How Populist Brahamin Leaders DUPE the Mulnivasi Bahujan Masses and continue EXCLUSION and Ethnic Cleansing! Mamata Banerjee Emerged as a Classic Example!Government unlikely to roll back petrol price hike!Rangarajan favours decontrol of diesel prices

How Populist Brahamin Leaders DUPE the Mulnivasi Bahujan Masses and continue EXCLUSION and Ethnic Cleansing! Mamata Banerjee Emerged as a Classic Example!Government unlikely to roll back petrol price hike!Rangarajan favours decontrol of diesel prices!Terming West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee as a "compulsive populist'', the UPA II Government on Saturday ruled out any rollback in petrol prices that was hiked by Rs. 1.82 a litre on Thursday night.The Hindu reports. Stung by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's threat to pull out of the UPA government over the hike in petrol price, the Congress today hit back, claiming that Ms Banerjee was part of the government panel that had decided to deregulate fuel prices.NDTV Reports.

RBI liberalises FDI rules to woo foreign investors!

Irom's indefinite fast completes 11 years!

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to visit India!

The Prime Minister favours Further Deregulation defying UPA Constituents` Dissidence! Today Bengali Daily, Anand Bazaar and English Daily The Telgraph, both linked to Star Media Group, Highlighted the Tough Stance of the India Incs Government and outlined Mamata`s Blackmailing populist Politics. Mind you, this group played Key role to Reincarnat Mamata and Her PORIBARTAN! Defending Free Market Economy and Pushing for Disinvestment, Reforms and Deregualtion, Indian Media has made it very clear that the FDI Raj and LPG Mafia Manusmriti Rule is the Topmost Priority. What media does with ANNA Brigade or Blue Eye Mamata is NOTHING but Intensive CORPORATE Lobbying with MIND Control surgically Precise. FEMA rule, US linked Economy and False Global Economic Crisis are the Games Controlled by Global Stanic Zionist Order. Now the Brahaminical Hegemony plays another Trump card, fielding RAHUL GANDHI as Mamata was USED in Bengal!

* শরিকি চাপেও লক্ষ্যে অটল হুঁশিয়ারি দিলেও তিনিই 'ত্রাতা', বোঝালেন মমতা নিজস্ব সংবাদদাতা • কলকাতা ও নয়াদিল্লি *পেট্রোলের মূল্যবৃদ্ধির প্রতিবাদে কংগ্রেস নেতৃত্বাধীন কেন্দ্রের জোট সরকার ছেড়ে বেরিয়ে আসার 'চরম হুঁশিয়ারি' দিয়ে রাখল শরিক দল তৃণমূল। দলীয় সাংসদরা 'সর্বসম্মতিক্রমে' সরকার ত্যাগের সিদ্ধান্ত নিলেও দলনেত্রী তথা রাজ্যের মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় তাঁদের আপাতত 'নিবৃত্ত' করেছেন। প্রধানমন্ত্রী মনমোহন সিংহ দেশে ফিরলে তাঁর সঙ্গে আলোচনার পরেই এ বিষয়ে সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া হবে। বৃহস্পতিবার রাতে পেট্রোলের মূল্যবৃদ্ধির বিষয়টি জানাজানি হওয়ার পরেই প্রবল ক্রুদ্ধ হন মমতা। রাতেই তিনি নির্দেশ দেন শুক্রবার দুপুরে সমস্ত সাংসদকে নিয়ে সংসদীয় দলের জরুরি বৈঠক ডাকার। ঠিক হয়, কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের সঙ্গে সম্পর্ক নিয়ে সেখানেই সিদ্ধান্ত হবে। তবে তৃণমূলের মতো 'নেত্রী-কেন্দ্রিক' দলে চূড়ান্ত সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়ার ভার যে মমতার উপরেই ছেড়ে দেওয়া হবে, তা প্রত্যাশিতই ছিল। বাস্তবেও তার অন্যথা হয়নি। সংসদীয় দলের বৈঠকে 'সর্বসম্মতিক্রমে' সরকার ছেড়ে বেরিয়ে আসার সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়ে সাংসদরা যান মহাকরণে। সেখানে মমতা তাঁদের 'অভিনন্দন' জানান। বিস্তারিত... * * ইংকা সভ্যতার 'মাচু পিচু' বিংশ শতাব্দীর সবচেয়ে বড় প্রত্নতাত্ত্বিক আবিষ্কার! পাশাপাশি উগান্ডার রাজধানী থেকে অল্প দূরের পাঙ্গা অভয়ারণ্যে মানুষখেকো 'পিঁপড়ে' আর মার্কিন মুলুকের গিঙ্গো পেট্রিফায়েড ফরেস্টে রয়েছে 'র‌্যাটল স্নেক'-এর হাতছানি। ঐতিহাসিক থেকে প্রাগৈতিহাসিক এমনই সব জায়গার কথ্যচিত্রের পাশাপাশি ছবিতে শোনানো হল 'মেইন'-এর গল্প। * বাধ্য হয়েই দাম বাড়ানো, যুক্তি তেল সংস্থাগুলির প্রেমাংশু চৌধুরী • নয়াদিল্লি *বিপুল লোকসানের বোঝা কমাতে দাম বাড়ানো ছাড়া গতি ছিল না। সমালোচনার জবাবে এই 'অমোঘ' যুক্তিকেই ঢাল হিসাবে তুলে ধরছে তেল সংস্থাগুলি। হিসেবের সবিস্তার খতিয়ান তুলে ধরে মন্ত্রকের ব্যাখ্যা, দেশে তেলের চাহিদার ৭৯ শতাংশই আমদানি করতে হয়। কিছু দিন আগেও আন্তর্জাতিক বাজারে প্রতি ব্যারেল অশোধিত তেলের দাম ছিল ৮৫ ডলার। ৩০ শতাংশ বেড়ে এখন তা দাঁড়িয়েছে ১১০ ডলারে। আন্তর্জাতিক বাজারে তেলের দাম বাড়লে এ দেশেও তেলের দাম বাড়বে। নিজেদের আমলে বিজেপিকেও আমদানি করা তেলের দামের সঙ্গে তাল মিলিয়ে পেট্রোলের দাম স্থির করার নীতি নিতে হয়েছিল। বর্তমানে পরিস্থিতি আরও বিগড়েছে ডলারের তুলনায় টাকার দাম পড়ে যাওয়ায়। প্রশ্ন উঠেছে, যখন টাকার দাম বেশি ছিল বা অশোধিত তেলের দাম কম ছিল, তখন তেল সংস্থাগুলি লাভের মুখ দেখলেও পেট্রোলের দাম কমায়নি কেন? ইন্ডিয়ান অয়েল কর্পোরেশনের চেয়ারম্যান আর এস বুটোলার ব্যাখ্যা, হয়তো এক বা দু'দিন অপরিশোধিত তেলের দাম কমেছে, তাতে লাভ হয়েছে। বিস্তারিত... * পিছোনোর প্রশ্ন নেই, বার্তা মনমোহনের জয়ন্ত ঘোষাল • কান *রাজনৈতিক বাধ্যবাধকতা আছে। কিন্তু পেট্রোপণ্য নিয়ন্ত্রণ মুক্ত করার ব্যাপারে আর পিছনে হাঁটবে না কেন্দ্রীয় সরকার। আজ কান-এ জি-২০ সম্মেলনের ফাঁকেই এক সাংবাদিক বৈঠকে স্পষ্ট করে এই সাহসী প্রত্যয়ের কথা জানিয়ে দিলেন প্রধানমন্ত্রী মনমোহন সিংহ। গত কাল রাষ্ট্রায়ত্ত তেল সংস্থাগুলি আর এক দফা পেট্রোলের দাম বাড়ানোর সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়ার পরেই দেশের বিভিন্ন অংশে প্রতিবাদ শুরু হয়। বিরোধীরা তো মুণ্ডপাত করছেনই। আজ সরকারের প্রধান শরিক দল তৃণমূল পর্যন্ত জোট সরকার থেকে বেরিয়ে আসার 'চরম হুঁশিয়ারি' দিয়েছে। সেই প্রেক্ষাপটে প্রধানমন্ত্রী কিন্তু স্পষ্ট করে দেন, যতই চাপ থাকুক, পেট্রোপণ্যের দাম নিয়ন্ত্রণের বিষয়টি আর হাতে নেবে না সরকার। বরং পেট্রোলের পাশাপাশি ডিজেল-সহ অন্যান্য পেট্রোপণ্যও নিয়ন্ত্রণ মুক্ত করার পথেই হাঁটবে তারা। কারণ, গোটা বিশ্ব এখন এই অভিমুখেই এগোচ্ছে। তাঁর বক্তব্য, "বাজারই মূল্য নির্ধারণ করবে। আমাদের আরও বেশি বিনিয়ন্ত্রণের পথে হাঁটা উচিত।" কান-এ প্রধানমন্ত্রী যখন এই কথা বলছেন, তখন তাঁর পাশে যোজনা কমিশনের ডেপুটি চেয়ারপার্সন মন্টেক সিংহ অহলুওয়ালিয়া, যিনি আর্থিক সংস্কারে মনমোহনের অন্যতম সেনাপতি বলেই পরিচিত। বিস্তারিত... * খুন এ বার বলরামপুরে, অভিযান শুরুর স্পষ্ট ইঙ্গিত দিলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী নিজস্ব প্রতিবেদন *অনেক ধৈর্য দেখানো হয়েছে। এ বার মাওবাদী মোকাবিলায় যৌথ বাহিনীর অভিযান শুরু হবে বলে শুক্রবার স্পষ্ট ইঙ্গিত দিলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়। সাম্প্রতিক কালে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী বার বার মাওবাদীদের হুঁশিয়ারি দিয়ে বলেছেন, তারা খুনের রাজনীতি বন্ধ না করলে সরকার 'কড়া' হবে। গত ১৫ অক্টোবর ঝাড়গ্রামের সভা থেকে মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মাওবাদীদের সাত দিনের সময়সীমা বেঁধে দেন। মাওবাদীদের সম্পর্কে তাঁর এ ভাবে ধীরে ধীরে 'সুর চড়ানো' দেখে জঙ্গলমহলে যৌথ বাহিনীর অভিযান অচিরেই শুরু হবে কি না, তা নিয়ে রাজ্য রাজনীতিতে জল্পনা শুরু হয়েছিল। কিন্তু মুখ্যমন্ত্রী এত দিন প্রকাশ্যে ওই অভিযানের কথা বলেননি। বৃহস্পতিবার রাতে পুরুলিয়ার বলরামপুর থানার ঘাটবেড়া গ্রামে গলায় তার পেঁচিয়ে খুন করা হয় জিতু সিংহ (৫১) নামে এক তৃণমূল কর্মীকে। অভিযোগের আঙুল ওঠে মাওবাদীদের বিরুদ্ধে। এই ঘটনার পরেই কড়া অবস্থান নেওয়ার কথা বলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী। তিনি বলেন, "আমি আলোচনা চেয়েছিলাম। ভেবেছিলাম, শান্তি-প্রক্রিয়া চললে অভিযান বন্ধ রাখব। বিস্তারিত... http://www.anandabazar.com/index.html

Petrol price hike: DMK and Trinamool Congress force government to cancel meet on LPG

Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress Chief in weeks!

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, Chapter 704

Palash Biswas

http://indianliberationnews.com/

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http://basantipurtimes.blogspot.com/

The Prime Minister favours Further Deregulation defying UPA Constituents` Dissidence! Today Bengali Daily, Anand Bazaar and English Daily The Telgraph, both linked to Star Media Group, Highlighted the Tough Stance of the India Incs Government and outlined Mamata`s Blackmailing populist Politics. Mind you, this group played Key role to Reincarnat Mamata and Her PORIBARTAN! Defending Free Market Economy and Pushing for Disinvestment, Reforms and Deregualtion, Indian Media has made it very clear that the FDI Raj and LPG Mafia Manusmriti Rule is the Topmost Priority. What media does with ANNA Brigade or Blue Eye Mamata is NOTHING but Intensive CORPORATE Lobbying with MIND Control surgically Precise. FEMA rule, US linked Economy and False Global Economic Crisis are the Games Controlled by Global Stanic Zionist Order. Now the Brahaminical Hegemony plays another Trump card, fielding RAHUL GANDHI as Mamata was USED in Bengal!

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today paid her respects to slain Trinamool Congress leader Jeetu Singh Sardar and said peace would be reestablished in Maoist-hit Junglemahal at all costs. "We take a pledge to resist terrorist activities at all costs and re-establish peace," the chief minister, who has asked Maoists to lay down arms and hold talks, said at the Maidan where the body was brought for the partymen to pay their last respects. Without naming the Maoists, she said they were killing innocent people which could not be tolerated. Top Trinamool Congress leaders, including party's All-India general secretary Mukul Roy, condemned the politics of violence by the Maoists. Sardar was killed yesterday by Maoists at Ghatbera village in Purulia district, on the suspicion that he was working for the police at Balarampur in Purulia.

Top Stories * Moneycontrol.com Petrol price hike: Government stands firm, Congress raises doubts NDTV.com - ‎14 minutes ago‎ New Delhi: As a political fire rages on over the recent hike in petrol price, the government is feeling the heat, this time from within. RelatedMamata Banerjee »Petrol price » Government to take decision on petrol price hike: CongressEconomic Times Fuel hike: Cong downplays Mamata pullout threatIBNLive.com In Depth:Wave pullout card, enjoy local taxCalcutta Telegraph See all 300 sources » * NDTV.com * NewsX * IBNLive *IBNLive.com *The Hindu *Indian Express *AFP *indiablooms *NDTV.com *India Today *Firstpost *Deccan Herald *Zee News *SamayLive *Parda Phash *International Business Times *Moneycontrol.com *NetIndian

DMK, a key ally of the UPA, today asked the Government to "roll back" the hike in petrol prices, saying the increase would have a "cascading effect".

"The hike in petrol prices will affect the lower and middle income groups and the poor. Government should not reduce the subsidy," DMK partyspokesman T K S Elangovan said.

He said the increase should be rolled back as it would have "cascading effect" on the common man.

DMK is the second UPA ally after Mamta Banerjee led-Trinamool Congress to demand that the Government retrace its step.

Meanwhile,Stating that the common man should get relief from the high petrol prices, Union Minister Praful Patel today said that he and NCP chief Sharad Pawarwould soon hold talks with the government on the issue.

"There is an immediate need to provide relief to the common man. Sharad Pawar and myself will hold talks with the government. We have not happily accepted the hike in fuel prices," Patel told reporters here.

He was replying to questions as to why the NCP has not taken as aggressive a stand as the one taken by West Bengal Chief Minister and chief of Trinamool Congress Mamta Banerjee.

Patel also said that people could be given relief by relaxation in taxes and cross subsidy.

CHENNAI: Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C Rangarajan today pitched for freeing diesel prices but suggested that it should be done when inflation starts declining.

"Diesel is like any other commodity and (oil marketing) companies should be allowed to fix prices. The most appropriate time for doing it will be when inflation starts declining," Rangarajan told reporters on the sidelines of the 3-day conference 'Bancon 2011', organised by Indian Banks' Association andIndian Overseas Bank here.

Petrol rates are market-linked but the prices of LPG, kerosene and diesel are subsidised and hence government- administered.

Oil marketing firms raised petrol prices by Rs 1.80 per litre on Thursday, a move which has come in for an all round attack with even UPA key allies, TMC and DMK opposing it.

Rangarajan's comments come a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh virtually justified the hike in petrol prices, saying there should be further movement towards deregulation of fuel prices and market should be allowed to find its level.

On inflation, that has been a constant cause of concern for the government and the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI) for over 18 months, Rangarajan said it should stabilise at seven per cent by March 2012.

Food inflation soared to 12.27 per cent for the week ended October 22, while the overall inflation in September stood at 9.27 per cent.

"Though inflation rates were mainly influenced by foodgrains and vegetable prices, it has now become generalised and spread even to manufacturing sector which has recorded at 7.4 per cent," Rangarajan said.

He also said that RBI's raising its policy rate would help rein in inflation.

"I hope that by December-January, inflation would break and around that time perhaps a reversal policy is possible which would keep deficit near budget levels," he said.

India's financial sector priorities to remain unchanged: Manmohan Singh
CANNES: Against the backdrop of the battle against the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said there will be no change in India's financial sector priorities to sustain high rates of economic growth.

"Financial inclusion, provision of long-term funding instruments for infrastructure, the development of liquid bond markets to improve monetary policy transmission, among others, were financial sector priorities in India before the crisis," Singh said in his intervention at the Summit of world's leading 20 economies yesterday.

"Nothing has happened in Indian financial markets or globally that warrants changing these priorities. We need to be sure that the regulatory reforms being introduced globally will not hamper this process," he added.

India's concerns were different, Singh said, adding, "the banking capital needs to be strengthened in India, this is not on account of higher risks but because credit is projected to expand at a very fast pace to feed the high real growth that we expect".

Pointing out that tax payers and equity holders in case of the Indian PSU banking sector are the same, he said, "in this environment it is difficult to see why a financial sector tax, which would only raise the cost of capital even further, would be appropriate."

As regards the Indian economy, Singh said, "our economy has slowed down in the current year and GDP growth is likely to be between 7.6 and 8 per cent...We in India are taking steps to ensure a return to high growth.

"We hope to go back to higher growth in 2012-13, together with a moderation in inflation", he added.

Brahminization of Bahujanist Religions and Paths to Enslave Indigenous Masses

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Sheetal Markam, Suhail Ansari, Adv. Harshwardhan Meshram, Urmila Marko and Niranjan Masram

Beware of A Brahminist Cult

Part III  of the Proposed Copyright-free Awareness Book

Characteristics of a Cult

Secret Services Operate Through Religions and Cults

Recruitment by Deception

Further Decognition Process in Cults

How CIA-Cults Create Mind Controlled Slaves

Personality Changes in Cult Members

How to Protect Yourself, Your Family and Friends From a Cult ?

15 MAY, 2011, 11.42AM IST, PTI

PMEAC for early decision on freeing of diesel prices

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's economic advisory panel has pitched for an early decision on freeing of diesel prices, saying that oil companies are incurring huge losses on account of difference between domestic and international prices.

"At one time I felt that if inflation comes down to 7 per cent it can be done. Since it is taking time for the inflation rate to come down, perhaps an earlier decision (to deregulate diesel prices) may be required", Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C Rangarajan told PTI.

He further said, "We cannot wait (for inflation to come down) because the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are incurring a huge loss. It (deregulation) may happen sooner than later."

State-owned Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum andHindustan Petroleum currently lose Rs 16.17 a litre on diesel. After adding local sales tax or VAT, the desired increase to make rates at par with international prices is Rs 18.19 a litre.

However, any hike in rates of petroleum products ends up fanning inflation, which is already high.

Inflation was 8.98 per cent in March, prompting the Reserve Bank to go in for another hike in lending (repo) and borrowing (reverse repo) rates by 50 basis points in its annual credit policy review on May 3.

The PMEAC chief also suggested an increase in diesel prices, saying that a failure to do so would make it difficult for the government to achieve fiscal deficit target of 4.6 per cent in the current fiscal.

"The adjustment in diesel prices either through a direct increase or decontrol is really required if you have to keep the fiscal deficit at the budgeted level. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve the deficit target of 4.6 per cent of the GDP," the PMEAC Chairman said.

International crude oil prices have been soaring due to unrest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The Empowered Group of Ministers ( EGoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is likely to take a decision on raising prices of petroleum products next week. It is widely believed that diesel prices will be raised by Rs 3-4 a litre.

Although the crude prices in the international market rose to over $ 100 per barrel, the Government refrained from taking a call in view of the assembly elections in four states and a Union Territory.

The results, declared on Friday, have largely favoured the parties of the ruling UPA government. On Saturday, the government raised petrol prices by Rs 5 a litre.

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked of further deregulating fuel prices,Congress today said any policy that does not yield the desired results can be revisited and asked the government to give "serious thoughts" to give relief to the common man from petrol price hike.

"The party is concerned about the rise in prices. All possible steps, which are required to give relief to the people, should be taken. This is the party's suggestion.

"This is for the government to consider and give a serious thought and take all possible steps," AICCgeneral secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here.

Refusing to specifically answer whether the party wants government to review the decision to deregulate petrol prices, Dwivedi said "any policy, which does not give the desired result or is not good for the people, can be revisited."

The Prime Minister had yesterday told journalists in Cannes that "these are very sensitive areas and I have no hesitation in saying ultimately we must allow the markets to find their own level except for those commodities which are semi public goods...So, the direction of change is quite clear. We must move in the direction of decontrolling more and more prices."

He had made the remarks when asked about the uproar back home over petrol price hike and Trinamool Congress' threat to pull out of the UPA government.

Congress leaders, had speaking privately yesterday, indicated that a partial roll-back in the petrol price hike is possible but party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi today ruled out any such specific demand by the party saying it is for the government to decide through what methods and actions it want to give relief to the people.

The most profound event of the past week for investors may not have been either the on-off referendum plans in Athens or the machinations of the Group of 20 in Cannes, but a comment from Ben Bernanke in Washington.

The Federal Reserve chairman essentially pledged to take more action - if necessary - to make the US economy stronger.

Looked at from one standpoint, this was like saying to investors that if the euro zone crisis starts dragging Europe into recession, the Fed is there to help bail out world growth and maintain flows into riskier assets.

Conversely, if the euro zone does manage to contain its Greek problem then investors will be able to continue the risk rally that began in the lead up to the latest bailout agreement.

"That's better news than not, but we have to be cautious," said Karen Olney, head of European Thematic Research at UBS.

"The US will probably be one of the stronger pockets of growth in the developed world over the next year or so. The euro zone seems to be the swing factor."

A surprise interest rate cut from the European Central Bank, along with a confident performance from new president Mario Draghi, will have helped risk appetite in the otherwise crisis-ridden euro zone.

It is mainly the improvement in the US economy, however, that may allow for investors to salvage something out of the rest of the year.

Jobs data on Friday was disappointing, but it did show growth and employment is known as a lagging indicator.

The week ahead brings the latest take on US consumer sentiment, which should give some idea of whether the better data is trickling down to the man and woman in the mall.

GREECE

It is, meanwhile, a brave person who can predict what will happen in the euro zone crisis, particularly when it comes to Greece.

The referendum debacle - a call for a vote that could have destroyed the whole bailout agreement, then a sharp reversal in the face of EU and domestic anger - has undermined what residual investor confidence there was in Athens.

More significantly, perhaps, it led to the ditching of a taboo. Greece's possible exit from the euro zone is now spoken of publicly by European leaders for the first time.

If there are further signs that Greece will not live up to its commitments then planning for a euro zone exit will have to gear up.

The regular meeting of euro zone finance ministers on Monday may provide hints. But even if not, investors are keen to get more details about the bailout plans that have already been agreed.

Franz Wenzel, senior investment strategist at AXA Investment Managers in Paris, said one key would be plans for private investors to accept a 50 percent cut in the face value of Greek bonds.

The issue is whether this can be done without triggering credit default swaps, insurance policies on the debt.

5 NOV, 2011, 07.19AM IST, PR RAMESH,ET BUREAU

Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress Chief in weeks

EDITORS PICK

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NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi will don the mantle ofCongress Party president within the next few weeks, taking over the reins from his mother and becoming the sixth Nehru-Gandhi family member to run the country's oldest political party. Several party leaders, including a Cabinet minister, confirmed to ET that the coronation was likely in "four to eight weeks" and Rahul's mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who has kept the party together since March 1998, would restrict her role to providing broad directions to the party and government.

Rahul, at 41, will be a year older than his father, the late Rajiv Gandhi, who took over as PM and party chief in 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. With Rahul taking over the party, recurring rumours of a leadership change in the government will also be put to rest.

Congress leaders said there is no plan to change horses in mid-stride. Sonia, the 'glue' that has kept the Congress together since March 14, 1998, has been running the country's polity for the past seven years from behind the scenes. Rahul, who shares the left-of-centre approach of his mother, has been championing rights causes, particularly those concerning land and employment. He may give an aggressive push to the Congress' welfare agenda - some of which faces opposition from policy wonks in the establishment.

Unlike Rajiv, who was the beneficiary of a sympathy wave that helped him sweep not the just the general elections that year but the assembly elections in many states the following year, Rahul will be taking over as party chief at a time the UPA regime is experiencing a major governance deficit. The organisation will be looking up to Rahul to pull the government out of what increasingly looks like a directionless and motionless existence.

Changing face of Congress
Rahul Gandhi to take over as Congress Chief in weeks
Several party leaders, including a Cabinet minister, confirmed to ET that the coronation was likely in 'four to eight weeks'.

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I-T department to probe 2,000 Indian accounts
Denmark & Finland have passed info another 2K bank a/cs to India, prompting I-T dept to launch an investigation.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Rahul-Gandhi-to-take-over-as-Congress-Chief-in-weeks/articleshow/10613667.cms

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to visit India!

How Populist Brahamin Leaders DUPE the Mulnivasi Bahujan Masses and continue EXCLUSION and Ethnic Cleansing! Mamata Banerjee Emerged as a Classic Example!Terming West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee as a "compulsive populist'', the UPA II Government on Saturday ruled out any rollback in petrol prices that was hiked by Rs. 1.82 a litre on Thursday night.The Hindu reports. Stung by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's threat to pull out of the UPA government over the hike in petrol price, the Congress today hit back, claiming that Ms Banerjee was part of the government panel that had decided to deregulate fuel prices.NDTV Reports.

Wave pullout card, enjoy local tax CM threatens, PM bats for decontrol

OUR BUREAU

* Nov. 4: Mamata Banerjee today sprayed a cocktail of petrol price and other grievances on the Centre, warning that the Trinamul Congress could pull out of the UPA government if it "did not think about the masses" and listen to her party. Oil firms said they had little option but to roll back the price increase if the Centre issued such a directive. However, till late this evening, the Prime Minister appeared to be standing by the decision not to interfere with the pricing of the decontrolled fuel. That leaves the Centre with the option of a tax cut, unless the Prime Minister changes his stand. The judiciary also entered the picture with a Kerala court asking Indian Oil and Reliance to submit their balance sheets — documents already available in the public domain — in three weeks for perusal. ( ) Trinamul MPs set the ball rolling by convening in Calcutta for an emergency meeting of the party's parliamentary committee, which followed the petrol price hike announced by oil firms last night. Briefed by the MPs later at Writers' Buildings, Mamata said: "Our MPs and central ministers are not willing to continue as allies of the government. What is the point of staying in the government if people are burdened? For one cabinet post, we can't remain in the ministry. Somebody has to bell the cat." But Mamata, whose party is the largest ally of the Congress at the Centre, said she had asked the MPs to "wait for a few days". "They have given to me in writing their desire to pull out of the government. But I have amended what they have said," she said. "Without our support, the government will collapse. I don't want that to happen when the Prime Minister is away from the country. That will give the entire country a bad name. I have told them to first meet the Prime Minister when he returns, may be meet him on November 8 or 9, whenever he has the time. Then they should tell him that this burden on the people can't be accepted and also about their decision." Mamata said that all her ministers, MPs and senior state minister Partha Chatterjee would attend the meeting and convey their feelings. But Mamata was quick to add: "Before going ahead with such a serious decision, we must talk first. We fought elections as partners and would want to stay together for the full term. But the Centre also has to ensure that the allies remain with it, their views are heard. The Centre must also listen to us." Mamata said she would like to congratulate her MPs and ministers for the "bold decision" they had taken. Mamata's comments suggest that the compulsions of governance, the perceived unpopularity of the Congress, her eagerness to blunt the CPM's price card and future calculations are driving her to adopt a tough stand. Her grievance at not being consulted before the hike and "smaller matters" like Trinamul still going without an office at Parliament was laid bare in the interaction she had with the media. Pointing to railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, Mamata said he was not allowed to speak at cabinet meetings. While the Trinamul MPs were brainstorming, Mamata held a meeting with Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma who called on her at Writers' in the afternoon. "I told him that decisions that have an impact on the country should not be taken when the Prime Minister is abroad. I have requested him to talk to the PM," she said. In Delhi, oil companies threw up their hands. "We do not plan to affect a roll back of prices but if we get a directive (to roll back prices), we will have to implement that," IOC chairperson R.S. Butola, who was accompanied by BPCL chairperson R.K. Singh, told reporters. Butola said that even after the latest increase, the oil firm was losing Rs 24 crore a day on petrol. However, if the Centre does order the oil companies to roll back the prices, it will go against the policy of petrol decontrol — a decision taken when Mamata was part of the Union cabinet — and strike at the root of the UPA's stand so far that the government has nothing do with the decisions of the oil firms. The storm caught up with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Cannes, where, ironically, he was discussing the fate of the Greek economic crisis with other G20 leaders. Not unlike the Bengal government, Greece is grappling with austerity measures. The Prime Minister appeared to justify the decision to decontrol petrol prices. "Well, that is the general direction in which we should move. I think the move to decontrol the prices is a part of that process. But as I said, these are very sensitive areas and I have no hesitation in saying ultimately we must allow the markets to find their own level, except for those commodities which are semi-public goods," Singh told a news conference in Cannes. "So, the direction of change is clear. We must move in the direction of decontrolling more prices," the Prime Minister said.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111105/jsp/frontpage/story_14711614.jsp

How Bengal govt gains from hikes

SRIKUMAR BONDYOPADHYAY AND SAMBIT SAHA

Calcutta, Nov. 4: Trinamul MPs want to pull out of the UPA government over the petrol price increase but their own party's government has been reaping the benefits of successive hikes since May. After yesterday's price increase, the Bengal government stands to collect in taxes Rs 15.13, including a Re 1 cess, from every litre of petrol sold in the state. (See chart in lead story) If only the taxes from refinery to the consumer are taken into account, Bengal's share is actually higher than what the Centre earns from each litre of petrol. Such central taxes account for Rs 14.78 of the total retail price per litre. Since May 14, while the Centre has raised petrol prices four times, the Mamata Banerjee government has not given any indication that it would forgo a share of the sales tax to ease the burden on "the common man". Mamata withdrew the surcharge on cooking gas, which apparently cost the government Rs 75 crore a year or Rs 6.25 crore a month. However, the sales tax collection from petrol outweighs what the state has given up. "In Bengal, there are 2,500 petrol pumps, each selling on an average 8,000 litres of the fuel a month," said Surojit Kole, the general secretary of the West Bengal Petroleum Dealers' Association. It means that on an average, 2 crore litres of petrol are sold every month in the state. At current prices, this adds up to Rs 146.30 crore, of which over Rs 30 crore will go to the state exchequer every month. Asked why the Bengal government was not reducing the sales tax on petrol — the Congress-led front in Kerala did so today — a senior minister said: "We are devoting the next seven days to making the Centre see reason and convincing it to roll back the price. We hope to succeed in this. If this does happen, it will happen only because of our leader Mamata Banerjee. We will consider the sales tax reduction after the final decision is taken on the hike and correspondingly our continuation in the UPA government." The Centre has not indicated so far whether it will cut its share of the tax. One reason for the reluctance on the part of the Centre and the state could be that petrol is a milch cow that does not have too much of a cascading effect on the ground, unlike diesel and kerosene. Belying the intensity of the political storm around the hike, petrol accounts for only 1.09 per cent in the inflation index and it is used largely in private cars, two-wheelers and three-wheelers. "Those who use public transport and cannot afford the luxury of a car will not be hit. However, there is a section of the middle class and above who would be using petrol for bikes and cars. But they are far outnumbered by the grassroots people in cities and villages," said economist Dipankar Dasgupta. Two-wheeler sales, used by all economic sections, have jumped in October despite hikes in petrol prices and interest rates. The latest hike will add Rs 60 to the monthly fuel bill if a bike uses 30 litres a month. Among car owners, many high-end buyers have been switching to diesel, which is sold on a subsidy. Many foreign carmakers have recently come up with diesel variants to tap the demand. Nigel E. Wark, executive director (marketing, sales and service) of Ford India, said 70 per cent of the national demand for the company's car was for diesel vehicles.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1111105/jsp/frontpage/story_14711613.jsp

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   * IBNLive.com

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5. PETROL 2 LAST ‎ IBNLive.com - 6 hours ago "If she (Mamata Banerjee) is so concerned why not reduce sales tax in West Bengal to Delhi levels", a source said adding that a similar story is being ...

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  Government unlikely to roll back petrol price hike!
  
  

  A roll-back in the steep Rs 1.80 a litre hike in petrol price is unlikely, government sources said today.

  
  

  "As of now there isn't much political heat. The roll-back looks unlikely," said a source.

  
  

  Meanwhile, hitting out at the ruling UPA alliance partners such as Trinamool Congress, who have denounced the hike and threatened to withdraw support from the government, a Cabinet Minister said, Mamata Banerjee was part of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) that in June of 2010 had decided to deregulate or free petrol prices.

  
  

  "She (Mamata Banerjee) had not attended that EGoM meeting of June 25, 2010, but her consent was taken. She continued in the Union Cabinet after the decision was made and did not threaten even once to withdraw support," the minister said, adding that the decision to hike petrol price was in line with the empowerment that government has given to oil companies last year.

  
  

  "She (Mamta Banerjee) is a compulsive populist. When we have alliance like them we don't need opposition BJP," he added.

  
  

  Sources said the state-owned oil companies took the decision to hike prices on their own and were not required to consult anyone in the government.

  
  

  They added that the government does not want to become unpopular, but sometimes it is forced to take unpopular decisions. "It is not that the government is running for Nobel price for unpopularity. Government does unpopular things only when it becomes inevitable." said a source.

  
  The oil companies were forced to hike the petrol price because of the double whammy of high oil prices and the rupee's depreciation against dollar, making imports costlier.
  
  

  In a bid to share experience on safety standards and regulation for the safe operation of nuclear power plants, a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission team, led by Chairman Gregory B Jaczko, will visit the country and hold meetings withAtomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

  
  

  US NRC Chairman Gregory B Jaczko will lead a five-member NRC delegation to visit Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai from November 14-18 to take part in meetings with the AERB, other government agencies, and visit a variety of nuclear facilities, a US Embassy statement said here today.

  
  

  "The visit is to exchange information and share experience on safety standards and regulation for the safe operation of nuclear power plants," it said.

  
  

  The NRC delegation will visit the nuclear power plants in Tarapur ( Tarapur Atomic Power Station) and Chennai ( Madras Atomic Power Station), and laboratories at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Chennai, it said.

  
  

  While there, the Chairman will meet with appropriate Indian government officials and staff of nuclear agencies and organizations, the Embassy statement said.

  
  

  Ahead of his visit, Jaczko said "I look forward to the continuation and advancement of our long-term relationships with our AERB Indian counterparts and with other Indian organizations in the area of nuclear safety," according to the statement.

  
  The visit comes in the backdrop of Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and also the US insisting on India ratifying the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage.
  
  Ruling out that it has demanded any rollback, Congress today left it to the government to decide on the issue of petrol price hike saying it did not want to enter their jurisdiction.
  
  "There is a need to understand the issue in right perspective. We never said what the government should do and what policies it should make. We have only said that keeping in mind the sensitivity of the issue and the concerns government should do whatever it can to provide relief to the common man," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.
  
  Singhvi also denied that the party made any specific demand like rollback of prices.
  
  Singhvi found nothing wrong in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement supporting deregulation of petroleum prices and said that removing the administered price mechanism was also for public good.
  
  He argued that even if subsidies were given on petrol, people will have to bear the brunt by paying additional taxes to make up for the budget deficit.
  
  The Congress spokesman said that special relief should be provided to people belonging to poorer sections and hoped government would take some steps in this regard.
  
  He said a solution to the issue would be found out after meeting the allies.
  
  

  Defending the government on the recent petrol price hike, Finance Minister Pranab MukherjeeSaturday said the decision on the increase was taken by oil firms, as the fuel was a de-regulated item.

  
  

  "This is the decision in their (oil marketing companies) domain. They have done (increased prices) several times before. But, I do not want to get into the merits of it," Mukherjee told reporters here on the sidelines of an event.

  
  

  Since petrol is de-regulated, its prices can be changed by oil marketing companies (OMCs) as per international prices of crude, but they still require the government's approval to effect any change in the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas.

  
  

  "On June 28, 2010, it was decided that out of four important petroleum products petrol will be de-controlled -- that means the oil marketing companies will determine the prices of petrol," Mukherjee said.

  
  

  According to Mukherjee, the OMCs had give adequate reasons for the hike, such as high global crude prices and a depreciating value of the rupee.

  
  

  "Oil marketing companies gave adequate reasons. They had to do it because they import crude petroleum products for us," Mukherjee said.

  
  

  "If the oil companies are in the red, will they be able to raise resources from the market? Would they be in a position to import crude oil," he asked.

  
  

  The government's explanation came a day after the three state-owned OMCs -- Indian Oil Corp (IOC),Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp -- decided to increase prices of petrol by Rs.1.80 a litre Friday.

  
  

  After the hike, petrol now costs Rs.68.64 in the national capital, Rs.73.81 in Mumbai, Rs.72.73 in Chennai and Rs.73.15 in Kolkata.

  
  

  On Friday, the largest of the three firms, IOC said it had to increase the prices as the government would not have compensated it for any under-recoveries on petrol.

  
  

  "As petrol is de-regulated, it is up to the OMCs to increase or decrease the prices, there is no compensation from the government if there are under-recoveries," IOC chairman R.S. Butola told reporters here.

  
  

  According to Butola, the three OMCs suffered under-recoveries of around Rs.2,500 crore in the first six months of the fiscal from selling petrol, as compared to last year when the companies had to incur losses of Rs.2,300 crore.

  
  

  "The government did not compensate Rs.2,300 crore (losses) of last year. The rupee dipped from Rs.46.29 to a dollar to Rs.49.40 a dollar, making oil imports costlier and as per the average oil price in the first fortnight of October, we were losing 22 paise a litre on petrol," Butola said.

  
  On other regulated fuels such as diesel, kerosene and cooking gas, Butola said the companies had combined under-recoveries of around Rs.64,500 crore till September.
  
  

  Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today sought to downplay the threat by key UPA constituent Trinamool Congress to withdraw support to the Government over the petrol price hike, saying it was "perfectly legitimate" for any ally to voice concerns on such issues.

  
  

  Mukherjee at the same time expressed confidence that the fuel hike issue which has sparked the threat from Mamata Banerjee's party would be sorted out soon with allies after talks with Prime MinisterManmohan Singh.

  
  

  "The issue will be sorted out soon with allies. We would talk to the PM and the issue will be resolved," Mukherjee told reporters.

  
  

  Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said a solution to the issue would be found out after a meeting with the allies.

  
  

  Pressure has mounted on the government to roll back the hike as Mamata attacked the decision to raise the petrol price by Rs 1.80 as unilateral without consultations with allies like her party, DMK and National Conference.

  
  

  "It is perfectly legitimate for any political party which is a constituent of UPA to express concern on any issue and to discuss it with the Prime Minister. They have done exactly that," Mukherjee said. Trinamool is UPA's second largest ally.

  
  

  On TC chief stating yesterday that the matter would be taken up with the Prime Minister after his return from abroad, Mukherjee said, "They will take up some of their concerns with the PM. I don't find anything wrong with it." Singh returned to the Capital this morning.

  
  

  Without making any reference to Trinamool's allegation that the party was not consulted before the price hike, Mukherjee said, "There is an EGoM. It consists of the representatives of all political parties which have a member in the Union Cabinet. Our partners in the coalition are members."

  
  Stating that the UPA government has taken note of the protests by various political parties, Mukherjee said, "Naturally, when price is hiked and if it hits the people, the people will react. They don't like to listen to economic reasons."
  
  

  A day after the Prime Minister ruled out any roll back in petrol prices, Union Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee today said he will explain the reasons behind the hike and expressed hope that the differences with ally Trinamool Congress on the issue would be mended soon.

  
  

  "So far as oil prices are concerned, I will later explain why the oil marketing companies had to take this step," he told reporters at his residence here.

  
  

  On TC's threat to walk out of the coalition on the issue, he said, "I have come to know that our valued partner (TC) is aggrieved. They will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and I hope the issue will be resolved."

  
  

  TC chief Mamata Banerjee had yesterday slammed the Centre for increasing petrol prices without taking UPA allies into confidence.

  
  

  The party had adopted a resolution to quit the coalition on the grounds that it was kept in the dark and its ministers were not informed of vital issues.

  
  

  "What is the importance of remaining in the ministry if we are not heard and silenced in the cabinet," the resolution said.

  
  

  Banerjee later modified the resolution and said TC would seek an appointment with the Prime Minister when he returns after attending the Cannes G-20 summit.

  
  Besides TC, other UPA allies like the DMK and NCP have also condemned the petrol price hike.
  
  Have sought EGoM meet on diesel, LPG rate hike: Oil Minister
  With oil companies losing Rs 333 crore per day on selling fuel below cost, Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy has sought a meeting of a high-powered ministerial panel to decide on revising the rates of diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene.
  
  "I have asked for a meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM)," Reddy told reporters after a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the EGoM.
  
  State-owned oil firms are currently losing Rs 9.27 per litre of diesel, Rs 26.94 per litre of kerosene sold through the public distribution system ( PDS) and Rs 260.50 per 14.2-kg LPG cylinder supplied to households for cooking purposes.
  
  The EGoM "meeting would take place before the Winter Session of Parliament", beginning November 22, he said, adding that a decision on raising prices may "not be easy".
  
  The ministerial panel is essentially a consensus-building body of the Congress-led UPA government and comprises key allies like the DMK, TMC and NC. The allies had in September scuttled plans to limit the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to 4-6 per household in a year so that subsidies can be cut.
  
  Reddy said his ministry would push for raising prices of all three regulated products, diesel, LPG and kerosene.
  
  On oil companies pressing for a hike in petrol prices, he said PSUs were fully empowered to take a view, keeping in mind rising crude oil prices and depreciating rupee.
  
  "Our ministry does not administer" the price of petrol, which was freed from government control in June last year, he said.
  
  Yesterday, HPCL Director (Finance) B Mukherjee had said that oil firms may have to raise petrol prices, as they were losing Rs 1.50 per litre at the current rates.
  
  Petrol price hike: DMK and Trinamool Congress force government to cancel meet on LPG
  17 SEP, 2011, 01.10AM IST, ET BUREAU
  
  

  NEW DELHI: Tensions are rising in the Manmohan Singh government with crucial partners, DMK and Trinamool Congress, forcing it to call off a meeting to decide cut in fuel subsidy and lending political muscle to the demand for a rollback of the latest hike in petrol price.

  
  

  State-owned oil companies including Indian Oil,Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum had on Thursday hiked petrol price by 3.14 per litre.

  
  

  DMK and Trinamool Congress went public with their opposition to the government's moves by describing the hike as yet another 'instance of unilateralism' in economic policy-making. Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi, who amplified his party's strong views, described the hike in petrol prices as an "anti-common man" decision.

  
  

  "Trinamool Congress wants the government to roll back the hike," Trivedi said and added that allies were not consulted before the decision. The Railway Minister, who attempted to put the core of the alliance in the anti-people column, also attempted to publicise the fact that it was his opposition that forced the government to call off the meeting on pruning the subsidy bill.

  
  "At the last meeting, I did not allow the government to limit the supply of LPG to consumers. My party and Mamata Banerjee cannot allow measures that hurt interests of the common man," he said.
  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Petrol-price-hike-DMK-and-Trinamool-Congress-force-government-to-cancel-meet-on-LPG/articleshow/10012225.cms
  
  16 SEP, 2011, 01.51AM IST, ET BUREAU
  

  Allies gang up against UPA's plan to limit supply of LPG to 4-6 per household in a year

  NEW DELHI: In what signals opposition from within the ruling alliance over pushing tough and unpopular economic measures, DMK leader MK Azhagiri has decided to boycott the meeting of an empowered group of ministers (EGoM), convened on Friday, to consider limiting supply of subsidised LPG cylinders to 4-6 per household in a year.
  
  What could be equally discomforting for the government is the strong opposition from theTrinamool Congress over the move. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed railway minister Dinesh Trivedi to attend the meeting and oppose the proposal. "The Congress will not be allowed to have its way," said a Trinamool leader who did not wish to be quoted.
  
  Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Minister of State for shipping Mukul Roy has written a letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, telling him that the government cannot count on his party's support for the proposal to limit supply of LPG cylinders.
  
  Pranab Mukherjee heads the empowered group of ministers.
  
  Azhagiri indicated his plans to boycott the meeting barely minutes after oil companies announced a 3.14 per litre hike in the price of petrol from Thursday midnight. In Chennai, the price of petrol will cross 70 per litre after the latest hike.
  
  The last meeting of the EGoM, which considered the recommendations of the Task Force on Direct Transfer of Subsidies on Kerosene, LPG and Fertiliser, had deferred a decision on limiting the supply of subsidised LPG.
  
  The limited supply of subsidised LPG would be for those who own a car, two-wheeler, house or figure in the income-tax list.
  
  At present, records of LPG distributors of public sector companies shows that many households are taking as many as 20-30 cylinders each year.
  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Allies-gang-up-against-UPAs-plan-to-limit-supply-of-LPG-to-4-6-per-household-in-a-year/articleshow/9999428.cms
  
  RBI liberalises FDI rules to woo foreign investors
  

  Wooing global investors by easing FDIprocedures, the Reserve Bank today said that transfer of shares between Indians and non-residents will not require its permission in several key areas like financial services.

  
  

  Amending the Foreign Exchange Management Regulations, the RBI said that its prior permission would not be necessary where the company whose shares are being transferred is engaged in any financial service.

  
  

  The liberalisation would help the entire financial services sector, including the non-banking finance companies.

  
  

  Besides, the RBI permission has also been done away with for transfer of shares between residents and non-residents in cases where the Foreign Investment Approval Board ( FIPB) has already given its clearances and the SEBI guidelines have been adhered to.

  
  

  These steps have been taken "as a measure to further liberalise and rationalise the procedures and policies governing foreign direct investment in India," the RBI said.

  
  

  However, it was made clear that the transactions will have to comply with the SEBI regulations, FDI sectoral caps, and the pricing guidelines as specified by RBI.

  
  

  Although FDI inflows during April-August have gone up by 95 per cent to USD 17.37 billion, the government and the Reserve Bank are keen to maintain robust foreign exchange reserves in the wake of volatility in the stock market leading to outflows by institutional investors.

  
  

  The country has foreign exchange reserves of USD 318 billion but the pressure on rupee is matter of concern for an economy which depends on large commodity imports.

  
  Overseas investments by Indian companies in September was USD 3.46 billion.
  
  Irom's indefinite fast completes 11 years
  

  IMPHAL: 'Iron Lady' Irom Chanu Sharmila, who is demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur, today completed 11 years of her indefinite hunger-strike.

  
  

  On November 2, 2000, an Assam Rifles battalion allegedly killed 10 civilians in a village near Imphal. Three days later, Sharmila embarked on her fast, demanding revocation of the Act.

  
  

  Since then it has settled into a ritual which involves a ten-minute ambulance journey from hospital to court every fortnight where the magistrate asks her whether she would break her fast.

  
  

  The ritual has repeated itself over 500 times so far, but her reply remains the same - "Fast thodolokai" (No, I won't break my fast). The court then extends her judicial remand for another 15 days.

  
  

  She hasn't ingested food or water all these years and is force-fed through a nasal tube. Hunger strike is seen as an attempt to commit suicide, which is a punishable offence.

  
  

  The 39-year-old civil rights activist, described as a 'habitual offender' by the court, has been arrested, released and re-arrested for attempt to commit suicide.

  
  

  Produced as an undertrial prisoner at the Imphal East district's CJM court, she has refused bail each time.

  
  

  "If she accepts bail she has to give a written undertaking of not repeating the offence. In other words, she has to discontinue her fast for getting bail," Sharmila's long-time associate Babloo Loitongbam of the Just Peace Foundation told PTI.

  
  The police, too, have not filed any charge sheet in the case.
  
  
  
  

  Petrol price rollback ruled out

  SUJAY MEHDUDIA
  SHARE  ·   COMMENT (6)   ·   PRINT   ·   T+  
  Members of CPI staging a protest against hike in petrol price, at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: Kamal Narang
  

  RELATED

  NEWS

  It is legitimate for Trinamool to express concern: PranabThere should be more deregulation of fuel prices: PMFinance Ministry apathy to blame?Centre, States can't wash their hands of petrol price: courtWe're ready to roll back price if directed by government: OMCs
  

  TOPICS

  energy and resourcepetrol
  politicsnational politics
  

  Terming West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee as a "compulsive populist'', the UPA II Government on Saturday ruled out any rollback in petrol prices that was hiked by Rs. 1.82 a litre on Thursday night.

  Virtually dismissing the criticism by the Trinamool Congress and its allies, highly placed sources in the Government said Ms. Banerjee was playing to the galleries and she was part of the decision taken last year to de-regulate the petrol prices. "Ms. Banerjee had not attended that EGoM meeting of June 25, 2010, but her consent was taken. She continued in the Union Cabinet after the decision was made to decontrol petrol prices and did not threaten even once to withdraw support. The decision to hike petrol price was in line with the empowerment that government has given to oil marketing companies last year,'' a senior Cabinet Minister remarked.

  "She is a compulsive populist. When we have ally like them we don't need opposition BJP,'' the Minister added.

  With the opposition as well as UPA allies unleashing a barge of criticism against the decision to hike petrol prices at a time when the common man was reeling under the impact of high inflation and rising prices of various commodities, the government appeared to be unfazed by sharp reactions of allies like the Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and DMK arguing that not much political heat had been generated from this latest price hike.

  The oil companies were forced to hike the petrol price because of two major reasons including rising crude oil prices in the international market and the rupee's depreciation against dollar, making imports costlier.

  However, Government sources were of the view that with deregulation having been se tin, the state-owned oil companies took the decision to hike prices on their own and were not required to consult anyone in the government. "The government does not want to become unpopular, but sometimes it is forced to take unpopular decisions. It is not that the government is running for Nobel Prize for unpopularity. Government does unpopular things only when it becomes inevitable,'' a senior official in the Government remarked.

  Keywords: petrol price hike, deregulation, fuel prices, Trinamool-Congress ties

  http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2601178.ece
  5 NOV, 2011, 02.33AM IST, VINAY PANDEY,ET BUREAU
  

  Greece crisis: Position European Central Bank as a lender of last resort, says PM at G-20

  RELATED ARTICLES

  • Euro zone crisis grave threat to global economy: Manmohan Singh
  • Slovakia 'no' vote endangers euro rescue effort
  • Eurozone races to stem crisis as Greek PM meets EU leader
  • European bank appears set for landmark rate hike
  • PM Manmohan Singh's statement ahead of Cannes G20 Summit
  
  
  

  CANNES: India has asked the European Union to create a lender of last resort to help troubled countries of the Eurozone, questioning the architecture of the single currency union.

  
  

  "A monetary union without a central fiscal authority was not a good arrangement," Prime MinisterManmohan Singh said after the end of two-day G-20summit here.

  
  

  He said India had a big stake in the European Union and a crisis there could have a significant impact on trade and capital flows into India.

  
  

  Singh said he had suggested at the summit that theEuropean Central Bank should be positioned as a lender of last resort. Prime minister said he had mentioned the idea to German chancellor who was receptive of the suggestion.

  
  

  "If you want a fiscal union you would require a change in the constitution of the countries of Eurozone and that is an uncertain process," he said, adding that only institution capable of acting as the lender of last resort is the ECB. "If the function of lender of last resort could be devolved on the ECB that would be an act that will inspire great confidence in the Eurozone," he said.

  
  

  The Heads of 20 most influential economies deliberated for two days in the midst of worsening European crisis triggered by the increasing threat of default by members of the Eurozone including Greece.

  
  

  Prime minister also said that it was difficult for a one and half day conference to resolve the three-year old crisis but expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the summit, particularly with commitment shown to act against tax havens.

  
  

  The summit asked tax havens to adopt prudential norms for sharing of tax information to check money laundering and funding of terror failing which it threatened action. The G-20 communique also warned of action against jurisdiction and entities that will not cooperate in ensuring transparency in tax frauds.

  
  

  "We underline the importance of comprehensive tax information exchange and encourage work in the Global Forum (of OECD) to define the means to improve it," the Communique said.

  
  

  "This was an important part of our agenda", Singh said.

  
  

  No global guru

  
  

  "I am no global guru of any sort," said economist Singh when asked about the limited number of bilateral meetings.

  
  

  Singh, who is a sought after leader at such fora, held bilateral meetings with his British and Australian counterparts. His meeting with France could not be held as Euro Zone crisis deepened after Greece decided to opt for a referendum on the bailout.

  
  Inflation sign of growing prosperity. Admitting that inflation is a problem, Singh said price rise is also a sign of growing prosperity to some extent. "This (inflation) is a reflection of demand exceeding supply, to some extent it is a sign of growing prosperity of the country," he said.
  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/greece-crisis-position-european-central-bank-as-a-lender-of-last-resort-says-pm-at-g-20/articleshow/10612735.cms

Mamata Banerjee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mamata Banerjee মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়
Chief Minister of West Bengal
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 May 2011
Governor	M. K. Narayanan
Preceded by	Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee
Constituency	Bhabanipur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Member of Legislative Assembly
Minister of Railways
In office 22 May 2009 – 19 May 2011
Preceded by	Lalu Prasad Yadav
Succeeded by	Dinesh Trivedi
Member of Parliament
In office 1991–2011
Preceded by	Biplab Dasgupta[1]
Succeeded by	not decided yet
Personal details
Born	5 January 1955 (age 56) Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress (1970–1997) Trinamool Congress (1997–present)
Spouse(s)	Unmarried
Residence	Harish Chatterjee Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Alma mater	University of Calcutta
Profession	Politician Advocate Social Worker
Signature
Website	West Bengal Government

Mamata Banerjee (Bengali: মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়; Hindi: ममता बनर्जी, pronounced [mɔːmoːt̪ʰaː bɛːnaːrjiː]; born 5 January 1955) is the 11th and current chief minister of the Indian state ofWest Bengal. She is the first woman to hold the office. Banerjee founded All India Trinamool Congress in 1997 and became chairperson, after separating from the Indian National Congress.^[2][3] Currently she is also in charge of nine key departments of the government of West Bengal, including Home, Health and Family Welfare, Land and Land Reforms, Information and Cultural Affairs, Minority Affairs and Madrassah Education, Agriculture, Power and Home (Personnel and Administrative Reforms) departments.^[4][5] Banerjee is known as a firebrand orator and popularly referred to as "Didi" (meaning elder sister) to all her followers.

Banerjee pulled off a landslide victory for the All India Trinamul Congress in West Bengal by defeating the world's longest-serving democratically-elected communist government, theCommunist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front government, bringing to an end 34 years of Left Front rule in the state.^{[clarification needed][6][7][8]} Banerjee previously served as a Minister of Railways twice, Minister of Coal, and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports and Women and Child Development in the cabinet of the Indian government.^[9] She opposed forceful land acquisition for industrialisation by the then communist government in West Bengal for Special Economic Zones at the cost of agriculturalists and farmers.^[10]

Contents   [hide]  1 Early life and career 2 Early political career 2.1 Indian National Congress 2.2 Trinamool Congress 2.2.1 Railway Minister 2.2.2 Split with NDA 3 Nandigram protests 4 2009 Indian election 4.1 Railway Minister, second tenure 5 2011 Assembly election 5.1 Chief Minister 6 References 7 External links

[edit]Early life and career

Mamata Banerjee was born to Gayetri and Promileswar Banerjee on 5 January 1955, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She grew up in a lower middle-class family and started her political career in Congress^{[clarification needed]}. As a young woman in the 1970s, she quickly rose in the ranks^{[clarification needed]} to become the general secretary of the state Mahila Congress (1976–80).^[10] She was a college student in the mid-1970s when politics in Bengal began to accommodate the riffraff^{[clarification needed]}. Uninhibited, Banerjee jumped up and danced on the hood of Jaiprakash Narayan's car in order to get noticed by the bigshots of Congress.

Banerjee graduated with an honours degree in History from the Jogamaya Devi College, an undergraduate women's college in southern Kolkata.^[11][12] Later she earned a master's degree in Islamic History from the University of Calcutta. This was followed by a degree in education from the Shri Shikshayatan College. She also earned a law degree from the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College, Kolkata.^[13]

Throughout her political life Banerjee has maintained an austere lifestyle, never spending much money on clothes, cosmetics or jewellery and always with a cotton bag slung on her shoulder. She has remained single throughout her life.^[14][15]

[edit]Early political career

In the West Bengal Assembly elections of 2011, Trinamool Congress and congress parties combined, a move spearheaded by Mamata Banerjee, successfully won with over 77% of the total seats. This is considered a historic victory over the Left Front rule.

[edit]Indian National Congress

Banerjee started her political career in congress, and as a young woman in the 1970s, she quickly rose in the ranks of the local Congress group, and remained the General Secretary of Mahila Congress (I), West Bengal, from 1976 to 1980.^[16] In the 1984 general election, Banerjee became one of India's youngest parliamentarians ever, beating veteran Communist politician Somnath Chatterjee, from the Jadavpur parliamentary Constituency in West Bengal. She also became the General-Secretary of the All India Youth Congress. Losing her seat in 1989 in an anti-Congress wave, she was back in 1991 general elections, having settled into the Calcutta South constituency. She retained the Kolkata South seat in the 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009 general elections.^[17]

In the Rao government formed in 1991, Mamata Banerjee was made the Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, and Women and Child Development. As the sports minister, she announced that she would resign, and protested in a rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, against Government's indifference towards her proposal to improve sports in the country.^[18]She was discharged of her portfolios in 1993. In April 1996, she alleged that Congress was behaving as a stooge of the CPI-M in West Bengal. She claimed that she was the lone voice of reason and wanted a "clean Congress". At a private rally at Alipore in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee wrapped a black shawl around her neck and threatened to make a noose with it.^[19] In July 1996, she squatted at the well of Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament, to protest a hike in petroleum price, although she was a part of the government that instituted it. In that very time she grasped the collar of Amar Singh, MP of Samajwadi Party, in the well of the parliament. In February 1997, on the day of railway budget presentation in Lok Sabha, Mamata Banerjee threw her shawl at the railway minister Ram Vilas Paswan for ignoring West Bengal and announced her resignation. The speaker, P. A. Sangma, did not accept her resignation and asked her to apologise. Later she came back as Santosh Mohan Deb mediated.

[edit]Trinamool Congress

Mamata Banerjee speaking to the elected members and party workers at Bongaon stadium after the West Bengal panchayat elections.

In 1997, Mamata Banerjee came out of the Congress Party in West Bengal and established the All India Trinamool Congress. It quickly became the primary opposition to the long-standing Communist government in the state.^[why?] On 11 December 1998, she controversially held a Samajwadi Party MP, Daroga Prasad Saroj, by the collar and dragged him out of the well of the Lok Sabha to prevent him from protesting against the Women's Reservation bill.^[20]

In 1999, she joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and was allocated the Railways Ministry.^[17]

[edit]Railway Minister

In 2000, Mamata Banerjee presented her first Railway Budget. In it she fulfilled many of her promises to her home state West Bengal.^[21] She introduced a new biweekly New Delhi-Sealdah Rajdhani Express train and four express trains connecting various parts of West Bengal, namely theHowrah-Purulia Rupasi Bangla Express, Sealdah-New Jalpaiguri Express, Shalimar-BankuraArannyak Express and the Sealdah-Amritsar Superfast Express (weekly).^[21] She also increased the frequency of the Pune-Howrah Azad Hind Express and extension of at least three express train services. Work on the Digha-Howrah Express service was also hastened during her brief tenure.^[22]

She also focused on developing tourism, enabling the Darjeeling-Himalayan section with two additional locomotives and proposing the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited. She also commented that India should play a pivotal role in the Trans-Asian Railway and that rail links between Bangladesh and Nepal would be reintroduced. In all, she introduced 19 new trains for the 2000–2001 fiscal year.^[22]

[edit]Split with NDA

In early 2001, after making allegations against the BJP^[why?], Banerjee walked out of the NDA cabinet and allied with the Congress Party forWest Bengal's 2001 elections, amidst speculation that the move could unseat the Communist government. She returned to the cabinet in January 2004, holding the Ministry of Coal and Mines portfolios until the 2004 elections, in which she was the only Trinamool Congress member to win a Parliament seat from West Bengal.^[17]

On 20 October 2005, she protested against forceful land acquisition and the atrocities^{[clarification needed]} on local farmers in the name of industrial development policy of the Buddhadev Bhattacharya government in West Bengal. Benny Santoso, CEO of the Indonesia-based Salim Group had pledged a large investment to West Bengal, and the West Bengal government had given him farmland in Howrah, sparking protest. In soaking rain, Banerjee and other Trinamool Congress members stood in front of the Taj Hotel where Santoso had arrived, shut out by the police. Later, she and her supporters followed Santoso's convoy. A planned "black flag" protest was avoided, when the government had Santoso arrive three hours ahead of schedule.^[23][24]

Mamata Banerjee suffered further setbacks in 2005, when her party lost control of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the sitting mayor defected from her party. In 2006, the Trinamool Congress was defeated in West Bengal's Assembly Elections, losing more than half of its sitting members.

On 4 August 2006, Banerjee hurled her resignation papers at the deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal in Lok Sabha. The provocation was the speaker (Somnath Catterjee)'s rejection of her adjournment motion on illegal infiltration by Bangladeshis in West Bengal. The motion was turned down by the speaker on the ground that it was not in the proper format.^[25][26]

In November 2006, Banerjee was forcibly stopped on her way to Singur for a rally against a proposed Tata Motors car project. Mamata reached the West Bengal assembly and protested at the venue. She addressed a press conference at the assembly and announced a 12-hour shutdown by her party on Friday.^[27] The Trinamul Congress MLAs^{[clarification needed]} protested by damaging furniture and microphones in the West Bengal Assembly.^[27][28] A major strike was called on 14 December 2006.

Now in the 2009 parliament election where TMC^{[clarification needed]} was in alliance with UPA^{[clarification needed]} and people of West Bengal acted against the Left front and elected Congress-TMC alliance cccin^{[clarification needed]} 26 seats, which made Mamata Banerjee again the Indian Railway Minister for next five years.

In the 2010 Municipal Elections in West Bengal, TMC won Kolkata Municipal Corporation in a margin of 62 seats. TMC also won Bidhan Nagar Corporation in 16-9 seats margin. In 2011, Banerjee won a sweeping majority and assumed the position of chief minister of the state of West Bengal. Her party ended the 34-year rule.^{[clarification needed]}

[edit]Nandigram protests

Main article: Nandigram violence

The Nandigram violence was an incident in Nandigram, West Bengal where, on the orders of the Left Front government, more than 4,000 heavily-armed police stormed the rural area in the district of Purba Medinipur with the aim of stamping out protests against the West Bengal government's plans to expropriate 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land for a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to be developed by the Indonesian-basedSalim Group. The police shot dead at least 14 villagers and wounded 70 more.

The SEZ controversy started when the government of West Bengal decided that the Salim Group of Indonesia^[29][30][31] would set up achemical hub under the SEZ policy at Nandigram. The villagers took over the administration of the area, and all the roads to the villages were cut off. A front-page story in the Kolkata newspaper, The Telegraph, on 4 January 2007 was headlined, "False alarm sparks clash". According to the newspaper that village council meeting at which the alleged land seizure was to be announced was actually a meeting to declare Nandigram a "clean village", that is, a village in which all the households had access to toilet facilities. The administration was directed to break the Maoist-backed Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee's (BUPC) resistance at Nandigram and a massive operation with at least 3,000 policemen along with armed cadre of the Marxist ruling party was launched on 14 March 2007. However, prior information of the impending action had leaked out to the BUPC who amassed a crowd of roughly 2,000 villagers at the entry points into Nandigram with women and children forming the front ranks. In the resulting mayhem, at least 14 people were killed.^[32] Many people of the lower classes were made homeless due to this political carnage.^[33] A large number of intellectuals protested on the streets and this incident gave birth of a new hope for movement to ouster the left from government headed by the CPI(M)^{[clarification needed]}.^[34][35][36] Mamata Banerjee wrote letters to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to stop the violence promoted by CPI(M) in Nandigram. Agitation in Nandigram subsided, after the state government shelved the proposed chemical hub project.

[edit]2009 Indian election

Trinamool Congress performed well in the 2009 parliamentary election, bagging 19 MP seats, among them 5 women (including Banerjee), reiterating its faith in the Women's Reservation Bill^{[clarification needed]}. Its allies in congress and SUCI also got six and one MP seats respectively marking the best performance by any opposition party in West Bengal since the start of the left regime. Until then, the Congress victory of 16 seats in 1984, by the sympathy vote after the death of Indira Gandhi, was considered the best show of opposition.

[edit]Railway Minister, second tenure

This section may need to be updated. Please update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information, and remove this template when finished. Please see the talk page for more information. (July 2011)

In 2009, Mamata Banerjee became railway minister for the second time and announced a number of new initiatives in the railway budget. Some argued that these reflected her bias towards her home state, West Bengal, although she had lead initiatives to benefit the entire country. She decided to develop about 50 railway stations to be world-class stations with international-level facilities. These will be developed through innovative financing and public-private partnerships. Banerjee also declared the Railway Ministry's intention to develop another 375 stations as Adarsh (Ideal) Stations^{[clarification needed]}. Furthermore, she announced construction of multi-functional complexes in station premises for providing rail users facilities, they included shopping-malls, food stalls and restaurants, book stalls, PCO/STD/ISD^{[clarification needed]}/Fax booths, medicine and variety stores, budget hotels, underground parking, and the like. The railway minister announced that these complexes will also be developed by public-private partnerships. Banerjee also set up scholarships for the higher education of the female children of group D staff^{[clarification needed]}, to promote their economic independence. She proposed to open seven nursing colleges on railway land.^[37] Banerjee also introduced new train services like "Duronto" and "Yuva" in the budget, the former the fastest train service in India.^[38] To relieve women passengers during rush hour, Mamata introduced a Special Ladies Train on 19 July between Bandel and Howrah.^[39] Later, she introduced more Special Ladies Trains , e.g. Kalyani-Sealdah and Panvel-Mumbai CST.^[40]

Mamata Banerjee flagged off the Duronto Express – a nonstop train, fastest train of India between Sealdah and New Delhi on 18 September 2009.^[41] The super fast Duronto Express train between Chennai and New Delhi was introduced on 21 September. Banerjee also took steps to spread railway in terror-hit regions of Kashmir.^[why?] Anantnag-Qadigund Railway line was inaugurated in October.^[42]

On 7 February 2010, Banerjee will start as many as nineteen new train services.^[43] Due to repeated sexual harassment and/or sexual assault of India's women commuters, eight trains will be designated as women-only.^[44]

[edit]2011 Assembly election

Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress along with SUCI and Indian National Congress Alliance won the state assembly election against the Left ruling party by securing 227 seats. Trinamool Congress alone won 184 seats with the INC winning 42 seats where the other ally SUCI secured one seat. Throughout the 34-year-regime, the Left Front had never won fewer than two-thirds of the 294 seats, but this time it could only manage 62 seats.

[edit]Chief Minister

Mamata Banerjee's Oath of Office Taking the Oath at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata Mamata Banerjee takes the oath of office as Chief Minister administered by Governor M. K. Narayanan on May 20, 2011.

Banerjee was sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal on 20 May 2011. As the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal, one of her first decisions was to return 400 acres of land to Singur farmers. "The cabinet has decided to return 400 acres to unwilling farmers in Singur," the chief minister said. "I have instructed the department to prepare the papers for this. If Tatababu wants, he can set up his factory on the remaining 600 acres, otherwise we will see how to go about it," she added.^[45]

She has also been credited to solving the longstanding "Gorkhaland Problem"^{[clarification needed]} by setting up the Gorkhaland Autonomous Council. ^[46], thus fulfilling another of her campaign promises.

She has started various reforms in education and health sectors. Some of the reforms in the education sectors include release of the monthly pay of the teachers on the first of every month^[47][48] and quicker pensions for retiring teachers.^[49].In health sector "A three-phase developmental system will be taken up to improve the heath infrastructure and service," Mamata Banerjee said."^[50]

[edit]References

1. ^ Kolkata Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency)
2. ^ "Council of Ministers – Who's Who – Government: National Portal of India". http://india.gov.in. Government of India. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
3. ^ Kohari, Alizeh (20 May 2011). "Mamata Banerjee sworn in as West Bengal chief minister". BBC News.
4. ^ Special Correspondent (21 May 2011). "News / National : Key Ministers in Mamata's Cabinet". The Hindu (Chennai, India). Retrieved 21 May 2011.
5. ^ "Mamata allots portfolios, keeps key ministries".Ibnlive.in.com. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
6. ^ BBC News (13 May 2011). "BBC News – India: Mamata Banerjee routs communists in West Bengal". Retrieved 14 May 2011.
7. ^ "Indian state election expected to end Kolkata's 34-year communist rule". The Guardian (UK). 18 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
8. ^ "The woman taking on India's communists". BBC World News. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
9. ^ "Detailed Profile = Km. Mamata Banerjee". http://india.gov.in.Government of India. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
10. ^ ^a b Yardley, Jim (14 January 2011). "The Eye of an Indian Hurricane, Eager to Topple a Political Establishment". New York Times. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
11. ^ "History of the College". Jogamayadevicollege.org. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
12. ^ 'My focus is always to be with the people' – Hindustan Times
13. ^ "Parliament of India-Biodata".
14. ^ "Article in ExpressBuzz.com". Expressbuzz. Retrieved 12 Jun 2010.
15. ^ "Blog article in IBNLive.in.com". CNN-IBN. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
16. ^ "Mamta Banerjee Profile". incredible-people.com.
17. ^ ^a b c "Mamata, the street-fighting politician and Left nemesis".India Today. 13 May 2011.
18. ^ "Mamata mum on relations with BJP". 6 January 2003. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
19. ^ Ashis Chakrabarti (8 November 1998). "Theatrics of a Bengal tigress". The Indian Express. India. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
20. ^ "National Events in December 1998". The Hindu. India. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
21. ^ ^a b "New trains for West Bengal". The Tribune. India. 26 February 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
22. ^ ^a b "Railways to focus on tourism, trans-Asian role, hardselling freight services". Rediff.com. 25 February 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
23. ^ "Weather plays spoilsport for TMC". 21 October 2005. Archived from the original on 18 February 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
24. ^ "Missing on bandh day: its champions – Mamata stays indoors, Cong scarce". 10 October 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
25. ^ "Mamata Banerjee's unending tantrums". The Hindu (India). 8 August 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
26. ^ "Mamata casts shame at House Paper throw at Speaker". 4 August 2005. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
27. ^ ^a b "Trinamool unleashes violence in W Bengal". 30 November 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
28. ^ "Heritage vandalised in Bengal House". The Times Of India(India). 2 December 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
29. ^ For more information on the Salim Group please see Sudono Salim
30. ^ "Asia Week". Asia Week. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
31. ^ "Far Easter Economic Review October 1998". Saliltripathi.com. 8 October 1998. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
32. ^ "Stockpile squad trail heads towards party – Phone records spill Nandigram secret". The Telegraph. 19 March 2007.
33. ^ "Red-hand Buddha: 14 killed in Nandigram re-entry bid". The Telegraph. 15 March 2007. Retrieved 15 March 2007.
34. ^ "Nandigram people's struggle "heroic": Clark". One India.
35. ^ Kirschbaum, Stevan. "Nandigram says 'No!' to Dow's chemical hub". International Action Center.
36. ^ "The Great Left Debate: Chomsky to Saddam, Iraq to Nandigram". The Indian Express (India). 5 December 2007.
37. ^ "Railway Budget 2009–2010". Indian Railways. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
38. ^ "train travel just got better for women youth". Breaking News 24/7. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
39. ^ "Ladies Special Rolls Out". Express India. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
40. ^ "New CST Panvel Ladies Special". Bombay-Local. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
41. ^ "mamata-flags-off-sealdah-new-delhi-duronto-express". Armoks News. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
42. ^ "PM to inaugurate new Railway line in Kashmir today". Sindh Today. Retrieved 13 November 2009.^{[dead link]}
43. ^ "Mamata Banerjee to start 19 new trains on 7 February".Business Standard. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
44. ^ "A New Way to Commute: Women-Only Trains in India". Marie Claire. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
45. ^ "Singur Land Given Back". The Times Of India (India).
46. ^ "Gorkhaland Autonomous Council". The Times of India (India).
47. ^ "College teachers to get salary by the first of every month". The Hindu (India). 4 June 2011.
48. ^ http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/india/154568-mamata-effect-salaries-on-first-of-the-month.html
49. ^ "Quicker pensions for retiring teachers: Mamata – Times Of India". The Times Of India (India).
50. ^ . http://www.aalatimes.com/2011/06/13/mamata-banerjee-announces-health-sector-reform/.

[edit]External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mamata Banerjee

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mamata Banerjee

Official

• Mamata Banerjee official All India Trinamool Congress Party profile
• Parliamentary profile at India.gov.in

Other

• Profile at BBC News
• Mamata Banerjee collected news and commentary at The Times of India

Political offices
Preceded by Lalu Prasad Yadav	Minister of Railways 2009–2011	Succeeded by Dr. Manmohan Singh (pro tem)
Preceded by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee	Chief Minister of West Bengal 2011–present	Incumbent

[show]v · d · eChief Ministers of West Bengal

[show]v · d · eMembers of the 15th Lok Sabha from West Bengal

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-- 

Zionist Occupation Government

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Antisemitism
Part of Jewish history
History · Timeline · Resources
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Zionist Occupation Government or Zionist Occupied Government (abbreviated as ZOG) is an antisemitic conspiracy theory which holds that Jews secretly control a given country, while the formal government is a puppet regime.^[1]

The expression is used by antisemitic groups such as white supremacists in the United States^[2] and Europe,^[3] ultra-nationalists such as Pamyat in Russia, and various far-right groups, including some in Poland.^[4]

The word "Zionist" in "Zionist Occupation Government" is derived from the ideology of Zionism, the movement for support of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. As the conspiracy theorists chiefly name countries outside that area, the usage of Zionist in this context is misleading, and intended to portray Jews as conspirators who aim to control the world, as in the forged Protocols of the Elders of Zion.^[5][6]

Contents   [hide]  1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

History

One early appearance of the term was in 1976 in an article, Welcome to ZOG-World, attributed to an American neo-Nazi Eric Thomson.^[7]The term came to the attention of a larger audience in a December 27, 1984 article in The New York Times about robberies committed inCalifornia and Washington by a white supremacist group called The Order. According to the newspaper, the crimes "were conducted to raise money for a war upon the United States Government, which the group calls 'ZOG,' or Zionist Occupation Government."^[8]

The Order of the Silent Brotherhood was an offshoot of the Aryan Nations, an organization founded in the early 1970s by Richard G. Butler; the latter had since the 1950s been associated with another antisemitic group, called the Church of Jesus Christ Christian. Both of these groups trace their origins to antisemitic activists, like Gerald L. K. Smith, and have interacted with the Ku Klux Klan.

The name was publicized extensively in Aryan Nations literature. In December 1984 Newsweek magazine reported that the Aryan Nations had set up a Bulletin Board System called "Aryan Nation Liberty Net" to offer information such as, for instance, the locations of Communist Party offices and "ZOG informers".

In 1985, the Oregon-based radical group Posse Comitatus announced: "Our nation is now completely under the control of the International Invisible government of the World Jewry."^[9]

In 1996, the Aryan Nations posted on its website an "Aryan Declaration of Independence, in which we find that "the history of the present Zionist Occupied Government of the United States of America is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations... [all] having a direct object—the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states." Holding "the eradication of the White race and its culture" as "one of its foremost purposes", the "ZOG" is accused of relinquishing "powers of government to private corporations, White traitors and ruling classJewish families."

Since 1996 the name has spread in usage, and is now popular with many other antisemitic organizations. Swedish Neo-Nazis, for example, say that Jews in what they call the Swedish Zionist Occupied Government are importing immigrants to "dilute the blood of the white race".^[10]Websites such as Jew Watch accuse the entire spectrum of Western nations and other countries of being ruled by "Zionist Occupation Governments".^[11]

See also

• Jewish Bolshevism
• William Luther Pierce
• Żydokomuna
• Zionist entity

References

1. ^ Berlet, Chip (2004-10). "Zog Ate My Brains". New Internationalist (372). Retrieved 2010-12-09.
2. ^ Descriptions of ZOG allegations in the US:
   • "Conceptualizations of class and state converge in the white supremacist discourse in the characterization of the United States government as the "Zionist Occupation Government" (ZOG)... As indicated by the ubiquitous reference to the state as "ZOG" ("Zionist" is equated with "Jewish") within these publications, the state is depicted as inherently "Jewish", a racial identity within the discourse. The government, as well as the corporate elite, is supposedly "occupied" and controlled by Jews." Daniels, Jesse. White Lies: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in White Supremacist Discourse, Routledge (UK),ISBN 041591289X, p. 45.
   • "The National States Rights Party and the California Noontide Press distributed the Protocols during the 1970s and it is still hailed by representatives of right-wing militias: William Luther Pierce, author of the neofascist bestseller The Turner Diaries, for example, identifies the American state as a "Zionist Occupation Government." (A Rumor About the Jews: Reflections on Antisemitism and "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" by Stephen Eric Bronner (2000) - Palgrave Macmillan. p. 136).
   • "With the racist and anti-Semitic theology of Christian Identity as their justification, they blame the Jewish Antichrist, or the Zionist Occupation Government (ZOG), which rules in Washington, taking its orders from internationalist Jews in Israel, the United Nations, and the Fortune 500. Attracting old-line hate groups like the Ku-Klux-Klan and inspiring newer ones like the Aryan Nation Alliance ..., the militia and Patriot movement have helped to legitimize racist and anti-Semitic hate groups..." (Encyclopedia of Fundamentalism by Brenda Brasher (2001) - Routledge. p. 305).
   • "... vivid philosophy of White supremacy, including the belief that the United States is manipulated by foreign Jewish interests collectively known as the Zionist Occupation Government (ZOG). With this conspiracy theory, the strain is "explained" (e.g., the Jews are behind multicultural curricula), and the solution is presented: hate crimes and race war." (Hate and Bias Crime by Barbara Perry (2003) - Routledge. p. 325).
   • "The importance of Christian Identity (CI) in the context of bioterrorism is that it has been openly embraced by certain U.S. right-wing "militia" and terrorist cells whose members have expressed interest in acquiring or utilizing pathogens and toxic chemical agents ... as weapons against their opponents, including representatives of the "Zionist Occupation Government" (ZOG) that they feel is controlled by "satanic" Jews." (Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense by Richard F. Pilch, Raymond A. Zilinskas (2005) - Wiley. p. 114).
   • "The Order, a faction of the Aryan Nations, seized national attention during the 1980s. The tightly organized racist and anti-Semitic group opposed the federal government, calling it the "ZOG," or Zionist Occupation Government." (Homeland Securityby Mark Sauter and James Carafano (2005) - McGraw-Hill. p. 122).
3. ^ "... the neo-Nazis have proclaimed themselves a white/Aryan resistance movement fighting the Zionist Occupation Government (ZOG) and racial traitors." (Fascism and Neofascism: Critical Writings on the Radical Right in Europe (Studies in European Culture and History) (2004) - Palgrave Macmillan p. 208).
4. ^ Robert Blobaum (1983). Antisemitism And Its Opponents In Modern Poland. Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-691-11306-8.p. 97.
5. ^ "One of the most widely distributed anti-Semitic tracts in history isThe Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a book of canards authored in the nineteenth century that portrays Jews as conspiring to seek global dominance. Similarly, American-based racist groups in this last century have frequently leveled accusations against Jews for controlling both banks and public officials." (Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World by Rabbi Sidney Schwarz (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2006) ISBN 1580233120. and p. 96).
6. ^ For the equation of Zionism and Jewry: Daniels, Jesse. White Lies: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in White Supremacist Discourse, Routledge (UK), ISBN 041591289X, p. 45.
7. ^ Canadian White Nationalists use the term "ZOG" as well.Welcome to ZOG-World, by Eric Thomson.
8. ^ Wayne King (1984-12-27). "Links of Anti-semitic Band Provoke 6-state Parley". The New York Times (The New York Times Company): p. 7.
9. ^ Christian Posse Comitatus Newsletter, n.d. quoted in Kenneth S. Stern, A Force upon the Plain: The American Militia Movement and the Politics of Hate (NY: Simon & Shuster, 1996) p. 50.
10. ^ Allan Pred, Even in Sweden, University of California Press: 2000.
11. ^ "Jewish Occupied Governments". Jew Watch. Retrieved 2008-01-09.

External links

• Poisoning the Web: Hatred Online from the website of the Anti-Defamation League
• Extremists conflicted from the Christian Science Monitor
• Southern Poverty Law Center Website See also: Southern Poverty Law Center
• ZOG ate my Brains: Conspiracy theories about Jews abound - by Chip Berlet

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"FEMA" redirects here. For other uses, see FEMA (disambiguation).

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Agency overview
Formed	April 1, 1979[1]
Employees	7,474 (8 October 2011)[2]
Annual budget	$5.8 billion (2008)[3]
Agency executives	W. Craig Fugate, Administrator Richard Serino, Deputy Administrator
Parent agency	Department of Homeland Security
Website
www.fema.gov

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders. On 1 April 1979.^[1][4] The primary purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the presidentthat FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster. FEMA also provides these services for territories of the United States, such as Puerto Rico. The only exception is when an emergency and/or disaster occurs on federal property or to a federal asset, for example, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, or theSpace Shuttle Columbia in the 2003 return-flight disaster.

While on-the-ground support of disaster recovery efforts is a major part of FEMA's charter, the agency provides state and local governments with experts in specialized fields and funding for rebuilding efforts and relief funds for infrastructure, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration. FEMA also assists individuals and businesses with low interest loans. In addition to this, FEMA provides funds for training of response personnel throughout the United States and its territories as part of the agency's preparedness effort.

Contents   [hide]  1 History 1.1 Prior to 1930s 1.2 Piecemeal approach (1930s–1960s) 1.3 Department of Housing and Urban Development (1973–1979) 1.4 FEMA as an independent agency (1979–2003) 1.5 FEMA under Department of Homeland Security (2003–present) 2 Organization 2.1 Regions 3 Pre-disaster mitigation programs 4 Response capabilities 4.1 National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) 4.2 Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) 4.3 Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) 4.4 Preparedness for nuclear incidents 4.5 Training 4.6 Donations management 5 Criticism 5.1 Hurricane Andrew – 1992 5.2 Southern Florida Hurricanes – 2004 5.3 Hurricane Katrina – 2005 5.4 Buffalo snowstorm – 2006 5.5 Dumas, Arkansas tornadoes - 2007 5.6 California wildfires - 2007 6 List of FEMA heads 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit]History

Federal emergency management in the United States has existed in one form or another for over 200 years. The history of FEMA is summarized as follows.

[edit]Prior to 1930s

A series of devastating fires struck the port city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, early in the 19th century. The 7th U.S. Congress passed a number of measures in the Congressional Act of 1803 that provided relief for Portsmouth merchants by waiving duties and tariffs on importedgoods. This is widely considered the first piece of legislation passed by the federal government that provided relief after a disaster.^[5]

Between 1803 and 1930, ad hoc legislation was passed more than 100 times for relief or compensation after a disaster. Examples include the waiving of duties and tariffs to the merchants of New York City after the Great Fire of New York (1835). After President Abraham Lincoln'sassassination at John T. Ford's Theatre, the 54th Congress passed legislation compensating those who were injured in the theater.

[edit]Piecemeal approach (1930s–1960s)

After the start of the Great Depression in 1929, President Herbert Hoover had commissioned the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in 1932.^[6] The purpose of the RFC was to lend money to banks and institutions to stimulate economic activity. RFC was also responsible for dispensing federal dollars in the wake of a disaster. RFC can be considered the first organized federal disaster response agency.

The Bureau of Public Roads in 1934 was given authority to finance the reconstruction of highways and roads after a disaster. The Flood Control Act of 1944 also gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authority over flood control and irrigation projects and thus played a major role in disaster recovery from flooding.

[edit]Department of Housing and Urban Development (1973–1979)

Federal disaster relief and recovery was brought under the umbrella of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),in 1973 by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1973, and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration was created as an organizational unit within the department. This agency would oversee disasters such as occurring until its incorporation into the FEMA, Federal Emergency Management Agency, created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978, and implemented by Executive Orders 12127 and 12148.

Prior to implementation of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 by E.O. 12127 and E.O. 12148, many government agencies were still involved in disaster relief; in some cases, more than 100 separate agencies might be jockeying for control and jurisdiction of a disaster.^[7]

Over the years, Congress increasingly extended the range of covered categories for assistance, and several presidential executive orders did the same. By enacting these various forms of legislative direction, Congress established a category for annual budgetary amounts of assistance to victims of various types of hazards or disasters, it specified the qualifications, and then it established or delegated the responsibilities to various federal and non-federal agencies.^[8]

In time, this expanded array of agencies themselves underwent reorganization. One of the first such federal agencies was the Federal Civil Defense Administration, which operated within the Executive Office of the President. Functions to administer disaster relief were then given to the President himself, who delegated to the Housing and Home Finance Administration. Subsequently, a new office of the Office of Defense Mobilization was created. Then, the new Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization, managed by the EOP; after that, the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization, which renamed the former agency; then, the Office of Civil Defense, under the Department of Defense (DoD); theDepartment of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW); the Department of Agriculture; the Office of Emergency Planning (OEmP); the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (replacing the OCD in the DoD); the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the General Services Administration (GSA) (upon termination of the OEmP).^[8]

These actions demonstrated that during those years, the nation's domestic preparedness was addressed by several disparate legislative actions, motivated by policy and budgetary earmarking, and not by a single, unifying, comprehensive strategy to meet the nation's needs over time.^[9] Then, in 1978 an effort was made to consolidate the several singular functions; FEMA was created to house civil defense and disaster preparedness under one roof. This was a very controversial decision.^[8]

[edit]FEMA as an independent agency (1979–2003)

National Fire Prevention and Control Administration redirects here

FEMA seal before 2003

FEMA was established under the 1978 Reorganization Plan No. 3, and activated April 1, 1979 byJimmy Carter in his Executive Order 12127. In July, Carter signed Executive Order 12148 shifting disaster relief efforts to the new federal level agency. FEMA absorbed the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather ServiceCommunity Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD. FEMA was also given the responsibility for overseeing the nation's Civil Defense, a function which had previously been performed by the Department of Defense's Defense Civil Preparedness Agency.

One of the first disasters FEMA responded to was the dumping of toxic waste into Love Canal inNiagara Falls, New York in the late 1970s. FEMA also responded to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident where the nuclear generating station suffered a partial core meltdown. These disasters, while showing the agency could function properly, also uncovered some inefficiencies.^{[citation needed]}

In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed James Lee Witt as FEMA Director. In 1996, the agency was elevated to cabinet rank.^[10] This was not continued by President George W. Bush.^[11] Witt initiated reforms that would help to streamline the disaster recovery and mitigation process. The end of the Cold War also allowed the agency's resources to be turned away from civil defense to natural disaster preparedness.^[7]

After FEMA's creation through reorganization and executive orders, Congress continued to expand FEMA's authority by assigning responsibilities to it. Those responsibilities include dam safety under the National Dam Safety Program Act; disaster assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; earthquake hazards reduction under the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and further expanded by Executive Order 12699, regarding safety requirements for federal buildings and Executive Order 12941, concerning the need for cost estimates to seismically retrofit federal buildings; emergency food and shelter under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987; hazardous materials, under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986;

In addition, FEMA received authority for counter terrorism through the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici amendment under the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996, which was a response to the recognized vulnerabilities of the U.S. after the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.^[9]

Congress funded FEMA through a combination of regular appropriations and emergency funding in response to events.^[12]

[edit]FEMA under Department of Homeland Security (2003–present)

President George W. Bush signs theHomeland Security Appropriations Actof 2004

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better coordinate among the different federal agencies that deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness and recovery, border protection and civil defense. FEMA was absorbed into DHS effective March 1,2003. As a result, FEMA became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of Department of Homeland Security, and employs more than 2,600 full time employees. It became the FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Agency again on March 31, 2007 but still remained in DHS.

President Bush appointed Michael D. Brown as FEMA's director in January 2003. Brown warned in September 2003 that FEMA's absorption into DHS would make a mockery of FEMA's new motto, "A Nation Prepared", and would "fundamentally sever FEMA from its core functions", "shatter agency morale" and "break longstanding, effective and tested relationships with states and first responder stakeholders". The inevitable result of the reorganization of 2003, warned Brown, would be "an ineffective and uncoordinated response" to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.^[13]

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated that the vision of further unification of functions and another reorganization could not address the problems FEMA had previously faced. The "Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina", released February 15, 2006 by the U.S. Government Printing Office, revealed that federal funding to states for "all hazards" disaster preparedness needs was not awarded unless the local agencies made the purposes for the funding a "just terrorism" function.^[14]

Emergency management professionals testified that funds for preparedness for natural hazards was given less priority than preparations for counter terrorism measures. Testimony also expressed the opinion that the mission to mitigate vulnerability and prepare for natural hazard disasters before they occurred had been separated from disaster preparedness functions, making the nation more vulnerable to known hazards, like hurricanes.^[15]

[edit]Organization

During the debate of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, some called for FEMA to remain as an independent agency. Later, following the failed response to Hurricane Katrina, critics called for FEMA to be removed from the Department of Homeland Security.^[16] Today FEMA exists as a major agency of the Department of Homeland Security. The Administrator for Federal Emergency Management reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

FEMA currently manages the National Flood Insurance Program. Other programs FEMA previously administered have since been internalized or shifted under direct DHS control.

FEMA is also home to the National Continuity Programs Directorate (formerly the Office of National Security Coordination). ONSC was responsible for developing, exercising, and validating agency wide continuity of operations and continuity of government plans as well as overseeing and maintaining continuity readiness including the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center. ONSC also coordinated the continuity efforts of other Federal Executive Agencies.

FEMA began administering the Center for Domestic Preparedness in 2007.

[edit]Regions

• Regional Map
  • Region I, Boston, MA
  • Region II, New York City, NY
  • Region III, Philadelphia, PA
  • Region IV, Atlanta, GA
  • Region V, Chicago, IL
  • Region VI, Denton, TX
  • Region VII, Kansas City, MO
  • Region VIII, Denver, CO
  • Region IX, Oakland, CA
  • Region X, Bothell, WA
  • Pacific Area Office (PAO), Honolulu, HI

[edit]Pre-disaster mitigation programs

FEMA's Mitigation Directorate^[17] is responsible for programs that take action before a disaster, in order to identify risks and reduce injuries, loss of property, and recovery time.^[18] The agency has major analysis programs for floods, hurricanes, dams, and earthquakes.^[18][19]

FEMA works to ensure affordable flood insurance is available to homeowners in flood plains, through the National Flood Insurance Program, and also works to enforce no-build zones in known flood plains and relocate or elevate some at-risk structures.^[20]

Pre-Disaster Mitigation grants are available to acquire property for conversion to open space, retrofit existing buildings, construct tornado and storm shelters, manage vegetation for erosion and fire control, and small flood control projects.^[21]

[edit]Response capabilities

FEMA's emergency response is based on small, decentralized teams trained in such areas as the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Disaster Mortuary Operations Response Team (DMORT), Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), and Mobile Emergency Resource Support (MERS).

[edit]National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)

The NDMS was transferred from the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of Health and Human Services, under the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, signed by President George W. Bush, on 18 December 2006.

NDMS is made of teams that provide medical and allied care to disaster victims. These teams include doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc., and are typically sponsored by hospitals, public safety agencies or private organizations. Also, Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) teams, composed of officers of the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service, were developed to assist with the NDMS.

Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) provide medical care at disasters and are typically made up of doctors and paramedics. There are also National Nursing Response Teams (NNRT), National Pharmacy Response Teams (NPRT) and Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT). Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) provide mortuary and forensic services. National Medical Response Teams (NMRT) are equipped to decontaminate victims of chemical and biological agents.

[edit]Urban Search and Rescue (US&R)

The Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces perform rescue of victims from structural collapses, confined spaces, and other disasters, for example mine collapses and earthquakes.

[edit]Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS)

FEMA vehicle provides communications support after a major hurricane.

These teams provide communications support to local public safety. For instance, they may operate a truck with satellite uplink, computers, telephone and power generation at a staging area near a disaster so that the responders can communicate with the outside world. There are also Mobile Air Transportable Telecommunications System (MATTS) assets which can be airlifted in. Also portable Cellphone towers can be erected to allow local responders to access telephone systems.

[edit]Preparedness for nuclear incidents

Main article: Protective Action Guide for Nuclear Incidents#Action Plan in USA

On August 1, 2008, FEMA had released "Planning Guidance for Protection and Recovery Following Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) incidents"^[22]which indicate action guide in case of radiation contamination. This Notice is specified as action guide for Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) involving high levels of radiation. According to the Federation of American Scientists, during the Cold War FEMA prepared assessments of the likely consequences of a full-scale Soviet nuclear attack on the Unites States for use in planning mitigation and recovery efforts.^[23]

[edit]Training

FEMA offers a large number of training classes, either at its own centers, through programs at the state level, in cooperation with colleges and universities, or online. The latter are free classes available to anyone, although only those with U.S. residency or work eligibility can take the final examinations. More information is available on the FEMA website under the "Emergency Personnel" and "Training" subheadings. Other emergency response information for citizens is also available at its website.

The Training and Education Division within FEMA's National Integration Center directly funds training for responders and provides guidance on training-related expenditures under FEMA's grant programs. Catalog available at TED Course Catalog. Information on designing effective training for first responders is available from the Training and Education Division at First Responder Training. Emergency managers and other interested members of the public can take independent study courses for certification at FEMA's online Emergency Management Institute.

[edit]Donations management

FEMA has led a Public-Private Partnership in creating a National Donations Management Program making it easier for corporations or individuals not previously engaged to make offers of free assistance to States and the Federal Government in times of disaster. The program is a partnership among FEMA, relief agencies, corporations/corporate associations and participating state governments. The technical backbone of the program is an online technology solution called The Aidmatrix Network which is managed by the independent nonprofit organization, Aidmatrix.

[edit]Criticism

[edit]Hurricane Andrew – 1992

See also: Hurricane Andrew

In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck the Florida and Louisiana coasts with 165 mph (265 km/h) sustained winds. FEMA was widely criticized for the agency's response to Andrew, summed up by the famous exclamation, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one?" by Kate Hale, emergency management director for Dade County, Florida. FEMA and the federal government at large were accused of not responding fast enough to house, feed and sustain the approximately 250,000 people left homeless in the affected areas. Within five days the federal government and neighboring states had dispatched 20,000 National Guard and active duty troops to South Dade County to set up temporary housing. This event and FEMA's performance was reviewed by the National Academy of Public Administration in its February 1993 report "Coping With Catastrophe" which identified several basic paradigms in Emergency Management and FEMA administration that were causes of the failed response.

FEMA had previously been criticized for its response to Hurricane Hugo, which hit South Carolina in September 1989, and many of the same issues that plagued the agency during Hurricane Andrew were also evident during the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Additionally, upon incorporation into DHS, FEMA was legally dissolved and a new Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate was established in DHS to replace it. Following enactment of the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 FEMA was reestablished as an entity within DHS, on March 31, 2007.

[edit]Southern Florida Hurricanes – 2004

South Florida newspaper Sun-Sentinel has an extensive list of documented criticisms of FEMA during the four hurricanes that hit the region in 2004.^[24] Some of the criticisms include:

• When Hurricane Frances hit South Florida on Labor Day weekend (over 100 miles north of Miami-Dade County), 9,800 Miami-Dade applicants were approved by FEMA for $21 million in storm claims for new furniture; clothes; thousands of new televisions, microwaves and refrigerators; cars; dental bills; and a funeral even though the Medical Examiner recorded no deaths from Frances. A U.S. Senate committee and the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security found that FEMA inappropriately declared Miami-Dade county a disaster area and then awarded millions, often without verifying storm damage or a need for assistance.^[25][26]

• FEMA used hurricane aid money to pay funeral expenses for at least 203 Floridians whose deaths were not caused by the 2004 Hurricanes, the state's coroners have concluded. Ten of the people whose funerals were paid for were not even in Florida at the time of their deaths.^[27]

[edit]Hurricane Katrina – 2005

Evacuees taking shelter at theSuperdome

See also: Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina

FEMA received intense criticism for its response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in August 2005. FEMA had pre-positioned response personnel in the Gulf Coast region. However, many could not render direct assistance and were only able to report on the dire situation along the Gulf Coast, especially from New Orleans. Within three days, a large contingent of National Guard and active duty troops were deployed to the region.

The enormous number of evacuees simply overwhelmed rescue personnel. The situation was compounded by flood waters in the city that hampered transportation and poor communication among the federal government, state and local entities. FEMA was widely criticized for what is seen as a slow initial response to the disaster and an inability to effectively manage, care for and move those trying to leave the city.

Then-FEMA Director Michael D. Brown was criticized personally for a slow response and an apparent disconnection with the situation. Michael Brown would eventually be relieved of command of the Katrina disaster and soon thereafter resigned.

Katrina was seen as the first major test of the nation's new disaster response plan under DHS. It is widely held that many things did not function as planned.

According to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina:^[28]

• "The Secretary Department of Homeland Security should have designated the Principal Federal Official on Saturday, two days prior to landfall, from the roster of PFOs who had successfully completed the required training, unlike then FEMA Director Michael Brown. Considerable confusion was caused by the Secretary's PFO decisions."
• "DHS and FEMA lacked adequate trained and experienced staff for the Katrina response."
• "The readiness of FEMA's national emergency response teams was inadequate and reduced the effectiveness of the federal response."
• "Long-standing weaknesses and the magnitude of the disaster overwhelmed FEMA's ability to provide emergency shelter and temporary housing."
• "FEMA logistics and contracting systems did not support a targeted, massive, and sustained provision of commodities."
• "Before Katrina, FEMA suffered from a lack of sufficiently trained procurement professionals."

Other failings were also noted. The Committee devoted an entire section of the report to listing the actions of FEMA.^[29] Their conclusion was:

"For years emergency management professionals have been warning that FEMA's preparedness has eroded. Many believe this erosion is a result of the separation of the preparedness function from FEMA, the drain of long-term professional staff along with their institutional knowledge and expertise, and the inadequate readiness of FEMA's national emergency response teams. The combination of these staffing, training, and organizational structures made FEMA's inadequate performance in the face of a disaster the size of Katrina all but inevitable."^[29]

Pursuant to a temporary restraining order issued by Hon. Stanwood R. Duval, United States District Court Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana as a result of the McWaters v. FEMA class-action, 7 February 2006 was set as the deadline for the official end of any further coverage of temporary housing costs for Katrina victims.^[30][31]

After the 7 February deadline, Katrina victims were left to their own devices either to find permanent housing for the long term, or to continue in social welfare programs set up by other organizations. There are many Katrina evacuees living in temporary shelters and/or trailer parks set up by FEMA and other relief organizations in the first months after the disaster hit, but many more are still unable to find housing.

In July 2007, ice that had been ordered for Katrina victims and never used and had been kept in storage facilities at a cost of $12.5 million was melted down.^[32]

In June 2008, a CNN investigation found that FEMA gave away about $85 million in household goods meant for Hurricane Katrina victims, to 16 other states.^[33]

[edit]Buffalo snowstorm – 2006

FEMA came under attack for their response to the 13 October 2006 snowstorm in Buffalo, New York. Claims state that FEMA officials did not arrive until 16 October, three days after the storm hit. The damage by this time included downed power wires, downed trees, and structural damage to homes and businesses. FEMA responded that as per procedure, the Governor of the state of New York had not asked for FEMA's assistance. FEMA Headquarters had been in constant contact with State congressional offices providing them with the latest information available.^[34]

[edit]Dumas, Arkansas tornadoes - 2007

Many people of Dumas, Arkansas, especially victims of the February 24, 2007 tornadoes, criticized FEMA's response, not supplying the amount of new trailers they needed, only sending a set of used trailers, lower than the needed quantity. Following the storm, U.S SenatorMark Pryor had criticized FEMA's response to the recovery and cleanup efforts.^[35]

[edit]California wildfires - 2007

Wikinews has related news:FEMA employees pose as fake reporters during press conference

FEMA came under intense criticism when it was revealed that a press conference on theCalifornia wildfires of October 2007 was staged. Deputy Administrator Harvey E. Johnson was answering questions from FEMA employees who were posing as reporters. Many of these questions were "soft ball" questions (i.e. "Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?"), intentionally asked in a way that would evoke a positive response giving the impression that FEMA was doing everything right. In this way, any scrutiny from real reporters (many of whom were only given a 15 minute notice) would have been avoided. Fox News, MSNBC, and other media outlets aired the staged press briefing live.^[36] Real reporters were notified only 15 minutes in advance and were only able to call in to a conference line, which was set to "listen-only" mode. The only people there were primarily FEMA public affairs employees.^[37]

[edit]List of FEMA heads

As director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness

Agency Director	From	To
James S. Hafer	May-1975	Apr-1979

As director of FEMA (cabinet level between 1996–2001)^[10][11]

Agency Director	From	To
Gordon Vickery (acting)	Apr-1979	Jul-1979
Thomas Casey (acting)	Jul-1979	Aug-1979
John Macy	Aug-1979	Jan-1981
Bernard Gallagher (acting)	Jan-1981	Apr-1981
John W. McConnell (acting)	Apr-1981	May-1981
Louis O. Giuffrida	May-1981	Sep-1985
Robert H. Morris (acting)	Sep-1985	Nov-1985
Julius W. Becton, Jr.	Nov-1985	Jun-1989
Robert H. Morris (acting)	Jun-1989	May-1990
Jerry D. Jennings (acting)	May-1990	Aug-1990
Wallace E. Stickney	Aug-1990	Jan-1993
William C. Tidball (acting)	Jan-1993	Apr-1993
James Lee Witt	Apr-1993	Jan-2001
John Magaw (acting)	Jan-2001	Feb-2001
Joe M. Allbaugh	Feb-2001	Mar-2003

As Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response and Director of FEMA
(within the Department of Homeland Security)

Agency Undersecretary	From	To
Michael D. Brown	Mar-2003	Sep-2005
R. David Paulison (acting)	Sep-2005	June-2006

As Undersecretary for Federal Emergency Management and Director of FEMA
(within the Department of Homeland Security)

Agency Undersecretary	From	To
R. David Paulison	June-2006	Mar-2007

As Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(within the Department of Homeland Security)

Agency Administrator	From	To
R. David Paulison	Mar-2007	Jan-2009
Nancy L. Ward (acting)	Jan-2009	May-2009
W. Craig Fugate	May-2009	present

On March 4, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Florida's state emergency management director, W. Craig Fugate, to lead FEMA.

[edit]See also

	Government of the United States portal
	Disasters portal

• Civil Contingencies Secretariat, United Kingdom equivalent emergency management agency
• FEMA photo library
• FEMA Trailer
• National Emergency Technology Guard
• PDD-62
• Public Safety Canada - Canadian counterpart disaster response agency
• U.S. Fire Administration
• United States Civil Defense
• Council of Governors
• Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006

[edit]References

• MSNBC Article Senate panel recommends abolishing FEMA

1. ^ ^a b "Executive Order 12127--Federal Emergency Management Agency". Federation of American Scientists.
2. ^ About FEMA, 20 October 2011
3. ^ FEMA's FY 2008 Budget Request, 9 March 2007
4. ^ Woolley, Lynn (12 September 2005). "FEMA - Disaster of an Agency". Retrieved 2007-12-12. See Federation of American Scientists reference above for effective date of 1 April 1979 stated in Executive Order 12127.
5. ^ A History of Emergency Management
6. ^ Article on the RFC from EH.NET's Encyclopedia
7. ^ ^a b FEMA History
8. ^ ^a b c Bea, Keith, "Proposed Transfer of FEMA to the Department of Homeland Security", Order Code RL31510 (updated 29 July 2002), Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service: Library of Congress.
9. ^ ^a b Falkenrath, Richard S., "Problems of Preparedness: U.S. Readiness for a Domestic Terrorist Attack" (2001)International Security, Boston.
10. ^ ^a b "President Clinton Raises FEMA Director to Cabinet Status"(Press release). Feberal Emergency Management Agency. 1996-02-26. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
11. ^ ^a b Fowler, Daniel (2008-11-19). "Emergency Managers Make It Official: They Want FEMA Out of DHS". CQ Politics. Retrieved 2010-03-03. "During the Clinton administration, FEMA Administrator James Lee Witt met with the cabinet. His successor in the Bush administration, Joe M. Allbaugh, did not." (Archived by WebCite at Webcitation.org)
12. ^ Murry, Justin (updated July 10, 2006). "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Legislation for Disaster Assistance: Summary Data FY1989 to FY2006", CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service: The Library of Congress.
13. ^ Grunwald, Michael, and Susan B. Glasser (23 December 2005)."Brown's Turf Wars Sapped FEMA's Strength". Washington Post: p. A01. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
14. ^ Senate Bipartisan Committee (15 February 2006), "The Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington D.C.
15. ^ Senate Bipartisan Committee, 2006, p. 208
16. ^ Serving America's Disaster Victims: FEMA Where Does it Fit?Homeland Security Policy Institute. January 13, 2009.
17. ^ Mitigation
18. ^ ^a b FEMA's Mitigation Directorate Fact Sheet
19. ^ HAZUS is a computer model for hurricane, earthquake, and flood damage estimates.
20. ^ FEMA.gov
21. ^ Grant Program Comparison: Mitigation Division Grant Programs
22. ^ FEMA, DHS "Planning Guidance for Protection and Recovery Following RDD and IND incidents" retrieved 2011-7-6
23. ^ https://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/napb-90/index.htmlNuclear Attack Planning Base - 1990
24. ^ "Sun-Sentinel Investigation: FEMA". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
25. ^ Kestin, Sally, and Megan O'Matz (10 October 2004). "FEMA gave $21 million in Miami-Dade, where storms were 'like a severe thunderstorm'". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
26. ^ Kestin, Sally (8 June 2005). "Homestead women sentenced to probation for cheating FEMA". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
27. ^ Kestin, Sally; Megan O'Matz; and Jon Burstein (10 August 2005)."FEMA paid for at least 203 funerals not related to 2004 hurricanes". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
28. ^ Executive Summary, Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, 2006-2-15, U.S. Government Printing Office, Retrieved 2007-6-11
29. ^ ^a b FEMA, Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, 2006-2-15,U.S. Government Printing Office, Retrieved 2007-6-11
30. ^ Duval, Stanwood R., Jr.; United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana (12 December 2005). ""Order of December 12, 2005" (Rec. Doc. No. 63)" (PDF). "Beatrice B. Mcwaters, et al. v. Federal Emergency Management Section 'K' (3)" (No. 05-5488). USCourts.gov. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
31. ^ Duval, Stanwood R., Jr.; United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana. ""Modified Order of January 12, 2006" (Ref. Doc. No. 74)" (PDF). "Beatrice B. Mcwaters, et al. v. Federal Emergency Management Section 'K' (3)" (No. 05-5488). USCourts.gov. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
32. ^ FEMA To Melt Ice Stored Since Katrina
33. ^ FEMA gives away $85 million of supplies for Katrina victims
34. ^ FEMA Replies To Unjustified Claims Regarding FEMA's Response To Early Snowstorm In Western New York
35. ^ USA Today: Ark. pols blast FEMA for tornado response
36. ^ FEMA Stages Press Conference: Staff Pose As Journalists And Ask 'Softball' Questions
37. ^ Why FEMA Fakes it With the Press Amanda Ripley. Time. October 28, 2007.

[edit]External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Federal Emergency Management Agency

• A History of FEMA
• DHS organization
• EMI Emergency Management Higher Education Program
• FEMA Field Operations Guide^{[dead link]} Including descriptions of markings on evacuated and searched buildings
• FEMA Independent Study Program (ISP) Professional Development Series
• FEMA website
• FEMAanswers.org - wiki site set up to help Katrina victims
• FEMA Photo Library
• FEMA "Planning Guidance for Protection and Recovery Following Radiological Dispersal Device (RDD) and Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) incidents"

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Their intention is to effect complete and total control over every human being on the planet and to dramatically reduce the world's population by 5.5 Billion people. While the name New World Order is a term frequently used today when referring to this group, it's more useful to identify the principal organizations, institutions, and individuals who make up this vast interlocking spiderweb of elite conspirators. The Illuminati is the oldest term commonly used to refer to the 13 bloodline families (and their offshoots) that make up a major portion of this controlling elite. Most members of the Illuminati are also members in the highest ranks of numerous secretive and occult societies which in many cases extend straight back into the ancient world. The upper levels of the tightly compartmentalized (need-to-know-basis) Illuminati structural pyramid include planning committees and organizations that the public has little or no knowledge of. The upper levels of the Illuminati pyramid include secretive committees with names such as: the Council of 3, the Council of 5, the Council of 7, the Council of 9, the Council of 13, the Council of 33, the Grand Druid Council, the Committee of 300 (also called the "Olympians") and the Committee of 500 among others. In 1992, Dr John Coleman published  Conspirators' Hierarchy: The Story of the Committee of 300. With laudable scholarship and meticulous research, Dr Coleman identifies the players and carefully details the Illuminati agenda of worldwide domination and control. On page 161 of theConspirators Hierarchy, Dr Coleman accurately summarizes the intent and purpose of the Committee of 300 as follows:   "A One World Government and one-unit monetary system, under permanent non-elected hereditary oligarchists who self-select from among their numbers in the form of a feudal system as it was in the Middle Ages. In this One World entity, population will be limited by restrictions on the number of children per family, diseases, wars, famines, until 1 billion people who are useful to the ruling class, in areas which will be strictly and clearly defined, remain as the total world population.       There will be no middle class, only rulers and the servants. All laws will be uniform under a legal system of world courts practicing the same unified code of  laws, backed up by a One World Government police force and a One World unified military to enforce laws in all former countries where no national boundaries shall exist. The system will be on the basis of a welfare state; those who are obedient and subservient to the One World Government will be rewarded with the means to live; those who are rebellious will simple be starved to death or be declared outlaws, thus a target for anyone who wishes to kill them. Privately owned firearms or weapons of any kind will be prohibited." The sheer magnitude and complex web of deceit surrounding the individuals and organizations involved in this conspiracy is mind boggling, even for the most astute among us. Most people react with disbelief and skepticism towards the topic, unaware that they have been conditioned (brainwashed) to react with skepticism by institutional and media influences that were created by the Mother of All mind control organizations: The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations in London. Author and de-programmer Fritz Springmeier (The Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines ) says that most people have built in "slides" that short circuit the mind's critical examination process when it comes to certain sensitive topics. "Slides", Springmeier reports, is a CIA term for aconditioned type of response which dead ends a person's thinking and terminates debate or examination of the topic at hand. For example, the mention of the word "conspiracy" often solicits a slide response with many people. (Springmeier has co-authored three books on trauma-based programming which detail how the Illuminati employs highly tuned and extrememly sophisticated Mind Control (MC) training programs that begin the programming process while the intended victim is still within the womb. Mind Control is a much greater problem than most people realize. According to Cisco Wheeler, a former Illuminati mind control programmer, there are 10 million people who have been programmed as mind controlled slaves using trauma-based MC programs with names like Monarch and MK Ultra. The newer, non-trauma, electronic means of MC programming that grew out of the Montauk Project, may include millions more. Al Bielek, who played a principle role in the development of the Montauk Project, said that there likely 10 million victims of Montauk style mind control programming worldwide, the majority located in the USA. He also said that there are covert Montauk Programming 'Centers' in every major city in the U.S. ) What most Americans believe to be "Public Opinion" is in reality carefully crafted and scripted propaganda designed to elicit a desired behavioral response from the public. Public opinion polls are really taken with the intent of gauging the public's acceptance of the Illuminati's planned programs. A strong showing in the polls tells the Illuminati that the programing is "taking", while a poor showing tells the NWO manipulators that they have to recast or "tweak" the programming until the desired response is achieved. While the thrust and content of the propaganda is decided at Tavistock, implementation of the propaganda is executed in the United States by well over 200 'think tanks' such as the Rand Corporation and the Brookings Institute which are overseen and directed by the top NWO mind control organization in the United States, the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park, California. The NWO global conspirators manifest their agenda through the skillful manipulation of human emotions, especially fear. In the past centuries, they have repeatedly utilized a contrivance that NWO researcher and author David Icke has characterized in his latest book, The Biggest Secret, as Problem,Reaction, and Solution. The technique is as follows: Illuminati strategists create the Problem- by funding , assembling, and training an "opposition" group to stimulate turmoil in an established political power (sovereign country, region, continent, etc.) that they wish to impinge upon and thus create opposing factions in a conflict that the Illuminati themselves maneuvered into existence. In recent decades, so called "opposition" groups are usually identified in the media as 'freedom fighters' or 'liberators' (recently the KLA-Kosovo Liberation Army). At the same time, the leader of the established political power where the conflict is being orchestrated is demonized and, on cue, referred to as 'another Hitler' (take your pick: Saddam Hussein, Milosevic, Kadaffi, etc.). The 'freedom fighters' are not infrequently assembled from a local criminal element (i.e. KLA, drug traffickers). In the spirit of true Machiavellian deceit, the same NWO strategists are equally involved in covertly arming and advising the leader of the established power as well (the Illuminati always profits from any armed conflict by loaning money, arming, and supplying all parties involved in a war). The conflict is drawn to the world stage by the controlled  media outlets with a barrage of photos and video tape reports of horrific and bloody atrocities suffered by innocent civilians. The cry goes up "Something has to be done!" And That is the desired Reaction (note: the  same technique is presently being used to bring about gun control in the United States). The NWO puppeteers then provide the Solution by sending in UN 'Peace Keepers' (Bosnia) or a UN 'Coalition Force' (Gulf War) or NATO Bombers and then ground troops (Kosovo). Once installed, the 'peace keepers' never leave (Bosnia, Kosovo).  The idea is to have NWO controlled ground troops in all major countries or strategic areas where significant resistance to the New World Order takeover is likely to be encountered. East Timor, Indosnesia. (9/14/99) Virtually , the same strategy used to occupy Kosovo with UN/NATO troops was applied by the NWO manipulators to take military control of  East Timor. Once again, the same morality play is trotted out for public consumption: the local evil and demonic Indonesian Army trained militias responsible for the slaughter of innocent civilians following the August 30 vote for Independence (from Indonesian control), must be stopped at all costs. This time, Australia (to keep up the appearance of an 'international' humantarian effort) will lead the charge with 'peacekeeping' troops. Of course, it didn't take long for Madeline Albright to announce that US 'support assets' will be part of the "UN Peacekeeping Team". In a  front page story in the LA Times (9/13/99), Mike Jendrzejczyk  of Human Rights Watch (an Illuminati front group) in Washington DC  said that it's "crucial" that "peacekeepers have the authority to disarm militia forces and any Indonesian soldiers actively working with them". ] The local, sovereign military force is either defeated (i.e. Yugoslavia) or, as in the case of the United States itself, replaced by foreign UN "Partnership For Peace" (PFP) troops who take over the jobs of  US soldiers who have been sent overseas on  'peacekeeping' missions. In addition to being killed in ground conflicts on foreign soil, US military forces will likely be reduced in the next few years through disease induced attrition (i.e. from mandatoryAnthrax Vaccinations required of all US military personnel). These vaccinations will, in all probability, eventually produce the symptoms of the so-calledGulf War Illness, which was acquired by a certain percentage of Gulf War soldiers who were given a "special" anthrax vaccine (intended by the Illuminati/CIA as a test run to ascertain how quickly (and fatally) the disease would progress with a substantial population of healthy young men and women). The corporate portion of the NWO pyramid seems to be dominated by international bankers and the big pharmaceutical cartels, as well as other major multinational corporations. The Royal Family of England, namely Queen Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor, (who are, in fact, descendants of the German arm of European Royalty -the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family-changed the name to Windsor in 1914 ), are high level players, along with the British oligarchy which controls the upper strata of the Illuminati. The decision making Illuminati nerve centers of  this effort are in theLondon (especially the City of London), Basel Switzerland, and Brussels (NATO headquarters). The United Nations, along with all the agencies working under the UN umbrella, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), are full time players in this scheme. Similarly, NATO is a military tool of the NWO. The leaders of all major industrial countries like the United States, England, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, etc. (E.g. members of the "G7/G8" ) are active and fully cooperative participants in this conspiracy. In this century, the degree of control exerted by the Illuminati has advanced to the point that only certain hand-picked individuals, who are groomed and selected by the Illuminati are even eligible to become the prime minister or president of countries like England, Germany, or The United States. It didn't matter whether Bill Clinton or Bob Dole won the Presidency  in 1996, the  results would have been the same (except maybe for Zipper Gate ). Both men are playing on the same team for the same ball club. Anyone who isn't a team player is taken out: i.e.President Kennedy, Ali Bhutto (Pakistan) and Aldo Moro (Italy). More recently, Admiral Borda and William Colby were also killed because they were either unwilling to go along with the conspiracy to destroy America, weren't cooperating in some capacity, or were attempting to expose/ thwart the Takeover agenda. Most of the major  wars, political upheavals,  and economic depression/recessions of the past 100 years (and earlier)  were carefully planned and instigated by the machinations of these elites. They include The Spanish-American War (1898), World War I and World War II; TheGreat Depression; the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917; the Rise of Nazi Germany; the Korean War; the Vietnam War; the 1989-91"fall" of Soviet Communism, the 1991 Gulf War;  and the recent War in Kosovo. Even the French Revolution was an orchestrated into existence by the Barvaian Illuminati and the House of Rothchild. FEMA In America, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) was created in 1979 under Presidential Memorandum 32 authored for President Carter by Prof. Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard professor and former FEMA Advisory Board chairman. Huntington wrote the Seminal Peace for the Trilateral Commission in the mid 70's, in which he criticized democracy and economic development as outdated ideas. As co-author of another report prepared for the Trilateral Commissiosn, The Crisis of Democracy, Huntington wrote: "We have come to recognize that there are potential desirable limits to economic growth. There are also potentially desirable limits to the indefinite extension of political democracy. A government which lacks authority will have little ability short of cataclysmic crisis to impose on its people the sacrifices which may be necessary." Huntington's ideas were rewritten into National Security Decision Directive #47(NSDD47), which was enacted in July 1982 by President Reagan. Treated as a passing footnote by the media, this law identified legitimate areas to be upgraded to maintain national defense, but it also laid the groundwork for Emergency Mobilization Preparedness, a planunder which existing socio/economic regulations or other legal constraints would be waived in the event of a national emergency. This plan was further strengthened in Public Law 101-647, signed by President Bush in November 1990.What it boils down to is this: in the event that the President declares a national emergency, for any reason (from major earthquakes to increased international tensions or economic /financial crisis of any stripe), FEMA can then, attheir discretion, implement Executive Orders 10995 through 11005. These Executive Orders permit a takeover by FEMA of local, state, and national governments and the suspension of constitutional guarantees. FEMA will have the authority to exert any sort of control that it deems necessary upon the American public. A trained National Police Force, formally referred to by the name of Multi Jurisdictional Task Force (MJTF), wearing black uniforms and composed of: 1. specially selected US military personnel 2. foreign military units carrying United Nations ID cards, and 3. specially trained existing police groups from larger metropolitan American cities. These members of the MJTF will implement and enforce martial law under the direction and controlof FEMA. The President and Congress are out of the loop. FEMA is the Trojan Horse by which the New World Order will implement overt, police-state control over the American populace. War on Drugs The "War on Drugs" is a cruel joke. The US government, specifically the CIA, is the biggest 'drug lord' on the planet. Drug money is used to pay for innumerable 'black projects', including the construction of huge underground cities housing both humans and aliens working with the secret US government. The instigation of a trumped-up war as a cover for amassing  fortunes can be dated back to at least the 12th Century when only a core group of ninemembers of an Illuminati group called the Knights Templar, the military arm of an Illuminati secret society known as the Priory of Sion, kicked off theThe Crusades that lasted for over a century and a half. A rift later developed between the Templars and the Priory of Sion when Jerusalem was lost to Saracen Turks in 1187. In 1307, the king of France, Philippe the Fair (a Merovingian Illuminati), coveted the wealth and was jealous of the Templars' power. The French king, being a puppet of the Priory of Sion, set out to arrest all the Templars in France on October 13. While many Templars were seized and tortured, including their Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, many other Templars (who had been tipped off) escaped. They eventually resurfaced in Portugal, in Malta (as the Knights of Malta) and later in Scotland as The Scottish Rites of Free Masonry. The acquisition and consolidation of ever greater wealth, natural resources, total political power, and control over others are the motivating forces which drives the decisions of the Illuminati. The toll in human suffering and the loss of innocent lives are non issues for these individuals, who are aligned with very dark and malevolent 4th dimensional aliens. The dominant group of 4th dimentional malevolent aliens controlling and manipulating the human Iluminati are known as Draconians or Drakos Reptilians. Not all alien reptilians are of a negative spiritual orientation. Mind Control Recent revelations from deprogrammed Illuminati (government) mind controlled individuals such as Arizona Wilder (The Biggest Secret), Cisco Wheeler( The Illuminati Formula to Create an Undetectable Total Mind Control Slave), Cathy O'Brien (Trance Formation of America), and Brice Taylor (Thanks for the Memories) leave NO DOUBT that the upper levels of the  Illuminati engage in Satanic rituals which usually include the killing of young children, the drinking of  human blood and the consuming of flesh and human organs. The details of the Illuminati conspiracy are brilliantly laid out in the books of David Icke (Tales from the Time Loop, Children of the Matrix, Alice in Wonderland and the World Trace Center Disaster, The Biggest Secret, The Truth Shall Set You Free, and I am Me, I am Free; and in three books by Dr. John Coleman (Conspirators' Hierarchy: The Story of The Committee of 300; One World Order: Socialist Dictatorship; and  Diplomacy by Deception  To be Continued & Expanded... This Page Last Updated:  June 02, 2010 http://educate-yourself.org/nwo/

Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/