PEOPLE and UN

PEOPLE AND UNPEOPLE AND UN

TensionINOceanOcean

� Murky Waters: Politics inthe South China Sea

� Hanoi pours oil ondisputed waters

� South China Sea Disputecould Fuel Global EnergyWar ?

JANUARY 2013 � `40/- Published by The Indian Federation of United Nations Associations

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3PEOPLE AND UN � JANUARY 2013

page 5

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BYSuresh Kumar Srivastava

Secretary General, IFUNAon behalf of TheIndian Federation of

United Nations Associations, New Delhi and Printed at: Modest Graphics Pvt. Ltd.,

C-53, DDA Sheds, Okhla Phase-I, New Delhi-110020, Ph.: 011-26817565, E-mail:[email protected]

PUBLISHED AT

IFUNA , C-6, Qutub Institutional Area, New Dehli-110016

Tel.: 011-26511257, 26852293Fax: 011-26852291, E-mail: [email protected],

[email protected], www.ifuna.org

EDITORP r a n M o h a n P a r v a t i y a r

ADVISORSCharti Lal Goel Ms. Mohni MathurSitaram Sharma A. S. TalwarP S Paul S. P. KalraSeshadri Chari Sagar AhluwaliaVinod Srivastava P. C. SinhaC. P. Mahajan Bharat Babbar

Ms. Meena Srivastava

* All disputes to be settled in Delhi Courts only. All rights reserved. No respnsibility is taken for returing

unsolicited manscripts . Views expressed in articles in thePEOPLE AND UN do not necessarily reflect those of

the editorial.

Vol. 2, No. 1,

A Publication of The Indian Federation of United Nations Associations, New Delhi

Quarterly - January 2013

PEOPLE AND UNPEOPLE AND UNGillian Sorensen visits IFUNA

page 6Of caps and gods in RIO

Tension in the Oceanpage 7

Human Rights Day Celebrated

A Chinese estimate says 2,000 trillion cubic feet of natural gaslie under the South China Sea. That would be enough gas tomeet the country's needs for the next 400 years, based on2011 consumption levels!

Entry Strategies for Foreign investors in India

page 11

CSR needs transparencypage 16

International Crafts Mela at Surajkund

page 21Odissa UNA

Representative Visits U.K.

page 26Rajasthan UNA

Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma inaugurated

page 22

MeghalAya UNA

page 24Maharastra UNA

Praying and working

RNI NO. DELENG/2012/44082

IFUNA Members attending World Ferderation of United Nations Associations Plaenary Assembly 2012 at Rio-De-Janerio (Brazil) seen in the picture (left) Vinayak Srivastava, P.C. Mahajan and Suresh Srivastava (centre)

C Co on nt te en nt ts s

Current Event

Art-Culturepage 28

WFUNA Plaenary Assembly, Rio

page 30

Photo Exhibition on Holocaust

page 27

Spritual talk by Sant Rajender Singhji

IFUNA felecitated it’s Vice President S.P. Kalra; and Ms. Kusum Kalra on their 50th Marriage Annivarsary, on the left is A. S. Talwar Addl. Secy. General

CONGRATULATION

page 18

Community Based Rehabilitation India leads the world

PEOPLE AND UN � JANUARY 20134

EVERY Indian is seething with anger at the barbarous, brutal and inhu-man act of Pakistani troops who infiltrated into Indian Territory in the first weekof January and killed two Indian soldiers, beheading one of them. This heinouscrime and brutal act of Pakistan is not only condemnable but also unpardonable.Anguish of the Indian people has been rightly expressed by Chief of the Indianarmy Gen. Bikram Singh that "The beheading of our soldiers is unacceptable, ifprovoked, we will retaliate, we reserve the right to retaliate at a time of our choos-ing." Defence Minister, AK Antony has termed the very recent ceasefire violationby Pakistan, along the heavily militarized Line of Control (LoC), wherein two Indi-an jawans were killed, with the body of one of the slain soldiers badly mutilated,as a turning point in India-Pakistan relations. Antony called the occasional cease-fire violations by Pakistan as a matter of serious concern. "We believe in peace onthe border and have been always offering a hand in the hope of friendship. Buteach time we ended with a bitter experience," said President, Pranab Mukherjeeaddressing the nation on the eve of Republic Day.One wonders whether Pakistanwill ever mend its way to respect its neighbour for a peaceful co-existence or go onpursuing the policy of confrontatition. If they choose to continue such type of hostility and irresponsible behaviour, they will only damaging themselves as thepeople of India are not ready to tolerate it any more. We hope the leaders of Pakistan will try to understand the senti-ments of the Indian people.

WE welcome John Forbes Kerry the new Sec-retary of State of the United States. He is thefirst sitting Senate Foreign Relations Com-mittee Chairman of U.S to become Secretaryin over a century. Born on December 11, 1943,Secretary Kerry, was a a Senate leader onkey foreign policy and national securityissues facing the United States, includingAfghanistan and Pakistan, nuclear nonprolif-eration, and global climate change. In his 28years on the Senate Foreign Relations Com-mittee, Kerry has chaired the Asia and Middle East subcommittees where heauthored and passed major legislation on international drug trafficking, interna-tional money laundering, humanitarian aid, and climate change, and he helpednegotiate the UN's genocide tribunal to prosecute war crimes in Cambodia. He alsoheld senior positions on the Finance, Commerce, and Small Business Committees,as well as served as a member of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Deficit Reduc-tion, where he worked across party lines to try and reduce his country's debt andstrengthen economy. Secretary Kerry is also the author of best-selling books,including A Call to Service: My Vision for a Better America and This Moment on Earth, a book on the environment which he co-authored with his wife TeresaHeinz Kerry.

With John Forbes Kerry's positive approach, Indian people are looking forward to a strong Indo-American relations not only politically but also economically..

— Pran Mohan Parvatiyar([email protected])

Editor’s Page

John Forbes Kerry


Ms. Gillian Sorensen, Senior Advi-sor to the UN Foundation andmember of the Friends of WFU-

NA, gave an interactive lecture to themembership of the Indian Federation ofUnited Nations Associations (IFUNA) onthe "UN and the 21st Century: Where DoWe Go From Here?" on 19 January 2013.The audience included research scholars,students, journalists, and IFUNA generalmembership

"My guess is in coming years there willbe many permanent seats but may be notwith a Veto," Gillian Martin Sorensen, Senior Advisor at the United Nations Foun-dation, said .

She pointed out that there had been alot of discussion about India as a perma-nent member of the Security Council, andsaid: "The issue of whether there shouldbe another permanent seat had formallycome up for debate in the UN at leasttwice, but there were local political issues(that came on the way)."

Sorensen, though, was of the view thatthe Security Council could not bringtogether consensus and therefore, "diplo-matic persuasion is everything." Sheopined that "there is nothing more com-pelling than the power to lead by exampleand not by command". When asked

whether this suggested that there was anyreconsideration within the UN Organiza-tion on veto rights, she acknowledged thatthere was a growing demand for reviewingthe veto powers of the permanent members, but reiterated: "I don't see thepermanent five members giving up withveto or passing it to other country. I do seethe possibility of adding additional seats."

In October last year, during his trip toNew Delhi, Bonian Golmohammadi, Secre-tary-General of a UN affiliated body, theWorld Federation of United Nations Asso-

ciations (WFUNA), had advocated long-term removal of veto power in the UnitedNations Security Council, saying it hadbeen used less over the past 25 years andshould be eventually restricted so thatcountries cannot use it for vested interests.

Sorensen said: "UN is a place whereidealism and realism meet… UN is a com-plex institution." She referred to the factthat the UN Secretary Generals are not appointed from the permanent fivemember countries of the Security Councilas these countries are considered a privileged group.

She was also asked about the role thatUN could play on the contentious issue ofoverdrawing of Brahmaputra river waterdue to construction of large number ofdams in the upstream Chinese side.

She said beginning with the bilateralissues, the UN can have countries involvedand other mediaries "who can help you inenvironmental issues. UN can give meet-ing places, experts on environmentalissues often useful in bilateral issues." Sheadded: "I would urge India to see if youcan meet China in the UN with mediatorfrom UN Environment Program." �

Current Event

VISITS IFUNA

Suresh Srivastava, Secretary-General IFUNA, presenting a momento to Ms. Sorensen

Ms. Gillian Sorensen, Senior Advisor at the UN Foundation, addressing the members ofIndian Federation of UN Associations at the IFUNA conference hall, New Delhi

GILLIAN SORENSENSENIOR ADVISOR TO THE UN FOUNDATION


Himachal is overwhelming withfeathers in it’s cap from all over theworld. Thanks to WUNA’S 40th ple-

nary session in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. The col-orful topi from Kullu, a valley of gods in H.P.,adorned the heads of people from over thirty six countries, making India proud.Brazil UNA played excellent host.

Rio-de-Janerio, (Rio), is the capital city ofthe State of Rio-de-Janerio, the secondlargest city of Brazil with a population of 6.3million within the city proper, almost equal

to that of H.P. Rio has become a home ofWorld Heritage Site named “Rio de Janerio:Carioca Landscapes between the mountainand the sea” in the category Cultural Land-scape. The city was the capital of Brazil fornearly two centuries. Rio is nicknamed the‘Marvelous City’. Because of the geographicsituation along the coast, the breeze, blowing alternately onshore and offshore,moderates the temperature.

Gods, in ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ Temple in Barra da Tijuca, Rio, live in all their

gaiety with founder acharya: His DevineGrace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhunan-da, who is seated to their left.

The home of many universities and insti-tutes, it is second largest centre of researchand development in Brazil. Rio is Brazil’s pri-mary tourist attraction and resort. City andsports world class hotels. It receives the mostvisitors per year of any city in South Ameri-ca. Most common language is ‘Portugese’.

IN HIMACHAL’S CAPRio is the most visited city in the south-

ern hemisphere and is known for it’s naturalsettings, celebrations and beaches such asBarra da Tijuca, Capacabana, Ipenama. Thebeaches in Rio play an important part in thesocial life. There is a definite beach culture.

Christ the Redeemer (40 mtr high) is thestatue of Jesus of Nzareth in Rio considerdthe largest Art Deco Statue in the world andthe Fifth largest statue of Jesus in the world,overlooking the city of Rio from peak ofMount Corcovado. The statue represents thecultural identity of Rio and also of Brazil.�

� BY CHANDER P MAHAJAN

‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ Temple in Barra da Tijuca, Rio

Ms. Meena Srivastava flanked by Himachal cap wearing WFUNA delegates at Rio-De-Janerio

Of CAPS and GODS in RIO


Cover Story

� BY P.M.PARVATIYAR

THE last two years have witnesseda heady interplay of inter-statedisputes and constant strategicmaneuverings, if not intrigue, in

the South China Sea (SCS). Beyond anything else, it gives the

world a sure glimpse of the possibility offuture energy wars over oil and gasresources in this energy-rich area, whichis moreover emerging as a hotbed ofglobal power politics. The South ChinaSea dispute thus involves a series of com-plex and interwoven technical, legal, eco-nomic and geographic claims, the mostcritical of which involves issues of terri-tory and sovereignty. The dispute overthe 1.4 million-square-mile area crossedby one-third of world shipping routes,

was played out at the recently concludedAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) summit in Cambodia amongChina, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bruneiand the Philippines, China and the othernations desperately want the energyresources beneath the South China Sea,and the dispute has caught the attentionof global financial markets..

China's biggest offshore oil company,CNOOC Limited, recently updated its pro-jection of energy assets in the South Chi-na Sea. It said the area could hold 17 bil-lion tons of oil and 498 trillion cubic feetof natural gas. China's Ministry of Landand Resources says the area containsmore than 40 billion tons of oil equiva-lents. Another Chinese estimate says2,000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lieunder the South China Sea. That would be

enough gas to meet the country's needsfor the next 400 years, based on 2011consumption levels! No wonder energy-hungry China is so interested in pushingits claims in the region.

The area is also one of the region'smain shipping lanes, and is home to afishing ground that supplies the liveli-hoods of thousands of people.

Exploration in the South China Seahas been very limited so far because fewmajor international oil companies wantto get involved in the territorial dispute.China has already successfully pressuredcompanies like BP plc and Exxon MobilCorp. to abandon their deals with neighboring Vietnam.

CNOOC itself caused a diplomatic rowwith Vietnam in June when it put up forauction nine oil and gas blocks that Viet-

A CHINESE ESTIMATE

SAYS 2,000 TRILLION

CUBIC FEET OF

NATURAL GAS LIE

UNDER THE SOUTH

CHINA SEA. THAT

WOULD BE ENOUGH

GAS TO MEET THE

COUNTRY'S NEEDS

FOR THE NEXT 400

YEARS, BASED ON

2011 CONSUMPTION

LEVELS!

TENSIONIN THEOCEAN


Cover Story

nam says are in its territory. The blockshad already been auctioned by Vietnamto companies including ExxonMobil andRussia's Gazprom.

The South China Sea is a marginal seathat is part of the Pacific Ocean, encom-passing an area from the Singapore andMalacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 square kilometers, collectively an archipelago in hundreds of islands. The sea and its mostly uninhabited islands are subject to com-peting claims of sovereignty by severalcountries.

The area's importance largely resultsfrom one-third of the world's shippingtransiting through its waters, and that it

is believed to hold huge oil and gasreserves beneath its seabed.

The area is located in the south ofmainland China and the Taiwan, west ofthe Philippines, north west of Sabah(Malaysia), Sarawak (Malaysia) andBrunei, north of Indonesia, north east ofthe Malay peninsula (Malaysia) and Sin-gapore, and east of Vietnam.

China claims by far the largest portionof territory — an area stretching hundredsof miles south and east from its mostsoutherly province of Hainan. Beijing hassaid its right to the area come from 2,000years of history where the Paracel andSpratly island chains were regarded asintegral parts of the Chinese nation.

Vietnam hotly disputes China's his-torical account, saying China neverclaimed sovereignty over the islands untilthe 1940s. Vietnam says both islandchains are entirely within its territory. Itsays it has actively ruled over both theParacels and the Spratlys since the 17th Century — and has the documents toprove it.

The other major claimant in the areais the Philippines, which invokes its geo-graphical proximity to the Spratly Islandsas the main basis of its claim for part ofthe grouping.

Both the Philippines and China layclaim to the Scarborough Shoal (knownas Huangyan Island in China) — a little

YES, you are right. The modernisation (of Chi-nese Navy) is truly impressive... It is a actual-

ly a major major cause of concern for us, whichwe continuously evaluate and work out ouroptions and our strategies," he told a press con-ference.

Indian Navy Chief was replying to a questionon contingencies in South China sea to protectIndian interests there and impression about theChinese Navy's modernisation.

Answering a volley of questions about SouthChina Sea over which India had a tiff with Chinalast year, he said although India's presence inthat maritime region was not on "very very fre-quent" basis, it had interests like free navigationand exploitation of natural resources there. "Notthat we expect to be in those waters very veryfrequently, but when the requirement is therefor situations where country's interests areinvolved, for example ONGC Videsh, we will berequired to go there and we are prepared forthat. Are we holding exercises for that nature,the short answer is yes," Joshi said. Talking aboutIndian interests in the South China Sea, he saidthe first of it included freedom of navigation."Not only us, but everyone is of the view thatthey have to be resolved by the parties con-cerned, aligned with the international regime,which is outlined in UNCLOS (United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea), that is ourfirst requirement," he said.

Hanoi pours oil on disputed waters

Sensitive issue: protesters rally in Hanoi


Cover Story

more than 100 miles (160km) from thePhilippines and 500 miles from China.

Malaysia and Brunei also lay claim toterritory in the South China Sea that theysay falls within their economic exclusionzones, as defined by the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea in 1982.Brunei does not claim any of the disputedislands, but Malaysia claims a small num-ber of islands in the Spratlys

The Paracels and the Spratlys mayhave vast reserves of natural resourcesaround them. There has been littledetailed exploration of the area, so esti-mates are largely extrapolated from themineral wealth of neighbouring areas.

The most serious trouble in recentdecades has flared between Vietnam andChina. The Chinese seized the Paracelsfrom Vietnam in 1974, killing more than70 Vietnamese troops. In 1988 the twosides clashed in the Spratlys, when Viet-nam again came off worse, losing about60 sailors.

On July 22, 2011, one of India'samphibious assault vessels, the INSAIRAVAT which was on a friendly visit toVietnam, was reportedly contacted at adistance of 45 nautical miles from theVietnamese coast in the disputed SouthChina Sea on an open radio channel by avessel identifying itself as the ChineseNavy and stating that the ship was enter-ing Chinese waters. The spokesperson forthe Indian Navy clarified that as no shipor aircraft was visible from INS AIRAVATit proceeded on her onward journey asscheduled. The Indian Navy further clari-fied that "there was no confrontationinvolving the INS AIRAVAT. India supportsfreedom of navigation in internationalwaters, including in the South China Sea,and the right of passage in accordancewith accepted principles of internationallaw. These principles should be respectedby all."

In September 2011, shortly after Chi-na and Vietnam had signed an agreementseeking to contain a dispute over theSouth China Sea, India's state-run explor-er, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation over-seas investment arm ONGC Videsh Limit-ed had signed a three-year deal withPetro Vietnam for developing long-termcooperation in the oil sector and that it

We are viewing the rapid mod-ernisation of Chinese Navyas a "major concern", Navy

Chief Admiral D K Joshi has made itclear that India will protect its interestsin the disputed South China Sea, even ifit means sending forces there.

"Yes you are right. The modernisa-tion (of Chinese Navy) is truly impres-sive... It is a actually a major majorcause of concern for us, which wecontinuously evaluate and work outour options and our strategies," hetold a press conference.

The Navy Chief was replying to aquestion on contingencies in SouthChina sea to protect Indian intereststhere and impression about the Chi-nese Navy's modernisation.

Answering a volley of questionsabout South China Sea over whichIndia had a tiff with China last year,he said although India's presence in

that maritime region was not on "veryvery frequent" basis, it had interestslike free navigation and exploitationof natural resources there.

"Not that we expect to be in thosewaters very very frequently, but whenthe requirement is there for situationswhere country's interests areinvolved, for example ONGC Videsh,we will be required to go there andwe are prepared for that. Are we hold-ing exercises for that nature, the shortanswer is yes," Joshi said. Talkingabout Indian interests in the SouthChina Sea, he said the first of itincluded freedom of navigation.

"Not only us, but everyone is ofthe view that they have to be resolvedby the parties concerned, aligned withthe international regime, which isoutlined in UNCLOS (United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea),that is our first requirement," he said.

India will protect its interests inSouth China Sea:Navy Chief

Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi


Cover Story

had accepted Vietnam's offer of explo-ration in certain specified blocks in theSouth China Sea. In response, ChineseForeign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yuissued a protest. The spokesman of theMinistry of External Affairs of the Gov-ernment of India responded by sayingthat "The Chinese had concerns but weare going by what the Vietnameseauthorities have told us and have con-veyed this to the Chinese. On July 22,2011, one of India's amphibious assaultvessels, the INS AIRAVAT which was on afriendly visit to Vietnam, was reportedlycontacted at a distance of 45 nauticalmiles from the Vietnamese coast in thedisputed South China Sea on an openradio channel by a vessel identifyingitself as the Chinese Navy and statingthat the ship was entering Chinesewaters. The spokesperson for the IndianNavy clarified that as no ship or aircraftwas visible from INS AIRAVAT it proceed-ed on her onward journey as scheduled.The Indian Navy further clarified that"there was no confrontation involvingthe INS Airavat. India supports freedomof navigation in international waters,including in the South China Sea, and theright of passage in accordance with accept-ed principles of international law. Theseprinciples should be respected by all."

The Philippines has also beeninvolved in a number of minor skirmish-es with Chinese, Vietnamese and

Malaysian forces. The Philippines hasaccused China of building up its militarypresence in the Spratlys. The two coun-tries have engaged in a maritime stand-off, accusing each other of intrusions inthe Scarborough Shoal. Chinese andPhilippine vessels refuse to leave thearea, and tension has flared, leading torhetoric and protests.

Unverified claims that the Chinesenavy deliberately sabotaged two Viet-namese exploration operations has led tolarge anti-China protests on the streets ofHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam hasheld live-fire exercises off its coast — anaction that was seen as a gross provocationby Beijing.

In July 2010, when US Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton became involved inthe debate and called for a binding code ofconduct.. The Chinese Foreign Ministrydismissed her suggestion as an attack onChina. They are currently in disagreementover the U.S.'s policy of operating militaryships and planes in the South China Sea.This disagreement is exacerbated by thefact that the U.S. is not a member of theUnited Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea (UNCLOS). Although the U.S. is nota party to the dispute, should Chinaachieve exclusive rights to the sea? Secre-tary Clinton voiced her support for fairaccess by reiterating that "freedom of nav-igation and respect of international law" isa matter of national interest to the United

States. Her comments were countered byChina's Foreign Minister as "in effect anattack on China," and warned the UnitedStates against making the South China Sea"an international issue or multilateralissue."Clinton subsequently testified insupport of congressional approval of theLaw of the Sea Convention, which wouldstrengthen U.S. ability to support countriesthat oppose Chinese claims to certainislands in the area." In July 2012, the Unit-ed States Senate passed resolution 524, ini-tially sponsored by Senator John Kerry,stating the United States' strong supportfor the 2002 declaration of conduct of par-ties in the South China Sea, reaffirms theUnited States' commitment to assist thenations of Southeast Asian to remainstrong and independent, and supportsenhanced operations by the United Statesarmed forces.

The long-simmering dispute betweenChina and Japan over islets and rocks nearTaiwan called Diaoyutai in Chinese andSenkaku in Japanese has flared up recently.On 10th january2013 according to the min-istry of Defence of China; they sent two J-10 fighters to the east china sea after a Y-8 aircraft was closely followed by twoJapanese F-15 fighters.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hascriticized China for allowing anti Japaneseprotests over the Senkaku Islands to turnviolent. The new prime minister of JapanShinzo Abe and his party has stressednational security amid an ongoing disputewith China. It is feared this may deepen arift between Tokyo and Beijing that has already begun to sour diplomatic tiesand trade.

Senator John Kerry who had initiallysponsored resolution 524 is now going totake over as U.S. Secretary of state.

The new General Secretary of the Com-munist Party of China's Central CommitteeXi Jinping has called for greater interna-tional cooperation on global issues forpeace and development.

Will they be able to reduce the tensions in South China Sea? The task isstupendous and challenging. Their leader-ship quality and acumen for the cause ofpeace is on trial. �

(The views expressed are personal)

Taiwan undersea oil plans raiseneighbours' eyebrows

THE island's exploration efforts in theSouth China Sea could fuel tensionswith China and other nations with ter-ritorial claims there. Heated rhetoriclast year prompted the US to intervene.

Taiwan, a normally quiet claimantto portions of the disputed South Chi-na Sea, plans to explore for underseaoil there, a move likely to test fragilerelations with China and upset majorSoutheast Asian Nations. Taiwan'sBureau of Mines and its top energy

company plan to explore this year forsome of that oil near an islet that thegovernment holds in the Spratlyarchipelago, a spokesman for thecompany said."Taiwan seems to beseeking ways to remind other nationsof its sovereignty claims," says BonnieGlaser, senior Asia adviser with theWashington-based think tank Centerfor Strategic and International Stud-ies. "Taiwan doesn't want to beignored or forgotten."


Current Crackle

� BY VINAYAK SRIVASTAVA, ADVOCATE

WITH the advent of the newIndustrial Policy on July 24,1991, India opened up itseconomy which has earlier

in the clutches of the License Raj and theGovernment of India permitted foreigninvestments in India. By virtue of thischange many industrial sectors, which wereclosed, were opened up for investment forboth domestic and foreign entities. Sincethen, the Government has not looked back,and presently in many areas foreign corpo-rations are allowed to invest, leading to for-eign corporations establishing wholly(100%) owned subsidiaries and JVs in India.

Under the FDI policy of India, invest-ments can be made by person resident out-side India in the shares of an Indian compa-ny, through two routes; the AutomaticRoute and the Government Route. Underthe 'automatic route' the foreign investor orthe Indian company does not require anyprior government approval for investing inan Indian Company. The categories ofinvestments that do not qualify to comeunder the automatic route would be carriedout via the non-automatic route, wherespecial approval of the Foreign InvestmentPromotion Board ("FIPB"), and/or otherspecified government department(s) is required.

Further in line with the changes in theregulatory regime, changes have also beenmade to the tax regime of India to facilitatetrade and investments in India. Variousincentives have been provided to theinvestors, investing in India under theIncome Tax Act, 1961 (Act). The tax implica-tions for investment in India have been

briefly described below.A foreign company that intends to set

up business operations in India has follow-ing options to chose from , depending uponthe nature of business or operations -

� Setting up operations in India as anIndian Company

� Setting up operations in India as For-eign Company

Setting up operations in India asan Indian company

A Foreign Investor can set-up opera-tions in India by incorporating an IndianCompany as an Joint Venture or an WhollyOwned Subsidiary. A joint venture is sub-jected to taxation under the provisions ofAct. Taxation of a joint venture dependsupon the agreement between the parties,forming the joint venture. If the joint ven-ture is established in the form of a partner-ship firm or as a company, it is taxedaccordingly, i.e. as a partnership or as acompany. But in all other cases, a joint ven-ture is treated as an association of persons

Entry Strategiesfor Foreign investors in India

Q. 1. What are the forms in which business can be con-ducted by a foreign company in India?

Ans. A foreign company planning to set up businessoperations in India may: Incorporate a company under theCompanies Act, 1956, as a Joint Venture or a WhollyOwned Subsidiary. Set up a Liaison Office / RepresentativeOffice or a Project Office or a Branch Office of the foreigncompany which can undertake activities permit-ted under the Foreign Exchange Management(Establishment in India of Branch Office or OtherPlace of Business) Regulations, 2000.

Q.2. What is the procedure for receiving Foreign DirectInvestment in an Indian company?

Ans. An Indian company may receive Foreign DirectInvestment under the two routes as given under:

I. AUTOMATIC ROUTE

FDI is allowed under the automatic route without priorapproval either of the Government or the Reserve Bank ofIndia in all activities/sectors as specified in the consolidat-ed FDI Policy, issued by the Government of India from timeto time.

II. GOVERNMENT ROUTEFDI in activities not covered under the automatic route

requires prior approval of the Governmentwhich are considered by the Foreign Invest-ment Promotion Board (FIPB), Department ofEconomic Affairs, Ministry of Finance. Applica-

tion can be made in Form FC-IL, which can be downloadedfrom http://www.dipp.gov.in. Plain paper applications car-rying all relevant details are also accepted. No fee ispayable.

The Indian company having received FDI either underthe Automatic route or the Government route is required

FDIi

nIn

dia

Q&A


Current Crackle

(AOP) or a body of individuals (BOI). The corporate income tax rate is 30% for

domestic Indian companies. A dividend dis-tribution tax ("DDT") of 15% is payable upondistribution of dividends to the sharehold-ers. However, such dividend income is thentax exempt in the hands of the shareholdersirrespective of their residential status. Apartnership and an LLP are taxed similarly.The rate of income tax for a partnership andan LLP are the same as for corporate enti-ties, that is, 30%. However, the share of prof-it in a partnership firm (including LLP) isexempt from tax in the hands of the part-ners. However it is pertinent to note thatany interest, salary, bonus, commission orremuneration by whatever name calledwhich is received by or is due to a partnerfrom such partnership (including LLP) ischargeable to tax as business income in thehands of the partner.

A wholly owned subsidiary on the otherhand, set up by a foreign company is treatedas a Domestic Company for all purposesincluding taxation. However to avoid WOSbeing construed as PE of the Parent, it ispertinent that activities of the WOS must beseparate from that of PE. Delhi High Courtin the case of Rolls Royce has held sub-sidiary to be Dependent Agent PE of Parentas it is habitually securing orders in India,on behalf of Parent company.

Setting up operations in India asan Foreign Company

An Foreign Investor can set-up opera-tions in India as an foreign company as anliaison office, project office or Branch Office.The tax implications for various entitiesunder this category is given below-

Liaison OfficeA liaison office is a place of business to

act as a channel of communication betweenthe principle place of business or HeadOffice and entities in India but which doesnot undertake any commercial/ trading/industrial activity directly or indirectly andmaintains itself out of inward remittancesreceived from abroad through normal bank-ing channels (Section 2(e) of FEMA Regula-tion, 2000). As the liaison office does notundertakes any commercial activities, usu-ally it is not taxable under the Act. Howeverin case liaison office undertakes commer-cial activities of the Parent, it can be con-strued as PE or business connection of theParent and can be taxed under the Act orrelevant DTAA. In this regard it is pertinentto note here is that only so much of profitsas are attributable to the operations carriedout by the liaison office in India would betaxable in India. To avoid the tax liability ofthe liaison office in India it is important that

to comply with provisions of the FDI policy includingreporting the FDI to the Reserve Bank. as stated in Q 4.

Q.3. What are the instruments for receiving Foreign DirectInvestment in an Indian company?

Ans. Foreign investment is reckoned as FDI only if theinvestment is made in equity shares , fully and mandatorilyconvertible preference shares and fully and mandatorilyconvertible debentures with the pricing being decidedupfront as a figure or based on the formula that is decidedupfront. Any foreign investment into an instrument issuedby an Indian company which: gives an option tothe investor to convert or not to convert it intoequity or does not involve upfront pricing of theinstrument as a date would be reckoned as ECBand would have to comply with the ECB guidelines.

The FDI policy provides that the price/ conversion for-mula of convertible capital instruments should be deter-mined upfront at the time of issue of the instruments. Theprice at the time of conversion should not in any case belower than the fair value worked out, at the time ofissuance of such instruments, in accordance with the extantFEMA regulations [the DCF method of valuation for theunlisted companies and valuation in terms of SEBI (ICDR)Regulations, for the listed companies].

Q.4. What are the modes of payment allowed for receiv-ing Foreign Direct Investment in an Indian company?

Ans. An Indian company issuing shares /convertibledebentures under FDI Scheme to a person resident outsideIndia shall receive the amount of consideration required to

be paid for such shares /convertible debentures by: (i) inward remittance through normal banking chan-

nels. (ii) debit to NRE / FCNR account of a person con-cerned maintained with an AD category I bank. (iii) conver-sion of royalty / lump sum / technical knowhow fee due forpayment or conversion of ECB, shall be treated as consider-ation for issue of shares. (iv) conversion of import payables/ pre incorporation expenses / share swap can be treated asconsideration for issue of shares with the approval of FIPB.(v) debit to non-interest bearing Escrow account in IndianRupees in India which is opened with the approval from AD

Category - I bank and is maintained with the ADCategory I bank on behalf of residents and non-residents towards payment of share purchaseconsideration.

Q.5. Which are the sectors where FDI is not allowed inIndia, both under the Automatic Route as well as underthe Government Route?

Ans. FDI is prohibited in the following sectors: i) Atomic Energy ii) Lottery Business iii) Gambling and

Betting iv) Business of Chit Fund v) Nidhi Company vi)Agricultural (excluding Floriculture, Horticulture, Develop-ment of seeds, Animal Husbandry, Pisciculture and cultiva-tion of vegetables, mushrooms, etc. under controlled condi-tions and services related to agro and allied sectors) andPlantations activities (other than Tea Plantations) vii) Hous-ing and Real Estate business (except development of town-ships, construction of residen-tial/commercial premises,roads or bridges to the extent specified in Notification No.FEMA 136/2005-RB dated July 19, 2005). viii) Trading in

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the liaison office should be engaged only inpreparatory and auxiliary work and shouldnot be construed as carrying out any majorbusiness operations of the foreign companyin India.

Branch Office (BO) A branch of a foreign company will be

taxed in India at the rate of 40%. CurrentlyIndia does not levy a branch profits tax. It ispertinent to note that for transfer pricingpurposes, the branch and the head officewill be considered to be associated enter-prises and any transaction between the twoentities will be required to be at arm'slength.

Tax implications of variousinvestment options

An foreign investors apart from settingup operations in India can also make directinvestment in the equity of the listed aswell as unlisted companies Indian compa-

nies and can receive returns on such invest-ments in the form of capital gain, dividend,interest (in case of debt) etc.

Below mentioned are some of themodes for investment and their taximplications.

Investment by way of equity and prefer-ence shares gains earned on sale of sharesof an Indian entity, being an unlisted com-pany, are taxed at the rate of 20% for longterm capital gains, and 30% and 40% forshort term capital gains, for residents andnon-residents respectively. In case of sale oflisted company shares through stockexchange if it is sold before being held formore than 12 months, the seller will beliable for short term capital gain and will betaxed @ 15% under section 111A of the Act.However, if the listed shares of companiesare sold through stock exchange after beingheld for than 12 months , gains on such sale

shall be tax free under section 10 (38) of theAct. In addition to this, in case of sale ofshares of listed company through stockexchange, Securities Transaction Tax (STT)would also be levied.

Profits may be distributed by an Indiancompany either by way of dividends or bybuy-back of shares. The dividend is taxed inthe hands of the company declaring suchdividend at the rate of 15% and is exempt inthe hands of the recipient of such dividends.On the other hand buy-back/ redemption ofshares would result in capital gains incomein the hands of the shareholders. In such anscenario, Investor has an option of claimingtreaty benefit under the relevant DTAA.

Investment by way of DebtAn investment into Indian companies

may also be structured in the form of debtssuch as loans or debentures. Interest

Transferable Development Rights (TDRs). ix) Manufacture of cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and ciga-

rettes, of tobacco or of tobacco substitutes. (Please also see the the website of Department of Indus-

trial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce &Industry, Government of India at www.dipp.gov.in fordetails regarding sectors and investment limits thereinallowed ,under FDI)

Q.6. What is the procedure to be followed after invest-ment is made under the Automatic Route or with Gov-ernment approval?

Ans. A two-stage reporting procedure has tobe followed:.

ON RECEIPT OF SHARE APPLICATION MON-EY:

Within 30 days of receipt of share applicationmoney/amount of consideration from the non-residentinvestor, the Indian company is required to report to theForeign Exchange Department, Regional Office concerned ofthe Reserve Bank of India, under whose jurisdiction its Reg-istered Office is located, the Advance Reporting Form

The Indian company has to ensure that the shares areissued within 180 days from the date of inward remittancewhich otherwise would result in the contravention / viola-tion of the FEMA regulations.

UPON ISSUE OF SHARES TO NON-RESIDENTINVESTORS:

Within 30 days from the date of issue of shares, a reportin Form FC-GPR- PART A together with the requisite docu-ments should be filed with the Foreign Exchange Depart-

ment, Regional Office concerned of the Reserve Bank ofIndia.

OR � Shares have been issued in terms of SIA/FIPB

approval (enclosing the FIPB approval copy) � Certificate from Statutory Auditors/ SEBI registered

Merchant Banker / Chartered Accountant indicating themanner of arriving at the price of the shares issued to thepersons resident outside India.

Q.7. What are the guidelines for transfer of existingshares from non-residents to residents or resi-dents to non-residents?

Ans. The term 'transfer' is defined underFEMA as including "sale, purchase, acquisition,

mortgage, pledge, gift, loan or any other form of transfer ofright, possession or lien" {Section 2 (ze) of FEMA, 1999}.

The following share transfers are allowed without theprior approval of the Reserve Bank of India

A. Transfer of shares from a Non Resident to Residentunder the FDI scheme where the pricing guidelines underFEMA, 1999 are not met provided that :-

i. The original and resultant investment are in line withthe extant FDI policy and FEMA regulations . ii. The pric-ing for the transaction is compliant with thespecific/explicit, extant and relevant SEBI regulations /guidelines (such as IPO, Book building, block deals, delist-ing, exit, open offer/ substantial acquisition / SEBI SAST,buy back); and iii. Chartered Accountants Certificate tothe effect that compliance with the relevant SEBI regula-tions / guidelines as indicated above is attached to the

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form FC-TRS to be filed with the AD bank. B. Transfer of shares from Resident to Non Resident: i) where the transfer of shares requires the prior

approval of the FIPB as per the extant FDI policy providedthat : a) the requisite approval of the FIPB has beenobtained; and b) the transfer of share adheres with thepricing guidelines and documentation requirements asspecified by the Reserve Bank of India from time to time. ii)where SEBI (SAST) guidelines are attracted subject to theadherence with the pricing guidelines and documentationrequirements as specified by Reserve Bank of India fromtime to time. iii) where the pricing guidelinesunder the Foreign Exchange Management Act(FEMA), 1999 are not met provided that:- Char-tered Accountants Certificate to the effect thatcompliance with the relevant SEBI regulations / guidelinesas indicated above is attached to the form FC-TRS to be filedwith the AD bank. iv) where the investee company is in thefinancial sector provides : a) NOCs from the respectivefinancial sector regulators/ regulators of the investee com-pany as well as transferor and transferee entities.; and b)The FDI policy and FEMA regulations in terms of sectoralcaps,. Where non-residents (including NRIs) make invest-ment in an Indian company in compliance with the provi-sions of the Companies Act, 1956, by way of subscription toMemorandum of Association, such investments may bemade at face value subject to their eligibility to invest underthe FDI scheme.

Transfer of shares/ fully and mandatorily convertible

debentures by way of Gift: A person resident outside Indiacan freely transfer shares/ fully and mandatorily convertibledebentures by way of gift to a person resident in India :

Q.8. Can a person resident in India transfer securityby way of gift to a person resident outside India?

Ans. A person resident in India who proposes to transfersecurity by way of gift to a person resident outside India[other than an erstwhile OCBs] shall make an application tothe Central Office of the Foreign Exchange Department,Reserve Bank of India furnishing requisite information.

Q.9. What if the transfer of shares fromresident to non-resident does not fall underthe above categories?

Ans. Transfer of Shares by Resident which requiresGovernment approval The following instances of transfer ofshares from residents to non-residents by way of sale orotherwise requires Government approval:

(i) Transfer of shares of companies engaged in sectorfalling under the Government Route. (ii) Transfer of sharesresulting in foreign investments in the Indian company,breaching the sectoral cap applicable.

Q 10. What are the reporting obligations in case oftransfer of shares between resident and non-resident ?

Ans. The transaction should be reported by submissionof form FC-TRS to the AD Category - I bank, within 60 daysfrom the date of receipt/remittance of the amount of con-sideration. The onus of submission of the form FC-TRS with-

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payments on loans availed in foreign cur-rency is subjected to a reduced withholdingof 5% (subject to approval by central gov-ernment). The interest expense is, however,a tax deductible expense for the Indiancompany, and hence will go towards reduc-ing the taxable profits of the Indian compa-ny. It is pertinent to note here in this regardthat currently India does not have any thincapitalization rules to disallow such interestexpense to an entity situated in low tax orfree tax zones.

Contribution of Technology andKnow-how

Contribution by Foreign Enterprisecould also take the form of technologyinputs and know-how. For tax purposes,payments made by the Indian entity as con-sideration for such contributions may becharacterized as royalty or fee for technicalservices ("FTS"). For example, due to theapplication of the India-US tax treaty, pay-

ments made by an Indian entity for techni-cal services provided by a US residentwould be treated as FTS only if the servicesresult in the imparting of technology orknow-how to the Indian entity.

Under the domestic tax law, royalty orFTS paid to an Indian resident would besubject to withholding tax in India at therate of 10 per cent (gross). Likewise, royaltyor FTS from Indian sources paid to a non-resident would also be subject to a with-holding tax at the rate of 10 per cent (gross).It may be noted that the characterization ofincome and the tax rate may vary depend-ing on the beneficial provision of an appli-cable tax treaty.

Use of Intermediate JurisdictionForeign enterprises could make invest-

ments through an intermediate holdingcompany set up in a favourable jurisdiction.India has a wide treaty network and thejudicious use of an appropriate offshore

jurisdiction could result in benefits for theforeign company such as a reduced or nilrate of tax on capital gains income, reduc-tion in withholding tax rates etc. The choiceof an offshore entity would depend on thebenefits available under the treaty betweenIndia and the offshore jurisdiction and thedomestic tax laws of the offshore jurisdic-tion.

The treaties commonly used forinbound investments include treaties withMauritius, Singapore, Cyprus etc., for thepurpose of setting up intermediary holdingcompanies. Mauritius is a favoured route forinbound investments into India. Mauritiusaccounts for almost 44 percent of the for-eign direct investment inflows into India. Inaccordance with the provisions of the India-Mauritius DTAA capital gains earned by aMauritius resident on sale of shares of anIndian company would not be taxed in Indiaif the Mauritius resident does not have apermanent establishment ("PE") in India.

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in the given timeframe would be on the resident in India,the transferor or transferee, as the case may be.

Q. 11. Are the investments and profits earned in India repatriable?

Ans. All foreign investments are freely repatriable (netof applicable taxes) except in cases where:

i) the foreign investment is in a sector like Constructionand Development Projects and Defence wherein the foreigninvestment is subject to a lock-in-period; and ii) NRIschoose to invest specifically under non-repatriable schemes.Further, dividends (net of applicable taxes)declared on foreign investments can be remittedfreely through an Authorized Dealer bank.

Q.12. What are the guidelines on issue and valuationof shares in case of existing companies?

Ans. A. The price of shares issued to persons resident outside

India under the FDI Scheme shall not be less than : (i) the price worked out in accordance with the SEBI

guidelines, as applicable, where the shares of the companyis listed on any recognized stock exchange in India; (ii) thefair valuation of shares done by a SEBI registered Category -I Merchant Banker or a Chartered Accountant as per the dis-counted free cash flow method, where the shares of thecompany is not listed on any recognized stock exchange inIndia; and (iii) the price as applicable to transfer of sharesfrom resident to non-resident as per the pricing guidelines

laid down by the Reserve Bank from time to time, wherethe issue of shares is on preferential allotment. Q. 14. What are the regulations pertaining to issue ofADRs/ GDRs by Indian companies?

Ans. Indian companies can raise foreign currencyresources abroad through the issue of ADRs/ GDRs, in accor-dance with the Scheme for issue of Foreign Currency Con-vertible Bonds and Ordinary Shares (Through DepositoryReceipt Mechanism) Scheme, 1993 and guidelines issued bythe Government of India there under from time to time.

Q.17. Can a foreign investor invest in Pref-erence Shares? What are the regulationsapplicable in case of such investments?

Ans. Yes. Foreign investment through pref-erence shares is treated as foreign direct investment. How-ever, the preference shares should be fully and mandatorilyconvertible into equity shares within a specified time to bereckoned as part of share capital under FDI. Investment inother forms of preference shares requires to comply withthe ECB norms.

Q.18. Can a company issue debentures as part of FDI? Ans. Yes. Q.21. Can a foreign investor invests in shares issued

by an unlisted company in India? Ans. Yes. Q.22. Can a foreigner set up a partnership/ propri-

etorship concern in India? Ans. No.

Further, in addition to this, Mauritius pro-vides a foreign tax credit under its domesticlaw which in effect may brings down thedomestic tax rate in Mauritius to 3%.

The India-Singapore DTAA also offerssubstantial tax benefits. Capital gainsincome is exempt from tax provided, thatsuch person has not arranged his affairswith the primary purpose of availing bene-fits under the India-Singapore Treaty. Thus,a shell/conduit company, that is, companywith nil or negligible business operations orwith no real and continuous business activ-ities in Singapore, shall not be entitled tothe benefits under the India-SingaporeTreaty. The India-Singapore DTAA also con-tains a limitation of benefits clause whichrestricts the benefits under the DTAA undercertain circumstances.

However, it is pertinent to note thatFinance Act, 2012 have introduced GAARprovision effective from FY 2013-14, underwhich tax authorities can call a business

arrangement or a transaction as 'impermis-sible avoidance arrangement' if sucharrangement has been primarily enteredinto to avoid taxes. Once an arrangement isruled 'impermissible' then the tax authori-ties can deny tax treaty benefits. Further taxauthorities by invocation of GAAR can alsorecharacterize a transaction and tax thesame (for instance recharacterizing capitalgain into dividend income). Most aggressivetax avoidance arrangements therefore,especially through intermediate low taxjurisdictions such as Mauritius could beunder the risk of being termed impermissi-ble. The rule can apply on domestic as wellas overseas transactions. Further it is alsopertinent to note that Finance Act, 2012have also retrospectively introduced provi-sions to tax any indirect transfer of capitalasset located in India. Therefore any transferwhich indirectly results in transfer ofunderlying asset in India would also comein tax net.

However, in view of the increasing criti-cism of above amendments , the Govern-ment has decided to set-up an committee toreconsider theses amendments.

ConclusionA Non-Resident has number of option

for investment in India from setting upoperations in India by the way of joint ven-ture or investment in equity in Indian listedor unlisted companies for returns on invest-ments. The present regulatory as well as taxregime does inspire investments in India.However, introduction of provisions such asGAAR has certainly dampened investorsconfidence to invest in India. Steps aretherefore required to be taken by the IndianGovernment to bring back such confidencein the Indian market.

In view of the same, recently the Government at the moment has decidedto defer GAAR for another two years andthus would accordingly would apply fromApril 2016.�

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Spot Diary

� BY AJIT KUMAR*

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)is becoming the buzzword in thecorporate circles these days. A lot of

initiatives, events, seminar and confer-ences are held every year. But what is thedefinition of CSR? What role can it play infulfilling the development needs of thecommunity they work around? Can theyhelp in getting closer to the international-ly recognized development goals acceptedby the government at UN meetings? Arepeople handling the department / divisionclear of their roles and responsibilities?

Many terms have emerged in recentyears to describe the environmental andsocial responsibility of business: corporateresponsibility, corporate citizenship, cor-

porate sustainability, to name just a few.All of these terms describe a rapidlyexpanding global movement, one thatreflects the increasing alignment betweenthe objectives of the international com-munity and those of the private sector.

Shared goals, such as building stablemarkets, combating corruption, safeguard-ing the environment and ensuring socialinclusion, have resulted in an unprece-dented rise in partnerships between busi-ness, civil society, governments - and theUnited Nations. In fact, throughout the UNSystem, agencies, funds and programmesare relying on business collaboration inone way or the other to address criticalissues, from humanitarian relief to thefight against TB, Malaria and HIV/AIDS.

The United Nations envisages that this

new relationship is rooted in the notionthat business must be made part of thesolution to global challenges. At the sametime, the UN has repeatedly called oncompanies around the world to ensurethat their strategies and operations arealigned with universal values, so that neg-ative environmental and social impacts ofbusiness are minimised.

India has acknowledged this globaltrend in the preamble of the CorporateSocial Responsibility, Voluntary Guide-lines, 2009: "It is recognized the worldover that integrating social, environmentaland ethical responsibilities into the gover-nance of businesses ensures their longterm success, competitiveness and sus-tainability. This approach also reaffirmsthe view that businesses are an integral

CSR needstransparency

Union Minister, Harish Rawat (centre) at the CSR workshop in New Delhi conference


Spot Diary

part of society, and have a critical andactive role to play in the sustenance andimprovement of healthy ecosystems, infostering social inclusiveness and equity,and in upholding the essentials of ethi-cal practices and good governance. Thisalso makes business sense as companieswith effective CSR, have image ofsocially responsible companies, achievesustainable growth in their operations inthe long run and their products and serv-ices are preferred by the customers."

Yet in India, as Union Minister forWater Resources, Harish Rawat, rued,industrial wastage remains a big contribu-tor to pollution. "In spite of a well definedwater policy of the government, the cor-porate sector is yet to get fully involved inits implementation process," he furtherpointed out.Rawat was speaking at at atwo day Workshop on, 'Internalizing CSRby linking with Human Resources (HR),Corporate Communication (CC) and Mar-keting', conducted by Vision Consulting incollaboration with Federation of IndianChamber of Commerce & Industries atIndia International Centre (IIC), New Delhi,recently.

In India, while the Government is pur-suing an amendment to the company's actto make CSR an effective tool in overalldevelopment, senior government officialsacknowledge that what is warranted is thecommitment of the people involved in theexercise. "The CSR concept should beembedded in the minds of corporate exec-utives," O.P. Rawat, Secretary, Departmentof Public Enterprises, Government of Indiasaid in his keynote address at the work-shop. He outlined the importance of CSRbeing made a part of work culture andinformed that a new set of guidelines onCSR was being formulated and that soonGovernment would invite suggestionsfrom stakeholders and general public.

It may be mentioned that the Depart-ment of Public Enterprises, the nodaldepartment in the Government of Indiaplays a key in role in CSR and has broughtin guidelines for the Public Sector Under-takings (PSUs).

During a session on media engage-ment in CSR, chaired by this writer, seniorjournalist Deepak Parvatiyar emphasizedthat philanthropy needed to be the basis

of CSR, which he said, was not the case ason today. "Business is not a dirty word butstatements such as CSR is not philanthro-py as mentioned in the preamble of theCSR guidelines, 2009, send a confusing sig-nal. You may have the lofty ideal of inte-grating the interest of the business withthat of the communities in which it oper-ates, but is it practical?" questioned Deep-ak Parvatiyar . He argued that since profitwas the motive of all businesses, it wouldbe wrong to equate business with philan-thropy. "You are sending a wrong signal. Ifit is not philanthropy but a business activ-ity then expect the media to be a neutralobserver than an active participant in youractivities," he said. He pointed out thatthere were instances where companieswere creating their own society / trust todivert CSR amount and that there was aserious issue of credibility. He, though,pointed out to the changes that true CSRactivity could wrought in. "Jamshedpur isa shining example of a corporate's contri-bution to the society. One should learn les-sons from these kinds of examples andthey will be able to make the real change,"he said.

Harsh Mukherjee, Founder & CEO,Development Stories, said that proper CSRcommunication was important. "The chal-lenge was how to communicate develop-ment and the companies, both private andpublic should have a policy. The problemwas that not many mainline journalistsreport from the hinterland. Internal CSRCommunication was also very important."

She posed the question: Are we not stake-holders?"

Prof. Ranjan Mohapatra, Chairman ofVision Group and a pioneer on CSR whohelped develop many of the governmentdocuments on CSR, said timely corporatecommunication could make stake holders,consumers as well as general public awareabout the activities of the company. Healso reminded of the New York initiativeregarding leadership in CSR. It may bementioned that Build Smart NY Initiativeis a prime example of public-private sectorcollaboration. New York Governor AndrewM. Cuomo issued an Executive Order onDecember 28, 2012. He directed the stateagencies to increase energy efficiency instate buildings by 20 percent in sevenyears — one of the most ambitious initia-tives in the US that will save millions ofdollars for taxpayers and create thousandsof jobs while significantly reducing green-house gas emissions. The Governor alsolaunched "Build Smart NY," a plan tostrategically implement the ExecutiveOrder by accelerating priority improve-ments in energy performance.

Obviously, India can take a leaf out ofthe NY initiative. It is high time that wetake action and help CSR become a robusttool as well as a strong institution that willalso help bring stability to the businessesand connect the stakeholders includingthe local people through genuine philan-thropy. �

*The author is CEO & Editor,Radiance Media

PanelistDeepak

Parvatiyar,Senior

Journislitaddressing

theaudience


Focus

� BY DEEPAK PARVATIYAR

Community Based Rehabilitation(CBR) is a strategy initiated and pro-moted by the World Health Organi-

zation for a cross sectoral, human rightsbased approach to inclusive development.This approach for community develop-ment is targeting and involving peoplewith disabilities, their families and theirorganizations as primary stakeholders.Itseeks to ensure that all individuals are sup-ported in their own communities, enjoyequal rights and opportunities as othermembers in the society. In agreement withthe principles of the United Nations Con-vention on the Rights of Persons with Dis-abilities (CRPD), other international humanrights treaties and the CBR Guidelines2010, CBR is considered to be an effectivestrategy for realizing the rights of peoplewith disabilities, their families and othermarginalized people in communities.

In recognition of India's leading effortin the field of community based rehabili-tation (CBR), the historic city of Agra wasthe venue of the first ever World Con-gress on CBR in November last year. AsAlana Officer, Coordinator, Disability andRehabilitation, WHO, pointed out: "Indiahas an incredible history in CBR. 30 years ago, India was the first countryorganizing CBR." Performance by disabled persons during the CBR World Congress in Agra

Over 1200 participants (including over 200 persons with disability) from across 86 countries of the globe participated in the three-day

Congress jointly sponsored by the World Health Organisation, AustralianAid, USAID, CBM and Sight Savers at Agra

Community Based RehabilitationIndia leads the world


Focus

The three-day Congress was jointlysponsored by the World Health Organisa-tion, Australian Aid, USAID, CBM and Sightsavers. Over 1200 participants (includingover 200 persons with disability) fromacross 86 countries of the globe participat-ed in the three-day Congress that broughtkey stakeholders together to promoteinter-sectoral liaison and collaboration,build and develop the network of CBR pro-fessionals, and promote and disseminatethe new CBR Guidelines.

The main objective of the CBR WorldCongress was to promote CBR as a globalstrategy "to realize the Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities". Tomhopes that as a researcher, it would helphim monitor and evaluate the project onground. The Agra declaration stated thatthe key CBR partners such as the UnitedNations agencies, WHO in particular; theCBR Africa Network (CAN); the CBR Ameri-cas Network (CAsN); the CBR Asia-PacificNetwork (CAPN); the International Disabil-ity Alliance (IDA); the International Dis-ability and Development Consortium(IDDC); and the Asia-Pacific DevelopmentCenter on Disability (APCD) wouldset up aglobal initiative, the CBR Global Network,for sharing views, experiences and knowl-edge internationally.

In view of the perspectives raisedthroughout the three days of intensive dis-cussion, the Congress made the followingrecommendations:

� Partnerships should be developed topromote and implement CBR internation-ally and to ensure that the efforts are coor-dinated among stakeholders including dis-abled people's organizations (DPOs), in col-laboration with the CBR Global Networkand other CBR networks;

� CBR should be part of developmentpolicies and programmes at the local,national and international levels, includingdiscussions on the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs) and post MDGs. Thisrequires necessary resource allocationsand involvement of women and men withdisabilities, people with high supportneeds, children with disabilities and theirfamilies;

� Capacity — building projects andprogrammes should be made available toCBR practitioners, including persons with

disabilities and their families, in line withthe CRPD and the CBR Guidelines;

� CBR should be adopted as an effec-tive strategy for both poverty reductionand disaster risk reduction, enhancing thequality of life of women, men and childrenwith disabilities, especially those living indeveloping countries;

The glittering event saw many presen-tations, posters, discussions and delibera-tions. Also on display was the wonderfuldance performances by the talented dis-abled dancers which left the audiencesmesmerised and showed yet again to theworld that mere disability cannot stand inthe way of any activity - be they mental or

physical in nature.Speaking at the plenary Keshav Desira-

ju (Additional Secretary, Ministry of Healthand Family Welfare, Government of India)stressed at the need for governments to bemore consultative in nature and the needto work with NGO and with people from allother sectors. He said illness and disability

cannot be clubbed as one and hence treat-ment and rehabilitation needs to be seendifferently.

Speaking on inclusive health and itsrelevance to CBR, Malcolm MacLachlan(Centre for Global Health & School of Psy-chology, Trinity College), asked the audi-ence to reflect whether one needs to seekto move up the exclusive hierarchy or thereis a need to remove hierarchy altogether.He emphasised that CBR should not onlybe viewed as a tool to improve the lives ofpeople with disabilities (PWDs) but also adocument towards making policy changes.

Chapal Khasnabis (Disability and Reha-bilitation Team, World Health Organiza-tion) stressed upon to the people considera triple track approach that would includerehabilitation, rights and reforms. "Theroad would lead to significant changes inthe quality of life of persons with disability.CBR is not just one model — it must beviewed differently contextually. Povertyshould also be addressed in a more inclu-sive way," he said. Dr. Einar Helander,world renowned proponent of CBR alsodesired that Taj Mahal, one of the SevenWonders of the World should be madeaccessible to persons with disabilities.

While one of the participants at theCongress declared that he was not a personwith disability but a person of destiny,Napa Setthakorn (Secretary-General,National Office for Empowerment of Per-sons with Disabilities under Ministry ofSocial Development and Human Security,Thailand) deliberated upon new conceptsof providing 'on-line' training to CBR per-sonnel. She desired that participatingcountries should adopt 'massive openonline courses' for promoting humanresources in the field.

Chapal Khasnabis (Disability and Reha-bilitation Team, World Health Organiza-tion) the architect of the Congress in theend concluded that he desires that peoplewith disabilities should be included inevery sphere of life. He advocated for com-munity — based inclusive development.

At the end of the Congress it wasannounced that the 2nd CBR World Congress is likely to be convened inMalaysia in 2016. �

Deepak Parvatiyar is a senior Journalist and film maker

Dr. Thomas Shakespeare of the WorldHealth Organisation at the World

Congress


Health & Hygiene

Healthy teethnot onlyenable you

to look and feelgood, they make itpossible to eat andspeak properly. Oralhygiene is thepractice of keeping

the MOUTH and TEETH clean to preventdental problems, most commonly, dentalcavities, gingivitis (gum swelling), and BADBREATH. Teeth cleaning is the removal ofdental plaque and tartar from teeth to pre-vent cavities, gingivitis, and gum disease.Severe gum disease causes at least one-third of adult tooth loss. Plaque is a yellowsticky film of food that forms on the teethand gums and can be seen at gum margins

of teeth. The bacteria in plaque convertcarbohydrates in food (such as sugar) intoacid that demineralises teeth, eventuallycausing cavities. Daily brushing and floss-ing removes plaque and can prevent tartarfrom forming on the teeth. Tooth decay isthe most common global disease. Over 80%of cavities occur inside pits and fissures onchewing surfaces where brushing cannotreach food left trapped after every meal orsnack, and saliva or fluoride have no accessto neutralise acid and remineralise dem-ineralised teeth, unlike easy-to-reach sur-faces, where fewer cavities occur. General-ly, dentists recommend that teeth becleaned professionally at least twice peryear. Professional cleaning includes toothscaling, tooth polishing, and, if tartar hasaccumulated, debridement; this is usually

followed by a fluoride treatment. Betweencleanings by a dental hygienist, good oralhygiene is essential for preventing tartarbuild-up which causes the problems men-tioned above. This is done through careful,frequent brushing with a toothbrush,com-bined with the use of dental floss to pre-vent accumulation of plaque on the teeth.Brushing thoroughly twice a day and floss-ing daily.

� Eating a balanced diet and limitingsnacks between meals � Using dentalproducts that contain fluoride, includingtoothpaste � Rinsing with a fluoridemouthrinse if your dentist tells you to � Making sure that your children under 12drink fluoridated water or take a fluoridesupplement if they live in a non — fluoridated area.

ORAL HYGIENE IS THE REFLECTION OF GENERAL HEALTH

a. Tilt the brush at a 45° angle againstthe gumline and sweep or roll thebrush away from the gumline.

b. Gently brush the outside, insideand chewing surface of eachtoothusing short back-and-forth strokes.

c. Gently brush your tongue to removebacteria and freshen breath.

Dr. Deepak Singh(BDS, FAGE, IDA)

Benefits of Walking

WALKING 30 minutes a day cuts therate of people becoming diabeticby more than half and it cuts the

risk of people over 60 becoming diabetic byalmost 70 percent.

The human body works better when wewalk. The body resists diseases better whenwe walk, and the body heals faster when wewalk. For men with prostate cancer, studieshave shown that walkers have a 46 percentlower mortality rate. In one study, peoplewho walked and took medication scoredtwice as well in 30 days as the women whoonly took the medication. Another studyshowed that depressed people who walkedregularly had a significantly higher level ofnot being depressed in a year compared todepressed people who did not walk. Thebody generates endorphins when we walk.

Endorphins help us feel good. Walkingreduces the risk of blood clots in your legs.People who walk regularly have much lowerrisk of deep vein thrombosis.

People who walk are less likely to catchcolds. .Walking is a good boost of high densi-ty cholesterol and people with high levels ofHDL are less likely to have heart attacks andstroke.

Walking 30 minutes doesn't have to bedone in one lump of time. Two 15 minutewalks achieve the same goals. Three 10minute walks achieve most of those goals.

We can walk 15 minutes in the morningand 15 minutes at night and achieve ourwalking goals.

Walking makes one feel good. It helpsthe body heal. It keeps the body healthy.Itimproves our biological health, our physicalhealth, our psychosocial health, and helpswith our emotional health. Walking can lit-erally add years to your life. �

a b c

Curtsey : Ms Shyamla Mohan


Rajasthan UNA

Jodhpur members Visit UK

Excutive DirectorOf United NationsAssociation UK(UNA-UK)Mr. PhilipMulligan hostedlunch in honour ofDr. SubhashPurohit, visitingrepresentatives ofIndian Federationof United NationsAssociations(IFUNA). Mr. JayJethwa of UNAAustralia was alsopresent as specialguest.

Dr. Subhash Purohit also met High Commissioner of India Dr. J Bhagwati during their visit


Maharashtra UNA

THE people of Mumbai witnessed forthe first time an extremelyinformative event - an educationalexhibition on the history of the

holocaust at Heritage hall of St. Xavier'sCollege in Mumbai on 6 November 2012having displayed 40 pictures panels from1933-1945. The display was kept open forfive days i.e. from 6 to 10 November 2012 forthe public, organized by The MaharashtraUnited Nations Association (MUNA), TheSimon Wiesenthal Centre, an NGO at theUnited Nations, Israel Consulate in Mumbai,and St. Xavier's College. The initiative wasencouraged by The United NationsInformation Centre (UNIC) for India andBhutan, New Delhi.\

A five day photo-exhibition titled "TheCourage to Remember" HOLOCAUST washeld in the back drop of the GeneralAssembly resolution (A/RES/60/7) rejectingany denial of the Holocaust as a historicalevent, either in full or in part, condemning"without reserve" all manifestations ofreligious intolerance, incitement,harassment or violence against persons orcommunities based on ethnic origin orreligious belief, whenever they occur.

The resolution declared that the UnitedNations would designate 27 January -- theanniversary of the liberation of theAuschwitz death camp -- as an annualInternational Day of Commemoration tohonour the victims of the Holocaust, andurged Member States to developeducational programmes to instill thememory of the tragedy in futuregenerations to prevent genocide fromoccurring again. It requested the UnitedNations Secretary-General to establish anoutreach programme on the "Holocaust andthe United Nations", as well as institutemeasures to mobilize civil society forHolocaust remembrance and education, inorder to help prevent future acts ofgenocide.

The exhibition was inaugurated by

galaxy of luminaries from Israel, USA andpeople from different part of India inMumbai like Fr. Mascarhenas (Principal, St.Xavier's College), Ms. Orna Sagiv (ConsulGeneral of Israel, Mumbai),Mr.SumitMullick IAS (Chief of Protocol, Govt ofMaharashtra), Mr. DR Kaarthikeyan(Former-Spl Director, CBI), Mrs. MohiniMathur (Executive ChairpersonMaharashtra United Nations Association),Mr. A. A. Syed, Secretary General,Maharashtra United Nations Association ,Mr. Ajay Bagga from (Art of LivingFoundation) and Rabbi Abraham Cooper(Associate Dean Simon Wiesenthal CentreLos Angeles, USA) and other dignitariesincluding Consul Generals from Germany,France, Poland, and Belgium, NGOs,Academia, journalism, etc.

The event was flagged off with anopening ceremony which was led by DrAlfred Balitzer, Professor Emeritus fromClaremont McKenna College in LA, followedby inauguration of photo exhibition and

screening of the documentary " Genocide"The later evening was organized with thetireless efforts of Dr. Rabbi Abraham Cooper(Associate Dean Simon Wiesenthal CentreLos Angeles, USA) Dr. Peter Ted Gover fromSimon Wiesenthal Centre, Mr. MaulikD.Mavani from Israel Consulate General andMr. Ashraf Ahmed Shaikh, Secretary MUNAand President of its Youth Association.

At the welcome remark Fr. Mascarhenas(Principal, St. Xavier's College) said "It is thehope for a safe and bright future for allhumanity that keeps us positive. Suchtragedies are born out of the idea to useone's might to discriminate against thosethey dislike" He welcomed the people ofMumbai to see the exhibition and be anaware citizen.

Ms. Orna Sagiv, Consul General of Israel,Mumbai in her speech said that "Hitler'sNazi Regime in Germany murdered 6million Jews (including 1 million childrenand 2 million women); it's the first time inhuman history that a State aimed at

Photo Exhibition being inaugurated by the sponsorersMaharastra UNA Secretary General A. A. Syed is seen fourth from right

A first of its kindphoto exhibition on the Holocaust


Maharashtra UNA

exterminating an entire ethnic group —wherever they were on the face of theearth.For Jewry, it may be somethingextremely personal, reminding one oftraumatic loss among family and loved onesin the community. But the lessons to belearnt are universal — Jews might have beenthe first ones but we never know whowould be the next victims of a potentialgenocide."She further added that "We oftenundermine/deny the fears of areoccurrence, labeling the Nazis as devils,etc. But they too, like the victims were realhuman beings with families and socialaffiliations. Yet they perpetrated suchinhuman acts. Being in denial of suchsymptoms will only lead to catastrophes inthe future — just like the silence of themajority round the world fuelled thearrogance of the Nazis during theHolocaust."She appealed to all to take thebest lessons from the exhibition and theevent to enhance intercommunityunderstanding about the Holocaust and itscurrent relevance.

Event's Chief Guest Mr. Sumit MullickIAS (Chief of Protocol, Govt. of Maharashtra)in his address said "Holocaust is the firstsuch perpetration of genocide in modernhistory where death was ascribed (justbecause one is a Jew or disabled or non-Aryan, etc.); for the 1st time, murder wascommitted using large-scale industrialmeans (gas chambers, assembly lines, etc.),There's a very thin line between fascism and"state nationalism". Nations come and go,but the commonality of our 16 million yearsof evolution is HUMANNESS." He furtherstressed that "It's easier to build religionfrom cults and attach theology to it, but howuniversally harmonious andaccommodating is its philosophy? Drawingroom conversations can escalate intocatastrophes, just as they can into positiverevolutions. We must measure andscrutinize the righteousness of our thoughtsand words very carefully. Now, in the nukeage, the prognosis of the future is veryworrying.India has lessons to draw from thehistory of the Holocaust in order to preserveits quintessence of unity in diversity. Wehave a great responsibility towards ourvulnerable social groups and minorities."

Mr DR Kaarthikeyan (Former-SplDirector, CBI) in his remark mentioned the

time in Cambodia, when over 3 millionwere murdered by Polpot's army.India'sidea of harmonious pluralism is founded onthe principle of "VASUDHAIVAKUTUMBAKAM" a concept of theUpanishadas. India has welcomed andassimilated with grace, every communitythat was driven out of its motherland — theParsis for instance. Jewism has had a pre-Christ association with India.

Mrs. Mohini Mathur (ExecutiveChairperson Maharashtra United NationsAssociation, MUNA) in her speech said that,"The Holocaust was the darkest chapter inthe history of humanity. It was the timewhen demagogy of one man betrayed therationality of the entire nation. It was theturning point in the history whichprompted the world to say "Never again".The UN Has marked January 27 as an annual

International Day of Commemoration tohonour the victims of the Holocaust and wein MUNA strive to propagate the efforts ofPeace and Human Rights.It does brings outpainful memories but has to be brought outto prevent any subsequent suchreoccurrences. Unfortunately world nowalso has a holocaust in making; unlessrationality is exercised the scourge offundamentalism will engulf the world withdire consequences. The younger generationsshould imbibe human values and tolerance.Initiatives like this contribute a lot to suchunderstanding."

Mr. AA Syed (Secretary General MUNA)in his address stressed the need ofbecoming free, bold and frank. He said that,

"It is our duty morally, socially and legally toobserve and remember again and again thevictims of Holocaust to educate the peopleof every country to not to repeat suchheinous crime against the humanity."

Mr. Syed read out a stanza of Urdupoetry which translates as follows,

"History has also seen the tyranny thatdue to a moment's mistake, the punishmentwas in centuries."

Mr. Ajay Bagga from Art of LivingFoundation narrated 3 events — 1947partition ("Indian Holocaust"); 1984 Anti-Sikh riots (a test of the Aam Admi(Common man) of his will to protect hisfellow men); 2008 26/11 attacks —Sandeep Unnikrishnan's father's words tothe survivors - "Your survival has givenmeaning to my loss". He warned that"today the world is very similar to the state

of the world prior to the Holocaust and thewars, when youth unemployment is at itspeak and mental and social unrest is high.We must encourage higher proportion ofinter-religious learning to enhance theunderstanding among religions, and thusspirituality — rather than conserveneutralist secularism. Technology must notmean desensitization. With these efforts,our peace quotient will rise."

Rabbi Abraham Cooper (AssociateDean Simon Wiesenthal Centre, LosAngeles) who was the chief organizer ofthe event in his concluding remarks,thanked everyone. �

Report By Ashraf A. ShaikhSecretary MUNA

MS. Mohini Mathur, Executive Chairperson Maharashtra United Nations Association,observing a photosgraph on Holocaust


MEGHALAYA UNA

The IUNS-Tura centre wasinaugurated by Dr. MukulSangma Hon'ble Chief Minister ofMeghalaya on 29th

December,2012 at Tura. Tura is theheadquarter of West Garo hills district ofMeghalaya and is the second largest townin Meghalaya state.It was attended by Mr.Pravin Bakshi, IAS, Deputy Commissionerof West Garo Hills district, Dr. AswiniSarma Secretary General of UNA-Assam.The meeting was attended by around 200people of Tura region. Dr. Sangma alsoinaugurated the UN library attached tothe IUNS-Tura centre. Mr. Sangma alsoinaugurated the UNA- Tura centre. TheGovernment of Meghalaya has

Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma

inaugurates Meghalaya UNA

Chief Minister of Meghalaya inaugrating Tura chapter of IUNS .Sitting l to r Bharat Babbar Addl. Secy. Genl. IFUNA, Praveen Bakshi,I.A.S., Suresh Srivastava, Secy. Genl. IFUNA, Vice President Sheshadri Chari and Aswini sharma, Secy.Genl. Assam UNA

Members of newly inaugrated Meghalaya UNA with Visiting IFUNA office bearers andHon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma


MEGHALAYA UNA

accomodated the IUNS-Tura centre atIFAD builbing, Tura having one classroom,one library and one office room. The Turacentre became the fourth centre in theNorth East after Guwahati ,Jorhat andShillong. In the Inaugural Speech, Dr.Mukul sangma said that the opening ofIUNS-Tura centre will bring vastknowledge on United Nations and itssystems to the students community .Dr.Sangma ap preciated Sri. Sureshsrivastava, Secretary General of IFUNA forhis keen initiative in establishing thecentre at Tura and conveyed his warmregards to sri. Srivastava. He hope thepeople will be great benefitted by thiscentre. The message of Sri SureshSrivastava, Secretary General of IFUNAhas been read out by Dr. Aswini Sarma-Secretary General of UNA-Assam.

Report By Pankaj Deka

IFUNA Secy. Genl. Suresh Srivastava presenting IFUNA Publications to Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma

A View of Audience at Tura function.

ODISHA UNA


The Human Rights Day wascelebrated on 10 th December2012. at Bhuvaneshear,Odisha. The Speakers

expressed their anxieties aboutviolation of Human Rights in countrieslike Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.Every young person should comeforward to protect the Human Rightsand personal liberty in every sphere oflife. Er. Dambarudhar Panda, PoetMaitree Subhadra, Bidyadhar Bank,Prof. Samir Sahoo, Sournya RanjanPattanaik also spoke. The programmewas jointly sponsored by IFUNA ANDUtkal UNA. Manoranjan Pattanaik,Advocate and chairman, Utkal UNApresided.

Human Rights Day

Concerns over human rights violation in Pakistan

Manorajan Patnaik chiarman Utkal UN Association addressing the audience. Sitting left to right Poet Sukanti Sahoo, Poet Bahaclur Patasani, and Prof. Dillip Nanda.

A view of audience.


Spiritual Talk

THERE is a beautiful Germanproverb that says, “Pray asthough no work would help, andwork as if no prayer would help.”

The first part of the saying says thatwe should pray as if no work would help.In this kind of prayer, we are focusing allour attention in God. All our being isimmersed in the prayer. It is as if webecome the prayer itself. When wepray with such intensity and single-mindedness, God cannot ignore us.

There is the story of the motherwho was cooking food in the kitchen.Suddenly, her child in the other roomlet out a blood- curdling scream. Themother dropped what she was doingand ran to pick up the child andcomfort him. A few days later, whilethe mother was cooking, the child inthe other room began to whimper, butthe mother ignored him. The child,realizing the mother was ignoring him,tried whimpering again, but themother again ignored him.

The child sheepishly crept into thekitchen and said to his mother,“Mommy how is it that the other dayyou came running when I cried, buttoday you did not come?”

The mother replied, “The other dayI could hear the pain in your voice, buttoday I knew from the tone that youwere just faking it for my attention.”

Similarly, God knows when ourprayers are sincere. God knows whenwe are truly crying for the Lord. Godknows when we are in pain and wetruly want help. But if we are merelyhalf-hearted in our prayer, then Godmight or might not respond. That iswhy it is said that when a seeker istruly yearning for God, God hears itand will help that seeker find a wayback to God.

There is another saying, “God hearsthe sincere cry of an ant sooner thanthe trumpeting of an elephant.” Thissaying is instructing us that if we havedeep prayer for something, we shouldpray with our whole heart, soul, andmind as if no work would help us achievewhat we want, and our prayer willcertainly bear fruit.

The second part of the saying is that

we should work as if no prayer wouldhelp. This is addressed to another groupof people who will not pray, but will putin all efforts to attain what they want.Many feel that all they gain is due totheir own efforts. They do not rememberGod or call on God for help. They do notrealize God’s presence or that God is a

power that can help us. True spiritualityinvolves a combination of both attitudes.We should do our part to take our shareof responsibility, and then use our time

to help others. We should work as hardas we can to fulfill our duties as if noprayer would help. In this, we would befulfilling our responsibilities toourselves, our family, our communities,and our world. We would be of use and ofservice to others. Then, after putting inour best effort, if we found we still did

not succeed, we could pray with allour heart, soul, and mind for help.

Spirituality is the path of positivemysticism. We come into this worldwith certain responsibilities. We mayhave to support our family, we mayhave a certain role or job that wehave to fill in this lifetime, and wehave a collective responsibility to oursociety. We cannot shirk those dutiesto sit up on a mountaintopmeditating all day and hoping Godwill provide for us. We need to spendtime in meditation while also doingour duties allotted to us in life. Thus,when God sees we have put in ourbest efforts, and then, after all elsefail, we turn to the Lord, God will takenotice. But if we merely sit back andrelax and expect God to doeverything for us, that will nothappen.

The same is true of ourmeditations. We should not thinkthat if we only meditate for a fewminutes once every few months thatGod will reward us. Rather, we shouldput in the required time withaccuracy and full devotion. Weshould meditate regularly, accurately,and with full concentration. In thisway, we are working as if no prayerwould help. Then, if we have doneour part, and we still do not achievewhat we wanted, we should pray toGod with all our heart, soul, and mindfor help. If our yearning is sincere,God will listen.

We should take a look at thesetwo aspects of ourselves. Are weputting in full effort as if no prayerwould help? And after doing so, arewe praying to God as if no work

would help? If we do these two things,we will find that our progress will moveforward steadily and we will be blessedby God. �

Prayingand

WorkingSant Rajinder Singh Ji


Art & Culture

The 27th Surajkund International CraftsMela is offerering a lot of fun, frolic,entertainment and exclusive

shopping. In the rural ambience,craftsperson have display and demonstratetheir finest products that are set to captureerverybody hearts. The authentic fragrances& flavours of rich Indian cuisines kindles

your taste buds. Tap your feet with the beatsof enthralling folk dancers from the variousparts of the country.

Surajkund is the annual fair thatshowcases the finest handlooms,handicrafts, authentic fragrances andflavours of rich Indian cuisines. Nationaland state awardees craft persons fromevery corner of India wind their way toSurajkund. The craft persons from SAARCNations are also participating in theSurajkund Crafts Mela. �

International Crafts Mela

Craft from SAARC at Surajkund


The Kumbh Mela (religiouscongregation and fair) is the largestgathering of humanity on the earthand an unique event that blends

religious and social features of Indian society.It is the largest and the greatest Indian riverside pilgrimage and religious congregationcelebrated with unique religious fervor andhas no parallel in the world in terms of sheerparticipation and zeal. In January andFebruary, 2013, Kumbh Mela is beingcelebrated at Allahabad, situated at 25.28 Nlatitude and 81.52 E longitude in the state ofUttar Pradesh, India. At Allahabad over abillion people from different parts of theworld is participating in Kumbh Mela.. noadvertisement, No invitation, yet such a bigcongregation. It is nothing short of a marveland unbelievable till one is a part of it.. TodayKumbh Mela at Allahabad is the biggestspectacle of faith and symbolic of 'JagatKutumbkam ' or global fellowship, whereincultures, different religions and schools ofthoughts come together and discuss andshare information and knowledge. It is like anopen university on religion.

The Kumbh Mela which began on 27thJanuary 2013 and will end on 25 February

2013. at Allahabad is being held on the banksof river Ganga, Yamuna, mythologicalSaraswati and the confluence of the rivers,which is known as the Sangam.

On the sandy banks of the rivers, a newtownship comes up, wherein pilgrims, saints,preachers, healers, government departments,social organizations etc., set up theiraccommodation and offices. Peopleassemble here to bathe in the holy riversdaily and more so on specified holy bathingdays known as Snan Parvs (Bathing Days). tolisten to holy discourses, to exchange andlearn religious philosophies etc. People from

different parts of India and from abroadconverge at these places to bathe in the riveron the auspicious occasion, known as KumbhSnan Yoga.

It is believed that the dip grants salvation.Religious discourses, cultural activities andother events keep the people at large spellbound during this month long festival. It issomething which has to be seen to believe. Ifone misses the opportunity to be a part of theworld's largest congregation in 2013, then thenext opportunity would be available in 2025.This congregation at the Kumbh Township atAllahabad is like a model of Indian culture,integrity, secularity and expanse.

The faith and belief in god has propelledthese people to be at Kumbh Allahabaddespite of the several hardships on their way.Kumbh Mela does not belong to anyparticular religion, caste or creed; rather, itsymbolizes the main spirit of Indian cultureand thought. For such a sea of humanity toconverge at a point of known attraction, thereason cannot be attributed to a mere myth.Kumbh Mela is a cultural festival, whichsymbolizes the stability and integrity of theIndian nation.

In 1885, Mark Twain wrote aboutAllahabad Kumbh;

"Pilgrims plodded for months in heat toget here, worn, poor and hungry, butsustained by unwavering faith"

Kumbh Mela is also celebrated at threemore places in India. At Hardwar, it iscelebrated on the banks of river Ganga, atUjjain; Kumbh is celebrated on the banks ofriver Shipra and at Nasik on the banks of theriver Godavari. �

Allahabad Kumbh Mela

The largest gathering ofpeople on the earth

Visiting foreigners tasting the saintssmoke (Chilum)


Wfuna Plenary

Hosted by UNA-Brazil, the 40thPlenary Assembly of WFUNA washeld at IBMEC University in Riode Janeiro from 6-10 November

2012 on the theme “Accelerating Progress:2015 and Beyond”.

Participants from 41 UNAs, representingevery region of the world, attended.

On 6 November a seminar was held onthe theme of “From MDGs to SDGs”featuring high-level speakers at the openingceremony, including Corrado Clini, ItalianMinister for the Environment, Land and Seaas well as a video message from AminaMohammed, Special Adviser on Post-2015Development Planning. Panelists from theUnited Nations, civil society, the corporatesector, academia and local governmentshared their expertise on both the processand the substance of the post-2015 globaldevelopment agenda.

On 7 November, for the first time at aWFUNA Plenary Assembly, capacitybuildingworkshops were held on various topics,ranging from organizational matters tofundraising and online communications.Parallel to the workshops were informationexchange sessions where UNAs shared theiractivities with each other. A special sessionfocused entirely on bilateral and multilateralUNA collaborations. In the afternoon,regional UNA meetings and the Heads ofDelegation meeting were held.

The working sessions of the PlenaryAssembly were held during the 3 days from8-10 November. WFUNA’s President,Ambassador Park Soo Gil chaired theproceedings and video messages werescreened from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the High Commissioner forHuman Rights, Navi Pillay.

Seven UNAs were welcomed as newmembers of WFUNA and 13 inactive UNAswere disaffiliated.

New leadership was elected.WFUNA’s Constitution was amended.

The WFUNA Rio Declaration wasunanimously adopted (see Annex I).

Resolutions were adopted on issuesranging from financing UNESCO; tosupporting the advancement of UniversalHuman Rights; to youth, peace and security;and on the situation in Syria (see Annex II).

The WFUNA Global Youth Forum washeld parallel to the Plenary Assembly.

For the first time, there was real-timesocial media coverage of the PlenaryAssembly activities throughout the 5-dayevent, including regular Twitter andFacebook updates.

Official sponsors of the event includedIBMEC University, TAM Airlines and Forumof the Americas.

The Plenary Assembly established aCommission on resolutions on matters in thefield of international relations (Commission1).

The Plenary issued the “WFUNA RioDeclaration” which is available on the

Plenary page of the WFUNA website(link above) and attached in Annex I.

The Plenary issued the followingresolutions: Financing UNESCO; Towardsgreater empowerment of people; Promotinga world free from nuclear weapons;Upholding the commitment to prevent massatrocity crimes; Supporting theadvancement of Universal Human Rights;Securing an effective Arms Trade Treaty;Youth, Peace and Security; and the Situationin Syria (available on the website andattached in Annex II).

A panel of speakers from within the UNAnetwork presented on the thematic

issues of sustainable development,peace and security and human rights.

The Secretary-General presented hisreport of activities, available on the WFUNAwebsite as “Global Citizens for the UnitedNations, WFUNA Annual Report, SpecialPlenary Edition: 2010-2012” (www.wfuna.org/ ourwork# annualreport2012).

The Plenary Assembly established aCommission on internal matters(Commission 2).

The Treasurer’s Report was adopted byconsensus. The projected three-year budgetfor 2013-2015 and the Audited Accounts for2009-2011 were approved, as well as themembership dues schedule, whichcontinues unchanged.

The Plenary Assembly admitted thefollowing UNAs as members of WFUNA:

Gabon, Indonesia, Montenegro, Namibia,Sao Tome and Principe, United States ofAmerica and Zimbabwe The PlenaryAssembly disaffiliated the following UNAsfrom WFUNA: Albania, Belarus, Bhutan,Bolivia, Burundi, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti,Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Rwanda, SierraLeone, and Zambia.

The UNA Activity Report compiled forthe Plenary Assembly is available atwww.wfuna.org/una-recent-activities

WFUNA’s Constitution and By-Lawswere amended by consensus to removereferences to the entity “WFUNA-youth” andinclude provisions for a UNA Code ofConduct.

The WFUNA Global Youth Forum washeld from 7-11 November 2012 inconjunction with WFUNA’s 40th PlenaryAssembly. Twenty-two youth delegates from14 different UNAs participated.

The youth program included workshopson project management, media strategy, andcommunication strategy; a community-service trip to a favela (slum) working withlocal NGOs and recording the experiences onvideo; discussing programs andcollaboration; exchanging ideas; andelecting a fivemember

Youth Advisory Group with arepresentative from each region (and theirfive alternates). The youth attended activitieson the seminar and capacity-building daysand presented their outcomes to the Plenaryduring a joint-session on the last day. �

SUMMARY40TH PLENARY ASSEMBLY

OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATIONS 6-10 NOVEMBER 2012, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Wfuna Plenary

WFUNA RIODECLARATION

40TH WFUNA PLENARY ASSEMBLYRIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

The World Federation of United NationsAssociations (WFUNA) and its memberassociations represented at the 40thWFUNA Plenary Assembly in November

2012 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, adopt thisDeclaration and commend it to the MemberStates of the United Nations and to the peoplesof the world.

During this time of rapid globaltransformation marked by increasing inequality,shifting centers of economic dynamism, andenhanced connectivity through technologicaladvancements and new pressures on theenvironment, we recognize challenges tomultilateralism and threats to the legitimacy ofthe role of the United Nations at the center ofglobal affairs. To address divisive competitionand emphasize the importance of engagingindividuals and organizations with the UnitedNations we will continue conducting creativepublic outreach that builds support andlegitimacy for the organization worldwide.

We emphasize the indispensable role of theUnited Nations as the facilitator of multilateralaction and integrated solutions acrossinterconnected issue areas, such as sustainabledevelopment, peace and security, and humanrights, and support the measures outlined in theUN Secretary-General’s Five-Year Action Agenda.

We believe that civil society plays a vital rolein meeting global challenges and will work to

increase its role and presence in the UnitedNations system. Partnerships and functionalcollaborations across sectors are necessary toaddress today’s complex global challenges, andwe aspire to increased openness, connectivityand complementarity with partners from thepublic and private spheres.

We will remain engaged in the ongoingprocess to reform the UN to enable it to respondrapidly and effectively to the full range of globalchallenges and opportunities, including thepromotion of the ‘One UN’ effort to ‘deliver asone’.

We continue to look towards a more fair,safe and sustainable future in which the rule oflaw will prevail. We will seek to empower thenext generation of global leaders who will carryon our work. Awareness raising and educationabout the UN and its efforts remains a toppriority.

WFUNA together with all its United NationsAssociations will continue with the strategicplan that we have set out while striving toaccelerate our impact, continuing to build newrelationships, and strengthening ourinstitutional core. �

Famous Statue of Jesus Christ in Rio

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