Dharavi class IX girls raise $4,795 to start library

Mumbai: Hidden in a tiny bylane of Dharavi is a bright blue room, where over 20 children are reading everything from Disney comics to science fiction. The small room, with wooden shelves on both walls, is the Friends library.

The best part? It’s run by eight class IX students. The girls, from the Guru Nanak High School and Kamarajar Memorial High School in Dharavi, started the library in February.
The library has now over 350 books, which children can borrow at a refundable deposit of Rs20. “Children in the area never got a chance to read as there was no library in the area,” said Menaga Nadar, one of the founders.

The idea of a library struck them at the Avasara Leadership Fellows programme, an intensive after-school enrichment programme for adolescent girls from urban slums. It was here that they first read books beyond their texts.

However, turning the idea into a reality wasn’t an easy task. “We started off with a plan. Initially, we wanted to run it for around six months. We realised we would need Rs60,000,” said Sweety Pavithra, one of the eight founders.

Hope came from the Avarasa programme. “We approached a teacher from the US, who was at the programme, to host a Kickstarter page for us.”
Kickstarter is an online funding platform for creative projects, which allows people to present an idea to raise funds. Also, the project requires an American citizen to be part of the idea.

“The girls soon started creating content for raising funds and also made a video explaining their concept. In three days, the project received $4,795, almost five times the requirement. The next step was to find the perfect space.

“Joba’s (one of the girls from the group) parents offered us the first floor of their house for a rent of Rs4,000,” said Mansi Singh. The girls took over the place with a bucket of paint and brushes to add colour to their dream.

“It’s so great to see these girls work on their own. From planning, execution and problem solving, they have managed all by themselves,” said Roopa Purushothaman, founder of Avasara Leadership Institute.

With more funds at their disposal, the girls are now planning to train a younger batch to run the library as they move to class X.

Source::: DNA, 12-03-2014.

Free school mixes work and play for underprivileged tots

Mithila Phadke TNN 

    When four-yearold Sakshi joined school last year, she spent the first few months trying to bolt out of the classroom at the slightest opportunity. There were frequent tantrums, and sometimes, she bit and scratched the male teachers. It was a survival tactic the little girl had learnt from living on the streets near Regal Cinema. With her father often arriving home drunk at night, accompanied by unknown men, Sakshi had learnt to hit back at strangers, by observing her mother. 
    Little Kishore too grew up in an environment that rattled him. He fought, hit people and was agitated all the time. Neighbours called him “mad” and assumed he would never amount to anything. 
    Today, both Kishore and Sakshi are among the brightest students in their Masjid Bunder class. They are part of the 3-2-1 Education Foundation, founded in 2012. Currently operating out of a municipal school building with 10 teachers and 240 students, the initiative focuses on providing free, quality education at the kindergarten and grade 1 level to children from low-income communities. 
    The programme is the brainchild of Teach for India alumnus and educationist Gaurav Singh, a 29-year-old social entrepreneur who is also an Ashoka foundation fellow. “In this country, we do not believe in our children. The assumption is that because of their economic background, there is something inferior about them,” Singh says. “But science and common sense tell us that this is not true.” 
    While the number of out-ofschool children in India has reduced, the quality of education has some catching up to do, he adds. The Annual Status of Education Report 2013 shows that only 42.2% children in grade 5 could read a grade-2 text. The figure has dropped 6.3 %from the previous year. 
    Building on the idea that the environment in which learning happens is crucial, 3-2-1 helps kids recognise the school as a safe space. Many live in slum settlements nearby, grow up in chaotic environments and are used to fighting for everything, says Singh. “Now when a new kid comes in and they want to hoard the books, one of the older students helps them understand,” he says, smiling. 
    This peer-regulation carries over to other activities. When a group reads, one child is put in charge. He or she ensures the rest concentrate and put away books tidily. When a queue has to be formed, the little ones nudge each other into place. Asking questions is encouraged. Children animatedly discuss why they might prefer apples over oranges, give star ratings to cartoon characters, and weigh in on their classmate’s opinions. “If someone is not getting a concept right, another kid willsay, let me help you with that,” says teacher Nikhat Aga. 
    The academic content, comprising language, mathematics and co-curriculars like science, art, physical exercise and yoga, follow. Children learn about shapes and numbers by playing with building blocks and Lego bricks, with concepts like sharing, settling differences peacefully and tidiness woven in. 
    The 3-2-1 team has decided to keep adding grades to the programme as the children grow. “So the current lot of first-graders will move on to second grade next year,” says Aga. “3-2-1 will grow with its students.” 
    The initial skepticism from families has been overcome. “I love hearing the children chatter in English while playing with their friends,” says Raja Arunduthiyar, who has two kids studying at 3-2-1. “Bahut mast lagta hai (It feels great).” 
    Mast was how the 3-2-1 team must have felt too, the day little Kishore left his gossipy neighbours speechless. One of the teachers was talking to his parents, during an at-home visit, and filling out some forms. “Kishore was peering at what she was writing, and reading it out loud,” recalls Singh. “The neighbours, who had earlier called him things like ‘mad’ gazed at him in awe. It was such a proud moment for him.”

BUILDING BLOCKS : At the 3-2-1 Education Foundation, peer regulation helps the children learn teamwork and independence.

Source::: The Times of India, 12-03-2014, p.04,   http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/03/12&PageLabel=4&EntityId=Ar00400&ViewMode=HTML

75% Indian aspirants got temp jobs in 2012: Study

Sovon Manna TNN 

Kolkata: Only 12% job seekers in India got a permanent recruitment in 2012 while as many as 75% of aspirants were placed in temporary agency jobs and the rest found other services as their livelihood, says a study carried out by Staffing Industry Analysts, the global adviser on contingent work. The exclusive study pegs the Indian staffing market at around Rs 26,650 crore. 
    According to the study, the Indian labour market is unique as approximately 90% of Indians work in the unorganixed or ‘informal’ sector and only 10% work in the organized or ‘formal’ sector. Of those working in the organized sector, a large proportion (68%) are employed in the public sector. The unorganized or ‘informal’ sector jobs include home-based work, selfemployment, employment in household enterprises, small units, on land as agricultural workers, labour on construction sites and a myriad of other forms of casual or temporary employment. The recruitment and revenue figures have been calculated in the study for the calendar year 2012 because Indian companies will release financial figures after the fiscal ends in March 2014. 
    Replying to an e-mailed query, Adam Pode, director (international research) at California-based Staffing Industry Analysts, told TOI, “There is nothing ominous in the temporary job market having the lion’s share of the staffing industry. This is similar to all the largest staffing markets in the world and shows the sophistication of the Indian market. Employers understand the importance of temporary workers to aid them through the peaks and trough of the economy.” 
    According to the study, Bangalore-based Adecco topped the list of HR solutions firms in India with Rs 1,460 crore in revenue and a 5.5% market share pipping India-headquartered Team-Lease, which is also based in Bangalore. According to the study, the top-three firms account for approximately 15% of the total market and the top-ten firms 26% with the remaining 75% or 20,000 staffing companies — mostly niche or boutique firms employ the rest.

Source :::: The Times of India, 04-03-2014, p.19,  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/03/04&PageLabel=19&EntityId=Ar01905&ViewMode=HTML

Consulting loses to e-comm at B-schools

Every Fourth MBA Grad Wants To Work In Online Industry | FMCG Stays Top Choice

Samidha Sharma & Hemali Chhapia-Shah TNN 

Mumbai: In a stamp of approval for the fast-growing startup ecosystem in the country, one-fourth of MBA students from across India’s toptier business schools, including the IIMs, said they would prefer working for the fledgling e-commerce sector, pipping traditional favourites like consulting and financial services jobs. The sector which has been flush with funds, on the back of growing adoption of online shopping, is now the second most preferred job avenue for B-school grads after the FMCG industry. 
    Continuing with its rapid acceptance among management graduates, e-commerce has dethroned management consultancy from the second spot for the first time this year even as sectors such as manufacturing, software and IT services fell out of the top 10 league, said findings from a survey conducted by global market research firm Nielsen and shared exclusively with TOI. Investment banking, a much coveted sector for MBA grads in the pre-economic crisis days, is now at a lowly 10th spot, having lost its sheen internationally and in India among MBAs. I-banks with fat bonuses on offer were a big draw before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. 
    What is significant though is that despite economic uncertainty still looming large, the trend of young MBA grads looking to board the startup bandwagon has only gone up over the past couple of years in India. “One in five respondents indicated that they might consider a startup after gaining experience at their first job, and are open to the risk and challenge that come with working independently or on board an online/e-commerce set up. This is a trait seen largely in toppers from premier campuses, who aim to operate as young entrepreneurs in the near future,” said Surjya Roy, director, Nielsen India. 
    Nielsen India’s Campus recruiter Index, an annual survey mapping preferred career choices of 1,600 MBA students from the top 35 management institutions, ranked Hindustan Unilever on top of the list of recruiters followed by Procter & Gamble and Google. 
    V K Menon, director-career advancement services, Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, said the premium set of top companies in FMCG and consulting were hiring in large numbers and that had allowed them to maintain their top positions in the pecking order. However, the e-commerce startups from a few years back have now grown to become fairly sized companies and their capacity to hire has also grown over time. Manufacturing, on the other hand, Menon said, witnessed flat hiring owing to the continued sluggishness in the sector. 
    E-commerce companies made a total of 81 offers constituting about 28% of the overall technology offers at ISB, where leading the pack were Amazon, Flipkart, InMobi and Myntra-.com. The year witnessed a 50% increase in the number of startups participating in the placements process, Menon said. Many new startups like Silicon Valley venture capital fund Sequoia Capital-backed BankBazaar.com and Zomato came to ISB for the first time. At IIMCalcutta, the world’s largest online retailer Amazon made the highest number of offers on campus at 16 for leadership and operations roles. 
    “Two years back, students graduating from top B-schools like the IIMs would ask if there was job security in e-commerce. They wanted jobs in consulting and I-banks. But things have changed quite dramatically as these youngsters realize jobs in startups offer a larger canvas for them to make an impact,” said Kunal Bahl, co-founder, Snapdeal, which is backed by eBay and other top VC funds. Bahl, a Wharton graduate, said Snapdeal hired around 25 MBA graduates from different IIMs this year. 
    Sankarshan Basu, chairperson, career development services at IIM Bangalore, said consulting and finance occupied the top spots with close to half of the graduating batch joining them while FMCG, e-commerce and technology companies hired the remaining 50%. XLRI’s placement chairman Rajiv Mishra said FMCG had maintained its pole position at the Bschool this year.

Source :::: The Times of India, 04-03-2014, p.19,  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/03/04&PageLabel=19&EntityId=Ar01901&ViewMode=HTML

India has more bomb blasts each yr than Af, Syria

Is Among Three Most Dangerous Places Globally

Deeptiman Tiwary TNN 

New Delhi: You are more likely to die in a bomb blast in India than in Afghanistan. Strange as it may sound, government data shows that India is among the most dangerous places in the world as far as bomb blasts per year are concerned—next only to Iraq and Pakistan, with even war-torn Afghanistan and Syria doing better. 
    In fact, along with Pakistan and Iraq, India accounts for almost 75% of bomb blasts in the world. 
    Figures from the National Bomb Data Centre show that India witnessed 212 bomb blasts in 2013—more than double of what Afghanistan (with 108 blasts) suffered. Bangladesh and Syria, facing internal strife, have done better with 75 and 36. 
    While the number of blasts in the country has decreased from 241 in 2012 to 212 in 2013, casualties have increased, with 130 deaths and 466 injuries in 2013 as compared to 113 deaths and 419 injuries in 2012. 


DUBIOUS RECORD 
India, with Pakistan and Iraq, accounts for almost 75% of bomb blasts globally India saw 212 bomb blasts in 2013, Afghanistan 108, Syria 36 Blasts down (from 241 in 2012 to 212 in ’13), but casualties up (130 from 113) From 2004-13, an average of 298 IED blasts killed 1,337 In India, public targeted in 58% strikes, globally 69% 
Source: National Bomb Data Centre 

Public targeted in 58% attacks in India 
New Delhi:Analyzing IED blasts in the country, a government document says between 2004 and 2013, “there have been an average of 298 blasts and 1,337 casualties in India”. This is higher than Afghanistan which, in the past five years, has witnessed a maximum of 209 such attacks in 2010. 
    However, India has done slightly better than the rest of the world in terms of the share of attacks targeted at the common public. While in the rest of the world, 69% of attacks are directed towards public, India registered 58% in this category with the rest being targeted at the security forces and government property. 
    But even these figures could change. While security forces managed to decrease attacks on them by almost 40% last years as compared to 2012, attacks on public remained almost the same. “This is due to improved drills and alertness of security forces. A similar alertness and training is not there with the people,” an officer of the security establishment said. 
    An analysis of the attacks in India shows that the northeast region (Assam and Manipur worst affected) and Maoist areas (Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand registering most blasts) have contributed to over 80% of IED attacks while J&K saw a 50% rise in bomb blasts last year as compared to 2012.


Source :::: The Times of India, 04-03-2014, p.14,    http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/03/04&PageLabel=14&EntityId=Ar00103&DataChunk=Ar01402&ViewMode=HTML

NUHM launched in state, will help 2cr slum dwellers

Malathy Iyer TNN 

Mumbai: The state government announced the launch of the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) on Sunday to focus on the healthcare needs of 2 crore slum dwellers living in 95 districts. The NUHM launch follows the flagging off of the dial 108 for a free ambulance scheme on March 1. 
    The state government announced on Sunday that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 162 crore for Maharashtra’s NUHM for the financial year ending March 2014. Of this, Rs 35 crore has been reserved for Mumbai alone. 
    “We got the approval from the union government on Saturday,’’ said state health minister Suresh Shetty, adding that recruitment of additional medical staff and ASHAs (accredited social health activists) will begin on Monday itself. 
    Public health specialist Dr Anant Phadke said the setting up of the NUHM was a welcome move. “The focus seems to be on the government spending on healthcare and not on roping in the private sector,’’ he said. Expert Ravi Duggal however, said, the timing of the launch suggested it was a poll-related sop. “It is no doubt a start, but the government shouldn’t forget about the mission a few months down the line,’’ he said. 
    NUHM is the urban equivalent of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which was launched in 2005. “Progress has been made under the NRHM in rural areas for strengthening the public healthcare system, but the urban poor still lack access to essential primary healthcare services. They often have to depend on the unorganized and, at times, unqualified private providers, leading to heavy out-of-pocket expenses. Realizing this gap in the public health system, the government of India launched the NUHM to supplement the NRHM,’’ said the union government’s announcement of the Maharashtra NUHM. 
    The state NUHM will work in 6,000-odd slums identified across 95 disctrict. Around 6,000 ASHAs will be needed to cover the 2 crore slum-dwellers identified in the state, said health officials. 
    State health minister Shetty said the civic corporation in Mumbai will now work more closely with the state public health department. “In Mumbai, we want to focus on further bringing down infant mortality and maternal mortality rates. As there is a provision under the NUHM to give free medicines to the poor, patients in the BMC- and state-run hospitals will benefit,’’ he added.


SOURCE :::: The Times of India, p.10,          http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/03/03&PageLabel=10&EntityId=Ar01001&ViewMode=HTML