SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: 04/16/18

1. FESTIVALS: Maharana Pratap Jayanti on May 9: Born to the eldest wife of Maharana Udai Singh II, Maharani Javanta Bai Songara (Chauhan) on this day in 1540 AD, in the Kumbalgarh Fort, near Udaipur (Rajasthan), Maharana Pratap was one of the most celebrated Rajput warriors in history. He is renowned for the honour, integrity and dignity he showed while dealing with the Mughals, especially Akbar. The Battle of Haldighati and the use of the guerilla warfare against the Mughals, have been talked about through ballads and paintings, down the centuries. A hero, who never accepted the Muslim rule and kept fighting for the rights of his land and kingdom, is a story told with pride all over Bharat. Even though, the battle of Haldighati did not win him Chittor, it did show Akbar the prowess of Maharana Pratap. The Mughals in fact lost more in the battle than Pratap did. (Rajasthan Government celebrates Maharana Pratap Jayanti according to Vikram Samvat Jyeshtha Shukla Tritiya which falls on June 16 this year.) -GoTop

2. EMPOWERING WOMEN TO DIGNIFY LIVES: UPA-RASHTRPATI M Venkaiah Naidu has said that empowering women would enable them lead a life of dignity, respect and make informed decisions. He stressed on the need to build coalitions against gender discrimination. He was speaking at an event organized to mark the silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Mahila Dakshata Samiti in Hyderabad on March 30.

With women constituting almost half of Bharat’s population, their empowerment educationally, socially and politically is the fundamental requirement for the country to unleash the forces of growth and achieve rapid progress, he said. “While we have a long lineage of highly accomplished women, there has been unfortunately a parallel trend of gender discrimination. This has resulted in low literacy, low education and consequently, low representation in the workforce and politics,” he added. Goa Rajyapal, Mridula Sinha, Telangana Upa-Mukhya Mantri Mohammad Mahmood Ali and other dignitaries were present. -GoTop

3. THE PASS OUTS OF MAITREYI GURUKULA WILL BE TORCHBEARERS OF GURUKULA EDUCATION: Maitreyi Gurukula, situated at Moorkaje near Mangaluru completed 24 glorious years of its existence. The momentous occasion was observed by celebrating the Ardhamandalotsava on March 27. The inauguration of the Ardhamandalotsava was done by RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat. The function was presided over by Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji of Art of Living. Pujya Sri Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji of Adichunchungiri Mahasamsthana blessed the event.

Shri Bhagwat said our knowledge system does not believe in blind faith, but in experience and questioning as demonstrated by the debate of Swami Vivekananda and his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhamsa over existence of God. Education does not come just from reading and listening but from going through the experience. That can be imparted only by a Guru and not by textbooks alone. The students who graduate from Maitreyi Gurukula will go to the society as torchbearers of the Gurukula education.

Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji said today we need both modern sciences and ancient knowledge. Institutions like Maitreyi Gurukula are living examples of such an amalgamation and should be commended by all.

Established in 1994, the Maitreyi Gurukula is the brain child of the Sangh Pracharak the late N Krishanappa, the late Dr Upendra Shenoy and the late Dr Bharati Ramanaacharya. At present there are 97 girls in the Gurukula hailing from 29 districts of Karnataka and states like Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. -GoTop

4. ‘CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MUST BE REMEMBERED FOR THE SAKE OF PROGRESS OF THE NATION’ – DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: We should adopt from the role model like Shivaji Maharaj who embodies the qualities like desire for social reform, valour and many more other qualities. We should make an effort towards creating ideal society by imitating Shivaji Maharaj. We should strive in such a way that the world comes know about Shivaji. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is guiding book for uplifting of our nation, stated RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Ji Bhagwat.

A programme was organized to celebrate 338th death anniversary of Chhatrapti Shivaji Maharaj at fort Raigad on April 3. RSS Sarsanghchalak was addressing the audience as the chief guest for the same. The program is organized every year jointly by Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarakmandal, Pune and local utsav samiti, Mahad. On the stage were the Hon. Guardian Minister of Raigad district Ravindra Chavan, MLA Bharat Gogavale and other dignitaries. -GoTop

5. SRI VISHNU SADASHIV KOKJE ELECTED AS NEW INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF VHP: The meeting of the Central Board of Trustees of Vishva Hindu Parishad was held at Gurugram on 14^th April under the chairmanship of its newly elected international president Justice (Rtd) Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje.

Justice Kokje in this meeting proposed the name of Advocate Alok Kumar as VHP’s Working President, Shri Ashok Rao Chowgule as Working President (External), Shri Milind Parande as Secretary General, Shri Vinayak Rao Deshpande as Organizational General Secretary (Sangathan Mahamantri), Shri Champat Rai as a new Vice-President, Shri Venkata Koteswara Rao as a new Joint General Secretary. The Board of Trustees approved these proposals with the recitation of OM.

The newly appointed Secretary General Shri Milind Parande read out the resolution appreciating the contributions of the former president Shri Raghava Reddy, former working president Dr. Pravin Togadia, former secretary general Shri Champat Rai and former organizational general secretary Shri Dinesh Chandraji which the Trust Board approved with the chanting of “OM”. -GoTop

6. SWARANJALI: A SHOW OF ARTISTRY AND DEDICATION was organized on April 1 at Sir Parshuram Bhau College Ground, Pune to commemorate the birth centenary of a varishtha swayamsevak Bapusaheb Datye. Selected Ghosh squads invited from all over Maharashtra performed Ghosh vadan with clinical precision on this occasion. The performances took place in four groups and every group presented demonstrations of melodious tunes usually played during RSS parades. They performed many ragas and raginis composed by the late Datyeji.

Appreciating the contribution made by the late Bapusaheb Datye, RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat appealed to all the swayamsevaks to follow his suite. “The nature itself has put the art of music in human hearts. This art can be used for national cause and the artists should give their suggestions for this purpose. RSS will definitely make use of them,” he said.

Datyeji made many compositions based on Hindustani and Carnatic ragas for ghosh vadan in RSS. He created a separate notation system for the parade music. He also composed Aruni, a tune to help perform Suryanamaskars in a rhythmic fashion. -GoTop

7. HSS (UK) NATIONAL SPORTS TOURNAMENT: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK) held its annual sports competition, KHEL PRATIYOGITA on Sunday 8th April at the Play Football arena in Birmingham. The event was attended by a record 841 people. 33 towns were represented, 69 teams registered and a staggering 192 matches were played. Teams competed in four different games – football (11 & under and 12 to 15), Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and Ring. Finchley won in both Football age groups and won Kabaddi in a very close final. Kho-Kho was won by Newham and Ring by Leicester. Invited guests included Lt Cdr Suzanne Lynch and LH Edmund Grandison from the Royal Navy and the NHS Bone Marrow and Blood Donor registrations team. -GoTop

8. A VOLUNTEERING MOVEMENT: Youth for Seva (YFS) organized a Corporate Volunteering Conclave at Infosys, Bengaluru on March 16 as part of its outreach programme. The motivation behind conducting the Conclave was to inculcate a culture of volunteering and to build a sense of inclusion, promote sustainability, and maximize impact, also to devise models to involve employees. The participants, over 300, comprised of students, corporates, NGOs and others. There were two panel discussions on ‘Ideas & Initiatives: Employee Engagement in Volunteering’ and ‘The Impact of Corporate Volunteer Engagement’ by Corporates & NGOs respectively.

Inaugurating the Conclave, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe reminded the audience of the sewa tradition of Bharat, which exists for ages when there was no concept of CSR. Madan Padaki, CEO of 1Bridge appealed to the corporates to encourage employees to develop Seva Quotient (SQ) and to replace MindSet with HeartSet. National organising secretary of the YFS Shri Venkatesh Murthy pointed out that they had started YFS ten years ago to make ‘Volunteering a Movement’. As it has already taken space, they would now work on transforming ‘A Selfie Volunteer to Self-Less Volunteer’. Corporate Panelists from Infosys, KPIT, CISCO and Thomson Reuters expressed that engaging employees in volunteering has increased trust upon their organization among the employees and their stay at the organization.

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9. ‘DHARMA’ BINDS PEOPLE: SARASANGHACHALAK: “Religion is a path that one follows which should be respected by other faiths too. But ‘dharma’ is the element that binds the humanity in entirety which augurs well for building a strong society,” said Shri Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of RSS on March 29. Speaking after releasing ‘Amrutkumbh’, a souvenir brought out by Hindu Dharma-Sanskriti Mandir (HDSM) to mark the conclusion of its platinum jubilee celebrations at Nagpur, Bhagwat said words ‘dharma’ and ‘sanskriti’ have no alternatives in English that could rightly convey its meaning. Religion has its origin in Latin which means binding. But it is ‘dharma’ that desists people away from indulging in wrongdoings and gives freedom in life. Lauding Hindu Dharma-Sanskriti Mandir, Mohanji said running such an organization for 75 years and imparting knowledge without charging money is unparalleled in history. Present on the occasion were Gurunath Bhagwat, president of the organization, and CA Rajesh Loya and Vandana Lakhani, vice-presidents of the jubilee committee.

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10. PM MODI GIFTS THE ‘EPITOME’ FOR WORLD TO INSPIRE AND CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS SOCIETY: On the eve of the 127th birth anniversary of father of Bharatiya constitution Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi inaugurated Dr Ambedkar National Memorial in national capital on 13^th April. This is the place where Dr Ambedkar attained Mahaparinirvana on December 6, 1956.

The museum at the memorial intends to create an immersive experience into the life of Dr. Ambedkar and his contribution to Bharat, through extensive use of static media, dynamic media, audio-visual content, and multimedia technologies. A meditation hall has also been created. Toran Dwars, a Bodhi Tree, a musical fountain, and facade lighting are other important elements of the memorial. The memorial also has an exact replica of the room of Dr Ambedkar as it was in real life with furniture and assorted things being kept in the same way.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion Prdhan Mantri Narendra Modi called the memorial both divine and magnificent and called it a tribute to the last days of the glorious son of mother Bharat. -GoTop

11. ISRO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES INRSS-1I NAVIGATION SATELLITE: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s navigation satellite INRSS-1I was launched on 12^th April by PSLV-C41 from the spaceport at Shriharikota and successfully placed in the designated orbit. The workhorse, PSLV injected the satellite into orbit 19 minutes after lift-off from the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre.

ISRO Chairman K Sivan described the mission as a success and congratulated the scientists behind it. He said IRNSS-1I was successfully placed in the designated orbit.

IRNSS-1I is expected to replace IRNSS-1A, the first of the seven navigation satellites, which was rendered ineffective after its three rubidium atomic clocks failed. The seven satellites are part of the NavIC navigation satellite constellation. -GoTop

12. THE SECRET BEHIND STEPHEN HAWKING’S ‘VOICE’: BHARATIYA AMERICAN ENGINEER HARI VYAS: Legendary physicist Stephen Hawking passed away recently. A lot has been written about how he managed to survive decades while dealing with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. Bharatiya American Hari Vyas is the man behind the program that allowed Hawking to speak to others using his voice synthesizer board.

Vyas was the architect who designed the hardware for the board, along with a team of developers that included Jim Caldwell, who worked on the development of the firmware and some others.

The 73-year-old Vyas, a native of Kanjari, Gujarat, moved to the U.S. in 1968 and went on to earn his master’s degree from Georgia Tech. Vyas began his career as an engineer at Dayton, Ohio-based N.C.R. and eventually found a permanent home in San Jose in the late 1970s working for National Semiconductor. -GoTop

13. GURDWARA AMONG 10 TOP FAITH PLACES IN ENGLAND: Europe's largest Gurdwara in the UK has featured in a new list of most important faith buildings in England, according to a media report.

The Guru Nanak Gurdwara, in Smethwick, features alongside iconic locations such as Stonehenge and Canterbury Cathedral. The Gurdwara has been chosen alongside nine other places of faith to feature in 'A History of England in 100 Places' which is being run by campaign body Historic England. The Gurdwara, which was built in the 1990s, housed one of the largest congregations in the UK and was the biggest in Europe, a citation by Historic England said."It continues to expand with Smethwick's growing Sikh population," the citation added. “Community is at the heart of the Sikh faith and Gurdwaras are a focal point for communities to come together and get closer to God." The UK is home to over 432,000 Sikhs, according to the 2011 census, making up 0.7 per cent of the population. -GoTop

14. ARGENTINA DECLARES THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY: By decree of Governor Alfredo Cornejo, the International Yoga Day celebrated on June 21 of each year was declared of provincial importance. The decree was published on April 3 in the Official Gazette after a request by the Senate of the province to recognize through a resolution that the UN has invited member states, organizations and civil society to "observe" that day in the appropriate way.

The decree states that "yoga techniques provide physical, mental and spiritual benefits, and can be practiced in all ages, from children to older adults." It explains that "yoga is a state of well-being and harmony in the three existential planes of man: mind, body and spirit. It integrates the person with their environment, family, society and nature, through the realization of asanas (physical postures), pranayamas (techniques of control of vital energy) and meditation, which forms an integral whole". -GoTop

15. DALAI LAMA EMBRACES TROOPER WHO ESCORTED HIM IN 1959: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama got emotional on March 31 as he embraced one of the five Assam Rifles troopers, Naren Chandra Das, who escorted him in Bharat after his escape from Tibet. In 1959, as a young trooper Das, now 80, escorted the Dalai Lama, now 82, on his arrival in Arunachal Pradesh. Dalai Lama has lived in exile ever since fleeing Tibet in March 1959."I feel blessed once again as His Holiness touched me and bumped his head with my head," Das told reporters after he was honoured by the leader at an event in Dharamsala to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's arrival in Bharat. Das said he was overwhelmed by the gesture of His Holiness for inviting him. The event marked the onset of a year-long 'Thank You India' campaign.

Kendriya Samskriti Mantri Mahesh Sharma, Sansad-sadasya Shanta Kumar and Satyavrat Chaturvedi were also present in the event along with functionaries of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), comprising its President Lobsang Sangay. In 2017, Das was reunited with the Dalai Lama for the first time in 58 years at a festival organized by the Assam government. Das, who joined the force in 1957, said he was told to escort the Dalai Lama along with others. "We were directed only to escort the Dalai Lama and not to speak with him," said Das. -GoTop

16. BHARAT TO GROW 7.3% THIS FISCAL, 7.6% IN NEXT: ADB: Bharat’s economic growth is expected to rebound to 7.3 % this fiscal and further to 7.6 % in 2019-20 with increased productivity post GST and investment revival due to banking reform, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.

The economy grew 6.6 % in the last fiscal as it battled the lingering effects of demonetization in 2016, businesses adjusting to Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017, and a subdued agriculture.

The ADB’s growth projection of 7.3 % this fiscal is in line with that of rating agency Fitch, but a tad lower than RBI’s forecast of 7.4 %.

“In sum, growth is forecast to pick up to 7.3 % in FY2018 on improved rural consumption, a modest uptick in private investment, and less drag from net exports. Urban consumption growth will remain stable, and impetus from public investment modest,” it said. -GoTop

17. GUJARAT GOVT PLANS WORLD’S BIGGEST 5K MW SOLAR PARK: The BJP-ruled State Government has granted permission in principle to develop world’s biggest 5,000 Mega Watt (MW) capacity solar park at Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR).

In lines with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to produce 175 Giga Watt (GW) from renewable energy by 2022, Gujarat will develop the solar park in 11,000 hectare area near Gulf of Khambhat.

“This solar park will not only create employment for locals but will also create opportunities for the entire supply chain to set up manufacturing facilities in the adjacent Dholera Industrial City” said the Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

DSIR is the world largest Greenfield industrial township project being developed in 920 sqkm area near the Gulf of Khambhat. -GoTop

18. BANGLADESH, BHARAT SIGN 130 KM OIL PIPELINE DEAL: Bangladesh and Bharat signed an agreement here on 9^th April on their proposed nearly 130 km oil pipeline aimed at pumping Bharatiya oil to Bangladesh with a capacity of 1 million tonnes per annum.

The deal was part of the six memorandums of understandings (MoUs) which Dhaka and New Delhi signed during a meeting between their foreign secretaries in Dhaka. Bharatiya foreign secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale held talks with senior Bangladeshi officials on a host of bilateral and regional issues. “Today, we add another six documents to our large and growing list of meaningful agreements signed during the recent visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India,” Gokhale said. -GoTop

19. FIRST BHARAT-NORDIC SUMMIT TO BOOST TIES WITH 5 NATIONS ON APRIL 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Stockholm to meet leaders of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark & Iceland for the first Bharat-Nordic Summit on April 17. Klas Molin, Swedish Ambassador to Bharat told “Prime Minister Löfven was very happy to accept the proposal by PM Modi to hold an Indo-Nordic Summit in Stockholm. The two PMs have met and spoken often over the last few years and they have very good chemistry. They jointly invited the other Nordic prime ministers to Stockholm for the summit. The six leaders will exchange views on regional and global issues such as environment and climate, trade and investment and discuss areas of future cooperation.” -GoTop

20. BHARAT IS WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST MOBILE PHONE PRODUCER: ICA: Bharat is now the second largest mobile phone producer in the world after China, as per information shared by Indian Cellular Association with Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

ICA referred to data available from market research firm IHS, China's National Bureau of Statistics and Vietnam General Statistics Office.

According to the data shared by ICA, annual production of mobile phones in Bharat increased from 3 million units in 2014 to 11 million units in 2017. Bharat replaced Vietnam to become second largest producer of mobile phones in 2017.

With the rise in mobile phone production, imports of the devices in the country also reduced to less than half in 2017-18. -GoTop

21. BHARAT PIPS JAPAN TO BECOME SECOND LARGEST CRUDE STEEL-MAKER: In a major achievement, Bharat has overtaken Japan to become the world's second largest producer of crude steel in February, according to the Steel Users Federation of India (Sufi). At present, China is the largest producer of crude steel in the world, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the production.

Bharat's crude steel production was up 4.4 per cent and stood at 93.11 million tonnes (MT) for the period April 2017 to February 2018, compared with April 2016 to February 2017, which has helped Bharat to overtake Japan and become the second largest producer of crude steel in the world, the federation said in a statement.Bharat overtook the US in 2015 to become the third largest producer of crude steel. -GoTop

22. NEW BHARATIYA MISSIONS IN AFRICA TO BE OPENED IN NEXT 4 YEARS: The decision to open 18 new Bharatiya missions in Africa was taken in a recent cabinet meeting. The move is seen as a bid to strengthen ties between Asia’s third largest economy and the resource-rich continent where Bharat’s strategic rival China has built a formidable presence in recent years. The 18 missions will be opened over a four-year period between 2018 and 2021, a government statement said thereby increasing the number of resident Bharatiya missions in Africa from 29 to 47.

Bharat organized the India-Africa summits—the first in 2008 in New Delhi and second in 2011 at Addis Ababa. The third one in New Delhi in 2015 saw the attendence of all 54 African countries including 41 at the level of heads of governments or states. -GoTop

23. NANOROBOTS DEVELOPED AT IISC BANGALORE FOR CANCER TREATMENT: Researchers at Indian Institute of Science Bangalore have developed a method of using nanorobots to deliver payloads to specific parts of a living cell--a breakthrough that could transform cancer treatment.

“We can now very precisely move it from point A and B, that too inside a living cell,” Malay Pal, a co-author of the paper published in the journal Advanced Materials, said. For chemotherapy to treat cancers, cancerous cells are identified using ultraviolet radiation, after which the probes are used to deliver drugs without impinging on healthy cells. -GoTop

24. WEAVING DREAM IN TRIPURA: Sewa International Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana - PMKVY centre at Khakchangpara Camp was formally inaugurated on 18th March , in the august presence of Shri M.K.Singla (MHA(IS) Special Secretary), Shri Animesh DebVarma (DC, Kanchanpur) and dignitaries from Assam Rifles. The event also witnessed the Certificate Distribution to successful candidates of the first batch of PMKVY training in Self-Employed Tailor program, completed at Ashapara Camp. Shri Singla appreciated the efforts of Sewa International for the forgotten communities of Bru Tribes, and expressed his full support for the future endeavors in the region. The feelings were echoed by the dignitaries at the event. The event was very well received and new trainees promised to give their best to complete the training for a promising future.-GoTop

25. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Saumitra Gokhale samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will leave for USA. Visitors: Ma Jaiprakash Goel, HongKong

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Just as a flower gives out its fragrance to whomsoever approaches or uses it, so love from within us radiates towards everybody and manifests as spontaneous service.- Samarth Ramdas -GoTop

JAI SHREE RAM

BAMBOO WONDER!

Amreesh Pathak

In 2001, massive earthquake trembled Gujarat’s Kutch region reducing thousands of lives to dust. In the wake of post disaster panic, no one knew who lost what? While some lost dear ones, number of families were left with no survivors. Cries of homeless people were felt all across the nation through media reports. Amidst this tragedy, when earthquake-victims despite the constant urge by local administration refused to move even an inch away from the debris of their houses, a special team of 45, from Maharashtra, lead by social worker Sunil ji Deshpande and his wife Nirupma ji landed in Kutch and with the help of RSS Swaymsevaks performed unbelievable service in the dignified rehabilitation of the victims.

To everyone’s surprise, the wonder tool that Sunil Deshpande's team used to provide shelter to the victims was the simple Bamboo Plant, loosely found in the tribal areas! Sunil ji camped in the earthquake hit region along with his team members for almost year.

During this period with the help of local cadre of RSS, they erected 742 premises, including houses, hospitals and schools,constructed with Bamboo Plant popularly known as-Bhunge. These unique constructions were formally handed over to the public by the then Sarsanghchalk K.S Sudarshan ji himself.

Once worked as volunteer with RSS veteran Pracharak Nanaji Deshmukh, Sunil ji Deshpande always wanted to do something ground breaking for the upliftment of the Vanvasis (tribesman). In persuing of his dream, in 1994, he founded Sampoorna Bamboo Kendra in Lavada village of Maharashtra's Melghat district with the blessings of RSS top brass. Today this Center actively brings development in the lives of poor tribesmen through 250 Self-help Groups spread in 38 villages in the region by preserving, encouraging and marketing their traditional bamboo artwork. “Our main focus is on making these tribesmen both financially and socially independent through converting their own tradition art work into a lucrative means of employment”, says Sunil ji Deshpande.

Gorelal ji Ahariya, who comes from the Bhill Tribe, has been working at this Center for thirteen years. Despite the fact his body structure is not normal as its bended from the eight places, he is superbly brilliant in different form of bamboo artwork. Once he used to be a liability to his family but today he is the biggest financial support to his family. Currently he is giving training to the 20 blind students from Nagpur. Similarly, a differently abled man from Korakoo tribe, Sohanlal ji Kashdekar, for the last five years at this Center has been proving his metal in bamboo artwork. Both the Gorelal ji and Sohanlal ji are the chief trainers at the Sampoorna Bamboo Kendra.

Marketing and branding of the Bamboo products made by villagers is done by Venu Shilpi udhyogic Cooperative Society. Research on various new varieties on bamboo plant is also one of the priorities here. Recently Center has developed easily installable Bambu- toilet, made of bamboo plant, is indeed a very useful innovation in order to pave the path of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.(http://www.sewagatha.org/know_more_content1.php?id=1&page=126) -GoTop

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GOOD NEIGHBOURS

India and Nepal reset relations while agreeing to build on the cultural and historic ties.

The visit of Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli has been hailed by both sides as “successful” in resetting the relationship. Whether this is true will become evident only with time. For the moment, Oli, who is viewed as “pro-China” in India, and his host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appeared to have made an effort to find meeting ground. The Nepali prime minister, whose visit to India came soon after he won a floor test with two-thirds of the 275-member Parliament backing him, is arguably the most powerful politician to lead his country in recent times. His rise on a nationalist platform mirrors Prime Minister Modi’s own style of politics, and though he kept the tradition of newly elected Nepal leaders visiting India first, he came demanding an equal friendship. Anxious about the Chinese footprint in Nepal, India showed it was ready to please.

Indeed, one of the main outcomes from the visit reflected India’s China anxiety. The two sides have agreed that India will build an electrified rail link between the Indian border town of Raxaul and Kathmandu, apparently in response to China’s reported plans to expand its railways from Tibet into Nepal. Prime Minister Modi described the project grandiosely as a plan to link the Everest to the ocean. Given India’s track record of completion of projects in other countries, the focus should be on getting this project on track and completing it without delay so that it gives people in Nepal — hundreds of thousands of them are employed in this country, study here, or visit regularly for business or religious tourism — easier access to the country’s vast rail network. A more ambitious project is to provide Nepal inland waterway connectivity to transport cargo. The two sides have opened up a new area of co-operation in agriculture. Oli is also reported to have brought up the need for India to complete unfinished projects such as the Pancheshwar dam on the river Mahakali, and to keep a commitment to build a road link the Terai.

The joint statement flags the resolve of the two prime ministers “to work together to take bilateral relations to newer heights on the basis of equality, mutual trust, respect and benefit”. It also references the cultural and historical ties between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi’s good governance mantra, Sabka saath sabka vikas, found mention in the statement as “a guiding framework for India’s engagement with its neighbours”. Such assertions are good for joint statements. Good neighbourliness can only come out of a deep understanding of each other, including the fact that a neighbour is bound to have more than one neighbour. (Editorial, Indian Express, 10^th April 2018) -GoTop

SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com