New Delhi : Under attack over farm distress and amid overall unease in the poor and lower middle  classes because of  job losses following the note ban, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today announced some major steps in the General Budget for 2018-19 to push agricultural growth and extend relief to these classes, ahead of elections in several states  and also Lok Sabha polls later.

The Budget also gave a substantial relief to the urban salaried class when it announced  tax exemption on the interest up to Rs 50,000 on bank deposits by pensioners.

Besides, the Finance Minister also announced a standard deduction of Rs 40,000 for salaried employees in lieu of transport and medical expenses.

This year’s budget did not propose any changes in tax slabs for the  salaried class.

One of the major announcements was about the launch of a flagship National Health  Protection scheme which will cover 10 crore  poor families or around 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary healthcare up to an expenditure of Rs 5 lakh.

In a much needed  support to the farm sector, the Finance Minister announced that  MSP for all  kharif crops will be one and half times of their production cost. This is already existing in the case of all rabi criops.

Besides, Institutional farm credit has been raised to Rs 11 lakh crore in 2018-19 from 8.5 lakh crore in 2014-15.  

In addition to these measures, the Government is launching a  Â“Operation Greens” to address price fluctuations in potato, tomato and onion,  for benefit of both farmers and consumers.  

As many as 22,000 rural haats will be upgraded into Gramin Agricultural Markets to protect the interests of 86% small and marginal farmers. Two New Funds of Rs10,000 crore have been announced for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry sectors.

The budget also proposes 100 percent deduction to companies registered as Farmer Producer Companies  with an annual turnover upto Rs. 100 crore on profit derived from such activities, for five years from 2018-19.

An expenditure of Rs 14.34 trillion has been proposed for enhancing rural infrastructure. The Finance Minister also tried to balance the  long standing demand of the industry for reducing corporate tax and the Opposition criticism of  being a ”suit boot ki sarkar” by slashing corporate tax from 30 to 25  percent,  but only for the  companies with turnover of up to Rs. 250 crore in Financial Year 2016-17, to benefit micro, small and medium enterprises.

Besides, he has proposed to tax long-term gains exceeding Rs 1 lakh in listed stocks  at 10 per cent. There is this time no change in the  personal income tax . In the indirect taxes, only custom  duties have been changed as excise and other indirect taxes  have been subsumed in the GST.

Because of the increase in customs duty, imported  electronic, including phones and TV sets will now become costlier. The custom duty on mobiles has been proposed to increase from 15  to 20 per cent, and on some other mobile parts , and some parts of TV to 15 per cent. There is also a proposal to increase the health and education cess to four per cent.

Health, as already pointed out was a major area of  thrust in this budget. As announced  in the national Health Policy 2017, around 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres will be set up to provide free essential drugs, maternal and child services, for which Rs 1200 crore had been provided.

Besides TB patients will get  Rs 500 per month for nutritional support. The Budget also provides for upgradation of 24 district hospitals as government medical colleges and hospitals.

In a good news for women from poor households, the government proposes to increase the target  of providing free LPG connections to eight crore women. Railways Capital Expenditure for the year 2018-19 has been pegged at Rs.1,48,528 crore. Over 3600 kms of track renewal is targeted during the current fiscal. Redevelopment of 600 major railway stations is being taken up.

Mumbai?s local train network will have 90 kilo-meters of double line tracks at a cost of over Rs.11,000 crore. The Budget proposes to expand the airport capacity more than five times to handle a billion trips a year under a new initiative – NABH Nirman. Under the Regional connectivity scheme of UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) initiated by the Government last year, 56 unserved airports and 31 unserved helipads would be connected.

The Budget proposes an  expenditure  Rs.21.57 lakh crore (net of GST compensation transfers to the States) in 2017-18 as against the Budget Estimates of Rs.21.47 lakh crore.

The Finance Minister projected a fiscal deficit of 3.3% of GDP for the year 2018-19. The revised fiscal deficit estimates for 2017-18 were put at Rs. 5.95 lakh crore at 3.5% of GDP.

Mr Jaitley said the tax payer base had gone up from 6.47 crore in 2014-15 to 8.27 crore  in 2016-17, and more  payers were joining the tax net but the turnover was not encouraging.

Earlier,  in the beginning of his speech, Mr Jaitley said the government was firmly on course to achieve high growth of 8 per cent plus as manufacturing, services and exports were back on good growth path.

While GDP growth at 6.3 per cent  in the second quarter of 2017-18 signalled turnaround of the economy, growth in the second half is likely to remain between 7.2 pc to 7.5 pc.

He said that Indian society, polity and economy had shown remarkable resilience in adjusting with the structural reforms. IMF, in its latest Update, has forecast that India will grow at 7.4% next year . The Finance Minister  said the government was working to build a strong, confident  New India. ”We will soon become the world’s 5th  largest economy from the 7th at present,” he said.

New Delhi: While presenting Union Budget for 2018, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday  proposed a big hike in the salaries of the President, Vice-President and Governors.

 Mr. Jaitley proposed the monthly emoluments of the President at Rs. 5 lakh, Vice-President at Rs. 4 lakh and Rs. 3.5 lakh for Governors.

Besides, the Finance Minister also proposed an inflation-linked revision of salary and allowances for the Members of Parliament in an automatic mechanism every five years. He said that lawmakers often faced criticism as they decided their own salaries and allowances.

After the Seventh Pay Commission’s recommendations, the country’s top-most bureaucrat Cabinet Secretary gets Rs 2.5 lakh per month and a Secretary to the Union government gets Rs 2.25 lakh per month. 

At present, the President gets Rs. 1.5 lakh a month while the Vice-President draws Rs. 1.10 lakh per month. The scale of raise, proposed in the Budget, is to the tune of nearly 200 per cent.

New Delhi : The World Health Organisation’s first of its kind release of surveillance data on antibiotic resistance reveals high levels of resistance to a number of serious bacterial infections in both high- and low-income countries.

WHO’s new Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) reveals widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistance among 500 000 people with suspected bacterial infections across 22 countries.

The most commonly reported resistant bacteria were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by Salmonella spp. The system does not include data on resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis (TB), as WHO has been tracking it since 1994 and providing annual updates in the Global tuberculosis report.

Among patients with suspected bloodstream infection, the proportion that had bacteria resistant to at least one of the most commonly used antibiotics ranged tremendously between different countries – from zero to 82%. Resistance to penicillin – the medicine used for decades worldwide to treat pneumonia – ranged from zero to 51% among reporting countries. And between 8% to 65% of E. coli associated with urinary tract infections presented resistance to ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat this condition.

“The report confirms the serious situation of antibiotic resistance worldwide,” says Dr Marc Sprenger, director of WHO’s Antimicrobial Resistance Secretariat. Â“Some of the world’s most common – and potentially most dangerous – infections are proving drug-resistant,” adds Sprenger. “And most worrying of all, pathogens don’t respect national borders. That’s why WHO is encouraging all countries to set up good surveillance systems for detecting drug resistance that can provide data to this global system.”

To date, 52 countries (25 high-income, 20 middle-income and 7 low-income countries) are enrolled in WHO’s Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System. For the first report, 40 countries provided information about their national surveillance systems and 22 countries also provided data on levels of antibiotic resistance.

Data presented in this first GLASS report vary widely in quality and completeness. Some countries face major challenges in building their national surveillance systems, including a lack of personnel, funds and infrastructure.

However, WHO is supporting more countries to set up national antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems that can produce reliable, meaningful data. GLASS is helping to standardize the way that countries collect data and enable a more complete picture about antimicrobial resistance patterns and trends.

Solid drug resistance surveillance programmes in TB, HIV and malaria have been functioning for many years and have helped estimate disease burden, plan diagnostic and treatment services, monitor the effectiveness of control interventions, and design effective treatment regimens to address and prevent future resistance. GLASS is expected to perform a similar function for common bacterial pathogens.

The rollout of GLASS is already making a difference in many countries. For example, Kenya has enhanced the development of its national antimicrobial resistance system; Tunisia started to aggregate data on antimicrobial resistance at national level; the Republic of Korea completely revised its national surveillance system to align with the GLASS methodology, providing data of very high quality and completeness; and countries such as Afghanistan or Cambodia that face major structural challenges have enrolled in the system and are using the GLASS framework as an opportunity for strengthening their AMR surveillance capacities. In general, national participation in GLASS is seen as a sign of growing political commitment to support global efforts to control antimicrobial resistance.

The need for a global surveillance system was highlighted by WHO in 2014 in the Antimicrobial resistance global report on surveillance.

In October 2015, WHO launched the Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) working closely with WHO Collaborating Centres and existing antimicrobial resistance surveillance networks and based on the experience of other WHO surveillance programmes. For example, TB drug resistance surveillance has been implemented in 188 countries over the past 24 years. HIV drug resistance surveillance started in 2005 and by 2017, over 50 countries had reported data on pre-treatment and acquired resistance using standardized survey methods.

Any country, at any stage of the development of its national antimicrobial resistance surveillance system, can enrol in GLASS. Countries are encouraged to implement the surveillance standards and indicators gradually, based on their national priorities and available resources.

GLASS will eventually incorporate information from other surveillance systems related to antimicrobial resistance in humans, such as in the food chain, monitoring of antimicrobial consumption, targeted surveillance projects, and other related data.

New Delhi : The NITI Aayog has given ‘in principle’ approval to various proposals related infrastructural development in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

The proposals include roads, telecommunication, education, Ujjwala yojana and expansion of banks.

Rajiv Kumat, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog has also directed the Central Ministries to ensure speedy implementation of these suggestions and said that the Aayog will review the implementation process on a regular basis.

At an important meeting to implement Bastar Development Plan held here at the NITI Aayog, senior officials led by Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Ajay Singh discussed these proposals with NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, CEO Amitabh Kant, other members and Secretaries of various departments of the Government of India.

The Chief Secretary informed that ‘in principle’ approval has been given for construction of additional 600 km of roads in Bastar under Rashtriya Road project – 2 and Special Secretary (Home Ministry) has assured that implementation of this proposal will be done on priority.

The approval was also granted for sanctioning Rs 65 crore for expansion of telecom services and increasing connectivity in remote areas. The amount will be utilized for expansion of districts to development blocks connectivity in Bastar and expedite execution of 402 towers in the first phase and 1028 telecom towers in the second phase.

In a bid to strengthen education system, in principle approval was given for declaration of 10 LWE affected blocks as educationally backward blocks. During the meeting, approval was given for sanction of additional hostels for girls and upgrade Â‘Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas’ to high schools. The approval was also given for providing assistance to ‘Vidya Mitan Yojana’ under National Mission for Secondary Education.

The State Chief Secretary said that kerosene quota of Chhattisgarh will be maintained at current levels till agencies of 26 new LPG distributors gets operational in Bastar under ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’. In the meeting it was informed that software has been modified and those women who were minor during the SECC survey and have now become adult will also be given gas connections under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’.

He added that approval was also given for expansion of banking services in remote rural areas of Bastar region and the Department of Financial Services has assured that they will immediately take up with banks to ensure that 88 new branches were opened in these areas. He said that Secretary (DFS, Government of India) will visit Chhattisgarh to review the progress.

The Chief Secretary said that NITI Aayog has also given approval for providing houses under ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ to 1555 surrendered Naxalities and whose names do not figure in the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011. The vice chairman issued instructions to Joint Secretary, Rural Development Ministry, to immediately resolve the matter.

It was informed during the meeting that the central government has agreed to include solid waste management plant, Ujjwala gas storage, community halls, infrastructure made for disabled person and bus depots in the list of non-liner items. The step will ease difficulties coming in the way of construction of these infrastructures in Bastar.

A series of major reforms undertaken over the past year will allow real GDP growth to reach 6.75 percent this fiscal and will rise to 7.0 to 7.5 percent in 2018-19, thereby re-instating India as the world’s fastest growing major economy. This was stated in the Economic Survey 2017-18 tabled in Parliament today by the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley. It said that the reform measures undertaken in 2017-18 can be strengthened further in 2018-19.

The survey underlines that due to the launch of transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST) reform on July 1, 2017, resolution of the long-festering Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) problem by sending the major stressed companies for resolution under the new Indian Bankruptcy Code, implementing a major recapitalization package to strengthen the public sector banks, further liberalization of FDI and the export uplift from the global recovery, the economy began to accelerate in the second half of the year and can clock 6.75 percent growth this year. The survey points out that as per the quarterly estimates; there was a reversal of the declining trend of GDP growth in the second quarter of 2017-18, led by the industry sector. The Gross Value Added (GVA) at constant basic prices is expected to grow at the rate of 6.1 per cent in 2017-18 as compared to 6.6 per cent in 2016-17. Similarly, Agriculture, industry and services sectors are expected to grow at the rate of 2.1 per cent, 4.4 per cent, and 8.3 per cent respectively in 2017-18. The survey adds that after remaining in negative territory for a couple of years, growth of exports rebounded into positive one during 2016-17 and expected to grow faster in 2017-18. However, due to higher expected increase in imports, net exports of goods and services are slated to decline in 2017-18. Similarly, despite the robust economic growth, the savings and investment as a ratio of GDP generally declined. The major reduction in investment rate occurred in 2013-14, although it declined in 2015-16 too. Within this the share of household sector declined, while that of private corporate sector increased.

The survey points out that India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world as the average growth during last three years is around 4 percentage points higher than global growth and nearly 3 percentage points higher than that of Emerging Market and Developing Economies. It points out that the GDP growth has averaged 7.3 per cent for the period from 2014-15 to 2017-18, which is the highest among the major economies of the world. That this growth has been achieved in a milieu of lower inflation, improved current account balance and notable reduction in the fiscal deficit to GDP ratio makes it all the more creditable.

Though concerns have been expressed about growing protectionist tendencies in some countries but it remains to be seen as to how the situation unfolds. Some of the factors could have dampening effect on GDP growth in the coming year viz. the possibility of an increase in crude oil prices in the international market. However, with world growth likely to witness moderate improvement in 2018, expectation of greater stability in GST, likely recovery in investment levels, and ongoing structural reforms, among others, should be supporting higher growth. On balance, country’s economic performance should witness an improvement in 2018-19.

The survey highlights that against the emerging macroeconomic concerns, policy vigilance will be necessary in the coming year, especially if high international oil prices persist or elevated stock prices correct sharply, provoking a “sudden stall” in capital flows. The agenda for the next year consequently remains full: stabilizing the GST, completing the TBS actions, privatizing Air India, and staving off threats to macro-economic stability. The TBS actions, noteworthy for cracking the long-standing “exit” problem, need complementary reforms to shrink unviable banks and allow greater private sector participation. The GST Council offers a model “technology” of cooperative federalism to apply to many other policy reforms. Over the medium term, three areas of policy focus stand out: Employment: finding good jobs for the young and burgeoning workforce, especially for women. Education: creating an educated and healthy labor force. Agriculture: raising farm productivity while strengthening agricultural resilience. Above all, India must continue improving the climate for rapid economic growth on the strength of the only two truly sustainable engines—private investment and exports.

NEW DELHI: In a U-turn, External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday shelved its decision to issue a passport with orange colour jacket to passport holders with Emigration Check Required (ECR) status and to do away with the printing of the last page of the passport booklet containing address. 

“The MEA has received several individual and collective representations requesting to reconsider these two decisions,” an official press release said. 

At a meeting, presided over by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and attended by Minister of State Gen. (Retd) V K Singh on Monday, the decision on both these issues was reviewed. After discussions with various stakeholders, “the MEA has decided to continue with the current practice of printing of the last page of the passport and not to issue a separate passport with orange colour jacket to ECR passport holders.” 

The Modi government has come under criticism by opposition parties on its decision of issuing a separate orange colour jacket passport with ECR status. Congress President Rahul Gandhi had attacked the BJP, saying it showed a “discriminatory mindset” of the ruling party towards migrant workers.

New Delhi: The term Office of Profit is widely used in the Parliament as it is one of the disqualifications for being a Member of Parliament or a Member of State Legislature. Though a very commonly used term it has not been defined either under the Constitution of India or under the Representative of People’s Act, 1951, but under the provisions of both these statutes it is a ground for disqualification of an MLA or MP.

The term office of profit means holding an office either under the State Government or under the Central Government, from which some income or some profit is earned by the holder of office. Test for this is the appointing and removing power of the Government, or paying for holding the office and the type of Control which the Government can exercise on the holder of office of profit.

 The origin of this term can be traced back to the English act of Settlement 1701 and the Act of Union 1707. Under the provisions of these acts, a person is disqualified from being a Member of the Commons if he holds any office of profit under the king. Similar provisions were incorporated in the Constitution Of India under Article 102 (1)(a) and Article 191(1)(a) which explains that a Member of Parliament or Member of State Legislature (as the case may be) would be disqualified from being chosen or from being said Member if he holds an office of profit either under the State Government or under the Central Government, except for those offices which are exempted by the Parliament or the State Legislature (as the case may be) from time to time in accordance with the law for time being in force. An explanation to these articles exempts Ministers either under the Union or States from the scope of holders of office of profit. The qualifications prescribed for the President (Article 58(2)) and the Vice President (article 66(4)) also provides the similar provisions relating to the Office of Profit.  

The fundamental principle behind including the condition of office of profit is to ensure the credibility of the Member. If a person is holding an office from which he is earning some remuneration or some profits, he might be more focused towards this office than from discharging his duties for which he is originally elected. Also this would increase the independence of the Members of Parliament as they would not be working under the executive or earning some profits from the executive. For the purpose of this disqualification, the profits may include any pecuniary gain.

In the case of Jaya Bachchan v. Union of India (2006) it was held by the apex Court, that if the holder of office of profit is entitled to any pecuniary gain in connection with his office, it becomes a disqualification even though the actual monetary gain was not received by him.

In the recent news, the term of office of profit again came to light because it became the reason for the disqualification of 20 AAP MLA’s after the recommendation of the Election Commission which was accepted by the President of India.

Taking into the account the probable reason for having the Office of Profit Clause as a disqualification for Member of Parliament and State Legislature, it is essential to have such a ground. It is true, if a person is holding a post or an office from which he is earning some profit or from which he has some monetary gain there are chances of his being dependent on the office and for that matter be under the instruction of his employer (Central Government or the State Government in this case) and would injure his seriousness or independence in working for the people who have elected him. 

(The writer is a budding lawyer)

New Delhi : As the UK prepares to host the Commonwealth Summit 2018 in April this year, it’s hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the multilateral meet which has not seen an Indian head of government attend it in nearly a decade. The last Indian PM to participate in the Commonwealth heads of Government (CHOGM) meet was Manmohan Singh in 2009 in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.

As the UK moves to revitalise the Commonwealth, it’s looking towards India to play a lead role in this grouping, it’s keen that there is representation at the prime ministerial level by India, the largest member state of this grouping. Indicative of the significance London attaches to India’s role in re-energising the Commonwealth-a grouping comprising 52 member states–Prince Charles was in New Delhi in November last year to extend an invite to PM Modi to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). 

This isn’t all. The chief executive officer of the 2018 Summit, Tim Hitchens has made no less than three visits to New Delhi in the last six months as part of the Theresa May-led UK government’s diplomatic outreach to India as far as the Commonwealth is concerned. Hitchens, a career diplomat heads the Commonwealth Summit Unit which reports directly to PM May.

During his most recent visit to the Capital last week, Hitchens conceded, “India is the biggest member of the Commonwealth and if it is not fully engaged with it, then the Commonwealth cannot fully work.” He also noted that there is increasing engagement by India in Commonwealth discussions in the last six months.”

For all his diplomatic outreach since becoming PM, Modi had chosen to skip the 2015 Commonwealth Summit held in Malta, sending external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj instead. This time around, all indications are that Modi will be participating in the Summit. 

Hitchens said that the upcoming Summit will be among the best attended with 50 heads of government expected to participate in the meet to be held in the week commencing on April 16. In its endeavour to recast itself to the needs of present times, the Summit will be looking at the role of the Commonwealth in the 21st century and the challenges before it, said Hitchens.

“How do you have respect for the rule of law?  How do you strengthen institutions? How do you deal with the challenges to a rules-based system?” said Hitchens about the issues before the Commonwealth. He further said that “the strength of the Commonwealth can reflect global shifts as it has members globally.” In addition, he said that the role of Asian countries who are members of the Commonwealth is becoming increasingly significant.

The Summit and thereafter the Leaders Retreat at Windsor Castle will see world leaders discuss matters like keeping trade and prosperity growing, said Hitchens. The intra-Commonwealth trade alone is pegged at 800 billion dollars, he noted. And though a free trade area within the Commonwealth poses practical obstacles, the Commonwealth is looking at facilitating free trade between member states, said Hitchens. 

Other issues on the Commonwealth agenda said Hitchens are: how the more vulnerable member states of the Commonwealth can be supported, how new security threats–cyber security for instance–being faced by countries can be tackled and how the challenges posed by climate change to small island states who are Commonwealth members can be dealt with. 

KOLKATA: Weary faces of Karuna Mandal, Sheela Chowkidar and Saraswati Mandal, all in their late 40s or early 50s, are almost devoid of any expression. Clad in their ordinary cotton sarees, they hail from Sunderbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest in the coastal belt of West Bengal which is also abode of royal Bengal tiger. The three women are among several others who are also known as “Tiger Widows.”

Last week, they travelled to Kolkata to attend the launch of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Foundation which has taken upon itself to improve the lot of such widows by offering them not only financial assistance but also by offering them vocational training to help in t,heir rehabilitation and facilitate them lead a life of dignity

With the help of an interpretor, the three women, sitting in a conference hall of a hotel, give a glimpse of their impoverished lives and how their husbands were stealthily attacked and killed by tigers in forests of Sunderbans. The men usually go out to collect wood, catch fish and other similar activities in jungles to earn their livelihood and face a real threat of being attacked and killed by tigers. The three women lost their husbands to tigers about seven-eight years ago. They say there are thousands of such widows in villages in Sunderbans whose lives are lonely and impoverished as very little help comes from the government. They are left to fend for themselves.  Sunderbans is located at the mouth of the Ganga and Brahmputra rivers between India and Bangladesh. It has also earned the dubious status of being the biggest place for widows.

They were joined by widows from Vrindavan, Navdeep, Uttarakhand and Varanasi where not-for-profit social organization, Sulabh International is working to give a life of dignity to such women who had been living in penury and poor condition. Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak who founded Sulabh International in 1970 has also launched the foundation to campaign for remarriage of widows and their rehabilitation as they are often castigated and literally driven away from their homes.

The workshop, organized by the Raja Ram Mohan Roy-Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar foundation, held discussions on the future course of action on the widows’ issues in Kolkata because of its historic connection with the two legendary social reformers of the 19th century. West Bengal’s Minister for Public Health and Panchayat Subrata Mukherjee urged people to help social organisations engaged in welfare of widows. He said that the State government was ready to join hands with Sulabh International. 

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak recalled the contribution of both the iconic social reformers and said that their contributions would act as  source of inspiration for carrying forward the mission of giving a life of dignity to the widows so that they can live in the society with respect and dignity. In fact, Dr. Pathak’s  initiative began from Vrindavan, and Sulabh extended the welfare work for widows to Varanasi and Uttarakhand. Sulabh is looking after about 800 widows in Vrindavan, about 200 widows in Varanasi and 154 families, including 32 widows in Deoli-Bhanigram Panchayat of Uttarakhand.

”We strongly feel that all suffering widows should be given stipend and vocational education, so that they could earn their own livelihood and be self-reliant. Above all, they must get respect and all possible help from their own families and the rest of society.  Sulabh’s missionary campaign for widows is meant to emancipate them from all kinds of deprivations, restrictions and humiliations. We have lent our widowed sisters and mothers a healing and helping hand, but much more needs to be done,’’ Dr. Pathak points out. The workshop also witnessed participation from academics, social workers and journalists.

Dr. Niladri Banerjee, a descendant of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, who teaches Physics in a Cambridge University College in UK also addressed the workshop. He said that common perception about widowhood was still the same as 150 years ago. In his opinion, issue of inheritance was a major problem and women’s education, their skills and jobs would help them evolve and equip them in a better way to face challenges. 

Davos : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held up his country – its ancient traditions as well as its democratic present – as a model in addressing the great challenges facing the world in 2018 in the opening plenary session of the 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.

Modi identified the three foremost challenges that humanity confronts today: climate change, terrorism and a growing trend towards inward-focused isolationism among nations.

He emphasized the “deep bond between Indian traditions and nature,” and invoked the Upanishads, Buddhism and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi in calling for a more harmonious relationship with the natural world, based on consumption according to need, and repudiating “greed-based consumption”. He noted that India has set an aggressive target of producing 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022, and that India and France will soon ratify a treaty creating a new International Solar Alliance, with its first meeting to be held in New Delhi.

Modi noted that “many societies and countries are becoming more and more focused on themselves,” and identified this trend as a challenge on par with climate change and terrorism. “We will have to accept that globalization is slowly losing its lustre,” he said, but blamed this in part on the inadequacies of extant transnational organizations and institutions. “These global organizations created after the Second World War – do they even reflect the aspirations and dreams of mankind and the reality of today?” He warned that the gap between these organizations and the needs of developing countries is particularly large.

“The solution to this worrisome situation is not isolation,” said Modi. “The solution is accepting and understanding change and formulating flexible policies in line with the changing times,” he said, suggesting that a globalism that does not seek to sweep away national and cultural differences is needed. “The father of India, the respected Mahatma Gandhi, said, ‘I do not want the walls and the windows of my house to be closed from all directions but that the wind of all countries come in with aplomb. But I will not accept my feet being uprooted by these winds.’ The India of today has accepted this view,” he said.

Modi underscored the openness of India to foreign investment. “We are removing the red tape and rolling out the red carpet,” he said, noting that, in the past three years, the Indian government has abolished over 1,400 “archaic” laws. “I’m sure you can imagine, in a democratic state, how difficult it is to do that,” he added.

India’s reforms will, Modi believes, drive fast growth: He targets a $5 trillion GDP by 2025. “The path my government in India has chosen is revolutionary and development-centric. Our mantra is ‘reform, perform and transform’,” said Modi. But he insists this will be done in accordance with his oft-repeated claim that Indians consider the whole world its family. “India has never had any political or geographical ambitions. We do not exploit the natural resources of any country. We believe in a multicultural and a multipolar world order.”

Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation 2018 and Federal Councillor of Home Affairs of Switzerland, also addressed the opening plenary. He warned that, in the coming year, we may well “reach the paradoxical conclusion that disruption has emerged not from the extremes but from the middle of society, while economic and social progress also comes from the majority.” Berset challenged the idea that the welfare state and the market economy are somehow incompatible or irreconcilable. “The game was all wrong, as well as the assumptions,” he said. “After all, uncertainty and social injustice do not lead to economic prosperity. Fear is not productive. Fear does not drive innovation.”

The World Economic Forum’s 48th Annual Meeting is taking place on 23-26 January 2018 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. More than 3,000 leaders from around the world are gathering in a collaborative effort to shape the global, regional and industry agendas, with a commitment to improve the state of the world.