Headlines, KalimNews: Congress nominated candidates for Darjeeling hill areas- Shanti Sharma for Kalimpong, Nahkul Chhetri for Darjeeling and Chhabi Rai for Kurseong seats.
KN Upreti and 6others are expelled from Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee
CPRM and ABGL will sit today for final solution regarding Assembly poll strategy in Darjeeling.
Hill tour operators thretaened to stop plying vehiles from 28 March to Sikkim.
KalimNews: Bimal Gurung, Roshan Giri and Binay Tamang were granted bail after they surrendered before the CJM court in Darjeeling on 25th March. Gurung had 6 cases of violence, fire and arson including damaging of late ABGL leader Madan Tamang's vehicle. Tamang and Giri had surrendered before the court on 22nd and was asked to appear again on 25th.
7 observers are appointed to look after the Assembly poll of Darjeeling.They are visiting on 28 and 29 March.
72 para military forces are reaching Darjeeling for the assembly poll.
A sudden windstorm engulfed Sikkim and adjoining areas, Kalimpong and the plains of North Bengal in the afternoon of 25th March. The windstorm and rain was due to accumulation heavy cloud in Sikkim but there is no possibility of rain.
KalimNews: Bimal Gurung, Roshan Giri and Binay Tamang were granted bail after they surrendered before the CJM court in Darjeeling on 25th March. Gurung had 6 cases of violence, fire and arson including damaging of late ABGL leader Madan Tamang's vehicle. Tamang and Giri had surrendered before the court on 22nd and was asked to appear again on 25th.
7 observers are appointed to look after the Assembly poll of Darjeeling.They are visiting on 28 and 29 March.
72 para military forces are reaching Darjeeling for the assembly poll.
A sudden windstorm engulfed Sikkim and adjoining areas, Kalimpong and the plains of North Bengal in the afternoon of 25th March. The windstorm and rain was due to accumulation heavy cloud in Sikkim but there is no possibility of rain.
गोर्खाल्याण्डलाई केन्द्र गर्दै विपक्ष एक हुने सम्भावना -मोर्चाले प्राधिकरणपन्थी नेताहरू उठायो-विपक्ष
मनोज बोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 25 मार्च। मोर्चाको उम्मेद्वार डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीले सोझै गर्खाल्याण्ड हुँदैन, स्टेप बाई स्टेप जानुपर्छ भनेका छन्। तिनले दुइ दिन अघि मात्र यो कुरा भनेका हुन्। तिनले भनेको स्टेप प्राधिकरण हो। मोर्चामा दुइ खेमा छ, एक गोर्खाल्याण्ड पन्थी अर्को प्राधिकरण पन्थी। तीन उम्मेद्वार जो मोर्चाले खड़ा गर्यो तिनीहरू प्राधिकरण खेमाका हुन्। सबैलाई थाहा छ कि मोर्चाले अहिलेसम्म प्राधिकरण कै वकालत गर्दै आइरहेका छन्। सिब्सुमा सहीद हुनेहरू पनि प्राधिकरण कै निम्ति भएको डा.छेत्रीले भनिसकेका छन्। प्राधिकरणको निम्ति चलखेल गर्ने मोर्चाले यसकै निम्ति विधानसभामा प्राधिकरणपन्थी विधायकहरू पठाउने निर्णय गरेको हो-गोर्खालीग केन्द्रिय समिति सदस्य प्रताप खातीले मात्र होइन युजिआरएफ प्रमुख अजय दाहालले समेतले आज यसो भने।
मोर्चाले रहल सबै दललाई धोका मात्र नदिएर मोर्चाले प्रधिकरणलाई केन्द्र गरेर कुनै दलसित एक हुन नचाहेको आरोप पनि उनीहरूले लगाएका छन्। प्रताप खातीले भने, मोर्चाले पहिले त चुनाउ लड्दिन भन्यो। पछि लड्यो भने पनि लुलो लङ्गड़ो उठाउने भन्यो।
हर्कबहादुर,त्रिलोक र रोहितहरू लुला लङ्गडोहरू हुन्? हुन् भने गोर्खाल्याणअडको निम्ति यिनीहरू विकलाङ्ग नेताहरू हुन्। प्राधिकरणको निम्ति भने हेविवेट। अहिले प्राधिकरणको निम्ति वार्तामा बस्नेहरूलाई बङ्गालसित प्राधिकरणको कुरा गर्न सजिलो बनाउन प्राधिकरणको निम्ति खटिरहेका धोकेवाजहरूलाई विधानसभा चुनाउमा पठाउँदैछ। जनताले मोर्चाले जनतामा राखेको जम्मै वाचालाई एकपल्ट फेरि हेर्नुपर्छ। हामीले त हेरिसकेका छौं। कुनै यस्तोे वाचा छैन, जो पुरा भएको होस् वा पुरा गरेको होस्। अहिलेसम्म नै ढॉंटिरहेका हर्कबहादुर एण्ड कम्पनीले जनतालाई विधानसभामा गोर्खाल्याण्डको कुरा उठाउँछु भनेर फेरि पनि ढॉंटिरहेका छन्। तिनले अर्कोतिर लीगले गेरको वाचालाई पनि जनताले हेर्नुपर्ने बताउँदै भने, लीगले मुद्दा फेरेको छैन। केवल गोर्खाल्याण्ड लीगको माग हो।
हर्कबहादुर,त्रिलोक र रोहितहरू लुला लङ्गडोहरू हुन्? हुन् भने गोर्खाल्याणअडको निम्ति यिनीहरू विकलाङ्ग नेताहरू हुन्। प्राधिकरणको निम्ति भने हेविवेट। अहिले प्राधिकरणको निम्ति वार्तामा बस्नेहरूलाई बङ्गालसित प्राधिकरणको कुरा गर्न सजिलो बनाउन प्राधिकरणको निम्ति खटिरहेका धोकेवाजहरूलाई विधानसभा चुनाउमा पठाउँदैछ। जनताले मोर्चाले जनतामा राखेको जम्मै वाचालाई एकपल्ट फेरि हेर्नुपर्छ। हामीले त हेरिसकेका छौं। कुनै यस्तोे वाचा छैन, जो पुरा भएको होस् वा पुरा गरेको होस्। अहिलेसम्म नै ढॉंटिरहेका हर्कबहादुर एण्ड कम्पनीले जनतालाई विधानसभामा गोर्खाल्याण्डको कुरा उठाउँछु भनेर फेरि पनि ढॉंटिरहेका छन्। तिनले अर्कोतिर लीगले गेरको वाचालाई पनि जनताले हेर्नुपर्ने बताउँदै भने, लीगले मुद्दा फेरेको छैन। केवल गोर्खाल्याण्ड लीगको माग हो।
मदन तामङ गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति मर्नुपर्छ भने मर्छु भनेका थिए तिनी प्राधिकरणको विरोध गर्दा मरे। हाम्रो नेताले वाचा यसरी पुरा गरेका छन् अनि लीगले जनतालाई गोर्खाल्याण्ड ल्याउने वाचा गरेको छ त्यो पनि पूरा गर्नेछ, तर जनताले लीगलाई काम गर्ने अवसर दिनुपर्छ। अर्कोतिर अजय दाहालले भने, मोर्चाले गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति सामुहिकतामा आउँ भनेको भए पनि ठीक मानिन्थ्यो तर मोर्चाले प्रयास समेत गरेन जब कि गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति दलहरू एक हुनुपर्छ। कुनै प्राप्तीको श्रेय अरू दललाई जान्छ भनेर हो कि मनमा कालो बोकेर राजनीति गरेर हो मोर्चा दलीय एकता चहॉंदैन। मोर्चा भनेको स्टेप बाई स्टेप गोर्खाल्याण्ड पुग्ने घिसिङ्गीय नीतिमा चल्ने दल हो अनि अरू दलहरू भने प्राधिकरण नभइ गोर्खाल्याण्ड पुग्न चहाने दलहरू। यहीँ मिलेन। के गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति स्टेप भएरै जानुपर्छ? हामी पर्दैन भन्ने पक्षका हौं। यसकारण मोर्चा दलीय एकताबाट भागेको हो। मोर्चाले अब सबै चनाउ लड्छ,एकलकॉंटे निर्णय गर्छ, मोर्चाभित्र रहेका गोर्खाल्याण्ड पन्थी नेताहरूलाई दलबाट खेद्छ अनि प्राधिकरण थाप्छ। किन भने तीनै जना मोर्चाका उम्मेद्वारहरू गोर्खाल्याण्ड पक्षका होइनन् उनीहरू प्राधिकरण पक्षका हुन्। उनीहरूले मोर्चा प्राधिकरणको पक्षमा रहेकोले अब लड़ाईं प्राधिकरण र गोर्खाल्याण्डपन्थी दलहरूबीच हुने पनि बताए।
खाती अनि दाहाल दुबैले अब विपक्षका सबैदल एक हुनसक्ने संकेत पनि दिएका छन्। खातीले यसको निम्ति दिनोदिन नै दलहरूबीच बैठक भइरहेको अनि भोली पनि रहेको जनाएका छन्। यता क्रामाकपाका मोहन पौड्यालले 27 तारिक नै सबैकुरा जनाताले थाहा पाउने बताउँदै भने, हामी सबै दल एक हुनुपर्छ भन्नेपक्षमा छौं। समय अझ छ। 27 तारिकको बैठकमा नै सबै छलफल हुनेछ। यता गोरानिमोका अध्यक्ष दावा पाखरिनले आफ्नो दल केवल गोर्खाल्याण्डको निम्ति जन्म भएको बताउँदै कुनै पनि इमान्दार गोर्खाल्याण्डपन्थी दललाई आफ्नो पार्टीले सघाउन सक्ने बताए। तिनले पनि समय अझ रहेको अनि जे पनि हुनसक्ने बताए। यता मोर्चा उम्मेद्वार डा.हर्कबहादुर छेत्रीलाई मोर्चा महकुमा समितिले कार्यालयमा स्वागत जनाउँदै कामना अर्पन गर्यो। छेत्रीले भने, विधानसभामा पानी, विजुली, बाटोको कुरा होइन गोर्खाल्याण्डको कुरा उठाइनेछ। हाम्रो कुरामा सुनवाई नभए राजिनामा दिइनेछ।
कंग्रेसबाट उम्मेद्वार छनौट
मनोज बोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 25 मार्च। तृणमूल कंग्रेसले पहाड़को तीनोटा आसन कंग्रेसको निम्ति छोड़ेको छ। तृणमूल आफै नलड़ेर कंग्रेसको निम्ति आसन छोड़ेपनि कंग्रेसले पहाड़का आसनहरूमा उम्मेद्वारहरूको छनौट झट्ट गर्न सकेन। तीन आशनको निम्ति धेरै जनाको नाम उठेको भए पनि आज कांग्रेसको हाई कमाण्डले तीन जनाको नाम छनौट गरेको छ। उनीहरूमा दार्जीलिङबाट नहकुल छेत्री, खरसाङबाट छबी राई अनि कालेबुङबाट शान्ति शर्मा रहेका छन्। कंग्रेस दार्जीलिङका अध्यक्ष के.बी छेत्रीले दिल्लीबाट दिएको जानकारी अनुसार उम्मेद्वारहरूको छनौट भइसकेको छ तर उनीहरूको नाम आधिकारिकरूपमा भोली नै हाई कमाण्डले सार्बजनिक गर्नेछ। कालेबुङबाट सम्भावित उम्मेद्वारको नाम प्रवीण गुरूङको आएको भए पनि दार्जीलिङ समितिले दिलीप प्रधानको नाम सिफारिस् गरेको थियो। दिलीप प्रधानलाई कालेबुङ क्षेत्रका उम्मेद्वारको नाम छनौट गरेपछि दिलीप प्रधानले सबैलाई मिठाई पनि बॉंड़ेका थिए। तर हाइकमाण्डले शान्ति शर्माको नाम छनौट गर्यो। शान्ति शर्माले आफ्नो नाम आएकोमा खुशी व्यक्त गरे। तिनले विधानसभामा गोर्खाहरूको आकांक्षाको दाबीको निम्ति आफ्नो आवाज बुलुन्द गर्ने जनाए। तिनले भने, कंग्रेससित पनि युटीको मुद्दा छ, तर विधानसभामा विचारधारा मिल्ने विधायकहरूको सहयोग लिएर गोर्खाहरूको मूल दाबीको निम्ति आवाज उठाउनेछु।
बजेट सत्रको तेस्रो दिन पाँच विधेयको विना बहस पारित
प्राविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,25 मार्च। सिक्किम विधानसबाको बजेट सत्रको तेस्रो दिन विगत दनहरूमा सदनमा पेश गरिएको जम्मा पाँचवटा संसोधित विधयेक विना बहस ध्वनिमतले पारित भयो। जसमा मुख्यमंत्री तथा गृह विभागका प्रभारी मन्त्री पवन चामलिङद्वारा सदनमा पेश गएको कोड अफ् क्रिमिनल प्रोसिड्युर (सिक्किम संसोधित), सिक्किम ट्रास्पोर्ट इन्फ्रास्ट्रक्चर डेप्लोम्पमेन्ट फण्ड, सहकारी मन्त्री द्वारा पेश गरिएको सिक्किम सहकारी सोसाईटी (संसोधित) विधेयक पारित गरियो। यसैगरि दोस्रो दिन सदनमा प्रस्तुत सिक्किम फिसकल रेस्पोन्सीविलिटि एण्ड बजेट मेनेजमेन्ट (संसोधित) विधेयक अनि सिक्किम क्यासिनो (कन्ट्रो एण्ड ट्याक्स) संसोधित विधेयक पनि सदनाम ध्वनीमतले कुनै बहस विना नै पारित भयो। दुवै विधेयक सदनका नेता तथा मुख्यमन्त्री चामलिङले सदनमा पेश गरेका थिए।
Hill tourist vehicles threaten to stop Sikkim trips
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| Tourist vehicles lined up at a motor stand in Darjeeling. Picture by Suman Tamang |
Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, March 25: Transporters in Darjeeling have threatened to stop operating tourist vehicles to Sikkim from March 28, if an alleged discriminatory agreement between the Bengal and Sikkim governments is not amended to accommodate their interests.
The Queen of Hills Tourist Co-ordination Committee has also “requested” the transporters in Sikkim to refrain from plying their vehicles to the Darjeeling hills from the same day.
The committee issued the threat after three vehicles carrying 12 German tourists were allegedly seized by Sikkim police near Pelling on March 20.
“While the Germans were being ferried from Darjeeling to Pelling in West district, they wanted to visit Rabdentse palace. But the three SUVs were taken to the Tikjuk police station. One of the vehicles didn’t have documents, as they were under the possession of the Darjeeling district administration. The papers had been taken by the authorities as the vehicle could be used for election purposes,” said Pasang Sherpa, the president of the committee.
“Instead, the vehicle was issued with another document to show that its original papers were with the authorities. The police refused to recognise this certificate and seized the vehicle,” he added.
The committee has alleged that the other two SUVs were also seized, though they had the documents.
Harsh Vardan, who was accompanying the group, said the foreigners had been harassed by the police. “All of them were aged above 65. We were harassed and insulted and our drivers were mistreated. Our representative had to visit the police station four times.”
The incident has brought to light the hill transporters’ long standing grouse about an alleged anomaly in an agreement inked between the Bengal and the Sikkim government.
“The treaty stipulates that Bengal-registered vehicles have to drop tourists in Gangtok, Pelling and Namchi (in South Sikkim) and are restricted from taking the visitors further for sight-seeing. However, the agreement is not reciprocal in nature as the Sikkim-registered vehicles can take tourists anywhere in Bengal,” said Sabu Rai, the secretary of the committee.
The transporters want the agreement to be reviewed. “We are not happy with the agreement and want it to be reviewed. We have, therefore, decided that unless some positive steps are taken, all tourist vehicles will stop plying to Sikkim from March 28 onwards. We will also request transporters in Sikkim to stop from operating their vehicles in Bengal. This is not a threat, but merely a request to our counterparts in Sikkim,” said Rai.
However, Sikkim police said they had not harassed the drivers of the three Bengal-registered SUVs. “Those vehicles had permits to travel only up to Pelling. One vehicle did not have documents and the driver was issued a challan. The tourists were not disturbed,” said a police officer.
T.T. Sherpa, additional secretary in the motor vehicle division in Gangtok, said the Bengal vehicles were barred from taking tourists for sightseeing trips to ensure that local people benefited from tourism. The agreement says visitors have to be taken to tourist destinations in Sikkim-registered taxis.
Rift in alliance over Kalchini candidature
Arnab Saha , SNS, JALPAIGURI, 25 MARCH: Serious rift has landed in the Trinamul Congress-Congress alliance which has come in for further embarrassment to them as the local Congress leadership has refused to accept the Trinamul candidate from Kalchini Assembly constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Jalpaiguri district.
“We would go to any extent to have the seat re-allotted to us. In case we fail, we would not allow the ally to have a smooth campaign in Kalchini,” said a senior local Congress leader.
Notably, the Tirnamul has fielded the former Congress MLA, Mr Pawan Lakra as the candidate here. The GJMM sitting MLA Mr Wilson Champamari who wrested the seat from the RSP in 2009 by-election has been re-nominated. The ABAVP is also in the fray, which stood second in terms of votes polled in the by-election.
Local Congress leaders said that two senior party leaders, Mr Mohan Sharma and the Kalchini panchayat samiti sabhapati, Mr Atul Subba had recently visited New Delhi to ask the party High Command to exert influence to have the seat allotted to the party. "The High Command has refused to accept our demand. We have not yet given up hope,” said a local Congress leader.
According to Congress sources, the party would not extend co-operation to the Trinamul candidate. “We have worked hard over the past few years to consolidate our base in the seat. Now it will unacceptable if the Trinamul Congress reaps the benefits,” he said.
The Trinamul candidate, Mr Paban Lakra said that the Congress had remained aloof from the campaigns so far. “We have, however, started campaigning in full swing. If the Congress's non-cooperative posturing continues, the ABAVP would win the seat,” he said.
The ABAVP leader, Mr John Barla has claimed that their candidate Mr Sandip Ekka would win from Kalchini hands down.
Hill sub-divisions to see popular figures contesting
SNS, DARJEELING, 25 MARCH: The Indian National Congress has nominated three well-known figures from three sub-division of the Hills ~ Mr Nakul Chettri from Darjeeling, Mr Chabi Rai from Kurseong constituency and Mr Santi Kumar Sharma from Kalimpong ~ for the upcoming Assembly poll here.
A full-time party worker of the Congress, Mr Nakul Chettri (56), is a retired government employee. He was also the commissioner of municipality in Darjeeling during 1984-90. Mr Chettri, a former general-secretary of Youth Congress during the 80's, joined the Congress in 1974 when he was a student.
Unlike parties like the GJMM and the GNLF who will be contesting the election for its statehood demand and the Sixth Schedule, the main agenda of the Hill Congress party will be to enhance the "all-round development" of the Hills and generation of jobs for the unemployed youths.
The GJMM and the GNLF who have already announced their candidates from the three hill sub-divisions have not filed their nominations yet. According to a GNLF party leader, candidates will file their nominations at the district magistrate office tomorrow.
Anirban Choudhary, TT: A forester and three villagers were injured when two bison, which had strayed out of Buxa Tiger Reserve, went on the rampage at Dakshin Majherdabri on the outskirts of Alipurduar on Friday.
Rift in alliance over Kalchini candidature
Arnab Saha , SNS, JALPAIGURI, 25 MARCH: Serious rift has landed in the Trinamul Congress-Congress alliance which has come in for further embarrassment to them as the local Congress leadership has refused to accept the Trinamul candidate from Kalchini Assembly constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Jalpaiguri district.
“We would go to any extent to have the seat re-allotted to us. In case we fail, we would not allow the ally to have a smooth campaign in Kalchini,” said a senior local Congress leader.
Notably, the Tirnamul has fielded the former Congress MLA, Mr Pawan Lakra as the candidate here. The GJMM sitting MLA Mr Wilson Champamari who wrested the seat from the RSP in 2009 by-election has been re-nominated. The ABAVP is also in the fray, which stood second in terms of votes polled in the by-election.
Local Congress leaders said that two senior party leaders, Mr Mohan Sharma and the Kalchini panchayat samiti sabhapati, Mr Atul Subba had recently visited New Delhi to ask the party High Command to exert influence to have the seat allotted to the party. "The High Command has refused to accept our demand. We have not yet given up hope,” said a local Congress leader.
According to Congress sources, the party would not extend co-operation to the Trinamul candidate. “We have worked hard over the past few years to consolidate our base in the seat. Now it will unacceptable if the Trinamul Congress reaps the benefits,” he said.
The Trinamul candidate, Mr Paban Lakra said that the Congress had remained aloof from the campaigns so far. “We have, however, started campaigning in full swing. If the Congress's non-cooperative posturing continues, the ABAVP would win the seat,” he said.
The ABAVP leader, Mr John Barla has claimed that their candidate Mr Sandip Ekka would win from Kalchini hands down.
Hill sub-divisions to see popular figures contesting
SNS, DARJEELING, 25 MARCH: The Indian National Congress has nominated three well-known figures from three sub-division of the Hills ~ Mr Nakul Chettri from Darjeeling, Mr Chabi Rai from Kurseong constituency and Mr Santi Kumar Sharma from Kalimpong ~ for the upcoming Assembly poll here.
A full-time party worker of the Congress, Mr Nakul Chettri (56), is a retired government employee. He was also the commissioner of municipality in Darjeeling during 1984-90. Mr Chettri, a former general-secretary of Youth Congress during the 80's, joined the Congress in 1974 when he was a student.
Unlike parties like the GJMM and the GNLF who will be contesting the election for its statehood demand and the Sixth Schedule, the main agenda of the Hill Congress party will be to enhance the "all-round development" of the Hills and generation of jobs for the unemployed youths.
The GJMM and the GNLF who have already announced their candidates from the three hill sub-divisions have not filed their nominations yet. According to a GNLF party leader, candidates will file their nominations at the district magistrate office tomorrow.
सिङलिङ काण्डमा मन्त्री सुब्बाको सफाई -मन्त्री पद नपाएर गोलेले राज्यमा अशान्ति गर्दैछः आरबी सुब्बा
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,25 मार्च। सत्तारूढ दल एसडीएफ भित्रको अन्तर कलहले अब उग्र रूप लिँदै आरोप प्रत्यारोपको जुवारीमा परिणत भएको छ। यसैक्रममा गत 18 मार्चको दिन पश्चिम सिक्किमको सिङलिङमा घटेको अप्रत्यासित घटनाबारे क्षेत्र विधायक तथा मन्त्री आरबी सुब्बाले आज मुख खोले। अब अप्पर बुर्तुकका विद्रोही विधायक पीएस गोले अनि सोरेङ च्याखुङका विधायक आरबी सुब्बाबीच खुल्ला वाक युद्ध छेडिने सुनिश्ति भएको छ। विधानसभा सत्र समापन पछि पत्रकारहरूसित कुराकानी गर्दै उनले भने, सिङलिङको घटनामा पीएस गोलेको हात छ किनभने त्यो घटना पूर्वनियोजित षडयन्त्र थियो।
उनले भने, सिङलिङ गाउँमा हामी एसडीएफको घर दैलो अभियानलाई लिएर जनताको दुःख सुख बुझ्न गएका थियौं तर त्यो थाहा पाएर पहिलेबाटै हामी माथि आक्रमण गर्न गोलेका समर्थकहरूल तयार बसेका थिए। हामीलाई खानाको व्यवस्था गरिएको ठाउँमै झगडा भएको थियो त्यस ठाउँदेखि म आधा किलोमिटर टाडा जनतासित बातचीत गर्दै थिएँ अनि मेरो गाडी घटना स्थलदेखि 3 सय फुटको दुरीमा थियो। तर उत्तेजित गोले समर्थकहरूले मेरो गाडीको टायर पन्चर गरिदिएकोले म पुलिसको वाहनमा चडेर फर्किए। त्यहाँ मेरो विरोधमा नाराबाजी पनि गरिएको थियो,उनले थपे। तर त्यस घटनामा मेरो कुनै हात छैन्, तिनले सफाई दिँदै भने।
अर्कोतिर उनले राज्यमा शान्ति सुरक्षाको राज एसडीएफ सरकारमा सुनिश्चि भएको भए पनि पीएस गोलेले मन्त्री पद नपाउँदा राज्यको शान्ति विथोल्ने कार्य गरिरहेको गम्भीर आरोप लगाए। उनले भने, 15 साल सम्म मन्त्री पदमा रहँदा त्यही एसडीएफ पार्टीको नीति र सिद्धान्त राम्रो भन्ने पीएस गोलेले मन्त्री पद नपाएपछि हतास भएर राज्यको शान्ति विथोल्न यस्ता कार्य गरिरहेको छ। उनले राज्यको अवस्थान अति सम्वेदनशील क्षेत्रमा रहेको हुनाले यसमा अशान्ति सिर्जना गर्नु नहुने र एसडीएफ पार्टी सधैं शान्तिको पक्षमा रहेको दावी गरे। यसैगरि उनले राज्य प्रशासनले घटनाको निष्पक्ष जाँच गरिनु पर्ने माग गरे। अर्कोतिर घटनामा राजेन तामाङ भन्दा जीवन गुरूङ गम्भीर रूपले घाइते भएको उनले जनाए। उनले भने, पुलिसले राजेन तामाङको भूल छ कि जीवन गुरूङको भूल छ त्यो खुट्याउऩु पर्छ। उऩले आफ्नो विरोधमा रहेको भए पनि सिङलिङ गाउँको विधायकको नाताले आफू त्यहाँ गएको अनि जनताको दुःख सुख बुझ्ने प्रयास गरेको बताए। यद्यपी अझै पनि विधानसभा सत्र सकिए पछि सिङलिङ गएर जनतालाई भेट्ने उनले जानकारी दिए। सोरेङ च्याखुङ निर्वाचन क्षेत्र निक्कै ठूलो क्षेत्र भएको हुनाले अहिले घर दैलो अभियानमा अधिकांश गाँउमा पुगेर पनि जनतालाई भेट्न काम गरिरहेको तथा सिङलिङ क्षेत्रमा पनि सबैभन्दा धेरै विकास गरिरहेको उनले दावी गरे।
मन्त्री परिषदको बैठकमा धनराशी स्वीकृत
प्रविण खालिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,25 मार्च। राज्यको मन्त्री परिषदको बैठक यहाँको टासिलिङ सचिवालयमा सम्पन्न भयो। सूचना तथा जनसम्पर्क विभागद्वारा जारी प्रेस जनाउ अनुसार शहरी विकास तथा आवास विभाकको निम्ति शहर भीत्रको सडकहरूको सुन्दरीकरणको निम्ति 48.96 करोड रूपियाँ स्वीकृत गरियो। यसमा अतिरिक्त रकम 1.80 करोड थप राशी छुट्टाइएको छ। यसैगरि उर्जा तथा विद्युत विभागको मार्चक पूर्व सिक्किममा 66 केभी ट्रान्समिशन लाइनको स्थापना गर्न1197 लाख रूपियाँको प्रस्तावलाई पनि बैठकले स्वीकृति दिएको छ। यसका साथै सँस्कृतिक मामिला तथा धरोहर विभागद्वारा संस्कृति भवन निर्माणको निम्ति माग गरिएको 50 लाख रूपियाँमा 25 लाख रूपियाँ बैठकले स्वीकृत गरेको छ।यसै गरि सामाजिक सेवा भत्ताको रूपमा वितरण गरिने भत्ताका 956 लाभार्थीहरूको निम्ति प्रतिमहिना 5 सय रूपियाँको दरले दिइऩे तीन महिनाको भत्ता भुक्तानको निम्ति 14.34 लाख रूपियाँ स्वीकृत गरेको छ।
कंग्रेसबाट उप्रेती र याखा लगायत 7 जनाको छुट्टी
पार्टी विरोधी क्रियाकलाप गर्दा निष्कासन गरिएको होः भण्डारी
प्रविण खलिंग, कालिमन्युज, गान्तोक,25 मार्च। सिक्किम प्रदेश कंग्रेसमा चलिरहेको आन्तरीक द्वन्दले आज अन्तिम रूप धारण गर्दै सात जना प्रतिनिधिलाई पार्टीको प्राथमिक सदस्यबाटै निष्कासित गरेको छ। पूर्व मुख्यमन्त्री तथा प्रदेश अध्यक्ष नरबहादुर भण्डारीको नेतृत्वलाई चुनौति दिँदै पूर्व मन्त्री के एन उप्रेतीको नेतृत्वमा विद्रोही मोर्चा तयार पार्ने सबै नेताहरूलाई पार्टीले निष्कासन गरेको छ। यहाँको विकास क्षेत्रमा स्थित पार्टी मुख्यालयमा आयोजित प्रेदेश कंग्रेस समिति सदस्य, जिल्ला समिति सदस्य तथा चारै जिल्लाको जनताको उपस्थितिमा भएको बैठकमा निष्कासित गरिने नेताहरूले पार्टीविरोधी क्रियाकलाप गरेको आरोपमा चार सालको निम्ति पार्टीको प्राथमिक सदस्यताबाटै निष्कासित गरिएने घोषणा गरिएको उपाध्यक्ष तथा प्रवक्ता कुंगा निमा लेप्चाले जारी गरेको प्रेस जनाउमा उल्लेख गरिएको छ।
निष्कासन गरिएको कंग्रेसका नेतहरूको सू्चीमा पूर्व मन्त्री के एन उप्रेती, पूर्व मन्त्री फुचुङ भोटिया, युवा नेता अविनाश याखा, लक्षुमण गुरुङ, भरत बस्नेत, अरूण राई र निमा वाङ्चुक भोटिया रहेका छन्। अर्कोतिर सभालाई सम्बोधन गर्दै अध्यक्ष भण्डारीले पार्टी विरोधी क्रियाकलापमा सलग्न रहेको हुनाले नै आफ्नै पार्टीका नेताहरूमाथि कार्वाही गर्न बाध्य भएको उपस्थित जनसमुदायलाई बताए । यसै गरि उनले पार्टीमा अनुशासन भएको हुनाले नै पार्टीको हितमा यस्तो निर्णय सर्वसम्मतिले पारित गरिएको बताए। अर्कोतिर तिनले राज्यवासीलाई सिक्किम भारतको अङ्ग हुँदा प्राप्त विशेष सुरक्षाको प्रावधानलाई वर्तमान पवन चामलिङको सरकारले समाप्त गरेर जनविरोध नीतिहरूलाई प्रश्रय़ दिएको आरोप लगाए। उनले राज्यमा प्रशस्त जनताको हित विपरितको जल विद्युत परियोजना अनि दवाई कारखानाहरू भित्र्याएर सिक्किमेलाई विदेशीको हातमा बेचेर मास्ने कार्य गरिरहेको बताए। उनले एसडीएफ सरकारको खोइरो खन्दै यसको नीति र कार्ययोजनाहरूको तिखो आलोचना गरे।
Bison injures 4 in Alipurduar
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The animals were spotted in the village around 6am. The gaurs first started running aimlessly, then made towards North Majherdabri. By then, around 1,000 people had gathered in the village. The foresters who reached the spot found it difficult to sedate the animals because of the huge crowd.
Beat officer Dipak Modak and three villagers were gored by one of the animals and had to be admitted to Alipurduar subdivisional hospital. By evening, both the bison were tranquillised and taken to forest.
Global Urban Vision – April 2011
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (jnmanokaran@yahoo.com) on behalf of Glocal Resources Development Associates-published for KalimNews)
I India
1. Chennai's bloody Bus Day: It's an annual tradition in Chennai - Bus Day -when students force their way into public buses and then ride on top of them. In recent years, buses have been hijacked and damaged during the demonstration. But on 23 February, 25 policemen were injured after they tried to stop students at Chennai's Pachiappa's college from hijacking buses, damaging them, and disrupting them. The police was stoned by students on the college campus. The ritual is meant to be a students' celebration of the buses that ferry them to and from universities, but invariably, students damage public property and force drivers to move at snail's pace, causing massive traffic jams in the city. The police was reprimanded by the Madras High Court for not being able to protect the public from the inconvenience caused by students every year. A local lawyer yesterday sent legal notices to the police,
The Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras and other city authorities over their role in allowing the bus day celebrations. (Sam Daniel, http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/chennais-bloody-bus-day-87468 accessed on 26 February 2011.)
2. In Kerala, suicide runs in the entire family: The average Malayali is famously private but might this unwillingness to let it all hang out be the reason for Kerala's frightening statistical success at family suicide? An abnormally high number of families commit suicide, together, in the state. Family suicide is defined as the dominant person in the family killing the others before doing away with themselves. Sometimes, it features a suicide pact among family members. A study by the Kerala State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA) says that 39 of every 100 family suicides reported across India take place in God's own country. The study has just been endorsed by Kerala's Economic Review 2010, which was tabled in the assembly. In 2009, there were 13 family suicides in Kerala, which totalled 38 deaths. Kerala also has the highest rate of individual suicide in India, after Sikkim. In 2009, suicide accounted for nearly 40% of all deaths in Sikkim, in Kerala it was 25%. The national average of suicide caused by "family trouble" is 23.7%; while in Kerala it was 40.2%. In Kerala, the basic economic and social needs have been taken care of but emotional and other forms of pressure take their place, sometimes with life threatening effects. The spurt in suicide is also driven by weakening social institutions such as the family, rising divorce rates, unemployment, alcoholism, violence against women and children and consumerism. Taken together, this cocktail can push people into debt and depression and eventually suicide. Most people who end their lives do so in their most productive years — between the ages of 30 and 45. Their dependents find themselves abandoned and vulnerable to the same escape route. The other statistic, which has not yet been analysed in detail, is failed suicide attempts. While 24 people on average commit suicide in Kerala every day, the number of attempted suicides is at least 10 to 15 times higher. Many cases are not reported because the families would influence that hospitals write them off as accidents. KSMHA data did show a decline in the rate of suicide in Kerala over a longer period — between 2003 and 2009 — from 30.8 persons per lakh to 25.5 per lakh. But, compared to 2008, suicide rose in 2009 at the rate of 0.3 persons per lakh. Startling facts: The suicide rate among Kerala's youth is one of the highest in India; Increase in suicide and attempted suicide among schoolchildren; Male suicide was 72% of all suicides; female attempted suicides accounted for 60% of all attempted suicides; 78% of suicide victims were married, unlike in the West where suicide rates are higher among unmarried and divorced people; Hanging was the most common method — 50%, followed by poison, 32% (Ananthakrishnan G., http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/In-Kerala-suicide-runs-in-the-entire-family/articleshow/7485596.cms accessed on 26 February 2011.)
3. Head: 45 % rise in divorce by mutual consent: Divorce cases by mutual consent have gone up in the past five years, statistics from the family court in Pune show. Of the total number of divorce cases filed every year since 2005, petitions under mutual consent constituted over 65 per cent. From 729 petitions in 2005, the number went up to 1,130 in 2010, a rise of about 45 per cent. Till this February, 100 cases were registered. In another alarming trend, counsellors said that over 50 per cent of mutual consent divorce petitions were from couples who had not completed three years of marriage. Lawyers dealing with such cases said that couples with irrevocable differences prefer divorce by mutual consent as it goes a long way in saving time, money and effort. Besides, it is less traumatic, they added. The divorce can come through in six months. Usually, a divorce can take years to come through. When it is by mutual consent, allegations and counter-allegations are withheld, finances are sorted out and custody issues of children are amicably decided. The in-laws are not dragged into it, unlike cases where the woman has filed for a divorce citing cruelty under Section 498 (A) of the Indian Penal Code. The sad part is that mutual consent divorce leaves no chance for any attempt to save the marriage. According to a senior marriage counsellor, the rate of reconciliation between couples filing for divorce under the mutual consent clause is as little as 3-4 per cent, In other divorce cases, it is 16-18 per cent. Their reasons include differences in lifestyle and career goals. Couples cite reasons like lack of space, wanting different things in life, they are better off as friends rather than husband and wife. "Men cite lack of hot food on demand as a major irritant, while wives point at mothers-in-law who refuse to let go. They also dispute over when and whether to have children. Women are no longer agreeable to putting their careers on the backburner while the child grows up. Hence, divorce is looked upon as a quick solution," said the counsellor. At the root of it all is the erosion of family values and diminishing social pressure to keep the marriage going. Another trend is that working couples, especially in the BPO and IT industry, keep long hours at work. They spend little time with each other and adulterous relations at the workplace are not uncommon. Another counsellor said that asking couples to revisit their marriage vows and promises does not work. Since, many split within three years of marriage, children are not involved. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/45-rise-in-divorce-by-mutual-consent/articleshow/7583220.cms accessed on 27 February 2011.)
4. Secret life of Indian Teens: Not that the teens care. For them, it's LOL (Lots Of Love) all the way. Sex is cool because, gosh, everybody's doing it. Twenty-five out of 100 teenage girls in a big-city school are sexually active, reports the Indian Association of Paediatricians. Some boys carry condoms in their pockets because they don't know when "they might get lucky". During high school socials, dark corners of the venue are "reserved" by couples beforehand, so that they can go and "do it" in a crowded room, "just for the thrill of it" it's a generation that spends 10 hours a day on some sort of a media, two hours on social networking sites, 1.6 hours on the phone, four hours 23 minutes a week on computer games. While 66 per cent carry mobile phones to school, 47 per cent can't live without TV. Over 45 per cent drink alcohol five times a month and 14 per cent use tobacco. Yet 70 per cent teens show signs of depression and 48 per cent think about suicide. A survey released by one of Bollywood's biggest hits last year, Udaan-all about a 17-year-old boy, who gets expelled from boarding school for sneaking out to watch a semi-porn film-shows: one in five teens watches porn before age 13; every second teen necks and kisses, 15 per cent in the school loo; one out of five claims to have had sex; 90 per cent believe in premarital sex, with 45 per cent of girls opting for clandestine abortions. If every generation needs a cultural marker, Facebook is the canvas on which the digitally nimble teens spill their secrets. What used to be the rush to the school canteen to tell everyone what's going on has become the rush to social networking sites. Despite those highs and lows, Facebook is the place where they measure each other's cool quotient. And every teen is aware of the subterranean war of attitude and outlook that rages on the social networking website. Code words to outwit adults:FWB: Friends With Benefits; UMFRIEND: Boyfriend; LMAO: Laughing My Ass Off; ITILU: I Think I Love You; @@@: Parents Nearby; THUD: Depressing; 8: Oral Sex; SEXTING: Sexual Text Message; and C-P: Sleepy. 10 Things Teenagers won’t tell you: 30 per cent are not comfortable talking to their parents about their own problems; 67 per cent of all school students cheat in an exam, at least once; 45 per cent teenage girls would prefer to terminate unwanted pregnancies without telling their parents; 21 per cent teenagers get unwanted demands for sexual activity from strangers on the Net; 1 out of 5 is smoking at an alarming rate of 13 to 15 sticks a day; 65 per cent face persisting problems to which they see no solution; 1 in 2 teen necks and kisses; 1 in 5 teen watches porn before age 13; 15 per cent drink alcohol when they are bored; and 47 per cent play games on their mobile. 10 Things About Teens That Make Parents Mad: Watching primetime reality shows that titillate. 76 per cent do it; 48 per cent contemplate suicide; 90 per cent show extreme reluctance to go to school; Rising demand for pocket money ("My friend gets RS20,000 a month".); 85 per cent teens think tuitions bring high scores; 90 per cent teens believe in pre-marital sex; Everybody has it. That's what 71 per cent of teens say when asking for fancy frills-MP3 to camera phones; 45 per cent of Class XII students drink alcohol 5 times a month; 70 per cent show mood swings and bad temper; and 17 years is the average age of initiation into drugs in big cities. Dating and Mating: Decoding the new rules of romance: BUDDY BENEFIT: Friends With Benefits are friends of the opposite sex who fulfil needs. No commitment. No demands. No problem. BF VS GF: You can hug your "guy friends" casually, but you can't hug your "boyfriend" in front of your parents. PLENTY CHOICE: Multiple dating is smart: you are not too hung up on any one person. And that makes you more attractive. BASIC INSTINCT: Baseball metaphors are in. First base = kissing, second and third base = kissing and touching, with and without clothes. Home run = sex. Pocket money for 15-plus teens in the metros ranges between Rs 6,000-20,000 a month. Thousands throng the narrow lanes of Chennai's Burma Bazaar, off Anna Salai, where stalls are piled high with fake electronic brands, mobile phone, pirated movie CDs, imported cameras, LCD TVs, music layers and iPods. It's the hub of Chennai's grey market and one of the hottest in the country. And violent 3D animation sex video games are the hot picks here. But you don't get them over the counter. They are picked up by Internet browsing centres across the city. It all starts with a pop-up, where a woman prompts the browser to undress her. That leads to violent sex games. Drugs are just a step away, but everyone counts "junkies" in their friend circle. Out of 50 very close friends, 10 would be into casual doping, and five hardcore addicts. If in 2001, the age of initiation stood at 20, today, it averages at 17, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Schoolchildren seem to be experimenting with a whole range of drugs. A 2010 study on 2,000 Shimla school students by the NGO Youth Enlightening finds drug abuse among 55 per cent boys and 24 per cent girls. With beer and hookah on offer at popular cafés and fast food joints and "Happy Hours" starting early at pubs, teens are free to party. A recent survey of 1,000 people in the 14-24 age group conducted by the Community Against Drunken Driving in the capital finds about a third of teens in the 16-18 age group are drinking at pubs and bars, with 35 per cent picking up hard liquor from authorised vendors. AIIMS researchers are studying a phenomenon- Recurrent Abdominal Pains (RAP)- which they come across increasingly among students across the country. And RAP is a classic sign of stress, they report: 90 per cent resist going to school, 70 per cent are irritable and depressed, 65 per cent face "problems" to which they see no solution and 36 per cent find it difficult to keep pace with their peer group. "Failure is one word that gives this generation nightmares. Stress is a manifestation of that attitude," says Dr Manju Mehta, head of child psychology at AIIMS. Not quite adolescent, not quite adult. Nobody knows what to make of the new liberated teen. The tech savvy Facebook Generation has had much more-clothes, toys, gadgets- than their parents ever did. The new technological progress is making them experience "an uncertain and confused state of maturity." The permutations and combinations of teenage have gone all topsy-turvy. Will India's New Teens manage to turn their unusual Net-freedom and global exposure into new tools for change? (Damayanti Datta, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/130880/cover-story/secret-life-of-indian-teens.html accessed on 27 February 2011.)
5. Bogus courts bypass the law in Coimbatore: There's fake certificates, fake currency, fake police stations and fake encounters but this hoax leaves them all behind. Coimbatore has at least half a dozen fake courts, that go by the name of 'arbitral tribunal', 'all-India & overseas arbitration committee' or 'alternative disputes redressal forum-cum-arbitration tribunal'. And their 'judgments' issued by a 'judge' sitting beneath a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi are meticulously followed even by the police. Complete with 'court halls', 'arbitral judges' and 'panel arbitrators', these hoax courts entertain civil disputes, issue notices and summons, conduct hearings and pass orders. Some of them have been handling civil disputes involving several lakhs of rupees and issuing 'directions'. The Coimbatore Bar Association has lodged a complaint with the Madras high court and the Coimbatore police. A PIL has also been filed by Coimbatore-based advocate D Kalaiarasu to bring the matter to the HC's notice. About 20 'judgments' of these so-called tribunals, copies of which are available with The Times of India, reveal that they have been handling civil cases involving lakhs of rupees for at least about four years. They have been issuing directions on non-judicial stamp paper (used for registration of properties, trusts, bonds, etc) to individuals as well as local bodies to implement the orders. The hearings in these tribunals were held at night. Apart from laser surveillance cameras, both inside and outside the 'tribunal premises', these so-called night courts were designed to resemble a regular court with red and black interiors, the National Emblem and Mahatma Gandhi's portrait. The paraphernalia, modelled on high courts and the Supreme Court, is complete with ceremonial duffedars (sepoys) wearing red cross-belts escorting 'judges'. In true high court style, they even bear a silver mace and silence the gathering to announce the arrival of the judge, he said. Advocates appearing before the bench are asked to address judges as 'my lord' or 'your honour'. And the judge usually travels in cars with red beacon lights. The hoax tribunals have a separate registry, filing section, cause lists (list of cases for the day), examiners and even a registrar. Their notices contain the seal of justice with a temple tower in the background, akin to the Government of Tamil Nadu emblem. Their decrees (awards), printed on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper, bear a deceptive court emblem, with a seal resembling that of a civil court. Names of 'arbitral judges' mentioned in the fake judgments include N Kausalya Devi (BA BL), R Vijay Anand (BA BL), NJR Jagadeesh (BA BL), PR Shanmugam (MA BL) who is 'chairman cum chief arbitrator', 'panel arbitrators' S Anbazhagan (BA BL) and R Sevillamparuthi (BSc BL). To lend legitimacy to the illegal establishments, the fake courts cite a non-existent provision in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996. The 'arbitral judges' claim that their forums function under the "guidance of ministry of law, Government of India". These tribunals are constituted under Section 2(1)(d) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996, they claimed. (A Subramani, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/cityarticlelist/-2128932452.cms accessed on 7 March 2011.)
6. Indian men lead in sexual violence, worst on gender equality: Study: The findings of a recent International Men and Gender Equality Survey done in six developing countries across four continents to map attitudes and practices related to gender equality reflects a new low for Indian men. Nearly one in four Indian men has committed sexual violence at some point in their lives and one in five has admittedly forced his wife or partner to have sex. Only 2% Brazilian males and less than 9% of men in Chile, Croatia, Mexico and Rwanda were found to have indulged in sexual violence. Researchers interviewed more than 8,000 men and 3,500 women, aged 18 to 59, from these countries. Indians, who are known to excel in competitive examinations globally, were ranked last on the 'gender equitable men' scale, given that only 17% of men here qualified to the 'highly equitable' (gender-just) category. The percentage was the lowest for this category among the six countries. On sexual violence, 24% said they had committed some form of it in their lives.
While Croatia topped the test, with 82% 'gender-just' men, more than 50% men in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico made the grade. Rwanda, which is among the least developed nations in the world, in fact, fared better than India, with 30% males qualifying as 'highly equitable'. Rwanda, however, joined India with highest rate of domestic violence, with 38% men admitting they had physically abused their partners. Worse, more than 65% Indian men also believed that women should tolerate violence to keep the family together and that women sometimes deserved to be beaten. And although Indian men were the most sexually and physically violent at home, they were not involved in violent or criminal behaviour outside. Only 4% Indian men had participated in robbery and 7% had been involved in fights with weapons, compared to 36% men in Croatia and 22% men in Brazil. India may be on its way to becoming the world's fastest developing economy, it figures at the bottom of the pile when it comes to gender equality. In the survey, which found Indian men to be the worst offenders in terms of sexual violence, more than 1,000 men from the 1,500 interviewed in India were from Delhi. The findings mirrored the high incidence of sexual assault in Delhi: the capital witnessed 489 rapes last year. (Neha Bhayana, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-men-lead-in-sexual-violence-worst-on-gender-equality-Study/articleshow/7643154.cms accessed on 7 March 2011.)
7. TB goes upscale: Tuberculosis is surging and it is no longer a malady of the poor. In Delhi hospitals, TB patients from higher income families have doubled in the last three years. Kolkata reports a new type of TB patients – professionals, business owners, housewives. In Bangalore, 25-35 techies are filling up the chambers of chest physicians. Mumbai is also surging with educated who are affected by TB. This disease has a diagnostic test that is 125 years old, a vaccine that is 80 years old and a treatment that is 50 year old. TB resurgence is global with one – fifth of the burden on India, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Two deaths occur every minute due to TB in India. Two million Indians are diagnosed with TB every year. Over 40 percent have germs hidden – waiting to become active. Globally, one in ten persons with ten dormant get sick, while it is one in three in India. An analysis says 80 laboratories do misleading tests for TB on over 1.5 million patients. (Damayanti Datta, India Today 14 March 2011, p. 67-68)
8. Hanging by a thread: Of the 19 students who commit suicide each day in India, six kill themselves fearing failure in examinations. National Crime Record Bureau 2009 shows: 23.8 of total suicides in Patna; 24% in Chandigarh; 23% in Allahabad and Kanpur were students. 6761 students committed suicide in 2009-2010. 2189 (958 girls and 1231 boys) students in 2008 killed themselves for failing in exams. (Amitabh Srivastava, India Today 14 March 2011, p.76.)
9. India world's No. 1 arms importer: India has emerged as the largest arms importer in the world, overtaking even China, claims a report by The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). India accounted for 9% of all international arms imports between 2006-2010, making it the world`s largest weapons importer. China was relegated to second place, notching 6% of global arms imports, Siemon Wezeman of Sipri told international news agencies. The US remains the largest arms exporter, followed by Russia and Germany, as per the report. This is not the first time that India has topped such an international list. As reported by TOI earlier, US Congressional Research Service's reports on conventional arms transfers placed India right at the top in 2004 and 2005, with agreements worth $5.7 billion and $5.4 billion respectively. Unlike India, China has rapidly built a robust domestic defence-industrial base (DIB) over the last couple of decades, which often also revels in reverse-engineering top-of-the-line weapon systems developed by other countries. If India`s defence budget for the coming fiscal is pegged at $36 billion, China is "officially`` going to spend $91.5 billion. Experts, however, reckon that it will spend almost twice the amount on its 2.5-million strong People`s Liberation Army. But all this does not take away from the fact that India has certainly cranked up the modernization of its armed forces since the 1999 Kargil conflict, inking arms deals worth over $50 billion since then, the majority of them with foreign armament majors from Russia, Israel, France, UK and now, increasingly the US, as tracked by TOI. With limited private sector participation, coupled with DRDO, eight defence PSUs and 39 ordnance factories largely failing to deliver, India remains saddled with a poor DIB. So, with the armed forces continuing to import almost 70% of their requirements from abroad, India will remain a big time arms importer for the foreseeable future. There are several mega defence projects in the pipeline, which will see also tie-ups with foreign companies for technology transfer for indigenous production. (Rajat Pandit, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-worlds-No-1-arms-importer/articleshow/7697182.cms accessed on 15 March 2011.)
10. Nip,Tuck & Raipur: Here are the incredible facts: The latest report (2010) by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) places India at No. 4 on the list of plastic surgery hubs in the world. We account for nearly 5.2 percent of the world’s cosmetic surgeries. Our forerunners are knife happy US, Brazil and China, where the combined charms of Hollywood, leggy models and soap stars have caused a permanent dip in self-esteem. South Korea, which follows us on the list, is already notorious for its sinister ‘Makeover Town’ in Seoul — a strip in the city that offers speedy nip tucks round the clock for half the usual price. The most popular surgeries in the world — liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid reconstruction and rhinoplasties (nose jobs) — are finding a new wave of takers across Indian B towns: cosmetic surgery clinics in Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram and Indore provide tummy tucks for at least 5-6 patients every week. Fewer patients travel to metros for cosmetic surgeries now since most small towns and district centres offer the same services at half the cost. Economics dictates a reverse journey — most small-town clinics witness a flood of medical tourists and desperate patients since their services cost much less. A rhinoplasty that would begin at Rs. 45,000 in a metro comes for less than Rs. 25,000 in Dehradun, Raipur and Patiala. Facelifts that cost Rs. 2 lakh in Delhi can be had for one-fourth the price in Chhattisgarh. Welcome to Raipur: Most metropolitan Indians would know this town only as Chhattisgarh’s rutty capital. The place the media writes of only as a stopover point to India’s mineral-rich and strife-torn heartland — Dantewada, Abujmarh; the Maoist crisis in capital alphabets. But beneath this public reputation, Raipur is a different place altogether. All over town are people dreaming, planning, scheming for nips and tucks that will transform their lives forever. Dr. Sunil Kalda claims he’s performed a mind-boggling 50,000 cosmetic surgeries, nearly 300 liposuctions and six sex change operations. Dr Kalda recounts many such instances: “A patient came with 200 photos of Aishwarya Rai’s nose. I don’t even know how she got hold of so many pictures, but she had one from every pose and angle. She wanted a nose exactly like that.” Most commonly, Adivasi clients in Chhattisgarh also ask for their eyes to be widened and for their typically flat noses to be sharpened (they say prospective grooms’ families complain that Bastar and Kotoriya girls look too ‘sleepy’ or ‘chinky’). Women want breast augmentation, men want hair transplants, and both want liposuctions and tummy tucks. At Dehradun’s Ashirwad Hospital, Dr Rakesh Kalra neatly classifies his plastic patients into three types: 1) Boys and girls arriving at marriageable age. 2) 40-50-year-olds trying to switch jobs and compete with younger peers in interviews. 3) Post 50-year-olds anxious about occasions like a college reunion or a silver wedding anniversary. The incline in number of patients seeking plastic surgery is because people are taking more pride in their appearance. Naturally, there are also patients who undergo plastic surgery for physical defects that impede their functioning — such as not being able to breathe, hear, swallow or enjoy sex due to abnormally shaped body parts. Given the vast range of maladies, physical and emotional, which they cure, who can blame surgeons for feeling self-congratulatory, for feeling like a cross between a father confessor and sorcerer? Some victims of accidents are also benefitted by plastic surgery. (Nishita Jha, Tehelka 19 March 2011 P. 34-41.)
11. In 20 years, 20% more men than women: A study conducted by Dr Therese Hesketh and co-authors from the UCL Centre for International Health and Development, London, and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says easy access to sex-selective abortions, has led to significant imbalances in the male/female population in China, India and South Korea. The sex ratio at birth (SRB) - the number of boys born to every 100 girls - is consistent in human populations, where about 105 males are born to every 100 females. In India there are also marked regional differences in SRB. Incompleteness of birth registration makes it difficult to accurately calculate SRB. However, using the closely related ratio of boys to girls under the age of six, it is found that there are several states in the north and west such as Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat that have sex ratios as high as 125. In the south and east, several states - such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh - have sex ratios of around 105. There are already laws forbidding foetal sex determination and sex- selective abortion in China, India and South Korea. South Korea has only enforced the law strongly. In China and India, sex-selective abortion is still carried out with impunity by medical personnel, usually qualified doctors, in hospitals and clinics, not in backstreet establishments. A common pattern is that if the first- or second-born are girls, then couples often ensure the second or third child is a boy. A large study in India showed that for second births with one preceding girl the SRB is 132, and for third births with two previous girls it is 139, while sex ratios where the previous child was a boy are normal. India has 34,012 registered ultra-sound clinics. Earlier, studies have said 5-7 lakh girls a year or 2,000 girls go missing in India daily due to female foeticide. In families, where one girl child already exists, the chances of a second girl being born are as low as 54%. In a family with two female children, the chances of third girl being born is as low as 20%. (Kounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/In-20-years-20-more-men-than-women/articleshow/7714885.cms accessed on 16 March 2011.)
12. Cops suspended for hiring minor girl: Chennai City police commissioner T Rajendran suspended a police constable Ulaganathan and his wife Durga Priya, who is also a police constable, for engaging a minor girl as their domestic help. The servant maid R Pranathi (14) committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling at the police quarters in Washermenpet . The order was initiated by the city police chief following protests by Pranathi's family members, asking for legal action against the police couple. Pranathi had been working as a maid since 2009, and was assigned to take care of the couple's child. According to Pranathi's father Rosaiah, a resident of Ernavur near Ennore, he was threatened with dire consequences by constable Ulaganathan attached to Security Chennai Police (SCP). He was also forced to sign in some documents in which the cops had written that his daughter committed suicide because she had stomach ache. Though Pranathi was a Christian by birth, her body was cremated at a crematorium in Royapuram. Following this, her family members protested and staged a road roko. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/ Chennai-cops-suspended-for-hiring-minor-girl/articleshow/7714465.cms accessed on 16 March 2011.) Please pray that the ban on child labour be strictly implemented by the Government and also Christians be a model by not hiring children as domestic help or for any labour.
13. Enrolment in primary schools plunges 2.6 million in 2 years: The enrolment in primary classes across the country has dropped since 2007. Between 2008-09 and 2009-10, enrolment in classes I to IV in Indian schools dropped by over 2.6 million. The biggest setback was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, where admissions plummeted by over a million in the last two years, according to the latest data released by the ministry of human resource development. The slide in national figures began between 2007-08 and 2008-09 and became, ironically, steeper between 2008-09 and 2009-10, when the Centre cleared the Right to Education Act making education a fundamental right. Most large Indian states, including Maharashtra, have seen student numbers come down in classes I to V, though Assam has been one of the biggest offenders. Experts are at a loss to accurately explain the drop in enrolment in northern states, where birth rates have essentially remained the same. In some southern states, where population planners had predicted a slowdown in birth rate, primary school enrolments have unsurprisingly declined. In other states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu and in the northeast, the figures have begun to plateau. In Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, the struggle stems from ground-level problems like data keeping, children moving out, introduction of new schools and rationalization of data. (Hemali Chhapia, http://timesofindia. indiatimes.com/india/Enrolment-in-primary-schools-plunges-26-million-in-2-years/articleshow/7749672.cms accessed on 21 March 2011.)
14. Number of vehicles in Mumbai touches 18.7 lakh: The latest economic survey of Maharashtra tabled in the state legislature revealed that as of January 1, 2011, the number of vehicles registered in Maharashtra was 170.30 lakh, which means about 15,200 vehicles per lakh population. The survey said that the number of buses in the BEST fleet had gone up from 3,867 in 2008-09 to 4,078 in 2009-10. However, the number of passengers had gone down from 43.80 lakh in 2008-09 to 43.71 lakh in 2009-10. The report adds that work on 28 of the 36 skywalks had been completed, and construction of eight others was in progress. (Rajendra Aklekar, http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/ report_number-of-vehicles-in-mumbai-touches-18-7-lakh_1523088 accessed on 23 March 2011.)
15. Mumbai: Illegal hawkers pay Railway Police hefty hafta: A Mid-Day sting reveals that illegal hawkers and stalls at the Kurla station in Mumbai operate with the support of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). "If the media finds out about this racket, we will lose our jobs. So be careful, " Head Constable MS Mansuri told an undercover reporter. Posing as a small-time Chinese fast food stall owner interested in running a joint just outside the busy station, this reporter found that all the hawkers and stall owners who cause inconvenience to commuters by plying their wares illegally do so with the full support of the Railway Protection Force. The support comes at a price, of course and a hefty one at that. Mansuri told this reporter that he would have to make a payment of Rs. 2,000 upfront for setting up the stall and then pay the RPF Rs. 7,000 every month as hafta. When the reporter handed over Rs. 500 as a token amount, promising to pay more later, Mansuri said that only a small amount of the protection money would go to him and the bulk would be divided up between senior officials. Stall owners say that nearly Rs. 26,000 is recovered by the Kurla RPF as hafta every day, making the monthly collection close to Rs. 8 lakh. They also said that similar rackets are run at every station and crores of rupees go into the railway police's pockets through this 'side business' every year. Hawkers on the foot-over-bridges pay Rs. 500 a month, food stall owners have to shell out between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 6,000. (http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/mumbai-illegal-hawkers-pay-railway-police-hefty-hafta-94160 accessed on 25 March 2011.)
II Diaspora
1.Hindu guru sentenced to prison for sexual molestation in US: Absconding Indian godman Prakashanand Saraswati, also known as Shree Swamiji, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined USD 10,000 on each of 20 felony counts for groping girls who grew up on the ashram he founded and led in Central Texas. With the subject of their deliberations still missing and presumed to be on the run, a Hays County jury sentenced the 82-year-old religious guru to 14 years in prison for each of 20 counts of molesting two girls in his Barsana Dham ashram in Driftwood during the 1990s. For Prakashanand, a religious leader who claims hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, the lengthy prison sentence represented a dramatic reversal of fortune. The parent organisation to which his Barsana Dham ashram belongs owns and operates temples and hospitals in India and other countries. For the women who said the guru kissed and fondled them in the mid-1990s while they were in their teens, the prison sentence represented a satisfying end to a bitter battle against a man they were once told was a living saint and a religious group to which their parents still belong. Now 27 and 30 years old, the women brought charges against the guru three years ago. The jury of eight men and four women deliberated only a half-hour. Prakashanand didn't show up for the punishment phase of his trial and is still at large. District Judge Charles Ramsay will decide later whether the guru's prison sentences are to be served concurrently. Spokesmen for the ashram say they don't know where guru is. Peter Spiegel, a wealthy devotee who posted a USD 1 million cash bond for guru's release, testified that he doesn't know his whereabouts, either. The guru was released on a USD 1 million cash bond but failed to show up Monday in San Marcos for sentencing. The judge then ordered the bond revoked and issued the arrest warrant against guru. He had already revoked Prakashanand's US passport. (http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/mar/090311-Hindu-guru-Prakashanand-Saraswati-sentenced-prison-sexual-molestation-US.htm accessed on 9 March 2011.)
2.Thousands of Indians in jails abroad: The number of Indians detained in foreign countries according to data available with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 6,795 Indians are in jail in countries all over the world. Indians are in prison in the UK, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Swaziland and even Lesotho. The United Arab Emirates is tops with 1,681 Indians behind bars. This is followed Saudi Arabia, where it is estimated that 1,400 Indians are serving jail terms at any given point of time. Other countries where Indians are jailed in a substantial number are the UK, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Nepal. In Slovak Republic, the MEA claims around 100 are in jails while the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, only 80 Indians live in the Slovak Republic. Indians are in prison mostly for illegal entry, cheating, trafficking and murder. In Saudi Arabia and the UAE, however, Indians are in for bootlegging and adultery also. However, ridiculous statuettes also play a role at times. Consider for example, the state of an Indian man in Azerbaijan, who is serving a sentence of four and a half years for carrying prescription drugs in excess of guidelines without a doctor’s prescription. All this makes the families of the prisoners desperate as well. At times, it can be weird. For instance, Somnath’s family in Gujarat is always asking when he would be released. Somnath, 22, a fisherman from Gujarat, was caught by Pakistani authorities when he was said to have crossed maritime boundaries. He has been in lodged in a Karachi jail for more than a year. In completely different circumstances, 19-year-old Vikas Choudhary, originally from Rajasthan, and a crew member on a private merchant ship, was held up by Iranian authorities for illegal entry into Iranian waters. (Samarth Saran, (http://tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ws070311INDIA_ABROAD.asp accessed on 13 March 2011)
III Global
1.World's teen capital, but raw deal for girls: According to Unicef's State of the World's Children 2011 Report, "Adolescence — an age of opportunity": India with 243 million adolescents has the largest population of adolescents in the world. It accounts for 20% of the global population of 1.2 billion adolescents. Unfortunately, India also happens to have the largest proportion of underweight adolescent girls, about 47%. The vast majority of adolescents (88%) live in developing countries. Though adolescents across the world are said to be generally healthier today, teenage girls are still subjected to early marriage, childbirth and hence high maternal mortality among other risks. Adolescent girls also experience higher rates of domestic and sexual violence and are more susceptible to the risk of HIV infection. In India, 56% adolescent girls are anaemic. Such large proportions being underweight and anaemic have serious implications during pregnancy, which is a significant risk since about 30% of the girls aged 15-19 years are married or in a union. Also, three in five women aged 20-49 were married as adolescents compared to one in five men. Despite laws against child marriage, the prevalence of among urban girls is 29% and 56% among rural girls. Also, over one in five women in India aged 20-24 had given birth before the age of 18. In countries like Bangladesh, Chad and Niger, around a third of all women aged 20-24 are married by the age of 15. Child labour is yet another area of concern as 150 million children aged 5-14 are estimated to be engaged in child labour with the highest incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. Although aggregate numbers suggest more boys than girls are involved in child labour, it is estimated that about 90% are girls. Teenagers working long hours in bad conditions are unlikely to complete their education, which means they may never escape poverty. Globally, only half the adolescent population of appropriate age attends secondary school. With increasing emphasis on knowledge skills in the global economy, these adolescents without access to fundamental education and with insufficient skills stand a poor chance in the market. Adolescence is a time when poverty and inequity is passed on to the next generation, pointed out the report and appealed for greater investment in education, health and other measures to improve the lives of adolescents. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Worlds-teen-capital-but-raw-deal-for-girls/articleshow/7578117.cms accessed on 26 February 2011.)
2.Facebook bans 20,000 underage users a day: Facebook has revealed that about 20,000 children are kicked off the social networking site every day for lying about their age to join the site. The social networking giant admitted it had to do more to stop young people using Facebook, as it revealed about a third of Australia's population uses the site every day, reported the Herald Sun. The chief privacy adviser of Facebook, Mozelle Thompson, said many Australian children under the age of 13 were trying to access the site by lying about their age. Globally, about seven million children who lie about their age are blocked from the site each year. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social-media/Facebook-bans-20000-underage-users-a-day/articleshow/7762407.cms accessed on 22 March 2011)
Global Urban Vision – April 2011
(Compiled and Published by J.N. Manokaran (jnmanokaran@yahoo.com) on behalf of Glocal Resources Development Associates-published for KalimNews)
I India
1. Chennai's bloody Bus Day: It's an annual tradition in Chennai - Bus Day -when students force their way into public buses and then ride on top of them. In recent years, buses have been hijacked and damaged during the demonstration. But on 23 February, 25 policemen were injured after they tried to stop students at Chennai's Pachiappa's college from hijacking buses, damaging them, and disrupting them. The police was stoned by students on the college campus. The ritual is meant to be a students' celebration of the buses that ferry them to and from universities, but invariably, students damage public property and force drivers to move at snail's pace, causing massive traffic jams in the city. The police was reprimanded by the Madras High Court for not being able to protect the public from the inconvenience caused by students every year. A local lawyer yesterday sent legal notices to the police,
The Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras and other city authorities over their role in allowing the bus day celebrations. (Sam Daniel, http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/chennais-bloody-bus-day-87468 accessed on 26 February 2011.)
2. In Kerala, suicide runs in the entire family: The average Malayali is famously private but might this unwillingness to let it all hang out be the reason for Kerala's frightening statistical success at family suicide? An abnormally high number of families commit suicide, together, in the state. Family suicide is defined as the dominant person in the family killing the others before doing away with themselves. Sometimes, it features a suicide pact among family members. A study by the Kerala State Mental Health Authority (KSMHA) says that 39 of every 100 family suicides reported across India take place in God's own country. The study has just been endorsed by Kerala's Economic Review 2010, which was tabled in the assembly. In 2009, there were 13 family suicides in Kerala, which totalled 38 deaths. Kerala also has the highest rate of individual suicide in India, after Sikkim. In 2009, suicide accounted for nearly 40% of all deaths in Sikkim, in Kerala it was 25%. The national average of suicide caused by "family trouble" is 23.7%; while in Kerala it was 40.2%. In Kerala, the basic economic and social needs have been taken care of but emotional and other forms of pressure take their place, sometimes with life threatening effects. The spurt in suicide is also driven by weakening social institutions such as the family, rising divorce rates, unemployment, alcoholism, violence against women and children and consumerism. Taken together, this cocktail can push people into debt and depression and eventually suicide. Most people who end their lives do so in their most productive years — between the ages of 30 and 45. Their dependents find themselves abandoned and vulnerable to the same escape route. The other statistic, which has not yet been analysed in detail, is failed suicide attempts. While 24 people on average commit suicide in Kerala every day, the number of attempted suicides is at least 10 to 15 times higher. Many cases are not reported because the families would influence that hospitals write them off as accidents. KSMHA data did show a decline in the rate of suicide in Kerala over a longer period — between 2003 and 2009 — from 30.8 persons per lakh to 25.5 per lakh. But, compared to 2008, suicide rose in 2009 at the rate of 0.3 persons per lakh. Startling facts: The suicide rate among Kerala's youth is one of the highest in India; Increase in suicide and attempted suicide among schoolchildren; Male suicide was 72% of all suicides; female attempted suicides accounted for 60% of all attempted suicides; 78% of suicide victims were married, unlike in the West where suicide rates are higher among unmarried and divorced people; Hanging was the most common method — 50%, followed by poison, 32% (Ananthakrishnan G., http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/In-Kerala-suicide-runs-in-the-entire-family/articleshow/7485596.cms accessed on 26 February 2011.)
3. Head: 45 % rise in divorce by mutual consent: Divorce cases by mutual consent have gone up in the past five years, statistics from the family court in Pune show. Of the total number of divorce cases filed every year since 2005, petitions under mutual consent constituted over 65 per cent. From 729 petitions in 2005, the number went up to 1,130 in 2010, a rise of about 45 per cent. Till this February, 100 cases were registered. In another alarming trend, counsellors said that over 50 per cent of mutual consent divorce petitions were from couples who had not completed three years of marriage. Lawyers dealing with such cases said that couples with irrevocable differences prefer divorce by mutual consent as it goes a long way in saving time, money and effort. Besides, it is less traumatic, they added. The divorce can come through in six months. Usually, a divorce can take years to come through. When it is by mutual consent, allegations and counter-allegations are withheld, finances are sorted out and custody issues of children are amicably decided. The in-laws are not dragged into it, unlike cases where the woman has filed for a divorce citing cruelty under Section 498 (A) of the Indian Penal Code. The sad part is that mutual consent divorce leaves no chance for any attempt to save the marriage. According to a senior marriage counsellor, the rate of reconciliation between couples filing for divorce under the mutual consent clause is as little as 3-4 per cent, In other divorce cases, it is 16-18 per cent. Their reasons include differences in lifestyle and career goals. Couples cite reasons like lack of space, wanting different things in life, they are better off as friends rather than husband and wife. "Men cite lack of hot food on demand as a major irritant, while wives point at mothers-in-law who refuse to let go. They also dispute over when and whether to have children. Women are no longer agreeable to putting their careers on the backburner while the child grows up. Hence, divorce is looked upon as a quick solution," said the counsellor. At the root of it all is the erosion of family values and diminishing social pressure to keep the marriage going. Another trend is that working couples, especially in the BPO and IT industry, keep long hours at work. They spend little time with each other and adulterous relations at the workplace are not uncommon. Another counsellor said that asking couples to revisit their marriage vows and promises does not work. Since, many split within three years of marriage, children are not involved. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/45-rise-in-divorce-by-mutual-consent/articleshow/7583220.cms accessed on 27 February 2011.)
4. Secret life of Indian Teens: Not that the teens care. For them, it's LOL (Lots Of Love) all the way. Sex is cool because, gosh, everybody's doing it. Twenty-five out of 100 teenage girls in a big-city school are sexually active, reports the Indian Association of Paediatricians. Some boys carry condoms in their pockets because they don't know when "they might get lucky". During high school socials, dark corners of the venue are "reserved" by couples beforehand, so that they can go and "do it" in a crowded room, "just for the thrill of it" it's a generation that spends 10 hours a day on some sort of a media, two hours on social networking sites, 1.6 hours on the phone, four hours 23 minutes a week on computer games. While 66 per cent carry mobile phones to school, 47 per cent can't live without TV. Over 45 per cent drink alcohol five times a month and 14 per cent use tobacco. Yet 70 per cent teens show signs of depression and 48 per cent think about suicide. A survey released by one of Bollywood's biggest hits last year, Udaan-all about a 17-year-old boy, who gets expelled from boarding school for sneaking out to watch a semi-porn film-shows: one in five teens watches porn before age 13; every second teen necks and kisses, 15 per cent in the school loo; one out of five claims to have had sex; 90 per cent believe in premarital sex, with 45 per cent of girls opting for clandestine abortions. If every generation needs a cultural marker, Facebook is the canvas on which the digitally nimble teens spill their secrets. What used to be the rush to the school canteen to tell everyone what's going on has become the rush to social networking sites. Despite those highs and lows, Facebook is the place where they measure each other's cool quotient. And every teen is aware of the subterranean war of attitude and outlook that rages on the social networking website. Code words to outwit adults:FWB: Friends With Benefits; UMFRIEND: Boyfriend; LMAO: Laughing My Ass Off; ITILU: I Think I Love You; @@@: Parents Nearby; THUD: Depressing; 8: Oral Sex; SEXTING: Sexual Text Message; and C-P: Sleepy. 10 Things Teenagers won’t tell you: 30 per cent are not comfortable talking to their parents about their own problems; 67 per cent of all school students cheat in an exam, at least once; 45 per cent teenage girls would prefer to terminate unwanted pregnancies without telling their parents; 21 per cent teenagers get unwanted demands for sexual activity from strangers on the Net; 1 out of 5 is smoking at an alarming rate of 13 to 15 sticks a day; 65 per cent face persisting problems to which they see no solution; 1 in 2 teen necks and kisses; 1 in 5 teen watches porn before age 13; 15 per cent drink alcohol when they are bored; and 47 per cent play games on their mobile. 10 Things About Teens That Make Parents Mad: Watching primetime reality shows that titillate. 76 per cent do it; 48 per cent contemplate suicide; 90 per cent show extreme reluctance to go to school; Rising demand for pocket money ("My friend gets RS20,000 a month".); 85 per cent teens think tuitions bring high scores; 90 per cent teens believe in pre-marital sex; Everybody has it. That's what 71 per cent of teens say when asking for fancy frills-MP3 to camera phones; 45 per cent of Class XII students drink alcohol 5 times a month; 70 per cent show mood swings and bad temper; and 17 years is the average age of initiation into drugs in big cities. Dating and Mating: Decoding the new rules of romance: BUDDY BENEFIT: Friends With Benefits are friends of the opposite sex who fulfil needs. No commitment. No demands. No problem. BF VS GF: You can hug your "guy friends" casually, but you can't hug your "boyfriend" in front of your parents. PLENTY CHOICE: Multiple dating is smart: you are not too hung up on any one person. And that makes you more attractive. BASIC INSTINCT: Baseball metaphors are in. First base = kissing, second and third base = kissing and touching, with and without clothes. Home run = sex. Pocket money for 15-plus teens in the metros ranges between Rs 6,000-20,000 a month. Thousands throng the narrow lanes of Chennai's Burma Bazaar, off Anna Salai, where stalls are piled high with fake electronic brands, mobile phone, pirated movie CDs, imported cameras, LCD TVs, music layers and iPods. It's the hub of Chennai's grey market and one of the hottest in the country. And violent 3D animation sex video games are the hot picks here. But you don't get them over the counter. They are picked up by Internet browsing centres across the city. It all starts with a pop-up, where a woman prompts the browser to undress her. That leads to violent sex games. Drugs are just a step away, but everyone counts "junkies" in their friend circle. Out of 50 very close friends, 10 would be into casual doping, and five hardcore addicts. If in 2001, the age of initiation stood at 20, today, it averages at 17, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Schoolchildren seem to be experimenting with a whole range of drugs. A 2010 study on 2,000 Shimla school students by the NGO Youth Enlightening finds drug abuse among 55 per cent boys and 24 per cent girls. With beer and hookah on offer at popular cafés and fast food joints and "Happy Hours" starting early at pubs, teens are free to party. A recent survey of 1,000 people in the 14-24 age group conducted by the Community Against Drunken Driving in the capital finds about a third of teens in the 16-18 age group are drinking at pubs and bars, with 35 per cent picking up hard liquor from authorised vendors. AIIMS researchers are studying a phenomenon- Recurrent Abdominal Pains (RAP)- which they come across increasingly among students across the country. And RAP is a classic sign of stress, they report: 90 per cent resist going to school, 70 per cent are irritable and depressed, 65 per cent face "problems" to which they see no solution and 36 per cent find it difficult to keep pace with their peer group. "Failure is one word that gives this generation nightmares. Stress is a manifestation of that attitude," says Dr Manju Mehta, head of child psychology at AIIMS. Not quite adolescent, not quite adult. Nobody knows what to make of the new liberated teen. The tech savvy Facebook Generation has had much more-clothes, toys, gadgets- than their parents ever did. The new technological progress is making them experience "an uncertain and confused state of maturity." The permutations and combinations of teenage have gone all topsy-turvy. Will India's New Teens manage to turn their unusual Net-freedom and global exposure into new tools for change? (Damayanti Datta, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/130880/cover-story/secret-life-of-indian-teens.html accessed on 27 February 2011.)
5. Bogus courts bypass the law in Coimbatore: There's fake certificates, fake currency, fake police stations and fake encounters but this hoax leaves them all behind. Coimbatore has at least half a dozen fake courts, that go by the name of 'arbitral tribunal', 'all-India & overseas arbitration committee' or 'alternative disputes redressal forum-cum-arbitration tribunal'. And their 'judgments' issued by a 'judge' sitting beneath a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi are meticulously followed even by the police. Complete with 'court halls', 'arbitral judges' and 'panel arbitrators', these hoax courts entertain civil disputes, issue notices and summons, conduct hearings and pass orders. Some of them have been handling civil disputes involving several lakhs of rupees and issuing 'directions'. The Coimbatore Bar Association has lodged a complaint with the Madras high court and the Coimbatore police. A PIL has also been filed by Coimbatore-based advocate D Kalaiarasu to bring the matter to the HC's notice. About 20 'judgments' of these so-called tribunals, copies of which are available with The Times of India, reveal that they have been handling civil cases involving lakhs of rupees for at least about four years. They have been issuing directions on non-judicial stamp paper (used for registration of properties, trusts, bonds, etc) to individuals as well as local bodies to implement the orders. The hearings in these tribunals were held at night. Apart from laser surveillance cameras, both inside and outside the 'tribunal premises', these so-called night courts were designed to resemble a regular court with red and black interiors, the National Emblem and Mahatma Gandhi's portrait. The paraphernalia, modelled on high courts and the Supreme Court, is complete with ceremonial duffedars (sepoys) wearing red cross-belts escorting 'judges'. In true high court style, they even bear a silver mace and silence the gathering to announce the arrival of the judge, he said. Advocates appearing before the bench are asked to address judges as 'my lord' or 'your honour'. And the judge usually travels in cars with red beacon lights. The hoax tribunals have a separate registry, filing section, cause lists (list of cases for the day), examiners and even a registrar. Their notices contain the seal of justice with a temple tower in the background, akin to the Government of Tamil Nadu emblem. Their decrees (awards), printed on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper, bear a deceptive court emblem, with a seal resembling that of a civil court. Names of 'arbitral judges' mentioned in the fake judgments include N Kausalya Devi (BA BL), R Vijay Anand (BA BL), NJR Jagadeesh (BA BL), PR Shanmugam (MA BL) who is 'chairman cum chief arbitrator', 'panel arbitrators' S Anbazhagan (BA BL) and R Sevillamparuthi (BSc BL). To lend legitimacy to the illegal establishments, the fake courts cite a non-existent provision in the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996. The 'arbitral judges' claim that their forums function under the "guidance of ministry of law, Government of India". These tribunals are constituted under Section 2(1)(d) of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996, they claimed. (A Subramani, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/cityarticlelist/-2128932452.cms accessed on 7 March 2011.)
6. Indian men lead in sexual violence, worst on gender equality: Study: The findings of a recent International Men and Gender Equality Survey done in six developing countries across four continents to map attitudes and practices related to gender equality reflects a new low for Indian men. Nearly one in four Indian men has committed sexual violence at some point in their lives and one in five has admittedly forced his wife or partner to have sex. Only 2% Brazilian males and less than 9% of men in Chile, Croatia, Mexico and Rwanda were found to have indulged in sexual violence. Researchers interviewed more than 8,000 men and 3,500 women, aged 18 to 59, from these countries. Indians, who are known to excel in competitive examinations globally, were ranked last on the 'gender equitable men' scale, given that only 17% of men here qualified to the 'highly equitable' (gender-just) category. The percentage was the lowest for this category among the six countries. On sexual violence, 24% said they had committed some form of it in their lives.
While Croatia topped the test, with 82% 'gender-just' men, more than 50% men in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico made the grade. Rwanda, which is among the least developed nations in the world, in fact, fared better than India, with 30% males qualifying as 'highly equitable'. Rwanda, however, joined India with highest rate of domestic violence, with 38% men admitting they had physically abused their partners. Worse, more than 65% Indian men also believed that women should tolerate violence to keep the family together and that women sometimes deserved to be beaten. And although Indian men were the most sexually and physically violent at home, they were not involved in violent or criminal behaviour outside. Only 4% Indian men had participated in robbery and 7% had been involved in fights with weapons, compared to 36% men in Croatia and 22% men in Brazil. India may be on its way to becoming the world's fastest developing economy, it figures at the bottom of the pile when it comes to gender equality. In the survey, which found Indian men to be the worst offenders in terms of sexual violence, more than 1,000 men from the 1,500 interviewed in India were from Delhi. The findings mirrored the high incidence of sexual assault in Delhi: the capital witnessed 489 rapes last year. (Neha Bhayana, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-men-lead-in-sexual-violence-worst-on-gender-equality-Study/articleshow/7643154.cms accessed on 7 March 2011.)
7. TB goes upscale: Tuberculosis is surging and it is no longer a malady of the poor. In Delhi hospitals, TB patients from higher income families have doubled in the last three years. Kolkata reports a new type of TB patients – professionals, business owners, housewives. In Bangalore, 25-35 techies are filling up the chambers of chest physicians. Mumbai is also surging with educated who are affected by TB. This disease has a diagnostic test that is 125 years old, a vaccine that is 80 years old and a treatment that is 50 year old. TB resurgence is global with one – fifth of the burden on India, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Two deaths occur every minute due to TB in India. Two million Indians are diagnosed with TB every year. Over 40 percent have germs hidden – waiting to become active. Globally, one in ten persons with ten dormant get sick, while it is one in three in India. An analysis says 80 laboratories do misleading tests for TB on over 1.5 million patients. (Damayanti Datta, India Today 14 March 2011, p. 67-68)
8. Hanging by a thread: Of the 19 students who commit suicide each day in India, six kill themselves fearing failure in examinations. National Crime Record Bureau 2009 shows: 23.8 of total suicides in Patna; 24% in Chandigarh; 23% in Allahabad and Kanpur were students. 6761 students committed suicide in 2009-2010. 2189 (958 girls and 1231 boys) students in 2008 killed themselves for failing in exams. (Amitabh Srivastava, India Today 14 March 2011, p.76.)
9. India world's No. 1 arms importer: India has emerged as the largest arms importer in the world, overtaking even China, claims a report by The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). India accounted for 9% of all international arms imports between 2006-2010, making it the world`s largest weapons importer. China was relegated to second place, notching 6% of global arms imports, Siemon Wezeman of Sipri told international news agencies. The US remains the largest arms exporter, followed by Russia and Germany, as per the report. This is not the first time that India has topped such an international list. As reported by TOI earlier, US Congressional Research Service's reports on conventional arms transfers placed India right at the top in 2004 and 2005, with agreements worth $5.7 billion and $5.4 billion respectively. Unlike India, China has rapidly built a robust domestic defence-industrial base (DIB) over the last couple of decades, which often also revels in reverse-engineering top-of-the-line weapon systems developed by other countries. If India`s defence budget for the coming fiscal is pegged at $36 billion, China is "officially`` going to spend $91.5 billion. Experts, however, reckon that it will spend almost twice the amount on its 2.5-million strong People`s Liberation Army. But all this does not take away from the fact that India has certainly cranked up the modernization of its armed forces since the 1999 Kargil conflict, inking arms deals worth over $50 billion since then, the majority of them with foreign armament majors from Russia, Israel, France, UK and now, increasingly the US, as tracked by TOI. With limited private sector participation, coupled with DRDO, eight defence PSUs and 39 ordnance factories largely failing to deliver, India remains saddled with a poor DIB. So, with the armed forces continuing to import almost 70% of their requirements from abroad, India will remain a big time arms importer for the foreseeable future. There are several mega defence projects in the pipeline, which will see also tie-ups with foreign companies for technology transfer for indigenous production. (Rajat Pandit, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-worlds-No-1-arms-importer/articleshow/7697182.cms accessed on 15 March 2011.)
10. Nip,Tuck & Raipur: Here are the incredible facts: The latest report (2010) by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) places India at No. 4 on the list of plastic surgery hubs in the world. We account for nearly 5.2 percent of the world’s cosmetic surgeries. Our forerunners are knife happy US, Brazil and China, where the combined charms of Hollywood, leggy models and soap stars have caused a permanent dip in self-esteem. South Korea, which follows us on the list, is already notorious for its sinister ‘Makeover Town’ in Seoul — a strip in the city that offers speedy nip tucks round the clock for half the usual price. The most popular surgeries in the world — liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid reconstruction and rhinoplasties (nose jobs) — are finding a new wave of takers across Indian B towns: cosmetic surgery clinics in Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram and Indore provide tummy tucks for at least 5-6 patients every week. Fewer patients travel to metros for cosmetic surgeries now since most small towns and district centres offer the same services at half the cost. Economics dictates a reverse journey — most small-town clinics witness a flood of medical tourists and desperate patients since their services cost much less. A rhinoplasty that would begin at Rs. 45,000 in a metro comes for less than Rs. 25,000 in Dehradun, Raipur and Patiala. Facelifts that cost Rs. 2 lakh in Delhi can be had for one-fourth the price in Chhattisgarh. Welcome to Raipur: Most metropolitan Indians would know this town only as Chhattisgarh’s rutty capital. The place the media writes of only as a stopover point to India’s mineral-rich and strife-torn heartland — Dantewada, Abujmarh; the Maoist crisis in capital alphabets. But beneath this public reputation, Raipur is a different place altogether. All over town are people dreaming, planning, scheming for nips and tucks that will transform their lives forever. Dr. Sunil Kalda claims he’s performed a mind-boggling 50,000 cosmetic surgeries, nearly 300 liposuctions and six sex change operations. Dr Kalda recounts many such instances: “A patient came with 200 photos of Aishwarya Rai’s nose. I don’t even know how she got hold of so many pictures, but she had one from every pose and angle. She wanted a nose exactly like that.” Most commonly, Adivasi clients in Chhattisgarh also ask for their eyes to be widened and for their typically flat noses to be sharpened (they say prospective grooms’ families complain that Bastar and Kotoriya girls look too ‘sleepy’ or ‘chinky’). Women want breast augmentation, men want hair transplants, and both want liposuctions and tummy tucks. At Dehradun’s Ashirwad Hospital, Dr Rakesh Kalra neatly classifies his plastic patients into three types: 1) Boys and girls arriving at marriageable age. 2) 40-50-year-olds trying to switch jobs and compete with younger peers in interviews. 3) Post 50-year-olds anxious about occasions like a college reunion or a silver wedding anniversary. The incline in number of patients seeking plastic surgery is because people are taking more pride in their appearance. Naturally, there are also patients who undergo plastic surgery for physical defects that impede their functioning — such as not being able to breathe, hear, swallow or enjoy sex due to abnormally shaped body parts. Given the vast range of maladies, physical and emotional, which they cure, who can blame surgeons for feeling self-congratulatory, for feeling like a cross between a father confessor and sorcerer? Some victims of accidents are also benefitted by plastic surgery. (Nishita Jha, Tehelka 19 March 2011 P. 34-41.)
11. In 20 years, 20% more men than women: A study conducted by Dr Therese Hesketh and co-authors from the UCL Centre for International Health and Development, London, and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says easy access to sex-selective abortions, has led to significant imbalances in the male/female population in China, India and South Korea. The sex ratio at birth (SRB) - the number of boys born to every 100 girls - is consistent in human populations, where about 105 males are born to every 100 females. In India there are also marked regional differences in SRB. Incompleteness of birth registration makes it difficult to accurately calculate SRB. However, using the closely related ratio of boys to girls under the age of six, it is found that there are several states in the north and west such as Punjab, Delhi and Gujarat that have sex ratios as high as 125. In the south and east, several states - such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh - have sex ratios of around 105. There are already laws forbidding foetal sex determination and sex- selective abortion in China, India and South Korea. South Korea has only enforced the law strongly. In China and India, sex-selective abortion is still carried out with impunity by medical personnel, usually qualified doctors, in hospitals and clinics, not in backstreet establishments. A common pattern is that if the first- or second-born are girls, then couples often ensure the second or third child is a boy. A large study in India showed that for second births with one preceding girl the SRB is 132, and for third births with two previous girls it is 139, while sex ratios where the previous child was a boy are normal. India has 34,012 registered ultra-sound clinics. Earlier, studies have said 5-7 lakh girls a year or 2,000 girls go missing in India daily due to female foeticide. In families, where one girl child already exists, the chances of a second girl being born are as low as 54%. In a family with two female children, the chances of third girl being born is as low as 20%. (Kounteya Sinha, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/In-20-years-20-more-men-than-women/articleshow/7714885.cms accessed on 16 March 2011.)
12. Cops suspended for hiring minor girl: Chennai City police commissioner T Rajendran suspended a police constable Ulaganathan and his wife Durga Priya, who is also a police constable, for engaging a minor girl as their domestic help. The servant maid R Pranathi (14) committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling at the police quarters in Washermenpet . The order was initiated by the city police chief following protests by Pranathi's family members, asking for legal action against the police couple. Pranathi had been working as a maid since 2009, and was assigned to take care of the couple's child. According to Pranathi's father Rosaiah, a resident of Ernavur near Ennore, he was threatened with dire consequences by constable Ulaganathan attached to Security Chennai Police (SCP). He was also forced to sign in some documents in which the cops had written that his daughter committed suicide because she had stomach ache. Though Pranathi was a Christian by birth, her body was cremated at a crematorium in Royapuram. Following this, her family members protested and staged a road roko. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/ Chennai-cops-suspended-for-hiring-minor-girl/articleshow/7714465.cms accessed on 16 March 2011.) Please pray that the ban on child labour be strictly implemented by the Government and also Christians be a model by not hiring children as domestic help or for any labour.
13. Enrolment in primary schools plunges 2.6 million in 2 years: The enrolment in primary classes across the country has dropped since 2007. Between 2008-09 and 2009-10, enrolment in classes I to IV in Indian schools dropped by over 2.6 million. The biggest setback was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, where admissions plummeted by over a million in the last two years, according to the latest data released by the ministry of human resource development. The slide in national figures began between 2007-08 and 2008-09 and became, ironically, steeper between 2008-09 and 2009-10, when the Centre cleared the Right to Education Act making education a fundamental right. Most large Indian states, including Maharashtra, have seen student numbers come down in classes I to V, though Assam has been one of the biggest offenders. Experts are at a loss to accurately explain the drop in enrolment in northern states, where birth rates have essentially remained the same. In some southern states, where population planners had predicted a slowdown in birth rate, primary school enrolments have unsurprisingly declined. In other states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu and in the northeast, the figures have begun to plateau. In Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam, the struggle stems from ground-level problems like data keeping, children moving out, introduction of new schools and rationalization of data. (Hemali Chhapia, http://timesofindia. indiatimes.com/india/Enrolment-in-primary-schools-plunges-26-million-in-2-years/articleshow/7749672.cms accessed on 21 March 2011.)
14. Number of vehicles in Mumbai touches 18.7 lakh: The latest economic survey of Maharashtra tabled in the state legislature revealed that as of January 1, 2011, the number of vehicles registered in Maharashtra was 170.30 lakh, which means about 15,200 vehicles per lakh population. The survey said that the number of buses in the BEST fleet had gone up from 3,867 in 2008-09 to 4,078 in 2009-10. However, the number of passengers had gone down from 43.80 lakh in 2008-09 to 43.71 lakh in 2009-10. The report adds that work on 28 of the 36 skywalks had been completed, and construction of eight others was in progress. (Rajendra Aklekar, http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/ report_number-of-vehicles-in-mumbai-touches-18-7-lakh_1523088 accessed on 23 March 2011.)
15. Mumbai: Illegal hawkers pay Railway Police hefty hafta: A Mid-Day sting reveals that illegal hawkers and stalls at the Kurla station in Mumbai operate with the support of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). "If the media finds out about this racket, we will lose our jobs. So be careful, " Head Constable MS Mansuri told an undercover reporter. Posing as a small-time Chinese fast food stall owner interested in running a joint just outside the busy station, this reporter found that all the hawkers and stall owners who cause inconvenience to commuters by plying their wares illegally do so with the full support of the Railway Protection Force. The support comes at a price, of course and a hefty one at that. Mansuri told this reporter that he would have to make a payment of Rs. 2,000 upfront for setting up the stall and then pay the RPF Rs. 7,000 every month as hafta. When the reporter handed over Rs. 500 as a token amount, promising to pay more later, Mansuri said that only a small amount of the protection money would go to him and the bulk would be divided up between senior officials. Stall owners say that nearly Rs. 26,000 is recovered by the Kurla RPF as hafta every day, making the monthly collection close to Rs. 8 lakh. They also said that similar rackets are run at every station and crores of rupees go into the railway police's pockets through this 'side business' every year. Hawkers on the foot-over-bridges pay Rs. 500 a month, food stall owners have to shell out between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 6,000. (http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/mumbai-illegal-hawkers-pay-railway-police-hefty-hafta-94160 accessed on 25 March 2011.)
II Diaspora
1.Hindu guru sentenced to prison for sexual molestation in US: Absconding Indian godman Prakashanand Saraswati, also known as Shree Swamiji, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined USD 10,000 on each of 20 felony counts for groping girls who grew up on the ashram he founded and led in Central Texas. With the subject of their deliberations still missing and presumed to be on the run, a Hays County jury sentenced the 82-year-old religious guru to 14 years in prison for each of 20 counts of molesting two girls in his Barsana Dham ashram in Driftwood during the 1990s. For Prakashanand, a religious leader who claims hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, the lengthy prison sentence represented a dramatic reversal of fortune. The parent organisation to which his Barsana Dham ashram belongs owns and operates temples and hospitals in India and other countries. For the women who said the guru kissed and fondled them in the mid-1990s while they were in their teens, the prison sentence represented a satisfying end to a bitter battle against a man they were once told was a living saint and a religious group to which their parents still belong. Now 27 and 30 years old, the women brought charges against the guru three years ago. The jury of eight men and four women deliberated only a half-hour. Prakashanand didn't show up for the punishment phase of his trial and is still at large. District Judge Charles Ramsay will decide later whether the guru's prison sentences are to be served concurrently. Spokesmen for the ashram say they don't know where guru is. Peter Spiegel, a wealthy devotee who posted a USD 1 million cash bond for guru's release, testified that he doesn't know his whereabouts, either. The guru was released on a USD 1 million cash bond but failed to show up Monday in San Marcos for sentencing. The judge then ordered the bond revoked and issued the arrest warrant against guru. He had already revoked Prakashanand's US passport. (http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/mar/090311-Hindu-guru-Prakashanand-Saraswati-sentenced-prison-sexual-molestation-US.htm accessed on 9 March 2011.)
2.Thousands of Indians in jails abroad: The number of Indians detained in foreign countries according to data available with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), 6,795 Indians are in jail in countries all over the world. Indians are in prison in the UK, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Swaziland and even Lesotho. The United Arab Emirates is tops with 1,681 Indians behind bars. This is followed Saudi Arabia, where it is estimated that 1,400 Indians are serving jail terms at any given point of time. Other countries where Indians are jailed in a substantial number are the UK, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Nepal. In Slovak Republic, the MEA claims around 100 are in jails while the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, only 80 Indians live in the Slovak Republic. Indians are in prison mostly for illegal entry, cheating, trafficking and murder. In Saudi Arabia and the UAE, however, Indians are in for bootlegging and adultery also. However, ridiculous statuettes also play a role at times. Consider for example, the state of an Indian man in Azerbaijan, who is serving a sentence of four and a half years for carrying prescription drugs in excess of guidelines without a doctor’s prescription. All this makes the families of the prisoners desperate as well. At times, it can be weird. For instance, Somnath’s family in Gujarat is always asking when he would be released. Somnath, 22, a fisherman from Gujarat, was caught by Pakistani authorities when he was said to have crossed maritime boundaries. He has been in lodged in a Karachi jail for more than a year. In completely different circumstances, 19-year-old Vikas Choudhary, originally from Rajasthan, and a crew member on a private merchant ship, was held up by Iranian authorities for illegal entry into Iranian waters. (Samarth Saran, (http://tehelka.com/story_main49.asp?filename=Ws070311INDIA_ABROAD.asp accessed on 13 March 2011)
III Global
1.World's teen capital, but raw deal for girls: According to Unicef's State of the World's Children 2011 Report, "Adolescence — an age of opportunity": India with 243 million adolescents has the largest population of adolescents in the world. It accounts for 20% of the global population of 1.2 billion adolescents. Unfortunately, India also happens to have the largest proportion of underweight adolescent girls, about 47%. The vast majority of adolescents (88%) live in developing countries. Though adolescents across the world are said to be generally healthier today, teenage girls are still subjected to early marriage, childbirth and hence high maternal mortality among other risks. Adolescent girls also experience higher rates of domestic and sexual violence and are more susceptible to the risk of HIV infection. In India, 56% adolescent girls are anaemic. Such large proportions being underweight and anaemic have serious implications during pregnancy, which is a significant risk since about 30% of the girls aged 15-19 years are married or in a union. Also, three in five women aged 20-49 were married as adolescents compared to one in five men. Despite laws against child marriage, the prevalence of among urban girls is 29% and 56% among rural girls. Also, over one in five women in India aged 20-24 had given birth before the age of 18. In countries like Bangladesh, Chad and Niger, around a third of all women aged 20-24 are married by the age of 15. Child labour is yet another area of concern as 150 million children aged 5-14 are estimated to be engaged in child labour with the highest incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. Although aggregate numbers suggest more boys than girls are involved in child labour, it is estimated that about 90% are girls. Teenagers working long hours in bad conditions are unlikely to complete their education, which means they may never escape poverty. Globally, only half the adolescent population of appropriate age attends secondary school. With increasing emphasis on knowledge skills in the global economy, these adolescents without access to fundamental education and with insufficient skills stand a poor chance in the market. Adolescence is a time when poverty and inequity is passed on to the next generation, pointed out the report and appealed for greater investment in education, health and other measures to improve the lives of adolescents. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Worlds-teen-capital-but-raw-deal-for-girls/articleshow/7578117.cms accessed on 26 February 2011.)
2.Facebook bans 20,000 underage users a day: Facebook has revealed that about 20,000 children are kicked off the social networking site every day for lying about their age to join the site. The social networking giant admitted it had to do more to stop young people using Facebook, as it revealed about a third of Australia's population uses the site every day, reported the Herald Sun. The chief privacy adviser of Facebook, Mozelle Thompson, said many Australian children under the age of 13 were trying to access the site by lying about their age. Globally, about seven million children who lie about their age are blocked from the site each year. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/social-media/Facebook-bans-20000-underage-users-a-day/articleshow/7762407.cms accessed on 22 March 2011)
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