China, Africa reinforce nongovernmental ties as 1st NGO forum opens
China and Africa on Monday called for deeper and more frequent people-to-people exchange as they launched the first China-Africa nongovernmental organization (NGO) forum to bring together civil society actors.
The forum, China-Africa People's Forum, which is cosponsored by China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) and Kenya' s NGOs Coordination Board, attracted more than 200 representatives from 20 Chinese NGOs and around 100 NGOs from 18 African countries.
Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, who officially launched the forum, said the forum is an indication that China's interest in Africa is not just limited to trade, but also on building deep and enduring friendship with the people of Africa.
"The forum provides a unique opportunity for us to learn from each other's unique experiences and successes," he said, terming the forum "a significant contribution to a true and mutually beneficial friendship between China and Africa. "
Wang Zhizhen, the vice chairwoman of China's National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said at the opening ceremony that the forum, brand-new in the history of China-Africa relationship, should be institutionalized since it enhances the exchange between the two peoples and earns support from the civil society of the two sides for the China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation.
In a message read at the forum opening ceremony, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes the forum can generate ideas on how to promote civil engagement in social sustainability.
The two-day forum, under the theme of "Enhance partnership and promote friendship between China and Africa", will see participants discuss issues including climate change and food security, NGOs' credibility and transparency, and the relationship among governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses and communities.
Among the Chinese NGO participants are All-China Women's Federation, Chinese people's Association for Peace and Disarmament, Chinese Association for International Understanding and All-China Environment Federation.
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PMC records list 45 non-existent sonography centres: survey
Nearly 45 registered sonography centres in the city have shut shop but the PMC continues to carry the names in its list of registered centres, says a survey carried out by NGO P M Shah foundation that is planning to issue a showcause notice against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
“We surveyed 349 sonography centres and found many closed some two-three years ago,” said trustee of the foundation advocate Chetan Gandhi. The issue will be taken up at the PMC’s local authority on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act on September 8.
The PMC needs to update its list of registered centres, said activist and national inspection monitoring committee member Varsha Deshpande.
Deshpande, along with Gandhi, is planning to issue a show cause notice to the civic body to know why the sonography centres were registered when they could not be located in the city. “For instance, the PMC mentions Agrawal Diagnostics Centre - PNDT0386 as a registered centre at Dhankawadi. However, we found that it does not exist and instead there was an advocate’s office at the same location,” said Gandhi. Similarly, sonography centre Athavale sonography clinic - PNDT0397 was closed four years ago and a restaurant is now functional at the address in Karve Nagar. The centre is registered as a sonography centre by the PMC.
Gandhi who had informed chief medical officer of PMC Dr R R Pardeshi and Additional Director of State Family Welfare Bureau Dr Suresh Gupta about the survey said out of 349 centres, 112 refused to give information while their volunteers found that 45 centres had shut down.
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Everyone loves a tragedy, especially NGOs
Kasargod's endosulfan victims may have drawn some unwelcome attention. A number of NGOs and professional do-gooders are trying to cash in on their plight. The Kasargod district collector's office has been flooded with half-baked proposals seeking government approval.
The threat of fly-by-night-operators and other dubious elements exploiting the endosulfan victims and taking the government for a ride is so real that it provoked the state government to take out an advertisement asking concerned people to deposit money directly to a State Bank of Travancore account certified by the government of Kerala.
Recently, World Malayalee Council (WMC), an NGO, sent a proposal to chief minister Oommen Chandy to provide immediate relief for endosulfan victims. Unexceptionable you would think, but the fineprint conveyed a different story: The NGO is demanding Rs 27 crores to implement the project.
At a time when the UDF government has promised rice at Rs 1 per kilo, this NGO mooted "free ration for all needy families".
In the proposal the NGO also abrogated to itself the task of collecting and supplying rations to needy homes. Another WMC brainwave about a "centralised kitchen" is flawed in its very basic concept. Whoever wrote the proposal was obviously unaware that the kitchen is central to how the National Sample Survey defines a household - as a group of persons living together and taking food from a particular kitchen. Moreover, WMC's proposal printed in high-gloss paper has no information on the methodology it has used to collate data. All of which make such proposals highly suspect, a source in the district collector's office confirmed, adding that they had received three such proposals recently.
Kasargod's district collector, K N Sateesh, who is also the Convener of the Endosulfan Victims Relief and Remediation Cell, said: I asked the WMC officials how they intended to raise the amount projected in their proposal, but they had no answer.'' TOI spoke to WMC Chairman George Kulangara on how it planned to raise the funds but he didn't have a clear answer.
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PMC flouting govt orders on immersion: NGO
The Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS) has criticised the alleged half-hearted efforts of the civic administration in the matter of eco-friendly immersion of Ganesh idols, alleging that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is flouting government orders on immersion.
This year, MANS will keep an eye on what efforts are being made for eco-friendly immersion and make a film on it. The NGO is keen that the idols be immersed in tanks rather than in the rivers and that only clay idols should be allowed to be sold.
Over the last 5 years, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has been issuing instructions about the use of natural colours and clay for making Ganesh idols and about avoiding pollution of water bodies while immersing the idols.
"But the system to implement this is not in existence," said MANS founder Narendra Dabholkar in a press statement. "There is no serious effort to ensure that people purchase only clay idols made by using natural colours and to avoid pollution of river during immersion.
"The government orders states that a coordination committee should be formed to ensure that instructions about eco-friendly Ganeshotsav are followed. Our members will meet chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to urge him to ban the use of artificial colours on Ganesh idols,'' he said.
Stating that some religious organisations try to dissuade people from immersing idols in artificial tanks made by the PMC, he said the civic body needs to stop such endeavours.
He said video recording will be done by MANS to make a film on what is being done to implement the measures about eco-friendly Ganeshotsav. "The film will be shown to the government and the Supreme Court in order to ensure better implementation from next year,'' said Dabholkar.
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Activists, citizens promote eco-friendly Ganeshotsav
As the annual Ganapati festival nears, so is the buzz surrounding eco-friendly idols, with NGOs promoting Ganapatis made of clay and painted in natural colours for a safer festival. Classes on making such idols are also finding many takers.
E-Coexist, an NGO, has sold around 400 eco-friendly Ganapati idols made from natural clay and papier-mache at various retail outlets across the city. "We've run out of stock this year, as demands continue to pour in. Awareness on the importance of an environmentally-friendly Ganeshotsav has certainly spread among citizens in a big way," says Lolita Gupta, one of the partners.
The Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan, Kothrud, has been conducting workshops for schoolchildren since July. Over 200 students from six schools have learned the art and made their own mini-versions of Ganapati from natural clay.
"We started the classes with the objective of turning it into a movement involving youngsters who can understand and practise eco-friendly ways to celebrate the festival. We are also asking families to re-use plaster of Paris Ganesh idols instead of buying news ones," said Vaishali Bhagwat, president of the Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan.
Artist-sculptor Pramod Kamble led a workshop recently in Vimannagar where natural clay minus moulds was used to make idols.
"With no moulds, people could use their creative instincts to come up with unique Ganesh idols. The idea was to help the participants make their own idols, which they can later immerse in water in their own homes, and recycle the clay," said organiser of the workshop Niranjan Upasani, also the founder of Bluewiss Environment Enrichers that sells eco-friendly products.
NGO Surajya Sarvajanik Vikas Prakalp has joined hands with E-Coexist to conduct programmes on the hazards of chemical colours, PoP and river pollution at 10 slums.
"We have prepared flex boards with pictures and notes that are being used as tools for a safe, eco-friendly Ganeshotsav," said Vijay Shivale, project co-ordinator at Surajya.
Collection of 'nirmalya' on the day of Ganapati is also finding support, especially among corporates and NGOs. E-Coexist, along with SWaCH, will set up 'nirmalya' collection facilities at various locations, Gupta said.
Members of the self-help group SMILE, spearheaded by former mayor Vandana Chavan, were also given a demonstration on making Ganapati idols at a special session recently. "We have appealed to the citizens to avoid using thermocol and PoP, and stick to natural clay and utilise the nirmalya for vermicomposting," said Chavan.
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HC issues notices to 48 iron-ore mines in Goa
The Goa bench of Bombay High Court has issued notices to holders of 48 mining leases in the state for exceeding the permissible limit of extraction.
Goa Foundation, an environmental NGO, has filed a Public Interest Litigation before the High Court on the issue, calling such extraction as a violation of state environmental laws.
The respondents to the PIL include some of the state’s biggest mining companies, including V S Dempo, Timblo Irmaos, V M Salgaoncar and Chowgule & Co. Besides, Court has also issued notices to Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, (MoEF).
Next hearing would be on September 19.
The state has 100-odd mining leases, which export 54 million metric tones of ore annually.
The High Court issued notices yesterday. On the same day, State Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said ore worth Rs 1,200 crore had been extracted in Goa in last few years.
PAC, headed by Manohar Parrikar, said 32 mining leases had already exported around 60 lakh tons of iron ore in the absence of licences.
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NGO launches website to promote NE tourism
To attract more backpackers to Assam and other north-eastern States, a website christened www.ecotourismsociety.in has been launched by a group of youths working under the banner of Eco Tourism Society of North East India.
It needs to be mentioned here that the society has so far undertaken different activities to promote the concept of ecotourism as well as generate awareness on the tourism potential of the region.
“Since inception, our society has been constantly working on motivating people, especially people from rural areas towards the tourism industry which we believe can eliminate poverty and unemployment from this region,” said Gautam Dutta, president of the society.
Earlier, the society had successfully organised events like Tree Bihu, Green Love, Prakriti Award, Jagriti, Eco Picnic and Eco Excursions.
The society’s website was launched by Dr Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, the designer of rupee symbol, at the Guwahati IIT campus on Sunday.
“In the spirit of keeping the website simple, we have decided to keep the site clear, easy to navigate and efficient in its presentation of information,” said Dutta, adding that the idea behind launching the website was to create awareness among general people regarding preservation and conservation of tourism resources besides creating a bridge between the stake-holders of North East India and the tourists.
Dutta said that it was important to promote tourism resources of North East India in the global tourism market in a sustainable way.
“Our website will be useful to visitors, research scholars, students and other tourists with special interests,” said Dutta.
In order to make the website interactive, features like eco destination of the month, picture of the day, green quote of the day, festival of the month, current news on tourism industry, quiz, upcoming events and seminars, etc, have been added.
On the other hand, Dr Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam is of the opinion that the website will be the right platform for the students of North East India to share their tourism and environment-related articles and pictures and this, in turn will generate the required awareness among the students.
Tourism and Transport Minister Chandan Brahma has welcomed the initiative, mentioning that the website will help in not only promoting the cultural aspect of each region and local tribes of North East India, but will also generate employment at the same time.
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Chinese, African AIDS NGOs meet
More than two dozen adolescent peer educators in Kenya met their Chinese counterparts in the country's capital, Nairobi, for a training workshop on peer-to-peer HIV/AIDS education Aug 28.
The workshop was co-organized by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) and the NGO Co-ordination Board of Kenya. It is the preface for the China-Africa People's Forum to be held from Aug 29 to 30, and is the first NGO exchange between China and Africa.
"Peer-to-peer education is very effective at preventing HIV/AIDS among young people," said Wang Weilong, a 21-year-old Chinese volunteer working for the China Family Planning Association and who gave a training session to his Kenyan peers during the workshop. "Because young people can often discuss difficult and sometimes sensitive questions like love, sex and abortion in a straightforward and frank fashion without worrying about being stigmatized."
Wang said an important part of his training session is to let his peers feel what is like to live with HIV/AIDS. It's more than just carrying the virus - stigma and discrimination hurts more, he said.
Among those who were present at the opening ceremony of the workshop, five kids in particular drew the attention of attendees.
Nine-year-old Erick Owino lost his parents when he was five. He lives at a community based rescue center in Nairobi with 23 other orphans.
Most of their parents died of AIDS.
"I don't know exactly how many kids are like Erick (in Kenya)," said Grace Muthoni, the manager of the rescue center named MaxFacta, short for "maximizing facts on HIV-AIDS," "but the situation is pathetic," she said.
According to statistics compiled by the Joint United Nation Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, there were about 33.3 million people living with HIV globally in 2009, and 1.8 million people died of AIDS-related diseases in the same year. Sub-Saharan Africa alone shares 68% of the global HIV population.
Chinese, African AIDS NGOs meet
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NGO: At least 100 prisoners killed in Egypt revolt
Investigation by Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights finds atrocious crimes committed at five detention facilities during, after Mubarak’s ouster.
CAIRO - At least 100 prisoners were killed in Egypt during and after the popular uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak's regime earlier this year, a human rights group said on Monday.
The investigation by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights found "atrocious crimes" were committed at five detention facilities, including Torah prison in Cairo and Giza's Al-Qatta.
The revolt erupted on January 25, and "more than 100 prisoners were killed and hundreds hurt at only (five) prisons" in the weeks that followed, the EIPR said, estimating an even higher toll across the country.
The killings, which were recorded between January 29 and February 20, "were deliberate and were definitely not related to escape or... mutiny," it said, noting that the bodies bore bullet wounds to the head or chest.
The report, based on the testimony of survivors and family members of victims as well as mobile telephone photographs and videos, said "a similar method was used in the murder of prisoners in five prisons."
Torah prison guards fired tear gas into cells, "and when the prisoners were out of the cells to escape the gas, they were shot in the yard," the EIPR said.
It quoted a prisoner as saying that the gunfire was "not only to scare people; they aimed at the head, I saw with my own eyes."
Contacted by AFP, officials from the interior ministry refused to respond to the report.
The EIPR called on Egypt's government to form an independent commission of inquiry and grant compensation to the bereaved and injured. It also wants the attorney general to investigate and bring those involved to justice.
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Gaza NGOs express 'horror' at new Hamas travel restrictions on Palestinians
The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip recently imposed new travel restrictions on Palestinians active in non-governmental organizations in what the Palestinian NGO Network regards as another Hamas attempt to control and hamper them.
The Hamas interior ministry announced on its website on August 10 that anyone leaving Gaza, in the framework of NGO activity, must provide details of the trip to the ministry’s NGO department. The details include: the purpose, duration and destination of the trip, a description of the project, and the names of the host and group involved, along with the names and personal details of other participants.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights issued a statement expressing “horror” at the new development. Gaza sources say the NGO representatives are trying to get Hamas officials to revoke the regulations, which are the latest in a series of government measures affecting the financial affairs and staffing of local and foreign NGOs.
Tharut al Bic, head of the interior ministry’s NGO department, is cited in the government-owned al-Rai newspaper as saying that the new instructions are intended to make it easier for travellers to better organize their trip and to preserve order. He did not say how the numerous details the NGOs are required to provide would make the trip easier.
Al Bic urged the NGOs operating in Gaza not to portray the required arrangement in a negative light.
The law regulating relations between the Palestinian Authority and NGOs was enacted by the Palestinian Council in 2000. Every change the Gaza government makes in the law is seen by the NGOs as a violation of a basic Palestinian law.
Meanwhile the announcement of the new regulations has been removed from the interior ministry’s site.
These are not the Hamas government’s only restrictions on the freedom of movement of Gaza residents. Those leaving via the Erez border crossing must first pass through a Palestinian police inspection. Fatah members, among the few to whom Israel grants exit permits, are occasionally stopped at the Hamas inspection facility and required to go to the interior ministry’s national security department, where they are questioned about the purpose of their departure.
Hamas sometimes denies Fatah or PLO members’ departure at the Rafah terminal in similar ways. In the past, Hamas has forbidden doctors, who wanted to travel to the West Bank for the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry exams in Ramallah, to leave Gaza.
About 10 days ago Hamas prohibited high school students, who received a scholarship for a year’s study in the United States, from leaving the Gaza Strip.
The government also prohibited children from leaving Gaza to attend a West Bank summer camp financed by a Western body, after Israel had issued them exit permits.
Palestinians leaving Gaza via the Rafah terminal are required to register in advance at the interior ministry, to enable coordination with the Egyptian authorities and to ensure that sick people and other emergency cases receive priority. The number of people permitted to leave is restricted, if only for technical reasons.
All these measures come in addition to the restrictions Israel imposes on Palestinians leaving Gaza. Israel permits only two groups to leave regularly via the Erez crossing − those carrying VIP cards, such as elected Fatah officials of the Palestinian Legislative Council and senior PA officials, as well as a few dozen Palestinian businesspeople, whose exit permits are renewed periodically. They must all coordinate their departure with the Israeli coordination and liaison administration.
Sick people wishing to leave the Gaza Strip must submit applications and meet various conditions to be allowed to do so.
Since June, Hamas authorities have instructed foreign nationals who stay in Gaza for over a week to obtain a special visitor’s card. Every foreign national is required to register with the interior ministry a week after his arrival.
At first Hamas charged 5 Jordanian dinars for a visitor’s card, but the Quartet on the Middle East prohibits nationals from Western states (except for Switzerland and Norway) from maintaining official ties or engaging in financial transactions with Hamas authorities.
As a result, Hamas agreed to exempt diplomats and UN officials from payment for the visitor’s card.
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Senkodi a martyr: Kanchi residents
The entire town of Kancheepuram mourned the death of Senkodi, the 21-year-old girl who set herself on fire on Sunday demanding the commutation of the death sentence of the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, as her body was taken out in a procession through the thoroughfares of the silk town on Monday. Many people said they saw in her action a ‘real sacrifice’.
The body of the girl, belonging to the Irular community, was taken to Mangalampadi village, where she was born, and the cremation could be held on Tuesday. Senkodi had been in the care of Kancheepuram Makkal Mandram, an NGO working for the downtrodden addressing their cultural and social issues, for the past eight years, after her widower father took a second wife. Many shops downed shutters and huge crowds gathered along the roads, besides residents watching from rooftops, as her body was taken around.
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NGO embarks on programme to curb maternal mortality
The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) is embarking on a programme to curb maternal mortality in the Upper East Region.
As part of the programme, ISODEC has organised a two-day capacity building training programme for 80 Community Health Volunteers drawn from Sumbrungu and Zaurungu.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency the Programmes Officer of ISODEC, Mr Maclean Ayamga, said in most of the communities in the Region, husbands of pregnant women had to consult soothsayers before delivery, mostly at home without supervision by health personnel.
He said the Community Health volunteers would move from house to house to do public health education on the need for pregnant women to report to the nearest health facility during anti-natal and labour periods
Mr Abagmbire Adua of the Integrated Development Health Centre said as part of the programme, Community meetings and durbars would be organised to sensitize community members to ensure that women in labour attend health facilities.
The programmes, which is a one-year programme sponsored by Oxfam, is also aimed at complementing government efforts at achieving the Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals.
China and Africa on Monday called for deeper and more frequent people-to-people exchange as they launched the first China-Africa nongovernmental organization (NGO) forum to bring together civil society actors.
The forum, China-Africa People's Forum, which is cosponsored by China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) and Kenya' s NGOs Coordination Board, attracted more than 200 representatives from 20 Chinese NGOs and around 100 NGOs from 18 African countries.
Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, who officially launched the forum, said the forum is an indication that China's interest in Africa is not just limited to trade, but also on building deep and enduring friendship with the people of Africa.
"The forum provides a unique opportunity for us to learn from each other's unique experiences and successes," he said, terming the forum "a significant contribution to a true and mutually beneficial friendship between China and Africa. "
Wang Zhizhen, the vice chairwoman of China's National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said at the opening ceremony that the forum, brand-new in the history of China-Africa relationship, should be institutionalized since it enhances the exchange between the two peoples and earns support from the civil society of the two sides for the China-Africa mutually beneficial cooperation.
In a message read at the forum opening ceremony, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hopes the forum can generate ideas on how to promote civil engagement in social sustainability.
The two-day forum, under the theme of "Enhance partnership and promote friendship between China and Africa", will see participants discuss issues including climate change and food security, NGOs' credibility and transparency, and the relationship among governments, nongovernmental organizations, businesses and communities.
Among the Chinese NGO participants are All-China Women's Federation, Chinese people's Association for Peace and Disarmament, Chinese Association for International Understanding and All-China Environment Federation.
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PMC records list 45 non-existent sonography centres: survey
Nearly 45 registered sonography centres in the city have shut shop but the PMC continues to carry the names in its list of registered centres, says a survey carried out by NGO P M Shah foundation that is planning to issue a showcause notice against the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
“We surveyed 349 sonography centres and found many closed some two-three years ago,” said trustee of the foundation advocate Chetan Gandhi. The issue will be taken up at the PMC’s local authority on Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act on September 8.
The PMC needs to update its list of registered centres, said activist and national inspection monitoring committee member Varsha Deshpande.
Deshpande, along with Gandhi, is planning to issue a show cause notice to the civic body to know why the sonography centres were registered when they could not be located in the city. “For instance, the PMC mentions Agrawal Diagnostics Centre - PNDT0386 as a registered centre at Dhankawadi. However, we found that it does not exist and instead there was an advocate’s office at the same location,” said Gandhi. Similarly, sonography centre Athavale sonography clinic - PNDT0397 was closed four years ago and a restaurant is now functional at the address in Karve Nagar. The centre is registered as a sonography centre by the PMC.
Gandhi who had informed chief medical officer of PMC Dr R R Pardeshi and Additional Director of State Family Welfare Bureau Dr Suresh Gupta about the survey said out of 349 centres, 112 refused to give information while their volunteers found that 45 centres had shut down.
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Everyone loves a tragedy, especially NGOs
Kasargod's endosulfan victims may have drawn some unwelcome attention. A number of NGOs and professional do-gooders are trying to cash in on their plight. The Kasargod district collector's office has been flooded with half-baked proposals seeking government approval.
The threat of fly-by-night-operators and other dubious elements exploiting the endosulfan victims and taking the government for a ride is so real that it provoked the state government to take out an advertisement asking concerned people to deposit money directly to a State Bank of Travancore account certified by the government of Kerala.
Recently, World Malayalee Council (WMC), an NGO, sent a proposal to chief minister Oommen Chandy to provide immediate relief for endosulfan victims. Unexceptionable you would think, but the fineprint conveyed a different story: The NGO is demanding Rs 27 crores to implement the project.
At a time when the UDF government has promised rice at Rs 1 per kilo, this NGO mooted "free ration for all needy families".
In the proposal the NGO also abrogated to itself the task of collecting and supplying rations to needy homes. Another WMC brainwave about a "centralised kitchen" is flawed in its very basic concept. Whoever wrote the proposal was obviously unaware that the kitchen is central to how the National Sample Survey defines a household - as a group of persons living together and taking food from a particular kitchen. Moreover, WMC's proposal printed in high-gloss paper has no information on the methodology it has used to collate data. All of which make such proposals highly suspect, a source in the district collector's office confirmed, adding that they had received three such proposals recently.
Kasargod's district collector, K N Sateesh, who is also the Convener of the Endosulfan Victims Relief and Remediation Cell, said: I asked the WMC officials how they intended to raise the amount projected in their proposal, but they had no answer.'' TOI spoke to WMC Chairman George Kulangara on how it planned to raise the funds but he didn't have a clear answer.
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PMC flouting govt orders on immersion: NGO
The Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS) has criticised the alleged half-hearted efforts of the civic administration in the matter of eco-friendly immersion of Ganesh idols, alleging that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is flouting government orders on immersion.
This year, MANS will keep an eye on what efforts are being made for eco-friendly immersion and make a film on it. The NGO is keen that the idols be immersed in tanks rather than in the rivers and that only clay idols should be allowed to be sold.
Over the last 5 years, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has been issuing instructions about the use of natural colours and clay for making Ganesh idols and about avoiding pollution of water bodies while immersing the idols.
"But the system to implement this is not in existence," said MANS founder Narendra Dabholkar in a press statement. "There is no serious effort to ensure that people purchase only clay idols made by using natural colours and to avoid pollution of river during immersion.
"The government orders states that a coordination committee should be formed to ensure that instructions about eco-friendly Ganeshotsav are followed. Our members will meet chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to urge him to ban the use of artificial colours on Ganesh idols,'' he said.
Stating that some religious organisations try to dissuade people from immersing idols in artificial tanks made by the PMC, he said the civic body needs to stop such endeavours.
He said video recording will be done by MANS to make a film on what is being done to implement the measures about eco-friendly Ganeshotsav. "The film will be shown to the government and the Supreme Court in order to ensure better implementation from next year,'' said Dabholkar.
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Activists, citizens promote eco-friendly Ganeshotsav
As the annual Ganapati festival nears, so is the buzz surrounding eco-friendly idols, with NGOs promoting Ganapatis made of clay and painted in natural colours for a safer festival. Classes on making such idols are also finding many takers.
E-Coexist, an NGO, has sold around 400 eco-friendly Ganapati idols made from natural clay and papier-mache at various retail outlets across the city. "We've run out of stock this year, as demands continue to pour in. Awareness on the importance of an environmentally-friendly Ganeshotsav has certainly spread among citizens in a big way," says Lolita Gupta, one of the partners.
The Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan, Kothrud, has been conducting workshops for schoolchildren since July. Over 200 students from six schools have learned the art and made their own mini-versions of Ganapati from natural clay.
"We started the classes with the objective of turning it into a movement involving youngsters who can understand and practise eco-friendly ways to celebrate the festival. We are also asking families to re-use plaster of Paris Ganesh idols instead of buying news ones," said Vaishali Bhagwat, president of the Rotary Club of Gandhibhavan.
Artist-sculptor Pramod Kamble led a workshop recently in Vimannagar where natural clay minus moulds was used to make idols.
"With no moulds, people could use their creative instincts to come up with unique Ganesh idols. The idea was to help the participants make their own idols, which they can later immerse in water in their own homes, and recycle the clay," said organiser of the workshop Niranjan Upasani, also the founder of Bluewiss Environment Enrichers that sells eco-friendly products.
NGO Surajya Sarvajanik Vikas Prakalp has joined hands with E-Coexist to conduct programmes on the hazards of chemical colours, PoP and river pollution at 10 slums.
"We have prepared flex boards with pictures and notes that are being used as tools for a safe, eco-friendly Ganeshotsav," said Vijay Shivale, project co-ordinator at Surajya.
Collection of 'nirmalya' on the day of Ganapati is also finding support, especially among corporates and NGOs. E-Coexist, along with SWaCH, will set up 'nirmalya' collection facilities at various locations, Gupta said.
Members of the self-help group SMILE, spearheaded by former mayor Vandana Chavan, were also given a demonstration on making Ganapati idols at a special session recently. "We have appealed to the citizens to avoid using thermocol and PoP, and stick to natural clay and utilise the nirmalya for vermicomposting," said Chavan.
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HC issues notices to 48 iron-ore mines in Goa
The Goa bench of Bombay High Court has issued notices to holders of 48 mining leases in the state for exceeding the permissible limit of extraction.
Goa Foundation, an environmental NGO, has filed a Public Interest Litigation before the High Court on the issue, calling such extraction as a violation of state environmental laws.
The respondents to the PIL include some of the state’s biggest mining companies, including V S Dempo, Timblo Irmaos, V M Salgaoncar and Chowgule & Co. Besides, Court has also issued notices to Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, (MoEF).
Next hearing would be on September 19.
The state has 100-odd mining leases, which export 54 million metric tones of ore annually.
The High Court issued notices yesterday. On the same day, State Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said ore worth Rs 1,200 crore had been extracted in Goa in last few years.
PAC, headed by Manohar Parrikar, said 32 mining leases had already exported around 60 lakh tons of iron ore in the absence of licences.
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NGO launches website to promote NE tourism
To attract more backpackers to Assam and other north-eastern States, a website christened www.ecotourismsociety.in has been launched by a group of youths working under the banner of Eco Tourism Society of North East India.
It needs to be mentioned here that the society has so far undertaken different activities to promote the concept of ecotourism as well as generate awareness on the tourism potential of the region.
“Since inception, our society has been constantly working on motivating people, especially people from rural areas towards the tourism industry which we believe can eliminate poverty and unemployment from this region,” said Gautam Dutta, president of the society.
Earlier, the society had successfully organised events like Tree Bihu, Green Love, Prakriti Award, Jagriti, Eco Picnic and Eco Excursions.
The society’s website was launched by Dr Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam, the designer of rupee symbol, at the Guwahati IIT campus on Sunday.
“In the spirit of keeping the website simple, we have decided to keep the site clear, easy to navigate and efficient in its presentation of information,” said Dutta, adding that the idea behind launching the website was to create awareness among general people regarding preservation and conservation of tourism resources besides creating a bridge between the stake-holders of North East India and the tourists.
Dutta said that it was important to promote tourism resources of North East India in the global tourism market in a sustainable way.
“Our website will be useful to visitors, research scholars, students and other tourists with special interests,” said Dutta.
In order to make the website interactive, features like eco destination of the month, picture of the day, green quote of the day, festival of the month, current news on tourism industry, quiz, upcoming events and seminars, etc, have been added.
On the other hand, Dr Udaya Kumar Dharmalingam is of the opinion that the website will be the right platform for the students of North East India to share their tourism and environment-related articles and pictures and this, in turn will generate the required awareness among the students.
Tourism and Transport Minister Chandan Brahma has welcomed the initiative, mentioning that the website will help in not only promoting the cultural aspect of each region and local tribes of North East India, but will also generate employment at the same time.
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Chinese, African AIDS NGOs meet
More than two dozen adolescent peer educators in Kenya met their Chinese counterparts in the country's capital, Nairobi, for a training workshop on peer-to-peer HIV/AIDS education Aug 28.
The workshop was co-organized by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE) and the NGO Co-ordination Board of Kenya. It is the preface for the China-Africa People's Forum to be held from Aug 29 to 30, and is the first NGO exchange between China and Africa.
"Peer-to-peer education is very effective at preventing HIV/AIDS among young people," said Wang Weilong, a 21-year-old Chinese volunteer working for the China Family Planning Association and who gave a training session to his Kenyan peers during the workshop. "Because young people can often discuss difficult and sometimes sensitive questions like love, sex and abortion in a straightforward and frank fashion without worrying about being stigmatized."
Wang said an important part of his training session is to let his peers feel what is like to live with HIV/AIDS. It's more than just carrying the virus - stigma and discrimination hurts more, he said.
Among those who were present at the opening ceremony of the workshop, five kids in particular drew the attention of attendees.
Nine-year-old Erick Owino lost his parents when he was five. He lives at a community based rescue center in Nairobi with 23 other orphans.
Most of their parents died of AIDS.
"I don't know exactly how many kids are like Erick (in Kenya)," said Grace Muthoni, the manager of the rescue center named MaxFacta, short for "maximizing facts on HIV-AIDS," "but the situation is pathetic," she said.
According to statistics compiled by the Joint United Nation Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, there were about 33.3 million people living with HIV globally in 2009, and 1.8 million people died of AIDS-related diseases in the same year. Sub-Saharan Africa alone shares 68% of the global HIV population.
Chinese, African AIDS NGOs meet
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NGO: At least 100 prisoners killed in Egypt revolt
Investigation by Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights finds atrocious crimes committed at five detention facilities during, after Mubarak’s ouster.
CAIRO - At least 100 prisoners were killed in Egypt during and after the popular uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak's regime earlier this year, a human rights group said on Monday.
The investigation by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights found "atrocious crimes" were committed at five detention facilities, including Torah prison in Cairo and Giza's Al-Qatta.
The revolt erupted on January 25, and "more than 100 prisoners were killed and hundreds hurt at only (five) prisons" in the weeks that followed, the EIPR said, estimating an even higher toll across the country.
The killings, which were recorded between January 29 and February 20, "were deliberate and were definitely not related to escape or... mutiny," it said, noting that the bodies bore bullet wounds to the head or chest.
The report, based on the testimony of survivors and family members of victims as well as mobile telephone photographs and videos, said "a similar method was used in the murder of prisoners in five prisons."
Torah prison guards fired tear gas into cells, "and when the prisoners were out of the cells to escape the gas, they were shot in the yard," the EIPR said.
It quoted a prisoner as saying that the gunfire was "not only to scare people; they aimed at the head, I saw with my own eyes."
Contacted by AFP, officials from the interior ministry refused to respond to the report.
The EIPR called on Egypt's government to form an independent commission of inquiry and grant compensation to the bereaved and injured. It also wants the attorney general to investigate and bring those involved to justice.
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Gaza NGOs express 'horror' at new Hamas travel restrictions on Palestinians
The Hamas government in the Gaza Strip recently imposed new travel restrictions on Palestinians active in non-governmental organizations in what the Palestinian NGO Network regards as another Hamas attempt to control and hamper them.
The Hamas interior ministry announced on its website on August 10 that anyone leaving Gaza, in the framework of NGO activity, must provide details of the trip to the ministry’s NGO department. The details include: the purpose, duration and destination of the trip, a description of the project, and the names of the host and group involved, along with the names and personal details of other participants.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights issued a statement expressing “horror” at the new development. Gaza sources say the NGO representatives are trying to get Hamas officials to revoke the regulations, which are the latest in a series of government measures affecting the financial affairs and staffing of local and foreign NGOs.
Tharut al Bic, head of the interior ministry’s NGO department, is cited in the government-owned al-Rai newspaper as saying that the new instructions are intended to make it easier for travellers to better organize their trip and to preserve order. He did not say how the numerous details the NGOs are required to provide would make the trip easier.
Al Bic urged the NGOs operating in Gaza not to portray the required arrangement in a negative light.
The law regulating relations between the Palestinian Authority and NGOs was enacted by the Palestinian Council in 2000. Every change the Gaza government makes in the law is seen by the NGOs as a violation of a basic Palestinian law.
Meanwhile the announcement of the new regulations has been removed from the interior ministry’s site.
These are not the Hamas government’s only restrictions on the freedom of movement of Gaza residents. Those leaving via the Erez border crossing must first pass through a Palestinian police inspection. Fatah members, among the few to whom Israel grants exit permits, are occasionally stopped at the Hamas inspection facility and required to go to the interior ministry’s national security department, where they are questioned about the purpose of their departure.
Hamas sometimes denies Fatah or PLO members’ departure at the Rafah terminal in similar ways. In the past, Hamas has forbidden doctors, who wanted to travel to the West Bank for the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry exams in Ramallah, to leave Gaza.
About 10 days ago Hamas prohibited high school students, who received a scholarship for a year’s study in the United States, from leaving the Gaza Strip.
The government also prohibited children from leaving Gaza to attend a West Bank summer camp financed by a Western body, after Israel had issued them exit permits.
Palestinians leaving Gaza via the Rafah terminal are required to register in advance at the interior ministry, to enable coordination with the Egyptian authorities and to ensure that sick people and other emergency cases receive priority. The number of people permitted to leave is restricted, if only for technical reasons.
All these measures come in addition to the restrictions Israel imposes on Palestinians leaving Gaza. Israel permits only two groups to leave regularly via the Erez crossing − those carrying VIP cards, such as elected Fatah officials of the Palestinian Legislative Council and senior PA officials, as well as a few dozen Palestinian businesspeople, whose exit permits are renewed periodically. They must all coordinate their departure with the Israeli coordination and liaison administration.
Sick people wishing to leave the Gaza Strip must submit applications and meet various conditions to be allowed to do so.
Since June, Hamas authorities have instructed foreign nationals who stay in Gaza for over a week to obtain a special visitor’s card. Every foreign national is required to register with the interior ministry a week after his arrival.
At first Hamas charged 5 Jordanian dinars for a visitor’s card, but the Quartet on the Middle East prohibits nationals from Western states (except for Switzerland and Norway) from maintaining official ties or engaging in financial transactions with Hamas authorities.
As a result, Hamas agreed to exempt diplomats and UN officials from payment for the visitor’s card.
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Senkodi a martyr: Kanchi residents
The entire town of Kancheepuram mourned the death of Senkodi, the 21-year-old girl who set herself on fire on Sunday demanding the commutation of the death sentence of the three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, as her body was taken out in a procession through the thoroughfares of the silk town on Monday. Many people said they saw in her action a ‘real sacrifice’.
The body of the girl, belonging to the Irular community, was taken to Mangalampadi village, where she was born, and the cremation could be held on Tuesday. Senkodi had been in the care of Kancheepuram Makkal Mandram, an NGO working for the downtrodden addressing their cultural and social issues, for the past eight years, after her widower father took a second wife. Many shops downed shutters and huge crowds gathered along the roads, besides residents watching from rooftops, as her body was taken around.
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NGO embarks on programme to curb maternal mortality
The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) is embarking on a programme to curb maternal mortality in the Upper East Region.
As part of the programme, ISODEC has organised a two-day capacity building training programme for 80 Community Health Volunteers drawn from Sumbrungu and Zaurungu.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency the Programmes Officer of ISODEC, Mr Maclean Ayamga, said in most of the communities in the Region, husbands of pregnant women had to consult soothsayers before delivery, mostly at home without supervision by health personnel.
He said the Community Health volunteers would move from house to house to do public health education on the need for pregnant women to report to the nearest health facility during anti-natal and labour periods
Mr Abagmbire Adua of the Integrated Development Health Centre said as part of the programme, Community meetings and durbars would be organised to sensitize community members to ensure that women in labour attend health facilities.
The programmes, which is a one-year programme sponsored by Oxfam, is also aimed at complementing government efforts at achieving the Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals.
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