Friday, November 13, 2015

October 2015 CPI inflation at 5%     


Rural India inflation stands at 5.54% in October 2015 as compared to 4.76% in October 2014 and Urban India inflation stands at 4.28% in October 2015 as against 4.47% in October 2014
The all India general CPI (Combined) for October 2015 stands at 5% as compared to 4.41% in September 2015. The inflation rates for rural and urban areas for October 2015 are 5.54% and 4.28% as compared to 5.05% and 3.61% respectively, for September 2015.
Consumer Price Index (combined)
Consumer Price Inflation (Combined)
   Source: PHD Research Bureau, compiled from MOSPI
Rate of inflation during October 2015 is high in pulses and products at 42.2%, Spices at 9.82%, Pan, tobacco and intoxicants at 9.5% and Prepared meals, snacks & sweets etc. at 6.83% .
Consumer Price Index for the month of October 2015 for rural, urban and combined stood at 127.7, 124.2 and 126.1 respectively.
In addition to this, Consumer Food Price Indices (CFPI) of October 2015 for rural, urban and combined stands at 132, 133.1 and 132.4 respectively. Provisional annual inflation rate based on all India CFPI (Combined) for the month of October 2015 stands at 5.25% as compared to 3.9% in the previous month. The corresponding provisional inflation rates for rural and urban areas for October 2015 are 5.18% and 5.47% respectively as against 4.05% and 3.45% respectively in September 2015.
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NLD wins historic Myanmar polls

Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition on Friday won a parliamentary majority from weekend polls that will allow it to elect a president and form a government in a historic shift in power from the army.
The election, the first Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party has contested since 1990, saw a huge turnout that has yielded more than 80 percent of seats for the NLD.
After a drip-feed of results from the Union Election Commission, the NLD on Friday sailed through the two-thirds majority it needs to rule, claiming 348 parliamentary seats with a number of results yet to be declared.
Government now beckons for Suu Kyi’s party in a seismic change of the political landscape in a country controlled for five decades by the military.
A comfortable majority gives Suu Kyi’s party control of the lower and upper houses, allowing it to elect the president and form the government.
A big majority gives Suu Kyi, 70, leverage in the political wrangling ahead with a military establishment that has been chastened at the polls but retains sweeping powers.
Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency by a junta-scripted constitution, which also guarantees the army a 25 percent bloc of seats.
She has already vowed to govern from “above the president” saying she will circumnavigate the charter ban by appointing a proxy for the top office.
The NLD “will be able to pass whatever law they want, they won’t need to form coalitions, they won’t need to reach out across the aisle,” independent Myanmar analyst Richard Horsey told AFP.
But during the transition the NLD will need to be mindful “to keep everyone on board,” he added.
– Call for ‘reconciliation talks’ -Bouyed by the sweep of the polls, Suu Kyi called for “national reconciliation talks” with President Thein Sein and army chief Min Aung Hlaing.
Both men have congratulated the NLD on its election performance and have vowed to abide by the result as well as help a peaceful transition of power.
Thein Sein’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is made up of former military cadres, has been mauled at the election.
Yet the president, a former general who swapped his uniform for civilian clothes to lead the government in 2011, has won praise for steering the reforms that culminated in Sunday’s peaceful poll.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Suu Kyi for her election win, but also hailed the “courage and vision” of Thein Sein for “leadership in the reform process”.
The international community has welcomed the election, with US President Barack Obama calling both Suu Kyi and the president to offer his congratulations.
Ahead of the election the US hinted it could rollback more sanctions in reward for a successful and peaceful election.
Obama has staked immense political capital in Myanmar’s transition from authoritarian rule to an emergent democracy, backing the NLD’s polar force Suu Kyi and visiting the country twice in the last four years.
Yet the country’s military is not about to disappear. It retains major influence with its parliamentary bloc which effectively assures a veto over constitutional change.
It also has key ministerial posts reserved under the charter.Key security ministries (defence, home affairs and border affairs) are selected by the head of the army, not the president, and there can be no change to the constitution without military approval.
Many NLD supporters remain deeply suspicious of the army and its political allies, who are notorious for dirty tricks and crackdowns that have left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.
Twenty five percent or a quarter of seats are automatically held by the military, meaning it remains hugely influential.
Under the constitution Ms Suu Kyi cannot become president herself.
Twenty five percent or a quarter of seats are automatically held by the military, meaning it remains hugely influential.
Under the constitution Ms Suu Kyi cannot become president herself.
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AAC logo without Formaly
presents
Session on
“India’s future with Latin America and the Caribbean”
EVENT DETAILS
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DATEFriday, November 20, 2015
TIME4:30 PM  – 6:00 PM (Registration: 4:00 PM)
LOCATIONWWF Auditorium, 172-B, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi – 110003
SPEAKERSGeneral V K Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of IndiaAmbassador Deepak Bhojwani, Former Ambassador of India to Colombia, Venezuela and CubaAmbassador Melba Pria,  Ambassador of Mexico to IndiaAmbassador Mr Tovar da Silva Nunes, Ambassador of Brazil to India
CHAIRAmbassador S K Lambah, Chairman, Ananta Aspen Centre and Former Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of India
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ABOUT THE EVENT
India enjoys an amicable relationship with the Latin American and Caribbean region, with close bilateral as well as multilateral interaction. An emerging growth centre, the region constitutes a dynamic and resource-rich part of the world that is witnessing increasing democratization and surging economic growth. In modern times, the two sides have articulated common positions on global issues such as global trade, climate change, and energy. There is a burgeoning trade in crude oil, manufactures and agro-products and many Indian businesses are now setting up offices in Latin America. India also shares a special bond with people of Indian origin in some of the Caribbean nations, who form a valuable link of friendship and understanding between the two regions.
Nevertheless, huge opportunities remain unexplored towards establishing and sustaining relations with the Latin American and Caribbean countries. With a large base of agricultural and natural resources, Latin American nations can provide an ideal solution to India’s energy and food security issues. To better understand Latin America and carry out a sustained effort to engage with the region, Ambassador Deepak Bhojwani in his book Latin America, the Caribbean and India: Promise and Challenge traces the region’s historic, political and economic evolution, as well as its historic and current relations with India. The Session will focus on current challenges and opportunities for development of bilateral and regional relations between India and Latin America and the Caribbean region in political, economic, commercial, cultural, energy, connectivity, and people to people relations.
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SPEAKERS
V K Singh 10-11-15General V K Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India
General Vijay Kumar Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd) was born on 10 May 1951. An alumnus of Birla Public School, Pilani and National Defence Academy, he served as the 26th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. General Singh was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion of The Rajput Regiment (Kali Chindi) on 14 June 1970. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington with a competitive vacancy. He is also a graduate of US Army Rangers Course at Fort Benning, USA and US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
General Singh was awarded Yudh Seva Medal for operations as part of IPKF in Sri Lanka, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for distinguished service while commanding a counter-insurgency force in 2005 and Param Vishisht Seva Medal in recognition of his exceptional and distinguished services in the Eastern Theatre in 2009. He became Chief of Army Staff on 31 March 2010 and retired from the position on 31 May 2012. On 11 March 2011, Singh was inducted into the United States Army War College (Class of 2001 graduate) International Fellows Hall of Fame. He is the 33rd International Fellow and the first Indian Armed Forces officer to be inducted. General Singh joined the Bhartiya Janata Party on 1 March 2014 and successfully contested Lok Sabha election from Ghaziabad constituency (2.4 million plus electorate). Presently, he is Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs. As Minister of State for External Affairs, General Singh has represented India at several bilateral and multilateral events as well as Special Assignments in Asia, Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean region and Europe. “Courage and Conviction”, his highly acclaimed autobiography, has been widely read in India.
 Amb Deepak Bhojwani 10-11-15Ambassador Deepak Bhojwani, Former Ambassador of India to Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba
Ambassador Deepak Bhojwani joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1978. He retired in February 2012. During his career, he was accredited as Ambassador in seven Latin American countries, resident in Colombia, Venezuela and Cuba, concurrent in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, and was Consul General in Sao Paulo. He served abroad in three Continents – Asia (Indonesia and Malaysia), Europe (Spain and Czech Republic) and Latin America.
In the Ministry of External Affairs, he served in the Divisions dealing with Administration; West Asia and North Africa; US and Canada; and had a brief stint at the United Nations. Ambassador Bhojwani also served as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, Mr P.V.Narasimha Rao for two years from 1994 to 1996, and as Special Assistant to the Minister of State for External Affairs and for Science and Technology, Mr K.R.Narayanan, from 1985 till 1988. He writes extensively on Latin America and its relations with India. He has written a book published in 2015 titled ‘Latin America, the Caribbean and India: Promise and Challenge’. He is currently a Consultant for Latin America and the Caribbean through his firm LATINDIA.
 Amb Melba 10-11-15Ambassador Melba Pria,  Ambassador of Mexico to India
Ambassador Melba Pría was Ambassador of Mexico to Indonesia from 2007 to March 2015 before her appointment as Ambassador of Mexico to India in April 2015. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs she has worked in areas that promote the inclusion of different stakeholders in international affairs. From 2003 she was appointed the Head of Public Diplomacy, responsible for the development of the Ministry’s relationship with civil society in Mexico and abroad. From 2001 to 2002 served as Director General for Mexican Diaspora; issues relating to rights in their countries of reception and the resulting matters of domestic public policy.
In 2001 Ms. Pría was responsible for the Ministry’s liaison at the State and Federal levels for the coordination and support of local, State and Federal officials in international affairs. Prior to the above roles with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she was political and consular attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Israel from1979 to 1982, and later advisor to the Foreign Minister from 1991 to 1992. A professional public servant who has served Mexico’s public and private sectors for 37 years, the main themes of her work are immediately apparent, embracing political and developmental objectives that focus on and address issues relating to poverty, identity and tolerance, particularly marginalized and ethnically-differentiated communities. From 1998 to 2000, she was Head of the Mexican National Institute for Indigenous Affairs, during which period she was elected Vice President of the Latin American and Caribbean Indigenous Peoples’ Fund, and in both capacities worked to ensure that the native population had access to the State’s jurisdiction, programs, and budgets and to international cooperation. From 1994 to 1998, she was the Director in the Education Ministry’s special delegation to the State of Chiapas, promoting interdisciplinary programs for that State’s indigenous children, work which contributed to an improvement in the levels of instruction and an undertaking to provide special programs for the expansion of educational services in the entire state. From 1983 through 1991 she was Publications Department Editor and Chief of Cultural Promotion at the Social Security Institute of Mexico, planning and delivering programs that directly benefited the working poor and marginalized population in urban and semi-rural areas. In the private sector, she was Vice President of Development and Communications for Mexicana de Aviation from 1992 through 1994, then Mexico’s largest airline, responsible for internal and external communications as well as specialized service training for all employees. She was born in Mexico City in 1958. She is single. Holds a Bachelor Degree in Sociology, two Masters Degrees in Public Policy and International Studies and a Post Graduate in National Security and Strategic Studies. She has studied both in Mexico and abroad. She also has to her credits several books and publications on issues of diversity and public policy.
 Amb Nunes 10-11-15Ambassador Mr Tovar da Silva Nunes, Ambassador of Brazil to India
Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes was born on February 06, 1959, in Birigui, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 1979 he won the Correia Lima Medal, 1o place at Preparation Center for Reserve Militar Officers of Sao Paulo (CPOR-SP). He studied International Relations, Comparative Foreign Policy and International Economics at Harvard University, USA and Law School, University of Sao Paulo. Ambassador Nunes did his Masters in International Political Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, UK and his Specialization in Public Diplomacy from Institut de Sciences Politiques, Paris, France.
He joined the Preparatory Course for the Career of Diplomat – Brazilian Diplomatic Academy (Rio Branco Institute – IRBr) in 1983. In Course of Higher Studies (CAE) at the Brazilian Diplomatic Academy (Rio Branco Institute – IRBr) his graduate thesis was on “The Impact of the Trade Promotion Authority on the FTAA Negotiations, according to Brazilian Trading Interests”. In 1984 he became the Third Secretary, Brazilian Foreign Service. He was awarded the Rio Branco Award, Silver Medal. He was placed as an Assistant in the United Nations Division in 1985. He has served as the Second Secretary at the Permanent Delegation in Geneva and Embassy of Brazil in Quito. He worked with the Office of the President of the Republic of Brazil as a Special Advisor. At the Office of the Secretary of Social Communication of the President of the Republic of Brazil he was the Chief of Staff. He has served as the President of Board of Administration, Brazilian Communication Company (RADIOBRAS), Embassy of Brazil in London as the First Secretary and Counsellor and Office of the Minister of Development, Industry and Trade as the Chief of Staff. He was the head of the Co-ordination Office of the Ministry of External Relations for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Negotiations and also the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Division. At the Embassy of Brazil in Berlin he was posted as the Minister-Counsellor. At the Minister of External Relations Office he served as the Special Advisor and Spokesman and later as the Chief of Staff.
CHAIR
 SATINDER K LAMBAH 23-10-15Ambassador S K Lambah,  Chairman, Ananta Aspen Centre; and Former Special Envoy of the Prime Minister
Satinder K Lambah was the Special Envoy to the Prime Minister of India from 2005-14 with the rank of Minister of State from 2010 onwards. He was the Co-Chairman of the Task Force on National Security 2011 – 2012.  Ambassador Lambah was the President of Association of Indian Diplomats in 2005. He was a Convener of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) in 2004-05 and the President of the Federation of Indo-German Societies in India from 2005-2014.
He was the Special Envoy of the Government of India for Afghanistan and led the Indian delegation to the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan in 2001-02. In 2001, Ambassador Lambah Chaired a Committee on the Re-organization of Ministry of External Affairs and Indian missions abroad. Ambassador Lambah has served in several Missions abroad including as the Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation, Ambassador of India to the Federal Republic of Germany, High Commissioner of India to Pakistan, Consul General of India, San Francisco, and Ambassador of India to Hungary. He was Deputy Secretary General of the 7th Non Aligned Summit held in Delhi in 1983 and later Coordinator of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments meeting in India. His specializations include Economic Diplomacy and dealing with India’s neighbours. He opened the Indian Embassy in Bangladesh after liberation. He has been involved in many successful economic ventures. For instance, the first Export of an Indian Car (Sale of Maruti Cars) took place when he was Ambassador in Hungary. India’s largest investment ever upto that time of over $2 Billion in Sakhalin-I was made in 2001 when he was Ambassador in Russia. For this, in March 2015, he was conferred the “Urja Energy Security Award”. During his tenure as Consul General of India in San Francisco (1989-91) he was conferred a “Trustees’ Citation” by the University of California, Berkeley in 1991 for his initiating, coordinating, and spearheading the campaign which generated over US$2 million in a short span of four months for Indian Studies, resulting in the creation of two Chairs of  India Studies, a bi-annual lecture by a distinguished scholar from India, and an annual scholarship at the Graduate School of Journalism at U.C Berkeley. He is married to Nilima Lambah, author of “A Life Across Three Continents – Recollections of a Diplomat’s Wife”.
Having trouble with the link? Simply copy and paste the entire address listed below into your web browser: http://www.cvent.com/d/OU962Siz7kmb_S_MtP2S_g/njf0/P1/1Q?​
Become a member
http://www.anantaaspencentre.in
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I am a Rajya Sabha MP and I want to keep our children safe. Your signature will help convince PM Modi commit to a roadmap to protect children from sexual abuse.

In 2 weeks, I am meeting PM Modi with this petition. I want him to commit protecting our children from sexual abuse. I need you to sign my petition so I can showcase huge support on this issue. Naresh, sign my petition now! 
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Trigger Warning: Content about Child Sexual Abuse
Dear Naresh,
15-year-old was stripped and photographed by 4 young men. Unable to bear the burden she took her own life.
3 year-old-child was raped. She was assaulted in school by an employee who was supposed to be taking care of her.
Both these incidents took place in my hometown of Bengaluru. I am shocked and ashamed. We are not doing enough to protect our children.
I am a Rajya Sabha MP and I want to use all my resources to keep our children safe. I am askingPrime Minister Modi to commit to a roadmap to protect our children from sexual abuseSign my petition.
Naresh, your support on this petition will help me make a strong case to PM Modi. Help me reach 2 lakh signatures this week.
We think our child is safe, something like this will never happen to anyone I know. Sadly, that’s not true!Sexual abuse is a risk all our children face all the time. At school, in our own neighbourhood and even at home.
Our children deserve a safe childhoodSign my petition.
Thank you for taking action,
Rajeev Chandrasekhar
Rajya Sabha MP

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