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11/20/09
[The Buddhist Circle] Fw: Re: Fw: Re: Buddha-New Russian Dharma website launched
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 9:09 am

[The Buddhist Circle] Fw: Re: Fw: Re: Buddha

Friday, 20 November, 2009 5:45 AM
From:

View contact details
To:
“Stephen
Chan” , “DESMOND CHIONG”
, “Hudoyo Hupudio”
, “W JAYASURIYA”
… more
Cc:
“bo
khinmaung” , “C Lokuliyanage”

, “TISSA WELLAPILI”
, “afgan”
, “BUDUSARANA”
… more

 

— On Thu, 11/19/09, bhikkhu mahinda wrote:

From: bhikkhu mahinda
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Buddha
To:
“Sumal -UHO” , “DESMOND CHIONG”
, “mary houtsma”
, “W JAYASURIYA” , “Hung Pham” ,
“Jaisridhar. S” , “Lankatown
Webmaster” , “TISSA WELLAPILI”
, “afgan”
, “sinha” , “Sinhapura” ,
juana.c.rios@ gmail.com, mspencer@web. net, “BUDUSARANA”
, “LANKA SRI” , “DK” , “philip” , “net” , “TC”
, “sooriya” , “abeysekara” , “Ashin”
, “Desappriya jayasuriya”
Cc:
“Hudoyo Hupudio” , “Ayeshi Jayakody”
, “bo khinmaung” , “home” , “kamal”
, “kandy” , “d.C.” , “germany”
, “premasiri” ,
“CT” , “kim” ,
“burma” , “hls” ,
“janaka” , “buddhistorganizati on”

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 3:00
PM

DEAR FRIENDS …ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL !!!
                         WHAT MARVELOUS IDEA. WE SHOULD ASK THE ENTIRE BUDDHIST WORLD TO  RESPECTFULLY REQUEST FROM  PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA  TO COMPLY WITH OUR HUMBLE  IDEA  AND HONOR  IT .
                      The main reason being   
THAT THERE WERE NOT SINGLE  A DROP OF BLOOD WAS SHED IN THE NAME OF THE BUDDHISM 
 
                            BUDDHA PREACHED ABSOLUTE NONVIOLENCE ,THE
UNBOUND LOVE AND COMPASSION TOWARD EVERY LIVING CREATURE.

                        
    MOST LIKELY THE PRESIDENT MAY NOT BE FULLY AWARE OF
 THE DETAILS OF THIS PARTICULAR ASPECT OF BUDDHISM.

                 
        
 
                      FURTHER MORE  THE  BUDDHA TOLERATED ALL BELIEF
SYSTEMS AND NEVER CONDEMNED OR PUT DOWN  OTHERS’  FOR THE PURPOSE OF 
PROPAGATION  OR PROSYLITIZATION  /FOR HIS OWN. HE WAS THE MOST TOLERANT
TEACHER OF DARMA WHICH ADVOCATES THE TOTAL OPENNESS LIKE MAMMOTH TENT
WITHOUT DOORS AND WINDOWS  WHERE EVERY ONE IS WELCOME   AND NO ONE IS
ASKED OR REQUIRED TO GIVE UP THEIR BELIEF.


                          
HE INVITED THE FOLLOWERS TO CAREFULLY INVESTIGATE HIS TEACHING,LIKE
GOLD DIGGER TRYING FIND THE PURE GOLD , BEFORE MAKING ANY HASTY
DECISION TO BECOME A BUDDHIST.

           
SO LET US SEND OUR  REQUEST THE WHITE HOUSE  AS A UNOFORM VOICE .  LET
US ALSO REQUEST HIS HOLINESS DALAI LAMA TO  JOIN US  …   MAHINDA


— On Thu, 11/19/09, Desappriya jayasuriya wrote:

> From: Desappriya jayasuriya
> Subject: Fw: Re: Buddha
>
To: “Sumal -UHO” , “DESMOND CHIONG”
, “mary houtsma”
, “W JAYASURIYA” , “Hung Pham” ,
“Jaisridhar. S” , “Lankatown
Webmaster” , “TISSA WELLAPILI”
, “afgan”
, “sinha” , “Sinhapura” ,
juana.c.rios@ gmail.com, mspencer@web. net, “BUDUSARANA”
, “LANKA SRI” , “DK” , “philip” , “net” , “TC”
, “sooriya” , “abeysekara” , “Ashin”
, “IL”
>
Cc: “Hudoyo Hupudio” , “Ayeshi Jayakody”
, “bo khinmaung” , “home” , “kamal”
, “kandy” , “d.C.” , “germany”
, “premasiri” ,
“CT” , “kim” ,
“burma” , “hls” ,
“janaka”
> Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 11:19 AM
>
>
> — On Thu, 11/19/09, Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan
> wrote:
>
> From: Jagatheesan Chandrasekharan
>

> Subject: Re: Buddha
> To: “Desappriya jayasuriya”
>
> Cc: nilratanshende@ gmail.com, spprabhu1@gmail. com,
> nchrindia@gmail. com, vidyadhar.landge@ gmail.com,
> sujatin@gmail. com, c.l.chumber@ gmail.com,
> jeys.shankar@ gmail.com, tradesandprecepts@ gmail.com,
> vbrawat@gmail. com, banurekha.p@ gmail.com,
> tusharp.kumar@ gmail.com, kch.adikar@gmail. com,
> mahendra.bms@ gmail.com, econfab@gmail. com,
> patil_sandip4u@ yahoo.com, shalu.ghodke@ gmail.com,
> rautvaishu24@ gmail.com, youthforequality. du@gmail. com,
> sampathqs@gmail. com,
r.bheem@gmail. com, emc1991@gmail. com,
> chandrasekharan. tipitaka@ gmail.com, kagapa@gmail. com,
> bharatuk@gmail. com, bkoteswara@gmail. com,
> upinformationdeptt@ gmail.com, baruaboss@gmail. com,
> webluangta@gmail. com
> Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 11:16 AM
>
 Let
 all of us request His Excellency the president-barack- obama to celebrate next Buddha Jayanthi at White House to spread the message of non-violence and peace by chanting relavant gathas by Maha theras for the
 happiness and welfare of all.

>
>
>
> Jagatheesan Chandrasekgaran
>
>
>
> MAY
> YOU BE EVER HAPPY, WELL AND SECURE
>
> MAY YOU LIVE
> LONG
>
> MAY ALL SENTIENT AND
> NON-SENTIENT BEINGS BE EVER
> HAPPY
>
> MAY YOU BE ALWAYS HAVE
> CALM, QUIET, ALERT,ATTENTIVE
>
AND
>
> EQUANIMITY MIND WITH
> A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT
>
> NOTHING IS
> PERMANENT
>
>
>
> — On Wed, 18/11/09, Desappriya jayasuriya
>
wrote:
>
> From: Desappriya jayasuriya

> Subject: Buddha
> To: “DESMOND CHIONG”
> , “Hudoyo
> Hupudio” , “C
> Lokuliyanage”
,
> “lake house” ,
> “afgan” ,
> “sinha” ,
> “sandeep” ,
> shyamtagade@ yahoo.co. in, “BUDUSARANA”
> , “philip”
> , “d.C.”
> , “abeysekara”
>
,
> “germany” ,
> “premasiri” ,
> “Ashin” ,
> “perera”
> Cc: “Sumal -UHO” ,
> “bo khinmaung” ,
> “Hanh Tri` Thich Nu”
>
, “TISSA
> WELLAPILI” ,
> “burma”
> Date: Wednesday, 18 November, 2009, 6:03 AM
>
>  Transcript of
> the President’s speech at Suntory
> Hall: http:// www.whitehouse. gov/the-press- office/remarks- president- barack-obama- suntory-hall

Buddha

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

Remarks by President Barack Obama at Suntory Hall

Suntory Hall, Tokyo, Japan

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Thank you so much.  Arigatou.  Thank you very much. 
(Applause.)  Good morning.  It is a great honor to be in Tokyo — the
first stop on my first visit to Asia as President of the United
States.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  It is good to be among so many of you
– Japanese and I see a few Americans here  — (applause) — who work
every day to strengthen the bonds between our two countries, including
my longtime friend and our new ambassador to Japan, John Roos. 
(Applause.)
 
It is wonderful to be back in Japan.  Some of you may be aware that
when I was a young boy, my mother brought me to Kamakura, where I
looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility — the
great bronze Amida Buddha.  And as a child, I was more focused on the
matcha ice cream.  (Laughter.)  And I want to thank Prime Minister
Hatoyama for sharing some of those memories with more ice cream last
night at dinner.  (Laughter and applause.)  Thank you very much.  But I
have never forgotten the warmth and the hospitality that the Japanese
people showed a young American far from home.

And I feel that same spirit on this visit:  In the gracious welcome
of Prime Minister Hatoyama.  In the extraordinary honor of the meeting
with Their Imperial Majesties, the Emperor and Empress, on the 20th
anniversary of his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.  In the
hospitality shown by the Japanese people.  And of course, I could not
come here without sending my greetings and gratitude to the citizens of
Obama, Japan.  (Applause.)

Now, I am beginning my journey here for a simple reason.  Since
taking office, I have worked to renew American leadership and pursue a
new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and
mutual respect.  And our efforts in the Asia Pacific will be rooted, in
no small measure, through an enduring and revitalized alliance between
the United States and Japan.

From my very first days in office, we have worked to strengthen the
ties that bind our nations.  The first foreign leader that I welcomed
to the White House was the Prime Minister of Japan, and for the first
time in nearly 50 years, the first foreign trip by an American
Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was to Asia, starting in Japan. 
(Applause.)

In two months, our alliance will mark its 50th anniversary  — a day
when President Dwight Eisenhower stood next to Japan’s Prime Minister
and said that our two nations were creating “an indestructible
partnership” based on “equality and mutual understanding.” 

In the half-century since, that alliance has endured as a foundation
for our security and prosperity.  It has helped us become the world’s
two largest economies, with Japan emerging as America’s second-largest
trading partner outside of North America.  It has evolved as Japan has
played a larger role on the world stage, and made important
contributions to stability around the world — from reconstruction in
Iraq, to combating piracy off the Horn of Africa, to assistance for the
people of Afghanistan and Pakistan — most recently through its
remarkable leadership in providing additional commitments to
international development efforts there.

Above all, our alliance has endured because it reflects our common
values — a belief in the democratic right of free people to choose
their own leaders and realize their own dreams; a belief that made
possible the election of both Prime Minister Hatoyama and myself on the
promise of change.  And together, we are committed to providing a new
generation of leadership for our people and our alliance.

That is why, at this critical moment in history, the two of us have
not only reaffirmed our alliance — we’ve agreed to deepen it.  We’ve
agreed to move expeditiously through a joint working group to implement
the agreement that our two governments reached on restructuring U.S.
forces in Okinawa.  And as our alliance evolves and adapts for the
future, we will always strive to uphold the spirit that President
Eisenhower described long ago — a partnership of equality and mutual
respect.  (Applause.)

But while our commitment to this region begins in Japan, it doesn’t
end here.  The United States of America may have started as a series of
ports and cities along the Atlantic Ocean, but for generations we have
also been a nation of the Pacific.  Asia and the United States are not
separated by this great ocean; we are bound by it.  We are bound by our
past — by the Asian immigrants who helped build America, and the
generations of Americans in uniform who served and sacrificed to keep
this region secure and free.  We are bound by our shared prosperity –
by the trade and commerce upon which millions of jobs and families
depend.  And we are bound by our people — by the Asian Americans who
enrich every segment of American life, and all the people whose lives,
like our countries, are interwoven. 

My own life is a part of that story.  I am an American President who
was born in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia as a boy. My sister Maya was
born in Jakarta, and later married a Chinese-Canadian.  My mother spent
nearly a decade working in the villages of Southeast Asia, helping
women buy a sewing machine or an education that might give them a
foothold in the world economy.  So the Pacific Rim has helped shape my
view of the world.

And since that time, perhaps no region has changed as swiftly or
dramatically.  Controlled economies have given way to open markets. 
Dictatorships have become democracies.  Living standards have risen
while poverty has plummeted.  And through all these changes, the
fortunes of America and the Asia Pacific have become more closely
linked than ever before.

So I want everyone to know, and I want everybody in America to know,
that we have a stake in the future of this region, because what happens
here has a direct effect on our lives at home.  This is where we engage
in much of our commerce and buy many of our goods.  And this is where
we can export more of our own products and create jobs back home in the
process.  This is a place where the risk of a nuclear arms race
threatens the security of the wider world, and where extremists who
defile a great religion plan attacks on both our continents.  And there
can be no solution to our energy security and our climate challenge
without the rising powers and developing nations of the Asia Pacific.

To meet these common challenges, the United States looks to
strengthen old alliances and build new partnerships with the nations of
this region.  To do this, we look to America’s treaty alliances with
Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines –
alliances that are not historical documents from a bygone era, but
abiding commitments to each other that are fundamental to our shared
security.

These alliances continue to provide the bedrock of security and
stability that has allowed the nations and peoples of this region to
pursue opportunity and prosperity that was unimaginable at the time of
my first childhood visit to Japan.  And even as American troops are
engaged in two wars around the world, our commitment to Japan’s
security and to Asia’s security is unshakeable — (applause) — and it
can be seen in our deployments throughout the region — above all,
through our young men and women in uniform, of whom I am so proud.

Now, we look to emerging nations that are poised as well to play a
larger role — both in the Asia Pacific region and the wider world;
places like Indonesia and Malaysia that have adopted democracy,
developed their economies, and tapped the great potential of their own
people.

We look to rising powers with the view that in the 21st century, the
national security and economic growth of one country need not come at
the expense of another.  I know there are many who question how the
United States perceives China’s emergence.  But as I have said, in an
interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and
nations need not fear the success of another.  Cultivating spheres of
cooperation — not competing spheres of influence — will lead to
progress in the Asia Pacific.  (Applause.)

Now, as with any nation, America will approach China with a focus on
our interests.  And it’s precisely for this reason that it is important
to pursue pragmatic cooperation with China on issues of mutual concern,
because no one nation can meet the challenges of the 21st century
alone, and the United States and China will both be better off when we
are able to meet them together.  That’s why we welcome China’s effort
to play a greater role on the world stage — a role in which their
growing economy is joined by growing responsibility.  China’s
partnership has proved critical in our effort to jumpstart economic
recovery.  China has promoted security and stability in Afghanistan and
Pakistan.  And it is now committed to the global nonproliferation
regime, and supporting the pursuit of denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula.

So the United States does not seek to contain China, nor does a
deeper relationship with China mean a weakening of our bilateral
alliances.  On the contrary, the rise of a strong, prosperous China can
be a source of strength for the community of nations. 

And so in Beijing and beyond, we will work to deepen our strategic
and economic dialogue, and improve communication between our
militaries.  Of course, we will not agree on every issue, and the
United States will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental
values that we hold dear — and that includes respect for the religion
and cultures of all people — because support for human rights and
human dignity is ingrained in America.  But we can move these
discussions forward in a spirit of partnership rather than rancor. 

In addition to our bilateral relations, we also believe that the
growth of multilateral organizations can advance the security and
prosperity of this region.  I know that the United States has been
disengaged from many of these organizations in recent years. So let me
be clear:  Those days have passed.  As a Asia Pacific nation, the
United States expects to be involved in the discussions that shape the
future of this region, and to participate fully in appropriate
organizations as they are established and evolve.  (Applause.)

That is the work that I will begin on this trip.  The Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum will continue to promote regional commerce
and prosperity, and I look forward to participating in that forum this
evening.  ASEAN will remain a catalyst for Southeast Asian dialogue,
cooperation and security, and I look forward to becoming the first
American President to meet with all 10 ASEAN leaders.  (Applause.)  And
the United States looks forward to engaging with the East Asia Summit
more formally as it plays a role in addressing the challenges of our
time.

We seek this deeper and broader engagement because we know our
collective future depends on it.  And I’d like to speak for a bit about
what that future might look like, and what we must do to advance our
prosperity, our security, and our universal values and aspirations.

First, we must strengthen our economic recovery, and pursue growth that is both balanced and sustained.

The quick, unprecedented and coordinated action taken by Asia
Pacific nations and others has averted economic catastrophe, and helped
us to begin to emerge from the worst recession in generations.  And we
have taken the historic step of reforming our international economic
architecture, so that the G20 is now the premier forum for
international economic cooperation.

Now, this shift to the G20, along with the greater voice that is
being given to Asian nations in international financial institutions,
clearly demonstrates the broader, more inclusive engagement that
America seeks in the 21st century.  And as a key member of the G8,
Japan has and will continue to play a leading and vital role in shaping
the future of the international financial architecture.  (Applause.)

Now that we are on the brink of economic recovery, we must also
ensure that it can be sustained.  We simply cannot return to the same
cycles of boom and bust that led to a global recession. We can’t follow
the same policies that led to such imbalanced growth.  One of the
important lessons this recession has taught us is the limits of
depending primarily on American consumers and Asian exports to drive
growth — because when Americans found themselves too heavily in debt
or lost their jobs and were out of work, demand for Asian goods
plummeted.  When demand fell sharply, exports from this region fell
sharply.  Since the economies of this region are so dependent on
exports, they stopped growing.  And the global recession only deepened. 

So we have now reached one of those rare inflection points in
history where we have the opportunity to take a different path.  And
that must begin with the G20 pledge that we made in Pittsburgh to
pursue a new strategy for balanced economic growth.

I’ll be saying more about this in Singapore, but in the United
States, this new strategy will mean that we save more and spend less,
reform our financial systems, reduce our long-term deficit and
borrowing.  It will also mean a greater emphasis on exports that we can
build, produce, and sell all over the world. For America, this is a
jobs strategy.  Right now, our exports support millions upon millions
of well-paying American jobs.  Increasing those exports by just a small
amount has the potential to create millions more.  These are jobs
making everything from wind turbines and solar panels to the technology
that you use every day.

For Asia, striking this better balance will provide an opportunity
for workers and consumers to enjoy higher standards of living that
their remarkable increases in productivity have made possible.  It will
allow for greater investments in housing and infrastructure and the
service sector.  And a more balanced global economy will lead to
prosperity that reaches further and deeper.

For decades, the United States has had one of the most open markets
in the world, and that openness has helped to fuel the success of so
many countries in this region and others over the last century.  In
this new era, opening other markets around the globe will be critical
not just to America’s prosperity, but to the world’s, as well.

An integral part of this new strategy is working towards an
ambitious and balanced Doha agreement — not any agreement, but an
agreement that will open up markets and increase exports around the
world.  We are ready to work with our Asian partners to see if we can
achieve that objective in a timely fashion — and we invite our
regional trading partners to join us at the table. 

We also believe that continued integration of the economies of this
region will benefit workers, consumers, and businesses in all our
nations.  Together, with our South Korean friends, we will work through
the issues necessary to move forward on a trade agreement with them. 
The United States will also be engaging with the Trans-Pacific
Partnership countries with the goal of shaping a regional agreement
that will have broad-based membership and the high standards worthy of
a 21st century trade agreement. 

Working in partnership, this is how we can sustain this recovery and
advance our common prosperity.  But it’s not enough to pursue growth
that is balanced.  We also need growth that is sustainable — for our
planet and the future generations that will live here.

Already, the United States has taken more steps to combat climate
change in 10 months than we have in our recent history — (applause) –
by embracing the latest science, by investing in new energy, by raising
efficiency standards, forging new partnerships, and engaging in
international climate negotiations. In short, America knows there is
more work to do — but we are meeting our responsibility, and will
continue to do so.

And that includes striving for success in Copenhagen.  I have no
illusions that this will be easy, but the contours of a way forward are
clear.  All nations must accept their responsibility.  Those nations,
like my own, who have been the leading emitters must have clear
reduction targets.  Developing countries will need to take substantial
actions to curb their emissions, aided by finance and technology.  And
there must be transparency and accountability for domestic actions.

Each of us must do what we can to grow our economies without
endangering our planet — and we must do it together.  But the good
news is that if we put the right rules and incentives in place, it will
unleash the creative power of our best scientists, engineers, and
entrepreneurs.  It will lead to new jobs, new businesses, and entire
new industries.  And Japan has been at the forefront on this issue.  We
are looking forward to being a important partner with you as we achieve
this critical global goal.  (Applause.) 

Yet, even as we confront this challenge of the 21st century, we must
also redouble our efforts to meet a threat to our security that is the
legacy of the 20th century — the danger posed by nuclear weapons.  

In Prague, I affirmed America’s commitment to rid the world of
nuclear weapons, and laid out a comprehensive agenda to pursue this
goal.  (Applause.)  I am pleased that Japan has joined us in this
effort, for no two nations on Earth know better what these weapons can
do, and together we must seek a future without them. This is
fundamental to our common security, and this is a great test of our
common humanity.  Our very future hangs in the balance.

Now, let me be clear:  So long as these weapons exist, the United
States will maintain a strong and effective nuclear deterrent that
guarantees the defense of our allies — including South Korea and
Japan.  (Applause.)

But we must recognize that an escalating nuclear arms race in this
region would undermine decades of growth and prosperity. So we are
called upon to uphold the basic bargain of the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty — that all nations have a right to peaceful
nuclear energy; that nations with nuclear weapons have a responsibility
to move toward nuclear disarmament; and those without nuclear weapons
have a responsibility to forsake them.

Indeed, Japan serves as an example to the world that true peace and
power can be achieved by taking this path.  (Applause.) For decades,
Japan has enjoyed the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy, while
rejecting nuclear arms development — and by any measure, this has
increased Japan’s security and enhanced its position.

To meet our responsibilities and to move forward with the agenda I
laid out in Prague, we have passed, with the help of Japan, a unanimous
U.N. Security Council resolution embracing this international effort. 
We are pursuing a new agreement with Russia to reduce our nuclear
stockpiles.  We will work to ratify and bring into force the test ban
treaty.  (Applause.)  And next year at our Nuclear Security Summit, we
will advance our goal of securing all the world’s vulnerable nuclear
materials within four years.

Now, as I’ve said before, strengthening the global nonproliferation
regime is not about singling out any individual nations.  It’s about
all nations living up to their responsibilities.  That includes the
Islamic Republic of Iran.  And it includes North Korea. 

For decades, North Korea has chosen a path of confrontation and
provocation, including the pursuit of nuclear weapons.  It should be
clear where this path leads.  We have tightened sanctions on
Pyongyang.  We have passed the most sweeping U.N. Security Council
resolution to date to restrict their weapons of mass destruction
activities.  We will not be cowed by threats, and we will continue to
send a clear message through our actions, and not just our words: 
North Korea’s refusal to meet its international obligations will lead
only to less security — not more.

Yet there is another path that can be taken.  Working in tandem with
our partners — supported by direct diplomacy — the United States is
prepared to offer North Korea a different future.  Instead of an
isolation that has compounded the horrific repression of its own
people, North Korea could have a future of international integration. 
Instead of gripping poverty, it could have a future of economic
opportunity — where trade and  investment and tourism can offer the
North Korean people the chance at a better life.  And instead of
increasing insecurity, it could have a future of greater security and
respect.  This respect cannot be earned through belligerence.  It must
be reached by a nation that takes its place in the international
community by fully living up to its international obligations.

So the path for North Korea to realize this future is clear: a
return to the six-party talks; upholding previous commitments,
including a return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and the
full and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And full
normalization with its neighbors can also only come if Japanese
families receive a full accounting of those who have been abducted. 
(Applause.)  These are all steps that can be taken by the North Korean
government if they are interested in improving the lives of their
people and joining the community of nations.

And as we are vigilant in confronting this challenge, we will stand
with all of our Asian partners in combating the transnational threats
of the 21st century:  by rooting out the extremists who slaughter the
innocent, and stopping the piracy that threatens our sea lanes; by
enhancing our efforts to stop infectious disease, and working to end
extreme poverty in our time; and by shutting down the traffickers who
exploit women, children and migrants, and putting a stop to this
scourge of modern-day slavery once and for all.  Indeed, the final area
in which we must work together is in upholding the fundamental rights
and dignity of all human beings.

The Asia Pacific region is rich with many cultures.  It is marked by
extraordinary traditions and strong national histories. And time and
again, we have seen the remarkable talent and drive of the peoples of
this region in advancing human progress.  Yet this much is also clear
– indigenous cultures and economic growth have not been stymied by
respect for human rights; they have been strengthened by it. 
Supporting human rights provides lasting security that cannot be
purchased in any other way — that is the story that can be seen in
Japan’s democracy, just as it can be seen in America’s democracy.   

The longing for liberty and dignity is a part of the story of all
peoples.  For there are certain aspirations that human beings hold in
common:  the freedom to speak your mind, and choose your leaders; the
ability to access information, and worship how you please; confidence
in the rule of law, and the equal administration of justice.  These are
not impediments to stability, they are the cornerstones of stability. 
And we will always stand on the side of those who seek these rights.

That truth, for example, guides our new approach to Burma.  Despite
years of good intentions, neither sanctions by the United States nor
engagement by others succeeded in improving the lives of the Burmese
people.  So we are now communicating directly with the leadership to
make it clear that existing sanctions will remain until there are
concrete steps toward democratic reform.  We support a Burma that is
unified, peaceful, prosperous, and democratic.  And as Burma moves in
that direction, a better relationship with the United States is
possible.

There are clear steps that must be taken — the unconditional
release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi; an end
to conflicts with minority groups; and a genuine dialogue between the
government, the democratic opposition and minority groups on a shared
vision for the future. That is how a government in Burma will be able
to respond to the needs of its people.  That is the path that will
bring Burma true security and prosperity.  (Applause.)

These are steps that the United States will take to improve
prosperity, security, and human dignity in the Asia Pacific.  We will
do so through our close friendship with Japan — which will always be a
centerpiece of our efforts in the region.  We will do so as a partner
– through the broader engagement that I’ve discussed today.  We will
do so as a Pacific nation — with a President who was shaped in part by
this piece of the globe.  And we will do so with the same sense of
purpose that has guided our ties with the Japanese people for nearly 50
years.

The story of how these ties were forged dates back to the middle of
the last century, sometime after the guns of war had quieted in the
Pacific.  It was then that America’s commitment to the security and
stability of Japan, along with the Japanese peoples’ spirit of
resilience and industriousness, led to what’s been called “the Japanese
miracle” — a period of economic growth that was faster and more robust
than anything the world had seen for some time.

In the coming years and decades, this miracle would spread
throughout the region, and in a single generation the lives and
fortunes of millions were forever changed for the better.  It is
progress that has been supported by a hard-earned peace, and
strengthened by new bridges of mutual understanding that have bound
together the nations of this vast and sprawling space. 

But we know that there’s still work to be done — so that new
breakthroughs in science and technology can lead to jobs on both sides
of the Pacific, and security from a warming planet; so that we can
reverse the spread of deadly weapons, and — on a divided peninsula –
the people of South can be freed from fear, and those in the North can
live free from want; so that a young girl can be valued not for her
body but for her mind; and so that young people everywhere can go as
far as their talent and their drive and their choices will take them.

None of this will come easy, nor without setback or struggle.  But
at this moment of renewal — in this land of miracles — history tells
us it is possible.  This is the –America’s agenda.  This is the
purpose of our partnership with Japan, and with the nations and peoples
of this region.  And there must be no doubt:  As America’s first
Pacific President, I promise you that this Pacific nation will
strengthen and sustain our leadership in this vitally important part of
the world.
 
Thank you very much.  (Applause.)


                                       


END


10:40 A.M. JST




New Russian Dharma website launched

New Russian Dharma website launched


Suvannavira, a Russian-born Order Member writes with news of a major new Dharma resource for Russian speakers. He says -

“I do have one news item for you from Russia. There is a new Russian FWBO website -www.buddhayana.ru
- which has just gone live. It is a stylish and substantial site with
four complete books translated into Russian plus 300 or more pages of
the first year of the new mitra study course.

“The site joins tow other FWBO websites in Russian - the main “fwbo.org” site introducing the FWBO, at http://russian.fwbo.org; and the Russian version of Wildmind meditation teaching, at http://russian.wildmind.org.

“Much metta from snowy south Estonia,

Suvannavira”.

comments (0)
11/19/09
VR1 (WE ARE ONE ) +VE NEWS-Buddha- Govt advances deadline for Ambedkar village project
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 8:36 am





Govt advances deadline for Ambedkar village project

Lalmani Verma Posted online: Tuesday , Nov 17, 2009 at 0327 hrs
Lucknow : Dissatisfied with the slow pace of work regarding the
development of civic amenities in the targetted 2,195 Ambedkar
villages in the current financial year, the state government has
advanced the project deadlines. It has directed the departments to
complete their task by December 31 — three months ahead of schedule.
Every year, the state government selects certain villages with
substantial SC/ST population and declares them Ambedkar Gram. This
entitles the villages to get basic amenities like roads, drains,
toilets, power, drinking water, health facilities and houses for the
poor on priority.

In the current financial year, 2,195 villages were selected for
development as Ambedkar villages by March 2010. Progress reports
received by the government, however, narrated a different story. Till
November 10, only 7 per cent villages had received electricity, 6 per
cent got concrete roads, sodium lights were installed in five per cent
villages and only 21 per cent got toilets. Under the Indira Awaas
Yojna for the poor, 12 per cent houses had been built.

Principal Secretary of Ambedkar Gram Vikas Department, Balvinder
Kumar, said: “All departments have been asked to ensure that work is
are completed by December 31.” In areas where the tender process was
delayed due to by-elections, the departments have been allowed to
complete work by January 2010, he added.

In May, immediately after the Lok Sabha elections, the government had
asked the departments to complete 55 per cent of the works — except
concrete roads and drains — by October and 70 per cent by November.
The entire project had to be completed by January 2010. Due to the
initial delay in supply of construction material and dispute over
land, the deadline was revised in August. While departments were
directed to complete at least 20 per cent work of electrification and
40 per cent work of installation of sodium lights by November, the
deadline for entire project was extended to March 31, 2010.

“Since the project is far behind the target, the deadline has been
advanced to create a sense or urgency among the departments,” said an
official.

comments (0)
11/17/09
VR1 (WE ARE ONE ) +VE NEWS-Happy wayfarer-Impact of public welfare schemes should be visible on ground —Chief Minister Tough action will be taken if irregularity in distribution of various pensions and scholarships was detected —Mayawati Review meeting of Principal Secretaries and Secretaries held-C.M. dedicates Noida Metro Rail Project to people Noida, Greater Noida, Jevar Airport and Yamuna Express-way will be model of integrated development, entire area will attract entrepreneurs specially — Mayawati Central Government should give quickly approval to airport at Jevar for rapid development of this area — Chief Minister-Import and transportation of raw sugar should be stopped — C.M. Ensure payment of SAP and other facilities in a time bound manner to the cane farmers — Mayawati-Import and transportation of raw sugar should be stopped — C.M. Ensure payment of SAP and other facilities in a time bound manner to the cane farmers — Mayawati
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 12:19 am




Happy wayfarer

The
word wayfarer or magganuga is used in Buddhist texts to denote the
disciple who is intent on treading the path to release from suffering
as announced and indicated by the Master. As the venerable Ananda puts
it to the Brahmin Gopaka-Moggallana, in reply to a question about the
relationship between the Master and his disciples, the Buddha is the
propounder of the hitherto unknown way (anakkhàtassa maggassa akkhàtà),
the knower of the way ( maggannå maggavidå) and the one who is skilled
in the way (maggakovido) .

The
disciples thereafter (pacchà-samannà gatà) tread the way (maggànugà ca
pana etarahi sàvakà viharanti pacchà samannàgatà ti. M.111.8).

Let
us now talk about the life of the true Buddhist disciple who with a
deep conviction accepts the teaching of the Buddha as the only way to
release from dukkha or the sufferings of life.

We
are thus immediately brought face to face with the two concepts of
dukkha and nirodha in Buddhism, nirodha being the total cessation or
the ceasing to be of the unsatisfactory continuation of the process of
living which is called bhava. It is this cessation and none other that
we refer to as nibbàna (bhava-nirodho nibbànaü. S. II. 117). By
whatever other name one calls it, the net result in Nibbàna is this and
no other.

This is also the final
goal of our religious striving, our endeavour to achieve concentration
of mind and beyond it perfect development of wisdom.

The message
of Buddhism primarily focuses attention on this predicament (or the
unpleasant situation) in which man finds himself. At this stage, it is
good for us to be immediately reminded of the vocabulary which the
Bodhisattva himself uses as he reflects on this problem: Kicchau vatà ‘
yam loko àpanno jàyati ca jãyati ca mãyati ca cavati ca uppajjati ca. (
S.I1.104 ). His observation is that ‘ the world indeed is plunged in a
very distressing situation.’

It is distressing because of the
concomitants of life such as the painful changes in the process of
growth and maturity called jarà which also brings in its wake vyàdhi or
disease, terminating in death or maraõa.

It is the reality of
these which invariably led many among the mortals to speculate on the
absence of these failings like decay, disease and death, in their
unpleasantly manifest gross form, in the life in the heavenly worlds.
(In the heavenly worlds known to the Buddhists, none of those failings
of decay, disease and death are grossly manifest.) It is for this same
reason that in more recent times, well-motivated men were driven to
look for their solution in such remedial measures like organ transplant.

It is an adventure as thoroughly visualised as the plan to grow vegetables on the moon to meet world shortages on this planet.

This,
we know, was announced in the western world, in a credibly serious
mood, in the sixties and seventies of this century. But this is not to
see the problem in its totality.

In the Buddhist texts we are reliably informed that this plight of man stretches infinitely through time and space.

But we note with regret the hyper-intellectual slant today to view the human
problem as presented in Buddhism to be a matter of one life time, contained within a single frame of birth to death.

It
is here that our saddhà or reliance (or trusting in, of course, in the
Buddha and his teaching) comes in, for without it we would reject both
concepts of dukkha and nirodha which are the basics (numbers one and
three) of the four noble truths (i.e. cattàri ariya-saccàni) which
deliver to the world the message of Buddhism. ( See Dhammacakkappavatta
na Sutta at S. V. 421f. and Vin. I. 10 ). It is this third dimension of
life, namely the saüsàric one, which we have to seriously bear in mind.

While
Buddhist texts repeatedly speak of it as ‘ anamataggà ‘yaü bhikkhave
saüsàro pubbà koñi na pannàyati ( at S. 11. 178 and S.V. 226 ) which
means ‘Infinite is this life process of man and its first beginning is
not discernible,’ yet there are people even within the Buddhist fold
who would have us believe that both the problem of man and its solution
are matters only of one life time.

This
life process of man which we come to take note of from his present
conceivable existence, it must remembered, descends into our midst from
the past and stretches across into the incalculable future, again
beyond our ken.

If this were not true, the Bodhisattva during his
observations quoted above ( S. 11.104 ), would not go on to continue
his remarks as mãyati ca cavati ca uppajjati ca: dies, passes away from
one existence to another, and is born (again).

And also talking
of final release, the Buddha speaks of it as the absence of a
regeneration of all this in a new life beyond the present.

This
result is equated to the absence of all that which were described as
the ills of life (Yattha natthi àyatiü punabbhavàbhinibbatt i tattha
natthi àyaiü jàti-jarà-maraõ aü. S.11.65f. ∧ 103f.). It is the
totality of this process, found to be here as well as hereafter (idha
loke patiññhitaü paraloke patiññhitaü) which is referred to in Buddhism
as sansàra.

As
we give further thought to what has been discussed so far and consider
from the Buddhist angle the contributory factors which sustain this
saüsàric process, we discover ignorance or avijjà and craving or tanhà
as what underlie this (avijjà-nãvaraõànaü sattànaü taõhàsaüyojanànaü
sandhàvataü saüsarataü. op.cit.178 ). On further investigation we
discover that saüsàra also implies existence both in the human plane
and in several others above and below it. This is what we discover as
we proceed from the known and the seen, i.e. life here and now, in the
direction of the unknown and the unseen, i.e. of what is beyond this
life, beyond death.

This journeying into a life beyond or gati is
said to be fivefold: Pacca kho imà Sàriputta gatayo. Katamà pacca.
Nirayo tiracchàna-yoni pitti-visayo manussà devà. ( M.I. 73 ). In a
superior state above man stands deva, and immediately below devas is
the human. There are three inferior states below the human, viz. hells
of torture ( niraya ), animal world (tiracchàna-yoni) and the realm of
famishing ghosts (preta = pitti-visaya) .

Here
it is well to remember that true humility with regard to limitations of
our knowledge and our ability to know can be extremely rewarding.

Let
us profit by knowing that there are limits to our cocksureness even in
this space age of high-class scientific achievement and that failures
are possible even with the surest of calculations.

This did
happen even with very sophisticated space-ships (fired through the
NASA) like the Mars Observer (unmanned) which ended up in disaster
after eleven months of very successful travel in outer space, and the
German sponsored research-shuttle Discovery (with a team of scientists
within) which generated repeated engine trouble before its final
take-off.



Timsa Sutta

Now
on that occasion the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagaha, in the
Bamboo Grove. Then thirty monks from Pava all wilderness dwellers, all
alms-goers, all triple-robe wearers, all still with fetters went to the
Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side.

Then the thought occurred to the Blessed One,
“These thirty monks from Pava… are all still with fetters. What if I
were to teach them the Dhamma in such a way that in this very sitting
their minds, through lack of clinging, would be released from
fermentations?”

So he addressed the monks: “Monks.”

“Yes, lord,” the monks responded.

The
Blessed One said, “From an inconceivable beginning comes
transmigration. A beginning point is not evident, though beings
hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating and
wandering on. What do you think, monks? Which is greater, the blood you
have shed from having your heads cut off while transmigrating and
wandering this long, long time, or the water in the four great oceans?”

“As
we understand the Dhamma taught to us by the Blessed One, this is the
greater: the blood we have shed from having our heads cut off while
transmigrating and wandering this long, long time, not the water in the
four great oceans.”

“Excellent, monks. Excellent. It is excellent that you thus understand the Dhamma taught by me.

“This
is the greater: the blood you have shed from having your heads cut off
while transmigrating and wandering this long, long time, not the water
in the four great oceans.

“The blood you have shed when, being
cows, you had your cow-heads cut off: Long has this been greater than
the water in the four great oceans.

“The blood you have shed
when, being water buffaloes, you had your water buffalo-heads cut
off… when, being rams, you had your ram-heads cut off… when, being
goats, you had your goat-heads cut off… when, being deer, you had
your deer-heads cut off… when, being chickens, you had your
chicken-heads cut off… when, being pigs, you had your pig-heads cut
off: Long has this been greater than the water in the four great oceans.

“The

blood you have shed when, arrested as thieves plundering villages, you
had your heads cut off… when, arrested as highway thieves, you had
your heads cut off… when, arrested as adulterers, you had your heads
cut off: Long has this been greater than the water in the four great
oceans.

“Why
is that? From an inconceivable beginning comes transmigration. A
beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance and
fettered by craving are transmigrating and wandering on. Long have you
thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling
the cemeteries enough to become disenchanted with all fabrications,
enough to become dispassionate, enough to be released.”

That is
what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the
Blessed One’s words. And while this explanation was being given, the
minds of the thirty monks from Pava through lack of clinging were
released from fermentations.



Dreaming

The
great Taoist master Chuang Tzu once dreamt that he was a butterfly
fluttering here and there. In the dream he had no awareness of his
individuality as a person. He was only a butterfly. Suddenly, he awoke
and found himself laying there, a person once again. But then he
thought to himself, “Was I before a man who dreamt about being a
butterfly, or am I now a butterfly who dreams about being a man?”

I
can identify reality with this story. Many times I have awakened from a
dream and didn’t know, for a moment, what was real and what was the
dream. Dreams are weird. Are they trying to tell us something? If so,
how are we to know what they mean?

You are who you perceive
yourself to be. I’ve sometimes dreamed that I could fly. It’s such a
wonderful, free feeling. It seemed so real. This Zen master had an
out-of-body experience, and now isn’t sure about his identity.

When
you’re a butterfly, there are no worries. You can flutter around
without a care in the world. Perhaps this monk is wishing there were
not so many responsibilities and barriers in his life.

I think
this Zen master wants some peace and quiet in his life. He wishes he
were a normal person and not a Zen master with so many demands put on
him by others. I think it’s important for us to have dreams, but always
remember that reality is much more important.

Sounds
like this guy conforms to what others think of him and allows them to
govern his life. In my opinion, this is the kind of question asked by
people who are struggling with their sense of individuality and self
esteem.

Only you know who you are - and sometimes it takes some
soul-searching to find that identity. We should be content with who we
are. If we try to be someone or something else, we will lose our sense
of identity.

I sometimes wonder whether we really exist as
people, or whether we are only dreaming our lives. And if we are
dreaming, when and how will we wake up?

It would be strange if
our life were really part of someone else’s dream. Our lives might seem
long and tedious, but it would pass in the blink of an eye for that
dreaming person.

Are we really just living out someone else’s dream or fantasy? I think that everyone at one time
or another feels this kind of detachment from their lives.

It’s
funny how we sometimes have to pinch ourselves to make sure we’re
really ourselves, to make sure we really exist. It’s just like watching
a movie, except in real life you don’t follow a script.

This
reminds me of a philosophy course I once took. We discussed reality and
how we know that we really exist. All I can remember from the course is
‘I think there fore I am’.

Is this really reality? Or are we all dreaming this?

Thinking about this kind of thing for too long can drive you crazy. Because it may seem philosophical babble…

This
story has to do with being close to nature, and not forgetting that
humans are as much a part of nature as a butterfly. Ultimately, we are
all equal and should treat each other as equals.

This story reminds me of Kafka’s Metamorphosis too. What would it be like if I woke up one morning and found that I had been
completed transformed? Could I make a smooth transition into my new existence, or would I be really screwed up?

This
story is a wake-up call for all those preoccupied with materialism and
the mundane. Someone may see this Zen master as schizophrenic who is
having trouble distinguishing reality. Actually how can he not know
whether he is a butterfly or not!?

Do butterflies really dream
like humans, or is this monk just anthropomorphizing, it’s up to you to
wonder! I can’t think about this too long, because it will control my
mind for the rest of the week.

It’s not important if what I
perceive is a dream or if I’m someone else’s reality or not. What
matters is the principle of doing the right thing with the situations,
real or not, I am confronted with. Why would a man want to be a
butterfly, or a butterfly a man?

Reality is one’s perception of reality, nothing more.



Buddhism as a philosophy

Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, phenomenology, ethics, and epistemology.

The
Buddha’s general outlook has been described as neither ontological nor
metaphysical, but empirical. He assumed an unsympathetic attitude
toward speculative and religious thought in general. A basic idea of
the Buddha is that the world must be thought of in procedural terms,
not in terms of things or substances. The Buddha advised viewing
reality as comprised of dependently originated phenomena; Buddhists
view this approach to experience as avoiding the two extremes of
ratification and nihilism.

Particular points of Buddhist philosophy have often
been the subject of disputes between different schools of Buddhism.
While theory for its own sake is not valued in Buddhism, theory pursued
in the interest of enlightenment is consistent with Buddhist values and
ethics.

Early Buddhism displays a strong streak of skepticism;
the Buddha cautioned his followers to stay aloof from intellectual
disputation for its own sake, saying that this is fruitless and
distracts from the practices leading to enlightenment. However, the
Buddha’s doctrine did have an important philosophical component: it
negated the major claims of rival positions while building upon them at
a new philosophical and religious level.

In a skeptical vein, he
asserted the insubstantiality of the ego, and in doing so countered
those Upanishadic sages who sought knowledge of an unchanging ultimate
self. The Buddha created a new position in opposition to their
theories, and held that attachment to a permanent self in this world of
change is the cause of suffering and the main obstacle to liberation.
The same skeptical approach negates the existence of any high god or
spiritual substance, and undercuts both traditional and iconoclastic
spiritual goals. He broke new ground by going on to explain the source
for the apparent ego: it is merely the result of the aggregates
(skandhas) which make up experience.

In
this breaking down into constituent elements, the Buddha was heir to
earlier element philosophies which had sought to characterize existing
things as made up of a set of basic elements. The Buddha, however,
eliminated mythological rhetoric, systematized world components into
five groups, and used this approach not to characterize a substantial
object, but to explain a delusion. He coordinated material components
with psychological ones. The Buddha criticized the religious sages’
theories of an Absolute as yet another reification, instead giving a
path to self-perfection as a means of transcending the world of name
and form.

Decisive
in distinguishing Buddhism from what is commonly called Hinduism is the
issue of epistemological justification. All schools of Indian logic
recognize various sets of valid justifications for knowledge, or
pramana – Buddhism recognizes a set that is smaller than the others’.
All accept perception and inference, for example, but for some schools
of Hinduism and Buddhism the received textual tradition is an
epistemological category equal to perception and inference (although
this is not necessarily true for some other schools).

Thus, in
the Hindu schools, if a claim was made that could not be substantiated
by appeal to the textual canon, it would be considered as ridiculous as
a claim that the sky was green and, conversely, a claim which could not
be substantiated via conventional means might still be justified
through textual reference, differentiating this from the epistemology
of hard science.

Some
schools of Buddhism, on the other hand, rejected an inflexible
reverence of accepted doctrine. As the Buddha said, according to the
canonical scriptures.

Do not accept anything by mere tradition
… Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures
… Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your
pre-conceived notions … But when you know for yourselves – these
things are moral, these things are blameless, these things are praised
by the wise, these things, when performed and undertaken, conduce to
well-being and happiness – then do you live acting accordingly.

Early
Buddhist philosophers and exegetes of one particular early school (as
opposed to Mahayana), the Sarvastivadins, created a pluralist
metaphysical and phenomenological system, in which all experiences of
people, things and events can be broken down into smaller and smaller
perceptual or perceptual-ontologi cal units called dharmas.



Press Information Bureau
(Chief Minister’s Information Campus)
Information & Public Relations Department, U.P.

Impact of public welfare schemes should be visible on ground
—Chief Minister

Tough action will be taken if irregularity in distribution of
various pensions and scholarships was detected
—Mayawati

Review meeting of Principal Secretaries and Secretaries held

Lucknow : 14 November 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati said that the
implementation of the public welfare schemes should be visible on the
ground. For that, the officers should ensure that these schemes were
implemented in an honest and transparent manner. She said that the
departments should utilise cent per cent financial sanctions in a time
bound manner. She warned that if any amount remained unutilised in
any department then action would be taken against concerning Principal
Secretary/Secretary after fixing responsibility. She directed the officers
to ensure verification of the distribution of widow, old age and disabled
pensions, distribution of scholarship and cycles to the girl students at all
levels, so that there was no scope of irregularities and corruption.

The C.M. said that e-tendering system should be strictly
implemented in PWD and other departments and tender mafias should
be identified and stringent action should be taken against them. She
directed the officers to immediately ensure that the tender forms were
sold through banks for completely eradicating interference of mafias in
tender process and transparency in constructions could also be ensured.
Ms. Mayawati gave these directives when the Cabinet Secretary
Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh and Additional Cabinet Secretary Mr. Vijay
Shankar Pandey apprised her of the feedback of the review meeting of
the Principal Secretaries/Secretaries held here today. The officers had
extensively reviewed the progress of the development programmes
accorded priority by the C.M.

The Chief Minister directed the officers to send the utility
certificate of the completed schemes to the Centre so that more funds
could be demanded under the centrally-aided schemes. The Centre
should be urged to quickly release the next instalment. She directed the
officers to make efforts to get the amount allocated under the Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna at the earliest and the targets set under it
were also achieved at all costs. Besides, the infrastructure repair works
should also be carried out. Moreover, proposal for next year’s demand
should be prepared at the earliest after making an estimate. Besides,
she also directed the officers to effectively review the schemes being
conducted with the help of NABARD and the timely utilisation of the
amount allocated under the World Bank aided State Road Project should
also be reviewed.

Ms. Mayawati directed the officers to ensure allotment of houses
constructed under Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji Shahri Awas Yojana by
December 31, 2009 and also provide necessary infrastructure facilities.
The land required for the construction of houses to be built next year
should also be identified. Expressing her displeasure over the decline in
the revenue realisation of Registration Department, she directed the
officers to take action against the concerning officers. She directed the
officers to ensure maximum utilisation of the amount allocated under
the Centrally funded projects viz. primary education, urban
development, irrigation, public works, energy etc. and pursue rapid
release of the remaining amount from the Central Government. She
directed the officers to send the utility certificate in a time bound
manner.

Directing the officers to ensure qualitative improvement in
education, the Chief Minister ordered that the land should be identified
for setting up schools in un-served slum areas and ensure that the
schools start functioning at the earliest. Taking serious note of the
discrepancies reported in the Savitribai Phule Balika Shiksha Madad
Yojana and in the distribution of sewing machines in the primary schools
and cycles to the ineligible girl students, she directed the officers to
conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter and take punitive action
against the guilty. She directed the officers to take action for the
recruitment of teachers on the existing vacancies and ensure that the
electrification of the primary schools was completed by launching a
drive.

The Chief Minister directed the officers to ensure quick release of
Centre’s share for the women welfare, rural development, family
welfare, medical and health department. She said that the amount
allocated for the schemes run by these departments should be utilised
at the earliest and expiry of the financial year should not be waited. She
directed that the works being undertaken by the Public Works
Department (PWD) and Rural Engineering Service (RES) under the Dr.
Ambedkar Gram Sabha Vikas Yojna should be completed by 31
December 2009.

Directing the officers to ensure adequate availability of seeds and
fertilisers for the farmers for the Rabi season, Ms. Mayawati said that
the farmers should not face any difficulty. She said that the State
Government was very sensitive towards the problems of the farmers.
She warned that if any complaint regarding the distribution of seeds and
fertilisers was received, strict action would be initiated against the erring
officers after fixing their responsibility. She said that the cent per cent
utilisation of Backward Region Grant Fund allocated under Panchayati
Raj and amount allocated under MNREGA should be ensured. She
directed the officers to ensure the timely completion of projects being
run under horticulture, animal husbandry and dairy development, minor
irrigation and rural engineering service. She directed the officers to
dovetail under MNREGA for the development of waste land.

Ms. Mayawati directed the officers of the Forest Department to
identify land for achieving the target of plantation on 20,000 hectares of
land and form a land bank for afforestation. She also directed to ensure
distribution of sugar through PDS as per the requirement. Expressing
her satisfaction over the increase in number of operations in the
government hospitals, she said that the doctors should carry out
operations as per the parameters. Besides, adequate availability of
medicines in the hospitals should also be maintained. She directed that
the payments to the beneficiaries of the Janani Suraksha Yojana should
be made through cheques. Moreover, she also directed the officers to
hold discussion with the Medical Council of India for doubling the seats
in the medical colleges to ensure availability of professors in new
medical colleges and also keeping in view the population, so that
paucity of doctors could also be dealt with.

The Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of almost all the
departments, besides, Principal Secretary Home Kunwar Fateh Bahadur,
Principal Secretary to CM Mr. Ravindra Singh, Secretary Programme
Implementation Mr. Rajan Shukla, Secretary to CM Mr. Anil Sant and
other officers were present at the meeting.
*******

C.M. dedicates Noida Metro Rail Project to people
Noida, Greater Noida, Jevar Airport and Yamuna Express-way
will be model of integrated development, entire area
will attract entrepreneurs specially
— Mayawati

Central Government should give quickly approval
to airport at Jevar for rapid development of this area
— Chief Minister

Lucknow : November 12, 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati dedicated to people the
extension of Metro Rail Project from Yamuna Bank to City Centre, Sector-32, Noida
today. On this occasion, she said that with this project becoming functional, the
passengers of all districts of NCR would be directly connected to Delhi. Noida and
Greater Noida would be developed in a speedy manner, investments would come
in these areas and employment opportunities would be created. She requested the
Central Government to sanction Jevar Airport soon to develop this area speedily.
Ms. Mayawati said that Noida would become the ultra-modern city of the
country due to Metro Rail. Students, service people, workers and traders
commuting daily would be benefited including Noida residents. She said that State
Government was making all possible efforts to expand Metro Rail facility more in
this area. She wished that besides Noida, Greater Noida, the proposed airport in
Jevar should also be linked with Metro Rail.

The Chief Minister said that Noida, Greater Noida, Jevar airport, Yamuna
Express Way and both sides of Express Way would become a unique model as
special development area. This area would be a special attraction for
entrepreneurs. Directives had been issued to complete Yamuna Express Way 165
Km. in length from Greater Noida to Agra with a view to developing this area. With
the construction of this Express Way Delhi would be directly connected to Agra.
This would encourage tourism activities in this area, she added.

Ms. Mayawati said that industrial corridor from Dadri to Mumbai port was
proposed to develop this area in a speedy manner. High-level infrastructure
facilities would be developed in the areas of both sides of this corridor, which
would speed up the process of industrialisation, she pointed out.
The Chief Minister said that after coming in power, she directed the Noida
Development Authority that necessary amount of money should be made available
to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to link this area with Metro Rail. She said that
Noida Development Authority had paid about Rs. 557 crore, more than two-third
amount of the total cost to Metro Rail Corporation for completion of this project.
Expressing her pleasure, she said that this project had been completed timely due
to the hard work of Noida Development Authority and Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation.

Ms. Mayawati said that several decisions had been taken to make Noida city
one of the leading cities of the world by providing all ultra modern facilities here.
Under it, her Government had been providing Rs. 2,000 crore every year for the
development infrastructure facilities and all round development of Noida. During
the past two and a half years, Mahamaya fly-over, Film city fly-over and Sector 93
fly-over were constructed. Besides, the Atta under pass situated in section 18 was
under construction.

The Chief Minister said that Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Multi-speciality Hospital
was being constructed at a cost of Rs. 378 crore, so that the people of the area
could be provided modern medical facilities. Besides, Manyawar Shri Kanshiram Ji
Multi-speciality Hospital was being constructed at a cost of Rs. 423 crore at
Greater Noida. Several steps had been taken to provide high-level educational
facilities and world level communication facilities in this city. She said that
Mahamaya Balika Inter College and Panchsheel Boys’ Inter College were being
constructed in Noida and Savitri Bai Phule Balika Inter College and Gautam
Buddha Boys’ Inter College were being constructed at Greater Noida, so that
students belonging to weaker sections of the society could also be provided good
education. The work was going on at full swing, she added.

Ms. Mayawati said that her government decided to set up Gautambuddha
University at Greater Noida for which 511 acres of land was provided and
construction costing Rs. 1290 crore had also been started. About 5,000 students
would get higher education here simultaneously in the streams like management,
information technology and other technical subjects after the completion of the
university. She said that Rs. 91 crore schemes were being implemented under the
Dr. Ambedkar Samagra Gram Vikas Yojana to provide latest basic amenities in the
54 villages situated within the limits of Noida. Likewise, all round development of
the 274 villages of Greater Noida was also being ensured.

The Chief Minister said that a 300 room hostel was being constructed for the
SC/ST women at Noida and a similar hostel with same capacity (300 rooms) was
being constructed at Greater Noida for the SC/ST boys. Moreover, Manyawar Shri
Kanshiram Ji Shahri Garib Avas Yojana was being implemented to provide houses
to the people belonging to the weaker sections. Under this scheme, around 500
houses each at Noida and Greater Noida were being constructed for the people
belonging to the weaker sections.

Ms. Mayawati said that keeping the feelings of the people belonging to U.P.
and living in Delhi owing to their works/jobs in view, respecting the feelings of the
people belonging to western U.P. and to commemorate the contribution of saints,
gurus and great men who waged battle to usher in change in the existing social
system which is based on inequality and caste, Noida Authority was constructing a
historical place in Noida. These great men, saints and gurus had been ignored by
the previous governments.

The Chief Minister said that her Government had taken resolve to follow the
policy of Sarvjan Hitai and Sarvjan Sukhai and Metro Rail Project was a step in
that direction. She said that such development works would gather pace in future
and this area would become a prominent industrial place not only at the national
level but at the international level also. She expressed her gratitude towards to
officers and employees of the Noida Development Authority and Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation for completing the project in a time bound manner.
*******
Import and transportation
of raw sugar should be stopped
— C.M.

Ensure payment of SAP and other
facilities in a time bound manner to the cane farmers
— Mayawati

Lucknow : 04 November 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati, with a view
to getting the fields of the cane growers ready for Rabi sowing,
has directed the officers to immediately stop the import of raw
sugar through railway rack. She further directed the officers to
ensure that the cane growers were provided payment of SAP
announced by the state government and other facilities at the
earliest. She said that the government would not tolerate that the
interests of the farmers were neglected. She warned that if the
officers showed any laxity in the affairs of the cane growers and
any complaint was received, their responsibility would be fixed and
action would be taken against them.

The Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, while
giving the information regarding the directives of the Chief
Minister to the media persons through a press conference held at
the Lal Bahadur Shashtri Bhawan here today, said that the U.P.
Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati was very sensitive about the interests
of the 40 lakh cane farmers.

Giving information regarding the directives of the Chief
Minister given for the welfare of the cane growers, Mr. Singh said
that the state government was making all possible efforts to
increase the income of the cane growers by ensuring more and
more cane production. For that, the cane growers were being
provided five new varieties of sugar cane which would give
enhanced yield. Besides, early maturing cane varieties were also
being promoted.

The Cabinet Secretary said that keeping in view all the
aspects of cane production and its price U.P. Government had
fixed SAP Rs. 25 per quintal more for 2009-10 in comparison to
last year. Such an increase had never been made earlier. This
increase was more than the increase announced by Haryana and
Panjab Governments. The farmers of the State would be benefited
by this increase, he added.

Mr. Singh said that Government of India had also made this
arrangement by amendment in Sugar Cane Control Order —1966
(Central), that if the State Government fixes State Advised Price
(SAP) more than the fair and remunerative price (FRP), then the
State Government would herself bear the burden of more payment
than FRP. The Government of India did not find it necessary to
take the State Government into confidence before making
amendment/arrangement regarding FRP, he added.

The Cabinet Secretary said that Government of India had
indirectly ended the right of the State Government to fix sugar
cane price, which had been recognized by the Supreme Court. In
such a way, the interests of about 40 lakh farmers of the State
had been overlooked. He said that keeping in view the interest of
cane farmers, the Chief Minister had drawn the attention of the
Central Government towards the incompatibilities with regard to
FRP. She had requested to the Prime Minister to reconsider FRP
arrangement through writing a letter, he added.

Mr. Singh said that Government of India had fixed the FRP
Rs. 129.84 per quintal for crushing season for 2009-10 on the
basis of 9.5 per cent recovery, which comes to Rs. 123 per quintal
on the basis of 9 per cent recovery taken in earlier crushing
seasons. While the State Government had announced SAP Rs. 170
and Rs. 165 per quintal for early growing and general cane verities
respectively.

The Cabinet Secretary said that with a view to making fields
vacant for sowing Rabi crops timely in western area of the State,
the Government by issuing cane reservation order had directed
the sugar mills to start crushing the canes immediately, besides,
providing all the facilities to cane farmers being given by State
Government for cane development.
******
Import and transportation
of raw sugar should be stopped
— C.M.

Ensure payment of SAP and other
facilities in a time bound manner to the cane farmers
— Mayawati

Lucknow : 04 November 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati, with a view
to getting the fields of the cane growers ready for Rabi sowing,
has directed the officers to immediately stop the import of raw
sugar through railway rack. She further directed the officers to
ensure that the cane growers were provided payment of SAP
announced by the state government and other facilities at the
earliest. She said that the government would not tolerate that the
interests of the farmers were neglected. She warned that if the
officers showed any laxity in the affairs of the cane growers and
any complaint was received, their responsibility would be fixed and
action would be taken against them.

The Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, while
giving the information regarding the directives of the Chief
Minister to the media persons through a press conference held at
the Lal Bahadur Shashtri Bhawan here today, said that the U.P.
Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati was very sensitive about the interests
of the 40 lakh cane farmers.

Giving information regarding the directives of the Chief
Minister given for the welfare of the cane growers, Mr. Singh said
that the state government was making all possible efforts to
increase the income of the cane growers by ensuring more and
more cane production. For that, the cane growers were being
provided five new varieties of sugar cane which would give
enhanced yield. Besides, early maturing cane varieties were also
being promoted.

The Cabinet Secretary said that keeping in view all the
aspects of cane production and its price U.P. Government had
fixed SAP Rs. 25 per quintal more for 2009-10 in comparison to
last year. Such an increase had never been made earlier. This
increase was more than the increase announced by Haryana and
Panjab Governments. The farmers of the State would be benefited
by this increase, he added.

Mr. Singh said that Government of India had also made this
arrangement by amendment in Sugar Cane Control Order —1966
(Central), that if the State Government fixes State Advised Price
(SAP) more than the fair and remunerative price (FRP), then the
State Government would herself bear the burden of more payment
than FRP. The Government of India did not find it necessary to
take the State Government into confidence before making
amendment/arrangement regarding FRP, he added.
The Cabinet Secretary said that Government of India had
indirectly ended the right of the State Government to fix sugar
cane price, which had been recognized by the Supreme Court. In
such a way, the interests of about 40 lakh farmers of the State
had been overlooked. He said that keeping in view the interest of
cane farmers, the Chief Minister had drawn the attention of the
Central Government towards the incompatibilities with regard to
FRP. She had requested to the Prime Minister to reconsider FRP
arrangement through writing a letter, he added.

Mr. Singh said that Government of India had fixed the FRP
Rs. 129.84 per quintal for crushing season for 2009-10 on the
basis of 9.5 per cent recovery, which comes to Rs. 123 per quintal
on the basis of 9 per cent recovery taken in earlier crushing
seasons. While the State Government had announced SAP Rs. 170
and Rs. 165 per quintal for early growing and general cane verities
respectively.

The Cabinet Secretary said that with a view to making fields
vacant for sowing Rabi crops timely in western area of the State,
the Government by issuing cane reservation order had directed
the sugar mills to start crushing the canes immediately, besides,
providing all the facilities to cane farmers being given by State
Government for cane development.
******

comments (0)
11/13/09
Falling in love with Myanmar: Hidden beauty of the world Story and Pictures Ganga ILLEPERUMA Recent visit to Myanmar-Mayawati for making Noida best city-Maya defends statues of SC/ST icons
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 8:56 am


Falling in love with Myanmar: Hidden beauty of the world


Kyaikhtiyo pagoda

Myanmar,
formerly known as Burma, is the Land of Human Origin. It is also
recognised as the Golden Land. Compared with other countries Myanmar is
not a tourists destination per se but has many magnificent and exciting
excursions in all part of the country.

People with a basic
knowledge of the culture and custom of Myanmar will find it easy to
live with its citizens and leave in the same fashion. Though Myanmar
social customs are quite flexible, the ground rules are important for
convivial inter change.

The country is a union of 135 ethnic
groups with their own languages and dialects. The major races are the
Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin, the Mon, the Bamar, the
Rakhine, and the Shan. The name Myanmar embraces all the ethnic groups.


Shwedagon Pagoda

Architecture and arts

It
is the architecture that one sees as the strongest evidence of Burmese
artistic skills and craftsmanship. Burmese buildings take two basic
forms - pagodas and temples. Traditionally only the latter have been
made of permanent materials; monasteries and all secular buildings
were, until recently, constructed of wood, and thus, only few
non-religious buildings of former times remain to be visited.

Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon
Pagoda is the most popular and well-known pagoda in Yangon and is the
most notable building in this city. This pagoda is one of the main
tourist destinations in Myanmar. The Shwedagon Pagoda is a great
cone-shaped Buddhist monument that crowns a hill about one mile north
of the Cantonmen Pagodas are found almost everywhere in the country in
big numbers. All pagodas, however, have in common a bell-shaped
structure, which in later centuries was erected on top of a foundation.
Temples are constructed mainly to house images of the Buddha. The walls
are often decorated with beautiful paintings depicting episodes from
the lives of the Buddha.


Mandalay Palace

Maha Wizaya Pagoda

The
pagoda itself is a solid brick stupa (Buddhist reliquary) that is
completely covered with gold. It rises 326 feet (99 m) on a hill 168
feet (51 m) above the city. There are 4 entrances leading into the base
of this Shwedagon Pagoda and we entered from the Southern entrance.

Sule Pagoda

Sule
Pagoda is located in Yangon, at the junction of Sule Pagoda Road and
Mahabandoola Road, Kyauktada Township, Yangon, Myanmar. The Sule Pagoda
is an excellent landmark. It is said to be over 2,000 years old. The
pagoda is said to enshrine a hair of the Buddha: its Mon name, Kyaik
Athok translates as the pagoda where a Sacred Hair Relic is enshrined.

Mandalay the second capital city of Myanmar still
retains its old cultural traditions and is the centre of attractions
for its historical heritage. It is well-known and for the presence of
significant monastries, pagosdas, temples and religious edifices.

Pahtodawgyi


Sales in a floating market - Inle Lake

It
is one of the famous buildings in the world which was built by King
Bodawpaya. The building of Mingun Pahtodawgyi started in 1790. Had it
been completed it would have reached a height of some 500 feet but it
was stopped at 162 feet height. Its girth is about 450 square feet.
When he was building this temple astrologies told him ˜If you finish
build this temple you will miss the crown. So the king stopped that
construction. The pagoda was left unfinished.

Two enormous
prominent statues of lions in Mingun, one of the tourist attractions is
at the eastern stairway of Pahtodawgyi which faces the Ayeyawaddy
river. You can climb the top and from there, you can also enjoy the
natural beauty of the Ayeyawady river. If this pagoda had been
completed, then it would have been the largest monument. This
unfinished structure was damaged with cracks left by the earthquake of
1838 but it is still the largest brick base in the world.

Mingun Bell

King
Bodawpaya dedicated a big bronze bell near the Pahtodawgyi but it is
said that Buddhist devotees inserted gold, silver ornaments and
jewellery into the bronze. The Bell measures eleven cubits and four
thits (fingers) in diameter at its mouth; 33 cubits, one mit (6 inches)
and four thits in circumference and 13 cubits, one mit and four thits
in height. It weighs 55555 viss.


Mahagandar Yow

Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda

The
Kuthodaw Pagoda is often called the world’s largest book which has 729
pages on stone scripts. It is a large walled complex situated at the
base of the southeast stairway to Mandalay Hill and it was built by
King Mindon in 1872. It is in this place that the king held sangayanawa
and there were 2,400 monks came from throughout the country and they
completed the pages during six months.

Than Buddha Pagoda

This
temple is very similar to the Borobudur temple in Indonesia. The famous
monk who lived in this area called Monyin Sayadaw built this temple in
1939- 1952. Inside this temple we could see 580,000 Buddha statues and
we could buy new statues and replaced them. There are 7000 relics and
many other precious materials enshrined here said Nway U Khine, our
guide of Travelonthat accompanied us.

Mahamuni

The
Maha Muni Pagoda was built to enshrine the Maha Muni image, nearly 13
ft(4m) high. It is covered with so much gold leaf that its body has
lost all proportion. Only the face, washed during the ceremony each
dawn, is not allowed to be gilded. Women are not allowed to go near the
Buddha image.


The woman takes her yield

U Pein bridge

The
teakwood bridge spans 1.2 km across the shallow Taungthaman Lake some
10km south of Mandalay. It was built by U Pein in the mid-19th century
when the capital of Innwa (Ava) Kingdom moved to the nearby Amarapura.

Today,
even though a few of the 1,000 teakwood posts have been replaced by
concrete, the bridge remains intact and serves as the main passage
indispensable to the daily life of the local people.

Mandalay Palace

Mandalay
Palace was the first palace to be built in Mandalay, by King Mindon
when he shifted his capital from Amarapura in 1861. All ancillary
buildings for the court, the fortified high walls with ramparts, the
moat, water systems, roads, gardens with shady tamarind trees,
recreational playgrounds, swimming pools, security ports with infantry
and audience halls etc. The palace was burnt down during World War II
by the British and today only the city walls are original. They are 2km
on each side. The present palace is rebuilt by the military government
taking after the model of the old one. Now the palace site is occupied
by the military.


Laksha Industry

Gold Leaf

The
square gold leaf tissues used for centuries and fragile enough that a
breath of the softest wind could crumble them are all hand made in the
lovely ancient capital of Mandalay. Only 24 carat gold is used. The
gold leaf is so thin and light that to smooth out wrinkles, the girls
just blow gently on it. The gold leaf is a sacred thing and can be
offered to religious buildings, and shrines or for Royal use in the
days of monarchy.

Pindaya Caves

The
Pindaya caves are a limestone ridge overlooking the Pindaya Lake
housing nine thousand Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble,
brick, lacquer and cement which have been put there centuries ago and
arranged in such a way as to form a labyrinth through the various cave
chambers.

The cave is million years old and Pindaya means spider.
The legend says seven princesses bathed in the lake and they took a
rest in this cave. At that time the cave was blocked by a huge spider
and the princesses shouted for help. Then the prince who came to the
forest for hunting heard the crying and killed the spider by his arrow.

Later
the prince got married to the youngest princess and lived happily ever
after. Entering the cave we could see the images according to the
legends of the spider and the prince with an arrow. There are two
ancient stupas in this cave. One is from the 3rd century and the second
from the12th century.

Inle Lake

Myanmar
has its share of magical destinations and among them Inle Lake is one
of the most captivating. It is frequently cited by visitors to Myanmar
as the highlight of their entire trip.

The people of Inle Lake
(called Intha), some 70,000 of them, live in four cities bordering the
lake, in numerous small villages along the lake’s shores, and on the
lake itself. The population consists predominantly of Intha, with a mix
of other Shan, Taungyo, Pa-O (Taungthu), Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar
ethnicities. Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of
wood and woven bamboo on stilts; they are largely self-sufficient
farmers.

Most
transportation on the lake is traditionally by small boats, or by
somewhat larger boats fitted with outboard motors. Local fishermen are
known for practising a distinctive rowing style which involves standing
at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar.

This
unique style was evolved for the reason that the lake is covered with
reeds and floating plants making it difficult to see above them while
sitting. Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds.
However, the leg rowing style is practised only by men. Women row in
the customary style, using the oar with their hands, sitting cross
legged at the stern.

Floating farm Inle Lake is a major tourist attraction, and this has led to
some development of tourist infrastructure.

They
have floating gardens and tomato industry is their main income. Apart
from these industries we could also see weaving centres and cigar
manufacture also.

Kyaikhtiyo pagoda

Kyaikhtiyo
pagoda is located in the small town called Kyaikhto, in the Mon State.
The pagoda is also known as the golden rock. The meaning of Kyaik Hti
Yo : According to Mon tradition, the name is a corruption of
Kyaiki-thi-yo being derived as follows.

Since we couldn’t reach
there by coach we went by truck to the villages and on the final part
to the top of the mountain we had to go by palanquin. The strong boys
in this village make palanquins and they carry all foreigners to the
top and it is their main income also.

It is located on top of mount Kyaiktiyo at 1102 meters above sea level is recognized as one of the wonders of South East Asia.

It
can also be qualified as one of the wonders of the world by virtue of
its unique position atop a gilded boulder which is delicately balanced
on the edge of the sloping surface of a separate rock table, the slope
dropping perpendicularly into the valley below.



Message from President Sri Lanka Myanmar Friendship Assoc.

As
the President of Sri Lanka Myanmar Friendship Association, I am happy
and honoured to send a congratulatory message on His Excellency Senior
General Than Shew the Head of Stateof Myanmar visit to Sri Lanka.
Myanmar and Sri Lanka have maintained close religious and cultural ties
for nearly a thousand years since the 11thcentury when Sinhala monks
began to playa key role in disseminating the Theravada form of Buddhism
in Myanmar.

When
in the 18thand 19thcenturies with the decline of Buddhism after the
devastation caused by the Portuguese, sections of the Sri Lankan Sangha
expressed interest in receiving Higher Ordination independent of Siam
Nikaya, Myanmar Sangha and the royalty readily came to our help.

The Amarapura Nikaya and Ramanna Nikaya were thus formed in Sri Lanka.

These
two monastic lineages contributed immensely to the enrichment of
educational, cultural and religious conditions in Sri Lanka and later
to the world-wide international Buddhist movement.

The Myanmar
President’s visit will herald a new era of bringing the already
existing ties of the two countries to a new height, especially in
religious and cultural sectors. Religious and cultural tourism is an
area that should be promoted in order to create a better people to
people understanding between our two countries. Our Association will be
happy to give our utmost support to such aninitiative.

- Kumara Semage


Mayawati for making Noida best city



— Photos: Shanker Chakravarty





NEW LINK: Union Minister for Urban Development S.
Jaipal Reddy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit flag off a Delhi
Metro train from the Akshardham station to Noida City Centre station,
in New Delhi on Thursday. (Right) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati
flags off the Metro train at the Noida station. Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation Chairman E. Sreedharan is seen to her right.

NOIDA: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Thursday hailed the
Delhi Metro’s maiden journey into Noida as a step that will bring the
suburb on a par with the developed cities of the world.

Flagging off the first metro train from Noida, Ms. Mayawati said it
will not only make commuting easier, but also go a long way in
improving the economic and employment avenues here.

The Chief Minister also chose the occasion to reiterate her demand
for clearance of the proposed international airport at Jewar in Greater
Noida. “I have already written to the Union government on the issue
several times and I urge them to sanction the airport soon to develop
this area speedily.”

Ms. Mayawati made an oblique reference to her government’s
assistance in timely completion of the Noida line. “After coming to
power, we gave special instructions to the Noida Development Authority
to release the required money to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
[DMRC]. I appreciate that the Noida Development Authority paid about
Rs.557 crore, more than two-third amount of the total cost to the DMRC
for completion of this project,” she said.

The government was keen on extending the metro service to the rest
of the State, starting with more parts in Noida and Greater Noida, she
asserted.

“Noida will have the best infrastructure to make it one of the best
cities of the world. My government has been providing Rs.2,000 crore
every year for the development of infrastructure to ensure that Noida
is counted among the best cities,” she said.

Maya defends statues of SC/ST icons



STAFF WRITER 18:12 HRS IST


Noida (UP), Nov 12 (PTI) Unfazed by ongoing cases in the Supreme Court


on the issue, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today said the


controversial memorial for B R Ambedkar and BSP founder Kansi Ram


being built here was a symbol of respect for the SC/ST icons who


fought against injustice.




“Keeping in mind the sentiments of the people of western UP, a


memorial is being constructed here as a mark of a respect for great


leaders and saints who have fought throughout their lives against


inequality and casteism,” Mayawati said.




She also charged successive governments in the state with “ignoring”


the contribution of such people.




The BSP chief was speaking to the media after inaugurating the


extension of Delhi Metro service to Noida.

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11/12/09
VR1 (WE ARE ONE ) +VE NEWS-Revisiting Sri Lanka-Myanmar historical links-Why should you read a Zen story?-By-polls result a reaffirmation of people’s faith: Mayawati-Karnataka BSP stages Dharna near Mysore Bank condemning the Rowdy Layers who manhandled the Chief Justice of Karnataka and other judges on 12-11-2009.
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Revisiting Sri Lanka-Myanmar historical links

The
intense relationship between Sri Lanka and Myanmar spans over a period
of 1,000 years beginning with the emergence of Bagan as the cradle of
Burmese culture and civilization in the 11th Century.

Shwezigon Temple

This
ancient capital of Myanmar epitomizes one of the world’s greatest feats
of building construction - greater than all of Europe’s cathedrals, the
construction of which spread over nearly seven centuries whereas Bagan
is home to 4,446 monuments, built within a period of less than two and
a half centuries, mostly within a period of 150 years. Bagan is a
unique city encompassing approximately 40 square km. with a wide
variety of religious buildings, some standing higher than 70 metres.

Twelfth
Century murals depicting scenes from the chronicle Mahavamsa, four
abodes of Sinhala monks and 260 large monuments influenced by Sinhalese
are some of the re-discoveries that I have been able to make during my
study visits to Bagan in the recent years.

Bagan
to the Myanmar people is what Anuradhapura is to Sri Lankans -
especially Sinhala Buddhists. Sri Lanka’s contribution towards the
consolidation of the Bagan Empire in terms of religion, culture and
civilization is attested to in the Myanmar historical chronicles,
inscriptions, art and architecture, as well as in Sinhalese records.
What Sri Lanka later gained from Myanmar is equally significant.
Myanmar’s religious gifts to Sri Lanka - the Amarapura and the Ramanna
sects contributed a great deal to the religious, cultural and
educational renaissance in the 18th and 19th Centuries, the influence
of which continues to this day.

Famous relics

Sri
Lanka being not only the foremost centre of Buddhism, but also the
country that possessed two of the most famous relics of the Buddha, the
sacred Tooth Relic and the Alms Bowl, attracted the rulers of Southeast
Asia. It appears from Myanmar historical chronicles that the highest
ambition of Bagan kings was to possess the sacred Tooth relic of the
Buddha. King Anawrahta sent a mission to Sri Lanka along with a gift of
a white elephant to obtain the sacred Tooth Relic from his friend
Vijayabahu I (1055-1110 A.C.). (This event is not mentioned in Sri
Lankan sources).

Anawrahta received only a replica of the Tooth
Relic. The King made a vow for it to replicate and there emerged four
other replicas. He enshrined the first in the Shwezigon Stupa which he
built in 1059 A.C. The other four were enshrined in four other Stupas,
the most famous among them being Lawkananda. Situated on the riverbank,
Lawkananda is an ancient landmark near the old harbour where vessels
from Sri Lanka, Arakan (Rakhine) and the Mon Ramannadesa anchored.

Mahavamsa paintings

Among
the most interesting sights in Bagan for Sri Lankans is the Mahavamsa
episodes painted in the Myinkaba Kubyauk-gyi Temple in Bagan. This
Temple has pictorial illustrations of a large number of episodes
covering the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka up to the reign of our
King Vijayabahu, the contemporary of King Anawrahta and Kyanzittha. The
murals relate events from Asoka’s life including his paying homage to
Moggaliputta Tissa Thera. There is also a sequence of panels depicting
the first three Buddhist Councils.

Sri Lanka Monastery Elephant
Kandula

The
scenes in these pictorial illustrations include: the Buddha’s visits to
Sri Lanka, Emperor Asoka and King Devanampiyatissa, Asoka’s message and
the gifts for Devanampiyatissa’s coronation, Devanampiyatissa’s meeting
with Thera Mahinda and Theri Sanghamitta’s arrival in Sri Lanka
carrying the Bodhi tree. On another wall are the scenes from the life
of the Mahavamsa hero, Dutthagamini, namely: his elephant Kandula, he
being given the name Abhaya (fearless), Abhaya wanting to go out and
fight the enemy, when his father forbids him, he sends his father a
woman’s dress making the father angry, King Elara and the number of
villages he administers and his justice bell which is rung by a cow
when his son drives his chariot over a calf.

Another Mahavamsa
inspired set of paintings are found in the Sakyamuni Temple where
scenes from Sanghamitta’s arrival in Sri Lanka are depicted. Sakyamuni
Temple, also built in the 12th Century has scenes of Theri Sanghamitta
bringing the Bo sapling to Sri Lanka and the Bo plant becoming one
thousand times bigger after pouring of water on it.

These
stories are known to every child in Sri Lanka. It seems to be the same
in Myanmar too. The late historian Dr. Godakumbura mentions that on a
visit to Myanmar in the 1960s, he found to his amazement that the
Myanmar people considered Sri Lanka history to be their history and
Dutthagamini, the national of Sri Lanka, specially of Sinhala Buddhists
as their national hero. The Bhikkuni Suwimalee who as child stayed in
Myanmar in the 1950s as her father was the Sri Lanka ambassador to then
Myanmar confirms this. She remembers that the maid who looked after her
in Yangon used to say that Dutu Gamunu was their hero. A somewhat
similar view is held in the whole of South-East Asia. (I have seen
during several years’ stay in Cambodia similar recollections among the
Cambodian people of Sri Lanka history, especially the Dutu Gemunu
episode.) One of the explanations given by Western historians of the
mural depictions of wars in that region as occurring between kings
fighting on elephants is that the original model was the Dutu
Gemunu-Elara battle on elephants It should be remembered that Myanmar
historical writings themselves began under the guidance of Sinhala
Bhikkhus. The Myanmar chronicles such as the Mahasammatavamsa,
Rajavamsa and Sasanavamsa were directly modeled after the Mahavamsa.

Sri Lankan Monks’ Monastery Complexes

Illustrating
the general prestige of Sinhalese monks, a Myanmar inscription dated
1268 A.C, claimed that the deeds of merit by the donor were witnessed
by all the Sri Lankan monks. An inscription near the Sinhalese style
Stupa (No. 1113) in the vicinity of the Tamani complex of monasteries
dated 1271 A.C recorded by Tissa Maha Thera is indicative. It describes
the mission undertaken by a Bagan monk to Sri Lanka carrying a message
from the King of Bagan to the Sri Lankan King requesting for more Sri
Lankan monk teachers to go to Myanmar to propagate the Buddha’s message.

During
the reign of King Narapatisithu and the period immediately thereafter,
several large monastery complexes that were built in Bagan were
dedicated to Sinhalese monks. Inscriptions and ruins of several
monasteries belonging to this period demonstrate that a large number of
influential Sri Lankan monks taught Myanmar monks and Samaneras.

The
monasteries where the Sri Lankan monks resided are located South of the
old city. The monks from Sri Lanka came to be known also as the Tamani
group or sect and the monasteries that they resided in were known as
Tamani monasteries. The largest monastery complex identified as Tamani
comprises three large monasteries, located near each other. I have
visited them a few times and let me give a brief description.

Sanghamitta carrying Bo Sapling King Elara’s Bell and Cow

One
large monastery has two floors while a broken Buddha image still lies
among the ruins of the monastery which accommodated around 100 monks.

An
inscription dated 1277 A.C. inside this monastery refers to Venerable
Tamalin (a Sinhalese monk), the head of a large monastery who was
supported by Queen Summula’s daughter Princess Acau and her uncle
Singasu. Tamalin was one of the most popular monks during the reign of
King Tarukpliy of the 13th Century, also known as Narathihapate.

One of the three monasteries was specially allocated to the Samaneras.

Numerous
were the Stupas built according to the Sinhalese bell-shaped style.
There were at least 260 such Sri Lankan style Stupas. The inflow of
Sinhala Buddhist culture was facilitated by Myanmar monks going to Sri
Lanka and Sri Lankan monks coming to Bagan.

The
Stupa built by Chapata who received Upasampada and studied in Sri Lanka
for ten years is one of these Stupas built according to the Sri Lanka
style.

Marriage alliances

There
have been also marriage alliances between our two countries. According
to Myanmar historical chronicles, King Alaungsithu of the 12th Century,
King of Myanmar (who was a contemporary of Parakramabahu the Great)
visited Sri Lanka.

Alaungsithu, married a daughter of the
Sinhalese king and returned with an image of Maha Kassapa Thera who was
highly venerated at the time in Sri Lanka. (It was Maha Kassapa Thera
who helped reform our Sasana under Parakramabahu). Although not
mentioned in Sri Lankan records, there is evidence from Myanmar
inscriptions that confirms the strong Sinhalese connection with the
Myanmar royalty during that time. The premier historian of Myanmar,
Gordon Luce and local historians have given evidence to show that there
was a strong Sinhalese influence in the Bagan Royal Court during the
reigns of Alaungsithu and Narapatisithu. Wife of King Narapatisithu,
Queen Uchokpan was a Sinhalese princess, possibly the daughter of
Parakramabahu I.

Lankan monks

Uchokpan
had come to Bagan with her brother who was appointed as a Minister of
the King. She was made the favoured, though not the chief Queen of
Narapatisithu, as evident from the title she had. Queen Uchokpan’s two
sons, Rajasura and Gangasura, though precluded from succession,
remained for a long time influential figures at the Court, loyal to
Narapatisithu and his successors.

Queen Uchokpan’s nephew was a strong supporter of Sri Lankan monks who established the ‘Sihala Sangha’ there.

But
the political relations were sometimes antagonistic. The Culavamsa
records that the Myanmar King caught sight of a letter addressed to the
King of Cambodia in the hands of the Sinhalese envoys and suspecting
that they were envoys sent to Cambodia (there was also a Sinhalese
princess among them, possibly sent as a bride to a Cambodian prince),
seized them and punished them.

He also immediately stopped Sri
Lanka’s lucrative elephant trade with foreign countries and captured
the elephants, money and vessels of Sinhalese envoys. Later the
conflict was resolved and warm relations were re-established with the
intervention of monks of the two countries.

The
relationship has been mutually beneficial for both countries on many
fronts. It is a good foundation to strengthen the friendship between
the two countries.

With the rise of Asia as the centre of
economic, political and cultural focus in the world, we can together
make Buddhism again the unifying force in Asia as well as across the
new globalised world at a time when Buddhism is being widely spread in
the Western world.


Why should you read a Zen story?

Once
there was an old man who lived at the top of a very high and dangerous
precipice. Every morning he would sit at the edge of the cliff and view
the surrounding mountains and forest. One day, after he set himself
down for his usual meditation, he noticed something shiny at the very
bottom of the precipice.

Now even though it was very far below
him, the old man had keen eyes and could just barely make out what it
was. It looked like a rather large, black chest with gold trimmings -
just sitting there atop a rock. “Where did it come from? What could be
inside it?” the old man thought to himself…

Nothing captures
our attention quite like a good story. Long before there was
television, movies, radio, and even books, people told stories as a way
to entertain and educate. Storytelling was as important to prehistoric
cave-dwellers eating antelope around a fire as it is to corporate
executives doing lunch. It’s in our human blood. We love the
development of plot and character, the climax, the resolution, the
vicarious thrill of living and learning through tales of others
sufferings and triumphs.

All
of literature and media is but an extension of the more basic urge to
tell a good story. The advantage of storytelling, though, is that you
do it in person - right there, right in front of people, so you get to
see, hear, and feel their reactions. Unlike books and television,
storytelling is much more interactive and personal. You don’t do it
alone, unless you’re quite psychotic…. but that’s another story.

We
are used to hear Zen and Taoist tales. Why am I suggesting that you
tell these stories to your neighbors? Is it because these are among the
oldest stories in human history and have withstood the test of time? Is
it because Zen and Taoism are ancient religions offering profound
insights into human nature, the cosmos, and spirituality?… Maybe. Or
maybe it’s just because they are fun to tell. Without a doubt, these
stories capture all sorts of truths about life and death. But they are
also witty, entertaining, humorous, and at times puzzling, even
mind-bending.

And
they are not just the secret lessons of monks sequestered away in
mountain monasteries. The ancient teachers intended these stories to be
used by everyone, everywhere. On the train to work, during dinner at a
restaurant, leaning over the backyard fence as you talk to your
neighbor - all of these situations and more lend themselves to these
stories. Once you read and learn a few of them, you will see
opportunities to tell them popping up everywhere with your family,
friends, and coworkers.

Think
of these tales as conversation pieces, as handy tools that you can lift
out of your pocket to help you and others talk, think, and laugh about
the wondrous and mysterious details of this thing we call Life.

For
your storytelling, you need background homework. You need others’
homework. These people may include students from varying walks of life,
your friends and relatives. As you will see, people interpret each
story in very different ways. That’s what makes them so interesting.

You
may have heard some of the tales before and believe you know what they
‘mean’. But if you read these people’s reactions - or tell the stories
to your neighbors and hear their reactions - I think you’ll be amazed
at how these tales strike a different chord in everyone. The stories
have many meanings.Talking about those meanings with your friends and
family can be a truly educational experience.

So read on. Pick out the stories that
sound interesting. Read Zen story books from ‘cover’ to ‘cover’, or at
random, or use the links at the bottom of each story to connect to
other stories with similar themes. There’s no right or wrong way to do
this. Pick the method that works best for you. And perhaps, like the
old man at the top of the precipice, you will see something surprising.


VR1

(WE  ARE  ONE )

+VE  NEWS



LUCKNOW, November 10, 2009
By-polls result a reaffirmation of people’s faith: Mayawati

Atiq Khan Share
The president of Bahujan Samaj Party and the Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister, Mayawati dubbed her party’s sweep in the Assembly
by-elections as a reiteration of the people’s faith in the policy of
“sarvjan hitaya, sarvjan sukhaya.”

She added that the by-poll results had exposed the Opposition parties,
who had unleashed a malicious propaganda against her Government.

Targeting the Samajwadi Party, the BSP president said in a press
release that the negative politics had led it to lose its traditional
Bhartana and Etawah seats. Ms. Mayawati slammed her bete noire and SP
president, Mulayam Singh and said the Congress victory in Firozabad
was a manifestation of the people’s anger against dynastic politics
pursued by him.

Ms. Mayawati noted that in the 2007 UP Assembly elections, the BSP had
won only the Lalitpur seat, but in the recent by-elections the party
added eight new seats to its tally in the State Assembly. The BSP
wrested Bhartana, Powayan, Isauli, Hainser Bazar and Etawah from
Samajwadi Party and Padrauna and Jhansi from the Congress. The BSP
also triumphed in Rari, which was won by the party’s MP from Jaunpur,
Dhananjay Singh on a Janata Dal ( United ) ticket in the 2007 Assembly
elections.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister waxed eloquent that the BSP won in
Jhansi and Padrauna, which were represented in the Vidhan Sabha by two
Central Ministers, Pradeep Jain and RPN Singh. She claimed that the
BSP would have won from Lucknow West had the BJP not diverted its vote
to the Congress.

Stating that the by-polls had exposed the Opposition’s conspiracy
against her, Ms. Mayawati said the BSP cadres had been told about the
designs of the Congress, SP and the BJP before the by-elections. She
said the verdict had cut short the Opposition design to upstage her.

The BSP relied more on extensive ground level mobilisation of voters by the cadre through the

booth level committees. Besides, Maya introduced reservation for

  SC/STs in allotment of government contracts and in private technical

colleges.

The moves have shown results, with BSP winning 12 out of 15 seats in

the two bypolls since August. BSP while retaining Lalitpur and Rari,


snatched seven assembly seats from the rival parties. Meanwhile,


sources said that all those leaders who worked hard in the bypolls are


likely to be awarded with ministerial posts. They will include BSP


state president Swami Prasad Maurya, who had to quit state cabinet


after losing two successive elections. But now, he has won from


Padrauna.




Barthana seat was vacated by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav after being


elected to the Parliament. BSP’s Shiv Prasad Yadav had lost to Mulayam


in Barthana in 2007 assembly polls but in bypolls he defeated SP. Maya


had fielded SP turncoats — Mahendra Singh, Dasrath Prasad and Chandra


Bhadra Singh — Etawah, Hainsar Bazaar and Issauli respectively. The


three had won from the same seats in 2007 as SP candidates but had


crossed over to the BSP during the Lok Sabha polls.




In Lalitpur, BSP’s Suman Devi has won. She is widow of Nathu Ram who


was elected in 2007 from the same seat. BSP’s Kailash Sahu won in


Jhansi with a razor thin margin of nine votes defeating independent


candidate Dam Dam Maharaj. Rajdev Singh, father of


mafia-turned- politician and BSP MP from Jaunpur, Dhananjay Singh, won


in Rari. Dhananjay has been MLA from Rari twice before he was elected


MP.




Regarding defeat in Lucknow West and Kolasala, Mayawati said that BSP


got good vote share at both the places but lost because opposition


parties joined hands to defeat her candidates. On Congress victory in


Firozabad Lok Sabha byelection, Maya said it was an outcome of


people’s anger against Mulayam’s parivar vaad.



Karnataka BSP stages Dharna near Mysore Bank condemning the Rowdy Layers who
manhandled the Chief Justice of Karnataka and other judges on 12-11-2009.

Karnataka BSP President Marasandra Muniappa, Gopinath, Chikkanna, Koramangala Muniappa,
R.Muniappa, Kamalnabhan, condemned Putte Gowda, Nesaragi, Jagdish Reddy of Advocates
Association who took law in their own hands. They manhandled CJI of Karnataka, Judges Gopala Gowda
and a woman judge were locked insihe Karnataka High Court and pushed a journalist who covered
the news from the second floor of High Court Building. The leaders wanted the Rowdy advocates
 to be booked under goondas act and debar them from the bar council. The wanted the Karnataka government
to close down the Advocates association who were dictating terms to the Judges and functioned
above law.They submitted a memorandum in this connection

comments (0)
11/11/09
Bypoll a shot in the arm for Mayawati
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 9:01 am


Bypoll a shot in the arm for Mayawati


While jolting Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the results Tuesday of bypolls to one Lok Sabha and 11 state assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh have come as a shot in the arm for Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and Chief Minister Mayawati.

The Congress  lost hold over two seats.

In Firozabad, the Congress’ Raj Babbar trounced SP chief Mulayam
Singh’s daughter-in-law, Dimple Yadav, by a margin of 85,043 votes.
S.P. Singh Baghel of the BSP finished third. Mr. Babbar got 3,12,428
votes, Ms. Yadav 2,27,385 and Mr. Baghel 2,13,571.

The BSP won the Rari, Isauli, Hainsar Bazar, Lalitpur, Bhartana,
Padrauna, Powayan (Reserved), Etawah and Jhansi Assembly seats.

More than the victory of the BSP, the by-elections will be remembered
for the setback suffered by Mr. Mulayam Singh, who staked his prestige
in Firozabad.

Strongholds lost

Apart from having failed to win a single Assembly seat, two SP
strongholds, Bhartana (the seat was vacated by Mr. Singh after his
election to the Lok Sabha) and Etawah, also slipped out of the party’s
grip.

Both were won by the BSP.

As for the BJP, barring in Lucknow West and Jhansi, its candidates
lost their deposits in all Assembly constituencies and Firozabad.

The party paid a heavy price for infighting in Lucknow West, where Amit Puri was made the proverbial sacrificial goat.

The BJP lost its stronghold of the last 20 years where Shyam Kishore Shukla of the Congress won.

The party position in the Assembly now is: BSP 227; SP 87; BJP 48;
Congress 20; RLD 10; RSP 1; Independents 9 and Nominated 1. The
Mughalsarai seat is vacant.

BSP, that had won three of the four by-elections held earlier in August, would now take its tally to an all-time high of 227 seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly.

It was not just the ruling party’s victory on as many as nine of the 11 assembly seats
that had given Mayawati reason to revel. What was more significant was
that her biggest adversary Mulayam’s SP was reduced to nought.

On the other hand, the ruling party that had only four of these 11 seats in its kitty at the beginning of the bypoll, could boast of taking its count way ahead.

Neither could the Samajwadi Party retain the three seats it held earlier, nor could the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) keep its hold over the lone seat (Lucknow-West), held by its veteran Lalji Tandon for years.

While SP ostensibly lost its hold over three seats - Bhartana,
Etawah and Isauli - to BSP, it effectively lost five. Powayan and
Hainsar Bazar - won by SP in 2007 - had fallen vacant following
resignations by the SP incumbents, who switched sides to BSP.

What had clearly given a devastating blow to Mulayam were his party’s
shocking reverses in his personal political bastion. Apart from the
fact that his daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav lost very badly to the
high profile filmstar-turned-Congressman Raj Babbar, the SP nominee
lost the Bhartana seat also which Mulayam had himself won in 2007. The
SP chief vacated the seat after his election to the Lok Sabha earlier
this year.

For the Congress, it was a mixed bag. Even though Congress had found some reason to rejoice, the fact remains that it had also lost two key seats earlier held by its prominent leaders R.P.N. Singh and Pradeep Jain, who were not very long ago named ministers in the Mamnohan Singh government.

While R.P.N. Singh had vacated the Padrauna seat after his election to the Lok Sabha, Pradeep Jain was earlier the party MLA from Jhansi.

What was perhaps even more disheartening for the Congress was that
it also lost quite badly in Powayan, that was entrusted under the
charge of yet another union minister Jitin Prasada, who hails from
Shahjahanpur in the vicinity.

BJP’s case was even worse as it failed to figure anywhere, other
than Lucknow, at the number two position. The loss of Lucknow (West)
was colossal for theparty in many ways. The seat had been the
pocket-borough of BJP veteran Lalji Tandon, who has now replaced former
prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as theparty MP from here. And Amit Puri, the party nominee had taken a plunge into the fray with Vajpayee’s blessings.

Top state BJP leader attributed the party’s poor performance to “rampant infighting”,

While Mayawati was not available for comment, one of her close aides
told IANS: “The poll results were a referendum on the performance of
the two-and-a-half-year-old BSP government, that had devoted its
energies only towards the development of the state.”

He said: “It also shows how the people of the state have rejected all other parties.”

comments (0)
11/10/09
Buddhist law of conditioned co-genesis
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 2:38 am



Buddhist
law of conditioned co-genesis

Nalluruwe Ranjit Fernando

Continued from 25.10.2009 (Link)

Reproduction of food

In order to reap a good harvest, there are several conditions or factors
which have to be essentially fulfilled. The seeds should be good “fertile”
seeds. The soil has to be suitably prepared. Water, sunlight and fertiliser have
to be supplied in correct proportions. When all these conditions are
appropriately fulfilled, invariably the result would be a good harvest. On the
other hand, if these conditions are absent or deficient, the result would be
different.

Reproduction of fire

One of the earliest technologies of man is the method of igniting fire. By
the rubbing together of two dry wooden sticks, sparks are produced and a fire
could be ignited. The Buddha pointed out that as long as the two sticks
continue to be rubbed, sparks and fire will emanate and the moment you stop the
rubbing, the process ceases. According to the Brahamin ideology prevalent at
the time, fire was a god. Chief male householder was given the exclusive
authority to control the fire in the hearth in every home. The Buddha’s
explanations exploded these myths that fire was a god and the male dominance
over fire was a bogus precept.

Human reproduction

Human reproduction is also an example of the Law of Conditioned Co-genesis.
The Buddha listed the conditions or pre-requisites for a human birth to take
place. 1. A male and a female must unite. 2. They should have sexual
intercourse. 3. The woman should be in her fertile period. 4. Conception must
take place. i.e. the spermatoza must penetrate the ovum, completing the
conception. If these conditions are not fulfilled, no birth is possible. The
Buddha explained that scarifies, vows, gifts, etc. to gods will not produce
anything.

Another Brahmana myth exploded with this lesson on biology given by the
Buddha about human gestation. It was believed by the Brahmanas that, they are
born out of the mouth of Maha Brahma. Lord Buddha pointed out that Brahamana
children are born through the vulva of Brahamin women (Yoni Jato) when the
above conditions are fulfilled and not otherwise; nor were children born
through anyone’s mouth.

Buddhist scriptures also indicate that social structures are conditioned and
produced by social praxis, in terms of the Law of Conditioned co-genesis.

The Agganna Sutra, describes step by step, the social transformations that
took place, when conditions changed and how cultural changes took place as
conditions changed. It is a fascinating exposition of social transformations
from the beginnings to the Buddha’s time.

The Buddha also stressed the need to observe precepts in the conduct of
social affairs to prevent the decline of society.

Lord Buddha preached to the Vajjins, who had a small but resplendent
Republic, that as long as they follow 7 precepts, named Sapta Apirihana Dhamma,
their Kingdom will never disintegrate or decline. The Vajjins faithfully
followed these precepts for a long time and enjoyed autonomous status, but with
the passage of time, these precepts were neglected. Conquerors invaded and
destroyed their Kingdom. It is stated in the Scriptures that the Buddha
witnessed the over-running of the Vajjin
Kingdom with great
sadness, but he had no power to intervene as the invariable law operated and
the Vajjins had to pay the Kammic price for their folly.

In this context, it will be useful to mention what these 7 precepts, Sapta
Apirihana Dhamma are:

1. The rulers must meet often. 2. They must assemble unitedly, deliberate
unitedly and disperse unitedly. 3. They must abide by the enacted rules, and
traditional rules and precepts will have to be observed. 4. Elders should be
honoured, assisted and their advice should be considered. 5. The Abduction of
women and female children should not be permitted. 6. All places of worship
should be developed and safeguarded. 7. All priests, monks and holy men should
be permitted to move freely and should be assisted and protected.

Conservation

The obvious inference from this Vajjin episode is that when certain
conditions are observed, society reaps the benefit of conservation and
development, and where certain other conditions are observed, the decline and
fall takes place.

In addition to this, the Buddha has pointed out that society is controlled,
directed and operated by 4 categories of people. They are Rulers, Parents,
Teachers and Priests. These are fully responsible for the conditions that come
into being and prevail in any society. In this context, it is improper to blame
the people, for the conditions that prevail.

On deeper examination of this explanation one finds that each of these
categories give the primary, basic leadership to the persons in society, in
their own sphere of activity. If this leadership is given in terms of the
morality outlined by the Buddha, progress is assured. But if this leadership is
based on Loba, Dosa and Moha, craving, hatred and delusion, the result
obviously, would be degeneration, ending in disaster.

World history shows that the unsatisfactory situation in societies cannot be
fully overcome by any political ideology or any economic ideology. Human beings
have not seen their “winter of discontent,” through any of these. The most
brilliant apostle of such ideology, Karl Marx, is now recognised as a failure.

Lord Buddha never professed any political programme nor directed his
energies towards social reforms. His concentrated aim was to liberate
individuals from the bondage of sorrow. But this obiter dicta (other sayings)
show the way, and the means to overcome social evils, applying the universal
principle of the Law of Conditioned Co-genesis.

Moral vanguard

Lord Buddha emphasised that the conditions faced by human beings in society
have not been created by any god. It is neither blind fate nor chance
happenings that have created these conditions. Human beings, on their own, had
created the conditions historically. Therefore, they could act together on some
humane and equitable basis to transform society towards the better. The need of
the present, is not a political vanguard or economic vanguard to achieve these
objectives. The need is for a moral vanguard. In the Sri Lankan context, the
moral regeneration of rulers, parents, teachers and priests should be on the
top of the agenda, to overcome the degeneration, which is omnipresent in every
sphere of society.

Thus, Lord Buddha has pointed out that the Law of Conditioned Co-genesis,
covers all activities in the world and is a universal law. In explanation, he
stated that whether the Buddha’s come into being or not, this law remains
eternal. To learn and be convinced of this law, enables a person to eliminate
personal sorrow but also eliminate the evils in society and the way to achieve
them is spelt out in the teaching.

The Buddha summarised the basis of this doctrine to a simple four line
stanza:

When this is, this is (imasmim sati, idam hoti)
This arising, this arises 
(imassuppada, idam uppajjati)
Where this is not, this is not 
(imasmim asati, idam na hoti)
This not arising, this does not arise (imassa nirodha, idam nirujjati)

(Concluded)

comments (0)
11/09/09
No heed to outcry of the poor during demolition drives
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 6:13 am





No heed to outcry of the poor during demolition drives


Notices are hardly issued in advance and middlemen are not held
accountable

‘Systematic removal’ of shelter of the

poor criticised

BBMP identifies 800 sites for demolition

in the city









Razed: A file photo of illegal constructions being
demolished by the BBMP at Kadugondanahalli in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) may be
pleased with itself for the rigorous demolition drive that it has taken
up over the past three weeks, but those who have been displaced say
that the system is “severely flawed”, for notices are hardly ever
issued in advance and middlemen are never held accountable, making
these drives “anti-poor”.

Members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and organisations such as
the  staged protests last week to condemn
the “systematic removal” of shelter of the poor by the Bangalore
Development Authority (BDA) and the BBMP.

Let’s take for example, one of the biggest demolitions of last week
at Kushalnagar in Kadugondanahalli, where the BBMP claims to have
demolished over 63 houses illegally built on the raja kaluve. This area
is mainly Muslim-dominated, with people from a lower economic
background, who work as porters or construction workers.

Residents say they were taken by surprise when the demolition squad
arrived. “Only 20-odd houses have been taken down, and about 200 people
have been displaced,” says Kannan, a social worker in that area. “The
houses that are actually blocking the raja kaluve are ‘pucca’
structures, which the BBMP will not demolish,” he says, pointing to a
house that is built across the main stormwater drain. “Areas on Tannery
Road have been given notices for a January demolition, but we were
not,” complains a displaced resident.

They also question the illegality of the land. “We have water and
electricity connections given to us by the government, so how can it be
illegal?” asks a resident.

Like many “unclaimed” pieces of land often usurped by middlemen and
leased out to unsuspecting people, the residents here paid one
Sirabullah, who even gave them documents for the land in return for
money many years ago. The person is question, they say, has long run
away.

After the demolition, many families put up temporary tents on either
side of the drain. “We wanted a shelter till we could make alternative
living arrangements, but the police came and took the tents down while
we were at work,” says Kamal, a displaced resident.

Meanwhile, the civic body has identified almost 800 sites in the
city for demolition, of which 50 per cent have been complete, and 40
per cent of the raja kaluve’s encroachments have been taken out.

Issac Selva of the Slum Jana Andolana, Karnataka, says that the BBMP
demolition in BTM Layout on October 30 was a result of the lack of
coordination between BBMP and the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board. “Two
years ago, the BBMP had issued a memorandum to the slum board asking
for them to declare the slum in question, but that never happened,” he
says. “The BBMP demolished it recently calling it illegal,” he adds.

According to Mr. Selva slums hardly “encroach” the raja kaluve, but they are removed so the “city looks clean”.

In a place like Kalasipalyam, where business is intense and quick,
and small shops at the bus-stop sustain the livelihoods of many
families, over 300 small shops have been taken down to build a bigger
bus-stop last week.

“We don’t deny that the area could do with a bus-stop, but they gave us no notice,” says Kamal, whose shop was demolished.


comments (0)
11/08/09
VR1 (WE ARE ONE ) +VE NEWS-The Grace “WAIT”- People betrayed: BSP-Caste discrimination in rehabilitation work alleged -
Filed under: General
Posted by: site admin @ 12:37 am


The Grace

“WAIT

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers. This was in the initial days.

While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples,

“I am thirsty. Do get me some water from that lake there.” The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it,

he noticed that right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became

very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!” So he came

back and told Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.” After about half an hour,

again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink.

The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it.

The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had.

So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, “See what you did to make the water clean.

You let it be…. and the mud settled down on its own – and you got clear water.

Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own.

You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.”

What
did Buddha emphasize here? He said, “It is effortless.” Having ‘Peace
of Mind’ is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process! Just wait
to Settle.

Have a Peaceful Life!!!!

The Bahujan Samaj Party must Just wait to Settle.   Give it a little time. See what you should do to Transform the Society.

People betrayed: BSP


‘BJP has neglected flood victims and relief work’

‘Crop damage assessment unscientific’

Bahujan Samaj Party has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) Government in the State of betraying the people and said that
while north Karnataka was reeling under post-flood trauma, BJP leaders
were busy with “moral science classes” in Suttur Math. Now, they were
busy sorting out their internal differences, regardless of the plight
of the flood victims
.

The BJP
had lost the moral authority to rule the State as its leaders appeared
to be fighting amongst themselves for power.

Describing the assessment of crop damage in the recent floods as
unscientific and incorrect, BSPdemanded that the State
Government revise its findings. He said the Government had estimated
the crop damage at Rs. 18,600 crore, while the actual loss had been
nearly Rs. 30,000 crore.

The loss of maize alone accounted for around Rs. 8,000 crore, after
which came paddy (Rs. 6,000 crore). Horticultural crops worth Rs. 3,000
crore too had been damaged, it claimed.

On the compensation payable to the flood-affected people, BSP said the Union Government was still following old norms framed
during British rule. “Under these, the Government is giving only Rs.
800 an acre as compensation for dryland and Rs. 1,600 for irrigated
land. This amount is too inadequate to compensate for the losses,” it
said.

The only way to provide better compensation was either to declare
the floods a natural calamity or make the necessary amendments in the
rules governing award of compensation.

Referring to the Union Government’s proposal to amend the National
Food Security Act, it said essential food items should be included in
the Act, and it should be ensured that they were sold through the
public distribution system
.

Caste discrimination in rehabilitation work alleged


‘Help from private agencies should be channelled through Government’

Bangalore: On what basis did some families in the flood-hit
districts of north Karnataka get a compensation of Rs. 1,500 for a
destroyed house, while others got up to Rs. 30,000 even when the nature
of construction and extent of built area was equal?


Discrepancies

Caste discrimination was at the root of many such discrepancies in
rehabilitation work in Bijpur, Bellary, Gulbarga and other districts,
alleged persons from these areas in their testimonies at a public
hearing organised by Bahujan Samaj Party
here on Saturday.

They listed discriminations of various kinds: in compensation given
for destroyed houses and crops, restricted access to gruel centres,
barring entry into rehabilitation centres when they are in religious
places such as temples, and so on. “They give money to those who have
got it once, leaving out poor people like me,” said Durgamma from
Hospet taluk in Bellary district.

Kamala Bai from Karjol in Bijapur district said the SC/STs and the
poor got a raw deal even though the former Minister Govind Karjol
hailed from her village.

P. Ramesh from Bijapur alleged that the district administration had used the floods as an excuse to demolish two slums.

“Rather than help rebuild our houses, whatever remained our houses was destroyed without any notice,” he said.

BSP, objected to the rehabilitation
work being done through maths and other religious organisations as it
led to caste discrimination. He demanded that help for rehabilitation
from private agencies be channelled through the Government. Justice
A.J. Sadashiva, who heads the panel set up to probe discrimination
against the Scheduled Castes, said that problems in rehabilitation
should be corrected rather than stopped.


Barriers

He said that caste barriers should be done away with while
rebuilding villages and people from various castes should not be
segregated in allotment of houses and sites.

comments (0)
11/06/09
Import and transportation of raw sugar should be stopped —Condemned- C.M.These victims have been left high and dry -
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Posted by: site admin @ 7:56 am


Kindly visit:
http://www.bspindia.org/
www.ironladykumarimayawati.org   


Press Information Bureau
(Chief Minister’s Information Campus)
Information & Public Relations Department, U.P.

Import and transportation
of raw sugar should be stopped
— C.M.

Ensure payment of SAP and other
facilities in a time bound manner to the cane farmers
— Mayawati

Lucknow : 04 November 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati, with a view
to getting the fields of the cane growers ready for Rabi sowing,
has directed the officers to immediately stop the import of raw
sugar through railway rack. She further directed the officers to
ensure that the cane growers were provided payment of SAP
announced by the state government and other facilities at the
earliest. She said that the government would not tolerate that the
interests of the farmers were neglected. She warned that if the
officers showed any laxity in the affairs of the cane growers and
any complaint was received, their responsibility would be fixed and
action would be taken against them.

The Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, while
giving the information regarding the directives of the Chief
Minister to the media persons through a press conference held at
the Lal Bahadur Shashtri Bhawan here today, said that the U.P.
Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati was very sensitive about the interests
of the 40 lakh cane farmers.

Giving information regarding the directives of the Chief
Minister given for the welfare of the cane growers, Mr. Singh said
that the state government was making all possible efforts to
increase the income of the cane growers by ensuring more and
more cane production. For that, the cane growers were being
provided five new varieties of sugar cane which would give
enhanced yield. Besides, early maturing cane varieties were also
being promoted.

The Cabinet Secretary said that keeping in view all the
aspects of cane production and its price U.P. Government had
fixed SAP Rs. 25 per quintal more for 2009-10 in comparison to
last year. Such an increase had never been made earlier. This
increase was more than the increase announced by Haryana and
Panjab Governments. The farmers of the State would be benefited
by this increase, he added.

Mr. Singh said that Government of India had also made this
arrangement by amendment in Sugar Cane Control Order —1966
(Central), that if the State Government fixes State Advised Price
(SAP) more than the fair and remunerative price (FRP), then the
State Government would herself bear the burden of more payment
than FRP. The Government of India did not find it necessary to
take the State Government into confidence before making
amendment/arrangement regarding FRP, he added.

The Cabinet Secretary said that Government of India had
indirectly ended the right of the State Government to fix sugar
cane price, which had been recognized by the Supreme Court. In
such a way, the interests of about 40 lakh farmers of the State
had been overlooked. He said that keeping in view the interest of
cane farmers, the Chief Minister had drawn the attention of the
Central Government towards the incompatibilities with regard to
FRP. She had requested to the Prime Minister to reconsider FRP
arrangement through writing a letter, he added.

Mr. Singh said that Government of India had fixed the FRP
Rs. 129.84 per quintal for crushing season for 2009-10 on the
basis of 9.5 per cent recovery, which comes to Rs. 123 per quintal
on the basis of 9 per cent recovery taken in earlier crushing
seasons. While the State Government had announced SAP Rs. 170
and Rs. 165 per quintal for early growing and general cane verities
respectively.

The Cabinet Secretary said that with a view to making fields
vacant for sowing Rabi crops timely in western area of the State,
the Government by issuing cane reservation order had directed
the sugar mills to start crushing the canes immediately, besides,
providing all the facilities to cane farmers being given by State
Government for cane development.
******


Condemned

Bangalore: Members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have condemned
the “barbaric behaviour” of the ASC personnel towrds residents of Gowthampur
Colony slum at Domlur, here on Thursday.Party members alleged that the personnel
regularly accuse residents of the slum for “occupying their land”.

These victims have been left high and dry


Displaced families say nothing much has been done to solve their
problems

Thirty-five houses were completely damaged on Kurvakala island

People say compensation is yet to reach them







The displaced persons at a rehabiliation colony near Atkur
village in Raichur taluk

Atkur (Raichur taluk): “We have been living without proper shelter
for the past one month. We have not got foodgrains or clothes, and also
no compensation for the loss of houses and crops. No official or
elected representative has visited us,” says a group of displaced
families from the flood-hit Atkur village and Kurvakala island.

After the devastation, these people have made the rehabilitation colony near Atkur village in Raichur taluk their “home.”

A total of 285 families live in Kurvakala island; about 35 houses
here were completely damaged and more than 100 partially. The remaining
houses have become unfit to living after the rain and floods.

Nearly 100 houses collapsed and more than 30 huts were washed away
in the floods at Atkoor, a village with a population of about 600.

When this correspondent visited the existing rehabilitation colony
near Atkur on Thursday, he found that more than 12 families from Atkur
and Kurvakala had made the corridors of some public buildings their
“home.”

There was no drinking water and other facilities. Janglemma,
Hanumanthi and Bheemanna, whose mud houses at Kurvakala collapsed, and
Mallamma, Thikkanna, Thippamma and Kuntenna, whose huts in Atkur
village were washed away in the deluge, said that they had lost
everything.

A one-time supply of foodgrains was made on October 2. Later, they
were given nothing. There was also shortage of drinking water and no
one had received compensation from the Government.

Mr. Thikkanna said that three days ago wooden poles were dumped nearby, but work on erecting sheds was yet to start.

As there has been a delay in the construction of sheds, the
displaced families from Kurvakala and Atkur, most of whom are small and
marginal farmers and agricultural labourers, are having a tough time.

According to officials, the Government has not set up temporary
sheds for the displaced people of Kurvakala island as it had already
paid compensation towards acquisition of their houses and set up a
rehabilitation colony near Atkur village, as the island was located
within the backwater of the Jurala project.


Survey

The district administration, which completed a survey of the
affected families at Atkur and Kurvakala, has not done much to
alleviate the sufferings of the displaced families. Even the village
accountants have made no contact with these families to settle the
compensation.

Now, the Government has proposed to relocate Atkur and there is a plan to acquire 47 acres of land towards it.


comments (0)
11/05/09
VR1 (WE ARE ONE ) +VE NEWS-Supreme Court grants relief to Mayawati on Ambedkar Park issue
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Posted by: site admin @ 10:07 am






A view of under-completion stupa at Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow on October 6, 2009 following repeated warning by the Supreme Court to the Mayawati government to stop construction of statues and memorials in the state.

STATU-TORY WARNING: The statue-installation work is in full swing at Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow on September 9, 2009 despite the Mayawati government's assurance to the Supreme Court to the contrary.Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow as on September 9, 2009.Workers relaxing outside the under construction Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow following the Supreme Court order to stop all construction activity in the memorial of Dalit leaders, on September 11, 2009.A view of one of the most prominent crossings, Samatamoolak crossing at Gomtinagar, near Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow where chief minister Mayawati is said to inaugurate the statue of former BSP chief Kanshi Ram, on June 25, 2009.A view of one of the most prominent crossings, Samatamoolak crossing at Gomtinagar, near Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow where chief minister Mayawati is scheduled to inaugurate the statue of former BSP chief Kanshi Ram, on June 25, 2009.Samatamoolak crossing at Gomtinagar, near Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow is said to be the most prominent crossing where chief minister Mayawati is scheduled to inaugurate the statue of former BSP chief Kanshi Ram, on June 25, 2009.Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati dedicates a memorial to the nation, after inaugurating it, at Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow on June 25, 2009.Inauguration: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati looking at the memorial, after inaugurating it, at Ambedkar Udyan in Lucknow on June 25, 2009.

Supreme Court grants relief to Mayawati on Ambedkar Park issue


New Delhi, Nov 4 (ANI): The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday lifted
curbs imposed by the Allahabad High Court, giving relief to Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to go ahead with the construction of
the Ambedkar Park in Lucknow.

The Mayawati Government had moved a petition to vacate the stay on
construction activities, saying that it had resulted in serious
problems of maintenance of the memorials.

The apex court observed that “the orders passed by the judiciary on
the subject falling under the domain of legislature and the executive
should be ignored and should be treated in nullity” and the courts
should not exceed their “limits”.

“How can the High Court pass interim order on the issue relating to
the Master Plan which is not in the domain of the judiciary,” said a
bench comprising Justices H K Sema and Markandey Katju, while staying
the April 4 interim order of the High Court.

The Mayawati government had triggered a controversy by changing the
land use of 35 acres area of Bhim Rao Ambedkar Park and starting the
construction activities for setting up the Kanshi Ram Research
Institute.

A group of residents had moved the High Court, which directed the
state government to maintain status quo on the construction
activities.

The apex court refused to pass any order for contempt action against
the state government for allegedly installing a permanent structure in
the park to organize the birth centenary celebrations of Bhim Rao
Ambedkar on April 14.

The Bench also issued notice to Gomati Nagar Jan Kalyan Samiti and
other petitioners on the plea of the state government seeking transfer
of all cases relating to the Ambedkar Park to the apex court and
stayed all the proceedings in the High Court. (ANI)
comments (0)
11/03/09
BBMP wields axe on drain encroachers-BBMP demolishes 150 shops in Kalasipalyam-64 houses go down the drain-Heavy rains, demolition drive create chaos in Bangalore-System of payment of sugarcane prices based on SAP should be kept intact — Chief Minister System of state government bearing difference between FRP and SAP should be reconsidered — Mayawati Cane growers of U.P. resent FRP announced by Centre for current crushing season — Chief Minister C.M. writes letter to Prime Minister-Arrange land for Central Detective Training School at earliest —Chief Minister Arrange buildings for training of police personnel appointed through new recruitments —Mayawati Review progress of naxal affected areas separately —Chief Minister-Directorate of Enforcement, Government of India seeks details of economic fraud of crores of rupees involving Amar Singh Amar Singh gave government contracts worth crores of rupees to his industrialist friends, misused his post of Chairman U.P.D.C. during previous Government-C.M. expresses profound grief over railway accident at Mathura Chief Secretary rushed to accident site on directives of C.M. — Mayawati-Police Smriti Diwas : C.M. pays homage to martyrs Full care of families of martyrs will be taken — Mayawati-C.M. writes letter to Mr. Kapil Sibal to withdraw condition of scoring 80 per cent marks in intermediate to qualify for IIT entrance examination Central Government instead of removing flaws in IIT entrance examination, playing with future of students by imposing new conditions — Mayawati Central Government trying to keep poor students out of IIT entrance examination under a well thought strategy — Chief Minister Policies should be formulated in interests of students — Mayawati-Supreme Court judges disclose assets -Justice Bhandari tops the list -It’s a good step, I welcome it: Sorabjee
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Posted by: site admin @ 9:00 am




BBMP wields axe on drain encroachers

BANGALORE: It is operation clean-up
for the BBMP. With monsoon drain woes messing up Bangalore, and encroachments on
storm water drains pointed

out as the prime culprits, demolition squads swung
into action on Wednesday morning.
In one of the biggest demolitions,
the BBMP razed 16 buildings that stood bang on the SWD at Rajarajeshwarinagar.
They had encroached upon the tank bund of Herohalli lake, blocking the flow of
water for 700 m.



Nine earth movers were used for the operation,
assisted by 200 policemen. “It is a very expensive project to close all storm
water drains, but as a first step, we have decided to demolish all encroachments
for smooth flow of rain water,” BBMP commissioner Bharatlal Meena told TOI.




Meanwhile, torrential rain brought misery to North Karnataka,
claiming at least 20 lives. While 10 persons died when a house collapsed in
Bijapur, six died in Belgaum, two in Gulbarga and one each in Bagalkot and
Raichur districts. The damage to crops was heavy, and a relief centre was opened
in Mangalagudda in Bagalkot district.


BBMP demolishes 150 shops in Kalasipalyam


Friday, 30 October 2009
ImageTo
make way for a state-of-the-art bus stand in Kalasipalyam, BBMP
initiated a major demolition drive and razed more than 150 shops.


During
the drive, which started in the morning, all shops on the land
belonging to BBMP, where the new bus stand is to come up, were
demolished.


BBMP had given its property to the shop owners on
lease, but they had not vacated the shops in spite of the completion of
their lease term. After serving notices to the shop owners, the
officials took up the drive. The new bus stand has been a long-pending
project.


64 houses go down the drain


Tuesday, 27 October 2009

ImageIn
a major drive against encroachment, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike
(BBMP) on Monday morning razed 64 houses near Dr Ambedkar Medical
College Main Road situated along the ‘rajakaluve’ in Kadugondanahalli.


The
encroached properties on survey numbers 124, 125, 126, 129, 141, 132
and 137 had reduced the drain from 30 feet wide to just 6 feet wide,
which was the main cause of major flooding in this area, a senior BBMP
official said.


After clearing the encroachments on the
‘rajakaluve’, the drain will be widened and it will be constructed in
‘U-shape’ to help avoid flooding at Anwar Layout, Rama Tent,
Basavanagar, Kushalnagar, Venkatappa Layout and Karumar M R Layout.
Tenders have been called for the project, costing around Rs 1.8 crore.


Venkataramana
K Nayak, Additional Commissioner (East), said that the demolition drive
was just the first phase of such a drive that aims at removing
encroachments across all drains in the city.


The scene of demolitions was a chaotic one.


While the four JCBs,
four concrete breakers and two tractors were bringing the houses down
and 60 BBMP men were breaking the walls, the residents were either
complaining of what was coming or asking officials to halt the drive.


The fate of the displaced is uncertain for now as the law says that BBMP can rehabilitate only the SC/STs.

According
to BBMP sources, plans are underway to grant some land to the displaced
people in the BDA property near their old settlement. However, an
official said that the plan was still in a tentative stage.


Around
100 policemen were deployed on Monday to avoid any untoward incidents.
The next target of the anti-encroachment drive is S K Garden near
Chelaghatta valley, an official said.


Heavy rains, demolition drive create chaos in Bangalore

IT’S RAINING TROUBLE: Bangalore has recorded 237 mm of rain this month and looks set to beat a 10 year record.

IT

Bangalore:
After four days of heavy rainfall, M Muniraju is trying to re-fix the
sand bags at his gate. But it’s a lost cause. Water has already filled
up parts of his home and the Met department has forecast more rains.

No
protection is foolproof — for, all the water overflowing from the lake
nearby just flows into the road in front of their home.

“Every
year we spend thousands of rupees to try and contain the water and
raise the level of the steps, but as soon as it rains, water from the
drains enter our homes — even sewage water,” says he.

Before
every monsoon, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) promises
to clear storm water drains of silt. But problems persist.

Residents
say that road and drains are the main problems. They also say that
phone lines get snapped, leaving them with no means of communication.

Fortunately,
this time araound, BBMP has also decided to take some permanent
measures like demolishing structures that have come up on storm water
drains over the last few years and blocking smooth flow of excess water.

Says
Deputy Commissioner, BBMP, K S Venkateshappa, “We have identified 9 to
10 structures and buildings that we are going to pull down.”

Bangalore has already recorded 237 mm of rain this month and looks set to beat a 10 year record of 277 mm rain in September.

Bangalore
used to be a lake city but now it’s just a water-logged city. For
years, Bangaloreans have been encroaching upon lakes, tank beds and
storm water drains and now they are paying the price for it.

Press Information Bureau
(C.M. Information Campus)
Information & Public Relations Department, U.P.

System of payment of sugarcane

prices based on SAP should be kept intact
— Chief Minister

System of state government bearing difference

between FRP and SAP should be reconsidered
— Mayawati

Cane growers of U.P. resent FRP announced

by Centre for current crushing season
— Chief Minister

C.M. writes letter to Prime Minister


Lucknow : October 30, 2009


Considering the larger interests of cane farmers, the Uttar

Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has requested the Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh to reconsider the arrangement of payment of
difference between the fair and remunerative prices (FRP) and state
advisory price (SAP) by the state government. She requested that the
current system of the payment of sugar cane prices based on SAP
should be kept intact.

In her letter written to the Prime Minister today, the Chief

Minister said that the state’s right to fix SAP was recognised by the
decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The Government of India did
not take the state government into confidence before making all the
amendments/arrangements related to FRP. Thus, the interests of
about 40 lakh cane growers of U.P. were completely ignored, she
pointed out.

Ms. Mayawati said that the Government of India on the one hand

increased the support prices of crops life wheat; paddy etc.
continuously during the last few years, while on the other the statutory
minimum price (SMP) registered minimum increase comparatively.
Owing to crop prices policy of recent years, the area of sugar cane and
its production and sugar production decreased continuously. She said
that the FRP announced by the Government of India for the current
crushing season had enraged and moved the farmers considerably.
The Chief Minister said that the Government of India by
amending the Essential Commodities Act and Sugar Cane Control
Order 1966 for fixing remunerative prices of sugar cane had indirectly
ended the rights of the state government for fixing SAP. She said that
according to this new amendment if a state government fixes SAP in
the excess of FRP then the same would have to bear the payment of
the difference. Since, the sugar mills directly purchase sugar cane
from the cane cooperative societies/cane growers; therefore, the same
was sold/purchased on the mutual consent based on SAP announced
by the state government. She said that in this perspective there was
no question of bearing the difference between the FRP and SAP by the
state government.

Ms. Mayawati said that for the crushing season 2009-10, the
Government of India had fixed FRP at Rs. 129.86 paise per quintal on
the basis of 9.5 per cent of recovery. Till the crushing season 2008-09
the SMP was based on 9 per cent recovery. Thus, on the basis of 9 per
cent recovery, the FRP for 2009-10 was estimated at Rs. 123 per
quintal only, while the state government had announced SAP for
general category sugar cane at Rs. 165 per quintal and for sugar cane
of agaiti prajati it was fixed at Rs. 170 per quintal.

The Chief Minister also informed the Prime Minister that the state
government had been fixing SAP since the crushing season 1973-74
for ensuring remunerative prices to the cane growers of the state. She
said that the SMP of the sugar cane was fixed by the Government of
India keeping in view the prices of levy sugar and its quota from this
year had been fixed at 20 per cent. The Government of India got sugar
on the levy prices from the sugar mills for distributing sugar through
the PDS so that the weaker sections of the society got sugar at
cheaper rates. She said that denial of remunerative prices to the cane
growers for getting sugar from limited levy quota was not correct.
*******
Arrange land for Central Detective Training School at earliest
—Chief Minister

Arrange buildings for training of police
personnel appointed through new recruitments
—Mayawati

Review progress of naxal affected areas separately
—Chief Minister

Lucknow : October 29, 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has directed the officers to
arrange land for Central Detective Training School, to be set up in Lucknow, at the
earliest. She directed the officers to provide land on the Lucknow-Kanpur road. The
school would impart training to the candidates so that the quality of the investigation
agencies could be improved further. Regarding the newly recruited police personnel,
she directed that the infrastructure and equipment necessary for the training of the new
candidates should be arranged beforehand. She said that those buildings which were
closed for certain reasons such as spinning mill, CDF premises of Aligarh and other
buildings available at the district level should be used for training purposes of these
candidates.

The Chief Secretary, on the directives of the Chief Minister, reviewed the law and
order with the heads of various departments of the police department at the Yojna
Bhawan today and informed her about the outcome of the meeting. The C.M. gave
these directives after that.

Ms. Mayawati directed the officers that the pace of the development works being
carried out in the naxal affected districts of the State should be accelerated and the
same should be reviewed continuously. Nominating Planning Department as the Nodal
Department, she directed that the officers of the Varanasi Division should be
summoned every two months and the development of the division should be reviewed
separately with them. She said that a large number of people got employment through
stone industry in the Sonebhadra district during the last one year and the State
Government had allocated separate funds for the development of naxal affected
districts. She directed the officers to post such sensitive and honest officers in the naxal
affected districts, who could ensure all round and uniform development of these areas.
She said that stringent action should be taken against erring officers.

Emphasising the need of the computerisation of the Police Department, the Chief
Minister nominated ADGP (Technical Services) as the Nodal Officer for the purchase,
repair of equipment and training. She said that it would be the responsibility of the
nominated ADGP to speed up this work, so that most of the works of the Police
Department could be computerised and its functioning could become transparent. She
directed the officers to ensure that the service rules of various units of police did not
affect the provision of the original service rules of police when they were finalised.
The Chief Minister directed that the appointing authority should himself monitor
the cases of the police personnel pending in the courts and their decisions as well. They
should also ensure that legal action was taken in various cases and the matter was also
disposed of. She further directed that the scheme prepared by the Police Headquarter
Allahabad for the current and future requirements of the police was implemented in a
phased manner.
*******
Directorate of Enforcement, Government of India seeks details
of economic fraud of crores of rupees involving Amar Singh

Amar Singh gave government contracts worth crores of
rupees to his industrialist friends, misused his post of
Chairman U.P.D.C. during previous Government

Lucknow : 29 October 2009

The Directorate of Enforcement, Government of India, after getting
the information of economic fraud of crores of rupees involving Samajwadi
Party Rajya Sabha M.P. Mr. Amar Singh, through its letter No.-PMLA/MISC/
LZO/2009/760, dated 27 October 2009 has sought the details from the
Economic Offence Wing (E.O.W.) in this regard. The details have been
forwarded to the Enforcement Directorate.

It may be recalled that Sri Shivakant Tripathi had lodged an F.I.R. on
15 October 2009 against Mr. Amar Singh and his associates under the
Crime No.-458/09, under section-420/467/471/120/BIPC and 7/8/9/10/13
(1)(C)-PC Act and 3/4 PML Act at the Babupurwa Police Station in Kanpur
Nagar. The F.I.R. mentions that Mr. Amar Singh and his associates
prepared coded documents, amassed money wrongfully while they were
public servant and forged income tax details. The Government directed the
E.O.W. to investigate the matter. The F.I.R. has following allegations prima
facie.

Mr. Amar Singh, during the regime of the previous government,
misused his post of Chairman U.P.D.C. and awarded Government contracts
worth crores of rupees to select industrialists and in lieu of his services Mr.
Singh got the commission delivered to such companies, which were either
directly or indirectly held by him. Such companies were also given
contracts.

Between the years 2004-07, Mr. Amar Singh ensured that these
companies got the contracts, even though they neither had any experience
nor had resources to complete these contracts. Mr. Amar Singh opened
several such companies with the assistance of economic experts, which had
mutual share holding. He also posted his associates/friends in the board of
directors of these companies.

After a huge cash inflow in these companies, they were merged with
two companies, viz.— Messrs. Sarvottam Caps Ltd. and Messrs. Pankaja
Arts and Credit Private Ltd.

It is worth mentioning that the share prices of those small companies
where money was deposited from outside and which were merged with the
two large companies, was artificially hiked for hundreds of times before the
merger. For example, it is also alleged that the total income of Messrs.
Shyam Dada Merchants Pvt. Ltd. for the year 2004-05 was Rs. 5.78 lakh
and its profits stood at Rs. 1250 only before its merger with Messrs.
Pankaja Arts and Credit Private Ltd. Still, the value of its shares, which was
Rs. 81.77 lakh, was evaluated at Rs. 12.46 crore at the time of merger.
Thus, while all small companies ceased to exist after merger, the
entire money deposited in them was transferred to the two companies held
by Mr. Amar Singh, his wife, friends and associates in a legal manner.
Considering the serious allegations mentioned in the F.I.R., several
new dimensions of the investigation have come to fore, which would be
investigated by EOW and other special agencies.

The EOW of the State Government has forwarded all the documents
of this case to the Directorate of Enforcement. Besides, the E.O.W. has also
referred the related points to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)
of the Ministry of Company Affairs and it has also requested to the
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to provide its report in this
regard to investigate whether the regulatory provisions were violated or
not and the share prices were also tampered or not. Moreover, the State
Government had also forwarded all the documents of this case to the
Revenue Department, which also includes Directorate of Enforcement,
Government of India and the Ministry of Company Affairs of the
Government of India as well.
******
C.M. expresses profound grief over railway accident at Mathura

Chief Secretary rushed to accident site on directives of C.M.
— Mayawati

Lucknow : 21 October 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has expressed profound
grief over the railway accident in Mathura. She has also expressed deep
sympathies and condolences to the family members of deceased in the
accident. On getting the information of this accident, she directed the officers
of district administration to start relief and rescue works immediately. She
said that every medical facility should be made available in the hospitals to
the injured persons and arrangements should be made, so that family
members of the deceased could carry the bodies. She also directed the Chief
Secretary Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta to immediately rush to the site of railway
accident.

On the directives of the Chief Minister, the Chief Secretary visited
accident site and became aware of relief and rescue works. He also visited the
District Hospital, Maheshwari Hospital and Methodist Hospital and directed the
doctors for the treatment of injured persons at war-footing. He said that 22
persons died so far besides, 13 injured who had been admitted to different
hospitals for the treatment. He said that three critically injured persons had
been admitted to the Agra Medical College and one person to Apollo Hospital
at Delhi. Arrangements for Ambulance had been made to carry injured
persons to Delhi.

The Chief Secretary said that the local district administration
immediately arrived at the site of accident and began rescue works. The local
administration, after determining the severity of the accident, called army for
assistance. He said that the family members of the deceased were being
provided all possible help to carry the bodies of their dear ones.

Mr. Gupta said that the travellers, local people and officers of the
railway appreciated the quick help extended by the local administration. He
said that the family members of those injured in the accident had been
informed. The railway was providing Rs. 5 lakh economic assistance each to
the family members of the deceased, while the seriously injured person were
being provided Rs. one lakh aid and those who received minor injuries were
being provided Rs. 10,000.

It may be recalled that the accident occurred this morning when Goa
Sampark Kranti express rammed into Mewar Express from rear near Mathura
Railway Station.
******
Police Smriti Diwas : C.M. pays homage to martyrs

Full care of families of martyrs will be taken
— Mayawati

Lucknow : 21 October 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati paid warm tributes to police
personnel who laid down their lives while performing duties. She paid floral
tributes to the martyrs at a function organised at the police lines to mark the
‘Police Smriti Diwas’ here today. She called upon all the police officers and jawans
to work with new enthusiasm to achieve the target of ‘Sarvajan Hitai Sarvajan
Sukhai’ to set up example for others. She said that her government had taken full
care of the family members of the martyrs and it had also ensured welfare of
retired police personnel.

Addressing the function, the Chief Minister said that the police personnel,
who laid down their lives, had brought laurels to U.P. Government and police
department through their supreme sacrifice. Assuring the family members of the
martyrs, she said that the State Government had taken several steps for the
welfare of the dependents of the martyrs and it would continue to do so in future
as well.

Ms. Mayawati said that the U.P. Police had a different image all over the
country because of its efficacy. The achievements of the police jawans were
noteworthy in the drives launched against dacoit gangs, notorious criminals and
criminal elements during the past two and a half years. Few months ago, our
police team succeeded in gunning down notorious dacoit Ghanshyam Kewat in an
encounter in Chhitrakoot district, she reminded. He was carrying a cash award of
Rs. 50,000 on his head. The company commander late Beni Madhav Singh and
constable late Shamim Ali, who sacrificed their lives in this encounter, were given
Mukhya Mantri Utkrisht Sewa Police Padak this year posthumously by the U.P.
government on the occasion of Independence Day.

The Chief Minister said that the police personnel, who had performed their
duties with courage, were also given out of turn promotions and owing to it three
SIs were promoted as inspectors and three constables were elevated to the post of
head constables. She said that the dependents of the martyrs were provided
economic assistance through various funds and insurance schemes and their
pension cases were also being disposed of on priority basis. Besides, the
dependents of the police personnel who had laid down their lives while performing
duties, were also provided employment. Out of it, 29 dependents were appointed
as SIs in civil police, 219 dependents were given appointment as constables and
68 dependents were appointed as fourth class employees.

Ms. Mayawati said that as many as 49 police personnel were given ‘Utkrisht
Sewa Samman Chinh’ and 192 police personnel were given ‘Sarahniya Sewa
Samman Chinh’ so that such police personnel could be encouraged and their
morale got a boost. Besides, Rs. 72.40 lakh were distributed among the
dependents of 15 police personnel who had laid down their lives while performing
duties, while Rs. 18.25 lakh were provided to police personnel receiving injuries
while performing their duties.

The Chief Minister said that the present government was committed to
provide development oriented atmosphere free from injustice, crime, terror and
corruption for which priority had been given to establish the “rule of law by law”.
She directed the policemen to maintain such law and order situation, in which
criminals could fear and the poor, especially the people of weaker sections could
be ensured justice, only then we would fulfil the commitment to provide better law
and order to the people of the state.

Ms. Mayawati said that police had been directed to face criminals without
any fear and partiality adhering to law, owing to which it had become successful in
encountering and arresting criminals belonging to other states also. Besides,
directives had been issued to police to maintain law and order and take stringent
action against the criminals, however powerful they may be.
The Chief Minister said that with a view to strengthening the law and order
of the state, the norms had been re-fixed and sanction had been given to fill
2,04,021 posts of different categories. An impartial and transparent system had
been implemented for the promotion and recruitment on vacant posts in police
force for which Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board had been
constituted. This board had started the proceedings to recruit 35,000 police
constables.

Ms. Mayawati said that budgetary provision had been made to solve the
administrative problems, residential and non-residential needs of policemen.
Financial sanctions had been issued for the construction of residential and nonresidential
buildings costing 30 crore 83 lakh rupees and 26 crore 79 lakh rupees
respectively under modernisation scheme. An amount of Rs. 245 crore had been
sanctioned by the state government for modern equipments, weapons,
communication and anti-riot equipments, security and training equipments,
purchase of vehicles, computerisation of police stations for the modernisation of
police, she added.

On this occasion, DGP Mr. Karamveer Singh while paying his tributes to
martyrs said that 833 policemen had sacrificed their lives on duty, out of which
107 policemen belonged to Uttar Pradesh between the period of September 01,
2008 and August 31, 2009. During this period, among the martyrs of the U.P.
police were-group leader 01, sub inspector 17, S.I.(M.)01, ASI(M)03, head
constable 16, constables 65, fireman 2, constable(driver) 2.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister honoured the widows of martyr
policemen. The Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, Chief Secretary
Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary Home Kunwar Fateh Bahadur, Principal
Secretary to C.M. Mr. Netram, Media advisor Mr. Jameel Akhtar were present
besides, senior police and administrative officers.
******
C.M. writes letter to Mr. Kapil Sibal to withdraw condition
of scoring 80 per cent marks in intermediate to
qualify for IIT entrance examination
Central Government instead of removing
flaws in IIT entrance examination, playing
with future of students by imposing new conditions
— Mayawati

Central Government trying to keep poor students
out of IIT entrance examination under a well thought strategy
— Chief Minister

Policies should be formulated in interests of students
— Mayawati

Lucknow: October 20, 2009

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Ms. Mayawati has given
sharp reaction over the news item that appeared in a section of
press, which suggests that the Central Government was
considering imposing the condition that at least 80 per cent marks
would be required for appearing in the IIT entrance examination.
She wrote a letter to the Union Human Resource Development
Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal in this regard protesting the decision
sharply. Terming this decision of the Central Government as antistudent,
she said that this condition would put the future lakhs of
students in jeopardy. She said that such decisions could be taken
by a government, which is not concerned about the problems of
the common man and it was just watching the interests of people
of higher sections of the society.

Ms. Mayawati has requested Mr. Kapil Sibal to withdraw such
a decision immediately, besides suggesting that the interests of
the students should be paramount before formulating any policy
on education. She said that it was necessary because it was the
responsibility of the Education Department to watch the interests
of the students on one hand, while on the other it was also its
responsibility to produce such human resource, which could take
country forward. She said that the policies, which were antistudents,
should be resisted vehemently, because such policies
damaged country and students equally.

The Chief Minister, in her letter, raised the issue that it was
not the main question that the number of students obtaining 80
per cent marks was lesser in intermediate examination of U.P.
Board, instead the main question was that to whom the Central
Government was trying to benefit. She said that the pretence of a
large number of students appearing in the entrance examination of
IIT would not be acceptable for the implementation of this illogical
decision. She said that the examination system should be
improved in such away that the general student did not face any
difficulty in appearing in the entrance examination of IIT without
attending any coaching. Thereafter, the students could be selected
on the basis of their merit and in this way the problem of coaching
classes could be solved.

Ms. Mayawati said that it would be taken as myopic on the
part of the Central Government that instead of removing various
shortcomings existing in the examination system, it was
implementing such policies to break the tentacles of the coaching
classes, which were going to harm the students and the country.
Suggesting the Central Government not to take such a step, she
advised that it should also consult the students appearing in these
examinations and effect changes for improving IIT entrance
examination.

The Chief Minister said that this decision of the Central
Government would benefit to the students belonging to the
affluent class to a great extent, while the poor students would
suffer.
********
Supreme Court judges disclose assets

J. Venkatesan


Information put on court’s website

New Delhi: Twenty-one judges of the Supreme Court, including Chief
Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, have declared their assets, giving
details of movable and immovable property owned by them and their
spouses in the Supreme Court website. Justice B.N. Agrawal, who retired
last month, has also declared his assets on special request, while
Justice H.S. Bedi is yet to do so.

Monday’s declaration says it is in terms of the May 7, 1997
resolution and it is purely voluntary. At present, there is no law
governing the declaration of assets by judges.

The May 7, 1997 resolution says: “Resolved that every Judge should
make a declaration of all his/her assets in the form of real estate or
investment [held by him/her in his/her own name or in the name of
his/her spouse or any person dependent on him/her] within a reasonable
time of assuming office and in the case of sitting judges within a
reasonable time of adoption of this Resolution and thereafter whenever
any acquisition of a substantial nature is made, it shall be disclosed
within a reasonable time. The declaration so made should be to the
Chief Justice of the Court. The Chief Justice [should] make a similar
declaration for the purpose of the record. The declaration made by the
Judges or the Chief Justice, as the case may be, shall be
confidential.” What is confidential till now with the CJI has been made
public.

As per the details furnished by the CJI, he has a house at
Thrikkakara South village in Kanayanur taluk in Kerala; a two-bed room
residential flat costing Rs. 5.75 lakh and 15.840 cents of land in
Ernakulam, costing Rs. 4.33 lakh; a family property at Najeezhoor
Kaduthurty village, Vaikom taluk, costing Rs. 3.5 lakh; a residential
plot in Faridabad, costing Rs. 4.50 lakh; 20 sovereigns gold jewellery
and a Santro car; his wife Nirmala Balakrishnan has 68 cents of land at
Epakadu village in Mennachil taluk, Kottayam.

Justice Bhandari tops the list

Legal Correspondent


Justice Raveendran has shares in 57 companies, including RIL

New Delhi: Among the 21 judges of the Supreme Court who have put
details of their assets on the court website, Justice Agrawal has no
house or flat in his name. His spouse Manjula Agrawal has a flat at
Indirapuram, on the outskirts of Delhi. It is valued at Rs. 43.54 lakh,
of which she contributed Rs. 21.77 lakh. He has investments in mutual
funds and securities to the tune of Rs. 2.40 lakh, Rs. 20.12 lakh in
PPF, and Rs. 8.71 lakh in GPF; a second-hand Maruti 800 purchased for
Rs. 1.58 lakh and Rs. 9.32 lakh in a savings bank account.

Justice R.V. Raveendran is a co-owner of a house at Basavangudi in
Bangalore. It measures 3,500 sqft. and is valued at Rs. 10.48 lakh; an
office unit, totally valued at Rs. 12.56 lakh including land, at Trade
Centre, Dickenson Road, Bangalore; a residential flat valued at Rs.
5.57 lakh in Bangalore; and vacant plots valued at Rs. 75,000 and Rs.
2,09,600. Besides fixed deposits in banks, he has shares in 57
companies including 772 shares in Reliance Industries Ltd; 783 shares
in Reliance Communication Ventures Ltd; 821 in Reliance Capital; 840 in
Reliance Energy and 783 in Reliance Natural Resources Ltd.

Justice Raveendran’s wife Vasanthi Raveendran has shares in 43
companies, including 5 Reliance companies. Though he has mentioned
about investment in fixed deposits, he has not given the amount of
investment. The note says “the fixed deposits amounts are savings from
rental income, dividends and interest accrued during the last two
decades.”

During the commencement of the hearing of the ‘Reliance gas dispute
case,’ he offered to recuse himself on the ground that he was holding
shares in Reliance companies. But he was persuaded to remain on the
Bench.

Justice Dalveer Bhandari seems to be the richest judge with assets
and income worth over Rs. 1 crore. Besides an ancestral house in
Jodhpur, Rajasthan (value not given), he has agricultural land valued
at Rs. 23,000; a flat in Delhi valued at Rs. 9.02 lakh and land in
Delhi valued at Rs. 2 lakh; a residential plot in Delhi valued at Rs.
7.67 lakh and investments including fixed deposits of Rs. 39,34,598,
PPF Rs. 27,70,780 and GPF Rs. 60,73,871, and shares in various
companies.

Justice S.H. Kapadia, who is likely to become the next Chief Justice
of India in May 2010, is a tenant-member in the Judges Housing Society
in Mumbai and has given the cost of construction as Rs. 20 lakh. He has
Rs. 20-lakh investment in shares; fixed deposits of Rs. 3.85 lakh; PPF
Rs. 12.50 lakh and jewellery, worth Rs. 1 lakh, received at the time of
marriage. Under the column ‘vehicles,’ he says ‘none.’

It’s a good step, I welcome it: Sorabjee

New Delhi: Eminent jurists on Monday welcomed the declaration of
assets by Chief Justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan and 20 Supreme
Court judges, saying it was a “good step, long-pending and overdue.”

“It is a good step. I welcome it,” said the former Attorney General Soli J. Sorabjee.

The former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan and noted Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan also welcomed the move.

Mr. Shanti Bhushan said he would give detailed reactions only after
going through the information provided by the judges on the website .

However, Mr. Prashant Bhushan, who has been at the forefront in
court battles regarding the declaration of assets by judges, was
forthcoming in his view and said “this is not enough” and that he would
still advocate for a law which makes the declaration mandatory and not
voluntary.

“Since it [declaration of assets] is voluntary, it is open for
judges to refuse. We still need a law to make this disclosure
compulsory that too on an affidavit, so that false disclosures become
punishable as in the case of an election candidate… The law should
encompass all public servants and not merely the judges. Even the
details regarding I-T returns and wealth tax returns should be given,”
Mr. Prashant Bhushan said. He summed up saying, “it is a good thing
which was long overdue. It is a welcome development.”

He said “more details of the assets needed to be given such as date,
place and price at the time of purchase of the properties.”

He also wanted the exact address of the purchased properties to be
provided as this would help in ascertaining the veracity of the
information. — PTI

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11/02/09
System of payment of sugarcane prices based on SAP should be kept intact — Chief Minister System of state government bearing difference between FRP and SAP should be reconsidered — Mayawati Cane growers of U.P. resent FRP announced by Centre for current crushing season — Chief Minister C.M. writes letter to Prime Minister-Arrange land for Central Detective Training School at earliest —Chief Minister Arrange buildings for training of police personnel appointed through new recruitments —Mayawati Review progress of naxal affected areas separately —Chief Minister-Directorate of Enforcement, Government of India seeks details of economic fraud of crores of rupees involving Amar Singh Amar Singh gave government contracts worth crores of rupees to his industrialist friends, misused his post of Chairman U.P.D.C. during previous Government-C.M. expresses profound grief over railway accident at Mathura Chief Secretary rushed to accident site on directives of C.M. — Mayawati-Police Smriti Diwas : C.M. pays homage to martyrs Full care of families of martyrs will be taken — Mayawati-C.M. writes letter to Mr. Kapil Sibal to withdraw condition of scoring 80 per cent marks in intermediate to qualify for IIT entrance examination Central Government instead of removing flaws in IIT entrance examination, playing with future of students by imposing new conditions — Mayawati Central Government trying to keep poor students out of IIT entrance examination under a well thought strategy — Chief Minister Policies should be formulated in interests of students — Mayawati
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