NGO hopes manual scavenging will be eradicated by year end
New Delhi, Oct 25 (IANS) Manual scavenging, which is still prevalent in many parts of the country despite being banned by law a long ago, is likely to be eradicated by this year end, an NGO said Monday.
Safai Karamchari Andolan (SKA), an NGO working for the cause, said it hoped to eradicate manual scavenging by Dec 31, and was taking up various initiatives for this purpose.
'In the last two years, through various SKA initiative, five states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Haryana have been freed of the scourge of manual scavenging. We are hoping to join Punjab and Rajasthan in the list soon,' said Bezwada Wilson, president of SKA.
He also said that an all-India survey is in the process of being completed. The survey will put together a database of those still involved in manual scavenging, so that they could be rehabilitated.
The NGO has been organising a nationwide bus rally across 20 states since September 30 as part of its efforts to persuade manual scavengers to give up the profession. The rally culminates in Delhi Oct 31.
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Japanese peace NGO's warn against nuclear cooperation with India
Japan and India this week pledged closer strategic and trade ties, but Tokyo's willingness to negotiate a nuclear cooperation agreement with New Delhi has been criticised by angry Japanese citizens.
A group of 50, including survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagaski, have signed a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The letter explains why there's opposition to nuclear cooperation with India which refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Presenter: Karon Snowdon, finance correspondent
Speakers: Akira Kawasaki, executive director, Peace Boat, Tokyo; Manmohan Singh, Indian prime minister
SNOWDON: The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, was in Tokyo to discuss trade issues and nuclear cooperation but he got more than he bargained for.
Akira Kawasaki was one of the 50 NGOs and concerned lawyers who signed a letter addressed to Mr Singh and delivered to the Indian embassy in Tokyo during his visit.
KAWASAKI: The letter expressed Japanese citizens' concern about Japan-India nuclear cooperation.
SNOWDON: Akira Kawasaki is the executive director of the Peace Boat, an educational NGO which travels the world with international groups on a chartered ship.
KAWASAKI: Because Japan is the country which experienced the devastation and suffering of nuclear bombing, we are really committed to nuclear disarmament and a nuclear weapon free world.
SNOWDON: The third round of discussions since June on civil nuclear cooperation will take place in November.
India's potentially lucrative nuclear energy sector has been opened up and has been fought over since the end of an American embargo in 2008.
The leaders meeting in Tokyo agreed to speed up talks to more cooperation. It coincides with the formation of the International Nuclear Energy Development Company of Japan.
It's a government supported company involving electricity utilities and three nuclear plant makers that have joined to aggressively sell Japan's nuclear power plant technology amid tough international competition. It plans to target Vietnam initially.
But as the only country to experience a nuclear attack, Akira Kawasaki says Japan should proceed cautiously where a nuclear armed India is concerned.
KAWASAKI: On the Indian side, the distinction between military nuclear programmes and civil nuclear programmes is very, very vague. So the standard that India has accepted for a safeguard, which is to prevent the military use of nuclear material, is very weak. And still India is producing fissile material for weapons purpose.
SNOWDON TO KAWASAKI: India hasn't signed the non proliferation treaty but has said it won't test nuclear weapons. Why isn't that promise good enough?
KASWASAKI: I recognise that India declares the moratorium on nuclear testing but it's just a voluntary declaration, so we are calling on the government to at least sign and ratify the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.
SNOWDON: India says it wont sign.
But Manmohan Singh wants to sign a sweeping economic partnership agreement with Japan as soon as possible.
SINGH: Our two governments have concluded negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. This is a historic achievement that signals the economic alignment of two of the largest economies in Asia.
SNOWDON: The Japanese media reported the meeting as a move to speed up engagement with India given the recent tensions with Beijing.
Be that as it may bilateral trade now is minuscule compared to Japan's trade with China.
It's understood the trade talks included discussion of India's reserves of rare earths - essential industrial elements 95 per cent of which are produced in China and which Japan has accused of restricting for political reasons.
Akira Kawasaki believes while there is widespread public opposition to extending nuclear cooperation to India, there's support for better relations.
KAWASAKI: Yeah, it would be nice to have better trade relations with the country.
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NGO protests against child labour in Banaskantha
PALANPUR: At least 300 activists of Buniyadi Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (BAAG), Ahmedabad, submitted a memorandum to Banaskantha district collector on Monday, protesting against child labour in BT cotton farms in the district. BAAG convener Jayanti Makwana and others, in the memorandum, said that a large number of tribal children below the age of 14, from various districts of Gujarat, have been forced into hard labour in BT cotton fields across the state.
"Our teams had been to BT cotton farms in Kutch, Mehsana, Bhavnagar, Patan, Banaskantha and Vadodara. We were taken aback at the treatment meted out to the children," Makwana said, adding that even minor girls are being made to slog in farms. They are paid little over Rs 70 a day, including the agent's commission of Rs 10, he said.
"Poor implementation of the Right to Education Act, lack of opportunities and schools, and other such factors compel these children from poor homes to engage in agricultural activities," he added.
Meanwhile, labour officer PJ Joshi refuted the charges. "This year, in coordination with the revenue department, we had formed 13 special teams and raided the cotton farms in Kankrej and Deodar. We were vigilant since July to the end of the season, and, therefore, no labour including, children and adults, came from Rajasthan this year. The tribals working in the fields are above 18 but look minor because of genetic problem."
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NGO Pledges 'Nightmares' for Corrupt Government Officials
A new watchdog promised on Wednesday to create a large-scale system of public control that will make the lives of corrupt officials a “nightmare."
The Organization of Public Control aims to “extinguish” a nationwide system of corrupt officials by creating a “counter-system” that relies on ordinary people, said its head and founder, professional auditor Natalya Chernysheva.
The watchdog will offer free help to those who want to check the actions of local, regional and federal authorities, she said.
Chernysheva said a government decision to declassify information on its activities starting this January was not enough.
“Citizens would be happy to take advantage of this opportunity, but the cobwebs of the reports and the heaps of figures scare them off,” she told reporters.
Russia failed to improve in the latest Transparency International corruption perception rating, occupying 154th spot among 178 countries on a list unveiled Tuesday.
The dismal showing reveals the inefficiency of the government's efforts to fight corruption, Chernysheva said.
Her group, established in May, operates in 30 of Russia's 83 regions with the assistance of 90 auditors and lawyers and 3,000 ordinary citizens, she said.
All funding comes from donations by Russian citizens, including middle-class businessmen who “don't want to bow to officials,” she said.
Meanwhile, a new association to unite honest entrepreneurs will be created Thursday, RIA-Novosti reported.
Members of the group, called New Deal, will pledge to abstain from corruption and tax evasion, the report said. New Deal lists among its founding members Sergei Polonsky of the Mirax real estate developer and Mikhail Dvorkovich, chairman of the communication group Press Hall and the brother of Medvedev's economic aide, Arkady Dvorkovich.
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We aim to provide a book in every child’s hand: Rohini Nilekani, Pratham Books
In a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Pratham Books (NGO), publisher Pearson Longman has agreed to set aside part of the proceeds it receives for every school title sold in India, which will then be used for the cause of the underprivileged children across the country.
Under the MoU, Pearson will keep aside an amount from the sales proceeds of every school title sold in India. The proceeds will be used to buy storybooks from Pratham Books and distributed to those children who do not have access to quality children's books.
Pratham Books is a non-profit trust that came up six years ago. The NGO specialises in publishing quality books for children at an affordable cost in various Indian languages.
Rohini Nilekani, founder chairperson, Pratham Books, tells more about the initiative in a short talk with IndianExpress.com.
What made you go for the MoU with Pearson Longman?
Pearson has decided to support Pratham Books which is a non profit organisation for children. Our aim is to provide a book in every child’s hand. We are aiming to increase literacy through this initiative. We have 200 'original' children’s title books which are published in approximately 11 languages. Till date we have circulated more than 8 million books which have reached approximately 15 million children in the last 6 years.
How did the idea of setting up Pratham Books strike you?
I wish to create new readers among the poor kids. All children deserve the joy of reading. We wanted to democratise this joy of reading as it is a very essential part of childhood and growing up. We publish ‘fun’ books written by Indians for Indian children.
We wanted to create quality books available to children at minimum prices. Our books have gone to 18 states in the country in the last 6 years.
Are you looking forward to more partners in this initiative?
We are open to any type of partnerships which benefits the students. Many state governments also buy our books. We are working with MCD schools for more than 5 years now.
We are also working on projects with governments in several states and are also finalising arrangements with the Indian Railways and various bus shelters across India that will serve as retail outlets for our books.
What in your opinion is the USP of Pratham Books?
Our USP is ‘Indian content for Indian Children.’ We offer high quality books at affordable prices for children between the age group of 3-12. We work in a very low budget. This is a societal mission and not a business.
I believe when children have access to diverse creative material, it has a positive impact on them.
Do you think Pratham Books has been successful in realising its vision?
We are still working towards making our vision reach its zenith. Our vision is to see a book in every child's hand. Our goal is to create as many partnerships as possible to reach as many children with as many books as possible.
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5 NGO staff held for kidnapping 28 Ladakhi kids
Twenty-eight children from Leh, who were kept in confinement in dingy rooms by a non-governmental organisation, were rescued by the Jammu police on Sunday. The children have been handed over to the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), which will take them back to Leh on Monday. The police also
arrested five members of the NGO, Youth Movement for Peace, on charges of kidnapping, abduction, hatching criminal conspiracy and wrongful confinement.
The police are looking into allegations that the children were kidnapped for religious conversion.
“We will take these children back to Leh on Monday. We, along with their parents, will bear their educational expenses,” LBA general secretary PK Gunzong said.
According to the police, members of the NGO had gone to Leh and distributed aid among the victims of the cloudburst in August.
They had then “adopted” the 24 children, promising their parents that they would be admitted to prestigious schools in Jammu. Instead they were locked up inside small rooms – 20 boys in one room and four girls in another.
When the LBA came to know that the children were kept in such conditions, they informed the district administration and parents.
The district administration formed a three-member committee to look into the allegations. The committee found that the NGO had neither teaching staff nor a psychiatrist needed to counsel children. The report also said that a case had been registered last year against some members of the NGO on charges of conversion.
“Allegations of religious conversions are serious and we cannot allow the NGO to stay here. We will ask the government to order a probe and make the findings public,” Gunzong said.
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Police clueless about missing police officer, NGO worker
Forty-eight hours after a State Intelligence Branch officer and a non-government organisation worker went missing from the Maoist-dominated Ghatbera area of West Bengal's Purulia district, the State police remained clueless about their whereabouts on Monday. The police are in touch with their counterparts in Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, the families of the two men met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharyya at the secretariat seeking help in securing their return.
While the police suspected the Maoists of having abducted the two, the rebels have not claimed responsibility.
State police officer Partha Biswas, believed to be attached to the intelligence branch, and his friend Soumyajit Bose went missing from near Baragara village in Balrampur sub-division late on Friday.
State Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh had said on Saturday that the duo had gone there to distribute clothes, but the reason for their visit remains unclear.
State Transport Minister Ranjit Kundu, who accompanied the families during their meeting with Mr. Bhattacharyya, told reporters that the Chief Minister has said that he was personally monitoring the situation and all efforts would be made to bring them back.
Mr. Kundu is a representative from Mr. Biswas' locality.
“No communication from Maoists”
Additional Director General of Police S.K. Purakayastha told reporters that although a Maoist hand is suspected, there has been no communication from them yet. “We are taking all steps as per our set processes, although we have received no information regarding Mr. Biswas, an inspector of the 30{+t}{+h} battalion of the State Armed Police.” He said that he had no information on whether the families had received any communication from the Maoists.
“There has not been any breakthrough in the case till now. Searches are being conducted by security forces, but they have been futile so far,” Zulfikar Hasan, the State's Inspector General (Western Range), told The Hindu.
Incidentally, when Sankrail police station's officer-in-charge Atindranath Dutta was abducted by the Maoists on October 20 last year, they started communicating and negotiating immediately.
This time, their silence has baffled the police, who are unsure of even the exact place from where the duo went missing. Mr. Bose's last phone call has been traced to a local mobile tower in Baragara village.
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Activists want abducted officer, worker freed
Kolkata, Oct 26 (IANS) Intellectuals and social workers in West Bengal Tuesday demanded the release of an Intelligence Bureau officer and a NGO activist believed to have been abducted by Maoists three days ago. But they appeared divided in their assessment of the Maoist movement.
'I personally believe that the Maoist movement in Bengal has gone haywire and it has become very unpopular. That is why Maoists are resorting to abductions and random killings. This is unfair. Those who have been abducted should be released immediately,' actor Kaushik Sen told IANS.
Writer Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay too was sharply critical of the Maoists.
'What the Maoists have done is a very low-grade crime. These kind of activities cannot be supported. They will achieve nothing by doing such things. I appeal to them that those who have been abducted should be released immediately,' Mukhopadhyay said.
However, Sujatao, secretary of the city-based Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
'First of all, it is not yet confirmed that Maoists are behind this abduction. I personally feel that whoever has abducted them should release the two immediately,' he said.
Writer Sunando Sanyal demanded the withdrawal of the paramilitary forces and the state police engaged in anti-Maoist operations.
'I don't believe in violence, and feel the kidnapped persons should be freed immediately. But along with it, joint forces should also be removed, as they have failed to achieve their purpose,' he said.
Maoists have so far not claimed responsibility for the abduction of Intelligence Bureau officer Partha Biswas and NGO activist Soumyajit Bose. Police Tuesday said they were clueless about their whereabouts.
The victims' family members Monday met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Maoists are active in three western districts of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore.
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NGO conducts social audit
With the aim of bringing transparency in work, Jan Mitra Nyas, a trust constituted by the NGO People’s Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR), organised its social audit at a hotel in Jagatganj area in Varanasi on Wednesday. The trust presented all its balance sheets, account bill vouchers
and progress reports, before the people from areas where the trust’s projects are being run, including both representatives of these programmes and the locals of the target areas.
Some of the programmes being run by Nyas in the city are construction of model village in Shivrampur, Belwan and Baghwanala slum areas, awareness regarding MNREGA, NHRM, RTI, RTE, SC/ST Act, Juvenile Justice Act among the community people, financial help for education of 20 economically weak girls from the minority community in Bajardiha area and free meal scheme for children between six months to 18 years in Ayer Musahar Basti in Harhua block among others.
Account officer Ajay Singh presented investment bill vouchers and account details for the year before the people, while managing trustee Shruti Nagvanshi threw light on the annual progress report.
Speaking on the occasion, director of Jan Mitra Nyas, Dr Lenin said there were many NGOs working in the society but the people it was meant to benefit did not know how much was being spent on their welfare.
He said the audit would help establish a good rapport between the target group and the working social organisation.
Activists involved in various programmes run by the trust, representatives of self-help groups, Bunkar Dastkar Adhikar Manch, Savitri Bai Phule Mahila Panchayat, Bal Panchayat and Musahar Nut Adhikar Manch among others were present on the occasion.
Jan Mitra Nyas is financially supported by donor organisations Child Relief and You (CRY), Sar Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT) in India and Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) in Denmark.
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Supreme Court dismisses petition in TN reservation case
The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition seeking review of its earlier decision to allow Tamil Nadu to provide 69 per cent reservation to backward classes in excess of the 50 per cent limit imposed by the apex court in its earlier judgements.
A three-judge bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar, in a terse order, said it “found no merit in the petition” filed by the NGO, Voice Consumer Care Council, and dismissed it.
The NGO had filed the review petition challenging the apex court’s July 13 order on the ground that it had erroneously allowed Tamil Nadu government to provide 69 per cent quota, exceeding the 50 per cent limit.
The apex court had earlier on July 13 disposed of a writ petition filed by the NGO in 1994 challenging the 69 per cent quota law by directing the state to reconsider the same in the light of the various judgements relating to reservation of other backward classes.
It also permitted the state to increase the 50 per cent limit in case the quantification of data about OBCs in the state as determined by the State Backward Class Commission justified such an increase.
Seeking review of the order, the NGO had contended that when the validity of the law was before the court, the case ought not to have been sent back to the Backward Classes Commission for its discretion in determining the data.
The petition stated that neither in the judgement in “M Nagaraj’s case“’ nor in “Ashoka Thakur’s case” any such data, much less quantifiable data as had been dealt with in the July 13 order.
“In these two judgements, the Supreme Court had not said that it would be possible for the state governments to increase the quantum of reservation beyond 50 per cent,” the review petition said.
It quoted the ruling in the Nagaraj judgement wherein it was held, “It is made clear that even if the state has compelling reasons, the state will have to see that its reservation provisions do not lead to excessiveness so as to breach the ceiling limit of 50 per cent or obliterate the creamy layer or extended the reservation indefinitely.”
The NGO also pointed out that in the Mandal case there was a specific direction to identify the creamy layer, but for the last 18 years Tamil Nadu had not identified the creamy layer and a writ petition filed in this regard was still pending in the Supreme Court.
But the argument failed to convince the apex court which dismissed the review petition also.
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Eco-friendly radio rickshaw service launched in Patiala
Patiala: A local NGO has launched Patiala Green Cabs, an eco-friendly cycle rickshaw service, in the city.
The service was flagged off on Wednesday by Chairman, Patiala District Planning Committee, Surjit Singh Rakhra and Patiala Divisional Commissioner GS Grewal.
"The basic idea of the project Patiala Green Cabs is to promote eco-friendly, short distance mode of transport, besides offering a sustainable livelihood to rickshaw pullers," Ravi Singh Ahaluwalia, general secretary of the NGO, Patiala Foundation, said.
Equipped with FM radio sets and first-aid kits, the rickshaws are made of metal, making them light weight, he said, adding each rickshaw would cost the NGO R 9,700 and the vehicles are manufactured from a unit in Meerut.
"We have divided Patiala city into 12 zones and each zone would spread over an area of 1.5-km radius. To begin with, we have launched the project in one zone of Leela Bhawan, where 10 such rickshaws will ply," he said, adding that the NGO would give the vehicles to the rickshaw pullers at a nominal daily rent of Rs. 20.
He further said the NGO would provide uniform, identity card and health insurance of Rs. 1 lakh to each rickshaw puller.
The entire project is being funded by Patiala Foundation and gradually the project would be implemented in entire city, he said.
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Great Indian Star Count campaign to help people locate stars
With stars hardly visible in cities due to light pollution, a campaign is being launched by space gazers to make people aware of the value of pristine dark skies.
A dedicated campaign will begin on Friday to quantify light pollution by counting the number of stars that can be seen in our sky.
SPACE, an NGO, will celebrate the Great Indian Star Count (GSIC) from October 29 to November 12 wherein school children, amateur astronomers and public will be involved in the project.
"Artificial light is essential for our modern society. However, its increased use can cause problems like light pollution," SPACE Director C B Devgun said.
"Light pollution is a concern on many fronts like safety, energy conservation, cost and health besides our ability to view the stars," he said.
"GISC is a scientific survey to quantify light pollution by counting the number of stars that can be seen in the skies. It is a dedicated campaign for better use of lighting and illumination used in our day-to-day lives; efficient use of electricity and saving of electrical energy," he said.
SPACE is conducting the program in India on behalf of the Great Worldwide Star Count this year. GISC has been conducted for several years as part of Project Dark Skies to increase awareness of how light pollution affects visibility, he said.
Great Worldwide Star Count recommends a method of counting stars by which the observer looks at a known constellation Cygnus, the swan, and tries to spot how many stars from this constellation can actually be seen in their sky.
Other methods such as counting how a star is visible through a defined pipe area can also be used.
Skygazers also point out that the Milky Way galaxy is now reduced to just a name in textbooks as students don't realise that it can be seen with naked eyes.
With half of the world's population now living in cities, many urban dwellers have never experienced the wonder of pristinely dark skies, he said.
Students, amateur astronomers and scientific organisations all over India are coming together to participate in the program that will produce a light pollution map of the world, and show local variations across the map, he said.
This year, the project will be conducted simultaneously over the world as an international effort.
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Adarsh Housing Society Colaba – NGO launches online petition against Colaba buildings!
The Citizen’s Group, an NGO operating from Mumbai, is lesser known than most of its counterparts within the city. But if one will recall, Citizen’s Group was the same organization which had worked hard in 2004 to put a halt to the commercialization of the Mahalaxmi racecourse land in Mumbai, emerging successful in its attempts to stop the rebuilding of the 226 acre area.
eports claim that the Citizen’s Group has been working hard for the past few years to unlock the mystery behind the Adarsh Society scam. Workers at the NGO have adopted various policies including filing RTI applications in several public departments across Mumbai and the NGO says that their efforts have paid off. The Citizen’s Group has certain documents in its possession which they claim can expose the wrongdoings of the Adarsh Society.
The latest scam that the Citizen’s Group is all set to expose is the Colaba Land Scam which reportedly involves money more than 500 crores. Representatives of the Mumbai based NGO have launched an online petition, on ground that the corruption and discrimination that has been seen in the Colaba venture needs to be exposed to the public. The online petition has been addressed to the Chief of army staff, General V K Singh. Citizen’s Group has launched a platform for unbiased discussion and investigation through the online petition with the aim to reveal the names of the guilty.
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NGO takes drive against Colaba building online
MUMBAI: Mumbai Citizen's Group is a little-known NGO which came into prominence in 2004 when it opposed the proposed commercialization of the 226-acre Mahalaxmi racecourse land. The NGO has been doggedly pursuing the Adarsh Society scam for the past several years. Its members have filed a slew of RTI applications in various government departments and procured over 3,000 pages of documents, which they claim, exposes the corruption and nepotism.
The group has now started an online petition, " Colaba Land Scam Worth Rs 500 crore", addressed to Chief of army staff, General V K Singh. "On behalf of the Mumbai Citizen's Group and the undersigned citizens of Mumbai, we petition you to hold an unbiased court of inquiry and investigate the various aspects as reported in The Times of India and take action against guilty officers.
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Noise level of crackers have gone up significantly: NGO
Mumbai, Oct 27 (PTI) Noise levels of commonly available crackers have gone up significantly this year, an NGO has said. This was revealed during the tests conducted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, along with other agencies like Mumbai Police and the NGO Awaaz Foundation, AWAAZ Foundation Convenor Sumaira Abdulali said. "Commonly available firecrackers were tested for noise and air pollution levels and for compliance with Supreme Court orders on disclosure of chemical composition on packaging at Wadala yesterday. However, the explosives department, which is responsible for compliance at manufacturing stage did not attend," Abdulali told PTI.
"The findings indicate that noise levels have gone up significantly since the last testing conducted in 2008. In addition to 'rassi' bombs (which violated noise limits during the 2008 testing), all serial crackers, and several aerial crackers also exceed maximum permissible noise limits," she said. Some firecrackers sported names such as 'AK 47' indicating undesirably high noise levels, she added. The maximum cracker sound pressure level of Impulse (max) and Peak (max) was found to be 130 and 147 decibel respectively, whereas the allowable level is 125 and 145 decibel, Abdulali said. In the case of crackers in series, maximum allowable decibel is 105, while the recorded maximum was between 115-142.5 decibel, she said. The noise pollution crusader hoped that the state government would take some action on the issue.
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NGO strives to check child marriage, trafficking
HUBLI: Volunteers of the Karnataka Integrated Development Services (KIDS), an NGO striving to check incidents of child marriages and trafficking in Dharwad, were stunned when they asked adolescent girls of government high schools to take a vow that they will not get married as minors.
Out of 150 girls, five did not come forward to take the vow. This was because, while two of them were already married, the weddings for the three others was fixed. According to Pankaja Kalmath, president of KIDS, which launched a survey in about 20 villages prone to child marriages. Minors girls being married off is nothing unusual in most of the villages of Dharwad taluk.
Kalmath said the Makkala Sangha or children's association which the NGO has set up in government schools to discuss various problems faced by children in schools, houses and society, which is flooded with issues of their friends or classmates facing the threat of being married off young.
The Makkala Sangha, which meets twice or thrice or at least once a month has young girls or their friends raising the issue and seeks help to stop such marriages, she said.
According to Ningappa Madiwalar, co-ordinator of KIDS, at least 8 to 10 girls can be found in government high schools of the taluk, who are either already married or whose weddings have been fixed. Parents of married girls send them to schools till the completion of the academic year to avoid the wrath of the authorities.
Ningappa said as many as 56 Makkalla Sanghas set up at 44 villages of the taluk have been able to stop at least 25 child marriages during the last few years. He said, on many occasions, parents who have agreed not to marry off their daughters young, have later forced them into it secretly.
The Makkala Sangha, with the help of the NGO, has stopped marriages of minors in Mandihal, Tadakoda, Kotur, Belur, Timmanalli, Hangaraki, Bogur and Devara Hubballi villages. Marriages were called off even at the 11th hour in some of these villages.
The Makkala Sangha has 40 to 45 children, comprising dropouts, regular and irregular students who are above 5th standard. They discuss matters ranging from problems relating to water, lack of teachers, teachers talking on mobile phones during class hours, child marriage and trafficking, before bringing it to the notice of village panchayat, elected representatives and others for necessary action. The children even try to talk to friends' parents when they come to know they are planning to marry off their classmates. The volunteers of the NGO who will be present at the routine meeting will guide the children.
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Burst crackers only on Diwali night: NGO appeals to city residents
Keeping in mind the rising air pollution and global warming, NGO Rising Youth Association organised a meeting with residents of Dugri and requested them to avoid crackers on Diwali. Members of the NGO have urged the people not to burst crackers and, instead, spread festive cheer just by getting together with family and friends.
The NGO members said that in India people tend to overdo the burning of crackers; they start before Diwali and continue even afterwards.
Gurinder Chahal, president of the NGO, said, “I suggest that it should be done only on Diwali day since it causes too much pollution. Diwali celebrations have always meant much more than just crackers.” “Crackers spoil our environment by causing noise and air pollution and also affect our health. Another reason crackers should be shunned is that they are manufactured with the help of child labour, which is neither legal nor ethical. People should make this festival clean, green and healthy,” he added.
Sukhpreet Sandhu said, “People should care about individuals who are disturbed and adversely affected by the sound of crackers. For our enjoyment, we neglect everything. For many people bursting crackers is a status symbol. This should change. Let us all make this Diwali a happy and clean one.”
Meanwhile, DMCH Professor & Head of Plastic Surgery Dr. Sanjeev Uppal has given children hands on experience about the safe way to light crackers. Dr Uppal said that every year, nearly 40- 60 people, mainly children, report hand and face burns due to igniting of crackers in the incorrect way.
Most of the injuries are caused by Anars, which go off and blast while being ignited. Ignorant children and adults bend on the Anars, light them with matchsticks or keep them in their hands and get injured.
The other cracker that causes a lot of injuries is flyabouts or ‘Rockets’. These are either wrongly held in the hand or kept in a relatively small bottles and, therefore, come on to the people standing nearby instead of going skywards. The other crackers described were Chakris, Aaloo Bombs, Phulzhari, etc.
Dr Uppal said that crackers should be ignited in the presence of parents or adults and in an open space or on rooftops. Nobody should venture in the middle of the roads. Crackers should always be lit with the help of a long Phulzhari. Anars should be kept on a flat surface and lighted with a Phulzhari while sitting or standing away from it. Besides, one should wear tight clothes preferably made of cotton while igniting crackers.
Crackers should always be stored in a box, away from the actual place of lighting. Bottles with a heavy base and adequate size must be used for Rockets. If plastic bottles are being used, these should be partly filled with soil or water and there should be a bucket of water available nearby to put off any fire. If clothes catch fire, one should fall on the ground and roll over rather than run.
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To tackle stray cattle menace, MC inks pact with NGO
To deal with the perennial problem of stray cattle in the city, the municipal corporation has joined hands with an NGO.
As per the agreement signed between Govind Godham and the municipal corporation, the corporation will pay Rs 30 per cattle head per day to the NGO for rescuing the cattle.
A 20-day target has been set wherein a tag will be attached to each cattle and then the situation will be reviewed. Godham authorities said they had enough vacant land where they can take care of cattle.
Under this, an eight-member committee has been formed in which 4 members are from the municipal corporation. Senior Deputy Mayor Parveen Bansal, MC Assistant Commissioner Amarjit Sekhon, Medical Officer Health Dr Charanjit Uppal and Chief Sanitary Inspector Surinder Dhiman are the members from the corporation.
“We are hopeful that the menace will be controlled within one month,” said Bansal.
However, it has been pointed out repeatedly in the past that accidents happen due to stray cattle roaming on roadsides.
It has been learnt that most of the sterile or diseased animals are abandoned by dairy owners and hence they come on roadside.
source from:news.google.co.in
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