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July 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India   
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Unique honour for Kapil Way out of UTI mess Unfair
IMF, World Bank |
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A sordid tale of two elections
Lok Sabha Speaker’s media management
Punjab heading towards water crisis
Marriage fair in Romania Should singles be allowed
to have babies?
Author Chaim Potok dies at 73
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Unique honour for Kapil THE
magic mirror, that found Snow White to be the most beautiful damsel in the world, would have cracked had it been asked to pick the best Indian cricketer of the century. But the exercise that was undertaken by former players to help identify Wisden’s Indian Cricketer of the last century proved more productive. The experts had little difficulty in nominating Kapil Dev Nikhanj for the unique honour. However, the popular vote went in favour of Sachin Tendulkar. And if the fans of yesteryear could be resurrected, they would have voted differently. Those of the forties may have decided between C.K. Nayadu, Vijay Hazare, Vijay Merchant, Mushtaq Ali and Lala Amarnath. The fifties might have seen Polly Umrigar attracting more votes than his predecessors. Somewhere down the line Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy might have sought attention to their record opening wicket partnership of 400-plus runs. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi too might have thrown his hat in the ring as the youngest captain and one who made the team play positive cricket. The early seventies belonged to Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, G. Vishwanath and the spin quartet of Bishen Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrashekhar, E. Prasanna and Venkatraghavan. However, the decline of the spinners coincided with the emergence of a unique sporting talent from Haryana during the 1978 tour of Pakistan. He carried the burden of bowling India to improbable victories on his sturdy shoulders often single-handed. The reason why Kapil Dev’s status in Indian cricket’s hall of fame has to be a cut above the best the game has produced is not difficult to understand. India, at any given time, has never had problem producing world class batsmen. But its bowling has seldom been above pedestrian level. Individual bowlers before Kapil did not have the fitness and the hunger to survive in the game for long. What made him special was his all-round abilities as a bowler, a batsman and an outstanding fielder. And his amazing fitness. He never reported an injury during the 18-plus years he turned out for India. He missed only one Test, and that too for non-cricketing reasons. Winning the 1983 World Cup by beating the best team of that period under his leadership changed the profile of Indian cricket. He scored just one century in his one-day career, but it came at a time when the team needed it most, in the same tournament that saw India become cricket’s lords of the world. When his name was dragged in the match-fixing controversy his fans wept as much as the “Haryana Hurricane” did during an interview on the BBC. That made him lose his sense of cricket balance. He renounced the game for the pettiness of some disgruntled former players. Now that he has deservedly earned the title of the best Indian cricketer of the last century, Kapil Dev would hopefully once again begin to give to cricket what he is currently giving to the game of golf. Players of his calibre never retire. The game of cricket needs his services as much today as it did when he made his debut for India as a shy and lanky medium fast bowler in Pakistan in 1978. |
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Way out of UTI mess FOR too long the UTI (Unit Trust of India), once considered a safe haven for investment, has betrayed the trust of investors, drawn flak from various quarters for its malfunctioning and mismanagement of funds. Instead of restructuring it, the government has responded to every crisis the UTI created for itself with cash bailouts. Now the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), looking into the 2001 stock market scam, has suggested that the UTI should be restructured as a mutual fund under the SEBI guidelines and then privatised within a year. Earlier, the Malegam Committee had made a similar recommendation. There are two main reasons why the UTI cannot be allowed to carry on as a government entity. One, there is often a clash of interests between the UTI and the government financial institutions which created it by pooling in Rs 5 crore. Their representatives, being on the UTI board, are privy to vital decisions and take advantage of their position as the JPC has discovered. The State Bank of India, for instance, made redemptions of US-64 worth Rs 354 crore shortly before the 2001 crisis erupted, resulting in a freeze on the redemption of units. While small investors got trapped, the SBI pulled out its investments well in time because its nominee on the UTI board got wind of the impending storm. Another institution, the ICICI, also managed to salvage a tidy sum, but, unlike the SBI, it was not found to be in possession of any confidential information. The former UTI Chairman, Mr P.S. Subramanyam, while deposing before the JPC, blamed the SBI and the ICICI for triggering the crisis. The financial institutions sponsoring the UTI have their own mutual funds to run and the conflict of interests can cost the UTI dearly, as it did last year. The second reason for privatising the UTI is the non-transparent manner of its functioning as a government institution. Being all too autonomous, the UTI has not been under any obligation to make public information vital to investors in making investment decisions. The SEBI guidelines do not apply to it. The investors had total faith in this financial giant which handled a huge amount of money on behalf of the country’s investing community. Whenever it blundered, the government’s helping hand, which actually means hundreds of crores of public money, was extended to save it from sinking. The UTI’s assured returns schemes have been very popular. But markets are less than perfect, subject to national and international pulls and pressures, manipulated at times by vested interests. Guaranteeing assured returns in this volatile scenario is nothing but a display of naivety. Very aptly, the JPC has recommended a ban on all assured return schemes. In its interim report, the JPC has reached the conclusion that the UTI had kept the then Finance Minister in the dark about the impending crisis. Though the media did carry reports on developments in the UTI and Mr Yashwant Sinha was widely blamed for the financial bungling, the JPC has chosen to give him a clean chit. That is how the government and its institutions function. They can get away with anything. Privatisation of the UTI will ensure greater vigilance by SEBI and the investors. There will be, however, no risk-free investment guarantee, which is actually a myth. |
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Unfair IMF, World Bank INTERNATIONAL
institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank cannot boast of too many admirers in the Third World. Instead, they have a committed list of critics who, unfortunately, are in no position to bring about any change in their style of
functioning. But when even the UN finds fault with the policies of these powerful bodies, they must take heed and apply correctives. The annual Human Development Report of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has not minced words while castigating these and the WTO, which it says are dominated by a few rich countries and are out of touch with the world’s poor. Ironically, the very reason for the existence of these institutions is to alleviate the misery of the poorest of the poor. It is these people and countries that are losing out in the way global affairs are managed. No wonder, India occupies a lowly 124th position among 173 nations rated on the UN Human Development Index which seeks to measure the quality of life taking into account factors such as the per capita income, education, literacy, liberty and life expectancy. In a clinical manner, the 275-page report reveals that nearly half the voting power in the World Bank and the IMF rests in the hands of just seven countries - the USA, Japan, France, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Russia. This rich men’s club has systematically kept out the have-nots. Being a pragmatic report, it acknowledges that rich countries will always influence global decisions, but says that poorer countries should participate more, especially on issues that directly affect their people. The most alarming consequence of the rich-poor divide is the strong “anti-globalisation” backlash. Things have come to such a pass that more than 40 countries with 28 per cent of the world’s population are not on track to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. If this state of drift continues, it will take more than 130 years to rid the world of hunger. In 50 countries with almost 40 per cent of the world’s people, more than one-fifth of children under the age of five are underweight. Tomorrow’s children start with a handicap from which it will be very difficult to recover. A pivotal shortcoming is the refusal of developed countries to provide adequate financial assistance which can kickstart the performance of countries slipping behind. On an average, these countries are currently giving around 0.25 per cent of their gross national product in aid while the requirement is of double that amount. Another cause of slippage is that the global wave of democracy in the 1980s and 1990s has stalled, with many countries relapsing into authoritarianism or facing rising economic and social tensions. That is alarming because democracy or freedom of choice is neither a luxury nor a panacea for poor countries, but intrinsic to human development. |
A sordid tale of two elections ARGUABLY, the Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled for October, is this country’s most important ever, barring one. The sole exception is the historic post-Emergency poll in 1977 that overthrew the Indira Gandhi regime. The stakes in the election in the sensitive state that has been ravaged by Pakistan’s proxy war and internal alienation for more than a decade are phenomenally high. Indeed, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had shown a healthy understanding of the situation when, focusing on the problem’s internal dimension, he declared that the Kashmir elections would not only be free and fair but would also be seen to be so by whoever cared to watch them. Moreover, he wanted all efforts to be made to widen the popular participation in the poll by persuading those who have been habitually boycotting the previous elections to join in this time. This was an uphill task and needed the most resolute and concerted effort to accomplish it. Instead of any such endeavour, there has been utter confusion, avoidable controversy sometimes bordering on conflict, and a sudden eruption of bitterness between Dr Farooq Abdullah and his crown prince, Omar, on the one hand and the Union Government on the other. Things have surely come to a very sorry pass when the Kashmir Chief Minister uses language such as “we are not New Delhi’s slaves” or “ I am the son of a lion and will fight them (New Delhi) hard”. Such remarks are unbecoming even of a man whose mercurial temper is well known. The irony is that Dr Abdullah’s National Conference, of which his son is now the head, remains a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ruling at the Centre, and Mr Omar Abdullah continues to be Minister of State for External Affairs in the Vajpayee government. The Centre’s share of responsibility for the casually created confusion in a state where clarity of policy and unity of action are of paramount importance is no less than that of the Abdullahs, father and son. The least of New Delhi’s lapses is the deployment of too many negotiators and intermediaries to talk to the Kashmiris which is worse than assigning too many cooks to prepare the broth. Mr K.C. Pant’s mission to talk to alienated groups at long last inclined to give the gun a goby proved to be a classic example of a non-starter. Mr A.S. Dulat, a former chief of RAW, the external intelligence agency, and now the Prime Minister’s adviser on Kashmir affairs, has been busy in behind-the-scene confabulations with various elements in the Hurriyat with
hardly anything to show for his exertions. The maverick, Mr Ram Jethmalani, has also been doing his bit, largely on his own but also with official encouragement from some quarters. On top of this has come the much-hyped appointment of the highly articulate and skilled Mr Arun Jaitley (he has regained the Cabinet status within a fortnight of losing it) as the interlocutor with the Abdullahs on their demand for autonomy. But what can even a man of his ability do when the very word “autonomy” has aroused the ire of the RSS top brass that read out the Riot Act to the redoubtable Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani on this score? He has since declared that the talks would be on “devolution of powers”, not on autonomy. This has added to Dr Farooq Abdullah’s combativeness, already at a high pitch ever since he lost out on the deal to become the country’s Vice-President that he thought he had clinched with Mr Vajpayee’s government. It must also be pointed out that, instead of coming to grips with the harsh realities of Kashmir, internal and external, decision-makers in Delhi and the various actors in Srinagar have been wasting their time and energy on deciding who should be the state’s Governor. For weeks on end the idea was to replace Mr G.C. (Garry) Saxena. The names of Mr Dulat, an old Kashmir hand, and Mr K.C. Pant as his possible successors circulated endlessly. Now with the crucial poll only three months away, the powers that be have made it known that Mr Saxena would stay “at least until the elections”. More remarkable than all this is Dr Abdullah’s volte-face. Evidently, he is repaying the Central Government in its own coin. Because it reneged on the deal to make him Vice-President, he has gone back on the understanding that he would leave it to his son to lead the National Conference in the coming polls. He is now insisting that he would stay as Chief Minister and contest the election to the Assembly. This is not just a tantrum caused by hurt pride but a gameplan with consequences that could be grim. In recent days the Farooq Abdullah ministry has been doing everything possible to defeat the Centre’s plan to widen the electorate’s participation in the poll. Mr Yaseen Malik, one of the Hurriyat leaders, was arrested under a different law, again moments after he was released on bail by a POTA special court. When a small group of Hurriyat leaders tried to take out a procession in protest, the state government used excessive force against it, presumably in the belief that the Hurriyat would boycott the election and that would suit the Abdullah family. That this would also erode the credibility of the election does not seem to bother anyone in authority. As if all this was not enough, the BJP-dominated government has decided to hold a snap election in Gujarat, something that the state’s Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, was hell-bent on doing in any case. Without beating about the bush let it be said bluntly that the indecent haste with which the Gujarat Assembly has been dissolved cannot but aggravate the unholy mess that already exists in Jammu and Kashmir. For the bitter, the truth is that the BJP is now going to deliver in Gujarat a message totally contrary to what is needed and perhaps would be projected in the long-suffering state of J and K. Such chicanery would be worse than self-defeating. As several newspapers have already stated, the BJP is trying to “cash the communal carnage cheque” in Gujarat. The electoral fight there cannot but be on religious lines, the cynical Mr Modi having assured the party that there had been a “consolidation of the Hindu vote” that should be exploited at once. This clearly contradicts the Prime Minister’s sage remark that “no one should count votes over dead bodies”, but evidently few in his own camp are listening to him. Thanks to the dichotomy at the top of the saffron pyramid, the hard-Hindutva school of thought has prevailed all the way, be it important appointments in the government and the party, the ill-timed election in Gujarat, or anything else. It is astonishing that even before an RSS veteran, sitting in Raj Bhavan at Gandhinagar, obliged his soul-mate, Mr Modi, by dissolving the Gujarat Assembly, the RSS had started the dangerous campaign for the “trifurcation” of Jammu and Kashmir. The idea is to separate the Hindu-majority area of Jammu from the valley and make it a separate state, and to carve out the Buddhist majority region of Ladakh and convert it into a Union Territory. The idea — borrowed from the 1953 report of a UN mediator, Sir Owen Dixon — is so destructive that even Mr Advani, usually a hardliner, was constrained to protest and declare that the government would not accept it. But the RSS has haughtily repeated this demand and announced that it would support any agitation launched for this purpose. Does it not occur to the worthies who preside over the Parivar now in power in Delhi that their move can comfort only Pakistan and those Kashmiris who argue that because of its overwhelming Muslim majority, the Kashmir valley should go to Pakistan or be given independence? There is yet another aspect of the Gujarat election — that looks like overshadowing the poll in Kashmir — that is perilously sinister. Any Governor with an elementary respect for the Constitution and propriety would have informally consulted the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr J. Lyngdoh, before summarily dissolving the Assembly. He didn’t. Instead, arrogant BJP leaders are peremptorily demanding of Mr Lyngdoh that he must yield to Mr Modi’s dictates. This, as such eminent and objective lawyers as Mr Fali Nariman have pointed out, is absurd and unacceptable. One of the guarantees of the elections in Kashmir being free and fair, mentioned to friendly foreigners interested in the issue, used to be that these would be conducted by the Chief Election Commissioner, not by the Chief Minister. What is the worth of such an assurance when the Vajpayee government itself is treating the CEC and his constitutional authority so shabbily? |
Lok Sabha Speaker’s media management It may be recalled that Mr Balayogi, who had found the going tough in his first term as Speaker, brought in an OSD later to maintain a proper liaison with the media, especially the so-called national Press and, of course, the regional Telugu-walas. With the OSD slot having fallen vacant with the death of Mr Balayogi in an air-crash in Andhra Pradesh, Mr Joshi had zeroed in on Mr Hejib. The amiable and ever-smiling Mr Hejib is slowly but surely getting into the groove. Mr Joshi also has an overactive additional private secretary who never tires in being in close touch with mediapersons, especially those from the Hindi Press, about the Speaker’s engagements. Clearly, the Speaker has laid great stress on being in the media glare not only from his home state of Maharashtra but also the Hindi heartland. Gubernatorial job
for Malkani Mr Malkani dominated the ideological battle-ground of the BJP and the erstwhile Jana Sangh and prevented it from shifting too far to the softer or liberal Hindutva from the hard Hindutva position coupled with the concept of a powerful “Akhand Bharat”. Having joined the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh in 1941, Mr Malkani graduated to become the RSS Pracharak. In his student days, he was also associated with the Congress and the Students Federation. By temperament, Mr Malkani always remained a teacher preaching discipline and carrying his conviction on his sleeves even when he pursued journalism for long years. He was the Editor of the RSS mouth-piece in English, Organiser, and edited the Jana Sangh’s official newspaper, Motherland, till it was closed in 1975 during the Emergency. He was arrested under MISA. Unifocal in his political approach, Mr Malkani never hesitated to express his views in almost a brutal fashion often causing serious embarrassment to his colleagues, the party and recently to the Vajpayee government. Elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1994, his remarks on Nepal and the “accession” theory last year sparked a major diplomatic row with Kathmandu, forcing the Indian government to distance itself from his views. Mr Malkani later apologised for his remarks. Looking
after rural electrification An IAS officer of the Haryana cadre and belonging to the 1968 batch, Mr Kumar studied physics and electronics at the University of Allahabad. He has held several important assignments at the Centre and the Government of Haryana. His last assignment was an Additional Secretary in the Department of Telecommunication and Secretary in the Telecom Commission — a stint which gave his wide-ranging experience on issues pertaining to the promotion of private investment. In 1973, he took over the responsibility of Director of Industries in Haryana and subsequently moved on to become the Managing Director of the Haryana Industrial Development Corporation and in 1993 was elevated as the Chairman of the Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation. It was during this period that he developed the expertise on planning and giving policy direction for the development of industrial parks. In recognition for his contribution towards the development of industrial parks, he was conferred the National Citizen’s Award in 1996. In his latest assignment as the CMD of REC, Mr Kumar will be responsible for promoting investment in transmission and distribution of power in rural areas. |
Punjab heading towards water crisis THERE are no two opinions about the fact that the traditional paddy-wheat rotation stood the test of time and the Punjab farmer did a yeoman’s service to the country by substantially contributing towards the central pool of foodgrains. To take maximum advantage from the minimum support price, the Punjab farmer spared no effort to bring more and more area under this cropping pattern and even the sandy/marginal lands earlier used for cultivation of oilseeds (groundnut), pulses, fodder and maize were abruptly shifted to paddy. This monoculture was allowed to sustain unhindered for a pretty long time exposing the natural resource potential of land, underground water, environment and ecology to heavy strain. The position acquired alarming dimensions in the central plain districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ropar where the dependence was largely on the exploitation of sub-surface water. In the lust for making more and more money from the assured market of wheat and paddy, the Punjab farmers turned a blind eye towards the Johl Committee report on diversification submitted during 1985-86 and did not care to shift even an inch of the area from the high return crop system towards water-saving commercial crops of oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables, maize and fodder. The situation in Punjab has now reached such a pass that the acquifers of underground water in the entire central zone of Punjab are on the verge of exhaustion and the centrifugal pumps are showing signs of becoming inoperational as the rains in the state are usually scanty & erratic while submersible pumps are not within the access of an ordinary farmer. This year, the problem has been aggravated by the delay in the arrival of the monsoon and reduction in the power generation due to lowering of the water level in the Ranjit Sagar Dam, Pong and Gobind Sagar reservoirs. Due to the precarious situation on the water/power front, the farmers who had just finished the task of paddy transplantation in their fields have now started ploughing their withered crop. The level of tubewell bores, which earlier used to be around 30-40 feet, is fast touching 60-80 feet, which is a matter of serious concern both for the state government and agricultural planners. In case the monsoon fails to break out over Punjab in the near future, it is apprehended that the people of Punjab are sure to face an acute scarcity of drinking water, leaving aside water for irrigation purposes and Punjab, the land of five rivers, is likely to turn into a desert. No doubt, we are too late now to prevail upon the insurmountable problem of depletion of the watertable, yet there is no question of losing heart and both the government and farmers must join hands to improve the position on the water front with determination and sincere efforts. It is the time for the Punjab farmer to bid a good-bye to its pet water guzzling/money spinning paddy crop and bring a lion’s share of his holding under the value-added cash crops of maize, fodder, oilseeds, pulses, fruits and vegetables, medicinal & aromatic plants, spices etc which are quite economical waterwise. Even if no incentives come from the state government for shifting area from wheat & paddy, the Punjab farmer must make it a point to drastically shrink the area under paddy to save Punjab from the likely hazards of drought/desert-like conditions, which are hovering over the heads of Punjabis. The state government must make sincere endeavour to immediately formulate an action plan backed by adequate funds for soil conservation and water harvesting/management works both in the submontane kandi zone and also down in the plains so that the state can be relieved of the menace of declining watertable through maximisation of recharging during the rainy season. Since the quantum of rainfall in the region basically depends upon the area under afforestation and vegetation/tree cover, which is on the very low side i.e.5.7 per cent. This needs to be extended to at least 10 per cent by undertaking plantation work as a campaign by involving people from all sections of society. To grapple with the complicated issue of replenishing the underground water reserves, an immediate integrated effort is the need of hour and this is not the time to miss the train, otherwise the people of Punjab would have to repent a lot and the posterity will not forgive us all. Moreover, the cultivation of major cereal crops of wheat and paddy is no longer sustainable on the commercial scale due to radical changes on the global scene as part of the WTO provisions, when both these crops are neither competitive qualitywise not costwise. At the most, the Punjab farmer can retain a part of the area under the basmati and durum wheat provided he is able to produce as per global norms at the competitive cost. |
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Marriage fair in Romania
IF you’re looking for a bride in Romania, the tip of the Gaina Mountain is the place to go. Romanians flock to the remote spot every year on the third Sunday of July to eat, drink, be merry and maybe meet someone interesting. Young women did not leave everything to chance. Before climbing up the mountain, they threw a wreath of flowers on the roof of the house to get a glimpse of whether marital bliss was in the future. If the wreath stuck, they were in luck and their husbands would be good. If it fell, a useless husband or even death awaited them. Romanian women were obliged by decree to have as many children as possible. Contraception and abortion were strictly illegal and the impoverished women who obtained them were often refused medical care and sent to jail.
Reuters |
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Should singles be allowed to have babies? EVER given a thought to the reproductive rights of single women, or those of gays and lesbians? Now you might. India is set to debate the modern day issue publicly, as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) attempts to come up with guidelines for legislation on assisted reproduction. Unlike developed countries like the USA, Japan, Britain and Germany, India is still to formulate legislation on the issue despite an increasing number of couples using the services of private fertility clinics. Six months ago India set up a 19-member committee under the ICMR to study the issue and draft legislation to monitor the functioning of fertility clinics and also address various related issues. But the question of why lesbians, gays and single women should not enjoy the same rights as others has divided the committee. As the issue has wider social implications, it has decided to seek public inputs. “It is an attempt to prepare grounds for proper guidelines on the social, ethical and legal aspects of assisted reproduction,” N.C. Saxena, head of the Reproductive Health and Nutrition Department of ICMR, told IANS. One of the oldest research bodies in the world, ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research. Now it is all set to seek public opinion on issues like the rights of gays and lesbians to avail of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) and surrogate motherhood.
IANS |
Author Chaim Potok dies at 73 AUTHOR Chaim Potok (73), whose Orthodox Jewish upbringing inspired “The Chosen” and other novels that became best-sellers among readers of many faiths, died on Tuesday at his home in suburban Merion, Pennsylvania. Potok, who counted James Joyce, Evelyn Waugh and Ernest Hemingway among the authors who most inspired him, recalled that teachers at his Jewish parochial school were displeased with his taking time away from studying the Talmud by reading literature. As a result, Potok’s novels often illustrate the conflict between the spiritual and secular worlds. “The Chosen,” published in 1967 and Potok’s first and best-known novel, follows the friendship between two Jewish boys from different religious backgrounds and was made into a film and an off-Broadway play. “I knew that I would be a writer, that I would write from within the tradition. And that meant that I had to know the tradition from inside out. And that I needed to know the tradition without being blinded by it,” Potok said in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002.
AP Prisoner looks for comfortable jail A prisoner in a Brazilian police holding cell escaped for four days while he claimed to be looking for a more “comfortable” jail. The 24-year-old Brazilian of German descent broke out on Friday from a police station in the provincial capital of
Florianopolis. He turned up yesterday at the door of a police station in
Biguacu. He told the authorities that he had been searching at his own expense for an improvement over the previous four-man cell, jammed with nine inmates, in which he had to sleep on a damp floor for 11 days after his arrest in connection with a 1997 murder. “I couldn’t stand the overcrowded cell any more,’’ he was quoted as saying.
DPA Indoor pollutants: threat to poor kids A new Cornell University study has revealed that people in the low-income households are more exposed to indoor pollutants than people in higher-income homes. Researchers also say that a child in such homes may be at significantly higher risk for lead poisoning, cancer, asthma attacks and allergies. The study, presented at the recent International Conference on Indoor Air and Climate held in Monterey, Calif, measured levels of indoor pollutants as radon, mold, lead and asbestos in 328houses and 75 child-care facilities in six New York state counties. The findings revealed people in low-income households are at the risk to indoor pollutants because lower-income residents live in poorer quality buildings more likely to have such problems as foundation cracks and dirt basements that allow pollutants to get into the homes. Carbon monoxide, chipping lead paint and asbestos are other potential hazards. However, it can be difficult for low-income home-owners to find the money to make needed repairs and that can lead to serious health problems, Laquatra says. “Lead poisoning in children leads to lowered intelligence and behavioural problems. Mold is a trigger for allergies and asthma, both of which lead to school and work absences, productivity losses and increased health costs,” Laquatra added.
ANI Dog swims 10 miles in sea A young black labrador paddled for 10 miles dodging ferries, oil tankers and yachts to reach land after falling overboard from his master’s boat off the southern English coast. Two-year-old Todd’s six-hour, 16-km marathon surprised canine experts and delighted his owner. “To swim that far is incredible, especially in the sea. I’m seriously impressed,’’ Freda Scott-Park of the British Small Animal Vetinerary Association told The Times.
Reuters |
Prayer is calling back home... It is the way we speak to God... Prayer is the broom that sweeps out our hearts so the home we offer to God is an immaculate and pure one. Prayer is a time when our mouths, our minds and our hearts are filled with the glory of God, when we simultaneously speak, think and feel our love for him... Prayer is the blanket that wraps itself around our souls and keeps us warm and cosy. Prayer is the water that quenches the thirst of a man in the desert... It is the sun that shines in the middle of winter, coaxing the flowers to open their petals. — From Drops of Nectar: Teachings of H.H. Swami Chidananda Saraswati
(Pujya Muniji)
*** I pray thee, Lord! Play the pilot to the cause of my life. I have suffered much in this world, please take me out of the vale of tears. I am a victim of the deeds of my past lives, Please confer thy merciful glance on me. With pain I witness the miserable state of the people of the world who are rushing heedlessly and rapidly into the Cycle of Rebirth. I have found a way out of it. By singing songs in praise of my Girdhar, I shall cross the Ocean of metempsychosis. So sings Mirabai. — A Bhajan of Mirabai
*** I seek no joy nor happiness. From Thee I seek Thee alone. So come, O my Lord. All my austerities and devotions and associating with the saints have only goal in view, it is meeting Thee and only Thee, O My God. — Jami, a Sufi poet
*** Sorrow and joy, loss and gain are governed by our past actions. The inexorable ways of destiny — the effects of actions are known only to God, who dispenses all rewards, both good and bad. — Sri Ramacharitamanasa, Ayodhya Kanda |
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TAKING
a cue from his predecessor — the late G.M.C. Balayogi — Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi has gathered a high-powered team to deal with media management. Just last week Mr Joshi appointed Mr R.M. Hejib, who had served with the Maharashtra Information Department in the national capital, his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) which is concomitant with the office of the Speaker.
Eighty-one-year-old K.R. Malkani, contemporary to top leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, including Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, is one of the last members of the old guard of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh who has found a place under the warmth of power. Mr Malkani, who like Mr Advani was born in Sindh and had migrated to India after the partition of the country, has been made the Lt-Governor of the Union Territory of Pondicherry.
Mr Dhanendra Kumar’s appointment as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) could not have come at a more appropriate time — particularly when the government has set an ambitious target of achieving 8 per cent growth during the next five years. A commensurate growth in the farm sector is critical if this target is to fructify, and reliable power supply in the rural hinterland will be the key driver of this growth.