NESO accuses Centre of step- motherly attitude towards NE

ITANAGAR, Oct 1: The North East Students Organisation (NESO) has criticised the Centre for showing a "step-motherly" attitude towards States of the Northeaste and demanded an early solution to the infiltration problem which had been affecting the region.

NESO chairman Samujjal Bhattacharya told reporters here yesterday that the Centre was "not serious" about the large-scale infiltration along the Indo-Bangla border in the region. Such infiltration was a "serious threat" to the country’s territorial integrity, he added.

The Centre had admitted in the floor of Parliament that ISI and Al Qaeda activists were active in the Northeast but was not taking any concrete measures to check their movement, he alleged.

Measures had been taken long the Indo-Pak border following reports of infiltration from the neighbouring country but the Centre had not even initiated the slightest measure to curb infiltration in the Northeastern region’’, he said.

If infiltration in the North East continued, the situation of the region would become more dangerous than Kashmir, he cautioned. Referring to the region’s insurgency problem, Mr Bhattacharya said it could only be solved through a political dialogue. He also demanded immediate scrapping of the IMDT Act stating that it would "help" the terrorists from across the border.

Highlighting to the region’s unemployment situation, he said the jobs, reserved for the candidates of Northeast, were being given to the outsiders. He also demanded cent per cent job reservation for inhabitants of the region.

Expressing concern over the "deteriorating" educational scenario, NESO Advisor Arthax Shimrey said political interference in the sector should not be allowed. (UNI)

President, PM stress on social relevance of Cinema

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: President APJ Adul Kalam today described films as a powerful medium of entertainment, education and artistic expression and hoped the 33rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) starting this evening will enhance international appreciation of this unique medium.

Extending his greetings to the foreign and domestic participants at the ten-day fiesta, the President hoped that the festival would serve to foster creative mutuality among the film-makers of the world.

"Films are a powerful medium of entertainment, information, education and artistic expression. The Cinema has a significant role in moulding the taste and values of people and in bringing about changes in society," Dr Kalam added.

Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said IFFI could take legitimate pride in showcasing the finest films from all parts of the world and providing an opportunity to filmmakers to exchange their experiences.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a known film buff himself, observed that cinema, besides being a medium of entertainment, also shaped social and cultural values.

"In a developing country like India, therefore, cinema must be socially relevant a well as responsible. International film festivals, which foster exchange of ideas, are particularly important from this point of view as they provide a forum for learning from others. The international film festival of India has been providing our film makers and film personalities with such a platform," Mr Vajpayee added.

Deputy Prime Minister I K Advani, also a keen film watcher, hoped the 33rd IFFI would provide viewers an opportunity to see the best of world cinema and the Indian Film Industry would receive a fresh FILLIP.

The 33rd International Film Festival of India would be inaguruated by melody queen Lata Mangeshkar at the siri fort complex here this evening. The opening film is the award winning "Bicho De Sete Cabecas’’(Brainstorm) by Brazilian Director Iais Bodanzky.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said apart from being an expression of art and creativity, cinema also served as an important ecnomic activity, contributing to income and employment generation.

"The entertainment sector, as predicted, has a bright future and will witness high rates of growth. In this context, this year, we are organising the IFFI market in a focused manner. We hope IFFI will not only be a fest for the eyes but also a platform for all commercial activities related to films,’’ she added.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ramesh Bais said films had the power to touch the inner core of every person, making him or her experience a whole gamut of emotions in a brief spell of an audio-visual spectacle.

The 33rd IFFI had special significance at a time when Indian films were making a mark in the far corners of the world, he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, whose Government is a co-host of the festival alongwith the directorate of film festivals, expressed happiness that the people of the capital would get an opportunity to view the best of films from across the world.

"Cinema not only reflects contemporary society but also serves as an inspiration force that guides various social dynamics,’’ Mrs Dikshit added.(UNI)

Homeopathy university being set up in Mauritius

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: Mauritius is setting-up a homeopathy university to promote the traditional medicine system in the island nation as well as in the entire region to tackle dreaded diseases like HIV-AIDS.

Delivering the key-note address at the international seminar on hoemopathy here, Mauritius Health and Quality of Life Minister Ashok Jugnauth while inviting Indian professionals to participate in the venture. Said that it was an undeniable fact that economic development of any country was linked to the health of its citizens.

Health contributes to the overall increase in growth and investment as the health sector is now a major tool of macroeconomic policy and planning.

Mr Jugnauth said his Goverment considered health to be the core of development and cited the example of mauritius as an example of which has achieved considerable economic growth and prosperity without sacrificing the long established commitment to social development.

Indeed, it was this very basis which resulted in the economic growth averaging five per cent annually made possible due to continued good performance of the agriculture, maufacturing, tourism and service sectors.

Similarly, the average per capita income, which was Rs 1,000 in 1970’s, had now increased to around 4,000 US dollars per annum, he said. Mr Jugnauth said his country’s economic policies was aimed at maintaining a high GDP rate along with micro economic stability and social justice. The next phase of development would be characterised by a shift from export manufacturing to off-shore services as per ‘vision-2020’.

Implementation of the project to make mauritius a cyber island was currently underway with Indian assistance. The Government aimed to establish a thriving competitive modern society situated within a dynamic international environment, he said.

Talking about the health of the population in his country, Mr Jugnauth said it had been improving over the last 30 years with life expectancy having increased to 67.4 years for males and 74.6 years for females as compared to the average of 49.8 years in 1952.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) registered a dramatic decline from 142.8 per 1,000 live births in 1940 to 14.3 in 2001 and nearly cent per cent mauritian children wene immunised today against BCG, DPT, poliomyelitis and measles.

Infectious diseases were no longer a major health problem and there were just 216 cases of aids last year, he said.

However, the Mauritian minister said their major concern now was the prevalance of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), like cardiovascular and cerebrovascular ailments, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and high cholestrol.

Various programmes including prevention, health promotion and education as well as early detection, medical and surgical treatment services developed with the support of World Health Organisation (WHO) and friendly countries like India were being implemented to counteract the challenges of ncd’s at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, he informed.

Mauritius practices traditional medicine which includes allopathic treatment, ayurvedic, acupuncture and homeopathy. (UNI)

AIIMS conference on Hepatitis, liver Cancer on Oct 5-6

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: A two-day international conference on ‘Current perspective in liver diseases-2002’ would be held at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here from October 5 to increase awareness about hepatitis and disseminate information on the technological advancing in the management of liver Cancer that claims about 300,000 lives every year.

Eminent Gastroenterologist and Chairperson of the conference RK Tondon told reporters here that the theme of meet would be "Hepatocellular Cancer’’ caused by acute infection of hepatitis B and C Virus. The conference would focus on the mechanism of liver Cancer, the diagnostic modalities and various advanced treatment options for it.

Though the burden of liver disease in India was quite large, there was a dearth of experts in the field of Hepatology with only twelve institutions in the country teaching the subject.

The information explosion and advances in the field of liver diseases during the past two decades have been impressive and have changed the concept of prevention, diagnosis and therapy in liver disease, but due to lack of resources, access to such advanced approach to manage liver disease was limited in the country, he said.

Despite the lack of registry for Hepatitis and other liver disease, information retrieved from data in tertiary care hospitals and research publication indicate about 40 million Hepatitis B carriers and 15 million people with Hepatitis C infections in the country.

If 15 to 20 per cent of these people develop Cirrhosis or liver Cancer over 15 years period, about 8 million HBV and 3 million HCV infected people may develop cirrhosis and/or liver Cancer. Annually about 300,000 people die of liver failure in India, he informed.

Therapy and prevention of liver Cancer was possible now with impressive results, he said, and added that detection at early stage make treatment easy and effective. For early diagnosis high risk group of patient for liver Cancer have been identified.

Therefore, the conference, in which about 300 Indian experts and international faculty participate, would strive to make Doctors know about the latest diagnostic and treatment facilities available for the disease. Live video show of advanced techniques for treatment of liver Cancer like Radio Frequency ablation and Percutaneous Ethnol injection would be demonstrated during the conference.

Dr Philip Abraham and Dr K Mohandas from Mumbai would deliberate on epidemiology of liver Cancer in India and Dr Ikeda, a top notch Hepatologist from Japan working on liver Cancer, would deliberate on probability and risk factors in liver Cancer, Dr SK Acharya, course coordinator for the conference, said.

He said Dr Mizokami from Japan would focus on Hepatitis b Virus genotypes and their association with liver Cancer which was probably the most recent knowledge acquired in the field of liver Cancer.

Dr Vincente Arroyo from Spain would speak on various aspects of ascites. Clinical topics like Hepatitis and Encephalopathy would be discussed. Dr K Mullen from the US, Dr Davis from the UK and many famous Indian Hepatologists will deliberate on various liver diseases relevant to India.

Hepatitis E has been endemic to India with multiple epidemics of it occurring. In Delhi also, it was very frequent and pregnant women were at high risk of developing acute liver failure during such epidemics. Diseases like non cirrhotic portal fibrosis, extra Hepatic protal venous obstruction and liver abscesses were also quite common in India.

Dr Tondon said Hepatitis B and C were transmitted horizontally through contaminated needle use, blood tranfusion and sexual contact so steps should be made to increase awareness about it. Though vaccination for the disease was available but it strategy to

implement it should be rational so that it covers a majority of the population. (AGENCIES)

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