Sulabh Swachh Bharat - A Memorable Gift (Issue 37) by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation

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RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

vision of new india

champions of change

Narendra Modi interacts with CEOs, entrepreneurs and senior bureaucrats to share his vision of a New India

Vol-1 | Issue-37 | August 28 - September 03, 2017 | Price ` 5/-

Good News Weekly for Rising India

Prof. Hetukar Jha

Sociologists Passes Away Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak Founder of Sulabh Sanitation & Social Reform Movement writes on Prof. Hetukar Jha

ganga erosion

the motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fury Swelling and continuously surging water, Ganga has been on a devastating spree

A Memorable Gift Founder of Sulabh Sanitation & Social Reform Movement, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence to present him his book - Narendra Damodardas Modi: The Making of a Legend

02 A Memorable Gift

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017 Dr Pathak honoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a memento

Quick Glance It chronicles Modi’s journey from his village to the PM House The meeting between the two legends lasted over 45 minutes They discussed ways to make the cleanliness mission a success

are constructing the world’s largest toilet complex in Pandharpur, Solapur district,” the promoter of sanitation, informs. Impressed by prime minister’s initiatives, Dr Pathak has written a coffee table book, ‘The Making of a Legend’ that describes Modi’s accomplishments. The book was released recently by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Samaj chief Mohan Bhagwat in the presence of the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah, in New Delhi.

A Memorable Gift SSB BUREAU

ooking at the immense body of work done by Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh Sanitation & Social Reform Movement, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, had once said, “I am the son of the son of Mahatma Gandhi, but Dr Bindeshwar Pathak is the son of Gandhi’s soul.” Truly, while people only try to follow the lifestyle of Gandhi, Dr Pathak has executed his philosophy and thoughts. Treating sanitation as his mission and human development as his goal, Dr Pathak says, “Sanitation is a mission. It is not like constructing a bridge or a road. I am happy that in my lifetime, I am able to fulfil Gandhi’s dream of eradicating scavenging and improving the living conditions of scavengers.” Dr Pathak is probably the only reformer in India who has bagged the maximum number of national and international awards for his work towards improving sanitation and upgrading of the environment. Following the words of Winston Churchill, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,’ the silent crusader has worked relentlessly for years. The result is that

more than 20 million people use toilets based on Sulabh design daily in India and several thousand jobs have been created by the organisation. “I made ideas the basis of my movement, without thinking of gains in return,” he says with as much simplicity as the name he chose for his organisation – Sulabh (meaning ‘simple’). While the Indian government decided to take up the ambitious project of freeing the country from open defecation only a couple of years ago, Dr Pathak had set on the mission five decades back. Nevertheless, he is extremely delighted over the fact that an official beginning has been made. The internationally recognised sanitation pioneer says, “There had been very little interest or investment in this sector, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed it all. He is the first leader who not only talked about toilets from the ramparts of the Red Fort but also continues discussing the issue with foreign dignitaries. He has forced the country people to understand that unless

we address this issue, we will not become a developed country. It’s time we made India clean and stand out in the row of civilised, cultured and clean nations.” As toilets became the buzzword and the prime minister spearheaded the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign), Dr Pathak’s mission got a boost. He was appointed Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission of the Indian Railways. “We have cleaned over 800 railway stations and carry out drives, including showing films on garbage collection and cleanliness to people living in towns and villages,” Dr Pathak says. Even as Modi announced his historic resolve to construct 120 million toilets by 2019, Dr Pathak is geared to see it become a success. “We are motivating, implementing and following it up by training one person each in the 643,000 villages across the country. So, if each person is able to get 20 toilets built every month in his village, we could construct about 150 million toilets – surpassing the target. While over 80 reputed companies are already contributing towards the cause, if 20 million wealthy NRIs, throughout the world, also contribute for only five to six toilets each, the situation could change even sooner. In association with the Maharashtra state government, we

There had been very little interest or investment in this sector, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed it all

Life and struggles Born into a wealthy family in Bihar, Dr Pathak’s life is full of interesting incidents. He says, “Since ancient times, manual scavenging existed in India. It is the inhuman and unhygienic practice. Even as a child, I abhorred the injustices [such a practice leads to in society].” He talks of the hue and cry raised when one day, he touched a Dalit woman. “After all these years, I am still unable to forget the hue and cry raised by my grandmother. Immediately, a priest was summoned to purify me. And at his behest, This was my first brush with the issue of untouchability.” The seed of revolution was sown. On growing up, Dr Pathak, who had studied sociology, believed that to work for a community, it was important to build a rapport with the people of that community. He decided to live in a scavengers’ colony in Bettiah town in Bihar to have first-hand experience of the life of a scavenger. Once there, he stayed put for three months, vowing to fulfil Gandhi’s dream of relieving these people from their subhuman and hazardous occupation. Sulabh was formed in 1970. Dr Pathak invented and developed many designs of twin-pit pour flush toilets that were both hygienically and technically appropriate and affordable. He had started the work of conversion of bucket toilets into Sulabh toilets in Patna. And soon the impact of the innovations spread to other parts of the country. The 74-year-old, champion of the underprivileged people is credited with setting up, without any background in science and technology, the first biogas plant in Patna, Bihar, in 1982 – after about six years of research. This technology too has expanded and is used in over 25 states and union territories in India. Sulabh has constructed 1.5 million household toilets. The number of

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

A Memorable Gift

Dr Pathak gifting PM Narendra Modi with a model of the Two Pit Sulabh Toilet Miniature

Dr Pathak greeting PM Modi with Rohan Sharma and Abha Kumar

government toilets constructed based on Sulabh design is 54 million. The NGO has made 640 towns scavenging free and constructed 8,500 toilet blocks. It has paved the way for the biggest sanitation wave in the world. Many of its approaches have been adopted in other countries and Sulabh is actively involved in extending its work in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China and African countries. Dr Pathak’s invention, “wealth from waste” is a highly successful initiative. In the Sulabh two-pit ecological compost, converts waste into bio-fertiliser, which is free from pathogens, as it contains a

regions in West Bengal, Sulabh also set up a purified water plant, which treats water collected from a deep man-made pond. Developed in association with French NGO 1001 Fontaines, it produces thousands of litres of potable water called Sulabh Jal. Earlier, people residing in the region suffered from fatal diseases caused by arsenic poison in ground water pumped

minuscule of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium. It can be used to enhance the productivity of the soil for agriculture and horticulture purposes and produces biogas that can be used for lighting, cooking and generating electricity. Recognizing this, BBC Horizon, the documentary television series that covers science and philosophy, declared Sulabh technologies as one of the five unique inventions of the world. The Economist included Dr Pathak in its Global Diversity List of 50 top world personalities. Making a qualitative change in the lives of arsenic-affected people of certain

Peeping into Untouched Aspects of PM’s Life Narendra Damodardas Modi: The Making of a Legend, is different from the run of the mill books on him due to the quality of its content and production SSB BUREAU

t 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 researchers, 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. This pictorial biography presents an inspiring and compelling account of Modi from his early days to the present, bringing alive his early initiation as a Swayamsevak dedicated to the nation, his rise as a 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 ministers of

Gujarat and then being the most powerful Prime Minister, the country has had, a 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 an NCC cadet in the school, taking part in a school play, in RSS uniform, disguised as a Sikh during the emergency. There are also glimpses of his political journey – being part of Ekta Yatra taken out by then BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshi to unfurl national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, to being the constant companion of then BJP chief Lal Krishna Advani during the Swarna Jayanti 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 the world leaders about Modi.

The two aspects that I

appreciate in people all over the world are punctuality and cleanliness from the wells. In the process of his efforts, this quiet game-changer has altered people’s mind sets. “There was a time when I approached think-tanks in government set-ups, who insisted I first have tea before talking about sanitation as if the tea would be unpalatable when speaking of such matters. But now, both national and international leaders visit Sulabh headquarters in New Delhi’s Mahavir Enclave and unhesitatingly discuss the subject while having meals,” Dr Pathak laughs. The sociologist has not only awakened the conscience of the people of the country towards Dalits, by bringing them into the mainstream of society, but also contributed to several other causes, including running a school for children of weaker sections of society in Delhi and setting up ashrams for the widows of Varanasi, Vrindavan and Uttarakhand. Widely travelled, Dr Pathak says, “The two aspects that I appreciate in people all over the world are punctuality and cleanliness. India needs to pay heed to both.” He has received over 90 awards and numerous citations and fellowships. These include: the Padma Bhushan, New Delhi (1991), The International Saint Francis Prize, Italy (1992), Limca Book of Records, Man of the Year, New Delhi (1995), Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment (2000), Global 500 Scroll of Honour by UN-Habitat, Brazil (2003), Stockholm Water Prize (2009), Hall of Fame Award by World Toilet Organisation at World Toilet Summit, China (2008) and the Humanitarian Award of New York Global Leaders Dialogue (2016).

04 New India

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

narendra modi vision of a New India

Champions of Change Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with CEOs, entrepreneurs, and senior bureaucrats to share his vision of a New India

Quick Glance ssb bureau

rime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon chief executive officers (CEOs) and entrepreneurs to identify and develop five items whose imports could be stopped by 2022 so that the country’s needs could be met by domestic production. He said an atmosphere must be created to take the poor along in every sphere of life. India continues to have a

Have we ever thought of developing products that help in solving our domestic problems?

significant trade deficit in goods even as it has reduced since 2014-15. In 2016-17, merchandise exports stood at $276.28 billion even as imports soared to $384.31 billion. The $108.03-billion deficit has been explained in terms of skewed trade relations with manufacturing hub

China as well as India’s dependence on exporting raw materials rather than finished goods. Addressing 200 top CEOs from across the country as part of the second edition of ‘Champions of Change’ series organised by the NITI Aayog, Modi said that

PM addresses 200 top CEOs from across the country Lets carry India’s poor in each of our thoughts, he says CEOs should make development a mass movement

entrepreneurs needed to develop products through which imports of costly medical equipment could be curbed. “We develop products keeping in mind markets and claim that they are cheaper than others; but have we ever thought of developing products that help

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

in solving our domestic problems,” Modi asked. “Let’s carry India’s poor in each of our thoughts and actions,” the Prime Minister said, adding that if the current generation thought of feasible solutions to our unique problems, markets and jobs would automatically be created. He said among many sectors that had the potential of creating jobs, tourism held great promise but it was not exploited fully due to psychological issues. “We Indians don’t take pride in our rich heritage. If we begin talking about our tourist destinations with pride, the world will be desperate to visit India,” Modi said. He said that companies while inviting their foreign partners for business meetings, should also encourage them to visit the many tourist places in India. He said corruption in this country was transparent as almost everyone knew how the system could be manipulated, but his government had tried to put in place small changes that were fundamentally transforming how things were governed in India. E-Marketplace Giving the example of the Centre’s newly launched e-marketplace for local purchases (Governmente-Market), Modi said even with little reach, procuring goods worth

Digital India, which saw 100 times increase in the Optical Fibre Network, is an example of end-to-end solutions

Rs 1,000 crore had been recorded by the GeM and 28,000 suppliers had contributed to the platform. Referring to the November 8, 2016, decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the Prime Minister said he did not believe in piecemeal solutions and looked for end-to-end solutions. “Digital India, which saw 100 times increase in the Optical Fibre Network, is an example,” Modi said. He said the government was looking to double farmers’ income by 2022, and this would come from animal husbandry, fisheries, bee keeping, and allowing commercial felling of timber grown on farmlands. “We need to look for agro products that can capture targeted markets like in the Gulf and then integrate them with food processors, farmers, and companies,” Modi said. Touching upon the issue of food wastage, he said that the Centre opened up food processing to foreign direct investment and was now looking at private players and investors to build storages which would have multiple applications. Calling upon the CEOs to make

development a mass movement just as Mahatma Gandhi made freedom a mass movement, Modi said that they were his team for the new India and soldiers of a prosperous and developed India. “If you treat government as a client, you will complain. If you treat government as a partner, you will come up with feasible solutions,” Modi said. He also exhorted the CEOs to go cashless by 2022 both in their own working and also in their dealings with employees. Double R&D Spend The CEOs, who were divided into six groups in their presentation made to the Prime Minister and his top cabinet ministers along with bureaucrats, pledged to double their R&D spend to 3 per cent of revenues by 2022, employ at least one-third new hires as women, and also enhance skills through online skill training courses in the next five years. Among the multiple suggestions and pieces of advice that the CEOs gave, the group on doubling farmers’ income wanted the Agricultural

New India

Produce Market Committee Act scrapped. Another was creating one million agriprenuers to serve 100 million farmers in India, enabling massive self-employment. They also wanted publicprivate partnership in agriculture information centres to deliver demand data and analytics and create the brand value of source origin. The group on world-class infrastructure wanted greater access to electricity to trigger household income growth, a Right to Energy Act along with automatic monthly tariff adjustments, power supplier portability, and creating power retailers. It also wanted to create tourism circuits through the special purpose vehicle model. The group on developing cities of tomorrow wanted private sector participation in smart meters, ward level waste converters, etc. The group on financial sector reforms wanted to create 100 more no-frills banks with only the licence for deposit and credit. They said to build a new India of 2022, the focus should be on jobs, health care, tourism, branded goods and services, and affordable medical access for all. PM praises Panagariya Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on outgoing NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, saying he had quietly

06 New India

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

done marvels in shaping the new body that replaced the Planning Commission. Panagariya, the first V-C of the NITI Aayog, is scheduled to leave the government think-tank on August 31 and return to Columbia University in the US. “I want to especially thank NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, who is showing how work is done in a mission mode... He has done good work and the country will always remember him and his contribution,” Modi said. Recalling India’s freedom struggle, he said Mahatma Gandhi made all Indians, soldiers for freedom, even as they continued to do their own work. Hence, he helped the freedom struggle become a mass movement. The Prime Minister said that today, development too must become a mass movement. He said that a spirit should be created, whereby we all set targets for our contribution to India, by 2022. You are my team, and we need to work together to take India forward, the Prime Minister told the CEOs. Giving the example of value addition in agriculture, the Prime Minister said a multi-pronged approach is essential for achieving desired objectives such as doubling of agriculture incomes. Emphasizing the importance of food processing, the Prime Minister said lack of infrastructure is leading to huge losses in the agriculture sector. Appreciating the new ideas and innovations envisaged in the presentations made by the CEOs, the Prime Minister thanked them for the valuable inputs and time devoted to ideation for the benefit of the country. 360 Degree Views Presented He said the key decisionmaking team of the Government has listened carefully to the presentations, and will surely benefit in their policy-making, from the 360-degree view of issues that have been presented. The Prime Minister said people’s participation is an important element of governance. Similarly, he said, this attempt at CEOs partnership with Government is aimed at enhancing their participation towards the welfare of the people, and the nation. Recalling India’s freedom struggle, he said Mahatma Gandhi made all Indians, soldiers for freedom, even

as they continued to do their own work. Hence, he helped the freedom struggle become a mass movement. The Prime Minister said that today, development too must become a mass movement. He said that a spirit should be created, whereby we all set targets for our contribution to India, by 2022. You are my team, and we need to work together to take India forward, the Prime Minister told the CEOs. Agriculture Giving the example of value addition in agriculture, the Prime Minister said a multi-pronged approach is essential for achieving desired objectives such as doubling of agriculture incomes. Emphasizing the importance of food processing, the Prime Minister said lack of infrastructure is leading to huge losses in the agriculture sector. The Prime Minister said the Union Government has taken a number of decisions that have brought about fundamental transformation. He gave the illustration of decisions taken for urea availability and production - such as gas price pooling; remuneration for excess production etc. This led to additional production of 20 lakh tonnes of urea. He said Neemcoating of urea ended its large scale diversion. He said that the Government wants to move towards making

India a less-cash society. He asked CEOs to partner with Government to build momentum in this regard. Similarly, he said that on occasions such as festivals, Khadi could be promoted through gifting etc - and this would greatly help the poor. He said an atmosphere must be created to take the poor along in every sphere of life. The Prime Minister said Indians must take pride in their own country. He said each one should develop a temperament to promote tourist destinations within India, spontaneously among their contacts. Addressing Bureaucrats The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, met and interacted with a group of over 70 Additional Secretaries and Joint Secretaries serving in the Government of India. This was the first of five such interactions. During the interaction, officers shared their experiences on subjects such as a digital and smart governance, administrative procedures and accountability, transparency, doubling of farmers’ income, skill development, Swachh Bharat, consumer rights, environment protection, and building of New India by 2022. The Prime Minister said the combination of development and good governance is essential for the welfare and satisfaction of citizens.

Youth from humble backgrounds, with very limited

resources are achieving best positions in competitive exams and sports

He said good governance should be a priority for the officers. He emphasized the need for all wings of Government to work in harmony, and synchronisation, to achieve the best possible results. He said all officers must keep the poor and the ordinary citizens in their minds while taking decisions. The Prime Minister said the world is looking to India with positive expectations. He said the entire world feels that a successful India is vital for a global balance. He said there is also a strong undercurrent for excellence from the common citizens of India. Youth from humble backgrounds, with very limited resources, are achieving best positions in competitive exams and sports. He asked the officers to work to promote this spontaneous upsurge of talent, recalling the spirit and energy that they themselves would have possessed in the first three years of their service. Prime Minister Modi said anonymity was one of the greatest strengths of civil services, cautioning government officials that the use of social media should not lead to a decline in this strength, even as social media and mobile governance were leveraged for connecting people to benefits and government schemes. He said the conditions prevailing today were quite different from about two decades ago and would evolve much further over the next few years. While earlier the government was almost the sole provider of goods and services, which left a lot of scope for ignoring one’s shortcomings, people now very often perceived that the private sector offered better services than the government. The Prime Minister said with alternatives now being available in several areas, responsibilities of government officials had increased in terms of the challenges, not the scope of work. The Prime Minister said this was a unique opportunity for officers to deliver their utmost for the benefit of the nation. He emphasized the importance of breaking silos, and efficient internal communication between various departments of the Government. He also underlined the necessity of speed and efficiency in decision making. He said that honest decision making with good intention would always be encouraged

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

by the Union Government. He asked the officers to focus attention on the 100 most backward districts of India, so that they can be brought up to the national average level, on various development parameters. Start Ups Owners If in January 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered sops and incentives to entrepreneurs at a mega event to usher in a Silicon Valley-like culture into India, he now wants start-ups to have a meaningful role in all aspects of governance —from health care to education, sustainable energy to skill development. “Our current team in the Central government is keen to learn new things, which is the reason why I’m asking you all to join permanently with the government,” Modi told more than 200 start-up founders on Thursday. After his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, promising a New India by 2022, the PM engaged with start-ups on Thursday to carry the mission forward. The move is meant to draw new ideas from entrepreneurs to bring about a change. Pointing out there is an “app” for filling every gap, the PM said technology and innovation should be harnessed to transform governance. Signature Theme Along with the PM, Cabinet ministers and top bureaucrats

After his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, promising a New India by 2022, the PM engaged with start-ups on Thursday to carry the mission forward

watched presentations made by startup founders on signature themes such as Digital India, Incredible India 2.0 and New India by 2022. ‘Champions of Change’ — the initiative that kept the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), NITI Aayog and several key ministries busy for the past few days — brought together 212 start-up founders. Some called it a rebooted version of last year’s Start-Up India, Stand Up India organised at the capital’s Vigyan Bhawan. This time, the venue shifted to Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a new hub in the capital for major government events. Last year, the special invitees included marquee names including SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and then Uber chief Travis Kalanick. On Thursday, it was an all-desi affair with Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma, MobiKwik’s Bipin Preet Singh, BigBasket’s Hari Menon, Oyo’s Ritesh Agarwal, BookMyShow’s Ashish Hemrajani, and PharmEasy’s Dhaval Shah leading the show. Start Up Ecosystem In a 50-minute speech at the

event, organised by the NITI Aayog, Modi charted plans for the start-up ecosystem in India, while asking the entrepreneurs for active partnership in governance. In fact, ministers and government officials discussed “real-world solutions” to problems with start-ups who have founded innovative tech platforms for everything from food delivery to mobile wallets. While the start-up founders made presentations through six teams, the PM said these groups could be permanently attached to their respective line ministries, so that suggestions and advice could be incorporated in policymaking. He added that the Central government, in the past three years, had made fundamental changes in governance, eliminating the role of middlemen in many areas. “It is the same group (middlemen) which is now crying about low job growth,” Modi said. The start-up bosses indicated that unlike the last event that was more glitzy, this one was more about hearing and registering the ideas of these companies and using them to find solutions. “This time

New India

around we have been assured that our recommendations would be incorporated. The officials, as well as ministers, have told us that the feedback would be taken seriously and a forum would be formed. Also, this would turn into a yearly event,” said MobiKwik chief Bipin Preet Singh. Recommendations Given With a view to incorporate digital into every aspect of life, a set of recommendations has been given to the PM on topics ranging from digital payments, digitisation of processes, digital infrastructure as well as governance. “Financial literacy is important for endorsing Digital India. Its inclusion as a subject or module in school, college, and skill development institutes should be explored. School curriculum, government and private, could also include aspects of financial planning and government schemes. Mobile video platforms could be used as an effective and cost-efficient way to promote literacy,” according to a joint report. Health care is another area where the government wants to digitise a host of services. “As a provider of affordable authentic health care, we are pushing for regulations for e-access to health care services like medicine and consultations, clarity on remote health care solutions and regulations around digital prescriptions,” said Dhaval Shah, co-founder of PharmEasy.

08 NGO

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

ngo room to read

Making Hindi Relevant Again In Classrooms Room to Read has been working for literacy and education since its inception. It is now working to bring Hindi back in classrooms Quick Glance Room to Read has built over 8011 libraries It has distributed 9.09 million books and trained 7780 teachers In ‘Girls Education Program’ 857 girls have finished secondary schooling

ssb bureau

oom to Read is an International non-profit organization working across ten countries of Asia and Africa in the areas of early literacy and girls’ education. Founded in 2000, Room to Read believes that World Change Starts with Educated Children. Room to Read India was established in 2003 and has been working on two major themes since its inception: Literacy and Girls’ Education They have distributed over 9.09 million books and established 8011 libraries in government schools around the country and trained over 7780 teachers in reading and writing instruction. Close to 11,432 girls have benefited from their Girls’ Education program. Nearly 857 girls have completed their secondary education. Room to Read India is making

Room to Read India is making leaps and bounds to make Hindi relevant in classrooms again

leaps and bounds to make Hindi relevant in classrooms again. It conducted its second edition of the talk series, ‘Literacy in Multilingual India’ at the India Habit Centre in New Delhi. 52.2% in grade 5 struggle reading and comprehending grade 2 Hindi text. This inability to comprehend the mother tongue comes from the neglect the language gets and the overemphasis on English in classrooms. Being a multilingual country means, in a classroom, children often come from various linguistic backgrounds. We need to respect whatever linguistic abilities children have acquired. “Though it is a known fact that children learn best through their

mother tongue, our education systems have never been able to fully respond to this need, possibly because of the multiplicity of languages spoken or because of parent’s preference for more acceptable languages. Now that we are finding that most children in government primary schools are not reading at their grade level, it is important to have more discussion on the issue of child’s home language to school language transition. This is especially important since most of India is essentially multilingual and children naturally speak more than one language at a time” says Sourav Banerjee, Country Director, Room to Read India.

Teachers play a crucial role in learning a new language in school. The guest speaker of at the talk was Udaya Narayana Singh, Chair professor, Amity Centre for Linguistics studies, Amity University who highlighted the urgency of rethinking classroom teachings in a multilingual realm. “The tender system of teachers’ recruitment has to stop. We must recruit teacher locally who understands local language and able use local language to an advantage for comprehension in classrooms. We need to respect the local language and the teacher with the ability to teach in local language” says Singh. Through this talk series, Room to Read hopes to shift the focus of pedagogies, curriculum designers and government officials on the issue of multilingualism and its implication on reading skills of children. “India is a multilingual country. Often, traditionally it has been looked upon as a problem while planning literacy policies or practices. We must acknowledge it to be a resource in the classroom, rather than a problem. While we must be scientifically informed while planning literacy interventions, we must also be equally socially sensitive towards our diverse realities. Only then we can provide a comprehensive literacy experience, i.e., through instructions, and good books for our children in India,” says Saktibrata, Literacy Director.

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Mumbai healthcare

Utarlai-Attari

IAF and BSF Joint Camel Expedition

More ‘one-rupee-Clinics’ For Mumbai’s Commuters

The all women camel expedition carried out by 10 IAF women and 10 BSF women is well underway

Following the order of Bombay HC, 10 more 24x7 emergency medical rooms will be set up in stations on the Western railway line SSB Bureau

IANS

he Indian Air Force recently embarked upon an all women camel expedition along with the Border Security Force from Utarlai (Barmer, Rajasthan) to Attari (Amritsar, Punjab). The expedition will be 2 months long. The team was flagged off from Air Force Station at Uttarlai. The expedition is planned with a team of 10 Women Air Warriors of the IAF and 10 Women personnel from the BSF. The team of 10 IAF women Air Warriors are led by Sqn Ldr Anioushka Lomas and is attempting this unique feat in desert areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab. Earlier in the year 2011, IAF had made history by hoisting the tricolour and the IAF flag on top of the world during all women Mt Everest Expedition. Keeping up with the spirit of its motto ‘Touch the Sky with Glory’, the IAF team is poised to explore this adventurous journey of approximately 1400 Km. During the expedition, the team will interact with civilians with an aim to spread awareness about ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ Abhiyan. The team will also spread awareness about IAF and its role and various career options available for youth (particularly girls) in the IAF. The expedition also aims to promote adventure activities in IAF and thereby motivating the Indian youth to join Indian Air Force. The Team underwent training along with BSF personnel in Subsidiary Training Centre of BSF Jodhpur. On the occasion, IAF Skydiving Team `Air Devils’ also carried out a skydiving display.

t the first stage, affordable emergency clinics are going to be set up in major stations like Mumbai Central, Bandra, Andheri, and Churchgate, and will eventually be established at all 24 stations located on the Western Railway line. Cost effective ‘one rupee clinic’ will be set up for commuters travelling on Mumbai’s Western line. It will first open at 10 railway stations. In a short duration of three months, the eight such clinics set up at the Central and Harbour line stations have seen over 17,000 visitors. The first clinic was opened at the Ghatkopar railway station in May this year. These clinics are expected to benefit daily commuters during emergencies and the work on 10 such clinics is well underway. In an interview, Dr Rahul Ghule of Magicdil, who has been instrumental in setting up the clinics earlier, said, “We have been in talks with the Western line railway authority for a few months. Our objective is to give affordable health service to the commuters. Due to our success in running cost-effective medical services at various railway stations on

Quick Glance Eventually, all 24 stations in Mumbai’s Western line will have clinics These clinics run 24x7 and are staffed by MBBS doctors In the last three months, the clinics have seen 17,000 visitors

the Central and Harbour line, we will be happy to help commuters travelling on the Western line as well.” This plan may replicate this model in Pune as well. These clinics charge a meagre fee of Re 1 and offer medical emergency assistance to rail accident victims and common commuters. This happened after the order of

NITI Ayog organics

Organic farming in India has huge potential With many states like Sikkim witnessing success in organic farming, NITI Ayog believes there is a huge market for organic products IANS

ndia has a huge potential for consumption of organic products and attempts should be made by progressive farmers to promote it, said NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant. “Some should become great organic farmers. India needs a couple of success stories. If farmers get better unit realisation value, many will emulate it. Sikkim has done outstanding work

the Bombay HC to the Railways to set up Emergency Medical Rooms (EMRs) at all stations on the Central and Western line. This was the result of a PIL filed by rail activist, Samir Zaveri in March on the issue of lack of prompt medical help in case of accidents on railway tracks. The stations chosen to get EMRs were selected on the basis of the most number of reported accidents. There are teams of 3 to 4 MBBS doctors in each of the 24 x 7 clinics, who provide consultation, check blood pressure, and blood sugar at a token charge of Re 1.

Quick Glance Organic farming is seen as an “effective instrument” to promote sustainability Nutrient content in food has depleted in last 30 years There are challenges in the availability of input seeds and planting material

in the field of organic farming. I even found that Kiwi (fruit) from Arunachal Pradesh was of better quality than that in New Zealand,” he said in an event marked to release a report on organic farming. “As per the study conducted by the International Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture in eight cities in India, there is huge market for organic food. There are opportunities for organic farming business.” Kant however said there were challenges of availability of input seeds and planting material.

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

Rajasthan

Good News

KOLKATA

open defecation

Toilets : A Prerequisite For Marriage More women are taking a stance against open defecation by making the construction of toilets a prerequisite for their marriages

Install Garbage Treatment Plant Win A KMC Tax Sop Offer

IANS

Rajasthan judge has given an unusual twist to the drive to build more toilets in India by granting a woman a divorce because of her husband’s failure to provide a toilet to her. Sangeeta Mali, 23, testified in court in the Bhilwara district that her husband, ChotuLal Mali, had promised to build a toilet for her when he married her in 2011. This never happened. The judge was told that she was ashamed of going out in the fields near her home to defecate without privacy or comfort. “He kept saying he would build it but it was just talk. In the end, he refused point blank. My in-laws also refused. Every day was agony – waiting for it to get dark so that there was no one around who could see me, forcing me to hold on even though my bladder was bursting. I couldn’t live with the stress anymore,” she said. Mali was forced to use the toilet at her mother’s home for the last two years. She decided to file for divorce at the end of 2015 when she realized the toilet was not going to be built.This story was on the front pages of major Indian newspapers. The judgment given in this case by Justice Rajendra Kumar Sharma has been quoted for its strongly worded views. Sharma equated open defecation to “mental torture”, calling it a disgrace in the 21st century. “Has it ever pained us that our mothers and sisters have to go to defecate in the open? Women in villages have to wait for dark to venture out in order to relieve [themselves] and as a result, have to bear … physical pain,” he said. “It is an irony that people who spend a lot of money on alcohol,

prashanta paul

tobacco and mobile phones don’t have toilets in their homes.” Rajesh Sharma, Mali’s lawyer said he was more than satisfied with the coverage of the case. “We are very backward compared with other countries. If we want our women to live with dignity, and if we want our country to be clean and great again, we have to build toilets not just for Mali but all Indian women, in villages or cities,” he said. This is not the first time a woman has taken action over sanitation concerns. A bride in Telangana, in South India, refused to go ahead with her marriage until her fiancé built a toilet. Moreover, last year, a bride in Kanpur called off her wedding at the last minute for this exact reason. More than one-third of the 2.3 billion people in the world with no access to toilets live in India. The Narendra Modi government launched the Swachh Bharat campaign in 2014 with a goal to build more than 100 million toilets and end open defecation in the country by 2019.

The drive to end open defecation in India is gaining momentum as women across rural India are demanding toilets before marriage

Quick Glance Sangeeta Mali’s husband promised to build her a toilet in 2011 In 2015, Mali filed for divorce and the judge ruled in her favour The movie Toilet: Ek Prem Katha is an adaptation of this story

This story is echoed in the plot of the recently released Bollywood movie called: Toilet: Ek Prem Kathaas debates about sanitation have graced the big screen. The movie shows a woman who threatens to leave her husband unless he builds her a toilet. To win back her love and respect, he embarks on a campaign to change the lackadaisical policy on latrines in the village. “I just can’t fathom how we’ve been able to launch rockets to Mars and the moon but still not been able to build toilets to end open defecation across the country,” the star of the film, Akshay Kumar, told the Times of India this month. Living with her widowed mother, Mali says she won’t be seeing the new movie. Although she did say: “I’m glad they have made it. We need to talk about this every day, everywhere, until we get toilets. The government must move faster. Women are desperate.”

n an attempt to encourage the participation of the citizens in keeping the city clean and garbage- free, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has come up with a novel idea. The Corporation has floated a proposal to offer tax exemption to various housing complexes in and around the city if they install waste management equipment that segregates and recycles waste in their housing arenas. At a time when the city has been battling against a huge pressure of solid waste and its proper environment-friendly disposal on a regular basis, the KMC proposal sounds quite innovative. Dhapa, the city’s only solid waste disposal area, has been overburdened as the site has been serving as the dumping ground of the solid waste the city and its neighbourhood for more than four decades now. KMC has desperately been looking for an alternative site to manage the city’s waste. “ At the outset, we want the housing societies to install small composting machines at their complexes to convert the waste into wealth after initial segregation at source,” Debabrata Majumder, KMC Mayor-in-council said. The Corporation’s earlier move to install a costly garbage-to-fertiliser machine at Dhapa flopped owing to high cost and the enormous burden of waste. Hence, the KMC which has been looking for alternatives to find a solution to the problem has sought to borrow this model being successfully run at Kochi and other parts of Kerala. An owner of a construction firm who first implemented the concept in Kochi has now found several followers across Kerala which have helped the civic authorities there to cope with the urban waste treatment problem.

12 Sanitaion

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

Assam Swachh Bharat Mission

Hackathon For A Swachh Assam The Swacchathon 1.0 was organised with the objective to crowd source ideas for solving sanitation and ODF problems

Quick Glance Swacchathon 1.0 was organised by Directorate Swachh Bharat Gramin The state-level event received 98 participants from all over India Swachhathon 1.0 presented viable novel solutions for sanitation

Raj Kashyap

he Government of Assam is conducting Swachhathon 1.0, a Swachha Bharat Hackathon as a part of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) to supplement Government of India’s vision to make India Open Defecation Free by 2019. The implementation of this programme is being monitored by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India at the National level and done by the Public Health Engineering Department, Assam in the State. The Curtain Raiser of Swachhathon 1.0 was organized by Mission Directorate Swachh Bharat Gramin (Assam). The event held at

Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara was organized with the objective to crowd source ideas for some of the pressing problems related to sanitation and hygiene in Assam. The state-level event received 98 participants from all over the state who were selected after the

Swachhathon 1.0 contest conducted at the district level. Participants presented innovative, novel and viable solutions on various topics such as Monitoring Usage of Toilets, Triggering Behaviour Change, Toilet Technologies in Difficult Terrains, Working Solutions for Maintenance and Operations of School Toilets,

With the goal of crowd sourcing novel and innovative

solutions to the issue of sanitation, the Swachhathon 1.0 hackathon was organised in Assam

Technological Solutions for Safe Disposal of Menstrual Waste and Solution for Early Decomposition of Fecal Matter. All the participants were presented with a participation certificate. “Swacchathon 1.0 is an initiative to bring different innovative ideas in order to make Assam an ODF state within this year. I am glad to announce that our target was to provide sanitation facilities to 8.5 lakhs families, but we have already exceeded our target by providing all the facilities to 10.4 lakhs families. Interestingly, we are heading towards the post ODF stage, that’s called ODF+. We are happy that Nalbari and Kamrup Metro have been declared as ODF districts and very soon we expect Chirang and Sivsagar to be added to the same list,” said Dr Siddharth Singh, Mission Director, Swachh Bharat Mission (G). Additional Chief Secretary, VB Pyarelal added, “This is a great initiative by Mission Directorate (SBM-G). I hope this initiative will be able to give a sustainable solution to make Assam ODF by the estimated time frame. For achieving our goals, it is not sufficient to construct the toilets only; we also need to create awareness on its use and maintenance actively.” Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia launched the trailer of a movie called ‘AjaniteMoneMone’ based on Swacchta produced by Swachh Bharat Mission and directed by Upakul Bardoloi. This movie is scheduled to be released on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. “I think we still have a long way to go. Just by building toilets and talking about it won’t make us reach our goals. We need to focus on combating behavioural and psychological aspects as well,” the Chief Secretary added.

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

Sanitaion

Karnataka Social Work

SwacHh Karnataka Is Her Mission Vowing to raise awareness about open defecation, Bhavya Rani quit her well-paying job to serve the people and bring about change

G. Ulaganathan

he is young, a post graduate in social work and had landed a plum job. Like all youngsters of her age, she too had a dream. But her dream is of a different kind. She had a good job after completing her post-graduation in social work. She could have later joined an MNC and climbed the ladder to become a corporate executive. Bhavya Rani, hailing from Ananthady village near Vittal in Bantwaltaluk of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, was working in Bengaluru for a little more than a year but, one fine day the course life changed and she embarked on a new journey. In 2010, she visited Haralakere, a small village which comes under Shettigondanahallipanchayat, near the famous town of Kunigal (where the famous actor Sanjay Khan used to have a large stud farm) in Tumkur district of Karnataka to attend the marriage function of one of her colleagues. She was horrified to find the lack of basic facilities there and people defecating in the open.

There was no toilet in any of the 90 houses and the local panchayat authorities did not bother to even construct a public toilet. The same was the scenario in all the 22 villages coming under Shettigondanahalli panchayat union. At once, on the spot, she decided to make people aware of the need for toilets and build them on her own if possible. She visited each of these villages and found that there were 1,242 houses and not one of them had a pucca toilet. She quit her well-paying job and today she almost lives in Shettigondanahalli and has brought about a remarkable change in the life and attitude of people there. There are no proper roads to Haralekere village which is about 12 km off the main BangaloreTumkur highway. Our cab driver, a local man from Kunigal himself had to struggle to locate and drive us to this village. There is electricity no doubt and there are about 60 to 70 small houses. Most of the people are farmers and cultivate either raagi or rice. “It was a big struggle for me when I began six years ago, People would not easily agree to have

Quick Glance Bhavya Rani re-assessed her life goal after visiting Haralekere village She has helped in constructing toilets in 43 houses in the village She created the Shine India trust to support her cause

a toilet as part of their house. It is not that they were poor to construct toilets but their mindset was totally against it. “ I had to go from house to house, spend hours telling them that it is a necessary part of their house and they should keep the surroundings clean. “, she adds. Most interesting information was that she had initially spent almost Rs 2 lakh of her hard earned savings to construct some of the toilets to motivate the villagers. “Today 43 out of 93 houses in Haralekere have a toilet, partly funded by the government. Under a Karnataka government scheme each household gets Rs 12,000 for this purpose and if the residents belong to scheduled caste or tribes, they are eligible to get Rs 15,000” she says. Out of this about Rs 3,500 is released initially and the rest of the money will come only after completion of the work.

Social Work post-graduate, Bhavya Rani left her job to dedicate her life to support the cause of sanitation in rural Karnataka

“The major problem is for these people to fill up various forms and apply. They are not well educated and even after applying for his money, they have to make endless rounds of the panchayat office to get the money released,” Says Bhavya and she has now four volunteers who are fully dedicated to the cause. She has registered her Shine India Trust as an NGO two years ago. She and her team help the villagers do all the paper work, get the cheques from the government, help them to open bank accounts and take them through the whole process. All the beneficiaries now treat her as their own daughter and she freely goes and stays with them in these villages. Out of the 1242 houses in all the 22 villages, work has been completed in 490 villages and she expects to get the work done in all the houses by next year end. “I am not bothered about the time this work consumes but I want every household to have a toilet and I am ready to go to any extent to make it happen. It is the urge to do something for my country that fuels my aim,” she says. Unfortunately, her impressive work has largely gone unnoticed and except for some Kannada newspapers, there has been no mention of it anywhere. Television channels, which thrive on negative publicity, have also not highlighted her work. But she carries on undeterred by this lack of support from the media. Shine India Trust is also looking for donors who can join her in this noble cause and spread the awareness across the entire state.

14 Science & Technology

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

research DNA

Moon

DNA Extraction Now Cheap and Quick

Full Moon, Full Sound

A new ‘universal, rapid, and inexpensive’ method of DNA isolation has been discovered by Iraqi scientists Quick Glance The DNA extraction method involves osmosis The process of hemolysis causes cells to burst and release DNA The researchers successfully used this method to extract DNA

ssb bureau

raqi scientists at Al-Qasim Green University claim to have found a “universal, rapid and inexpensive” method for the isolation of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from the blood of a wide range of species for genomic studies. Currently, there is no common procedure for extracting DNA from the blood of both mammals

and birds since each species has a unique property that requires different methods to release its own DNA. The method reported in the recent issue of the Journal of Genetics exploits the fact that if blood is placed in water, this rapidly enters the red blood cells (RBCs) by “osmosis” and causes these cells to burst and release their contents -- that includes DNA -- in a process called “hemolysis”. The researchers claim the validity of extracting genomic DNA by this method was confirmed by several molecular biological experiments. It was found that it provides an efficient and versatile alternative for extracting bulk amounts of DNA from the blood of a variety of species, including humans. The report says this novel method was used by the researchers to successfully extract DNA from blood

Genetic scientists have discovered a novel,

inexpensive, and quick way to extract DNA from cells. They use osmosis to trigger hemolysis

samples collected from 135 human volunteers, 60 cows, 178 sheep, six goats and 81 hens. Half a teaspoon of blood, diluted with two teaspoons of distilled water and centrifuged for just four minutes could yield enough DNA to perform several molecular biological experiments, the researchers report. “This is the first manuscript that describes the use of distilled water as the eliminator of RBCs,” the researchers claim. “It is a reliable and easy to use method for the extraction of a large quantity of DNA from the blood of both mammals and birds for several molecular experiments.” They also claim their method has proven its superiority to many commercially available DNA extraction kits that “either require large amounts of blood samples, are relatively expensive or time-consuming,” they report. However, DNA experts in India have reservations about the validity and novelty of this method and the purity of the DNA extracted. “One may like this method to be reproduced in other labs before accepting its use,” JayaramGowrishankar, former director of Hyderabad’s Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Analysis, told this reporter. “Besides, it is not clear how useful this method will be since existing methods are already very simple and easy to perform,” he added.

IANS

ebronics launched its wooden tower speakers worth Rs 15,999 called ‘Full Moon’ with a built-in digital power amplifier and equaliser Consumer Electronics Company, Zebronics recently launched wooden tower speakers ‘Full Moon’ at a price of Rs 15,999. The ‘Full Moon’ features two 20.32cm sub-woofer drivers packed in a slim wooden enclosure with round RGB lights system at the top. The 200-watt remotecontrolled speaker comes with a built-in digital power amplifier and equaliser which allows its users to control volume, bass and treble. “We are glad to bring in the newest ‘Full Moon’ with some extraordinary thumping sound, that lets the festivities begin,” said PradeepDoshi, Director, Zebronics India, in a statement. The device comes bundled with dual microphone jacks, two wireless microphones and a SD-card slot supporting up to 32GB storage. The speakers can be connected to mobile phones, PCs, TVs and other devices through a USB port and wirelessly via Bluetooth.

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

NASA Mars

X-ray To Find Signs Of Life

Science & Technology

api’S

Quick Glance Mars 2020 will focus on measurements to the microbial scale The rover will produce high resolution maps of the planet It will use X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy to map Mars

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission will utilize X-ray techniques to detect life on the red planet

New API’s Now Available, Thanks To Microsoft

ssb bureau

ASA’s Mars 2020 rover mission, which aims to look for signs of past life on the Red Planet, will use smart X-ray techniques originally developed to find the oldest life on Earth, according to a mission scientist. “Previous missions to Mars have used a relatively broad brush - analysing average chemistry over roughly the size of a postage stamp to ‘follow the water’ and seek ancient habitable environments,” said the mission’s Deputy Project Scientist Ken Williford. “Mars 2020 takes the next natural step in its direct search for evidence of ancient microbial life, focusing measurements to the microbial scale and producing high-resolution maps over similarly postage stampsized analytical areas,” Williford said while speaking at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Paris where he presented the methods to be adopted. Rather than using “bulk” geochemistry techniques that measure the average composition

The Mars 2020 rover of NASA will utilise X-ray

fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy to map the planet in high resolution in order to find signs of life of a rock, Mars 2020 is developing new capabilities including X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy to map the elemental, mineral, and organic composition of rocks at high spatial resolution, with analytical spot sizes about the width of a human hair. Understanding the spatial distribution of chemical features preserved in ancient rocks is key to determining whether or not they were formed by life. The instruments in development for Mars 2020 have roots in the search for the earliest signs of life on Earth, as well as life in extreme environments deep underground, or in hydrothermal settings along ocean-floor ridges. When these methods have been applied on Earth they have enabled scientists to lower limits of detection or to better understand formerly ambiguous observations. In addition, the Mars 2020 mission

will use the knowledge gained from its scientific exploration to select and collect key samples that could one day be examined in laboratories back on Earth. About 30-40 rock and sediment core samples, each about 15 grams, will be hermetically sealed in titanium tubes and deposited in a safe location on the surface of Mars for possible retrieval by a future mission. “Mars 2020 represents a crucial first step towards a possible Mars sample return. Our objective is to collect a diverse set of samples from our landing site with the best potential to preserve records of the evolution of Mars - including the presence of life if it was there,” Williford said. “We’ll use our onboard instruments to provide the critical field context that future scientists would need to understand the measurements made back on Earth,” Williford added.

ew application programming interfaces like ASP.NET, Core 2.0, and .NET Core 2.0 were launched by Microsoft for its Visual Studio 2017 software. Microsoft has announced the availability of new Application programming interfaces (APIs) ‘ASP.NET Core 2.0’ and ‘.NET Core 2.0’ in its Visual Studio 2017 for developers. ASP.NET is an open source server-side web application framework designed for building dynamic websites, web applications and web services. NET Core is a free, cross-platform and open source managed software framework. With these, developers using Visual Studio 2017 in a lowvision or no-vision mode will find debugging more accessible. Debugger windows like the Call Stack, Locals, Autos and Watch windows, which were inaccessible to screen readers, have now also been made available. “There are also 1,700 new accessibility improvements in Visual Studio 2017 which further enables any developer to use these development tools,” Microsoft said in a statement on Friday. Numerous tooling features in Visual Studio available for .NET Core 2.0 applications like simplified and portable project files, makes it easy to move projects between Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio for Mac and code navigation improvements. According to the software giant, support for containerising ASP.NET Core apps as Windows Nano images has been added and one can now select Nano as the container platform.

August 28 - September 03, 2017

not the strongest of “theIt isspecies that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”

Charles Darwin

dr. bindeshwar pathak Founder of Sulabh Sanitation & Social Reform Movement

VIEWPOINT

One of our Best Sociologists Passes Away

Menstruation

Still Cycle of Shame An Assamese film has been released to stimulate discussion about menstruation still being a taboo in India

n Assamese film has been made on menstruation and it will be shown in a foreign film festival soon. This is great news at any level. Assam has a long tradition of liberated intellectuals, so this is not surprising, but it calls for huge courage. The fact is that neighbouring West Bengal has also a strong left liberal tradition and a glorious filmmaking history and yet, no such film has been made from the state. This just underscores the fact that menstruation is even now a taboo. In a recent case, an eight-year-old girl student in one of the better schools had stomach cramps. In the sick room, she was examined and the health in charge later told her something about menstruation. That she thought it fit to do so is laudable, but what she said was so sketchy that the poor student got more confused and scared. Neither did the school inform the girl’s mother of this incident and a feeling-guilty girl herself asked her mother. This just shows that there is no clarity even among elite school caregivers about menstruation, that it is not something one talks about in whispers. Indeed, the scenario is changing slowly, and Bollywood today is seeing more and more films with menstruation as a core theme, if not the main narrative. But the real test of that process will come in only after a statistical analysis as to how these films did in the hinterlands and particularly, how many men watched and then talked about them.

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

rof. Hetukar Jha was an erudite scholar, a dedicated researcher, a brilliant teacher and one of India’s foremost sociologists. Prof. Jha made his distinguished presence felt in the world of social sciences by his publications and scholarly contributions. A doyen in his discipline, his last academic book was on Historical Sociology in India, which was released globally by Routledge India in 2015. Jha had also written a novel in Maithili, Kakra Le Arjab Hey, published six months back. He wrote 27 books in a career spanning over five decades. He used to edit one rare book on Bihar every year during the annual function of the Maharajadhiraja Kameshwar Singh Kalyani Foundation, Darbhanga with which he was associated as Honorary Trustee. Prof. Jha had thus published 16 rare books through this foundation and he would invite eminent scholars like Andre Beteille, Yogendra Singh and Dipankar Gupta for its annual lecture series. Prof. Jha was an expert on the knowledge of tradition, culture and heritage. His research interests included historical sociology, social

classification and works related to the heritage of Bihar. Among dozens of his publications are edited works like “Courage and Benevolence: Maharajadhiraja Kameshwar Singh (19071962)”, and “India: Some Crucial Questions, published under “Kameshwar Singh Bihar Heritage Series”. His another important work is “Tirhut in Early Twentieth Century: Mithila Darpan of Ras Bihari Lal Das”. He also edited another notable work, “Reflections on History, Society and Social Change in India”. Prof. Jha also wrote profusely in the Maithili language, and his noteworthy Maithili works include “Chetika” (poetry collection, 1967), “Paraati” (novel, 2012) and Kakra Le Arjab Hey (2017). I had the privilege of knowing him personally over several decades. In 1964, he joined Sociology (Hons.) in the third year, when I was in the fourth year. He was a bright student and he topped his class both at the graduation (1965) and post-graduation (1967) from Patna University. Jha joined Patna University as a lecturer of Sociology in 1968 and retired as Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology in 2004. He rose to become one of the finest sociologists of his time. He was closely associated with me as the Director of Sulabh Institute of Applied Research, Patna. His contribution is immense. He gave me several books that are precious and rare, including a coffee table book on Darbhanga Maharaja Sir Kameshwar Singh. He used to spend most of his day reading documents, collecting facts to enrich the subject, which is close to his heart. He retired from service in 2004. The retirement, however, never dampened his spirit of enriching the subject, which he started to study in 1963 as an undergraduate student of Patna College. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1972 by the US Educational Foundation in India. In 1984–85 he was on the interviewboard of Fulbright Scholarship offered by USEFI. He also had a twoyear stint as Director of Shulabh Institute of Social Sciences. Beginning in 1968, he did research on the societies and cultures of Bihar. Among his conclusions is that: A basic problem is the break down

He was a simple soul

and remained engaged in academics till his last days

August 28 - September 03, 2017

He used to spend most

of his day reading documents, collecting facts to enrich the subject, which is close to his heart of the traditional village community as a functioning whole. Prior to joining as an undergraduate sociology student at Patna College in 1963, Jha was pursuing engineering but left the course midway as he didn’t enjoy studying the subject. Right from early morning, one could find him sitting on his wooden chair at home, reading some book or writing some note. Jha was a workaholic. He used to say, there is no time to take rest. He was writing a book on the village world of the colonial period in Bihar. He had collected facts related to about 6,000 villages of the state. The village notes, prepared between 1894 and 1916 by the then colonial government, have vivid details of the villages of Bihar of that period. He had to visit record rooms of several districts to copy these facts. Weaving these facts into a book is a Herculean task but he was more than willing to take up this challenge. He was a simple soul and remained engaged in academics till his last days; which narrates his commitment to the field he was associated with. No one can fill the void created by the departure of a scholar like Hetukar Jha. Professor Jha did not know the meaning of hauteur, or of self-importance. He treated everyone as a very important person. This was his general attitude towards people. His commitment to scholarship was pure and unadulterated. Recognition or keeping up with the latest trends were none of his concerns. His academic knowledge of tradition was exceptional and yet he would be the last person to publicise this. He was one of the most generous, forgiving and honest persons. He was genuinely committed to his culture and heritage but did not display this aspect with pride but with love - a truly exceptional trait. I would also like to fondly remember him as a socially engaged sociologist who graciously accepted my invitation and presided over the Sociology Of Sanitation session in the National Conference on Sociology of Sanitation in 2013, and he also contributed a book on the Sociology of Sanitation. I greatly admired his simplicity, scholastic attitude, and his unquenchable quest for knowledge. Personally, I will miss his presence. A person like him seldom comes on earth.

Oped

Resurgence Of Consciousness

mihir paul

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

That which makes the experience of life possible. That which gives birth to creation

upfront

ife is a whirlwind of sensations and perceptions. It’s a tapestry of experiences we attribute to our personal identities. However, we never seem to notice what is behind our experience? We never try to find out what even makes sense perceptions possible in the first place. We have just assumed that we are our bodies and minds that make up a distinct ‘personality’ full with memories, hopes, and dreams. We have never seemed to explore our experience of life past these direct associations. What really makes us alive is consciousness. Consciousness is what makes experiencing possible. When we are in deep sleep at night or when someone is under anaesthesia, there is no consciousness, therefore, no experience. Nothing exists during unconsciousness. So what makes consciousness special? Although we have intentionally limited our selves by identifying ourselves as limited human beings, consciousness itself is boundless. Consciousness itself is not a thing. It is that which makes things possible. Imagine watching a movie on

a big screen. You see characters on the screen. Many events take place on the screen and consciousness is like that screen. Life appears on it. Whatever appears on consciousness is one with it and alive. You are no more alive than the newspaper you hold. It’s just that the arrangement of molecules that

make up matter, yours is able to sense and perceive. Basically, everything that you experience through your five senses, is in fact, consciousness. Consciousness is the basis of reality. Consciousness is itself boundless, infinite, pure, and limitless. Consciousness manifests itself as awareness in living beings. Awareness

is the knowledge of perception. It is the knowledge of the experience via the five senses. Awareness, just like consciousness is limitless. Humans have always debated the origins of consciousness. Most believe it is the biological product of the brain. But the brain does not create consciousness. Consciousness is already there, like an ocean. The brain is like a radio tuner that ‘tunes’ to a specific frequency and produces an experience of sensations and perceptions. And going by the subject-object observation, anything in our experience of perception, technically, cannot be us. Since we are the subject, whatever we observe, i.e. body, mind and the world is the object of our perception. That refutes the commonly held belief that we are just the body and mind. In fact, we are consciousness itself. For example, if a movie screen shows fire burning, it doesn’t affect the screen. We are that screen. You are not in the body, the body is in you. Try to explore and inquire into what you and your awareness really are.

letters to the editor girls to those houses which do not have the facilities of toilets. They are concerned about the shame faced by the women defecating in the open and trying to maintain proper hygiene for their families. They also took the initiative of stopping the habit of open defecation. This also shows the safety aspect concerning their girls and daughters. Partha Sen, Kolkata

No Toilet, No Wedding The article ‘No Toilet, No Wedding’ is a very impressive article. It is true that toilet is a very basic necessity for everyone. In today’s time, it is a brave step taken by a village not to marry their

Glory to Khadi The article ‘Glory to Khadi’ is a very interesting article. We usually come across the fact that when we go to purchase the Indian outfits we prefer khadi kurta or Nehru jackets. These have become a symbol for Gandhism in India. When I am visited by any foreign friend, he or she asks me to suggest any showroom for the purchase for Khadi. The news that 60 %

increase in sales of khadi after the PM of India appealed to buy a least one Khadi garment is encouraging. It’s true that khadi has become a symbol for freedom struggle. Both Mahatma Gandhi and Modi ji have encouraged people to wear khadi. Nirmal Aggarwal, Patna Scavenging deaths The article ‘Scavenging deaths: Strict action needed’ is about dirt and filth in our attitude. If we think deeply we might hate ourselves for it. The higher middle class feels ashamed of touching their own waste. But those from the lower castes don’t have any other option than cleaning and doing filthy jobs for them. Here it should be our responsibility to stop this method by introducing newer and better methods. Shetal Parekh, Lucknow

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

18 Photo Feature

August 28 - September 03, 2017

NEPAL PM MEETS MODI

Nepalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived in India on August 25th to hold billateral talks with Prime Minister Modi in order to discuss a gamut of issues including countering drug-trafficking

Photos: sipra das

The two leaders discussed and signed 8 pacts between the two countries. They discussed several issues including trade and investment activities between India and Nepal. PM Deuba promised to provide a mechanised channel to transfer money to Nepal. Delegation level talks were held at the Hyderabad House in Delhi.

August 28 - September 03, 2017

Photo Feature

The agenda of the visit was to discuss ways to enhance the relationship between the two countries. Deuba arrived with a 48-member delagation to finalise the pacts between India and Nepal. External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj was also present during the meetings. The visit was seen as an important step towards building better relations with Nepal.

20 Sulabh Visit

August 28 - September 03, 2017

sulabh Manhar Valjibhai Zala and Swaraj Vidwan

“Sulabh has given a direction to country”: Zala The chairman of National Commission of Safai Karmachari lauds the efforts put in by Dr Pathak Quick Glance Change the mind, Change the country is a strong message Prime Minister Modi too shares similar thought on cleanliness The Government should take training from Sulabh

Dr Pathak welcoming Manhar Valjibhai Zala

ssb bureau

ulabh has shown a direction to the society, which every person should adopt. Earlier, I was not aware of such intense knowledge, but after coming here, it seemed that Dr Pathak has given the idea and has restructured it. The National Commission for Safai Karamchari Chairman, Manhar Valjibhai Zala uttered these words when he visited the Sulabh village. During this program, Swaraj Vidwan, member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Puran Singh, who wrote articles on Dalit society, and Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement Founder, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak were also present. Manhar Valjibhai Zala and Swaraj Vidwan first met the ‘scavenger’ sisters, ‘widow’ mothers, women coming from Trump Village, children of the Sulabh School and members working in Sulabh. After that, they inspected the entire Sulabh village and the Sulabh two-pit toilet, displaying the importance of toilets. During this visit, Dr Pathak welcomed all the guests with shawls and flowers. In this program, a collection of 100 short stories written by Puran Singh and his poetry composition ‘Vidhroh’ was also released by Manhar Valjibhai Zala, Swaraj Vidwan, and Dr Pathak. After visiting Sulabh there is a new energy in me – Manhar Waljibhai Jala The chief guest of the program, Manhar Valjibhai Zala said that we had heard the name of Sulabh, I have been able to see Sulabh and its work today in the right

way. In the Sulabh village, Dr Pathak has written one thing: ‘Change your mind, change the country’. These lines are small but their meaning is very big. I find it very good to see my mothers and sisters living in the society today with respect. I give Dr Pathak and the entire Sulabh family a hearty congratulation. Our Prime Minister Modi shares similar thinking and has brought awareness about cleanliness across the country. Two persons from Gujarat worked on the same idea, firstly Mahatma Gandhi and now, Prime Minister Modi. No work is done just by talking about it, but rather the work is completed by doing it. That’s why PM Modi did not just talk about it but actually worked to bring the tradition of cleanliness and the availability of a toilet to the homes in the country. This has become a popular movement. We remember that in a program in Gujarat, Modiji told the ‘scavenger’ brothers and sisters that our society has committed atrocities on your community and I want to atone for it. They are doing the same today, he said. For this, he has entrusted me with the responsibility of the cleaning workers of the whole country. The Prime Minister is working for the betterment of the oppressed people of the country. With the same goal in mind, Dr Pathak is also working towards it. I respect and express my gratitude to him. Today, in

Dr Pathak welcoming Swaraj Vidwan

the whole country, there is true respect for cleaners and cleanliness, just like it is for Dr Pathak. Nobody likes to talk about toilets, but through toilets, Pathak ji is not only working for the country but also the whole world. Not only me but also Prime Minister Modi would be proud of Sulabh. Government should take training from Sulabh – Swaraj Vidwan Swaraj Vidwan said that there are very few people who leave a message after doing something significant. Such people are remembered in history. Dr Pathak is the guide to such a history, which has built a combination of sanitation and toilets as well as developed education and employment in this Sulabh village. I have been very impressed and overcome with joy by the work of Sulabh. The government of India should take training from Sulabh. If the country has to grow in the true sense and move forward, then the government should implement the activities of Sulabh in the whole country. If the work of Sulabh is implemented all over the country then there can be equality in India. It is possible to develop the country by implementing the technology which Sulabh has developed. The work that Dr Pathak has done for the widows of a village in Uttarakhand is very important in itself. Today the women are

Sulabh’s immense contributions towards the

betterment of downtrodden people have been recognized by all. Sulabh has set an example

living their lives with respect. The tragedy in 2013 made women of that entire village widows. Everyone helped them in their own way, but what Dr Pathak did for them is commendable. Today, the women get 3 thousand rupees a month; this is the reward of the Pathak’s hard work. Sulabh’s work is accepted by society - Dr Pathak Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform Movement Founder, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak said that today is a historic day for us because Manhar Valjibhai Zala is the first chairman who came to visit the Sulabh village. Zala ji did not only look at the Sulabh village but also very briefly received information about everything in the village. For this, we welcome and congratulate him and Swaraj Vidwan. The dreams of Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Abraham Lincoln, have come true. The most important thing for Sulabh is that our ‘scavenger’ mothers and sisters are now going to richer houses where they have food with them. Gandhi would never have thought that someone would give the lower castes Brahmin status and society would accept it. It is good for us to see that the work done by us is accepted by the society, it is so rare that something will be said and accepted in the society. Dr Pathak is our father - Usha Chaumar At the same time, Usha Chaumar, president of Sulabh Nai Disha, recalled the sad days of her life and said that she had lived two lives in her experience. She said that I have two fathers, a father who gave birth and another, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, who understood our community’s pain and gave us a new life. We were happy only after coming to this place and we all got to know that there is a life beyond carrying waste. Today, because of Dr Pathak ji’s help, we can do other jobs where we make sarees, make papad, chutneys, and pickles.

Bringing smiles to the face of every Indian with our bouquet of Good News

Every week. Regularly. Relentlessly www.sulabhswachhbharat.com

GOOD NEWS FOR RISING INDIA

22 Environment

August 28 - September 03, 2017

Meghalaya green cover

HC Bars Cutting Of Trees In Shillong Following a PIL after the Forest Department decided to chop old trees, the Meghalaya High Court barred the cutting of trees in the capital Raj Kashyap

eghalaya High Court has barred cutting of trees in capital Shillong. This after the State’s Forest department launched a drive to cut old trees after a tree near Raj Bhavan fell killing three persons on August 12. Lawyer Kaustav Paul filed a PIL after the Forest department identified some 500 “old” trees that need to be cut for “safety”, and began chopping them down. In his PIL, the petitioner stated that after the August 12 incident, the government was rather mindlessly cutting the trees and if such a whimsical exercise is not checked, the pristine green city of Shillong would be rather denuded of its green cover. “Having regard to the circumstances of the case and the issues involved, it is also considered appropriate and hence ordered that no further cutting of trees would be carried out by the

respondents until further orders of this court,” the order said. However, if any particular tree is said to be in a precarious condition and its cutting is considered unavoidable, the complete details will have to be stated before the court with a specific affidavit of the concerned forest officer, the order said.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice VP Vaish wanted the respondent to file a specific reply in regard to the submissions made and the grounds stated in the PIL. Government advocate P. Agarwal admitted that the tree near Raj Bhavan had fallen due to torrential rain.

Meghalaya Antyodaya Anna Yojana

Streamlining NFSA Implementation

As per the National Food Security Act, 2013, the Meghalaya State Food Commission has set up a grievance redressal mechanism in the region. Raj Kashyap

n a bid to streamline the implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013, the Meghalaya State Food Commission has set up a grievance redressal mechanism at the district and state level for beneficiaries. Deputy commissioners of the districts have been designated as district grievance redressal officers (DGRO) to handle complaints of beneficiaries in regard to non-receipt of foodgrains or meals as entitled. The role of the Commission is to monitor and review the implementation of the Act. It has the power of imposing penalties in cases of failure to comply

with the provisions of the Act. The Commission will also hear appeals against the order of DGROs. There have been reports of anomalies in the implementation of the Act that has been enacted to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices. The commission has also set up a helpline (2505517) and a call centre (with 1967 as the toll-free

number) in the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department for citizens to get information in this regard. Under the Act, 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban population are covered under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) with uniform entitlements of 5 kg per person per month. The poorest of the poor, the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, are entitled to 35kg per household per month. Foodgrains under TPDS are made available at subsidized prices of Rs three/two/one per kg for rice/wheat/ coarse grains for a period of three years. Women are empowered under this Act as ration cards are issued to the eldest

Quick Glance The Forest Department identified 549 old trees to be cut The PIL against this was launched by lawyer Kaustav Paul Till date, 25 trees have been cut down in Shillong

He said following the incident, the government took swift action and six committees were constituted to carry out the survey of different areas in and around the city and as per the reports of the committees, about 549 trees needed to be chopped down and about 83 of them were found to be causing immediate threat to life and property. Till date, 25 trees have been cut down in the city of which nine were located in the properties belonging to private individuals and the remains of the trees have been handed over to the owners while giving them the option that they may either join public auction or take alternative measures for disposal while giving reasons. However, the court appointed DashaleneKharbteng, Assistant Sessions Judge, Shillong, as the receiver of the entire property of such fallen trees and no part of such trees will be permitted to be removed or dealt with by any person without specific order of the High Court.

Quick Glance 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban population are covered under TPDS Uniform entitlements of TPDS allow for 5kg per person per month The poor AAY households are entitled to 35 kg per household

women of the households who are above the age of 18. Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children in the age group of six months to 14 years are entitled to meals as prescribed nutritional norms under the Integrated Child Development Services and Mid-Day Meal schemes/programmes. Higher nutritional norms have been prescribed for malnourished children up to 6 years of age. The Act also provides for disclosure of records relating to PDS, social audits and setting up of vigilance committees to ensure transparency and accountability.

August 28 - September 03, 2017

nascar live

NASA asteroids

Asteroid Florence To Grace Earth’s Skies

Asteroid Florence would be the largest asteroid ever to pass the planet safely Quick Glance

IANS

Reliance Jio

Now Watch NASCAR Live On Twitter

Twitter is now going to live stream its 10 Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series races to its 328 million monthly followers

Asteroid Florence is over 4.4 kilometres in size This is the closest encounter with an asteroid since 1980

Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “Florence is the largest asteroid to pass by our planet this close since the NASA programme to detect and track near-Earth asteroids began,” Chodas said. The 2017 encounter is the closest by this asteroid since 1890 and the closest it will ever be until after 2500. Florence will brighten to the ninth magnitude in late August and early

September, when it will be visible in small telescopes for several nights as it moves through the constellations PiscisAustrinus, Capricornus, Aquarius and Delphinus, NASA said. This relatively close encounter provides an opportunity for scientists to study this asteroid up close. Asteroid Florence was discovered by Schelte “Bobby” Bus at Siding Spring Observatory in Australia in March 1981. Florence is expected to be an excellent target for ground-based radar observations.

Quick Glance

COMIO

COMIO comes to india

Chinese smartphone manufacturer, COMIO entered the Indian market with its budget flagship smartphones

COMIO launched three flagship devices – P1, S1, and C1 It’s data tie-up with Jio offers consumers 5GB additional data All the three smartphones run on a Quad-core 64 bit Mediatek chipset

IANS

hinese smartphone maker COMIO recently entered the Indian market with three flagship smartphones along with an exclusive data tie-up with Reliance Jio. The three devices -- P1, S1 and C1 -- are priced at Rs 9,999, Rs 8,999 and Rs 5,999, respectively. COMIO’s tie-up with Reliance Jio offers consumers a 5GB additional data voucher on their handset at a recharge of Rs 309. “Over the course of the first year, we will build a strong foundation for the brand based on the three strategic pillars -- innovation, partnership and great people. We are in India for the long run and will contribute to the nation’s ‘Make in India’ initiative,” Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, CEO and Director, COMIO India, said in a statement.

The Asteroid Florence would pass by Earth safely on September 1

large near-Earth asteroid will pass safely by our planet on September 1, at a distance of about seven million kilometres, NASA has said. Asteroid Florence -named in honour of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the founder of modern nursing -- is about 4.4 kilometres in size, according to measurements from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the asteroids and comets hunting NEOWISE mission. “While many known asteroids have passed by closer to Earth than Florence will on September 1, all of those were estimated to be smaller,” said Paul Chodas, Manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at the agency’s Jet

Off-beat

COMIO S1 sports a metal unibody with curved edges coupled with a 5.2inch HD IPS display and a fingerprint sensor. It also features a 13MP rear camera, 8MP selfie shooter and a 2,700mAh battery. P1 has a massive 5,000mAh battery and comes in a metal body with a dualSIM phone offering, 5.5-inch HD IPS display screen, fingerprint sensor. It features a 13MP rear camera and 8MP selfie shooter with screen flash. COMIO C1 sports a metal frame and 5-inch HD IPS display. It features

8MP rear camera with 5MP front shooter. All the three smartphones run on a Quad-core 64 bit Mediatek chipset, with 32GB internal memory and are 4G VoLTE enabled. The devices are also embedded with the Freezer and Clone Application. The Freezer app allows you to use as many applications as you wish without the worry of space constraints, whereas the Clone app makes sure that all data from your device is backed up at all times. The Clone app also allows for ease of transfer of data from one handset to another. The COMIO smartphones will be available at all key retail stores from next week in north India and would be available from the third week of September in the western parts of the country.”

IANS

o broadcast in-car camera perspectives to its 328 million monthly users, Twitter has announced a deal with US-based auto-racing sports events company NASCAR to livestream each of the “10 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series” races. Twitter’s live NASCAR-race streaming is scheduled to begin from September 17 in Chicagoland in the US. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the microblogging site revealed it has signed Toyota as a sponsor of the streams, a New York Post report said late on Thursday. “NASCAR continues to innovate on Twitter, a place where their passionate fans discuss what’s happening before, during and after every race. Our new collaboration will offer NASCAR fans a unique live-stream perspective for the 2017 playoffs alongside the real-time Twitter conversation,” Anthony Noto, Chief Operating Officer, Twitter, was quoted as saying. Twitter users can watch the incar camera experience of the race for free on NASCAR’s official Twitter handle, “@NASCAR”. “The screen featuring the live feed will also display curated tweets designed to capture the Twitter-NASCAR conversation,” the report noted. Twitter is already streaming premium video from MLB, the NFL and the PGA Tour on its platform. Earlier this year, Twitter partnered with ESL and Dreamhack -- two of the biggest organisations in the pro-gaming world -- to live stream tournaments and other e-sports events. In May, Twitter linked up with the BBC to share coverage of five major UK elections debates.

24 Indira Canteen

August 28 - September 03, 2017

bangalore indira canteen

Indira Canteens are a rage The canteens in Bengaluru have been launched to ensure no one sleeps hungry

G Ulaganathan

ust imagine a sumptuous breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch at Rs 10. Welcome to Indira Canteen in Bengaluru. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated 101 such canteens last month. There is no need to say, the canteens are drawing huge crowds. There is not much crowd during the night. It’s not that people don’t want to have lunch at these canteens. But, the reason for thin crowds in the night is food getting sold out early. The food is being cooked in a wedding hall at the Palace Grounds and supplied to a large number of canteens. Each Assembly constituency is to have a centralised kitchen to prepare the food and supply to the canteens. But as of now, six of the 28 assembly constituencies in the city have kitchens, while the rest are still in the process of acquiring them. “Breakfast is being served at 7.30 am as scheduled, but lunch, which was supposed to start at 12.30 pm, is getting delayed by almost two hours” says George, a mechanic, about his experience at the canteen in Shanthala Nagar in ward number 111. The quantity recommended for each plate is 300 grams of rice, 150 grams of sambar and 50 grams of chutney. Some customers feel the quantity is less though many are satisfied. Demand for ragi balls Ragi balls, which is a favourite dish of many Kannadigas is missing on the menu. Many visitors felt the need for ragi balls on the menu as they are filling.Though the Indira Canteens are meant mainly to feed the working class, several homemakers and college students from well- to- do families are also visiting them out of curiosity to sample their food. Even policemen join the queue in many places.

Quick Glance Indira Canteens launched for the poor in Bengaluru They are serving breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch at Rs 10 Similar canteens exist in TN, Delhi, and UP

The quantity recommended for each plate is 300 grams of rice, 150 grams of sambar and 50 grams of chutney

Mayor G Padmavathi admits that there are some hiccups but assures they would be sorted out soon. “It will take another one week to bring things under control. Feeding thousands of people isn’t an easy task,” she says. She, along with her Deputy Mayor Anand, regularly inspects the food at various canteens and ensure the overall cleanliness. As for quantity, she denies there is any deliberate attempt to cut down on the helpings. Regarding ragi balls on the menu, she says, “First let us stabilise things and then think of adding ragi balls.” The canteen is part of the state’s initiative to make it hunger free, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said at the inauguration. The Indira Canteens may well boost Siddaramaiah’s image among the urban poor ahead of 2018 Assembly polls. Congress leaders are hoping that the initiative will help the party gain some goodwill among the urban voters. In the 2015 city corporation polls, Congress won only 76 of the 198 wards. It also lost all three

parliamentary seats in the city. In the last Assembly elections, the party had managed to win only 13 of the 27 seats in Bengaluru. Though many would consider the initiative a ploy to instil a pro-government feeling among people, the fact that many who couldn’t even afford to buy a meal would no longer have to go hungry is heartening enough. But at the same time, it is not an innovative step by the Karnataka government. They are simply copying the idea from neighbouring Tamil Nadu where late AIADMK leader and then chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram had kick-started the concept of Amma Canteens. They used to dish out nutritious and hygienic food at dirt cheap prices. These canteens are still functioning and are a rage among the people. The Delhi Government has also launched a series of subsidised Aam Aadmi Canteens across the national capital. A similar experiment has been launched by Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. Presently, there are six kitchens and, in the coming days, 27 kitchens will

supply food to all the 198 canteens in the city. Each kitchen has been designed keeping in mind the menu and the number of people it is expected to serve. All the food is steam-cooked and food for about 6,000 people can be prepared in two hours. Each kitchen has three idli steamers, which can prepare a whopping 4,500 idlis in an hour. The prepared food is transported to the canteens in hot boxes so that it remains hot. A cold storage room is used to store vegetables and curd rice. Indira Canteens, Karnataka government’s ambitious project is a collaboration of talent from different countries including India, Greece, Poland, Britain and Ireland, all of them being part of KEF Infra, an integrated off-site manufacturing company which is fabricating the canteens. For senior architect Marcin Gajda from Poland and his team, the primary challenge was to use the limited space available for construction in a way that would cater to the maximum number of people. He said they needed to keep the space fluid because the canteens will see a lot of people visiting. For this, Marcin ensured the entrance and exit are placed at opposite ends of the canteen, and the dining space is distributed equally indoors and outdoors. Spyros Tsoukantas, head of structural engineering at KEF Infra and an expert from Greece, said the structures and furniture for the canteen have been produced using concrete in a controlled and automated environment at their facilities at Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu. “The use of concrete, a durable, sustainable and low-maintenance material, ensures the lasting resilience of the canteens, which have a minimalistic design. We wanted to keep it modern and contemporary, and our focus was on aptly using the space,” he said. KEF Infra CEO Paul Blackmore, a Britain citizen, said, “It has been a feat as the project has progressed managing logistics and installation across densely populated areas in the city. It has also brought in a great deal of learning in managing building manufacturing in short-timelines in India. It has helped us in preparing to deliver affordable housing, clinics, schools, retail and other infrastructure projects.”

August 28 - September 03, 2017

Shoe-keeper

vrindavan Shoe-keeper

Widow’s Cow-Shelter Shoe-keeper at a Vrindavan temple spends her life’s earning to set up a Gaushala

Srawan Shukla

y almost 13-hour long road trip to Vrindavan, even as cowrelated violence continued to hog national headlines, a Krishna-bhakt destitute widow in Vrindavan donated Rs 61 lakhs for the welfare of the bovine animal, which is believed to be the Lord Krishna’s favourite and most revered by Hindus. Yashoda Dasi, a 70-year-old destitute widow has become a living inspiration for hundreds who are keen for the protection of the bovine. Not many knew how what hardships Yashoda faced saving this money in the last 40 years to realise her dream. A resident of a well-to-do family in Katni district in Madhya Pradesh, tragedy struck with Phoolmati (her original name) some 40 years ago when her young son, daughter and husband died in an accident. Carrying the trauma of the personal tragedy which wiped her entire family, she decided to become a Sanyasi and came down to Mathura same year. “Nothing was left in my life after tragic deaths of my son, daughter and husband. The accident had devastated me. I was a devotee of Lord Krishna and since childhood always served holy cow. I then decided to leave everything and came to Mathura,” recalled she. Suddenly, old memories surfaced her wrinkled and bespectacled face. Words were difficult to come by. But the lady has had some steely courage and guts to take a journey no one would dare to and devote rest of her life to the worship Lord Krishna and services of God’s favourite animal Cow. She reached Mathura only with one set of clothes. She directly reached the Baanke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. She narrated her tale to the management and her wish to offer her rest of life in the devotion of Lord Krishna and cows. Anyone destitute widow landing in Mathura usually begs for alms to survive in the city. But Phoolmati refused that and told the management that she would work at the temple for survival. The management offered her a petty job of taking care of shoes outside the temple and make a living out of it. She happily agreed without even thinking that she belonged to a decent family. On her first day, she changed her

name from Phoolmati to Yashoda and added Dasi to symbolize her caste for Lord Krishna’s devotion. She shared a room with another widow nearby and located a ‘Gaushala’ to perform her duties towards the cow, a ritual which she was carrying since childhood. She got up at 3 am, took a bath and after offering prayers to Lord Krishna she went straight to the Gaushala to clean it and offered fodder to cows with her own hands. At 7.30 am sharp, she reached the temple and stayed at the gate like a guard. When the first batch of devotees thronged the temple, she politely asked devotees to take off their shoes, slippers, sandals etc and assured them that they are safe with her till their return. This is how she became ‘caretaker of shoes’. For devotees, it was a pleasant surprise that their shoes and slippers were neatly lined up on their return. Phoolmati became Yashoda and started her new journey to the divine world in the birthplace of Lord Krishna. In the last 40 years her, routine remains the same. She would get up

Phoolmati changed her

name to Yashoda and added Dasi to symbolize her caste for Lord Krishna’s devotion

at 3 am. After a bath, she would offer prayers and go to the ‘Gaushala’ to serve cows. At dot 7.30 am, she will be at temple gate to help, guide and guard shoes of devotees. At 1 pm she would return to her oneroom quarter, which she shares with another destitute widow, to have lunch and then back again to the temple at 4 pm till the temple closes down for the day at 8 pm. “She is a strict disciplinarian. I have never seen a change in her daily routine in the last 40 years,” asserted her roommate Sunita. People who know her claimed that she leads a simple life. She has only two sarees, a few utensils and a box in which she would keep her daily earnings which she would deposit in her bank account every month without fail. She never charged devotees for taking care of shoes at the temple but despite that people would give her out of love and affection. Even at the age of 70,

Quick Glance Phoolmati’s family members died in road accident She took up a shoe-keeper’s job in a Vrindavan temple Spent her life’s savings to build a Gaushala in Vrindavan

her memory is so sharp that she would immediately recognise repeat visitors and first-timers whom she would happily guide and tell about dos and don’ts about the Baanke Bihari temple. From a paltry Rs 2 to 3 during initial years, Yashoda earns about Rs 700-800 a day. Since she hardly spends anything on her, a major portion of her earnings goes to savings. Earlier, she used to cook but for the past five years, she has started having lunch and dinner at the community kitchen run by various temples in the holy city. “In the last 40 years, I have never asked money from any devotee. They would offer themselves a token amount to me for the services I offer to them. They have so much faith in me that many of them would even keep their wallets, purses and other valuables with me without any hesitation. Faith develops automatically when you are at God’s doors,” said she. Three years ago, Yashoda sold off her two house in Katni for Rs 11 lakh. Last month she saw a dream that now the time has come that she should surrender all her savings for the welfare of cows. “I always wanted to open a Gaushala to serve cows and remain close to my Lord Krishna. I am a Sanyasi and old now. My soul will leave the body any day. Before it happens, I just gave all savings to the temple management to open another Gaushala where more and more cows are kept and take care of,” she disclosed. It is truly an inspirational story, far ahead of mere slogans.

26 Health

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

growth-development

internet EEDRN

Skipping Breakfast Stunts Growth?

Internet Addiction: The 21st Century Epidemic

New studies have revealed the cognition disrupting effects of internet overuse that is rampant in today’s society IANS

I IANS

new study discovered that children who skipped breakfast did not receive adequate nutrients for growth and development. Is your son or daughter in the habit of skipping breakfast regularly? If so, he or she may fall short of the daily required amounts of nutrients that are essential for their growth and development, researchers have warned. The findings showed that 31.5 per cent of children who skipped breakfast did not meet even the lower recommended nutrient intake (LRNI) of iron. While 19 per cent did not meet LRNI for calcium, 21.5 per cent did not meet lower levels of iodine and 7.3 per cent had a folate intake below their recommended nutrient intake level. On the other hand, children who ate breakfast every day were found to have higher daily intakes of key nutrients such as folate -- important for the development of genetic material --, calcium, iron and iodine -- key in the development of thyroid function. “This study provides evidence that breakfast is key for parents to ensure that their children are getting the nutrition they need,” said Gerda Pot, a lecturer at the King’s College London. For the study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the team included 802 children aged from four to 10 years and 884 children aged 11 to 18 years. Breakfast was considered as consumption of over 100 calories between 6 and 9 a.m. The study also showed that, in younger children (four to 10 years old), on days when breakfast was consumed, children had higher intakes of folate, calcium, vitamin C and iodine compared to their breakfast-skipping days.

nternet overuse has risen to epidemic proportions and people are becoming vulnerable to many neuropsychiatric dysfunctions such as irritation, anxiety, and obsessive compulsion revealed research by a network of doctors, neurobiologists, and scientists. Calling internet overuse similar to drug addiction, the research report released on Thursday says internet overuse has a significant impact on personal and social relations, socio-political environment, and mental and general health of the users. “Internet overuse has risen to epidemic proportions and a majority of people are now spending a lot of time online seeking sensible information, and responding to updates and feedbacks. The neural networks of brain assigned to cognitive functions, get constantly irritated by incoming information and evoke mental reactions. The individual, as a result, becomes vulnerable impulsivity, and loss of working memory among others,” said the research by Etiologically Elusive Disorders Research Network (EEDRN). The EEDRN is an umbrella body of doctors and neuro scientists from reputed medical/research institutes of India including All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, National Brain Research Centre, Haryana, and Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research, Delhi. According to the paper published

EEDRN neuroscientists have confirmed the

psychologically disruptive effects of internet overuse that leads to neuropsychiatric dysfunctions like anxiety, OCD, etc. by this network in international journal Current Psychiatry Reviews, internet overuse indeed has addictive influences, and its accumulating effects may lead to stress manifesting as neurocognitive dysfunction. The gist of their research based on empirical analysis of peer reviewed literature - explains the representative signs and symptoms, brain regions involved and plausible mechanism of consequent neuro cognitive dysfunctions due to internet overuse. Lead investigators of this research Ashutosh Kumar and MuneebFaiq,

Quick Glance The research on internet overuse was conducted by Etiologically Elusive Internet overuse leads to psychological disorders It also leads to increased impulsivity and loss of working memory

say that the brain is a perpetually information-seeking organ and any ceaseless expectation of seemingly rewarding information provided by the internet, especially social networking sites, hijacks its reward system thereby inducing a compulsive internet overuse and a liking for staying constantly online. They expressed the apprehension that the problem goes beyond geographical boundaries and, if ignored, may mushroom as a “Disease of Human Civilization”. Vikas Pareek, a senior PhD scholar and co-author of the article, said: “Internet overuse pathology implicates key brain regions involved in cognitive regulation such as prefrontal cortex decision making, the hippocampus - memory and basal ganglia or striatum - habit formation based on reward. It means internet overuse may have serious effects on learning and social communication in growing up children and teenagers whose brain wiring is still maturing.”

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer Risk From Night Shifts?

Health

Quick Glance Long exposure to artificial light blocks melatonin and increases tumour risk Night shifts disrupt the circadian rhythm that increases cancer risk Risk of breast cancer increases with more exposure to artificial light

A new study revealed the increased risk of breast cancer in women working night shifts caused by long exposure to artificial lights IANS

omen who work night shifts may be at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, as artificial light blocks a hormone that plays a key role in suppressing the growth of its tumours, claims a study. The study, published in journal Environmental Health Perspectives, showed that women who were premenopausal and were current or past smokers, and also who live in areas with high levels of outdoor light at night, were at risk of developing breast cancer - the most common cancer in women worldwide. “In our modern industrialised society, artificial lighting is nearly ubiquitous. Our results suggest that this widespread exposure to outdoor

lights during night time hours could represent a novel risk factor for breast cancer,” said lead author Peter James, Assistant Professor at Harvard University. Melatonin, a hormone produced in the human brain, appears to suppress the growth of breast cancer tumours, but exposure to light may decrease its levels, thus disrupting circadian rhythms -- our internal “clocks” that govern sleepiness and alertness -- and, in turn, lead to increased breast cancer risk, James said, citing previous studies. For the new study, the team looked at data from nearly 110,000 women and linked data from satellite images of Earth taken at night to residential addresses for each study participant, as well as considering the influence of night shift work. The results

treatment

showed that women exposed to the highest levels of outdoor light at night -- those in the top fifth -- had an estimated 14 per cent increased risk of breast cancer, as compared to women in the bottom fifth of exposure.

Painkillers

UKH-114 To Replace Conventional Painkillers

A new drug has been synthesized by scientists to replace conventional painkillers in the treatment of neuropathic pain

cientists have discovered a powerful pain reliever that is effective in alleviating neuropathic pain, a discovery that could be instrumental in addressing the opioid abuse epidemic, one of the biggest public health challenges today. In the study, the synthetic compound -- known as UKH-1114 -- was found effective in relieving neuropathic pain in injured mice. It was as effective as a drug widely used for pain relief called gabapentin. The new pain drug binds to a receptor on cells throughout the central nervous system called the sigma 2 receptor. Administering UKH-1114 on mice with nerve damage showed a reduction in pain, but at a much lower dose than gabapentin (one-sixth as much) and

As levels of outdoor light at night increased, so did breast cancer rates, the researchers said but acknowledged that further work is required to confirm the study findings and clarify potential mechanisms.

Quick Glance UKH-114 was found to relieve neuropathic pain in mice It is as effective as opioids and gabapentin UKH-114 showed reduction in pain at a lower dose for a longer duration

was effective much longer (lasting for a couple of days, compared with four to six hours). “This opens the door to having a new treatment for neuropathic pain that is not an opioid,” said Stephen Martin, Professor at The University of Texas at Austin. “And that has huge implications,” Martin added, in the paper published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience. If the drug is proved to be safe, effective and non-addictive in humans, the discovery could be instrumental in addressing the opioid abuse epidemic, the researchers said. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly two million people in the US suffer from addiction to prescription opioid pain relievers. Opioids also often require increased dosing to maintain efficacy.

28 North East

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

Meghalaya

Manipur medicinal plants

Meghalaya HC issues notice

Research Boost For NE’s Traditional Healing Practices A new research centre has been established in Manipur that will cultivate medicinal plants and conduct research on traditional healing methods

IANS

he Meghalaya High Court has issued a notice to the state government for a final hearing on the matter of the posts of parliamentary secretaries. A division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Ved Prakash Vaid on Wednesday heard a Public Interest Litigation challenging the appointment of parliamentary secretaries in the state. The notice comes after the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a law enacted by Assam in 2004 that allowed appointment of parliamentary secretaries with the rank of minister of state. “In view of the law declared by the Supreme Court in the aforesaid decision, this matter does require consideration; and at the earliest,” the High Court said. The bench also issued notices to the central government, the Election Commission besides the 17 parliamentary secretaries in the state. Madal Sumer, the petitioner, said the appointment of parliamentary secretaries cannot find any valid place in the Constitution and is extraconstitutional and illegal. “There is no law in the nation which empowers the Chief Minister to appoint anybody into any post or administer oath of office to anybody. “With the appointment of parliamentary secretaries and administration of oath of office to all of them, the Chief Minister has corrupted his chair and misused his office illegally and unconstitutionally,” Sumer said. The hearing of the matter will take place on September 1.

Raj Kashyap

regional research centre on traditional medicinal plants has been set up in Manipur The North East Centre for Ethno Medicinal Research was jointly inaugurated by Manipur’s deputy chief minister Yumnam Joykumar and Commerce and Industries Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh. The centre is located on the campus of Foundation for Environment & Economic Development Services (FEEDS) near Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Hengbung. Initially, the centre will have four scientists and 13 other staffs. It will cultivate plants with medicinal value across 100 hectares of a farm. The centre will also establish a production unit which will collect such plants grown by farmers. The extracts will be sold to pharmaceutical companies. The centre will conduct research on the traditional method of healing using herbs. These plants having medicinal, aromatic and health improving

properties will form the basis for the growth of pharmaceutical industry. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi during one of his visits in the state claimed that the Northeast has the potential of multimillion dollar herbal medicine market. Out of 12,000 medicinal plant species which are reported in the world, 430 species are found in the Northeast of which 108 species have been identified in Manipur. Deputy CM Joykumar said the opening of such a centre will be a milestone in North-East, especially to Manipur as the state has abundant medicinal plants. “We have so many traditional ways of healing ailments by using various medicinal plants,” he said, maintaining that proper codifications for treatment of diseases by using medicinal plants are yet to be done. “If we have the knowledge of its medicinal values by analysing its ingredients and chemicals, it will be more helpful to undergo treatments. The newly opened research centre would play an important role in this regard,” he added.

In order to boost research of northeastern

ethnomedical treatments, a research centre has been established in the FEEDS campus in Manipur

Quick Glance The research centre is called The North East Centre for Ethno Medicinal Research The centreis located on the FEEDS campus near KrishiVigyan Kendra The research centre will be staffed by four scientists and 13 assistants

Joykumar further said lots of research work needs to be done to utilize ethnomedicinal plants in the treatment of diseases. He said, besides confining on some of the medicinal plants, researchers should also pay their attention to other plants that have some medicinal values which are abundant in our environment. Minister Th. Bishwajit said ethnomedicinal treatments have been a long tradition in healing ailments in our society. He also said that the state government with the help of the Centre will also try to take steps for facilitation of traditional medicinal treatments. If the research centre works out ways to identify medicinal aspects of various plants in the state, investors from within and outside the country will come, he said, adding it can generate employment to the local populace thereby enhancing their sustainability for livelihood and developing entrepreneurship.

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

Groundwater Research

New Action Plan For Rising NE Pollution The Central Pollution Control Board has asked eight NE cities and towns to formulate a join action plan to tackle the rising pollution ssb bureau

larmed at the rising pollution levels in eight cities and towns of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the three northeastern states to formulate a joint action plan by August 30. The CPCB has laid emphasis on both micro level and regional strategies. Since 2011, at least 94 Indian cities have not met national air quality standards. Many of these cities have been on the list from the 1990s. Among them are Guwahati, Nagaon, Nalbari, Silchar and Sivasagar in Assam besides Byrnihat in Meghalaya and Kohima and Dimapur in Nagaland. These places have consistently recorded higher than acceptable particulate matter (PM10) levels

Quick Glance CPCB requested the joint action plan based on levels of acceptable particulate Eight cities were singled out and asked to take measures Central board will make interventions in the inter-state border areas

and the CPCB has listed them as polluted cities in which the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are violated The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has called for a coordinated approach from various stakeholders to control it.Participating in a workshop organized to formulate an action plan for air quality management in the NE towns and cities, Head of the Air Quality Management Division of CPCB Dr P Gargava said the

CPCB has shortlisted eight northeastern cities

based on acceptable PM10 levels and asked them to submit a joint action plan to reduce pollution

exercise for controlling air pollution should start with identification of the sources of pollution, followed by evaluation of control options, stakeholder sensitization and consultation, then an operational plan with clear roles and finally an institutional framework for implementation, monitoring and review. He rued that no studies have been done to identify the sources of pollution, and all have been “too eager to jump to conclusion” without any adequate scientific understanding. Gargava also mentioned the lack of coordination between different stakeholders who have different priorities and said there is no mechanism to periodically monitor the results of the action taken. “Every stakeholder department has to do their bit. All must have their roles defined,” he said. Besides, zeroing in on the sources and local hotspots, the CPCB official said the state boards should also identify the periods during which pollution levels are higher and take action accordingly. Chairman of the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority of Assam Prof KG Bhattacharjee underscored the need for graded response action plans, involving various government departments and agencies to control the problem. He identified hill cutting and road construction works as major factors contributing to the air pollution in the State. The joint action plan to be formulated by the three states will be submitted to the CPCB for approval. The Central board will make interventions in the interstate border areas.Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) will start monitoring levels of other toxic substances – PM2.5 (smaller particulate matter), benzene, ammonia and carbon monoxide – from this year. So far, the PCBA has been monitoring only PM10, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. “One station in Guwahati has already started testing the parameters of these additional toxic substances. We are in the process of procuring the instruments for other monitoring stations in the State,” senior environmental scientist at the Pollution Control Board, Assam, ManojSaikia said. He said the PCBA has also written to the Central government proposing to increase the number of monitoring stations in the State from 23 to over 30.

North East north east

NorthEast United launch

IANS

ndian Super League (ISL) franchise NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) on Wednesday took an initiative to nurture football talent across the eight states of the north-east region by launching its own residential youth academy. NEUFC said the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Shillong will offer talented aspiring footballers the best training, education and competition throughout the year with the help of this academy. Commenting on setting up the academy, club owner and Bollywood actor John Abraham said: “This is a dream come true, when I bid for the team three years ago my first goal was to start a residential academy for the talented kids out there. “We will all do everything in our power to provide every talented child the opportunity to learn and eventually play for the NEUFC first team.” The plan became an outcome of NEUFC joining hands with Shillong United FC, formerly known as Royal Wahingdoh FC, to develop the region into a footballing power centre. “We are delighted to start this developmental project with NEUFC,” said Dominic Tariang, owner of Shillong United and partneryouth development. The CoE will also create teams in the Under-13, the Under-15 and Under-18 categories for NEUFC to help the club have abundance of young talents to choose from in future.

30 Ganga Erosion

August 28 - September 03, 2017

ganga erosion

The fury Of Ganga

Fed by swelling and continuously surging water, Ganga has been on a devastating spree of eroding land Prasanta Paul

rom a little distance, it would appear a semi-finished wall tilted towards the water as part of a construction of a bathing ghat; one close look from just a yard away would reveal the real picture. The devouring Ganga has added its latest victim in the uncountable list of households along its bank to propitiate its ravishing wrath. Blame it on the current monsoon and the torrential rains in the upper catchment areas of the river that have seen a gigantic rise in the deadly swirl and level of the water. With the major districts in North Bengal in a severe grip of floods, the Ganga (also called Bhagirathi) in Maldah district has resorted to its deadly dance – that of erosion. Fed by swelling and continuously surging water, the river has been on a devastating spree of eroding a wide swathe, endangering the life and livelihood of thousands of villagers. “It was the remains of the courtyard of Kartick Sardar who used to once own 50 bighas of land and employed about 80 labourers to till his land. The river has swallowed everything including his main three-storey mosaic building in the past three years, turning him a labourer himself,” said Ashok Majhi, village panchayat pradhan of Ballarpur & Anupnagar under Kaliachok block III; “ the Bhagirathi has left him a complete pauper within a span of eight to ten years.” Almost eighty per cent of Ballarpur village has been eaten by the marauding river, forcing the administration to attach it with neighbouring Anupnagar village. Having eaten the land and hearth of Sardar, the river has now fixed its gaze firm on the village primary school. “ The school kitchen where mid-day meals used to be cooked has already fallen a victim to the erosion, forcing us to remove doors and windows from the premises. The empty structure is presently awaiting its turn to live only in memories of the students,” Majhi’s voice trembled as he struggled to hide tears. His woes are legitimate as the Ganga, emboldened by its comrades-in-arms Jalangi and Fulhar, has eroded more than 700 metres within a single night last week engulfing the midday kitchen, taking the students and their parents by surprise. After Majhi informed the local BDO(Block Development

Officer) about the threat to the school, the local administration advised him to close it and remove all portable structures. This is not the tale of Ballarpur alone; interestingly, Jhaubora village in Kaliachak block II which was once a bustling hub of zari workers and home to around 20,000 people, had vanished in the river along with a four-storey higher secondary school nearly ten years back. Out of about 750 families that used to live in Ballarpur, only around 150 families are still living, clinging to a fading hope that the river might pause the might of its paw for the time being, from inflicting further woes on the poor villagers. But what is happening to the hapless villagers who are turning environmental refugees, thanks to the wrath of a hostile nature? Several of them had migrated to other places of the district while some had left the state to seek fortunes elsewhere, Majhi recalled. In the more recent cases, some have moved to the higher and stable ground, encroaching the government land while some have built makeshift structures along the state highways.

This year, the impact of the current spell of floods has been one of the most severe in recent memory. In Maldah alone, 3.78 lakh people have been affected. All passengers bound for Siliguri and Guwahati have been stranded at Maldah after both rail and road link have remained snapped as overflowing waters have washed away rail bridges at two places between Kumedpur and Katihar. 32 People in North Bengal and 63 in the South have so far perished in the current flood. The West Bengal Irrigation minister Rajiv Banerjee who has been touring the flood and erosion-hit regions has directed the local authorities to ferry truck-loads of sand bags to immediately arrest the erosion on a war footing. However, with monsoon clouds refusing to suspend the downpour, it has become almost a herculean task to physically ferry the sand bags on trucks to the affected regions of the rivers. With roads remaining submerged and giant potholes in them, trucks are unable to negotiate the stretches as a result of which unabetted erosion has put the administration on the alarm.

Ganga has been showing its rage in the form of

devastating erosions in upper catchment areas due to torrential rains and the current monsoon

Quick Glance Torrential rains and monsoon have led to a rise in the water level Ganga’s erosion has devastated large swathes of land in upper catchment In Maldah alone, over 3.78 lakh people have been affected

“ We’ve been striving day and night to arrest the land from being grabbed by the river by piling sand bags over the affected places,” Debotosh Mondal, ADM, district irrigation department, told this correspondent over phone. “once there is a remission in rains, work will be expedited by employing additional number of labourers in the job. I can’t set a deadline for it as everything is not in my hand, you see.” The erosion is the deadliest along the 80 km downstream path of the Ganga as it flows to Bangladesh before meeting the Padma. And the worst affected regions are Kaliachok blocks and Bhutni in Maldah district and Dhulian in neighbouring Murshidabad district. The rate of erosion makes a striking jump almost during each monsoon as the Farakka authorities resort to releasing of excess water from its barrage, over flooding the banks. The rate of release which was earlier 27 lakh cusec of water per second has now been reduced to 12 lakh. However, one of the main reasons behind the continued erosion is the poor navigability of the river along its path towards Bangladesh. The depth of the river downstream which used to be between 50 and 60 metres, has now been reduced to merely 20/25 metres, forcing the excess water to flow and hit the banks with a menacing speed. According to sources, besides fencing with boulders, several measures have been taken to stem the erosion. Concrete pillars had been sunk at points where the river is taking a natural turn so that the bank is protected. Long and short spars had been spread along the bed along with boulders where the erosion had been quite severe. But the river, in its own way, has hammered new areas along the bank to change its course, particularly at places where the soil has failed to resist its swirling onslaughts, thanks to the fastaccumulating silt underneath.

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

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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

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: September 30, 2017

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22 Year Old Sarpanch : Architect Of A Model Village He became the Sarpanch and introduced many reforms to transform the village. He set up CCTV Cameras, WiFi& a Renewable Energy Power Station

unsari is a village with all the amenities of a city and one of the best villages in India, but it was not always the best. One man’s efforts have completely transformed the village in the last few years. Born and brought up in Punsari village in Gujarat, Himanshu Patel shifted to a nearby town for after finishing basic schooling. There was no electricity, no water system and law and order were almost out of control in the village. One police case was filed every month because of ongoing feuds in the village. He realised the only way anyone would take him seriously is if he were to hold a dominant position in the village. He contested in the Gram Panchayat elections of

he US-based Marconi Society has announced its Lifetime Achievement Award to Indian-born Stanford University professor Thomas Kailath, for his outstanding contributions to modern communications. “Kailath is the sixth scientist to be honoured with our Lifetime Achievement Award for his research contributions, which advanced moder n communications technologies over the last six decades,” the Society said in an e-mail. The 82-year-old who was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009, is currently the Hitachi American Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, at Stanford. The society named after Nobel Laureate Guglielmo Marconi (18741937), who invented the radio, was set up in 1975 by his daughter Gioia Marconi Braga through an endowment. It annually awards individuals whose scope of work and influence emulate the principle of “creativity in service to humanity” that inspired Marconi. The award will be presented to Kailath at the Society’s Awards dinner at Summit, New Jersey on October 3. Kailath and his students, who together hold a dozen patents, have transitioned a part of their research into industry and co-founded four technology firms, including

Himanshu Patel

August 28 - SEPTEMBER 03, 2017

NSUN

32 Unsung Hero

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

HERO

Punsari in 2006 after finishing his graduation and went on to become became the youngest Sarpanch of Punsari at the age of 22. Government schemes were the source of basic amenities. Himanshu implemented these to build rapport with the villagers and understand their priorities and needs. He took care of all their basic needs in the first three years. He never sought help from NGOs or CSR schemes or any donations. He always used government schemes for funding. By 2008, street lights were installed at appropriate places, there was electricity, a water distribution system, pucca roads, and toilets were build in every house. “When I started working in 2006, I had no idea on how to go forward. I

decided to first gain the trust of the villagers by providing them with the basic facilities they had been demanding for many years. After this I focused on the facilities which they weren’t demanding for, but was the need of the hour,” he explained. The village runs via the renewable energy plant. Himanshu also hired a waste collecting van that transfers waste after collection to the renewable plant. The village has WiFi access. The average speed villagers get is 30 Mbps data, which is higher than some cities even. They pay only Rs 50 per month for internet access. CCTVs were also set up at various places like government offices and classrooms. The footage is accessible from a phone app. 100 % of the children were vaccinated by 2008. The MMR and IMR have become zero. There are no malnourished children and all deliveries are done by qualified medical professionals. Himanshu is happy he has been able to give back to his village.

rs New New s sma m akkee rs

thomas kailath

Lifetime Achievement Award Integrated Systems in 1980 and Numerical Technologies in 1996. “The Marconi Award is humbling and moving, as it puts me alongside Shannon, who laid the foundation for our digital age and was one of my teachers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), though I do not consider being at his level,” Kailath told IANS. Born on June 7, 1935, in Pune to a Malayalam-speaking Syrian Christian family, Kailath graduated in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Pune in 1956. He went to the US in 1957 to join the

MIT, with research assistantship in the Information Theory Group. He was also the first Indian-born student to be awarded a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering by the MIT in 1961. Kailath began his career by joining the Digital Communications Research Group of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL), a federally funded research and development centre of NASA in Pasadena, California. Kailath was a research guide to about 100 doctoral and post-doctoral scholars, including Indian-born scientist Arogyaswami Paulraj, emeritus professor of electrical engineering at Stanford, and whom the Society honoured with the Marconi Prize in 2014 for his work on developing wireless technology to transmit and receive data at high speed. Kailath, who maintained close links with the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for over three decades, was an advisor to the Defence Ministry in the 1970s for setting up research centres at the state-run Indian Institute of Technology to support the Air Defence Ground Environment System (ADGES) plan of the Indian Air Force.

Aryaman Singh

10-year-old golf prodigy

-year-old golfer, Aryaman Singh wrapped up the season on a high note, blazing his way through the first five events of the Indian Golf Union-West Zone 2017, thereby breaking his own zonal and national records. Singh remains undefeated at the zonal level for four years, winning every tournament he has played. His winning streak now extends to 1,266 days, which is the longest in the history of junior golf in India, a media release issued said. He won the first event at the Kensville Golf Course, Ahmedabad, followed by another win at his home course, the Poona Club Golf Course.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 1, Issue - 37 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