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India Human Development Report praises Bihar
22 October 2011
NEW DELHI: Despite impressive growth, Gujarat has not been able to reduce malnourishment levels, while Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have done better in improving the lot of their marginalized Dalits and tribals. These are some of the conclusions of the India Human Development Report 2011 released by the Centre on Friday.
The report said high rates of child malnutrition were a major concern for the country. It said Gujarat was among the worst performers, with 69.7% kids up to 5 being anaemic and 44.6% suffering from malnutrition, proving that high growth was no guarantor of improvement in health.
Complimenting opposition chief ministers Nitish Kumar and Mayawati, the report said, “It is worth citing the progress achieved by two of the economically backward states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.” It went further in endorsing the brand of politics the two chief ministers have undertaken, noting that social movements have helped in better performance of deprived classes.
Overall, the human development index (HDI) for the country has improved through the last decade, with the inequality gap between states narrowing down, the report said. According to it, India’s HDI gained in the last decade-it increased by 21% from 0.387 in 1999-2000 to 0.467 in 2007-08-and the differences and inequality between the states reduced over time. The country, the HRD authors said, had witnessed an improvement in spreading education but its record on sanitation and nutrition remained dismal. Quoting a study of 2010 on Uttar Pradesh, the HDR authors said, “With high GDP and per capita growth rates in recent years, even Dalits have come to share the ‘new prosperity’. They can now be equal to the ‘general’ category people.”
On Bihar, the report said, “There is a vast difference between the Bihar of today and the Bihar of 15-20 years ago.” Not only has the state witnessed unprecedented economic growth in the 10th Plan, the per capita social sector expenditure too has increased significantly in the last five years. It noted that the share of expenditure on the welfare of Bihar’s SCs and STs to total expenditure had almost doubled during 2005-08 from 0.4% to 0.8%. However, it added that despite the improvements, the condition of the lower castes in UP and Bihar was still not comparable with those in other states. That would require greater growth and social mobilization, the report said.
Santosh Mehrotra, director-general of the Indian Applied Manpower Research and the report’s lead author, said the country was moving towards social inclusion, with social indicators of Dalits, tribals and Muslims showing vast improvement. He also said there had been a marked improvement in the performance of poorer states, indicating greater social inclusion. However, the report’s findings that the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat and Karnataka have performed poorly could stir the political cauldron.
“High incidence of malnutrition among children is found among poor states. However, Gujarat, with a relatively high per capita income, witnessed a higher incidence of child malnutrition. MP had the maximum number of chronically wasted and underweight children, followed by Jharkhand,” the report said, naming three opposition-ruled states.
Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, releasing the report along with Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, did not lose the opportunity to take a dig at Gujarat and Karnataka. “On nutrition, I am puzzled as to why a high rate of malnutrition continues to persist even in pockets of high economic growth,” he said.
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गुजरात में प्रति व्यक्ति आय ज़्यादा होने के बावजूद भूख और कुपोषण यहां सबसे अधिक है. उसमें भी अनुसूचित जाति और जनजाति की महिलाएं सबसे ज़्यादा-22/10 .
गुजरात में कुपोषण की दर सबसे ज़्यादा.
Posted by Kusum Thakur Saturday, October 22, 2011
भारत के मानव विकास सूचकांक में पिछले आठ सालों में 21 फ़ीसदी की बढ़ोतरी दर्ज की गई है परन्तु औद्योगिक रूप से विकसित राज्य गुजरात में कुपोषण की दर सबसे ज़्यादा है.
गुजरात के बारे में कहा गया है कि प्रति व्यक्ति आय ज़्यादा होने के बावजूद भूख और कुपोषण यहां सबसे अधिक है. उसमें भी अनुसूचित जाति और जनजाति की महिलाएं सबसे ज़्यादा कुपोषण की शिकार हैं.
यह भारतीय योजना आयोग से जुड़े 'इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ़ अप्लाइड मैनपावर रिसर्च' की शुक्रवार को दिल्ली में जारी की गई मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में सामने आई है. इस रिपोर्ट को योजना आयोग के उपाध्यक्ष मोंटेक सिंह अहलूवालिया ने जारी किया. इस मौक़े पर भारत के ग्रामीण विकास मंत्री जयराम रमेश भी मौजूद थे. इस रिपोर्ट में साल 1999-2000 से 2007-2008 के बीच आए परिवर्तन को शामिल किया गया है.
उपभोग व्यय, शिक्षा और स्वास्थ्य संकेतकों के आधार पर तैयार की गई मानव विकास रिपोर्ट 2011 में केरल को पहले स्थान पर रखा गया है जबकि दिल्ली, हिमाचल प्रदेश, गोवा और पंजाब उसके बाद आने वाले राज्य हैं. इन राज्यों ने स्वास्थ्य, शिक्षा और प्रति व्यक्ति आय के आधार पर अच्छा प्रदर्शन किया है. छत्तीसगढ़, उड़ीसा, बिहार, मध्य प्रदेश, झारखंड, उत्तर प्रदेश, राजस्थान और असम जैसे उत्तरी और पूर्वी राज्यों का प्रदर्शन उतना अच्छा नहीं रहा है और ये राज्य मानव विकास के राष्ट्रीय औसत से भी नीचे हैं. असम को छोड़कर बाक़ी के उत्तर-पूर्वी राज्यों का प्रदर्शन काफ़ी अच्छा रहा है.
भारत के इस दूसरे मानव विकास रिपोर्ट को जारी करते हुए आईएएमआर के डायरेक्टर जनरल संतोष महरोत्रा ने कहा कि एचडीआई में हुई इस बढ़ोतरी की सबसे बड़ी वजह शिक्षा सूचकांक में हुई 28.5 फ़ीसदी की वृद्धि है. हालांकि स्वास्थ्य क्षेत्र में अपेक्षित सुधार न हो पाना मानव विकास सूचकांक के मार्ग में एक बड़ी बाधा रही. बच्चों को मिलने वाले भोजन और पोषण को लेकर रिपोर्ट में गंभीर चिंता व्यक्त की गई है. बच्चों के कुपोषण को दूर करने के लिए सरकार ने एकीकृत बाल विकास कार्यक्रम चला रखा है लेकिन इसके नतीजे उतने सकारात्मक नहीं दिखते. रिपोर्ट में आईएसडीएस को नया रूप देने की सिफारिश की गई है.
मानव विकास रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक़ आर्थिक रूप से तरक्क़ी करने वाले राज्य भी पोषण के मामले में पीछे रह गए हैं. रिपोर्ट में गुजरात का उदाहरण देकर बताया गया है कि औद्योगिक रूप से विकसित राज्य होने के बावजूद भूख और कुपोषण यहां सबसे ज़्यादा है. खासकर अनुसूचित जाति और जनजाति की महिलाएं सबसे ज़्यादा भूख और कुपोषण की शिकार हैं. इस रिपोर्ट में सबसे प्रमुख संकेतक है अनुसूचित जाति, जनजाति और मुसलमानों का मानव विकास के राष्ट्रीय औसत के क़रीब पहुंचना.
यह इस बात का संकेत है कि भारत में सामाजिक समावेशन की प्रक्रिया सकारात्मक दिशा में बढ़ रही है. इसका मतलब ये है कि आर्थिक उदारीकरण और वैश्विकरण के दो दशकों की अवधि में हुए विकास का फ़ायदा इन अपेक्षाकृत पिछड़े समूहों तक पहुंचा है. रिपोर्ट में उदारहण देकर बताया गया है कि दिल्ली, हिमाचल प्रदेश, तमिलनाडु और केरल के अनुसूचित जाति और अन्य पिछड़े वर्ग के लोग बिहार, छत्तीसगढ़ और उत्तर प्रदेश जैसे राज्यों की ऊंची जाति के लोगों से स्वास्थ्य सेवा संकेतकों के आधार पर बेहतर स्थिति में हैं.
मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि आर्थिक विकास के साथ बढ़ते प्रति व्यक्ति आय की वजह से पिछले दशक में उपभोग व्यय में बढ़ोतरी हुई है जिसका सीधा असर ग़रीबी रेखा के नीचे रहने वालों के औसत में कमी के रूप में सामने आया है. हालांकि संख्या के आधार पर ग़रीबी रेखा के नीचे रहनेवाले लोगों की तादाद बढ़ी है क्योंकि इस दौरान जनसंख्या में काफ़ी बढ़ोतरी हुई है. पिछले तीन दशकों में भारत की आबादी लगभग दोगुनी हो गई है. रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि अनुसूचित जाति के लोगों की औसत ग़रीबी राष्ट्रीय औसत से भी कम हो गई है जबकि अनुसूचित जनजाति की ग़रीबी कम होने की रफ़्तार धीमी है.
रिपोर्ट में ये भी कहा गया है कि पिछले दशक में बेरोज़गारी के दर में कमी आई है. साल 2004-5 में ये 8.2 फ़ीसदी थी जो 2009-10 में घटकर 6.6 फ़ीसदी रह गई है. मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में बाल मजदूरी में आई कमी को भी रेखांकित किया गया है. वर्ष 1993-94 में ये संख्या 6.2 फ़ीसदी थी जो कि 2004-05 में 3.3 फ़ीसदी ही रह गई है. बाल मजदूरी की दर में आई कमी की सबसे बड़ी वजह बालिकाओं की शिक्षा के स्तर में आए सुधार को बताया गया है.
पिछले दशक में मृत्यु दर, शिशु मृत्यु दर, प्रजनन दर में आई गिरावट की रिपोर्ट में सराहना की गई है. वर्ष 1990 में शिशु मृत्यु दर 80 प्रति हज़ार थी जो 2009 में घटकर 50 रह गई है. लेकिन फिर भी ये सहस्त्राब्दी विकास लक्ष्य से अब भी काफ़ी दूर है. एमडीजी में शिशु मृत्यु दर को 2015 तक 26.7 प्रति हज़ार लाने का लक्ष्य निर्धारित किया गया है. रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 11वीं पंचवर्षीय योजना में शिक्षा पर बहुत ज़्यादा ज़ोर था लेकिन 12वीं योजना में स्वास्थ्य पर अधिक ध्यान दिए जाने की ज़रूरत है.
राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण स्वास्थ्य मिशन और जननि सुरक्षा योजना से हालात में सुधार हुआ है लेकिन अभी भी बहुत कुछ किए जाने की ज़रूरत है. मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि साक्षरता दर में विभिन्न राज्यों के बीच जो गहरी असमानता थी उसमें कमी आई है. ग़रीब राज्य अब इस क्षेत्र में धनी राज्यों के क़रीब पहुंचने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं. ग्रामीण और शहरी दोनों ही क्षेत्रों में साक्षरता के स्तर में सुधार आया है.
पिछले सालों में अनुसूचित जाति, जनजाति और मुसलमानों की साक्षरता का स्तर सुधरा है और ये राष्ट्रीय औसत के क़रीब पहुंच गया है. सर्व शिक्षा अभियान की वजह से प्राथमिक स्तर पर दाख़िले की संख्या बढ़ी है. लेकिन चुनौतियां अब भी बरक़रार हैं क्योंकि भारत में अब भी दुनिया में सबसे ज़्यादा आबादी निरक्षर है. ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में महिलाओं की निरक्षरता एक बड़ी बाधा है और इसका प्रभाव सामाजिक समायोजन पर भी पड़ रहा है. बच्चे आज भी स्कूलों में दाखि़ला लेकर विभिन्न कारणों से पढ़ाई छोड़ देते हैं. शिक्षा का अधिकार क़ानून होने के बावजूद आज भी 6 से 17 साल की आयु के बीच के 19 फ़ीसदी बच्चे स्कूलों से बाहर हैं. इस रिपोर्ट में आवास, बिजली और टेलिफ़ोन की सुविधा के आधार पर भी लोगों के जीवन स्तर में आए सुधार की बात कही गई है. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक़ भारतीय आबादी का दो-तिहाई हिस्सा अब पक्के घरों में निवास करता है. तीन चौथाई घरों को बिजली की सुविधा उपलब्ध है. इसके लिए ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में राजीव गांधी ग्रामीण विद्युतिकरण योजना की सराहना की गई है.
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Posted by Kusum Thakur Saturday, October 22, 2011
भारत के मानव विकास सूचकांक में पिछले आठ सालों में 21 फ़ीसदी की बढ़ोतरी दर्ज की गई है परन्तु औद्योगिक रूप से विकसित राज्य गुजरात में कुपोषण की दर सबसे ज़्यादा है.
गुजरात के बारे में कहा गया है कि प्रति व्यक्ति आय ज़्यादा होने के बावजूद भूख और कुपोषण यहां सबसे अधिक है. उसमें भी अनुसूचित जाति और जनजाति की महिलाएं सबसे ज़्यादा कुपोषण की शिकार हैं.
यह भारतीय योजना आयोग से जुड़े 'इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ़ अप्लाइड मैनपावर रिसर्च' की शुक्रवार को दिल्ली में जारी की गई मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में सामने आई है. इस रिपोर्ट को योजना आयोग के उपाध्यक्ष मोंटेक सिंह अहलूवालिया ने जारी किया. इस मौक़े पर भारत के ग्रामीण विकास मंत्री जयराम रमेश भी मौजूद थे. इस रिपोर्ट में साल 1999-2000 से 2007-2008 के बीच आए परिवर्तन को शामिल किया गया है.
उपभोग व्यय, शिक्षा और स्वास्थ्य संकेतकों के आधार पर तैयार की गई मानव विकास रिपोर्ट 2011 में केरल को पहले स्थान पर रखा गया है जबकि दिल्ली, हिमाचल प्रदेश, गोवा और पंजाब उसके बाद आने वाले राज्य हैं. इन राज्यों ने स्वास्थ्य, शिक्षा और प्रति व्यक्ति आय के आधार पर अच्छा प्रदर्शन किया है. छत्तीसगढ़, उड़ीसा, बिहार, मध्य प्रदेश, झारखंड, उत्तर प्रदेश, राजस्थान और असम जैसे उत्तरी और पूर्वी राज्यों का प्रदर्शन उतना अच्छा नहीं रहा है और ये राज्य मानव विकास के राष्ट्रीय औसत से भी नीचे हैं. असम को छोड़कर बाक़ी के उत्तर-पूर्वी राज्यों का प्रदर्शन काफ़ी अच्छा रहा है.
भारत के इस दूसरे मानव विकास रिपोर्ट को जारी करते हुए आईएएमआर के डायरेक्टर जनरल संतोष महरोत्रा ने कहा कि एचडीआई में हुई इस बढ़ोतरी की सबसे बड़ी वजह शिक्षा सूचकांक में हुई 28.5 फ़ीसदी की वृद्धि है. हालांकि स्वास्थ्य क्षेत्र में अपेक्षित सुधार न हो पाना मानव विकास सूचकांक के मार्ग में एक बड़ी बाधा रही. बच्चों को मिलने वाले भोजन और पोषण को लेकर रिपोर्ट में गंभीर चिंता व्यक्त की गई है. बच्चों के कुपोषण को दूर करने के लिए सरकार ने एकीकृत बाल विकास कार्यक्रम चला रखा है लेकिन इसके नतीजे उतने सकारात्मक नहीं दिखते. रिपोर्ट में आईएसडीएस को नया रूप देने की सिफारिश की गई है.
मानव विकास रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक़ आर्थिक रूप से तरक्क़ी करने वाले राज्य भी पोषण के मामले में पीछे रह गए हैं. रिपोर्ट में गुजरात का उदाहरण देकर बताया गया है कि औद्योगिक रूप से विकसित राज्य होने के बावजूद भूख और कुपोषण यहां सबसे ज़्यादा है. खासकर अनुसूचित जाति और जनजाति की महिलाएं सबसे ज़्यादा भूख और कुपोषण की शिकार हैं. इस रिपोर्ट में सबसे प्रमुख संकेतक है अनुसूचित जाति, जनजाति और मुसलमानों का मानव विकास के राष्ट्रीय औसत के क़रीब पहुंचना.
यह इस बात का संकेत है कि भारत में सामाजिक समावेशन की प्रक्रिया सकारात्मक दिशा में बढ़ रही है. इसका मतलब ये है कि आर्थिक उदारीकरण और वैश्विकरण के दो दशकों की अवधि में हुए विकास का फ़ायदा इन अपेक्षाकृत पिछड़े समूहों तक पहुंचा है. रिपोर्ट में उदारहण देकर बताया गया है कि दिल्ली, हिमाचल प्रदेश, तमिलनाडु और केरल के अनुसूचित जाति और अन्य पिछड़े वर्ग के लोग बिहार, छत्तीसगढ़ और उत्तर प्रदेश जैसे राज्यों की ऊंची जाति के लोगों से स्वास्थ्य सेवा संकेतकों के आधार पर बेहतर स्थिति में हैं.
मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि आर्थिक विकास के साथ बढ़ते प्रति व्यक्ति आय की वजह से पिछले दशक में उपभोग व्यय में बढ़ोतरी हुई है जिसका सीधा असर ग़रीबी रेखा के नीचे रहने वालों के औसत में कमी के रूप में सामने आया है. हालांकि संख्या के आधार पर ग़रीबी रेखा के नीचे रहनेवाले लोगों की तादाद बढ़ी है क्योंकि इस दौरान जनसंख्या में काफ़ी बढ़ोतरी हुई है. पिछले तीन दशकों में भारत की आबादी लगभग दोगुनी हो गई है. रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि अनुसूचित जाति के लोगों की औसत ग़रीबी राष्ट्रीय औसत से भी कम हो गई है जबकि अनुसूचित जनजाति की ग़रीबी कम होने की रफ़्तार धीमी है.
रिपोर्ट में ये भी कहा गया है कि पिछले दशक में बेरोज़गारी के दर में कमी आई है. साल 2004-5 में ये 8.2 फ़ीसदी थी जो 2009-10 में घटकर 6.6 फ़ीसदी रह गई है. मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में बाल मजदूरी में आई कमी को भी रेखांकित किया गया है. वर्ष 1993-94 में ये संख्या 6.2 फ़ीसदी थी जो कि 2004-05 में 3.3 फ़ीसदी ही रह गई है. बाल मजदूरी की दर में आई कमी की सबसे बड़ी वजह बालिकाओं की शिक्षा के स्तर में आए सुधार को बताया गया है.
पिछले दशक में मृत्यु दर, शिशु मृत्यु दर, प्रजनन दर में आई गिरावट की रिपोर्ट में सराहना की गई है. वर्ष 1990 में शिशु मृत्यु दर 80 प्रति हज़ार थी जो 2009 में घटकर 50 रह गई है. लेकिन फिर भी ये सहस्त्राब्दी विकास लक्ष्य से अब भी काफ़ी दूर है. एमडीजी में शिशु मृत्यु दर को 2015 तक 26.7 प्रति हज़ार लाने का लक्ष्य निर्धारित किया गया है. रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 11वीं पंचवर्षीय योजना में शिक्षा पर बहुत ज़्यादा ज़ोर था लेकिन 12वीं योजना में स्वास्थ्य पर अधिक ध्यान दिए जाने की ज़रूरत है.
राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण स्वास्थ्य मिशन और जननि सुरक्षा योजना से हालात में सुधार हुआ है लेकिन अभी भी बहुत कुछ किए जाने की ज़रूरत है. मानव विकास रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि साक्षरता दर में विभिन्न राज्यों के बीच जो गहरी असमानता थी उसमें कमी आई है. ग़रीब राज्य अब इस क्षेत्र में धनी राज्यों के क़रीब पहुंचने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं. ग्रामीण और शहरी दोनों ही क्षेत्रों में साक्षरता के स्तर में सुधार आया है.
पिछले सालों में अनुसूचित जाति, जनजाति और मुसलमानों की साक्षरता का स्तर सुधरा है और ये राष्ट्रीय औसत के क़रीब पहुंच गया है. सर्व शिक्षा अभियान की वजह से प्राथमिक स्तर पर दाख़िले की संख्या बढ़ी है. लेकिन चुनौतियां अब भी बरक़रार हैं क्योंकि भारत में अब भी दुनिया में सबसे ज़्यादा आबादी निरक्षर है. ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में महिलाओं की निरक्षरता एक बड़ी बाधा है और इसका प्रभाव सामाजिक समायोजन पर भी पड़ रहा है. बच्चे आज भी स्कूलों में दाखि़ला लेकर विभिन्न कारणों से पढ़ाई छोड़ देते हैं. शिक्षा का अधिकार क़ानून होने के बावजूद आज भी 6 से 17 साल की आयु के बीच के 19 फ़ीसदी बच्चे स्कूलों से बाहर हैं. इस रिपोर्ट में आवास, बिजली और टेलिफ़ोन की सुविधा के आधार पर भी लोगों के जीवन स्तर में आए सुधार की बात कही गई है. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक़ भारतीय आबादी का दो-तिहाई हिस्सा अब पक्के घरों में निवास करता है. तीन चौथाई घरों को बिजली की सुविधा उपलब्ध है. इसके लिए ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में राजीव गांधी ग्रामीण विद्युतिकरण योजना की सराहना की गई है.
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Communication gap cause of protests at Koodankulam N-plant'-18/10/11
Communication gap cause of protests at Koodankulam N-plant'
Last updated on: October 18, 2011 10:11 IST
The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project has been jinxed ever since it was thought of. It was first talked about in 1988 when the Soviet Union agreed to build a plant in India and also supply it fuel. The Soviet Union broke up soon after.
Years later, India decided to go ahead with the project with some other country as the collaborator. Russia intervened and said it would take over from where the Soviet Union left off.
Land was purchased but for years together there was only a huge wall around the huge site. In 2000 work started in earnest. A decade later the plant was ready. In late 2005 there was a bomb explosion at the Koodankulam police station. Nothing happened to the plant though.
Even when the Tsunami struck coastal Tamil Nadu, this area was saved by Sri Lanka, which took the brunt of the giant waves.
Since 2009 the KNPP regularly puts out press reports that they will be going critical in the next three months. But this has never happened.
For the last two months, protests have been on in Koodankulam against the project. The protests have been supported by the Tamil Nadu chief minister; while the prime minister has sent his emissary.
Swapnesh Kumar Malhotra is the head of the public awareness division of the department of atomic energy, government of India. He has been in this post for the past 22 years. Malhotra proudly tells you that he renamed his department because the earlier name 'publicity division' sounded like they were making movies or selling biscuits.
Last updated on: October 18, 2011 10:11 IST
The Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project has been jinxed ever since it was thought of. It was first talked about in 1988 when the Soviet Union agreed to build a plant in India and also supply it fuel. The Soviet Union broke up soon after.
Years later, India decided to go ahead with the project with some other country as the collaborator. Russia intervened and said it would take over from where the Soviet Union left off.
Land was purchased but for years together there was only a huge wall around the huge site. In 2000 work started in earnest. A decade later the plant was ready. In late 2005 there was a bomb explosion at the Koodankulam police station. Nothing happened to the plant though.
Even when the Tsunami struck coastal Tamil Nadu, this area was saved by Sri Lanka, which took the brunt of the giant waves.
Since 2009 the KNPP regularly puts out press reports that they will be going critical in the next three months. But this has never happened.
For the last two months, protests have been on in Koodankulam against the project. The protests have been supported by the Tamil Nadu chief minister; while the prime minister has sent his emissary.
Swapnesh Kumar Malhotra is the head of the public awareness division of the department of atomic energy, government of India. He has been in this post for the past 22 years. Malhotra proudly tells you that he renamed his department because the earlier name 'publicity division' sounded like they were making movies or selling biscuits.
Donkey Sanctuary: bringing relief to beasts of burden- Oct 22, 2011
India | Updated Oct 22, 2011 at 10:45am IST
Donkey Sanctuary: bringing relief to beasts of burden/GOOD TO KNOW THAT NOT ONLY HUMAN BEINGS BUT ANIMALS ARE GETTING ATTENTION...EVERYONE NEED TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY....VT
Juhi Chaudhary, CNN-IBN
New Delhi: Donkeys and mules, beasts of burden, and often a subject of ridicule. Not much attention has been focused on these over worked animals. At construction sites, these animals work with some of the poorest people in society carrying bricks, sand and heavy supplies. For over a decade, Jean and Bob Harrision have been running the 'Asswin project' - to provide medical care to sick and injured equines.
Jean said, "I came to India to holiday with daughter n we went to Old Delhi. I saw horses with open wounds, we saw donkeys coming home from work. They looked so tired. Little babies. And I said to my daughter that these are poor animals, they really really need help.
Jean and Bob keep a check on donkeys working at the construction sites. They know it's through the donkey owners that they can give a better life to these equines.
At Haryana's Donkey Sanctuary, a better life is provided for these animals. Sumit, a donkey who was born-blind and one-month-old Sid was born to a weak mother. Each animal is given proper medical help with a special focus on their nutrition.
This shelter houses nearly 30 donkeys. They were suffering from serious health problems right from malnutrition to foot and knee injuries, when they were found. Thanks to the efforts of Jean and Bob they are being nursed back to health.
Bob and Jean through their work, are making the world a better place - one animal at a time.
Donkey Sanctuary: bringing relief to beasts of burden/GOOD TO KNOW THAT NOT ONLY HUMAN BEINGS BUT ANIMALS ARE GETTING ATTENTION...EVERYONE NEED TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY....VT
Juhi Chaudhary, CNN-IBN
New Delhi: Donkeys and mules, beasts of burden, and often a subject of ridicule. Not much attention has been focused on these over worked animals. At construction sites, these animals work with some of the poorest people in society carrying bricks, sand and heavy supplies. For over a decade, Jean and Bob Harrision have been running the 'Asswin project' - to provide medical care to sick and injured equines.
Jean said, "I came to India to holiday with daughter n we went to Old Delhi. I saw horses with open wounds, we saw donkeys coming home from work. They looked so tired. Little babies. And I said to my daughter that these are poor animals, they really really need help.
Jean and Bob keep a check on donkeys working at the construction sites. They know it's through the donkey owners that they can give a better life to these equines.
At Haryana's Donkey Sanctuary, a better life is provided for these animals. Sumit, a donkey who was born-blind and one-month-old Sid was born to a weak mother. Each animal is given proper medical help with a special focus on their nutrition.
This shelter houses nearly 30 donkeys. They were suffering from serious health problems right from malnutrition to foot and knee injuries, when they were found. Thanks to the efforts of Jean and Bob they are being nursed back to health.
Bob and Jean through their work, are making the world a better place - one animal at a time.
The Case of the Missing Mahatma: Gandhi and the Hindi Cinema-
The Case of the Missing Mahatma: Gandhi and the Hindi Cinema
Rachel Dwyer
While Gandhi's image is well known in India and throughout the world, mostly in photographs, chromolithographs, and newsreels, there are surprisingly few Indian films about the father of the nation and his role in the national drama, the historic struggle for independence, perhaps the most important event in twentieth-century India. Gandhi made the freedom struggle a popular movement in part through his manipulation of symbols such as khadi, the spinning wheel, and his dress, yet though a prolific writer, he eschewed the new medium of film for promulgating his message. Gandhi appears frequently in costume dramas and in other genres, but the biopic is largely absent in mainstream cinema. This article looks at the biopic in popular Hindi cinema and at Richard Attenborough's Gandhi to examine what this tells us about the presence and absence of Gandhi in independent India.
Rachel Dwyer
While Gandhi's image is well known in India and throughout the world, mostly in photographs, chromolithographs, and newsreels, there are surprisingly few Indian films about the father of the nation and his role in the national drama, the historic struggle for independence, perhaps the most important event in twentieth-century India. Gandhi made the freedom struggle a popular movement in part through his manipulation of symbols such as khadi, the spinning wheel, and his dress, yet though a prolific writer, he eschewed the new medium of film for promulgating his message. Gandhi appears frequently in costume dramas and in other genres, but the biopic is largely absent in mainstream cinema. This article looks at the biopic in popular Hindi cinema and at Richard Attenborough's Gandhi to examine what this tells us about the presence and absence of Gandhi in independent India.
Need to reverse mood of negativity,"The current slowdown is a matter of concern but it should be seen as a short-term phenomen Prime Minister-22/10/11
Need to reverse mood of negativity, says Prime Minister
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: October 22, 2011 11:00 IST
New Delhi: At a meeting of chief ministers, the Prime Minister said this morning, "It is our collective responsibility to reverse the mood of negativity."
He was addressing the National Development Council which includes the chief ministers of all states and is responsible to ensuring balanced development in different parts of the country.
"The current slowdown is a matter of concern but it should be seen as a short-term phenomenon," said Dr Manmohan Singh.
He said the government must have special programmes to increase the earning capacity of poor and vulnerable sections.
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: October 22, 2011 11:00 IST
New Delhi: At a meeting of chief ministers, the Prime Minister said this morning, "It is our collective responsibility to reverse the mood of negativity."
He was addressing the National Development Council which includes the chief ministers of all states and is responsible to ensuring balanced development in different parts of the country.
"The current slowdown is a matter of concern but it should be seen as a short-term phenomenon," said Dr Manmohan Singh.
He said the government must have special programmes to increase the earning capacity of poor and vulnerable sections.
Friday, October 21, 2011
EC heat on Ashok Chavan, Madhu Koda-We have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to paid news and expenditure irregularities by poll candidates," EC-22/1
EC heat on Ashok Chavan, Madhu Koda(JUST OUT OF CONTEXT,I NEED TO MENTION THAT DURING SURVEY FOR VOTER LIST I FELT PURPLEXED SEEING COLOUMN SHOWING CATEGORIES IN CHART...WORKING/NOT WORKING/BUSINESS....THEY KEPT "HOUSEWIVES AND PROSTITUTES IN THE SAME CATEGORY...ITS UNFAIR.DEFINITLY ONE CAN AMPATHIZED WITH THEM,THERE PROBLEMS AS HUMAN BEINGS,SO AS WITH THIRD GENDERS ACCLAIMERS BUT ONE SHOULDN'T PUT THEM WITH THE HOUSEWIVES CATEGORY"....MR EC I HAD PASTED THIS NEWS IN THIS BLOG AND HAD WRITTEN MY VIEWS/PROTEST THEN ONLY!!...IF POSSIBLE/MUST INCLUDE THE CORRECTION OF SURVEY PAPERS IN ELECTION REFORMS LIST!!....VT
TNN | Oct 22, 2011, 02.29AM IST
NEW DELHI: Umlesh Yadav of the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal may have earned the dubious distinction of being the first legislator to be disqualified for failing to account for money spent on advertisements passed as news items but similar action could be taken against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda.
"We have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to paid news and expenditure irregularities by poll candidates," a senior Election Commission source said. While the case of Umlesh Yadav, Koda and Chavan came to light after complaints filed by others, EC officials said it was not averse to taking suo motu action wherever it finds violation of expenditure rules and cases of paid news.
As for Umlesh Yadav, EC said action was also being contemplated against her husband, D P Yadav, who is the president of the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal. The money paid to two Hindi newspapers was sourced to D P Yadav.
The fate of Chavan and Koda would be decided soon. The crucial hearing in Koda's case was to take place on Friday but had to be postponed to November 14 as the former CM's counsel sought an adjournment. Chavan's case is slated to be heard on November 4. While Koda's case relates to his failure to submit the poll expense account for a 2009 byelection, Chavan is under scrutiny as his poll expenditure of Rs 11,000 is alleged to be much less than what he spent. BJP leaders had complained to the EC that Chavan gave large sums of money to write news favouring him during the Maharashtra assembly election in 2009.
Sources said it was after the Delhi High Court dismissed a petition by Chavan and Koda in September that the doors opened for an EC probe into their poll expenditure as well as the allegation of paid news in case of Chavan. Chavan and Koda had challenged EC's power to probe the issue of poll expenditure. The HC had said, "EC can go into the truthfulness or untruthfulness of the accounts filed by the elected candidates."
An EC source said, "A decision (into the cases of Chavan and Koda) would not take long."
A senior EC official also dismissed allegations that the action against Umlesh Yadav has been harsh since the amount involved for the paid news was just Rs 21,250. "Whatever be the amount, violation of law has to be dealt with," the official said. He also said that the decision against had not been delayed as is being alleged. "The Press Council's order on her case came in March 2010. We immediately started proceedings. The EC decision was taken in March but then Chavan and Koda went to the Delhi High Court. The HC order came only in September," he pointed out.
TNN | Oct 22, 2011, 02.29AM IST
NEW DELHI: Umlesh Yadav of the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal may have earned the dubious distinction of being the first legislator to be disqualified for failing to account for money spent on advertisements passed as news items but similar action could be taken against former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda.
"We have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to paid news and expenditure irregularities by poll candidates," a senior Election Commission source said. While the case of Umlesh Yadav, Koda and Chavan came to light after complaints filed by others, EC officials said it was not averse to taking suo motu action wherever it finds violation of expenditure rules and cases of paid news.
As for Umlesh Yadav, EC said action was also being contemplated against her husband, D P Yadav, who is the president of the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal. The money paid to two Hindi newspapers was sourced to D P Yadav.
The fate of Chavan and Koda would be decided soon. The crucial hearing in Koda's case was to take place on Friday but had to be postponed to November 14 as the former CM's counsel sought an adjournment. Chavan's case is slated to be heard on November 4. While Koda's case relates to his failure to submit the poll expense account for a 2009 byelection, Chavan is under scrutiny as his poll expenditure of Rs 11,000 is alleged to be much less than what he spent. BJP leaders had complained to the EC that Chavan gave large sums of money to write news favouring him during the Maharashtra assembly election in 2009.
Sources said it was after the Delhi High Court dismissed a petition by Chavan and Koda in September that the doors opened for an EC probe into their poll expenditure as well as the allegation of paid news in case of Chavan. Chavan and Koda had challenged EC's power to probe the issue of poll expenditure. The HC had said, "EC can go into the truthfulness or untruthfulness of the accounts filed by the elected candidates."
An EC source said, "A decision (into the cases of Chavan and Koda) would not take long."
A senior EC official also dismissed allegations that the action against Umlesh Yadav has been harsh since the amount involved for the paid news was just Rs 21,250. "Whatever be the amount, violation of law has to be dealt with," the official said. He also said that the decision against had not been delayed as is being alleged. "The Press Council's order on her case came in March 2010. We immediately started proceedings. The EC decision was taken in March but then Chavan and Koda went to the Delhi High Court. The HC order came only in September," he pointed out.
AFSPA to be withdrawn from parts of Kashmir: Omar Abdullah-Oct 22, 2011
AFSPA to be withdrawn from parts of Kashmir: Omar Abdullah
Published: Saturday, Oct 22, 2011, 9:00 IST
By Ishfaq-ul-Hassan | Place: Srinagar | Agency: DNA
Overruling the army’s objections, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday announced that the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will be withdrawn from certain areas of the state in the next few days.
“With the gradual improvement in the security situation and return of peace, some laws (AFSPA) are being removed from certain areas within the next few days,” Omar said while addressing the police commemoration day function at Zewan.
He said his government always believed that the dividends of peace should reach to people and laws imposed at the start of militancy be removed with gradual improvement in security and law and order situation. “We want peace to restore across the state so that all laws imposed are revoked. These laws will be revoked from all parts of the state gradually with the restoration of peace and tranquility,” he said.
“The J&K police is able to maintain the security situation in these areas after the removal of AFSPA. They are fully capable to shoulder the responsibilities in this regard,” he added.
The chief minister’s statement comes just days after army said the issue (AFSPA) has not even come-up for discussions in the unified command or core group meetings of the forces.
The army argues that the controversial AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir is necessary until the terrorist infrastructure was dismantled across the LoC.
Under AFSPA, the armed forces have sweeping powers to operate in the state with impunity.Under AFSPA, an official of the armed forces can shoot anybody if he is of the opinion that he is acting against law.
Meanwhile, moderate Hurriyat Conference termed Omar’s announcement as half-hearted measures which will not have the desired effects on ground.
Published: Saturday, Oct 22, 2011, 9:00 IST
By Ishfaq-ul-Hassan | Place: Srinagar | Agency: DNA
Overruling the army’s objections, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday announced that the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will be withdrawn from certain areas of the state in the next few days.
“With the gradual improvement in the security situation and return of peace, some laws (AFSPA) are being removed from certain areas within the next few days,” Omar said while addressing the police commemoration day function at Zewan.
He said his government always believed that the dividends of peace should reach to people and laws imposed at the start of militancy be removed with gradual improvement in security and law and order situation. “We want peace to restore across the state so that all laws imposed are revoked. These laws will be revoked from all parts of the state gradually with the restoration of peace and tranquility,” he said.
“The J&K police is able to maintain the security situation in these areas after the removal of AFSPA. They are fully capable to shoulder the responsibilities in this regard,” he added.
The chief minister’s statement comes just days after army said the issue (AFSPA) has not even come-up for discussions in the unified command or core group meetings of the forces.
The army argues that the controversial AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir is necessary until the terrorist infrastructure was dismantled across the LoC.
Under AFSPA, the armed forces have sweeping powers to operate in the state with impunity.Under AFSPA, an official of the armed forces can shoot anybody if he is of the opinion that he is acting against law.
Meanwhile, moderate Hurriyat Conference termed Omar’s announcement as half-hearted measures which will not have the desired effects on ground.
Mamata's seven-day deadline for Maoists to lay down arms ends today; tight security across state- 22/10/ 2011
Mamata's seven-day deadline for Maoists ends today; tight security across state(GOOD WISHES MAMTAJI FOR HER PEACEFUL EFFORT FOR THE PEACE!!...VT)
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: October 22, 2011 08:16 IST
Kolkata: West Bengal is under heightened security as the seven-day deadline laid down by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for Maoists to lay down arms ends today. As a retaliatory response, the Maoists have called for a day-long bandh in the Junglemahal area - considered to be one of their strongholds in the state.
The bandh - announced on Wednesday after the Maoists rejected Ms Banerjee's ultimatum - is expected to affect normal life in the West Midnapore and Jhargram districts in the state.
"Make the bandh in Junglemahal on Saturday a success against the injustice meted out to the people of the area," Maoist state committee secretary Akash, who escaped a raid by the joint forces on Tuesday in West Midnapore district, had said in a pamphlet that was found in the Junglemahal area.
The Maoists had also slammed the Chief Minister for her "supari killers" remark, likening her aggressive posturing to that of 'Maa Kali'. Ms Banerjee had made the remark at a rally in Jhargram on October 15. Slamming the Maoists for continuing on their killing spree despite a halt in operations against them by the joint forces, Ms Banerjee - while also calling them "jungle mafia" - gave them a week's time to shun violence and come back to the negotiating table.
The Maoists had said that Ms Banerjee had insulted them by making such remarks against them.
Earlier, the Maoists had launched a similar attack on the Chief Minister, albeit by their front body - the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) - just a day after she gave the Red rebels a seven-day ultimatum.
In posters that were found near Salboni in West Midnapore district on the day the Maoists were served the deadline, the PCPA accused the Chief Minister of going back on her promise of stopping operations against them by Central forces and release of political prisoners.
So far, the Maoists seem to be in no mood to come forward for talks. Instead, on Tuesday, they engaged security forces in a gun battle. Tribal rights activist and writer Mahasweta Devi has joined the Maoist chorus for the withdrawal of the armed forces from several areas in the state.
With the situation already tense in the state, it was no surprise that interlocutors appointed by the state to talk to the Maoists came away with little result. Though Sujato Bhadra, one of the interlocutors, has stressed that the dialogue is on and will continue, talks seem to be making little headway.
The state government has asked the Centre for two additional battalions of paramilitary forces, clearly signalling that it is reaching the end of its patience, and a showdown could be on the cards sooner rather than later.
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: October 22, 2011 08:16 IST
Kolkata: West Bengal is under heightened security as the seven-day deadline laid down by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for Maoists to lay down arms ends today. As a retaliatory response, the Maoists have called for a day-long bandh in the Junglemahal area - considered to be one of their strongholds in the state.
The bandh - announced on Wednesday after the Maoists rejected Ms Banerjee's ultimatum - is expected to affect normal life in the West Midnapore and Jhargram districts in the state.
"Make the bandh in Junglemahal on Saturday a success against the injustice meted out to the people of the area," Maoist state committee secretary Akash, who escaped a raid by the joint forces on Tuesday in West Midnapore district, had said in a pamphlet that was found in the Junglemahal area.
The Maoists had also slammed the Chief Minister for her "supari killers" remark, likening her aggressive posturing to that of 'Maa Kali'. Ms Banerjee had made the remark at a rally in Jhargram on October 15. Slamming the Maoists for continuing on their killing spree despite a halt in operations against them by the joint forces, Ms Banerjee - while also calling them "jungle mafia" - gave them a week's time to shun violence and come back to the negotiating table.
The Maoists had said that Ms Banerjee had insulted them by making such remarks against them.
Earlier, the Maoists had launched a similar attack on the Chief Minister, albeit by their front body - the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) - just a day after she gave the Red rebels a seven-day ultimatum.
In posters that were found near Salboni in West Midnapore district on the day the Maoists were served the deadline, the PCPA accused the Chief Minister of going back on her promise of stopping operations against them by Central forces and release of political prisoners.
So far, the Maoists seem to be in no mood to come forward for talks. Instead, on Tuesday, they engaged security forces in a gun battle. Tribal rights activist and writer Mahasweta Devi has joined the Maoist chorus for the withdrawal of the armed forces from several areas in the state.
With the situation already tense in the state, it was no surprise that interlocutors appointed by the state to talk to the Maoists came away with little result. Though Sujato Bhadra, one of the interlocutors, has stressed that the dialogue is on and will continue, talks seem to be making little headway.
The state government has asked the Centre for two additional battalions of paramilitary forces, clearly signalling that it is reaching the end of its patience, and a showdown could be on the cards sooner rather than later.
U.S. to pull out of Iraq after nearly 9 years of war by year end,Obama announces Iraq pullout, touts Libya role-21/10/11
U.S. to pull out of Iraq after nearly 9 years of war
Obama announces Iraq pullout, touts Libya role
12:58pm EDT
President Barack Obama walks from the podium after announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in the briefing room of the White House in Washington October 21, 2011. Obama on Friday said the United States will fulfill its promise by pulling troops out of Iraq by year-end. REUTERS-Joshua Roberts
U.S. Major Monte Powell (R), team chief of Iraqi Marine Training Team 03, takes charge of his 13 U.S. Marines trainers during a final formation before leaving the Iraqi city of Umm Qasr. in this handout photograph taken on October 14, 2011 and obtained on October 21, 2011. REUTERS-Staff Sgt Rauel Tirado-U.S. Army-Handout
1 of 2. President Barack Obama walks from the podium after announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in the briefing room of the White House in Washington October 21, 2011. Obama on Friday said the United States will fulfill its promise by pulling troops out of Iraq by year-end.
Credit: Reuters/Joshua Roberts
By Missy Ryan and Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON | Fri Oct 21, 2011 11:27pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to pull all U.S. troops from Iraq this year, symbolically ending the war but dashing U.S. hopes of leaving a few thousand troops to buttress a still shaky Iraq and offset neighboring Iran's influence.
After months of negotiations with officials in Baghdad failed to reach an agreement to keep possibly thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq as trainers, Obama announced he would stick to plans to pull out the remaining force of 40,000 by year's end.
"After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama told reporters.
The announcement was a milestone more than 8 1/2 years after the Bush administration led the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein based on warnings of weapons of mass destruction that turned out not to exist.
Obama made his announcement after a video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He said the two leaders agreed to stick to an earlier arrangement to pull the remaining U.S. troops by year's end.
The prospect of extending the troop presence was very sensitive for Iraq's fractured political elite.
Maliki, heading a tenuous coalition including politicians vehemently opposed to foreign troops, eventually advocated a training presence but rejected any legal immunity for U.S. soldiers. Those terms were deemed unacceptable in Washington.
Obama, eyeing a 2012 re-election campaign likely to be fought over his handling of the U.S. economy, is looking to wind down a decade of war in the Muslim world that did lasting damage to the U.S. image worldwide and stretched its military and budget to the brink.
In Iraq, where the U.S. force peaked at about 190,000 during the height of President George W. Bush's troop surge in 2007, almost 4,500 U.S. soldiers have died and the war has cost U.S. taxpayers over $700 billion in military spending alone.
Even as leaders of Iraq's fragile democracy seek to distance themselves from Washington, Iraq is only slowly getting to its feet after years of ferocious violence that shattered its society and killed tens of thousands of people.
While Washington has hailed Iraq's halting progress, especially as tumult has swept the Middle East, its political system remains gripped by perennial deadlock on issues dividing a religiously and ethnically fractured country.
Violence there is a far cry from the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07, but Iraq still suffers daily attacks from a stubborn insurgency allied with al Qaeda, and from Shi'ite militiamen.
SHARED VISION FOR IRAQ?
Obama's announcement in the White House briefing room was freighted with political overtones.
The president, who was an early opponent of the war and campaigned on a promise to end it, repeated his mantra that "the tide of war is receding."
But prominent Republicans criticized the president. Senator John McCain told Reuters the decision went against the advice of U.S. military commanders, could embolden Iran and likely would be met with alarm by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is already concerned about U.S. commitment to his country.
"In retrospect, I don't think the political side of the Obama administration ever had any serious intentions of keeping a residual force there because none of their actions were serious," said McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
About 160 U.S. soldiers will remain behind under State Department authority to train Iraqi forces along with a small contingent of soldiers guarding the U.S. Embassy. There will also likely be a U.S. special operations presence in Iraq.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday the United States would start negotiating with Iraq about military training assistance after U.S. forces withdraw this year. Such an arrangement could potentially involve a troop presence in the country.
"Once we've completed the reduction of the combat presence, then I think we begin a process of negotiating with them in order to determine what will be the nature of that relationship," Panetta told reporters traveling with him to Indonesia.
He did not rule out having U.S. trainers rotate through Iraq, without being stationed there.
Obama's announcement underscored the gaps that remain between U.S. and Iraqi priorities and political realities.
"This has been inevitable," said David Mack, a former U.S. ambassador in the Middle East.
"National security strategists in both Washington and Baghdad made a strong case for keeping U.S. military forces beyond 2011, but the domestic politics in both countries were against it," he said.
U.S. MILITARY ROLE
The U.S. military role in Iraq has been mostly reduced to advising the security forces in a country whose military was rebuilt from scratch following the 2003 invasion.
Lingering weaknesses in Iraq's military capability would have been one reason to keep a larger U.S. troop presence.
Another was Iran. Chronically critical of Iran's nuclear program, Washington is especially sensitive to the prospect of an expansionist Iran, following its recent allegations about a foiled Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington.
"We remain very concerned that Iran is meddling, not just in the affairs of Iraq but of other countries in the region. And that's unacceptable," Pentagon spokesman George Little said this week when discussing a possible extended troop presence.
Brian Katulis, a security expert at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the specter of Tehran dictating decisions to Baghdad was a red herring.
"Iranian influence is overstated," he said. "And it's not as if a few thousand U.S. troops was going to be a linchpin."
Even without soldiers, the U.S. presence will remain substantial. U.S. officials say the embassy in Baghdad, an imposing, fortified complex by the Tigris River in Baghdad's Green Zone, will be the largest in the world.
(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Deborah Charles, Alister Bull and Warren Strobel in Washington, Patrick Markey in Baghdad, Phil Stewart aboard a U.S. military aircraft; Writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by Philip Barbara and Peter Cooney)
Obama announces Iraq pullout, touts Libya role
12:58pm EDT
President Barack Obama walks from the podium after announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in the briefing room of the White House in Washington October 21, 2011. Obama on Friday said the United States will fulfill its promise by pulling troops out of Iraq by year-end. REUTERS-Joshua Roberts
U.S. Major Monte Powell (R), team chief of Iraqi Marine Training Team 03, takes charge of his 13 U.S. Marines trainers during a final formation before leaving the Iraqi city of Umm Qasr. in this handout photograph taken on October 14, 2011 and obtained on October 21, 2011. REUTERS-Staff Sgt Rauel Tirado-U.S. Army-Handout
1 of 2. President Barack Obama walks from the podium after announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in the briefing room of the White House in Washington October 21, 2011. Obama on Friday said the United States will fulfill its promise by pulling troops out of Iraq by year-end.
Credit: Reuters/Joshua Roberts
By Missy Ryan and Matt Spetalnick
WASHINGTON | Fri Oct 21, 2011 11:27pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to pull all U.S. troops from Iraq this year, symbolically ending the war but dashing U.S. hopes of leaving a few thousand troops to buttress a still shaky Iraq and offset neighboring Iran's influence.
After months of negotiations with officials in Baghdad failed to reach an agreement to keep possibly thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq as trainers, Obama announced he would stick to plans to pull out the remaining force of 40,000 by year's end.
"After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama told reporters.
The announcement was a milestone more than 8 1/2 years after the Bush administration led the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein based on warnings of weapons of mass destruction that turned out not to exist.
Obama made his announcement after a video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He said the two leaders agreed to stick to an earlier arrangement to pull the remaining U.S. troops by year's end.
The prospect of extending the troop presence was very sensitive for Iraq's fractured political elite.
Maliki, heading a tenuous coalition including politicians vehemently opposed to foreign troops, eventually advocated a training presence but rejected any legal immunity for U.S. soldiers. Those terms were deemed unacceptable in Washington.
Obama, eyeing a 2012 re-election campaign likely to be fought over his handling of the U.S. economy, is looking to wind down a decade of war in the Muslim world that did lasting damage to the U.S. image worldwide and stretched its military and budget to the brink.
In Iraq, where the U.S. force peaked at about 190,000 during the height of President George W. Bush's troop surge in 2007, almost 4,500 U.S. soldiers have died and the war has cost U.S. taxpayers over $700 billion in military spending alone.
Even as leaders of Iraq's fragile democracy seek to distance themselves from Washington, Iraq is only slowly getting to its feet after years of ferocious violence that shattered its society and killed tens of thousands of people.
While Washington has hailed Iraq's halting progress, especially as tumult has swept the Middle East, its political system remains gripped by perennial deadlock on issues dividing a religiously and ethnically fractured country.
Violence there is a far cry from the sectarian slaughter of 2006-07, but Iraq still suffers daily attacks from a stubborn insurgency allied with al Qaeda, and from Shi'ite militiamen.
SHARED VISION FOR IRAQ?
Obama's announcement in the White House briefing room was freighted with political overtones.
The president, who was an early opponent of the war and campaigned on a promise to end it, repeated his mantra that "the tide of war is receding."
But prominent Republicans criticized the president. Senator John McCain told Reuters the decision went against the advice of U.S. military commanders, could embolden Iran and likely would be met with alarm by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is already concerned about U.S. commitment to his country.
"In retrospect, I don't think the political side of the Obama administration ever had any serious intentions of keeping a residual force there because none of their actions were serious," said McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election.
About 160 U.S. soldiers will remain behind under State Department authority to train Iraqi forces along with a small contingent of soldiers guarding the U.S. Embassy. There will also likely be a U.S. special operations presence in Iraq.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Friday the United States would start negotiating with Iraq about military training assistance after U.S. forces withdraw this year. Such an arrangement could potentially involve a troop presence in the country.
"Once we've completed the reduction of the combat presence, then I think we begin a process of negotiating with them in order to determine what will be the nature of that relationship," Panetta told reporters traveling with him to Indonesia.
He did not rule out having U.S. trainers rotate through Iraq, without being stationed there.
Obama's announcement underscored the gaps that remain between U.S. and Iraqi priorities and political realities.
"This has been inevitable," said David Mack, a former U.S. ambassador in the Middle East.
"National security strategists in both Washington and Baghdad made a strong case for keeping U.S. military forces beyond 2011, but the domestic politics in both countries were against it," he said.
U.S. MILITARY ROLE
The U.S. military role in Iraq has been mostly reduced to advising the security forces in a country whose military was rebuilt from scratch following the 2003 invasion.
Lingering weaknesses in Iraq's military capability would have been one reason to keep a larger U.S. troop presence.
Another was Iran. Chronically critical of Iran's nuclear program, Washington is especially sensitive to the prospect of an expansionist Iran, following its recent allegations about a foiled Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington.
"We remain very concerned that Iran is meddling, not just in the affairs of Iraq but of other countries in the region. And that's unacceptable," Pentagon spokesman George Little said this week when discussing a possible extended troop presence.
Brian Katulis, a security expert at the Center for American Progress in Washington, said the specter of Tehran dictating decisions to Baghdad was a red herring.
"Iranian influence is overstated," he said. "And it's not as if a few thousand U.S. troops was going to be a linchpin."
Even without soldiers, the U.S. presence will remain substantial. U.S. officials say the embassy in Baghdad, an imposing, fortified complex by the Tigris River in Baghdad's Green Zone, will be the largest in the world.
(Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Deborah Charles, Alister Bull and Warren Strobel in Washington, Patrick Markey in Baghdad, Phil Stewart aboard a U.S. military aircraft; Writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by Philip Barbara and Peter Cooney)
Growth,reforms lift living standards in India:Human development IndexThe poorer states with high concentration of various marginalized growth 22/10/11
22 Oct,2011, 04.17AM IST, ET Bureau
Growth, reforms lift living standards in India: Human development Index
NEW DELHI: Economic growth and liberalisation have helped lift living standards across the country in the eight years to 2007-08, according to a human development gauge unveiled by Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
The Human development Index (HDI), which measured living conditions on the basis of consumption expenditure, education and health, rose from 0.387 in 1999-2000 to 0.467 in 2007-08.
The index has been compiled by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research, which is attached to the commission.
Ahluwalia said the commission will use the findings to formulate the Twelfth Five-Year Plan. "The plan would be guided by this report on health, education and other issues," he said. Kerala ranked No. 1 in all human development indicators while Chhattisgarh was the worst performer. Delhi was the only state to register a decline.
India's HDI improvement was led by a 28.5% increase in the education index, which ranged from 0.41 in Bihar to 0.92 for Kerala. But health and nutrition continued to weigh.
The report notes that the HDI and its composite indices have shown convergence across states.
"The poorer states with high concentration of various marginalized groups are catching up with the national average. This suggests strongly that these groups are starting to share the benefits of the process of human development," the report said. "That is, the past decade has seen us move towards social inclusion."
The report has also painted an optimistic picture of declining poverty. With high growth and increase in per capita income there has been a consistent decline in the proportion of population living below the poverty line, from 55 % in 1973 to 44.5 % in 1983 to 27.5 % in 2004-05.
The rate of decline of poverty among scheduled castes and backward classes has been faster. The rate for rural SCs fell by 11.5 percentage points between 1993-94 and 2004-05 compared with the national average of 9 percentage points.
Growth, reforms lift living standards in India: Human development Index
Growth, reforms lift living standards in India: Human development Index
NEW DELHI: Economic growth and liberalisation have helped lift living standards across the country in the eight years to 2007-08, according to a human development gauge unveiled by Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
The Human development Index (HDI), which measured living conditions on the basis of consumption expenditure, education and health, rose from 0.387 in 1999-2000 to 0.467 in 2007-08.
The index has been compiled by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research, which is attached to the commission.
Ahluwalia said the commission will use the findings to formulate the Twelfth Five-Year Plan. "The plan would be guided by this report on health, education and other issues," he said. Kerala ranked No. 1 in all human development indicators while Chhattisgarh was the worst performer. Delhi was the only state to register a decline.
India's HDI improvement was led by a 28.5% increase in the education index, which ranged from 0.41 in Bihar to 0.92 for Kerala. But health and nutrition continued to weigh.
The report notes that the HDI and its composite indices have shown convergence across states.
"The poorer states with high concentration of various marginalized groups are catching up with the national average. This suggests strongly that these groups are starting to share the benefits of the process of human development," the report said. "That is, the past decade has seen us move towards social inclusion."
The report has also painted an optimistic picture of declining poverty. With high growth and increase in per capita income there has been a consistent decline in the proportion of population living below the poverty line, from 55 % in 1973 to 44.5 % in 1983 to 27.5 % in 2004-05.
The rate of decline of poverty among scheduled castes and backward classes has been faster. The rate for rural SCs fell by 11.5 percentage points between 1993-94 and 2004-05 compared with the national average of 9 percentage points.
Growth, reforms lift living standards in India: Human development Index
India and Nepal sign three key agreements to boost bilateral economic ties-22/10/11
India and Nepal sign three key agreements to boost bilateral ties
Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai (left) and PM Manmohan Singh have agreeed to boost economic ties.
Heralding a new era in bilateral economic ties, India and Nepal inked three key pacts on Friday. India extended a Line of Credit (LoC) worth $ 250 million to boost infrastructure projects in Nepal and signed a much expected investment protection pact with the Himalayan state to promote bilateral businesses.
An MoU for Indian grant assistance to the Goitre Control Programme in Nepal was also inked.
On the busy second day of his visit to India, Nepalese PM Baburam Bhattarai held wide-ranging talks with PM Manmohan Singh, in which the issue of the ongoing peace process and proposed formula integration of Maoist combatants into the Nepal army figured prominently.
At the end of the nearly two-hour talks, where security cooperation also figured, the two countries signed the three agreements.
Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai meets Indian industrialists.
Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai meets Indian industrialists.
It is understood that Bhattarai urged support for other projects crucial to Nepal's infrastructural growth. The Maoist leader also sought a soft loan of $ 1 billion for the construction of the Tarai fast track road, and requested India's help in building a new airport in Kathmandu.
Among the deals, the most prominent is the LoC that will be used to finance infrastructure and hydropower projects in Nepal. It will carry a concessional rate of interest of 1.75 per cent per annum and a repayment period of 20 years, inclusive of five years moratorium.
India had agreed to extend the LoC in February 2010, during the visit of Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav.
The signing of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) is a welcome boost to Indian investors keen to tap into Nepal's resources.
The agreement seeks to promote and protect investments from either country in the other's country, with the ultimate objective of increasing bilateral investment flow. The term investment includes every kind of asset, including intellectual property rights.
Provisions have been made in the BIPPA for grant of compensation to the investors who suffer losses because of war, armed conflict, a state of national emergency, etc.
Such investors shall be accorded treatment by the host country no less than the treatment accorded to its owns investors or to the investors of any third state.
The agreement provides for an elaborate mechanism to resolve disputes between the investor and a host government, as well as between the two governments. The BIPPA shall be in force for a period of 10 years initially.
The provisions are seen as critical in protecting the interests of Indian investors and official sources in Delhi hoped that BIPPA would be implemented fully and not remain a mere document.
It has been learnt that India discussed with Bhattarai the status of two hydel power projects being built by India's private power firm GMR. India has been seeking assurance from the Nepalese government for the safety of the GMR's workers and staff on the Upper Karnali and Upper Marshyangdi hydel power projects. The signing of the BIPPA is significant in this case.
However, in Kathmandu, former deputy PM K. P. Sharma Oli created a row by saying that Bhattarai kept the Nepalese political parties in the dark over the agreement. Earlier on Friday, Bhattarai's meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was postponed because of her ill health, but he met a host of other leaders, including the foreign and finance ministers, President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Opposition leader, Sushma Swaraj. He also visited Rajghat.
Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai (left) and PM Manmohan Singh have agreeed to boost economic ties.
Heralding a new era in bilateral economic ties, India and Nepal inked three key pacts on Friday. India extended a Line of Credit (LoC) worth $ 250 million to boost infrastructure projects in Nepal and signed a much expected investment protection pact with the Himalayan state to promote bilateral businesses.
An MoU for Indian grant assistance to the Goitre Control Programme in Nepal was also inked.
On the busy second day of his visit to India, Nepalese PM Baburam Bhattarai held wide-ranging talks with PM Manmohan Singh, in which the issue of the ongoing peace process and proposed formula integration of Maoist combatants into the Nepal army figured prominently.
At the end of the nearly two-hour talks, where security cooperation also figured, the two countries signed the three agreements.
Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai meets Indian industrialists.
Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai meets Indian industrialists.
It is understood that Bhattarai urged support for other projects crucial to Nepal's infrastructural growth. The Maoist leader also sought a soft loan of $ 1 billion for the construction of the Tarai fast track road, and requested India's help in building a new airport in Kathmandu.
Among the deals, the most prominent is the LoC that will be used to finance infrastructure and hydropower projects in Nepal. It will carry a concessional rate of interest of 1.75 per cent per annum and a repayment period of 20 years, inclusive of five years moratorium.
India had agreed to extend the LoC in February 2010, during the visit of Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav.
The signing of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) is a welcome boost to Indian investors keen to tap into Nepal's resources.
The agreement seeks to promote and protect investments from either country in the other's country, with the ultimate objective of increasing bilateral investment flow. The term investment includes every kind of asset, including intellectual property rights.
Provisions have been made in the BIPPA for grant of compensation to the investors who suffer losses because of war, armed conflict, a state of national emergency, etc.
Such investors shall be accorded treatment by the host country no less than the treatment accorded to its owns investors or to the investors of any third state.
The agreement provides for an elaborate mechanism to resolve disputes between the investor and a host government, as well as between the two governments. The BIPPA shall be in force for a period of 10 years initially.
The provisions are seen as critical in protecting the interests of Indian investors and official sources in Delhi hoped that BIPPA would be implemented fully and not remain a mere document.
It has been learnt that India discussed with Bhattarai the status of two hydel power projects being built by India's private power firm GMR. India has been seeking assurance from the Nepalese government for the safety of the GMR's workers and staff on the Upper Karnali and Upper Marshyangdi hydel power projects. The signing of the BIPPA is significant in this case.
However, in Kathmandu, former deputy PM K. P. Sharma Oli created a row by saying that Bhattarai kept the Nepalese political parties in the dark over the agreement. Earlier on Friday, Bhattarai's meeting with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was postponed because of her ill health, but he met a host of other leaders, including the foreign and finance ministers, President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Opposition leader, Sushma Swaraj. He also visited Rajghat.
I don’t favour ‘right to recall’, will lead to perpetual instability: Advani
I don’t favour ‘right to recall’, will lead to perpetual instability: Advani
L K Advani on Friday said he was against the ‘right to recall’ of elected legislators as it would lead to “perpetual instability” in the nation. He was talking to media in Kolkata on the 11th day of his Jan Chetna Yatra.
“The right to recall has not been accepted by any country except one or two small ones where it may be possible to implement it properly, not in a huge country like India where it would lead to perpetual instability,” Advani said.
The former deputy Prime Minister said there was a time when he was in favour of it but not now. What he is in favour of now are larger electoral reforms in terms of stopping the use of money power. “I am in favour of electoral reforms and particularly in respect of the growing influence of money power in the elections.”
He justified his comments of Manmohan Singh being “a weak Prime Minister”. The Prime Minister has responded by saying that one should not use harsh words. “If calling a spade, a spade, is wrong, I plead guilty,” Advani said.
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“The Prime Minister claims he is hurt because I call him the weakest PM since Jawaharlal Nehru. But what I said was a political statement. There is no harshness in it.”
The BJP leader also raised the issue of the relationship with Bangladesh and the recent visit of the PM to the neighbouring country.
“What has emerged is a disappointment,” Advani said pointing out that like Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, who is miffed as she was not consulted over the Teesta Water treaty, the government did not consult the BJP on issues like the transfer of territory from Assam to Bangladesh.
In Ranchi, where he took a flight to, he continued his tirade against “the corrupt UPA” government.
“I have written to the PM to quickly initiate steps to bring back black money stashed away in foreign banks. Six lakh villages in the country lack roads, potable water, good schools, hospitals and electricity. Once black money is back, all these will become a reality. And I believe that it would help create a new India,” he said addressing an impressive rally in the Jharkhand capital.
“Switzerland has already enacted the Restitution of Illicit Assets Act. It was a sequel to Western countries and the US exercising pressure on the UN Security Council to pass a resolution — Comprehensive Convention Against Corruption — to get back the black money,” he said.
In his brief speech, Advani, who recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for making his government fulfil the electoral promise on creation of three states — Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh — and turning India into a nuclear power, exhorted the audience to shout: “Bhrastachar mityaenge, kala dhan wapas layenge, Bharat Desh naya banayenge (we will eliminate corruption, bring back black money and create a new India).”
Advani flew to Port Blair from Ranchi to observe the ‘Jan Sangh Day’. From Port Blair, he is slated to fly to Raipur on Saturday.
L K Advani on Friday said he was against the ‘right to recall’ of elected legislators as it would lead to “perpetual instability” in the nation. He was talking to media in Kolkata on the 11th day of his Jan Chetna Yatra.
“The right to recall has not been accepted by any country except one or two small ones where it may be possible to implement it properly, not in a huge country like India where it would lead to perpetual instability,” Advani said.
The former deputy Prime Minister said there was a time when he was in favour of it but not now. What he is in favour of now are larger electoral reforms in terms of stopping the use of money power. “I am in favour of electoral reforms and particularly in respect of the growing influence of money power in the elections.”
He justified his comments of Manmohan Singh being “a weak Prime Minister”. The Prime Minister has responded by saying that one should not use harsh words. “If calling a spade, a spade, is wrong, I plead guilty,” Advani said.
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“The Prime Minister claims he is hurt because I call him the weakest PM since Jawaharlal Nehru. But what I said was a political statement. There is no harshness in it.”
The BJP leader also raised the issue of the relationship with Bangladesh and the recent visit of the PM to the neighbouring country.
“What has emerged is a disappointment,” Advani said pointing out that like Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, who is miffed as she was not consulted over the Teesta Water treaty, the government did not consult the BJP on issues like the transfer of territory from Assam to Bangladesh.
In Ranchi, where he took a flight to, he continued his tirade against “the corrupt UPA” government.
“I have written to the PM to quickly initiate steps to bring back black money stashed away in foreign banks. Six lakh villages in the country lack roads, potable water, good schools, hospitals and electricity. Once black money is back, all these will become a reality. And I believe that it would help create a new India,” he said addressing an impressive rally in the Jharkhand capital.
“Switzerland has already enacted the Restitution of Illicit Assets Act. It was a sequel to Western countries and the US exercising pressure on the UN Security Council to pass a resolution — Comprehensive Convention Against Corruption — to get back the black money,” he said.
In his brief speech, Advani, who recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for making his government fulfil the electoral promise on creation of three states — Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh — and turning India into a nuclear power, exhorted the audience to shout: “Bhrastachar mityaenge, kala dhan wapas layenge, Bharat Desh naya banayenge (we will eliminate corruption, bring back black money and create a new India).”
Advani flew to Port Blair from Ranchi to observe the ‘Jan Sangh Day’. From Port Blair, he is slated to fly to Raipur on Saturday.
No Diwali gifts please, has requested that those who want to send gifts to him should make donations to the PM’s Relief Fund instead.says PM-21/10/11
No Diwali gifts please, says PM
Ahead of Diwali, the Prime Minister has requested that those who want to send gifts to him should make donations to the PM’s Relief Fund instead.
“PM Dr Manmohan Singh wishes to thank all those who have been sending him greetings and good wishes on the occasion of Diwali. He has appealed to his well-wishers to make donations to the PM National Relief Fund instead,” a statement from the PMO said.
This is the first time the PM has made such an appeal. The relief fund is used during calamities like quakes or floods, and also to fund health or education of economically weaker sections.
Ahead of Diwali, the Prime Minister has requested that those who want to send gifts to him should make donations to the PM’s Relief Fund instead.
“PM Dr Manmohan Singh wishes to thank all those who have been sending him greetings and good wishes on the occasion of Diwali. He has appealed to his well-wishers to make donations to the PM National Relief Fund instead,” a statement from the PMO said.
This is the first time the PM has made such an appeal. The relief fund is used during calamities like quakes or floods, and also to fund health or education of economically weaker sections.
Deniers exposed. Confirmed again: climate change is real.-21/10/11
Deniers exposed. Confirmed again: climate change is real.
In an amusing turn of events today, a scientific study funded largely by climate skeptics has shown that the established scientific consensus on climate change is, in fact, correct.
It comes as no surprise to Greenpeace that the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) programme has found that the world is – wait for it – rapidly warming. The study puts them in agreement with what top climate-science institutions NASA and NOAA, and the University of East Anglia in the UK, have been saying for decades.
The programme – which was largely funded our favourite ‘1%’ oil billionaires the Koch Brothers – intentionally assembled a group of scientists from a range of positions on climate change, including many who had never worked on the issue before. This way, the scientific group could not be ‘biased’ towards reinforcing the existing consensus. The group also uses a new data-analysis methodology which is not only reliant on the small number of weather stations that have been able to provide consistent data over the long term.
The 39,028 weather stations which were used in the BEST study. The black spots are considered 'rural' and blue spots are 'urban'.
The deniers were hoping that this study would prove the oft-repeated, untrue, and misleading climate-denier claim: that the higher average temperatures observed worldwide have been caused by an over-reliance of readings based in cities, which suffer from the ‘urban heat island’ effect.
The story has been covered in The Economist, The Guardian, the BBC and the Washington Post, among many others.
Now let’s spread it through social media: please ‘like’ and share this post and news articles with your friends – especially anyone who is confused about the science.
Now that the scientific report deniers were once so eagerly anticipating has been publicly released, climate deniers are now desperately attacking the methodology – which, as the very best science should be, is totally transparent.
Temperature trends at a) all land-based weather stations and b) only rural stations. Both show a similar warming trend.
While the scientific peer review process is not yet complete, the astrophysicist in charge of the program, Richard Muller, has decided to pre-release the papers before publication, in order to get the broadest possible range of feedback.
It just goes to show – you can’t argue with the scientific method. You must test your hypotheses and act based on the outcomes. Greenpeace prides ourselves on basing our campaigns on the very best scientific and economic research, as well as honesty and integrity. After all – in climate politics as in our personal lives – those who are honest will be respected and supported in the long run.
--
You are reading Greenpeace’s Climate Rescue blog. This blog aims to demonstrate the progress made by the ever-growing movement of thousands of organizations who are working to create political change on climate change.
* Tweet the facts: an Energy [R]evolution is not just possible, it’s already happening.
* Greenpeace is proudly a part of the TckTckTck coalition.
In an amusing turn of events today, a scientific study funded largely by climate skeptics has shown that the established scientific consensus on climate change is, in fact, correct.
It comes as no surprise to Greenpeace that the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) programme has found that the world is – wait for it – rapidly warming. The study puts them in agreement with what top climate-science institutions NASA and NOAA, and the University of East Anglia in the UK, have been saying for decades.
The programme – which was largely funded our favourite ‘1%’ oil billionaires the Koch Brothers – intentionally assembled a group of scientists from a range of positions on climate change, including many who had never worked on the issue before. This way, the scientific group could not be ‘biased’ towards reinforcing the existing consensus. The group also uses a new data-analysis methodology which is not only reliant on the small number of weather stations that have been able to provide consistent data over the long term.
The 39,028 weather stations which were used in the BEST study. The black spots are considered 'rural' and blue spots are 'urban'.
The deniers were hoping that this study would prove the oft-repeated, untrue, and misleading climate-denier claim: that the higher average temperatures observed worldwide have been caused by an over-reliance of readings based in cities, which suffer from the ‘urban heat island’ effect.
The story has been covered in The Economist, The Guardian, the BBC and the Washington Post, among many others.
Now let’s spread it through social media: please ‘like’ and share this post and news articles with your friends – especially anyone who is confused about the science.
Now that the scientific report deniers were once so eagerly anticipating has been publicly released, climate deniers are now desperately attacking the methodology – which, as the very best science should be, is totally transparent.
Temperature trends at a) all land-based weather stations and b) only rural stations. Both show a similar warming trend.
While the scientific peer review process is not yet complete, the astrophysicist in charge of the program, Richard Muller, has decided to pre-release the papers before publication, in order to get the broadest possible range of feedback.
It just goes to show – you can’t argue with the scientific method. You must test your hypotheses and act based on the outcomes. Greenpeace prides ourselves on basing our campaigns on the very best scientific and economic research, as well as honesty and integrity. After all – in climate politics as in our personal lives – those who are honest will be respected and supported in the long run.
--
You are reading Greenpeace’s Climate Rescue blog. This blog aims to demonstrate the progress made by the ever-growing movement of thousands of organizations who are working to create political change on climate change.
* Tweet the facts: an Energy [R]evolution is not just possible, it’s already happening.
* Greenpeace is proudly a part of the TckTckTck coalition.
प्राइवेट सेक्टर में रिश्वतखोरी होगी अपराध: प्रधानमंत्री-21 Oct 2011
प्राइवेट सेक्टर में रिश्वतखोरी होगी अपराध: प्रधानमंत्री
21 Oct 2011, 1735 hrs IST,एजेंसियां
विशेष संवाददाता ।। नई दिल्ली
प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने बडे़ कॉरपोरेट घरानों के घोटालों में शामिल होने पर चिंता जताई है। इसी को ध्यान में रखते हुए शुक्रवार को उन्होंने ऐलान किया कि सरकार कानून बनाकर प्राइवेट सेक्टर में रिश्वतखोरी को दंडनीय अपराध घोषित करने पर विचार कर रही है। प्रधानमंत्री शुक्रवार को सीबीआई और राज्यों के एंटी करप्शन ब्यूरो के सम्मेलन को संबोधित कर रहे थे। इस मौके पर उन्होंने लोकपाल विधेयक सहित कई प्रमुख मुद्दों पर खुलकर बात की।
मनमोहन ने कहा कि हमने भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ संयुक्त राष्ट्र संधि पर हस्ताक्षर किए हैं। इस संधि की शर्तें पूरी करने के लिए हमें कुछ उपाय करने होंगे। इनमें भ्रष्टाचार रोकने के लिए बनाए गए कानूनों में बदलाव भी शामिल है। संधि की जरूरतों को पूरा करने के लिए हमने संसद में विधेयक भी पेश किया है। इसकी मदद से हम विदेशी सरकारी अधिकारियों की रिश्वतखोरी को दंडनीय अपराध घोषित कर सकेंगे। निजी क्षेत्र की रिश्वतखोरी को भी दंडनीय अपराध के दायरे में लाने के लिए हम कानून में बदलाव पर विचार कर रहे हैं।
अफसरों पर लगेगी लगाम
प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा, सरकारी अफसरों के विशेषाधिकारों को कम करने के उपाय तलाशें जा रहे हैं। सार्वजनिक खरीद कानून की भी समीक्षा की जा रही है ताकि हर साल होने वाले हजारों करोड़ के सरकारी ठेकों की आवंटन प्रक्रिया से जुड़ी गड़बड़ी को कम किया जा सके।
जांच और मुकदमों में आए तेजी
प्रधानमंत्री ने सीबीआई अफसरों से कहा कि जो लोग भ्रष्टाचार में लिप्त हैं उन्हें यह अहसास दिलाना होगा कि वे कानून से बच नहीं सकते। देर-सबेर उन्हें उनकी गलती की सजा जरूर मिलेगी। उन्होंने कहा कि भ्रष्टाचार के मामलों की जांच अच्छी तरह से और तेजी से होनी चाहिए। जांच के बाद ऐसे मामलों में मुकदमा भी तेजी से ही चलाया जाना चाहिए ताकि दोषियों को सजा मिल सके। सिंह ने कहा कि सरकार ने तय किया है कि यदि कोई अधिकारी जांच के लिए अनुमति देने से इनकार करता है तो उसे इस इनकार की वजह अपने से ऊंचे अधिकारी को बतानी होगी।
सीबीआई की अहमियत कायम रहेगी
लोकपाल विधेयक का जिक्र करते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि हमें उम्मीद है कि आने वाले दिनों में एक मजबूत और प्रभावी लोकपाल का गठन हो जाएगा। साथ ही यह भी कहा कि लोकपाल का स्वरूप कुछ भी हो पर हमारी प्रमुख जांच एजेंसी (सीबीआई) की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका जारी रहेगी।
पारदर्शिता अजेंडे में सबसे ऊपर
अन्ना हजारे के आंदोलन का जिक्र करते हुए मनमोहन सिंह ने कहा कि लोकपाल के गठन को लेकर पिछले दिनों हुए आंदोलन ने सार्वजनिक जीवन में पारदर्शिता के मुद्दे को हमारी राष्ट्रीय प्राथमिकताओं के अजेंडे में सबसे ऊपर ला दिया है। उन्होंने कहा मुझे लगता है कि मुद्दा समाज और राजनीति में संतुलन लाएगा और देश का भला करेगा।
इससे पहले सीबीआई के निदेशक ए.पी. सिंह ने सीबीआई को और अधिकार दिए जाने की मांग की। उन्होंने सीबीआई को लोकपाल के दायरे में लाने का भी विरोध किया।
21 Oct 2011, 1735 hrs IST,एजेंसियां
विशेष संवाददाता ।। नई दिल्ली
प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने बडे़ कॉरपोरेट घरानों के घोटालों में शामिल होने पर चिंता जताई है। इसी को ध्यान में रखते हुए शुक्रवार को उन्होंने ऐलान किया कि सरकार कानून बनाकर प्राइवेट सेक्टर में रिश्वतखोरी को दंडनीय अपराध घोषित करने पर विचार कर रही है। प्रधानमंत्री शुक्रवार को सीबीआई और राज्यों के एंटी करप्शन ब्यूरो के सम्मेलन को संबोधित कर रहे थे। इस मौके पर उन्होंने लोकपाल विधेयक सहित कई प्रमुख मुद्दों पर खुलकर बात की।
मनमोहन ने कहा कि हमने भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ संयुक्त राष्ट्र संधि पर हस्ताक्षर किए हैं। इस संधि की शर्तें पूरी करने के लिए हमें कुछ उपाय करने होंगे। इनमें भ्रष्टाचार रोकने के लिए बनाए गए कानूनों में बदलाव भी शामिल है। संधि की जरूरतों को पूरा करने के लिए हमने संसद में विधेयक भी पेश किया है। इसकी मदद से हम विदेशी सरकारी अधिकारियों की रिश्वतखोरी को दंडनीय अपराध घोषित कर सकेंगे। निजी क्षेत्र की रिश्वतखोरी को भी दंडनीय अपराध के दायरे में लाने के लिए हम कानून में बदलाव पर विचार कर रहे हैं।
अफसरों पर लगेगी लगाम
प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा, सरकारी अफसरों के विशेषाधिकारों को कम करने के उपाय तलाशें जा रहे हैं। सार्वजनिक खरीद कानून की भी समीक्षा की जा रही है ताकि हर साल होने वाले हजारों करोड़ के सरकारी ठेकों की आवंटन प्रक्रिया से जुड़ी गड़बड़ी को कम किया जा सके।
जांच और मुकदमों में आए तेजी
प्रधानमंत्री ने सीबीआई अफसरों से कहा कि जो लोग भ्रष्टाचार में लिप्त हैं उन्हें यह अहसास दिलाना होगा कि वे कानून से बच नहीं सकते। देर-सबेर उन्हें उनकी गलती की सजा जरूर मिलेगी। उन्होंने कहा कि भ्रष्टाचार के मामलों की जांच अच्छी तरह से और तेजी से होनी चाहिए। जांच के बाद ऐसे मामलों में मुकदमा भी तेजी से ही चलाया जाना चाहिए ताकि दोषियों को सजा मिल सके। सिंह ने कहा कि सरकार ने तय किया है कि यदि कोई अधिकारी जांच के लिए अनुमति देने से इनकार करता है तो उसे इस इनकार की वजह अपने से ऊंचे अधिकारी को बतानी होगी।
सीबीआई की अहमियत कायम रहेगी
लोकपाल विधेयक का जिक्र करते हुए उन्होंने कहा कि हमें उम्मीद है कि आने वाले दिनों में एक मजबूत और प्रभावी लोकपाल का गठन हो जाएगा। साथ ही यह भी कहा कि लोकपाल का स्वरूप कुछ भी हो पर हमारी प्रमुख जांच एजेंसी (सीबीआई) की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका जारी रहेगी।
पारदर्शिता अजेंडे में सबसे ऊपर
अन्ना हजारे के आंदोलन का जिक्र करते हुए मनमोहन सिंह ने कहा कि लोकपाल के गठन को लेकर पिछले दिनों हुए आंदोलन ने सार्वजनिक जीवन में पारदर्शिता के मुद्दे को हमारी राष्ट्रीय प्राथमिकताओं के अजेंडे में सबसे ऊपर ला दिया है। उन्होंने कहा मुझे लगता है कि मुद्दा समाज और राजनीति में संतुलन लाएगा और देश का भला करेगा।
इससे पहले सीबीआई के निदेशक ए.पी. सिंह ने सीबीआई को और अधिकार दिए जाने की मांग की। उन्होंने सीबीआई को लोकपाल के दायरे में लाने का भी विरोध किया।
Curbing corruption top national priority: Manmohan-admitted that the agitation for establishing a Lokpal has brought the issue of cleaning up country
Curbing corruption top national priority: Manmohan
Vinay Kumar
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presents the President's Police Medals for Distinguished Services to N.Surendran, DSP, SCB, Chennai at the 18th biennial conference of CBI and State Anti Corruption Bureaux in New Delhi on Friday CBI Director A.P.Singh looks on.
The HIndu Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presents the President's Police Medals for Distinguished Services to N.Surendran, DSP, SCB, Chennai at the 18th biennial conference of CBI and State Anti Corruption Bureaux in New Delhi on Friday CBI Director A.P.Singh looks on.
As anti-corruption crusade in the country continues, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday admitted that the agitation for establishing a Lokpal has brought the issue of cleaning up the country’s public life ``right at the top of the agenda of our national priorities.’’
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to expeditiously move forward on a comprehensive agenda of executive, legal and technology reforms to curb corruption and deliver good governance, Dr. Singh said the government was considering changing the laws to criminalize private sector bribery. ``We have introduced a Bill in Parliament to make bribery of foreign public officials an offence. Another Bill has been introduced in Parliament to provide protection to whistleblowers. The Judicial Standards and Accountability bill has also been introduced in Parliament,’’ he said.
Delivering the inaugural address at the 18th Biennial Conference of the CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaux, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that a strong and effective Lokpal would be established in the coming months. ``Whatever be the structure and functions of the Lokpal when it is established, the CBI as our premier investigating agency will continue to play a very important role in our efforts for ensuring probity in our public life,’’ he told the delegates.
Pointing out that the churning over the issue of cleaning up the public life which the society and the polity were witnessing today was good for the country, he said it was also marked by sharp differences of opinions and ardent advocacy of particular causes. ``Today, the tasks of ensuring transparency and accountability in the work of public authorities and of building effective mechanisms for punishing those who indulge in corrupt practices and protecting those who seek to expose wrongdoings have acquired an urgency as never before. I believe that we as a nation should seize this moment,’’ he said.
The Prime Minister asserted that the country should not and cannot afford to tolerate a malaise that ``hurts our economic growth, harms our polity, alienates our people, breeds an amount of cynicism, lowers our image internationally and is particularly harsh on the poor.’’ He said the Right to Information Act that was enforced six years ago remained a ``potent tool in ensuring transparency and accountability in our public life.’’ He emphasised that public authorities should voluntarily place as much information in the public domain to inform the people.
Dwelling upon the government’s recent anti-corruption initiatives, Dr. Singh said that India ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in June 2011. ``This will strengthen our anti-corruption efforts and facilitate international cooperation in trans-border cases of corruption. To meet the requirements of the Convention, we have introduced a Bill in Parliament to make bribery of foreign public officials an offence,’’ he said.
The Prime Minister said the government had recently decided in-principle to prescribe a three-month deadline for deciding on request of investigating agencies for granting sanction for prosecution of public servants. ``In fact, this deadline would also apply to requests for permission for investigation by the CBI. We have also decided that if an authority refuses to grant permission for investigation or sanction for prosecution, the reasons for such denial would have to be informed to the next higher authority. Delay in the trial of cases remains an area of serious public concern,’’ he said.
To reduce pendency of CBI cases under trial, Dr. Singh said the government has decided to set up a committee under a retired Supreme Court judge to review cases pending trial, which were more than 10 years old and suggest ways for their speedy disposal. He said the government had already sanctioned 71 Special Courts for CBI to fast track trial of cases chargesheeted by the CBI.
Though the Prime Minister recounted the anti-corruption steps taken by the government, he admitted that whatever ``we might do to minimise the opportunities for corruption, the sad reality is that we cannot build a totally fool-proof system.’’ He said there would always be some instances of corrupt practices in the work of public authorities. ``And, therefore, there is a need for speedy and thorough investigation into allegations of such wrong doings, followed by expeditious prosecution to bring the guilty to book,’’ he told the conference.
While lauding CBI’s standards and benchmarks for investigation which other agencies follow, Dr. Singh had a word of advice to the premier investigation agency. ``Premature publicity given to cases under investigation can harm the cause of justice. We must also not forget the distinction between a deliberate attempt at wrongdoing and honest mistakes, sometimes inevitable in decision-making processes under conditions of uncertainty,’’ he said.
Vinay Kumar
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presents the President's Police Medals for Distinguished Services to N.Surendran, DSP, SCB, Chennai at the 18th biennial conference of CBI and State Anti Corruption Bureaux in New Delhi on Friday CBI Director A.P.Singh looks on.
The HIndu Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presents the President's Police Medals for Distinguished Services to N.Surendran, DSP, SCB, Chennai at the 18th biennial conference of CBI and State Anti Corruption Bureaux in New Delhi on Friday CBI Director A.P.Singh looks on.
As anti-corruption crusade in the country continues, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday admitted that the agitation for establishing a Lokpal has brought the issue of cleaning up the country’s public life ``right at the top of the agenda of our national priorities.’’
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to expeditiously move forward on a comprehensive agenda of executive, legal and technology reforms to curb corruption and deliver good governance, Dr. Singh said the government was considering changing the laws to criminalize private sector bribery. ``We have introduced a Bill in Parliament to make bribery of foreign public officials an offence. Another Bill has been introduced in Parliament to provide protection to whistleblowers. The Judicial Standards and Accountability bill has also been introduced in Parliament,’’ he said.
Delivering the inaugural address at the 18th Biennial Conference of the CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaux, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that a strong and effective Lokpal would be established in the coming months. ``Whatever be the structure and functions of the Lokpal when it is established, the CBI as our premier investigating agency will continue to play a very important role in our efforts for ensuring probity in our public life,’’ he told the delegates.
Pointing out that the churning over the issue of cleaning up the public life which the society and the polity were witnessing today was good for the country, he said it was also marked by sharp differences of opinions and ardent advocacy of particular causes. ``Today, the tasks of ensuring transparency and accountability in the work of public authorities and of building effective mechanisms for punishing those who indulge in corrupt practices and protecting those who seek to expose wrongdoings have acquired an urgency as never before. I believe that we as a nation should seize this moment,’’ he said.
The Prime Minister asserted that the country should not and cannot afford to tolerate a malaise that ``hurts our economic growth, harms our polity, alienates our people, breeds an amount of cynicism, lowers our image internationally and is particularly harsh on the poor.’’ He said the Right to Information Act that was enforced six years ago remained a ``potent tool in ensuring transparency and accountability in our public life.’’ He emphasised that public authorities should voluntarily place as much information in the public domain to inform the people.
Dwelling upon the government’s recent anti-corruption initiatives, Dr. Singh said that India ratified the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in June 2011. ``This will strengthen our anti-corruption efforts and facilitate international cooperation in trans-border cases of corruption. To meet the requirements of the Convention, we have introduced a Bill in Parliament to make bribery of foreign public officials an offence,’’ he said.
The Prime Minister said the government had recently decided in-principle to prescribe a three-month deadline for deciding on request of investigating agencies for granting sanction for prosecution of public servants. ``In fact, this deadline would also apply to requests for permission for investigation by the CBI. We have also decided that if an authority refuses to grant permission for investigation or sanction for prosecution, the reasons for such denial would have to be informed to the next higher authority. Delay in the trial of cases remains an area of serious public concern,’’ he said.
To reduce pendency of CBI cases under trial, Dr. Singh said the government has decided to set up a committee under a retired Supreme Court judge to review cases pending trial, which were more than 10 years old and suggest ways for their speedy disposal. He said the government had already sanctioned 71 Special Courts for CBI to fast track trial of cases chargesheeted by the CBI.
Though the Prime Minister recounted the anti-corruption steps taken by the government, he admitted that whatever ``we might do to minimise the opportunities for corruption, the sad reality is that we cannot build a totally fool-proof system.’’ He said there would always be some instances of corrupt practices in the work of public authorities. ``And, therefore, there is a need for speedy and thorough investigation into allegations of such wrong doings, followed by expeditious prosecution to bring the guilty to book,’’ he told the conference.
While lauding CBI’s standards and benchmarks for investigation which other agencies follow, Dr. Singh had a word of advice to the premier investigation agency. ``Premature publicity given to cases under investigation can harm the cause of justice. We must also not forget the distinction between a deliberate attempt at wrongdoing and honest mistakes, sometimes inevitable in decision-making processes under conditions of uncertainty,’’ he said.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
CAG not exceeding jurisdiction:because basic responsibility of the CAG is to identify, if there is any, lapse- Pranab-Oct 19, 2011
CAG not exceeding jurisdiction: Pranab
PTI | Oct 19, 2011, 02.16PM IST
NEW DELHI: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today backed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the context of reports on various scams, saying the government auditor has not exceeded his jurisdiction.
"I am making it clear that I do not think that CAG is exceeding its jurisdiction or things like that, because basic responsibility of the CAG is to identify, if there is any, lapse," he said during a question-answer session at the Economic Editors conference here.
The statement is significant in view of the attacks from some quarters in the government criticising the CAG for exceeding its mandate. CAG's reports on 2G spectrum allocation and Commonwealth Games had evoked sharp reaction from the government functionaries.
"So far as the role of the CAG is concerned, it is a constitutional role. As far as my knowledge about the functioning of the CAG is concerned, the job of CAG is only to find out financial irregularities...in context of rules,laws and regulations as laid down by the government," Mukherjee said.
He further said, "If out of 100, in 98 cases government has done the correct things, they will ignore it. They just pick up only those two things where some irregularities have taken place".
However, he added that it is for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to examine whether the "actual losses has taken place or whether it is a notional loss".
A CAG report, Mukherjee said, "is not automatically accepted by Parliament. PAC examines it; they submit a report; and then if the report is accepted by Parliament, action takes place."
PTI | Oct 19, 2011, 02.16PM IST
NEW DELHI: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today backed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in the context of reports on various scams, saying the government auditor has not exceeded his jurisdiction.
"I am making it clear that I do not think that CAG is exceeding its jurisdiction or things like that, because basic responsibility of the CAG is to identify, if there is any, lapse," he said during a question-answer session at the Economic Editors conference here.
The statement is significant in view of the attacks from some quarters in the government criticising the CAG for exceeding its mandate. CAG's reports on 2G spectrum allocation and Commonwealth Games had evoked sharp reaction from the government functionaries.
"So far as the role of the CAG is concerned, it is a constitutional role. As far as my knowledge about the functioning of the CAG is concerned, the job of CAG is only to find out financial irregularities...in context of rules,laws and regulations as laid down by the government," Mukherjee said.
He further said, "If out of 100, in 98 cases government has done the correct things, they will ignore it. They just pick up only those two things where some irregularities have taken place".
However, he added that it is for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to examine whether the "actual losses has taken place or whether it is a notional loss".
A CAG report, Mukherjee said, "is not automatically accepted by Parliament. PAC examines it; they submit a report; and then if the report is accepted by Parliament, action takes place."
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
We demand change, cry Manipur youth-It's hard to see anything positive coming out of more then the 60-day economic blockade in Manipur.
We demand change, cry Manipur youth
6 October 2011 - 11:02am
By Azera Rahman, IANS,
Imphal: It's hard to see anything positive coming out of the 60-day economic blockade in Manipur. But the blockade and counter blockade by two communities have actually led to a new wave of consciousness in this northeastern state with people, particularly youngsters, getting together and demanding a change in the present state of affairs.
With assembly elections due next year, many people are networking online and off it too to organise themselves and be the arbiters of their own "destiny" in the Congress-led state wracked by unrest.
Anguished by the poor state of affairs in his home state, Bimol Akoijam has started an online campaign on the social networking site Facebook titled 'People's Campaign for Assembly Election 2012: Deciding Our Destiny'.
"It's time we act in order to have a life with dignity and well-being. The right to choose our political leadership is the basis for the change that we are seeking. The aim is to make the political class accountable for the mess and decadence that we are in today," Akoijam wrote on his Facebook page.
The economic blockade called by the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) Aug 1 and a counter blockade called later by the United Naga Council have crippled normal life in Manipur, making prices of household commodities soar and resulting in acute scarcities, including of life-saving drugs.
Among the various activities planned is one on Oct 18 that aims to bring together all those who have moved out of the state for education, employment or other purposes and take their help in spreading awareness about the upcoming assembly elections and urge people to vote for the right candidate and make it an "issue-based election".
The meet, which is to take place in different cities across the country, has found many takers.
Yet another online group, 'Debate on Economic Blockade in Manipur' has scores of followers voicing their opinion.
"The economic blockade is happening because some people have political authority over their tribe, but even their own tribe people condemn this (blockade). Majority of people- whatever be their tribe- are suffering because of this," wrote Achilles Vaiphei.
"The people of Manipur have been taken for a ride for far too long," said Sharmila Singha, a homemaker from one of the worst affected districts, Chandel. "Because of the interest of a handful of people, the entire state is in doldrums. And all the while the government has not been able to do anything about it."
The main bone of contention in the logjam is the demand by the SHDDC for a separate Sadar Hills district, which is strictly opposed by some other sects as the area also includes some ethnic-Naga settled areas.
So, as the clashing communities remain firm on their demands, the rest of the state looks on helplessly and pays a heavy price.
Therefore, even as people in other states protest the rise of petrol prices to Rs.67 per litre, in Manipur it is being sold at around Rs.200 in the black market. An LPG cylinder can cost anywhere between Rs.1,800-2,000.
"We have gone back to using firewood for cooking. How can anyone afford a cylinder at such prices? Whatever be the issue, it's always...always the common man who suffers," said a bitter Priyanka Yumnam, a homemaker.
Madhu Chandra, who hails from Manipur and is the spokesperson of the Northeast Support Centre in Delhi, told IANS: "There is a feeling that there is a dearth of things in the state, but these are available in the black market for those who can afford the high prices...the blockade has therefore unleashed corruption in a big way."
Mandira Singha, a 20-year-old who lost her father to the blockade because of lack of life-saving drugs, added: "There is government apathy towards our condition. It's been 60 days and nothing has been done by the centre. Why? Had this happened anywhere else in the country would the reaction have been the same?"
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)
6 October 2011 - 11:02am
By Azera Rahman, IANS,
Imphal: It's hard to see anything positive coming out of the 60-day economic blockade in Manipur. But the blockade and counter blockade by two communities have actually led to a new wave of consciousness in this northeastern state with people, particularly youngsters, getting together and demanding a change in the present state of affairs.
With assembly elections due next year, many people are networking online and off it too to organise themselves and be the arbiters of their own "destiny" in the Congress-led state wracked by unrest.
Anguished by the poor state of affairs in his home state, Bimol Akoijam has started an online campaign on the social networking site Facebook titled 'People's Campaign for Assembly Election 2012: Deciding Our Destiny'.
"It's time we act in order to have a life with dignity and well-being. The right to choose our political leadership is the basis for the change that we are seeking. The aim is to make the political class accountable for the mess and decadence that we are in today," Akoijam wrote on his Facebook page.
The economic blockade called by the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) Aug 1 and a counter blockade called later by the United Naga Council have crippled normal life in Manipur, making prices of household commodities soar and resulting in acute scarcities, including of life-saving drugs.
Among the various activities planned is one on Oct 18 that aims to bring together all those who have moved out of the state for education, employment or other purposes and take their help in spreading awareness about the upcoming assembly elections and urge people to vote for the right candidate and make it an "issue-based election".
The meet, which is to take place in different cities across the country, has found many takers.
Yet another online group, 'Debate on Economic Blockade in Manipur' has scores of followers voicing their opinion.
"The economic blockade is happening because some people have political authority over their tribe, but even their own tribe people condemn this (blockade). Majority of people- whatever be their tribe- are suffering because of this," wrote Achilles Vaiphei.
"The people of Manipur have been taken for a ride for far too long," said Sharmila Singha, a homemaker from one of the worst affected districts, Chandel. "Because of the interest of a handful of people, the entire state is in doldrums. And all the while the government has not been able to do anything about it."
The main bone of contention in the logjam is the demand by the SHDDC for a separate Sadar Hills district, which is strictly opposed by some other sects as the area also includes some ethnic-Naga settled areas.
So, as the clashing communities remain firm on their demands, the rest of the state looks on helplessly and pays a heavy price.
Therefore, even as people in other states protest the rise of petrol prices to Rs.67 per litre, in Manipur it is being sold at around Rs.200 in the black market. An LPG cylinder can cost anywhere between Rs.1,800-2,000.
"We have gone back to using firewood for cooking. How can anyone afford a cylinder at such prices? Whatever be the issue, it's always...always the common man who suffers," said a bitter Priyanka Yumnam, a homemaker.
Madhu Chandra, who hails from Manipur and is the spokesperson of the Northeast Support Centre in Delhi, told IANS: "There is a feeling that there is a dearth of things in the state, but these are available in the black market for those who can afford the high prices...the blockade has therefore unleashed corruption in a big way."
Mandira Singha, a 20-year-old who lost her father to the blockade because of lack of life-saving drugs, added: "There is government apathy towards our condition. It's been 60 days and nothing has been done by the centre. Why? Had this happened anywhere else in the country would the reaction have been the same?"
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.rahman@gmail.com)
The sports ministry has altered 14 clauses in the sports bill, including the 'whereabouts' clause.National Sports Development Bill:18/10/11
National Sports Development Bill: Government bows to BCCI
Sports minister Ajay Maken
The sports ministry has altered 14 clauses in the sports bill, including the 'whereabouts' clause.
RELATEDS
Ministry must focus on athletes not the bill
Ajay Maken brings out revised Sports Bill
Sports minister Ajay Maken has toned down some contentious points in draft of the National Sports Development Bill, apparent that the Indian board has managed to force partial submission.
Although the ministry has stuck to its the caps on age and tenures for sports administrators are concerned, it has made 14 revised version of the bill, including cricketers from some of the World Agency (WADA) norms, like the 'whereabouts' clause.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had strong reservations against revealing its financial transactions through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and against the 'whereabouts' clause. "Keeping in mind the BCCI's objections, we have decided to exempt cricketers from some anti-doping norms. The ICC (International Cricket Council) does not follow some WADA norms and, in these cases, the rules of the international federation, in this case the ICC, will prevail over the WADA code," Maken said on Monday.
The ICC had refused to abide by WADA's 'whereabouts' clause, especially after Indian cricketers raised objections in providing details about their availability for dope tests in advance.
According to section 15(1), the applicability of those provisions of WADA/ NADA would be excluded to which the international federations do not conform.
"It is not that the WADA code will not apply to cricketers, but in those cases where there is conflict, the ICC rules will prevail," Maken noted.
While top Olympic and world champions have to abide by all of WADA's norms, the ministry has given concession to the Indian cricketers, giving a clear indication that the BCCI has forced the ministry to make changes in its favour. "They have brought some changes, let the legal committee of BCCI go through it then we will be responding to that," said BCCI office-bearer Rajiv Shukla.
Besides, an exclusion clause has also been inserted in the RTI Act, which will conceal some information like queries relating to selection, fitness and whereabouts of athletes and the appointment of their coaches and trainers.
"The information related to the health of the players has been kept out of the purview of RTI queries because it may give advantage to the opponents of the athletes as they can seek information about their training, fitness etc. The financial and administrative matters, however, will be kept under the RTI," Maken said.
The ministry has also done away with the National Sports Develop- ment Council and Ombudsman to accommodate the Indian court of arbitration for sports by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the other duties of the two bodies will be allocated to Appellate Sports Tribunal.
THE government has sent the revised bill to all the National Sports Federations and the IOA, and has sought suggestions from them within 14 days.
"Efforts have been made to streamline the bill while retaining basic principles of transparency, good governance and decontrol from the government. Serious consideration has been given to remove the perception that the ministry was seeking to directly interfere in sports. I am hopeful that the revised bill will get the Cabinet's approval," said Maken.
Another interesting aspect in the reworked bill is that it has eliminated the annual recognition for the federations, who would be allowed to get a one- time registration from the government.
A provision of deemed registration has been drafted in to avoid duplicity of work. A certificate of registration, once issued, would continue to be in force until the time such a registration is suspended or cancelled by the Appellate Sports Tribunal.
Further, to secure the autonomy of sports bodies, the provision, requiring the approval of the government for the formulation of a Long Term Development Plan and the appointment of a government observer to monitor its adherence has been abolished.
The Bill was earlier rejected by the Cabinet after most of the ministers in the meeting refused to give their nod to the bill. The most contentious issues were the age (70 years) and tenure caps for sports bosses and, that has still not been excluded.
Sports minister Ajay Maken
The sports ministry has altered 14 clauses in the sports bill, including the 'whereabouts' clause.
RELATEDS
Ministry must focus on athletes not the bill
Ajay Maken brings out revised Sports Bill
Sports minister Ajay Maken has toned down some contentious points in draft of the National Sports Development Bill, apparent that the Indian board has managed to force partial submission.
Although the ministry has stuck to its the caps on age and tenures for sports administrators are concerned, it has made 14 revised version of the bill, including cricketers from some of the World Agency (WADA) norms, like the 'whereabouts' clause.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had strong reservations against revealing its financial transactions through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and against the 'whereabouts' clause. "Keeping in mind the BCCI's objections, we have decided to exempt cricketers from some anti-doping norms. The ICC (International Cricket Council) does not follow some WADA norms and, in these cases, the rules of the international federation, in this case the ICC, will prevail over the WADA code," Maken said on Monday.
The ICC had refused to abide by WADA's 'whereabouts' clause, especially after Indian cricketers raised objections in providing details about their availability for dope tests in advance.
According to section 15(1), the applicability of those provisions of WADA/ NADA would be excluded to which the international federations do not conform.
"It is not that the WADA code will not apply to cricketers, but in those cases where there is conflict, the ICC rules will prevail," Maken noted.
While top Olympic and world champions have to abide by all of WADA's norms, the ministry has given concession to the Indian cricketers, giving a clear indication that the BCCI has forced the ministry to make changes in its favour. "They have brought some changes, let the legal committee of BCCI go through it then we will be responding to that," said BCCI office-bearer Rajiv Shukla.
Besides, an exclusion clause has also been inserted in the RTI Act, which will conceal some information like queries relating to selection, fitness and whereabouts of athletes and the appointment of their coaches and trainers.
"The information related to the health of the players has been kept out of the purview of RTI queries because it may give advantage to the opponents of the athletes as they can seek information about their training, fitness etc. The financial and administrative matters, however, will be kept under the RTI," Maken said.
The ministry has also done away with the National Sports Develop- ment Council and Ombudsman to accommodate the Indian court of arbitration for sports by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the other duties of the two bodies will be allocated to Appellate Sports Tribunal.
THE government has sent the revised bill to all the National Sports Federations and the IOA, and has sought suggestions from them within 14 days.
"Efforts have been made to streamline the bill while retaining basic principles of transparency, good governance and decontrol from the government. Serious consideration has been given to remove the perception that the ministry was seeking to directly interfere in sports. I am hopeful that the revised bill will get the Cabinet's approval," said Maken.
Another interesting aspect in the reworked bill is that it has eliminated the annual recognition for the federations, who would be allowed to get a one- time registration from the government.
A provision of deemed registration has been drafted in to avoid duplicity of work. A certificate of registration, once issued, would continue to be in force until the time such a registration is suspended or cancelled by the Appellate Sports Tribunal.
Further, to secure the autonomy of sports bodies, the provision, requiring the approval of the government for the formulation of a Long Term Development Plan and the appointment of a government observer to monitor its adherence has been abolished.
The Bill was earlier rejected by the Cabinet after most of the ministers in the meeting refused to give their nod to the bill. The most contentious issues were the age (70 years) and tenure caps for sports bosses and, that has still not been excluded.
Monday, October 17, 2011
राइट टु रिकॉल पर अन्ना के साथ आए नीतीश-यह जेपी के आंदोलन की उपज है। उन्होंने जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने के अधिकार की मांग सबसे पहले रखी 17 Oct 2011
राइट टु रिकॉल पर अन्ना के साथ आए नीतीश/(RIGHT TO REJECT OR NAPASANDI WILL BE MORE FEASIBLE OPTION!!!...WE DO HAVE EXAMPLES OF PRESENT TIME MANY SMALLER STATES AND ITS COALITION GOVERNMENT WHICH WERE FORMED POST J.P.MOVEMENT BUT SITUATIONS HAS LITTLE CHANGED NOW.EVEN JANTA PARTY GOVERNMENT THEN DIDN'T WORK FOR LONG.TODAY EVEN 1 OR 2 SEATS MATTERS AND LACK OF SUPPORT OF THEM FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE CAN MAKE GOVERNMENT FALL OR CAN DISTABLISE IT...SO THIS TOPIC DO NEED DEEP THOUGHT(SPECIALLY IN STATES LIKE GOA,NORTHEASTERN,PONDICHERY WHICH HAS LESS SEATS IN ASSEMBLY...ETC).
EVEN ANTI-DEFCTION LAW WAS MADE AND AMENDED BECAUSE OF IT.SUDHIRJI'S CARTOON WAS QUITE FAMOUS AND APT THEN "DEPICTING A MOUSE EATING CONSTITUTION",...SO WE DON'T LET ANY MOUSE EAT THE CONSTITUTION AND SHOULD TAKE DECISION THOUGHTFULLY.
PERSONALLY I FEEL,ANY PERSON SHOULDN'T BE GIVEN TICKET FOR ELECTION,IF HE HAS ANY SERIOUS CHARGES ON THEM.IF SOMEHOW THEY GOT TICKET...THEY SHOULDN'T LET GOT TO WIN.AND STILL SOMEHOW THEY WIN OR LATER ON DO GET INVOLVE IN ANY SERIOUS FINANCIAL CRIME/OTHER IRREGULARITIES/CRIMENAL ACTIVITIES ETC....SHE/HE MUST GET "RECALLED",AND MADE TO PASS SOME CRITIRIA/MAPPDAND/MANAAK AND MUST COME OUT CLEAN AS WELL TO GET ANOTHER CHANCE.SOME STRICT POINTS/CLAUSES/MEASURES SHOULD BE MADE TO NOT LET THEM GET CHANCE EASILY WITHOUT COMING OUT CLEAN...BUT DEFINITLY FAST TRACK TRIAL AND JUDGEMENT NEEDED HERE,SO THAT HERE THEIR CAREER SHOULDN'T GET END IN LATE 20'S OR EARLY 30'S!!...VT)
17 Oct 2011, 1813 hrs IST,पीटीआई
पटना।। टीम अन्ना के राइट टु रिकॉल की मांग का समर्थन करते हुए बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार ने कहा कि इससे लोकतंत्र मजबूत होगा। उन्होंने इसे लागू करने के लिए संविधान संशोधन करने का सुझाव दिया।
गौरतलब है कि एक दिन पहले ही मुख्य चुनाव आयुक्त एस. वाई. कुरैशी ने टीम अन्ना की मांग को खारिज करते हुए कहा था कि जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने और मतदान में प्रत्याशियों को खारिज करने के प्रावधान से देश में अस्थिरता आएगी।
पटना में मुख्यमंत्री आवास में आयोजित जनता दरबार के बाद नीतीश ने कहा कि सूचना के अधिकार कानून (आरटीआई) के साथ सेवा का अधिकार कानून को जोड़ दिए जाने से लोकतंत्र और अधिक मजबूत बनेगा। उन्होंने कहा कि सूचना का अधिकार कानून (आरटीआई) के दायरे को बढ़ाया जाना चाहिए और इसके प्रवाधानों को मजबूत किया जाना चाहिए।
मुख्यमंत्री ने यह भी कहा कि जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने के अधिकार की मांग लोकतंत्र को मजबूत करने वाली है, जिसके लिए विचार-विमर्श करके रास्ता निकाला जाना चाहिए। नीतीश ने कहा, 'यह जेपी के आंदोलन की उपज है। उन्होंने जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने के अधिकार की मांग सबसे पहले रखी थी, लेकिन इसके बाद जो सरकार बनी थी उसने भी उनकी इस मांग को पूरा नहीं किया।'
उन्होंने कहा कि वर्तमान में जो संवैधानिक व्यवस्था है उसके तहत इसका प्रावधान नहीं है, लेकिन इसके लिए रास्ता निकाला जाना चाहिए और अगर इस तरह की कोई गुंजाइश बनती है तो इसे लाया जाना चाहिए।
EVEN ANTI-DEFCTION LAW WAS MADE AND AMENDED BECAUSE OF IT.SUDHIRJI'S CARTOON WAS QUITE FAMOUS AND APT THEN "DEPICTING A MOUSE EATING CONSTITUTION",...SO WE DON'T LET ANY MOUSE EAT THE CONSTITUTION AND SHOULD TAKE DECISION THOUGHTFULLY.
PERSONALLY I FEEL,ANY PERSON SHOULDN'T BE GIVEN TICKET FOR ELECTION,IF HE HAS ANY SERIOUS CHARGES ON THEM.IF SOMEHOW THEY GOT TICKET...THEY SHOULDN'T LET GOT TO WIN.AND STILL SOMEHOW THEY WIN OR LATER ON DO GET INVOLVE IN ANY SERIOUS FINANCIAL CRIME/OTHER IRREGULARITIES/CRIMENAL ACTIVITIES ETC....SHE/HE MUST GET "RECALLED",AND MADE TO PASS SOME CRITIRIA/MAPPDAND/MANAAK AND MUST COME OUT CLEAN AS WELL TO GET ANOTHER CHANCE.SOME STRICT POINTS/CLAUSES/MEASURES SHOULD BE MADE TO NOT LET THEM GET CHANCE EASILY WITHOUT COMING OUT CLEAN...BUT DEFINITLY FAST TRACK TRIAL AND JUDGEMENT NEEDED HERE,SO THAT HERE THEIR CAREER SHOULDN'T GET END IN LATE 20'S OR EARLY 30'S!!...VT)
17 Oct 2011, 1813 hrs IST,पीटीआई
पटना।। टीम अन्ना के राइट टु रिकॉल की मांग का समर्थन करते हुए बिहार के मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार ने कहा कि इससे लोकतंत्र मजबूत होगा। उन्होंने इसे लागू करने के लिए संविधान संशोधन करने का सुझाव दिया।
गौरतलब है कि एक दिन पहले ही मुख्य चुनाव आयुक्त एस. वाई. कुरैशी ने टीम अन्ना की मांग को खारिज करते हुए कहा था कि जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने और मतदान में प्रत्याशियों को खारिज करने के प्रावधान से देश में अस्थिरता आएगी।
पटना में मुख्यमंत्री आवास में आयोजित जनता दरबार के बाद नीतीश ने कहा कि सूचना के अधिकार कानून (आरटीआई) के साथ सेवा का अधिकार कानून को जोड़ दिए जाने से लोकतंत्र और अधिक मजबूत बनेगा। उन्होंने कहा कि सूचना का अधिकार कानून (आरटीआई) के दायरे को बढ़ाया जाना चाहिए और इसके प्रवाधानों को मजबूत किया जाना चाहिए।
मुख्यमंत्री ने यह भी कहा कि जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने के अधिकार की मांग लोकतंत्र को मजबूत करने वाली है, जिसके लिए विचार-विमर्श करके रास्ता निकाला जाना चाहिए। नीतीश ने कहा, 'यह जेपी के आंदोलन की उपज है। उन्होंने जनप्रतिनिधियों को वापस बुलाने के अधिकार की मांग सबसे पहले रखी थी, लेकिन इसके बाद जो सरकार बनी थी उसने भी उनकी इस मांग को पूरा नहीं किया।'
उन्होंने कहा कि वर्तमान में जो संवैधानिक व्यवस्था है उसके तहत इसका प्रावधान नहीं है, लेकिन इसके लिए रास्ता निकाला जाना चाहिए और अगर इस तरह की कोई गुंजाइश बनती है तो इसे लाया जाना चाहिए।
J&K militancy down by 50 per cent: State police chief-Oct 17, 2011
J&K militancy down by 50 per cent: State police chief
PTI | Oct 17, 2011, 09.19PM IST
Indian Army jawans take position during a counter-militancy operation in Kashmir.
JAMMU: Pointing out that militancy in the state has come down by 50 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir police DGP Kuldeep Khoda today cautioned against complacency and said the work on the front was not yet over.
"We have been able to successfully control militancy this year. There is 50 per cent decrease in militancy this year as compared to the last," he told reporters here after inaugurating a 3-day police sports festival of Jammu-Kathua-Samba range.
"As compared to the last year, more self-styled commanders of different terror outfits have been neutralised," he said.
But security forces and Jammu and Kashmir police had to work further to stamp out militancy completely, Khoda said.
"We still have listed militants (operating in Jammu and Kashmir)," he said.
Regarding the cross-border infiltration, the DGP said, "There have been more infiltration attempts this year. These have been neutralised by security forces very effectively."
PTI | Oct 17, 2011, 09.19PM IST
Indian Army jawans take position during a counter-militancy operation in Kashmir.
JAMMU: Pointing out that militancy in the state has come down by 50 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir police DGP Kuldeep Khoda today cautioned against complacency and said the work on the front was not yet over.
"We have been able to successfully control militancy this year. There is 50 per cent decrease in militancy this year as compared to the last," he told reporters here after inaugurating a 3-day police sports festival of Jammu-Kathua-Samba range.
"As compared to the last year, more self-styled commanders of different terror outfits have been neutralised," he said.
But security forces and Jammu and Kashmir police had to work further to stamp out militancy completely, Khoda said.
"We still have listed militants (operating in Jammu and Kashmir)," he said.
Regarding the cross-border infiltration, the DGP said, "There have been more infiltration attempts this year. These have been neutralised by security forces very effectively."
Experts back India at climate change talks
Experts back India at climate change talks
Sunday, October 16, 2011, 16:19
Experts back India at climate change talks New Delhi: With India proposing the inclusion of some of neglected issues in the agenda of the UN climate change negotiations in Durban later this year, experts feel the country has taken a U-turn from its stand in Mexico 2010 and is following a better line.
The environment ministry, in a communique to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) earlier this week, pitched for taking into account concerns of developing nations that were "neglected and not properly addressed" during the Cancun, Mexico talks last year.
India wants to include three contentious issues -- on unilateral trade measures, intellectual property rights (IPR) and equitable access to sustainable development -- in the provisional agenda of the 17th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to be held in Durban, South Africa, Nov 29-Dec 10.
According to the ministry, India is also likely to take up these issues at the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, Indian and China) meeting scheduled in Beijing Oct 30-Nov 1.
Calling upon India to take a tough stand at the Durban talks, Prodipto Ghosh, former environment secretary, asks why the talks must always be driven by developed countries.
"The three important points raised by India were very much part of the text of the climate declarations during the talks in Bali, Copenhagen and Cancun, but they never figured as agenda during the past negotiations," India's former key negotiator told IANS.
Experts back India at climate change talks
Ghosh says issues of doing away with IPR for transfer of technology to developing countries and equal access to global atmospheric space are central to India's concern.
"This is the time when developing countries should make a strong pitch and pursue them vigorously. India should not, and I think, will not agree to adopt same measures as developed countries," said the senior fellow at The Energy Research Institute (TERI).
According to Ghosh, India, under the leadership of former environment minister Jairam Ramesh, had weakened its stand and that led the European Union (UK) to seek an outcome at Durban that is legally binding for all -- developed and developing nations.
Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has been talking tough ahead of the Durban talks, apparently giving a signal to developed countries.
"Countries should avoid using environment concerns to further their economic interests. One should not pass on green protectionism (deliberate use of environmental policy to discriminate against foreign commercial interests) in the name of green economy," she said.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) -- which last year criticised Ramesh's stand that all countries must take binding commitments under appropriate legal form to control their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) -- said India is taking a better line now.
"Ramesh's stand was a major departure in the 17-year climate talks, as India had thus far led developing countries in the stance that global warming was a problem caused by rich countries and it was up to rich countries to reduce their GHG emissions," Aditya Ghosh, senior coordinator (climate change) at CSE, told IANS.
Experts back India at climate change talks
"India is now taking a completely different stand from last year and, believe me, it is a better one. India, along with other developing countries, should be pushing for technology transfer, funding and a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol (only legal agreement that ensures emission cuts by developed countries)," he said.
Industrialised or developed countries have a historical responsibility to cut emissions, since they have been emitting for several years. The developing world, on the other hand, needs the right to develop. This is the key premise that differentiates the two blocs from each other.
IANS
Sunday, October 16, 2011, 16:19
Experts back India at climate change talks New Delhi: With India proposing the inclusion of some of neglected issues in the agenda of the UN climate change negotiations in Durban later this year, experts feel the country has taken a U-turn from its stand in Mexico 2010 and is following a better line.
The environment ministry, in a communique to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) earlier this week, pitched for taking into account concerns of developing nations that were "neglected and not properly addressed" during the Cancun, Mexico talks last year.
India wants to include three contentious issues -- on unilateral trade measures, intellectual property rights (IPR) and equitable access to sustainable development -- in the provisional agenda of the 17th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to be held in Durban, South Africa, Nov 29-Dec 10.
According to the ministry, India is also likely to take up these issues at the BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, Indian and China) meeting scheduled in Beijing Oct 30-Nov 1.
Calling upon India to take a tough stand at the Durban talks, Prodipto Ghosh, former environment secretary, asks why the talks must always be driven by developed countries.
"The three important points raised by India were very much part of the text of the climate declarations during the talks in Bali, Copenhagen and Cancun, but they never figured as agenda during the past negotiations," India's former key negotiator told IANS.
Experts back India at climate change talks
Ghosh says issues of doing away with IPR for transfer of technology to developing countries and equal access to global atmospheric space are central to India's concern.
"This is the time when developing countries should make a strong pitch and pursue them vigorously. India should not, and I think, will not agree to adopt same measures as developed countries," said the senior fellow at The Energy Research Institute (TERI).
According to Ghosh, India, under the leadership of former environment minister Jairam Ramesh, had weakened its stand and that led the European Union (UK) to seek an outcome at Durban that is legally binding for all -- developed and developing nations.
Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has been talking tough ahead of the Durban talks, apparently giving a signal to developed countries.
"Countries should avoid using environment concerns to further their economic interests. One should not pass on green protectionism (deliberate use of environmental policy to discriminate against foreign commercial interests) in the name of green economy," she said.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) -- which last year criticised Ramesh's stand that all countries must take binding commitments under appropriate legal form to control their emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) -- said India is taking a better line now.
"Ramesh's stand was a major departure in the 17-year climate talks, as India had thus far led developing countries in the stance that global warming was a problem caused by rich countries and it was up to rich countries to reduce their GHG emissions," Aditya Ghosh, senior coordinator (climate change) at CSE, told IANS.
Experts back India at climate change talks
"India is now taking a completely different stand from last year and, believe me, it is a better one. India, along with other developing countries, should be pushing for technology transfer, funding and a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol (only legal agreement that ensures emission cuts by developed countries)," he said.
Industrialised or developed countries have a historical responsibility to cut emissions, since they have been emitting for several years. The developing world, on the other hand, needs the right to develop. This is the key premise that differentiates the two blocs from each other.
IANS
India faced several socio-economic challenges n "to instead spend on a grand sporting spectacle sounds like we [India] have got our priorities wrong
Concerns and controversies over the 2010 Commonwealth Games/India faced several socio-economic challenges and "to instead spend on a grand sporting spectacle sounds like we [India] have got our priorities wrong."[3]
(COUNTRY SHOULD DECIDE BEFORE TAKING ANY SUCH DECISIONS TO HELD EVENTS LIKE CWG IN A COUNTRY WHICH SHOULD HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES TO CREATE JOBS,FULFILL BASIC NECESSITIES OF POOR AND NEEDY PEOPLE.BUT IF A DESICION WAS/HAS TAKEN FOR WHATEVER REASONS,AND DEADLINE WAS ON COUNTRY'S HEAD...ONE MUST THINK ABOUT COUNTRY'S PRIDE ON STAKE AT THAT TIME AS WELL,AS NEGATIVE OR MAYBE "KADWA SUCCH" HAS EFFECTED INFLOW OF PLAYERS,PARTICIPANTS,TOURISTS,SPORTSLOVERS,BUSINESS AND TOURISM ETC!!..MAIN POINT WAS COUNTRY'S PRIDE/PRESTIGE IN STAKE AS WORLD MEDIA IS ALWAYS WATCHING US INCLUDING FOLLOWING US OR NEWS EXPOSE!!
I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF IT IN NEWSPAPER AS SERIES OFFICIALLY,HAD A TALK WITH NBT EDITOR THEN,MUCH BEFORE THIS EVENT!!..IT WAS NOT FEASIBLE THEN SO WROTE IT HERE IN THESE BLOGS EXTENSIVLY AS MY OBSERVATION AS CITIZEN!!...ALL THE POINTS WITH MY POINT OF VIEWS/COMMENTS!!...IN FAVOUR OF EXPOSE OF CORRUPTIONS CASES/AGAINST SCAMS/IRREGULARITIES/PROBLEMS/ABOUT WALKOUT OF VOLUNTEERS/HUMAN RIGHTS/CHILD LABOUR ETC...SOME WERE ERUPTED DUE TO EXPOSE...AND MANY MORE IN THIS BLOG!! SO NO ONE EVER SHOULD SAY I NEVER THOUGHT OF COUNTRY'S PROBLEM AS THOSE DAYS ADITI WAS SUFFERING FROM HIGH FEVER WE WERE TAKING CARE OF HER AND SIMULTENEOUSLY LISTENING TO CWG SONGS(OF A.R.RAHMAN)...(QUON MAHAUL BANANE MEIN KUCCH TO MADAD KI??)
I HAD COVERED/WRITTEN ABOUT COMMONERS/MARGINALIZED PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS!!SO AS SUDHIRJI IS MAKING CARTOONS NONSTOP WITHOUT TAKING ANY HOLIDAYS OR GETTING ANY FAVOUR OR PREVILEDGES(FAYDA) OF ANY KIND,THOUGH WE FEEL WE ALL ARE PREVILEGED(EVEN HE IS CONFINED/LIMITED TO CARTOONING MOSTLY NOWADAYS).
SINCE 1ST DEC 2010 ADITI HAS JUST TAKEN 10DAYS HOLIDAY IN JULY FOR AN OUTDOOR VACATION.SHE IS WORKING HARD NON-STOP!!FROM THE BEGINING I HAD WRITTEN IN DETAIL ABOUT SPORTS/CRICKETS ALL ASPECTS INCLUDING ITS IN EDUCATION, SINCE GRASSROOT LEVEL AS A MAINSTREAM SUBJECT,THEN ONLY FULFLEGEDLY SPORTSPERSON WILL GET GROOMED PROPERLY OTHERWISE PARENTS WHO WANT THEM TO PURSUE IT AS SIDE HOBBIES AND GIVE MORE TIME TO OTHER SUBJECTS TO COMPLETE THERE STUDIES/DEGREES,WHICH RESULTS IN HALF-BAKED GENERATION TURNING TO BE NOTHING OR SUBJECTS/CAREERS WHICH DOES NOT INTEREST THEM WHOLE HEARTDLY!!ONE DON'T DO ANYTHING TO JUST PLEASE/APPEASE ANYONE AT HOME,PARENTS-MA OR PAPA OR OTHERWISE!!.....VT...
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Commonwealth games Delhi 2010 opening ceremony fireworks jawaharlal nehru stadium.png
2010 Commonwealth Games
* Venues
* Theme song
* Concerns and controversies
* Queen's Baton Relay
* Opening ceremony
* Participating nations
* Medal table (medalists)
* Event calendar
* Closing ceremony
A number of concerns and controversies surfaced before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, which received widespread media coverage both in India (the host nation) and internationally.
The Commonwealth Games was severely criticised by several prominent Indian politicians and social activists because billions of dollars have been spent on the sporting event despite the fact that India has one of the world's largest concentration of poor people.[1][2] Additionally, several other problems related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games have been highlighted by Indian investigative agencies and media outlets; these include — serious corruption by officials of the Games' Organising Committee, delays in the construction of main Games' venues, infrastructural compromise, possibility of a terrorist attack, and exceptionally poor ticket sales before the event.
* 1 Socio-economic impact
o 1.1 Financial costs
o 1.2 Social and environmental impact
o 1.3 Labour laws violations
+ 1.3.1 Child labour
o 1.4 Urban change
o 1.5 Sex slavery and prostitution boom
* 2 Organisational failure
o 2.1 Vigilance-related irregularities and Over-Invoicing
o 2.2 Preparation delays
o 2.3 Mass volunteer walkout
o 2.4 Poor ticket sales and attendance
o 2.5 Spectators response at opening ceremony
o 2.6 Opening ceremony
* 3 Racism allegations
* 4 Infrastructure issues
o 4.1 Transport infrastructure
o 4.2 Venues
o 4.3 Problems with functionality of equipment and infrastructure during events
* 5 Vandalism of Games Village by Athletes
o 5.1 Condoms and toilet blockages
o 5.2 Athletes under investigation for trashing apartments
* 6 Safety and security concerns
o 6.1 Infrastructural compromise
o 6.2 Terror threats
+ 6.2.1 Jama Masjid incident
o 6.3 Fear of dengue outbreak
o 6.4 Illness
* 7 Boycott
o 7.1 Calls for boycott
o 7.2 Other withdrawals
* 8 Sporting controversies
o 8.1 Doping
o 8.2 Archery
o 8.3 Athletics
o 8.4 Boxing
o 8.5 Cycling
o 8.6 Swimming
o 8.7 Wrestling
* 9 Reactions and responses
o 9.1 Criticism by Mani Shankar Aiyar
* 10 Allegations of corruption and financial irregularities
* 11 See also
* 12 References
[edit] Socio-economic impact
[edit] Financial costs
Azim Premji, founder of Wipro Technologies, remarked that India faced several socio-economic challenges and "to instead spend on a grand sporting spectacle sounds like we [India] have got our priorities wrong."[3]
Miloon Kothari, a leading Indian expert on socio-economic development, remarked that the 2010 Commonwealth Games will create "a negative financial legacy for the country" and asked "when one in three Indians lives below the poverty line and 40% of the hungry live in India, when 46% of India's children and 55% of women are malnourished, does spending billions of dollars on a 12-day sports event build national pride or is it a matter of national shame?"[1]
One of the outspoken critics of the Games is Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Indian Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. In April 2007, Aiyar commented that the Games are "irrelevant to the common man" and criticized the Indian government for sanctioning billions of dollars for the Games even though India requires massive investment in social development programs.[2] In July 2010, he remarked that he would be "unhappy if the Commonwealth Games are successful".[4]
Indian businessman Azim Premji called the 2010 Commonwealth Games a "drain on public funds" and said that hosting the high-expense Games in India is not justified given that the country had more important priorities facing it, such as education, infrastructure and public health.[3]
[edit] Social and environmental impact
Nearly 400,000 people from three large slum clusters in Delhi have been relocated since 2004. Gautam Bhan, an Indian urban planner with the University of California-Berkeley, said that the 2010 Commonwealth Games have resulted in "an unprecedented increase in the degree, frequency and scale of indiscriminate evictions without proper resettlement. We haven’t seen [these] levels of evictions in the last five years since the Emergency."[5]
In response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed for study and statements by civil society groups, a report by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) - an arm of the Habitat International Coalition - detailed the social and environmental consequences of the event.[6] It stated that no tolerance zones for beggars are enforced in Delhi, and the city has arbitrarily arrested homeless citizens under the "Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959".
[edit] Labour laws violations
Campaigners in India have accused the organisers of enormous and systematic violations of labour laws at construction sites. Human Rights Law Network reports that independent investigations have discovered more than 70 cases where workers have died in accidents at construction sites since work began.[7] Although official numbers have not been released, it is estimated that over 415,000 contract daily wage workers are working on Games projects.[8] Unskilled workers are paid INR85 (US$1.9) to INR100 (US$2.2) per day while skilled workers are paid INR120 (US$2.7) to INR130 (US$2.9) INR per day for eight hours of work. Workers also state that they are paid INR134 (US$3) to INR150 (US$3.3) for 12 hours of work (eight hours plus four hours of overtime). Both these wages contravene the stipulated Delhi state minimum wage of INR152 (US$3.4) for eight hours of work.[9] Nearly 50 construction workers have died in the past two years while employed on Games projects.[10]
These represent violations of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Interstate Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Act 1979, and the constitutionally enshrined fundamental rights per the 1982 Supreme Court of India judgement on Asiad workers.[11] The public have been banned from the camps where workers live and work – a situation which human rights campaigners say prevents the garnering of information regarding labour conditions and number of workers.[11]
There have been documented instances of the presence of young children at hazardous construction sites, due to a lack of child care facilities for women workers living and working in the labour camp style work sites.[12] Furthermore, workers on the site of the main Commonwealth stadium have reportedly been issued with hard hats, yet most work in open-toed sandals and live in cramped tin tenements in which illnesses are rife.[13] The High Court of Delhi is presently hearing a public interest petition relating to employers not paying employees for overtime and it has appointed a four-member committee to submit a report on the alleged violations of workers rights.[12][14]
During the construction of the Games Village, there was controversy over financial mismanagement,[15] profiteering by the Delhi Development Authority and private real estate companies,[16] and inhumane working conditions.[17]
[edit] Child labour
CNN has broadcast evidence showing children, as young as seven, being used in the construction of the game venues. According to Siddharth Kara, who provided CNN with the evidence, he documented 14 cases of child labor within a few days. In reply to a question whether it could have been just a case of kids being present at the construction site along with their parents, he replied: "It's not just kids playing in the dirt or using a hammer as a toy." He further stated about the kids: "They're told to do the work and they just do the work. They don't know that they should be in school or that they should be playing."[18][19]
Even though the New Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit claimed that nobody had approached her, according to CNN, they had tried to contact her as far back as July 23, 2010. In spite of repeated attempts, according to them, no official reply was ever made.[18]
[edit] Urban change
Mitu Sengupta, a professor of politics at Ryerson University, Canada, points out that there is a “tradition of using ‘urban spectacles’ such as the Olympics and World’s Fairs to enhance a city’s global recognition, image and status, and to push through controversial policy reforms that might otherwise linger in the pending file for years (it is easier to undercut local opposition under the pressure of a fixed deadline and the international spotlight).” She writes that the reforms involved are often “the invention of an affluent, globally connected minority that is relatively detached from local conditions and the local population.” The 2010 Commonwealth Games, she says, are being used to invigorate an elite-driven program of urban transformation” that centers on privatization, securitization, and the construction of “monuments to vanity.” [20] Sengupta expands upon this argument in a subsequent article in Z Magazine [21] Amita Baviskar, a professor of sociology at the Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi, makes a similar argument, on how mega-events, like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, are used to advance narrow agendas of urban reform that cater to the middle class and rich. She focuses on how, in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the city's slums were bulldozed in order to make room for shopping malls and expensive real estate.[22] Writer and activist Gautam Bhan also draws a connection between the Commonwealth Games and anti-poor urban development in an article posted on Kafila, an alternative webzine [23]
[edit] Sex slavery and prostitution boom
There has been a boom in the number of young girls, mostly from impoverished parts of India, coming to Delhi after being offered jobs by disguised criminals, only to be taken prisoner and forced into sex slavery. The number of victims is believed to be in the hundreds. Many brothels have been running English courses for sex workers and upgrading their facilities in anticipation of a business upturn during the games.[24] Overseas prostitutes are also expected to come as tourists and ply their trade.[25] One anti-trafficking NGO has claimed that there are reports of 40,000 women being brought in from northeastern India alone. A spokesperson said that recruits from that part of India were favoured because of their lighter skin.[26] It has been reported that over 3,000 bar girls in Mumbai have stopped going to work; this has been blamed on an exodus to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.[27]
[edit] Organisational failure
[edit] Vigilance-related irregularities and Over-Invoicing
On 28 July 2010, the Central Vigilance Commission, an Indian government body created to address governmental corruption, released a report showing irregularities in up to 14 CWG projects.[28] As per official reports, in total 129 works in 71 organisations have been inspected.[29] The detailed preliminary findings included the award of work contracts at higher prices, poor quality assurance and management, and work contracts awarded to ineligible agencies.[30]
There are also allegations of widespread corruption in various aspects of organising the games including procurement and awarding contracts for constructing the game venues.[31] The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on 5th Aug 2010 suspended joint director T S Darbari and M Jayachandran following the report of the three-member panel which was probing the financial irregularities related to the Queen's Baton Relay.[32]
Also, Organising Committee treasurer Anil Khanna resigned from the post in the wake of allegations that his son's firm had secured a contract for laying synthetic courts at a tennis stadium.[33] The GlobalPost news agency reports that scandals have come to light, such as "shadowy off-shore firms, forged emails, inexplicable payments to bogus companies and inflated bills — for every purchase from toilet paper to treadmills." [34] Among the alleged corruption and defrauding of the games budget, toilet paper rolls valued at $2 were costed at $80, $2 soap dispensers at $60, $98 mirrors at $220, $11,830 altitude training simulators at $250,190.[35]
[edit] Preparation delays
In September 2009, CGF chief Mike Fennell reported that the games were at risk of falling behind schedule and that it was "reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010". A report by the Indian Government released several months prior found that construction work on 13 out of the 19 sports venues was behind schedule.[36]
The Chief of the Indian Olympic Association Randhir Singh has also expressed his concerns regarding the current state of affairs. Singh has called for the revamp of the Organising Committee commenting that India now has to "retrieve the games".[37] Other Indian officials have also expressed dismay at the ongoing delays but they have stated that they are confident that India will successfully host the games and do so on time.[38][39]
As the Times of India reports, all CWG projects were to be completed by May 2009 and the last year should have been kept for trial runs. The newspaper further reports that the first stadium was handed over for trial runs in July 2010 only.[40] To put the delays in perspective, Beijing National Stadium was completed much ahead of schedule for the 2008 Summer Olympics,[41] while the venues for 2012 Summer Olympics in London are scheduled to be delivered one year before the games and the construction of the venues is on track.[42]
In August 2010, the Cabinet Secretariat took a decision to appoint 10 officers of the rank of Joint and Additional Secretaries to oversee the progress of the construction of stadiums.[43] Each officer is allocated a stadium and given the responsibility to ensure that the work completes in time for the games.
[edit] Mass volunteer walkout
Around 10,000 of the 22,000 selected volunteers quit, less than a week before the event. This has been blamed on a lack of training for personnel, or dissatisfaction with assignments. There are reports that some who have quit have not returned their uniforms.[44]
[edit] Poor ticket sales and attendance
The start of the Games saw extremely poor ticket sales, with many venues near empty.[45] In a press conference, organising chairman Suresh Kalmadi admitted that there were problems, and blamed empty venues on ticket booths not being set up outside stadiums.[46] Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell admitted that many venues had been nearly empty on the opening day of the Games, saying "A number of venues do not have lots of spectators [...] one area which causes us concern".[47] On the second day of competition, less than 100 people filled the hockey venue–the 19,000-seat MDC Stadium. Less than 20 people watched the first tennis match of the tournament in the 5,000-seat tennis stadium, and just 58 fans watched the netball opening match.[48]
One Indian competitor tried to buy tickets for relatives online, only to be informed by the website that tickets were sold out. When he arrived to compete, he found the venue to be empty.[49]
The streets of Delhi were deserted for the cycling road races and walking event.
[edit] Spectators response at opening ceremony
At the opening ceremony, the chairman of the organising committee Suresh Kalmadi faced embarrassment, when he was booed by spectators at the start of his welcome speech to 60,000 spectators.[50] Kalmadi came under further strain when he "thanked" the late Princess Diana for attending the opening ceremony of the games. The chairman made the blunder at a press conference saying ’Yes, Princess Diana was there,’ after which he immediately corrected himself by saying ‘Prince Charles and (Camilla) the Duchess of Cornwall.[51]
[edit] Opening ceremony
The Australian Commonwealth contingent expressed frustration over the opening ceremony, in which there were claims athletes and delegation support staff were "treated like cattle" and subjected to "disgraceful" and unbearable conditions.[52] Australia's chef de mission Steve Moneghetti complained about the athletes being trapped in "absolute cauldron conditions" under the main stadium before marching for the opening ceremony. The Australians were stuck in a tunnel, where Moneghetti described the temperature as exceeding 40 °C (104 °F) due to a lack of airconditioning and ventilation. When attempting to move out, the Australian delegation was stopped by staff. When the contestants were finally able to move out into the arena, they were described as being emotionally affected.
[edit] Racism allegations
African countries have complained that they are getting second-class treatment from the Games organisers, in spite of them offering India a hand in the preparation of the Games.[53] They have alleged that accommodation given to them was inferior compared to the accommodation provided to the Australian and New Zealand teams. They went on to state that India was complaining about being victims of racial bias in the reporting of the Games; while simultaneously perpetrating the same kind of racism against the African countries.[53][54]
[edit] Infrastructure issues
[edit] Transport infrastructure
The Delhi Airport Metro Express built by Reliance Infrastructure and CAF Beasain missed its deadline of 31 July 2010 and the private consortium was fined Rs 11.25 crore.[55]
[edit] Venues
Less than two weeks before the opening ceremony, Fennell wrote to the Indian cabinet secretary, urging action in response to the village being "seriously compromised." He said that though team officials were impressed with the international zone and main dining area, they were "shocked" by the state of the accommodation. "The village is the cornerstone of any Games and the athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition."[56] The BBC published photographs of the village taken two days before September 23 showing unfinished living quarters.[57]
New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Northern Ireland have expressed concern about unliveable conditions.[58] The Times of India newspaper reports that the Scottish delegation apparently submitted a photograph of a dog defecating on a bed in the games village.[59] Hooper said that there was "excrement in places it shouldn't be" in the athletes' quarters and that members of visiting delegations had to help clean up the unsanitary things.[60] The BBC released images of bathrooms with brown-coloured paan stains on the walls and floor, liquids on the floor, and brown paw prints on athletes' beds.[61] Lalit Bhanot, the secretary general of the Organising Committee, rejected the complaint that sanitation was poor by saying that, due to cultural differences, there are different standards about cleanliness in India and the western world, a statement for which he was widely ridiculed in Indian and international media.[62] Bhanot went on to say of the athletes' village that, "This is a world-class village, probably one of the best ever."[62]
Meanwhile, Pakistan also made reservations over the condition of the athletes’ village and asked for an alternate accommodation to be made available to its contingent while preparation was still in progress. The Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Hasan remarked: "We want the CGF to ensure that the athletes’ village is in good condition. Athletes cannot stay at a substandard place." Hasan however added that there were no doubts over Pakistan’s participation and the contingent would leave as planned.[63]
On the other hand, England's Chef de mission Craig Hunter praised the Games Village, remarking that "the Commonwealth Games Village here [in New Delhi] is better than the Beijing Olympics". He added that the arrangements at the Games Village is much better than that at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[64]
Canada's sports minister also supported the Games, saying that big events always face issues, and the media often exaggerates them, as Canada found during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He added that "We are coming in full force." [65]
[edit] Problems with functionality of equipment and infrastructure during events
On the first night of swimming, debris landed in the swimming pool, causing delays ahead of a race. It is believed that part of the ceiling or its paint had fallen off.
Before the last night of swimming finals, the filtration system broke down and the pool was turbid and murky during the warmup session and the finals, and the pool has been described as the least clear ever seen for a swimming competition. A disproportionate number of swimmers fell ill with intestinal complaints, leading to concerns over the cleanliness and sanitation of the pool.[66] Early suspicions rested on the quality of water in the swimming pools of the SPM Complex, but other competing teams, including South Africa, reported no such illness.[67] Daily water quality tests were being carried out on the water of the pools, as mandated by the event standards. Additional tests were ordered after news of the illnesses, but they also did not find anything amiss. The Australian team's chief doctor, Peter Harcourt, ruled that the "chances of the [Delhi] pool being the cause of the problem is very remote" and praised the hygiene and food quality in the Delhi Games Village.[68] He suggested that it could be a common case of Traveler's diarrhea (locally called Delhi belly), or the Australian swimmers could have contracted the stomach virus during their training camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[68] English Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington said that the water quality was absolutely fine.[69]
A dog entered the athletics arena.[66]
After the opening ceremony, the ground at the athletics was damaged, and the grass infield and the track was still being re-laid two hours before competition started.
[edit] Vandalism of Games Village by Athletes
[edit] Condoms and toilet blockages
An Indian newspaper during the games reported that used condoms flushed down the toilets in the athlete's village had caused some drains to become blocked, necessitating action by plumbers to clear the pipes.[70]
[edit] Athletes under investigation for trashing apartments
Australian athletes have been accused of vandalizing the towers of the athletes' village they were staying in by breaking furniture and electrical fittings.[71] Delhi Police did not press the case after the Organizing Committee refused to file a complaint while Indian external affairs minister SM Krishna dismissed it as a one-off incident.[72]
A washing machine was hurled from the eighth floor of the same tower. Nobody on the ground was hit, but it is unclear who the culprit was. Indian newspapers have reported that the Australian Commonwealth Games Authority agreed to pay for the damages[73] and have apologised for the incident.[74][75] The Australian High Commissioner rejected the claim, stating that the incident was the result of partying and celebrations.[71][76] Later comments by Australian officials have contradicted claims by Lalit Bhanot that they had admitted responsibility. Perry Crosswhite said that it was still unclear if athletes from other nations present in the tower at the time had been responsible.[77]
[edit] Safety and security concerns
Small monkeys roam Delhi's streets and prefer heavily urbanized areas with plenty of living space among buildings.[78] They cannot be killed because many Indians see them as sacred so instead a larger, domesticated monkey, the langur, is brought in to scare away the smaller monkeys.
On the second day of the games, three Ugandan officials were injured by a malfunctioning security barrier at the games' village, and a senior official from that country raised allegations of discrimination by Indian officials. Uganda's sports minister lashed out at Indian officials and demanded an apology for the accident. The officials had cuts and bruises and were hospitalized overnight for observation.[79] The chairman of the Games' Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, apologized to the Ugandan High Commissioner to India for the freak car accident.[80]
[edit] Infrastructural compromise
On 21 September 2010, a footbridge under construction for the Games near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, injuring at least 23 people,[81] mainly workers, underscoring fears of poor workmanship. Commenting on the incident, Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit controversially remarked that the footbridge was only meant for spectators and not for athletes.[82] Following the collapse, Fennell expressed concern that conditions at the Games Village, which had "shocked the majority", would seriously compromise the entire event.[83] The company that was building the foot bridge, P&R Infraprojects, was subsequently blacklisted by the Delhi Government and was not allowed to get government contracts.[84]
Reportedly, progress was still slow and four or five accommodation towers built by Emaar at the Games village were unfinished, lacking facilities such as wireless internet, fitted toilets and plumbing. In addition, rubble, unused masonry and discarded bricks littered the unfinished gardens. According to sports historian Boria Majumdar, author of the Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games, India "may have to pull a miracle."[83] The father of Australian track cyclist Kaarle McCulloch visited his daughter at the Olympic village. A builder in Australia, Grahame McCulloch criticised the structural soundness of the village; he said "those buildings are the dodgiest things I have ever seen...so substandard".[49] He told his daughter not to use the balcony, fearing that it was collapsible.[49]
On 22 September 2010, part of the drop ceiling of the new Commonwealth Games weightlifting venue in New Delhi collapsed.[85]
Indian bantamweight boxer Akhil Kumar's bed in the Games village collapsed when he sat on it. "I sat down on my bed to rest but suddenly it gave way. After that I noticed that part of it has no plywood,” he said [86]
On 27 September 2010, a South African athlete reported that a snake was present in his room in the Games Village. A day earlier, animal authorities had to be called in to evacuate a king cobra from the tennis venue.[87]
On the 7th of October, a large scoreboard crashed to the ground at the rugby venue when a supporting chain snapped. The games however were due to start a week later so no major repercussions were experienced.[79]
[edit] Terror threats
Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, some athletes and their representative bodies expressed security fears during the games. In April 2010, during the Indian Premier League, two low intensity bombs went off outside the stadium in Bangalore. Although there were no casualties, this postponed the start of the game by an hour. Following this attack, foreign cricketers like Kevin Pietersen expressed fears for their safety and questions were raised regarding the safety of athletes during the Commonwealth Games [2]. The UK and Canada also warned about potential attacks on commercial targets in Delhi ahead of the games.[88][89]
[edit] Jama Masjid incident
Main article: 2010 Jama Masjid attack
On 19 September 2010, unknown gunmen on a motorbike opened fire with an automatic pistol on a tourist bus outside the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi. The attacks, which came a fortnight before the start of the games, injured two Taiwanese tourists.[90] Two hours later, a Maruti car exploded in the vicinity, reportedly from a deliberate low-intensity pressure cooker bomb which had been assembled inside. No fatalities or major damages were reported. The incidents, which were purportedly claimed by the Indian Mujahideen, provoked fears about lack of security in the city for the upcoming games. However, police in Delhi initially denied the role of any organised terror group and instead blamed the attacks on "disgruntled youths and local criminal gangs."[91] Officials suggested that a possible motive of the strike was to instill fear in people ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
[edit] Fear of dengue outbreak
The heaviest monsoon rains in 15 years, along with large quantities of standing water on CWG construction sites as well as in tanks and ponds, raised concerns over increased levels of mosquito-borne disease in Delhi.[92] In the run-up to the games it was reported that 65-70 cases of dengue fever were being diagnosed each day in the city, with the number of cases "likely to hit the 3,000 mark" by the opening on October 3.[93]
[edit] Illness
Many swimmers were reported to have fallen ill. Initially, concerns were raised over the quality of water in the swimming pools of the SPM Complex. It was said that more than 20 percent of the English team's swimmers — about eight to 10 competitors — had been struck down with a stomach virus. The Australian team also reported that at least six of its swimmers had been sick, including Andrew Lauterstein, who had to withdraw from the 50-meter butterfly. Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell said officials would conduct tests to make sure the pools were not the source of the illness. "If there is something unsafe, you cannot swim in that water. It is a matter we have to deal with a great deal of urgency," he said.[79]
However, other competing teams, including South Africa, reported no such illness.[94] Daily water quality tests were being carried out on the water of the pools, as mandated by the event standards. Additional tests were ordered after news of the illnesses, but they also did not find anything amiss. The Australian team's chief doctor, Peter Harcourt, ruled that the "chances of the [Delhi] pool being the cause of the problem is very remote" and praised the hygiene and food quality in the Delhi Games Village.[68] He suggested that it could be a common case of Traveler's diarrhea (locally called Delhi belly), or the Australian swimmers could have contracted the stomach virus during their training camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[68] English Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington said that the water quality was absolutely fine.[69]
[edit] Boycott
Following the withdrawal of Dani Samuels, the women's world discus champion,[95] because "my safety is more important to them than a medal," Australia's Minister for Sport, Mark Arbib, said CWG officials expected more competitors to follow suit.
The Scottish team's departure of its first 41 boxers, rugby players, wrestlers and support staff was delayed for 48 hours, and the Welsh team set a deadline of 22 September to receive reassurances that the venues would be fit for purpose. The first batch of English athletes, which includes a lawn bowls team and a men's hockey squad, said the organisers were not making nearly enough progress just a day before they were to leave. The Guardian suggested a mass walkout remained an option with the "point of no return" less than a week before the scheduled start; they claimed the "main competing countries would be likely to act in concert." They also suggested the games were on the verge of "descending into farce."
Michael Cavanagh, the chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said a decision to stay away would be a joint one, as he insisted a possible knock on effects for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would not be a factor. He said "In terms of withdrawal we don't see this as simply a Team Scotland decision, any decision to withdraw we would see as being a collective decision amongst the countries who are already there and already concerned. We can't allow ourselves to be influenced by thoughts of how it may impact on 2014, not when we have something as important as the safety of our athletes to consider."[96] Phillips Idowu, the world triple jump champion, also withdrew from the Games.[97]
[edit] Calls for boycott
Amid allegations of blatant corruption, shoddy construction work at venues and security concerns for participating athletes, the 2010 Commonwealth games has faced numerous boycott calls from individuals in India, England and Australia.[98][99]
Within India, there were calls for boycott. Other celebrities who followed Aiyar's comments in expressing a call for boycott include former Indian cricket captain and spin bowler Bishan Singh Bedi and bestselling Indian author Chetan Bhagat. Bedi said the "CWG organisers have taken the country for a ride" and urged international athletes to boycott the "embarrassing" Delhi games.[100][101] Bhagat, who is considered a youth icon in India with a huge fan following, called the Commonwealth games the "biggest and most blatant exercise in mass corruption since the country won independence six decades ago."[98][102] Bhagat, who has sold more than 4 million books in India, also urged his readers to boycott the games event and not to watch them on TV, thereby using the "golden chance" to "put the corrupt and insensitive government to shame."[98]
The Jat community seeking reservation under the OBC quota have also planned to use the Commonwealth games as a platform and force the Indian government to relent to their needs.[103]
Other countries also threatened to boycott the games. Considering the potential impact of a terror threat and other security concerns, rumors arose about a boycott of the Delhi Commonwealth Games by major participating nations including Scotland, England and New Zealand.[104][105] However, the rumors were soon put to rest by Commonwealth games committees in each of these countries who expressed a general level of satisfaction with the security arrangements.[104][105]
Australian quadruple Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Dawn Fraser called for Australia to boycott the games event, citing fears of a tragedy similar to that which unfolded in the Munich Olympics of 1972.[99] Fraser pronounced that reports of missed construction deadlines and other irregularities in games planning meant Indian authorities' "word for providing security should not be taken at its face value."[99] However, the Australian Commonwealth Games Organising Committee was quick to dismiss Fraser's fears with ACGA chief executive, Perry Crosswhite saying he believed there will be no security issues during the games event.[99] John Coates, Australia's Olympic chief, came down hard on the organisers, alleging teams were being forced to temporary accommodation at hotels. "I don't think it is a cultural thing. When you agree to host [the Games], you are required to provide the basics in terms of health and hygiene for the athletes. The Games shouldn't have been awarded to Delhi in hindsight."[106]
[edit] Other withdrawals
A number of athletes withdrew from the Games, for reasons related and non-related to the state of affairs in the days leading up to the event. Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt and his predecessor Asafa Powell pulled out of the event citing the timing of the Games as a major reason for their decisions to stay away.[107] Olympic cyclist champion Geraint Thomas pulled out for fear of contracting dengue fever.[108] Other notable athletes who have announced their non-attendance include Paula Radcliffe, Jessica Ennis, Jennifer Meadows, Natasha Danvers, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and Beth Tweddle.[107]
[edit] Sporting controversies
[edit] Doping
Prior to the Games, four wrestlers, a shot-putter and two swimmers who were all part of India's Games squad tested positive for methylhexaneamine. Four others, who were not picked for the Games in the Indian capital, also failed drug tests conducted at the various training camps across the country.[109][110]
Oludamola Osayomi of Nigeria won the women's 100 metre sprint event. On 11 October 2010 it was reported that Osayomi had tested positive for a "banned substance" which was later revealed to be the stimulant methylhexaneamine.[111] Another Nigerian athlete, hurdler Samuel Okon who placed sixth in the 110 metres hurdles, was reported to have tested positive for the same drug.[112]
In July 2011, three of the four women from India's gold-medal winning 400 metre-relay team tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Two of the racers, Sini Jose and Jauna Murmu, tested positive for the anabolic steroid methandienone, and Tiana Mary Thomas tested positiv for epi-methandienone.[113]
[edit] Archery
In the archery event England criticised the crowds behaviour, but Williamson (the silver medallist) praised the crowd.[114] Though earlier reports said that the team was upset that during the women’s recurve event the crowd chanted loudly during the final shots. Claiming that the noise distracted the archers. Amy Oliver had complained about the chanting of "Come on India" as she took her shots. adding "The crowd was not good. They were pretty loud…".[115] In an action condemned in the Indian media, an English archery official allegedly abused an Indian coach, telling him to "f*** off." The comment came after the Indian team registered a one-point win over England to claim the gold medal. The Indian archery head coach, Limba Ram, walked over to shake hands with officials of the rival team. In response, an English official showed his elbow in a gesture before uttering the remarks. Britain's archery team leader said she was unaware of the incident, "You must find out whether the person was one among us. If he was not wearing a red jersey, he would not be part of the side. I will speak to the Indian coach about it." Limba replied that he failed to identify the person, as he had chosen to ignore the one-off incident.[116] There have also been accusations that Limba Ram was called a monkey on two different occasions by an English official.[117]
[edit] Athletics
Pearson won the 100m sprint before being disqualified.
During the Final of the Women’s 100m sprint final controversy was caused by the eventual disqualification of Sally Pearson of Australia. She had won the race on the third attempted start after one start was delayed because of excessive crowd noise and the second due to a false start by Laura Turner of England. Pearson was disqualified because she was deemed to have false-started in the second attempted restart along with Turner. This was as a direct result of a protest lodged by Team England. The controversy was caused as only Turner was disqualified from the race during the race because of a false start and not Pearson. Turner ran the race under protest. Pearson and other athletes were not informed of the protest until four hours after the race, as they were waiting to begin the medal presentation for the race. Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell called Pearson's treatment "unsatisfactory" and that the whole situation was caused by an "unacceptable communications blunder".[118]
[edit] Boxing
During the weigh-in for the boxing competition the scales were giving inaccurate readings with athletes recording higher body weights on the official scales. The scales were deemed to be broken and the weigh-in was delayed 24 hours to find and calibrate new scales. The initial wrong measurements led to angry shouting between coaches, athletes and organisers.[119] During the boxing competition there have been claims made by various teams including England and Botswana that jabs were not being scored by judges. This was attributed to the removal of a white scoring zone placed on the boxers gloves which is usually present in amateur boxing events. The BBC commentating team also claimed there to be a bias in judges scores towards Indian competitors.[120]
[edit] Cycling
During the final of the Men’s Keirin, Malaysian Azizulhasni Awang was disqualified for aggressive interference when he forced his way past two competitors. Race winner Josiah Ng said he was "mystified" over Awang's disqualification. In the semi-final round of the keirin, Australia's Shane Perkins was disqualified for dangerous riding with the official reason not being made clear. Perkins subsequently won the classification race and was described by Chris Boardman from the BBC to "have aimed an angry V-sign at officials"; he gestured to the judges with his index and middle finger held together. No subsequent action was taken against Perkins who later said, "the officials need to go back to school", referencing poor decisions he felt had been made in the sprint and keirin events.[121]
[edit] Swimming
On another occasion, South African swimmer Roland Schoeman came under criticism when he referred to the crowd at the swimming as "going on like monkeys" in a post-race poolside interview. Schoeman's remarks came after he narrowly avoided being disqualified as he and England's Simon Burnett fell in at the start of the 50m freestyle when distracted by crowd noise. The swimming has been persistently affected by Indian spectators ignoring etiquette and shouting out while the competitors were preparing for the start.[122] His comment was regarded as possibly being a racial ethnic slur, although he later said that the word was commonly used in South Africa to refer to mischievous behaviour. At an official press conference, organising committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot took the complaints about monkeys literally. Not being aware of the complaints, Bhanot felt Delhi's wildlife was at issue: "We know especially at the swimming pool there are a lot of monkeys and we have made efforts to keep them away from the swimming pool."[123]
[edit] Wrestling
Australian wrestler Hassene Fkiri was ejected from the 96 kg Greco-Roman competition and stripped of the silver medal after making an obscene gesture at the international FILA judges during the final. According to an Australian official, Fkiri was furious at his Indian rival Anil Kumar, who he accused of breaking the rules a number of times in the first period by holding Fkiri around the neck and head with two hands. The Australian received his first warning after he made a comment to the referee as he walked off the mat at the end of the two-minute period; when Kumar repeated the same move in the next round, Fkiri headbutted him and was issued a second warning. He then proceeded to swing his arms uncontrollably afterwards, which resulted in his third warning and eventual disqualification. After losing, Fkiri refused to shake hands with the victor.[124]
[edit] Reactions and responses
Responding to media concerns, the organisers said there were 48 hours to save the Games after warnings of a pull out.[96]
Many Bollywood actors also expressed dismay at the state of the Games.[125]
Four days before the start of the games the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the 100 m athletics, were still not sold out.[126]
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that despite Kalmadi's "blind optimism", the games were not going to be the best ever. Instead, it wrote that it was "probably the most interesting."[127]
The opening ceremony played a key role in improving the image of the Games. As athletes arrived and competitions started, many earlier critics changed their view. The Australian Sports Minister said that India could now aim for the Olympics, and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, said that India had made a good foundation for a future Olympics bid.[128][129] As the Games concluded, many observers remarked that they began on an apprehensive note, but were an exceptional experience with a largely positive ending.[130][131] Some observers accused sections of the media of bias, unfair expectations, and negative reporting.[132]
Within India, the Games saw criticism due to the Games' origins as a celebration of the British Empire, with Arindam Chaudhuri arguing for India's disassociation from the "slavish games" which he viewed as a "celebration of racial discrimination, colonialism [and] imperialism".[133]
[edit] Criticism by Mani Shankar Aiyar
Mani Shankar Aiyar, a senior member of the ruling Indian National Congress party and former Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs was an early whistleblower from the Indian Union Cabinet who expressed concern over extensive delays in preparation leading to unplanned expenses which he said, could have been utilized for "ensuring a better sporting future for Indian children by providing them sports training".[134] Aiyar also said that he would be "unhappy" if the Games were a success and wished for the "Commonwealth Games to be spoiled."[134]
Aiyar's frank media admission proved a public embarrassment for Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi who labelled him "anti national" for wishing that the Commonwealth Games are "spoilt."[135] Kalmadi's remark received extensive criticism in Indian media.[136]
Aiyar also told an Australian TV channel that India is "probably the poorest country of the Commonwealth".[137] Bangladesh among other countries has a lower GDP per capita/purchasing power parity.
[edit] Allegations of corruption and financial irregularities
The day after the conclusion of the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special committee to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement against the Organizing Committee. The probe committee will be led by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India VK Shungloo. This probe will be in addition to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, and Central Vigilance Commission investigations already underway. The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had promised in mid-August, when reports of the bungling first surfaced, that corrupt officials will be given "severe and exemplary" punishment after the Games. The committee has been given three months time to submit its report.[138][139]
On April 25, 2011 after being questioned over alleged irregularities in the conduct of Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) held in London in 2009, CBI arrested Kalmadi under Sections 120 B and 420 (criminal conspiracy and cheating) of the Indian Penal Code in the Commonwealth Games Time Scoring Equipment scam.[140]
[edit] See also
* List of politicians in India charged with corruption
* Concerns and controversies over the 2008 Summer Olympics
* Concerns and controversies over the 2010 Winter Olympics
* Contractor Mafias — construction mafias, part of the Mafia Raj in India
* Corruption in India
* Corruption Perceptions Index
* Indian political scandals
* Rent seeking
* Jan Lokpal Bill
(COUNTRY SHOULD DECIDE BEFORE TAKING ANY SUCH DECISIONS TO HELD EVENTS LIKE CWG IN A COUNTRY WHICH SHOULD HAVE OTHER PRIORITIES TO CREATE JOBS,FULFILL BASIC NECESSITIES OF POOR AND NEEDY PEOPLE.BUT IF A DESICION WAS/HAS TAKEN FOR WHATEVER REASONS,AND DEADLINE WAS ON COUNTRY'S HEAD...ONE MUST THINK ABOUT COUNTRY'S PRIDE ON STAKE AT THAT TIME AS WELL,AS NEGATIVE OR MAYBE "KADWA SUCCH" HAS EFFECTED INFLOW OF PLAYERS,PARTICIPANTS,TOURISTS,SPORTSLOVERS,BUSINESS AND TOURISM ETC!!..MAIN POINT WAS COUNTRY'S PRIDE/PRESTIGE IN STAKE AS WORLD MEDIA IS ALWAYS WATCHING US INCLUDING FOLLOWING US OR NEWS EXPOSE!!
I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF IT IN NEWSPAPER AS SERIES OFFICIALLY,HAD A TALK WITH NBT EDITOR THEN,MUCH BEFORE THIS EVENT!!..IT WAS NOT FEASIBLE THEN SO WROTE IT HERE IN THESE BLOGS EXTENSIVLY AS MY OBSERVATION AS CITIZEN!!...ALL THE POINTS WITH MY POINT OF VIEWS/COMMENTS!!...IN FAVOUR OF EXPOSE OF CORRUPTIONS CASES/AGAINST SCAMS/IRREGULARITIES/PROBLEMS/ABOUT WALKOUT OF VOLUNTEERS/HUMAN RIGHTS/CHILD LABOUR ETC...SOME WERE ERUPTED DUE TO EXPOSE...AND MANY MORE IN THIS BLOG!! SO NO ONE EVER SHOULD SAY I NEVER THOUGHT OF COUNTRY'S PROBLEM AS THOSE DAYS ADITI WAS SUFFERING FROM HIGH FEVER WE WERE TAKING CARE OF HER AND SIMULTENEOUSLY LISTENING TO CWG SONGS(OF A.R.RAHMAN)...(QUON MAHAUL BANANE MEIN KUCCH TO MADAD KI??)
I HAD COVERED/WRITTEN ABOUT COMMONERS/MARGINALIZED PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS!!SO AS SUDHIRJI IS MAKING CARTOONS NONSTOP WITHOUT TAKING ANY HOLIDAYS OR GETTING ANY FAVOUR OR PREVILEDGES(FAYDA) OF ANY KIND,THOUGH WE FEEL WE ALL ARE PREVILEGED(EVEN HE IS CONFINED/LIMITED TO CARTOONING MOSTLY NOWADAYS).
SINCE 1ST DEC 2010 ADITI HAS JUST TAKEN 10DAYS HOLIDAY IN JULY FOR AN OUTDOOR VACATION.SHE IS WORKING HARD NON-STOP!!FROM THE BEGINING I HAD WRITTEN IN DETAIL ABOUT SPORTS/CRICKETS ALL ASPECTS INCLUDING ITS IN EDUCATION, SINCE GRASSROOT LEVEL AS A MAINSTREAM SUBJECT,THEN ONLY FULFLEGEDLY SPORTSPERSON WILL GET GROOMED PROPERLY OTHERWISE PARENTS WHO WANT THEM TO PURSUE IT AS SIDE HOBBIES AND GIVE MORE TIME TO OTHER SUBJECTS TO COMPLETE THERE STUDIES/DEGREES,WHICH RESULTS IN HALF-BAKED GENERATION TURNING TO BE NOTHING OR SUBJECTS/CAREERS WHICH DOES NOT INTEREST THEM WHOLE HEARTDLY!!ONE DON'T DO ANYTHING TO JUST PLEASE/APPEASE ANYONE AT HOME,PARENTS-MA OR PAPA OR OTHERWISE!!.....VT...
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Commonwealth games Delhi 2010 opening ceremony fireworks jawaharlal nehru stadium.png
2010 Commonwealth Games
* Venues
* Theme song
* Concerns and controversies
* Queen's Baton Relay
* Opening ceremony
* Participating nations
* Medal table (medalists)
* Event calendar
* Closing ceremony
A number of concerns and controversies surfaced before the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, which received widespread media coverage both in India (the host nation) and internationally.
The Commonwealth Games was severely criticised by several prominent Indian politicians and social activists because billions of dollars have been spent on the sporting event despite the fact that India has one of the world's largest concentration of poor people.[1][2] Additionally, several other problems related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games have been highlighted by Indian investigative agencies and media outlets; these include — serious corruption by officials of the Games' Organising Committee, delays in the construction of main Games' venues, infrastructural compromise, possibility of a terrorist attack, and exceptionally poor ticket sales before the event.
* 1 Socio-economic impact
o 1.1 Financial costs
o 1.2 Social and environmental impact
o 1.3 Labour laws violations
+ 1.3.1 Child labour
o 1.4 Urban change
o 1.5 Sex slavery and prostitution boom
* 2 Organisational failure
o 2.1 Vigilance-related irregularities and Over-Invoicing
o 2.2 Preparation delays
o 2.3 Mass volunteer walkout
o 2.4 Poor ticket sales and attendance
o 2.5 Spectators response at opening ceremony
o 2.6 Opening ceremony
* 3 Racism allegations
* 4 Infrastructure issues
o 4.1 Transport infrastructure
o 4.2 Venues
o 4.3 Problems with functionality of equipment and infrastructure during events
* 5 Vandalism of Games Village by Athletes
o 5.1 Condoms and toilet blockages
o 5.2 Athletes under investigation for trashing apartments
* 6 Safety and security concerns
o 6.1 Infrastructural compromise
o 6.2 Terror threats
+ 6.2.1 Jama Masjid incident
o 6.3 Fear of dengue outbreak
o 6.4 Illness
* 7 Boycott
o 7.1 Calls for boycott
o 7.2 Other withdrawals
* 8 Sporting controversies
o 8.1 Doping
o 8.2 Archery
o 8.3 Athletics
o 8.4 Boxing
o 8.5 Cycling
o 8.6 Swimming
o 8.7 Wrestling
* 9 Reactions and responses
o 9.1 Criticism by Mani Shankar Aiyar
* 10 Allegations of corruption and financial irregularities
* 11 See also
* 12 References
[edit] Socio-economic impact
[edit] Financial costs
Azim Premji, founder of Wipro Technologies, remarked that India faced several socio-economic challenges and "to instead spend on a grand sporting spectacle sounds like we [India] have got our priorities wrong."[3]
Miloon Kothari, a leading Indian expert on socio-economic development, remarked that the 2010 Commonwealth Games will create "a negative financial legacy for the country" and asked "when one in three Indians lives below the poverty line and 40% of the hungry live in India, when 46% of India's children and 55% of women are malnourished, does spending billions of dollars on a 12-day sports event build national pride or is it a matter of national shame?"[1]
One of the outspoken critics of the Games is Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Indian Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. In April 2007, Aiyar commented that the Games are "irrelevant to the common man" and criticized the Indian government for sanctioning billions of dollars for the Games even though India requires massive investment in social development programs.[2] In July 2010, he remarked that he would be "unhappy if the Commonwealth Games are successful".[4]
Indian businessman Azim Premji called the 2010 Commonwealth Games a "drain on public funds" and said that hosting the high-expense Games in India is not justified given that the country had more important priorities facing it, such as education, infrastructure and public health.[3]
[edit] Social and environmental impact
Nearly 400,000 people from three large slum clusters in Delhi have been relocated since 2004. Gautam Bhan, an Indian urban planner with the University of California-Berkeley, said that the 2010 Commonwealth Games have resulted in "an unprecedented increase in the degree, frequency and scale of indiscriminate evictions without proper resettlement. We haven’t seen [these] levels of evictions in the last five years since the Emergency."[5]
In response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed for study and statements by civil society groups, a report by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) - an arm of the Habitat International Coalition - detailed the social and environmental consequences of the event.[6] It stated that no tolerance zones for beggars are enforced in Delhi, and the city has arbitrarily arrested homeless citizens under the "Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959".
[edit] Labour laws violations
Campaigners in India have accused the organisers of enormous and systematic violations of labour laws at construction sites. Human Rights Law Network reports that independent investigations have discovered more than 70 cases where workers have died in accidents at construction sites since work began.[7] Although official numbers have not been released, it is estimated that over 415,000 contract daily wage workers are working on Games projects.[8] Unskilled workers are paid INR85 (US$1.9) to INR100 (US$2.2) per day while skilled workers are paid INR120 (US$2.7) to INR130 (US$2.9) INR per day for eight hours of work. Workers also state that they are paid INR134 (US$3) to INR150 (US$3.3) for 12 hours of work (eight hours plus four hours of overtime). Both these wages contravene the stipulated Delhi state minimum wage of INR152 (US$3.4) for eight hours of work.[9] Nearly 50 construction workers have died in the past two years while employed on Games projects.[10]
These represent violations of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Interstate Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Act 1979, and the constitutionally enshrined fundamental rights per the 1982 Supreme Court of India judgement on Asiad workers.[11] The public have been banned from the camps where workers live and work – a situation which human rights campaigners say prevents the garnering of information regarding labour conditions and number of workers.[11]
There have been documented instances of the presence of young children at hazardous construction sites, due to a lack of child care facilities for women workers living and working in the labour camp style work sites.[12] Furthermore, workers on the site of the main Commonwealth stadium have reportedly been issued with hard hats, yet most work in open-toed sandals and live in cramped tin tenements in which illnesses are rife.[13] The High Court of Delhi is presently hearing a public interest petition relating to employers not paying employees for overtime and it has appointed a four-member committee to submit a report on the alleged violations of workers rights.[12][14]
During the construction of the Games Village, there was controversy over financial mismanagement,[15] profiteering by the Delhi Development Authority and private real estate companies,[16] and inhumane working conditions.[17]
[edit] Child labour
CNN has broadcast evidence showing children, as young as seven, being used in the construction of the game venues. According to Siddharth Kara, who provided CNN with the evidence, he documented 14 cases of child labor within a few days. In reply to a question whether it could have been just a case of kids being present at the construction site along with their parents, he replied: "It's not just kids playing in the dirt or using a hammer as a toy." He further stated about the kids: "They're told to do the work and they just do the work. They don't know that they should be in school or that they should be playing."[18][19]
Even though the New Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit claimed that nobody had approached her, according to CNN, they had tried to contact her as far back as July 23, 2010. In spite of repeated attempts, according to them, no official reply was ever made.[18]
[edit] Urban change
Mitu Sengupta, a professor of politics at Ryerson University, Canada, points out that there is a “tradition of using ‘urban spectacles’ such as the Olympics and World’s Fairs to enhance a city’s global recognition, image and status, and to push through controversial policy reforms that might otherwise linger in the pending file for years (it is easier to undercut local opposition under the pressure of a fixed deadline and the international spotlight).” She writes that the reforms involved are often “the invention of an affluent, globally connected minority that is relatively detached from local conditions and the local population.” The 2010 Commonwealth Games, she says, are being used to invigorate an elite-driven program of urban transformation” that centers on privatization, securitization, and the construction of “monuments to vanity.” [20] Sengupta expands upon this argument in a subsequent article in Z Magazine [21] Amita Baviskar, a professor of sociology at the Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi, makes a similar argument, on how mega-events, like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, are used to advance narrow agendas of urban reform that cater to the middle class and rich. She focuses on how, in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, the city's slums were bulldozed in order to make room for shopping malls and expensive real estate.[22] Writer and activist Gautam Bhan also draws a connection between the Commonwealth Games and anti-poor urban development in an article posted on Kafila, an alternative webzine [23]
[edit] Sex slavery and prostitution boom
There has been a boom in the number of young girls, mostly from impoverished parts of India, coming to Delhi after being offered jobs by disguised criminals, only to be taken prisoner and forced into sex slavery. The number of victims is believed to be in the hundreds. Many brothels have been running English courses for sex workers and upgrading their facilities in anticipation of a business upturn during the games.[24] Overseas prostitutes are also expected to come as tourists and ply their trade.[25] One anti-trafficking NGO has claimed that there are reports of 40,000 women being brought in from northeastern India alone. A spokesperson said that recruits from that part of India were favoured because of their lighter skin.[26] It has been reported that over 3,000 bar girls in Mumbai have stopped going to work; this has been blamed on an exodus to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.[27]
[edit] Organisational failure
[edit] Vigilance-related irregularities and Over-Invoicing
On 28 July 2010, the Central Vigilance Commission, an Indian government body created to address governmental corruption, released a report showing irregularities in up to 14 CWG projects.[28] As per official reports, in total 129 works in 71 organisations have been inspected.[29] The detailed preliminary findings included the award of work contracts at higher prices, poor quality assurance and management, and work contracts awarded to ineligible agencies.[30]
There are also allegations of widespread corruption in various aspects of organising the games including procurement and awarding contracts for constructing the game venues.[31] The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on 5th Aug 2010 suspended joint director T S Darbari and M Jayachandran following the report of the three-member panel which was probing the financial irregularities related to the Queen's Baton Relay.[32]
Also, Organising Committee treasurer Anil Khanna resigned from the post in the wake of allegations that his son's firm had secured a contract for laying synthetic courts at a tennis stadium.[33] The GlobalPost news agency reports that scandals have come to light, such as "shadowy off-shore firms, forged emails, inexplicable payments to bogus companies and inflated bills — for every purchase from toilet paper to treadmills." [34] Among the alleged corruption and defrauding of the games budget, toilet paper rolls valued at $2 were costed at $80, $2 soap dispensers at $60, $98 mirrors at $220, $11,830 altitude training simulators at $250,190.[35]
[edit] Preparation delays
In September 2009, CGF chief Mike Fennell reported that the games were at risk of falling behind schedule and that it was "reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010". A report by the Indian Government released several months prior found that construction work on 13 out of the 19 sports venues was behind schedule.[36]
The Chief of the Indian Olympic Association Randhir Singh has also expressed his concerns regarding the current state of affairs. Singh has called for the revamp of the Organising Committee commenting that India now has to "retrieve the games".[37] Other Indian officials have also expressed dismay at the ongoing delays but they have stated that they are confident that India will successfully host the games and do so on time.[38][39]
As the Times of India reports, all CWG projects were to be completed by May 2009 and the last year should have been kept for trial runs. The newspaper further reports that the first stadium was handed over for trial runs in July 2010 only.[40] To put the delays in perspective, Beijing National Stadium was completed much ahead of schedule for the 2008 Summer Olympics,[41] while the venues for 2012 Summer Olympics in London are scheduled to be delivered one year before the games and the construction of the venues is on track.[42]
In August 2010, the Cabinet Secretariat took a decision to appoint 10 officers of the rank of Joint and Additional Secretaries to oversee the progress of the construction of stadiums.[43] Each officer is allocated a stadium and given the responsibility to ensure that the work completes in time for the games.
[edit] Mass volunteer walkout
Around 10,000 of the 22,000 selected volunteers quit, less than a week before the event. This has been blamed on a lack of training for personnel, or dissatisfaction with assignments. There are reports that some who have quit have not returned their uniforms.[44]
[edit] Poor ticket sales and attendance
The start of the Games saw extremely poor ticket sales, with many venues near empty.[45] In a press conference, organising chairman Suresh Kalmadi admitted that there were problems, and blamed empty venues on ticket booths not being set up outside stadiums.[46] Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell admitted that many venues had been nearly empty on the opening day of the Games, saying "A number of venues do not have lots of spectators [...] one area which causes us concern".[47] On the second day of competition, less than 100 people filled the hockey venue–the 19,000-seat MDC Stadium. Less than 20 people watched the first tennis match of the tournament in the 5,000-seat tennis stadium, and just 58 fans watched the netball opening match.[48]
One Indian competitor tried to buy tickets for relatives online, only to be informed by the website that tickets were sold out. When he arrived to compete, he found the venue to be empty.[49]
The streets of Delhi were deserted for the cycling road races and walking event.
[edit] Spectators response at opening ceremony
At the opening ceremony, the chairman of the organising committee Suresh Kalmadi faced embarrassment, when he was booed by spectators at the start of his welcome speech to 60,000 spectators.[50] Kalmadi came under further strain when he "thanked" the late Princess Diana for attending the opening ceremony of the games. The chairman made the blunder at a press conference saying ’Yes, Princess Diana was there,’ after which he immediately corrected himself by saying ‘Prince Charles and (Camilla) the Duchess of Cornwall.[51]
[edit] Opening ceremony
The Australian Commonwealth contingent expressed frustration over the opening ceremony, in which there were claims athletes and delegation support staff were "treated like cattle" and subjected to "disgraceful" and unbearable conditions.[52] Australia's chef de mission Steve Moneghetti complained about the athletes being trapped in "absolute cauldron conditions" under the main stadium before marching for the opening ceremony. The Australians were stuck in a tunnel, where Moneghetti described the temperature as exceeding 40 °C (104 °F) due to a lack of airconditioning and ventilation. When attempting to move out, the Australian delegation was stopped by staff. When the contestants were finally able to move out into the arena, they were described as being emotionally affected.
[edit] Racism allegations
African countries have complained that they are getting second-class treatment from the Games organisers, in spite of them offering India a hand in the preparation of the Games.[53] They have alleged that accommodation given to them was inferior compared to the accommodation provided to the Australian and New Zealand teams. They went on to state that India was complaining about being victims of racial bias in the reporting of the Games; while simultaneously perpetrating the same kind of racism against the African countries.[53][54]
[edit] Infrastructure issues
[edit] Transport infrastructure
The Delhi Airport Metro Express built by Reliance Infrastructure and CAF Beasain missed its deadline of 31 July 2010 and the private consortium was fined Rs 11.25 crore.[55]
[edit] Venues
Less than two weeks before the opening ceremony, Fennell wrote to the Indian cabinet secretary, urging action in response to the village being "seriously compromised." He said that though team officials were impressed with the international zone and main dining area, they were "shocked" by the state of the accommodation. "The village is the cornerstone of any Games and the athletes deserve the best possible environment to prepare for their competition."[56] The BBC published photographs of the village taken two days before September 23 showing unfinished living quarters.[57]
New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Northern Ireland have expressed concern about unliveable conditions.[58] The Times of India newspaper reports that the Scottish delegation apparently submitted a photograph of a dog defecating on a bed in the games village.[59] Hooper said that there was "excrement in places it shouldn't be" in the athletes' quarters and that members of visiting delegations had to help clean up the unsanitary things.[60] The BBC released images of bathrooms with brown-coloured paan stains on the walls and floor, liquids on the floor, and brown paw prints on athletes' beds.[61] Lalit Bhanot, the secretary general of the Organising Committee, rejected the complaint that sanitation was poor by saying that, due to cultural differences, there are different standards about cleanliness in India and the western world, a statement for which he was widely ridiculed in Indian and international media.[62] Bhanot went on to say of the athletes' village that, "This is a world-class village, probably one of the best ever."[62]
Meanwhile, Pakistan also made reservations over the condition of the athletes’ village and asked for an alternate accommodation to be made available to its contingent while preparation was still in progress. The Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Hasan remarked: "We want the CGF to ensure that the athletes’ village is in good condition. Athletes cannot stay at a substandard place." Hasan however added that there were no doubts over Pakistan’s participation and the contingent would leave as planned.[63]
On the other hand, England's Chef de mission Craig Hunter praised the Games Village, remarking that "the Commonwealth Games Village here [in New Delhi] is better than the Beijing Olympics". He added that the arrangements at the Games Village is much better than that at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[64]
Canada's sports minister also supported the Games, saying that big events always face issues, and the media often exaggerates them, as Canada found during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. He added that "We are coming in full force." [65]
[edit] Problems with functionality of equipment and infrastructure during events
On the first night of swimming, debris landed in the swimming pool, causing delays ahead of a race. It is believed that part of the ceiling or its paint had fallen off.
Before the last night of swimming finals, the filtration system broke down and the pool was turbid and murky during the warmup session and the finals, and the pool has been described as the least clear ever seen for a swimming competition. A disproportionate number of swimmers fell ill with intestinal complaints, leading to concerns over the cleanliness and sanitation of the pool.[66] Early suspicions rested on the quality of water in the swimming pools of the SPM Complex, but other competing teams, including South Africa, reported no such illness.[67] Daily water quality tests were being carried out on the water of the pools, as mandated by the event standards. Additional tests were ordered after news of the illnesses, but they also did not find anything amiss. The Australian team's chief doctor, Peter Harcourt, ruled that the "chances of the [Delhi] pool being the cause of the problem is very remote" and praised the hygiene and food quality in the Delhi Games Village.[68] He suggested that it could be a common case of Traveler's diarrhea (locally called Delhi belly), or the Australian swimmers could have contracted the stomach virus during their training camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[68] English Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington said that the water quality was absolutely fine.[69]
A dog entered the athletics arena.[66]
After the opening ceremony, the ground at the athletics was damaged, and the grass infield and the track was still being re-laid two hours before competition started.
[edit] Vandalism of Games Village by Athletes
[edit] Condoms and toilet blockages
An Indian newspaper during the games reported that used condoms flushed down the toilets in the athlete's village had caused some drains to become blocked, necessitating action by plumbers to clear the pipes.[70]
[edit] Athletes under investigation for trashing apartments
Australian athletes have been accused of vandalizing the towers of the athletes' village they were staying in by breaking furniture and electrical fittings.[71] Delhi Police did not press the case after the Organizing Committee refused to file a complaint while Indian external affairs minister SM Krishna dismissed it as a one-off incident.[72]
A washing machine was hurled from the eighth floor of the same tower. Nobody on the ground was hit, but it is unclear who the culprit was. Indian newspapers have reported that the Australian Commonwealth Games Authority agreed to pay for the damages[73] and have apologised for the incident.[74][75] The Australian High Commissioner rejected the claim, stating that the incident was the result of partying and celebrations.[71][76] Later comments by Australian officials have contradicted claims by Lalit Bhanot that they had admitted responsibility. Perry Crosswhite said that it was still unclear if athletes from other nations present in the tower at the time had been responsible.[77]
[edit] Safety and security concerns
Small monkeys roam Delhi's streets and prefer heavily urbanized areas with plenty of living space among buildings.[78] They cannot be killed because many Indians see them as sacred so instead a larger, domesticated monkey, the langur, is brought in to scare away the smaller monkeys.
On the second day of the games, three Ugandan officials were injured by a malfunctioning security barrier at the games' village, and a senior official from that country raised allegations of discrimination by Indian officials. Uganda's sports minister lashed out at Indian officials and demanded an apology for the accident. The officials had cuts and bruises and were hospitalized overnight for observation.[79] The chairman of the Games' Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, apologized to the Ugandan High Commissioner to India for the freak car accident.[80]
[edit] Infrastructural compromise
On 21 September 2010, a footbridge under construction for the Games near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, injuring at least 23 people,[81] mainly workers, underscoring fears of poor workmanship. Commenting on the incident, Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit controversially remarked that the footbridge was only meant for spectators and not for athletes.[82] Following the collapse, Fennell expressed concern that conditions at the Games Village, which had "shocked the majority", would seriously compromise the entire event.[83] The company that was building the foot bridge, P&R Infraprojects, was subsequently blacklisted by the Delhi Government and was not allowed to get government contracts.[84]
Reportedly, progress was still slow and four or five accommodation towers built by Emaar at the Games village were unfinished, lacking facilities such as wireless internet, fitted toilets and plumbing. In addition, rubble, unused masonry and discarded bricks littered the unfinished gardens. According to sports historian Boria Majumdar, author of the Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games, India "may have to pull a miracle."[83] The father of Australian track cyclist Kaarle McCulloch visited his daughter at the Olympic village. A builder in Australia, Grahame McCulloch criticised the structural soundness of the village; he said "those buildings are the dodgiest things I have ever seen...so substandard".[49] He told his daughter not to use the balcony, fearing that it was collapsible.[49]
On 22 September 2010, part of the drop ceiling of the new Commonwealth Games weightlifting venue in New Delhi collapsed.[85]
Indian bantamweight boxer Akhil Kumar's bed in the Games village collapsed when he sat on it. "I sat down on my bed to rest but suddenly it gave way. After that I noticed that part of it has no plywood,” he said [86]
On 27 September 2010, a South African athlete reported that a snake was present in his room in the Games Village. A day earlier, animal authorities had to be called in to evacuate a king cobra from the tennis venue.[87]
On the 7th of October, a large scoreboard crashed to the ground at the rugby venue when a supporting chain snapped. The games however were due to start a week later so no major repercussions were experienced.[79]
[edit] Terror threats
Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, some athletes and their representative bodies expressed security fears during the games. In April 2010, during the Indian Premier League, two low intensity bombs went off outside the stadium in Bangalore. Although there were no casualties, this postponed the start of the game by an hour. Following this attack, foreign cricketers like Kevin Pietersen expressed fears for their safety and questions were raised regarding the safety of athletes during the Commonwealth Games [2]. The UK and Canada also warned about potential attacks on commercial targets in Delhi ahead of the games.[88][89]
[edit] Jama Masjid incident
Main article: 2010 Jama Masjid attack
On 19 September 2010, unknown gunmen on a motorbike opened fire with an automatic pistol on a tourist bus outside the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi. The attacks, which came a fortnight before the start of the games, injured two Taiwanese tourists.[90] Two hours later, a Maruti car exploded in the vicinity, reportedly from a deliberate low-intensity pressure cooker bomb which had been assembled inside. No fatalities or major damages were reported. The incidents, which were purportedly claimed by the Indian Mujahideen, provoked fears about lack of security in the city for the upcoming games. However, police in Delhi initially denied the role of any organised terror group and instead blamed the attacks on "disgruntled youths and local criminal gangs."[91] Officials suggested that a possible motive of the strike was to instill fear in people ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
[edit] Fear of dengue outbreak
The heaviest monsoon rains in 15 years, along with large quantities of standing water on CWG construction sites as well as in tanks and ponds, raised concerns over increased levels of mosquito-borne disease in Delhi.[92] In the run-up to the games it was reported that 65-70 cases of dengue fever were being diagnosed each day in the city, with the number of cases "likely to hit the 3,000 mark" by the opening on October 3.[93]
[edit] Illness
Many swimmers were reported to have fallen ill. Initially, concerns were raised over the quality of water in the swimming pools of the SPM Complex. It was said that more than 20 percent of the English team's swimmers — about eight to 10 competitors — had been struck down with a stomach virus. The Australian team also reported that at least six of its swimmers had been sick, including Andrew Lauterstein, who had to withdraw from the 50-meter butterfly. Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell said officials would conduct tests to make sure the pools were not the source of the illness. "If there is something unsafe, you cannot swim in that water. It is a matter we have to deal with a great deal of urgency," he said.[79]
However, other competing teams, including South Africa, reported no such illness.[94] Daily water quality tests were being carried out on the water of the pools, as mandated by the event standards. Additional tests were ordered after news of the illnesses, but they also did not find anything amiss. The Australian team's chief doctor, Peter Harcourt, ruled that the "chances of the [Delhi] pool being the cause of the problem is very remote" and praised the hygiene and food quality in the Delhi Games Village.[68] He suggested that it could be a common case of Traveler's diarrhea (locally called Delhi belly), or the Australian swimmers could have contracted the stomach virus during their training camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[68] English Olympic and Commonwealth gold-medalist swimmer Rebecca Adlington said that the water quality was absolutely fine.[69]
[edit] Boycott
Following the withdrawal of Dani Samuels, the women's world discus champion,[95] because "my safety is more important to them than a medal," Australia's Minister for Sport, Mark Arbib, said CWG officials expected more competitors to follow suit.
The Scottish team's departure of its first 41 boxers, rugby players, wrestlers and support staff was delayed for 48 hours, and the Welsh team set a deadline of 22 September to receive reassurances that the venues would be fit for purpose. The first batch of English athletes, which includes a lawn bowls team and a men's hockey squad, said the organisers were not making nearly enough progress just a day before they were to leave. The Guardian suggested a mass walkout remained an option with the "point of no return" less than a week before the scheduled start; they claimed the "main competing countries would be likely to act in concert." They also suggested the games were on the verge of "descending into farce."
Michael Cavanagh, the chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said a decision to stay away would be a joint one, as he insisted a possible knock on effects for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow would not be a factor. He said "In terms of withdrawal we don't see this as simply a Team Scotland decision, any decision to withdraw we would see as being a collective decision amongst the countries who are already there and already concerned. We can't allow ourselves to be influenced by thoughts of how it may impact on 2014, not when we have something as important as the safety of our athletes to consider."[96] Phillips Idowu, the world triple jump champion, also withdrew from the Games.[97]
[edit] Calls for boycott
Amid allegations of blatant corruption, shoddy construction work at venues and security concerns for participating athletes, the 2010 Commonwealth games has faced numerous boycott calls from individuals in India, England and Australia.[98][99]
Within India, there were calls for boycott. Other celebrities who followed Aiyar's comments in expressing a call for boycott include former Indian cricket captain and spin bowler Bishan Singh Bedi and bestselling Indian author Chetan Bhagat. Bedi said the "CWG organisers have taken the country for a ride" and urged international athletes to boycott the "embarrassing" Delhi games.[100][101] Bhagat, who is considered a youth icon in India with a huge fan following, called the Commonwealth games the "biggest and most blatant exercise in mass corruption since the country won independence six decades ago."[98][102] Bhagat, who has sold more than 4 million books in India, also urged his readers to boycott the games event and not to watch them on TV, thereby using the "golden chance" to "put the corrupt and insensitive government to shame."[98]
The Jat community seeking reservation under the OBC quota have also planned to use the Commonwealth games as a platform and force the Indian government to relent to their needs.[103]
Other countries also threatened to boycott the games. Considering the potential impact of a terror threat and other security concerns, rumors arose about a boycott of the Delhi Commonwealth Games by major participating nations including Scotland, England and New Zealand.[104][105] However, the rumors were soon put to rest by Commonwealth games committees in each of these countries who expressed a general level of satisfaction with the security arrangements.[104][105]
Australian quadruple Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Dawn Fraser called for Australia to boycott the games event, citing fears of a tragedy similar to that which unfolded in the Munich Olympics of 1972.[99] Fraser pronounced that reports of missed construction deadlines and other irregularities in games planning meant Indian authorities' "word for providing security should not be taken at its face value."[99] However, the Australian Commonwealth Games Organising Committee was quick to dismiss Fraser's fears with ACGA chief executive, Perry Crosswhite saying he believed there will be no security issues during the games event.[99] John Coates, Australia's Olympic chief, came down hard on the organisers, alleging teams were being forced to temporary accommodation at hotels. "I don't think it is a cultural thing. When you agree to host [the Games], you are required to provide the basics in terms of health and hygiene for the athletes. The Games shouldn't have been awarded to Delhi in hindsight."[106]
[edit] Other withdrawals
A number of athletes withdrew from the Games, for reasons related and non-related to the state of affairs in the days leading up to the event. Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt and his predecessor Asafa Powell pulled out of the event citing the timing of the Games as a major reason for their decisions to stay away.[107] Olympic cyclist champion Geraint Thomas pulled out for fear of contracting dengue fever.[108] Other notable athletes who have announced their non-attendance include Paula Radcliffe, Jessica Ennis, Jennifer Meadows, Natasha Danvers, Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and Beth Tweddle.[107]
[edit] Sporting controversies
[edit] Doping
Prior to the Games, four wrestlers, a shot-putter and two swimmers who were all part of India's Games squad tested positive for methylhexaneamine. Four others, who were not picked for the Games in the Indian capital, also failed drug tests conducted at the various training camps across the country.[109][110]
Oludamola Osayomi of Nigeria won the women's 100 metre sprint event. On 11 October 2010 it was reported that Osayomi had tested positive for a "banned substance" which was later revealed to be the stimulant methylhexaneamine.[111] Another Nigerian athlete, hurdler Samuel Okon who placed sixth in the 110 metres hurdles, was reported to have tested positive for the same drug.[112]
In July 2011, three of the four women from India's gold-medal winning 400 metre-relay team tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Two of the racers, Sini Jose and Jauna Murmu, tested positive for the anabolic steroid methandienone, and Tiana Mary Thomas tested positiv for epi-methandienone.[113]
[edit] Archery
In the archery event England criticised the crowds behaviour, but Williamson (the silver medallist) praised the crowd.[114] Though earlier reports said that the team was upset that during the women’s recurve event the crowd chanted loudly during the final shots. Claiming that the noise distracted the archers. Amy Oliver had complained about the chanting of "Come on India" as she took her shots. adding "The crowd was not good. They were pretty loud…".[115] In an action condemned in the Indian media, an English archery official allegedly abused an Indian coach, telling him to "f*** off." The comment came after the Indian team registered a one-point win over England to claim the gold medal. The Indian archery head coach, Limba Ram, walked over to shake hands with officials of the rival team. In response, an English official showed his elbow in a gesture before uttering the remarks. Britain's archery team leader said she was unaware of the incident, "You must find out whether the person was one among us. If he was not wearing a red jersey, he would not be part of the side. I will speak to the Indian coach about it." Limba replied that he failed to identify the person, as he had chosen to ignore the one-off incident.[116] There have also been accusations that Limba Ram was called a monkey on two different occasions by an English official.[117]
[edit] Athletics
Pearson won the 100m sprint before being disqualified.
During the Final of the Women’s 100m sprint final controversy was caused by the eventual disqualification of Sally Pearson of Australia. She had won the race on the third attempted start after one start was delayed because of excessive crowd noise and the second due to a false start by Laura Turner of England. Pearson was disqualified because she was deemed to have false-started in the second attempted restart along with Turner. This was as a direct result of a protest lodged by Team England. The controversy was caused as only Turner was disqualified from the race during the race because of a false start and not Pearson. Turner ran the race under protest. Pearson and other athletes were not informed of the protest until four hours after the race, as they were waiting to begin the medal presentation for the race. Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell called Pearson's treatment "unsatisfactory" and that the whole situation was caused by an "unacceptable communications blunder".[118]
[edit] Boxing
During the weigh-in for the boxing competition the scales were giving inaccurate readings with athletes recording higher body weights on the official scales. The scales were deemed to be broken and the weigh-in was delayed 24 hours to find and calibrate new scales. The initial wrong measurements led to angry shouting between coaches, athletes and organisers.[119] During the boxing competition there have been claims made by various teams including England and Botswana that jabs were not being scored by judges. This was attributed to the removal of a white scoring zone placed on the boxers gloves which is usually present in amateur boxing events. The BBC commentating team also claimed there to be a bias in judges scores towards Indian competitors.[120]
[edit] Cycling
During the final of the Men’s Keirin, Malaysian Azizulhasni Awang was disqualified for aggressive interference when he forced his way past two competitors. Race winner Josiah Ng said he was "mystified" over Awang's disqualification. In the semi-final round of the keirin, Australia's Shane Perkins was disqualified for dangerous riding with the official reason not being made clear. Perkins subsequently won the classification race and was described by Chris Boardman from the BBC to "have aimed an angry V-sign at officials"; he gestured to the judges with his index and middle finger held together. No subsequent action was taken against Perkins who later said, "the officials need to go back to school", referencing poor decisions he felt had been made in the sprint and keirin events.[121]
[edit] Swimming
On another occasion, South African swimmer Roland Schoeman came under criticism when he referred to the crowd at the swimming as "going on like monkeys" in a post-race poolside interview. Schoeman's remarks came after he narrowly avoided being disqualified as he and England's Simon Burnett fell in at the start of the 50m freestyle when distracted by crowd noise. The swimming has been persistently affected by Indian spectators ignoring etiquette and shouting out while the competitors were preparing for the start.[122] His comment was regarded as possibly being a racial ethnic slur, although he later said that the word was commonly used in South Africa to refer to mischievous behaviour. At an official press conference, organising committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot took the complaints about monkeys literally. Not being aware of the complaints, Bhanot felt Delhi's wildlife was at issue: "We know especially at the swimming pool there are a lot of monkeys and we have made efforts to keep them away from the swimming pool."[123]
[edit] Wrestling
Australian wrestler Hassene Fkiri was ejected from the 96 kg Greco-Roman competition and stripped of the silver medal after making an obscene gesture at the international FILA judges during the final. According to an Australian official, Fkiri was furious at his Indian rival Anil Kumar, who he accused of breaking the rules a number of times in the first period by holding Fkiri around the neck and head with two hands. The Australian received his first warning after he made a comment to the referee as he walked off the mat at the end of the two-minute period; when Kumar repeated the same move in the next round, Fkiri headbutted him and was issued a second warning. He then proceeded to swing his arms uncontrollably afterwards, which resulted in his third warning and eventual disqualification. After losing, Fkiri refused to shake hands with the victor.[124]
[edit] Reactions and responses
Responding to media concerns, the organisers said there were 48 hours to save the Games after warnings of a pull out.[96]
Many Bollywood actors also expressed dismay at the state of the Games.[125]
Four days before the start of the games the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the 100 m athletics, were still not sold out.[126]
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that despite Kalmadi's "blind optimism", the games were not going to be the best ever. Instead, it wrote that it was "probably the most interesting."[127]
The opening ceremony played a key role in improving the image of the Games. As athletes arrived and competitions started, many earlier critics changed their view. The Australian Sports Minister said that India could now aim for the Olympics, and the President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, said that India had made a good foundation for a future Olympics bid.[128][129] As the Games concluded, many observers remarked that they began on an apprehensive note, but were an exceptional experience with a largely positive ending.[130][131] Some observers accused sections of the media of bias, unfair expectations, and negative reporting.[132]
Within India, the Games saw criticism due to the Games' origins as a celebration of the British Empire, with Arindam Chaudhuri arguing for India's disassociation from the "slavish games" which he viewed as a "celebration of racial discrimination, colonialism [and] imperialism".[133]
[edit] Criticism by Mani Shankar Aiyar
Mani Shankar Aiyar, a senior member of the ruling Indian National Congress party and former Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs was an early whistleblower from the Indian Union Cabinet who expressed concern over extensive delays in preparation leading to unplanned expenses which he said, could have been utilized for "ensuring a better sporting future for Indian children by providing them sports training".[134] Aiyar also said that he would be "unhappy" if the Games were a success and wished for the "Commonwealth Games to be spoiled."[134]
Aiyar's frank media admission proved a public embarrassment for Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi who labelled him "anti national" for wishing that the Commonwealth Games are "spoilt."[135] Kalmadi's remark received extensive criticism in Indian media.[136]
Aiyar also told an Australian TV channel that India is "probably the poorest country of the Commonwealth".[137] Bangladesh among other countries has a lower GDP per capita/purchasing power parity.
[edit] Allegations of corruption and financial irregularities
The day after the conclusion of the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special committee to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement against the Organizing Committee. The probe committee will be led by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India VK Shungloo. This probe will be in addition to the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, and Central Vigilance Commission investigations already underway. The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, had promised in mid-August, when reports of the bungling first surfaced, that corrupt officials will be given "severe and exemplary" punishment after the Games. The committee has been given three months time to submit its report.[138][139]
On April 25, 2011 after being questioned over alleged irregularities in the conduct of Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) held in London in 2009, CBI arrested Kalmadi under Sections 120 B and 420 (criminal conspiracy and cheating) of the Indian Penal Code in the Commonwealth Games Time Scoring Equipment scam.[140]
[edit] See also
* List of politicians in India charged with corruption
* Concerns and controversies over the 2008 Summer Olympics
* Concerns and controversies over the 2010 Winter Olympics
* Contractor Mafias — construction mafias, part of the Mafia Raj in India
* Corruption in India
* Corruption Perceptions Index
* Indian political scandals
* Rent seeking
* Jan Lokpal Bill
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