Bollywood filmstars should 'beedi bujhaye le' otherwise face legal action

Bollywood filmstars should 'beedi bujhaye le' otherwise face legal action

Despite of the India's legally-binding Cigarette and Other tobacco products Act (2003) and repeated appeals of India's Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss to bollywood film-stars to refrain from on-screen smoking, there seems to be less compliance in the guise of 'creative liberty'.

On 30 June 2008, the Goa Bench of Mumbai High Court issued notice to megastar 'Big B' - Amitabh Bachchan - and others for allegedly violating the Anti-Tobacco Act. Goa-based anti-tobacco organisation, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), had filed the case against Bachchan and others after billboards showing the megastar smoking a cigar were raised on the Goa highway. Indian Society Against Smoking (ISAS) had also earlier served a legal notice to Amitabh Bachchan through Manu Shresth Mishra, a High Court lawyer practicing in Lucknow, UP. The court, which heard the case on 30 June 2008, issued notice to Bachchan, Anchor Electric appliances, Keshu Ramsay and others.

Two weeks earlier in June 2008, bollywood actor and heart-throb Aamir Khan had confessed on his blog (www.aamirkhan.com) that due to stress he has once again given in to the temptation of smoking. He had said that his nephew Imraan's launch pad 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na' is the reason behind the stress. "I've begun smoking again, I know you guys are going to kick the shit out of me, my family is already doing that," he had written on his blog: www.aamirkhan.com .

Indian film-star Aamir Khan's explanation of 'stress' as a reason to smoke, is not a reasonable one. Enough body of evidence exists linking tobacco use with life-threatening diseases and disabilities. Moreover public statements, on websites, about smoking by Aamir Khan due to 'stress' will encourage the perception specially among children and youth to begin tobacco use to beat their 'stress'.

Earlier in May -- June 2008, the Hindustan Times had carried a front-page photograph of the 'King Khan' Shahrukh Khan, another bollywood actor, who was found smoking in full public view at the much-hyped Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match series.

Tobacco is reported to kill more than a million people in India alone every year.

"One of the easiest ways to significantly bring down number of children and youth who get initiated to tobacco use in India, without any budgetary allocation for this public health exercise, is to remove depiction of tobacco use in films and TV", had rightly said Dr Ramadoss at the last World Conference on Tobacco or Health in USA.

One of the major influences on the uptake of teen tobacco use is the glamourisation of tobacco use in movies and on television. This has been well documented by comprehensive research studies in India and US. On-screen or smoking in public view by bollywood film-stars will influence young minds to smoke.

In an earlier study done by World Health Organization and Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2003 it was revealed that 76% of Indian movies had tobacco use shown in them. In 1991, where 22% of top box office movie hits had lead characters using tobacco on-screen, in 2002, this escalated to 53% tobacco use depiction by lead characters in Indian movies. This study also demonstrated that 52.2% of children in India who had their first smoke were influenced by tobacco use depicted in movies.

A repeat follow-up study conducted by WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India on top box office movie hits during 2004-2005 demonstrated that tobacco use depiction in movies has become more aggressive as compared to previous years. During 2004-2005, 89% of all movies analyzed contained tobacco use on screen and 75.5% movies depicted leading stars using tobacco on screen. Moreover 41% of movies screened had clear and distinct tobacco brand placement.

Dr Ramadoss says categorically that stopping depiction of tobacco use in films is an evidence based public health measure, and that is what he has been strongly advocating since May 31, 2005.

India, says Dr Ramadoss, has the world's largest film industry rolling out over 900 films per year. Through cinema theatres, these movies reach 60 million people and through cable television network, they further reach another 70 million people in India. "Influence of cinema is paramount in India" says Dr Ramadoss.

The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 came into existence since 31 May 2003. Before the Bollywood film-stars, just like any other citizen of India, who if found violating the provisions of the anti-tobacco Act, become likely to be penalized as per the existing legal framework, it is in the interest of the public health and individual's own interests to quit tobacco use and chose health!

Exposure to tobacco use in movies is clearly linked to youth tobacco use. Simply put, more must be done to ensure that tobacco use in movies is removed from films seen by our nation's youth. We have within our power one simple and effective way to jump start the decline in youth tobacco use - delete tobacco use in films from the list of influences that rob our youth of longer and healthier lives by removing tobacco use from movies, unless they clearly depict the negative health effects.

The influence of film-stars on the youth is paramount and it will be more helpful if they debunk the misconceptions about smoking.

Published in

Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh, India

Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

Assam Times, Assam, India

American Chronicle, USA

Media for freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal

Apni Awaaz, UP, India

News Blaze, USA

Los Angeles Chronicle, Los Angeles, USA

Pakistan Post, Islamabad, Pakistan

California Chronicle, California, USA

The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Santa Barbara Chronicle, Santa Barbara, USA

Orissa News, Bhubhneshwar, Orissa

News Track India, Delhi

Daijiworld, Goa

The Kashmir Times, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)

Bollywood filmstars should 'beedi bujhaye le' otherwise face legal action

Bollywood filmstars should 'beedi bujhaye le' otherwise face legal action

Despite of the India's legally-binding Cigarette and Other tobacco products Act (2003) and repeated appeals of India's Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss to bollywood film-stars to refrain from on-screen smoking, there seems to be less compliance in the guise of 'creative liberty'.

On 30 June 2008, the Goa Bench of Mumbai High Court issued notice to megastar 'Big B' - Amitabh Bachchan - and others for allegedly violating the Anti-Tobacco Act. Goa-based anti-tobacco organisation, National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), had filed the case against Bachchan and others after billboards showing the megastar smoking a cigar were raised on the Goa highway. Indian Society Against Smoking (ISAS) had also earlier served a legal notice to Amitabh Bachchan through Manu Shresth Mishra, a High Court lawyer practicing in Lucknow, UP. The court, which heard the case on 30 June 2008, issued notice to Bachchan, Anchor Electric appliances, Keshu Ramsay and others.

Two weeks earlier in June 2008, bollywood actor and heart-throb Aamir Khan had confessed on his blog (www.aamirkhan.com) that due to stress he has once again given in to the temptation of smoking. He had said that his nephew Imraan's launch pad 'Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na' is the reason behind the stress. "I've begun smoking again, I know you guys are going to kick the shit out of me, my family is already doing that," he had written on his blog: www.aamirkhan.com .

Indian film-star Aamir Khan's explanation of 'stress' as a reason to smoke, is not a reasonable one. Enough body of evidence exists linking tobacco use with life-threatening diseases and disabilities. Moreover public statements, on websites, about smoking by Aamir Khan due to 'stress' will encourage the perception specially among children and youth to begin tobacco use to beat their 'stress'.

Earlier in May -- June 2008, the Hindustan Times had carried a front-page photograph of the 'King Khan' Shahrukh Khan, another bollywood actor, who was found smoking in full public view at the much-hyped Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match series.

Tobacco is reported to kill more than a million people in India alone every year.

"One of the easiest ways to significantly bring down number of children and youth who get initiated to tobacco use in India, without any budgetary allocation for this public health exercise, is to remove depiction of tobacco use in films and TV", had rightly said Dr Ramadoss at the last World Conference on Tobacco or Health in USA.

One of the major influences on the uptake of teen tobacco use is the glamourisation of tobacco use in movies and on television. This has been well documented by comprehensive research studies in India and US. On-screen or smoking in public view by bollywood film-stars will influence young minds to smoke.

In an earlier study done by World Health Organization and Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2003 it was revealed that 76% of Indian movies had tobacco use shown in them. In 1991, where 22% of top box office movie hits had lead characters using tobacco on-screen, in 2002, this escalated to 53% tobacco use depiction by lead characters in Indian movies. This study also demonstrated that 52.2% of children in India who had their first smoke were influenced by tobacco use depicted in movies.

A repeat follow-up study conducted by WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India on top box office movie hits during 2004-2005 demonstrated that tobacco use depiction in movies has become more aggressive as compared to previous years. During 2004-2005, 89% of all movies analyzed contained tobacco use on screen and 75.5% movies depicted leading stars using tobacco on screen. Moreover 41% of movies screened had clear and distinct tobacco brand placement.

Dr Ramadoss says categorically that stopping depiction of tobacco use in films is an evidence based public health measure, and that is what he has been strongly advocating since May 31, 2005.

India, says Dr Ramadoss, has the world's largest film industry rolling out over 900 films per year. Through cinema theatres, these movies reach 60 million people and through cable television network, they further reach another 70 million people in India. "Influence of cinema is paramount in India" says Dr Ramadoss.

The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 came into existence since 31 May 2003. Before the Bollywood film-stars, just like any other citizen of India, who if found violating the provisions of the anti-tobacco Act, become likely to be penalized as per the existing legal framework, it is in the interest of the public health and individual's own interests to quit tobacco use and chose health!

Exposure to tobacco use in movies is clearly linked to youth tobacco use. Simply put, more must be done to ensure that tobacco use in movies is removed from films seen by our nation's youth. We have within our power one simple and effective way to jump start the decline in youth tobacco use - delete tobacco use in films from the list of influences that rob our youth of longer and healthier lives by removing tobacco use from movies, unless they clearly depict the negative health effects.

The influence of film-stars on the youth is paramount and it will be more helpful if they debunk the misconceptions about smoking.

Published in

Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh, India

Khabar Express, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India

Assam Times, Assam, India

American Chronicle, USA

Media for freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal

Apni Awaaz, UP, India

News Blaze, USA

Los Angeles Chronicle, Los Angeles, USA

Pakistan Post, Islamabad, Pakistan

California Chronicle, California, USA

The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Santa Barbara Chronicle, Santa Barbara, USA

Orissa News, Bhubhneshwar, Orissa

News Track India, Delhi

Daijiworld, Goa

The Kashmir Times, Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)

Doctor's Day (1 July): Partnerships between patients and doctors will improve healthcare

DOCTOR'S DAY (1 July)

Partnerships between patients and doctors will improve healthcare



Today on Doctor's Day (1 July), the doctors of Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Lucknow are advocating for safer work environment in wake of recent upping of attacks on healthcare institutions in the UP state capital and other cities in UP too.



Doctors Day came into being in 1991 when the Government of India recognised July 1, the birth as well as death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.



"Fifty-seven countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, face a severe health workforce crisis. WHO estimates that at least 2,360,000 health service providers and 1,890,000 management support workers, or a total of 4,250,000 health workers, are needed to fill the gap. In India too, the shortage of health workers is palpable, and may become acute in coming years. Without prompt action, the shortage will worsen" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who is an International Awardee (2005) of World Health Organization (WHO) and President-elect of Lucknow College of Surgeons (LCS).



"In general, there is a lack of adequate staff in rural areas compared to cities" said Prof Kant.



"There is a direct relationship between the ratio of health workers to population and survival of women during childbirth and children in early infancy. As the number of health workers declines, survival declines proportionately" explains Prof Kant.



Prof Kant is the former Chief Medical Superintendent of Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals (GM & AH), and present Head of the Department of Surgery at Chhattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU, formerly King George's Medical College).



Pressing health needs across the globe cannot be met without a well-trained, adequate and available health workforce.



The health-related millennium development goals which India has committed to achieve by 2015, aim to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, and ensure access to essential medicines. The health worker shortage has been a major impediment to making progress on meeting these goals.



"Moreover, sudden catastrophic events like accidents, or natural calamities like floods, can quickly overwhelm local and national health systems already suffering from staff shortages or lack of funds" said Prof Kant.



"We need more direct investment in the training and support of health workers" said Prof Kant.



Better strategies to more actively engage communities and patients in their own health care will help improve the situation. Partnerships between patients and health workers can improve the quality of care and health outcomes.



Published in



Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh



The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Doctor's Day (1 July): Partnerships between patients and doctors will improve healthcare

DOCTOR'S DAY (1 July)

Partnerships between patients and doctors will improve healthcare



Today on Doctor's Day (1 July), the doctors of Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Lucknow are advocating for safer work environment in wake of recent upping of attacks on healthcare institutions in the UP state capital and other cities in UP too.



Doctors Day came into being in 1991 when the Government of India recognised July 1, the birth as well as death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy.



"Fifty-seven countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, face a severe health workforce crisis. WHO estimates that at least 2,360,000 health service providers and 1,890,000 management support workers, or a total of 4,250,000 health workers, are needed to fill the gap. In India too, the shortage of health workers is palpable, and may become acute in coming years. Without prompt action, the shortage will worsen" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who is an International Awardee (2005) of World Health Organization (WHO) and President-elect of Lucknow College of Surgeons (LCS).



"In general, there is a lack of adequate staff in rural areas compared to cities" said Prof Kant.



"There is a direct relationship between the ratio of health workers to population and survival of women during childbirth and children in early infancy. As the number of health workers declines, survival declines proportionately" explains Prof Kant.



Prof Kant is the former Chief Medical Superintendent of Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals (GM & AH), and present Head of the Department of Surgery at Chhattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU, formerly King George's Medical College).



Pressing health needs across the globe cannot be met without a well-trained, adequate and available health workforce.



The health-related millennium development goals which India has committed to achieve by 2015, aim to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, and ensure access to essential medicines. The health worker shortage has been a major impediment to making progress on meeting these goals.



"Moreover, sudden catastrophic events like accidents, or natural calamities like floods, can quickly overwhelm local and national health systems already suffering from staff shortages or lack of funds" said Prof Kant.



"We need more direct investment in the training and support of health workers" said Prof Kant.



Better strategies to more actively engage communities and patients in their own health care will help improve the situation. Partnerships between patients and health workers can improve the quality of care and health outcomes.



Published in



Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh



The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

NAPM opposes the Indo-US Nuclear deal

NAPM opposes the Indo-US Nuclear deal

NAPM demands immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram

Amidst protests against price rises of essential items throughout the country, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has again started harping on the issue of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. Activists of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) - the largest network of people's struggles in India - opposed the deal.

"The Deal has been pushed forward in India in an anti-democratic manner without approval of the Parliament - in fact in the teeth of opposition by a large majority of parliamentarians" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, who is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and a convener of NAPM.

"The Deal has the potential of disturbing regional stability and further distorting India's relationships with important neighbours like China, Pakistan and Iran. This cannot also but severely undermine the prospects for both vertical and horizontal non-proliferation and thereby the prospects for global nuclear disarmament" remarked Medha Patkar, a firebrand leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and also the coordinator of NAPM.

This allurement also has the danger of further propelling India towards becoming a junior military ally of the US and a market to mint profits for its MNCs and also the nuclear industry of other advanced countries --- Russia and France, in particular, said activists.

"Most importantly it will be a set back to the environmentally friendly sustainable ways of meeting our energy requirements. Power from nuclear energy is a failed project in developed countries and the eagerness of the Prime Minister to clinch the Deal fails to generate any enthusiasm among the common people of India. Neither is nuclear energy a solution to global warming as some experts make it out to be. On the contrary the entire nuclear fuel cycle is fraught with danger and exposes human beings to hazardous radiation. The world is yet to find a safe way for disposal of radioactive waste, a factor which is constraining the growth of nuclear power programmes in the developed countries" added Dr Sandeep Pandey, who did his PhD in control theory also applicable in missile technology from University of California, Berkeley in 1980s.

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is meant to serve the interests of the global nuclear power industry and is a ploy to keep India away from staking claims to shrinking fossil fuel reserves in proportion to its large population so that these reserves may last for some more time for the rich countries, explained the activists.

The undue importance given to the Indo-US Nuclear Deal as opposed to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, even though gas is predicted to be the major source of power globally for the next two to three decades, raises questions about the motives of the Indian government.

"We take strong objection to the joint Indo-US military exercises that have been taking place for the last seven years with the aim of building interoperability and we demand immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram. The increasing militarization of the India State is also being used to crush civil liberties and democratic movements in the country. India must learn a lesson from the history of US military involvement in various parts of the world" demanded Patkar.

"We appreciate the consistent stand taken by the Left Front, a partner in the UPA alliance, in successfully stalling the Indo-US Nuclear Deal up till now and hope that the India specific agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will never be finalized. Even as we note their foresight in foiling the US hegemonic designs in South Asia, we also expect them to take a principled stand against the nuclear power programme. We believe that the IAEA safeguards must be implemented nationally and internationally on all declared and undeclared nuclear activities, including that of Israel and US. The Government of India must also make its nuclear related activities transparent and accountable to the people, especially those who are directly affected by radiation" added Patkar.

Dr Sandeep Pandey also welcomed the government's decision to ask the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to draft umbrella legislation for promotion and growth of renewable energy.

Other activists who endorsed the opposition on behalf of NAPM included: Surendra Mohan, Achin Vanaik, Major General SG Vombatkere (retd), J Sri Raman, Thomas Kocherry, Sukla Sen, Mukta Srivastava, Anand Patwardhan, Ajit Jha, Feroze Mithiborwala, Kishore Jagtap, PTM Hussain, Ashish Ranjan Jha, Kamayani, Sanjay MG and Arundhati Dhuru.

Published in

Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh, India

Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka

Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand

The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Rediff News/ India Abroad

Assam Times, Assam, India

The Leadership

American Chronicle, USA

News Blaze, USA

Pakistan Christian Post, Pakistan

Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal

California Chronicle, California, USA

NAPM opposes the Indo-US Nuclear deal

NAPM opposes the Indo-US Nuclear deal

NAPM demands immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram

Amidst protests against price rises of essential items throughout the country, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has again started harping on the issue of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. Activists of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) - the largest network of people's struggles in India - opposed the deal.

"The Deal has been pushed forward in India in an anti-democratic manner without approval of the Parliament - in fact in the teeth of opposition by a large majority of parliamentarians" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, who is a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and a convener of NAPM.

"The Deal has the potential of disturbing regional stability and further distorting India's relationships with important neighbours like China, Pakistan and Iran. This cannot also but severely undermine the prospects for both vertical and horizontal non-proliferation and thereby the prospects for global nuclear disarmament" remarked Medha Patkar, a firebrand leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and also the coordinator of NAPM.

This allurement also has the danger of further propelling India towards becoming a junior military ally of the US and a market to mint profits for its MNCs and also the nuclear industry of other advanced countries --- Russia and France, in particular, said activists.

"Most importantly it will be a set back to the environmentally friendly sustainable ways of meeting our energy requirements. Power from nuclear energy is a failed project in developed countries and the eagerness of the Prime Minister to clinch the Deal fails to generate any enthusiasm among the common people of India. Neither is nuclear energy a solution to global warming as some experts make it out to be. On the contrary the entire nuclear fuel cycle is fraught with danger and exposes human beings to hazardous radiation. The world is yet to find a safe way for disposal of radioactive waste, a factor which is constraining the growth of nuclear power programmes in the developed countries" added Dr Sandeep Pandey, who did his PhD in control theory also applicable in missile technology from University of California, Berkeley in 1980s.

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is meant to serve the interests of the global nuclear power industry and is a ploy to keep India away from staking claims to shrinking fossil fuel reserves in proportion to its large population so that these reserves may last for some more time for the rich countries, explained the activists.

The undue importance given to the Indo-US Nuclear Deal as opposed to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, even though gas is predicted to be the major source of power globally for the next two to three decades, raises questions about the motives of the Indian government.

"We take strong objection to the joint Indo-US military exercises that have been taking place for the last seven years with the aim of building interoperability and we demand immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram. The increasing militarization of the India State is also being used to crush civil liberties and democratic movements in the country. India must learn a lesson from the history of US military involvement in various parts of the world" demanded Patkar.

"We appreciate the consistent stand taken by the Left Front, a partner in the UPA alliance, in successfully stalling the Indo-US Nuclear Deal up till now and hope that the India specific agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will never be finalized. Even as we note their foresight in foiling the US hegemonic designs in South Asia, we also expect them to take a principled stand against the nuclear power programme. We believe that the IAEA safeguards must be implemented nationally and internationally on all declared and undeclared nuclear activities, including that of Israel and US. The Government of India must also make its nuclear related activities transparent and accountable to the people, especially those who are directly affected by radiation" added Patkar.

Dr Sandeep Pandey also welcomed the government's decision to ask the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to draft umbrella legislation for promotion and growth of renewable energy.

Other activists who endorsed the opposition on behalf of NAPM included: Surendra Mohan, Achin Vanaik, Major General SG Vombatkere (retd), J Sri Raman, Thomas Kocherry, Sukla Sen, Mukta Srivastava, Anand Patwardhan, Ajit Jha, Feroze Mithiborwala, Kishore Jagtap, PTM Hussain, Ashish Ranjan Jha, Kamayani, Sanjay MG and Arundhati Dhuru.

Published in

Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh, India

Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka

Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand

The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

Rediff News/ India Abroad

Assam Times, Assam, India

The Leadership

American Chronicle, USA

News Blaze, USA

Pakistan Christian Post, Pakistan

Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal

California Chronicle, California, USA

NAPM reaffirms opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear deal

NAPM reaffirms opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear deal
National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)

[To read this posting in Hindi language, click here]
----------------------------------------

Amidst protests against price rises of essential items throughout the country, the PM Manmohan Singh has again started harping on the issue of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. The Deal has been pushed forward in India in an anti-democratic manner without approval of the Parliament - in fact in the teeth of opposition by a large majority of parliamentarians. The Deal has the potential of disturbing regional stability and further distorting India 's relationships with important neighbours like China , Pakistan and Iran . This cannot also but severely undermine the prospects for both vertical and horizontal non-proliferation and thereby the prospects for global nuclear disarmament. This allurement also has the danger of further propelling India towards becoming a junior military ally of the US and a market to mint profits for its MNCs and also the nuclear industry of other advanced countries -- Russia and France, in particular. Most importantly it will be a set back to the environmentally friendly sustainable ways of meeting our energy requirements. Power from nuclear energy is a failed project in developed countries and the eagerness of the Prime Minister to clinch the Deal fails to generate any enthusiasm among the common people of India . Neither is nuclear energy a solution to global warming as some experts make it out to be. On the contrary the entire nuclear fuel cycle is fraught with danger and exposes human beings to hazardous radiation. The world is yet to find a safe way for disposal of radioactive waste, a factor which is constraining the growth of nuclear power programmes in the developed countries.

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is meant to serve the interests of the global nuclear power industry and is a ploy to keep India away from staking claims to shrinking fossil fuel reserves in proportion to its large population so that these reserves may last for some more time for the rich countries.

The undue importance given to the Indo-US Nuclear Deal as opposed to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, even though gas is predicted to be the major source of power globally for the next two to three decades, raises questions about the motives of the Indian government.

We take strong objection to the joint Indo-US military exercises that have been taking place for the last seven years with the aim of building interoperability and we demand immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram. The increasing militarization of the India State is also being used to crush civil liberties and democratic movements in the country. India must learn a lesson from the history of US military involvement in various parts of the world.

We appreciate the consistent stand taken by the Left Front, a partner in the UPA alliance, in successfully stalling the Indo-US Nuclear Deal up till now and hope that the India specific agreement with the IAEA will never be finalized. Even as we note their foresight in foiling the US hegemonic designs in South Asia , we also expect them to take a principled stand against the nuclear power programme. We believe that the IAEA safeguards must be implemented nationally and internationally on all declared and undeclared nuclear activities, including that of Israel and US. The Government of India must also make its nuclear related activities transparent and accountable to the people, especially those who are directly affected by radiation.

We welcome the government's decision to ask the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to draft an umbrella legislation for promotion and growth of renewable energy.

Surendra Mohan, Achin Vanaik, Major General S.G. Vombatkere (Retd.), J. Sri Raman, Thomas Kocherry, Sukla Sen, Mukta Srivastava, Anand Patwardhan, Ajit Jha, Feroze Mithiborwala, Kishore Jagtap, P.T.M. Hussain, Ashish Ranjan Jha, Kamayani, Sanjay M.G., Arundhati Dhuru, Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey

On behalf of
National Alliance of People's Movements

N A P M

NAPM reaffirms opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear deal

NAPM reaffirms opposition to the Indo-US Nuclear deal
National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)

[To read this posting in Hindi language, click here]
----------------------------------------

Amidst protests against price rises of essential items throughout the country, the PM Manmohan Singh has again started harping on the issue of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal. The Deal has been pushed forward in India in an anti-democratic manner without approval of the Parliament - in fact in the teeth of opposition by a large majority of parliamentarians. The Deal has the potential of disturbing regional stability and further distorting India 's relationships with important neighbours like China , Pakistan and Iran . This cannot also but severely undermine the prospects for both vertical and horizontal non-proliferation and thereby the prospects for global nuclear disarmament. This allurement also has the danger of further propelling India towards becoming a junior military ally of the US and a market to mint profits for its MNCs and also the nuclear industry of other advanced countries -- Russia and France, in particular. Most importantly it will be a set back to the environmentally friendly sustainable ways of meeting our energy requirements. Power from nuclear energy is a failed project in developed countries and the eagerness of the Prime Minister to clinch the Deal fails to generate any enthusiasm among the common people of India . Neither is nuclear energy a solution to global warming as some experts make it out to be. On the contrary the entire nuclear fuel cycle is fraught with danger and exposes human beings to hazardous radiation. The world is yet to find a safe way for disposal of radioactive waste, a factor which is constraining the growth of nuclear power programmes in the developed countries.

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is meant to serve the interests of the global nuclear power industry and is a ploy to keep India away from staking claims to shrinking fossil fuel reserves in proportion to its large population so that these reserves may last for some more time for the rich countries.

The undue importance given to the Indo-US Nuclear Deal as opposed to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, even though gas is predicted to be the major source of power globally for the next two to three decades, raises questions about the motives of the Indian government.

We take strong objection to the joint Indo-US military exercises that have been taking place for the last seven years with the aim of building interoperability and we demand immediate closure of the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram. The increasing militarization of the India State is also being used to crush civil liberties and democratic movements in the country. India must learn a lesson from the history of US military involvement in various parts of the world.

We appreciate the consistent stand taken by the Left Front, a partner in the UPA alliance, in successfully stalling the Indo-US Nuclear Deal up till now and hope that the India specific agreement with the IAEA will never be finalized. Even as we note their foresight in foiling the US hegemonic designs in South Asia , we also expect them to take a principled stand against the nuclear power programme. We believe that the IAEA safeguards must be implemented nationally and internationally on all declared and undeclared nuclear activities, including that of Israel and US. The Government of India must also make its nuclear related activities transparent and accountable to the people, especially those who are directly affected by radiation.

We welcome the government's decision to ask the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to draft an umbrella legislation for promotion and growth of renewable energy.

Surendra Mohan, Achin Vanaik, Major General S.G. Vombatkere (Retd.), J. Sri Raman, Thomas Kocherry, Sukla Sen, Mukta Srivastava, Anand Patwardhan, Ajit Jha, Feroze Mithiborwala, Kishore Jagtap, P.T.M. Hussain, Ashish Ranjan Jha, Kamayani, Sanjay M.G., Arundhati Dhuru, Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey

On behalf of
National Alliance of People's Movements

N A P M

Bullet can't be tackled with bullet: Sandeep Pandey (Interview)

Bullet can't be tackled with bullet: Sandeep Pandey (Interview)



27 June 2008, by Sujeet Kumar, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)





RAIPUR: Slamming the government-backed Salwa Judum civil militia movement against Maoists in Chhattisgarh, social activist and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey says "the bullet can never be tackled with the bullet". "Violence is not the reply to violence. The Maoist problem was a product of the decades-old government neglect of the basic needs of forested people. The only way to overcome the insurgency is to ensure all-round development in trouble-torn areas," Pandey told IANS in an interview here.



Pandey, who lives in Lucknow, observed a 10-day fast here along with three other social activists from June 16 against the detention of Binayak Sen, a physician-cum-rights activist since last year.



Pandey, known for his work in the education sector, said: "India's Maoist movement is a product of poverty, backwardness and neglect of the forested masses by the government. Any socio-economic-political problem should be handled with care and development, this is the best way to get over the problem.



"But surprisingly, the Chhattisgarh government created the Salwa Judum in June 2005 which is largely handled by armed anti-social elements."



Pandey said: "The government has to address people's core issues by reaching the benefit of the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and a host of development schemes, freed from corruption, to their (Maoist affected people's) land and ensuring that tribals have the right over the natural resources that belong to them traditionally."



"Under no circumstances should they be moved from their original villages into any kind of camps. Meeting their basic needs in camps but denying them self-dignity will also not solve the problem."



The Salwa Judum has uprooted about 50,000 people in Bastar's Dantewada and Bijapur districts, mostly poor tribals, who are living in 23 government-run relief camps under severe hardship.



About Binayak Sen's detention, Pandey said: "He (Sen) has been victimised because he questioned the Salwa Judum and the false encounters of innocent tribals."



Sen has been held by Chhattisgarh police since May 14, 2007, in a Bilaspur jail for his alleged Maoist links under the stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005.



When told that Sen's bail application had been rejected by a lower court, the Chhattisgarh High Court and also the Supreme Court, Pandey said: "Police have no proof against Sen; they have falsely implicated him.



"It was not too far back when we saw how Syed Abdul Rehman Geelani was falsely implicated in the parliament attack case, even given the death sentence by a POTA special court. But ultimately he was acquitted by the high court and the Supreme Court because of lack of evidence."



Pandey questioned the Chhattisgarh government's move of recruiting poor local tribal youths as special police officers (SPOs) to team up with the police force to dismantle Maoist terror infrastructure in the vast mineral rich Bastar region in the state's south.



The government has so far appointed about 4,500 SPOs on a monthly honorary amount of Rs.1,500 in Bastar, the nerve centre of Maoist terrorism in India. As a result, the SPOs have been prime targets of the insurgents in recent years.



"Development schemes are still not reaching the common people of Bastar and the government machinery is mainly responsible," Pandey said.



"Violence is not natural to human beings. People resort to violence and guns only in extreme circumstances and the Maoist movement too is by and large the same. Once the development problems of people are addressed in a sustainable way, such that people feel empowered, the violence will subside naturally." (IANS)



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Bullet can't be tackled with bullet: Sandeep Pandey (Interview)

Bullet can't be tackled with bullet: Sandeep Pandey (Interview)



27 June 2008, by Sujeet Kumar, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)





RAIPUR: Slamming the government-backed Salwa Judum civil militia movement against Maoists in Chhattisgarh, social activist and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey says "the bullet can never be tackled with the bullet". "Violence is not the reply to violence. The Maoist problem was a product of the decades-old government neglect of the basic needs of forested people. The only way to overcome the insurgency is to ensure all-round development in trouble-torn areas," Pandey told IANS in an interview here.



Pandey, who lives in Lucknow, observed a 10-day fast here along with three other social activists from June 16 against the detention of Binayak Sen, a physician-cum-rights activist since last year.



Pandey, known for his work in the education sector, said: "India's Maoist movement is a product of poverty, backwardness and neglect of the forested masses by the government. Any socio-economic-political problem should be handled with care and development, this is the best way to get over the problem.



"But surprisingly, the Chhattisgarh government created the Salwa Judum in June 2005 which is largely handled by armed anti-social elements."



Pandey said: "The government has to address people's core issues by reaching the benefit of the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and a host of development schemes, freed from corruption, to their (Maoist affected people's) land and ensuring that tribals have the right over the natural resources that belong to them traditionally."



"Under no circumstances should they be moved from their original villages into any kind of camps. Meeting their basic needs in camps but denying them self-dignity will also not solve the problem."



The Salwa Judum has uprooted about 50,000 people in Bastar's Dantewada and Bijapur districts, mostly poor tribals, who are living in 23 government-run relief camps under severe hardship.



About Binayak Sen's detention, Pandey said: "He (Sen) has been victimised because he questioned the Salwa Judum and the false encounters of innocent tribals."



Sen has been held by Chhattisgarh police since May 14, 2007, in a Bilaspur jail for his alleged Maoist links under the stringent Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005.



When told that Sen's bail application had been rejected by a lower court, the Chhattisgarh High Court and also the Supreme Court, Pandey said: "Police have no proof against Sen; they have falsely implicated him.



"It was not too far back when we saw how Syed Abdul Rehman Geelani was falsely implicated in the parliament attack case, even given the death sentence by a POTA special court. But ultimately he was acquitted by the high court and the Supreme Court because of lack of evidence."



Pandey questioned the Chhattisgarh government's move of recruiting poor local tribal youths as special police officers (SPOs) to team up with the police force to dismantle Maoist terror infrastructure in the vast mineral rich Bastar region in the state's south.



The government has so far appointed about 4,500 SPOs on a monthly honorary amount of Rs.1,500 in Bastar, the nerve centre of Maoist terrorism in India. As a result, the SPOs have been prime targets of the insurgents in recent years.



"Development schemes are still not reaching the common people of Bastar and the government machinery is mainly responsible," Pandey said.



"Violence is not natural to human beings. People resort to violence and guns only in extreme circumstances and the Maoist movement too is by and large the same. Once the development problems of people are addressed in a sustainable way, such that people feel empowered, the violence will subside naturally." (IANS)



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"Mayawati government's decision will improve medical teaching": Prof Rama Kant

"Mayawati government's decision will improve medical teaching": Prof Rama Kant


The Uttar Pradesh government has taken a cabinet decision to hike the salary of doctors of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), (formerly King George's Medical College or KGMC) to be at par with Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS). The UP cabinet has also allowed CSMMU doctors to pursue private practice by opting for long term contractual appointment at a fixed salary, UP Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said. The doctors undertaking private practice would however, not be allowed to hold any administrative post.

CSMMU doctors have faced decades of neglect by being deprived of facilities and being one of the most lowly paid government doctors in the country. Till now, these doctors at CSMMU were not even getting the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay-scale.

However despite of the meagre resources, the institution and its Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals (GM & AH) have been providing healthcare services to one of the largest numbers of patients in India.

"On academic front, CSMMU has seen a commendable rise of 40 per cent in the number of research paper publications. In past year more than 220 medical research publications in various indexed journals of repute took place, which is a landmark in the country" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who is the President of the CSMMU Medical Teachers' Association. Professor (Dr) Rama Kant was awarded the World Health Organization (WHO)'s award in 2005.

Professor (Dr) Rama Kant has been spearheading a peaceful non-violent agitation of medical doctors in CSMMU for years to bring government's attention to the issues faced by the faculty. Thankfully owing to the mounting pressure, the government has finally responded.

"One of my major concerns is definitely protecting the integrity of medical teaching" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.

He feels that the lure of material and corporate world is undeniably strong and is taking young potential doctors away to corporate hospitals, otherwise who might have been keen to go in medical teaching. It is vital to protect the sanctity of medical university teaching, and make it reasonably lucrative to retain good potential teachers.

Also medical university teachers are often at the forefront of medical research, especially clinical research. So it is vital to expose them to social and public health domains to further their own understanding in making research more sensitive to community's health needs and concerns, said Prof Rama Kant.

Prof Rama Kant who was also elected as President of College of Surgeons (LCS) last year, complemented the UP government's decision and said it will go a long way in improving quality medical teaching and retaining healthcare professionals, and will certainly strengthen healthcare response in the state.

Published in

Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh, India

American Chronicle, USA

The Indian Citizen, India

Media for Freedom, Nepal

News Blaze, USA

The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

California Chronicle, California, USA

"Mayawati government's decision will improve medical teaching": Prof Rama Kant

"Mayawati government's decision will improve medical teaching": Prof Rama Kant


The Uttar Pradesh government has taken a cabinet decision to hike the salary of doctors of Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), (formerly King George's Medical College or KGMC) to be at par with Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS). The UP cabinet has also allowed CSMMU doctors to pursue private practice by opting for long term contractual appointment at a fixed salary, UP Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said. The doctors undertaking private practice would however, not be allowed to hold any administrative post.

CSMMU doctors have faced decades of neglect by being deprived of facilities and being one of the most lowly paid government doctors in the country. Till now, these doctors at CSMMU were not even getting the University Grants Commission (UGC) pay-scale.

However despite of the meagre resources, the institution and its Gandhi Memorial & Associated Hospitals (GM & AH) have been providing healthcare services to one of the largest numbers of patients in India.

"On academic front, CSMMU has seen a commendable rise of 40 per cent in the number of research paper publications. In past year more than 220 medical research publications in various indexed journals of repute took place, which is a landmark in the country" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant, who is the President of the CSMMU Medical Teachers' Association. Professor (Dr) Rama Kant was awarded the World Health Organization (WHO)'s award in 2005.

Professor (Dr) Rama Kant has been spearheading a peaceful non-violent agitation of medical doctors in CSMMU for years to bring government's attention to the issues faced by the faculty. Thankfully owing to the mounting pressure, the government has finally responded.

"One of my major concerns is definitely protecting the integrity of medical teaching" said Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.

He feels that the lure of material and corporate world is undeniably strong and is taking young potential doctors away to corporate hospitals, otherwise who might have been keen to go in medical teaching. It is vital to protect the sanctity of medical university teaching, and make it reasonably lucrative to retain good potential teachers.

Also medical university teachers are often at the forefront of medical research, especially clinical research. So it is vital to expose them to social and public health domains to further their own understanding in making research more sensitive to community's health needs and concerns, said Prof Rama Kant.

Prof Rama Kant who was also elected as President of College of Surgeons (LCS) last year, complemented the UP government's decision and said it will go a long way in improving quality medical teaching and retaining healthcare professionals, and will certainly strengthen healthcare response in the state.

Published in

Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh/ Chhattisgarh, India

American Chronicle, USA

The Indian Citizen, India

Media for Freedom, Nepal

News Blaze, USA

The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea

California Chronicle, California, USA

Non-Resident Indians (NRI) fast to demand release of Dr Binayak Sen

Non-Resident Indians (NRI) fast to demand release of Dr Binayak Sen

Many concerned Indians in the USA, UK, Canada, UK, Australia, Thailand and other countries are fasting from 16 - 25 June 2008 along with hundreds of activists in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, demanding the annulment of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA) 2005, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) 1967, amended in 2004, and the release of Dr Binayak Sen (medical doctor and recipient of the prestigious Jonathan Mann award for Health and Human Rights), Ajay TG (filmmaker) and others.

These draconian laws (CSPSA and UAPA) sanction the violation of due process by the state, and thus contravene internationally accepted norms of jurisprudence as well as democratic governance. As Mr.Kannabiran, National President of PUCL, India, argues in his letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the CSPSA and UAPA operate by criminalizing the very performance of civil liberties activities, and culpability is decided upon not by direct proof, but through guilt by association.

Rashim Singh, a PhD student at University of Houston, USA, a volunteer and an Executive Board member of Association for India's Development (AID) is on the 8th day of her 10-day fast, which started on 16 June 2008.

Speaking on the incarceration of Dr Binayak Sen, Rashim Singh says, "A man who for 30 years has dedicated his life to the service of the poor cannot be branded as a threat to the country". On being asked what made her undertake the 10 day fast, she said, "If Gandhiji could have successfully used satyagraha to make the British listen to us, then we expect our own government in Chhattisgarh and Delhi to listen to the voices of thousands of Indian citizens from all over the world demanding the abrogation of the draconian laws. If every voice raised against the government atrocities is curbed, then what is the use of a democracy?"

AID Houston volunteers Anand Chandolu and Shekhar Gosavi who are fasting along with Rashim said: "We must do more to raise awareness about this cause. We pray for the people in India and USA, from various groups such as Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, Asha Parivar, National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), AID and others that are fasting for the release of Dr Binayak Sen"

Those fasting in Raipur where Dr Sen is imprisoned include Dr Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay Awardee (2008) and convener of NAPM), Prem Narain Verma (Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha), Prem Prakash, Faizal Khan (Asha Parivar) and several other activists from various organizations in India.

Ms Shalini Gera, an activist from 'Friends of South Asia', points out that the "evidence" presented by the state about Dr.Sen's "Maoist connections" actually refers to Dr Sen's meetings with Narayan Sanyal, (a jailed 70-year-old Maoist leader) that took place with the permission of the jail authorities, and under their close supervision, when Dr. Sen, as the vice-president of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), visited Sanyal in the Raipur Central Jail to provide medical and legal assistance.

As the State Secretary of PUCL of Chhattisgarh, and the national Vice President, Dr.Sen has been amongst the most vocal opponents of "Salwa Judum", a private militia movement armed by the Chhattisgarh Government to combat Maoist insurgency. Dr.Sen earned the ire of the government for opposing Salwa Judum which has contributed to a spiralling increase in violence and displacement of thousands of tribals. The permanent state of war created by Salwa Judum has led to large-scale and apparently voluntary displacement of indigenous communities, thus freeing up for corporate and industrial use, land and natural resources that have historically belonged to local communities.

According to Mr. Somnath Mukherji, an AID activist, "these protests are not only about the violation of the human rights of Dr Sen- they are also about the ongoing assault on the human rights of the people of Chhattisgarh whose lives and lands are being mortgaged to a vision of development that is antithetical to them".

Published in

Binayak Sen.Net

News Blaze, USA

American Chronicle, USA

Non-Resident Indians (NRI) fast to demand release of Dr Binayak Sen

Non-Resident Indians (NRI) fast to demand release of Dr Binayak Sen

Many concerned Indians in the USA, UK, Canada, UK, Australia, Thailand and other countries are fasting from 16 - 25 June 2008 along with hundreds of activists in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, demanding the annulment of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA) 2005, and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) 1967, amended in 2004, and the release of Dr Binayak Sen (medical doctor and recipient of the prestigious Jonathan Mann award for Health and Human Rights), Ajay TG (filmmaker) and others.

These draconian laws (CSPSA and UAPA) sanction the violation of due process by the state, and thus contravene internationally accepted norms of jurisprudence as well as democratic governance. As Mr.Kannabiran, National President of PUCL, India, argues in his letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the CSPSA and UAPA operate by criminalizing the very performance of civil liberties activities, and culpability is decided upon not by direct proof, but through guilt by association.

Rashim Singh, a PhD student at University of Houston, USA, a volunteer and an Executive Board member of Association for India's Development (AID) is on the 8th day of her 10-day fast, which started on 16 June 2008.

Speaking on the incarceration of Dr Binayak Sen, Rashim Singh says, "A man who for 30 years has dedicated his life to the service of the poor cannot be branded as a threat to the country". On being asked what made her undertake the 10 day fast, she said, "If Gandhiji could have successfully used satyagraha to make the British listen to us, then we expect our own government in Chhattisgarh and Delhi to listen to the voices of thousands of Indian citizens from all over the world demanding the abrogation of the draconian laws. If every voice raised against the government atrocities is curbed, then what is the use of a democracy?"

AID Houston volunteers Anand Chandolu and Shekhar Gosavi who are fasting along with Rashim said: "We must do more to raise awareness about this cause. We pray for the people in India and USA, from various groups such as Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha, Asha Parivar, National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), AID and others that are fasting for the release of Dr Binayak Sen"

Those fasting in Raipur where Dr Sen is imprisoned include Dr Sandeep Pandey (Magsaysay Awardee (2008) and convener of NAPM), Prem Narain Verma (Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha), Prem Prakash, Faizal Khan (Asha Parivar) and several other activists from various organizations in India.

Ms Shalini Gera, an activist from 'Friends of South Asia', points out that the "evidence" presented by the state about Dr.Sen's "Maoist connections" actually refers to Dr Sen's meetings with Narayan Sanyal, (a jailed 70-year-old Maoist leader) that took place with the permission of the jail authorities, and under their close supervision, when Dr. Sen, as the vice-president of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), visited Sanyal in the Raipur Central Jail to provide medical and legal assistance.

As the State Secretary of PUCL of Chhattisgarh, and the national Vice President, Dr.Sen has been amongst the most vocal opponents of "Salwa Judum", a private militia movement armed by the Chhattisgarh Government to combat Maoist insurgency. Dr.Sen earned the ire of the government for opposing Salwa Judum which has contributed to a spiralling increase in violence and displacement of thousands of tribals. The permanent state of war created by Salwa Judum has led to large-scale and apparently voluntary displacement of indigenous communities, thus freeing up for corporate and industrial use, land and natural resources that have historically belonged to local communities.

According to Mr. Somnath Mukherji, an AID activist, "these protests are not only about the violation of the human rights of Dr Sen- they are also about the ongoing assault on the human rights of the people of Chhattisgarh whose lives and lands are being mortgaged to a vision of development that is antithetical to them".

Published in

Binayak Sen.Net

News Blaze, USA

American Chronicle, USA

Overcoming state suppression, Prof Agarwal continues Save-Ganga fast in Delhi

Overcoming state suppression, Prof Agarwal continues Save-Ganga fast in Delhi



Retired IIT Kanpur Professor (retired) Dr GD Agarwal, 76 years, is sitting on a fast-unto-death since 13 June 2008 to save the Ganga from the aggressive onslaught of strings of dams and hydel projects in Uttarakhand. On 21 June 2008, the Uttarakhand government had to forcibly disrupt the peaceful and non-violent agitation of Prof Agarwal, forcing the unflinching crusader to move to the nation's capital to continue his agitation.



The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, BC Khanduri, had said on 17 June 2008, that he was ready to stop the construction of hydel projects on the Bhagirathi river if the power needs of the state were fulfilled by the Centre. Possibly it was this assurance of Chief Minister Khanduri that had instigated those with vested interest in hydel projects to lobby against the growing influence of Prof Agarwal's non-violent protest.



The Uttarakhand state government had earlier planned a series of hydel projects between Uttar kashi and Gangotri. Khanduri, however, made it clear that the decision on stopping the construction of the 600-MW Lohari Nagpala project would be taken by the Centre since it was being constructed by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a central government undertaking and India's largest power generation company. Other major dams being built on the river include Pala Maneri (480 MW), Bhairon Ghati (381 MW) and Jad Ganga (200 MW).



"The contentious issue is 600 MW (4X150) Loharinag - Pala dam being built by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a central government undertaking, the country's largest power generation company. Ganga will be put into 26 and 17 km long tunnels leading to its disappearance from its natural course through the stretch. The construction is going on in full steam. The resultant destruction of the fragile and unique ecosystem will have far reaching consequences. Not only this, all this is done in earthquake zone 5 and terrain full of sedimentary rocks. No imagination is required to realize what one earthquake would to the entire region. Siltation is another problem. Ganga and all other Himalayan rivers carry lots of silt along which will now settle in the reservoirs created by the dams reducing the electricity generation capacity. Repeated closing of Nathpa-Jhakri Dam on Satluj in Himachal Pradesh 4 years after its commission is a fine example" explained Environmental scientist Neeraj Doshi, who has moved back from USA recently to strengthen people's movements.



"In the name of 'development' and 'economic growth' in India, rural and urban poor have been the worst hit, facing displacement and dispossession at an unprecedented scale" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM). "Not only the state has overlooked the environmental cost of such hydel projects, but also the issues of livelihood and quality of life of those living in areas adjoining the Ganga and those who will be displaced by these projects has been appallingly ignored by the state" added Dr Pandey while strongly endorsing the fast of Dr Agarwal.



The privatization of water, use of agriculture lands as special economic zone for rapid industrialization, heavy displacement of poor people with 'development projects' which put them at grave risk of infectious diseases, are certainly not going to help India in its development goals.



With the fast-unto-death entering 11th day on Monday, 23 June 2008, 76 years old Dr GD Agarwal's commitment to save the Ganga, the environment and the rights of the most under-represented people in the development discourses, hopefully will be able to influence the Indian government to listen to the people, for a change.





Published in



Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh, India



Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka



News Blaze, USA



Media for Freedom, Nepal



American Chronicle, USA



The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea



California Chronicle, USA

Overcoming state suppression, Prof Agarwal continues Save-Ganga fast in Delhi

Overcoming state suppression, Prof Agarwal continues Save-Ganga fast in Delhi



Retired IIT Kanpur Professor (retired) Dr GD Agarwal, 76 years, is sitting on a fast-unto-death since 13 June 2008 to save the Ganga from the aggressive onslaught of strings of dams and hydel projects in Uttarakhand. On 21 June 2008, the Uttarakhand government had to forcibly disrupt the peaceful and non-violent agitation of Prof Agarwal, forcing the unflinching crusader to move to the nation's capital to continue his agitation.



The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, BC Khanduri, had said on 17 June 2008, that he was ready to stop the construction of hydel projects on the Bhagirathi river if the power needs of the state were fulfilled by the Centre. Possibly it was this assurance of Chief Minister Khanduri that had instigated those with vested interest in hydel projects to lobby against the growing influence of Prof Agarwal's non-violent protest.



The Uttarakhand state government had earlier planned a series of hydel projects between Uttar kashi and Gangotri. Khanduri, however, made it clear that the decision on stopping the construction of the 600-MW Lohari Nagpala project would be taken by the Centre since it was being constructed by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a central government undertaking and India's largest power generation company. Other major dams being built on the river include Pala Maneri (480 MW), Bhairon Ghati (381 MW) and Jad Ganga (200 MW).



"The contentious issue is 600 MW (4X150) Loharinag - Pala dam being built by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), a central government undertaking, the country's largest power generation company. Ganga will be put into 26 and 17 km long tunnels leading to its disappearance from its natural course through the stretch. The construction is going on in full steam. The resultant destruction of the fragile and unique ecosystem will have far reaching consequences. Not only this, all this is done in earthquake zone 5 and terrain full of sedimentary rocks. No imagination is required to realize what one earthquake would to the entire region. Siltation is another problem. Ganga and all other Himalayan rivers carry lots of silt along which will now settle in the reservoirs created by the dams reducing the electricity generation capacity. Repeated closing of Nathpa-Jhakri Dam on Satluj in Himachal Pradesh 4 years after its commission is a fine example" explained Environmental scientist Neeraj Doshi, who has moved back from USA recently to strengthen people's movements.



"In the name of 'development' and 'economic growth' in India, rural and urban poor have been the worst hit, facing displacement and dispossession at an unprecedented scale" said Dr Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee (2002) and convener of National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM). "Not only the state has overlooked the environmental cost of such hydel projects, but also the issues of livelihood and quality of life of those living in areas adjoining the Ganga and those who will be displaced by these projects has been appallingly ignored by the state" added Dr Pandey while strongly endorsing the fast of Dr Agarwal.



The privatization of water, use of agriculture lands as special economic zone for rapid industrialization, heavy displacement of poor people with 'development projects' which put them at grave risk of infectious diseases, are certainly not going to help India in its development goals.



With the fast-unto-death entering 11th day on Monday, 23 June 2008, 76 years old Dr GD Agarwal's commitment to save the Ganga, the environment and the rights of the most under-represented people in the development discourses, hopefully will be able to influence the Indian government to listen to the people, for a change.





Published in



Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh, India



Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka



News Blaze, USA



Media for Freedom, Nepal



American Chronicle, USA



The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea



California Chronicle, USA