBIE),New Zealand.

New Zealand Minister for Immigration, Honourable MichaelWoodhouse with Fijian Minister for Employment, Productivity andIndustrial Relations, Honourable Semi Koroilavesau


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Happy Baisakhi

Healthcare familyhelps cyclone victims

R yman Healthcare in New Zealandhas raised more than $93,000 toassi st Fijians a ected by SevereTropical Cyclone Winston.

The company employs a large number ofexpatriate Fijian sta , some of whom hadapproached the company for help after thecyclone on February 20.

In a statement, the company said thosedirectly a ected included the families ofmore than 160 Ryman Healthcare sta members, who were given cash by thecompany to send back home in Fiji.

Ryman’s 9000 residents and 4000 sta also had fundraising cake stalls, BBQ andra es, which raised $93,213 for the Fijicyclone appeal.

The money has been given to the NewZealand Red Cross.

Fiji takes on the world’s bestT he abbreviated code ofrugby is the only placeright now where Fiji isable to beat Tier One nations onthe rugby eld, says Sports andYouth Minister Laisenia Tuitubou.

He made these commentsafter the Ben Ryan coachedVodafone Fiji 7s team retainedtheir champions title for thesecond consecutive year at HappyValley making Fijian rugby fansaround the globe the happiest.“We cannot really shrug o the

fact, that we are pretty good at it.In fact for thousands of Fijians,and fans around the globe, we are

world champions.“We dictate, to a large extent,

how the game is played or should be played. That is why I like thisabbreviated code as smaller rugbynations like us compete with, and

beat Tier One rugby nations that beats us in 15s,” Tuitubou said.

He added, “It seems we cannever be too comfortable when itcomes to sevens rugby. In fact it

is given that we are arguably themost vocal fans when it comes tothe abbreviated version of thistough contact sport.

“When the national side wins,the country comes to a standstill.This was witnessed last night andtoday, as members of the public

were seen smiling and not even a voice heard, of those experts that Ialways hear when we lose.”

Tuitubou said the best place to be when Fiji was playing in HongKong was home. Fiji celebrate after retaining the Hong Kong Sevens title

Ram Navmicelebration

T he Hindu community around thecountry are celebrating Ram Navmi— the birth of Lord Rama.The eight days prayer and celebration

started last Friday and will end on April 15with songs and dances by devotees to markthe birth of Lord Rama.

Ram Navmi is an annual event and animportant one for the Hindu communityall over the country. Lord Rama was bornto conquer evil and bring about prosperityand peace to the world.

Meanwhile, Schools in previousyears that had closed to celebrate the

Hindu festival of Ram Navmi will not doso this year.

Education Minister Dr Mahendra Reddysays the event should be explained andcelebrated in schools with other children ofdi erent faiths instead.

He says the closure of schools to observethis had gone on for too long and thatall of the country’s majority faiths wereappropriated public holidays accordinglythroughout the year.

Acting National Secretary of the ShreeSanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha Fiji –Virendra Lal says they are disappointedthat they were not consulted beforethis directive was issued. SABHA is the

largest Hindu organisation that manageshundreds of primary and secondary schoolsacross the country.

Lal says, Ram Navmi is celebratedat midday and it has been the practisesince the colonial days that all Sanatanmanaged schools close to celebrate theauspicious occasion.


16/32

NEW ZEALANDINDIA

Editorial — Philip K. Dick

Thought of the week I am not much but I’m all I have.

From the desk of theManaging Editor A Chinese proverb says that those who drink the water must remember those who dug the well. Everything we do, every accomplishment we have, everymilestone we pass has come in part because of the e orts of others. There

are no self-made men or women. If we can remember that, we can be grateful. And if we are grateful, we are more likely to develop good character than if we aren’t.

Confucius asserted, ‘Humility is the solid foundation of all the virtues.’ In other words, it paves the way for character growth. And that sets us up for personal growth.These things are de nitely connected.” ~John C. Maxwell from The 15 Invaluable

Laws of Growth

These words are absolutely true. There is evidence to show that all arrogant people who thought they owed their success to no one and did not realise the value of thee orts of others, seldom stayed on the top for long. Such people eventually are taught

a lesson by life itself. If one were to face oneself in a moment of truth, one wouldclearly see how others have been instrumental in adding to your growth and successat every step. It is, therefore, important to realise the importance of every singleperson in our life and their contribution to our success and be grateful. As they say,“gratitude is the best attitude”. The more gratitude we have for the good things andpeople in our lives, the better our lives become.

The Indian community has been rejoicing at the grand celebration of the festivalof Baisakhi or Vaisakhi at the New Zealand Parliament. It is proof of the recognitionthat the 200,000-strong Indian community is getting from the leaders of the country.

We carry a story about this a long with some grea t pictures for everyone to enjoy. Vaisakhi is also being celebrated in other parts of the country. On behalf of the entireteam at Indian Weekender, I wish everyone a happy and prosperous Vaisakhi. Theauspicious day, which marks harvesting of crops is celebrated across India underdi erent names and rituals. It is celebrated as Rongali Bihu in Assam, Naba Barshain Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Pooram Vishu in Kerala and Vaishakha in Bihar.Our wishes for these to the entire Indian community.

The nominations for the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame are still open and even though we have been consistently receiving nominations for our three categories, I would liketo encourage our readers to keep sending in nominations. There are three categoriesthat you may nominate people t —the central award being the Kiwi Indian Hall offame and the two awards that were added last year, the Kiwi Indian Unsung Heroand the Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the year. We look forward to receiving yournominations. which can be submitted via our website hallo ame.co.nz oryby llingout the form in this paper.

It is heartening to note that more and more people and organisations arenow connecting to us to share their stories, events, and happenings. Should

you have anything interesting to share, please feel free to write to us at [email protected].

Until next time.Giri Gupta

Pick of the week

Indian Weekender : Volume 8 Issue 4

Publisher: Kiwi Media Group LimitedManaging Editor: Giri Gupta | [email protected]: Annu Sharma | [email protected] Reporter: Swati Sharma | [email protected]: Rizwan Mohammad | [email protected]: Esha Chanda | [email protected]: Kumar Suresh | [email protected] Technical Of cer: Rohan Desouza | [email protected] Graphics and Layout Designer: Mahesh Kumar | [email protected] Designer: Yashmin Chand | [email protected] and Admin.: Farah Khan | [email protected], Marketing & Distribution: 022 3251630 / [email protected]

Views expressed in the publication are not necessarily of the publisher and the publisheris not responsible for advertisers’ claims as appearing in the publication

Views expressed in the articles are solely of the authors and do not in any way represent

the views of the team at the Indian Weekender Published by Kiwi Media Group, 98 Great South Road, Auckland • T. +64 09 213 7335Printed at Horton Media, Auckland

Copyright 2016. Kiwi Media Group. All Rights Reserved.

Phrase: The wops

Meaning: Far away, middle of nowhere

Usage: She lives far away, out in the wops.

A magical night: Northern lights toss ribbons of colour across the sky in Finland wherescattered trees are draped in heavy snow. Photograph by Satu Juvonen, NationalGeographic Your Shot

Tip from the trenchesMeditation tips for beginners

1. Begin with quick ve-minute sessions andgradually increase the time length2. Switch o your phone to avoid distractions.Remove distractions and meditate in a room

with a closed door.3. Set a timer so you don’t have to keepchecking the clock 4. Don’t beat yourself up if your mind wanders.It’s normal in the beginning and with time andpractice, you will learn to control your thoughts.5. Sit or lie down depending on what is morecomfortable for you


17/32


l

17HALL OF FAME

E s t a bli s he d 2 0 1 3

The Indian Weekender calls upon nominations for those who have built a road to glory for themselvesand left a path for the coming generations to tread on; who have touched the lives of thousands and

enriched the society with their being; who’ve brought fame and respect to New Zealand and the Kiwi-Indian community. The Indian Weekender invites nominations for such personalities from

the community for getting inducted into the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame 2016. We also invitenominations for Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the Year and Kiwi Indian Unsung Hero of

the Year 2016.

The guidelines, which need to be adhered to, fornominations, are as follows:

1. He/she needs to have an undisputable recognitionin his or her eld of work.

2. Nominated by a nominator of repute. Further,the nominator has to be in con rmation withthe nominee.

3. The nominator has to provide their full contactdetails. No anonymous applications will

be accepted.4. All elds of work are welcome. For the purposes of

this award, ‘ eld of work’ can be politics, business,sports, art, culture, or any profession.

5. The de nition of Kiwi Indian, for the purposes ofthis award, hereby, is de ned as follows: any personof Indian origin, from any part of the world, whohas settled here in New Zealand. To be of Indianorigin, at least one of the parents of the nomineehave to be Indian, by blood. Thereby making thenominee of Indian lineage.

6. The nominee must have either a PermanentResidency (PR), or Citizenship of New Zealand to

be eligible for consideration.7. The nominee should have no prior convictions.8. Age is no bar; for minors, under the age of 18,

parental consent will be required.9. The successful candidate will be required to attend

the ceremony in person. In case a person is not ableto attend, due to any unforeseen c ircumstances, the

jury will use its discretion.10. The jury’s decision will be nal and binding; and

cannot be challenged.

Inviting nominations forKiwi Indian Honours 2016

ENTRY FORM: Form for nominating candidates for Kiwi Indian Honours 2016 |Please fill and post it to the address below

About the Nominee

Nominate Online :http://bit.ly/1QZJcTO

What to do next?

For how long have you known the Nominee?

Why do you think the nominee quali es for the honour?Please state your reasons for nominating the above person. You may mention theachievements of the Nominee in his/her profession.

How according to you has the Nominee brought fame and respect to the Kiwi-Indiancommunity?

Please take a print out of this form, sign andsend to us at:Jury Panel, Kiwi Indian Honours 201598, Great South Road, Epsom, Auckland

(Add extra pages to this form if required.)For details contact Indian Weekender on09-2137335 or go to:www.indianweekender.co.nz

Nominator Details

Category

Declaration by Nominator

Nominee DetailsName of the Nominator

Address & Contact number of Nominator *

Sex M F

Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame

Kiwi Indian Young Achiever of the year (16 to 35 years only)

Kiwi Indian Unsung Hero of the year

Address & Contact number of Nominee *

Professional details of the Nominator

I have received con rmation fromthe Nominee for this application.

Yes No

I hereby declare that the above information is true to the best of my knowledge. I also allowIndian Weekender and the Jury to use the information provided for background checksand to contact either me or the Nominee for the purpose of getting any more information.

Nominee has accepted to appear in personfor the ceremony, if he/she gets acceptedfor the induction to Hall of Fame 2016.

Yes No

Name of the Nominee

Age of Nominee

Signed:


18/32


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India to invest $20bn in

Iran’s port developmentI ndia is ready to invest $20 billion in the development ofIran’s Chabahar port and hasrequested it to allocate adequateland in the Chabahar SpecialEconomic Zone (SEZ), state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp(ONGC) said in a statement onSunday, April 10.

India’s intent to invest wasmade by Petroleum MinisterDharmendra Pradhan at a meetingwith his Iranian counterpart BijanZangeneh in Tehran on April 9.

“Pradhan conveyed tothe Iranian side that Indian

companies could invest up to$20 billion and were interestedin setting up petrochemical andfertiliser plants, including in theChabahar SEZ, either throughjoint venture between Indian andIranian public sector companiesor with private sector partners,”the statement said.

“In this regard, he requestedIran to allocate appropriate andadequate land in the SEZ. Healso expressed India’s interestin setting up a LNG plant anda gas cracker in the Chabaharport,” it said. “He also requested

the Iranian side for favourabletreatment in the pricing of gas

for India and also supply of richgas at competitive price and onlong-term basis for the life of the

joint venture projects that Indiancompanies are interested insetting up,” it added.

In May 2014, India and Iransigned a MoU to jointly developthe port once the internationalsanctions against Iran were lifted.

Chabahar is located in theGulf of Oman on the border withPakistan, and Iran plans to turn itinto a transit hub for immediateaccess to markets in the northernpart of the Indian Ocean and

Central Asia. The statement saidPradhan also expressed India’s

interest in importing LPG fromIran and said that companiesfrom both sides could, if required,discuss setting up an extractionplant in Chabahar.

On the nal day of his two-day visit to Iran on Sunday, the

rst visit by an Indian ministerto the country since sanctionsagainst it were lifted earlier this

year, Pradhan and his delegation visited the Chabahar free tradezone and port and discussedthe facilities and incentives

which could be o ered to Indiancompanies, it added.

Indian ports addedhighest capacityI

ndian ports sector witnessedthe highest-ever capacityaddition in scal 2015–16

at 94 million tons per annum(MTPA) being added, RoadTransport, Highways and ShippingMinister Nitin Gadkari said onSaturday, April 9.

“The nancial year 2015–16has been historic for the portsector in the country, with 94MTPA capacity added through34 capital investment projects

which is the highest in major portshistory,” he said after the secondmeeting of National Sagarmala

Apex Committee (NSAC).

According to Gadkari, Kandlaemerged as the rst major portto attain 100 million tonnestra c in a single year, propelled

by 20 per cent improvement inport e ciency while JawaharlalNehru Port (JNPT) was the rstmajor port to earn Rs.1,000 crorenet pro t aided by 12 per cente ciency boost.

“Paradip Port achievedhighest coal loading volumes of24 million tonnes with 30 percent e ciency improvement.Port e ciency improvement hasadded 50 MTPA of cargo handling

capacity leading to high returnsfor ports with comparatively lowinvestments,” he said.

Stating the Indian ports arecontinuing their recovery, theminister noted major ports’operating pro t improved from 27per cent in 2013–14 to 39 per centin 2015–16.

“The major ports haveincreased their operatingpro ts from Rs.3,593 crore in2014-15 to Rs.4,268 crore in2015–16,” he said.

E ciency improvementreduced logistics cost for tradeat the ports and turnaround time

fell by 40 per cent at Paradip,Tuticorin and Vizag.Gadkari said projects worth

Rs.72,818 crore have been awardedfor port modernisation and newport/terminal development.

Emphasising on the need forport and port-led development,he said the forthcomingMaritime India Summit will be agame changer.

“Port-led development haspotential for direct employmentgeneration for 40 lakh persons

while indirectly for 60 lakhpersons,” he added.


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19INDIA

Jaitley justi es one per cent duty on gold jewellery

J ustifying the imposition ofone per cent excise dutyon gold jewellery, unionFinance Minister Arun Jaitley onSunday, April 10, said a luxuryitem such as gold should not beexempted from the manufacturingtax when the country is movingtowards Goods and Services Tax.

“There is no reason why aluxury item [such as] gold should

be kept out of the ambit of amanufacturing tax [such as] exciseduty. Since the manufacturing taxis levied on essential commoditiessuch as steel, cement, jute, cottonand others, why not on gold.

“The country is to move towardsGoods and Services Tax (GST).Gold will also follow towards GST.Most states levy value added taxon gold,” he said.

He also noted that if gold iskept out of GST ambit, tax rate onrest of the goods would have to be

increased. “There is no reason whya luxury item should be exemptedfrom the tax and a higher rate oftax be imposed on other goods,”he said. The government, in the

budget for 2016–17, had proposedone per cent excise duty on

jewellery without input credit or12.5 per cent with input tax crediton jewellery excluding silver otherthan those studded with diamondsand precious stones. Jewellers

went on strike opposing one percent excise duty on gold jewellery.

The central governmentsubsequently clari ed even

for one per cent excise duty,manufacturers were allowedto take credit of input services,

which could be utilised forpayment of duty on jewellery.

Also, there is no requirementto le a stock declaration tothe jurisdictional central exciseauthorities, it added.

Modi plans sign language centreA centre would soon beestablished to developIndian sign language,and the government is “fullycommitted” to achievingempowerment and inclusion ofdisabled people, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has said.

“My government is fullycommitted to the UN Conventionof Rights for Persons withDisabilities, for achievingempowerment and inclusion ofpersons with disabilities,” Modisaid in his message ahead of theninth World Assembly of theDisabled People’s International(DPI) held from April 11 to 13 inNew Delhi.

“The cost of exclusion of peoplewith disability from the workforceis three to seven per cent of theGDP, as per World Bank estimates.Initiatives such as ‘AccessibilityIndia’ campaign aim to male the

built environment inclusive forpersons with disabilities.

“We are also making IndianRailways accessible and startinga centre to develop Indian signlanguage,” he said.

Thaawar Chand Gehlot,minister for social justice andempowerment, will address theplenary session of the event thatis being supported by the UN andG3ICT. G3ict or Global Initiativefor Inclusive Information andCommunication Technologies isan advocacy initiative launched inDecember 2006 by the UN Global

Alliance for ICT and Development,in cooperation with the Secretariatfor the Convention on the Rightsof Persons with Disabilities atUN Department of Economic andSocial A airs. In March 2016,the government’s Inclusivenessand Accessibility Index thatmeasured actions and attitudes

of organisations towards disabledemployees called for enablingaccess to them in buildings and

workplaces, public transportation,etc. Javed Abidi, the global chairof DPI, which has members frommore than 150 countries, said,“Rebuilding and retro- ttingto accommodate people withdisability must be discouraged.”

“Accessibility has to be builtinto both public and private sectorprocurement. Otherwise thedisabled people cannot even geteducation, let alone employment,”he said. More than 70 DPIrepresentatives from all over the

world would speak at the eventincluding Yuri Afanasiev, UNresident coordinator and UNDPresident representative in India,

Yes Bank managing director andCEO Rana Kapoor, and AmericanIndia Foundation country directorNishant Pandey.

The royals dazzle during their India visitHighlights from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s maiden visit to India

P rince William and his wifeKate Middleton startedtheir rst visit to India bypaying homage to the victims ofthe 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Landing in the metropolis just

before noon on their seven-daytour of India and Bhutan, the royalcouple went to Hotel Taj MahalPalace, where they were accordeda ceremonial welcome.

Shortly thereafter, they paidhomage to the victims of theMumbai terror attacks by layinga wreath at the 26/11 memorialat the hotel, where they will stayduring their Mumbai trip.

They interacted with the sta who witnessed the attack by 10Pakistani terrorists in November2008. The iconic hotel stands justopposite the historic Gateway ofIndia, built to commemorate thevisit of their illustrious ancestor,King George V and Queen Maryin 1911. In the evening, PrinceWilliam and Kate attended a galacharity reception and dinner forraising funds for various NGOs,in the presence of some of thetop names in Indian businessand Bollywood.

British royals meet youngentrepreneurs, writein Braille

The Duke and Duchess ofCambridge, Prince William andhis wife Kate Middleton, wrappedup their two-day Mumbai trip byinteracting with budding youngIndian entrepreneurs on Monday,April 11.

They arrived for the YoungEntrepreneurs Event at TheSocial, a cafe which is also acollaborative workspace foremerging business talents. At theevent, they launched the TechRocketships Awards and calledupon young Indian entrepreneursand start-ups to “go global”, andlistened attentively to their start-up ideas and enterprises.

“Being here today, it is clearthat India is leading the wayin so many areas of innovation

and technology,” Prince Williamlauded the entrepreneurial spiritof the gathering. During theinteraction with entrepreneurs,

both Prince William and Kate tied

blindfolds and experienced howto type in Braille, typing the word‘George’ as the gathering cheeredand clapped.

A visit to theDelhi monuments

Prince William and KateMiddleton visited Gandhi Smritiand paid tributes to MahatmaGandhi who fell to an assassin’s

bullets in 1948. Prince William latersaid Queen Elizabeth II was fondof India and it was “enormouslyimportant” to her. The Britishroyals arrived at Gandhi Smriti on

Tees

J a n u a r yMarg after laying a wreath at the

Amar Jawan Jyoti—the eternalame memorial dedicated to the

‘Unknown Soldier’—at India Gate.They visited Gandhi’s memorialand paid tributes at the Martyr’sColumn—the spot where Gandhi

was assassinated.The couple was accorded a

traditional welcome with a stoleeach of hand-spun khadi and wereshown around the museum, whichhouses articles related to theFather of the Nation.They later

attended an o cialgarden party reception

at the British HighCommissioner’s o cial

residence to celebrate the

Queen’s 90th birthday. Speakingat the reception, Prince Williamsaid the queen was very fond ofIndia, the biggest country in theCommonwealth.

“Tonight, we are celebrating thelinks between our two countries.This is the rst time Catherineand I have been to India and wehave been incredibly impressedto see just how much this greatcountry is on the move, and howIndia’s dynamism is matched bythe warmth and welcome of itsdiverse people,” he said.

Modi hosts lunchOn Tuesday, April 13, Prime

Minister Narendra Modilunch for Prince William andKate Middleton.

“A royal summer in Delhi!PM @narendramodi receives theDuke and Duchess of Cambridgeat Hyderabad House,” externala airs ministry spokesman

Vikas Swarup tweeted along withpictures of Modi with Prince

William and Kate. During his visit to Britain in November last year, Modi was hosted to a lunch banquet by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Duke and Duchess ofCambridge left for Assam lateron Tuesday where they visitedthe Kaziranga National Park, aUnesco World Heritage Site.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speak with Boman Kohinoorduring a meeting in Mumbai on April 10, 2016. Kohinoor, 93, has a strong claim to be India’s biggest fanof the British royal family.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meetyoung entrepreneurs during a visit to Mumbai on April 11, 2016 in Mumbai, India.


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Indian-origin scientist selected forNASA’s pioneering programmeA n Indian-originscientist’s proposalhas been selected forNASA’s Innovative AdvancedConcepts (NIAC) programme—an initiative that invests intransformative architecturesthrough the development ofpioneering technologies.

Ratnakumar Bugga fromNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratoryin Pasadena, California, is among13 other researchers who will beawarded nearly $100,000 fornine months to support the initial

de nition and analysis of theirconcepts, the US space agencysaid in a statement on April 9.

If the basic feasibility studiesare successful, awardees can applyfor phase two awards, valued up to$500,000 for two additional yearsof concept development.

Bugga’s concept is titled“Venus Interior Probe UsingIn-situ Power and Propulsion.”

The India-born scientist whohas PhD in electrochemistry

from the Indian Institute ofScience, Bengaluru, is currentlyinvolved in the development oflow temperature lithium-ionrechargeable batteries and in theultra-low temperature Li primary

batteries for Mars probes.He leads a task force

responsible for demonstratingthe technology readiness oflithium-ion batteries for Marsmissions. Bugga was the task

manager for the Mars ExplorationRover Thermal, Rover andLander batteries.

Other selected concepts includea proposal for reprogrammingmicroorganisms that could usethe Martian environment torecycle and print electronics anda two-dimensional spacecraft

with ultra-thin subsystems thatmay wrap around space debris toenable de-orbiting.

Indian professor brings‘smart hands’ closer to reality

In a boost to the idea of humanhand becoming an idealdisplay screen for the next

generation of smartwatches andother devices, an Indian-originscientist-led team has createdtactile sensations on the palmusing ultrasound sent throughthe hand. The research, funded

by the Nokia Research Centre andthe European Research Council,is the rst to nd a way forusers to feel what they are doing

when interacting with displaysprojected on their hand.

According to ProfessorSriram Subramanian from theUniversity of Sussex, technologies

will inevitably need to engageother senses such as touchas we enter into an “eye free”age of technology.

“Wearables are already big business and will only get bigger.But as we wear technology more,it gets smaller and we look at itless, and therefore multisensorycapabilities become much moreimportant,” Subramanian added.

The new innovation calledSkinHaptics sends sensations tothe palm from the other side of

the hand, leaving the palm free todisplay the screen.

The device uses “time-reversal”processing to send ultrasound

waves through the hand.This technique is e ectively

like ripples in water but in reverse.The waves become more targetedas they travel through the hand,ending at a precise point onthe palm. It draws on a rapidlygrowing eld of technology calledhaptics, which is the scienceof applying touch sensationand control to interaction withcomputers and technology.

“If you imagine you are on your bike and want to changethe volume control on yoursmartwatch, the interaction spaceon the watch is very small. Socompanies are looking at how toextend this space to the hand ofthe user,” Subramanian noted.

What we o er people is theability to feel their actions whenthey are interacting with thehand, he pointed out.

The ndings were presentedat the IEEE Haptics Symposium2016 in Philadelphialast weekend.


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21SPORTS

Indian hockey team claims victory over CanadaI ndia’s hockey team claimed a 3–1 victory over Canada to move to thethird spot in the Sultan Azlan ShahCup on Sunday, April 10.

India, coming into the match with a 1–5defeat against world champions Australia,caught a ying start with forward NikkinThimmiah scoring in the third minute.Keegan Pereira, however, made it 1–1for Canada in the 23rd minute. Laterdrag- icker Harmanpreet Singh gaveIndia the lead in the 41st minute beforeforward Talwinder Singh sealed the gamein India’s favour with just three minutesleft on the clock.

With this win, India has six points—twomore than fourth-placed Canada. Australiais on top of the table with three wins from asmany games. They thrashed Pakistan 4–0earlier in the day. New Zealand, who saw oJapan 4–1, is second on the table with eightpoints from four matches. Rolant Oltmans’India had been criticised for poor show inthe two matches so far, albeit they have ayoung team, bereft of at least six settledplayers. However, they turned out in style,right from the pushback. A brilliant passby Rupinder Pal Singh split the Canadiandefence open to allow Ramandeep Singhwho set up Nikkin for a simple tap in thethird minute. Chinglensana Singh had

another attempt—a superb reverse hitsaved by the goalkeeper to ensure Canadawent into the 150-second break just a goaldown. The Canadians responded stronglyin the second quarter, coming back andmatching India strength for strength.Canada’s best showing came in the secondquarter as they managed a massive sevencircle penetrations, and 50 per cent of the

possession. Appropriately, they scored theequaliser with six minutes of the quarterremaining via Pereira. The two teams

walked into half-time level at 1–1. Rudelyawakened, India did not allow any suchlapses in concentration in the secondhalf as they came out looking to close the

match strongly. Having not been awarded asingle penalty corner in the rst half, Indiamanaged to win one ten minutes into thethird quarter and duly converted it in style.India’s young drag- icker Harmanpreetscored his second goal of the tournament togive India the lead. India did not le t up in the

fourth quarter, controlling the possessionand had seven circle penetrations in the

nal period. In con trast, Canada manageda solitary penetration in the entire period.

Another penalty corner by India was savedsmartly by Canada.

M A H

Documents

Indian Weekender 15 April 2016