Author Archives: Arun Kumar N

About Arun Kumar N

Arun has been associated with India International Times since 2018 and he has been a key reporter in covering science and space related stories. He can be reached at arunKnn@indiainternationaltimes.com.

Aamir Khan Looks 51, Despite Thick Mustache on Birthday

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Happy Birthday Aamir Khan

‘PK’ superstar Aamir Khan turned 51 and unlike last year, he looked no more young in looks but matured to befit the 50s as he grew thick mustache reminiscent from his earlier film ‘Mangal Pandey’.

Dressed in white T shirt and jeans, Aamir khan has reduced half of his weight gained for the upcoming film ‘Dangal’. But he did not remove the mush which reveal his real age too.

There is one thing the the actor vows on every birthday — to quit smoking — but ends up lighting one at the end of his every new film’s release, revealed his brother.

“Every year he decides to quit smoking but then when a film is about to release he invariably ends up giving into it,” said his brother to the media in whose presence Aamir Khan cut the cake on his 51st birthday.

From his first appearance in his uncle Nasir Hussain’s film Yaadon Ki Baaraat(1973) to his first adult appearance opposite Juhi Chawla in the highly successful tragic romance Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak(1988) to his latest ‘PK’, the actor never turned to exemplary films and is known as ‘Mr Perfect’ in Bollywood.

Here’s his filmography:

Title Year Credited as Notes
Actor Producer Other Role
Yaadon Ki Baaraat 1973 Yes Young Ratan[II] Minor role
Madhosh 1974 Yes Young Raj[III] Minor role
Paranoia 1983 Yes Assistant director Unknown Short film
Manzil Manzil 1984 Assistant director
Holi 1984 Yes Madan Sharma
Zabardast 1985 Assistant director
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak 1988 Yes Assistant writer Raj National Film Award – Special Mention (also forRaakh)
Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Raakh 1989 Yes Amir Hussein Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Love Love Love 1989 Yes Amit
Awwal Number 1990 Yes Sunny
Tum Mere Ho 1990 Yes Shiva
Dil 1990 Yes Raja Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Deewana Mujh Sa Nahin 1990 Yes Ajay Sharma
Jawani Zindabad 1990 Yes Shashi Sharma
Afsana Pyaar Ka 1991 Yes Raj
Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin 1991 Yes Raghu Jetley Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Isi Ka Naam Zindagi 1992 Yes Chotu
Daulat Ki Jung 1992 Yes Rajesh Chaudhry
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar 1992 Yes Sanjaylal Sharma Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Pehla Nasha 1993 Yes Himself Cameo appearance
Parampara 1993 Yes Ranbir Prithvi Singh
Damini – Lightning 1993 Yes Himself Cameo appearance
Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke 1993 Yes Screenwriter Rahul Malhotra Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Andaz Apna Apna 1994 Yes Amar Manohar Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Baazi 1995 Yes Amar Damjee
Aatank Hi Aatank 1995 Yes Rohan
Rangeela 1995 Yes Munna
Akele Hum Akele Tum 1995 Yes Rohit Kumar Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Raja Hindustani 1996 Yes Raja Hindustani Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Ishq 1997 Yes Raja
Ghulam 1998 Yes Playback singer Siddharth Marathe Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer
Earth 1998 Yes Dil Navaz Canadian-Indian film
Released in India as 1947: Earth
Sarfarosh 1999 Yes Ajay Singh Rathod Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Mann 1999 Yes Dev Karan Singh
Mela 2000 Yes Playback singer Kishan Pyare
Lagaan 2001 Yes Yes Bhuvan National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment
Filmfare Award for Best Film
Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Dil Chahta Hai 2001 Yes Akash Malhotra Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Acto
Madness in the Desert 2004 Yes Yes Himself Documentary film
Also known as Chale Chalo: The Lunacy of Film Making
National Film Award for Best Exploration/Adventure Film
Mangal Pandey: The Rising 2005 Yes Playback singer Mangal Pandey Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Rang De Basanti 2006 Yes Playback singer Daljit “DJ” Singh/
Chandrashekhar Azad[IV]		 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Fanaa 2006 Yes Rehan Quadri [81]
Taare Zameen Par 2007 Yes
Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na 2008 Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Ghajini 2008 Yes Sanjay Singhania Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Luck by Chance 2009 Yes Himself Cameo appearance
3 Idiots 2009 Yes Ranchhoddas “Rancho” Shamaldas Chanchad/
Phunsukh Wangdu[V]		 Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Peepli Live 2010 Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Dhobi Ghat 2011 Yes Yes Arun
Big in Bollywood 2011 Yes Himself Documentary film
Delhi Belly 2011 Yes Yes Disco Fighter Special appearance in song “I Hate You (Like I Love You)”
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Talaash: The Answer Lies Within 2012 Yes Yes Surjan Singh Shekhawat
Bombay Talkies 2013 Yes Himself Special appearance in song “Apna Bombay Talkies”
Ru-Ba-Ru 2013 Yes Himself Documentary film
Dhoom 3 2013 Yes Sahir Khan/Samar Khan[VI]
PK 2014 Yes PK Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor
Dil Dhadakne Do 2015 Yes Pluto Mehra (voice)
Dangal 2016 Yes Mahavir Singh Phogat Filming

Television

Title Year Role Creator(s) Episode(s)
Satyamev Jayate 2012–14 Host Himself Season 1, Season 2 & Season 3
C.I.D. 2012 Surjan Singh Shekhawat B. P. Singh “Red Suitcase Murders”

TN Honour Killing: Dalit Engineering Student Hacked to Death on Road, Video Goes Viral

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In a bizarre incident that was caught on camera and going viral all over India, a young engineering Dalit student who married an upper caste girl was hacked to death in a bazaar road in Tirupur, a city known for its knitting garment exports all over the world.

The chilling video footage shows that three men killed Shanakr, 23, in view of the public on the road and then attacked his wife Kausalya, 19, who is reportedly in critical condition and her father surrendered to the police.

The police have sent out five teams of police to catch the attackers, while they believe two more will be behind the murder that shook the entire country close on the heels of outrage over the HCU dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide a month ago.

The couple were married eight months ago against the wishes of the girl’s parents who belong to Thevar community, supposedly a powerful upper caste in Tamil Nadu.

Sankar, Tirupur Dalit student killed in public.

The video shows the 3rd year engineering student being dragged on to a pavement and repeatedly attacked with weapons until he rolled down on the pavement and died. Once he was not moving, then they immediately turned their attention to the girl who was shocked and stunned on the pavement. She was repeatedly attacked and left on the road.

And soon, they got on to their motorbike and sped away from the scene. It was not from any Tamil film but a real chilling incident that has shocked the entire nation and the video is going viral on YouTube.

Sankar’s father Velu Samy told media:”We thought her parents would accept them but it has ended in this bloody tragedy. We have lost him.”

Thevar community takes pride in its divine origin and zamindari traditions and was known to have practised female infanticide in the past.

India’s Real Estate Bill Passed

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The much awaited the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 has been passed by the Rajya Sabha on March 10, 2016. The key points of the proposed bill which is going to benefit property buyers but impact consderably promoters, developers and real estate agents, are as follows:

Ø      The Bill requires setting up a new regulator for the real estate sector. As real estate comes under the purview of state governments, individual States are responsible for setting up the Regulatory Authority at the State level. State-level authorities, called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs), will now regulate transactions related to both residential and commercial projects.

Ø    An authority will be created to help frame policies for the real estate sector. The regulator will also monitor compliance of rules on an ongoing basis as developers have to provide updates on progress and maintain a database on violators.

Ø    The specified residential real estate projects need to be registered with RERAs. Further, Promoters cannot book or offer these projects for sale without registering them. The regulator will maintain records of all projects and promoters.

Ø      It is mandatory for developers to register all projects larger than 500 sq mtr or, alternatively, more than 8 apartments, to be registered with the regulatory authority. Further, if the project is developed in phases, each phase must be registered separately.

Ø      The duly filed application should be submitted by the promoters/developers/real estate agents with the RERA for approval along with prescribed supporting documents like layout plan of the project; the carpet area of property for sale; the details of existing projects of the promoters; details of various approvals received by the promoters; details of land title on which the project is proposed and details about the payment dues on land title etc.,.

Ø     If the applicant does not hear back from the RERA within 15 days of the application for registration, the project will be considered as registered. However, RERA is empowered to revoke the approval by giving 30 days’ notice period.

Ø      Real estate agents dealing in these projects also need to register with RERAs. The registration is necessary to facilitate the sale or purchase of property in real estate projects that have been registered. Registered agents must not facilitate the sale of unregistered projects.

Ø     The regulation requires the buyers to pay consideration on purchase of house on carpet area basis (which clearly defines in the bill). Hitherto, it was payable on super built-up area basis.

Ø    In general the buyers faced the problem in the form of change in building plans including change in number of floors constructed after entering into an agreement with promoter. The Bill requires that builders take consent of 2/3rd of the home buyers in case of changes.

Ø     To mitigate developers from diverting funds to other projects, which will endup delaying completion of projects, the bill proposed that the 70% of the amount collected for the project by the buyers must deposit in a separate bank account.

Ø     In a cases where there are delays in completion, the developers/promoters will not pay any penalty or if pay it will be a low rate of interest as agreed between parties during execution of agreement. To avoid ambiguity/favour to one party, the bill is proposed that both parties have to pay the same rate of interest in case of delays in payment by buyer or hand-over by the developer.

Ø     The promoter shall :

  1. a) obtain a completion certificate from the relevant authority;
  2. b) form an association or society of buyers;
  3. c) provide essential services till the association of buyers take over the maintenance of the project.

If the promoter is unable to give possession of the property with agreed time, he shall be liable to return the amount received by him for the project along with interest.

Ø      In case the promoter fails to register the property, he may be penalized upto 10% of the estimated cost of the project. Failure to register despite orders issued by the RERA will lead to imprisonment for up to 3 years, and/or an additional fine of 10% of the estimated cost of the project. The promoter will have to pay upto 5% of the estimate cost of the project if he violates any other provisions of the Bill.

Ø      Real estate agents will have to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000/- for violating any provision of the Bill, for each day the violation continues.

e-Tourist Visa Now Extended to 37 More Countries

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With the extension of e-Tourist Visa Facility for 37 more countries, India’s online eTV is available for nationals of following countries/territories:
Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Island, Chile, China, China- SAR Hongkong, China- SAR Macau, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d’lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Island, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Vatican City-Holy See, Venezuela, Vietnam., Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Eligibility

  • International Travellers whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation , sight seeing , casual visit to meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit.
  • Passport should have at least six months validity from the date of arrival in India. The passport should have at least two blank pages for stamping by the Immigration Officer.
  • International Travellers should have return ticket or onward journey ticket,with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.
  • International Travellers having Pakistani Passport or Pakistani origin may please apply for regular Visa at Indian Mission.
  • Not available to Diplomatic/Official Passport Holders.
  • Not available to individuals endorsed on Parent’s/Spouse’s Passport i.e. each individual should have a separate passport.
  • Not available to International Travel Document Holders.

    E-TOURIST VISA APPLICATION: How it Works?

    Step 1

    Apply online

    Upload Photo and Passport Page

    Step 2

    Pay visa fee onlineUsing Credit / Debit card

    Step 3

    Receive eTV Online

    eTV Will be sent to your e-mail

    Step 4

    Fly To India

    Print eTV and carry at the time of travel.

IMF Conference: Modi Ponders India’s Future and Asia’s 21st Century

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Addressing the IMF conference in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Asian people save more traditionally compared to other parts of the world and the future of world economy belongs to them as they have surplus to invest in rejuvenating the global economy, though IMF quotas do not reflect the global economic realities.
Change in quotas is an issue of fairness and legitimacy and is essential for poor nations to respect the legitimacy of such institutions, he saaid welcoming IMF decision to finalize the next round of quota changes by October 2017.

Recalling India’s representative to the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, which gave birth to the IMF, he said India’s delegate Mr. R.K. Shanmukham Chetty, who later became independent India’s first Finance Minister, paved the way for India’s contribution to world institutions and India has kept its contribution high by becoming a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank.

The PM has also announced a new partnership with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and the IMF to set up the South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre to provide training to government and public sector employees as a part of capacity building process in the region.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi addressing at MOF-IMF Conference on “Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future”, in New Delhi on March 12, 2016.(PIB Photo)

“Many knowledgeable people have said that the twenty first century is, and will be, the Asian Century,” he said citing figures that three out of every five people in the world live in Asia and its share in global output and trade is now close to one-third. Its share in global foreign direct investment is about 40%, he noted.

Stressing the theme of the conference which is ‘Investing for the Future’, he said, “Asians tend to save to buy a house, rather than borrow to buy a house.”

Pointing out another unique feature of Asia which is its large number of women leaders, he said India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Myanmar, and Philippines have had women as national leaders. “Today, four large states of India – West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan – are headed by democratically elected women. The Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament in India is also a woman,” he said.

Despite a second successive year of weak rainfall, India has increased its growth rate to 7.6 per cent, the highest among major economies in the world, he said.

He pondered on some positive policies of India:

 We undertook a highly successful financial inclusion programme, bringing over two hundred million unbanked people into the banking system within a span of a few months.

* Thanks to our financial inclusion programme, we now have the world’s largest and most successful programme of direct benefit transfers, in cooking gas. We plan to extend it to other sectors such as food, kerosene, and fertilizers. This has improved targeting and the quality of public expenditure.

* We have opened up nearly all sectors of our economy to FDI.

* India achieved the highest ever rank in the World Bank Doing Business indicators in 2015.

* India reached an all-time high in many physical indicators in 2015, including

* The production of coal, electricity, urea, fertilizer and motor vehicles;

* Cargo handled at major ports and the fastest turnaround time in ports;

* Award of new highway kilometers;

* Software export;

* Entrepreneurship is booming.

“India is now fourth in the world in the number of technical start-ups, after USA, Britain and Israel. The Economist magazine has called India the new frontier for E-Commerce… We aim to double farmer incomes by:

• increasing irrigation,

• better water management,

• creating rural assets

• boosting productivity,

• improving marketing,

• reducing margins of middlemen and

• avoiding income shocks.”

“My dream is of a Transformed India. I lay this dream alongside our common dream of an Advanced Asia – an Asia where more than half of the global population can live with happiness and fulfillment. Our joint heritage and mutual respect, our common goals and similar policies, can and must create sustainable growth and shared prosperity,” he said.

University of California at Berkeley Law School Dean Sujit Choudhry Quits

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Sujit Choudhary

Amid sexual harassment charges, University of California at Berkeley law school dean Sujit Choudhry has resigned, while the administration said it made a mistake overseeing similar allegations in July 2015. This is second in row that a famous faculty of the school resigned over sexual scandals.

Chancellor Nicholas Dirks and Provost Claude Steele said in a statement: “We must move in the direction of stronger sanctions, and in doing this we want and need the broad input of the campus community.”

Choudhry’s admin assistant, Tyann Sorrell, complained of daily kisses by Choudhry involving “rude and demeaning” conduct, hugging and other physical conduct — in a law suit she filed in Alameda County Superior Court. She said the sordid saga was going on since he took over as dean in July 2014.

She said she would keep her arms at her sides and make her body go limp until she thought he was done and in response to his kisses she would freeze and try to pretend it did not happen. She said she has repeatedly brought the issue up to superiors, but school officials failed to act on him.

While Choudhary resigned a day after her lawsuit, the administration said, “We believe the dean’s resignation is an outcome in the best interests of Berkeley Law and the university as a whole.”

“This incident highlights UC Berkeley’s history of insulating those who perpetuate sexual violence against members of our community and the culture that allows them to thrive,” student leader Sloan Patrice Whiteside said in an open letter. On his part, Choudhry said he agreed to step aside to prevent the lawsuit from becoming a distraction to the school.

“While I disagree with the plaintiff’s claims and allegations, and will defend against them, I am unfortunately unable to comment on the substance of the lawsuit,” he said in a statement. “However, I can say that I cooperated fully with, and take extremely seriously, the University’s confidential investigation into this matter and ensuing sanction. I will continue to cooperate fully with the University as matters unfold.”

Choudhry remains a member of the faculty though until the case is completed.In 2002, another dean John Dwyer was forced to resign from his post sexual harassment allegations by a former student. Another astronomy professor resigned following similar sexual harassment claims.

Splinter Groups Target JNU’s Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Anirban Now

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With one arrested in threatening posters case, another appeared in Delhi sending relentless death threats to JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, pointing at a move to keep the emerging leader under constant pressure not to seek out any political career.

This time the poster not only threatened Kanhaiya Kumar but also Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who are facing charge of sedition. Earlier poster by a self-proclaimed Poorvanchal Sena had announced Rs 11 lakh on Kumar but he was arrested and jailed.

The new poster that appeared at Jantar Mantar said, “Shooting the traitors is a national duty. I shall shoot Umar Khalid, Anirban Bhattacharya and Kanhaiya.” It bore the name of one Balbir Singh Bharatiya who claimed to have been a part of the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption. The poster also contained a phone number and his photograph, posing a challenge to Delhi Police to chase him now.

The poster also threatened Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for extending support to the JNU students. It said, “I shall shoot all who celebrated the anniversary of Afzal Guru’s hanging.”

Delhi’s deputy commissioner of police Jatin Narwal acknowledged the poster’s appearance and said, “We have initiated an inquiry into the matter.” He said when policemen called the number a shop owner at Yamuna Bazar picket up the call but did not commit to have pasted the poster. He had admitted that he visited Jantar Mantar on Friday and that he will be questioned soon.

So, the question is threatening JNU student leaders some way or the other has become a national hobby now and it is increasingly taking an ugly turn of conservative rightists versus leftist forces and unless caution is shown by the authorities, it may spread like a contagious fire in the country, posing a bigger challenge to the nation than seen in the borders.

Blood Vessels Can Actually Get Better With Age

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Although the causes of many age-related diseases remain unknown, oxidative stress has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and age-related cancers.

However, researchers at the University of Missouri recently found that aging actually offered significant protection against oxidative stress, suggesting that aging may trigger an adaptive response to counteract the effects of oxidative stress on blood vessels.

“Molecules known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS, play an important role in regulating cellular function,” said Steven Segal, at the MU School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “However, the overproduction of ROS can help create a condition referred to as oxidative stress, which can alter the function of cells and interfere with their growth and reproduction.”

To understand the effects of aging on the function of blood vessels when they are exposed to oxidative stress, Segal’s team studied the inner lining, or endothelium, of small resistance arteries. Resistance arteries are important to cardiovascular function because they regulate both the amount of blood flow into tissues and systemic blood pressure.

“We studied the endothelium from resistance arteries of male mice at 4 months and 24 months of age, which correspond to humans in their early 20s and mid-60s,” Segal said. “We first studied the endothelium under resting conditions and in the absence of oxidative stress. We then simulated oxidative stress by adding hydrogen peroxide.

When oxidative stress was induced for 20 minutes, the endothelial cells of the younger mice had abnormal increases in calcium when compared to the endothelial cells of the older mice. This finding is important because when calcium gets too high, cells can be severely damaged.”

When oxidative stress was extended to 60 minutes, Segal’s team found that the death of endothelial cells in the younger mice was seven times greater than those from the older mice. These findings indicated that with advancing age, the endothelium had adapted to preserve cellular integrity when confronted with oxidative stress.

“This finding contrasts with the generally held belief that the functional integrity of the endothelium is compromised as we age. Our study suggests that blood vessels adapt during the aging process to regulate ROS and minimize cell death when subjected to an abrupt increase in oxidative stress. This adaptation helps to ensure that the arteries of older individuals can still do their jobs.”

The study was published in the Physiological Society’s Journal of Physiology.

Selena Gomez Uploads Nude Photo on Facebook

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Selena Gomez has silently updated her Facebook page with a nude picture sending shock waves across the globe, especially for her fans.

 

Star of “Wizards of Waverly Place”, Selena has been a symbol of deceny for long and her break up with boyfriend Justin Biber has hurt more of their fans than the couple themselves who have carved out their own niche area of expertise and fame.

The nude picture uploaded on September 8 on Facebook has already received more than 1,956,794 likes and 15,160 have shared the page. However, some comments were outrageous, while others just applaud the beauty behind the photo.

Arif Munir was first to compare her to another Miley Cyrus on the cards while Gyzelle Rodriguez wanted to be more artistic in his appreciation when he said: “Girl! You are beautiful! There is a huge difference between miley naked and selena naked. Its called class. Selena brings the art out of the female form. Miley brings out vulgarity.”

Laser Breakthrough Could Speed up Self-Driving Cars on to Roads

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Google’s self-driving car relies on a roof-mounted LIDAR sensor to see the world around it.

 

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley say they’ve developed a new breed of laser technology that could significantly reduce the size, weight, cost, and power consumption of LIDARs, potentially leading to a much broader range of autonomous vehicles.

LIDAR is a portmanteau of “light” and “radar.” In essence, these sensors monitor their surroundings by shining a light on an object and measuring the time needed for it to bounce back. They work well enough, but they aren’t without their drawbacks. Today’s self-driving cars typically use LIDARs that are quite large and expensive. Google, for instance, used $80,000 LIDARs with its early designs. “Most vehicles in the DARPA urban challenge put half-a-million-dollars worth of sensors on the car,” says Daniela Rus, the director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, referring to the government-backed competition that helped spawn Google’s autonomous vehicles.

“This is important for unmanned vehicles on land and in the sky,” says Weijian Yang, one of the researchers behind the project.

Yang’s work is part of a wider effort to refine LIDARs and build a cheaper breed of autonomous cars and other vehicles. A German company called SICK already offers a LIDAR that sells for less than $10,000, and researchers from MIT and the National Research Foundation of Singapore, including Rus, recently built a self-driving golf cart using no more than four of these units (see video below).

As LIDAR technology improves—and as we improve the algorithms that process the data gathered from these sensors—we’ll bring autonomy not just to cars but smaller contraptions, including golf carts, robots, and flying drones.

Anatomy of a LIDAR

A LIDAR operates by repeatedly changing the wavelength of a laser, so that the sensor can properly identify the light as it bounces off an object and returns to the sensor, and such wavelength changes require the precise manipulation of a mirror—or sometimes multiple mirrors. Typically, a separate electrical device moves these mirrors to and fro. But at Berkeley, Yang and his team developed a new option. They can move the mirrors with the laser itself.

“You don’t need an external electrical source,” says Yang, the lead author on the paper describing the technology, which was published today in the journal Scientific Reports. “The laser can change the position of the mirror automatically. The light has some kind of force.”

The result: they don’t need that outside electrical device, the sensor is smaller and lighter, and it consumes less power. The laser can be integrated with the mirror. The whole device can squeeze into a few hundred square micrometers of space. And it can be powered with the equivalent AA battery.

A More Accurate Picture

According to Yang, this same technology could improve optical coherence tomography, or OCT, which is used in medical imaging equipment. But the most intriguing possibilities lie in the world of robotics. Among other things, Yang explains, Berkeley’s method allows lasers to change wavelengths more frequently—one microsecond versus 10 or so milliseconds—and that means a LIDAR could potentially take more readings, more quickly. In other words, it could provide a more accurate picture of its surroundings.

Emilio Frazzoli, an MIT researcher who worked alongside Rus on those self-driving golf carts, says that smaller, cheaper LIDARs aren’t essential to the near future of self-driving cars. “Right now, these sensors are still expensive, but they’re becoming better and cheaper, and I don’t see them as a bottleneck,” he says, pointing out that even with today’s sensors, the price of a self-driving car compares favorably to how much you’d speed for a standard car and a full-time driver.

But he says that better sensors are certainly welcome, particularly for other applications. Indeed, Yang believes that his work could help drive the creation of additional autonomous vehicles and robots, including contraptions the size of a smartphone. In the years to come, more machines will have eyes than you might expect.

Gaza May Become ‘Uninhabitable’ in 5 Years: UNCTAD

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Palestinian families take shelter at an UNRWA school in Gaza City (13 July 2014). File Photo: UNRWA/Shareef Sarhan

Living conditions in Gaza are so bad that they’ve been described as “less than human” and potentially uninhabitable by 2020, the UN has said sending out warning signals, which have emanated from the UN trade and development agency, UNCTAD, in its report into the Palestinian economy.

In addition to severe crises linked to water and electricity shortages, the UN agency says that Gaza’s 1.8 million residents have yet to recover from the destruction of last year’s conflict with Israel.

Three wars in six years and eight years of economic blockade have been blamed for terrible living conditions in the Territories Occupied by Israel, the UN trade and development agency (UNCTAD) said Tuesday.

In its latest report into Gaza and the West Bank, UNCTAD experts warn that development is not merely hindered, but reversed. In fact, the figures show that for the first time since 2006, the Palestinian economy has gone into recession.

The conflict in 2014 was particularly damaging, with whole areas of Gaza still flattened by attacks. So says UNCTAD’s Mahmoud Elkhafif.

“The fact that electricity is not enough, that a number of hospitals have been destroyed, the fact that there is no drinking water enough, it’s just what any rational human would (not) doubt what’s going to happen. I mean, we had had a study before the destruction of 2014 indicating that Gaza won’t be liveable in 2020, it’s not that things stayed as they were in 2020 but they got much, much worse in 2014.”

Israel is criticised for withholding almost USD $700 million of import tax revenue from the Palestinian authorities in the first four months of the year.

According to the UN agency it’s the sixth time Israel has withheld the monies since 1997, which are far and away the main source of public revenue in the West Bank and Gaza.

In another sign of the deteriorating conditions on the ground, UNCTAD said that in the year 2000, 72,000 people depended on food aid, but now that number has risen to almost a million. And in Gaza, unemployment is as high as 80 per cent, the UN agency said.

 

 

UN Seeks Humanitarian Intervention to Help Syrian Refugees

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Razor wire surrounds Debrecen centre for asylum-seekers in eastern Hungary. Parts of the centre are “open” but the facility also contains a unit for detaining asylum-seekers considered at risk of absconding. Photo: IRIN

In the wake of the grim discovery of the bodies of more than 70 people inside a truck abandoned near Austria’s border with Hungary, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the world to come together to provide comprehensive responses to migration issues, including tackling smugglers and resolving ongoing conflicts, among other root causes.

“I am horrified and heartbroken at the latest loss of lives of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean and Europe, declared the Secretary-General following the discovery of the bodies in the abandoned vehicle, and upon hearing reports that many of the victims were Syrian asylum seekers – including children.

Meanwhile in Geneva, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson Melissa Fleming said, “this tragedy shows people smugglers have no regard for human life and are only after profit. It also underscores the desperation of people seeking protection or a new life in Europe.”

Austrian police say that they believe the truck came from Hungary and entered Austria on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, and that the victims might have been dead for one or two days. Their identity is still unknown but it is presumed that they were being transported by smugglers.

After establishing that there were no survivors, the police closed the truck and moved it to another location for further investigations.

UNHCR expressed its hope that this incident will result in strong cooperation among European police forces, intelligence agencies and international organisations to crack down on the smuggling trade while putting in place measures to protect and care for victims.

Ms. Fleming reiterated UNHCR’s call to European countries to approach the refugee crisis “in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation and to provide those seeking safety in Europe with safe legal alternatives – including resettlement or humanitarian admission programmes, flexible visa policies and family reunification – to dangerous irregular voyages.”

Every day last week, the Hungarian border police intercepted more than 2,000 people crossing the border from Serbia. On Wednesday, police reported 3,241 new arrivals, including 700 children – the highest number in a single day so far this year.

Syrian refugees constitute the majority of the asylum-seekers, many of whom are women and children. They travel in large groups of over 200 – walking along rail tracks or crawling under barbed wire – as work continues on a 175 kilometres long wall at the Hungarian-Serbian border.

 

With a maximum capacity of 5,000 people, Hungary’s four reception centres are overcrowded, causing long waits and further exacerbating asylum-seekers’ angst. The Hungarian police do not have social workers or enough interpreters in Arabic, Dari, Pashto and Urdu, which makes communication difficult.

According to the latest official statistics, so far this year more than 140,000 people have sought asylum in Hungary, compared to 42,000 people last year. Most of those lodging asylum applications are from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, and they include some 7,000 unaccompanied children.

 

 

Kurdi Image: UNICEF Seeks Urgent Succour to Syrian Refugees, Children

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On 26 August 2015, a distressed child rests over the shoulder of the man carrying him, in the town of Gevgelija, on the border with Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Photo: UNICEF/Tomislav Georgiev

As the “heart-breaking” image of a drowned refugee boy who washed up on a beach in Turkey ricocheted around the world on social media, along with equally painful images of children lying suffocated in the backs of trucks crossing borders and being passed over barbed wire fences by desperate parents, Anthony Lake, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today made a powerful plea for action to protect migrant and refugee children.

“It is not enough for the world to be shocked by these images. Shock must be matched by action,” declared the UNICEF chief.

In a statement issued by the agency, Mr. Lake advocated that all decisions regarding the child migrant and refugee crisis in Europe be guided by the best interests of the children involved, and that measures be taken to ensure they receive adequate health care, food, emotional support, education, shelter and protection.

UNICEF estimates that at least a quarter of the hundreds of thousands of people who have sought refuge in Europe are children, many of whom have fled the conflict in Syria.

Some 2,500 people have died or gone missing this year while attempting the crossing to Europe.

“Our hearts go out today to the families who have lost children – off the coasts, on the shores, and along the roadsides of Europe,” said Lake. “As the debates on policies proceed, we must never lose sight of the deeply human nature of this crisis. Nor of its scale,” he added.

“And we should never forget what lies behind so many of the stories of families seeking sanctuary in Europe: terrible conflicts such as that in Syria, which already has forced some 2 million children to flee their country. Only an end to these conflicts can bring an end to the misery of so many.”

Muhammad Yunus Opens Narayana Hridayalaya Hospital in Mysore

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Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Mohammad Yunus, who was in Mysore to open a 200-bed multi-specialty hospital for the working class on Friday, said the need for social entepreneurship is the new call of the day.

The 200-bed Narayana Hrudayalaya will have only general wards and taking cue from Yunus, NH founders have set up a hospital simple and pro-poor in ambience.

“I had heard about the revolution Yunus had created when I was working in Kolkata,” said Dr Devi Shetty, founder of Narayana Health. To make poor people who get scared when they go to corporate hospitals and instead squat on the floor, the new hospital will be friendly for all, insisted Dr Shetty.

Muhammad Yunus at a special summit hosted by the University of Salford.

Known for his innovative pro-poor model of empowering women in 1976, Dr Yunus, an economic professor, founded Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank and went on to win Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. The first microfinance lending bank has benefitted more than 8.5 million women.

When women in his country got into microfinancing, it changed women’s marriage equation too, he said. “When I started the bank, I was clear that 50% of our borrowers must be women. Now rural women have money and their husbands borrow from them,” he told TOI in an interview.

“Money means power. It has given them confidence. And has helped them in their children’s education. Worldwide wherever I go, I see young doctors and engineers who tell me that they hail from the villages of Bangladesh and were assisted by Grameen Bank. That gives me immense satisfaction,” said Yunus.

His advice amid increasing criticism against misadventure of microfinance model in Andhra Pradesh was to be a social entrepreneur. Business does not mean money-making, he reiterated.

“Dissociate selfishness. I delinked business from money-making. Social entrepreneurs can touch the lives of many. It’s not rocket science to create a business model,” Yunus said.

Karnataka Farmers’ Association Calls for Bandh Over Farmers’ Suicides

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The sugarcane farmers’ associations in Karnataka have called for a bandh on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015 which may see some key areas of northern and northwestern Karnataka closed, while Bangalore and southern Karnataka districts will remain unhit due to it.

While it is unlikely to hit normal life in Bangalore and across Karnataka, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) officials said there will be no disruption in bus services tomorrow.

Otherwise, autos and taxis will run as usual in Bangalore. Many schools remain closed on Saturday but those on six-day a week schedule may opt to remain open, except in those districts where bandh will be forced upon them by activists.

All hospitals, medical shops will remain open.

The bandh was called by Karnataka State Sugarcane Growers’ Association (KSSGA) in protest against Karnataka government’s apathy to the rising farmer suicides in the state.

KSSGA president Kurubur Shanthakumar said the state-wide bandh was the culmination of one-month old strike going on in the state by farmers. “In order to put pressure on the authorities, the association will observe a bandh and also be part of the agitation till the demand is met,” he told the New Indian Express.

The farmers’ demands include waiving off of crop loans from nationalised and cooperative banks as the drought situation in the state has adversely affected agricultural production. The farmers are also demanding a Vidarbha-like Package of Rs.10,000 crore for Karnataka.

Other demands include compensation of families of farmers who committed suicide to the extent to Rs. 10 lakh, raising issue price of sugarcane, implement the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, that was stalled in 2002 due to objections raised by Goa. The project was to provide drinking water to Belgaum, Dharwad and Gadag districts.

Apart from Sept. 5 bandh, the KSSGA also plans to hold a rally in Bangalore on September 7 and also stage a dharna in front of the Chief Minister’s residence. While no political parties were allowed to attend their protest, Shanthakumar said, Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has extended its support to the protest.

India Internet Users Now More Than US Population Put Together

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India’s current Internet users have crossed 352 million with the liberal addition of 52 million in the first half of 2015 by IAMAI, whose report is apparently based on estimates and not on empirical data.

Otherwise, the number is overwhelming as it is more than the entire population of the US put together. As of 2014, the US population was 319 million.

The mobile and Internet research body said in its January release that its estimates show mobile users by June 2015 would reach 213 million and now that the first half of the year is over, the sequel release has put forward the exact figure of 213 million, without explaining the methodology.

In January, IAMAI said, “The number of mobile internet users in India is expected to reach 213 million by June 2015.” In August, IAMAI  report listed the same figure of 213 million, raising eye-brows as to how the exact figure was reached.

On the sideslines of the report, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) said it took more than 10 years to move from 10 million to 100 million in India but now the time period has shrunk to just 3 years to jump from 100 to 200 million.

Afterwards, in just one year, the number rose to 300 million, thanks to mobile phone users increasig in number rapidly, said a release by IAMAI.

Sensex Crashes by 1100 Points

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While the market is going agogue over the sudden crash of Sensex by 1100 point in intra-day trading on Monday, eroding about Rs.4 lakh crore from the pockets of shareholders, there is one reason for optimists to smile.  BUY now!

Many TV show experts are suggesting the move to buy but foreign investors are driven by the ripple effect created by Yuan’s unrealistic devaluation that has all the potential to kick off another Asian Currency Crisis of the mid-1990s.

The ripple effect is seen in virtual shock and apathy in the trading session in the morning to make any trade decisions by buyers and brokers alike and even the Indian rupee hit a highest low of Rs.66.50, which is lowest since September 2013.

Monday’s market crash was the biggest after 2008 recession, as on October 24, 2008, it recorded a low of 1204.88 points. But Monday crash is different as it stems directly from the Yuan’s devaluation.

Speculations are high that the 2008 recession was driven by the US downturn while the 2015 would be the Year of China, with its extreme global reach. Another reason could be to bring the markets heed the global opinion on China’s political overtures, especially aimed at Japan.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday cancelled his state visit to China and the political fallout could be a trigger to anti-China sentiments bringing down Asian markets for now. The long-term impact will be known only in a couple of months when markets continue to be volatile.

While the Indian market reacted cautiously last week when China announced one of its worst devaluation of Yuan, the possible market reaction in India on the opening day of the week is abrupt and unexplainable.

The slowdown of the Chinese economy may recover from its devaluation but it is strange to see the Indian market reacting similarly as devaluation of the Indian rupee on par with its Chines counterpart is unadvisable for the long term market stabilization.

However, the market needed to correct itself from the buoyant artificial picture being projected by the industry in India following the BJP win last year. Though the Modi government is known for its pro-business and pro-industry policies, the undue delay in passage of bills and the bedlam in parliament have had enough reasons not to cheer about for the industry.

In fact, Indian recovery map was not as great as China or the US since 2008 crash as its macro economic indicators like current account deficit and forex reserves remained same, said Nirmal Jain, Chairman and Managing Director IIFL in a TV show on CNBC-TV18.

Another reason for the abrupt fall is that FIIs or foreign investors are quick to withdraw their investments in India after the Chinese market went down over the Yuan devaluation. Unless Indian investors repose their faith in the markets, Sensex is unlikely to stabilize in the next few days, but experts have advised buying for their clients now.

Meanwhile, European markets have responded taking the curve down as of now and in few hours when the US West Coast opens its stock exchanges, the bells will ring in the effect at least initially.

Demand for Coffee Can Create Rift with Poorer Nations: Study

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The explosion in worldwide coffee consumption in the past two decades has generally not benefitted farmers of coffee beans in poorer nations along the equator, said a new study.

A University of Kansas (KU) researcher studying trade and globalization has found that the shift to “technified” coffee production in the 1970s and 1980s has created harsher economic and ecological consequences for heavy coffee-producing nations, such as Honduras, Colombia, Guatemala, Brazil, Vietnam and Ethiopia.

“Historically, coffee has been exploited by the West in various ways, because it’s consumed in rich countries, and grown in poor ones,” said Alexander Myers, a KU doctoral candidate in sociology.

Myers will present his study, “Trading in Crisis: Coffee, Ecological Rift, and Ecologically Unequal Exchange,” at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA). The paper examines how the shift to technified coffee for mass production and to meet greater demand hurt peasant farmers of those countries and had a major ecological influence there, especially with the amount of water required for the crops.

Myers said the shift to technified coffee production changed the process to look more like traditional large wheat or soybean farms in the United States as opposed to allowing coffee plants to grow in smaller shaded areas. The latter process used much less water, for example, and it allowed farmers to diversify their crops and use their land to plant other crops as well.

Technified production requires farmers to exclusively grow coffee.”Especially these peasant farmers who maybe have a small plot of land, they rely almost exclusively on coffee sales to sustain themselves,” Myers said.

Major drops in commodities prices of coffee beans to around $0.50 per pound in 2001 nearly wiped out economies of those nations, for example.”That really hit the famers hard, and it caused a lot of these family farms that have historically relied on coffee to keep themselves afloat,” Myers said.

The technification of coffee production also required a new type of coffee bean to grow effectively, but the process also required much more water to produce. Some ecological researchers have estimated the average cup of coffee takes 140 liters of water to grow.”It’s very taxing environmentally,” Myers said.

The fair trade movement in the past two decades has helped to offset somewhat both the economic and ecological changes, especially for poorer farmers in developing countries. Myers said such movements could help raise awareness especially among coffee drinkers in Western nations.

“What we do matters. The choices that we make, the products that we buy have an impact on somebody,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a good impact. Sometimes it’s negligible or negative. But they do have impacts, so just trying to keep that in mind is important, especially in researching what is behind these consumption choices.”

India Seeks to Block Onion Exports, Increase Imports to Control Price

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With the onion prices skyrocketing, the Indian government has cracked whip on rising prices of onions in the country going for a faster track imports and a tender has been floated for 10,000 MT of Onions which will be opened on 27th August, 2015. Currently, the onion prices are in the range of Rs. 80 (US$1.2) per kilogram.

To offset the exports, the Minimum Export Price of Onions has been increased further to US$ 700 per metric ton, from US$ 425 per MT announced in June. Earlier, it was only $ 245 per MT.

Besides, the Secretary (Consumer Affairs) on 24th August, 2015 met with SFAC, NAFED, MMTC, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture and Govt. of Delhi to review the action taken to keep the prices of onions in check.

To intervene in the market, Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) and NAFED have procured 5857 MT of onions funded out of Price Stabilisation Fund meant to keep prices of essential commodities under control. SFAC has also procured 2511 MT of Onions for the Delhi Govt., making a total stock of 8368 MT of Onions.

In turn, SFAC is supplying Onions at Rs.30.50 per kg. to SAFAL, which is retailing at Rs.39 per kg. in Delhi. SFAC is also selling Onions to consumers at Rs.35 per kg. through 120 milk booths of DMS. A decision was also taken by Govt. of Delhi to sell Onions at subsidized rate of Rs.40 per kg. through 280 Fair Price Shops, which was further reduced to Rs.30 per kg. w.e.f. 12.8.2015

Prices of Onions have been rising on account of a decline in total production from 189.23 lakh tonnes in 2014-15 as against 194.02 lakh tonnes in 2013-14, a decrease of 4.79 lakh tonnes. The shortage has been attributed to adverse weather conditions including unseasonal rains in Maharashtra and Karnataka regions.

In a National Consultation Meeting held recently, it has been decided to keep prices of essential commodities, especially Onions under control. It also recommended effective action against hoarding and blackmarketing to control prices of food items. Chief Secretaries of States / UTs are also being reminded regularly to keep a watch on price rise and take effective action, said the government.

Union Government made an amendment of EC Act, 1955 on 1st July, 2015 to enable State Govt./UTs to impose stock limits on Onions for a further period of one year till 2nd July, 2016, said a statement.

Why OROP Issue Was a Pre-poll Harakiri by BJP?

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Modi promised to implement OROP in his 2nd Independence Day speech but war veterans are not ready to quit hunger strike. (PIB)

The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme that was hanging on the Finance Ministry for over five years, both the Congress-led UPA government and the BJP-led NDA government under Narendra Modi should own the responsibility for perpetuating it despite full knowledge that it was beyond mere political calculations involving a huge dent on the exchequer.

While the Congress relented just before the election year to benefit from the votes of these 30 lakh beneficiaries, BJP weaned them away promising its immediate implementation. Once in power, the staggering amount of Rs.8500 crore has forced Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to postpone the OROP beyond the second budget, forcing the ex-servicemen to hit the streets and now end up at the Jantar Mantar in hinger strikes.

For those new to the subject, implentation of OROP entails uniform pension benefits for the defence persons who retired in the same rank with the same service term, irrespective of their date of retirement. Current policy entails only those who retired after 1996 to draw more pension than those who retired before, though rank is the same.

With OROP, 22 lakh ex-servicemen and about 6 lakh war widows will get Rs.10,000 more on average. This has become imminent because the current policy entails those who retired after 1996 to draw more pension than those who retired before, though rank is the same.

“Modi has assured us that it will be implemented, but it has been one year,” said retired Colonel Anil Kaul, who is the media adviser to Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) that is sprearheading the protest in New Delhi at Jantar Mantar. “The Prime Minister’s voice still echoes in our minds when he roared at the ex-servicemen rally on September 15, 2013, in Rewari and demanded a white paper on OROP from the UPA Government,” said ISEM earlier.

Now that the relay hunger strike entered 65 days, many war veterans who were in the forefront to die for the country are openly preparing themselves to die for the OROP implementation. Strange but no country would have upset its ex-servicemen given a chance.

In case of the Modi’s government too the question is bigger than mere rhetorics. Pumping in Rs.8,500 crore even if it is in incremental way, would mean a huge burden diverting funds from the developmental plans. Secondly, OROP would also undercut the cost of military expenditure on armaments but shows bigger than any other nation in the short run.

Finally, the government has no choice but to implement it. The question is from where will the finance minister draw the funds?