New Delhi, November 19
Can global warming push India into ‘reverse’ and to go ‘up in smoke’? A report ‘Up in Smoke? Asia and the Pacific,’ released in Capital today, suggests that without immediate action, global warming will reverse decades of social and economic pogress across Asia, home to over 60 per cent of the world’s population. 

With a foreword by chairperson of the Nobel Prize-winning inter-governmental panel on climate change R.K. Pachauri, the report is published in wake of the evidence that majority of industrialised countries are reneging on targets for emissions reductions set to tackle climate change. 

As world leaders prepare for the UN talks to determine international response to climate change in Bali at the beginning of December, the report shows how the human drama of climate change will largely be played out in Asia, where almost two-thirds of the world’s population live.“While going through the foreword that I wrote for the 2004 volume, I found that concerns and priorities that I had touched on, have become stronger and uncertainties associated with what I had stated then have been reduced significantly.

The IPCC findings provide the evidence for the same,” Pachauri remarked.Nearly700 million people live in rural areas in India, who depend on climate sensitive sectors like — agriculture, forests, and fisheries for their livelihoods. Its ecosystems such as riversheds, mangroves, coastal zones, forests and grasslands are already over burdened by environmental pressures from commercialisation, excessive resource use and indiscriminate dumping of industrial and agricultural waste. 

The report highlights the devastating impact of climate change in India. It reads that 250 million people here live in absolute poverty and have little capacity to cope with the effects of climate change. 400 million people living in the Ganga Basin will be affected by water shortage in the near future.

The erratic monsoon and fast depletion of the Himalayan glaciers will affect many. Around 600 million Indians depend on agriculture, which, unlike the rest of the economy, has been crawling along at a growth rate of less than 2 per cent per annum. Production has been stagnant. The per capita availability of food is declining. Farmer suicides and hunger deaths are on the rise. 

The trend is expected to further accentuate due to climate change. Women, tribal communities and scheduled castes will bear the brunt of climate change. For example, women will spend more time in arranging for food, fuel and water for their families.In the Sundarbans, four islands have submerged, displacing about 6,000 families. These families have the misfortune of being India’s foremost climate refugees. There is a growing consensus about the current human and environmental challenges facing Asia, and what is needed to tackle them.

Alongside the new evidence of the devastating impact that climate change is already having on communities across Asia, the report shows the positive measures that are being taken, by governments, civil society and local people, to reduce the causes of climate change and overcome its effects.It shows the examples of emissions reduction, alternative water and energy supply systems; preservation of strategic ecosystems and protected areas; increasing capacity, awareness and skills for risk and disaster management; and the employment of effective regulatory and policy instruments. 

The group says that the challenge is clear and many of the solutions are known. “The point is to take immediate decisions on appropriate policy and fiscal measures for dealing with the future impacts of climate change; move towards sustainable, low carbon intensity energy pathways, while not compromising on development goals; planned adaptation measures in climate sensitive sectors, especially water and agriculture and disaster risk reduction and disaster preparedness in vulnerable areas.

New Delhi, November 19
A speeding Blueline bus mowed down a college girl in Bawana, northwest Delhi today, taking the toll to 105.

Pearl Gupta, a first year student of Aditi College in the Capital, was killed when the bus, plying on route no 106 between Bawana and New Delhi railway station ran over her outside the college at around 11.25 am.

The police said that Pearl, her classmate Parul and their friend were getting down from a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus at a stand near their college, when a mobike rider hit them. While the other two fell on the pavement, Pearl fell on the road and was run over by the Blueline.

All three were taken to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared Pearl brought dead. Parul and her unidentified friend were recuperating from minor injuries.

After the accident, about 500 infuriated students smashed the windows of the bus. They also blocked the traffic for at least one hour. However, the driver managed to flee.

Pearl was this year’s 105th victim of the Capital’s privately operated Blueline buses that have earned notoriety for being driven rashly.

“How many people does the government want to be killed under the wheels of these killer buses?” asked the victim’s father S.K Gupta. “Please take them (Bluelines) off the roads immediately,” a teary-eyed Gupta pleaded with folded hands.

Deputy commissioner of police (Outer Delhi) Sagar Preet Hooda told IANS that police teams had been sent to nab the bus driver.

Over 4,000 Blueline buses, forming a crucial part of Delhi’s public transport system, have left more than 160 people injured this year so far even as authorities plan to phase them out and introduce a more professionally-run service.

In a separate incident, 12 passengers of a Haryana Roadways bus suffered serious injuries, after a truck collided with it in Mukundpur, North Delhi, early on Monday.

The police said that the accident occurred when a speeding truck hit the bus from behind — probably due to fog. The bus was carrying around 30 passengers. The truck driver is absconding.

Eight of the injured were admitted to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, while the other four were taken to the Trauma Centre. — IANS

New Delhi, November 19
An agreement between London and New Delhi was signed today to promote business, sports, tourism, education and culture.

The documents were signed by mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

After signing the agreement, Livingstone said that Delhi was one of the beautiful cities in the world and London could learn social tolerance from Delhi. The Delhi government has increased city’s green cover 15-fold in the last one decade. Delhi has earned a special recognition in the world.

He hoped that Delhi would organize Commonwealth Games 2010 in a fruitful manner.

The London mayor appreciated efforts made by Sheila Dikshit to implement government-citizen partnership into Bhagidari movement. She was amongst few leaders in the entire world, who had given their powers to the common man, he added.

Dikshit said that the Delhi government had done a lot for making the city green and beautiful. “We also stand up to the challenge of hosting the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. We are trying to make Delhi a city with modern, urban and civic infrastructure, usher economic prosperity for even the most marginalized sections of society and humane policies that ensure sustainable development, open and transparent governance and citizens satisfaction,” she said.

The Chief Minister said, “This agreement to strengthen the relations between our cities is based on a foundation of shared democratic values and beliefs, celebrating the contribution of communities, and in a spirit of international understanding to enhance the quality of life of the people in both the cities,” she said.

She said, “Recognizing that both the cities have

much to learn from each other, the special partnership between London and New Delhi is intended to promote, in particular, cooperation in

the areas like economic and business, sports and tourism, urban transport, in particular measures to encourage the use of public transport and other environmentally friendly modes of transport, environmental policy, education and cultural exchange.”

Dickie Stagg, UK High Commissioner to India; Peter Hendy, Commissioner, Transport for London; John Ross, Director Economic and Business Policy; Judith Woodward, Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Cultural Strategy; Delhi Chief Secretary Ramesh Narayanswami were present at the signing ceremony.

New Delhi, November 19
From taking up the cause for the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, to setting up of children’s panchayat in villages, the International Day for Prevention of Child Abuse was observed in various ways across the country today.

Rajiv K. Haldar, executive director of Prayas, an NGO that works on issues related to juvenile justice, said that they had submitted a set of recommendations for the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act to the Delhi High Court, which had received positive feedback.

The Act strives to benefit children in conflict with the law or those in need of care and protection.

“Presently, there is a juvenile justice board, which many think is not child-friendly. Because of slow trials, hundreds of children remain in juvenile homes, year after year. This is a kind of abuse — institutional abuse — because the child is not given a fair trial, his freedom is at stake, he doesn’t get a proper education. Therefore, we are demanding an additional juvenile justice board, so that there is speedy trial of those children in the juvenile homes and they are rehabilitated soon,” Haldar told IANS.

“We have been assured that the new juvenile justice board will be inaugurated by the end of December this year, since this concept has been given the nod both by the government and the High Court,” Haldar added.

Saying that the number of sensitisation programmes had been organised to spread awareness about child abuse in their centres and schools, Haldar cited the International Day for Prevention of Child Abuse as the perfect day to revisit their aims and work towards it with a renewed energy.

“We are working with the police, the judiciary, teachers and religious leaders in different states towards sensitisation against child abuse. A day like this is just a reminder of our objectives and aims,” Haldar said.

Kailash Satyarthi of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), an organisation that fights child labour and abuse, said that the day provided an opportunity to make people aware of the menace of child abuse.

“Our aim is to build a child-friendly society and our activities on the day in different states of the country are in the same vein. We are talking to various panchayats to organise a panchayat for children, where the kids get a chance to share their problems, ideas and thoughts. The main panchayat of the village can then synchronise its activities with the children’s panchayat and help the kids in whichever way it can,” Satyarthi told IANS.

He said that the members of the BBA working in various states were advocating against child labour in villages and encouraging education.

“Generally, what happens on such days is that politicians and other dignitaries give lectures, but the real message meant for the masses never trickles down to the actual target. With these activities, we hope to bridge the gap,” he said.

According to a national study on child abuse conducted by the ministry of women and child development along with the UN International Fund for Children (UNICEF) and NGOs Prayas and Save the Children (UK), whose report was released this year, child abuse is rampant in India.

The report states that more than 4,00,000 children in India are reported to be the victims of commercial sexual exploitation. — IANS

New Delhi, November 19
The magic that they weave through their paintings overpowers all their handicaps. Fine and delicate, the miniature Kangra paintings by a group of hearing impaired youth exhibited in the Capital on Sunday were a treat for the onlookers.

Aimed at encouraging young artists and reinstating their confidence that their handicap cannot prevent them from achieving their dreams, the exhibition was organised by Canadian high commissioner David Malone at the Canada House here.

“I ran into one of these painters in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, about nine months back. I am an art collector and have travelled around the world. But, there was something about these paintings that simply touched me. After I returned, I realised that I wanted to collect these paintings. Since then, I have collected 18 of these miniature Kangra paintings. People abroad have greatly appreciated these paintings and that’s why I decided to organise an exhibition in Delhi so that people here can see them as well,” Malone told IANS.

Dressed in their traditional attire, the painters sat in corners of the building, immersed in working on their paintings.

In all, eight painters, three girls and five boys, in the age group of 22-26 participated in the two-hour event.

Mukesh said it takes him five days to complete one painting.

Gopal, the interpreter who stood by and communicated with him in the sign language, said that painters like Mukesh were trained for a year at the Kangra Art Gallery in Himachal Pradesh, facilitated by the Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD) before going on to paint professionally.

Holding their paint brushes carefully and confidently, the painters concentrated hard, as they delicately drew the outline of princes and princesses, animals and trees and landscapes, and filled them with bright colours.

Rita Gharekhan, a porcelain artist who visited the exhibition, said that the one thing that sets Kangra paintings aside was the multi-framing technique that they use. “There is a lyrical quality in the paintings. They are soft, delicate and have finesse. And, then, there is multi-framing, a technique of painting a frame within another, which gives it the illusion of depth,” Gharekhan said.

Aisha Khan, another visitor, said, “The paintings are exquisite. Most of them portray prince and princesses with very pleasing faces. And, the finesse is amazing, even a bead of the jewellery is carefully drawn and coloured. But, the best thing is the confidence of the painters. So what if they can’t hear or speak? They have spoken volumes through their work.”

In all, 73 paintings - with the price tag starting at Rs 1,000 - were exhibited.—IANS 

New Delhi, November 19
Religious leaders representing different faiths, representatives of non-government organisations and Panchayati Raj institutions will gather here today for a conference on HIV/AIDS.

The meeting being organised by the Society for All-Round Development (SARD), an NGO in collaboration with the European Commission and Oxfam, an international humanitarian agency, will focus on ways to dispel the stigma that hounds people living with the virus and their families.

A module on HIV/AIDS awareness programme will be released for religious leaders. SARD chief executive officer Sudhir Bhatnagar told TNS that the special module would enable religious leaders to understand their role in spreading awareness about the issues related to HIV/AIDS. A special module has been prepared on the basis of a pilot project in Rajasthan’s remote Mewat region, which has a sizeable number of people living with the virus. 

New Delhi, November 19
HRD minister Arjun Singh launched IGNOU’s programme, ‘Convergence of Conventional Education and Distance Learning’ on the varsity’s foundation day.

The scheme makes it possible for students enrolled in colleges through the conventional system to simultaneously enroll for the same level degrees at IGNOU.

A student shall complete the first year of the course through the conventional system.

However, the second year can be pursued via distance mode. The credit transfer will be given due consideration through an MoU between IGNOU and the respective university.

Moreover, some new programmes leading to joint degrees between the two universities maybe jointly identified by IGNOU and any interested university. These universities can also offer under-graduate and post-graduate courses of IGNOU.

New Delhi, November 19
The body of Neetu Singh, 18, a sales girl was found inside the elevator of a super store in Greater Kailash yesterday.

The deceased had suffered many head injuries and was found lying in a pool of blood. She was taken to the AIIMS, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Meanwhile, the girl’s family has blamed the owner of the departmental store for her death. 

New Delhi, November 19
Crime branch claimed to have solved the murder case of a businessman with the arrest of one Mithlesh Pandey. Ashok Khanna was found murdered in September 2006 at his house on Hailey Road.

The deceased was living in his ancestral house alone with only one securityman. On the fateful day, Ashok’s body was discovered in his bedroom lying in a pool of blood. A blood-soaked garden axe was also recovered from the room.

The guard of the house had been missing since the day of the incident and the police on the lookout for the possible accused. However, the alleged accused evaded arrest till yesterday when he was nabbed at New Delhi Railway Station while planning to escape to Jharkhand.

According to the police, Mithlesh killed the deceased to get even with him. On the day of the incident, the deceased had arrived home late in the night and the alleged accused was sleeping due to which Ashok had to wait outside the

house for sometime. He then registered a compliant against the guard at his security agency.

Enraged Mithlesh decided to get even with the deceased and got back to the house. He entered inside Ashok’s room through a window and killed him with a garden axe. 

Noida, November 19
The Noida police have arrested three persons, including a realtor, for a bid to usurp a valuable house in posh Sector-26.

The daughter of the owner, who is victim of the fraud, has lodged a report against four persons. Police have already arrested three out of them and are trying to nab the remaining accused.

According to police, Krishna, the proprietor of the house No A-4, Sector-26, had been living in Jalandhar for the past six months. In Krishna’s absence, her house was left in the care of her daughter, Mrudila Kumari, a resident of house No. 469 in Sector-15-A Noida.

When Mrudila Kumari came to get the house cleaned up a few days ago, she was shocked to find the board of an advocate, V.P. Singh hanging on the house, who had, apparently broken the padlock on the house and put his own lock in its place. The address- A-6 Sector-40 of the new owner was written on the house A-4 Sector 26.

A guard at the house told Mrudila that the house had been bought by Sanjay Tyagi and Shiv Mohan Yadav of Shiva Properties from one Vikram Solanki. After learning this, Mrudila Kumari dashed to Sector-20 police station and filed a report against V.P. Singh, Sanjay Tyagi, Shiv Mohan Yadav, and others for having committed the trespass and occupied their house, illegally.