US lawmakers upset over Iraq buying basmati from India

US Congress members from the largest rice-growing states are on warpath, asking Iraq to resume buying US long-grain rice, instead of from India. 

"We liberated their country for one thing," said Texas representative Ted Poe. "We would think they would consider the US in trade since we spent billions of dollars not only to liberate their country, but to rebuild their infrastructure." 

Twelve congressmen have fired off a letter to Iraq's trade minister Khair Alla Babaker earlier this week pressing him to get Iraqis back on the American long-grain variety. 


The letter said that there was a 77 per cent drop in rice sales to Iraq between 2010 and 2011, even though "not long ago, Iraq represented the largest market for US rice." 

The Iraqi grain board has said it decided to buy cheaper basmati rice from India. Baghdad hasn't bought US rice since late 2010. 

Iraq's trade ministry has said that much of the shift is a function of the Iraqi public preferring India's basmati rice, which the US doesn't produce. 

There is no law keeping the US out of Iraq's rice market, but American farmers simply aren't growing the right kind of rice for the Iraqi dinner plate. 

The Iraqi move comes as US farmers struggle with drought, unusual heat, rising production costs, dropping prices and a shrinking export market. 

The 12 legislators from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Virginia say the rice industry has worked closely with Iraq to develop a relationship, including conducting meetings and workshops with Iraqi grain board officials, and touring with them at US rice fields and mills.

India no more a polio-endemic country: WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries, suggesting that the wild polio virus had been totally eliminated from the environment. The disease paralysed thousands of children every year for several decades.

This announcement was made by Health and Family Planning Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here at the Polio Summit 2012 in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, amidst a thunderous applause. The feat came after India successfully completed an entire year without an incidence of polio.

Mr. Azad said he received a letter from the United Nations body stating that the “WHO has taken India's name off the list of polio endemic countries in view of the remarkable progress that we have made during the past one year.”

However, India will have to remain polio free for two more years before it is declared polio-free by the WHO.

There were only four countries in the WHO endemic list, including Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. India reported its last polio case on January 13, 2011 in West Bengal. In 2009, it reported 741 polio cases, more than anywhere else in the world. In 2010 only 42 cases were reported against 1.5 lakh in 1985.

“We are greatly encouraged by the splendid progress that we have made during the last one year. We are aware that we cannot drop our guard,” Mr Azad said while drawing attention to the persistent risks of indigenous transmission and importations from other endemic countries.

“We have, therefore, put in place an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan across the country. Under this plan, there is going to be zero tolerance for any new polio case and such a case will be declared as a public health emergency,” the Minister said.

Rapid response teams have already been formed in all States to respond to any polio case. In addition, we have alerted all the States bordering the neighbouring countries to strengthen surveillance for early detection of any imported polio virus. Special booths have been established on the Wagah border and the Attari train station in Punjab, and the Munabao train station in Rajasthan to ensure that all children under the age of 5 coming from across the border are given polio drops.

Reaffirming India's commitment to achieving full immunisation, Dr. Singh said the real credit should go to to the 23 lakh volunteers who repeatedly vaccinated children even in the most remote areas often in very bad weather conditions. “We must ensure every child, rich or poor, whether living in Ladakh or in Delhi, has equal access to the best immunisation.”

Dr. Singh also emphasised the need for providing nutritious food, safe drinking water, proper sanitation and education, in addition to universal access to safe vaccines.

Recounting how India reached the first step for becoming a polio-free country, Mr. Azad said 27 per cent of the global expenditure on polio eradication came from the country's domestic resources. More than 99 per cent coverage of children in the two remaining endemic States of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was unprecedented, not witnessed anywhere else in the world on such a large scale.

WHO Assistant Director-General (Polio) Bruce Aylward delivered WHO Director-General Margaret Chan's letter to India, which states: “WHO will remove India from the list of endemic countries with polio virus.”

Mr. Aylward said: “It is an incredible achievement” which has come about due to the perseverance of Indian government and its people. “India's success has inspired the world.”

History of Indian Tricolor

"A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions have died for it. It is no doubt a kind of idolatry which would be a sin to destroy. For, a flag represents an Ideal The unfurling of the Union Jack evokes in the English breast sentiments whose strength it is difficult to measure. The Stars and Stripes mean a world to the Americans. The Star and the Crescent will call forth the best bravery in Islam."

"It will be necessary for us Indians Muslims, Christians Jews, Parsis, and all others to whom India is their home-to recognize a common flag to live and to die for."

- Mahatma Gandhi

Every free nation of the world has its own flag. It is a symbol of a free country. The National Flag of India was designed by Pingali Venkayyaand and adopted in its present form during the meeting of Constituent Assembly held on the 22 July 1947, a few days before India's independence from the British on 15 August, 1947. It served as the national flag of the Dominion of India between 15 August 1947 and 26 January 1950 and that of the Republic of India thereafter. In India, the term "tricolour" refers to the Indian national flag.

The National flag of India is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes.

Evolution of the Tricolour

It is really amazing to see the various changes that our National Flag went through since its first inception. It was discovered or recognised during our national struggle for freedom. The evolution of the Indian National Flag sailed through many vicissitudes to arrive at what it is today. In one way it reflects the political developments in the nation. Some of the historical milestones in the evolution of our National Flag involve the following:

Unofficial flag of India
in 1906


The Berlin committee
flag, first raised by
Bhikaiji Cama in 1907


The flag used during the
Home Rule movement
in 1917


The flag unofficially
adopted in 1921


The flag adopted in 1931.
This flag was also the
battle ensign of the
Indian National Army


The present Tricolour
flag of India

The first national flag in India is said to have been hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta now Kolkata. The flag was composed of three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green.

The second flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907 (according to some inl9OS). This was very similar to the first flag except that the top strip had only one lotus but seven stars denoting the Saptarishi. This flag was also exhibited at a socialist conference in Berlin.

The third flag went up in 1917 when our political struggle had taken a definite turn. Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it during the Home rule movement. This flag had five red and four green horizontal strips arranged alternately, with seven stars in the saptarishi configuration super-imposed on them. In the left-hand top corner (the pole end) was the Union Jack. There was also a white crescent and star in one corner.

During the session of the All India Congress Committee which met at Bezwada in 1921 (now Vijayawada) an Andhra youth prepared a flag and took it to Gandhiji. It was made up of two colours-red and green-representing the two major communities i.e. Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India and the spinning wheel to symbolise progress of the Nation.

The year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the flag. A resolution was passed adopting a tricolor flag as our national flag. This flag, the forbear of the present one, was saffron, white and green with Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel at the center. It was, however, clearly stated that it bore no communal significance and was to be interpreted thus.

On July 22, 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted it as Free India National Flag. After the advent of Independence, the colours and their significance remained the same. Only the Dharma Charkha of Emperor Asoka was adopted in place of the spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag. Thus, the tricolour flag of the Congress Party eventually became the tricolour flag of Independent India.

Colours of the Flag:

In the national flag of India the top band is of Saffron colour, indicating the strength and courage of the country. The white middle band indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra. The last band is green in colour shows the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land.

The Chakra:

This Dharma Chakra depicted the "wheel of the law" in the Sarnath Lion Capital made by the 3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The chakra intends to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation.

Flag Code

On 26th January 2002, the Indian flag code was modified and after several years of independence, the citizens of India were finally allowed to hoist the Indian flag over their homes, offices and factories on any day and not just National days as was the case earlier. Now Indians can proudly display the national flag any where and any time, as long as the provisions of the Flag Code are strictly followed to avoid any disrespect to the tricolour. For the sake of convenience, Flag Code of India, 2002, has been divided into three parts. Part I of the Code contains general description of the National Flag. Part II of the Code is devoted to the display of the National Flag by members of public, private organizations, educational institutions, etc. Part III of the Code relates to display of the National Flag by Central and State governments and their organisations and agencies.

There are some rules and regulations upon how to fly the flag, based on the 26 January 2002 legislation. These include the following:

The Do's:

• The National Flag may be hoisted in educational institutions (schools, colleges, sports camps, scout camps, etc.) to inspire respect for the Flag. An oath of allegiance has been included in the flag hoisting in schools.
• A member of public, a private organization or an educational institution may hoist/display the National Flag on all days and occasions, ceremonial or otherwise consistent with the dignity and honour of the National Flag.
• Section 2 of the new code accepts the right of all private citizens to fly the flag on their premises.

The Don'ts

• The flag cannot be used for communal gains, drapery, or clothes. As far as possible, it should be flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of the weather.
• The flag cannot be intentionally allowed to touch the ground or the floor or trail in water. It cannot be draped over the hood, top, and sides or back of vehicles, trains, boats or aircraft.
• No other flag or bunting can be placed higher than the flag. Also, no object, including flowers or garlands or emblems can be placed on or above the flag. The tricolour cannot be used as a festoon, rosette or bunting.

More information on Flag Code of India (282 KB)(PDF file that opens in a new window) 

The Indian National Flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India. It is the symbol of our national pride. Over the last five decades, several people including members of armed forces have ungrudgingly laid down their lives to keep the tricolour flying in its full glory.

Russia backs PM's remarks on Kudankulam project

Russia's ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin has said that his country's stand on American non- government agencies (NGOs') stalling the Kudankulam nuclear project in Tamil Nadu has been vindicated by a statement made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during an interview with a science magazine on Thursday.


"We have been suspecting it all along, and, I was openly saying this, because it was very strange. Six months after the Fukushima tragedy, all those protesters raise their voices. They were sleeping for six months, and then, all of sudden, they raise their voices against the most secure, the best and the safest (nuclear power) station in the world," said Kadakin in an interview.


"We were perplexed, but now we stand vindicated," Kadkin added.


On Thursday, speaking to the Science journal, Prime Minister Singh said: "The atomic energy programme has got into difficulties because these NGOs, mostly, I think, based in the US, don't appreciate the need for our country to increase energy."




The minister in charge of the Prime Minister's Office, V.Narayanasamy, told on Friday that the union home ministry is investigating the background and funding of these NGOs, and added that the government had received reports that these organisations were being funded by outfits from the United States and some Scandinavian countries.


Manmohan Singh's remarks have sparked off a political row, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asking him to reveal the details of US NGOs' involvement in public.


Without directly naming the United States, Kadakin said some strategic friends of India who were not doing anything for its energy sector, don't like the idea of India becoming strong, and therefore, are stalling the Kudankulam project through proxies.


Kadakin further claimed that some strategic powers wanted to hamper Indo-Russian cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy, and emphasized that Russia wants India to be strong and the people of Tamil Nadu to get electricity.


Russia has expressed hope that it would like India to go ahead with its nuclear energy roadmap.




"The Prime Minister's statement and the home ministry's findings would unlock the situation at Kudankulam," Kadakin said.

CBEC freezes Kingfisher Airlines bank accounts for failure to pay service tax

The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) on Friday said that it has frozen the bank accounts of Kingfisher Airlines for its failure to pay service tax arrears. 

"They were paying Rs 1 crore per day. For past few days there has been an interruption. They have not been able to pay, so we have frozen their accounts 2-3 days ago by issuing a letter to the bank," CBEC Chairman S K Goel told reporters. 

The airlines, he further said, had an outstanding indirect tax arrears of Rs 70 crore and about Rs 35 crore is still due from them. 

Promoted by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines has run into financial problems and has suffered losses of over Rs 1,000 crore during the nine-month period ending December 2011. 

A consortium of 18 bankers including 14 state-owned lenders and four private banks have provide huge sums to the beleaguered airlines which has a total debt of about Rs 7,057 crore and accumulated losses of about Rs 6,000 crore. 

In view of the precarious financial position, the airlines is finding it difficult to procure fresh funds from the banks. 

The bankers have been insisting they would not pump in money unless the promoters infused fresh equity into the company.

India not halting insurance cover on exports to Iran

India' export guarantee agency has not stopped giving insurance cover to shipments to Iran and has only tightened criteria as part of a more cautious approach, official sources said on Friday, as western sanctions make trade with Tehran tougher. 

The sanctions imposed by the United States andEuropean Union to deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear programme are playing havoc with Iran's ability to pay for its imports, leaving global suppliers jittery about doing business with the Islamic republic. 



About $3 billion in Iranian arrears in payments to India for imports have accumulated since December 2010 when a previous payment conduit was closed under pressure from Washington. Indian rice suppliers have also reported defaults by Iranian buyers. 

"We have been very cautious for the past six months and will try to keep our exposure (to Iran) at the minimal level," said one source at the Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECGC), which covers the risk of Indian exporters selling on credit. 

"But we have not halted cover to Iran exports." Another ECGC source said insurance cover was being given "on a case by case basis" after the agency tightened the norms for cover of goods destined for Iran. A third ECGC source said Iran was on the agency's restricted countries list, along with nations including Yemen and Libya. "Iran figures in the restricted category because of political reasons," the third source told Reuters. 

Two of the ECGC sources said the agency currently had an exposure of up to six billion rupees ($123 million) in providing insurance cover to Indian exports to Iran. 

India is Iran's second-biggest oil client, buying about $11 billion worth of crude every year. Indian exports to Irancome to about $3 billion and the two sides are exploring ways, including barter, to carry on their trade despite sanctions. 

While Indian oil refiners are currently routing their payments to Iran through Turkey's Halkbank, Indian exporters use Dubai-based middlemen to receive payments. Both channels have appeared vulnerable in the face of new tougher sanctions. 

India abides by United Nations sanctions on Iran, but has refused to go along with the new financial measures imposed by the United States and European Union. 

In the face of sanctions that make it difficult for Iran to repatriate the funds from its crude oil exports, it has agreed with India to settle 45 percent of their oil trade using the rupee, which is not freely traded on global markets. Last week, Indian exporters said they should be able to receive payments in rupees for sales to Iran.

NSN HSPA+ Multiflow – Lets One Device Connect to Two BTS Simultaneously

Nokia Siemens Networks and Qualcomm introduces the world’s first “HSPA+ (4G) Multiflow” which may offer Data Rates Upto 600 Mbps and also provide some relief from depressed data network connectivity while on move.

Known as HSPA+ Multiflow, it allows devices located close to the edge of a mobile base station’s cell to connect with a second /another base station serving a neighboring cell. The ‘Multiflow’ name refers to the two different paths data can then take to reach a device.

The feature makes far more efficient use of network resources, delivering up to double the data speed up to 600 Mbps and up to 50% faster response compared to existing HSPA+ 4G networks.

100 million smart devices being added every month and the consequent increase in ‘smart’ applications are leading to the increase in unpredictable data traffic. There is a need for operators to look at how they can tackle this traffic growth, by using network resources efficiently to deliver a better mobile broadband experience.

The HSPA+ Multiflow feature is expected to be 3GPP standardized by mid 2012, and will be available commercially from Nokia Siemens Networks by second half of 2013.