For the cause of environment - · Web viewAn E-Newsletter for the cause of Environment, Peace, Harmony and Justice Remember - “you and I can decide the future” OKHLA (New Delhi):

E-Weekly-3/49

Green Earth MovementAn E-Newsletter for the cause of Environment, Peace, Harmony and Justice

Remember - “you and I can decide the future”

OKHLA (New Delhi): NOTES FROM A COMPOST PIT

GEM Inspirational series Readers’ Letters What rubbish, say citizens as

ragpickers take over sidewalks Cyclothon plan to save Oshiwara

wetlands 'Take gas pipeline along

highways, spare farms' Tamil Nadu Pollution Control

Board orders Sterlite plant closure

SC directs Sterlite to pay Rs 100 crore for polluting environment in Tamil Nadu

Now, any citizen can move National Green Tribunal to report violations

Manipur Christians protest dam project

Dr B M Hegde releases John Monteiro's book on corruption

Reconsider holding IPL in drought-hit Maharashtra: BJP

Address problems of drought: Cardinal Gracias

Christians submit demands to Bihar chief minister

In Mumbai, 85% eyes, 95% skin donated by Gujaratis, Jains

Diocese adopts 900 children on Easter eve

Obama White House embraces Yoga amid conservative contortions

The Pope with a difference A close-up on Pope Francis,

with one of his oldest friends Muslim leaders seek closer

relations with pope Dr Fr. MD Thomas awarded

‘Icon of India 2013′ Malala Yousafzai signs $3

million deal to publish her memoir

Delhi girl becomes CA, Cost Accountant and Company Secretary at 23

Airport customs lose their top dog

GEM PLUS – vacancies, appeal etc

GEM LAUGH TIME

Thought for the week

“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage,

for your children and your children's children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

Okhla (New Delhi): Notes

from a compost pit

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/notes-from-a-compost-pit/1092445/0

Two weeks ago, when the Okhla compost plant in Delhi was awarded carbon credits by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 35-year-old Leju Valson, Manager (Operations) at the Okhla plant, hadquietly chuckled. The plant, he says, had been accumulating carbon credits since 2009, but this time when credits swelled to 18,225, making it India's first municipal compost plant to receive carbon credits, it had finally made news. "We're the first compost plant to receive carbon credits. These credits are like shares which are traded on the carbon market by nations. Developed nations have a mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and one way they can do this is by investing in environment-friendly technologies in developing countries that accrue carbon credits," says Valson.

It's 9 am. The plant's morning shift had already begun at 6 am. Fresh piles of municipal solid waste have just arrived at the plant. Deliveries of municipal waste come at least twice a day. Heaps of waste are stacked in orderly rows—fresh malodorous heaps right out in the front, with stray animal and bird visitors, older mounds behind the fresh ones, darker and browner, ready for the composting process to take over.

Construction is on at the six-acre facility, located in the dust-laden backyard of Delhi's sewage treatment plant, for expansion in capacity. By June, the plant will be able to process 500 tonnes of municipal solid waste a day from the current capacity of 200 tonnes per day. Delhi generates 7,000-8,000 tonnes of waste per day, most of which goes to dump sites where anaerobic decomposition occurs which leads to greenhouse gas emissions. "There are two-three landfill sites, but they really are dump sites.

A landfill is a pit that is coated with a liner into which waste is placed and sealed but that's not the case with our dump sites," says Valson. The Okhla compost plant, which is a PPP between Delhi's municipal body and IL&FS Infrastructure, along with the Timarpur Waste Management plant across the road, an IL&FS plant at Burari, the Ghazipur plant and the Narela-Bawana plant, will together harness 5,800 tonnes of waste a day into useful energy sources by 2014, which is still not enough to handle urban waste generated in Delhi.

"Waste is a misplaced resource," says Valson. "It's primarily a city problem and

it needs to be treated in the cities. After collection of municipal waste from households, there are three ways of disposal—composting units, bio-methanation to produce bio-gas, and recovering heat energy in the form dry fuels from combustible fractions." Municipal solid waste from households comprises organic waste, moisture, plastics, sand and combustible fractions. One of the major problems in treating urban waste comes at the very first stage of collection fromhouseholds. For composting units, segregation of waste to collect only organic waste is the most laborious task. "Our societies don't behave like western countries, where they segregate waste at household level. Ideally, when household waste is collected, food/organic waste should be separated from plastics and ceramics," Valson says.

Of 200 tonnes of waste per day, about 15-20 per cent is converted into compost. "When garbage comes from sabzi mandis, it is rich in organic waste, so we get a higher yield of compost," says Valson, laughing that the smells are also richer on those days. The composting process takes about seven weeks, with 10 hours of pre-screening processes per day. The waste is subjected to multiple levels of mechanical screening and refining. First the waste is passed through 200 mm screens—trommel separators with rotating screens—then through 80 mm screens where air density separators are employed to pick out heavier organic particles. By then, moisture, ceramics, plastics and dry combustibles have been removed to leave organic waste behind. After four weeks, the organic waste is passed through 35 mm screens, and finally through 16 mm screens that remove fine sand and silt and also have magnetic separators to remove nails. Seven weeks later, fine, pure compost is ready for use in the farming sector.

As the bobcat machines rev up to separate silt from the waste, Valson says, "There is no waste that can't be put to use…except for plastics!" This isn't his first brush with managing waste. At home in Kottayam, Kerala, Valson says he grew up watching his father compost household waste. "I remember, for my sister's wedding, we had 700-800 guests. My father made compost out of all the waste from that wedding and used that in the fields. We used to compost all the household waste on a weekly basis."

Besides fertiliser companies that are mandated to stock natural compost, 60-70 nurseries in Delhi also stock the compost produced at the Okhla plant. "In this plant, all wastes are utilised—organic waste for compost, combustibles for dry fuel, sand and glass for ceramic industries. But the other problem that waste-management industries face is of sustainability. The transport costs of distribution are borne by us and they're equivalent to the production costs. The government has laws for hazardous waste, batteries, e-waste, plastics, but there are no incentives for people to get into this industry," Valson says of problems plaguing the industry.

The Okhla plant has processed more than 200,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste since operations began in 2008. Put simply, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reduced by the plant is equivalent to having a vehicle-free Delhi for a day.

GEM INSPIRATIONAL SERIES Potato ChipsA little boy wanted to meet God.  He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man.  He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons.  The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase.  He was about to take a  drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.  Again, he smiled at him.  The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug.  He gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so

happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God."  But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what?  He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"   He replied "I ate potato chips in the park with God."  However, before his son responded, he added,  "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.  People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime!  Embrace all equally!

Have lunch with God.......bring chips.

READERS’ LETTERS

[email protected]

Thanks for regularly sending  your newsletter.  i do look forward to it and find it very useful.  Keep up the good work.

james

James Mascarenhas, S.J. PASAYADAAN, NALA, PO SOPARA, TALUKA VASAI,DT. THANE, MAHARASHTRA401203From,[email protected]

Friends, It is not justified to compare a highly populated country to a very less populated one. I am associated with a Swedish company since last 10 years and I had been there in sweden for many times. What I felt is due to very limited population, implimentation of all control methods/norms are effective and people's are also accounted for it. They follow all pollution control norms and never try to

bypass the same. If any waste (solid/liquid/gas) is generated there would be a system for converting those waste either to power, fuel with a system for ZERO liquid discharge!. Example, SYNGAS (fuel) is generated from garbage waste material. there many more.... One similar project had initiated by BMC for treating our domestic wastes but disappeared somewhere. The sad thing is that no such projects are taking up by our authorities as their interest is for something else and we are also not bothered. You may notice that most of the garbage collections are used for landfill and finally converted to posh complexes.. examples INORBIT mall, newly propossed hovercraft point at GORAI filling etc... These soft convertions bring more money to the officials. Finally, the citizens including you and me, and all are bothered only for our personnel gains and not bothered for ecology, any polution control system are responsible for the present system...hence we are forced to live with it... Best regards.. Johnson GeorgeFrom,[email protected]

It is good to see that Sweden is garbage free. We, in India should not dream like that. I am a very positive person and relieve body pains and tensions of suffering people. I come in contact with many people in the course of my practice of Company Secretaryship as also pain relief work. I see that people are just chasing money, by hook or crook. All the people in power try to grab as much power or money or both, be it in politics, admin, business or NGOs. It is a very sorry state of affairs. 

I tell you one small example. I am starting construction of my house on a small plot of land. I visited some houses for planning my own home. I saw that most of the houses are build violating the basic building norms. People say that everyone does that. The architects tell that more than 70% buildings violate building norms. I cannot do this and happy to stay within the law.Happy Easter!

I need your help. Make this event known to all your contacts in different ways: email, face book website twitter etc. I will be very grateful to you. Sending this to you! You can change if you wish the style to present and promote the event.

Thanks so much and God bless you.Sending you also the soft copy of the event in the attachment .

Sr.Hilda

_____________________________________________________________

AMAR, Media Centre along with the team and the Salesian Sisters are organizing, “A Melodious Evening” of Song, Music and Dance titled ‘Rejoicing in Jesus’ on Saturday, 20th April 2013, from 6.00 pm to 10.00 p.m on Auxilium Campus, Wadala W. Mumbai INDIA Featuring well-known Gospels Bands- Open Secret and Grace after Glow, Testimonies by lay invitees, a short discourse, Spiritual Dances, Choirs honouring Jesus and a well-known compere will be part of the event.

May many people and the young derive some meaning, unravel their spiritual side and realize immense faith in the power of Jesus and also within them.You are all invited and do tell your friends about it . Make it known through the Facebook and other means of Media. Passes are available for Rs. 20 only. Thanks and God bless you. Open to all - Christians as well as friends of other Faith are welcome. Sending you also the soft copy in the attachment of the event.

Take care,

Sr.Hilda Braganza

(9967690835)

From,

[email protected] 

The following report on my Chandrapur visit is for circulation through your GEM newsletter - DR. LEO REBELLO

2nd CHANDRAPUR SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The 2nd Climate Change and Sustainable Development Summit was held in Chandrapur on Sunday, 24th March 2013 with 80 participants in attendance. It was inaugurated by Prof. Leo Rebello, Senator-Minister (Asian Affairs), International Parliament for Safety and Peace, from Bombay.

Dr. Rebello observed:  33 years ago when he had visited Chandrapur it was so nice and green. Today, the same Chandrapur was the 3rd most polluted city in India. He reminded top ranking representatives of various industries, Govt officers and others present to make it the cleanest  city in India in next five years by active Citizens participation. Prof. Rebello, who has written 41 books and delivered lectures in 65 countries, cautioned against fragmented development taking place due to lack of foresight, managerial skills, leadership qualities and rampant corruption.

"Sustainable Development" he said "was like sustaining Western mediocrity that leads to enslavement. Instead, we must all look at Holistic Development both at micro and macro level" he advised and added: "Every citizen of Chandrapur should think globallybut must act locally". Prof. Rebello, who contested the Indian Presidential elections in 2012, quoting official statistics cautioned: "About five million deaths occur each year from air pollution, hunger and diseases as a result of climate change and carbon-intensive economies, and that toll is likely to rise to six million a year by 2030 if current patterns of fossil fuel use and industrial waste and pollution were to continue". He further observed that the dust, chemical and other pollution was very high in Chandrapur and unless the locals took interest and worked to improve the abysmal conditions, another Bhopal may happen in Chandrapur.

Organiser of the event, Shrinivas Kannur of Green Globe Society for Research and Development, welcomed the gathering and introduced the Chief Guest, Dr. Leo Rebello. Explaining the role of the the Conclave, Kannur said, "We are here to

Cooperate and not Confront" and asked the representatives of the Coal, Mining and Cement Industries to work to improve Chandrapur.

The others who spoke on the occasion included: Mr. Sudhir Paliwal, Chairman, Science, Technology and Environment Forum, Vidarbha Industries Association, Mr. Rajesh Shukla,

Chief General Manager of Birla Gold Cement, Mr. Shriram Panherkar, Social Activist of Chandrapur, Mrs. Vandana Manape, Member of Chandrapur Panchayat Samiti,  and Dr. Wabade of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.  Mementos were given to speakers at the hands of Dr. Leo Rebello at the closing function, at which Mr. Shriram Panherkar proposed a vote of thanks.On 25th March, Dr. Leo Rebello also conducted a 3-hour long workshop on 10 Commandments of Health:

1.. Eat twice a day, preferably raw. 2.. Drink minimum 8 glasses of water to wash out toxins. 3.. Exercise for minimum 15 minutes daily and stand up and walk straight. 4.. Meditate twice a day, for good mental health and stress-free life. 5.. Fast once a week to give rest to vital organs. 6.. Do not smoke, or take drugs, or drink alcohol. 7.. Do not gamble or cheat. 8.. Normal, natural sex is good for health, for prostate, kidneys, heart and brain. 9.. Sleep well for 6 to 8 hours minimum. 10.. And come what may, go on Smiling. 

This Holistic Health workshop was organised at short notice by Mr. Avinash Nimbalkar, Executive Engineer at HVDC. 75 officers and staff of the HVDC plant who attended, enjoyed the talk and wanted to hear more. They said they would invite him to lecture again or help Dr. Rebello to set up a Holistic Health Hospital in Chandrapur.

Dr. Rebello also paid a visit to Anandvan (of late Baba Amte) and met his old colleagues and presented four of his books to Anandvan public library, namely, (a) World Without Wars, (b) Dr. Leo's Lens, (c) Pen Power and (d) AIDS and Alternative Medicine. Mr. Shriram Panherkar and Mr. Avinash Nimbalkar joined him. 

Enroute to Nagpur Airport on 26th March, Dr. Leo Rebello accompanied by Shrinivas Kannur visited Smt. Smita Thakre, Principal, Priyadarshini Women's College in Ghuggus; Prof. Chandrakant Ragit, Dean Training and Placement, Cummins College of Engineering for Women (Prof. Ragit and Prof. Rebello being old friends since the Bharat Jodo March) and also met Dr.C.V.Chalapati Rao, Chief Scientist and Head Air Pollution Control Division of NEERI.

Contact detais of Dr (prof.) Leo Rebello:

28/552 Samata Nagar, Kandivali East, Bombay 400101, India.Tel.No. 91-22-28872741. Skype: drleorebello Email: [email protected] / [email protected]: www.healthwisdom.org

Danger signs of domestic violence

Must watch-- as general knowledge on this topic affects us all--domestic violence is the no. 1 crime in india now --with the breakup of society, joint family traditions, traditional support structures and adopting an ostrich attitude even in the best of families. Forewarned is forearmed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1yW5IsnSjo

One must always have friends and family's support structure to overcome this extremely well hidden violence and also maturity.

Kussh

From,

[email protected]

Hello!

I've started the petition "rbi: bring back the black money and stop the small change shortage" and need your help to get it off the ground.

Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/rbi-bring-back-the-black-money-and-stop-the-small-change-shortage

Here's why it's important:

We have a twin black holed economy, crores disappearing at the macro level, small change disappearing at the micro level. 

The politicians should respond by bringing back the Indian black wealth secreted away in the last 60 years, estimated at about Rs.145600 lac crores. There is also a micro level black hole in the economy at the grassroots level. Traders and others are refusing to give back small change. The system of traders giving chocolates in return for small change should be abolished or regularized under the earlier barter system. Else the traders should be penalized for deficiency in service India should not become another Nigeria

You can sign my petition by clicking here.

thanks 

What rubbish, say citizens as ragpickers take over

sidewalks

Despite designated waste segregation points in the city, ragpickers use pavements to sort

out garbage, stinking up the places and forcing people to walk on the road

Chaitanya Marpakwar, courtesy: Mumbaimiror

It’s not just hawkers, encroachments and outsize bus shelters that pedestrians encounter in their daily commute. They also have to put up with piles of garbage dumped on Mumbai’s sidewalks. Residents across the city have complained that rag pickers occupy sections of sidewalks to segregate waste and leave behind a trail of stinking rubbish, forcing people to avoid the pavements.

“They spread out garbage on the pavement and sit there for hours, collecting plastic bottles and other recyclable items. They don’t bother to clear rotting trash and plastic bags they strew around in the process,” said Roshan Sahani, who lives in Breach Candy. The pavement she referred to is near the former US consulate. “It’s not possible to walk on the footpath even after rag pickers leave as the stench is very strong,” she said.

Sahani, a member of the Scandal Point Advanced Locality Management, was among several Mirror

readers who wrote about the problem. For the past four weeks, Mirror has been drawing authorities’ attention to the shrinking walking spaces in the city and to problems faced by pedestrians through the Talk the Walk campaign.

Residents say they are not opposed to garbage being segregated, but pavements should not be used for the purpose. “There are hardly any encroachment-free walking spaces in the city, and if rag pickers occupy sections of pavements, pedestrians will be forced to walk on the road,” Sahani said. “The city administration should create designated waste segregation points.”

A senior BMC official said that there were 13 such points in the city, yet rag pickers used footpaths. The spots are away from residential colonies and are maintained by civic workers. “We have even provided shredders and other equipment to sort out recyclable garbage. But the work should not be done on pavements,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Mohan Adtani, adding that the civic authority would clear encroached pedestrian spaces.

The rag pickers’ association said that instead of blaming them, the BMC should create more segregation spots. “Rag pickers don’t have any other option, but to use pavements,” said Manoj Solanki of the Safai Karmachari Seva Sangh.Residents also complain that community garbage bins are left in the middle of pavements, with trash strewn about.

“A bin is placed on the pavement just across my house. A few yeas ago, the BMC put up a warning that people who throw garbage here would be fined, but it has not worked. Most resients now avoid walking on the pavement,” said Sanket Sawant, a resident of Yeshwant Nagar in Santacruz East.

GEM VIEW“Residents say they are not opposed to garbage being segregated, but

pavements should not be used for the purpose” (see above).

Segregating the garbage produced by the residents is not the responsibility of the ragpickers. At least ragpickers contribute their bit for the cleanliness of the city by their humble work of segregating the garbage produced by the households. However, that is the not the lasting solution for the mounting garbage problem. If each household takes responsibility of segregating their own household waste (segregation at source), and use the segregated waste in a ecofriendly way like producing compost, biogas etc, (from wet waste) and hand over the dry waste to the ragpickers/scrape dealers, lot of garbage problem will be solved. This can happen only when there is a collective effort by the residents and with the collaboration with the municipal authorities.

For awareness and education PowerPoint Presentations on zero garbage (composting) and Waste to energy visit our website: www.stfrancisxavierpanvel.in

Cyclothon plan to save Oshiwara wetlands

Linah Baliga, TNN

Picture courtesy internetMUMBAI: Believe it or not. The Oshiwara-Lokhandwala belt has 1,200 acres of natural assets, including 500 acres of mangroves, wetlands and a lake. Since October 2012, environmentalists and local residents have sighted birds such as greater juvenile flamingos, black winged stilts, herons, sandpipers, spot bill ducks, whistling ducks, common coots, snakes, pythons, resident jackals, along with a rare visitor—purple heron. Close to 20,000 birds have descended on the wetlands, especially flamingos from West Asia.

Bird enthusiasts and local residents have, therefore, demanded that the area be declared an 'important birding area'. On April 13, bird and cycling associations, students from five neighbouring schools and residents groups will form a human link chain and host a cyclothon for revival of wetlands in the belt. They want the authorities to wake up to the stretch's bio-wealth in the concrete jungle."If we do not conserve the wetlands and mangroves now, there is danger of losing them in five years. There is constant attack of the builder lobby trying to set mangroves on fire followed by dumping of debris in the lake," said Ashoke Pandit, chairperson, Oshiwara Lokhandwala Citizens' Association (OLCA).

The 1,200-acre land falls under the

Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ 1) no-development zone. The entire belt comes under Wetland Atlas of Maharashtra. According to the Wetland Rules 2010, no construction can take place on it.

"The purpose of the human link chain is to draw attention of the authorities and ensure that the Lokhandwala lake is desilted and the entire 1,200 acres are fenced. We also propose a Oshiwara Lokhandwala Wetland Park," said advocate Chitra Desai, a resident.

The residents' struggle started in June 2012, when a builder dumped debris on a mangrove plot. An FIR was filed and the builder was arrested. State environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh's intervention was sought and a PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court for removal of debris and equipment. A decade ago, 500 acres of mangroves was destroyed to pave way for golf courses, bungalows and cottages.

"Builders keep eyeing this land and dump construction debris to stop seawater from coming back. But by the end of October last year, we saw flocks of juvenile flamingos visiting. They are white in colour and turn pink by the time they migrate to Sewri, as they mature. The Bombay Natural History Society volunteers, too, came to look at the birds," said Sumesh Lekhi, environmentalist.

'Take gas pipeline along highways, spare farms'

She said GAIL should remove the already laid pipeline from the farmlands and restore the lands in their original condition to the farmers. The company should also pay farmers compensation as

Chennai, Mar 25 (IANS): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Monday said the government headed by her has decided that GAIL India should drop its plans of laying the gas pipeline through farm lands, and instead lay it along the highways. Replying to the calling attention motion, notice for which was given by members of various political parties, Jayalalithaa said: "If the pipeline is laid along the national highways, gas will not only be available for industries and people, but also not affect the livelihood of farmers." She said no right thinking person would want industrial growth at the cost of agriculture.GAIL is laying pipelines in the fields in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri, much against the wishes of farmers, while implementing its 312-km gas pipeline project that will go from Kochi through Salem to Bangalore. Jayalalithaa said the government has decided that GAIL should drop its plans of laying the pipeline through farm lands. The company should take steps to lay the pipeline along the national highways without affecting farm lands.

they were not able to plant fruit bearing trees and other crops due to conditions laid down by GAIL. She said the government would inform the Madras High Court about its decisions on the matter. Jayalalithaa said GAIL can take action to lay its pipeline along the national highways and should also take necessary steps to supply gas to Tamil Nadu.

The chief minister said cases filed against the farmers would be withdrawn, and her government is firm on the policy that "projects are for people and not people for the projects." Jayalalithaa said GAIL, under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipeline Act, 1962, took steps to get the Right of Use of lands to the extent of 1,491 acres from 5,842 people, paying a compensation of 10 percent of the market value. Last month, Jayalalithaa said she would take a decision on the gas pipeline project after ascertaining the views of farmers. Citing the Madras High Court's order of maintaining status quo on the pipeline project, she then ordered holding of public hearings.

At the public hearings, the farmers said the market value of their land would fall, and banks would not offer loans against farm lands through which pipelines traverse. According to farmers, the gas pipeline project affects the small and marginal farmers in a major way, as they are prevented from planting fruit trees by GAIL. Jayalalithaa said GAIL has not put forward any valid reason for not laying the pipeline along the highways.

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board orders Sterlite plant closureV Mayilvaganan, TNN

TUTICORIN: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board on Saturday issued a closure notice to the controversy-dogged Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin, forcing it to shut down. The board's closure notice comes in the wake of "unsatisfactory" explanation to the show cause notice issued to

the plant by district collector Ashish Kumar, after a suspected sulphur di-oxide leak from the plant on March 23.

Soon after receiving TNPCB's order, the district administration snapped power supply to the Sterlite plant. On Saturday morning, a team of officials led by Tuticorin revenue divisional officer Latha visited the plant and served the closure notice. Sterlite authorities had initially resisted the closure move stating that the plant cannot be shut down all of a sudden and the controlling units could be switched off only in three phases. But after a strict warning to adhere to the closure notice, Sterlite authorities shut down all operations. D Dhanavel, general manager, Sterlite, said the operations of the plant had been completely shut down. "We are discussing the next course of action,'' he said.

MDMK leader Vaiko, who has been staging a legal battle for shutting of the plant, has welcomed the closure and thanked chief minister J Jayalalithaa for the order. The closure of the plant sparked celebrations across Tuticorin as people distributed sweets and set off fireworks in Rajaji Park, the site of the massive protest on March 28. But Sterlite has been maintaining that on March 23 when the gas leak incident happened, the company was shut down. "Our emissions were within permissible limits on March 23. There are no violations of pollution norms on our part," said a Sterlite spokesperson.

But district administration said the plant had exceeded permissible limits of sulphur di-oxide emissions. "Inspections by TNPCB officials has revealed sulphur di-oxide emissions exceeding the Supreme Court stipulated levels from Sterlite,'' said collector Ashish Kumar. On March 23, following the gas leak, residents in and around the plant suffered irritation in the eyes, sore throat and suffocation.

The closure order has come at a time when the fate of the multi-crore plant is to be decided by the Supreme Court. The judgment on a case demanding permanent closure of Sterlite would be delivered on April 2. The plant was facing stiff protest from people even before it was commissioned in the port town in 1997. The plant also witnessed an industrial accident in its initial years. In 1998, Vaiko filed a writ petition in the Madras high court seeking its closure. The high court gave an interim order to close the plant, but it was reopened in 1999. After a prolonged legal battle, the Madras high court ordered permanent closure of the plant in 2010, which was challenged by Sterlite in the Supreme Court.

It is not just MDMK that was staging a series of protests against the plant, but the traders led by influential Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangam, environmental groups, fishermen and general public who wanted the unit to be closed. Beginning with the first protest in the form of a hunger strike on March 5, 1996, several rallies, road blockades, black flag protests and attempts to besiege the plant were staged. The protests witnessed a surge after March 23, when the gas leak sparked panic. There was a near total shut down of trade outlets on March 28 when more than 1,500 people marched towards the plant to besiege it. Often the protests also spread to nearby Kovilpatti and Srivaikuntam towns.

SC directs Sterlite to pay Rs 100 crore for polluting environment in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi, Apr 2 (PTI): The Supreme court on Tuesday asked Vedanta group firm Sterlite Industries to pay compensation of Rs 100 crore for polluting the environment through its copper smelting plant in Tamil Nadu. Despite the fine, the Supreme Court overruled an earlier order from the Madras high court to shut down the plant over long-standing environmental concerns, the bench headed by Judge A K Patnaik said. The court said the compensation amount was to be paid in five years. "Compensation must act as a deterrent and any amount less than Rs 100 crore would not have desired impact," the apex court said.

On Monday, Sterlite Industries had moved The National Green Tribunal challenging an order of Tamil nadu Pollution Control Board directing closure of its copper smelter plant in Tuticorin in the wake of an alleged noxious gas leak recently. In its applications before the southern bench of the tribunal, the company also challenged another order of the TNPCB disconnecting the power supply to the unit located in Tuticorin, which was shut down on March 30. The matter was posted to April 9 for further hearing.

Now, any citizen can move National Green Tribunal to report violations

Nitin Sethi, TNN Mar 27, 2013,

NEW DELHI: Violations of green norms and clearances can be appealed against by any citizen and not just someone directly or indirectly affected by a project, the National Green Tribunal has held, widening the scope of green litigation in the country. The tribunal has also put in mandatory obligations on the government and project developers to disclose details of clearances. Both have avoided doing so in many cases till now. The order came in the case of the 780 mw Naymjang Chhu Hydroelectric Project in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. In this particular case, the project developer had put out a small notice-sized advertisement in a local newspaper instead of publishing the entire clearance details.

In its order, the tribunal said, "Law gives a right to 'any person' who is 'aggrieved' by an order to prefer an appeal. The term 'any person' has to be widely construed. It is to include all legal entities so as to enable them to prefer an appeal, even if such an entity does not have any direct or indirect interest in a given project. The expression 'aggrieved', again, has to be construed liberally." The order takes significance because with the setting up of the tribunal, it had become the address of first recourse for all those wanting to go to court on green matters.

The NGT further said, "The grievance of a person against the environmental clearance (given by the environment ministry) may be general and not necessarily person specific." Also laying down the line for public disclosure of

make public the environmental clearance granted for the project with the environmental conditions and safeguards at their cost by promptly advertising it in at least two newspapers of the district or in the state where the project is located."

Warning that mere notice of securing a clearance by the project developer was not enough, it noted, "The conditions for granting of environmental clearance with definite safeguards have to be published in the newspaper so that any person can make up his mind whether he needs to question the correctness or legality of such order." Ritwick Dutta, the lawyer on behalf of the petitioners, Save Mon Region Federation, had pleaded that the environment ministry too had failed in timely and complete disclosure of information on the clearance which impeded the filing of objections against the government's decisions in the given time.

Responding to the plea, the NGT also laid down strict guidelines on disclosure by the government. "The MoEF must make every effort to put the environmental clearance orders on the website immediately upon passing of such order but in any case not later than one week from the date of passing of such order." Also taking on the environment ministry's often made excuse of lack of technical ability to put out data, the NGT said, "The website of MoEF should always be functional and accessible to the public at large, who should be in a position to download the environmental clearance order without

details of clearance given to projects, the NGT said, "The project proponent is legally obliged under this provision to

restrictions, inconvenience and any patent or latent defect. Needless to mention that the website should be regularly updated."

Manipur Christians protest dam project

They claimed the project might trigger ethnic conflict between the two

districts.

Imphal:  Christian groups in Manipur's Chandel district have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 25 seeking his intervention to stop a proposed multi-purpose project in Chakpikarong area. Members of 27 Christian denominations jointly said in the memorandum that the proposed “Chakpi Multipurpose Project” which includes a dam threatens to submerge 100 churches.

Moreover, the project threatens to submerge several villages, adversely affecting the total population of some 122,700 people in an area of 3,313 square kilometers. They accused the state government of pushing the projects without considering the ill effects of it on the local population.

The project’s main aim is to divert the water from Chakpi River and irrigate 9,495

hectares in Thoubal District to facilitate multiple cropping and improve the economic life of its people. But the project is designed at the cost of indigenous tribal people and their land in Chandel district, and it might trigger ethnic conflict between the two districts, the memorandum said.

The government estimates some 26,000 workers may come for project and this influx of non-indigenous workers is a "grave danger" for the local people, the memorandum said. The influx may lead to minority tribal people "losing their culture, custom, religious and unique way of life through mixed marriages, acculturation and assimilation,” it said.

Mangalore: Dr B M Hegde releases John Monteiro's book on corruption

Courtesy: Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore

Mangalore, Mar 30: “The world, more so India, is completely deluded by the corrupt. They are our

leaders, our rulers and our guardians. There are different breeds of the corrupt,” said Dr B M Hegde, former vice-chancellor of Manipal University. He spoke after releasing the revised, updated and expanded book by John B Monteiro titled 'Corruption – India’s Painful Crawl to Lokpal' at Mangalore Press Club here on Saturday March 30.

Referring to the book, Dr Hegde said, “John Monteiro’s book on corruption, the second edition, is timely. I enjoyed reading this book which lists lots that we could do to contain corruption as it exists now. My worry is that these quick-fix

solutions, like modern medical quick-fixes, might only work temporarily. The book is beautifully brought out and makes splendid reading. Monteiro’s prose flows like a placid river and is very lucid. I recommend this book strongly.”

Dr Hegde said that he has analysed the malady to arrive at a final holistic solution to the cancer. He highlighted the various types of corrupt. The casual convert type “is less these days. They are not perennially corrupt but succumb to temptation on and off. The congenitically corrupt are a dangerous variety. Corruption is in their genes. The environment today makes the gene penetrate very well and this manifests in the hard core corruption. These are very difficult to treat and they would be very good in escaping the anti-corruption dragnet. The gene could only penetrate in a conducive atmosphere. Our only hope of reforming these is the possibility of the change in the environment.”

Dr Hegde also spoke of compulsive corrupt behaviour marked by irresistible urge to be corrupt and spoke of an unnamed chief minister who would not get sleep unless his daily booty exceeded one crore. Then, he said, there are criminally corrupt or extortionists. There are also corruption generators like wheeler-dealers or middlemen.* Dr Hegde presented the first copy of the book to Fr Swebert D’Silva, principal, St Aloysius College.

Responding, Fr Swebert congratulated the author on writing the book on a relevant subject for the present times. “It is imperative that every India introspects and analyses this menace of corruption in India. Corruption has become a way of life. As long as Indian psyche is not transformed, no law or Lokayukta can halt this menace. If only the money set aside for development had been utilized for the said purpose, India would have been among the most developed countries of the world. Corruption is the deadliest devil in development,” he said.

Fr Swebert said that he was proud that Monteiro was an alumni of St Aloysius College and also served as a faculty for a short duration. John B Monteiro welcomed and thanked Dr Hegde, Fr Swebert and the media-persons. He noted that the book was available online from Amazon.com and details are available on Google.

Reconsider holding IPL in drought-hit Maharashtra: BJP

Mumbai, Apr 1 (IANS): Questioning the rationale behind holding the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in drought-hit Maharashtra, leader of opposition in the state legislative council Vinod Tawade Sunday said he has written to the tournament organisers to reconsider the decision.

used in a state seeing the worst drought of the century. It is not justified," he said.

Tawade said he had written to IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla to reconsider organising the T20 matches in Mumbai. "There are talks of donating a part of revenue generated out of IPL matches to drought-hit Maharashtra. But when it comes to choosing between revenue and water, water is more important," Tawde said.

He said they had also criticised spiritual leader Asaram Bapu for wasting tonnes of water for celebrating Holi. Farmers paid a heavy irrigation water tax so wastage of water should be curbed, he said.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Shiv Sena and the Republican Party of India have also objected to IPL matches being played in

"What sense does it make to use many thousand litres of water to maintain the pitch on which cricket matches are played," the BJP leader said. "Moreover, this water is

the city citing the same reasons. Shiv Sena last week asked owners of IPL teams to contribute Rs.500 crore towards drought relief from the revenue generated through the event.

Address problems of drought: Cardinal Gracias

Maharashtra is in the grip of the worst ever drought since 1972.

Mumbai:  Cardinal Oswald Gracias has called on the people to address the problems of drought and the death of infants in public hospital in Mumbai. "Our focus should be on ‘saving the farmer campaign’ due to an ominous threat of drought in our state that could lead to famine and suicide,” said Cardinal Gracias in his Easter message. He said that steps should be taken on a war footing to adopt measures such as water harvesting and special drives to collect funds for immediate relief.

Maharashtra is in the grip of the worst ever drought since 1972. “Another area that needs our immediate attention is the death of infants in our public hospitals owing to gross negligence of civic authorities in the city. Governor K. Sankaranarayanan greeted the community on the occasion of Easter. “May the pure and selfless life of Jesus Christ inspire us to tread the path of love and truth with determination, and may it bring peace and happiness to one and all,” he said.

The East Indian community in the city has taken up the cause of 'fighting injustice' on Easter.

Source: hindustan times

Christians submit demands to Bihar chief ministerThey demanded nomination of one Christian in the legislative

council, subsidy for visiting Jerusalem.

Patna:  A Christian delegation has submitted a memorandum to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar demanding a solution to the problems facing the community in the state. Extending Easter greetings, members of the Christian Welfare Association called on Kumar and submitted a memorandum to him in this regard.

They also demanded nomination of one Christian in the legislative council, subsidy for visiting Jerusalem. They also asked for appointment of a Christian in the State Minority Commission as vice-chairman. The delegation also invited Kumar to visit Kurji Church and Padri ki Haveli on the eve of Christmas, which he accepted.

The chief minister greeted people, particularly the Christians, on Easter. He said Christ's message was for service to humanity without any discrimination and everybody should take inspiration from it.

Source: times of india

In Mumbai, 85% eyes, 95% skin donated by Gujaratis, Jains

Sumitra Deb Roy, TNN

MUMBAI: A humble landline and some handy information are all 59-year-old Kusum Vira uses to mobilize hundreds of cornea donations from her Lower Parel residence. Collecting over 500 eyeballs a year for the city sounds like a herculean task, and Kusum credits her community for helping her achieve this feat.

Those benefitting from cornea transplants or getting a life-saving skin graft seldom know the faces behind their new lease of life. Kusum is one of many people in the city's Gujarati and Jain communities who generously contribute to increasing the pool of eye and skin donations. Last year, over 85% of some 2,500-odd eye donations came from these two communities; for skin donations, their contribution stood at 95%. They also topped the list for body donations made to educational institutions for research.

Though Kusum simply puts it as a "religion-backed ideology that perceives donation as an ultimate form of charity", many say the model is charting its own success story. Kusum's son Vikas, secretary of NGO Tarun Mitra Mandal, which collects the highest number of eyeballs in the city, says, "Donating eyes has become more like a custom now, with more families willingly doing it. This led to us also pushing for skin donations and, surprisingly, there have been hardly any refusals."

Among Gujaratis, said Vikas, those from Kutch are the leading donors. The way to reach out to them is quite simple, he explains. The daily community bulletin Kutchi Khabar Patrika, which reaches out to over 40,000 families, appreciates the donor families, besides informing and encouraging others to do the same.

donation and decided to donate his mother Kumudben's eyes when she passed away at 69 recently. "It was decided beforehand. So when my mother passed away, I called one of the collection agencies without wasting time. They were at my doorstep within 15 minutes even though I had made the call at 1am," he said. Kusum said most of the doctors and social workers also belong to the community and work purely out of charity.

The idea of skin donation is still nascent in most other parts of the country. In Mumbai, the NGO Sunday Friends single-handedly facilitates the endeavour and received 177 donations last year -- a 300% jump in collections over the last six years. One of the NGO's members told TOI, "Awareness in the community can bring unexpected changes in the mindset. People no longer think they will be born blind in their next birth or their entire skin will be peeled off if they donate eyes or skin or both." The member said they receive most calls for donations from areas like Santa Cruz, Vile Parle, Ghatkopar, Mulund and Bhandup, areas mostly populated by Gujaratis.

The trend is similar for eye donations, where Ghatkopar remains the biggest donor pocket in the city. Dr Prakash Katakia, of Arpan Eye Bank, which caters exclusively to Ghatkopar, told TOI that they get about 500 eyeballs from an area that registers around 3,500 deaths a year. "This is a huge percentage, given that we manage to merely collect another 3,000 eyeballs from one lakh deaths," he said.

According to Katakia more communities need to play a part now. "There is a huge waiting list and people have to wait for

Through this bulletin Parel village resident Ojas Gala learnt about the concept of eye

almost six months to a year for corneal transplants," he said. Kusum added, "The need of the hour is to get more donations from the young. Every family can do its bit here. After all charity should begin at home."

Diocese adopts 900 children on Easter eve

The CNI diocese vowed to initiate more social outreach

projects.

Amritsar:  The Church of North India’s Amritsar diocese has adopted 900 indigent children to look after their educational and nutritional needs. The diocese took the initiative on March 30, the eve of Easter. The diocese, which recently celebrated its diamond jubilee, vowed to initiate more social outreach projects that not only empower the masses, but also complement the government's initiatives on education and malnutrition. This program is based on a survey conducted by the diocese two years ago.

Talking about the project, Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of the diocese said the diocese had been taking care of these children's academic and

dietary needs for the past two years. He said the endeavour was aimed at complementing the government's initiatives on social outreach, education and health. "There is a marked improvement in the physical and mental well-being of these 900 children since we took them under our care," he said. He maintained that the previously lean, listless and academically weak children were now known to be showing interest in sports and academics. The bishop said the children were also taught about the benefits of keeping their surroundings clean and consuming healthy food.

"They have now become harbingers of change in the localities that they reside in as they can be seen taking a keen interest not only in academics and sports, but also in keeping their surroundings clean and ensuring that people living around them know all that they need to know about cleanliness and consuming healthy food," he said.

The bishop said that even the families of these children had started getting actively involved in the initiative. "Easter is about the resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. It is a celebration of His victory over the powers of darkness and evil that prevents people from living life to the fullest," he said. The bishop said the diocese wants to take the message of Easter to the masses by doing all that it possibly can to dispel the darkness of illiteracy and malnutrition by adopting more children from economically backward families.

Source: hindustan times

Obama White House embraces Yoga amid conservative contortions

Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Apr 1, 2013, 12.33 AM IST

WASHINGTON: The White House has wholeheartedly embraced Yoga as a worthy physical activity at a time some schools in America are railing against the ancient Indian practice, saying it promotes Hinduism.

The White House announced last week that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will include a 'yoga garden' for children and their parents who attend the traditional Easter Egg Roll festivities on Monday. "Come enjoy a session of yoga from

professional instructors," the White well-being and its soaring healthcare bill.

House exhorted thousands of workaday Americans parents and their kids from across the country who will troop into the Presidential lawns, reminding participants that the event's theme is 'Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!'

It is not the first time that Obama's residence has hosted a yoga garden for Easter, but this year's event is significant because of an ongoing lawsuit in California challenging the teaching of yoga in schools. In fact, the case came up for hearing in a San Diego courtroom on Thursday with a mirthful opening.

In an indication of how deep-rooted mainstream yoga has become in the US, it turned out that the presiding judge himself is a yoga practitioner. "Does anybody have a problem with that?" San Diego Superior Court Judge John Meyer was reported asking at the start of the case.

Dean Broyles, representing parents suing the Encinitas Union School District in a lawsuit that has gained international attention, said he was fine with Meyer presiding over the case if the judge can keep an open mind about the plaintiff's argument regarding spiritual connections to yoga, according to reports in the local media.

At the heart of the case is the argument by some parents that yoga is inherently religious, a contention most Americans, including the judge, seem to disagree with. Judge Meyer is reported to be a practitioner of Bikram Yoga, likening it to simple stretching exercises. "If you think there's something spiritual about what I do, that's news to me," he was quoted as saying.

The White House meanwhile is stretching every muscle and sinew to get Americans, including children, to get more concerned about the decline in the nation's overall

The drive is led by Michelle Obama, a health and fitness, and herself a yoga enthusiast.

The yoga garden is conducted by Leah Cullis, a certified yoga teacher who the White House reached out to in 2009 as soon when the Obamas came to office. Cullis, whose husband, event producer John Liipfert, handled Obama's Presidential inauguration, selects yoga instructors from all over the US to put parents and children through basic yoga drills. "The mission of the event is to share ways where families and children can use simple tools for an active lifestyle — tools that require no props and no money and which they can go home and do it themselves," Cullis told TOI, speaking of her association with the White House initiative.

In fact, the White House has taken its yoga drive one step — or one stretch — further. It has now initiated a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA), a Obama White House Challenge designed to motivate Americans to make physical activity and healthy eating part of their everyday life. In embracing the practice, the White House also dismissed any specific religious connotation sought to be attached to yoga.

"Yoga has become a universal language of spiritual exercise in the United States, crossing many lines of religion and cultures," the White House said without any reference to the ongoing controversies and lawsuit. "Every day, millions of people practice yoga to improve their health and overall well-being. That's why we're encouraging everyone to take part in PALA, so show your support for yoga and answer the challenge."

Among the invitees for the White House Easter Monday festivities is Ajai Dhadwal, an Indian-American field hockey player, who had represented the US.

The Pope with a differenceWe have a Pope with a difference.

A daring Pope who walks against the current.

A Pope who says

not only The church for the Poor but A poor church .

His gesture as Pope to travel by Public transportation, getting his own Luggage and paying  his Hotel bill speaks volumes. He has brought the

marginalized to centrestage 

A pope who Knows very wellthat the church is not a Compassionate  NGO

at the same time confessing (Examiner March 31’2013)

We can journey as much as we want, we can build many things, but if we do not confess the mercy and compassion of God, our Father in Jesus

Christ, we shall built in vainThe pope has urges to Proclaim the Good News to those in darkness and

despair, and bring hope to the poorest, and weakest and the least important. 

He Takes the name of Francis

keeping in mind that as Christians we are stewards of Creation 

On Holy Thursday by washing the feet of women,Pope FRANCIS

has shown a new light towards the role of a woman in the church.  

Forward from: Fr Calistus, Shrine of Our lady of Fatima Karjat

A close-up on Pope Francis, with one of his oldest friendsAs his publisher, Claretian Father Gustavo Larrazabal got to know then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio well.

Argentina

How did you meet the new pope?

The then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio gave homilies and spoke about various interests close to his heart,

such as civic involvement and education. He came to Claretian Publications in Argentina, where I was the director at the time, and asked if we were interested in publishing them. With the exception of his biography and conversations with a rabbi, which were published by Vergara, we published everything he brought us. 

And I was the one to meet with the cardinal. We would chat and exchange ideas. Throughout the years, we built a strong relationship. He valued the publishing house and never wanted to receive royalty payments. He said the money should go into our apostolic works. He even wanted us to sign a document saying that, if anything happened to him, he did not want anyone to go and claim anything from the Claretians. I was a little embarrassed by this, and I sort of resisted. The truth is the paper was never signed and that is my fault.

Is Pope Francis a good writer?

Yes, he is a very good writer. He did not have time to edit. He would show up to my office with a bundle of papers in his arms and say, “Here is all this. Manage it as best as you can.” We, the editors, and particularly myself, would edit, revise, and send the finished work to him for his approval. He would make his own comments, but the truth is that we were quite free.

Our only arguments were over covers. The cover is very important for me, because it is what sells the book. On two occasions, I put his picture on the cover and he was mad. But I said to him, “Without a good cover, the book will not sell. So, you can get mad, but the cover will stay.”

Is he as humble as he seems?

Definitely. In 1998, upon the death of his predecessor Cardinal Guarracino, he became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He immediately decided to leave the episcopal residence, which was a mansion in a residential area where the president and his family also lived. He rented out the mansion to a religious congregation and took a simple room on the third floor of the chancery.

He also had a very austere office on the second floor. As he was in downtown Buenos Aires, it was evident that he did not need a car or a driver. He moved by walking, subway, or bus, or, if in a hurry, he would take a taxi. I often asked him to go to some place to celebrate Mass or to bless a bookstore, offering to drive him, but he always said, “No, no. Don´t worry, I will take my time. You must take care of the people."

He did not have a secretary or monsignors hovering over him, even though the archdiocese is quite vast and there are six auxiliary bishops. But when people wanted to see him, they were always surprised to find out how easy it was to get an appointment. Sometimes he even opened the door himself because many afternoons he was by himself in the building. If you knew how to go in, you simply went up to the second floor. Otherwise, he would go down to open the door. Even from Rome, he personally informed his newspaper provider that he would not need daily delivery any longer. He is very warm, very personal, and very compassionate.

When I turned 50, I invited Cardinal Bergoglio to celebrate the Eucharist and to join the party. He came, but he refused to preside. He said that it was my place to preside, and that he would concelebrate with my Claretian brothers and other priests present. Later, contrary to his custom, since he does not normally go to parties and is very careful about what he eats because of his health, he stayed, greeted my mom and other members of the family and everyone present, and stayed for quite a while. When he was leaving, someone accompanied him to the street corner to hail a cab, since he refused to have someone leave the party in order to take him home.

As a bishop, he was brilliant. Not brilliant in the sense of showmanship, but in the sense of his compassion, his intimate, close, and warm treatment of every individual.

Will all that change in Rome? Will he be able to change Rome?

When you are 76, you don´t change easily. He has demonstrated that in his first days at the Vatican. He

does not want to live in the residence. But it’s not just his age. He has transported his Buenos Aires style

to the Vatican. There are things he has totally integrated in his person.

Pope Francis is a master of signs and gestures. He knows the power gestures can have. He does not do it as a show but out of conviction and deep faith. What’s especially interesting is that past few days he has not called himself pope but bishop of Rome. That’s an expression of a particular understanding of the papacy.

So Cardinal Bergoglio is clearly a shepherd. Is he also a theologian?

He is, above all, a shepherd, which is not to say that he is not a theologian. But his interest is very pastoral. For example, for all his attention to social issues and to the poor, he has never supported liberation theology, but he does not put brakes on it either. He says, speaking about catechesis, “As a shepherd, I allow things to happen. I prefer that there not be a single catechesis, because that makes for a richer situation. I allow for things to flow, provided things are within the scope of the doctrine of the church, and do not fall into heresy or absurd ideas.” I think this applies to his approach to liberation theology. He did not reject it nor advocate for it.

When things get out of line with the positions of the church, he has to confront them. That has earned him the hostility of the government on certain occasions. Because, although several departments of the Argentinian government—particularly those of social issues and education—really benefit and support the development and education projects of the church and have greatly helped us, when it comes to issues of morality and social doctrine, he has needed to speak up.

That was the case with the famous issue of gay marriage, which is the banner of liberalism and gender equality. Cardinal Bergoglio was trying to negotiate a solution that would not recognize marriage, but would allow for a provision for legal unions that would protect partners. His efforts were derailed by other forces, and in the end, the government legalized same-sex marriage. He wanted to dialogue and negotiate--always maintaining, of course, the position of the church.

Some have accused him of not having confronted the Videla dictatorship.

I myself asked Cardinal Bergoglio what happened, particularly with the famous case of the two Jesuits who were arrested when he was provincial. The truth is that the situation of Argentina at the time was very complex. There was terrorism, state terrorism, oppression, and violence, and the military did not know how to handle the situation. At that time, Jorge Bergoglio, Jesuit provincial, was 36 years old. He told me, “I swear Gustavo, that I did what I could and what was within my reach. I was totally inexperienced and certainly made many mistakes as a provincial. But I did what I knew how to do and what I could.”

The reality is that, while it would have been great to have a more courageous church in Argentina--as it was in Chile, where the church saved many lives through its work of advocacy and negotiations--Bergoglio did personally save many lives by hiding people, negotiating for their liberation, and on one occasion even giving his own passport to someone. The truth is also that the two Jesuits who had been arrested were liberated precisely because of Bergoglio’s negotiation.

Muslim leaders seek closer relations with popeClerics offer congratulations and proposals

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta, Indonesia

Muslim leaders in indonesia have congratulated the new pope on his election and are hoping for increased cooperation with the Catholic Church. They say they have also prepared proposals which could help boost Catholic relations with Muslim groups within the country.  “I hope [Pope Francis] will continue what his predecessors have done," Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah, told ucanews.com at the weekend. "They have shown the commitment of the Catholic Church in bridging relations with other religions, including Islam.” 

Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah

He hoped that the newly elected pontiff will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two of the country’s biggest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. “It will stress how to make the relationship between Indonesian Muslims and the Vatican more harmonious. It will also include several points on the protection of Indonesian Catholics,” he said. The MoU, he said, has been planned since Syamsuddin's visit to the Vatican in March of last year, when he met with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and  Andrea Riccardi, the Italian minister for international cooperation.

Popes including Blessed John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI have played an important role in the dialogue between Islam and Christianity, Syamsuddin said.  In April last year, the president of the Community of Sant’Egidio Marco Impagliazzo signed a similar MoU with Muhammadiyah to work together for the benefit of humanity. Meanwhile, Muhammad Agus Mulyadi, an Islamic scholar from Nahdlatul Ulama, said he hopes Pope Francis will build personal relationships with Muslim leaders.

“Personal relationships will certainly bring vast impact on the relationships between the two religions,” he said. He also hoped the pope will promote the values of tolerance to prevent conflict. Nusron Wahid, chairman of Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor), the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, said Pope Francis' third-world background will help him understand the situation of people in Asia. “I’m quite optimistic the pope will pay attention to the situation in developing nations, such as poverty,” he said. “He will definitely be sensitive to the marginalized who live in developing nations, including Indonesia."

Dr Fr. MD Thomas awarded ‘Icon of India

2013′New Delhi, March 12, 2013: Parwaz Express, a National Weekly Hindi Newspaper, a division of Parwaz Media Vision, conferred the award ‘Icon of India 2013’ on Dr Fr M.D. Thomas. This honour was extended to him for his outstanding contribution for nearly three decades to promoting harmony among religious faiths and ideologies through diverse ways as a ‘Spiritual Leader’.

The award contained a ‘Crown’, ‘The Icon Certificate’, ‘Stole of Honour’ and ‘Momento’, along with a ‘Souvenir’ of the names and photographs of all the icons and a Special 50 page Edition of the newspaper with the profile and lifestyle of all the 53 icons selected for the award on the occasion. Dr Fr Thomas is the only Keralite and Christian who is honoured with award by the above organization.

The above award was under Parwas Express award scheme ‘100 Icons’ from various arenas of life, such as social service, athletics, education, art and literature, media, industry and business, politics, religion, communal harmony and spirituality.

The award ceremony took place in Janpath Hotel, New Delhi, on 10 March 2013, marking the 10th anniversary of the Parwaz Express, celebrating a decade of its

commendable journey in media and social service. The honourable presence of many ministers, Mps, MLAs and other officials of the central and state governments and of the city of New Delhi gave a ceremonial

touch to the entire programme. Including the Icons of 2013, a gathering of eminent people from various sectors numbering nearly 500 made the programme colourful.

Fr Thomas has been deeply committed to fostering understanding, good relations and collaboration with persons and organizations of other religious and social communities for nine years from 2003 to 2011 as National Director of the Commission for Religious Harmony, CBCI, on behalf of the Catholic Christian community in India. In the same capacity, he had also been promoting understanding, interaction and fellowship by editing and publishing a half-yearly and bi-lingual journal called ‘Fellowship’, with a circulation capacity of 10,000 copies in India and overseas.

Dr Thomas holds M.A. and Ph.D. in Hindi Literature and a seven-year B.Mus. in Hindustani Classical Music. He is recipient of ‘Saahityik Kriti Sammaan–2003-2004′ from Hindi Academy, Delhi, for his book ‘Kabeer aur Eesaayee Chintan’, which is the fruit of a multi-disciplinary research. He has also received over 10 awards and honours from interfaith, literary, cultural and social organizations by now.

He has been delivering ‘guest lectures’ at different Departments of the universities, nearly 40 by now, as well as colleges on diverse themes. He has also delivered ‘extension lectures’ on ‘harmony of faiths for social integration’ at over 35 Christian Faculties, as a National Professor. He has been a resource person at national associations of school teachers as well as at one-day seminars for school-teachers on ‘national integration and social harmony’ in over 10 cities. Besides, he addresses a large number of local, regional, national and international conferences of diverse compositions in India and abroad on a variety of harmony-related themes and current concerns.

He has two Audio-CD albums with his musical compositions to his credit, one ‘Samanvay-dhaara’ on ‘multi-faith values’ and the other ‘Samanvay Sarita’ on the lines of saint poets of Hindi on ‘socio-spiritual values’. He is member of over 20 literary, social, cultural, religious and inter-faith organizations. He has authored nearly 200 articles in Hindi and English as well as appeared some 15 times on diverse TV channels for interactions. He has also travelled over 20 countries overseas for cultural exposure and educational contribution.

Presently, Dr Thomas is involved in authoring articles and books on ‘harmony themes’ and on ‘current social concerns’ and in processing universal values of sacred scriptures and classics in to poetical-musical renderings as well as actively promoting mutual interaction, harmonious living, national integration and social harmony. ‘Religion in public sphere’ is his current focus and making a more harmonious society is his life mission.

- press release (courtesy: ucan e-news)

Malala Yousafzai signs $3 million deal to publish her memoir

Press Trust of India

London: Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head at point-blank range by Taliban for advocating girls' education, has become a millionaire by signing a deal for around $3 million to publish her memoir. "The life story of a 15-year Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban will be published later this year, in a deal reported to be

worth around 2million pounds ($3 million)," the UK-based Guardian newspaper reported. The book, titled "I am Malala", will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson in the UK and Commonwealth and by Little, Brown in the rest of the world, the paper said, adding that a spokeswoman for the publisher could not confirm reports about the value of the publishing deal. "I want to tell my story, but it will also be the story of 61 million children who can't get education," Malala said. "I want it to be part of the campaign to give every boy and girl the right to go to school. It is their basic right." She said: "I hope this book will reach people around the world, so they realise how difficult it is for some children to get access to education." Malala escaped death by a matter of inches when she was shot on a school bus in Northwestern Pakistan on October 9, 2012 as the bullet entered just above her left eye and ran along her jaw,

grazing past her brainThe Taliban had said they targeted Malala because she promoted girls' education and "Western thinking". Surgeons in Pakistan removed the bullet before she was air-lifted to the UK for life-saving treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. In February, Malala was discharged from the hospital after she had an operation to rebuild her skull and restore hearing. She has now returned to school and joined the girls in Year 9. Malala's family are currently living in the West Midlands. Her father has been appointed education attache at the Consulate of Pakistan for the next three years. She began writing a blog on the BBC Urdu service under a pseudonym about life in the Swat Valley in 2009. She was shot after her real identity became known. Since the shooting, Malala has been awarded several peace prizes and is the youngest person to be nominated for the Nobel Peace

Prize.

Delhi girl becomes CA, Cost Accountant and Company

Secretary at 23

New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI): Nurturing the ambition to make it big in the finance arena, a 23-year-old Delhi girl has qualified as chartered accountant, cost accountant, and also company secretary -- becoming possibly the youngest person to complete all the three professional accounting courses. A Delhi University commerce graduate, Pallavi Sachdeva admires ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar as a role model and has already got her dream job with an offer from international finance major, Barclays Plc.

"Once you understand the subject, it will not be difficult," Sachdeva said when asked how tough it was to clear all the three courses -- Chartered Accountancy, Cost  & Works Accountancy and Company Secretaries -- at such a young age. She has cleared her CA, CS and CWA courses from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), New Delhi the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), New Delhi, and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI), Kolkata, respectively.

Speaking to PTI over phone, Sachdeva said she always believed that a good understanding, rather than mugging up the things, makes it easier to learn any subject. Talking about the way forward, Sachdeva said she is all set to realise her dream next month by joining Indian operations of UK-based global banking giant Barclays. "My dream was to get into an international financial company and I have received the job offer from Barclays Plc," said Sachdeva, who is currently working with a Noida-based pharmaceutical firm and is associated with the company's IPO plans.

"I admire Chanda Kochhar a lot," she said when asked about her role model.

Airport customs lose their top dog

After 5 years of service, in which she helped seize drugs worth Rs 42

cr, Dolly passed away last weekBipin Kumar Singh, Mumbai Mirror

She was responsible for nine major drug hauls worth more than Rs 42 crore at the Mumbai airport. Alert and cautions, she had a nose for trouble, making her one of the most coveted members of the customs department. After five years of untainted service, Dolly, the department’s top dog in drug detection, passed away last week after battling a kidney ailment.

With the spike in drugs cases, two dogs are training hard to take Dolly’s place in the customs’ 4-member dog squad. But the 7-year-old Labrador has left some big shoes to fill. After undergoing rigorous training at a BSF

academy at Gwalior, Dolly was inducted into the squad when she just 2 years old. She started with sniffing out 1.3 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 1.3 crore on July 30, 2008. But her career-best drug haul was on August 24, 2012, when she intercepted 18 kilograms of amphetamine worth over Rs 18 crore. In the past 5 years, airport customs has intercepted drugs worth over Rs 100 crore. Out of this, almost half of the cases were intercepted by Dolly.

According to drug interception figures of the year 2012-13, drugs worth Rs 60 crore were seized at the airport, which is thirty times higher than the figures of 2011-12 (just Rs 2 crore). Of this, Dolly detected drugs worth over Rs 19 crore. Her last case was on November 25 last year, when she intercepted 5 kilograms of Methaqualone worth over Rs 75 lakh.

On March 14, Dolly was shifted to a Parel based veterinary hospital with kidney problems. “She was not able to digest food. Even though we got her hospitalised, her condition deteriorated and she passed away on March 27,” a customs official told Mirror. Her handler, ASI S T Salvi, who trained Dolly since her induction, was shocked when he heard that they had lost her.

However, he will soon be training the two new dogs, who are hard at work in Gwalior. “The dogs have been brought in from Hyderabad and are undergoing training. They will be inducted soon to help in the interception of narcotics,” said P M Saleem, commissioner, Mumbai airport customs.

APPEAL FOR MEDICAL HELPCourtesy: daijiworld.com

Ria Veronica Lobo (6), Derebail, Land Links – 1-17/63, Konchadi – Mangalore

Ria Veronica Lobo (6), only daughter of Richard P Lobo and Maria Pinto, resident of Derebail, Land Links – 1-17/63, Konchadi – Mangalore – 575 008, has been diagnosed with Wilm’s tumor with lung secondary (malignant renal tumor – cancer). She is planned for neoadjuvant chemotherapy for six weeks, followed by surgery nephrectomy followed by further chemotherapy.

Ankith (10),Pademane, Kidiyoor Post, Udupi

Ankith (10), son of Ramesh Kotian and Vimala from Pademane, Kidiyoor Post, Udupi, is suffering from bilateral profound hearing loss. Therefore, he has not been able to speak too. A student of 5th standard in St Mary’s Kannada medium school, Ankith has won several prizes in drawing competitions.

Ankith at present, is using body level hearing aid, and attending regular speech and language therapy sessions at Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal. 

Father Muller Medical College Hospital, where her treatment is going on since the last four months, has certified that the approximate cost of the treatment would be around Rs 2,00,000. Father of the girl, who is an auto rickshaw driver, says he has already spent heavily for her treatment so far by draining his savings and borrowing from others, and as a result, is facing a financial crisis. As such, he has requested willing donors to extend possible help.

Bank Account Details:SB account number: 01062010041437Richard Peter LoboSyndicate Bank, Kankanady Branch,Fernandes Bldg, Father Muller Circle, Mangalore – 575 002.IFS code: SYNB0000106Phone: 91 99459 92338.

The hospital has certified that owing to the severity of the hearing loss, significant improvements have not been noticed with the current hearing aid. The authorities have recommended for fitting a cochlear implant costing around nine lac rupees, to the child for better benefits. Ankith’s family yearns to see him acquiring hearing and speaking skills, but as his father is a rickshaw driver, is unable to even think of pooling enough money for the above treatment. Therefore, the parents have requested willing donors to extend possible help.

Bank Account Details:Bank account number: 016400101016810Vimala (mother)Corporation Bank, Ambalpady, Udupi branch,164, Main Road, Ambalpady, Udupi – 576103.IFS code: CORP0000164Phone: 91 97405 44821 / 99648 98391.

Mumbai: Urgent openings

From: Personnel People <[email protected]>

Dear Friend, We have listed below vacancies. Please recommend and pass the message around. Thank you. We have the following openings:: 

 Our client is a multinational company located near Dadar, with a five day week work schedule requires:

1. Front Office Executive : Female   :     Location: Near Dadar   : Salary   between Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 plus benefits. Age upto 28 years. Candidate must be presentable with 1-3 years of experience. Familiar with multi-tasking, computer savvy and good communication skills. Interested candidate should email us their resume with a picture photograph.  2. Secretary : Pref. Female : Location:   Bombay Central   Salary : Rs 18- 25,000 : Age not more than 35 years

Candidate should have worked as a Secretary with atleast  2-3 years of experience. Shorthand would be preferred. Capable of taking care of travel bookings/ independent correspondence etc.

Our client is a 400 crore Pharma Company with good working environment wants the following:

1. Accounts / Finance Manager   : Salary Rs 7-9 lakhs.

The candidate should have:

1)     Minimum 8yrs of experience in any of company of repute with experience at Mid/Senior Level. A Graduate with MBA [Finance]or CA   would be preferred. 

2]      Job responsibilities to mention a few:.   Business & Account Control:

a) Managing day to day base level accounting be establishing processes & procedures agreed with Director and heading the team of executives in Finance, Accounts and Taxation,

b] Management of budget and reforecast processes.

c] Analyzing and providing relevant and reliable financial information and support to the Director.

d) Responsible for monthly, quarterly and yearly reporting

2] Accounts Asst: Male : Salary Rs 2- 3 lakhs

Candidate should be a graduate with atleast one year of experience in the Accounts dept. Good English communication skills.

 V. IMP: Candidates should email us their resumes   with the following Details:

1.       Job or Position interested

2.        Salary drawn and expected   on:   [email protected]

Please note we do not collect fees  from the Candidate before and after they are placed.Note: Please   first email   us your resume with all the above details. If you do not receive a response via email within 72 hrs than please call us. Dolphy  Elma  Dsouza –9820226227 / Office:   9967503894   THE PERSONNEL PEOPLE43, Kalina, Santacruz East,Mumbai 400 029.Email: [email protected]

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