Education Bill finally cleared

1st November, 2008 : In a major boost to education sector, the Union Cabinet has cleared the long-pending Right to Education Bill which promises free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14.

"The Bill has been considered at several levels by the Group of Ministers (GoM). The Cabinet has approved the text of the Bill," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters in Delhi about the decision of the Cabinet which met on Friday night.

Observing that it was an important promise to the children as education would become a fundamental right, he said that it would be legally enforceable duty of the Centre and the states to provide free and compulsory education.

Chidambaram said that the HRD Ministry would release the text of the Bill after consulting the Election Commission in view of the assembly polls in some states.

The GoM, entrusted with the task of scrutinising the Bill, had cleared the draft legislation early this month without diluting the content including some of the contentious provisions like 25 per cent reservation in private schools for disadvantaged children from the neighbourhood at the entry level.

Other key provisions in the Bill are no donation or capitation or interviewing the child or parents as part of a screening procedure.

The Right to Education Bill is the enabling legislation to notify the 86th Constitutional amendment, which gives every child between the age of 6 and 14 years the right to free and compulsory education. It was passed by Parliament in December 2002.

source:

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Union-Cabinet-clears-Right-to-Education-Bill/380176/

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It was only in 2002 that education was made a fundamental right in the 86th amendment to the Constitution. In 2004, the government in power, the NDA, drafted a Bill but lost the elections before it could be introduced. The present UPA’s model Bill was then lobbed back and forth between the Centre and the states over the matter of funding and responsibility.

Critics of the Bill question the age provision. They say children below six years and above 14 should be included. Also, the government has not addressed the issue of shortage of teachers, low skill levels of many teachers, and lack of educational infrastructure in existing schools let alone the new ones that will have to be built and equipped.

Key provisions of the Bill include:

• 25% reservation in private schools for disadvantaged children from the neighbourhood, at the entry level. The government will reimburse expenditure incurred by schools.
• No donation or capitation fee on admission.
• No interviewing the child or parents as part of the screening process.

source:

http://infochangeindia.org/200811047453/Education/News/Right-to-Education-Bill-cleared.html

Indian vultures facing extinction

The Indian vulture is facing near extinction, recording a 99.9 per cent decline in population since 1992. This is the fastest rate of population decline among the 1,226 bird species that are threatened with extinction.

A global survey by the Cambridge-based Birdlife International released on Monday said the total number of white-rumped vultures found in India, Pakistan and Nepal “is not more than 1,000 couples in India”.

Till 30 years ago, the vulture population in the sub-continent was estimated at several lakhs. Now, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) estimates that the number in India is not more than 11,000. “If it continues to decline at this rate, only around 6,000 vultures will be left and finally they may become extinct,” Ashad Rehmani, director of BNHS, said.

The report blamed the extensive use of the chemical, diclofenac, as medicine for cattle – the feed for the birds – for the rapid fall in the white-rumped vulture population. Rehmani said the chemical should be banned immediately to save the vultures.

Forensic tests conducted at Bharatpur Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the nesting places for the vultures, found that 85 per cent of the birds died because of kidney failure, confirming the presence of the chemical in their bodies.

Apart from the vultures, the State of the World’s Birds 2008 report says India has 43 other species of birds that are threatened with extinction. This figure has earned India the third rank among the top 10 countries with the highest number of globally threatened bird species.

The State of the World's Birds 2008 report also pointed out that 62 per cent of Asia’s migratory bird population is either on the decline or is facing extinction.

source:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?sectionName=&id=88baab46-7970-4d8b-87f7-d4ef6cb66a65&&Headline=Going%2C+going...&strParent=strParentID

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In May 2006, the Drug Controller General of India had issued a directive to phase out veterinary Diclofenac and replace it with Meloxicam in three months. Initial concerns over the high price of Meloxicam have been allayed with more companies entering the market, said Ms Nita Shah, a biologist with the Bombay Natural History Society's (BNHS) vulture-advocacy programme. Recently, Nepalese veterinary drug-maker Medivet stopped making Diclofenac and started producing Meloxicam, with the intent of saving the vultures, a note on the development said.

source:

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/08/12/stories/2006081204530300.htm

Dalit women give themselves a voice

Even as in a district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh, people were rushing to pay obeisance at the site where a 71-year-old woman had committed sati in Chechar village a week ago, in rural Andhra Pradesh, a group of illiterate Dalit women were busy making waves, of the radio kind.

A group of Scheduled Caste women, led by Narsamma of Machnoor village, some 110 km northwest of Hyderabad, created history when Sangham Radio, the first rural community radio station in the state, went on air on Wednesday. “Akka chellenlu podaame mana sanghamku maatlada podaame” (Come sisters let us go to our Sangham to talk) the radio crackled as Justice P.B. Sawant, a retired Supreme Court judge, switched on the 50watt transmitter at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. It wasn’t just a coincidence that Justice Sawant inaugurated the station. It was he who gave the landmark judgement in 1995 that ended the state control of air waves.

While the incident in Chechar was another reminder of regressive mentality, Machnoor women are in sync with time and the concerns that come with it. Through their station they want to spread awareness about human rights as well as eco-agriculture. Their’s is the first all-women community radio station in Asia. It is owned, managed and operated by women from marginalsed rural communities.

The broadcast can be heard in a radius of 25km, covering 100 villages and a population of about 50,000. The radio is facilitated by and licensed to the Deccan Development Society (DDS), an NGO working in the district. “The women want to use this new media space to save their dying language and culture, spread message of sisterhood, eco-agriculture, women's control over seeds and a host of other issues,” P.V. Satheesh, DDS director, pointed out.

Justice Sawant compared the event to the revolution started 150 years ago by Mahatma Jyotiba Phule when he opened a school for SC girls. He exhorted the women to use the radio to reclaim their rights and realise a true democracy is distinct from the electoral democracy— which abandons people once elections are over.

The Sangham Radio, which will broadcast for about 90 minutes every day, for now, is expected to grow in time and content.

source:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=77c38e69-4c1d-4860-be59-5f8eb2fc69ad&MatchID1=4858&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=5&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1224&MatchID2=4862&TeamID3=9&TeamID4=8&MatchType2=2&SeriesID2=1225&PrimaryID=4858&Headline=Dalit+women+give+themselves+a+voice

Nehru Park and Lodhi Garden to go solar

In a new eco-friendly initiative, the New Delhi Municipal Council has decided to install solar lights in two of the Capital’s much loved green spaces -- Nehru Park and Lodhi Garden.

According to the NDMC, a detailed project report on the initiative has been prepared and the project is in the planning stage.

“The details have been worked out and soon we will begin the process of calling tenders and awarding the contract. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2009 at a budget of about Rs.3 crore,” said a senior NDMC official.

A total of about 500 such solar lights would be installed at the two locations which would help conserve up to 600 units of energy per day. Also it would be aimed at making these lights last up to at least two days without recharging. Other salient features of the lights include an in-built meteorological clock which would enable the lights to adjust according to sunrise and sunset timings. Keeping in mind the sensitivity of the city’s gardens, these lights would not be fully automated but partially manually controlled. Elaborating on other unique selling points of the project, the NDMC official said: “This is the first time that solar lights are being installed at any park in Delhi. The most important aspect of the project is that it will help switch to a cleaner and alternate source of energy in line with the changing times. Since parks are the lungs of any city, use of solar lights that are nature-friendly would merge very well with the park environment and surroundings.” “In addition to solar lights, we are also planning to install solar water heating in residential colonies in the NDMC area. We have already initiated this move at Charak Palika Hospital,” the official added.

source:

http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/22/stories/2008102253810400.htm

Ozone hole gets larger

As the world is busy talking about global warming, I think we need to take a quick look on one of our most important resources, which is quietly draining i.e. the ozone layer. The size of the ozone hole is already larger than what it was in 2007. The ozone hole occurs from September to December, as strong winds start to circulate around the continent and create an atmospheric container.
Here is an excerpt from a report published in Hindustan Times on September 16 (World Ozone Day) titled “Save Ozone Save Earth”

“In 2008, the ozone hole appeared relatively late. However, during the last couple of weeks it has grown rapidly and has now passed the maximum size attained in 2007,” the WMO (World Metereological Organisation)said in a statement.

The hole in the layer over the Antarctic was discovered in the 1980s.

It regularly tends to form in August, reaching its maximum size late September or early October before it fills again in mid-December.

The size it reaches is dependent on weather conditions. Experts warned that such is the damage to the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful ultra-violet rays, it will only attain full recovery in 2075.

“It would take decades for the hole to disappear and for it to return to the situation before 1980. We are looking at 2075,” Geir Braathen, who is the World Meteorological Organisation’s expert on the subject told AFP.

On September 13, the hole covered an area of 27 million square kilometers, while in 2007, the maximum reached was 25 million square kilometers, said the WMO.

“Since the ozone hole is still growing, it is too early to determine how large this year’s ozone hole will be,” it added.

Ozone provides a natural protective filter against harmful ultra-violet rays from the sun, which can cause sunburn, cataracts and skin cancer and damage vegetation.

Its depletion is caused by extreme cold temperatures at high altitude and a particular type of pollution, from chemicals often used in refrigeration, some plastic foams, or aerosol sprays, which have accumulated in the atmosphere.

Most of these chemicals, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are being phased out under the 1987 Montreal Protocol, but they linger in the atmosphere for many years.

An innovative way to deal with fake BPL cardholders

The fiasco of the BPL (Below Poverty Line) scheme is not new. Numerous scams have been unearthed in recent years and so far the government has been, largely ineffective in dealing with them.
However, the Sonepat district administration, which saw the doubling of the BPL families in the last 10 years, has found a new way to deal with this situation. Recently, a news report in The Hindu, dated 17th September said that the Sonepat district administration in Haryana plans to put up banners outside the homes of BPL families which would read “BPL family”. This, they believe would put to shame the fake BPL families. Afterall, who would like “BPL family” to be written on the wall of their sprawling bungalow?

No wonder, it is a refreshingly new method to deal with the rising fake BPL cardholders. By involving the society, it becomes a matter of a person’s respect and integrity. Social humiliation is the last thing one would want.

However, the success of this initiative is debatable. First and foremost, will the authorities make sure that each and every BPL family has this written on their walls? And would they be able to make sure that it is not removed? Seems unlikely. Atleast, I doubt.

Earlier, to prevent the misuse of ration cards, the Government had confined its use to obtain foodgrains only, while cutting down its other benefits like obtaining driving licences, housing sites under the Ashraya scheme and school admissions. But is reducing the benefits a solution?

References:

http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/17/stories/2008091755150500.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/29/stories/2007042905790400.htm

With my maid...

Public health and education are the most important aspects of any civilized society. The development of a country can never take place if its citizens are unhealthy or uneducated.

Here I present the profile of my maid. Her answers made me rethink if we really are on that coveted path of ‘development’, about which we proudly boast.
40-year-old Rani residing in Trilokpuri is already a grandmother. She was married off at the tender age of 12. Reminiscing her childhood, she regrets, “Bas maine hi nahi pada! Meri badi behen ki shadi hui toh sasural walon ne mera bhi gauna kara di…”
Today, 27 years hence, Rani is living the life of a domestic help.
She suffers mostly from pain in legs. For treatment, she sometimes goes to dispensary or gets medicines from the people she works for. Generally, she ignores her ill health until it becomes unbearable. As she says, “ yeh toh hota hi rehta hai.”

She had four children, one out of which died. Initially, she says, “Do bachche hain.” But after a while adds, “ Haan, ek beti bhi hai par ab toh uski shadi ho gayi.” So, in all she has an elder daughter, a son, another daughter (who died at the age of 12 from Tuberculosis) and a younger son. All her children have studied upto class 5th in a school, the name of which she does not know, “ No.7 Trilokpuri mein ek school hai wahi padte hain sab”. Her children also used to get meals at the school but she took them off school after 5th because, “ School mein bachche bimar pad jate the.” When I asked about her annual expenditure on education she said, “ Wo toh inke pitaji ko pata hai.”

Talking about children, she said that her elder son usually suffers from nausea and fever whereas the younger son was more prone to bodyaches. For their illness, “No.8 Trilokpuri se dawai lete hain.” She says she always goes to a private clinic, never a government one. “Ek baar sarkari aspataal walon ne bahot tez dawai de di thi… uske baad se toh ab nahi dikhati bachon ko wahan.” Also, since the treatment is free, she is skeptical about the type of medicines they give.


Here I could not help thinking that some of her statements clearly showed her nonchalant attitude towards her own health, her preference for a boy and the fact that even though she earned, she did not know much about the expenditure.

Time to legalize the illegal sector?

Filth, dirt, stinks, wounds, cuts, bites, toxins, fear and harassment. This is the plight of over 3lakh people working in the most inhumane conditions, in and around Delhi. Their presence seems oblivious to most of us and their ‘matters’ don’t matter to us. Their day starts with sifting through heaps of garbage and ends with a few bucks they earn from selling it- yes, they are, according to us, the most contaminated chunk of people- the RAGPICKERS.

This informal sector, which is yet to gain legal recognition, wipes the city off 20-40% of its solid waste (statistics by All India Kabadi Mazdoor Mahasangh) and keeps the ‘Clean Delhi, Green Delhi’ slogan alive.

Recently they were up in arms against the MCD for allowing private waste collector agencies in their domain. On August 8, they rallied in Delhi shouting slogans against the MCD. They walked to the MCD office with a memo listing their demands including their right to participate in employment schemes, gain legal status and guarantee social security and safety precautions. This battle is not new. Last year also they showed their discontent by demonstrating on the World Environment Day.

Now, what exactly is bothering them is the fact that their sole source of income would be taken away and they would no more have the exclusive rights on the garbage, which they until now enjoyed. Even though the contract between MCD and DWM (Delhi Waste Management) says that private companies should hire ragpickers working in the area, what is the guarantee? Those already under the ambit of private contractors allege that they are forced to sell the segregated matter at the rate the private players decide with no scope of bargain. Moreover, if they try to negotiate the rates, they lose their job.

Also, as per MCD’s agreement with DWM, signed for a period of 9years, the latter has to segregate only 20% of the waste matter, that too starting from the penultimate year. This apart from increasing the dumping of the waste would reduce the work of the ragpickers and hence affect their income. Further, statistics show that 75% of the rag pickers from the privatized zones have lost 50% of their income.

So much so for keeping the city clean?

These ragpickers who save the MCD 6-8 lakhs per day need to be treated with more respect.
Near the huge garbage areas, we mostly see little children working painstakingly for hours, as if in search of gold coins. But this is not a little matter. The government must take steps to save their childhood; otherwise, we would be ignoring a vast section of our society. If this profession is legalized then I think the child labour law would be applicable which prohibits children below the age of 14 from working in hazardous places. Furthermore, steps could be taken to provide them education and a better lifestyle.

Whatever be the final decision, I suppose it’s high time we pay back lakhs of informal ‘employees’ who dig into garbage everyday to keep our city clean and green.

Maybe, it’s time to legalize this technically illegal profession.

The all-woman Panchayat

Recently, an advertisement in Hindustan Times, dated 3^rd August triggered my curiosity. It was a Delhi government Advertisement about ‘Mahila Panchayat – Legal Aid at Community Level’. Mahila Panchayats? Did such a Panchayat exist? I knew not.

My curiosity then drove me to search more about Mahila Panchayats.

On some research, I found that Mahila Panchayat was basically started by ActionIndia, an NGO spearheaded by social activist Nafisa Ali. This all-women Panchayats consisted of two paralegals trained by Action India and the rest were volunteers from the community. These have been formed with the twin aim of spreading legal awareness and empowering women.

After its initial success, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) in September 2000 recognized Mahila Panchayat as a critically important aspect of its Make Delhi Safe For Women campaign.

The members of these Panchayats are trained in legal issues, given exposure about the existing legal positions regarding property, maintenance, marriage, custody, domestic violence, alcoholism etc. Further training is also given in spheres of counseling, FIR writing and proceedings for legal recourse. In short, these Panchayats empower women to tackle local legal disputes at their own level. They have helped women to bond in times of distress and to fight back as now, they are legally wise. It also saves time, money and energy since little disputes need not be dragged to the courts.
Presently, 39 Mahila Panchayats are functioning all over Delhi.

Thus, I feel it’s a wonderful program in helping women by making them aware of their legal rights. However, at the same time it renders them powerless as their decisions are not legally binding. These Panchayats in no way replace the normal judicial proceedings. They only act as cost-effective intermediaries. In addition, women in rural India are still dominated by their husbands. Therefore, there is a fair chance that their decisions may be manipulated for petty gains. Speculations apart, a scheme can only work if it is constantly monitored and its success evaluated.

BPO in villages too

When the BPO culture entered the urban cities, there was a revolution of sorts. Now, with the opening up of the first rural BPO by HDFC bank in Nellore, it is again a time for some revolution.

Rural Development Department’s EGMM (Employment Generation and Marketing Mission) imparts training to rural graduates from underprivileged families. These people then get a chance to work in rural BPO where they perform simple non-voice based operations like scanning and data processing. The BPO in Nellore is handled by 325 such EGMM trained graduates. Initially, HDFC bank was apprehensive about the quality of the training of the rural masses but after conducting interviews, all their doubts have vanished. Recently, another of its kind has opened up on 25 July in Tirupati. It is to be handled by 1500 such graduates.

The rural BPOs have given a new lease of life to the people whose incomes have substantially increased. With more income, they have become an asset to their household. These young men and women have been empowered to outgrow their family profession (i.e. agriculture) and have become a part of the white-collar jobs.

No doubt, these rural BPOs have changed the lives of the people dramatically. However, on a deeper exploration I feel these rural BPOs might just end the very ‘essence’ of a rural area. If sons and daughters of farmers start working in MNC based companies, who would look after our basic need for food? Is the future of agriculture in danger?

I am not against rural development but what exactly is rural development has always confounded me. Is rural development about ‘urbanization’? Do we want to transform villages into cities? Is it about teaching and training them to be a part of the so-called urbane jobs?

I feel rural development should be about developing rural areas with respect to the resources which they have the capability to utilize. Thus, the foremost focus of Rural Development Department should be agriculture.

Agriculture still remains the mainstay of the Indian economy, providing employment to more than half of the labour force. But its sorry state of affairs is reflected by the fact that it only contributes to one-fifth of the national income. Therefore, the need of the hour is to revive our agriculture in such a way that better opportunities, money, resources and facilities are made available in villages itself. This would also curb the rural to urban migration.

Such innovative measures are always welcome but the significance of agriculture should not be forgotten.

/Let villages be villages\…