YEARS # 1 Indian American Weekly : Since 2006 VOL 15 ISSUE 30 ● NEW YORK / DALLAS ● JULY 23 - 29, 2021 ● ENQUIRIES: 646-247-9458 ● [email protected] www.theindianpanorama.news Pegasus and farmers issues lead to India celebrates the 75th Independence Day pandemonium in Indian Parliament: on August 15,2021. To commemorate the historic event, we are bringing out a Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned profusely illustrated special edition. Parliamentary panel likely to question officials on Pegasus phone tapping allegations Besides the commissioned Agenda of July 28 meeting is 'Citizens' data security and privacy' articles, we invite readers to contribute. Please send in India's Parliament building NEW DELHI (TIP): Parliament your articles by August 01, 2021 to remained disrupted on Pegasus snooping [email protected]. row and farmers' issues for the third day on Thursday, July 22, with the Lok Sabha and Advertising space may please Rajya Sabha adjourned twice first till noon be booked by August 04, 2021 and then till 2 pm. at [email protected] Opposition MPs stormed the Well, For more information, flashing placards in front of Lok Sabha please visit Speaker Om Birla, who repeatedly asked www.theindianpanorama.news the members to return to the seats saying the government was willing to discuss For all inquiries, please anything as per rules. call 646-247-9458 or email to Read related stories on page 14 [email protected] CONTD ON PAGE 40 "BEST DAY EVER AS JEFF U.S. condemns 'extrajudicial surveillance' of INDIA'S US ENVOY SANDHU BEZOS ENDS HIS RIDE INTO journalists, activists, regime critics VISITS DALIP SINGH SPACE ON OWN ROCKET SAUND POST OFFICE IN WASHINGTON (TIP): Joe Biden had U.S. President Joe said that China and Russia were Biden's administration CALIFORNIA "protecting" and "even accommodating" has condemned "the This is probably the first time that an harassment or cyber hackers and their hacking. extrajudicial surveillance Indian Ambassador has visited the post The Biden administration has of journalists, human office named after Saund, who was condemned the harassment and rights activists, or other 'extrajudicial surveillance' of journalists perceived regime elected to the House of Representatives and others in reaction to reports critics". File Photo thrice from 1956 to 1962 published by a consortium of news targeting journalists, leaders of the WASHINGTON websites that Israeli company NSO opposition in India, and others, a (TIP): India's Billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos and Group's spyware, Pegasus, was used for database of phone numbers that Ambassador to the pioneering female aviator Wally Funk emerge illegal hacking and surveillance of allegedly belonged to the NSO Group US Taranjit Singh from their capsule after their flight aboard individuals, including in India. contained the numbers of two U.S. Sandhu visited the Blue Origins New Shepard rocket on the "The United States condemns the Centers for Disease Control and Dalip Singh Saund world's first unpiloted suborbital flight near Van Horn, Texas, US, July 20, 2021 - harassment or extrajudicial surveillance Prevention (CDC) officials in New Delhi Post Office, named Photo / Reuters of journalists, human rights activists, or and employees of the Bill and Melinda India's US envoy after the first other perceived regime critics," a White Gates Foundation. Sandhu visits Dalip Indian-American DALLAS (TIP): Jeff Bezos, the House spokesperson said via email to The Tuesday's statement from the White Singh Saund Post lawmaker, during Office in California world's richest man, went to space and Hindu in response to a question on what House spokesperson stopped short of his recent visit to back Tuesday, July 20 morning on an 11- U.S. President Joe Biden's position on the naming Israel - where NSO Group is File photo California. minute, supersonic joy ride aboard the issue was. based. This is probably the first time that an rocket and capsule system developed by Only on Monday,July 19, U.S. President "Just as states have the duty to protect Indian Ambassador has visited the post his space company, Blue Origin. Joe Biden had said that China and Russia human rights, businesses have a office named after Saund, who was Riding alongside the multibillionaire were "protecting" and "even responsibility to respect human rights, elected to the House of Representatives were Bezos' brother, Mark Bezos; Wally accommodating" cyber hackers and their including by ensuring that their products thrice from 1956 to 1962. The post office Funk, an 82-year-old pilot and one of the hacking. or services are not being used by end- was named after him after the then "Mercury 13" women who trained to go The news reports on Pegasus say that users to abuse fundamental freedoms," President George Bush signed a bill in CONTD ON PAGE 40 in addition to actually or potentially the spokesperson said. (Source: The Hindu) CONTD ON PAGE 40 Bank of Baroda Chief Executive US Operations Mr. Elango heads on promotion to corporate office in Mumbai I.S. SALUJA NEW YORK (TIP): Mr. Balasubramaniam Elango, the Mr. Balasubramaniam ElangoChief Executive Chief Executive (US Operations) of Bank of Baroda left (US Operations) of Bank here on Thursday,July 22 for Mumbai where he will take up of Baroda has been his new assignment as Chief Group Compliance Officer of promoted as Chief Group the Bank of Baroda at the Corporate office. Compliance Officer at the In a brief conversation with The Indian Panorama, he Corporate office in Mumbai. spoke about the challenges contd on page 40 THE INDIAN PANORAMA EDITORIAL FRIDAY JULY 23, 2021 YEARS 02 -: GUEST COMMENT :- PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER: Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja Dealing with denial: On playing VICE PRESIDENT: Chitagam Saluja CHIEF EDITOR: Prof Indrajit S. Saluja down the COVID-19 tragedy CONSULTING EDITOR : Deepak Dwidedi, Chairman, Bhaskar Group, Delhi India must not play down the COVID-19 tragedy, as ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bidisha Roy that would hurt public confidence SPL. REPORTER UNO: H.S. Panaser touchy topic for the Centre and Tuesday's statement by Bharati Pravin test was necessary to count as a COVID- GRAPHICS DIRECTOR: States has been the counting of Pawar, Minister of State for Health and 19 death until the ICMR said it was not Om Parkash Malik Athe dead from COVID-19. In 2020, Family Welfare, in the Rajya Sabha, that always required. It is bewildering why DIRECTOR as the pandemic ravaged Europe and the there were no "specific reports" of India - with the third highest number of ADMINISTRATION: U.S., Health Ministry officials would deaths from States due to lack of oxygen, COVID-19 deaths globally, whose oxygen Gauri Beri incessantly argue that India had better led Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, to crisis was international news, and managed the pandemic because its say the party will move a privilege mortality figures considered an under- CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: deaths per million of population were motion against her. count - sees value in denying oxygen- comparatively lower. While factually Indeed, it is the absolute lack of shortage casualties. Counter- Baldev Singh / BJ Videos Gunjesh Desai / Masala Junction true, it was always apparent that the empathy or acknowledgement of the productively, it diminishes public faith Jay Mandal, argument was specious given the size, lived experience of many who have in the health-care system. India's Mohammad Jaffer, demographic difference and India's per watched their closest suffer and die for leadership sought to convey the SnapsIndia capita access to quality health care. But want of medical oxygen that makes the impression that the country had Mohammad Shahzad, the ferocious second wave, in April and Minister's statement appalling. It is conquered the pandemic and - chastened Zia Khan, May, characterized by the very visible technically true that while no death by the second wave - is now advising Nisha Rani scenario of hospitals being overrun, and certificate or medical record would note abundant caution, with the public Vaaho Photographers, the sick gasping for a very basic a COVID-19 patient's demise as due to messaging focused on the possibility of a Vijay Shah - Photo Journalist. necessity of medical oxygen, revealed a "lack of oxygen", and therefore not third wave, and how nearly a third of the CORRESPONDENTS : spike in excess deaths, compared to the causative, the very fact that the Centre population continues to be vulnerable as SACRAMENTO: normal death rate in previous years. moved in April-May to repurpose all its per the ICMR's fourth serology survey. Parminder S. Aujla Even though independent databases, industrial oxygen capacity into But diminishing the tragedy, especially NEW YORK : such as the CRS and State records, show producing and transporting medical in Parliament and in its official records, Chitagam large spikes in deaths, with no other grade oxygen is itself evidence that the only further erodes the Government's FRESNO: explicable cause other than COVID-19, inability to access it must be considered credibility. Tarlochan Singh the Centre continues to be in denial of as a probable cause of death. In the early (The Hindu) DALLAS: the mortal scale of the pandemic. days of the pandemic, a COVID-positive Harjit Dhesi, Amarjit Dhillon OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENTS LONDON Nirpal Singh Shergill Spyware for snooping SPL CORRESPONDENT DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Chandan Singh CHANDIGARH: Digital age calls for privacy, safety Manjit Sidhu LUDHIANA: he expose of the use of the safety and security. Despite its restricted A.S. Arora, Pegasus spyware, manufactured use, the ease with which the spyware can R.P.Sharma Tby an Israeli firm - which the be installed in the phone is a matter of JAIPUR : company claims is sold only to 'vetted' concern. In 2019, WhatsApp had governments to check terrorism and informed its users about the spyware, Dr. Yashpaul Goyal crime - to conduct surveillance on and had even filed a case against the DALLAS BUREAU CHIEF & VP journalists, politicians and Israeli firm, alleging abuse of its Lovllien Kaurr businessmen, leaves many questions platform.