The Observer, Edition 27, Volume 22

Website: theweeklyobserver.in

Epaper: https://issuu.com/

Namma

In India Inc, granting menstrual leave is a

contentious issue

Any such move can cost us our equality, say opponents

By Siddhi Chauhan

Riya Agarwal, who works for a private company has to sit in front of a screen for about eight hours a day. The 23-year-old has got used to her hectic schedule, but the first two days of periods are unbearable for her. Constant gnawing pain in the abdomen and the back makes it difficult for her to focus on her work.

She leaves for her office at 8.30 am every day. After work, she goes to her relative’s house to teach her nephew.

“It becomes a challenge to carry out my daily tasks due to my irregular dates,” informed The Observer. Asked how she man-

Bihar and Kerala are the only states that provide menstrual leave in the country. | Credit: Siddhi Chauhan

ages during the initial days, she said: “Even though the initial days are painful, I have to bear the pain and carry out my rou-

tine. Sometimes I rely on home remedies. I meditate to calm myself. There are times when my condition worsens and I have to

give numerous explanations to my superiors to leave early.”

There are many other woking women like Riya who suffer from period cramps and back pain every month.

In India, only 15 private companies, including Zomato and Swiggy, provide menstrual leave.

Bihar and Kerala are the only states that provide menstrual leave. Kerala recently decided to offer menstrual leave to female students at state universities.

While many demand the same in other states, some claim that this move will discourage companies from hiring women. siddhi.c@iijnm.org

Menstrual leave can be a boon, say working women, P3

Girls feel let down as govt stops pads scheme

‘Shuchi Yojane helped us to save money, attend classes regularly’

By Hamsaveni N

It has been almost three years since the free sanitary napkins programme Shuchi Yojane ended in Karnataka. Rural schools want it back as it is very helpful for schoolgirls.

According to Karnataka Health Mission, Shuchi Yojane aims to help maintain proper hygiene during menstruation for women and girls. Students from classes 6h to 12 registered in all government, aided, and residential schools would receive free Shuchi napkins.

Ashok Banikal, a senior teacher at the Government Higher Primary School in Kaaradagi,

News Briefs

Indian Army chopper crashes in Arunachal

An Indian Army aviation Cheetah helicopter flying an operational sortie near Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh, crashed Thursday. The helicopter is reported to have lost contact with the ATC at around 9.15 am. The Army said the helicopter is reported to have crashed near Mandala, west of Bomdila. A search has been launched to locate the pilots. The Indian Express

KPTC, escom officers get a salary hike

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday hiked the salaries of officers and employees of Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation and the electricity supply companies by 20 per cent and the salaries of transport corporation employees by 15 per cent. Deccan Herald ED files case against ex-Maha min Mushrif

Former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Hasan Mushrif, who faces a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate, said he has been asked by the agency to come back on March 20 for further inquiry. PTI

Haveri, said: “Post Covid-19 pandemic, the supply of Shuchi sanitary napkins stopped. None of the schools in our district has received free napkins.” No school has received the Shuchi sanitary napkins since 2020.

During the financial year 2013-14, the Karnataka health department introduced Shuchi Yojane to distribute free sanitary napkins among adolescent girls. The Yojane is aimed at creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual health, as well as educating adolescent girls about sanitary pads and their benefits.

This Yojane mainly focuses on rural areas. This is because

women, due to lack of knowledge or financial status, use old or torn clothes during their periods. The risks of reusing the same cloth can have health implications like skin irritation, allergies and other issues. As a result, women and girls may be unable to attend school or college on a regular basis.

Girija I.S. Hiremath, an English teacher in a government school in Savanur, said: “The supply has completely stopped. The availability of free sanitary napkins helped our girls to change from cloth to sanitary pads. Just because the pads were available for free, the shift was in fact easy for the girls. Now

that the supply has stopped, they are forced to switch back to the old practice. This is because in our taluk most of the families can’t afford to buy sanitary napkins every month.”

Ramesh Rathore, headmaster at a Government higher primary school in Sandur taluk, said he has written a letter to the block education officer and the Karnataka government to resume the Yojane, “but there is no response from the government nor has the scheme restarted.”

The main purpose of the Yojane itself is compromised.

hamsaveni@iijnm.org

Free sanitary pads supply in PHCs have come to halt, P4

Credit Suisse borrows $54bn from Swiss bank Credit Suisse on Thursday said it would borrow up to $54 billion from the Swiss central bank to shore up liquidity and investor confidence after a slump in its shares intensified fears about a global banking crisis.Reuters MPs assemble around Mahatma Gandhi statue Opposition MPs protested outside Parliament by forming a human chain and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue on Thursday. Meanwhile, Congress workers also held a protest in the national capital on adani issue. The Print

Clinics aren’t of much use to us, we visit private pharmacies, say diabetes patients | P 3

Waning Lambani traditions have few takers; women prefer modern clothes to ghagra-cholis | P 4

Despite BBMP ban, burning of dry leaves continues

By Yashaswini Sri

Though March is technically spring, it feels like summer. One comes across pit fires with fumes as one walks down the streets of Bengaluru.

Cases of burning dry leaves in the city have spiked despite BBMP imposing a fine of Rs 5 lakh or five-year imprisonment for those who do so. The Observer found piles of dried leaves burning in Malleswaram, Kadugodi, Kumbalgodu and several other areas.

The Hindu reported that instances of burning waste, particularly dry leaves and dry waste, have been increasing in the city.

According to the information provided by control room of the Fire and Emergency Services, between January 1 and March 16, 2021, it received 1,021 fire complaints, most of which pertaining to garbage, grass/leaves and other waste being set on fire.

Shahina Babu, 46, a pourakarmika working under BBMP, said: “Until recently, most of the pourakarmikas I know used to burn dry leaves and other wet waste together in order to save some work and time. Even now,

“

leaves are great sources for bio-fuel, and burning them up is just wasting a great deal of potential. When you gather dry leaves to set them on fire, chances are there will be plastic, paper, etc., in the pile because they are not segregated. The burning of dry leaves releases carbon monoxide, which significantly contributes to air pollution.”

He continued: “We as a society are disconnected from nature. We need to bring environmental sensitivity to society. There are many alternatives to burning leaves. We can either compost the leaves or let them naturally decompose.”

A report in the Deccan Herald said that according to Section 19(5) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the state government imposed (when?) a complete ban on burning of solid waste in open places within the jurisdiction of all urban local bodies and in solid waste landfill sites. The penalty for garbage burning is Rs 1,0002,000 for the first time and Rs 5,000 for the second time.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has said 12 per cent of the air pollu-

I think if we had more ways to clear up dry leaves faster or have more processing plants to dispose of, us (pourakarmikas) will not opt to burn dry leaves.

-Shahina Babu, pourakar-

“

Development should not burden citizens

While it is important to have an expressway to make commuting easy, the citizens must be made aware of the rates well before the authorities start collecting toll. Randomly increasing bus fares is going to financially burden passengers. The authorities should be more mindful.

Arsha BS

Don’t cut trees, find sustainable ways

Cutting trees for flyovers will raise the temperature of the city. It’s worrisome that Bengaluru has lost so much of its green cover. It’s the middle of March, and summer has already started. We have to find sustainable ways instead of cutting down trees for any kind of development.

Ananth

Men killing partners has become normal Indian society is encountering a rise in relationship related crimes. The cruelty of the Aftab-Shraddha case made us feel as if the ground under our feet is slipping. Then the Nikki Yadav- Sahil Gehlot case made us question the liv-in culture. Recently, a man in Bengaluru pushed her partner from the fourth floor. Such cases are becoming rampant and shaking our belief in humanity.

Yukta Mudgal

IT’S A HEALTH HAZARD

l Leaf smoke contains hazardous chemicals including carbon monoxide, which can bind haemoglobin and reduce the amount of oxygen in blood.

Dry leaves are great sources for bio-fuel, and burning them up is just wasting a great deal of potential. Gather dry leaves and segregate them.

-Ullash Kumar, environmental researcher

they do so. However, the BBMP has framed strict rules that prohibits this action.”

Her co-worker Fathima F shared a similar experience: “Not many days ago, I heard from a staff worker about an incident where BBMP found a pourakarmika burning piles of dry leaves. Incidents like this happen every day in every nook and corner of the city. Currently, you will find a lot of dry leaves everywhere. It is a tedious task for anyone to clean them up and dispose of them at a processing plant as instructed by BBMP.”

The Bangalore Mirror reported that residents across Bengaluru find huge piles of dry leaves swept up in corners of the road. These are set on fire by miscreants; sometimes pourakarmikas themselves contribute to air pollution by burning dry leaves.

According to a News Minute report, in spite of the rules, garbage burning continues unabat-

As Bengaluru sees a rise in incidents of burning of dry leaves, according to the KSPCB, 12% of air pollution in the city is due to the burning of garbage and leaves. To curb the increase, BBMP is imposing penalties on offenders.| Yashaswini Sri

ed in the city. A crowd-sourced map by Jhatkaa.org showed that garbage burning is still happening in at least 40 wards in the city. The organization invited citizens to report instances of garbage burning.

Dr K. Vinod, a consultant pulmonologist who practises at Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said: “Burning leaves releases harmful toxins into the environment, especially carbon monoxide.

When inhaled, they get absorbed into the blood and blend with haemoglobin. This reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. It can also cause an increased risk of asthma and carbon monoxide poisoning. Another toxin that is released while burning dry leaves is benzopyrenes, are known to be the cause cancer.”

Ullash Kumar, an environmental researcher, said: “Dry

l Benzo (a) pyrene, a chemical present in leaf smoke can cause cancer.

l Inhaling leaf smoke can cause irritation in eyes, nose and throat.

l Burning leaves also pose a threat to the environment.

tion in Bengaluru is due to the burning of garbage and leaves.

Santosh Kumar Kaddi, an official from BBMP’s Solid Waste Management department, denied any instances of burning dry leaves. “We strictly compost dry waste, especially dry leaves. Waste segregation is also done in accordance with this issue. If anyone files a complaint that they have witnessed someone burning dry leaves, a health inspector will impose a penalty of Rs 100 that can go up to Rs 500.”

Jayprakash B, an Assistant Scientist Officer in KSPCB, said that when compared to other metros like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, stubble burning/ burning of dry leaves has a lower contribution to Bengaluru’s air quality index. “While we focus on vehicular emissions only, we have always asked the BBMP to come up with better measures to combat this issue.”

yashaswini.s@iijnm.org

Quiz

1. Which of the following river originates as well as ends in the territory of India?

2. Which of the following river is known as Dakshina Ganga?

3. Indira Sagar Dam located in Madhya Pradesh is built on which of the following river?

4. Krishna Raja Sagara Dam, located in Karnataka is built on which of the following river?

5. Which of the following river is the home for freshwater dolphins?

6. On which of the following river Ajmer is situated?

Around the City

Exploring the Impact of ChatGPT: Pros, Cons and the Future of AI Chatbots

Fri, Mar 24, 4:00 PM

Myntra Designs Pvt. Ltd •

Bangalore

The Big Bangalore Property Show

Sat, Mar 18, 10:00 AM

Manpho Convention Centre •

Bengaluru, KA

Workshop on Web Science for Development (WS4D) 2023

Tomorrow at 9:30 AM

IIITB • Bengaluru, KA Bangalore SaaS Startups Meetup

Sat, Mar 18, 6:00 PM

Reluctance to see doctor a problem in breast cancer cases

Bengaluru ranks second in India in No. of cases

By Hamsaveni N

Breast cancer is one of the leading cancers in the world. In India, Bengaluru stands second after Chennai in the number of cases, followed by Hyderabad.

According to Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology data, there were 365 men and 14,945 women suffering from breast cancer in Bengaluru in 2021.

Among women in Bengaluru, breast cancer accounts for 29.4 per cent of cancer cases, followed by cervical cancer with 10.8 per cent. Kidwai director C. Ramachandra told The Hindu: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females…, its incidence is likely to increase.”

The World Journal of Clinical Oncology (WJCO) published a research paper about the increase in cases in India. Globally, breast cancer cases will reach two million by 2030. Over time, the number of cases has gradually increased in India. There was almost a 50 per cent increase in cases between 1965 and 1985. In 2016, the number of estimated breast cancer cases in India was 1.18 lakh, of which 98.1 per cent were women. In India, breast cancer accounted for 13.5 per cent of cancer cases, and breast cancer deaths accounted for 10.6 per cent of all cancer deaths, according to Globocan 2020, a global cancer statistics dataset.

Swathi, a Bengaluru resident, narrated to The Observer the story of her aunt Shubashini (name changed), who has breast cancer. Shubashini had a small lump in her left breast which she initially neglected, assuming it was a normal bump. When the lump became painful, her family immediately took her to a hospital. Shubashini was shocked when the doctor confirmed she had second-stage breast cancer.

Shubashini is yet to undergo surgery and is under chemotherapy. The medication continues.

Ignorance is one of the most dangerous things surrounding cancer. Most people are unaware of the irregularities in their bodies or the pain they experience at a point of time. This leads to late detection and results in difficult situations. A majority of women are ignorant, Swathi said.

Among the main causes of breast cancer deaths is late de-

Namma Clinics are of no use to us, say diabetes patients

Patients are forced to visit pvt pharmacies

By Arsha BS

It was only after having a numb foot for weeks that Raj Kumar, a resident of Attiguppe, was diagnosed with diabetes. His life changed after the diagnosis. As his blood sugar levels were very high, he was asked to take insulin shots before every meal.

tection, according to the WJCO paper. Women in rural areas ignore lumps, a main physical symptom of breast cancer, when they are painless. About 50-70 per cent of these women seek treatment very late. Additionally, the absence of medical facilities close by, a lack of trust in healthcare providers and weak financial condition prevent people from getting early treatment.

Women hesitate to discuss changes in their breasts with their family members.

“Women feel uncomfortable talking about any changes that take place in their private parts. The problem is that people in rural areas are embarrassed to discuss things that have to do with private parts. This needs to be addressed. Initially, my aunt felt very conscious when she wanted to see a doctor when noticed a lump in her breast,” Swathi shared.

Women with breast cancer are reluctant to say they have the disease. They felt uncomfortable speaking out about their experience with the disease. The Observer noticed that rural women were more reluctant to talk about breast cancer than women living in urban areas.

Some factors contribute to an increase in breast cancer — genetics, lifestyle changes and lack of awareness. But most women still aren’t aware of these.

A study conducted by the Indian Journal of Cancer in Ramanagara district showed that rural women have low awareness, with 81.2 per cent of them not able to state even a single symptom of breast cancer. Eighty-seven per cent were unable to identify even a single risk factor for breast cancer. A majority of them have little knowledge of self-examination of

the breasts, a feasible screening method for women.

The month of October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In order to spread awareness, the state and central governments take various initiatives and organize programmes. Various NGOs participate in programmes like bike rides, talks, and poster displays to raise awareness about breast cancer among women.

Kalyan, a resident of the Chikkaballapura district, lost his paternal uncle to cancer because of a lack of awareness. “In rural areas, people are still not aware of cancer. A majority of women are unaware of breast cancer. I have seen a few women in my village getting late treatment for breast cancer. Awareness should increase as breast cancer is curable if diagnosed in its early stages.”

The WJCO paper highlights the importance of adopting a holistic approach, utilizing the Web, involving community health workers, early detection, and reaching out to the poor to reduce the growing number of breast cancer cases.

Swathi stressed the importance of taking care of women’s mental health during treatment.

“My aunt had a black mark near the lump. People who saw the mark started asking about it. She felt uncomfortable answering them. In fact, she has stopped talking to a lot of people as she doesn’t want anyone to know that she is suffering from breast cancer. The patient’s mental health can have an impact on the treatment she is undergoing. The add-on mental suffering along with cancer pain is hard to handle.”

Read the complete story on www.theweeklyobserver.in

Raj Kumar makes handicrafts, earning Rs 10,000 a month. Over the past eight months, he has spent one-third of his earnings to buy insulin vials. Unable to bear the financial burden, he visited a Namma Clinic in Bengaluru, only to find that there is no testing facility available there. This is the experience of many others like Raj Kumar.

Namma Clinics, an initiative of the Karnataka government, were inaugurated on December 14, 2022. Each covers a minimum of 5,000 people. The government has made diabetes screening mandatory for all above the age of 30. But Namma Clinics in Bengaluru lack adequate laboratory facilities.

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent diseases in the state.

“I have never come across a government campaign about the disease. The government must make people aware of the consequences of diabetes. In my family, after I was diagnosed, everyone in the family underwent the HbA1c test. We went to a private lab to get tested. It was expensive,” Raj Kumar said. He was advised by the doctor to take insulin. As it is expensive, he could take only short-acting insulin.

Raj Kumar says awareness programmes must be conducted not only for adults but for school children as well so that the latter become aware of the disease. He wishes he had known about it before so that he could have led a healthier lifestyle. “It would have been so helpful if people like us could get free treatment for diabetes from Namma Clinics. They function quite well otherwise, but when it comes to expensive treatments, they can’t help us. I will have to arrange money to get insulin no matter what, because health is more important than anything else.”

A doctor at one of the Namma Clinics in Bengaluru who did not want to be named informed The Observer: “The government’s work stops in the documentation process. They do not move

ahead. The more important things they should do come after this process. They need to create awareness among people. Only then can we do something to control diabetes. None of the PHCs I know has a proper screening facility. Some of them have glucometers. The HbA1c test, which gives accurate results, is not available in PHCs. It is quite costly. If a diabetes patient comes to us for insulin, we are helpless. We neither have insulin nor proper storage facilities. No awareness campaigns are happening…. We are trying our best to help these people out. Whenever we don’t have any facilities, we suffer loss.

“

When we talk about diabetes patients, we must not ignore pre-diabetes. Diabetes is a serious condition that should not be taken lightly. The rate of growth of diabetic patients is alarming. If a parent has diabetes, the chances of the children being diabetic is 50 per cent. If diagnosed early, it is possible to control it.

- Dr Nirmal Kumar, diabetologist

“The sufferers are poor people who cannot buy insulin from private clinics and pharmacies. These people have no idea about the disease and do not consult a doctor until they become weak. By that time, they will need insulin, which we don’t have here. I had a patient who came to me for insulin, and because we did not have it, he had to go to a private pharmacy. He was almost broke. The government has to come up with awareness campaigns every six months. We are ready to help to make diagnosis and treatment accessible to all.”

However, authorities have a different view.

Naveen Bhat Y, Mission Director of the National Health Mission, said: “Namma Clinics are given glucometers and strips. If they do not receive any, they can report it to the department. Insulin is available in PHCs, and we also have awareness campaigns happening on the 14th of every month, with a specific theme each month. Diabetes awareness has been a theme.”

According to an Indian Express report, “a door-to-door health survey by BBMP revealed that among all the people living with comorbidities, 50.44% suffer from diabetes in the city.”

Read the complete story on www.theweeklyobserver.in

Financial unviability affects Lambani traditions in Gajendragad taluk

ghagra-cholis

By Yukta Mudgal

Chandri never stitched Lambani clothes but wears them every day. To her, money matters more than conserving her culture. In Gajendragad taluk of Gadag district, Lambanis, the community Chandri belongs to, are in a minority but the most visible people because of their colourful clothes and accessories. Their culture is fading because of very many reasons.

Chandri lives with her husband and two children in a 20x20 house. Her husband who earns Rs 200 to Rs 250 a day by cleaning tables in a nearby eatery, said the house is ancestral and the only asset they have. Twenty years ago, the couple used to live in Latur, Maharashtra, making a living by digging earth for to lay phone cables.

Asked why she doesn’t care about preserving her culture, she replied that she and her husband used to receive a monthly old-age pension of Rs 1,000 from the Karnataka government, but for the past four years, they have not got any help.

Sandur’s Lambani clothes received a GI tag, but in Gajendragad, there is no such tag. Around 1,000 families live in

Gajendragad’s Lambani Thanda. As colorful as their attire are their houses, which have comparatively cooler rooms that are painted sky blue and white. Shop owners and tailors who sell traditional Lambani clothes suffer losses every year. One such shop owner, Andappa Shivappa Rathod, said he sells one ghagra-choli for Rs 2,000.

Buying sanitary pads heavy on the pocket

Continued from Page 1

The supply from public health centres (PHCs) has been discontinued as a result of Covid.

Geetha added: “Our PHC used to provide us free Shuchi napkins in addition to the government’s supply. But they have also stopped supplying napkins now. We have written letters to PHC, but they complain of not receiving Shuchi napkins from the government.” When The Observer asked girls at the K. Gollahalli government high school if they knew about free sanitary napkins, they replied in the negative. As most girls use sanitary napkins, they need to spend at least Rs 100 every month, which is heavy on the pockets.

Women in rural areas still use cloth, which is unhygienic if not used properly, and can cause infections, doctors say.

Dr Chaitra K, a general doctor at Yalavigi PHC, Savnaur taluk, said: “In my taluk, most of the girls and their parents use

In India, only 15 private companies provide menstrual leave |

Credit: Hamsaveni N.

cloth…. The problem with cloth is that girls in rural areas reuse the same…. A used cloth piece used as a pad by a girl should not be reused by another girl. Pads are preferably better suited for primary school and college-going girls, especially in rural areas.”

Teachers and doctors feel that schemes like Shuchi help girls in rural settings stay hygienic. They also help them not to miss school every month.

hamsaveni.n@iijnm.org

During Covid, he said, he incurred huge losses. Even now, he invests Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, but is only able to make sales of Rs 50,000.

Rathod, whose shop is named Kasturi Bayi Rathod, said he has been making and selling Lambani clothes for the past 40 years in Lambani Thanda. He buys raw material from Hubbal-

li and Gadag for Rs 3 lakh. The prominent material is cotton which he says is very costly.

Covid was the harshest phase he faced. He had to shut his shop down. He survived the difficult phase by working on his twoacre jowar farm.

By selling Lambani dresses, he earns only Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 per month. During the wedding

Scope of menstrual policy misuse exists

Continued from Page 1

An article by BBC stated that in Uttar Pradesh, female teachers have to travel long distances to areas that do not have proper public transport. They also have to use dirty toilets at school.

Similar is the experience of Pooja T, a primary school teacher. Along with her colleagues, she travels on a bumpy road. Her school is 40 km from her home. She gets no menstrual leave.

“I get 14 CLs in a year. But you cannot use it every month because of periods. So I prefer going to school. Almost everyone has painful periods. For people with an irregular pattern, it is common to have your periods early and if you don’t have a pad with you, it gets difficult to arrange one.”

Asked if menstrual leave should be provided, she said: “It is difficult to manage the whole class when almost every part of your body is tormenting you. If the government implemented a

season, his sales go up. “The government does not help us in this matter at all,” he said.

For some, Lambani attire is too-old fashioned. Dhanava Shekhappa Rathod, president of the Rajur gram panchayat, laughed and said: “If I wear a Lambani dress, my children will say I am old-fashioned. The dress is very heavy; I cannot carry it every day.”

Most Lambani women have stopped wearing traditional clothes because it takes a lot of time — nearly one year — to stitch a ghagra-choli. Another reason is changing taste. Younger women like to wear light clothes now on a daily basis.

There are Lambani women who used to stitch varieties like ghagra-choli, topli, ganno, ghero, buriya, kodi, kache, patiyaa, ghughi and badlu.

Lambani is a tribe, which according to various online sources, migrated from Europe to Afghanistan and then to Rajasthan during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s period. The community helped him carry goods to southern India. Lambanis, also called Banjaras, and are known for the colourful clothes and traditional dance performances. Read the complete story on www.theweeklyobserver.in

Weather

Temperature: 31°C

Precipitation: 20%

Wind : 3 km/h

Maximum Temperature: 33.6

Minimum Temperature: 19.8

law regarding the issue, it would really help working women.”

Kashika Singhal, an HR manager in a private firm, said companies should refrain from hiring female employees. “If this (menstrual leave) policy is implemented, it will result in discrimination and can also affect the morale of male employees.” There will be scope for misusing such policies. “However, such matters should be handled by female senior employees.”

Aman Mudgal, the founder of Getsalenow, a marketing platform, said his company does not provide such benefits.

On February 24, PIL was filed in the Supreme Court for enacting a menstrual leave law that will provide relief to female students and employees. The court refused to entertain the issue as the issue falls under the domain of the government. They further suggested taking the representation to the Union ministry of women and child development. Read the complete story on www.theweekelyobserver.in

Humidity: 48%

The Observer

Produced by the Print students of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media at Nityananda Nagar, Kumbalgodu, Kengeri hobli, Bengaluru 560074.

Editor: Yukta Mudgal

News Editor: Hamsaveni N.

Copy editors: Yashaswini

Sri, Vindhya Pabolu, Arsha

Photo editor: Siddhi Chahan

Other IIJNM publications

l The Beat magazine

l CityCast

l The SoftCopy

l Newsnet

Most Lambani women have stopped wearing traditional clothes because it takes a lot of time — nearly one year — to stitch a ghagra-choli | Credit: Yukta Mudgal

Women now prefer lighter, ‘modern’ clothes to heavy

Quiz answers

1. Chambal

2. Godavari

3.Narmada

4. Cauveri

5. Ganga

6. Luni