New Delhi: Ravi Shankar Prasad, who took charge as the Union Law Minister on Monday, said neither he nor his ministry will be a “post office” on judicial appointments and that he will work as a stakeholder in consultation with the Supreme Court and high courts to expedite recruitment of judges.He also said the government is in a “mood” to fast track consultations with stakeholders to set up an all-India judicial service to recruit judges for lower courts. Also Read – Pak activated 20 terror camps & 20 launch pads along LoCTalking to reporters after taking charge, Prasad said, “The law minister and the law ministry are stakeholders, obviously giving due regard and respect to the collegium system. “We have a stake (in judges’ appointments) and we will continue to pursue that stake in consultation with the Supreme Court and the high courts to expedite the appointments,” he said. The Modi government in its previous term had on several occasions returned to the SC collegium recommendations made by it to appoint SC and HC judges, citing various reasons. Also Read – Two squadrons which participated in Balakot airstrike awarded citationsThe government has all along maintained that the law ministry is not a post office which will merely accept files. Prasad’s remarks are a reiteration of the policy the government has followed. With more than 5,000 positions of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts lying vacant, the newly-appointed law minister emphasised the need for setting up all-India judicial services. He said the government is in a “mood” to fast track consultations with the stakeholders – the judiciary and state governments — to set up the service at the earliest. “We want good people to join judiciary… the selection process should be more merit based… deprived section (of the society) should enter the service based on merit,” Prasad said. The sanctioned strength of judicial officers in district and subordinate courts was 22,644 as on September 30, 2018. The government has made it clear that such a service would not encroach on the powers of states. The selection and appointment of judges in subordinate courts is the responsibility of high courts and state governments concerned. The government has been pitching for creation of an all- India judicial services to appoint people in lower judiciary. In August 2018, the minister wrote to all Chief Justices of high court to monitor the status of vacancies regularly and ensure proper coordination with the state Public Service Commission to fill up vacant posts.
New Delhi: The police have arrested a 23-year-old man, who fired shots at a national level judo player in outer Delhi’s Ranhola area early this month, police said Monday. The accused has been identified as Monu (23), a resident of Vikaspuri. He was also active on Tiktok, they said. According to police, they received a tip-off on Friday that Monu would come near Charak Apartment situated in Budela in Vikaspuri to meet his aid with illegal firearms. Also Read – Kejriwal ‘denied political clearance’ to attend climate meet in Denmark “A trap was laid and the accused was arrested,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), AK Singla. Interrogation revealed that there was a rivalry between Jasmit and Suraj gang over supremacy in the area. There was also a dispute between them over protection money from illegal ‘satta’ operators as well, he said. On the intervening night of June 1 and 2, Monu, along with his five associates, fired at Manoj – the national level judo player and Suraj. Also Read – Bangla Sahib Gurudwara bans use of all types of plastic items Manoj sustained severe bullet injuries on his head and legs, while Suraj sustained gunshots in his leg in the incident, the officer said. Monu and Ashu have been arrested and police are on the look out for Jasmit – the gang leader and his other associates, who were absconding. Monu had procured the pistol from Sunny, who was arrested on June 15, police said, adding that one country-made pistol and four live cartridges were recovered from his possession, they added.
New Delhi: Terrorism, H1B visas, trade and the situation arising out of US sanctions on buying oil from Iran, will be among a host of issues on the table when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar holds talks with his American counterpart Mike Pompeo on Wednesday. The US Secretary of State’s visit starting Tuesday night is the first high-level visit from any country following the Lok Sabha polls. The two leaders will hold talks on Wednesday — their first meeting after Jaishankar assumed office last month. Also Read – IAF receives its first Rafale fighter jet from France Pompeo’s visit comes ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, which will be held in Osaka, Japan from June 28-29. During his visit, Pompeo will also have a working lunch with Jaishankar and call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will meet Indian and US businesses in a round table format and deliver a policy speech at the India International Centre. Jaishankar, while speaking about the visit in Gandhinagar, said India will try to find common ground on trade issues during discussions with Pompeo. Also Read – Cosmology trio win Nobel Physics Prize “We will be meeting with a positive attitude,” he told reporters after filing his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha poll from Gujarat. “The meeting with Mike Pompeo will be an important one. We will definitely discuss issues related to trade between the two countries,” he said. “Both the countries are having their own interests. And it is natural to have some conflicts because of that. We will find a common ground using diplomacy. We will hold discussions with the US with a positive approach,” he said. Diplomatic sources said there is no “structured agenda” for the talks between Pompeo and Jaishankar, and the entire spectrum of the relationship will be on the table. They said the talks would be “substantive” but should be seen as a “getting to know each other” meeting, rather than one with concrete deliverables and agreements. Diplomatic sources said combating terrorism, including cross border terrorism, is an “inescapable” topic of discussion in Indo-US talks and will be “very high” on the minds of the two ministers. Another matter that is likely to figure high in the talks is the H-1B issue with an American official saying Pompeo will assure the Indian leadership during his visit to India that the Trump administration has no plans to impose a cap on issuing the highly sought-after H-1B visas that are forcing foreign companies to store data locally. The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. On the issue of the situation arising out of the ending of exemptions from US sanctions to buy oil from Iran, the diplomatic sources here said a decision will be taken based on India’s energy security and commercial considerations. The engagement with the US will continue on how it can help India get alternative supplies. On tensions running high in the region after after Iran shot down a US spy drone last week and Trump considered, then cancelled, a retaliatory strike, a diplomatic source said: “It is a matter of great concern. We will talk to Secretary Pompeo and Iranians and ask both sides to de-escalate.” The source, however, made it clear there was no request made to India from either side to mediate and it would take up the issue due to its concern over the safety of its diaspora and regional peace. With trade likely to figure in the talks, sources said there has been substantial progress on this front with trade going up by double digits in the last three years and trade deficit going down by double digits under Trump presidency. The source said the issue of high tariffs was “misunderstood” as every country puts tariffs on different items and India’s tariff policy was in line with other developing countries. Asked about the industrial security agreement that will allow the transfer of defence technology, the diplomatic source said the Indian side has got the text from the US side subsequent to the last 2+2 meeting. “Our systems are broadly in alignment for us to conclude this industrial security agreement. We need to enure that the processes involved in securing the information at the industrial level followed by the two countries are broadly compatible so that there is no leakage of information,” the source said. The negotiations for the agreement are at an advance stage, the source added. On US opposition to India acquiring S-400 missile system from Russia, the source said it was a matter of concern to the US, but the circumstances under which India signed the agreement was known to America. The Indian side feels that its case falls meets the requirement to fall under the provisions for waiver in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. “We meet the CAATSA conditions for waivers from our point of view. We continue to remain engaged,” the source said. The Indian side also remains engaged with the American side on Afghanistan, sources said. On the US concerns over data localisation, the sources said India is cognizant of their concerns, but the policy is under consideration. The concerns expressed by foreign governments and companies will be taken into consideration, the sources said. The sources said India is deeply committed to regional development and had even spent USD 25 billion on connectivity projects.
New Delhi: The Dalai Lama has accused US President Donald Trump of lacking “moral principle”, in a wide-ranging BBC interview in which the Tibetan spiritual leader said that any female successor should be attractive. “One day he says something, another day he says something,” the 83-year-old Buddhist monk said of the US president. “But I think (there is a) lack of moral principle.” “When he became president he expressed ‘America First’. That is wrong. America they should take the global responsibility,” the Dalai Lama said, adding that Trump’s emotions are “also a little bit… too complicated”. Also Read – Merkel warns UK Brexit deal ‘unlikely’ without compromise: London The Nobel Peace Prize winner told the BBC from his exile in Dharamsala in northern India that if his successor is a woman then she should be attractive. “If female Dalai Lama comes, then she should be more attractive,” he said. “If female Dalai Lama, oh, oh… that people, I think prefer, not see her, that face.” He also reiterated his views on immigration into Europe, saying that only a “limited number” of refugees should be allowed to stay. Also Read – India, China should jointly uphold peace and stability, resolve disputes through dialogues: Chinese ambassador “The European countries should take these refugees and give them education and training, and then aiming is returning to their own land,” he said. “But whole Europe eventually become Muslim country? Impossible. Or African country. Also impossible… Keep Europe for Europeans,” he said. The Dalai Lama has made India his home since fleeing Tibet in 1959, and has been a thorn in Beijing’s side ever since. China brands him a “wolf in a monk’s robe” and accuses him of trying to split China. He told the BBC however that he believes China “is changing”, saying he has had contact “entirely privately” with retired Chinese officials and scholars who have connections with the Beijing government. “I think the Chinese themselves is changing their attitude,” he said, adding that President Xi Jinping had “not yet” asked for a meeting.
Bengaluru: Rejecting Congress’s charge that the BJP was behind the resignation of its two MLAs, saffron party’s Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa Tuesday said it was a ploy to hide “differences” within the ruling party.A day after the two MLAs sent in their resignations, giving a jolt to the wobbly JD(S)-Congress government, Yeddyurappa also said the BJP have no plans yet to move a no-confidence motion in the Monsoon Session of the state assembly commencing July 12. Also Read – How a psychopath killer hid behind the mask of a devout laity!”We never said we will carry out any ‘operation’ against the Congress or the JD(S). We had said some disgruntled (MLAs) may come out,” he told reporters here. He accused state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao of trying to divert attention from the differences among his party leaders by seeking to blame the BJP for the resignations. On Congress leaders threatening a “reverse operation” against the BJP, he said they had been saying this for the last three months and dared them to carry it out. “Let them do it…have we said don’t do it? They have been saying this for the last three months, none of us will move. We are all together, 105 BJP MLAs are united,” Yeddyurappa said. Congress MLAs Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkiholi sent their resignations to the assembly speaker Monday, dealing a blow to the 13-month old H D Kumaraswamy government, which has been battling dissidence.
Patna: A letter purportedly issued by the special branch of Bihar police with directions for collecting details about functionaries of the RSS and its affiliates has raised hackles of state BJP leaders and brought to fore the uneasiness in ties with ally JD(U).Home department officials were tight-lipped about the veracity of the purported communication dated May 28 wherein a report on name, address, telephone number and occupation of district-level office bearers of 19 Sangh Parivar outfits had been sought by the special branch. Also Read – How a psychopath killer hid behind the mask of a devout laity!The recipients of the letter had been asked to submit their reports within a week. State BJP leaders expressed surprise over the police move with BJP MLC Sachchidanand Rai saying the party must be careful of the intentions of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who holds the home portfolio in the NDA government in Bihar. BJP MLA and state vice-president Mithilesh Tiwari expressed surprise that police were involved in surveillance of activists of Sangh Parivar, “who are known to be selflessly devoted to nation building”. Also Read – Encounter under way in Pulwama, militant killedTiwari, however, asserted the development will not have any bearing on BJP-JD(U) ties. BJP MLC and party’s media cell national co-in charge Sanjay Mayukh said it would be better if the officials responsible for issuing such a communication come clean on the matter. “I am astonished that the government is seeking such information. The government should have had the information by now since Sangh activists are not known to be secretive. They function in a transparent manner,” he remarked sarcastically. Rai pointed to the timing of the letter. It was around the same time when Nitish Kumar refused to join Narendra Modi government at the Centre despite contesting the Lok Sabha polls as an NDA ally. Kumar’s JD(U) was expected to have representation in the Union Cabinet. However, the Chief Minister who also heads the party decided otherwise stating that JD(U) was being offered a symbolic representation not commensurate with its strength in Parliament. The chief minister has also remarked wryly on a couple of occasions thereafter that the BJP is actually not in need of allies for running its government at the centre and a mere symbolic representation is of no significance. Notably, the BJP has 303 MPs in Lok Sabha, far in excess of 272 needed for a majority. In Bihar, it contested 17 seats and won all of these while the JD(U) which fought as many bagged 16. “If information is being gathered as part of someroutine procedure then I have no problems. But if it was being done with any ulterior motive, then I have strong objections.”I am unable to understand why the police should keep a surveillance on activists of the Sangh Parivar, who are known to be selflessly devoted to nation building,” Tiwari said. He, however, noted that the parties have come together to develop Bihar and will continue to work in this direction. Both parties have a mutual understanding that each would pursue its own ideology in a way that does not harm the other, he said. Altogether 19 organisations have been named in the purported circular. These include RSS, its minorities cell Muslim Rashtriya Manch, students body Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, labour organisation Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh besides Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, among others. The letter also seeks information on right-wing Hindu Mahasabha though it is not an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Opposition RJD leaders latched onto the issue to take a swipe at the BJP and the JD(U). Senior RJD leader Bhai Birendra said “this shows the imperfect alliance between NDA partners”. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar comprises JD(U), BJP and LJP. Kumar had snapped 17-year-old ties with the BJP in 2013 but returned to the NDA in 2017 after a short-lived alliance with arch-rival Lalu Prasad’s RJD and Congress.
New Delhi: There is no plan to restore special category status – which has been scrapped by think- tank Niti Aayog – to any state in the country, the government informed the Rajya Sabha Thursday.Minister of State for Statistics and Planning Rao Inderjit Singh replied in the negative when Congress leader Ripun Bora asked if the government has any plans to restore special category status to Assam or any other state. Bora also sought to know if scrapping of special category status to Assam and northeastern states is a violation of cooperative federalism. Also Read – Squadrons which participated in Balakot air strike awarded citations on IAF DayMany states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal are still demanding that the Centre grant them special category status despite it been scrapped. Replying to a query on documenting better performing states to promote competitive federalism, the minister said, “We have not prepared any document…The suggestion is good and will think about it.” To another query on steps taken to improve states’ relations after the formation of Niti Aayog, the minister said the think-tank is promoting cooperative federalism and competitive federalism in the country.
New Delhi: The CBI has filed a corruption case against Rolls Royce and its Indian subsidiary, alleging that the engineering company paid “commissions” to a Singapore-based company, Aashmore Pvt Ltd, in order to secure contracts worth over Rs 4,700 crore from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).The Central Bureau of Investigation added that the commissions were also paid to Aashmore to secure contracts of supplying spare parts to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL). Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’As per the probe agency, parts of these commission payments were allegedly used to pay kickbacks to officials of HAL, GAIL, and ONGC, who were involved in the procurement process. For deals with all three, Rolls Royce had engaged Ashok Patni, director of Aashmore as a commercial advisor in India. Patni has also been accused in the case. The preliminary enquiry by CBI has revealed that Rolls Royce paid up to Rs 76.22 crore in commissions to companies related to Patni for securing contracts with HAL, GAIL, and ONGC between 2007 and 2011. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&KOfficials said that this FIR was converted from a Preliminary Enquiry the agency had registered in 2014. Subsequently, two additional PEs were also registered by the probe agency against Rolly Royce. In fact, the CBI said that it had requested Ashmore to provide bank account details in which these commissions were received, several times. But, the Singapore-based firm allegedly refused to cooperate. The probe agency said that this non-cooperation from Aashmore, “shows that Aashmore Pvt Ltd is hiding the corrupt public servants of HAL, ONGC, and GAIL involved in the process of procurement and illegal gratification”. As per CBI’s probe, an Energy Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Centre Agreement was signed between Rolls Royce and HAL in June 2007. According to this agreement, HAL was to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services for GAIL and ONGC, with spare parts purchased from Rolls Royce. However, the CBI alleged that Rolls Royce had engaged Patni in violation of the terms of the agreement and paid his company Aashmore commissions ranging from 10-11 percent of the total value of the purchase orders. Between 2007-2011, Rs 18.32 crore was paid to Aashmore’s accounts. Moreover, in a similar manner, Rolls Royce had engaged the services of Patni, allegedly in violation of the terms of agreement with ONGC and GAIL respectively. In ONGC’s case, Rolls Royce had allegedly paid Rs 29.81 crore to Aashmore in exchange for securing 73 purchase orders from the public service undertaking, with the CBI alleging that Patni’s services were kept secret to “conceal the illegal payments made to Aashmore”. Rolls Royce was supposed to declare any Indian agent and the commission payable to them upfront, according to its deal with ONGC. In fact, as part of this deal, Turbotech Energy Services International, another company related to Patni had allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to ONGC Officers Mahila Samiti. Furthermore, Rolls Royce allegedly paid almost GBP 1 million to Patni’s Aashmore, in exchange for up to 68 purchase orders placed by GAIL, between 2007-2010. According to the CBI, the total amount paid in commission for projects with GAIL come up to around Rs 28.09 crore. According to the CBI’s FIR in the case, Rolls Royce had allegedly engaged in the payment of commissions to companies related to Ashok Patni, in order to pay kickbacks to public officials of GAIL, HAL, and ONGC who were in charge of the procurement of services. The probe agency has accused the British engineering company of conspiring with its Indian subsidiary to misrepresent facts before all three public service undertakings, which kept placing purchase orders with them. Moreover, the CBI has also alleged correspondence about Rolls Royce supply orders between ONGC, GAIL officials and Patni.
Auckland: Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum will retire from all forms of competitive cricket after the conclusion of the ongoing Global T20 Canada, ending a journey which he termed “one hell of a ride”. McCullum, who is playing for Toronto Nationals, had retired from all forms of international cricket in 2016 but continued to ply his trade in various T20 leagues across the globe. The 37-year-old former Black Caps skipper has played 101 Tests from which he scored 6453 runs with 12 hundreds and a highest score of 302. Also Read – Puducherry on top after 8-wkt win over Chandigarh In 260 ODIs, he scored 6083 runs with five hundreds while 71 T20 Internationals fetched him 2140 runs. He has a prolific T20 career (all leagues included) as he scored 9922 runs from 370 games so far. “It is with pride and satisfaction that I am today announcing my retirement from all cricket following the conclusion of the GT20 Canada. I now won’t be playing in the Euro T20 Slam and I sincerely thank the organisers for their support and understanding of my decision,” McCullum said in an official statement on his twitter page. Also Read – Vijender’s next fight on Nov 22, opponent to be announced later “As much as I am proud of what I have achieved in my 20-year professional career — more than I ever could have dreamt of when I first entered the game — I felt the drive to keep going, harder to maintain in recent months,” said McCullum, who was one of the commentators during last month’s ICC World Cup. No one can ever forget McCullum’s magnificent 158 not out off 73 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening game of the first edition of IPL — an innings that was instrumental in the league gaining instant popularity. “My style of cricket has always been full noise and full throttle. From Culling Park to Lord’s and everything in between, there has been some wonderful memories,” McCullum said. “Unfortunately, the sacrifices needed and commitment required to play that type of cricket have now become too great. I owe it to myself and the teams I represent to close that chapter rather than plough on regardless of what I know to be true.” The dasher from Canterbury is extremely proud for the manner in which he played the game. He was a trailblazer in his own right and is happy that the Kiwis broke boundaries during his tenure in international cricket. “With New Zealand, we broke boundaries and established a style of play that earned us respect across the world. In T20 cricket, I have enjoyed so many varied challenges, I can leave the game knowing I left no stone unturned.”
Even a decade ago, Barmer was marked only by distant stretches of undulating sand – typical to the Great Indian Thar – that was intercepted intermittently by thorny shrubs and a few locals who had dared to challenge the region’s glaring halo. Located on the western border of Rajasthan, adjacent to Pakistan, this faraway district was fearfully called kaalapaani, reminiscent of the eponymous prison in the Andaman islands where inmates were banished to die during colonial rule. But Barmer wasn’t a prison – it only replicated death-like circumstances. Annual temperatures here swing between 50-degree C and 0-degree C; the number of rainy days in a year are sparse and drought prevails, with unexpected rainfall causing some flooding in recent times; agriculture was always limited to bajra (pearl millet) – the most commonly grown and consumed crop – while health indices and literacy were at a shameful minimum. But today, those dark days of kaalapaani have given way to a lush desert that is blooming in prosperity. Also Read – A race against timeCairn India, a vertical of Vedanta Ltd and the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production company in India, struck gold when it discovered oil reserves in the middle of this arid desert. Hailed as India’s biggest onshore oil discovery in over two decades, this new block was named Mangala. Very soon, the number of producing fields multiplied and the imposing steels of Mangala, Bhagyam, Aishwariya ushered surprising relief in an otherwise ochre landscape. Sitting proudly in Bandra panchayat of Barmer, Mangala comes with an eponymous pipeline which is the world’s longest continuously heated structure carrying oil from the fields of Rajasthan to refineries in Gujarat. While Cairn struck gold, the residents of Barmer too dipped their handsome feet in the golden river that soon flowed down. Also Read – A Golden LootSince 2009-10, when its annual average per capita income was Rs 17,088, Barmer has witnessed an approximately 650 per cent growth and now, it boasts of an average per capita income of Rs 1,28,266 – much higher than both the state (Rs 69,730) and national (Rs 82,229) averages*. The metamorphosis of this desert landscape is unmistakable – the barren expanses are now dotted by plenty of greens, poultry animals can be spotted at frequent intervals, water dispensaries are not uncommon and, most importantly, people have seamlessly woven their existence with this environment that can no longer subjugate man’s existence with its inherent harshness. From being synonymous to banishment, Barmer is today symbolic of ethical business that can not only reap great economic benefits (oil from Barmer’s fields contribute a quarter to India’s domestic crude production) but also bring a measurable difference in societal well-being. In fact, in Barmer, we see how social welfare itself is a most productive business that is seen, not antithetical to profitmaking, but essential to wholesome entrepreneurship. A ‘model’ model Primarily agrarian, residents of Barmer depend on farming – despite the region being historically maltreated by nature. Unsurprisingly then, farmers here have been among the poorest in the country with limited access to resources and technology. “When we came here, they were still using outdated techniques of production and they had no knowledge of the correct ratio of fertilisers, due to which the topsoil had completely degraded; water structures were absent and there was either no water or during excess rain, there was immense runoff that too completely drained the fertile top layer,” said Dr Bhanu Pratap Singh, CSR Manager for Cairn, who has spent the last seven years initiating projects to augment agrarian income in Barmer. Where there are problems, for an astute business mind, there lies the most potent opportunity for solutions – and Barmer was a hotbed of crisis with a consequent ocean of opportunities. In the last decade, agriculture in Barmer has been revolutionised by simply focusing on the inputs – namely, water, seeds, fertilisers and farmers’ knowledge. Nadis or open water structures where rainwater is collected and consequently supplied through the year to neighbouring villages are a common sight in Barmer. But a lack of maintenance had caused massive silting in these ponds whose floors convexed with large depositions of topsoil. Round-the-clock labour drained the topsoil and sent it back to farmers, by which crores of phosphate and diammonium sulphate were recycled. And soon, the convex floor regained its concave shape and water gathered. These common water bodies or nadis provide water which is used for drinking, washing, for animals, agriculture, et al, and can be accessed across the year. Astoundingly, the biggest nadis can be as deep as 20 ft! Additionally, they have also assisted greatly in reviving the region’s dying ecosystem. Egrets and white ibis are now common visitors here that is also home to insects, small birds and migratory species. 17 such nadis have been revived across Barmer, consequently uplifting agrarian fortune by at least as many folds. Alongside nadis, micro and drip irrigation along with rainwater harvesting are practised extensively to disallow any water from seeping out during rainfalls and in the process, at least 70 per cent of the water is saved within the bounds of a village. Earthen bunds or catchment areas too have been created to prevent seepage of water between agricultural lands. 117 solar-powered RO Any Time Water (ATW) machines provide safe, cool drinking water at Rs 5 for 20 litre around-the-clock. “What we have achieved here in transforming the lives of more than 12,000 farmers is gratifying. Farm incomes have surged 15-20 per cent and water bodies have enriched groundwater reservoirs, attracting a number of wild animals and birds. This is the real impact on lives that we see in Barmer,” added Dr Singh, a key functionary in Barmer’s story of evolution. The true worth of a resource can be best realised in these spaces of acute shortage – and Barmer’s rise stands testimony. As water began flowing, farmlands were revived as were farmers’ ambitions. Various schemes witnessed their soil being tested and them being trained in alternate farming beyond bajra, which is the most popular here but also the least productive, fetching a mere one quintal produce per hectare land. They were also pushed towards adopting horticulture and over 1,200 farmers were provided one lakh quality seeds of ber and anar (predominantly). Alongside, knowledge of dairy and poultry farming, sheep rearing, agricultural management and soil testing have together created a society that is blossoming despite unfavourable natural wealth. In certain homes, dairy farming has fetched a five-fold increase in family income, while some have planted ber, a most productive plant whose each part is commercially viable, to add Rs 60,000-Rs 70,000 to their annual earnings. The home that has been plagued by malnutrition, poor maternal health, hygiene and education too wasn’t ignored. Notably, 80-90 per cent childbirths that were earlier conducted at home by midwives now take place in hospitals and Barmer’s district hospital has also earned the top position among all district hospitals of Rajasthan. Further, 50 nandghars, a network on anganwadis – the sustaining thread of rural well-being – targetting over 3,000 children between 3-6 years of age are approaching the abuse of human development indicators in this region. A combination of learning, health intervention, maternal care, and more, these centres are the nourishment that is building adults that can tomorrow release India from the vicious cycle of hunger, unemployment and poverty. “We ensure that our programs align with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we carefully undertake initiatives that bolster existing schemes or those that ensure longevity and sustainability,” emphasised Arnab Ghosh, Community Development Officer, CSR, for Cairn’s Rajasthan operations. Nevertheless, the imminent fear of tankers stopping to arrive or chullahs running cold will never erase from this land of historic drought and poverty, and perhaps shouldn’t – for only in these remote regions of scarcity do we realise the epitome of innovation in preservation and heightened conscientiousness towards nature’s final word. Yet, Barmer today can wake up to the jarring yet very calming honks of water tankers – a result of intervention that has brought resources to people’s doorsteps and also educated them to utilise nature’s gifts in their most efficient capacity, which in turn creates healthy productive workers and an abounding environment where the wave of prosperity motivates profits. Finding the missing middle This dynamic social intervention has been possible by a crucial economic evolution. When Cairn struck gold in Mangala, Barmer leapt into the second phase of its social evolution – it was now a secondary-sector oriented society, one that is driven by industry and manufacturing. India’s current employment crisis stems a large extent from this absence in the development of the manufacturing sector. India had rocketed straight into becoming a service-sector oriented society which, as history shows, is bound to witness a crisis unless the manufacturing sector is parallelly developed to create mass employment and also generate robust revenue which can be infused back into society. Manufacturing today has a 72.55 per cent share in Barmer’s economy while the primary and service sectors’ share stand at 8.13 per cent and 19.33 per cent respectively. The declining share of agriculture from 23 per cent in 2011-12 to 8.12 per cent now is telling of the transition and its ripples in society. A 650 per cent GDP growth is astounding for a region that is deprived of the natural resources essential for sustaining a flourishing human civilisation. But, when we account for the presence of a massive secondary sector outfit, the growth is not surprising – it is only reflective of the most basic economic theory that is forgotten in the noise of complex articulations. A microcosm Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gained precedence in recent debates. India was the first country to make CSR spending a mandatory requirement in 2013 and recently, its violation was proposed to be made an offence (later changed to civil liability). In such times, Barmer stands as an example of how CSR can be approached with optimism, a sense of social welfare and also a complementing astuteness of benefitting both the self and subject. Barmer maybe a pursuable microcosm for India, particularly in achieving targets of becoming self-sufficient, empowering farmers and bringing innovation in water conservation – but as a microcosm of India, it is also plagued by the softer troubles of patriarchy, illiteracy and superstition that pave the way for palpable challenges manifesting as disease, malnutrition, honour killings, lack of hygiene and sanitation, and much more. These challenges of the home and mind are often more difficult to overcome; they demand more time, patience, investment and innovation in thought. While a challenge, this lacuna also provides greater opportunity in the days to come and Barmer thus, shines as a model whose journey so forth and possibility ahead both motivate more change that is sustainable, infiltrative and mindful of even the last man in the queue. *at constant prices; current averages at 2016-17 level (Photo credit: Cairn India. The author visited Barmer in August 2019)
New Delhi: Millennials across the world stormed Twitter with suggestions how they would like to retire, using the hashtag #millennialretirementplans, and most of them had pessimistic and gloomy views about their golden years. From living in their parents’ basements to colonizing the Mars only to destroy it like Earth, millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) wished for early death via dark-themed jokes and memes about never been able to retire and putting the blame on Baby Boomers (those born worldwide between 1946 and 1964) and political upheavals. Also Read – Swiggy now in 500 Indian cities, targets 100 more this year “Hope we don’t die in our chairs during a meeting that could have been an email,” wrote one user. “Watch as the environment disintegrates and move to Mars, where we will yet again, destroy another planet,” posted another. Most of the millennials painted a bleak picture of their retirement plans. “Why is this even on trending? We all know we’ll never be able to retire,” said another Twitter user. “Cultivate my kids so they can become successful millionaires and live off of them,” wrote one. Also Read – New HP Pavilion x360 notebook with in-built Alexa in India There were several tweets about poor healthcare as a barrier to a good retirement. “Work myself to death since healthcare is a debt sentence & social security won’t exist by the time I’m of ‘retiring age’. Or just wait for the nuclear apocalypse,” said one millennial user. “Early death,” said one. “Dumpsters are the new tiny houses,” posted another. A few millennial users, however, made light of the situation. “Travelling around the world collecting Pokemon Go,” said a user. Other comments were: “Have older people pay for you now, have younger people pay for you later,” and “become an anti-social media influencer”. A recent report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that today, just 60 per cent of millennials are considered middle-class, compared to 70 per cent of baby boomers when they were in their twenties.
TORONTO – The Globe and Mail won 11 of the 21 categories at the National Newspaper Awards on Friday, and the newspaper’s Mark MacKinnon was named 2016 Journalist of the Year.MacKinnon was chosen for his report on the Syrian teenagers who sparked the Syrian war, Britain’s referendum on the European Union, the attempted coup in Turkey, and the period of instability that is gripping the world.A release from the National Newspaper Awards said the judges found MacKinnon “weaved a narrative that details the interdependence of world events today – in Europe, the United States, Russia, Turkey and the rest of the Muslim world. They called the result “an incredible piece of writing that combines context with storytelling and dogged reporting.”The Toronto Star won two awards, and eight other news organizations — The Canadian Press, the Kingston Whig-Standard, the National Observer, the Winnipeg Free Press, La Presse, the Toronto Sun, the Calgary Herald/Calgary Sun, and Fort McMurray Today/Edmonton Journal/Edmonton Sun — won one each.The Globe and Mail won in a variety of categories, including Beat Reporting, International, Investigations, Long Feature, and Editorial Cartooning.The winners were announced at a gala dinner Friday in Toronto.Here are the winners, as released by the National Newspaper Awards:-Arts and Entertainment: Murray Whyte of the Toronto Star for coverage of indigenous artist Alex Janvier, curator Wanda Nanibush, and coverage of Canadian-made musical “Come From Away.”-Beat Reporting: Patrick White of the Globe and Mail for coverage of Canada’s prisons.-Breaking News: Fort McMurray Today/Edmonton Journal/Edmonton Sun for coverage of the Alberta wildfire and the evacuation of Fort McMurray.-Business: Bruce Livesey of the National Observer for coverage of the Irving family dominance in New Brunswick.-Columns: Melissa Martin of the Winnipeg Free Press for columns on Gord Downie, the right to die and a small-town Pride parade.-Editorial Cartooning: Brian Gable, of the Globe and Mail.-Editorials: Tony Keller of the Globe and Mail.-Explanatory Work: Grant Robertson and Karen Howlett of the Globe and Mail for reporting on the deadly opioid crisis.-Feature Photo: Leah Hennel of the Calgary Herald/Calgary Sun for a photo of a horseback rider out on the range.-International: Mark MacKinnon of the Globe and Mail for reporting on Syria, Brexit and Turkey.-Investigations: Kathy Tomlinson of the Globe and Mail for her exposé of unsavoury practices fuelling the Lower Mainland real estate boom in B.C.-Local Reporting: Paul Schliesmann of the Kingston Whig-Standard for reporting on the plight of marginalized people and their shocking living standards.-Long Feature: Christina Frangou of the Globe and Mail for a gut-wrenching and sometimes disturbing story of a young widow’s life in the aftermath of her husband’s death.-News Feature Photo: Jason Franson of The Canadian Press for his photo of police directing traffic at the Fort McMurray wildfire.-News Photo: Stan Behal of the Toronto Sun for a photo of a grieving father whose daughter was killed in an automobile accident.-Politics: the Globe and Mail team for coverage of “cash for access” fundraisers that bring together Liberal politicians and those lobbying the government.-Presentation: Christopher Manza of the Globe and Mail for crafting story designs specifically for digital platforms.-Project of the Year: the Globe and Mail team for stories on soldiers and veterans who died by suicide after serving in Afghanistan.-Short Feature: Hugo Pilon-Larose of La Presse for a story on the sexual abuse of a young boy by film director Claude Jutra.-Sports: Marty Klinkenberg of the Globe and Mail for a profile of the first indigenous player in the NHL.-Sports Photo: Lucas Oleniuk of the Toronto Star for a shot of personal triumph at the finish line of an Olympic track event.All category winners received cheques for $1,000 and a certificate of award. Other finalists received citations of merit. The Journalist of the Year is awarded $2,500.The National Newspaper Awards are open to daily newspapers, news agencies and online news sites approved for entry by the NNA Board of Governors. Seventy finalists were nominated in the 21 categories, selected from 959 entries published in 2016. Of 54 newspapers and online news sites to submit entries, 25 organizations had nominations in the 68th year of the awards.
TORONTO – Political journalist Evan Solomon is getting his own national talk radio show.Bell Media says “The Evan Solomon Show” will debut Sept. 5 and feature in-depth interviews with newsmakers from Canada and around the world.It will air weekdays on all Bell Media talk stations across the country.Guests will range from politicians to sports figures and entertainment personalities.Listeners can participate via phone, email, text and social media.Based in Ottawa, Solomon is national affairs specialist for Bell Media Radio.He also hosts CTV’s Sunday morning political affairs program “Question Period.”
CALGARY – Police say two people facing charges related to a quadruple homicide last summer knew all the victims.“I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were targeted, but I will say that the two accused and our deceased parties were known to one another. We’re confident in saying that,” acting Insp. Paul Wozney of the Calgary Police Service said Wednesday.It’s believed that “loose criminal networks” were involved in the killings, he added.Yu Chieh Liao, who also goes by Diana Liao, and Tewodros Kebede are charged with first-degree murder in the death of 26-year-old Hanock Afowerk.The accused also face three counts of accessory after the fact in the deaths of Cody Pfeiffer, 25; Glynnis Fox, 36; and Tiffany Ear, 39.Pfeiffer, Fox and Ear were found dead in a burned-out car at a suburban Calgary construction site July 10. Fox and Ear were sisters from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, who relatives have said left behind 16 children between them.Afowerk, the car’s owner, was found two days later in a rural area west of the city.Liao, 24, and Kebede, 25, are to appear in court Nov. 2.Police had earlier said they believed Pfeiffer, Fox and Ear were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in an attack on Afowerk.The investigation has spanned multiple provinces and it took time for investigators to use court orders to track down information that changed the direction of their probe, Wozney said.Liao and Kebede were arrested in Toronto on unrelated matters in the weeks following the killings.Wozney said help from the Toronto Police Service’s guns and gangs unit was instrumental.“I really can’t say enough about the helping hand that they extended to us to help us push this investigation forward.”Calgary investigators also received assistance from the RCMP and police services in Medicine Hat, Alta., and Moose Jaw, Sask.“The Moose Jaw Police Service … bent over backwards to assist us with this investigation as it took us to Saskatchewan,” Wozney said.Investigators said shortly after the homicides that the accused were spotted in the Moose Jaw area. Police asked people there to contact them if they found discarded clothing or documents that may have been burned.Wozney said police are still asking for the public’s help to find any burned-out areas around Moose Jaw’s airport and military base.Police said previously that Liao had ties to Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Regina and Moose Jaw.Wozney said even though charges have been laid, investigators are still looking for more people who may have been involved in what police have described as a brutal and ruthless crime.“This investigation is not slowing. Resources are not being directed elsewhere,” he said. “We are continuing to pursue the truth in this particular investigation.”
“We need to make sure that the office of the prime minister is without reproach and in the future including on (vacations with) family friends and personal family trips, we will be proactively working with the office of the commissioner to ensure that there is no conflict of interest, no appearance of conflict of interest.”The public shaming will be the biggest penalty Trudeau faces for violating the rules. The only penalties under the act are fines handed out to those who fail to meet reporting requirements – for instance, Finance Minister Bill Morneau had to pay $200 for failing to disclose a his role in a private corporation that owns his villa in France – and Dawson’s office confirmed those penalties don’t apply in this case.Trudeau may have avoided being found in violation of the federal statute had Dawson agreed that he and the Aga Khan were friends, since the ethics rules make an exception for gifts given by a friend. But Dawson said that exception doesn’t apply in this case because Trudeau and the Aga Khan’s friendship only blossomed after the prime minister became Liberal leader in 2013.Before that, the two hadn’t spoken for 30 years.A year after becoming Liberal leader, the Aga Khan sent a standing invitation for Trudeau and his family to visit Bells Cay, suggesting it would provide Trudeau with some private family vacation time. It was Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, who contacted the Aga Khan’s daughter about vacationing on the island in March 2016 and then over Christmas last year.In both cases, the Trudeaus were told that the Aga Khan and his family may not be present, which led Dawson to remark: “These circumstances do not suggest that Mr. Trudeau and the Aga Khan were seeking to fulfil opportunities to spend private time together as friends.”The Prime Minister says he takes full responsibility and will work with the ethics commissioner to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again #cdnpoli— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) December 20, 2017NDP ethics critic Nathan Cullen called Dawson’s report “disturbing” and said it “speaks to the culture of entitlement” around the prime minister. Moreover, he said it undermines Trudeau’s entire defence of the trip.“If Trudeau hoped to make the case that ‘It is no big deal, this was just friends hanging out together at the cottage,’ she didn’t’ believe it,” he said.The Trudeau family was accompanied on last December’s vacation by Liberal MP Seamus O’Regan and his husband, and Liberal party president Anna Gainey and her husband, Tom Pitfield. They all flew on the Aga Khan’s private helicopter, which is the main link between the Bells Cay and Nassau.Dawson’s report notes that the RCMP didn’t have any security concerns with Trudeau taking the helicopter ride.Dawson says the Aga Khan and his foundation were registered to lobby Trudeau’s office in December 2016, meaning the vacation and helicopter ride “could reasonably be seen to have been given to influence Mr. Trudeau in his capacity as Prime Minister.” But she also found no evidence that Trudeau had asked for, or ordered officials to do anything to further the Aga Khan’s private interest.With files from Kristy Kirkup Justin Trudeau, who came into office vowing to be the gold standard in transparency and ethical behaviour, became Wednesday the first prime minister to violate federal conflict of interest rules over a series of family vacations last year.Federal ethics commissioner Mary Dawson concluded Trudeau violated the rules when he vacationed last Christmas at the private Bahamian island owned by the Aga Khan and when his family vacationed on the same island months earlier in March 2016.Dawson found that the Trudeaus’ visit to the island — and the prime minister hopping aboard the Aga Khan’s private helicopter to get there — broke sections of the Conflict of Interest Act that prohibits a minister or any member of their family from accepting gifts or “advantages” that could reasonably be seen as influencing government decisions.Moreover, she found Trudeau didn’t properly recuse himself on two occasions in May 2016 from private meetings about the Aga Khan and a $15-million grant to the billionaire philanthropist’s endowment fund of the Global Centre for Pluralism.BREAKING The ethics commissioner has found that the Prime Minister did break ethics rules with his family vacation to the Aga Khan’s private island #cdnpoli https://t.co/wDcXcs3W3u— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) December 20, 2017The outgoing ethics commissioner’s long-awaited report suggests that Trudeau could have avoided this outcome had he come to her before going on the trip that began on Dec. 26, 2016. She concludes that he failed to follow his own ethics rules for cabinet ministers and that he should have been more careful to arrange his affairs as prime minister to avoid potential conflicts.Trudeau publicly apologized Wednesday for not going to Dawson before the vacation to get her clearance — something Dawson hinted she may have given. He said he didn’t believe the vacation would be an ethical concern because he’d been told — he didn’t specify by whom — there was no issue since the Aga Khan is a friend.Dawson, however, concluded the spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims, couldn’t be considered a friend — a conclusion Trudeau disputed.In future, Trudeau said he plans to ask the ethics commissioner to clear all his personal vacations.“I take full responsibility for it,” he told a hastily-called news conference.
Chunks of ice crashing down from the CN Tower following a weekend of freezing rain forced the closure of the Toronto landmark and damaged the roof of a nearby baseball stadium, prompting the Toronto Blue Jays to cancel Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals.Police had blocked off the area directly under the CN Tower and the Rogers Centre due to the “relatively large” blocks of ice tumbling down onto the streets and sidewalks below.“Fortunately there’s been no injuries reported,” said Const. Allyson Douglas-Cook.The Blue Jays said crews were working to repair a hole in the roof of the Rogers Centre and fans would be treated to a “traditional doubleheader” Tuesday afternoon.“We apologize to our fans for this inconvenience,” the team said on Twitter.Toronto police said late Monday that closures around the CN tower would remain in effect until Tuesday morning “after engineers have assessed and deemed the area safe of any hazards.”Toronto, along with much of southern and central Ontario, is recovering from an ice storm that resulted in power outages, cancelled flights and road collisions over the weekend.By late Monday afternoon, provincial power utility Hydro One said crews had restored power to more than 300,000 customers across much of the province.Hydro One said crews were still working to reconnect another 50,000 customers affected by approximately 520 outages.Toronto Hydro said the number of customers in the dark had shrunk to about 700 Monday night from about 40,000. In most cases, crews were dealing with power lines and poles downed by high winds or ice-coated trees that snapped during the storm.The mix of snow, freezing rain, ice pellets, rain and powerful winds that battered the region Saturday and Sunday had made driving treacherous, with provincial police reporting more than 1,600 non-fatal crashes on the highways surrounding Toronto over the two days.Highway 400, south of Barrie, Ont., which had been closed in both directions after a collision involving two trucks took out the highway divider, was reopened to traffic Monday afternoon.The poor conditions also prompted bus and school cancellations in parts of the province Monday, with schools in Hamilton, Halton and Peel regions closed for the day and buses cancelled in various other districts.After pummelling Ontario over the weekend, the storm slowly moved east.In Ottawa, which was under a freezing rain warning, all entrances to the Centre Block on Parliament Hill were closed because of falling ice.Hydro Ottawa said heavy freezing rain had downed trees and damaged hydro poles, causing more than 90 outages and leaving 30,000 customers without power in the national capital.Meanwhile, icy roads were creating slippery conditions in different parts of Quebec, with schools in the greater Montreal area and further afield closed due to the accumulation of freezing rain.Hydro-Quebec reported Monday night that more than 23,000 customers were without electricity, the majority in the hard-hit Outaouais region in western Quebec and regions north and southeast of Montreal.Air travellers were advised to check the status of their flights before heading out Monday, with delays and cancellations reported at airports in Ontario and Quebec.Some universities and colleges also cancelled exams due to the weather, and with heavy rain continuing overnight there were concerns about possible localized flooding.In Toronto, officials said the clearing of some streets was delayed as crews concentrated on clearing catch basins in an effort to prevent flooding as temperatures rise in the wake of the storm.
REGINA – Police have arrested protesters who remained at a camp on the lawn outside the Saskatchewan legislature, but said they would allow a sacred fire to burn down before removing a teepee from the site.Demonstrators at the “Justice for our Stolen Children” camp had been protesting racial injustice and the disproportionate number of Indigenous children apprehended by child-welfare workers.Police and government officials evicted most of the camp on Friday morning and the remaining people were supposed to have left the site by noon Sunday.Supt. Darcy Koch says an agreement was made with the campers that the teepee would be taken down, but it wasn’t, so police were there to “assist with that.”Members of the camp have said that they want to talk to government officials about their concerns, but so far the two groups have not been able to come together for such a meeting.Justice Minister Don Morgan says he wants to reach out to the campers in the coming days, but will wait until emotions aren’t as high.“You don’t need to have a tent up in Wascana to have a meeting and reach out to government,” Morgan said.Police arrived on scene at the camp around 2 p.m. on Monday and took five protesters into custody for obstruction. No charges have been laid.The camp was set up in late February in response to the acquittal of Gerald Stanley in the 2016 death of Colten Boushie, as well as the acquittal of Raymond Cormier in the death of Manitoba teen Tina Fontaine.Stanley, a farmer, was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death Boushie, a member of the Red Pheasant First Nation.Fontaine was a 15-year-old Indigenous girl whose body was found in a Winnipeg river in 2014.Jim Billington, a spokesman for Premier Scott Moe, said last week the government respects everyone’s right to peaceful protest but that the camp violated a ban on overnight camping, burning wood and putting up signs in the park surrounding the legislature.He said the protesters had been told several times since March that they were breaking the law and were given an eviction notice on June 5.Morgan said he didn’t want the removal of the camp to be a setback in the government’s relationship with First Nations in Saskatchewan. He said he will be reaching out to Bobby Cameron, chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, in the coming days, and has plans to travel to Red Pheasant First Nation.(CTV Regina, The Canadian Press)
HALIFAX – An international ferry service that links Canada with the United States could move to a new port in Maine, a change that could see Nova Scotia paying for upgrades to an American town’s ferry docking facilities.The service, operated by Bay Ferries Ltd., already receives an annual operating subsidy from the province of about $10 million.In a proposal submitted Thursday to the town of Bar Harbor in Maine, Bay Ferries has offered to lease a portion of the scenic town’s ferry terminal to use as the U.S. port for its high-speed catamaran ferry service.Bar Harbor town manager Cornell Knight confirmed receiving the proposal, which was sent out to the town’s council ahead of next Tuesday’s meeting.The proposal comes a month after Bar Harbor residents voted to purchase the town’s shuttered ferry terminal from the state for $3.5 million.“The company has previously said they would invest $3 million into the property in order to get it into shape for them to operate next year,” Knight said.In fact, it would be Nova Scotia that would cover the bill to upgrade the ferry facilities, a cost the province’s transportation minister appeared prepared to consider.“There will be a cost, we’re pretty confident of that,” Lloyd Hines told reporters after a cabinet meeting. “I’m open to it … but at the end of the day, it’s a decision that will be taken based on the business inputs that are provided by the operator.”Hines said “at first blush” moving to Bar Harbor seems to be a good proposal. It’s closer to Yarmouth, which could cut down on fuel and crew costs, he said.In addition, Hines said there may be an “opportunity” to pull visitors from Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, which attracts about 3.5 million visitors a year.Bay Ferries CEO Mark MacDonald said the ferry service could commence operations in Bar Harbor as early as next season. But he said the proposal is still in the preliminary stages.“What we’re suggesting, between now and Oct. 1, is for all the parties to do their due diligence … to do background work and determine whether this is feasible,” MacDonald said.Before 2009, the ferry service between Nova Scotia and Maine operated out of both Portland and Bar Harbor.However, a cut to the service’s operating subsidy prompted Bay Ferries to end the service in 2009.After the province decided to reinstate the subsidy, the passenger ferry service resumed under Nova Star Cruises in 2014, travelling between Yarmouth and Portland before Bay Ferries took over the route in 2016.Marla MacInnis, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Department, said the provincial subsidy for the 2018 sailing season is expected to be $10.9 million.“It’s an increase of $1.5 million over the budgeted subsidy for 2017,” she said in an email.“Rising fuel costs account for a large portion of the $1.5 million increase in the subsidy as well as revised revenue projections to reflect steady growth.”
VANCOUVER — Eight years have passed since David Lloydsmith learned British Columbia’s Civil Forfeiture Office wanted to seize his modest two-bedroom bungalow, but he says the panic and anger that gripped him that day have not gone away.Lloydsmith is still outraged that the office tried to seize his home based on a police search without a warrant that produced no criminal charges. B.C.’s Supreme Court and Court of Appeal eventually ruled his rights were violated, but he says the emotional scars remain.“It cost me friends. It cost me a relationship. I still haven’t been able to have another relationship since,” he said, adding he still owes a friend money for helping cover tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills.“I have serious trouble sleeping. It’s done damage to me that I don’t know if I can ever get over.”Critics of civil forfeiture hailed the Lloydsmith decision as one that sent a message about the need to protect charter rights. Some were shocked on Tuesday when the B.C. government announced it intends to dramatically expand civil forfeiture.Calling it the “most significant revision” of the Civil Forfeiture Act since its introduction in 2006, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced three proposed changes, which he said were aimed at organized crime and fentanyl trafficking.Under the changes, the onus would be shifted to a defendant to prove that an asset is not an instrument or proceed of unlawful activity, in cases where the Civil Forfeiture Office provides the court with “sufficient evidence” clearly linking the asset to crime.The office would also be able to ask a judge to order an accused person’s assets be held before it formally sues them, and finally, it would be able to compel banks to hand over information before customers transfer assets.Shifting the burden of proof to a defendant is “obviously terrible,” said Micheal Vonn of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.The Civil Forfeiture Office files lawsuits to seize assets believed to be the proceeds or instruments of illegal activity, regardless of whether the asset owner has been charged or convicted, and even if they’ve been acquitted, of a crime.Vonn noted the standard of proof is already lower in a civil trial than a criminal one. In civil proceedings, one party’s case must simply be more probable than the other’s, while in criminal trials, guilt must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.Civil forfeiture defendants are also ineligible for legal aid, unlike many people charged with crimes, she added.“Now, they’re actually reversing the onus on certain portions of this,” Vonn said. “So you show up in court — very lucky if you’re able to defend yourself at all, vis-a-vis counsel or otherwise — to prove that you are not guilty.“That’s a standard that almost never will you see justified constitutionally.”As for the amendments aimed at stopping people from transferring assets before they can be seized, Vonn said she’s concerned about the forfeiture office accessing banking information using a lower legal standard than police.“We have processes whereby police are entitled to investigate on a warrant standard of reasonable and probable grounds. We have a reason for that — so we protect against abuse,” she said.There is already a criminal forfeiture process that seizes assets after conviction, she added.She said the civil liberties association would consider challenging the amendments if passed, adding she’s baffled by Farnworth’s comments that the government consulted with experts and believes the amendments are constitutional.Phil Tawtel, executive director of B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office, said the program focuses on “property, not people.”“There is no case where someone is going to go to jail for this,” he said. “The question is: is there enough evidence to show that an asset, a property, is either the proceeds or an instrument of unlawful activity?”The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld provincial civil forfeiture laws, he said, ruling unanimously in 2009 that they aim to deter crime and do not encroach federal jurisdiction over criminal offences.“Certainly, it’s still incumbent on the director to bring evidence to satisfy the court that the forfeiture is in the interests of justice,” Tawtel said.The office has brought in $87 million since 2006, spending $37.5 million on crime prevention initiatives and $1.63 million on victim compensation. The remainder has been spent on legal counsel and office operations, Tawtel said.Bibhas Vaze, a lawyer who has represented many civil forfeiture defendants including Lloydsmith, said he’s worried that in the face of criticism about the office, the government wants to expand it further.Police showed up at Lloydsmith’s home in Mission in 2007 and said they were investigating a 911 call. When he refused to let them in, they forced their way in and found, seized and destroyed a number of marijuana plants.Lloydsmith said the plants were for his own medical use and he was not charged. Nevertheless, the forfeiture office sued to seize his home in 2011, and only abandoned the case after the courts ruled the “unreasonable” search violated his rights.Vaze said civil forfeiture enables the government to use evidence found in illegal police searches that would not be admissible in criminal trials.Tawtel responded that it’s up to the court to decide whether charter breaches have occurred and what the remedies are.“I’m not out there saying that government should not be able to seize assets of people who are engaging in illegal activity,” said Vaze. “The problem is: at what cost?”Laura Kane, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — Canada’s largest program of Arctic research is receiving more than $32 million over the next five years.Louis Fortier, head of ArcticNet, says the money will be used to help understand the challenges faced by a rapidly changing North due to climate change and industrialization.ArcticNet brings 30 Canadian universities and dozens of scientists together with northerners, private industry and foreign research agencies.Fortier says the money will be at least tripled by resources that other groups bring to Arctic science.He says ArcticNet researchers have worked on problems from changing berry harvests in northern Quebec to the risks of offshore oil drilling in the Beaufort Sea.Fortier says the current grant is slightly less than the previous one, but about the same level as it was when ArcticNet began in 2004. The Canadian Press