Sulabh Swachh Bharat - (Issue 43)

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RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

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Vol-1 | Issue-43 | October 09 - 15, 2017 | Price ` 5/-

Good News Weekly for Rising India youth icon

Jayaprakash Narayan JP believed that every village should be like a small republic and capable of taking decisions

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Dr Rm Lohia

on Indian Socialism

Gandhian socialist, rebel by birth, visionary, man of letters, great Parliamentarian

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mysuru

grand dussehra

After 56 years, the Mysuru Maharani and Maharaja celebrated Dussehra

3 Years Of Swachh Bharat

The Road Ahead

With Gandhi Jayanti 2017 marking the third anniversary of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Prime Minister felicitated many patriotic citizens who contributed to the cause

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October 09 - 15, 2017

3 Years Of Swachh Bharat – The Road Ahead Prime Minister, Narendra Modi gave away the Swachh Bharat National Awards to winners at an award ceremony organized in New Delhi by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

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n the third anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission, the Swachh Bharat Diwas, and the conclusion of ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ fortnight, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi gave away the Swachh Bharat National Awards to winners at an award ceremony organized in New Delhi by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. The winners were from essay, film, and painting competitions organized under ‘Swachh Sankalp se Swachh Siddhi’ campaign.

Marking the culmination of a national cleanliness campaign, “Swachhta Hi Seva”, the event was organized in response to the Prime Minister’s clarion call to Indian citizens to contribute towards the improvement of cleanliness and sanitation in the country in the days leading to Gandhi Jayanti.

Speaking about overcoming the challenges on the way of Swachh

Quick Glance The PM felicitated Indian citizens on Swachhta Divas Sanitation coverage in rural areas has risen to 69% since SBM’s inception SBM is progressing at a rapid rate and will meet its 2019 goal

Marking the culmination of “Swachhta Hi Seva”

campaign, the event was organized in response to the Prime Minister’s clarion call to citizens Bharat, the Prime Minister said the janbhagidari i.e. people’s participation is crucial. He said that the Swachhta goals can only be realized when 125 crore Indians come together for it. He said that the current accomplishments of the Swachh Bharat Mission are all because of the people of India and not the government. He said that it’s the people who have made this dream of Swachh Bharat their own.

Speaking about the criticisms of the Mission including the lack of use of toilets constructed, the PM said that such things can happen and he has personal experience of the same.

Although the Mission has a long way to go, he said that people’s participation and personal responsibility of the concerned household must be highlighted to avoid such instances.

He said that the vision of Swachh Bharat cannot be realized unless every household that has a toilet realizes that Swachhta is their responsibility as well.

Calling children and youth the best ambassadors of the movement, he

congratulated the work done by the children and youth across the country including the participants of the Swachh Sankalp Se Swachh Siddhi competitions for inciting a thought revolution for Swachhta. He also appreciated the role of the civil society and the media in supporting this cause. He said that such work must continue in order to make the Swachhta dream a reality.

Speaking about the roles played by women in maintaining Swachhta in the household, the Prime Minister said that it was the responsibility of the society, and men, in particular, to ensure that women in the household have to access to functional and hygienic toilet facilities at home, public places and importantly, schools.

Sharing the results of a study conducted by UNICEF, the Prime Minister said that the study revealed that an average poor family bears Rs 50,000 of additional costs annually in terms of medical costs stemming from poor sanitation.

Earlier, the PM inaugurated a

multimedia exhibition at the venue that showed the various branches of the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign and the Swachh Bharat Mission’s progress so far.

Union Minister, MDWS, Uma Bharti congratulated the award recipients and urged them to continue inspiring others to take up similar initiatives in their regions. Sharing the status of Swachh Bharat, she said that 254,000 villages, 214 Districts, and 6 States have already been declared open defecation free (ODF) in rural India The Minister of State, MDWS, SS Ahluwalia, addressed the audience and shared the sanitation coverage figures in rural India which have risen to 69% since the inception of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin.

MoS, MoHUA, Members of Parliament, senior officers of Government of India and State Government, several NCC Cadets and school children were also present on the occasion.

Lauding the Heroes Lauding eminent personalities and groups that contributed towards the “Swachhta Hi Seva” campaign, the Prime Minister sent out a series of tweets recently. Swachhta Hi Seva is a nation-wide sanitation campaign that started on September 15th and culminated on October 2nd on Gandhi

October 09 - 15, 2017

Safaigiri Awards 2017 The India Today Group honoured 16 cleanliness warriors. Launched in 2015, the Safaigiri awards started after PM Modi nominated the India Today Group and its Chairman and Editorin-Chief Aroon Purie as the ambassadors of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Felicitating 16 cleanliness champions, the third edition of India Today Safaigiri Awards were held at a glittering event that saw Vice President

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M Venkaiah Naidu in attendance.

This year, the India Today Group also recognised women safai warriors who have brought about change in their village and district. Actor Bhumi Pednekar gave away special awards to these Swachhta hi Seva champions Swachhta awards The government felicitated the champions and main contributors of the Swachh Bharat objectives in urban areas on the third anniversary of the cleanliness and sanitation campaign.

The felicitation was given under seven categories for significant contribution towards furthering the Swachh Bharat Mission objective in urban areas.

Among the winners is a Delhi-based

Tweets

by PM Narendra Modi “Commendable gesture Anupamji”.

“Excellent effort by noted actor @Mohanlal.”

“Important message by @CKforCleanIndia, who along with the @ ICICIBank family has made vital contributions to Swachh Bharat Mission.”

“I laud the @IndiaToday family for the proactive steps to further awareness on Swachhata. Congrats to all #Safaigiri awardees”.

“Wonderful initiative by @indiatvnews. This will further spread the message of cleanliness across the nation.”

“I congratulate @SadhguruJV& the team of Isha Foundation for their exemplary effort to generate awareness on keeping our rivers clean.”

“Appreciable message by the Indian Cricket Team on making India Clean.”

“Good effort Rajeev ji”.

“I laud @DettolIndia& @ndtv for the initiative. This timeline has many inspiring efforts on cleanliness. https://twitter.com/swachhindia.”

“Laudable work by @ril_foundation across India towards a Swachh Bharat. Have a look at this timeline. https://twitter.com/ril_foundation/” “Congrats @tatatrusts! Their Prerak initiative of a young professional in each district to support SBM is praiseworthy.”

“Well written @akshaykumar. Appreciate your steadfast support to the Swachh Bharat Mission.”

“Excellent effort by you and the Art of Living family! Together 125 crore Indians will create a Clean India.”, the Prime Minister tweeted”

Courtesy: India Today

Jayanti. That day is also celebrated as the Swachh Bharat Divas.

Prime Minister Modi sent out a series of tweets appreciating Anupam Kher, Mohanlal, Chanda Kochhar, India Today Group, India TV News, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Indian Cricket Team, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Dettol India, NDTV, Reliance Foundation, Tata Trusts, Akshay Kumar and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, for their support and efforts towards the Swachh Bharat Mission.

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Facebook citizen group – ‘My Delhi Keep It Clean’ – which is being awarded for promoting efforts to clean public places.

The ministry also felicitated 20 individuals and agencies in seven categories for their crucial contributions towards furthering SBM in urban areas.

Fertiliser Cooperative KRIBHCO has conferred the Swachhata Award for marketing of compost made from municipal solid waste.

Richmond Park, located in Gurugram’s DLF Phase-IV, was chosen for the award for exemplary decentralized waste management initiative through waste segregation at source, in the RWAs category.

The Ministry said that the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) Federation of Mysuru has shown the way in a zero-waste effluent management system. Roseland Housing Society, Pune also received the award for waste segregation initiative.

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Awasiya Vidyalaya, Ambikar received the award in the schools and colleges category while Swachh Ambikapur Sahakari Samiti was chosen in the self-help group category for women empowerment and livelihood generation by converting garbage into wealth.

Pemayangste Monastery in Sikkim was felicitated in the category of religious institutions for being a Zerowaste institution.

‘No Food Waste’ initiative of Coimbatore was selected in the Innovative Practices category for an end-to-end cycle to manage and reduce food waste.

PM felicitates Bihar school Two students from Bihar - Vikas Prasad and Chandrakanta Naina - were felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the third anniversary of the “Swachh Bharat Mission” at Vigyan

The winners of Safaigiri 2017 are: Corporate Trailblazer: Bharti Foundation Community Mobiliser: ShirishApte Garbage Guru: Green Nerds Tech Icon: Sharad Kale Toilet Titan: S Damodaran of Gramalaya Best River Cleaning Initiative: ThoothapuzhaSamrakshanaSamithi Water Saviour: Dilasa Best PPP for Cleanliness: Hindustan Zinc Best Sanitation App: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Janaagraha Cleanest Religious Place: Golden Temple Cleanest City: Vadodara Cleanest District: Mahe, Puducherry Cleanest Village: Mawlynnong, Meghalaya Most Effective Swachhta Ambassador: Amitabh Bachchan Best Asian Government Cleanliness Initiative: Bangladesh Best Global Cleanliness Initiative: Waste to Energy, Sweden Bhawan in New Delhi. The two students received the National Swachh Bharat Award for the essay writing competition that was organized by the Union Ministry for Drinking Water and Sanitation under the ‘Swachh Sankalp Se Swachh Siddhi’ programme.

Vikas is a class 8 student from the Middle School-Bilauti in Bhojpur district and Naina is a class 9 student

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October 09 - 15, 2017

from Manohar High School in Baijnathpur in Sahara district. The duo got the first position in essay writing in junior and senior categories, respectively.

‘What can I do for making India clean?’ was the theme of the competition and the winners received Rs 1 lakh and a memento from the PM. “It is a proud moment for my family and school. The PM asked me about my school and told me to work hard. He was happy to know that someone from Bihar defeated other participants and ranked first in writing.

His speech gives me a hope and positive energy to work hard for my state,” Naina said in an interview Vikas said his dream to meet the PM was fulfilled on Monday because of his writing skill. “We not only study at school but also clean it every day.

We also motivate others to keep their surroundings clean and construct the toilet in their homes. I had written all my concerns in my essay,” Vikas added.

The competition had various

The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi gives us the occasion to introspect on how far we have travelled towards our goal of Swachh Bharat

elimination rounds at school, interschool, district and national levels.

The essay competitions were held in Bihar under the guidance of Bihar Education Project Council between August 16 and September 15.

PM’s Address to the Nation Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission on Swachh Bharat Divas – the fortnight of the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign.

Mentioning the significance of October 2nd, the Prime Minister said that the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri give us the occasion to introspect on how far we have travelled towards our goal

of Swachh Bharat.

Recalling how the Swachh Bharat Mission has initiated three years ago amidst major criticism. He said that he has always been convinced that the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi cannot be wrong. He added that even if there are challenges on this path, they are not enough to make Indians shy away from them.

Lauding the people, the Prime Minister said that today, people are expressing their desire for cleanliness in unison. Asserting that Swachhta cannot be realized through the efforts of politicians and governments, he said that it can only be achieved through the efforts of every Indian. He mentioned how Jan Bhagidari must be appreciated since Swachhta Abhiyan

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi at the Gandhi Smriti, New Delhi

has transformed into a mass social movement. He said the achievements of the mission till date were all because of the contributions of the Swachhgrahi people of India.

He said, “If Swaraj was achieved by the Satyagrahis, Shrestha Bharat would be achieved by the Swachhagrahis”.

The Prime Minister gave away awards to winners of national essay, painting and film competitions, and also visited a digital display gallery.

Mahatma Statue in Rajghat!

A 1.80metre bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled by Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu The Samadhi of the Father of the Nation in the nation’s capital, Rajghat, for the first time, acquired a new feature that would appeal to a large number of visitors in the future. Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a 1.80-metre tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the 148th birth

October 09 - 15, 2017

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A 1.80 metre bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled by Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu

anniversary of the Father of the Nation. Sculpted by renowned Ram Sutar, the statue is installed in the parking area of Rajghat Samadhi Complex at a cost of Rs 8.73 lakhs.

Mounted on a 2 feet high pedestal clad with granite, there is a message of Gandhi inscribed “Be the Change You Wish To See” on the front side of the pedestal.

Rajghat is visited by over 10,000 people daily including foreign dignitaries that pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the black stone platform symbolizing the place where the Mahatma was cremated. This statue would become another spot where tourists could pay respects to this great soul.

An interpretation centre was also inaugurated by the Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu in the Parking Area of the complex. The facility enables interactive lessons on the life and times of the Mahatma via LED screens. Visitors are able to watch films, view live events, and even listen to the speeches of Mahatma Gandhi besides participating in quizzes and using earphones for interaction.

To enhance the visitor experience, the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and the Rajghat Samadhi

Samiti have undertaken several works at Rajghat to enhance visitor experience in the last three years.

Gandhi March Over 800 people of different ages, nationalities and walks of life participated in a ‘Gandhi March’ held in The Hague, the seat of government of the Netherlands, on Sunday as part of a ‘Follow the Mahatma’ campaign organised to mark the International Day of Non-Violence.

The day’s proceedings began with the Netherlands Marathi Mandal entertaining participants with traditional dhol and dances inside the compound of the iconic Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Deputy Mayors of The Hague, Rabin Baldewsingh and Karsten Klein as well as Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, VenuRajamony made brief speeches

flagging off the march. A spark taken from the eternal ‘World Peace flame’ that burns outside the Peace Palace, (created using a flame from the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Raj Ghat in Delhi) was handed over to the Deputy Mayors and Ambassador VenuRajamony, who led the march along with Ambassadors of many countries, Chan Santokhi, MP, and leader of Opposition from Suriname and leaders of the Indian community, according to a press release from the Indian Embassy, The Hague.

The colourful march guided by motorcycle outriders in front and with mounted police on horses at the back wound through the streets of the city for about an hour before concluding at the historic Grote Kerk or Big Church of The Hague.

The marchers wore T shirts specially designed for the occasion with the ‘Follow the Mahatma’ campaign logo of Gandhiji walking

“If Swaraj was achieved by the Satyagrahis, Shrestha Bharat would be achieved by the Swachhagrahis” - PM Modi

with a stick in one hand and a cycle in the other. They also carried posters and shouted slogans advocating nonviolence and peace as well as the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

Other dignitaries who took part in the activities included the Ambassadors of South Africa, UK, Austria, Spain, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Political leader of Indian origin and celebrity fitness advocate and inspirational speaker MilindSoman, Theo Henrar, Chairman of Tata Steel Nederland, Prof Vinod Subramaniam, Rector Magnificus of Vrije University in Amsterdam, former Members of the Netherlands Parliament R.Ramlal and Tanya Jednand Singh.

On reaching the Grote Kerk, the marchers paid respects to a bicycle personally used by Mahatma Gandhi and sent to the Netherlands by the Gandhi Memorial Trust of India as a special gesture, in view of the popularity of cycling in the Netherlands. The cycle will be part of an exhibition on ‘Gandhi, King and Mandela’ in Amsterdam untill early next year. An excerpt of Philp Glass’s masterpiece opera titled ‘Satyagraha’ inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance was performed by artists from the Korzo Theatre and Kwekers in de Kunst. The excerpt which portrayed the conversation between Arjuna and Krishna in the Mahabharata was performed in a new adaptation with modern Indian dance.

A new book in Dutch titled “Gandhi -An illustrated biography”

by Indian author Pramod Kapoor and published by Lannoo of Belgium was released during the event. The celebrations ended with a performance of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite songs ‘Lead, kindly light,’ and ‘Abide with me’ as well as the famous civil rights song ‘We shall overcome’ by a group from the American Protestant Church of The Hague.

A multinational meeting will be held in the Peace Palace by the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation with eminent speakers talking about the message of Mahatma Gandhi.

Events are also being organised by the Indian community around the statues of Mahatma Gandhi in The Hague, Utrecht and Amsterdam while Indian students are taking the lead to organise a Cleanliness drive in Maastricht University and a discussion in Technical University, Delft.

06 Jayaprakash Narayan

October 09 - 15, 2017

Jayaprakash Narayan

A Youth Icon

The Man who ignited Total Revolution thereby changing the authoritarian Indira Gandhi regime Quick Glance SSB BUREAU

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estless and struggling hard with the might of a titan against the dark forces of power politics, massive corruption, the demon of communalism, bureaucratic dominance and moral bankruptcy, Jayaprakash Narayan lived the life of a hero. It was his deep concern for the common man - that earned him the popular prefix ‘Lok Nayak’ - which led him through Marxism and Socialism to Gandhian way.

The change from his own early Marxist phase is reflected in the contrast between his praise for State power in Why Socialism, written in 1935 and his censure of it in From Socialism to Sarvodaya, more than 20 years later. But, he later went further to find Sarvodaya inadequate in remedying deep-rooted social ills and stressed the need to mobilise mass struggle. He grew increasingly impatient and justified violence if the Government failed to perform, as he announced in New Delhi in 1969. Born in Bihar, Jayaprakash Narayan studied in the U.S. when he came in contact with radical socialist ideas.

Returning to India in 1929 he worked with the Indian National Congress and formed the Congress Socialist Party in 1934 within the Congress organisation.

Following the 1930 Dandi March, most of the top Congress leaders were arrested.

Jayaprakash immediately set up an underground office at Bombay to continue Congress work. He travelled all over the nation, printing, distributing and organizing secret meetings.

In the Nasik jail, he met politicians and reformers like Ram Manohar Lohia, Ashoka Mehta, Minoo Masani, P. Dantawala and Achyut Patwardhan. They all were impatient for freedom and agreed to steer the Congress toward the goal of socialism. Jayaprakash was released from jail in 1933.

In 1934, Jayaprakash and his friends

JP believed that every village should be like a small

republic – politically independent and capable of taking its own decisions formed the Congress Socialist Party under the Presidentship of Acharya Narendra Deva and secretaryship of Jayaprakash himself. The group intended to function as the Socialist wing of the Congress party and aimed to make socialism the goal of the Congress. In a book “Why Socialism?”, Jayaprakash explained why socialism would be right for India. He was adored by the youth for his idealism. He was imprisoned by the British again in 1939 for his opposition to Indian participation in World War II on the side of Britain, but he subsequently made a dramatic escape and for a short time tried to organize violent resistance to the government before his recapture in 1943, And participated in Civil Disobedience Movement.

He took a leading part in the Quit India Movement (1942-43), escaping from the high-security Hazaribagh prison. Soon after Independence, he formed a separate political body, the Socialist Party, which was later merged with Kisan Mazdoor Sabha to become Praja Socialist Party.

Following Gandhiji, JP recognised the prime necessity of change in the individual who takes upon himself/herself the task of changing the society. The Socialists lost to the Congress in the 1952 elections.

Nehru invited Jayaprakash to join the Cabinet. When Nehru could give no assurances on the implementation of Jayaprakash’s 14 point plan to reform the Constitution, the Administration and Judicial system, nationalize the banks, redistribute land to the landless, revive Swadeshi, and setup cooperatives, Jayaprakash refused the offer.

Jayaprakash believed that every village

should be like a small republic – politically independent and capable of taking its own decisions. It was a marriage of GandhianIndian concepts and modern Western democracy. His thoughtful wellresearched and brilliant book, “The Reconstruction of Indian Polity,” won him the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

After independence and the death of Mahatma Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Dev and Basawon Singh (Sinha) looked after the CSP out of Congress to become the opposition Socialist Party, which later took the name, Praja Socialist Party. On April 19, 1954, Jayaprakash Narayan declared in Gaya that he was dedicating his life ( Jeevandan) to Vinoba Bhave’s Sarvodaya movement and its Bhoodan campaign, which promoted distribution of lands to Harijans (untouchables). He gave up his land, set up an ashram in Hazaribagh, and worked towards uplifting the village.

The gist of this concept is presented in his letter to people of Bihar and an extract from the Notes on Bihar Movement, both written in 1975. Earlier, he had also pleaded for reviving the ancient concept of dharma to suit democracy so as to ensure that the main mould of life remained indigenous. His basic objective is succinctly told in the text reproduced from JP’s weekly, Everyman’s.

By 1957, Jayaprakash Narayan had quit active politics and took great interest in Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan-Gramdan programmes which demanded that land be distributed among the landless, He soon became famous as the Sarvodaya leader. In this phase of his life, JP espoused many a cause as that of Nagaland, of the

JP was a follower of Marxism and Socialism He was a part of the independence movement Jayaprakash was an integral cog in Sarvodaya movement

surrender of dacoits, of Kashmir and communal harmony.

The main quest, however, remained where and what it was, namely a relentless confrontation against corruption, money power and misuse of political authority which seemed to dominate the national scene even after 30 years of parliamentary democracy.

In 1974, JP suddenly burst on the Indian political scene as a severe critic of what he saw as the corrupt and increasingly undemocratic government of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He gained a huge following from students and opposition politicians. The next year a lower court convicted Gandhi of corrupt election practices, and JP called for her resignation.

Instead, she declared a national emergency.

He was imprisoned on the eve of promulgation of Emergency in June 1975 but was released next year on account of shattered health and an unaccountable kidney trouble. But physically weak JP saw a ray of hope in the gloom that had descended on Indian polity as well as society. He inspired political parties other than the ruling one to combine as a single Janata Party against dictatorship and the smothering of all freedoms under the Emergency regime. It was his leadership and guidance, which mainly led to the victory of the Janata Party in the March 1977 elections. All went well for a few months. But unfortunately forces of selfishness, struggle for power and partisanship reasserted themselves and JP was a disillusioned man at the time of his death in October 1979. His long letter to the then Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, reflects his utter disappointment.

October 09 - 15, 2017

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia

the Founder of Indian Socialism

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Quick Glance Dr Lohia receiving his doctoral degree from Germany He became a member of All India Congrees Commitee in 1963 Dr Lohia was elected member of Lok Sabha twice

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia was a Gandhian but with an anti-congressism tinge at heart

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andhian socialist, rebel by birth, visionary, a man of letters, the great parliamentarian and crusader for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden of the country Ram Manohar Lohia was born on March 23, 1910, in Akbarpur in Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh in a Marwari family. Lohia’s father, Heera Lal, was a nationalist by a spirit and a teacher by profession. His mother, Chanda, died when Rammanohar was very young.

Lohia was introduced to the Indian independence movement at an early age by his father through the various protest assemblies. Heera Lal, an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi, took his son along on a meeting with the Mahatma. Lohia was so impressed by Gandhiji’s spiritual power and radiant self-control that he pledged to follow the Mahatma’s footsteps. He joined a satyagraha march at the age of ten. Lohia attended the Indian National Congress’ plenary session in 1923 at Gaya in Bihar and also the 1926 session at Guwahati.

Lohia received his education in Bombay, Benares and Calcutta. He went to Germany for higher studies. Hitler was in power at that time. Lohia wrote his doctoral thesis on the Salt Satyagraha in India. He was awarded the Doctorate in both Economics and Political Science. He returned to India in 1932.

Lohia joined the Indian National Congress as soon as he returned to India.

In 1934 he joined the group of Acharya Narendra Dev, Jaya Prakash Narayan, Yusuf Meherally, Achyut Patwardhan, Asoka Mehta, Purshottam Tricumdas and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya and was the founder member of the Congress Socialist Party. These people dream of building a nation for the toiling millions.

In 1936, Lohia was elected a member of the All India Congress Committee. He travelled all over the country and drew young men into the freedom movement.

The British imprisoned him in Calcutta on charges of sedition but he was released by authorities the very next day fearing a youth uprising.

Socialist Party After Mahatma Gandhi’s death, the Socialists left the Congress Party. They

formed their own Socialist Party. One of the top leaders of the party was Lohia.

Lohia toured the whole country criticising Nehru Government’s policies.

The first general elections in free India were held in 1952. The Socialist Party fielded its candidates all over the country.

Dr Lohia did not contest. He toured all the States to explain the aims of his party.

He visited the erstwhile Mysore State too and addressed many public meetings. The election did not bring much success to the Socialist Party.

On January 1, 1954, the Socialist Party and Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party founded

by Acharya Kripalani merged. The new party was named the Praja Socialist Party.

Acharya Kripalani became the President of the party. Dr Lohia was its General Secretary.

In his life-span of 57 years, Rammanohar Lohia suffered imprisonment twenty times. The government of free India imprisoned him as many as twelve times. As a staunch believer in satyagraha, he felt it was his duty to fight injustice, whether it was on a small scale or a big scale.

Lohia contested the 1962 general

elections to the Lok Sabha from Phulpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh. His rival was the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Lohia lost the election. In May 1963 there was a by-election from Farrukhabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Lohia contested and won, and entered the Lok Sabha. It was his desire that the Lok Sabha should mirror public opinion.

His maiden speech itself was historic.

The daily income of 27 crore people of this country is a meagre 21 paise, he said in the Lok Sabha, to the utter astonishment of government. He argued that top priority should be given to the improvement of the condition of such poor people. Everyone was astonished when Lohia disclosed that this poor country spent as much as twenty-five thousand rupees a day on the security of the Prime Minister. He argued that popular leaders should not alienate themselves from the common man.

Experiment with NonCongressism In 1963, he propounded the strategy of NonCongressism. He was of the opinion that in the past three

Until he became a Member of the Lok Sabha he never had any income. His friends and well-wishers looked after him

general elections the Congress won with a thumping majority and there was a feeling among the masses that the Congress cannot be defeated and it has come to stay in power forever. Lohia invited all the Opposition parties to field a single candidate against Congress nominees so that this illusion can be removed from the masses. This formula of Dr Lohia got huge success in the 1967 general elections and in nine States the Congress party was defeated and SVD Governments were formed by the Opposition parties of that time.

Equality of opportunity is a sound principle. But when people who have been oppressed for ages are asked to compete with people belonging to forwarding communities the latter are bound to succeed. Hence it is but right that those who are backward should be given special opportunities. Lohia based all his programmes on this doctrine.

From time immemorial there has been a gulf between profession and practice in India. Lohia stressed the need to bridge this gulf between word and deed. He never owned any property.

Until he became a Member of the Lok Sabha he never had any income. His friends and well-wishers looked after him. His house in Delhi was always open to the party workers. Lohia was returned to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj constituency in 1967. In September 1967, he underwent an operation. But he never recovered from it. On October 12, 1967, Lohia breathed his last.

Lohia was a versatile genius. He had a sharp intellect. He wielded a sharp pen and was a very effective and persuasive speaker. While addressing public gatherings he always spoke in Hindi. His speech used to be translated into the language of the region.

He knew English, German and French very well. He was also proficient in Bengali. He was a man of incisive logic.

Once he chose a subject he would make a thorough study of it. He had a special love for Economics. And no one could deceive him with mere statistics.

Lohia died in New Delhi in 1967 fighting for the cause of the common man. He left behind no property or bank balance but incisive ideas and contemplations.

08 Good News

OCTOber 09 - 15, 2017

Credit Bangladesh

India approves $4.5 bn Credit to Bangladesh

The massive line of credit was given to Bangladesh for funding infrastructure projects, including shipping, ports, roads and power our new investment framework,” he said.

Bangladesh will be using the Line of Credit for funding 17 priority infrastructure projects, including electricity, roads, shipping and ports.

India will be giving this credit at an interest rate of 1 per cent a year, which Bangladesh has to re-pay over a period of 20 years with a grace period of five years.

The Line of Credit signing agreement took place in the presence of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh,

IANS

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ndia approved a massive $4.5 billion Line of Credit to Bangladesh for funding infrastructure projects, including shipping, ports, roads and power.

“Witnessed signing of $4.5

billion line of credit line from India to Bangladesh. This largest credit ever will build big infrastructure,” Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg tweeted.

“Signed joint interpretive note with Bangladesh today to update Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement to

Quick Glance Bangladesh will fund 17 priority infrastructure projects These projects include electricity, roads, shipping and ports The credit is at an interest rate of 1 per cent a year

line of credit, Bangladesh has already planned infrastructure projects including roads, electricity, and ports

and his counterpart A.M.A. Muhith here.

“We have stood by Bangladesh’s attempts to develop and we will do so in the future. This significant agreement is a continuation of that effort,” Jaitley said.

He said that India was determined to be a part of Bangladesh’s economic development.

“For its own interest, India needs a strong, stable and developed Bangladesh. In the recent years, India granted $8 billion loans to Bangladesh in three stages and it is the highest amount of loan given to any country

by India,” he told reporters Bangladesh Finance Minister Muhith said, “Bangladesh and India have excellent relations at the moment. They stood by us during our independence. We hope they will continue to do so in the future.”

The $4.5 billion Line of Credit was announced during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in April.

were long believed to only be suitable for imaging dead matter because the powerful electron beam destroys the biological material. But in 1990, Henderson succeeded in using an electron microscope to generate a three-dimensional image of a protein at atomic resolution. This breakthrough proved the technology’s potential.

Frank made the technology generally applicable. Between 1975 and 1986 he developed an image processing method in which the electron microscope’s fuzzy two dimensional images are analysed and merged to reveal a sharp three-dimensional structure.

Dubochet added water to electron microscopy. Liquid water evaporates in the electron microscope’s vacuum, which makes the biomolecules collapse.

In the early 1980s, Dubochet succeeded in the vitrifying water he cooled water so rapidly that it solidified in its liquid form around a biological sample, allowing the biomolecules to retain their natural shape even in a vacuum. Following these discoveries, the electron microscope’s every nut and bolt has been optimised.

The desired atomic resolution was reached in 2013, and researchers can now routinely produce three-dimensional structures of biomolecules.

Approving the massive

Nobel Prize Chemistry

Three Nobels in Chemistry

Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of cryo-electron microscopy IANS

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he Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for the development of cryo-electron microscopy, which both simplifies and improves the imaging of biomolecules.

They won the prize for “for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution”, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said while announcing the award here on last Wednesday.

“This method has moved biochemistry into a new era,” the

Quick Glance The scientists were awareded for developing cryo-electron microscopy Cryo electron microscopy simplifies imaging of biomolecules The invention had high resolution structure determination of biomolecules

Academy said. The works of Dubochet, affiliated with the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, Frank with Columbia University in New York and Henderson with MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Britain paved the way for imaging 3D structures of biomolecules. Electron microscopes

OCTOber 09 - 15, 2017

NGO Pratham

$4 Million Raised For Children’s Education The NGO Pratham has scored this feat, alongside raising another $260,000 for its award-winning education programmes for children ssb bureau

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roviding quality education to underprivileged children in India, an Indian NGO has raised more than $4 million for the cause. This was revealed at the annual US-India NGO event held in New York.

Raising over $3.8 million, ‘Pratham’ was also able to raise another $260,000 for its award-winning education programmes for children. Pratham was established in the slums of Mumbai back in 1995. It is among India’s largest non-governmental education organisations. Pratham has touched the lives of 50 million underprivileged children since its inception.

“I had always dreamed of becoming

Mangala Mehar, Pratham vocational program graduate

a successful and independent woman. The Pratham course gave me something far greater than the skills to get a job at a fancy hotel. Pratham gave me the motivation and selfconfidence to keep moving ahead,” said Mangala Mehar, the beneficiary of the organization’s educational

RIFf Fest Rajasthan

Voices To Unify In Rajasthan

Known for its enriching soundscapes in picturesque settings, the Jodhpur RIFFestival offers a contemporary experience of rustic cadence IANS

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itness the Mehrangarh Fort come alive once again, glowing in the effulgence of the brightest moon of the year on SharadPoornima, with enthralling music, colours and the earthy charm of grassroots musicians from India and abroad.

This edition of Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) will run from October 5 through October 9.

Known for its enriching soundscapes in picturesque settings, the festival offers a contemporary experience of rustic cadence, where Rajasthani music amalgamates with global sounds from across the world.

For the last 10 years, the RIFF has been a wholesome retreat for those with music in their veins,

artists and music lovers alike the charm and serenity of Jodhpur, an unbeatable setting at the Mehrangarh Fort, versatile programming and innumerable personal touches.

From tranquil dawn sessions to exhilarating club mixes late into the night, the festival brings traditional repertoires to the fore and effortless

Good News

09

energy

Quick Glance The news was revealed at the annual US-India NGO event held in New York Pratham, established in 1995, is among India’s largest non-governmental education organisations It has touched the lives of 50 million underprivileged children since its inception

programmes. Praising the support the organization has received from Google, CEO of Pratham, Rukmini Banerji said that a family-based trust to experiment with digital learning along with determining the viable strategies for educating the 100 million children in the country who are living with illiteracy. Stressing on the importance of educating girls, the keynote speaker, Genpact President and CEO, N V “Tiger” Tyagrajan delivered a speech at the Chicago fundraiser on September 21. “It’s my firm belief that when you educate girls and women in society, the society changes.

Women have this tremendous power of actually changing the socio-cultural fabric of countries,” MrTyagarajan said.

Quick Glance RIFF has been annually held for the last ten years It unifies grassroots musicians from India and abroad This year’s festival will feature over 350 musicians

synergy creates unparalleled experiences of global sounds through carefully crafted collaborations and amazing presentations.

Featuring over 350 musicians, the fest is expected to be an opportunity to savour rare Rajasthani and international sounds, meet and interact with legendary masters and witness the younger generation of artists enriching a formidable legacy.

Rajasthani folk musicians are at the heart of Jodhpur RIFF, according to Gaj Singh II of Marwar-Jodhpur, the chief patron of the festival.

“Their traditions are acknowledged and celebrated at the festival and they benefit from growth and exposure through high-quality international collaborations as well as through our efforts to present them in festivals in India and across the globe,” he said.

“No wonder then, Jodhpur RIFF is increasingly recognised as the leading, much-loved name for music travel in India,” he added.

India and Djibouti Discuss Cooperation Delegation-level talks were held for discussing maritime cooperation and renewable energy IANS

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resident Ram Nath Kovind held delegation-level talks with his Djiboutian counterpart Omar Guelleh and discussed maritime cooperation and renewable energy among other issues.

In a tweet, Rashtrapati Bhavan said: “#President Kovind urged early ratification of Djibouti’s membership of International Solar Alliance. Mentioned its solar energy potential.”

The India-initiated International Solar Alliance, launched at the UN Conference of Parties (CoP) climate summit in Paris on November 30, 2015, by Prime Minister Modi and then French President Francois Hollande, is conceived as a coalition of solar resource-rich countries to address their special energy needs and provide a platform to collaborate on dealing with the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach.

It is open to all 121 prospective member countries falling between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Kovind arrived here on Tuesday on what is his first visit abroad since assuming office in July. This is also the first ever visit at the head of state or government level from India to Djibouti.

From here, Kovind will leave for Ethiopia on the second and last leg of his two-nation African tour.

10 Sanitation

October 09 - 15, 2017

Swachhta

salam hai campaign

Campaign Salutes Ragpickers

The ‘Salam Hai’ campaign was launched in an effort to highlight the contributions of ragpickers in the recycling process of plastics IANS

Health Ministry adjudged best department Adjudged the best departments during ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’, a fortnight-long inter ministry initiative of SBM, the Health Ministry came out on top IANS

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he Health Ministry has been adjudged the best department during ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’, a fortnight-long inter-ministry initiative of Swachh Bharat Mission of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, said an official on Tuesday.

‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ activities were organised within the ministry offices, in central government hospitals and in public health facilities across 29 states and seven union territories from February 1 to 15 earlier this year.

“More pertinently, in addition to the envisaged activities, some of the key contributions include mass awareness generation initiatives through rallies, street plays, painting competitions, leveraging the participation and support of public representatives, NGOs, school children and the community. These activities are considered critical for sustaining the ‘swachhta’ movement,” said a statement from the ministry.

Health Secretary C.K. Mishra received the award on behalf of the ministry.

During the Swacchta fortnight, all hospital/clinics were also directed to install waste bins for segregating waste and massive cleaning drives were undertaken in all the hospital wards and hospital premises.

Doctors, nurses and medical staff along with patients and visitors carried out sensitisation drives on the importance of safe sanitation and hygiene.

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campaign to salute millions of ragpickers, who collect used up plastic bottles from the trash for recycling, was launched by a non-profit organisation.

“Salam Hai” (We Salute), an effort to highlight the contribution of ragpickers in the recycling process of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles, started with a special video campaign, released on the social media PACE (PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment).

“Today, ragpickers collect around 500,000 tonnes per year of postconsumer PET bottles for producing polyester fibre alone, earning around Rs 1,000 crore per year for themselves,” a statement from PACE said.

Since PET bottles are the most widely recycled plastic bottles, it allows the ragpickers to sustain in

their livelihood. The NGO said the campaign will have these “silent heroes” as its theme and will focus on “their contribution to the recycling industry”. “Ragpickers are the silent heroes who stand at the beginning of

toilet statement

Won’t Stop Talking About Toilets: Alphons Following the criticism over his “toilet remarks”, Union Minister K.J. Alphons said the criticism won’t discourage him from talking about toilets

IANS

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ven after coming under heavy criticism over his ‘toilet’ remarks soon after he became a Union Minister, KJ Alphons said he

will continue to speak of toilets.

“No amount of ridicule will prevent me from speaking about the need for building toilets as 67 per cent of the country’s population does not have a toilet. The dream of my Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is to see that people have food, house and a toilet and this is our dream and a big issue for us. I don’t mind being ridiculed on this,” said Alphons.

Alphons, a former bureaucrat and a Left-supported legislator (2006-11) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2011 and was a surprise inclusion as a Union Minister three weeks back. He interacted last week with the media in the state capital when he opened up.

“I do not look into WhatsApp and if

Quick Glance The campaign started with a special video presentation The campaign was released on social media PACE Ragpickers have contributed towards the recycling of plastic

the recycling value and are inarguably the biggest contributors to PET recycling in India.

“PET is 100 per cent recyclable and already the most recycled packaging material across the globe,” P.C. Joshi, Secretary-General, PACE, said in the statement.

PET is one of the most widely used plastics for packaging applications and is 100 per cent recyclable.

Discarded PET bottles are collected, sorted, cleaned, shredded, and made into washed flakes, which are then used to produce products like polyester fibre.

This fibre can be used for a variety of applications, like filling materials for cushions or pillows; or it can be converted into fabrics for use in clothing and upholstery.

In India, over 70 per cent of PET waste is recycled which aids livelihoods to millions employed in the entire value chain of the recycling process.

Quick Glance 67 per cent of the country doesn’t have access to toilets Alphons got the social media behind him after his statement He says, however, that after that he is scared of cracking jokes

I am able to make people laugh, then it’s fine. I am a thick-skinned person. After a bad experience of cracking a joke in Odisha, now I am scared to crack jokes,” the Union Minister of State (independent charge) of Tourism, IT and Electronics said during the media interaction here.

“We have made it very clear to the state government that the Centre will give any amount of funds for big tourism projects,” said Alphons.

“The need of the hour for IT to flourish in Kerala is the state should now set up production companies and get to see the use of artificial intelligence and big data. Gone are the days of looking into IT business by merely being the back office of IT companies in the West,” added Alphons.

October 09 - 15, 2017

Sanitation

11

Swachh bharat goals

initiative

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu bolstered the government’s commitment to achieving a “Clean India” by 2019

Skill Development Centres On Sanitation

Clean India By 2019

Gharib Nawaz Skill Development Centres will be set up across the country, offering training courses for sanitary supervisors IANS

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ssb bureau

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tating that the number of Indians defecating in the open has come down from 60 crores in 2014 to 30 crore in 2017, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu said the government is committed to achieving “Clean India” by October 2, 2019.

“Mahatma Gandhi accorded the highest priority to sanitation and cleanliness and had said ‘sanitation is more important than political freedom’. Every Indian should become part of this movement so that Clean India is achieved by October 2, 2019 -- the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi,” Naidu said.

“Over 5 crore toilets have been constructed in rural and urban areas.

There is some distance to cover, and we are all committed to achieving a clean and open defecation-free (ODF) India by October 2019,” the Vice President said during his visit to the state.

Naidu was speaking at the inauguration of “Swacchta Hi Seva”,

Quick Glance 5 crore toilets have already been constructed Naidu spoke during the “Swachhta Hi Seva” sanitation campaign 2,45,000 villages, 1,300 cities, 200 districts, 5 states are already ODF

a sanitation campaign, and the state government’s “Shouchalayakkagi Samara” (crusade for toilets) programme in Konnur village in Gadag district of Karnataka, located about 400 km to the north of the state capital.

During his visit to Konnur, the Vice President had declared Naragund Taluk of Gadag district open defecation free.

The number of Indians defecating in the open in rural and urban areas was estimated to have come down to 30 crores, from about 60 crores in 2014, he said.

Over 2,45,000 villages, 1,300 cities, 200 districts and five states had already been declared open defecation free, the Vice President said.

Commending the state government’s initiatives towards sanitation, Naidu said Karnataka had shown “remarkable” progress in declaring nearly 12,000 villages and

The government’s

steadfast commitment towards making India clean by 2019 is visible in the recent policies and actions enacted under Swachh Bharat

seven districts open defecation free.

Quoting a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) study, Naidu said good sanitation could save up to Rs 50,000 per family per year.

“A World Bank report has said that lack of sanitation costs over 6 per cent of our country’s Gross Domestic Product,” he said.

“Over 100,000 children in India die each year due to diarrhoea, which is caused by contaminated water and food, and many children face physical and cognitive stunting,” Naidu said.

“Women and girls face a serious threat to their safety when they resort to open defecation. These are all serious issues and can no longer be ignored,” he added.

“The dream of the Father of the Nation could be realised through Swachh Bharat Abhiyan if everyone from celebrities to common man selflessly participates in it, rather than treating it as a government-driven campaign,” Naidu stated.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission was launched

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, to eliminate open defecation in the country.

State Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Jigajinagi, Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj H.K. Patil and other state officials were present at the public gathering.

harib Nawaz Skill Development Centres, to be set up across the country soon, would also offer a training course for sanitary supervisors, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced recently.

Naqvi, who participated in ‘shramdaan’ or voluntary service at Maulana Azad Education Foundation campus under “Swachhta Hi Seva” (cleanliness is service) campaign, said the course of about three-six months duration will create job opportunities for the poor youth from minority communities.

It will also help strengthen ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, Naqvi said.

The

course will include training in the use of latest technology and machines in cleaning and preparation of compost from biodegradable garbage. Naqvi said 100 Gharib Nawaz Skill Development Centres will be established across the country, where the youth belonging to the minority communities will be provided job-oriented skill development training.

Speaking on the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign), launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, Naqvi said that for the first time after independence, cleanliness has “not remained just a matter of habit but has become a passion” and that cleanliness has become a people’s movement. The campaign is also being organised in educational and social institutions of the minority communities.

12 Sanitation

October 09 - 15, 2017

UP Swachhata

A ‘Mangal’ Karma With Mangalsutra

While news of women refusing to live with the marital families because the homes lack toilet are now pouring in, one lady in UP had done that even before Swachhata was anywhere in the skyline

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irendra Maurya was in a soup. Having been married for eight months, he had got accustomed to being with his wife. They had had a wonderful time in Shimla, where he had been posted after the first few months of their marriage. But now back in his Budhadeeh village in Gorakhpur, here is this woman on a hunger strike because his house did not have a toilet, and she refused to go out in the fields, which is so normal!

This was in 2011. Savita, from Patna, Bihar, had got married to Virendra. Since her husband was working in Shimlat hen, Savita joined him there. But eight later, when the couple returned to their village,

Quick Glance Patna woman Savita was shocked to find her husband’s home did not have a toilet She first went on a hunger strike and then sold of her jewellery Today this has become a movement in the village

Savita asked her in-laws that when they can

spend so much on marriage and functions, why can’t they construct a toilet first?

Savita was in for a shock... There was no toilet in her husband’s house!

Members of the family go out in open for defecation in the morning and evening. Savita refused to live in the house and went on her hunger strike forcing her husband to promise construction of a toilet within six months. But Savita refused to wait for six months.

“I never went to the toilet in the open either in my house in Patna or in Shimla. My husband’s family members were very annoyed with me when I refused to go out in the open.

I stopped eating anything so that I don’t have to go out for defecation at all. Initially, my in-laws thought it to be a revolt but when I reasoned it out with them, they supported me,” claimed Savita.

Savita asked her in-laws that when they can spend so much on marriage and functions, why can’t they construct a toilet first? She told them

about the risk of sexual assault and also carrying back so many diseases with them by defecating in the open.

The news of newly-wed Savita on hunger strike in her own home spread like wildfire in the village.

Village elders and women too supported her when they got to know the reason behind her protest.

To set an example in the village, she sold off her jewellery, and even the most sacred ‘mangalsutra’ to get the toilet constructed within a week in her house.

“I had never thought in my wildest dreams that my wife would take such an extreme step of selling jewellery, and even the ‘mangalsutra’, to get the toilet constructed. I was a bit angry with her at first, but when I realised about the big sacrifice she had made to save the modesty of women in the family I appreciated her decision,” said Virendra.

With a population of about 400

families, Savita’s house was the first in Budhadeeh village to have a pucca toilet towards the end of 2011.

Suddenly, it had become an envy of others.

Selling the mangalsutra by a daughter-in-law is never approved of in any Hindu family. Her in-laws did not talk to her for a fortnight.

But once they started using the toilet at home, they suddenly realised the difference she has made in their lives.

“I never liked going out to defecate every morning and evening. But I had no choice, or the guts to protest. I am happy now that my daughter-in-law took a brave step and changed our lifestyle in the village,” said Rajrani, Savita’s mother-in-law.

After setting her house in order, Savita started educating other women in her village. Initially, she did not get any success due to stiff opposition from village elders. But slowly and gradually, a few women joined her cause. She constituted a committee in the village and started holding regular sessions with them.

Savita also formed a squad of young women who would keep a watch on women going out in the mornings for defection. Members of

October 09 - 15, 2017

Orthopaedic

13

science bones

New Method for Fixing Broken Bones There’s a new method for fixing broken bones using pieces of other people’s bones ssb bureau

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the squad would blow a whistle to alert others, and together they would educate women on the ill-effects of defecating in the open.

This resulted in women in a few more households taking up the toilet issue with their family members. A few of them saved money to get a toilet constructed on the demands of women family members, but others still preferred to go to the fields.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 and made provisions for government funds, Savita became the Brand Ambassador of the mission in Budhadeeh village.

She approached the Village Pradhan, Ram Bhual, to seek his help in bringing funds to the village for construction of toilets in every household.

“When the scheme was launched, I got about 50 families registered for construction of toilet under the scheme. It was all due to sustained efforts by Savita and her team. We are very much impressed by her initiative. I have promised her to make more and more funds available each year to get the village declared ODF (Open Defecation Free) by April 2018,” said Ram Bhual.

Now out of 400 houses, about 250 are having toilets. The remaining families have also applied for the government funds. “We will pool in money for those who do not get funds to achieve our targets before the deadline,” claimed Savita.

With the help of Gram Pradhan and like-minded elders, Savita has set-up a fund in which they seek donations from villagers to keeping the village neat and clean.

Besides toilets, Savita said, that it was villagers’ duty to keep their surroundings clean too.

ometimes, the only way to patch up a fracture is to use surgical screws that keep everything in place while the bone is healing. But sticking a piece of metal inside the body can lead to various complications. Now surgeons have come up with a novel type of screw that’s fashioned out of human bone - and it’s already being used in several hospitals.

Typical surgical screws are made either out of titanium or stainless steel or together with metal plates, they are a common way to stabilize certain fractures, especially if the broken bone is in a foot or an ankle.

The procedure can lead to a range of complications, though - the body can try to reject the foreign object, causing inflammation and pain, or the patient can have an allergy to the metal, or it can even lead to bacterial infection in the bone.

Worst of all, this type of ‘orthopaedic hardware’ sometimes needs to be removed after the bone has healed, which means a second surgery on top of the first one that got those screws in.

That’s why Austrian orthopedist Klaus Pastl wanted to experiment with new materials for surgical

screws, eventually patenting a design for a screw that’s made out of… human bone. Because why not?

The Shark Screw, as it’s called, is made out of the super-sturdy hard middle layer of the femur or thigh bone - the strongest, hardest, and longest bone in the human body.

If you have opted to donate your body to medicine once you die, this offering can include bones as well.

In fact, donated material from bone banks is already used in orthopaedic procedures, typically transplants.

In collaboration with researchers from Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), Pastl came up with a unique surgical screw design whittled out of donated bone material.

Even though the first attempts to make screws out of human bone were done in the mid-90s, his design is considered to be the first functional human bone screw graft, and last year it was approved for official use by Austrian and Swiss medical authorities.

Unlike metal, these bone screws don’t have to be removed - in fact, after about six weeks, the graft gets incorporated into the patient’s own bone tissue, greatly reducing the potential for infection or rejection.

If you have opted to donate your

body to medicine once you die, this offering can include bones as well

Austrian orthopedist Klaus Pastl. (Inset) Screw made of donated Human Bone

Quick Glance Donated material from bone banks is already used in orthopedic procedures A unique surgical screw design whittled out of donated bones Unlike metal, these bone screws don’t have to be removed

According to the team, after a year the transplant can’t even be detected on an X-ray.

Currently, the Shark Screw is produced by Pastl’s tissue bank startup surge bright, but the researchers are now working on developing specialized screws for foot and jaw surgeries, where these grafts could be especially useful.

“In [jaw] surgery, extremely small screws are necessary, approximately 20 mm long, which have to withstand great stresses,” says biomechanics researcher Gerhard Sommer from TU Graz.

“Because relative to size, the jaw muscle is the most powerful muscle in the human body.”

The team is now investigating what forces affect bones specifically in feet and the jaw so that they can customize new human bone grafts for these types of body repairs.

“In general, there is a big difference between working with metal screws and screws made of biomaterial,” says Sommer.

“The mechanical principles are the same, but we also have to consider that donated bone material shrinks somewhat during sterilization and two hours after the operation expands again in the body and becomes more elastic.

“For this reason, we are carrying out extensive investigations and tests – both in dry and rehydrated states.” Let’s hope their experiments are successful and the Shark Screw catches on in other parts of the world because it sounds pretty darn awesome.

14 Health

October 09 - 15, 2017

dengue Zika

Anti-Dengue Drug May Prevent Zika

The antibody-based drug may protect a mother and her foetus from Zika virus IANS

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n anti-dengue antibody-based drug could potentially protect a mother and her foetus from the deadly Zika virus as well suggests new research.

In experiments with mice, the researchers found that an antibody that protects against dengue virus is also effective against Zika.

“We found that this antibody not only neutralises the dengue virus but, in mice, protects both adults and foetuses from Zika disease,” said Michael Diamond, Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and senior author of the study published in the journal Nature Immunology.

Antibodies remain in the bloodstream for weeks, so one or a few doses of an antibody-based drug given over the course of a woman’s pregnancy potentially could protect her foetus from Zika, with the added benefit of protecting her from both Zika and dengue disease, the researchers said.

Dengue causes high fever, severe

headaches, and joint and muscle pain in children and adults but does not directly harm foetuses.

Since dengue and Zika are related viruses, the researchers reasoned that an antibody that prevents dengue disease may do the same for Zika.

In collaboration with Gavin Screaton of Imperial College London, who had generated a panel of human anti-dengue antibodies years before, the scientists infected nonpregnant adult mice with Zika virus and then administered one of the anti-dengue

antibodies one, three or five days after infection.

For comparison, another group of mice was infected with Zika virus and then given a placebo.

Within three weeks of infection, more than 80 per cent of the untreated mice had died, whereas all of the mice that received the antidengue antibody within three days of infection were still alive, and 40 per cent of those that received the antibody five days after infection survived.

To find out whether the antibody also could protect foetuses from infection, the researchers infected female mice on the sixth day of their pregnancies with Zika virus and then administered a dose of the antibody or a placebo one or three days later.

On the 13th day of gestation, the amount of Zika’s genetic material was

Weight Savings

Lose Weight, Save Money

A new study shows that weight loss at any age results in savings due to lower medical costs and increased productivity IANS

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our efforts to get in shape may pay off literally. A new study has found that weight loss for adults at any age leads to cost savings.

Even going from obese to overweight leads to lower medical costs and productivity savings, according to the study published online in the journal Obesity.

“Over half the costs of being overweight can be from productivity losses, mainly due to missed work days,” said Bruce Lee, Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US. “This means that just focusing on medical costs misses a big part of the picture, though they’re a consideration, too,” Lee added.

“Productivity losses affect

businesses, which in turn affects the economy, which then affects everyone,” he said.

A high body mass index (BMI) is linked to a higher risk of serious conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

Subsequently, a high BMI and associated conditions can lead to high medical and societal costs and

productivity losses. The new findings suggest that a 20-year-old adult in the US who goes from being obese to overweight would save an average of $17,655 in direct medical costs and productivity losses over the lifetime.

If the same person were to go from being obese to a healthy weight, an average savings of $28,020 in direct medical costs and productivity losses can occur. Helping a 40-year-old adult go from being obese to overweight can save an average of $18,262. If the same person went from being obese to normal weight, an average savings of $31,447 can follow, the study said.

For the study, the researchers developed a computational simulation model to represent the US adult population to show the lifetime costs and health effects for an individual with obesity, overweight and healthy

Quick Glance Researchers experimented with mice when they found the antibody Dengue and Zika are related viruses with similar treatments The anti-dengue antibody also protects foetuses

significantly lower in the placentas and in the foetal heads from the pregnant mice that were treated one day after infection, compared with mice that received the placebo. However, administering the antibody three days after infection was less effective, the findings showed.

These findings suggest that for the antibody to effectively protect foetuses from Zika infection, it must be administered soon after infection.

Such a goal may be unrealistic clinically because women rarely know when they get infected. However, giving women the antibody as soon as they know they are pregnant could provide them with a ready-made defence against the virus should they encounter it. “We mutated the antibody so that it could not cause antibody enhancement of dengue infection, and it was still protective,” said Diamond. “So now we have a version of the antibody that would be therapeutic against both viruses and safe for use in a dengue-endemic area because it is unable to worsen the disease,” Diamond added.

Quick Glance Higher BMIs are linked to serious health conditions Going from obese to overweight would save an average of $17,655 Higher BMIs are associated with high medical costs and productivity losses

weight statuses at ages 20 through 80 in increments of 10.

The model simulated the weight and health status of an adult as he or she ages year by year throughout his or her lifetime to track the individual medical costs and productivity losses of each person.

The estimated direct medical costs of the insurer and health care facility, productivity losses and sick time were included. The research team found that cost savings peak at age 50 with an average total savings of $36,278.

After age 50, the largest cost savings occur when an individual with obesity moves to the normal weight category as opposed to the overweight category, according to the study.

October 09 - 15, 2017

cream Cancer

Facial Creams Could Kill!

Active micro-carbons used in facial creams contain enough graphene material like rGOs, which has a high cytotoxic effect IANS

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ome popular brands of facial creams that are advertised as containing “activated carbon” for better results can be harmful to the skin and even cause death, scientists say.

Application of such face creams may bring quick results and prolonged use could be disastrous, warns a study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) at Howrah in West Bengal, The study, published in the “Applied Nanoscience” journal, was partly funded by the central government’s Department of Science and Technology. The researchers say they found the active micro-carbon used in these face creams to contain nanosized particles called “reduced graphene oxide (rGO)”.

Under exposure to visible light, rGOs get activated by oxygen in the air to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) harmful to skin, says the report.

“The common effects of ROS are cancer, cell proliferation and ageing.”

“Such face creams are potential cancercreating agents,” SabyasachiSarkar, a chemistry professor at the

Exercise Depression

Exercise To Fight Depression

An analysis involving Norwegian adults with depression concluded thatjust one hour of exercise every week can help prevent it IANS

I

f you are finding it hard to get time to do exercise on weekdays, do not give up the habit on weekend thinking it may not yield any benefit.

Researchers have found that just one hour of exercise every week can help prevent depression.

With sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm, the study gives hope to those suffering from depression in the form of physical exercise

The results, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, showed that people of all ages can

Quick Glance “Activated carbon” creams are especially harmful The active-micro carbons used contain nanosized particles called rGO rGOs get activated by oxygen in the air and cause skin cancer

Institute and lead author of the report, told this correspondent in an email.

“The irony is our film stars and players advertise them without knowing that they are promoting death.”

Activated carbon powder (also called activated charcoal) has long been in use in the purification of water, as an air filter and in adsorbing pesticides and other harmful substances.

However, its use in facial cream formulations -- supposedly to combat dark-spots, acne, oily skin and for getting a fairer skin -- is a recent development, says the report.

“The common side-effect of any face cream is itching, allergy, dry skin, pimples or photosensitivity,” the authors say. “However, the use of

Quick Glance The analysis involved 33,908 adults from Norway Their levels of exercise and symptoms of depression were monitored 12 % of depression cases could be prevented by exercise

gain mental health benefits from even small amounts of exercise.

The analysis involved 33,908 Norwegian adults who had their levels of exercise and symptoms of depression and anxiety monitored over 11 years.

The team found that 12 per cent of cases of depression could have been prevented if participants undertook just one hour of physical activity each week.

“We’ve known for some time that

Health

15

micro-carbon in facial creams poses an extra problem as it contains a fair proportion of rGO.” Using state-ofthe-art microscopic and spectroscopic techniques the researchers investigated the presence of micro-carbon in three popular brands and noticed the presence of spherical nano-carbon in some samples and graphene-like sheets in other samples. For studying the toxic effect of rGO, the scientists incubated human skin cells with rGO dilutions for12 hours under a 200watt light source and found that the isolated rGO has a “cytotoxic” effect on these cells.

The results indicate that the active micro-carbon used in facial cream contains enough graphene material like rGO, which has a high cytotoxic effect, says the report.

“The rGO present in micro-carbon remains dormant but gets aggravated under normal light and through oxygen in the air, converts to a toxic superoxide anion. The superoxide anion is the first member of the ROS which will have a cascading damaging effect on living cells and would mutate the normal facial cells readily,” the report says. The study concludes that manufacturers of such facial creams “should ensure that the micro-carbon that they use should not contain nanocarbon-like rGO”. exercise has a role to play in treating symptoms of depression, but this is the first time we have been able to quantify the preventative potential of physical activity in terms of reducing future levels of depression,” said lead author Samuel Harvey, Associate Professor at Black Dog Institute and University of New South Wales in Australia.

“These findings are exciting because they show that even relatively small amounts of exercise - from one hour per week - can deliver significant protection against depression,” Harvey said.

The researchers believe that the combined impact of the various physical and social benefits of physical activity could be linked to mental health benefits of exercise.

“If we can find ways to increase the population’s level of physical activity even by a small amount, then this is likely to bring substantial physical and mental health benefits,” Harvey added.

With sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm worldwide, and rates of depression growing, these results are particularly pertinent as they highlight that even small lifestyle changes can reap significant mental health benefits, Harvey said.

16

October 09 - 15, 2017

sharad gupta A journalist with 30 years experience of working with various publications

VIEWPOINT

Emperor of Maladies New breakthroughs in Cancer treatment have been giving hope to millions of people across the world

the humanising

Of Businesses

Mahatma Gandhi’s humanist approach to life must come into play now in the age of a romance with mechanisation

I

n recent times there is seen an increasing romance of the business establishment with technology, to the extent that now we stand at a vista where thoughts can trigger smartphones to do what you want them to. This is the time when one must recall, revisit and rethink the great cine-philosopher Charles Chaplin’s watershed film “Modern Times”. Made in 1936, the film categorically but scientifically shows how Charlie, working on a production line, and given the mechanical job of tightening bolts, starts seeing bolts everywhere, even in the large button of a lady’s skirt, which he tries to tighten.

The topmost scientist of today, Stephen Hawking, has already warned against the trend of robotisation and mechanisation. One would think Hawking would promote the contrary, but at the highest level of scientific philosophy, like Albert Einstein, he too has seen beyond the false glamour of tech-isation. The problem is that the business world is simply behaving like piranhas in the river in which the current shoal of extremely shallow and mediocre young population is swimming. The highly narcissistic ‘selfie’ generation is the fodder for these businesses, as Facebook and Google and other software monoliths are proof.

This is where perhaps Mahatma Gandhi’s humanist philosophy must come into play. The goal of humanity is not profit, but the ability to relax and contemplate on higher levels of existence.

Editor-in-Chief

Kumar Dilip Edited, Printed and Published by: Monika Jain on behalf of Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation, owned by Sulabh Sanitation Mission Foundation Printed at: The Indian Express Limited A - 8, Sector -7, NOIDA (UP) Published at: RZ - 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam - Dabri Road, New Delhi - 110045 (India) Corporate Office: 819, Wave Silver Tower, Sector - 18, NOIDA (UP) Phone: +91-120-6500425 Email: editor@sulabhswachhbharat.com, ssbweekly@gmail.com

C

ancer, the very name sends shivers down the spine. Till date, scientists are unaware of the cause of this dreaded disease which has started affecting the children as well as the newborn.

According to an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), estimate 17.3 lakh new cases of cancer are likely to be reported in India by 2020 and the survival rate would be less than 45 per cent, it said. The biggest problem is late reporting of the cases. Only 12.5 per cent patients reach hospitals at recoverable age, the study said.

Cancer is basically a group of diseases characterised by uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. Most common causes of the disease are excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, inactivity, excess body weight besides genetic conditions, mutations and hormones. Many of these causes can be checked and thus Cancer can be prevented. But, with excess use of chemicals as preservatives, fertilizers and insecticides, Cancer has gradually become a lifestyle disease.

The treatment known so far, have been through drugs (chemotherapy), radiation and surgery. Most existing cancer drugs and treatments are poisons, designed to attack and kill cancer cells. Most of these treatments attack not just cancer cells, but healthy cells, too. Thus, people taking the drugs too often suffer horrible side effects.

They become thin and weak. They lose their hair and their colour.

New Revolution But now, the next revolution in cancer therapy may have arrived.

It’s called “molecularly targeted therapy.” The treatment consists of drugs designed at the molecular level of the cell to specifically attack and kill only the cancer cells of a specific type of cancer.

And they are tailor-made

to recognize specific molecules unique to specific cancers.

The model drug leading the way is Glivec, also known as STI571.

It is active against a relatively rare form of leukaemia which is characterized by the excessive overproduction of white blood cells.

Approximately 7,000 Americans are diagnosed with CML each year. Doctors are extremely hopeful that the drug could provide a model for similar drugs to treat cancers affecting many thousands more people.

This year, alone, Glivec is getting a priority review by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of CML as a result of its positive clinical findings and will be available to patients within the next few months.

Gene Therapy The first gene therapy for cancer, approved by the US Food Drug Administration in August, will transform the treatment of a particular kind of cancer in children and young adults. It’s transformative because it uses a patient’s own immune cells to attack the cancer cells. The hope is that this is just the first of many other drugs capable of harnessing a patient’s immune system.

However, this therapy, called Kymriah and similar ones in the pipeline raise difficult challenges for policy-makers.

The new therapy was developed to treat children and young adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Called Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment, it works by genetically re-engineering a patient’s T cells, white blood cells in the immune system. The altered T cells are then infused into the patient to attack the cancer cells.

Most common causes

of cancer are excessive use of tobacco, alcohol, inactivity, excess body weight besides genetic conditions, mutations

October 09 - 15, 2017

Molecularly Targeted

Therapy could be the next revolution in cancer therapy, feel the scientists Safety Clinical trials by researchers found that 52 out of 63 patients were in remission three months after receiving a one-time infusion. However, the therapy also has life-threatening neurological and other side effects experienced by 76 percent of patients, and it increases the risk of patients developing secondary cancers.

The authors point out that as CAR T cell cancer treatments continue to be tested in clinical trials before obtaining FDA approval, “the FDA and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) with oversight over human subjects research must carefully scrutinize [the risk benefit profile] to determine whether the potential benefits of the investigational treatment justifies permitting cancer patients to enroll in a study.”

Access The authors raise concerns that many patients who could benefit from the therapy will not have access to it-at least not for a while. That is because the highly specialized skill needed to genetically re-engineer the patients’ T cells, administer the infusion, and treat the serious side effects are in short supply.

Kymriah will be available at certified treatment centers in only 16 states, all but four with just one treatment site.

Cost “Even if the problem of limited availability can be solved, the cost of treatment still raises important questions of justice,” the article explains.

Kymriah will cost $475,000 for a onetime infusion, and FDA approval of a therapy does not guarantee that insurers will cover it.

“If CAR T cell therapies prove as safe and effective as other recent breakthrough treatments, the benefits will be tremendous, and demand will be high,” the authors write. “However as has been the case with other recent beneficial but high-priced drugs, CAR T cell therapies may lead to higher health care costs, highly limited access, and even greater inequalities in access and health outcomes. For the public to benefit from breakthrough treatments without breaking Americans’ health care system or pocketbooks, ethics and wise policymaking need to catch up to the science.”

Oped

17

Instruments Of Change

mihir paul

Mihir Paul is a graduate of Philosophy and Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States

Figuring out your instrument is important towards discovering your purpose and direction in life

upfront

T

he movers and shakers, the influential few, who choose to be the change in the world they wish to see, always choose their instruments first. Whether they choose to change the world with their pens, stethoscopes, paintbrushes, or wealth, there is always an instrument behind a person that changes the fabric of society for the better.

Some choose to dedicate their lives to the sciences, while some dedicate their lives to social service. What is common is that the people who possess the power to change, first, choose their instruments.

Artists create magnificent works of art, writers express ideas that change public opinion, and scientists invent and discover marvels. These people have chosen their instruments of change and now are set on their paths to realize that change.

We all possess the power to change the world. Why aren’t we all changing the world then? This is because we haven’t chosen an instrument. We aren’t in touch with our passions.

We choose security and survival over fulfilment and excitement. We box

ourselves in comfortable environments and never take that extra step to discover our true potential.

The promise of a sufficiently paying modest nine to five job is so alluring that we forget why we’re doing what we’re doing in the first place. We have grown complacent and don’t question our routines and goals anymore.

Change comes only when we can step out of our comfort zones and see what is outside the box. Looking at the world through a keyhole and expecting to see much doesn’t bode well. Like Walt Witman said “Unscrew the locks from the doors! Unscrew the doors themselves from their jambs!”

We must look for excitement and fulfilment in what we do every day.

The point of spending your existence making money for your company isn’t why the Universe created you. You are here for bigger and better things. To quote a Buddhist saying “Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived”.

Look for the one thing that excites you and fills you with inspiration; the one thing that makes you happy to be alive. When you find that one thing that you know resonates with your highest passions, the world opens up to you. All of us can eventually find our instruments of change and actually start changing the world. Following your passion albeit at the expense of some material comforts is still worth it. Material comforts are no match for fulfilment derived from doing what you love.

letters to the editor loved the notion of “Neti-Neti” and I am looking forward to applying it.

It helped me to become conscious of my awareness and it has been spiritually rewarding to do so. Thank you for the wonderful spiritual insights that you gave me and other readers that we are bound to miss in our everyday lives.

Sharmistha Dasgupta, Bengaluru

the truth On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, I was moved to read the article “The Truth Will Set You Free”. It was an excellent amalgamation of Gandhian views and everyday philosophy. I

Progressive Gandhi I loved the Gandhi special edition that came on on Gandhi Jayanti.

The article I particularly enjoyed reading was ‘The Mahatma’s Progressive Views on Women’. I was moved to see that the Mahatma was so forward thinking and progressive half a century ago. Reading his quotes from Young India was a delight since I used to read his books when I was in college. It is so refreshing to see that the Mahatma

was actively working to dispel gender stereotypes and uplift the lives of women wherever he went.

Mehek Singh, Chandigarh 98-year old inspiration!

I loved reading the article in the Newsmakers section ‘98-Year Old Man clears MA Exam’. It gives me so much inspiration to pursue further studies. I myself missed out on graduating from college due to family issues and seeing this man finish his degree at the ripe old age of 98 is truly breathtaking. I’m myself 45 years old, but now, I want to finish my graduation and get my bachelors degree in economics. If a man more than doubles my age can do it, so can I. I’m beyond inspired to continue my education. It is great to see such inspiring stories continuously featured in your weekly. Shweta Gupta, Lucknow

Please mail your opinion to - ssbweekly@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 9868807712

18 Photo Feature

October 09 - 15, 2017

Immortalising A Hero

The grand-finale of celebrating Deen Dayal Upadhyaya’s birth centenary concluded with a mega function organised at Indira Gandhi Stadium to commemorate India’s ‘Mahapurush’

Photos: Sipra Dass

October 09 - 15, 2017

Photo Feature

19

The function organised in IG stadium included many cultural programs, dances, and plays that showcased our festivities and culture. The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and known BJP personalities. The event became the perfect conclusion to the year long celebrations

20 Science & Technology Social Media

October 09 - 15, 2017

Quick Glance

Monkeys Survival

Our Ancestors ‘Flew’ Fossil studies suggest that the pre-human primates mastered the skill of swinging from trees using specially evolved ankle joints IANS

Facebook Testing Instant Videos For Android Just like Facebook’s “Instant Articles”, now “Instant Videos” will be available on the Facebook android app for offline viewing IANS

F

acebook is working on a new feature called “Instant Videos” and would make sure that users do not have to waste data plan for downloading them.

The company is testing the feature on Android and the move could help Facebook outpace its rivals such as YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and other competitors that also see video as the future.

“Instant Videos” are being tested with a small percentage of people using its Android application, the social media giant was quoted as saying by TechCrunch last Tuesday.

This feature appears to download various Facebook videos while you’re connected to Wi-Fi so that they’ll be able to start playing immediately on your phone when you’re inside the app.

The feature was first spotted

by The Next Web’s tech journalist Matt Navarra. The “Instant Video” would be similar to Facebook’s hosted content format “Instant Articles” that loads faster than mobile websites so users.

The company has agreed to spend as much as $1 billion to cultivate original shows for its platform, according to people familiar with the matter. The figure, which could fluctuate based on the success of Facebook’s’ programming, covers potential spending through 2018, a report in The Wall Street Journal said.

O

ur pre-human ancestors were high-flying acrobats as they mastered the task of leaping through the trees, a 52-million-year-old ankle fossil found in France suggests.

“Being able to jump from one tree to another might have been important, especially if there were ground predators around waiting to snag them,” said Doug Boyer, Assistant Professor at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, US. These first primates spent most of their time in the trees rather than on the ground, but just how nimble they were as they moved around in the treetops has been a topic of dispute. For years, scientists thought the ancestors of today’s humans, monkeys, lemurs and apes were relatively slow and deliberate animals, using their grasping hands and feet to creep along small twigs and branches to stalk insects or

find flowers and fruits. But the new study published in the Journal of Human Evolution suggests the first primates were efficient at leaping through the trees. Paleontologists working in a quarry in southeastern

France uncovered the quarter-inchlong bone, the lower part of the ankle joint. The fossil matched up best with a chipmunk-sized creature called Donrussellia provincialis.

Previously only known from jaws and teeth, Donrussellia is thought to be

The first pre-human primates spent most of their time in the trees Primates were efficient at leaping through the trees using ankle joints These primates may have evolved their acrobatic leaping skills first

one of the earliest members of the primate family tree, on the branch leading to lemurs, lorises and bush babies. Boyer and colleagues studied scans of Donrussellia’s ankle and compared it to other animals, using computer algorithms to analyse the 3-D digital shape of each tiny bone. They were surprised to find that Donrussellia’s ankle was not like those of other primates, but was more similar to those of treeshrews and other nonprimate species.

The team’s analyses also suggest the animal did not just clamber or scurry along small branches. Instead, it may have been able to bounce between trunks and branches, using its grasping feet to stick the landing.

The findings suggest that contrary to what many scientists thought, the first primates may have evolved their acrobatic leaping skills first, while anatomical changes that allowed them to cling to slender branch tips and creep from tree to tree came later.

education application

Interactive ‘SuperSchool’ app launched IANS

Toko Innovation Studios launched the “SuperSchool” app, a technology enabled smart learning content platform for kids up to seven years Quick Glance The app focuses on development using innovative ways The SuperSchool app is available for free without ads The app will soon be launched for apple devices on iOS

T

OKO Innovation Studios, that focuses on children’s development through innovative ways, recently launched “SuperSchool” app, a technologyenabled smart learning content platform for kids up to seven years.

The app is packed with interactive foundation learning through games and videos.

“The ‘SuperSchool’ app is free and has no advertisements. We want the kids to focus on learning and just learning. Our goal is to add value to parenting. The app has been created with an international appeal,” said Arnav Mukherjee, Co-Founder and COO, TOKO Innovation Pvt. Ltd., in

a statement.

The product has been developed by a multinational team of artists and technology experts guided by senior educationists and there is no need for parental oversight.

The app is currently available on Google Play Store and will soon debut on Gionee’s G-store. The iOS version will be launched shortly, the company said.

October 09 - 15, 2017

Psychology emotions

Researchers Identify 27 States Of Emotion Researchers have created a multidimensional map of the emotional interplay in humans IANS

A

new study challenges a longheld assumption in psychology that most human emotions fall within the universal categories of happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear and disgust.

Using statistical models to analyse the responses of 853 men and women, who are demographically diverse, to 2,185 emotionally evocative video clips, University of California, Berkeley, researchers have identified 27 distinct categories of emotion and created a multidimensional map to show how they are connected.

According to the study published in journal Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences journal, there are smooth gradients of emotion between, for instance, awe and peacefulness, horror and sadness, and amusement and adoration.

“We don’t get finite clusters of emotions on the map because everything is interconnected,” Xinhua

Primates Behaviour

Scratching Boosts Social Bonding In Monkeys Scientists believe that scratching in monkeys may have evolved as a way to reduce aggression from others during social interactions IANS

S

cratching can be a sign of stress in many primates, including humans, and may have evolved as a communication tool to help social cohesion in monkeys, a study has found.

The findings showed that scratching in the monkeys is more than an itch and was more likely to occur in times of heightened stress, such as being close to high-ranking individuals or to non-friends.

During such stressful experiences, scratching appeared to reduce aggression from others and lessen the chance of conflict, suggesting that it might have evolved as a communication tool to help social cohesion. “Observable stress behaviours could have evolved as a way of reducing

aggression in socially complex species of primates. Showing others you are stressed could benefit both the scratcher and those watching, because both parties can then avoid conflict,” said Jamie Whitehouse from the Britain’s University of Portsmouth.

The research also raises the question whether human scratching and similar self-directed stress behaviours serve a similar function. Further, stress scratching

Science & Technology

Quick Glance

21

space

The study analyzed 853 men and women The study identified 27 distinct emotions The researchers studied 2,185 emotionally evocative video clips

quoted lead author Alan Cowen as saying.

The results showed that study participants generally shared the same or similar emotional responses to the videos shown to them, providing a wealth of data that allowed the researchers to identify 27 distinct categories of emotion.

Through statistical modelling and visualisation techniques, the researchers organised the emotional responses to each video into a semantic atlas of human emotions.

“We found that 27 distinct dimensions, not six, were necessary to account for the way hundreds of people reliably reported feeling in response to each video,” said study senior author Dacher Keltner.

Quick Glance Scratching may have evolved as a tool to promote social cohesion Scratching occurs in monkeys during times of heightened stress In high stress situations, scratching appeared to reduce aggression

significantly lowered the likelihood of a scratching monkey being attacked.

The likelihood of aggression when a high ranking monkey approached a lower ranking monkey was 75 per cent if no scratching took place, and only 50 per cent when the lower ranking monkey scratched. Scratching also reduced the chance of aggression between individuals who did not have a strong social bond.

“By revealing stress to others, we are helping them predict what we might do, so the situation becomes more transparent.

Transparency ultimately reduces the need for conflict, which benefits everyone and promotes a more socially cohesive group,” Jamie added.

For the study, published in Scientific Reports, the team conducted behavioural observations of 45 rhesus macaques from a group of 200. The team monitored the naturally occurring social interactions between these animals over a period of eight months.

Cassini’s Last Days A ‘tired’ spacecraft touring the Saturn system for the last 13 years will take its death plunge into the monster planet soon IANS

O

n its course for the September 15 plunge into Saturn, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has made the “goodbye kiss” flyby of the planet’s giant moon Titan. The spacecraft made its closest approach to Titan on Monday at 3.04 pm EDT (12.34 a.m. IST Wednesday), at an altitude of 119,049 kilometeres above the moon’s surface, NASA said.

This distant encounter is referred to informally as “the goodbye kiss” by mission engineers because it provides a gravitational nudge that sends the spacecraft toward its dramatic ending in Saturn’s upper atmosphere. The geometry of the flyby causes Cassini to slow down slightly in its orbit around Saturn.

“Cassini has been in a longterm relationship with Titan, with a new rendezvous nearly every month for more than a decade,” said Cassini Project Manager Earl Maize at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

“This final encounter is something of a bittersweet goodbye, but as it has done throughout the mission, Titan’s gravity is once again sending Cassini where we need it to go,” Maize said.

The spacecraft is scheduled to make contact with Earth on September 12 at about 9:19 p.m.

EDT. Images and other science data were taken during the encounter are expected to begin streaming to Earth soon after. Navigators will analyse the spacecraft’s trajectory following this downlink to confirm that Cassini is precisely on course to dive into Saturn at the planned time, location and altitude, NASA said.

22 Environment

october 09 - 15, 2017

wildlife surveys

Sign Surveys Better Than Direct Sightings

Researchers believe that wildlife sign surveys can be ideal and cheaper than the direct sighting methods to monitor animal distributions IANS

W

ildlife sign surveys can be an ideal and cheaper model too to monitor animal distributions compared to direct detection methods, researchers said. This inference came to light in a collaborative study on the sloth bear distribution in Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Karnataka by the Wildlife Conservation Society-India Program, the Centre for Wildlife Studies and the University of Florida-Gainesville.

The researchers believe this finding, published in this edition of the Journal of Applied Ecology, has important implications for wildlife conservation assign surveys offer a cheaper data source for occupancy models compared to direct detection methods.

The study, based on data from a long-term ecological study of tigers led by Wildlife Conservation Society scientist Ullas Karanth, provides the first rigorous comparison of two methods i.e. sign surveys and camera trap survey to estimate the proportion of habitat occupied by the sloth bear.

“The bears, which are solitary animals endemic to southern Asia,

were chosen as a study species because they offer clear advantages in ensuring no false positive detections,” an official statement quoting the lead author of the paper Arjun Srivathsa as saying.

“Photo-captures of sloth bears and from camera-trap surveys and indirect signs of the species are unmistakable,” he said.

Occupancy estimated from sign surveys of fresh scat and tracks made by sloth bears along forest trails were compared with camera trap captures of bears.

Interestingly, both sources of data produced nearly identical results.

About 57 percent of the area was found to be occupied by sloth bears and this habitat choice was shown to be governed by forest cover and type and terrain ruggedness.

“This study demonstrates the

Curb Climate Change

61% Americans Want Govt To Curb Climate Change

After the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement, surveys reveal that majority of Americans want the government to tackle climate change IANS

D

espite the US pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, a new survey has revealed that 61 per cent of Americans think climate change is a problem that the government needs to address.

Seventy-two per cent of Americans believe climate change is happening, including 85 per cent of Democrats and 61 per cent of Republicans, revealed the survey from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and The Associated

Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Seven in 10 Republicans and nearly all Democrats who believe climate change is happening to think

Most Americans believe that the US government

needs to tackle climate change and favour policies that would help the lower emissions

the government needs to take action, the findings showed.

When asked about key climate policy decisions, the largest shares of Americans said they oppose the repeal of the Clean Power Plan and the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. “These results put the polarised climate debate in sharp relief, but also point to the possibility of a path forward,” said Michael Greenstone, director of EPIC and Professor at the University of Chicago.

While many Americans favour policies that would help the country lower emissions, questions on how much they would personally be willing to pay to confront climate change (in the form of a monthly fee on their electric bill) revealed great disparity.

While half are unwilling to pay even one dollar, 18 per cent are

Quick Glance The results came after a collaborative study on sloth bear distributions Occupancy estimates from sign surveys were compared to camera trap captures Both sources of data produced identical results

importance of using rigorous statistical methods in surveys of rare and elusive species to optimise the quality of results as well as effective use of substantial investments being made in such surveys now, a coauthor K. Ullas Karanth said.

Occupancy models are used to assess where the species occur and why and the status of rare and threatened wildlife to guide conservation interventions. To estimate detection probability, these models can use field data from direct sightings of animals or from camera trap photo “captures”.

Such direct surveys, however, involve greater cost and effort, say the researchers.

Wildlife scientists, therefore, often opt to employ surveys of animal signs such as scat or tracks which are more abundant and easier to find.

Quick Glance 72 per cent Americans believe in climate change 7 in 10 Republicans and all Democrats want the government to intervene 18 per cent Americans are willing to pay $100/month to the govt

willing to pay at least $100 per month.

“Although half of the households said they were unwilling to pay anything for a carbon policy in their monthly electricity bills, on average Americans would pay about $30 per month, as a meaningful share of households report that they are willing to pay a substantial amount,” Greenstone said.

What is particularly striking is that it’s projected to cost less than $30 per person to pay for climate damages from the electricity sector. So, while the raw economics appears to be less and less of a problem, the open question is whether it is feasible to devise a robust climate policy that accommodates these very divergent viewpoints,” Greenstone added.

Interviews for this survey were conducted between August 17 and 21, 2017, with adults age 18 and over representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

october 09 - 15, 2017

vulture extinction

15 Vulture Species Facing Extinction

The endangered vulture species may get a fresh lease of life with a 12-year multi-species coordinated action plan for conservation

Longevity IANS

F

ifteen species of vultures in 128 countries, including four that are critically endangered in India, may get a fresh lease of life with a 12-year multi-species coordinated action plan to conserve African-Eurasian vultures set to take wing at a UN summit next month, conservationists say.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of species threatened with extinction has listed a majority of these vulture species as critically endangered, indicating a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Indian vultures that are set to get collaborative international protection under the Multi-Species Action Plan to Conserve AfricanEurasian Vultures are four critically endangered vulture species -- the Red-Headed, White-rumped, Longbilled and slender-billed; two near threatened species -- bearded and Himalayan griffon; and one endangered -- the Egyptian vulture.

The cinereous vulture, a wintering

migrant to India from Europe, is also facing the threat of extinction.

The other species are whiteheaded, hooded, white-backed, cape griffon, Rüppell’s griffon, Eurasian griffon and lappet-faced vultures.

Most of these species are found in Africa. While the Eurasian griffon vulture is found in Europe and Asia, the lappet-faced vulture is home to the Middle East.

Vulture is nature’s garbage disposers, feeding on the carcasses of dead animals that are often infected with diseases such as anthrax, cholera, botulinum toxin and rabies that would be lethal to other scavengers.

More than 120 countries will gather in the Philippine capital Manila for the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals or CMS COP12 during

October 23-28.

Proposals comprising the action plan, drafted after three-years of consultations, to conserve AfricanEurasian vultures have been submitted for adoption at COP12, a UNEP spokesperson told IANS. If adopted, the action plan, accessed by IANS, would mean programmes to protect the vultures across Africa, Asia and Europe from all of the threats faced by them -ranging from poisoning to hunting to collision with electricity cables to habitat degradation.

Studies attribute the reason for bringing the vultures to the brink of extinction in South Asia mainly to the extensive use of diclofenac in treating cattle. Vultures that consumed the carcasses of animals treated with diclofenac died with symptoms of kidney failure. The Indian

With 15 species of vultures endangered, countries are gathering at the UN Summit to formulate a viable action plan for their conservation

Environment

23

Quick Glance Four endangered vulture species are from India These vulture species are on the IUCN Red List Diclofenac treatment of cattle is to blame for vulture extinction

government banned its veterinary use in 2006. “Yes, certainly the ban on diclofenac in India has helped to check the dwindling number of vulture species. However, we must recognise and address the other threats that are affecting vulture populations,” UNEP Programme Officer (Birds of Prey) Nick Williams told IANS in an email.

As part of the action plan, he said captive breeding for the reintroduction of any species should really be seen as a last resort.

“Experience has shown that it can be effective for some species like the bearded vulture in the Alps. However, IUCN guidelines are very clear that the cause(s) of the original decline must be identified and properly addressed before releasing any captive-bred birds. Otherwise, the released birds will simply be lost to the same threats,” Williams added.

Noting that threats to the vultures still prevail, SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction) Programme Manager Chris Bowden told IANS that the veterinary licence of two more drugs -- ketoprofen and aceclofenac -- should be withdrawn to save the remaining vultures in nature. Bowden, who also monitors vulture breeding projects in India, favoured supporting the existing vulture conservation breeding programmes throughout South Asia. He is one of the compilers of the multi-species action plan to conserve vultures. Williams said the ban on diclofenac in India certainly reduced its prevalence in many areas “but more work is to be done”. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty with 124 Parties to the Convention, including the European Union.

“The particularly high number of animals proposed for protection under the Convention is a worrying sign of the decline of international wildlife. Urgent action is needed to ensure the survival of these species,” an official statement quoting Bradnee Chambers, the convention’s Executive Secretary, said..

24 Wildlife

October 09 - 15, 2017

patna rhinos

Patna Zoo Tops Captive Rhino Breeding Starting with the first pair of rhinos brought in Kanchaa and Kanchhi in 1979, the number after captive breeding is the highest in the world, with 12 of them

Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi inaugurating the Rhino breeding centre

Pradeep Modak

S

anjay Gandhi Biological Park commonly known as Patna Zoo which has achieved a rare feat to become the first captive rhino breeding conservation centre in the country will soon have a formal centre to take the work forward. The centre is expected to play a key role in the conservation of rhinos through captive breeding.

Authorities here claim that Patna Zoo is ranked number one in the world as per the number of rhinos present in a park. Santiago zoo in Chile comes second.

The captive breeding centre

Quick Glance Patna Zoo has been practicing captive breeding of rhinos since last 38 years It will soon get a scientific centre for furthering the work on rhinos The centre, spread over 10 acres, will be completed in a year

for rhinos comes under the Rhino Breeding and Conservation Master Plan and has got its approval from the Union government as well as from the Central Zoo Authority. The project will be established over 10 acres of land at the western end of the park at an estimated cost of Rs 3.87 crore.

The Central Zoo Authority will bear the 60 per cent of the cost while Bihar government will provide the rest 40 per cent. At present, Patna Zoo has a record number of 12 rhinos despite undertaking exchange programmes with other zoos of the country in the recent past.

Among the 12 rhinos, six of them are male and the other six are female making it a perfect platform for breeding and enabling Patna zoo to establish a distinct identity in the country. The centre is expected to be built within one year.

The zoo has a remarkable history in

its rhino conservation work so far. The first pair of rhinos was brought here from Assam on May 28, 1979. At that time, the male rhino named Kanchha was about two years old, while female rhino named Kanchhi was five. In the year 1982, a male rhino Raju (one year) was brought from Bihar’s Bettiah under flood relief safety programme.

Raju and Kanchhi gave birth to a female rhino on July 8, 1988. This was the first captive breeding incident for rhino in the Patna zoo. The couple further produced a female rhino on July 8, 1991.

After the birth of a new rhino through captive breeding, the zoo authorities started working on this direction finding that the climate and the environment are suited best for that. In 1991, the zoo had five rhinos.

The first pair Kanchha and Kanchhi gave birth to a male baby rhino in 1993 and since then it has become a

Patna Zoo director Kamaljeet Singh said: “We have set a benchmark in rhino conservation and captive breeding”

The Rhino File A list of the rhinos in Patna Zoo, according to their ages Name

Gender

DoB

Age

Hartali

F

July 8, 1988

28

RANI

F

July 6, 1991

25

ayodha

M

Dec 27, 1991

24

gauri

F

Aug 8, 2002

14

ganesh

M

Sep 19, 2004

12

lali

F

Dec 13, 2005

11

shaktiraj

M

Oct 30, 2007

9

alexion

M

Apr 6, 2009

7

jumbo

M

Nov 11, 2011

5

vidyut

M

Sep 6, 2013

3

shakti

M

July 8, 2017

3 months

rhine

F

July 26, 2017 2 months

continual process in Patna Zoo. Just a few months ago, Patna Zoo had 10 rhinos but with the birth of two babies in July this year the number touched 12. On July 8, this year, a male rhino was born while on July 26, a female baby was born. Zoo authorities stated that both the babies were in sound health condition.

On the World Rhino Day (September 22), the male baby was christened as Shakti while the female baby was named as Rhine. Sources said another rhino baby was expected to be born in the last week of October this year taking the tally to 13.

Patna Zoo director Kamaljeet Singh said: “We have set a benchmark in rhino conservation and captive breeding. We take care of rhinos as their babies in the most scientific way.

We call scientists from different parts of the country to take suggestions from them on captive breeding of rhinos and their conservation from time to time. This is the reason the zoo got the status of captive rhino breeding centre,” he said.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is also looking after the portfolio of environment and forestry department, inaugurated the centre to celebrate World Rhino Day. Lauding the efforts of Patna Zoo authorities in protection and conservation of rhinos, he said the captive breeding centre would be built within one year.

October 09 - 15, 2017

rubber cultivation

NE to get major rubber boost

The Rubber Board has decided to extend area under cultivation of rubber in northeast and has selected a few suitable areas Raj Kashyap

T

he Centre has initiated programmes to expand the cultivation of rubber in the Northeast to meet the increasing demand.

The reason behind the decision to spread cultivation of rubber to nontraditional areas is the saturation reached by Kerala, the biggest rubber producing state in the country.

The Rubber Board has decided to cultivate rubber on 141,000 hectares of land in the Northeast. About 103,500 hectares of land is under rubber cultivation in the Northeast including Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, producing 46,000 tonnes of rubber annually.

The Kottayam-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) has also identified 450,000 hectares of land suitable for its cultivation in the northeast. India has a total of 600,000 hectares of land under rubber plantations producing about 750,000 tonnes of rubber annually. Tripura is the second largest rubber producer in the country after Kerala, with 72,000 hectares of land under plantation, producing 40,000 tonnes of rubber annually. The state’s annual turnover from rubber cultivation is about Rs.480 crore.

India’s second industrial rubber park has also come up in Bodhungnagar in Tripura to boost the polymer industry.

To increase the livelihood of poor people and small landholders, rubber can be cultivated with tea, pineapple, banana and other crops, said the chairman. Rubber grows best between 18 and 37 degrees Celsius which is found to exist across several states in the Northeast. A study conducted

Quick Glance Kerala, the biggest rubber producer in India, has got saturated Demand for the raisin is increasing every year in the country Researchers are looking into ways of keeping the cost of production down

by the Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII) has found that rubber cultivation in the Northeast will enhance in the coming years because of the change in climate. The rainfall trend and global warming are expected to make the land in the region suitable for the production of rubber.

Rubber is traditionally grown in India in the hinterlands of the South West Coast in Kerala and adjoining Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu.

This track is, however, now reaching a level of saturation for rubber cultivation and the scope of further

expansion of the crop is very much limited.

Consumption of natural rubber in India has increased to 966,750 tonnes in 2011-12 as compared to 8,61,455 tonnes of consumption during 2007-08. There are two schemes for expanding rubber cultivation in the country Rubber Plantation Development (RPD) and Rubber Development in North East (RDNE).

The two schemes were implemented during the 11th Five Year Plan and proposed to be continued in the 12th Five Year Plan.

India’s second industrial rubber park has also come up in Bodhungnagar in Tripura to boost the polymer industry

Northeast

25

The Rubber Plantation Development Scheme has components for promoting rubber cultivation in the traditional region (Kerala and Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu) and non-traditional regions other than North East (mainly Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Odisha and West Bengal).

The Rubber Plantation Development Schemes provides financial support for the planting of new rubber plants and technical assistance. Current rates of financial assistance are Rs.19,500 per ha (planting subsidy) in traditional regions and Rs.30,000 per ha (Rs. 22,000-planting subsidy; Rs 4,000 -planting material assistance; Rs 4,000- transportation grant) in nontraditional regions including North East. New technology in rubber cultivation mainly focuses on new high yielding varieties of planting materials and better agro-management practices. During 11th Plan, two new high yielding varieties of planting materials/ clones, namely, RRII 417 and RRII 422 were released.

Developing and popularising better agro-management practices for minimising the cost of production and maximizing production is a major focus of research and extension activities in natural rubber sector.

The Rubber Plantation Development Scheme in the Northeast is aimed at the promotion of rubber planting in a scientific manner through the adoption of the recommended package of practices.

An amount of Rs. 20,000 per hectare is paid in six annual instalments for holdings up to 5 ha. and Rs. 16,000 per ha. in six annual instalments for holdings above 5 ha and up to 20 ha.

The cost of planting materials of advance growth is reimbursed at the rate of Rs 8 per plant, subject to a maximum of Rs 4,000 per ha. An interest subsidy of three per cent on loans availed from banks participating in the scheme as per the norms fixed by NABARD is also allowed to growers. The interest subsidy is not admissible to those who avail planting and replanting grants.

There is another component for the Northeast intended to provide assistance to small growers for restocking their poor plantations where the stand per hectare is far below the accepted norms. The scheme envisages providing technical and financial support to all categories of small growers for carrying out replanting, establishment of leguminous cover, application of fertilizer, provides fencing and plant protection measures for plantations established after 1997-98.

26 North East

October 09 - 15, 2017

manipur child welfare

policy for children

Under the directions of Manipur CM, N Biren Singh, the cabinet may adopt a state-wide policy for children in Manipur North East Bureau

M

anipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has said his Cabinet will discuss and adopt Manipur state policy for children in the state soon.

The policy, he said, would ensure that all children live in a child-friendly, protective environment and their rights protected. The CM was speaking at a function organized by Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) at which Child Rights awards were conferred to Superintendent of Police of Tengnoupal district Dr S. Ibomcha, Sub-Inspector and in-charge Anti-Human Trafficking Unit Y. Kheda, Senior Reporter of Imphal Free Press Leivon Jimmy and Reporter of People’s Chronicle S. Bigyan. The award function was organized on the occasion of the 8th state-level children’s cultural meet 2017.

The programme was organised under the theme “Save us from drugs and child traffickers, if not today, there will be no tomorrow” by Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) and Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MCPCR) in association with Child Rights and You(CRY).

The Chief Minister cautioned the

people that human trafficking in the name of religion is rampant in various parts of the region. Many times, the traffickers promised the families of the victims better education, employment outside the state, he added.

He appealed to the civil society groups, village leaders and people to remain vigilant and alert to stop human trafficking and child abuse in the state. He further said that it is the responsibility of all to see that children are safe in and outside the state.

Stating that children are the future of the nation, the chief minister appealed to the MACR, MCPCR, NGOs and other organizations to work collectively for the protection of child rights such as child trafficking, drug abuse etc.

The true human service is to help the poorest of the poor by providing basic amenities so that their living conditions could be improved which would finally help in bringing growth and development in the state, he added.

Speaking about the government

Skilling Arunachal Youths

Under the aegis of PMKVY, the Arunachal government plans to skill 9000 youths in the coming financial year

A

runachal Government plans to train 9000 youths in the coming financial year under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

The training would be imparted with a minimum 70 percent employment guarantee, Chief Minister PemaKhandu said.

“In order to encourage local entrepreneurship, we have launched Pundit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Swavalamban Yojana. A back ended 30 percent Capital investment subsidy is being provided for small and medium

enterprises on loans ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore excluding land and building,” the Chief Minister said after inaugurating the ‘Vijay Hi Vijay’, a state level youth leadership programme.

The Chief Minister emphasised on

The policy would ensure children live in child-friendly environments The policy would protect their environment and their rights The CM appealed to agencies and NGOs for protection of child rights

initiatives of the differently-abled persons, Biren stated that the government is set to introduce new welfare benefit schemes such as provide employment, loans, and monthly stipends to the differently abled persons soon.

Under the new scheme, skilled differently-abled persons would be provided loans at subsidized interest rates to help them start the business.

Vehicles would be provided to those who are working in government/nongovernment sector and the scheme would have a provision to provide monthly pension/stipends to fully disabled persons.

He mentioned that all must strive for transparent governance, employment generation and act practically to bring positive changes in the society.

“We must ensure that social and economic equality is achieved to bring inclusive growth and development in the state. People should work with transparency, honesty and sincerity,” he said.

Minister for social welfare and cooperation NemchaKipgen said that to check child trafficking and abuse village level child protection committees would be formed under the ICDS scheme.

Quick Glance

arunachal pradesh skilling youths

North East Bureau

Quick Glance

bringing quality education and not merely increasing the literacy rate. He called the ‘no detention policy’ as a failure that has crippled a generation in education. No detention policy has been abolished and board examination system has been reintroduced in all schools in the state, the Chief Minister informed. “Many of the youths today are literate but not educated in the real sense. They are growing impatient, and losing the ability to analyse,” he said and reasoned it to the failure in the education system where many are taught to read but not able to make them distinguish what’s worth reading.

“Due to this the youths are failing to

Training would be imparted with a minimum 70 percent employment A back ended 30% Capital investment subsidy is being provided A five-day youth programme is being organized

understand the value and ethics of life,” he said.

The Chief Minister advised them to be responsible as the adolescence phase presents a critical period. A positive intervention can have a benefiting effect but negative one can destroy the life of a child. He said.

The five-day youth programme is being organized to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Sister Nivedita.

About 300 students from different colleges and universities across the state are participating in the ‘mahashibir’.

October 09 - 15, 2017

assam projects

Quick Glance

Multi-crore methanol project in Assam The new plant once completed would herald a new beginning for the industrial sector of the State and ancillary industries

raj kashyap

A

ssam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal ceremonially inaugurated the construction work of 500 TDP (Ton Per Day) Methanol Expansion Project of Assam Petro-Chemicals Limited at a function held at Namrup in Upper Assam.

Sonowal said that the new 500 TDP Methanol Project which would be set up involving a project cost Rs. 1337 crore. The new plant once completed would herald a new beginning for the industrial sector of the State and lead to setting up of several ancillary

industries using the increased methanol production from the new plant.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sonowal said that the State Government is working vigorously to set up industries at a fast pace so that employment opportunities can be generated for the unemployed youths of the state. Stating that skill development is one of the key objectives of the state government, Sonowal said that the government is sincerely working towards creating skilled human resources in the state.

Stating that Assam was a highly industrialised state during the pre-

The new 500 TDP Methanol Project would be set up Sonowal reiterated Government’s commitment to work resolutely CM also reiterated his Government’s agenda of a pollution free state

independence period, Sonowal reiterated his Government’s commitment to work resolutely to usher in a new era of rapid industrialisation. He also announced that the 4th Unit of Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizers Corporation Limited would soon be set up which will revitalise the organisation and Rs. 6000 crore has been earmarked for the proposed plant.

Commenting that tea industry is one of the mainstays of Assam’s economy, Sonowal stated that the Government is working towards modernising tea industry. He also called upon the tea growers to maintain quality in tea production to compete in the global market. Saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept Assam and North East at the forefront of his development agenda, Sonowal said that the implementation of Act East Policy would bring Assam closer to South East Asian countries. It may also be noted that the construction work of a 200 metric ton per day Formalin Plant was also inaugurated today which would come up at Boithamari in Bongaigaon district.

Chief Minister Sonowal also reiterated his Government’s agenda of a pollution free state and said that an ambitious plan of planting 10 crore saplings has already been underway for a clean and green Assam.

assam institute

Industrial Training for handicapped The ITI will have sixty seats for trhree different trades with 20 seats per trade as per guidelines

North East Bureau

S

etting a new pathway for empowerment of the differently abled youth of the state, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the first ever Industrial Training Institute of the country exclusively for the Dibyangans at Dibrugarh ITI Complex at Borboruah in Dibrugarh district.

The ITI will be set up in the vacant space of ITI, Dibrugarh measuring 5 bigha land with an expenditure of 5.5 crores in the first phase of construction. The

North East

building will be constructed as per special needs of the differently abled people. The ITI will have sixty seats for three different trades with 20 seats per trade as per prescribed guidelines of National Council for Vocational Training. The trades will

include Computer Operator and Programming Assistant, Cutting and Sewing Technology and Hair & Skin Care.

There will be separate hostel facilities for boys and girls within the campus. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal termed the initiative as a historic moment and a manifestation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Lakshya Antyodaya, Path Antyodaya”.

He highlighted state government’s zero tolerance approach against corruption and mentioned that anti-corruption drives would be unleashed in a more vigorous way in the days to come.

27

NEFR

Railway Bravehearts

Staff awarded for exceptional devotion towards duty

ssb bureau

T

hree North East Frontier Railway staff have been awarded for showing exceptional devotion towards duty. Track maintainers Bidya Singh, Nripati Kumar Mandal and Amullya Kumar Roy were conferred the awards by Lokesh Narayan, Addl. General Manager, NF Railway. Bidya Singh, Track MaintainerGrade-IV on Gang no 10 under Sr. Sectional Engineer/P. Way/Lumding(Hill) while performing duty on July 22 last saw a track filled with mud-water between Dihakao and Mupa station under Lumding division of NF Railway. Seeing the condition unsafe for running of trains, he immediately protected the track at Mupa end and proceeded towards Dihakho to inform Assistant Station Master of Dihakho. At that time 15560 up Kanchanjungha Express was approaching Mupa station. The alertness of Bidya Singh saved an obvious mishap.

Nripati Kumar Mandal and Amullya Kumar Roy, both track maintainers working under Sr. Sectional Engineer / P.Way / Fakiragram while performing night duty reported that pier of Bridge no. 28 between MoterJhar – Golokganj station subsided by about 2 meter due to due to heavy scouring by flood water of Gadadhar river.

Later, the slabs were found lying in inclined position.

Their alertness helped railway evade a dangerous situation.

In recognition of their service, they were awarded as “Man of the Month” for August – 2017 and given a cash award.

28 Social change

October 09 - 15, 2017

social change breaking taboos

Teens pushing social change Not only breaking taboos, Prabhu Deva and Amritha are also improving toilet facilities for the safety of girls in Tamil Nadu

IANS

T

eenagers Prabhu Deva and Amritha stand for change in two districts of Tamil Nadu. Not only did they prevent three child marriages but are also breaking the taboo around sex education as also improving toilet facilities for the safety of young girls in their villages.

Both of them, who are pursuing graduation courses, are a part of bigger peer groups, which in turn are part of the Adolescent Empowerment Programme (AEP) of Unicef ’s National Child Labour Programme that has been formed to raise awareness among villagers of health and social issues -- and take up their grievances with district authorities.

The peer groups, whose members are children aged between 11 and

Quick Glance Both are part of peer groups like AEP of UNICEF These peer groups have children aged between 11 and 18 as members The group has been raising awareness regarding puberty-related matters

18, have done much work in areas like providing drinking water, improving sanitation and training children in soft skills, among others.

The latest demand being addressed is dustbins for their villages.

“I am proud of what I am doing.

The biggest achievement was when we stopped the marriage of a 13-year-old girl with a 38-year-old man working in the Gulf. We received the information and informed the police, who rescued the girl on the day she was to get married. It was due to our efforts she is now back to her studies and is also learning sewing,” Prabhu Deva told this visiting IANS correspondent.

The 18-year-old boy, a leader of the group in his village, says that following the incident, complaints of child marriage have ceased as the group members have gone from house to house to make the largely uneducated parents understand the negativities of child marriage.

Amritha proudly spoke of the

courage her group had shown to prevent two teenage girls from her village getting married to men in their 40s.

Her group has also been raising awareness on puberty-related matters, which was hitherto taboo.

Another no-no before the peer groups were formed was discussing issues relating to sex education. In fact, doing so was akin to committing an offence. While teenagers felt shy to discuss the subject, the few found talking about it or even of changes related to the body were scolded by their parents or teachers. In schools, the teachers prevented elaboration on subjects like reproduction.

All this has changed after the formation of the peer groups.

“We meet twice a month and discuss several matters pertaining to the adolescents in the village.

Behavioural change and soft skills training are among a few of the things we discuss,” Amritha, who is studying maths and biology for her graduation, told IANS.

The peer groups have done much work in areas like providing drinking water, improving sanitation and training children in soft skills, among others

The groups also meet their counterparts from other areas while being trained by the district authorities on how to deal with the social problems that arise in rural society.

According to government statistics, Salem is among the few districts with a high number of child marriages in Tamil Nadu.

Until 2016, the district had 380,000 girls below 15, of whom 2,414 were married.

International NGO Action Aid said in 2016 that India accounts for 33 per cent of the child brides in the world with nearly 103 million girls married off before they were 18. “There are many activities that are being taken up by the adolescent peer groups. Apart from the social causes, they also encourage other children to pursue their careers and not get diverted by social evils. This has been successful for the last twoand-a-half months,” Samantha, the head social worker at the District Child Protection Unit, told IANS. Apart from the efforts by the adolescent group in the villages, the district authorities have also initiated project Udhayam -- an initiative of the Salem police in partnership with Unicef.

As part of this project, 20 child welfare police officers are being trained to sensitise the peer educators in the 109 schools of Salem town.

An all-women police station was also inaugurated in Salem city.

Aiming to offer a friendly face to children in distress, the walls of the police station are painted with famous cartoon caricatures and on offer are books and games.

“We aim to make the police station more friendly so that children are comfortable and have the confidence to approach us whenever in distress. This police station will also serve as a counselling centre for children who are sexually abused, abandoned, recovered from kidnappers or lost.

We will ensure their full protection here,” Salem Police Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar said.

So far 23 schools have been covered as part of the outreach and over 23,000 children sensitised.

October 09 - 15, 2017

Off-beat

29

mysuru Dussehra

Maharani and grand Mysuru celebrations!

This is the year after 56 years, when the Mysuru (Mysore) Maharani and Maharaja had the occasion to celebrate their Dussehra together, regaling their ‘subjects’

Quick Glance Dussehra is an important festival all over lndia and also in Mysuru There is a curse in the Royal family of Mysuru Yaduveer took his wife to the Mysuru palace to participate in the festivities

Far left: The Royal Palace of Mysuru.

Left: Pada Puja done by the Maharani

G Ulaganathan

D

ussehra is an important festival all over lndia and is also a major tourist attraction in Karnataka, especially in Mysuru.

This year the people of Mysuru have one more reason to celebrate. It’s a special Dussehra for the erstwhile Royal family, the Wadiyars. The scion and 27th titular head of the Yadu dynasty, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, and his wife, Trishika Kumari, are expecting their first child. Trishika has taken part in the elaborate Dussehra rituals performed religiously year after year and passed on from many generations. Interestingly, it is after 56 years that a pregnant ‘queen’ is part of these rituals. The last time it happened was in 1961 when Maharani Tripura Sundari Ammani was expecting.

And prior to that was also, coincidentally, more than half a century before, in the 1890s, when the pregnant queen, Vani Vilas Sannidhana, took part in ‘royal’ Dussehra celebrations.

Yaduveer, 26, is the grandson of princess Gayathri Devi, sister of Srikantadatta (the previous Maharaja) and eldest daughter of the 25th Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar. He was adopted by his great-aunt Pramoda Devi when Srikantadatta (his great-uncle) died without naming an heir. Yaduveer was crowned titular Maharaja of Mysuru on May 28, 2015.

Yaduveer is a graduate in Arts from Boston’s Massachusetts University and

Yaduveer and Trishika, who are expecting their first child by end of year, take part in Dussehra rituals in Mysuru last week

has been engaged to Trishika since his return from the US in 2015.

The 22- year-old Trishika is the second daughter of Maharajakumar Harshavardhan Singh and Rajkumari Maheshri Kumari of Dungarpur in Rajasthan.

400 year-old ‘curse’ It all started in 1612, when Raja Wadiyar took over Mysuru, then under the Vijayanagara Empire, after dethroning the ailing Tirumalaraja.

Tirumalaraja’s wife Alamelamma took all the royal ornaments and escaped to Talakadu, a town which still exists near Mysuru. According to historians, Alamelamma was upset about her husband’s unceremonious ouster. When Wadiyar’s soldiers tracked her down to confiscate the ornaments, in order to escape arrest, she committed suicide by jumping into the Cauvery river. But before ending her life, she cursed the wadiyars to and the Mysuru royal kingdom to be heirless for eternity.

“May Talakad turn into a barren expanse of sand; may Malangi (a village on the banks of Cauvery) turn into an unfathomed whirlpool; may the Wadiyars of Mysuru not have children for eternity,” she is said to have chanted

as she took the leap to her death.

Soon after learning of Alamelamma’s suicide, Wadiyar installed a statue of her at the Mysuru palace and offered it prayers. Even now, her statue is worshipped as a deity inside the palace.

Interestingly Talakadu has turned into a sand town and Malangi river is famous for its whirlpools. And, in the Royal family, only alternate scions have had children.

If the Wadiyar king did not have a son, his younger brothers’ progeny would be crowned the heir. For instance, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, one of the most celebrated Wadiyar kings, had no children and chose his nephew Jayachamaraja as his successor.

“If we take a scientific view, there is no scope for a curse. But if you observe the Wadiyar family tree, six rulers since the 17th century have been adopted sons (nephews). The Wadiyars too acknowledge it as fact,” historian Dr A. Veerappa has said in his research paper on the Mysuru rulers.

Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the Mysuru royal who died three years ago, owned property worth Rs 1,552 crore a decade ago when he contested the Parliamentary polls from Mysuru.

He also owned a fleet of cars with the registration number ‘1953’ (his year of birth), but rarely used them.

After the privy purses were abolished, the family retained only a part of their property, including their current residence, the Bangalore Palace, which is worth over Rs 2,500 crore. Sikantadatta Wodeyar, who was also the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association when he died, and his wife Pramoda Devi did not have any children.

Trishikar Kumari, after the wedding, has mostly stayed indoors and the Mysuruans have hardly had her ‘darshan’ in the recent past.

Trishika and Yaduveer are expecting the baby by year-end. As the Dussehra approached, it was speculated that she may not participate in the celebrations.

As Trishika’s consulting doctor is a Bengaluru-based gynaecologist, the couple has been spending a lot of their time at Bangalore Palace. But to the surprise of many, Yaduveer decided to take his wife along to the Mysuru palace and to participate in the festivities, they travelled to Mysuru by the Shatabdi train – much to the happy surprise of fellow travellers. As per tradition, the ‘Maharani’ of the palace has to perform many rituals alongside her husband, who ascends the golden throne (over 800 years old) and holds the “khaas durbar”. “Maybe 50 years and Dussehra hold a special significance for the Royals. Trishika is the third pregnant maharani to perform Dussehra rituals in a long time and this is a joyous occasion for the family,” says Raja Chandra, the son-in-law of Jayachamaraja Wodeyar and brother-in-law of the late Srikantadatta Wadiyar.

30 Gustavo Zerbino

October 09 - 15, 2017

West Bengal visitor

air crash survivor in Kolkata Durga Puja

In 1972, a plane full of rugby players crashed in the Andes, and the survivors took to cannibalism to survive.

One of them visited Kolkata for Durga Puja and was mesmerised Quick Glance

Prasanta Paul

D

oes anyone remember the TV series `Lost’? It talks about a plane crash on a desert island.

That was simply reeled life. But when a group of boys were lost in real life, in a remote snow-filled mountain at 14,000 ft following a plane crash, the world outside presumed them to be dead. It was one such rarest occasion when real life thoroughly beat the reel life.

Left with a dilemma that was too shocking and also too real whether to court a slow, painful death or turn cannibals and prise open bodies of their dead friends and eat them for bare survival 16 out of the 45 passengers on board opted for the second and handed death a deserving defeat, surviving on human flesh for nearly two months. Their formidable opponents were the cold, 30 degrees below zero, and a complete absence of supplies.

Meet Gustavo Zerbino, now 66, who was part of the rugby team from Uruguay travelling aboard the ill-fated flight and one among the 16 to have shaken hands with death from close.

Zerbino was here in Kolkata during the Durga Puja to witness the grand fourday festival as well as well as relive the gruesome, sordid tale of the stark fight for the life of those hapless victims of the crash. His tale will shock, amaze and chill the nerves down the spine; nevertheless, at the end, it equally speaks of the victory of the human grit, courage and determination.

Zerbino, part of the rugby team from Uruguay, some of their friends and family members were en route from Montevideo to Santiago in Chile for a planned rugby match, when their chartered aircraft, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, went down in a mountainous border region between Chile and Argentina on October 13, 1972, in what is often called The Valley of Tears. Of the 45 aboard, 12 died in the crash and several others succumbed to cold and injury. Of the 27 who were still alive after the crash, eight were buried alive in an avalanche that swept their shelter. The last 16 fought a grim battle and miraculously survived by eating the frozen bodies of their dead friends and

Gustavo Zerbino and his teammates suffered a terrible plane crash They had to innovate how to survive in the extreme cold and climb down This has taught them valuable lessons in life, which one of them shared

(Above) The crashed aircraft (Right) Gustavo Zerbino (centre) enjoying Durga Puja in Kolkata

relatives. They were finally rescued on December 22, 1972, after being isolated for more than 72 days. Numerous books have been written on the disaster; some of the survivors went on to pen memoirs and years later, Hollywood, of course, didn’t lose the chance to do a film, “Alive” on it.

Zerbino, who has been mesmerised by the glitz and glamour surrounding the Durga Puja in the city, was hardly a 19-year-old rugby player when the disaster struck him. In the intervening years following the rescue, he became one of the leading doctors of Uruguay.

Gustavo’s other assignments include advising executives on how to take decisions during the most trying moments and situations in life. Because the lessons he learnt on the mountain, never left him.

Asked to recollect some of the horrid moments he had passed in the Andes Mountain pass during the 72-day ordeal,

he flashed a broad smile and took his audience straight into that moment. “The pilot made a huge mistake and warned us just about a turbulence ahead. He thought he was moving towards Santiago, while the aircraft was high in the Andes Mountain. As the wings got severed and we crashed, I was almost thrown out of my seat. I could hear screams of my friends; my vision was blurred, still, I could see a piece of metal sticking out of the stomach of a guy and his brains tumbled out.”

The crash gave Gustavo and 15 other survivors some basic lessons in life.

“Everyone of us played a role and helped

On one of the darkest nights, they collectively toyed with the option of a mass suicide

each other to live. Shivering in the cold, we skinned the seats of the plane that had a woollen fabric. To shut the cold out, we put all the suitcases at the back of the fuselage. From the plastic screen in the pilot’s cabin, sunglasses were made to protect our eyes. Seat bottoms were torn open to make snowshoes and hammocks were built for those with broken legs.”

But it must have been painful to do what they did? “Well, it was indeed so; we all wept as we discussed first about it. At the same time, we knew human flesh had energy which we desperately needed to survive and climb mountains and reach the plains… Most of us lost more than 20 kgs and we needed to eat at least…all of us, you know.”

On one of the darkest nights, they collectively toyed with the option of a mass suicide. “It was again very hard, as we had the common religious taboos.

The first step was the most difficult one, but then you keep walking.”

One lesson Gustavo wouldn’t ever like to forget. Immediately after the crash, rugby teammate Nando Parrado went into a coma and was shunted aside and left with his head resting on ice. The freezing cold treated his severe cerebral oedema and he revived to play a critical role in the rescue operation.

Father of four kids, when he looks at hindsight, Gustavo might as well keep singing poet John Donne’s celebrated lines the rest of his life: “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.

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OCTOber 09 - 15, 2017

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32 Unsung Hero

POSTAL REGISTRATION NO. DL(W)10/2240/2017-19

farming

Farmers Transform Neglected Wetland

HERO

Converting a wetland to a fishery, agroforestry, and horticulture, a group of farmers has provided employment and livelihood opportunities to impoverished villagers

“I

never dreamt that this wetland would turn productive in my lifetime,” said Mulki Devi, a farmer from Mutlupur. The wetland now a part of an integrated farm, Satrughan Mahto is happy that he’s earning an income from his land that was of no use before.

Both marginal farmers, Mulki Devi and Satrughan Mahto, don’t worry about their wetland anymore and find it incredible that it is a source of income now. Being flood prone, Multupur in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar has 87 acres of low-lying wetland, locally known as “chaur”, which was considered useless earlier. A group of

Rajendra Prasad & Gopalji Trivedi

farmers have changed the landscape of the place and transformed it into a source of income and livelihood for many.

Wetland to integrated farm Now a practicing farmer in Mutlupur, Gopalji Trivedi, former vice-chancellor of Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University at Pusa, convinced the farmers to use the barren wetland for agricultural purposes. “I persuaded the farmers to change the face of the lowlying Korlaha Chaur near Mutlupur. In spite of the initial reluctance, they joined hands and the wetland that was derelict for decades is the village’s center of attraction now” Deciding to experiment with integrated farming in the Chau, the group of farmers consulted veterinary, agricultural, fisheries and horticultural experts so as to use the latest technology and developments in integrated farming. “Our focus is on fisheries, as it is the most suitable for the wetland. We have integrated a poultry, a goat farm and a dairy unit into our development plan,” Trivedi said.

rs ak New New s smma kee rs

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Jagmeet Singh

Jagmeet Singh is the First Sikh To Lead Major Canadian Party Indian origin Sikh lawyer, Jagmeet Singh was elected to lead Canada’s New Democrats Party after opposing police carding

agmeet Singh, a 38-year-old Indian-origin Sikh lawyer who rose to prominence as an upbeat opponent of police carding, was elected to lead Canada’s New Democrats Party (NDP) into the next federal election, the media reported.

Singh scored a solid victory in the first round of voting for a new NDP leader, with 53.6 per cent of voters placing him at the top of their ranked ballot in results that were unveiled here on Sunday, reports The Toronto Star.

He will now take over from outgoing leader Thomas Mulcair, who headed a caucus of 44 members on Parliament Hill.

Singh is the first visible minority to lead a major federal party in Canada.

“Today is a testament to an incredible team and thousands of volunteers and supporters who believed in us across the country,” Singh said from the stage at the Westin Harbour Castle,

where the results were revealed.

“Canadians must stand united to champion the politics of courage over the politics of fear, the politics of love to fight the growing politics of division... This is not my victories, this is all of your victory.”

“Canadians deserve the kind of government that only New Democrats can deliver that gets the job done, that keeps its promises. That’s why today I’m officially launching my campaign to be the next prime minister of Canada,” Singh said.

Singh’s opponents in the race were MPs Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton and Guy Caron, The Toronto Star reported.

Out of more than 65,000 votes, Angus got 12,505, Ashton received 11,376 and Caron got 6,164.

Singh, who signed up 47,000 members in the race, received more than 35,000 votes in the first round, giving him a solid victory.

Anamika Mazumdar

Winner Of KBC’s Rs 1 Crore Prize Running NGO

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Anamika Mazumdar is using her prize money to run her NGO to uplift women in Jharkand’s rural areas

amshedpur resident, Anamika Mazumdar recently won Rs 1 crore in the Amitabh Bachchan hosted quiz show-Kaun Banega Crorepati 9.

Mazumdar is a social working and is also running an NGO. Mother of two and music lover, Anamika through her NGO, Faith in India is working towards uplifting women in Jharkhand, especially in the rural areas. She is the first person to win Rs 1 crore on this season of KBC. The show has maintained high TRPs since its inception and has been loved by its viewers for its knowledge, inspiring stories, and human values. Amitabh Bachchan also shot a special episode with star badminton player, PV Sindhu. The special episode is set to air soon.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 1, Issue - 43 Printed by Monika Jain, Published by Monika Jain on behalf of SULABH SANITATION MISSION FOUNDATION and Printed at The Indian Express Ltd., A-8, Sector-7, NOIDA (U.P.) and Published from RZ 83, Mahavir Enclave, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi – 110 045. Editor Monika Jain