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| Basu threatens nationwide agitation KOLKATA, Nov 5: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu today threatened a countrywide agitation against the latest hike.....more Birds
disappearing from KOLKATA, Nov 5: Where have all the birds gone from the east Calcutta wetlands?. ......more People
below poverty NEW DELHI, Nov 5: A novel health insurance scheme will be launched soon by the Government to cover more than....more CPI
demands review NEW DELHI, Nov 5: CPI, an outside supporter of the UPA Government, today demanded rollback of the increase in.....more |
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AIDS activists piqued over Centre’s proposal CHENNAI, Nov 5: The United Progressive Alliance Government’s proposal to implement a Rs 8,000-crore rural health......more MUMBAI, Nov 5: In yet another jolt to Bal Thackeray after Shiv Sena’s defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly elections......more Tribal
villages development NEW DELHI, Nov 5: The Government has identified the development of tribal villages as the priority agenda item for.....more J&K
Govt’s controversial SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Jammu and Kashmir Government’s controversial order restricting the number of guests and dishes......more |
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sector facing new challenges: Lakshmi ...... Employees want unions to take non-confront approach: Study ..... Kollywood
plans grand cultural show to felicitate Jayalalithaa
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Basu threatens nationwide agitation KOLKATA, Nov 5: Veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu today threatened a countrywide agitation against the latest hike in prices of petroleum products. The hike was effected against the wishes of the Left parties, he said emerging out of the CPI-M’s weekly state secretariat meeting here. "We will hold demonstrations all over the country to protest the hike in petroleum products prices, particularly LPG", Basu said. Expressing unhappiness over the Government’s decision, he said "we asked them not to do it (hike) now and it can be considered later. But today I saw in the newspaper the Government had once again effected the fuel price hike". "Why they are doing it, I don’t know," he said, adding "I have to talk to my party colleagues to know whether they have objected to the hike." CPI-M politburo member Anil Biswas also expressed his reservation on the matter. CPI-M Parliamentary party leader Basudev Acharya had yesterday said the party would put pressure on the UPA Government for a rollback of prices as it was totally opposed to the latest round of hike. (PTI) |
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Birds disappearing from east Calcutta wetlands KOLKATA, Nov 5: Where have all the birds gone from the east Calcutta wetlands? Changes in the use of land have affected the Avian life in the wetlands to the east of the city which was designated as a Ramsar site in November 2002 and a recent study disclosed that more than 120 varieties of some rare birds have become extinct from there. Hundreds of rare flora and mammals, several species of birds, comprising both local and migratory types like grebe, coot, darter, shag, cormorant, teals, egrets, jacanas, snipes, tern, eagle, sand piper, gulls, rails and kingfishers, were regular visitors of these wetlands. Land use changes over a period of time has led to conversion of some of the largest fish farms from pisciculture to paddy cultivation. "Biodiversity in the east Calcutta wetlands attracted attention of the scientists since 1920 and the first ever systematic study on avian fauna of the region was carried out during 1964-69 by the Zoological Survey of India," said Dr Ashis K Ghosh, Director, Centre for Environment and Development. "A total of 248 bird species representing 20 per cent of the Indian avifauna were recorded which included 90 aquatic birds and 158 land birds. Interestingly, 50 per cent of the aquatic birds were of migratory origin," he added. "The next systematic survey in a smaller geographical area was carried out by an NGO survey team during 1978-83 documenting only 123 species, while the third survey recorded 137 species," said Dr Ghosh. Species like the Bush lark and redwinged Bush lark, Pranklin’s Wren Warbler had been only recorded during 1978-83 but never before or after. "On the other hand, ringed plover, cormorant, blacktailed Godwit and Richard’s Pipit were only noted during 1984-97, while 16 other species appear to have variably established themselves in the area in 1978 onward," he said. Of the 271 species of birds recorded from the east Calcutta wetlands before and after the reclamation of the large wetland area, only 162 species were variably noted during the last 25 years and about 109 species like grey pelican. Darter, black bittern, spoonbill, comb duck, black eagle, grey quail and bluebreatsed quail have become locally extinct, Dr Ghosh said. Additionally, at least 16 species like chestnut bittern, water rail, brahminy maina, stone chat and grey tit had not been recorded in the past 20 years. The census of the vanishing species from one of the largest peri-urban wetlands in the country may be attributed largely to massive changes in land use, conversion of wetlands and wilderness areas into built up urban settlements and also due to changes in fisheries practices. "Wetlands devoid of vegetation often dispel the Avian species and the changes seen even in ‘Nalban’—a part of the east Calcutta wetlands — is linked with boating activites in the complex and lack of emergent vegetation," he regretted. In another wetland area, "Jharkhali Bheri", the vegetation seen in 1990 could not be seen in the later years. (UNI) |
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People below poverty line to be
covered NEW DELHI, Nov 5: A novel health insurance scheme will be launched soon by the Government to cover more than three lakh people living below poverty line in the national capital. The scheme would be funded through a corpus fund of rs 400-500 crore by charging market rate from private hospitals allotted land at concessional rate by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and L&DO of the Centre. Under the scheme initiated by Urban Development Ministry, private hospitals would be asked to pay the difference of money to the ministry against the land allotted to them earlier and from that, a corpus of around Rs 400-500 crore would be raised, official sources said. The sources said some of the private hospitals had agreed to pay the differential money and the ministry plans to add that to the corpus fund, which would be put under an appropriate authority. The scheme, a brain child of Urban Development Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, was initiated after the ministry found that the private hospitals in the national capital, which were given land at concessional rates, were not adhering to the norm of providing 25 per cent free medical care facility to poor. The sources said while the finer details of the scheme would be worked out with a insurance company, the people having a BPL card could be easily brought under the scheme and the premium of the insurance would be paid out of the interest accruing on the corpus fund. Broadly, a family under the BPL would be provided an insurance cover of nearly Rs 30,000 and Rs 25,000 in case of death due to accident. The sources said the interest on the corpus funds would also be utilised in providing healthcare to people living under BPL. Azad told PTI that there were allegations and representations from relevant quarters that no mechanism was practically in place to monitor whether the poor patients were actually being treated or not. "How does one monitor whether 25 per cent people are treated and what is the mechanism for verifying the same? If one thinks practically, there has been none and our effort is only to ensure that poor are actually benefitted," Azad said without sharing the details of the scheme. It would be extremely difficult to ensure compliance of free obligation in doing so, subversion of the system by lower functionaries and complaints of harassment by hospital managements were likely to be alleged. The scheme could be adopted by other states as well to give a practical shape to programmes of benefitting poor people, he added. The sources said the rationale behind the scheme was initiated because any cancellation of land allotted to hospitals would adversely affect the overall provision of health care facilities in the national capital. Delhi High Court had recently come down upon the private hospitals. (PTI) CPI demands review of oil price hike NEW DELHI, Nov 5: CPI, an outside supporter of the UPA Government, today demanded rollback of the increase in prices of petroleum products, warning that the Government could not take its alliance partners for granted. "All Left parties oppose this steep hike. We want the Government to reconsider this decision as it will negatively affect millions of people," CPI leader D Raja said here. In the morning, Raja spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and urged him to reconsider the decision. Inflation was also going up and oil prices have also been raised. The Left parties do not agree with the Government policy to raise oil prices, he said, adding the UPA Government should change the focus of the Common Minimum Programme to make it more pro-poor. Raja wanted the Government to heed to their "reasonable advice" and desist from taking unilateral decisions. Raja said they had suggested the Government to reduce the customs duties by at least five per cent and excise duty to zero but the Government did not consider their suggestions. Raising the prices of lpg will upset the family budget of millions of people while the hike in diesel will have a cascading effect on the economy, he said. Raja, however, ruled out withdrawing support to the Government saying "we want the Government to stay in office and perform. But if the Governnment fails to perform, the Left parties will not hesitate to fight and oppose the Government." Raja said the UPA Government should understand the concerns of the people and not burden them. On FDI, he said the Left parties were not opposed to foreign investment if it helped in upgrading technology and creating more jobs. The previous NDA Government followed neo-liberal economic policies which did not benefit the poor, he said, asking the present regime to understand the electoral verdict which brought the UPA to power. Unemployment was the biggest challenge the country was facing, Raja said, urging the Government to make employment a fundamental right. (PTI) |
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J&K Govt’s controversial order goes into force SRINAGAR, Nov 5: Jammu and Kashmir Government’s controversial order restricting the number of guests and dishes to be served at wedding ceremonies went into force today even as chefs are on an indefinite strike to protest the "arbitrary" directive. The order, approved by the State cabinet last week, was enforced after detailed deliberations on the report submitted by a cabinet sub-committee. The order had triggered a major controversy in the State when it was issued first in May this year forcing the Government to stay its implementation and refer it to the cabinet sub-committee. The committee headed by deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma received about 3000 suggestions from a cross-section of society including NGOs, intellectuals and journalists. After analyzing the inputs and accommodating all the shades of opinion, the committee submitted its report to the cabinet. Even before the order could see the light of the day, chefs went on an indefinite strike and torched the certificates and shawls presented to them by Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Taj Mohiuddin, the brain behind the order, in recognition of self-imposed restrictions by chefs to prepare only seven dishes at marriage ceremonies. Anjuman Behboodi Ashpazan (Chefs Welfare Association) termed as a "cultural assault" the order imposing restrictions on the number of guests in marriages and the quantity of mutton served. "We had been honestly abiding by the dish control but this new order is arbitrary," Nasser Ahmed Mir, Chief Organizer of the Association, told reporters. The new order will deprive around 2.5 lakh people directly and indirectly connected with the profession for their livelihood, Mir claimed. He said chefs won’t cook feast for any marriage or official function till the Government rescinds the order. Defending the order, Taj Mohiuddin said it was aimed at doing away with the social evil of show off in marriages, apart from being a violation of Essential Commodity Act. "The ostentation expenditure in marriages has assumed a form of a great social evil," he said, adding "the middle class parents have to undergo a life long pain for making arrangements for the marriage of their daughters. The minister said the Government would launch a sustained campaign involving NGOs, Mohalla Committees and Social Organisations to create awareness about the order. He said the people would be requested to adhere to the restrictions but in case of violations the offenders would be booked under Essential Commodities Act which involves an imprisonment for three years. Taj said since ostentation in marriage is mostly noticed in big cities and the Government has constituted three squads to take action soon after rceiving any complaint. According to the revised order, he said the number of wedding guests from the groom’s side has been fixed to 50 besides 150 other guests and 100 kg of meat including chicken in case of a non-vegetarian marriage party. The number of dishes shall not be more than seven. Apart from guests from groom’s side, the family of bride can invite 150 guests making the total number as 200. On the Walima (reception), the family of the bridegroom could invite 100 guests and use only 50 kg of mutton and chicken. The scale of mutton and chicken per plate has been fixed as two kg. On the ring ceremony the number of guests have been fixed as 50 with a scale of 25 kg of mutton. A particular family could organize a big party after three months after it had hosted the previous one, he said. The Mehandi Raat and other related ceremonies of the marriages should be a totally family affair with no guests, he said. However, there was no limit on the scale of quantity and number of dishes in case of vegetarian food served at marriage parties, mostly in Jammu region, he added. (PTI) |
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Health sector facing new challenges: Lakshmi MUMBAI, Nov 5: Demographic explosion, global weather changes, space and hypersonic travel, continuing nuclear and chemical proliferation and bio-terrorism will be the challenges for the health sector in the future, according to Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi. Addressing the sixth emergency medicine conference here yesterday, Ms Lakshmi said that with international terrorism becoming a harsh reality, people are exposed to threats of chemical and biological warfare. "However, day-to-day emergencies and trauma are already causing great distress to the affected persons with premature death or disability," she said and adding that it is important for the doctors and people involved in critical care and trauma care to deal with such situations. She said that injuries and trauma are major health problem in India and according to studies the mortality due to injuries is expected to rise to 65 per cent between 1990-2020 worldwide. "We all remember the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy that claimed thousands of lives, the super cyclone in Orissa in 1998 where 10,000 lives were lost, and the 2001 Bhuj earthquake when more than 16,000 people were killed," she said. Ms Lakshmi pointed out that Bangladesh has been affected by cyclones that defy human comprehension with around five million lives lost since 1970. The minister said that accidental trauma is one of the main cause of mortality and morbidity in India. India has just one per cent of total vehicles in the world but accounts for nearly six per cent of total road accidents. The accident rate of 35 per 1,000 vehicles in India is highest in the world. Every 12 minutes, one Indian dies due to road accidents and 10 times the number are injured. By the year 2020, road accidents in India will be a major killer accounting for 5,46,000 deaths. Ms Lakshmi pointed out that the National Common Minimum Programme of the Government has envisaged health care as one of the seven priority areas for holistic and sustainable development of the country. Further, the United Progressive Alliance Government will take all steps to raise public spending on health to at least two to three per cent of the GDP over the next five years with strategies for improving the health status of the poorer, disadvantaged and marginalised population. (UNI) Employees want unions to take
non-confront CHENNAI, Nov 5: Stung by the Government action against them during the 2003 strike, Tamil Nadu Government employees want their unions to place "reasonable demands" with the Government, and to adopt a non-confrontationst and cordial approach to get concessions, a study has said. However, a predominant number of the employees do not want to give up their trade union rights, an "image audit" conducted jointly by prime point (a public relations agency) and Public Services International (PSI), a global Union Federation for Workers and Employees, said. Releasing the study, PP’S K Srinivasan and PSI’s south Asia sub-regional secretary V Lakshmi told reporters that the PP-PSI undertook the "image audit" of the "mindset" of the employees in the background of the strike, dismissal of nearly two lakh employees and their subsequent reinstatement and obtained responses from 3,000 employees from Chennai, Cuddalore, Vellore and Tiruchirapalli. They said more than 80 per cent of the respondents suggested tackling their various issues through "reasonable and cordial and united approach without politicisation and without self-interest". Surprisingly, only 10 per cent of the respondents favoured strike, while nine per cent supported demonstrations and rallies. Since 84 per cent of the respondents said they participated in union activities "willingly", 78 per cent of them did not favour any political affiliations, because employees unions with political affiliation, took decisions based on their political alliances, they said. The study, Srinivasan and Lakshmi, said 74 per cent of respondents supported the continuation of the agitational programmes, inspite of the Supreme Court banning strikes. The PP-PSI study indicated that more than 75 per cent of the respondents suggested that they should proivde better public service, eliminate corruption, explaining the situation to the public and to fight for the public cause to obtain public support for their own cause, they said. A majority of the respondents said public support for their union activities was "only marginal (just above neutral)", and nearly 85 per cent desired to have a single employees’ union under a single banner, the study said adding that 89 per cent respondents felt "Government recognition" was needed for all their unions. However, respondents were divided on giving support to unrecognised unions, with 44 per cent favouring it and 54 per cent not favouring it, they said. Lakshmi and Srinivasan said during the course of the study and the draft report discussion, PSI took up the matter with Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and briefed her about some of the findings. The Chief Minister convened a meeting of various union leaders and had detailed discussion during the middle of last month. "Besides, she also re-conferred the recognition to the various unions and withdrew the earlier orders of derecognising the unions," they claimed. (PTI) Kollywood plans grand cultural
show to CHENNAI, Nov 5: This could as well be the biggest ‘multi-star extravaganza’ the Tamil film industry has ever planned, to be on show at the Nehru indoor stadium here on November eight. It is not a new film in the offing but a cultural show to felicitate Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for the good deed she had done by announcing concessions to bail out Kollywood in response to its appeal to crack down on video piracy, which was eating into the box office prospects of new films. The "big two" of the Tamil cinema— Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth— are yet to confirm their role in the show but are most likely to play it. Other stalwarts from different faculties of the industry namely Director K Balachandar, heroine of yesteryears B Saroja Devi, 21 singers, including S P Balasubramaniam, Mano, Chithra and Anuradha Sriram and music directors Yuvan Shankar Raja and Vidyasagar will constitute the impressive assembly of artistes. For a starter, the show is to begin with a recital by carnatic violin maestro Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, while another highlight of the show would be 21 singers coming together to render seven songs in praise of Ms Jayalalithaa, herself a leading actress in the 60’s and for sometime in the early 70’s before taking to politics. "We are rehearsing hard to make this cultural show to be the best the film industry has ever got up," said Mr Balachander, who is the ‘director’ of this extravaganza to be, and other main organisers actor Vijayakanth and producer Chithra Lakshmanan. It may be recalled that following an ardent appeal by the Tamil film industry in the form of a memorandum, the Jayalalithaa Government brought video piracy of newly released films as an offence under the Goondas Act besides announcing several concessions on key elements like entertainment tax, lower rent for shooting at places under Government purview and levy of maintainance tax by theatre owners especially in towns and rural areas. (UNI) |
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