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India's BJP-Linked Hindu Group Brings Dalit Slavery to America

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A Hindu sect with close ties to India’s ruling BJP has exploited hundreds of low-caste men in a years-long construction project, reports the  New York Times . A US federal lawsuit filed against the Hindu group alleges that the men brought to the United States under religious R-1 visa had their Indian passports confiscated by the Hindu group. It further alleges that the workers, mainly Dalit men who worked 13-hour days doing heavy lifting for about $1 an hour, were kept as prisoners at the construction site of a massive Hindu temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey.  Cases of caste discrimination and exploitation among India diaspora have also surfaced in Silicon Valley.  Hindu Temple in Robbinville, New Jersey Caste Discrimination in America: Shocking as it is, the New Jersey case of exploitation of Indian Dalit workers brought to America is not unique.  Over two-thirds of  low caste Indian-Americans  are discriminated against by upper caste Indian-Americans in Silicon Valley, according to
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America's New Green Deal: Will Biden Ban Burgers?

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President Joseph R. Biden's climate policy has recently triggered rumors in right-wing American media of a potential burger ban in America. Such speculations about beef ban have been categorically denied by Tom Vilsack, the Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). However, there are reasons to believe that the Biden focus on r enewable energy  alone will not be enough to achieve his ambitious targets. The current  food production  methods, particularly the beef industry, will also have to be fundamentally redesigned to meet Biden's climate goal of  50-52% reduction  in carbon emissions by 2030. Other industrial processes that will need fundamental rethink to reduce emissions include production of cement, steel and plastics. Dealing with these challenges will require a lot of innovation and new technologies. It presents an opportunity for technology entrepreneurs to reshape the world yet again.   Meatless Meat Products Impact of Meat Production: Animal agriculture i
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Pre-COVID Fiction: India Wins US-China War Imagined For 2034

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In a recently published fiction imagined for 2034 by former top US Admiral James Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman,  China  and the United States go to war that ends in India's victory. The authors portray Indians as heroes whose statesmen-ship de-escalates World War III, negotiates peace and helps India emerge as the new global superpower. Patel, the Indian uncle of the Indian-American deputy national security advisor Sandeep Chowdhury tells him, "America’s hubris has finally gotten the better of its greatness." The authors imagine the United Nations headquarters moves from New York to Mumbai after the war. Had this book been written after watching thousands of Indian victims of COVID19 gasping for breath and dying daily on the streets of New Delhi, I think Ackerman and Stavridis would have conceived  and developed a completely different plot line for their novel.   2034 Book Cover Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis, authors of "2034: A Novel of the Next World War"
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First Generation Pakistani-Americans Divorce Rate is the Third Lowest in the United States

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Divorce rate among foreign-born Pakistani-Americans with children is the third lowest of all immigrants in the United States, according to research recently published by the US-based Institute of Family Studies. Foreign-born Indian-Americans' marriages tend to be the most stable, followed by those of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis living in America.  On the other end of the spectrum, the divorce rates among immigrants from Latin-America are the highest of all ethnic groups.    Immigrants Marriage Stability. Source: IFS Immigrants from Taiwan, Korea, China, and Japan, also have greater family stability than native-born Americans, as do immigrants from the Middle East and South America, according to the IFS report . Here’s the list of top 20 immigrant groups in the US leading in marriage stability:  1. India - 94%  2. Bangladesh - 90%  3. Pakistan - 87%  4. Taiwan - 86%  5. Korea - 85%  6. China - 84%  7. Japan - 83%  8. Poland - 80%  9. Iran - 78%  10. Canada - 78%  11. Ukraine - 77% 
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Pakistan's Tech Exports Exceed $1.5 Billion in First 9 Months of Fiscal Year 2020-21

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Pakistan's technology exports are continuing their growth trajectory, soaring 44% in the first 9 months (July-March) of the current fiscal year 2020-21 to reach $1.512 billion. March 2021 saw record exports of $3.2 billion with goods worth $2.612 billion and services worth $564 million exported during the month.   Pakistan Exports July20-Mar21. Source: State Bank of Pakistan Tech exports accelerated 55% in the month of March 2021 to reach monthly record $213 million ,according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan. Pakistan's Monthly IT Exports. Source: Pakistonomy Information technology development depends mostly on available talent. Pakistan has seen significant increase in technology manpower since the massive expansion of higher education initiated by  Dr. Ata-ur-Rehman  and backed by huge increase in funding provided by President Pervez Musharraf's government.  Higher education in Pakistan has come a long way since its independence in 1947 when there was only
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Is Biden Demanding Use of Pakistani Military Bases After Pullout From Afghanistan?

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When President Joseph R. Biden announced his decision to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan, he said: "We will ask other countries in the region to support Afghanistan, especially Pakistan, as well as Russia, China, India and Turkey." Biden has also talked about the US reorganizing its counterterrorism capabilities in the region to be able to hit the target from “over the horizon.”  These discussions have triggered speculations about the Biden administration seeking access to military bases in Pakistan to target the Taliban after total US pullout from Afghanistan. Such speculations are strengthened by what Biden said in a Democratic Primary debate on September 12, 2019: "We can prevent the United States from being the victim of terror coming out of Afghanistan by providing airbases and insisting the Pakistanis provide bases for us”. There's even talk of possibly escalating US military operations in Afghanistan from bases in Pakistan.   Afghanistan-Pakistan-US Re
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Income Inequality: Elite Capture in Pakistan

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A recent United Nations report on inequality reveals that the richest 1% in Pakistan take 9% of the national income.  A quick comparison with other South Asian nations shows that 9% income share for the top 1% in Pakistan is lower than 15.8% in Bangladesh and 21.4% in India. These inequalities result mainly from a phenomenon known as "elite capture" that allows a privileged few to take away a disproportionately large slice of public resources such as public funds and land for their benefit.  Share of Income of Richest 1% in South Asia Elite Capture: Elite capture, a global phenomenon,  is a form of corruption. It describes how public resources are exploited by a few privileged individuals and groups to the detriment of the larger population.  A recently published report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has found that the elite capture in Pakistan adds up to an estimated $17.4 billion - roughly 6% of the country's economy.  Pakistan's most privileged gr
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