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| Wednesday,
May 23, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Apex court shows the
way No buyer for this idea Bad old Punjab Police |
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The growing Sino-Pakistan nexus
Shrouded open
secrets
Of murder, parallel banking & police
inaction
Allergies and slimming tips
Polygamy going underground?
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Apex court shows the way Law is said to be an ass. There is some substance in this observation. Since interpretation of legal provisions is not only a matter of detail but also of manipulation, those familiar with the system do often make an ass of law. There is nothing like entrenched fairplay in rules and regulations. That is the reason why corrupt practices have been thriving in this country. As it is, there are loopholes in the law and what makes things worse is the absence of firm handling of those charged with corruption. In this context, the Supreme Court came out with a clear directive the other day which can go a long way in curbing corruption in the polity. In a historic observation, a Bench of the apex court comprising Justice B.N. Kirpal, Justice M.B. Shah and Justice Ruma Pal has stated that it is imperative to confiscate a public servant's properties illegally acquired through corrupt practices for "controlling the cancerous growth of corruption". The honourable Judges observed : "It is difficult to comprehend the reason for not including a person who is convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in the definition of Section 2(2)(c) of the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976." A suitable amendment to the statute can certainly make a difference to the battle against corruption. The suggested amendment apart, it is necessary that the assets of those, charged with corrupt practices are instantly kept under watch so that they do not use their ill-gotten money for buying favourable "response" from the powers that be. The court has rightly emphasised: "We cannot turn our eyes to the fact that because of mad race for becoming rich and acquiring properties overnight or because of ostentatious or vulgar show of wealth by few or because of change of environment in society by adoption of materialistic approach, cancerous growth of corruption and illegal gains or profits has affected the moral standards of the people and all forms of governmental institutions." The task ahead is surely gigantic. But there is no reason why the Union Law Ministry cannot take a cue and make a suitable amendment to the statute making specific provisions for forfeiture of corrupt officers' property. This opinion was also aired by honourable Justice Jawaharlal Gupta in an article especially written for The Tribune (March 18, 2000). According to him, "The law should provide that on the charge of corruption being proved the entire property of the family shall belong to the state. The fear of losing all the family assets should discourage many a diehard. This should be in addition to the usual punishment of imprisonment and fine, which the law lays down." Indeed, the corrupt ought to be made to realise that he cannot get away with ill-gotten wealth. Public money must not be diverted toward private gain. Accountability of bureaucrats and public men has to be part of our democratic system. Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley ought to take the Supreme Court's suggestion seriously. We do hope that the Vajpayee Government is serious about curbing corruption in the polity. |
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No buyer for this idea It was the last attempt to cajole the states to undertake procurement and storage of foodgrains and expectedly it collapsed. States saw the ploy for it really was: a honourable exit for the Centre from the messy affair and a problem to them. They were not fooled by the high-sounding word of decentralisation nor were they moved by Prime Minister Vajpayee’s promise of financial assistance. Some Chief Ministers fiercely opposed the whole concept while others picked holes in the plan. Those from Punjab and Haryana were blunt in their rejection of the proposal and they matter a lot when it comes to procurement. They contribute 85-90 per cent of wheat and 45-50 per cent of rice to the central pool. All states wanted the minimum support price system to continue, while rightly pointing out that they do not have the resources or storage facilities. A centralised authority can alone locate surplus and reach it to a deficit one like Kerala. State procurement will break the financial backbone of Punjab which this year has set a record of 10 million tonnes of wheat procurement. The rice surplus state of Andhra Pradesh faced a major crisis this season. Mills would not lift paddy since the FCI had no money to pay for the levy rice. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had to use his clout to arrange for a Rs 1000 crore bail out. To avert a similar situation the Centre is increasing the ceiling on FCI borrowing. Decentralised procurement was one of the hair-brained ideas of the Food Ministry. It laid much store by persuading private traders and millers to enter the mandi in a big way and relieve the FCI of its burden. It was obvious that the plan will not take off since no sane person will buy and store a commodity that has no buyer. The scandal of mounting food stocks amidst extreme malnutrition, particularly in the four drought affected states, continues. The latest twist is that several states have declined to start food-for-work programmes, saying they do not have the money to pay for the support staff. Thus one way of getting rid of the FCI holdings, said to be 50 million tonnes, is closed. Another, exporting at half the economic cost, crumbled earlier when Iraq refused to accept 35,000 tonnes of poor quality wheat. This shocking turn has thrown the spotlight on the way the FCI handles foodgrains. Grains of varying qualities are piled at the same place without scientific grading. When an export order materialises, bids are invited from private dealers to undertake the dispatch. They spend days selecting the right type and get it checked by FCI officials. A mistake can occur at ant stage and it does at all stages. The system cannot be more antiquated than this. |
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Bad old Punjab Police It is evident from the manner in which the protesters on the Kharar-Morinda highway were manhandled on Monday that personnel of the Punjab Police derive some kind of a vicarious pleasure in the excessive use of force for dealing with any situation. The world over policing methods for crowd-control have acquired a humane face. Even the Delhi Police now rarely uses tear gas or lathis for dealing with restive protesters. A strong jet of water not only makes the crowd retreat, but also helps cool frayed tempers on either side of the law and order divide. In a democracy the only legitimate weapon available to ordinary people to express their resentment against perceived wrongs is to make a public display of their displeasure. That was exactly the purpose for which villagers had organised a dharna on the highway near Khanpur. They were angry at the indifference of the administration in dealing with those who had encroached upon their land. It is quite likely that the protest was not entirely peaceful. But pray, where was the need to use the kind of force policemen are shown using in the photographs taken by The Tribune cameraman? Punjabis are know as a virile race. And showing respect to women is acknowledged the world over as an essential ingredient of manliness. It will not do to hold the personnel present on the spot solely responsible for misbehaving with women protesters. The judiciary has time and again emphasised that women constables should be deployed in police stations in the event of a woman or a group of women being detained for interrogation. The same rule is expected to be followed in the case of women joining street protests. The top brass of the Punjab Police should be asked by the political leadership to explain the absence of women constables at Khanpur. As a necessary first step the police personnel shown misbehaving with women protesters should be sent to the lines while the senior officers should be hauled over the coals for failing in their duty to send a contingent of women personnel for dealing with the gender specific problem on the Kharar-Morinda highway. Keeping in mind the fact that the image of the Punjab Police is anything but good in the public eye the authorities concerned should also take such steps as may be necessary to make them match the image of the famous British Bobby in the matter of showing restraint in dealing with public protests. |
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The growing Sino-Pakistan nexus All Pakistan’s military rulers have invariably professed their commitment to improving relations with India, especially to gullible visitors from India. But their true sentiments about their neighbour are more accurately reflected in the views they voice to their own countrymen and to their western and Chinese interlocutors. The redoubtable General Yahya Khan constantly spoke of his determination to “crush India”. Likewise, there is much that General Musharrraf has said that it would be a folly to overlook. He did, after all, proclaim to the English Speaking Union in Karachi in April, 1998, that India is a hegemonic power and that low-intensity conflict with India would continue even if the Kashmir issue were resolved to Pakistan’s satisfaction. While General Musharraf’s indiscretions as the Chief of Army Staff may be overlooked by some, what one cannot but take note of are his pronouncements after his overthrow of the democratically elected government and his assumption of office as Head of Government, with the unique designation of Chief Executive. General Musharraf is the first Pakistani leader to justify support for the activities of Pakistani terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen on the grounds that their activities in Jammu and Kashmir are a “jehad” that every Muslim is bound to support. But the good General, who has all but openly announced his intention to use all possible means to become his country’s next President, really gave vent to his feelings just after the recent visit of Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji to his country. Speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad on November 15, he proclaimed to an audience that included Indian High Commissioner Vijay Nambiar: “Pakistan’s security interests lie in maintaining a regional balance….and in this it would desire an active Chinese role. This role will remain vital especially in the changing geo-strategic realities. The end of the cold war has led to a change in global equations, leading to the emergence of regional hegemons or countries with hegemonistic tendencies. South Asia is a victim of regional hegemonism. This creates regional imbalance, which in turn, threatens peace”. Musharraf had earlier rubbished the proposed American Missile Defence Programme with the words: “China and Pakistan share common views on all subjects. We are against any action that reinitiates a nuclear or missile race”. The Chinese delegation tried to downplay the military dimensions of the Sino-Pakistan nexus, and Prime Minister Zhu Rongji confined himself to generalities. It was, however, quite obvious even before the Chinese Prime Minister arrived, that the Pakistanis were driving themselves to a frenzy in the hope that the visit would lead to a firm commitment from the Chinese side to develop the Gwadar port on the Makran Coast in Baluchistan. The port is of strategic importance, not only because of it being more distant from India than the existing naval facilities at Karachi, but also because access to the facilities in Gwadar will provide the capabilities for control of access to the strategic Persian Gulf.. China suddenly appeared on the scene as a prospective financier for this project just before Musharraf overthrew Nawaz Sharif. While the Chinese sought to focus attention on the economic dimensions of the Gwadar project, Musharraf was far less circumspect. Just after his address at Islamabad on May 15, the editor of the Urdu daily “Ausaf”, Hamid Mir posed a question to Musharraf on the Indian navy and Admiral Sushil Kumar’s visit to Israel. Musharraf’s reply was characteristically blunt and aggressive. He told Mir that India was trying to acquire nuclear submarines and planning to give a tough time to the Pakistan Navy. Turning to naval Chief Naval Admiral Mirza who vigorously nodded in agreement, Musharraf said that by giving the contract for the construction of Gwadar to China, Pakistan would strengthen its trade with the Gulf and Central Asian countries. He then pointedly added that the main objective of letting the Chinese develop the Gwadar Port was that “as and when needed the Chinese navy would be in Gwadar to give a befitting reply to anyone”. Despite its protestations of innocence, the fact remains that China has consistently provided Pakistan with wide-ranging assistance to enable Pakistan to develop nuclear weapons and a wide variety of missiles, ranging from short range M-11s to medium range M-9s and intermediate range M-18s. It is significant that within two years of the path-breaking visit of Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s to China in December 1988, China supplied M-11 missiles to Pakistan. Likewise, the ink had barely dried on the agreements signed during Mr Narasimha Rao’s visit to China, when the Chinese moved ahead with the supply of M-9 missiles and ring magnets for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme. It is quite obvious that given its disputes and rivalries with several of its East and South East Asian neighbours and the aggressive postures it has adopted on its disputed maritime frontiers, China does not at present wish to see any tensions on its borders with India. But at the same time, its approach to our sub-continental neighbours and our friends in ASEAN indicates that it will spare no effort to contain India strategically. Its actions like continuing assistance for Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes are quite evidently a part of this policy. In a recent book on the U.S-China-Pakistan nexus during the 1971 Bangladesh crisis, Pakistani writer Syed Aijazuddin draws attention to the “disdain” that Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai had for India. Zhou described Nehru’s “Discovery of India” to Nixon by saying: “Yes, he (Nehru) was thinking of a great Indian Empire — Malaysia, Ceylon etc. It would probably also include our Tibet”. While much water has flowed in the Ganga, Sindhu and Yangtze rivers since Zhou’s comments, New Delhi would be well advised to get a better idea of Chinese thinking of internal political developments in India, even as it proceeds with its diplomacy to normalise relations with its northern neighbour. Even a man as well read and sophisticated as Zhou Enlai appeared to show little understanding of the strength of our democratic institutions or the resilience of unity based on diversity. Do China’s present-day rulers have a better understanding of the Indian polity? Oddly, China broke its golden rule of steering clear of commenting on Pakistan’s internal affairs for the first time, when Premier Zhu Rongji showered praise on Musharraf for promoting stability and economic development. This was distinctly odd, given the fact that even in the current financial year, economic growth in Pakistan is going to hover around 3 per cent, with the balance of payments crisis showing no signs of ending. Zhu’s comments on this score received a strong rebuttal from Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan of Pakistan’s Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy. It is quite obvious from Musharraf’s comments that apart from assistance to build the Gwadar Port, he expects further Chinese assistance for his country’s nuclear and missile programmes. Given the state of its cash-strapped economy, Pakistan may also seek some Saudi financial assistance for the Gwadar project. While China has provided Pakistan with some obsolete aircraft for its air force, it is quite obvious that without western or Russian assistance China’s capabilities in this field are at present limited and cannot be much of a source of concern to us. But, given Musharraf’s reference to “imbalance” in the sub-continent, one cannot but speculate whether he would not like Chinese assistance for the unsafeguarded Khushab Plutonium reactor to be followed up with the provision of facilities to enable Pakistan to obtain more potent and powerful nuclear devices. Further, it is now evident that in coming years, China’s demand for energy resources is going to lead to its increasing dependence on energy sources in the Persian Gulf. A Chinese naval presence in Pakistan at the very entrance to the Persian Gulf as advocated by Musharraf is something that cannot be ignored either by Washington, Teheran or the member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. These are issues that New Delhi should ponder over and discuss candidly with its friends across the globe and in the course of its wide-ranging dialogue with
China. The writer is a former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan. |
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Shrouded open
secrets The armed forces have a mystique of their own. Colourful uniforms, amazing weaponry, interesting games like squash and polo, and fascinating club-life, all contribute to it. In addition to all this, there is yet another aspect to this mystique. It is the “Open Secrets”. To start with, let me share a few of the common ones that appear in the press with regular irregularity.
There is something interesting and eye-catching in all such news-items. Definitely not about the news per se, but almost always about the place where the event takes place. The secrecy attached to it even after the event is over, is what grips the attention. The exact location where the event is held in fact is never a secret. The troops as well as the local population knows about it. The press is aware of it. Even the enemy would know about it. Yet the name of the game is to keep it a secret. In this case from the literate readers. In other cases, well, it depends. My baptism into this game of open secrets took place more than 25 years back. I was newly married and was posted to a fighter squadron based at a forward air-field in the Northern sector at Halwara near Ludhiana. One fine winter afternoon, as I came home for lunch, my wife asked: “Are you also going for the exercise?” “Which exercise?” was my natural counter-question. What followed next was the seeding of first clouds of suspicion and mistrust between two educated individuals, who, just three months back, had tied the nuptial knot and had vowed to share everything, hiding nothing from each other. My answer irked her and she thought that being a “fauji”, I was keeping my impending movement a secret. But the fact that I was really not aware of it, was not accepted as an honest confession. The only alternative was to have a quick lunch and go back to the squadron, assuring her that I would check it out and positively let her know if the squadron was indeed going for an exercise and if I too were to be a part of it. During the games in the evening, I tried to find out from my colleagues. None was aware of it. Thus, sweating but confident, I entered home and told her that her information was wrong and that no exercise was in the offing. But no, she would have none of it and stuck to her position, maintaining that I was not confiding in her. Not only that, she even cautioned me that I was starting my married life on a wrong note by not sharing all information with my life-partner. Still taking it to be a joke of some kind, I asked her laughingly: “Where from have you come to know about it? Has Chief of Air Staff given you a ring personally?”. Ignoring my light-hearted banter, her simple answer was: “No, the milkman told me.” Yes, it turned out to be true. The squadron was to go for an exercise a week later. Since the exercise was to be for 15 days, the wife of the commanding officer decided to go to her parents’ house. Thus she had told the milk-man and the newspaper boy not to deliver the goods during that period. And it was the same milk-man who had asked my wife innocuously if she too was going to her parents’ place when the sahib went for the exercise! Even today such exercises and movements remain a secret, “officially at least”, for quite some time. Most of the details, however, are known to most of the people since the channels of confirmation of these open secrets are numerous. During a recent Reunion of the squadron old boys, I tried to find out the reasons for such open secrecy. The responses were many and varied. To confuse the enemy, said the ex-boss. There have to be a few things kept secret, said another. “The commanding officer must have the privilege to spill the beans as and when he deemed fit” was what the majority thought. “The thrill to unveil the shroud from open secrets and keep the charm of the fauj alive, was what a loud voice said. What appeared to be the pick of the pack, judging from the cheers and jeers, however, was the comment: “To maintain the superiority of the mem sahib over the sahib”. |
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Of murder, parallel banking & police
inaction Chandigarh: In a sensational killing, Naresh Mahajan, a young bank officer, was found murdered in his car on October 22, 1998, at Amritsar. Despite 12 visible marks of injuries on his body and strangulation as the cause of death, not a single arrest has taken place till date, this in spite of the fact that the family has been suspecting the involvement of six persons in the gory murder. In the past two and a half years the manner in which the Amritsar police has handled the investigation, their sincerity appears questionable. As many as 10 investigating officers handling this case have been changed in this short period. Banarsi Dass, father of the deceased alleges, all this is taking place because the suspects are moneyed persons and have high connections in the police. From the sequence of events before and after the murder, the case appears to be that of a racket of existence of parallel banking on a large scale. Reportedly Naresh Mahajan had received a telephone call about an hour before he was murdered. His colleagues say that he left the office immediately and never returned. The police registered the murder case under IPC sections 302, 201, 148, 149, 34 and 120B. “The police never informed the family about the murder. He was killed around 1 pm but we came to know around 4 pm. through some people. Meanwhile Krishan Kumar Kuku, a Municipal Councillor, lodged the FIR with the police. Ironically, he gave a statement to the police that there were no visible marks of injury on the body. But the postmortem report has recorded 12 injuries on his body. It is clear all such people were involved in shielding the culprits”, reveals Banarsi Dass. According to Satish Mahajan, a brother of the deceased, “we suspect that three of my brother’s colleagues — Kanwaljit Singh, K.K. Bhan and Ravi Dhawan — and two prominent industrialists of the city — Onkar Nath Sharma, alias Master Omi and Inderjit Sharma also a Municipal Councilor — are involved in the murder. We have been pleading about their arrests and interrogation to unveil the mystery so that the killers could be identified but in vain. The police is openly shielding these culprits”. According to the family and even many bank employees speaking on the assurance of protecting their identity, “the three bank employees and Onkar Nath Sharma/Master Omi and Krishan Kumar Councilor all came to the bank early in the morning of October, 23, 1998 (a day after the murder). That they opened two unregistered lockers of the deceased and removed all the papers and contents. That they carried away the stuff out of the bank, before the arrival of the police. S.S. Brar, the then S.P. and the investigating officer, had called them on the phone ordering
them to bring back the entire stuff. However, till date the police has never provided any list of the items recovered from these five persons”. Of the 10 investigating officers, only one Jatinder Jain, (IPS) the then SP, had issued warrants of arrest against the five suspects. Two — Onkar Nath Sharma and Inderjit Sharma — had applied for anticipatory bail on November 26, 1999, but withdrew at the last minute “when we put up a renowned advocate to counter it”, says Satish Mahajan. Banarsi Dass Mahajan alleges that SP Jatinder Jain was promoted and transferred as SSP, Bathinda in the middle of proceedings of arrest of the five suspects. “ He was the only police officer who had taken firm action against them. But the money power succeeded in kicking him up and removing him from the scene. A prominent politician at the Centre from Amritsar was acting like a godfather to all the five. The police became hand in glove with him”. Mr Jatinder Jain, at present SSP, Bathinda, when contacted regarding this case, said,” My transfer and promotion has nothing to do with the case. However, my investigations had indicated that the murder was related to the parallel banking racket. There are documents and statements which clearly point out large scale parallel banking going on. Besides, it is quite clear that circumstantial evidence has been destroyed. It was on these findings we had got arrest warrants issued against the suspects. I am sure the police will be able to solve this mysterious murder”. Social activist and MLA Lakshmi Kanta Chawla personally escorted them to two Governors and two Chief Ministers of Punjab, besides building public opinion against the police-politician nexus in shielding the culprits. “But all her efforts and perseverance yielded no justice for us”, moans the father of the deceased. Mr Satya Pal Dang, veteran CPI leader, has also alleged that the nexus of police and politicians is trying to shield the culprits who are influential. All India Hindu Shiv Sena, President Surinder Billa has accused that the DGP of Punjab was not sincere about the investigations. They all said: “The case is being tossed from one officer to another and from the Amritsar police to the Crime Branch, Chandigarh. This itself indicates the non-seriousness of the police.” The revelations of this case had prompted President K.R. Narayanan to issue directions to the Ministry of Finance and Banking to investigate the scandal of parallel banking in Amritsar. Reportedly an enquiry has been ordered and secret investigations are on. Police sources say that Naresh Mahajan himself was part of the parallel banking racket. That the two unregistered lockers kept by him were being used by him for the purpose of running this business from his bank itself. They also allege that he was also involved in a 160-acre land scandal along with 26 rich people of Amritsar led by Onkar Nath Sharma, alias Master Omi. The family members of the late Naresh Mahajan have repeatedly written letters to the President, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister seeking the arrest of the killers. Mr L.K. Advani wrote a letter to the Director General of Police, Punjab, directing him to investigate the Mahajan murder on a priority basis. Disillusioned with the inaction of the police the Mahajan family eventually knocked at the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on December 1999. Justice V.M. Jain promptly ordered SP Headquarters Nageshwar Rai and a four-member team to give their findings by May 28, 2001. The family is awaiting the findings with a baited breath. |
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Allergies and slimming tips Research by Prof John Warner at Southampton University shows that it is unfamiliar or exotic foods that are the cause of allergies in an increasing number of children. This might well be because as, he puts it, “We evolved to tolerate a diet based on foods from our immediate area; we didn’t used to have foods imported from all over the world.” For example, Warner says, kiwi-fruit allergy is now “a significant problem” in this country. Apples and pears, meanwhile, that are common to Britain, are two of the least allergenic fruits. This doesn’t mean, though, that you should stop giving your child exotic fruits (most children can enjoy them without suffering any adverse reactions). What it does mean is that you shouldn’t encourage them to eat too much of any particular fruit because some allergies can be caused by the overconsumption of a certain food. Overexposure to a specific allergen may explain my melon allergy, for example, which started soon after I came back from holiday in Morocco, where I’d been keeping myself cool by eating two melons a day. Early telltale signs include an itchy mouth, swollen lips, a rash, a flushed face and a headache, and although allergic reactions can initially be mild, if you’re exposed to the allergen again, your body may respond with a violent anaphylactic episode. It’s therefore important to keep a note of what you or your child have eaten if either of you develops any unusual symptoms, and then to consult a doctor or dietician. One of the best ways to avoid food allergies is to have a varied diet and to enjoy fruits that are in season. I’d also encourage parents and schools to be aware of the possibility of food allergies among children and recommend that schools have life-saving Epipen injections to hand in case a child undergoes a severe reaction. Vegetarians A: One of the most common causes of weight gain among vegetarians is the overconsumption of nuts and cheese, which are rich in fat and therefore calories. Because they contain amino acids and you need to ensure that your protein intake is high, you shouldn’t cut them out of your diet altogether, however, but you should focus on eating more of the non-fatty proteins, such as beans, lentil, tofu, Quorn and wholegrain foods. Also, although it may sound daft to say so, make sure that you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables - being a vegetarian doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re eating healthily. In my practice, I’ve found that the food diaries of vegetarians can reveal the same deficiencies in fruits, vegetables, water and other healthy foods as those of meat eaters, especially if they are partial to vegetarian sausages, pies, pancakes and other naturally high-fat foods. Remember that vegetable fats are just as high in calories as animal saturated fats, so don’t go overboard with the olive oil.
By arrangement with The Observer |
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Polygamy going underground? The conviction for bigamy of polygamist Tom Green in Utah at the weekend could lead to a clampdown on the practice and to polygamists going underground, according to polygamists and their opponents. Tom Green (52), who has five wives and 25 children, was convicted on Saturday on four counts of bigamy and one count of failure to pay child support. He will be sentenced on June 27 and could face up to 25 years in prison and US dollars 25,000 in fines. There are an estimated 30,000 polygamists in Utah but the authorities have been reluctant to prosecute them since a botched raid on polygamist families nearly 50 years ago, when children were plucked from their mothers in Short Creek. Green was prosecuted after appearing on television with his wives. He believes the case was brought against him because the Winter Olympics are to take place in Salt Lake City in February and the state is embarrassed. ``There is a lot of pressure to send a message [to other polygamists] and lock me up so that they can shut me up during the Olympics,’’ said Green. Opponents of polygamy welcomed the verdict. The Guardian Almost half of children think they are too fat, but a quarter of them eat crisps or sweets for breakfast and few have any idea about healthy eating, a study reveals. The research shows that 48 per cent of girls aged nine to 16 and 38 per cent of boys are unhappy with their bodies and would change their weight. But 24 per cent of them admitted to eating crisps or sweets before they went to school, according to the study for the Doctor Patient Partnership
(DPP), a charity for health awareness. Three out of four children are also unaware that they should eat five portions of fruit or vegetables a day, the poll of 1,375 youngsters shows. By the age of 11, a third of children are overweight and a fifth of boys are classed as clinically obese, the British Medical Journal reported earlier this month. Among pre-school children, obesity levels have doubled in the past 10 years, with a quarter of two- and three-year-olds found to be overweight and nearly one in 10 classed as obese. In response to the findings, the DPP is launching a school-based “Move Your Butt” campaign today to tell children what they should eat, and an online game to help inform teenagers about healthy eating. Dr Simon
Fradd, the chairman of the DPP, said more effort should be made to ensure children had access to healthy foods and advice about exercise, sex and drugs, so that they could take control of their own health.
The Observer |
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SPIRITUAL NUGGETS The only way to have a friend is to be one. ***** Be true to your word, your work, and your friend. ***** Life has no blessing like a prudent friend. ***** It is chance that makes brothers but hearts that make friends. ***** The difficulty is not so great to die for a friend, as to find a friend worth dying for. ***** The firmest friendships have been formed in mutual adversity. As iron is most strongly united by the fiercest flames. ***** Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow. Do not walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and just be my friend. ***** God send me a friend that will tell me of my faults. — Promod Batra, Management Thoughts, 257, 258, 263, 264, 273, 279, 282, 292. ***** To give us birth, we need a mother; For second birth we need another; And friendship's brithers seem by far More dear than natural brothers are. ***** Six things are done by friends; To take and give again; To listen and to talk; To dine, entertain. ***** Whoever trusts a faithless friend And twice in him believes Lays hold on death as certainly As when a mule conceives. — The Panchatantra,
Book IV |
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