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EDITORIAL Escape of another most wanted militant from police lock up in Rajouri police station puts a big question mark on the efficacy of the system in vogue. Belatedly escapades have become a common feature and reasons thereof are the same. Whichever way one looks, such escapades of the dreaded terrorists from jails/police lock-ups are not possible except with the total connivance of those assigned the task of security........more Heart-burns caused amongst NDA allies on revocation of orders banning government servants joining RSS first in Gujarat and then in UP show all the signs of abatement. First, it was the RSS Chief who made it amply clear that at no time government has been pressurised or approached to revoke the ban. He also says that RSS is against joining of civil service by its cadres. If some state government revokes the orders on is own, RSS..........more |
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Bihar : Laloo UP By - Polls acid Clinton's South Asia Water: Acute Detecting |
EDITORIAL Escape of another most wanted militant from police lock up in Rajouri police station puts a big question mark on the efficacy of the system in vogue. Belatedly escapades have become a common feature and reasons thereof are the same. Whichever way one looks, such escapades of the dreaded terrorists from jails/police lock-ups are not possible except with the total connivance of those assigned the task of security. Some days back it was escape from Srinagar lock-up whence some cops have been suspended. As usual high level enquiry follows. There is also total alert to nab the escapadee. It is conveniently forgotten that the terrorist who escaped during the night cannot be nabbed again by any stretch of imagination if search operations are launched following morning. It is just eyewash and befooling the public who remain major victim of terrorists' tyranny. It is also forgotten that such dreaded ultras are nabbed at huge cost of sacrifices by the security forces. In the instant case Rajouri police station was specially briefed for tightening the security as the terrorist handed over to them was one of the most wanted. Despite such instructions escape occurs from the police lock-up. Some months back there was that escape from Ramgarh police lock-up when cops guarding them were not only duped but even killed. Till this day, escapees are untraced. It is certain that too much bonhomie between the hardened ultras thus detained and the concerned security personnel facilitates escapades. There is absolutely no doubt that money exchange hands as ultras have enough of counterfeit currency to pay the concerned any desired amount. One can as well mention tunnelling of the high security jail which too was facilitated by the connivance of the staff who provided them with all the tools, lights and other wherewithals. Above all, they remained dumb-folded refusing to hear any noise emanating from digging. There was that Kaka Hussain escape that occured during transit from jail to court. Till this day he remains elusive. One can as well mention money flowing into lock-ups and jails liberally so that detenues could buy any service. There are reports of daily meetings being allowed in quite disregard of jail manual which permits only one meeting in a fortnight. Some months back there was that letter from Pak CEO to one of the Hurriyat detenues in Jodhpur jail. It is apparent that those detained wield tremendous clout within the police and ruling hierarchy or their mentors succeed in establishing such contacts. Sometime back there was the report of Rs 1000 paid to all the dreaded ultras detained in high security jail by one of their 'well-wishers' within the hierarchy. Such well-wishers are duly identified but there is typical inaction and muteness whenever question about their integrity and nationalist credentials is raised. From the above it is evident that nothing is well with the system. Cross-check with various functionaries is quite revealing. Sometime it is the ruling clan ringing up the security personnel for releasing so and so as he belongs to their party. Sometime it is the other way round when police nabs suspected ultras with security agencies claiming the detained person as their 'contact' man. This nasty business of giving short shrift to national security goes on unabated. The malaise has become quite malignant afflicting almost all jails and all police lock-ups. If present system persists, it would be safe to surmise that Pak sponsored terrorism has all the ingredients of getting accelerated. The tragedy gets compounded because punishment awarded to those facilitating escapades is either conspicuous by its absence or given heart-heartedly. For all one knows suspension is no remedy nor a deterrent. Even outright dismissal is not enough. Such moles have to be dealt with ruthlessly and booked on substantial charges of treason by joining the enemy constructively in their sordid pursuits. What use it is to order suspensions if they get rehabilitated twice-once at the hands of the government when the heat diminishes and second at the hands of ISI which of course rewards them handsomely in the escape deals. In other words incentives to facilitate escapes remain very attractive in the absence of any deterrent punishment to the guilty. They shall ever remain a standing shame on the belted service that is meant to provide security of life and property to the people and not facilitate escapades of the ultras. In this context it would be quite apt to demand a white paper on all the escapades right from 1990 till date and action taken by the administration in streamlining the administration and/or awarding deterrent punishment to those who abetted in the escapades as also those suspended but subsequently suspension revoked. This is essential to revamp jails/police lock-ups where dreaded ultras are detained. If the problem is not addressed by the state administration seriously, it would lead to disastrous consequences as regards ongoing insurgency. All loopholes must be plugged immediately and jail managers and/or incharge police stations held personally responsible for any escapade. Heart-burns caused amongst NDA allies on revocation of orders banning government servants joining RSS first in Gujarat and then in UP show all the signs of abatement. First, it was the RSS Chief who made it amply clear that at no time government has been pressurised or approached to revoke the ban. He also says that RSS is against joining of civil service by its cadres. If some state government revokes the orders on is own, RSS has nothing to do with it. Earlier to this Prime Minister had cautioned Sangh Parivar about crossing the Lakshman Rekha as BJP is part of NDA and it has to govern the country as per National Agenda of Governance and not as per whims and fancies of Sangh Parivar. Anything that results in fissures amongst NDA partners is subject to exploitation by the opposition parties. As things stand government has many problems on hand and it can ill afford the luxury of further controversies that perforce annoy its allies. Right from the beginning Vajpayee has made it amply clear that BJP has no agenda other than what is dictated by NDA. It is to be noted that Congress party and others in the opposition are short of issues and no opportunity should be offered to them in terms of issues being handed over on a platter. That is the best bet to run full five year term and take the country forward by meaningful governance. It is quite statesmanlike on the part of Prime Minister to assert that central government has no proposal to give permission to government servants to participate in RSS activites. This puts a lid on the controversy that has surfaced at an in- opportune time as assembly elections in four states are in progress. |
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Bihar : Laloo
losing support The Jungle Raj in Bihar is per-haps the biggest issue before all the major political forces as the State Assembly Elections approach closer. But, liberating Bihar from Laloo's clutches, still appears to be an uphill task for the opposition parties, despite the sharp decline in Laloo's support base. Even as secularism and social justice continue to remain the basic issues in power political, it would be wrong to conclude that the so-called messiah of social justice and communal harmony, Laloo Prasad Yadav, managed to survive, through all odds, because of his commitment to these principles. Laloo's sudden political rise during the early 1990s was a reaction against upper caste dominance in public life. The reactionary politics sponsored by the fundamentalist groups of the Hindus and Muslims helped Yadav to become a pioneer of secular movement in the post-Mandal era. Though the so-called communal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set aside all controversial issues for the time being, the minority communities, especially the Muslims and Christians, still look upon it with suspicion. But, Laloo's Muslim-Yadav support base no more remains intact as evident from recent political developments. In Gaya, Laloo's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) workers indulged in fist-fighting with each other in his presence. Supporters of former Jehanabad MP, Surendra Yadav, and Belaganj MLA, Mahesh Singh Yadav, exchanged fire with each other. And, in Kishanganj, RJD General Secretary Mohammad Teslimuddin publicly criticised Laloo's style of functioning. RJD chief's announcement to grant party tickets to leaders with clean image seems to have had no significant impact on improving the party's image. Earlier, Laloo had asked the district units of his party to send five names for each assembly seat. Now the RJD has started selling nominated forms in a traditional way. And, all are aware that the ticket distribution shall ultimately be done at Laloo's discretion. Yadavisation of Mandal pierced sharp divisions among the backwards over the years. The State badly failed to utilise the allocations made by the Centre and funds available from other sources in the country, while Laloo went on repeating his commitment for the development of his state. His much-hyped foreign tours to fetch Non-Resident Indian (NRI) investment yielded little. Other poverty alleviation schemes failed to take-off due to lack of State support. A series of scams, thereafter, exposed the real face of the secular forces of social justice. But, as the issue of corruption in public life has become redundant in current power politics, Laloo has concentrated more on settling personal scores with his rivals. To strengthen his position in the party, he blatantly promoted his family members. Old socialists, who had seen many ups and downs since 1980, patiently toed the Laloo line, for they thought that the leader's charisma alone would help them win the elections again. Even today, Laloo warns his defiant party cadres that they would be reduced to ashes if the present government in the State is thrown out of power. But, the results of the last three Lok Sabha elections clearly indicate that the leader's charisma is no more sufficient enough to fight out all odds. Hence, the desperate hunt for viable alternatives. The BJP-JD (U) combine in Bihar is now being looked upon with great expectation. After taking Laloo by horns, this front has steadily marched ahead to bring an end to the jungle raj in the poverty-stricken state. No matter who will become the next Chief Minister, the sole aim now is to oust Laloo first. Afterall, Laloo has enjoyed power for one full decade because of sharp division in opposition votes. Caste factors ultimately play the decisive role in Bihar politics. The upper castes and a sizeable section of the backwards, who feel cheated by the Laloovian theory of social justice are eager to grab the opportunity to prove their point. Reunification of old socialists in Janata Dal (U) may have yielded fruitful results during the last parliamentary elections. The old Samata Party cadres are still unable to digest the leadership of Mandal messiah Sharad Yadav. The Nitish loyalists, in particular, are now more worried about the fate of their old slogan, Bihar ka mukhyamantri kaisaho ? Nitish Kumar jaisa ho. In fact, the entire old BJP-Samata combine now eagerly awaits the returns for the sacrifices made by it since 1996. This front is now also faced with an uphill task of satiating all those sections of voters who stood by it through thick and thin during the last one decade. Vajpayee has already antagonised the Brahmins, Nishads, Koeris and so on, by not inducting their representatives in his cabinet. The latest Samata Party-Janata Dal deadlock is another shot in the arm for the belligerent Laloo brigade. Ground realities ultimately play the decisive role in current power politics. In Gaya district, RSS cadres have joined hands with the ultra-leftists outfit MCC, to fight out the dreaded pathans. The RSS has intensified its Ghar Vapsi (Hinduisation) campaign in the Chhotanagpur plateau region. Almost all leading parties have been taking the support of banned outfits like MCC, CPI-ML (PU-PW) and Ranveer Sena to win the elections. Under the prevailing circumstances, BJP-JD (U) combine may succeed in ousting Laloo in the coming assembly elections. But, will they end the Jungle Raj in the state ? That remains to be seen. PTI Feature |
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Clinton's South Asia visit and
his hamletian dilemma The announcement of President Bill Clinton's visit to India in March indicates the extent to which relations between this country and the United States have warmed since the freeze of the post-Pokhran period in 1998. The indication is all the more pronounced because the visit _ the first by an US President to India since Mr. Jimmy Carter's in 1978 _ has been scheduled even without India agreeing to sign the CTBT. In fact neither the CTBT nor the Kashmir issue will be central to the visit. The latter's focus, according to an official of the Ministry of External Affairs will be on a "new vision" which will "pave the way for a qualitatively new and closer relationship between the two democracies." This, ideally, is how it should be. Both countries, democracies committed to the furtherance of human freedom, have several common or complementary interests. India, a large country with a developing economy on the upturn, offers to the US a huge market; the US can provide this country with much needed investment to accelerate growth. Besides, both _ India much more so than the US _ are threatened by fanatical Islamic terrorists. Whether the Clinton visit will lead to the kind of qualitative change in the ties between the two countries that is being talked about, will depend on several factors, including Washington DC's policy towards Pakistan's military regime. While it is true that New Delhi should not be obsessed with Pakistan, a much smaller country in a mess, and should regard its ties with the US as a separate matter, New Delhi cannot ignore two facts. First, Pakistan is relentlessly escalating the proxy war it has been waging against India for more than two decades. Secondly, the US, which controls access to international institutional finance essential to the revival of Pakistan's tottering economy, and arms and spares that its armed forces badly need, can play an important role in reining Pakistan in. A powerful lobby in Washington DC, however, argues that the US should not abandon Pakistan, an old ally which will fall apart if it does, destabilising the region. Instead, it should continue to engage that country's ruling junta to ensure the restoration of democracy and the curbing of the fanatical Islamic armies, there. Mr. Clinton must, therefore, visit Pakistan during his trip to the sub-continent. The argument is engaging but overlooks the fact that his visit will mean an endorsement of the junta's rule and encourage it to believe that it can persist with its present ways without attracting serious US displeasure. Hence the escalation of its proxy war against India will continue. On the other hand, it will be a shock treatment for it if Mr. Clinton skips Pakistan. Inevitably, there will be sounds of some gleeful chortling from India which will be like rubbing salt into Pakistan's wounds. How the military regime or the fundamentalist groups in Pakistan will react to the "insult" cannot but cause concern in the US. Such a baleful scenario is being projected strongly by those eager to bring about a Clinton stopover in Pakistan. The protagonists of such a visit in the Pentagon and the CIA have been joined by pro-Pak elements within the State Department. On the other hand, if Clinton does visit Pakistan, India and many members of Congress will lambast him for encouraging a military dictatorship equating it with a stable democracy. An intriguing compromise solution that surfaced in Pakistan was for Clinton to avoid Islamabad, but to land for a few hours in some other city like Lahore, where he would share a meal with Musharraf. Such an option could not even have been remotely considered in Washington because it would have been a totally no-win situation: Most Pakistanis would have been angered by the devalued visit; at the same time, opponents of the Pak visit in the US would have excoriated the President for stopping over at all, for however short a period. The Musharraf regime is not without powerful professional help in promoting its cause in America's corridors of power. One source of strength is Lanny Davis, who works for the well-known legal firm of Patter Boggs and has been hired by Pakistan as a lobbyist. More significantly, Davis was President Clinton's personal lawyer in the Monica Lewinsky case and presumably has direct access to him. In fact, Davis worked successfully to arrange the release of the stuck F-16 funds to Pakistan. He has reportedly been striving to ensure that Clinton does not strike Pakistan off the list of his South Asia trip. Another influential lobbyist for Pakistan is former Congressman Charlie Wilson. Wilson, who has considerable clout among his former colleagues, has been working hard to see that Clinton does go to Pakistan. Ranged against all the above are senior members of the Congressional India Caucus, other administration officials, think tank specialists and area experts who advocate that Clinton should not visit Pakistan until the military regime halts support to terrorist outfits and moves towards swift democratic elections. New York Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman, current India Caucus co-chairman, urged Clinton to keep away from Pakistan until he received iron-clad guarantees that Islamabad would halt all support to terrorist groups, close all terrorist training camps, and conduct internationally-supervised democratic elections. A day earlier, New Jersey Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., founder and former co-chairman of the Caucus, wrote to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright asking for Pakistan to be designated as a state that sponsors terrorism. Pallone also has introduced a House resolution recommending such a course of action. Both Congressmen are trying to strengthen the administration's resolve by providing political cover for the repudiation and ostracism of the military regime. They are aware they have to balance and neutralise the pro-Pakistan pressure on the President. It has been a regular tug of war, which explains the administration's snail-like pace of arriving at a decision on whether or not to include Pakistan in the President's itinerary. Incidentally, there is one electoral factor that militates against the President deciding to include Pakistan in his list. It may be recalled that during his 1994 presidential election campaign, Clinton got a lot of mileage out of accusing the then President George Bush of "coddling dictators" in Beijing. If Clinton visits Pakistan, it would be sweet revenge for presidential candidate George Bush, son of the former president, to charge the Clinton-Gore administration with coddling dictators in Islamabad. Clinton's sins would then be visited upon Vice-President Al Gore, adversely affecting his presidential election prospects against Bush. Given Pakistan's desperate dependence on life-sustaining assistance from the WB and the IMF, a transfusion which the US has the power to terminate it is well within the realms of possibility that the junta in Islamabad will capitulate with a series of conciliatory gestures. But the US will do well to remember that the gestures are unlikely to be translated into concrete action. For, the junta faces an even a more perilous future if it is seen to kowtow to Washington it might be swept away in a raging, militant, fundamentalist tide. President Clinton might thus appear to be between a rock and a hard place, but the choice for him is not as stark as pressure groups make it seem. The next few months constitute the swan song of a presidency which has been quite a good despite a few personal and political aberrations here and there. Clinton has raised the geopolitical stature of the nation and the quality of life of the people. Clinton has always had a preoccupation with his presidential legacy, a strong underlying aspiration to leave a favourable imprint on history. However, to be considered a great president, as he earnestly craves to be, he has to be ready to eschew short-term sectarian political benefit for the sake of the greater global good. In other words, Clinton has to decide whether he wants to be a politician seeking respite from proximate problems by visiting Pakistan, or a statesman who stands tall for principles and makes it clear that he will not legitimise a blatant power grab by the Pak military. If Clinton opts for the latter, it could well lead to a widening diplomatic chasm with Pakistan, a chilly breach in bilateral relations, and a possible rise in the terrorist threat. However, out of the ashes of the dangerous drift will rise a new Pakistan which will find its rightful niche in the region and the world. INAV |
Water: Acute shortage by 2025 Water, the elixir of life, is by no stretch of imagination an infinite resource that can be squandered away without any thought for the future. Of course, fresh water is taken for granted by users to be a perpetually abundant resource. Those of us, who are still likely to be able to turn on the tap or pump the well as if the supply were unlimited, need to learn the true value of this most precious resource. In fact, the uneven distribution of global hydrological resources and critical shortage of this vital resource in many parts of the world has led to social tension and regional conflicts. As the gap between the rural and urban water demand increases, the pressure on the availability of fresh water sources also increases. Using the United Nations population projections and assuming that the renewable water resource will remain unchanged, the projection is that some 34 countries, including India, will face an acute water stress by the year 2025. Currently, about 29 countries suffer from moderate to severe water scarcity. It is estimated that the number of people living in water scarce countries will rise from 132 million in 1990 to between 653 million and 904 million in 2055. By the year 2050, the population projected to be living in water scarce countries will rise to between 1.06 billion and 2.43 billion, representing roughly 13 per cent to 20 per cent of the projected global population. While, Africa and parts of West Asia appear particularly vulnerable to increasing water scarcity, the list of potentially affected regions include North-West China, Western and Southern India, large parts of Pakistan and Mexico and Western coasts of USA and South America. Against such a bleak backdrop, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has called for "a greater global synergy to overcome the serious problem of fresh water shortages caused by a combintion of climatic variability, contamination of clean water resources, demographic growth and environmentally harmful human activities." U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan observes, "Access to a secure, safe and sufficient source of fresh water is a fundamental requirement for the survival, well-being and socio-economic development of all humanity. Fresh water is precious. We cannot live without it. It is irreplaceable; there are no substitutes for it. And it is sensitive to human activity, which has a profound impact on the quantity and quality of fresh water available. It depends on how much is used in particular region and what kind of uses it is put to." As in other parts of the world, in India too, the demand for water is growing rapidly. Simultaneously increased water pollution is worsening the imbalance between water supply and demand. While, agricultural lands go thirsty, thousands of villagers find it difficult to get clean drinking water. Moreover, a large portion of fresh water is rendered useless by pollution, evaporation and run off to the sea. No wonder, fresh water crisis is already evident in many parts of India, varying in scale and intensity at different times of the year. Millions do not have access to adequate quantities of fresh water, particularly during the summer months. In the absence of a conjunctive water use strategy and adequate policy intervention, ground water seems to be the only option for exploitation of fresh water. And, this invariably leads to uncontrolled drilling of wells causing overall rates of withdrawal from aquifiers far in excess of replenishable level. Obviously, this overexploitation causes serious environmental problems. In India, excessive extracation of ground water has led to contamination of water sources by flouride, arsenic and iron. Thus, about 45 million people in various parts of India are forced to consume unsafe water with serious consequences to their health and well-being. As things stand now, the 21st century challenge lies in developing a new paradigm in which water become everybody's concern, a paradigm in which the household and the community will enter into a new relationship with an equal stake in water management. Meanwhile, World Health Organisation has expressed concern over the threat to human health from contamination of water resources. As such, it has called for a 'multi-pronged strategy' to keep the sources of fresh water clean and free from contamination. For fresh water is as much important to human health as air for food. PTI Feature |
Detecting counterfeit drugs Although the number of newer and potent drugs of mass use has created a more diversified market, the sale of bogus or expired drugs of laboratories that fail even the most basic rules of hygiene is a growing worry. The recent huge haul of spurious medicines valued at over Rs. 33 lakh and the unearthing of an illegal manufacturing unit in Delhi found supplying spurious medicines _ ranging from life-saying drugs, antibiotics, to multi-vitamin tablets _ to mofussil areas for the last two years under labels of known pharmaceutical brands, has brought into sharp focus the dire need to expeditiously combat this growing menace. A couple of months back, a random raid in Agra helped the unearthing a major drug racket and led to seizure of several life-saving drugs, TB medicines, injections for infants, besides several other faked products. In Orissa, the previous Assembly session witnessed noisy scenes over a thriving racket in hospitals involving doctors, drug manufacturing companies and drug retailers, indulging in supply of substandard medicines and flooding the market with spurious medicines. Various studies have shown that large quantities of such spurious drugs, mostly manufactured in makeshift sheds in isolated places in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar etc., find their way into other states through an unethical marketing network. Many renowned pharmaceutical companies in the country are reportedly striving hard to check illegal duplication of their medicines after a 30 to 40 per cent fall in their sales. According to a World Health Organisation study, since the quality of healthcare, especially in developing countries, leaves much to be desired, under-equipped teaching institutions, lack of Governmental recognition or support and poor quality or counterfeit medicines, to mention a few have created avoidable health consequences to a large majority of the poor. However, the magnitude of such manufacture and peddling of fake medicines is mind boggling because the culprits have little concern as to what effect their products can do to the public at large. And with a higher margin given to retailers for settling spurious drugs, the proceeds go to fund other illegal activities. Primarily, the vacillating drug policy in the country has created avoidable problems. But the Government is yet to recognise the need for a rational drug policy as a part of its healthcare policy. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy Authority, set up over two years ago, with the twin objective of setting drug prices and monitoring, has not been able to achieve the desired results. As such 75 bulk drugs, under the pricing control of the Government, by virtue of the Drug Pricing Control Order, 1997, have compounded the problem. Further, with several over-the-counter medicines so easily available, including "H Schedule" drugs without a prescription, the consumer is literally in the dock. Manufacture, import, distribution and sale of drugs in India are governed by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The main objective of the rules framed thereunder is to prevent sub-standards drugs and maintain high standards of medical treatment. Any imitation or substitute, which is likely to deceive or contain a colour that is not prescribed, or the labels that bear any false statement, is considered misbranded. Anybody found violating these provisions can be punished with imprisonment and fine up to Rs. 10,000 or both. But with an enforcement machinery not effectively equipped to deal with the situation, a majority of the common people are subjected to consume slow poison. India, in this field, needs to emulate the US where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines pertaining to sale and marketing of food and drugs are all pervasive. According to Science magazine, on an average it costs $23 million and takes 12 years to do all the necessary testing on a drug to receive FDA approval. Marketing drugs that are unapproved or misbranded constitutes is liable to be sentenced to as much as six years in jail and fines to the tune of $100,000 to $250,000. A single shipment of one product would suffice for conviction and the intent to mislead need not be proved. A new labelling regulation for over the counter non-prescription drugs to enable consumers identify active ingredients, followed by uses, warnings, directions and inactive ingredients is being introduced under which the drug manufacturers are obliged to include a phone number for consumers to call for more information. The requirement makes it obligatory for listing inactive ingredients . In order to allow consumers select products that do not contain ingredients to which they are allergic. The rule also sets minimum type sizes and other graphic features for the standardised format. Though it would cost the industry a whopping $58 million over a two-year period by which all the one lakh over-the-counter drugs are to be covered under the new law, the consumer would save nearly $100 million per year in healthcare costs. To curb the thriving unscrupulous racket that palms off counterfeit drugs with impunity, it is imperative to strengthen quality checks and modernise the drugs control department at district levels. Government inspectors, instead of checking spurious medicines only for absence of the necessary "active ingredients" to declare a drug spurious, must check for harmful substances that may have been added. The penal provisions for selling spurious medicines has to be strictly enforced. An autonomous Intelligence outfit to monitor such activities also merits consideration. Networking of trade and consumer welfare organisations can go a long way in detecting counterfeit drugs. A simple beginning would be to create awareness so that the average consumer purchases drugs only from known chemists with a proper bill. INAV |
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