CONSUMER AS KING - Courier company should return consignment if not delivered

Jehangir B Gai





Courier services are more popular in urban areas, but of ten lack the profes sionalism of the postal department.Case Study: Captain Vinit Bindal of Indian Army, was posted at Tinsukhia in Arunachal Pradesh. He wanted all his original academic and technical qualification certificates. His father, Deep Chand Gupta sent them through Trackon Couriers who charged Rs 43.
When the consignment was When the consignment was not delivered even after a week, Gupta inquired and also sent a written complaint, which yielded no response. Gupta inquired with the educational authorities about issuance of duplicate certificates. He was informed that duplicates could be issued at a charge of Rs1,500 per document, and would take time too. Gupta filed a complaint against Trackon Courier before the district forum, alleging negligence and deficiency in service.He sought a direction to the courier company to return the original documents which had been couriered. He also claimed damages of Rs 70,000.
Trackon contested the case, stating that the consignment could not be delivered as Bindal was located in the Armed Forces area where private couriers are not allowed. The courier claimed that at the time of accepting the booking of the consignment, Gupta had stated that his son would collect the consignment from Trackon's office at Itanagar within 30 days. Since Bindal had failed to collect it within the stipulated period, Trackon said that it had destroyed the consignment.
The Ambala district forum observed that the courier had failed to produce any evidence to show that the consignment had been booked on the condition that Vinit would have to collect it from their office. So it refused to accept Trackon's defence.The forum also observed that Trackon's reply made it evident that the company was fully aware that the consignment had to be delivered in a military area where courier entry was prohibited. The Forum held that the acceptance of the consignment for delivery in a non-serviceable location constituted an unfair trade practice. So it ordered the courier company to pay a lumpsum amount of Rs 65,000 towards expenses for obtaining duplicates of 13 documents and for causing harassment and tension. Additionally , litigation costs of Rs10,000 were also awarded. Compliance of the order was to be made within 30 days, else it would carry 12% interest for the period of delay.
Trackon challenged this or der in appeal. The Haryana State Commission observed that the courier ought to have returned the consignment to the sender as the delivery address was located in a nonservicable area.The state commission dismissed it.
The courier company challenged these orders through a revision petition. The National Commission questioned the co urier company why it had not responded to Gupta's complaints. The courier company was also questioned why the consignment was not returned to Gupta even though his address was available with the company .
So the National Commission, through its order of September 14 delivered by Rekha Gupta for the Bench along with Anup Thakur, held that the courier company had rightly been held liable for negligence, deficiency in service, and unfair trade practice. the order passed in Gupta's favour was upheld.
Conclusion:
A courier must appreciate that a consignment can contain something valuable, and must return it to the sender if it cannot be delivered.
(The author is a consumer activist and has won the Govt. of India's National Youth Award for Consumer Protection. His email is jehangir.gai.columnist@outlook.in)

Source::: Sep 19 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai). p.09.

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=CONSUMER-AS-KING-Courier-company-should-return-consignment-19092016007030

Certificates Lost? DeitY to save You from Hardships

CHENNAI: Digital depository for school and college certificates, announced in the Union Budget, would act as a one-stop shop for storing, retrieving and verifying all educational certificates whenever necessary. 

A top scientist with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) told Express that digital libraries would be set up on a pilot basis, which would be soon expanded into a national library. 

Experts believed that the digital depository launched as part of the Centre’s Digital India would eliminate the necessity for physically storing education certificates and be a solution to the increasing fake educational certificate scams across various states. 

“DeitY would be providing technical assistance to this initiative to be primarily taken by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD)”, the scientist working in the e-governance group of DeitY told Express. 

The scientist added, “At present we are planning to set up a digital library on a pilot basis, which we had earlier developed for research purpose and this would be expanded later.

The MHRD had begun collecting necessary data and at subsequent meetings with the officials they would decide the location for the pilot scheme. “This would save a lot of time, particularly when someone lost their certificates and tried to get a duplicate copy from the authorities”, said M Saravanan, an IT employee. Saravanan had lost all his original certificates on his way to Chennai to attend an interview and was made to run from pillar to post at the TN Directorate of Government Examinations Headquarters, Chennai.

Sources from the School Education department said that this might be linked with the Digital Locker facility introduced earlier to ensure safe online storage and easy access of documents anytime.  

“But, this portable locker linked the students’ certificates with their respective personal Aadhaar card identity numbers and despite special camps, several students were left out and yet to receive their cards,” sources added. 

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President to declare Kerala as first digital state today

President Pranab Mukherjee will declare Kerala as the first digital state of the country on Saturday, pinning another feather on the cap of the southern state that boasts of many firsts in the human development index.

With high e-literacy rate and mobile penetration (32 m connections) it will be the first fully digitised state. It is also the first to complete the national optic fiber network project which helps to provide high-speed internet in all gram panchayats and remote areas. Many key government offices will be paperless soon. More than 3000 offices in the state, including motor vehicles and land registration departments, have achieved this feat.

At a function to be held in Kozhikkode, the President will also launch a digital empowerment campaign aimed at bridging the digital divide by 2020. For this services of Student Police Cadets (SPCs) will be used.

As part of the campaign 40,000 student police cadets will train 10 lakh people in panchayats and remote areas of the state. Tablets will be provided to these cadets and a committee will monitor their training sessions on real-time basis. 

“As a pilot project in Thiruvananthapuram we trained student cadets from 10 schools and distributed 100 tablets to them. Results are really encouraging_ in three months these cadets made 10,000 people e literate,” said state IT Mission director Mohammed Safirulla.

Two projects started by the government in 2002 -‘Akshaya and IT@School’ - helped it to attain e literacy. Over 2.500 Akshaya service centres functioning in rural and urban areas have helped generate awareness in e-governance.

The President will unveil a cyber park in Kozhikkode.

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Over 40% of people living with HIV in India are women





In what could pose a significant challenge for India to meet its ambitious target of ending AIDS by 2030, women continue to account for more than 40% of people living with HIV infection in the country .The share of women is crucial because of risk of transmission from pregnant women, uneducated and unaware women as well as among vulnerable groups including sex workers.
The latest HIV estimates by the government shows a 66% decline in new HIV cases in last five years with India recording an average of 86,000 new infections in 2015.
The total number of people living with HIV is estimated at 21.17 lakh in 2015 compared with 22.26 lakh in 2007.While two-fifth of the total HIV infections are among women, children under 15 years of age accounted for 6.54% of the total cases.
According to Nochiketa Mohanty , country program me manager, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, while there are programmes to prevent parent-to-child transmission of the virus, there is greater need to focus on women.
“There is huge need to ramp up education and awarnessness about HIV infection among women besides upgrading the social status of women in order to empower her to make choices related to her sexual partner,“ Mohanty said.
Experts also say HIV tes ting is not much prevalent among women, especially in rural areas and even among the migrating population in both urban and rural settings. Data shows only 2030% of tests are conducted among women which is mostly by those who are pregnant or urban youth.
These indicators assume significance also because India is halfway through the implementation of the fourth phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-IV) and is at a critical juncture to achieve its goals for 2017 when the programme is scheduled to get over.
This would also mean complete withdrawal of international funding for AIDS control in India and the government will have fund its initiatives on its own.
Estimates show that undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had the highest estimated number of people living with HIV , followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.





Source| Times of India, 08.02.2016, p.15,
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Over-40-of-people-living-with-HIV-in-08022016013010

A Maha village can show the world how to beat Zika





Magic pits help several Nanded villages become mosquito-free

At a time when the world is reeling under an outbreak of the Zika virus, several villages in Nanded district of Maharashtra have successfully drowned out the mosquito buzz with underground soak pits that suck in waste water. The four-foot-deep pits dug behind every house in the villages are making the usually overflowing open drains redundant, thus depriving mosquitoes of their breeding grounds.The project has roots in a decade-long successful experiment in Tembhurni village in Himayat Nagar taluka. Adopting the Gandhian principle of shramdaan (voluntary contribution for a cause), sar panch Pralhad Patil carried out construction of soak pits behind every house to collect waste water. When they began, Patil recalls, government funds were hard to come by . So villagers pooled funds. They dug pits which are covered with a cement pipe that has four equidistant holes at the top. A layer of sand and fine gravel is spread under and around the pipe to allow waste water to percolate slowly into the ground. “Within a year of all houses getting the new soak pits, the village became free of mosquitoes,“ says Patil, who gave up a career in engineering in the 1980s to carry out sustainable development in his village. The step assumes significance against the backdrop of dengue, malaria and other mosquitoborne diseases plaguing Maharashtra.
The project had an unexpected additional benefit. The village, which was heavily dependent on tankers for water supply till 2002, became self-sufficient after half-a-dozen handpumps in different parts began spewing water. “Water flowing into the 200 soak pits gradually drains down into aquifers, thereby recharging groundwater. Our village hasn't faced water scarcity in recent years,“ Patil says.
Nanded zilla parishad chief executive officer Abhimanyu Kale stumbled upon the Tembhurni project in 2014 and decided to replicate it across the district.Funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) are being used to construct the pits, which the locals call magic pits. “We set up the pits using Rs 2,000 for each under the scheme,“ says Kale. The effect of the pits on mosquitoes was evident in Kamlaj village in Mudkhed taluka, where a TOI team stayed overnight. The all too familiar buzz was absent from 11pm till dawn on the terrace of a centrally-located house. The drains are dry and clean. As a result, stagnant water around houses, on streets, and choked drains has become a thing of the past. The zilla parishad plans to achieve similar results in over 1,300 villages of the district.
The pits have also affected the villagers' social lives. Draupada Wadvare, a homemaker in Dhanyachi wadi, a hamlet in Hadgaon taluka of Nanded, now limits her visits to her mother's place to a couple of days. Wadyavare's village is virtually mosquito-free, with all 133 houses equipped with the magic pits, but her mother's village hasn't implemented the plan. “I feel my children are safer at their own home,“ she says. Scientific studies in the area have also supported the project's claims. Nanded district health officer Balaji Shinde says the transmission rate of mosquito-borne and water-borne diseases has decreased by nearly 75%. “We have done several rounds of surveys through the villages, but have not been able to find mosquitobreeding sites,“ he says.
Though the campaign received tremendous public response, there remained several skeptics. Ganesh More, a farmer who owns nearly 15 acres of land near Sonkhed village in Loha taluka, ridiculed officials promoting the pits. All that changed when the dry well in his farm had water trickling in through natural channels a few weeks ago. “Our village does not have any trace of stagnant water in winter and summer. As a result, the rainwater percolates easily into the dry ground and fills the aquifers during monsoon,“ says Tembhurni sarpanch Patil.Nearly 50,000 soak pits in different villages of Nanded are now recharging groundwater in the area.
Word has spread about the magic pits and now, government teams from Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka and Odisha have begun camping in Nanded to see the model at work. The state rural development department too has endorsed the model and asked other districts to emulate it. At his official residence, Kale's enthusiasm to ensure a mosquito-free district is palpable. In one conversation, he addresses the malaria officer and says, “I want your post to become extinct. A progressing country like ours does not need such a department.“

Source| Times of India, 08.02.2016, p.12,

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=A-Maha-village-can-show-the-world-how-08022016010022

20% of Delhi's lung cancer patients are non-smokers: Docs





But `Smoking Still Causes Almost 80% Of Cases'

In what could be an alarming fallout of air pollution, top cancer doctors say they have noted a significant rise in lung cancer among non-smokers in recent years. Roughly one in every five persons diagnosed with the disease does not smoke, they said.“Till about a decade ago, less than 10% of all lung cancer patients were nonsmokers. This percentage has now gone up to around 20%, which is significantly high. Rising pollution levels may be playing a role,“ said Dr P K Julka, professor of oncology at AIIMS, on the eve of World Cancer Day .
Dr Vinod Raina, director of medical oncology at Fortis Memorial, affirmed the trend. “The link between lung cancer and air pollution is a conjecture but it is being seen in studies conducted worldwide. Further research is needed to prove the cause and effect relation between the two,“ he said.
Dr Randeep Guleria, professor and head of pulmonology division at AIIMS, recounted a case to underline the trend. “A few years ago, I diagnosed a young woman in her late 30s with lung cancer.She was a non-smoker.Throughout her treatment, she kept saying, `Why me?' Such cases are becoming more common now,“ he said.“The role of air pollution in metros such as Delhi as a risk factor cannot be ruled out,“ Guleria added. According to figures released by the Delhi Cancer Registry , lung cancer cases have shown the highest spurt among all cancers afflicting men, going up from 14 cases per 1,00,000 population in 2008 to 15.5 per 100,000 population in 2010.
Delhi Cancer Registry data shows lung cancer cases have been increasing among women too -from 4.2 cases per 1,00,000 population in 2008 to 4.6 in 2010. DCR, which compiles data from all big hospitals in Delhi, is yet to release data beyond 2010. While the data is based on cases in Delhi, doctors said it represents a wider trend because a significant number of cancer patients being treated in city hospitals are from outside.
In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO), classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic. It issued a statement saying there was sufficient evidence that exposure to outdoorair pollution causes lung cancer and increases risk of bladder cancer. Particulate Matter (PM), a major component of outdoor air pollution, was evaluated separately and also classified as carcinogenic by IARC the same year. “The predominant sources of outdoor air pollution are transportation, power generation, industrial and agricultural emissions, and residential heating and cooking,“ the IARC stated.
According to Dr Nitesh Rohtagi, a senior medical oncologist at Max hospital in Saket, persons suffering from cough for more than three weeks, or prolonged pain in chest or bone, should see a doctor immediately . “Smoking still causes nearly 80% of all lung cancers. Smokers should quit the habit to reduce the risk for themselves and their families since passive smoking can also cause the disease,“ he said.

SOURCE::: Feb 04 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), p.19
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=20-of-Delhis-lung-cancer-patients-are-non-04022016017037

Will eye cancer spread to liver? Only tests can tell





Ophthalmologists don't have to guess about the chances of cancer spreading in their patients anymore. With simple tests on the tumour, they will now be able to tell eye melanoma patients if their tumour will spread to the liver -a condition seen in 50% of such patients.On the eve of International Cancer Day , experts at Sankara Nethralaya said the new option lets doctors do a molecular screening of tumours that shows if uveal melanoma -cancer involving parts of eye -will develop into secondary malignant growths in the liver. Experts classify tumours into two groups.Class 1-that occurs in half the patients -is cured once the tumour is removed.In class 2, most patients die as the cancer re-emerges in the liver. “Until now, tests done in India could not predict if it would happen. Doctors had to guess the chances of recurrence by seeing the size of the tumour and the kind of cells ,“ said Dr S Krishnakumar, deputy director, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya.
“Data from studies of the test we did showed that we could almost accurately say which of our patients are in class 2 and in whom it will spread to the liver. The spread to the liver cannot be stopped or delayed, but we know there is hope,“ he said. This molecular test is offered only to people detected with melanoma. The results will either reassure them that they will be cured, or prepare them for the next stage of the cancer.

SOURCE::: Feb 04 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), p.19
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Will-eye-cancer-spread-to-liver-Only-tests-04022016017036

Just 2,000 oncologists for nearly 10m patients in India





Even as cancer is fast taking epidemic proportions in India, the country is facing a severe shortage of care-givers with merely 2,000 oncologists to look after around 10 million patients. Besides, there is also a dearth of surgical oncologists and radio-therapists, who play a crucial role in cancer treatment.A rapidly spreading disease with very little research, fewer doctors and unequipped hospitals along with spiralling cost of treatment, cancer is fast becoming a major health menace for India with the healthcare system in a shambles to tackle the burden.
As per WHO's latest assessment, cancer cases in India will multiply five times over the next decade (by 2025) with more women falling prey to it than men.Even after adjusting for population growth, the new cancer cases have risen by 30% per unit population, according to several assessments on the trends of the disease.
According to a Lancet report of 2014, slightly over 10 lakh new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in India.Increasing incidence of cancer is also leading to economic burden of treatment, which was 20 times the annual income of an average family , an assessment by AIIMS showed.
Though the government is trying to build infrastructu re to tackle the disease, the wide gap between the number of patients and specialists has hit the expansion plans of not just the government but also of private hospitals trying to create dedicated cancer facilities.
“One core reason why the infrastructure for manage ment of India's cancer burden is insufficient is the severe shortage of educated medical and other health personnel and of the training facilities needed to produce them,“ sa ys the Lancet article. It also points at factors such as the preferences of doctors and other experts for working in more affluent areas, and the effects of a largely unregula ted private sector resulting in a skewed geographical distribution of cancer treatment facilities. About 60% of specialist facilities are located in southern and western India, according to the study . However, more than 50% of the population lives in the central and eastern regions, distorting service provision.
Though the government has announced 20 new advanced cancer treatment centres like AIIMS spread across the country , health ministry officials admit that commissioning these hospitals in an efficient manner may not be an easy task given the dearth of specialists and sophisticated equipment.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

SOURCE::: Feb 04 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), p.19 
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Just-2000-oncologists-for-nearly-10m-patients-in-04022016017035

WORLD CANCER DAY - Breast cancer most common among Indian women today





25 Of Every 1L Have It, Pips Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer used to be the most common and biggest killer of Indi an women, claiming one life every seven minutes, according to data available in 2008. At that time, breast cancer -largely seen as an urban woman's bane -claimed one life every 10 minutes.Now, Globocan 2012, a soft ware prepared by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has used data from the Indian Census in 2011 to show that breast cancer has upstaged cervical cancer as the most common cancer among Indian women.
“The figures are still an estimate, but we do believe that breast cancer is the most common cancer among Indian women today ,“ said Dr Rajendra Badwe, a breast cancer surgeon who heads the Tata Memorial Centre in Parel.
In fact, Globocan 2012 shows that breast cancer affects 25 out of every 1,00,000 women in India; cervical cancer affects 22.
“There is a direct link between the incidence of cervical cancer and a lack of hygiene and sanitation. When countries develop and hygiene and sanitation improves, there is an automatic decrease in cervical cancer rates,'' said Indian Centre of Medical Research (ICMR) director Dr Soumya Swaminathan.
“And, for some reason that we have not yet fully understood, the incidence of breast cancer increases with development. India is clearly going through this phase that other developed countries have witnessed,'' added Swaminathan.
Dr Sachin Almel, medical oncologist from Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, pointed out that governmental agencies and the medical community had managed to create awareness about the need for women, both in rural and urban India, to undergo early pap smear tests to detect cervical cancer.
The number of women affected by breast cancer had been increasing in the last two decades. The Globocan data now suggests that the number of women affected by breast cancer as well as breast-cancer-related deaths have overtaken cervical cancer.
Data suggests that breast cancer is related to several lifestyle factors such as late marriages, delayed motherhood as well as increasing incidence of obesity . Sedentary lifestyle adds to the risk.
Dr Rajesh Dikshit, who heads the epidemiology department of Tata Memorial Centre, said despite the perception that breast cancer was rising among younger Indian women, it's still a disease mainly of older women who have reached menopause.
About one out of eight invasive breast cancer cases are found in women younger than 45, compared to about two out of three are found in women aged 55 or above.



SOURCE::: Feb 04 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), p.2 
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=WORLD-CANCER-DAY-Breast-cancer-most-common-among-04022016002003

Disabled man capable of getting job can't claim huge maintenance from estranged wife: HC





A man with a disability who does not take up a job despite being capable, is not entitled to a huge amount as maintenance from his estranged wife, the Bombay high court has ruled. Justice M S Sonak reduced the interim monthly maintenance granted to Pune resident Prakash Gijare, who is in a wheelchair, that is payable by his wife Seema, a theatre actor, to Rs 2,000.

“(Prakash) is in a position to take up suitable employment and the mere circumstance that he is not doing so, does not mean that the respondent is entitled to exorbitant maintenance from his wife,“ said the judge.

Prakash met with an accident in 2004 and has been in a wheelchair since then. His disability is certified at 51%, but the court noted that from the medical records, it can't be said that he is totally disabled from doing any work or that needs only bed rest. “He does appear to have exaggerated his position and such exaggeration might have nexus with the claim for maintenance which he has made against the wife,“ said the HC.

Seema's lawyer had brough evidence on record that he used to run computer classes from home. “Prakash is no doubt en titled to have his case evaluated with sensitivity , particularly considering his physical impa irment. But it must be noted that there is no need to encoura ge his conviction, that he is no at all obliged to make any efforts to earn any income and that it is the unconditional duty of his wife to go on providing with ma intenance,“ the HC said. Prakash and Seema got married in 2000, but started living separately from 2001. Seema sought divorce in 2002. After Prakash met with an accident in 2004, he filed a maintenance claim. In 2015, a family court, in an interim order, told Seema to pay maintenance ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for different periods. Seema moved the HC claiming that she was unemployed and had to leave a job after Prakash and his mother created aruckus at her workplace.

(Couple's names changed to protect identity)

SOURCE::: Feb 04 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), p.2 

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Disabled-man-capable-of-getting-job-cant-claim-04022016002020

`22% of Indian kids are obese, face health risks'





Childhood obesity is reaching alarming pr oportions with India reporting around 22% prevalence rate over the last five years in children and adolescents aged between 5-19 years.A new report by a commission formed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified “marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages“ as a major factor in the increase in numbers of children being overweight and obese, particularly in the developing world.
Raising concerns about the rise of adult diseases in youth, like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis, the report highlights the effect of obesity on a child's immediate health, educational attainment and quality of life.
“It is important to address the problem of obesity and overweight at school level itself because otherwise it can lead to disease burden which will continue into adulthood,“ says Dr Anoop Misra, chairman, Fortis CDOC hospital for diabetes and allied specialities.
Globally , the trend is high among children under five years of age with at least 41 million found to be obese or overweight in 2014. While the prevalence rateof obesity in this age group is still low in India at less than 5%, the WHO report suggests it is rising at the fastest pace among all developing countries. Between 1990 and 2014, the number of overweight children in low and middleincome countries has more than doubled from 7.5 million to 15.5 million. In 2014, almost half (48%) of all overweight and obese children under 5 years age lived in Asia and one-quarter (25%) in Africa.
According to the report, in poorer countries, children of wealthier families are more likely to be obese, especially in cultures where “an overweight child is often considered to be healthy .“
However, in wealthier countries, poorer children are more likely to be obese partly because of the affordability of fatty fast food and high sugary snacks.
According to Dr Misra, in India there is also a wide divide between children in urban and rural areas.

Source::: Jan 28 2016 : The Times of India, p.19,
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=22-of-Indian-kids-are-obese-face-health-28012016017022

Literacy rate up, but so is illiteracy





Population Rising But Enrollment Not Keeping Pace

The overall literacy rate in the country may have gone up to 74.4%, but the drop in the illiteracy rate has not matched the increase in population. Between 2001 and 2011, the population above the age of 7 grew by 18.65 crore but the decrease in the number of illiterates is just 3.11 crore.

A 2015 Unesco report said that in terms of absolute numbers, India -with 28.7 crore illiterates -was the country with the largest number of adults without basic literacy skills in 2010-11 compared to 2000-01 when it had 30.4 crore illiterates.
The fact that illiteracy is not being tackled is evident from the enrolment rates in primary and upper primary schools. Over 12 years (2000-01 to 2013-14), the number of children who enrolled in primary schools increased by just 1.86 crore, and at the upper primary level by just over 2 crore. The population during this period, however, increased by more than 18 crore.
“Over the past few years, there has been a dip in the enrolment rate across the coun try compared to the growth in population,“ says A S Seetharamu, a former professor of the Institute of Social and Economic Change.
Going by 2011 Census data, most states, barring a few like Nagaland, have recorded an increase in population but the enrolment rate does not mirror that.
The country also seems to be having a problem with retaining people in schools and colleges. An average of 326 out of 1,000 students in rural areas are dropping out, while the same is 383 per 1,000 in urban areas, the National Sample Survey Organisation's (NSSO) last survey reveals.This data counts people up to the age of 29.

TIMES VIEW
Data from various sources clearly shows that India is among the least literate countries in the world, and this reflects on the fact that successive governments have failed to provide basic education to all. India is one of 135 countries in the world to have made education a fundamental right, when the Right to Education Act came into force in 2010, but much of that act has remained on paper and controversies have dogged its implementation. That the literacy rate has been rising steadily since Independence is something to cheer about, but not when viewed in conjunction with the exponential growth in population. It's imperative that the government puts more muscle into implementing programmes for compulsory, free education and ensure equal access to all.

Source::: Jan 28 2016 : The Times of India, p.15,

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Literacy-rate-up-but-so-is-illiteracy-28012016013028

MIT, TISS, Tata Trusts launch connected learning tool

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) collaborated with Tata Trusts to launch the Connected Learning Initiative (CLIx), a programme that will alleviate learning experiences for secondary schoolchildren by making effective use of information and communication technology .

Initially, the focus will be to offer content in English, Hindi and Telugu for subjects such as English, science, mathematics and professional values. CLIx will support the existing school curricula with technology integrated aids. While Phase I will include over 1,000 state-run schools from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram and reach out to around 1.65 lakh students in less than three years, in Phase II, the initiative will look at extending the scope to other states, including Maharashtra, and in more languages. An additional focus will be professional development for 4,400 teachers in the four states.

The announcement was made on Wednesday in Mumbai in the presence of Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata, MIT president Rafael Reif, board chairperson S Ramadorai, and TISS director S Parasuraman.


Source::: Jan 28 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=MIT-TISS-Tata-Trusts-launch-connected-learning-tool-28012016004033

Kerala becomes 1st state in country to achieve 100% primary education 

"Kerala has become the first state in the country to achieve total primary education. This has been achieved through the primary education equivalency drive of the state literacy mission — Athulyam. The equivalency programmes have proved a huge success and the ultimate objective is to achieve total Plus-Two education in the state," education minister P K Abdu Rabb said here on Monday.

The declaration will be made at a function at Kerala University Senate Hall.

 

 The second phase of Athulyam was carried out across the state as part of the Mission 676 of the government, launched to mark its third anniversary. The programme offers a chance for those who failed to get primary education due to various reasons to achieve the education qualification equivalent to fourth standard.

 

Those aged 15 to 50 were beneficiaries of the programme and were identified through family registries prepared by anganwadis under the social justice department and also through ward-level surveys carried out by instructors in continuing education programmes.

Around 2.6 lakh candidates appeared for the 4th standard equivalency examination in June 2015 and 2.2 lakh candidates qualified. The equivalency examination was held in 6,613 centres across the state and those who scored 30/75 in English and 20/50 in other subjects were declared winners.

 

Source | Times of India | 12 January 2016

UPSC aspirants to get Rs 10K per month


The Maharashtra government has decided to give scholarships to encourage students to clear their Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. The decision was taken at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday .
The state government has six coaching centres in Mumbai, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Amravati, Aurangabad and Nashik where 600 students are going to be trained. The government plans to give aspirants a sum of Rs 10,000 per month.

The government has made a provision of Rs 23.46 crore for the same. The civil services exam is conducted by the UPSC annually in three stages--preliminary , main and interview--to select officers of Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and Indian Police Service, among others.

Over 15,000 people qualified the 2015 civil services preliminary exam across India. In 2015, a record 9,45,908 candidates applied for the exam, but only 4.63 lakh appeared for the test on August 23.

The scholarship will be given for all three stages (preexam, main test and final interview). Every year, roughly 15,000 from the state take the UPSC exam but only 80-100 students clear it. “The government should also create an atmosphere along with the scholarship. There is need to set up an upgraded library with more reference books.The state should make more reading rooms available for students,“ said Ajit Padwal, director of Lakshya Academy , which trains UPSC aspirants.


Source::: Jan 13 2016 : The Times of India, p.5,
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=UPSC-aspirants-to-get-Rs-10K-per-month-13012016005028

Muslims have largest share of young, but also die early


Census Shows Drop In U-20s In All Communities

Muslims in India have the highest share of children and teenagers (0-19 age group) among all religions, at 47%, compared to 40% for Hindus and just 29% among Jains, according to new Census 2011 data released on Tuesday . If all communities are taken together, around 41% of the country's population is below 20 years old and nine per cent above 60 years, leaving 50% in the intervening 20-59 age group.

Overall, life cycles of different religious communities in India have shown common trends of declining proportion of children and increasing shares of elderly while also showing marked differences in average life span.

The share of the young population has declined since the previous census in 2001 when it was 45% for the whole country , 44% for Hin dus, 52% for Muslims and 35% for Jains. This is a reflection of across-the-board declines in fertility rates --number of children born --leading to a slowing down of the respective population growth rates.

The decline is the least for Hindus and highest for Budd hists and Christians, at seven percentage points, followed by Sikhs and Jains at six percentage points.

At the other end of the life cycle, the proportion of elderly has risen across all communities as life spans have generally increased. The elderly, 60 years and above, make up about nine percent of the country's population.

Across religious communities, there is considerable variation in the share of the elderly population, which can be directly linked to economic status and access to healthcare. In the Muslim community , just 6.4% of the population is over 60 years, almost 50% lower than the national average. In 2001, this share was 5.8%, indicating only a marginal increase. Among Jains, and Sikhs, the share of elderly is 12%, over 30% more than the national average.These shares are more also because the younger generation's numbers are less. The Hindu community is close to all national averages because they make up nearly 80% of the country's population.

Age-wise population shares reveal another important aspect of the lives of people -dependency . Both children and the elderly are dependent on the able and adult population. Overall, the young dependency ratio--number of children aged up o 15 dependent on every 1,000 members of the working age population--has declined from 621 in 2001 to 510 in 2011.This is a direct consequence of declining number of children.

At the other end of life, the old dependency ratio has increased from 131 in 2001 to 142 in 2011, in accord with the growing elderly population.

If we add up both young and old, in 2001, 752 people were dependent on every 1,000 persons in the working age population of 15 to 59 years.Compared to that, in 2011, this ratio has come down to 652.

Across religious communities, Muslims have the highest total dependency ratio of 748 compared to the lowest ratio for Jains which is just 498. For Hindus, the ratio is 640. All ratios have declined since 2001.

Source:: Jan 13 2016 : The Times of India, p.1.
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Muslims-have-largest-share-of-young-but-also-13012016001008#

Govt OKs 33% quota for women in CRPF, CISF





Reservation Only For Constables; 15% In BSF, SSB & ITBP

The government on Tuesday took an important step to improve gender equality in the paramilitary by approving reservation of 33% women at the constable rank in two major central paramilitary forces CRPF and CISF and also setting a 15% quota in BSF , SSB and ITBP .These forces together comprise of around nine lakh personnel of whom only around 20,000 are women as of now.The reservation will come into effect immediately . The decision was taken by home minister Rajnath Singh after a meeting on Tuesday , said sources.
“With a view to enhance representation of women in central armed police forces, home minister Rajnath Singh has approved 33% posts at constable level for being filled up by women,“ a MHA statement said. This reservation would be horizontal, it said.
The move came following the recommendation of the committee on empowerment of women in its sixth report that said there is an urgent need to provide due representation to women in paramilitary forces. The CRPF , mostly deployed in law and order du ties and anti-Naxal operations, has just about 6,300 women in its ranks.
The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs recently found that women personnel constitute only a little over 9% of the Delhi police force and asked the home ministry to ensure their numbers are enhanced up to 33 per cent.

Source::: Jan 06 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), page 14,

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Govt-OKs-33-quota-for-women-in-CRPF-06012016012017

Girl edu in focus on Savitribai's birth anniv.





To focus attention on educating the girl child, the state education department has asked schools to celebrate the birth anniversary of social reformer Savitribai Phule, with a series of activities commemorating her work, until January 26.

According to a government resolution, schools have been asked to implement the `Lek Shikva Lek Vaachva' (educate the daughter, save the girl) programme, in keeping with the work done by Savitribai, wife of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, for women empowerment.

Some schools have been highlighting the work of famous women across various fields. “We wanted to tell the children about women at the forefront in various walks of life so that girls are motivated to be ambitious and make a name for themselves,“ said Veena Donwalkar, principal, Chattrapati Shivaji Vidyalaya in Dharavi.

Source::: Jan 06 2016 : The Times of India (Mumbai), page 13,

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Girl-edu-in-focus-on-Savitribais-birth-anniv-06012016011038