Glocal Leaders Network

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I    India
1.    Seeking child, man sacrifices 7-yr-old girl: A man has been arrested for allegedly sacrificing a seven-year-old girl. He wanted a child, police said here on Friday. The accused Tejram Manjhi (30) allegedly kidnapped the victim, Santoshi, from the tribal-dominated Chirramuda village during a local festival and strangulated her in a nearby forest, Raigarh SP Rahul Sharma said. He later offered the body of the girl to a local deity. Villagers later handed him over to the police, Sharma said.  (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chhattisgarh/Seeking-child-man-sacrifices-7-yr-old-girl/Article1-490696.aspx accessed on 26 December 2009)

2.    90% women in Indian cities put beauty over bill:  A new survey finds that women in India chooses to look good.  The women support using technology to arrest ageing.  The four metro survey of 800 women between the age of 18 and 50; 90% would spend on beauty treatment even if it is expensive.  (The Times of India 27 December 2009, p.7)

3.    ‘Stomach ache’ suicides on the rise: Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of “stomach ache suicide” cases with more than 10 women committing suicide stating the above reason every month. And city cops admit that 95 per cent of them use stomach ache as a pretext to hide the truth. Women organisations claim that in most of these cases, harassment from the husband and the in-laws is the actual culprit. Sandhya from Progressive Women’s organisation, says, “Earlier, many married women were killed in the kitchen due to ‘stove burns.’ But now since cops know that ‘stove burns’ translates into domestic harassment, stomach ache has become the latest excuse. To avoid legal complications, the husband or the in-laws claim the victim killed herself due to ‘unbearable stomach ache.’ In many cases, cops are in league with the in-laws.” Gynaecologists  who are disturbed with this trend, insist that “stomach pain of any nature” cannot lead to suicide. The real reason could be anything from domestic violence and failed relationships to financial and academic failure. In most cases, the parents of the girl too turn hostile and refuse to file a case. AP has the highest number of suicides attributed to ‘stomach ache. Despite knowing that 95 per cent of these suicide cases are attributed to fake reasons, cops’ investigations often hits a dead end. Few women commit suicide due to stomach pain or cramps. But if parents and relatives themselves close the case citing this reason, police can’t do much.  Every month, over 10 women commit suicide claiming ‘stomach pain’ as a reason. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/%E2%80%98stomach-ache%E2%80%99-suicides-rise-111 accessed on 28 December 2009)

4.    Cleansing Process:  To save Ganga from further pollution, the Varanasi city administration has clamped prohibitory orders on both banks of the Ganga under Section 144 of the CRPC.  No one can use the banks as dhobi ghats, to throw corpses and garbage or used soap while bathing.  The Ganga is dotted with 80 bathing ghats in the city which were used precisely for those purposes.  About 1400 small scale units discharge vast quantities of untreated affluent containing lead, cadmium, chromium and nickel into the river.  More than 33000 corpses – burnt or half burnt- are thrown inot its waters each year, accounting for 300 tonnes of burnt flesh.  The creations require 16000 tonnes of wood which results in 600 tonnes of ash.  Also 6000 animal carcasses rot in the river in which over 150000 people bathe each day to wash away their ‘sins’.  The local police are expected to enforce the order.   (Farzand Ahmed, India Today 4 January 2010, p. 15)
Gutka eats away Mumbai youth’s tongue: Naveen—a 21 year old gutka junkie since 14 years of age who could sleep only after taking the concoction as a nightcap and face a new day only after using another pouch as a mouthwash—suffers from tongue cancer. By the time he reached Tata Memorial Hospital, India's best known address for cancer treatment, after six months of battling Hepatitis B and accidentally discovering a numb part in his tongue, surgery was the only way to help Naveen. According to Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital: "Oral cancer roughly affects 20 per lakh Indians. In some cities, the incidence goes up to 60 per lakh." Oral cavity cancer is considered the most preventable form of the disease. About 85% of the cases occur due to abuse of tobacco (smoke and smokeless\chewing) or alcohol. But what is alarming the doctors about India's tobacco-mouth cancer graph is that now youngsters below 30 years of age form 20% of the patient pool. "The youngest boy whose tongue was operated was 13 years old," he says. He remembers a 28-year-old woman who started using gutka as a pain killer during a toothache at 15 years of age. In the Tata Memorial Hospital's OPD, every patient has a similar story to tell: years of consuming gutka, khaini, areca-nut or smoking cigarettes or bidis. (Malathy Iyer, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Gutka-eats-away-Mumbai-youths-tongue/articleshow/5389821.cms accessed on 29 December 2009)

5.    Steep rise in kidnap cases:  Cases of kidnapping have almost doubled in 2009, in Delhi from 1100 last year to 2100. In all cases, the kidnapped were children aged below 16 years. The sharp increases has come about as a result of Delhi High Court’s instructions regarding cases of ‘missing’ children. “All the entries of missing children were converted to First Information Reports (FIRs) on the orders of the Delhi High Court. The court had in March taken suo motu cognisance in the case of missing children,” said a senior police officer. Police said registering of the FIRs has significantly added to the total crime statistics in Delhi. Police said they had conducted a door-to-door survey to find out the number of children missing in the city. “In most of these cases, no criminal intention is involved. Some relate to elopement of minor girls and some leave their house due to hostile conditions at home. In none of the cases — our investigations have shown — a gang was involved in child trafficking,” said the officer. “Various steps were taken by the police to keep a check on the issue of missing children in the city. Computerisation of data, launching of special help lines and door to door survey were some of them,” the court was informed. (Vijaita Singh, http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newdelhi/Steep-rise-in-kidnap-cases/Article1-491600.aspx accessed on 29 December 2009)

6.    Medical degree in 3.5-year for rural docs:  The health ministry and Medical Council of India (MCI) planning a shorter medical degree for rural students who would exclusively serve the rural populace. After incentives failed to lure doctors to practise in remote areas, the health ministry is finalising the novel scheme along with MCI to start 3-1/2 year degree courses in medicine and surgery in institutes set up in rural areas. Under the scheme, the undergraduate `Bachelor of Rural Medicine and Surgery' (BRMS) degree would be acquired in two phases and at two different levels -- Community Health Facility (one-and-a-half year duration) and sub-divisional hospitals (secondary level hospitals) for a further duration of two years. The BRMS degree would be offered by institutes in rural areas with an annual sanctioned strength of 50 students. (Dhananjay Mahapatra, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Medical-degree-in-35-year-for-rural-docs/articleshow/5392755.cms accessed on 30 December 2009)

7.    Chennai city just got bigger: The Tamil Nadu Government has ordered merger of several local bodies with Chennai Corporation, expanding its area from the present 174 sqkm to 426 sqkm. The move to expand Chennai and create a larger urban agglomeration on the lines of Greater Bangalore and Greater Hyderabad is intended to develop outlying areas of the city. As many as nine municipalities, including Ambattur, Alandur, Maduravoyal, Manali and Tiruvottiyur, eight town panchayats, including Puzhal, Porur, Meenambakkam, Perungudi and Sholinganallur, and 25 village panchayats in Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts will thus be brought under the present Chennai Corporation limits, raising the city’s population to 56 lakh (as per the 2001 census) from the present 43 lakh. The boundary of the expanded corporation will be drawn in 2011 after the term of the elected councillors ends. The city limits will expand up to Uthandi on East Coast Road, Sholinganallur on the IT corridor, Kathivakkam and Madhavaram in the north, and up to Meenambakkam in the south. (M. Gunasekaran, The Times of India 30 December 2009, p.1)

8.    Forget fees, keep mum & child: In-laws of a woman: It was an offer gynaecologist Tushar Shrikant Mangeshikar could only have refused. Upset by the delivery of a girl child, the in-laws of a woman asked him to keep the mother and baby as a tradeoff for the medical expenses. A shocked Mangeshikar lodged a police complaint against the in-laws. On December 20, Priyanka Wakchaure, 23, was admitted to a nursing home run by Mangeshikar. She gave birth to a healthy baby the same day. But the child's sex reportedly upset her in-laws so much that they told the doctor to keep the mother and child with him in lieu of hospital dues amounting to Rs20,000. According to Mangeshikar, the in-laws -- particularly father-in-law Ganpat Wakchaure -- were terribly upset at the delivery of the girl and blamed both him and Priyanka. Priyanka's 26-year old husband Sameer was a mute spectator to the drama, Mangeshikar said. Her in-laws' behaviour forced Priyanka to feel guilty for having given birth to a girl.  (Preety Acharya, http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_forget-fees-keep-mum-and-child-in-laws-of-a-woman_1328925 accessed on 30 December 2009)

9.    Dalits ‘beaten up’ for touching deity parasol: The Dalits were allegedly assaulted and a woman from the community pushed into the gutters - the ‘provocation’ for this action was that a Dalit youth had touched the decorated parasol held above the idol of a deity during the temple festival. The festival of Ayyappan temple in Uthangudi near Madurai is celebrated every year. The chariot bearing the idol of the Lord used to be taken around all streets of the village, except those in the Dalit area, claiming that the ‘untouchables’ were not fit to worship the deity. This year the festival was celebrated on December 26 and the deity was taken in procession. Some people of high caste were holding aloft the decorated umbrella above the idol. One of the men holding the umbrella had asked a Dalit, Pratap (19), to hold the umbrella while he tied his dhoti. When Pratap held the stem of the umbrella, a high caste man had pulled him out, abused and slapped him saying,”how dare you defile the sacred umbrella? Have you developed such courage?’’.  Other Dalit youth who were witnessing the incident had tried to prevent this assault but they were also subjected to the same treatment. Other caste Hindus had also joined the rabble and beaten the Dalits. The Dalits had fled from the place to avoid further attack. According to A Kadir, director of Evidence, a Madurai-based NGO which went to the village on a fact finding mission, that night about 30 caste Hindus armed with lethal weapons had entered the Dalit colony and broken open the door of Vinothkumar. The mob had dragged Letchumy (21) wife of Arumugam and sister of Vinothkumar, who was pregnant and beaten her with chappals. She was then pushed into the sewer and kicked. Kadir said that the affected Dalits had lodged a complaint with the Othakadai police who had not filed a case. Therefore, the Dalits of the village and members of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Party resorted to picketing on December 27, after which the police registered cases. Letchumy’s mother Rasammal had given a separate complaint about the molestation of her daughter and the atrocities she was subjected to. (P Krishnaswamy, http://expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Dalits+‘beaten+up’+for+touching+deity+parasol&artid=QSbG355mtAg=&SectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&MainSectionID=vBlkz7JCFvA=&SEO=Dalits&SectionName=EL7znOtxBM3qzgMyXZKtxw== accessed on 30 December 2009)

10.    Refugees in India:  India hosts 456000 refugees as per World Refugee Survey 2009.  The list: Sri Lankan Tamils 120000; Tibet 110000; Myanmar 100000; Bangladesh 65000; Afghanistan 30000; Nepal 25000, Somalia 600 and Palestine 200.  (The Week, 3 January 2010, p. 14)

11.    Students’ Santa: Swapan Adhikari, 71 wanted to become a teacher, but could not as he was not able to proper clothes.  He is a rickshaw puller for the past 55 years.  He gets up at 4 AM and returns home at 3 PM.  He earns about Rs 100 a day.  In 1994 he found Rs. 50 in his rickshaw and none of the four clients claimed it was their money.  So he decided not to use it and added some money of own and bought books worth Rs. 140 and donated to poor children.  Half of the money he earns goes for helping poor students to buy books.  In this academic year he has spent Rs. 11000 to donate books for children.  The West Bengal State Government gave him a two room house for his good service to the poor.   (Kanhaiah Bhelari, The Week 3 January 2010, p.22)

12.    A lot of Ruchikas out there: In 2007, the year for which latest data is available from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), seven of the 10 fastest rising crimes in India were those against women. While the incidence of all cognizable crimes under the IPC rose by under 5% over the previous year, dowry deaths registered an increase of 15%, cruelty by husband and relatives of 14%, kidnapping and abduction of females by 13%, importation of girls by 12% and sexual harassment by 11%. Rape and molestation cases grew by a more modest 6-7%, but even that was higher than the average rate. Despite the increasing cases of crime against women, they would appear to be not in the priority list of the investigating agencies. The NCRB data shows that investigation starts within the same year in only one out of 10 sexual harassment cases and only two out of 10 cases of molestation or cruelty by husbands and relatives. Similarly, only 3 out of 10 rapes and dowry deaths are investigated within the same year. Delayed investigation, it need hardly be emphasized, not only frustrates the victim but also provides an opportunity to the accused to use his clout in influencing the investigation. With one in every two brought to trial getting convicted, sexual harassment might have the highest conviction rate among the 22 major crime heads tabulated in NCRBs Crime in India 2007, but this may have something to do with the fact that sexual harassment is the least severe of all crimes committed against women with the maximum punishment being simple imprisonment for one year, or a fine, or both. For the other crimes against women, the conviction rates are lower than the 35.8% average conviction rate for all cognizable crimes under IPC. It might be pertinent here to cite a recent study by the UK government of rape cases in the country, which shows that a majority of convictions in rapes are from admission of guilt and not because of successful trial as the delays in investigation and the social stigma related with sexual offences often force the victims to withdraw the case. If that's true in the UK, we can imagine how much worse the social pressures in India would be and hence how crucial it is to minimize delays in prosecuting such cases. Perhaps, the Sexual Offences (Special Courts) Bill, 2010, seeking a maximum six months' trial period for sexual offences might reduce the influence of the accused on the course of justice and hence provide a fairer trail for the victims of sexual offences. (Atul Thakur, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/A-lot-of-Ruchikas-out-there/articleshow/5403210.cms accessed on 2 January 2010)

13.    Delhi tops crime charts for fifth year in a row: The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), in its latest annual report—Crime in India: 2006—also points out that Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore together accounted for more than one-third of all crimes reported in Indian cities having a population of over a million people, for the second year in a row. The national capital occupies the top slot for almost all violent crimes, including murder, rape, dowry death, molestation, kidnapping and abduction. The report also notes the disturbing trend of young people taking to crime in a big way. It shows that 44.6% of the total arrested criminals during 2006 belonged to the 18-30 year age-group. In 2005, the figure was 44% and the trend was uniformly high across the 35 big cities under survey. Besides the top three cities, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Indore and Pune are the other mega cities which figure prominently in NCRB’s list for reporting relatively higher number of cases. The 35 mega cities collectively reported a total of 3,26,363 cognizable crimes in 2006, an increase of 3.7% over 2005. According to NCRB, the country reported a total of 51,02,460 cognizable crimes, of which 18,78,293 related to murder, rape, attempt to murder, kidnapping, abduction, dowry death, dacoity, molestation and other violent offences. The remaining 32,24,167 incidents were cases registered under the Arms Act, Gambling Act, Prohibition Act, Forest Act, Railways Act and other special and local laws. Although the overall crime in the country recorded an increase of 1.5% in 2006 as compared to 2005, the ‘crime rate’ (number of crimes per one lakh population) declined by 0.02%. Predictably, Delhi bucked this trend as well and the crime rate here grew to 357.2, more than double the national average of 167.7.  The crime rate is universally accepted as a more realistic indicator of crime. These figures reveal the dismal state of women in the capital. Dowry death (120), rape (533) and molestation (629) rates in Delhi were much higher as compared with other mega cities. Delhi, in fact, accounted for 31.2% of the total rape cases reported in big cities. Among the states, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rapes (2,900), accounting for as much as 15% of the total. NCRB’s figures for Delhi endorsed what the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) of the home ministry had recently mentioned about the city while referring to a study/survey. That study, conducted by the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science (NICFS) at the behest of BPR&D, had concluded that the "absence of visible police patrolling" and "the police's attitude towards women complainants" in the national capital had substantially reduced the trust-quotient of police, particularly among women. As far as states are concerned, NCRB has found that Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes (1,94,711) followed by Maharashtra (1,91,788), Andhra Pradesh (1,73,909), Tamil Nadu (1,48,972) and Rajasthan (1,41,992) during 2006. Among violent crimes, India reported 32,481 murders, 19,348 rapes, 7,618 dowry deaths and 36,617 molestation cases in 2006. (Vishwa Mohan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Delhi-tops-crime-charts-for-fifth-year-in-a-row/articleshow/2665983.cms accessed on 6 January 2010)

14.    Surge in ‘sumo babies’ worry city docs:  The birth registry at Chennai Corporation shows that excessive birth weight, called macrosomia (meaning large organs), has gone up from 0.77% in 2004 to 1.06% in 2006 per one lakh births.  On average, 900 overweight births (0.9%) are recorded annually.  There were 989 babies above 4 kg born in city hospitals from January to November 2009.  The average birth right has increased 3.5 kg, up by almost 1 kg, in the last 30 years. .Hospitals in the city are also seeing a considerable number of ‘sumo babies’, who could grow up to become adults prone to a series of disorders associated with obesity.  (Pushpa Naryan, The Times of India 7 January 2010, p.1.)

15.    13,500 crooks on the loose in city: There are 13,521 criminals at large in Delhi, many of them since many years, and the police are doing precious little to trace them. Out of these, 4,777 are wanted in offences in which punishment is seven years or more, like murder, rape and narcotics related offences. All of them have been declared ‘proclaimed offenders’ by the courts after they failed to turn up before it, despite repeated summons and arrest warrants. The Delhi Police submitted the startling statistics to the Delhi High Court. A Bench of Justice A K Sikri and Ajit Bharihoke had sought the figures from the police after expressing concern over large number of proclaimed offenders in pending criminal cases in the capital. From the list submitted by the police, the court found that names of 1,061 criminals have been expunged from the list of absconders “due to various reasons”.  The court was dealing with a case where a murder and robbery accused in a case absconded after securing bail during the trial and could not be traced for 10 years. The court is trying to put in place a proper system to ensure that there is follow up action to locate such accused and sought a periodic review of the same. The Delhi Police have been asked to file a fresh status report on the issue, clearly specifying the number of proclaimed offenders arrested since October 2009. (Harish V. Nair, http://www.hindustantimes.com/13-500-crooks-on-the-loose-in-city/H1-Article1-495388.aspx accessed on 9 January 2010)

16.    Just 44% Class 1 kids know English alphabets: The annual audit by Pratham, a well-known education NGO, reported that the ability to read and comprehend English varied wildly across India and only 43.8% of class I kids could read the alphabets, even in big capital letters. It's worse than the average in many states. Gujarat is the worst with barely 25.3% class 1 children able to read capital letters. Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Jharkhand are only marginally better at 33.4%, 34.5%, 36% and 41.8%, respectively. In the south, Karnataka, despite its hi-tech glitter, scores just as bad only 37% of class I kids could pass the simple English test. In short, the much-touted advantage that India enjoys over China because of its knowledge of English, could vanish pretty soon unless there is all-round recognition of the looming crisis. Education experts say that unless English is made compulsory in school, India might be in an irreversible slide. In Kerala, the knowledge of English appeared the best with 85% of kids reading capital letters, West Bengal was way below at 57%. The entire north-east and Himachal Pradesh have scored well. The survey was done in 575 out of 583 rural districts and 3.38 lakh households involving nearly seven lakh children. The good news is that a lot more children are going to school. As many as 96% children in the age-group of 6-14 are in schools. In other words, access to education has dramatically improved; the issue is the quality of education being imparted. Just 69% of class 1 students could recognise numbers between one and nine. The figure for states like Bihar, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and UP hovers between 50% and 60%, while all north-eastern states and Kerala are much better with more than 90% of their children recognising the numbers. Alarmingly, things get worse as kids go up to higher classes. By class II, the national average of children who can recognise numbers between 11 and 99 declines to 54.6. And by class V, percentage of children who can do division comes down to 38%. MP and HP record relatively high levels topping the chart with over 60% of children in class V able to solve division problems. Chhattisgarh is the big success story showing the jump from 31% last year to 59% this year. Even in Kerala only 45% children of class V can do division. Goa is the best at 80% children doing division successfully. In the case of English, performance improves after class V. Till class V many states show the falling trend of students either able to read words or sentences. It can be gauged from the fact that while in class V the all-India average of students who can read sentences is 25.7%, by class VIII it goes up to 60.2%. But the decline till class V is noticeable. Many states like Gujarat, Jharkhand, Assam, Orissa, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, English language skills falls dramatically in class V. Even southern states follow the same trend. Take the case of Kerala. In class V only 54.5% children can read English sentences. In Gujarat it is abysmally low at 8%. In Tamil Nadu, only 19% children of class V can read sentences while in Uttar Pradesh it is 14%. Bihar remains more or less consistent at 31.3%. In class VIII all the north-eastern states, except Tripura, Goa, HP and Kerala more than 80% of children can not only read simple sentences fluently but also understand the meaning. ( http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Just-44-Class-1-kids-know-English-alphabets/articleshow/5450240.cms accessed on 16 January 2010)

17.    833 NGOs blacklisted for misappropriation of funds: CAPART: Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), an autonomous body functioning under rural development ministry, blacklisted a total of 833 NGOs and voluntary organisations on November 9. Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of such blacklisted organisations followed by Bihar and Tamil Nadu. The ministry informed that these NGOs were blacklisted for their indulgence in irregularities including misappropriation of funds, the committee said. Of the 833 NGOs and voluntary organisations which were blacklisted, 192 were from Andhra Pradesh, 125 from Bihar, 83 from Tamil Nadu, 75 from Karnataka, 72 from Uttar Pradesh, 42 from Rajasthan and 35 from Kerala. Thirty-two such organisations were from Orissa, 26 from West Bengal, 24 from Maharashtra, 23 from Delhi, 20 from Haryana, 18 from Manipur, 15 from Madhya Pradesh, 13 from Gujarat, 10 from Nagaland, eight from Jharkhand, five each from Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh, three from Jammu and Kashmir, two from Pondicherry and one each from Arunchal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya and Uttaranchal. (The Times of India, 17 January 2010, p1.)

18.    Horoscope matching doesn’t matter for girls, says survey: Gone are the days when horoscopes decided marriages. According to a survey conducted by the state women’s commission (SWC), only 2.4 per cent of girls in Chennai are bothered about horoscopes when deciding on their match. The other 97 per cent are concerned about the groom’s education, job and family reputation. The survey was done over the last two months and covered most city colleges. The survey, the first of its kind by a government commission, was conducted to learn the preferences of girls in Chennai in choosing their partners. Explaining the findings, R. Ramathal, SWC chairperson, said, “The study has revealed that many young girls do not consider the matching of horoscopes as an important factor to choose their partners. They want to confirm the social status of the groom’s family and his job details. A majority of girls revealed that they would like to choose the partner on their own, but marry him only after getting consent from their family.” She told Deccan Chronicle  that only 22 per cent of girls prefer love marriage. Several girls said they would insist that the groom ‘furnish’ the results of his blood test before the engagement ceremony. “Over 65 per cent said ‘no’ to marrying close relatives. They would also demand that the guy’s family share the marriage expenses,” said the survey. About reporting harassment after wedding, over 60 per cent of the respondents said they would take up the issue with their family initially and then file a police complaint. Only 3 per cent said they would not reveal their family problems to others. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/horoscope-matching-doesn%E2%80%99t-matter-girls-says-survey-453 accessed on 17 January 2010)

19.    Maoists develop tech to clone AK series rifles: Security agencies came across the Maoists’ innovative skills when a CRPF team busted an arms manufacturing unit in forests close to Gobardaha village in Chatra district in Jharkhand and recovered a number of ‘duplicate’ AK-47 and AK-57 rifles of “high standard”. The CRPF also seized as many as 59 different types of instruments, which were used to manufacture and assemble these rifles and various types of pistols. The preliminary examination of weapons seized from the arms manufacturing unit showed that the quality of the rifles was as good as original AK series rifles. Five improvised explosive devices (IEDs) weighing 15 kg each were also seized during the operation, launched on the basis of specific intelligence input. (Vishwa Mohan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maoists-develop-tech-to-clone-AK-series-rifles/articleshow/5460469.cms accessed on 18 January 2010)

20.    Robbers carry away ATM with Rs 32 lakh inside: Three armed assailants didn’t just loot an ATM of its contents, but the entire ATM in Greater Noida.  They uprooted the ATM from the floor, transported it — with Rs 32 lakh inside — to their getaway vehicle using a refrigerator carrier and fled the scene. They also beat up the unarmed guard, 55-year-old Omkar Singh, tied his hands and legs and and left him dazed and senseless inside the room which housed the ATM. According to Uttar Pradesh police, this is the first time an incident like this has been reported in the National Capital Region. SSP Singh said investigations point to several sharp-edged weapons like crowbars and hammers being used to dislodge the ATM machine. He said the accused used a refrigerator carrier to carry the ATM machine to their vehicle. (Dwaipayan Ghosh, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Robbers-carry-away-ATM-with-Rs-32-lakh-inside/articleshow/5465469.cms accessed on 18 January 2010)

21.    Migrant teachers for migrant kids: Twenty-three teachers from Andhra Pradesh and Orissa teach migrant labourers kids in Siruseri along Old Mahabalipuram Road, Chennai.  The lessons are part of an initiative by the Rural Development Trust (TDT). The teachers take care of about one thousand students between the age of 6 and 14 in 17 centres.  The teachers are not trained but have general education and teaching experience.  These schools are approved by the Government.   (D. Madhavan, The Times of India 18 January 2010, p.1.)

22.    City 1st to get dog blood bank: Chennai is all set to become more canine-friendly with a first-of-its-kind, exclusive, blood bank for dogs. The proposed bank will have an advanced database of donor dogs in the city. Madras Veterinary College (MVC) has now put up notice boards insisting pet owners be part of the donor base. “There is an acute demand for canine blood during surgeries and the project is the brainchild of the vice-chancellor. Work has already started,” a senior professor of MVC said. There is a growing demand for transfusion therapy to treat many diseases and injuries related to dogs, particularly in orthopaedic surgeries when blood loss is high, the professor added. So far, five donors have enrolled in the donor programme. At least 20 donors are required for inaugurating the programme. The blood bank will be a boon for dogs with anaemic complaints, viral and parasitic infections and those that get injured in accidents. The programme will not entertain monetary benefit for the donors, but the donors will be helped by the MVC when their pets are in distress. There are four types of blood groups in dogs and blood transfusion in animals is not that complicated, compared to humans, and it needs basic infrastructure which is already available in the varsity, the vice-chancellor added. (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chennai/city-1st-get-dog-blood-bank-394 accessed on 21 January 2010) In India, hundreds of women die during child birth because they are anaemic.  When basic medical care is neglected for huge number of human beings is dog blood bank a luxury?

23.    1/3rd of Chennai councillors keep mum in House: According to norms, mayor M Subramanian reads out replies to a set of questions posed by elected councillors to the council department in writing. The total number of councilors is 155. During the zero hour debate, about 20 councillors, including opposition leaders and those from the ruling party, discuss civic issues. Only then are the resolutions tabled for discussion. An official report available with TOI reveals that at least 14 councillors, including 13 from the DMK and one from the PMK, have the dubious distinction of not having ever spoken in the council about the problems faced by residents in their wards since they assumed charge in 2006. Statistics show 39 councillors have not raised a single query during question hour, 42 have not uttered a word during zero hour, and 51 remained silent when resolutions were discussed. For many, attending the council sessions is only a formality, which is often not even fulfilled. A recent session saw the council falling short of quorum (50) to transact business. Hardly 10 resolutions were taken up for discussion as the treasury and opposition benches were empty. (Julie Mariappan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/1/3rd-of-Chennai-councillors-keep-mum-in-House/articleshow/5486484.cms accessed on 22 January 2010)

24.    There's no national language in India: Gujarat High Court: A majority of people have accepted Hindi as a national language and many speak Hindi and write in Devanagari script, but it's not officially the national language. With this observation, a bench headed by Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya refused to issue directions that packaged commodities must contain details about goods in Hindi. The court asked whether there was any notification saying Hindi is India's national language, for it's an ``official language'' of this country. No notification ever issued by the government could be produced before the court in this regard. This is because the Constitution has given Hindi the status of the official language and not the national language.
The court concluded that the rules have specific provisions for manufacturers that particulars of declaration should be in Hindi in Devanagari script or in English, and it's their prerogative to use English. Therefore, no mandamus can be issued on manufacturers or governments for giving details or particulars of package in Hindi. (Saeed Khan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Theres-no-national-language-in-India-Gujarat-High-Court/articleshow/5496231.cms accessed on 25 January 2010)

25.    Orissa’s hemp heaven: Farmers in Kudanali, a hilly, forested village in Orissa’s Sambalpur district, are growing ganja, or cannabis, in their backyards, near nullahs and in the forests for the past ten years.  Cultivation of ganja is a lucrative business in Orissa and nets the 4,000-5,000 landowners involved in it more than Rs 1,000 crore every year. The downstream trade in this narcotic product — spread across large parts of India and abroad — balloons to about Rs 15,000 crore per annum. Though no official estimates exist, Hindustan Times arrived at these figures after speaking to excise and police officials and a cross-section of people involved in the trade. Since the returns are higher than that from paddy and vegetables, ganja cultivation has raised the living standards of marginal farmers. Kudanali village has no electricity, but Majhi has a solar electrification system in his house and a dish antenna for his colour TV. The people involved in this trade are naturally very secretive about it. Hindustan Times spent months tracking this trade and finally got an inside view of it in the last week of December when this correspondent managed to speak to some farmers and traders posing as an “investor”. This is how the trade works. Traders (mostly from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack but also from other states), called “investors” in these parts, strike deals with farmers to grow ganja on their fields and provide seeds, fertilisers and about Rs 15,000 per acre as upfront payment.  With at least 4,000-5,000 ganja plants per acre, the farmer grosses about Rs 6-8 lakh per acre. His profit: Rs 5-6 lakh per acre. Compared to this, paddy gives returns of Rs 15,000 per acre. So, the farmer’s choice of ganja over paddy is a no-brainer. The only risk: raids by the police and the anti-drug enforcement authorities. But the entire machinery is so well-oiled that the kingpins — believed to be a cabal of senior politicians and their local representatives cutting across party lines — even set aside a few dozen acres of ganja fields that the authorities can raid and keep up appearances of fighting the drug menace. Ganja grown in Orissa finds its way to Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala — and from there to Sri Lanka and West Asia — through a well-oiled supply chain.  Its price shoots up at each stage of the supply chain, which is controlled by local criminals and politicians. The source price of Rs 1,500-1,600 per kg rises to about Rs 8,500 per kg at this stage. But just 30 per cent of the product is consumed locally.  The rest is sent outside the state where it sells for as much as Rs 30,000 per kg. “We conceal a quintal of ganja in trucks carrying rice or cement,” said a transporter. The government says it is aware of the extent of the menace. A report of the Justice P.K. Mohanty Commission, submitted to the government in 2008, said that processed ganja is smuggled in a big way through Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Officially, illegal cultivation has been reported in 13 districts. But enforcement officials say there are two major tracts of more than 6,000 acre each, which account for most of the illegal cultivation. The first tract is in Malkangiri district, 420 km south east of Bhubaneswar and the second is spread across the Sambalpur, Deogarh and Angul districts in western Orissa. Owing to the Naxalite menace in the state, the second tract is increasingly finding favour with the ganja trade. “We have shifted to Sambalpur from Malkangiri due to the harassment by Naxals,” said a ganja trader from Andhra Pradesh. Some locals are now beginning to protest against this trade.  (Priya Ranjan Sahu, http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bhubaneshwar/Orissa-s-hemp-heaven/Article1-501453.aspx accessed on 25 January 2010)

 II    Diaspora

NCW calls for law to protect NRI brides:  Pressing for a separate legislation on marital issues involving non-resident Indians, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said that the phenomena of `holiday husbands' - NRI grooms who marry in India for dowry and desert their wives - was on a steady rise. NCW chairperson Girija Vyas said the commission's NRI cell, which was set up six months back, had received as many as 177 complaints relating to marital discord. About 331 such complaints have been received by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs in the past one year. ``A maximum of 130 complaints were received from the US followed by Britain (44) and Canada (37). Among the states, maximum of 87 complaints were received from victims originating from Punjab, followed by Delhi (59) and Haryana (21),'' Vyas added. The commission has recommended a separate legislation that will address issues including matrimonial discord, maintenance of spouses and children, child custody, settlement of matrimonial property amongst others. ``This can serve as a comprehensive ready reference for foreign courts deciding litigation between NRI and Indian citizens,'' Vyas said. This is also likely to address concerns raised by the Law Commission on the absence of rules of private international law. The NCW has also recommended compulsory registration of NRI marriages and has appealed to the Centre to effectively represent to governments of all foreign countries, particularly those with a large NRI presence, to give effect to international law like provisions in the Hague Convention which deal with issues of overseas marriages. The commission said the ministry of external affairs through its embassies abroad should sensitize the home departments of foreign countries about issues regarding dowry demands and other problems faced by women. Vyas also suggesting an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act to ensure protection of the rights of victims of failed marriages. She said there was scope for making changes in the process for issuing passports as well. (Himanshi Dhawan, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NCW-calls-for-law-to-protect-NRI-brides/articleshow/5485602.cms accessed on 22 January 2010)

III    Global

Saudi schoolgirl to get 90 lashes for carrying mobile: A 13-year-old schoolgirl in Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 90 lashes and two months in prison for carrying to her classroom a mobile phone equipped with a camera. The girl, who has not been named, was sentenced to 90 lashes in front of her classmates followed by two months in detention. A Saudi court pronounced the judgement after she was caught with a cell phone equipped with a camera. The gadget is banned in girls' schools in the country, (http://www.hindustantimes.com/Saudi-schoolgirl-to-get-90-lashes-for-carrying-mobile/H1-Article1-500399.aspx accessed on 22 January 2010)