SULABH SWACHH BHARAT - (Issue - 31)

sulabhswachhbharat.com FIND US ONLINE

Scan this with your smartphone

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

10

RSS

the unsung heroes

Vol-1 | Issue-31 | July 17 - 23, 2017 | Price ` 5/-

Good News Weekly for Rising India

The RSS volunteers lend a helping hand to the country in times of trouble, be it partition or a natural calamity

16

oped

nelson mandela

From 28 years of Prison to First Black President of South Africa

30

kolkata metro

East West link

KMRC will successfully connect Howrah station to Salt Lake station despite logistical hurdles

t he launch of ‘Nare ndra Damodardas Modi: The Mak in g o f a L eg en d ’

OF A LIVING LEGEND

BY A LIVING LEGEND The launch of the fantabulous coffee table book on the life of Narendra Modi written by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak was a grand affair, held in New Delhi on July 12, 2017

The launch of the coffee table book on Narendra Modi’s life

02 Book Launch

July 17 - 23, 2017

Quick Glance ‘The Making of a Legend ‘ written

by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak Bhagwat was greatly touched to meet the group of ‘Mothers from Vrindavan’ One of the highlights was a pictographic exhibition featuring Narendra Modi

The women now lead changed lives. They move around freely with the women of ‘higher’ castes, eat with them, and sell their hand- made products to them for domestic use. They have, as they say, ‘become’ Brahmins.

Bhagwat also met the people at whose houses the now rehabilitated women work. It was a unique moment that the people who have been on the crossroads for centuries, were now assembled on the same platform and meeting the distinguished guest, Mohan Bhagwat.

Saurabh Singh

A

cool monsoon breeze greeted the guests who had assembled at 10 am on July 12, to attend the launching of an extraordinary coffee table book. The venue was the well-known Mavalankar Auditorium, the day July 12, 2017. The writer of the book as well as the person upon whose life it is based, are internationally respected personalities who have created a special place not only in the country but also the world by their talent, dedication and hard work.

‘The Making of a Legend ‘ written by the world-renowned founder of Sulabh International, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, is impressive, well- illustrated, deeplyresearched, and a finely documented book on the life and achievements of our popular and distinguished Prime Minister

The work of the Sulabh family has made me feel more energised and motivated

Narendra Modi. The honoured guests who accepted the invitation to launch the book were Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and Amit Shah (National President BJP).

The Chairperson for the programme was Baldev Bhai Sharma (Chairman, National Book Trust).

The day began with a warm welcome given to Mohan Bhagwat. The distinguished guest was welcomed on a spiritual fervour with the recital of mantras and the sound of conch shells. He was presented with a bouquet of flowers, a shawl and a garland. The auspicious tilak

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak greets RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat with a plaque

was placed and an aarti was performed with due ceremony. But the unique aspect of all the traditional rituals of welcome was that it was performed by women who had been rehabilitated after years of social ostracisation. Dr Pathak’s long efforts had made these women arrive at a point at which they could perform the holy rites.

A long list of programmes awaited Bhagwat. First, he was escorted to meet a group of women from Alwar, Tonk and Ghaziabad, who till 2003, had worked as manual scavengers. Today the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Ambedkar and Pt. Deendayal Upadhaya had come true.

Arsenic Issue Another group of people waiting to greet Bhagwat too had suffered for long, though not due to him but a natural calamity. Due to the arsenic-affected drinking water in their region, the people from Madhusudankati, West Bengal told the guest how they had endured bad health because of the polluted water.

But, after Dr Bindeshwar Pathak changed the scene with efforts from Sulabh, their misery ended. Water recycling and water purification plants were installed and the water that was not clean even for washing and cleaning was made good enough for cooking and drinking.

Delhi is the proud centre of the Sulabh Water ATM. The honoured guest was escorted next to meet the workers of this project. Waiting eagerly to meet him was also the staff and students of the bright and enterprising institutionSulabh Public School. They met Bhagwat

BJP National President Amit Shah being garlanded by Dr Pathak

July 17 - 23, 2017

Book Launch

03

The formal launch of the tome on Narendra Modi’s life at the Mavalankar Auditorium, New Delhi

with great enthusiasm and respect. The Sulabh family recognises the value of ‘skill’ as much as education. The Prime Minister’s stress on ‘skill-management’ is being translated into action by the Sulabh group. Another initiative of the Prime Minister is the emphasis on sanitation.

This subject too is a part of the activities taught and practised by Sulabh school children. The ‘Sanitation Club’ members of the school met Bhagwat next and told him about their work and plans.

The Prime Minister’s sanitation drive places much emphasis upon open defecation-free villages. Fortunately, many villages have been successful in this due to the active and timely help from agencies like Sulabh. Some of these villages are Hirmathla, Kaurali, Trump Village, Marora(Mewat), Ludhiana, Kathua Village in Jammu and Rawal village in Mathura. The women residents of these

villages were the biggest beneficiaries of this change. These women met the guest and told him about the transformation that the move had brought into their lives.

Bhagwat was greatly touched to meet the group of ‘Mothers from Vrindavan’the long-suffering widows whose lives had seen a tremendous change after Dr Bindeshwar Pathak stepped in to ensure that the world treats them as fellow human beings who feel and dream of happy times. Widows from Vrindavan, Varanasi and Uttarakhand smiled and greeted Bhagwat, assuring him that their lives will never be dark and dismal again.

There are Universities in the country

in which departments, particularly Sociology, that have professors studying and teaching the intricacies and aspects of ‘cleanliness’. Some of these teachers had come to meet Bhagwat and to relate the academic activities being conducted in universities in this direction.

Waiting now for their turn to receive the guests were the office bearers of the Delhi branch of Sulabh. They demonstrated in a clear and confident manner how the two-pit model of Sulabh toilet functions to minimise the wastage of water and also to recycle the waste.

One of the highlights of the programme was an exhibition featuring pictures

Bhagwat was greatly moved to meet the group of

‘Mothers From Vrindavan’, the rejuvenated widows

Dr Pathak lighting the ceremonial lamp at the launch ceremony

and other objects related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life. Bhagwat inaugurated the exhibition amid great applause from the audience.

Once Inside...

It was now time for the guest to enter the Mavalankar Auditorium. Once again the sanctifying sound of mantras and conch shells welcomed him and the other guests as everyone took their seats. Another musical presentation came up now. It was the composition made by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak on PM Modi entitled ‘Son of India’.

This was followed by the screening of the Sulabh film.

Dr Pathak, besides his work, has a literary streak in him, the proof of which is witnessed very often. His song ‘Don’t go for open defecation..’ was played for the audience. The photographers rushing till now to catch the right frames, got

BJP National President Amit Shah addresses the gathering

04 Book Launch

July 17 - 23, 2017

the undivided attention of the guests as it was time for the group- photo by the panoramic camera.

The honoured guests were welcomed

by Amola Pathak, President of Sulabh’s Women and Children Welfare Organization and Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement. The guests were presented with bouquets, garlands, and shawls. With the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, the proceedings of the day went ahead.

Book Release All auspicious beginnings in India are accompanied by prayers and distribution of sweets. The launch function of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak’s coffee-table book ‘The Making of a Legend’ too was marked by the same. However, the prayers were addressed not only to God but also to the principle of cleanliness, which is considered to be a part of divinity.

After the recitation of Sulabh prayer which celebrates this close blend of the spiritual with the necessity of sanitation and of cleanliness of the body and mind, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak presented the welcome speech. He thanked the guests for their presence in the launching of the book. He also welcomed the important guests- Mohan Bhagwat, Amit Shah, and Baldev Bhai Sharma for accepting the

(Clockwise from Top Left): Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh makes a point in his addressal at the launch of the book; the addressal by Baldev Bhai Sharma; Dr Pathak delivers his speech at the launch; Sulabh School students perform a musical to the delight of the audience

invitation to grace the occasion.

This was followed by Ms Monalisa Rai’s appreciation and analysis of Dr Pathak’s book on PM Modi. Another brief commentary on the book was made by news media and broadcasting personality Shammi Narang. The moments that followed were the most awaited ones, for which the large gathering of people had assembled at Mavalankar Auditorium.

The launch of the book on PM Modi was the highlight of the day and finally, the big moment had arrived. The audience broke into applause as Mohan Bhagwat and Amit Shah formally released the glossy and deep- researched book. This was followed by a brief speech by Bhagwat and one by Amit Shah, praising the efforts of Dr Bindeshwar Pathak. A speech by Baldev Bhai Sharma also commended the untiring efforts by the Sulabh founder, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak in the field of social change and upliftment.

Awards in recognition of their contribution to the making of the book were presented to Col.( Retd.) Jaibans Singh and Sushil Goyal.

At the close of the morning session of the day’s program, a vote of thanks

to the distinguished guests was offered

by Abha Kumar (Senior Vice-President, Sulabh International Social Service Organisation) The recital of Sulabh Anthem was followed by the playing of the National Anthem. With this the morning session came to a close and lunch was announced.

Post-Lunch Programme The afternoon session was largely based on a cultural perspective on the achievements and aims of PM Modi.

The session compromised of songs and poetry composed on the PM’s cleanliness campaign, his emphasis upon the need for the upliftment of the marginalised, harmony among different communities and work in the direction of improving international relations with other nations.

Among the poets who graced the stage were Ms Samiksha Singh ‘Jadaon’, from Etah in Uttar Pradesh; Dr Ruchi Chaturvedi from Agra, Dr Premlata Neelam from Damoh in Madhya Pradesh and Ms Ankita Singh from Gurugram.

The poets recited their poems based on the achievements of PM Modi, his dreams for the country, and hopes for the future

generation’s welfare.

The other eminent poets who read out their works was Pt. Suresh Neerav, Ms Madhu Mishra, and Ms Kanksha Koumudee.

At the close of the day’s proceedings, the children from Sulabh Vocational Training Centre and students of Sulabh International School regaled the audience with their joy and enthusiasm. Although the events during the day had affected the energy levels of the grown- ups, the cultural show by the school children uplifted their spirits once again. All the hopes and ambitions of the country are, after all, dependent upon the generations of tomorrow. They are the ones who will take the country forward, fulfil our aspirations and correct our errors if we have made unknowingly…

The book launch event at Mavalankar Auditorium came to a happy conclusion with the audience leaving the venue with a quiet reassurance in their hearts that comes from a day well-spent and with the confidence that with people like Dr. Pathak trying so hard to build the nation, the future of India is bright.

Outside the hall, weather was pleasant as it was earlier in the morning. The cool monsoon breeze, present since then, continued to blow, touching the Sulabh family - teachers, planners, workers, and children, as if in gentle blessing…

July 17 - 23, 2017

Book Review

05

book review

Narendra Damodardas Modi: The Making of a Legend

A Fabulous Book!

Narendra Damodardas Modi: The Making of a Legend, stands out from the scores of books written on Narendra Modi due to quality of its content and production

ssb bureau

S

hri Narendra Damodardas Modi, Prime Minister of India, is a man of destiny—one among the rare few who shape the history of nations and mankind with their distinctive vision and charisma. He perfectly embodies Thomas Edison’s celebrated concept of genius being “one percent inspiration and ninetynine percent perspiration.” He is blessed with a great intellect, but what makes him truly outstanding is his rich range of experiences and deep knowledge that he has acquired through sheer hard work in the course of his astonishing life journey.

It was the vision of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, renowned Sociologist and Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, to chronicle the life and times of Shri Narendra Modi in a manner that would motivate the coming generations. For this, he built and led a dedicated team—comprising Colonel (Retd.) Jaibans Singh and several assisting reasearchers, writers, designers, publishers and producers— which worked hard and with utmost dedication to produce the pictorial biography Narendra Damodardas Modi: The Making of a Legend.

Volumes have been written about almost all aspects of Shri Narendra Modi’s life and times. A mere repetition of the same was not the purpose of this biography which aimed to present a more comprehensive and authentic life story of the man who has become a legend in his own time. Thus, this pictorial biography presents an inspiring and compelling account of Shri Narendra Modi from his early days to the present, bringing alive his early initiation as a Swayamsevak dedicated to the nation, his rise as a

Quick Glance The book has insights into Modi’s personal and political life Writers and researchers worked hard to bring the book to life The biography captures the essense of Modi’s personality

popular leader and his acceptance of political responsibilities as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party, his selfless and dedicated service as Chief Minister of Gujarat, and finally, his amazing emergence as Prime Minister of India and a charismatic world leader who is rewriting the history of India and humanity through his inspiring vision and commitment. Of course, being one of longest serving chief minister of Gujarat and then being the most powerful Prime Minister, the country has ever had, major part of the book is devoted to his electoral journey and then his actions as Prime Minister and its impact on India as well on the world politics and economy. But, what makes the book stand out from innumerable books written on Modi during past 3-4 years, is the quality – both of its content as well as production.

The book has some memorable and rare photographs of Mr Modi – right from his childhood days to being the Prime Minister of India. These include his photos as a NCC cadet in the school, taking part in a school play, in RSS uniform, disguised as a Sikh

during emergency and with his mentor Laxmanrao Inamdar. There are also glimpses of his political journey – being part of Ekta Yatra taken out by then BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshi to unfurl the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, to being constant companion of then BJP chief Lal Krishna Advani during the Swarna Jayati Yatra.

It carries excerpts of some speeches made by Mr Modi from time to time, especially on some special occasions like his first address as Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day on August 15, 2014. The book also has excerpts of the comments made by world leaders about Modi. Therse include former US president Barack Obama, General Secretary of United Nations Ban Ki Moon, German chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. His popularlity among all sections of the society across the world is reflected in the effusive remarks made by business leaders like Mark Zukerberg, CEO of Facebook, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons.

Modi’s life provides us a story that extols the virtues of hard work, patience, humility, a willingness to always learn

The book succinctly depicts Mr Modi’s journey from being a humble volunteer of the RSS to becoming one of the most powerful politician in the world. It carries in quite a detail, various schemes announced by Mr Modi after taking over as Prime Minister and how they have been changing the face of India and its people. Be it his Swachh Bharat Mission, Skill India, Make in India or even the International Day, the book not only informs us about the schemes but also about how they have been impacting the country.

To some this book might bring in a nostalgia while to many others, it would open doors to little known information about the man who is likely to change the country’s destiny. The book carries details and pictures of Mr Modi’s visit to Sulabh complex in Delhi where he showed keen interest in the work being undertaken by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement.

Above all, Shri Narendra Modi’s life provides us a story that extols the virtues of hard work, patience, humility, a will to learn and, most importantly, a desire to give back to society what has been learnt from personal struggle, and this biography brilliantly captures this extraordinary story. That honest hard work `always brings glory to self as well as society is the culminating message of this colourful biography of Shri Narendra Modi.

06 What they spoke

July 17 - 23, 2017

Quick Glance

MOHAN Bhagwat

“Narendra Bhai, A Beacon of Hope” RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat heaped lavish praise on the Prime Minister at the launch of the coffee book written on him by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak

“Narendra Bhai has

attributes like hard work, courage, patience, wisdom, strength, and valour”

SSB BUREAU

R

ashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak, Mohan Bhagwat heaped lavish praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him an able and competent contractor of social welfare and a leader India has a lot of hope from.

He cautioned that “we might put the entire onus on the contractor’s head and go to sleep. This shouldn’t happen.” Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi “charismatic” and whose life story provides vigour and inspiration to others, Bhagwat said the country has high hopes from Mr Modi.

He also credited the PM’s success to his association with the RSS. The RSS chief said that “Narendra Bhai” still

follows the same lifestyle of an RSS worker like he did before becoming Gujarat’s CM and later India’s PM. Bhagwat urged society to take up issues such as untouchability, as “there are many things that the government alone cannot do. Society would have to do such things on its own.” He said it was wrong to hold Modi responsible for every problem.

Bhagwat listed Modi’s attributes like hard work, courage, patience, wisdom, strength and valour, and said: “What is more is that he would consider no work impossible and do what is needed.”

Bhagwat was speaking at the launch of a coffee table book on Modi’s life titled “The Making of a Legend” written by Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak.

“Books on Modi ji should help people develop attributes like him,” he said.

The RSS chief indicated that the RSS ideology will prevail despite a few compromises the government has to make. “If you have to go to RSS headquarters in Nagpur, even in an aeroplane, the pilot does not take it straight but maneuvers it in a zigzag way to avoid turbulence before reaching the destination. Life is also like that. To accomplish some work, you cannot go straight, and have to maneuver... but the target remains the same,” Bhagwat said.

He also emphasised that “Narendra bhai” could not have had an illustrious journey as Gujarat’s CM and then as India’s PM without his long journey as an RSS pracharak.

“People need to read and understand that character correctly... had the journey of Narendra Bhai before he became Gujarat’s CM continued in the same manner, few people outside the organization would have known him,” said Bhagwat, pointing out the ideals of devotion and dedication in Modi.

Mr Modi’s life journey is something which is worth reading about, the RSS chief said clarifying that he never attends such events but said yes to the author, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, as he himself, like Mr Modi, is working for a social cause. Bhagwat appealed to people to read the book and aspire to follow Modi’s qualities.

Modi is a competent contractor of social welfare Prime Minister’s life is an inspiration to others RSS ideology will prevail in govt despite few compromises

“Though it is natural to focus on Modi’s personality but people should go beyond it...They should also focus on the work that goes into making of successful people,” he said, asking them to know why Mr Modi’s leadership became “a ray of hope” for the country.

He said all should endeavour to make India a greater country than it was before its “decline” in the last 1000-1500 years.

“It seems to me that BJP chief Amit bhai has given a safe estimate of 2024,” he then said referring to Mr Shah, who had spoken earlier and had mentioned about Modi government’s welfare targets, many with 2024 deadline.

The next Lok Sabha elections are due in 2019.

“But a lot of work has to be done... Government cannot do everything. Society too has to pitch in,” said Mr Bhagwat as he referred to untouchability.

“The country will progress only when its leadership will follow dharma”, Bhagwat said and defined “dharma” as “truth, compassion and inner conscience which can be attained only through dedication”.

Acknowledging that Modi’s charismatic personality could be attracting praise from people, the RSS chief said, “the magic is not because he attracts votes but because what he stands for”. “The works done during Narendra Bhai’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister created a buzz. If his journey had continued only up to that stage, then we would not have known about it”. “Destiny has not permitted India to die”, the RSS chief said.

He also expressed his disagreement with the use of the word “legend” in the book’s title for Mr Modi and said it was not an appropriate choice for a man who had worked in a “natural and simple manner” like a “karyakarta”.

Critics want to tear off even them, as they don’t lose any opportunity to lob the jobless growth barb on us. But the government can not do everything.

Exhorting the people to work for the welfare of the country, Bhagwat said, “Today, Narendra Bhai has become prime minister and is able to do many things. It is thanks to the recognition given by you people”, he added.

July 17 - 23, 2017

What they spoke

07

amit shah

“Developing Villages and Cities Alike” BJP president Amit Shah says PM has shown that both reforms and welfare measures go hand in hand

“Narendra Bhai is still the same as he used to be when he was the CM of Gujarat. All eyes are on him due to his personality & leadership skills”

SSB Bureau

N

ational President of the BJP, Amit Shah hailed Modi for uplifting the standard of living of the poor and the marginalized.

Modi is perhaps the only Prime Minister post-Independence who has not taken a single day off from his office, he said.

“The Narendra Modi government has shown that both industry and agriculture can thrive side by side, that villages can be developed along with big cities and that reforms can go hand in hand with welfare measures”, Shah said. “If the definition of employment is limited to only jobs, then it won’t benefit country”, he said.

He indicated the Modi government was confident of its return not just in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but had put in place programmes and policies that should keep it in good stead for the subsequent 2024 elections as well.

Enumerating the achievements of the Modi government, Shah, who spoke before Bhagwat, said: “The

Quick Glance PM has not taken a single day off since assuming office BJP will come back to power in 2024 as well Modi has a nature of working like a party worker

government has set a target of giving 50 million LPG connections to poor women by 2019 and to every household by 2024.”

Shah said that Modi has a nature of moving ahead while working like a normal party worker. “The works done during Narendra bhai’s tenure as Gujarat CM created a buzz. He resolved many problems in Gujarat that were decades old.”Praising the Prime Minister, Shah said that it is his habit to work for the people and tap the opportunity given by God to serve people. There should be no difference between developing a city and a village and PM Modi has proved it. The BJP president said that till the time Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, the growth rate of the state was 12 per cent. The massive mandate which he has got today is nothing but a result of his hard work from past 12 years, he said.

Shah also highlighted some Central government plans for the future.

He said, by 2024 all villages of the

country would be connected to roads and every household will have toilets.

Shah added that by the end of May 2018, every village of the country will have electricity and by 2019, nearly 1 crore women would get free LPG connections.

Shah also said that there is still a lot left to do. Narendra Modi is still the same as he used to be when he was the CM of Gujarat. It is due to his personality, artistry, and leadership skills that all eyes are on him, he added.

For someone so closely associated with PM Modi, Amit Shah vividly spoke of a journey which started as an RSS pracharak; of the responsibilities Modi took thereafter, once deputed to the BJP. “Party sent him to Gujarat as state CM even though he had not contested even in panchayat elections,” Shah reminisced. And then he went on to describe in detail the achievements of CM Modi, especially in employment creation, irrigation and creation a conducive environment

to attract private investments.

There was despair and decay before the 2014 general elections, he said.

Youth were out on the streets, women felt insecure and investors’ sentiment had touched a rock bottom.

The mandate of 2014 can’t be achieved by an election campaign alone, it can’t be achieved by a party, Shah said. “the massive mandate given to him is actually the blessings of 125 crore people,” he concluded.Shah also seemed to ridicule the “economic pundits” who ask him about jobless growth. “Economic pundits talk about a jobless growth and try to tear out the few hairs I have on my head by asking where the jobs are?”

Shah said. The BJP president said a country with a population of 1.25 billion cannot deal with the problem of unemployment by only creating jobs and the Modi government has provided self-employment to 7.28 crore youth under its MUDRA scheme. He spoke at length about the government’s achievements.

08 What he spoke

July 17 - 23, 2017

dr . bindeshwar pathak

“Modi ji is the first PM to speak of toilets” Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak recalls his association with Narendra Modi, Mohan Bhagwat, Amit Shah at the launch of his book

“Amit Shah ji feels if Dalits have the talents, they should get the highest place in society”

SSB Bureau

P

Quick Glance Modi was moved by work done by Sulabh in Bhuj Bhagwat enjoyed playing with a fertiliser ball in Nagpur Sulabh has planned toilets in each of 6.46 lakh villages

rime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who talks of cleanliness and toilets not only in the country but also during his tours abroad as well, said Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reforms Movement.

He was speaking on the occasion of release of his coffee-table book – Narendra Damodar Modi: The Making of a Legend launched by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president, Amit Shah at the Mavalankar Hall, New Delhi on July 12. The book is a biographical work on the life of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

People used to talk of hygiene and sanitation before him as well, but he is the only one after Mahatma Gandhi, to have taken the problem of open defecation and cleanliness. He is consistently trying to fulfill Mahatma’s dream to make the country clean healthy by 2019. All countrymen are helping him in his mission and hope that by 2019, the country would become open defecation free (ODF), Dr. Pathak said.

He reminisced about his first meeting with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi back in the year 2005 in Bhuj wherein Sulabh had organised an exhibition and Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister

of the state of Gujarat. “He came to see our exhibition carefully, after which he held my hands and sat me down on the stage and asked me to speak something.

Dr. Pathak mentioned “I believe that after Mahatma Gandhi, it is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has worked so much for sanitation and toilets, giving them top national priority. He himself cleaned many places, taking a broom and a shovel in his hands at Assi Ghat and some other ghats, thus inspiring people to keep Ganga clean.” He also reminisced that Prime Minister asked him to accompany him to Assi Ghat in Varanasi for the launch of Clean Ganga campaign.

He mentioned how the Prime Minister’s actions and character inspired him to write the biography.

Dr. Pathak told SSB that he wrote the book on the life, struggles, challenges, and achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I would say that people of every class should read it and keep it in their house. Especially the children and youth, who will get inspired from this book when they read how a person becomes the prime minister of the country by fighting against all odds” He said.

In his address, he said “This day marks history for the accessibilities that rural families, as well as scavengers, receive. The biggest problem of this country remains untouched, which has divided our Hindu society into two classes. The main purpose of Sulabh is to remove the untouchable from this country” He quoted Gandhi saying that if Hinduism was to survive, untouchability had to go.

And if untouchability survived, then Hinduism would go.

“Modiji is first Prime Minister to have fully grasped toilet building and cleanliness taking up the twin issues as a mission across the country. It wasn’t easy to write a book on his journey from his childhood to becoming the Prime Minister of the country. It would rather have been impossible but for

July 17 - 23, 2017 the help rendered by my friends and colleagues, mostly in Sulabh family”, he said thanking them profusely.

Dr. Pathak expressed his gratitude towards the guests of honour. He first recalled his Nagpur interaction with RSS Chief, Mohan Bhagwat, praising him for his kind-hearted nature. “Prior to going there, lot of people advised me not to speak much as Bhagwat is a very serious person. He doesn’t speak much but after meeting him, I am carrying a completely different impression of him”, said Dr. Pathak adding Bhagwat kept holding a ball made of fertilisers, a by-product of treated h u m a n excreta.

He said “A simple and kindhearted person, he listened patiently to the narration of my activities in various fields over the last fifty years. He generously appreciated my work and also stressed his engagement in eliminating the inequalities prevalent in society to which the RSS is committed.”

He then welcomed the National President of BJP, Amit Shah by expressing the gratitude for his attendance. Dr Pathak followed this by welcoming Chairman of National Book Trust, Baldev Bhai Sharma.

“I would say that people of every class should read it and keep it in their house. Especially the children and youth, who will get inspired from this book when they read how a person becomes the prime minister of the country by fighting against all odds” he said.

Dr. Pathak also acknowledged the presence of the ladies from Alwar and Tonk, who in the past were carriers of human excreta who now were accepted as Brahmins in the society. He mentioned that by elevating the status of deprived classes, his efforts along with the combined efforts of countless others have helped in realising the dream of Mahatma Gandhi with utter devotion, sacrifice, hard work, true devotion, honesty, and missionary zeal.

Dr Pathak further recalled how Mohan Bhagwat met the rehabilitated women from Alwar-Tonk (Rajasthan) and Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) and how the women were considered Brahmin now. He mentioned how the collective efforts of the citizens are helping materialise the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B R Ambedkar, and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya. “When I met

What he spoke

09

him, he welcomed me with affection.

When I gave him a recreation ball developed from human waste, he kept it in his hand for ten minutes. Sulabh received tremendous affection and blessings from Bhagwatji that we will always stay with us for years to come” “Param Pujaniya Sarsanghchalak ji met the family members of the upper castes in whose houses the women of Alwar and Tonk used to work as well as the people from Madhusudankati of West Bengal who was seriously affected by the use of arseniccontaminated water” He added He recalled what he wrote about Amit Shah “I met a great man. A man with a great soul, great thought and great ideology. A man who is influenced and inspired

by Gandhi ji and Deen Dayal Upadhyay. He thinks if Dalits have the talents, they should get

society we did and we will continue to do it. In all of these situations, my mother has been the biggest supporter of Gandhiji’s ideas. She always used to tell me to eat half a roti but never to betray anyone” “If we had not discovered an accessible toilet in 1968, then even today people would’ve been forced to openly defecate and our scavenger brothers and sisters would’ve never gotten rid of it.” He mentioned how these ideas eventually led to him establishing the Sulabh Shauchalaya Sansthan back on March 5, 1970.

Sulabh International Social Service Organisation now is the largest voluntary organisation in India.

He described how Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar inspired him when he said: “Untouchability will only end when a Dalit becomes a member of the Parliament.” To accomplish this, he suggested four things. Firstly, that all people go to the temple together.

Secondly, eat together, and finally, fill the well with water and bathe together

country to cooperate with us towards eliminating this disease from the country. Just as everyone had tied the shroud in the fight for freedom, treat it as a fight, and worship the poor-Dalit brothers and sisters of your village.

Eat food with them, with which this untouchability disease will end for good. He mentioned that the central idea of Sulabh’s philosophy is to make India clean and free from all types of discord “Our emphasis is on work for the liberation of people who stand at the lowest rung of society and have been manually cleaning human waste as a tradition. I would especially like to underline that our public toilets that we are operating all over India are maintained by people who belong to upper castes, for whom talking about toilet or human waste was a taboo earlier” He said.

This is seen as a historic move in the direction of healthy and integrated social change. This has resulted in changing the mindset of people in the

the highest place in society. I totally agree with Amit Shah ji, as I have been thinking and working on the same line for the last five decades. Above all, both of us dearly love our mothers and faithfully follow what our mothers had taught us.” “Blessings from him are more than all the awards. I haven’t forgotten this us till date. Today, the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat ji and the BJP President Amit Shah ji are in favour of the rise of women and the poor. Both of them want to emancipate women and the poor. I am grateful to them people for this, he said.

Dr. Pathak added “Mahatma Gandhi said that solving the problems in society is important. John F. Kennedy mentioned in his speech in 1961 - do not think what the country has done for you; rather, think about what you have done for the country because these things are the most important.

What we have done for the country and

in a pool. Only and only then can this feeling of untouchability in society and the country can end.

“We have completed all these four things in Alwar and Tonk. Now, with our scavenger brothers and sisters, people look at it with no hatred, but with respect. Eat with them, live with them, use their handmade goods in their homes. This is the biggest achievement made in accessibility, he said. Dr. Pathak mentioned how there are 6.46 lakh villages in the country and how Sulabh has planned to provide sanitation training to at least one person in each of them.

“After receiving the training, the person will work for the construction of toilets in his village. If the arrangement of a loan from the banks is made on schedule, we will surely be able to materialise the dream of the Prime Minister till 2019. With this, we request every Brahmin family in the

society through up gradation, training and employment of the deprived classes. It is due to his efforts that today the new generation has greater awareness about the importance of toilets while the older generation is also coming under the impact of the sanitation movement. Such awareness is now reaching distant villages. “I humbly submit that Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lit a lamp of sanitation among us Indians for making our country clean. He has given a call to the countrymen to bring back that culture of sanitation that our country had during the days of Harappan civilisation.” He said.

Dr. Pathak concluded “Come forward! Let us make India stand in the front line among civilised, cultured and clean nations, so as to bring forth an India as dreamt by Mahatma Gandhi, Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.”

“Come forward! Let

us make India stand in the front line among civilised, cultured and clean nations”

10 Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh

July 17 - 23, 2017

RSS helping india

The Unsung Heroes

The RSS volunteers lend a helping hand to the country in times of trouble, be it partition or a natural calamity

Quick Glance RSS was founded by KB Hedgewar in 1925 for nation building Sangh is the largest social organisation in the world It believes in the philosophy of the whole world being one family

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar from Nagpur

SSB Bureau

I

n October 1947, soon after India became independent, Pakistani troops had reached the borders of Kashmir. All the efforts of political leaders had failed. Time was ticking. In these conditions, Sardar Patel sent a message to the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), MS Golwalker, requesting him to use his influence to prevail upon the Maharaja to accede to India. ‘Guruji’, as he was fondly called, cancelled all engagements and rushed to Srinagar from Nagpur to resolve the delicate matter.

A meeting between Guruji and Maharaja Hari Singh was arranged.

This historic meeting on the issue of national honour ended successfully, after which the Maharaja sent the accession proposal to Delhi, and Guruji directed the RSS workers in Jammu and Kashmir to shed their blood to the last drop for the integrity of the nation. Thanks to the important contribution of these unsung heroes, along with that of our army, we were able to save Kashmir from the clutches of Pakistan and protect and preserve our national honour. During the Partition, it was RSS that helped organise over 3,000 relief camps for the refugees from Pakistan providing them with food, clothes, and shelter. Whether it was charging the entire atmosphere by taking out processions during the independence struggle, or collecting information about Pakistan’s military

The RSS preaches that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of living

activities and of the possible Kashmir invasion, or even the famous ‘Martyrs of Kotli’ incident where the heroism and gallantry of swayamsevaks proved they are even ready to lay down their lives to protect the honour of their Motherland.

During the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the contribution of the RSS was immense.

Swayamsevaks from across the nation assembled in the northeast of India to help the army as well as the locals during those trying times. Their dedicated contribution was recognised by the whole nation when then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as a special gesture, invited the RSS to take part in the Indian Republic Day parade of 1963. During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, at the request of then PM Lal Bahudar Shastri, RSS volunteers maintained law and order in the country and donated blood. When Pakistanis were trying to take over Jammu and Kashmir, it was the dedicated and sacrificing swayamsevaks who cleared the snow from the airstrips and repaired airfields so that the Indian air force could land their aircraft.

Also, not many people know the RSS also actively participated in the liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli from Portuguese occupation. Noted journalist Khushwant Singh, who had otherwise

been critical of the RSS, acknowledged the fact that the RSS was instrumental in helping Sikhs in large numbers when rioters went on rampage during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, where even government machinery failed. Even today, whether it is natural disasters like the Tamil Nadu Tsunami, the Gujarat earthquake, the Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand floods, or manmade disasters like the Bhopal gas tragedy or the recent Assam riots, RSS swayamsevaks are the first to reach those in need of help.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded in 1925 by Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar with an aim to unite Hindus. He was the one who took the RSS to spread across India. His successor Madhav Sadashiv Golwarkar after taking charge in 1940, held the reign for 33 years.

The nationalistic ideology of the RSS made it popular throughout India.

Currently the RSS is active in India as well as abroad. The RSS has near about 4.5 million active members across India and over 100 affiliate bodies.

In fact the basic founding principle of the RSS is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – the vision of the whole world as one family. The guiding principles towards

this vision are voluntary service to the nation for socio-economic welfare and development. Their ultimate goal is to inspire in every Indian the spirit of unity, self confidence and the feeling of national pride. They strive to make India most prosperous and a powerful world leader.

It is these strong ideals of the RSS that have gone into the making of great visionary leaders like the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Their policies of inclusive growth have become a benchmark for all and their good governance that is talked about in very high regard. The strong character of a swayamsevak is built by inculcating the virtues of nationalism, selfless service and discipline. The RSS preaches that Hinduism is not a religion but a way of living. The ruling party at the Centre, the BJP is strongly influenced by RSS as a large section of its members and leaders belong to the Sangh. The core ideology of the RSS is based on Hindutva, the philosophy of Hindu Nationalism which believes in Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti. (Truth is One, Sages Call it by Many Names). Initially only upper caste Brahmins were part of the Sangh but with time the RSS has had many Dalit and middle caste people as its members. Many of these are now holding key positions in the Sangh.

In October 1950, Jana Sangh, a new party was launched by the members of the RSS. The RSS was banned thrice on frivolous grounds because of political motives but the ban was lifted as no evidence could be found of iits involvement in any illegal activity. The RSS was banned in 1948 after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, during the 1975 Emergency in India, and after the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition. Sangh has a very simple method of working.

Shakhas are the basic units of Sangh to carry out its work. In each locality Daily Shakhas are held, generally in an open ground for an hour. The place where the meeting is held is known as Sanghasthan.

Swayamsevaks are the members of Sangh who take part in these meetings. So growth of the Sangh since its inception is through personal contact.

July 10 - 16, 2017

RSS Affiliates

11

RSS affiliates

A Tree with many branches RSS is just a monolith but it’s allied organisations are working in every field, from education and labour to agriculture

Quick Glance There are five million active members assembling daily Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh is the largest trade union in the country Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is the RSS’s students’ organisation

SSB Bureau

R

ashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, numerically is arguably the world’s largest social organisation but its membership is not registered. Sangh though, has over three dozen allied organisations working in different fields. These range from education, culture, religious, social, agriculture, labour, economy, women, tribals and the youth. Members of all these organisations are naturalised members of the parent organisation as well.

Today, with over 5 million active members assembling in over 50,000 shakhas each day across India and over 100 affiliate bodies, the RSS is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

With such an extensive network, they have successfully conducted mass movements for the greater good of societies. The RSS runs 27,000 Ekal Vidyalayas (schools) in remote tribal areas where more than 8 lakh socially deprived tribal students are enrolled.

This is just one of their many initiatives.

Let us take a look at some of these organisations...

successfully for protecting and promoting their interest Bharatiya Mazdoor consistent with those of Sangh the community. It often It is the largest trade union agitates for workers’ right organization in India with for security of service and more than 10 million for social security, the right members. It was founded to conduct trade union

by Dattopant Thengdi activities and the right to on 23 July 1955. BMS strike as a last resort after is not affiliated to any having exhausted other International Trade Union Confederation. It is the Dattopant Thengadi legitimate methods of trade unionism for redressal labour wing of RSS. The BMS aims to fight for the rights of grievances. of the workers both in the public and private sector. It wants complete The Bharatiya utilisation of manpower and resources Kisan Sangh to provide full employment and BKS is an Indian farmers’ representative maximum production – essential ethos organisation affiliated with the of the RSS. Another objective of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. It was BMS is Replacement of profit motive formed in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 by service motive and establishment and began its activities after getting the of economic democracy resulting in organisation duly registered. However, equitable distribution of wealth. The its first conference was held at Kota BMS inspires the workers to strive (Rajasthan) from March 3, 1979 where

BMS inspires workers to fight for their rights both in the public sector and private sector

RSS veteran Dattopant Thengadi announced the formal launch of Bhartiya Kisan Sangh - a non-political body of the farmers, for the farmers and by the farmers. It has units in all states of India, with nearly two crore members.

The organisation strives to unite and organise the peasantry for the betterment of their financial social, cultural, educational, conditions and cottage industrial activity by making available stable avenues of livelihood and survival and to make available information and other related literature in respect of new innovations, improvements, methodologies etc. in the field of agriculture and to encourage the farmers to adopt the same.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad It is the nationalist all India student organisation affiliated to the RSS. It is one of the largest student organisations with more than 33 lakh members.

Since 1970s, ABVP has been taking up issues concerning the lower middle classes like corruption and government inertia that Arun Jaitley were also being taken on by communist student groups.

The ABVP played a leading role in the students agitations during the JP movement in mid-1970s. This led to collaboration among student activists in Gujarat and Bihar. The ABVP gained significantly from such efforts after the Emergency and experienced a growth in membership.

12 RSS Affiliates

July 17 - 23, 2017

By 1974, the ABVP had 160,000 members across 790 campuses and had gained control over several prominent universities, including University of Delhi via student elections. By 1983, the organisation had 250,000 members and 1,100 branches. It claims to be India’s largest student organisation and a number of Union ministers like Ravi Shankar Prasad and Arun Jaitely have been members of the ABVP. The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch SJM was formed on November 22, 1991 at Nagpur by representatives of five national level organisations including BMS, ABVP, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh BKS, Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat (ABGP) and Sahkar Bharati. The first massive campaign against the economic policy of then Narasimha Rao government was launched on January 12, 1992, the birth Anniversary of Swami Vivek ananda.

Ashwani Mahajan Sub sequently, literature on Swadeshi and intellectual property rights were launched. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and economic imperialism of multinationals was published and distributed to popularize the cause of SJM. Seva Bharati It has been working among the economically weaker sections of the society like slum dwellers and resettlement colonies by introducing a number of welfare and social service programs, such as free medical assistance, free education, as well as vocational training through its nationwide network of more than 10000 centers. It runs about 160,000 activities throughout the year in 602 districts. It was set up in 1979.

Seva Bharati members rendered yeoman’s role following the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, the 2008 Bihar flood and the 2004 Tsunami. The organisation is also known for its efforts in rehabilitating the victims of terror, especially the children who are rendered orphans by terror attacks.

Seva Bharti Students

Rashtriya Sevika Samiti Volunteers

The volunteers of Seva Bharati today are involved in more than one hundred thousand service projects in remote areas of the country. Seva Bharati has 13,786 projects in education, 10,908 in health care, 17,560 in social welfare and 7,452 self-reliance projects.

Bajrang Dal It is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Founded on October 1, 1984, it has since spread throughout India, although its most significant base remains in the northern and central portions of the country. The group runs about 2,500 branches.

The Bajrang Dal’s slogan is ‘Sevā Suraksha Sanskriti’ (service, safety and culture).

The Durga Vahini Durga Vahini

It is the women’s wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad established in 1991 with Sadhvi Rithambara as its founding chairperson. Durga Vahini was formed to encourage more women to participate in prayer meetings and in cultural activities. The aim of the organization is to establish Hindu

solidarity by helping Hindu families during times of hardship and by providing social services.

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation It is involved in education and village development in rural and tribal Ekal Vidyalaya

villages. It is the largest grassroots, non-government education initiative in India with presence in 51,717 villages providing free education to more than one million children. The foundation’s model of operation is single-teacher schools, with the premise of one teacher for every school. They have local teachers who teach in the regional language using various modes like story-telling, folk dramas, and folk songs. The schools also impart moral education, healthcare education and organic farming techniques Rashtra Sevika Samiti It is a nationalist women’s organisation, an ally of the RSS which is exclusively a male organisation. That is why it is often referred to as the “women’s wing” of the RSS. Set up in 1936, Rashtra Sevika

Samiti is today the largest women’s organisation working to uphold Indian culture and traditions. RSS women are actively involved in socio-cultural activities. Samiti inculcates a sense of patriotism and social awareness in people. Various types of training camps at different levels in all parts of India are conducted periodically.

The Samiti currently operates in 5215 centers of which 875 centers conduct the Shakhas on a daily basis. It has overseas branches in 10 countries, which use the name Hindu Sevika Samiti. The Samiti also runs 475 service projects all over India for the poor and underprivileged.

Vidya Bharti It is an educational organisation which runs one of the largest private networks of schools across the country. Its aim is to develop a national system of education which would help to build a generation that is committed to Hindutva and infused with patriotic fervor, fully developed physically, vitally, mentally and spiritually, capable of successfully facing challenges of day to day life-situations.

Vidya Bharti established its first Saraswati Shishu Mandir in Gorakhpur in 1952, under the aegis of Nanaji Deshmukh. Similar schools and committees were subsequently set up in Delhi, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. It has in its kitty 21,000 schools, 29 lakh students, 93,000 teachers, 15 teacher training colleges, 12 degree colleges and 7 vocational and training institutions. Most of the Vidya Bharati schools are affiliated to the Central Board for Secondary Education or their local State Boards.

July 17 - 23, 2017

Vidya Bharati

Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram focuses on indigenous tribes in remote areas of India and has branches all over India. These branches focus on agriculture, healthcare, child education, and sports and culture in their respective regions.

It is also aimed at resisting the conversion of tribals and encouraging their reconversion. It tries to bring tribals into the mainstream with economic development but with their cultural moorings.

The Ashram, by providing basic amenities like healthcare, employment, and education, helps the tribes avoid activities that can hamper their development. Their efforts are also directed at conflict resolution between the different tribes, which sometimes clash amongst themselves over petty issues.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad VHP is also an RSS ally aimed at conserving and propagating the cause

of Hindutva. The VHP was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve and protect the Hindu Dharma.

It has been involved in issues such as construction and renovation of Hindu temples including Ram Janmabhoomi Temple movement, protest religious conversion and protection of cows etc.

Muslim Rashtriya Manch It was formed in 2002 at the initiative of the then RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan to allow the Sangh Parivar to reach out to Muslims to bring Hindus and Muslims closer. The MRM has also expressed support for many of the causes espoused by the RSS, including the banning of cow-slaughter.

In November 2009 the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, one of the largest Vishwa Hindu Parishad

Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram Sports meet

Islamic organisations in India, passed a resolution describing Vande Mataram as an un-Islamic song. The MRM opposed the resolution. Its president Mohd Afzal asked Muslim brothers “not to follow the fatwa as Vande Mataram is the national song of the country and every Indian citizen should respect and recite it.”

Akhil Bhartiya Shikshan Mandal It was constituted to restore Indian values among teachers so that they can impart the same values to their students. The teachers are also trained to resist anti-national values. They also conduct a number of workshops and research projects to understand Hindutva values.

RSS Affiliates

13

Muslim Rashtriya Manch

All India Sahitya Parishad This RSS-affiliate was set up in 1996 to enhance and promote nationalistic fervor in the field of literature. It is also aimed at increasing cultural values in Indian literature. It provides a joint forum to all Indian languages and their writers. A number of eminent writers have been associated with the Parishad.

Sanskrit Bharti This organisation is working to restore the status of Sanskrit as the original Indian language and popularise it.

Sanskrit Bharti organises workshops, debates and has set up many educational institutions to promote the language.

Bharat Vikas Parishad Dr Suraj Prakash and Lala Hansraj Gupta set up this organisation in 1963 to involve industrialists and businessmen with the RSS. It has 1200 branches, 54000 families and over 1.08 lakh members today.

Besides these, the RSS affiliates also include many other organisation working in diverse fields. These include Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) set up by Nanajo Deshmukh in 1972 for rural upliftment.

Other such organisations are Vigyan Bharti for promotion of science among masses, Purva Sainik Seva Parishad for rehabilitation of ex-servicemen, Kreeda Bharti (for promotion of sports and Yoga), Akhil Bhartiya Adhivakta Parishad (to involve lawyers with Indian way of life), Akhil Bhartiya Sahkar Bharti (to ensure interests of cooperatives are protected), Akhil Bhartiya Grahak Panchayat (to protect consumers’ interests), Laghu Udyog Bharti (to promote small enterprises and solve their issues), Pragya Pravah (a forum of right wing intellectuals), Bhartiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana (to conserve and enrich our historical heritage), Vivekanand Kendra, Hindu Jagaran Manch in Delhi, Hindu Mannani (in Kerala), Arogya Bharti to promote Indian system of medical treatments etc. The RSS also publishes two magazines – Organiser in English and Panchjanya in Hindi. It has many publishing houses across India which have been publishing newspapers, magazines, and books sympathic to RSS ideology. The RSS had set up a news agency also – Hindustan Samachar – in 1949.

14 The Team

July 17 - 23, 2017

the team

sulabh team Recognised!

Writers and Researchers of the book get a reward of Rs 10,000 each

Col. (Retired) Jaibans Singh

Sushil Goyal

Aarti Arora

Tarun Sharma

Anita Agarwal

Shashi Dhar

SSB Bureau

T

he team of writers and researchers which helped Founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform, Movement, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak in completing the coffee-table book Narendra Damodardas Modi – Making of a Legend, have been given a token reward for their precious inputs.

Colonel (Retd) Jaibans Singh and Sushil Goyal, were given a gold medal by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat while each of the other

The pictorial biography in shape of coffee-table

book was written by Dr Pathak with help of this dedicated team after hard work of several months members of the team including Aarati Arora, Tarun Sharma, Anita Agarwal and Shashi Dhar were presented by Dr Pathak with a shawl and a cheque of Rs 10,000.

Besides releasing the book, the RSS chief and the BJP President also launched two songs written

by Dr Pathak recognizing Prime

Minister Narendra Modi’s work in making of a new India. These songs are “Sulabh, A Temple Of Gratitude” and “Son of India”.

The colourful pictorial biography in shape of coffee-table book was written by Dr Pathak with help of this dedicated team after

hard work lasting several months.

Dr. Pathak had constituted this team and guided it to complete the beautiful book in record time.

The function ended with a cultural programme presented by Sulabh School students. Beside, young poets like Samiksha Singh ‘Jadaun’, Dr Ruchi Chaturvedi, Ankita Singh, Dr. Premlata Neelam and Kanksha Koumudee led by Pt. Suresh Neerav, recited several poems written on Prime Minister Modi. Dr. Pathak too recited several poems written by him.

July 17 - 23, 2017

Sanitation

15

news in brief

India ODF

Vizianagram to construct one lakh toilets Prime Minister Modi acknowledged and praised the accomplishments of two villages for undertaking initiatives to make themselves free of open defecation

ssb bureau

D

espite being one of the most backwards districts, Vizianagram in Andhra Pradesh has made tremendous progress in regards to the Swachh Bharat Programme. 10,000 toilets were constructed in only 100 hours between March 10 and 14. This project involved village residents, local leaders, officials, and representatives of NGOs.As a part of this programme, over seventy one gram panchayats were declared open defecation-free villages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged this tremendous achievement in ODF in ‘Mann Ki Baat’ that aired on June 25. The district plans to construct 50,000 household toilets by August 15 and another 50,000 by October 2.

N. Chandrababu Naidu also promised to extend required help to achieve the one lakh goal after being impressed with the panchayat’s initiative. “We are hopeful to achieve the target by replicating the previous plan which involves everyone in the stipulated time-frame,” he said.

Training programmes Special training programmeswere also executed for the stakeholders, including sarpanches and representatives of NGOs, apart from district officials. Triggering sessions, sensitisation meetings, experience sharing, door-to-door campaign, candle light rallies were also being planned to achieve the target.

Number of ODF cities and towns to increase to 1,418 With the third anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, 1,137 statutory cities and towns from Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala and Telangana are set to be declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) by October 2 this year.

The chances of this being accomplished are based on regular reports being received from States/ Urban Territories (UTs).

Union Urban Development Secretary,Durga Shanker, announced during a review of Swachh Bharat with Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Chandigarh to have already announced all the 281 cities and towns under their jurisdiction ODF, a total of 1,418 cities and towns would become ODF by this year in October. These States already account for 39% of the total 4,041 mission cities.

The number of mission cities in Maharashtra is 384, followed by Madhya Pradesh (378), Chhattisgarh (168), Kerala (93), Telangana (73) and Jharkhand (41).

Gujarat has already declared all 170 cities and towns ODF while Andhra Pradesh has done the same in 110 cities and towns. Chandigarh is the only UT to have become ODF until now.

The six States, which are set to become ODF in urban areas, have a total target of building 22,44,003

Individual Household Targets while Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Chandigarh have already constructed 9,51,177 such toilets.

These nine States/ UT account for a total of 31, 95,180 toilets which comes to 49% of the total mission target of construction of 65, 82,451 toilets.

In Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Sikkim, the toilets constructed so far and under construction comes to 100% of mission goal, followed by Uttarakhand-92%, Maharashtra-91%, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh-89%, Tamil Nadu85%, Telangana-81%, Kerala-77%, Karnataka-74%, Punjab-68%, Andaman and Nicobar Islands-67%, Bihar-63%, Rajasthan-61%, Uttar Pradesh-49%, and Haryana-46%.

The concerned officials were also asked to pursue with the States/UTs lagging behind which include Goa, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern States for speeding up building toilets which are essential to transform the states into ODF The senior officer also stressed on the need to focus attention on Solid Waste Management projects for ensuring total processing of municipal solid waste by October, 2019. During his monthly radio programme –“Mann Ki Baat” — Prime Minister Modiacknowledged and praised the accomplishments of two villages for undertaking initiatives to make themselves free of open defecation, establishing an example for the rest to follow under the ‘Swachh Bharat’ drive. The mission target is to builda total 65 lakh individual household toilets for the country’s urban areas to be completely ODF, according to the Urban Development Ministry.

VizianagaramZillaParishad Chief Executive Officer P.Anitha said many sarpanches were coming forward to achieve the ODF status for their villages.

MOUD TIES UP WITH RECKITT BENCKISER RB to work under Swachh Bharat to bring social awareness SSB Bureau

T

he Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) announced a tie-up with consumer health and personal care maker Reckitt. The tie-up is under the Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission umbrella campaign.

Citizens are encouraged to use Google Maps to locate public toilets, and share their ratings and reviews after using them. A statement issued by RB said the firm has “committed to be the behaviour change communications partner to spread awareness on the matter through the social campaign”.

The campaign will also help construct a database of crowd sourced content in the form of citizen feedback, which will then be shared with urban local bodies (ULBs). “This will help ULBs take necessary corrective action to improve and maintain cleanliness and hygiene facilities. One of the expected by-products of the campaign would be a stronger partnership and collaboration between the government and public,” the statement said.

Maker of Dettol soap and Lizol disinfectants, RB has been working under the government’s Swachh Bharat campaign, and had earlier announced an investment of a whopping Rs 100 crore for its own ‘BanegaSwachh India’ campaign. This is not their first rodeo with the Ministry of Urban Development. Late last year, both entities had tied-up for a similar exercise.

16

July 17 - 23, 2017

“

Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.”

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

VIEWPOINT

The age of e-cars

Stephen R. Covey

With India committing to produce only electric cars by 2030, we will need a huge infrastructure push

Mandela : A True Gandhian

tribute on 99th Birth Anniversary

From 28 years of Prison to First Black President of S. Africa

T

he South African activist and former president, Nelson Mandela helped bring an end to apartheid through non-violent means. A member of the African National Congress party beginning in the 1940s, he was a leader of both peaceful protests and armed resistance against the white minority’s oppressive regime in a racially divided South Africa.

His actions landed him in prison for nearly three decades and made him the face of the antiapartheid movement both within his country and internationally. Released in 1990, he participated in the eradication of apartheid and in 1994 became the first black president of South Africa, forming a multiethnic government to oversee the country’s transition. after retiring from politics in 1999, he remained a devoted champion for peace and social justice in his own nation and around the world until his death in 2013 at the age of 95. After attaining his freedom, Nelson Mandela led the ANC in its negotiations with the governing National Party and various other South African political organizations for an end to apartheid and the establishment of a multiracial government. Though fraught with tension and conducted against a backdrop of political instability, the talks earned Mandela and de Klerk the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1993. On April 26, 1994, more than 22 million South Africans turned out to cast ballots in the country’s first multiracial parliamentary elections in history. An overwhelming majority chose the ANC to lead the country, and on May 10 Mandela was sworn in as the first black president of South Africa, with de Klerk serving as his first deputy.

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

A

t the end of April this year while addressing the CII Annual Session, Union Power Minister Piyush Goel claimed, “We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way.

The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country”. This aim put India in line with many other countries across the world where there has been a major push towards electrification of vehicles. Goyal said that converting all vehicles to electric would help the country save Rs 6.5 lakh crore in fuel bills annually. He said, “According to a study conducted by the Government, India can power its entire vehicular traffic in 2030 on solar power by using only 1% of the land area of Rajasthan.”

Though we have not set a hard target and carmakers continue to set up manufacturing units to produce traditional cars running on petrol and diesel, most experts feel that switching to electric on such a scale in 13 years time is ambitious.

It requires a major shift in the country’s energy infrastructure. In 13 short years, a nationwide network of charging stations will have to be built, that is capable of recharging automobile batteries within a few minutes.

Simultaneously an intricate transport fuel distribution and storage system will become redundant, causing substantial losses to the distributors. The number of charging stations that will have to be created is mind boggling. In 2014 there were 51,780 petrol pumps. Another 35,600 were projected to be added by the end of this year. At the current rate of growth this figure is likely to treble to 250,000 by 2030, and the majority will have to be in small towns and along highways, where there is no reliable power supply today.

A 90-page report prepared with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) titled ‘Transformative Mobility Solutions for India‘, has urged the government to make a radical transformation

towards a transportation system geared completely around electric vehicles.

The report proposes a 15-year plan for making the shift which will begin by limiting the registration of conventional vehicles through public lotteries, and complement that with a preferential registration for electric vehicles, similar to policies followed in China. To kick-start the shift, the report suggests an initial bulk procurement of electric vehicles, building standardised, swappable batteries for two- and threewheelers to bring down their cost and having favourable tariff structures for charging cars.

International Energy Agency (IEA) in May said that India would need nearly eight times the global stock of electric vehicles in order to meet its target. The country would need to sell more than 1 crore cars in 2030, compared with the almost 1.3 million (13 lakh) on the road worldwide in 2015.”

Nearly 38 lakh cars were sold in India in 2016-17 as against 31 lakh in 2011-12. India is expected to be the fourth largest car market in the world in the next two years and is already an export hub for leading carmakers globally. As compared to this, the country had a meagre 5,000 electric vehicles on its road at the end of last year, IEA said.

The report seems to be aware of these problems.

That is why it has tried to sweeten the pill by pointing to the fact that in addition to lowering carbon emissions by one billion tonnes a year, the shift will also save $60 billion in foreign exchange

In next 13 years, a

nationwide network of charging stations will have to be built, to recharge car batteries

July 17 - 23, 2017

If Tesla achieves its

targets, it will build more battery-powered cars next year than all of the world’s automakers combined in 2016 due to less oil having to be imported. This inducement only works if electric vehicles are a real alternative to conventional vehicles in India. As Tesla’s decision to bypass India shows, this is not currently the case. There is, though, an alternative fuel which could make this a reality: methanol.

Over past five years, electric car manufacturers, such as Tesla, have taken massive strides in dealing with the image of electric cars. The first was to deal with the so-called ‘range anxiety’ — the worry that electric car owners have, that their vehicles will not make it. With improvements in battery technology and car software to improve performance, many modern electric cars are more than capable of doing a long daily commute.

However, to ensure that this is made as easy as possible, there needs to be investment in ‘supercharging’ stations where an electric car can be sufficiently charged under half an hour, a feature similar to those some smartphones offer. However, all-electric cars, despite subsidies, continue to have a huge sticker price and remain playthings of the wealthy.

For a country dependent on external sources for oil to run its vehicles, pushing for electric vehicles answers very pertinent questions about its finances and foreign policy. Recent push for solar power has already started delivering some results.

India is already the world’s largest market for solar power and government’s rules of making power companies compulsarily buying solar power is further helping cleaner generation of energy.

The e-car wave is sweeping across continents. Leader in e-car segment Tesla has already launched its new model which will be commercially produced at a breakneck speed. Tesla plans to hand over the keys to 30 cars at a launch celebration on July 28. It then envisions building 100 cars during August. September will bring another 1,500 cars, and the ramp will build to a rate of 20,000 cars a month by December, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. It’s an aggressive schedule that will more than double Tesla’s total production rate in six months, and then quintuple it by the end of next year.

If Tesla achieves all of Musk’s targets, it will build more battery-powered cars next year than all of the world’s automakers combined in 2016.

Oped

17

The Secret is in the Present Moment

mihir paul

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

upfront

Live in the present moment. Be the present moment

L

ife is breathtaking. From the very first breath to the very last, it’s a journey of tantalising experiences with rich sensations and perceptions all weaved nicely together to form our own individual stories.

Life seems easy when we are young and figuring out the nuts and bolts of life and the world around us.

Somewhere along the way, we all grow weary and simply accept our conditions and learn to go through the motions. We start repressing our feelings and put on idealistic masks of ourselves that we show to the world.

We lose touch with our authentic selves and start living exclusively as the mind created character we show ourselves as. This disconnect is the beginning of the condition we identify as suffering. Suffering is the condition of being focused internally and living exclusively through the mind made ego personality.

Suffering is caused by a dissonance between the individual’s core selfexpression and the ego that blocks natural expression and compensates for it. This manifests in a lot of ways in

individuals, the most common being psychological issues like - anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, and personality disorders. It may also manifest in the form of physiological issues like high blood pressure and cardiovascular issues.

The simplest way to put it is - Live in the present moment, Be the present

moment. Be Here and Now. And that’s about it. That’s how one can live life fully without suffering. Because of our extensive conditioning, we find this seemingly easy activity difficult to do. We have been bombarded with useless information from the society and culture, and our own thoughts that

we have developed an addiction to.

We critically think and analyse every single experience rather than simply being in the moment and enjoying the experience Being in the present moment doesn’t mean that one stops thinking and becomes a rock; it means, one doesn’t get in the way of one’s own self. Being in the present means experiencing life without a bias and experiencing it fully with love. Without fear or judgment.

The best way to start living in the present moment is to start being conscious of one’s breath.

Our core being and our breath are always in the Here and Now. It’s only our attention that wavers back and forth and so by being conscious of the present moment breaths, one becomes grounded in the present moment.

This way you can start experiencing life how it’s supposed to be experienced.

This way you can be authentic and let that flow in your intentions, words, and actions thus making life more harmonious and worth living.

letters to the editor the society since his student days and Dr Pathak has spent his life trying to change the life of the underprivileged. The article about this visit reminded me of the 1980s when I was a student in Gwalior and saw the work being carried forth

by Sulabh. As your article says, it is not common to find a combination of education, cleanliness drive and employment opportunities.

Rita Matta, Jaipur

meeting of minds The visit to Sulabh centre by Narendra Singh Tomar represents a meeting of people with similar goals. Tomar has been working for the welfare of

women to the fore I would like to congratulate your paper for its reports on women pioneers. In almost every issue I have often come across a news about a special lady who has made a name in a new field. The piece ‘Lady Idol Makers’ is one such article about a work that was not open for women. But the stories of the three famous women who have

proved to be so good in this work is very encouraging for all girls who have similar dreams.

Shobha Dewan, Kolkata the shiva nadar example If you want to change society, change the young! The article about the children of Shiv Nadar School is a good reminder that more schools in the country should help the students realise the kind of important social changes that are being made around them. The children’s views regarding the less-fortunate people among us present their sensitive and aware minds. Instead of merely teaching theoretical facts if school children are escorted to centres where actual experiments are being carried on, then like these students from Shiv Nadar School, other kids too will be motivated.

Hansa Gupta, Meerut

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

18 Photo Feature

July 17 - 23, 2017

The Book Launch

The book - Narendra Damodardas Modi - The Making of a Legend was launched at the Mavalankar Auditorium of the Constitution Club of India, New Delhi

Photos: montu & jairam

A photo exhib

ition was also

held at the la

unch

unch.

ded the la r who atten u o n o h f o ts

The gues

g RSS elcomin e w k a th Pa the venu eshwar Dr Bind han Bhagwat to o Chief, M

Beami

ng Dr Pat and da hak with wif e ughter with M Amola Path ak ohan B hagwa t

RSS Chief meets rehabilitated

scavengers

wat to an Bhag h o M g ucin k introd dents Dr Patha blic School stu u P Sulabh

Dr Patha

k discus

sing the

book wit

h Amit S

hah

ainting nting a p f e s re p k Dr Patha to the RSS Chie memento

Mohan Bhagwat meeting rehabilitated widows

Amit Shah lig h with Mohan ting the ceremonial lamp Bhagwat

July 17 - 23, 2017

Photo Feature

19

nch

Mohan

e lau eets at th w s g in t unveil Bhagwa

Guests of honour tasting the

eech

The guests of

g his sp

k givin Dr Patha

f guests k with chie

Dr Patha

launching

cermeonial sweets

honour reveal

ing the book

cover

the book

Amit Shah sp

eaking about

arma speaking

Baldev Bhai Sh

RSS Chief delivering a speech for the attendees

the book

to attendees

ural programme

The launch was followed by a cult

20 Shrimp Cultivation

July 17 - 23, 2017

haryana Shrimp Cultivation

Fishing Out a Solution With water logging having become a permanent problem over large areas of Haryana, farmers are making hay from shallow, saline waters

Quick Glance

srawan shukla

I

f you are an industrious lot, you can turn a clouded sky into sunshine. Thus it is the case with farmers in the agrarian state of Haryana, where farmers are quietly shifting to fishing to solve the problem of large swathes of the state’s farmlands submerged in water permanently.

It isn’t something their forefathers had taught them to do, but more and more farmers are learning the skills of fish farming in their human-made ponds. And they are being encouraged by the state agencies.

With more farmers taking to fish farming, the annual production of fish in Haryana has increased to 144,200 tonnes in 2016-17 against 105,579.50 tonnes during 2013-14, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Fisheries Minister Om Prakash Dhankar said.

“We have brought 18,975 hectares of water area under fish farming in 2016-17 by increasing it from 16,921.69 hectares of water area.

Haryana has become the first landlocked state where white shrimp farming is being done on saline land,” he said.

White fish farming is does on lands where there are saline ingression due to proximity to the sea. However, though this is not the case with landlocked Haryana, farmers are converting their ‘accidental’ shallow saline wetlands into white shrimp cultivation.

Global Industry Shrimp farming has changed from traditional, small-scale businesses in Southeast Asia into a global industry.

Technological advances have led to growing shrimp at ever higher densities, and broodstock is shipped worldwide. Virtually all farmed shrimp are of the family Penaeidae, and just two species – Penaeus vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) and Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) – account for roughly 80% of all farmed shrimp.

White shrimp industrial cultivation is today a global business, with a value of at least USD 16 billion, with the highest number of consumers being

Large swathes of Haryana have come under permanent water logging, ruining agriculture Salt water shrimp cultivation has a huge global market, which will benefit farmers State government is encouraging shrimp cultivation, which is far more remunerative than rice-paddy

Fish farmers have earned a handsome net profit of

Rs. 320,000 per hectare per annum from fish farming in their water-logged land from the US, Western Europe and Japan.

Hence, it could be argued that the Haryana farmers are taking a good gamble, but the problem is that these industrial monocultures are susceptible to disease infestation, so unless serious precautions are taken, the farmers will be faced with frequent losses.

But in the case of Haryana, it is less of a choice than a compulsion, sources say. Besides, the supply chain will satisfy not just the end-farmers, but three tiers of people. These include the hatcheries, which grow the seedlings; these are sold to the nurseries; which then sell the tiny shrimps to farmers who grow them in ponds (in the case of inland shrimpfarming) and sell them in the market.

In tropical climates, it is possible to have a run of two to three harvests every year.

“Haryana is at second position (among inland states) in the country with fish production of 7,200 kilograms per hectare per year in 2016-17. It was 5,800 kilograms per hectare per year in 2013-14. The fish

production would be increased to 10,000 kilograms per hectare per year in 2017-18,” Dhankar said, adding that the Haryana government had lined up incentives and subsidies for farmers to shift to fish rearing.

Growing Numbers As per the estimates of the state’s Fisheries Department, there are over 10,000 farmers who have taken to fish farming and are getting better remuneration than what they earned from the wheat-paddy crop cycle.

“We ventured into fish farming about four years back. This is a better proposition than growing wheatpaddy crops. It has higher returns too and is providing more employment to people,” Jaswant Singh, a farmer in Karnal district, told IANS. Fish farmers are not only rearing popular varieties of fish like rohu, mrigal, catla, common carp, silver carp and grass carp but also shrimps and prawn.

The Haryana government has decided to set up a hi-tech and ultramodern ornamental fish hatchery in Jhajjar district of southwest Haryana

at a cost of Rs 13.68 crore. This would be the first-of-its-kind project in the country.

“It has also been proposed to develop about 16,000 acres of water-logged land in Jhajjar and Charki Dadri districts for fish farming so as to generate a new source of income for the farmers,” Dhankar said.

Given the success of fish breeding in the state, the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources has declared Haryana a “fish disease-free state”.

It is not only the 15-odd government fish farms that are doing well in the state. A number of private farms have established themselves in the past few years.

The story of the Sultan Fish Farm in the Nilokheri area of Karnal district is quoted as an example of the success of a private enterprise.

The farm supplies fish seeds and fish to the government and other states and is well-known nationally and internationally.

Farmer Sultan Singh set up north India’s first fish farm in 1984.

“Fish farmers have earned a handsome amount of net profit Rs. 320,000 per hectare per annum from fish farming in their water-logged land,” a recent report of the Haryana Fisheries Department said.

Haryana was carved out of the most backward region of erstwhile Punjab in 1966. Primarily an agrarian state, it faces many challenges on the agriculture front as the irrigation network is not as strong as in Punjab – the land of five rivers. The only major river flowing through Haryana is the Yamuna.

July 17 - 23, 2017

Software

21

software track court summons

No way to hide from Court Summons Now A lady IAS officer develops a software to automatically send and track court summons srawan shukla

W

hat the Law Ministry could not do in decades, a 2009 batch Uttar Pradesh lady IAS officer has done it in less then one month - finding an automated solution to the India’s pendency problem in various courts across the country.

Impressed by her software, the High Court in Uttar Pradesh has given a go ahead for its implementation initially in e-Courts and then in its Allahabad and Lucknow benches.

Developed by Shubhra Saxena, a 2009 batch IAS officer, the software will prove to be a boon in serving summons to parties involved in a legal tangle. Shubhra is a tech graduate from IIT Roorkee, who topped the civil services exam in 2008. Shubhra has named her software ‘Saakshi’ Posted as Hardoi District Magistrate, the lady IAS officer gave a presentation to a screening committee of the Allahabad High Court recently.

Recognising the utility of the new software, the HC committee has

issued directives for its immediate implementation in e-Courts and then in its Allahabad and Lucknow benches.

What prompted Shubhra to develop this software? Usually, bureaucrats prefer to stay away from courts and the legal fraternity but an incident forced Shubhra to develop an automated system which helps judiciary improve its functioning.

In 2012, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Shubhra, when she was posted in Bulandshahar. She was shocked when the NBW was slapped on her for failing to appear before the court. But she never received any summon? Inquiries revealed that court summon never reached her due to the negligence of court munshi and policemen engaged in delivery. She had a tough time pleading before the court to convince that she never received any summon and she had no intention to avoid her appearance. Later, she had to get the NBW annulled by High Court.

The lady IAS officer then resolved to overcome this lacuna in the present judicial system by developing an

Automated Summon Management System (ASMS). She first studied the judicial mechanism for issuance of summons and its delivery and found that majority of the summons are undelivered due to laxity and non-availability of police personnel deployed to serve court summons.

When posted as DM Hardoi, she gave an hour daily to work on the project.

Her background as a tech graduate from IIT Roorkee came in handy. She also engaged a software engineer from National Informatics Centre (NIC) to help her in the design. In less than a month, the software was ready. She equipped it with a SMS gateway costing a little over Rs 20,000.

Once Saakshi was ready, it was time to begin trials. Shubhra discussed the new software with district court authorities and the police chief. They happily agreed. She first tested it with the police department.

All information with regard to issuance of summons and pending cases are fed into the software which sends automated SMS and text messages

The Allahabad High Court has given a go ahead for its implementation initially in e-Courts and then in its benches

Quick Glance Shubhra Saxena, a 2009-batch topper, is Dictrict Magistrate of Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district She was served a court notice for having avoided ‘non-existent’ summons An IIT-Roorkee alumnus then developed the software Saakshi to track all summons

to parties as a reminder for appearing before the court on the date fixed for hearing of their cases. Not only this, the software also keeps a record of defaulters for their non-appearance and issues them automated warnings.

Once the testing was successful in the district of her posting, Shubhra gave a presentation of Saakshi to the Chief Secretary. The Chief Secretary was very much impressed by the efficacy and the utility of the software in legal arena as well as in the police department.

The state administration also apprised the Allahabad High Court authorities which then called Shubhra to Allahabad for a presentation before a screening committee. It took time foro the screening committee to give her a go ahead for its implementation.

The UP Police department which is already reeling under the pressure of staff shortage has also decided to use the software to save its manpower for maintaining law and order. “The new software will indeed reduce burden on already overburdened police personnel,” says rahul Srivastava, PRO, State Police.

Shubhra feels that the software would help in reducing pendency in courts as majority of times summons never reached their destinations in time. It will also leave no room for any manourverings wherein counsels grease palms of court employees who never send summons in time.

Uttar Pradesh will be the first state in the country to implement Saakshi. The Allahabad High Court authorities are making arrangements for the lady IAS officer to make a presentation before the Law Ministry and Supreme Court so that others also reap benefits of this unique software.

22 Good News

July 17 - 23, 2017

2018 ODFs

good news in brief

All seven UT’s to achieve ODF goals by next year Governments have focussed on this impact over a two-day survey of new urban missions

Quick Glance East and South MCDs to become Open Defecation Free by October ‘17

New Budget from Yogi’s Govt keeps 10% for farm loan waiver

NDMC asked to speed up execution of smart city plan Progress of urban missions in seven UTs reviewed

The budget for 2017-2018 was announced by the UP government with several provisions to keep good on earlier promises.

PTI

A

budget of Rs 3, 84,659 crores for 2017-2018 was presented by the Yogi Adiyanath Government recently. This made a provision of Rs 36,000 crore (10 per cent of budget allocation) in order to fulfill its poll promises of a farm loan waver.

Tabling the Budget, Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal said the Budget is 10.9 per cent higher than last fiscal’s and earmarks Rs 55,781 crore for new schemes. He reiterated the state government’s commitment towards the farmers and the marginalised sections of society The House was informed that the government proposes recruitment of 1.5 lakh police personnel. Rs 3,255 crores have been set aside by the state government for the construction of toilets and Rs 1,000 crore for Swachh Bharat Mission. A provision of Rs 3,972 crore has been laid out for road maintenance.

While there is no mention of laptops and free 1 GB data promised to college students in the BJP’s manifesto, there are a number of freebies that are being planned for school students. A provision of Rs 545.08 crores has been made for the free distribution of school bags, uniform and books to the students of primary and senior primary schools run by the basic education board.

The Purvanchal region has been given special focus with 300 crores being set aside for it exclusively.

Two sugar mills at the cost of Rs 543.75 crore will be set up at Pipraich in Gorakhpur and Muderwa in neighbouring Basti.

IANS

A

ll the Union Territories representing 16 Urban Local Bodies, including the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi will be Open Defecation Free (ODF) by next year. Governments have focused on this impact amid a two-day survey of advancements of new urban missions that finished up recently.

The state survey held recently was led by the Minister of Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, M.Venkaiah Naidu, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal, of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister of Puducherry, V.Narayanasamy, Urban Development Minister of Puducherry M.Krishna Rao and Urban Development Minister of Delhi, Satyendra Jain went to the state survey.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu asked all seven UTs to accelerate execution of different urban missions meant for enhancing framework in regards with sanitation, water supply, sewerage, and moderate lodging. He guaranteed that all help will be given to UTs to enable them to meet the goals.

Delhi Government authorities announced that 6.22 lakh families in Delhi will be furnished with water taps in the following two years under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). At the event, 23.78 lakh families representing

58% of the aggregate, 41 lakh families have water accessibility and this will be expanded to 73% under AMRUT. Sewerage network will be expanded from the current 57% to 65% under AMRUT. Naidu asked for LG of Delhi to deal with issues identified with forests, corner lands, and illegal settlements to guarantee full scope of supply.

The advance of workings under AMRUT in Delhi for which the Ministry of Urban Development endorsed a venture of Rs.802 CR for the five-year time frame 2015-20 has been checked on in detail. Taking note of sanitation as a noteworthy, Naidu asked the Delhi Government and civil bodies to concentrate on strong waste management and isolation of city squander at its source.

It was guaranteed that South and East MCDs will be Open Defecation Free by October this year while North MCD will do the same by December this year.

Of the 16 Urban Local Bodies in the UTs, just three viz., New Delhi Municipal Council, Chandigarh, and Mahe in Puducherry have progressed toward becoming ODF up until now. Amid the survey, individual governments resolved to make other 13 ULBs ODF by March one year from now. Concern was additionally communicated over the three MCDs of Delhi for not starting work, identifying with Credit Rating and supplanting old water pump sets by vitality proficient ones. It was guaranteed that MoU in

such manner will be marked with EESL

by September this year.

Naidu encouraged DDA and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board to act quickly and send all propositions at the earliest with the goal that development of houses can be finished by 2022.

NDMC has been solicited to accelerate execution from its shrewd city design with concentrate on impactful tasks like pedestrianisation of Connaught Place and so forth.

Venkaiah Naidu expressed gratitude towards LG of Delhi Shri Anil Baijal for guaranteeing a focus around sanitation and a general advancement of Delhi as a city.

Naidu complimented Chandigarh for being the key city to guarantee water taps to each family unit under AMRUT. City authorities announced that more than 1,600 families have been given water taps.

He asked the Ministry authorities to guarantee help to UTs to accelerate the execution of undertakings under the recently propelled urban missions.

LG of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Prof. Jagdish Mukhi proposed the organization of Project Management Units to UTs for the long run to address the requirements in a manner other than fortifying broadband availability.

Puducherry Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy alluded to the issue of sand accessibility in the UT and the endeavours being made to guarantee development in time. He guaranteed that LED lighting will be finished at the earliest. Urban Development Minister of Delhi Shri Satyendra Jain expressed that the focus in the national capital is on building group and open latrine seats. With this audit, M.Venkaiah Naidu finished the survey of advance of urban missions in 29 States and UTs until now.

July 17 - 23, 2017

Quick Glance

villages farmers

500 VILLAGES TO BE ADOPTED FOR WELFARE Prominent members of the Indian american community will join hands in assisting socio economic development in rural india IANS

A

futuristic vision for socioeconomic development has been adopted by a group of Indian Americans wherein they have planned to adopt 500 villages across India. A public announcement for the same will be made at the Big Ideas for Better India Conference in Silicon Valley on July 1st.

The Overseas Volunteer for Better India is leading the conference as an organizer as well. The keynote speech at the conference will be delivered by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a prominent Indian spiritual leader. The conference will be attended by over 1000 prominent members of the Indian American community in the United States. Some of the challenging problems that will be the center-point of the conference will be human trafficking, inadequate governance, and environmental disorders that encumber India’s growth.

The 500 villages to be adopted in India have been selected based on a set of parameters. The selection was a major challenge. Farmer suicide rates, unemployment rates, lack of civic facilities, and lack of basic infrastructure, etc. were the parameters taken into consideration for fair selection, according to Satej Chaudhary,

the President of the Overseas Volunteer for Better India.

According to Satej Chaudhary, the President of the Overseas Volunteer for Better India, parameters like farmer suicide rates, unemployment rates, lack of civic facilities, and lack of infrastructure made the basis of the selection criteria for the 500 villages that were shortlisted.

The shortlisted villages would be visited by the best panel of geoscientists and agricultural experts who would help identify areas for development.

In addition, some Indian American entrepreneurs will inspect economic aspects of the villages to help farmers

gujarat farming

SOWING TO CROSS 90 LAKH HA IN GUJARAT Gujarat farmers are already ahead of the sowing schedule on account of heavy rains in the state IANS

F

armers in Gujarat are cheering on the account of bountiful, timely, and widespread rains all over the state. They expect to complete the sowing of over 90 lakh hectares (ha) in the Kharif – 2017 season.

This year so far, farmers have completed sowing on an additional 10.55 lakh ha. Compared with the sowing completed by June 2016 on

Good News

23

good news in brief

Announcements on village adoption will be made Over 1000 prominent Indian Americans will be in attendance “Janbhoomi” project would also be executed by members

double the annual income by 2022.

The Indian Americans who stepped forward to adopt 500 villages aiming to strengthen the rural economy of India are not willing to make their names public until the things fall into place.

The “Janbhoomi” project is being executed by members of the Telegu Diaspora in the United States for the development of rural backwaters of Andhra Pradesh. The “Janbhoomi” project includes a noble plan to digitalize 5000 government schools across the state. Two computers, two inverters, one projector and some other gadgets will be provided to each school for a budget of INR 150,000, which will be divided between Telugu Indian Americans and the Andhra Pradesh government in a 70:30 equation.

Schools digitized under the “Janbhoomi” project will be teaching a bilingual curriculum as digital content. . The project also includes an online portal for the Telugu Diaspora to connect with the things related to the state of Andhra Pradesh. California-based Jayara Komati, a special representative of the Telugu Indian community in North America, is one of the driving forces behind the project “Janmbhoomi” for the welfare of villagers in Andhra Pradesh.

15.16 lakh ha, farmers have already reported sowing over 25.72 lakh ha so far, Agriculture Minister Chiman Saparia said.

The total cultivated area under Kharif crops last year in Gujarat was 89.79 lakh ha. Thus, the State’s farmers have already completed nearly 30 per cent of sowing this season.

Cotton continued to be the most preferred cash crop, with sowing completed on 12.64 lakh ha, followed by groundnut (7.44 lakh ha), maize (1.52 lakh ha), tuar (73,400 ha), moong (7,000 ha) and bajra (22,000 ha).

Sowing on over 90 lakh ha is expected to be completed in the next fortnight.

environment contest

NAGPUR AMONG 12 WINNERS OF ENVIRONMENT CONTEST 12 green cities were declared as winners of the environment contest organised by Earth Day Network

N

IANS

agpur was recently announced as one the 12 winners of the Sheher Green Karo contest that was organised by Earth Day Network, India.

Earth Day Network launched a nationwide contest on Earth Day, April 22, 2017, with the goal of encouraging citizens to take point for a cleaner and greener India. Nagpur was recently announced as one the 12 winners of the Sheher Green Karo contest. While launching this contest, the network had selected 47 cities of the country where environment conservation work was being done. When Nagpur was selected, environment NGO Green Vigil Foundation decided to represent the city in the contest.

Highlighting many of the various environmental conservation works, the NGO’s founder, Kaustav Chatterjee said. “We mentioned mainly three aspects of environmental issues — lake and river conservation, power saving campaign and action against illegal tree felling,” NMC and our organisation take joint initiative every year to urge citizens to turn off their lights for one hour on Purnima Day. We also mentioned that Nagpurians were very serious about illegal tree felling and local media organisations and civic authorities take efforts to sensitise citizens on this issue,” Chatterjee said.

Nagpur was declared as one of the 12 green cities of 2017 under heavy scrutiny by the jury. Green Vigil Foundation was awarded for ‘working in association with NMC for wide outreach to citizens on multiple environmental issues.’

Other cities that also won the contest are - Amritsar, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nashik, Rajkot and Thiruvananthapuram.

24 Science & Technology

July 17 - 23, 2017

lab grown innovation

synthetic foods yet to reach market

With unclear regulatory guidelines, lab-grown meat products face an uncertain future Quick Glance Memphis Meats, a US-based company successfully creates cell-cultured meat Foods from this kind of cellular agriculture still lack a regulatory agency US Government and agencies actively working to solve the problem of regulation

Uma Valeti, CEO and Co-founder, Memphis Meat

ssb bureau

M

emphis meats, a company based in the United States, has recently announced that it is developing artificial chicken and duck meat from cultured cells of both the birds. This is a part of their “clean poultry” program. With the development of artificial meat and the possibility of it going main stream right around the corner, the question of regulation pops up almost instantaneously. While the first hamburger made from lab meat didn’t get any taste reviews back in 2013, it definitely started a discussion about the regulation of cellular agriculture – an emerging field that uses biotechnology to create animal products like meat, milk, and eggs.

While synthetic foods made in the lab are far from reaching grocery store shelves right now, companies like Memphis Meats and Perfect Day are hoping to get their products on the market in the forthcoming years.

It is still unclear as to which agencies would regulate the production and

distribution of such products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates meat, poultry, and eggs, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the safety and security of food additives.

FDA also approves so-called biologics, which include products made from human tissues, blood, and cells, and gene therapy techniques. But, products from the cellular agriculture field pose a unique problem since these new foods do not fall under the existing regulatory definitions. “Cellular culture raises a lot of questions,” says Isha Datar, CEO of New Harvest, a New York City– based nonprofit founded to support this nascent industry.

The National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C. along with the White House initiative to review U.S

regulatory agencies, is working actively to provide answers to the problem of regulation of future biotechnology developments.

While the authorities work towards clear regulatory standards, industry leaders in cellular-agriculture based food products are working to show how their products are similar to existing products that are shown to pose no hazards.

This approach is already emulated by companies that use microbes and other biotechnologies to create proteins and enzymes that are later added to food products as noted by Vincent Sewalt, senior director, product stewardship and regulatory, for DuPont Industrial Biosciences. Vincent gives the example of how yeasts can be used to produce specific enzymes that are added to baking goods to prolong their

While companies like Memphis Meats push lab-made meat products on the market, regulatory agencies struggle to define clear guidelines for these products

freshness. Additives like these require FDA approval before use. “unless you can demonstrate they are substances generally recognised as safe,” Sewalt says. To meet that standard—known in the industry as GRAS—companies start by selecting microbial strains that are known to be nontoxigenic and nonpathogenic and then use those strains to produce their products. “And that can be safely done as long as you’ve selected a safe strain and demonstrated that safety through repeated toxicology studies,” Stewart says.

A scenario like this might also work for start-ups like Perfect Day, which uses yeast to make milk proteins and then adds other ingredients to create cow-free milk. And since those proteins are already recognised as safe, all Perfect Day needs to do is to show its product’s similarity to what is already preapproved by the FDA. However, the product cannot be legally called Milk since FDA identifies milk as being lacteal secretions of a cow. “That definition completely leaves out any kind of beverage produced by fermentation or other tools of molecular biology,” says Phillip Tong, former director of the Dairy Products Technology Center and professor emeritus at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. “When these definitions were promulgated, nobody ever thought we’d be able to do something like this,” he adds.

Meaty complications The situation of regulation gets more complicated when it comes to cellcultured meat, wherein cells from animal muscle tissues are taken and

July 17 - 23, 2017 grown on special scaffolds until they form enough tissue strands to make a meatball or hamburger. This is neither an animal product nor a food additive.

“It’s uncharted territory,” says Nicole Negowetti, policy director for the Good Food Institute, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that supports cultured and plant-based food alternatives. For example, “from my understanding, the USDA regulations are based on food from animal slaughter, so [they don’t] make sense for these products,” she says.

While cellular agriculture advocates highlight the safe, sustainable, and more humane process of creating cellculture meat, it ultimately boils down to FDA’s decision to regulate it by considering it a proper food item.

She also notes that cell-culture meats could also fall under the FDA oversight for drug manufacturing since FDA defines a drug as something that includes human cells, tissues, and tissue-based products; it might not be so much of a stretch to say animal tissue could be included in that definition, too, she adds.

One could also make an argument for regulating cell-cultured meat under FDA’s Animal Drug Application process that regulates drugs given to animals or added to their food. If companies are manipulating meat cultures to improve the flavour, fat content, and other qualities, this could be considered the same as giving drugs to an animal to make the end product better.

Safety advantages?

“Although biotechnology may make it harder to define new food products, it could also facilitate more precise safety measures”, DuPont’s Sewalt says. For instance, he says “as genome sequencing becomes faster, so could the process of figuring out whether gene insertions or deletions in new organisms pose health risks or other concerns. There’s also the possibility of explicitly designing in safety, such as by engineering egg white proteins so they don’t trigger allergic reactions. And, in the future, the potential to insert barcodes in genes and the development of in-line ID kits, that recognise specific strains of cell lines, could make it easier to verify new organisms and their protein products, and track products through supply chains.”

However, at the moment, the agencies that will oversee and regulate these products remain unclear. As biotechnological advancements are made and more such products start to surface, it would be ideal to create a single regulatory agency. “Right now,” she says, “our system is set up in a way that promotes imitation as opposed to innovation.”

Science & Technology skype lite

25

aadhAar

milky way brown drawfs

Our Milky Way could have 100 billion brown dwarfs Star clusters 1,000 light-years away contain billions of brown dwarfs, says a latest scientific report ians

O

ur galaxy could have 100 billion brown dwarfs or more, according to a new research by an international team of astronomers.

Brown dwarfs are objects which have a size between that of a giant planet like Jupiter and that of a small star. In fact, most astronomers would classify any object with between 15 times the mass of Jupiter and 75 times the mass of Jupiter to be a brown dwarf. Given that range of masses, the object would not have been able to sustain the fusion of hydrogen like a regular star; thus, many scientists have dubbed brown dwarfs as “failed stars”.

Starting in 1995, astronomers have been able to detect a few nearby brown dwarfs. All of the brown dwarfs discovered so far are parts of a binary

Quick Glance Brown Dwarfs have the size varying between Jupiter and that of a small star All Brown Dwarfs discovered so far are part of a binary system of two stars orbiting around each other Researchers estimate that within our galaxy, there is a minimum of 25 and 100 billion Brown Dwarfs

system. A binary system is one in which two stars orbit around one another (just like the planets of our solar system orbit our star, the Sun).

The survey of dense star clusters where brown dwarfs are abundant, presented at the National Astronomy Meeting at the University of Hull, found thousands of brown dwarfs in star clusters relatively close to the Sun. “We’ve found a lot of brown dwarfs in these clusters. And whatever the cluster type, the brown dwarfs are really common. Our work suggests there are a huge number of brown dwarfs out there,” said Aleks Scholz from the University of St Andrews, in Scotland. The survey looked at the star cluster ‘NGC 1333’, some 1,000 light-years away in the constellation of Perseus, and found about half as many brown dwarfs as stars.

The team later turned to a more distant star cluster, ‘RCW 38’, which is 5,500 light-years away in the constellation of Vela. This has a high density of more massive stars, and very different conditions to other clusters.

The researchers found just as many brown dwarfs in ‘RCW 38’ and realised that the environment where the stars form has only a small effect on how brown dwarfs form.

The researchers estimate that within just our galaxy there is a minimum of between 25 and 100 billion brown dwarfs.

Aadhaar integration available on Skype Lite Aadhaar verification facility available to Indian callers to make communication secure IANS o prevent impersonation fraud, Microsoft has integrated its “Made for India” Skype Lite app with Aadhaar, thereby allowing users of the app to verify the caller’s identity online.

Aadhaar is considered to be the world’s largest national identification number project and allows users in India to communicate with government, business, and others with a higher level of trust and lower potential for fraud.

“With the latest version of Skype Lite, Aadhaar integration can be used to verify users’ identity online, helping them communicate more securely with others,” Jasmeen Nagpal of Microsoft said in a statement. This feature can be particularly useful for making a Skype Lite call to an important business client or government representative.

By using Aadhaar, both parties can verify their identity at the beginning of the Skype Lite call to prevent impersonation fraud. Either party can request Aadhaar verification over a video call using Skype Lite. In order to confirm your identity, you will need to click on “Verify Aadhaar identity”, enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number and then authenticate with a one-time password sent via SMS.Once validated, you can choose to share pre-selected Aadhaar information with the other person to confirm your identity.

“You will still get the same great Skype Lite experience during the call and once you’ve finished speaking, both parties will see the Aadhaar verification captured as an event within the conversation,” Microsoft said. “Skype will not store any Aadhaar information and as always, your personal information -- including your video and audio conversations -- is securely encrypted,” the statement added.

T

26 Health

July 17 - 23, 2017

school stress

pregnancy fructose craving

Pregnant mom’s sugar hunger bad for kids

High maternal intake of fructose causes persistent postnatal allergic immune responses

Stress in school is contagious: Study Stressful feelings spread like an infection in a school environment where students and teachers are stressed ssb bureau

I

f students and teachers of a school appear to be stressed, the chances of the same feeling percolating to a new colleague are quite high, suggests new research.

The study, published in the journal Teaching and Teacher Education, found a significant link between burnout among earlycareer teachers and exposure to both a school-wide culture of burnout and burnout among the young teachers’ closest circle of colleagues.

“If you are surrounded by people who are downcast or walking around under a pall of burnout, then it has a high chance of spilling over, even if you don’t have direct contact with these folks,” said Kenneth Frank, Professor at Michigan State University in the US. “This study is one of the first to provide evidence that the organisational culture in schools can make a notable difference for earlycareer teachers’ burnout levels,” Frank added. The researchers analysed the survey data on burnout of 171 teachers who were in their first four years in the profession and 289 experienced teachers who served as the young teachers’ mentors or close colleagues.

Frank said teacher burnout is also tied to the current education policy environment. Controversial policies such as evaluating teachers based primarily on student test scores, merit pay for teachers and lack of voice in the assignment of students to teachers can bring added pressure.

ssb bureau

W

omen who consume excessive sugar in their diet during pregnancy may increase the risk of allergy and allergic asthma in their children, a study has claimed.

The findings by researchers from the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), revealed that in mothers with the highest sugar intake – added to foods or drinks or sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices – there was 38 per cent increased risk of allergy in kids, 73 per cent for allergy to two or

more allergens, and 101 per cent for allergic asthma.

The association is because high maternal intake of fructose causes a persistent postnatal allergic immune response that can lead to allergic inflammation in the developing lung, the researchers explained.

Importantly, the offspring’s free sugar intake in early childhood was found to have no association with the outcomes seen in the analysis, the researchers said.

For the study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, the team involved nearly 9,000 motherchild pairs.

Quick Glance High intake of sugar linked to persistent postnatal allergic immune respose 38 per cent increased risk of allergy and 101 per cent for allergic asthma Maternal intake of free sugar linked to atopy and atopic asthma

Quick Glance

india influenza

India free from avian flu Union Agriculture Ministry’s surveillance showed no evidence of Avian influenza in the country SSB bureau

I

ndia has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8) after surveillance in the states showed no evidence of its presence, officials said on Thursday.

“Surveillance was carried out throughout the country and around the areas of the outbreaks since completion of the operation (including culling, disinfection and clean-up), which showed no evidence of the presence of Avian Influenza Virus,” a Union Agriculture Ministry release said. The Ministry said India had reported outbreaks of influenza at various epicentres in Delhi, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Rajpura in

They analysed associations between maternal intake of free sugar in pregnancy and asthma, wheezing, hay fever, eczema, atopy and lung function in children aged 7-9 years.

The results showed maternal intake of free sugar was positively associated with atopy and atopic asthma -- the genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis (eczema).

However, no association with eczema or hay fever was found.

“We cannot say on the basis of these observations that a high intake of sugar by mothers in pregnancy is definitely causing allergy and allergic asthma in their offspring,” said lead researcher Seif Shaheen, Professor from QMUL. “However, given the extremely high consumption of sugar, we will certainly be investigating this hypothesis further with some urgency,” Shaheen said.

“In the meantime, we would recommend that pregnant women follow current guidelines and avoid excessive sugar consumption,” he added.

Punjab, Hissar in Haryana, Bellary in Karnataka, Alappuzha and Kottayam in Kerala, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Daman and Khordha, and Angul in

India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection spread from bird to bird Surveillance was carried out throughout the country

Odisha between October 2016 and February 2017.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection spread from bird to bird. Currently, a particularly deadly strain of bird flu – H5N1 – continues to spread among poultry in Egypt and in certain parts of Asia. Technically, H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. It’s deadly to most birds.

These outbreaks were notified to the World Organization for Animal Health and subsequently, control and containment operations were carried out as per the action plan on preparedness, control and containment of influenza, said the release.

July 17 - 23, 2017

Get liver checked from 20 yrs of age

Screening for abnormalities in lipids helps detect heart ailments at an early age IANS

L

seen at an elevated level, has a strong association with metabolic syndrome which has a tendency to increase the risk for heart diseases, diabetes and stroke,” he added. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases would be the largest cause of death and disability in India by 2020. By 2030, it is expected that 23 million people will die from cardiovascular diseases annually.

Medical science says that lipid profile also helps in diagnosis and making decisions about what treatment would be best if there is a borderline

Risk of heart attacks increases with high HDL, LDL, and triglycerides in blood Regular monitoring from the age of 20 helps detect ailments Ideal BMI range for reduced heart attack risk is between 19-25

or high risk if found positive for heart ailments. Monitoring and maintaining healthy levels of these lipids is important in staying healthy.

Chabbra urged people to maintain the Body Mass Index (BMI) within the normal range (19 to 25), as it could determine the risk of developing obesity, another cause for heart ailments. According to the World Heart Federation, at least 80 per cent of premature deaths from heart diseases and stroke could be avoided if the main risk factors -tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity -- are controlled.

Sudeep Singh Sachdev, a renal expert with Max Super Specialty Hospital, who gets kidney patients due to poor lifestyle, said that high blood pressure was an invitation for heart diseases, kidney ailments and stroke.

“Timely diagnosis and medications can keep a check on the normal range at an early stage. Consistent high blood pressure may also be an indication for the advent of diabetes,” said Sachdev.

odour fat

Mere smell of food may make you fat Odour of food plays important role in calorie management and metabolism ssb bureau

Quick Glance

Y

our sense of smell that helps in enjoying food may be inadvertently making you fat while the lack of it may trick the body into thinking it has already eaten, researchers say.

The findings revealed that obese mice that lost the sense of smell lost weight on a high-fat diet while their counterparts with a strong sense of aroma ballooned to twice their normal weight.

The result suggests that the odour of what we eat may play an important role in how the body deals with calories. This also points out to a key connection between the olfactory or smell system and regions of the brain that regulates metabolism, in particular, the hypothalamus, though the neural circuits are still unknown, the researchers explained.

“The study shows if we manipulate

27

Quick Glance

health liver

ipid profiling – blood tests that screen for abnormalities in lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides -- from the age of 20 years can help detect heart ailments at an early stage, doctors revealed on Thursday. According to them, a person may be at high risk of a heart attack if the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides – causes of heart ailments – are high.

These should be screened early, especially if the person is a smoker, obese, have blood sugar level on the higher side or there is a family history of heart ailments.

“This blood test (lipid profiling) indicates results of the levels of HDL, LDL and triglycerides. An annual frequency of the test is recommended for people with diabetes or heart issues,” said R.M. Chhabra, senior consultant at city-based Saroj Super Specialty Hospital.

“Triglycerides, a type of fat, if

Health

Mice with no sense of smell lose weight even on high fat diets Manipulating olfactory inputs can alter how the brain perceives caloric intake The lack of smell tricks the body into thinking it has already eaten

olfactory inputs we can actually alter how the brain perceives energy balance and how the brain regulates energy balance,” said Celine Riera from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. Mice, as well as humans, are more sensitive to smells when they are hungry than after they have eaten, so perhaps the lack of smell tricks the body into thinking it has already eaten. While searching for food, the body stores calories in case it’s unsuccessful, but once the food is secured,

the body feels free to burn it, Riera noted.

The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, implies that loss of smell also plays a key role in humans who often become anorexic -- an eating disorder that causes people to obsess about weight and what they eat. “Sensory systems play a role in metabolism. Weight gain isn’t purely a measure of the calories taken in, it’s also related to how those calories are perceived,” explained Andrew Dillin from the University of California, Berkeley.

chocolate

Eat chocolates daily for a better brain Cocoa act as a dietary supplement that boosts cognition and prevents age related decline ssb bureau

I

talian researchers published a new review in Frontiers in Nutrition wherein the effects of acute and chronic cocoa flavonol administration were examined.

Most randomised control trials that have investigated the acute effects of cocoa consumption show the cognition-boosting effects of the same. Having cocoa flavonols in one’s diet significantly improves the visual information processing and working memory performance.

And surprisingly, women who consumed cocoa right after a night of complete sleep deprivation also showed no cognitive impairments that are usually associated with sleep deprivation.

However, these effects were completely dependent on the length and mental load of used cognitive tests that measured the effects of chronic cocoa consumption.

For example, young and healthy adults showed notable changes in behaviour when they were given high demanding cognitive tests.

The study examined the effects of long-term administration of cocoa flavonols as a dietary supplement in elderly individuals. It was observed that acute and chronic administration of cocoa flavonols significantly improved cognitive performance in elderly test subjects. Attention, working memory and processing speed were all affected by cocoa consumption.

Interestingly, these effects were much more pronounced in those with age-related memory impairments.

“Regular intake of cocoa and chocolate could indeed provide beneficial effects on cognitive functioning over time.”

They further added.

28 North East

July 17 - 23, 2017

Manipur

Skilling rural youths DDU-GKY tasked with skilling Manipur youth from rural areas

manipur outreach

pame’s next step to bolster admin

Armstrong Pame plans to dine with local school students in hopes of motivating them to achieve their dreams

SSB BUREAU

T

he Manipur State Rural Livelihoods Mission plans to train 10,518 candidates this financial year.

As part of the plan, the Mission has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with M/s Apollo Medskils Ltd for implementation of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY). It is the first of the series of MoUs to be signed by the Mission.

The MoU was signed by State Mission Director, R Sudhan and senior vice president (projects) of M/s Apollo Medskills S Sridhar in the office chamber of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister ThongamBiswajit Singh.

The DDU-GKY is the skills action arm of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, tasked with skilling rural youth, moving them from poverty to productivity.

It owns and manages the entire lifecycle of the process, from investing into skilling projects (at no cost to the trainees or employers) to identifying internships and placement opportunities, and to track career progression over a period of 3 years from graduation.

DDU-GKY follows a 3-tier implementation model.

The primary tier is the national unit that functions as the policy-making, technical support, facilitation and investing agency. The next tier is the DDU-GKY State Skill Missions under the State Government/ State Rural Livelihood Missions, who co-invest as well as directly supervise and/or engage with publicly or privately held organisations from specific sector industries, education and training or NGOs who have a reputation for delivering skills, training and development programs.

Quick Glance SSB BUREAU

H

e had shot to fame five years ago when he had initiated construction of a 100-km road linking Manipur with Nagaland and Assam, all with funds raised from citizens. The 2009-batch IAS officer Armstrong Pame is in the news again for a unique initiative he launched recently to give students an opportunity to air their problems as well as give them a feel of how the administration works.

Armstrong Pame will dine with school students from class V to X every Friday In his last dinner meeting, Pame gave awayh solar lamps to five students Pame hopes to inspire the students to pursue their dreams

Now the Deputy Commissioner of Manipur’s Tamenglong district, Pame has asked school authorities of his district to short-list students for having first-hand experiences of witnessing the functioning

of the deputy commissioner’s office. The selected students will also join him at the dinner table once in a week at his official bungalow.

According to a letter dated July 3 issued by his office, a group of 10 students ranging from Class V to X will be invited every Friday for dinner with DC. Last Friday, around 20 students of Tamenglong Higher Secondary School came to DC Office. Pame and other officials of the administration interacted with the students and asked various questions. The DC invited all the students to dine together with him and gave solar lamps to five students who had been studying with kerosene lamps. In his Facebook post, Pame wrote: “As a kid I used to walk past the DC bungalow and office…really wanted to see what’s there but never got to…now being here as DC let me invite the school kids to share a dinner table with me…hope this will give them a zeal to do well to live their dreams…”

Pame did his graduation in Physics from Delhi University’s St. Stephens College.

He is the first IAS officer belonging to Zeme tribe of the Nagas.

Five years ago, the IAS officer initiated the construction of a 100 km road connecting Tamenglong to Halflong in Assam. His elder brother, who is a faculty at Delhi University, had donated about Rs 4 lakh for the purpose. Donation centres were set up in major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Guwahati, Shillong etc. NRIs from USA, UK and Canada also contributed to the road project, often called People’s Road. He raised over Rs 40 lakh for the project in 2012 through his Facebook page, following which he was invited to Facebook headquarters in California. He received a number of awards for his innovative project.

Arunachal Pradesh e-marketING

Govt to procure goods, services through e-market MoU signed with Government AND e-Marketplace to facilitate procurement by various Ministries and agencies Raj Kashyap

A

runachal Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government e-Marketplace (GeM), an online market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various Ministries and agencies of the government.

Presently, more than 40,000 products in about 150 product categories and hiring of transport service are available on GeM POC portal. Transactions of more than Rs 140 crore have already been processed through GeM. GeM was set up following

recommendations of a Group of Secretaries made to the Prime Minister. GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement. It provides the tools of e-bidding, reverses e-auction and demand aggregation to facilitate the government users achieve the best value for their money. So far, six states have signed MoUs with GeM, including Arunachal Pradesh. The other states are Gujarat, Telangana, Puducherry, Assam and Andhra Pradesh.

Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the online platform will open up the world for buyers and sellers without having to actually move out of

their respective places. He appealed to everyone; particularly indigenous business houses of the state to get registered with the GeM and give a boost to their trade.

The Chief Minister said the GeM will become the e-procurement portal of the state government for transparency and faster and smoother processing and therefore urged all local contractors, dealers, suppliers, trading houses, etc to get registered on it. He has directed the Finance Department to issue guidelines to all government departments of the state in this regard.

July 17 - 23, 2017

Meghalaya NREGA

Meghalaya gets a ‘LIFEline’ The flagship programme to bring all poor and vulnerable women into Self Help Group movement SSB BUREAU

LIFE aims to bring all the poor and vulnerable women into the SHGs movement, by emphasizing on reviving the inactive; functional ones and include them within the ongoing LIFE project. It will also motivate and encourage every woman from every household under NREGA job

Assam infrastrucure

Longest rail-road Bridge in country to be complete this year A 4.94 km rail road bridge will be built across Brahmaputra River by next year

Raj Kashyap

A

ssam Governor, BanwarilalPurohit,who dashed off a letter to Prime Minister NarendraModi requesting PMO’s intervention in expediting the construction of Bogibeel Bridge over the Brahmaputra in Dibrugarhdistrict received a prompt response. On the instruction of the Prime Minister, Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu

informed the Governor that the construction of the bridge will be completed during 2017-18.

The 4.94 km rail/road bridge is being built across the River Brahmaputra in the Dibrugarh district will connect Dhemaji district across the Brahmaputra.

In a letter sent to the Governor on July 10, Union Minister Shri Prabhu assured that the construction of the proposed Bogibeel Bridge would be completed during 2017-18 and the same can be dedicated to the service of the nation. Following, Governor Purohit’s intense persuasion for the early commissioning of the railcum-road Bogibeel Bridge over the Brahmaputra, Prabhu mentioned that all the 42 well foundations and piers of the main bridge have been completed. Works of both North and South guide bunds works of the rail link from Chaulkhowa to Moranhat

29

LPG connections

Quick Glance Self Help Groups will be formed in 6,800 villages under LIFE programme Activities will be initiated to generate income and eradicate poverty It will also motivate every woman under NREGA to join the movement

M

eghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma launched a state-wide flagship programme called LIFE or Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation Entrepreneurship that aims to address the issue of poverty and boost the economic power of women in the rural areas by mobilising them into Self Help Groups (SHGs) and encouraging savings and interloaning.

Launching the programme at Songsak in Garo Hills, Sangma described the programme as the “most inclusive” scheme of his government.

Self Help Groups will be formed in 6,800 villages under the programme.

Different activities would be initiated through LIFE to generate income and eradicate poverty and people would get more involved in agriculture, horticulture and other allied sectors, Sangma said.

North East

cardholders and form SHGs. “As the LIFE programme expands to the nook and corner of the rural areas of the state, a transformation will take place in the quality of life and we will witness a reverse migration in which people living in towns and cities would head back to villages to live their lives. LIFE will show a new road for our children,” said Sangma. He called upon the people to encourage the formation of SHGs in their respective villages.

Sangma also announced that a special scheme is currently being prepared to encourage women SHGs to start banks in the rural areas that will be run by the people themselves.

Addressing the launch programme, Meghalaya’s Education minister Deborah C Marak said that the people of the state need to partner with the new mission to reap its benefits.

Quick Glance The railroad bridge will be 4.94 km long and will run across Brahmaputra The project would be completed between 2017-2018 It maycost Rs 4,996 crore out of which Rs 4,102 crore has been incurred

along with connectivity on North and South Banks have also been completed.

Presently, the work of main bridge superstructure is in progress and 35 girders out of 41 have already been launched. Moreover, deck slab concreting has commenced from the north bank which is in the process on connecting the south soon.

It may be mentioned that Bogibeel Bridge is flaunted to be the longest rail-road bridge in the country and is being built at an anticipated cost of Rs. 4996 crore to which an expenditure of Rs. 4102 crore has already been incurred up to March 2017. Following the perceived fact that once the bridge is completed, transportation between north and south bank of the Brahmaputra would just be a matter of time, Governor Purohit has taken special interests for the early completion of the bridge.

Sonowal launches Ujjwala scheme at Kamrup

PM’s pet programme to enable rural women access to free LPG connections

ssb bureau

S

peaking at the launching ceremony of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna in Kamrup Metro District today, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that for all-round development of the rural women belonging to the below the poverty line, Central and State Governments have been taking several steps. The UjjwalaYojna is one such pet programme of Prime Minister NarendraModi which has enabled many rural women to get access to free LPG connection besides helping them to go forward in life.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the scheme would enable the poor women to live a life of dignity and cook in a healthy environment.

A major chunk of the families of the country is used to the conventional mode of cooking using the hazardous firewood which creates unhealthy surroundings, especially for children and women. Now the time has changed as all the families below the poverty line are entitled to get access to Ujjwala scheme- a step towards clean fuel, clean environment and disease free health, Sonowal added. Chief Minister Sonowal said that the women folks of rural underprivileged households have to invest a lot of time and energy in finding firewood for their daily cooking needs and they also have to suffer because of the unhealthy environment caused by the smoke emanated from the fire. The UjjwalaYojna would cover 30,000 families in the Kamrup Metro district and 10 beneficiaries were ceremonially distributed LPG connections today.

Saying that the state government has been relentlessly pursuing the agenda of development of all sections of the society and especially rural womenfolk of the underprivileged section, Sonowal said that the act of giving a financial grant to one lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs) would be a major thrust for women empowerment in rural areas.

30 East West Metro

July 17 - 23, 2017

kolkata metro

East West link: City of Joy’s newest breather KMRC will successfully connect Howrah station to Salt Lake station despite financial and logistical hurdles Prasanta Paul

Quick Glance Phase 1 of the project will connect Sealdah to Sector V, Salt Lake Phase 2 will be 7.2 km long and connect Howrah with Sealdah The project has ensured that there were no damages to heritage sites

Photo: Debashish Nandi

E

ast and the West / Never the twain shall meet ­- so wrote the poet. However, at the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation(KMRC), men and machine have undertaken this seemingly impossible task of meeting the two,--connecting the East of the City of Joy with the West -- overcoming multiple hurdles and many a deadline.

The 16.6 km East-West Metro(EWM) project connecting Howrah station with Sector V in Salt Lake that had at one point of time been saddled with seething problems including funds and infrastructure bottlenecks, has been off to a fantastic start, time and cost overrun notwithstanding. Going by the present pace of the work, the first phase of the project – Sealdah to Sector V – is expected to be operational by June end 2018.

And if everything proceeds according to the plan chalked out by KMRC, the second phase between Howrah Maidan and Sealdah will be thrown open to the public by June 2020. In phase-I, EWM will run underground for a length of 3.6 km while in the rest 5.8 km, it will run through an elevated corridor. Out of eight stations, six will be on the elevated stretch and the remaining two underground. In phase II of the project having a length of 7.2 km, the entire stretch which will have four stations will run underground.

The deepest station at 27 meters below the surface will be Esplanade which is likely to handle at least 55,000 commuters per peak hour.

What makes EWM the most unique and smartest of all the metro projects in India? “The tunnel under the river Ganga is the first of its kind in India and

KMRC’s EWM Project would make it the first of its kind in India since it would be running partly underground and underwater, crossing Ganga

the rakes will be driverless,” explained KMRC managing director Satish Kumar. All the tunnels have been designed to withstand future seismic shocks and there are separate evacuation routes for commuters in case of an emergency.

Apart from the air-conditioned underground stations and AC rakes, there will be screen doors, elevators, lifts and stairs at every station. What has added a feather to the KMRC cap is the smooth and expeditious completion of the twin tunnels below the river bed without any hitch and before the onset of the monsoon.

“The tunnels under the river were a big challenge for us and its exact finish is a milestone for us and a marvel of modern engineering,” Kumar claimed.

In fact, the imported Tunnel Boring Machine(TBM), having completed its first task, is presently working at top speed – nearly 22.25 meters a day – and within a week, it is expected to finish the work under the Writers’ Buildings, the erstwhile seat of the state

administration and a British heritage building. Very soon, it is likely to reach the Esplanade station.

Asked whether the soft alluvial soil under the river bed could cause problems like seepage of water at a later stage, he pointed out that the technology of TBM is such that it would be taking care of all such teething problems with automatic concrete walls which are again reinforced by steel structures.

According to him, a lot of precautions and planning have been done before undertaking each and every digging, be it underground or over the ground.

Kumar cited the instance of heritage buildings in the Dalhousie Square and some unsafe buildings along the Brabourne Road. The KMRC authorities, with the assistance from the Kolkata Corporation, have shifted the residents from the unsafe buildings to hotels to enable the engineers to reinforce the cracks and other places that might have a possibility to give in at the time of TBM working at top speed.

“While tunneling in Howrah, we’ve

bored below very old buildings like Colvin Court and DRM (Divisional Railway Manager) buildings and so far, no cracks have appeared anywhere.

Hence, we’re confident we’ll move forward steadily without any hassle,” Kumar observed. Not only that, the engineers will keep a watch on structural distresses and soil settlements and keep recording the safety parameters of the buildings for the next one and a half months.

The project which is being closely monitored by the Calcutta High Court has overcome some legal hurdles at the Salt Lake stretch and objections from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over underground digging at places where heritage buildings are located. “ In fact, the way various agencies particularly the judiciary have come forward to salvage the project, will be a yardstick for other projects that are being held up for years,” claimed one official. The TBM which has so far overcome several engineering challenges had once remained stuck in alignment quagmire for nearly five years. “It was indeed, a colossal loss of time and contributed to massive cost spiral; but one can’t help,” he added.

Perhaps, the most intriguing yet fascinating feature of EWM will be the driverless trains. The CBTC (Communications-based train control system) being implemented for the first time in India, will ensure automatic train operation without the requirement of any train operator. Nevertheless, the EWM authorities have decided to deploy a person at the motor to remove any misgivings of the passengers.

“Our aim is to ensure an efficient, automatic and flawless operation; between stations, through the tunnel, stopping of trains at platforms, the opening of train doors and platform screen doors—everything will be an automatic yet complex operation,” the KMRC MD said. What is more important is that the project has begun exuding a collective positivism which is a must for any project to achieve success.

No wonder the City of Joy is waiting to proclaim “Wherever you go, East or the West, EWM is the best.” (EOM).

sulabh sanitation

Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, New Delhi is organizing a Written Quiz Competition that is open to all school and college students, including the foreign students.

All those who wish to participate are required to submit their answers to the email address contact@sulabhinternational.org, or they can submit their entries online by taking up the questions below.

Students are requested to mention their name and School/College along with the class in which he/she is studying and the contact number with complete address for communication

First Prize: One Lakh Rupees Second Prize: Seventy Five Thousand Rupees

PRIZE

Third Prize: Fifty Thousand Rupees Consolation Prize: Five Thousand Rupees (100 in number)

500-1000) ti on (W or d Li m it: ti pe m Co iz Qu en tt Qu es ti on s fo r W ri nounced? rt was ‘Swachh Bharat’ an Fo d open Re the m fro y da ich uses and there should be no ho 1. On wh the all in d cte tru ns co by 2019, toilets should be 2. Who announced that l. defecation? Discuss in detai Toilet?

3. Who invented Sulabh ovement?

Cleanliness and Reform M 4. Who initiated Sulabh t? ve features of Sulabh Toile t?

5. What are the distincti used in the Sulabh compos r ise til fer of ge nta rce pe d an 6. What are the benefits of the Sulabh Toilet? ’?

7. What are the benefits be addressed as ‘Brahmins to me ca g gin en av sc al nu ople freed from ma If yes, then elaborate it by s?

8. In which town were pe ste ca r pe up of s me ho take tea and have food in the 9. Do these ‘Brahmins’ person. discussing story of any such entions of Sulabh?

10. What are the other inv

Las

ritten Quiz Competition W of on si is bm su r fo te t da

: September 30, 2017

For further details please contact Mrs. Aarti Arora, Hony. Vice President, +91 9899 855 344 Mrs. Tarun Sharma, Hony. Vice President, +91 97160 69 585 or feel free to email us at contact@sulabhinternational.org SULABH INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANISATION In General Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council Sulabh Gram, Mahavir Enclave, Palam Dabri Road, New Delhi - 110 045 Tel. Nos. : 91-11-25031518, 25031519; Fax Nos : 91-11-25034014, 91-11-25055952 E-mail: info@sulabhinternational.org, sulabhinfo@gmail.com Website: www.sulabhinternational.org, www.sulabhtoiletmuseum.org

Ravinder Bansal

Indian American plans TO FLY Solo across World Ravinder Bansal, 68, will fly across the globe to raise funds to buy an MRI machine for a hospital in his hometown

F

or most, flying solo across the world is an adventure. But for 68-year-old Indian American Ravinder K Bansal from New York, it’s a philanthropic journey and mission.

He is a retired engineer and entrepreneur from the New York Indian American community. Bansal is now ready to give wings to his dreams, literally. He plans to fly solo across 18 countries and 34

U

July 17 - 23, 2017

G

32 Unsung Hero

NSUN

airports to raise $750,000 law to breast cancer in (Rs 4.83 crore) for a 2012. Since there were cancer hospital in his no proper medical HERO hometown of Ambala, facilities either in Kasauli Haryana where he was born. or in Ambala in those days, He wants to raise funds for buying his daughter-in-law had to travel an MRI machine for the Rotary Ambala all the way to Ludhiana from Ambala Cancer Hospital in his hometown. Bansal for chemotherapy and treatment. has already started his journey from New It took him over 6 months to York on July 4, on the US Independence prepare logistics of the flight and learn Day. He took off in his single-engine the basics of survival. While Bansal is aircraft Cessna 400 from Buffalo Niagara equipped with a personal locator International Airport. beacon, satellite tracking SOS, backup His 2000 mile philanthropic mission portable avionics, food , and water, the will culminate in India. His six-week- weather is the biggest threat to his life long flight across the globe has a goal to during the 20,000-mile flight. raise $750,000 while the trip itself will A PhD holder in mechanical cost him nearly $100,000 (Rs 64.4 lakh) engineering from the Georgia Institute Ravinder Bansal will be flying through of Engineering, Indian American England, France, Italy, Greece, Jordan, Ravinder Bansal from Buffalo, New UAE, and Oman on his onward trip to York will be blogging his solo flight, India. He will have stops in Thailand, his experience and the mission on Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Russia and Raviworldflight.com throughout Canada during his return trip to the the trip.

His single-engine aeroplane is USA. Ravinder Bansal plans to create breast cancer awareness while also equipped with a satellite tracking raising the funds to buy an MRI machine, device to display his itinerary details during his solo global flight. This means and the progress of his flight live on a lot to him since he lost his daughter-in- the website.

er N eNw ma ssm ew akk esr s

P V Sindhu

Sportsperson of the Year The award given by Sports Illustrated Magazine to ace shuttler PV Sindhu

R

io Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu was honoured with the Sportsperson of the Year award during the ‘Maruti Suzuki Sportsperson of the Year’ Charity Gala Awards held recently.

The awards have been organised by Sports Illustrated India Magazine and were given to various sportspersons for their achievements including Sindhu.

Sindhu’s coach P Gopichand received the Coach of the Year award while the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh was honoured with the Living Legend of the Year award.

Interestingly it was Sindhu who presented the award to ‘Gopi Sir’.

Young India cricketer K L Rahul, who made a mark in the last Test series against Australia, was awarded with Gamechanger of the Year award. Rahul was not at the function and his video message was shown.

2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist and the country’s sole gold medal winner in individual events at Olympics, Abhinav Bindra was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Bindra, on a lighter note, said that at 34 he felt a little odd to receive it.

“As a 12-year-old boy, I hated sports. I had one talent that was to work hard,” remarked the ace shooter.

Para athletes Devendra Jhajaria, Mariappan Thangavelu, Varun Bharti and Deepa Malik also received awards.

Badminton player Jwala Gutta, football great Bhaichung Bhutia, boxer Amir Khan and cricketer Pragyan Ojha were present in the ceremony.

S.A. award TO TRIBAL TEACHER Primary school teacher, Joba Murmu, has been given Sahitya Academy Award 2017

T

he 2017 Sahitya Akademi Award was presented to a tribal woman from Jamshedpur for her collection of short stories for children.

The winning title, ‘Olon Baha’, means imaginary bloom in Santhali, Joba Murmu’s award winning collection is laced with moral values for little ones.

The author, a schoolteacher at Bal Vikas primary school in Karandih has been writing books since 2009. She was completely taken by surprise upon been bestowed with the literary honour.

“Although the book is interesting, I was not very sure it would be selected by the Akademi, Joba said.

In the last eight years, Joba has authored five pieces, including translations of works by two iconic literary figures in India—Munshi Premchand and Nobel Laureate

Joba Murmu Rabindranath Tagore.

Excited by the recent events, Joba attributes her recognition to her father, Chote Ram Majhi, who himself is a renowned figure in the field of Santhali art and literature and had inspired her to write during her college days.

“My husband also received the Sahitya Akademi award in 2012 for writing a book of short stories for children,” she said thanked her husband Pitambar Hansdah, for being the guiding light during the past eight years when she had taken up writing seriously.

Joba SAID that her upcoming book will lay its focus on the importance of education.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 1, Issue - 31 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