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The Festival of Light had come and gone, and we certainly hope you enjoyed your Diwali with lights and bangs. But now that it’s over, many of us are already busy on the Web, trying to chalk out some never-before holiday plans. Before you finalise destinations and dates, here’s a look at the most mesmerising train journeys across an incredible India that will keep you spellbound even before you reach the vacation spot. 
 Last month, we brought our readers a list of most <keyword id="1943444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Scenic-train-rides">scenic train rides</keyword> through the mountains. And this time around, we take you on a <keyword id="6374782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="journey">journey</keyword> through India’s heartland as the sweeping plains, emerald forests, golden deserts and hilly terrains chug past you at a relaxed pace. Whether you are travelling in 5-star cabins or a rickety carriage, nothing can beat the unique experience these rail rides offer to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the views and be a part of the untravelled India you have never seen before. 
 
Image: Wikipedia

Chugging Along: 9 Picturesque
Train Rides Into The Heartland Of India

<ul><li><keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> and <keyword id="10387" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="microsoft" source="Orion">Microsoft</keyword> are hiring research interns in Bangalore, Karnataka.</li><li>Google is also hiring interns for its Software Students Training in Engineering Programme (STEP).</li><li>The last date to apply for STEP is December 10, 2021.</li></ul>Technology giants Google and Microsoft are looking for research interns in Bangalore, Karnataka. Google is also inviting applications for its Software Students Training in Engineering Programme (STEP). This is part of the summer internship programme 2022. The last date to apply for this opportunity is December 10, 2021. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Research internship at Microsoft" comment="subhead" text="Research internship at Microsoft">Research internship at Microsoft</cmsannotation> During the internship, students will be paired with mentors and expected to collaborate with other interns and researchers, present findings, and contribute to the vibrant life of the community. This is a paid internship opportunity. Qualifications and application procedure — Candidates must be enrolled in a university as part of either a doctoral, master or undergraduate program (or must be a recent graduate from such a program). Applications must include their resume with upto three letters of recommendation while applying for this job. Each applicant should request for a letter of recommendation by giving the name and email ID of the referee in the tool. The request will then be routed to the referee to upload a letter of recommendation. Interested students can apply <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/931311/Research-Intern">here</a>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Research internship at Google" comment="subhead" text="Research internship at Google">Research internship at Google</cmsannotation> Research Interns will work closely with the research scientists and software engineers to discover, invent, and build at the largest scale. Ideas may come from internal projects as well as from collaborations with research programs at partner universities and technical institutes all over the world. Minimum Qualification required — <ol><li>Currently enrolled in a PhD degree in computer science or a related technical field. </li><li>Experience (classroom/work) in natural language understanding, neural networks, computer vision, machine learning, deep learning, algorithmic foundations of optimization, data science, data mining or machine intelligence/artificial intelligence. </li><li>Experience with one or more general-purpose programming languages like Java, C++ or Python. </li><li>Experience with research communities and/or efforts, including having published papers (being listed as author) at conferences (e.g. NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, CVPR etc). </li></ol>Other criteria — <ol><li>Candidates must be available to work full-time for a minimum of 13 weeks. </li><li>Candidates returning to their degree after completing the internship. </li><li>Have relevant work experience, including internships, full-time industry experience or as a researcher in a lab. </li><li>Must possess the ability to design and execute research agendas. </li></ol>Candidates can apply <a href="https://careers.google.com/jobs/results/130995553027662534-research-intern-phd-2022-start/?category=DATA_CENTER_OPERATIONS&amp;category=DEVELOPER_RELATIONS&amp;category=HARDWARE_ENGINEERING&amp;category=INFORMATION_TECHNOLOGY&amp;category=MANUFACTURING_SUPPLY_CHAIN&amp;category=NETWORK_ENGINEERING&amp;category=PRODUCT_MANAGEMENT&amp;category=PROGRAM_MANAGEMENT&amp;category=SOFTWARE_ENGINEERING&amp;category=TECHNICAL_INFRASTRUCTURE_ENGINEERING&amp;category=TECHNICAL_SOLUTIONS&amp;category=TECHNICAL_WRITING&amp;category=USER_EXPERIENCE&amp;company=Google&amp;company=YouTube&amp;employment_type=INTERN&amp;jex=ENTRY_LEVEL&amp;location=India">here</a>. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Software Students Training in Engineering Programme (STEP) at Google" comment="subhead" text="Software Students Training in Engineering Programme (STEP) at Google">Software Students Training in Engineering Programme (STEP) at Google</cmsannotation> The internship opportunity is open for the Bengaluru and Telangana office, students will have the leverage to choose their office location. Minimum qualifications required — <ol><li>Candidates should currently be in their second year of study, enrolled in a bachelor's program, majoring or intending to major in computer science or a related technical field. </li><li>Must have experience in one or more general-purpose programming languages. </li></ol>Preferred qualifications — <ol><li>Candidates currently enrolled in a full time degree program, be returning to the program after the completion of the internship </li><li>Possess excellent programming skills (C++, Java, Python). </li><li>Ability to complete a full-time, 10-12 week internship between May and August 2021 (exact program dates will be announced later). </li></ol>Interested candidates can apply <a href="https://careers.google.com/jobs/results/137988399735677638-software-student-training-in-engineering-program-step-intern-2022/?category=DATA_CENTER_OPERATIONS&amp;category=DEVELOPER_RELATIONS&amp;category=HARDWARE_ENGINEERING&amp;category=INFORMATION_TECHNOLOGY&amp;category=MANUFACTURING_SUPPLY_CHAIN&amp;category=NETWORK_ENGINEERING&amp;category=PRODUCT_MANAGEMENT&amp;category=PROGRAM_MANAGEMENT&amp;category=SOFTWARE_ENGINEERING&amp;category=TECHNICAL_INFRASTRUCTURE_ENGINEERING&amp;category=TECHNICAL_SOLUTIONS&amp;category=TECHNICAL_WRITING&amp;category=USER_EXPERIENCE&amp;company=Google&amp;company=YouTube&amp;employment_type=INTERN&amp;jex=ENTRY_LEVEL&amp;location=India">here</a>. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/rategain-travel-shriram-properties-ce-info-systems-mapmyindia-and-metro-brands-these-ipos-opening-in-the-next-couple-of-days/articleshow/88140211.cms">RateGain, Shriram, MapmyIndia and more — Check out the important dates of these upcoming IPOs and their grey market premiums</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sarco-3d-printed-suicide-capsule-receives-approval-for-use-in-switzerland/articleshow/88140636.cms">Switzerland might be the first country to approve the use of a suicide pod</a>

Google and Microsoft hiring interns in India — Check out eligibility, job descriptions and other details

<ul><li>India has detected its first six cases of the new COVID-19 strain, with three in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>, two in <keyword id="6354552" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="hyderabad">Hyderabad</keyword> and one in <keyword id="2094" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pune">Pune</keyword>.</li><li>All the individuals, and their close contacts, have been placed under quarantine by the respective states.</li><li>In addition to India and the UK, the new strain has also been reported in 13 other countries around the world. </li></ul>India has detected its first six cases of the new COVID-19 strain in people who have returned to the country from the UK. According to the British government, the new strain is 70% more contagious than its predecessor. The results come after the Indian Health Ministry issued a detailed action plan for the Genomic Surveillance Consortium to scan for the new variant of the virus in UK returnees who tested positive for COVID-19. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="79991161" title="India screening for mutant COVID-19 strain by genome sequencing UK returnees who test positive for virus" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Genome sequencing results: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Location </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cases </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NIMHANS, Bengaluru (Karnataka) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">CCMB, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">NIV, Pune (Maharashtra) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 </td></tr></tbody></table> The affected individuals have been kept in ‘single room isolation’ by the respective states where they have tested positive. All of their close contacts have also been placed under quarantine. “Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on,” said the India SAR-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) Labs in a statement. Before India suspended flights from the UK to India, the government estimates that around 33,000 passengers entered India between November 25 to December 23. So far, only 114 people have tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to India, the new strain has also been reported in Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore so far. In the UK, there has been a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in South East England, leading to enhanced epidemiological and virological investigations. Analysis of viral genome sequence data identified that a large proportion of cases belonged to a new single phylogenetic cluster. (With IANS inputs) SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/three-anil-ambani-companies-accused-of-fraud-ten-times-more-than-vijay-mallya/articleshow/80002892.cms">Three Anil Ambani companies have reportedly been accused of fraud by banks⁠ — the amount at stake is nearly ten times more than what Mallya owed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/jack-ma-ant-group-asked-to-overhaul-its-business-model-by-china-central-bank/articleshow/79987683.cms">China's central bank wants Jack Ma's Ant Group to overhaul its business model</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/top-10-most-expensive-natural-disasters-of-2020-in-the-world/slidelist/79986294.cms">Cyclone Amphan was the most expensive cyclone of 2020 and the fourth most expensive natural disaster overall</a>

New mutant strain of COVID-19 has entered India via six UK returnees

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 19 () Hundreds more people tested positive on Tuesday for the deadly coronavirus infection across the country with a large number of them having returned from other states or from abroad, even as officials said India's mortality rate has been very low and it has taken much longer here for the tally to hit the one-lakh mark than many other countries. In its morning 8 AM update, the Union Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed cases has reached 1,01,139 and the death toll has risen to 3,163. This marked an increase of nearly 5,000 cases and 134 fatalities in a 24-hour period. However, a tally of figures announced by various states and union territories, as of 6.45 PM, showed a much higher number for the confirmed infections at 1,01,688. More than 39,000 patients have recovered too, still leaving over 59,000 active cases in the country -- which is the seventh largest globally after the US, Russia, Brazil, France, Italy and Peru. The Health Ministry said that for every one lakh population, there are 7.1 coronavirus cases in India so far, as against 60 globally. Referring to data from the World Health Organisation, the ministry said 45,25,497 COVID-19 cases had been reported worldwide till Monday, which is about 60 cases per lakh population. Among the countries with a very high load of coronavirus cases, the US, with 14,09,452 instances of the infection so far, has around 431 cases per lakh population. In the UK, this ratio is 494 cases per lakh and for Italy it is 372. Officials also cited data about India having taken 64 days for the count of confirmed cases to increase from 100 to one lakh, which was more than double the time taken by countries like the US and Spain. According to the data sourced from the health ministry and Worldometers, the coronavirus infection cases increased from 100 to 1,00,000 in the US in 25 days, while it took 30 days for the cases to reach the 1 lakh-mark in Spain. It took 35 days in Germany, 36 days in Italy, 39 days in France and 42 days in the United Kingdom for the coronavirus infection cases to rise from 100 to 1 lakh, respectively. Reeling off further data, officials said India has so far an average of about 0.2 COVID-19 deaths per lakh population as against the global average of 4.1. They further said a record number of 1,08,233 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Monday, taking the overall count of tests to more than 24 lakh. While the total count of tests in India is estimated to be the seventh largest in the world, after the US, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK, the country ranks much lower at 139th place in terms of tests per million population, as per data website Worldometer. The countries having done more tests than India per million population include Russia, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Norway, Switzerland, UK, Germany, US, Canada, France and Sweden. As per the latest data, more than 48 lakh people worldwide have tested positive for the deadly virus ever since its emergence in China last December, while nearly 3.2 lakh have lost their lives. Over 18 lakh have recovered too. More than 15 lakh cases have been reported in the US alone, while over 90,000 have died there. There are concerns that some parts of the country, including in Kerala, Goa and North-East, are seeing the second or third phase of the virus outbreak as they had almost flattened the curves till a few days ago before people from other states or countries started arriving there. Kerala on Tuesday recorded 12 more COVID-19 cases, all being returnees from overseas and other states, taking the total active patients to 142. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the rise was expected but asserted community transmission has not happened so far. All those who tested positive had come from outside the state -- four from abroad and eight from other states, including six from Maharashtra, Vijayan told reporters. With the flow of people from various countries and other states, as expected, positive cases have begun to rise in Kerala, the chief minister said. Since May 7, when the first repatriation flight from the Gulf landed, several of the Keralites who returned home after being stranded in foreign countries and in other states such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which have a high number of COVID-19 cases, have tested positive. On Monday too, as many as 28 returnees had tested positive. In Manipur too, a woman and her daughter tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Delhi, officials said. Uttar Pradesh also saw 142 more people testing positive for COVID-19, taking its tally to 4,748. The national capital recorded 500 more cases, taking its tally to 10,554, while its death toll has now risen to 166. Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, reported 2,100 fresh cases, taking its overall tally to 37,158, state's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said. In Assam, 20 people tested positive, taking the total number of cases in the state to 135. All the new patients were in different quarantine centres across districts. These included people having returned from Chennai and Darjeeling. Karnataka recorded its biggest ever single-day rise with 127 new cases. Of these, 91 have inter-state travel history from neighboring Maharashtra, the state government said. At least two COVID-19 related deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh, taking the toll to 52, while 57 more tested positive to take the total number of infections in the state to 2,489. Fresh cases include those linked to the Koyambedu market in Chennai, which has become a major hotspot of the deadly virus infection. PLB PM UD ABN KND TR ND BJ BJ

COVID-19: Cases rise further across states; Govt says mortality rate much lower in India

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, Apr 28 () The nationwide tally of confirmed coronavirus infections crossed 30,000 on Tuesday and the death toll was seen inching towards 1,000 with Maharahstra, Gujarat and some other states reporting more fatalities, but hopes for any immediate cure were dashed after the Health Ministry said there is not enough evidence as yet to back plasma therapy as its treatment. The Ministry also cautioned there could be life-threatening complications if proper guidelines are not followed in administering the plasma therapy, in which blood plasma is transfused from a recovered COVID-19 patient to a critically-ill person. The therapy, which is currently in trial stage, works on a principle that immunity can be transferred from a healthy person to a sick patient using antibodies in convalescent plasma. As per the latest figures announced by various states and union territories, more than 30,200 people have been tested positive for this deadly virus across the country. At least 947 have died, but more than 7,000 have recovered. The figures suggest that an average of about one in 25 has tested positive so far. Among those having tested positive, one in 30 has died on an average, while the ratio of those having recovered is approximately one in four. There has been a widespread hope that plasma therapy can be a possible treatment for COVID-19 after the Delhi government said it has seen encouraging results on some patients, while few other states including Rajasthan and Karnataka have also begun the trials. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials on Tuesday itself to encourage use of plasma therapy, while steps are already underway at various places to create 'plasma banks'. Several people who have recovered after contracting the virus have offered to donate their plasma for treatment of others. At his daily press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched a national-level study to check efficacy of the plasma therapy, but till this study is completed and a robust scientific proof is available, this therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose. "If plasma therapy is not used in a proper manner under proper guidelines, then it can also cause life threatening complications," Agarwal said. The Health Ministry official, however, said the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients has as such improved to 23.3 per cent of total cases. In its 5 PM update, the Ministry said the COVID-19 death toll has risen to 937, after more than 50 deaths since Monday evening including in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jammu &amp; Kashmir, while the number of cases has climbed to 29,974. According to the ministry data, 1,594 new cases have been reported since Monday evening. The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 22,010, while 7,026 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. However, a tally of figures reported by various states and UTs, as of 8 PM, showed 30,255 confirmed cases, including 947 deaths and 7,078 recoveries. Maharashtra has reported the maximum cases at over 8,500 and at least 369 deaths. Gujarat has over 3,700 cases, while Delhi also has more than 3,100 confirmed cases. Each of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have reported more than 2,000 cases. A 55-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel also died on Tuesday due to coronavirus infection. This is the first COVID-19 death reported in paramilitary forces that function under the Union Home Ministry for upkeep of internal security and border guarding. A nationwide lockdown has been imposed till May 3 by the government to check the spread of this deadly virus, which has claimed more than two lakh lives worldwide and over 30 lakh people have got infected since it first emerged in China last December. Several countries have implemented lockdown and other containment measures, though some of them including New Zealand, France and Switzerland have begun relaxing those curbs. In the coming days, some clarity is expected to emerge about the ongoing lockdown in India. In Delhi, Lt Governor (LG) Anil Baijal directed all district magistrates to implement a "micro-containment zone strategy" in their respective areas to arrest the spread of COVID-19, an official said. Under this plan, small clusters reporting cases of the dreaded virus will be identified and declared containment zones instead of big ones. At present, the authorities block the entry and exit points of an area where COVID-19 cases emerge and people are not allowed to step out of their houses. Essential items are delivered at the doorstep. The national capital also saw the NITI Aayog building getting sealed for 48 hours, after a director-level officer tested positive. In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the state as people have a casual attitude to norms like social distancing and do not understand the gravity of the contagion. The state reported 121 more people testing positive on Tuesday, taking the state's tally to 2,058, while a 68-year old man died of coronavirus in Chennai. The new positive cases included two police personnel and a flower vendor in Chennai. In Assam, where few new cases have emerged in the last few days, two persons tested positive, taking its total to 37. Some of the north-eastern states have not reported a single case for quite some time. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath asked officials to increase testing capacity. He also sought preparation of work plans to restart industrial units after May 3 and for giving employment to migrant labourers. He also said emphasis should be on social distancing and continued patrolling by the police. In Surat, Gujarat, hundreds of migrant workers came out on roads and vandalised the office of an under-construction building and some vehicles while demanding that they be sent back to their native places. West Bengal saw attacks on some policemen trying to enforce lockdown in 'red zone' Howarah district. The state reported 28 new cases, taking its total to 663, while the number of fatalities rose to 22 with two new deaths. Separately, the Union Health Ministry asked all states and Union territories to ensure that health facilities, especially in the private sector, remain functional and those needing critical healthcare such as dialysis, blood transfusion and chemotherapy are not denied such services amid the ongoing lockdown. This followed reports that many hospitals in the private sector were hesitating in providing critical services to their regular patients either on account of fear of contracting COVID-19 or because they are keeping their hospitals or clinics closed. PLB BUN NES VGN APR SAB BKS PJT PD PNT PM BJBJ

COVID-19: Nationwide tally of confirmed cases crosses 30,000; Govt says no evidence of 'plasma therapy' being a cure

Over the last few years, surfacing of a string of multi-billion scams has shaken the trust of global investors in the Indian economy. The first of the recent scams was the 2G telecommunication license sales in 2008 which allegedly cost the Indian state $39 billion in lost license fee due to under-selling. It also led to estrangement between Congress and <keyword id="6355364" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UPA">UPA</keyword> ally <keyword id="6357766" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="DMK">DMK</keyword> which accused the former of not protecting party leader A Raja who was heading the telecom ministry when the scam broke. The second was the illegal sale of iron ore worth billions of dollars to China by firms related to G Janardhan Reddy, whose meteoric rise to economic and political prominence from being an anonymous employee of local chit fund near Bellary in Karnataka proved what one could achieve if he/she has the right political connections to supplement inherent shrewdness. The third was the alleged siphoning off of around $1 billion by Madhu Koda, former chief minister and mining minister of Jharkhand, reportedly amassed through corrupt mining deals during his ministerial tenure. 
 While <keyword id="46183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Corruption">corruption</keyword> is nothing new in the Indian socio-political space, these recent high-profile scams have made global investors jittery about investing in the country as their long-prevailing skepticism in India’s ability to emerge a mature economy without traces of corruption ballooned. 
 
The move from ‘license Raj’—where businesses were governed by rules and quotas aided by bribes to bureaucrats—to liberalization opened fresh, widened opportunities for bribery and graft, as sectors like real estate, metals, mining, infrastructure, aerospace, defense, power and utilities became multi-billion juggernauts governed by poorly paid officials. Over the years, graft has become such an integral part of Indian reality that corruption is seen as a normal way of life and only a few people think the ‘powerful’ can be put behind bars for indulging in and enhancing an ever-growing system of bribery. Of late, of the 10 biggest family firms by sales, seven have faced controversies related to corruption and kickbacks. In a recent survey, 95 per cent of Indians said corruption became a larger menace over the last five years. According to Transparency International, an organization that tracks corruption, 54 per cent of Indians say they paid a bribe in the last year, compared with Nigeria with 44 per cent and Indonesia with 36 per cent. 
 
The huge amount of money siphoned off by industrialists and politicians to clandestine entities domiciled in countries with friendly tax regime and regulatory rules have further enhanced the nature and scope of corruption. Bribes are also transferred to entities outside India through what is called ‘mis-invoicing’. For instance, an outfit in India controlled by a politician buys gold jewelery worth millions of dollars from a firm domiciled in a free-trade zone such as Dubai at exaggerated prices and imports it. The excess tax-free earnings are pocketed outside India in a firm controlled by the same person with limited scope of scrutiny and investigation. According to research organization Global Financial Integrity, gross illicit outflows from India have averaged $52 billion a year since 2007. The unaccounted-for money held in global banks including those in Switzerland adds to the enormity of the problem. Offshore assets of Indian residents held in global banks are estimated to be close to $150 billion. 
 
The country cannot be imagined to be on the road to growth without the contribution of the private sector that plays a role in building factories, roads and larger infrastructure. However, for getting required permission for these infrastructural initiatives, companies in these sectors need to grease the palm of ministers, politicians and bureaucrats. They also need to pay ‘speed money’ to avoid red tape. 
 
Corruption leaves a dent on the country’s economy in various ways. First, graft means lost revenues from privatisation, taxation, excise and customs. It also impedes investment and in turn growth, besides hurting the poor who are left to bear the brunt of ‘cost overruns’ passed on by corporates through spiked prices of products and services. 
 
A core trigger for graft is the funding of political parties, especially to meet election expenses. As political parties assume power, they have a clear obligation to ‘pay back’ their spongers in the corporate world and other wealthy individuals who lavishly open their wallets for helping them win polls. 
 
The application filed in the Supreme Court by the Narendra Modi-led government recently saying it cannot disclose the details of foreign accounts held abroad by Indians, citing bilateral double taxation avoidance treaties, means that the new regime needs more concrete steps to fight such issues otherwise it may not be fundamentally different from the previous UPA government when it comes to uprooting corruption. Modi government needs to take drastic steps including measures to curb funding of political parties and elections by corporates and to dig out sources of billions of <keyword id="6356023" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Black-Money">black money</keyword> held outside the country, to win back trust of the global investment community and enhance the scope of overall economic growth.

Bold Steps Needed To Fight Corruption In India

Aruna Shanbaug’s death on the morning of May 18 has triggered media overkill. Her deeply heartbreaking tragedy focused attention on her right to live or die. But it also touched on a number of related social, ethical, legal, medical, sexual and religious issues. 
 
They all led to one overwhelming question: when we failed to support her right to live with dignity, did we have the right to force her to live at all? Going by a movie like ‘Guzaarish’, it is easy to see that the question fascinates people, but it doesn’t clarify the issue. 
 Ironically, India continues to debate and ponder its wordy duels on the one issue of a woman in a Permanently Vegetative State (PVS). She was suffering because of a nation that believed it owned her <keyword id="6360041" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="life">life</keyword>, followed by the KEM hospital staff that felt that it owed her love and affection. 
 Ultimately, in March 2011, she gave something to a society that had robbed her of everything, including her right to die. She was the cause for which an activist fought to legalise <keyword id="85361" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="euthanasia">euthanasia</keyword>. However, it is now the new prompt of something that Indians seems to excel at---wordy arguments on every side. 
 
Shanbaug has thus become an icon of the new debate on euthanasia, which, by the way, is a Greek word, meaning “good death” that is preferable to life. Her case has triggered a plea for active, rather than passive euthanasia, raising some fundamental questions: How ethical is it to actively support someone’s death? Isn’t it selfish to hesitate to help a suffering person die? Should we be worried only about our own morals, ethics and souls, rather than relieve pain in others? 
 
Perhaps some opponents had hoped that there could be the remote possibility of an invented cure for the disease. However, that cannot be immediate, anyway. So what is the point of waiting for years to revive Aruna Shanbaug in her old age? 
 
To recap her background briefly---Shanbaug came to Mumbai from Haldipur, Karnataka, and became a nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital. Brutally raped by an attendant on November 27, 1973 and choked with a dog chain, Aruna found that her oxygen supply to her brain was cut off, which caused extensive damage and left her in a vegetative state, after which she was taken care of completely by the hospital staff. 
 
Till 2011, euthanasia was not legal, so she did not get relief through mercy killing. On March 2011, author Pinki Virani, calling herself Aruna’s “next friend”, filed a petition for permission to let her die, and helped legalise passive euthanasia in a historic judgement on March 2011. The courts stood by the hospital's management and nursing staff, which did not want to administer mercy killing. Claiming that it has been taking care of her for 36 years, keeping her not only alive, but as free of pain and bedsores as possible, KEM Hospital took the final decision to prolong her ‘living death’, even though opponents said that she was more “like a dead animal”. Hence, while passive euthanasia was legalized, it was rejected in her case. Finally, she died on May 18 after four years. 
 
Today, euthanasia is legal only in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, India and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide or active euthanasia is legal only in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Albania and five US states. 
 
The advocates of active euthanasia are firm that it would help a terminally ill patient to suffer the least, due to the quick and instant medical delivery of death, with an injection or drug that can put her out of misery in a matter of minutes. What is the point of prolonging pain before he or she succumbs to death without “assistance”, ask the advocates. Moreover, as in the case of the Venkatesh plea in 2004, it would help him to donate organs to help other patients. 
 On the other hand, active euthanasia is opposed due to a number of reasons beginning with religion. It is easy for the holier-than-thou supporters of ‘life’ to feel priggishly righteous about their stand, but then some kind of voluntary openness to death is also common among most religions. Hinduism had Bheeshma open to ‘Ichcha mrityu’, or <keyword id="2867752" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="wilful-death">wilful death</keyword>, while the Pandavas walked towards it in the end. Christianity has opposed abortion, but the practice is now legal in almost all countries. Religion, then, seems to be irrelevant to the discussion, especially as the world walks toward increasing irreligiousness. 
The nub of the opposition is the strange and sudden love for the ‘life’ of someone who has been suffering for years. In a country like India, in which life is of little value for many---which is why hundreds get killed or are put on the burner---the sudden defence of the life of an “almost dead” woman seems to be all because most of the supporters or opponents had nothing else to contribute, except waffle about it! Is someone’s life more precious than the joy of living? Does the moral in the issue matter more than the compassion for the suffering? 
Active euthanasia would help to end the patient’s pain, but passive euthanasia would only prolong it; contributing nothing except a feeling of smug self-congratulation for the perpetrator. 
 
The legal angle is also interesting. Many opponents of euthanasia believe that if a patient’s death is financially advantageous to the next-of-kin, there would be nobody in his nearest circle who would mourn his death, and might even promote it actively. Thus, if active euthanasia were legal, the vultures would be active too. 
 
While such instances cannot be ruled out, it would be heartless to prevent active euthanasia only to prevent its misuse, while a number of measures can be taken to see that it follows all the rules. 
 
Watching a terminally ill patient dying slowly after withdrawing life support instead of administering death could thus be putting the patient in a more painful, prolonged situation of deprivation and dehydration. 
 
It is better, then, to think rationally and decide about life, and death, instead of going by emotional indicators. If most arguers are reluctant to play God, then would they be fair in shirking responsibility and playing the devil? 
 
(Image credits: economictimes.com)

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