This is the great Indian paradox

This is the great Indian paradox. The country's economy is booming, with the number of millionaires and billionaires rising by the day. According to a research by Bain & Co, there are over 115,000 high-net worth individuals in India.

Since 2000, this elite group has grown an average of 11 per cent annually. Between 2006 and 2007, the number of wealthy individuals in India surged by 23 per cent, which is the highest growth rate in the world.

While this may be good news, here is the other side of the India growth story.

Today, more than 400 million people live below the poverty line in India. The global meltdown has pushed an additional 25 million to 40 million citizens below the poverty line.

So how can a country like India bridge the gap between its rich and poor? Are India's wealthiest people doing their best to reach out to the poorest? Well, the generosity of India's rich population does not necessarily rise with income and education, says the Bain & Co study.

"The wealthiest have the lowest level of giving at 1.6% of household income. While the 'high class', which is ranked one level below the 'upper class' on the income and education scale, donates 2.1% to charity, the middle class gives 1.9% of household income to philanthropy," says Arpan Sheth, partner, Bain & Company.

Nearly 40 per cent of the nation's wealth is controlled by the top 5 per cent of India's households. So about 1 per cent controls about 16 per cent of the national wealth, says the Bain study.

The charitable initiatives in India accounted to about $7.5 billion in 2009, according to the study, equivalent to about 0.6 per cent of the country's GDP.

The rate is higher than Brazil's 0.3 per cent and rival China's 0.1 per cent, but lags behind United States which is 2.2% and 1.3% in Britain, the report said.

Why are Indians not generous enough?

There are three major factors that curb philanthropy in India.

Many people who became rich recently are not willing to part with their wealth.

A Bain analysis of 30 high-net-worth individuals in India showed that they contribute, on average, just around one-fourth of 1 per cent of their net worth to social and charitable causes.

Many believe that the funding networks are not professionally managed and their donations may be misappropriated.

Besides this, since most of the companies are family-owned groups, they view corporate responsibility initiatives as a philanthropic step and avoid personal donations.

It is time for India to be more generous. India can emulate the West in terms of philanthropy, say observers.

"India's powerful economic engine is expected to produce thousands of millionaires in the coming years. There is no reason why our wealthiest citizens should not do more for those with less. India needs their philanthropy," says Bain & Co's Arpan Sheth.

The largest 100 foundations in the US have more than $200 billion in assets. These assets are used to help underwrite philanthropic activities. This massive asset base allows foundations to extend their support throughout the world.

India's foundations can learn valuable lessons from their American counterparts like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In India alone, it provides more than $1 billion for health and AIDS initiatives, states the study.

Several other aspects make charity cumbersome and badly organised in India. There are about 2 million charity operators in India.

But most of them are run without the transparency, processes and professional staff required to reassure donors and encourage large contributions, points out Sheth. So India needs more professional and large charity organisations.

Archaic laws and bureaucracy hinder both the growth and operations of non-profitable organisations so there is an urgent need to reform our laws and taxation policies and create a more supportive climate for charitable organisations, he says.

"The growing number of wealthy Indians gives a ray of hope for better philanthropic activities in future."

"A more equal and less impoverished society benefits every one of us. A healthier, better-educated population means a more secure and prosperous India," Sheth says.

ACIDITY & ITS NATURAL CURE

Acidity is not a disease but the result of other diseases in the body. In other words, a person could be suffering from some other health problems and acidity could be a symptom or disorder. In this case, the acid formation in the stomach increases, which leads to sour belches, indigestion and loss of appetite.

Medicinal Cures from Ayurveda for Acidity:

• Take half a gram of shankh bhasma and one gram of dry mango powder. Mix both with honey and lick to relieve acidity.
• Mix green coriander, garlic, ripe tomatoes, ginger, salt and chillies. Prepare a fine paste and eat it to overcome different stomach related problems. It is very beneficial to eat after an attack of fever.
• Take 30 gm of fresh coriander juice to increase appetite within three days.
• Chop 50 gm onion and mix in fresh curd set with cow milk. Eat this to control acidity.
• Grind two-grams of aniseed, one gram of dry mango powder, ten grams of sugar candy and store it in a glass jar. Take three to four times with hot water to calm down all types of indigestion.
• Roast bitter gourd flowers or leaves in clarified butter (ghee) and prepare a powder. Take one to two grams twice or thrice daily to control acidity.
• Take equal quantities of white cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Eat with sugar to control acidity.
• Add a little bit of roasted cumin seeds in orange juice and add a little bit of rock salt. Drink this juice for relief.
• Grind wood apple (bilva or bael) leaves in water and sieve. Add 20 gm sugar candy and drink to overcome acidity.
• Mix Moolhati churna in honey and clarified butter and lick to relieve acidity.
• Grind 30 gm dry dates and 25 gm aniseed, soak in 200 gm water overnight. Crush nicely the next morning and add 10 gm sugar candy. Drink this daily to reduce acidity.
• Grind 100 gm tamarind (seedless), 25 gm cumin seed, and 125 gm sugar candy and prepare a powder. Store it in a glass jar. Take three grams twice daily with water to control acidity.
• Prepare a powder with eight grams of shora and ten-grams of sal ammoniac. Take four to six grains twice daily with water to overcome pitta. It gives instant results in case of acidity; burning sensation in chest, sour belches, etc.
• Chew lemon peels nicely and suck the juice to control acidity.
• Mix one spoon of ginger juice with equal quantity of pomegranate juice and drink for relief.
• Suck one clove daily after meals to control acidity and related problems.
• Keep a small piece of jaggery and suck the juice daily after meals. It is beneficial when sour saliva is produced due to acidity. It also controls gastric problem, and prevents foul air.
• Mix two grams of small harad churna in equal quantity of jaggery and eat it. Drink water over it. Take this medicine half an hour before meals and follow it for just three days. Acidity will get eradicated.
• Drink one spoon of gwarpatha (aloe vera) juice daily for relief.
• Take five grams each of drumstick root and giloy root and prepare chutney. Take it with hot water.
• Mix two cups of spinach juice, half-cup carrot juice and two spoons kulthi juice.
• Mix sugar in half spoon papaya milk and take this medicine.
• Add a little bit of sugar in radish juice and drink.
• Prepare kwath with four cloves, two pieces of harad and a spoonful of ajowan, and drink for relief.
• Grind ten grams each of mint, cumin seeds and black pepper and prepare chutney. Add one cup of water, boil it and then drink.
• Grind equal quantities of neem offshoots, and neem skin and take half a spoon daily in the morning on empty stomach with water.
• Wash three grams each of creeping grass and bathua leaves and chew them.
• Grind five grams each of dry mango powder, black salt, cinnamon, asafetida, pipal, and harad, then sieve it. Take a spoonful with lukewarm water daily after meals to control acidity.
• If acidity arises during the night then mix a spoonful of soda bicarbonate and equal quantity of lemon juice in cold water and drink.
• Prepare chutney with a pinch of rock salt, a small piece of ginger and a spoonful of lemon juice and eat it for relief.
• Mix a spoonful of ajowan, a pinch of rock salt and a pinch of asafetida. Take this and drink water over it for relief.

Treatment of Acidity through Nature Cure:

• Keep a lep of black mud on the stomach and tie a bandage over it. Apply the lep again if it gets dry.
• Take hipbath for ten minutes daily in the morning and splash water at regular intervals.
• Massage clarified butter (ghee) on both soles for ten minutes.
• Keep hot water bag on the stomach, back, waist and knees.
• Take a sauna bath in sitting position (can use a chair).
• These remedies are very beneficial to overcome acidity.

Food and Diet Regulations for Acidity:

• Drink cow's milk, pomegranate juice. Eat sweet lime, aniseed, grapes, dry dates, myrobalan, fig, old rice, kheer, juicy things, round gourd, roasted gram flour, etc.
• Consume bitter gourd, gourd, torai, wheat flour, green leafy vegetables, Harad, garlic, and honey everyday.
• Eat fruits like papaya, guava, apple, banana, cheekoo, wood apple and myrobalan marmalade etc.
• Stop the consumption of tea, coffee, alcohol, meat, fish, eggs, sweets, tobacco, stale rice, heavy food, dry mango powder, refined flour, potato, spices, fried things and snacks.
• Do not consume clarified butter ghee, oil, curd, food that increases pitta, lentils, whole horse beans, etc. Do not get exposed to sun, and avoid constipation.
• Stop the consumption of hot, acidic and bitter tasting food as they increase pitta.

Yogic Cure for Acidity:

Practice Uttanapadasana, Halasana, Pavanmuktasana, Kandharasana, Yogamudrasana, Matsyasana, Bhujangasana, Ekpadgreevasana, Garbhasana, etc., to overcome stomach disorders and reduce constipation and acidity. (Please see other articles for specific procedures to perform each asana.)

Pranayama for Acidity:

• Pranayam is very useful – Kapalbhati pranayam should be practiced for five minutes everyday.
• Anulom-Vilom and Nadi shodhan pranayam should also be practiced for ten minutes daily to overcome all stomach related problems and acidity.
• Regular practice of Agnisar kriya is also very beneficial.
• Uddiyan bandh keeps the stomach healthy and calms down acidity and other related problems.

Dubai shock! Why it happened, how it hits India

Dubai shock! Why it happened, how it hits India

Just three days before Eid, the Dubai government's announcement seeking a six-month reprieve on debt repayments sent shockwaves through the world markets, as it raised doubts over the Gulf emirate's ability to meet its financial obligations.
Global markets, which have yet to come out of the financial crisis that savaged many an economy, reacted sharply and sank like a rock. Analysts now wonder whether they are witnessing the beginning of the biggest sovereign default since Argentina in 2001.
Questions are also being raised on Dubai's status as a major destination for international investment.
What happened was that the Dubai government requested the creditors of Dubai World (one of three conglomerates that are backed by the emirate), to agree to a 'standstill' on repayments until May 30 2010.
The standstill also applies to the $4.05 billion sukuk, or Islamic bond, issued by Nakheel, the state-owned builder famous for the spectacular Palm Jumeirah scheme and other such mind boggling projects that involve large-scale land reclamation. Nakheel's parent company is Dubai World.
The truth is that Dubai is being crushed under a mountain of debt. The emirate has chalked up debt in excess of $80 billion by expanding in banking, real estate and transportation. Dubai World with $60 billion liabilities has sought a six-month standstill on its debt repayment to all its lenders.
What Happened
Image: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.
The emirate borrowed $80 billion in a four-year construction boom that transformed Dubai into a glittering jewel in the middle of the Gulf region and also into a tourism and financial hotspot.
Dubai's sovereign credit default swap has surged 1.11 per cent to 4.29 per cent, leading to global rating agency Standard & Poor's placing the ratings of four Dubai-based banks on negative outlook due to their exposure to Dubai World.
The debt itself might not seem too high, but the uncertainty surrounding the entire issue has spooked financier. Investor confidence the world over has been shaken up badly, as many wonder if the world would slip into another recessionary phase, given that there are some other nations in a similar situation as Dubai: Greece, Iceland, Hungary being just a few of them. Many nations that are following Dubai's development pattern are inviting trouble, said analysts. Economists fear that they might have been too hasty in predicting that the global financial crisis had ended.
The Dubai shock was as severe as it was sudden. Just a few weeks ago, Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, had assured all that the emirate's financial condition was all right, saying that it would raise more funds to meet its financial commitments and would be more cautious.
As is normally the case in autocratic regimes like Dubai, no one knew what the real situation was till it was too
late. Analysts feel that either the ruler was unaware of the magnitude of the problem or his advisors asked him to keep it under the wraps.
'The Sun Never Sets on Dubai World' is the corporate slogan of Dubai World. However, that may no longer hold true.
The proposal by the Dubai World, a state controlled enterprise, to restructure its debt portfolio has taken the markets by surprise and is being viewed as a prospective quasi-sovereign default. It appears that debt restricting will go through, at least partially with the GCC based banks, but one has to wait and watch as to how the international banks will respond to this offer.
The general expectation is that the Government of UAE will come out with a strong intent / statement of support for Dubai and its related business, which can then arrest the possible sell off that one can expect before the markets open on Monday.
With Dubai World teetering on the brink of collapse, those who had invested heavily into the emirate believed that the conglomerate's bankers would extend it more loans to bail it out rather than let is reputation be dented.
However, with neither the bankers nor the emirate itself making any such supportive moves, it became clear that the emirate was in big trouble and it might be a while before it extricates itself from the morass.
Dubai also does not have the oil reserves, like its neighbours in the Persian Gulf, to help it tide over its financial woes.
The moment the truth dawned upon the markets, a chain of events unfolded: gossip spread through the world like wildfire hitting the emirate's property prices, credit rating agencies downgraded all Dubai government-related debt, billions of dollars were lost by investors as the value of their investments in the Gulf emirate plummeted, oil prices began to fall, some currencies saw a steep slide, and the stock markets the world over were revisited by that all-too-familiar sinking feeling. Billions of dollars of investor wealth was wiped out before anyone could blink.
Dubai saw property prices falling by almost 50 per cent from their 2008 peak. The property bubble had already begun to burst, but with this latest shock real estate will be devalued even more.
The magnificent complexes built by Dubai's developers have turned this land of sand in to a global playground for the rich and mighty. Everyone who is someone globally has poured money into the extraordinary and lavish developments in Dubai.
The remarkable Palm Jumeirah, man-made islands reclaimed from and enveloped by the sea, boasts of a global who's who as its investors. Owners of these exclusive and expensive villas include the likes of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, footballer David Beckham, Hollywood heartthrobs Brad Pitt and Denzel Washington, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, super model Naomi Campbell, and many shipping magnates, oil barons, and tech billionaires.
Dubai had raised $10 billion from Abu Dhabi, its wealthier neighbour, in February. And hours before it requested a standstill, it said it had raised another $5 billion from two Abu Dhabi banks, although only a portion of that was available immediately.
Unlike Abu Dhabi, Dubai has to borrow to finance its future. As the recovery takes hold, it will make money again from its property, tourism, trade and financial industries.
World stocks plummet
The Indian stock markets joined the tumble in bourses around the world Dubai World, which manages that country's portfolio of businesses, expressed its inability to pay off its debtors now and wanted more time.
The Dubai stock market will reopen only on Monday.
The Bombay Stock Exchange's Sensex sank 600 points during mid-market trades.
The Indian rupee dropped further by 46 paisa to 46.90 against the greenback on persistent demand for dollar from oil companies amid sharp fall in equity market.
Other world stocks too slumped as the Dubai-debt shockwaves reached their shores, shaking banking shares and pushing yen to a fresh 14-year high against struggling dollar as investors unwound risky trades.
Image: An aquarium in a mall in Dubai.
Oil prices extended their decline from the previous day to fall below $76 a barrel on Friday, as nervous investors, roiled by debt problems in Dubai, pared their positions.
However, many say that it might be too early to write Dubai off. Its oil-rich neighbour Abu Dhabi will bail it out to some extent.
However, Indian bankers and economists say that the Dubai debacle would not have much of an impact on India as Indian banks do not have much exposure to the Dubai real estate markets.
Dubai concerns not to impact India, says Sharma
Notwithstanding the UAE being India's top destination for exports, the government put up a brave face stating financial concerns in Dubai would not impact the Indian economy and the country's real estate sector.
"I don't think," said Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma when asked whether the confidence erosion in Dubai would have ripple effect in India.
Image: A hotel in Dubai.
Sharma said the Indian economy is large and "I don't think developments in real estate sector in Dubai are going to impact it. Besides, the Indian real estate is doing well," he said.
The UAE, which has a large Indian population, is the country's largest export destination with shipments of about $24 billion in fiscal 2008-09.
Asked whether exports to the Middle East could be impacted, Sharma told reporters, "I hope not."
ICICI Bank says no material exposure to Dubai corporates
Amid fears of a debt crisis in Dubai, ICICI Bank on Friday said it does not have any significant exposure to Dubai corporates.
"ICICI Bank has no material, non-India linked exposure to Dubai corporates," an ICICI Bank spokesperson told PTI.
As such, questions pertaining to any losses to the bank due to the imminent crisis in Dubai do not arise. Delhi-based Oriental Bank of Commerce also said the bank does not have any exposure in Dubai.
"We have no exposure there," OBC Executive Director S C Sinha said.
'Crisis may not impact remittances'
The Indian finance ministry meanwhile said the financial crisis in Dubai, triggered by a slump in real estate, may not impact remittances sent by Indian expatriates in the Gulf.
"Remittances from expats didn't suffer during the period when the larger crisis was on. So whether this should have an impact in terms of employment, in terms of salaries and therefore in terms of remittances is somewhat unlikely," Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla said.
India gets nearly a quarter of its total remittances from the United Arab Emirates.
Former RBI Governor Y V Reddy said, "On the basis of past evidence, the recent development in the Middle East should not have any serious impact on the Indian remittances."
Image: Atlantis, The Palm, is seen on the breakwater (crescent) of the Palm Jumeirah.
Chawla, however, said it will take some time for the Finance Ministry to examine the exact impact of the crisis on the Indian economy.
"We have seen the press reports. We will have to study what the issue is, what the problem is and what will be the possible implications, if any for the Indian economy, on the people, on the corporates. It will take some time for us to examine this," Chawla said.
Just a year after the global downturn derailed Dubai's explosive growth, the city is now swamped in debt.
There are fears that Dubai's conglomerate, Dubai World , may default on its around $59 billion debt and is seeking postponement of the debt until at least May because of the crisis triggered by real estate slump.
Dubai, which borrowed hugely, in a real estate boom, suffered due to slump in real estate following the global recession.
Dubai is one of seven city states that make up the United Arab Emirates, along with Abu Dhabi, the capital.
Image: Burj Tower, the world's tallest, in Dubai.
RBI studying Dubai World default impact
The Reserve Bank India said it is examining the impact of the Dubai government's decision to suspend debt payments by Dubai World, which led global stock markets to tumble amid fears of widespread default.
Governor Duvvuri Subbarao said he has asked his officials to study the impact and "if necessary make recommendations."
"We shouldn't react to instant news like this. One lesson that we learnt from the (global financial) crisis is that we must study the developments and measure the extent of the problem and hence study the impact on India," said Subbarao, who attended an interactive session with the students of Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, N Chandrasekharan, CEO and MD, Tata Consultancy Services, said it did not have much exposure to Dubai markets and so impact if any is negligible.

ह्दय रोग : प्याज का रस और चने की दाल

ह्दय रोग : प्याज का रस और चने की दाल

ह्दय रोग मे प्याज का रस काफी लाभकारी पाया गया है. सुबह के समय कच्चे सफेद प्याज का रस दो छोटे चम्मच पीने से हदय रोग के किसी भी अवस्था में लाभ मिलता है. डा० सत्यव्रत सिद्धान्तालंकार ने अपनी पुस्तक "रोग और उनकी होम्योपैथिक चिकित्सा" मे इसके बारे जिके करते हुए लिखें हैं कि अरब के एक उच्च कोटि के धनी मानी व्यक्ति का कथन है कि उसे ह्दय के रोग के दौरे पडते थे. उसने अपने घर में कार्डियोग्राम की मशीन लगा रखी थी. और प्रतिदिन वह अपने ह्दय की गति की जाँच करवाया करता था. डाक्टरों ने उसे बीसियों गोलियां खाने को दिया था. अरब के एक हकीम ने उसे प्याज का रस पीने का नुख्सा बताया था. उसने आजमाया और उसका ह्दय का रोग जाता रहा. उसने डाक्टरों की गोलियां और मशीन सभी अलग कर दी और प्याज के दो चम्मच रस प्रतिदिन पीने से वह स्वस्थ हो गया.

लखनऊ के किंग जार्ज मेडिकल कालेज के डा० एन० एन० गुप्त ने अपने परीक्षणों के आधार पर यह कहा है कि कच्चा प्याज का सेवन करने से ह्दय रोगों से बचा जा सकता है.

ह्दय रोग मे चने की दाल भी काफी फायदेमंद है. इंडियन कौसिंल आफ मेडिकल रिसर्च द्वारा आयोजित आगरा के एस० एन० मेडिकल कालेज मे किये गये परीक्षणों से यह सिद्ध हुआ है की चने की दाल खाने से ह्दय का रोग नहीं होता है. ह्दय रोग में ह्दय की धमनियों (ARTERIES) मे कोलेस्ट्ररोल की परत जम जाती है जिससे धमनियां मोटी हो जाती है और उसमे खुन के प्रवाह के रुकावट होने लगती है जो दिल के दौरे का मुख्य कारण है. चने की दाल खाने से कौलेस्ट्रोल घुलने लगता है. ह्दय रोगियों को चने की दाल और कच्चे प्याज का अधिक सेवन करना चाहिए.

होम्योपैथिक दॄष्टिकोण से ह्दय रोग मे काफी औषधियां है जो ह्दय रोगी के शारीरिक और मानसिक लक्षण के साथ साथ मियाज्म के आधार पर दिया जाता है पर एक दवा क्रैटेगस (CRATAEGUS), मुल अर्क की १५--१५ बुन्द आधे कप पानी मे डालकर दिन मे दो बार लेने से आश्चर्यजनक लाभ मिलता है. जिस ह्दय रोग मे आपरेसन की अनुशंशा की गई है उनके लिए भी यह समान रुप से उपयोगी है. किसी भी एलोपैथिक दवाओं के साथ साथ इसे भी लें तो धीरे धीरे एलोपैथिक दवाओं से छुट्टी मिल सकती है. लम्बे मुझे अपने परिवार के कुछ सदस्यों और मित्रों पर इसके उपयोग से चमत्कारिक लाभ मिला है.
ह्दय (सीने) मे दर्द होने पर इसी दवा की १०-१० बुन्द प्रत्येक पंद्रह पंद्रह मिनट पर दो तीन खुराक मे आराम आ जाता है. उसके बाद कुछ दिनों तक १५ - १५ बुन्द दवा दिन मे तीन बार लें. फिर सिर्फ दो बार शुबह और शाम मे लें.
कोई भी ह्दय रोग से पीडित व्यक्ति इस दवा का बिना किसी हिचकिचाहट के उपयोग कर सकते है.
ह्दय रोग मे दवा के साथ साथ प्राणायाम भी काफी लाभ देता है. प्राणायाम से फेफडों मे ज्यादा आक्सीजन मिलता है जिससे ह्दय के धमनियों मे जमा कोलेस्ट्रोल की परत को साफ होने मे मदद मिलती है.

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