MUMBAI – The Punjab National Bank has filed a new complaint against Nirav Modi, the diamond tycoon it has accused of being part of a near $2 billion fraud, alleging that companies he controlled had misused even legitimate loans and guarantees.

The complaint, registered with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier in the week according to a copy seen by Reuters on Thursday, widens the scope of the investigation into what has been dubbed the biggest bank fraud in Indian history.

Last month, Punjab National Bank (PNB) and authorities accused two jewellery groups – one controlled by Modi and the other by his uncle, Mehul Choksi – of colluding with rogue bank employees to secure credit from overseas lenders using fraudulent guarantees for the past eight years.

Both Modi and Choksi have denied wrongdoing, and so have two key accused PNB employees in the case, which has so far led to 19 people being arrested. The whereabouts of Choksi and Modi, who police say left India before the first complaint was filed, are unknown.

The latest CBI complaint names Modi’s flagship Firestar company – which previously said it had no involvement in the allegations levelled against him – for the first time. Three of his other firms were named in the original complaint.

PNB said that it had been cheated of a further 3.22 billion rupees ($49.4 million) in the new complaint filed on March 4. It alleges that the credit sanctioned to Modi’s Firestar group of companies was not used for the purposes for which it was given.

There was no immediate comment from Firestar.

PNB also alleged it has uncovered fraudulent transactions between the Firestar group of companies and other entities controlled by Modi.

Vijay Aggarwal, a lawyer for Modi, dismissed the new complaint as “contrary to law”, saying any such allegations should have been part of the initial police case.

The new disclosure pushes PNB’s total exposure to more than $2 billion. The bank initially reported to authorities on Jan. 29 that the jewellery groups had defrauded it of about $44 million. On Feb. 14 it said the fraud sum had reached $1.77 billion after a detailed investigation. It raised the amount further to nearly $2 billion last week.

A source and documents reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday showed the amount involved in the fraud was likely to rise above the $2 billion mark.

“FAIR TREATMENT”

Separately Choksi, in a March 7 dated letter, has accused the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), one of the lead agencies probing the fraud, of gross abuse of due process.

In his letter to the CBI, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters on Thursday, Choksi said the seizure of his assets, bank accounts and the shutting down of all his offices in India had caused prejudice against him.

Choksi, whose passport has been suspended, said he feared greatly that he would not get “fair treatment and a fair trial” if he returned.

“The investigating agencies are acting with a pre-determined mind which is hampering the process of law and interfering with the course of justice,” he wrote in the letter.

A CBI spokesman said the agency was not concerned about Choksi’s allegations and that authorities were ready to facilitate the required documents for him to travel back to India. “The investigation is going on and he should join the investigation,” the spokesman said.

Choksi, whose Gitanjali Gems operates stores under banners including Gili, Nakshatra and Asmi, said in his letter that while the CBI has seized his assets, it has yet to submit a “Seizure Memo” in court, as required by law.

Local media reported last week that a Mumbai court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Modi and Choksi following an appeal by the Enforcement Directorate, an Indian agency focused on foreign exchange and money laundering offences.

Choksi said in the letter he had travelled abroad on business before the complaints were made and his departure was not “a direct result” of the allegations against him.

He added in the letter that he had undergone a cardiac procedure during the first week of February and he was unable to travel for at least four to six months as the procedure was yet to be completed. He did not say where he was.

After a year rallying international support against North Korea, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is finding the ability to unite the UN Security Council around U.S. priorities in the Middle East stymied — as they were during the Cold War — by Russia.

Whether Haley is seeking to counter Iran’s support for rebels in Yemen or to sanction Syria for chemical weapons attacks, Moscow keeps blocking U.S. initiatives at the world body while bolstering its alliances with Tehran and Damascus. The struggle to win over Russia on the most intractable U.S. foreign policy priorities outside of North Korea risks increasing conflict and further fracturing international agreements, such as the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.

“If Russia is going to use its veto to block action against Iran’s dangerous and destabilizing conduct, then the United States and our partners will need to take actions against Iran that the Russians cannot block,” Haley said Feb. 26. That followed Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia’s veto of a resolution condemning the Islamic Republic for “non-compliance” with an embargo against sending arms to Yemen.

Haley didn’t give more details on possible U.S. moves, though President Donald Trump has said time is running out for the nuclear agreement if European allies can’t reach a deal to strengthen the accord and address Iran’s ballistic missile program. His threat to quit the agreement by May if changes aren’t made has fueled U.S.-European talks, including a visit this week to Tehran by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

This month, Russia and the U.S. are likely to clash again over Syria as the Security Council debates rival resolutions on responding to the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Al-Assad. The council also will review the mandate of a UN peacekeeping force separating Iranian-backed Hezbollah from Israel in southern Lebanon, with the U.S. pushing for tougher actions against the Shiite militia and Russia resisting.

It wasn’t always this way. When Haley took office, there was speculation that a U.S.-Russian alliance on the Security Council could help achieve breakthroughs on previously intractable issues in light of Trump’s vows to seek better ties with Moscow. But the continuing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election have stymied Trump’s ambitions to build bridges with President Vladimir Putin, and Haley, like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, has from the start been more critical of Russia than has Trump.

So while the Cold War is over, it’s increasingly clear that the two countries will cooperate only minimally on issues including sanctions against North Korea and some peacekeeping operations in Africa, said Michael Doyle, a professor at Columbia University and a former UN assistant secretary-general.

“I expect marginal cooperation on issues the powers want to separate from direct competition,” Doyle said.

One focus for Haley since her arrival has been on Iran as a destabilizing force in the Middle East. Yet at every turn, Russia, which has won use of an Iranian airbase for its military operations in Syria, has blocked her efforts. That’s fueled a feud with little sign of easing.

During a session last month devoted to the UN charter, Haley called Russia a destabilizing force in eastern Ukraine. She lumped together Russia’s Putin, Syria’s Assad and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as rulers violating international standards with impunity.

But Haley has faced her greatest challenge on the Middle East.

Take Yemen: A UN panel of experts concluded in January that Iran violated the arms embargo after determining that missiles fired by Houthi rebels at Saudi Arabia last year were made in Iran. Russia’s envoys said they found the report unconvincing and vetoed the resolution.

Haley managed to get a statement of support from ambassadors of the U.K., France and Germany condemning Iran for not complying with the embargo. But that carried far less weight than an official Security Council resolution.

The dispute over Iranian missiles in Yemen was a continuation of the other major conflict in the region — the civil war in Syria, now in its eighth year. It took three days at the end of February for the Security Council to agree on a watered-down resolution demanding a cease-fire in the Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta because of objections by Russia.

On Feb 23, as Russia delayed a vote on the original resolution, Haley tweeted: “Unbelievable that Russia is stalling a vote on a ceasefire allowing humanitarian access in Syria. How many more people will die before the Security Council agrees to take up this vote? Let’s do this tonight.”

The next day, after Russia agreed to a revised resolution that the U.S. considered weaker, Haley said, “Today, Russia has belatedly decided to join the international consensus and accept the need to call for a ceasefire, but only after trying every possible way to avoid it.”

Haley’s setbacks over Syria are similar to those suffered by her predecessor, Samantha Power, who faced obstructionist tactics from the late Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, said Richard Gowan, a UN expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“I don’t think Haley’s tough words do much good, but I equally don’t think Moscow would behave much more reasonably and humanely if the U.S. toned down its rhetoric,” said Gowan. “For Haley, as for Power before her, strong words arguably cover up for a lack of real policy options over Syria.”

The Security Council’s paralysis on Syria — and on Iran, which joins Russia in propping up Assad — is a devastating blow to the 15-member body, said Francois Delattre, France’s UN ambassador.

“Let us beware that the Syrian tragedy does not also become the grave of the United Nations,” Delattre said at an emergency Security Council session on Syria last month. “We owe it to the security of the region and of the world, which we have the collective responsibility to protect.”

The tensions make it unlikely Haley will be able to persuade Russia to join the U.S. on a range of issues before the UN. Created to help foster solutions to grave international crises, analysts say they fear the Security Council is becoming a roadblock instead.

“The only way out is improved U.S.-Russia relations, which doesn’t seem likely,” said Mark Katz, a professor of government and politics at George Mason University. “Or action by the U.S., and perhaps its allies, without Security Council approval.”

CHICAGO, IL – The U.S.-India Friendship League led by Dr. Bharat Barai, organized an informal meet-and-greet with former with U.S. Consul general in Mumbai, Thomas Vajda, at Gaylord India Restaurant in Schaumburg, Illinois recently. Vajda is currently the acting deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian affairs at the State Department in Washington, D.C.

Vajda was accompanied by Travis Coberly, India Desk officer at the State Department. India’s Consul general in Chicago Neeta Bhushan. Indian-American and Indian American Republican candidate for Congress from District 8, J. Diganvker, was also present. The discussion at the event involved bridging U.S.-India relations.

“i’m really optimistic of the future of Indo-US relationship and committed to work together so that we can be a force in this world,” Vajda asserted addressing the gathering, according to a press release. Bhushan welcomed Vajda, adding, “President Trump believes in freedom, democracy, and diversity and i believe Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can build a special relationship with President Trump,” she is quoted saying in the press release. Consul general Bhushan also pointed to defense cooperation and spending, as well as Indian companies like Infosys, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Wipro hiring more american workers in their U.S. operations.

Vajda thanked the Indian community for its contributions to America, and joked about his Bollywood experience.

“For three years i lived in Mumbai and met film actor Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan at some events. i was waiting to be discovered and wanting a big break in Bollywood – which did not happen,” Vajda quipped. he noted the number of Indian-Americans serving at various levels in the U.S. government and Congress, and hoped trade with India would increase further.

Barai said he had invited Vajda to Chicago to meet the Indian-American community.

CHICAGO, IL – The 3rd South Asian Wedding Expo organized by Pearl Banquets on Feb. 25, in Roselle, IL. resembled a real marriage occasion, one where attendees could choose from a variety of options not just in clothing and accessories, but also food and other wedding services. Some 500 invitees, most of them in different stages of planning a wedding came to the event, Asian Media USA said in a press release.

A fashion show where 20 different bridal attires were featured, was accompanied by a food-testing event where more than 80 items including a variety of drinks and starters, were offered. Sitting arrangements and catering options were also presented.

There were more than 50 vendors who had stalls in the exhibition hall, making it easy for parents, relatives and friends of the bride and groom to make their choices and selections. among the vendors who exhibited their products and services were ABC Limousine, Andaaz Jewelry, Anisha Creations, Artistic, Arya Sounds, Ashu Cards, Ashutosh Sales Inc., Bandhan Rentals, Bombay Styles, Champagn Limosine, Doll’s Salon & Spa, Dream Events, Emrace Earth Oils, Escape Entertainment, Holiday Inn, JD Events, Joshua, Maharaja Farm, Plush Event Planning, Poonam Creations, Premeir Design, Ramis Mandap, Sabs, St J Y, The Baking Institute, The Great Recyclery, Waterford Conference Center and Yanini Design.

Jagmohan Jayara, founder of originally India house which three years ago, was named Pearl Banquets, is known for offering traditional and contemporary fare. Jayara has 3 more eateries and banquet locations in Oakbrook, Buffalo grove and downtown Chicago. The newest addition is Bombay Chopstick, featuring Indo- Chinese Cuisine.

alongside the one-stop-shop South Asian Wedding Expo, entertainers who performed at the event included Anita’s Bollywood Beats from Buffalo grove. it included a medley of classical, contemporary and fusion numbers like “Saibo” from “Shor in the City”, “Kanha Manena” from “Shubh Mangal Savadhan” performed by Anita Rotiwar and her students, Urvi Dalal, Lakshmi Ravi, Nital Shah and Nitya Verma. The teen group performed remix songs of the 80s and 90s like “In Ankhon Ki Masti” from the movie “Umrao Jaan” and “Chamma Chamma” performed by Alyssa Sachdeva, Himali Sachdeva, Akshada Dharrao, Riya Khandelwal and Diya Shah.

Friends, family and loved ones of Dr. Jayesh ​Chhotalal ​Shah gathered on Sunday, March 4 at the Mahatma Gandhi ​Center & Hindu Temple in Wayne, New Jersey to celebrate his life and pay tribute.​​

Many described Shah as a wonderful son, an amazing husband, a caring brother, a loving uncle, a compassionate philanthropist, a genuine friend, a caring doctor, a soulful artist and a man of virtues.

The gathering was organized by his beloved wife Kusum along with other family and friends.​ ​

Shah was on his trip to India when he suddenly passed away on Dec. 23, leaving everyone in shock and grief.

Shah was remembered in the most positive way, as over 500 people gathered to reminisce on the memories they shared with him as well as pay tribute to him.

The gathering started with a beautiful rendition of ‘”H​e Karuna ​Na​ ​Karnara​” through a video clip which was sung by ​Shah ​himself.

After this, the place was overfilled with warmth and love.

Through his profession, social activities, singing and his love for family and friends, Shah touched the lives of everyone he came across.

He even taught people how to love, live and help others while he encouraged and empowered those in need.

Shah had also contributed to Kusum Jayesh Bhulka Bhavan in Vyara, which is home to over 1,200 children that provide them with an early education.

He had a deep love for art and Gujarati literature and was the Vice President of Gujarati Literary Academy.

Shah also published Ankit Trivedi’s first ‘Gazal Sangrah’ and helped make Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak of real gold when it was awarded to Madhu Rye.

At the end, Kusum Shah, his wife, expressed her deep and heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love and support she received during difficult time as the support of friends and family has given her the strength needed to move forward.

Jainacharya Dr. Lokesh Muni had a historic interfaith dialogue with Supreme Religious Leader His Holiness Pope Francis in Vatican City on March 7.

Acharya Lokesh invited the Pope to India for the International Interfaith Conference which will be held in New Delhi to which the Pope delightfully agreed.

“The International Interfaith Conference will be a step ahead towards world peace. I hope and wish to come to India soon and inter-religious dialogue is necessary for protection of humanity, World peace and harmony” His Holiness Pope Francis said in his address to the delegation.

In this particular meeting, the international issues which were discussed include world peace, religious harmony, environmental protection and human welfare.

Acharya Lokesh said that violence and terrorism cannot solve any problem and that all conflicts should be resolved through dialogue.

“We must respect others point of view and thoughts along with our own. Environmental pollution and conceptual pollution both are harmful. Indian culture is based on unity in diversity and European culture emphasizes inter-religious harmony,” said Acharya Lokesh.

“India is a multicultural country, where people of different communities, religions, faiths and cultures live together with love and harmony. Jain philosophy is based on unity in diversity, non-violence and non possessiveness and can solve many global problems like violence, terrorism, environmental pollution and inequality,” he added.

Acharya Lokesh is hopeful that the Pope’s participation International Interfaith Conference, organized by Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, will help spread the message of world peace and harmony, creating a global impact.

President Ramnath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top leaders of the major world’s religions will be invited to the International Interfaith Conference.

Acharya Lokesh was accompanied by high level delegation comprising of senior vice president of JAINA Mahesh Wadher from California; Anil Monga from New Jersey; Karamjeet Singh Dhaliwal, Raj Bhayani and Kamlesh Mehta from New York; Subrata Ganguly from Kolkata and Bhavya Shrivastava from New Delhi.

A women’s activist of South Asian origin is among three New Yorkers to be honored at a Women’s History Month event hosted by Congressman Joe Crowley, D-NY, the U.S. House Democratic Caucus chairman. The event is scheduled for March 12, to commemorate Women’s History Month and will be held at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, starting at 9 a.m.

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, will keynote the event, a press release from Rep. Crowley’s office said.

Narbada Chhetri, of Nepali origin, director of organizing and advocacy for the organization Adhikaar along with Beverly Roberts, CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Parkchester Branch, and Meridith Maskara, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, are the three women who will be recognized.

Chhetri led Adhikaar in successfully campaigning for the New York State Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2010, and in 2015 was at the helm of the New York State Nail Salon Workers Bill of Rights, according to her bio on the Adhikaar website.

She currently represents Adhikaar on the National Domestic Workers Alliance board of directors.

Chhetri has completed the 2012-13 Union Leadership Institute at Cornell University and the 2014 Coro Immigrant Leadership Program. Her campaign focus also includes organizing beauty technicians (nail salon) workers for their health and safety at the workplace.

In her current role Narbada works with Nepali-speaking immigrants to speak up about the injustices they may face, and to learn about and assert their legal rights. According to Adhikaar, Chhetri was closely involved with securing victories and in recovering more than $300,000 in lost or stolen wages for 9 trafficking survivors.

Prior to coming to the U.S. in 2006, Chhetri worked as a human rights activist in Nepal for 15 years, in areas including anti-trafficking.

She currently lives in Woodside, Queens, with her daughter.

Archie Comics will be partnering up with Graphic India to iconic Archie Comics characters like Archie, Betty & Veronica and Jughead, to life in a Bollywood film.

According to a press release, the production, which will be the first international comic to be translated for Indian screens, is still in its early stages and an official release date is yet to be announced.

The companies have begun modernizing the screenplay so it resonates with longtime Archie fans in India and around the world.

Bollywood film will re-imagine the classic characters like Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Moose and Jughead as Indians and will feature all the classic elements of the hugely popular comic book series.

“We are supremely excited to partner with the great team at Graphic India to bring Archie and his friends to Bollywood. Archie’s lasting and growing presence in India made this move the logical next step as our stellar library of characters continues to expand into other media. It’s a major moment for Archie and its fans around the world,” said Jon Goldwater, the CEO of Archie Comics.

“Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead have been a source of inspiration for numerous Bollywood films over the years, and now it’s time to take them fully into Bollywood in an exciting new twist of a story that we have planned,” said Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder & CEO of Graphic India.

“These characters have held a special place in the hearts of Indians for decades and we have no doubt that the new Indian cast of Archie and the gang will be an exciting moment for the country,” he added.

Archie Comics is currently enjoying their success with the hit TV series Riverdale, which was launched last year.

The company also recently announced that it will be teaming up with Netflix for their upcoming Untitled Sabrina Series.

Archie Comics have sold over 2 billion copies worldwide and they have been published in over 17 languages in more than 55 countries.

NEW YORK – NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast on Friday, March 2, in collaboration with the hospital’s Community Advisory Board.

Over 80 people attended the breakfast including City Councilmembers Rory Lancman and Adrianne Adams, other elected officials, policy makers, labor leaders, community leaders and hospital staff.

Attendees received a comprehensive update about the hospital’s ongoing efforts to address the health care needs of the local community and learned how the acquisition of three essential items will enable NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens to make significant improvements to patient care in the areas of cancer care, ophthalmology, and urology.

The following items will cost a total of $1.2 million:

Cancer Center: The upgrade of the Mammography Suite in incorporating 3D technology, costing $1 million.

Currently the hospital has two 2D Mammography units and 2D prone Stereotactic Units which are set to expire within the year.

Ophthalmology: The Zeiss IOL Master 700 with SWEPT Source OCT Camera and Table, costing $65,000.

This device is used to determine exact eye measurements upon cataract removal and intraocular lens (IOL) installation. The IOL Master 700 uses a scanning laser to measure the eye in multiple dimensions, leading to a significant increase in patient satisfaction. The hospital’s current IOL is no longer unusable.

Urology: The Lumenis Pulse 100H Holmium Laser, costing $132,000.

This device is used by Urology to treat an enlarged prostate gland due and urologic stones for either the bladder or kidney. The laser breaks up stones into smaller pieces so that the patient can pass them without requiring more extensive surgery. With the purchase of a new Holmium Laser, the hospital will be able to offer assistance to patients on demand and process their care faster, enabling them to be added on to the Operating Room schedule the same day.

Attendees also received an update about construction that is taking place at the hospital to expand the Emergency Room.

Over the last several years, the ER at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens has experienced an increase on 50 percent in patient volume and this project, which is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018, will seek to meet the growing needs of the community by adding 6,500 square feet of space that will include new exam rooms, isolation rooms, triage rooms and nurses stations.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens also announced that its existing Linear Accelerator (LINAC) will be upgraded by April of this year to include image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) that will improve the precision and accuracy of treatment delivery.

IGRT is used to more precisely target the radiation dose used to treat tumors in areas of the body that move, such as the lungs.

As a result, this non-surgical treatment is more effective than traditional therapy in helping patients preserve healthy tissue.

As several Indian Americans took part in the March 6 primary in Texas, only one made it to a runoff: Sri Preston Kulkarni.

In the state’s 22^nd Congressional District, Kulkarni received 31.8 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, which was 7.5 percent better than the next candidate Letitia Plummer, who only got 24.3 percent.

The two will now have a runoff election on May 22.

“We are all grateful and could not have done this without y’all. Over 9,000 voters came out to support us and we are all truly humbled. When I began this journey, I aimed to bring reason, compassion and decency into our government. People said it was impossible. Many said it was risky. Others said it was pointless, but I knew I had to do something,” Kulkarni said in a Facebook post after the results came out.

“I resigned as a diplomat in the U.S. State Department, where I had served our country for 14 years. I met with and listen to thousands of people in District 22 on how to make that much needed change possible. We stand proud and celebrate the beautiful diversity of our unique neighborhoods. We have shown we can bridge our communities and have our voices represented,” he added.

According to his campaign website Kulkarni “is a proven leader who has been serving his family, community and country for his entire life” and while in Congress will focus on universal healthcare, veterans and national defense, climate change, gun violence, education, economic inequality, disaster relief, criminal justice reform and immigration reform.

According to an earlier News India Times report, Kulkarni grew up in Houston, Texas and had to drop out of college at the age of 18 when his father Venkatesh Kulkarni, a published novelist, was diagnosed with leukemia.

It wasn’t until after his father passed away, that he attended college and graduated from the University of Texas Plan II Honors program.

According to his website, Kulkarni served as a Foreign Service Officer for 14 years touring Iraq, Israel, Russia, Taiwan, and Jamaica and was accepted a Pearson Fellowship to serve as a foreign policy and defense adviser on Capitol Hill in 2015 where he assisted Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Last year, Kulkarni received his mid-career Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School.

According to his website, Kulkarni speaks Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew, and Russian and “he has spent his career using his skills and education to find common ground between groups in conflict, such as Arabs and Kurds or Israelis and Palestinians, and standing up for the truth, including combatting the Russian government’s online misinformation campaign.”

NEW YORK – Five pioneering women spoke on the occasion of International Women’s Day, celebrated at the Consulate General of India in New York, on Thursday, March 8.

The event was attended by about 100 people, including Miss India USA 2017 Shree Saini who spoke on the occasion, saying “empowerment begins with a child, whether it is a male or a female. We need to give our children the unconditional love and support to build their self-esteem as only then they will they feel empowered to conquer any obstacles in life.”

The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), whose president Srujal Parikh said “I’ve always been surrounded by powerful women; my mom, my wife, my daughter and my friends,” before he recognized the group of women who have been the backbone of FIA who always “work so hard to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

In his address on International Women’s Day, Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty said, “today, when we are celebrating International Women’s Day, I pay my tribute to women all over for their courage and hard work. While women represent half of humanity, they are responsible in bringing the other half up.”

The Consul General added that though Indians worship women deities as well as the women in their lives, “we are infamous for treating our women badly both inside and outside the home.”

The Consul General also welcomed the five women who spoke on the occasion, including TV anchor Nisha Mathur, author Myra Godfrey, social worker Eshita Chakrabarti, musician and entrepreneur Chandrika Tandon and Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak; as well as violinist Daisy Joplin, who gave a moving performance. Eight female pilots from Air India were felicitated as well.

Mathur emphasized the fact that women’s empowerment is not just about the big things like voting, but that it is also about the small and important things like “having a say in your household, choosing who you want to marry or even marrying at all.”

She added: “Empowerment means that there should be no hesitation in listening, no hesitation in speaking and no hesitation in acting.”

Godfrey gave the audience three tips for how to live a prosperous life: have a spiritual connection with yourself, balance is about nourishment and eliminate negativity in your life as it will decrease your health.

Chakrabarti brought up the fact that there are only 26 percent of women in the U.S. who are in politics.

“It has become a subject of great importance to have representation in every state legislature and in Washington D.C. so that we can advocate for our communities, our rights, our beliefs, our values, our culture and our future in bringing the best through assimilating ourselves and our upcoming generations,” she said.

Tandon mentioned that 41 percent of the students who are enrolled in the NYU Tandon School of Engineering are women and that “women are men multiplied.”

She also encouraged the women in the room to say the following phrase: “I am perfection, you are perfection, we all are perfection.”

Professor Spivak spoke on the topic of feminism.

“Feminism involves accessing the mindset of men as well as women in order to shifty there assumptions and desires into assumptions and desires that imagine a world of gender equality not only in material terms but in spirituality terms. It is a collective project because it must be sustained generation after generation,” she said.

International Women’s Day started out as Working Women’s Day in 1909 and it was only in 1975 that the UN declared the day as International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8 every year.

In Arjun Mukherjee’s “3 Storeys”, a portmanteau film set in a Mumbai chawl, the lives of residents intersect and clash in several unexpected ways.

In the first story, a cantankerous old woman (Renuka Shahane) tries to sell her tiny house to a buyer (Pulkit Samrat), but all is not as it seems. Her past and his intertwine, the eerie atmosphere and Shahane’s portrayal of a woman who seems calm on the outside and unhinged on the inside is pitch-perfect, making this the most effective of the three tales.

In the second story, a woman in an abusive marriage (Masumeh Makhija) encounters an old lover. And in the third, a young couple faces an unexpected hurdle.

In all three stories, director Mukherjee makes sure there is some twist at the end, some curveball that he throws at the audience that, more often than not, fails to stick. The acting is uneven, which is perhaps to be expected in a film with an ensemble cast. Most of the actors, including Makhija and newcomers Ankit Rathi and Aisha Ahmed, look like they’ve walked in from the posh bylanes of Bandra into the chawl and its squalid surroundings.

The direction matches the acting. While the idea is good, Mukherjee is patchy in his execution. A subplot involving a silent love story between a policeman and the neighbourhood siren is dealt with awkwardly, and the story of the abused wife seems to drag on for too long.

Determined to make the most of the play on his title, Mukherjee spends much time panning the camera up and down the three-storeyed chawl as he introduces his three main characters, but other than that, the film doesn’t really offer us a glimpse of chawl life in Mumbai.

For all its rough edges though, there is an attempt to stay off the beaten path and a few sincere performances to match that effort, so “3 Storeys” deserves some credit.

Land

B on Canal, in New Orleans, is celebrating its April 1 reopening with 20 percent off rates and a free room upgrade. For example, in early May, a Chic King room starts at $132, plus $22 taxes; normal rate is from $165. The hotel received a multimillion-dollar renovation that includes the new restaurant Madam’s Modern Kitchen and Bar. Book by April 30; travel by Dec, 31. Use booking code OPNDIS.Info: 504-299-9900, boncanal.com

Eurail is offering up to five free days for train travel in Europe. The Extra Days Promotion applies to first-class tickets for all Eurail Passes, including the Global Pass, Selected Passes and One Country Pass. For example, the Global Pass, which can be used in 28 countries, starts at $1,206 for a month of travel plus five free days, which are worth about $200. The four-day Eurail Select Pass for Austria and Germany costs $282 and includes one free day, worth about $71. Book by March 31; travel within 11 months of booking. Info: eurail.com/en

Pay for two nights and receive a free third night at 35 Fairmont properties in 17 countries. The Three for Two sale also includes free breakfast at six hotels. Prices vary. For example, a three-night stay at the Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos 1 in Barcelona in late April starts at $855, including taxes and breakfast — a savings of $633. Book by April 3; travel through June 10. Blackout dates apply at most properties. Info: fairmont.com/promotions/3for2

Sea

Alaskan Dream Cruises is taking $200 and $300 off seven-night Alaska sailings in 2019, plus children ages 15 and younger receive an extra discount. Save $200 on peak season travel (June-August) and $300 during the shoulder season (May and September). For example, Alaska’s Glacier Bay & Island Adventure starts at $3,495 per adult double and $2,926 per child, a 15 percent discount on top of the $300 reduction. Price includes all onboard meals with a glass of wine or beer at dinner, select shore excursions and transfers. Taxes of less than $100 are extra. Book by April 1. Info: 855-747-8100, alaskandreamcruises.com

With Emerald Waterways, save at least $1,000 on select cruises. The deal applies to three departures each in June and July of the Sensations of Southern France cruise, which sails between Arles and Lyon. The eight-day trip starts at $2,095 per person double, including port charges, a savings of $1,000. Also, book a Category A panorama balcony suite on the Danube Explorer cruise, which sails from Passau, Germany, to Budapest, and save $1,300. Rates start at $2,895 per person double for the April 22 departure. Book by calling 855-222-3214 and request promo code EWUTHOU by March 31. Info: emeraldwaterways.com

Air

Air Tahiti Nui is offering 50 percent off flights between Los Angeles and Papeete, Tahiti. Round-trip fare starts at $880 for travel Aug. 15-Sept. 30, including taxes; regular price is more than $1,700. Book by March 18. Priced separately, air from Washington to Los Angeles starts at about $300. Info: airtahitinui.com/us-en/airfare-special/take-me-tahiti-880

Package

Book a select guided vacation to Ireland with CIE Tours and pay $499 for round-trip air from Washington to Dublin or Shannon. The St. Patrick’s Day deal applies to several itineraries lasting at least six nights and costing a minimum of $1,150 per person double. For instance, the land portion of the Taste of Ireland tour ranges from $1,150 to $1,755, depending on departure date. The trip includes six nights’ lodging in four locations, 10 meals, motorcoach transport, guided tours and taxes. To receive the discounted airfare, travel April 1-Dec. 31. By comparison, flights from Washington Dulles to Dublin in July typically start at about $780. Book by March 20 by calling 800-559-0388. Info: cietours.com/us/stpatricks2018

THE WASHINGTON POST

Kalpana Kotagal tried to stay awake for the Academy Awards, but she didn’t make it.

The mother of two had to be up early on Monday morning to volunteer in her child’s kindergarten class. So she was sound asleep by the time her passion, her life’s work, the thing she fights for day after day became the buzz of the nation.

Two words uttered by Frances McDormand as she picked up her best actress Oscar: Inclusion rider.

Kotagal, the 40-year-old Washington lawyer who actually wrote the contract stipulation McDormand made instantly famous, had no idea she made national news.

“I woke up and when I picked up my phone, it had all these messages,” she said.

Interviews with reporters from all over the world filled her day (after the gig in kindergarten, of course).

The term “inclusion rider” shot to the top of Google’s most-searched list. It trended on Twitter. An “Inclusion Rider” T-shirt starring McDormand as Rosie the Riveter was being sold online.

And that’s all totally bizarre for Kotagal. Because the battle for inclusion, equity and diversity has been her mission for years as a civil rights attorney. Except most of the people she fights for don’t wear ballgowns and diamonds, and they definitely don’t have T-shirts made for them. They are banana pickers, chicken pluckers, hourly wage workers, disabled postal carriers, nurses.

“Those are the folks on whose behalf I litigate every day,” Kotagal said. “In those workplaces where things have gone so profoundly wrong, those are the folks on whose behalf we advocate.”

That about sums up the state of affairs in Hollywood, where things have gone profoundly wrong. The Oscars crowd went wild when McDormand said, “I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider.”

Funny. Where were they when Kotagal was on a team of lawyers fighting for overtime back pay for chicken processors at poultry plants?

Or when her legal team took on a network of hospitals in Albany, accusing them of conspiring to keep the wages of all their nurses artificially low?

Or when they went after the retail jewelry chain Sterling – a division of Signet Jewelers, which also owns Kay, Zales and Jared. The company, a class-action lawsuit contends, paid more than 44,000 female employees less than men holding the same jobs – charges the company denies. Kotagal is going to trial on that case this spring.

Or as her team prepares to take on Walmart stores in Southern states, where managers allegedly underpaid and underpromoted women for years? The company rejects those claims.

No matter, Kotagal, says. She’s thrilled the issue – even when it’s encrusted in jewels – is in the spotlight. And she hoping it goes beyond Tinsel Town.

“While it is truly important to transform the process of hiring in Hollywood, if we don’t think about what are the workplace conditions to which other women are subject in other workplaces around the country, we’re missing an incredibly important opportunity,” she said.

She knows what it feels like to experience discrimination, to be seen as the “other.” Her parents immigrated to the United States from India and settled in Cincinnati.

“I did grow up a little brown girl in the Midwest,” she said. But she felt welcome and secure in her hometown. Until the moment.

Most social-justice warriors have a moment – an incident that galvanizes their resolve.

Most of Kotagal’s childhood was comfortable and happy. But she’ll never forget one night in the 1980s, when her parents took her and her sister to a local beloved (and now closed) pizza place. They waited and waited for a table. And watched as one white family after another glided past them to the dining room.

“They refused to seat us,” said. “It became very clear what was going on, and I was old enough to, at that time, understand what it was, and that was a really important moment for me.”

Her parents were both medical professionals, and the girls were born and raised in the United States. But, she said, “we still were a South Asian family in Cincinnati, Ohio. And I was always ‘other.’ ”

She worked as an advocate and activist for years in Washington before going to law school and returning to the nation’s capital with the power of the law behind her convictions.

At her firm, Cohen Milstein, she pursues cases designed to right injustice.

As for the inclusion rider, she didn’t go looking for Hollywood. It was her colleague, Anita Hill – yes, that Anita Hill – who introduced her to Stacy L. Smith, the University of Southern California professor who has been challenging Hollywood’s oligarchy through her research.

Smith believes Hollywood’s biggest stars have the power to change the movie industry’s white-majority face by stipulating inclusion in the cast and the behind-the-scenes crew.

Kotagal instantly saw the lawyerly brilliance of the plan.

“One of the things that’s different about Hollywood and why we think the inclusion rider is a valuable tool is that everything is done on a project-by-project basis there,” she explained.

So, it’s not the herculean effort of turning the giant ship of a legacy corporation. Plus, it gives a single person – the star – the ability to demand change for many on the lower rungs.

“And so the folks that we’re talking about including in the rider are not the women or men who are incredibly bankable, who studios clamor to have in their films,” Kotagal said. “This rider covers the crew, and it covers the on-screen roles of the smaller parts, you know, the folks who make their living doing part after part, who also combine that with waiting tables. So, I think that rider is very much pointed at that same demographic” as her other clients.

Kotagal said she didn’t ask McDormand (or any other of the unnamed – “I can’t disclose them” – stars who use the rider) to advertise it on Oscars night.

The attention was a completely unscripted surprise.

And it may mean she’ll never be able to sleep through the Academy Awards again.

NEW YORK – The Socially Relevant Film Festival (SRFF) 2018, which begins its fifth season in Manhattan, from March 16 to 22, at Cinema Village and neighboring venues, features two films based in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, apart from a keynote evening program including a local NGO serving the South Asian diaspora, focused on empowering women.

A 501 (c) 3 non-profit film festival founded by actress Nora Armani, the Mission of SRFF is to shine the spotlight on filmmakers who tell compelling, socially relevant, human interest stories, across a broad range of social issues.

The festival was created as a response to the proliferation of violence and violent forms of storytelling in media and entertainment. The festival believes in the power of cinema in raising awareness towards social issues and promoting positive social change. During its first four years, the festival has showcased 207 films from 35 countries.

This year SRFF offers a diverse mix of five narrative features, 15 documentaries, and 38 shorts, apart from a script-writing contest, with readings from finalist scripts. This year’s films represent over 22 countries.

The opening night will commence with the narrative feature film Lou Andreas-Salomé: The Audacity to be Free (Germany). A stunning period piece on the 19th-century female novelist, poet, and essayist, the film follows Salomé as she shuns traditions in pursuit of intellectual perfection.

Themes for selected short film groupings include: Ageing Gracefully; Dreamers Having a Nightmare; Sustainable Communities; Where is Home?; And Whose Disability?

On March 19, a ‘keynote evening’ to celebrate women will be held in partnership with Apne Aap – an organization that rescues women and girls in India from sex-trafficking. A series of films from India and elsewhere that promote empowering women and young girls, as well as a panel discussion with founder of Apne Aap, Ruchira Gupta, is also on the cards.

Gupta has strived over 25 years to highlight the link between trafficking and prostitution laws, and to lobby policy makers to shift blame from victims to perpetrators. She testified in the United States Senate before the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000, and she lobbied with other activists at the United Nations during the formulations for the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons — resulting in the first UN instrument to address demand for trafficking.

She has won many awards, including the Clinton Global Citizen Award, the Abolitionist Award at the UK House of Lords, an Emmy in 1997 for her work on the documentary “The Selling of Innocents,” which inspired the creation of Apne Aap; and her work has been featured in 11 books, including Half the Sky by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof. She was also honored with the prestigious French award l’Ordre national du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit), in 2016, for her commitment to end sex trafficking.

Of special interest this year at SRFF would be a cutting-edge VR/360º experience that push the boundaries of immersive storytelling, courtesy of Samsung. Among the six selected pieces is ‘The Great’ – a ‘VR Great White Shark Experience’, which shows firsthand the grace and beauty of this misunderstood and endangered creature.

The script writing competition features readings with actors, in the presence of the scriptwriters, from the seven finalist scripts. Other workshops and panels on offer include industry forums, an engaged theatre workshop, a live music performance, to silent films. Closing night will also see a party for the filmmakers at Doux Supperclub, featuring appearances from local filmmakers and industry veterans.

“This year’s festival goes back to basics: the filmmakers, the films, and the issues,” says festival founder and Artistic Director Armani.

‘Keep Believing’ by Wouter de Kuijper, which would make its New York premiere, on March 18, is a film jointly made in the Netherlands and India, spanning almost an hour.

The story revolves around Frans Baartmans, who left his home in the Netherlands, in 1979, to live in India amongst the Dalits in the slums of Nagwa, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The Dalits belong to most discriminated group of people in the world and are also known as “untouchables”. Being born a Dalit means you are born without a voice and excluded from society and all basic human rights. The film depicts the fights of the Dalits along with Frans the powers that be on a daily basis, aiming for equality, acknowledgement and dignity; the right to exist.

Also making its New York premiere, on March 18, would be ‘Beyond the Grid’, by Vinit Parmar, an Indian American filmmaker and Assistant Professor at Brooklyn College, in New York.

Parmar’s almost half-an-hour short is an ethnographic portrayal which poetically captures the lives of impoverished, remote island villagers in the Varanasi region. These villagers have lived without electricity for eons, and now, quite possibly they are the first developing village to switch to renewable energy.

(Sujeet Rajan is Executive Editor, Parikh Worldwide Media. Email him: sujeet@newsindiatimes.com Follow him on Twitter @SujeetRajan1)

A triumphant Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officiated at the March 9 swearing-in of the new Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Tripura where the 25-years of communist rule ended, making BJP the dominant party in 6 of the 7 Northeastern states, and raised its national tally as party in power to 21 of 29 state governments.

The latest victories come as a general election looms ahead next year when Modi and his BJP will face the electorate again after the stunning victories in 2014.

Modi was joined by a host of Central ministers and leaders and Chief Ministers of several BJP-ruled states at the swearing-in-ceremony of new Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and his Council of Ministers on March 9, Indo Asian News Service reported.

At the swearing-in held in Agartala’s Assam Rifles Ground, Modi promised a “new chapter” in development for the Northeast (https://www.facebook.com/narendramodi)

Addressing a crowd of thousands there to watch the BJP’s take over Modi said, “I assure you that those who voted for us, this government is also for them. And for those who did not vote for us, this government is for them also.” He noted that this time around, the elections in the Northeast had come to national attention. “My citizens living in far off places, should feel they are part of Bharat,” Modi said. “That every Hindustani is emotionally connected to this region, has emerged,” he added.

“In the past four years I have come to northeast India more than 25 times — this is much more than what previous Prime Ministers did after independence. This confirms how much the Centre is concerned for the development and welfare of northeast India,” Modi is quoted saying in an Indo Asian News Service report.

“The historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one. It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation,” Modi said on Twitter March 3 when results were declared, adding, “We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves.”

Already in power in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, the BJP is now leading the government in Tripura, is a major player in the coalition government in Nagaland, and expanding its base in Meghalaya, the March 3 election results showed.

Under Modi’s leadership in New Delhi, the BJP has chalked up wins in 7 more states since 2014, not least because of Modi’s campaign style combined with the party’s grassroots election machinery, analysts note.

The BJP secured 35 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribes-based party, securing 8. The CPI-M got 16 seats, while the Left Front partners — Communist Party of India, Congress Party, the Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party won none.

“No political prime minister in recent past has invested so much politically in the north-east,” Prashant Jha, political editor at The Hindustan Times, and author of the book, How The BJP Wins, is quoted saying in the Financial Times.

Public policy consultant Mohitkumar Dagga says in the Economic Times, that the BJP strategy “sought to play on an optimal mix of the promise of development, localization of identity and ideology and prudent coalition-building.”

Meanwhile, in Nagaland’s 60-member Assembly, the BJP became an important partner in the Progressive Democratic Alliance which was sworn in March 8. Its 32-member majority includes 18 from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), 12 from the BJP, one from the Janata Dal-United and an Independent.

Even though the Congress did well in Meghalaya, where it won 21 of the 59 contested seats, the government was formed by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance where the National People’s Party which won 19 seats aligned with the United Democratic Party that secured 6 seats, and Hill State People’s Democratic Party with its 2 seats. The BJP won 2 seats, expanding its presence, the People’s Democratic Front won 4, the NCP, 1, and three Independents.

The BJP is “reshaping the political landscape,” with its electoral advances in the 3 states, a Reuters report said quoting figures from the 2011 Census which shows they have a population totaling some 9 million and where according to the Election Commission figures some 5.6 million people turned out to vote.

The BJP’s surge in the Northeast where it had virtually no presence a few years ago, is a balm after the less-than-expected showing in the recent Gujarat elections.

Political analyst Arati Jerath, writing in The Quint, observed that the political equation had changed from one where mainstream India had paid little attention to elections in the Northeast. “The BJP has changed that by storming into territories hitherto off-limits to saffron forces, with a formidable display of election muscle,” Jerath said, adding that the “lean mean poll machine” of the BJP had trounced the “flabby” Left and Congress.

According to Jerath, the Northeast wins signify national trends like the withering away of the Left as a political force in Indian politics; the nimbleness and flexibility of the BJP’s politics, where it is willing and able to build alliances, including those that require it play down its Hindu nationalist proclivities.

Modi had campaigned intensively in the three states, and in a tweet attributed the victory to the “development oriented agenda” of his National Democratic Alliance, which already controls Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Mizoram, which is ruled by the Congress, goes to the polls later this year. Most analysts agreed that the victories bode well for the BJP heading into the national general elections in 2019.

“Victory after victory is a positive sign. This has boosted our confidence even more for 2019,” Amit Shah, the president of BJP is quoted saying in a Reuters report.

“The outcome of assembly elections in three north-eastern states — the BJP (with ally IPFT) won a majority in Tripura, wrested power in Nagaland (with the NDPP) and consolidated base in Meghalaya — will send out a positive signal to the market, which is bracing for a spike in volatility with a host of crucial state polls lining up,” said the Economic Times.

“With two more north-eastern states in its kitty, the BJP seems to be transforming into a truly national party,” D.K. Aggarwal of SMC Investments and Advisors, told the Economic Times. “The results have come against the backdrop of some competition in the recent state elections and thus, the outcome should boost BJP’s chances in the 2019’s general elections,”

NEW YORK – Perhaps, it’s just common sense that prevailed. Perhaps, it’s the pressure from several Indian American pro-immigration groups who rallied outside the White House, and elsewhere, for immigration reforms.

Or, perhaps, it’s the sheer number of stories in mainstream media on the likely devastation faced by tens of thousands of skilled immigrants and their families, if the Trump Administration stuck to their stubborn ways and eliminated the H-4 visa Employment Authorization Document.

Whatever it may be, the end result is that work permit for some H-4 visa holders – which many thought would be taken away beginning of March, as had been announced by the US government earlier – is still in effect, but with a caveat. The Trump Administration has pushed off the likely end of this work permit to June of this year.

So, what’s going on?

It’s more than likely that the Trump Administration is feeling the heat from pro-skilled workers immigration groups, and bipartisan legislators on Capitol Hill, who want, to rightly so, allow skilled immigrants to be gainfully employed in this country, contribute to the economy; not just stay at home, in a state of depression, become second class residents because of shameful partisan politics.

The Trump Administration also is likely hoping that in the next three months, the process of legal immigration reforms is initiated on Capitol Hill, in tandem with DACA reforms.

If a solution is found in the next three months to help get legal immigrants get a Green Card faster than the present crazy timeframe of 90 years or more for those who apply for a Green Card today, then eliminating the H-4 visa EAD wouldn’t raise so much heat for the administration.

That way, the Trump Administration would be able to keep their ultra conservative base happy – read as, those voters who reject all immigrants, including skilled workers, as scum. Plus, not have to face the heat from those critics who lambast the Trump Administration as being hypocrites for saying that the purpose of immigration reforms is to bring only the best and brightest into the country, while keeping those very kind of immigrants from able to work while living in the country, shun them.

By now, it’s clear that Trump has found a political mantra which is working fine for him, as shown by his increase in approval ratings of late: keep promises he made to his base. He owes his job at the White House to them, and he is showing gratitude as best as he can.

However, it’s also by now clear that pushback by those who won’t easily be bullied works best with him, as can be seen by the numerous court cases that are awaiting judgment, from immigration to travel bans. So, the pushback by angry immigrants who feel the administration is showing scant regard for their hard work and playing by the rules for decades, is totally justified.

Following rallies outside the White House, Capitol Hill, and elsewhere, late last month, another rally took place Bellevue, in Washington state, to plead the case for highly-skilled immigrants, stuck in limbo because of the huge logjam in wait for a Green Card.

Organized by GreenCard Reforms, a new organization by some Indian Americans, the rally which saw some 500 people demonstrate, was to urge the administration to hurry up Green Cards for 300,000 primary applicants, and their families, for a Green Card.

The Bellevue Reporter noted the organization’s president Sampat Shivangi saying this is the most important issue for the Indian diaspora in the U.S., as it impacts many physicians, engineers, teachers, nurses and medical professionals.

Many of these high-skilled immigrants who came to the Seattle area for tech and other jobs are stuck in a potentially decades-long green card backlog.

Among the signs that people held during the rally were messages such as “Remove Per Country Limits for employment based Green cards,” “300,000 waiting for 90 years,” “What did I do wrong,” “Break the Green Card Backlog,” “40,000 H4 kids will age out” and “Include employment based Immigration in the conversations.”

If the Trump Administration would eliminate the present limit of seven percent cap on the number of high-skilled green cards issued per year, the jammed pipeline would finally flow smoothly.

It would help skilled immigrants become permanent residents in a regulated manner within a reasonable timeframe. It would help America jumpstart the process of legal reforms to bring talented workforce in, help integrate them into society. Not make them feel vulnerable and stigmatized, as tens of thousands of families of skilled workers today feelm courtesy of the Trump Administration.

(Sujeet Rajan is Executive Editor, Parikh Worldwide Media. Email him: sujeet@newsindiatimes.com Follow him on Twitter @SujeetRajan1)

NEW DELHI – Breaking protocol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received French President Emmanuel Macron at the airport when he arrived here on Friday on a four-day visit to India, during the course of which the two leaders will co-chair the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Modi welcomed Macron with a warm hug as soon as he alighted from the aircraft and shook hands with his wife Brigitte Macron.

Modi and Macron will hold a bilateral summit on Saturday, following which a number of agreements across multiple sectors are expected to be signed.

On Sunday, Modi and Macron will co-chair the founding conference of the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA), which was launched by Modi and then French President Francois Hollande during the Paris climate summit in 2015.

The ISA is conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to address their special energy needs and provide a platform to collaborate on dealing with the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach.

It is open to all 121 prospective member countries falling between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Till Thursday, 60 countries had signed the framework agreement of the ISA and another 30 submitted the instruments of ratification.

Sunday’s conference will be attended by 23 of those who have submitted the instruments of ratification and 24 of those who have signed the framework agreement.

During the course of his stay in India, Macron will also visit Agra and Varanasi and have a town hall interaction with students in New Delhi.

During his visit to Varanasi on Monday, he will inaugurate a 75MW solar plant built by Engie Solar at Mirzapur.

NEW DELHI – Indian police arrested a member of a hard-line Hindu group on Friday for the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh late last year, officials said.

K.T. Naveen Kumar was arrested on suspicion of supplying the weapons used to kill Lankesh, according to a senior police officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to media. More arrests are expected, he said.

Lankesh, the editor and publisher of the Kannada-language newspaper Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru in September.

The murder of Lankesh, a staunch advocate of secularism and critic of right-wing political ideology, sparked protests across India.

Kumar, according to the police official, was a member of a hard-line Hindu group called the Sanatan Sanstha. The group was earlier accused of being involved in the murder of a well-known atheist. Officials at Sanatan Sanstha were not immediately available for comment.

The Sanatan Sanstha, one of the many Hindu fringe groups, have gained prominence since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.

In an interview to Reuters in 2015, the members of the Sanatan Sanstha said they were preparing for the advent of a divine Hindu kingdom in India.

Just 10 days after President Donald Trump took office last year, an Interior Department official suggested a swift change to its website in preparation for Trump’s choice to lead the department, Ryan Zinke.

While Zinke wouldn’t be sworn in for weeks, Office of Policy Analysis senior adviser Indur Goklany emailed Doug Domenech – a Trump appointee who would go to become Interior’s assistant secretary of insular areas – telling him they would “be doing the new Secretary a favor if . . . the current ‘Our Priorities’ page visible on the DOI home page were removed before he is confirmed.”

Unlike Domenech and some of the other Interior officials who were taking a fresh look at the department’s policies and messaging, Goklany wasn’t a new arrival. He had been working at Interior since Ronald Reagan was president, and had spent years questioning whether climate change would damage the planet as much as some of his colleagues predicted.

Goklany, who often goes by the nickname “Goks,” has written papers for several conservative think tanks as well as participated in their events and films while working at the Office of Policy Analysis for more than 30 years. Weeks after Trump’s inauguration, he found himself within the inner circle of Interior’s leadership. He weighed in on climate change discussions, attended meetings with some of Zinke’s senior aides and began working in the office of the deputy secretary.

Goklany’s transition from an Interior backbencher to someone with access to key decision-makers highlights a regular bureaucratic ritual that has attracted little notice under this administration: When a new president comes into power, civil servants aligned with the administration can suddenly gain prominence. Plenty of federal employees might be seething since Trump’s arrival, but others have welcomed it and are thriving.

A batch of emails newly released under the Freedom of Information Act, coupled with interviews with current and former federal officials and academics, chart the ascent of a longtime Interior analyst who had established his conservative bona fides outside the department even as he feuded with some of his colleagues within.

As Goklany began suggesting an overhaul of Interior’s website, he explained to Domenech in a Jan. 27 email that he was making “revisions that would be technically and scientifically more accurate than what’s currently on it, and also provide context, which the current one doesn’t.”

Three days later, he proposed wiping out the page in question altogether.

“I actually think removing the Priorities page is better and more efficient than just modifying certain pages because climate change is not the only questionable priority on the current Priorities page,” Goklany wrote.

Interior officials said they were looking into the issue but could not yet provide information about Goklany’s role at the agency.

Myron Ebell, a senior fellow at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute, who headed Trump’s transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency and has worked with Goklany for years in what Ebell described as his “moonlighting job as a one-man think tank,” said his longtime ally had been empowered in a way he hadn’t since Reagan.

“Obviously they kept him in a box during the Obama administration, and now they’ve let him loose,” said Ebell, who lobbied the president to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement. “He’s a national treasure, in my view. He’s a very meticulous analyst of policies, and he knows how to get behind the claims and look at the data.”

Others with knowledge of the agency – including Joel Clement, who headed the Office of Policy Analysis from January 2011 until July 2017 – said in an email that he fails to understand why the new leadership at Interior would be relying on someone with a background in electrical engineering to help guide climate policy.

“A climate change denier is someone who rejects the multiple lines of corroborating scientific evidence that show that rapid change is real, it’s caused by human activities, and it’s extremely dangerous,” Clement said. “For an electrical engineer to suggest that climate change is good for society and is just dandy, there are lots of nonexperts with opinions; the bizarre thing is that sitting political appointees in the Department of the Interior would seek out his advice.”

Throughout his career at Interior – Goklany joined the Office of Policy Analysis in 1986 – Goklany has questioned the severity of climate change’s impacts, the extent to which humans have contributed to it and the predictions its future course. Under both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, Goklany weighed in on international climate reports in his personal and professional capacity.

Michael MacCracken, who took a leave from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to work as senior global change scientist at the interagency Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program from 1993 to 2002, recalled in an interview Thursday that Goklany frequently submitted comments on behalf of Interior that suggested the U.S. could adapt to climate impacts more easily than many scientists projected. As officials worked on the official Climate Action Report that the Bush administration released in 2002, Goklany wrote a Nov. 13, 2001 memo in which he argued the federal government should jettison phrases the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used to describe possible climate impacts – “likely” and “very likely,” which have a numerical probability attached to them – to “‘might,’ ‘may,’ or ‘could.'”

“We are skeptical of the methodology used to grade different levels of possibilities,” Goklany wrote.

In the end, the State Department’s Special Envoy to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Harlan Watson, who had co-authored a paper with Goklany, overruled him and said the administration should preserve words like “likely” and “very likely.”

“He was very persistent,” said MacCracken, chief scientist for climate change programs with the Washington-based Climate Institute, adding that he and others outlined in writing their reasons for rejecting aspects of Golkany’s critiques. “I was lucky being relatively senior and a scientist in the process, so could go back at him.”

Goklany also regularly worked with conservative think tanks skeptical of climate change, including publishing two books with the Cato Institute and speaking on panels held by the Heartland Institute. In 2012, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., now ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, called for a probe into whether Goklany improperly received a $1,000-per-month payment from the Heartland Institute for writing a chapter in a book on climate science.

Goklany asked to stop working on climate change at Interior after President Barack Obama took office. Clement, who supervised him, said he filed the FOIA request that produced the raft of emails related to Goklany’s activities “because he refused to discuss these activities with his supervisors while I was there at DOI, and his work products, a mystery to all of us in the career ranks, were likely to represent threats to scientific integrity.”

The documents chronicle how Goklany reached out to new appointees in key positions, and shared work he had done that meshed with Trump and Zinke’s push for expanded fossil fuel production.

“It was a pleasure to meet you last evening,” Goklany wrote Downey Magallanes, Zinke’s deputy chief of staff, in a March 10 email, attaching two papers he had written “as an Independent Scientist” on the benefits of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide, respectively. “I hope to run into you from time to time.”

In March 2017, Goklany asked for permission from Interior’s Ethics Office to speak at the Heartland Institute’s International Conference of Climate Change. Goklany told an attorney there that he wanted to speak only in a “personal capacity,” noting he “worked on climate change matters for over 20 years until about 2009.”

At the conference, Heartland introduced Goklany as an “Independent Scientist,” without referring to his Interior post. He etched out correlations between rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and indicators of well-being, like life expectancy and the per capita gross domestic product.

“Instead of living in the worst of times, we’re actually living in the best of times,” Goklany said, “and carbon dioxide and fossils fuels are a good part of that.”

Top officials at Interior welcomed Goklany’s input. While Clement had been exploring whether to move Goklany to the department’s ethics office, the analyst sought instead to work directly with Associate Deputy Secretary James Cason on policy matters. The job discussions came as Zinke’s aides were orchestrating a departmentwide reassignment of Senior Executive Service employees, such as Goklany, Clement and others from around the country. In June, they reassigned 33 of these staffers.

While the vast majority of these senior career officials received their new postings without providing any input, an email exchange in April shows that Zinke’s aides solicited Goklany’s views on where he should work. Goklany informed Domenech that Clement was seeking to detail him to an ethics assignment, noting, “The theory is an SES-er can do anything. But I’d rather not!”

Domenech then consulted with Interior’s principal deputy solicitor, Daniel Jorjani, and then informed Goklany that he had told a colleague, “to slow-walk action moving you to Ethics.”

Instead, in May Cason approved Goklany’s transfer to work in the office of the deputy secretary, though Clement said Interior officials refused to sign the paperwork making the detail official. According to copies of Cason’s schedule obtained by advocacy group Friends of the Earth under FOIA, Goklany attended 19 meetings with Cason between April 5, 2017 and Jan. 16, 2018. Only eight of the sessions list topics, and two of them are focused on climate change.

Even before moving under Cason, in April Goklany procured the Obama administration’s Fiscal Year Fiscal Year 2013 climate budget for Cason and Domenech as the Trump team was preparing to roll out its first congressional budget request, which consolidated climate activities within Interior. Later that month, Domenech sent Goklany an Obama-era National Park Service brochure on the effects of global warming throughout the parks. Goklany marked up the document with this thoughts, describing a page titled “Responding to Climate Change” as “propaganda for a favored option.”

Goklany also interpreted media coverage of climate for high-level Interior officials. He described a Los Angeles Times article about California’s brutal wildfire season as “better than most” while deriding a New York Times story about the impact of sea-level rise and other climate effects on Guam by arguing “tide gauge data, however, doesn’t show any acceleration in sea level rise due to man-made global warming or whatever.”

By May, Goklany was reviewing a draft of at least one U.S. Geological Survey paper on climate change and preparing “a summary overview of climate change activities gleaned from examining web presence,” remarking on the volume of climate communication done by Obama’s Interior Department.

“I estimate that there are over 100,000 pages on the web on DOI servers (including bureaus) that refer to climate change!” he wrote to Cason.

Late last year Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt signed a secretarial order wiping out four different directives and policy manuals instructing Interior employees on how to address climate and other environmental impacts on public lands, including at least one Goklany singled out to Cason in May. The order said the documents were “inconsistent” with the administration’s energy goals.