Dear IF-ites,

Please post all links, statistics for articles that can be used to make good arguments against the BPO backlash.

Thankyou.

Admins : I thought one source for all such links would help in countering the propaganda doing the rounds. I came face to face with a jerk last week who was whining that US jobs are going to US. But if you think this doesnt deserve a separate thread please feel free to close it.

As viren suggested, I am starting a new thread

I am trying to start a small and primary analyst group that leverages US/India/Europe talents in applied research in Telecom/Datacom areas.

we have a group from India/US/Sweden/Germany (Universities) willing to work with us, but we still have to bake the idea and work on the idea. If anyone is interested, either post here or contact me personally.

We have, at this point, lot of technical resources, but looking for marketing, financial, and other aspects of such business. We are not consultants, we will specialize in analysis first. Things we could get into are areas of all networking protocols, services (VoIP, streaming video) etc, transition from IPv4 to IPv6, security, analytical modeling, redefining cost models and price models for service providers etc/

Thank you
-Best Regards

K.ram

Deleted

TN has better purchasing power now

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is said to have considerably improved its ranking among the major five states in terms of total purchasing power (PP), luxury goods consumption and composite economic activity. This has been found in a study by the Business Intelligence Unit, a Chennai-based policy research and consultancy organisation.

It is estimated that India’s PP has almost doubled to Rs 14,86,200 crore in 2003 from Rs 7,63,500 crore in 1998. It indicated that the composition of basic goods in PP has fallen to 48% from 65% while that of luxury goods rose to 7% from 3% during the period.

The study has found Tamil Nadu in a stellar performance emerging third largest in total PP. It has surged by Rs 67,420 crore in the five-year period to Rs 1,19,509 crore . Its compounded annual growth rate of 18.07% is said to be the highest among the five major states. TN’s share also improved to 8.04% from 6.82% in 1998.

In 1998, it was ranked fifth in PP trailing Maharashtra , UP, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. It is now ranked third below Maharashtra which had Rs 2,11,690 crore (14.24% share) and UP Rs 1,74,056 crore (11.71%). WB had Rs 1,09,090 crore (7.34%) and AP Rs 97,558 crore (6.56%).

In the luxury consumption class, TN with Rs 8.520 crore ranked third after Maharashtra (Rs 22,824 crore) and Delhi (Rs 11,530 crore). In PP for luxury goods, TN has improved its position from seventh to third in a span of five years and its share in the aggregate luxury goods PP of the country has increased from 5.51% to 8.14%.

BIU’s index of economic activity(IEA) indicated that TN holds the third position among the five major states in terms of IEA-composite. In agriculture, industry, trade and finance, the state is ranked third in the country while it is second in transportation, professional services and housing. Maharashtra dominates in IEA with a composite index of 26.30 followed by Delhi 10.94, TN 9.89, Karnataka 6.61 and AP 6.58. The study found that 14 out of 30 districts of TN have 10,000 households in the income class above Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. There are 128 such districts in India . Twenty districts in TN (total 205 districts) have PP exceeding Rs 2,500 crore. Again 11 (total 91 districts) have PP luxury goods exceeding Rs 250 crore.

In terms of relative purchasing power ( measures PP of a district relative to India ’s aggregate PP), TN has 14 of the 100 districts in the country while 12 districts ( of 100) find a place in IEA composite.

Poverty line in the state appears to be sliding sharply. In 2003, 35.14% of households were earning less than Rs 37,500 per annum ( slightly over 55 lakh households). This compares favourably with the national average of 41.57% of households earning below the mark. However, 17 districts have households in the lowest income group higher than the state average of 35.14%. Worst among them are the erstwhile Ariyalur ( now merged Perambalur district), Tiruvannamalai, Vilupuram, Dharmapuri, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram. These districts have low IEAs with low levels of agri and industrial activity. The services sector is also not well developed. Obviously, these districts cry for the attention of Government, said BIU.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articl...079,curpg-1.cms

Hi all [+admin]
Where is the defense section? i was told there was one here discussing some Israeli sales to India. What...mmmm...where am i ? Is this wrong forum?
Do you guys have a indiadefenseforum.com kinda thing like Pakistanidefenseforum.com ???
HELP.....is Dr.Jagan here. Anyone.
Denil
P.S: i am from Israel in India working on many defense related issues. I just left Pakistani defense forum and joined here. They have been deleting my posts because i guess its too overwhelming for them.

Ranjit Singh subdued NWFP and put Peshawar directly under his control (Hari Singh Nalwa wa governor) Kabul was paying tribute to Sarkar Khalsa of Lahore Darbar in 1824. Ranjit Singh died in 1838 and his kingdom collapsed after British defeated the Sarkar Khalsa in series of six battles starting in 1845 and then in 1849.

Why don't Indian government put this in Indian education (primary, secondary or others)?

No map that you posted here shows that Sarkar Khalsa ruled from 1799 till 1849 in the area as large as Beus till Khyber and Kashmir till Sindh (In this period Kashmir was always under Sarkar Khalsa and paid tribute). Even General Zorawar
Singh who got Leh, Ladakh, Gilgit Baltistan under Sarkar Khalsa issued his orders for tribute "protectorate of Sarkar Khalsa of Lahore"

Not sure if it is OK to refer to the forum in the never never land, so I shall refrain for now.

I came across this post toda about "Third Battle of Panipat" from Wikipedia encyclopedia. In one section it said

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rout
The Afgans pursued the fleeing Maratha army and the civilians, while the Maratha front lines ramined largely intact, with some of their artillery units fighting until sundown. Choosing not to launch a night attack, made good their escape that night. Parvati bai escaped the armageddon with her bodyguards, and eventually returned to Pune.

The Afgan cavalry and pikemen ran wild through the streets of Panipat, killing any Maratha soldiers or civilians who offered and resistance. About 6,000 women and children sought shelter with Shuja (allies of Abdali) whose Hindu officers persuaded him to protect them.

Afgan officers who had lost their kin in battle were permitted to carry out masscres the next day, also in Panipat and the surrounding area. They arranged victory mounds of severed heads outside their camps. About 10,000 Maratha civilians and soldiers alike were slain this way on 15th January 1761. Many of the fleeing Maratha women jumped into the Panipat well rather than risk rape and dishonour. Many others did their best to hide in the streets of Panipat when the North Indian Hindus of the town refused to give them refuge.

Abdali's soldiers arrested about 10,000 women and another 10,000 young children and men brought them to their camps. The women were raped, many committed suicide because of constant rapes perpetrated on them. All of the prisoners were exchanged or sold as sex slaves to Afganistan or North India, transported on carts, camels and elephants in bamboo cages.

A conservative estimate places Maratha losses at 35,000 on the Panipat battlefield itself, and another 10,000 or more in surrounding areas. The Afgans are thought to have lost some 30,000.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Pay attention to the second, third and fourth paragraphs. These guys were so upset that a "muslim" army was protrayed as raping 10k hindu women, they edited the Wikipedia and stripped out the said paragraphs.

It now reads like this:

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rout

The Afgans pursued the fleeing Maratha army and the civilians, while the Maratha front lines ramined largely intact, with some of their artillery units fighting until sundown. Choosing not to launch a night attack, made good their escape that night. Parvati bai escaped the armageddon with her bodyguards, and eventually returned to Pune.

A conservative estimate places Maratha losses at 35,000 on the Panipat battlefield itself, and another 10,000 or more in surrounding areas. The Afgans are thought to have lost some 30,000. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Panipat

I am certain these guys havent bothered to check the source of that claim.

I looked at "The wonder that was India, Part II" by Rizvi. It makes a passing reference.

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In the Panjab, Ahmad Shah Durrani's invasions destroyed the Mughal administration, leaving the field open for the Sikhs, who have been flattened during Farrukhsiyar's regime. <b>On 15 NOvember, 1756 Ahmad Shah left Peshawar to sack Delhi. There was no one to resist hi. In January 1757 he was acknowledged Emperor in Delhi, but he was interested only in fleecing India of its wealth. Delhi was divided into sectors under Afghan leaders so that they might plunder it systematically. From there Durrani marched upon Mathura and savagely looted the Hindu temples adn rich merchants. The advent of summer made further Afghan advances impossible, and Ahmad Shah returned to  country laden with treasure from his Indian invasion.</b>

Ahmad Shah Durrani subsequently resotred Alamgir II to the throne. On 23 June 1757 the commander of the army of the East India Company, Clive, defeated Siraju'd Dawla, Ali Wardi's successor. To justify his aggression, he wrote a long letter to the Emperor, who was no more than a cipher. Alamgir's prime minister, Imadu'l Mulk, first forced the Prince Ali Gawhar to leave and then killed his father, Alamgir II.
The fugitive Prince fled to Bihar and dorwned himself king, assume the title Shah Alam II. Although Imadu'l Mulk raised the pupper ruler to the throne, to all intents and purposes Delhi was controlled by the Marathas. Then Ahmad Shah Durrani marched from Qandahar for the fifth time to eliminate the Marathas, who were now virtual rulers as far as Attock.

On 14 January 1761 the Marathas sustained a crushing defeat on the battlefield of Panipat. Ahmad Shah Durrani returned to Qandahar in March of that year. He had by now lost control of the Panjab. He invaded it three more times to elimnate the Sikhs by died in October 1773 without having made much progress in consolidating the administration of Panjab. <b>The orthodox Sunni hopes of a revival of their power through Durrani were shattered for ever</b>. Sikh domination of the Panjab was also shortlived. In 1803, the English conquered Delhi, although the Mughal emperors continued to rule withing the four walls of the Delhi fort until 1857. But the stead advance of the British is another story<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I will try to look into John Keay's depiction tomorrow.

Anyone has more sources please post.

Also, how about forming a group to counter paki hijacking of history as well as depicting the historical truths on the nest. I knwo, we all have limited time, but we can do it. How about a dedicated forum --probably closed visitors-- to discuss the on going modalities?

<b>Sri Lanka: The feud between President & Prime Minister continues</b>
by Dr. S. Chandrasekharan.

It is now more than two months since President Chandrika Kumaratunge directly took over the portfolios of Defence, Interior and information after sacking the three cabinet ministers holding these posts. From then on there have been talks between the representatives of the President and the Prime minister (Samarawickreme- Tittawella Committee) with regular leaks from both sides on the differences from both sides.

What is happening is that negotiations are being held by the two parties through the state media. This is hardly the way to go about when the future of the unity of the island is at stake and when there should have been an urgency to utilise the funds offered by the international community for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

To cite one example- after two weeks of negotiations when some progress was made in the talks in running the Defence ministry there was a leak from the President’s office of a document which mentioned about the formation of a Joint Peace council overseen by an Advisory Council consisting of representatives from people from all walks of life quite contrary to what was discussed and agreed upon. This almost led to the collapse of the Committee set up by the two sides.

The proposals instead of concentrating on the cease fire agreement and the peace talks went through the whole gamut of issues between the two parties like the creation of a national consensus, strengthening of democratic institutions, infra structure development, moratorium on cross overs etc.

Thus, the standoff between the two leaders has turned into one of “power struggle” with no chance of any compromise. There were reports that the President and the Prime minister will meet on December 15 to take a final decision. This was said to be a “make or break” meeting. However this meeting, fourth in the series after the sacking, did not produce any positive result with both the leaders adhering to their earlier stand. No new dead line has been fixed and it looks that nobody is in a hurry.

Since the peace talks are in a limbo with the Norwegian facilitators having suspended their involvement in the peace talks, it is very necessary for the two leaders to immediately decide on the following:

- Who should lead in continuing the peace process and the cease fire?

- Mechanism for dealing with the SLMM ( Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission)

- Defence Portfolio- Power sharing or consensus?

- Discussions with the LTTE on the interim administration of the North east.

In a rare briefing to the diplomats in Colombo, Peiris the government’s representative to the peace talks said that the two major parties must join and work for the success of the stalled peace talks to resume and to reach its objective of finding a permanent peace in the country. A tall order indeed, as the Tamil problem has invariably been caught up in the feuds between the two major groups of the majority community and it looks that it is not going to be different this time too!

Prabakaran’s Heroes’ Day speech on 27 November.

Prabakaran’s speech on Heroes day on November 27 carried no surprises. He pointed out that the north east needs urgent humanitarian assistance in resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction and expressed his concern for continued military occupation of Tamil areas- a reference to the High Security Zones. Some important points made by him were

- The two allegations that the LTTE is strengthening its military structure and that Prime minister had provided too many concessions in the cease-fire agreement were denied by him. (On the contrary indications are that the LTTE is still recruiting and clandestinely obtaining arms.)

- His organisation and his people do not want war and are still committed to peace process.

- In the Sinhala nation there is total peace and normalcy, whereas on the Tamil side there is none .

- Wickremasinghe allowed space for increased interest and intervention of several international governments in the peace process and in the negotiating process. (In one sense it is true that Wickremasinghe in view of his feud with his President, sought international support for his actions relating to the peace process rather than from his President)

- Urgent humanitarian needs on one side and the issue of resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction on the other called for immediate solutions. Hence he made the proposal for an interim administration.

– His proposals do not constitute a frame work for permanent final solution. ( We had referred to the ISGA proposals in update 52 and called it as a proposal for a state within a state. While his statement could be construed as one where LTTE is willing to climb down from the basic position in the proposal as many have done, it is our view that the LTTE is looking for a final solution which could only be an improvement on the present proposals.

Karuna, in one of his speeches in Batticola admitted that the proposals for the interim administration went beyond a “federal system” and added that it conforms to the ground realities!)

- He is concerned about the continued military occupation of Tamil lands.

What of the future?

For the present the LTTE is unlikely to renew the war on its own. Their stakes in the peace process are high and they are getting international legitimacy which they would lose once the conflict is started from their side. They would therefore wait and wait for quite some time till political stability returns to the south. No one can blame them if they continue to strengthen themselves in view of continued political struggle in the south which is having an adverse impact on the peace process.

As said before it is this political power struggle between the two political parties of the Sinhala community which has frustrated a permanent solution of the ethnic conflict. This is the best opportunity for peace but this would need statesmanship from both President and the Prime minister. They do not seem to be ready though they know as everyone else that renewed war would be a disaster for the whole of Sri Lanka

<b>Festival Lohri</b>
Lohri marks the culmination of winter, and is celebrated on the 13th day of January in the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. For Punjabis, this is more than just a festival, it is also an example of a way of life. Lohri celebrates fertility and the spark of life. People gather round the bonfires, throw sweets, puffed rice and popcorn into the flames, sing popular songs and exchange greetings.

An extremely auspicious day, Lohri marks the sun's entry in to the 'Makar Rashi' (northern hemisphere). The period, beginning from 14 January lasting till 14 July, is known as Uttarayan. It is also the last day of the month of Maargazhi, the ninth month of the lunar calendar. The Bhagawad Gita deems it an extremely sacred and auspicious time, when Lord Krishna manifests himself most tangibly. And so, across India, people celebrate the month and the prodigious harvest it brings - Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bihu in Assam, Bhogi in Andhra Pradesh and the Sankranti in Karnataka, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The focus of Lohri is on the bonfire. The traditional dinner with makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is quintessential. The prasad comprises of five main things: til, gazak, gur, moongphali, phuliya and popcorn. There is puja, involving parikrama around the fire and distribution of prasad. This symbolises a prayer to Agni, the spark of life, for abundant crops and prosperity.

It is also the one day when the womenfolk and children get attention. The first Lohri of a bride is extremely important. The first Lohri of a newborn baby, whether a girl or a boy, is also equally important. Children go from door to door singing and asking for the Lohri prasad.

Children go from door to door singing popular Lohri Song and asking for the Lohri prasad (old furniture, cash for bonefire <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> )
Sunder mundriya …ho Tera kaun vichara..ho Dulla Bhatti walla…ho Dulle ne ti iahiyi…ho Saer Shakar payi…ho Kudi de boje payee…

<b>Dollar Sinks to New Low Vs Euro</b>
Wednesday December 17, 4:20 pm ET
By Gertrude Chavez


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar plumbed fresh lows against the euro and sank against other major currencies on Wednesday, undermined by positive news from Europe and still hurting from expectations that U.S. rates will remain low for some time.

The euro broke through the psychologically important $1.2400(EUR=) level, reaching a record $1.2418 earlier in the session, before trading back down to $1.2397. This is the 12th record high of the past 14 trading sessions for the euro, which has surged almost 19 percent this year.

"The dollar's fall was a combination of a few things. The tax package that came out of Germany was a slight positive even though some people were slightly disappointed with the size of the tax cut. But nonetheless, Germany is actually doing something and that's really good," said Andrew Busch, global foreign exchange strategist at BMO Nesbitt Burns in Chicago.

German newspapers reported on Wednesday that the landmark German tax and welfare reform deal agreed this week will produce over 1 billion euros more in tax relief next year than earlier announced.

Busch also said Tuesday's weaker-than-expected consumer prices still weighed on the greenback, as the data suggested that inflation is quite tame and as a consequence U.S. interest rates will stay at their currently low level for quite some time.

The dollar index slipped to a seven-year low of about 87.79 on Wednesday as market sentiment on the currency remained bearish. The index (=USD), a measure of the dollar against a basket of currencies, was trading at 87.94.

Despite a quiet trading day, the dollar posted substantial downward moves against most of its major counterparts. Analysts say that as the end of the year approaches, the market tends to become illiquid, so any moves could jolt the currency.

Against the yen, the greenback fell slightly to 107.44 yen (JPY=), with traders on the alert of possible Japan intervention to weaken the Japanese currency.

The dollar hit a seven-year low against the Swiss franc of 1.2514 francs(CHF=), before edging up to 1.2542 francs, down 0.4 percent on the day.

Sterling climbed for a second straight day to an 11-year high of $1.7667(GBP=) before drifting back to $1.7655.

ECB'S ISSING SAYS EURO RATE BACK TO NORMAL

European Central Bank Chief Economist Otmar Issing was quoted on Wednesday as saying the euro's exchange rate against the dollar was back to normal, having reached the same level as around the time of its introduction of $1.17 in 1999.

Analysts also said one factor contributing to the euro's rise was a report from Market News International citing unidentified ECB sources saying the bank would not intervene unless the euro rose above $1.35.

"Things were relatively quiet this morning until this story came out suggesting from ECB sources that they did not see the need for any intervention unless the euro got to $1.35, and of course, whenever you put a number out there, the markets get very excited," said Robert Sinche, global head of currency strategy at Citibank in New York.

A spokesman for the ECB declined to comment on the report, following the central bank's standard policy not to comment on currency markets or on reports about possible market action.

But still the surging euro has provoked concern among European companies that export to the United States, citing the negative impact of the single European currency's strength on their bottom lines.

The co-chief executive of Airbus parent EADS said the company would have to take radical new cost-cutting measures and put additional pressure on suppliers if the euro rose to the $1.30-$1.35 level for a lengthy period of time.

The Norwegian central bank, meanwhile, made a surprise rate cut of 25 basis points to a record low 2.25 percent, sending the Norwegian crown to a six-week low against the euro of 8.2668 crowns (EURNOK=), and dropping it to 6.7061 crowns (NOK=) against the dollar.