Wednesday, December 19, 2012


बलात्कार के दोषियों को एक महीने में सख्त सजा हो.

चलती बस में बलात्कार की जो घिनौनी घटना हुई है वह हिला देने वाली है. आम आदमी पार्टी पीड़ित लड़की के साथ अपनी पूरी संवेदना व्यक्त करती है. दोषियों को उनके करतूत की सजा दिलाने में वह पीड़ित के साथ खड़ी होगी. इस घटना ने लोगों के मन में एक डर पैदा किया है कि क्या राजधानी की सड़कों पर उनकी आबरु सुरक्षित है? आज निर्दोष जनता डरी हुई है, जबकि डर तो अपराधियों में होना चाहिए था. उनके मन में कानून का ऐसा खौफ होना चाहिए था कि किसी महिला की आबरू पर हाथ डालने से पहले उनकी रुह कांप जाए. लेकिन ऐसा नहीं हो रहा. सबसे पहले देश की न्याय व्यवस्था को दुरुस्त करने की जरूरत है. बलात्कार जैसे अपराधों का स्पीडी ट्रायल हो. मामले की एक महीने के अंदर सुनवाई करके दोषियों को सख्त से सख्त सजा दी जाए. समाज में अपराधियों को ऐसा संदेश देना ही होगा.

सरकार को सख्त कदम तो उठाने ही हैं लेकिन समाज को भी सक्रिय होकर आगे आना होगा. ऐसे अपराधों को रोकने की जिम्मेदारी प्रशासन और पुलिस की है लेकिन साथ ही साथ आम लोगों को भी संवेदना दिखाते हुए अपने स्तर से प्रयास करने होंगे. जघन्यतम अपराध तभी रुकेंगे जब सरकार के साथ-साथ समाज में भी उसके लिए कोई सहनशीलता (ZERO TOLERANCE) नहीं रहे.

अगर पीड़िता को एक महीने के अंदर न्याय नहीं मिलता और अपराधियों को सरकार सजा नहीं दिला देती तो आम आदमी पार्टी सड़क पर आंदोलन करेगी. बात हमारी मां-बेटियों-बहनों की इज्जत-आबरु से जुड़ी है. इस पर कोई समझौता नहीं हो सकता.

Obama - Biden
Naresh --

During the campaign, whether you were at home, at the office, or on your cell, you reached out to voters and fellow supporters using our digital tools.

Thank you. All of that online work was instrumental to re-electing President Obama.

It's time to take stock of what worked -- and what we could do better as we continue to organize. Because of your involvement, we know you've got some great insights that could make our movement even stronger.

Please take this quick survey about some of the tools you used over the course of the 2012 campaign -- including our online field office, Dashboard, the mobile app, the Facebook app, the call tool, and more -- and share your feedback.

We've all worked hard to build and strengthen this grassroots organization. Learning from you is key to keeping up that momentum.

You're in a position to help map the way forward.

Share your feedback on Obama 2012's digital tools, and let us know what we could have done even better:

http://my.barackobama.com/Digital-Tools-Survey


Thanks -- you can be sure we'll look at every submission and put your feedback to good use.

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
National Field Director
Obama for America
Worldwatch Institute
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Contact: Supriya Kumar, skumar@worldwatch.org, (+1) 202-745-8092, ext. 510

   With Effective Roadmaps and Political Will, Governments Can Create Healthier, Livable Cities
        
Worldwatch Institute highlights solutions for more inclusive and sustainable urban development
Washington, D.C.----By harnessing an innovative mix of tools and approaches, governments can strengthen the economies of urban areas and improve their overall livability, according to research presented in the Worldwatch Institute's State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity. Today, nearly 1 billion of the world's poor live in urban areas that are dangerously overcrowded and lack adequate access to basic sanitation and clean water, with wide-ranging health and environmental impacts. But even in wealthier countries, governments face serious challenges in making their cities more inclusive, sustainable, and livable.

In 2010, informal urban settlements, known more commonly as "slums," housed approximately one-third of the urban population of developing countries. "Slum populations are often viewed as an eyesore, but few realize that the urban poor are at the core of a city's economy, accounting for a large share of employment and performing essential functions for the city," said Eric Belsky, Managing Director of Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies and State of the World 2012 contributing author.  

In his chapter, "Planning for Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Development," Belsky calls for a new paradigm for urban planning that utilizes all levels of government to promote more livable, environmentally sensitive, economically competitive, and socially inclusive cities. Although there are formidable barriers to inclusive and sustainable development, several bold steps, such as the creation of National Urban Sustainable Planning Commission, national incentive funds, and international academic collaboration on urban planning, can be taken to overcome these challenges. "With deliberate spatial planning, we can mitigate the environmental and health risks of slum dwellers, as well as harness their potential to contribute to economic growth and move out of poverty."

In the United States, meanwhile, more than 200 cities have developed plans for improving economic, environmental, and social sustainability, but few have established specific metrics to monitor their progress. A national indicator system would help cities more uniformly measure their success in moving toward sustainable development, according to the University of Pennsylvania's Eugenie Birch and Amy Lynch, co-authors of "Measuring U.S. Sustainable Urban Development" in State of the World 2012.

Using indicators to monitor sustainable development of urban areas has long been on the global agenda: Agenda 21, developed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, specifically called for the development of such benchmarks. In their chapter, Birch and Lynch provide three steps to develop a national indicator system that will help U.S. cities achieve sustainability:

Start with a vision. Until 2009, when the government created the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the United States did not have a national sustainable development agenda, much less national standards. To fill this void, the Partnership crafted and released the Livability Principles, six statements that express what is needed to create liveable communities nationwide, including affordable housing and a better mix of transportation options.

Use what already exists.The lack of standardized national indicators in the United States is due not to a dearth of developed indicators, but to a failure to align local efforts with the national vision. Effective local initiatives include the STAR Community Index, created in cooperation with numerous national organizations, including the U.S. Green Building Council. Based on 81 goals, the index helps local governments manage their sustainability performance and encompasses broad themes of environment, society, and economy, but it fails to relate directly to any national policy. Other indicator systems in use include Philadelphia's Greenworks 2009 plan, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget's 62 published economic and social indicators, and the Green City Index.

Create a national indicator database. As effective indicators are identified, they should be assessed and culminated into a national monitoring system. In 2010, the American Planning Association and the University of Pennsylvania's Institute of Urban Research identified and analyzed 22 existing indicator systems with the aim of creating a Sustainable Urban Development Indicator Database. Out of the 22 systems, 145 achievable and measurable indicators were identified, with the aim of ultimately developing a national indicator database.

With effective roadmaps and political will, governments can advance the goals of sustainability, inclusion, and poverty alleviation through improved urban planning to create healthier, livable cities.

Worldwatch's State of the World 2012, released in April 2012, focuses on the themes of inclusive sustainable development discussed at Rio+20, the 20-year follow-up to the historic Earth Summit of 1992, also held in Rio de Janeiro. The report presents a selection of innovative ideas and practices to achieve global environmental sustainability while meeting human needs and providing jobs and ensuring dignity for all.  

----END---- 
Notes to Editors:    

For more information and and for a review copy of State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperityplease contact Supriya Kumar at skumar@worldwatch.org. 

About the Worldwatch Institute:

Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute's State of the World report is published annually in more than 18 languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org.

CAIT DECLARED KHUDRA SWARAJYA RALLY AT NEW DELHI IN MARCH AGAINST FDI IN RETAIL
CARTOONS, TWITTER,FACEBOOK,PHRASES WILL BE NEW TOOLS OF PROTEST
INDIAN TRADING SYSTEM IS MATCHLESS - SAYS DR. JOSHI AT CAIT JAIPUR CONVENTION

The two days national convention of the trade leaders of different states of the Country held under the banner of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) concluded yesterday at Jaipur ended with a firm resolve to fight the controversial issue of FDI in Retail with tooth and nail and to depict the mass protest, the CAIT declared to hold a grand rally at Ramlila Ground in New Delhi in the month of March when Parliament will be in session. The rally will be attended by traders from all over the Country and the senior leaders of all political parties those opposing FDI in Retail will be invited to join the Rally- informed CAIT National President Mr. B. C. Bhartia and Secretary General Mr. Praveen Khandelwal in a statement released here today. More than 100 prominent trade leaders of leading trade organisations of 24 different states of the Country attended the convention which was inaugurated by Senior Parliamentarian Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi on 16th December, 2012.

Addresing the trading fraternity, Dr. Joshi described the FDI in Retail as one of the most draconian step of the UPA Government which will directly hurt the livelihood of crores and crores of people of the Country. Neither the farmer and nor the consumer will be benefitted and large number of small shopkeepers will be forced to close down their shutters as the entry of global retailers will create an uneven level playing field where our traditional small retailers will be at receiving end. The consequencies of FDI in Retail will be far reaching and detrimental to national economy. Expressing pitty over the statement of Govt that MNCs will teach the indian traders how trade will be done, he said that Indian trade practices are thousand years old and and time tested and in fact Indian traders have taught the world how trading is carried. Degrading the traders and our centuries old traditional system of trading will never be tolerated and will be bitterly opposed.

Dr. Joshi also declared that in the forthcoming General elections in 2014, the Government is bound to change and if people choose NDA to rule the Country, we will scrap the present notification of allowing FDI in Retail and will bring out a policy in consultation with retail stakeholders how to develop our own trading system into new mode that provides better prices to farmers, good remuneration to labourers, friendly atmosphere of conducting business activities by the traders, dignified business opportunities to hawkers and self sustain growth of small and medium industries in the Country.

While strongly criticising the Government for its unilateral decision to allow FDI in Retail, the convention has decided to launch a nationwide movement of " Khudra Swarajya" across the Country beginning 1st January,2013 and which will culmitnated in to a "Khudra Swarajya Maha Rally" at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi during budget session of the Parliament in March. The date of the rally will be finalised on 1st January,2013 at a national convention of retail stakeholders convened by " Khudra FDI Virodhi Rashtriya Morcha", a joint coalition of Farmers, Hawkers, Traders, Transporters, Small Industries, Consumers, Cooperatives and Self employed groups.

Spelling out the details of "Khudra Swarajya Abiyan" begining 1st January,2013, the CAIT said that during the two months long nationwide movement, the trade associations and organisations across the Country will organise several programmes including Sampark Yatra, Chaupal Charcha, Demonstration, Dharna, Torch Procession, FDI Effigy Burning programme and will adopt other democratic form of protests all over the Country to voice their anger and resentment. To make the movement more interesting,lucrative and effective leaving an effective impression on the mind of people, a unique protest through Cartoons will be launched and live demonstration of meaningful " phrases " will be another mode of protest. The CAIT has also decided to make Twitter and Facebook as a mode of expression of their views on FDI in Retail and to facilitate the people to join with the movement.

Nearly 15000 trade associations across the Country are expected to participate in two months long nationwide " Khudra Swarajya Abhiyan". To monitor preparations of the Khudra Swarajya Rally in the month of March in Delhi, a special committee of fifteen trade leaders from different states has been constituted under the Chairmanship of National Chairman of CAIT Shri Mahendra Shah of Ahmadabad  -informed both Mr. Bhartia and Mr. Khandelwal.

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