First CNG Train in India from Rewari-Rohtak section 

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 13 January, 2015 inaugurated India’s first CNG (compressed natural gas) powered train on the Rewari – Rohtak link of Northern Zone. The move assumes significance as it will be the first time that a passenger train will be powered by an alternate fuel source apart from diesel. 
Railways have modified the 1,400 HP engine to run on dual fuel - diesel and CNG - through fumigation technology.

The Rewari passenger train will consume over 20 per cent of the CNG, covering 81 km long distance in about two hours. Railways had earlier conducted a trial run in the section.

The train comprising of two power cars and six car coaches has been manufactured by Integral Coach Factory at Chennai with the CNG conversion kit being supplied by Cummins.

Development of a CNG conversion technology which will permit utilisation of over 60 per cent CNG is also underway, he said, adding "switch over to LNG technology is also being planned as that will enable higher fuel carrying capacity."

Besides Rewari-Rohtak, Prabhu will also launch another passenger service between Rewari and Bikaner as announced in the Rail Budget 2014-15. 

Terrorism is a common challenge for humanity: Ban Ki-moon

This is the complete transcript of an interview of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to The Hindu and CNN-IBN in New Delhi on January 13, 2014.

Hello and welcome to this special interview as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is visiting India, speaks to CNN-IBN and The Hindu. I am Suhasini Haidar.

Q. Secretary General, you are here even as the world is mourning the victims of the attack in Paris. You and PM Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) spoke at the Vibrant Gujarat conference about global terrorism. How do you think the world can cooperate better, or has the world failed?

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon: We are deeply concerned about the increasing trend of growing terrorism, extremism and radicalisation. To address all these we have to be united, to show that nations are united and solid in addressing all this. At the same time, we have to mobilise all possible resources and strength to deter.

Unfortunately with all the technological development and communication, these terrorists are using internet and social media to propagate their hate. This is very dangerous. The United Nations has adopted a resolution on global counter-terrorism and we have set up a counter-terrorism centre on training and assistance, and the Security Council has taken a leadership role in the case of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levent) or Da’esh, in Iraq and Syria, the UNSC has urged the world, whoever has the capacity and resources to provide their support. If we don’t address ISIL, Da’esh and Boko Haram, and all these terror groups, we will not be able to provide sustainable development, or protect human rights and human dignity. Terrorism is a common challenge for humanity.

Q: But is there a global double standard? Because its not just ISIL or Boko Haram, or the attacks in France or Australia or Canada, but also the terrorist attacks in the subcontinent. India has sponsored an international convention of terror… is that something you would recommend?

UNSG: Member states are discussing the matter of just who are the terrorists and other issues, but at this time rather than spending time and energy on definitions, these ISIL and other groups have been doing unspeakable acts of brutality against parts of humanity. It is important that government authorities take a firm position, show solidarity domestically and regionally, and in terms of their justice system, they have to ensure that all these perpetrators should be brought to justice. At the same time it is important to have good governance and inclusive dialogue with the people so terrorists and extremist elements may not find any breeding ground on the basis of people’s grievances.

Q. The problem is that in India as I said, there is a perception of a double standard. For example, a UN designated global terrorist like the Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, wanted for the Mumbai attacks, was in Lahore addressing a public rally last month. He is a globally designated terrorist, and was re-designated by the UN just a few weeks ago…how is it possible without any comment from the UN?

" If we don’t address ISIL, Da’esh and Boko Haram, and all these terror groups, we will not be able to provide sustainable development, or protect human rights and human dignity."

UNSG: Well I was shocked when the Mumbai terror attacks took place and we all expected that all these terrorists would be put to justice. I sincerely hope that the Indian and Pakistani government authorities discuss this matter that all the perpetrators should be punished as terrorists, brought to trial. It is important not to allow room for terrorist groups, radical groups, armed groups to take such chances with the lapse of the justice system.

Q: But it’s not just a lapse of the justice system, simply because this is a UN designated global terrorist, under UNSC resolution 1267, addressing a public rally. Is the UN mandate being flouted, not just by the terrorist himself, but by the government?

UNSG: Yes, it is very important that the Pakistan government take necessary and corrective measures in accordance with the UNSC’s designated terrorist counter-terrorism policies.

Q: Because if the UN allows its mandate to be flouted in this manner, the UN loses its teeth when it comes to tackling terror… would you agree?

UNSG: It is important that all these resolutions and counter-terrorism measures be fully implemented by national government and government leaders must ensure they are engaged with their people so that their aspirations and grievances are addressed before this kind of radicalisation is allowed to take place.

Q: Will the UN then take note of this specific example of a designated global terrorist being allowed by the government to openly flout the UN resolution?

UNSG: Yes I have already taken note of it.

Q: The UN will celebrate its 70th year under you, it’s a big thing. At the same time, there are concerns about the efficacy of the UN, that it is too large and can’t respond to problems swiftly. Will this also be a year of stocktaking and reform?

This is a very significant anniversary… member states have worked hard for seven decades to provide peace and security, to bring people out of poverty, and also protect human rights and dignity. We do understand that we have not fully met the expectations. We are committed to shape the post-2015 millennium agenda with a set of sustainable development goals, covering economic and the whole spectrum of human life. At the same time we should do more especially on human rights so that nobody will be left behind.

" It is important that the Indian government should promote the human rights of those people with different sexual orientation. "

Q: What about India’s own role at the UN. India has long demanded a seat at the Security Council, along with other countries. Do you think that is a possibility, and could ever be a reality?

UNSG: I am aware of the aspirations of many member states including India who really want to see the UNSC reformed in a much more democratic and representative way. I think it needs the consensus view of member states. If we consider the drastic changes that have taken place in the last 70 years, it is necessary for the Security Council to adapt. The question is, the member states should be able to find the modalities to meet the aspirations of states like India.

It’s a very important issue. The general assembly has taken this up informally and I have urged them to accelerate the process, so that the Security Council can be better equipped to address all the changing peace and security issues.

Q: Many here feel that given the contribution of India to the UN, if you look at peacekeeping alone, India has contributed to 44 (out) of the 69 UN peacekeeping missions so far, yet it has been denied the stature at the Security Council high table, that it would deserve.

UNSG: India has been serving as a non-permanent member of the Security Council frequently, most recently three years ago, and India has contributed a lot. By any standard, India is a critically important member state, in terms of peace and security, we appreciate more than 8,000 peacekeepers working in many dangerous and difficult circumstances and we also appreciate the strong contribution for the democracy fund. India is the second largest contributor in the world to that. We also expect India, one of the fastest growing economies, to lead our sustainable development process and our climate change negotiation process.

Q: When you speak of the expectations from India, you have made strong statements over the past few months on issues in India, for example violence against women, and here in Delhi have opposed India’s law criminalising homosexuality in strong terms. Have you taken up these concerns with India’s leadership?

UNSG: It’s a matter of human rights. Human rights is one of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, a pillar along with peace and security, and development. But human rights is the foremost pillar. In that regard, human rights and dignity should be respected for all the people, regardless of religion or ethnicity or gender or sexual orientation. It is important that the Indian government should promote the human rights of those people with different sexual orientation. The Indian penal codeshould decriminalise homosexuality.

As the Secretary General of the UN I have been speaking out to promote the human dignity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgenders.

Q: Is that something you have taken up with PM Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj?

UNSG: Yes, it is something we are continuously discussing.

Q: You were at the Vibrant Gujarat delivering an unusual message — to speak about climate change at an investment conference. Are you hopeful of a world climate change agreement at the conference in Paris this year, as U.S. Secretary of State Kerry indicated?

" Remember India is no exception… you are on the frontlines of the climate change phenomena. "

UNSG: Yes, I would like to emphasise again that sustainable development and climate change are two sides of the same coin. If you adequately address climate change, you will help green growth, and make planet earth more sustainable.

That is why the UN has for 2015 made its two top priorities sustainable development and the adoption of a climate change agreement in December this year. All this must be done in 2015, it is the most important priority for humanity. We are targeting that by 2030 we should realise a world where nobody is left behind and with this climate change agreement we can work towards it. Remember India is no exception… you are on the frontlines of the climate change phenomena.

Q: The resistance in India to a deal on climate change is that it’s all very well for developed countries to lecture India on climate change, but India still needs energy, needs to develop. India is targeting renewable energy of 100,000MW now. How do you explain it to them?

UNSG: India has a lot of challenges. First they have several hundred million in poverty. In Gujarat, I was encouraged that the way PM Modi is leading in enhancing renewable energy and 100 smart cities, these are very good policies in line with addressing climate change. I hope with these initiatives India will join the international community in moving to achieve a climate change deal.

Q: Finally, if I may ask, this is your fourth visit to India as UNSG, but you have a deeper Indian connection… your son was born here, your daughter-in-law is Indian… is that the reason you were happy to facilitate India’s long pending request for International Yoga Day?

UNSG: I am looking forward to June 21st International Yoga Day, approved by the UNGA. There are two days in a year, which are designated by an Indian initiative, one is the International Day of Non-Violence on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and the other is bringing health through Yoga, which is part of a sustainable world.

When your body is healthy, and your family is healthy, then the world will be healthy and prosperous.

Q: Do you practice Yoga yourself?

UNSG: It's one of my big regrets, even when I lived in India I did not learn Yoga, but this will be a good occasion to make up for that.

Well we hope to see you at the forefront of that in June. Thank you for speaking with us.

Jan 20 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

ET By Invite - Kothari, First to Discover India's OPD

SHAIL MAYARAM Professor at CSDS





Rajni Kothari, a noted political scientist, scholar and founder of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies passed away at the age of 86. He was the first political scientist who knew the pulse of Indian political system

When I was studying in Chicago I witnessed my friends in the Physics Department go into high anticipation and then into mourning as their icon Chandrasekhar's name was sidelined once again for the Nobel Prize. This, I was told, was the pattern every year --until he finally got it in 1983.In the case of Rajni Kothari there was never any anticipation and, therefore, no disappointment when the Padma awards were announced year after year in India. We, at the Centre, knew that like a host of intellectuals he will never get it and neither will Ranajit Guha, Ashis Nandy or Partha Chatterjee, despite being among India's most celebrated names in the social sciences, theorists who work at the frontiers of knowledge and about whom we can proudly say , They MakeCreate in India.
Rajni Kothari was a political scientist who first put his finger on the pulse of the Indian political system and characterised it as One Party Dominance (OPD), a label which is relevant even today as we seem to have exited the era of the “Congress system“ and witness the BJP attempting to establish its own OPD.
His Politics in India was a classic and remains a foundational text in all courses on Indian Government and Politics taught in India and abroad. It is impossible to understand caste in postcolonial India without his and Dhirubhai Sheth's thesis of the politicisation of caste.
The shifts in Rajni Kothari's location and political position were dramatic. To begin with, he was a standard product of Western education, despite his Indian education. His concerns followed the intellectual fashions of American political sci ence. There was the positivist framing, a behavioural predilection and theory of progress episteme that sees all societies on a single track of modernisationdevelopment. Politics in India was actually part of a series on Political Development the world over.
When I first met him as a 19-year old student at our home in Jaipur and expressed to him my interest in Development, he cautioned me, “You are aware of its critique, aren't you.“ Both modernisation and development had come in for major attack by then as positing a single trajectory of growth the world over and for legitimising the dominance of the West, in effect that of America.
In his early years, Rajni Kothari like Romesh Thapar had been close to the Congress, particularly to Indira Gandhi. He came around full circle to being one of the strongest opponents of the Emergency . Indeed, he had been writing about democracy much before democracy became a political passion to be imposed, if required, with gun barrels and bombs.
This was not the democracy Kothari and the group of intellectuals who coalesced around him had anticipated for India or for the world. This small group had come to see the limits of the university system with its emphasis on the mono-disciplinarity of departments and founded the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies as a unique experiment over 50 years ago! Some of them were critical of the binaries of left and right that bedevilled Indian politics. Many of the scholars belonged to Gujarat--the Gujarat mafia, as it was then called, included Bhiku Parekh, Dhirubhai Sheth, Ashis Nandy (via marriage), and more briefly , Ghanshyam Shah and Sudhir Chandra. This early group saw in Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi the possibilities of ethical philosophy and politics and also had a different idea of Gujarat (pre-globalisation) and indeed, of the ecumene of Indian and of Chinese civilisation.
To date, many persons still refer to the Centre as the Kothari Centre! This small community had decentred the world and effectively recentred it. Today's Centre has diversified, representing new frontiers, but the Kothari period is still regarded by many as its “golden age.“ When I joined the Centre the tradition of long lunches and intense discussion was still vibrant during which one effectively transited through time, space and theory .
What changed Rajni Kothari's position vis-a-vis the Congress was India's transition from a State committed to minimal violence to a new militarisation and nuclearisation.The Pokhran tests were a turning point and led to the Centre hosting an International Conference on Disarmament. The concern with futures helped the founding of a leading international social science journal appropriately titled Alternatives.
Increasingly , Rajni Kothari's dis illusion with the political establishment led to a new focus on civil society. Lokayan was another unique institutional experiment grounded in a collaboration between CSDS academics and activists, which incubated ecological and other social movements. Smitu Kothari and Vijay Pratap steered Lokayan, editing some wonderful issues of the Lokayan Bulletin, capturing textures of another arena of the political. Lokayan later received the Right Livelihood Award, better known as the People's Nobel Prize.
Rajnibhai, you have left behind the energy of your person and the unforgettable warmth of your embrace. Forgive those in the political establishment who cannot honour dissent and the quest for alternatives. Had there been a people's Padma award instituted by civil society you would have surely received it for your creativity and courage!

Jan 20 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

This'll be a Time-Bound Survey of India!

Dilasha Seth

New Delhi:





Govt to conduct nationwide survey to find out how people spend their 24 hours

There's a statistic you might soon be able to fling at your children or, if you're one of our younger readers, at your parents! The government will soon be finding out how much time Indian children spend studying, data that could provide additional fodder for yet another argument about spending too much time on the InternetphoneTV .But the main focus of the all-India time-use survey being steered by the Central Statistics Office will be women, especially since most studies simply ignore the amount of work that goes into keeping a household running -cooking, cleaning, children's homework, ironing the husband's pants, none of which gets captured in the data. “Women do multi-tasking, involving varied activities, right from cooking, stitching, driving children to school, formal employment, but most of it does not get captured in the GDP,“ said economist SR Hashim, who chaired the committee that has identified close to 1,000 activities for the survey, including gambling, movie watching, preparing for a job interview, practising yoga, even enjoying a glass of vodka.
The idea is to find out how people in India spend their 24 hours to generate greater understanding of the quality of development. GDP is quantitative, measuring the value of goods and services produced.
The survey will be conducted by either the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) or an external agency . Social media will naturally form part of the questionnaire: How much time does a person spend on WhatsApp or Facebook in a day? Other answers may reveal gender differences and similarities: Do men spend as many hours shopping and on personal grooming as women? What about doing nothing — how many hours for that? “We have derived a list of questions based on the pilot conducted in two states -Gujarat and Bihar.
The sampling model is also ready,” said Hashim. “The survey will form the basis for many studies, highlighting various trends and busting several myths.” The granular nature of the survey is reflected in other activities identified -partying at a club, going to a restaurant, preparing for exams, moving house, looking for office place. Time-use statistics help explore a range of issues in a bid to arrive at an estimation of quality of life and social safety nets -division of labour, allocation of time for household, estimation of value of household production, transportation, leisure, recreation, pension plans, healthcare programmes. “Groundwork is complete. The survey agency will be appointed soon,” said a statistics ministry official. More than 60 countries have conducted at least one national or pilot time-use survey during between 1990 and 2008, according to a UN Statistics Division study.
While neighbouring Bhutan’s gross national happiness assessment seeks to measure quality of life, various models have been suggested on how this could be arrived at. To be sure, collecting data is one thing, making sense of it will be another. The India survey may also throw light on issues such as child labour. It will also seek to gauge the extent of other illegal activities such as gambling, prostitution and begging, with state-wise comparisons.

Jan 20 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

World's top 80 billionaires have wealth close to India's GDP in 2014

Chidanand Rajghatta

Washington:





“The rich grow richer and the poor grow poorer“ may be an overworked aphorism, but never has it been truer than in 2015.A study by Oxfam revealed that the world's top 80 billionaires in 2014 had a collective wealth of $1.9 trillion, which is close to India's entire GDP in that year. Oxfam made headlines at Davos last year with the revelation that the 85 richest people on the planet have the same wealth as the poorest 50% (3.5 billion people).
That figure is now 80 -a dramatic fall from 388 people in 2010, and attesting to the growing wealth disparity in the world. The wealth of the richest 80 actually doubled in cash terms between 2009 and 2014.
The study shows that the very richest of the top 1% of the billionaires on the Forbes list have seen their wealth accumulate even faster over the past five years. In 2010, the richest 80 people in the world had a net wealth of $1.3 trillion. By 2014, the 80 people who top the Forbes rich list, whose data Oxfam used, had a collective wealth of $1.9 trillion; an increase of $600 billion in just four years, or 50% in nominal terms.
And, it's not as if the very poor have the remaining 52% of global wealth. Almost all of it (46%) is owned by the “less wealthy“ -the remain ing richest 19% of the world's population.
The other bottom 80% share just 5.5%, and had an average wealth of $3,851 per adult -that's 1700th of the average wealth of the 1%.
The Oxfam report says wealthy individuals have generated and sustained their vast riches through their interests and activities in a few important economic sectors, including finance and pharmaceuticals healthcare. Companies from these sectors spend millions of dollars every year on lobbying -mostly in the US -to create a policy environment that protects and enhances their interests.
The most prolific lobbying activities in the US are on budget and tax issues, ''public resources that should be directed to benefit the whole population, rather than reflect the interests of powerful lobbyists.''

`Extreme inequality undermines economic growth'

Kounteya.Sinha@timesgroup.com
Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam's executive director, will call for quick action to stem this tide of inequality at Davos, beginning with a crackdown on tax dodging corporations, and a push for progress towards a global deal on climate change.
“Do we really want to live in a world where one per cent own more than the rest of us combined?“ asked Byanyima.“The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering and despite the issue shooting up the global agenda, the gap between the richest and the rest is widening,“ she said.
“Extreme inequality isn't just a moral wrong. It undermines economic growth and threatens the private sector's bottom line.All those gathering at Davos who want a stable and prosperous world should make tackling inequality a top priority,“ she i added. The agency is calling for to adopt a seven-point plan to tackle inequality: clamp down on tax dodging by corporations and rich individuals, invest in universal, free public services such as health and education, share the tax burden fairly, shifting taxation from labour and consumption towards capital and wealth, introduce minimum wages and move towards a living wage for all workers, introduce equal pay legislation and promote economic policies to give women a fair deal, ensure adequate safety-nets for the poorest, including a minimum income guarantee and agree a global goal to tackle inequality.

Jan 20 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

There's talk of educating girls, but how about educating boys to deal with girls?

Dev Lahiri





The year gone by saw much in the media about the rape and molestation of women.The widespread nature of this sickness makes me feel that there are two critical areas where we educators (both teachers and parents) have failed ­ gender sensitisation and combating the `bully' mindset.These are inextricably linked.
How many principals, for instance, have either the will or the skill to gender-sensitise our teaching faculties?
Therefore we have the common phenomenon of male teachers being nonplussed by the girl student wanting to frequently `excuse' herself from the classroom, often accompanied by an uneasy titter amongst her classmates. Conversely, lady teachers often find themselves very uncomfortable when boys crack bawdy jokes.
And most schoolchildren, boys and girls, have no one to turn to when they feel lonely and confused on these issues, particularly when they come from conservative families. Many schools pass the buck by introducing `sex-education', but we all know what happens when something like this is reduced to a classroom experience.
A PowerPoint presentation can never be a substitute for a warm and intimate conversation, based on mutual trust, between a teacher and student. But how many of us teachers are equipped either in terms of attitude or training to deal with this issue?
On the contrary, some of our attitudes need to be seriously examined. It has never ceased to amaze me how many heads of schools are firmly opposed to co-education, on the ground that the girls would be `hugely distracted' by the presence of boys. But is education not about preparing for adult life, and is not adult life co-ed? Surely , these are the skills that education ought to teach?
I am not talking about just `elite' schools. There is a Kendriya Vidyalaya close to the village where i live and i see young boys and girls mingling easily ­ quite unlike single-sex schools where the presence of the opposite sex is a matter of great excitement and tension.
We talk these days about educating the girl child. But how about educating the boy child? Educating, for instance, to respect women. My own daughter once did a survey as part of her psychology course in school. One of the questions asked respondents to say who should eat last in the family if food were to be short on a particular day . Over 70% of the boys answered `mother' with `sister' following a close second! This is where the connection with bullying kicks in. We bring up our sons to believe that they are God's gift to humankind ­ that they can do no wrong.The `weaker' sex are there for the pleasure of the `stronger' sex and therefore, `boys will be boys'.
No amount of legislation, CCTV cameras, policemen or banning cab services is going to really change things.We have to look deep inside, change our core attitudes, and bring up a whole new generation that can break free of medieval shackles.
The writer is former principal, Welham Boys` School, Dehradun.

Jan 20 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Political scientist Kothari dies at 86

New Delhi TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Rajni Kothari, a political scientist of commanding stature who tirelessly defended civil liberties, passed away at his residence around 9.45am on Monday . He was 86.Kothari was suffering from urinary tract infection. A family member said he was unwell for the last two years and died of age-related ailments.
Few intellectuals in India have been as admired and revered as Kothari. Foremost academics home and away posted their tributes on social media. Psephologist and former colleague Yogendra Yadav described him as “the first theorist of Indian democracy, the most outstanding political scien tist India has yet produced“ and “a friend philosopher and guide of peoples' movements.“
Prof Ashutosh Varshney, who teaches international studies and social sciences at Brown University, called him a “great political scientist“, a “lifelong fighter for democratic rights“ who “inspired a generation of academics and activists.“
An institution builder, Kothari founded the Centre for Study of Developing Societies (1963), a research institute which did pioneering work in the field of caste, identity and politics. He was also one of the first presidents of People's Union for Civil Liberties and a former Planning Commission member.
Kothari's grand magisterial work was Politics in India. No serious student of political science, home or abroad, could afford to skip it.
(With PTI inputs) For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com