Opinion of the guests on the NDA government

MAY 24, 2016 | EDIT

Opinion of the guests on the NDA government on completion of 2 years in office

Brinda Karat, CPM: National food security law is being subverted. And see the food security in a larger perspective. There has been drought in last more than two years. Thus the entire food security is in peril. There is class bias in the current establishment. Thee is huge concession to the corporate in forms of tax benefits, where as the budget allocation is cut to the social sectors which will benefit the poor and the wider citizenry. Basic service are being transferred to private players. And there is no job-creation under the current establishment. In every new legislation being brought, there is dilution to the principles of “Consent”, be it the consent of the tribals to give their land or the Gram Sabha to approve a project in their areas. And there has been attacks on the civil society, e.g Teesta is targeted and the Greenpeace has been victimised”

D Raja, CPI: There has been attack by the NDA government on co-operative federalism. Examples are: Arunchal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Ambedkar said that the article 356 should remain in paper. But see how this government has misused it. Thanks to the courts which ordered a floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly. This government is also pitting Lok Sabha vs Rajya Sabha. How they have declared the Aadhar bill as money bill and present to the Parliament?  This government is full of rhetoric: Skill India, Make in India, Start up India!! They should now get to work.

Sandeep Dixit, Congress: There is attack on the very idea of India. We meed to protect the Constitution of India and the Idea of India. I do not think the current regime has much stake in the kins if sectors WNTA has reviewed e.g the social sector, neither they are high on the agenda of governance and accountability. They are mainstreaming the Trobals in the lines of Cultural Nationalism.

Raghav Chadha, AAP: ” The government has failed in foreign policy, fighting against corruption, brining back black money to country, maintaining communal harmony, and controlling inflation. See how we are alienating Nepal. See the policies with Pakistan how the government is faltering. It has not yet appointed the Lokpal. And change are being made in PCA to dilute it. And in economy, the unemployment is rising, sensex is falling , inflation is rising, agri productivity is falling so on and so forth”.

A V Swamy, MP Rajya Sabha: “If the government is sincere at keeping its slogan on Minimum government , maximum governance it should empower the Panchayats.”

Amitabh Kundu, Professor, JNU : The government hs a policy confusion on smart city mission. Initally it allocated 7062 crores and spent only 900 crore. Next year they allocated only 1000 crores and could not spend it. This year they have allocated only 400 crores and that too for only 200 cities as against 100 cities declared to be smart cities.”

Urmilesh, Journalist : ” The NDA government is smartest in media management.” In current scenario, there is complete corporatisation of media.

Amitabh Behar of WNTA : ” The report looks at the government performance from the prism of Constitutional provisions.”

Thomas Pallthanam , Convener of WNTA: “Attempt has been made in this report to bring out the assessment of the government on how it has impacted on the poor and the marginalised.”

Annie Namala, Convener, WNTA : The government is trying to legitimise the child labour by amending the existing law.”

Please get back to us for any further clarifications. 

 

Thanking you

 

Sincerely

 

John Animesh Gomes

 

Program Coordinator & In-Charge 

WNTA Secretariat

Mobile : 08587967962

0

Visit Orlando’s

MAY 24, 2016 | EDIT

Mumbai, 24th  May, 2016: Visit Orlando’s Global Communications Team compiles a “Weekly What’s New” list using information provided by partners and destination press releases to keep you up-to-date on Orlando happenings. This information is posted on our media website, along with past “Weekly What’s New” information:http://media.visitorlando.com/latest-news.

Accommodations

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is offering a special deal where guests who stay a minimum of four consecutive nights receive the fifth night free, plus a $50 resort credit with online code: ESCAPE. The offer is valid June 1 – Aug. 31, 2016. Rates start at $179.
grandcypress.regency.hyatt.com; 407-616-8108 (media); 407-239-1234 (public)

Awards& Accolades

Orlando has been named one of the top five Best Family Vacations in the world by U.S. News & World Report. The distinction was awarded based on votes from thousands of travelers.
travel.usnews.com; 202-955-2155 (media & public)

Dining

Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort continues to expand, and several new restaurants have opened this month including STK, an upscale steakhouse; D-Luxe Burger, a specialty burger joint; Amorette’s Patisserie, a high end bakery with classic and contemporary confections; and The Daily Poutine, a kiosk with specialty fries. Also newly opened is Morimoto Asia’s walk-up order window, allowing guests to enjoy Bao Tacos, sushi and more without committing to the full dining experience.
disneysprings.com; 407-566-6397 (media); 407-939-6244 (public)

Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort announced plans for a new restaurant aboard the vessel formerly known as Fulton’s Crab House, called Paddlefish. The refreshed venue comes with a menu to match, featuring an array of composed and contemporary seafood dishes, steaks and more. Guests can look forward to more interactive dining experiences and a new rooftop lounge as well.
disneysprings.com; 407-566-6397 (media); 407-939-6244 (public)

Ming Court will close at the end of May. The restaurant has been a staple of the International Drive area for 27 years.
ming-court.com; 407-351-9988 (media & public)

###

Warm Regards,

Lorine Sequeira

PR Executive

____________

0

Lahiri qualifies for his second U.S. Open and ninth Major

MAY 24, 2016 | EDIT

Reigning Asian Tour number one Anirban Lahiri of India earned his place at next month’s U.S. Open, the year’s second Major, by virtue of being in the top-60 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of Monday, May 23rd, 2016.

The 28-year-old Lahiri, currently 56th in the world rankings, will make his second U.S. Open and ninth Major appearance when he tees it up at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, from June 16 to 19.

The U.S. Open is the only Major where Anirban has not made the cut so far. He will be eager to redeem himself after last year’s disappointment when he missed the halfway cut in his debut appearance at the tournament. The tenacious Indian also featured in the Masters Tournament in April where he finished tied 42nd.

Lahiri, who is playing his rookie season on the PGA Tour this year, has missed only three cuts all season and was joint runner-up in his defence of the Indian Open in March. He will also look to match his impressive tied fifth result at last year’s PGA Championship, which was the best performance by an Indian golfer at a Major.

Anirban, all set to represent India at the Rio Olympics later this year, is slowly also making his way up on the list of Indians with most Major appearances. Jeev Milkha Singh is currently on top of that list with 13 appearances. Lahiri is placed second with eight appearances.

Here’s a look at Anirban Lahiri’s record at the Majors so far:

Major appearances – 8

U.S. Masters – 2 appearances (2015 – Tied 49th, 2016 – Tied 42nd)

U.S. Open – 1 appearance (2015 – Missed Cut)

British Open – 3 appearances (2012 – Tied 31st, 2014 – Missed Cut, 2015 – Tied 30th)

PGA Championship – 2 appearances (2014 – Missed Cut, 2015 – Tied 5th)

0

MAY 24, 2016 | EDIT

Who is Planning Urban India and How?

MAY 24, 2016

Today at 11:38

MAY 31 CPR is pleased to invite you to a workshop on From the Local to Regional: Who is Planning Urban India and How?Tuesday, 31 May 2016, 3:45 p.m. Sanjeev Vidyarthi Conference Hall, Centre for Policy Research Image Source Who is making the plans shaping fast-growing Indian cities and their metropolitan regions? The presentation, which shares preliminary findings of this research, is organized in two parts. The first part describes the changing perception of spatial plans within the planning discipline. Plans, for example, are no longer seen as precise and predictive in character but incremental and provisional by nature. There is a growing recognition that a diverse range of actors (homeowners, squatters, developers, politicians etc.) make different kinds of plans (informal, tacit, spontaneous, incremental and more) as they anticipate and prepare for an uncertain future in an increasingly urbanized world. The second part of presentation will then illustrate the wide variety of existing and emergent urban actors and their plans that are beginning to shape Indian urban regions in unprecedented ways.Sanjeev Vidyarthiis an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Trained as an architect, urban designer and spatial planner, Sanjeev studies ideas and actions in the domain of human settlements focusing upon the meanings and purposes of planning for places. His research interests span the fields of planning theory and history and globalization and development studies, and his current research explores who does (and should do) the planning work. Exploring planning efforts in a wide variety of urban settings, Sanjeev has lived, worked and studied in the Middle East, Western Europe, and the United States over the past couple decades, while maintaining a strong research agenda around the spatial planning and development of post-independence India. This is the seventy-sixth in a series of Urban Workshops planned by the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH), New Delhi and Centre for Policy Research (CPR). These workshops seek to provoke public discussion on issues relating to the development of the city and try to address all its facets including its administration, culture, economy, society and politics. For further information, please contact: Christine Ithurbide atchristine@csh-delhi.com, Partha Mukhopadhyay at partha@cprindia.orgor Marie-Hélène Zerah atmarie-helene.zerah@ird.fr

LEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

MAY 24, 2016

For immediate release                                                                            Media InquiriesDate: 23 May 2016                                                                          Rineeta Naik, (In India) rineeta.naik@unwomen.org Sharon Grobeisen,(In Istanbul) sharon.grobeisen@unwomen.org Oisika Chakrabarti oisika.chakrabarti@unwomen.org

At World Humanitarian Summit, UN Women calls for women’s rights and empowerment to be central principles of humanitarian action

(23 May 2016, Istanbul) UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Deputy Executive Director Yannick Glemarec will join other world leaders at the first World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) held today and tomorrow in Istanbul, Turkey.The first gathering of its kind, the Summit aims to place humanity—people’s safety, dignity and the right to thrive—at the heart of global decision-making and initiate a set of concrete actions and commitments to enable countries and communities to better prepare for and respond to crises. With more than 5,000 expected participants, the programme will include seven high-level leaders’ roundtables on priority action areas. At the Summit, UN Women will advocate for greater investment for gender equality and for women’s rights and women’s empowerment to become standard principles of humanitarian planning and action. UN Women and UNFPA Executive Directors will be UN co-chairs for tomorrow’s Roundtable Four, entitled “High-Level Leaders’ Roundtable on Women and Girls: Catalyzing Action to Achieve Gender Equality”, where Member States, UN and multilateral actors will come together to endorse core commitments to improve humanitarian action for women and girls worldwide. Member State co-chairs for Roundtable four will include: President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (Croatia); President Michael D. Higgins (Ireland); Deputy Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa (Samoa) and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström (Sweden). The Roundtable will be attended by more than 25 Member States and civil society representatives. Ensuring that humanitarian action works for women and girls is a UN Women priority. The organization’s core actions for women and girls in humanitarian situations are to facilitate coordination and provide leadership, build the capacity of planning and implementing agencies, ensure response planning is evidence-based and to implement targeted actions wherever gaps are identified. “Women have a large stake in the appropriateness of the services they receive, and must be involved in guiding those provisions to make sure they are directly relevant and effective. Getting it right for women is central to finding appropriate solutions for the millions of families and individuals displaced, homeless, or making new homes in host countries,” said Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka. “There are two important challenges that are still not taken into consideration or integrated into humanitarian action. Firstly, women are marginalized when it comes to leadership and meaningful participation and are consistently excluded from decision-making processes in humanitarian response. This results in a lack of support offered to them to enable them to acquire the skills and resources needed to rebuild their lives. Secondly, the pervasive rise of sexual and domestic violence that women and girls experience in humanitarian situations which remains inadequately addressed” she added. “We know, for example, that early child marriage—considered a form of violence—increases dramatically in response to vulnerability and lack of resources.” A 2013 assessment estimated the percentage of Syrian girl refugees in Jordan being married before age 18 to have risen from below 17 per cent before the conflict, to more than 50 per cent afterwards. Without access to sexual and reproductive health services, these girls have little or no control over pregnancy, with damaging or deadly consequences. Sixty per cent of preventable maternal deaths occur among women and girls who have been displaced or disadvantaged through conflict or natural disaster. At the Summit, in addition to participation in the official programme, UN Women will showcase the stories of women leaders and the work on the ground, from Nepal to Democratic Republic of the Congo to Jordan, in support of humanitarian action, including through photo essays, videos and a virtual reality experience at the Exhibition Fair. See UN Women’s online In Focus package for more.

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. For more information, visit india.unwomen.org.

UN Women India | C-83, Defence Colony, New Delhi – 110024

LEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Pope on Europe’s roots

MAY 24, 2016

Today at 9:13

An Independent Clergy & Laity Partnership Initiative  Issue: No 2455   24-05-2016 ** Please add hq@thecsf.org to your address book to ensure future delivery. ** If the images below do not display correctly, pleaseclick here Ecumenical Evangelical Interdenominational Romans 15:2 “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” HEADLINE Pope on Europe’s roots, ISIS & Islam, Societal & other issues Rome, May 18, 2016: In your speeches in Europe, you refer to the “roots” of the continent without ever describing them as Christian. Rather, you define “European identity” as “dynamic and multicultural.” In your view, is the expression “Christian roots” inappropriate for Europe ? Pope Francis: We need to speak of roots in the plural because … INDIA Dalit Jesuit tells bishops that the Indian Church discriminates against Dalits Secunderabad, May 19, 2016: The brutal attack against Mgr Prasad Gallela has not so far elicited any condemnation of the part of Indian Catholic leaders. Unlike his attackers, including three priests, who are from the Reddy caste or rural land-owning caste, the bishop of Chudappah (Kadapa) is of Dalit origin and this appears to be … TN fishers must be consulted on Katchateevu church: Jayalalithaa Chennai, May 16, 2016: The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa has expressed her opposition to Sri Lanka’s move to construct a new church in Katchatheevu is let in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In her letter on May 14,Jayalalithaaasserted that the decision of the Sri Lankan government to demolish and reconstruct … Assam bishop ‘praying’ as BJP forms government New Delhi, May 22, 2016: The church in Assam, where a Hindu nationalist party for the first time won state elections, is “praying and hoping” that there will not be any anti-Christian violence, said a local archbishop. “We expect a good relationship with the new government,” Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati in the northeastern state … ASIA + Another Christian woman abducted in Pakistan Pakistan, May 19, 2016: Last Thursday (12 May), a 24-year-old Christian woman from the Bahar District in Lahore was abducted by four masked men. Marriam Mushtaq, a higher education student, was walking with her younger brother, Youhan, when the men pulled up in a car and attempted to drag her into the vehicle. Marriam resisted … WORLD US Senate: Saudi Arabia can be sued for 9/11 U.S, The US Senate has approved the controversial bill that will allow the families of the 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, for (alleged) links with the bombers. The bill is strongly opposed by the government and by President Barack Obama, because it would leave the United States open to being cited in a case … MISCELLANEOUS What should you do when You sin? “If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me.” (Jeremiah 15:19a NLT) When you became a believer in Christ, you were born again into God’s family, and you cannot be unborn. Although the fellowship with God can be broken by sin, the relationship is still there. You’re only … CARTOON

LEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Naresh: Will you add your name for the dinner ?

MAY 24, 2016

Great food, conversation, and maybe a selfie

Naresh — Will you add your name for the chance to meet me for dinner on the campaign trail? Here’s what’s on the menu: Wonderful food (I’m still thinking about the cauliflower pizza from last time!), great conversation, and maybe even time for a selfie (I’m getting pretty good at them!). We’ll fly you out, and you can obviously bring a friend. I’d like to see you and thank you before we move into the biggest phase of this election yet — just add your name today: RSVP for dinner Hope to see you there, Hillary Chip in $1 to join more than 1.2 million grassroots donors standing with this campaign and be automatically entered for the chance to win dinner with Hillary: Naresh, donate $1