New Delhi, January 24
The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) of Delhi has cleared two proposals amounting to Rs 117 crore. The proposals relate to department of health and family welfare and transport department.

While briefing media after the meeting, Walia stated that a new hospital at Kokiwala Bagh near Ashok Vihar would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 92.64 crore within 30 months. The hospital when becomes functional would provide healthcare facilities to lakhs of needy persons putting up in slums around Ashok Vihar and GT Road.

This full-fledged hospital would have a well-equipped modern OPD Block, Ward Block, ICU and CCU blocks, casualty block, maternity centre, blood bank, laboratory, library and service block.

Walia expressed confidence that new hospital would be able to provide reliable 24-hour healthcare facilities to the people nearby their place of residents. The residents of these localities are forced to rush to Hindu Rao Hospital, which is far away.

Walia further stated that three new DTC depots would be constructed in rural areas at an estimated cost of Rs 24.22 crore. A depot at Narela would be constructed with Rs 7.56 crore on an area of 20241 square meter.

The minister stated that new depots would be able to improve city bus service in rural areas. It is imminent to construct new DTC depots as 500 low-floor buses are being purchased. This will require creation of additional garaging capacity.

Further the government has decided that 60 per cent of the stage carriage buses in the city should be owned and operated by DTC. 

New Delhi, January 24
Delhi tops the EDI for primary level. Puducherry ranks second and Kerala makes it at the third position. For composite primary and upper primary level of education, Kerala ranks first followed by Puducherry, Delhi and Tamil Nadu.

This was revealed in a report titled ‘Flash statistics for elementary education in India: Progress towards Universal Elementary Education (UEE) 2006-07’. The report was released by human resource development minister Arjun Singh in an executive committee meeting of the National Mission for Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan (SSA) on Tuesday. Secretary, school education and literacy was also present.

In 2005-06, Kerala had ranked first in composite primary and upper primary levels of education. However, Delhi ranked second in 2005-06 has moved to the third position in 2006-07.

The document brought out by the National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA) is the second publication on the same subject. Muslim enrollment both at the primary and upper primary levels of education is also mentioned in the document.

The document would help in tracking the progress of several states towards the Universal Elementary Education (UEE) for primary and upper primary levels as well as for a composite look at the Elementary level of Education. The EDI will encourage states to improve their performance.

The government is focusing on districts with substantial population of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities. It is also focussing on educationally backward districts, where a large number of children don’t attend school, high gender gap and large infrastructure gap exist. The EDI is developed keeping in mind the four parameters of access, infrastructure, teacher and outcome-related indicators. The index takes into account 23 variables for calculating the EDI.

New Delhi,January 24
As a tribute to the nation on the eve of Republic Day,Kumar Gallery, one of Delhi’s oldest gallery founded in 1955, is putting up its annual show titled Celebration 2008; a group show of important paintings by 24 Indian artists.

On at Kumar Gallery in Sainik Farms from tomorrow,the show includes important works by M.F. Husain, F.N.Souza, K.S. Kulkarni, Ram Kumar, Krishen Khanna, G.R.Santosh, A., Bimal Das Gupta, Bireshwar Sen, Gopal Ghose, B. Prabha, Sohan Qadri, RamgopalVijaivargiya, Sakti Burman, A.P. Santhanaraj, Dhiraj

Choudhury, Jatin Das, Atin Basak, Taisitu, Arpana Caur, Paresh Maity, Ashok Bhowmick, Sangeeta Gupta and Seema Kohli.

According to Sunit Kumar, Director, Kumar Gallery:“This annual show brings forth an inimitable collection of works from the 1960’s to 2007. It is indeed a moment of great pride for us to bring to the city artworks that span more than four decades and present a panoramic overview of Indian contemporary art as it has evolved.”

The earlier works of the veterans presents a magnificent view of an art fraternity which consisted of wisdom-based compositions. Most of the artists of these times lived in an ideal world removed from the social or physical area of their lives.

The lucidity of the works can be found in the paintings which were “dressed up” for the occasion and were without any loose ends. These artists subordinated themselves to the understandings of ethos.

The process of change was, however, set in motion with the incorporation of East Asian techniques.Indian artists showcased the technique of both East and the West.

Therefore, while Ramgopal Vijaivargiya’s Meghdoot, Bireshwar Sen’s Bonsai and B. Prabha’s Mother and Child focused more on mythological and cultural themes, a new synthesis can be found in the paintings of H.A. Gade, K.S. Kulkarni, N.S. Bendre and M.F. Husain. These artists kept growing to evolve a style of their own.

Veterans like F.N. Souza, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee,S.H. Raza, and Laxman Pai were also trained in the West influenced by French art. But this did notcause any conflict in their minds, as it might have done to their predecessors.

In fact, they accepted the challenges of the western school of thought and established a clear-cut artistic identity. This marked the beginning of the modern era where the artist felt free from social and institutional norms.

The works of the abstractionists or colourists like Jatin Das and Bimal Das Gupta are much in line with the international trends but still distinguishable.

These artists have brought a new vision through experimentation in planes or colours.

There are still other works like Paresh Maity’s Eternity,Arpana Caur’s Compassion and Dhiraj Choudhury’s Sound of Rajasthan that have broken new grounds in terms of a fresh branching off from the international movements.

Similarly, M.F. Husain’s Family is also a ground breaker. Sakti Burman is also a successful ‘experimenter’. Here is a Paris-domiciled Indian painter who has explored his heritage and brought a refreshing angle to painting.

Similarly, despite superficial similarities with the work of some western artists, the late G.R. Santosh brings a not-to-be-denied, integrated vision. These painters stand out from the rest, when one is thinking of experimentation. Santosh, Raza, and Sohan Qadri (the so-called Tantrics) have attempted to break out of the beaten paths of configuration or bland abstraction by private escape routes.

Krishen Khanna’s Mahant Ram the Story Teller,Bandmaster Banarisdas, are reproductions of scenes that have imprinted themselves on his mind. Stillyounger artists, like Sangeeta Gupta, Ashok Bhowmick,Atin Basak, Seema Kohli have each in individual ways composed remarkable paintings.

Finally, Taisitu’s Grassland Sunrise, A Beautiful Dream adds much grace to the show.

New Delhi, January 24
A special cell team yesterday apprehended Shakti Paswan, involved in the kidnapping of a 15-year boy in Patna, from the Shastri Park area here. One countrymade pistol and three live cartridges have been recovered from him.

Shakti Paswan along with Atul and Shankar, both residents of Patna had kidnapped Arvind alias Akash in Patna on January 7. Arvind was a distant relative of Shakti Paswan. Shakti had demanded a ransom of Rs 10 lakh for the safe release of the boy.

A case was registered in this regard in Patna. It was learnt that the kidnapper is based in Delhi, as the ransom calls were being made from here. During investigation, it was found that the kidnapper lived in the Trans-Yamuna area.

Shakti revealed that a film that he had watched had inspired him to kidnap the boy. He roped in Atul and Shankar and decided to kidnap someone known to them. Subsequently, they zeroed on Arvind, a distant relative of Shakti Paswan. On January 7, they lured the boy, kidnapped him and locked him in a rented house, next to the house of Shankar in Parsa near Patna. They realised that after the boy was released he would identify them. Therefore, they killed the boy and dumped his body in the house. After this, they started making ransom calls to the family. Since Shakti Paswan was a distant relative of Arvind, he was aware of the action being taken by the Patna Police. Due the police’s pressure, he came to Delhi on January 19 and made ransom calls from here. He stayed in the house of his acquaintance in Ghonda in the Capital. 

New Delhi, January 24
They have never been to a law school or sported the lawyer’s black robes, but many women in certain villages are dispensing justice in tough cases like —rape, child marriage and even divorce - mostly in just two weeks at ‘Nari Adalats’.

A concept devised by women for women, these Nari Adalats, or women’s courts, are not constitutional bodies but are like a para-legal authority.

Like learned solicitors, the women running Nari Adalats record case profiles and history, the names of errant in-laws and husbands and the details of proceedings. Like the police, they conduct in-depth inquiry, talk to both the parties and like courts they summon both for a hearing.

“We started with the idea of solving minor problems of women like —husband-wife tiffs, but today cases like — rape, molestation, divorce and domestic violence are pouring in,” said Jasodha Vashava, a founding member of the Nari Adalat in Vadodara, Gujarat.

“In most cases, we solve them within two weeks. Initially, the men were not taking our rulings seriously, but things have changed. Now, everyone is listening to us and abiding by our rulings,” Vashava, 45, told IANS.

What started as a small gathering of rural women in Gujarat has gained credibility over the years. The first court was set up in 1995 at Vadodara. Currently, there are 60 such courts across nine states.

Shanti Gohil, another judge from Vadodara, said the State Legal Service Authority and the police department have been very supportive and have been helping them solve cases.

Recently, these women were in the national Capital to interact with their counterparts from other states.

“We have been accepted as a para-legal group. Sometimes district magistrates and public prosecutors come and sit with us to see the proceedings. We now have the backing of the state government and the legal system,” said P. Prasanthi, a woman associated with a Nari Adalat in Andhra Pradesh.

Kameshwari Jandyala, who is overseeing Nari Adalats across India, said these courts have solved over 23,000 cases so far.

“Approachable, willing to listen, fair and swift in their dealings, these women have developed a non-formal dispute resolution mechanism. This certainly speaks of their empowerment,” Jandyala said.

“These courts are helping rural women overcome problems encountered in the normal judicial system. Inaccessibility, cost, time, unfamiliarity with legal procedures, inadequate resources and a traditional disregard of the needs of women - all these are getting a suitable solution in Nari Adalats.”

These women hear the cases of poor for free but charge up to Rs 51 per case from families who can afford it.

Madhu Lakra, a member of the Nari Adalat in Ranchi, Jharkhand, said that stopping the marriage of a 12-year-old girl to an “aged” man who claimed to be a Maoist and putting a wealthy man behind bars after he raped a minor girl were her achievements in life.

“I have been hearing cases for the last two months and have solved at least 15 of them,” said Lakra, a postgraduate in Hindi from Ranchi University.

“Nowadays, people from neighbouring districts are also coming with their problems,” said Lakra, 40. “We are starting two more courts in Jharkhand soon.”

As part of their judgement delivery mechanism, the women put their ruling on a stamp paper and get it approved by a notary. However, the women said, if someone refuses to abide, they refer the case to a local court.

“So far, we have not faced much problem but there have been a few instances, when we referred cases to local courts and did not forget to give the rulings of the Nari Adalat written on a stamp paper,” said Sunita Kalra from Gujarat.

In Gujarat, the hearings are conducted every Monday but in other states, they take place twice a month.

“Depending on the need we sometimes sit more than once a week. Now, Muslim women have joined us too,” beamed Rita Patel of Rajkot.

Women’s right activist Akhila Shivadas said, “In speed, efficacy and cost implications the success record of the Nari Adalats is commendable.” — IANS

New Delhi, January 24
Katha, a city-based non-profit publishing house, recently released two children books — ‘The Famous Smile’ and ‘Kaleh and the Singsong Castle’ in the Capital. 

The books deal with issues like conservation of nature. Mike Pandey, a conservationist, was the chief guest. Storyteller Nupur Awasthi hosted the event.

While releasing the books, Mike Pandey said the books were an attempt to highlight the importance of reading for children, “especially in times, when television is soaking up the attention of kids.”

“Reading is very important. Computer programmes can come and go, but books remain forever. They help build up social responsibility,” Pandey added. However, he said that reading had no longer remained a priority with children. He said that parents should inculcate this habit among their children.”