Canada India Foundation — Democracies Working Together, Oct 2020 E-Newsletter

Asha Bajaj

7 min readOct 18, 2020

#Toronto, #Ontario; #Canada; CIF; ENewsletter2020; #Covid19Pandemic

Canada India Foundation (CIF) brings out its 21st volume, 8th issue of October 2020 E-Newsletter, CIF reported.

CIF E-Newsletter: Volume 21 Issue #8 October 2020

**Satish Thakkar. Image credit: Website**

Chair of Canada India Foundation (CIF), Satish Thakkar‘s Message

Ayurveda in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic

Hello friends. We are into another month of Covid19 restrictions. Just when we thought we had it under control, things start to go wrong. The numbers have spiked sending our public health authorities to issue a tighter set of rules. Let us be good citizens and follow them.

Health and wellness have always been a key part of CIF priorities. We have held two successful healthcare forums in the past with the participation of leading experts from industry, government, and the medical profession. The third one, to be held in May 2021, is expected to leverage R&D in Healthcare, Biotechnology & AI to create economic opportunities and ensure better universal healthcare. The deliberations at the Third CIF Health Forum will also help shape public policy in Canada and India to provide optimum healthcare to its residents and to explore areas of collaboration and engagement. The Forum is being organized in partnership with University Health Network (UHN), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the support of the Consul General of India in Toronto. Dr. Lucky Lakshmanan, past Chair CIF, will be chairing the forum.

Ayurveda, as many of you know, is a holistic treatment system that goes back thousands of years in India. Of late, it has gained recognition outside India for its core idea of going beyond merely treating the disease to keeping individuals and whole communities well. The relevance of Ayurveda needs to be stressed in these days when the world is drowning under a mountain of debt arising out of the Covid19 crisis. (Read more)

Thakkar ended his message by quoting, Sage Charaka “Life (ayu) is the combination (samyoga) of body, senses, mind, and reincarnating soul. Ayurveda is the most sacred science of life, beneficial to humans both in this world and the world beyond.”

There is very good news coming out of India that might have a calming influence on the entire world cowering under the Covid19 virus. Evidence has emerged after extensive studies and trials in India that intervention and prophylactic treatment using Ayush alternative medicines like Ayurveda, naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and homeopathy are directly contributing to India’s low mortality rate. Actually, among the lowest in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO), encouraged by the surprising results, is sponsoring a deeper study in collaboration with the Public Health Foundation of India. (Read More)

CIF Speaker Series

CIF-Sponsored Ayurveda Web Series Takes Off with Session on Healthy Eating

The first in a series on Ayurveda, sponsored by Canada India Foundation, took off with an impressive panel of participants and an equally impressive number of viewers keen to learn more about Ayurveda in these trying times of Covid19. CIF Chair, while introducing the panels, gave a brief outline of the new initiative, and what it means for the future of Ayurveda in Canada. “We feel, a continuous effort to bring the best of Ayurveda to Canada is needed to reach both the members of the public as well as key decision-makers. During this series, we will be presenting 24 very respected Ayurveda practitioners who will not only share the wisdom of this ancient system but also dispel some of the misconceptions regarding Ayurveda.” (Read more)

Mulroney on Ford Government’s Ambitious Plan to Transform Transportation in Ontario

Caroline Mulroney, Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, joined the CIF Speaker Series on September 10, 2020, to talk about the many issues Ontarians face over its transit and transportation. Opening her address, she thanked the CIF team for its work, referring to the Thank You Meals program. “I want to thank you for what you’ve been doing in the past few months. What you have been doing to help the neediest and vulnerable, during the Covid19 outbreak has been truly touching. Your compassion and generosity showed the Ontario spirit, and this spirit is what will help us through this difficult period.” (Read more).

Events
There will be No Barriers for You, PM Modi to Canadian Investors

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, addressed a gathering of Canadian investors on October 08 in a virtual session. Modi spared no words in getting the message of the advantages of investing in India to the audience. He asked, “There is one thing common to most people in the audience. It has people who take investment decisions. Decisions that assess risk. Decisions that predict return while making an investment. I want to ask you: What do you think about before investing in any country? Does the country have vibrant Democracy? Does the country have political stability? Does the country have investment and business friendly policies? Does the country have transparency in governance? Does the country have a skilled talent pool? Does the country have a large market?” (Read more.)

HEADLINES
Plant-based Covid19 Vaccine Phase 3 Trial Planned

Indian Girl Takes Over Canadian HC Twitter

In a great gesture to girl power, especially on the International Girls Day falling on Oct.11, the Canadian High Commission took the unusual step of letting an Indian girl take over the HC social media in New Delhi. Empowering young women thru social media, the Deputy Commissioner, tweeted: “Canada believes in the limitless potential of all girls! This Sunday, October 11 is International Day of the Girl, High Commissioner Nadir Patel will hand over his Twitter handle to Prajitha, a brilliant young change-makers from Andhra Pradesh who will take-over as Canada’s High Commissioner for a Day.

Canada Closed to Tourists till October 31

Canada’s Minister of Public Safety recently confirmed that Canada will not admit any international tourists, including India, coming into the country till Oct.31. He didn’t clarify if there would be relaxation after that or when exactly will the ban on tourists will end. In the meanwhile, citizens and Permanent Residents are allowed to return with the proviso they have to go through a 14-day self-quarantine. (Read more.)

Further Bad News for Indian Tech Workers in
the US

Just days away from election day, the US authorities under President Donald Trump announced a series of new rules that make the regime even tighter than it already is. The move has filled hundreds of thousands of aspirants, most of them tech workers, with anxiety over their continued stay in the US. (Read more).

India and Japan have finalized an ambitious agreement that provides for cooperation in 5G technology, artificial intelligence and an array of other critical areas as the two strategic partners vowed to further broad-base their ties including in the Indo-Pacific region. Following bilateral discussions recently, Japan agreed to be the lead partner in the connectivity pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI).
(Read more.)