pm justin trudeau talks to indian prime...

CIRCULATED THROUGH : TORONTO, MARKHAM, SCARBOROUGH, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN, WOODBRIDGE, ETOBICOKE, NORTH YORK, MALTON, REXDALE, BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA, OAKVILLE, HAMILTON, MILTON, STONEY CREEK, BURLINGTON

SATISH THAKKAR, CHAIR OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF IYDC, DIPIKA DAMERLA, ONTARIO'S MINISTER FOR SENIORS AFFAIRS;HAZEL MCCALLION, THE POPULAR FORMER MAYOR OF MISSISSAUGA; MPP AMRIT MANGAT; AND DINESH BHATIA, THE CONSULGENERAL OF INDIA IN TORONTO, HONORARY CHIEF PATRON AND THE CHAIR OF THE ADVISORY BOARD OF IYDC FELICITATED DR.MADAN BALI FOR HIS LIFELONG DEDICATION TO YOGA ON INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY CANADA (IYDC). I DETAILS ON PAGE 7

PAKISTAN BEAT INDIA BY 180 RUNS IN THE FINALS OF ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2017 IN THE FINALS AND LIFTED THE CUP.THIS IS PAKISTAN S FIRST ICC TITLE TRIUMPH SINCE THEIR 2009 WORLD TWENTY20 WIN BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IT BROKETHE JINX OF NOT PERFORMING AGAINST INDIA IN BIG TICKET MATCHES. I DETAILS ON PAGE 17

SAD-BJP regime looted Punjab: Sidhu

Afghan president inauguratesfirst air corridor with India,

bypassing Pakistan

CHANDIGARH, (PTI) Cabinet minister NavjotSingh Sidhu lost his cool when Shiromani AkaliDal MLAs interrupted him during the Question Hour,and took them on by saying the previous SAD-BJP regimehad "looted Punjab." The situation became tense whenseveral Congress MLAs, who came out in the minister'ssupport, and Akali lawmakers exchanged heated wordsand nearly came to blows. During the the Question Hour,Sidhu was replying to a query on steps taken by the gov-ernment to develop a bird sanctuary at Harike. As the Tourism and Culture Ministerwas reading out his answer, Akali members interrupted him by shouting slogansagainst the government. Yesterday, the SAD-BJP members had accused Sidhu ofusing abusive words against them in the House. Sidhu, struggling to match thevolume of protesters, got angry and tried to speak over the din. He then hit out atSAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. "Sukhbir forced his father to buy amphibi-ous bus for Harike project. If he really desired to run buses, he shouldhave allowed state-owned PRTC buses to run on the roads. They looted Punjab."Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was present in the House when the unruly sceneswere witnessed. Leader of opposition and AAP MLA H S Phoolka even tried tointervene into the matter to calm frayed tempers.

Parm Gill wins PC nomination from MiltonTORONTO - Parm Gill has won nomination fromPC Milton, Ontario. At federal level earlier, hewas an MP from the Brampton-Springdale area.After winning nomination Gill thanked ccommunitymembers for their support. In a tweet he said: "Thank youeveryone for your support. I'm honoured to be nominatedas your PC Candidate in Milton."

FAMOUS WRITER, MEDIA PERSONALITYRAMOOWALIA DIES AT 68

DESK REPORTCHANDIGARH - Canada-based veteran Punjabiwriter Iqbal Singh Ramoowalia died in Bramptonat the age of 68. he was sick for a long time andwas suffering from prostate cancer. Ramoowalia hailedfrom Ramoowal village in Moga district and migrated toCanada in the 1970s. He wrote poetry in Punjabi andfiction in English with same mastery. He also wrote twonovels - The Death of a Passport and The Midair Frown. Alarge number of community members called in at Southasian Pulse radio showand offered their condolences. Yudhvir Jaswal, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Y Media also remembered his meetings with Ramoowaliaand shared the memory with his audience.Funeral is on this Sunday June 25 from 11 AM to 1 PM at BramptonCrematorium & Visitation located at 30 Bramwin Cr t , Brampton.

KABUL (AGENCIES) President Ashraf Ghani has inaugurated the firstAfghanistan-India air corridorduring a ceremony at the Kabulinternational airpor t - a directroute that bypasses Pakistan andis meant to improve commerce.Ghani, who thanked Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi for the aircorridor, said the aim of the routeis to create more opportunities andmake Afghanistan an exporter coun-try. "India is a big market for Afghangoods," he said. The president's ad-viser, Sediqullah Mujadedi, said Afghan agricultural products will for the first timehead to India on cargo planes. Mujadedi said the first India-bound flight on Mondayincluded 60 tons of medicinal plants and a second flight will carry 40 tons of dryfruits from the southern Kandahar province. Even before relations between Kabuland Islamabad became strained over accusations of harbouring militants, Paki-stan has stymied Afghanistan's efforts to trade with India. After Afghanistan andPakistan signed a transit trade agreement in 2010, Islamabad allowed Afghantrucks to carry goods up to the Indian border but barred them from ferrying anyIndian goods through Pakistani territory. The Afghan Chamber of Commerce andIndustries (ACCI) said the medicinal plants carried on the first flight werevalued at $11 million. ACCI officials said the cost of transpor ting akilogram of vegetables and fresh fruit from Kabul and Kandahar to Indianmarkets will be about 20 cents per kg, and the cost of a kilogram of goods fromIndia to Afghanistan will be about 40 cents.

PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU TALKS TO INDIAN PRIMEMINISTER NARENDRA MODI

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on Tuesday spoke with theIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders welcomed thevaluable people-to-people ties which connect their countries, as wellas the strong and growing commercial links in sectors such as agri-culture, education and clean tech.The prime ministers expressed solidarity in their continued effor ts tocombat climate change and in their ongoing commitment to the ParisAgreement. They also discussed the role that green technology andinnovation can play in addressing climate change. The two leadersdiscussed continued cooperation on countering global terrorism, andindicated that they looked forward to seeing each other at the upcom-ing G20 Leaders Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Indian PM Modi and Canadian PM Trudeauwelcomed growing commercial links in sectorssuch as agriculture, education and clean techModi -Trudeau discussed continued cooperation oncountering global terrorismModi -Trudeau will meet at the upcoming G20Leaders Summit in Hamburg, Germany

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MidWeek 3MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

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MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY


MP RAJ GREWAL WITH IMMIGRATION MINISTER AHMED HUSSEN AND GURPARTAPS TOOR AT THE SEVA FOOD BANK GALADINNER IN BRAMPTON.

Amarinder announces total waiver on croploans for small, marginal farmers in Punjab

s p e c i a l r e p o r t

CHANDIGARH (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Mon-day announced total waiver of entire crop loans for small and mar-ginal farmers in Punjab. The loan waiver will for up to Rs 2 lakh forsmall and marginal farmers (up to 5 acres) and a flat Rs 2 lakh relieffor all other marginal farmers, irrespective of their loan amount, thuspaving the way for eventual total waiver of agricultural debts to imple-ment another major poll promise of the ruling par ty.Making the announcements during his speech in the Punjab assem-bly, the Chief Minister said the move would benefit a total of 10.25lakh farmers of the state's 18.5 lakh farming families, including 8.75lakh farmers having land up to 5 acres. "The initiative would providedouble the relief announced by the states of Uttar Pradesh andMaharashtra," Amarinder pointed out.The decision is based on the interim repor t of an exper t group, headedby eminent economist Dr T. Haque, which was tasked with suggest-ing ways and means to help the state's distressed farming commu-nity. Making it clear that his government stood by its commitment towaive off the crop loans of the farmers, Amarinder said his govern-ment had also additionally decided to take over the outstanding croploan from institutional sources of all the families of farmers whocommitted suicide in the state.It has also decided to raise the ex-gratia for families of farmers com-mitting suicide to Rs 5 lakh from the existing Rs 3 lakh. For debt reliefto farmers for loans raised from non-institutional resources, the gov-ernment has decided to review the 'Punjab Settlement of AgricultureIndebtedness Act' to provide the desired relief to the farmers throughmutually acceptable debt reconciliation and settlement, which shallbe statutorily binding on both the par ties, the lender and the borrower."The government has already constituted a Cabinet Sub Committee toreview this Act," Amarinder added. The Chief Minister proposed thatthe Speaker may constitute a 5-member committee of the VidhanSabha to visit families of the suicide victims, ascer tain the reasons

for suicides and suggest fur ther steps to be taken to check the men-ace. He also told the assemblythat his government had alreadydecided to repeal Section 67 A ofthe Punjab Cooperative SocietiesAct, 1961, which provides for auc-tion (kurki) of farmers' land.Also asserting that his government'sis committed to provide free power tofarmers, he however, appealed to allbig and well-to-do farmers of the stateto give up power subsidy voluntarily.Amarinder announced his deci-sion to immediately give up thesubsidy at his own farms to set apersonal example, and appealedto his colleagues to do the same.

BJP names Bihar Governor for President,Shiva Sena not happy; Will seek support

of all major political parties: Kovind

NEW DELHI, (PTI) Biju Janata Dal president and Odisha Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik has announced his party's support to NDA presiden-tial poll candidate Ram Nath Kovind. "After discussing with seniorparty leaders, BJD has decided to support the candidature of RamNath Kovind," Patnaik told reporters after receiving a telephone callfrom Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Elaborating the reasons behind BJD's support to the NDA candidate,Patnaik said Ram Nath Kovind is an eminent lawyer belonging to thescheduled caste community. "The office of the President of India isabove political consideration and Biju Janata Dal wants to keep itabove the politics," he said. Stating that the prime minister spoke tohim about the candidature of Ram Nath Kovind, Patnaik said, "He (PM)sought BJD's support in this regard.""As you know, the last time when presidential elections were held,BJD had proposed the name of P A Sangma, an eminent leader fromthe tribal community. Based on the request of BJD, many partiesincluding the BJP had supported his nomination," he said. Askedwhether BJD supported the NDA candidate out of any pressure, partyspokesman dismissed it and said "We continue to maintain equaldistance from both BJP and Congress. The post of the President ofIndia is above party politics." Even as several regional parties eitherindicated their support or opposition to the NDA's presidential pick,Patnaik initially kept everyone guessing as regards his party's stanceon the issue saying he will first discuss the matter with senior partyleaders. Out of the 21 Lok Sabha MPs from Odisha, 20 belong to theBJD. The party has eight members in the Rajya Sabha, besides thesupport of an independent MP, and 117 MLAs in the state assembly.Kovind met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shahafter he arrived here in the evening from Patna following the BJP'sdecision to project him as the ruling NDA candidate as the Head of theState. Kovind said he was a "small citizen" entrusted with a big re-sponsibility. "All those who are members of the electoral college...Iwill meet leaders of major political parties and seek their support...Ihope that every citizen will support me," he said. After meeting Modi,Kovind briefly visited the Bihar Niwas where he declined to answerany question from the media and only said, "I thank everyone." Non-NDA parties like BJD, TRS and YSRCP have announced their supportto the Dalit leader. Kovind is likely to file his nomination on June 23.

Kumble Resigns, Says Kohli HadReservations About His StyleNEW DELHI: Hours after stepping down as the head coach of India Cricket team, Anil Kumble onTuesday night in a Facebook post confirmed that it was due to captain Kohli's reservations with his"style" and about him continuing as the head coach that he had decided to move on."I was surprised since I had always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach,"read the post, adding that the BCCI had attempted to resolve the misunderstandings between thecaptain and him, but "it was apparent that the par tnership was untenable and I, therefore, believe itis best for me to move on."In the light of these 'reservations', I believe it is best I hand over this responsibility to whomeverthe CAC and BCCI deem fit, the post fur ther read. Kumble's tenure was supposed to come to an endafter India's campaign at the Champions Trophy but it was widely expected that he will lead theteam in West Indies as well."The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) confirms that Mr Anil Kumble has withdrawn hisservices as the post of the Head Coach for the Senior India Men's team. While the Cricket AdvisoryCommittee had endorsed an extension to his tenure as Head Coach, Mr Anil Kumble has decidednot to continue as the coach," BCCI said in a statement.

SCHEDULE ACCORDING TO TORONTO TIME:June 23 - India vs West Indies 1st ODI - Queen's Park Oval, Por t of Spain, Trinidad - 09:00amJune 25 - India vs West Indies 2nd ODI - Queen's Park Oval, Por t of Spain, Trinidad - 09:00amJune 30 - India vs West Indies 3rd ODI - Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Nor th Sound, Antigua- 09:00amJuly 2 - India vs West Indies 4th ODI - Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua - 09:00amJuly 6 - India vs West Indies 5th ODI - Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica - 09:00amJuly 9 - India vs West Indies Only T20I - Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica - 09:00am

INDIA- WEST INDIES TO PLAY 5 ODIS,1 T20 SERIES ON FRIDAY, JUNE 23



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NAVDEEP BAINS, MINISTER OF INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENCOURAGING YOUTH TO LEARNCODING AND DIGITAL SKILLS TO GET HEAD START IN FUTURE JOBS.

REMITTANCES BY INDIANS WORKINGOVERSEAS UP BY 68.6%: UN

UNITED NATIONS: Indians working overseas sent home $62.74 bil-lion last year, an increase of 68.6 per cent in the last decade, accord-ing to a UN agency. India received the most overseas remittanceslast year, a repor t by the International Fund for Agricultural Develop-ment (IFAD) issued here on Tuesday said. The money sent by Indiansoverseas amounted to 3.3 per cent of India's gross domestic product,the repor t said.Gulf countries were the primary destination for Indian workers goingabroad, with the US as a "popular destination." The US led the worldas the country from which the most remittances - $3.6 billion - weremade, the IFAD said. Releasing the repor t, "Sending Money Home:Contributing to the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), One Familyat a Time", IFAD President Gilber t F. Houngbo spoke of the impact theremittances had on improving the living standards of families in thehome countries."The small amounts of $200 or $300 that each migrant sends homemake up about 60 per cent of the family's household income, and this

makes an enormous difference in their lives and the communities inwhich they live," he said. More than 800 million family members arebenefiting from the remittances by over 200 million migrant workers,IFAD said. It estimated that this year one-in-seven persons in theworld will either send or receive a share of the $450 billion trans-ferred globally."Remittances are expected to remain a stable source of finance tomeet the immediate needs and aspirations of millions of familiesaround the world," the repor t said. Even though the average cost ofsending money home has decreased from about 10 per cent in 2008to 7.45 per cent, it still takes chunk out of the remittances and IFADsaid the UN development goals want it to be brought down fur ther to 3per cent by 2030. "If legal and regulatory frameworks facilitate theuse of technology and innovation, mobile phones, digital money,Internet-based mobile and Web applications will continue to drivecosts down, strengthen financial access, and improve the possibilityto deliver additional services," the repor t added.

FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON WINSPARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

PARIS (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party won amassive majority in parliamentary elections today, early projectionsshowed, dominating the country's traditional forces in a dramatic re-drawing of the political map. Macron's year-old Republic on the Move(REM) and their allies were set to win between 355 and 425 seats in the577- seat National Assembly, according to partial results after the second

round of an election in which many high-profile figures were thrown out. Theresult, if confirmed, would give 39-year-old Macron one of France's biggestpost-war majorities, strengthening his hand in implementing his busi-ness-friendly, pro-EU programme. But turnout was estimated to be extremelylow, at around 44 per cent, giving his critics grounds to claim he has nogroundswell of support.

12 killed in Taliban attack onAfghan policeKABUL (IANS) Six Afghan police and six militants werekilled af ter Taliban attacked a police headquar ters inGardez city, capital of eastern province of Paktia onSunday, the provincial police chief said. The attackstar ted af ter a terrorist rammed a truck bomb into frontgate of Afghan National Police (ANP) 303 Spin Zar PoliceZone at 6.15 a.m., Gen. Tooryalai Abadyani told repor t-ers, Xinhua repor ted.Five assailants armed with guns and suicide vests ar-rived by a vehicle and engaged with security forces shor tlyafter the explosion, sparking heavy clashes lasting forhours, he added. Over 20 civilians were wounded byshrapnel and flying glasses, he said, adding nine ANPofficers were also wounded by the blast and gun firing.The explosion also damaged nearby buildings of provin-cial police station and a police training centre as well asseveral houses. Sunday's attack was the second terror incidentin Gardez within weeks. On May 20, two civilians, two police andfive militants were killed after Taliban stormed a local bankin the city, 100 km south of Kabul. Taliban militantsclaimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday.

TRUMP PERSONAL ATTORNEYSAYS PRESIDENT NOT UNDERINVESTIGATIONBY LALIT K JHAWASHINGTON, (PTI) US President Donald Trump is notfacing any probe for obstruction of justice, a member ofhis legal team said, contradicting Trump's own asser tionthat he was under investigation for firing former FBI Di-rector James Comey and being the target of a "witch hunt.Let me be clear here, the president is not and has notbeen under investigation for obstruction. There is not aninvestigation of the president of the United States, pe-riod," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the AmericanCenter for Law and Justice. Earlier on Friday, Trump saidhe was being investigated for firing former FBI DirectorJames Comey. "I am being investigated for firing the FBIDirector by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director!Witch Hunt," Trump said in a tweet. Sekulow, however,said Trump's tweet was in response to a "fake" mediarepor t with no "documented sources". "The tweet fromthe president was in response to the five anonymoussources purpor tedly leaking info to the Washington Post.He's not afraid of the investigation there is no investiga-tion," Sekulow told NBC channel. "Let me clear. Thepresident's not under investigation, as James Comey saidin his testimony, that the president was not the target ofinvestigation on three different occasions," Sekulow toldCNN in another interview.

Russia suspends cooperationwith US in Syrian airspaceMOSCOW (IANS) Russia suspended cooperation with theUS in Syrian airspace on Monday a day after the US-ledcoalition shot down a Syrian jet. The Russian defenceministry said in a statement that it "terminates coopera-tion with the US side within the framework of the Memo-randum on Incident Prevention and Aviation Safety in op-erations in Syria from 19 June, and demands a thoroughinvestigation by the US command (into the downing),"Xinhua repor ted.According to the statement, a US F/A-18 fighter jet onSunday shot down a Syrian Su-22 bomber, which wascarrying out a combat mission in suppor t of governmenttroops conducting an offensive against the Islamic Statein the vicinity of Raqqa, the group's stronghold. The USCentral Command said, however, that the Syrian planebombed US-backed forces and the action against it was"in accordance with rules of engagement and in collec-tive self-defence of coalition par tnered forces."In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said it con-sidered the downing of the Syrian warplane "a cynicalviolation of the sovereignty" of Syria, and "a gross viola-tion of international law and, in fact, a military aggressionagainst Syria." It added that Russian warplanes were alsooperating in Syria's airspace at the moment of the attack, but the US-led coalition didn't use the existing communication channels to warnthe Russian military. From now on, all aircraft and dronesof the coalition detected west of the Euphrates river willbe tracked by Russian air- and ground-based air defencesystems as targets, the ministry warned.

INDIA PLANS SAARC MEETFOR STARTUPS: NIRMALANEW DELHI, (PTI) India is planning to organise a meet ofstar tups of the South Asian region for exchange of newideas and promoting interaction among them. Commerceand Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also soughtviews of Indian star tups to hold this programme. "I willbe working towards having a SAARC (South Asian Asso-ciation for Regional Cooperation) country meet forstar tups. There are so many complementarities amongus in the South Asian region," she said while launching astartup India hub portal here. She said the event can act as a plat-form for exchanging ideas, which can be mutually beneficial andcan be worked out. She asked star tups to give ideas aboutthe people who can be invited for the meet. If the ministrywould get feedback and suggestions in the next couple ofmonths, by December the meet can happen, in whichSAARC country star tups can come to India and shareideas. SAARC members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh,Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

PM NARENDRA MODI TO EMBARK ON3-NATION TOUR FROM JUNE 24

NEW DELHI (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visitPor tugal, the Netherlands and the US beginning 24 June, duringwhich he will hold talks on key bilateral is-sues including boosting of trade and secu-rity ties. External affairs ministry spokesper-son Gopal Baglay said Modi would visit Por-tugal on 24 June , the US on 25 and 26 June,and the Netherlands on 27 June.The prime minister, who will be going to onlyWashington DC during his US trip, will holdtalks with President Donald Trump on re-gional security situation as also ways to en-hance cooperation in bilateral areas of stra-tegic impor tance. In the US, Modi will have acommunity event as well as a meeting withthe business leaders. Ahead of the US tour,Modi will visit Por tugal, where he will hold talks with his Por tu-guese counterpar t Antonio Costa."We are working on several documents to strengthen India-Por tu-gal economic, scientific and cultural engagements and we expect

to finalise and sign these documents essentially which are in thenature of memorandum of understanding," Baglay said. He said

the ties with Por tugal were given a new mo-mentum when PM Costa visited India in Janu-ary this year and the two sides look forwardto continue that momentum. "We look forwardto a very action-filled, useful, productive andsuccessful visit of the prime minister," headded.On Modi's visit to the Netherlands, the spokes-person said India and the Netherlands arecelebrating 70 years of establishment of dip-lomatic relations this year and therefore, thetrip is more significant. During his visit, theprime minister will meet Dutch Prime Minis-ter Mark Rutte. Describing economic relations

as the core of the bilateral ties, Baglay has said the Netherlands isa leading foreign investor in India and strengthening economiccorporation and boosting bilateral trade will be among the focusareas of the prime ministerial visit.


TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017c o m m u n i t y

Riverwood Conservancy Receives Grant Worth $218,300MISSISSAUGA - The Riverwood Conservancy (TRC) was recognizedfor its Ontario Trillium Foundation grant at the annual Riverwood Gar-den Soirée on Friday, June 9. MPP Harinder Takhar and Ontario Tril-lium Foundation volunteer Linden King brought greetings at the eventand recognized TRC as the recipient of a three-year, $218,300 Growgrant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, to help expand on its En-abling Garden and its associated nature-based programs for childrenand youth with special needs."The Riverwood Conservancy is very deserving of the Ontario Tril-

lium Foundation Grow grant in the amount of $218,300," said MPPHarinder Takhar. "The Riverwood Conservancy is a vital par t of ourcommunity, using environmental education and discovery program-ming for different groups to bring thousands of people to Riverwoodeach year. The Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow grant will help ex-pand more therapeutic, nature-based initiatives for over 300 childrenand youth facing barriers in developing strong emotional and socialskills to develop these integral life skills."The Riverwood Garden Soirée was a great success with more than

200 guests in attendance, raising funds for TRC. Proceeds from theevent suppor t TRC community programs in environmental education,conservation stewardship, gardening, therapeutic hor ticulture andvolunteerism. "Not only was the Soirée a beautiful evening underthe stars, it was incredibly beneficial for our programs," saidDouglas Markoff, Executive Director, TRC. "We take great pride inconnecting people to nature and thanks to the generosity of ourguests and patrons, we will continue to create memorable experi-ences at Riverwood."

New Hope SeniorCitizens of BramptonReelect Shambhu DuttSharma againBRAMPTON - The general bodymeeting of the New Hope SeniorCitizens of Brampton was called uponto discuss resignation of Shambhu DuttSharma from the position of President.It was discussed at length by all themembers. Rashpal Sharma, Directorof the body told that Executive Commit-tee never accepted his resignationgiven earlier. He called upon commit-tee members to run for the President'sposition. No one showed any interestand so Shambhu Dutt Sharma waselected President unanimously for thenext few years. He is authorized to makeany changes he desires necessary.Per old custom, this year again the or-ganization will celebrate 10th ParentsDay at 10150 The Gore Road, Brampton(Gore Meadows Community Centre andLibrary Brampton) and every club mem-ber will be given a gift as usual. Thisyear the organisation will honour Mr &Mrs Krishan Kumar Salwan on their50th Marriage Anniversary; DeepakOberai on 20th Anniversary as Mem-ber of Parliament; Dinesh Bhatia, Coun-cil General of India in Toronto and Chair-man of International Yoga DayCanada; Satish Thakkar, ChairBoard of Directors and Organiz-ing Committee of InternationalYoga Day Canada; Rakesh Joshi,for valuable volunteering andmaking a big effor t in getting Con-servative Par ty Leader AndrewScheer onboard.

High School TeacherArrested for SexualExploitationPEEL REGION - Investigators from thePeel Regional Police Special VictimsUnit have charged a Brampton highschool teacher in relation to a sexualexploitation investigation. Investigatorswere made aware of a current relation-ship between a teacher and a 17 year-old student both from Turner FentonSecondary School located at 7035Kennedy Road South in the City ofBrampton. On June 15, 2017, RichardKNILL, a 53-year-old male from MiltonOntario was arrested and charged withSexual Exploitation. KNILL was held fora bail hearing to appear at the A. Grenville& William Davis Ontario Court of Jus-tice in the City of Brampton. Anyone withinformation in relation to this incident isasked to contact investigators at theSpecial Victims Unit at 905-453-2121,ext. 3460. Anonymous information mayalso be submitted by calling Peel CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), byvisiting www.peelcrimestoppers.caor by sending a text message toCRIMES (274637) with the word "PEEL"and then your tip.

Helping Immigrantsand Refugees Settleand SucceedONTARIO - Ontario is help-ing immigrants and refugeessucceed with four programsto help newcomers find jobs,learn English or French andsettle into their new commu-nities. The province is invit-ing community organiza-tions, municipalities and thebroader public sector to sub-mit proposals for four pro-grams that enhance servicesto immigrants and refugees:* The Municipal Im-migration Information OnlineProgram and Municipal In-novation Fund suppor ts mu-nicipalities in building onlineresources to help immi-grants make decisions aboutwhere to settle and find in-formation to help them pre-pare for their arrival.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 c o m m u n i t y

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Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie being presented a painting by a Pakistani artist during a recently held art exhibition.

IYDC REACHES OUT TO SENIORS TO DO YOGA;HAZEL MCCALLION STARTS CELEBRATIONS

COUNCILLOR GURPREET DHILLON, COUNCILLOR MARTIN MEDEIROS WITH MP SONIA SIDHU AT MP RAMESH SANGHA'S BBQ.

TORONTO - Hazel McCal l ion, the popular former mayor ofMississauga, par ticipated in a special session of yoga organised bythe International Yoga Day Canada (IYDC) on Monday June 12 to com-memorate Seniors' month celebrated in Ontario in June. Dr MadanBali, a 93-year-old Yoga Master from Montreal, was felicitated at thisspecial session called 'Stay Healthy. Do Yoga'.Speaking about the unique outreach program, Satish Thakkar, theChair of Board of Directors of IYDC said, "Hazel McCallion commencedthe practice of yoga underlining the adage 'It's never too late to star tyoga'. The seniors' program served as a precursor to the celebrationof the International Day of Yoga being organised at the InternationalCentre, Mississauga, on Sunday, June 25, by the IYDC.Thakkar said the program held at the Sringeri Temple, Etobicoke, alsofelicitated Dr. Madan Bali for his lifelong dedication to yoga. Presidentof the Indo Canadian Seniors Foundation of Quebec, he has been a

role model for the seniors because he has been practicing yoga forthe last 50 years. "I have a mission is to promote yoga to createoptimal health, happiness, healing in everyday life," stated Dr Baliwhose happiness programs and teachers training cer tification havecreated a new breed of yoga teachers, radically transforming lives.His goal is to bring yoga under health care to reduce the pressure onpublic expenditure on health and help the economy. Dipika Damerla,Ontario's Minister for Seniors Affairs, said, "The Ontario Minister ofSeniors Affairs collaborated with the IYDC to raise awareness aboutyoga's benefits." This year marked the 33rd annual Seniors' Month.This year the theme is 'Living Your Best Life.' Dinesh Bhatia, theConsul General of India in Toronto, Honorary Chief Patron and theChair of the Advisory Board of IYDC, said the purpose of the seniors' programwas to create awareness among the seniors of the benefits of yoga. "Yoga is thebest and most risk-free fitness option for seniors," he said.

VANDANA VISHWAS TOPERFORM AT THE LCCA-CANORAA

4-WORLDS FESTIVALTORONTO - After a whirlwind tour of UK andIndia to promote her recently released third stu-dio album 'Parallels', which saw her being fea-tured in several leading Indian and UK mediaand radio including All India Radio and BBC,noted Indo-Canadian singer, composer andWorld Music producer Vandana Vishwas is backin Canada for her 2017 summer-fall season thathas her featuring in some interesting platforms.As the coordinator of south Asian music programming at the 4 Worldsfestival organized by LCCA-CANORAA, Toronto, Vandana Vishwas ispresenting three of the leading south Asian bands - Autorickshaw, LAL &Rakkatak, apart from performing herself. The outdoor leg of the festivalwill take place at Barry Zukerman Amphitheatre in Earl Bales Park,Toronto, from June 24 to July 15. The festival is being organized by LatinCanadian Cultural Association and Canoraa. Vandana will appear nexton stage on July 8.

Mississauga to Focus on Social,Ethical, Environmental AspectsMISSISSAUGA - The City of Mississauga staff has presented a draftsustainable procurement policy to General Committee. Making BetterChoices: A Sustainable Purchasing Approach is the proposed strategyto update the City's purchasing practices. According to the staff report,sustainable procurement considers social, ethical and environmentalfactors in the purchasing process, along with price, quality and service.It ensures that purchasing decisions favour environmentally preferablegoods and services, and view unethical vendor practices as unaccept-able. It takes into account the sustainability factors of goods and ser-vices and the practices of suppliers along the supply chain. "Price,quality and service have always been important purchasing criteria inMississauga," said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. "We are now expanding ourapproach to make sure we take into account social, ethical and environ-mental aspects when we procure our goods and services. We need tolook at the total cost of our purchases and change our corporate cultureto put sustainability at the heart of our business. It's one more step wecan take to ensure we have fair and responsible purchasing practices."As next steps, staff plan to implement a Supplier Code of Conduct topromote the City's intention to purchase from vendors with ethical prac-tices. In addition, the proposed purchasing approach will be tested withseveral upcoming procurement opportunities. The first opportunity willbe a bid call to supply coffee. "The City already includes environmentalaspects in much of our procurement," said Gary Kent, Commissioner,Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer. "The City is building onthis so that we continue to obtain the best value and apply social, ethicaland environmental factors in our purchasing practices." The proposedstrategy will go to Council for final approval on June 21. With Council'sapproval, staff will implement the three-year plan that has threegoals and six objectives. Supporting actions are expected tobegin in 2018.

OSLER ANNOUNCES NEWPRESIDENT AND CEOBRAMPTON - Vanita Varma, Chair of the William Osler HealthSystem (Osler) Board of Directors announced that Dr BrendanCarr has been named as President and Chief Executive Of-ficer. The announcement comes as a result of an extensive, nationalsearch spanning the last ten months. An emergency department andfamily physician, Dr Carr is currently President and CEO of the VancouverIsland Health Authority (Island Health), based inBritish Columbia - a position he has held since2013. An accomplished leader, he has spent hisentire career in health care and has held roles inhospitals and health care organizations in the Eastand West Coasts. "We're thrilled that Dr Carr willbe joining Osler, and will be bringing valuableskills, experiences, and insights from his timeleading large, integrated regional authorities," saidVanita Varma, Chair, Osler Board of Directors. "Like Osler, Dr Carr placestremendous value on partnership and has a keen interest in building andenhancing connections between important health care resources in thecommunity and services in hospital for a better patient experience, moreseamless transitions, and greater value for the organization. We lookforward to welcoming him to Ontario, and to the community."

Tonk Kashtiya boy Sept 1986, 5 Feet 10Inches born and brought up in Chandigarh

(India) having degree in Architecture, wants aCanadian homely girl. Parents class I officers

in Chandigarh and a younger brotherDesign Engineer in Windsor (Canada). Other than one

caste also welcome. Call: 416-937-2126

M A T R I M O N I A L S

Wanted suitable bride for a Hindu Khatri boy,29-year-old, 5' 8 inches, engineer andworking in a multinational IT firm as

Specialist in Gurgaon, India. The boy iscurrently in Toronto on visit visa till July 14and is looking for his soulmate in Canada.

Ours is a well-educated family and settled inBrampton. Caste is no bar.

Contact: 416.992.2375

Images by Bashir Nasir


TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017opinion

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IS INDIA FACED WITH A 3.1 LAKH CROREFARM-LOAN WAIVER? AND WILL IT HELP?

ALISON SALDANHA AND PRACHI SALVE

AAP SLAMS BJP GOVERNMENT: DEHSHAT SEHA HA KAAR, TEEN SAAL JUMLA SARKAR

VIEW POINT

As demands for farm-loan waivers grow across Punjab, Haryana,Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka -- after UttarPradesh and Maharashtra wrote off loans wor th Rs 36,359 crore andRs 30,000 crore, respectively -- India faces a cumulative loan waiverof Rs 3.1 lakh crore, or 2.6 per cent of its GDP in 2016-17.A waiver of this scale could pay for the 2017 rural roads budget 16times over or pay for 443,000 warehouses or increase India's irriga-tion potential by 55 per cent more than the achievements of the last 60years. While such waivers could provide succour for 32.8 millionindebted farmers, an IndiaSpend analysis of the impact of previousfarm-loan waivers indicates such bailouts are band-aids of uncertainefficacy and do not address a deeper malaise gripping the agrarianeconomy.Over nine years to March 2017, the central and state governmentswaived Rs 88,988 crore in loans to 48.6 million farmers. The nation-wide Rs 52,000 crore loan-waiver announced by the United Progres-sive Alliance (UPA) in 2008 occupies the bulk of this figure. The waiv-ers were primarily meant to discourage suicides by farmers, appar-ently caused by widespread indebtedness. However, our analysisshows this had little or no impact on suicide rates, probably because32.5 per cent on average, or 79.38 million, small and marginal farm-ers across India (with farm holdings of less than 1 to 2 hectares insize) rely on informal sources of credit.Meanwhile, loan waivers have led to a rise in the non-performingassets (NPAs) of banks, especially public-sector banks, and are likelyto have a significant bearing on the state and national fiscal deficits.In 2013, agricultural NPAs accounted for about 41.8 per cent of "prior-ity sector" (which also comprises micro and small enterprises, af-fordable housing, and student loans) NPAs in public and private banks-- up from 25 per cent in 2009, according to a 2015 study published inthe International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR).

For example, Maharashtra's Rs 30,000 crore farm-loan waiver forsmall and marginal farmers will raise the state's fiscal deficit to 2.71per cent, which is three-four ths (1.18 percentage points) higher thanthe budgeted deficit of 1.53 per cent of the GSDP for the current finan-cial year, according to this 2017 report by ratings agency India Rat-ings and Research (Ind-Ra). Uttar Pradesh's Rs 36,359 crore farm-loan is 2.6 per cent of its GSDP. The 14th Finance Commission saysfiscal deficits should not exceed 3 per cent of state budgets.About 85 per cent of all operational farm holdings in India are lessthan two hectares in size. Owners of these shrinking farms find itdifficult to use modern machinery and are often too poor to afford farmequipment. Manual labour increases costs, and size and output fur-ther limits access to loans and institutional credit. On average, a thirdof Indian small and marginal farmers have access to institutionalcredit. This means no more than 10.6 million of 32.8 million small andmarginal farmers in the eight states demanding loan waivers couldbenefit from debts being written off.The other 22.1 million farmers depend on moneylenders and relativesfor borrowings, according to the 2011 agricultural census and theNational Sample Survey Office's 2013 situation assessment surveyof farm households, the latest available data. In 2007, before the UPA'sloan waiver for 30 million farmers across 18 states, 16,379 Indianfarmers committed suicide, according to National Crime RecordsBureau (NCRB) data.A quar ter of these suicides (4,238) were reported from Maharashtra.In 2009, the year after the loan-waiver was announced, the state gov-ernment promised an additional waiver of Rs 6,208 crores. This led toa drop in farm suicides in India's richest state; but in 2010, suicidesrose again, by 6.2 per cent. By 2015, seven years after the Centre'sbail-out, Maharashtra recorded 4,291 suicides, its highest rate ever,accounting for 34 per cent of such deaths nationwide, according to thelatest available NCRB data.After the first major farm-loan waiver of Rs 10,000 crore in 1990-announced by a Janata Par ty government led by then Prime MinisterV.P. Singh -- it took almost nine years for banks to recover. Since the2008 farm-loan waiver, agricultural NPAs rose three times, from Rs7,149 crore in 2009 to Rs 30,200 crore in 2013, according to a 2015

study.These NPAs affect the credibility of lending institutions. Shares ofbanks fell four per cent after Maharashtra announced its loan waiver.Fur ther, with public-sector banks (PSBs) accounting for the majorshare of farm credit - 52 per cent in Maharashtra, followed by 32 percent from co-operative banks and 12 per cent in private banks --these PSBs are "more vulnerable", said a 2017 Kotak InstitutionalEquities repor t.Indebtedness is a symptom and not the root cause of the farm crisis,according to a 2007 expert group repor t on agricultural indebtedness,chaired by economist R. Radhakrishna. The average farm householdborrowing has not been "excessive", the Radhakrishna repor t said.The factors contributing to the farm crisis are "stagnation in agricul-ture, increasing production and marketing risks, institutional vacuumand lack of alternative livelihood opportunities", the repor t said.It is clear a loan-waiver alone cannot solve India's agrarian crisis.The data reveal a more-than-necessary focus on agricultural credit,as other fundamental problems remain unaddressed. Over a decadeto 2014-15, as institutional credit in agriculture grew 547 per cent,from Rs 1.25 lakh crore to Rs 8.45 lakh crore, rural road construction-- which increases access and boosts agricultural income and pro-ductive employment -- grew just 10.5 per cent.Roughly 7 per cent of total grain output, 10 per cent of seeds andbetween 25 and 40 per cent of fruits and vegetable -- overall a third offarm harvest spoils -- are wasted every year because there isn'tenough storage and supply-chain infrastructure. Irrigation, increas-ingly vital in an era of climate change, has failed Indian farming. Nomore than 47.6 per cent of India's farms are irrigated, and the decadalgrowth in net-irrigated area to 2010 was 0.3 per cent, according toMinistry of Agriculture data.These low investments eventually make farming expensive and pricesvolatile. To curb the impact of market fluctuations, Chief EconomicAdviser Arvind Subramanian recommended improving the "procure-ment capacity" -- or money available to buy farm produce -- of states,lifting expor t bans, raising stock limit and including "risks and exter-nalities" while framing the minimum support prices (MSP) for vari-ous produce.

The AAP recently took a dig at the National Democratic Alliancegovernment's three years in office at the Centre and said the rulingBJP had only spread fear and hatred since May 2014. The Aam AadmiPar ty said the three years of governance could be summed up in theslogan of 'Dehshat se ha ha kaar, teen saal jumla sarkar'."They came to power with tall promises, but how many of these havebeen fulfilled in three years?" AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked. TheBharatiya Janata Par ty's main slogan was 'Sabka saath sabkavikas' (everyone's cooperation and everyone's development), butthere has been violence against the Muslims, Dalits, youngsters,women, and universities, he told the media here."(Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Yogi Adityanath came up with thepromise of 'Ram Rajya', but Saharanpur has been burning for thepast one month and one death was repor ted there even yesterday(Tuesday)," Sanjay Singh added. The AAP leader said all thisstar ted off with the death of Hyderabad University's Dalit researchscholar Rohit Vemula."As a young Dalit student, Vemula had to face neglect to such anextend that he was forced to commit suicide," he added. The AAPleader said that Akhlaq of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradeshwas lynched by a mob over beaf consumption allegations; Pehlu Khan wasbeaten to death in Rajasthan, and four Dalit youths were stripped and flogged inGujarat's Una -- all in the name of cow protection."If the Prime Minister and his ministers are busy speaking about theirachievements, they should answer these questions also," Sanjay

Singh said. As for how could Modi or the Centre be held responsiblefor law and order in states, the AAP leader said: "In all these states,votes were asked in the name of Modi; (hence) he has the responsi-bility to maintain law and order."Asked if the BJP's governance is bad, how come the par ty had wonassembly elections, AAP leader Ashutosh asked: "If winning elec-tions is a measure of good governance, how come people likeMohammad Shahabuddin win elections from Siwan while beingin jail?" On the Electonic Voting Machines (EVMs) controversy,Sanjay Singh showed a picture of two youths purpor tedly with anEVM connected to a computer, at their Varanasi home, and askedwhy the government is not inquiring into the matter."The Election Commission says their machines are kept underhigh security and no one can access it. And this (picure) is fromthe Prime Minister's own constituency," the AAP leader said. Hesaid the par ty hasn't decided on par ticipating in the ElectionCommission's EVM hacking challenge from June 3."If anyone wants to hack an EVM, will they hack it according toguidelines set by the EC?" he asked. Sanjay Singh said that the ECshould organise a hackathon in which hackers get unlimited ac-cess to EVMs. "According to the current EC guidelines, only theBJP can hack it. Or may be it can be done using cow urine or blackmagic," Sanjay Singh quipped.

The AAP leader said all this started offwith the death of Hyderabad University'sDalit research scholar Rohit Vemula."As a young Dalit student, Vemula had toface neglect to such an extend that he wasforced to commit suicide," he added. TheAAP leader said that Akhlaq of GautamBuddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh was lynchedby a mob over beaf consumption allega-tions; Pehlu Khan was beaten to death inRajasthan, and four Dalit youths werestripped and flogged in Gujarat's Una -- allin the name of cow protection."If the Prime Minister and his ministersare busy speaking about their achieve-ments, they should answer these ques-tions also," Sanjay Singh said. As for howcould Modi or the Centre be held respon-sible for law and order in states, the AAPleader said: "In all these states, voteswere asked in the name of Modi; (hence)he has the responsibility to maintain lawand order.

“



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 c a n a d a

416-907-4420Life, Critical illness, Disability & Travel Insurance, RRSP, RESP & TFSA

General Accounting & Bookkeeping

MP KAMAL KHERA WITH HER STAFF AT PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU'S GARDEN PARTY.

PROTECTION OF GREAT LAKES, ST. LAWRENCE REGIONWITH UNESCO BIOSPHERE INITIATIVE

CIBC celebrates Eid with thelaunch of Limited EditionCommemorative Silver

TORONTO - Just in time for Eid, CIBC is proud to launch anexclusive limited editionsilver coin to commemorate thisyear's celebration. CIBC is the only bank in Canada to offer acointhat celebrates the holiday. The Eid coin is available forpurchase onlineat www.cibc.com/preciousmetals or can beordered at all CIBC Banking Centres. This is the latest coinlaunch in CIBC's series commemorating Canada's diversity.This new and exclusive coin is a 1oz 99.99% pure silver me-dallion. On one side, the coin includes an image of the moon,a key symbol of the Eid holiday where the date to mark theend of Ramadan depends on the sighting of the new crescentmoon. The medallion also includes 'Eid Mubarak' in Englishon one side and Arabic on the other which translates to'blessed celebration'. This limited edition coin is available at$64.95. Packaged in a black clamshell CIBC case, the coin isa thoughtful and timely gift during this time of year.MISSISSAUGA - Since the Great

Lakes are shared by the UnitedStates and Canada, and the St.Lawrence is a significant water-way to both countries, the cre-ation of this Biosphere Reservewould be the first TransnationalBiosphere Reser ve in Nor thAmerica, Mississauga MayorBonnie Crombie said today whileattending the 2017 Great Lakesand St. Lawrence Cities InitiativeAnnual Meeting and Conferencein Montreal. Mayor Crombie wasjoined by Ward 1 Councillor JimTovey.During the Conference MayorCrombie won unanimous ap-proval from delegates for a mo-tion to designate the Great Lakes,the St. Lawrence River and theGreat Lakes and St. LawrenceRiver basin as a United Nations,Educational, Scientific and Cul-tural Organ iza t ion (UNESCO)Biosphere Reserve. The motionwas seconded by Paul Dyster,the new Chair of the Cities Ini-tiative and Mayor of Niagara Falls,New York."Such a status would demonstratethat the cities around the basinare serious about protecting thefuture of these beautiful waterbodies," said Ward 1 CouncillorJim Tovey who first initiated themot ion. "Seeking th is statusdemonstrates the tremendouspride we have in the globallyimpor tant waters r ight in ourbackyards," added Council lorTovey who represents the wa-ter front communit ies of Por tCredit and Lakeview.

EDO Team Promote LifeSciences Cluster at 2017 BIOInternational ConventionMISSISSAUGA - Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and stafffrom the City's Economic Development Office will attend the2017 Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) Interna-tional Convention to bring awareness to Mississauga's lifesciences sector. The convention will take place from June 19to 22 in San Diego, California."Mississauga is home to Canada's second largest life sci-ences cluster in Canada with more than 430 life sciencescompanies employing 22,000 people," said Mayor BonnieCrombie. "This conference is an impor tant oppor tunity forour City to build on our success, strengthen relationshipswith industry leaders and leverage Mississauga's competi-tive advantage in the life sciences sector," Mayor Crombieadded. "I look forward to once again working closely with theteam of professionals from Mississauga's Economic Devel-opment Office to pitch our City's success story as Canada'sleading destination for job creators to invest, expand serviceofferings and remain ahead of the competition."Mayor Crombie will share Mississauga's Life Sciences Clus-ter Strategy with industry leaders and par tners at the confer-ence. "Mississauga has the second largest life sciences sec-tor in Canada and it continues to expand," said Susan Amring,Director of Economic Development. "We are seeing new de-velopments in medical devices, diagnostics and health andinformation technology (IT) through these Mississauga-basedbusinesses. As a city with a focus in life sciences, we areexcited to see these advancements within the sector.""Our Life Sciences Cluster strategy is the first of its kind for aCanadian municipality," Amring added. "It will also transformthe cluster over the next five years." Mississauga will berepresented in the Ontario and Canadian pavilions at booth#4325. For more information about the 2017 BIO Interna-tional Convention, visit convention.bio.orgFor more information on Mississauga's life sciences cluster,visit winthehumanrace.ca/industry-clusters.


TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017c a n a d a

Trudeau announces $1.28b support for Montreal's light railQUEBEC - Investing in public infrastructure creates efficient, affordable and sustainable transit services that resultin shor ter commutes for Canadians, a cleaner environment for our children, and strong economic growth. PrimeMinister Justin Trudeau has announced suppor t for a federal investment of $1.283 billion from the long-termInvesting in Canada infrastructure plan to suppor t the Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM) light rail network inMontréal, subject to necessary due diligence. This announcement will make it possible to finalize the financing ofthe project and meet the construction schedule of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. The Prime Ministeralso announced that, once the Canada Infrastructure Bank is established, it will be possible for the Province ofQuebec and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to identify the project as an oppor tunity for independentanalysis and consideration by the Bank. If the Bank decides to move forward with an investment in the REMproject, it will be possible for an investment to come from the Bank rather than Quebec's transit allocation.The investment - provided through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan - will create good, well-payingmiddle class jobs, and suppor t a modern, efficient transit system, which will result in less time in traffic and moretime with family for Montrealers. Once completed, this new, automated light rail network will include 27 stations,span 67 kilometres, and operate 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will link Montréal's downtown to the West Island,South Shore, Nor th Shore, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airpor t. "The REM is one of the most ambitiouspublic transpor tation projects in our history. In addition to making it quicker and easier for millions of Quebecresidents to get around, the REM will reduce the number of cars on the roads, help ease traffic and make the aircleaner. The announcement today represents a big step toward improving the quality of life of Canadians and theirfamilies, creating good, well-paying jobs for the middle class and growing the economy." - Justin Trudeau, PrimeMinister of Canada.

ONTARIO TAKING MAJOR STEP FORWARD TOELECTRIFY THE GO RAIL NETWORKONTARIO - Ontario is transforming how people get around in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area andtaking a major step forward to electrify the GO rail network, which will support faster and more frequentservice for commuters and families across the region.Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca visited the GO Transit Willowbrook Facility today to provide anupdate on Ontario's work to implement GO Regional Express Rail (RER) and announce that the provincehas commenced the GO Rail Network Electrification Transit Project Assessment Process. The processbuilds on public consultations held last year and will assess the environmental impacts of converting coresegments of the GO rail network, including the UP Express, from diesel to electric. It is a critical step towards enablingthe province to begin the procurement process to select a vendor to electrify the system. In tandem with theassessment process, Ontario is also undertaking a feasibility study on the use of hydrogen fuel cells asan alternative technology for electrifying GO rail service and the UP Express. Recent advances in the use of hydrogenfuel cells to power electric trains in other jurisdictions makes it important that Ontario consider this clean electrictechnology as an alternative to conventional overhead wires. As part of the study, this fall the province will bringtogether industry leaders in fuel cell technology for a symposium to explore the potential application of hydrogen fuelcell technology to electrify the GO rail network. Ontario is undertaking a $21.3 billion transformation of the GOnetwork, which is the largest commuter rail project in Canada. The investment will deliver faster andmore frequent service, create thousands of jobs and improve people's quality of life.



MIDWEEK NEWS WEEKLY



TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017i n d i a

AAP finds itself isolated in President poll talks

FARMERS IN AMRITSAR PROTEST SEEKING COMPLETE WAIVER OF LOANS AS PROMISED BY CONGRESS IN THE RUN-UP TOTHE ASSEMBLY POLLS.

KUMAR VISHWAS GEARSUP FOR RAJASTHAN POLLSNEW DELHI, (PTI) Notwithstanding the rif ts in the par ty,AAP's Rajasthan in-charge Kumar Vishwas is gearing upfor the state Assembly polls scheduled next year. He willhold a meeting with par ty observers for Rajasthan on June19 and visit the desert state on June 25. The developmentcomes a day after newly-appointed AAP treasurer DeepakBajpai took a dig at the poet-turned-politician claiming thatVishwas had "stayed in a beach-view five star hotel in Goa"during the state polls there.AAP spokesperson Dil ip Pandey had also questionedVishwas for attacking the Rajasthan Congress but remain-ing silent on Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje of BJP. "Wewill take along the volunteers of the anti-graft movementwhich gave bir th to the par ty, and contest the Rajasthanpolls," a par ty leader close to Vishwas said, indicating thathis team may not have AAP leaders from Delhi.Vishwas has been meeting volunteers as well as peoplefrom Rajasthan. He also met farmer leader Rampal Jat to-day to get acquainted with the issues related to agriculture.In a meeting held with party volunteers last week, the senior AAPleader had asked them to go "back to basics", indicating that the partyhad "strayed" from its core philosophy while contesting elections inPunjab and Goa, where it fared badly.

NEW DELHI, (PTI) With the race for the presidential poll heatingup, the Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP) is feeling increasingly isolatedas political par ties huddle together to select a candidate for thetop post. The par ty has so far not figured in the ongoing politicalconsultations within the opposition, or in the talks initiated by athree-member BJP panel. "No major political par ty has ap-proached us for our suppor t," a senior AAP leader and amember of the Political Affairs Committee, the par ty's highestdecision making body, said. AAP, which has been busy fightingthe Centre while seeking to suppress dissent in the par ty, hasheld informal talks on the presidential poll with a few opposi-tion par ties. Over the past few days, AAP members have had

talks with CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury, JDU'sSharad Yadav and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.But with the Congress, the main opposition par ty, keeping AAPout of the loop, and the NCP said to be distancing itself fromArvind Kejriwal's outfit, AAP said it was waiting for the govern-ment and the opposition to make their stands clear on candi-dates for the highest constitutional post. "There has been nomajor discussion within the par ty over the presidential poll. Letus see what the opposition comes up with," a senior AAP leadersaid, indicating it may not go with a candidate suggested by theCongress, but may back someone suppor ted by the entireopposition.

RAJNATH APPEALS FORCALM IN DARJEELING AFTERWIDESPREAD VIOLENCENew Delhi (IANS) Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sundayappealed for calm after speaking to West Bengal Chief Min-ister Mamata Banerjee on the situation in Darjeeling whichhas witnessed widespread violence since June 8.Rajnath Singh said all concerned par ties should resolvetheir differences through dialogue in an amicable environ-ment. to Mamata Banerjee. She has apprised me of thesituation prevailing in Darjeeling," he said. "I appeal to thepeople living in Darjeeling and nearby areas to remain calmand peaceful. Nobody should resort to violence... In a de-mocracy like India resor ting to violence will never help infinding a solution. Every issue can be resolved throughmutual dialogue."All concerned par ties and stakeholders should resolvetheir differences and misunderstandings through dialoguein amicable environment," he added. The Gorkha JanamuktiMorcha (GJM) staged a protest on Sunday over the death ofthree par ty activists in police firing. After Saturday's vio-lent clash between security forces and the agitators, GJMchief Bimal Gurung termed the three activists as "the mar-tyrs of Gorkhaland movement" and urged Gorkhas to giveout a befitting reply.The violence in Drajeeling's took an ugly turn after a mas-sive rally was halted by the security forces on Saturdayafternoon. GJM suppor ters attacked security forces withbricks and bottles. The GJM has announced an indefinitegeneral strike from Monday against the government's pur-por ted move to make study of Bengali language compul-sory in state-run schools and to press for a separate stateof Gorkhaland.

'Modi govt will enact law to ban cow slaughter in India'MUMBAI, (PTI) BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today said the Modi-government will bring in a law banning cow slaughter across thecountry. "We don't have a law right now, but still we have two years to go... after that five years more... so a law banning cow slaughter,which is in the concurrent list, would be enacted across the country," Swamy said at a national meet on 'Bos Indicus: The GloriousIndian Cow' organised by Virat Hindustan Sangam (VHS).VHS is a social outfit formed by Swamy himself. "We have to safeguard the cow for a variety of reasons. Cow represents our mentalliberation. So our commitment to safeguard cow is intact," he said. The conference was jointly organised by the Bombay StockExchange (BSE) and Iskcon. He said there would be no dear th of funds to protect the cows or to construct Gaushalas."We must elevate the status of gau-rakshaks and give them the cer tificate, so that no one intercepts and kills someone on the roads.All the violence that took place was by the criminals. I think gau-rakhshaks are doing a great service and a new cadre of gau-rakshaksof Hindustan will be created," he said. Swamy said, "The Supreme Cour t has repeatedly said that eating beef is not an essential partof Islam... and there is no law that can prevent us from legislating that you can not eat beef." Swamy, a Rajya Sabha member, said itwas the Congress government that suppor ted beef export in the form of different subsidies.

Centre not considering farm loan waiver: JaitleyNEW DELHI, (PTI) The Centre is not considering any proposal for farm loan waiver, Finance Minister ArunJaitley said today, a day after Punjab approved waiving of loans for nearly 10 lakh farmers in the state."There is no such proposal. We have got FRBM Act and fiscal deficit target, we intend adhering to it," hesaid here. In Union Budget 2017-18, the fiscal deficit has been pegged at 3.2 per cent, lower than 3.5 percent in the last financial year. The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) committee,headed by former revenue secretary N K Singh, has recommended keeping budgetary deficit at 3 per centof the GDP in three years to March 2020. It also suggested progressively reducing it to 2.5 per cent by2022-23. Despite a bumper crop this rabi season, farmers in many states are in distress because of sharpfall in prices in both domestic and global market. Farmers in various par ts of the country have beenagitating, seeking higher suppor t prices for their produce as well as waiver of loans.The central government stance assumes significance against the backdrop of farm loan waiver alreadyannounced by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh even as the country recently witnessed violent protestsfrom farmers in Madhya Pradesh demanding debt relief. Uttar Pradesh was the first state this year toannounce Rs 36,359 crore farm debt waiver for small and marginal farmers.Punjab recently announced total waiver of crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh of small and marginal farmers, and a flat Rs 2 lakhrelief for all marginal farmers, irrespective of the loan amount. Jaitley had stated earlier that the central government will notpartake in states' fiscal leverage in waiving farm loans, and made it clear that the cost has to be borne by the states. ReserveBank Governor Urjit Patel has already warned of fiscal situation likely to be going out of hands if states keep doling outfunds and may stoke inflationary expectations. RBI keeps a close tab on retail inflation to decide on itsmonetary policy tools such as the repo rate - at which it lends to banks.



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Several traders in the country are convening national strike against 5% GST levy in India.

AAP beset with problems, has no national significance: CongressNEW DELHI, (IANS) The Congress on Thursday said the Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP) has no "nationalsignificance" to be par t of the opposition's deliberations on the Presidential election and the par tyshould rather settle its internal problems first. Senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma, askedabout the Congress and NCP decision not to include the Arvind Kejriwal-led par ty in the opposition'smeetings for the Presidential election, said: "AAP, at this moment, has no national significance."I don't think they should be part of such an impor tant meeting because they are already in difficultythese days, they have internal problems. They should settle that first instead of advising others how to work,"he added. On evolving a consensus candidate, he said: "The government should understand that it should be aconsensus candidate. If a consensus is arrived at, it will be a good thing. Let us wait for now. Let meetings anddiscussions take place," Sharma said. Asked if the Congress really thought the government was serious about aconsensus candidate, Sharma said: "I don't understand their thoughts, but I do understand their mindset, which is anti-nation." His comments come a day before senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and M. Venkaiah Naidu are to meetCongress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday in a bid to evolve consensus on the presidential candidate. They are to alsomeet CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury later in the day.

Centre using 'caged parrot' to victimisedissenters: AAP's Arunoday Prakash

NEW DELHI, (IANS) On a daywhen the CBI recorded DelhiDeputy Chief Minister ManishSisodia's statement regarding a'Talk to AK' campaign, the AAPgovernment on Friday cried fouland accused the Centre of usingthe "caged parrot" to victimisedissenters. "Whi le CM (ChiefMinister) Arvind Kejriwal is busyinspecting hospitals, the Centrebusy victimising! CBI raids at Dy

CM (Deputy Chief Minister) resi-dence!," Sisodia's Media AdviserArunoday Prakash said in a tweet.The Central Bureau of Investiga-tion (CBI) on Friday denied therewas any raid or search at Sisodia'sresidence here."A team of officers went to Sisodia'sresidence to record his statement in aPreliminary Enquiry registered in the'Talk to AK' programme scam," a CBIofficial told IANS. On May 8, 2013, the

Supreme Court had dubbed the CBI a"caged parrot that speaks in its master'svoice" and had asked the Centrewhether it intended to make theagency's functioning independent.Prakash said: "Earlier CM ArvindKejriwal's office was raided. TheCentre using caged parrot tovictimise voices of dissent!#RIPDemocracy," he said, addingthat the Delhi government will notbe scared.



LUXURY VEHICLES: AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES, SPORTS CARS ANDCONVERTIBLE CARS. WE ALSO HAVE 7, 8, AND 9 PASSENGERS VEHICLES

People in Turkey take out Justice March in capital Ankara to protest the arrest of lawmaker Enis Berberoglu for espionage charges.

IS leader Baghdadi 'may have been killed by Russia'MOSCOW, (IANS) Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that it is verifying repor ts whether theIslamic State militant group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by its forces on the southernoutskir ts of Syria's Raqqa. The ministry said the Russian airstrike may have killed Baghdadi alongwith 330 terrorists on May 28, Tass repor ted. The airstrike was carried out overnight against acommand post, where the IS group's leaders were meeting to discuss the routes for the terrorists'exit from Raqqa through the "southern corridor", the ministry said in a statement. The air raid waslaunched following drone footage confirmation of the council's meeting location, the statement said.The US was said to have been informed in advance of the Russian strike, Sputnik repor ted.

Death toll in Bangladesh landslides rises to 163DHAKA, (PTI) The death toll to-day rose to 163 in Bangladesh'slandslides as five more persons,including three children, werekilled due to incessant rains intwo districts. The fresh landslidesoccurred in the wee hours in

Khagrachhari and Moulvibazardistricts. Three children died inBangladesh's south-easternKhagrachhari district, Dhaka Tri-bune repor ted. "The incident tookplace due to the torrential rainearly today. The death toll mightincrease," a police official wasquoted as saying by dai ly. Awoman and her daughter werekilled in a landslide in nor th-east-ern Moulv ibazar distr ict th ismorning, the repor t said. AfiaBegum, 50, from Moddhodimaivillage and her daughter FahmidaBegum, 13, were killed after theirhouse was crushed under a land-slide mass from a hillock, a local

official said. Locals recovered thedead bodies of the duo removingthe landslide mass. It has beenraining hard in the district sinceyesterday submerging most of theroads. With the addition of these twonew landslides, the death toll from land-slides in the country has risen to 163.

Earlier last week, the southeasternRangmathi, Chittagong and Bandarbanhill districts were worst affected regionsin Bangladesh where incessant mon-soon rains have triggered a series alandslides and caused water-loggingin many parts, besides submerg-ing a number of villages.

63 KILLED IN PORTUGAL FOREST FIRESLISBON, (IANS) At least 63 persons were killed and 59 othersinjured in a catastrophic forest fire in Por tugal's PedrogaoGrande area, the media reported on Sunday. Many died while trying toflee the area, 50 km south-east of Coimbra city, in their cars, the BBCquoted government officials as saying. Several firefighters are amongthe 59 injured, the officials said. "Unfortunately this seems tobe the greatest tragedy we have seen in recent years in termsof forest fires," said Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

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