CHANDIGARH, MARCH 13:

Protem Speaker Mr. Charanjit Singh Atwal

List of ministers set to be inducted in Punjab cabinet on Wednesday March 14.

List of cabinet members

1. S. Parkash Singh Badal Chief Minister
2. S.Sukhbir Singh Badal Deputy Chief Minister
3. Bhagat Chunni Lal
4. S. Sarwan Singh Phillaur
5. S. Adaish Partap Singh Kairon
6. S. Ajit Singh Kohar
7. S. Gulzar Singh Ranike
8. Sh. Madan Mohan Mittal
9. S. Parminder Singh Dhindsa
10. S. Janmeja Singh Sekhon
11. S. Tota Singh
12. Bibi Jagir Kaur
13. Sh. Surjit Kumar Jyani
14. S. Bikram Singh Majitha
15. S. Sikandar Singh Malooka
16. Sh. Anil Joshi
17. S. Surjit Singh Rakhra
18. S. Sharanjit Singh Dhillon

Chandigarh, Feb 25 2012

Experts on water resources, academicians and leaders of various political parties and concerned Punjabis gathered at a seminar here today expressed a strong concern over the Central government’s fresh initiative to enact a new legislation for taking control of the river and ground waters- hitherto a state subject- and thereafter throwing open the waters to the market and corporate control. The central government has circulated a draft National Water Policy to the states and has sought their views to be reached to the Central Water Resources Ministry by end of this month, February 29.

Speaking at the seminar jointly organized by the Bharati Kisan Union (Siddhupur) and Internationalist Democratic Party (IDP) at Kisan Bhawan , former Punjab Irrigation  Chief Engineer, Mr G.S  Dhillon  said  water for irrigation to the tune of 70 per cent in Punjab is being done by drawing ground water through 14 lakh tube wells sunk by the farmers themselves. But the proposed Water Policy is intented to impose an official  control on the use of ground waters and if installing of the new tube wells would be allowed only after an official permission.

Another expert, Pritam Singh Kumedaan, a former Punjab bureaucrat said the centre had already robbed Punjab of its river waters through fraudulent agreements and official dictates. And the new proposed Policy would further erode Punjab’s control on river waters which had already been diluted through the Water Dispute Amendment Act of 2002.

Participating in the seminar, senior journalist Hamir Singh said the proposed Water Policy would further weaken the Indian federal set up and would lead to the more centralization of powers reducing the states’ to mere municipal committees in essence. The Policy is also aimed to throwing open the waters to the control of corporate and multinational companies, he added.

A majority of speakers favored the rejection of the draft Water Policy out rightly and Prof Manjit Singh suggested the formation a Peoples Water Commission to document the snatching of water resources from the states by the centre.

Rounding up the discussion, BKU President Mr. Pishaura Singh Sidhupur regretted that political leadership of Punjab has failed to protect the state’s water resources from the plundering by the center and adjoining states. More than the half of the Punjab river waters had been taken away by a non-riparian state of Rajasthan without paying a single penny as royalty.

Apart from others All India Kissan Sabha leader Bhupinder Singh Sanmber, senior journalist Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission and Sukhdarshan Nutt also spoke at the Seminar.

By Shivaji Sarkar

Education is becoming expensive, time-consuming, cumbersome and possibly a racket of unscrupulous activities. Schools, according to an Assocham survey, earn Rs 1200 crore through sales of forms in Delhi alone. All over the nation it extorts a few trillion rupees from aspiring parents for a three-year unnecessary pre-schooling.

Systematically the nation which does not find enough funds to ensure primary education is trying to make the education more cumbersome. The desire for good education has led the introduction of  pre-schooling for three years so that parents could prepare their children for a “good” school. The fee per child per month varies from Rs 1000 to Rs 5000 though in most cases teachers are paid paltry Rs 1500 to Rs 3000 a month. It provides an immense earning opportunity for those setting up such schools.

Now the planning commission has come out with an idea, vigorously being pursued by Delhi University, for increasing the duration of the bachelor’s degree to four years from the present three on the specious argument that this would increase employability.

How would it do that no one has answered except saying that one extra year invested in the university – mostly that would be internships, often unpaid – would help students specialise in some area.

The 1968 Education Policy, which recommended three-year degree course, had given similar arguments for scrapping the two-year bachelor courses. Universities in Delhi and Calcutta were the first to opt for it. It did not help the students. They found the curriculum studied in two years has been stretched to three years.

Neither those who had obtained their degrees in two years were less smart nor those who got their degrees in three years extraordinary.

Policy planners stretched the duration of obtaining degree by one year and successfully put off the number of job seekers that much longer.

They quietly increased the cost of obtaining the degree by one third. There was little faculty addition. Facilities remained all these 40 years at abysmal levels and quality did not improve. Many aver that it has led to reduction in teaching quality in many cases and increased investment.

It only means that two-year degree course is as good as three-year one. Then why did this nation go for a three-year course? The US and Europe had given up the two-year degree under pressure from the education lobbies, which had got into private business hands. India wanted to “integrate” with the West.

Now again the private businesses and universities in the West have started four-year bachelors courses to add to their coffers. India is opening up higher education to foreign businesses. Longer the duration, more profitable it is for them.

In fact, the lobbying for four-year course has come at a time when, some of the US government universities like Texas Tech Univeristy have introduced medical degree that students will be able to complete in three years, rather than the usual four.

Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also plans to introduce it in India for the rural health sector. The arguments of the Texas University and Azad are same - the nation, faces a shortage of primary-care physicians, and medical educators. In the US, as in India, medical students graduate with debts averaging $156,000. In India it varies from Rs 4 lakh to 7 lakh.

And who is opposing it? – the private doctors’ body – Indian Medical Association.

Azad and Texas University understand that durations are not important but what can be imparted in the shortest possible time matters more.

This is a case for considering how to reduce the duration of higher education, which is being stretched for no valid reasons except one that suits the businesses.

Adding each year to one’s education is an expensive proposition for those aspiring to get degrees.

The nation is not calculating money wasted in such thoughtless addition to number of years spent at universities or institutions of higher education.

India does not have enormous funds to invest in education. It has to look for opportunities to reduce the duration. Such cut in time-frame is possible as the syllabus in almost all subjects is loosely tailored.

In subjects like Journalism, UGC is insisting on two-year post graduation, while at many universities it is a one-year course and it should be so. The country has to reduce the PG course as a practice to one year.

Thus with a two-year bachelors and one year of PG, higher education in 95 cent of subjects can be completed in three years – a saving of two years and billions of rupees.

Similarly, pre-schooling should mandatorily be fixed at one year. After three years, they learn the same when children reach grade one.

It would save lakhs of crore of rupees of aspirants, save on national investment in education – rather the same amount could be used to impart quality education to many more.

India need not go by the practices in the West. The West is suffering today for such extravagance.

India has got the opportunity to look at the issue afresh and make education cost effective. The world is going through a severe monetary and financial crisis. India can take the lead to show that the best could be provided in shorter time-frame.

Schools and universities should be seen as sacred places. Whether it is government or private, money has to be spent sparingly. It should not be treated as shops for raking in quick and high profits.

Students should not be kept in the precincts of universities to show improvement in unemployment statistics. It calls for a prudent decision so that the large number of poor students could complete their education early and investment in education from primary to PG could be reduced to affordable level. ***

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Election Manifesto 2012-2017 english.mdi (7.26 MB)

AKALIDAL ELECTION MANIFESTO 2012

Why India Works 

by Shekhar Kapoor

internationally acclaimed film director

A greater ‘hole in the wall’ you cannot imagine. A small fading sign on the top saying “Cellphoon reapars” barely visible through the street vendors crowding the Juhu Market in Mumbai. On my way to buy a new Blackberry, my innate sense of adventure made me stop my car and investigate. A shop not more than 6 feet by 6 feet. Grimy and uncleaned.
‘Can you fix a Blackberry ?”
‘Of course, show me”
”How old are you” ‘Sixteen’
Bullshit. He was no more than 10. Not handing my precious blackberry to a 10 year old in unwashed and torn T shirt and pyjamas! At least if I buy a new one, they would extract the data for me. Something I have been meaning to do for a year now.
‘What’s wrong with it?”
‘Well, the roller track ball does not respond. It’s kind of stuck and I cannot operate it”
He grabs it from my hand and looks at it
“You should wash your hands. Many customers have same problem. Roller ball get greasy and dirty, then no working’
Look who was telling me to wash my hands. He probably has not bathed for 10days, I leaned out to snatch my useless blackberry back..
”You come back in one hour and I fix it’.
I am not leaving all my precious data in this unwashed kid’s hands for an hour. No way.
“Who will fix it?”
‘Big brother’
‘How big is ‘big brother?’
‘big …. Umm ..thirty’
Then suddenly big brother walks in. 30 ??? He is no more than 19.
‘What problem?’ He says grabbing the phone from my greasy hand into his greasier hand. Obviously not trained in etiquette by an upmarket retail store manager.
‘Normal blackberry problem. I replace with original part now. You must wash your hand before you use this’. What is this about me washing my hands suddenly??
19 year old big brother rummages through a dubious drawer full of junk and fishes out a spare roller ball packed in cheap cellophane wrapper. Originalpart? I doubt it.  But by now I am in the lap of the real India and there is no escape as he fishes out a couple of screwdrivers and sets about opening my Blackberry.
“How long will this take?”
”Six minutes”
This I have to see. After spending the whole morning trying to find a Blackberry service centre and getting vague answers about sending the phone in for an assessment that might take a week, I settle down next to his grubby cramped work space. At least I am going to be able to watch all my stored data vanish into virtual space. People crowd around to see what’s happening. I am not breathing easy anyway. I tell myself this is an adventure and literallyhave to stop myself grabbing my precious Blackberry back and making a quickescape. But in exactly six minutes this kid handed my Blackberry back. He had changed the part and cleaned and serviced the whole phone. Taken it apart, and put it together. As I turned the phone on there was a horrific 2 minutes where the phone would not come on. I looked at him with such hostility that he stepped back.
‘you have more than thousand phone numbers ?”
‘yes’.
‘backed up?’
‘no’
‘Must back up. I do it for you. Never open phone before backing up’
‘You tell me that now?’
But then the phone came on and my data was still there. Everyone watching laughed and clapped. This was becoming a show. A six minute show. I asked him how much.
‘500 rupees’ He ventured uncertainly. People around watched in glee expecting a negotiation.
That’s $10 dollars as against the Rs 30,000 ($ 600) I was about to spend on a new Blackberry or a couple of weeks without my phone. I looked suitably shocked at his ‘high price’ but calmly paid him. Much to the disappointment of the expectant crowd
‘do you have an I-Phone ? Even the new ‘4D one ?
‘no, why”
‘I break the code for you and load any ‘app’ or film you want. I give you 10 film on your memory stick on this one, and change every week for small fee’
I went home having discovered the true entrepreneurship that lies at what we call the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Some may call it piracy, which of course it is, but what can you say about two uneducated and untrained brothers aged 10 and 19 that set up a ‘hole in the wall’ shop and can fix any technology that the greatest technologists in the world can throw at them. I smiled at the future of our country. If only we could learn to harness this potential.
‘Please wash your hands before use’ were his last words to me. Now I am feeling seriously unclean.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.

Islamisation begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.

Here's how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens.

This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 0..6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs.

This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply.

This is occurring in:
UK -- 5% (uproportial to France)
France -- Muslim 8%. However note that the french dont take shit unlike Brits.
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. In Russia, grade-schools were attacked. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam, with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam.

Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, beheadings, stoning, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught
me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1.. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.Your friends and
parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9.. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry..

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God
never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger..

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one
is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years,
will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you
did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.."

It's estimated 93% won't forward this. If you are one of the 7% who will,
forward this with the title '7%'.
I'm in the 7%. Friends are the family that we choose.

Dear My master H.H.Osamaji *