HYDERABAD, June 30:
India, an emerging global economic power, has the potential to become the largest economy in the world, Facebook Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg said today.
Sandberg, who served as Chief of Staff for the US Treasury Department under President Bill Clinton, said the over USD 2 trillion Indian economy has immense potential to create jobs and drive growth, especially with its huge base of small and medium businesses (SMBs).
“India has the potential to become the largest economy in the world. And if you look at economic growth, particularly recently, jobs is a very hard situation all over the world. From the US to developing markets, everyone is very concerned about jobs.”
“And majority of the growth, as I understand it, is certainly here, certainly in the US. In most countries, I have visited, SMBs are the way to growth,” she told PTI.
Explaining further, Sandberg, whose previous stint was as Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, said “the answer to growth is entrepreneurship”.
“Individuals are creating businesses and employing other people, and in India, the SMB growth is strong. And Internet provides more growth stories to SMBs. People are connecting to people and getting more customers and that’s what leads to economic growth,” she added.
Micro, small and medium businesses contribute nearly eight per cent of India’s GDP, 45 per cent of the manufacturing output and 40 per cent of exports.
The sector is estimated to have given employment to about 595 lakh people in over 261 lakh such enterprises throughout the country.
India, which is considered as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, saw its growth rate plummeting to less than five per cent in the last two years.
However, the industry is hopeful of a rebound with a new stable government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is widely perceived as a pro-business leader.
Modi had also said recently that there is a need to administer “bitter medicine” to revive the ailing economy.
The International Monetary Fund has projected a growth rate of 6.4 per cent next year, in line with the gradual strengthening of global markets.
Reminiscing her association with India, the former management consultant with McKinsey & Company and an economist with the World Bank said she started her career in India in 1981 working with the World Bank on Leprosy.
“And now when I look at leprosy, it’s no longer a threat here. The way I see it, India has grown so much in the past two decades,” she added.
Sandberg said Facebook wants to be a part of the growth
story in India, which is on the cusp of leapfrogging ahead in economic as well as social development.
India has the world’s third largest Internet userbase with over 200 million users, most of whom are logging onto the web using their mobile phones.
“India is Facebook’s second largest market, fastest growing market, fastest growing Internet connectivity in APAC. It is of high priority for us,” Sandberg said.
According to research firm eMarketer India, which has the highest number of Facebook users outside the US, will account for the fastest growth in people logging on to the social networking platform this year.
Over 100 million Indians are on the California- headquartered firm’s platform, with around 84 million users accessing the social networking site from their mobile devices. (PTI)
India has potential to be largest economy: Sheryl Sandberg
District police organizes cultural night ‘Mehfil-e-Mausiqi’
Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, June 30: A cultural night “Mehfil-e-Mausiqi” was organized by District Police for the citizens and jawans at District Police Lines (DPL) here.
The audiences were enthralled by the performance of cultural troupe of Ustad Shikawat Hussain Khan, noted singer of international repute coupled with performances of local singers of district Poonch. The audiences remained spell bound to the performances of guest/local artists.
SP Poonch Shamsheer Hussain also distributed mementoes to the guest/local artists who have performed during the cultural night.
While speaking on the occasion, SP Poonch asked the local artists to emulate the same and work hard to compete at the national and international level.
He further assured that district police will do its level best to provide platform to the aspiring local artists of Poonch district to channelize their talent and organize such programmes in future as well.
Among others present were Amit Gupta, Additional SP Poonch, Khalid Amin, DySP DAR DPL Poonch, Deepak Digra, DySP Headquarters Poonch, KK Kapoor, Padamshree Shamboo Nath Khajuria, Pardeep Khanna, Narinder Singh Talwar and Advocate Ifthikar Bazmi.
Destructive emotions root cause of sufferings: Dalai Lama
Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, June 30: Spiritual leader Dalai Lama inaugurated the “Parchin Yarchoe Chenmo” Summer Festival of Dharma debate on the paramitas at Gaden Dhargye Ling, Likir Monastery today and also presided over the debate and discussion on the six paramitas, along with Galdan Thri Rinpochey, Bakula Rinpoche, Tibetan Rinpoches and an assembly of scholars from all orders of Tibetan Buddhism.
Addressing the gathering, Dalai Lama backed the scholars’ view on Buddhism, calling it science of mind and said that over last 20 to 30 years he has been discussing and debating with scientists about emotion and not on salvation or reincarnation. “Destructive emotions like anger, constant fear, hatred, jealousy are root cause of suffering leading to disturbed mind and uncontrolled actions,” he said and emphasized on using human intelligence in maximum way to transform emotions which he said is the basis of ancient Indian psychology and Buddhist psychology.
He strongly stressed upon studying religious scriptures as academic text book and to acquire thorough knowledge and understanding of the written material and then accept the preaching with practical implementation after repeated experiment and not out of mere faith and devotion. “This applies to all but in particular to the monks who hold greater responsibility in preserving and disseminating Buddha’s teachings, thus pointing more number of Gyeshes in the region as compare to earlier times”, he said.
He also expressed happiness over more and more monks from different Buddhist countries showing great interest in Buddhist teachings of Mahayana and even many Indians exhibiting interest in Buddhist study of mind.
Manager, Likir Monestry, Gyeshe Lobzang Samstan highlighted the need and objective of holding such dharma debates said that it was on the suggestion of Dalai Lama who during his visit in 2012 to Ladakh asked the monastery representatives, LGA, LBA and other Buddhist institutes to organize debate and discussion among monks of various monasteries and sects which will not only help in understanding Buddha dharma but would also become a source to bring happiness, progress and harmony among different religion across the Himalayan region.
Dalai Lama and Galdan Thri Rinpoche gave sermons to the monks, guests and public. Over 80 monks were felicitated with certificates of Geshe, Kachen and Ngagrampa and momentous of Buddha presented by Thri Rinpoche. President, LGA, Konchok Namgyal, Gyen Chospel Zodpa, Gyeshe Lobzang Gyaltsan also spoke on the occasion.
Among others present on the occasion were Minister Urban and Local Bodies, Rigzin Jora, CEC, LAHDC, Rigzin Spalbar, EC Agriculture, Sonam Dorjey, Former PM, P Namgial, MLC Nurboo Gyaltsan, Councilor Saspol and Khaltsi, President LBA, district officers and many foreign guests.
Dalai Lama also inaugurated ritually the statue of Buddha at Ney village and gave a brief preaching of Buddha to the huge gathering of guests, monks and villagers.
One dies, 6 injured in road accidents
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 30: One person has died while six others were injured in separate road accidents across the Valley.
A police spokesman said an unknown Tractor hit a pedestrian Ram Dass son of Om Girdari of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh at Qazigund, resulting in his on spot death. The dead body is lying in Emergency Hospital Qazigund for legal formalities.
An Alto car JK03D-2570 driven by Arshid Ahmad Reshi of Bontooru turned turtle at Khakdar Poshnari in Achabal, Anantnag, resulting in injuries to four persons travelling in the car. All the injured were shifted to SMHS Srinagar and SKIMS Srinagar for further treatment.
An Innova GJ-6642 hit and injured a pedestrian Khati wife of Ghulam Rasool Ahanger of Lar Preng at National Highway near Preng. The injured was shifted to Sub District Hospital, Kangan for treatment.
In another road accident, an unknown motor cyclist JK01J-331 skidded off the road near Fruit Mandi in Parimpora, resulting in injuries to the motor cyclist. He was shifted to JVC Hospital for treatment.
The spokesman said police has registered cases in these accidents.
No make-up for Big B in ‘Yudh’
MUMBAI, June 30:
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be seen without make-up in his much awaited TV show ‘Yudh’.
The 71-year-old actor plays the character of a real estate baron, Yudhisthir Sikarwar, in the upcoming show.
Anurag Kashyap, the creative director of the show, took a deliberate decision of ‘no makeup’ for the artists and the entire cast welcomed it.
“Keeping in mind that it was a directorial decision to make visuals look as real-life as possible, it was essential that the actors looked natural. That helped in the way our scenes were lit up and there were no special efforts to conceal defects, if any, on our faces. These factors work well in the overall look of the product,” Bachchan said in a statement here.
The show is likely to go on air from mid-July on Sony Entertainment Television. (PTI)
Summer camp for charity concludes
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: The fifteen days summer camp in Country Kids Playschool, Subash Nagar concluded in an atmosphere of cheerfulness and awakening.
It was meant to collect charity for the physically challenged children. It was a free summer camp open to outsiders as well. The only eligibility for the admission was a receipt of minimum Rs 100 deposited with the Jammu Red Cross Home for Handicapped.
However, parents donated generously for the noble cause. They appreciated the intention and the efforts of the school to inculcate a sense of responsibility in children towards the neglected lot.
Speaking on the occasion, the Principal of the school called it a small but firm step to build a healthy society with strong values.
Besides being a fun filled camp it delivered education too. A large number of children participated in English development course, skating and activities of art and craft. Stage exposure with mike and aerobics were the other routine activities.
A slide show was the main attraction of the concluding function, in which the parents were shown the day to day activities of the children. The parents praised the school for its transparency. Certificates were also awarded to the participants along with their creative works of art and craft.
West Bengal Governor Narayanan resigns
NEW DELHI, June 30:
West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan today resigned, becoming the fourth person occupying the gubernatorial post to put in his papers since the NDA government prodded some of the Governors appointed during UPA rule to quit.
Home Ministry sources said the Governor has tendered his resignation.
80-year-old Narayanan was recently questioned by the CBI as a “witness” in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal probe.
The resignation came weeks after Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami had telephoned some of the Governors, appointed by the previous UPA regime, to step down after the Narendra Modi government assumed charge.
Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar, Uttar Pradesh Governor B L Joshi and Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt have put in their papers in the last few days.
Narayanan, a former IPS officer who had served as Director of the Intelligence Bureau and was also the National Security Advisor, was appointed as the Governor of the state in January 2010.
All the four Governors who have resigned so far are either former IPS or IAS officers. Joshi and Kumar are former IPS officers while Dutt is a former IAS officer.
Sources said the government was considering appointing some BJP veterans as Governors in around ten states. (PTI)
Delegations, individuals visit CM’s private office
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 30: The Political Secretary to Chief Minister, Tanvir Sadiq, today listed the measures and packages, the Government has put in place to give boost to horticulture and ameliorate the lot of a large chunk of population associated with this important activity in the State.
Speaking with a delegation from Pulwama, Tanvir said that horticulture is responsible for generating substantial livelihood for the people and strengthening of economy. He said this sector offers great promises for investors to invest. He urged upon the educated youth to venture upon in this sector under MSME programme for which package of incentives is available for them.
As many as 74 deputations from all across the State and concerning various organisations and associations besides scores of individuals met the Political Secretary on the first day of Ramdan and presented their memoranda and sought his intervention in redressal of their grievances.
Deputations from Ramban, Basholi, Banihal, Qazigund, Wathura, Bandipora, Rajpora, Baramulla, Achabal, Kothar, Anantnag, Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Sopore, Kupwara and concerned with various Unions, Associations and Auqaf Committees met with Tanvir and highlighted their grievances.
Tanvir gave patient hearing to all and assured that their genuine grievances would be given priority attention for redressal.
CUK VC inaugurates browsing, micro study centre
Excelsior Correspondent
Ganderbal, June 30: Central University of Kashmir (CUK) officiating Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mehraj-ud-Din today inaugurated a mini browsing centre and a micro-study centre inside the site office of the varsity here.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Mehraj-ud-Din said the main objective of establishing the browsing centre was to provide a platform to the local student community to get connected to the outside world through World Wide Web.
By availing the facilities, the students can fill application and admission forms for the programmes offered by various educational institutions outside Valley and can also participate in the online examinations conducted by these institutions, Prof Mehraj-ud-Din added.
He said the students can remain updated with the advancements in the field of education and other allied subjects and current affairs across the globe by using the internet.
Prof. Mehraj-ud-Din said the mini study centre would prove highly beneficial to the students preparing for competitive examinations and other tests. He said books on diverse subjects have been kept at the disposal of the student community.
More and more books will be added on the demand of the locals and students visiting the study centre, he said.
Dean of various faculties, heads and coordinators of various departments, officers of the Registry, Finance and Examination wing were present at the inauguration.
Enough space in world for rise of India, China: Ansari
BEIJING, June 30:
There is enough space in the world for the rise of India and China, Vice President Hamid Ansari said today while asserting that the two neighbours have transcended bilateral scope in ties as they view each other as partners for mutual benefit and not as rivals.
On the global stage, the two countries, that account for about 37 per cent of the world’s population, are at the forefront of the emergence of a “more democratic global order” to resolve global issues in an equitable manner, he said while delivering a speech at the prestigious Chinese Academy of Social Sciences here.
“There is enough space in the world for the development of India and China, and the world needs the common development of both countries. As two large developing countries, our common interests far outweigh our differences,” Ansari said in his speech on ‘Calibrated Futurology: India, China and the World’.
Ansari said India admires China’s achievements in terms of development and hopes to see the country become a developed country soon.
He noted that it is very rare in history that two large neighbours have become rising powers at the same time.
“Our destinies are linked by geography and history. We welcome China’s peaceful development and regard it as a mutually reinforcing process,” Ansari said.
He said the relations between the two neighbours have transcended the bilateral scope and acquired regional, global and strategic significance.
“We both view each other as partners for mutual benefit and not as rivals or competitors. It has been customary to focus on bilateral issues although both our nations face similar global challenges today. The inter-dependence for dealing with these issues will only grow,” Ansari said.
“Our primary interest is to pay attention to the task of development. For it to succeed, both countries need a peaceful periphery and an environment of tranquillity. And thus it has been the objective of both our countries to seek tranquillity and stability in our immediate neighbourhood and extended region. Only then can we bring prosperity and stability to Asia and the world,” he said.
Ansari noted that the record of Sino-India relations is a mixed one, but improving.
“The border clash of 1962 left a scar on the Indian psyche and led to a brief interregnum in the growth of ties. Both countries renewed high-level exchanges in the late 1970s. These paved way for expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges,” he said.
Ansari is on a five-day visit to China to take part in the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel.
“The resumption in early 1980s of the pilgrimage to Mount
Kailash and Lake Mansarovar generated goodwill amongst the Indian people,” Ansari said.
Referring to the role the two countries could play in the near future, he said in climate change negotiations, India and China have maintained that burden sharing has to be fair and must take into account historical emissions.
“We must adhere to this principle in future negotiations. As two populous and fast developing nations, food and energy security are of vital concern to both out countries. We need to find ways of cooperating in clean energy technologies and also sharing experience in managing our respective food economy,” he said.
“Terrorism continues to be the greatest threat to our development goals. We need to find ways to jointly tackle this scourge,” he added.
Ansari said the UN Security Council should be expanded as it “no longer reflects reality”.
He said in the years ahead, a trend of multi-polarity is emerging in the global political landscape and India and China should cooperate for mutual benefit in this evolving and developing framework.
“We are also seeing the gravity of world economy shifting towards Asia. Could the 21st century be an Asian Century? For that to happen, India and China will have to play a decisive role and create a world based on good-neighbourliness and mutual prosperity rather than one based on the balance of power calculations and animosity,” Ansari said.
Ansari opined that the responsibility for taking bilateral relations to new heights is a shared one.
He argued that while the role of governments is important, equally relevant would be the contribution of social scientists in different disciplines in the realm of ideas, perspectives and policy options.
To convey New Delhi’s position, Ansari quoted from Rabindranath Tagore’s poem :”In front lies the Ocean into that ocean of peace, my friends, let us launch our boats.”
He said as China and India together account for about 37 per cent of the world’s population, there will be a competition for resources.
“These, together, throw up contradictions that need to be resolved in a manner that is peaceful rather than laced with violence, inclusive rather than exclusive, mutually beneficial rather than discriminatory,” he said.
During his visit here, Ansari took part in the 60th anniversary of Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful coexistence propounded by the two countries along with Myanmar in 1954, and held talks with the top Chinese leadership. (PTI)