Excelsior... Nation

Kerala Chief Minister E K Nayanar

Kerala CM wants policy
measures in union budget
to protect SSI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Feb 25: Kerala Chief Minister E K Nayanar favours policy measures to.....more

Countdown for transport
chaos in capital begins

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: With CNG buses hardly in sight even in the face of the fast approaching......more

Union Home Minister L K Advani

‘National sentiments
have narrowed
geographical distances’

KOHIMA, Feb 25: Union Home Minister L K Advani has said that overwhelming display of national senti.....more

Excess body weight increases risk of
breast cancer: Experts

MUMBAI, Feb 25: Excess body weight increases the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer and adversely.......more

Researchers say most
parents ignorant of
causes of epilepsy

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: Reasons ranging from mental illness, injuries at birth and meningitis (brain fever) to sibling rivalry, death of a family member and eclipse are cited as causes of epilepsy by many parents of epileptic .....more

Mamata Banerjee

Mamata to use innovative measures to mop up addl resources

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: Some innovative measures to mop up additional revenue, thrust on upgradation of the system, including signaling and telecommunication networks, and allotment of more funds to provide amenities for the traveling public are among the likely highlights of....more

Delhi institute
finds mention in
Limca Records Book

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: A Delhi-based Medical Institute finds a pride of place in the latest edition of Limca ......more

CPI(M) retains
Kadamtala Assembly seat

AGARTALA, Feb 25: The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) retained the Kadamtala Assembly seat....more

Kerala CM wants policy measures in union
budget to protect SSI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Feb 25: Kerala Chief Minister E K Nayanar favours policy measures to figure in the union budget to protect agriculture and industry, particularly Small Scale Industry (SSI) from the adverse impact of the import liberalisation policies.

Replying to a questionnaire from UNI, he said Kerala’s agriculture has already suffered enourmously because of the import liberalisation. Our important crops like coconut and rubber have been particularly affected , he added.

Asked about any incentives needed in the housing sector, he said, we strongly believe that housing is a major instrument of social equalisation. In Kerala, not only does the state plan accord high priority to housing but also the local bodies to whom as much as 40 per cent of the state plan has been allocated, have assigned highest priority to housing in their plans’’.

The Chief Minister said within three years, the local bodies in kerala have assisted people at the grass roots to construct more than three lakh houses during 1997-2000, and in the process generate one crore days of additional employment every year.

We should welcome whatever incentives the central budget can offer for devolution to the local bodies for promoting and assisting housing activity at the local level , he said.

Mr Nayanar described as extremely unfortunate that the domestic saving rate has declined to 22.3 per cent of the GDP.

We cannot speak of accelerating the rate of growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) until and unless we take steps and also offer incentives to promote higher domestic savings if we are serious about achieving higher rates of growth in gdp’’, he said. We have to learn from the experience of not only china but also other far-eastern countries who have been able to achieve higher rates of economic growth on the strength primarily of phenomenally high rates of domestic saving ranging between 30-40 per cent , Mr Nayanar said.

As far as incentives for small savings are concerned, we consider it extremely unfortunate that a mindless recommendation has been made by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council to reduce the interest rate offered to small savings, Mr Nayanar said.

Asked if he would suggest any change in the distribution of revenue between the Centre and state, Mr Nayanar said the Inter-State Council (ISC), at its meeting way back in July 1997 had reached a consensus that the share of the states in the total gross proceeds of total central taxes should be fixed at significantly above 29 per cent recommended by the Tenth Finance Commission.

However, the Eleventh Finance Commission (EFC) has effectively reduced the share of states to less than 29.1 per cent of the net proceeds. We are of the strong view that the share of states should be fixed at not less than 33 per cent of the gross proceeds of total central tax revenues, to begin with , he said.

About the Centre’s attempts to link devolution of funds to states with the implementation of state-specific reform programme, Mr Nayanar said, we have to stick to the stand that the constitution does not permit any linkage of the statutory grants in aid fixed by a finance commission to the performance of states in a programme of fiscal reform.

The scheme drawn up by efc for a monitorable state specific fiscal reform programme and linking the release of a portion of the statutory grants in aid to the performance in such a monitorable programme of fiscal reform only confirms our suspicion that the whole scheme is designed to invade the limited authonomy of the State Governments in regard to their fiscal management, he added. I had proposed to the prime minister that a meeting of the Inter State Council be convened to discuss the scheme proposed by EFC before it is implemented , Mr Nayanar said. About calamity relief, Mr Nayanar said the Centre should assume far greater responsibility to cope with natural calamities of extreme severity than just making additional financial provisions or creating a special fund as recommended by EFC.

When such disasters occur in any part of the country, the need of the hour is not just financial, but also physical. The prevalent trend to entrust the entire responsibility of coping with disasters on the states is not conducive to effective management of things in such exigencies , he said.

Mr Nayanar said the current problem of industrial recession was primarily the outcome of the trade libralisation policies of the centre. We look forward to the coming central budget to take steps to undo the damage being caused by such policies , he added.

He expressed himself to be in favour of imposing tax on large landholding just as persons with agricultural income above a basic minimum are liable to pay the income tax.

About the problems faced by the exporting community in Kerala, he said growers of export crops as well as import substitute crops have to be encouraged to increase their productivity and thereby enhance the value added per hectare of land. Crop specific incentives have to be provided and supplemented by technical and extension support.

Although in comparison to most other states. Kerala’s performance in terms of economic growth as well as poverty reduction has been extremely satisfactory, there is no doubt that the state could have performed distinctly better if only the all India financial institutions and banks were extending larger credit within Kerala, he said.

At present, the share of Kerala in the credit extended by financial institutions is extremely low and the credit deposit ratio of banks is below the RBI norm. Additionally, credit to the core priority sector, namely sectors like agriculture and small scale industry, is declining as a ratio of even the low credit deposit ratio.

The State Government has to be far more active in demanding at least its minimal share in the credit extended by financial institution and banks, he added. (UNI)

Countdown for transport chaos in capital begins

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: With CNG buses hardly in sight even in the face of the fast approaching March 31 deadline of the Supreme Court, management of public schools and parents are groping for alternative transport arrangements for more than 20 lakh students in the capital.

The Delhi Government has left it to the school management and parents to find a solution. "Government schools function on the neighbourhood concept and do not hire buses. It (the crisis) is something the management of public schools will have to take care of," says Delhi Education Minister Dr Narendra Nath.

"Only 15 per cent of children of public schools would be affected on account of withdrawal of DTC buses ... Delhi is the only state in the country to provide Government-run buses to private schools," he says while suggesting that the respective school management arrange their own transport.

At a meeting to take stock of the impending crisis, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Transport Minister Parvez Hashmi urged public sector banks to come out with financial incentives for bus operators for purchase of CNG buses or switch-over to cleaner fuels.

There have been reports of schools planning to advance the summer vacation by at least a month and the conflicting statements of Dr Nath and Mr Hashmi on the issue have only compounded the confusion. Mr Hashmi had indicated that the Government would seriously consider advancing summer vacations from April 1 if a solution to the crisis eluded the schools while Dr Nath said the vacations would start from May 1 as scheduled.

Mr Hashmi hopes to provide not more than 500 cng buses of the requisite nearly 7000-8000 by March 31 and wanted the school authorities and parents’ bodies to mutually hammer out a solution.

As per data of 1997-98, out of 5471 schools, there are 957 public schools (17.4 per cent). Most of the public schools have either their own transport vehicles or hire buses from private operators. The Government-run DTC provides around 850 buses for schools.

"The school authorities never placed orders for cng buses following the Supreme Court order, leading to the present crisis," Mr Hashmi points out. "The public schools never bother to show their balanace sheets to the Government ... Let them show me the balance sheet first before rushing to the Government for CNG buses."

The school authorities, meanwhile, have started regular meetings of the Parents-Teachers Associations (PTAs) to find a way out. "We are already experimenting with car pool-in, but this can be used only on a very limited scale," says Ms Prabhjot Baruah, who teaches in Delhi Public School, Mathura road.

"There are 5000 students in the school and one will need 1000 cars for their transportation. Also, the security of children will be put in jeopardy because it will be difficult to keep track of strangers. Besides, parking so many vehicles will be a nightmare," she adds in the same breath.

Caught in a cleftstick, Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh (DAM), an umbrella body of parents, has urged the Centre to intervene and decided to hold a protest march outside the Delhi Assembly on March 1. DAM has also dashed off a letter to Union Home Minister L K Advani in this connection.

DAM president Vijender Kumar regrets that school authorities are trying to shift the responsibility of providing transport to parents. "How can parents individually take such responsibility which requires massive logistics and involves security concerns of their wards?"

He blames the city Government for trifling with the Supreme Court order which came on July 28, 1998. "If the Government and school managements could not do it in 20 months, how can they expect the parents to do it in 20 days?" (UNI)

‘National sentiments have narrowed
geographical distances’

KOHIMA, Feb 25: Union Home Minister L K Advani has said that overwhelming display of national sentiment coming to the fore at the time of disasters or national crises, as was evident during Kargil war or the devastating earthquake in Gujarat, narrow geographical distances.

"Geographical distance often leads to emotional distance thus creating strong national sentiments," Advani said addressing a banquet hosted in his honour by Nagaland Chief Minister S C Jamir last night.

This was evident when bodies of martyrs of Kargil conflict were taken home with great national honour. "Four naga soldiers had died during the Kargil conflict and the response and acclaim they received when bodies were brought back home was something seen to be believed," he said.

Similar national sentiments again came to the fore after the killer quake in Gujarat when people of all hues lent a helping hand to victims.

Advani lauded the improvement in situation in insurgency-hit Nagaland saying "views about nagaland from a distance is often wrong."

On the contrary "the image of turmoil Nagaland has the kind of peace I have seen here is heartening," Advani said.

He said his Government was committed to improving centre-state relations and strengthening national integration. (PTI)

Excess body weight increases risk of
breast cancer: Experts

MUMBAI, Feb 25: Excess body weight increases the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer and adversely affects the subsequent malignant progression, say experts.

Participating in a two day international seminar, "molecular targets in cancer cells" which began here yesterday, Mr Kei Nakachi, a cancer expert from Japan said there was a need for developing a new strategy for preventing the genesis and progression of breast cancer.

The experts were of the opinion that harmonal factors and ionising radiation influence the risk of breast cancer.

Recent findings suggest that the molecular significance of increase Body Mass Index (BMI) represent increased expression of insulin like growth factors, which result in development of post-menopausal breast cancer and its progression mediated through modulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis, mr nakachi said and added that the data collected indicated a molecular target for preventing the genesis and progression of the breast cancer.

Scientists in Japan were developing a custom array, to be used specifically, for predicting the progression of pre-malignant lesions and also the efficacy of hormone therapy, on the basis of microarray analysis of estrogen responses, he said.

Dr Steven Narod, from the Centre of Research on Women’s Health, University of Toronto, said the risk factors for breast cancer included genetic pre-disposition, hormonal medications and reproductive history. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the two genes associated with modest increase in breast cancer risk.

The long term oral contraceptive use also increses the risk. The risk of recurrent ipsilateral breast cancer can be reduced by radiotherapy and that of contralateral breast cancer by tamoxifen, chemotherapy and by oophorectomy, he added.

Dr Kishore Choudhary, Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said an estimated 806,000 people would develop cancer in India this year as per the data available from population based cancer registeries functioning under the national cancer registry program of the ICMR.

Dr Chaudhary said the most common cancers among men are of lung, bronchus, stomach, oesophagus, oral cavity, pharynx and rectum. Cancer of the cervix and breast are most common among women followed by oral cavity, esophagus, ovary and stomach. The incidence of cancer of gall bladder is high in Delhi. Time trend analysis of data from population based cancer registries show different trends in change of cancer incidence.

Dr Rnrico Mihich from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York, said cancer therapeutics has made good progress and major problems need to be overcome before cancer therapeutics could be considered of generalised value towards achieving curative effects against neoplastic diseases. (UNI)

Researchers say most parents ignorant of
causes of epilepsy

Most parents accept their child’s condition as seizures but only eight per cent know it for epilepsy, says the study carried out by Delhi-based NGO action epilepsy India in collaboration with Kalavati Saran children’s hospital.

According to Priya and Amrita Jain, co-authors of the study, epilepsy and seizures are commonly seen as two different conditions. Interestingly, they say, many parents who did not know the reason for seizures offered an explanation similar to those who said they knew why their child had seizures.

The study covered parents or caregivers of 104 children ( 68 per cent boys and 32 per cent girls), all belonging to a low socio-economic background. Most parents hailed from West Delhi and some travelled from as far away as Kathmandu(Nepal), Bikaner(Rajasthan) and Bihar.

As much as 80 per cent of the parents said they did not know why seizures happened. Parents offered many reasons depending on what they had been told by doctors, what they understood and what they believed was the matter with their child. These included superstitious explanations, paranormal or supernatural phenomenon, excessive cold or heat, hyperactivity, calcium deficiency, alcohol and unhygienic surroundings.

The study findings were released at a recent conference here on "Epilepsy: A public health priority in Asian Oceanian region". Its objective was to assess the knowledge and practices among parents of children attending an epilpsy clinic (at Kalavati hospital).

Although epilepsy is a brain disorder, it is often mistakenly believed to be a mental illness or to be caused by supernatural powers, says Priya. It is also widely and erroneously believed to be an infectious disease.

Thirtynine per cent of the parents interviewed said they consulted a local doctor or hospital when their child had a seizure. Many parents reported that an injection stopped the seizure. However, they were ignorant of the type of injection administered by the local doctors.

During a seizure, 11.5 per cent of the parents carried out potentially harmful practices such as putting a spoon or forcing water down the child’s mouth, trying to shake the child or straighten the limbs or give oral medication.

Among school-going children, 75 per cent had informed the school about their child’s seizure. Most parents were concerned about their child having seizures while in school while some parents had not informed the authorities for fear that their ward would be denied admission.

Sixtyone per cent of the parents also wanted to be informed of their child’s seizures in school and did not want teachers to hit their child. Parents of 46 school-going children told the school about their child’s condition for reasons of safety, better care and attention.

The study concludes that a large number of parents need basic information for an understanding of epilepsy, especially with regard to first aid management. Majority of the parents were ignorant about the facts about epilepsy and their concerns were mostly to do with treatment, effect of seizures, medication and first aid.

According to the Asia Oceania declaration adopted at the Delhi conference, approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy. The disease can have serious medical, psychological, social and economic consequences for both the patient and family.

It is often not realised that epilepsy is treatable and that most people with the disease can lead productive lives as a result of relatively inexpensive treatment. Epilepsy impacts most severely on the period of childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and its preventable causes are poor perinatal care, parasitic infestations, head trauma and consanguineous marriages, says the declaration. (UNI)

Mamata to use innovative measures to
mop up addl resources

Ms Banerjee, who has reportedly succeeded in avoiding the pressure to revise the fare structure upwards, is likely to rationalise the freight structure with a minimum impact on the overall price index. Substantial funds are also expected for implementing safety projects as recommended by the Khanna Commission and other experts over the years, it is learnt.

She intends to involve the private sector in the development and spread of the railways and is expected to oppose again the reported pressure to privatise it. She is also expected to announce introduction of several new trains and extension of some others for the benefit of the travelling public.

Another area which will be accorded priority in the matter of allocation of funds will be the on-going projects spread all over the country. She has instructed the officials concerned that such projects should be completed first as scheduled to avoid escalation in cost’s instead of taking up new ones.

The northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, and other backward regions are likely to get a fair deal in the budget despite severe resource crunch facing the railways, the sources said. (UNI)