The Observer An IIJNM Publication
Vol 18 Issue 28
Youngsters confused over NOTA vote, fear it may be ignored or considered as a waste vote | P2
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
Renovation plans by BBMP will hit our sales, say KR Market meat sellers | P4
Jet Airways problems spell big trouble for passengers Alternatives to cancelled flights are costlier
Pranay Prakash
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acing a financial turmoil, debt-ridden Jet Airways cancelled more than 300 flights in February and March. Lessors have grounded its planes, leaving thousands of flyers fuming. Jet plans to withdraw 138 daily flights between March and October 2019, information on the airline’s website says. Frequent flyers who had made advance bookings with the carrier have had to cancel their tickets. They now face the prospect of buying costly tickets.
Frequent flyers who had made advance bookings with the carrier have had to cancel their tickets | Credit: Tanmay Tiwary Abhishek Dwivedi, a technical consultant with Hugo Boss Ticino SA in Bengaluru who flies frequently on domestic routes, informed The Observer: “Flight cancellations have forced me to change my plans till the end of April. I had two tickets from Jet
ELECTION THEATRE Post-poll alliance possible: Mamta West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hinted at the possibility of a postpoll alliance. Speaking at a rally in Raiganj, she said: “In every state, alliances have been formed to oust Modi... Once he is voted out of power all of us can work together to build a new India. SC refuses to stay Modi biopic release Refusing to stay the release of Vivek Oberoi starrer biopic on Narendra Modi, the SC said the plea is a ‘non issue.’ The
court refused to consider the petitioners’ plea which alleged the film is ‘blatant propaganda’ masquerading as a work of art in violation of the Model Code of Conduct. Modi is scared of debate, says Rahul Inviting PM Modi for a debate on corruption, INC chief Gandhi on Tuesday said the PM can have an ‘open book’ debate if he is scared. Rahul has repeatedly challenged Modi for a debate on national security and the Rafale scam. BJP leaders scoffed at the idea, calling Rahul an “ignorant politician”.
Airways which I had to reschedule. Ticket prices are still high, and there are very few seats left.” Jet has announced the cancellation of 209 to and fro flights between Mumbai and London. A like number of flights have been cancelled from Bengaluru
to Thiruvananthapuram. Dilip Kumar Das, country manager, north region, for a multinational company in New Delhi, said: “I travel frequently to North, East and Central India. Frequent cancellations by Jet and IndiGo have caused a lot of problems in creating an itinerary. Even the price of tickets has gone up across airlines due to Jet’s reduced fleet.” “Although Jet has announced flight cancellations till October, it remains to be seen if it can survive. It recently defaulted on payments to its lenders according to news reports, which might force the airline to ground its own aeroplanes. It has already grounded most of its leased flights,” Das added. Continued on Page 4
News Briefs National lAs the nation gears up for the first round of the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP and its NDA seem to enjoy a distinct advantage over its opponents. The CSDS-Lok niti Pre Election Survey, indicates that the national mood appears to be to give the ruling party/alliance a second term. lThe Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday presented two radar images of the engagement with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on February 27 to prove that a Pakistani F-16 was shot down by a MiG-21 piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Local lInternational U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen resigned on Sunday evening after U.S. President Donald Trump had, according to reports, requested her resignation. US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will assume charge after April 10.
Let’s have Pink Cabs across city: drivers Favour lower fares and high frequency Ileena Dutta
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omen taxi drivers want to make Go Pink Cabs available all across Bengaluru at lower prices to ensure safety to female commuters who travel by cabs. “Pink Cabs are doing well in the airport sector. It would be better if these are made available in other parts of the city where we women drivers can take care of the safety
of female commuters,” said Aapti S., a temporary Pink Cab driver. The women-run taxi service was started by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corp and Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL). “The initiative taken by BIAL will help downtrodden women in villages to earn their own living and grow independently in society. I want this service to be appreciated by women in every part of the city. I hope we can take the Pink Cab service to the city,” said Marium Beg, a Pink Cab driver. Aarti K., another driver, said: “It is not safe for women to commute
in cabs with male drivers. Sometimes it can be risky. The women drivers of Pink Cabs ensure that female passengers travel safe at all times. The GPS tracking and SOS features that are in-built are very useful. The entire city needs to have Pink Cabs services at lower prices and high frequency for women.” Pink Cabs, which run 24/7, are priced at Rs 21.50 per km during the day and at Rs 23.50 per km at night. A Logical Indian report says Pink Cabs is recruiting from villages around KIA to provide women a chance to become selfsustainable. ileena.d@iijnm.org
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ELECTION THEATRE
Voters confused over NOTA They fear that such votes will be ignored or useless
Yohanjali R
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he NOTA (None of the Above) option has left youngsters confused. Many fear a NOTA vote will be ignored or be a wasted vote. “NOTA is a good initiative. People who are not aware of political happenings, do not favour any party, or feel India could be in better hands than the contesting parties, would definitely prefer NOTA. As every vote counts, NOTA is a vote too,” Diksha Shukla, a student at Delhi University, informed The Observer. Anjali Sriram, a who is pursuing MTech at a private college, said: “I voted for NOTA in the previous election. It is a way of saying that people don’t have faith in the contestants.” According to an article in the Deccan Herald, 3.22 lakh voters opted for NOTA in last year’s assembly polls. Badami, Gadag, Devarahippargi, Hirekerur, Kundgol, Maski, Aland and Pavagada recorded high NOTA votes. Another student, who didn’t want to be named, said: “I am going to vote for NOTA in the upcoming general elections. It is a way for me to show that I don’t trust any of the candidates from any parties.” There are several people who hold the same view. Soundharya K, who studies linguistics in a private college, said: “I don’t think voting for
More than 3 lakh voters opted for NOTA in 2018 assembly polls | Credit: Yohanjali R NOTA will make our future better, especially in India.” Akshaya Srinivasan, a BCom student, said she read about NOTA and is opposed to it. “After reading a few facts about NOTA, I came to know that it won’t bring any change in the parties and candidates being elected, and just makes our vote go a waste.” The Hindu reported that around 1.33 crore NOTA votes have been cast in the past six years. It also pointed out that 22.94 lakh votes were polled as NOTA votes in constituencies with candidates having criminal cases against them. “Voting for NOTA is completely useless. We know that every vote counts. So, why waste it on NOTA? Make use of the vote and vote for the best among the worse. It’s a competition to choose the least bad individual,” said Sharada M, a homemaker who lives in Indiranagar.
Natarajan K, 52, who has voted for NOTA for a while, said: “Every one of them is a criminal. They come year after year promising many things but none of them lives up to his words. They only care about money.” “I believe that one day people will understand that authorities are going wrong somewhere and take action against them. Not many know the power of voting. Even a single vote can make a difference,” he added. Election Commission officials hold a similar view. A high official at the District Election Office who didn’t want to be named said: “I too believe NOTA would be a waste of vote. Instead of letting it go like that, people can use it to vote for someone they think as deserving candidate.. But it’s not a compulsion as we are a democratic country and we choose whom to vote. And ‘no one’ is always an option.” yohanjali.r@iijnm.org
du Rao said at a press conference on Tuesday. Gundu Rao hailed the NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) scheme announced by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. “NYAY Yojana is a good move for the needy. Rs 6, 000 a month is a huge amount for the underprivileged. It will focus on closing the economic gap.” Speaking about the trust issues between the coalition partners Congress and JD(S), he said: “Our only focus is to remove the BJP.” “There will be differences of opinion among individuals, but
that shouldn’t affect the party as a whole. We are confident that our differences will be resolved. We have a larger intention of a better tomorrow so differences don’t matter when we work holistically,” he said. About attempts to topple the coalition government, Rao said: “The BJP tried to break the coalition but we have survived. This shows the strength of the coalition. We will survive.” According to a recent news report in the New Indian Express, the KPCC President said: “. We have mechanisms to redress” shrabona.g@iijnm.org
Congress: PM Modi failed to fulfill 2014 poll promises
Our differences will be resolved: Gundu Rao Shrabona Ghosh
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he Congress on Tuesday said the Modi government has failed to fulfill its 2014 poll promises. “During his term, Modi made false claims and not kept his promises. There are a lot of grievances to be addressed. BJP leaders are liars,” Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gun-
The Observer Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Citizen’s Voice
Dissent is essential
LK Advani recently wrote in his blog that the BJP never viewed considered people who disagreed as its enemies or anti-nationals. He made it plain that respect for diversity and freedom of expression are cornerstones of Indian democracy. His comments have come at a time when several of his party members are busy labelling people who speak against the party traitors and anti-nationals. They should realise that democracy will fade away without dissent. Pallavi Bhattacharya, Kolkata
Move to Wayanad
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has made a commendable decision by contesting from Wayanad. An MP from Amethi since 2004, this is the first time Rahul is contesting from a second constituency. This might help him in building a strong vote base for Congress in the southern state. After facing a tough competition from Smriti Irani in
Amethi in 2014, Wayanad will be a relatively safe option for Rahul to contest from in case he loses from Amethi this time. In 2014, victory margin in his constituency was reduced rapidly due to raising popularity of the Bharatiya Janatha Party in Amethi. Swagata Banerjee, IIJNM
City’s green cover
With only two prominent green patches left, Bengaluru has been gasping for a fresh breath of air. Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, located in the middle of the city, provide relief from the monotony of IT parks and residential layouts. But what about the rest of Bengaluru? Places like Bellandur, Electronics City and Marathahalli desperately need some greenery to keep the environment clean. With Lok Sabha elections coming up, candidates should inform citizens how they plan to increase the city’s green cover if they are elected. Ayanti Bera, IIJNM
Exempt us from poll duty as it’s our festival: Christians Sahana S
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hristian school teachers have appealed to the Election Commission to exempt 195 teachers from poll duty in Bangalore North because the voting date, April 18, coincides with the Christian festival Maundy. “We came to submit a repre-
having appealed to the election commissioner to exempt Catholic teachers from election duties, they have been assigned duties.” Voicing a similar opinion, Dorothy D, a primary school teacher from RTC Primary School, said: “More than half of the teachers from various schools have to attend service in churches. As we
Christian institution school teachers say they won’t be able to attend church services in Maundy if they attend poll duty | Credit: Sahana S sentation to the Election Commission to exempt the teachers from election duty on April 18,” Harish M, a teacher, said. Prabha Alexander, block education officer, Shivajinagar phase III, said: “This is a sacred festival of Christians. Despite
have to be present at polling stations on the previous day, it would be difficult to attend service on the election day.” The commission has decided to take a final call by Tuesday evening. sahana.s@iijnm.org
CITY
The Observer Tuesday, April 9, 2019
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Bengaluru’s unfit high ground Elderly people want easier alternatives to skywalks
Shrabona Ghosh
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kywalks in Bangalore are rarely used by elderly and specially abled people. They say there should alternatives that they can use. Sandhya R, a senior citizen who lives in Jayanagar, informed The Observer: “Most elderly and physically disabled people cannot use skywalks. They cannot endure the pain of climbing so many stairs. There should be alternatives to skywalks which will be feasible for everyone to use.” For some people, using skywalks is a no-no. They consider climbing the steps a waste of time and energy. M Srinivasan, a college student who lives in KR Puram, said: “My 50-year-old aunt risks her life every day while crossing the road. Though there are skywalks, she hardly uses them because of her physical disability. The needs of these people should be considered when skywalks are made. It is just an eyewash and waste of money by the government.” Sapna Karim, civic head of the
Maintenance of skywalks is often ignored. Lifts remain dysfunctional for months as contractors don’t bother to check and repair them | Credit: Shrabona Ghosh NGO Janaagraha, said: “Pedestrians often don’t use skywalks because they don’t cater to their needs. They cannot be used by everyone. Often, skywalk are avoided because they are timeconsuming.” HR professional Sujay Mukherjee said: “Skywalks are a waste of money. Instead, the government should spend that money to construct special lanes that will make roads less risky.” IT professional Basavanaraj said: “Separate lanes should be made available for elderly
people. There should be special traffic management for these lanes so that they can be safely utilised to cross roads.” Maintenance of skywalks is often ignored. Lifts remain dysfunctional for months as contractors don’t bother to check and repair them. Besides, not all skywalks have lifts. College student Muqieth Hussain said: “Escalators and elevators should be made available because these are feasible options and can be used by everyone. Lifts should be properly
Medical aspirants unhappy over increase in college fees
Say govt should have thought of scholarship Oisika Dev
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edical students in Bengaluru are unhappy over a hike in fees. They say the government should have thought of introducing scholarships to compensate them. “The move will adversely affect post-graduate medical seat aspirants. When the government decided to hike fees for economically weaker sections, they should have thought about some scholarship programmes,” Vipin R, a medical student, informed The Observer. Students intending to pursue medical courses at state-run medical colleges, from 2019-20 will have to pay five times more
Medical students will have to pay five times more than in the past | Credit: Subhana Sheikh than in the past. The decision came after private medical colleges decided to increase their fees by five times. With this hike, the fee for a clinical seat under the government quota will be Rs 5,81,900. It will be Rs.1,45,475 for a paraclinical seat, and Rs 72,737 for a pre-clinical seat. Even fees at
government medical colleges were increased recently. The hike could affect household budgets. Rashmi S, who will seek admission to a medical college this year, said: “Our expenses will be affected a lot. We have a very tight budget and now maybe we will have to cut down on other things.” A student who refused to be named said: “This move is going to affect students faring well academically. Managements should think twice before asking for high fees. Not all students will be able to afford exorbitant fees.” M. Rajalakshmi, a Wipro employee, said: “This year, my sister will appear for medical entrance exams. I am the sole breadwinner of the family. Medical is already a very costly course; the hike has made it even more unaffordable for economically weak students.” oisika.d@iijnm.org
maintained so that they serve the needy.” Arshita H, a Bangalore University student, said: “Some cities have well-maintained skywalks. Elevators don’t function in skywalks in most of the areas in Bengaluru, reducing their utility.” A report in Citizen Matters quoted V Manjula, commissioner, Directorate of DULT (Development of Urban and Land Transport), as saying that that DULT proactively prepared a report on pedestrian infrastructure which includes skywalks and presented it to the BBMP. However, the municipal body did not consult them on the 54 locations where skywalks were to be constructed. DULT advocates having pedestrian crossings at grade within Bengaluru unless roads are very wide — more than four lanes — and traffic density is high. Manjula said many factors have to be considered before deciding that a pedestrian cannot cross at grade. shrabona.g@iijnm.org
Around the City lMartian Movie: With Science Workshops @9 April ,2019 1:00 lLittle Engineer Summer Camp@10 april ,2019 11.30a.m .lYoung Naturalist Wildlife Camp@10 April,2019 8.00 a.m. lJagriti presents Taqqadami at the theatre @12 April, 2019 8.00 p.m. lPravaha Dance Festival @ 13 April,2019,6.00 p.m. lRhythmic Poetry Workshop at Kydzadda-Bannerghatta Road With Amita Mathur @12th April,2019, 9.00 April lArt picnic by The Living Walls @10th April, 2019 7.00 p.m. Unplugged @13 April ,2019 8.00 p.m. lBMSCE Utsab @12th April, 5.00p.m. lBlockchain 2019,Sterling MaC hotel@ 11th April, 9.00 a.m. lAisi Taisi Democracy : The Aazaadi Tour 2019, Bangalore Sunday, 14 April, 2019, 7:30 pm lAutomating Deep Learning Workflow using Onepanel ‑Bangalore, Wednesday, 10 April, 2019, 7:00 pm lLets Avenge depression (the thanos) Sunday, 14 April, 2019, 11:30 am lRUN & PEDAL FOR A CAUSE Sunday, 14 April, 2019, 6:00 am
Chiranjiv Singh: Gandhian ideals are still relevant Yohanjali R
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andhi represented values and ideals that are still relevant, former additional chief secretary of Karnataka Chiranjiv Singh said on Tuesday. “We definitely need him for a better nation,” Singh said at a screening of movies made on his life held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Educationist and social activist Woody P. Krishna said India needs another Gandhi now more than ever. “There was no Gandhi before Mohandas. He introduced and established ‘satya’ and ‘ahimsa’. We need those principles now more than ever.” “Gandhi appreciated constructive criticism, not verbal violence, which is as bad as physical violence. The present politicians do not follow it at all. Gandhiji aimed for a non-violent society where a new moral man lives in a peaceful society. That’s not the case with today’s lead-
Social activist Woody P. Krishna said India needs another Gandhi now | Credit: R Yohanjali ers,” Krishna said. As a part of the celebration of Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, seven films were screened. Commenting on the 1982 Oscar-winning movie ‘Gandhi’, starring Ben Kingsley, Singh said: “I was in charge of defence at that time. The Indian government provided 30% of financial support for the movie. I was happy I was a part of something that appreciated his Ideologies and beliefs.” H.N. Suresh, director of the B VB, and filmmaker Nagathihalli Chandrashekar were present. yohanjali.r@iijnm org
4 Two thousand flights cancelled; ticket prices high Continued from page 1
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umbai, one of the regional hubs of Jet, has seen the cancellation of 1,016 flights to 56 destinations, while Delhi has had 201 cancellations. Some frequent flyers complain that the cancellations and rescheduling has forced them to miss out on important events. Others say fares for other airlines are higher than normal. Ashok Tiwari, who works as a principal in Lucknow, said: “After deductions, you get back only 40% of the ticket price which is not fair to the passengers. Ticket prices on other airlines are also high. The government should step in and try to control the prices of tickets.” Rubal Malik, a state-level badminton player from Delhi, said: “I participate in at least one tournament in two months and frequently book flight tickets. This time around, I have seen the price increase by around 2040 % for certain days and weeks. Sometimes the sponsors pay for my tickets; on others, I have to pay.” Making alternative arrangements to travel is not easy, say passengers. Uday Prakash, an IT professional working in Bengaluru, said: “Summer vacations are coming up and I need to buy tickets to go to Delhi, but the prices of tickets to Delhi are around 20-30% more than last year’s prices. I’ll wait for a few more days to see if prices go down. If they don’t, I’ll either cancel my vacation or buy the tickets at increased prices.” Faced with a debt around $1 billion, its previous lenders and now owners, a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India along with Etihad Airways are actively engaged with various Private Equity groups like TPG International and Brookfield Investments and multinational conglomerates. The airline is looking for new investors to invest in it. Moneycontrol.com quoted a senior Jet executive as saying: “Many of the cancelled flights have been re-routed over hubs, and many can still go back to the system.” The cancellations are not linked to the grounding of aircraft, he claimed.
The Observer Tuesday, April 9, 2019
CITY
Palike’s renovation plan will rob our livelihood: KR Market meat sellers But say moving out for a few months is OK
Abbinaya Kuzhanthaivel
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eat vendors in KR Market are unwilling to shift their stalls ahead of the BBMP’s Smart City project plans. As a part of the project, KR Market will be renovated and get waste-management and parking facilities. The BBMP has proposed to shift the meat sellers to the main market till the renovation work is completed. The work is expected to start in July. “We haven’t received any notice so far. But we wouldn’t be happy to shift. We have already lost business because of poor waste management. Shifting to a new area would further affect our business as people may
BBMP has proposed to shift the meat sellers to the main market | Credit: Abbinaya Kuzhanthaivel not know our new location.. The BBMP has cleaned the surrounding areas and has provided water facility. I am not sure, but there is barely any space left. We are happy about the project, but it shouldn’t take much time to get implemented,” Jowhar Pasha, a meat vendor, informed The Observer. The BBMP has decided to up-
grade KR Market at a cost of Rs 49.5 crore. The work includes the demolition and construction of new buildings, enhancing pathways for pedestrians, and building a parking facility and a bus terminus. “We plan to demolish and reconstruct the entire meat market in the same place. We will tem-
Despite controversies, Indian Premier League touches new high Sahana.S
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he Indian Premier League 2019 has retained the attention of cricket fans in Bengaluru despite a lot of controversies. Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin’s “mankading” act and Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga’s unnoticed no-ball during a match against RCB seem to have increased IPL watchers’ interest. “Even though our home team has consecutively failed to win matches this year, it never stops me from watching other IPL matches as they provide better entertainment, including the noball controversy and ‘mankading’ by Ashwin against Jos Buttler,” Giri Prasad, an Amazon employee, informed The Observer. His colleague Tilak Ganesh said: “IPL is one tournament where it is great to watch players like AB de Villiers, and (Kieron) Pollard proving their worth time and again.” Scheduling IPL matches in the evening
The first week of IPL 2019 saw a record viewership of 283 million viewers | Credit: Sahana.S is a great idea, he added. According to an Economic Times report, the inaugural week of IPL 2019 saw a record viewership of 283 million viewers, 31% more than last year. Star Sports has ventured into regional languages like Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Bangla to air IPL matches. Star Sports CEO Gautam Thakur told The Economic Times: “We are very excited with the initial numbers of the opening weekend, which shows that this is going to be the big-
gest IPL ever… .” Sinchana. Hortagi, an engineering student, said: “The charm of IPL increases every year despite our teams failing to impress the audience. There is a lot of drama on the cricket field. Some matches were decided in the last over.” Advertisement campaigns are attractive such as “Yeh dus saal aapke naam” (these ten years are dedicated to you) have raised the success of IPL. Sanjay M, a data manager, said: “I am an avid viewer of IPL, but this year I am more enthusiastic about watching the match because of the hype surrounding CSK. We got a chance to vote for our favourite cricketer to be picked at the auction in Jaipur.” Dhanush Kishore, a student, said: “I started to watch IPL over a year ago because of my best friend. Now I eagerly wait for the IPL matches to begin so that we can spend some time at our favourite place.” sahana.s@iijnm.org
porarily shift them somewhere in the main market. The vendors have to adjust till the renovation is complete. Vendors have to adjust,” GP Suresh, BBMP chief engineer, informed the Observer. But the meat vendors claim the BBMP did not consult them before making the plan. “Nobody spoke to us about this. We will talk to our association leaders and decide once we get any notification about shifting. We have been doing our business for more than 25 years. We will have poor sales if we shift. People were hesitant to come earlier because of foul smell from garbage. The BBMP cleaned it up recently. But we don’t know why they did so if they wanted to demolish the place,” Imran Ahmed, a meat vendor, said. Fish seller Abdul Rahim said: “It is OK to shift for three months. Shifting would hit our sales and it is inconvenient.” abbinaya.s@iijnm.org
City Speaks lChristina Fernandez New pipes were laid by #bwssb at the end of Feb. 10 days of work we were told. It’s now April and the road has not been tarred back. My entire family has been in and out of hospital for acute laryngitis and other respiratory issues. Who’s responsibility is this now? #bwssb #BBMP? lAbhishek Agarwal Our society has decided 2 vote to party who builds road in kaverappa Layout in Bangalore and garbage cleaning regularly.
WEATHER Mainly Clear sky Minimum Temperature: 23 degree Celsius Maximum Temperature: 36 degree Celsius Tomorrow: Partly cloudy sky with 35 degree Celsius. A dry day and clear night can be expected.
OBSERVER TEAM Editor- Pranay Prakash Page Layout: Oisika Dev, Abbinaya Kuzhanthaivel Reporters: Ileena Dutta, Shrabona Ghosh, R Yohanjali, S Sahana,
Health
The Observer Tuesday, April 9, 2019
SUPPLEMENT
5
Do Brands Ensure Quality?
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Patients and doctors are divided over the benefits of generic and branded drugs, says Renuka Thakre
octors are prescribing brand-name drugs more than generic ones, putting a heavy economic burden on patients.“There’s hardly any difference except the price. The contentsare same.Only in a few cases the efficacy is more of a brand-name drug. Brand-name drug companies charge extra as the cost of marketing of the drug is included.It is a common misconception that something which comes at acheap price will be inferior in quality,” says Dr G S Prasanna, assistant professor, KLE College of Pharmacy, Bangalore. Brand-name drugs have the patent of a company which means that the drugs contain a formula developed by the company on itsown and nobody else can produce the same without giving royalty to the company.India is one of the biggest exporters of generic medicines.Generic medicines are relatively cheaper than brand-name medicines. According to a report published in The Economic Times, “Medical
devices, including surgical and consumable items, are defined
as ‘drugs’ under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. As per the information provided by Department of Pharmaceuticals, 165 surgical and consumable items are already being sold through Jan Aushadhi stores in Karnataka.’’Many private doctors prescribe medicines according to the economic status of patients. Dr Vijay Prakash, a general physician practisingin Bangalore, said: “I generally prescribe such
medicines which are result oriented, cost effective, and do not have any adverse effects on patients. If some poor person is in a serious condition and cannot afford expensive medicines, we consult Credit: Pexels distributors or medical representatives to suggest us the cheapest optionwhich, of course, should be effective also.’’ However, the price alone is not important.Storage, transportation, and the temperature in which they are kept determinethe effectiveness of a medicine. And what doctors prescribe is based on their personal preferences and experiences.Dr Bushra Haq, a gynaecologist
and obstetrician,stated:‘’I used to prescribe generic medicines. But when I found out thatthey were not very useful, I stopped prescribing them.’’
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here are patients who are aware of generic medicines and found them effective.Raja Bodapati, a diabetes patient, said: “I have used a cream named Momate. I got it for Rs.28. The same brandname cream is worth Rs.125. There is no difference in content or quality.It works the same for me. I have never faced any side-effects. I spend Rs.5000 per month on my medication. I could have saved almost 80% of the money if my doctor would have prescribed generic medicines regularly.’’ There are several not-so-welloffpatients who are facing financial difficulties as their doctors tend to prescribe brand-name drugs only. Sangeeta Kothari, an obstetric patient, said: “I spend around Rs 7000 per month on my medicines. I asked my doc-
tor for cheaper alternatives. But she refused saying that cheaper medicines are not as effective as branded ones. The economic burden on my husband because of this is quite a lot.’’ As the demand for generic drugs have gone down considerably, pharmacists have put a cap on their stock.S. Ravindra, a pharmacist in Rajaji Nagar says that, “Nowadays, doctors do not prescribe generic medicines. I get patients who are only willing to but brand-name medicines. That is why I have stopped stocking them.I sell generic drugs only to those patients who come to my store without a prescription and demand medicines for minor ailments such as acidity and mild headache.” The Government of India launched the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadi Kendra’s (PMBJP) to provide quality medicines at affordable prices. PMBJP has been set up toprovide generic drugs which are as effective as branded drugs. There are 35 Jan Aushadhi stores already in Bangalore.
The Perils of Overkill
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The misuse of antibiotics is creating a new threat of drug-resistant bacteria, says Sindhuja Michael
ntibiotics must be taken as prescribed by a pediatrician. Resistance to antibiotics is common among children as they are often given regular antibiotics those are prescribed to adults. Antibiotics dosage for a child differs from that of an adult,” says Dr. Sumeeta Nagaraj, a pediatrician from Children’s Clinic, Bengaluru. In India, 57,000 infants die annually due to neonatal sepsis a type of bacterial infection. Pediatricians caution that improper intake of antibiotics increases the risk of antibiotic resistance in children, which results in ineffective treatments. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhea, and other foodborne diseases. Bacteria alters their response to antibiotics due to overdose, which then leads to resistance,
says a study by World Health Organisation(WHO). Bacteria which have modified their response to antibiotics are known as ‘superbugs’.Concurs Nidhi Bedi, a professor at the Department of Pediatrics atVardhman Mahavir Medical College in
ventilation are at risk of developing antibiotic resistance.” When first-line antibiotics can no longer treat bacterial infections, more expensive medicines are prescribed. Treatment and healthcare costs also shoots up, which increases the economic burden on families. Vinayagamoorthy Venugopal,Assistan t Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Sri ManakularVinayagar Medical College and Hospital said “A study was conducted to check the pattern of antibiotics prescribed for 959 hospitalized children; and among them, 607 children Doctors believe that high end antibiotics have severe side effects on the body. | Credit: pexels were less than 5 years old. Overall 60% of the children had Delhi,“Consumption of antibiotreceived either oral or parenteral ics is very high in children. Neo(injection) antibiotics. As per nates who undergo prolonged WHO recommendations, surveil-
lance systems are required in all hospitals to assess antibiotic use and to monitor the prevalence of microbial resistance.” “There must be a continuous survey and monitoring such as Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) monitoring. ADR monitoring for children must be done separately as they vary from adults. Children from Southern India are mostly affected,” adds Supratim Datta, Associate professor from Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research.
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rofessor Dipankar Chatterjee, from Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru said “Antibiotic compounds which are not standalone drugs but synthesized with the conventional antibiotics would be a step forward to fight antibiotic resistance.” RadhaNandishaiah, a senior research scientist at
Biotech startup BUGWORKS in Bengaluru said “There is need of antibacterial compounds that target the specific genes. In past three decades process to find new antibiotic that target the specific genes has met with limited success.”In the journal Future of Antibiotics and Resistance, Brad Spellbrg says, “In 1945 Alexander Fleming called for stopping the overuse of penicillin in order to slow the development of resistance. Nearly 65 years later, in 2009, more than 3 million kg of antibiotics were administered to human patients in the United States alone; in 2010, a staggering 13 million kg were administered to animals.” He also argues that to confront the crisis, the world needs to stop exposing massive quantities of antibiotics to the human population. Transparent public reporting of data on antibiotic use across medical centers and individual providers is essential.
Sports
The Observer Tuesday, April 9, 2019
SUPPLEMENT
6
Big Money, No Result
RCB’s big spending on top cricketers have done little to rescue their team from dismal performances, says Tanmay Tiwary
R
oyal Challengers Bangalore’s journey in the ongoing Vivo IPL 2019 has been in total dismay. They have lost all the six matches that they have played so far, leaving the team at the bottom of the standings. “Despite having the likes of Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle and Yuvraj Singh throughout the last 10 seasons, the team has not been able play as a formidable unit,” says Abhigyan Arya, who works in Accenture, Bengaluru. Ankit Srivastava, who is an employee with Arrow Fashion in Bengaluru comments, “They have tried all the tactics, from reshuffling the team to switching batting orders and introducing debutants but nothing has helped their cause.” Since 2008, the inaugural season of the IPL, RCB’s performances have been underwhelming, considering the quality of players in their ranks. They have only been successful in reaching the finals in three occasions
(2009, 2011 and 2016), failing to win the trophy in each of those
owner and current fugitive Vijay Mallya had a knack of buying
for a record amount of US $ 1.55 million, who was a failure due to his injuries. From 2011 to 2017, RCB dramatically changed the look of their side. The team invested heavily and bought players like, Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers, Mitchell Starc and Albie Morkel. On paper, RCB looked like world beaters. In 2016’s edition, RCB bought Shane Watson for Rs. 9.5 crore, and Kane Richardson and Stuart Binny for Rs 2 crore each. Each of these players had a terrible stint at the club and was later sold to other teams. Arya says, “Spending big bucks is not the answer to their problems, Big names like Kohli and De Villiers have failed to turn fortunes for RCB this the team management should season. | Credit: India Today. be focusing on the management of players.” Virat finals. top players in the auctions. The Kohli’s captaincy has also come “RCB has always been in the franchise bought the likes of Rainto the radar, as he has not been limelight since the very beginhul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Ross able to turn around the fortunes ning because of their heavy Taylor and Jacques Kallis for big of the team. “It has been very spending on top players,” says bucks in the inaugural season. difficult to digest the fact that the Srivastava, who is an ardent Similarly, in 2009, they bought player who is currently leading follower of the team. Former the flamboyant Kevin Pietersen world’s top-ranked cricket team
in test cricket, has not been able to win the trophy after so many seasons,” adds Arya.
S
rivastava said “RCB led by Virat Kohli is very similar to the Proteas in many ways. The South African team is one of the strongest sides in world cricket, but has failed to win any ICC trophy so far in their cricketing history.” Hanging at the bottom of the table, the three time runners up have their task cut out in the remaining matches of the tournament. Their next match is against the dangerous King’s XI Punjab at Punjab Cricket association stadium on April 13, 2019. RCB has also become the second team after Delhi Capitals in IPL history to have started on such a horrid note and lose all of the starting 6 matches. If they lose the next one, Virat Kohli led side would then hold the record for the worst start to an IPL season ever. A record Royal Challengers Bangalore and its fans, surely do not want.
Betting on Transparency T
Legalised gambling creates transperancy and generates revenue for public welfare, says Anuradha Sriram
he illegal betting market For instance, Rummy and Poker dustry (FICCI), an industry body, in India is worth Rs 9.9 are permitted, along with Fantasy has been advocating legalizing lakh crore a year, accordbetting ing to the Doha-based Internain sports tional Centre for Sports Security, on the which promotes integrity and seground curity in sports.The debate over that the legalizing betting and gambling governtraces its roots back to the age ment can of mythology and epics in India. earn Rs Ancient texts have views both for 12,000 and against legalizing betting and crore gambling. According to the All to Rs India Gaming Federation( AIGF), 19,000 gaming is a state subject in India, Use of online platforms for betting is rampant. | Credit: Indian crore Express state has the power to legislate from it and enforce an Act regarding every gaming. These Acts are archaic sports. Wagering on horse racing year. The tax rate on horse racing in nature. In the age when the and cricket can also be allowed. is quite lucrative; some states gaming business has gone digital Rummy is a hugely popular charge as much as 20% on the over the years, there is a must game in India and recently we value of the bets. “The revenue need to have a central regulatory have also seen the poker marearned from betting can be utiframework to regulate the online ket continue to grow.Individual lized to augment the infrastrucgaming industry. states have implemented their ture for other sports and enhance At present, the Supreme Court own frameworks to license and tourist facilities,” says FICCI in a has ruled that games of skill are regulate online betting. report published last year. legal and that gambling operators The Federation of Indian The report further states can offer these games to players. Chambers of Commerce and Inthat, “With only horse racing
legally permissible in India, those interested in betting have gone underground, with illegal bookies managing affairs. As is inevitable, the hawala system has awakened to these channels and money laundering has also become an inevitable outcome.” The 276th Report estimates that the present gambling market will be worth $360 million and is expected to rise to $1 billion by 2021. Regulating the industry can assist in increased revenue generation. It stated, “legalizing betting and gambling is not desirable in India in the present scenario. Therefore, the state authorities must ensure enforcement of a complete ban on unlawful betting and gambling.” “The Justice Lodha committee, in its report stated that betting in cricket should be legalized to clean up the game, though fixing matches should be a crime. In addition to this, we are seeing organizations such as the AIGF
deploy self-regulatory frameworks to ensure operators are meeting basic standards,” says Desh Gaurav Sekhri, sports lawyer and author.
T
he UK-based Betting Adda, a website that claims to offer help and advice on sports bettingmainly cricket, to punters from all over the world gets 5,000 new registrations and 500,000 visitors every month from India. The Public Gambling Act of 1867 prohibits running or being in charge of a public gaming house or a ‘Casino’. The penalty for breaking this law is a fine of 200 rupee or imprisonment of up to 3 months. Additionally, this Act prohibits visiting gambling houses, which attracts a fine of 100 rupee or imprisonment of up to one month. However, gambling is a State subject and only States can formulate laws on gambling activities .