Protest against new property tax

Aam Aadmi Party staged a Dharna Rector Kathuria and SK Gogna

The Aam Aadmi party members today  outside the Corporation office and met  Municipal Commissioner Mr. Rakesh Verma to protest against the levying of the new property tax and have submitted an ultimatum of 5 days for removal of the tax in the district. The citizens of Ludhiana gathered in large numbers to support the Aam Aadmi party protest against 

Property tax.    

According to the District Secretary of Aam Aadmi Party Mr. Balbir Aggarwal, “The administration instead of focusing on providing better basic amenities to the people, is focusing on thinking up new means of imposing taxes and newer ways of corruption. Projects like removing encroachments from city roads and providing proper sanitation and good roads should be the priority of the local administration and not the desire to find new ways to burdenthe common man”.

Aam Aadmi members had a long meeting with the officials of the Corporation including the Municipal Commissioner in which they provided proofs of how public money was being pilfered and if the government stopped all that corruption it would have no need to impose new taxes on the Citizens of Ludhiana.

Aam Aadmi party members including District Convenor Mr. Harjot Singh, Mr. Balbir Aggarwal, Mr. Gulshan Kumar, Mr. Suresh Aggarwal, Mr. Bhupinder Singh, Mr. Mohit Mittal, Mr. Raman, Mr. Manjeet Singh, Mr. Ravinder Singh, Mr. Kanav Vats, Mr. Ajay Mittal and Mr. Raghuveer Singh thanked the people of Ludhiana for wholeheartedly supporting the protest against Property tax.

The Party Spokesman Dr. S. S. Butter informed that the party volunteers will be setting up awareness camps in most areas of the city to make people aware about this new tax and also launch an extensive signature campaign against it starting from tomorrow to try and force the District Administration to revoke its decision.

Imposition of Property Tax

Sequestration will force a drawdown

02/13/2013 02:16 PM CST         Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 1:58 AMChairman Outlines Sequestration's Dangers
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - Sequestration will force a drawdown "more difficult and decidedly different" than any other in the nation's history, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the House Armed Services Committee today.

Its deep, across-the-board spending cuts, combined with a dangerous and uncertain security environment, aging equipment and rising health care costs, place the nation squarely on the verge of an unprecedented readiness crisis, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said.

In a hearing that lasted nearly four hours, Dempsey, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and the Joint Chiefs of Staff all spoke of the dangers posed to national security by sequestration and the possibility that the continuing resolution now funding the government in lieu of a budget will be extended.

Sequestration was delayed until March 1 by a bill passed in January. If implemented, it would mandate about $500 billion in across-the-board defense spending cuts over 10 years in addition to cuts mandated over that period by the 2011 Budget Control Act.

"We are facing the prolonged specter of sequestration while under a continuing resolution, while we are just beginning to absorb $487 billion worth of cuts from 2011, and while we're still fighting and resourcing a war," the chairman said.

"There is no foreseeable peace dividend," Dempsey said.

"In this context, sequestration will upend our defense strategy," he said. "It will put the nation at greater risk of coercion. And it will require us to break commitments to our men and women in uniform and their families, to our defense industrial base, and to our partners and allies."

The new defense strategy formed last year could execute and absorb $487 billion in spending cuts over the next decade Dempsey said. "I can't sit here today and guarantee you that if you take another $175 billion that that strategy remains solvent."

The Defense Department is committed to fulfilling its role in the nation's economic recovery, the chairman said. But, he added, this requires budget certainty, time to implement reductions in a responsible manner and flexibility to transfer and reprogram money.

When parts of the defense budget are deemed untouchable by Congress, Dempsey said, readiness loses. "Everything needs to be on the table," he said.

Congress must ask itself what it wants of the military, Dempsey said. "If you want it to be doing what it's doing today, then we can't give you another dollar. If you want us to do something less than that, we're all there with you, and we'll figure it out."

Failure to act to avert sequestration eventually will require the department to reduce its international security commitments, Dempsey said, and to become less proactive about protecting national interests.

"When I testified before this committee last year, I said that if we fail to step up properly on the budget, we will reduce our options, and therefore increase our risk," he said. "Our military power will be less credible, because it will be less sustainable. Now, we're only a few days away from making that risk a reality."

Biographies:
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey

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Sequestration Will Force Moral Dilemma, Dempsey Says
Carter Warns of Readiness Crisis, Urges Delay in Cuts
Dempsey: Budget Factors Place Defense Strategy in Jeopardy

A "seismic event" had taken place

02/12/2013 10:45 AM CST           Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 10:19 PM
Obama Condemns North Korean Nuclear Test
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - President Barack Obama today strongly condemned the latest North Korean nuclear test, saying it undermines regional stability in an important part of the world.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement shortly after midnight EST announcing that a "seismic event" had taken place, and later issued a second statement saying North Korea probably conducted an underground nuclear test near Punggye. The explosion yield was approximately several kilotons and the analysis of the event continues, the second statement said.

This is North Korea's third and largest nuclear test.

"This is a highly provocative act that, following its Dec. 12 ballistic missile launch, undermines regional stability, violates North Korea's obligations under numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, contravenes its commitments under the Sept. 19, 2005, Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks and increases the risk of proliferation," Obama said in a written statement. The Six-Party Talks include North Korea, South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the United States.

North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to U.S. national security and to international peace and security, Obama said.

"The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and steadfast in our defense commitments to allies in the region," he added.

North Korean exploded its first nuclear device in October 2006, and conducted its second test in 2009.

"These provocations do not make North Korea more secure," Obama said in his statement. "Far from achieving its stated goal of becoming a strong and prosperous nation, North Korea has instead increasingly isolated and impoverished its people through its ill-advised pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery."

The U.N. Security Council is conducting an emergency session in New York to consider responses. "We will strengthen close coordination with allies and partners and work with our Six-Party partners, the United Nations Security Council, and other U.N. member states to pursue firm action," Obama said.

On Capitol Hill today, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter expressed the hope that China would join in condemning the test.

"There's nothing more provocative than what the North Koreans did," Carter said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, where he's testifying on the effects of looming defense spending cuts.

"It is very dangerous," he added. "We will take action to condemn and get the rest of the international community to condemn, particularly looking to China to join in that condemnation. They have a pivotal role in influencing the future here. That is an extremely dangerous situation."

Biographies:
Ashton B. Carter

Panetta Lauds DoD

02/12/2013 11:35 AM CST

Appreciate for Commitment to Protecting Nation By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.   American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - As he prepares for retirement, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today addressed the Pentagon workforce, representing the entire Defense Department, thanking them for their contributions to national defense. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanks the Defense Department's workforce at a farewell ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard, Feb. 12, 2013. Panetta is stepping down as the 23rd defense secretary. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  Speaking in the Pentagon courtyard, Panetta thanked leaders of the Defense Department, civilian employees and the military for their commitment to accomplishing the department's mission since he was sworn in as the 23rd secretary of defense on July 1, 2011."I'm a believer that our fundamental mission here at the Department of Defense is very simple," he said. "It is to protect and defend the United States of America and to keep our country safe. And because of your great work, and because of everything you do, we can say with pride that we have kept our country safe." The defense secretary said knowing everything the Defense Department has done has helped to keep the country safe is his biggest source of pride as he heads back to California. Panetta also paid tribute to the "love and support" of the workforce's families as they serve in "tough jobs." "We face a lot of pressure, and challenges that sometimes demand we go long distances away from home," he said. "And yet throughout that, knowing that our families are there, knowing that they love and support us, is what gives us the ability to do this job. "So my deepest thanks go out, not just to all of you, but to your families," he continued. "They are part of our Pentagon family, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their sacrifice and their dedication." Panetta said he has come away from his experiences as defense secretary with a deep respect and admiration for all the dedication and sacrifices involved in keeping the nation safe. "Every day I see the people in this department, working and fighting together as one family, united behind our mission of protecting our country," he said. The secretary also lauded service members for their willingness to fight to keep America safe. "[It's] our No. 1 job, and I am so grateful for those that do that," he said. "I think that we are, as a nation, strong because there are men and women that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect our country." Panetta also acknowledged the civilian workforce's contributions to the Defense Department's mission. "You do everything you can to support our mission," he said. "You support our warfighters downrange. You don't get a hell of a lot of public recognition, but the fact is your efforts make a difference. "We could not do this job without the civilian workforce," Panetta continued. "You're the unsung heroes of this nation, ... [and] are an important part of our success." Panetta said he is "grateful and proud" as he reflects on what the Pentagon team has been able to accomplish together. "We've developed, and are implementing, a new defense strategy that will sustain the strongest military power on Earth as we face challenges in defending our country while implementing fiscal discipline, Panetta said. "I have never believed that we have to choose between our responsibility to national security and our responsibility to fiscal discipline. We can do both." Panetta said the new defense strategy implements key capabilities the military will need in the future, such as agility, rapid deployment, force protection and projection, and rotational deployments, among others. "Putting those elements together was the result of a team effort by both the military and the civilian workforce here," he said. "I deeply appreciate their working as a team to put that in place." The secretary thanked the Pentagon workforce for its part in maintaining the leading U.S. role in world affairs. "We are the strongest military power in the world," he said. "The world needs our leadership. The world needs the United States of America to lead the world towards peace and towards prosperity." Panetta expressed his gratitude for having the "honor" of leading the Defense Department, and told the workforce they would be "in my heart forever." "My friends, it has been the honor of my life to have served with you in this position as secretary of defense," he said. "It's been the greatest privilege I've had in my almost 50 years of public service to be able to represent the people of this department to our friends and to our partners around the world."

Biographies: Leon E. Panetta

We all should join her....without further delay

"I Am Rising...": Anoushka Shankar

The Afghan presidential elections

02/11/2013 04:25 PM CST                       Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 4:08 AMOfficial Stresses Importance of 2014 Afghan Elections
How the Afghan forces protect voting 
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 - The Afghan presidential elections now set for April 2014 are looming ever larger as a milestone for measuring progress in the country, NATO officials in Afghanistan said yesterday.

How the Afghan forces protect voting and how the Afghan people accept the results will be key to the long-term success of the country, said a senior International Security Assistance Force official speaking on background.

Things are looking up in Afghanistan, the official said, but there are many hurdles to overcome. Only 22 months remain in the ISAF mandate. By spring, Afghan forces will be leading security operations throughout the country. By the end of 2014, Afghan forces will shoulder the security burden themselves as the NATO mission ends.

The Taliban are also looking forward, the official said. "There will be a '13 fighting season," he said. The Taliban will be up against 352,000 members of the Afghan security forces. That force has grown in capability as it has grown in size, the official said.

There will be negotiations and talks between the Taliban and the international community. "From my vantage point I think it's a delaying tactic," he said. "They've gone through 12 years of war and they are 22 months away from a very small presence."

He said Afghan Taliban leaders in Quetta, Pakistan, are looking at three key things over the next two years. First, how good are the Afghan security forces? Second, what will be the U.S. and NATO investment in the country after 2015? And the third are the April 5, 2014, elections.

"[The elections] are probably the most critical thing that will happen in the next 22 months," he said. Afghans will go to the polls to elect a new president and provincial councils. The last election, in 2009, was marred by allegations of vote fraud. It is supremely important that these new elections go well and that Afghans accept the outcome, the official said.

The official spoke about the changes in Afghanistan since the surge of U.S. and NATO forces ended. The surge did what it was supposed to do, he said, buy time for Afghans to field their forces. Now Afghan soldiers and police are in the lead in security through most of the country and have grown in size and capabilities.

This is a long way from January 2009, the official noted, when the entire Afghanistan campaign looked like a failure. "In January 2009, Kandahar was at risk [and] the central Helmand Valley was at risk," he said. "There were a number of attacks into Kabul."

Then-ISAF commander Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment was that the actual campaign was at risk and asked for additional troops. "Take where we were in 2009 and jump to the end of the surge ... in September 2012," the official said. "As I see the battlespace, I can honestly say that you have a less capable, less popular and less of an existential threat when you look at the insurgency. But you still have a threat."

And the threat will remain in January 2015, but the Afghans should be able to manage it.

Like Afghanistan itself, statistics that look at violence in the country are complex. "When people look at statistics, they say that you have virtually inconsequential changes from '11 to '12," he said. "If you just look at those numbers without the context there is so much you miss."

Last year was about holding the gains that the surge made possible, he said. The Afghans moved to the lead as the United States pulled 23,000 personnel out of the country in September 2012. Afghan forces held the ground and actually expanded their control in the area west of Kandahar and in the Helmand River Valley, the official said.

Another piece of the statistics equation is where the violence was happening. "What we were able to do in 2012 was slowly start separating the insurgency from the major population centers," he said.

The violence in 2012 happened increasingly in sparsely settled rural areas, the official said, noting that in surveys, Afghans report they feel safer and believe the Taliban is not coming back.

Violence is still a problem and the official said 17 districts out of the 402 in the nation are where 50 percent of the violence occurs. Put another way, 80 percent of the attacks occur where 20 percent of the population live. The worst districts are in northern Helmand.

The Haqqani network specializes in high-profile attacks, the official said. "If there is an attack in Kabul it gets the press ... It gives the impression that Kabul is under siege, which is not the case."

Afghan forces have responded quickly and professionally to attacks in the capital, another sign of their continued maturation, he said, but high-profile attacks are going to happen, and they are going to get through.

There were 18 high-profile attacks in Kabul in 2011 and nine in 2012. While there were just nine attacks, the official said, there were "hundreds of threats." And while Afghan capabilities are improving, he added, "even the best goalie in professional soccer is going to get scored on."

Afghan forces are not going to let the Taliban have the rural areas, the official said. The Afghan Local Police -- now with some 20,000 members -- are becoming a security net for the people. "The ALP becomes a hold force for you," the official said. "You have police who live and work in the rural areas."

The official sees three tiers to the threat to Afghanistan. The first tier is tactical -- the 20,000 to 30,000 mostly local insurgents in the country.

The next level is the operational cadre -- the leadership, the shadow government and the Taliban in Pakistan, he said. These men can recruit, train and supply fighters. The leaders in Pakistan are problematic for ISAF, the official said. "We've heard that the Pakistanis are changing their strategic calculus, but there is 'what you say' and 'what you do,'" he said. "I'm waiting for the 'what you do' to see how that works."

The third threat is not the insurgency, the official said, but the degree of corruption and criminality that exists within the government.

"If you can get some rule of law and move forward, then you can pull the carpet out from under the insurgency," he said. Putting in place a legal system and service infrastructure will be a key outgrowth of the April 2014 elections, the official noted.

The world will be watching those elections as well. After 2015, there are 28 NATO nations and eight partner nations that have already said they will invest in Afghanistan. "And all will be watching the elections," the official said. 

Related Sites:NATO International Security Assistance Force

The Ponseti Method- can correct the foot deformity

09-February-2013 16:33 IST
Vice President Inaugurates National Clubfoot Conference
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that in India it is estimated that over 50,000 children are born with clubfoot every year making it an important factor of disability amongst our children. Delivering inaugural address at the “National Clubfoot Conference” organized to raise awareness on the prevalence of Clubfoot deformity here today, he has said that while clubfoot is easily identifiable and curable based on timely intervention; as a large number of children suffering from the disease are from the rural areas, they remain permanently disabled for want of access to timely cure and treatment.
He expressed his concern that it is estimated that in India there are more than 10 million persons with locomotor disabilities. Until two years ago, Polio was a major cause of disability. However, thanks to an effective anti-polio program, based on Government, NGO and international partnership, we have not had a single case of paralytic poliomyelitis for the last two years. With the eradication of Polio, it becomes logical to address the other causes of childhood disabilities; congenital clubfoot is one of them.
The Vice President said that until recently many children with clubfoot were treated surgically, which is not only an expensive but a less than fully satisfactory option due to relatively poor long-term results. Apparently, now a new method –The Ponseti Method- can correct the foot deformity in children in a more cost effective and efficient manner. Its relevance in low resource setting cannot be over estimated. The Ponseti method is now the standard of all National Clubfoot programs across the globe. It's phenomenal success is attributable to a combination of sound scientific knowledge, applied in an integrated socio-medical environment using the already existing health care delivery system in many countries.

Following is the text of Vice President’s address :“I am happy to have been invited to inaugurate the National Clubfoot Conference being organized by CURE International India Trust in partnership with the State Governments especially the Government of Delhi, where the program to treat and eradicate the clubfoot disease is being implemented. I welcome all the participants, especially those from abroad, who have joined us today.
The Conference is expected to provide the doctors and experts from India and abroad an interactive platform to share experiences and update themselves on newer knowledge and techniques in the treatment of clubfoot disease.
It is estimated that in India there are more than 10 million persons with locomotor disabilities. Until two years ago, Polio was a major cause of disability. However, thanks to an effective anti-polio program, based on Government, NGO and international partnership, we have not had a single case of paralytic poliomyelitis for the last two years. With the eradication of Polio, it becomes logical to address the other causes of childhood disabilities; congenital clubfoot is one of them.
In India it is estimated that over 50,000 children are born with clubfoot every year making it an important factor of disability amongst our children. While clubfoot is easily identifiable and curable based on timely intervention; as a large number of children suffering from the disease are from the rural areas, they remain permanently disabled for want of access to timely cure and treatment.
Until recently many children with clubfoot were treated surgically, which is not only an expensive but a less than fully satisfactory option due to relatively poor long-term results. Apparently, now a new method –The Ponseti Method- can correct the foot deformity in children in a more cost effective and efficient manner. Its relevance in low resource setting cannot be over estimated.
The Ponseti method, I am told, is now the standard of all National Clubfoot programs across the globe. It's phenomenal success is attributable to a combination of sound scientific knowledge, applied in an integrated socio-medical environment using the already existing health care delivery system in many countries.
I am happy to learn that this simple but effective method is being adopted for treating children born with clubfoot in India. This programme has been launched under the public- private partnership mode with several State Governments partnering CURE International India to make this option a reality for the needy patients. It is particularly heartening to know that a large number of poor and deprived patients are able to access this method of treatment. In a short span of 3 years the program has become the largest in the world with over 7000 children enrolled for free treatment in 18 states in India and more are being added.
One of the key components of clubfoot care is follow up, as this condition can recur as the child grows older. It is good that the clubfoot program in partnership with Government medical colleges and CURE International India is documenting all cases and closely following up all the children treated with clubfoot.
I commend the National Rural Health Mission for partnering in this program of early identification of children with clubfoot. This is a major step forward in disability prevention, as an early intervention yields better results.
I congratulate all the Professors, doctors and experts, including members of CURE International India for this commendable initiative. I hope that this partnership will lead to making India free from disability caused by clubfoot. This would be a major achievement given the grave physical, economic and social consequences of the disease on the patient and his family.
I conclude by wishing the organizers and the participants of this Conference all success in their deliberations.”*****
Sanjay Kumar/VPI/09.02.2013