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The Observer An IIJNM publication
Over-dependence on technology leading to social isolation, anxiety among students | P 4
Vol. 21, Issue XI
Late dinners make it tough for NGOs to give it to needy
Thursday, Nov 11, 2021
Want AC? Cabbies say sorry, govt has ordered us not to switch it on By Chhavi Vohra
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30 percent of good quality food is thrown away in bins at marriage functions | Credit: Arshreet Singh pick up the leftovers.” Surekha Rai, a manager at the Tamarind Tree,a wedding venue, said: “The food wastage is around 30 percent. We normally toss it.” Asked why so much food is thrown, she shared: “Food is wasted because people are very much into starters. When the main course comes, people aren’t hungry anymore, so it goes to the bin,”he further added. Organizations like Hasiru Dala, Manav Charities, Robin Hood Army and NoFoodWaste collect food and distribute it among orphanages and old-age homes, and among the poor people. “Dinner is hard to distribute,” said Amit Shanbagh of Bangalore Caterers. “We call organizations who distribute food only for afternoon events. Events at night end late and the food goes bad by the next day, so we toss it.” As big events usually happen at night, leftovers have to be thrown away. R.B. Shivakumar has been working to solve the food
Changes brought by NEP hassle pupils, teachers, parents with transferable jobs
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Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in
We have issued no such order, says BBMP
By Arshreet Singh
tudents, teachers and parents with transferable jobs are unhappy with provisions of the New Education Policy, report Ayndrila Banerjee and Kashish Sharma. The system of bifurcating board examinations into two terms under NEP has created a problem for class 12 students and their teachers.They are finding it diffi-
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Rise in ear problems with overuse of earphones while people work from their homes | P 3
The rich waste loads of food as the poor starve t least a third of quality food is wasted in thousands of weddings in Bengaluru which could otherwise be used to feed the hungry. This is when India ranks 101 out of 116 countries in the Global Hunger Index. A study by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, says the city wastes 943 tonnes of food annually at weddings alone. This is enough to feed 26 million people with a decent meal day and night. “A wedding is the biggest event in a person’s life. People look forward to this day….How can you expect them to not splurge?” said Manu Kumar, who runs Sri Annapoorneshwari Caterers that serves all across the Bengaluru. Various caterersThe Observer contacted said a simple plate of food costs Rs 350 for a function.This can increase to thousands of rupees. The average food wasted at the end of a function ranges between 15 percent to 30 percent of the entire food. Assuming a guest list of 1,000, and a per-plate cost of Rs 350, the cost of food wasted can range from Rs 52,500 to Rs 1.05 lakh per gathering or event. Manu Kumar,when asked about what is done with the leftover food after parties, said: “We throw it away unless a representative from an old-age home comes to
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cult. Teachers are worried about their students not scoring decently under the new system. Parents in transferrable jobs are unhappy over NEP recommending the regional language as a medium of instruction. Some parents fear cultural displacement for their children, others think it is a good change. Details on Page 2
waste issue for over 25 years. He collects food from marriage functions and distributes it among the poor at railway and bus stations,and government hospitals and other places. Explaining why huge amounts of food are wasted at weddings, he said: “A person puts 1-2kg of food on their plate in a wedding. They eat 500 grams and throw away the rest. An average person does not need to eat more than 250 grams of food in one sitting.” He added: “People love to show off. They see a huge variety of food at other weddings, and try to outdo them. Some people have more than 30 dishes. Who eats 30 dishes in one meal? The amount of food wasted in India every weekend can feed everyone for five days. People who throw away food only account for 20 percent of the population. And the people who need to eat are the remaining80 percent,” he continued. NGO’s fail to distribute at night. Continued on Page 3
engaluru’s cab drivers refuse to turn the airconditioner on when asked to during rides. They cite an official order, but the government says it has issued no such directive on the issue. Sunil Awasthi, an Uber driver, informed The Observer: “The state government has forbidden us from using the AC. I ask my passengers to open the windows. This helps prevent Covid-19.” Ola drivers had a similar story. Rajesh Kumar, an Ola driver, said: “I have been informed by the government as well as my company to not switch on the AC. There is a plastic sheet between the front and back seats. Airconditioning wouldn’t be pragmatic.” The Karnataka government on June 10 eased lockdown restrictions in Bengaluru Urban and 19 other districts , allowing cabs to ferry two masked passengers at a time. In neither of the orders did the government debar cab drivers from using the airconditioners in the cabs. The transport department’s Covid-19 prevention guidelines on March 18, 2020, had no mention of the use of airconditioning in cabs. The BBMP has not issued any separate guidelines either . Manoj Shukla from the BBMP head office told The Ob-
Passengers pull down the windows to keep the air flowing | Credit: istockphoto.com server: “We don’t know anything about this. We haven’t issued any such order from above.” On May 19, 2020, Ola released new safety guidelines terminating the use of AC during rides. This came about at a time when the pandemic had just begun and there were few cases. The company said ACs should be switched off to avoid re-circulation of air, and windows should be kept open at all times. Ola has since repealed those guidelines. Vikash Thakur, an Ola customer support assistant, shared with The Observer: “We did release some guidelines in May 2020… for the entire country. The guidelines stand revoked since January 2021. We have no idea why it is happening.” Pankaj Sahni, an Uber customer support assistant, said : “We haven’t debarred the drivers from using the airconditioner during travel. We charge separately for the same, and want the journey to be as smooth as possible.” Continued on Page 3
News briefs Rain batters Chennai, toll mounts to 41
number of rain-related deaths rose to 41 on Thursday.
state, he would even move the Supreme Court.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin reviewed the situation as rain battered Chennai and other parts of the state. The Indian Meteorological Department forecast light to moderate rain in most affected areas. IMD has issued a red alert in northern Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpet, Ranipet, Villupuram and Cuddalore. The
The Punjab assembly passed a resolution against the Centre’s decision to extend the Border Security Force jurisdiction to a 50km belt along the international border in the state. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Channi said that for the protection of the
A terrorist was killed in an encounter between the security forces and militants in Chawalgam village of Jammu & Kashmir’s Kulgam on Thursday. The encounter began in the afternoon, the Kashmir Police said in a tweet this afternoon.
Punjab passes resolution on BSF jurisdiction
Terrorist killed in Kashmir encounter