PUNJAB POLL PUNJAB ELECTIONS 2017

Transcription

1 PUNJAB ELECTIONS 2017 BHAGWANT MANN CLAIMS TO BEAT SUKHBIR BY 90K VOTES; COMPLAINS AGAINST RUBY DHALLA DESK REPORT/AAP LEADER BHAGWANT MANN HAS SAID HE WILL BEAT PUNJAB DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER SUKHBIR BADAL IN JALALABAD AND HE "WAS SAD THAT BADAL WAS LOSING ONLY BY 90,000 VOTES. HIS DEPOSITS WILL BE FORFEITED AND HIS PARTY FACES A DRUBBING IN THESE ELECTIONS. WE ARE FIGHTING AGAINST CORRUPTION AND NEITHER SAD NOR CONGRESS ARE ANYWHERE IN THE RACE." AFTER CASTING HIS VOTE, MANN ALSO SAID HE HAD LODGED A COMPLAINT TO THE ELECTION COMMISSION AGAINST FORMER CANADIAN MP RUBY DHALLA FOR SEEKING VOTES FOR AKALI DAL AND ALLEGEDLY INFLUENCING VOTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. MANN SAID: "SHE HAS NO RIGHT TO SEEK VOTES FOR AKALI DAL." PUNJAB POLL MORE WOMEN (78.14%) VOTE THAN MEN BY JAIDEEP SARIN Punjab may have been unfair to women in terms of its sex ratio, but the percentage of female voters was clearly higher than male voters in the just-concluded assembly elections in the state, With Punjab recording a high voter turnout of 77.4 per cent, it was the female voters who were in the lead with per cent turnout. In comparison, only per cent of male voters exercised their franchise. Out of the 1,98,78,654 registered electors in Punjab, there were 1,05,03,108 male and 93,75,546 female voters. In the February 4 elections to 117 assembly seats, while 80,54,558 men voted, 73,26,384 women cast their votes. The overall voting percentage in the state was a shade lower than the percent votes polled in the previous assembly elections in However, the number of votes polled this time was PUNJAB ELECTIONS 2017: PREDICTIONS Gurbax Malhi, veteran Canadian politician says AAP will win comfortably in Punjab. Varinder Singh, senior Punjab Tribune journalist says AAP will win less than 25 seats in Punjab. much higher than the votes polled in 2012, as the number of voters in the state increased by nearly 22 lakh this time. Thus, 1,53,80,942 voters cast their ballots this time compared to 1,38,92,749 (of 1,76,82,363 voters) last time. In the 2012 assembly elections also, the percentage of women who voted, at 79.1 per cent, was slightly higher than the male voters at per cent. While women voters have been enthusiastically participating in the democratic process, major political parties have hardly given them fair representation this time around. Among the 1,145 candidates in the fray for 117 assembly seats, only 81 were women -- clearly indicating the patriarchal predominance among political parties. Some of the parties, and leaders, even promised 33 per cent seats for women but came nowhere close to this when the tickets were allotted. Yudhvir Jaswal, CEO and Group Editor YMedia says AAP will win seats, Congress and Akali Dal-BJP NON-STOP INDIA ELECTION NEWS ONLY ON YMEDIA Kejriwal is being sponsored by ISI: Harsimrat Badal DESK REPORT BRAMPTON - In wake of the ongoing India elections 2017, YMedia has started giving special coverage to this important event on all its platforms - Midweek newspaper, Channel Y, Southasian PULSE radio shows and online on For detailed discussions and news coverage on the following, tune in to all the four media platforms of YMedia: Bikram and Lalli Majithia fight near Polling booth Will give Rahul Gandhi a great gift with Congress' revival; Navjot Sidhu Congress will win 68 seats, AAP is social media Hype: Capt Amarinder Huge support for Akali Dal in Punjab: Sukhbir Badal Parkash Badal sure of third term, says will be active in politics till last breath I DETAILS ON PAGE 13 Balbir Sohi to be at Dragons Den soon BRAMPTON, ON: Balbir Sohi, owner of Smiles on Wheels, a Bramptonbased mobile dental hygiene practice, was able to lean on the solid skills she gained at the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre when she faced the Dragons on CBC's Dragons' Den. Smiles on Wheels is a mobile dental hygiene business that Sohi launched in 2012; she has been a Brampton Entrepreneur Centre client since Working with Business Advisor Jennifer Vivian, Sohi has taken advantage of a number of the Centre's services, including business plan consultations, seminars, workshops, and mentoring and networking opportunities. Her Dragons' Den episode was filmed in the summer of 2016, and now, finally, all of Canada will see how it turned out on Wednesday, February 8 at 8 pm on CBC. I DETAILS ON PAGE 10 New details for future university in Brampton emerge BRAMPTON - The City of Brampton is tightening its work plan as new details around a university in Brampton emerge. Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, spoke at a Brampton Board of Trade breakfast event recently, and made it clear that the Province of Ontario is looking to support the creation of an entirely new approach to post-secondary education in Brampton. Her remarks added more context to a staff update to Committee of Council on January 18 on work being done to further the development of a university in Brampton. Through the City's discussions with provincial representatives, universities and Brampton businesses, it is clear that all stakeholders are looking for something beyond a traditional university campus. All prospective partners are keenly interested in a centre that combines education with innovation and collaboration - a facility Deputy Premier Matthews referred to as "something that we have never seen anywhere else in the world." I DETAILS ON PAGE 10 13,000 ASSAD OPPONENTS HANGED IN SYRIAN JAIL: AMNESTY DESK REPORT TORONTO - Nearly 13,000 people were hanged at a Syrian prison, Saydnaya, Amnesty International report alleges. In what is being called the worst human rights violations by the Assad regime, thousands were executed at Saydnaya, a prison north of Damascus. Amnesty International prepared the report after interviewing 84 witnesses that included security guards, detainees, judges and lawyers. It took the agency one year to investigate the matter. Most of those hanged were civilians "believed to be opposed to the government," the report found. "The horrors depicted in this report reveal a hidden, monstrous campaign, authorized at the highest levels of the Syrian government, aimed at crushing any form of dissent within the Syrian population," Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty's Beirut office, said in a statement announcing the report. CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON

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3 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY AUGUST 28, 07, page 3 MidWeek 3 ARE AKSHAY AND SALMAN TEAMING-UP FOR A MOVIE? MUMBAI, (PTI) Superstars Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan may not be the best of friends but Akshay maintains that they have mutual admiration for each other. "Friendship doesn't mean you meet everyday. We don't meet everyday. I haven't gone to his house or he has come to my place. We have mutual admiration for each other. I admire him and so does he," Akshay said in an interview here. The "Dabangg" star, Akshay and filmmaker Karan Johar are coming together for a movie slated to release in The yet-to-be titled project will be produced by Salman and Karan, while Akshay will star in the lead role. "It's for the first time that a big actor like him has signed me. It usually happens in Hollywood where one big actor signs another big actor. If this works in Bollywood it will become a trend. Hats off to Salman to put money on me," Akshay said. There were rumors that the film will revolve around the Battle of Saragarhi. On this Akshay said, "No nothing is finalized.everything is going on. If I say anything my agreement will get cancelled." According to the "Rustom" star there is still some time before the film goes on floors. In the trailer of Akshay's upcoming film "Jolly LLB- 2" a situation comes when Akshay raises a question on Salman Khan's marriage. Talking about this particular scene, Akshay said, "Don't worry, don't create anything he knows everything. And after that only he signed me." This upcoming courtroom drama film is a sequel to the 2013 released film "Jolly LLB" that starred Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao and Boman Irani in the lead roles. Produced by Fox Star Studios, the film hit theatres on February 10. You mobs don't scare me: Anurag Kashyap to online trolls MUMBAI, (PTI) Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has attacked online bullies in an emotional Facebook post, saying he has "zero political affiliation" but does not see anything wrong in posing questions to the government. Kashyap is one of the most vocal celebrities and recently he came out in support of Sanjay Leela Bhansali after the director was attacked by a fringe Rajput group on the set of "Padmavati" in Jaipur. In a Facebook post, the 44-year-old helmer wrote that he has always taken stand for issues he strongly believes in and he will continue to raise his voice for what he feels is right. "It does not matter what you say or do, attack me physically or verbally, I will voice what I feel. You mobs don't scare me, my voice will always rise over your screaming and shouting, I embrace my truth and I do not fear accusations," Kashyap wrote. "I have been taught that your PM is the head of the state or country, who you can question, seek answers, argue with but never fear him, because you chose him and he represents your well being. If one has to fear him than that's sad. Respect can not be demanded it's commanded. It's earned. It does not deter me from asking and engaging," he said. Kashyap added that he has been taught that "your PM is the head of the state or country, who you can question, seek answers, argue with but never fear him." Bigg Boss winner Manveer in hospital after FIR lodged against him NOIDA, (PTI) Noida Police has lodged an FIR against Big Boss season 10 winner Manveer Gurjar and his supporters for obstructing traffic and causing ruckus. On Tuesday, a grand welcome was organised by Manveer's fans to celebrate his recent win on the popular reality show. The people, who were looking after the function, had taken permission to hold the celebrations at Noida's sector 46 park but things went out of control when it led to a traffic jam outside the venue. "Though permission was taken for holding welcome function at sector 46 park but his supporters had blocked traffic for hours opposite Sadarpur police chowki which had caused inconvenience to public," Sector 39 SHO Amar Nath Yadav said. Trump immigration ban deeply affected me: Priyanka LOS ANGELES, (PTI) After Hollywood A-listers Jennifer Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, John Legend and among others slammed President Donald Trump's temporary immigration ban, actress Priyanka Chopra has spoken out against it saying, "this has deeply affected me." Trump signed the executive order on last Friday to suspend entry of refugees to the US for 120 days, and imposed an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria. A 90-day ban was also placed on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In an emotional LinkedIn blog post, the 34-year-old star and UNICEF Goodwill ambassador, wrote, "As a global citizen, this has deeply affected me.

4 4 MidWeek special report TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2017 UP POLL: IN INDIA'S LARGEST STATE OF 138 MILLION PEOPLE 40% OF VOTERS UNDECIDED BY SHREYA SHAH Elections for the Uttar Pradesh state assembly, India's largest state million voters -- start on February 11, but 40 per cent of its voters said they still don't know which political party they will vote for, according to a new survey conducted by FourthLion Technologies, a data analytics and public opinion polling firm, for IndiaSpend. The firm conducted 2,513 telephone interviews in Hindi of registered voters in Uttar Pradesh, and said their sample is representative of the state's urban and rural voters as well as socioeconomic, age, gender and caste make-up. The survey was conducted between January 24 and January 31. Overall, 28 per cent of those surveyed said they would vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if the polls were held immediately, while 18 per cent of those surveyed would vote for the Samajwadi Party (SP) that currently leads the state, four per cent would vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) led by Mayawati, while one per cent would vote for the Congress party. The large percentage of undecided voters (40%) suggests that any party could have more popular support. The survey found that half of all women are undecided, as are 45 per cent of those between the age of 30 and 44 years, 42% of those living in rural areas, 43 per cent of Dalits, 44% of those from Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and 43 per cent of the poor. The indicator on income is based on vehicle ownership, with the poorest owning no two-wheeler or car. Out of all those who said they hadn't decided whom to vote for, a majority were from OBCS (38%) and Dalit (21%). As many as 70% also said they owned no vehicle, which could be a sign of the level of income. As many as 33% of those supporting the BJP said they were from the OBCs, 11 per cent said they were Muslims, while 22% said they were Dalits. A higher percentage of the SP's supporters said they were Muslim (29%), while fewer said they were Dalits (14%). Most of BSP's supporters identified as Dalits (40%), while 22% said they were from the OBCs, and 16% said they were Muslim. In 2014, the BJP had won 81% of 403 seats in the parliamentary elections, and "it would take a massive shift of loyalties" of BJP voters in 2014 for the party to lose the 2017 state assembly election, according to a January 2017 analysis by Praveen Chakravarty, a senior fellow in political economy at IDFC Institute. Both parliamentary and state elections in India take place every five years, though they follow different cycles. The last state assembly election in Uttar Pradesh was in 2012, when the SP won 224 seats to form the government. The BJP had won 47 seats, the BSP 80 seats, and Congress 28 seats. Other parties, including the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Qaumi Ekta Dal, won 24 seats. BHAGWANT MANN AMRINDER SINGH NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU WITH WIFE NAVJOT KAUR SIDHU PARKASH SINGH BADAL MANOHAR PARRIKAR

5 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY AUGUST 28, 07, special report MidWeek 5 Canadian politicians hold first meeting with US counterparts OTTAWA - Chrystia Freeland, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs held productive meeting with her US counterpart Rex Tillerson and vowed to work closely with the new administration. Meanehile, Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan issued the following readout after his first meeting with the new US Secretary of Defense, James Mattis: "Today I had the pleasure of meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defence James Mattis. The warm, cordial tone of the discussion reflects the longstanding, close partnership between Canada and the United States, particularly when it comes to defence and security. "The close defence relationship between our two nations provides both countries with greater security in North America and contributes to peace and stability in the world in increasingly complex and uncertain times. "With 2018 marking the 60th anniversary of NORAD, I was pleased to highlight the importance of this unique partnership and its success in protecting North America, and we looked forward to working together on its modernization. Secretary Mattis and I also discussed multilateral issues, including our pledges to lead battle groups in support of NATO's enhanced forward presence in Eastern Europe, our commitments to the United Nations and the Summit of Defence Ministers that Canada will host later this year. We discussed our training missions in both Ukraine and Iraq and the work being done by the Global Coalition to degrade and defeat Daesh. I also took the opportunity to discuss Canada's Defence Policy Review. "We discussed Canada's decision to launch an open and transparent competition to replace our legacy fleet of CF- 18 fighter aircraft, and to explore the immediate acquisition of 18 new Super Hornet fighter aircraft as an interim capability. I expressed my appreciation to the secretary for the support and cooperation of the US Government in these processes. Secretary Mattis and I pledged to work closely together and look forward to our next meeting at the upcoming NATO defence ministerial later this month. "I want to thank Secretary Mattis and Pentagon officials for the warm welcome in Washington and look forward to hosting Secretary Mattis in Canada."

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7 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY AUGUST 28, 07, community MidWeek 7 Shaji Nada, President & CEO of Ideal Entertainment with Toronto Mayor John Tory, Oscar award-winning music director AR Rahman, Ramanan Muthlingam, Managing Director of Ideal Entertainment, and George Stroumboulopoulos, award-winning host and event moderator, at the launch of his new production company, Ideal Entertainment in Toronto. PREMIER WYNNE VISITED MISSISSAUGA HOSPITAL WITH MPP DAMERLA MISSISSAUGA - MPP Dipika Damerla, Mississauga East-Cooksville recently visited the Mississauga Hospital along with Premier Kathleen Wynne to tour the facility and take part in a health townhall with the staff. MPP Damerla has been a consistent advocate for the expansion of the Mississauga Hospital. "It was a great visit. It helped shine a light on the need for a larger hospital in Mississauga. As a Mississauga MPP fighting for a bigger hospital is my number one priority," said MPP Damerla after the tour. The Mississauga hospital is one of the busiest in country and there is a great need for its expansion. MPP Damerla also accompanied the Premier on her Mississauga tour to the University of Toronto at Mississauga campus to interact with the students about removing financial barriers to education. She also visited the Newcomer Centre of Peel along with Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister Laura Albanese. RUBY SAHOTA WITH MEMBERS OF THE LOCAL TAMIL COMMUNITY CELEBRATING TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development celebrating the first Tamil Heritage Month with community. MISSISSAUGA MAYOR BONNIE CROMBIE AT THE GRAND OPENING OF NATIONS FRESH FOODS IN MISSISSAUGA. MISSISSAUGA MAYOR BONNIE CROMBIE WITH MPP AMRIT MANGAT AND MPP HARINDER TAKHAR AT A VIGIL HELD FOR QUEBEC CITY SHOOTING VICTIMS. We will welcome people from all parts of world: Minister Laura Albanese OTTAWA - In a statement Minister Laura Albanese said that she spoke to the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Ahmed Hussen, and reiterated Ontario's open door stance with respect to receiving immigrants and refugees from all countries, irrespective of race, ethnicity or faith. She said: "Ontario's economic and social strength is built on our traditions of openness and diversity. Since December 2015, Ontario has received approximately 20,000 refugees, including over 16,000 refugees fleeing the Syrian crisis and the remainder coming from other countries across the globe. Communities across the province have embraced our new neighbours and through the collaborative efforts of governments, settlement agencies, the broader non-profit sector, the private sector as well as everyday Ontarians, refugees are finding homes, their children are attending school, jobs are being found and the process of integration is well underway. I want to emphasize that the Ontario government is committed to ensuring that our province continues to be a safe destination for members of all faiths, including our brothers and sisters who practice the Muslim faith. We will proudly continue to welcome people from all parts of the world as we continue to create economic security and opportunity and develop the diverse and inclusive communities where all people thrive." Indira Naidoo-Harris Becomes Ontario's First Minister of Women's Issues ONTARIO - Last month Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, took an important step for women and girls in Ontario by announcing a new stand-alone Ministry for women headed by Halton MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris. Minister Naidoo-Harris will oversee an ambitious and activist agenda, enacting a growing number of important policies related to the economic empowerment of women and the prevention of violence against women and girls. She will help implement the province's Gender Wage Gap Strategy and coordinate ongoing efforts to build gender equality across Ontario. She will continue to raise awareness and build on the progress of #It's Never Okay: An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment, Walking Together: Ontario's Long-Term Strategy to End Violence Against Indigenous Women and Ontario's Strategy to End Human Trafficking. Minister Naidoo- Harris: "I am committed to advancing gender equality across the province. As Minister I will work tirelessly to make Ontario a place of fairness and opportunity, so women and girls can all reach their full potential free from the fear of sexual violence and harassment." In addition to her new role, Naidoo-Harris has been appointed as Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care, overseeing the creation of 100,000 new licensed child care spaces within the next five years for children 4 years and under. This appointment strengthens and builds on her previous role as Associate Minister of Education focusing on the Early Years and Child Care portfolio. Minister Naidoo-Harris: "Ontario is a great place to live, work and raise a family. We must continue to create more accessible, affordable, high quality early years and child care programs for our children so that families can get the support they need. My priority is to ensure that our kids get the best start in life." Indira Naidoo-Harris was born in Durban, South Africa, and her family immigrated to Canada to pursue dreams they could not achieve under apartheid. She grew up in a small town, and built a successful career in journalism, covering issues at the regional, national and international levels. Naidoo-Harris was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2014 as MPP for Halton, where she has lived with her family for close to 25 years.

8 8 MidWeek opinion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2017 JALALABAD: TWO MPS VERSUS PUNJAB'S MOST POWERFUL MAN Published By Asian World Today Inc. 1310, Midway Blvd, Unit # 31, Mississauga Ontario L5T 2K5 Direct Line Tel: Fax: For Advertising yudhvir@southasiandaily.com ads@midweektoronto.com YUDHVIR JASWAL CHIEF EDITOR & CEO yudhvir@southasiandaily.com GURPREET SINGH LOONA MEDIA COORDINATOR MidWeek SUNIL VERMA GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT NAVEEN SHARMA INDIA MARKETING HEAD BY JAIDEEP SARIN It is tucked away in a far corner of west Punjab -- barely a dozen kilometres from the Pakistan border - and is certainly nowhere near as developed and prosperous as other parts of the state. But the assembly elections this time have made this a high-profile constituency. This is because the contest is between Sukhbir Singh Badal, the state's Deputy Chief Minister and President of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and two incumbent Lok Sabha members - Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu of the Congress. Bittu is a grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh who was assassinated in a car bombing at thepunjab secretariat in Chandigarh in In the last five years, Jalalabad, as Sukhbir Badal's constituency, has received special attention and funding for projects worth hundreds of crores. But that alone is not likely to be enough to ensure smooth sailing for Punjab's most powerful man. The contest this time could be tougher for the Akali Dal supremo given the fact that Punjab's Malwa belt (south of the Sutlej river) has shown a definite undercurrent in favour of the AAP and also because comedian/actor-turnedpolitician Bhagwant Mann is quite popular. Mann manages to attract crowds in villages and small towns across the constituency as he moves around and addresses people. While much of it is due to his celebrity status in Punjab, a lot of people, especially youth, come to hear his stand-up political acts. His oneliners on the Badal family (headed by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal), Sukhbir, the Congress and the Akali Dal, get good response from those attending his meetings. While the AAP was the first to take on Sukhbir Badal by fielding Mann, considered a tougher candidate than any other AAP leader, the Congress made things more interesting by fielding Bittu, seen as a "youth leader." Sukhbir Badal, on the face of it, is showing no signs of being SHAZIA MALIK ASSOCIATE EDITOR DR. PUSHPINDER BRAR CONTRIBUTING WRITER ALI - NICE PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHERS BASHIR NASIR PHOTOGRAPHERS THAPLIYAL & RAI LAW OFFICE LEGAL ADVISOR Newspaper Published in English every Tuesday Radio SOUTHASIAN PULSE Prime Time Mon to Fri - 10:00 AM to 12 Noon on 770AM Drive Time Mon to Fri - 3:00 PM to 4 PM on 770AM LISTEN TO SOUTH ASIAN PULSE RADIO ON YOUR MOBILE Local Number Toronto: Local Number Montreal: To Listen in US: Television SOUTHASIAN 360TV Rogers basic Cable Channel 10 Every Thursday from 9:30-10:30pm Friday from 8-9pm Saturday from 5-6pm Online ONLY News Portal for Southasian-Canadians Cricket CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL CRICKET (CPC) 6th Annual CPC Inter-City Cricket Cup Starting June Months of Non-stop cricket action Events Annual Midweek Southasian Awards All Rights Reserved. No material herein or portions thereof may be printed without the written consent of the publisher. DISCLAIMER: Asian World Today Inc. assumes all advertisers to be reliable and responsible for any and all liability from their claims. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement he may see unfit for publication. The opinions expressed in Midweek may not be those of the publisher. perturbed by the challenge from Mann and Bittu. "I welcome them here. They are spending time for the fun of it. They are even going to lose their security deposits," a confident Sukhbir Badal asserted. But Mann is not one to walk away without a fight. "We will talk on March 11 (the day the votes will be counted). The Badal family has built an empire in Punjab at the cost of the people. The people will sweep them away with a jhadoo (broom -- the AAP symbol) this election," Mann said. "The day Parkash Singh Badal came and said in Sangrur (during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections) that Mann will lose, everyone told me that I will win. I won," Mann, who was elected by DRUGS, DESPAIR, DECLINE FUEL DEMAND FOR CHANGE IN PUNJAB BY SWAGATA YADAVAR Kuch na honda Punjab da, zameen banjar, aulad kanjar. That extreme assessment of India's 11th richest state was made by a drug kingpin in a dark, controversial film called Udta Punjab (Flying Punjab). The statistical reality, as IndiaSpend reported on January, 31, 2017, is that Punjab-ground zero of a green revolution that ended India's image as a land beset by starvation-has failed to grow its economy or prepare its young people for the future. Employment and economic growth lag the national average. The reality in Punjab-as IndiaSpend found after travelling through the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, two rural and border districts and Ludhiana, an industrial centre-echoed the film and statistical assessment. The desire to leave their villages for better prospects elsewhere was common, and people expressed anger at the rise of drugs, the decline of jobs, and the failure of aspirations. The overriding demand: Change. Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ludhiana: It was cold and overcast at noon, when the clouds parted to allow in weak sunlight and much-needed warmth. We were in the village of Heir, 4 km south of Amritsar airport, where departures to Tashkent, Doha, Dubai and Singapore reflect the flight of the Punjabi from his native land. Along the broken road to the main village square, a group of men, young and middle-aged, sat around talking. What, we asked, were the crucial issues for the assembly election of February 4, 2017? They answered in unison: Unemployment. "Look at us," said Amrinder Singh, 34, science graduate, father of two. "It is the middle of the day, and all of us are sitting here whiling our time. There is nothing for us to do here." After his graduation, Amrinder-well built, smartly dressed in jeans and sneakers-did find a job at a private company. Dissatisfied with the Rs 15,000 salary, he resigned. Amrinder wanted, as many young Punjabis do, a government job. He applied, unsuccessfully, to be a physical-education teacher and police sub-inspector. "To get selected, one must pay bribe, sometimes upto Rs 20 lakh," said Singh. "Even then, there is no guarantee that you will get the job." Singh's family does own farm land, but as families expand and farm sizes fall-from 3.9 hectares to 3.7 hectares over five years from to , according to Agricultural Census data, the latest available-farming isn't an option. "Already, one brother is looking after the farm, what will I do?" asked Singh. Has he considered a business of his own? "Only those who have political backing can start a business," Singh claimed. The end result is that Singh has been unemployed for eight years, waiting for that government job. "It's not just me," he argued. "Most of the young men in the village suffer the same fate. That's why most of us are addicted to alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Three people from our village died of drug overdose in the last two-and-a-half months." Punjab's drug problem is a political issue, with one part of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal- BJP combine accusing Congress president Rahul Gandhi-who said one in 10 Punjabi youth were now addicts-of "defaming brave Punjabis". In January 2017, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal was quoted as saying: "We are trying to save the youth of our country. The image of Punjab should not be tarnished the Congress called us drug addicts and Rahul Gandhi tarnished the image of Punjabis by calling them so." Punjab's deep and spiralling drug problem There are nearly 230,000 opioid dependent and 860,000 opioid users in Punjab, according to the 2015 Punjab Opioid Dependence Survey, conducted by researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Society of Promotion of Youth and Masses, a non-profit working towards prevention of drug abuse. The survey of 3,620 drug-dependent individuals found that 99% of opioid dependents are male, 54% are married, and 55% are addicted to heroin, a synthetic opioid drug that causes feeling of euphoria and, at Rs 400 a gram, is one of the costliest drugs in the market. While 80% of addicts tried to quit, no more than 35% received professional help. Opioid dependents spent Rs 1,400 per day on drugs or an estimated Rs 7,575 crore statewide every year. Ravinder Singh Sandhu's, retired sociology professor from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 2009 sociological study of 600 drug addicts from urban and rural Punjab found that 73.5% were aged between 16 and 35. Those who were illiterate (40.6%) and with education up to fifth grade (22.3%) were prone to drug addiction in rural areas, while those with a 10th-grade education (44.6%), or more, were susceptible to drugs in urban areas. One in four respondents was unemployed. "Drug addiction is directly linked with poverty and not with prosperity, as is the belief," said Sandhu. He implicated the quality of education in Punjab as a reason for the dissonance between what young people aspire to be and what they become. For instance, while literacy and the general education budget rose over a year to , spending on primary education and incentives to retain students in school were cut, leading to a doubling in the primary school dropout rate in one year, we reported on January 31, Thousands of semi-educated youth over the years were left unprepared for a job market that has jobs only for the best or, as Amrinder Singh in Heir village contended, for the well-connected. This failure of aspiration adds to the stress that fuels drug use, said Sandhu. How a post-graduate in English, football player became drug addicts Harinder (name changed) is 28, a post-graduate in English who could not find a job for four years. He and his friends first tried heroin, he said, because they were "bored". He was hooked to the drug and soon found he needed a fix first thing in the morning and last thing at night. For Kuljeet (name changed), 35-graduate, national-level football player and heroin addict-admitting himself was, as he put it, "the last chance to save my life". He was once a security officer in Attari and started using opium largely out of curiosity. Kuljeet said he did not know of "side effects", and when it became scarce, he the highest margin of 211,721 votes among all the winning candidates in Punjab's 13 parliamentary seats. The Jalalabad seat had polled nearly 87 per cent of the 172,000 votes in the constituency in the 2012 assembly polls, with Sukhbir Badal wining by over 50,000 votes. The runner-up was Congress rebel candidate Hans Raj Josan, who had been a legislator from here earlier. The official Congress candidate, Malkit Singh, had finished a poor third. No wonder then that a lot is at stake in the February 4 assembly election -- not only for the candidates but also for the three major parties in the fray. switched to easily available heroin, which he dissolved in water and injected. He lost his job, and sold his wife's jewellery. She filed for divorce and his six-year-old son is now in a boarding school. It's been five days for Kuljeet at the Centre, and he hoped he could get his life back-what's left of it. The role of personal morality and larger economic failures in the drug problem A psychiatrist (requesting anonymity since the election code of conduct was in force and he isn't authorised to speak to the media) treating drug addicts at the civil hospital of Tarn Taran, 25 km south of Amritsar city, said he saw up to eight new addicts and up to 30 follow-up cases every day: 80% of the addiction is related to heroin. "If the border districts were offered better health, education and employment facilities, they would not be tempted to smuggle drugs," said J S Oberoi, a deputy inspector general with the Border Security Force, which guards the border with Pakistan. Many farmers with holdings between two and three acres, he said, work as drug-runners for as little as Rs 10,000 per run. Caught between farms and city, dreams and reality, many Punjabis at a dead end It is the pea-harvesting season and Kashmir Singh, 53, his family, and 30 other labourers are bending low to pick peas. We are in Amritsar's Pindiyan village, 50 km from the industrial town of Jalandhar and 40 km from the Pakistani border. "Usually, we have less than five months of work every year," said Kashmir. During other months, he tries to get work as a casual worker in other villages or the nearby town. Since he earns less than Rs 60,000 a year and has no land, he is eligible for a government-issued "blue card", the other requirement for which, in rural areas, is that you have less than 2.5 acres of land-it is also given to those with less than 100 sq. yards of land in urban areas. But Kashmir hasn't got his blue card, more than a year after applying. Blue card holders also get atta or wheat at Rs 2 per kg and dal or pulses at Rs 30 per kg. He hasn't heard of the 100 days of employment guaranteed by the 12-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Act. "We don't have any such card," he said. Industries decline, young people leave and anger wells up against the Badals By now, Ranjeet Singh's story sounds familiar. At 37, he runs a shop in Tarn Taran's Darda village, which he cannot leave because his mother has cancer. Others like him have left, said Ranjeet, to seek opportunities in other states. More than half the village-without healthcare or a ground for children to play-is scheduled caste, so they do not own any land. "Since there are no factories and farm work, we are forced to migrate," said Ranjeet Singh, a portly man dressed smartly in grey pants, vest, pink shirt and red turban. He introduced us to his neighbour, Devinder Singh, 22, an arts graduate with a diploma in electrical, industrial work. He is the most educated person in his family, but he had not found a job in two years. He unsuccessfully applied for a linesman's job, another with the railways. Devinder was just back from Gujarat, where he was a factory worker for a month. His father has cancer, and his sister, a 12-class pass, is also unemployed. DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE THE PERSONAL OPINIONS OF THE AUTHORS.THE INFORMATION, FACTS OR OPINIONS APPEARING IN THE ARTICLES DO NOT REFLECT VIEWS OF MIDWEEK AND ITS MANAGEMENT AND SO THE PAPER DOES NOT ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE SAME.

9 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY AUGUST 28, 07, canada MidWeek 9 STÉPHANE DION AS AMBASSADOR TO EU AND GERMANY Ottawa - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will be proposing Stéphane Dion to the European Union and the German government as Canada's Ambassador there. As the senior Canadian diplomat in Europe, Mr. Dion will play a central role in advancing Canada's interests, ensuring coherence across the activities of Canadian missions and providing strategic guidance to the Prime Minister. Dion's position will be an enormous strategic benefit for Canada. He will engage with European partners at the highest levels on behalf of the Government of Canada, spending his time in both Brussels and Berlin. "Stéphane's commitment to Canada knows few parallels, and I am grateful he has agreed to undertake this unique and important task. As Canada's senior voice in Europe, I know he will continue to serve his country in an extraordinary way and help deepen Canada's enduring relations with Europe." - Justin Trudeau 68% CANADIANS HAVE SKIPPED SEEING A DOCTOR DUE TO LONG WAIT TIMES TORONTO - Seven in ten Canadians (68%) have missed a doctor's appointment for reasons ranging from long wait times to an inability to find a doctor outside of working hours, a new Ipsos survey for Maple has revealed. Long wait times at walk-in clinics are the most common reason for Canadians skipping out on seeing a doctor, with one in four (42%) saying they've avoided the clinic for this reason. Nearly as many Canadians (37%) say they've not gone to the doctor's office when sick because they were unable to get a timely appointment, while a further two in ten (17%) say they've passed on a doctor's appointment because there wasn't a physician available outside of working hours. The spread of disease at the doctor's office is a real concern for some, with one in ten (10%) having avoided it when sick due to fear of germs in the waiting room, while another 10% have barriers like transportation issues or physical disabilities that make getting to doctor's appointments challenging. This leaves one in three (32%) who say they've not missed out on seeing a doctor for any of these reasons, meaning that a majority (68%) have missed an appointment for at least one of the aforementioned reasons. The survey finds that the most common first response to feeling sick is to self-medicate: one in three Canadians (36%) will buy an over-the-counter remedy at the first signs of illness. Others will seek out more information about their symptoms online, with 15% turning to Google as a first response. One in four (25%) will access some sort of formal healthcare service, whether it's a family doctor (14%), a walk-in clinic (10%), or even the emergency room (1%). Women (19%) are nearly twice as likely as men (11%) to Google their symptoms as a first response, as are younger Canadians compared to older ones (31% of those 18-34, vs. 12% of those and 7% of those 55 and over). Men, meanwhile, are more likely than women to visit their family doctor (17% vs. 11%) or a walk-in clinic (13% v. 7%) as a first reaction to feeling sick. Canadians aged 55 and over (21%) are the most likely to turn to their family doctor at the first sign of illness, compared to 12% of those and 7% of those Canadian Armed Forces supporting emergency response to ice storm in New Brunswick OTTAWA - The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is sending approximately 200 personnel tomorrow to support the ongoing emergency response to the ice storm in New Brunswick. The Province of New Brunswick has requested Government of Canada assistance in the form of CAF personnel and assets to conduct a variety of tasks, including delivering emergency supplies, assisting in re-establishing existing road networks, and supporting door-to-door residential wellbeing checks in the Northeast of the province. The CAF stands ready to provide highly-trained personnel and unique resources tailored to help Canadians during periods of uncertainty and distress following natural disasters. "The Canadian Armed Forces' support to the Province of New Brunswick's relief efforts highlights our commitment to the security of Canadians. Our personnel will provide additional support for New Brunswickers in need." - Harjit S. Sajjan, Defence Minister Canada celebrates 40 years of partnership with Asean OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued the following statement to mark the 40th anniversary of Canada's status as a Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean): "On this day, 40 years ago, Canada became a Dialogue Partner of Asean. "As a Pacific nation, Canada has strongly supported Asean's goal of maintaining the peace, stability, and security that have allowed Southeast Asia - and the wider Asia-Pacific region - to develop and prosper. "The ties between Canadians and the peoples of Southeast Asia have never been stronger. Canada, after all, is home to over one million people from Southeast Asia. Their communities enrich our national fabric every day, and greatly contribute to one of our country's most fundamental strengths: our diversity. We also have strong economic links to Asean, with over $21 billion in two-way merchandise trade in "In recent years, we have deepened our partnership with ASEAN by expanding our resident diplomatic footprint to all ten member states, appointing a dedicated ambassador to Asean, and supporting many initiatives that have promoted peace and prosperity throughout the region. "Canada's engagement with Asean will continue to grow as we work together to create a better, safer, and more prosperous world. Today, as we celebrate 40 years of partnership with Asean, I encourage all Canadians to reflect on the tremendous contributions made by Southeast Asian Canadians to our country." RECOGNIZING 70 YEARS OF CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP OTTAWA - Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) hosted a special citizenship ceremony recently at the Supreme Court of Canada with 26 individuals invited to kick off Canada 150 celebrations and commemorate the 70thanniversary of the Canadian Citizenship Act. The event resembled the first Canadian citizenship ceremony held 70 years ago, on January 3, 1947, at the Supreme Court chamber. On that day, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King received the first Canadian citizenship certificate, numbered New Traffic Control System MISSISSAUGA - Mississauga is implementing a responsive state-of-the-ar t Advanced Transportation Management System (ATMS) to manage traffic on its road network. "We are investing in the future by building a more reliable traffic control system. It will allow us to deal with the increasing traffic volumes and congestion on our roads. ATMS will enable us to actively monitor travel conditions, influence the operation of traffic signals," said Mickey Frost, Director of Works, Operations and Maintenance. The total cost of the project is $16.2 million and implementation is expected to be completed by the end of General Accounting & Bookkeeping Life, Critical illness, Disability & Travel Insurance, RRSP, RESP & TFSA

10 10 MidWeek canada TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2017 Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, former immigration minister John McCallum and MP Ruby Sahota at a candlelight vigil on Parliament Hill for Quebec mosque attack victims. New Judges Appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice OTTAWA - Ontario has appointed three new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective February 16, Lorelei Mary Amlin was called to the bar in Justice Amlin's experience includes more than 20 years in litigation, and at one time, she was the senior federal prosecutor in Hamilton. As assistant Crown attorney on the Guns and Gangs initiative, she was team lead on large, complex projects. Since 2016, she has been in private practice, prosecuting federal charges as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve has assigned Justice Amlin to preside in Guelph. Michael David McArthur was called to the bar in Justice McArthur was a senior partner with the firm of McLeod, Hosack, Nunn & Pereira LPP and a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law. Since 1988, he also worked as Department of Justice/Public Prosecution Service (Canada) Standing Agent for Norfolk County, advising police concerning drug investigations, overseeing other counsel and conducting prosecutions. Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve has assigned Justice McArthur to preside in Guelph. Brenda Maureen Green was called to the bar in In 1997, Justice Green piloted a full-time Duty Counsel program in Ottawa that was subsequently introduced across Ontario. Since 2002, Justice Green has served as an assistant Crown attorney. New details for future university in Brampton emerge CONTD. FROM PAGE 1 "We want to build some forward-looking partnerships to collaborate on the best university for Brampton," said Mayor Linda Jeffrey. "We also have an opportunity to look outside our borders, which provides us a great opportunity to build meaningful relationships with global institutions." Deputy Premier Matthews also announced that the Province's Call for Expressions of Interest (for a university to submit a proposal to establish a university in Brampton) will be available on January 18 on the Province's website ( and she laid out a brief outline of the process that will result in the selection of a university proposal in the Fall of She explained that as the successful institution is determined by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, partnerships are strongly encouraged and are necessary to a successful proposal, and the municipality has a key role to play. With the release of the Call for Expressions of Interest, the City's work plan will be further refined. Next steps include work to deepen Brampton's working relationship with the Province, strengthen the City's position with interested institutions, and develop a partnership strategy that includes the business community, existing post-secondary institutions and international opportunities. The province's plan is to create new postsecondary facilities focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics - skills important to current and future employers, and often grouped together under the acronym STEAM. BALBIR SOHI TO BE AT DRAGONS DEN SOON CONTD. FROM PAGE 1 "Balbir is a young woman who I have watched with great pride - she is a great example of not only the entrepreneurial passion necessary to be successful but someone who gives back regularly to our thriving city," said Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey. "We're all very proud of her and the small part the City could play in supporting her business dreams." "I learned so much from the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre," said Sohi. "My experience there really helped refine my business model and prepared me for my Dragons' Den pitch." Vivian at the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre has had to be very patient waiting for the result. "We don't know for sure yet whether Balbir got a deal, but we're very optimistic," said Vivian. "She has a great business approach, a proven track record of success, and a great passion to succeed." Sohi's fully equipped and retrofitted Smiles on Wheels Mercedes Sprinter travels across the GTA, sporting all the dental equipment required, and even a TV screen so clients can enjoy a movie during treatment.

11 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY AUGUST 28, 07, MidWeek

12 12 MidWeek india TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2017 THE RISE OF SASIKALA TAMIL NADU - Sasikala Natarajan set to become Tamil Nadu chief minister after being elected leader of AIADMK legislature party. But PIL was moved in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking to restrain AIADMK leader V K Sasikala from being sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister on Tuesday on the ground that the apex court was likely to pronounce within a week the judgment in a corruption case in which she and late CM J Jayalalithaa were accused. Meanwhile, a group of AIADMK members, led by the ward 49 secretary of the Tirunelveli corporation, Amir, staged a demonstration raising slogans against her. Born in 1957, Sasikala hails from the dominant Thevar community in the 'rice-belt' district of Tiruvarur. She was introduced to Jayalalithaa by IAS officer V S Chandralekha in 1982, when Jayalalithaa was the propaganda secretary of the AIADMK. Panneerselvam: I was forced to resign from chief minister's post CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister O Paneerselvam on Tuesday night said he was forced to resign from the post and said a person who can keep the good name of Amma should be chosen (as CM). Addressing reporters outside MGR Memorial, where former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was buried, Paneerselvam, who submitted his resignation on Sunday after AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala was elected as legislature party leader, said he would withdraw his resignation if people, party men and MLAs wanted it. He made a case of how he had kept the good name through his action during cyclone Vardah, jallikattu protest and oil spill. "They (Sasikala camp) were upset over my government's pro-active work in the aftermath of cyclone Vardah," he said. Stalin heads towards Delhi to 'stop' Sasikala's rise in TN politics Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Working President MK Stalin is likely to visit New Delhi to meet President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to appraise them of the political situation in Tamil Nadu. However, party spokesperson and MP TKS Elangovan said there was no official confirmation about the visit. Running a video-recording business, Sasikala also covered functions attended by Jayalalithaa and grew close to her over the years. Her husband Natarajan was a government public relations officer in the 1970s and was instrumental in introducing his wife to the then rising star of the AIADMK. In 1995, when Jayalalithaa, the then chief minister, was criticised for the extravagant wedding of Sasikala's nephew and her foster son V N Sudhakaran. The late chief minister sacked Sasikala and 15 of her family members in 2011, and took back her long-term friend only after Sasikala snapped ties with her family, whom she said was plotting against Jayalalithaa without her knowledge. Hours after Jayalalithaa's death, Sasikala's family virtually held the centre stage by flanking the chief minister's remains at Rajaji Hall, leaving no doubts over their dominant role in the party. Neither PM nor I dealt with any letter on Mallya: Chidamabaram MUMBAI (IANS) - Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Monday said that neither he as Union Finance Minister or then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dealt with any letter to give favours to the nowgrounded Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya. "Neither Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) nor I dealt with the letter. And especially the letter to me was not concerning Kingfisher, it concerned the US shell," formerfinance Minister P. Chidamabaram said in an interview to India Today TV. He also said that when loans to Mallya were given in 2009, he was not in the Finance Ministry. "Loans under investigation were given in It so happened that I was not in the Finance Ministry then, so I can't comment on that," Chidamabaram said. "Will they (BJP) release the letter that was acted upon, we don't know whether the what work was done. Will anyone reveal that any illegal work was done? Nothing is known. China opposing US' proposal on Masood: India takes up matter with Beijing NEW DELHI, (PTI) With China opposing US' proposal in the UN for designating Pathankot attack mastermind and Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, India today said it has taken up the matter with Beijing. "We have been informed of this development and the matter has been taken up with the Chinese government," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. He was asked about India's reaction to US pushing for a ban on Azhar in the UN and China yet again blocking it. PM justifies note ban, but skips mentioning deaths MUMBAI (IANS) Speaking on demonetisation in Parliament for the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday justified the November 8 move, saying it was made at the right time, but he did not make any comment on the deaths caused by the note ban despite opposition members raising the issue. The Prime Minister was replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in the Lok Sabha. The Motion was later passed by voice vote in the Lower House, even as opposition Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) staged a walk out. The opposition members were protesting as Union Minister Mahesh Sharma, and the seconder BJP MP Virendra Singh Mast - both were missing from the House when the motion was to be passed. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia had also sought a division when he moved an amendment that sought mentioning of the 125 deaths due to demonetization. "125 people have died, I want a division," Scindia said. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan however said she could not hear what the opposition members were saying, leading to the walk out. The Prime Minister meanwhile launched an all out attack on the opposition Congress, and had the Nehru-Gandhi family in his target, stating that the Congress has attributed everything to one family. Modi to address 4 rallies in U'khand from Feb 10 DEHRADUN, (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address four rallies in Uttarakhand starting February 10 to drum up support for BJP for the February 15 Assembly elections in the state. The Prime Minister will start with a rally in Haridwar on February 10 to be followed by another in Pithoragarh on February 11 and two each in Shrinagar and Rudrapur on February 12, state BJP media in-charge Devendra Bhasin said. The campaign scene is gradually hotting up in Uttarakhand with both BJP and Congress having already announced their election manifestos and their top brass descending upon the state one after another to hit the campaign trail. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Radha Mohan Singh have already addressed rallies in different parts of the state to garner support for BJP. Congress star campaigners Sonia Gandhi and Rahul are also likely to address elections rallies in the state over the next few days. Match-fixing between Sena and Cong for 42 BMC wards: BJP MUMBAI, (PTI) BJP today claimed a "match-fixing" between the Congress and Shiv Sena in 42 wards for the BMC elections, scheduled later this month. "Leaders of both these parties have fielded weak candidates in these wards to benefit the other," city unit BJP president Ashish Shelar said. BJP today kick started its campaign by first offering their tributes at Hutatma Smarak, where 107 people martyred for unification of Mumbai with Maharashtra before Sena, BJP's partner in Central and state governments, is contesting the municipal polls solo sans any alliance. Both the saffron parties have been in power in BMC, country's richest civic body, for two decades. The election to 227-member BMC is scheduled on February 21. Addressing a rally of the BJP candidates, Shelar said, "Shiv Sena and the Mumbai unit of Congress led by Sanjay Nirupam have entered into some kind of match fixing. Their agenda is to defeat BJP. It also means they have admitted their defeat. This is s treachery to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, to Mumbai and to Maharashtra as well." In a veiled dig at senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut, a confidante of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shelar said the leader continues his mischievous acts and for that sometimes he needs NCP chief Sharad Pawar and sometimes Sanjay Nirupam. Referring to Nirupam's past association with Sena, Shelar said finally "old shiv sainik" has come to help. I-T DEPARTMENT DETECTS RS 16,200 CR BLACK MONEY NEW DELHI (PTI): Over Rs 16,200 crore in black money has been detected by the government after investigations on global leaks about Indians stashing funds abroad, Parliament was informed on Monday. "As a result of systematic investigations, undisclosed income of about Rs 8,200 crore (including protective assessment of income of Rs 1,497 crore) has been brought to tax in last about 2 years on account of deposits made in unreported foreign bank accounts in HSBC. Further, about Rs 8,000 crore of credits in the undisclosed foreign accounts of Indians, whose names were disclosed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), have been detected," finance minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. There is no official estimation of quantum of black money stashed abroad by Indians, he said.

13 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY AUGUST 28, 07, india MidWeek 13 UP, PUNJAB ELECTIONS 2017 UP ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2017 A 3RD OF VOTERS SAY POWER CUTS BIGGEST ISSUE BY SHREYA SHAH / UTTAR PRADESH - Almost a third of voters polled said power cuts were the biggest problem in Uttar Pradesh (UP), according to a new survey conducted by by FourthLion Technologies, a data analytics and public opinion polling firm, for IndiaSpend. Elections in UP, with 138 million voters, greater than the population of the north American country of Mexico, start February 11, FourthLion conducted 2,513 telephone interviews in Hindi of registered voters in UP, and said their sample is representative of UP's urban and rural voters as well as socioeconomic, age, gender and caste make-up. The survey was conducted between January 24 and January 31, The next part of this series, based on the survey, addresses political preferences of voters. Repolling ordered in 48 polling stations in Punjab CHANDIGARH, (PTI) The Election Commission today ordered repolling at 48 polling stations of Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency and the five assembly segments, including a seat from which SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia is contesting, following malfunctioning in VVPATs and EVMs during February 4 elections. The repoll will be held on February 9. It was ordered in the wake of the malfunctioning of Voter-Verified Audit Paper Trail (VVPAT) and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in these stations during the polling. The repolling has been ordered at 12 polling stations of Majitha Assembly seat, nine each of Muktsar and Sangrur, one each of Moga and Sardulgarh and 16 polling stations of Amritsar Parliamentary constituency, official said. "The repolling will take place at 48 polling stations because of the malfunctioning that occurred in some VVPATs and EVMs on the polling day. The repolling will take place on February 9," Punjab Chief Electoral Officer V K Singh said. Singh said the polling hours shall be from 8 AM to 5 PM and all the voters queued up till 5 PM at the polling stations can cast their votes. Security breach in PAU strong room, alleges AAP About 28% of the voters interviewed said power cuts were the biggest issue in the state, 20% said jobs, the economy and development were the biggest issues, while 10% said a shortage of clean water was the biggest issue. Few voters said the roads, food, the currency ban, crime, corruption, agriculture, sanitation, health and education were the biggest issues. LUDHIANA - A controversy erupted after AAP's Dakha candidate HS Phoolka alleged that Returning Officer (RO) Gagandeep Singh Virk and eight others entered a strong room at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) here. "Virk and other men spent nearly half an hour in the strong room, where EVMs of the Gill Assembly constituency are kept. They entered the strong room around 11am," he claimed before the media. An AAP volunteer, Phoolka said, spotted Virk and others entering the strong room. "He informed AAP leaders Darshan Shankar and Suresh Goyal, and party's Gill nominee Jiwan Singh Sangowal. When AAP leaders present in PAU objected, the RO and others left the scene, claiming they had forgotten some valuables in the strong room," the Dakha nominee claimed. Phoolka said the EC and police had been informed and AAP was proceeding with a criminal trespass case against Virk. "In view of today's incident, I have decided to visit all strong rooms in the state." Virk said that being the RO, he could visit the site, where the EVMs were kept, to ensure that everything was in order. "For this, it is not mandatory to take along candidates every time. I can visit and check the safety aspects from outside. I have not done anything wrong. It was a routine visit," he said, adding AAP leaders were levelling baseless allegations and CCTV footage would reveal the truth. Punjab polling statistics CHANDIGARH - One day after elections in Punjab, it was recorded that rural areas of Punjab saw higher voting as a large number of people came out to caste their ballot. Among other statistics: 1. Majha: 25 seats; polling % in (Amritsar West) and 67.09% (Amritsar North) 2. Ajnala recorded a turnout of 83.51%; Rajasansi, 79.84%; and Majitha 78.77% 3. Gurdaspur polled 2% lower than the district's rural constituencies of Fatehgarh Churian and Dera Baba Nanak 4. Doaba: 23 seats; overall voter turnout was lower than Majha 5. Higher poll in villages close to Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr 6. Balachaur, a rural segment, polled % and Shahkot, % 7. Urban constituencies of Jalandhar polled an average of 70 % 8. Malwa accounts for the largest number of seats: 69 9.Mohali, Ludhiana, Bathinda Urban, Ferozepur and Patiala saw 65 to 67% voting 10. Lambi % and Jalalabad % saw a higher turnout EC: Drugs, liquor, gold worth IRs 67 cr seized in Punjab Chandigarh (PTI) Punjab recorded seizure of about Rs 67 crore worth of liquor, drugs, gold and cash by Election Commissionappointed surveillance teams during a month-long period leading up to the state Assembly polls. Among the seizures, the value of gold and silver was the highest at Rs crore, followed by drugs to the tune of Rs crore, liquor at Rs crore and cash of Rs 9.52 crore, an EC official said. Kejriwal is being sponsored by ISI: Harsimrat Badal I CONTD. FROM PAGE 1 I will defeat Both Badal & Capt Amarinder in Lambi: Jarnail Singh AAP will win in Majha also : Himmat Shergill I am winning, Bhagwant and Sukhbir are losing in Jalalabad : Ravneet Bittu Faulty voting machines in some areas APP wanted Voting Time extended in Punjab from 5 PM to 6PM, Election Commission says NO Cong supporter shot at in Tarn Taran Complaint against Sidhu for violating model code while casting vote in Amritsar Complaint against Sarabjit Makkar Akali Dal candidate(jalandhar Cant) for distributing cash It's Congress' turn now, says Gurdas Badal Election Commission seizes Rs 60 crore cash, 13 lakh litres of liquor from Punjab, Goa FEBRUARY 2017

14 14 MidWeek world TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2017 SOUTH KOREANS SHOWED SUPPORT FOR TRUMP ON THE ARRIVAL OF US DEFENSE SECRETARY JAMES MATTIS IN SEOUL. KASHMIR CORE DISPUTE BETWEEN INDIA, PAKISTAN: SHARIF FROM SAJJAD HUSSAIN ISLAMABAD, (PTI) Upping the ante, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said Kashmir is the "core dispute" between India and Pakistan and the dream of peace and prosperity of the people of the region will remain elusive without resolving the issue. Describing Kashmir issue is the "unfinished agenda of partition and the oldest disputes in the UN Security Council, Sharif said "for the last seven decades India has denied the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination promised to them by the international community through numerous UN Security Council resolutions". He was speaking on the occasion of 'Kashmir Solidarity Day'. "The people of Pakistan join their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in observing Kashmir Solidarity Day today to reaffirm our moral, diplomatic and political support to the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their basic human rights, especially the right to self determination enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions," Sharif said. Pakistan, he said, "strongly condemns the systemic state terrorism and brutal killings of the innocent people of Kashmir by Indian forces. However, all the Indian brutalities have failed to deter the people of Kashmir from their cause for freedom from Indian subjugation," he said. Pakistan calls upon the international community to raise its voice in seeking an end to the "gross violations of human rights and the reign of terror unleashed by Indian forces" in Kashmir and fulfil the promises it made with the people of Jammu and Kashmir 70 years ago, he said. "Jammu & Kashmir is the core dispute between Pakistan and India. The dream of peace and prosperity of the people of this region will remain elusive without resolving this dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions," Sharif said. "We urge India to stop bloodbath in...kashmir and allow the holding of free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices," he added. US think tanks expose Pakistan's dual terror policy WASHINGTON: Pakistan's military continues to support terrorist groups that attack India to keep it "off balance" and draws international mediation into dispute over Kashmir, according to a report by a group of eminent South Asian experts from 10 major American think tanks. As per the report titled 'A New US Approach to Pakistan: Enforcing Aid Conditions without Cutting Ties' which will be released here on Friday, Pakistan's military has often disrupted nascent peace efforts pursued by Indian and Pakistani civilian rulers, most notably in 1999 during the Kargil war. "Pakistani military leaders continue to support terrorist groups that attack India in an effort to keep it off balance and to draw international mediation into the dispute with India over Kashmir," said the report. "Pakistan's use of terrorist groups as part of its security and foreign policy is a function of its obsession with India, which it perceives as an existential threat. From an outside perspective, Pakistan's paranoia regarding India is unfounded," it said. The report said while India may be unwilling to renegotiate Kashmir's territorial status, numerous Indian leaders have tried to reach a modus vivendi with Pakistan. Pakistan never changed its policy of supporting certain militant groups that fight Afghan and coalition forces, making it impossible for the US to achieve its objective of keeping Afghanistan from reverting to a safe haven for international terrorism, it said. PAKISTAN HOPES TO RESUME TALKS WITH INDIA AFTER ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS WASHINGTON (PTI) - Pakistan hopes that there will be a better environment to pursue peace talks with India after the state assembly elections in the neighbouring country, a senior minister has said. "We are hoping that by March these state elections will be over and maybe then there will be a better environment to pursue peace talks with India. But we are totally committed," Pakistani minister of planning and development Ahsan Iqbal told a gathering in Washington. Responding to a question at the US Institute of Peace, a top American think-tank, Iqbal rued that Pakistan is an election issue in the state assembly elections in India. "This is a bit unfortunate that they're taking, you know, strong positions along the electoral cycle. I think we should be mature enough to think beyond that was India and Pakistan have to live together, we cannot change our geography, and we must now, think in terms of peace," Iqbal said. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he said, is a strong advocate of peace in the region. "We have very actively pursued peace with Afghanistan and India and continue to do so because we think that our development depends upon peace in the region," he said. India not fulfilling responsibilities under Indus Waters Treaty: Aziz ISLAMABAD - India has not been fulfilling its responsibilities under the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan Foreign Advisor Sartaj Aziz said Monday, amid Pakistan concerns over construction of new dams by New Delhi. In his written reply submitted in the National Assembly, Aziz said Pakistan has expressed concerns over construction of new dams by India along the Indus rivers system. Last week, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had taken up the issue with CEO World Bank Kristalina Georgieva in Islamabad, which he contended was sheer violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. "India's construction of Ratle and Kishenganga dams on western rivers is a violation of the treaty," he had contended. Nawaz had said that given the fact that the World Bank is a signatory to the agreement, it should play its due role to help resolve the issue, expressing his hopes that the World Bank will set a court of arbitration in this regard. Pakistan and India share the waters of Indus River Basin which has been a major source of contention between the two states since independence. In order to resolve the disputes, both countries signed IWT in 1960 with the help of World Bank which has survived over five decades of hostilities between the two states. US slaps new sanctions on Iranian entities after missile test FROM LALIT K JHA WASHINGTON, (PTI) The US today slapped more than two dozen Iranian entities with sanctions, two days after the Islamic republic dismissed President Donald Trump's warnings over its latest missile test as baseless and provocative. The announcement also comes a day after Trump put Iran "on notice" for its alleged destabilising behaviour and carrying out ballistic missile test in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which calls on Tehran not to test missiles capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. The ballistic missile launch was the first by Iran since Trump became president. According to reports, Iran's missile test occurred at a well-known site outside Semnan, about 225 km east of Tehran. The Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile flew 600 miles before exploding. In a statement, the Treasury Department said the multiple entities and individuals slapped with sanctions were involved in procuring technology and materials to support Iran's ballistic missile programme, as well as for acting for or on behalf of, or providing support to, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). "This action reflects the United States' commitment to enforcing sanctions on Iran with respect to its ballistic missile program and destabilising activities in the region and is fully consistent with the United States' commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," the Treasury said. "Iran's continued support for terrorism and development of its ballistic missile program poses a threat to the region, to our partners worldwide, and to the United States," said John E Smith, Acting Director at the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). "Today's action is part of Treasury's ongoing efforts to counter Iranian malign activity abroad that is outside the scope of the JCPOA," he added. IRAN UNMOVED BY US THREATS, RELIES ON OWN MEANS OF DEFENCE: ZARIF TEHRAN, (IANS) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that Tehran was "unmoved" by the United States threats and only relies on its own defence means amid hostile rhetoric against the country, including hints of military aggression, emanating from Washington. "Iran is unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people," Zarif said on his Twitter account. "We will never initiate war, but we can only rely on our own means of defence," the Iranian minister pointed out. In another tweet, published minutes later, Zarif challenged Iran's enemies to verifiably and sincerely declare the defensive nature of their military programme. "We will never use our weapons against anyone, except in self-defence. Let us see if any of those who complain can make the same statement," he said. Zarif's tweets also contained a video of him responding to reporters on Iran's defensive missile programme during a conference in Wellington, New Zealand, in March Referring to Iraq's eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s, Zarif said during the conference, "We are entitled to the rudimentary means of defence which we need in order to prevent another (executed Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein around the corner (from) attacking us with chemical weapons because the international community has failed miserably in protecting the Iranian people, in safeguarding international humanitarian law." Just days earlier, the US president threatened Iran that military options were "not off the table" in response to the country's missile test. Trump bashes 'fake media', says call with Turnbull 'civil' WASHINGTON, (IANS) President Donald Trump on Friday targeted some US media houses by calling them "Fake News" after the Washington Post published transcript of his telephonic conversation with Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull. "Thank you to Prime Minister of Australia for telling the truth about our very civil conversation that 'FAKE NEWS' media lied about. Very nice!" Trump tweeted. According to the Washington Post transcript, published on Saturday, Trump blasted Turnbull over the refugee agreement and called the deal as "dumb". Trump also said that his phone call with Turnbull "was the worst call by far" Rhe Australian Prime Minister on Friday described his phone conversation with Trump as "very frank", the media reported. Trump had earlier called the CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post as "fake news" and "dishonest". The President made attacks on the media a cornerstone of his campaign and has continued the assault them as President. Several members of Trump's staff, Press Secretary Sean Spicer, chief counsel Kellyanne Conway and chief of staff Reince Preibus have joined the attacks in interviews given to various news outlets since the President took office. US federal appeals court declines to reinstate Trump's immigration travel ban WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court early Sunday denied an initial bid by the Trump administration to restore its controversial immigration order that had barred refugees and those from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. A judge in a lower federal court had put a temporary stop to the travel ban. Because the appeals court declined to intervene immediately, affected travellers can enter until at least until Monday. The appeals court set a schedule asking challengers to the law to file a response by roughly 3am ET on Monday, and the Justice Department - representing the Trump administration - to reply to that by 6pm. A Justice Department spokesman said government lawyers would wait until then to make their next move. Just hours earlier, the Trump administration had said it was improper for a lower court to engage in "second-guessing" of President Donald Trump's controversial immigration order and asked the appeals court to dissolve the judge's order that stopped its implementation. Lawyers for the Justice Department told the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that the states of Washington and Minnesota should not have been allowed to challenge the ban and that a judge was wrong to stop Trump's executive order, issued just more than a week ago.

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