India celebrates Maha Shivaratri on 07 March 2016, Monday

Maha Shivaratri is a famous Hindu festival celebrated each year in reverence of Lord Shiva. Shivaratri or Mahashivaratri (Night of Shiva) is a Hindu festival, celebrated all over the country with great enthusiasm. The festival is exclusively dedicated to Lord Shiva who is known by hundreds of names. Maha Shivratri is the day to rejoice and pray to the almighty for wellness. On this day, Hindu people offer prayers to the Lord Shiva and also observe fasting (vrata) throughout the day.

Maha Shivaratri is a popular Hindu festival. It is celebrated every year in reverence of the Lord Shiva. Maha Shivaratri festival is also widely known as 'Shivaratri'. It means the 'Great Night of Shiva'. This auspicious day is believed to be the day of convergence of divine powers of Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti.

The festival falls every year around 13th night or 14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the of Magh (as per Shalivahana) or Phalgun (as per Vikrama) in the Hindu Calendar. Shivaratri is celebrated on 13th day of Falgun month - the last month of Hindu calendar.

Shivaratri is great festival of convergence of Shiva and Shakti. Chaturdashi Tithi during Krishna Paksha in month of Magha is known as Maha Shivaratri according to South Indian calendar. However according to North Indian calendar Masik Shivaratri in month of Phalguna is known as Maha Shivaratri. In both calendars it is naming convention of lunar month which differs. However both, North Indians and South Indians, celebrate Maha Shivaratri on same day.

Shivaratri means the "great night of Shiva". Shivaratri is the night when Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava Nritya, or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction.Epics claim that Mahadeva married Goddess Parvathi on this day.

The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael leaves, fruits, flowers and incense to Lord Shiva.  Shiva is worshiped in the form of a lingam - a pillar often placed on a receptacle that represents female creative energy. Together it represents the union of organs, and the totality of creation. All through the day the devotees, On this day Shiva devotees observe fast and chant the sacred Panchakshara mantra dedicated to Lord "Om Namah Shivaya".  Shivaratri is also spelled as Shivratri, Shivarathri and Sivaratri.

Vrat Vidhi – One day before Shivaratri Vratam, most likely on Trayodashi, devotees should eat only one time. On Shivaratri day, after finishing morning rituals devotees should take Sankalp (संकल्प) to observe full day fast on Shivaratri and to take food next day. During Sankalp devotees pledge for self-determination throughout the fasting period and seek blessing of Lord Shiva to finish the fast without any interference.

You can see huge crowd of devotees outside the Shiva temples where they come for early morning prayers. The prayers continue throughout the night of Mahashivratri and Lord Shiva’s followers offer coconut, As this is a dark fortnight, devotees light and diyas (a made usually of clay, with wick made of cotton and dipped in ghee) throughout the night. This is signified as a symbol of spiritual manifestation. Mahashivratri is one of the major festivals in India and everybody from kids to old-age people like to participate in one way or the other. Lord Shiva is also known as a ‘Destroyer’ or ‘Transformer’ according to the Hindu religion and he is worshiped not only in India but also in other neighboring countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

It is believed that on this day the planetary position in universe evokes the spiritual energies very easily. Religious penances are carried out to gain boons through the practice of medication and yoga. People worships lord Shiva whole day and chants "Om Namah Shiva". Some devotees also perform Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra to seek divine blessings of Lord Shiva

It is celebrated across India and is a holiday in the following states in 2016: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand Uttar Pradesh

                                         

ISO : Environmental management guidance standard now published

Following the revision of ISO 14001, the newly revised ISO 14004 helps organizations get the most out of their environmental management system.

 

Managing environmental impacts – and the effects they are having on business – is a growing imperative for organizations, regardless of size or type. A sound environmental management system (EMS) helps measure and manage environmental factors, making it good not only for business but for society as a whole.
The newly revised ISO 14004:2016, Environmental management systems – General guidelines on implementation, provides organizations with support to help with the implementation of an EMS. It is designed to complement, but is not limited to, ISO 14001, ISO’s standard for environmental management systems.
Dr Anne-Marie Warris, Chair of ISO/TC 207/SC 1, the technical committee that developed the standard and undertook the revision, said:
“The new version of ISO 14004 provides organizations with further details and information in relation to the new ISO 14001:2015. Some of the changes include a focus on protecting the environment, environmental performance, life-cycle perspective, leadership and strategic environmental management.”
ISO 14004:2016 is available from your national ISO member or from the ISO Store.

International Women's Day 2016

The 2016 theme for International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. The United Nations observance on 8 March will reflect on how to accelerate the 2030 Agenda, building momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals. It will equally focus on new commitments under UN Women’s Step It Up initiative, and other existing commitments on gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights. Events The official UN commemoration will take place in the Trusteeship Council at the UN Secretariat in New York City from 10 a.m.-12.45 p.m. It will consist of a series of musical performances and two panel discussions. The first, from 10-11.15 a.m., will reflect on what a gender-equal planet means and how to achieve it by 2030 by joining the efforts of the United Nations, governments, civil society and the private sector. For the second panel, entitled “The Push for Parity”, panelists will probe the progress made in achieving gender equality in the UN system, examine the challenges remaining and unpack how to mainstream gender perspectives from 11.15 a.m.–12.45 p.m. See the flyer. Watch the live webcast here, from 10 a.m.-12.45 p.m. on 8 March! Also on 8 March, Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in New York at 9 a.m. Similar events will take place in 34 countries around the world as part of joint awareness-raising efforts with the Global Compact. Around the world, UN Women is organizing International Women’s Day events in more than 40 countries, including: a friendly hockey match between a men’s and women’s team in Tanzania on 5 March; a march and cycling rally in New Delhi, India on 6 March; a festival with live musical and dance performances in Palestine on 8 March; marches, a football match and painting expositions across Albania from 5-8 March; and a women’s “run to Step It Up” in São Paulo, Brazil on 20 March—to name just a few. Speeches and messages UN Secretary-General's message for 2016 “We have shattered so many glass ceilings we created a carpet of shards. Now we are sweeping away the assumptions and bias of the past so women can advance across new frontiers,” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message for International Women’s Day 2016. UN Women Executive Director’s message for IWD 2016 “Each one of us is needed—in our countries, communities, organizations, governments and in the United Nations—to ensure decisive, visible and measurable actions are taken under the banner: Planet 50-50: Step It Up for Gender Equality,” says UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka in her message.
About IWD
The United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March during International Women’s Year 1975. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe. Since those early years, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

India files dispute against the US over non-immigrant temporary working visas

Zurich : On 3 March 2016, India notified the WTO Secretariat that it has initiated a WTO dispute proceeding against the United States regarding measures imposing increased fees on certain applicants for two categories of non-immigrant temporary working visas into the US, and measures relating to numerical commitments for some visas. According to India, the measures appear to be inconsistent with US commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

The request for consultations formally initiates a dispute in the WTO. Consultations give the parties an opportunity to discuss the matter and to find a satisfactory solution without proceeding further with litigation. After 60 days, if consultations have failed to resolve the dispute, the complainant may request adjudication by a panel.

Reuter reports that ``In its filing, India said the new U.S. visa measures seemed inconsistent with the WTO commitments the United States had made, because the moves treat Indian IT workers in the United States less favorably than their American counterparts.


In December, the U.S. Congress doubled the cost of sponsoring H-1B visas to $4,000 each and L-1 visas to $4,500 each as part of a major spending bill. Indian business lobby NASSCOM estimated that would inflate costs for Indian IT export firms by $400 million a year.``

Promotion of Soil Test Based Balanced and Judicious Use of Chemical Fertilizers, Bio-Fertilizers and Locally Available Organic Manures

The Government is promoting soil test based balanced and judicious use of chemical fertilizers, bio-fertilizers and locally available organic manures like Farm Yard Manure, compost, Vermi Compost and Green manure to maintain soil health and its productivity.

‘Soil Health Card’ (SHC) scheme has been launched in February 2015 to assist State Governments to evaluate fertility in all 14 crore farm holdings and issue soil health cards to farmers regularly in a cycle of 2 years. Soil health cards provide information to farmers on nutrients status of their soil along with recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its fertility.

In order to reduce use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the country, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is recommending Integrated Pest Management (through a combination of agronomic, chemical and biological methods) and Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) envisaging conjunctive use of both inorganic and organic sources of nutrients. Besides, split application and placement of fertilizers, use of slow releasing N-fertilizers and nitrification inhibitors, inclusion of legumes in cropping system, adoption of Resource Conservation Technologies (RCTs) and fertigation are also being advocated. ICAR also imparts training, organizes Front Line Field Demonstrations to educate farmers on all these aspect.

Under the scheme ‘Strengthening and Modernisation of Pest Management Approach in India’ farmers are educated to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as cardinal principle and main plank of plant protection strategy in overall crop production programme. Under the ambit of (IPM) programme, the Government of India has established 31 Central IPM Centres which conduct Farmers Field Schools (FFSs) to educate farmers about mechanical, cultural and biological control measures including use of biopesticides against different crop pests and weeds and judicious use of chemical pesticides as a measure of last resort.

The Insecticides Act 1968 and the Rules framed there under mandate that pesticides are registered for use in agriculture in India only after a detailed evaluation of safety. Once registered, a pesticide is legally obligated to display and carry approved labels and leaflets containing critical information on safe use of pesticides for the benefit of farmers & extension functionaries etc. Application of pesticides in accordance with instructions on the label and leaflets is not likely to cause any harm to human health.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Sh. Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundaria in Rajya Sabha today. 

India and United States Partner on Cancer and Traditional Medicine Research Efforts

Collaborative research on cancer and traditional medicine may pave the way for potential breakthroughs

The first U.S.-India Workshop on Traditional Medicine (March 3-4, 2016) began in New Delhi today. The Workshop was jointly inaugurated by the Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Richard Verma and Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs at HHS, Ambassador Jimmy Kolker.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Global Affairs (OGA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI), and U.S. academic institutions will interact with their counterparts from the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), and Indian research institutes and universities, in New Delhi during the workshop.

The Workshop is being organized under the auspices of the first U.S.-India Health Dialogue held in September, 2015 in Washington, D.C. This effort underscores the discussions between the U.S. President and the Indian Prime Minister to encourage bilateral dialogue on traditional medicine.

Over the course of the two-day workshop, participants will share current traditional medicine therapies and practices for cancer in U.S. and India. They will review available evidence for AYUSH products and interventions, which could reduce pain/morbidity from cancer treatments and improve the quality of life. Scientists will explore opportunities to collaborate on mutually-identified research in the areas of natural products, palliative care and other support studies. Professional training and scientific exchanges will be an important aspect of this cooperation.

Addressing the participants, the AYUSH Minister, Shri Shripad Naik said that globalization of AYUSH is one of the major policy thrusts of our Government. The constructive collaboration between India and U.S. in this field is important for incorporating more scientific inputs from both sides in Traditional Medicines which can help mainstreaming AYUSH systems in patient health care across the globe. India is also collaborating with World Health Organization (WHO) in the area of Traditional Medicine which will help in achieving international acceptability and positioning of AYUSH systems, the Minister explained.

“Today’s workshop supports the important deliverable from the President Obama-Prime Minister Modi Joint Statement and U.S.-India Health Dialogue, where both India and the U.S. agreed to explore further potential areas of mutual collaboration on Indian Traditional Medicine,” said Mr. Richard Verma, U.S. Ambassador to India.

“This meeting demonstrates the commitment of HHS to support bilateral cooperation on cancer and traditional medicine research, with science at the cornerstone,” said Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, Assistant Secretary of Global Affairs at HHS.

“This is a great opportunity to bring to the table from the US side NCI and NIH expertise in laboratory and clinical evaluation of traditional medicine and from the Indian side an impressive commitment to building the evidence base for traditional Indian medicine,” said Dr.Edward Trimble, Director of the U.S. NCI’s Center for Global Health.

Secretary AYUSH, Shri Ajit Mohan Sharan informed that the International Cooperation Division in the Ministry has been asked to work proactively to forge such collaborations so that large sections of people can benefit from AYUSH systems.

The U.S. delegation also visited several Indian institutes – Benares Hindu University, Jamia Hamdard University, All India Institute of Ayurveda and Medanta – The Medicity, to learn first-hand how Traditional and Modern Medicine co-exist for patient-care.

Nearly 175 participants including experts related to both traditional systems and modern medicine, biologists, and researchers from India and the U.S. will take part in the two day Workshop.

These discussions will be strengthened at the next U.S.-India Health Dialogue this year in India. 

U.S. plans naval exercises with India and Japan in Philippine Sea

NEW DELHI | By Sanjeev Miglani : India, the United States and Japan will hold naval exercises in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea this year, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, a move likely to further raise tensions with China.
The announcement comes a day after the United States warned China against militarisation of the South China Sea, where Beijing is locked in a territorial dispute with several countries, saying there would be consequences.
Last year, India and the United States expanded their annual naval drills in the Bay of Bengal to include Japan after a gap of eight years, in a move seen as a response to China's growing assertiveness in the region.
Admiral Harry B. Harris, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said the naval exercise will be held in the northern Philippine Sea and that Japan will take part.
Freedom of the seas was a fundamental right of all nations, he told a security conference in New Delhi, adding some thinly veiled criticism of Beijing.

"While some countries seek to bully smaller nations through intimidation and coercion, I note with admiration India's example of peaceful resolution of disputes with your neighbours in the waters of the Indian Ocean, " he said.
Asked about the drills, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: "We hope the cooperation of relevant countries will benefit regional peace and security, and not harm the interests of third parties".
Tensions in the South China Sea have risen recently, with the United States and others protesting against Beijing's land reclamations in the Spratly islands, along with the recent deployment of surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets in the Paracel Islands.

Along with China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.
Harris said the United States wished to expand the naval exercises it held with India each year into joint operations across the Asia-Pacific, which could draw India into the row in the South China Sea.

The two countries have held talks on joint naval patrols and last month a U.S. defence official told Reuters that these could include the South China Sea.
Both India and the United States later said these patrols were not imminent after Beijing warned that interference from countries outside the region threatens peace and stability.
Harris said it was up to the leaders of India and the United States to decide where to hold the joint operations.

Setting up of a Society, "36thInternational Geological Congress", for organizing 36th International Geological Congress in the year 2020 and promoting geoscience in Indian subcontinent

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to set up of a Society, "36th International Geological Congress", under the Indian Society Registration Act, 1860 for organizing 36th International Geological Congress (IGC) in year 2020 and promoting geoscience in Indian subcontinent. The event will be held in NCR, Delhi during March 2-6, 2020. A budgetary outlay worth Rs. 52 crore has been already approved by Cabinet to carry out preparatory activities upto 2018-19 and additional funds will be sought on revising the estimate a year before the main event.

The 36th IGC will be hosted jointly by the Ministry of Mines (MoM) and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with active support from the science academies of India and co-host neighboring countries. It is expected to attract 7000+ geoscientists from all over the world. The event is to be organized under the aegis of International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and as per the statutes of IUGS-IGC Council. On being registered, the Society, 36IGC will start preparing for the event by taking up activities including constitution of a Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and participation in the 35th IGC which is scheduled to be held during 27 August-4 September, 2016 at Cape Town, South Africa.The Society will be wound-up after the completion of the event.

The event will benefit the entire geoscientific community and all geoscience-related domains including mineral exploration, mining, environmental management, climate change studies, management of natural hazards, etc. It is also expected to give a boost to geo-tourism in the country.An exhibition 'GEOEXPO-2020", scheduled to be held alongside the conference, is expected to attract major mining and mineral exploration companies.The GEOEXPO exhibition will attract global companies involved in mining, mineral exploration and infrastructure development. Showcasing of India's mineral potential can create an opportunity for foreign investment in India in these areas.

The 36th IGC has the theme “Geoscience-the Basic Science for Sustainable Future”. Hosting the event in India will provide an opportunity to upgrade geosciences and geoscientific research in the country to meet the challenges of global changes and ever increasing quest for natural resources. The Indian subcontinent has more than 10000 geoscientists engaged in mineral exploration, geotechnical investigations, geoscientific mapping, and research and development in fundamental geoscientific activities in various national organizations and institutions/ universities, industry and private sector enterprises. The applied fields are diverse ranging from oil and gas to groundwater, mining to environment, climate changes to natural hazards etc. The Indian Geoscientists will get a big opportunity to interact with the best of subject experts from world over to further improve their knowledge and skills to meet the emerging challenges.

Background:

India made a bid to host the 36th IGC in India along with its co-host neighboring countries, namely, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka during the 34th international Geological Congress held at Brisbane, Australia in August 2012, and won it with an overwhelming support of global geoscientific community.

The IGC is a prestigious geoscience conference organized at an interval of 4 years under the aegis of International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) an affiliate of International Council of Science (ICSU). The IGC, since its inception in 1878, has attracted 6000 + delegates to each of its last five sessions held in different parts of the world. India had earlier hosted the 22nd session of IGC, which was the first IGC in Asia, in year1964 in Delhi.

The event will showcase India as a scientific destination for human resource development and training, and this will help improve Indian position in the South Asian and African regions on a long term basis. It will also contribute towards increasing tourism revenue by opening new avenues for geo-tourism.

IMF sees India growth picking up, inflation behaving

India's economic growth rate should pick up to 7.5 percent in the 2016/17 fiscal year, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, aided by a collapse in oil prices and relatively low exposure to current global financial turbulence.
Summing up its latest review of Asia's third-largest economy, the Fund forecasts that economic growth would pick up from 7.3 percent in the 2015/16 fiscal year that ends on March 31.
"The broad message is that India's growth trajectory is pretty strong by international standards - not to mention the advanced economies," IMF Resident Representative Thomas Richardson told Reuters.
Inflation was behaving and was on track, the Fund said in a statement, with monetary conditions consistent with hitting the Reserve Bank of India's target for consumer price inflation of 5 percent by March 2017.

And, while the balance of economic risks has improved, they remain tilted to the downside. These included the impact of intensified volatility on global financial markets, including from surprise unexpected U.S. monetary policy moves or China's economic slowdown.
"The authorities have done a pretty good job of bringing inflation down and reducing external vulnerability, positioning India well to handle another round of external volatility," Richardson said in a telephone interview.

In comments published after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled an annual budget that stuck to deficit targets, the IMF called for more "growth friendly" fiscal consolidation.

It also highlighted potential risks from weak corporate and bank balance sheets. Jaitley's budget on Monday committed $3.7 billion to recapitalize state banks. Bankers estimate that their recapitalization needs are nearly 10 times as much.

India's 2016/17 federal budget 'balanced', 'pragmatic': RBI deputy

India's 2016/17 budget unveiled by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday is "pragmatic" and "balanced," and its focus on the rural economy and job creation will bring long-term benefits, Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor S.S. Mundra said.
Mundra's reaction, during an interaction with reporters on Tuesday, marks the first public comment from a senior RBI official on the budget.
"It is a pragmatic budget, particularly if you look at the fiscal consolidation road map," Mundra told reporters on the sidelines of a conference.
"The thrust on rural economy and job creation is very positive for the long term benefit. The social and public investment thrust should also be very important. Overall it's a balanced budget and (with) a very long term impact."

Mundra said the government's plan to inject 250 billion rupees ($3.67 billion) into state-owned lenders in the year starting in April "would work for the time being", but added it should be open to making more such injections.

"If the need arises, government will find a way," he said.
($1 = 68.0350 Indian rupees)