Sulabh Swachh Bharat - VOL: 2 | ISSUE 16

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Sanitation in Egypt

Our Vedic Tradition

The Making of a Legend

The Craddle of Civilisation was always rich in its sanitation systems

Vrindavan Widows

Mohan Bhagwat hails virtues of gurukul, for education in the true Vedic tradition

Narendra Modi on the critical issue of Make in India as a growth agenda

Karuna decided not to bother those who didn’t care sulabhswachhbharat.com FIND US ONLINE

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RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561

A Good News Weekly

Vol - 2 | Issue - 16 | April 02 - 08, 2018 | Price ` 5/-

Building A Healthy India With WASH To Everyone, Everywhere Clean water, basic toilets and good hygiene practices are essential for the survival of mankind n Swastika Tripathi

Quick Glance

T

hese are exciting times, and a real chance for change.

How? I came across this article that tells the tale of very very young Deepika, Harpreet and Komal: members of their newly formed water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) club at a government-run school near Punjabi Bagh, West Delhi.

In only four months since the WASH club started, they had information on the importance of hygiene on their fingertips, and the signs of change started getting visible. The idea behind the club was to form a group of children who then disseminate information, and keep a check on the hygiene and cleanliness practices of other students.

Now these children explain the concepts through songs and plays that staying healthy and clean is linked to their well-being and health.

They even go home and tell their parents and neighbours about it.

So, why this particular anecdote?

In today’s era, it is hard to imagine a successful school, a successful hospital or a successful community without basics as safe drinking water, a decent private toilet, effective removal of human waste, and good hygiene practice, including hand and face washing with soap.

Yet, neither clean water, nor usable toilets are focused upon.

It is hard to imagine a successful society without water, sanitation, hygiene Yet, today, billions still await proper water and sanitation facilities India lacks provision of quality water, sanitation, solid waste management

Clean Hands Save Lives

Billions still await access to these basic facilities. More than 2.3 billion people in the world still do not have access to a safe, private toilet. Nearly one billion have no choice but to defecate in the open, at road sides, in fields or behind bushes, which contaminates living environments and contributes to disease, death and indignity.

Unsafe hygiene practices are widespread, compounding the effects on people’s health. The impact on child mortality rates is devastating with nearly 200,000 children under five who die annually from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water – that is almost 548 per day.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) has been placed at the core of the 2030 Agenda as Sustainable Development Goal #6

SDG #6 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development puts sustainability at the forefront of global development.

In September 2015, at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York, the heads of state and government of the UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are even more comprehensive and ambitious regarding water and sanitation, something that was neglected and hushed for a very long time.

Keeping in mind the major lag in the field of health and its three forgotten foundations – water, sanitation and hygiene, sustainable management of water and sanitation has been placed at the core of the 2030 Agenda and is directly addressed by SDG #6 to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.

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Cover Story

April 02 - 08, 2018

Building A Healthy India With WASH To Everyone, Everywhere have no other option than to store water before use. Even if the original source of the water is safe, the water is frequently contaminated by unhygienic conditions and practices in the home.

In some parts of the world there is little or no awareness of good hygiene practices and their role in reducing the spread of disease.

However, it is often the case that even when people do have knowledge of good hygiene behaviour, they lack the soap, safe water and washing facilities they need to make positive changes to protect themselves and their community.

Across the developing world, hand washing and menstrual hygiene facilities along with toilets are often not available in schools, thereby deterring attendance, particularly for adolescent girls.

Studies estimate that inadequate hand-hygiene practices affect 80 per cent of the global population.

PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for toilet units in Varanasi’s Shahanshahpur

WHY WATER, SANITATION, HYGIENE? Water: The world’s drinking water situation is said to be improving, but in practicality, however, there is still cause for concern. A recent study commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF estimates that, at minimum, 1.8 billion people around the globe use fecally-contaminated drinking water. This is more than twice the official figure from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme of 663 million lacking access to an improved drinking water source.

A person without access to improved drinking water – for

FAST FACTS – WASH & INDIA India’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission aims to end open defecation by October 2019

500 children die every day from preventable diarrhea-related illness

India loses more than $106 billion per year of its GDP due to inadequate sanitation

In the developing world, hand washing and menstrual hygiene facilities are often not available in schools, deterring attendance example from a protected borehole well or municipal piped supply for instance – is forced to rely on sources such as surface water, unprotected and possibly contaminated wells, or vendors selling water of unverifiable provenance and quality.

For many communities, water sources are usually far from their homes, and it typically falls to women and girls to spend much of their time and energy fetching water, a task which often exposes them to attack from men and even wild animals.

Sanitation: Today, around 2.4 billion people still lack access to basic sanitation. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, less than half of the population uses a toilet fit for human beings. One billion people do not use a toilet at all. In SouthEast Asia, almost 40 per cent of the population defecates in the open.

Excreta are often captured in unlined latrine pits from where excreta freely leach into the ground water. Also, when latrines are emptied, the fecal sludge is frequently dumped into surrounding water bodies. Both features cause major negative health impacts on communities and the environment at large. Approximately ninety per

cent of wastewater in developing countries is discharged directly into rivers, lakes, and seas.

Without improved sanitation – a facility that safely separates human waste from human contact – people have no choice but to use inadequate communal latrines or to practise open defecation. For women and girls, finding a place to go to the toilet outside, often having to wait until the cover of darkness, can leave them vulnerable to abuse and sexual assault.

In the immediate environment, exposed faecal matter will be transferred back into people’s food and water resources, helping to spread serious diseases such as cholera. Beyond the community, the lack of effective waste disposal or sewerage systems can contaminate ecosystems and contribute to disease pandemics.

Hygiene: This important pillar of health has had thus far not been prioritised on the international development agenda, despite the fact that hand washing with soap could save 300,000 people annually.

Safe drinking water and sanitation in the absence of hygienic behavior will not prevent feco-oral infections.

Many households across the globe

SITUATION IN INDIA India is the second most populous country in the world and almost 60 per cent of the population lives in urban areas. The urban population is increasing rapidly, making it difficult for water and sanitation services. The nation faces significant challenges in the provision of quality water, sanitation, solid waste management and drainage. Inequality in access is acute, with more than 90 per cent of urban residents accessing sanitation facilities compared to only 39 per cent in rural India.

Because of limited access to functioning, safe toilets, around 40 per cent of the population defecates in the open. This contaminates water and leads to India having the world’s highest number of diarrhearelated deaths in children under five.

In rural areas, with the huge geographical diversity, water resources and their availability greatly vary. Rajasthan, the biggest state in India is dominated by arid landscape. Here, the problem of water scarcity is further aggravated by the potassium contamination in the meagre drinking water that is available. In states like Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, the tradition of “water brides” exists. In some parts, it is a common practice for men to have more than one wife, so that the wives can carry drinking water from far off places. Further, in north Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, though the rivers are perennial, they are greatly polluted with toxic chemicals, making the

Cover Story

April 02 - 08, 2018

water non-potable. In the Yamuna belt, there has been an increase in the metal content in the ground water.

In states like Haryana and Punjab, the ground water has become saline due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers in agriculture. Thus, water contamination is prevalent across regions due to varied reasons, making the already scarce drinking water scarcer.

WHAT IS AT STAKE? Education – In many communities, girls stay out of school because they need to fetch water; because they do not have a safe space to use when they menstruate; because they must help their mothers care for those who are sick – often from waterborne diseases.

Livelihood – The disease and time

burden associated with lack of access to WASH prevents many adults from earning a living or fulfilling their potential in the professional arena.

Not only could access to WASH free up adults, particularly women, to do more productive activities, the establishment and maintenance of WASH services would create associated employment.

Nutritional status & development – There is emerging evidence of direct linkages between lack of access to water and sanitation, and chronic malnutrition. Around 159 million children worldwide are stunted (short height for age), a condition which causes irreversible physical and cognitive damage.

The repercussions of stunting can be felt beyond the individual child. It can significantly diminish

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR WASH • By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.

• By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.

• By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

• By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.

• By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary co-operation as appropriate.

• By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.

• By 2030, expand international co-operation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water and sanitation related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, waste water treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.

• Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.

the learning and future earning potential of entire generations, and thus negatively affect the local and national economy.

Equality and equity – One important aim in the new SDGs is the goal to reduce inequalities.

New evidence from the World Bank shows that investing in water and sanitation for the poorest 20 per cent of a population yields greater economic returns than investing in the other quintiles and thus has the potential to reduce societal inequalities.

Economy – The WHO estimates that for every US dollar invested in improved drinking water and sanitation, there is an economic return of four US dollars resulting from health and productivity gains.

It is estimated that the benefits of achieving universal access to improved sanitation would outweigh costs at least five-fold, and for improved drinking water at least two-fold, with a minimum combined economic benefit of over 220 billion US dollars annually.

WHAT IS WASH & ITS AIM? The targets of SDG #6 address the issue of achieving access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene for all (WASH) by 2030. These also call for sustainable wastewater management, including the reduction of the proportion of untreated wastewater by half and increasing recycling and safe reuse to substantially increase water-use efficiency, to implement integrated water resources management at all levels, and to protect and restore water-related ecosystems.

Clean water, basic toilets and good hygiene practices are essential for the survival and development of children. Today, there are around 2.4 billion people who do not use improved sanitation, and 663 million who do not have access to improved water sources.

Without these basic needs, the lives of millions of children are at risk. For children under five, waterand sanitation-related diseases are one of the leading causes of death.

Every day, over 800 children die from preventable diseases caused by poor water, and a lack of sanitation and hygiene.

UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) team works in over 100 countries worldwide to improve water and sanitation services, as well as basic hygiene practices. Last year, UNICEF’s efforts provided nearly 14 million people with clean

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WASH RESULTS IN 2017 300,000 more people have access to household toilets

25,000 communities are open defecation free and healthier

175,000 more people now have access to safe drinking water

Secured more than $5 million funding from the private sector to implement WASH solutions identified by USAID and its partners water and over 11 million with basic toilets.

In times of crisis, children are particularly vulnerable. UNICEF responds and provides emergency relief to those in need.

WASH IN INDIA – A MISSION TO ACCOMPLISH In India, a lot of low-income homes don’t have access to toilets, thus denying them of the right. People resort to open defecation, and have no sound personal hygiene habits.

Deeply-ingrained cultural practices are squarely to be blamed for this.

For example, in a lot of homes in rural India, a toilet in the front yard—an area earmarked for the holy Tulsi plant— is considered “impure”.

On the more, manual scavenging was traditionally the job of the oppressed castes. Even with people in positions of power showing the way by emptying toilet pits themselves, this hostility towards toilets remains.

Plus, the ill-informed ideas about hygiene are not limited to just toilets. Many people believe that water that looks clean is fit enough to drink; boiling or filtering it is not considered to be a necessity.

However, what they don’t realise is groundwater as well as other sources of drinking water are polluted due to rapid industrialisation and population explosion. A lot of people also don’t consider it essential to wash their hands with soap.

To change such age-old systems, we need to first educate people. The ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ has been instrumental in showing us how to go about it. It has made tremendous progress in increasing access to hygiene. Launched by Prime

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April 02 - 08, 2018

APPROACHES & STUDIES

Courtesy: UN in India

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number of innovative approaches to improve water supply and sanitation have been tested in India, in particular in the early 2000s. These include demand-driven approaches in rural water supply since 1999, community-led total sanitation, public–private partnerships to improve the continuity of urban water supply in states like Karnataka, and the use of microcredit to women in order to improve access to water.

Total sanitation campaign gives strong emphasis on Information, Education, and Communication (IEC), capacity building and hygiene education for effective behavior change with involvement of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), community-based organisations and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), etc. The key intervention areas are individual household latrines (IHHL), school sanitation and hygiene education (SSHE), community sanitary complex, Anganwadi toilets supported by Rural Sanitary Marts (RSMs), and production centers (PCs).

Interventions to improve water quality at the household level are more effective than those at the source. Unfortunately, in developing countries, public health concerns are usually raised on the institutional setting, such as municipal services, hospitals, and environmental sanitation. There is a reluctance to acknowledge the home as a setting of equal importance along with the public institutions in the chain of disease transmission in the community.

A survey with more than 800 households in the city of Hyderabad concluded that even if provided with market (not concessional) rates of financing, a substantial proportion of poor households would invest in water and sewer network connections. The role of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality emphasises an integrated approach to water quality assessment and management from source to consumer. It emphasises on quality protection and prevention of contamination and advises to be proactive and participatory, and address the needs of those in developing countries who have no access to piped community water supplies. The guidelines emphasise the maintenance of microbial quality to prevent waterborne infectious disease as an essential goal. In addition, they address protection from chemical toxicants and other contaminants of public health concern.

When sanitation conditions are poor, water quality improvements may have minimal impact regardless of amount of water contamination. If each transmission pathway alone is sufficient to maintain diarrheal disease, single-pathway interventions will have minimal benefit, and ultimately an intervention will be successful only if all sufficient pathways are eliminated. However, when one pathway is critical to maintaining the disease, public health efforts should focus on this critical pathway.

The positive impact of improved water quality is greatest for families living under good sanitary conditions, with the effect statistically significant when sanitation is measured at the community level but not significant when sanitation is measured at the household level. Improving drinking water quality would have no effect in neighborhoods with very poor environmental sanitation. However, in areas with better community sanitation, reducing the concentration of fecal coliforms by two orders of magnitude would lead to around 40 per cent reduction in diarrhea. Providing private excreta disposal would be expected to reduce diarrhea by around 42 per cent, while eliminating excreta around the house would lead to around 30 per cent reduction in diarrhea.

Studies suggest that improvements in both water supply and sanitation are necessary if infant health in developing countries is to be improved. They also imply that it is not epidemiologic but behavioral, institutional, and economic factors that should correctly determine the priority of interventions.

Another study highlighted that water quality interventions to the point-of-use water treatment were found to be more effective than previously thought, and multiple interventions (consisting of combined water, sanitation, and hygiene measures) were not more effective than interventions with a single focus.

Studies have shown that hand washing can reduce diarrhea episodes by about 30 per cent. This significant reduction is comparable to the effect of providing clean water in low-income areas.

Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014, it has increased sanitation coverage in India from 42 per cent in October 2013 to 60 per cent in 2018. As of February 2018, more than 6.25 crore toilets had been constructed in rural India, thereby completing nearly 80 per cent of the target. No other country has ever built so many toilets at a stretch; it is an achievement that every Indian should be proud of.

To address the WASH lack,

WASH can save lives of the 8,40,000 people who die every year from diseases caused by unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene practices

including the end of open defecation in India by 2019, the Government of India launched the five-year Swachh Bharat Mission to end open defecation. USAID is supporting this mission by first creating awareness of WASH issues and triggering demand from citizens and local government bodies for solutions. USAID and its partners identify scalable WASH solutions that the Government of India and the private sector can implement across the country.

IMPACT The impact of universal access to WASH on India, as well global health, would be profound. There is the potential to save the lives of the 8,40,000 people who currently die every year from diseases directly caused by unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene practices, and we could also drastically reduce child malnourishment, and help alleviate physical and mental underdevelopment. Today, 50 per cent of child malnutrition is associated with unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.

Women and girls would have the facilities and knowledge to be able to manage their menstrual cycles in safety and dignity. Similarly, during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-natal care, medical staff, expectant mothers and their families will be better equipped to ensure newborn children are given the safest and healthiest possible start in life.

For the demographic dividend to be an asset, India (and the world needs) healthier young people. We can’t afford to lose out as a nation (and the world, as a whole) because of unscientific beliefs.

Sanitation: Egypt

April 02 - 08, 2018

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egypt

Civilisation’s Cradle Clean Sanitation has seen tremendous changes and developments in Egypt throughout history

Mihir Paul

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gypt is not only considered as the cradle of human civilisation, it also has one of the earliest records of sanitation and sewage treatment systems. The ancient Egyptian civilisation sported a societal consciousness towards proper sanitation and hygiene along with its rich culture and traditions.

Sanitation has immensely evolved throughout Egypt’s history. Here we have a look at the sanitation landscape of this land.

Sanitation in Ancient Egypt Proper sanitation is an important factor in any city in order to address the problems of health. These issues were also important in the ancient world. The ancient Egyptians practiced sanitation, but in the widest sense of the word as modern technologies were not available to them. The degree of sanitation available to certain individuals varied according to their social status.

Where did ancient Egyptians relieve themselves? If they had the means, bathrooms were built right in their homes. There is evidence that in the New Kingdom, the gentry had small bathrooms in their homes. In the larger homes, next to the master bedroom, there was a bathroom that consisted of a shallow stone tub that the person stood in and had water poured over him. There is no

Quick Glance Ancient Egyptians used sophisticated sanitation methods Such facilities and access have vastly improved in Egypt since independence Many organisations are involved in improving sanitation in Egypt

Water treatment plant

In larger homes in the New Kingdom, next to the master bedroom, there were bathrooms that the residents could bathe in while standing evidence that the common people had bathrooms in their homes.

In ancient Egypt, it was the responsibility of each household to dispose off their garbage at the communal dump - the irrigation canals. As a result, these dump canals were breeding grounds for vermin and disease. Some homes in the cities may have had trays of earth for drainage and disposal of waste. For the most part, however, ancient Egyptians simply dumped their waste in canals or open fields.

In Ancient Egypt, the Egyptians’ sanitation was very good. However, they did have some problems, which were challenging to solve as they had very different technology, compared to us today. No one in Ancient Egypt understood the meaning of sanitation or how important it was. They didn’t

know that they had to wash their hands after killing animals, going bathroom, before dealing with food, and many other things involving bacteria, dirt and germs. The cause of many deaths was unknown to doctors because they didn’t know of the bacteria and germs that could be fatal to the human body.

Before bathrooms inside houses were built, they had public facilities..

In Ancient Egypt, they made a vast improvement in the advancement in technology, which was the building of bathrooms in houses. Some were big and some were small, this would depend on how high up you were in the hierarchy. If you were ranked higher up, you would have more availability to sanitation. In the bathrooms, there usually was a shallow stone tub, a person would

stand in the stone tub and have a bucket of water poured over him.

This was to wash the dirt off them.

In ancient Egypt, each household had the responsibility, which was to dispose their own garbage, at the communal dump, which was the irrigation canals. This would cause the dump canals to be breeding grounds for vermin and disease. In some homes, they would have trays of earth for drainage and to dispose off waste.

However, Ancient Egyptians simply dumped their waste in canals or in open fields. As water is an important part of any sanitation process, the Ancient Egyptians used the water and force of the Nile River to flush out the irrigation systems.

Groups of women would gather water for individual homes from the river or canal, while the men worked in groups doing the laundry. This was unhygienic because the canals and rivers were also used for bathing purposes.

The sanitation methods of the ancient Egyptians may seem crude when compared to the modern

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Sanitation: Egypt

Access to Water and Sanitation in Egypt (2010)

conveniences available in the 21st century. They did have what appears to be a workable, viable sanitation system.

Modern Day Toilets In Egypt Flushing System in Egyptian toilets Flushing toilets were a luxury at first and they did not become common until the late 19th century. Also popular in the 19th century were earth closets. An earth closet was a box of granulated clay over a pan.

When you pulled lever clay covered the contents of the pan. In rural areas flushing lavatories did not replace earth closets until the early 20th century.

Egyptian Toilets Egyptian toilets tend to be pretty minimal. Unless you’re in a place catering to western tourists, it’s all squat toilets instead of raised commode seats, and water instead of paper. Done right, this can make for a very clean toilet. Of course, in Egypt, many things are not done right.

Although you will find both ‘squat’ and ‘sit down’ toilets in operation in Egypt, it is the western style ‘sit down’ toilet that is prevalent.

However, in most cases, toilets in Egypt have been adapted and installed with one of the following: • A metal tube in the bowel which takes aim at the user’s rectum. A tap to the side of the seat releases a stream of water of varying ferocity from the tube.

• A small showerhead on a rope hanging to one side of the loo (as shown in the image). The user can take this to aim at the desired area

April 02 - 08, 2018

Urban (43% of the population) Water

Sanitation

Rural (57% of the population)

Total

Broad Definition

100%

99%

99%

House Connections

100%

93%

96%

Broad Definition

97%

93%

95%

Sewage

NA

NA

50% (2006 census)

and compress a trigger to release a jet stream of water Both of these modifications are intended to be used in conjunction with the left hand (hence Egyptians always eat and shake with the right) for the purpose of cleaning oneself after a visit. As such they are not built to take paper, which will cause immediate blocking. All paper is to be placed into the bins provided.

Public toilets in Egypt will usually be managed by an attendant who should keep them clean and hand you paper when you enter. A small ‘backsheesh’ is required for these services.

Essential items to bring with you for each toilet visit include the following: Paper – Attendants (if there is one) will usually hand you just two or three squares of paper and hand sanitizer. Small change for tipping the

attendant 0.5 – 1 Egyptian pound.

At large attractions such as The Pyramids, The Sphinx, Cairo Museum you will find the toilets are excellent.

Usually finished with marble or stone, they are kept immaculately clean.

There is usually a cost such as one to five Egyptian pounds which you pay as you enter and you’ll be given around 5 – 10 squares of toilet paper by the attendant.

Access To Sanitation In 2015, 98 percent of the population had access to “at least basic” water and 93 percent had access to “at least basic” sanitation, in 2015. Nevertheless, there were still, in 2015, 1.8 million people without access to “at least basic” water and 6.4 million without access to “at least basic” sanitation.

The government of Egypt continued to give higher priority to water service coverage. As a result,

Public toilets in Egypt are usually managed by an attendant who has to keep them clean and hand you paper when you enter

water service coverage in 2004 was 96 percent (21 million m 3 / day produced). Subsequent large investments were made in water production plants that did not just take national water coverage to 100 percent, but added a total of 11.4 m 3 /day to the amount produced in 2005, a 59 percent increase. As a result, significant improvements occurred in water quality and service consistency especially in rural areas and in informal areas around major cities.

USAID : Improving Egypt’s sanitation since 1970s When USAID first arrived in Egypt in the late 1970s, poor water quality, pollution, and over-extended sanitation facilities had become a serious public health hazard – particularly in urban areas where diseases such as eye infections, diarrhea, fever, and rheumatism linked to daily contact with sewage were rampant. Over the next 35 years, USAID invested more than $3.5 billion to help bring potable water and sanitation services to over 25 million Egyptians, directly improving their health and environmental conditions.

1980s USAID initially targeted construction and rehabilitation of wastewater systems in Cairo, Alexandria, and the three Suez Canal Cities. In Cairo, USAID funded a $727 million project from 1984-2006 to improve wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal on the West Bank of Cairo. A high level of saline and contaminated groundwater, due to leaking sewers and the regional influence of irrigation practices on the water table, threatened the structural integrity of several buildings and historic momunents in this area.

After lowering the groundwater table to safe levels, USAID installed new and improved sewerage services that benefit hundreds of thousands of citizens in some of the poorest and most densely populated areas of central Cairo – and allowed commerce to grow.

April 02 - 08, 2018 USAID funded the installation of an entire piped sewage collection network in Alexandria that eliminated untreated sewage from Alexandria’s streets and Mediterranean Sea beaches. As a result, infant mortality rates and waterborne diseases dropped by 80 percent. Built in the late 1980s, the construction and rehabilitation of seven pump stations and the two major wastewater treatment plants in Alexandria anticipated projected population growth until 2010 – these plants continue to function, but increased population has put a strain on these facilities.

1990s In the early 1990s, USAID focused on smaller cities in the Delta, South Sinai, and Upper Egypt. Construction of over 30 water treatment and wastewater facilities in Fayoum, Beni Suef, and Minya governorates were constructed to benefit more than three million people. However, given the downward trend in fertility rates at the time, the systems did not anticipate such rapid population growth – there are now nearly 11 million people living in those three governorates.

USAID shifted focus in the late 1990s from water construction activities to institutional and policy reforms, with cost recovery efforts as the centerpiece. In 2004, USAID helped the Government of Egypt establish the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater (HCWW), a national umbrella organization to standardize and govern local water utilitity companies, as well as the Egyptian Water Regulatory Authority. USAID also launched a program to strengthen the policy, legal, and regulatory framework for water distribution and access.

By 2011, eleven of HCWW’s 24 subsidiaries have been able to achieve cost recovery for operations and maintenance and the others have made great strides toward sustainability and self-sufficiency – as well as improving operating efficiencies, billing, and collection systems. Recently, in a major breakthrough supported by USAID, Egypt’s Cabinet approved a tariff structure for the water sector that will allow HCWW to achieve operations and maintenance cost recovery in less than five years, and full cost recovery and sustainability in ten.2000s With reforms in place, USAID is focusing again on increasing access to clean water and sanitation services in underserved rural areas. These residents suffer from unreliable and sometimes low quality potable water service and lack of wastewater connections and treatment. Water

Sanitation: Egypt

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The houses have ventilation systems and sanitation disposal to prevent pollution of water supplies to the agricultural lands

Public toilet of Egypt

pollution in canals and drains still represents the greatest threat to public health in these villages, as wastewater is discharged without treatment to agricultural drains and canals and carries the risk of waterborne disease.

Further, population growth has led to an expansion of settlements over the heavily polluted, unsanitary waterways, putting villagers further at risk.

USAID efforts will improve access to services for 650,000 residents in these areas – services that are essential to the health of the residents and the economy of Upper Egypt. Not only do better water and wastewater services and facilities contribute to improvements in tourism, trade, and investment, but they also create thousands of job opportunities for day laborers to construct facilities. For instance, in the Baheeg community in Assiut Governorate, USAID worked directly with the local municipal water and wastewater holding company to construct a $2.6 million slow sand filter treatment plant with the capacity to supply 10,000 households (50,000 persons) with potable water.

An additional $150,000 was used to fund the installation of a distribution pipeline to tie the Baheeg community to the plant using local unskilled labor and provided 1,700 person-days of local employment.

Egyptian NGOs Improving Sanitation An Egyptian NGO that uses a community-based model to improve access to clean water and sanitation won a World Habitat Award during the United Nations-sponsored World Habitat Day 2017.

Through its local housing movement program, the Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development (BLACD) NGO has provided new in-house connections

to running water and latrines for 5,900 families in Minia Governorate, one of Egypt’s poorest regions.

BLACD trains people in the Nile Valley district to build houses and water systems using accessible materials suited for the natural environment. The houses incorporate ventilation systems and sanitation disposal to prevent pollution of water supplies and agricultural land. One village BLACD works with is using solar power to heat water.

In-house water and sanitation has had the greatest effect on women who no longer have to make daily trips to distant water sources or have to fear for their safety while they use the toilet. To finance the projects, BLACD uses a revolving fund from which loans are made and repaid.

Loan recipients pay eight percent annual interest, and the fund has a 98 percent repayment rate. BLACD gets money from several international foundations and uses its reputation to secure loans from banks unwilling to lend to the poor.

The program began in 1998, in a few villages, but has since expanded to 18 communities and into a partnership with 16 grassroots organizations.

The BLACD model is being replicated in two other Egyptian regions and the organization is advising community start-ups in Tanzania, South Africa and the Philippines.

The organization also provides legal assistance on questions of land tenure. “Better City, Better Life” was the theme for World Habitat Day. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement calling for improvements to the living conditions of the urban poor.

With the demographic transition to urban life, the infrastructure needs of cities are seeing greater emphasis

as more people now live in cities than rural areas.

Egypt’s Sanitation Hero Local ownership and environmentally sustainable technology are keys to the success of Sameh Seif Ghaly’s Together Association Sameh Seif Ghaly, an Egyptian social entrepreneur who is the cofounder of the Together Association for Development and Environment visited Synergos’ New York City office to discuss his foundation’s work in the deployment of liquid waste and usedwater-treatment technology.

Poor water sanitation is a critical environmental issue in communities in rural Egypt, where about half the rural population, or 47 million people, do not have access to improved sewage systems. Most villages in Upper Egypt contain untreated sewage water that flows directly into holes in the ground, leaching into ground water used for drinking and agriculture. As a result, many residents suffer from waterborne diseases.

To solve this problem, the Together Association has built 15 sanitation systems for villages in Upper Egypt, serving 32,700 residents in total.

The system is a good model for rural Egyptian communities because it improves public health, sustains the environment, and boosts community participation. Each system costs about $1,600 a month including supplies, or between $30 and $40 per capita.

All of the houses in the community are connected to the lifting station and operating fees are collected from each community after the project’s completion. In fact, the low fees - just a few dollars a month - are part of what makes the system so attractive to users.

Each treatment plant is equipped with an anaerobic bacteria treatment chamber, an aerated weir, an air injection tank, and a gravel bed that is planted with local cane treating organic matter. The organic matter has naturally-generated anaerobic bacteria which feeds filtered water into a gravity-fed sequence of three shallow ponds for solar treatment. Both biogas and solid by-products generated from waste treatment are used to make organic fertilizer.

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Sulabh

April 02 - 08, 2018

vedic tradition

Mohan Bhagwat Hails Virtues Of Gurukulam The institution promotes education in the true Vedic tradition, in the spirit of Brahmavadini

Quick Glance Gurukulam infuses traditional values into its curriculum

Dr Pathak inaugurated the newly constructed wing of the Gurukulam

Ssb bureau

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r Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh Sanitation & Social Reforms Movement, along with Hon’ble RSS Chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Art of Living Foundation attended the annual day celebrations of Maitreyi Gurukulam, near Vitala, 200 miles from Bangalore, in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.

Dr Pathak along with Sir Karyawaha Bhaiyaji Joshi , Dr Sudhir K Mishra, Subhramaniyam Shetty and Mrs Abha Kumar inaugurated the newly constructed wing of the Gurukulam called ‘Brahmi’ Dr Pathak welcomed RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat and Sri Sri Gurudev Ravi Shankar and graced them with customary shawls, bouquets and garlands. He also presented Mohan Bhagwat a Madhubani painting with depiction of Bharat Mata.

Dr Bindeshwar Pathak was felicitated by Mohan Bhagwat as a remarkable achiever in the field of social service.

The students of Maitreyee Gurukulam presented a “Nritya Natika.” Sanskrit, being the medium of education at the institution and the students being well-versed on the language, formed the content of all the programmes. It is such practices and philosophy from the country’s exalted heritage that forms the basis of Maitreyi Gurukulam.

The Gurukulam infuses into its curriculum the traditional values of Indian learning and the modern scientific temper which together promote a lifestyle that is at once simple, profound and environmentalfriendly.

This girls-only educational institution enshrines the ancient practice of celebrating women as goddesses. A knowledgeable woman not only educates her family but also helps build an enlightened and ‘sane’ society that has a fine blend of Indian values and learning through disciplines of arts and customs around food, clothes, healthcare, etc.

Dr Pathak was felicitated by Mohan Bhagwat for his contribution to society

RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat felicitating Dr Bindeshwar Pathak

With an emphasis on Sanskrit language, dharma and patriotism, the institution promotes education in the true Vedic tradition, in the spirit of Brahmavadini, choosing spiritual advancement and renouncing marital life and material aspirations. The institution, where students are not burdened by rote-learning, textbooks, examinations and even the school fees, aims to make an India that can provide spiritual leadership to the world.

This unusual girl-education Gurukulam seeks to undo the drawbacks of the British system that continue to pervade the Indian education, as it prepares its students to take up the challenging task of social transformation.

Having completed its 23 years in the field of women’s education, the Gurukulam was founded with the patronage of Hindu Seva Pratishthana and the support of Ajeya Trust.

“Britishers turned India into their

colony, demolished education system of the country along with its economic system. We are following the education system they handed to us. Social education is better than the education provided by the administration.

Gurukul system of education creates awareness about righteousness and trains the students to lead a life of selflessness. The purpose of education should be to impart the realisation that one should live for others and that his life is not confined to himself,” said Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mohan Bhagwat.

Bhagwat said that the life and preaching of Lord Rama who lived on earth 8,000 years back, is the model for Indians and that people come together through sacrifice and service associated with his name.

“The concept of absolute truth, total trust, and the concept that the entire country is our family, guides our lives,” he stressed.

With an emphasis on Sanskrit language, dharma and patriotism, the institution promotes education in the true Vedic tradition

Sri Sri Ravishankar said that we need both the modern science and ancient knowledge. “Both these are being provided in Maitreyi Gurukulam.

This has created a revolution of sorts.

Organizing of thread ceremony for ladies and allowing them to study Vedas were not in vogue 24 years back, but the powers behind this institution did these things then by putting in herculean efforts. The very concepts of performing Upanayanam only for Brahmins and giving access to Vedas to them alone are wrong. In the past, even among sages and ascetics such differences were not in vogue.

Patriotism and love for righteousness are two sides of the same coin. We should enlighten children about them at a very young age. The purpose of education is to create a welleducated personality. Along with study of literature, music, science etc towards improving one’s personality, Pranayama, Yoga, chanting of hymns, etc. improve functioning of the vagus nerve, resulting in better health, calm and happy personality, and sharp intellect. It is possible to achieve these things by following vedic traditions, too. Let us drive away vices like liquor consumption and work to sow seeds of devotion in people’s minds,” he said.

Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji of Adichunchanagiri Math, in his benedictory address, felt that people not having conscience about history fail to realise their own innate powers, nor would they be able to learn about others. Just like USA is known for science, Japan for technology and England for politics, India is nothing without its Dharma. Dharma is the life and breath of human beings. We should understand and make use of knowledge earned by sages. More such institutions should be founded to spread awareness about our ancient culture,” he felt.

NGO: Ithai

April 02 - 08, 2018

09 07

Literacy drive

Helping Migrant Children Return To School Ithai meaning thereby, ‘friend’ - is dedicatedly doing its work for the past many years n Chandrani Banerjee

Quick Glance

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thai- The children have seen a new sky- They had no future. They used to spend time in gambling, sneaking into the shops to steal. Such things were their favourite pastime.

They are the children of migrant workers and daily wage earners.

Who is considered our true friend?

Someone who takes us from darkness to light. And what could be bigger than the light of education. If someone holds your hand and takes you to the world of literacy from illiteracy can certainly be called a friend and a wellwisher. Ithai -the Hindi meaning of this word is friend – is dedicatedly doing this work for the past many years.

Spotting the under-privileged children, who spent their day playing cards, consuming alcohol and other substances for fun never actually knew that there was another world, and counselling them to come to school was not easy. Days together, the Ithai Sewa Samiti tirelessly worked towards this cause. Managed and run by Dr Kiran Dixit, it trains the children to be a part of the school schedule.

After the initial hiccups Ithai has now 30 children. These children once trained, go to the nearby government school which encourages Ithai to send students. Students not only study the regular course in Ithai but play with words, learn how to make handicrafts and various other fun things. They

After initial hiccups Ithai has now 30 children to educate Children learn small crafts and aspire to put up an exhibition soon Ithai visits the Jhuggi clusters regularly to meet the parents

Student of Ithai gathered for a photo session

celebrate festivals together. They learn small crafts and aspire to put up an exhibition for the public.

Largely the children of the daily wage workers who eke out their living from whitewashing, building houses or cleaning jobs come to Ithai. They keep changing places too for work.

As a result, most of the children have missed their initial education. So Ithai Sewa Samiti, works and covers it up for them so that children can go back to their regular school with renewed confidence. Some have never attended school while some are drop outs. All of them have first been counselled and then put into the basic school norms and conditions for some time, then they join the nearby formal government school.

Ithai visits the ‘jhuggi’ clusters regularly to meet the parents of these children who have never got the opportunity to be in school and have very limited exposure to education.

They are also unaware of the basic behavioural manners. The parents went out to earn and considered educating the children as a wastage of money. Specifically, sending a girl child

to school is a huge ‘NO’. Ithai talked to these parents and convinced them that education is the only way out to build a healthy and financially strong family.

In the first phase of their programme Ithai covered the Mansarovar Yojna in Lucknow and Aurangabad-Bijnor Road villages. Ithai will spread wings and cover more in the coming years.

Recognising the efforts of Ithai and Dr Dixit, recently All India Democratic Women’s Association(AIDWA) have supported the cause. AIDWA has distributed stationary items to the children. During Holi AIDWA organised water colours and some sweets for the students. The children has seen a new world that they had never seen. And they would want to spend more time in this new world happily.

Kiran Dixit, while speaking to the Sulabh News, said, “It was a dream.

Initially it was not easy to run the show but slowly things started getting into shape. Not that it was easy. It was very difficult. They have all kinds of habits and I really need to work out my way to convince them that school is the only and best way to counter a troubled life

If someone holds your hand and takes you to the world of literacy from illiteracy, she or he is certainly a friend and a well-wisher

that is witnessing financial stress.” The children now have many things to do, Vocational training is also a part of this process. The children have been trained for papermache. Dr Dixit keep trying to introduce many things that would attract the children and at the same time make them happy.

Shivani Rawat, age 11 years, chuckled while talking about her experience in Ithai, “Humko Khoob maza aata hai jab yahan aate hai. Didi khilona bhi deti hai aur padna bhi sikhati hai.

Hum tyohaar bhi manate hai.” (I enjoy a lot whenever I come here. Didi gives toys and also teaches how to read. We celebrate festivals together.)

Mahnaz Bano is only 14 years old but was working before coming to Ithai.

“Ammi apne saath ghar ka kaam sikhati thee. Padna toh humko aacha lagta tha lekin koi school nahin bhejta tha. Didi ne ammi ko samjhaya toh ab hum aate hai yahan. Khoob maza aata hai. (My mother used to make me work but I like to study. When Ithai came to our jhuggi cluster they talked to my mother and explained about their educational programme. My mother agreed to send me to school. So, I joined and I enjoy a lot here)” “They sing, dance and smile and that is the main gain for the children.

At Ithai, children have a free hand and they can play their imagination and play with words. If someone wants to write a poem, they are free to do; that if they want to do anything else, there is no restriction on the children. There is a free environment which is offered to the children and they feel happy about it,” added Dr Dixit.

10

Environment

April 02 - 08, 2018

Assam

DEEPOR BEEL – CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION The district will soon submit project of Rs 250 crores for the restoration and conservation of the lake Raj Kashyap

protect the wetland while establishing development limits to protect valuable biotopes and creating water safety for the inhabitants.

Deepor Beel (Beel means wetland or large aquatic body in Assamese) is located about 10 km southwest of Guwahati and is considered as one of the largest and most important riverine wetlands in the Brahmaputra valley. It is an open lake basin connected with a set of inflow and outflow channels.

Originally, the lake had its natural linkages with the river Brahmaputra through the Sola Beel and the swampy areas of Pandu to the northeast. Due to construction of residential buildings, roads and a railway track, the main

fallow land. Intensive agriculture and infrastructure projects have been the main cause of the decline of the great bustard populations.

Barriers such as afforested areas, shelter belts, railways, roads and

Agreeing on transboundary conservation, 13 countries are joining hands to protect the great bustard bird

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elegates from 13 European countries agreed on transboundary conservation measures for the great bustard - the heaviest flying bird in Europe.

Germany is one of the signatories to the agreement concluded under the Convention on Migratory Species

The objective would also be to protect the wetland

fences tend to fragment their habitats.

The great bustard’s tendency to make low and short-distance flights makes it difficult for the birds to avoid such hazards. The construction of new highways and railways poses risks of fatal injuries. Many birds collide with power lines, the most significant cause of mortality in bustard species worldwide. All infrastructure measures should be subject to environmental impact assessments so that viable alternatives can be considered. Existing power lines across their areas should be buried or marked prominently to reduce mortality. Disturbance drives the birds from ideal breeding and feeding habitats. Reduced breeding success, changes in habitat and lethal injuries from collisions decrease survival chances of populations.

13 European Countries To Protect The Great Bustard (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, to protect the MiddleEuropean population of the species.

CMS and the Brandenburg State Office for Environment organised the meeting. The globally threatened specie prefers an open landscape. The best habitat for the bird in Central Europe is open, unfragmented and non-intensively used agricultural fields with a high proportion of

The scheme is expected to be implemented in different phases

link has already been disrupted and it remains as a small secondary channel.

A perennial stream, originating from Basistha, runs through the heart of the beel and joins the river Brahmaputra through Khanamukh towards north of the lake. The stream is also fed by Bharalu River.

Deepor Beel has both biological and environmental importance besides being the only major storm water storage basin for Guwahati city.

It is considered as one of the staging sites for migratory birds in India; and some of the large congregations of aquatic birds in Assam during winter.

Deepor Beel has been selected as one of the Important Bird Area (IBA)

conservation

IANS

The project will involve improving the water quality of the lake

sites by Birdlife International. Deepor Beel had also been designated as a Ramsar Site in November 2002. The Beel is reported to support threatened species of birds like spotbilled pelican, lesser adjutant stork, greater adjutant stork, black necked stork, and large whistling teal. It supports 50 fish species belonging to 19 families.

The lake has however suffered from encroachment in recent years. The railway track divides the beel into a number of small pockets. The laying of the railway track and reclamation of the area outside the railway track has contributed to shrinkage of the beel area from 40 sq km.

According to plans by the district administration, the project will construct a viewing deck, children’s playing area, feature wall, science zone, water cooler, sitting areas, parking place, shops and temporary food stalls, among other things.

Besides, the plan also includes a provision for one-time removal of water weeds manually or mechanically and conversion of the removed weeds into biocompost or vermincompost. For treatment of the lake, regular application of microbes is proposed.

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he government has firmed up plans for the conservation of Deepor Beel in Assam near the capital Guwahati under the Guwahati Smart City Mission.

According to media reports, the Kamrup (Metro) district will soon submit project of Rs 250 crores for the restoration and conservation of the lake which is also included in the Ramsar Site.

The project will involve improving the water quality of the lake by installing a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), conservation of the ecological biodiversity by proper wetland demarcation, maintaining the flood attenuation capacity of the site and schemes to attract tourists.

The scheme is expected to be implemented in different phases.

Officials however did not give a deadline for the completion of the project. In the first phase, the scheme will include retrofitting of the existing watch tower area, taking up required road refurbishing and lighting along the Pamohi road and development of a new boarding point for boat rides.

The objective would also be to

Quick Glance

Environment

April 02 - 08, 2018

purifier

wildlife

KAZIRANGA – AMONG 10 ICONIC PLACES The park is one of the last unmodified natural habitats in the northeast and is now regarded as one of the finest wildlife refuges in the world

NE bureau aziranga National Park has been included among the ten iconic places in the country by the government.

The decision to identify ten spots in the country by the union ministry of tourism has also been approved

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, media reports said.

The selection of Kaziranga in the list assumes importance since the park had been in the news for rhino poaching for the past several years.

The Centre’s decision is expected to offer greater publicity to the park and attract more tourists.

Kaziranga National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site and is

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among the two sites in the prestigious category in the state.

The history of conservation in Kaziranga dates back to the early twentieth century, when Baroness Mary Victoria Leiter Curzon, the wife of Viceroy Lord Curzon, first visited the Kaziranga area in 1904. Although Kaziranga had been renowned for its rhinoceros population, however, during her trips in the region, Baroness Curzon failed to see any rhinoceros, seeing only some hoof marks.

It is believed that a local animal tracker, Balaram Hazarika, showed Baroness Curzon around Kaziranga and impressed upon her the urgent need for conservation of the wildlife.

Concerned about the dwindling

11 07

Quick Glance The decision has also been approved

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi The park has almost 478 species of birds The park formally became a Reserve Forest in 1908, a game sanctuary in 1916

numbers of rhinos, she asked her husband to take the necessary steps for conservation, which he did on November 4, 1904 when he proposed the creation of a reserve in Kaziranga.

Thus was created the Kaziranga Reserve Forest on 57,273.6 acres of land, on June 1, 1905 by a notification of the Chief Commissioner of the state.

The park formally became a Reserve Forest in 1908, a game sanctuary in 1916, and it was closed officially for shooting in 1926.

Kaziranga was thrown open to visitors in 1938. After the independence, Kaziranga was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950. In 1954, the Assam Legislative Assembly gave the rhinos legal protection through the Assam (Rhinoceros) Bill that laid down heavy penalties for poaching. In 1974 Kaziranga was designated a National Park, the first national park in Assam.

UNESCO declared Kaziranga a World Heritage Site in 1985. In 2006, KNP was also declared a Tiger Reserve.

The park is one of the last unmodified natural habitats in the Northeast and now regarded as one of the finest wildlife refuges in the world. It is home to the largest number of one-horned rhinos in the world which attracts tourists from all over the world. It has one of the last habitats for the wild Asian water buffalo and also provides the world’s greatest habitat to wild buffaloes.

Kaziranga is said to have about 86 tigers, which makes it an area having the highest density of tigers in the world (1 every 5 sq. km, 2000 census).

The park has almost 478 species of birds (both migratory and resident).

The site has also been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.

The park also hosts a diverse population of almost 42 species of fishes, 9 species of amphibians, 27 species of reptiles and 35 species of mammal, making the national park one of the richest wildlife habitats in the world.

Indigenous Solar Water Purifier, Jacket Unveiled The solar water purifier has a 500 litre capacity and 20 prototypes of the jacket have been developed IANS

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nion Environment and Science Minister Harsh Vardhan recently unveiled a solar water purifier and a solar jacket developed by Department of Science and Technology (DST) indigenously.

Offficials said that so far five prototypes of solar water purifiers of 500 litre capacity and 20 prototypes of the solar jacket customised for the Forest Department staff and others have been developed. “One prototype has been installed here, while the other four prototypes of the solar water purifiers are installed at four different schools in Tripura and Assam, where electricity couldn’t reach due to difficult terrain,” said innovator Prof S.P Gon Chaudhury of DSE. The 4-watt powered water-proof solar jacket, that comes in camouflage pattern, has solar panels at its rear side and a battery attached inside, to help charge mobile phone and GPS. Beside a LED powered torch on the front and a illuminated ID tag were attached to help the movement of the forest officials during foot or night patrolling.

The solar-jacket, Chaudhury said, had been under trial for past six months and were distributed among the forest staff in Tripura and officers of Kolkata Police. “The price of this jacket is about Rs 4,000 while the water purifier costs about Rs 35,000... the cost would come down with increase in demand,” Harsh Vardhan said, adding that approximately 4.7 million hours are lost each year due to illnesses caused by consuming contaminated water.

12

Sanitation

April 02 - 08, 2018

Ek Real Katha

spirit of Swachhata

PM To Flag Off Swachhagraha Express Teen Actress Gives Her Remuneration To Build Toilets The film crew have also pledged to build 100 toilets in Koppal village n G Ulaganathan

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movie based on 15-year-old Koppal girl Mallamma’s fight to build a toilet at home has inspired Karnataka’s own ‘Toilet: Ek Real Katha’. Prathyaksha, 14, who plays the lead role, has offered her movie fee to build more toilets in Mallamma’s village.

The Koppal girl’s battle had caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who mentioned her in his Mann Ki Baat last year. A class 9 student of a Bengaluru school and resident of Girinagar, Prathyaksha plays Mallamma in the Kannada film Sandaas (Latrine), for which she may be paid Rs 1 lakh. The filmcrew have also pledged to build 100 toilets in Koppal village.

Prathyaksha’s father B G Ramakrishna, a BSNL employee, is elated by his daughter’s gesture.

Mallammahad went on a three-day fast to get her family to agree to build a toilet at home in Danapura village.

Open defecation was unavoidable in Danapura where 80 percent of the 300 households had no toilet. Women in the village waited for nightfall before going to answer nature’s call.

“I’m not just inspired by Mallamma’s efforts but I am determined to do something concrete for the cause.

I’ll dedicate my fee to build toilets in Mallamma’s village,” says Prathyaksha, a theatre artiste since childhood. This is her debut movie. She spent over 40 days in Danapura for the film shooting.

The stay opened her eyes to the village’s toilet travails. The teenager’s gesture has rubbed off on the film crew. “We want to join her in the cause. We’ll chip in to construct toilets,” said movie director Ajay Kumar AJ. The film crew plans to build at least 100 toilets in the village.

The cost of building a home toilet is about Rs 10,000-12,000. Ajay Kumar said work will begin after the film’s release in May. The ending of the film will be shot next month.

The Prime Minister will flag off the Swachhagraha Express, an exhibition train, to re-emphasise the spirit of Swachhata n SSB BUREAU

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o commemorate 100 years of the Champaran Satyagraha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to flag off Swachhagraha Express, an exhibition train, from Motihari in Bihar next month to reemphasise the spirit of cleanliness, or ‘Swachhata’, a value that was close to Mahatma Gandhi’s heart.

As part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the 14-coach train is scheduled to be launched by Indian Railways on April 10 to showcase the cleaning-up efforts undertaken till date by the government and also to generate greater awareness towards cleanliness in the run-up to the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019.

The Swachhagraha Express, exhibiting various aspects of the cleanliness drive and its benefits, will travel in six months to 60 stations across the country.

A collaborative effort between the ministries of railways and drinking water and sanitation, the Swachhgaraha Express will mostly touch remote stations. Its itinerary is now being finalised. The train’s journey is expected to dovetail into Modi’s pet Swachh Bharat Mission.

Consequent to the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014, by Modi, the Railways had launched “Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat” in its bid to keep trains and stations clean.

As stated by the Modi government, the aim of the Swachh Bharat Mission

is to achieve the vision of a “Clean India” by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and the government will use it to leverage this historic occasion to build a clean India. “ T h e purpose of the Swachhagraha Express is to reach out to far-flung areas, creating awareness about cleanliness, which was also a key element of the Champaran movement,” said a senior official involved with the project.

The coaches of the train will feature a detailed account of the milestones and progress achieved under the Swachh Bharat Mission and subjects such as water, hygiene and sanitation will be elaborated upon.

There will be messages on cleanliness, adverse effects on environment due to open defecation, use and maintenance of toilets, awareness about hygiene, importance of clean water in public health, and many such related issues which will be showcased to the people, including school children, during the six-month journey.

Drawing a parallel with the success of Mahatma Gandhi in making the freedom struggle a people’s movement, the Prime Minister has, on several occasions, emphasised that the objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission can only be achieved by making it a people’s movement.

The Railways, with its vast network, plays a crucial role in the Swachh Bharat Mission. To this end, a series of measures to improve the cleanliness of stations were announced in succesive budgets since 2015. (The railway budget was merged with the general budget last year.)

The state-run transporter has also made operational a “Swachh Rail” portal to showcase cleanliness

Quick Glance The Swachhagraha Express is a 14-coach train It will be launched on April 10, 2018 The train exhibits various aspects of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

rankings of various stations and the methodology adopted for the rankings.

Railway tracks along many stretches resemble garbage dumps with leftover food, plastic bottles and paper boxes strewn all over. Discharge of human waste from trains is also a cause for concern.

“We have made all-out efforts to keep the tracks, stations clean as part of the cleanliness campaign,” said the official.

Replacing existing toilets in trains with bio-toilets and preventing open discharge on tracks are some of the measures taken to keep rail premises clean.

Several railway divisions have pressed into service mechanised systems for cleaning of tracks near stations.

Besides, installation of bio-toilets in several trains have reduced the discharge of human waste on the tracks.

Sanitation

April 02 - 08, 2018

13 07

Swachhata drive

Selfie with Superman To accelerate Narendra Modi’s Swacchata drive and to change the thinking of the people towards cleaning personnel, Satna Municipal Corporation has launched a new scheme Rajesh Dwivedi

the notice of fine was done by a simple rose. In this regard, Pratibha Pal said that the proceedings of the fines were not the goal of the cleanliness drive but the motive was that people should start keeping their environment clean.

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rom cleaning the environment to sewers, drains, the streets and alleys cleaning personnel were so far looked down upon but not anymore. Satna Nagar Nigam has given them a special status by recognizing them as ‘Superman’.

To accelerate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swacchhata drive and to change the thinking of the people towards cleaning personnel, Municipal Corporation has launched a new scheme ‘Selfie With Superman’.

According to this scheme, the elite class people have to take a selfie with the cleaning personnel and upload it to social media. The objective was that not only it will change people’s mentality towards cleaning workers but a realisation will also arise for the cleanliness in the city dwellers.

As soon as the municipal corporation started the campaign, people of different sections of the society started taking a selfie with the cleaning personnel with full enthusiasm.

These were the same people who earlier didn’t even like standing next to them. This campaign also gave the opportunity to understand the importance of cleaning workers in the construction of a clean city and a clean environment. Satna Municipal Mayor Mamta Pandey and Commissioner Pratibha Pal insist on the importance of Selfie with Superman and that how the cleaning workers are no lesser than any Superman because they do the work which common people avoid doing. They are an important link in Swachhata Drive.

Innovation in Modi Mantra for Cleanliness

After becoming the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi emphasised the most on cleanliness. He said on many occasions that only a clean society can run on the path of development.

Not only did he accept the dedication of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, but he made a new revolution in cleanliness across the country by appealing to bring it into practice, by which city like Satna is also not left untouched. On October 2, 2014, the appeal for cleanliness to the nation by the Prime Minister was taken seriously

Gaadi Wala Aaya Ghar Se Kachra Nikal

To give the cleanliness message, these days early morning on the street of Satna a garbage van comes with a song playing ‘Gaadi wala aaya ghar se kachra nikal’. This song is being played in that garbage van which goes from door-to-door at morning to collect the garbage. The city is divided into eight zones; by using vehicles such as 30 Magic Vehicles, 4 Dumpers, 6 Tractors, 2 Compactors, the Municipal Corporation collects 100 tons of garbage every day from door to door. 252 Regular and 465 master cleaning workers sweat their blood every day to free the city from garbage.

Commissioner Pratibha Pal and Mayor Mamta Pandey

by the Mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Mamta Pandey, and Commissioner Pratibha Pal. Many new innovations made the city clean, which also became an example for the surrounding districts. Selfie with Superman was one such example. The municipal corporation launched many campaigns like ‘Aap Smajhaye Hum Sanvaare’, ‘Coffee With Superman’ to inspire the residents to create a clean environment.

Roses In Response To Litter

Dealing with the debris spread by hotels and various business establishments in Satna, famous as Vindhya Industrial City, was a major challenge. Many business organisations started to protest when the municipal planned to take penalties on such establishments. In such a situation, the commissioner Pratibha Pal made a unique plan under which, the shopkeepers, who throw litter in front of their shops and can’t keep a dustbin for it, were given roses by the people. As an embarrassment, the shopkeepers have not only stopped throwing litters but also kept a dustbin in front of their shops. The work which was not accomplished by

Hi-tech Sulabh Toilets Changed The City’s Outlook

Satna city is known for the industries but the unavailability of public toilets had turned the city into a pile of garbage. In such a scenario, Modi’s magic mantra of cleanliness gave a new look to the city. The city has built 20 high-tech Sulabh toilets.

The specialty of these toilets is that the administrative staff gets into action after pressing a red button if in need to clean the place. Sulabh toilets have been connected to GPS system so that any person can complain of

Students with the cleanliness message

garbage by pressing a red button on the toilet.

Electricity From Pile Of Garbage

Administration Department is going to use garbage to generate electricity.

For this, garbage from 28 places of Satna, Rewa and Sidhi districts is collected and taken to Raipur district of Rewa where the dumping point of waste has been built.

“Seeing Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the initiative under the cleanliness drive, I felt that it is our responsibility to clean the city as a public representative. Inspired by Modi’s step, we started spreading

Quick Glance People have to take a selfie with the cleaning personnel for social media

Administration Department is going to use garbage to generate electricity

The city has built 20 high-tech Sulabh toilets at low costs

a message of cleanliness through various programs among the people of the city. The result is in front of you all. Earlier, Satna was known as the most polluted city but the situation is completely opposite now,” said Mamta Pandey.

“Earlier, we tried to embody the cleanliness mission through rules and action but realised that the mission is incomplete without public participation and awareness. In this way, many public awareness programs were organized and the people were made ready to clean the city”, said Pratibha Pal.

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Health genetics

April 02 - 08, 2018 discovery

Human Antibody Improves Malaria Prevention A new human antibody has been discovered which has been shown to prevent malaria infection

Nine New Osteoarthritis Genes Discovered This may lead to new targeted therapies in the future n IANS

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esearchers have discovered nine novel genes for osteoarthritis that may open the door to new targeted therapies for this debilitating disease in the future.

Of the nine genes associated with osteoarthritis, researchers identified five genes in particular that differed significantly in their expression in healthy and diseased tissue.

The five genes present novel targets for future research into therapies, the researcher said.

According to the researchers, there is no treatment for osteoarthritis. The disease is managed with pain relief and culminates in joint replacement surgery, which has variable outcomes.

“These results are an important step towards understanding the genetic causes of osteoarthritis and take us closer to uncovering the mechanism behind the disease,” said co-author of the study, Eleni Zengini from the University of Sheffield.

For the study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, researchers investigated the genetics behind osteoarthritis, as well as the diseases and traits that are linked to it. The team studied 16.5 million DNA variations. Following combined analysis in up to 30,727 people with osteoarthritis and nearly 300,000 people without osteoarthritis in total -- the controls -- scientists discovered nine new genes were associated with osteoarthritis. The researchers then investigated the role of the nine new genes in osteoarthritis, by studying both normal cartilage and diseased cartilage from individuals who had a joint replacement. The team looked for genes that were active in the progression of the disease.

Quick Glance The antibody works by binding a specific portion of surface proteins The antibody is called CIS43 CIS43 could provide broader protection from Malaria

n SSB BUREAU

S

cientists have discovered a new human antibody that, when tested in mice, prevented malaria infection by binding a specific portion of a surface protein found in almost all strains of the malaria parasite worldwide.

The study shows that the antibody called CIS43 protects against malaria better than any antibody that has been described before, said Marie Pancera, Biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Washington.

Importantly, the study identified a unique binding site on the surface protein known as circumsporozoite protein (CSP) which could be used to design a vaccine that could tickle the immune system to produce such antibodies, Pancera added.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, the

human antibody was isolated from a protected subject who received an experimental vaccine containing whole, weakened malaria parasites.

The paired findings -- of both the antibody and the site it targets on the surface protein -- could open new pathways to malaria prevention.

After trials on humans, if the antibody is shown to be effective, it could be directly prescribed to the malaria patients, which may prevent the disease for up to six months. The currently available drugs need to be

safe diet

Mediterranean Diet Boosts Bone Density

Consuming a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, potatoes, olive oil, seeds, fish may boost bone and muscle mass in postmenopausal women n IANS

C

onsuming Mediterranean diet -- rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, potatoes, olive oil, seeds, fish, low saturated fat, dairy products and red meat -may boost bones and muscle mass in postmenopausal women, a study suggests. Researchers found that menopause -- characterised by a decline in estrogen levels -- speeds a woman’s loss of bone mass and increases her risk of developing the bone-thinning disease known as osteoporosis, and increases the risk of fractures.

“We found that the Mediterranean diet could be a useful non-medical strategy for the prevention of osteoporosis and fractures in postmenopausal women,” said Thais Rasia Silva, a postdoctoral student at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande

taken daily, the researchers said.

According to the World Malaria Report 2016, there were 212 million cases of malaria globally in 2015, and 4,29,000 malaria deaths.

Malaria is caused by the Plasmodium parasite and spreads to humans through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito.

Currently, only one experimental vaccine known as ‘RTS,S’ has been found to protect about one-third of young children who received it.

While the RTS,S, which is phase three clinical trial, uses a fragment of CSP to elicit an immune response, it does not include the new site of vulnerability identified in the study.

This gives scientists the reason to believe that CIS43 would provide a broader protection from the disease.

do Sul in Brazil.

“Postmenopausal women, especially those with low bone mass, should ask their doctor whether they might benefit from consuming this dietary pattern,” Silva added.

The study, presented at the Endocrine Society’s 100th Annual Meeting in Chicago, also linked the Mediterranean diet with a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mortality risk due to certain other chronic diseases.

All women underwent bone scans to measure their bone mineral density, total body fat and appendicular lean mass, which was used to estimate skeletal muscle mass. They also completed a food questionnaire about what they ate in the past month.

Results showed that a higher consumption of Mediterranean diet was associated with an increased bone mineral density measured at the lumbar spine and with greater muscle mass. The previous studies have found that the Mediterranean diet may also boost conception chances of women undergoing IVF.

Health

April 02 - 08, 2018

herbal medicine

knee replacement

Free Knee Replacement In Govt Hospitals This year, April onwards, all Karnataka hospitals will offer Total Knee Replacement (TKR) free-of-charge

n G Ulaganathan

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ith lot of debates happening across the country over the health insurance scheme announced by finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Union budget, here is a unique offering by the Karnataka government.

From April this year, all govt hospitals in the state will offer free Total Knee Replacement (TKR) procedure to everyone, irrespective of the individual’s status. With this

15 07

announcement, the state government has come to the rescue of thousands of orthopaedic patients, who have been waiting for the expensive Total Knee Replacement (TKR) surgeries.

All government hospitals will offer TKR procedures absolutely free of cost, thereby giving a tough competition to private hospitals that charge exhorbitant money for the TKR. The procedures of TKR have turned out to be a big business in private hospitals these days, said state Health and Family Welfare Minister

‘‘The patients need not rely anymore on these hospitals when the state government will come out with free treatment’’ RK Ramesh Kumar Health and Family Welfare Minister, Karnataka

Quick Glance Government will help patients in need of corrective surgery The government hospitals will offer TKR free of cost The govt will bear the costs of equipment and personnel

KR Ramesh Kumar who hoped that the patients need not rely anymore on these hospitals when the state government will come out with free treatment.

“TKR surgery, over the years, has become a big business among private hospitals. The cost for the surgery varies from hospital to hospital and a majority of the patients often get into a debt trap trying to get the surgery done. This decision by the government will put an end to such practice,” the minister said.

Accorrding to Health Department sources, many hospitals advice TKR when they get elderly patients with severe knee pain. “The TKR procedure can cost anywhere between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, depending on the age of the patients and implants that are used. About 70 per cent of the population is unable to bear the cost of the surgery and decide to spend the life with severe pain. But the government’s decision will give them a new ray of hope,” a senior officer said. Currently, the state government is training all its orthopaedic surgeons in various hospitals to perform TKR surgeries.

“We have chosen the Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Care (SGITO) as the nodal agency to train our orthopaedics. In various batches, the doctors have been upgrading their skills.

Subsequently, the government will bear the cost of implants and other items used for the surgery so that the entire TKR surgery is performed free of cost,” Ramesh Kumar said.

Though most of the government facilities are targeted towards the families below poverty line, the TKR surgeries would be aimed at all.

“There will not be any categorisation and regardless of family background, patients can approach government hospitals and undergo the surgery. By March-end, all our hospitals will be ready to execute TKR surgeries,” he added.

New Database On Indian Medicinal Plants A new online database has identified 960 phytochemicals present in endemic Indian herbs that can potentially be developed into drugs n Manu Moudgil

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here is good news for the pharmaceutical companies looking for new products based on Indian medicinal plants. A new online database has identified 960 phytochemicals present in Indian herbs that can potentially be developed into drugs. Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants which, in case of herbs, are therapeutic.

Developed by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, this free-to-access database — Indian Medicinal Plants, Phytochemistry and Therapeutics (IMPPAT) — combines information from 50 traditional Indian medicine books with catalogues from previous databases and abstracts of scientific papers to come up with 1,742 Indian medicinal plants, 9,596 phytochemicals, and 1,124 therapeutic uses.

The database collates 27,074 plant-phytochemical associations and 11,514 plant-therapeutic use links. “The connections between plants and phytochemicals improves understanding of traditional Indian medicine which has largely been based on observation and experience rather than active ingredients of the formulations,” explained Dr Areejit Samal, a computational biologist at IMSc and part of the research team, while speaking to India Science Wire.

The database provides chemical classification, 2D and 3D chemical structure, physicochemical properties, predicted absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity properties, drug-likeliness scores and predicted human target proteins for phytochemicals in the database.

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April 02 - 08, 2018

urooj fatima

To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear

Urooj Fatima is an emerging journalist and a post-graduate in Media Governance from Jamia Millia Islamia

VIEWPOINT

Gautam Buddha

Healthcare That Cares ‘Health’ is a state of complete physical, social and mental well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Gut Decision Is Often The Best Strategy There is no such thing as a purely rational decision.

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here is no such thing as a purely logical decision.

The brain uses a combination of logic and emotion when making decisions of any kind. That specific emotion, innate to us as humans, is intuition.

We possess the capacity to feel, and thereby the ability to know things without consciously reasoning. The “gut feeling” is real, and we use it all the time.

“Going with our gut,” however, implies uncertainty and does not guarantee a good outcome. Sometimes all the hard information we need is right there for us, and we can rely on logic without leaning too much on our gut instincts.

But when it’s not, wouldn’t it be nice to know that our gut gives better than a 50/50 chance of success?

I think we can sharpen our intuition. To hone intuition, it’s all about giving our brain more emotional information to work with through life experience to increase the probability of success for any given gut decision. Basically, the more we experience the more accurate our guts become.

Our brains record it all; every meeting, client interaction, presentation, and personal decision. With every experience, the cache of information our brains have at their disposal grows. Think of a jigsaw puzzle. Your brain’s job is to decide what the image is, but it only has one of the 100 pieces to the puzzle. With every relevant experience, another puzzle piece becomes available. Soon, the brain will have enough information to identify the image.

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

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e all know the popular saying “Health is Wealth”. By health we do not mean the absence of physical troubles only. But it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.

The loss of health is a loss of all happiness.

Mahatma Gandhi also says, “It is health which is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver”.

Considering health an important issue the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) came into force on April 7, 1948.

Held on every 7th April, World Health Day is a campaign globally recognised and sponsored by the 193 World Health Organisation (WHO) country members.

With the boundaries of public health action becoming blurred, WHO is increasingly operating in a complex and rapidly changing landscape that extends into other sectors that influence health opportunities and outcomes. WHO responds to these challenges using a six-point agenda that addresses two health objectives, two strategic needs, and two operational approaches. The six points in the agenda are promoting development; fostering health security; strengthening health systems; harnessing research, information and evidence; enhancing partnerships; and improving performance.

Each year, the Organisation selects a key health issue, and encourages people from all ages and backgrounds to hold events that highlight the significance of this issue for good health and well-being. World Health Day provides a unique opportunity for communities from across the world to come together for one day to promote actions that can improve our health.

Theme of 2018 The World Health Organization was founded on the principle that all people should be able to realize their right to the highest possible level of health.

“Health for all” has therefore been their guiding vision for more than seven decades.

It’s also the impetus behind the current organization-wide drive to support countries in moving towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

In WHO’s 70th anniversary year, World Health Day will focus on “Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere” - ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.

Making and sustaining progress towards UHC requires strong and sustained political commitment.

Throughout this 70th anniversary year, WHO is calling on world leaders to live up to the pledges they made when they agreed the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and to commit to concrete actions to advance #HealthForAll. Why universal health coverage matters?

Countries that invest in UHC make a sound investment in their human capital. In recent decades, UHC has emerged as a key strategy to make progress towards other health-related and broader development goals. Access to essential quality care and financial protection not only enhances people’s health and life expectancy, it also protects countries from epidemics, reduces poverty and the risk of hunger, creates jobs, drives economic growth and enhances gender equality.

In the 21st century, health is being considered a shared responsibility that involves equitable access to essential care.

India is a land of contrasts and its provision of healthcare is no different. While wealthier people living in urban areas have access to high quality healthcare services, a vast majority of people living in rural areas have very limited access to it. One solution to reach rural, hard to access areas such as tribal areas, could be to utilise technology.

This is where Digital India comes in. Telemedicine remains grossly underutilised in India. Of course, the problem is the presence of internet in hard-to-reach areas. However, a broadband line would be cheaper than building a community health center and it

April 02 - 08, 2018

Investing in healthcare

also means a better economic return due to a healthier workforce, which can work for longer years would provide easy medical assistance and save healthcare costs for patients in India, which again pay exorbitant amounts in health expenditure.

I think that even with this minimal expenditure it is still possible to achieve universal health coverage (UHC).

Investing in healthcare also means a better economic return due to a healthier workforce, which can work for longer years. Our investment in healthcare would also lead to a qualitative effect of having people leading better lives and ensuring they spend more time at work or with family, rather than, in government/private hospitals. An ill workforce will be quite harmful to our economic growth story.

Unfortunately, India also has one of the highest OOP (out-of-pocket) expenditures in the world. The government’s own figures mention that our citizens are among those who spend the most on healthcare (and certainly do not get the equivalent quality). We rank 182 out of 192 in terms of OOP expenditure as percentage of total health expenditure. This shows the wide gap we need to overcome to provide universal healthcare for all our citizens.

Here, I believe the most important question that any civil servant or health minister needs to ask themselves is – how do we motivate doctors, nurses and other medical professionals including specialists, to join the public health system of our country? Will it be better pay? Benefits? Perhaps the promise of lesser working hours which is almost always above the ceiling of 12 hours a day?

On this World Health Day--Stop for a moment and ask what you can do for yourself and people around you to make health and wellness a reality. Think about what you eat and drink. Think about exercise. Think about how you get medicines and how you take them.

Think about what you can do to keep yourself and your family safe, healthy and well.

And don’t forget to get plenty of exercise – it helps you physically and mentally – both at work and at home.

World Health Day may just be one day, but it is a day that needs to remind us of the importance of health as something that needs to be a part of everything we do.

OpEd

17

15 Laws Of Life

swami vivekananda Swami Vivekananda was aHindu monk, the chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Thakur Ramakrishna Paramhamsa

Here are 15 laws of living from the revered Swami Vivekananda

upfront Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is the only law of life. He who loves lives. Therefore, love for love’s sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.

It’s Your Outlook That Matters: It is our own mental attitude that makes the world what it is for us.

Our thoughts make things beautiful; our thoughts make things ugly. The world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light.

Life is Beautiful: First, believe in this world--that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, interpret it to mean that you do not yet understand it in the right light.

Throw the burden on yourselves!

It’s The Way You Feel: Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality--without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God. Set Yourself Free: The moment I have realized God sitting in the

temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him--that moment I am free from bondage.

Don’t Play The Blame Game: Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers and let them go their own way.

Help Others: If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.

Uphold Your Ideals: Our duty is to encourage everyone in his struggle to live up to their own highest ideal, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.

Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.

Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have

faith in yourselves!

Nothing Is Impossible: Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so.

If there is sin, this is the only sin--to say that you are weak, or others are weak.

You Have The Power: All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.

Learn Every Day: The goal of mankind is knowledge . . . now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man ‘knows,’ should, in strict psychological language, be what he ‘discovers’ or ‘unveils;’ what man ‘learns’ is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, and gains deep insight.

Be Truthful: Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.

Think Different: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.

letters to the editor 06 Marora to Trump Village

Trump Village expresses gratitude to Dr Bindeshwar Pathak and Sulabh

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Sanitation in Bengaluru

Swearing In Ceremony

Pritzker Prize 2018

Teen raises awarenes about menstrual hygiene for girls in orphanage

On a hot and dusty evening, over 4,000 guests watched Modi swear oath

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Balkrishna Doshi becomes first Indian architect to receive the honour

bharat.com sulabhswachh FIND US

ONLINE

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WEE KLY

GE L OF SOCIAL CHAN TOILET: THE TOO

JOURNEY FROM MARO

RA TO TRUMP VILLAGE k

the outloo isation changed his Sulabh Organ every How Dr Pathak and p Village where now a village to Trum of toiletless Maror h two-pit toilet own personal Sulab household has its

sanitation is part of life The article on ‘Tales of Happy Families Of Trump Villages’ has provided the readers with the proof and acknowledgement

received by the legendary Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.

We have heard a lot about his exceptional work in the field of Sanitation. With this article, we got to know how the millions of people were helped by this appreciable work of his, and how they feel about him and his work. After reading this, I really feel like saluting him and be a part of his sanitation mission.

Saroj Jha, Patna Experiences is universal truth ‘Learning From Negative Experiences’ is an article which is a universal truth but the question that is in

concern with this fact is that do we really realise that what is the correct learning from these mistakes and one doesn’t realise in the busy life of today, where one is just rushing about to meet deadlines and targets, that in one way or the other he repeats the similar mistake or even offend others. After reading this article, finding the correct mistake is the major task and no repeating anything like that is the secondary task. This has inspired me from inside and would like to inherit this in my personal life, too.

Gautam Kumar, Noida

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

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Photo Feature

April 02 - 08, 2018

The german connect

The visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was a landmark in India’s reach out to the Western powers, along with our stated policy of “Look East”. PM Narendra Modi and Dr Steinmeier shared extremely cordial relationships Photo: sipra das

April 02 - 08, 2018

It was more than just the usual diplomatic handshake during the visit of the German president, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted him and his wife, along with the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Sabita Kovind.

The President’s Body Guards added much splendour to the occasion

Photo Feature

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excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend”

April 02 - 08, 2018

DEVELOPMENT AGENDA MIRRORS VISION OF PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI Narendra Modi’s vision is succinctly expressed in the Bharatiya Janata Party website: "Sab Ke Saath, Sab Ka Vikas" (Collective effort, inclusive growth). The vision statement builds on the heritage of India's rich socio-cultural diversity, the strength of our human resource and the aspirations of the youth and women. The concept of Brand India encapsulates all the sectors that have the potential to make India a global power. The concept of Rainbow of India envisions seven key focus areas—Culture, Agriculture, Women, Natural Resources, Youth Power, Democracy and Knowledge—which will be the overarching theme of all initiatives to make India a developed nation. Finally, Shri Modi has outlined an eight-point key development model, with detailed initiatives on each, to put India back on high growth path and deliver good governance.

Thus, he has launched initiatives and movements covering all aspects mentioned in the vision statement.

Make In India The scope of the initiative is not limited to attracting overseas companies to set up shop in India, but to encourage domestic companies to increase production within the country.

N Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking during the opening of the Hannover Messe Industrial Trade Fair in Hannover, Germany, on April 12, 2015.

arendra Modi had promised before and during the 2014 general elections to bring foreign investment into India, to create more job opportunities for the skilled and qualified Indian youth. His aggressive push to revive the nation’s ailing manufacturing sector found resonance not only within the large domestic business community, but also across the world. Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), particularly, are now poised to invest in their motherland

April 02 - 08, 2018

excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend”

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The Make-in-India is certainly an excellent initiative. It will need a

lot of action, to start with.

There ought to be some provisions to facilitate the ease of doing business.

Adi Burjorji Godrej chairman, Godrej Group

Workers put an engine on frames for a Mahindra Navistar truck on an assembly line at the Mahindra factory in Chakan, Maharashtra.

Focus Areas of Make In India Initiative Media and Entertainment

and build on its development agenda.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Make in India programme on September 25, 2014, at a function in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The initiative has been designed to provide impetus for employment, growth and necessary skill enhancement to convert India into a global manufacturing hub.

Initially, twenty-five sectors of the economy are proposed to be targeted with exponential increase in times to come.

The government has, in the last one year, announced several steps to improve the business environment by easing processes to do business in the country and attract foreign investment. Single-window clearances, minimal procedures

and cutting out red tape are abiding hallmarks of the new policy.

Fostering innovation, protecting intellectual property and enhancing skill development are the other aims of the program.

The new initiatives under ‘Make in India’ will increase the speed with which protocols are met and provide the requisite transparency to entrepreneurs. To roll out this concept, the government has facilitated environment clearances and filing of income tax online; validity of industrial licenses has been extended to three years even as approval of the head of the department is necessary to undertake an inspection.

The government has given a big push towards liberalisation of FDI norms. The government will improve We are a populous country where the cost of labour is low and the capability of producing quality products is high. We have all the

advantages that a country should have to become a leading global manufacturing power.

Sajjan Jindal Chairman, JSW Group

Pharmaceuticals

Automobiles

Information Technology and Business Process Management Construction Chemicals

Electrical Machinery

Defence Manufacturing

Mining

Automobile Components

Aviation

Tourism and Hospitality

Wellness

Thermal Power

Roads and Highways

Leather

Textiles and Garments

Renewable Energy

and protect the intellectual property rights of innovators and creators by upgrading infrastructure and using state-of-the-art technology.

Vision for national manufacturing

Space

Railways

Ports and Shipping

Food Processing

Biotechnology

Oil and Gas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a vision of increasing manufacturing sector growth to 12-14% per annum over the medium term; increase

Electronic Systems

the share of manufacturing in the country’s gross domestic product from 16% to 25% by 2022; create 100 million additional jobs by 2022; create appropriate skill sets among rural migrants and the urban poor for inclusive growth; increase the domestic value addition and technological depth in manufacturing; enhance the global competitiveness of the Indian

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excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend”

April 02 - 08, 2018

“Zero Defect Zero Effect” is a slogan coined by Prime Minister Modi for the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

In consonance with this slogan, the initiative has a noble objective of maintaining high quality standards and minimising impact on the environment, while at the same time attracting capital and technological investment. Maximum attention will be paid to product quality so that it does not get rejected in the global market.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting the Bosch facility in Bangalore on October 06, 2015.

I believe that the less the government is in any manufacturing sector, the faster it will progress.

Manohar Parrikar Defence Minister

Make in India is a step in the right direction and all measures are to stimulate demand for goods and services in the economy.

Ravi Uppal CEO and MD Jindal Steel & Power manufacturing sector and ensure sustainable growth.

Potential of ‘Make in India’ initiative The Make in India initiative has the

potential of converting India into a top destination globally for foreign direct investment, surpassing both China and the United States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at HALS new helicopter manufacturing facility in Tumkur, Karnataka on 3 January 2016.

April 02 - 08, 2018

excerpts from the book: “NARENDRA DAMODAR MODI: the making of a legend”

‘Make in India’ is a mission and not a slogan. We are working on

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Make in India is a movement which ignites the flame of

development and boost the talent, skill and innovative zeal of 125 crore Indians.

it. I always say that if you are doing a marathon run, do not run as a sprinter.

Suresh Prabhu Railways Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

‘Make in India’ Week

Achievements Partnership between government and industries.

Assured easy trade: The position of India improved from 142 to 130 in ease of doing business.

After Make in India, an increment of 46% in foreign direct investment (equity inflow).

Tweets HAL manufacturing unit in Tumkur would not be an ordinary one, but one that would make whole world take notice.

It is now time to ensure that weapons & equipment of the Indian Armed Forces are the best in the world.

Helicopters manufactured in Tumkur will serve soldiers stationed in remote locations.

The Government of India organised a “Make in India Week” in Mumbai from February 13 to 18, 2016.

The mega event was designed to showcase the people, policies and partnerships that are driving India’s new manufacturing revolution. Set against the vibrant backdrop of India’s commercial capital, it has been heralded as the biggest show of the manufacturing sector of the country. It has been successful in bringing manufacturing, design and innovation

to the centre stage.

102 countries were represented with a total foot fall of eight lakh people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the event by inaugurating the “Make in India” centre at Bandra Kurla complex. Seventeen state exhibitions and several country pavilions, including exhibitions from Sweden, Germany and South Korea were built at the 20,000 sq metre centre.The events included seminars, CEO meets, round tables and networking opportunities.

Apart from IITs and other institutes we have here, which are a source of innovation for young people,

we need research centres to encourage innovation.

Ratan Tata Chairman Emeritus of Tata Group

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Kolkata

April 02 - 08, 2018 Kolkata

R

n Prasanta Paul

emember Aishwarya Rai in late Rituporno Ghosh’s immortal rendition of Chokher Bali of Rabindranath Tagore: the checkered, ageless jewellery of Binodini (portrayed by Rai) that gleamed and glistened in the eyes of landlord Mahendra and allured him, is considered to be an emphatic statement in class and grace.

The dazzling beauty of Bengal’s traditional ornaments had compelled Jaya Bhaduri(Bachchan) to later fly to the city to further articulate the bridal look of her daughter-in-law Aishwarya during Bollywood’s one of the most celebrated wedding.

However, handcrafted jewelleries of Kolkata are not the preserve of the celebrities alone, even though the costs have spiralled. Prompted by a steady increase in demand of the jewelleries of the city and its suburb, Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), in close collaboration with the West Bengal government has hardly wasted time in initiating the process of obtaining a GI (geographical indication) tag – Kolkatti – for all the jewelleries produced in the city and the neighbourhood. The reason is obvious; jewelleries, bracelets and other ornaments of Bengal are distinct in their style and workmanship and stand out tall across India and the overseas diaspora. And once the GI tag is achieved, the indigenous jewellery industry will get a fillip, besides being crowned with a brand of its own. If the jewellery from the city gets a GI tag, then any leading council will have to issue a certificate against it, authenticating GI. GJEPC sources quoting the state commerce and industries minister Amit Mitra said that measures have been initiated by the state government and the Council to obtain the GI tag and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, has been approached in this regard to help the state devise a roadmap and get the tag. “People at the IIT have been at the job and once the roadmap is handed over to us, the state government and the Council will jointly make the move for claiming the tag,” sources confirmed. “And the name has also been finalised; it is Kolkatti.”

What is GI? GI is a name or a sign which is used on certain products or items that originate and correspond to a specific geographical location or place. It might be a town, a region or

Jewellery: Bengal to apply for GI tag

If the jewellery from the city gets a GI tag, then any leading council will have to issue a certificate against it, authenticating GI

Dazzling gold ornament of Bengal

a country depending on the product.

GIs have been defined under Article 22(1) of the World Trade Organisation(WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). For a product to get GI tag, it has to have a unique quality, reputation or characteristic attributable to its geographic origin. Of the 267 odd products that have received GI tags so far, around 12 are from Bengal. Some of the products of Bengal that have already obtained the GI tag include Darjeeling Tea, Himsagar(Mango), Laxman Bhog(mango), Sitabhog, Mihidana( of Burdwan district), Joynagar Moa, Baluchari and Shantipuri(Saree), Nakshi Kantha.

Apart from the Middle East and other adjoining markets, gold and other ornaments of Bengal enjoy a sizeable market in Singapore, parts of the US and England. Explaining the

reasons behind the popularity and demand of jewelleries from Bengal, Pankaj Parekh, former regional chairman of the Council, said that ornaments of Bengal are basically handcrafted and the filigree work of Bengali craftsmen on gold or silver has been widely known which is why there has been a mild exodus of craftsmen from Bengal to other states like Maharastra and Gujarat.

In such markets as UAE, US or the UK, ornaments of Bengal have a huge demand even though price is reasonably high. Export of plain gold jewellery from Kolkata crossed Rs 10,000 crore last year. An additional Rs 4,000 crore worth of jewellery manufactured in the state was also exported from ports like Mumbai.

More than 3.5 million artisans have been involved in the jewellerymanufacturing trade, and about 85 percent of the workers are from

GI is a name or a sign which is used on certain products or items that originate and correspond to a specific geographical location or place

Quick Glance GI s have been defined under Article 22(1) of the World Trade Organisation For a product to get GI tag, it has to have a unique quality Of the 267 odd products that have received GI tags so far, around 12 are from Bengal

Kolkata and neighbouring districts.

Some of the prominent ornaments of the city that have mesmerised people for ages include Noth, Paati Haar, Jhumko, Tikli, Tairaa, Chik,Sitahar, Bala & Kaanbala, Chur and Ratnachur and Haatpadma .

But what has prompted the Council to seek the GI tag? Kolkatti jewellery pieces are either produced completely by hand, or with the help of tools that must be used manually, Parekh explained. Kolkatti jewellery, however, faces some challenge from machine-made pieces. Moreover, some jewelers outside West Bengal are hiring artisans from the state and selling the ornaments made by them as Kolkatti jewellery. Some others are selling machine-made pieces as Kolkatti jewellery, and the output is being dumped overseas at a cheaper price.

Apart from `Manikanchan’, the gem and jewellery park in the city, the state government has been setting up another gem and jewellery park at Ankurhati – 20 km from downtown Kolkata. This park is likely to be operational by mid of this year.

The facility, spread over about 2.5 lakh square feet, will promote and showcase the handcrafted jewellery

by West Bengal’s artisans. “We have already sold 1.48 lakh square feet to Malabar Gold & Diamond, Senco Gold & Diamond, Indian Gems & Jewellery Creation, Sawansukha Jewellers, Gouti Sons, Jalan Jewellers, Surana Diamonds, and others.

Talks are on with Tanishq too and it might take 10,000 square feet of space at the park,” said Ashok Kumar Bengani, chairman, Ankurhati Gem & Jewellery Manufacturers’ Association.

Asked if the Nirav Modi episode might affect the prospects of the industry, he conceded that there might be a problem as banks would not be keen to lend money for export or expansion of business.

He, however, exuded confidence that the industry would overcome the hurdles that it might face for the time being.

Vrindavan Widows

April 02 - 08, 2018 Karuna Mundol

‘Society Is Not A Place For A Widow’

Karuna Mondol was looked down as a an unwanted burden, up until Dr Pathak gave her a new lease to life

25

Quick Glance Karuna tied knots at the age of 16, but was widowed in mere 3 years

As soon as her husband died, the inlaws showed her the way out

Societal persecution forced her to leave her home for Vrindavan

native place, but that didn’t mean it was all smooth. On reaching the holy land, she first and foremost joined the ‘bhajan mandali’ (hymn committee) of ‘Thakurji’, where she performed in the morning and the evening, in return of which she was offered food.

But on the days when she was under the weather, she could not perform there and no bhajan meant no food.

Plus, there was no one to even offer the required medicines.

Not bothering the unbothered

n Priyanka Tiwari

T

he misery of life does not give so much so pain than the harassment by the society does. From ages, widows are seen as an unwanted element of the society.

Widowhood isn’t something that a woman choses but rather stuck with.

Yet the society punishes her for turning a widow.

There is no support system in the life of Karuna Mondol of Murshidabad disctrict, West Bengal, whom she can call her family. That is why she came to the shelters of ‘Thakurji’ (Lord Krishna), here in Vrindavan.

She tells that if a girl/woman is widowed at a very young age, they are looked down as a taboo by the people back at her native place. They are not allowed to perform any spiritual activities and people even avoid crossing paths with them. If, by ‘bad luck’, a widow comes in the way of any person, she has to be prepared to receive harsh, bitter reactions.

Although Karuna tied the knot at a

very young age of 16, but her marriage did not last long. When her husband died, the in-law family, as well as the society, took her to be the guilty. Not only that, merely a few days later she was shown the way out of the house.

In-laws showed the door

“My in-laws said ‘now that your husband is no more, you’re not required here. You should leave now.’ When my husband was alive, they used to love, respect me. But after his demise, their behavior toward me changed so unexpectedly that I was left wondering what to do, where to go,” squeaked Karuna.

She tells that she then went to parent’s place to live with them. Although she stayed with them for a few days, but the persecution of the society deepened her

and her family’s wounds beyond repair.

Child-less Karuna

Karuna is saddened over not having a child of her own. She adds that had she had a child of her own, she might have tolerated the ill-treatment of the society for his proper upbringing, but that was not the case. So there was no reason for her to stay around those people who think of her as a taboo.

By chance, she came to know that some people from her neighborhood were going to Vrindavan. It was then that Karuna too decided to go with them. She had heard a lot about Vrindavan.

Hymns of Vrindavan

The initial days in Vrindavan were a note better than those back at her

Karuna misses her home but since no one cared to stop her when she left for Vrindavan, she decided to further bother none

Karuna says that she has a brother and sister-in-law who are busy raising their children. None of them contacts her to know of her situation. In fact, even when she packed up to leave for Vrindavan from Bengal, no one tried to stop her. She misses her home but since no one cares to know about her whereabouts, she doesn’t want to bother them either.

Dr Pathak gave a new lease to life

One fine day while performing bhajan, as usual, Karuna says she had a Godly encounter when she first met Sulabh International Social Service Organisation founder Dr Bindeshwar Pathak. She told how for the first time someone showed interest in talking to them, knowing of their miseries.

“That morning when I woke up, I had no clue that my life was about to change. Dr Pathak took us in. We were taken to a Sulabh-assisted widows’ ashram and ever since, we too have a humane lifestyle now. He put a roof over our head, and provided access to regular meals. On the top of it, he gives us a Rs 2,000/- monthly stipend which takes care of our medicinal needs,” said Karuna. “I have not stopped performing bhajans, but now it is not in search of food, but pure devotional. We are blessed to have met Dr Pathak. Our lives are much better, happier and healthier now,” she said beamingly.

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Interview

April 02 - 08, 2018

Interview Kamal Saksena

An Officer And A Gentleman The CEO of State Resource Centre for Woman and Child, Government of UP, Kamal Saksena has been handling government affairs for the past three decades. He graduated in chemical engineering from IIT Kanpur, holds a Certificate in Computing (IGNOU) and Diploma in French language (CIEFL). He is also trained in Incident Command Systems (ICS) Management. He attended Road Safety Management Leadership Programme conducted by Monash University, Melbourne.

He has been a member of a study tour, sponsored by World Bank, on Road Safety in New Zealand and Australia, besides training in Singapore and USA (San Francisco, Austin and New York). A person of commitment and honesty which he showcased in his work, he received the President’s Police Medal for Long and Meritorious Services in 2004. In 2013, he received the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. He has also been honored by the US Embassy Consulate General, Kolkata, for efforts made in Combating Human Trafficking in UP in 2016. He has also been awarded Director General

Chandrani Banerji

What was your aim when you first joined the service?

I wanted to reach out to people. There are many kinds of people who would want to achieve different things in life. I have seen very bright kids in backward villages with ordinary schools and very ordinary children from highly reputed city schools.

Sometime the bright is not actually bright, it is all about opportunity. I have realised this, and tried to provide the opportunity to the right kind of people. And I tried very honestly and I hope I have contributed positively towards the growth of the society.

How difficult is implement a plan?

it

to

Difficult difficult is nothing. It is about layers. In government there are many layers that one needs to go through. Suppose a project on road transport needs a clearance. It is not about a single person. It involves number of officers with multiple stages. Depending on the project, sometimes we need to communicate with the officers in Delhi. The communication is all in writing. Even in the internet era things happen at a stipulated period because everyone is multitasking. So, the priorities decide which file will move first. So, all this takes time and that frustrates people who are associated with the project

but are not part of the government.

Most of the projects are done with participation of other organisations or subsidiary organisations. They then come up with the perception that it is difficult to implement a plan.

Implementation is government takes time it is not difficult.

How have things changed in terms of pace in the governance in the past two decades?

A lot. Computers have revolutionised everything. Paperless work takes less time. Approvals takes lesser time.

The time frame overall has been shortened and that has helped people to a large extent. Many services are now available online and that has helped people largely. So yes, the working and functioning of the government has changed in the past two decades.

How has technology helped in good governance?

Hugely. As I have told you there are things that used to take at least two days to actualise, but now take minutes. So, the pace is fast and the results are quick. This makes people happy.

What is the most satisfying moment in a day-to-day dealing?

While dealing with the public if some

Kamal Saksena of Police’s Commemoration Disc in 2017. Currently, he is working towards bringing in a balance by giving opportunities to the right people. Talking to Sulabh Swachh Bharat, he describes that there are many areas he would want to contribute in:

person is facing problems and I could help him in any way to sort out things to his satisfaction that makes me very happy and satisfied. I would like to walk the extra mile if I could do something to help someone.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like reading. Besides, theater travelling and music are my favourite pass time activities. I like sports too.

What is close to your heart other than your government work?

I like metaphysics. The concepts and theories make me think. I strongly believe that it works. I have studied about it so my interest lies there.

What kind of music you prefer in your free time?

Anything which helps me relax is good music to me. I believe music has the power to rejuvenate. This helps to get back to work with more energy and vigour.

What are your aims and objectives that you would like to achieve in your current position?

I have handled issues related to crime against women, children and weaker sections of society. I worked for prevention and detection of crime against women. I got an

opportunity to work with Juvenile Justice Committee of Allahabad High Court. I developed the website for Home Department- www.uphome. gov.in. The site highlighted the issues pertaining to women and children and the efforts made by the State Government.

I have experience to handle POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act, Women and Child rights in coordination.

With UNICEF and Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow organised a training programme for police personnel and law officers on the relevant Acts and GOs. I have coordinated efforts in combating Human Trafficking and played a significant role in establishing 35 Anti Human Trafficking Units in UP This includes 20 Child Friendly Police Stations and trained more than 7000 stake holders including police, magistrates and law officers in all the districts of UP and sensitise them about the issues. The Victim Compensation Scheme was put in place and made fully functional as per the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, and UP became one of the pioneer states to do so. Human trafficking was made punishable under the UP Goonda Act and UP Gangster Act. All the schemes need to be monitored and as a part of Women and Child development Ministry, I would want to ensure that these are practiced smoothly.

Gender

April 02 - 08, 2018

Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Rescuing Snakes Is Her Passion

Subhadra is one of the very few woman snake rescuers

Dressed in a T-shirt and knee-high boots, she makes her way to the jungle with a snake on the hook

Cherukuri says she also has to deal with superstitions

After I had gained enough knowledge, I began rescues on my own. It was not easy in the beginning.

The journey involved a lot of learning, honing my skill of tracking and bagging snakes safely, without h a r m i n g the animal or myself.

The crowds also have to be handled Subhadra Cherukuri with a snake on her stick tactfully while doing my job as people panic n G Ulaganathan and create chaos,” she says.

She was interested in ubhadra Cherukuri, a young Bangalorean reptiles and wildlife even working with Ernst & before marriage, but her Young, has been rescuing parents’ concern prevented her snakes and educating people from getting into rescue. “So on the importance of these I had to wait till I got married and take this full time role.” reptiles.

February to September is the Dressed in a T-shirt and knee-high boots, she makes her official snake season when the way to the jungle with a snake maximum number of snakes on the hook. Subhadra is one are spotted in residential areas, of the very few woman snake according to her. Though they are seen in all of North rescuers, from Bengaluru.

From childhood, she has had Bengaluru, Yelahanka to Old a fascination for reptiles and Madras Road are the most had a will to rescue them. “I affected areas, she says.

She describes her typical started rescuing snakes about seven years ago. Initially, day: “When I get a call, I first I watched and assisted ask for the location and if the my husband, who is also a snake is out in the open. If it is professional snake rescuer. in the open, I ask the informant to leave it alone as it will go away by itself. Else, if it is close enough for me to get According to Sulabh to the area within 10-15 february to September is minutes, I go there. I ask the official ‘snake season’ the informant to keep an eye on the snake, ensure when the maximum that all exits are barred, and that a crowd does not number of snakes are gather. Once I reach the spotted in residential location, I use a hook to areas full stop bag the snake, after which

S

27

Quick Glance

She was interested in reptiles and wildlife even before marriage

I survey the area and give the informant and residents tips on how to keep the area free of rats so as not to attract snakes.”She then releases the snake in natural surroundings or close to where it was found.

Subhadra, who is also a project manager with Ernst and Young, says there are preconceived notions of how certain jobs are meant for men and the others for women, especially in India. Snake rescuing, for instance, has always been a man’s job in small towns and villages. “I believe a woman can do anything that a man can. It is just that they allow themselves to be bogged down by stereotyping.”

Cherukuri says she also has to deal with superstitions.

“Sometimes being the only woman amidst a crowd of people ready to kill the snake, even if it is not venomous, can be challenging. Also, dealing with snake charmers who defang snakes and make them dance to earn a living. Snakes play an important role in the ecosystem, and sometimes rescuing a life is the only way one can give back to the nature.”

Though not denying the fact that hyper urbanisation has caused many snake species to become endangered, she believes that people are gradually becoming aware of the need to save them.

“Many lakes have become landfills in Bengaluru, which has had a huge impact on snakes in the city,” she regrets.

Subhadra is a private volunteer rescuer and does her job only out of passion.

“The government and forest departments do not have any rescue cells. Snake rescuing in Bengaluru is mostly done by private rescuers,” she says.

Sanitary Pads At Bengaluru Railway Stations The Bengaluru Railway Division will soon install sanitary napkin producing machines and incinerators at railway stations n SSB BUREAU

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n a move to better the travel experience of its women passengers, the Bengaluru Railway Division will soon install two vital equipments at rest rooms and women’s toilets of two of its Sanitary machine model stations -- a machine that produces sanitary napkins, as well as incinerators to dispose them in an eco-friendly way.

Kick-starting this move to improve women’s hygiene, the machines were installed in one of the rest rooms of the Divisional Railway Manager’s office on a pilot basis. The South Western Railway Women’s Welfare Organisation (SWRWWO), which is run by contributions from railway employees across Karnataka, will be sponsoring the project.

According to Senior Divisional Personnel Officer (SDPO), Bengaluru Division, K Asif Hafeez, “It costs Rs 67,000 to put in place each of these facilities. The waiting halls and women’s toilets of Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru city station) and Yeshvantpur railway stations will be the first in our division to have these coin-operated vending machines in place. The machines will produce one sanitary pad when a Re 5 coin is inserted in the machine’s slot”, Hafeez said.

“The SWRWWO sent us a letter on February 8 conveying their interest in funding low cost sanitary napkins in the interests of women’s hygiene. The personnel department immediately began implementing them on the second floor of the head office here,” he said.

“The rest rooms on the other floors will also have them soon. They are in the process of being renovated and will be installed during that time,” the SDPO said. There are 163 women working in the DRM office presently.

Asked about its prevalence in other Railway Zones, the officer said, “The general manager’s office at Churchgate in Mumbai had installed these in the women’s rest rooms. In South Western Railway Zone, which includes Bengaluru, Hubballi and Mysuru Divisions, we are definitely the first. The others will emulate if it becomes popular.

28

Science & Technology

science congress

Indian Science Congress Takes Place

April 02 - 08, 2018 rashtrapati bhavan

Festival Of Innovation And Entrepreneurship

The FINE initiative of the Office of the President of India was organised to celebrate the country’s innovation potential

The exhibition provides a window to creative and innovative solutions for social development through grassroots innovations, student ideas and other technologies

The focal theme for the 2018 science congress was “Reaching the Unreached through Science and Technology” n Jyoti Singh

I

mphal, capital of Manipur hosted the annual session of the Indian Science Congress for the first time. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the 105th session of the congress on March 16 2018. Manipur University hosted the science congress.

The focal theme for 2018 Science Congress was “Reaching the Unreached through Science and Technology”. This year the focus was on translational science for promoting affordable sustainable innovation.

During the five-day program the focus was on various scientific disciplines and how they can connect with the society.

Nobel laureates, Field Medal winners in mathematics and leading scientists were among those slated to address different sessions at the annual event. Young Scientists Awards were also conferred during the function. A technology based startup conclave was showcased inviting top innovators and entrepreneurial researchers.

The highlights of the programme included children’s science congress which was inaugurated on March 17 and Women’s science congress was held on March 18 and 19. In addition, there was a Science Communicator’s Meet on March 19.

President Ram Nath Kovind recognising the innovation and ideas

nIndia Science Wire

T

he Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (FINE) – an initiative of the Office of the President of India to recognise and reward innovations – opened at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The festival was organised by the President’s Secretariat in association with Department of Science and Technology (DST) and National Innovation Foundation (NIF). It was a celebration of the country’s innovation potential, particularly ideas stemming from grassroots and from creative communities in

Quick Glance 250 innovative exhibits were on display Innovation clubs, group discussions, and presentations were held The festival provides a platform to innovators

disadvantaged regions.

About 250 innovative exhibits of school students, grassroots innovators, technology students, entrepreneurs, industry representatives and public sector organisations were on display during the exhibition that ran up to March 23, 2018 at the Football Ground in the Rashtrapati Bhawan complex.

Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Awards were given on first day. These awards are given to student innovation in engineering, science, technology and design for affordable and frugal solutions. This year 2915 entries were received in 54 technology domains from 312 universities and institutes belonging to 34 states and Union Territories.

The innovation clubs at different universities, colleges, institutions and schools shared their activities through posters and innovative exhibits. The representatives of various institutions of higher learning participated in a group discussion about lessons they wish to share about searching, spreading and celebrating grassroots

innovations. They also shared how they sensed the unmet social needs and tried to solve them. The group recommendations will be presented in the last session.

“FINE provides platform to the innovators for building the linkages with potential stakeholders whose support can improve their prospects in coming years for the larger social good,” said Dr Vipin Kumar, Director and Chief Innovation Officer, NIF. “ It is imperative that India becomes a growth engine for the world and provides a new model of inclusive development by providing a large number of open technological and other solutions for the developing and developed world.”

The exhibition also provided a window to creative and innovative solutions for social development through grassroots innovations, student ideas and other technologies for agriculture, rural development, sanitation, health, women and child development, biotechnology and medical innovation for grassroots.

A series of roundtables were be held on various themes - S&T-led innovations for societal application, nurturing innovation ecosystem, role of government in scaling up and commercialisation of innovations, and innovations for sustainable agriculture with special focus on Bamboo and herbal medicine, aroma, fragrance and flavours.

Science & Technology

April 02 - 08, 2018

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outreach

“Centres In Villages To Help Spread Science Literacy” Establishing science centres in villages can help spread the scientific way of thinking among the residents and make sciences accessible to them

A young student observing digital communication tool

n India Science Wire

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cience and technology communication can help spread scientific way of thinking among people and make science accessible to them. Establishing science centres in villages can help achieve this, said Y Joykumar Singh, Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur, while addressing the 11th Science Communicators’ Meet at the Indian Science Congress.

He said science communicators play a vital role in communicating the basic understanding of science.

“Virtual museums and interactive programmes are tools in the arsenal of science communication. Television, radio, webcasting, use of satellites, blogging are gifts of technology that aid S&T communication.

They can be used in innovative ways so that people get hooked to science”observed Dr CM Nautiyal while speaking with India Science

Wire. Dr Nautiyal is former head of radiocarbon laboratory at Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow.

As digital communication tools and media are making their presence felt in small towns and villages also, they can prove good tools to spread science and technology.

Prof. Adya Prasad Pandey, Vice Chancellor, Manipur University said, “Using innovations in science and technology as an instrument of socio-economic change will have an impact in making sure that efforts in science and technology are not limited to scientific laboratories and academic institutions, but are reaching to common people.”

There were different presentations in the meet on various topics like science and technology in rural

Ever since its inception a decade ago, Science Communicators’ Meet is held every year at the Indian Science Congress

stomach

Keep Stomach Calm With Fennel Seeds And More

E

ating out and binging on fast food is a common problem, which may upset bowel movements.

Nutritionist and dietitian Nmami

Agarwal; and Mehar Rajput, nutritionist and dietician at Fitpass, have listed a few digestive saviours: Ginger: It’s a wonderful overall healthy herb that aids digestion, reduce inflammation and heartburn.

Science communicators play a vital role in outreach Digital communication tools can be used to spread science literacy This was featured at the Science Communicators Meet area in Indian society, technological advancement in agriculture and medical sciences of society, key role of bioinformatics in science and technology, role of communication media in revamping science education.

Ever since its inception a decade ago, Science Communicators’ Meet is held every year at the Indian Science Congress. It provides opportunity to academicians, science journalists, activists, film makers, scientists and communicators to deliberate and exchange their views on science communication.

There were sixteen oral presentations and five special invited lectures. Among the keynote speakers were Dr CM Nautiyal, Prof. A Surjalal Sharma, Maryland University, USA;Dr. DC Goswami, former scientist with NEIST;Dr Arup Kumar Misra, Director, Assam, Science, Technology & Environment Council, Guwahati; and Dr. Manoj Kumar Patairiya, Director, NISCAIR. The meeting was supported by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication of the Department of Science and Technology.

and effectively help in reducing gas and bloating. Chewing the seeds or making tea with it will stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes, that further reduces heartburn, inflammation of the stomach and intestine. Make it a habit of having one spoon of fennel seeds after every meal. It will surely give you remarkable health benefits.

Keep your digestive system calm by consuming a bit of fennel seeds, ginger, yogurt and papaya, say experts n SSB BUREAU

Quick Glance

This not only relaxes but also soothes the intestinal track. Have a sip of ginger water with few drops of lemon after every meal and feel the benefit of the wonder herb.

Fennel seeds: Phytonutrients in fennel give it an antioxidative property

Cumin seeds: These help in secretion of various digestive enzymes in the pancreas that aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Enjoy the flavour and its benefits by adding roasted cumin or its grounded form in curd, buttermilk, shikanji, salad and soups.

Probiotic, papaya are also helpful.

30

Literature

April 02 - 08, 2018 Mythology

Story of Vamana Avatar T

he Vamana Avatar starts with Mahabali the Asura King.

Mahabali was the grandson of Prahlada and the son of Virochana.

After the churning of the ocean, the Gods became immortal and powerful. Indra’s army defeated Daityaraj Bali and his army of Asuras and Daityas.

One day Daityaraj Bali went to meet Rishi Shukracharya and asked him, “Acharya please show me a way to gain back all my powers and my kingdom.”

Hearing Bali’s words, Acharya replied, “You must perform the Mahabhishek Vishwajeet Yagya, to get back all your powers.”

Bali agreed to do the Yagya under the supervision of Shukracharya.

After the yagya, Bali received a golden chariot pulled by four houses that ran at the speed of wind. He also got a quiver with numerous arrows, a flag post with lion’s head and celestial armour. Along with these things Shukracharya gave him a garland of ever blooming flowers and a conch shell whose battle cry was thunderous. Then, Bali went to battle against Indra. This time Daityaraj Bali won the battle and Indra fled from the battlefield. Bali once again asked for Shukracharya’s guidance to maintain his victorious position. Shukracharya said, “If you

keep on performing yagyas, you can live a fearless and powerful life. You should also give alms to poor and the Brahmins.“ Bali readily agreed to do so.

Meanwhile Indra approached Acharya Brihaspati to learn a way to gain back Gods’ powers. Acharya Brihaspati asked Indra to seek Lord Vishnu’s help. Now Indra started doing penance so as to please Lord Vishnu. Maharishi Kashyap’s wife Aditi, who was Indra’s mother, saw her son in trouble and went to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu said, “I will help you, Devmata. I will be born as your son in the near future. I will and then kill Bali.”

And so it happened that Aditi gave birth to a boy. She named him Vamana. One day Vamana posed as a Brahmin and went to the spot where Shukracharya and Daityaraj Bali were performing a yagya. Bali welcomed the Brahmin boy and said, “How can I help you young Brahmin?”

The Brahmin said, “I have heard a lot about you give alms to Brahmins.

I do not want wealth or luxuries; I just need the land that my three steps cover.”

All the people who were present there were surprised to hear the request of the Brahmin boy. The Asuras laughed at the boy’s request.

Daityaraj Bali agreed to grant him

moral fable

The Honest Old Man

O

what he wanted.

Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, the young Brahmin boy started growing in size. Soon he was larger than planet Earth itself. He took a large step and put it on Earth to claim it and said, “Now the earth is mine.” Then he took the second step and put it on Amravati which was under Bali’s control and said, “Now Amravati is mine.”

Amravati was also under the Brahmin boy’s possession. Then he said, “Bali where should I keep my third step? Earth and Heaven are already mine. Now there is no place left.”

Shukracharya warned Bali, “Be careful Bali! I am very sure this Brahmin is not an ordinary boy.

He is surely Vamana, Lord Vishnu himself. Don’t let him take the third step or you will have to lose everything you have.” But Bali said, “Acharya, I have given him my word.

I cannot go back from it. “The Asuras and Daityas heard this and stepped forward to attack Vamana, but they could not harm him at all.

nce there lived a very pious old man. As he had to travel to another city with a lot of luggage, he decided to undertake the journey on a train. When he went to buy a ticket, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the vendor was an old acquaintance. The vendor greeted the old man and said, “Please do not bother to pay for your luggage. I will be on the same train, so I will ensure no one questions you” The honest old man then asked the vendor how far he would be travelling. The vendor told him the name of a station. The old man, who had to travel further, replied, “And who will accompany me after that?” The vendor said,” I will instruct the

Bali then addressed Vamana and said, “As nothing else is left you may keep your third step on my head.”

Hearing Bali’s words, Lord Vishnu appeared in his true form and said, “I bless you, Bali. From now on, you will rule Pataal Lok forever.”

Thus Bali went away to Pataal Lok. Indra and the other Gods retained Amravati due to Lord Vishnu’s Vamana Avtar.

next guard to let you travel without any problems”.

The old man insisted, “How far will that guard see me through?” The vendor again replied, “He will accompany you to the end of the journey.”

The old man now said, “But my journey will not stop there.” The perplexed vendor now asked him, “How far will you be travelling?”

The old man replied, “I have to go beyond all these wordly stations. After death I will go to see God. Which guard will accompany me there and help me get through there?”

The ticket vendor was speechless!

The old man then explained to the guard that the train was not his (the vendor’s) property, and thus,

the vendor had no authority to allow anyone to carry extra baggage and travel without paying the correct fare. He said, “I may be able to cleverly evade the customs and fool the authorities of this world, but I will not be able to fool God.” The guard realized his mistake and apologized to him.

Moral: Many a times, we too, may do misdeeds like the guard in this story, thinking that no one would catch it.

However, as the old man has explained, though our deeds may not be known to others, God always knows what we have done ¬ good or bad.

Thus, we can overcome the temptation to do something incorrect, thinking about what God would think of our deed, regardless of what others think.

Events

April 02 - 08, 2018

events & more...

ACROSS 1. The First Indian Sign Language Dictionary was launched with __________ words.

2. Recently, Axis Bank opened a representative office in __________.

3. By which year WHO Member-Countries Commit To End TB? 4. SEBI Raises Currency Derivative Trade Limit to __________ Million.

8. FIFA lifts three-decade ban on __________ hosting international matches.

13. With which bank Swiggy patners and Launches UPI-Based Digital Payment Service?

14. IRCTC ties up with this company with an aim of providing first-and-last-mile connectivity.

15. Mohenjodaro and Harappa are now in 19. For which Gujarat district BSNL launched Free Wi-Fi Facility?

20. Name the first king in the world who introduced prohibition

79 & 80, Meharchand Market, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

10 MAR 2018 12PM - 10 APR 2018 11PM

SSB crossword no. 16

events

Diva Spiced - Asian Street Food Festival Venue: DIVA SPICED

DOWN

SOLUTION of crossword no.15

A Place To Which We Belong - Shalina S. Vichitra Venue: SAFDARJUNG DEVELOPMENT

CSharp Corner Annual Conference 2018 Venue: The Leela Ambience Convention

23 MAR 2018 7PM - 17 APR 2018 10PM

Friday, 13th Apr 2018-Sunday, 15th Apr 2018 07:00 AM to 07:00 PM

AREA Opp. IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi

Hotel, Delhi,1, CBD, Near Yamuna Sports Complex, Maharaja Surajmal Marg, Delhi,

1.Raidas 2.Kerala 3.Odisha 4.Ashoka 5.Pakistan 6.March 14 7.London 8.Jaipur 9.Greece 10. 1977

solution of sudoku-15

Ammy Virk Live And Loud Venue: Moonshine café & Bar 54 Tolstoy Lane janpath, CP, Delhi, India

Saturday, 7th April 2018- Sunady, 8th April 2018| 07:00 AM to 07:00 PM

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11. Konar 12. RIG 13. 193 14. 1969 15. Rice 16. Manipur 17. India 18. Russia 19. Narmada 20. Surat

5. The brain trust of Chandra Gupta Maurya was 6. This country will starts world’s fastest wind tunnel.

7. With which Navy Indian Navy plans to host the Bilateral Exercise ‘Varuna’?

9. Which country is called constitution Research Society?

10. Elavenil Valarivan won __________ in Junior ISSF World Cup Shooting.

11. Smallest Number divided by 0 to 9?

12. The first phase of Indo-French joint naval exercise ‘Varuna 2018’ has started in which state?

16. Which country signs a double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with Hong Kong?

17. Which has been certified as the world’s first Trusted Digital Repository?

18. Which bank has launched a robotics-based ‘Digital export Import’ payments solution?

sudoku-16

The grub fest Delhi 2018 Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, South Delhi Fri, 6 Apr 12:00PM - 10:00PM

on the lighter side by DHIR

Please mail your solution to - ssbweekly@gmail.com or Whatsapp at 9868807712, One Lucky Winner will win Cash Prize of Rs 500/-. Look for the Solution in the Next Issue of SSB

32

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

Newsmakers

April 02 - 08, 2018

Teacher Travels 50 Km Daily For Teaching One Student!

Once in a while, we come across heartrending tales of teachers in India who go the extra mile to provide quality education to children

2

9-year-old Ranjinikant Mendhe, the only government-appointed schoolteacher for the village of Chandar in the Velhe taluk of Maharashtra, travels 50 kilometres everyday to teach one student.

And this, he has been doing for eight long years!

Chandar is an isolated village located about 100 kms away from Pune, and lack of even rudimentary roads makes it even more difficult and risky to reach the village that is home to 15 huts, 60 residents and a large population of snakes.

With the exception of eightyear-old Yuvraj Sangale, there isn’t a single child from the village

Ranjinikant Mendhe who studies at the tiny fourwalled structure that they call the school. Built in 1985, it was only recently that the structure even got an asbestos roof. Despite all the underlying dangers to his own life, Ranjinikant travels on his bike from his home at Khanapur

and powers through a 12-km mud track each day that passes through the hilly terrains with 400ft drops on either side. Funnily enough, every day after reaching the school, Ranjinikant has to look for his only student. “I often spot him hiding in the trees. Sometimes I get him from his hut. I understand his reluctance. He has to go to school without friends. Why would anyone look forward to classes here?” he said.

Eight years ago, when Ranjinikant had begun to teach at Chandar, there were about 11 kids, many of whom dropped out later due to the lack of nearby higher education facilities.

Olive Ridley Turtles Return To Mumbai Beach, Thanks To These Heroes

Hundreds of Mumbaikars gathered to welcome around 80 Olive Ridley Turtles to Versova beach

T

he Versova beach in Mumbai welcomed around 80 palm-sized turtles, making their way slowly but surely in the Arabian Sea. The turtles in question are Olive Ridley Turtle, and their eggs hatched on a Mumbai beach after 20 years, and it was all thanks to the efforts of hundreds of Mumbaikars who have been cleaning the Versova beach for over two years now.

The Olive Ridley Turtle have been classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable specie, which are likely to become endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening their survival and reproduction improve.

According to WWF India, “Olive Ridley Turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world” and live in the warm parts of Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The females lay their eggs on the same beach that they hatched from!

Afroz Shah However, for the past 20 years, these turtles had stopped visiting Mumbai, thanks to the number of pollutants and plastic on the beaches.

Not only is the trash an unwelcoming home to lay eggs, but is also a threat to the lives of the tiny turtles who have to walk from their nesting site to the sea all by themselves. Afroz Shah had taken the initiative to clean up Versova beaches and collect all the plastic dumped there. According to the Hindustan Times, in only 126 weeks, Afroz Shah and the Versova Residents Volunteers’ team has successfully cleared 13 million kg of garbage, which included plastic from the beach.

Speaking about the Olive

Ridley Turtle hatchlings, Prashant Deshmukh, range forest officer, Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit said, “Such an incident happened after 20 years. The presence of more turtle nesting sites cannot be ruled out. We will push for the development of a turtle rescue centre close to this nesting site, and we expect it to be built soon.”

The residents too were thrilled to see that wildlife is returning to Versova. “It was a delightful sight to see our clean-up efforts bear fruits, as turtles have made their home at Versova beach, probably the only beach in Mumbai where they are currently present,” said Afroz Shah.

Apart from Versova, these turtles are found on the beaches of Velas, Anjarle, Harihareshwar, Maral and Diveagar in Maharashtra.

The largest nesting site of the world is in Odisha, along the coasts of the Bay of Bengal. Villagers in Odisha, too, have made attempts to save the nesting sites and ensure safety to the newborn turtles.

unsung hero

te a r o p r o C e Leaving Th lp Farmers World To He Rajesh Gaidhani left his dazzling annual package of Rs 19 lakh to go help farmers in rural Maharashtra

Rajesh Gaidhani

W

hile most people migrate from villages to the cities looking for well-paying jobs, Rajesh Gaidhani left a dazzling annual package of Rs 19 lakh and abandoned a 26-year-long corporate career to do fulltime farming in 2013.

But that wasn’t the only unconventional decision he made. Rattled by the increasing farmer deaths and suicides in rural Maharashtra, specifically in Yavatmal and Vidarbha region, this engineer also decided to opt for farming as a second career to alleviate their sufferings.

And the journey was no cakewalk. When Rajesh decided to toil in the soil of his native village, where his forefathers grew crops, people mocked him. And while his family wasn’t happy with this decision, they extended their full support without asking him the reason for quitting. And to this day, he considers this support crucial in keeping him motivated.

A graduate engineer with a diploma in business management, the man hardly had any experience tilling the soil. But the one thing he knew was that he wouldn’t undertake conventional farming – at the mercy of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. And thus began his organic farming journey.

What sets this farmer apart from the rest is how he has made a successful business out of medicinal plant cultivation. On his 16-acre farm in Lakhani, while the farmer uses over 10 acres to grow conventional crops like paddy and rice in Kharif and wheat and channa in Rabi, another six acres is dedicated to the cultivation of medicinal plants like Vekhand (Acorus Calamus), whose properties the farmer has been promoting for a while now. “Now while selling my food grains, I tell customers not to add any other preservatives, as I add the Acorus Calamus powder to it, which already has insectrepellant properties and acts as a natural preservative.

Foodgrains stored in warehouses are exposed to chemical gases to prevent infestation for over six months. During this period, these gases get absorbed in these grains.

And while warehouse owners cannot be blamed because they are merely trying to save their grains, they are also unaware of any other alternative that exists.

RNI No. DELENG/2016/71561, Joint Commissioner of Police (Licensing) Delhi No. F. 2 (S-45) Press/ 2016 Volume - 2, Issue - 16 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