WHO WILL WIN FROM LAMBI?southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/January... · 2017-02-07 · ren Buffett, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helu, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos,

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

57 Indians own 70% of India's wealth

Sikh student denied school enrolment inAustralia for wearing turban

BHUPINDER SIDHU FROMBRAMPTON GETS CONGRESS

TICKET FROM LUDHIANA SOUTH

Oxfam Study: Just 8 men own samewealth as half the world; 2 Canadians

have wealth as a third of countryDAVOS - Eight men, from Bill Gates toMichael Bloomberg, own the samewealth as the 3.6 billion people whomake up the poorest half of humanity,according to a new report published byOxfam today to mark the annual meet-ing of political and business leaders in Davos. The two richest Canadians have thesame amount of wealth as the poorest 30 per cent of the country combined,according to the report. The Oxfam report says the wealth of billionaire business-men David Thomson and Galen Weston Sr. equals that of about 11 million Canadi-ans. Oxfam used Forbes' billionaires list that was last published in March 2016 tomake its headline claim. According to the Forbes list, Microsoft founder Gates isthe richest individual with a net worth of $75 billion. The others, in order of ranking,are Amancio Ortega, the Spanish founder of fashion house Inditex, financier War-ren Buffett, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helu, Amazon boss JeffBezos, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Larry Ellison andBloomberg, the former mayor of New York. Oxfam outlined measures that ithopes will be enacted to help reduce the inequality.

DAVOS - In signs of rising income inequal-ity, India's richest 1% now hold a huge 58%of the country's total wealth - higher thanthe global figure of about 50%, a new studyshowed on Monday. The study, released byrights group Oxfam ahead of the World Eco-nomic Forum (WEF) annual meeting here -which is attended by the rich and powerfulfrom across the world - showed that just 57billionaires in India now have same wealth ($216 billion) as that ofthe bottom 70% population of the country. Globally, just eight billion-aires have the same amount of wealth as the poorest 50% of the worldpopulation. The study said there are 84 billionaires in India, with acollective wealth of $248 billion, led by Mukesh Ambani ($19.3 bil-lion), Dilip Shanghvi ($16.7 billion) and Azim Premji ($15 billion). Thetotal Indian wealth in the country stood at $3.1 trillion.

MELBOURNE - A five-year-old Sikh boy has been denied school en-rolment in Australia for wearing turban as it does not align with itsuniform policy, despite a landmark ruling in 2008 against a privateinstitute on the issue. "It is disappointing that my son has been forcedto abandon his religious practices and identity to access education inMelbourne's Melton Christian College (MCC)," Sagardeep Singh Arorawas quoted as saying by the SBS TV. "We have lodged a claim with theVictorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).I believe having a common school uniform is impor tant in promotingschool identity and integration," Arora said. "Students should be able towear their significant religious symbols and articles of faith. It's immoralfor a school not to allow students to practise their beliefs." Given the longhistory of the Sikh community in Australia, Arora said it's disappointing thatthey still struggled with issues such as this. "While practising our religiousbeliefs, we wish to show an expression of solidarity with the widerAustralian community," he added.

PUNJAB ELECTIONS 2017WHO WILL WIN FROM LAMBI?

WHO WILL WIN FROM JALALABAD?

FOR DETAILED DISCUSSION ON PUNJAB ELECTIONS WATCH CHANNEL Y EVERYDAY FROM 7PM TO 9PM;READ VIEWS AND REVIEWS IN THE WEEKLY MIDWEEK NEWSPAPER; LISTEN TO SOUTHASIAN PULSE PRIMETIME FROM 10AM TO 12 NOON DAILY AND FOLLOW NEWS ON WWW.SOUTHASIANDAILY.COM

Parkash Singh Badal from Akali Dal Capt Amarinder Singh from Congress Jarnail Singh from AAP

Sukhbir Singh Badal from Akali Dal Bhagwant Mann from AAPRavneet Singh Bittu from Congress

JJ Singh of Akali Dal to contestfrom Patiala Urban

Navjot Singh Sidhu of Congressto contest from Amritsar East

Pargat Singh of Congress tocontest from Jalandhar Cantt

Gurpreet Ghuggi of AAP tocontest from Batala

BRAMPTON - Bhupinder Sidhu, who is awell known businessman in brampton hasgone to Punjab India and will be contest-ing elections under the Congress ticketfrom Ludhiana South. Sidhu left for Indiato contest in the upcoming Punjab legislativeassembly elections and bring real change. Ear-lier Dev Mann From Edmonton, Canada also gotticket from Aam Admi Party to fight in the up-coming Punjab elections.The Punjab assembly has 117 seats and Sikhs make up the majority of its 28million people. The election will also serve as a litmus test for the popularity ofModi’s BJP that has an alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal party. This also is the firstelection after the announcement of Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi’s demonetization policy to fight against tax evaders and thecorrupt. Opposition par ties who have hit Modi policy of note ban areclaiming to make it a major election issue and try to win in the state.

2 MidWeek MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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A still from SRK's upcoming film Raees that shows his stunning chemistry with Mahira Khan.

Raees distributor getsthreat over film's releaseMUMBAI, (PTI) Film distributor Akshaye Rathi has claimed that he has received threats from ShivaSena's Chhattisgarh unit against releasing Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming "Raees", which stars Pakistaniactress Mahira Khan. In a series of tweets, Rathi said that he has received a letter which has warned himnot to screen the Rahul Dholakia-directed movie, slated to release on January 25. The distributoralso tagged Aaditya Thackeray, who is the head of Yuva Sena, a youth wing of Shiv Sena. "Dear@AUThackeray, We have received this threat letter from your Chhattisgarh unit against playing@iamsrk's #Raees. Do you endorse it?" Rathi posted alongside pictures of the threat letter. Ad-dressing Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, he wrote, "@drramansingh ji & @CGAbhishekSingh, Pleaselook into this to let law & order prevail in #Chhattisgarh. #Raees @ChhattisgarhCMO." Rathi alsomade an appeal to all SRK fans to suppor t him. "Request all @iamsrk fans to help me bring this to thenotice of @AUThackeray. I'm sure he will take action against this nuisance. #Raees.

MUMBAI, (PTI) Amid repor ts ofShah Rukh Khan's cameo inSalman Khan-starrer "Tubelight",the "Raees" actor says even he hasheard the news but chose not todivulge more details. There werereports that Shah Rukh will have avery important scene in the upcom-ing Kabir Khan directed drama.When asked about it, Shah Rukhtold repor ters last night, "Even Ihave heard about the news, but youshould ask the producers, they willgive you the right answer." Whilethere is no official confirmation re-garding the on-screen reunion ofthe duo, Shah Rukh will be seen onSalman's TV show "Bigg Boss".The 51-year-old actor says it wasfun shooting the promo with the"Sultan" star and promises that theepisode will be entertaining too. "Itwas fun shooting the promo. Salmanwore the 'Raees' Pathani suit. It wasvery entertaining. We will do somethingto entertain you there as well (on theshow). When we come together, we tryour best to entertain people. In the nexttwo three days I will go and shoot for it."Shah Rukh was speaking at the launchof celebrity photographer DabbooRatnani's annual calendar last night.

Any tusslebetween Kanganaand Shahid?MUMBAI, (IANS) Actor ShahidKapoor has denied reports suggest-ing that he has issues with his"Rangoon" co-actor Kangana Ranautand said he would "happily promote"the upcoming film with her. "There areno issues between me and Kangana. Iwill be happy to promote the film'Rangoon' whenever and wherever,happily with Kangana and withSaif, who is also a big par t of thefilm and with everybody else,"Shahid said at the premiere of"xXx: The Return of the XanderCage" on Thursday.There were reports that Shahid andKangana, who worked together forthe first time in the movie, didn'tget along, to an extent that the heeven refused to promote the filmwith her. "Rangoon" is Shahid'sthird project with filmmaker VishalBhardwaj after "Kaminey: TheScoundrels" and "Haider". Shahidis currently working on the filmmakerSanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmavati",which also stars Ranveer Singh andDeepika Padukone. The 35-year-old ac-tor says it is a "privilege" to be work-ing withBhansali.

IS SRK workingwith Salman in'Tubelight'?

HRITHIK A 'SUPER HUMAN', SAYS WHO?MUMBAI, (IANS) Actress Yami Gautam has wished her "Kaabil" co-star Hrithik Roshan a happybir thday and has called him a "super human". Hrithik turned 43 last week. Yami took to Twitter toshare a photograph of herself with Hrithik. In the image, the duo can be seen smiling while posingto the camera. "Your last bir thday I knew you as a superstar! This one I know you as a super human!

You touch lives more than youthink! Happy Bir thday Hrithik,"Yami cap t ioned the image."Kaabil", which has been pro-duced by Rakesh Roshan underhis banner FilmKraft Productions,is set to release on January 25.This will be the first time Hrithikand Yami will be seen sharingscreen space.


TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017s p e c i a l r e p o r t

Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and MississaugaMayor Bonnie Crombie during the recently concluded India tour

AMARJEET SOHI, MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES AND HIS WIFESARBJEET DURING A VISIT OF JAMA MASJID IN NEW DELHI.

AMARJEET SOHI, MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES WITH HIS WIFESARBJEET AT BAPS SWAMINARAYAN AKSHARDHAM TEMPLE IN NEW DELHI.

MISSISSAUGA MAYOR BONNIE CROMBIE WITH DELEGATES FROM INDO-CANADA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN BENGALURU. ALSO SEEN IN THE IMAGE IS ICCC PRESIDENT ARUN SRIVASTAVAAND JAGMOHAN NANDA, OWNER OF NANDA LAW FIRM.

NADIR PATEL, CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER IN INDIA ; MISSISSAUGA MAYOR BONNIECROMBIE; AND AMARJEET SOHI, MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES WITHGUJARAT CHIEF MINISTER VIJAY RUPANI AT THE VIBRANT GUJRAT SUMMIT.



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AMARJEET SOHI, MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES AND NADIR PATEL, CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER IN INDIA WITH DEVENDRA FADNAVIS, CHIEF MINISTER OFMAHARASHTRA DISCUSSED THE WORK OF CANADIAN INFRA COMPANIES IN MAHARASHTRA.

DEEPAK OBHRAI: LET'S GETIMMIGRATION RIGHTCALGARY - The Conservative Party Leadership Candidate DeepakObhrai has released his vision for Canada's immigration policy."Immigration is a necessity to build a prosperous Canada, as hasalways been the case" stated Obhrai. "It is still possible to be pro-immigration and to be conservative." Obhrai continued, "We shouldnot change what has been effective over the last 10 years in regardsto what we are doing to attract new immigrants, or how we areselecting them, however we should be more careful with how wespend money on newcomers once they are here." He added, "WhenI arrived forty years ago, I did not rely on the government to settleand integrate. Today, I am a proud product of Canada, and as such Iquestion the need to spend $1 billion in settlement costs."OBHRAI'S IMMIGRATION POLICYRE: General Immigration* Settlement costs for general immigrants will be cut (except forrefugees), freeing up $1 billion dollars.* The selection process should be based on skills that Canada needs;* The robust security system already in place should continue;" Annual immigration targets should be of 275,000, madeup of skilled and semi-skilled workers.* There will be a new category of low skilled workers, capped at10,000, to be selected based on a lottery system;* Those holding student visas will be fast-tracked to permanentresidence. This will ensure a steady growth for our economy,* The reliance on temporary foreign workers (TFWs) should bereduced, and only labour shortages should be filled with TFWs;TFWs cannot and should not increase our economy;* The family reunification category will be maintained;* We already have face to face interviews when issues are flagged.This has been the most effective and cost efficient way, as imple-mented by the previous Conservative government;RE: VISITORS* Immigration officers abroad are already screening visitors fromcountries that misuse our immigration system, through the grantingof tourist visas. To add another unnecessary layer to this existingprocess will be a huge burden to tax payers.RE: REFUGEES* There needs to be a move away from government sponsorship toprivate-sponsored refugees. This will ensure a speedier settlementand integration process for newcomers;* Government-sponsored refugees who rely on settlement fundswill be expected to reimburse any settlement costs used when theyare in a favorable position.* The government should move away from the United Nations sys-tem of recognizing refugees and implement a Canadian-made pro-tocol; this needs to change so as to avoid a repetition of the currentplight of the Yazidis and accommodate such future instances ofsupport;* Funding for refugee camps needs to be improved, as increasing ourrefugee intake does not address the global refugee issue;* All potential immigrants and refugees will be provided with a bookletthat speaks of our human rights principles and our Charter of Freedomswhen their visas are issued. At present a booklet highlighting this is onlyissued to permanent residents on track for citizenship.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR JEWELS OFMISSISSAUGA EAST-COOKSVILLESMALL BUSINESS AWARDSMISSISSAUGA - MPP Dipika Damerla is introducing the firstever Jewels of Mississauga East - Cooksville Small Busi-ness Awards to encourage local entrepreneurship."Mississauga East-Cooksville is home to a large number ofsmall businesses which provide a diverse range of servicesand contribute towards economic growth in the riding. Theseawards are a way to recognize and appreciate them," saidMPP Dipika DamerlaAnyone can nominate their favourite small businesses, lo-cated within the provincial riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, by submitting the nomination form at http://dipikadamerla.onmpp.ca/News/13170?rc=l&l=EN or bycontacting the constituent office by phone 905-238-1751 oremail [email protected] nominations will be judged by a panel of experts and the winnerswill be awarded at a ceremony to be held at a future date.

Premier Kathleen Wynne's Brampton tour

ONTARIO - Premier Kathleen Wynne visited Lab B in Brampton, Ontario.Lab B is Brampton's first co-working space that caters to creativefreelancers and entrepreneurs. Premier Wynne said, "I get asked allthe time, are you going to teach entrepreneurial skills in schools. Yes,kind of, but it's actually this kind of learning [at places like LAB B] thatteaches these skills and allows young people to tap into their creativ-ity. We need to find ways for young people to get their hands onexperience in workplaces and develop a sense of what they want to

do earlier, and LAB B is a great model we should be paying attentionto." Premier Kathleen Wynne also visited the Sri Guru Nanak SikhCentre in Brampton, Ontario before meeting with community leadersand the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee. Premier Wynne met with stu-dents of the Akal Academy and the Goju Do Karate classes that takeplace at the Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Centre. She had the oppor tunity topay her respects to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib before touring the otherfacilities at the Gurdwara.

AMARJEET SOHI, MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES ON A TOUR OF THE BOMBARDIER RAIL SAVLI SITE WHERETRAIN CARS ARE BUILT FOR BRISBANE AND DELHI.


TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017opinion

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Uncertainty looms as Punjab heads for triangular contestsBY JAIDEEP SARIN

With no end to feud, Mulayam-Akhileshlook for life beyond the 'cycle'

BY MOHIT DUBEY

With just over 20 days to go for crucial assembly elections inPunjab, political uncer tainty looms over the frontier state on theissue of who will assume power post-March 11, once the resultsare declared. The reason for this is that Punjab, for the first time, iswitnessing triangular contests in most of the 117 assemblyconstituencies.Traditional rivals, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Par ty(BJP) combine and the Congress, are not only fighting each other,but are aware of the political challenge being posed by the latestentrant on Punjab's political tur f -- the fledgling Aam Aadmi Par ty(AAP). As of today, none of the par ties seems to have the edge,even though each one of them claims to be heading for a clear, andeven sweeping, majority in the February 4 election. Not surpris-ingly, in this uncer tain period, a rather unusual question is beingasked: "Will Punjab end up with a hung assembly?"Till about a year ago, the AAP had made formidable inroads in thestate and opinion polls even suggested a massive win. But a lot haschanged since then. After seemingly peaking at the wrong time, theAAP star ted imploding politically from June last year. Thus, thepar ty is fighting two battles -- one with the Akali Dal-BJP andCongress, and the second one within itself.Allegations of corruption in allotment of tickets, accusations ofimmoral activities of some leaders, lack of any big leader fromPunjab who could be projected as the par ty's face, and internalrumblings about "outsiders" -- mainly leaders from Delhi, UttarPradesh and other states -- running the AAP show in Punjab at thecost of local leaders, have all taken a toll on the par ty.In the past six months, there has been an exodus of state anddistrict level leaders from the fold. But top par ty leaders like ArvindKejriwal, Sanjay Singh, Durgesh Pathak and others are upbeatabout AAP repeating a "Delhi-type political magic in Punjab" whenit won 67 of the 70 assembly seats in the 2015 assembly polls.Things are not too tidy either with the ruling Akali Dal-BJP allianceor the main opposition par ty -- the Congress, which believes it ison an upswing. The Akali Dal-BJP alliance, which has been inpower in the state since 2007 for two consecutive terms, is aimingfor a third stint. Akali Dal president and Punjab Deputy Chief

Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is out to once again deploy hisstrategic skills which, in the 2012 assembly election, broke thefive-year Akali-Congress cycle of governments. But his par ty facesanti-incumbency of the past decade, charges of corruption, andcriticism that the financial health and clout of the ruling Badalfamily -- headed by 89-year-old Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal-- has been multiplying at the cost of the state.There also allegations of the Badals patronising drug car tels andother mafias in money-spinning businesses like sand mining,infrastructure, transpor t and cable TV, et al. In this background, it isnot surprising that the Congress, led by former Chief Minister

Amarinder Singh, feels it has an edge over its opponents. Not all,however, is hunky-dory for the par ty. It is facing rebels who couldrock its boat. While accepting discarded leaders from the Akali Dal,BJP and AAP into its fold ahead of the elections, the Congress hasended up making things more complicated for itself in the matter ofticket allocations. The party, which, going by Amarinder Singh'sown statements, wanted to allocate tickets to candidates sixmonths in advance, has failed to provide a complete list even amonth before the polls. All the three major players are charting adifficult and uncer tain course, leaving the voters a tad confusedabout which is the lesser evil.

Attempts at striking some sort of a patch-up or compromise between thewarring factions of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) having almost failed,both sides are now reconciled to a future of 'ekla chalo' (walk alone).Sources say that the factions of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav andhis son, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, are bracing for "any eventuality",particularly in a situation where the Election Commission of India (ECI)frees the party's cycle symbol.While political and constitutional experts opine that Mulayam Singh Yadavis better placed in his claim for the symbol and that he is likely to get itsince the SP constitution clearly spells out in section 14, that only thenational president can call a convention, the numbers -- both of the law-makers in the state assembly and party delegates seem to be stacked inAkhilesh Yadav's favour.With uncertainty persisting and sources telling both sides that "to playsafe" the poll panel might freeze the cycle symbol, both parties are scout-ing for "acceptable brands" as their future vehicle to power. While theAkhilesh Yadav camp is learnt to have "conclusively decided" on themotorcycle as the symbol for its Akhil Bharatiya Samajwadi Party (ABSP),the Mulayam Singh Yadav group has opened talks with the Lok Dal thatwas founded by the late Prime Minister and farmers' leader ChowdharyCharan Singh in 1980 -- and to which the SP patriach once belonged.Mulayam Singh Yadav had contested the 1985 assembly polls on the LokDal's 'hal jotata kisan' (farmer ploughing a field) symbol as its state unitpresident. The Lok Dal had then won 87 seats and Mulayam Singh Yadav

was made the Leader of Opposition in the assembly. The SP's AmarSingh and Shivpal Singh Yadav have already held parleys with the LokDal leadership and the two sides have reportedly been engaged in talkson a larger canvas, a source confirmed. Chowdhary Sunil Singh, thenational president of Lok Dal, confirmed that the SP leaders were incontact said that he would be more than happy to accommodate MulayamSingh Yadav in the party fold if the situation so arose."Mulayam Singh ji is one of the founder members of the Lok Dal and alsothe flag bearer of the legacy of Charan Singh. It is sad that his very ownson and party men have treated him so shabbily. We are more than happyto have Neta ji amid us, if it so happens" Sunil Singh said. In the eventu-ality of the SP symbol being frozen or going to Akhilesh Yadav's group,the elder Yadav in all likelihood will soon have a home-coming and fieldcandidates on the Lok Dal's symbol. Mulayam Singh Yadav was up-staged by his estranged cousin and Rajya Sabha member Ram GopalYadav and son on January 1 in a coup of sor ts at a convention andAkhilesh Yadav was anointed the new boss.He has, since then, termed the convention both illegal and unconstitu-tional and has refused to accept any resolution it passed. in that conven-tion. The convention had, by a voice vote, removed Mulayam Singh Yadavas the national president, appointed him a mentor, elevated AkhileshYadav as the new party chief, expelled Rajya Sabha member Amar Singhfrom the party for six years and sacked Shivpal Singh Yadav.Six rounds of talks between the warring factions have failed and aresigned-to-fate Mulayam Singh Yadav has made it amply clear thattalks of bringing them together have failed. He also accused RamGopal Yadav of moving ahead to split SP to see his MP son anddaughter-in-law saved from the CBI which is probing their link in themulti-crore Yadav Singh scam. Yadav Singh was the chief engineer ofNoida Authority and son and daughter-in-law of Ram Gopal Yadavwere on the board of directors of one of the front shell companies thetainted engineer had floated. Mulayam Singh Yadav has also allegedthat his cousin has held four meetings with BJP president Amit Shahto save his son, in return for which he will engineer a split in the SP.Mulayam Singh Yadav has, however, declared that he will not let thesplit happen, nor will he surrender the par ty symbol.

While the Akhilesh Yadav camp islearnt to have "conclusively decided"on the motorcycle as the symbol forits Akhil Bharatiya Samajwadi Par ty(ABSP), the Mulayam Singh Yadavgroup has opened talks with the LokDal that was founded by the latePrime Minister and farmers' leaderChowdhary Charan Singh in 1980 --and to which the SP patriach oncebelonged. Mulayam Singh Yadav hadcontested the 1985 assembly pollson the Lok Dal's 'hal jotata kisan'(farmer ploughing a field) symbol asits state unit president. The Lok Dalhad then won 87 seats and MulayamSingh Yadav was made the Leader ofOpposition in the assembly.



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Changes Announced to Ontario Cabinet

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau inspected a 100-member Honour Guard upon his arrival at 8 Wing Trenton during a visit to the base.

ONTARIO - Premier Kathleen Wynne has announced changes to hercabinet that will help improve the quality of life of Ontario seniors,suppor t the growth of small businesses and advance gender equality.Following the retirement from provincial politics of David Orazietti,MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, Marie-France Lalonde moves from Ministerof Government and Consumer Services to become Minister of Com-munity Safety and Correctional Services. MPP Lalonde will continueto serve as Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.To ensure small businesses are able to compete, grow and createjobs, Jeff Leal is appointed Minister Responsible for Small Business,in addition to retaining his previous role as Minister of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs. Indira Naidoo-Harris takes on the new por tfo-lio of Minister of Women's Issues. She will lead the implementation ofthe province's gender wage gap strategy and coordinate ongoing ef-for ts to build gender equality across Ontario. To ensure the govern-ment is helping give every young person in Ontario the best possiblestar t in life and creates 100,000 new licensed child care spaces withinfive years, and building on her previous role as Associate Minister of

Education (Early Years and Child Care), MPP Naidoo-Harris will alsoserve as Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care.Dipika Damerla, previously Minister Responsible for Seniors, be-comes Minister of Seniors Affairs, leading a new, standalone minis-try. She will work with par tners to promote age-friendly communitiesand improve the quality of life of Ontario seniors. Tracy MacCharlesbecomes Minister of Government and Consumer Services and re-tains her role as Minister Responsible for Accessibility. The changesannounced reduce the size of Ontario's cabinet to 29 ministers. Aswearing-in ceremony was held at Queen's Park this morning."With the depar ture of David Orazietti, we had an oppor tunity to makesmall changes to our cabinet that will make a big difference in people'slives. Seniors, small businesses and women each play an important role inbuilding Ontario up. These changes will better support the work we are doing ineach of these areas. I want to thank all ministers appointed today for taking on thesenew responsibilities. I know the entire team looks forward to working together inthis cabinet to build opportunity and security in people's lives." - KathleenWynne, Premier of Ontario.

Seeking Public Input in Windsor to Develop the 2017 BudgetONTARIO - Ontario is seeking input from individuals, organizations and businesses in Windsor to help shape policies and programsthat will be par t of Ontario's 2017 Budget. Yvan Baker, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, hosted a pre-budgetconsultation today at St. Clair College Centre for the Ar ts in Windsor as par t of a provincewide engagement process for the 2017 Budget.In addition to the public budget consultations, people across Ontario were also able to submit ideas for the third year in a row throughBudget Talks, an online consultation tool. Through Budget Talks, the government will provide $3 million to fund up to eight proposals aspar t of the 2017 Budget, making Ontario the first province to commit to funding ideas from the public as par t of its budget process.Engaging the people of Ontario in the budget process is par t of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in theireveryday lives. "The Ontario Budget affects everybody. That's why it's impor tant for the government to hear from people across theprovince to discuss their priorities and understand what investments they want to see in their communities. Together we will keepbuilding a province where everyone can reach their full potential." - Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance."Pre-budget consultations are a great way for Ontarians to have their say and ensure the Budget represents their values and priorities.Pre-budget consultations are an essential par t of budget development, and it is impor tant that the 2017 Budget reflect what we hearfrom people and help them in their everyday lives." Yvan Baker, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance.

Helping 22,000 Young People Stay Active and EngagedONTARIO - Ontario is providing oppor tunities for 22,000 children and youth in priority neighbourhoods to par ticipate in fun, safe andsupervised activities after school, which help build confidence and suppor t student success and wellbeing. Harinder Malhi, Parlia-mentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Spor t, was at the Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club's Main Clubhousetoday to announce that the province is renewing funding for its After School Program. About 235 children and youth take par t in theKiwanis Boys and Girls Club's program at the Main Clubhouse every school day.This year, more than 22,000 children and youth will benefit from the funding at over 400 locations across the province. This funding willgo toward quality programs to help children and youth get active, learn about healthy habits, gain confidence and achieve more inschool. Investing in spor t, recreation and active living in communities across the province is part of our plan to create jobs, grow oureconomy and help people in their everyday lives.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU MEETING PEOPLE IN GREATER NAPANEE AND THANKED MP MIKE BOSSIO FOR HIS HOSPITALITY.

Trudeau faces ethics probeover Bahamas tripOTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's ethics watchdog is investigat-ing whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated conflict ofinterest laws by taking a New Year's vacation on an island inthe Bahamas owned by the Aga Khan, the first such probe of asitting prime minister.Trudeau has faced repeated questions from the opposition abouthis trip to Bell Island, the Aga Khan's private island, which sitsin a national park in the Bahamas. He said last week that hehad flown there by private helicopter. In a letter to a Conserva-tive lawmaker dated Jan. 13, Mary Dawson, the federal conflictof interest and ethics commissioner, said she has "commencedan examination" to determine whether Trudeau's trip contra-vened the Conflict of Interest Act.The probe could hur t Trudeau, who has high ratings even as theLiberals have been dogged by spending controversies, includ-ing his health minister's use of a luxury car service owned bya par ty suppor ter. "Unethical actions are definitely a hot buttonfor voters," said Duff Conacher, co-founder of DemocracyWatch. "I think it will cause him to lose voter suppor t as aresult." The last Liberal government, ousted in 2006, was tar-nished by a sponsorship scandal involving corruption and mis-direction of funds to suppor ters in Quebec. In a bid to recon-nect with voters, Trudeau scrapped a trip to this week's WorldEconomic Forum in Davos and embarked on a cross-countrytour instead. "I think the tour is too little too late," said Conacher.In the letter, Dawson acknowledged concerns about potentialbreaches related to the use of the private helicopter, as well asTrudeau's acceptance of the trip in light of the Aga KhanFoundation's lobbying of the government.Ethics rules introduced by Trudeau in 2015 bar governmentministers from taking private flights without getting Dawson'sapproval. A Trudeau spokesman said the prime minister willanswer any of Dawson's questions. A spokeswoman for theethics commissioner did not immediately comment. Trudeauis facing a separate probe into fundraising by his Liberal Par ty,but an examination into the trip would be the first such investi-gation of a prime minister, said Conacher.Aga Khan is the title held by the leader of the Ismaili branch ofShi'ite Islam. The current Aga Khan, Prince Shah Karim AlHusseini, is a Trudeau family friend. The Aga Khan FoundationCanada is a registered lobbyist with the government and executivesmet with government officials as recently as December.

Alectra, new utility companyto serve Mississaugaresidents, traders, 14 othercommunities unveiling

MISSISSAUGA - Brampton Mayor Mayor Crombie unveiled anew utility company to serve Mississauga residents, traders,and 14 other communities recently. Welcoming Energy Minis-ter Glenn Thibeault she said: "I am confident Alectra, and theratepayers of Mississauga, are in very capable hands. Thejourney to form Alectra first began in April of 2015. I am pleasedthat Mississauga Council saw the benefits of the proposedmerger. We were early adopters and were the first Council toendorse the proposal. This helped pave the way to success."For all of us involved in this effor t, our mission has alwaysbeen clear: work together to form a new utility company thatwill provide the residents and businesses of all 15 communi-ties with cost savings, new efficiencies, improved customerservice, along with safer, reliable and clean energy. The cre-ation of Alectra will result in residential customers saving anaverage of $40 dollars per year on their energy bills, as mergerefficiencies are achieved over the next 10 years."Mississauga is projected to receive $600 million in dividendsover the next 25 years from Alectra. The funds will go towardour city-building priorities. My job as Mayor - representingalmost 800,000 residents - is to protect Mississauga's invest-ment in Alectra. It is impor tant that this new utility companyremains accountable to Mississauga ratepayers; this why Iam pleased to serve on the Alectra board. On behalf of Council,I will continue to demand this responsibility for our residents.In closing, today we all take another impor tant step forwardtoward standing up for the residential and small businessratepayers of our communities."





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TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017i n d i a

BSF Jawan's Claim About Bad Food NotCorrect, Home Ministry Tells PM's Office

Modi's pic on KVIC calendarand diary sparks rowNEW DELHI, (PTI) The photo of Prime Minister NarendraModi in the calendar and the diary of Khadi and VillageIndustries Commission (KVIC) today kicked up a row, withopposition par ties slamming the development even as thegovernment and BJP dismissed the controversy as "unnec-essary". The Prime Minister 's Office (PMO), while dis-missing the controversy as "unnecessary", said "there isno rule in KVIC that its diary and calendar should have onlyGandhiji's photo."KVIC chairman V K Saxena also defended the move, sayingthere is "no rule or tradition" that only Mahatma Gandhi'spicture can be published on these items. Maintaining thatGandhiji's stature is such that he can never be replaced byanyone, Saxena said, "This whole controversy is unneces-sary and out of the context." KVIC is a statutory body estab-lished by an Act of Parliament. Saxena was appointed asChairman of KVIC in October 2015 by the Centre."The Mangalayaan effect," Congress vice president RahulGandhi tweeted, implying that Modi was trying to take creditfor promotion of KVIC like he had allegedly done after India'sspacecraft Mangalayaan landed on the Mars. Congress chiefspokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "Khadi & Gandhijiare symbols of our history, self-reliance & struggle. Re-moving Gandhiji's photo is a sacrilegious sin."

Congress slams Centre for'clipping wings' ofInformation CommissionerNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Friday slammed theModi government for taking away the Human ResourceDevelopment (HRD) Ministry from the purview of Informa-tion Commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu. Acharyulu hadissued an order allowing inspection of the Delhi University's1978 Bachelors degree records to be made public.The Congress said that it is vendetta politics and the poli-tics of punishing those who disagree with the government.An IANS story had revealed that Information CommissionerAcharyulu had slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 on the DelhiUniversity's Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) forreject ing an RTI appl icat ion seeking Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's graduation degree."For world's largest proud democracy, this is symptomaticof several ills and as time goes by, if this is not curbed, itcan be fatal to our democracy. This is the politics of vendetta,politics of fear psychosis, politics of punishment to anyone who dis-agrees with you and the arrogance of infallibility," said Con-gress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

If peace not reciprocated,surgical strike can't be ruledout: Army chiefNEW DELHI, (PTI) Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat today madeit clear that more surgical strikes cannot be ruled out asIndia has the "right to retaliate" if Pakistan does not reactpositively to offers of peace. Gen Rawat also said Indianeeds to "wait and watch" the Pakistani response in Jammuand Kashmir. He accepted that challenges of proxy war,insurgency and terrorism will keep India embroiled for"years to come".The Gen said the DGMOs of both sides have spoken toeach other and want peace and tranquillity along the Line ofControl (LoC). The two officers spoke on November 23 andsince then there has been relative peace along the LoC, hesaid. Asked if surgical strikes conducted along the LoC,and operations conducted in Myanmar, would now be par tof the doctrine, the Army chief said, "We have told the ad-versary to accept peace and in case that offer is not recip-rocated this method of operations (surgical strikes) shallcontinue". He also said the aim is to ensure peace andtranquillity and it (surgical strike) shall not be needed ifthere is peace. "Our offer to the adversary is if you recipro-cate offer of peace in the same manner, the need to conducta surgical strike will not arise," he said addressing his firstannual press conference here after taking over as the Armychief on December 31.

NEW DELHI - A BSF soldier's claims of bad food and near-starvationin widely-shared Facebook videos are not correct, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi's office has been told by the HomeMinistry according to the Press Trust of India. In four videos,Tej Bahadur Yadav, a BSF or Border Security Force jawanposted at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir hadhighlighted what he said was a diet of unseasoned dal andburnt paranthas. Those claims have not been substantiated,the Home Ministry has repor tedly told the PM's office, whichhad asked for details after the soldier's video went viral.Opposition leaders also targeted the government on what they calledthe appalling neglect of soldiers. In the videos that have been seenmore than three million times, the jawan alleges that troops are served

tasteless food and often go to bed hungry."This is breakfast - one burnt parantha and a glass of tea...no butter, no jam, no pickle..." he says in one video, and inanother, he comments, looking straight into the camera: "Cana jawan do his duty with this kind of food? Share this videoas much as possible and take our message to the govern-ment. Jai Hind!" The constable talks about standing for hoursin icy conditions. A day after the videos surfaced, the sol-dier was moved from the Line of Control in Poonch to aBatallion in Rajouri. The soldier's family has alleged that he

is being targeted for exposing reality. The BSF has alleged that thesoldier has a record of drinking and insubordination, but that he wasnot cour t-mar tialed on compassionate grounds.

Won't be surprised if Modi replaces Gandhi on notes: AAPNEW DELHI, (PTI) Reacting sharply to the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) calender row, the Aam Aadmi Par ty today said it "won'tbe surprising" if Mahatma Gandhi's image is replaced by that of Narendra Modi "on currency notes". AAP leader Dilip Pandey targeted PrimeMinister Modi over the issue saying the move only bolsters his "megalomaniac image". "It won't be surprising if Gandhi's image is replaced with that of Modi'son currency notes. The whole thing actually demeans and brings down the stature of a prime minister. It does not behove his post. He has reduced himself to amegalomaniac," Pandey told reporters. Employees and officials of KVIC have opposed the move to exclude the image of Mahatma Gandhi from the cover of its 2017 wallcalendar and diary that show Modi weaving khadi on a large charkha, in the same classic pose as Gandhiji's. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had yesterday attackedthe Prime Minister over the issue. "It takes sacrifices of several lifetimes to become a Gandhi. You don't become Gandhi by acting to spin thewheel, you may become a subject of ridicule," he had tweeted in Hindi.

EC allots 'Bicycle' symbol to Akhilesh group, says it is SPLUCKNOW, (PTI) Dealing a severe blow to Mulayam Singh Yadav, the Election Commission today gave the symbol 'Bicycle' to the factionheaded by Akhilesh Yadav, recognising it as the Samajwadi Par ty that came as a major boost to the Chief Minister ahead of assembly pollsin Uttar Pradesh. A mere look at the figures of suppor ting MLAs, MLCs and MPs, National Executive members and National Convention

delegates "will evidently demon-strate that Shri Akhilesh Yadavenjoys overwhelming majoritysuppor t , both among theorganisat ional and legislat ivewing of the par ty", the EC said inits order that was reserved onFriday. The verdict by the three-member Election Commissionheaded by Nasim Zaidi came onthe eve of the filing of nomina-tions when par ties will have togive the requis i te formsauthorising use of symbol to con-test the elections. The EC hadreserved the order on January 13after hearing both the sides forover five hours. The order set off jubi-lation in the Chief Minister's camp withhordes of supporters marching to hisresidence and breaking into celebra-tions, bursting fire crackers and danc-ing to the beat of drums.

NAVJOT SIDHU ALONG WITH AMRITSAR LOK SABHA BYPOLL CANDIDATE GURJEET SINGH AUJLA STARTED HIS ROAD SHOWIN AMRITSAR AFTER JOINING CONGRESS ON MONDAY.



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TRINAMOOL CONGRESS LEADER MUKUL ROY WITH JAGMEET BRAR PAYS OBEISANCE AT GOLDEN TEMPLE IN AMRITSAR.

TOTA SINGH’S SON FILES NOMINATIONIN MOGA, SDM SEEKS REPORT ONCODE VIOLATIONMOGA - Contrary to the guidelines of the Election Commission,Agriculture Minister Jathedar Tota Singh’s son Barjinder SinghBrar filed his nomination papers by taking out a roadshow here,choking traffic on the national highway for hours. SDM-cum-Returning Officer Charandeep Singh has summoned a repor tfrom the DSP (city) and video surveillance team to ascertain the violationof the model code. “I have given permission for only 10 vehicles to the SADcandidate; if the number of vehicles exceeded in the police and videosurveillance team’s report, I will issue a notice and take action,”he said. Brar used at least 200 tractors, 500 scooters and manycars/jeeps bearing party flags in the roadshow vir tually halting thetraffic on all inner roads besides the national highway. Commutersfaced a hard time for hours.His father Tota Singh, mother Mukhtiar Kaur, wife Tejinder Kaur, two daugh-ters and party activists accompanied him to the RO office as he filed thenomination papers. The EC norms allow only five people, including thecandidate, but he was accompanied by 15 people.

KEJRIWAL 'SNEAKY LITTLEFELLOW': AMARINDERNEW DELHI, (PTI) Congress' Punjab chief Amarinder Singh hascalled Arvind Kejriwal a "sneaky little fellow", riled over the latter's claimthat he will lose from the Patiala seat in the upcoming Assembly polls. Thelatest round of Twitter spat between the two was sparked by Delhi ChiefMinister Kejriwal's post yesterday that "Captain will lose his ownelection this time. If you are so sure, why don't you come andfight me? You sneaky little fellow!," Singh responded. However,Kejriwal stuck to his guns and repeated his assertion today. "Mark mywords- captain Amarinder, both Badals n Majithia losing their own seats toAAP," the AAP chief tweeted. Singh riposte came within minutes, sayingKejriwal's "loud talk" was either "delusion or plain lies. With your dream ofwinning Punjab down in dumps, such hallucination is quite understandable@ArvindKejriwal," he tweeted. Responding to Singh's "sneaky" comment,Kejriwal had also tweeted that Captain was rattled as Congresswas going to be "wiped out".

Yamini Gomar appointed PunjabCongress Vice PresidentNEW DELHI, (IANS) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhiapproved the names of three new vice presidents for Punjabstate unit, including that of Yamini Gomar, who recently joinedthe Congress after quitting Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP). The othertwo vice presidents are Chander Mohan Lakhanpal and IqbalSingh Pannu. Praveen Kumar Bhardwaj has been appointedGeneral Secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee(PPCC), while Bharpur Inderjit Singh is a new executive mem-ber of the par ty. The names were released by Congress GeneralSecretary Janardan Dwivedi.

THIS IS HOMECOMING FOR ME: NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU NEW DELHI: A day after his formal induction into the par ty, cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday termed hisjoining the Congress as his "homecoming" and said his fight was for the "redemption of Punjab. I am a born Congressman. This is (gharwapsi) a homecoming for me," Sidhu said at his first press conference after joining the Congress. "This is not my personal fight inPunjab. This (election) is a fight for Punjab's existence, its self-respect.... Punjab which was once known for Green Revolution, is nownotorious for 'chitta' (a lethal synthetic drug popular among the youth of the state). "About 55 per cent of Punjab's population is the youth.What direction are we giving them?" Sidhu said, adding that someone has to give them direction. "One cannot have that ostrichmentality. Drugs does exist. We'll have strong laws and rules to curb the drug menace in Punjab," he added.

BADAL BACK IN LAMBI, CALLS CAPTAIN, JARNAIL 'OUTSIDERS'MUKTSAR: Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today termed the contest on the Lambi seat as "vikas versus vinash", calling both hisrivals PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh and AAP's Jarnail Singh as "bahari hamlawar".Bittu fighting sham battle: SukhbirChandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said Congress leader Ravneet Singh Bittu wascoming to fight a sham contest from Jalalabad so as to remain in Rahul Gandhi''s good books.





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WHO WILL WIN FROM LAMBI?southasiandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/January... · 2017-02-07 · ren Buffett, Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim Helu, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos,